Yesterday I mentioned that the heroine thoughts about Phelan are very different depending in which stat is the highest, and today I intend to show it to you.
But before laying my cards, I want to make something clear: I am playing without dice mode because I tend to reset a lot to get different reactions, and it means that you must pay for the dice throws every time you reset, and screw that noise because I won't be paying everytime I want to see something different.
If Logic is the highest stat, Fran will make a comment about how Phelan demeanor and overall attitude is very different from the usual servants when he makes his declaration of protection. She wonders what kind of guy Phelan is because she never saw a servant like him before.
Which in turn makes the heroine to distrust him if either Persuasion or Resilience are the highest stats: Persuasion because the heroine thinks that Phelan is hiding something and pursuing a secret agenda while with high resilience she feels uneasy because of how shady he has been.
With high logic it tracks why the heroine couldn't understand Phelan motivation: he saw the corpse in the chest, put 2 and 2 together and is driven to protect the heroine...despite being the responsible for her husband demise.
Intuition and the next reaction are my favorites because intuition and empathy being the most "emotional" stats means that the heroine can grasp Phelan motivation better...and still feel that something it's wrong about it.
And this stat is the one I was talking about when I said that a certain prompt wasn't lying because it feels like foreshadowing to what would happen in ep 7.
I think Phelan cares about the heroine to a degree if you pursue him, but that care means a certain harm to the heroine because when it comes to whatever agenda Phelan is pursuing vs the heroine...the agenda would be the thing Phelan would prioritize first because it seems this is the most important for him and when faced with that choice... Phelan will feel guilty and apologize profusely for it.
This in no way justifies what he did in this update, and if anything, it serves as a reminder of how you shouldn't trust everyone even if they have your best interests in mind. Everyone is hiding something, and no matter how many apologies Phelan gives and how guilty Phelan feels, you shouldn't be trusting him wholeheartedly because he will take your agency away if he thinks that is the right thing because he thinks he knows best.
I hope this helped to shed a light about Phelan and his motivations.
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A lot of theories have been made about him since his intro, and... this update gave us even more questions than answers lol!
Before starting, I want to share something: I noticed that the heroine's thoughts and a lot of his scenes are tied to the logic and persuasion stats.
A logical Fran will notice the holes in Phelan's arguments and how different he is from other servants; she still trusts him if you choose because… well, that is Fran for you, and Phelan helped her when she was at her lowest, so Fran tends to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Meanwhile, a Fran with high persuasion will notice his lies more easily, but contrary to the logic one, she admires Phelan for being cunning and able to hide his secrets (you will see it soon).
So, without further ado, I will share my impressions about Phelan in this update.
TW:Drugging.
I honestly feel bad for Nora in this update because she is forced to relive her trauma even if you can choose to forget Nibras and let his memory go, and this is without getting into how risky it is to leave the castle because of Dante and Xander making sure that proper security measures are put around her.
But this right here? This is when I started to give Phelan a good side-eye because how dare he! I hate when an LI takes the heroine's choice/agency away because they think that they know what is good for the MC, and it doesn't help that Phelan is not exactly giving good reasons to be trusted...just like almost every single LI in this story.
This moment it's something you can get if MC pass Josephine's check and when you start to see the differences between your choices because MC won't talk about the potion unless you fully trust him.
Also, don't think I didn't notice how you tried to change the subject so blatantly, Phelan 🙄.
This scene highlights something I like: trust. And why might you ask?
Because with how weird Phelan has been, you might start to doubt his words, moreso when it comes to Nora condition and how hard it is to get the potion.
But Josephine DID warned MC about how useless this potion is and while she is another shady character, this is the second time someone talks about what a bad idea it is to drink it.
To me the whole potion business reminds me of the poppy milk in Dragon Saga and how hard it screw you long-term even if you drank it once...but hey, like I said before, Phelan and Josephine are very shady so is up to you if you should trust them.
