Haha really? I love Batman. He is my favorite superhero.
1 Like
Yeah, I can see why. The problem with him is the justice league. In his own stories he works well, fighting mostly street level criminals. His victories and losses all make sense. But when he is fighting, and winning, against someone like Darkseid it just gets ridiculous.
Relating this back to Wayhaven, the story doesnāt have issues like this. The supernatural races so far have been quite balanced. As shown with UB there is even a high degree of variation within them.
Yeah I can see how that would get old. But for me one of the biggest reasons I like him can be summed up in a quote
āAll men have limits. They learn what they are and then learn not to exceed them. I ignore mine.ā
He isnāt saying he doesnāt have limits like every other person, he has them but he chooses to ignore them. And this is one of the many reason why Batman is my all time favorite.
1 Like
The love triangleā¦ahhh! I canāt choose! I hope there will be a way to make it work with both of them.
There isnāt you have to choose, no poly routes.
1 Like
Noooo! Oh god I may have to back out of this then, I donāt know if I could possibly choose. There are a lot of books left so maybe a miracle will happenā¦I can hope!
Nope, no miracle lol. Sera already confirmed you have to choose and there wonāt be a poly route. Putting a poly route is hard with the amount of coding there is already and N and A wouldnāt be comfortable with it sheās said. By Book 6 or the last one Book 7 you will have to make your final choice.
4 Likes
In the LT route,at the end,when there is an option to begin relationship with Nat,does that then lock her in as the only LI?
No that isnāt the final choice. Youāll be in a relationship with N, but still have feelings for A I think.
1 Like
Did you ever find a Discord to join? 
Because I neeeed to talk about this latest book with someone.
Feedback time! Seeing that the 2nd book just came out, I figured I might as well take time to finally play the first game, which Iāve just now finished. Here are my thoughts.
I was disappointed. The writing did not overly appeal to me, and there were mistakes I really did not expect to find, having in the past played the demo several times (to try out the different romance options) and thinking, then, that this was one of the better written books within the hosted games library. Off the top of my head, I recall the verbs lay/lie were used wrongly (as is sadly too often the case nowadays with so many people), then there were words that were simply written wrong, though not typos per se for the lettersā disposition resulted in what might be deemed relatively ācorrectā pronunciationā¦ Perhaps I am being harsh, but I suppose it was my expectations that were set too high, and they simply came crashing down.
As for the charactersā¦ Maybe my tastes were yet unrefined when I played the demo (but itās only been a year or so?), or perhaps the short passages we had with the characters misled me into thinking the book would yield more of the same goodness. Also, in the gameās full length, the characters became glaringly obvious in their unidimensional design. Each had their quirks, yes, fact I had thought was delightful in giving the characters their own personalities, but the more I read, the more obvious it was how they were simplyā¦ bland. Farah kept chuckling or laughing at every little thing. Thatās all she ever did. Likewise, Ava always frowned and disapproved, straight-laced that she was (okay, she dislikes humans, keeps a distanceā¦). Morganās trademark was smoking, and smoking, and smoking, then frowning while smoking. Now, I only played Natalieās path in full, so I canāt say if the others have more going on for them that I havenāt seen, but even she, whom I had thought would prove the most interesting emotionally, fell short. The author focused way too keenly on each oneās recognizable traits and forgot to give them more variations and colourāenough to forge interesting and enticing personalities. As a concrete exampleā¦ well, I think any scene works, sadly, but in short, they were always found doing the same things. It wouldnāt have hurt to make Farah instead of Nat provide comfort (like when Nat comes back and is sad that her detective got nabbed), which wouldāve added to the characterās depth. The characters were overly consistent with their design. They didnāt feel alive. (har har)
Natās kind consideration, omnipresent empathy, and a few glimpses of inner turmoil as to her vampiric nature when she admits sheās more like her peers than sheād likeā¦ Even so, the story didnāt capitalize on any of that. The relationship felt superficial. As for the romance itself, those cozy moments of intimacy we were offered, at least with Nat, were always, always interrupted by a ringing phone, or a bell, or a doctor fetching our detective for a test or anotherā¦ That technique got real old, real fast. There are more deft ways a writer can bring about a transition between scenes without times and again relying on such a gimmick. Like, every single time!!! Had the writing made fun of that fact in some genre-savvy way (or perhaps the characters? If theyād acknowledged it themselves?), it wouldāve been humorous. Instead, the writing was further laden down.
