itch.io

Well, damn, that sucks T_T 

I will never cease to be amazed at the randomness of that sorta thing, cos I do a crazy amount of tests on both my own PC + the family potato laptop before I release anything, but it seems like no matter how much testing you do, stuff will always find a way to bug out for somebody's device, haha >.<

Just wish there was a way to stop it from happening! Cos it's frustrating to know that it works fine for most people, but randomly plays up for a few :( 

And there's basically no hope of ever figuring out how to fix stuff like that, cos I'd need error reports from people's individual computers to even begin to investigate the cause T_T

Still, thanks again for checking out the game!

Yeah, there are a handful of choices in there :3 Not loads, since it's a microgame made for O2A2 jam, but I made a walkthrough/endings guide if that's any help :D

https://melancholy-marionette.itch.io/the-hostage/devlog/567737/walkthrough-guide

[Slight Spoiler Below]

If you didn't encounter a single choice, though, it sounds like maybe you didn’t make it past the first fake title screen... if so, you wouldn't be the only one >.< Some players have not realised it's fake, and so force closed the game thinking it was over before attempting to click any of the UI.

You have to click certain parts of the UI to proceed to the next segment of the game :3

I could be wrong cos it's been quite some time since I made this, but as far as I can remember, there are no choices in the first segment.

There is also the possibility that it bugged out somehow, because games can be silly like that x3 haha.

Anyways, hopefully the guide I linked is of some help ^-^

Thanks so much for checking out the lil game! <3

Edit:

Also, the Director's Cut version contains 1 more ending than the jam version!

The jam version is mainly there for posterity. While the Director's Cut is the version I intend for anyone to download :3

<3 ^-^

<3 Thanks so much for checking it out and taking the time to link your video :3

And sorry about it hitting close to home >.< It sucks so much that there are so many people out there suffering who have no help or support :( 

If I had the power, I wish I could just give a great big hug to every single person out there contemplating suicide and stay with them until they feel like they can face the world again.

And like, even if you can get diagnosed, doesn't mean there is any kinda help afterwards, which is what happened in my case, haha. Got the diagnosis, then just kicked back out into the world x3

It's literally only this year that I finally found some support that works :3 A group called NDSA, run by autistic people, for autistic people!

Thanks to their help, I feel like I could manage to write Snowe as a more supportive character if I were to make this game now, but it's too late x3

Anyways, I just hope that whatever has happened in life for you, that you're in a better place now, and that you will have a happier future ^-^

If you're celebrating Christmas, I hope you have a peaceful one, and even if not, I just hope that you have a positive end to the year with things going on that make you smile :3

Thanks again for playing!

Hey hey! Unfortunately, there still isn’t much to see here x3

I’m gonna go ahead and reply to you on Discord cos I feel like that will be easier than saying what I was gonna say here :3

I’m chuffed to hear you had fun with it, especially with it just being a demo right now ^-^

Sadly, development is currently on hold while I try to finish a different project of mine that’s much closer to completion than this one is. But I haven’t made much progress on anything this year, as I kinda got stuck in autistic burnout for most of the year, which prevented me from doing much of anything :( 

I will finish this eventually, though, as I never like to give up on things that I’ve started. I’m very stubborn like that, haha.

Thanks so much for checking it out + for your kind words :3

That’s so awesome to hear ^-^ I’m so glad that you had fun with it!! I also love to do that sorta thing when I encounter games that allow it, haha.

I can’t lie, I find a lot of fun in messing with expectations and just generally hiding little things here and there in my games x3

This one, I kinda wasn’t sure if it would work out due to the limitations of the jam, but it’s such a fun jam to take part in BECAUSE the limitations really force you to think outside the box, haha.

Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out and leave such a kind comment :3

Hey hey! So happy you had fun with it, and thanks for taking the time to comment too :3

Unfortunately, there won’t be updates any time soon for this particular project, as it’s currently on hold while I finish a different project of mine (this one here: https://melancholy-marionette.itch.io/lovestarved)

However, I haven’t managed to make much progress with any of my projects at all this year due to a number of personal problems hampering my progress >.< Namely, autistic burnout, which has taken nearly a year to recover from T_T

There will be updates eventually, though :3

There is a Discord server here, which you’re welcome to join: https://discord.com/invite/KQKc5wR689

But to be honest, I often find myself overwhelmed by Discord, so I don’t use it that much >.<

General updates are posted in the form of monthly(ish) newsletters over on Ko-Fi (they’re free to read) :3 https://ko-fi.com/melancholymarionette/posts

Thanks so much for your interest in the project ^-^

You’re awesome! :D 

And I’m not just saying that, haha. Thanks so much for taking the time to check out the game :3

Not gonna lie, I always get a tiny bit scared when I see on itch a notification for a comment, cos my brain is so pessimistic that it always prepares for it to be a troll, or just generally something negative, haha. So it’s always a pleasant surprise to click the button and read something nice ^-^

Glad to hear it :D To be fair, volume 02 is waaaay better than volume 01 anyways x3

Totally agree on the characters should’ve just kissed xD I remember getting that vibe from em when I first listened to the drama CD, haha.

Not gonna lie, I kinda love it when characters are so deep into their nemesis relationship that it could just as easily flip into enemies to lovers territory x3

It wouldn’t be the same without the awesome talent of the voice actors, so I’m glad you enjoyed their performances :3

I can only apologise that development for this is super slow, as it’s a side project, but also, had a lot of personal problems in recent years that have hampered progress across the board >.<

I don’t intend to abandon it or anything, though, so there will be more volumes eventually :3

Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out!!

That’s awesome to hear! Cheers for sharing such a cool video, and thanks so much for checking out the lil game in general :3

So glad that you had a good time with it ^-^ Thanks so much for checking it out!

I can only apologise for how insanely slow development is >.< Got a lot of personal problems hampering me, haha. So it’s currently on pause, but I will get there eventually :3

Hey! Thanks :3 And that’s awesome that you’re starting your own game dev journey :D 

For this project, I’ve used a mixture of asset packs (different artists for backgrounds and spites, etc.), but they’re almost all from Japanese artists!

If it’s the sprites that you’re looking for, I purchased them from DL Site many years ago, but I believe the artist who made the pack also has a store on BOOTH + their own site as well :3 I also changed the colours myself in GIMP because I don’t like to use them as stock sprites if I can help it.

This is it on DL Site: https://www.dlsite.com/home/work/=/product_id/RJ304450.html

And for backgrounds, I probably mixed a few different artists, but it is Minikle’s stuff that I use the most: https://www.dlsite.com/home/circle/profile/=/maker_id/RG08888.html

Just be a lil bit careful when browsing DL Site, cos there is a LOT of hentai porn stuff on there xD I don’t wanna be responsible for you seeing anything you don’t wanna see, haha. I think they have separated the site now so that there is an option to hide or display adult content, but yeah, just thought I'd better warn you about that x3

There are a lot of VN dev assets on DL Site anyhow :3 And artists frequently put their products on sale at discount prices on there as well, so if something is too expensive, you can always wishlist it and see if it goes on sale at some point :D 

I hope you have lots of fun with your game dev journey ^-^

<3 It’s awesome to see you again :3 I hope you’ve been well!!

And I hope you’re right about my games :3 It’s been a weird year with it featuring my longest ever period of burnout >.< Right now, I’m just kind of thankful that I’m seeing light at the end of the tunnel, and that I’m able to make music, even if I can’t do much of anything else, haha.

I’ve been desperately wanting to work on my game projects this entire time, but it’s like there’s a block in my brain that won’t give me the energy I need to do it >.< I guess that’s all part of stupid burnout though :( 

But I feel like music is helping to slowly heal me at the moment, so that’s something ^-^

Thank you ^-^ And YOU’RE amazing!! <3

Yeeeeah, hehe. I blame the 'tism for that tbh x3

Ahh, I never published it anywhere >.< It’s just been sat on my hard drive for heck knows how many years T_T Feels like such a waste to have it just sitting there! 

I’ve been wondering lately if it might be better to turn it into an audio drama (with choices, still) instead. I dunno if it would work in that format without looking back over the entire script, but it would sure be easier than coding the entire damn thing, haha. Or audio +  a bit of video, so that we can still see the characters represented visually somehow!

