#time to go back to simpler things unless I absolutely need a background

[pixlokita]

Maybe I should stop worrying so much about filling a background on every comic panel I draw -w- it’s gonna be covered by speech bubbles anyway I mean

[sondepoch]

XII: Neutral Route (Rika)

Where Futures Begin

Life used to be simple for you. Peaceful. But the Savior had other plans for you, and in moments, she ruined what you thought was your one shot at happiness. Blinded by anger, you escaped the Mint Eye, but that triggered a series of events that would bring you further into the world of brothers Saeran and Saeyoung. And further into the twisted world of your love for them.

Neutral Route: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | ✔

Saeyoung’s Route: 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | ✔

Saeran’s Route: 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | ✔

MASTERLIST

The world had grown cruel.

That was the one truth Rika knew to be absolute. Decades ago, it was a different place. The sky was bluer, the grass greener, the people happier.

But the twenty-first century was an era of purpose. Life was dedicated to work and advancement, where people couldn't be troubled with matters trifling as joy.

The Mint Eye was a safe haven from the cruelty of the outside world.

Closed off in the depths of a forest, where the sky couldn't be seen, and the only sign of natural life was the flower garden inside, the people of the Mint Eye could revisit a simpler time—one free from the chains of responsibility that shackled those outside. They lived in peace, wholly content with leading a life devoted to harmony and happiness.

A life devoted to magenta.

Rika had chosen the color carefully; she was acutely aware of its rarity in nature, and that was what made it such an admirable choice. The Mint Eye was everything the world was not. A shelter from time itself, it was too perfect to be natural.

It was mint.

It was magenta.

And yet, (Y/N) has chosen to leave my protection, Rika thought bitterly. How ungrateful.

A part of Rika had known that the other girl, MC, would be gone as fast as she had arrived. That was why she had opted not to waste time throwing the brunette into primary and secondary commitment. (Y/N)'s escape was entirely unexpected, though.

Was she that devastated when Saeran chose MC over her? Rika considered the notion with care. The blonde knew that she had played a critical role in separating the two. Then again, Rika didn't truly consider (Y/N) worthy of Saeran's affections. A woman like MC, someone who came from a respectable background rather than an orphanage and then the streets, was much more fitting for the delicate boy.

It had taken significant work to separate the two, but Saeran had finally given in to what Rika had tried so hard to make obvious. He chose MC. MC over (Y/N).

Rika sighed as she looked at the clock.

Saeran should be there any moment now for their meeting.

Though, with the absence of (Y/N), the boy was growing increasingly unpredictable. Rika had found herself with no other choice but to swap out his usual pills for those soaked in the Elixir. It wasn't enough of a dosage to cause any pain, but it should have been sufficient in keeping Saeran in line when (Y/N) wouldn't do it for him.

Rika glanced down at her nails. Perfectly trimmed and painted, as usual. If V were here, he would have me pose.

Rika frowned at the memory of the man. V had left the Mint Eye without a word, abandoning the young woman and breaking her heart in turn. Yet still, she found herself remembering him and his habits, remembering what he would say at certain things, his old actions seeping into her subconscious to produce thoughts she never authorized.

A knock on the door pulled Rika from her mind.

She straightened her dress, making sure she looked as prophetic as the Savior of the Mint Eye should. After a moment, she called out, "Come in, Ray."

The white-haired boy entered and closed the door behind him, seating himself on the Victorian-style couch he always took. Usually, in Rika's sessions with him, he would immediately begin talking. Something (Y/N) this, (Y/N) that. In truth, if it weren't for Saeran, Rika wouldn't have paid the girl any extra attention. For the past month and a half, though, Saeran had grown quiet.

As he sat across from Rika, for the first time, he said nothing at all, his expression dead.

Rika coughed.

"Do you not have anything noteworthy to report to the Savior, Ray?" Rika kept her tone was calm and inviting as she spoke, making sure she hid her irritance behind a facade of serenity.

"No." Saeran's face was sullen, his expression somehow even darker than it had been when Rika had first been told to take him in.

The blonde sighed, picking herself up off the couch to join Saeran on his, wrapping him into a delicate hug, genuinely trying to comfort him. "Ray," Rika murmured when the boy didn't respond, still staring numbly ahead. "Ray, look at me."

Rika sighed.

"Ray."

No response.

"Ray!"

The boy raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

Rika took a breath.

"Saeran."

That seemed to shake him. The white-haired boy turned to face Rika, his eyes no longer empty but instead sorrowful, searching for something he couldn't find in Rika's emerald eyes.

Rika turned her head away. After all her years with Saeran in the Mint Eye, she still struggled to meet his gaze when he had that expression on his face. The boy feared her, she knew. After all the pain she had forced him to endure as she tested out Elixir after Elixir on his broken body, he should fear her.

But their history together was too great, too sorrowful, for her to look Saeran in the eyes and lie to him. But the truth could never come out. She had sworn it. And that was one of the few promises she intended to keep.  

Saeyoung's eyes had never looked so determined.

"I know you heard me, Rika."

"B-but that's too much of a r-responsibility for me! I can't take care of another human being altogether!" Rika's words were short, the young girl stuttering through the shock. She was twelve. Too young and naive to do what Saeyoung was asking of her.

"You can do it better than me." Saeyoung's lips were set in a hard line, his eyes fierce and golden. They had the same determined glint to them that a king's crown does as he gives an order of utmost importance. "Take care of Saeran for me, Rika. I can't..."

Saeyoung took a breath, pausing before he could grow too emotional. "I can't stand by and watch him grow up in a household like mine. Things are about to get fucked up. Really fucked up. Saeran should at least be safe. You have to promise me that you'll keep him safe."

Rika swallowed, turning to gaze at V. The elder boy had always been a voice of reason in her life. He was the one she turned to whenever she hesitated, his advice always working out for the better. "Rika...I know this is difficult to hear," V murmured softly, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, a loving little gesture established early on in their childhood friendship, "But Saeyoung is right. He's ready to handle what he's about to do...but he can't do it until Saeran is out of the picture. Safe. Only you can offer that kind of shelter."

Rika hesitated, her lip trembling. This wasn't a normal conversation between them. It wasn't a friendly banter with her and V on one side, arguing with Saeyoung and Jumin whilst Saeran watched from afar, sighing. This was important. This was real. This was the future of a human life they were discussing.

"What he's about to do?' Wh-what do you mean, V? What are you going to do, Saeyoung?" Rika's question was innocent enough, but the redhead couldn't meet her eyes as she asked it.

"Saeyoung," She whispered, serious. "What are you going to do?"

Saeyoung looked away, stubborn as usual. That was one thing Rika hated about him—he was thick-headed when it came to situations like the one before them, never willing to rely on others unless it was absolutely necessary. "You...you really need me to do this for you, don't you?" Rika mumbled, coming to terms with the situation before her.

Saeyoung nodded, still not meeting her eyes.

"...Okay, I promise. I'll take Saeran in and keep him safe. But, Saeyoung, you know what he's like. If he thinks you abandoned him, then he'll never forgi—"

"Let him think I abandoned him," Saeyoung said, interrupting her. "After I do this, he's better off without me."

Rika bit her lip.

"What are you going to do?" She turned to V after receiving no response. "Well, V? What could Saeyoung do that's so horrible he doesn't think he's fit to be around his own brother?!"

Even V turned away, mumbling a soft, "It's not my place to say," before backing away.

Rika sighed, a trigger for many more exhales of frustration that would be brought forth by her decision to take Saeran under her wing.

It was worth it, though.

And nearly half a decade later, it still was.

Though for a very different reason.

Rika hadn't expected to form the Mint Eye. She hadn't planned to become the Savior of the broken, bringing salvation to the world one lost soul at a time. But without Saeran, that unexpected future wouldn't have been possible. If not for his acceptance of her idea, and his decision to become Ray, none of her dreams would have been brought to reality.