The prose itself was decent for the most part, but my eyes were half-dead by the time I trudged my way to the end.
Donāt even get me started on how surprisingly incompetent the agents were. I can see how a writer may want to plot their story in a way that relationships would be facilitated by close physical proximity. Thatās how the bodyguard job came to be, Iām sure. And thatās fine. Cheesy, but possibly cute and holding a lot of potential. Yet, that potential was never realized. Seeing how choices didnāt seem to matter in this game (were there variables being recorded at all? I havenāt taken time to look at the code yet), Iām not even sure itās possible to lose, but there were no stakes. Well, it felt like there werenāt. Which is funny, because if you were to ask me to fill a chart about the structure of the plot, Iād be able to fill in all the blanks. X happened. Then Y happened. Then char Z tried this, did this, peripeteias XYZ unfolded, etc. But as a reader who was immersed in the prose, I felt as if the graph the story would draw would be a linear, flat line. I felt no excitement, no worry for my characterās safety, or for the othersā. It was obvious how happily things would end. That something be obvious is not necessarily a bad thing, for all lies (not lays, by the way) in the execution itself. This, in terms of story parameters, was most blatantly the moment your character got kidnapped: I believe the author should have involved more than the āmain castā, whom we all knew wore heavy plot armor already. My love interest in this playthrough, Nat, suffering a bloody blow to the head left me indifferent. āOuch. Eh. Sheāll be fine. Lookā¦ā and she was indeed fine. As were everybody else.
Oh, but I was talking about the agentsā competenceā¦ There I go getting sidetracked. I can only hope this whole thing remains coherent to some extent. You see, the end scene when youād just escaped and are dragging your half-dead ass out and are rescued by your friends? They were fighting, and Murphy admitted to being unable to match the friendly vamps in combat. Now, one wouldāve thought that he had on his person a vial or syringe of your precious blood already, yes? Nay, he had to make his way right in front of you, somehow bypassing your superior bodyguards, and somehow managing to sink his toothies into your tender meaty. Hmā¦
My sister had played this game a few weeks ago. Iāve just asked her what she thought, to see whether I ought to get the sequel for her now that itās out.
āI donāt remember enough to say anything, just that it was kinda boring.ā
āBut which one did you romance?ā
āThe leader. Euhā¦ I donāt remember his name.ā
āā¦ā
I get this was only the first book, and that many of the things mentioned in the game, be they about worldbuilding or relationships, might be touched on in greater emphasis in the future. Alas, I simply did not enjoy myself enough to feel vested in this universe or its characters. I had fond memories of the main cast from the demo, and I so badly wanted to love this game like so many here seem to, and then to explore the romance options and enjoy a good tale being spunā¦ Ah well.
Best of wishes to the author for her next books! Oneās craft is ever honed, after all. This might not have been my cup of tea, but keep up the good work! 
4 Likes
Just dropping by to say I bought Book 2 a while ago but I couldnāt motivate myself to get started on it immediately because I played the demo part way too much when it was still a WIP. Got past that, then ended up enjoying the story until the ending which I felt was too abrupt and could had been fleshed out more. But thatās really my only complaint about it. Iād give it a 7/10, still a decent read if you can get past the abrupt ending.
2 Likes
Iāll be in for the ride on this love triangleā¦Iām gonna love em both and just hope it works out where everyone is happy.
As someone who had a laundry list of complaints about the first game, I can almost understand where youāre coming from, but Iām gonna tell you the equivalent of what numerous people told me at the time: itās only the second game of seven. Everything isnāt gonna happen all at once (amazing how my perspective changed once Dezh got a piece of Mason, lol).
