SNAGGEMON - A Grunt Dating Sim

Two years ago…

“Glorious… Simply glorious! Oh, yeeaahhhh!”

Their voice carries over the sound of the blimp’s motors and the gushing wind blasting through the open hatches. At twelve hundred feet above the ground, it’s hard to tell whether the air is thin or if my lungs are being crushed by the gripping sensations of anxiety and frustration. You’d think that after ten years of chasing these mad Honchos and their Grunts, this wouldn’t affect me so palpably. But when it comes to St. Atticus… You never know what to expect.

“You never cease to amaze me, Champion… You truly are magnificent! Hahahahaha!”

St. Atticus grins at me from across the chamber, their pristine black hair flowing like a banner on a battlefield in the crossbreeze under the rim of their silver-trimmed, mottled black top hat. The air throws the corners of their long, midnight blue coat around the legs of their perfectly tailored pants. Every strip of silver ribbon, golden sequin and sapphire blue jewel on their body shimmers and twinkles as light fills the chamber, blasted in from searchlights on the ground, the rooftops, the helicopters circling the stolen airship. They step back and bask in the hot glow of the searchlights, throwing their gloved hands up like the ringmaster of the world’s craziest circus.

“No…! We are magnificent! The sounds, the sparks, the star power! Don’t you feel it?!”

This is exactly what they want. Even as they stand in front of me, defeated yet again, all St. Atticus is thinking about is how good they look doing it. And… Goddamnit, they look good. It’s almost sickening how well they take losing in their stride. The spectacle is all that matters. But as far as I’m concerned… all that matters is they’re beaten, and they have no more SnaggeMon left.

Their staff lays safely at my feet, the microphone built into the head ringing with feedback from being dropped. Inlaid into the body of the stick, fourteen inactive SnagStones glow red with warning… Fourteen SnaggeMon, a new record. They really were planning something truly horrible this time. But as dangerous as St. Atticus is when they have the stage all to themselves, as soon as you get within battling distance, all the bite gets ripped from their bark.

Out the corner of my eye, I look down upon Lidellia City. In the dark of nightfall, the chaos St. Atticus and their showboating Grunts have spread throughout the city tonight glows even brighter. Several buildings are barely left standing, and wide craters stand out in the middle of destroyed roads and former landmarks. And that’s just what St. Atticus did on their own, all part of their somber, striking, symphonic power ballad. If they even still had one of their SnaggeMon left by the time they reached the Concert Hall… they would have wiped it off the map.

“You see it, don’t you?” St. Atticus boasts. “The righteous chaos, the dazzling destruction! Is it as beautiful as I planned…? Does it finally illuminate the stage out from the shadow of the greed and corruption that built this city?” They sway, starting to twirl their body around like they’re in a one-person waltz. Part of me worries they’re about to throw themselves off the airship… “All that’s left… is the jewel in Lidellia City’s sordid crown… The Concert Hall!”

“Show’s over, St. Atticus,” I say, finally deciding to get a word in edgewise. “You’ve got no SnaggeMon left. You can either take your last bow with dignity, or wait for the League to board this giant eyesore and give you the hook.”

“Oh, nightfall…” St. Atticus says, shaking their head with an earnest, infectious chuckle. “As long as one star remains bright in the sky… The darkness will never truly engulf me.”

Suddenly, St. Atticus throws themselves towards me, towards their microphone. That’s when I see it: one last SnagStone in the base of their staff! My heart races, already picturing the chaos that even one more SnaggeMon would enable them to inflict! I kick the staff backwards, and it shrieks with static as it bashes against the back door. Owwww…!

St. Atticus collapses on the ground, their black gloved hands balled into fists at my feet. Their breath is running fast, and I can hear the power of their lungs from here, even in just the wispy sounds of their breathing… They reach out to touch my leg and raise their head to look up at me. I get a full view at my reflection in the lenses of their massive, blacked-out sunglasses. Some say that if you ever look St. Atticus in the eye, you’ll fall under their spell like the rest of Team Glameur… I think they started their rumor themselves, all part of their mystique.

But even more haunting is their smile. It’s so gorgeous, yet so haunting. How can they be so happy and full of life when their grand plan crumbles at their feet yet again?

“Tut-tut…” they laugh. “That wasn’t fair, Champion. The star belongs on their stage.”

“Is that really all you have to say?” I scoff. “You’ll be locked away for this disaster! People could be dead down there! You better have a damn good final line to exit on…”

“You… will outshine us all…!” St. Atticus promises me, reaching into their sleeve. What are they reaching for…? …Oh, shit! They’ve got a detonator! I have to grab it before they--

BOOOOM!

I’m thrown to the side as the starboard wing bursts into flames. I land painfully against the wall, right next to the open hatch, and see the fire spreading across the airship. And in front of me… St. Atticus glides through the air, laughing like a maniac as they soar towards the hatch! With one arm wrapped around the nearest solid fixture I can reach on the wall, I reach out and catch them by the collar before they’re thrown from the blimp and into the sky!

The world turns upside down… The blast is sending us careening away from Lidellia City, towards the harbor! And St. Atticus is still cackling as we hurtle towards the ground! We’re on a collision course…! If I can just reach Kinerret’s SnagRing…! But what I can’t…?! What if this is how I go down, crashing into a flaming tomb with perhaps the most dangerous person in the world?! Is this really how it ends…?! Don’t I even get a chance to say goodbye…?

