For a public free demo it has a staggering amount of content. Also I’m assuming there will be an insane amount of variety to the endings. And I’m also now wondering if a public free demo for the majority of the content will ultimately be needed for play testing as these solo-projects get bigger and bigger.
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Exactly. I’m not sure how the competing groups of bands got chosen, but I wouldn’t put it past Viktor to have intentionally put UWB in the same group as the MC’s band, if he already knew about G liking MC’s voice. He’s the type who’d figure that would kill two birds with one stone–shove G’s face in a pile of crap by having UWB in the competition and ensure G never gets a chance to help out the MC.
Hell, maybe that’s why G “cheated” to get the MC into the competition. It was either cheat or watch the MC get stomped by someone way more popular, against whom MC’s band had no chance.
I don’t think O is allowed to speak or help out, and that’s why Cory is trying to keep him separated from the band. But the MC could damn well do it. Let them point the unfairness of it all.
On Viktor framing Victoria...
Other than optics, I’m not sure why G talking to the MC should be an issue. G doesn’t single-handedly decide who wins, right? It’s a vote, with G and the rest of MA… and anyone else? If it’s a fan thing, then what the hell does it matter if they talk? The main band is supposed to be mentoring these people, anyway, and you can’t mentor them without talking to them.
Sure, it’s the fact that it was in a diner, but why not just say they wandered in at the same time and bury it? Viktor could have buried it, I’d bet, but he didn’t want to.
I just wish G had a spine, because he could’ve told Viktor to stuff it and told everyone yeah, he talked to the MC, and he’d talk to tall the bands. Hell, he wanted to sing with all the bands, but MC was the only one to ask him to sing their song and when he suggested doing it with all the bands, Viktor shit all over it. From a show perspective, it would get more views if there was more interaction with G and all the bands.
I’m hoping to play a reserved MC who is quickly shattering inside and finally blows up and tells everyone exactly what she thinks about them. Of course, that’d be the end of the band, lol. One of mine already wants to quit.
The number of endings just based on who you choose to romance and whether it you’re still together or not already adds up to quite a bit. Variation within that means more endings. Maybe that’s why she made the endings for Blake, Dakota, and E set, instead of within player control.
And yeah, I think these huge projects would be helped by public demos for the majority of the content. I forget which game it was taht released all but the final chapter for the public demo, and I thought that was a good way to do it. It also gets excitement even higher, IMO, to see it very close to the end.
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Poor Amy lol she has my sympathies.
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I get the David vs Goliath comparison (but don’t see it as an extreme disparity as some do), however saying the MC’s band had no chance is just continuing a narrative that just never added up from the very beginning,
If the MC’s band never had a chance, then any other band, including 7’s never had a chance either, and this is just one big scripted coronation for Blake.
Amy has already said this was not the case, so I just do not see why this is even presented as being a true narrative.
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O’s absolutely not allowed to interfere, but if an anonymous source hired some bots…
G’s conflict of interest
I mean, it’s pretty bad for someone who has a significant hand in both the mentoring process and the voting process to show that kind of favoritism. Aside from the fact that there’s a huge power inequality between G and MC that G could theoretically exploit, just being seen with G gives MC an advantage because some people are bound to support MC solely because of their proximity to G. It’s not just optics, but the optics in this case matter a lot.
Oh, totally! I never meant to imply that it was a lost cause for MC’s band and that outside intervention was absolutely needed, just that they were the underdog in this specific situation. MC likely would have won in any other circumstance. Blake auditioning made what would have been an uncomplicated victory into something a little more dubious. It’s really just a way that someone could hypothetically spin things in MC’s favor by pointing out that Blake is throwing a tantrum because the (relatively) little guy won.
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Me imagining how the MC can stick it to Viktor: https://youtu.be/DS_xPLn-4SY?si=2zTt7RhUkV_oe5BS&t=655
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I mean, Blake’s band is way more popular and well-known that MC’s band. Basically, whoever they went against would’ve probably lost (except Seven and SV, who I’m convinced would’ve gotten in no matter what).
I’m still not sure what G did to tip the scales in MC’s favor, but they definitely did something. Could it be just introducing them and the “honeyed” voice comment? Maybe, but probably not, and I think that it was what got MC’s band into BOTB. The comment was made that the cheering for UW was the loudest so far, which makes sense considering how popular they are. From Blake’s POV, I can see why they’d wonder why this nobody band won over them.
My point is that it’s not a lost cause now that they’re in BOTB, but I don’t think MC’s band could’ve won without G cheating them into it, at least not against UWB. Maybe against someone else (not SV), but I can’t buy they would’ve beaten Blake fair and square given what we’ve seen in the game.
