VN Ren'Py New Year's Day(e) [Ch. 5 v0.5.0] [Jonesy]

[Quetzzz]

By Lauren do you mean Heather? Kinda confused here.

Yeah, sorry. Not sure why I mixed up that name.

Randall was traumatized by the events you speak of, never accepted it as normal and repressed it all.
He knew who he married and repressed that as well as he was so in love with her. He wanted all the skeletons
to stay in the closet. He just wanted a happy normal life with his soulmate. The women he loved more than anything.
He was wiling to accept anything as long as it all remained "Heather's Little Secrets".

But then why did he get so horny thinking about this? If these were repressed memories, wouldn't he feel some disgust instead?
And, if he knew who Heather was before they married, he knew exactly what her children were. Why would he repress that as well, but then get horny about it after remembering?

As for all the Becky hate.

Never said I hated her, at least.
Still, she has some explaining to do.

Becky was there for pretty much all of Randall's life growing up
as his best friend and confidant. She pretty much held his hand the entire course of his repression. She knew he
was in denial about everything.

If I'm understanding the timeline right, then she had to hold his hand several times? First after the events with his mother, then later when meeting Heather? If you had said that he subconsciously repressed the truth about Heather, that I could understand. Not wanting to see the truth would fit, but it isn't the same as "He knew who he married and repressed that as well as he was so in love with her"
If he _knew_ then ignoring and repressing that fact makes it a conscious decision.

I hope this helped

I don't know... I have no idea if you're speaking with authority or if this is your own interpretation.

 

[Deleted member 7180813]

Yeah, sorry. Not sure why I mixed up that name.


But then why did he get so horny thinking about this? If these were repressed memories, wouldn't he feel some disgust instead?
And, if he knew who Heather was before they married, he knew exactly what her children were. Why would he repress that as well, but then get horny about it after remembering?


Never said I hated her, at least.
Still, she has some explaining to do.


If I'm understanding the timeline right, then she had to hold his hand several times? First after the events with his mother, then later when meeting Heather? If you had said that he subconsciously repressed the truth about Heather, that I could understand. Not wanting to see the truth would fit, but it isn't the same as "He knew who he married and repressed that as well as he was so in love with her"
If he _knew_ then ignoring and repressing that fact makes it a conscious decision.


I don't know... I have no idea if you're speaking with authority or if this is your own interpretation.

Yeah, sorry. Not sure why I mixed up that name.


But then why did he get so horny thinking about this? If these were repressed memories, wouldn't he feel some disgust instead?
And, if he knew who Heather was before they married, he knew exactly what her children were. Why would he repress that as well, but then get horny about it after remembering?


Never said I hated her, at least.
Still, she has some explaining to do.


If I'm understanding the timeline right, then she had to hold his hand several times? First after the events with his mother, then later when meeting Heather? If you had said that he subconsciously repressed the truth about Heather, that I could understand. Not wanting to see the truth would fit, but it isn't the same as "He knew who he married and repressed that as well as he was so in love with her"
If he _knew_ then ignoring and repressing that fact makes it a conscious decision.


I don't know... I have no idea if you're speaking with authority or if this is your own interpretation.

"I have no idea if you're speaking with authority or if this is your own interpretation."

Yes I am and no it's not

No spoilers remember. That goes toward everything haha

"But then why did he get so horny thinking about this?"

I'm not sure what you mean by "getting horny thinking about".. what exactly?
Nothing about any of this directly gets him horny. He has accepted to just go with the flow
since learning about this after returning from the cabin. What happened with Eve has changed
things. There's no putting it back in the bottle. There's only the question of where to go from here.
And how it will effect everyone going forward. There are only 3 constants in Randall's life.
His love of his wife, his love of his daughters and his feelings for Becky.
As he himself says, coming back from the cabin has started a strange chain of events that he can't
completely understand. But he's at no point "horny" thinking about it haha
In fact, that is why he compares himself to Pace. It's his guilt over his part in this. His acceptance of it.


