I would guess part of the comment issues in ol1 are the lack of a jealousy system like nobody can react or make comments because there is no jealousy at all I am hoping it is more natural in ol2 with there being 2 main lis plus an actual jealousy system even if it is optional
There is a little bit of jealousy! But it's all mainly in Step 1 and your typical kiddy jealousy😂 it's also just me splitting hairs really, but I get where you're coming from lol. It's not actually jealousy I'm looking for, honestly. I personally despise jealousy in any aspect for my own reasons, though I do get what you mean and I'm depressingly aware of how prominent jealousy is in the situation I've given😔
What I'm more looking for is upset - and I mean that in the most clinical definition of the word: to make (someone) unhappy, disappointed, or worried; to knock (something) over. (ie. to disturbe or unbalance)
LMAO, this got long, so I'll throw it under a cut!
Basically, Sunset Bird is the place where nothing happens and everything stays the same, until Baxter comes in and upsets the norm. The game writes many times that he's disturbed the peace and many characters respond to that in various different ways - mostly positive and slightly negative on Cove's part specifically. You, as the MC, have the option to take it as positively or negatively as you choose, of course!
I have a suspicion that, if MC takes it negatively then maybe others would too but, I don't play that route personally and it isn't really the point I'm getting at either. I want to see that upset happen, even in a positive viewpoint MC. I want to see Cove upset because MC has been flirting with him for possibly several years and he has been flirting back and he and everyone understandably thought you both had something, only to see you fall for Baxter like a rock in a stream, the moment he turns your head. It's not specifically jealousy I'm looking for, it's hurt and confusion and/or a need for answers from the people that surround MC and find their expectations suddenly trampled on.
"What about us/Cove?" is a very real question that should be there yet just isn't 🤷
An example of where the game actually did do this: The protectiveness from your family, that was A+ on the game's part but there wasn't enough of it, in my opinion. There should have been more worried dialogue from at least your family, if not your friends. Cove also has one moment where he complains about how he doesn't like Baxter flirting with the both of you but, again, that's not actually touching on the subject of MC so much as it is the both of you. It's also before any dating can occure so Cove is still 'intact' as it were... So I would honestly even consider that situation void because it happened before the flag triggering can changed him.
Even in Step 4, this trend continues! [violently rips out hair] There are scenes that should have such a bigger reaction out of characters but simply just don't because the mechanic for upset is entirely lacking!! It drives me crazy yo😭there's no deep 'sit down' conversation at all in so many places and it makes the emotions that the really good parts of the story pull out of you feel so cheap in comparison!
Awaaahhhhh... This has just turned into me complaining lmaooo
My apologies😂I know there isn't anything to be done that can change it, currently, but it does just really upset me. In fact, how I'm talking about it here is exactly what I would have loved to see in the dialogue of the game!
The desperateness, the desire for answers, the deep meaningful conversations, just- [clenches fist] Yes. Everything would feel so much more grounded and real and immersive if they just let MC sit down and have a talk with these people about everything and have feelings get resolved and see bonds strengthen!!! It would be so Good!!!
Instead, I must sit here, depressed while Cove laughs off several years of character development like "ha ha okay then bro, very funny" like😭😭😭What happend to you, my sweat summer bean???
I mixed up what was available to me with public knowledge! I've priveted the post and I'll go ask those who have reblogged it to delete it as well, my bad!
I'll keep an eye out for that in the future ;///; I suppose I just got lost in the excitement and moment of water in a dryspell of creativity.
This just made me sad because this situation is somehow worse after playing OLBA :(
[prev.]
