VN Ren'Py Love & Jealousy [Act 3] [Professor Amethyst Games]

[JarrenBlake]

It is mentioned at least twice during the story, that MC's father is in the military and serves in Stuttgart (Germany). And mother is also there with him. At least this is the current state at the moment of the story. Where they were when MC was a child - this is not known.

Thank you for the reminder on that. I really could not recall the parental situation for the MC. So then I will go with my original thought in that it was more negligence. The father could have been absent due to assignment leaving mother to raise him solo for long periods of time. But I do not get the sense that they are very close. High life just does not seem to reflect that being the case.

 

[NewGuy2022]

I think AL.d summed up my point on this pretty clearly. A sound mind, one that has its own ability to discern, evaluate, and make decisions under normal circumstances isn't "conditioned" (in the sense that we are discussing here) they are offered an alternate view to which they can choose.

I won't get into all the numerous "conditioning" you mentioned because I think you are lumping them all together without respect to their situation, circumstance, and individual responsibility.

As it concerns the story, as AL.d pointed out, the MC is not in a state to "evaluate" such things under normal circumstances. They are driven by mental issues that essentially FORCE him to concede to the demands. Whether it is intentional and knowing, is up for debate, but Lacey IS abusing the MC in this manner.

This is NOT ok, this is pure abuse, pure psychological manipulation taking advantage of the MCs state. Anything Lacey "archives" while convincing him to go against his initial reactions is... detrimental to him and honestly... this is where I come out with my mean "Pull out the woodchipper" comments. Anyone who would take advantage of another in such a mental state as this... deserves it.

As I said, the MC does not want this, does not seek this, rallies against it, makes it quite clear this is not what he approves of... so if by continued "pounding" this "conditioning" into him, a continued manipulation of his mental state (ie fear of losing Lacey) is used to achieve this, seriously... there is not a death gruesome enough IMO for someone that would do such.

And THIS is why I continue to say I have serious reservations with accepting that a given ending is "good". For anyone to remain in a relationship without genuine consent (conditioned or coerced "consent" doesn't count for me) would not be good.

 

[NewGuy2022]

Yo, hold up, buddy. So, about this poll you're bringing up... does that actually mean the Professor is currently grinding away on a new update for this game? That's wild

I certainly hope not. Polls in AVNs seem to end up promoting the same narrow set of tags.

 

[funnythings3785]

It is repeated often, I think the most CLEAR CUT would be this.

L "Honestly though, my preference would be that you don't share me."



I think this hits both points.

L "This is another thing that we see differently."
L "Me doing this for you, feels like I'm giving you a gift of love and trust."
L "I want you to feel like a king."
L "I've tried to explain this to you before."
L "But I'd feel you doing something like this means you've stopped loving me as much."
L "It means you don't want to protect me or keep me to yourself anymore."
L "I'd be really worried about our marriage."
L "I do this because making you feel good about yourself makes me happy."
L "The other way around means I'm just some whore you're passing around."
L "I like it that we're so different."

L "you are going to do something you've never done before."
L "Something you never got to experience."
L "I want you to start dating other women."

But lets be clear, Lacey would obey MC without a word if he asked her to be shared (even if then she complains about some RP talk, I guess she could complain a bit) just check the slut path act 1, it is pretty long so I won't paste it.

Also, what people miss, is that Lacey has a mixed agenda with the "love experiment".
She wants to give back to MC the years lost, in terms of experiences, even if then the game keeps on insisting on the sexual part, but she also wants MC to punish her (no not because she is a secret masochist) but because she feels an enormous amount of guilt towards him.

L "The whole open relationship thing?"
L "I am not trying to turn you into me."
L "I want you to date other women, so you can feel more confident."
L "So, you can experience the things you missed out on."
L "And so you can hurt me."
L "So you can make me feel jealous."
L "Because I think you need that."
L "I think you need to put me in my place so that you can work through all this."
L "It's not going to be fun for me."
L "I am extremely jealous of you and the women around you."
L "I've made that abundantly clear."

And a nice piece of bonus for all of you just to remember my beloved and accountable act 2 Lacey:

L "I did all these things because..."
L "Because I decided that being a sex toilet was more important than my love for you."
L "Because I decided that being a drug addict was more important than sending you a text."
L "Because I decided to embrace being a worthless object."
L "Because I didn't care enough about what we used to have to try to figure out what you were going through."
L "All I cared about was doing anything and everything I could to destroy the old me."
L "Because I was selfish."
L "Because I hated myself."
L "But most of all..."
L "Because I was not a good person."

It think all of that is extremely important when various progressions for kinks are considered as well as the overall mindset of the characters in how they view these various things.