She had spent nearly half a decade manipulating the boy, but she still did care for him.

"Saeran..." Rika murmured again, pulling back from the embrace. "What can I do to ease your pain, my sweetling?"

She looked at Saeran with motherly eyes. Ever since she assumed the role as his caretaker, even though she was scarcely two years older than him, she had looked after him like the proper mother he never had. Rika felt the connection as well. She found her heart breaking with his, rising with his, beating quicker with his. Even when V had left, utterly shattering Rika's heart, she had still found it sadder when MC had chosen to leave Saeran—she knew what heartbreak felt like, and she hated that Saeran had to go through it as well. "What will make you smile again, my sweet Saeran?"

Saeran opened his mouth to speak, but the sound that came forth seemed inhuman. It was a desperate groan, but whether it was a sound of distress or pain or fear was something Rika could not tell.

"Speak to me, sweetling," Rika cooed, her words gentle as the fingers she stroked Saeran's hair with.

"I...I want..." Saeran was hesitant, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"Yes?" Rika encouraged, trying to hear what Saeran wanted. She truly did care for the boy. Whatever he wanted, whatever he needed, would be his.

"(Y/N)." He said, his voice soft enough to have been carried away by the gentle breeze brought in by the open window. "I want...(Y/N)."

Rika felt her stomach coil.

So hard.

She had worked so fucking hard to get (Y/N) out of Saeran's head. Why couldn't the boy realize that MC was better suited for him? That (Y/N) was just a pathetic girl from the streets, a leech on the Mint Eye? The girl was undeserving of magenta and undeserving of Saeran, but the boy's heart kept going back to her.

"You don't want MC?" Rika asked cautiously, choosing her words with care.

"I never wanted MC," Saeran mumbled, throwing his head into his hands, "It was (Y/N). It was always (Y/N). And I screwed it up with her so bad, Savior. So bad."

Rika felt her eyes narrow.

"What did you do, Saeran?"

The boy hesitated, but Rika didn't say another word. She knew the truth was eating him up inside, it was only a matter of how long he could hold out. "I..." Saeran hesitated, but Rika was more patient than he was cautious.

"I spoke to her," He mumbled. "She tried to access the Mint Eye's primary database, and so I hacked into the laptop she was using. And I talked to her. And I said such horrible things...I don't know what came over me, Savior!"

Rika's eyes widened. Could it be that the Elixir is having an effect on how he treats (Y/N)? Rika paused for a moment, the notion seeming more and more reasonable with every passing second. Yes...the Elixir instills self-destructive instincts into the mind. It must have manifested itself in Saeran's mind to ruin his relationship with the one girl that, for some stupid reason, he seems to love. No wonder! He was on the Elixir ever since MC joined the Mint Eye...yes, that's why his relationship deteriorated so quickly with (Y/N)! This is perfect!

Rika smirked.

MC was the woman Saeran was destined to be with. It was the girl Rika had chosen for him, and he would fall in love with her, whether he liked it or not.

And it seemed that Rika just realized how.

"Saeran, my sweetling," She murmured, her voice tender. "Would you like to see (Y/N) again? I can make it happen."

Saeran's ears perked up, his entire expression clearing like the clouds after a particularly destructive thunderstorm. "You can? Really, Savior? Oh, thank you so much!"

Rika smiled at Saeran, sweet as ever.

The boy wouldn't understand her reasoning. But MC was his destiny. Rika had decided as much, and as the Savior, her wish was law in the Mint Eye.

Rika made a mental note to double Saeran's medication orders; she'd sneak the Elixir back into his diet until the poor fool had convinced himself once more that he wasn't worthy of (Y/N), that he was in love with MC. Then, when the two met, she would allow the Elixir to deliver the final blow to their relationship, crushing it forever.

Then, even if Saeran realized the truth and tried to go back to (Y/N), it would be too late.

Whether he liked it or not.

MASTERLIST

Neutral Route: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | ✔

Saeyoung’s Route: 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | ✔

Saeran’s Route: 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | ✔

Word count: 2.3k

Notes: February is going to be a busy month for me T^T So much for my New Year's Resolution of maintaining a good sleep schedule

Comment & Like

Next Update: 02/10/20

I do not own the rights to Mystic Messenger or any of the characters within it.

[mysticsparklewings]