Oooh, yeah, I can totally see that! I know it definitely made me think back to everything Baxter ever said in regards to his past friendships 🥺
I've already got it set in my head that I need to go play his route again anyways, otherwise thinking about this probably would have given me enough reason to do it again as well lol! He's such a wonderfully complex character and all his little NF cameos gets the brain moving 😂
It's definitely sad that his life had to go through so many twists and turns and that a great deal of his struggles in life were handled alone but, at least we know that he one day will rise above it and we can just love him more for being him 🥹
@organized-chaotic-disaster
I totally see what you mean 😭 (tho I haven’t played the Derek or Baxter DLCs myself). Tbh I think the main reason you can’t be poly is the fact that it would be hard to implement in an already complex game with high customization of your experience, especially since it’s written by one person— idk how they’d do that tbh. And I know GB has gone on record to say that Cove wouldn’t be down for a poly relationship, but it still sucks to not have the option.
I understand why poly relationships aren’t really a thing in games— a combination of monogamy being the norm irl and the difficulty in implementing the mechanic itself —but I hope one day those barriers can be broken down so it becomes an option 😭
And sorry if any of this comes across as me coming for you or something, that’s not my intention!!! I just had some thoughts I wanted to share. Overall I definitely agree that things like this could and should be handled better, and hopefully will be with future games with dateable NPCs— I’d love to explore that myself, and I wish I could with OL.
[original post]
Mm, It's certainly not impossible to add in those features [the FH series, for example, is a single writer and they've added in poly options upon fan requests] but, I can understand not wanting to put the extra work in yeah, especially since the creator has been saying for a while now that "this is the last thing I'll do for olba" like, they seem to be really trying to move on to the next project, so I get it.
It's also why I don't expect to ever get any resolution for this😔but it still does make me very sad because I really do love this game so much, it's one of the few forms of media out there that make me feel comfortable/understood/safe with myself and the lack of a poly option really takes away from that feeling quite a bit.
My main gripe though is that there isn't any conversation at all about it. Like, that just takes away from the experience of the game.
Once you choose to date Baxter, everyone just goes 'Error 404' on you and seems to outright forget that you were basically setting up to and expected to marry Cove. That, to me, reads like a failing of writing.
Like, there should be some dialogue, y'know? Cove should be able to question your relationship, even in a round-about and self-concious/self-serving way, there should be some tension there where he has to tackle his very real feelings for you and you can possibly do the same for him but, there's just none. Like, if you flirt with him in Step 2, have that romantic tension carry over to Step 3 he shouldn't be able to just shrug off all his feelings instantly. Feelings don't work that way, bro😂It just bugs me that it's so inorganic and unable to be explored. Cove and MC have a lot of history, they should be able to talk about it in every aspect, y'know?
Also! Not ranting at you specifically, lmao! I'm just sharing my feelings. Thank you so much for replying to me, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts! It's also just nice to see that someone out there also wants the poly options like me🥺we got too much love in our wee little hearts for this single romance bs lmaooo
I lowkey wish there was a mod community for games like these😂ngl, it'd be nice to just have a mod that ignored certain flags or something so that you could at least have the romantic tension still there with Cove while you romance someone else. It doesn't fix the lack of dialogue option but it'd be better than the clear and noticable lack of what was clearly there before. At least then it'd be easier to pretend there was something to bite into lol
There are definitely a few Cove comments (like in charity) and Liz still has the Cove rejected your proposal joke even if you're dating Baxter (regardless of your affection with Cove though) if you text your family about where you went if you leave the restaurant at the end of step 3, but it's definitely a weird one on both sides. If you have crush on Cove, you kind of expect him to be brought up more even when dating Baxter. If you don't, there are those moments that feel really awkward.
Oh! I definitely missed the text conversation since I have such an independent MC. It's funny that it'd be there that I'd end up passing it, since I usually explore each path a little bit before going back and sticking to a response, but it was such a no brainer of me to not bother with texting the fam (character wise) that it slipped by me 😂I'll have to explore it in my next playthrough!
But, yeah, even with those little things it still just doesn't take away from the lack of feelings for me. I mean, if you had a relationship that wasn't as close, of course it would be a different story but, when the relationship is completely invested however, that sudden lack of commentary is very immersion breaking and takes away from the playing experience. At least for me.