The MC is considered the "prude" or "inexperienced" in all of this, and some might suggest that this is the "reasoning" to "open him up" to such experiences (Lacey says this), but the reality is... some people just don't view things that way, don't see that as normal or healthy regardless of what "reasoning" may be given.

I would posit, neither does Lacey... as it is obvious by the writing that she also sees this activity as harmful (she notes in how she feels, how she sees him feel in various dialogue).

So we know the MC's position, this one is easy. Lacey? We see by her past behavior, and various "indiscretions" that she may think otherwise, but then... Lacey over and over "says" otherwise (shows remorse and regret when she breaks and is pushed to to it) AND she displays the person who validates this by her own actions when the MC partakes in those activities Lacey did.

So does the traditional NTS trope make sense in this? Does sharing in anyway improve the MC or Lacey for that matter? I could understand if Lacey was cheering at the sidelines when the MC poked the girls, and praised him, asking for all the details when he did his deeds, as well as going on about how she is excited to partake in this eventually... but does she? Does she show the personality of someone who approves of this lifestyle? I don't think so.

In fact, she gets JEALOUS, often... and not simply jealous, but sad, and VINDICTIVE, willing to bring about extreme pain to the MC when he does these "sanctioned" actions.

Why? I don't know... the writing is confusing... at times... I think Lacey does it on purpose so she can get her Cuck kink fulfilled and it makes me think this is all a ploy to "condition" the MC to that eventual result, but... on the other side I also see dialogue that displays remorse for everything, her past, her actions, her pushing of the MC and the whole situation in itself.

All I can say is... I am confused.

 

[funnythings3785]

View attachment 5522771

This is what she could have been... and I really think it is touching... but she is still speaking in abstract means. She still is not this to him. The picture isn't representative of the Lacey now, it is what she "sees" that she should have been, yet again... she still doesn't realize that she has had ample chances to be this when she came back, and to this date... "still" has not provided this version of herself to him.

She is like an addict talking about how things will be once they "get clean", all the while failing at the work to get clean.

I like it, it is a lovely gesture, but keep in mind that this picture was painted just before she got finished painting the dicks of her past "fucks" in a room of the house her husband is living in knowing he has a very strong chance of encountering the horror of the situation (without her information to clarify her intent, or asking for his position on it) under the conditions that he... just accept that she is doing things without his knowing, with the understanding of how damaging this would be to him if he were to find out (and how damaging it is to ask him of this in the first place).

The MCs reaction was pure... "self insert" writing. That is, Lacey needed to heal, Lacey got her progression and the MC was "force wrote" into the story to accept it, stand and wait, listen intently while the dialogue played out obvious sexually intended references.... in order to allow her to become the "victor" over her issues... while he... well... "cucked out" listening intently as if any of the "details" really mattered when you consider the state of the situation and her actions.

She may have been well intending, I get that... but FFS... really? Her being able to play her whole "healing" act out was simply because the MC has been beaten down, destroyed, confused, etc... to the point of being irrational.

Maybe this is also a reason he broke? The absurdity of it all...

The only complaint I have about it all is that these "conflicts" aren't mentioned at all... but... I guess this could be reasoned to him simply... not... giving... a shit anymore. Just... a subconscious realization that he lives in clown world and just breaks.

 

[Lady Lydia]

It think all of that is extremely important when various progressions for kinks are considered as well as the overall mindset of the characters in how they view these various things.

The MC is considered the "prude" or "inexperienced" in all of this, and some might suggest that this is the "reasoning" to "open him up" to such experiences (Lacey says this), but the reality is... some people just don't view things that way, don't see that as normal or healthy regardless of what "reasoning" may be given.

I would posit, neither does Lacey... as it is obvious by the writing that she also sees this activity as harmful (she notes in how she feels, how she sees him feel in various dialogue).

So we know the MC's position, this one is easy. Lacey? We see by her past behavior, and various "indiscretions" that she may think otherwise, but then... Lacey over and over "says" otherwise (shows remorse and regret when she breaks and is pushed to to it) AND she displays the person who validates this by her own actions when the MC partakes in those activities Lacey did.

So does the traditional NTS trope make sense in this? Does sharing in anyway improve the MC or Lacey for that matter? I could understand if Lacey was cheering at the sidelines when the MC poked the girls, and praised him, asking for all the details when he did his deeds, as well as going on about how she is excited to partake in this eventually... but does she? Does she show the personality of someone who approves of this lifestyle? I don't think so.

In fact, she gets JEALOUS, often... and not simply jealous, but sad, and VINDICTIVE, willing to bring about extreme pain to the MC when he does these "sanctioned" actions.

Why? I don't know... the writing is confusing... at times... I think Lacey does it on purpose so she can get her Cuck kink fulfilled and it makes me think this is all a ploy to "condition" the MC to that eventual result, but... on the other side I also see dialogue that displays remorse for everything, her past, her actions, her pushing of the MC and the whole situation in itself.