I keep thinking that about a lot of my unfinished projects, actually. That they may stand a chance of getting finished faster if I were to make them into a series of interactive videos rather than code them as games. Cos like, it’s the coding that’s the hardest (and most soul-destroying) part! I’d have more fun making them if I didn’t have to write code x3

And I know you’d lose some features that only really work in a game, but at the same time, it should also technically make the stories more accessible overall :3

Been pondering it ever since I ended up in burnout, because I definitely don’t wanna abandon any of my projects, but even when I’m fully clear of burnout, I worry that if/when I can muster the energy to code, it’ll send me back into burnout again because it’s such a chore >.<

Thank you for the well-wishes ^-^ I hope to get there someday :3 Just sucks that it’s at a snail’s pace, haha.

<3 <3 <3 You’re too kind, Espoir ^-^

And you make a good point! It’s frustrating because I do still have the desire to work on my game projects, it’s just, it’s like I don’t have the energy or brainpower for it still >.< I think it’s because the coding side of things is so much effort, and I’m still not back to my old level of functioning just yet… stupid burnout >.>

But yeah, music, on the other hand, doesn’t feel like it takes as many of my spoons, haha. It gives me spoons back, if anything xD So I’ve just tried to throw myself into it as much as I can in the hopes that it will help heal the rest of me :3

Hope all is going smoothly in your world + that you had a fabulous spoopy season!!

That's because I haven't been working on it x3 Sorry aboot that >.<

It sucks cos the full story has been finished in written form for years now xD Just not managed to get around to actually turning it into a game still :(

It haunts me every day, haha.

Why does coding stuff have to be such a long and gruelling process T_T

My current main project is Lovestarved. I released the demo of that for otome/josei jam back in summer 2024, then got hit with a really bad case of autistic burnout >.<

It was my plan/hope to manage to finish and release the full version of Lovestarved by the end of this year, but my burnout hung around for longer than ever before T_T As a result, I haven't managed to write a single line of code so far this year :(

My burnout is FINALLY beginning to bugger off, and I'm getting some energy back to get on my PC and work on stuff :3 (although, with significantly less free time than in the past, due to having a loooot of health-related appointments to attend on a regular basis this year >.<)

Right now, I'm only able to focus on music, as the monotony of coding is still too much for me to concentrate on.

So yeah, sadly, I'm not gonna manage to finish Lovestarved by the end of this year, as I estimate it'll take around 4-5 months of full-time work to complete it (story is 100% written, but lots of code still to do, voice acting lines to cut + edit, and a bunch of CGs to finish... then, ofc, the hell that is testing x3)

It's still my intention to get Lovestarved done before I pick up where I left off on other projects, but I haven't decided yet what I'll focus on once Lovestarved is done.

It would make sense to finish CiQ next since that's also fully written! Cos the other projects I've got on hold that are still unfinished are also largely unwritten >.< Still got heaps of writing left to finish for Darling Duality, for example.

Recently found out I also have ADHD, on top of my already diagnosed autism, so that helps to explain how I ended up with so many unfinished projects on the go xD

I know I'll get there in the end and manage to finish all of them cos I've managed to complete plenty of other projects in the past :3 It's just gonna take a long time, unfortunately >.<

Sometimes I do wish I were better able to restrain myself and keep some of my ideas as just notes or drafts rather than starting them and releasing demos, cos I worry it might be annoying for people if they happen to play and enjoy a demo, but then wind up waiting ages for more :(

The problem is, if an idea really grabs my attention, I just can’t resist focusing on it. Same goes for if I lose interest in an idea temporarily, I can’t force myself to work on something I don’t feel like working on because I wind up staring at a screen getting nothing done at all, so that kinda kills things in their tracks until I get the urge to work on them again >.<

It feels like a curse tbh, haha.

All I know, is that I will get there eventually and finish everything… provided I don’t die first x3

So glad to hear you had fun with it :3 Especially since this project seems to get a lot of negative ratings >.< even though it's a fan visual novelisation, people keep leaving mean reviews about the characters and story sucking... which isn't even my fault, cos I just localised it xD

Anyways, to answer your question/s (and I can only apologise that it's not a very clear answer >.<)

I certainly hope to release vol 03 someday, but, unfortunately, I couldn't say exactly when that might be >.<

This year in general has kinda been a disaster both with my physical and mental health. I'm just starting to come out of it now, but at the end of last year, I went into the most severe autistic burnout of my life so far, which lasted about 11 months :( 

My plan for 2025 was to finish and release the full version of Lovestarved, a project I started and released a demo for during otome/josei jam back in August 2024.