Like, for me, it isn't so much that those comments are still there - it's the way characters react to them that's unsettling and story breaking. You can still flirt with Cove, even while dating Baxter, but his reaction to it is so blasé and "ha ha okay" instead of the typical crush responses you'd always had previously. It's like someone pressed reset on everyone's feelings, y'know?
[edit] And, sorry, forgot to add in that I can definitely see how the opposite might be true for a non-romanced Cove. I've said before that he, unlike the other two, reads heavily like a love interest no matter the situation😂so I can definitely see how those comments could be awkwards if that wasn't your intention while playing with him. Overall, it just feels really unfinished in that specific area of the game, imo.
@a3hl3y
Sooomething tells me you used the blue feather sticker for this one, because I'm getting absolute blue jay vibes 👀
Sorry! I replied in the post but then wanted to add more so-
Micha's sticker is the butterfly🦋actually!😂Blue butterflies specifically but butterflies non the less! I am sad that you can't change sticker colours in the game, because I really do love the blue of that feather so much, but the meaning behind the butterfly meant much more to me than the colour itself when I could just stick the colour on his person a whole bunch, like you've seen lol. So good guess!
The thing is, Michael is actually based off a very old oc of mine from.. before my highschool days even! So a lot of his little nuances have been parented down from that original character design and personality - which means I'm more adapting him to the game than actually letting the game shape him. I chose the butterfly for a lot of reasons; from it's associations with mental health, love, dreams, beauty, transformation, and rebirth to the specific exotic-ness and rareness of the blue butterfly itself. It's also why his last name ended up being Hope, actually! For the luck of blue and the promise of a joyful future.
I did go and look up blue jays though! You mentioning it made me really curious, because I do actually really love blue jays but had never considered relating them to Micha in particular. There's definitely some crossover in some themes! Specifically with Steller's Jay (which just so happen to be my favourite jay even!)
The one quote in particular that I really liked was:
“He is the message of hope in disrepair and the will to live. The jay is willing to teach you fearlessness, adaptability and survival but you must be willing to follow its lead.”
It's a very nice quote, and really fits Michael's personality, as a character that often takes the lead and doesn't shy away from a challenge, as one who is willing to learn and adapt and help others also succeed. The 'will to live' bit also really struck me, as Michael is supposed to have a chronic illness, but he's very stubborn about pushing past it and not letting it stop him from all that he wants to achieve. When I first started fleshing out Micha, I instantly knew he was a guardian type - that he was going to be protective of his sister, China, even if she was the older one!😂That quickly translated to being protective of Tamarack too💕He's a very sweet boy, even if he is kind of intimidating to people he's just met!
Anyways, I'm getting rambly! Let's just boil it down to: I might start interchanging the blue feather and the butterfly a little bit! You've convinced me of the merits to the association, so thank you!
I know Micha will always be my Beautiful Butterfly Boy, but he may also sometimes be my Brave Blue Jay Boy now too 💖
Bestie in you "day 6 - hug from behind" i genuinely cannot get over how tiny her waist is, especially when compared to cove's hands. This is neither an insult or a compliment it's just that every time i see it i'm like "oh my god. This is the waistline victorians wanted"
🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for noticing!! That was absolutely intentional!
I actually had a good laugh about that exact detail while drawing Day 6, since it made me realize that Ai was looking very Jessica Rabbit themed - and though that hadn't been my intention, I actually kind of love it now? It's a favorite movie of mine, after all.
For the actual context though:
Ai is a spin-off character! She was actually inspired from another OC of mine, Kitt'n. The biggest similarities between the two of them are rooted in personalities, but they have nearly the exact same proportions to boot 🤷 Kitt'n is as flat as a board though, so her tiny waist doesn't look nearly as obvious.
On top of that, Ai (like Kitt'n) is also 4'10 😂 so those boys are all practically giants standing next to her. It's a source of constant amusement for me, really.
