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WHERE DO I BEGIN?? I finally decided to sit my butt down and play through this VN (after struggling with the downloads, I think something is wrong with the SymptomsofDeceitDemo-0.1.win.zip since it doesn't have a platform to view it) and my god was this a kaladeiscope of confusion.

I adore both Thaumo and Nalis, like holy hell I kept swinging back and forth between them ESPECIALLY WHEN THAUMO WAS SO CUTE AND PATHETIC AND NALIS WAS JUST *bangs fist on the table multiple times*

The design of these characters is just *chefs kiss* TOP TIER. Like oh my god what the hell, even Tremo was absolutely perfect as she just rounded out the cast despite the few times we see her. I adore how colorful yet visually interesting they all were, and how their design contrasted towards their darker personality.

Thaumo's design looking all soft and innocent despite the acts of violence he commits, and Nalis open and cheery appearance contrasting with his twisted personality is just *chefs kiss*

ALSO NALIS, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU MAN YOU CAN'T KEEP TOYING WITH MY HEART LIKE THIS!! This man has made me completely doubt my loyalty to Thaumo because yeah, Thaumo poster boy yandere of the VN but NALIS?!?! Listen, I just can't. The way this man gaslights, gatekeeps, and genociding this damn section. At least with Thaumo we get his full blown transparency which I love (adore his neediness) BUT JESUS ALMIGHT CHRIST NALIS?! Dude had me switching like a pendulum going back and forth, and that scene with him just jumpscaring and gaslighting/confusing me?? BOY CAN'T AN MC SHOWER IN PEACE?

(Also I cackled at Thaumo's ending on how he came up to MC's floor even though realistically it must be pretty creepy)

Anyway, I have a high tolerance for the shit Nalis put us through and every time a new line of dialogue came I kept constantly switching moods being "You war criminal" to "OH MY GOD I NEED YOU". Not my proudest moment over my knee-jerk reactions but it was more tame compared to Thaumo's good endings because hot DANG IS THAT DUDE DOWN BAD

hehehe 

Hang on, I need to praise the masterful way the world is built up, especially with teh associated animals. It's all so intriguing because of how the disease is being spread, like, is it actually natural or is the lab doing some unethical things. Just, the reason why MC is kept in the dark, why they seem so important, what the deal with Nalis and Tremo hiding from them, Nalis himself, Thaumo's relationship with Orca, Thaumo HIMSELF, and the backstory and if the star fish boy in the prologue was the reason how the SSWS mutated into the horrific disease.

Just, absolutely phenominal work, I'm so glad I finally took my time to actually play this VN and experience many epiphanies of myself. ALSO YOU WANNA KNOW HOW I FOUND OUT NALIS IS NALIS DURING HIS ENDING???

"Good girl. Thank you."

PLEASE I NEARLY FELL OFF MY CHAIR (I also slammed myself against the back of my chair at 1am when I went through Ending 2. MC I AM DOWN BAD FOR YOU)

Looking forward to what comes next!! Please excuse my disorganized and chaotic rambles, it's 1:38am and I have not done the dishes yet.

WALKTHROUGH UNTIL THE LAST RIDDLE!

Wow that was really something. I was really happy that I got to the very end, it was all very intriguing. There were some I didn't get and managed to get through it by correctly guessing it but I gotta say that the last riddle was really difficult especially when you can't get there during a saved file and you aren't given 3 chances to solve it which kinda dampened the mood to keep trying again and again.

But still, I enjoyed the adventure and the chats with the "butler", quite sneaky of him. Also love how our MC just strolls inside like dang, girl had that much confidence to just enter a random house lmao.

Anyway, here is the walk through for the first riddle all the way until the second to the last since I can't solve it yet :'))

1. Pick a rose and petals for a port (quay - key)

2. Golden Violin, Silver Violin, Viola, Cello (I actually don't know why this works)

3. Go to the library (based on the book hint)

4. Check title

5. Take Black Book (based on the titles that the MC observes in the dialogue box)

6. Music Notes (bce a gbc are musical notes on the staff)

7. Red, Orange, Blue, Purple, Green, Silver (at first I thought it was because of the ROYGBIV but I just had to write their positions down)

And for the last riddle was so confusing I didn't know how to solve it especially with how the hint was given :'DD

But still, had a great time!

