The Wayhaven Chronicles General Discussion (SPOILER FREE FOR BOOK THREE!)



Welcome, Wayhaveners!

This thread is for the discussion of the entire Wayhaven Chronicles series by Mishka Jenkins, also known as @Seraphinite. Here, you can post opinions, theories, or just talk about your Detective!


Note: Spoiler tags for Book Three are REQUIRED, or your comment will be removed! If you don’t know how to apply spoilers, this thread will show you how.

  • If you would like to try out the current demo, would like to report a bug, or are curious about the development of the series, please go to the Work-In-Progress thread.
  • If you have any questions regarding the plot, romances, or win conditions, please look through the FAQ to see if it's already been answered.
  • If you want to read/write or draw fanfiction and fanart, please visit the fanworks thread.
  • If you would like to discuss the NSFW or risque aspects of the series, please visit the NSFW thread. You must join the Adult Readers Group in order to access it.
  • To get the latest Wayhaven news, check out Seraphinite's tumblr or instagram.
  • If you want to learn more about Wayhaven, its characters, and the setting, please visit the Wayhaven Wiki.


If you’re super confused and don’t know anything about the Wayhaven Chronicles, please consider playing the game!

Book One is available on Steam, Apple, Google Play, Amazon, and the Choice of Games webstore.

Book Two is available on Steam, Google Play, Amazon, and the Choice of Games webstore.

All released books can also be found in the Hosted Games App, available in the Appstore, Google Play, and Amazon.

Book Three is currently in being written. A demo is available in the WIP thread (linked above). This is the final demo and no more chapters of the game will be released until launch, when you can purchase the full game for yourself.



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Before you ask a question, please check to see if it’s already been answered in this FAQ! :blush:

Please note:

All answers are hidden under the summaries.

Unless otherwise indicated, all answers are spoiler-free.

If you think you have a question that should be added, please @ or PM me so I can see it.



General Questions
What's the best place to find the latest updates regarding Wayhaven Chronicles?

That would be at Seraphinite Games! It’s the professional tumblr of author, coder, and artist Mishka Jenkins (the author of Wayhaven Chronicles). There she posts updates, answers questions, and generally does a lot of interacting with our fandom.

The above link directs you to her tumblr’s homepage.

This link will direct you to the latest general update.

This link will direct you to the latest development update.

Sera also has an Instragram.

A patreon is coming soon.


When will the next book come out?

Unfortunately, there’s no definitive answer to that question.

Wayhaven Chronicles is written by a single person, Mishka Jenkins (otherwise known as @Seraphinite), and the first game alone is very large and complex, nearing 500,000 words of code and narrative combined.

To put that in perspective, there’s as many words and code in Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One as there are in the first four Harry Potter books combined.

So we ask that you be patient in the release of the next book, and remind you that it is against the forum rules to ask when an update might be as it can cause undue stress to the author.


How many books are there?

Currently, only Book One is written, and Book Two is currently in development.

However, there are seven planned books.


Is there or will there be a save/load system?

Within the single book? No.
Over the series? Yes.

Choicescript (the coding system that Wayhaven is written in) does not have a native save/load system that allows you to save in the middle of playing. The closest thing to a save system is the checkpoint system that some Choice of Games have. However, those are all custom built for those specific games and are very large and complex, and Sera has admitted she has limited coding skills.

That said, there is a save system in place at the end of each Book. When you finish a book, you will be able to save your stats and character choices to import into the subsequent Books and continue playing where you left off. That save system does exist.


Is it possible to have more than one save/playthrough?

Absolutely!

The save system allows you to save multiple save files from different finished playthroughs.


How do I delete old saves?

Unfortunately, save files cannot be deleted.
This is simply not a feature that CoG considered when creating ChoiceScript, the script the game was written in.

If you find that you have too many save files and you don’t know what to do with them, you can make another email and save new files to that email and be more careful the next time around.


Can I access my save files?

All save files are uploaded to CoG servers and cannot be accessed until the next game. This is simply how save systems work in ChoiceScript, Sera has no control over this.

There’s simply no system in place to open one up and look at the different choices you’ve made, unfortunately, so name your save files clearly for your future-self to remember what choices and events happened in the game.


Are there any achievements?

Nope, you don’t have to worry about achievements in Wayhaven Chronicles.



Romance and Gender Questions
Who are the Love Interests?

