This is an oversight that I didn’t consider at the time when I was writing, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to make the game reactive to it. It would make the coding of the scene more complicated (and it’s already pretty branched and complicated) and I’d need to also do something about Delacroix’s presence as they can be captured in Creme as well - but in HB Delacroix is always there and I’d need to make some big changes to the scene to account for it.
If I’d realised about that branch at the time, I’d have done it differently but I feel OK with the idea that the captured classmate could have been set loose in some way and sworn to secrecy in a way that still maintains a Creme PC’s “innocent” facade. It’s been many years since it happened in-universe and if Westerlind aristocrats are good at anything, it’s at sweeping things under the rug.
Hi folks! Quick question: the description for Denario says “Denario Vecoli, age matches the PC: a down-on-his luck former friend - it’s complicated (cis man)” - does this mean that friendship is complicated? Or that the MC is forced into having a romantic relationship with this guy in past or present? Sorry, English isn’t my first language, so I’m puzzled with this description.
The MC isn’t forced into anything romantic with Denario, past or present
There was always a point in the past in which you were close friends, but you can choose a variety of interactions that you had in the past (including positive, negative, romantic, yearning, etc).
In the present, you can interact with him in a variety of ways and you’re not restricted by any choices you made about your past with him.
So I went and played every one of the creme de la creme series and I love this one second only to the inaugural creme de la creme book.
The characters are well-written and likeable. There is genuine dramatic tension in the story, and I am a sucker for defying authority.
The way the story was framed in how the mc approaches things and their traits was complex and felt like this character was more me. I never really felt punished for not min/maxing specific choices.
I was very sad to learn that Raffi’s romance arc doesn’t include room for some of the other major characters and I had to make some hard choices.
I think what I like the most is that for a lot of the story it felt like I had agency, like the choices I made impacted the story. Also I never really felt like someone who was waiting to be saved by other characters.
I do have a minor gripe and that is that I wish certain characters could have been confronted more meaningfully in the later parts of the story. Especially if you established that your relationship earlier on was close. I feel like that was a really big hanging thread that I never really got closure on.
I’m happy to provide more details if you would like, I just don’t want to spoil the story for anyone else.
I know I’m well past the release now to express my gratitude for this book, (plus I actually read it months ago) but I just want to say, as someone who has a lingering knee injury, getting to have that as an option in this book was very powerful for me. It’s weird to say, but it kind of helped me refocus how I look at my own injury through the lens of the mc, and it meant a lot to me, so I wanted to say thanks for it!
I am really sorry to say that, but the ending of Varenn/Matia romance feels like, well, nonsense. When I did Varenn romance before it also felt a bit wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. After this one I think it’s clear that the text directly contradicts itself.
(spoilers below)
In the chapter where the H-17 confrontation happens, there is no option to tell Matia about everything, which is already weird. Then, if I go with Varenn, we specifically talk about how Matia won’t be able to forgive him what happened and won’t be his “friend” anymore, despite Matia readily helping us and never showing any discomfort. Then in the next chapter, I can ask Matia and Varenn about my life prospects and we end up in a lovey-dovey epilogue like nothing happened. That’s despite Varenn signing a waiver that I’m actually furious about and would rather break up with him over it and side with Matia (who’s supposed to also be furious, allegedly). It doesn’t seem there is any way to convince him not to sign either - but assuming that’s the writer’s intention, because we “should” get a bad ending with Varenn because of our actions, then where’s my bad ending? I can get my nice romance no problem, and not signing has no negative consequences besides not getting more privileges, even though at the moment Alva makes it clear the military will aim to punish me. None of this feels like it makes sense. The possible outcomes for me and Varenn and Matia, together and individually, seem to be all over the place and mismatched with the events. It’s all just very weird.
Hmmm, that sounds like one or more continuity bugs, I’m sorry that happened!
Did you officially start the romance with the two of them before things started getting tense around the H-17 discovery, as in speaking to them both in person about being polyamorous?