I know you didn't say anything hateful about Becky, there are just some others that have.
It's been a little misplaced. Not to say it has a place, it doesn't. NYD(e) is intended to be a very
thought provoking deep, yet fun story. Like all of Jonesy's stories. He gives everything a lot of thought
and planning. And nothing is done simply for the gratuitousness of it. Randall is just a regular father.
He has no sexual hang-ups outside of his own repressed past and that will get address as the story
goes on. The thing I like to joke with Jonesy is, Randall isn't a walking hormone with a Viagra drip in his arm.
Like so many other characters out there. He's a regular guy trying to do the best he can for his family.
The only exception to the story is Eve. Because she is Heather 2.0. Her mother's daughter. In looks,
manner, humor, sexuality. When Randall looks at Eve he is reminded of his wife. Does this make him
horny for Eve? Easy answer... no.
He's just not stupid like other MCs in not recognizing this.
Heather left Eve those recordings for a reason. That reason is revealed in the final dream.
Everything Heather does is deliberate. With purpose. To break Randall's bubble and accept the reality
of their love and life. It wasn't Becky's place to do that. It's Becky's place to help pick Randall back up.
Like she did when he lost Molly.

 

[Deleted member 7180813]

Okay. One small spoiler that really isn't one so it's "safe"
I'm here for you all to talk to so our beloved Jonesy can work on Siren Song.
Which is all he wants to think about right now. So if you haven't picked that up yet,
I highly recommend it.

ALSO.. did you know you can get your favorite songs from Siren Song?
Well you can! Right here:

You must be registered to see the links

Just another great way to support the stories and creators you like.
And Jonesy loves giving to his community <3

 

[Quetzzz]

Yes I am and no it's not

In that case, thank you for taking the time to reply! <3
It's nice to talk with someone who knows about the intent behind the writing, since that's always the most difficult thing to pick up on (and convey).

I'm not sure what you mean by "getting horny thinking about".. what exactly?

I'll have to reply with a spoiler here. I'm specifically thinking about these lines:

Spoiler

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There are only 3 constants in Randall's life.
His love of his wife, his love of his daughters and his feelings for Becky.

Was Becky planned this way from the start? When I played Christmas Eve, I didn't get the impression that the MC and Becky were life-long friends. I actually thought that Becky and Heather were friends first, and that her death brought them closer. (Helped by Heather pushing them together in an intimate way.)

NYD(e) is intended to be a very
thought provoking deep, yet fun story.

Yeah... Until the last 15 minutes or so of the last update, I would've described NYD(e) as wholesome. Now, I'm not so certain anymore.
I mean, I know there won't be huge drama, hate, or revenge plots... That's not what I'm looking for anyway. Give me a nice slow-burn romantic story any time. I guess this reveal (for me) turned the story from almost whimsical into something more intense. But, and here's the rub... When tackling heavy topics like repressed trauma, they need to be done justice in a serious way as well. And exploring the MC's inner world and how he comes to term with everything could be an entire game/story in itself.

It's for this reason that I'm a bit miffed with Becky. She was playing with fire, though I also appreciate that she was between a rock and a hard place. As the only person who held all the pieces of the puzzle, I think it was also her responsibility to prepare Randall, maybe even the girls, for the reality of the situation.
As it is, she was very laissez-faire, mostly being there for the girls' side of things. Simultaneously, she had no way of knowing, of being 100% certain, that Randall recovering his repressed memories wouldn't blow everything up. (I'm sure the story will tell me I'm wrong, and that's fine. This is just what I think & feel at this point in the story.)

The thing I like to joke with Jonesy is, Randall isn't a walking hormone with a Viagra drip in his arm.

I don't entirely agree with that statement, but I don't want to derail this fun conversation with a bunch of subjective complaints.

Like so many other characters out there. He's a regular guy trying to do the best he can for his family.

This I do agree with... Though, both Randall and the girls are playing fast and loose with the rule agreed upon with Eve, I think.
"Or, like, you could go out with someone else we all know - or get to know. No strangers. That’d be weird. I wouldn't like that..."

Everything Heather does is deliberate. With purpose. To break Randall's bubble and accept the reality
of their love and life. It wasn't Becky's place to do that. It's Becky's place to help pick Randall back up.
Like she did when he lost Molly.

That's fair... More or less. The thing is that Heather had no way of knowing _when_ Randall's past would come calling. And it doesn't look like Heather planned anything specific toward that end either. For all she knew, it would've happened 10 years from now.
Becky would have to realize that it would be better for everyone if Randall had actually processed his past before starting a sexual relationship with the girls? As it is, he's now seeing these relationships from two extremes. One as the loving father, the other as the traumatized son. And, like I said earlier, Becky (or Heather) can't be certain on which end of the spectrum he'd eventually fall. No matter how much he loves the girls, trauma has a way to sneak up on people and make them act irrationally. The girls aren't (or shouldn't) be a magical cure to this. (I'm not saying I'm convinced this is the route the story will take, just that I hope this /arc/ will have substantial meat on the bone.)

