#treesekai

Ren and Martyn sprites!

actual game plot

Bdubs is engaged to the Red King™, a well-meaning but somewhat insecure and lonely king. Bdubs meets the love of his life at his and Ren's engagement party, and the rest of the game is about trying to find a path to happiness with his true love. this involves either removing the King in a good end or, in a bad end, failing to remove the King or going too far in some other direction

no matter what route one picks, good or bad, Ren’s arc is one of falling into intense paranoia. he starts off nervous and a little pushy with Bdubs, chasing him to spend time with him, and slowly loses his mind and becomes violent and vindictive. Ren is so scared of being alone he ends up driving everyone away, eventually bringing about his own destruction. this au DID start off loosely as a 3L/s9 au, so you can think of RenTheKing for him

the game is intended to be a bit cheaply made, with a few stock talk sprites and backgrounds. any action scene happens on a black screen, minus probably a fancy ending card for each route

of note: when a player picks a love interest at the party, the other characters mostly dont show up again (it is esp difficult to encounter Cleo and Impulse, who do not live at the castle, again). there are opportunities to meet a different love interest later, but switching later increases the chance of a bad end, esp if you switch real late in the game

Scar routes

Silver-tongued and shady, Scar Goodtimes, advisor to the King. Scar is a fan-favorite, charming and funny. He dresses more colorfully than even the royal options, and if one plays his route, they’ll find him strongly implied to have some kind of magical ability that is never fully elaborated on.

Though he seems incompetent at first glance, all wide smiles and clumsy movements, it’s a cover for the fact he’s been blatantly skimming off the top of the King’s coffers for years.

general route: Scar’s been stealing shit from the king for years, and now hes scheming to cut loose with his riches. its really just whether he takes his existent partner, Grian, or if he takes Bdubs. the plot is mostly gaining Scar’s trust/affection while dealing w both Ren and Grian as LN villains. im picturing Grian specifically as the most stereotypical romantasy/otome/isekai villain imaginable. im assassinating his character for fun and profit. that man IS kidnapping Bdubs and throwing him to an assassin to be rescued, as is romantic rival standard

good end: Scar assassinates Ren point-blank and skips town w Bdubs. man’s been planning this a while, got a house and an escape in some other country ready to go. good crimes with scar

bad end: this bitch goes to jail for so much fraud. was meant to be executed but talked his way out of it. heavily implied hes going to escape, just without Bdubs.

(i think it would be supremely funny if this is the one and only time the wizard thing comes up, but it makes sense to also be the way he kills Ren. either way its a weird and somewhat jarring deus ex machina)

of note: in all routes EXCEPT his own bad end, Scar will leave either towards or at the end of the game w his stolen money + Grian (here’s how scarian can still win). this exasperates the problems in any other LI’s bad end and will push that closer to happening

Impulse routes

Kind and cunning, Prince Impulse of Middle Centuria. The youngest of three sons, Impulse may not have a lot of power, but he wins over Bdubs’ heart during a stolen moment on the balcony at his engagement party.  

Impulse and Bdubs are love at first sight. Though they don’t expect to meet, they quickly realize themselves to be soulmates destined to find each other and be together against all odds. Their story is pretty sappy, honestly, especially if one sticks exclusively to the good end, but takes the darkest turn out of them all if not.  

In his bad end, their affair turns from fated to star-crossed, and Bdubs is forced to kill him. Impulse not only kills the Red King, but attempts to use his newfound power to dethrone his own country’s King, a move that would destabilize all three of their kingdoms in the name of true love.  

general route: at the party in which Bdubs is meant to be engaged, he steps out of the party to the balcony where he locks eyes with a man he knows immediately to be his soulmate. alas, Impulse is the youngest prince of a small kingdom, and thus has very little reason to be around or power to offer Bdubs.

it's double life dynamic alright. theyre real sweet but theyre also definitely like, some of the fastest to bring up the idea of killing Ren. home wreckers. Impulse is very much about making sure they get away with it without getting caught

good end: very sugar sweet. Impulse sticks around in Dogwarts for ??? reasons. clandestine meetings in the night to take walks in the garden. love letters when he goes home. lots of hammering home that soulmate nonsense. two hearts beating as one. also a bit of political unease w the whole, how to handle killing Ren. i know these two the least well, so i have the least understanding on how to execute this one

bad end: he kills Ren, same as, but something goes wrong somewhere and he decides he needs to assume control of Middle Centuria as well, which would start a war neither MC or Dogwarts would be able to handle (thanks Scar for stealing half the godamn treasury). romeo and juliet nonsense, murder suicide </3

of note: theres probs clock symbolism, pocket watch as a gift. smth smth “counting seconds until i see you again” or smth equally corny.

why does this route remind me of heathers.

Cleo routes

Bold and brilliant, Queen Cleo of the Crastle. The rumors which swirl around her speak of a woman so cold that she can turn men to stone. “But is there secretly a softer side…?” is a phrase Martyn remembers seeing several times in AtPM’s promotional material.  

Following her route reveals that she and Bdubs are longtime friends, and had years ago been engaged as kids. Martyn doesn’t actually remember what the reason for the engagement breaking off was, but if a player decides to find her tonight, their childhood romance is rekindled.  

