celianna
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Biweekly update #29
🕑 Added 2019-10-11 03:51:10 +0000 UTC
Game Progress
- Coded in Dimitri's side story "Gaming Sessions"
- Small visual update where sprites now fade in/out without showing the layers underneath
- Added dynamic tinting (and added optimization for it)
- You can now rename Ralph (your brother)
- You can now change whether you're a virgin or not in the main menu
- Added more details and shoes for the fashion system
Art Progress
- Finished Caine's last 3 CGs
- Finished Caine's older sprite
- Finished James' sprite
- Some sprites got a visual update (new genitals on the guys)
- Some backgrounds were updated
- Finished drawing a couple of backgrounds needed for James' route
Script Progress
- Finished editing James' first 4 chapters
Biweekly updates are back! I am working hard on James' route and all of the assets it needs. Dear lord does he need a lot. In fact, he also needs an entire new soundtrack! Thankfully Patreon funds covers this nicely.
And the first side story for Dimitri is finally in the game! The one with MC and Dimitri playing games won in the poll, so that's the first side story that's available. You'll be able to enjoy it next month, along with James' first chapter.
I'd love to create a CG for the side story, but honestly, I'm so pressed for time working on main routes, I have to make compromises. Maybe in the future I can revisit them and add the CGs!
Sex in Plus (long rant ahead)
Some of the comments left behind on the sexual portions of the game can be... disheartening, to say the least. I try my best to make sex fun, safe, consensual, and with some realism thrown in. There's of course a fantasy element in that the guy will try and pleasure you when in reality this might not be the case. There will also never be any rape scenarios. Either way, writing routes for the guys is easy. People selecting a route know what they're getting into. A domestic kind of guy that cooks for you? You know what you're getting.
But for a lot of people, when it comes to the actual sex, suddenly it's not what they expected. It's not even the disappointment that Dimitri is more submissive during sex than they would have liked (yes, Dimitri is submissive, but can also be a switch at times). It's when I tried adding some more dominance to the Caine's portion (after all the feedback about Dimitri's lackluster reception), that some comments mentioned it felt like non-con.
The dominant/submissive chart for the guys
It is not my intention at all to write any sort of non-con. There's some forceful stuff happening throughout the story (people being grabbed, stopped, trapped, kidnapped, forceful kisses etc.). But I will never ever write about MC getting sexually harassed or abused by the LI. Or when it DOES come up (like in Caine's route with him kissing you) it is addressed and obviously made aware of; this is not okay. When it comes to sex, it's always consensual, or at the very least, a misunderstanding used as a plot point.
To see comments left behind that Caine's dominance in bed felt like non-con, or that MC tickling Neil felt like sexual harassment does leave me weary to write more smut. At what point does it start being non-con? At what point can MC tease the guys until people are sickened by it? Can Caine switch positions during sex without asking for permission? How many players would like this and how many wouldn't?
Neil's scene where you measure him and take longer than normal to torment him a little can be seen as triggering and as sexual harassment to some players.
I do take feedback seriously. But at a certain point it's almost impossible to please certain requests. Players were disappointed by a not so dominant Dimitri, so Caine was made to be more dominant. Which wasn't all that well received either.
All of these characters will have a different kind of sex. Some are more dominant than others, while there can be some that are submissive. Some will make you beg, some will beg themselves. Not every sex scene will appeal to you, and I definitely shouldn't try to make it appeal to everyone as that failed the first time.
But reading that kind of feedback is really discouraging. I'm constantly thinking about things like "Is this dominant enough?" or "Can I make him do this without the player's permission?" or "Will players complain he's too awkward?" while writing because of those comments.
It feels like there's a lot of different expectations from the player's side when it comes to sex. Everyone's got their own opinion about sex, or their own hang-ups and triggers, not to mention actual kinks. So when it doesn't align with what they like, that's where the problem starts.