 

[Deleted member 7180813]

In that case, thank you for taking the time to reply! <3
It's nice to talk with someone who knows about the intent behind the writing, since that's always the most difficult thing to pick up on (and convey).


I'll have to reply with a spoiler here. I'm specifically thinking about these lines:

Spoiler

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Was Becky planned this way from the start? When I played Christmas Eve, I didn't get the impression that the MC and Becky were life-long friends. I actually thought that Becky and Heather were friends first, and that her death brought them closer. (Helped by Heather pushing them together in an intimate way.)


Yeah... Until the last 15 minutes or so of the last update, I would've described NYD(e) as wholesome. Now, I'm not so certain anymore.
I mean, I know there won't be huge drama, hate, or revenge plots... That's not what I'm looking for anyway. Give me a nice slow-burn romantic story any time. I guess this reveal (for me) turned the story from almost whimsical into something more intense. But, and here's the rub... When tackling heavy topics like repressed trauma, they need to be done justice in a serious way as well. And exploring the MC's inner world and how he comes to term with everything could be an entire game/story in itself.

It's for this reason that I'm a bit miffed with Becky. She was playing with fire, though I also appreciate that she was between a rock and a hard place. As the only person who held all the pieces of the puzzle, I think it was also her responsibility to prepare Randall, maybe even the girls, for the reality of the situation.
As it is, she was very laissez-faire, mostly being there for the girls' side of things. Simultaneously, she had no way of knowing, of being 100% certain, that Randall recovering his repressed memories wouldn't blow everything up. (I'm sure the story will tell me I'm wrong, and that's fine. This is just what I think & feel at this point in the story.)


I don't entirely agree with that statement, but I don't want to derail this fun conversation with a bunch of subjective complaints.


This I do agree with... Though, both Randall and the girls are playing fast and loose with the rule agreed upon with Eve, I think.
"Or, like, you could go out with someone else we all know - or get to know. No strangers. That’d be weird. I wouldn't like that..."


That's fair... More or less. The thing is that Heather had no way of knowing _when_ Randall's past would come calling. And it doesn't look like Heather planned anything specific toward that end either. For all she knew, it would've happened 10 years from now.
Becky would have to realize that it would be better for everyone if Randall had actually processed his past before starting a sexual relationship with the girls? As it is, he's now seeing these relationships from two extremes. One as the loving father, the other as the traumatized son. And, like I said earlier, Becky (or Heather) can't be certain on which end of the spectrum he'd eventually fall. No matter how much he loves the girls, trauma has a way to sneak up on people and make them act irrationally. The girls aren't (or shouldn't) be a magical cure to this. (I'm not saying I'm convinced this is the route the story will take, just that I hope this /arc/ will have substantial meat on the bone.)

This is going to be sooo fun And yes! I am loving this conversation! So thank you haha
I hope everyone else is too

Here we go!

His repressed memories play out in his dreams, so yes in that it does get him worked up.
And it always plays on his mind because he remembers the dreams. They are so real and vivid
to him that some times he can't tell if they are real or just fantasy. He can touch and hear and feel
Heather. And there are times he doesn't want to wake up from that and stay with her. Which then
causes his lucid dreams of Molly. It's all the same loss all over again for him. The same love lost.

So it gets built up and built up until he is literally standing on a precipice at the start of Christmas Eve.
Just ready to implode. When he gets home after the cabin he comes to a choice. Keep bottling all this
up or go with the flow and just see where things go. He tries his best to keep some level of control over
it. Unlike other MCs in other stories, Randall never loses full control of himself or the situation.

Sure there are times he gets a little carried away but he always manages to reel it back in.

He doesn't want to hurt Becky or his girls. So yes, there are moments he slides a bit away from
their agreement, but he always snaps back in stead of indulging in this. I would love to know how
many of you accepted Miranda's sick job offer hahaha

It really is like walking a tightrope. Jonesy wants to tell the story he wants to tell, no matter how deep
or personal it is for him. But he also doesn't want to bog his stories down in too much drama and have
a lot of fun with writing them. So his readers can have fun too. He wants intimate moments to be meaningful
and not just spank bait. He and I talk about this a lot. He jokes that he writes smut but the reality is he isn't
just making porn. He really has stories he wants to tell. Sex or no sex. One day you might get a Jonesy
story with no sex at all. Hopefully you will all still rush out to read that and enjoy it too.

