So I'm kinda confused by the route of MC being blackmailed for merely depending on their friend emotionally when at a hard point in their life. The other routes, I understand because they all involve a degree of crime. But this one? Not so much. At least, in its current form.
Like, did MC tell him some big secret that they feel the need to comply instead of telling him to buzz off when he claims they owe him for *checks notes* taking on his offer of support? Did they get threatened, stalked, their house broken into, etc. or something physical that they are going along with whatever the friend asks? (I'm actually drawing a blank on his name right now, I'm so sorry)
There isn't even a mention of MC agreeing with him that they owe him so the idea of MC just not telling him off or even going to the police to file a complaint comes across as stupid.
Hey :) Thank you for asking me something :)
To answer your questions and explain my thoughts:
First, Noel is an asshole. His behavior is supposed to feel weird, unnatural, and erratic, it doesn’t have to make sense. There’s a lot of deeper lore behind his actions, which will play an important role in the next 3–4 chapters. The MC will/can also start wondering about it in Part 2 of the lawyer prologue, which I’m almost finished with, which will hopefully be released soon.
And the whole “Hey, you owe me because of that or that....,” after years is weak from the beginning and it’s supposed to be like that (more on that in later chapters).
But to explain, what I can say without spoilers, Noel is basically saying, "I helped you" (it's not important who offered and who accapted), and because of that, the MC owes him now. He wants something in return for the time he invested in helping them get better. It’s meant to be more about emotional manipulation, he did offer to help, but now he’s twisting it, like, "Okay, I did my part, now pay me for it or you owe me now."
The MC knows there’s some truth to that, depending on how you look at it, Noel did help them, and technically, if you follow his reasoning, he could want something in return. But at the same time, the MC sees that it’s a weak excuse, ultimately pretty stupid, and that there’s no real substance to it.
The MC goes along with it because they’re sick of their current life. On the surface, they have everything they ever wanted, their dream job, good money, great coworkers, and essentially most of their dream life. But despite all that, they feel empty, like life is being drained from them more often than not.
They’ve tried everything to reignite that spark, going out with others, taking vacations, etc. but nothing worked. Quitting isn’t an option either; they’ve worked too hard for this life, and they doubt leaving would solve their dilemma. And when they are at work, things are fine sometimes, but other times, not so much. And once they’re back home, the same emptiness and frustration creep in again. (Pretty much how I feel about my life, which is why I’m writing this book to fill the longing and emptiness by doing something I’ve always wanted to do and I bet/know that a lot of people out there feel the same.)
When Noel appears, the MC suddenly feels a spark of excitement, an adrenaline rush that catches them off guard. It confuses them, but it also feels real, more real than anything they’ve felt in a long time. After all, this situation is completely out of the ordinary: their shady ex-best friend reappears after years, acts like an asshole, demands something from them, and on top of that, they suspect it’s tied to a crime. Noel is a criminal, while the MC is a lawyer/police officer or as a doctor at least a law abiding citizen.
Depending on the choices they make, they might be fully aware that it’s stupid, or even afraid of it and aware that it’s stupid, or they might be extremely excited despite knowing it’s stupid, etc.. But regardless of how they feel, they still go along with it. And agreeing to do Noel’s bidding isn’t a carefully thought-out decision it’s more of an impulsive or a spontaneous reaction.
It’s like those moments in life where you know something is a bad idea. You recognize it’s stupid, maybe even dangerous, but it excites you, intrigues you. And before you can stop yourself, you’re in. That’s exactly how it is for the MC.
Over the course of the lawyer prologue and the other prologues, the MC starts daydreaming about the tasks, becoming a little delusional about them. You can be excited/intrigued about something while also feeling afraid or stressed, and that’s exactly what happens to them. Despite the fear and uncertainty (on some paths) this whole situation does something for them, it makes them feel something again, later the MC also says that they feel alive again, that their eyes are sparkling again (depending on your choices). For the first time in a long while, they feel alive.
Just thinking about Noel and the tasks makes them feel emotions they thought they’d lost. That’s why they don’t go to the police or try to stop it. They’re intrigued, hooked, even if they know it’s reckless and they don't like/trust him.
Fun fact, I’m currently rewriting this whole part/this storyline anyways, to a degree.
Then later you can decide how the MC handles it, whether they continue to live in their delusions/daydreams, excited to do more and convincing themselves it wasn’t/isn't so bad, or have a mental breakdown because of the consequences, realizing they fucked up by going along with it even though they knew from the start it was stupid. (That happens to me a lot actually, knowing something’s stupid, but still doing it, downplaying it, and then it turns into a disaster like I predicted in the beginning. But I still went along with it because it did something for me like excitement, idk.)
Those realizations can come at different points in the chapter after big or traumatic things happen, depending on how long the MC stays “delusional.” But as I said, I am currently rewriting that.
I wanted to tell the story of someone who lets their emotions, thoughts, and daydreams influence their decisions, someone who downplays things so much that they go through with something even if they know it’s stupid. And now, they have to live with the consequences.
I wanted to explore this because, honestly, that’s the story of my life. Whether it’s because of my ADHD and/or autistic tendencies (I don't want to use that to explain things all the time but it's the truth) or just the way I am, I don’t know. But it happens to me all the time, in all kinds of situations.
(Like, I know I have little money left for the month, but I still buy an expensive jacket. I know it’s stupid, I know it might stress me out, and I’ll be angry at myself later. I know it's going to happen, but in the moment, I downplay the consequences or tell myself I will manage somehow. And then I don't.)
(Or my friends ask me to go out and party last minute, even though I have work early the next day. I know I’ll be exhausted. I know I’ll regret it. But I still go. And every time, I have the shittiest day afterwards. And every time, I tell myself, next time will be different, be it the day after, or my decision.)
That’s what I was trying to capture in my story, this cycle of impulsivity, regret, and having to live with the choices you made. I actually thought I did okay with getting that across (the rewrite is better, I hope), but maybe I didn’t. Maybe it’s my writing, or maybe it’s just that others don’t think the way I do, so they don’t naturally understand the character’s development. For me, it makes perfect sense (I know I am the author but yeah), but I realize now that I might need to adjust a few things to make it clearer for readers for whom it doesn't.
Anyways thanks a lot for your ask, it really helped me understand how people outside of me and my friends might interpret it. Hopefully, I can make it better that way. ;) And hopefully I was able to give you more insights/a better understanding of the story.