…

I’m sorry… If you were here, this would never have happened… Goodbye… Bram…

---------------------------------------------

'SnaggeMon! - Giving Up My Champion Rank To Date The Bad Guys!'

DRAXOLISK! The Nurture Snaggemon!

Draxolisk (pictured right) are known worldwide as one of the largest domestic SnaggeMon, and the most versatile. While many are known to be powerhouses and guardians that can singlehandedly defend entire communities from attack, every Draxolisk is equipped as a carer and protector. Draxolisk is unique in that it is reliably able to raise, love and care for any infant SnaggeMon of any species, and even human babies. This makes them a common feature of hospitals, daycares, and nursing communities. Historically, Draxolisks have also served as the personal guards of royalty due to their high capacity for strength and protective natures. They are highly keen and attuned to the emotions of others, and are naturally sensitive and expressive. In particular, while they can be boundlessly joyful and loving, they can also be especially prone to sadness, shame and embarrassment, especially in the weeks and months immediately following their evolution from…

Draxolotl, the Natural Beauty Snaggemon!

Draxolotl (pictured left) are highly beloved the world over for their stunning beauty and grace, and are especially common within the exhibition and pageant circuits; additionally, the chain's primary stage, Draxolitl, is a highly commoditised species, with each female individual's value being set by its weight, features, coloration and markings. While Draxolisk's wings are fully functional and capable of flight, Draxolotl's wings are entirely vestigial, and they support their bodies on their tails to produce the 'floating' effect. While significantly less adept in actual battle, Draxolotl's visual beauty, poise and movement place it in high demand among competitive trainers and contestants. However, the stark transformation from Draxolotl to Draxolisk, along with the emotional burden most Draxolisks will inevitably experience following its evolution, often puts Draxolisks at odds with their trainers. Draxolisks are among the most common SnaggeMon to be abandoned, rehomed or run away due to abusive or neglectful environments.

PHIKARI, the Showstopper SnaggeMon!

Historically, Phikari have been highly territorial SnaggeMon that put on great and bold intimidation displays to scare off humans and other SnaggeMon. However, over time they adapted their intimidation displays into spectacles that endeared themselves to humans in exchange for food, shelter, and eventually praise and love and placed them as the prized companions of powerful humans in early civilization. Legends say that Phikari are harbingers of good luck and prosperity. In battle, Phikari can be ruthless fighters that use their dazzling plumage and rhythmic dances to distract their opponents from sudden, swift and potent attacks. Phikari is the evolved form of the much less impressive…

PHIBLI, the Debut SnaggeMon!

All kinds of new scenes and events, never before seen in the visual novel build! With such new moments as…

A prologue showing the day Bram left the Champion!

Flashbacks to the first time the Champion and Bram fought Darius!

The Champion arriving home (and hiding from Bram?)!

CECIL!

Want to catch up on all the great new stuff in the 'SnaggeMon' story, including the Champion reuniting with Bram, adding an all-new SnaggeMon to their team, and the long-anticipated arrival of Team Glameur Grunt King?!

Catch up with the FIRST SIX CHAPTERS FOR FREE HERE!

And join the OFFICIAL DISCORD SERVER for new chapters as they come, fan works and discussion, and random sneak peeks and lore drops whenever Reece feels like it!

Hey, all! Long time, no see!

To everyone who's been patient for new 'SnaggeMon' content, I thank you for your patience. To everyone who's joined us recently, I welcome you! Obviously the last two years since we released the first demo have been slow and quiet, and I want everyone to know we've been working very hard to keep things going and earn the time we have to spend making the 'SnaggeMon' game better and adding new content. But the time we have to spend doing so is pretty hard to come by as we work through several major commitments and responsibilities that dominate our time and our lives, on top of our day-to-day work and studies.

But, I have better news about the light novel version!

As I mentioned in my last Itch.io update in February, I have a strong background in fiction writing, including in prose. And to that end, in order to keep the wheels turning I've been writing an updated, more in-depth and linear version of 'SnaggeMon' as a light novel. It's still had some downtime during the busier work periods, of course, but it's easier to write than the game is to make. And I've been keeping the members of the Official 'SnaggeMon' Discord Server up to date and well-fed with snippets, sneak peeks, and even a poll now and then! (Seriously, if you haven't joined the server yet then by all means do so!)

And I have news: in that Discord server, I've now released a new, updated PDF of the 'SnaggeMon' light novel first draft — including the arrival and appearance of the one, the only, KING! 👑

You read that right! For the first time in almost two years, there is now brand spanking new 'SnaggeMon' content available to the public! It's not in the game and probably won't be for some time, which I understand may disappoint some people. But in the meantime, I hope this gives you some new joy to share with each other and keep the fires burning.

And, just because I like you… Here is a link to the PDF, free and publicly viewable and downloadable!

Thank you for your continued patience, and I hope you enjoy the new content. I'll be updating things in the Discord server and dropping snippets, sneak peeks and further updates there more regularly than here for now. But I wanted to let you all know what was going on and give you a chance to share in the joy!