I think I covered a big chunk there haha

Okay so.. Heather. Heather and Eve are my girls, what can I say. The two I relate to most.
So in all conversations with Jonesy I'm biased haha He wants everyone to have their time with Daddy.
I want my time with Daddy. I'm selfish haha I admit it.
If I had my way it would be only Eve and Daddy. So luckily Daddy knows how to manage things.
I'm also pushing for a Chelshee and Kim adventure. So we shall see haha
There is a lot of space in the Jonesyverse for new branching stories in the future. Which is great!

I can't go in to the Heather thing. I'm really sorry. Not beyond what is already told.
But I can say that she knows Randall very well, both personally and through her relationship with
Becky. Yes Becky was always planned this way. if I remember right it was even established in
Christmas Eve just what their dynamic was when Heather planned a little fun time between everyone.
It can literally be said that the romance between Randall and Becky wouldn't be a thing had Heather not
brought the three of them together on that level of intimacy. Just like the events with Eve.

I wish we had more time with Heather... and you know what *whispers* some day we might

Here, from me to all of you... some Year Book photos of the girls <3

 

[Quetzzz]

So it gets built up and built up until he is literally standing on a precipice at the start of Christmas Eve.
Just ready to implode. When he gets home after the cabin he comes to a choice. Keep bottling all this
up or go with the flow and just see where things go. He tries his best to keep some level of control over
it. Unlike other MCs in other stories, Randall never loses full control of himself or the situation.

I should probably replay Christmas Eve again to refresh my memory. Also for my understanding of Randall and Becky's relationship.

He doesn't want to hurt Becky or his girls. So yes, there are moments he slides a bit away from
their agreement, but he always snaps back in stead of indulging in this. I would love to know how
many of you accepted Miranda's sick job offer hahaha

I didn't. I think Randall is a bit like me, in that we don't care for transactional intimacy. Either you want to be intimate, or you don't, it shouldn't be a reward for being a good girl/boy, or for money.

One day you might get a Jonesy
story with no sex at all. Hopefully you will all still rush out to read that and enjoy it too.

I would. I've played a few AVN celibately, so playing a VN is not that much different in thet regard.

I'm also pushing for a Chelshee and Kim adventure. So we shall see haha

We'll have to agree to disagree here. Like with Miranda, I wish we had a choice to stop Kim's advances then and there. The whole Chelsea thing also feels shoe-horned in to me. I don't think she has a place in Randall's inner circle, but there she is.
If the "would you rather"-game had the choice between Daye+Kaylee and Eve+Kaylee, I would've gone for Eve. But she teamed up with Chelsea, so I went for Daye instead. I also found it strange that later, Randall just laughs it off when Eve is showing Chelsea her first time, as a kind of instruction video, while he was angry with her irresponsibility a few days earlier.

Yes Becky was always planned this way. if I remember right it was even established in
Christmas Eve just what their dynamic was when Heather planned a little fun time between everyone.

Yeah, it's possible... I should refresh my memory about that.

Edit:
Could you relay this correction?

N "She continues,\"The daughter's of Mister [mclname] and other accomplices are also wanted by police."
Should be:
N "She continues,\"The daughters of Mister [mclname] and other accomplices are also wanted by police.\""
(two occurences)

 

[Xythurr]

By Lauren do you mean Heather? Kinda confused here.

Randall was traumatized by the events you speak of, never accepted it as normal and repressed it all.
He knew who he married and repressed that as well as he was so in love with her. He wanted all the skeletons
to stay in the closet. He just wanted a happy normal life with his soulmate. The women he loved more than anything.
He was wiling to accept anything as long as it all remained "Heather's Little Secrets".

As for all the Becky hate. Heather confided everything in Becky. So yes Becky knew. They were bestfriends
sharing an intimate relationship with Randall. Becky was there for pretty much all of Randall's life growing up
as his best friend and confidant. She pretty much held his hand the entire course of his repression. She knew he
was in denial about everything. But you don't wake a sleepwalker, as they say. And she respected his boundaries
in that. As well as Heather's and their marriage. It's easy to get mad at her, but what would you do as someone
that close to the situation? A situation that may or may not have effected you're own outlook and "kinks".
Like Becky's relationship with Olivia, for instance.

