#and leander...oh leander.

[luckyarchivist]

Hi there!! Hope you don't mind the ask, but I saw you reblog my post about what I think of the updated demo. Thank you for adding ur thoughts to it <3 and sorry it spoiled a few things. I didn't go too in depth because I didn't want to reveal EVERYTHING that happens, but there were some things I needed to spoil for clarity's sake. To me, the whole thing just felt like we were frogs being tossed into boiling water straight away, unlike the prev version of the demo, where we entered cool water first. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it all. I'm a big fan of all your touchstarved analyses, and I immediately thought of your "honesty and Ais" post when they took out that ONE line and replaced it with a flirty comment (trying to avoid spoilers here too haha, but you made a post on it!). Take care!! And I hope you enjoy the rest of the demo!!

Hello, allswell! I'm back, and I've played Leander's route. Don't worry about your post's spoilers; I went in knowing I'd be spoiling myself, you gave plenty of warning.

I wanted to tell you about my general thoughts on his route (since...that's the ask) and also answer your question in tags of "whether Leander's manipulation is more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0".

I also want you to know that my original, full answer to this ask was so long that I'm just going to post it separately 😭 I realized I had waaaay too much to say about Leander's post-tavern route. So, for now, I'll try and generally sum up my thoughts and answer your questions.

First: What were my thoughts on Leander's route?

I loved it. I loved it. Not necessarily all the minutiae—

Are you fucking kidding me with this line? What the hell?

—but overall I really enjoyed it.

Anyone visiting from afar can read my initial notes about Leander's route in my longpost, but going into this, I definitely had some things I was looking for. Mainly, I wanted blushy Leander back.

Of course, I also read your post, allswell (and please read their thoughts if you're interested, other readers!) where you expressed feeling like Leander was now too easy to see through and too suspicious because of the loss of his cute, friendly personality.

I would say, for both of us, that we're at a disadvantage in the sense that we already know Leander is Not Good. We know all about the marketing; we've been reading people's analyses and headcanons. And we connected all of those to The Baby, 1.0 Leander. 2.0 Leander is not the inoffensive pookie bear of the previous demo version, so it's much easier to be on guard around him because he's not as pathetic as before, even when he's not really being suspicious.

So, when going through his solo route, I told myself that I would be happy as long as Leander's new scenes felt like a satisfying accompaniment to his new archetype as the not-so-holy savior of the city. And I really, really felt like they did.

What absolutely enchanted me was the ways in which Leander and MC's interactions already embody "the cult of one": a level of emotional manipulation and abuse like you'd see between a cult leader and their followers, on the smallest possible scale. I'll go into these cult elements more in my to-be-written analysis(? Series of observations?), but I happen to have been watching a lot of cult content on YouTube recently and could not tell you how excited I was to recognize the signs so lovingly recreated in Leander's solo route.

This moves me quite neatly into your other question.

And that is: Do I think Leander's manipulation was more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0?

Before I answer this, I want to talk about my differing views of Leander 1.0 vs. 2.0, assuming (as the devs have said) that Leander hasn't changed, just that more of his later character has been revealed earlier.

In 1.0, Leander is playing a part. He is acting as someone who is very silly and very promiscuous and endlessly kind, despite his abilities as a mage and a leader, because that is what draws people in. That facade is his main weapon; it makes people lower their guards and trust him, even when anyone with some sense would be wary of a super-powerful magic user with an entire militia they can order around. It's an appeal to emotion. And I fell for it!

But that's not him, or rather, that's not the truest version of him. As a player, you get the shock of seeing his "true face" later in his route, and perhaps that is where his "monstrousness" comes from.

In 2.0, Leander is himself. And we see in his route that the cute, blushing Leander, who speaks highly of friends and foes alike, is not absent — he's still there, because that is him, too. It's just not played up to such a comical degree. That is because 2.0 Leander uses his authority to get people to trust him, rather than appealing to their emotions with cuteness.

Not only that, but this Leander is free to rely on his clout as a mage and a local political figure publicly because he has other weapons of manipulation that fit his image: he's an skilled wordsmith, and in that, an emotional puppeteer; he's the head of a tightly knit group that is clearly protective of him. If one thing doesn't work, he moves to the next. And it's much less jarring for a person (the MC) to learn that their righteous and gifted hero has a soft, obedient side than to learn that their subby little boyfriend is running his gang like a military cult. So, if needed, 2.0 Leander could bring that 1.0 facade out later in the story without causing MC mental dissonance; it's just another tool.