Seriously, to provide a different perspective on thingsā¦
They arenāt misspelled. Sera uses British English (I think the Brits call it proper English, but I would argue that point 
). So the stuff that appears to be misspelled isnāt, itās just how they spell the words. It might seem odd (it still does to me, at times, but Iām getting used to it), but you can check that one off your list.
I donāt get this one. What do you mean? Book 2 is rife with interaction with UB, and the interaction is pretty awesome, even if some of the scenes are short (considering Sera had to write so many different split scenes with them, Iām surprised we got as many as we did!). Hell, in my paths with Adam, Nate, and the LT, I got scenes with Mason showing concern for the MC. Not overly dramatic and in your face, but itās Mason, and it was damned perfection. In my Mason route, my MC got scenes with Nate and Felix being supportive friends (and honestly, I didnāt expect Dezh to ever get along with Nate but sheās liking him now).
I disagree. We got to see a soft side to Mason/Morgan, which was enough to leave me with my jaw hanging open. We got to see UB interact with each other, which gave us glimpses as to who they are (and will probably be to the MC later, if we havenāt reached that point yet) beneath the surface. There is way more to M than smoking and growlingāthe scene where youāre supposed to rescue Sanja, if youāre in the N route, you get an awesome little bit where you and M team up to deal with stuff and can even comment on it afterward, and as long as you arenāt a complete dick, M makes a comment indicating they like the idea of working with you in the future.
For A, I will agree that they seem awfully one-dimensional, except in their romance path, but A is so tightly wound and has such a ginormous stick up their ass that itās not a huge surprise. Still, there are a couple of scenes where A shows actually concern for a MC they arenāt involved with. The scene after you get off the phone and they ask about it being difficult to hide the truth from the MCās friends is pretty great, with him putting a hand on their shoulder in support. They all have moments like that, and they do open up, to an extent. Hell, even A shares their age with the MC, even if they arenāt romanced. And that scene is damned adorable!
F does provide comfort, more than once.
Nās path, in my opinion, is your classic romance. It couldnāt happen too fast, and N wanted things to be settled with the case before taking a step forward. Itās not my cup of tea (I find it a bit too saccharine) but I can see the appeal. And the MC I have stuck with Nate eats it up.
Though, I wasnāt seeing the constant interruptions in book 2 (and I complained LOUDLY about that in book 1). There are a couple, but the main reason the relationship doesnāt progress until later is N themselves. Itās a choice., just as it is with A (for different reasons, mainly that stick I mentioned earlier).
Okay, this one is just patently false. Choices really do matter here. Hell, some of your choices from book 1 come back in book 2 and affect things (such as having the tests or not having the tests). The MCās personality helps decide outcomes based on more choices (if your MC canāt fight and chooses to fight, theyāre gonna get their asses handed to them). I got a āgoodā ending with three of my detectives, two of whom chose to save their LI over Sanja, so Sanja died. But one of mine got a ābadā ending, which sucked for me as the reader since I freaking love Falk.
The thing is, Sera didnāt turn this into a stat-based pain in our asses. Itās about the story, not about stats, and for that Iām eternally grateful. Oh, you can still screw up and get a less than desirable outcome, but if your detective is smart enough to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, then they can succeed more often than they fail (ex: in book 1, Dezh helped catch Murphy and didnāt get bitten, and in this book, her only āfailureā was Sanja dying, but she wouldāve always chosen Mason over Sanja, even if she did like the woman.
But, I guess if youāre looking for the MC or UB to die, then you would be disappointed. Personally, I love it. Thereās enough doom and gloom that I donāt need it in my entertainment. And games where your MC can die over the slightest misstep piss me off to no end.
For your complaints about the agents incompetence, they seem to be about book 1? Take into consideration that bodyguarding really isnāt their gig. So itās not that theyāre incompetent, theyāre just out of their element. Itād be like taking my now 83% combat-oriented Dezh and forcing her to be a people person (when her people skill is 1%). A fish out of water, thatās a good description. And it fit for poor UB in book 1.