Back in the ranch castle, there is when I want to take a detour and point out Nora choice of words.
Notice how she says that she used to admire Phelan's cunning? I liked this because it goes to show that even if you choose to trust Phelan, Fran will start to doubt his words because he did a whole 180 when she met him again compared to the guy who hugged her and tried to comfort her when the whole truth was out.
This is a good moment to mention that I am following Dark!Persuasion, but the following scene only takes persuasion into account and not the light/dark side.
Oh honey...
I have my good share of cunning LIs I have romanced before and every single one always played my heroine and broke her heart one way or other.
I wanted to snark and scoff at Nora because this is the most naive thing I have read, but... I want to give her some leniency because this kind of mentality is no stranger to me and reminds me a lot of how often some people tend to be blind on purpose when it comes to certain red flag traits because they try to make the best out of a bad situation/try to see the good side in something bad, and it tracks with how MC is even if you play the dark route.
And to no one surprise, Phelan plan sucks badly and our poor heroine is endagered once again...hurray! I am thrilled and looking forward to Xander reaction once he sees Nora acting weird once again and with another man 🙄.
Of course! You know what is best for her, right? Yellow heart my ass; Phelan acts and behaves like a purple heart LI if you ask me.
Poor Nora...if only you knew what this kiss will cost you...
Oh Phelan! The only good thing I will say about this scene is that at least the prompt I saw in ep 6 about a certain stat with him wasn't lying (I will post it when I am free) and this made the blow a tad softer.
He will need more than a good apology to make it up for this! This scene made me so torn because the drama itself it's good, but I am too angry at Phelan because...
HE FUCKING DRUGGED NORA!
This scene made me even more annoyed because you get this with low resilience...which shouldn't happen because Nora resilience is high and I will show it to you later.
You better find a good way to fix this, Phelan...I am doing your route but it doesn't mean I am totally okay with all the stuff you are pilling and pulling towards Nora.
My poor Nora...you don't deserve this.
And now with the episode over a big question is...
Who is Phelan?
So many fans think that he is either the Nameless God, Nibras brother, or just another demon and honestly? All are valid theories since we barely know him.
But in this update, I want to propose another theory: he might be a human which is planning to revolt against demons and that is why he wants to know so badly how MC managed to kill one.
His familiarity and obsession with wanting to protect MC might be tied to him being someone which used to know her until that whatever happened to her made her forget everything...and made Phelan to hate the demons even more.
God knows what Phelan is but one thing is for sure: you can't trust anyone in this story and this is just the beginning and honestly? I won't blame Nora for this moment being the one which kickstart his dark journey because she has been put through a lot already.
Final stats so you can see I am not lying! This update is buggy so I advice you to wait for the technical update if you want a more smooth experience.
If Waterlily is generated by AI, who can say if all the other screenwriters don't do the same?
There are several stories, all of them certainly have AI in their composition.
The romance club is more concerned with its own profit than with manual and HUMAN work. If they see that the new story is successful, they will continue to use AI tools to speed up the process, above any work done by humans, or at least any humanized work.
AI is a slippery slope, and it's pretty easy to go from "I will cut corners with the art by using AI" to "I will start to churn out stories with it too!"
It was just a matter of time. AI is cheap… people nowadays rarely value what artists and writers do in the fandom, and more importantly, it's easy to fool readers because not everyone is knowledgeable about AI writing and will chalk it up to the writer's quirk.
I do think this is something recent; it feels as if RC is testing the waters, and if that is the case, we are in trouble.
I think more fans would notice if writers were using AI and make posts about it like with Waterlily, but that is not the case, so I am solely side-eyeing Waterlily until someone shows proof of other writers using AI for writing too.
Waterlily writer might be using AI tools for writing?
It has been a long time since I visited Tumblr and one thing which caught me in particular is the current discussion about Waterlily...opinions are obviously divisive and who can blame the fandom? The story it's something everyone wanted and more: a balanced ratio between the LIs and romance! it's a dream come true after all!
