GUYSS PLEASE GO CHECK OUT THIS VN OH MY GOD IT’S SO GOOD IM OBSESSED.
I was watching my friend play through it and MY GOD it is a thriller, the writing is amazing and the depth of Chaoxiang is just immaculate… as someone who doesn’t usually watch/play visual novels, you NEED to play this one. 1000%
Loving Decays! and the creator, @linglyum is super sweet as well, please go check out their other vn games, including LD!
I hesitated posting this because I lowkey don't want to post the same thing on all three of my main socials, but I haven't posted Chao art here for a while, so here it is!
Hi!! I absolutely adored your game, and had a few questions!!! I absolutely love the way you respond to questions, it is so fulfilling. The way you mold Chao into his own individual person and not just an extension of the player makes this vn so enjoyable. He isn’t just made for the sake of the player, he is a lot more. This game made me realize a lot more things about myself that i’d like to admit, lol. Alright!! Here are my questions.
1. Is the 2nd ending truly sustainable for Chao? Will he really feel content in his relationship with the player longterm? It feels quite artificial, and i know Chao really loves when the player is curious to know things about him.
2. Is there any reason in particular as to why Chao claimed that blood made him squeamish at the beginning of the game? He seems exhilirated to be able to draw blood from the player. Was he lying about that?
3. What are his coping mechanisms? You mentioned in the last post that Jane had meant something to him, but in the game it never touches on how he handles the loss.
Thank you so much for your time!!!! Im so hyped for your next game, and i hope we’re able to convince Chao to stop using 2 in 1 shampoo!!!
I like to take my time when I answer, so thank you much! It means a lot to me <3
⚠️ Spoiler warning for LD⚠️
1. Is Ending 2 sustainable for Chao?
Post-Ending 2 events are something I wondered about too, as there are so many possibilities! The best case scenario for Chao is if MC willingly crawls back to him eventually, which is what I intended E2 to imply. Whether they crawl back out of depression and inability to cope, in anger and need to know the truth, or something else, is up for you to imagine.
It can go the other way, too. If MC runs, Chao will try to find them, but still lay low. At this point, the chase is the thrill for him. The worst case scenario for him would be if MC ends up turning themself in or hurting themself.
But overall, Ending 2 is not sustainable for Chao either, unless the "best scenario" happens and MC eventually develops genuine love. But knowing the steps he had to take, it feels just a little less authentic. Not that he'd admit that to himself.
2. Chao being squeamish about blood:
It was a lie. When he mentioned being squeamish about blood, it was part just him filing the conversation. Kind of like a "Wow, you're amazing. I could never do that.", and a plain lie to make him seem extra harmless.
Chao's general coping mechanisms: Impulsive actions, like shopping or speeding, and, in worse cases, indulging in his own "homemade substances".
Chao's coping with Jane's death: Since the time between Jane's death and him introducing himself to MC is barely 24 hours apart, you can say that that is what makes him able to cope in-game. There wasn't any time to stop, and he's getting what he wants. It's still a continuous process of the same plan.
What would make Chao truly feel the grief is if his plan goes awry (like mentioned in the post you're referring to), or when things settle down in general. When he already has a stable progression with MC, he can afford to put his guard down lower.
A romanced Chao would deal with the grief better, as he's overjoyed and thinks he's going in line with Jane's philosophy. Kind of like a last-laugh situation, although still with genuine respect underneath all the conflicting emotions.
How he reacts to Jane's death also depends on his relationship with MC. He will always have some sort of guilt or conscience, hence him arranging the funeral anyway, but the intensity varies according to which path he is on.
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Really good questions! I'm honored someone pays this much attention to my game HAHA thank you again for your support <3
wow loving decay was ABSOLUTELY incredible!!!! god i have so much to ask and yet my mind has gone completely blank!!! ig all i can think of rn is do you have any additional trivia about the game or about chao that isn't in-game? :3
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! (≡^∇^≡)
About Chao:
- The hanzi (characters) for "Chen Chaoxiang" are "陈朝楿", with the "楿" being a rare character originally referring to a type of fragrant tree.
- He wears slightly heeled shoes (177 cm -> 180 cm).
- His birthday is on March 2nd, based on LD's demo release back in 2025.
- In general, like to friends and family, he's not a touchy person, and prefers to be touched first. He's can get quite touchy with an MC who reciprocates his feelings, though!
- Enjoys skin-to-skin contact.
- His favorite part of the body are the hands.
- I purposefully gave him 1-2 personality traits I don't like IRL, to make him both feel more real, and less me. What traits those are are a secret HAHAH I don't want it to affect anyone's opinion!
