I want some cheating! I live for drama!
5 Likes
On one hand, that’s decent, on the other hand, “We won’t do anything until you leave your partner” while maintaining (close) contact is effectively exerting pressure to break up their relationship, so still being a homewrecker in a way. ;v
6 Likes
That’s very true. But I meant it in a more unspoken truth kinda way. Like, the MC and G wouldn’t have a conversation about it. It’s just that nothing nefarious would have happened, just pining from afar. I don’t think that would appeal to everyone, but I think it’d be fun.
3 Likes
I can see what you mean especially when Orion basically puts the responsibility of keeping them in line on the MC and even more when the you have to choose which band to pick for the tour bus and Devyn pulled my MC aside just to tell him he has to be leader and make decisions. With Orion, it didn’t feel like that big of a deal since my serious MC head cannon wise was used to being the sober one for parties but then when Devyn said that also followed by how the other members silently judged the MC for the decision did feel kind of unfair. Like the MC is just another member of the band so don’t do that and maybe sort it out yourselves better lol
SEVEN Finger Death Punch stuff here:
In my alternate version, I would have the old band and Seven keep rising once you left so the MC would still be an underdog with having to build themselves back up so they would be dealing with that and let the player have the choice to lean more into the angst or just focus on moving on since there are still other issues they would be dealing with besides Seven. I also would make sure the MC and their new band get some more time in the limelight before the allegations start popping up so it wasn’t so instant, but that’s just me.
Oh great!!!..lol. But seriously, I’m fine with things not being resolved very fast but I guess what I’m saying is, I would like to see the scale start to tip the other way. That “Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t act so hostile to this person that seems to be trying to be professional or genuinely show they are sorry for how things turned out” moment to happen for Seven. Even if it’s not a true moment where they are now cool again, but just some hints. But I get that the response to that desire from the writer would be that it’s too early for it I guess. Like I said, just feels like you have to be meta just to go for the Seven romance cause there is literally no reason to want to keep talking to them with how they treat you other than we know it will most likely change eventually cause it’s a featured romance route.
I feel it happens in a lot of other stories too though where there is no reason to try to romance an openly hostile person and I don’t really like it but a lot people seem to so it may just be me. More lowkey dislike from the RO I can kind of understand trying to change but not openly hostile like Seven.
If that’s the case then maybe it could help because that’s part of the reason I don’t feel as engaged in this plotline. The situation as we see it so far in the public demo doesn’t really give a good reason for the hatred to me so adding a real reason other than “I’m mad cause I wanted you to not care about your friends and the band and leave…and also did not want to give the other position a chance and try to make that work before I threw a fit and left”.
I get being a bit sour on how things turned out but hostile and hate I don’t get, especially when the actual fans were also stating the MC’s vocals were a bit better when they were together so it’s not like there was no basis to the vote even if the MC doesn’t agree with it.
As a reader, I really liked them both and the different perspectives in their relationship. While G creates problems for V, they are dealing with the toxic culture of fame, having people like the showrunners, and the manager guy forcing them to do things they don’t want to do (even though G did sign a contract), i sympathize with G but also with V who feels like they have to be the caretaker of G and put their own career and needs second.
My MC kind of feels the same way about them but he is realizing the truth of how G is so the idolization is wearing off as he’s seeing them as a real person rather than a perfect rockstar. As for as them being ROs, I have only played the demo one time and the type of MC I have doesn’t want to break up a relationship/marriage even though he sympathizes with V a bit more…also he already is dealing with other BS like the allegations, his ex, and being pushed into being the leader. He’s in this for the music and getting it out there and going back to that mindset, he wouldn’t want yet another thing being focused on and taking away from that by engaging in an affair. He does want to help G and V if possible though.
7 Likes
@mordorintrigue - Seven trigger alert!
Fair enough!
Yeah, that’s how I feel about it. We don’t have much at all to go on for the other characters, it’s all “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” with Seven. The game really revolves around them, to an extent, but I suppose it makes sense considering the plot is basically, “you try to win a competition where you’re labeled a cheater and your ex, who you were obsessed with, is your competition and hates you”. To an extent, it feels like everyone else is a minor character when compared with Seven. And Avina ends up taking center stage because of their connection to Seven.
