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[cctine]

MIDNIGHT CINDERELLA MEMORIAL POST

The Midnight Cinderella app will be closed on Monday August 26th, 2024 (5 PM JST). The English version was actively updated from 2014 to 2021 when Cybird announced the ceasing of operations for MidCin, but the app remained accessible until today. I'm sure I'm not the only one who mourns the loss of it even after all these years of discontinuation, so I wanted to put together a post to properly say goodbye to it. Trying my best not to make it all too sappy - I'd rather look at it as a show that reached its final episode. Some things might be left unresolved but in the end, you remember the cast and the emotions they made you feel more than the actual plot. Nowadays there arguably may be better titles by Cybird out there, but for me, the simplicity of MidCin was what made the details so memorable.

1. VIDEO - POV: You're playing Midnight Cinderella (for 10 minutes)

The 10-minute version (without sound) is accessible via the link above (opens in Google Docs) This one I was really excited about recording! It's just your normal day playing midcin, I'm sure many will find it nostalgic and comforting. You log in, claim your daily bonus (I used the chance to do a present box reveal, 90+ items, many of which you might recognize from route grace checks), play the garden gacha (in my case, I used up all the points I had accumulated, 7800 which equals 39 solos), do your princess lessons, change your avatar, greet your friends, read 1/5 of today's free story parts, check the ranking and your stats, look at your memories directory. The video has no sound, as the game wouldn't let me turn it on (you will see me try to do so throughout the video...) but later on I got it to work so I recorded a one-minute video (the one imported above) of me replenishing stamina just for those iconic sound effects that you either loved or absolutely couldn't stand the volume of, haha.

2. A Midnight Cinderella playlist (spotify link)

While I wasn't there for the early days of midcin, the songs I associated with the game almost always captured this very specifically nostalgic 90s-10s period, you'll see what I mean. Many of those are taken from 8track playlists dedicated to Midnight Cinderella, and if I'm not mistaken you can still look at what is left of them if you search them up. Others are just my very random interpretations of the route stories and the characters.

3. Fic recommendations

We have a lovely community of creatives and there are still so many works left behind which you can check out on the tags! But especially for fics I wanted to list some that truly touched me during the years (all links open in ao3) -

i'm on fire and its NSFW bonus scene bloodstream by a deleted user - words are not enough for this one. It's like it meant more than Nico's whole route for me at one point, and the songs are forever in my heart as Nico songs...

MidCin Works by DBMidCin (SoftSen) - ALL of these. This is my go-to collection of writings for midcin when I start to miss the game, it has a little bit of everything. The headcanon of Giles teaching his girls French for instance is one of the things I still remember reading like it was yesterday!

Bedroom Etiquette (NSFW) by RubyLeeRay - Because this is the dream. Doing something forbidden with your tutor Giles is the ultimate fantasy, I swear. I just love it.

And of course, many, many more. There are currently 166 works on the midcin tag in Ao3, and I'm sure there are a lot of hidden gems here on tumblr as well! Reminder that writers LOVE it when you interact with their old works, it's not weird, you shouldn't hesitate doing so if you find yourself enjoying any of them! <3

4. My own humble collection of MidCin writings on my writing blog @xxsycamore!

Maid, Butler, Chamberlain (NSFW) - Nico x MC with Giles joining them

Grabbles: 💋 Demand for a kiss, right here, right now (GILES); 👔 Stealing their clothes to cuddle when you miss them (BYRON); more coming soon as there are still some in my askbox and I plan on including midcin in future short writings request openings too.

Shared Moments (NSFW) - Nico x Reader - Secret relationship

Ice-cold heat (NSFW) - Byron x Reader - Temperature play

Double the Surprise - Alyn and Leo birthday fic

Leo Crawford having a misadventure with a cat (ao3 link) - crack fic featuring most of the suitors

5. Out of context Midnight Cinderella screenshots

This is a sideblog of mine dedicated to posting out-of-context funny screenshots that I took while playing the routes - @oocmidcin . If you have some of your own that are not on there, you're free to submit them and add to the archive!