You know what, that was honestly hilarious. I initially had the impression that Bree was gonna be a bit of a drag because she never really signed up for this but with the way she handles things honestly I think she's doing good.

The kids? They're a riot and also a pain to deal with, but they're honestly so interesting just as who they are while the dads that are shown are also hilarious, especially Crystal's dad like dude chill you haven't even seen Bree yet. The one who looks like he's most decent is Jin and that's saying something.

Honestly I do wish there was some updates on this VN, like small updates if you're able to continue or not but so far I did enjoy everything about this VN from the fun music, interesting dialogue, and the art (it's very cutee)

Jesus christ that was so cathartic to read. Just the way things spiralled and how realistic it all felt, especially with how Lia, Luna, and Alex were fleshed out even through the snapshots of the Twibber posts, from other people, and how society was collapsing. As one of the user puts it "all because they didn't want to pay their employees" paraphrasing it obvs.

Especially when everyone was still clowning around, not really expecting it to lead to the end of the world. With how some still engaged despite the threat of it being spied by the Thesbon (Thespon?) bots and just absolutely horrific how it all went crashing down, especially at the very end with the constant stream of sponsored posts and the dark humor leading up to the vague end of what happened to the three characters. (Especially when Lia joked about her last moments being on the toilet)

What really broke my heart is that Alex was left alone with the heartbreaking "God. It was stupid to think any of us ever had a chance, wasn't it?" even though we see in Twibber how he actively did his best to help by trading and taking these dangerous walks to meet up with other survivors. Even though he was the one who suffered more earlier, he still had so much hope. 

Honesly this was such a well-written story, absolutely terrifying how it all boiled down and how it captured the atmopshere in just a few posts because I imagine the outrage of the public would be a lot more terrifying.

Wait that was super cute and very in the feels. I actually thought that this would be some funny twist on annoying the prince trope because of how silly the MC was so I followed along with the funny choices. But when it got serious with Ignatius emotions and sobered up real quick. I nearly cried reading through what his real emotions were.

Usually with princely characters, to make them more relatable people give them tragic backstory(tm) or give them some sort of gap. But I like how Ignatius fears are very realistic and makes sense given his background. I also like that the privilege aspect of Ignatius background as a prince isn't obvious because being isolated is something a lot of people also experience with.

I really like how MC is. From being goofy in some choices (I mean, you can be totally normal but MC's annoying tactics really charmed me) they can also be really honest and understanding, especially with someone like Ignatius. I like how, even though we don't know the full scope of their relationship, both MC and Ignatius progression within the time we have with them felt very natural and not at all forced or rushed. Just seeing their dynamic change and become more sincere before bouncing into who they are is very fun and satisfying to end on.

Overall, had a lot of fun with this one! Really made my day :DDD

OH MY GOD I LET OUT A LIL SCREAM WHEN I SAW THE NOTIFICATION! CONGRATS ON FINISHING THIS VN!!

I wanna play so bad but I'm currently studying BUT I WAITED LONG ENOUGH FOR THIS VN I CAN WAIT FOR ANOTHER HOUR OR SO

I'm wheezing so much, it really went crazy in all direction but the crowning glory was the narrator! I adore how completely off the rails everything was, it must have been both a joy and pain to work on this because damn man, Dante truly is a character of his own. Also love the backgrounds and the emojis, truly the star of the show!

Honestly, I will admit it was quite chilling. There were so many set ups for Rook to scare us (I was a scaredy cat and didn't do anything, but I was also too sympathetic to be rude to the creepy Rook... I know I will suffer stranger danger) but from what I saw in other videos and images I could tell there is more to Rook and his unsettling vibes.

He's such a curious character with a tragic feel to him, from what little we get from the VN it seems he wasn't getting the proper support he needed, and isolation only further exacerbated his problems. I have to say, I love how Rook was characterized! (Also how did he find out about MC's information, boy you could have employed those skills to find your package)

But I will say this, I was absolutely weak for Rook. Like, my caretaker instinct just flared up upon seeing Rook and I was like "You unsettling man, you terrify me but I must give you a bath and food". Still, great work with this one! 

