#touchstarved chapter 1

[pearlodile]

[onyxvesper]

Chapter 1 translating backgrounds because im insane (not really spoil to me but be careful pls) 👍

So we've established

This means ''none shall mourn'' and ''born anew'' im 100% sure.

Now,

Leander if this is your writing I will hurt you in ways you don't find attractive because translating this is hell.

''???e together, ?a?? apart''

Im assuming ''(L)one together, mass apart'' but honestly im not sure because whoever wrote this was DRUNK for sure.

Very clever addition in the comments, it could totally be ''rise together, fall apart'', it makes so much more sense and matches the symbols far better

@redstrewn here you go pookie <3

[theriddlerhoer]

Honest feelings about TS chapter 1

1. Mhin

There is much improvement to their first preview and i like most of the changes made. However i still think the pacing is a bit too fast and mhin should be more hesitant and non trusting, same from the MC. We do get to kiss them though so it gets up by 1 point. Also their monster form was my favorite.

2. Ais

Honestly its the most disappointing route for me, I DONT HATE IT!! let me be clear but even with the changes it feels too fast paced, i understand from ais's perspective it makes sense but the MC should be less accepting. However i do like the idea they're developing for their relationship, still i think slowburn would help them a lot 😔

3. Leander

His route is very slow, i will say i like that approach more but i do think they're showing his red flags a bit too fast especially in his dialouge i feel like some could be reworked to be more subtle idk tho thats my opinion.

4. Vere

Surprisingly the route i liked the most, its genuinely the most well paced one & not out of character for vere, especially the end had me hooked. Made me more hyped about his route. Basilea is also the nicest addition

5. Kuras

My second favorite route. It takes more time to build up & i like it HOWEVER I feel like kuras's real form was revealed way too early id be more shocking if it was revealed a bit later i think

Overrall i think the preview is decent but it feels like theres a missing chapter in between if that makes sense? Esp for (Mhin, Ais) whatever the final product may be i just hope they take a bit more of a slow pace 💔

[angeloferidia]

CHAPTER ONE PREVIEW SPOILERS (Kuras's route, unnamed backstory) (CG SPOILERS)

I wanted front facing Kuras and to see his true form and RSS decided to pleasantly treat me TWICE I did not expect to get both in ch1, I felt like a kid in a candy shop eheheheheh

HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL??? AND HIS TRUE FORM REMINDS ME OF SUNDAY'S BOSS FORM AUGHHHHH /vpos

Also I'm glad we finally got confirmation on if Kuras is immune to the curse or not! I sorta already knew the answer I mean, as he said, he stitched our arm back together so... I think the answer was fairly obvious. Still great that we got official confirmation, perfect for my fan fiction activities 😈😈😈

Also I'm still not over Kuras being able to command people like that's actually so scary... He should command me next YO WHO SAID THAT ⁉️⁉️⁉️

[winterwhisperz-blog]

My thoughts on the TS preview:

hiiii okay so !! Since the ts preview has come out on Patreon I thought I’d give my thoughts :] please be aware of spoilers below and also, these are just my opinions, so take them with a grain of salt.

———

Let’s start with my main concerns so we can end on a positive note!!

1: the pacing.

Now, I’ll start with the thing most talked about: the quickness when it comes to the romances. Each character, even ones like Vere or Mhin, jumpstart the progress of the relationship faster than I had expected, which gave me a liiiittle whiplash.

But here’s the thing, I’ve played a loooot of romance games. My first one was Arcana! Where we can have a relationship break-up before you’re even officially together.

I kinda understand that the quickness of relationship progression was just apart of the romance game formula. Which makes sense especially when you’re in a visual novel format and not like— a game similar to bg3 or the interactive novels that can spread out through the span of multiple books.

So it was a lot easier for me to brush that off, especially considering that the full game has been said to be only around like ? 5 chapters ?

Now other visual novels, even confined to shorter time, can still take a slower approach. (Example being: Obscura. Ohhh don’t even get me started on that masterpiece—)

But I understand that’s not the approach every visual novel will, and has to take. Which means that I won’t be taking this criticism into the full game, and instead will keep my eyes on how they choose to continue the romance.

My bigger concern (which is probably not that serious) is that all of this will be over wayyy too quickly, without giving us any time to breathe.

Arcana, despite the quickness of the romance, still allowed the story itself to breathe and let you have fun. I hope that will be the same with Touchstarved. Especially since there won’t be any longer scenes locked behind a paywall.

2: the MC

To be completely honest with you, I’ve never liked the TS mc hshshshshs— when I first played I was like “I would NOT say that” and they have annoyed me more than once. But again, I’ve played a lot of romance games, I’m so used to just going “well this character would actually say this instead.” I’ve put my not-stick thin pale girl ocs into MYSTIC MESSENGER AND OTHERS OKAY THIS ISNT MY FIRST RODEO

But I can understand that this can still take people out of the story, and any criticisms of Mc is valid. I just don’t personally mind too much. (Not everyone can be a Vesper okay 😞)

For me, it will all depend on how the mc is written throughout the entire game. If they have development, if they have more agency, if they will be able to prove why THEY are the mc.

