itch.io

Patience and consistency does also work I think. I update my youtube weekly and my game development monthly for years. Like Hodslate said, its slow and can feel like you're just throwing stuff out to into empty universe. sometimes we see "big hit" and this that is what success looks like, but I think for many smaller creator who is just looking for some engagement, this expectation is more feasible.

Hi .michi! Thanks for checking back in with this project. It is a little bittersweet but I'm excited to finally be approaching the finish line and I hope the endings are found to be satisfying. 

Oh I'm glad it worked for you. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you enjoy the rest of the game and story but let me know if you have any more troubles ^^

Hi Fidia,

sorry for the trouble you are experiencing. Here is a map of the forest. You should be able to confront the Katnir at #R1. Please let me know if you are still having a problem and I will investigate further. TYVM! <3

Hi Pampanun,

Thank you for sharing your experience and suggestions. I will consider some solutions to make the game less dependant on bond levels and ultimate morale skills for beating the end game encounters. I'll add it to my list of things to address for the next update. Thanks very much for playing. Oh and please don't be sorry for voicing your opinion, I'm very glad to recieve the honest and thoughtful feedback. It's helpful to get more opinions when deciding how much to weigh the situation.

you draw him so cute and pretty for "bullying" him <3<3<3

He knows who his true creator is haha XD;; I think I read too many Korean webnovels.

Hi Noodie,

The rejection at the proposal scene is probably when he's the most upset with the TO. Well in order to get that reaction from him, you basically agree to meet him for his proposal and hes all dressed up with this super expensive pendant to give the TO. It's a bit tricky to show up with another person's pendant on, so you'll have to accept proposals early on in the week because accepting the pendant and meeting with Jeth will have to be on seperate days. Good luck crushing him in the most devastating way possible. :D

Hi Noodie, 

Oooh I'm always happy to see more doodles  ^o^

And yes, Jeth and Ruwin comparison! So it's unfortunate that Ruwin and Jeth didn't face off at the battle of Brookhaven like in the original draft (replaced him with Mikaylis so that Jeth could lead the whole forest kidnapping) because Ruwin was REALLY looking forward to smashing Jeth in the face and pretty much went on a big tirade how much he thinks Jeth is a worm, spineless ect blah blah but yeah. I always thought Ruwin especially hated on Jeth to that extent because he probably could sense something in common with him that he did not like in himself. *prints out more art for my wall* P:

Hi JustaOneGirl, 

I'm glad for when you jump in and share your thoughts! I think that is one of the fun aspects of having an open forum and hopefully others feel the same.

I think your thoughts regarding Jeth are pretty insightful. Often times it's hard to try to understand characters/people when we disapprove of their actions. I have a strange fascination for understanding bad behavior, even if I don't believe in justifying the behavior, I do find it interesting to explain for several reasons but primarily for self preservation. Explaining from a psychological point of view, often makes it more obvious that is not me/the victim to blame. Some very manipulative behaviors need this kind of clarification for me, since I tend to hold myself easily accountable.

Somehow this habit turned into reading about all kinds of serial killers and criminal offenders. I used to be addicted to true crime type shows lol.

Awww, no one could resist pouting chibi Yumi! I'm playing up Katnir's stubbornness a little for laughs, I think if the TO asked him with seriousness, he would concede because ultimately the TO's happiness would trump his pride. Something like, reassuring him but while preserving his ego. "I know you'd probably be survive somehow given how much you've endured, but I don't know if I could handle being apart-" (sort of a reverse psychology of asking him for what he secretly wants without calling him out? if that makes sense lol) Would be the kind of line that would push him to be all soft and vulnerable without forcing him.

Hi Noodie. OMG protect Lady Yumi!! That depressed look just stabs deep! Quick someone give her the world!! 

Uh.. To clarify all the instances that Jeth can physically harm the TO (it's pretty specific) >_<;;; 

I dunno if SPOILER Warning is necessary here but I'm going to be listing a bunch of bad endings as well so here we go!*********** 

ADWVH:

1. upon escorting the TO to their room for the first time, if the TO refuses to cooperate, he kills them.

