So I got this idea for a romance/'mystery' story about a couple who are together, and we learn how they got together (and of course, being game format, we have some say in their behavior, but there IS no 'game over' choices like in 'dating my daughter'. Well there are, but only in a joking way that you can "rollback" from, and entirely to reference said games with game-over conditions. Anyway, the mystery element is what these two characters are to each other, aside from their lover/partner. (spoiler: Brother/Sister.)
I was actually inspired by that "other" incestous couple from Game of Thrones, Jon and Daenarys. They're cousins who they and *we* didn't know about until one point, though of course, rumors abound. Because there are people who liked the idea of the couple (before season 7) and where shocked at the revelation, yet still support the pairing.
So the idea is basicaly, although people here would of course start to play this game knowing it's a bro/sis couple, someone else could start, and really root for this couple, and then the wham scene revealing the connection to the player and even if they're super against incest even in fiction, can't help but do like the game of thrones fans - want more of it... yet at the same time, not treat it as something to be built up because in replays, you'll already know, so...
Anyway. The game would be split between "Past" and "Present", with Present being the sex scenes and framing for the Past, the Present isn't from a point of view, but the Past is.
The player can choose to use the default intended point of view for each 'past' chapter, or choose to have all from a single point of view - the brother, or the sister, and this means there are scenes you don't get to see as the brother, as it only follows the sister there, and only heard about instead, and vice-versa, but then there are scenes that the mixed-view doesn't show, *and this impacts the story in some way*... Probably too dificult to implement though.
Anyway, the story setup:
There's a prologue, which is a set of scenes in the "present", establishing the characters, and yes, a sex scene. Establish where they are, what sort of pressures they're under, and of course, to create the framing plot, aka, they're basically telling someone about the past.
Then each 'chapter' is about a specific timeframe of their lives, chronologically.
Chapter 1 would be in the ages 8-10 area, about what it was like for them growing up before they had any of their lovey-dovey feelings for one another, and only hints at them being siblings.
We learn that they have single parents, aka the brother is raised by one, the sister by the other, but they both still go to the same school, live in the same area. Chapter 1 is... actually, you know what, it's a "Parent Trap" plot that the kids try to pull, and from the unknowing audience member perspective, it just seems like two best friends trying to get their parents to get together and then they'd end up step-siblings, if it worked, but it doesn't.
Player choices do matter, and this is reflected in resulting in one of three setting of the story in chapter 2 onward.
Path 1
The 'date' just ends with the two parents admitting they couldn't get the spark again, but otherwise still fine as friends.
Path 2
The 'date' ends in disaster, major blow out, with cops even being called.
Path 3
The 'date' ends in disaster, but things stopped before it could get to the cops being called stage.
Path 2 sounds worse than 3, but... yeah just wait.
Chapter 1 ends on a reaction shot with the siblings, who were spying on the date.
Chapter 2 takes place over the course of a year.
The siblings start the story at 12, and end with both 13 - they're not twins, they're less than a year apart in age, and the same year going from school calendar, a situation of one born in september, and ten months later, one in July. Anyway, they're each others' best friend, but whether or not they even have other friends depends on the path, which also determines other bits, like shy or outgoing.
Chapter 2 is all about the two starting to have more mature feelings in general, though not specifically towards one another. However, the way this is incorporated depends on the path. So the setting:
Path 1
They still live in the small houses with a single parent, but now they're both in high school - the same high school. Off-screen, their parents divorce was finalised, and legally, the two parents only have custody of one of the siblings - so the father has custody of his son, the mother has custody of her daughter, but still both named the other as next of kin for their kids. The parents are friends, and even hang out together, though there is no 'spark', and have dated other people on and off. They trust each other not to 'run off', and are friendly enough to attend school parent/teacher conferences together.
As a result, everyone at the school knows that the siblings are siblings, and since they know the two are each others' best friend, they find it weird. So socialising, is the biggest issue that keeps coming up in said parent/teacher conferences. One scene early on in this chapter is about this very thing, with both kids present. Also the scene were they admit to having crushes on other students, but not doing anything because the others think they're weird. Academically, the two are fine, they're both smart, and generally the lack of socialising means they spend more time studying, with grades to match.
So in this chapter, on Path 1, it deals with the lack of friends, with their family being their friends. Failed attempts at asking others out later, and they just retreat into their comfort zones. the parents note that if they didn't know better, they'd think the two kids had crushes on each other. (Hint: the parents don't know better - by then they do have a crush on each other.)
Path 2
As a consequence of the massive fight, the two parents decided to just cut their losses and move away - neither realising that the other was doing so, until it was all done. At that point, however, the two parents realised that the kids were not happy, and feeling bad about separating the two, ensured that in the divorce settlement, even though the kids were separated, custody was joint on the weekends, alternating or repeating as necessary, so the two kids do see each other every weekend - the two didn't move that far, no more than an hour's car journey). Consequently, the parents also have intermittent contact, and try to keep it cordial for the kids, but also to a minimum, lest they have another blow up.
