My god this was such a fun IF just like your other ones! This is actually my first time interacting with the Siren AU so I'm unsure how much is your idea and the original AU yet I love how everything was written. It's all so fun tbh ahahaha! Also I want to laugh, Gaster is over here begging us to have a rational thought when dealing with the deadly siren and I'm over here like "Gaster-- I know, man I tried to be smart but I gOT KILLED AT THE VERY START SO YEAH, MAYBE SIMPING IS THE WAY TO LIVE??" Seriously, I laughed at how quick I died.
But I also love how subtle the horror is. While Sans committing these murderous acts is pretty visceral, there were still many mysterious about the deaths and so on, especially regarding the email and the second deaths because man, I too wonder what happened there, or if Sans really was diverting MC's focus because Dr. Gaster did say sirens (orca sirens) were downright intelligent. I also liked how it wasn't just Sans who was a malevolent entity in MC's life (depending on your choices, his attitude can change but at the very start he is malevolent). The scientists were all downright hostile and the security forces were just apathetic. It didn't help that the director was... questionable. And how Gaster spoke up at the ending in the bonus scenes with Sans' perspectives, it truly feels like they lucked out with having MC visit.
One of the things I kinda hoped was elaborated was MC doing some scientist mumbo jumbo things, just to display that yes, they are competent in their work and that they are justified for feeling angry at being undermined by the other scientists. It could have been another fun bonding moment with Sans as they talk about things, maybe Sans explain to MC how he uses the stars as navigation tools and share mythological stories regarding the stars while MC gushes about magic readings and whatnot.
Yet despite all that, I was immediately enthralled at this bleak world, moments where my MC was just doing their best was just heartwarming, and their continuous interactions with Sans was just pure (well, as pure as it can be what with the hidden intentions going on). And also like, hehe, reading the courtship ritual of sirens from Gaster, I just realized that both Sans and MC were doing things backwards, and the subtle way it was interweaved in the story is just *chefs kiss*
My god, this miscommunication is genuinely hilarious if it was not deadly at all.
I love the entire section of the bonus scenes, absolutely delightful to have them especially with the AU, it's so interesting to think about the multiple world building. I also would like it if you could include Gaster's point of view, especially with the progression of how he treats MC from a mere annoying stranger to someone so dear to him, as well as his reactions to the bad endings (where MC either gets killed or kidnapped) absolutely heart breaking. And also his view on MC and Sans' relationship, absolutely wonderful opinions ahhaha!
Errors I found:
- I think people mentioned it but the save files were wrongly sized and there was only space for 4 (including autosave) save files with the laptop/pc view in 100%.
- For me, when I selected a trait for my soul, there was a broken picture icon so I assumed there was art for the soul but it isn't loading (I chose the purple-grey devotion one).
- In one of the options where after you chat with Dr. Gaster about your relationship with Sans and end up meeting with him again, if you choose the option where you're flustered but don't stop him, you stop at "It's distracting" and nothing else, it abruptly cuts there so I'm unsure if it was a dead end or something?
- There were some typos and wrong pronoun uses, mostly in the bonus scenes (and the one with Sans' perspective of the story because the pronouns throughout his story are female).
- Also you kinda mispelled "Drabbles" into "Dabbles" in the Bonuses hehe.
Below will be spoilers!
Oh my god the reveal of everything. Downright terrifying! The one thing I was confused about was who sent the email of the Director dying because I initially thought it was James because of how he seemed eager to have MC all to himself and being all sleazy, but at the ending portion it looked like he really didn't have any idea of what happened to the Director, that or he's good at hiding it especially since his older brother is in charge of the security. Not only that, but goddamn I wanna sucker punch Director Greenberg and wanna be reluctant to thank Sans for what he did. The director knew what he was doing during the entire time he was with MC, most particularly with the infamous cafeteria scene where he was passive agressively setting MC for isolation as all the other scientists were already stewing their jealousy of having MC around, constantly probing for information for Gaster's actions, humbling himself to the point that it made like it was MC's fault, and going to either sabotage or steal MC's equipment.
I'm not sure if he purposively sabotaged the remaining equipment of MC's, most notably their defenses but I feel like it was Captain Sloane ordered for it to be done since only they could carry weapons and they didn't trust MC, because of course they couldn't, they were fucking poaching sirens like?? Sirens are established to be beasts, so why would you poke the hornet's nest? Or maybe beasts don't automatically fight, they just want to be left alone but since humans are greedy, they take and hurt too much to the point that beasts must have evolved with the ingrown hatred towards humans for survival reasons. I wonder if beasts are a bit more partial towards monster since they seem more connected to them (i.e., Dr. Gaster and Dr. Alphys relationship seem so).
Not only that, but I'm hella sure that the students of Director Greenberg must have known what was going through the director's mind. They probably went to the location where MC set up their equipment to see if there really was something worth stealing and got killed as a result. And the scientists began to feel justified over their hatred towards MC because of all the deaths, which fucking is annoying because if I was there I would have slammed their heads with a chair. I'm genuinely curious how Sans managed to sing his siren song inside the facility, but then I recall he was a moth hybrid so is it like a harpy? Because in greek mythology, sirens first started out as harpies with the same haunting alluring voices so maybe that's how Sans managed to get inside and force them to do things like this?
The isolation, hostility-- man was that palpable and suffocating, I don't even know how MC handled it, actually they didn't handle it well, I'm sure if Sans wasn't there MC would have broke. And if MC broke I'm sure Gaster would have raised hell and back for that.
Speaking of Gaster, I am genuinely sure that if MC didn't go to the facility and Sans wasn't in the area, the scientists would be doomed either way. Gaster would have used that place as a hunting ground, a perfect place to feast on especially with how much everyone bends their back for him. I'm genuinely curious about Gaster's point of view of the story, not his opinion over what MC went through (seriously, traumatizing shit especially with the interrogation and abuse they went through, scums, all of them) but what he was doing while he stayed at the main lab. I dunno, I just want more scary dad Gaster whose OP as fuck and hates everyone and everything except for his sunshine of a child whom he would burn the world down for.
I would like to once again, apologize at how long this damn comment became, absolutely adore it-- In fact I love everything you make omg, thank you so much for creating this and the many others! I eagerly wait for any new updates of projects you're interested in!
