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

[Pixillin']

Ugh, this again? You really think Nicki is somehow the only girl in this game who has ever played a video game, watched a movie cartoon, took part in a cosplay, worked a shitty job or did any of dozen other things that Guy and Nicki talk about? Let me remind: Guy is a fucking immature manchild. An 18-20 year old woman is actually closer to his mental level than a woman of his age. If anything, this is more of a reverse question -- what you think would an adult woman do or talk about with Guy when they're not fucking? Because most things she's dealt with, he hardly knows anything about. Relationships, friends, family, entertainment that isn't anime or games. Yeah, good luck on holding a meaningful discussion with our MC on those.

He's done alright so far. He definitely had conversations with Jun about things like family and business before they started fucking. So far all he's done with Carolina is talk. I think Brittany, or Gabi would be, in the long term, as much of a pet as Mason and/or the relationship would be short. Is Guy going to hang out with Brittani and her friends at the beach? Go to college parties with Gabi? Maybe Viola, although she seems much more defensive, and more serious than the others. Same goes for Pepper really - she's pretty defensive and we really don't know much about her other than she has a blog and a connection to the cam girl. I mean like who you want, but I find the younger ones fairly uninteresting. Pretty, but uninteresting.

 

[Dessolos]

He's done alright so far. He definitely had conversations with Jun about things like family and business before they started fucking. So far all he's done with Carolina is talk. I think Brittany, or Gabi would be, in the long term, as much of a pet as Mason and/or the relationship would be short. Is Guy going to hang out with Brittani and her friends at the beach? Go to college parties with Gabi? Maybe Viola, although she seems much more defensive, and more serious than the others. Same goes for Pepper really - she's pretty defensive and we really don't know much about her other than she has a blog and a connection to the cam girl. I mean like who you want, but I find the younger ones fairly uninteresting. Pretty, but uninteresting.

Yeah while I like most of the options here but that is me going off my personal feelings and not thinking who I think is best for Guy. If I actually base my choices on who I think is best for Guy honestly I think Nicki is the only viable option for me , maybe Ashe.

Risa : while she has a good heart and can be fun to be around sort of like Nicki , her family brings to many problems.
Mason : Feels like you are taking advantage I would only go that route for someone that is somewhere between good and evil Guy.
Brittany : I can see her mother causing to much trouble and the only way I can see this working is if she cuts her mother off which wouldn't be fair to her.
Viola : is to much of an unknown right now for me. She is clearly a gamer and probably would be a good time but also I feel she is too closed off right now due to her having to fend for her self. I can see maybe in the future she can be a good option just not now.
Gabi : okay this one I can't be biased I just do not like her at all if I had the option I wouldn't even be friends with her. I'd treat her and her mother as business associates nothing more.
Ashe : okay I admit she would be a good option yet I can't help feel her love is only one sided to me. It's almost as if she is in love with guy but he isn't even on the good path just feels like someone that is more of a friend to him that he sometimes has sex with than a romance option. ( tho this could be because I need to replay their date and forgot some stuff)
Pepper : I don't think she is ready for a serious relationship anytime soon cause of the issues she is having.
Carolina : she is a maybe I need to see more with her to really say one way or another yet.

Nicki to me is perfect cause they feel like they have good chemistry , same interest have some history together and understand one another really well. That and both understand what it is like to be poor , so while guy can show her a good time. I feel she wouldn't want guy spending lots of money on her and she can be there to keep guy in check so he doesn't spend all his money in a year.

 

[Pixillin']

Yeah while I like most of the options here but that is me going off my personal feelings and not thinking who I think is best for Guy. If I actually base my choices on who I think is best for Guy honestly I think Nicki is the only viable option for me , maybe Ashe.

Risa : while she has a good heart and can be fun to be around sort of like Nicki , her family brings to many problems.
Mason : Feels like you are taking advantage I would only go that route for someone that is somewhere between good and evil Guy.
Brittany : I can see her mother causing to much trouble and the only way I can see this working is if she cuts her mother off which wouldn't be fair to her.
Viola : is to much of an unknown right now for me. She is clearly a gamer and probably would be a good time but also I feel she is too closed off right now due to her having to fend for her self. I can see maybe in the future she can be a good option just not now.
Gabi : okay this one I can't be biased I just do not like her at all if I had the option I wouldn't even be friends with her. I'd treat her and her mother as business associates nothing more.
Ashe : okay I admit she would be a good option yet I can't help feel her love is only one sided to me. It's almost as if she is in love with guy but he isn't even on the good path just feels like someone that is more of a friend to him that he sometimes has sex with than a romance option. ( tho this could be because I need to replay their date and forgot some stuff)
Pepper : I don't think she is ready for a serious relationship anytime soon cause of the issues she is having.
Carolina : she is a maybe I need to see more with her to really say one way or another yet.

