itch.io

They are just the stage names they borrowed for themselves. Otherwise, it would be hella weird to have normal posing circus clowns be called variations of something like Ḭ̷͕̓g̶̡̱͊͒h̵̰͌̽r̶̯̋͑i̴̠̱̍o̵̭̍͠l̵̡̢̛͛l̴̝̖͛̂'̶̦̄̆t̸͖̓̀h̵͕͕̆e̶̡̮͆̚l̸̮̳̇. 

Their true names simply aren't good for marketing, not to mention all the raised eyebrows they will get from everyone, lol.

Would be cool if there were a deeper lore reason as to why they ditched their true names. Maybe those that know them have power over them like the original circus owner had (this is just my headcanon until proven otherwise, tho)

Why is this crap tagged as "romance". Tag it properly!

Seeing how there's no mention of nsfw stuff in visuals nor  writing, they mean it features mature topics ( e.g.war, experimentation on live beings, the portrayal of subjugation of a sentient species, xenophobia, and so on) written with a serious, mature tone.

Dia Lovers has never been my cup of tea, but I decided to give this fan vn a try anyway.

And I'm happy I took the leap! 

I loved how complex you made Akiza, our leading lady. I admit, I was not expecting this much work and thought to be put into the female main character's story, So I am impressed with how compelling you managed to write her.

Another thing I loved is her relationship dynamic with Adrian ( MY SHAYLA ;;) and Azusa. I've been pleasantly surprised by the content Azusa's route has to offer-A Wonderful blend of darker psychological elements, and a nurturing female protagonist that not only stands her ground but is also pleasantly assertive with him. Simply *chef's kiss* Great job!

My final verdict is: Please never give up on this project, my dear! If you managed to convince me, someone outside of this specific fandom, of its value, you have no reason to feel discouraged by anything ❤️

I feel the need to comment as the local weirdo who does add a pinch of salt in her morning coffee, lmao. Adding a bit of salt in your coffee actually helps it taste better! It cancels the bitter taste :') 

PS: As for the vn, I will echo the other comments. Ilya is such an interesting character, and I like how you have to "earn" over his obsession and mercy by standing out from the crowd of apathetic selfish people. Looking forward to how our interactions with him will go in the captive route!
 

I'm so sorry for humanity but...

Highly intrigued by everything this vn has to offer 👀

I played the vn, raided the dev's tumblr for some answers, I replayed the vn and now I'm mindblown by all the little details I've missed. 

Amazing job at creating a yandere character that's genuinely so lovable with his lovesickness. It's honestly unreal how much I came to love and appreciate Ren 😔 

Also, I don't want to spoil anything in the comment section, so all I will say is that I cannot wait for [REDACTED] !!!

(before playing the demo)

These horror clowns can't possibly be that lovable! 

(after playing the demo)

Oh my god, my horror clowns are truly too cute for my own sake!

Really enjoyed the lore drop on how their circus came to be 👀. I am, ngl, half terrified half intrigued by what the circus has in store for the mc.

Ah, and I gotta say, as objectively scary as Pierrot is, he's also as adorable as a cat; Like, the head tilts, the bell sounds, the leaning down to whisper to mc, the gifts, and his blushy expressions, he has such expressive sprites that go well with this personality😭 I can't help but find him precious, lmao! Harlequin's design too is so cool, from his costume to the tip of his claws. 

This vn has great memorable art direction all around!

This is fantastic. 

I can't stress enough how perfect you've captured the subtle, and kinda folkloric, eerie and oddly nostalgic ( I grew up in a rather mountainous countryside region surrounded by nature :>) atmosphere. 

Jim (I LOVE EVEYRTHING ABOUT HIM BTW) and his reactivity to the way you roleplay the mc is everything I want to see in this type of horror romance vn. I also really appreciate the inclusion of mc-is-mature-and-assertive options in regards to pursuing a romance with our lovely mystery man. 

Marvelous writing and great art aside, I'm just extremely curious to see where this will all take us within the following in-game days! 

As if the story hasn't inflicted enough emotional damage in me, the extras absolutely ruined me ( I was hurting and in tears by the end;  but in the best way possible!Imho, THIS is what the dark romance genre should strive to be). This was one of the best vns I've played up to date ( yes, I know it's just a demo, but the impact it had on me is real; days later I've finished playing it and I still torture myself by thinking about it 😭.) The characters, the story, the art, the music and the prose were so exquisite.

What an unforgettable experience!

I cannot wait to see it ends 🥹🤍

Words cannot express how much I adore the writing style. What an immersive experience this vn has offered me; one of the best!

