VN Ren'Py Hillside [v0.15.1] [DarkBlue]

[Znar26]

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but what if the MC witnesses a big lesbian orgy at the tavern?

Five ladies all getting tipsy and deciding to relive their college days, hell yeah.

Never stop being you Joshy.

 

[tmu500]

EMMA AS A LOVE INTEREST

When creating the four love interests, my goal was to have distinct relationship dynamics, ensuring each one offered a different emotional experience. Emma’s relationship with the MC follows a combination of the 'Forbidden Love' and 'Opposites Attract' tropes. The contrast between them is stark. He is nearly twice her age and size, with a lifetime of hard-earned experience, much of it traumatic, whereas Emma clings to the innocence of her sheltered upbringing.

With Emma in particular, I liked the idea of trying to subvert expectations. Given the setup, one might expect the MC to take advantage of her naivety, abusing his power to corrupt or seduce her. Instead, I chose to turn that dynamic on its head. The MC shows no romantic interest in her, and Emma is the one who eventually tries to "seduce" him in her own innocent way.

At the same time, I wanted players to feel uneasy about a romance with Emma because, by most societal norms, it is deeply inappropriate. Beyond their clear differences in age and life experience, there is also an ethical boundary. The MC was hired by Charlotte to protect Emma, so any romantic involvement with her would be a profound betrayal of trust. Additionally, Emma is far too innocent and inexperienced to fully grasp the depth of the MC’s past traumas or the burdens he continues to carry.

This imbalance is what makes their relationship so compelling to me. Can they overcome the vast divide between them, or is their love doomed from the start?

To make this dynamic work, I felt it was necessary to exaggerate Emma’s immaturity. First, it helps endear her to the player, making her seem vulnerable and in need of protection, which deepens immersion in the story.

(As an aside, this instinct to protect Emma may also offer insight into Charlotte’s greatest flaw, which is her overprotectiveness toward Emma.)

Additionally, I wanted to elicit a paternal instinct in the player, a familial love that could later evolve into something more romantic and complex. Emma and the MC’s relationship is deliberately framed with father-daughter overtones, building the foundation for the moral struggle to come while also adding emotional depth to the main Charlotte path. Since the MC is a man of strong principles and conscience, he would naturally wrestle with the idea of seeing Emma as a romantic partner. If players choose to pursue Emma, I want them to feel that inner conflict as well.

Up until this point in the story (V0.15.1), Emma has not been positioned as a love interest. She is only just beginning to recognize her changing feelings for the MC, which leave her confused and even slightly horrified. Having just graduated from college, she has chosen to work for Valentini, and we will soon see her celebrate her nineteenth birthday. She is maturing, and this process will continue before any sexual contact occurs.

Thank you for the post. You mentioned before that you are thinking about refining early chapters (or reboot) on the game. It is still in card!!! While I do enjoy the game a lot, I am not a fan to replay a game over and over again even if it has several branches. Keep up the great work.

 

[Joshy92]

I was honestly worried that DB was going to say that he's removing Emma as a LI when he said he'd do a follow-up post on Emma.

 

[Justaphase]

I was honestly worried that DB was going to say that he's removing Emma as a LI when he said he'd do a follow-up post on Emma.

That's in the next follow-up post.
He's going to focus all of his development time on the best girl Charlotte.

 

[HillsideVN]

Thank you for the post. You mentioned before that you are thinking about refining early chapters (or reboot) on the game. It is still in card!!! While I do enjoy the game a lot, I am not a fan to replay a game over and over again even if it has several branches. Keep up the great work.

Yes, I still plan to do the 'rework' after v0.16 has been released.
I'm not planning on making major changes. It is mainly to fix issues that have crept in over time and add a bit of new content.

 

[Joshy92]

Yes, I still plan to do the 'rework' after v0.16 has been released.
I'm not planning on making major changes. It is mainly to fix issues that have crept in over time and add a bit of new content.

I think I'll start the game again when that update comes out. There is no such thing as too many playthroughs of this amazing story.

 

[Ali ibn Hassan]

Sex and nudity aren't the focus of this game, so why judge it based on that?

