Wayhaven Book 4 Discussion Thread

Just got myself caught up with the demo.

Hiding because it's longish and incase anything is considered spoilery

I’m on the Adam route for my main save. I’ve wanted to switch to someone else so many times but I’m the type that I have to see it through, no matter how frustrating.

And tbh I could handle most of what A throws our way if we had the options to be more pissed off, to be more snarky or petty with them. More importantly, if my MC was able to have dates or flirtations with other fellas, to show Adam that she’s not gonna hang about, and that if he won’t step up others certainly will. That would even make the long, dragged out, whiplash romance bearable. I’m happy to stay on A’s route and see it through to th bitter end, but being able to return some of the hurt A causes us would feel so much better. Because right now both us and A are in turmoil, but A is the only one causing it. Their pain is self inflicted, and we have to endure and simper and giggle for scraps of attention which makes me want to throw their camomile tea in their face or take all my attention away from them too.
It’s too one sided to be enjoyable, especially when there is nothing else but the romance. Give me a proper case with investigations and clues to keep me occupied while ignoring the withholding RO’s.

Also Rebecca. She’s nothing to my MC so obviously I don’t want her being my handler. (Even with a good relationship your mother as your handler might be too much) And yet A has to make a comment about it. I don’t know if being on their route coloured my reading of their comment but it felt like a dig to make me feel like my choice was wrong or to guilt me, and it annoyed me.

The more Rebecca is pushed on me the more I despise her. I’m not even interested in knowing more about Rook because it would mean interacting with her. And yet she always makes an appearance, it feels like your choices (cos there have been multiple when it comes to her) are ignored. It’s a bit suffocating. I said No Rebecca, go and flirt with the mayor.

I tried the villain route, and must say going from A to Li-Sar was jarring. I’m not sure about it yet, it feels a bit pantomimey, but I am interested in what could happen more with this new power, and what this union Sparky wants between us would mean. I definitely want to see more before I make up my mind.

But why is A so different as a bestie? I switched to no romance route because I was frustrated with A and then get a version of Bullseye’s “look at what you could have won” with A on it. I’m beginning to think the MC’s power is a virus that turns anyone that loves them into mustard.

I do wish I had more positive things to say but even though the demo is a few chapters in now it doesn’t feel like much has actually went on. The lack of romance and Rebecca stuff is old hat by now so they’re not really book 4 specific issues but there just wasn’t a whole lot else in these chapters to think or talk about. Hopefully the next update will have more because I did really enjoy book 1, and there have been parts of 2 & 3 that I enjoyed too.

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I don’t know anything about k-dramas. Can you explain?

Except, I don’t buy this. Firstly, we (can) shoot A. Sure, they heal but it had effect. More than I think a stun gun would.

Second, this no kill policy is inane. Hell, look at Murphy; he was outright killing people, but no lethal force cuz supernaturals say no? At least Falk you can chalk it up to extreme difference in values and cultures, so wanting to negociate makes some sense, but Murphy was an outright monster.

Which, really, just has me angry at the Agency again. They’re either extremely supernaturally biased and deserve way more scrutiny than they get, they’re extremely incompetent and how they’re still functioning is an eternal mystery, or both.

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not sure if this will appear in Bk 4, but the patreon fans are going to be able to see Rook’s file. This could be the big angsty reveal so there can be no LI reveal?

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He’s kind and caring from the start, seems to have no flaws, appears to be interested in everything the MC does and how they feel - just a walking ideal :stuck_out_tongue:

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Oh. The prince charming that gets ditched for the “real” love interest you see in Rom Coms.

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exactly!

Oh! Ooooh! I have a theory – A is an energy vampire, like Colin Robinson from “What we do in the shadows” and feeds on misery (that A themselves cause) instead of blood - they refuse to chug it in the breakfast scene in Chapter 3, remember? It all fits!

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I’m cackling. It’s uncanny.

The fact that the agency has a no-kill policy but that’s apparently the only moral line they draw also makes no sense. Like wdym y’all are okay with torturing supernaturals in the weird creepy agency facility, but you won’t kill them, even when some of them are clear flight risks and dangers to the public?? Once again, major lack of internal consistency in the world.