2. upon refusing to cooperate with him on the forest mission, he kills them.

3. upon warning the TO not to meet with him if they aren't interested in a romance with him if you ask him to meet and reject him a second time, he will scar the TO on the leg, saying that it's to remind them of his warning.

4. upon meeting him with someone else's pendant on in bond convo 5, he will try to kill the TO but fail to go through with it and apologize.

5. upon agreeing to meet him to accept the proposal in the courtyard, if you reject him or show up wearing someone else's pendant, he will bite the TO.

ADW:

1. If you fail to convince Katnir in the forest mission to help you, you will be turned over to Jeth... who surprise, surprise, murders you XD;;.

So... yeah considering he is the one of the few characters in this world that murders/hurt the TO, and he has a list, ah... >____<;; the only other characters who harm the TO would be mikaylis/miyetta are guilty of imprisoning and Jonas/Eve if the TO loses the final war battles. Hmm in that sense, I guess technically Deita tries but fails to murder the TO when she's imprisoned to "send them home".

Hi Noodie, I realize that I talked about inspiration for the other rogues but avoid talking too much about Jeth's mentality because I do not in any way, want to condone or justify his harmful behaviors (IRL, I wouldn't be in the same room with him LOL) but since this is fiction I think it's interesting to explore these personalities, I will explain a bit of my thinking when creating and writing Jeth. For those who might be disturbed by Jeth behaviors, that is a totally natural and valid reaction and you don't have an obligation to explore his character. But for those who are curious and love to dive into the rogues of this series-

WARNING- JETH IS A HOT MESS*****************************************************

Jeth is my take on a "yandere" type character. Admittedly, I'm not normally a "fan" of this archtype, but I often like to explore things that are not usually my thing as to better understand and appreciate it. Most of this behaviors are "theoretical" in my mind, but sadly his more sociopathic behaviors are based on real toxic dynamics that I have personally experienced and witnessed many of the people in my life endure. The part that is most fictional, is his actual love and devotion for the TO....

Firstly, he is a professional assassin and the only character that despite the normalization of violence and killing in this world, is truly remorseless. My mind can't place myself in the shoes of a sadist individual that derives pleasure from inflicting harm so rather than explain his behavior as sadistic, I had to have him cope with his violence through detachment.  He's simply numbed himself from his humanity to do his job that he was always trained for, by developing a jaded and bitter disdain for the world as a whole. A true nihilist. He sees the world as a dog eat dog, play for power, where those who are the cruelist and most ruthless will always exploit those who are more selfless. Since he feels that ironically those who grasp power will also be "ruled" by it in the end, a hopeless struggle to hold an illusion that humans in a world created by gods, can't truly possess. he prefers to situate himself adjacent to power, tip the scales here and there and watch to see if his world view can be challenged. In an odd way, Jeth and Ruwin could probably relate in their disillusioned views of their world and structures of power, but their approaches to tackling this problem in their minds are irreconcilably different. Ruwin's more naive and simple way of thinking makes it easier for him to be persuaded in the possibility of more hopeful, brighter future, filled with personal redemption and fulfilling human connections.

 Jeth is originally interested in the power and potential the TO presents and will kill them very early on in the game if he feels the TO is more trouble than it would be worth. But it's not long before he falls hard for the TO, as they spark a hope in him of a world and people outside his jaded existence. Maybe he could've been capable of love outside the TO, but the TO being from another world was the catalyst that opened his heart to his humanity. Perhaps he always saw himself aloofly looking at the world from the outside, and the TO as a true outsider, he felt he could connect with them. This is what he's referring to when he says the TO is untainted/pure, he means in the sense of not dirtied by the senseless crap of their world. When the TO rejects him, he's devastated and is surprised by his own desperate emotions. He marks the TO with a scar if the TO keeps seeing him, even after he told them to stay away if they weren't interested in a relationship. as a warning to stay as far away from him as possible. This is also probably to be taken with a grain of salt, but I researched where Jeth (an expert killer) would probably cut someone in as a warning but with as little actual harm as possible. Don't look at my search history U___U;;; And yes, at that point in the sequence of rejections, he's prepared to be rejected again and regardless of how carefully he did it, it's still an absolutely unacceptable way of setting a boundary, Jeth go to jail for assault, ok?)) It's bad of him, but he'd rather be hated and shunned by the TO than dragged along in some amicable way, and keeping his (now painful) emotions and hope alive. As eluded to in his aftermath conversations if you bond 5 him but not bond 6, he will be very mad at himself and bitterly admit that he still can't stop himself from wanting to throw himself pathetically at the TO (aka is unable to kill the hope of love and connection). 