It's not about being dumb or incapable. Randall has deliberately repressed these memories so that come out
in his dreams. Easy peasy

I hope this helped

I had already figured out who Heather was and who the father of the girls was but the stuff with the MC came out of left field.
For Heather to have known what was going on between the MC and his would imply it was going on before they split up as kids in the divorce.
Those implications are horrifying and as she got older I don't know why she would continue to put up with it and willingly bear two kids from it.
Is her

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dead or did she run away?
It always bothered me that it seemed like MC's dad didn't give a shit about him. Is this ever going to be addressed?
What about the cause of their parents divorce?
There had better be some good explanations because I have loved this world Jonesy has built but as it stands it seems like there are a lot of shitty people in it manipulating others and explaining nothing.
I can't find a reason to justify what Heather did and left unresolved before she died so I hope it's somehow a good one.
I also find the story telling trope of "repressed memories" annoying. That is not how that works.
When you experience trauma like that you don't forget it happened. What your mind may blank out is the exact moment the deed occurred and the very fine details of it.
You are left with the knowledge of exactly WHAT happened and whatever emotional fallout that entails.
But I won't derail the thread by saying anything else about that.

At this moment there are two maybe three characters that seem pretty despicable.

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At least with these girls there was a choice and actual romantic feeling behind that. Did Heather ever have that with "HIM"?

 

[Quetzzz]

At this moment there are two maybe three characters that seem pretty despicable.

And don't forget about their mother.

 

[Xythurr]

And don't forget about their mother.

Well...I hope there was actual choice. I have no doubt they have feelings for the MC now but how much was because of Heather's tapes and the idea it was what their dear departed mother wanted for them influenced them?
Were they just groomed? Fuck this whole thing could be sideways.

At least Kay developed feelings on her own. UNLESS something ELSE comes out of left field.

 

[duckydoodoo]

I had already figured out who Heather was and who the father of the girls was but the stuff with the MC came out of left field.
For Heather to have known what was going on between the MC and his would imply it was going on before they split up as kids in the divorce.

not necessarily. at the moment there is no definitive time stated where MC started repressing memories. he easily could have reunited with Molly, shared what they missed out over the years, fell in love got married and then when she got sick, MC in fear of losing her all over again, his psyche fractured and he repressed all sorts of shit. not saying thats how it happened, but it easily could have. for all we know mom and pop could have only groomed MC and Molly but waited til they were legal, like how Heather was doing with Daye and Eve.

 

[Quetzzz]

Well...I hope there was actual choice. I have no doubt they have feelings for the MC now but how much was because of Heather's tapes and the idea it was what their dear departed mother wanted for them influenced them?
Were they just groomed? Fuck this whole thing could be sideways.

At least Kay developed feelings on her own. UNLESS something ELSE comes out of left field.

Ah, I didn't mean Heather, but the MC's mother who he had an incestuous relationship with.

 

[Quetzzz]

at the moment there is no definitive time stated where MC started repressing memories.

If this is accurate (and I have no reason to believe it isn't):

He knew who he married and repressed that as well as he was so in love with her. He wanted all the skeletons
to stay in the closet. He just wanted a happy normal life with his soulmate. The women he loved more than anything.

Then he repressed pretty much everything related to his past. Except for Becky's role as a friend and confidante.
He probably subconsciously realized who Heather was, but never acknowledged it to keep his demons at bay.

You're also right that we don't really know _when_ he started doing this. But we can assume that it's been an ongoing process since childhood. My impression is he only remembered Molly after the events with Eve kicked off, indicating he repressed the memories of her after their dad took her away.

 

[Xythurr]

not necessarily. at the moment there is no definitive time stated where MC started repressing memories. he easily could have reunited with Molly, shared what they missed out over the years, fell in love got married and then when she got sick, MC in fear of losing her all over again, his psyche fractured and he repressed all sorts of shit. not saying thats how it happened, but it easily could have. for all we know mom and pop could have only groomed MC and Molly but waited til they were legal, like how Heather was doing with Daye and Eve.

That is still horrifically fucked but is just an assumption given the information we have which points to my conclusion atm. I hope I'm wrong but if you follow the currently available info from A to B...

Ah, I didn't mean Heather, but the MC's mother who he had an incestuous relationship with.

I know. I just had that thought after I reread the last line of my original post.

 

[Quetzzz]

That is still horrifically fucked but is just an assumption given the information we have which points to my conclusion atm. I hope I'm wrong but if you follow the currently available info from A to B...

Some nuance here. In Christmas Eve, the MC says he's 42. I think Heather is either the same age, or older. At least she seems older compared to Randall in his dreams.
With Eve being 20, Heather would've been at least 21 when daddy knocked her up, and 24-25 when getting pregnant with Daye. If that was an abusive relationship, it makes me wonder why she stayed that long. So I'm inclined to think that she went looking for Randall after something happened with that relationship. They reconnected when Randall was 23-24, soon after he knocked up Kay's mom.