Nicki to me is perfect cause they feel like they have good chemistry , same interest have some history together and understand one another really well. That and both understand what it is like to be poor , so while guy can show her a good time. I feel she wouldn't want guy spending lots of money on her and she can be there to keep guy in check so he doesn't spend all his money in a year.

I "like" all the girls. Like I think they are all nice people, and I'll help them all if I can - but I also feel like some of them are really young. I mean Brittany and Gabi are both sexy, but I can't imagine sitting around listening to them talk to each other for an hour. Give them a decade, and I think it will be different and - given the opportunities they are looking for - will become interesting people. I just don't think they're there yet. Also - maybe we can save Viola and Pepper, if they'll let us, but it would feel a lot like taking advantage, to me at least. If, for example, you get Viola a better apartment, better job and take care of her mom's medical expenses / get her better care and then ask Viola out - how is she possibly going to say no?

I mean yes, technically you saved Nicki twice but you have a history. Guy and Nicki liked each other when they were both poor so the power imbalance doesn't seem as important.

 

[Joshy92]

Ugh, this again? You really think Nicki is somehow the only girl in this game who has ever played a video game, watched a movie cartoon, took part in a cosplay, worked a shitty job or did any of dozen other things that Guy and Nicki talk about? Let me remind: Guy is a fucking immature manchild. An 18-20 year old woman is actually closer to his mental level than a woman of his age. If anything, this is more of a reverse question -- what you think would an adult woman do or talk about with Guy when they're not fucking? Because most things she's dealt with, he hardly knows anything about. Relationships, friends, family, entertainment that isn't anime or games. Yeah, good luck on holding a meaningful discussion with our MC on those.

Guy sounds like me

I'm older than these girls but they are more mature than me I'll admit that.

 

[Ragnar]

Would you be a fool, or would that be an attempt to protect the person you have feelings for from finding that money elsewhere and getting entangled with loan sharks or ever worse crowd? It's not like the person you refuse the money will magically just stop gambling, after all. Would you consider it smart to create such situation where your refusal renders the person vulnerable?

Things are very rarely as black and white as "they're a fool".

Yeah, nah, people will call you stupid if your addict girlfriend plays you like a fool time after time.

 

[Wolfram99]

Hmm, seems that the rework removed the line that Brent stole nicki's identity to take the 80k loan. Weird.

 

[cccxxx]

mind bending shrink ing aside
is there anychance to actually se an integrated complete version, season one?
wanton week ends and all?
and no the niki reboot ain't nice, just makes the mc a moron

 

[jimmyjoo]

Hmm, seems that the rework removed the line that Brent stole nicki's identity to take the 80k loan. Weird.

If that's true, that would certainly go a long way to establishing that Nicki has half a brain. Not sure how he'd know that she had the 10K from Guy, though, unless she mentioned it.

 

[Wolfram99]

If that's true, that would certainly go a long way to establishing that Nicki has half a brain. Not sure how he'd know that she had the 10K from Guy, though, unless she mentioned it.

Unified bank accounts. the current Nicki is pure dumdum it seems.

 

[ffive]

He's done alright so far. He definitely had conversations with Jun about things like family and business before they started fucking. So far all he's done with Carolina is talk.

It's kind of a funny example, because Guy mentions he was kind of "adopted into the family" by Jun and her husband. He's not family friend but more of their "big kid". That's actually a pretty common theme with him and older women -- they take care of him (similarly in Carolina's case, doing makeup for him. Or Madison teaching him what books are ffs. Or Marina giving him basic tips how to interact with people) rather than interact with him like with an equal adult.

I don't know if this is conscious on Neon's part or just a natural result of Guy being relatively immature, but it shows exactly what i mean. He isn't someone who is really interesting to adult woman with all sort of life experiences they've got but he lacks, beyond as you put it, fucking. It's very much similar dynamics to what you say happens between Guy and the younger girls, except he is "the pet" here. Just one that now shits money.

Is Guy going to hang out with Brittani and her friends at the beach? Go to college parties with Gabi?