6. The perfect MidCin song - The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives

When I first discovered this song back in 2020 I dreamed of making it into a midcin music video with simplistic art and animations... It ended up being just something you daydream in detail about while in the car, but that's alright. I could at least share my vision with you! Disclaimer, this is just an interpretation and obviously it can't fit all characters ideally - In the brackets, I explain how the lyric is related to them and usually it reveals their backstories. Some of the details I've already forgotten, sorry if it's inaccurate.)

Tell me once again

I could have been anyone, anyone else

Before you made the choice for me

(Giles - his family making the choice for him since birth and later disowning him once he failed to become a knight due to his illness)

My feet knew the path

We walked in the dark, in the dark

I never gave a single thought to where it might lead

(Nico - wandering the streets with his mother once they were thrown out of Stein castle because she was a commoner having an affair with Byron's father, the King)

All those empty rooms

We could have been anywhere, anywhere else

Instead I made a bed with apathy

(Robert - the empty rooms of the once flourishing palace of the country that Robert ruled and led to demise, nowadays becoming a mere court painter)

My heart knew the weight

Ten years' worth of dust and neglect

We made our peace with weariness and let it be

(Leo - the years in which Alyn didn't speak to him, after the death of their parents)

The moon will sing a song for me

I loved you like the sun

Bore the shadows that you made

With no light of my own

(Albert - loyally standing in king Byron's shadow)

Name your courage now

We could have had anything, anything else

Instead you hoarded all that's left of me

(Sid - his relationship with his fiance that he agreed upon just to find out more about his parents by getting close to her father)

Swallowing your doubt

Like swords to the pit of my belly

I want to feel the fire that you kept from me

(Alyn - searching for answers about the murder of his family and the fire that burnt down their home)

I shine only with the light you gave me

(I could have been anyone, anyone)

(Louis - being a nobody and MC being his sun)

7. It goes on

I went to read what I could of chapter 4 of Rayvis' route, using my last two chapter tickets as well, thinking it won't make me cry. And then I'm hit with those familiar things.

So let's close this with a word about the things that never change in the universe of Midnight Cinderella.

Stumbling down the grand staircase and right into the arms of somebody. Escaping the palace at midnight with Nico's help. Sitting at breakfast with Giles giving you your schedule for the day. Nico's teasing little smile as he accompanies you everywhere and listens to your relationship troubles. The way he's just a little suspicious at times. Finding Robert painting in the garden of Wysteria palace. Going to the room of your chosen suitor for the first time and meeting a pet there. Leo teaching you history and politics in his office. Dance lessons with Louis. Needing those dance lessons because King Byron is coming to Wysteria and a ball is going to take place. The bureaucrats being unhappy with you as a princess elect, no matter what. Galloping on a horse with Alyn who just protected you from an enemy attack. Getting information from a certain flirty merchant at a bar. Albert bickering with Nico, Sid teasing Louis. Being introduced to Archduke Herneit at Stein castle. King Byron appreciating the night sky. The sight of your yellow and orange princess elect room where on the large bed with its blue bedframe and tall see-through canopy you lie awake and think about the events of the day and how would a wise future Queen of Wysteria deal with the current situation. But ultimately you fall asleep, hearing the melancholically beautiful sounds of a violin coming from somewhere deep within your dream, and leave it all to the following day.

Thank you for everything, Midnight Cinderella!

08/26/2024

[cctine]

reposting some old stuff from twt now that I’ve abandoned it

[cctine]

Even if TEMPEST | Otome Game Review

Hii!! Cheers to my second review 🥳

‼️ BEFORE YOU READ THIS: BEWARE OF SPOILERS!! MASSIVE SPOILERS ‼️

Okay okay so this has to be one of my FAVS!!! AHHH like I wish this otome was longer 😩 I love how intense and every sec puts me in the edge of my seat. The plot was SO CAPTIVATING FOR ME and even the characters. There wasn’t a lot of romance overall but the plot makes up for it! I’m the type to like the plot over the romance and this otome definitely did it for me! I loved the heroine, she’s so strong and brave and it made the whole plot so much better with her being her. The guys were *chefs kiss*. They were finneeeee.