But so far this year, I haven't been able to write a single line of code T_T So I'm very behind my own schedule atm.

Because my Yandere Heaven fan game is a side project, it's pretty low priority, so I have no intention of doing any work on it at all until I've at least completed Lovestarved.

Once Lovestarved is finished, I haven't 100% decided yet what I'll focus on next.

So while I do intend to work on Yandere Heaven vol 03 at some point in the future, right now, I have no idea when that might end up being x3

I think vol 03 was actually my least favourite episode of the drama CDs as well, haha. Doesn't mean I'll skip it, cos that would feel wrong. 

I’m sorry that’s a super unhelpful answer >.<

If you’re eager to experience it, though, I’m pretty sure there are already some rough translations of volume 03 out there somewhere online, and you can usually also find the original Japanese tracks themselves somewhere too if you can’t find the CDs to purchase anymore :3

Glad to hear you think so! ^-^ Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out :3

Sorry it’s taken me a while to stop by and say anything >.< October is the one month of the year where I’m not at home or online much, cos I adore spooky season, and I always try to go to as many scare attractions as I can possibly fit in x3

But yeah, thanks so much for checking out the demo, and I’m so glad you had fun with it! It’s also pretty epic that you resonate with Castoria like that :3

I’d be lying if I said I was entirely unlike her myself xD We’re certainly not the same, but we do share some aspects, haha. 

I personally have RSD (rejection sensitive dysphoria), so even perceived rejection can be extremely painful for me, although I tend to internalise it rather than allow it to result in harm to others. I also have more than a few problems with obsession x3 Which can be great sometimes, and even nurtured by the right people, but with the wrong people, it can become pretty unhealthy >.<

Duality, in general, is something that I find infinitely fascinating, so I thought it would be fun to explore that with different characters :3

Unfortunately, development of this project has been paused for quite some time due to a whole bunch of different reasons, so it won’t be finished anytime soon >.< It’s gonna stay paused until I’ve at least finished the project I assigned as my main focus (Lovestarved). But everything has been on pause pretty much this year due to extreme autistic burnout :(

I’m slowly beginning to come out of burnout, but I’ve got to be really careful where I step so as not to slip straight back into it x3 I’m hoping that next year will be less of a disaster and more productive!

But I will endeavour to finish the project eventually, no matter how long it takes :3

Thanks again for giving it a chance + leaving such an awesome comment <3

<3

Sorry it's taken me so long to say this, but thank you so much for checking out the game and leaving such a sweet comment! ^-^

I'm so glad you had fun with it, and it means a heck of a lot that you enjoyed the OST too, since making music is one of my favourite parts of game dev :D

Thank you also for being so kind about my ramblings x3 I think I will be stuck hating my voice forever, haha, but I feel a little less bad about it knowing that you don't find it as awful to listen to as I do :3

Funnily enough, even though I recorded it years ago, that rambling is once again disturbingly relevant now because I've been through a really rough time lately with the medication Amitriptyline, which was prescribed to try and help me with my headaches, but it's also an antidepressant, and it really did a number on me >.<

The funny thing is, the Amitriptyline pills they gave me were the same colours as the Blythe twins x3

(the photo sucks cos my phone camera is bad, but the one on the left is a pale blue colour, haha)

But yeah, it's not been a good time lately, but I'm glad I was able to at least realise what they were doing to me, and I'm currently in the process of coming off of them :3 This week is my last week of taking the lowest dose daily, then I'm dropping down to taking it on alternating days, so, with any luck, I will be free from its evil grip before the end of the year!! x3

I better shut up cos I'm rambling again, haha.

Thanks so much again for taking the time to play through the game and come comment here too <3 I hope that your year is going well!! :3 Or that, at the very least, it's less of a disaster than my year so far x3

That means a heck of a lot <3 Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out and leave such a sweet comment ^-^

I always worry with these micro-projects that they're maybe just a lil toooo tiny to have much in the way of substance >.< But at the same time, I really enjoy the challenge of O2A2 jam and how it forces you to think differently (and super carefully) about what to include and what to cut :D

I think if my ADHD had its way all the time, micro-projects would be all I ever made, haha. There's something so satisfying about being able to complete a project from scratch in such a short period of time!