As a consequence, the siblings attend different schools, and at this point are in high school. No longer able to just hang with each other, for socialising, they did end up making some friends, but still reserved that spot of 'best friend' for their sibling. With friends who do more socializing, and of course, the weekends wasted with fun, the two kids aren't doing as well in school, with grades being the issue.
They're also embarrassed when they realise they didn't tell their friends about just what they are to each other, as their friends thinks that the siblings have crushes on the other, and of course, out of that embarrassment, don't tell them they're siblings, and so get teased more for 'not doing anything'.
More confident from that socializing, the two do ask their respective crushes out, but while sister is rejected, the brother ends up on a date that was just terrible. Said date was on a weekend however, so the sister, who was visiting, spied on the date (accompanied by their brothers' friends, but they were sent away when the sister realised where it was going.)
The sister comforts the brother, but doesn't tell him that if it was her he was on the date with, and did the same things with, it wouldn't have been terrible. She does realise that he's using what he knows about her to inform how to act on said date, not realising that different girls like different things. (say... she likes comedies and action thrillers, the girl on the date likes romance movies, which the sister thinks are just terrible, that kind of thing).
That's when he tells her that his friends will tease him some more, since he knows they were there, and he wasn't looking forward to all the "you still haven't had a first kiss" teasing. She's confused at first - since they do kiss when saying hello and goodbye (any wonder the friends think they have a crush on each other?) but is embarrassed when he corrects her. Feeling bold, she kisses him, and then they go to home. His dad sees him and teasing about his date going well, which is corrected, and making the dad wonder when the son looks at his sister.
At this point, the brother starts to have a crush on the sister. The sister gives no indications of likewise, aside from the kiss. (she doesn't).
Path 3
The Date between the parents in Chapter 1 ended badly, with them both pissed off at each other, but they had ended it before they could get into a fight. However, with what they learned about each other, both want to 'punish' the other, to force the other to have to move away. meaning the Divorce isn't settled quickly and doesn't fall in either of their favour, which pisses them off more. Neither is willing to 'give up their lives' they'd built there, and neither is willing to let their kid see their other parent. At this point, they no longer see their other child as 'theirs', thinking that the other parent would be poisoning them against one another, while hypocritically trying the same with the one they get custody of, without visitation rights.
However, Chapter 3, on this path, starts before the divorce is finalised which they have been fighting for years. Same time frame to the other two paths, covering a school year. So the siblings are 12 at the start, 13 at the end.
Because the parents are actively trying to sabotage things, the siblings both end up in different high schools, on opposing sides of the 'town centre'. Both schools are, however, close enough to said town centre that the siblings skip out to share lunch, and unfortunately, were caught pretty quickly. The schools initially tried to punish the two kids, but when one school tried to bring in both parents (as without a divorce finalised, the school had to inform both) for a Parent/teacher conference, things got... blown up, before the parents even learned why they were called in. Suffice to say, the school contacted the other, and together made arrangements so the siblings would be allowed, and even realised there were other siblings separated similarly, though not in situations as... toxic.
No longer sharing classes etc, the two siblings try to get other friends at least, but while they get two and three friends, those are more 'acquaintances'. Generally, the siblings spend as much time as possible away from their parents, together, with only token visits to their 'friends' (who are the only ones in the school who know), who cover for them by claiming to need to study. This results in the parents expecting said studying to be reflected in their grades, so of course, the two siblings spend a lot of their time together studying... and because of how toxic things are at home, that's a lot more time each week studying than in path 1, so they are straight-A students here. (B/Cs in path 1, C/D's in path 2)
A result of the parental situation, is also no one will date them... except, the sister gets asked out near the end, when she's still 12, but the brother is 13. She accepts, and the brother, knowing his sister would spy on him if he dated too, and basically knowing she'd be fine with him making sure she was alright, just as he'd be fine with the spying on him, follows. And calls the cops when he sees the 14-year old make a sexual move on his sister, despite her saying no.
Which is how their parents find out that they spend time with each other... and unfortunately, their mother misinterprets what is being said as "your son was on a date with your daughter and sexually assaulted her", rather than "your daughter was on a date and was sexually assaulted. Your son was there [to stop it]." The father is confused that the brother wasn't arrested if the story that the mother started spewing about was true, but knows that the police were trying to explain when, things got out of hand, and so was level-headed long enough to get the full story from the brother on the ride home.
At home, the father gets the full story about the last few years of sneaking around, and is both impressed and mad about it, then sad and tells his son he won't stop him from seeing the sister, but given the mistaken impression she's now under, feels that the mother will go to great lengths to stop it. (he's right.) Adds that the brother is a far better man than he was. (hint!)