Basically to summarize it in my words (not the best of summarizing)… she lives in a household where she was neglected and bullied all her life by her family. She lives in this run down room but one day she gets told that she will marry this crown prince (Conrad) but ends up dying in her *first life*. She meets this kid in the afterlife (?) and he tells her to help him catch the witch of the ruin (aka the villain of the game) and gains the ability to rewind time. Through all the rewinding, she makes friendships, relationships, etc. But in every route, we see so many crazy events that happen with the other side characters. We are immersed in a dark fantasy world filled with intrigue, mystery, and romance~

There are 4 love interests:

CRIUS CASTLEROCK

TYRIL I LISTER

ZENN SORFIELD

LUCIEN NEUSCHBURN

The recommended route to play: Crius ➤ Tyril ➤ Zenn ➤ Lucien ➤ ???

The route I enjoyed from most to least: Zenn ➤ Tyril ➤ Lucien ➤ Crius

⏳ Crius

Soooo he was the first route I played and woweee he sooo fine heheh but I overall did enjoy this. I do not remember much since I did play this game a while ago but all I remembered was how protective he is. He is also popular with the ladies and her mentor teehee. But there was this scene where he asked the heroine to take care of a bird and she finds out the girl bird is pregnant. There wasn't a lot of romance but it was a great start to the whole plot itself. The ending was so sad aaaaaaa!! When you finish his route, you get thrown into Tyril's route :)

⭐️ Rating: 2/5

⏳ Tyril

OH YES I LOVEDDDD his route so much. He is the investigator (not sure what the right name is called) but the person that judges and holds the investigation. He looks mean but he is sweet and is only sweet to her. He slowly falls in love with how fast and well she works and oh mah goodness... we find out he’s some ninja and he works with Conrad (this ugly spoiled prince that kills our girl in her first life). The reason is because he is devoted to following the descent of the goddess or something (but we find out Conrad and his family are FAKES). Sorry, I do not remember a lot but the gist of it 😭 The ending was so sad for him... :( but omg at the end of the game, when he finds out that she’s the goddess, he was so shocked and his attitude changed so quickly BAHAHA he’s so polite to her at the end.

⭐️ Rating: 4/5

⏳ Zenn

HANDS DOWN MY FAV!!! And look at him. HE SO HANDSOME AND GOOD LOOKING LIKE 😻😻! I was interested in him from the start because every time our girl rewinds, he would switch his roles. Turns out he remembers EVERY time the time rewinds and at first he thought our girl was the witch or working with the witch of the ruin. But no instead he falls in loveeee with her and tells her that he is from a different world (aka Japan). He protects her when she falls victim to the witch and helps her win the witch trials hehehehhehehe I absolutely loved him. He also can’t die because he is stuck in the world and has been trying to find his way back home. I think he was a baseball player (correct me if I’m wrong since my memory is hazy). But he is mah man 🙌

⭐️ Rating: 5/5

⏳ Lucien

AWWWW the prince. He dies so many time when I was playing the other route but you reach him last due to the plot. He have always liked her because they were childhood friends. At first, we saw him as a weak and crybaby prince but as you progress the route, you notice Lucien started to change and became more of a leader and fit for the throne. He is wholesome and cute 🥹 and I just wish there were more cute scenes with them together!

⭐️ Rating: 3/5

⏳ ???

This is just the common end once you finish all the routes but 1. I HATED CONRAD >:( and 2. Maya is so cute and I love her. Maya is her maid and she been through thick and thin for Anastasia. The ending was basically the witch of the ruin loses and our girl meets the goddess and was like I am my own person, I am not like you, which is so BADASS (I love her so much) and yeah perfect ending. I lowkey want a route for the witch of the ruin because he saur fine and all he wanted was the goddess to come back. He a loyal boy but uhhh his ways were odd HAHAH. But I loved this game so much and I could not put it down!!!

⭐️ Overall Rating: 5/5 <3333

Gameplay hours: 20+ hours

Soundtrack: 5/5

Art: 5/5

[cctine]

Love Parasite | Otome Game Review

Hiii!!

‼️ BEFORE YOU READ THIS: BEWARE OF SPOILERS!! MASSIVE SPOILERS ‼️

I want to write a review on a Switch Otome game called Love Parasite that I recently finished~ It was my first big girl purchase on the console, so I WAS SO EXCITED TO PLAY IT! I did play this some time ago and finished it maybe less than a year ago so it isn’t too fresh in my head but fresh enough where I remember the main things.