I think it's best if I just throw up a big ass trigger warning on the screen when you start a new route. Detailing how dominant he is or not. Whether anything happens that the player didn't explicitly consent to, etc. etc. This way, players know what to expect and won't be disappointed.
Yep, I need sex cards for the guys.
Comments
Miya808
Caine literally detailed his fantasy to the MC and said EXACTLY what he planned to do. And then later on, he did EXACTLY that. To have a reader state it was dubious in anyway or non-consensual makes me wonder if they paid attention to the prior work.
Kirstyn Irving
Trust your instincts Celianna! Caine's route doesn't contain non-consensual sex. It's not even dub-con. Please keep writing such good smut. It's great to see such sex positivity and enthusiastic consent in an otome. It's was also great to see a male character show eventual trust and such vulnerability as Caine did and start moving past toxic male stereotypes.
SorcheGlen
No matter how hard you try, you can't please everyone. For those who require flags at every twist in the tale...maybe go play the free version. I get the need for trigger warnings and flags, My former, male boss got his revenge against me for 'making him look bad' back in 2014, on a concrete floor in the storeroom of a data center - the only room on-site without a camera, which should hint strongly as to the events of that night. That changed who I was, am, and will be...forever. But. One substantial reason I'm in love with this game is because it is SAFE. It will not and can not hurt me. Or you. Or anyone. The men, however otherwise we might wish them, are fashioned of pixels and imagination. I love Caine for his vulnerability and for the unexpected qualities of his sexual persona. I love Neil because he comes across as an entitled snot with a broken ideal of hero-worship, but he's also quite uncertain of his own identity (which is one reason he slips so well into deception). His passion comes across as needful and even forceful on occasion, though he is shown in the sample warning as not particularly dominant. I'm okay with both. Dimitri is my favorite, though I do have to agree with some who were dissatisfied by their ultimate sexual encounter. Sweet and flustered, yes, but that earring was a harsh red herring. Not to mention the bump under his hoodie. I was hoping for a nipple ring. I wanted to see a whole other side of him, and I wanted it to be world-rocking. But it didn't happen that way because, as the artist says, you know what you're getting. But back to the original point. If you can't release your own reality, or unhitch your own wagon from where the story is leading you, shift gears and play the free version. It's a triggering world we live in, but don't seek out the triggers. I get enough reminders of the end of my former life-as-I-knew-it every time I get a piece of junk mail from the financial firm whose data center was the scene of the crime. I can't have relationships with real men anymore. I can't be in a room alone with a man without going over and over that night. But games like this one are MY domain, MY entertainment, and the love interests make me feel like I haven't completely shut down or given up yet, though my lifestyle may tell a different story. Please don't water down your work. It's beautiful, perfectly pleasing and frustrating all at once, and I really love creating gorgeous outfits between parts. Adding an attribute warning card to each profile is above and beyond and will no doubt help guide those who need it, but I wouldn't ruin the element of surprise in the story for anything. I'll still be playing blind because that's the joy of it. You don't know everything, even right up to the end.
Calescent
Just joining in with the majority here, it’s kind of sad that you are getting so much negative feedback. I’ve adored all your writing and never felt it was non consensual. Maybe different experiences make people feel different ways, but your smut scenes have a clear line there. The both of characters clearly verbally say that they want it and since we’re in her head, you definitely show us the MC wants it. Please don’t let people discourage you. By all your posts and surveys, you seem like a very considerate creator who just wants to make us happy and not uncomfortable. I appreciate the realism of your work, like mentioning birth control and STDs. It honestly throws me off because no other romance stories mention it, but they really should! Honestly, how many of us started reading these kinds of things sooner than we maybe should have?! This could be very helpful knowing what you should think about. Thank you for all your hard work. We appreciate you!!
That's crazy that some people thought Caine's sex scene felt non-con. I very much respectfully disagree. I think everything that you have written feels very consensual. I like it's best if you write the sex scenes how you feel is true to character. While I greatly prefer dominant men in sexual scenarios that doesn't mean I didn't appreciate Dimitri's content! Having a super dominant Dimitri would have felt a little disjointed since that isn't his personality. I say you do what you think is best and you have my full support!
