#🏹 [ SKILL CHECK ] - ABILITIES

[hcadlesshuntcr]

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[fangsforiris]

Hello! If it's not too much, could you write reactions for the Sakamakis to a reader who is an ex-vampire hunter? I'm hoping for them to be surprised cuz despite residing with vampires the reader never really gone out of their way to hurt them.

 ‿̩͙‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿̩͙‿

Sakamaki’s Reaction to Reader Who’s An Ex-Vampire Hunter

 ‿̩͙‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿̩͙‿

Word Count: 1921

Shū (Ririe):

🏹  Shū wouldn’t be as interested in the human on first meet. 

🏹  He would, however, be interested in why most of their files were blanked out or just entirely inaccessible. 

🏹  It would strike him the wrong way, considering how perceptive Shū is. 

🏹  He isn’t stupid, he’d do some external research, much to his own dismay, on a much more thorough background check. 

🏹  If he continuously came up with nothing, he’d be instantly suspicious and force the others to at least use some common sense and watch out. 

🏹  Shū doesn’t do anything for no reason, everything he does has purpose, whether he comes to realize it himself or not, others have. 

🏹  So his warnings are never taken with a grain of salt. 

🏹  Either way, if by physical looks, the reader is his type, he’d play around with them for the meantime. 

🏹  But wouldn’t do anything extraordinary, considering how he still has his walls up. 

🏹  But once the curtain is revealed and dropped, he would grateful to listen to his gut instincts. After all, they’re never wrong. 

🏹  Shū would be curious as to why they abandoned their post so quickly, so they’d keep everything the Bride said in mind. Almost as if he was racking up scores, trying to point out a flaw in their story. 

🏹  And best believe he will use it against them. 

🏹  However, Shū would enjoy hearing stories about the Prospective Bride’s experiences as a vampire hunter, finding their tales of danger and survival fascinating.

🏹  Considering his past with Edgar, he’s all about learning and gathering information. 

🏹  He might use the opportunity to subtly test their skills, perhaps playfully challenging them to a mock battle to see if they’ve still got their hunter instincts.

🏹  That is, in a rare occasion, he takes more interest in them as an individual and enjoys their company. 

🏹  Despite his lazy demeanor, Shū would secretly admire the Bride’s strength. 

🏹  He out of everyone knows the hardships that come with constantly having to protect yourself from danger, so he’d find some common ground with potential adversaries. 

Reiji:

🏹  Considering that he’s canonically worked with vampire hunters

🏹  (Specifically Yui’s adoptive father— Seiji Komori,) 

🏹  He’d have some ideas on their movements and how reader would try to portray themselves.

🏹  Him and Shū would be the major individuals who’d quickly figure it out. 

🏹  However it would take a few instances until he gets to the point of even thinking that their current Sacrificial Bride was a vampire hunter. 

🏹  Reiji would, along with Shū, have some documents on their Prospective Bride’s background prior to the house. 

🏹  When coming up with nothing, or at least nothing of sustenance at the start, he would find it peculiar, but let time do its thing as he rides it out. 

🏹  When he finds out that they’re an ex-vampire hunter, he’d watch his step. 

🏹  Obviously, Reiji is cautious. 

🏹  He knows better than to assume someone’s ability right off the bat. 

🏹  After all, assuming one is weak is how you easily get undermined. Reiji is much smarter than that, so he’d keep it in mind for future reference. 

🏹  He, along with the others, would question the mortal.

🏹  Asking about their post, what they specialized in, when they stopped, etc. You know, the full works. 

🏹  He’d have some interest towards them, considering how at any given moment they could snap and attempt an assassination. 

🏹  For someone with such lethality, why do they stay put and allow themselves to play house? 

🏹  Reader’s chances of becoming more of a test subject have significantly heightened. 

🏹  Would he be interested in them beyond their past? Depends on their character and how they’d portray themselves thus far. 

🏹  Of course, having an ex-vampire in the house can be considered to be a big deal, but Reiji is very confident and sure in his skills that if they were to attack, he’d be able to shut it down effectively. 

Laito:

🏹  He wouldn’t think anything of the Prospective Bride at the start. 

🏹  He’d think that they were the same as everyone else who has entered in the mansion of madness. 

🏹  If the mortal looked like his type from the get go, then maybe Laito would concern himself with them. 

