VN Ren'Py Friends in Need [S1 v0.85c] [NeonGhosts]

[Lightaces]

Ashe feels delicate and innocent, completely unprepared for the grim reality that lies just behind her curtain of naivety; the dark truth of just how cruel the world is can be an unbearable weight for some to bear, and not everyone can live with it.

That's not how I see Ashe at all. She is well aware of what people think of her. She gets the place in the world she is expected to fit, and isn't at all interested in it. She is willing to use those expectations to get what she wants, but fully intends to get past them. She says, the first night Guy takes her back to his place on the corruption paths, that Guy isn't the first time someone has held something important to her hostage to getting laid. And she went along with it to keep her job. I see Ashe as very much a realist, who is happy to play the innocent dumb blonde to get herself ahead in life.

But if any of the LI's were going to end things that way, I do think it would be Ashe, mostly just because the worst version of the "date" was so unbelievably bad.

 

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

Yeahhhh. I mean, some of the love interests may not have happy endings. But, I won't kill off any love interests. I'll go ahead and say that now. As for Guy, I'd like to see his endings run the gamut. I have at least one bad ending in mind for Good Guy. I have at least one good (well, goodish) ending in mind for Bad Guy. Grey Guy has a similar range of possibilities.

I've said this before, but I fully anticipate wrapping up the last chapter, and then spending a full dev cycle just doing the various possible ending montages.

Thanks for correcting. It was a confident head canon while it lasted. No but, that sounds cool. I'm down for whatever endings you have in mind, and really curious. For some reason, I could've swore you said the LIs were going to get their justice over Guy in the end. Maybe some of the more positive comments have mashed with yours in this noggin', haha.

Damn, I think I've gotten to the point where I don't wanna see good Guy or the LIs fail, and I really wanna see dark Guy suffer. It's gonna make me sad knowing there's a fictional world where the opposite happens. Why Neon, why?

That's not how I see Ashe at all. She is well aware of what people think of her. She gets the place in the world she is expected to fit, and isn't at all interested in it. She is willing to use those expectations to get what she wants, but fully intends to get past them. She says, the first night Guy takes her back to his place on the corruption paths, that Guy isn't the first time someone has held something important to her hostage to getting laid. And she went along with it to keep her job. I see Ashe as very much a realist, who is happy to play the innocent dumb blonde to get herself ahead in life.

But if any of the LI's were going to end things that way, I do think it would be Ashe, mostly just because the worst version of the "date" was so unbelievably bad.

You make some good points, but I still see her as naive in a lot of ways. It feels like she had a sheltered upbringing with her parents, who she still lives with; out of necessity, I think, but still. She may be self-aware about how others see her, and she clearly isn't dumb, but I do think she's genuinely very bubbly and has an unusually positive outlook on people and life. I look forward to playing all the routes someday to get the full picture of each of the characters, but even though she's learned how skeevy and selfish men can be, and how much she's willing to put up with for her career, she seems particularly vulnerable to dark Guy because she's still trusting enough to put herself in dangerous situations, still positive enough to assume the best intentions of people; even if they insult you, rub you the wrong way, and lure you into a dark alley at night, and all your red alerts and alarm bells are going off, this is going to be fine, right? I feel like that kind of mindset could be collapsed by dark Guy, and I think it's plausible for someone like Ashe to not feel right in a world where she can't feel safe as her naturally fun and unwary self. I don't know, does that make sense?

 

[ffive]

Attached to this post you'll find some images for a scene I had a lot of fun with, because I got to go a little big and crazy, in an environment that doesn't usually see a lot of action -- our hero's condo. As you can see, there's a bunch of extra figures in one of the images, and poor Risa's looking more than a little flustered. I'll leave you to speculate about what's going on, but I'll take a minute to get into the nitty gritty of how I put the scene together.

My guess would be the menace that's certain younger sister has decided there's no better use for Guy's pad than organize a big lesbian party in it while the owner is away.

That said,



this is a pretty precarious arrangement for a cuck chair, bit worried for Joshy if he insists on using it regardless.

 

[Lightaces]

Thanks for correcting. It was a confident head canon while it lasted. No but, that sounds cool. I'm down for whatever endings you have in mind, and really curious. For some reason, I could've swore you said the LIs were going to get their justice over Guy in the end. Maybe some of the more positive comments have mashed with yours in this noggin', haha.

Damn, I think I've gotten to the point where I don't wanna see good Guy or the LIs fail, and I really wanna see dark Guy suffer. It's gonna make me sad knowing there's a fictional world where the opposite happens. Why Neon, why?