In this scenario, the player already knows Leander's nature, even if MC does not; their horror creeps in as they watch their MC struggle to leave the web Leander is weaving for them. It's possible that, if you choose certain choices while playing his route, you may not even realize the depth of his manipulation until it's too late.

So, was Leander's manipulation more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0? I think that depends on what the player is more susceptible to. I'm the type of person who's a sucker for a boyfailure, so 1.0 Leander would sneak up on me. But for those who need a knight in shining armor, one who they know will protect them no matter what, 2.0 Leander is the perfect predator.

[vermilionsun]

TELL ME WHY

I'VE PLAYED THIS DEMO OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN

BUT NEVER HAD I EVER PICKED THE "HESITATE" OPTION FOR LEANDER

I'M A DUMB BITCH HOLY SHIT

BUT I CAME INTO A NEWFOUND REALISATION:

THE MC'S CURSE PROTECTS THEM, IN SOME WAY

(unless I'm the last person in the fandom to notice that, good job me)

If you pick the "Touch him" option, he only says "I told you there's nothing to worry about"

BUT HERE, he comments "That's one hell of a curse :D" meaning he definately feels it and it possibly affects him

Yes, the MC surely has ptsd of some sort and could assume Leander's hand was going for their neck like mrChocky but i highly doubt he was initially going for their shoulder

I believe the MC's curse doesn't affect whoever they touch, but whoever touches them

It's quite a bit of a strech, yes, but still a possibility:

Leander doesn't do the dramatics above if the MC touches him first

MrChocky was the one who touched the MC first and got he affected

And thus I bring in another question: What about Oracle!MC?

"The priests claimed your touch bestowed enlightenment, but a visiting mage revealed your curse for what it is."

It wouldn't be illogical if the priests' words were true; if the MC touches someone, they are "bestowed enlightenment", but if the MC gets touched forcibly/accidentally, the one who touches them goes mad

But that would also mean we'd have the choice of giving Leander more power if we choose to touch him

Also, somehow all the backstory mages seem to have a good understanding of the MC's curse [have seen it/it has been recorded before], or are at least able to recoognise it in order to reveal it to them. Plus, the Alchemist!MC's mage [who was "exiled from the Senobium"] planned on cultivating them as a test subject, meaning not much must be known about said curse.

"It's unlike anything I've ever dealt with," says Leander, a mage who has never stepped foot in the Senobium.

"We can find answers together," Leander promises later on.

Then he stops

He waits for them to touch him

Then he freely unwinds their bandages, allows them to touch his hands, his cheeks, he moves his hands over theirs because they've already accepted him touching them

He could have figured how the MC's curse works, or he could have dark-magic-ed his way into the Senobium files before the MC returned to the Wick again.

[choccy-milky]

mine❤️‍🔥💢

[deadbe]

more spoilers of Leander being AN ABSOLUTE FUCKING FREAKAZIOD in case you missed it 😁

***how to get dialogue;

Leander asks you what your opinion of Eridia is so far (if you choose to go find him after everyone meets up at the wick) and you can say

"It's not what I expected" ✔️

or

"I don't mind it"

And then he just moves on to asking you about what food you've eaten like WAIT NO, WAIT WE WEREN'T DONE-

[wifeiy]

nia the new ts demo,,, as a Leander girly,,, gasps hyperventilates explodes all over your floor and shoes and fuses back together

LEANDER MANIPULATE ME AS YOU PLEASE BBYGRL

REG! Exactly. Manipulative Dick can lead me places i wouldn't go with a gun. when i'm not thinking with my pussy i Am interested in why he's. Like That. like, what his interest is rooted in and how MC/their curse plays into his plans... like yeah he's generally a skilled manipulator but the level he's going to... 🤔

anyway Heh here are a few ts cast thoughts for u reg 🦔🪩 (anyone) pleak let me know if there's an LI u want me thinking about 🫵🫵

leander seeing someone hitting on you...😱 i won't talk too much about it in case i want to write a post later (someone ask me.) but i forgot i made this one about jealous/needy leander... oh my goodness him if someone was Genuinely hitting on you.. he's hiring a hitman. half-joking but if the person was incredibly awful maybe murder is allowed idk.

suggestive // leander exhibitionism..? like with the way he takes you to your room or picks a booth in the first demo... imagine getting together and he gets more and more casual about it... the adders and bartender know (leander never uses his usual room anymore)... also with the first point... him becoming way more touchy and possessive the rest of the night . like nibbling your neck hand on your ass taking a shot then holding your face in place to pour it into your mouth SIR BACK DOWN!!!