This was so fun! I adore the many choices and how there wasn't really a wrong option that leads to horrible outcomes (aside from not taking care of the laptop itself). For me, I got ending 3 and it was so cute getting the gamer boy. It was a bit easy to aim for some of them if you know what archetype of character you want, and it is now my mission to catch them all.

Love the story and dialogue, they were all fun to go and read through, I kinda wished we had more interaction with Ch4r0n personally even though the AI was collecting data subtly. But I like how short the days were since it did make things quick and easy, also to help with skipping dialogue you've read through before.

Wonderful VN! Had a great time with this oneee~!

I found this utterly hilarious. I love how pretentious Zachanjel's name is and how odd his clothing is (he kinda looks like he belongs to the celestial setting our MC finds themselves in). I love their banter and childish arguments, it's so hilarious reading through their exchange that it didn't really feel boring or flat because of how alive they look. I think Zachanjel looks a little bit goofy, especially when his irises go really small but it was funny.

So, some SPOILERS ahead because after seeing the last scene in the VN, I have THOUGHTS!

Is the entire VN like some sort of weird portrayal of the famous tropes, especially with the Enemies to Lovers and There was only one bed kind of shenanigans? Because what got to me was that MC makes a comment to highlight how odd it was that there are "people" watching them and it being called the "Audience" led me to believe that they're currently in some sort of entertainment show that is tasked with recreating popular troupes in fiction for the entertainment of those outside of the narrative. 

Another thing that made me think about it was because of the title "Life Like a Tale" so does that mean MC and Zachanjel (gotta put justice on that naem) are quite literally living their life through various plot points? The monster might be there to make it even more interesting and fuel the narrative to excited watchers or the "audience".

I also kept thinking that Zachanjel isn't entirely blameless himself too. Literally from his name and clothing, he looks like he belongs in the celestial space MC finds themselves in. AND he can read the text on the binders and can "sense" the monster, maybe he has keen senses that aren't like that of humans.

Maybe Zachanjel is being punished and is forced to entertain others like a clown on probation kind of thing? Honestly I didn't expect my head to buzz with this much interest lmao, quite interested with this!

Aaaa so excited, but do take care of yourself while you're juggling all of these tasks! Looking forward to what comes next and hoping things go well not just for you but also your game jam team! Best of luck and wishes to all of you~!

Aww this was such a cute game! Curse me not being mean enough to explore the options and creeping Zazack out because I was so curious about the other endings. Dude was just sweet and calm as he was probably just annoyed that a customer had to come in at the last second while the story was about to close and I was like "I can't be mean... He's a retail worker his life is already difficult..." I'm honestly glad I checked out the development log and found a Youtuber had uploaded a video about his playthrough of the VN. That means I can vicariously live through his experiences as my own.

But I have to say, I really like the art when referencing other visual novels or developers! I got some like Casket, Duality, the backrooms from Batter, and I think that's all. But I loved the art for it especially with how cozy and pretty it was! Highly wish more people would try this out!

Help-- I can't breathe! This was so funny, from the choices that led us to comical routes (my favorite is the one where we end up becoming a wax artist) and the one where we reached our boiling point and ran out with the PC. I think my favorite part was when we had to do the fridge and email notes, absolutely loved how UNHINGED MC. 

From how they made those food (seriously, the art was so good it legit made me hungry I had to snack on two chocolate bars) to the hilarious dialogue of Bo and MC when they faced off (god I love those two dweebs) AND JUST BO BEING SMUG HE STOLE LUNCHES AND GOES TO MC AND SAYS "You're damn meal was the best, 10/10 would steal again"

ALSO ENDING 7??? I'M CRYING HOW DO YOU MAKE IT SO FUNNY AND FLIRTY?? The entire team is basically doing god's work with this visual novel I'm beside myself SOBBING!

The music is perfect and doesn't grate your ears when you hear it constantly loop and play, the art is stunning with its visual effect, character design for Bo was funny and attractive I will not lie, and essentially just the entire visual novel is so worth playing through and having some laughs!