What did Guy do with Nicki during their interactions to date that was oh-so-mature you don't think he could be doing with either of them? Both Brittani and Gabi have interest in art, something we've already seen used to have them connect. Also what, you think Guy and Brittani can't hang out at the beach, whether it's with more of her friends or just the two of them? You've never seen people at the beach when they're in relationship with more than few years of difference between them? Honestly, these comments are just baffling.

I mean like who you want, but I find the younger ones fairly uninteresting. Pretty, but uninteresting.

I feel like you may be self-inserting a bit too hard and projecting your preferences on Guy while not fully realizing (or taking into account) what sort of a person he is, in terms of his social shortcomings and interests..? For that matter, you also seem to focus on their ages as a base of generalization about them more than take any real interest in seeing them as individuals... which then i guess makes your finding them uninteresting somewhat understandable -- if you dismiss the idea they could have anything interesting to say or do altogether from the start.

I mean Brittany and Gabi are both sexy, but I can't imagine sitting around listening to them talk to each other for an hour. Give them a decade, and I think it will be different and - given the opportunities they are looking for - will become interesting people.

Spoiler: people who are 3+ decades older than Brittani and Gabi still don't really talk about anything more substantial or for that matter fundamentally different. It's about people they know, shit they did, stuff they've seen and trouble and/or annoyances they have. You're not going to find it magically more interesting just because it comes out from older mouths, if you haven't already.

 

[ffive]

Yeah, nah, people will call you stupid if your addict girlfriend plays you like a fool time after time.

Sure, dumb people will be quick to jump the gun like that, because it's easier than put themselves in shoes of a person who is in relationship with such addict and consider what impact your actions would have. But it doesn't mean they aren't stupid by doing that.

 

[Maviarab]

For that matter, you also seem to focus on their ages as a base of generalization about them more than take any real interest in seeing them as individuals... which then i guess makes your finding them uninteresting somewhat understandable -- if you dismiss the idea they could have anything interesting to say or do altogether from the start.

Some folk do so love to infantilise adult women. Especially in certain western countries. Says far more about them than anyone else.

 

[Pixillin']

It's kind of a funny example, because Guy mentions he was kind of "adopted into the family" by Jun and her husband. He's not family friend but more of their "big kid". That's actually a pretty common theme with him and older women -- they take care of him (similarly in Carolina's case, doing makeup for him. Or Madison teaching him what books are ffs. Or Marina giving him basic tips how to interact with people) rather than interact with him like with an equal adult.

I don't know if this is conscious on Neon's part or just a natural result of Guy being relatively immature, but it shows exactly what i mean. He isn't someone who is really interesting to adult woman with all sort of life experiences they've got but he lacks, beyond as you put it, fucking. It's very much similar dynamics to what you say happens between Guy and the younger girls, except he is "the pet" here. Just one that now shits money.


What did Guy do with Nicki during their interactions to date that was oh-so-mature you don't think he could be doing with either of them? Both Brittani and Gabi have interest in art, something we've already seen used to have them connect. Also what, you think Guy and Brittani can't hang out at the beach, whether it's with more of her friends or just the two of them? You've never seen people at the beach when they're in relationship with more than few years of difference between them? Honestly, these comments are just baffling.


I feel like you may be self-inserting a bit too hard and projecting your preferences on Guy while not fully realizing (or taking into account) what sort of a person he is, in terms of his social shortcomings and interests..? For that matter, you also seem to focus on their ages as a base of generalization about them more than take any real interest in seeing them as individuals... which then i guess makes your finding them uninteresting somewhat understandable -- if you dismiss the idea they could have anything interesting to say or do altogether from the start.


Spoiler: people who are 3+ decades older than Brittani and Gabi still don't really talk about anything more substantial or for that matter fundamentally different. It's about people they know, shit they did, stuff they've seen and trouble and/or annoyances they have. You're not going to find it magically more interesting just because it comes out from older mouths, if you haven't already.

I'm going to let this go, because normally we don't have big arguments, and because I don't see much point in having one here. The only reason we've returned to this point is that we're all waiting for something new to talk about. However, I think everyone does some self-inserting in games. We're players, but not actors. Most people don't go after Lis they don't like because they think the MC would. And you're wrong, at least in my experience, about people 3+ decades older than Brittani and Gabi but that may just be who I talk to.

 

[Dessolos]

I feel like you may be self-inserting a bit too hard and projecting your preferences on Guy while not fully realizing (or taking into account) what sort of a person he is, in terms of his social shortcomings and interests..?

