Being annoyed is not the same as hating something, no need to blow it out of proportion with superlative language. I also find Valerie annoying. She keeps going on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on… If you’re not bothered, that’s okay. If you’re bothered, that’s also okay.
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If you think I’m being superlative, I’m going to assume you’ve been spared the worst, most virulent reactions some characters cause in people. I’ve seen some absolutely vile things said about some characters over things as simple as not being a yes-man for mc. I wouldn’t describe irrational seething on a character as “just annoyance”.
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Nah, bro, that’s because people are using the same sort of superlative language. I doubt you’ve seen people literally losing it in real life because of a character. But if you have I’m sorry for you (and for the person, they’re clearly not okay). Also, nobody is doing that about Valerie, just saying she’s annoying, and you decided to describe that as “irrational seething”. But anyway, I forsee this conversation not going anywhere productive, so I’m getting off this train. Bye.
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What the hell holy shit that was so good??? I love the flashbacks so much- i dont quite love the people in the present as much but the mystery and their stories are stoll compelling. God I really wish there was more. I actually adore Charlotte and Callum? Im kinda hoping Callum is still alive just so we can at least find out why he did what he did, even if I dont regret killing him int he slightest. Did he get brainwashed? I mean, we fell on him in the final battle, no? So he would have been blasted by his amulet too- it wouldnt be out of the realm of possibility he also ended up a ghost, but later found a different contract in some way. Love the world building, love the world, cant wait to see where this goes
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Like… honestly I just cant stop thinking about Callum. He’s a weird guy yknow? He clearly cares about the MC and Char to a good degree, if his actions are anything to go by, even if he can be an ass. So what exactly are his motives? Where did it go wrong? What is his relationship with MC in HIS head? Does he regret what he did at all? Why did he betray us? So many questions… surely he has a more complex story than just… greed. What on earth was he offered so much so that was worth the betrayal?
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I got no idea what’s going on inside Callum’s head, I was borderline hostile before the attack, dismissive during the journey and indifferent when we arrived. Yet, he still had very high respect for me
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I personally would die for my brother. And I did! =D
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I’d think of Callum as someone principally motivated by impulse, whim, but also authenticity. He’s deeply irreverent, and holds external social norms and expectations in disdain - especially those who subscribe blindly to them. He’s someone who lives for himself first and foremost. Note that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t be fond of people (like the MC or Charlotte). Pay close attention to what raises and lowers his approval, it’s quite telling. If you think of Cortez as someone driven by the superego, then Callum is driven by the id.
On a deeper level, this is key to understanding why Charlotte was attracted to Callum (despite being counterintuitive on the surface) - while Charlotte is someone with a strong sense of social responsibility, she also feels suffocated by it and her upbringing (though she’d fiercely deny it). Charlotte was probably unconsciously drawn to Callum for his casual dismissal of all of that, and he became a figure and space of escape for her.
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Regarding the brainwash, it could be worth to point out that, as far as it is known, it’s not possible to deeply influence/alter one’s state of mind even with magic in Spellbound’s universe. Maybe the pendent is excepcional in this regard, but to quote the humble Rowan Arcturus (spoiler for chapter 2)
Will magic
It is important, at this juncture, to dispel a myth about Will magic—specifically, that it can be used to fundamentally alter the state of a person’s mind. The truth is that the mental energy affected by Willpower is that of the short-term—the fleeting thoughts that pass through our minds as we perceive the world around us. It is not possible to use Will magic to alter a person’s long-term memories, or to effect so-called ‘brainwashing’ or ‘mind control.’ It is true that Vexation can be used to heighten one’s emotions, and therefore impair judgement, but this same effect could be accomplished through more Mundane means, such as drugs or verbal manipulation. Similarly, prolonged and persistent use of Apparition can condition an individual to believe in a lie, but this only slightly more effective than using similar, more Mundane methods of psychological manipulation, such as gaslighting.
So, whatever made him betray the MC, my impression is that was a decision of Callum, not a consequence of brainwash. Personally, I think the fact Callum betrays the MC regardless of their relationship status or even route is telling. There is nothing the MC could have done to change this outcome. And the way he is trying to convince himself when he says “You have nothing left to fight for” is a core point of his ambivalence.
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I will say, I do mean brainwash in all its possible forms, not necessarily just magical. Manipulation and grooming, for example,could be considered forms of brainwashing. Conditioning too… idk, the rules of magic in this is a bit vague, qnd we dont know ehat exactly the talisman can do. Whisper temptations, maybe? Could it somehow produce some result that conditions Callum or otherwise manipulates him in someway?