About Loving Decays:
- A major early inspiration for LD is an image of a cervical x-ray, with pink and pale green on it. It's very popular on Pinterest, and I thought it looked like petals that are brought up to the light 😋
- The images on the censors are all based on poisonous flowers. Oleander for Jane, Foxglove for Owen, and the Heart's Undertaker for MC.
- Ending 5 was planned, but I cut it out due to time, and to strengthen the concepts of Ending 3 & 4.
- The chapter names being stages of decay was an idea I had from the verryyyy start. I had to put it in no matter what LOL
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There are definitely more, but that's all I can think of right now! Ty again for the ask ♡
hallo i just played loving decays and i really loved it !! im obsessed with chao (≧▽≦) are all the mc x chao drawings you made ych? can we draw our mcs with him? (ㆁωㆁ) with proper credits of course hehe ive been in an art block for months but the cute drawings made me wanna draw !!
(sorry if my english is incorrect it isn't my first language)
Not all my ChaoMC stuff is going to be YCH, since I'm not sure what I'll post in the future, but here are some doodles that you're allowed to draw ur MC in! :)
Chao x MC YCH doodles:
They were meant to be doodles, not polished YCHs, but I'm happy that it inspired you! Thank you and have fun, I'd love to see ur work <3
AN ENSTARIE MAKING A PEAK VN💗💗 I USED TO DREAM ABOUT TIMES LIKE THIS💞💞💞
I love love love how natural the worldbuilding for this vn is, and how grounded mc and Chao are in the setting, the way how both mc and Chao share their interests so seamlessly in the conversation is so gooddd, I love it when the yandere has a life outside of their love interests (although this isn't to shame other yandere vns who do this😭😭). Idk if I'm reaching but I love the tiny detail of Chao redirecting the question towards mc so they speal more about themselves in the introduction, it such a massive thing in yandere stories (or any story for the matter) that I just eat up everytime❤️🔥❤️🔥
And omgggg the mc😭😭 I love how analytical they are, it's rlly refreshing to see them match each other's freak too😭😭 I was lowkey scared during my first playthrough thinking Chao was keeping tabs on mc, especially after they talked with Owen, I was genuinely getting kinda paranoid that he would 💀 mc for stepping too far into figuring out his secretttt.
BIGBIG SPOILER TAG FOR ENDING 4:
Also, sorry if this has been asked before you can just ignore it if it has-- but is the letter sent by Jane rlly written by her? I was wondering this after ending 4, why would she ask specifically for the two people she wanted to kill?😭 I was thinking maybe Chao had a hand in it or smthhh
But your work is amazing!!! I'd love to see more of what you have in store for the future!!! Good luck with your presentations, and have a great week wherever you are!!💞💗💖
That's a really important thing that sets the ENTIRE plot, but no one has ever asked abt it before!! THANK YOUUU
I'll answer it under the cut!
First off, hi fellow enstarrie!! And no, you're not reaching at all! Conversation flow is something I really pay attention to, and the way Chao redirects questions to MC is most purposefully written during his first meeting with Ash :)
About Jane's letter and funeral request at the very start of the game (Ending 3 spoilers):
Chao didn't only have a hand in it, he made and sent the letter.
This part is most apparent during the hospital flashback in Ending 3. I'll gladly explain!
Chao remembered that Jane wanted to be buried at her family graveyard. (This detail was also to show that they had a good/OK relationship before, to the point of talking about more personal things.)
In response, Jane said that whatever Chao does after he kills her is up to him, and she even suggests he cremates her to get rid of evidence.
Jane also scolds him later, saying he's selfish, but still too kind. If he wanted something (in this case, kill her successfully), he should do anything for it.
The act of Chao deciding to arrange her funeral anyways, but STILL using it to introduce himself to MC, is both to show an act of selfishness and kindness.
If he cremated Jane, the events of Ending 3 couldn't have happened.
This sort of sentimentality being the downfall/reveal of an "antagonist", was inspired by BBC Sherlock's Jane Adler, with her "I AM ____ LOCKED" riddle! It left a big impression on me years ago.
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Jane left an emotional mark on Chao, whether or not he knows it. He actually parrots one of her last words to him, in other parts of the story.
"Always finish what you started" appears thrice in the game.
- Timeline-wise, first said by Jane, in the hospital flashback (E3)
- By Chao, after the gravedigging (E3)
- By Chao, in the letter to MC (E1)
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In conclusion, since "want" is a major concept in Loving Decays, I also showed an inherent moral contradiction regarding selfishness and selflessness, that sets the stage for the entire story.
Thank you for your ask and kind comment! I really appreciate it. Have a great week as well 🩷