I can’t watch it. 
It’s apparently blocked in the US. I’m sick of all this blocked shit on youtube.
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That’s pretty strange, guess I’ll change the link to another video
As much as I understand the mentality of “keep your expectations low, so that any positive turn will be a pleasant outcome” I also do think it’s a little silly to believe the narrative is doomed from the start. Not because it’s impossible, it is a trope for books and the like, but idk I have to think that it doesn’t apply to IFs because sdfks then what’s the point?
“The cheating allegations permanently ruined MC’s image” or “X band is more popular than MC’s and that won’t change” are a little too extreme? Obviously MC is at a disadvantage at the start (because of Blake’s agenda and whatever else is going on), but like aren’t stories where the underdog wins it all at the end pretty common? More so here where, while the story is set by the author, there will be multiple endings depending on your choices.
Idk I think it’s safe to keep a positive attitude with this story, because unlike other ones such as FH for example the odds of happy endings are way more >>> if that makes sense
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That’s what I said, yes. Which means MC’s win isn’t being contested because they’re undeserving in terms of talent, it’s being contested because Blake publicly accused them of cheating and they have just enough of a discrepancy in fans to cast legitimate doubt on MC’s win — though that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Blake actually won despite their advantage, mind you.
I don’t think that’s true. There’s nothing indicating MC’s band is uniquely untalented or in some way lacking compared to any of the other competitors. In fact, all signs point to the opposite. Were they at a disadvantage against UWB in that one particular situation? Yes, of course. The more popular band is going to have a huge leg up in the popularity contest. That doesn’t mean it would be true in perpetuity.
And if we wanna keep it real, I don’t think any of the bands got into the final lineup on talent alone, SV included (since you mentioned them as being an exception to the UWB domination rule).
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Every band that got in had different competition, since only 1 from each audition group gets onto the show. But who put together those groups in the first place I wonder? 
I doubt it that Vik would be involved in that. Possibly MA, because they’d have an idea how to balance the groups out? If they were involved it seems like G may have put UWB against the MC to prevent them from getting in. But then the question of how much influence over this and the judging process they have arises.
IMO since the crowd is supposed to be the judge there wouldn’t be any influence aside from tiebreaking. Otherwise it becomes obvious the winner was rigged if the crowd is flat out ignored.
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I guess I assumed it was an audition per city, or region, or state etc.
Seven and the MC are from the same city but auditioned on different days. The auditions are held in the sponsoring record labels venue, so I assume every audition is in the same location and bands from other states just have to travel to it.
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I felt the same way. It’s a delicate topic and I initially thought that I simply couldn’t understand it as a person who only uses a single set of pronouns, so I discussed it with some friends who use multiple first before commenting on it. They agreed that a single person using both “they” and “she” within the same context sounds unnatural, and something they’ve never personally experienced and would confuse them too if they did.
I think if they’re both used alternatingly in different contexts, it’s great, but if there’s a sentence like, for e.g., “they brush her hair aside” for Devyn, that’s confusing.
Of course, I could be mistaken and happy to learn and be corrected by others who also use multiple pronouns.
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@Mosie
I mean, isn’t that the feeling our MCs are supposed to have right now with the narrative dogpiling them? Like they’re doomed? I get that the sunshine and roses types will let it slide off their backs and have a positive attitude no matter what, but a lot of people would be slumping over in their chair and saying “fuck my life” about now (hence why it’s an option after the vid is released, and why drugs and alcohol are a thing in the story, where the MC can get worse and worse). Given everything we have so far, I don’t think that’s an unreasonable reaction from a RP perspective.
Isn’t that the point of the cheating allegations, though? Blake can call the MC collateral damage all they want, but the bottom line is they set out to ruin the MC and use them in a pawn to do whatever the hell they’re out to do. And they won’t stop coming after the MC–they even said as much, despite the handshake if you rode in the car with them.
I never said it won’t change. But, as of the tryouts for the show, Blake’s band was way more popular and Seven’s band was also more popular (whether anyone wants to argue that having over twice as many fans is significant or not depends on perspective and is entirely subjective, in my opinion).
I’m not saying the MCs band can’t become as popular as the others, or that they can’t win the competition (we know they can), I’m saying that right now their pretty much starting out at the bottom, and after the video released, it will be below the bottom. And, given that there are 20 chapters and we’re on chapter 3, I suspect things are going to get a whole lot worse before there’s an opportunity to make them any better.
Eh, I’d say chances are about even in the two games. We know there can be horrible ends for the MC here, because she flat out warns of it in the description (“As you perform, your fame rises and you can see the dream coming to fruition. But with fame comes problems of its own, some that might just ruin you and the band you swore to take to the top.”), plus she’s already said she prefers angst to happy, so there will inevitably be really bad outcomes. That doesn’t mean there won’t be “good” outcomes, but I think “good” may end up being a very subjective definition.