Unfortunately, things are far from perfect and my suspicions has been confirmed when a Reddit user called Cordonia, started to post what might be generated AI text...
Behind the spoilers I will post what this user managed to find and keep in mind, this comes from the first 5 episodes!
I want to share this because I have seen some people asking for references when they ask for proof, so I hope this helps and everyone can draw their own conclusions.
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No, but, seriously, everyone is equally sus tbh. The only ones I could trust are the Atrau brothers, especially Lais. Not because he's my main LI, but because he's the only one who is honest to Mercella and didn't try to control her. Other LIs tried to make MC quit the hunt but Lais was like "I got your back, girl!!!". He's great in both romance and friendship route.
@yeullove
Wolf!Mercella is a queen! Omg I can't and wont shut about it!
Exactly! Lais is a warrior first and foremost but it doesn't mean he lacks empathy or kindness and he won me over when he trained Mercella because he was the only person who helped her when she needed the most.
And you know what? This update made me love him even more because and while he likes Mercella, he still tries to do the right thing even if it hurts both.
Lais is a treasure who deserves more love and appreciation 😭!
And if you are romancing Decian and Ayen, Ayen almost call you a dumbass for trusting Decian because he almost killed her (and he is a lil jealous because she trust someone who almost killed her).
I still hate Dove but at least this scene almost made me not to regret this path.
Also, I was surprised that we haven't got a lock in, yet. That's unusual, considering TTS is Jester's book. I'm gonna hate it if the lock in only happened around the end of S2. I'm tired with books locking in very late, resulting in very unsatisfying romance. 😤
Fucking same!!!!
I was expecting a early lock! That is what Jester do! That's why I love him!
I am so sick... So many might like to play around LIs but I am not like that and when the locks are late, the relationship is rushed and the moments are cheap and/or meh.
TTS leak was lowkey traumatizing. What the heck did i just read?? Also, I'm waiting for your essay on Lais and maybe the comparison to Casper (the freaky red flag LI but not the worst kind of LOD red flag LIs since we have Vincent Sinclair). 😉✌️.
Right?!
Warning!!! I will talk about the leak now!!!
Jester always condemn guys like Foehl and PSI is a good example of it considering what happened with Lou in her backstory+ what Hans did.
So imagine my shock when I saw the leak and not only this scene is quite explicit (which is surprising coming from Jester) but also for fucking Foehl? Really? The dude who acts like a creepo around Tiss?
What the hell?!
And keep in mind that this it's fucking weird considering how slow (more than usual I might add) the routes are going right now and not even a lock? In a Jester book? Him who loves to lock you early?
I must be dreaming or maybe Jester went crazy because I can't explain what the hell happened and how we went from Foehl acting like a creepo who we must avoid... to sex.
The only saving grace is the ability to avoid this scene and even so... the moment is still awful either way.
And yeeees! Rest assured I will talk about both because I love them even if they are different in some things (Casper is prickly like a cactus while Lais despite his bluntness can be kind).
And I doubt someone will be able to dethrone Vincent 😭! Dude is a red carpet compared to the stuff I saw before so...
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Ik Vincent Sinclair will approve Gabbas' parenting method lol. I feel bad for Ayen and Lais, though. Especially Lais because he thought himself as nothing but a tool for his family. His reception scene and revelation also supported this. But, somehow, he wasn't mad about it. I don't think his family see him as an inconvenience.
LOD and bad parenting? name a more iconic duo.
But honestly, I think Gabbas is more lenient with Lais because he embodies all the things his culture taught him and he is the perfect warrior please ignore the people badmouthing Lais or his issues... this is no way a biased take.At all. compared to Ayen who is weak yet with a sharp mind.
But you can still tell Lais is messed-up despite being treated "better" than his brother, he barely cares about his life and and is ready for the worst because a chance to escape? impossible.
And yet...
Yet despite his warrior-like mentality, despite how blunt and rude can be, Lais is a very emphatic person who can read your emotions very well.