Iirc, the devs mentioned, on their tumblr, that we will get to eventually see the lis's bare faces at different points in their routes.

I think them unmasking for the mc will be an emotional scene, that will most likely occur only near the end of their routes. 👀

In the meantime, here's a a fun question for anyone who wants to speculate, here in the comments, what do you think everyone's eye colour(s) are?

 :D I'm betting 1 penny on Cirrus having a pair of hypnotic eyes with central heterochromia, and Francesco having amber eyes that look like pools of honey in the sun light.

Fran is such a baby duckling. So cute🐣. So precious🐥. He's a cinnamon roll that needs to be protected at all costs, and my Vesper is more than happy to oblige. What a delight it is to tease this sweetie. Seriously. His reactions, I just-

Violo and Vivere are such complex, unhinged, sweeties. Bless them.  I ended up loving them much more than I had expected to ( and I already loved them based on their designs alone :'). Your artist's character designs always seem to tickle my fancy. Keep them, please!;> ). 

I won't lie, I'm very eager to see the mc fall in love with Violo and Vivere. Given mc's own personal history and their values, they would suit this pair so well, that mc falling into a warm/positive relationship with them just feels natural, like it was meant to be. I enjoy how it doesn't feel like the mc is an "intruder" that "barges" in an already established relationship, if you manage to balance their affection. I also love how you managed to portray the characters as more loving, affectionate and supportive with a mc that has won their affection ( heck yeah, love me yanderes who go fully dere, instead of fully yan, when interacting with their loved ones! they are the best and most difficult type to pull off.)

In short, what I'm trying to say is that I'm honestly very impressed with how well the poly romance dynamic was written to work here. ❤️ Amazing job! Can't wait to see this being updated!

p.s. since I haven't seen anyone comment on this, I had to bring some compliments to the voice acting. Voice acting, even partial va is a hit or miss for me. For Sacrarium Pario, it proved to be a great immersive addition to the reading experience. I found that both voices fit their respective characters, and both use the right intensity and emotions in the lines they voiced👏. So great job vas and the dev that cast them!  (p.s.2 Just wanted to add that Violo's humming, was so haunting when I first heard it, but now, after finishing the demo, I can't help but find it a tad endearing, lol.)

About to try out the vn, so I scrolled down to check the comments real quick while waiting for it to download and LOL! That bug is amazing :'D

We seem to agree more than we disagree on these matters, so I will apologize for the angry wording I had to my previous comment since it came from misunderstanding the intent behind your original comment.  Conversations definitely need to be had on how lgbt relationships are written; but also on how bdsm dynamics are more than often frequently used as complementary violence for abusive relationships (talking about dark romances books that are filled with terribly pseudo-'bdsm' initiated sex scenes, when it's just violence and abuse...).

It's just frustrating for me, since this is the first time I get to witness a dominant ( speaking outside of bdsm terms) character written in the way Cirrus is. Typically they are physically forceful in a brutish way and very demeaning and smug-ish towards the main character. I've grown to  hate the characters that are portrayed in such manner from the various romance inclined media that I consume. There's an abundance of them from novels, vns and games; So Cirrus was a breath of fresh air, for me at least. I guess that's why I feel a tiny bit protective over him, even thought I'm well aware he's a trash fictional 'husband' material (lol). He did better than most male leads I've had the displeasure of reading about :). Not perfect, not even close, but better. The bar is really that low when we have no other better portrayals.

Finally, I do heavily agree with your last statement. I am hoping for the relationship to develop into something closer to the green zone, at least when it comes to intimate sessions that involves trust and consent. I'm expecting some emotional development between Cirrus and the mc to occur eventually as the devs did promised us each lis will have their own happy love ending with no 'gatcha!' moment.

I wish I stopped getting notifications to this comment because I am sick of people reminding me of what I already know. Yes, I am well aware, but as you might know, this is a dark game with love interest that are not good people ( I mean, have you seen Cirrus' bad ending? it involves human trafficking). Expecting healthy, and realistic depictions of relationship dynamics is absurd. Of course Cirrus is manipulative, that's obviously his whole thing as a character. It's made clear, by how your interactions with him are, mc's constantly 'persuaded' or 'nudged' towards him to the point of no longer being able to reject him.. Of course such an early bdsm scene would have always been dubious at best and forced at worst on the principle that their power dynamic has been unbalanced as hell FROM THE START. All I'm saying is that COMPARED TO OTHER LIS FROM OTHER DARK ROMANCE GAMES OR EVEN  COMPARED TO DARK ROMANCE NOVELS, Cirrus' scenes are better written, gentler and more caring due to the integration of the aftercare session. That is all I mean.