In her bad end, a war brews between her kingdom and Dogwarts, and no matter the path the player takes, the Red King’s head rolls. Her route has always been Martyn’s least favorite, and in this it’s probably the one he’d most like to avoid.  

general route: childhood friend of Bdubs, invited to the engagement party bc the Crastle, a neighboring country, and Dogwarts are ill at ease and its a gesture of goodwill. she’ll be around a lot if you pursue her route bc theyre trying to figure out what to do w peace relations or w/e.

she and Bdubs used to be engaged a long time ago (i guess Bdubs country + Ren’s country + Cleo’s country all share borders) but had a falling out and broke it off. working thru whatever that falling out was would probs be the key to this romance. some of that fucking godawful tsundere nonsense goes on here probably

good end: assassinate Ren. blame him for all the political issues between Dogwarts and Crastle publicly and marry Cleo to restore peace and balance to the kingdoms. this is such a stupid game

bad end: bro starts a war! chop the King’s head off in the public forum. probs cant exactly spirit Bdubs away, might end up forcing him to rule dogwarts alone as the country goes to war against Cleo’s

of note: i know her route the least well bc Martyn plays it the least, claiming its his least favorite. this one probs has some of the fastest character regression for Ren

Etho routes

Mysterious and mischievous, Sir Etho of Slab, Captain of the King’s Guard. He’s renowned across the kingdom for his prodigal rise amongst the ranks of the Red Army.  

In truth, Sir Etho is far less noble, having taken the promotion solely for the higher paycheck. His true passion lies with invention and tinkering, though he rarely has time to explore it and even rarer feels the need to share it. In the good end, the two would run away together or something—Martyn doesn’t entirely remember the details, he hasn’t played it in a while.  

What’s important is that if the player pursues Etho and doesn’t properly dispose of Ren before the end of the game, Etho takes the fall for their affair and is executed for treason.  

general route: some fucking corny nonsense abt seeing behind the mask <3 getting to know Etho not as prodigious captain of the knights but seeing his true passions in inventing and tinkering. and also being a little shit. Etho is so annoying i love him. his doesnt rlly have the political turmoil of the other routes, making it simpler in story, probs a common first route.

good end: i remember talking about a scene in which Bdubs sneaks away to Etho's workshop and some shirtless (but mask on) fanservice. Etho and Bdubs assassinate the king in some looney toons ass bullshit. run away together to another country, start a new life, leave dogwarts entirely without leadership (oops!)

bad end: Etho is caught fraternizing with the King’s fiancé and, considering their statuses, is assumed to be colluding to assassinate the king for power (which, i mean,). executed for treason </3

It doesn’t bother him. Really, it doesn’t. Not when he’s got more pressing matters, like the wedding. Or their dealings with their neighboring kingdoms. Or the knight. 

…Especially the knight. 

Really, Ren can’t be faulted for taking a walk to clear his head. Breaks and days of rest are healthy for the mind, too. And it looks good on the King to pay attention to the affairs of his castle. There are a lot of perfectly valid reasons for Ren to stop by the royal guard’s training grounds for a while. And honestly, it can’t hurt to step out into the yard and chat with a few of his knights—learn some names, get a better look at some faces, see if he recognizes any voices. 

After nearly two dozen awkward, stilted conversations with hesitant, unfamiliar knights, Ren leaves. 

Even though he’s aware no one realizes he was looking for someone, he’s embarrassed. He feels… stood up, almost, though he might be projecting. The wound of the engagement party is still fresh in his mind, after all—waiting for nearly an hour in the hall for his fiancé, only to find the man already inside, surrounded in happy, touchy guests. 

Ren still stings. 

Dwelling on the memory is probably why Ren isn’t looking where he’s going, which is why he walks right into someone. The man stumbles back, off balance, and Ren doesn’t think twice about grabbing his waist to catch him. 

“Uh,” the man says. He’s blond, with a black headband tied around his forehead. His hair is damp, as is the front of his shirt, and he smells like he’s been exercising. Ren doesn’t think he saw the man outside, though his features seem somehow familiar. Ren stares a moment, trying to figure out where he’s seen the man, only to watch as his face grows steadily redder and redder. 

“Your majesty?” the man almost squeaks, and Ren remembers himself. He drops the man’s waist, letting him fall entirely to the floor. 

“Sorry! I thought you’d caught yourself!” Ren says, holding his hand out to help the man to his feet. 

Only when the man’s fingers are held in Ren’s own does Ren recognize him. How could he not, after all, recognize the same hand seared so clearly into his memory?

“You’re the knight from the engagement party,” Ren gasps, and the man Ren has spent the last few nights lying awake thinking about blanches. 

“I, uh,” he fumbles, “There were a lot of knights at the engagement party.”

“But only one who spoke to me in the hall,” Ren says, pulling the man to his feet, “Only one who told me he’d give me a hand.” Ren clasps the man’s hand in both of his own, staring into his eyes, “Only one whose name I’d like to know.”

The knight stares at him, seemingly unaware of his mouth hanging open. Ren would feel guilty, but if he didn’t want to be left in shock, then maybe he shouldn’t have done it to Ren first. 

“Martyn!” calls another voice. The man’s head snaps over, and Ren knows his name—Martyn, the knight from the engagement party; Martyn, the stranger bold enough to call out the king’s foolish optimism to his face; Martyn, the only man in the world who wants Ren to be happy. 

“There you are! When you ran off like that—” another man runs through, skidding down the hall, “Your majesty?!”

This knight, Ren does know—his name is Skizzleman, though most people call him Skizz. Martyn drops Ren’s hand as Skizz stops beside them, looking anywhere but Ren’s face. 

“Hello, Sir Skizzleman,” Ren greets.

“Hello, your majesty!” Skizz bows in greeting. When Martyn doesn’t copy the motion, Skizz not-so-subtly elbows him in the side. 

“Sorry, your majesty, don’t mind him,” Skizz explains. He stands up, then smacks Martyn’s head down into a bow, “He has a head injury.”

“A head injury? How did you sustain that?” Ren asks, concerned. 

“I… don’t remember?”

“It was a very bad injury,” Skizz adds, with a sage nod. He releases Martyn, who rubs at the back of his head as he straightens up again. 

“Are you alright now?” Ren asks.