HELLO!!! i had just seen a complete play-through of your game, and i am absolutely head over heels. i have been playing visual novels for years now, and none have given me this type of adrenaline and fascination before. your writing quite literally makes me swoon, and this game was an absolute fucking masterpiece. everything about chao is so twisted that its addicting. you perfectly described that through the player’s inner monologue. the storyline is so authentic and it isnt like any regurgitated cliche trope. its so refreshing. GOSH I LOVE TJIS GAME. it was also very refreshing to see a chinese love interest!! its nice to see representation of ur own culture!!!! having different endings reveal different types of information wasUAHFHFJJ AMAMZIZNGNGNGNG. i never got bored while re-watching each scene and ending. i would also like to ask a few questions while im here!! i know chao’s devotion to us seems to be everlasting, but is it possible to ever deter it? like hypothetically if mc was so repulsed at the mere thought of him and made that very apparent. would there be anything that would truly make him give up on us? and if so how would he go about himself if he did? (like living normally or whatnot)
THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME IN READING THIS!!! i had a fucking BLAST. being able to experience this game. my heart and soul goes out to you!!
Thank you for your very kind and sweet comment; it seriously means a lot to me, and YESSSS I've been waiting for this question!
⚠️ Spoiler warning for Loving Decays⚠️
Can anything deter Chao's devotion to MC?
Yes, they can. I know the comfortable answer would be no, but Chao is not a one-dimensional, "perfect lover".
I'm going to assume that this is a path where the MC never fell in love with Chao, or they obliviously did and found out his secrets later. I will also consider possibilities and paths that are not present in Loving Decays' canon endings.
If the MC is REALLY really uninterested in Chao from the start (imagine the prerequisites to Ending 2, but the MC is way more distant/colder), he'd be more regretful than anything else. He seriously did all that to get a chance to know someone with whom he has no chance from the start? He thought he knew enough, but apparently not.
Depending on the circumstances and development, it could range from frequent dissociation for a certain period of time to something violent. There would be urges to kill or capture MC when his thoughts are especially loud, but he'd most likely not do it. Not worth another thing connecting him to a certain someone's death, and at this stage, there is not enough fire in him to do whatever it takes.
He'd move on eventually, but only after great effort. Jane meant something to him too, you know.
If the MC falls for Chao but later finds out about his secret and is repulsed by it, it would completely make him freak out. This could happen in possible events outside the in-game story. Maybe Owen found out on his own, or the MC simply reacted differently in the prerequisite events to Endings 3 and 4.
If the MC is more terrified and submissive, he'd try to appeal to them kindly, like trying to placate a cornered animal. But if the MC reacts aggressively like Owen, Chao would resort to more violent measures as well, albeit with more care.
In general, it would continue in capture or pursuit and then capture. If things go awry, like the MC is about to inevitably kill him, he would still kill MC, with an extremely heavy heart. He is still human and has self-preservation instincts.
With capture as well, there will still be qualms, as it is not the way he wants you to love him or be with him (As mentioned briefly in his Ending 2 monologue). It would take a lot of mental degradation for Chao as well to come to terms with the situation.
This would be a culmination of the values Jane somehow managed to further cultivate in him as well, to do whatever it takes.
If we take away any preconceived aspects of the MC, like their job, personality, and circumstances, and talk REALLY generally about any person:
It won't be easy or fast at all, but Chao can also give up on you if it turns out that his expectations, curiosities, and love for you are not met. This is quite complicated to explain, but realistically, his obsession and drive come from those things.
People usually fall for the idea of others first, then the real them after they get to know them, especially with yanderes who fall for someone before even knowing them.
What's different is how he'll cope with it. He'll definitely be extremely distressed, and overall would be unstable. He'll probably do the same things mentioned above! Depends on the situation.
I'm not sure how I can explain this further, since it's just a logical thing, but the point is that he's multifaceted!
Thank you again for your support and ask! I'm always happy to see other Chinese players, too <3 Much, much appreciated.