At the home of the mother and sister, however, things aren't so, calm. The mother drags the story of the past few years from the sister, and rants about 'all men being the same' and so on and assuming the sister wont want to see her brother again, talks about how 'now you see' and 'glad you wont see that pervert ever again'. In reality, the sister only wants to see her brother more, and to get away from her mother who the police gave up trying to properly inform of the actual situation etc, and also the realisation that she has a crush on her brother, and not knowing if he feels the same towards her, if he doesn't, thinks that it means she's the pervert.
... so, yeah. Chapter 2 basically sets up a path 1 mutual crush by this point, while path 2 and 3 only one of them has the crush. And cliche or not, damsel in distress for path 3 and 'boy misreads girl' for path 2... they're a cliche for a reason.
And yes while the hint on the brother being better than the father is about sexual assault, it isn't about the father being the one committing it, but rather, about not involving the police, and is about his own teenage-years dealing with a bad home environment.
Now, the big difference for the three paths, are that, in path 3, the mother found out about that history during the date when they get interrupted by some old "friends" who mention it if the player didn't stop the interruption, and of course, jumped to the same conclusion, though a bit more rightly without being right about him actually having committed sexual assault. In path 2, said "friends" are very rudely sent away before they say anything of the sort, she protested about that, and the fight is basically about how he never 'let her in' emotionally and so on, and blows up with their 'sexual history' with each other during the time they dated as well as after getting married, basically shouted to the whole listening public (which is when the cops got called), however in the aftermath, he told her the full story, so although by then the divorce was complete and they lived in different areas, there was no chance of reconciliation through solving some of the problems of why their relationship didn't work. (It's not all one sided, but a lot of them were on his side). In path 1, the old "friends" didn't even reach the parents as the kids who were spying on the date noticed the group spot and make their way over, and so to trigger path 1, the player has to choose to have the kids intercept, however the old "friends" aren't, and were involved in the "issues" that the father has... so the kids end up hurt. (the parents notice and basically ended the date at that point, and the mother didn't ask as it was obvious the father hated those "old friends")
Now, just to track:
Path 1 - old 'friends' stopped from interrupting their parents date. Divorce was finalised very quickly, with an open-custody arrangement dependant on the kids' choice. Live in the same area, attend the same local high school, they both get good grades and have no friends, few attempts at breaking out of their shell to ask others out fails, reliant on one another and both parents for emotional support, both have a crush on each other by the time they're both 13.
Path 2 - old 'friends' interrupted the date, but the father sent them packing before any of his history was brought up, quite rudely, and the parents ended up fighting about it and how closed off he is, and the cops called. They both moved to different areas, taking one kid with. Divorced before chapter 2, though not that quickly. Both have visitation rights. Siblings both have friends, who are really outgoing and therefore both siblings are forced out of their shells and as a result are more social but don't have good grades. They still see each other as best friends. both tried to go on dates, but few happen, and none go 'well'. Brother's last date shortly after Sister's 13th goes badly, and sister to both cheer him up and so he doesn't get teased anymore for it, gives him his first proper kiss, but she doesn't have a crush on him. He, however, does, and this helps him realise it, as a big part of his dates was how he'd treat her on said dates.
Path 3 - old 'friends' interrupted the date, and insinuated the father's history to be sexually abusive, ending the date there and then. Badly mislead, the mother now hates the father and both end up fighting tooth and nail for everything, but the divorce, finalised halfway through chapter 2, ends in neither's favour. both still live in the same area, but send the siblings to separate schools. Both siblings have a couple of friends, but none 'close', and have to sneak around to spend any time with each other, and since much of the 'cover story' involves studying, do a lot of it to maintain said cover, giving them both really good grades. Neither sibling even want to date, but the sister is asked out on one just before her 13th birthday, and her date tries to sexually assault her, but is stopped by her brother, and the cops are called. The mother completely misconstrues what's being told by the police and believes the brother was the one doing the assault 'just like his father'. the father learns the truth of that situation, and both parents learn about the sneaking around. The mother fully misreads that situation one way, while the father doesn't, but the father does realise that the son just might have a crush on the sister, or vice-versa, and supports the brothers' stated desire to remain best friends with his sister. The Sister is really upset that she's being banned from seeing her brother again, and realises that actually yes, she does have a crush on her brother, though she initially thinks its' because he saved her.
...
Basic ideas onwards:
Chapter 3: the year after, so would be the 'big' chapter for Path 1 to have some plot barriers thrown in, so basically a lot of 'but we're siblings', path 2 would be about the sister starting to have a crush on the brother after learning he has one on her, so that emotional baggage of 'but you're my brother', until she realises she also is crushing on him... and path 3, unlike the other two, basically strip out that 'being siblings as a barrier' dynamic. Sure, the brother starts to crush on her in chapter 3, but by then his father has basically gotten over the realisation that the two might end up together, and with the thought of 'they deserve to be happy' and 'they make each other happy', has a talk about that, so on that side, its no barrier, while with the mother and sister, the sister is basically going full rebellion-phase, actively wants to be with her brother romantically, and embracing the idea that how she feels about her brother kind of makes her the pervert, makes a point of it being a turn-on. This chapter is not good for the mother, or how the audience perceives her.
