I also agree. I do not hate the author, nor mean this as an attack, but art should not be dictated by reality, or reality's morals in my personal opinion. Creativity dies upon the altar of restriction, and once we give society the power to tell artists what they can and cannot create we open a can of slippery slope that has the power to destroy art entirely. And power, once given, is very hard to take back. Furthermore, it simply isn't a realistic way of looking at fiction. Yes; slavery and racism is vile. But consider; what would happen to story telling if we rid fictional worlds of all the terrible things that can, and sometimes do, happen in real life? Slavery is bad, so we shouldn't include it in stories... Ok, well, murder is also bad, so I guess murderers shouldn't exist in fiction either. Rape is bad, lying is bad, cheating is bad, etc. However, when used in fiction they can be very powerful tools and motivators. Both for the hero, who must overcome them, and the villain who is specifically supposed to be evil. Bottom line is that I do not think fictional stories, especially ones set in a fantasy world that doesn't even mirror reality, should not be associated with reality and reality's problems. Why can't we seperate the two? Personally, it is even sadder to me because I felt that Ran's story was a very powerful story about a strong female lead who not only breaks the chains of her own ignorance and compliance in a terrible system that she did not want to be a part of in the first place, but who also encourages Ran to break his own chains, both literally and emotionally. I didn't find this to be a story of oppression so much as it was a beautiful and heart wrenching story of the breaking of said oppression. And I simply don't understand how that can be construed negatively.
BrideinNoir
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Also, please don't worry! Those of us who enjoy your work know how hard you are working and we appreciate it! Take your time and get it the way you want it! The creative process should not be rushed, and I imagine that we are all more than happy to wait for the quality that you have brought to every other route. Normally, I might like one or two routes in a visual novel. It is very rare that I adore them all, but I have for both this game, and Changeling. I have no doubt that Reuben and Yuu's routes will be well worth the wait! Our excitement isn't meant to rush you or make you feel bad, but simply because we know something amazing is coming! :D
I'm so excited! I have legitimately been just replaying Ari's route back to back; that's how in love with Arcalis I am. And Ari... On that note.... How do you feel about hobby writers writing fanfic of your stories? Also, please, take your time. 🥰 We can all definitely wait patiently! Your stories are worth it and it benefits all of us for you to take your time and get it the way you really want it!
It's more than just distinct routes too. The way that each distinct route unlocks new information about the world that the game takes place in is phenomenal. And I love how you so carefully crafted each route to add more details about the entirety of what's going on! It's really amazing and inspiring :D You have yourself a fan in me! I will be eagerly looking out for anything with the Steamberry Studio stamp on it!
Something that I forgot to mention, but honestly, the work ya'll did with Changeling is actually one of the things that inspired me to go back to school. I am currently in school for audio production, with the end goal of getting to write my own otomes and make music for them. Changeling, Oathbreaker from Larky Labs, and Ebon Light by Underbliss... Ten years from now I hope to have at least a couple of stories under my belt, and I can't wait to tell the world about how much you guys all inspired me!
I just want to say: WOW. I knew the game would be amazing after Changeling, and I'm happy to say that I was right! Ari is definitely my favorite so far, but I absolutely can't wait to romance Yuu and Quill. One of the things I love most about your style is how each of the romance routes are their own story. It's commonly the case that the entire story is the same, and only who you romance is different. I know it must have been a lot of hard work, but it is amazing and so worth it! I have loved every route, both in Changeling, and here in Gilded Shadows. I can't wait to see what you do next! The world building for Gilded Shadows was amazing, and the music was amazing as well. The story blew me away. I keep replaying it on repeat, just cuz I can't get enough of it! Thank you so much for such a wonderful game! I can't wait to give you more money! 🥰
I don't think an extra 7 dollars is THAT considerable. To be honest, I play a shit ton of otomes. I can tell you for a fact that they could have easily charged $60 plus dollars for this and I would have happily paid because of Gideon Emery ALONE. And I would not have been sour about that price after paying. what you need to realize is that the people who made this VN need to earn money from their work, or they can't keep doing it. And with big name voice actors like Gideon Emery, there is an increase in cost to the project. We are LUCKY that this gem is only $12. So since that extra $7 is about the price of a fast food meal, I think you should be fine. Purchase the game, play it, then see if you still want to complain. Free is nice, but artists gotta eat to you know.