I'm making a big generalisation here, but I think most if not all fans of Hillside play because the story is good, the characters amazing & The whole game in general is a wonderful experience. I myself will cherish the time I spend with the Lloyds for the rest of my life.

You play it because of the handholding, aren't you? Not because of the licking of various body parts..........

 

[halleluja10]

You play it because of the handholding, aren't you? Not because of the licking of various body parts..........

Well, that's just how perverted he is!
HANDHOLDING!

 

[Gooooneer]

EMMA AS A LOVE INTEREST

When creating the four love interests, my goal was to have distinct relationship dynamics, ensuring each one offered a different emotional experience. Emma’s relationship with the MC follows a combination of the 'Forbidden Love' and 'Opposites Attract' tropes. The contrast between them is stark. He is nearly twice her age and size, with a lifetime of hard-earned experience, much of it traumatic, whereas Emma clings to the innocence of her sheltered upbringing.

With Emma in particular, I liked the idea of trying to subvert expectations. Given the setup, one might expect the MC to take advantage of her naivety, abusing his power to corrupt or seduce her. Instead, I chose to turn that dynamic on its head. The MC shows no romantic interest in her, and Emma is the one who eventually tries to "seduce" him in her own innocent way.

At the same time, I wanted players to feel uneasy about a romance with Emma because, by most societal norms, it is deeply inappropriate. Beyond their clear differences in age and life experience, there is also an ethical boundary. The MC was hired by Charlotte to protect Emma, so any romantic involvement with her would be a profound betrayal of trust. Additionally, Emma is far too innocent and inexperienced to fully grasp the depth of the MC’s past traumas or the burdens he continues to carry.

This imbalance is what makes their relationship so compelling to me. Can they overcome the vast divide between them, or is their love doomed from the start?

To make this dynamic work, I felt it was necessary to exaggerate Emma’s immaturity. First, it helps endear her to the player, making her seem vulnerable and in need of protection, which deepens immersion in the story.

(As an aside, this instinct to protect Emma may also offer insight into Charlotte’s greatest flaw, which is her overprotectiveness toward Emma.)

Additionally, I wanted to elicit a paternal instinct in the player, a familial love that could later evolve into something more romantic and complex. Emma and the MC’s relationship is deliberately framed with father-daughter overtones, building the foundation for the moral struggle to come while also adding emotional depth to the main Charlotte path. Since the MC is a man of strong principles and conscience, he would naturally wrestle with the idea of seeing Emma as a romantic partner. If players choose to pursue Emma, I want them to feel that inner conflict as well.

Up until this point in the story (V0.15.1), Emma has not been positioned as a love interest. She is only just beginning to recognize her changing feelings for the MC, which leave her confused and even slightly horrified. Having just graduated from college, she has chosen to work for Valentini, and we will soon see her celebrate her nineteenth birthday. She is maturing, and this process will continue before any sexual contact occurs.

I get all of that. But to me I feel so fatherly towards her I just hate the idea that this wonderful work of art which has a matured view towards relationships falls apart when I realised its not members of a broken family find love but just another dating sim. I am just going to say it. This should be a harem. Not like happy go round orgies in the house, but to see how lucy is so incredible and insecure and vulnerable and charlie is even more incredible and vulnerable how am I supposed to reject lucy honestly? It's exactly as she says, she only comes second best to charlie in everything and... the fuck... i hate myself for empathising with that feeling and rejecting her still. I hate this kaylah and agent selena and side girls thing that's going on. Not every female in a VN needs to be about the MC. Why can't they just be people. Normal animated people. Guess I am just expecting too much from a porn game as my friend once said to me. All I want is want to protect these girls while being the love of the lives of both these incredibly beautiful and fragile souls.( Guess not a harem, a throuple maybe? But charlie doesn't look like one that will accept it.) And to be just the father to this beautiful ball of innocence and adornment that is emma and help her find love and happiness in the outside world. Well anyway that's where I would like this to end but it's your creation and vision and people are here for that only and I am sure you will carry and land it gracefully and maturely as you have done so far.