Chapter 4: This one, depending on path, covers different time frames. So...
Path 1: 15-17. Starts with the two siblings now accepting that they've been crushing on each other for a long time, and that their sibling has been crushing on them for just as long, etc, and get together, but things are awkward, what with everyone that they know knowing they're siblings, so, the sneaking around time for path 1. The parents find out how the siblings feel, and aren't supportive hence the sneaking about it even at their homes (open custody remember).
Path 2: 16-17. Maybe no more than a few months after the end of chapter 2's path 2, in which neither sibling visited the other, but finally do because they are miserable and its their parents turn. aka the parents doing the "for god sake, you two want each other, you two make each other happy and if you go on any longer making us miserable by refusing to see each other I'll go crazy just get over it and fu-KISS! I said kiss, I didn't say .. uh, nothing. Just kiss and make up!" thing.
So... Chapter 4's Paths 1 and 2 are basically the "Both parents Not okay with it" and "both parents okay with it" options, also when they learn, while Path 3, both parents already knew in the previous chapter, and are on opposing sides of for and against in that one, (Father supportive though it weirds him out, mother against it)
Chapter 4 Path 3 16-17, is where the mother gets her redemption, in that we learn why she behaved that way, both about the sexual assault stuff and the incest. (turns out, she was assaulted by one of her fathers' work collegues when growing up, and when he found out, did basically nothing to stop it, and only found comfort with her brother, and once she was an adult, took advice from a therapist on 'exposure therapy' to help her, and used it with her own brother since she didn't feel safe with anyone else, she didn't have a crush on her brother, but was basically just using him so she's be able to be with a man and he said yes because "sex" regardless of who was offering it to him, which unfortunately meant she still didn't solve the issues she has with sex, she expected for her own brother to protest... She learns the truth about what happened in the father's past, his father, aka grandfather sexually assaulted several girls the same age as father and pressured him into not saying anything, and suspects grandfather had gone further, into the territory of rape, though it was only rumors that grandfather had gotten a girl two years younger than father pregnant, but those rumors did result in grandfather being arrested for sexual assault.
For events in the time-frame, the mother arranges to talk about all of this, starting with a private talk (once aware of the truth of the date back in chapter 2) with the brother, and basically realises that he's the real deal - very much in love with his sister, and no, he wouldn't ever hurt her. Later, stuff with the siblings (dont know yet).
for all three paths, by the time they're both sixteen, so basically not long after the sisters' 16th birthday, they're together. How far they've taken things depends on the path, (Path 1, tells the audience they've done mutual masturbation in private but little else, path 2, lots of dates, and kissing, and watched the other masturbate but no 'hands on' things, and path 3, no dates, some kisses, no sexual interaction) but none of the 'these are kids this shouldn't be shown' are shown.
Anyway, one day coming back early from a date (a successful first attempt at a first date if it's path 1, second attempt at a first date if its path 3, just one in a long line of em for path 2) when they see something they never expected to see: their parents in bed with each other.
Turns out, she had gotten strong sexual tastes in order to get over her history (maintaining emotional response to sex by being in control aka she's a Dom), while because of what he'd witnessed, he doesn't like the imbalance he perceives of Dom/Sub. The idea of one partner being submissive to the other, and of course, with her he was the Sub. Closed off emotionally, and sexually, both were honestly surprised, once knowing the other's history, that their marriage lasted as long as it had (they separated when the kids were six or something)
However, both have been trying to get over it, partly by 'exposure therapy' with him - she's teaching him about the BDSM stuff, but otherwise there's "no spark", they aren't back together. (not an option at all!)
Anyway, stuff inside each path happen after that and near the end, the bigger surprise, The Mother is pregnant again, something she kept secret for a long while from the siblings, but not the father.
Then the wham scene for all three paths, when the siblings are 17...
After a premature birth, with the baby still in hospital but the mother released, there's a car accident, killing both parents.
And so, in the framing 'Present' where the story was being 'narrated', we get to meet the girl who calls her own older sister 'mom' and brother 'dad'.
A few extra scenes interspersed after to show the siblings moving to a new place, granted custody of their sister and financially supported by their parents' wills for the first few years, but whether or not they got into college depending on the path (college and degrees for Path 3, college for path 1, neither for path 2)... and a hospital scene waiting in the hallway is the brother and their seven-year-old sister.
and of course, the reveal of who they're telling all of this to: their own kids - both their little sister' and their two daughters.
What do you think? Just been writing this post for... five hours now? huh. Of course, I only point out one player-controlled choice, and the paths those follow, but of course others would be possible.
Just to note, I dont know code, HTML gives me headaches now (used to do very basic html web pages, and know nothing of anything more than b i u html head body and basic css. Game programming is out of the question.)