This is attitude towards his own world vs TO's other world is also why he is much calmer and more willing to listen and cooperate when he's in the TO's world in Gacha Date. He wants to believe in a better world, life and relationship for himself and the TO. When in an official relationship with the TO, he won't harm them and will not force himself on them (tho he sulks a bit if refused), though he's still couldn't care less about destroying anything and anyone from his world, if he felt if the benefits would outweigh the costs. Like on some level, he knows the TO will be upset with killing everyone in his return ending, but he feels he must take the iniative to do the dirty work to fulfill the TO's wish, when the TO is to selfless to do so. A bit too twisted to say it's well meaning... one probably avoid dating assassins. 

I try to give the player a bit of power over Jeth, so if the player doesn't like him, they can enjoy seeing his mask slip, and know he's made to feel powerless in his frustrations (the TO  living rent free in his mind and haunting him for the rest of his life XD;;;)

How much of this I was able to protray, I don't know since he's not exactly one to just explain himself plainly, nor do I think he's fully aware of his own coping mechanisms. Originally, he was a bit too controlled and calculating, that I thought his true personality would never be unveiled enough, so maybe that's another reason why he flip flops from charming to an unhinged freak LOL. 

LOL! I read this through a translation and I wonder if it's accurate but it got a chuckle out of me XD. 80 years?? Are you sure your house can survive that long with this walking accident?

Katnir being more bark than bite. To answer Noodie, I think it's not that hard to get him flustered. Just...getting him to admit it xD

aww sparkqi, you made him look so cute and soft here while also calling him delulu LOL. He seems more successful in his attempts on the ADWVH comment section. Maybe its certain audience that connects with his way of thinking XD;;; Really I think the feeling in both games is very different considering they share the same characters, world, gameplay ect...

Hi Leledada!

oooh more art! TYVM for sharing~ Aww it looks so sweet with Jeth spooning. At least he had that momentary bliss before the crushing disappointment XD;;; I am also too lazy to color comics. Also line art is my personal favorite aspect of art though from both creating it and looking at it.

Hi Zack:3333, thanks for sharing about your TO! Gosh I had a time in my life when I was in college and kind of coming into my own adulthood and I ALSO dyed my hair dark red to feel more confident LOL. It was mess, because I was poor student so I try to do it all myself and it looked like a murder scene in my shower haha. I try to clean it up but I think I was staining pillow with dye until it completely washed out TT which it didn't seem to last very long either for all that efforts! Anyway with support I hope Nora gain confidence! 

Something I'm sure you notice, is that even when guild member disagrees with the T.O and is unhappy, they are willing to work through differences. I never want the player to feel like they have to answer all questions to solely make the LI happy. Some people might think there's not enough consequences but I'd rather the player can answer without looking up strategy guide, and answer what they feel they want without anxiety. I'm a min/max style player myself so I get anxiety to give optimal answers and ruin the immersion for myself in lots of games to the point when sometimes I can't play it anymore because it's makes me too anxious lol but that is my personal philosophy to these relationships/story choice  games. 

Hi Noodie!

Your post inspired another comic doodle. I had a response for Katnir in mind too but I ran out of doodle time~ also love your screenshots of reaction to game please don't stop posting them 😂

Hi ZaCk:3333,

Your comment on the other post mentioned Beileph (poor guy) and got me thinking of all the awkward situations he had to endure haha and inspired this doodle.