 

[Deleted member 7180813]

I should probably replay Christmas Eve again to refresh my memory. Also for my understanding of Randall and Becky's relationship.


I didn't. I think Randall is a bit like me, in that we don't care for transactional intimacy. Either you want to be intimate, or you don't, it shouldn't be a reward for being a good girl/boy, or for money.


I would. I've played a few AVN celibately, so playing a VN is not that much different in thet regard.


We'll have to agree to disagree here. Like with Miranda, I wish we had a choice to stop Kim's advances then and there. The whole Chelsea thing also feels shoe-horned in to me. I don't think she has a place in Randall's inner circle, but there she is.
If the "would you rather"-game had the choice between Daye+Kaylee and Eve+Kaylee, I would've gone for Eve. But she teamed up with Chelsea, so I went for Daye instead. I also found it strange that later, Randall just laughs it off when Eve is showing Chelsea her first time, as a kind of instruction video, while he was angry with her irresponsibility a few days earlier.


Yeah, it's possible... I should refresh my memory about that.

Edit:
Could you relay this correction?

N "She continues,\"The daughter's of Mister [mclname] and other accomplices are also wanted by police."
Should be:
N "She continues,\"The daughters of Mister [mclname] and other accomplices are also wanted by police.\""
(two occurences)

"The whole Chelsea thing also feels shoe-horned in to me."

No no haha. Chelsea was not only intended from the beginning, she holds a deep personal
place with Jonesy and me. Especially Jonesy. She's actually inspired by someone. I'll leave that a mystery
for now, and no it's not me haha Maybe if you really want to know, I'll tell you haha

I'll admit. I wasn't happy with her involvement in that scene either. And she did feel out of place.
They aren't supposed to be telling people and yet they can't keep their mouths shut and keep inviting
people in to their secret relationship. It is something Jonesy and I have discussed. And he has explained
his point of view on it. And I accept it because of what Chelsea means to him. And I do love that moment
where she's leaving and her mom is in the car. That scene was epic haha
I love Chelsea to death. What I mean to say was a different story with Chelsea and Kim.
Not more interactions with them in NYD(e). But their own story. New characters, new situations, more tales
from Jonesyville.

I'll pass that on to him. I'm not sure how the proofreaders missed that hahaha
I'll pass it on to him. Thank you for pointing it out

 

[Deleted member 7180813]

Hmm...
Well let's see, where to start.

Eve's age. Is a little subjective hahaha And we all know why that is.
Needless to say Kaylee needs to be around 17 or 18 to be legal.
Which makes Daye between 18 and 19 and Eve around 20. To be "safely" legal.
So it's A-Okay to say that Heather might have been a touch young when she got
pregnant with Eve and is possible the reality.

As for Randall's repressed memories. These things will likely be touched on when NYD(e)
continues, but just know that Jonesy wants the next Chapter to be light and fun with the party
coming. So these things will come out in increments to keep things from bogging down.

I can hint that this began around college for him. After leaving home.
It's not something that just happened when he was reunited with Heather.
Heather isn't ashamed of her relationship or children. I won't say Randall is because he.. doesn't
want to think about it hahaha As far as he is concerned these are HIS children. he refuses to accept
anything else. This is the missing link here. What everyone seems to be missing. He doesn't want to
be reminded of that. Or his life with his mom. Heather actually respected that and kept her "little secrets".
Becky already knew so for her it's no secret and likely helped her and Heather bond so strongly.
Becky has been with Randall since childhood. His anchor, his confidant, his everything until Heather
came back. Becky loves Randall. More than intimately. More than familial. She supports him without
question. Well I'm sure she's questioned a lot of his choices but not this one.

Growing up with Randall opened up her own fetishes. It's never going to be clear if she already had them.
It's not relative, no pun intended, to the story. I can't go in to detail about this for obvious reasons.

Heather and her Dad was consensual. It isn't something Heather regretted. That I can tell you.
I won't say Randall and his Mom was or wasn't. Because that's a non issue. As "man of the house", Randall
took his father's role in many ways. Let that sit as you will. Because it's as far as I'll go on that topic.
The concept of right or wrong didn't enter in to it at the time. Unless Jonesy changes his mind about it.
But I doubt he will.