Tell your sis to try romancing M or F if she wants memorable. I can get why A was not for her (I really hated the A path in book 1, but actually donāt mind A so much in the LT and when I stuck an equally emotionally-constipated MC with Adam, that path actually made me laugh at how utterly moronic the two of them are!).
Anyway, just wanted to provide a different perspective for you. Hopefully at least the bit about British English helped, so you realize Sera knows how to spell. 
As for the rest, maybe try again and pay a bit more attention to the little things, because they really do add up by the end. 
33 Likes
Aselia is making a review of book 1, not 2. At first I was tremendously confused too, but re-reading the first part of his comment
With that being said, allow me to say that Wayhaven is set to be a series of 7 books, just due to that, the first book of the series is more slow paced than the rest, playing an introductory role to the universe of Wayhaven
8 Likes
Book 2 didnāt disappoint at all so so good! That last chapter wow I love the slow burn. BRAVO Sera thank you so much for this story.
5 Likes
I think your reply and points you made about the book and series as a whole @EvilChani was very well put 
I am an A (Adam) main romance but can see how his route can be abit boring and frusting for some. I just love tension and star crossed lovers haha.
But also I really got into M in book 2! Idk how to put screenshots in here esp. With spoiler blurs so Iāll use text instead-
The fact that mason/Morgan goes from āthereās only certain parts of her Iād be interested in knowingā to āI canātā¦ Its you. I can only sense you.ā in the sewer scene was just 
Hope I replied right BTW! Am useless at forums and well in general lol
14 Likes
Ah, Iām afraid I was talking about the first book there! (blame the other thread for being closed)
As for the Brit English; I donāt think it was, honestly. I did notice it was the preferred variant, seeing as each word I suspected was a word I looked up, and some I didnāt have to because it was clear. I had opened up the code while writing my first comment with the intention of finding and listing the ones I rememberedā to confirm my sightingsā but figured that was more work browsing through the scenes.txt than I was willing to do. Off the very top of my head, these were some of them: āacheynessā, āmean timeā, āfinedā instead of findā¦ and the improper uses of lay/lie, of course. It is subtle, but you might notice I too prefer Brit English when I employed ācolourā above 
I see some of my points had indeed gotten convoluted within the body of my rant. Iād feared as much (yay self-awareness). I didnāt want to do this, but here goesā¦
When I spoke of the agentsā incompetence, it was not the agents themselves I was criticizing (though I still think the author tried too hard to make them unique as romance options that it backfired). Characters are vehicles for actions and ideas, tools for a writer to employ. It was in fact the lack of consideration when one crafts a scene that annoyed me. The attempt itself at creating tension within that scene I mentioned in particular; the final battle with Murphy. If Murphy, as he admits himself, was no match for the agents in his then current state, it stands to reason that he wouldnāt be able to physically get to our detective. Itās common sense, really (or a lack thereof?). To have him even appear out of nowhere in front of us was a cheap trick I greatly disagreed with. Giving Murphy a vial of our blood wouldāve been better than having him jump us in that context (and it wouldāve deepened his characterization as a bonus by portraying him as the careful sort). That is, if one insisted on having the fight scene feature some degree of escalation.
You misunderstood my statement about the stakes. I didnāt want anyone to die. Not unless it was absolutely necessary. And this necessity I speak of is one demanded by the story itself. If a character improves the story by being dead rather than staying alive, then even if it breaks the writerās heart, they ought to commit murder (ahh!). However, stakes can also be introduced into the narrative through sheer skillful execution by creating a tense atmosphere thatās juuust right. Small details, little things, disseminated throughout the whole book. I found there was a lack of such things. As I said in my previous post, the plot elements were there theoretically if I were asked to list them down, but as a reader, I failed to feel the stakes, the tension.
I wonāt dissect the whole book, but to get a bit more specificā¦
When the thralls attacked and the DMB mist was sprayed, the author opted to single out your current love interest (I assume thatās the case with every path) to act as your bodyguard and help your escape. That, right there, is akin to saying nothing will happen to the LI or you (the story had not established itself as being bleak enough for something like that). So what happens when the reader inevitably comes face to face with the baddie right after? No tension.
