☁︎.. HTMLovers.com/chapter06
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It’s a new day of staring at a half finished Word document with an abandoned mouse beside your computer. You had a nice flow of work a couple minutes ago, but it all fell flat when you tried to find a better word for “illustrates,” ultimately ending up with your phone in your hand and a scrolling thumb. You put your phone down finally when Ren sent you a photo of a running horse with the caption, “Never give up fat loser girl.”
The essay is not even that hard to do. You have all the necessary art pieces already picked out and you only need to explain their religious context, which is as easy as any other analysis question. It’s just that, sometimes, you want to grab your brain, pluck it out of your head, and set it inside a cryostasis chamber for you to not think about for a couple of hours.
You closed the Word tab before you could convince yourself to keep working. It wasn’t happening today.
Just as you were going to shut down your computer and maybe relax the rest of the day, your eye caught onto the MirandaPet app.
“… Not only does using the app summon me and my services, but my app is also designed like a typical tamagotchi. You can feed me a variety of different foods, dress me up in different unlockable clothing the more your to-do list gets completed, and finally customize my bedroom…”
Perhaps you should actually use some of the features advertised in her app. It’ll help increase Miranda and Milan’s favorability levels, and you certainly wouldn’t mind seeing them show up on your computer more often.
You open the app and instantly you’re greeted with Miranda’s face. Her sprite looks you up and down before sighing. “About time. Come on in.”
Miranda stays on the pedestal of the boutique reading through her copy of a look book. You look through the options on her right to hopefully please her. You decide to start off easy and click the food icon. Since you don’t have much unlocked, you can only feed her one of three things: a strawberry soft cream cake (which you know Milan prefers, so you opt to save that for when he wants it), minestrone, and tonkatsu. She definitely looks like she watches her figure, so maybe she’ll like something with primarily vegetables? You know Vivienne talks about some of her managers also going through her diet to help newer models ease into it.
You click and drag the minestrone to her and watch as she inspects it first before eating it elegantly. “Hm… it suffices. Would’ve been nice to have something to drink with it.”
You open another tab to access the drinks menu. Unsurprisingly, there are only three unlocked options available: a strawberry-banana smoothie, green tea, or sparkling water. If she had just eaten a hot soup, it would probably be wise not to give her something hot to drink, too. Alongside green tea being cut, you also removed a smoothie from your list being that she already ate something filling, and she’d probably want something simpler. You drag the sparkling water towards her and watch as she drinks it.
“Packaged. Might as well just give me a Crystal Light packet and tell me to make it myself. Still… I guess it still works.”
Your lips curl into a small smile. That was maybe the first kinda-compliment she has ever given you. Hopefully it would be enough to curry favor with the two.
Miranda wipes her lips daintily with a small napkin. She puts it away and regards you with another block of text in her speech bubble.
“Oh. Still here. Well, since you for sure don’t have anything better to do, my app offers games for us to play, ah… together. If you’d like to see more, click on the button with the controller icon on the top right of the screen,” explained Miranda, pointing her finger to the right of the screen. She then goes right back to reading through her look book copy.
It was only around 11am. You were getting a little annoyed with how many times Miranda had proven how much of a loser you are. All you did was give her food and water and she still found fault in your choices? However, you had to admit, you really loved seeing her be so in character. Her rudeness reminds you every time why you downloaded this extension to begin with.
You click the icon and a menu with three selections pop up.
▶︎ MAKEOVER MAYHEM! Keep your hands steady and focus your artistic eyes! Follow a photograph’s reference to do Miranda’s makeup as accurately as possible! One wrong move and it’ll send your points tanking!
▶︎ RACE TO THE RUNWAY! Roll those dress pants and get to work! Compose and complete a model’s look according to the gala’s theme before the timer hits 0! Be prepared! Miranda will not judge nicely!
▶︎ FASHION 101! Center your brain to the Dolce-Gabbana’s and Rococo gowns of the world! Be quizzed in various fashion-related questions throughout history! Do well and manage to impress Miranda!