Jonesy is very aware of tropes and it's a fine line to walk. Between accidentally falling victim to them or
breaking them. And Jonesy would rather break them and do something unexpected. It's hard to do though.
That is why, no matter how it's tagged, the Jonesyverse isn't entirely a harem universe. It comes awful
close though. But that isn't the intent. I want more guys introduced but you guys make that impossible.
The consensus is, if any of the girls - not just Eve, Daye or Kaylee (which won't happen) gets a boyfriend
you guys will riot. It's a chain around any writers neck when they try to create deep worlds and have forced
to stick with one guy and a hundred girls, because one more guy will piss your reader base off.
Unless he's black of course which ain't happening here. That's one trope that will never enter the Jonesyverse.

Any way... have I missed anything? If I have please let me know and I will try and answer ya'lls questions
as soon as I can <3

 

[Quetzzz]

No no haha. Chelsea was not only intended from the beginning, she holds a deep personal
place with Jonesy and me. Especially Jonesy. She's actually inspired by someone. I'll leave that a mystery
for now, and no it's not me haha Maybe if you really want to know, I'll tell you haha

Nah, don't tell me. That's Jonesy's story to tell.
The way I see Chelsea's involvement is:
- Randall gets introduced to Chelsea coincidentally.
- Randall gets manipulated by Kim into kissing her.
- The girls find out they've kissed, and interpret this as meaning that Daddy has an interest in Chelsea
- With the "people we know"-clause, they include Chelsea for Randall's benefit

The thing that's missing here for me is intent on Randall's part. He's known Chelsea existed for four days (or so), but is all good with her showing up in such an intimate setting? The girl can't keep her mouth shut for 5 seconds, but is somehow trusted with this secret?
In a vacuum, Chelsea is absolutely adorable... But to me, it just looks as if she's being swept up by the daughters and really doesn't understand what she's getting into.

And I do love that moment
where she's leaving and her mom is in the car. That scene was epic haha

Yeah, that was hilarious! Though, it also showed that the girls aren't 100% on-board with her. Eve was even acting as if she were still sleeping just to get a moment of peace and quiet from Chelsea. I doubt that's something you do to someone you love. So, if they're just normal friends, then Chelsea really didn't have a place there the night before.
Also, this sadly relegates Chelsea to comic relief, which doesn't help the audience to take her seriously either.

Not more interactions with them in NYD(e). But their own story. New characters, new situations, more tales
from Jonesyville.

That could be fun! However, then I hope their story with Randall stops here. If Chelsea gets included in the harem, then it makes little sense for her to (for instance) explore her sexuality in a different game with other people.

 

[Quetzzz]

I won't say Randall and his Mom was or wasn't. Because that's a non issue. As "man of the house", Randall
took his father's role in many ways. Let that sit as you will.

The thing is... If his relationship with his mother was consensual and something he wanted... Why would he black it out?

I want more guys introduced but you guys make that impossible.
The consensus is, if any of the girls - not just Eve, Daye or Kaylee (which won't happen) gets a boyfriend
you guys will riot. It's a chain around any writers neck when they try to create deep worlds and have forced
to stick with one guy and a hundred girls, because one more guy will piss your reader base off.

I think that's unfair. If Jonesy starts a story and clearly states that the girls aren't the MC's and will hook up with other people, then it is what it is. Instead, he has the girls promise the MC that he'll be "their first and only", which shapes the expectations of players.
Of course players will riot if now that promise gets broken.

To me, this is a story about Randall and his girls. Not about girls who're supported by Randall while they explore their sexuality with whomever. Jonesy can tell that story, but it needs to be set up that way from the start. I like romantic stories and seeing characters bond. I don't think I'd get that experience when seeing events from Randall's perspective when lewd scenes are with the girls and other men or women... How would he even be observing that?

That said, it would be fine for the girls to express interest in different experiences, including sharing or swinging situations, but this has to be the player's choice at this point. Seeing as this is largely a kinetic story, I doubt that will happen.

 

[Xythurr]

Some nuance here. In Christmas Eve, the MC says he's 42. I think Heather is either the same age, or older. At least she seems older compared to Randall in his dreams.
With Eve being 20, Heather would've been at least 21 when daddy knocked her up, and 24-25 when getting pregnant with Daye. If that was an abusive relationship, it makes me wonder why she stayed that long. So I'm inclined to think that she went looking for Randall after something happened with that relationship. They reconnected when Randall was 23-24, soon after he knocked up Kay's mom.

Way too old man. Eve was barely 2 when Heather was already heavy with Daye when they reconnected. Daye is 18 in game.
Still doesn't explain how Heather knew about MC and their mother when the last time they saw each other was when they were kids.