... I'm gonna eat again even though it's 11:21pm dammit.

I have to say that's an interesting take on the whole bullying victim summons a demon to grant them a wish. I think that my main gripe is how limited the facial expressions of the sprites were that it didn't match the dialogue and tone, as well as how similar both Ayaka and Emi were which threw me off at the beginning. Another thing I wanted to point out was the music at the beginning, it felt like it didn't fit much with the scenes like the bullying scene and seemed way to preppy. But I did enjoy myself at the latter stage of the story, finding it cute if not cliche.

I find it interesting how the dynamic between Ayaka and Emi played out because they are both cowardly yet brave, we see this most with how Ayaka treats Emi as she is harsh to Emi because Emi reminds her of herself as well as her own internalized feelings. I also find it interesting how Emi internalizes her feelings to Ayaka, I'm sure she noticed that the coins in her piggy bank weren't being depleted and caused her to be curious about Ayaka's true intentions.

Despite that, I think the visual novel is pretty well done in terms of visuals, I found the story a bit slow paced and at the same time a bit oddly placed with the new informations we glean from both Ayaka and Emi but it's pretty well done!

That was short but no less interesting. Adam presents himself as a harmless person who seems quite doting towards his "girlfriend". What interests me is how he's so normal looking and acting that we don't really equate him as a threat despite the implication that he drugged our food at the end (probably when he realized we had no memory of who we and he is).

I'm curious about the memory scene if it was something like an innocent plyaful childhood memory or if Adam was exhibiting abnormal attachment towards the player even back then. Seeing as it's called "Adam Game" (which, should it be Adam's Game?) I'm imagining that Adam's harmless persona is going to gaslight MC a lot and put her in a psychologically unfair situation.

Quite curious how it'll turn out! Good luck with its development!

Wait omg I'm gonna fall for Chester even more WHY DOES HE LOOK SO PRETTY OH MY GOD STAWPPP

Congrats on the 265 downloads! Honestly, more people should try out this VN because days later I still remember the experience I had playing this VN. I adore the characters and the story you crafted, looking forward to playing more of your VNs and seeing you grow and learn!

Omg, no wonder I was giggling when Gavin mentioned mine, I was so hyped when I saw it and was like hiding my big ass smile reading that text

Oh my god, I played this IF 2 years ago and then last year, and when I replayed it yet again literally the magic of teh story hasn't changed for me. I still adore it and I love how the story felt even more fleshed out. I was so pumped when we got new content with Sebastian and I'm gonna melt the more I pursue Sebastian and Li's route (literally kicking and giggling like a school girl). 

I love the new addition of what Chapter 4 is, feels more in tune with the overall family dynamic of the Cowles. Looking forward to what comes next~! Seriously, amazing job!

Hello! Is it possible for you to share where the comic will be posted on or any sort of social media for Glass Mind? I'd love to know what is currently happening.

This is so interesting! I'm curious with this tidbit "But what do you do when one of your coworkers fall in love with one of the entities?" Does that mean our MC is not the object of affections of Zecharias but is instead an unfortunate person trying to survive the entity's plan? Though, based on the image shown I think that's Clark but I can't be fully sure.

Despite that, I love the set up, things feel more fleshed out story wise and the placeholders that are put in really add to the feel and atmosphere. I love the way you narrated the story of the Backrooms because it's a very used topic for shits and giggles but you handled it pretty well. I imagine it would be disorienting to see the colorful and out of place Zecharias among the beige and yellow walls of the Backrooms.

Amazing job here!

I have to say, you really have to at least put a warning for loud sounds but man, this was like a brain rot. Honestly hilarious with how out of pocket this was! 

HI I JUST READ THE JAM'S DESCRIPTION, YOU DID AWFUL 10/10!

Damnnn, I really love the artstyle, it really gave off a highschool romance feel but also that last CG? Absolutely gave me chills! I like how we see how... Odd Ri is, and the fact we can make up hypotheses on what happened to her past school is pretty interesting given what we know about it.