(Like how arcana MC was able to grow more confident, use their powers to defeat the devil. How Last Legacy MC was able to progress into a moreeee leadership type role)

One thing I’m actually worried about, and have seen become more prominent— is that the writing itself has been shaved down to what feels like, sometimes, the bare bones.

If you’ve had the previous backer updates, you’ve seen the writing process. And a lot of it!! Isn’t even re-wording to better the flow, but just simply cutting it done until it goes beyond just being concise, but restricted. Bare.

This is a visual novel, which means the descriptions should be allowed more space. I want to see the character of this writing to shine! I hate when personality and character and depth is sacrificed for the sake of what is excused to be *conciseness*

If you’re a writer, you’re familiar with the three C’s and know that being Concise is one of them. But it’s not to sand down creative expression until a colorful paragraph is one, shiny sentence, it’s there to smooth over messy wording, to trim!! To trim lengthy paragraphs that go on longer than they need to.

It was disheartening to see this process take over the demo in the update, and it was a bummer to see it continue in the previews. I feel like the team has been limited to what they can say, what they can have the writing express.

I also fear that they have let some of the fandom tooooo sweeten the horror? Like when they said in the demo update that they ‘gave vere something to eat so he wouldn’t be so bloodthirsty’ so it would be harder for him to kill you. NOOOOOOOO !!!! That’s what shocked me !! What brought vere into my attention !! I thought it gave proper consequence, it served as a preview into what choosing vere would entail. Murder. Risk. Caution while also knowing when to choose boldness.

So I do worry that they will be holding themselves back from what they originally intended for the game. I want it to be a romance, yes, but I’m also here for the horror.

My biggest concern is that the team has been held back ever since the demo first came out. I worry that they have split from the cooperate hold and restrictions just to bring with them the lingering uncertainty that mindset planted in them.

I want to see this game be its truest self, even if it unsettles people, even if it’s not what some people want it to be. I want to see what I signed up for: monster horror and messy, bloody, often disturbing romance.

I really, truly love this game. Despite the flaws and concerns, I’ve been blown away by the art and the characters and the world this team has so lovingly crafted. Im in love with the lore, the music, the promises. The relationships between the cast, (Vere and Ais, oughhh they’re such a mess…) the backstories I can’t wait to see fleshed out.

I still trust these writers, and I’m proud of them for achieving their goals and for doing what they do to bring us this passion project.

So that’s why I hope they won’t be held back and will take their time to bring us what they truly envisioned. Because even with the flaws I’ve stated before, I still had a blast playing each chapter. I thought they were fun, intense, and exciting.

It also felt pretty ethereal at times— like with the music— hello— the scene where you’re with Vere and walk by all the statues—

So yeah :] those are my messy thoughts. You definitely don’t have to agree with anything I’ve said here—especially since a lot of it has boiled down to me having a different perspective and expectations for romance games in general. But yeah !! Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day !!

[plexiart]

I've replayed the Touchstarved ch.1 demo again and again and I enjoy it every single time. 💜

The phasing is good, the stories are interesting and the characters are still mysterious-yet we get glimpses of what kind of monster's lurking beneath the surface of each individual. I can not wait to when the game releases!!!

LET THEM COOK!!

[raw-tiime]

I WANNA GET ON IT JUMP ON IT RIDE IT UNTIL THE MORNIN IM STAYING IN THIS PARTY AND UH-HUH THIS PERSON HAS ME GAGGING

[vermilionsun]

!CHAPTER 1 KURAS ROUTE SPOILERS!

Proceed with your own discretion

NSFW || Ao3 vers.

“You are… singular,” Kuras whispers, like a prayer in the clinic room made dull by the memory of something brighter. The vision of him—whatever he was—to call him a monster feels like an insult to the dread, to name him a saint…

His gaze remains fixed in your exposed hand, reaching toward it as if moved by instinct rather than thought. You are used to others recoiling in horror at such a sight, but the awe in Kuras's eyes is new. Dizzying and almost unbearably tethering longing.

You stretch out your trembling fingers toward his. “Touch me again. Please.” The words that escape sound mad—are mad—and unhinged even to you.

You don't take them back, don’t regret them, and don't retreat.

Kuras wants to. Desperately. Tension locks him in place, drawn taut as a bowstring.

He hesitates.

You don’t.

You catch his hand before he can fully withdraw. If you don’t fracture the moment, the memory won’t scar—and if it doesn’t, you might still be able to believe it was only a dream. A beautiful, brutal dream, bristling with thorns around your blooming heart.

Defiant little thing, the heart.