I just see this as like some of the Ren'py VN's - static images with text dialogue and text narration, with some boxes for controlling choices, but otherwise, just set how long to stick on each line of text before autoforward and hit 'auto'.
I was actually inspired by that "other" incestous couple from Game of Thrones, Jon and Daenarys. They're cousins who they and *we* didn't know about until one point, though of course, rumors abound. Because there are people who liked the idea of the couple (before season 7) and where shocked at the revelation, yet still support the pairing.
So the idea is basicaly, although people here would of course start to play this game knowing it's a bro/sis couple, someone else could start, and really root for this couple, and then the wham scene revealing the connection to the player and even if they're super against incest even in fiction, can't help but do like the game of thrones fans - want more of it... yet at the same time, not treat it as something to be built up because in replays, you'll already know, so...
Anyway. The game would be split between "Past" and "Present", with Present being the sex scenes and framing for the Past, the Present isn't from a point of view, but the Past is.
The player can choose to use the default intended point of view for each 'past' chapter, or choose to have all from a single point of view - the brother, or the sister, and this means there are scenes you don't get to see as the brother, as it only follows the sister there, and only heard about instead, and vice-versa, but then there are scenes that the mixed-view doesn't show, *and this impacts the story in some way*... Probably too dificult to implement though.
Anyway, the story setup:
There's a prologue, which is a set of scenes in the "present", establishing the characters, and yes, a sex scene. Establish where they are, what sort of pressures they're under, and of course, to create the framing plot, aka, they're basically telling someone about the past.
Then each 'chapter' is about a specific timeframe of their lives, chronologically.
Chapter 1 would be in the ages 8-10 area, about what it was like for them growing up before they had any of their lovey-dovey feelings for one another, and only hints at them being siblings.
We learn that they have single parents, aka the brother is raised by one, the sister by the other, but they both still go to the same school, live in the same area. Chapter 1 is... actually, you know what, it's a "Parent Trap" plot that the kids try to pull, and from the unknowing audience member perspective, it just seems like two best friends trying to get their parents to get together and then they'd end up step-siblings, if it worked, but it doesn't.
Player choices do matter, and this is reflected in resulting in one of three setting of the story in chapter 2 onward.
Path 1
The 'date' just ends with the two parents admitting they couldn't get the spark again, but otherwise still fine as friends.
Path 2
The 'date' ends in disaster, major blow out, with cops even being called.
Path 3
The 'date' ends in disaster, but things stopped before it could get to the cops being called stage.
Path 2 sounds worse than 3, but... yeah just wait.
Chapter 1 ends on a reaction shot with the siblings, who were spying on the date.
Chapter 2 takes place over the course of a year.
The siblings start the story at 12, and end with both 13 - they're not twins, they're less than a year apart in age, and the same year going from school calendar, a situation of one born in september, and ten months later, one in July. Anyway, they're each others' best friend, but whether or not they even have other friends depends on the path, which also determines other bits, like shy or outgoing.
Chapter 2 is all about the two starting to have more mature feelings in general, though not specifically towards one another. However, the way this is incorporated depends on the path. So the setting:
Path 1
They still live in the small houses with a single parent, but now they're both in high school - the same high school. Off-screen, their parents divorce was finalised, and legally, the two parents only have custody of one of the siblings - so the father has custody of his son, the mother has custody of her daughter, but still both named the other as next of kin for their kids. The parents are friends, and even hang out together, though there is no 'spark', and have dated other people on and off. They trust each other not to 'run off', and are friendly enough to attend school parent/teacher conferences together.
As a result, everyone at the school knows that the siblings are siblings, and since they know the two are each others' best friend, they find it weird. So socialising, is the biggest issue that keeps coming up in said parent/teacher conferences. One scene early on in this chapter is about this very thing, with both kids present. Also the scene were they admit to having crushes on other students, but not doing anything because the others think they're weird. Academically, the two are fine, they're both smart, and generally the lack of socialising means they spend more time studying, with grades to match.
So in this chapter, on Path 1, it deals with the lack of friends, with their family being their friends. Failed attempts at asking others out later, and they just retreat into their comfort zones. the parents note that if they didn't know better, they'd think the two kids had crushes on each other. (Hint: the parents don't know better - by then they do have a crush on each other.)
Path 2
As a consequence of the massive fight, the two parents decided to just cut their losses and move away - neither realising that the other was doing so, until it was all done. At that point, however, the two parents realised that the kids were not happy, and feeling bad about separating the two, ensured that in the divorce settlement, even though the kids were separated, custody was joint on the weekends, alternating or repeating as necessary, so the two kids do see each other every weekend - the two didn't move that far, no more than an hour's car journey). Consequently, the parents also have intermittent contact, and try to keep it cordial for the kids, but also to a minimum, lest they have another blow up.