The game wouldn't be what it is without Vivian's epic voice acting, so I'm super glad you enjoyed that performance :3 I couldn't have asked for a more perfect person to work with in bringing Styx to life :D

Thank YOU for being so kind and playing through the project! <3

I gotta be honest, I don't know what that even means, haha. It's like you're speaking another language, but the classic Brit in me feels as though I should be responding with: "Your mum's boring!" And leaving it at that x3

So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for choosing to check it out ^-^

I think there is a way to get around it... but, unfortunately, my memory is a bit of a useless puddle of goop, so I can't remember how T_T

I'm so sorry >.<

I'm so sorry about that x3 It's one of those weird things where, as a dev, I forget that I know what leads where, and so I make the (often incorrect) assumption that players won't get that ending first, haha.

I need to think about stuff like that more when I'm making things x3

Really appreciate you checking out the game though! Thanks so much for playing it ^-^

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you >.< And thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a kind and thoughtful comment ^-^

I'm so glad you were enjoying it, and if you've managed to finish it by now, I hope you still enjoyed it right up to the end/s, haha.

It's awesome that you like the way it's set up, cos I know it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea x3 I'm just personally a massive fan of bad endings in games xD So I wanted to be able to add as many as possible while also giving them a purpose, cos as much as I love them, I do find it annoying when you end up reaching pointless ones in otome games x3

Super happy to hear you like the theme too <3 If it's the World of Glass theme song (the one with lyrics that has a lil video), then I do already have that one up on Spotify & YouTube :D I just forgot to post about it >.< haha.

You can find it here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3CY5BdMpPRcJSzwVBKyYVJ

And here on YouTube: (well, 2 here cos 1 is the original music video that I uploaded yeeeeears ago, and then one is the release on YouTube Music x3)

Original video: 

I'm glad you think so :3 I still need to rework the UI cos there are things about it that annoy me, and I know how to fix them now, haha.

Unfortunately, the project is still on pause atm cos I'm supposed to be finishing Lovestarved first x3 But I haven't really gotten anywhere with that this year cos burnout + other stuff has been kicking my butt like a motherfucker >.< But I'll get there someday! Thank you for the kind words and support <3

I can only apologise that it’s still just a demo after all this time x3 I’m so glad you liked it though! :3 And heck, that you even remember it after 2 years!! :D 

The project is currently on hold (and has been for quite a while now) while I attempt to finish a different project, which is far closer to completion + deal with the general onslaught of stress that is daily life, haha. 

I’ve been struggling with autistic burnout for the past 9 months or so, unable to do much of anything >.< But I think it’s slowly starting to come to an end, and I’m finally getting the help I’ve needed for a long, long time in terms of understanding how my autism + ADHD impact me, and how to try and manage/minimise stress from day-to-day life activities that generally seem to devour all my energy :3

This will be more than a demo someday, provided I don’t wind up dead before I have a chance to actually finish the damn thing x3

Thanks so much for the support ^-^

Ah, damn, that sucks >.<

I’d like to hope that it’s not a widespread problem, especially since it seems to work fine on the PC I made it on, but I have some idea at least of what might be causing it to lag because I have a family potato laptop that I do extra tests on, and most of the games I have made in Unity seem to lag a bit on the potato laptop T_T (or have loading times of like 3 whole minnutes o.O)

I don’t know what it is that makes that happen with Unity games, cos it doesn’t seem to happen with VNs made in Ren’Py (unless they contain lots of animations)!

But yeah, if you’re using an old or low-spec device, that could be partly why it’s laggy.

If it’s not old or low-spec, then it would be extra confusing because I have literally no idea why it would behave that way on a system that’s not old T_T

If anyone else does happen to have this problem, sees this reply, and has found a way to fix it or at least make it function better, I’d very much appreciate it if you could post here to let both of us know :3

I can only apologise that it isn’t running well for you anyhow >.< I’m not especially clued up on the tech side of things, sadly. I only taught myself how to use Naninovel and Unity so that I could make games, but I don’t actually like coding x3 I just see it as a boring necessary step in order to get games to work, haha.

Thanks for checking out the project anyhow! :3

I’m glad you had fun with the demo :D Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out!

The good news is that there will definitely be more at some point :3 

The bad news is that I can’t really say when >.< Cos the project is currently on hold while I finish another project of mine that’s shorter + closer to completion… but this year has been kind of a disaster so far, haha. I haven’t managed to make much progress on anything due to a series of unfortunate personal circumstances.