🏹  If not, then he’d simply use them as nourishment. That’s it. 

🏹  He would, however, watch reader like a hawk. 

🏹  Most don’t realize it, but Laito seemingly always is there. Either in small figments, or just in passing, he’s there. 

🏹  So when analyzing this mystery mortal, and seeing how they conduct themselves on a day to day basis, he might come to some conclusions of his own.

🏹  He’s dealt with some vampire hunters, even out ran some with Ayato after a night out in the town gone wrong. 

🏹  It was safe to say that they both got a strict talking to by Reiji after almost blowing their cover. 

🏹  A day later, Shū would get a call from their father and the church about this. Making him loathe the meeting that came. 

🏹  So, as a result, Laito isn’t entirely oblivious. But, when he finds out, the tables will turn. 

🏹  It’s canon, and very implied, that Laito longs to be killed. 

🏹  Call it passive suicidal thoughts, as he doesn’t do everything to seek it out like Subaru or Azusa. 

🏹  But with this opportunity, sparks chances to provoke and essentially wear the Bride down in hopes of them getting sick and tired of Laito’s antics and killing him. 

🏹  Everything he will do from here on out is just tease and pure baiting. 

🏹  He will either make reader’s life a living hell, or become insufferable. That’s all depending on how the Bride will treat him. 

🏹  Either way, one fact is true. He’s determined on changing that ‘ex’ to ‘active’ vampire hunter. 

🏹  He’d find this Bride instantly interesting due to their past post, and would want to play around with them. 

🏹  Torture, if he doesn’t get his way is 100% on the table with him. 

Kanato:

🏹  Let’s get one thing out of the way. If this Prospective Bride is physically his type, then consider the reader semi-done for. 

🏹  However, if that’s not the case… then reader might be partially saved. 

🏹  He wouldn’t show too much interest, especially if it’s left overs from his brothers. 

🏹  He isn’t that interested in sharing, however if Kanato were to, it’d be alongside Laito. 

🏹  But even then, Kanato still has that slight discomfort in the back of his mind. 

🏹  Point is, like most, he’d pester and annoy. But since Kanato is practically a fiend for attention (basically an attention whore), he’d make the reader's life difficult. 

🏹  This, along with his possessive tendencies, intertwined with his insecurities, makes him to be a perfect ticking time bomb. 

🏹  Kanato has had some encounters with vampire hunters, however not as many as you’d think. 

🏹  He seems to blend in pretty well with the humans, so he’s never really at risk of being found out by the church. 

🏹  But this new Bride… they’re different. 

🏹  Laito’s noticed and most likely let it slip in conversation with Kanato, leading Kanato to wonder if he should take what Laito says with a grain of salt. 

🏹  Either way, the cats out the bag. Reader is an Ex-Vampire Hunter. 

🏹  Kanato would find it amusing. Probably play around with the reader, but in all, he wouldn’t want anything else from them. 

🏹  More importantly, he’d feel somewhat inferior due to the knowledge of their killings, potentially taking it out on the reader. 

🏹  Kanato doesn’t like the idea of being overpowered, and having someone with the prior experience would make him at odds with himself. 

🏹  In terms of not trying to kill him, Kanato would, for his security and ease of mind, assume that the reader was weak or at least a coward.

Ayato:

🏹  If reader physically seems like his type from the get go, then you know Ayato’s hit the mark.

🏹  Either way, Ayato will still mess with the reader, it’s just his normal. 

🏹  He’d do his usual, prey on his unsuspecting victim and get the nourishment he craves, plus a little extra if he’s really in the mood. 

🏹  Ayato normally goes for all the Brides, and he does take a major thrill in seeing their fear, so don’t think that reader happens to be an exception to this. 

🏹  Ayato, when finding out would be shocked. 

🏹  Like he wouldn’t see it coming at all.

🏹  He’d probably be the only one out of the brothers who didn’t see anything weird as he was in his own little head.

🏹  He’d be the only one to want to test this vampire hunter thoroughly. 

🏹  He’d use it as an ego boost if anything.

🏹  Like randomly asking reader to spar, or hunt his prey. 

The entire ordeal just became much more thrilling for this hunter. 

🏹  Ayato also would use it as practice for himself, especially after that night out gone wrong with Laito.

🏹  He’d try his best to learn the ways vampire hunters are trained, and how he could avoid an incident again.