 

[Pristis.Microdon]

I get all of that. But to me I feel so fatherly towards her I just hate the idea that this wonderful work of art which has a matured view towards relationships falls apart when I realised its not members of a broken family find love but just another dating sim. I am just going to say it. This should be a harem. Not like happy go round orgies in the house, but to see how lucy is so incredible and insecure and vulnerable and charlie is even more incredible and vulnerable how am I supposed to reject lucy honestly? It's exactly as she says, she only comes second best to charlie in everything and... the fuck... i hate myself for empathising with that feeling and rejecting her still. I hate this kaylah and agent selena and side girls thing that's going on. Not every female in a VN needs to be about the MC. Why can't they just be people. Normal animated people. Guess I am just expecting too much from a porn game as my friend once said to me. All I want is want to protect these girls while being the love of the lives of both these incredibly beautiful and fragile souls.( Guess not a harem, a throuple maybe? But charlie doesn't look like one that will accept it.) And to be just the father to this beautiful ball of innocence and adornment that is emma and help her find love and happiness in the outside world. Well anyway that's where I would like this to end but it's your creation and vision and people are here for that only and I am sure you will carry and land it gracefully and maturely as you have done so far.

I think DB did a great job of showing how characters (mostly women of the Lloyd family) change under the influence of the MC's presence. And he doesn't necessarily have to be the lover/husband/boyfriend of any LI/secondary characters. The characters who are around him change in behavior. Charlie and Emma are the first to come to mind. This can be noticed right away. For other LI, it is understandable in the long run, because the plot hasn't progressed far enough to evaluate it retrospectively. The feeling of pity and compassion for the characters and trying to protect them and become their support are praise for DB's writing skills. The choice of a harem for this game is unlikely. And a harem is not necessary here. It is simply not in the nature of the MC and other LI. Any woman does not like to share her man with someone, just as a man does not like to share his woman.

 

[Gooooneer]

I think DB did a great job of showing how characters (mostly women of the Lloyd family) change under the influence of the MC's presence. And he doesn't necessarily have to be the lover/husband/boyfriend of any LI/secondary characters. The characters who are around him change in behavior. Charlie and Emma are the first to come to mind. This can be noticed right away. For other LI, it is understandable in the long run, because the plot hasn't progressed far enough to evaluate it retrospectively. The feeling of pity and compassion for the characters and trying to protect them and become their support are praise for DB's writing skills. The choice of a harem for this game is unlikely. And a harem is not necessary here. It is simply not in the nature of the MC and other LI. Any woman does not like to share her man with someone, just as a man does not like to share his woman.

I know... It's a game and i can run multiple playthroughs and whatnot but still when lucy says she can't compete with charlie, how the fuck am i supposed to reject her honestly? Although I did, which i hate myself for which can only be gone if lucy and charlie can be both with the MC. Which I know is not possible which is what makes me feel not good about playing this game. And I want to feel good about this game. It helps me heal and calms my nerves that even after some superfuckery in our life, things will get better. But I can't just see lucy and act like i don't feel like shit for rejecting her. I don't know if its just me but I really genuinely can't. I played it through and will continue to do so only with the expectation that somewhere lucy charlie and mc can all be together in body and mind.(Delusion am i right or what?)

 

[Maccabbee]

I know... It's a game and i can run multiple playthroughs and whatnot but still when lucy says she can't compete with charlie, how the fuck am i supposed to reject her honestly? Although I did, which i hate myself for which can only be gone if lucy and charlie can be both with the MC. Which I know is not possible which is what makes me feel not good about playing this game. And I want to feel good about this game. It helps me heal and calms my nerves that even after some superfuckery in our life, things will get better. But I can't just see lucy and act like i don't feel like shit for rejecting her. I don't know if its just me but I really genuinely can't. I played it through and will continue to do so only with the expectation that somewhere lucy charlie and mc can all be together in body and mind.(Delusion am i right or what?)

Yeah, it was so easy to choose Lucy, because she was so fun, and it felt so bad to reject her. She was also easier to get along with than Charli. My second playthrough I had to go with Charli, though. That shared trauma and history, and helping her get over her damage... Yeah, the adults are top tier for me. I don't know if I can ever bring myself to choose Emma, and Suzy is hot, but freaking nuts.

 

[cooldevo]

... and Suzy is hot, but freaking nuts.