The game has four Love Interests whose genders change depending on what you choose as the main character’s preference.

Adam/Ava

Nate/Nat

Felix/Farah

Mason/Morgan

You can also choose to romance no one, however this is not advised. This is a romance-focused story, so choosing not to participate in a romance may lead to considerably less or altered content.

Follow this link for more details on how much emphasis the story puts on romancing characters.


Will there ever be any other Love Interests?

No.

The only romanceble characters are Adam/Ava, Nate/Nat, Felix/Farah, or Mason/Morgan.

Follow this link for more details on why some characters are not romanceable, and how much emphasis the story puts on romancing characters.


How are the genders of the Love Interests decided?

It’s decided by the orientation you choose for your Detective, and may also be influenced by the gender you choose for your Detective.

Female, Male, and Non-Binary Detectives who are attracted only to women will have Ava, Nat, Farah, and Morgan as their Love Interests.

Female, Male, and Non-Binary Detectives who are attracted only to men will have Adam, Nate, Felix, and Mason as their Love Interests.

Female Detectives who are attracted to both men and women will have Adam, Nate, Farah, and Morgan as their Love Interests.

Male and Non-Binary Detectives who are attracted to both men and women will have Ava, Nat, Felix, and Mason as their Love Interests.


What sort of changes are there between male/female/non-binary MCs?

Outside of cosmetic changes like pronouns, or whether or not you’re tall enough to look at some of your Love Interests at eye-level, there are some differences in the flavor text of certain flirting options.

For example, some (not many) actions that a Male Love Interest would do to a Female or Non-Binary Detective will be transferred over to a Male Detective toward a Female Love Interest.

However, at no point does your gender affect dialogue options available to you. Everything available to a Female Detective is available to a Male Detective is available to a Non-Binary Detective.

The only thing that your Detective’s gender affects is flavor text.


What is the love triangle and how does it work?

The love triangle refers to the romance option where the MC can have romantic feelings for both Nate/Nat and Adam/Ava.

The way the love triangle is set up is that the MC will date Nate/Nat but still have feelings for Adam/Ava.

The reason it is set up this way is because Nate/Nat do not deny the feelings they grow for the MC, and embrace them without issue, making them the most emotionally available of the two. By contrast, Adam/Ava will try to deny that their feelings even exist.

If Adam/Ava had been more obvious and less in denial about their feelings, Nate/Nat would have noticed and backed off because they value their best friend so much, thus completely negating any love triangle where the MC dates Adam/Ava but harbors feelings for Nate/Nat.

Detailed explanation for how the love triangle will be set up. (Spoilers)

The way Sera is planning it, the MC might not be certain of Adam/Ava’s feelings toward them, and Nate/Nat certainly don’t realize that Adam/Ava have feelings—if they do, it will be deep into the MC and Nate/Nat’s relationship, so deep that Nate/Nat will refuse to back off for Adam/Ava and continue their relationship with the MC.

As mentioned earlier, while the MC can develop feelings for Adam/Ava, their closed off nature makes it difficult to tell if they truly care (romantically speaking) for the MC. Thus, there is never the option to date Adam/Ava while growing feelings for Nate/Nat.

Regardless of the set-up, the love triangle will be the only route that continues to track flirt points; this is so that Sera can change flavor text depending on who the MC is more drawn to.
The MC will continue to get options to choose between spending time with Nate/Nat and Adam/Ava, thus increasing flirt points for both.

As far as Sera has planned it, there is no way to end the love triangle early by choosing either vampire over the other. The love triangle is set to naturally conclude around Book Six or Book Seven—this, could change, however.

It should be noted that Sera is trying her best to avoid having the MC string either Adam/Ava or Nate/Nat along for the entirety of the love triangle. She plans to write it so that the MC grows to genuinely love both parties.

Again, all these plans and more could change as the book series wears on, but for right now, this is the planned set-up.

NOTE: There is no end-game option to choose a polyamorous relationship with both Nate/Nat and Adam/Ava. Even if the MC is happy with that type of relationship, both Adam/Ava and Nate/Nat are monogamous, and uncomfortable with the idea of being in a polyamorous relationship. The MC will have to choose one or the other eventually.

Follow this link or this link for more information on the mechanics of the love triangles.

Follow this link, this link, or this link to learn more about the awareness of feelings in the love triangle.

Follow this link for more information regarding the resolution of the love triangle.