This story is such a great example of amazing world building done right.Great writing! The atmospheric writing combined with the ost and the visuals made reading the story so immersive; I felt the hopelessness from wandering in the snow, the anxiety and tension during the encounters with less than friendly beings, and the coziness warm feelings of living with Heimos. I'm very impressed by the range of experiences this vn could put me through. Well done!

I have only completed one romantic good ending, but I am beyond satisfied with how Heimos ( ok, whoever designed him has all of my love and appreciation, he's so beautiful ;;), and his romance, were written. Compared to other ancient or immortal characters I've come across, Heimos actually feels and acts his age. He's wise, mature, practical, but also empathic and understanding. The power dynamic between him and the mc is that of equals, and I sincerely love how you made Heimos and the mc acknowledge it and them working together towards balancing it ( e.g. Heimos always insisting that mc has a choice, him always taking the time to explain things to the mc, being protective of mc's safety but not over-protective to the point of being toxic possessive, and so on). I want to thank you for being able to write him in such a way, you've truly nailed it ❤️ 

This is a marvelous vn. I wish it were longer :D just so we can spend more time with these characters. Author, you have yourself a new fan!

If you are targeting my comment specifically, then I have to insist that Cirrus IS CARING, because he follows an aftercare session. Something that lacks in 99.9% of all indie or japanese visual novels that feature rough, jerk, yandere or disturbing love interests that constantly dominate over the mc and harm them physically, emotionally or mentally. No one bats an eye at the stuff some of them do to the mc, yet it takes a self-proclaimed dark romance game, with shady love interests to finally have an aftercare session after an intense bdsm scene.

It's fine if it's not your kink, lol. I do not see myself as a submissive either, but I liked Cirrus' scenes, as someone who is dom-leaning myself. I find them to be well done for the reasons I suggested above.

Is Cirrus a good person? No, he's shady as hell; the game doesn't excuse him. This game has trigger warnings: it's a dark romance visual novel. But he's a well written dominant love interest 🤷

Maybe next time you comment, maybe try whining less about what other players like, and spend more time commenting on what you liked or want to improve about the game, instead.

Apart from the compliments I have for the gorgeous art and unique aesthetic, great world-building and immersive ost, I want to personally thank you for writing such a neat character like Cirrus.

 I'm not one who likes overtly aggressive, cocky, rude,  degrading or any type of dominant male characters. But I love how you made Cirrus refined, a praiser, and even considerate, careful and warm during the aftercare session (which are so well done!)

Consider this comment the highest compliment, given from someone whose cup of tea isn't dominant or sadistic characters at all.

I am eagerly waiting for more🙏

Oh no, it's me who should apologize! I've been on itchio for years and wasn't aware that devs aren't notified unless it's for a direct thread made by them. I'll make sure that my next post will be in the Game Discussion thread 😉

 I'm always happy to praise good storytelling that manages to evoke an/multiple emotion(s) from me! The decision to show Nor and Esha's story from Nor's perspective was so worth it, despite how much more effort you had to put into it ( for the extra art sprites, cgs , backgrounds, music and coding everything). But I think it paid off extremely well; it felt more intimate to witness their story from one of their perspectives, and the culmination packed quite the emotional punch, not only for Aura but also for the reader. Again, great characters, great writing :).

Ah, my fellow romantics❤️. Just to be clear, I'll accept any ending where the trio ends up happy, even if it's not in a romantic poly. The only requirement, that I have, is that the chars achieve the happiness and stability/safety they deserve. (😭And they deserve lots of it)

I don't envy the work you devs put into a project this ambitious; cuts and edits are inevitably going to occur during the development process. The two professors'  story is already hinted at in the story, even if the full development will occur off screen to us; the foundation has already been laid, the ship has already sailed ;> so don't worry about the prospect of "shortening it", when we get glimpses of the development.
Perhaps, later on, you can release a booklet ( with writing and art) that expands/fills in the details of their story as paid dlc content? I've seen other devs do it, thought I would offer it as a suggestion here :)

Cheers, darlings ✨🤗
Thank you for engaging with your fans like this!

Hello! I hope this is a good place to type in my thoughts about the recent update, because I've just finished playing it and I am full of feels and don't know what to do with them 😭 so, Imma just pour them here, if you do not mind me hijacking the thread, hahaha.

First off, I just wanted to say that I was so happy when I received the notification of an update for this game. I terribly missed the story,  missed the characters, and I missed seeing the devs  ❤️ glad to see it back on my itchio feed page!