All I can say is... I am confused.

The problem that isn't contend with here is that humans aren't mostly straight forward, 'do as I say, not as I do' is a pretty common pattern, people can have desires that are actively opposite to each others, so yes while Lacey like to make her husband feel jealous, and she won't hesitate to push courses of actions that cause him to feel horribly jealous, at the same time she doesn't want to hurt him, so she feel terrible about it later.

In the same way no matter how much she love her husband she might desire sexual activities with other men, she might not want to be shared aka be given away by her husband, but she has no issue with herself reaching out to other men to do things of a sexual nature, she can feel bad about it later because she realize she caused harm to the love her husband as for her, but all those things are possible none the less at the same time.

Contradictions are perfectly natural in humans, which is also why saying 'oh that character has this mindset' isn't a good justification against them acting differently because humans are not animals, they aren't one dimensional creatures from a mental point of view, humans are driven by 3 factors, instincts, emotions, and intellect, many people here assume those characters operate on a one dimensional basis where they can only be one thing, but as I said their are three different pulls on a human at the same time and that is merely on a mentally healthy human, on someone whose mind as been broken, the emotions and intellect can have exploded and they find themselves under far more pulls as their mental issues causes vast shift in either emotions or intellect at various time. So whatever mindset characters can have can change based on those shifting flows of emotions and intellect.

The only aspect of humans that is straight forward are instincts, millions upon millions of years went into molding human instincts to what they are and the short amount of time since civilization as begun isn't enough to have changed that fundamental aspect of humanity yet, and instincts don't care for emotions nor intellect, the two others are the ones that have to react to the instincts not the other way around.

 

[funnythings3785]

The problem that isn't contend with here is that humans aren't mostly straight forward, 'do as I say, not as I do' is a pretty common pattern, people can have desires that are actively opposite to each others, so yes while Lacey like to make her husband feel jealous, and she won't hesitate to push courses of actions that cause him to feel horribly jealous, at the same time she doesn't want to hurt him, so she feel terrible about it later.

In the same way no matter how much she love her husband she might desire sexual activities with other men, she might not want to be shared aka be given away by her husband, but she has no issue with herself reaching out to other men to do things of a sexual nature, she can feel bad about it later because she realize she caused harm to the love her husband as for her, but all those things are possible none the less at the same time.

Contradictions are perfectly natural in humans, which is also why saying 'oh that character has this mindset' isn't a good justification against them acting differently because humans are not animals, they aren't one dimensional creatures from a mental point of view, humans are driven by 3 factors, instincts, emotions, and intellect, many people here assume those characters operate on a one dimensional basis where they can only be one thing, but as I said their are three different pulls on a human at the same time and that is merely on a mentally healthy human, on someone whose mind as been broken, the emotions and intellect can have exploded and they find themselves under far more pulls as their mental issues causes vast shift in either emotions or intellect at various time. So whatever mindset characters can have can change based on those shifting flows of emotions and intellect.

The only aspect of humans that is straight forward are instincts, millions upon millions of years went into molding human instincts to what they are and the short amount of time since civilization as begun isn't enough to have changed that fundamental aspect of humanity yet, and instincts don't care for emotions nor intellect, the two others are the ones that have to react to the instincts not the other way around.

There is always choice and consequence. The rationalization of a choice is irrelevant, only the consequence of them when it comes due. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

If Lacey is caught between lifestyles and refuses to choose, there will be consequence and unfortunately, all too often in life, the consequence isn't always to the one who makes the choice, it is often paid at the expense of others.

 

[monkeyqueen]

Why? I don't know... the writing is confusing... at times... I think Lacey does it on purpose so she can get her Cuck kink fulfilled and it makes me think this is all a ploy to "condition" the MC to that eventual result, but... on the other side I also see dialogue that displays remorse for everything, her past, her actions, her pushing of the MC and the whole situation in itself.

All I can say is... I am confused.

When you are confused - unsure how to interpret the story - there are two options:

1. The writing is bad
2. You need another theory to interpret the well written story

All of us interpret stories. The easiest way to refer to the trope. The "typical" NTR story is sociopath bull (like Barty) and seemingly innocent but truly terrible wife. If you want a prototypical version so extreme that it's a parody of the genre try Lending my NTR girlfriend. And because that is the "NTR" story you want see you read this one it through that set of glasses. Of course the NTR story is itself just a encapsulation of stories that run through mass culture.

BUT this author tells us he deviating from the trope - so what now?