As a consequence, the siblings attend different schools, and at this point are in high school. No longer able to just hang with each other, for socialising, they did end up making some friends, but still reserved that spot of 'best friend' for their sibling. With friends who do more socializing, and of course, the weekends wasted with fun, the two kids aren't doing as well in school, with grades being the issue.
They're also embarrassed when they realise they didn't tell their friends about just what they are to each other, as their friends thinks that the siblings have crushes on the other, and of course, out of that embarrassment, don't tell them they're siblings, and so get teased more for 'not doing anything'.
More confident from that socializing, the two do ask their respective crushes out, but while sister is rejected, the brother ends up on a date that was just terrible. Said date was on a weekend however, so the sister, who was visiting, spied on the date (accompanied by their brothers' friends, but they were sent away when the sister realised where it was going.)
The sister comforts the brother, but doesn't tell him that if it was her he was on the date with, and did the same things with, it wouldn't have been terrible. She does realise that he's using what he knows about her to inform how to act on said date, not realising that different girls like different things. (say... she likes comedies and action thrillers, the girl on the date likes romance movies, which the sister thinks are just terrible, that kind of thing).
That's when he tells her that his friends will tease him some more, since he knows they were there, and he wasn't looking forward to all the "you still haven't had a first kiss" teasing. She's confused at first - since they do kiss when saying hello and goodbye (any wonder the friends think they have a crush on each other?) but is embarrassed when he corrects her. Feeling bold, she kisses him, and then they go to home. His dad sees him and teasing about his date going well, which is corrected, and making the dad wonder when the son looks at his sister.
At this point, the brother starts to have a crush on the sister. The sister gives no indications of likewise, aside from the kiss. (she doesn't).
Path 3
The Date between the parents in Chapter 1 ended badly, with them both pissed off at each other, but they had ended it before they could get into a fight. However, with what they learned about each other, both want to 'punish' the other, to force the other to have to move away. meaning the Divorce isn't settled quickly and doesn't fall in either of their favour, which pisses them off more. Neither is willing to 'give up their lives' they'd built there, and neither is willing to let their kid see their other parent. At this point, they no longer see their other child as 'theirs', thinking that the other parent would be poisoning them against one another, while hypocritically trying the same with the one they get custody of, without visitation rights.
However, Chapter 3, on this path, starts before the divorce is finalised which they have been fighting for years. Same time frame to the other two paths, covering a school year. So the siblings are 12 at the start, 13 at the end.
Because the parents are actively trying to sabotage things, the siblings both end up in different high schools, on opposing sides of the 'town centre'. Both schools are, however, close enough to said town centre that the siblings skip out to share lunch, and unfortunately, were caught pretty quickly. The schools initially tried to punish the two kids, but when one school tried to bring in both parents (as without a divorce finalised, the school had to inform both) for a Parent/teacher conference, things got... blown up, before the parents even learned why they were called in. Suffice to say, the school contacted the other, and together made arrangements so the siblings would be allowed, and even realised there were other siblings separated similarly, though not in situations as... toxic.
No longer sharing classes etc, the two siblings try to get other friends at least, but while they get two and three friends, those are more 'acquaintances'. Generally, the siblings spend as much time as possible away from their parents, together, with only token visits to their 'friends' (who are the only ones in the school who know), who cover for them by claiming to need to study. This results in the parents expecting said studying to be reflected in their grades, so of course, the two siblings spend a lot of their time together studying... and because of how toxic things are at home, that's a lot more time each week studying than in path 1, so they are straight-A students here. (B/Cs in path 1, C/D's in path 2)
A result of the parental situation, is also no one will date them... except, the sister gets asked out near the end, when she's still 12, but the brother is 13. She accepts, and the brother, knowing his sister would spy on him if he dated too, and basically knowing she'd be fine with him making sure she was alright, just as he'd be fine with the spying on him, follows. And calls the cops when he sees the 14-year old make a sexual move on his sister, despite her saying no.
Which is how their parents find out that they spend time with each other... and unfortunately, their mother misinterprets what is being said as "your son was on a date with your daughter and sexually assaulted her", rather than "your daughter was on a date and was sexually assaulted. Your son was there [to stop it]." The father is confused that the brother wasn't arrested if the story that the mother started spewing about was true, but knows that the police were trying to explain when, things got out of hand, and so was level-headed long enough to get the full story from the brother on the ride home.
At home, the father gets the full story about the last few years of sneaking around, and is both impressed and mad about it, then sad and tells his son he won't stop him from seeing the sister, but given the mistaken impression she's now under, feels that the mother will go to great lengths to stop it. (he's right.) Adds that the brother is a far better man than he was. (hint!)
At the home of the mother and sister, however, things aren't so, calm. The mother drags the story of the past few years from the sister, and rants about 'all men being the same' and so on and assuming the sister wont want to see her brother again, talks about how 'now you see' and 'glad you wont see that pervert ever again'. In reality, the sister only wants to see her brother more, and to get away from her mother who the police gave up trying to properly inform of the actual situation etc, and also the realisation that she has a crush on her brother, and not knowing if he feels the same towards her, if he doesn't, thinks that it means she's the pervert.