There’s really not much to talk about with G, either. And the sum total of the tumblr asks about them seems to be, “G is selfish and will hurt you to self-preserve”. Oh yeah, and they drink a lot and the route will be messy and uber-angsty if you don’t go poly with V. That doesn’t leave much to discuss. For Orion, I think he’s probably less angsty than most of the others, save August or the new person (L), but it’s still going to be dragged out because of the huge stick O has lodged up his butt.
I’m thinking that’s the only way I could possibly enjoy Seven’s route, is to play a MC just as detached and non-committal as Seven, who doesn’t really give a damn if it works out or not and doesn’t want to be with him save for a random moment here or there. And who doesn’t care if he’s sharing a bed with Avina every night.
I’d prefer to not be right and have Seven be his passionate, doting, loving self with the MC but oh well. Cold, detached, separate lives Seven it is!
I doubt it, too. Seven is going to develop into the “healthy” Seven that isn’t that attached, and I don’t think how the MC behaves will have any effect. If anything, a clingy chaotic MC might make Seven walk away so they can be “healthy” and not be dragged into a relationship that is too attached.
Yeah, I get that. I just meant that the MC’s thoughts (“Seven is happier away from MC”) reflects Seven’s behavior and mindset, if not their words. Seven doesn’t want to be attached to the MC, doesn’t want to feel deeply for the MC, and doesn’t want to spend too much time around them because it’s unhealthy (in their eyes), so the MC was kind of right for those thoughts, even if they were unhinged for the entire short. Being crazy doesn’t preclude being correct about something now and then.
I don’t either, but I think we’re supposed to believe that because that’s how dedicated Seven was to the MC in the past. Or at least that’s how dedicated Seven thought they were to the MC–it’s a lot different saying you would’ve handled something a certain way than actually being in that situation and faced with that choice.
But yeah, I think the MC will be portrayed as more of an asshole in the past because it’ll fit the narrative better and, like I said, make Seven more justified (even if we don’t see it as justified due to the extreme and irrational nature of Seven’s behavior).
I think that is one of the two main points in Seven’s path, whether romanced or not. Seven has to learn to be more vocal about their feelings instead of expecting everyone to “know” how they feel and behave in the way Seven wants. You can see it in the short, with Seven telling the MC why they need to be distant with each other.
The other point in Sev’s path is for them to be independent and not “need” anyone the way they once needed the MC, and to not be attached like they were before. To have their own life that doesn’t revolve around whoever they’re with romantically. We also see this in the short with Seven being distant, avoiding the MC a lot, and having the band as their family and their life so full that there’s really no room for the MC without Seven “making room” for them with whatever tiny space they manage to find.
Well, as a keyboard/piano fan, I like the keyboard. I do not, however, like Iris. She’s the kind of person I would clash with in a huge way, because she’s too pushy… and it comes off as bullying to me (bullies set me off because reasons). She also seems to not give a shit about the MC and is overly judgy. I don’t like any of that. But back to your point…
I like the idea of the band disbanding and forming two separate bands. It would’ve been the adult way to handle it and would’ve allowed them to be friends. But then, we wouldn’t have Avina shoved down our throat at every turn, and they are also a huge plot point and something the MC will have to accept if they go Seven’s route.
That would be interesting.
I’ll be honest, as a married woman, the whole G/V thing feels squicky, even knowing that their marriage was based on business rather than feelings. And I think it should feel squicky.It’s one reason I’d like something like you suggested, where G/V deciding to end their marriage is an amicable thing instead of the MC being a wrecking ball that goes in and ruins everything and is painted the villain in it all. But I think being the villain may be part of the point with their individual paths, so… 
That’s a good end, at least! I see where you’re coming from now, and see the appeal. You’re embracing the drama and pain for the MC, but wanting to be free of it in the end, which is great. I kinda want the romance for my MC, though, along with winning the competition. And less angst, pain, and misery lol. But the misery is unavoidable, I think.