You read through each minigame’s description carefully. Each one definitely sounded like you would have a lot of fun with them. There were only three of them, so you assumed that these were the only completed minigames the developer made. You wondered if there was ever more planned and what they could’ve been.
You were really compelled by the middle option, Race to the Runway. It was very similar to how the original Look Book game functioned, just without the timer. The description of the minigame mentioned a model, so would that mean there would be clients from the original game to act as your model? You already knew Miranda wouldn’t be one, since she is the one judging your look. You hoped maybe they’d bring out some of your favorite clients like Kailani and Pippa. They were really cute and you loved their routes equally.
There was only one way to find out.
Your UI on the right disappears while the boutique adjusts to place the pedestal on the middle of the screen rather than the left. Miranda steps away from the platform and in her place appears—
“Milan?” You speak out loud in your room before you can stop yourself.
Milan’s detailed sprite stands on the pedestal in a far too simple T-shirt and jeans medley. He nods at the screen before a speech bubble appears by his side.
“Look like you’ll be dressing me, principessa. Put me in polyester and I’ll be sure that bar never budges.”
Milan points upwards to the top of the screen, where a happiness level bar sits. You did watch it appear when the environment was being set up for the minigame, so you assumed that it would be important to the game. Perhaps the goal of it is to fill it up all the way, as currently, it is completely empty.
Miranda’s pet version appears in the corner of the screen. You can see a subtle scowl on her less detailed face before she speaks through her bubble. “Ugh… of all things, this app had to include him.”
Milan’s eyebrows raise upwards before he responds. “Oh. Because I’m sure she can handle Queen Hot Shit for hours on end. Do you even try to make yourself likeable?”
Miranda’s sprite immediately seems to flare up in annoyance. She moves closer for a half second only to flip her hair in his face. “I have my opinions, but I can’t fault her impeccable taste in favoring me. Hear that? Me. I suppose you’ll have to settle for second place. Again.”
“Miranda,” scolds Milan in his speech bubble, his pained eyes glaring directly at her through his thin glasses. “Just explain. The goddamn. Game.”
Miranda’s sprite turns back to face you, as though suddenly remembering where she was. “… Right. Well, TurtleWithALiveJournal, listen closely, because I’m only explaining this once.”
Miranda’s sprite moves to sit down on the corner of the screen. Her speech bubbles with the game’s explanation keep appearing above her.
“I will give you a random theme to follow and you will have to make an outfit for… him… that follows it. More clothing items will be available to you so that you have a fair chance. I will not keep these unlocked after the minigame, so don’t whine to me about it. You will have 3 minutes. Be sure to finish on time for me to judge your choice. Your final score I give you is the doubled amount being that both me and Milan are present for this game. Fail and I’ll ruin you. Ready?”
▶︎ Can you explain that again?
You smirk. You knew you had all your points on the line to try and impress these two, but your playfulness just couldn’t be held back.
▶︎ Can you explain that again?
Miranda’s face sprite scrunches up. She did not like that.
“Oh. So now we’re choosing to be incompetent. I know you heard me. And I know you absolutely deserve this.”
You watch with relieved curiosity and pained despair as the happiness level bar above Milan depletes outside of the bar, giving you negative points.
Milan shakes his head at you. His speech bubble appears beside him. “Principessa, you should know that she can’t understand a joke.”
Miranda’s sprite looks livid, but she doesn’t say anything back. Your dialogue options appear before you once again. You may have ruined your chances at getting positive points back, but hey, at least you got more dialogue!
You click on the “Yes” button, as now you are ready to play their game.
“Wonderful,” Miranda states in her bubble. “Then we begin. Your theme is Poiret: King of Fashion. Your time begins now.”
A small countdown appears at the top middle of your screen while Miranda disappears from the app completely. You immediately spiral when it’s just you and Milan. What kind of theme was that?! You had no idea who or what she was talking about. You frantically opened another tab to search up the theme. Milan’s speech bubble appeared while you were searching.
“Relax, principessa. I’m sure Miranda will give you a grace period. Hasn’t she always been so kind and thoughtful?” said Milan, his smug smirk taunting you.