Do I have to choose who to romance in a love triangle right away? (Spoilers)

No, as a matter of fact the love triangle (as it’s planned right now) won’t be resolved until around Book Six or Seven, so the Detective won’t have to “choose” between them until then.

Follow this link for more details regarding the set-up of the love triangle.

Follow this link for potentially spoiler-y details regarding the resolution of the love triangle.


Are there any other love triangles? (Spoilers)

No.

The only characters who participate in a love triangle are Nate/Nat and Adam/Ava.

This link and this link give a more in-depth explanation as to why.


Are there any polyamorous relationships I can enter? (Spoilers)

No.

All of the Love Interests in Wayhaven Chronicles are monogamous for both character reasons (none of them want to be in polyamorous relationships) and for coding reasons (the game is a beast to code, even with only monogamous relationships).

Follow this link for a more detailed explanation from Sera herself.


Will we be able to have a sexual relationship with any of the Love Interests? (Spoilers)

Yes!

Just not in Book One.

The purpose of Book One is to introduce the world and characters, later books will continue the relationship in whichever direction you choose.

Follow this link for confirmation of sexual relationships via @MichaelCrank.

Follow this link for Sera’s answer and explanation regarding this question.

Follow this link for regarding the specifics of sexual relationships in the game.

Follow this link for Sera’s answer regarding the depiction of explicit scenes.


Will we be able to have kids in the game?

No.

Children are simply too big a factor in an already complex game.

However, the topic might come up in future installments as a topic of discussion, but not as something that can occur in the narrative presented in the game.

Follow this link for Sera’s detailed explanation regarding the how, the why, and even some (non-canon) reactions from ROs!


Do I have to participate in a sexual relationship with my Love Interest?

Absolutely not!

The game will give the Detective all the agency possible in how they proceed with the relationship, so you can certainly have a purely romantic relationship with no sexual element. The choice is up to you!

Follow this link for a more thorough explanation of the (entirely optional) sexual element to the game.

Follow this link for Sera’s answer and explanation regarding this question.

Follow this link for Sera’s answer regarding the depiction of explicit scenes.


Do I have to choose certain responses to get a specific Love Interest?

Nope!

Sera has specifically created the game to let you enjoy the romances and friendships at your leisure, that includes playing how you want! You are not stat-blocked from any romance.

There are no wrong choices.

Follow this link or this link for more detailed explanations from Sera.


Can I break up with a Love Interest?

No.

Once you’re locked in a romance, you’re locked in for the rest of the series.

However, Seraphinite will add the option of changing who you’d like your Detective to romance at the start of each subsequent game. In this way, you won’t have to restart from Book One just to romance someone.

Follow this link for more a more detailed explanation from Sera herself.


Can I choose someone to romance after Book One?

Technically yes.

But not within the narrative.

Because of how intertwined the romances are to the plot of the game, at the start of future books you will be prompted to confirm your Love Interest. This will allow you to change who you romance without having to start all over. However, characters will act as if you have been romancing them since Book One.

Follow this link for a better explanation of the romance option confirmation.

Follow this link for Sera’s answer to a similar (but not identical) question.



Settings and Lore Questions
<summary<What supernatural creatures exist in Wayhaven? (Spoilers)

Book One has confirmed the existence of the following creatures:

  • Demons
  • Fairies
  • Ghosts
  • Vampires
  • Witches
  • Werewolves
  • Whatever species Agent Chana is

The following supernatural creatures do not exist:

  • Unicorns :unicorn: :sob:

Can the MC become a supernatural being? (Spoilers)

No.

The Detective will remain human for the duration of the series, or at the very least, the vast majority of it. Quite a few plotlines revolve around the Detective’s humanity, so if the choice were to crop up, it would be near the end of the series.

If.

Follow this link for Sera’s more in-depth explanation.


What's the drinking age in Wayhaven?

Where is Wayhaven anyway?

Wherever you want it be! Per Sera’s words, “It’s just a fictional town in a fictional place.”

So…it can be anywhere you imagine it, really!

Follow this link for Sera’s more detailed answer.



Book Specific Questions
Book One Specific Questions (Spoilers)
How do I avoid getting captured by Murphy? (Spoilers)

There’s no way to win the first fight with Murphy; the game is designed so that you’re always taken away…for the drama~!


