man every character in touchstarved is so lovable its hard to choose a favorite but the li that gets rotated around in my brain has changed drastically every couple of months for the past two years bc theres so much to think about for every single one
whatever the final release of touchstarved is going to be like im just so grateful rss has made such fun complex characters and im so excited to see what they do with them next bc i’ve been loving the direction the chapter 1 preview has entailed for everyones story
[sideeyeing that one mhin chpt 1 red choice option that instantly shot them up to #1 on my route order plan]
A while ago I made a post about the prologue's CG composition, how the CGs are all are dutch angles, but there's another detail I forgot to mention there that the Chapter 1 demo breaks: the rule of thirds.
(putting a cut bc this gets a little long esp with images)
The rule of thirds is basically a composition theory that claims every canvas can be split into thirds horizontally and vertically, and that people find composition most pleasing if the main focus lands on intersecting lines, and that people's attention is naturally drawn to those intersecting lines. Aside from the ending CG (most likely because of the amount of characters in it), all CGs in the prologue follow that rule pretty closely:
Heads and hands tend to fall near the intersecting lines, putting focus on facial expression and gesture.
For facial expressions, Kuras has a warm but distant look, Leander is not looking at MC but the Adders, Vere wears a cool, mischievous smile, Ais reveals almost nothing but watches closely, and Mhin's expression is closed off and their face covered in blood.
For gestures (which I rambled about a bit in the tags of this post), Kuras is holding papers, the text of which we cannot see, Leander has his magic lilies, Vere has MC's room key, Ais is keeping his hand close, and Mhin's is reaching out with a bloodied hand.
All of this sets up what to expect from the beginnings of their routes: Kuras is fascinated by MC's nature but is emotionally closed off and is keeping several secrets, Leander is not being completely genuine because he's performing for others so often, Vere keeps giving MC reason to seek him out because he's curious about what they are, Ais conceals his struggles with Ocudeus and pushes MC away because of it, and Mhin wants to be close but to do that would mean danger for MC.
Now, for the Chapter 1 demo. Most CGs do continue the pattern:
Mhin's and Leander's keep focus on facial expression and gesture, Vere's keeps focus on expression, and Ais' instead highlights Ocudeus' tentacles emerging from his tattoo.
Their CGs all subvert the original impressions of their prologue CGs.
In Mhin's CG, they are clutching themselves while covered in their own blood. The complete subversion shows the difference between Mhin's presentation and the reality: they appear dangerous and like they could hurt MC, but they themselves are in severe danger and in need of help.
Leander's gaze is still turned to an Adder. Instead of entertaining him, however, he is branding the Adder and looking completely indifferent to his screams. Leander went from a charismatic entertainer offering a delicate, fleeting flower to a hardened leader burning his followers so they prove loyalty. Neither impression of Leander is wrong- they are simply two sides to him, both of which he turns on at will.
In the prologue, he held MC's key, but now Vere is locked up. He still has confidence about him, but it's not the same air of control he held in the prologue. And his expression isn't fixed, it changes. It's hinted in the prologue that Vere is very physically expressive and hides it, but giving him different expressions in a CG really shows how important it is to watch his body language. The CG also changes the meaning of him stealing MC's key and marking them: he needs MC to seek him out because he's trapped. If he doesn't give MC a reason, he wouldn't ever be able to find out what they are.
Finally, the focus of Ais' CG isn't Ais. It's Ocudeus. In the prologue Ais took up almost the entire frame. While you can still see tentacles behind him, they weren't demanding attention. Now, Ocudeus is taking up almost all of the frame while Ais is off to the side. Ais has a powerful presence and seems very in control, but Chapter 1 is the reveal that his control is slipping away from him as Ocudeus takes root deeper inside of him.
But Ais' chapter has 4 CGs in total, and the one remaining that stars Ais breaks the rule of thirds that Touchstarved normally follows:
The moment it hits MC that they aren't dealing with Ais anymore, but Ocudeus.
The other CGs breaking the rule of thirds are Kuras':
The moment MC realizes that Kuras isn't a human.
In his prologue CG, he's off to the side. Not demanding too much attention. But in the Chapter 1 demo, he's front and center. His act of being a human doctor is broken when MC touches him, and he reveals just how fascinated he is by MC, not just because something about their soul or heart is different, but from a scientific angle they are unlike anything he's ever seen.
Instead of following the rule of thirds, the subjects are centered and demanding attention from the player.
In both cases, the subjects are not only Monsters. They are divine and do not belong to the mortal world.
If following the rule of thirds establishes what is 'normal', then breaking it establishes what is beyond.
Their presence is the only thing you are allowed to focus on in their CGs. Unlike in Vere's CG, where he is looking at the player but his gaze is indirect at the player, Ocudeus and Kuras are looking completely at MC and the player. It breaks the fourth wall and makes the player feel as seen as MC does.
As for MC... they have the full attention of divine beings. And in Eridia, attention is the last thing anyone wants.
ellievsbear
discoholicmusic
jbbartram-illu
dailybridgerton
tangentwithtanner
titsay
dededos
romaincrisis