... so, yeah. Chapter 2 basically sets up a path 1 mutual crush by this point, while path 2 and 3 only one of them has the crush. And cliche or not, damsel in distress for path 3 and 'boy misreads girl' for path 2... they're a cliche for a reason.
And yes while the hint on the brother being better than the father is about sexual assault, it isn't about the father being the one committing it, but rather, about not involving the police, and is about his own teenage-years dealing with a bad home environment.
Now, the big difference for the three paths, are that, in path 3, the mother found out about that history during the date when they get interrupted by some old "friends" who mention it if the player didn't stop the interruption, and of course, jumped to the same conclusion, though a bit more rightly without being right about him actually having committed sexual assault. In path 2, said "friends" are very rudely sent away before they say anything of the sort, she protested about that, and the fight is basically about how he never 'let her in' emotionally and so on, and blows up with their 'sexual history' with each other during the time they dated as well as after getting married, basically shouted to the whole listening public (which is when the cops got called), however in the aftermath, he told her the full story, so although by then the divorce was complete and they lived in different areas, there was no chance of reconciliation through solving some of the problems of why their relationship didn't work. (It's not all one sided, but a lot of them were on his side). In path 1, the old "friends" didn't even reach the parents as the kids who were spying on the date noticed the group spot and make their way over, and so to trigger path 1, the player has to choose to have the kids intercept, however the old "friends" aren't, and were involved in the "issues" that the father has... so the kids end up hurt. (the parents notice and basically ended the date at that point, and the mother didn't ask as it was obvious the father hated those "old friends")
Now, just to track:
Path 1 - old 'friends' stopped from interrupting their parents date. Divorce was finalised very quickly, with an open-custody arrangement dependant on the kids' choice. Live in the same area, attend the same local high school, they both get good grades and have no friends, few attempts at breaking out of their shell to ask others out fails, reliant on one another and both parents for emotional support, both have a crush on each other by the time they're both 13.
Path 2 - old 'friends' interrupted the date, but the father sent them packing before any of his history was brought up, quite rudely, and the parents ended up fighting about it and how closed off he is, and the cops called. They both moved to different areas, taking one kid with. Divorced before chapter 2, though not that quickly. Both have visitation rights. Siblings both have friends, who are really outgoing and therefore both siblings are forced out of their shells and as a result are more social but don't have good grades. They still see each other as best friends. both tried to go on dates, but few happen, and none go 'well'. Brother's last date shortly after Sister's 13th goes badly, and sister to both cheer him up and so he doesn't get teased anymore for it, gives him his first proper kiss, but she doesn't have a crush on him. He, however, does, and this helps him realise it, as a big part of his dates was how he'd treat her on said dates.
Path 3 - old 'friends' interrupted the date, and insinuated the father's history to be sexually abusive, ending the date there and then. Badly mislead, the mother now hates the father and both end up fighting tooth and nail for everything, but the divorce, finalised halfway through chapter 2, ends in neither's favour. both still live in the same area, but send the siblings to separate schools. Both siblings have a couple of friends, but none 'close', and have to sneak around to spend any time with each other, and since much of the 'cover story' involves studying, do a lot of it to maintain said cover, giving them both really good grades. Neither sibling even want to date, but the sister is asked out on one just before her 13th birthday, and her date tries to sexually assault her, but is stopped by her brother, and the cops are called. The mother completely misconstrues what's being told by the police and believes the brother was the one doing the assault 'just like his father'. the father learns the truth of that situation, and both parents learn about the sneaking around. The mother fully misreads that situation one way, while the father doesn't, but the father does realise that the son just might have a crush on the sister, or vice-versa, and supports the brothers' stated desire to remain best friends with his sister. The Sister is really upset that she's being banned from seeing her brother again, and realises that actually yes, she does have a crush on her brother, though she initially thinks its' because he saved her.
...
Basic ideas onwards:
Chapter 3: the year after, so would be the 'big' chapter for Path 1 to have some plot barriers thrown in, so basically a lot of 'but we're siblings', path 2 would be about the sister starting to have a crush on the brother after learning he has one on her, so that emotional baggage of 'but you're my brother', until she realises she also is crushing on him... and path 3, unlike the other two, basically strip out that 'being siblings as a barrier' dynamic. Sure, the brother starts to crush on her in chapter 3, but by then his father has basically gotten over the realisation that the two might end up together, and with the thought of 'they deserve to be happy' and 'they make each other happy', has a talk about that, so on that side, its no barrier, while with the mother and sister, the sister is basically going full rebellion-phase, actively wants to be with her brother romantically, and embracing the idea that how she feels about her brother kind of makes her the pervert, makes a point of it being a turn-on. This chapter is not good for the mother, or how the audience perceives her.