How can I keep Murphy from biting me? (Spoilers)

In the simplest, least spoiler-filled terms:

It is highly, highly suggested that you have at least one Professional Stat is above 60.
If you rely on this strongest stat, and you choose the choices that utilize it, you should not fail.

Within is a more in-depth and VERY spoiler-filled explanation specifying the code and stat checks

A temporary variable called Energy is created at the start of chapter Nineteen. As you may have guessed, it measures the amount of Energy the Detective has; it starts at 0, and certain choices allow you to gain energy.

In order to avoid having Murphy bite you, you must have an Energy Score of greater than or equal to 3.

Many of the choices that increase the Energy Score require very, very tough stat checks (the toughest in the game). In order to succeed and gain Energy Points, you have to choose the choices that best suit your Detective’s strengths.

Almost all of these stat checks need at most 55 in whichever stat it’s testing, except for one which requires 60.
So long as you choose the choices that corresponds to your highest Professional Stat, you should successfully avoid getting bitten.

If you still can't avoid Murphy, then within this is a summarized version of the code and stat checks necessary to avoid being bitten by Murphy. (Spoilers)
Try to wriggle wrists out of bonds.
   Requires combat >=50. +1 Energy.
   Requires people >=50. +1 Energy.
   If you have neither, nothing happens.

Look for something to loosen bonds.
   Requires science >=45 or deduction >=45. +1 Energy.
   If you have neither, nothing happens.

Don't risk pushing through the pain.
   No requirements. +1 Energy.

I have to keep going. I can do this! I have to keep going….
   Requires optimist >=54 or easygoing <=40 (LESS than, not greater than, as all the other stat checks have been) to AVOID LOSING 1 Energy.
   If not, 1 Energy is lost (only if you have any--you will never enter negative energy).

I can't…I've tried, but I just can't do this….
   No requirements. +1 Energy.

Try to warn them, giving them a heads-up.
   Requires heart >= 65 or heart <= 35. Lose 1 Energy.

Keep quiet. They know what they're doing.
   No requirements. +1 Energy.

Tend to my wounds as much as possible.
   Requires people >=60 or science >=55. +1 Energy.
   If you have neither, nothing happens

Observe the fight for advantages.
   Requires combat >=55 or deduction >=55. No Energy gain. The fight is flagged as 'seen'.
   If you have neither, nothing happens

Try to stay out of the way.
   No requirements. +1 Energy.

Final Fight, when Murphy tries to bite the Detective.
Try to hit out at him.
   Requires energy >=3 OR if the fight was flagged as 'seen'.
   If neither, you are bitten.

Try to dodge out of the way.
   Requires energy >=3 OR if the fight was flagged as 'seen'.
   If neither, you are bitten.

I'm too shocked to move.
   You are bitten.

And that’s how you avoid getting bitten by Murphy!


What are the effects of Murphy biting the Detective?

Outside of Murphy becoming nearly unstoppable, we’re not sure what effects the bite would have on the Detective.

It’s out hope that questions like these will be answered in Book Two.


How can I capture Murphy? (Spoilers)

Capturing Murphy requires you to play your Detective to their strengths.

So long as you have a single Professional Stat above 50, and pick the choice that corresponds to it, then you will succeed in capturing Murphy.

Below is a summarized version of the code and the specific stat checks needed to capture Murphy. (Spoilers)
There must be something around here that can help.
   Requires deduction >=50. If so, Murphy is captured.
   If not, Murphy escapes.

I just have to think harder about what's happening to Murphy….
   Requires science >=50. If so, Murphy is captured.
   If not, Murphy escapes.

It may not be much, but I can join the fight!
   Requires combat >=50. If so, Murphy is captured.
   If not, Murphy escapes.

I just need to get through to Murphy. Talk to him.
   Requires people >=50. If so, Murphy is captured.
   If not, Murphy escapes.

As you can see, high combat Detective would should probably choose the combat oriented choice if you’d like for them to succeed and Murphy to be capture.
The exact same thing can be said of the other Professional Stats.

And that’s how you capture Murphy.


What happens if Murphy escapes?

We’re not sure.

We’re not even sure if Murphy will even return. Only time will tell.


How can I kiss a Love Interest in Book One?

You can’t.

Wayhaven Chronicles is a slow-burn romance story, and Book One is all about introducing the world and characters to the readers. As a result, outside of choosing who your Detective will commit to for the rest of the series, Book One doesn’t have any option to kiss any of the Love Interests this early into their romances.