Ziggy Crossing

Still not quite sure I'm 100% back into the swing of things (posting regularly and being more present) yet, but time will tell. For now I'm testing the waters. Anyway. In the time I've been away, I ended up talking to some friends about (to the surprise of absolutely no one) Animal Crossing, and in that conversation, the idea of drawing my cat, Ziggy, as an Animal Crossing villager came up. I'd toyed with it before after seeing some other people draw their pets as villagers, and that conversation more or less sealed the deal for me to at least try it, even if my attempt didn't pan out and see the light of day. Obviously, things went pretty well because here I am posting this. The first step, as it is 90% of the time for me, was to come up with a sketch and go from there. I primarily used Olivia and Lolly [pre-existing Animal Crossing cat villagers] as my references--Olivia for the pose and eyes, Lolly for the stripes and some details regarding the ears and face--but I also checked certain things across the various cat villager models so that details could be consistent where they needed to be. I think if I missed the mark anywhere, it's probably in the proportions. Namely the size of the head and length of the body. But I think it's close enough that unless you compare it directly to Olivia's model that I referenced for the pose, the proportions aren't so off that it's distracting or off-putting. I did originally have trouble figuring out what pattern to put on her shirt though because the real Ziggy doesn't really have anything I could pull a pattern from. These days she does wear a white and silver collar, but that's not a whole lot to work with. So I left that alone while I pondered how I wanted to go about coloring the whole thing. My plan at the beginning was to use this sketch as a test piece for some acrylic paint markers I recently acquired (which you will be seeing me talk about in the future), but once the sketch was finished and I went back to check the colors I had (you know me; gotta have a swatch chart for everything), it was pretty obvious that if I want this to be my dear Ziggy and not just a random tabby cat, I needed to figure out a different coloring method. I could have just done regular acrylic paint, but that sounded like a chore and thus I was not interested. Same with gouache. Colored pencils were on the table, but the main problem I have with those is that they can be pretty slow and personally I think their texture really lends them better to replicating the 3DS/Animal Crossing: New Leaf style, as opposed to the look of New Horizons, and that's not what I was going for here. That left me with two main options: Watercolor, which was a hard pass for this kind of art (at least for Ziggy herself), and alcohol markers, which I did use quite a bit on the last Animal Crossing artwork I made, and they had worked out fairly well. Alcohol markers it was! Of course, even after that decision was made, there was the issue of how to handle the lines of the drawing. When I was planning on using the paint pens/acrylic markers/whatever, that seemed a lot simpler because, in theory, I could just use the same pen I wanted to color with to do the outlines and then fill them in. And because that would be using mostly opaque paint, if I needed to I could just cover up any overlap with relative ease. Alcohol markers don't play by the same rules though, so I had to re-think all that. In the end, I pulled out a pale warm gray Polychromos pencil close to the main color of alcohol marker that I had picked out that I figured would also be light enough to blend in everywhere else. That way I could have the defining lines that I needed without having to worry too much about them being visible in the final product. [For clarification: I picked a Polychromos because once sharpened they tend to hold a point longer and better than the other colored pencils at my disposal and I really needed to keep a sharp point as long as possible to do the lines here.] In retrospect, I do think it might have been to my benefit to pick out a pink for doing the inner ear lines, but the end result there isn't so awful that it single-handedly (paw-ed-ly?) ruins the drawing for me. It's just something to take note of for next time if there is a "next time." Once I had my lines (including doing the eyelashes and mouth with one of my usual black fineliners), the next challenge was the actual coloring. Mostly because I had to be very careful around the edges so that the marker ink didn't feather out too far (as alcohol markers do on any paper that isn't marketed as "bleed proof" because that's what bleed proof in paper actually means--not that it won't bleed through to the other side, though that is less common with that kind of paper, but that it won't "bleed" across the page), and I also had to be a little careful and choosy about how I did any blending or shading. Again, my blending and shading plan was going to be different had I used the acrylic markers. The main thing I ended up doing here was trying to find areas that needed to be layered so that the one-color shading could act as a line/barrier between sections. Best example: Where the ears meet the head, I shaded the bottom portion of the ears. You can also see this a little bit where Ziggy's tail meets her body and where the legs intersect at a few different points. By no means did this turn out perfectly, considering that I really wanted to stick to use as few colors as possible (which means pretty much all the shading is just layers of one color to darken it) which means there isn't as much distinction or variation as there could be. And I feel it necessary to note here that I was worried when I first finished the lines that the eyes looked wonky, but after coloring pretty much everything else in that concern dissolved because 1. It's harder to tell and 2. Even if they aren't exactly the same, it makes visual sense because it looks like her head is slightly turned, meaning the eyes wouldn't be identical anyway. Never underestimate the power of coloring your work in! Speaking of which, you might be wondering about her shirt by now. Well, after toying around with some ideas I got it in my head that a good way to tackle that problem might be with washi tape, as I've used it in this manner before and worked out pretty nicely. Even though it wasn't a lot to work with, I did like the idea of the base color for her top being white like the real Ziggy's collar, and that narrowed down my tape options considerably. Of the options I had that I thought would be suitable, I ended up having a choice between one with small rainbow-colored polka dots and the decidedly less vibrant small triangles that you see here. The polka dots seemed a little too peppy for Ziggy, so I went with the triangles. And this, I must say, is one of those artistic decisions that I feel even better about the longer that I see the end product.   The main issue I have with using washi tape, and thus why I don't use it in this way that often, is because cutting the washi tape to fit a specific shape is a process that doesn't get much easier even with practice.  And even if it did, that wouldn't eliminate the very real possibility of cutting or indenting the paper underneath while you're cutting the tape. Of which, I have not yet figured out how to totally avoid short of forming the washi tape on a separate piece of paper, cutting it there, and then moving it to the final piece. But that method comes with its own problems too, so... Still, I made the decision to go through with it here and just accept the rough edges/lack of precision and all that. Before I put the tape down though, I did do a little shading with some light gray markers that I was counting on showing through the tape to give it a little more dimension. Seeing it now, I do think I could've stood to go a little darker, but again this isn't something that totally ruins the end result for me. Just something worth noting. After all of the above, I was left with one lingering problem: The background. Which I've noticed seems to normally be a "problem" area for me in that I don't always have a solid idea for what to do with it. I did consider what exactly I wanted to do earlier on in the process, before I started on Ziggy on the final paper, even. Briefly, I thought I might cut her out and put her on a separate background as is sort of a go-to background method for me. Something just didn't feel right about doing that here though and it feels like I've done that a lot lately (you know, when I've not been drowning in mandalas for NaPoWriMo...). So it was at this early stage that I locked in the idea of adding in the background in later, probably doing something kind of loose to give a general idea that hopefully wouldn't take too much time or effort. We've already established that I wasn't super keen on the idea of using acrylic paints or gouache for this drawing, and that remained true for the background too. Although, I don't really like using alcohol markers for backgrounds either because it can be tricky to keep things smooth and consistent. That left me with colored pencils and watercolor. Colored pencils are usually hard pass for backgrounds for me for a number of reasons. So! Watercolor, hmm... I drew Ziggy here on my darling Strathmore 400 series mixed media paper because I love how it handles markers and it has enough weight and texture to it that it handles a lot of my other go-to options with little fuss. Watercolor is really the only thing I have trouble using on it, the main problem being that sometimes (not always) the paint doesn't like to blend out super smoothly and certain watercolor techniques don't work the same on it. This doesn't mean it's useless for watercolor (at least not for me), that just means I have to be more careful about how I choose to work with watercolor on it. In this case, the blending issues lined up with the idea I had of letting the background have more texture since Ziggy came out a lot smoother by the very nature of alcohol markers. Somewhere in all this, the idea struck me to use my Gelatos to leave behind some crayon-like texture. That idea seemed fitting to me since Animal Crossing is a fairly light-hearted and child-friendly game, themes that crayons go along with. The gelatos are water-soluble but not every color dissolves completely when activated with water. This should be pretty evident here because I didn't try to hide it. I wanted quick and easy, and without a doubt just letting the texture do whatever it wants is the quick n' easiest method to use with the gelatos. Once I'd done a bit of back and forth with two greens and two blues to give me the solid suggestions of a sky and ground, it still felt like it was missing something. Ultimately, it seemed like a good idea to me to try and mimic the triangle pattern/texture that New Horizons features. (In past games you could get squares or circles for a grass pattern at random.) And while I as per usual I had to think on how to go about this, in the end, the best solution I could come up with turned out to be drawing the triangles in with alcohol markers. Truly, I'm surprised to be reporting this because I fully expected the creamy nature of the gelatos to make using alcohol markers on top feel disguising and unproductive. But not so! At least not with the limited gelato use here. The creamier areas do soften the color of the marker, but I think that worked to my advantage. Although, I did end up using a little bit of my yellow Moonlight gel pen because I felt like I needed some yellow triangles for balance and I knew transparent yellow markers wouldn't do what I wanted. But that brings us to the final product. I'm happy with it. And I do really like how the grass ties in with Ziggy's green eyes. It's just a nice little touch of visual cohesion in my book. As I always say, I'm sure it's not perfect and there are some missteps here and there or things that could be improved. Nevertheless, it was a fun experiment and serves as good encouragement for me to continue playing with the lineless look, among other things. I do have to note though that it feels super weird to just leave the eyes like this with no indication of shine on them! I made the choice not to since it's not a common trait with the official character models (at least not for eyes in this same style) but part of me still feels like it's incomplete. As I've said before recently and I'll probably say again, I can't promise I'll be getting back to a regular upload schedule now, but it's on my mind. I want to get to that point soon. I do have the acrylic markers I mentioned to talk about and another supply in the mail, and some other art in my backlog. So if you can be patient with me a while longer, there will be more from me to look forward to. In the meantime, please be kind to yourself and others. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram 

[fyrapartnersearch]

Hey there, thanks for checking out my submission. You may call me V (or Rie. Either works.), I’ve been roleplaying for about 7 years and I’m currently looking for some creative, literate partners to roleplay with!

So, without further ado,

IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:

My writing style is in third person, past tense, 1+ paragraphs. I have a bit of a tendency to match my partner’s length but if I'm really motivated and into the rp though, I can honestly go on and on and on and on.....

I enjoy plot-centered RPs the most. I have no issues with those that are focused on only one element, but I personally prefer something that has all sorts of different themes/elements to it. (In simpler terms, I'm looking for 55% plot + 45% smut.)

I RP via email only.

Though I may not be extremely strict on literacy, I do expect decent grammar and writing. (Please take the time to proofread your replies before sending it over too. Typos, weird sentences and errors appearing every now and then is absolutely understandable, but it does get a bit much when it happens consistently.)

I’m pretty laid-back when it comes to post frequencies. I don’t mind if you’re someone who replies within a day, or someone who replies only once a week. I personally have an erratic schedule and therefore, there’ll be times when I can respond two to three times a week, and times when I can only reply once a week. Nonetheless, I'll always let you know beforehand if I need a bit more time.

I currently do MxF pairings only, with me playing the female role. I've tried playing a male character before but unfortunately, I don't feel I do the role any justice.