Just as an experiment try the "frog" theory when interpreting the game. Lacey will agree anything said by a sufficiently angry MC. ANYTHING. If the MC demanded that she acknowledge that she is a frog she would agree. So you need to take her "I'm selfish" etc statements with a big grain of salt. (1)

Also understand that she is not fully aware of her motivations. I mean who isn't just a little selfish? Get rid of all selfishness and you don't take of yourself.

Her motives are mixed. She does want to make the MC jealous because that feeds into her "jealousy kink" but she also sincerely wants to get the MC to a place where he can accept all parts of her and that would be good for both of them. Unfortunately, the madness of both gets in the way. They aren't really a shark and a remora - they are two lampreys feeding off one another; neither of them understand this nor their motivations. Lacey doesn't understand that she is not always the one at fault, the MC is just starting to understand that he simply likes having something to hold over Lacey's head.

I honestly believe that a formal BDSM relationship could be a good ending for them. The MC would learn control - if you are going to do "breath play" you don't do it in way that could kill someone. Lacey could learn to satisfy her masochistic desires inside the bedroom and not to spread them to the rest of her life.

(Lacey, if you are reading this - keep those feelings for red bra night)

Then try different theories - "how would I interpret this if the narrator has PTSD" or depression. or multiple personality disorder. or if the character is a sadist? or a masochist? or a narcissist? Then test yourself - where does your theory fall apart? Be sure to apply each theory to both the MC and FMC.

And then get meta - how is this being written? What sort of literary tools is the author using?

You will eventually need multiple theories to get the game.

You know my answer to the queston about why Lacey seems to not approve of a "sharing" lifestyle even while pursuing one. Her college "sharing" days were an excercise in self abuse. She hates herself for being the person who has to stab herself with pencils to feel good. She hates herself for being the person who needs red bra night to feel sane. She hates herself because her dad told her she was worthless. She hates herself because the man she loves most needs her to hate herself. She hates herself because of internalized prudish norms: "good" people don't have sex with multiple partners.

For both MCs it is impossible to separate approval / disaproval or pleasure / pain - the milk is already in the coffee and can't be taken out.


(1) But wait! You say: You are just ignoring huge parts of the text if you say that. And to that I say: so is everyone who ignores the MC when he says he is wrong to feel betrayed by Lacey's college days because they were never together. You are ignoring the MC when he says that he is the problem. You are ignoring the MC when he says that he is the selfish one. You are ignoring the MC when he acknowledges that he can't forgive because he likes holding things above Lacey's head. Or that he is a bad person. Why is that - why dismiss the statements made by one character but accept the statements made by another?

Lacey: "because I'm a bad person"
MC: "Do you know why I'm such a bad person?"

Now I have my answers but I would be interested in hearing what you come up with after trying different theories on for size.

Again, my point is interpretation is inevitable but knowing *what* theory you are using makes you a better reader

 

[NewGuy2022]

It think all of that is extremely important when various progressions for kinks are considered as well as the overall mindset of the characters in how they view these various things.

The MC is considered the "prude" or "inexperienced" in all of this, and some might suggest that this is the "reasoning" to "open him up" to such experiences (Lacey says this), but the reality is... some people just don't view things that way, don't see that as normal or healthy regardless of what "reasoning" may be given.

I would posit, neither does Lacey... as it is obvious by the writing that she also sees this activity as harmful (she notes in how she feels, how she sees him feel in various dialogue).

So we know the MC's position, this one is easy. Lacey? We see by her past behavior, and various "indiscretions" that she may think otherwise, but then... Lacey over and over "says" otherwise (shows remorse and regret when she breaks and is pushed to to it) AND she displays the person who validates this by her own actions when the MC partakes in those activities Lacey did.

So does the traditional NTS trope make sense in this? Does sharing in anyway improve the MC or Lacey for that matter? I could understand if Lacey was cheering at the sidelines when the MC poked the girls, and praised him, asking for all the details when he did his deeds, as well as going on about how she is excited to partake in this eventually... but does she? Does she show the personality of someone who approves of this lifestyle? I don't think so.

In fact, she gets JEALOUS, often... and not simply jealous, but sad, and VINDICTIVE, willing to bring about extreme pain to the MC when he does these "sanctioned" actions.

Why? I don't know... the writing is confusing... at times... I think Lacey does it on purpose so she can get her Cuck kink fulfilled and it makes me think this is all a ploy to "condition" the MC to that eventual result, but... on the other side I also see dialogue that displays remorse for everything, her past, her actions, her pushing of the MC and the whole situation in itself.

All I can say is... I am confused.

My personal view of a sharing relationship is one where both parties love each other but enjoy seeing the partner receive pleasure from another... ...to relive the experience in a positive way with their partner who then "reclaims" the shared partner. All of this is done by mutual agreement with good communication, any boundaries well-explained and understood, and (this is the most important part) each partner respecting the boundaries of the other partner without intent to deceive or manipulate. It's about enjoying how your partner is drawing pleasure; it's about your partner, not about yourself.