I'm also pretty curious about Jani, he seems to also have his own set of mysteries but it's more subtle and unknown unlike Ri. But even so, it is quite interesting how their dynamic will change.

I just like the song "Tonight You Belong To Me" by Patience and Prudence because it really just adds to the atmosphere (also the lil detail when you hover Quit, kept playing around with that lmao). Aside from that, I enjoyed myself with this one a lot! Looking forward to what comes next!

This was interesting as hell! I also used a translator since I'm not familiar with vietnamese and I have to say I'm very curious how the amnesia plot will be used but also that I love the banter between Zavier and the MC. Great job with the little demo!

I have to say, I really adore the banter between Andrey and Zecheriahs. I love how intimate their conversations were and how much layers of familiarity and closeness the two have with how they bring up new characters that they personally know, but the players don't. Honestly, it felt like I was a vouyer peeking in on something quite intimate between the sexual innuendos and the heart to heart, it just felt all the more close and intimate.

I adore the characters' personalities, they mesh well and it's like a push and pull momentum with both sides having equal force. The way they talk to one another really made me hooked and I just love how subtle the world is around them as they focused on one another, all while they do their job. Amazing lil work for this one!

Hellooo! I have to say that when you said I was "emotionally intelligent" it really made me smile because I was actually really impressed how you managed to make an already complete story feel more complex without adding too much new information that deviated from the original story. I loved the original game you made, I loved how you portrayed mental illness in a way I think most creators can relate, a piece they made at their absolute lowest coming back to haunt them is something that sounds more psychologically horrific than any monsters or ghouls that go bump in the night.

I also have to say you really have a talent for writing stories! As a writer who became burnt out due to college, I really adored the way you make an immersive narrative (and that I was with you long enough to play through the first and second game to see how much you improved) and your art style is so uniquely you that it made me giddy realizing it.

I also saw your new VN and I'm really excited to play through it because I've been burnt out in college so I'm looking forward to getting enough energy to play through it, especially when it looks so interesting and more intense!

I'm gonna have you know I was always having trouble identifying my sexual orientation on whether I'm pansexual or asexual (apparently the pipeline is so real between those two orientation) and since I don't have much experience, I default to pansexual because I like all people, it's so curious for me to go through that and having to question myself but I honestly just really find it funny how coincidental it is.

Again, amazing narrative VN, I truly loved how heartfelt and sincere it all is.

I'm on my knees. Begging. HUON JUST ONE CHANCE, JUST ONE CHANCE IS ALL I ASK FOR!!!

But honestly, oh my god I love this so much. I love the natural chemistry between the two of them and how so much story was revealed to make the fantasy portion more believable but didn't compromise the lovely story between Huon and MC. I love the banter MC has with Huon and how the protector is quite soft (though, it's probably because of MC's non-hostile intentions) and just the two of them quickly falling in love like bro, please, you're killing me with how cute they are!

There is some angst potential but as of now, it's like seeing the two of them falling in love for the first time and it's just adorable! Lovely work, it feels quite complete (but I am curious about the other siblings and mayhaps new MC dynamics ohohoho)

Honestly that was so super cute, I just love how innocent May was, I feel like she's an excitable kid who really admires the elegance of the Goddess because most kids do!

Aww, that was so cute. I love that the focal point really was about True Love, just the expectations of the whole world and the True Love of the people involved. I love how the Prince paid homage to different forms of love that aren't immediately seen as romantic to other people, because I agree that love is so complex and only understood by the people involved in it.

I also like how the Prince really shows his love in comparison to say, Disney's version, because as you go through the story you really do understand that the Prince loves Snow more than anything in the world, but he also respect their relationship in a way that might seem annoying to other people (like the kiss portion) but is so important to the two of them.

I just find it really sweet and really says a lot about how a kiss sometimes feels like a performative act to others, especially through media and film.

I don't know why this actually nearly made me cry, I think it's because I also have a close relationship with my mother so just seeing the dynamic really made me feel close to the story. I also really like the simplistic story telling and the snapshots of each of MC's life as told by her need to bandage things. Honestly, to me it sounds like everytime the mother calls or she calls the mother, the bandage is a way to signify how the mother helps fix the small incidents MC goes through and is a reminder to be careful and to always take care of herself.