Lais is a man with many facets, that is what I am saying and he is the best freaky LI ever someone could write (seriously, his freakiness needs to be studied and copied because the contrast is very attractive).
Hi! This is @yeullove ! I thought i was the only one who found Vyxaria's backstory rather uncomfortable. I do wonder, if female characters could get other trauma or struggle than SA, which, somehow we see a lot in RC. Maybe health-related issues? Or loss? What about financial struggle? Relationship failure might also work? Granted, I wasn't too familiar w Wincy's works that's why I was surprised to see Vyx was pressured into that.
Bestie I can assure you that you are not alone!
TW: Sexual assault! You have been warned!!!!
This is not the only instance of Wincy using SA for plot-related purposes. HOT was filled with that, even worse, you must forgive a rapist if you want the good ending and that is the main reason I refuse to pursue Vallora (she is a LI and her brother is a rapist).
I thought Wincy would improve considering how many complained about it, but the way she ended S1 if you are doing Threxio/a route made me to side-eye her hard.
This update only confirmed my fears and I am surprised nobody is talking about it considering Agnia and Set fiasco and how (rightfully) fans called her out when HOT was getting updates because of Alaric.
I don't know why SA it's always a plot device/backstory fodder for women. I am not saying you shouldn't touch it but where is the variety? Why men can have multiple choices when it comes to backstory but women are often linked to SA?
This trope needs to die! Especially in the romance genre because a lot of writers love to use this particular crutch for their heroines.
not trying to excuse jester but he handled s.a. or harassment *slightly* better than some other writers, e.g. lou and kay. he didn't go too deep with mei's coming-of-age ritual either. do i like them? no. do i think he did those themes better than other rc writers? probably yes.
I should have been more specific because my gripe with Jester is not about SA (though I saw some fans being very critical about Mei ritual around reddit so I don't know the fandom stance about it vs Kay and Lou backstory).
My problem with Jester is not related to SA but some things he wrote which made me go: 🤨 and his lack of POC characters/LIs.
I am not a fan of SA elements because this is fetishized, very few writers handle it with respect, it's added for the sake of being edgy, etc.
I am not saying it shouldn't be included, and that we should close our eyes and ears and pretend this doesn't happen and usually, while the proper trigger warnings are added, you can skip it or choose if you want to deal with this kind of content.
Buuuut...
I hate when the fandom is selectively oblivious to certain issues when different writers address the same thing.
You see it a lot with Jester fans who justify a lot of shit for what others writers are being dragged and it seems the same thing is happening with Wincy.
Nobody is perfect. Nobody can handle flawlessly the themes you want to address and it includes your favorite writer who is no way perfect even if you love the content they provide. It's okay to call things for who they are.
I don't like when Wincy addresses SA because I can't forget the shitty way she handled it in HOT so I am not surprised. It was a matter of time until this appeared again and someone would complain about it.
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hey, this is @yeullove ! Too bad Mar & team pulled a R*my instead of apologizing or at least acknowledging what they did was wrong. Arina LOD is no better than them but she did the bare minimum, apologizing. Even if I didn't fully trust her with the apology, at least she has shown that she cares for her fans input. Well, one more book off my reading list, i guess. 🤷♀️
Yuuup! Ignorance can't be excused when you have the tools to educate yourself but nah, it's better to double down and pretend that you are not being racist I guess 🤷.
Arina LOD is no better indeed, but at least she apologized while Mar and her team choose to delete comments, ban people, and keep the video around.
It sucks but hey, at least I can save my amethysts now.
ohhh haven't played Norma so idk about the sprite thing. Too bad, the book sounds interesting. What do you think about the overall update?
A lot better than the last one ( Wandering Spirits ending is amazing), but PS being a S1 book killed things for me, along with IDE giving us 1 episode only.
Not to mention the shitty thing with Nobody Believes Norma (a book that I won't read ever, so...)