In no part of the story so far have I seen these elements present. Until I see all of them present, I won't see what these two are doing now as "sharing." And I won't see any ending with this faux-sharing as anything "good" or even "neutral."

She may have been well intending, I get that... but FFS... really? Her being able to play her whole "healing" act out was simply because the MC has been beaten down, destroyed, confused, etc... to the point of being irrational.

You don't heal yourself by tearing down those around you; you do it by building yourself up along with those around you.

 

[funnythings3785]

My personal view of a sharing relationship is one where both parties love each other but enjoy seeing the partner receive pleasure from another... ...to relive the experience in a positive way with their partner who then "reclaims" the shared partner. All of this is done by mutual agreement with good communication, any boundaries well-explained and understood, and (this is the most important part) each partner respecting the boundaries of the other partner without intent to deceive or manipulate. It's about enjoying how your partner is drawing pleasure; it's about your partner, not about yourself.

In no part of the story so far have I seen these elements present. Until I see all of them present, I won't see what these two are doing now as "sharing." And I won't see any ending with this faux-sharing as anything "good" or even "neutral."

I don't think they can ever develop to that due to the initial character designs and the manner in which they were developed. The dialogue has already clearly established they don't view such interactions as ever being "healthy" between them or for anyone for that matter.

This story doesn't seem to support that concept at all, at least... not as is established from the characters own words.

 

[NewGuy2022]

I don't think they can ever develop to that due to the initial character designs and the manner in which they were developed. The dialogue has already clearly established they don't view such interactions as ever being "healthy" between them or for anyone for that matter.

This story doesn't seem to support that concept at all, at least... not as is established from the characters own words.

I don't disagree. That is why I do not see a harem or happy family ending to this story as "good."

 

[Lady Lydia]

I don't think they can ever develop to that due to the initial character designs and the manner in which they were developed. The dialogue has already clearly established they don't view such interactions as ever being "healthy" between them or for anyone for that matter.

This story doesn't seem to support that concept at all, at least... not as is established from the characters own words.

Again, arguments that have been made for things to happen or not happen in this story are virtually always based on the characters own words, but can you trust their words? You think nobody lie? To others? Or to themselves? Or change their minds? Sometimes on a whim? We should be taking everything that is said in this game with a grain of salt, its impossible to say if what they say is what they really think, what they believe they think, or what they think in the moment but won't the next day. Do you know about repression? How many homosexual people lived a life pretending to be heterosexual for the sake of social acceptance?

A gay man that never loved romantically a woman will tell his wife 'I love you', it can be a straight lie, or he might fool himself thinking he do love her, or he might actually do so in a platonic fashion, which wouldn't be really what its meant to imply. People repress all sorts of kinks, you have people that have truthfully from an intellectual point of view claimed they'd hate to be cheated on, only for when that notion became possible to discover that emotionally they actually like it.

You cannot consider anything the characters do, say or even think to be absolute, because when it come down to it the 3 factors that drive their personality might have at time different strength to their pull, one day instinct lead, another day emotions lead, and again a day come when the intellect lead. How many women that swore off having children suddenly in their late 30s or early 40s suddenly crave having a child, intellectually they might not have wanted them, emotionally they might not have wanted them, but when instincts start screaming 'YOU WANT A CHILD' their isn't much they can argue about.

Oh and all of that is without accounting for compromises, people can compromise over their thoughts and beliefs for the sake of keeping peace, married people have to do that in many cases, so whatever they think or believe doesn't matter if they make a compromise over keeping their marriage stable and peaceful.

 

[Yabba]

So for me -i dont know anyone on here so maybe i can explain how this story is affecting me...

It has given me severe anxiety ,heart palpitations and taken my brain to places i did not want to go,,,ie my past

I havnt met a Lacey (thank christ) but i did meet and marry a beautiful girl that i put 100% of my heart and soul into - I gave her every part of me - I was young, naive and just thought "thats it we are married " lets get old etc .

But that did not happen lets just say i got a 100% mind fuck for months ,getting my life to a point that all i could do was leave , because she didnt want me anymore and yes she cheated - it crucified me and i nearly killed myself ..i hurt like nothing i had ever encounterd up that point in my life and it has affected the rest of my life to a severe degree.

So im using the game as a tool to try and get to why it makes me feel the way i do and yes its crushing but its made me ask the simple question -why did she do that ?

So thank you Proffesor you have helped me look into my very hurtful past and helped me try to reflect and come to terms with it--because believe me folks we all bury that shit so deep ...

 

[Lady Lydia]

So for me -i dont know anyone on here so maybe i can explain how this story is affecting me...