food stalls with mhin.. maybe they know some good (as they can get) cheap ones and when you try them and agree they have a satisfied look on their face :3 also... mhin scrunching their face when they try something they don't like 🥹

mhin being a great/nice teacher... like if you show genuine curiosity they glance at you, contemplating, before explaining what they're doing or looking at. and they're super easy to follow too. and when you bring up a point they said later on they're like ? you remembered that ? but their face kind of softens 🥹 Oh my goodness

kuras getting used to you coming in with an injury or needing help -> kuras getting used to you visiting for any other more casual affectionate reason -> kuras's shock and worry when you come in because of a serious injury for the first time in a long time . the difference between his initial calm "do not be afraid" and new.. whatever he says. a "you're awake," or "good morning," with a shadow of worry/relief hidden beneath his usual calm

do you guys think there's a line where kuras the doctor will snap and hurt somebody.. 🤯 angry kuras save me... save me angry kuras....

someone please ask me to talk about that ais "it's a nice laugh" scene and other fluffy ideas I'MSOBBGGINGGG IMSOGGY the way his face softens or how he gently traces the features of your face while you're asleep or talks to princess/the soulless about you or his generally beautiful balance of gentle but firm but teasing way of speaking when you need his help OH MY GOODNESS MYhaehfahfbehbfjrsbgjsbgJBRFJAEFB

btw sorry was that scene at the bar where ais keeps his hand on vere to make sure he doesn't fall or whatever in the original demo because idr. that hit me like a truck. i coughed

was thinking about breaking out/freeing vere.. even from just like, one job or whatever. needing his help and he's like you know I don't need to help you. freeing the senobium's hunter? i could kill you right now. obviously he ends up helping—out of intrigue, not wanting to owe a debt later on, affection, etc etc

i still adore the fact that vere likes handmade gifts 🥹 especially in a scenario where your gift plans goes awry... you're worried because the gift broke, or it looks wonky to you, or whatever else, and you try to explain and apologize and he's oddly quiet because he's looking at it, turning it in his hands... depending on how bad you feel, he might tease you for it, but very genuinely appreciates it 🥹 says something like how you're cute but worry too much... he's gotten much less, much worse, as birthday gifts... my gooodness .

[vamperrvert]

is there a single touchstarved fan out there💔

[mawrrbid]

Touchstarved incorrect quotes as shit I and my friends said (without any context) - pt.7

pt.1 - pt.2 - pt.3 - pt.4 - pt.5 - pt.6

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

Leander: I can't wait to play homosexuals with you!

--

Ais: I love that horny brain of yours.

--

MC: I turned old today. Kuras: Happy womb eviction day. :)

--

Leander (drunk): Mhin didn’t drink tonight! Vere (even more drunk): LIL BITCH! Mhin: Fuck off, whore!

--

MC: Go to Hell! Ais: Are you suggesting I should go back to my country?

--

Kuras (concerned): Would you like a cookie? MC: I mostly need antidepressant... MC: But space cookies would do the trick! Kuras: MC no-

--

Vere (probably talking about Mhin): They're small and weird! Vere: Just like dicks...

[yoyo-s-coffee]

a break from the murder

[anonymous-eggy]

ON OFFICIAL ART?!?!

[cutie-pinay]

Happy Birthday Leander, you sussy fuck 🤨.

[galedekarios]

🍂🌱🍃

[catinasink]

i should get to kiss my mutuals it would fix me

[vaultureculture]

GUYS THE KICKSTARTER UPDATE I FUCKING SCREAMED

[pookiethebloodsucker]

I will not rest until Maxima gets a girlfriend.

[savingsallow]

— The Unlikely Friends

[valentine & leander's friendship in a nutshell]

'so if i add the social number to the heart number, then the sum is basically the character number—'

'oh, this can't be good'

"good morning, leander"

"you said you'd practice the summoning spell with me"

"busy again..?"

"you're such a whiny baby. later at 5, you know where to meet me"

[mawrrbid]

Touchstarved incorrect quotes as shit I and my friends said (without any context) - pt.1 probably

pt.2 - pt.3

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

Leander: If you think about it, beer is technically soup. :)

--

MC: You're a cutie patootie. Vere: Wrong, I'm a slutty putati.

--

Kuras: There's many things I wanna say but I am not sure church will appreciate it. MC: OOGA BOOGA.

--

Mhin: I'm a spilled cup of expresso, wasted and bitter.

--

MC: Why are you on all four on the ground like a slut? Ais: I AM LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO SMOKE!