Hi ZaCk:3333! Welcome to the forums!! And thanks for sharing how you found ADW~ It's interesting to hear that you played ADW first and then ADWVH and ended up liking Jeth, as I wondered how the order of playing the games would color one's opinion of him and the Crown in general. Hmm, the more I think about it writing the rogues stories, I think their point of appeal for me (as a rather timid person) is they have a lot of guts and are a bit cheeky and fun loving. Also, I wonder if you also wouldn't mind telling us a bit about your MC? And thank you for the artwork of Jeth you posted on blusky <3

Hi Leledada,

Oh wow! I think that's very impressive artwork for not having practicing for very long. Drawing human figures is challenging and drawing them in a scene together is even more challenging and drawing them interacting (touching) is even more challenging! A very nice effort!

Also I always respect people who navigate English as non-native speakers, as I am pretty terrible at grammar and spelling, despite 1.English is my only language 2.I'm an avid reader who scored perfect on my language test portion of my SATs and yet I'm still this terrible?? LOL!! I'm not even trying to be humble... my copy edits are objectively TRUE mistake after mistakes!

If you don't mind me asking, do you use use some kind of translation tool or are you learning English? Do you usually play/read games in your native language or do you find more games in English? 

Hi Sparkqi,

I just wanted to say that I think Hanji is a pretty name! I mentioned before in another post about the Transient One, that I used to be adverse to the idea of self-insert ( there seems to be a stigma that it's too self indulgent? too silly?) I notice that a lot of people seem to apologize for their passion for fandoms or "imaginary" stuff/escapism in general, but I think as a creator, it's such a honor to have someone connect to my art and stories and if you felt willing to 'place' yourself in my works. then correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel you must've connected with it in a meaningful way. I guess some people might think immersing yourself in a piece of fiction is a waste of time, but sometimes i think with how guarded, jaded, and broken a lot of people are these days trying to keep up in these unnatural societal norms imposed on us, it's easier to connect with our shared humanity through the freedom that fiction and fantasy allows. Anyways, I wanted to thank you again for sharing <3 I did have the thought that "what if the player character is a strong, fit person? And justified it in a similair way you did, that lacking elemental power still made them seem vulnerable/defenseless to the rest of the cast."

Ooh hi leledada! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful artwork! I love all the energy in the all the detailed lines! With deita and Lor holding your character back, it makes me think this is a scene from ADWVH. Can you tell us a bit more about your MC?

Hi justaonegirl,

My symptoms started to be alot like the same respiratory illness I got back in October where I was like sick for a month so it kind of scared me into bed for a few days and forced rest. I slept a lot and I think I'm finally going back to work today and hopefully won't be sick for a prolonged period this time. 

I think katnir's comments are not bad also, but probably just hit him hard because as you say, he tries to hide this percieved weakness of himself. Words hit close to home hit hardest? I ended up doodling Lor sitting over in the same corner, (like it's a corner of shame or self doubt, which Lor probably spends a lot of time there as he's his own worst critic without any forum comments) he was surprised to see confident, head strong rogues self reflecting lol. 

I think of priests' weakness/clash against rogue from a interpersonal way that priests are so focused on cooperation and greater good (often at their own sacrifice) so rogues would definitely exploit that. (Even Jonas who can seem brutal at times, is still more big picture wellness and caring/cooperative and self sacrificing, as he was one of the original architects of the gods. Eve was one who opposed the creation of the gods, so they were enemies in their old dragon days but that's long long time ago so they don't really care about that disagreement anymore. Lol. Now he acts against the gods he created because he cant get himself to betray Ashur+ eves beautiful friendship so his empathy/sympathy overcomes his old reasoning) I can image irreverent rogues ignoring priests guidance on the ground that they're too idealistic and trusting  " sure, sir priest. Why don't you go pray for us." (Priests are in some ways some of the most powerful characters in the world, though not so much in direct battle. More like soft power?) 