I know you were replying to pix but I feel this is kind of a normal way to play unless you are play totally immersed. For me for example I honestly don't give 2 shits about most MC's in these games. But when it comes to LI I pick who I like base on my personal feeling and not who is best for the MC base on his character.

 

[Jarulf]

I know you were replying to pix but I feel this is kind of a normal way to play unless you are play totally immersed. For me for example I honestly don't give 2 shits about most MC's in these games. But when it comes to LI I pick who I like base on my personal feeling and not who is best for the MC base on his character.

I definitely go for the girls I'm personally most interested in, based on both looks and personality.
Most games have pretty bland an uninteresting, or even annoying MCs, so I rarely think much about what they'd be interested in.
Of course, in this game those two align perfectly in the awesome, funny and sweet nerd called Nicki.

 

[jadepaladin]

I know you were replying to pix but I feel this is kind of a normal way to play unless you are play totally immersed. For me for example I honestly don't give 2 shits about most MC's in these games. But when it comes to LI I pick who I like base on my personal feeling and not who is best for the MC base on his character.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Pix said "I'm done" and then kept arguing.

"I'm done"
*shots fired*
*shots fired*
"You're wrong"

Waving a white flag while also shooting is a wild choice.

 

[Pixillin']

I know you were replying to pix but I feel this is kind of a normal way to play unless you are play totally immersed. For me for example I honestly don't give 2 shits about most MC's in these games. But when it comes to LI I pick who I like base on my personal feeling and not who is best for the MC base on his character.

I mean, I don't completely dismiss who the MC is - it's kindof a combo of personal taste combined "would a story where the MC ends up with Li X make sense". So, for example, no matter how hot she is a situation where a leader of the elves, older than the oldest human cities falls in love with a 20 something urban desk jockey, just wouldn't work for me - even if I do like her personally.

 

[Dessolos]

I mean, I don't completely dismiss who the MC is - it's kindof a combo of personal taste combined "would a story where the MC ends up with Li X make sense". So, for example, no matter how hot she is a situation where a leader of the elves, older than the oldest human cities falls in love with a 20 something urban desk jockey, just wouldn't work for me - even if I do like her personally.

haha yeah I see a MC as a tool for me to see the story unfold and get to know the LI nothing more. So I really don't care if it makes sense or not for them. Tho when it feels weird or makes me uncomfortable is where I draw the line

 

[ffive]

I know you were replying to pix but I feel this is kind of a normal way to play unless you are play totally immersed. For me for example I honestly don't give 2 shits about most MC's in these games. But when it comes to LI I pick who I like base on my personal feeling and not who is best for the MC base on his character.

That's fair enough, whether character is appealing to the player definitely plays a role when making those choices. I guess it may be a bit different for me since i view those games more like a story i get to craft (within boundaries provided by the author) for the protagonist who isn't "me", so i tend to assign a bit more weight to what makes for interesting plot/dynamics and how good/bad it can work for MC rather than me personally. But i won't lie that personal preferences/impressions don't color these choices at all.

 

[DiTo]

Dev Update! 9/15/25

Hey, folks! Hope your week's off to a great start! Just as a quick FYI, I posted a new Wanton Weekends yesterday which saw all of our lovely love interests modeling a funny shirt. I can't really show the shirt in this public post, so here's Britt to model something more appropriate for general audiences.

Thanks, Britt!

I'll keep things short and sweet today. Right now my development work is basically on two tracks.

• Track One is getting Season One assembled. This is mostly just coding, checking for continuity errors (which people continue to submit, and I appreciate), and doing renders here and there as necessary. This has included adding the remaining chapters, as well as Alex and Sapphire's mini-games. Present goal is to have this finished by month's end. I've got two chapters left to integrate, so I'm getting there.
• Track Two is working on the first chapter of Season Two, knocking out renders whenever possible. The count continues to grow, as I was able to finish rendering two scenes today. No spicy stuff, unfortunately. Just some talky stuff to advance the plot. (Booo!) I'm trying really hard to get most of the renders I need done, by the end of the month. At present, the render count stands around 950. I've got two more talky scenes, and then some spicy stuff with Gabby, and I'll be done.

Honestly, juggling both of these tasks has been kind of a pain, as my attention keeps getting yanked back and forth between them, and it's just really hard to get into a good flow. But, I'm just trying to focus on keeping my head down, and moving ahead. Eventually it'll all be done, and I can get back to business as usual.

As always, take care of yourselves, and thank you for your support!