It has given me severe anxiety ,heart palpitations and taken my brain to places i did not want to go,,,ie my past

I havnt met a Lacey (thank christ) but i did meet and marry a beautiful girl that i put 100% of my heart and soul into - I gave her every part of me - I was young, naive and just thought "thats it we are married " lets get old etc .

But that did not happen lets just say i got a 100% mind fuck for months ,getting my life to a point that all i could do was leave , because she didnt want me anymore and yes she cheated - it crucified me and i nearly killed myself ..i hurt like nothing i had ever encounterd up that point in my life and it has affected the rest of my life to a severe degree.

So im using the game as a tool to try and get to why it makes me feel the way i do and yes its crushing but its made me ask the simple question -why did she do that ?

So thank you Proffesor you have helped me look into my very hurtful past and helped me try to reflect and come to terms with it--because believe me folks we all bury that shit so deep ...

I am sorry for you having suffered so, I never have suffered such a situation, however I am pretty sure unless the Prof finally cut down on the drama next Act I might actually develop PTSD from this game, or something... their is a good reason I am saying most people arguing here are probably suffering from something akin to Stockholm Syndrome, and that wasn't really a joke, so I am not sure this might be the healthiest game or place to try to figure it out.

As for why your ex cheated on you, it could be sadism, it could be she felt something was missing in your relationship, it could be she had some kink that drove her cheating, maybe she had some emotional background with said person, like Lacey maybe she liked the notion of making you jealous, or she might just like the notion of cheating.

Obviously its hard to say without knowing her, but their are all sorts of potential reasoning or emotions that could have played into it, frankly I'll doubt you'll ever figure it out without ever reaching out to her and trying to talk it out, but then again she might lie to deflect the blame, so that is by no mean an absolute solution, if you can't fathom talking to her and if you know someone that could act as an intermediary to talk to her in your stead, you could ask them, maybe even a third party looking into it could bring some external insight.

 

[WannabeShady90]

I haven't. Where could I find it?



I honestly don't remember the MC cheating on Lacey in my runthrough. Was this choice-dependent?

As the player I refused every offer from every woman when the dev allowed me; I even opt out of sexting when the dev finally allows it. When I'm allowed to choose what the MC says, I choose the option that is most harmful to any relationship with that female NPC--I am avoiding allowing the MC to do anything (even flirting) with NPCs.

It annoyed me, frankly, that I was not allowed to have MC refuse Anna because I think anything Lacey suggests is "good" for the MC really isn't (note: I openly admit my blindspot when it comes to Lacey so there's no need to shame me over it). And, as I recall, Lacey directed the whole MC-Anna event so I don't consider that cheating. I freely admit I do not like it but that was more like sharing than cheating, if only IMO. Not only was it insensitive to the MC (playing on his feelings for Anna) but it was pretty harmful to Anna, too, because I don't think she saw that event as shallow meaningless sex.



I doubt it. I ask the same questions about the MC and I don't expect things to improve for him, either. This story has me conditioned to hate it when good apparently happy/positive things happen because I expect it's only the set-up for the MC (and the reader) to have our hopes dashed yet again when the inevitable bad thing happens. Often, but not always, orchestrated by Lacey.



Every time I read where someone says Lacey has grown... this is what I keep coming back to. It also reinforces why I believe the MC needs to leave all these people behind (note: not the way we ended Act 3, BTW) and go somewhere out of their reach/contact to seek some serious therapy and healing; perhaps in-patient for a bit? Yes, I know he is codependent but I don't see how the MC ever will benefit (really) from therapy when he returns to his loony-bin of a life after each session where the NPCs break him again by their attempts to "help" him. And I recognize the dev never will write his story that way so...



I took it that she wanted for the MC to sleep around to desensitize him to her sleeping around ("see, it doesn't hurt anything" or "since you can do it I can do it, too") but again I have to recognize that I'm hard-coded by the dev to seek and expect the worst from Lacey, Mia, and most of the NPCs. If you feel Lacey has a guilty conscience then that suggests to me that she recognizes that what she did was cheating so it's not just the reader's bias... but when someone tells us to do something (not shouted in rage) then we have to accept they meant that, don't we? Otherwise I'm back to not being able to accept or believe anything I read in the story.



And this, more than anything, is why I have the MC refuse every woman in the game. I think it also explains why Lacey seems more jealous when a woman she does not control is hitting on the MC vs. the NPCs she can direct. It's why I resist the harem option under the "no fun" route; it's not because of the MC's undying devotion to his wife, it's because I don't want to see him further manipulated by her and the NPCs.



I wouldn't say Lacey granted it as much as Lacey ordered it.



