#keyframes asks

you're in luck, lmao. i'm usually the one who answers asks like these and we haven't done this in a while, so sure:

percy: he refuses to buy a subscription to the local paper, but will go out of his way to "spoil" the sudoku puzzle for elio in the mornings. (they compete to see who gets the solutions first, lol. sometimes, it's jamie instead of either of them.)

elio: his headphones are covered in stickers, both old and new. some of them are clearly from as recent as freshman year while others look like they've been on there for at least a decade.

jamie: the kind of person who successfully games "free trials" on everything. he always remembers to cancel the subscription before it gets charged to his cards. never catch a porter slipping.

deja: during every finals season, she revisits her plans to run away to an unspecified european countryside to deliver baguettes. this is all kept on a whiteboard she wheels out from her closet.

cameron: they think lobsters are cute and get a little emotional when they see them at seafood restaurants.

The two of you were about to start marathoning the Step Up franchise, when Elio gets a FaceTime call from his younger brother.

Although, when he answers the phone (“Sorry, about this, lemme just make sure it’s not an emergency.” You wave him off with a smile. “It’s all good, Elio.”), Elio’s surprised to see the youngest of the Kealoha instead, lying on her stomach in what he recognizes to be their home’s backyard. Her expression is a little restrained but he can see how giddy she is by the way her legs kick behind her.

“Pass the phone.”

“Uh,” Elio raises a brow at Cass as she shuffles something on her hands. Was that a crab? He can’t tell. The connection’s always a little spotty from here to Hawai’i. “To who?”

“You know who! Come on, I don’t have much time!”

And that’s when you pop into the view of the camera, your curious face peeking from over his shoulder with a curl of your lips.

“You talking about me?”

Cass screams, squeaky and excited, and you beam in turn, your fingers fluttering as you greet her and the twins— who both appear shortly after with a “Cass you can’t keep stealing shit from me” and a “Dude, language. Also why the hell are you shouting”.

Their lecture tapers off quickly as they lock eyes with the camera, however, and suddenly they’re dashing forward and cramming into the screen with a happy cry of your name.

All three of them are shouting over each other now, clipped and a little fuzzy but exuberant all the same. They’re asking you how your day has been. If you’re hanging with their older brother. If you’re hanging alone with their older brother. And— EVERYBODY SHUT UP I NEED TO SHOW YOU SQUIRE PINCHY!

It’s absolute chaos, but you’re laughing, beyond delighted.

“Okay, calm down, guys. One at a time.” You manage in between giggles, and Elio’s phone passes from his hand to yours as you resolve to answer each question with such honesty, such charm, and such wit. Already used to the shenanigans his little siblings had to offer.

Elio’s not sure when exactly it happened, but you’ve gotten really close with them. So close in fact that his sibling are now used to seeing you on his phone.

Part of him wants to interject. Hello? Remember me, your own brother? Where’s my 21 questions!

But a much much bigger part of him is melting instead.

Because they really do love you, don’t they?

Of course they do. How could they not? His family knows a good person when they see one and you’re as good as they get.

If only you could meet them. All of them. Without the shitty internet. Without a phone screen in the way. Elio just knows they’d love you even more.

It just has to happen. Somehow.

Like… how hard could it be, really?

A round trip for two could be a little expensive. But if he stayed overtime at his internship, maybe grab a part time job over at Extra Fries (Camilla likes him now, she’d be willing to hire another). Then surely he could get a plane ticket for two by the time the holidays hit, right? He knows his family would be happy to accommodate if you both drop by. Hell he can hear Cass begging for you to visit already so she can stop nabbing people’s phones just to talk to you (“Why’s it always my phone anyway? Why not steal Lyra’s?” “You stay away from my stuff.”).

Yeah…. He could do it. He could make it work. No, no. He will make it work.

Elio tucks the unspoken promise in his heart, right between where his affection for his family and you exists, as his siblings bicker for your attention again.

Someday, soon if he could help it, he’ll have his loved ones meet.

Though for now…

not inevitable! you could break up with any of the boys because you fuck up with them enough orrr you, as a player, may choose to break up with them. i was deciding how much i'm open to sharing about this (and i've been mostly cackling as i read everyone's speculation on who the break-up route is), but i think the clarification i'm willing to players is this: the break-up route is the break-up route because it's the best possible option for that character's development.

not because we make you!

The students that talk to the bookstore owner say how Jamie isn't chatty and how the story the bookstore owner tells of Jamie haggling them for an hour makes no sense

While I get that Jamie don't be talking to no students,,, has nobody seen him brawling with Elio 😭 I played Rainy Day before FS this playthrough and has nobody else ever looked out their window 😭 ???? Im just giggling about this I luv Jamie

There’s like a magical fog around Jamie where his fans only perceive what they want to see.

Bingo! If you buy the first summer release, you’ll get the rest for free once we make it. Steam and itch both work that way.

I know that AT LEAST ONE of our followers has that link where we shared what everyone’s sexuality and orientation is saved. I just know it. Whoever drops it in the comments, we owe you a “Thankies”

But no yeah, it’s not impossible for our LIs to have a “fixed sexuality” because a key thing we want to explore in this game is self-discovery! And that includes finding out that you’re not straight/or that this label doesn’t work for you.

As for how they go about accepting it— guess you’ll have to wait till we make more of the game to find out! 🤗

That said, real talk— I gotta hand it to you anon. I really appreciate you understanding that there’s a narrative to pursue there, when it comes to the LIs potentially learning something about themselves that they may not have already know.

Sometimes we share or tease these things and then we get strongly-worded messages essentially saying that they’re not interested in playing through that, it’s unnecessary drama/angst to write about, or why make that narrative choice when we (apparently) should’ve done it in this other way.

And I get it, yknow. People want to play a specific kind of game. Y’all wanna see the content that you wanna see. But what some people are kinda forgetting to realize as well is that: we want to make a specific kind of game too! And it involves these choices, and those plot points!

Can’t say it’s exhausting reading through those kinds of asks. Because it really isn’t— being a creative means you gotta develop a thick skin when it comes to your medium/expression yeah?

But it sure is refreshing seeing an open minded way of asking us questions about the narrative, even if we’re not quite answering it because it’s centered around some hella spoilers.