If so there should have been some options to speak to Matia about the situation, and to get Matia to come along to the army base if the big chemical spill is averted. If there was a chemical spill and the PC leaves, Matia should be upset/annoyed and there shouldn’t be a lovey epilogue with the two of them - there should have been a breakup with Matia.
For this playthrough, did the big spill happen? (I was assuming it did, because of Matia being furious, but want to double check.) And was Matia present during the storm/spill scene?
And in the final chapter just to confirm, [spoiler] what did you choose to do in terms of living arrangements for the future and working/not working for the military? Were you given the option to hang out with both of them together or just solo scenes with either of them? [spoiler]
The last couple of chapters have a lot of complexity and moving parts, and again I’m sorry that your playthrough doesn’t seem to have hung together as intended.
Let me outline the order of events in that Varenn/Matia playthrough:
I never was in any way romantic with anyone other than Varenn/Matia.
I was flirty with both of them from early on at almost any opportunity.
Became “official” with Matia and kissed him sometime during Part 2.
I had all the early romance interactions with Varenn that I had in my previous playthrough where I was pursuing him all game, including all the confusing “I wanna but I shouldn’t” conversations #varenngonnavarenn
I had a “call me by my name” interaction with Varenn, which I think only happens when you go “official” with him too?
They agreed to become a triad.
We had sex at the vacation resort.
Catarina won the contest, Fiore went to complain to Kass.
Savarel (who I was friends with) asked what’s up and I was dismissive.
Fixed leaks with Varenn.
Fiore came to confront me, but I went “sorry it’s classified” and left.
Asked Matia to help us with loading the barrels. He agreed despite having zero idea what’s going on.
Fiore came up to have an argument and the big spill happened (I didn’t even know this was avoidable lol).
Matia and Fiore helped with cleaning up the spill.
Fiore tried to confront us. Magically Savarel also showed up only in this one paragraph and told us to “just go”. Matia didn’t say anything. There was no available option to stay there and explain, so we left.
During the ride Varenn and I talked about Matia hating us.
I refused to sign the waiver, Varenn signed. I told him he shouldn’t have (…and then at no point I had an option to break up or have a fight with him, which I think would’ve been logical?)
We decided to go to the graduation.
Kass offered me a job.
When wondering about my next steps, I went to Matia and Varenn and had a friendly chat, Matia agreed to maybe move in together. There wasn’t an option to go to either of them individually.
I chose to take the job.
At the graduation, Fiore, Catarina and Savarel weren’t present.
Matia confronted us about “that night” and we apologized and hugged.
In the epilogue, Denario left the town, Savarel was furious with me, noone else was mentioned.
I get an ending with Matia and Varenn at a snowy mountain. There wasn’t an option to choose either of them individually. The only other option was Denario.
So I think this is a bug related to Savarel somehow. I was on very friendly terms with him, ensured the bandits could live in the temple and defended them, I talked to him openly, but I never started anything romantic. Same with Denario, I was friendly and happy to see him clean up his act, but not romantic. I even had the conversation with Savarel at some point where I told him what caused my disgrace in the military, and I suspect it should’ve been with someone else? It’s like the game decided to ship me with Savarel/Denario no matter what lol.
Thank you so much for all the details, it’s really helpful!
I don’t think it’s Savarel’s fault but something odd has happened there somewhere, I think a combination of continuity and text-skipping bugs, and perhaps a need for greater clarity/signposting in the way I wrote some things. Certainly Matia shouldn’t be referred to as being angry and then having a friendly future-chat prior to having a confrontation/reconciliation. Something strange was also afoot in this playthrough with the continuty around Kass, I think. I’ll have a look and see what I can track down!
but something odd has happened there somewhere, I think a combination of continuity and text-skipping bugs, and perhaps a need for greater clarity/signposting in the way I wrote some things. Certainly Matia shouldn’t be