Did these happen on all routes? I don't remember them (not saying they didn't happen; I just don't remember). To be fair, I refused everything with Bethany (no TV date, nothing) and I did skip/FF through much of the story on my first playthrough due to my frustration so I could have missed some forced events.



That could be the title of the next Act.

Why are you so devoted to Lacey though? Literally any relationship with any girl (or even that boy) maybe aside from Mia would result in a healthier relationship. I openly admitted that I'm on #ShipAnna but I would be okey with almost any other girl as well. As for the cheating part:
01.) I didn't choose to be with Lacey. It was forced upon me. If I could break up, that's the first thing I would do. Is it cheating if I am literally forced into a relationship I do not want to have?
02.) Lacey cheated first.

What actually bothers me is that Captain SaveAHoe only interacts with Anna on a sexual level because Lacey makes him do it. In that regard, I see some progress in the writing though, because during the Birthday scene you can actually decide how far you want to go (needless to say I went as far as I could go) and Captain SaveAHoe says more openly that he loves Anna, eventhough he still hides behind the "Friendship" mask. That's just bad writing though. Who would give passionate kisses to his "best friend" and let her suck your dick while being in a committed relationship. I'm pretty sure Lacey said Anna could kiss him, not suck his dick.

 

[Yabba]

I am sorry for you having suffered so, I never have suffered such a situation, however I am pretty sure unless the Prof finally cut down on the drama next Act I might actually develop PTSD from this game, or something... their is a good reason I am saying most people arguing here are probably suffering from something akin to Stockholm Syndrome, and that wasn't really a joke, so I am not sure this might be the healthiest game or place to try to figure it out.

As for why your ex cheated on you, it could be sadism, it could be she felt something was missing in your relationship, it could be she had some kink that drove her cheating, maybe she had some emotional background with said person, like Lacey maybe she liked the notion of making you jealous, or she might just like the notion of cheating.

Obviously its hard to say without knowing her, but their are all sorts of potential reasoning or emotions that could have played into it, frankly I'll doubt you'll ever figure it out without ever reaching out to her and trying to talk it out, but then again she might lie to deflect the blame, so that is by no mean an absolute solution, if you can't fathom talking to her and if you know someone that could act as an intermediary to talk to her in your stead, you could ask them, maybe even a third party looking into it could bring some external insight.

Thanks for the reponse - in all truth this was 40 years ago so she may not even be alive , never had contact from the day i left to this day- one or two people have met her in the past and they told me she did feel remorse for the way it ended, but ill never know for sure. Just hoping ill get some closure as i work through my end of it . Ive spent today going through act 1 and looking at every line and making notes on what it makes me feel and what i think the characters are feeling so thats been cathartic and helped me not feel like shit when Lacey has her away night - ive come to understand she wants the MC not to feel the way he does -she just cant compute that this is a terrible idea.

 

[monkeyqueen]

ive come to understand she wants the MC not to feel the way he does -she just cant compute that this is a terrible idea.

Or rather she can't understand that her solution is a shitty one. The goal isn't bad - the plans are bad The therapist gets it: Dude needs to realize that HE fucked up when the kept the torch burning while she was in college. (and he does in the shark - remora discussion)

If he could just say "you had hundreds of men but you chose me" all the drama and trauma ends. But because he can't she keeps coming up with plans that do more and more damage. And then he turns to people - like Abby and Mia - that he shouldn't trust for help and they do more and more damage.

 

[WannabeShady90]

I am sorry for you having suffered so, I never have suffered such a situation, however I am pretty sure unless the Prof finally cut down on the drama next Act I might actually develop PTSD from this game, or something... their is a good reason I am saying most people arguing here are probably suffering from something akin to Stockholm Syndrome, and that wasn't really a joke, so I am not sure this might be the healthiest game or place to try to figure it out.

As for why your ex cheated on you, it could be sadism, it could be she felt something was missing in your relationship, it could be she had some kink that drove her cheating, maybe she had some emotional background with said person, like Lacey maybe she liked the notion of making you jealous, or she might just like the notion of cheating.

Obviously its hard to say without knowing her, but their are all sorts of potential reasoning or emotions that could have played into it, frankly I'll doubt you'll ever figure it out without ever reaching out to her and trying to talk it out, but then again she might lie to deflect the blame, so that is by no mean an absolute solution, if you can't fathom talking to her and if you know someone that could act as an intermediary to talk to her in your stead, you could ask them, maybe even a third party looking into it could bring some external insight.

A girl once close to me stole from me because she thought I deserved it for whatever reason. Her whole family is...well...fucked up...like really fucked up. She dead-ass told me that to my face after I've confronted her. Former blue pilled Captain SaveAHoe (me) thought I could "fix her". I've spent a few months bullying her until she was ready to commit suicide. I never harmed her physically, but I sure as hell hit her where it hurts. I think she's a drug addict now. Last time I saw her she had a couple of pounds of weed with her, but that was 10 years ago.

