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That's super interesting, thanks for the in depth reply!

From an art viewpoint was the skin tone slider difficult to get working and have the result look right? I can imagine different skin tones have different highlights and undertones that need to be changed with the slider as well, did you have to simplify the colour style for the MC to make it work?

"They could either go to the Asphodel Meadows, or the gods might decide that both the MC and Asterion took such heroic actions with the hotel to warrant Elysium. "

I like this thought especially given that there is such emphasis placed on heroic deeds needing witnesses in the trial with Asterion. He only missed out on Elysium in the first place because of this. But now so many have witnessed both his deeds and the MCs. The MC especially, I don't know whether it would traditionally being considered heroic in ancient greek culture but standing up to a god, stopping them from breaching rules of hospitality seems pretty heroic to me.

Wait... you had to google demisexual and panromantic? Why? Cove literally explains what they mean in the conversation you are referencing.

Anyone who actually seriously works out doesn't look at the scene with Chester at the gym doing a one rep max without warm up and think impressive, they think idiot. Throwing your max weight around without warming up on that movement is just dumb.

This is my only problem with this project. It is objectively very good, but I can't help but play it as a supremely bitter MC who hates everyone around him

I will never forgive you for that fakeout with the commander in the baths.

This was a pleasant surprise. I have played OIHS and enjoyed it for what it is (porn) but this is a nice take on a wholesome isekai adventure (though I'm definitely not going to complain if we get some sex scenes as the relationships develop). I like all the love interests, though there is a special place in my  heart for Damir and Rocan. 

I can't believe I missed the release of this one. I loved the demo when I played it ages ago, even though stat raisers are my least favourite style of visual novel. I'm glad I didn't let that dissuade me though. This is amazing. The setting, the romance options, the supporting characters and the MC themselves are all absolutely top notch. I legitimately cried in two places in the story, once relating to the romance and once relating to the MC backstory and for a VN to have such a well rounded and fleshed out story that gives me that sort of feelings is a rarity. Well done.

You have the right to ask people not to call you queer. You don't have the right to tell someone they can't call THEMSELVES queer.

Honestly, I don't normally play dom routes but the Marky date was spectacular.

So, here's the thing. I really enjoy playing the game, but by the time I got to the gym and I was still having my hand held I was just about ready to throw the whole thing in the trash. Seriously, its not that fucking complicated, you don't need to hold the players hand the entire way, and if you do think its that complicated then you should streamline the gameplay, not add more tutorials.

This is actually a surprisingly fun base for a dating/sex game. Unlike the match three style games this actually feels fun to play. Would definitely love more content, and it seems like there is a good structure to add more content, just slot in more promotions (and more guys to hire).

I've just come back and replayed Sileo for the first time in a while. One thing that has always stood out to me as weird is the odds of someone being susceptible to pheromones. 1 in 50? When you are talking population level statistics that's actually a HUGE number of people! Hearing Spencer and Tai talk about it as if it is such a long shot is weird. They talk about it like it's about the same risk as being struck by lightning (1 in 100,000 odds). Hell, if we look at it like a disease, the definition of a rare disease has odds of 1 in 2000 (depending on the country) so 1 in 50 is super common.

I agree that the actual variation you need to put in for a gender variable MC is minimal. Like you said "Personalities aren't gender-specific". But it makes me so excited that you are putting as much thought into it as you are. While I don't need everything catered to me specifically and it can actually be really good to experience a romance from a different point of view, I am very excited to see a MC that is more relatable to myself in one of your worlds.

How have you found writing and doing the art for a gender variable MC? Has it felt like a lot of extra work? Or has it been manageable?

Huge congrats on finally finishing out such a massive project. I'm sure there might be a bug or two that needs an update in the future, but finally seeing all routes completed I'm sure is an amazing feeling.

It's a little bittersweet to finally see Gilded Shadows finished, but it's definitely going to be one that I keep coming back to an replaying different routes just for the pleasure of living in this world for a little bit. 

I'm getting events with the necklace in week 9 even though I chose not to touch it earlier in the run.

Same here. Specifically for me it was in week 7. The first two for that week were correct (Geomancy) but the second two were Calligraphy and it continued on to week 8 as well.
EDIT: Heh, now I'm getting symbology thrown in as well when I didn't choose it.

The fact that you have basically completed a project with over a million words is such a massive accomplishment. You've basically written 10 entire fantasy novels in one game.

Holy hell, I was content to not get any news on When Stars Collide until Gilded Shadows was completely out the door. To get the news that there is already 300,000 words written for it is an amazingly good surprise! I'm really looking forward to exploring the world in this one, and I'm very intrigued by not just the LIs but the MC as well.

