#a'li

[nacaratgames]

the real question here is how a'li's moped can handle mc's luggage

The expected answer: ~magic~

The actual answer: you might be surprised what a regular person can stick on a moped.

Image from here.

[passion-fruit-blossoms]

📺 Eternal Love

Yang Mi as Bai Qian

Mark Chao as Ye Hua

Hummer Zhang as A'li

[cheesey-toast]

The Bai family whenever A'Li says or does something vaguely inappropriate: Feng Jiu, what are you teaching him?!?!

Me: Uh, first of all, A'Li is Bai Qian's kid, or have you forgotten? Secondly, who taught Feng Jiu? Oh, that's right-- BAI QIAN. Bai Qian, the Queen of Cool, who hid her teacher, an important political figure, away from the world for SEVENTY THOUSAND YEARS. Sure, she had her reasons, but y'all were cool with THAT.

[nacaratgames]

Teahouse Characters: A’Li

Pros: - A literal god in addition to a TikTok god - Always smiling - Pretty

Cons: - An influencer(TM) - Looks happy, actually a sadboi(TM) - So pretty it hurts

Rating: 10/10 Cinnamon roll. Too good for the world. Too pure. Please protect.

Teahouse is a Choice of Games interactive fiction game. You can play the WIP here if you want to meet A’Li.

image created with artbreeder

[nacaratgames]

Stats in #TeahouseGame

@anywaffle​ asked about the relationship bars on my stats page. Though the current page is preliminary—I don’t expect to polish it until I’ve written the rest of the game—the ask made me want to give WIP players hints about how to use your stats.

General:

Choices in the first chapters determine your Primary Stats [Mind/Body/Environment; Charm/Technology/Finance; Personality Traits (eg. Blunt/Polite)]. Your subsequent performance on primary-stat-checks determine your Secondary Stats (Allies; Earth-Hell; Earth-Heaven; Heaven-Hell). Secondary stats determine the outcome of your story.

Relationship Stats:

A’Li, Qin, and Vlad act like normal people. Their relationship bar reflects how much they like you, with values above 50% indicating favorable sentiments.

Victoria’s relationship bar is useless. She loves you regardless of how much she likes you. (Spoiler: Your relationship with her only really depends on one choice, and you have multiple opportunities to revise that choice.)

Xingtu's relationship bar is mostly useless. Xingtu likes everyone*. How Xingtu responds to you depends not on whether they like you, but on your primary stats and a hidden stat. In Chapter 10, Lili gives a hint on what qualities Xingtu might value in other people. (Spoiler: Players with ridiculously high primary stats might experience a very different relationship with Xingtu.) *According to Xingtu. Xingtu is lying.

[nacaratgames]

Hello, I wanted to ask you a question, which RO/s is/are a slow-burn?

Hi Anon!

The game takes place over the course of a summer, more-or-less, so there isn't time to develop a slow-burn in-game. For more information on relationship trajectories and progression speed, see the spoilers below:

An in-game relationship with A'Li might develop the slowest—unpleasant past experiences have given him reservations about any romantic relationship. The healthiest in-game relationship with him can be interpreted as non-romantic—A'Li is the reason I would call my characters "Relationship Options" rather than "Romance Options."

The relationship with Victoria takes place over the longest chronological timescale. It was probably a slow-burn at first, before the events of canon. In canon, her affection is established by the time the game starts, but how she expresses affection might not seem romantic or even friendly at first. Or by the end, for that matter. She's very inhuman.

A relationship with Xingtu might seem fast—that's because there's something that they want from the player character. Seduction is one tactic they use to get what they want. For the player, not the player character, a relationship with Xingtu might be the slowest—you will have to play the game multiple times if you want to figure out what they want and what they want from you.

[nacaratgames]

A’Li, Victoria, and Xingtu: Teahouse Main NPC’s and their spirit animals/memes

Tibetan fox gif from tumblr, Yog-Sothoth from this meme, troll face from wikipedia

[nacaratgames]

A'li's artbreeder surprised me a bit as i thought he would've looked more like an idol or an actor... like cai xukun perhaps?

Thanks for the ask, anon!

A'Li's artbreeder is inspired by an actor, Zhao Wenzhuo (Vincent Zhao). He would’ve looked A'Li's apparent age during the 1990's-2000's, so I couldn’t find the best photos.

If you're looking for the softer, paler, more androgynous attractiveness of contemporary Chinese idols, the Origin of the Universe fits those aesthetics. WIP of his portrait below the cut.

A'Li's brand of handsome is closer to the 1920's-60's "Golden Age of Hollywood" handsome—thick brows, bold features, square jawline. It's one reason why he attracts attention—androgynous-influencer-chic is common by comparison in tourist hotspots like Qingcheng.

That said, artbreeder is hard for creating a natural-looking smile. I prioritized a sense of A'Li's personality over perfectly chiseled features because A'Li's attractiveness is part looks, part mannerism, per this quote by Amy Green about Marilyn Monroe:

“I’ll never forget the day Marilyn and I were walking around New York City [...] as we we’re walking down Broadway, she turns to me and says, ‘Do you want to see me become her?’ I didn’t know what she meant but I just said ‘Yes’ — and then I saw it. I don’t know how to explain what she did because it was so very subtle, but she turned something on within herself that was almost like magic. And suddenly cars were slowing, and people were turning their heads and stopping to stare...”

The difference between Monroe and A’Li is that having his attractiveness “on” is A’Li’s natural state, for better or for worse. A’Li has many skills, but acting isn’t one.

I’m trying to make the Origin more frown-y, but artbreeder gives everyone pouty-face. 

Follow-up ask about the Origin.

Zhao Wenzhuo image source