Another girl snitched on me after she left me. Couldn't handle that I was with a bounce back. She literally sent the SEK (German SWAT) to my house, looking for drugs, guns and so on. She also tried to make my mother lose her license as a psychiatrist by making up stories. I was away at that time, but my parents were present. I confronted her about it, which got me 4 months behind bars. Oh boy, did I have fun with that one...she seems to have found 19 bullets in her car on her 19th birthday while I was behind bars. Police was really confused how they got there...came to me asking about it. That one got a little paranoid after that...I think she went a little bit off the deep end...

...that should give you some idea how I respond to disrespect and how far I'm willing to go to scold people for it.

 

[Lady Lydia]

Thanks for the reponse - in all truth this was 40 years ago so she may not even be alive , never had contact from the day i left to this day- one or two people have met her in the past and they told me she did feel remorse for the way it ended, but ill never know for sure. Just hoping ill get some closure as i work through my end of it . Ive spent today going through act 1 and looking at every line and making notes on what it makes me feel and what i think the characters are feeling so thats been cathartic and helped me not feel like shit when Lacey has her away night - ive come to understand she wants the MC not to feel the way he does -she just cant compute that this is a terrible idea.

Ouch when you were explaining yourself originally I thought it was a somewhat fresh wound... bloody Hell its a wound about as old as I am... yea that is clearly passed the point what I said was a viable mean to get closure.

As for this game, well one point I'd add is that trying to get anything resembling proper understanding from it would be... problematic, I doubt most of us had extremely painful backgrounds to the degree the MC & Lacey had, so we fundamentally can't comprehend their reasoning because we aren't mentally broken to the point they are.

In simple term Lacey is a broken soul with an horrifying childhood and teenage life, that abandoned her platonic life partner to go alone to College, tried to fix herself, broke herself even harder in the process, was reunited with her platonic life partner, fell in love with him, lied to him about the extent of how fucked up her College years were, her best friend reveal it because she was likely jealous of the MC taking Lacey away from her, lied to her husband about the extent of what happened in College again, still had to contend with the fact her husband was very unhappy about the lies, try to fix him, fuck him up badly in the process, at a time somewhere in there tried to better their life but fucked it up again, pissed her husband off again, and more or less keep this pattern rolling from Act 1 to Act 3. Lacey's approach to problem solving could be nicknamed 'The Road to Hell', built upon good intentions but very much keep causing Hell to happen.

I argue some of her intent is likely to change the way her husband see things to make him more... compatible with how she thinks and willing to accept abnormal patterns of thinking & behaving as acceptable for her benefit, and his to some degree, she can't undo what she did to she tries to change him so he'll consider what she did acceptable, possibly to some degree also so she can keep doing things like it for her benefit.

 

[NewGuy2022]

Why are you so devoted to Lacey though? Literally any relationship with any girl (or even that boy) maybe aside from Mia would result in a healthier relationship. I openly admitted that I'm on #ShipAnna but I would be okey with almost any other girl as well. As for the cheating part:
01.) I didn't choose to be with Lacey. It was forced upon me. If I could break up, that's the first thing I would do. Is it cheating if I am literally forced into a relationship I do not want to have?
02.) Lacey cheated first.

What actually bothers me is that Captain SaveAHoe only interacts with Anna on a sexual level because Lacey makes him do it. In that regard, I see some progress in the writing though, because during the Birthday scene you can actually decide how far you want to go (needless to say I went as far as I could go) and Captain SaveAHoe says more openly that he loves Anna, eventhough he still hides behind the "Friendship" mask. That's just bad writing though. Who would give passionate kisses to his "best friend" and let her suck your dick while being in a committed relationship. I'm pretty sure Lacey said Anna could kiss him, not suck his dick.

If I am anything, it is decidedly NOT devoted to Lacey. Not even on a bad day. I agree that nearly anyone else would be better than Lacey, although with this story, who knows how characters will behave in Act 4).

My refusal of every act with every NPC is because Lacey is directing their efforts. By refusing them the MC is refusing Lacey because Lacey is trying to pull the NPC's strings. It's not clear to me why she wants the MC to have sex with other girls but I am certain it is not for the reason she said. Her pattern of dishonesty with the MC means I don't believe a word from her unless I've seen some way to corroborate it. Lacey manipulates the MC far too much as it is; I do not want to giver her even more control over him.

I would prefer a break-up, too, but since the dev clearly is more enamored with Lacey than with the MC and Lacey wants to keep the MC then... ...the MC is trapped even though remaining with her is toxic for him. The only way I can resist in this story is to say "no" to everything Lacey or her pawns offer. So that's exactly what I do.