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I think someone said that sera doesn’t like guns, ergo why some stuff gets dumbed down (like the pepper spray option), but there is something incredibly weird in seeing this pseudo portrayal of muffled violence while also rebecca voice: “yes, my child, this is the supernatural torture chamber. We are the good guys, I promise” :sob:

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Not liking guns is a perfectly valid reason for not having guns, I’d say, but why are they there in the first place then? I’d have bought that they’re not a thing if they were never there in the first place.

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Oh of course, and I agree with you. Like the setting is straight up wrong because, while hating violence is obviously fine, you can’t write a credible story by giving your detective a banana instead of a weapon. Especially when there’s no alternative combat either.

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Not liking guns is fine, and I’m even willing to humor the idea that maybe guns don’t work on most supernaturals (even though they clearly do affect vampires :roll_eyes:) so the MC’s no longer carrying around a gun for that reason. But if that’s the case, it would have been pretty easy to come up with some other sort of fictional weapon that’s not a gun (or at least not a traditional gun) and also does some solid damage to supernaturals. Like, you’re telling me the agency has the budget for a torture facility, but they didn’t put any money into R&D for, oh, I don’t know, a weapon that isn’t a cattle prod or pepper spray???

Why can we have supernatural creatures but no supernatural weapons? Why am I trying to fight Cthulhu with a knife???

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Have you TRIED buttered calamari? :yum:

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The fact that they work on vampires was there only to have the “humor” of shooting A. It should not have been there. If guns aren’t supposed to work, then supernaturals should all have skin that is impenetrable/unbreakable. I have a character like that in the world my partner and I invented. The thing is, the guy whose skin can’t be broken (be it with a round from a gun or a knife), is still affected by force from weaponry. In other words, if he gets shot with a .12 gauge 00 round, it will knock his ass down (despite him having superstrength but not really realizing it yet). Hell, even Superman can be knocked flying with enough force, so at the very least, supernaturals should be affected in that way–find a firearm with high enough force output (or hit them with a small cannon) and they should be sent flying.

If the MC was given a weapon that served as an equalizer against supernaturals, then they couldn’t be forced into the damsel-in-distress role as easily. And that isn’t allowed.

On a different topic, to give credit where credit is due, Mishka released the first of the Valentine’s Day specials. This one was for M, and it’s well worth signing up for her Patreon for a month. I just wish we could get this M in the fucking game, without it being immediately ruined with M’s stupidity or a damned interruption.

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Guns is bad. Torture for eternity is good. The agency is quite evil. Torture and abuse is far worse than being shot. The agents shouldn’t have a no kill policy.

I rather die than be tortured in an agency prison.

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Bestie, you don’t gotta worry about it because only evil people get tortured and that’s why torture is good actually :two_hearts:

In all seriousness, I’m glad to see a lot of constructive critique for the series is taking place, but having read through the entire thing there are a few times where the critique for the story is transitioning into a criticism of the author as a person. You can critique Mishka/Sera’s writing without personally insulting her, so please try to do that going forward, guys :black_heart: Thank you.

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I won’t knock Sera for not liking guns. I have my own issues with them, but I will raise issue when it conflicts with the internal logic of the story.

Guns don’t work? Idk, certainly looks like A felt it. Definitely a lot more than that damn taser in the B4 demo on What’s-his-face. Even if the damage is light, it clearly hurts.

Too inhumane to justify using? We literally have torture. And don’t even get me started on Tina’s relationship with the one agent during her route, which is so, so many brands of fucked up regarding consent.

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It’s almost funny how pointless the choices are when you actually go against the narrative/ what the author wants you to do. Like, they’re self contained to the reactions in the following 1-2 pages and afterwards is ignored with what they actually wanted you to say. Though it only became obvious to me when I decided to do an asshole run, where I picked every choice that matches a gruff bastard that works alone and has a “works 24/7” mentality that pushes everyone (except Tina and Vedra) away.
So imagine the whiplash when during the first meeting, I’m being dismissive and hostile… Only for them to get all, “Wow, for some reason Mc makes us feels so warm and relaxed”

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