I strongly prefer playing characters that are twenty and above, but if I had to play someone younger than that, the lowest I'd go is probably only eighteen or nineteen. I don't do age gaps which exceed 10 years too.

No one liners or extremely short replies please! I appreciate a partner who puts in as much effort as I do. You don’t have to match me and I'm not the kind to have some sort of length requirement, but please try your best. It'll make me incredibly happy and motivated to respond back ASAP.

No godmodding. If you do this, I’ll /unfortunately/ have to end the RP.

“There is no ‘I’ in ‘Team’. “ Cliche, but accurate. When it comes to fleshing out the storyline, I expect the both of us to plot and exchange ideas. Don't leave it solely up to me because where's the fun in that, amirite? If we're going to start a lil world reserved only for us, then it'd only make sense for us to create it together.

I adore chatting and plotting with my partners so if you’d ever like to converse OOC about ideas, plots or RP feels with me, go right ahead. The only thing I ask is that we don't get too RL personal with one another, especially not when we've only known each other for a day or two. Please respect my privacy as I would yours.

You can check out my Turn Ons/Turn Offs at: https://www.f-list.net/c/blauerossen

When it comes to my limits, please don't ask me to try anything that's in my “No” section though. They were added there for a reason and I’d sincerely appreciate it if you could respect that.

If any of my plot interests you, do add in the number (e.g “#02”) somewhere in your title.

If none of my ideas interest you but you see a pairing/theme you fancy below and have a plot idea, feel free to send me a message! I’m always open to new ideas. Please specify what you’re interested in and/or let me know what you idea is though. It’ll save us much more time than if you were to send me a mere, “Hey, free to RP?” or “I’m interested and have an idea. Can we roleplay?”.

THEMES I LIKE / WANT TO EXPLORE:

Psychological Thriller / Torment

Corruption

Dark/Twisted Themes

Romance

Smut

Crime/Mafia related stories

Action

Thriller

Slice of Life

Post-Apocalyptic

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Medieval

Edo Period

PAIRINGS (Bold = Current craving):

Survivor x Survivor (Post-apocalyptic setting)

Android x Human

Kidnapper x Victim

Criminal x Criminal

DemiGod x Human

Prince x Princess

Butler x Princess/heiress

Spy/Assassin x Spy/Assassin

Spy/Assassin x Cop

Assassin x Target

Cop x Criminal

Teacher x Student

Mythical/Supernatural being x Human

Master x Slave

Student x Student

Boss x Employee

+ more. (Can’t think of anything else, currently. Will update when I do.)

PLOT BUNNIES:

The roles in these plots can be reversed unless stated otherwise, and I don’t write much about my partner’s character’s background as I prefer to leave those lovely parts up to them!:

#01 - Psychological Thriller / Master x Slave  (heavily inspired by Woojin and Joonhoon’s relationship from ATEOTR || Current craving):

When my character’s father decided to remarry, it was a scary change. She didn't know how things would go but upon getting to know her step-mother and bonding with her step-sibling, things didn't seem so bad. Her step-sister, in particular, seemed to have much in common with her, and it came to a point where they were once almost inseparable. But as time went by though, she started noticing some 'changes'.

Her father’s once undying love and attention towards her seemed to be halved now, and the people that surrounded them started comparing her to her step-sister.

She tried to brush it off at the beginning— simply pretending not to notice whenever it happened during functions they'd attend but eventually, feelings of dissatisfaction and envy slowly arose. She didn't understand what was it that had set her apart from her step-sister. Was she simply not trying hard enough at everything? Or was this just a simple game of favoritism? As the hatred and bitterness grew within her, she found herself going astray — hanging out with the rebellious crowd and venturing into places she shouldn’t be going to.

This is where she’d encounter your character. (We can definitely change or alter him if you had other character ideas in mind but personally, I envision him to be someone who's surrounded by people that both respect and fear him. They’re attracted to his allure and charm, as well as his strong and authoritative presence but they also fear him due to his dark and twisted nature. He might be someone who's good with words, enabling him to be friends with socialites/businessmen and those from the underground society. He's probably someone who's cunning, intelligent and extremely twisted.)

Upon meeting one another, he could see her as an interesting subject; a possible new "pawn" whom he could control and make use of until he got bored of her.

She in turn could find him maddening but entrancing, a person she keeps on going back to despite his wicked ways. [Do keep in mind that I don't plan to make her a willing submissive. She's usually pretty aloof and provocative; having a sly and complex mind just like his. She only really submits when 1) he leaves her no other option or 2) she feels vulnerable/emotional or so.]

Whether they eventually fall in love or are forever stuck in this cat-and-mouse game is entirely up to us but basically, they're two hollow-hearted characters trapped in a complicated relationship.

#02 - Fantasy or Criminal Organization:

I recently revisited an old favorite movie of mine called Shinobi, and was tempted to create an idea similar to it.

Your character is the son of clan A’s boss and mine, clan B’s. The two groups which were once rivals decides to form an alliance. The reason can be as simple as them feeling they’d be better off ending their feud, or it can be that another clan is coming up, and they think said group is going to be a huge threat to them all.

After much discussion, the two leaders decide that the best way to end their feud and establish their new found alliance is to have an arranged relationship/marriage between their children.

We can honestly go many ways with this plot. It can be a lighthearted one where two characters who used to despise each other slowly fall for one another, or it can be full of chaos where family conflict, betrayal, etc.. takes place. Anything goes with this idea, really.

#03 - Post-Apocalyptic:

Ever since the terrifying zombie outbreak occurred, my character has been on the move; raiding every house/building she passes by, and avoiding any possible encounter with other survivors. However, a bad fall and an injured arm has her desperately seeking for shelter.

How she meets your character is entirely up to us/you. He can be another survivor who happens to chance upon her somewhere, or he can be hiding out in a house/place that she decides to check out. He can even be a leader or “governor” of some sort who ends up finding her wandering near their base.

#04 - Edo Period:

This would probably take place in the 17th century where Yoshiwara still existed. My character would either be an apprentice or a high ranking courtesan working at Yoshiwara, and your character can be… Anyone you’d like him to be, really.

With a plot like this, the sky’s pretty much the limit. He can be a samurai looking to ‘relax’ after a hard day's work, a ronin wanting to hide from his foes, a foreigner from abroad (I know, I know. Foreigners weren’t exactly welcomed still then but since this is the RP world… Anything can happen. Wink ) or heck, we can even have a wealthy foreigner or feudal lord buy her out out of Yoshiwara and into his household, where other drama/chaos/etc can occur.

Just like #01, the genre/theme for this is flexible. -------------------------------------------------------------------

That’s all from me! Thank you for checking out my post, and please feel free to send me an email at blauerossen@gmail.com if you’re interested in roleplaying!

[cryamore]

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS AND DEVELOPMENT UPDATE ROUNDUP

We’ve gotten a number of questions from our Discord members in the past month and it’s time to share them with everyone along with our answers.

See what a handful of our backers have been asking Rob, Aivi, surasshu, and me after the jump.

Kishou asks the following questions:

Can you change Esmy's appearance? Like, with armor sprites?

Sadly, given how Cryamore’s sprites are designed, it’s too taxing to make armor sprites for Esmy as we’d have to make armor sprites for a lot of unique animations, idle, running, hit, ground cast, mid cast, high cast, Vanish animations, Boulder Dash animations, etc. and then multiply that with 3 or 5 directions each.

The most we can offer for visual customization are palette swaps.

Featured above are palettes for default, Braxton, Bliss, “Dewritos”, and Black & Blue

I just want to see Esmy in something revealing like a swimsuit

Rob can probably arrange that in another artwork. I could sprite Esmy in a swimsuit but I don’t think we have any scenarios written down that feature her in one.