Nah, definitely don't think it's a fake out. Everyone (Glitch, Byte and Alex) seems to be on the same page with it actually being Alex's memories. It also adds a good bit of drama between Alex and Loken going forward that will be fertile writing ground. Despite what Alex says in this chapter I highly doubt it's just going to be forgive and forget about what bipeds have done to him previously.

Look, I don't normally go in for horror VN, I'm here for the good hound. But this? This was both intense and amazing. A lot of horror I've seen feels like it's horror for horror's sake. It bogs down the story that I really want to get to. But this was a perfect use of horror driving the story forward. We got so much information about the world and the characters, but presented through a horror lens.

Nah, it was the "Too bad you have a girlfriend". Sounds like you're already aware.

Possible continuity error. I slept with Diego during the threesome but then turned him down at the garage but he still showed up at the house saying we switched underwear at the garage.

Wow, this is a really intriguing story premise with (as expected from Gilded Shadows) some amazing world building in just this first short section. Very excited to see more of this. Also super happy that the MC isn't gender locked in this one.

Real fucking cute. I'm not sure how I feel about the entire game being about these two idiots not realising they both love each other, I feel it might get real frustrating for me after a while, but definitely following to see more.

God I want to read the other stories in this world so badly. I come back to Reuben's route constantly. The absolute spot on depiction of a trauma survivor and the many ways they can react to their abuse is amazing. And what is even more amazing is the portrayal of how things can get better, while acknowledging that the sort of trauma the Phoenix has survived never REALLY leaves you, it's just something you learn to live with.

What an amazing update. Absolutely gut punching story telling. I'm glad we are acknowledging just how messed up Morgana's actions are, but there is definitely some grey area in how mentally unstable she must have been after the trauma of Uther's war. Really wish I could have lit Lot on fire though...

Sometimes the Itch search function really frustrates me. I've been on a big VN kick for about 2 years now and I thought I'd found everything that had already been released that was worth reading. And now I discover this has been out for over 6 months and had NEVER heard of it?!?! Unforgivable.

Great little visual novel. It's nice to find a project that limits it's scope but nails the feeling and tone. I don't always need some sweeping epic story and 6 dateable characters in a visual novel, sometimes a more contained story with great characters feels far more satisfying. As an Australian I cringed a little at some of the voice acting. There was one point where someone said Yarra and I died a little inside, but that was a minor gripe (I usually turn of voice acting in VNs completely to be honest). Xander was a treasure, and the relationship (no matter the ending) that developed between Xander and Luka was a breath of fresh air in the queer VN space. A very honest reflection of modern queer dating.

For what's here already I really enjoyed it. There are some moments where emotions are forced on you a little though. I get that Lancelot is meant to be a sympathetic figure in an otherwise hostile environment, but I feel that my character warms up to him far too quickly, especially given all my choices up to that point had been either silence or outright hostility. The kitchen scene seems especially chummy given that my character still sees him as an enemy.

Do you have your settings set to allow Adult Content in searches? I had that issue for a while until I realised that by default Itch doesn't allow adult content games to show in searches.

Fair and well explained. I don't think I've ever actually "lost" that fight to see what the true lose condition is, so the win condition still seemed like losing.

Spoiler question below:













Is it possible for the MC to "win" in the BDSM battle during the governor's party in the JCS storyline? I retried it until I full cleared it (I didn't lose any will and the other person completely lost theirs) but I still had the attitude shift and "lost" my will. I get that it may be integral to the storyline, but if it is I'd say just don't make it a minigame with health bars, just have the text.

Same here. Personally enjoy the sub routes, but also like to mix it up from time to time and try out the dom options, but there isn't a huge amount of dom content right now.

I doubt Az will ever have a full route, but I could definitely see him and Spencer joining the MC and Darius for some fun in the after story epilogue.

Accolon as best dad I am 100% on board with, but Morgana as best mum? Really? I get that her backstory justifies some of her actions but her unremitting bitterness towards Arthur despite him being the father of her child disqualifies her as best mum in my eyes.

Also, let's not forget that Mordred is not just the product of incest, but of rape. Arthur makes it clear that he never would have slept with Morgana had he known she was his half sister, a fact she knew and concealed from him. Not allowing him all the information needed for him to consent is a type of rape. 

Galahad really annoyed me at first, until I realised he was only two years older than Mordred. I had imagined him as mid-teens, but knowing he's only twelve at the time makes it much easier to realise he's just parroting back the opinions of his father. That, combined with the character growth we see happening in chapter three, is really bringing me around on him.

I'm also a big fan of the oblivious romance option. I like playing a character that is a little slow when it comes to romance, especially when said character is still a child, but don't want to miss out on the actual romance content.

Such a big fan of the sweet, innocent romance that can bloom between Gawain and Mordred. It feels very real for the age they are at (and the "historical" setting of the story) and the holding hands and a single shy kiss is very in keeping with courtly love stories.