You make some good points, but I still see her as naive in a lot of ways. It feels like she had a sheltered upbringing with her parents, who she still lives with; out of necessity, I think, but still. She may be self-aware about how others see her, and she clearly isn't dumb, but I do think she's genuinely very bubbly and has an unusually positive outlook on people and life. I look forward to playing all the routes someday to get the full picture of each of the characters, but even though she's learned how skeevy and selfish men can be, and how much she's willing to put up with for her career, she seems particularly vulnerable to dark Guy because she's still trusting enough to put herself in dangerous situations, still positive enough to assume the best intentions of people; even if they insult you, rub you the wrong way, and lure you into a dark alley at night, and all your red alerts and alarm bells are going off, this is going to be fine, right? I feel like that kind of mindset could be collapsed by dark Guy, and I think it's plausible for someone like Ashe to not feel right in a world where she can't feel safe as her naturally fun and unwary self. I don't know, does that make sense?

She clocks dark guy right away, but she assumes he's just going to bring her back to his condo and maybe make her fuck him to keep her job. And she was....certainly not happy to....but was resigned to it to keep her job. She was willing to be transactional about it. She wasn't ready for him to force himself on her in the alley, at least in part because he just didn't need to - he was already gonna get what he was after anyway. But the moment he puts his hand on her hip, or dismisses her intelligence, she knows what he wants from her. That's why she initially refuses to go back with him until he threatens her job. And let's be honest, the alley scene is profoundly stupid of Guy. It was completely unnecessary, and put him in a lot of jeopardy for something he could have had safely.

 

[NeonGhosts]

Thanks for correcting. It was a confident head canon while it lasted. No but, that sounds cool. I'm down for whatever endings you have in mind, and really curious. For some reason, I could've swore you said the LIs were going to get their justice over Guy in the end. Maybe some of the more positive comments have mashed with yours in this noggin', haha.

Damn, I think I've gotten to the point where I don't wanna see good Guy or the LIs fail, and I really wanna see dark Guy suffer. It's gonna make me sad knowing there's a fictional world where the opposite happens. Why Neon, why?

For what it's worth, I see the best ending for Bad Guy being kinda similar to the end Vic Mackey got at the end of The Shield. He might end up 'free,' but miserable.

And the bad ending for Good Guy is likely to be more about Guy falling on his sword because he thinks it's the right thing to do.

 

[Joshy92]

My guess would be the menace that's certain younger sister has decided there's no better use for Guy's pad than organize a big lesbian party in it while the owner is away.

That said,

View attachment 5385392

this is a pretty precarious arrangement for a cuck chair, bit worried for Joshy if he insists on using it regardless.

I instantly thought lesbian orgy when I saw the images lol.

 

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

She clocks dark guy right away, but she assumes he's just going to bring her back to his condo and maybe make her fuck him to keep her job. And she was....certainly not happy to....but was resigned to it to keep her job. She was willing to be transactional about it. She wasn't ready for him to force himself on her in the alley, at least in part because he just didn't need to - he was already gonna get what he was after anyway. But the moment he puts his hand on her hip, or dismisses her intelligence, she knows what he wants from her. That's why she initially refuses to go back with him until he threatens her job. And let's be honest, the alley scene is profoundly stupid of Guy. It was completely unnecessary, and put him in a lot of jeopardy for something he could have had safely.

She assumed he was the usual, so she didn't actually clock dark Guy. Know what I'm saying? I agree, you've convinced me that she's willing to lower herself a little to get ahead in her career, I didn't know that aspect because I haven't played domination route yet; and she's not so innocent that she's unaware of his apparent intentions as a horny investor creep. But his real intentions went past her because he's a different animal she hasn't encountered before, you know? Maybe that's why she was so nervous walking with him; she had experience fucking skeeves for a career boost, but Guy felt different in a way that she either couldn't quite put her finger on, or in a way that she was afraid to put her finger on, if that makes sense (denial, fear of fully realizing a serious threat). Or do you think she's usually nervous before she's about to fuck a complete stranger that she doesn't like at all? Maybe it was both; maybe that's even what confused her and why she ignored those alarm bells, because she got them no matter what asshole boss she was banging or whatever, but it never lead to anything like the alley scene before?

For what it's worth, I see the best ending for Bad Guy being kinda similar to the end Vic Mackey got at the end of The Shield. He might end up 'free,' but miserable.

And the bad ending for Good Guy is likely to be more about Guy falling on his sword because he thinks it's the right thing to do.

That's honestly more comforting than what I had in mind, so appreciate it!

And also, not to derail, but never watched that show before even though I heard about it quite a lot. Would you recommend it? If it's less like a typical cop procedural, and more like.. I don't know, The Sopranos, but for cops, in the way it approaches its material, that sounds really cool and I need to give it a go some time!