@Elseguard
Well, it’s very realistic that they take issue with the MC if the MC makes choices they don’t like. Even Rowyn’s temper tantrum over Blake was realistic, though it was childish as hell. Orion and Devyn are right–the band needs a leader–but the problem is that they’ve operated for so long in chaos that they won’t like having anyone put their foot down or making decisions that impact all of them.
Yeah, the only way I was able to have my MC want to be with Seven was because of old feelings and guilt. Otherwise, there’s literally no reason to be attracted to someone who is so nasty to you all the time. But, like you said, it happens a lot in other stories, too, and people eat it up.
Same here. I don’t like it when it gets over the top because it feels emotionally abusive.
8 Likes
I guess my point was, its realistic but also unfair to be mad at a decision the MC makes when:
- They never really got a choice when it came to being the leader.
and
- People are actively telling the MC that they need to be the one making the decisions.
Its like telling someone to go out and vote…but then getting mad that they didn’t vote for the thing/person you did. I understand being upset that it didn’t turn out their way but don’t look at the MC like it’s their fault when they didn’t want to be the one deciding anyway.
On different note, i’m thinking about making a different MC to see how some of the other ROs are but I don’t know about G/V since even though I can separate myself from my characters, the cheating stuff just isn’t for me.
23 Likes
Case in point. Rowan that goes ballistic when Mc picks Blake’s trash bus. Buddy that is what a leader suppose to do. Make the hard decisions, even if you may not like it.
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Oh rowan can go be mad! There was no way that my mc was sharing that bus with seven. Not this early on anyway lol.
I choose a lot of different choices before I pick the final one whenever I play an IF haha and I saw what sharing a bus with SV would entail… no thank you. 
Honestly though I hope there’s an option later on in the story to talk to Rowan about his anger and how it affects mc and the band.
9 Likes
I mean there is that talk in front of the vending machine…but it felt lackluster ? He of all people should know why mc would rather not be in the same bus with their ex, but eh. Nice chat Rowan. Really.
15 Likes
Alright, back into it. 
Contains Stoffs, And Also Things
“lightening”
No “all”
lol
Man, I am SO tempted to go with Underground Wastebasket here, on account that only one of the bands will be miserable then, and maybe I can find out more about these cheating allegations, but Rowan is so dead set against them that it’s actually hard to choose. 
And that means… it’s time for a vote! Democracy: making EVERYONE unhappy since Ancient Greece.
OH, COME OFF IT!
Fuck it, I’m going with Wastebasket, might as well turn this into an opportunity to learn the downlow, and Seven says she wants to be nowhere near us anyway, so. Sorry, Rowan.
We have hit the first point in which I actually don’t like Seven. Them being angry over the band thing isn’t RATIONAL, but it isn’t an out-of-the-blue your-uncle’s-neighbour-bought-the-last-hamster-at-the-pet-store-and-I-wanted-it thing, and I can understand them being pissed over it. But this? Woman, this is what you outright told me you wanted, I’m not the bad guy here.
Aw, Chuck seems nice.
Duplicate text:
Soft Violence is not actually part of this tour bus. There’s also a bunch of contradicting character actions here that make me think the game is giving me the full results for the “which band” choice.
“signing”. Also, no friendly greeting option, ai iz sad. 
Ah, I see Blake is the game’s designated troll. @parisgracex She also has flirt options, so I presume she’s a sub-RO as well? It’s a weird status, considering we can be in the same bus.
PHRASING!
“faces”
“under her” what?
Think this is missing Blake.
Typo:
Typo:
There’s two "the"s, and also how do I have steam generation without hot water?
“ear”? “hair”?
Typo:
Really? THIS is what tops your list? 
Lol, Orion has all the ladies hunting after him.
Suggestion: add a short description to each moodboard choice, like “Look at the playful second moodboard”. That serves as an initial filter for people, and saves going to screens they won’t be interested in.
Typo:
Typo:
“every eye”?
Double pronoun.
There’s quite a few points where we appear to have a choice between “this is so much wealth and I don’t deserve it and I’m intimidated” and “I deserve as much money as this”; it’d be nice to have a “this is very rich; meh, who gives a crap” line of options.
Double pronoun.
Missing word.
Rogue code! 