Of course, we could always write one in...

I'm not sure if this is asked before but is there a love interest in mind for Esmy?

Esmy’s too focused on her work and studying cryamore to notice anyone that may have feelings for her.

Right?

There's no "right" or "wrong" way to clear the game right? Like, surely some spells solve puzzles but there will be proficiency in not just weapon choices but spells in fighting too?

We’ve done our best to make sure your offensive/defensive ability and weapon loadouts will always be viable so whether you like playing ranged weapons with hard hitting close combat abilities, using mobility enhancing abilities with melee weapons or whatever playstyle tickles your fancy, we’ve spent a lot of time ensuring we got everything balanced and fun enough so there won’t be an absolute god tier and worst tier loadout.

Phosphatide asks:

About story flow: with games now searching for the perfect balance between "linear progression" and "open world freedom" to avoid blatant in-game walls preventing the possibility of sequence-breaking exploration or aimless wandering with no sense of urgency... what was your goal for Cryamore?

Alan: Honestly, I personally wanted full-on freedom to go explore some of the hardest areas of the game and risk the chance of getting wrecked, but we had to corrall things a bit to ensure you stay within the story bounds. Rob being the lead on this has final say on direction.

Rob: I wanted to instill a sense of survival in the game and make sure that the abilities are a big focal point for both puzzles and combat so we were able to block off certain areas of the world the way Metroidvanias would; give you a hint at what might be ahead, but you're blocked by something that needs a new ability

Alan: There's still freedom to be had but you can only go so far before you either hit a roadblock which needs an ability or sometimes story progression (you need clearance to explore south of the island)

So yeah, the goal was to give some freedom but not too much and I'm hoping we managed to achieve it with the world design I've done and with enough usage of the puzzle solving abilities we've made.

Tomar asks:

Curiosity here. Do you guys do art asset sharing through your VC system, or do you use something simpler like dropbox/google drive?

We’ve mostly used Dropbox all throughout to share asset files.

Above are the four folders we have set for Cryamore. Backgrounds has Rob and me contributing to it, Illustrations has Rob, me, and JC and Juby’s contributions, Inspiration Music has Aivi and surasshu’s work (a lot of unheard of to the public music WIP files) and Sprite-Animations has my work.

Once something like music, animation or an environment asset is set, Rob or I transfer it to Unity, apply any settings necessary (import and display settings for 2DToolkit, audio settings for Master Audio, etc.) and then upload it to the SVN so the file and all its settings will exist for anyone on the team with a Unity key and access to the Cryamore SVN.

Do you use freecamp for like kanban/task management stuff?

When we had more people in our team, we used OpenOffice and then switched to Freedcamp to keep track of tasks and bugs. Now that it’s just Rob and me, and Aivi and surasshu on sound and music, we mostly just keep a personal to-do list.

Xaelon asks:

I have no idea if this is possible with how the game is built, but something you could add to promote replay after the base game is completed would be a "randomizer mode" that shuffles various things into different places.

We could probably apply that to enemy spawns and some cryam deposits but the environment layouts though aren't as flexible sadly as we don’t use tilesets and the collision bounds of the environments aren’t generated by object due to a lot of irregular organic shapes.

We definitely have considered implementing a NG+ option though, maybe with levels and certain abilities intact on the next play but with more mobs and other difficulty boosts. 

shadowreaper5 asks:

Do skills with timers (like the buff to breathe underwater) have a visual representation of the time left?

To a certain extent, yes. Esmy’s going to have a breath meter over her head while underwater without the Oxy Barrier ability.

We initially wanted to just have a blue fill over Esmy’s status portrait (which changes to her holding her breath) while underwater but so it’s easier to keep track of, she’ll have a meter above her head when she isn’t using Oxy Barrier underwater.

While we do have spells with durations, some of them won’t have a meter and rely on visual cues: a timed magma mine will blink when it's about to explode, time paradox clones should blink when they're about to fade, and shadow cloak should fade back to full visibility upon ending. As it is though, we will mention the duration of spells in their info box at the menu.

Tarquinn2049 asks:

Ok. This question is a bit on the other end amd might make me sound like a jerk due to timing. But does it support 4k? And if so is it by pixel doubling? I can totally play it at 1080p if hardware scaling will ultimately look better.

Our native resolution is 720p which we’ll be upscaling to 1080p. We won’t be able to provide 4K support as working primarily in 2D where our target resolution is 720p would require us to rework the assets in a larger size so as not to lose crispness of lines and pixels on a larger resolution.

Rob:  The game looks freaking good on a 50-70 inch, though haha! I for one can't wait to playtest a lot on console (devkit).

DEVELOPMENT UPDATES

Unity editor-wise, Rob has been working on optimizing the code further. The sorting order of the game was archaic and clunky, so Rob decided to squish it down to a simpler and more effective form that relies on Sorting Order that Unity didn’t have early on during our development. We instead relied on Z index which required a lot of fiddling around with when setting objects up.

You can see in that test room video that the “Order in Layer” is changing value. Back then it would be the Z in the Position attributes and we’d have to manually set the value beforehand to make sure things appeared behind or in front of objects right.

Rob also implemented full analog movement instead of just the D-pad, this allows for more control, though it’ll need a bit of tweaking as it currently looks like Esmy’s skating along the ground like she’s about to break it down and provide everyone with boosted shields.

There’s been polish going on in multiple fronts on the graphical end as animations and environment assets get fixed.

Above is the fist weapons, we initially were going to go with brass knuckles but decided that it wouldn’t be that noticeable on the sprite unless we made it large but I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t miss the weapons so I designed these gauntlets that shows a bit of the transition from steamtech to cryamtech and also offers a more interesting silhouette while also making a bit more sense as a viable weapon against dangerous monsters.

The fists primary function work as a mashable combo. One press of the attack button does a jab, two presses in quick succession performs a jab and punch, three does a jab, punch, uppercut combo. It’s quick but it doesn’t have that much range or width in its melee attack range.

The second function is the parry which allows you to negate any damage if timed right. Rob’s in charge of securing the timing for all these as he’s the one in Unity and more well-versed with the parrying system this was inspired from (Street Fighter 3) so I trust he’ll make sure it’s balanced. We wanted to make the fists fun to use but even better if you master it and hopefully it’ll show.

The crossbow also underwent an animation rework during its polish phase. The old animation was too focused on being realistic that it didn’t look interesting (i.e. it looked too slow) and the crossbow already has it tough in being interesting when up against the pistols. So far everyone feels it looks much snappier now while still keeping to the timing of the old animation.

What differentiates the crossbow from the pistol is that Esmy can hold her shot and slowly strafe while doing so, only firing when you let go of the attack button. The crossbow also has different types of bolt quivers that you can equip. Currently we’re playing around with piercing properties and stagger/slowing/knockback properties.

We’re also looking into displaying the ammo/bolt count below Esmy everytime she fires so the player can easily keep track of their shots (we’ve been running on infinite ammo all this time just to get a feel of the weapon first before applying a limit). 

The rapier’s animations will still need the pixel pass but its roughs are ready.

You’ll notice two phases in the rapier animation. The basic thrust and the secondary backdash. These are the primary and secondary functions of the weapon. One allows you to dash forward with a piercing strike and another for quick evasion, making the rapier a weapon all about mobility (which could be handy for speedrunning too).

The Ghilcrest buildings are undergoing their design polish as well. You’ve all seen the Cryatisium and Esmy’s Home and now the Inventorium and the Cafe are joining them in polished goodness.

The overworld environments have also been undergoing its rework. More unique object assets have been made and its design is now following the Overworld map that I completed.

Worry not about the above image. Though we do have Brax (and some other characters) following you at some points in the game, it’s not a dangerous escort mission where you’ll have to struggle to keep your companion alive, the Berribuns were added on the map just for this screenshot (they ignore Brax and only go for Esmy).