🏹  But he’s not weak. Remember that. He’s capable for himself, and can put up a mean fight. 

🏹  In terms of the reader attempting to kill him, or lack thereof… He’d be the one to question them the most on it. 

🏹  As in, he’d be really nosy, and truly want to figure out if they had any ulterior motives. 

🏹  Ayato can be calculated when he pleases, but it doesn’t always translate accordingly. 

Subaru:

🏹  Subaru normally keeps himself away from the Prospective Bride’s, only giving an appearance to hopefully make them leave and save themselves. 

🏹  To his dismay, they’re all the same. 

🏹  This doesn’t change with reader. 

🏹  However, he notices right off the bat that something’s wrong with this Bride. 

🏹  He doesn’t exactly know what that is, but it’s bugging him. 

🏹  Subaru tends to lurk and watch from the shadows. 

🏹  Like Laito, he’s there. Waiting. 

🏹  He might be cautious about this new Bride, considering how his defences will be even more heightened due to his trust issues. 

🏹  He’d isolate himself, and if he really needs to, he’d get blood. Other than that, expect to never see him, only once in a blue moon. 

🏹  Once reader’s alias is exposed, he’d thank himself for playing defensive. His gut instincts are never wrong, so he’d be at least at ease with that. 

🏹  He’d stay away, and make it a point to keep his walls up even more than he did. 

🏹  Subaru would see reader as a potential threat, and definitely do a lot to learn more about them and their past occupation. 

🏹  He’d be high;ly skeptical as to why the reader hadn’t taken the chance to run and flee, especially considering that they can fend for themselves. 

🏹  However, there's the flip side where Subaru would use this as an advantage to end his own life. 

🏹  It’s canon that he is borderline suicidal, and that he does seek it out, so I wouldn’t put it past him to bait the reader into killing him.

‿̩͙‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿̩͙‿

Thank you, Anon!!

[sailingshellsgames]

The Revamped Demo of chapters 1-7 is up! (+ chapter 8 alpha now available on patreon/ko-fi)

You can play it here! Reminder: this is a revamp so there's no new chapter, but there is new content (see below for a list of what's been changed/added/removed)

If you're interested in chapter 8's alpha, you can find it on Patreon and Ko-fi! (along with a bunch of other content)

And as always, thank you so much for playing! If you're someone who likes hugs, then I'm sending you a big one! 💞

What's new in chapters 1-7:

Additions:

General

Introduction of auto-success more.

More weird dreams + strengthening of the subplot around what MC sees in them.

Introduction of the dream journal mechanic.

More dialogue choices throughout the entire demo.

More descriptions of environments: MC's living quarters, the Den Compound, desert terrain around Leas, and city architecture.

Rearranged the stats screen and added clarity for MC's reputation among the Fey via an opposed pair bar.

General editing (word choice, etc.)

Chapter 1

MC's favored weapon can now be a bow! 🏹

Choice added to set MC's skin color.

A few more dialogue choices around MC reacting to the vision Keo has in Chapter 1.

Clearer explanation of MC agent backgrounds. Each now comes with explicit statement of what stats will be increased upon selection.

Chapter 2

Option to specify MC's tattoos. There are 4 pre-designed options, or you can design your own! (or choose no tattoos, if that's not your cup of tea). This includes the ability to add/remove/modify tattoos via the stats screen.

Chapter 3

Define how MC and Keo became friends.

Relatedly, more content setting up the fact that MC can't remember the agent found dead in the warehouse in Chapter 2.

Virano and Adaan mini-catfight (is it me, the author? am I the drama?)

Bug fix where a character already in the room would enter that room.

Chapter 4

A new dream.

Conversation around Virano's family's role in the nobility.

A little bit of Fey-weirdness around the Ashaad.

Conversation around the campfire with the team, mentions some of why Wren came to Leas.

Chapter 5

An explanation of Chapter 4's Fey weirdness that kind of just raises more questions, but does answer at least one of them.

Chapter 6:

A new dream.

Determining which of the three paths to take in the wilds is now a skill check.

General editing.

Chapter 7:

Yet another revision of the waterfall dream/flashback scene. This one's taken so long to get right, but I'm finally happy with it. Victory screech.

Moved Wren's reason for coming to Leas into the main story, so the choice option that explored that on their date now allows MC to dig in to learn a little more.

