I was waiting for someone else to ask (so I wasn't here too much):
I understand you needing a kicking off point for some of the sharing themes - here you use Alex mentioning his fantasy of his loved one being stolen/having sex with someone else early in the game (I know at least once with Sierra on phone, and I want to say it's a few more times too - not 100% sure on it) - I've seen this is a pretty common one amongst these games.
I usually shrug it off in games where it's optional (laughing at character - "not in this play-through") but at the end of this last update in the reveal of Alex's past relationship I couldn't help but do a facepalm. I can't understand the character here:
His last girlfriend repeatedly cheated on him and he left because of it - how is this a sexual fantasy now?
Spoilers for the upcoming chapters:
Traumas can cause irreversible damage to the way we think and act in the world.
There are countless coping strategies people use to try to overcome them. For example, when facing a case of bullying, someone might:
- Hold a lifelong grudge against those who harmed them;
- Become a bully themselves, attempting to process the trauma by reenacting it and inflicting on others what they once suffered;
- Fill their days with activities to avoid having the time and/or energy to think about the trauma;
- Or perhaps even grow attached to i, similar to Stockholm syndrome, where the person who hurts or mistreats you becomes the object of your affection. As a result, you may find pleasure in experiencing similar dynamics, even sexually. (“They used to bully me? Fine, now I actually enjoy being dominated by others.”)
In short, this should give you an idea of how it’s possible that Alex dealt with this experience. But just like Sierra, sooner or later he’ll have to face his own demons and leave this story behind.
My understanding is that Anna will only cheat if Alex is unfaithful first (though the recent twists might change that). Personally I think that order of operations fits better, because if Anna goes off the rails cheating independently then it turns her into a different character archetype (e.g. Lover to Villain). The corruption and NTS play is fun for many of us because she's loyal.
I'm sure this topic leads to passionate debates at NTRS Inc.
Yes, one of my goals was to avoid turning Anna into a bad girlfriend (except in one specific Route). I know that after all these months you’ve grown attached to my characters, and I don’t want to make you suffer because of choices like that—though one of the plot options was meant to be something darker.
So Anna will remain a good girl… as long as you’re good boys to her too :3
Can you give us pure NTR route, like literally getting cheated on?
Keep following the NTR Route and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you’ll find in the upcoming chapters
On the topic of tags, I would say that you should remove the "female protagonist" tag - unless something significant happens later, Alex is most definitely not female at all.
Hi Soraiya, in the early chapters my game has only one male protagonist, but starting from chapter five the story also follows Sierra and Anna. In fact, I can say that in the last two chapters Sierra has had quite a few scenes. Anna has had far fewer, but she’ll be getting many more in the upcoming chapters.
Sierra is a full-fledged protagonist, and chapter eight will feature just as many scenes as Alex.
For these reasons, I believe the “Female Protagonist” tag and the “Multiple Protagonists” tag are more than justified
People are complicated. It's possible that his kink was awakened by the situation with his ex, and after time processing it, discovered that he's into that. There's also a difference between cheating and sharing.
There's also the hypocrisy of him being upset with people (Travis, for example) cheating on their partner, while he is cheating on Anna (if you are on certain routes). And his internal monologue acknowledges this.
Alex definitely has a troubled past, and I’m confident I’ll give you all the tools you need to understand his decisions.
Traumas, unfortunately, play a crucial role in our psychological development, and Alex is simply a victim of his past.