I’ve tried to incorporate hints of the past steamtech throughout areas of Noka Island that the settlers covered, some machines like the one on the screenshot above were retrofitted to use cryam instead of steam (I did receive comments on how the smoke blobs look more like rocks so I’ll probably change it to wispy smoke).

The HUD has also undergone a visual polish to make it look more bronze plated to go with the early post steampunk-ish feel.

I’ll be continuously working on more animations and environment asset polish all throughout while Rob cleans up code, works on other background assets or lays said assets out in the Unity editor.

ART SPOTLIGHT

Every now and then, Rob (and sometimes I) take a breather and make some art (which will all eventually end up in the artbook) so here’s some of the choice pieces as of late.

Rob made something that could be wallpaper material once he cleans it up in a higher res, it’s an array of Bliss in a custom outfit.

Another wallpaper-ish piece from Rob with Deseret, Bliss, and Sorbet looking all tough and showing what I’ll just assume to be Ghilcrest gang signs... despite it being a small community.

Here's a more realistic pin-up style Bliss that Rob also made.

Rob also pays tribute to Atlus’ Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series by rendering Esmy in Shigenori Soejima’s style.

I did the same and tried making a Shigenori Soejima tribute using his soft paint style commonly present in Stella Deus and some Persona art. I chose to represent Team Bliss.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT 

We’ve also got a few new submissions of fanart from the community that we’re proud to share with everyone. We’re grateful to have all your support and enjoy seeing everyone’s renditions of the Cryamore cast.

@Cliffist pays tribute to the fab queen, Bliss because clearly, she’s supposed to be the star.

@boss_ruru also decides to rep Team Bliss with this lovely piece of Ms. Barson in one of her many alternate outfits.

But it’s not all Bliss as MellowMarz aka @HeartlessHat provides a pistol toting pixel-art Esmy.

I’ll be working on the pixel art and animation featurette next. I had to hold it off since I needed to prep this first.

It should give an idea of what the update will cover.

I hope you enjoyed this update and all the news! Thanks for taking time to read through these.

- CM Alan

P.S. I also managed to secure one of the previous builds we made and will be preparing a guide to go with it for the backers on Discord.

[bookwormguri]

Escape the Brothel- Background

So I’ve been told by a very reliable source that it might be a good idea to write down little recaps for the DnD group I DM for. She was very convincing ;3

So I was originally going to start the recap in this post, but I’m VERY long winded and it ended up becoming a background piece about what went into making this homebrew (avoiding as many spoilers as I can). Maybe I’ll actually get into the gameplay next time, WHO KNOWS.

Warning for rambling and mushiness and the writer having no sense of flow:

So for background, before this group, I had DM’d for approximately 3 ½ sessions with my other Curse of Strahd group. That group is pretty vanilla, but I was kind of craving something a bit darker. Even after months this need never left me. (I even jotted out some little point for an overall plot) Through some luck and fate I found some players that I adore and who were as ravenous as I was to explore dark themes through DnD~

So I started my first homebrew campaign. Since I was (and still am) nervous making my own campaign I knew from the start that I wanted the first game at least to be contained to a small area. That way it would make it simpler for myself and the characters to get used to the world without being overwhelmed. I was kinda obsessed with Escape Rooms at the time so I decided to go with that type of theme; escape. Thus sprouted the Deep Fantasia brothel and the Escape the Brothel arc. Sometimes I worry that after they escape the brothel there will be some disappointment that the rest of the world does not have the same depth of detail, but I’m sure we will all live.

And because I have no fucking chill, the ‘small’ brothel became a four-story map, with additional basement and sub-basement for possible human sacrifice purposes? Did I mention I created 69 unique NPCs to populate the brothel? (I swear that number was not on purpose) So far, I’ve only needed to come up with a handful of NPCs on the spot, and even fewer that needed names. (Bet you didn’t know Lady Artana is someone I just made up, did you?)

When I was creating the NPCs I decided quickly that even if they were going to be treated as throw-away side characters/canon fodder (how naive I was then) I wanted them all to have at least one personable quirk. Just something written down so that they didn’t seem completely flat should the PCs want to get to know them better. Soon those little quirks evolved into half of them having their own mini-side quests. Whoops. I wanted this campaign to be light on the monster encounters so in the end, I think I went 180 the other way. ;D

Now, let it be known I am absolutely shite at pinning down how long a session will last and how fast players will complete challenges. I naively (SO NAIVELY) thought that the PCs might escape the brothel in one, maybe three sessions max. I WAS SO WRONG! I had only ever played with one Player in this group and I was going off what I knew from their playstyle and my own previous knowledge playing and built out from that assumption, but my players surprised me. They actually wanted to fully explore and get to know this little world I created. They wanted to talk to ALL the NPCs, ferret out ALL the mysteries, and most surprising of all, they actually played by the ‘rules’ I set out. I have been told that I’ve never once created a PC that didn’t hate authority. I never would have thought twice about breaking the rules as long as I could sneak or talk or pound my way out of them.

But here, my players surprised me by playing within the rules they were given before the game and because of this the time it has taken them to explore and progress is slower, but it has also shown me there is a certain cunning and subtlety that comes with trying to build up to breaking the rules without shaking the status quo. It’s honestly fascinating to watch and learn from. Although, I do also vividly remember having a lengthy phone convo with a friend (PC in my CoS game) where I happy-cried, “My players are smarttttttt!! They’re too smart for meeeeee!!”

One thing that I wanted was for the characters to come together on their own. I know most people have probably played through that awkward first session where everyone ‘introduces’ their PC at a bar and that your background is that you are a merry band of mercenaries. That works well enough, but it’s never really given me the emotional investment I need to build up to a Party that I’d literally die for. So, in a way, I wanted the brothel to be an origin story for the PCs and their party. I wanted them to come together naturally (or as naturally as they could with my NPCs saying, “Yes, the three of you should be here at this time.”) The one downside to this is that in the beginning I had a bunch of one-on-one time with the PCs while the other two needed to spend time on the back burner. I felt really guilty about this, always worried the others were bored. I tried my best to switch between them as often as I could so they all felt included and that their goals were being given the same time and effort as the others.

I think I was very clumsy and awkward with it at first, but what can you do? Growing pains and all that, you know? And even with my perceived awkwardness I’m still blown away with how natural and perfect we all worked together in-game the first few sessions (considering half of us had never seen the other half’s faces XD) I’ve gotta thank my kickass players for that. They really went all-out in immersing themselves in the game, making my job a lot easier. They’re kinda impressive or something.

When I designed the brothel and the various ways to escape, like most DMs I didn’t want to railroad my players. I came up with some foolproof ways for them to leave, with certain plot beats that needed to be fulfilled for them to progress forward at all, but in the end, I think I came up with a skeleton and a few blood vessels of a setting and plot. I didn’t want to be so married to my idea that it would stifle the creativity and ingenuity of my players should they come up with something brilliant (and I’m pleased to say as far as I can tell it has not).

At its core, there are two things keeping the players from escaping, the Brands that threaten to make them go ‘poof’ if they exit certain areas and the various Defenses that the brothel uses to keep people in (and out). Once they solve those two issues things should (theoretically) be smooth sailing. It’s just up to the players to pick up the breadcrumbs I’ve left lying around of how to do both, unless the PCs come up with their own brilliant escape plan (I would be lying if I said I haven’t impulsively burnt down an inn or two in my day). I make it sound easy, but those two obstacles are actually fairly formidable in their own right.