Things could then proceed in two directions: do we make it out? Do we not? And at what cost? There was no cost, since the LI had blatant plot armor. Then we didnāt escape because, plot. Okay, weāve been kidnapped. The villain tells us he wants to keep us alive, which is sensible. We also know weāre going to survive because no choice so far had made a difference other than changing the occasional flavor text, at least in my experience. Thus, we are the baddieās target, and he wants us safe and sound. Thenā¦ what next should we be concerned with? The safety of those we love or care about, right? What would worry us at that point in the narrative? That he has empowered himself with our blood to such an extent as to be easily capable of causing harm to those aforementioned loved ones. Alas, it was shown that Murphy had not consumed our blood when we woke up after the transfusion. Okay, he isnāt strong yet but still has access to the power-up due to his proximity to the source, us, which means he still poses a threat. Onlyā¦ he heads off to gods know where, leaving us an opportunity to escape (which by itself made no sense; I thought our blood was central enough to the story to warrant a degree of protectiveness/vigilance from the villain?). There was some tension here, when we wander the corridors in our injured state, uncertain whether Murphy would catch up to us, which was nice, but it was quickly dissipated: we run into Unit Bravo, and they become our sword and shield. But then an entirely other issue occurs; we go back to what I was complaining above about this scene. And there was Chekhovās DMB syringe which I thought was too obvious, too.
Itās good to know some choices are remembered in the sequel, but I honestly did not feel like the player had any real agency.
It may seem like I disliked everything about the game. Nah. The prose read well for the most part, and everything worked fine, really. I also liked how free we were in picking some choices for roleplaying value rather than stats. My criticism boils down to my finding the authorās intentions too transparent in how the scenes and characters were implemented, the way they were crafted. When the veil between writer and story is too thin, I find it difficult to get immersed into the narrative.
Anyway, Iām glad to know the sequel was more enjoyable for you. Iām almost tempted to give it a try, but I cannot ignore the gripes I had with the first book and its overall execution.
Cheers!
3 Likes
When the thralls attacked and the DMB mist was sprayed, the author opted to single out your current love interest (I assume thatās the case with every path) to act as your bodyguard and help your escape.
This is because your LI was in your bedroom with you when the attack happened, so objectively, they had way less exposure to the DMB, and was therefore your best chance at escape.
We also know weāre going to survive because no choice so far had made a difference other than changing the occasional flavor text, at least in my experience. Thus, we are the baddieās target, and he wants us safe and sound.
Thereās a large spectrum between ānothing happens to youā to āyouāre dead.ā In game, you were about to go through a painful blood transfusion that would have done unknown damage to your body. You could have gotten bitten by Murphy if you pick the wrong choice. Not to mention the psychological trauma. Youāre pretty much waking up to a Nazi scientist eager to use you as his science project.
Additionally, we know going in TWC that this is the 1st book of a 7-book series. Itās like when we were reading the 1st Harry Potter book, we all knew that Harry Potter wasnāt going to die no matter how tense and scary the final confrontation was. But that didnāt take away anything from that scene.
Onlyā¦ he heads off to gods know where, leaving us an opportunity to escape (which by itself made no sense; I thought our blood was central enough to the story to warrant a degree of protectiveness/vigilance from the villain?).
He went out to deal with the intruders (UB, obviously) who made some noises going in. Itās reasonable to assume he didnāt want to get interrupted when drinking from his personal Red Bull keg.
Itās good to know some choices are remembered in the sequel, but I honestly did not feel like the player had any real agency.
Thatās a bit harsh. Again, 1st book of a 7-book series. The purpose of this book is to introduce a new world with an over-arching story line. Many variables from the 1st and the 2nd books are tracked throughout the series. And many choices weāve made in earlier chapters, or even earlier books may come back to bite us. If you check Seraās tumblr or Instagram, youāll find that sheās been implementing new subroutines and routines to track more variables as the series progresses (e.g., your attitude towards the supernatural world, your relationship with your mom, your flirt style).
22 Likes