More dialogue choices in the scene where Keo's heritage is discovered during Lasan (if it didn't happen in the wilds).

Another choice in Wren's date going into the legend behind Lasan more, and a little about Wren's family.

Removals:

Keo no longer goes into seeing the magic in a vision. Removing this was part of a consolidation effort on my part. Tldr; I had too many side plots and needed to scrap some of them. Keo still has a reason for wishing to pursue the magic, if MC tries to refuse Rin. I actually like it a lot better now, which is a happy coincidence.

In Chapter 7, going to the wilds to see Keo's mother is no longer an option. Don't worry: everything I wrote for it will be used in book 2 :) But for book 1 it created a weird imbalance where the three options were so different they didn't converge well back into the main route.

Removed the ability to give Virano a sample of the magic or not. With all the other potential endgame outcomes, this got scrapped to consolidate things. I was finding it didn't really have a meaningful impact on the larger story despite reading like a major plot point, so in the bin it goes.

[sailingshellsgames]

Demo news ✨

I've been working a lot on chapters 1-7, and will be re-releasing them soon! (It's on ko-fi now for $1 and up, for those who want it now 😀)

Below is what you can expect in the new version. I hope you enjoy it, and that it serves as a good hold-over while I finish the game's last two chapters! The re-release will launch on 3/25 for tumblr, and on 3/28 everywhere else.

Notable Changes

Additions:

General

Introduction of auto-success more.

More weird dreams + strengthening of the subplot around what MC sees in them.

Introduction of the dream journal mechanic.

More dialogue choices throughout the entire demo.

More descriptions of environments: MC's living quarters, the Den Compound, desert terrain around Leas, and city architecture.

Rearranged the stats screen and added clarity for MC's reputation among the Fey via an opposed pair bar.

General editing (word choice, etc.)

Chapter 1

MC's favored weapon can now be a bow! 🏹

Choice added to set MC's skin color.

A few more dialogue choices around MC reacting to the vision Keo has in Chapter 1.

Clearer explanation of MC agent backgrounds. Each now comes with explicit statement of what stats will be increased upon selection.

Chapter 2

Option to specify MC's tattoos. There are 4 pre-designed options, or you can design your own! (or choose no tattoos, if that's not your cup of tea). This includes the ability to add/remove/modify tattoos via the stats screen.

Chapter 3

Define how MC and Keo became friends.

Relatedly, more content setting up the fact that MC can't remember the agent found dead in the warehouse in Chapter 2.

Virano and Adaan mini-catfight (is it me, the author? am I the drama?)

Bug fix where a character already in the room would enter that room.

Chapter 4

A new dream.

Conversation around Virano's family's role in the nobility.

A little bit of Fey-weirdness around the Ashaad.

Conversation around the campfire with the team, mentions some of why Wren came to Leas.

Chapter 5

An explanation of Chapter 4's Fey weirdness that kind of just raises more questions, but does answer at least one of them.

Chapter 6:

A new dream.

Determining which of the three paths to take in the wilds is now a skill check.

General editing.

Chapter 7:

Yet another revision of the waterfall dream/flashback scene. This one's taken so long to get right, but I'm finally happy with it. Victory screech.

Moved Wren's reason for coming to Leas into the main story, so the choice option that explored that on their date now allows MC to dig in to learn a little more.

More dialogue choices in the scene where Keo's heritage is discovered during Lasan (if it didn't happen in the wilds).

Another choice in Wren's date going into the legend behind Lasan more, and a little about Wren's family.

Removals:

Keo no longer goes into seeing the magic in a vision. Removing this was part of a consolidation effort on my part. Tldr; I had too many side plots and needed to scrap some of them. Keo still has a reason for wishing to pursue the magic, if MC tries to refuse Rin. I actually like it a lot better now, which is a happy coincidence.

In Chapter 7, going to the wilds to see Keo's mother is no longer an option. Don't worry: everything I wrote for it will be used in book 2 :) But for book 1 it created a weird imbalance where the three options were so different they didn't converge well back into the main route.

Removed the ability to give Virano a sample of the magic or not. With all the other potential endgame outcomes, this got scrapped to consolidate things. I was finding it didn't really have a meaningful impact on the larger story despite reading like a major plot point, so in the bin it goes.