I'm hoping her intense anger issues are a result of: 1) what her Dad did as she seems especially embittered towards him; 2) all the other guys around her constantly hitting on her or groping her; and 3) The need to be the guard of the family protecting them.

I'm holding out hope that once a 'stable' man enters Suzie's life she'll mellow out just a smidge. She may also loose the need to be the "alpha" having to protect her family all the time and can co-protect the family with the MC.

I may be optimistic, but I'm going to continue holding out hope her personality will grow and improve just like Luci, Charlotte, and Emma, over time around the MC.

Besides, a bit of carefully selected and directed anger isn't always a bad thing because we all need "outlets" for frustrations.

 

[minibaer12]

From the very beginning, I've been on an "imaginary" harem path

BUT ON DIFFERENT LEVELS!!!

My goal at the end of the story is very clear:
- Charlotte becomes MC's wife.
- Emma as a stepdaughter (she wants nothing more than that).
- We'll somehow also get Suzi as a stepdaughter (this could prove difficult).
- I want Luzy to be MC's best friend and an indispensable part of the whole construct.

Therefore, I'm collecting all the relationship points I can get from the Lloyd girls!

 

[Joshy92]

That's okay you can have Charlotte I'll focus on Emma and on my save she very much will want to be more than a stepdaughter.

 

[Gooooneer]

I think it also depends on perspective and all. When I play a game I pretend I'm the MC so the love I have for Emma was never platonic or fatherly even though it's what the MC thinks. That's probably why I sometimes struggle to connect with this MC because he has more of a past and isn't a blank slate for our emotions to pass through.

Anyway I know I'm not good at explaining what goes through my head, but I tried lol.

No its pretty well put. Which is also why the MC doesnt feel attracted to emma doesnt bode well with me. MC doesnt have any natural attractions towards emma by default. Emma though can develop feelings but its only because the player intentionally avoids all the grown adults who have gone through similar experiences and are similar in age. makes me feel creepy and perverse for making those choices because its not in mc's nature which is how it should be for the amount of freedom the women in the family trust their innocent daughter with this hardass of a man.

 

[Joshy92]

No its pretty well put. Which is also why the MC doesnt feel attracted to emma doesnt bode well with me. MC doesnt have any natural attractions towards emma by default. Emma though can develop feelings but its only because the player intentionally avoids all the grown adults who have gone through similar experiences and are similar in age. makes me feel creepy and perverse for making those choices because its not in mc's nature which is how it should be for the amount of freedom the women in the family trust their innocent daughter with this hardass of a man.

But he doesn't have feelings for any of them by default. It just stands out more because Emma's path is only just beginning compared to Charlotte's or Lucy's.

 

[Gooooneer]

But he doesn't have feelings for any of them by default. It just stands out more because Emma's path is only just beginning compared to Charlotte's or Lucy's.

Yeah feelings he develops sure. But I am talking about attractions. Even suzie and kayla who are only a little older to emma its established he does see them as women and feel hot at moments but with emma he only has dearly daughter vibes. He doesnt even think of her in that way. and the family too see him and let him get close like pretty close and have no suspicions except suzie. I dont like that i am not good as the mc and it makes me feel like grooming her. ugh

 

[cooldevo]

Yeah feelings he develops sure. But I am talking about attractions. Even suzie and kayla who are only a little older to emma its established he does see them as women and feel hot at moments but with emma he only has dearly daughter vibes. He doesnt even think of her in that way. and the family too see him and let him get close like pretty close and have no suspicions except suzie. I dont like that i am not good as the mc and it makes me feel like grooming her. ugh

'Grooming' is a very strong word to use. Many jurisdictions has a very rough definition of it being 'using/building an emotional connection towards someone, usually a minor or vulnerable person, for sexual purposes'. Exact language varies, but that's pretty close to most.

If the MC doesn't have feelings or sexual interest for someone, he can't really be grooming her. Emma is the only one currently developing feelings/dreams of the MC. How will that be worked into the story? That's to be determined... based on how well the story is evolving it could be very well integrated and more naturally done and developed.

 

[cxx]

I was honestly worried that DB was going to say that he's removing Emma as a LI when he said he'd do a follow-up post on Emma.

and crush your 2nd/3rd best dream?