Hmm...who caught my interest?

[Star Sage]

Saffron for the first week(not sure if you will always meet her then, I did). She's nice, happy, and in touch with nature without being boring about it. She's not just sitting there singing, she's DOING stuff, and of course, she's a carpenter, meaning she has no probably with people trying to live comfortably.

Still waiting to see if I find anyone else.

Muktuk is nice, but a bit clingy, and honestly, his culture might clash a bit with my own, though as a fellow artistic type, him and Sylvia can absolutely collab on stuff.

Mint is...far too happy for my tastes, and has a life path I don't think Sylvia can join her on, given Heroing tends to need mobility, but if Sylvia is serious about becoming a potioneer, she's going to need an atelier to make her goods at.

The guy with the B name I've been calling Tamaki because I can't say his real name(Tamaki is from Ouran High Host Club) is nice...but the coffee scene reminded me of the one FROM Ouran High, and I wanted to punch him. Still, he might sometimes be full of himself, but he's the only one not named Mint so far that actually can kill monsters.

Quinn is just trying to be creepy. They don't need a romance partner, they need a friend, someone to get them to open up to others now, so they can try and continue to build relationships. If you become their partner in that way, it might cause them to close off to anyone who ISN'T you, and that's not good for their emotional and spiritual growth.

I assume we'll be able to date our rivals too, but I've only met the two. Roxanne I refuse to. It would be like dating Areelu Vorlesh, and this isn't an anime, so that relationship is right out.

Should be noted I am ABSOLUTELY playing on Cozy, so I have time to meet with everyone. Yes, I already figured out the twist with that one character, and I assume the twist with the other. I'm TRYING not to look anything up, so I don't know what other characters are in this, other than some cat pirates I'm hoping are datable/likable enough to date, since that's how I found out about this one when asking about cat pirate games in a Cat Quest 3 discussion.

[Star Sage]

Edited the first post, because of Quinn's pronouns. To be fair, this game is actually good about that, and didn't shove it in my face. That being said, I'm not observant enough to pick it up on my own. I still feel they don't need a partner, they need someone to stand with them as a friend more. Like Arueshalea in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. They shouldn't pin all they are onto one single person, they should instead have many friends to help them see who they need to be...and this is me realizing just now that the Succubus' storyline IS a stand in for this stuff. Neat.

Anyway, week two is done and dusted, I keep running out of stuff to pop in my cauldrons, at least good stuff anyway. Still, what about the love interests?

Saffron made it official partway through the week, and I couldn't say no to that face. It felt right too, good scene, despite being SEVERAL years Sylvia's senior, they make a nice couple, and she is very sweet with her new girltoy...er I mean significant other. It helps that unlike Corsac her eco statements are made a bit more in tune with convincing someone, rather than BEING convinced they are right and should be acknowledged as such. To be fair, he's gentle enough with it, especially in defeat, that I can see him growing too, a good trait.

So, Roxanne WAS a potential friend. Still not into her, and I find some of her flippancy with the rules of the surface world somewhat childish on her part, and if that's the attitude all demons have then it was culture clash as much as anything else that saw them driven underground. I am curious to hear both sides of that story, mind, and I doubt it will be forthcoming. Again, just because someone has a sob story doesn't mean it's the WHOLE story, especially given who was doing the talking.

Xid is not romance material for me, but I would absolutely love to hang out with her, even if I'm fairly sure she wouldn't want to hang out with me. I used to be in choir, but I can't carry a tune in a bucket anymore, and my musical tastes saw me most recently listening to lyrics for 'A Mother's Love' from Undertale Yellow, and a compilation of Power Ranger themes. Still, she reminds me of some of those interviews Sia had when she was doing them for her role as Songbird Serenade in the MLP movie. Fun times. Also, her cards? Awesome stuff.

Luna is...not my type. I do know women like her, and I can totally support someone in her position, but she really would never be good into a relationship until she's started to put down her roots. Right now, her life simply would not have the space for it, and trying would force her to pick between two roles she REALLY wants, so best to let that little moth fly free. That said, I dig the outfit, and she's very nice. Mind, she's now the most 'techy' of this worlds denizens. Is this like, a magical internet she's using? The World Wide Weave? I'm legit curious at her inclusion, as even those with more modern terminology in their lines aren't quite as 'today' as she is.

And finally, Salt and Pepper. If/When I play again, yes, they will be who I go after, if only because I am legit curious how that relationship would work. They are interesting people too. They HAVE a moral code, otherwise they wouldn't be talking with Sylvia and no one would be doing business with them, and their cards are an interesting double act, giving you choices within them to make it so they can do more things at once, somewhat better than the double use cards since only one effect happens at a time. My only regret with them as a relationship is that they already are one, and more importantly, they like many others, will want to keep moving once the island adventures are done. That said, Sylvia has shown her stuff can work in many materials, so setting aside a room for use as an atelier seems doable on a ship(her first cauldron was a wooden bucket), and I'm sure the crew would enjoy having access to healing and other potions...also maybe firing some out of a cannon...how do you think Sylvia would look with a pirate hat and eyepatch?