But then it could also very well have nothing to do with the above… in which case, then what? What exactly were they working towards then, which they thought was worth trying to kill a friend (or otherwise) who has already demonstrated loyalty and a willingness to help further his goals? (MC did get the talisman for him in the first place, at least in the runs I did). It’s so terribly curious
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Since it says that while outright mind control isn’t possible, it does work as a more effective gaslighting. It could also just be either Callum being convinced that we will eventually betray him cause he’s a mage or that he actually has an inferiority complex towards us.
Nah. my current theory is that Callum betrays us because he has to in order to conduct a specific ritual.
He’s a time traveler, and I’d wager that for his time travel spell he needs a lot of people to die, and to make sure that certain people die as part of that number. Presumably those that are connected to the past event in question that he wants to travel to.
I’d also say that this is a spell he has done before, and that the three different ways Callum’s past with the PC can go are all variations of paths he’s walked before, and that his general attitude is a result of watching the same scenarios play out over and over, and that all of this is tied to that amulet of his, which probably belongs to the wizard Timaeus, who began dabbling with time travel as a way to reset time to before he shattered the worlds.
Or maybe he’s just a prick who decided killing us would be funny and my imagination is just running rampant, who knows?
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I believe the just a prick theory though now you got me wanting it it to be Time Traveler Mage Callum as an explanation… still don’t give him the right to backstab us so to speak.
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whew. the story is very good! just hope those college kids didnt have to die tho but it is what it is
typos and errors
isnt valerie’s clock dead? the part before this too mention looking at the clock to see its late
this choice would lead to a scene as if mc agree to pray. i checked the other choices and theyre ok, havent checked the greyed one tho
about these parts, the greyed option is only the option chosen before, but if you choose other option they can be picked again. how about using *disable_reuse?
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@The_Eski That’s an interesting theory!
Oh wow, good catch! I wrote the part about Valerie’s clock being dead literally years ago, so I must’ve forgotten at some point, haha. But you’re right, I’ll have to adjust those lines.
Looks like I missed a *goto there. I’ll fix that and the clock gaffe and upload those changes with the next update. Thanks!
Hm, my feeling with this is that without any time pressure or causality issues with repeating stuff (as you would run into in, say, a conversation), there’s no logical reason a player shouldn’t be allowed to choose to go back and read previous sections of the book—and I felt that some players might actually want to, if they learned something new in one section that might prompt them to go back and cross-reference something from earlier, since a lot of these topics are related.
I figured this wouldn’t apply to the intro, though, which doesn’t contain any useful information after a first read.
Does that make sense?
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Undead clock?
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ooo i see! but the other books are different tho. i cant choose again the parts ive read
btw i forgot to say i like the in game books!
Ah, I see, I hadn’t realized that. I’ll figure out which methodology I prefer and edit the books to be consistent with each other.
Thanks!
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I sooo want to believe the prick theory of yours but the other one, damn. gave me food for serious thought. still doesn’t change the fact that I want to smack that man to the moon and back with my boots 
I hope we get a chance to understand the complexities of this mind.
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Holy shit this WIP is so good. I really enjoy the distinct personalities of all of our characters. All of the characters have their own shine. Cortez is a no doubt powerful magus who’s not afraid of stepping on any toes. But he knows how he comes across to people. I like when he says, ”Personally if everybody was like me, the world would be a pretty bleak place.” Valerie is very all over the place, in line with her having ADHD. She’s innocent and might not know what she’s doing but her heart is in the right place and she’s eager to work hard even costing some nights of sleep. It is apparent as well that she has some traumas deep down. And I am a sucker for characters that have all the right to become cold and emotionally distant but choose to instead smile. I’m not sure whether Kira will become part of the main cast or not but I enjoyed her introduction as well and will enjoy getting to know her. Also Andrei, he’s another person I’m interested in getting to know. Reading the flashbacks is like reading an entirely new book (also not to mention the length and depth of the flashbacks) that I can’t help but get lost into this world. I can’t wait to see this story unfold. Andrei’s storyline. Our past with Callum and Charlotte. Camilla’s fondness(?) for Valerie. Escapades in Alfheim. I really enjoy the writing as well. It is just right. Not too much and not too little. I genuinely laughed out loud when Cortez popped the trunk and Andrei was in it. I find not many choice games is capable of striking that realistic yet still whimsical balance of lifelike dialogue. I especially love how much care is put into it for example we reference minor characters from our past, like Sister Adeline when we learn of the other worlds. Speaking of, the world building of this game is done really well. I am a big fan of original world building with twists on mythology and history. I am a long time enjoyer of choice games but there’s not many that I enjoy so much that I can’t help but leave a comment. And anytime I do I usually just ramble about it 
I was so sad when I reached the end of the most recent demo. Truly excited to see where this goes. All the best!
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