I vacillate on FH, basically because there are so many ways to play your MC (all out villain? anti-hero? someone looking for vengeance? or redemption?). Logically, I know it won’t end well for SideStep, but for certain types of Steps, there’s always that glimmer of “maybe” in the narrative. I think the LIs (in some cases) help mitigate some of the bad stuff and make some Steps feel slightly more hopeful that things could work out. Having some actual support tends to do that (which is something MC doesn’t really have in Infamous, at this point, though I think August could step into that role as a friend, and Orion if you romance them).
djinnism
Right. But UWB’s “leg up” is pretty overwhelming, which is why it’s easy to believe there was cheating involved to get the MC into BOTB --and we know there was cheating, we just don’t know the extent of it. It could’ve been something minor, or it could be major. I keep having the thought that G personally introducing the MC was supposed to help them, but it’s probably a lot more than that.
I give SV special consideration because Amy said Seven has star power, was meant to be famous, and everyone will always like them even if they’re an asshole. So I think it’s a given that Seven is another one with a “leg up”, so to speak (and this is why I’m convinced SV will get a huge deal when BOTB is over, win or lose–they’re meant to be like G, or even better).
ZealousImagination
That would be fitting, actually. G trying to help themselves and “help” the MC by screwing them over. Against another band, it might have been less obvious. Though, I wonder… G said they “chose” the MC. It’s possible they chose them from the ones who were competing against UWB, and didn’t decide the groups. I wonder when it was that G decided they were into the MC’s voice–I don’t recall it being stated in any of the POVs or the game.
It’s possible G stacked the crowd with people and told them to cheer for MC. Of course, it seems like that kind of thing would’ve already been leaked, since people can’t keep their mouths shut. I’m still not clear on how the judging is supposed to go in BOTB–is it like that thing with that Simon guy, where it’s all done by judges, or is it how loud the crowd is? Do people online vote? How’s this stuff usually work?
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I’m speaking only for myself so please don’t roast me, but when I tell people “you can use she/they with me” I mean they can use either she/her or they/them. Is mixing up pronouns an actual thing?
@EvilChani Like I said, I get what you mean and can understand it, but idk comparing Sidestep and the lead singer of a band in terms of future prospects is a little ehh there’s an obvious answer in terms of most likely to have a positive outcome.
Infamous will 100% have angst and drama, maybe some bittersweet endings, but surely there’s one where things work out with the ro of your choice.
Circumstances may change, maybe not every happy ending ends with u becoming the next Taylor swift, but surely it won’t be miserable.
Plus the MC is a very unreliable narrator, in which they don’t have all the insight the reader has (example: mc thinks seven thinks they have cooties > seven povs reveal something else), so it’s easy to feel bummed out as they’re bombarded with bad feelings. And the MC is currently in a whirlpool of 
so again, understandable but !!
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As far as I’m aware, it’s not an actual thing. Most people would hear that and pick one or the other to primarily use when referring to the person in question, and stick with it. Mixing it sounds like it is just as, if not more, confusing for the person being referred to. I’m unsure where the author’s understanding or concept for this came from, but if it’s from personal experience then more power to them.
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Good to know. I asked a couple friends for more opinions and they all agreed that interchangeable pronouns means using two sets yes but without mixing them up, cause it would be jarring, but I don’t know if Amy maybe does that so…
Like it didn’t even cross my mind to comment on it because I thought it was a coding error (I’m not on tumblr, didn’t know she answered that) without realizing that it can’t be bc there’s no coding for NPCs. It’s a little curious but to each their own.
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To each their own indeed. However, only if the author or someone around her has the same approach to multiple pronouns, imo.
If this does happen to only be a misconception of the author’s surrounding multiple pronouns, then I encourage that she gets more opinions from others who also use them, and make changes accordingly. A little extra effort for proper representation can go a long way for some. 
Personally, if that is indeed the case, I think a better way to indicate Devyn’s use of multiple pronouns would be to have some characters use “she/her”, while some others use “they/them” to refer to her within the same scene.
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I 100% agree. I didn’t want to take the shoot because it’s fair to make mistakes, and I don’t want to put on trail people without more proof, but my first thought literally was “does she know how multiple pronouns work?” bc that answer gave me weird vibes.
Like when you see so called allies doing more damage than good by claiming they know about xyz when in fact they don’t. Someone should send her an ask for clarification, although idk what’s her standard for answering questions (read as: if she thinks she already cleared up the issue)
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