However, I’m finally getting the right sort of help, and I’m hanging in there, so there’s that at least :3

It’s probably going to take me a long, long time to actually finish this particular project, but I plan on making sure it’s completed eventually ^-^

So glad to hear it :D Thanks so much for checking it out and taking the time to leave a comment <3

I’m so glad you find it cute and creepy, cos that’s definitely the kinda vibe I was aiming for with this :D Thanks so much for checking it out!

I’d be lying if I said things were actually going okay cos it’s been quite the disaster of a year so far xD BUT, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel at least :3 After many years of searching, I’m finally getting some effective help with my depression and stuff, so for the first time in a long time, I actually have hope, haha.

Hope things are going great in your world + that you get to have a happy rest of the year ahead :3

I’m so glad you had fun with this one too, even if it is just a demo right now!! ^-^

And very wise words there indeed! And as someone who regularly burns out like a silly bugger, words that I need to heed more often, haha. 

The really silly thing is, though, that I had a bad habit of putting a lot of pressure on myself even if no one else was forcing it on me >.< It seems I’m a master at guilt-tripping myself for not being productive enough x3

BUUUUT, thankfully, after burning out repeatedly and never really knowing wtf to do in order to stop the boom and bust cycle that I seemed to be stuck in, I’m finally getting the right sort of help :3

And I now have the insight to realise the reason I felt the need to berate myself for failing to be as productive as other people was because I’ve been trying too hard all my life to live like a ‘normal’ person (relatively unsuccessfully x3), and measuring myself on a yardstick that wasn’t even meant for me since it turns out I’m autistic, haha.

Getting diagnosed was one thing, but then it’s like I was just kicked back out into the world with no real idea what that actually meant for me, or how to cope with life any better.

It’s taken over 2 years since being diagnosed autistic to actually come across appropriate help >.< Therapy just made me more depressed and frustrated, but now that I’ve got a place on a wellbeing and mentoring course (run by autistic people, for autistic people), I’m finally beginning to understand everything a lot better!

Honestly, the hardest thing has been learning to accept my limitations in terms of energy levels and productivity. I’m hoping now that I’m more aware of it all, though, I will be able to make more positive changes that allow me to continue working on projects at whatever pace I’m capable of at any given time, and, crucially, not beating myself up when things aren’t progressing as fast as I might wish they were :3

I always used to wonder how come I could go crazy during game jams and be super productive one month, then fall flat on my face the next month! Now I know why xD

When I look back on how I felt when I released the demo for this, I was on such a high that I thought I’d definitely have at least the code for the full game finished by the end of the year(ish). I didn’t anticipate what has now been a roughly 9-month burnout period >.< aheh.

But I guess the main thing is that I’m still hanging in there, I’m learning, and I’m not giving up :D 

Sorry for such a long tangent ramble there x3 Your kind words and your patience are much appreciated :3

While I may not have made much in the way of progress on the project personally, Lazy Polar Bear has been storming ahead with her epic art :D And almost all of the voice acting is 100% complete and ready to be cut + edited.

There’s just a slight snag in that I may have to recast Erys, as I haven’t heard from the person playing masc Erys in quite some time, and they’re the only VA who hasn’t finished recording >.< I might have to give one more poke, but after that, I guess I'd better start looking for someone else. With any luck, it won’t come to that, cos I really don’t wanna have to cut all of Erys’ demo lines all over again T_T

But yeah, I’m slowly starting to come out of my burnout pit, and getting excited to work on this all over again :3 I know it’s gonna be a while cos I’m a bit stuck for time lately with all my own appointments to attend + having to escort my brother to his >.< But I’m itching to get stuck in as soon as I get more time to myself again, that’s for sure! 

Thanks again for the support!! ^-^

Thanks so much for giving it a shot and taking the time to leave such a kind comment <3 

It was such a fun project to work on, and getting to team up with such awesome people during the jam was a dream :3 So it saddens me a little that it’s one of my projects that doesn’t really get many downloads.