 

[Lightaces]

She assumed he was the usual, so she didn't actually clock dark Guy. Know what I'm saying? I agree, you've convinced me that she's willing to lower herself a little to get ahead in her career, I didn't know that aspect because I haven't played domination route yet; and she's not so innocent that she's unaware of his apparent intentions as a horny investor creep. But his real intentions went past her because he's a different animal she hasn't encountered before, you know? Maybe that's why she was so nervous walking with him; she had experience fucking skeeves for a career boost, but Guy felt different in a way that she either couldn't quite put her finger on, or in a way that she was afraid to put her finger on, if that makes sense (denial, fear of fully realizing a serious threat). Or do you think she's usually nervous before she's about to fuck a complete stranger that she doesn't like at all? Maybe it was both; maybe that's even what confused her and why she ignored those alarm bells, because she got them no matter what asshole boss she was banging or whatever, but it never lead to anything like the alley scene before?

Maybe, but I don't know that I would call that naive, just practical. Like I say, why would he, she's already going with him. But she did learn a lesson there - that it wasn't just about sex, but power.

 

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

Maybe, but I don't know that I would call that naive, just practical. Like I say, why would he, she's already going with him. But she did learn a lesson there - that it wasn't just about sex, but power.

That makes sense. I guess if I really, really try to put myself in her perspective (which is something I genuinely struggle with, tbh).. ok, so Guy's fairly attractive... he's fit enough... he's not too old... he's way richer than she is... and he might have a career opportunity for her down the line if she snuggles and pretends to like it. And on the flip side, he belittles her, and he's really creepy. I reckon every skeeve she's slept with before then had those negative qualities, too, so nothing new; and they might not have even had Guy's upsides. So.. it's possible maybe I projected my own knowledge of Guy's intentions onto her; as in, I know what he's after, so everything he does is interpreted through that lens, and it seems so obvious to me; what, you're going to his condo!? What, through a dark alley at night!? And so on; therefore she seemed naive. Whereas, from her perspective, this is just another uncomfortable fuck at some pervert's place. It's harder to translate vibes through a VN, like energy, body language, and so on. I feel like in a real situation, that stuff might stick out from Guy, but maybe not.

Sooo... I got there. This was a good brainstorm lightaces, thx

 

[The Anti]

For what it's worth, I see the best ending for Bad Guy being kinda similar to the end Vic Mackey got at the end of The Shield. He might end up 'free,' but miserable.

And the bad ending for Good Guy is likely to be more about Guy falling on his sword because he thinks it's the right thing to do.

The best ending for bad guy is a cabin in the woods with a dungeon full of all the girls

 

[Alextsai]

Perfect Bad Guy ending is that he still has control of all the girls, he makes more money and starts up a Friends in Need corporation where they all work for him to recruit more girls to be added to the HAREM.

 

[Lightaces]

Perfect Bad Guy ending is that he still has control of all the girls, he makes more money and starts up a Friends in Need corporation where they all work for him to recruit more girls to be added to the HAREM.

The best ending for bad guy is a cabin in the woods with a dungeon full of all the girls

Yeah, neither of those will be happening. It's not that kind of game. Hell, there are already consequences for Guy's actions, even before Season 1 ends, and that is absolutely going to get more and more apparent. Guy's Dark Deeds are going to catch up to him, and you'll note Neon said he would have a good-ish ending. Free, but miserable. My guess is he is back at the convenience store. Though, given his proclivities, he should be stashing money away in off shore accounts from the jump, just to make sure he DOESN'T have to go back to customer service!

 

[Dessolos]

Only Dark Guy ending in hoping for is dead or jail and hopefully some of his victims gets a bit of revenge

 

[Jaga Telesin]

Yeah, neither of those will be happening. It's not that kind of game. Hell, there are already consequences for Guy's actions, even before Season 1 ends, and that is absolutely going to get more and more apparent. Guy's Dark Deeds are going to catch up to him, and you'll note Neon said he would have a good-ish ending. Free, but miserable. My guess is he is back at the convenience store. Though, given his proclivities, he should be stashing money away in off shore accounts from the jump, just to make sure he DOESN'T have to go back to customer service!

So then what's the point of playing a Dark path, if it only ends up a "fuck the MC (player)" type ending?

Good path = nice guy to whom nice things happen. Dark path = bad guy who takes advantage and takes what he wants.

I don't see punishing the player with bad endings JUST for playing a Dark path as a value-add to the game, at all. It's about whether the MC earns affection and sex, or he takes pleasure and sex without regard for others.

If I were playing both paths before reviewing the game, and the Dark path was just entirely unfulfilling (and basically not enjoyable as a power trip), I'd probably dock the game 1-2 stars out of possible 5 just for that reason.