Speaking of the PCs, when designing the brothel I also designed three factions/roles for the PCs to choose from in addition to their race and class: Whore, Guard or Servant. Going off rock-paper-scissor rules I built each role so that they could succeed where the other’s failed or be lacking where others had strength. All the same, I designed the overall escape so that even if every player chose servant they would still have a chance to escape (although choosing all servants would be doing it in Hard mode, I swear).

Homebrewing this was really a challenge. There was making the plot, the maps, picking out music (which I’ve STILL never been able to get work), knowing the rules, picking out monsters, making NPCs, making traps, having technical difficulties every other week. :D

But still, the nice thing about DnD that I always remind myself is that not everything has to been written down. I don’t NEED to come up with a counter to Every Possible Outcome. Bullshitting is my specialty after all~ (Also those years of improv classes help a bunch too~) And these players make playing just as enjoyable for me as it is for them (I hope).

Especially in the beginning (but also now) I needed constant validation that people were having fun and I was doing a good job. Because if the players aren’t having fun then I need to up my game as that’s my primary goal. One of the players suggested that we do a little thing at the end of every session where we go around and say our favorite thing, least favorite thing, and things we would change. This helps me SO MUCH as a DM that I can’t even express it correctly through words.

I look forward to every Saturday game session, counting down the days until my brilliant players can surprise me again in my own sandbox.

Next, I’ll TRY to actually retell some of the most important bits that have happened to them so far.

@@autumninthenorth @nyako-chan @yarking

[graceivers]

Review #17 - Risking It All

Risking It All Author: Tessa Bailey Genre: Contemporary Romance, Criminals, Law Enforcement Rating: ★★★★½ Recommendation: give it a shot; would read again Summary: Sera Newsom wants revenge and recklessly goes undercover to get evidence against the crime boss responsible for her brother’s death. Bowen Driscol, another crime boss, is more or less persuaded by the police commissioner to keep an eye out for Sera and protect her until she can safely return with said evidence. There’s angst galore.

Female Lead: I didn’t dislike Sera’s character; there were just a number of things that didn’t quite match or add up. Despite Bailey giving us background information about this character, I still have questions. Like what was the transition like from working as a nurse at MGH in Boston to NYPD detective? How long did that take? How seamless was that transition? I’m not in either profession, but I don’t think there a lot of transferrable skills from nursing to police officer. I understood Sera’s motive in changing careers because she wanted to avenge her brother’s death. I also understood why Bailey wrote that Sera was previously a nurse because her caregiving skills was a way in for her undercover persona. Maybe it wasn’t important, maybe I missed it when reading, and maybe it’s only me, but I found that switch difficult to wrap my head around.

Likewise, I felt there was a lot of strange wavering with Sera’s character. Personally, I didn’t think there was a lot of logic or common sense to her thinking—not when she rashly decided to go undercover basically without telling anyone, not when she was fighting her attraction to Bowen, and certainly not when she found out Bowen knew she was an undercover detective. Was she in a difficult position with her life on the line? Yes, absolutely. But did she really think this whole solo undercover op out before diving in? No, not really. It’s kind of evident that Bailey cared much more about the attraction and relationship between Sera and Bowen than anything else, and that’s okay. I just wished with all the information we were given about Sera’s character that it made her a cohesive character instead of what I felt to be random puzzle pieces that didn’t always fit together.

Kudos to Bailey for choosing a name that accurately fits the character. If you look up Sera—short for Seraphina—up, it means seraphim, which in turns means: an angelic being, regarded in traditional Christian angelology as belonging to the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy, associated with light, ardor, and purity. For all intents and purposes and certainly through Bowen’s eyes, Sera is definitely the pure and light one. Tie that in with her whole Catholic background, and it all fits so neatly. Serious props to Bailey on this name choice and giving it meaning.
 Male Lead: Jesus, this man. Bailey really laid it on thick trying to make us feel sympathetic towards Bowen. And she has to because he is the heir of a crime enterprise and certainly no saint. But oh, this man is a tortured soul. Bowen doesn’t necessary want this lifestyle, but he goes along with it because that’s what his father taught him growing up and he doesn’t know anything else. The job is darkness and makes him numb, and Sera is his light, and oh, how Bowen struggles. He struggles with his attraction to Sera, his feelings for her, the need to protect her when he still has another illegal job to do, life with and without her, what he could and would do to keep her. It’s overwhelming, really, his perspective and the internal battle he fights.

There’s so much angst in his character, and Bailey really sells it as much as she can. It’s probably the only way readers can back Bowen as a character. It was the only way I cared about Bowen as much as I did when I usually avoid any and all books involved in mob/mafia/gang related stuff. I personally thought Bailey wrote Bowen’s character a lot better than Sera’s. His troubles are a little more simpler though he lives a dangerous lifestyle, but again, they are so prominent and deep, especially when related to Sera, that I was sucked into it. He knows he’s a bad guy, a broken and dead soul, and he knows he’s no good for Sera when she’s never truly been touched by all the foul things in his life, but he struggles so hard with the idea that he has to let something good—something good that seems to want him and care about him—go when instead he could stay with Sera forever and shield her from all those bad thing. God, this guy. Plot & Writing: This book is ANGST GALORE. But, oh, it was so good! I’m a sucker for angst, and this was actually perfect for me. Seriously, the way Bailey wrote Bowen’s struggles did something to me. I really, really, felt for him and his tortured soul, and that’s what made this a page turner for me—not the suspense element of Sera putting her life at risk or the inevitable conflict when Sera finds out that Bowen knows she’s actually a cop and how a relationship between a detective and a crime boss would ever work out, but how Bowen doesn’t know what to do with himself because he wants nothing more than to leave his horrid life behind and stay with Sera even though he adamantly believes that she deserves someone else much better than him. But then he’s an alpha male who is clearly so protective and possessive of Sera that he can’t seem to let go either. Seriously. The struggle goes round and round, and it’s everything.

The only slight snag in the relationship between Sera and Bowen is the timeline. We’re given that up front before they even meet: this whole arrangement Bowen has with the police commissioner is that he is to protect Sera for a week tops before getting her out of there. Was it love at first sight for Bowen? Maybe, possibly. It was more lust at first sight to me, and Sera certainly wasn’t receptive to his first impression, though she too was obviously attracted to him. So, if it’s not love at first sight, can I honestly believe that they fell in love with each other within a span of a week? So much that Sera didn’t leave when she could’ve with the evidence she went undercover to get and instead decided to stay with Bowen? This goes back to Bailey’s characterization. On Bowen’s end, yeah, sure, I’m willing to accept the idea given how deeply Bailey writes his feelings. But for Sera? I’m not as on board. There’s personally a difference to me between love at first sight and instalove. I think the relationship between Sera and Bowen falls into the latter category and is mostly convincing but not thoroughly so.

Another thing. I read this on Overdrive, so I think all the printing/writing logistics should be real, but the way Bailey shifted perspectives? There was zero indication. One paragraph in the middle of a chapter is from Sera’s POV and literally the next indent is in Bowen’s perspective. To say the least, it was a a little confusing because half the time I didn’t even realize the change until I was partway through a POV shift. I don’t have a problem with switching perspectives, and I don’t even need blatant headers at the top of every chapter or whatever, but it would’ve been nice to give a little mark/notation when changing POVs so the difference perspectives get across as you wanted to. Unless… Bailey wanted readers to get a little mixed up regarding the perspectives… Secondary Characters & Plots: Uh, I actually really liked Connor. I mean, we were led to believe he was going to be a shady dude given his familial ties to Hogan, who killed Sera’s brother, but he turned out to be cool. I thought his interactions with Bowen were pretty funny at times, especially when Sera first sarcastically commented about a budding friendship between the two guys. And then Connor’s “I’m Batman” comment towards the end.  That was great.