LOL The unimpressed expression.  Calling out Jeth. I love it. <3

Oooh Sparkqi, Your TO looks so cool too! I love the ear cuff and chain. Do you want to tell us abit about them?

And here's this stupid doodle again because it seems fitting lol 

Part 3

Part 2

This thread was in my head all weekend while I was laying in bed sick. https://itch.io/t/4441443/fan-art-and-fan-girling

It inspired some random silly comics, so I thought I'd share these here. part 1

Hi JustaOneGirl,

Thank you for sharing your story with us and I also relate to a lot of what you said about your parents. I feel like my parent's generation style of parents was very rooted in shame and fear, that expressed rather harshly on impressionable children. I resented my mother for a long time because I felt like I could never be good enough in her eyes. I think she just was afraid of anything bad happening to me, but I interpreted it as her thinking that I was untrustworthy and inept. It didn't help that I had a very sensitive and low self esteem so every criticism I took very deeply. I still think there is harmful in that approach of our parents, even if they mean well. I think its very mature of you to give your parents grace but its also sad that you were hurt by the people who are supposed to love and protect you most. 

Even though I am also jaded to love, I think that all people at their core want love and acceptance so it's so ironic that it's so difficult to find. A lot of modern writing kind of has this post post modernism feeling of  not hopeful like modernism- we were all let down, not as cynical as post modernism- this just got too depressing, so it's this weird here's a jaded take with just a little bit pf realistic hope mixed in with a dash of ironic humor LOL. I just kind of thought, you know what? Forgot my jaded, cynicism. Someone has to take the first step and put themselves out there in a vulnerable way first so let it be this fictional characters. They are gonna throw themselves into it like YOLO XD! Maybe post post post modernism can ignite a bit more hope, because we can't build a better future without it. I hope everyone can find some genuine love, even if it's not perfect. And we can all at least start with ourselves. <3<3<3

Oooh speaking of my copy editor!! <3 thanks for joining the discussion! Please forgive me for speaking on your behalf, I just enjoy your feedback as well. Also about Earth types being easy to read, yeah I resemble that remark ! Lol. Come to think of it, I really did put the rogues through some stuff didn't i? but that's what they get for having so much personal ambitions within a rigid system you know? They all have a lot of audacity to keep trying to fight it. 

Hi Noodie,

Aww thanks for checking in with us and don't worry if you get busy with work and stuff, I totally understand! I'm glad you liked reading about all my random musing that I have around these characters. Ashur was a surprise to me in so many ways because he's such the antithesis my own personality and actually working with people like him in team settings used to drive me bananas. As I grew older and opened my mind more to appreciating others strengths and weaknesses, I start to appreciate people like Ashur more, even if I personally need to take them in small doses haha. He was late to join the cast of characters but I think his comedic presence really helps move the plot in a more fun way. I enjoyed writing him a lot more than I thought just because he sort of made me laugh too with all his absurd antics. I would write him with whatever came to mind first and have to change and fix the plot to fit it afterwards. In the midst of the chess players, he's messing with the board, moving like it's tic tac toe LOL. It was a bit freeing to write so recklessly.

Sorry for all that Katnir has to endure in ADWVH! It reminds me how my copy editor was saying that visiting Katnir in the prison was particularly painful for her because of what a kind of free spirit Katnir represented. Originally he was mentioned in the text as just kind of lying there (I think I was thinking they would've beaten him up a bunch by then due his disrespect/defiance, but it wasn't really specified) but I corrected it in the update to make him "hanging" chained up well because I figured he definitely would've tried everything to escaping even then seeing that rogues are pretty good at finding exploits, so I'm sure the Crown would take extra precautions. 

Thanks for sharing your screenshots. I'm sorry for all that you endured as well, but I also enjoying reading your reactions and seeing the memes (especially the pikmin one! Aaah I love pikmin thanks to my kiddo LOL) Ruwin as a saint bernard is so precious LOL and i'm suddenly remembering how much that dog drooled. I would've kept taking care of that dog despite the challenges but my poor cat at the time refused to come out from under the bed, even weeks after he left I had to coax her out with little pieces of her favorite chicken. His presence in the house alone just traumatized the crap out of her. Printing it out the doggo and adding it to my wall <3.