Hehe, for me, the darker the ending, the better :P Well, depending on what happens, I guess, cos some dark endings can just be plain devastating xD

Thanks so much for the support ^-^

Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out + leaving such a sweet comment ^-^

Make sure to look after yourself first, though, even if you get a job :3

The project is on pause for now, so it will be a while before I can make any progress on it, but it will be finished eventually :D

Thank you :3 It's the burnout that's been kicking my butt the most this year >.<

But I'm currently on a wellbeing programme for autistic people that's actually run by autistic people, and it's been immensely helpful so far! I feel like it's exactly what I needed as soon as I was diagnosed with autism a couple of years ago because it's super informative and uplifting :3

It's like it's already helping me more than therapy ever has! It's just a loooong journey to go on with a lot still to learn, and the meetings + homework is taking up a lot of my time at the moment. I think it will eventually help me to manage things like my depression and burnout a bit better though, so that it hopefully won't be as big of a problem as it has been.

I certainly wouldn't completely rule out community casting as an option :3 And heck, I would be willing to bet that plenty of people have talent for voice acting, they just don't know it yet :D You definitely don't have to be a pro to be a brilliant voice actor. I've cast people in the past who were giving it a go for the first time, and they were amazing ^-^ 

Mic quality (and to an extent, also recording technique) does make a big difference, though, unfortunately >.< Someone could be an epic actor, but if their mic is bad, or they speak too loudly/quietly, etc. It would make it extremely difficult for me to edit the audio into a way that would be usable.

That being said, a person wouldn't need to have a particularly expensive mic or setup in order to record decent quality audio :3 Some of the people I've worked with in the past just had a Blue Yeti mic and covered themselves and their laptop in blankets to get by, and it was all good :D (besides the fact that they got pretty sweaty during recording xD)

And regardless of experience, or even if a person was happy to volunteer, I'd still have to pay them some form of compensation for their time cos, otherwise, it just wouldn't be fair on them x3

I've been trying my best to keep a log of auditions and people's contact info over time so that I can attempt to do closed casting by reaching out to folks who have sent over demos if their voice seems like the right fit for a character :3

So if you ever want to, feel free to send me over a demo (doesn't have to be professional quality or anything like that - just performing a few lines from a character you like is enough, or reading a little of a script from somewhere :D) to give me some idea of what your voice sounds like! You can email it to me if you would prefer to send privately: melancholicmarionette@gmail.com

As for my arm, it's all healed and usable again now :3 But funnily enough, I recently discovered a reason why I seem to keep breaking that same arm + similarly regarding other repetitive injuries I get on a semi-regular basis, like dislocations >.< Turns out I may have something called Hypermobility, which is apparently fairly common in people with autism x3

It's probably gonna be impossible to get it investigated properly or diagnosed, so it'll probably keep happening throughout the rest of my life >.< But it's nice to know that there's a probable cause behind it at least, haha. I used to just think I had like the body of an old lady or something xD

I hope that you're well, and that you're having a good year so far :3

Also, after seeing you decided to abuse the rating system to leave a negative 1* review for a game you haven't even played, I might as well point out that you have completely misunderstood what I even meant by saying it's gender-neutral.

I'm not forcing anyone to identify in any particular way, quite the opposite, in fact. It's gender-neutral so that players are free to decide for themselves who they want to be when they play. It was a quick way to make the project more inclusive on a super tight deadline.

You seem to have taken a great deal of offence over a complete misinterpretation for some reason.

I don't know what the heck has happened in your life for you to have found this to be such a sore subject, but no one's forcing anyone to be anything here. Heck, I'm a woman. Like I said in my original comment, I use she/her pronouns. I don't have some hidden agenda going on here where I'm forcing people to be gender-neutral when I'm not even gender-neutral myself, haha.

As far as I can remember, pronouns aren't even used at all in the game script. But heck, I couldn't swear on it cos I made this yeeeeears ago. Like way back in 2020 or something.

Anyways, like I said in my original reply, it was made in under 1 week. I'm one person. It's a free game. I don't know why anyone would expect a random dev to cater to people's specific preferences when they're not even being paid.

I'm not sure if it has ever occurred to you, but devs are people too. And going around moaning and shitting on people's games isn't exactly the best way to get the kinds of features you want implemented.

As I mentioned, I do include pronoun options in most of my games where time allows. I've even made entirely separate downloads to include additional gender options for both player characters and romantic interests. It just so happens that it wasn't possible to do that for this micro-project.

This is just a hobby for me. There's no need to get so worked up over what is essentially no big deal at all >.<