Wow... I gotta say, I was iffy about purchasing this game at first. I debated over it for some time especially because of the way the game is marketed. I am bisexual, which means I have just as much interest in men as women. Unfortunately, straight romance options are... unpopular within the VN world. Though everyone seems to be constantly screaming for more "inclusion", I struggle to find something decent that isn't forcibly Yaoi or Yuri. If you ARE like me and put off by the game being labelled the way it is, don't be. I would argue that the game isn't "queer"-centric. It's beautifully fluid and natural. It doesn't feel forced at all, unlike many more offensively tropey VN's, and genuinely feels as though everyone is just attracted to what they are attracted to. Again, natural. It really does feel inclusive to EVERYONE. Also, Piper is best girl. Best female romance option ever. Right up there with Alwenn from Oathbreaker. In the end, I HAD to buy it once I saw Gideon Emery's name there under the voice cast... and woof! So worth it. I've been in love with his voice since Fenris from DA2. I have no idea what kind of magic you worked to get such an awesome voice acting cast, but I am GRATEFUL. Thank you. Also, the story was legitimately interesting. The romance was great. AND I have fallen in love with the world in which this game takes place. 10/10 would absolutely purchase it again. And in case I didn't make it clear about my love for Emery's voice, I definitely favored Finn's route.
Can't stop going back to the game and re-reading it all from scratch. Vadeyn started out as my favorite, then sweet Haron. Now, even all this time later, I'm OBSESSED with Ernol. It's a really difficult thing to do, properly building tension. But it was very natural, very well done. Even though his confession takes longer to reach, it is no less amazing. You have the mark of a talented story-teller from me for this: your characters made me fall in love with them. Even Caliopa. I felt that the characters were very vivid and real, and that made them all so easy to love. I can't wait to see what you'll do in the future.
So. First run-through of the story, and I have to say that I was absolutely mesmerized. The story is beautifully thought out and well written, the art is gorgeous, the music is gorgeous... I could not have asked for anything more. I loved the story so much, and was so intrigued by it all that I sat on the edge of my seat just dying to know what would happen next. 10/10 would purchase again in a heartbeat.
Agreed. Talking down at someone while demanding representation of LGBTQ elements as if being queer is an under-represented and repressed thing within the genre famous for yaoi and yuri is downright demeaning. As a bisexual individual, but more importantly, someone who writes and understand that writing is a form of art, it is insulting. If we force every piece of media to feature LGBTQ romances, not only are we stifling art, we are telling people that it's ok, and even a GOOD thing, to treat queer people within media like token pieces. Not only that, but we tell the world that all that matters about you is your sexual orientation. Gay is not a person's personality, nor does it or should it have any bearing on who YOU are. Gay people are just people. Like anyone else. Who you fall in love with doesn't make you, you.
I think that maybe you are not looking at this from the right angle. Clearly this visual novel was not written in the same, normal style of dating sim that most vns are written in. This game, from everything I am reading, is more heavily focused upon STORY. The author had a story to tell, and that story is theirs. I think that maybe you are free to not want to read a story that you don't want to read, and free to walk away from it(so honestly nobody is forcing anything upon you), but it's honestly kind of rude to try to dictate how someone's story should go. As a person who writes myself, I can tell you this: An author is an artist, and words are their medium. If you don't like the art, just walk away. But don't think to dictate how an artist should paint/write/sing/ or dance. Art cannot be contained, cannot be caged, and each artist should be free to express themselves as their inspiration dictates, else it is not art at all. To be fair, there are plenty of otomes that cater to the LGBTQ community's tastes. Some people prefer straight romances, but you don't see them hounding the author of a game about it when there is no straight romance option in an otherwise intriguing game. They simply don't purchase it; nor do they feel the need to rub it into the authors face in what feels like an attempt to MAKE the author change. I feel that it is only fair if we treat other games the same way.
I hate that I had to find your games AFTER the corona virus, when both my husband and I are unemployed and struggling even to pay rent. I want to say that as soon as things pick up for my family again, I FULLY intend to support you on Patreon. I too have dreams of someday telling my own stories, and your work has inspired me to develop a plan of action for this. But I am getting off on a tangent. I hope those NSFW scenes aren't going anywhere anytime soon! But even if they do, I look forward to supporting such amazing talent!