Wishes you the best!

Hi MissxNeverland!

Oooh please don't be nervous! I'm so glad you took a moment to report the bug you encountered! I will add the air mage token to my list of bugs to check for the next update. Poor air mage!

Also, I'm happy to hear that you like Ashur and would be interested in a full bonding route with him. I've considered possibly a DLC someday (I've had ideas for an elite air knight, fire rogue and earth priest) So it's not totally out of the question, but I am also looking forward to my next project so I don't think it will be this year. In the meantime, did you know he's a dating candidate in ADW: Gatcha Date! ?  Thank you so much for the feedback and I always welcome bug reports and suggestions! <3

Hi JustaOneGirl,

Since I was sharing some of my thoughts I had in mind when writing Katnir and Ruwin, I thought I would share with you some thoughts that inspired Lor! (I always hesitate to disclose too much because I don't want to spoil someone's interpretation of the character, just to say these types of details in my head are not necessarily 'canon' if they were not explicitely stated in the game.)

 He was started off over the top and supposed to be to a comical kind of nod to the butler and eunuch type characters in a lot of webnovels i was reading who are always kotowing to their masters. When i started flesh out his character more, (especially regarding his adoring love for the MC, I wanted it to feel possible, even if it seemed too idealized to be real.)

So I'm pretty jaded when it comes to romantic love, given my observations and personal experiences but for my grandparents on my adoptive mother's side of the family. They were from the silent generation, and my grandfather worked very hard since he was 10 years old, grew up very fast, lied about his age to enter the world war 2 before he was technically old enough and to impress my very proud grandmother who was 10 yrs older than him and would never dated him if she knew she was this much older lol. He was a very quiet man who liked to sit back and watch other people having fun. my grandmother was very outgoing, chatty, cared for her appearance and liked to host events. A socialite. At the time she was divorced and my grandfather was her second husband which was like super scandalous back then. Anyway he cherished her, and her kids and always made sure he did everything he could for her to make her happy without complaint, he worked two jobs, did all the food shopping, yard work and helped in the kitchen and cleaning. Even when she was suffering from dementia in her older years, he always missed her terribly when she passed away. When i think of a man who seemed like he truly loved his wife, i think no one i know compared at all to my grandfather. He never gushed over her or used any romantic language but you could always tell by how quietly attentive he was of her. There was a few instances when I went out of my way to talk to him, like when I was learning about history in school and asked him about the war. He just shed some silent tears and I told him he must've been hard and he nodded. So I was impressed that he was a man who carried a lot of deep feelings inside. And he was a handsome man who kept his hair all through his life and it was very full, fuffy and white for as long as i knew him haha. 

So the other aspect of Lor is very expressive of his emotions. I think about how it was for me growing up and seeing my son grow up as highly sensitive people and how uncomfortable our outward expressions of feelings can make other people and all the subtle and not subtle ways people in general try to get us to stop. Mostly based around shaming us for having such strong feelings to begin with.  So I think in both Lor's real world life and then fantasy world life, he felt there was something intrinsically wrong with him. That's why he's so self depricating, as he anticipates his expressions will be a burden on those around him but can't seem to stop himself. Unlike my grandpa, he's a social person, who loves being around others and talking (probably would talk nonstop if MC is the quiet type who encourages him to do so- would he make a good hairdresser? LOL) so being shunned into quieting his feelings really felt like having to deny himself, like someone being forced into closet. I imagine that in his real world life, he probably found some solace in online spaces where he could communicate freely with anonmity. When he became a Transient One, he finally felt accept by his companions and could express himself freely without shame and judgement. He was truly devastated when he failed in his mission and 'let everyone down'. He couldn't face his followers nor was he unwilling to depart from the people and world that he felt he could be more himself in and instead chose to be reborn. Unfortunately for him, this didn't solve his issues with self esteem and self acceptance though, as he was using all the praise he recieved as the TO as a crutch to prop up his fragile ego, instead of feeling truly confident. I seem to remember you asking about his experiences as a TO, so I hope this is interesting outline to fill in.

