This might sound really weird but I'm really happy to hear Haps is taking a breather. He's been on so many projects, several being ongoing and in development I was actually getting worried about his health.
I hope you guys find a good stand in. I know there's at least one person on bsky/twitter that explicitly mimics Haps' style so that could be an option.
Take your time and best wishes.
I guess I don't quite get it because they all are lying about who they are, and that's a big part of the story. I think I get it with Nate being the most obvious in not being (for lack of a better term) genuine.
[Spoilers]
Ben-Holds most of his thoughts in even when it's actually destroying his life.
Karina-Doesn't let anyone really get to know her and lashes out to avoid real intimacy.
Chris-Wraps so much of his identity into 'being a mentor' because he doesn't think anyone likes who he really is.
Brian-Uses the sex obsessed muscle head facade to avoid being hurt by a genuine relationship.
Carlos-Closeted for a little over half his route. Refuses help for a myriad of reasons in a myriad of ways.
Zach-Has probably looped this semester enough times to be totally shut out of his own life.
Russell-Claims he refuses to be someone else's punching bag anymore, but still has a martyr complex he hides behind snark and being flippant.
Nate-Takes on the 'gay stereotype' to reject what he was raised to be.
Very good, a few typos, a beta would be a good pickup if you're going to continue this. The premise is very interesting and while the tone/genre shift might take some people off guard I liked it. Mikkel's struggles were heartbreaking and it while I genuinely think it takes more than one interaction or person to pull someone out of that kind of spiral it does show how powerful and affecting one interaction can be and that's a good message.
Very curious to see where it goes from here.
Wholeheartedly agree and I like how you put all of this, but I wanna point out one thing I think you touch on and have mastered but never state here: Loss of control.
Spoilers below: HEAVY SPOILERS
The whole interaction with Glitch FUCKED ME UP. Like I lost sleep. This is not a bad thing. Far from it. The Zonebaiting scene is also one of my favorite scenes in the VN for a similar reason. Between the sound design and descriptions there's a VISCERAL quality that strips the reader and Alex of all control and yet... We keep going. We keep sailing the black seas of eternity. We turn that page. It's like reading a Junji Ito comic. We know there's going to be a horrible full page illustration lovingly rendering the horrific but we turn the page anyway.
The unknown isn't just terrifying, it's addicting. We need to learn more and chasing that need will eventually scar us. I honestly kind of hope there's an ending where Alex becomes those scars, where he has the choice to turn back or become a monster and he chooses monstrosity. Or maybe it only looks that way from the outside. A new perspective that makes him inhuman from the perspectives of others. Because what is an adult to a child but a quasi-eldritch and/or fey being that follows rules they can't really fathom.
Anyway waxing lyrical aside great VN and if I were to rerank it post Boneyard it'd be an easy 10/10 for me.
So I know everyone's super pissed at Torulf and I get why but I don't necessarily agree. Torulf is very upfront with his attitude, however, he has a predatory mindset in that the two people he's involved with are not as experienced with him and he either doesn't get that or is to irresponsible to care.
There is a difference in attitude even if the results are the same, in one he's oblivious, in the other he's more malicious.
He really should have taken a step back when he found out that he was Arvo and Lake's firsts (I don't remember if he's Lake's first I'm just making a presumption.) Problem is he's too keen to recapture the sense of adventure he had before his quarter life crisis to understand that as the older party he needs to be responsible.
tldr; he's very human with human flaws but if you want a good and responsible older partner go with Devon.
Had to restart the game from scratch because I changed computers between releases and honestly? I'm glad I had to because I might have missed all the little changes and adjustments!
New story might be a little light but the overall update was chonky! I'm excited to see where this goes guys you got me hooked. I'm loving all the characters so far even the one(s) I know I'm going to LOATHE