I will summarize the summary in my own words (I'm not good at summing things up, so beware). It is about this girl aka the heroine, Cupid, a Greek goddess. She fought with her dad (I forget what god he was) about how love should be between humans, and she wanted to prove to him that they should not forcefully break people up. She goes down to the human realm and experiences ✨love✨ (obviously). She enters this company called Cupid Corporation, where she helps people match up and fall in love. She also finds herself helping these 5 "love parasites" who have traits that make it hard for them to fall in love with others.

There are 5 love interests:

Ryuki Keisaiin - Glamor Parasite

Shelby Snail - Prestige Parasite

Gill Lovecraft - Lovelorn Parasite

Raul Aconite - Obsessed Parasite

Allan Melville - Thieving Parasite

The recommended route to play: Ryuki ➤ Shelby ➤ Gill ➤ Raul ➤ Allan ➤ ???

The route I enjoyed from most to least: Allan ➤ Raul ➤ Ryuki ➤ Gill ➤ Shelby

💘 Ryuki

He is the glamor parasite, and honestly, with the first appearance impression, I did not have any interest in playing his route because he looked like a kid, LOL, but when I did, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought. He has some family issues, which was why it made him the way he is, but getting to know his character, deep down, he is genuinely sweet and nice. He was also so funny because if someone has TERRIBLE fashion, his brain blocks them out, and he sees that person invisible HAHHAH. But I really enjoyed the sweet moments when he got shy and made fun of people who were in bad fashion.

⭐️ Rating: 3.5/5

💘 Shelby

He is the prestige parasite, and his route was BORING! It makes sense because he is seen as a workaholic, making his character dry overall. All he did was work, and they only talked about work. I feel he only liked the heroine because she was good at her job LMAOOO. He looked mysterious and cool, but his personality was bland and too dull. His story was also just not fun (it was just about his company) and the love/sweet moments were just not there. IDK, but he was my worst, and I had a hard time moving his route along because I would get sleepy so fast playing it :’) sorry, I’m being so brutally honest BHAHAH

⭐️ Rating: 2.75/5

💘 Gill

AWWW, okay, his route was SO CUTE AND SWEET. He’s the lovelorn parasite and why is he called that? He is basically too committed to his crush (aka the heroine). I did not like his appearance (with the glasses and nerdy-like), but his personality was ADORABLE! And I loved how he was basically husband material and he literally DID EVERYTHING FOR THE MAIN GIRL!! He was SO IN LOVE TOO. GAH. For one of his bad ends, I remember the girl just became a lazy couch potato because he did everything for her and basically made her not need to worry about anything. But with her change in personality and appearance, he was still deeply in love and omg I find that so sweet because WOW… find a man who is that obsessed with you :p

⭐️ Rating: 3.75/5

💘 Raul

So he’s the obsessed parasite and why? BECAUSE HES OBSESSED WITH GREEK AND MYTHOLOGY!! There’s a huge plot twist at the end and the reason why it’s recommended to play him later in the game is BECAUSE OF THAT. Yes the romance was spicyyy buttttt the plot was also pretty good as well. SPOILER: he is the reincarnation of Alexander the Great and her aunt was in LOVE with that man so she wanted to bring him back in Raul’s body LMAO. BUT this was spicy because they ahm… we’re friends with benefits and he only saw her as someone to sleep with, not someone to love. He grew SO MUCH AND HE REALIZES WHAT LOVE IS!! It was SO CUTE but gave me the ick when they slept together so early on. But wow… I really did enjoy his route.

⭐️ Rating: 4/5

💘 Allan

I lovvveddd him!!! He is a sweet boy underneath all of that hehee. He is my FAVVV route by far because it gets more wholesome as you read through his storyline. We find out that he is her soulmate through heaven and when she was chosen to become Cupid, he decides to jump down and become a succubus to be with her, SO ROMANTIC AHHH but I loved his route bc of that!!! He’s my fav one out of all of them :)))

⭐️ Rating: 4.75/5

💘 ???

This was just the main common ending when you completed all of the other routes. It was good. Honestly, I found the whole plot alright and it’s a simple romcom otome which was super cute :)) I recommend for those who just want to read a cutsie romance story! The art is BEAUTIFUL and I was literally in love with it!

⭐️ Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Gameplay hours: 35+ hours

Soundtrack: 5/5

Art: 10/5 <3