Secondly, I have to say,  this update was a lot more emotionally overwhelming than I anticipated it to be, lol. And I can assure you, I mean it in the best way possible :). I am a fan of the emotional damage well written angst can bring. The update went above and beyond my expectations. My heart honestly aches for Nor and Esha for what they have been through; and considering their predicament of the time, ( forced to experience the death of a parent at young ages, forced to abandon everything they knew to fend for themselves in foreign lands, then being bombarded by all the negative cultural expectations, experiencing racism while also experiencing the peer pressure to submit to a foreign culture's gender stereotypes while simultaneously being judged as peculiar/weird if they didn't;;; these are all very real problems we still have to face in our world, and I'm so glad that they are addressed in an omegaverse universe. I've long since waited for a serious take on this than just a stoy filled with senseless and dubious smut). Taking all that into consideration, I personally did not find it that much of a surprise that the twins' relationships developed the way it did. I do, however, appreciate that the narrative treated as a serious and devastating subject rather than as something  that's just "hot". So yeah, my hat off to you, devs, for portraying it in a tastefully tragic way, both in writing and in the art.

Thirdly, I have to admit, I am not the biggest fan of poly relationships ( not because I dislike them, but more like I've yet to come across one that's depicted in a good/interesting enough way for me to bother ), but I do share unknownpersonirl's thoughts about it possibly becoming a thing in Nor's route. From how I see things, such a relationship dynamic between the trio could potentially solve a lot of the internal issues the twins had/still have. Plus, I definitely want to see more of Aura interacting with Esha 😭 I do not want for Esha to feel left apart or be jealous of Aura.  As a reader I care for him too ( like seriously, he sure made an impression on me when he single-handedly confronted Oscar and his bs. I was left in awe, just staring at the screen in admiration!)

So in conclusion, I feel they ( Esha and Aura) could reach a mutual understanding, and see each other as companions, and maybe romantic love could flourish from it. This way, Nor can take care of both of them, without provoking  guilt or jealousy if Esha also grows fond of Aura. 😢 Devs, please do not break my heart with the future update...😭 

Ps. I also wanted to add how cute and healthy the interactions between the two professors are. Just when I thought I couldn't respect Prof. Di Chiaro more :) . So glad to see adults behaving like decent human beings and not like wolves in sheep's clothing.

Oh my God, the mini Wooly is beyond adorable. Consider me very hyped for the dlc!

Good luck spending hundreds of dollars on this game 🤣

Dear Maneki Mushi, I blame you for this roller-coaster of emotions 😭 you made me go through! I missed reading mature stories that treat its darker themes seriously. I need to thank you for staying consistent with the tone of your story; it made so many scenes much more rewarding, reveals so much more intense, and character development so much more satisfying to witness.

Oh, and speaking of characters, do I need to mention how came to appreciate this colourful cast of characters you created? Just reading how they interacted with the Seren (and Seren with them), and how they interacted with each other was reminiscent of Dragon Age and Neverwinter Nights 2’s companions. The cast has great party dynamics and great banters, like in those old but gold rpgs.  In my eyes, THJ has managed to capture the essence of rpg stories, with its characters, narrative writing, and beautiful story book like art that suits the aesthetic of a Hero’s Journey just perfectly.

I would want nothing more than to go into detail about the scenes and which characters made me tear up/cry, but I fear I would only end up babbling text walls of spoilers and gushy nonsense x’ ); so I'll wrap up my comment.

THJ hit all the right spots for me, that even after finishing the game, I still think about it. More people should know about it, and give it a go. You won't end up regretting it!

They are so perfect😭 💕. I'm super hyped to see what the last part offers us.

I'll provide a step-by-step on how you can manually tell itch.io which games you want for it to update.  I do it manually just to avoid being clustered  :).

1. Open your itch app, and check the bottom left corner for a button called ''Downloads''.

2. Open Downloads and the first thing you should see is a list of the games that have been updated by their developers. ( Note: you can choose to update all of your games with the ''Update all'' button, but it's going to take a lot of time if you have a lot of games on the updating list)

3. For a individual update, you should select Mannequin Academy, or any game you wish to update, and click ''update now''.

4. A new window is going to open and you have to select and click the bellow circled option (I'm going to use another vn from my list as an example):

5. Wait for it to update, the speed of downloading really depends how large the update is and your internet, so you should wait for it to fully finish before launching the game. You can check if the download is viable if it shows up in the bottom left corner like this:

6. You're done! You can now continue playing the now updated game. 

Hope this helps! 

 I saw a man so beautiful I started crying?

Your artstyle is so lovely! 

Are you using itchio's desktop application ? the app should automatically update the games you have bought through the site if you have them installed on your pc/laptop. 