Best wishes~ <3<3<3

Hi Noodie,

Sorry here is my part two reply because I realized I didn't answer your question about Ruwin's sister. TBH I didn't have a design for her in mind, it's sad and tragic for me to think about her too deeply other than it's a very tragic situation that I could relate to when I was a new sleep deprived mother to my son. I was reading late night obsessively about infants and young childrens  causes of death out of fear and paranoia and there's a lot of very sad tragic stories, shaking baby syndrome being one of them. Ruwin's story is a bit complicated in that he is not a perfect victim. Though he was a child and didn't know fully what he was doing, his strength and temperament made him a dangerous person from an early age. I hear him getting compared to a dog and I also think of the time I was taking care of a saint Bernard. The temperament was very docile, sweet and obedient (much calmer than any other puppy I've met) but their strength is honestly terrifying. As a adolescent dog, he would meekly sit in the house and follow slowly and calmly but once he got outside he would get a little burst of energy and jump around. He 'patted' my arm once playfully, pushed me over and tore the sleeve of my coat. He barked infrequently but when he did it was like this "BOOM"ing deep bark that reminds me of how a lions roar travels for miles.  So yeah I think of Ruwin as someone who was built like this saint Bernard, had an accidental and unforgivable incident and being in the punitive system sort of arrested his development and he never really grew from there as he was afraid to face his feelings of guilt, sadness and shame. It was easier for him to just turn his thoughts off and just play the role of a monster.  I've had some family members struggles with addiction/incarceration and have close relationship with someone who is naturally a strong burlier built man ( some reason just thought of Fezzik's line in the princess Bride " I don't even exercise" and reminds me of this strong person haha)  and it's interesting to me their insights how they had to navigate the world and how they are perceived helped form their self image.  As someone more smaller side and always felt weak, its fascinating for me to learn challenges of such expectations, alienation is can cause and try to emphasize with the otherwise of the fence. Being feared protected him when he was in vicious prison system but it made him very lonely so I think if Ruwin could choose, he wouldn't want to be so big and strong and wished he had more time to be a child be just held, reassured and guided. So yeah given this self image he cant really see himself as handsome and is embarrassed of his scars. He probably envies more normal sized people who can walk about without standing out and act more freely without causing as much of a ruckus. 

Hi Noodie,

Since you mentioned Katnir, I will talk about his character more specifically XD;;. From what I've been told, Katnir's behavior is a bit confusing it seems to some people  because he starts out more flirty and fun, and gets more guarded and prickly with the TO, the more he falls in love with them.  This is his defense mechanism, the more he starts feeling attached, the more he tries to push them away and keep them at arms length for fear of losing them and being hurt. Even as his romance route matures and he starts to feel a bit more secure and accepting, he's still fearful of losing the TO while trying to mentally prepare for that reality. fun fact- Most of the characters will reject friendship if they have been flirted excessively with, as they feel "led on" with Katnir being one of the exceptions. Katnir's thinking being that he reasons that being friends is the more logical, pragmatic and safer relationship to have with the TO, regardless if he was falling in love. Samuel is another exception but he will accept any relationship the TO requests, as he's very charitable towards the TO's intentions (TO's foreigner status), and philosophically supports/promotes all forms of love. As I was orphan myself, I struggled with more subtle manifestations of attachment issues, Katnir's avoidant style makes perfect sense to me, but may not be as relatable to others. 