I think this is supposed to be “graceful”
“bound”
DISqualified, surely?
Missing a “too”
Oh, wow, fuck you, Iris.
Not an answer to the question.
Typo:
“that”
Wrong pronoun.
Oh wow, I thought the MOTHER was bad, but jesus fuck, what even is this?
This should be Victoria, not August:
Aaaaaand I’ve reached the end. It’s pretty great. I enjoyed the lyrics writing, even though it affects nothing, and I think I’ll have fun when the challenges come up. I’ll be looking forward to the rewrite/progress. Anyone know if August is AMAB or AFAB?
@EvilChani I believe you have questions.
5 Likes
I do the same thing, usually as a way of trying to figure out my MC. If I see a choice taking them down a road that will completely destroy them, I go back and try again. Seven and the bus was one of those with my main MC, and I’m developing the other one (and other ones, if I do another) to come up with a good reason to not choose Seven, simply because the less I see of Savina, the better.
I hope there’s an option to just tell the band off, period. They pushed the vote on MC and Seven, then went on their merry fucking way, not caring how it impacted the MC. Even now, they don’t give a shit how the MC feels. Screw these people… I want my MCs to go completely solo and make it big.
Because he doesn’t care what the MC wants, only what he wants.
10 Likes
@JBento
Yes, screw Rowan! And he’s such a big baby about it.
Something to learn about Seven–you will always be the bad guy.
But yes, Chuck is nice. He’s one of my top three favorite characters, at this point. Because he does the most unthinkable thing… he’s nice to the MC.
You wanted a friendly option and I wanted the opportunity to just glare daggers at Blake. There are a lot of places in the game where the best choice for my MCs would be just to glare at whoever is bothering them. Or ignore them entirely. Or leave the room with a disgusted look. Anything but speaking…
Yes, Blake is a sub-RO.
Are we still doing phrasing?
- Who is your first choice for romance?
- What do you think of Seven?
- What do you think of G, V, and G/V?
- What do you think of the whole cheating thing?
- What do you think of MC’s band members?
I’d ask about Avina, but you miss a lot of the Savina bullshit when you don’t take the bus with them, so I doubt they really made an impression, except for the eye fucking scene and the mean girl whispering…
And sorry to double post, but I wanted this to be separated so it’s not a text wall.
3 Likes
Way I see it, unlike Griffin who really does need to go solo as their next career step in a new record label, possibly Orion managed, my mc is not quite there yet but the current band also isn’t really working, except Auggie, they can stay if they want to. Rowan has from the beginning felt more like boyband material to me and if a new label with G and Orion is possible near the end there could be a place for a boyband with Rowan there. Heck my mc might even write some of their songs if that happens. But indeed the whole highschool nostalgia trip band is ultimately holding the mc back at this point.
Let’s be realistic here the media doesn’t like the mc much, even if G and V were to end it more or less amicably if Griffin then ends up with mc publicly only a short time later the media will still paint the mc as the villain of it all as they still would have ended the very profitable and perfect showbiz couple one way or the other even if the non-romanced part of ValenReign, V in my mc’s case and mc are actually amicable or even friends that doesn’t make for good media spin so the media will go with their own reality whatever the actual truth is. Almost like real-life, eh?
4 Likes
Apparently not. 
Because my luck is what it is, Blake, the subRO. 
. Before you “wait, wtf?” at me, there’s more on this on answer to question 4, unless I forget about by then. Maybe the rewrite will bump her to full RO status.
August also ranks high, but they’re basically my MC, and that only really works narratively for the chaos gremlin personality, which is not the case.
I bussed with Wastebasket, not Soft Violence, so I missed a lot of Seven scenes (I presume). As it stands, I’m not getting the hate - it’s definitely not rational for Seven to be pissed at you (especially if you voted in their favour), but I CAN see why they’d be hurt over the whole affair, and they haven’t pulled any actual bullshit on me in the game (yet?) that I’d go THAT FUCKER!. Anyway, they really seem to be into Avina in the last scene of the demo, so they’re out of my list of potential RO routes anyway.