Overall, everyone has been very pleasant to be around, and while I've only found 2 choices for relationships that I would pursue, I can see the logic of the others too, especially for a fresh college grad, not sure if she's going to keep her roots down here, or go off on some next big life journey with someone they love.

[Star Sage]

Shocked that the only one in Week 4 to be added was Boss Finn, so I held off, figuring someone would be added in Week 5, but no, no new merchant, no new mechanics, just one final big area to push through. I can say that's not terrible, especially for a relationship simulating game, there's just not enough time left to make it work, though I was expecting something more as it's actually been a while since a new mechanic was introduced, and I was expecting something time saver like for the final week, especially with the potions maxed out their prices in Week 4.

That said, Boss Finn...I'm not sure how to feel about him myself. He is not a GOOD person, and what he did was still awful. Remember kids, there are many measures to morality, some of them perpendicular to reality, but bureaucracy? That's ALWAYS evil. Still, he grows on you, a little, though he's also the most forceful about trying to make a relationship happen, as his lead ins to the cheesy lines are a lot more direct. It makes sense with his personality type, but it is sometimes a bit pushy feeling. And while a suit does make someone sexy, he's just not going to be a type I ever enjoy, and his final conclusion feels a bit...iffy, as a business model.

That said, Anubia was the first one that was completely unpleasant, with no hints that she could be any better, and her whole deal was kinda creepy, if useful. Shadow Clones will always be something neat to see. Mind, the story brings up the privacy thing...but only in one scene, and never again until the day of the competition. I'd have cut that, as it added NOTHING to this plot, and was more a commentary on the world...that's not a bad thing, but this story has a limited amount of time to make itself work, and if Anubia wasn't going to be a person you could talk to later, that means she has 5 scenes, totaling less than 10-20 mins of screen time. The VA added a lot to her, but there's just not a lot there, and putting any of that time into other things means she feels even thinner on the ground, especially since she pulls the last bit as a foreshadowing for more to come.

Overall, this might be my last post in this one. It's a good cast, nice mixture of body and personality types. Sadly, found out you CAN'T get with the cats as someone informed me, so that's a disappointment, but Saffron makes up for a lot. Surprised I haven't seen more fan art of these characters. If nothing else, Boss Finn is the kinda guy I'd expect to see in some...interesting images on furaffinity. Oh well, it just means they get to stand as their creators intended, without anything else cluttering it up.

[Losk Osmanthus 路渐秋凉]

I found Anubia kinda fun. The spoiled brat but also thousands years old. Some people never really grow up, they just become old.

I think the drone is a good business model, and remote customer service in an instant.

Boss finn was intimidating and his composure almost hold till the last moment. Really enjoyed him crying a river for himself.

[Star Sage]

To each their own, in terms of the characters. Boss Finn's break down was interesting, as it showed how much of what he'd been doing(and would do again) was a front, that he's actually VERY much just a guy trying to fake it til he makes it(which is even one of his cards).

Mind, Anubia's backstory still makes me wonder. She claims an empire, but nobody seems to know her, and this is a world with a magical internet, so you'd think there'd be SOMEONE aware of her people somehow. It feels half baked. Good design, mind.

I do like the drones too, myself. They're a neat idea on how to push Sylvia in a way that none of the other contestants do. In fact that's one thing I like about the competition.

Roxie pushes Sylvia by doing stuff to simply draw customers away through 'feminine charm' which shouldn't work on everyone, so is probably the lightest of the penalties.

Corsac(who I forgot to mention above beyond comparing him to Saffron, but he's pretty bland as far as options go, sadly), instead interferes directly with ingredient gathering, forcing one to plan out things even more than other weeks in terms of brewing.

Boss Finn restricts your ability to sell certain things, meaning stockpiling is not a good option in general, as he forces you to use variety.

Anubia cuts your customer base down, which not only encourages you to put some of your more valuable potions in those windows, but ALSO keeps you getting any big savings during her week, which is the first week to allow Masterwork potions.

And finally, the last week sees you with a mixture of all of the above, as the competitor does all those things mixed together, one day preventing sales, one day restricting gathering, and another getting your customers away.

All in all, the challenges are good, well designed things.

[NerdExtrodinare]

You never romance Salt and Pepper. They have their own non-romance thing. So even if you aren't doing "free love" you can finish their special path and someone else's romance.

[Star Sage]

Originally posted by NerdExtrodinare:

You never romance Salt and Pepper. They have their own non-romance thing. So even if you aren't doing "free love" you can finish their special path and someone else's romance.

Indeed, noted that right at the end of my last paragraph of the third post. It is sad to find out, as I like attempts to write non-monogamous relationships, and you don't see them often in many games that allow them. Heck, the only one I can remember off the top of my head was one in Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and that only worked because of how separated the romance was from the rest of the plot...save for one that you HAVE to do if yo want the best ending.

Still, cute kitties are cute.

[Losk Osmanthus 路渐秋凉]

Who is more dangerous. Salt or pepper?

[Star Sage]

Originally posted by Losk Osmanthus 路渐秋凉:

Who is more dangerous. Salt or pepper?

It depends on who you started the fight with. The one left gets an attack bonus. Like Ornstine and Smough in Dark Souls.