Speaking of which, here's other random thing probably related to my childhood. I'm a terrible sleeper my whole life, prone to chronic nightmares and probably only getting around 4-6 hours sleep a night. I go to bed early to "rest" but  often I have trouble falling or staying asleep. Because I used to be afraid of constantly having nightmares, I started telling myself stories when I can't sleep. It started out by "rewriting" the nightmares I had, because often times when I'd wake up from a nightmare, I'd fall back asleep into the same nightmare. so I got afraid of sleeping. To solve this issue, I started imagining the nightmare as having a good resolution and it calmed me down and I started having less nightmares. Eventually this began to change to imagining scenarios with favorite fictional characters to imagining scenarios with my own characters and stories. Lots of times when I'm laying in bed, I think of my characters getting ready for bed or waking up, or doing other mundane daily things that never get put into the actual stories/games.  The thoughts and routines they have... I think this probably helps "flesh" out my characters somehow and make them feel a bit more authentic.

So bringing that back to Katnir. What is his nightly/daily routine like to me? Though it's not mentioned overly in the story, Katnir does have a 'air' of refinement about him, even though he was essentially raised in the woods by animals LOL. It's implied through the games that he might have been abandoned by a noble family, that didn't want him to inherit in some kind of family feud. Though he dislikes the thought of this possible history for himself, (he's pretty salty about the nobles for many reasons, rejection, poaching, inequality, ect) He's also got a slight superiority complex in the dynamic of the the forest bandits, both for his "elite" aura, his intellect, talent and his good looks. I think he would rather die than admit it, but he puts a lot of deliberate effort into towing the line between fitting in with the other rough and tumble bandits and maintaining a clean and pretty appearance. He probably thinks he's blending right in, while the other bandits probably think he's being a 'princess' in comparison while never daring to say so.

Also I'm glad that you are happy to talk to me as the developer of this game, as I am also worried that people would be bored to hear me go on and on, as I don't expect the vast majority of people in this world to care anything about all the time I spend thinking about this world and story. To be frank, it's the most niche of niche obsession to have, so  am the one who is honored that you'd want to ask me about it!!

Hi Ruda,

Thanks so much for the report! I will investigate!

Noodie!!!!

YAY <3<3<3<3! Welcome to posting on the forums, I'm so glad to see you share your wonderful and beautiful arts here~ I love them so much! <3 

That Lor being pathetic pic gets me so hard. Can only imagine the other guild members regretting their lives. Like crap- why am i trying so hard to be cool, perfect, strong, impressive, ect?! ASDJSJF! Never underestimate Water Mage haha.

Also thank you for sharing some information about your MC Transient One, I think the mirror eye is such an awesome touch! So when I was tackling the problem of making a self-insert protagonist, one of things I was mulling around with was the idea that "Why would the LIs fall in love with the self-insert protagonist if everything about them is basically undefined from my perspective as an author?" (I wanted to leave as much details as possible open for the player to "customize" their MC (I did exclude options of being flat out abusive to the LIs- that just seemed too messy and didn't make any sense for my to wrap my mind around)) Then I ended up coming up with the idea of the Transient One being "undefined" by definition in a world where everyone is more or less defined (even to perfect strangers) by their faction/element auras. because the TO has an undefined aura, the LIs unconciously project themselves, their own needs, wants and desires upon the TO (things that I can as the author , control.) So to make a long story short, Lady Yumi's "mirror" eye represents this concept level idea that I had in the back of my mind. I do think that in a more broad, philosophical sense, humans tend to do some level of this sort of "projecting" to people we like and want to relate to.

It's very interesting me that you found the ADW series through Gacha Date! as I wasn't sure if it would just be confusing to someone who wasn't already familair with the characters. (Who are these simps?? and why is their simping so extreme??? LOL) It's so funny that you liked Katnir and Ashur the most (my friend who hadn't played the other ADW games, played their first couple conversations in ADWGD and was like "nope! Too bad because I liked their designs until they opened their mouths. Katnir = rude/mean, Ashur = weird/dumb. (I mean, I can't totally refute that assessment...)" She ended up falling the most for that other rogue. Jeth = charming/not toxic (that I can argue with!)) Just curious but which game did you try after ADWGD? Did you finish all of GD before moving on? In your opinion, is there something extra charming about the rogue faction? 

Thank you again for posting- I'm so very happy you found, shared and enjoyed the ADW series TT ~!!