All the other secondary characters I didn’t really care about—Ruby, Troy, Wayne, all the mob/mafia dudes. Yeah, they were necessary for the plot, and they served their purpose. Other than that, I didn’t care about them. And Sera’s uncle, the police commissioner? His little plot twist/involvement in the plot? Geez, buddy. Way to look out for yourself over your niece in danger and letting her stay there for your own benefit. Favorite Part(s): Bowen’s angst. Which was most of the book. But seriously, I love some good angst and Bailey delivered it for me. When Bowen freaks out that Sera’s been living in a broom closet, sleeps in a stairwell so he can be close just in case something happens, and when he couldn’t find her at first going back into that room? Wow. And then the morning after they had sex for the first time, when again he can’t find her and freaks the hell out and calls his cop associate or whatever and demands to know if they’ve taken her away from him? WOW. Yeah, Bowen’s super possessive of Sera, but I was so into it. Final Thoughts: Like Officer Off Limits, I had zero expectations when I decided to read this book because I was super bored and didn’t have my long to-read list on hand. And like that other Bailey book, Risking It All funnily enough captivated me way more than I anticipated. If you’re okay with instalove and criminals/law enforcement and have a thing for angst, this is actually a solid read. It’s a quick read and definitely meant to be more about the sexytimes than anything else, but seriously, I enjoyed it.

[fyrapartnersearch]

✥ V's Quest to find some awesome RP Partners ✥

Hello there! My name’s V, I’ve been roleplaying for about 7-8 years and I’m 18+! I’m a female (In case anyone was curious) and I’m currently looking for some awesome, literate partners to roleplay with!

So, without further ado,

THINGS TO NOTE:

My writing style is usually in third person, past tense, multi-paragraphs. (I'm absolutely a-okay with semi-para too!)

 I enjoy plot-driven RPs the most. I have no issue with those that are mainly focused on only one element (e.g smut, etc...) but I personally prefer something that has all sorts of different elements in it! (In simpler terms though, I'm looking for 55-60% plot + 40-45% smut.)

I RP via email, Discord and sometimes Google docs. 

Decent grammar, please! I'm not extremely strict on literacy as I understand English isn't everyone's first language, but I do expect that you, at least, proofread your replies before sending it over. 

I’m pretty laid-back when it comes to post frequencies. I don’t mind if you’re someone who replies within a day, or someone who replies only once a week. I personally try my best to respond within two to three days but if I need more time (Life/work gets hectic and I can only respond once a week, etc etc...), I’ll be sure to let you know beforehand!

I currently do MxF pairings only, with me playing the female role. (I've tried playing a male character before but unfortunately, I don't feel I give the role proper credit. :( ) 

No one liners or extremely short replies please! I really appreciate a partner who puts in as much effort as I do. You don’t have to match me and I'm not the kind to have some sort of length requirement, but please try your best! It'll make me incredibly happy and motivated to respond back ASAP. 

No godmodding.

Don’t be afraid to talk to me! I adore chatting and plotting with my partners so if you’d like to chat about random stuff or possibly drown in RP feels, feel free to do so! (But of course, if you'd rather just get down to business, am fine with that too!)

You can check out my Turn Ons/Turn Offs at: https://www.f-list.net/c/blauerossen

If you see a pairing/genre you like below and have an idea that you think might interest me, feel free to send me an email!~ I'm always open to new things and ideas!

THEMES I LIKE / WANT TO EXPLORE:

Gang/Mafia

Romance

Smut

Psychological Thriller / Torment

Corruption

Dark/Twisted Themes

Action

Thriller

Taboo

Slice of Life

Post-Apocalyptic

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Medieval

Edo Period

PAIRINGS  (Bold = Current craving)

Survivor x Survivor (Post-apocalyptic setting)

Android x Human

Kidnapper x Victim

Criminal x Criminal

DemiGod x Human

Prince x Princess

Butler x Princess/heiress

Spy/Assassin x Spy/Assassin

Spy/Assassin x Cop

Assassin x Target

Mob member x Mob underboss

Mob boss's son x Opposing mob boss' daughter

Cop x Criminal

Teacher x Student

Human x Mythical being

Master x Slave

Student x Student

Boss x Employee

+ more. (Just shoot me an email with a pairing you might have in mind!)

PLOT BUNNIES:

The roles in these plots can be reversed unless stated otherwise, and I don’t write much about my partner’s character’s background as I prefer to leave those lovely bits up to them!:

#01 | Psychological Thriller / Master x Slave (heavily inspired by Woojin and Joonhoon’s relationship from ATEOTR):

When my character’s father decided to remarry, it was a scary change. She didn't know how things would go but upon getting to know her step-mother and bonding with her step-sibling, things didn't seem so bad. 

Her step-sister, in particular, seemed to have much in common with her, and it came to a point where they were once almost inseparable. But as time went by though, she started noticing some 'changes'.

Her father’s once undying love and attention towards her seemed to be halved now, and the people that surrounded them started comparing her to her step-sister.

She tried to brush it off at the beginning— simply pretending not to notice whenever it happened during functions they'd attend but eventually, feelings of dissatisfaction and envy slowly arose. She didn't understand what was it that had set her apart from her step-sibling. Was she simply not trying hard enough at everything? Or was this just a simple game of favoritism?

As the hatred and bitterness grew within her, she found herself going astray — hanging out with the rebellious crowd and venturing into places she shouldn’t be going to.

This is where she’d encounter your character. (We can definitely change or alter him if you had other character ideas in mind but personally, I envision him to be someone who's surrounded by people that both respect and fear him. They’re attracted to his allure and charm, as well as his strong and authoritative presence but they also fear him due to his dark and twisted nature. He might be someone who's good with words, enabling him to be friends with socialites/businessmen and those from the underground society. He's probably someone who's cunning, intelligent and extremely twisted.)

Upon meeting one another, he could see her as an interesting subject; a possible new "pawn" whom he could control and make use of until he got bored of her.  She in turn could find him maddening but entrancing, a person she kept on going back to despite his wicked ways.

Whether they eventually fall in love or are forever stuck in this cat-and-mouse game is entirely up to us but basically, they're two hollow-hearted characters trapped in a complicated relationship.

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#02 | Mafia/crime: Your character is the son of organization A’s boss and mine, organization B’s. The two groups which were once rivals decides to form an alliance. (The reason can be as simple as them feeling they’d be better off ending their feud, or it can be that another organization is coming up, and they think said group is going to be a huge threat to them all.).

After much discussion, the two leaders decide that the best way to end their feud and establish their new found alliance is to have an arranged relationship/marriage between their children.

We can honestly go many ways with this plot. It can be a lighthearted one where two characters who used to despise each other slowly fall for one another, or it can be full of chaos where family conflict, betrayal, etc.. takes place. Anything goes with this idea, really.

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#03 | Post-Apocalyptic: Ever since the terrifying zombie outbreak occurred, my character has been on the move; raiding every house/building she passes by, and avoiding any possible encounter with other survivors. However, a bad fall and an injured arm has her desperately seeking for shelter. 

How she meets your character is entirely up to us/you. He can be another survivor who happens to chance upon her somewhere, or he can be hiding out in a house/place that she decides to check out. He can even be a leader or “governor” of some sort who ends up finding her wandering near their base.

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#04 | Edo Period: This probably takes place in the 17th century where Yoshiwara still existed. My character would either be an apprentice or a high ranking courtesan working at Yoshiwara, and your character can be anyone you’d like him to be! He can be a samurai looking to relax after a hard day's work, a yakuza member wanting to hide from his foes, a foreigner from abroad (I know, I know. Foreigners weren’t exactly welcomed still then but since this is the RP world… Anything can happen. c; ) or anything else you fancy.

Just like #01, the genre/theme for this is flexible!

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That’s all from me! Thank you for checking out my post, and please feel free to send me an email at blauerossen@gmail.com if you’re interested in roleplaying! Thank you!