Follow this link for a more detailed explanation from Sera.


What is Murphy's real name?

Per a private message, Seraphinite confirmed that Fake Murphy’s real name is unknown, even to the Agency, which is why they had so much trouble tracking him down.

Follow this link to the post where @MichaelCrank confirmed this.



Book Two Specific Questions (Spoilers)

To be added upon the release of Book Two.


Book Three Specific Questions (Spoilers)

To be added upon the release of Book Three.


Book Four Specific Questions (Spoilers)

To be added upon the release of Book Four.


Book Five Specific Questions (Spoilers)

To be added upon the release of Book Five.


Book Six Specific Questions (Spoilers)

To be added upon the release of Book Six.


Book Seven Specific Questions (Spoilers)

To be added upon the release of Book Seven.




I hope that answered most, if not all, of your questions!
If not, feel free to ask and we’ll try to answer to the best of our ability.

In any case, have fun and…



FAQ Ettiquette

  • Please do not try to edit in a question/answer yourself. This post is wiki'd so that the system doesn't automatically lock the post from further edits after six months.

  • If you still have questions, or believe you have a question that should be included, please @ or PM me so I can see it..

  • If you see someone ask a question that has already been answered here, please link them to this post.

Thank you to all the users who have helped me with the FAQ!

Thanks to @arcphage @ceecrab @DancingInTheRain279 @Kanaya @Meira_Litch @Mewsly @MichaelCrank @resuri08 and @TheSarah for coming up with questions and finding answers!

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Yey!! We did it everyone!!! :tada::tada::tada:

Sera is gonna be :open_mouth: when she comes back and sees this :smiley:

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Dang, guys, we sure are thirsty passionate about sexy vampires!

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WE BROKE THE SYSTEM! The first thread closed after 10 001 messages :smiley:

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Aaaaaand we’re back~!
I missed you guys. :cry: :upside_down_face:

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Oh yeah, and if you guys haven’t read the welcome post…we have a wiki now. :blush:

(many thanks to @Hannah_Minger for editing sooooo much it was so much guys)

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Hmm, @Mewsly’s Wayhaven Wiki link doesn’t seem to work. I’m not directed to a site when I click on the link.

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This isn’t the first thread. I believe Guns of Infinity has that distinction, but we can celebrate the new thread anyway. :fireworks:

I have a question though… why must Book 2 have spoilers if there is nothing out? I can see Book 1 endings needing it, but when the demo releases, I figure this thread will get locked and discussion moved to the new Book 2 demo thread.

If you are going to insist that Book 2 talk needs spoilers, what exactly should be spoilered?

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Fragments from Book two posted on the tumblr, I’d assume.

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@michellexylee The link should work now.

@spunkycatninja Actually, we discussed this in the other thread, but it has long since been buried…and that’s kind of the issue.

We’re a very talkative fandom so much and it would be more detrimental than helpful to @Seraphinite and Book 2 as a whole if we moved all discussion over to that. So we were thinking that instead of doing that, we leave the Book 2 WiP thread for more focused and helpful feedback that Sera can actually read through, instead of jumping to the latest in 600 new posts.

This thread would then serve for our more off-topic discussions that still deal with Wayhaven, without completely derailing the WiP thread.
Of course, that one hasn’t been made yet, but I figured I’d add the spoiler warning as a preventative measure regardless.

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Also, add that we thought that when the wip of book 2 is open, we should tag Sera exclusively when we have feedback to give, so it will be really ease for her to read the important stuff.

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Ok, that makes sense. I do remember the conversation, but it had been awhile.

But if the WIP thread will be all about feedback, that might be excessive, right? :thinking:

I want our car to last the whole time—being clunky and finicky the whole time. :oncoming_automobile:

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sniffs air ahhh ready to be filled with delicious angs and anorable fluffyness

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I don’t think it will be 100% exclusive. We will probably gush about the demo itself over there, but try to keep it more contained that the general talk.

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New thread!

Thanks so much to everyone who worked on the wiki - it looks really nice and I can only imagine how much time and effort went into putting it together. :tada:

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Yay a new thread! :smiley: And a wiki! :slight_smile:

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Wiki looks great!

@rose-court edit OP name to Mishka Jenkins

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autocorrect needs to die a fiery death

Thank you! We worked hard on the wiki!

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Know who else needs to die a fiery death? Murphy. Ahahahahaha~

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