You finally managed to get some references of Poiret’s fashion and hold the tab beside MirandaPet's tab. Like a crazed woman in a JCPenny in the 2000’s, you searched for anything that was close to the reference image you had to put on to Milan. You already only had two minutes and fifteen seconds left.
You chose a piece called “Opera Gown,” and from the description you skimmed over, it was intended to look like a kimono to break through European conventions of using corsets to frame the figure. Because of that, you chose the closest thing that looked like it—the kimono option.
Milan observed himself in the new article of clothing. “I hope I don’t need to remind you that Poiret is French and not Japanese, right?”
“Shut up,” you find yourself muttering while working. You know he definitely knows what you’re going for. He’s just trying to throw you off to ensure a poor grade.
Thankfully, you could choose from five selections to change the pattern design of the kimono. You choose the one with the golden embroidery that was close to the photo, aside from its subtle green vine motifs. You spotted a short overcoat and changed it to a black color, as it didn’t offer any diverse patterns.
Miranda’s speech bubble appeared in the bottom right. “One minute remaining!”
Your stress immediately skyrocketed. You quickly put on some dress shoes and low socks for Milan. You want to scold yourself when they basically do not change from his original design. Luckily, someone already does.
“TurtleWithALiveJournal, I’m not letting you embarrass me by keeping me in those,” scolds Milan in his speech bubble. “I’m not a loser that wears a suit at every gala regardless of the theme. Don’t worry. I’ll choose for you.”
Milan smirks at you and before you can stop it, his nice dress shoes change to beach sandals. You stare at the choice in horror and immediately try to put him in different shoes. Nothing works. Miranda was going to kill you.
“Principessa, calm down,” said Milan’s speech bubble “It could’ve been worse. Unfortunately, there is no option here for me to be completely barefoot.”
A red and white polka-dotted speech bubble appears on the bottom right of your screen. “Fifteen seconds!”
You quickly skip to the accessories category and try to find anything else to add for Milan. Your eyes skim through each article with the practiced speed of a student in Dr. Allison’s class. Still, nothing feels like it’d fit Milan’s current outfit. Less is more, right? You put your hand off the mouse and watch as the timer runs out.
The menu on your right slides off to the right and Miranda appears in its place. She assesses Milan silently while he poses for her. He moves in a relaxed yet confident manner with his eyes looking at Miranda almost challengingly. Miranda glares back at him for a second before speaking in her bubble.
“Your main choice fits the theme,” starts Miranda. “But where are the accessories? You have antique jewelry and headpieces from the Middle East, anything would have worked for Poiret. Did you really think a simple robe was going to be enough? And what the hell are those shoes??”
Milan’s sprite appears to laugh before responding. “Truly what was she thinking?”
You stare at the screen silently with anger brewing in your heart. You were so going to find a way to get back at Milan. Even if it meant breaking his coding.
Miranda’s sprite appears to write in her book while she continues speaking in her speech bubble. “Aside from those flaws… I suppose you did fine for your first attempt. You didn’t just put him in a black suit and call it a day. You will score… 60 points.”
You watched the happiness level bar above Milan fill up from where it was in the negatives and sit at the halfway mark. 50 points! That was far more than you thought you’d get for this minigame.
… Wait, if that total score is meant to be the total doubled amount from both of them, does that mean—?
A pop-up appeared before you, reading:
You had just about enough of that minigame for now.
The boutique cleared up back to its original state. Milan changed back to his original clothing in a second and waved goodbye to you. A speech bubble appeared beside him before he was fully gone.
“Be seeing you, principessa.”
With Milan gone, Miranda took back her spot on the pedestal. You had your home menu back on the right of your screen with Miranda looking back at you expectantly. Before you could check out another minigame, your ringtone blared out from your bed. Right. You had your ringer on because you were testing out different cuter ringtones and forgot to turn it back off.
You got up from your desk and picked up your phone, curious to know who was calling you. You picked up and held your phone to your ear.
“Hello?” You greeted. You heard the person respond back to you.
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