When she gave him an adult kiss on the playground before she left. It all seems to imply shit was already going down before the divorce.
It's also very weird how they were split according to their sex by their parents. It's pretty plain what the implications are unless something else is revealed. I had a talk about this with Jonesy some months back.
He withholds too much information which causes his writing to suffer and appear dis-jointed or nonsensical at times.
He referred to the discord where some of the backstory was filled in but I maintain that if your reader has to go outside of your story itself to see the whole picture that is a problem.

If Silken hadn't told you so how would you know the MC was repressing events he considered traumatic? It's never even hinted that he had his own trauma issues other than missing his dead wife.

Once again we needed an outside source to fill in some crucial detail. I really like the characters Jonesy creates but I hope his writing style evolves beyond this. What other crucial context are we missing? It starts to get annoying as it just gets more convoluted and even the answers don't really answer anything.

How about this question? The MC and Heather were both clearly fertile and deeply in love. Why didn't they have any children together? I'm old enough to know that couples that are so deeply in love and young almost always have a kid or two if they can so why didn't they?

Details like this bug me.

Even the background discord info hasn't been updated with anything new in months and I checked a couple weeks ago.

 

[Quetzzz]

Way too old man. Eve was barely 2 when Heather was already heavy with Daye when they reconnected. Daye is 18 in game.
Still doesn't explain how Heather knew about MC and their mother when the last time they saw each other was when they were kids.

You're right, she would've been 23-24 when getting pregnant with Daye, depending on where her birthday falls.

When she gave him an adult kiss on the playground before she left. It all seems to imply shit was already going down before the divorce.

I considered this as well. Children don't usually do this unless they learned it somewhere. That said, I ignored it because a pivot to child abuse felt too strange for this story. But...

It's also very weird how they were split according to their sex by their parents. It's pretty plain what the implications are unless something else is revealed.

... this.
You're right... It reeks of premeditation and grooming on the parents' side.

Which leads us to:

He withholds too much information which causes his writing to suffer and appear dis-jointed or nonsensical at times.

And I can't fault this logic. If we're left to our own interpretation of events, then this story got dark very quickly. I am aware that I have to stay mindful of the general tone and themes of this game, to try to look for the least offensive explanation. And I think Jonesy could make this easier by providing more background information. I think you're right about that.

He referred to the discord where some of the backstory was filled in but I maintain that if your reader has to go outside of your story itself to see the whole picture that is a problem.

Again, I think you're right here. Just like a book's cover shouldn't contain information that isn't conveyed in the story itself, but is required to understand what's going on. I think a story should in-universe convey all the necessary information to its readers.

If Silken hadn't told you so how would you know the MC was repressing events he considered traumatic? It's never even hinted that he had his own trauma issues other than missing his dead wife.

My original question/train of thought was this:

At the same time, Randall suddenly thinking about his own incestuous relationship with his mother is weird. Was this a repressed memory? Why didn't his own experiences ever factor into any decision-making so far? If he grew up accepting this relationship as normal and pleasurable, maybe even beneficial... Why didn't this carry over to how he rationalizes the feelings of his daughters, and his feelings for them? This would've been a big thing in Randall's life, and it never came up.

The only explanation I could come up with at that point, was that all the experiences with Mommy were repressed, which could only mean they were traumatic on some level.
That he did know about Molly/Heather came out of left field. My first impression was that this was new information to him, but then it wouldn't make sense that Becky told him "Margaret", and Randall had a dream about marrying Heather Margaret Parker.
If Jonesy had somehow conveyed that Randall was using his mother's maiden name, and his father's name was Parker, all of the pieces would've fit. I assume this was only kept a secret to make the mystery and twist work.

Once again we needed an outside source to fill in some crucial detail. I really like the characters Jonesy creates but I hope his writing style evolves beyond this. What other crucial context are we missing? It starts to get annoying as it just gets more convoluted and even the answers don't really answer anything.

My biggest worry is that all of this will be covered by the mantle of love, and readers won't find out exactly what happened. The amount of exposition Jonesy would need to do would be staggering if he wants all players to understand Randall's entire story. At a certain point, Randall's motivations and inner demons need to be laid bare to make him understandable and relatable.

How about this question? The MC and Heather were both clearly fertile and deeply in love. Why didn't they have any children together? I'm old enough to know that couples that are so deeply in love and young almost always have a kid or two if they can so why didn't they?

Until the previous update, my answer would've been "because Patreon"... Now I'm not so sure anymore.