Honestly I really adore this concept! Love how cute yet heartwarming it is!

Woahhh! I'm honestly excited for this progress report, I'll be honest, I kinda did forget about this VN because I was also busy with college and it really made me think about people who are doing VNs (for free!) while in college are absolute beast. Again, congrats on graduating college and getting your first job! Seriously a milestone that I'm honestly happy for you other than the VN itself ahaha

Also, looking forward to the story, one of the reasons why I was drawn to this VN was how you wrote the story and giving life to both Liev and MC because at that time, I truly adored this MC because they felt so well-written and lively in a way that the MC wasn't just a flat character anyone could insert themselves to.

Looking through the endings, I noted that most of them seem to be in favor of Liev's victory with some of MC's narrow escape, I just love how it looks so I'm looking forward to what comes next! Good luck on the development and take care of yourself~!

Ohhh I'm so interested with that! Looking forward to seeing the qna

You don't have anything to worry about because I truly understand how college eats up your life. I'm about to start my 3rd year in college and let me say-- I truly didn't expect how hectic and fast paced it was. So I understand the hiatus you have since your studies are also as important.

But it's great to see an update on what's currently happening with the demo! I'm excited to try out your new visual novel (hopefully I'm not too busy as well...)

Take care of yourself in college! Remember to take breaks and not to get consumed by how everything works, good luck and I'm excited to hear what comes next for the game and your endeavors~!

Man, everything looks so good with the screenshots you shared! It's amazing you were able to juggle college with developing the visual novel and I adore how you kept up with the painterly style that gives a soft feeling.

Looking forward to what's happening next (I should probably check you out on tumblr lmao) and I wish you luck and wellness for college!

That was quite the emotional ride, I really love how the music amplified the homesick and nostalgic feeling. During my first year and first few months in college I also felt homesick (mostly because of stress and adjusting to the new environment) but I eventually adjusted well enough and have been doing good. However, I understand the feelings Sonne goes through quite well.

I also like how choatic everything is in the train room, it feels like Sonne wanted to surround himself with memorabilia of his life just to ground him because I feel like no matter how old or used to the travel you are, you can still get homesick and disoriented especially when you miss home.

I love reading through the conversation and learning tidbits of Sonne's travels, but I also love how his family was always the forethought of his mind when he talks because even if he talks about work, you can see the fondness he has for his husband and son. It really put a smile on my face.

Oh this was both sad and curious! I feel bad for Madison especially with spymapthing to the feeling of being there for someone, but the care not being reciprocated at all. It's more like Madison was clinging to Ezekiel for any bit of the normalcy she had with her friends back when they were kids but now it's nothing but a faded memory and a lot of bad blood is happening.

I was really curious about what exactly is happening and I think you did a great job in portraying such painful emotions with the jam limitations!

Though I'm not sure if it was a problem with the web version but I couldn't hear any music coming out from the VN, but aside from that lovely work done here~!

For real! It was so endearing hearing the lil meow and the tinkle of a bell mixed in. It was so cutee!

That was such a cute visual novel! I didn't know who the character was so I looked it up and was curious about the game itself (reminds me about Al Haitham from Genshin Impact), but I love the art! I also love the overall theme and vibe of the visual novel because of how easy and engaging the conversation was.

It really felt relaxing and soothing, I love picking out choices to answer back Ain and I was so curious about the overall plot of Elsword. Though I have to say, my favorite ending is Ending #1, I love the MC's reactions and how Ain was so endeared by MC.

Oh my god that was so cute and healing! The art here is absolutely adorable and I love how it turned out, I also love the Forest Spirit's design, it is not just charming and cute, but mystical and amazing, I also love with each season we pick, the "hair" of the Forest Spirit reflects that season as well which is very neat looking. I love each sound the Forest Spirit makes, it's so soothing to my heart.

I love how the forest changed with each season. It's not a complete drastic change that breaks the rules of O2A2 but the color combinations you used was lovely and quite relaxing seeing through. Amazing job here~!