I didn't know you were getting feedback like that. I think you have done a great job and have never felt any type of non con was happening (I am very sensitive about rape and really hate it so I would definitely have noticed any non con happening.) Personally I really enjoyed Caine's sex scene, it was hot and definitely didn't upset me or make me uncomfortable. The thing is you can't please everyone and honestly I think you have been very good at making each guy different whether in bed or in everyday life. I really love and enjoy the variety. Don't let the negative feedback get you down some things just aren't for everyone. You are doing a wonderful job and I truly love and enjoy the game and that you actually take into account our opinions and your always willing to talk to us and see what we want more of or what we didn't like.
Amanda Hallows
I'm so sorry you got feedback like that. I think it's an honor that we are allowed to give you any kind of feedback on a game, let alone that you're actually going to listen to it and take our opinion into consideration as you are in no obligation to do so. I personally like someone who's more dominant when it comes to intimacy and yet shy when it comes to romance, I enjoy the ride e that you allow in your routes and like seeing the different characters personalities. I supposed to trigger warning would be the best for people who are a very sensitive to certain things, is I myself at a couple of situations during games but I simply plowed through them as I really wanted to see the ending. I hope the comments you get after this post or a little bit more considerate of your position and your feelings, and I look forward to seeing the future updates you give to your beautiful game.
I'm sorry you've been getting so many negative comments about the Plus content. As a member of the kink community I think you've been doing just fine in regards to consent in the scenes and the love interests all seem very keen on making sure the MC is always comfortable. The smut is much more realistic than in some other games (and especially fanfic lol). I really appreciated in Caine's route that they fooled around first because that's also more realistic imo, esp. when the characters are virgins. I think your work is really, really well done and you put a lot of thought into the smut you include. Maybe if people are having issues with the sexual content they shouldn't be playing the Plus version? A trigger warning at the start in the Plus version is probably a good compromise.
Trying to reply for the third time as my phone is playing hide and seek with internet... Anyway you really can't please everyone and I think people should be glad that there Is brave and talented creator like you who actually takes our opinions into account. I love Dimitri and Caine and even though Neil is not my cup of tea I still enjoyed his route, I never thought that some actions were non-con I just thought that is the way you envisioned it and I respect your decision. Please keep up the amazing work and don't let the upsetting comments let you down.
Celianna
Thank you! I do enjoy writing the routes a lot, but I must admit the sexual parts have me second guessing a lot because of the comments about non-con. Definitely not my intention.
Celianna
I will most likely add a general warning for each character, with the option to view a detailed list which could contain spoilers. I think this will probably be my best course of action to make sure no one goes in with different expectations!
DarlaBubbles
wow. i can't believe you received so many upsetting comments. i didn't think caine's scene was non-con. i thought it was pretty hot, and i've read plenty of stories that contained those non-consent scenes that left me very uncomfortable. nothing you've written came close to anything like that. regardless you can't please everyone and it's maddening to try to do that. the sex cards sounds like a good idea and perhaps a couple disclaimers before certain scenes. beyond that there's no point in doing more than what you've done already which is plenty. i'm a fan of your work. the smut is awesome and very believable so just trust what your gut tells you and go from there. you got this.
Sheena F
In regards to the discouraging feedback, that sounds incredibly frustrating and disheartening. I understand wanting to give people the experience they want but like you said, everyone is different. I think you should write whatever you want to write! Sex cards seem like a decent solution but is it possible to have a feature to toggle them on and off if they have too many spoilers for us that like the surprise and arent too particular about the scenes?
I also love your work. I appreciate you writing what you feel is right for your characters. Like you said, you can't please everyone. Maybe adding the disclaimers would help? I support whatever you decide to do.
Christina Emmy
I'm sorry people are leaving such comments. I love all your work and have never once thought the sex situations were non-con or harassment. I hope you are able to continue writing and enjoying it.
