Finally got around to checking this out and I gotta say WOW!
I really love it. The best friend romance is amazing. Feels really smooth with narrative and romance.
Characters are amazing. I loved them all. (I only prefer the best friend because I’m bias with the “trope”)
I love the mysterious involved. Been keeping me on my toes. Can’t wait for another update!
Best friends to lovers is an awesome trope. Sometimes I just want fluff with no red flags.
Hi, have a question, I want to test the waters with all ro’s to get their reaction and etc… Does ro’s react if you’re flirty with more than one?
I don’t think they do? At least not yet anyway, still not progressed much beyond them being recent. So far the two didn’t acknowledge? I figure if not poly then they may.
Just wondering, can you romance an RO even with low approval?
Also love your writing!
I think at least 2 ROs will get jealous (or something to that effect). I belive K will be one and I can’t remember the other one. The author answered this in one of the Tumblr asks if you want to find out the second jealous RO 
Yeah, you can. It’s not really “approval”, but more how the ROs perceive and thus interact with you. It reminds me of Dragon Age 2 romance system, where both friendship and rivalry were tracked, and a “rivalmance” was a lot more snarky, aggressive, “love to hate you” kinda vibe. I’m not saying this is exactly how low approval romances will go in this IF, but essentially, the author said that low approval romances will have a different dynamic to high approval romances. I’m so excited for it!
Hi!
First, I want to thank everyone who left messages here. I’m glad you enjoyed the story and appreciate the activity in the thread!
Second, regarding the questions that were asked in the thread: you can now find a detailed explanation of how the romance and approval systems work on the demo’s stats page.
The same information (excluding details about special dynamics) can be found in the title post of this thread (in the 'Romance system’ and ‘Additional info’ sections).
But for your convenience:
In the game, the romance system dynamically changes the narrative based on your interactions and choices.
This section is lengthy, but it thoroughly explains every aspect and detail of the romance system.
Romance & Approval:
▸ You can play as straight, gay, bi, or disable romance altogether.
▸ There are seven routes and one special, solo route.
▸ All the ROs are player-sexual [always attracted to the MC, regardless of the MC’s gender or sexual orientation].
▸ There are no restrictions in the game that prevent you from romancing any RO [if their gender matches your MC’s preferences].
▸ The approval system does not affect the ability to romance, even with negative value. It changes the dynamics of communication at some points differently for each RO. An example of how the approval system works can be found in the Additional Info section or on the demo’s stats page.
Important note: if the gender of any RO doesn’t match your MC’s preferences, they won’t pursue your MC romantically and the flirt options will become unavailable.
The same applies if you select the special option labeled [block] that blocks romance even if their gender matches your MC’s preferences.
Flirting Options & Dynamics:
▸ When interacting with the ROs, if their gender matches your MC’s preferences, two [or three for T] flirt options [
] will be available.
▸ The top choice sets a bold dynamic.
▸ The lower choice sets a shy dynamic.
▸ These dynamics adjust the RO’s behavior to match your MC’s preferences, either letting the RO take the initiative or allowing the MC to lead.
All the ROs are able to adjust to MC’s preferences, except for male R who is always dominant [even if you choose bold flirt options].
[To learn more about unique dynamics (e.g. T), scroll to the “Extra Info ” section.]
Romance Points:
▸ Choosing a flirt option [except T’s third option] earns you romance points.
▸ Romance points unlock specific narrative changes, affecting the RO’s interactions with the MC and triggering jealousy among all the ROs.
In most cases, the required number of romance points needed to unlock specific narrative changes will be minimal [depending on the RO].
Changes first begin in Chapter 2, where romance points and set dynamic often alter the narrative at certain points [1-2 romance points are required to activate these changes].
Starting from Chapter 3:
▸ 2-4 romance points with the RO will be enough for the narrative to reflect the attraction between the MC and the RO.
▸ 1-3 romance points with any RO will be enough for the narrative to trigger jealousy among all the ROs.
You don’t have to choose the flirt option every time if you don’t feel like it. But there are moments in the game where a certain number of points will be necessary to activate special scenes or moments of jealousy.
Important note: It is possible to not select the flirt option and, having 0 romance points, still lock in the RO’s route [check out the romance progression section].
However, if you don’t have romance points with the RO(s), the narrative will not reflect any moment of attraction between them and the MC.
Romance Progression & Jealousy:
▸ In Chapters 1 and 2, you can flirt with everyone, since they have been structured as introductory with all the ROs.
▸ Starting from Chapter 2, you will encounter moments of jealousy from the ROs and [optionally] from the MCs.
▸ Starting from Chapter 3, you will have to choose only one RO to spend time with during certain points in the story, and it is recommended to focus on just one RO to avoid missing important content with them.
▸ Romance points gained in Chapters 1 and 2 will influence moments of jealousy in the following chapters as well.
The final RO choice will likely be at the end of Chapter 5 [If that changes, I’ll update this post and let you know about it] and will depend on which RO your MC spent the most time with.