Chapter 4: This one, depending on path, covers different time frames. So...
Path 1: 15-17. Starts with the two siblings now accepting that they've been crushing on each other for a long time, and that their sibling has been crushing on them for just as long, etc, and get together, but things are awkward, what with everyone that they know knowing they're siblings, so, the sneaking around time for path 1. The parents find out how the siblings feel, and aren't supportive hence the sneaking about it even at their homes (open custody remember).
Path 2: 16-17. Maybe no more than a few months after the end of chapter 2's path 2, in which neither sibling visited the other, but finally do because they are miserable and its their parents turn. aka the parents doing the "for god sake, you two want each other, you two make each other happy and if you go on any longer making us miserable by refusing to see each other I'll go crazy just get over it and fu-KISS! I said kiss, I didn't say .. uh, nothing. Just kiss and make up!" thing.
So... Chapter 4's Paths 1 and 2 are basically the "Both parents Not okay with it" and "both parents okay with it" options, also when they learn, while Path 3, both parents already knew in the previous chapter, and are on opposing sides of for and against in that one, (Father supportive though it weirds him out, mother against it)
Chapter 4 Path 3 16-17, is where the mother gets her redemption, in that we learn why she behaved that way, both about the sexual assault stuff and the incest. (turns out, she was assaulted by one of her fathers' work collegues when growing up, and when he found out, did basically nothing to stop it, and only found comfort with her brother, and once she was an adult, took advice from a therapist on 'exposure therapy' to help her, and used it with her own brother since she didn't feel safe with anyone else, she didn't have a crush on her brother, but was basically just using him so she's be able to be with a man and he said yes because "sex" regardless of who was offering it to him, which unfortunately meant she still didn't solve the issues she has with sex, she expected for her own brother to protest... She learns the truth about what happened in the father's past, his father, aka grandfather sexually assaulted several girls the same age as father and pressured him into not saying anything, and suspects grandfather had gone further, into the territory of rape, though it was only rumors that grandfather had gotten a girl two years younger than father pregnant, but those rumors did result in grandfather being arrested for sexual assault.
For events in the time-frame, the mother arranges to talk about all of this, starting with a private talk (once aware of the truth of the date back in chapter 2) with the brother, and basically realises that he's the real deal - very much in love with his sister, and no, he wouldn't ever hurt her. Later, stuff with the siblings (dont know yet).
for all three paths, by the time they're both sixteen, so basically not long after the sisters' 16th birthday, they're together. How far they've taken things depends on the path, (Path 1, tells the audience they've done mutual masturbation in private but little else, path 2, lots of dates, and kissing, and watched the other masturbate but no 'hands on' things, and path 3, no dates, some kisses, no sexual interaction) but none of the 'these are kids this shouldn't be shown' are shown.
Anyway, one day coming back early from a date (a successful first attempt at a first date if it's path 1, second attempt at a first date if its path 3, just one in a long line of em for path 2) when they see something they never expected to see: their parents in bed with each other.
Turns out, she had gotten strong sexual tastes in order to get over her history (maintaining emotional response to sex by being in control aka she's a Dom), while because of what he'd witnessed, he doesn't like the imbalance he perceives of Dom/Sub. The idea of one partner being submissive to the other, and of course, with her he was the Sub. Closed off emotionally, and sexually, both were honestly surprised, once knowing the other's history, that their marriage lasted as long as it had (they separated when the kids were six or something)
However, both have been trying to get over it, partly by 'exposure therapy' with him - she's teaching him about the BDSM stuff, but otherwise there's "no spark", they aren't back together. (not an option at all!)
Anyway, stuff inside each path happen after that and near the end, the bigger surprise, The Mother is pregnant again, something she kept secret for a long while from the siblings, but not the father.
Then the wham scene for all three paths, when the siblings are 17...
After a premature birth, with the baby still in hospital but the mother released, there's a car accident, killing both parents.
And so, in the framing 'Present' where the story was being 'narrated', we get to meet the girl who calls her own older sister 'mom' and brother 'dad'.
A few extra scenes interspersed after to show the siblings moving to a new place, granted custody of their sister and financially supported by their parents' wills for the first few years, but whether or not they got into college depending on the path (college and degrees for Path 3, college for path 1, neither for path 2)... and a hospital scene waiting in the hallway is the brother and their seven-year-old sister.
and of course, the reveal of who they're telling all of this to: their own kids - both their little sister' and their two daughters.
What do you think? Just been writing this post for... five hours now? huh. Of course, I only point out one player-controlled choice, and the paths those follow, but of course others would be possible.
Just to note, I dont know code, HTML gives me headaches now (used to do very basic html web pages, and know nothing of anything more than b i u html head body and basic css. Game programming is out of the question.)
I just see this as like some of the Ren'py VN's - static images with text dialogue and text narration, with some boxes for controlling choices, but otherwise, just set how long to stick on each line of text before autoforward and hit 'auto'.