I Am Three Paragraphs on This
Hngggg. I think I’ve figured out G’s arc, and it mostly makes me pity them? It looks like they’re going to turn out to have been a kid that was genuinely in it for the music, but then got swallowed by the industry and spat out as a completely jaded, “fuck it, nothing matters anyway” person that uses alcohol as a numbing mechanism and that sooner rather than later we’re going to find dead in their bedroom if nothing is done about it.
As it stands, V deserves a whole lot better, starting with not being on unpaid babysitter duty 24/7 and ending with all of the other bullshit. Also, y’know, redhead with bangs. I’m only so strong. Not enough V to make an assessment either way, otherwise. There… SEEMS to be genuine affection between the two at specific points, but G is in the state they are, which just sends the entire thing not just off the rails, but also off the cliff.
Since I’ll be playing an MC that is in it for the music and nothing else, I’ll probably run the poly path because there’s a good chance than just him being him might get G back to her old self. Y’know, the one that DOESN’T start the day with an irish coffee, triple the irish, hold the coffee.
I think there was cheating. I’m PRETTY SURE there was cheating. The numbers don’t really add up between fan bases and us beating Wastebasket. This is why I don’t think poorly of Blake (yay, I remembered). Because she’s half-right. Our band didn’t cheat, but they were the ones cheated FOR, so her assumption that we did is pretty reasonable. And if we deny it, well, duh. If we HAD cheated we would deny it anyway, so that doesn’t really move the needle. Bonus points: there’s a couple of lines that suggest she’d be pissed at the cheating even if her band wasn’t the one getting screwed, so that’s good.
Like, if anyone is EVER going to drag me into a rivals to lovers trope, Blake is exactly the sort of thing they need to throw at me: someone with a good reason to dislike the MC, but in a setup where they’re actually wrong (despite the evidence they have pointing to the contrary).
Orion gave me so many Captain Holt vibes early on, that even later when they greatly diverge I can’t shake them off. I’m half expecting to run into him wearing a pineapple slut shirt and saying how his favourite part of a woman is the thigh gap. He’s awesome. High hopes for Cory to be his Wunch.
Devyn is a precious cinnamon roll. More people should be like Devyn.
Iris is a rollercoaster. Sometimes she makes me go “what the fuck are these words coming out of your mouth”, and then you get scenes of her like her pep talk to the MC at the bar that make me go “oh, ok, I see why I hang around this person.”
Rowan, my dude, get your fucking act together. You seem like you could be nice, but like, act together, please. Yesterday.
Yeah, I got like pretty much zero Avina in my playthrough. Current stance: they exist, I guess?
11 Likes
I could go with Auggie staying. I like them better than anyone else in the band, save Devyn, but Devyn comes with Iris, so… they can go away. I would love to see G go solo with Orion as the manager, too. I really hope that’s where that story is going. And yeah, Rowan in a boy band would totally work. I do think my two MCs are ready to go it alone, though, if the only other choice is staying with the band as it is. They need to get away from that group (save Auggie!).
I fear you are correct. I’d love it if you weren’t, but deep down, I don’t think the MC can come out of the G or V route without everyone hating them. In the poly, possibly, since the MC will be G/V’s dirty little secret and not public acknowledged as a partner to them both. I just find it depressing to stick my MC with a supercouple who will remain a supercouple and there’s really no room for the MC except behind closed doors… whenever they have time for the MC, anyway. It’s basically what we’ll probably get with Seven, and it’s a downer.
@JBento
Boo!
Heh. I was guessing you’d pick Vic first, then Blake, so I was close. I wish you were correct about Blake becoming a full RO, because then I would totally try that route. But not as a subRO. I don’t want to waste more than one MC on a RO that has almost no content and will likely have a bad ending. My subRO will be LA, who you haven’t met yet. You’ll see in the rewrite… they will be the no-drama, warm and fun romance option.
Yeah, I figured that would be your take on it. Honestly, I don’t hate Seven, either. I am just disappointed in his route and where it’s going, because I like the passionate nature, loyalty, and intensity. What I don’t like is…
Yep, that. For what it’s worth, Amy has said it’s not a love triangle. It’s just that Seven and Avina are bffs who sleep together every night and spoon because Seven can’t sleep alone. And Avina is totally in love with Seven. And Avina takes care of Seven, badmouths the MC and thinks how horrible they are for Seven, and is constantly whispering in Seven’s ear when the MC is around. And… well, you can do the math.