I'm fond of all the love interests! which is quite uncommon for me. I usually have one or two biases when playing vns, but in here, I like everyone equally. I think it's partly due to how supportive they all are towards Aura; usually in the bl games I've come across, a lot of the lis fall into the ''ore-sama'' stereotype. (and god, I just can't stand those prideful characters  who are rude, utter jerks towards the mc for no reason at all).

But yeah! I do have a soft spot for Cami! He's a sweetheart and such a good friend first and foremost. I'm excited to see a romance developing between him and Aura. I'm also curious to see how their relationship dynamic will be since, well, they are both omegas. :'') I'm praying his route won't end up in some kind of tragedy due to it </3. 

Also, your character designs are very visually pleasing, I must thank you for the inspiration they gave me to pick up digital drawing again : D. 

Each update further intensifies my maternal instinct to protect Aura from all harm :'v. And I'm so glad we're finally getting into individual routes! It's going to be interesting to see how each route will branch out, and how the relationship between the mc and his love interests develops.

p.s. I did a lil tribute sketch of Aura as I'm patiently waiting for the next update~  I'm rooting for this boy to find happiness so badly :''DD

p.s.s. did Cami's sketch as well, so they would match~

I was one of the people that disabled the jolting when I saw how frequent it was used in the prolgoue. However, I think it would still be a nice immersive touch if it were used less frequent and if it were accompanied by a sound and background music. 

I would love if the team made a tumblr but I would be okay with a discord as well. <3

The writing quality in this one is amazing. It felt like a Jane Austen novel through and through. I honestly cannot wait to read how the relationship between the mc and her suitors develops. The three suitors are charming in their own way, but I find myself preferring Mr. Worthington ( most likely because he reminds me of Colonel Brandon <3, cannot help but love the loyal gent archetype). Other than praises, I only have one comment to make regarding the text font. It's a bit difficult to read, especially the font used for the letters.  

Hello! 

I'm thinking of buying the game myself because the premise + its presentation truly sold it to me :D. It's so lovely written. But I, too, am wondering about the questions Carlane^ poses. Will the second episode be an extension/update to the first base game or will it be sold separately? if the answer to latter question is 'yes', then will ep 1 still have some sort of closure ( akin to "endings") if ep 2 takes place after it ?

Also, I would love if a demo were available :) it would attract more people to try the game out. 

<3 Thank you and keep up the great work!

Raises hand* :D 

Thank you!  Can't wait to see what you've done with the  jackets. :D

The game is being very neatly developed , in spite of the major changes it went through. Oh, I will  definitely follow its  progress and try out the updates ! I did got the feeling that you've put a lot of thought and  love in the writing, so I'm really glad to see that you're also enjoy making it complex. The MC merciless teasing Dimitri and him actually liking is truly adorable; I admit it, I am weak, haha (:'> . Keep up the superb work !

1. What is your gender and age? 22, F

2. Where did you find out about Tailor Tales? - I actually first knew of this project back on lemma forums. When I found it here on itch, I could not believe they were the same project :D. The game has come a long way, hasn't it !

3. Is the art style appealing to you, or did it take some convincing?  - I really like the art style and the whole slice-of -life atmosphere it conjures. The backgrounds are simple yet look perfect with the character designs.

4. Which (available) character is your favourite?  -  Dimitri, he's just such a sweetheart.

5. What’s your favourite scene?  -  Oh man, I would go with the opera and dinner moment  with Angela putting her' parents will meet  the fiancee' plan in action. It was hilarious.
6. What’s your favourite CG?  - The one with Dimitri and the tabby cat <3.

7. Which character would you like to be available next?  - Caine  or Aiden ! Judging from the descriptions their interactions with the MC must be hella fun to read, lol.

8. How many fierce points and how many kind points did you get at the end of each route?  -  Can't remember the number, but with Dimitri  the majority were fierce points, while  with Neil mostly kind points with some fierce points. I took the fierce responses when there was teasing involved.

9. How much tailoring experience and gold did you end up having at the end? - Sorry! can't really remember the numbers.
10. Was it difficult getting gold to purchase the chapters, or was it easy? - It was easy. 
11. Was it difficult re-creating garments that were important clients?  - None at all.
I.e. the masquerade dress, Angela’s dress, or the opera dress.
12. Favourite aspect of the game?  - The fierce/kind response system is impressive, reminds me a bit of the renegade/paragon dialogue choices from Mass Effect. - I love the the writing. The characters have lovely personalities and the writing just clicks with them; MC included. 
13. What do you think of Joselina, the MC? - I  dig playing as her. She comes off as being both likable and relatable. 

Thank you for this lovely experience!

I used the sleeves as 'jackets' for mine :'3.  The peach, pink and pastel colours are really pretty in-game.