 

[hitman2511]

 

[Joshy92]

So then what's the point of playing a Dark path, if it only ends up a "fuck the MC (player)" type ending?

Good path = nice guy to whom nice things happen. Dark path = bad guy who takes advantage and takes what he wants.

I don't see punishing the player with bad endings JUST for playing a Dark path as a value-add to the game, at all. It's about whether the MC earns affection and sex, or he takes pleasure and sex without regard for others.

If I were playing both paths before reviewing the game, and the Dark path was just entirely unfulfilling (and basically not enjoyable as a power trip), I'd probably dock the game 1-2 stars out of possible 5 just for that reason.

Because it's to show how being a scumbag can blow up in a dudes face.

Look at all those rapey harem games where the mc can do anything and get away with it. Don't you think that sort of thing is boring?

 

[Jaga Telesin]

Because it's to show how being a scumbag can blow up in a dudes face.

Not sure about you, but I highly doubt people play AVNs for life lessons, I certainly don't. Any game that tries to teach ME one after all the decades I've lived instead of entertaining me like a game should, doesn't get a decent review. Most of the time I simply stop playing, uninstall, and rate poorly.

If I want to play the nice guy and be loved, I do it. If I want to play the bad guy and live a virtual power trip, I do that instead. I don't need to be punished and shown "the error of my ways" in either case, nor do I think anyone else does.

I've played a few games with dark stories and LIs that run into seriously bad situations. But that's part of the story, not a reflection of my choices in it. Punishing the player with poor outcomes just isn't a fun thing, and I honestly think it's doing any game an injustice and turning away potential fun, and players.

Look at all those rapey harem games where the mc can do anything and get away with it. Don't you think that sort of thing is boring?

You clearly didn't read my profile tag: "Incestuous Harem Owner". I like harem games, and "gotta collect them all!" type AVNs. They are only "rapey" if they are written that way. If you don't like rapey stuff, don't play rapey stuff. But don't assume harem games are rapey by default. If you do, you show your prejudices on your sleeves, and you'd be entirely wrong doing so.

 

[hitman2511]

Because it's to show how being a scumbag can blow up in a dudes face.

Look at all those rapey harem games where the mc can do anything and get away with it. Don't you think that sort of thing is boring?

I play a lot of harem games and beside of Desert Stalker no one of these are rapey.

 

[Joshy92]

Not sure about you, but I highly doubt people play AVNs for life lessons, I certainly don't. Any game that tries to teach ME one after all the decades I've lived instead of entertaining me like a game should, doesn't get a decent review. Most of the time I simply stop playing, uninstall, and rate poorly.

If I want to play the nice guy and be loved, I do it. If I want to play the bad guy and live a virtual power trip, I do that instead. I don't need to be punished and shown "the error of my ways" in either case, nor do I think anyone else does.

I've played a few games with dark stories and LIs that run into seriously bad situations. But that's part of the story, not a reflection of my choices in it. Punishing the player with poor outcomes just isn't a fun thing, and I honestly think it's doing any game an injustice and turning away potential fun, and players.

Most avn fans can barely read, so who cares what they think? This isn't some by the numbers' porn game. Yes it is smut, but it's a bit more than that too.

The game is years old by now, so if people didn't do their research about the dark paths before playing, that's on them. And NG posted that there will be one sort of good ending for dark path Guy anyway.

 

[Dessolos]

Not sure about you, but I highly doubt people play AVNs for life lessons, I certainly don't. Any game that tries to teach ME one after all the decades I've lived instead of entertaining me like a game should, doesn't get a decent review. Most of the time I simply stop playing, uninstall, and rate poorly.

If I want to play the nice guy and be loved, I do it. If I want to play the bad guy and live a virtual power trip, I do that instead. I don't need to be punished and shown "the error of my ways" in either case, nor do I think anyone else does.

I've played a few games with dark stories and LIs that run into seriously bad situations. But that's part of the story, not a reflection of my choices in it. Punishing the player with poor outcomes just isn't a fun thing, and I honestly think it's doing any game an injustice and turning away potential fun, and players.




You clearly didn't read my profile tag: "Incestuous Harem Owner". I like harem games, and "gotta collect them all!" type AVNs. They are only "rapey" if they are written that way. If you don't like rapey stuff, don't play rapey stuff. But don't assume harem games are rapey by default. If you do, you show your prejudices on your sleeves, and you'd be entirely wrong doing so.

personally I feel AVN's with dark MC's need good and bad options. For players that want him to get punishes and players that do not. The only reason id ever play a Dark MC like this one is for him to get punished. So while you would feel punishing players isn't a good thing and takes away the fun. For me not punishing players for a Dark MC would be the exact opposite for me especially a game with choices. If it was a Kinetic novel then okay then maybe I can see your point there , depending on the game.