A hundred percent accurate. Same with V being an unpaid babysitter, though she does seem more loyal to duty and whatever Viktor orders her to do instead of G, but since it was a business deal marriage, I suppose that makes sense.
Good. The only thing that bothers me about the poly path is that the MC will be relegated to the shadows and have to be hidden away, but it’s better than nothing, I guess.
Got any guesses on how much G cheated to get MC’s band into the competition? At first, I thought it was just that G got them into the competition and used their charisma with the crowd to get the crowd to cheer more. Lately, I’ve started thinking it goes a lot further than that, and that G really did something nefarious to force them into the top ten, which will make things worse for the MC. Anything that will make the MC look worse is pretty much a given, at this point.
I think, from Blake’s POV, they won’t be wrong. It doesn’t matter if the MC was actively involved in the cheating, they benefited from it so they are guilty. And that’s really all that’s needed to crucify the MC.
I think it will happen.
For the rest of your points on the band, I pretty much agree. Except for Iris. I just don’t like her. Maybe the rewrite can change that. From what I’ve seen, I think it will at least make me dislike her less.
8 Likes
Not necessarily overthinking, in my opinion. Things do keep happening that make us look super suspicious, so I agree that there is some risk in shutting down the rumours like that. Our band image is on the line, and in the world of reality TV (and celebrity in general, for that matter), it’s easy for public opinion to topple heavily in a way that’s hard to come back from. I keep thinking about how we’ll be able to react if the cheating allegations do intensify or get further legitimized somehow. Like what if MC tries to forfeit the competition? It wouldn’t work, I’m sure, because of the contracts, but it would be interesting if we could try anyway, to be (or pretend to be) honourable. Will we be able to maintain our innocence, or will we be completely condemned as villains? Will we crumble under the pressure? It’ll be interesting to see where it goes.
6 Likes
Yeah I love August. 
my mc’s bff! They have only just joined the band yet have mc’s back and are there for mc a million times more than people who have known them since high school
3 Likes
I mean I like Augustus but I think they just are coming in without a history with the band and MC giving them a clean start.
The other characters are already a BIG part of Mc’s life and in the nature of IF sometimes that just makes it harder to form a relationship with them as a reader even if the character has the relationship canonically
7 Likes
It’s too bad Jazzy left the band since she’s actually the only one from the original band lineup that I actually feel something for. While Rowan feels like he’s supposed to fill the bestie role (at least to me, anyway), Jazzy is someone my MC would get along with way more based off of what I’ve seen on patreon.
Rowan, Iris and Devyn are just kinda… eh? We haven’t had dedicated band scenes yet (aside from patreon stuff), so I’m holding off on forming any strong opinions on them. That does not mean that I don’t criticise some of the things they’ve done though.
August is also just eh. Like yaaasss give us nothing. I really hope they turn out to be cool as the story progresses because right now whether or not my MC ends up selling out and going solo entirely hinges on them now.
10 Likes
Here, Seven, go wild:
I think the cheating isn’t so much G as it is at a fully institutional level. This is a reality show and the company wants drama. G didn’t mobilise fans, they went to the people organising the contest, said, “Hey, Seven, from one of the top bands that already made it in, used to be part of this other band in the running, and is also the ex-BFF/lover of their lead singer” and management just jumped on it so hard the Earth actually wobbled.
And then the cheating allegations popped up, the fight at the party went viral, and the Earth wobbled AGAIN when management realised they’d get much higher ratings by adding Underground Wastebasket as well. And then they lol’d and made our band bus with either UW or Soft Violence. DRAMA! RATINGS! ADVERTISER MONEY!
I don’t know. There’s a couple of lines where Blake strikes me as opposing not so much the actual result of cheating but the very PRINCIPLE of cheating, and the band not having known about it might fix it? No assurance that those lines survive the rewrite, of course.
Yep. You’re on her patreon, right? Maybe throw in a couple of nudges. 
12 Likes