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The MARTA slander tag made me play this game instantly; I just pick up anything set in ATL. I like how the chat sections and regular VN sections are paced. Naomi's room being so dark contrasted a lot with the real world. It was disorienting in a good way, like how Naomi felt. The chats with Julia had me on edge. The way she used proper grammar was unnerving, and the contrast with how young Naomi typed made me even more dreadful about when the other shoe would inevitably drop. The mirroring of how in the beginning Naomi tells Cynthia her room is upstairs, first door on the right, and then Julia tells Naomi the exact same thing. Amazing game, congrats on winning first place and 1,000 downloads, you deserve it. 

This feels redundant to say, but this was such a theatrical VN. The Understudy's soliloquy slash monologue was amazing; the use of the stage lights and curtains to transition between scenes and the far away shots to the understudy on stage really felt like I was watching a play. This novel was indeed very visual. Understudy breaking character from maintaining her bombastic persona of being inhuman to call use her name, Adelaide, to steady herself and speak casually was great character writing. The ending was breath taking. I didn't want her to die, and I'm glad it seems everyone else is reaching out to her, but I also felt her frustration at her plan failing. Wonderful game, was shocked that I really did finish reading this within an hour. Just felt so engrossed in the story.

This game has been on my radar after playing Wishbleed. I was looking for more stories about mothers and daughters and this caught my eye. So it was a funny coincidence when you mentioned Wishbleed in Kastel's article. I don't want to make this review a comparison between Wishbleed so the last thing I'll say is that I think you succeeded in forming a literary community by drawing from your influences and creating something. 

The atmosphere is really nice. All of the backgrounds being monochrome add to the winter setting, and how colorful the characters are (in design and personality) highlights how oppressive the setting is while showing how much joy Char and Noel bring each other. They love each other very much and its a bond born from being mother and daughter. The scene where Noel comforts Char when she's depressed from being isolated was one of many highlights in a great game. Noel criticizing how society ostracizes women who don't fit in with what's normal, drawing the connection between being disabled and being a lesbian, came from a deep and personal place. They give each other unconditional love, and as the description states they've known each other their entire lives. They give each other what society and other people have denied them. Noel well and truly treasures Char, and the scene where Noel tells Char about her conception to let her know that she loves Char with all her heart and doesn't regret having her was heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The pain and rejection Noel endured and the way Char was able to empathize with that as her daughter. That's how strong their bond is. Beautiful game!

I played this and was left thinking "Wow, what a great game. I wonder about the mystery between Evie's and her father's glow and the glow in the cave that's allegedly the source?" and realized I played the demo. Its a really solid foundation; it almost made me think it was a finished game! Playing from the perspective of each woman and learning their personality and backstory was great. Everyone feels so distinctive with their own biases: Odette's fixation on Evie, Evie's self-loathing, and Ada's cynicism. I was expecting Ada to do the title drop so seeing Evie say some variant of "Your mother disgusts me" was surprising, but also fitting considering how close her and Odette are. Being candid, its nice to see video games exploring incest with darkskinned women, especially one where their racial identity is a part of their character. I'm black and Evie seems to be desi, but its still nice. 

I wish I found this game earlier, but what's important is that I found it. My first choice was "My name is Angel and calling me her made me happy" so I didn't notice the lack of choice until the outfit selection. Sad Angel couldn't wear the maid dress, but it also adds to the feeling of how Demi pushes Angel to be open about her preferences... but only if they're choices Demi accepts. That's one of the subtleties of being groomed. You feel like you're being guided to what you want, but its only the wants that overlap with what the Other wants. I wanted Angel to get as far away from Demi as possible, but I also wanted Angel to stay since she seemed so happy, even though she was slowly being eaten alive. There's irony in how Angel accepts Demi's other half, but Demi rejects her and is disgusted by her acceptance. Once I finished the game I immediately played it again to see if there was another ending. I think Demi sunk her fangs into me.

I ended up with a very nautical doll! Makes sense with all the sea themed items I chose. The descriptions for each item were very lovely; they were very personal yet they also sounded like something that I would own (like the museum pamphlet). The minigame to pick which items to make the doll was cute. I was stumped at times because each item, despite the short descriptions and time I owned them, were hard to part with.

Right after I got the first ending [missed] I immediately linked the game to my friends. The UI is smooth, the art absolutely gorgeous, and there were times where I teared up - I felt for all of the characters involved.