Interactions with the ROs:
In the game, saying no, having a negative approval value, or pushing the RO away doesn’t necessarily terminate the possibility of romancing them.
Some ROs won’t be nice to the MC, and the MC will have an opportunity to respond in kind if they feel that way, without blocking the RO’s route because of it.
However, there are choices in the game where choosing an overly negative option will prevent the romantic scene from continuing.
Such options marked with [×] signify the end of a romantic moment or scene. All other options can lead to a romantic interaction, even if it’s not immediately obvious. Example:
Choice 1: Push them away. [This choice may lead to the continuation of a moment or scene.]
Choice 2: [×] Push them away. [This choice leads to the end of a moment or scene.]
As long as the option isn’t marked with [×], please don’t hesitate to make choices that resonate with you, or with the personality you envision for your MC.
Keep in mind that making choices that obviously go against the RO’s vision will impact the dynamics of the relationship.
In special cases, the game may suggest canceling the route if the approval is too low, but this will be your MC’s decision, not the RO’s.
Important Romance Aspects:
▸ Regardless of the set dynamic, the ROs may and will initiate touches without the MC’s permission [if you pursue a romance with them].
▸ There are no polyamorous routes and there never will be, as all the ROs experience jealousy.
▸ Jealousy is an important part of the game and will remain so until the end of the story.
▸ There are no platonic routes, but the game includes an option to choose a best friend, which will depend on approval regardless of the route chosen.
▸ Sex scenes are optional, but all the ROs can experience sexual attraction to the MC. This isn’t align with the asexual relationships, potentially making the romance uncomfortable for readers seeking that experience [especially in T’s and S’ routes].
If any of the above can make you feel uncomfortable, this game may not be for you. Please exercise caution and take care of yourself.
Extra Info:
Each ROs route has their own theme, but there are certain unique dynamics that are structured in a particular way:
▸ Unique Dynamics with L: ability to establish a predetermined feelings for L.
▸ Unique Dynamic with T: third flirt option that sets a unique dynamic other than bold and shy.
▸ Established Rivalries: an open confrontation between two specific ROs that activates if the MC makes the required choices and selects the defined order of actions.
▸ Secondary Rivals: minor characters who can figure as a cause for jealousy for both the MC and the ROs.
For a detailed overview of each of the unique dynamics, please check the demo’s stats page.
This section contains a lot of info, but if there are any questions in the future that have already been addressed there, I probably won’t answer them. Sorry.
Thanks for your interest!
Looks like I’m late to the party but jokes aside I really love this story and already set my eyes on M and R 
Can’t wait to read more of this…
Why doesn’t this WIP have more engagement oh my god??? It’s so goood 
Loved my first playthrough!!!
And like, increasing my MC’s stress and abnormality continuously was the fun part for some reason lmao?? 
(I swear I’m a functioning normal human being) But yeah looking forward to the next update and further ruin MC’s mental stability 
I love this game so much, the characters, the RO’s, the little thing that we are maybe not a normal human…and that some of our RO’s maybe are not as well…gah, I’m looking so much forward to engulf myself in more chapters when an update comes around.
Hello! I’d like to thank everyone for the kind messages and encouraging words and announce that Chapter 3 Pt.1 is already out on my Patreon page!
It contains 78k words [excl. code]. Total word count for Patreon demo: 180k words [excl. code].
Here’s the link.
Thank you for your interest!
Seriously loving this. Can’t wait for more 
I think there is an error at the end of the update where it mentions T even though I didnt see her at all at the investigation scene or before.
Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to let me know about this; it should be fixed now.
I love the MC so much. I love how you depicting burnout and general irritation from social interaction.
I would very much to be able to romance the sister:) jk. She’s just too loveable, i dont want anything bad happen to her, which is i know it will be
This should be fixed now, I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for letting me know.
Thank you! Writing the MC is my favorite part, so I’m really happy to hear they’re eliciting an emotional response.
About the twin sis, there will be an opportunity to spend more time with her in Chapter 3 Pt. 2 (it will be optional, similar to how it was in Chapter 2, because I don’t want to make readers choose between her and the ROs).
Right at the start after the colder, darker and worse part it should say “Your existence is just a curse.” Instead of “Your existence’s just a curse.”
Loving this WIP so much. As some have said, it does remind me of Wayhaven, but I’m actually really excited about that because I’m one of the 0.5 people who bought Wayhaven because it sounded like it would be a detective story. 
So it’s really fun to see a focus on that! There’s enough variance in ROs that I have more than one I’m interested in, which is rare for me, so that’s nice! And your complexity in the relationships is so much fun. I can imagine it must be a lot of work to keep track of all the variables of high/low approval platonic vs romantic, high/low approval jealousy, the multiple dynamics, etc etc, talk about a complex web but it’s written so well and is so fun to play.
Now if I could just figure out what I’m doing to make my MC apparently so “abnormal”. Here’s me just running around doing detective things, being nice to people and antagonizing Roderick…