It carries you straight into danger’s open arms, folding you against his ribs with your eyes squeezed shut. You feel his shaky breath, his warmth, the fragile evidence that he is real.

But you don’t look.

You don’t dare.

Your breath ghosts the hollow between his collarbone and throat, and the room exhales with you.

For one terrible, suspended moment, he doesn’t move. Then his hand tightens in yours. Not one that traps—never that—but a hold like he’s anchoring himself as if you’re the only real, holy thing in the room.

You feel the tremor run through him, the uncertainty, the need. His forehead tips forward until it almost touches your hair.

“Don’t close your eyes,” Kuras murmurs, barely a sound. “I want to…” He slowly reaches his other hand around your cheek, guiding your closed eyes up.

“If it scars,” he whispers, and he almost sounds afraid, “let it be on me.”

For a heartbeat, he nearly stops himself.

Then he leans in.

The kiss is just as hesitant—barely there at first, more breath than touch—like he is asking permission with every fraction of a second. Something softer and far more dangerous than hunger sighs between you; relief.

“Look at me again,” Kuras whispers, hand trembling where it rests before he dives in again, pressing further into you. “Please.”

He could very easily command it, force you to open your eyes without a second thought, but he doesn't. He begs. He softens and melts like butter against you, like this is worth everything he ever chased, conquered, or sacrificed in his life.

You don't—not yet—but your other hand flies Kuras's coat anyway, caught between pulling him closer and pushing him away, and he shudders.

His love—his need—comes so suddenly it becomes overwhelming. You step back just to breathe, but he doesn’t let the distance live. Kuras’s free hand finds the small of your back, guiding you.

The back of his desk meets your back and steals the choice from you, forcing you to brace yourself against it.

Kuras pulls away for the smallest of moments. You can hear his fingers finding the hidden catches beneath the decorative straps, moving from habit rather than thought, tearing open the central clasps, and the belts coming loose in a rush of sound as he pulls himself free.

Your breath turns shallow, barely existing anywhere outside the space between you, tangled with his, lost in the quiet where neither of you remembers how to retreat.

He takes your hand and places your knuckles against his forehead, murmuring something incoherent; a prayer or a plea or both. Then, he trails it down his neck, collarbone, and finally on his chest—his heartbeat thundering right below the hot skin.

“Nobody else will do,” he whispers, voice barely audible over the steady rhythm under your fingertips. “Only you.”

His lips meet your neck softly, hands leaving yours completely, focusing on slowly taking off your clothes with a tenderness that belies the urgency in his touch. He leaves you every chance to push him back if you want to, but you can’t—won’t.

Kuras lifts you up on the wooden surface effortlessly. His thigh parts your legs as he presses his body against yours, carefully aligning himself with you. Your eyes fly open and lock with his; he barely holds your gaze, like he's afraid of what he might see in your eyes… or what you might see reflected in his.

A flash of light momentarily consumes you, and your vision blurs before feathers flutter around you, cascading down the Monster's body, seemingly settling around you both like a protective shield.

You’re naked beyond your body; your soul is on fire, and the flame is dancing in Kuras’s hands. It knows you, your secrets, your dreams, your sins. Does it feed off of them? Or has his own misery left him so overwhelmingly full his plate only knows apathy when it comes to his nature? 

“You’re everything,” Kuras makes a sound at the back of his throat—human, somewhere behind the vision your eyes see and your body feels—half a whimper, half a sob.

His thrusts are almost shy in the loudness of the room, as if he fears breaking you. But you want to be broken, shattered into a million pieces that only he can put back together. You want to be remade in his image, to let his power consume you completely until there is nothing left but him, and to then be reborn as something new and unrecognizable.

You have been nothing, and suddenly your curse nudges a thorn in his heart you won’t draw out. You want him to burn for you, if not for himself. It feels only right, if truly you are—

Your back arches against him, and from the sides of your vision, you see his form ripple and shift. You shift your hips so they press up against his, taking him in deeper and wrap your thighs around his waist. You’re not sure where your hands are, but you feel them reaching out to him.

One of his hands finds and intertwines with yours; bright golden claws and cuffs decorate his hands and wrist, the other grips your body like you might vanish or run away from him. You nestle your other hand into his hair, pulling lightly and guiding him down onto you—a gnawing feeling settles in your gut as the helmeted flame brushes against your skin, vanishing immediately upon the familiar taste.

His lips travel everywhere; you can feel him biting and sucking and burning your skin. 

And now your hands—

You rip them away.

Isn’t that what he wanted? To walk amongst humans, to love and bleed like them, to be one of them. Kuras looks down at you with eyes that are no longer his own, as if the human he never was has finally been shed.

His lips open in quiet surrender. His body tenses, pleasure rippling through him, and he buries his face in the crook of your neck, breathing you in deeply, hands trembling against your skin, fingers gripping you tightly as if trying to hold onto the moment forever.