itch.io

WATSON MY LOVE ❤️❤️❤️ the endless yearning. the tender devotion. INCREDIBLE. i was almost turned away by the UI at first since i feel it's not as user friendly as IFs made using twine, BUT I'M SO GLAD I STUCK AROUND !!!!!! the writing is amazing, and the characters are all so distinct and complex. i wanted to hate lestrade so badly after that scene where they blow up at sherlock, but i caved as soon as they offered to walk them out of the bar 💔 if you hand me a character who struggles with self loathing, i will love them TWICE AS MUCH as they hate themselves !!!!! there is no escaping me... 

SO READY for this y/mc/arthur love triangle 🤑🤑🤑  imagine sending your lover (who doesn't know it yet) away on a mission for the sake of your nefarious grand plan and they end up FALLING IN LOVE with your MORTAL ENEMY. tragic.

amazing writing btw! definitely the best prose out of all of the IF games i've played so far. i appreciate everything from the varied sentence structure and length to the vividly poetic descriptions that make the game feel more alive. often times, when i play these types of games, i find myself beginning to skim over scenes as certain phrases or styles grow increasingly repetitive, but i never felt that way even once while playing your game!

my favorite little tidbit has to be when you choose to empathize with jayna after tagging along with arthur: "grief spills. there is always too much of it for one body, so it reaches the tips of your feet and makes you feel things you'd rather not." it's such a great way to describe how all-encompassing and overwhelming grief feels, and how it begins to seep out and affect the people around you. you truly have such a way with words ^_^

aside from the prose itself, i'm also really enjoying the plot, world building, and pacing of the story so far. nothing that's happened feels unbelievable or out of place, and the gradual introductions to bits of lore help avoid that info dump feeling a lot of fantasy stories fall into within the first few chapters. the flow and nature of wild magic you've come up with is unlike anything i've ever read before; it's so dangerous, yet poetically beautiful and utterly terrifying all at once. + the slow build up of trust and affection with the ROs (arthur :3 ) is so satisfying, and it makes those small, rare, sweet moments all the more meaningful <3

i'm sooo glad i chose to go with arthur that night at the inn, because the scene that unfolds when you try to (genuinely) offer him comfort over merritt's passing is BY FAR my favorite! i love playing mcs with bleeding hearts, and there's something so raw about the fact that they, despite their mission and everything they know about mage hunters, can't help but feel for arthur and his loss. it moved me so deeply T_T we're all just people trying to survive and keep our loved ones safe... it's such a primal instinct, and yet, that moment of understanding reaches beyond the tentative, muddied, almost nonexistent trust between the two. in that moment, their sincerity—their innate feeling of compassion—triumphed over their status as enemies on opposite sides of a war. #lovewins or whatever :p 

there's also something to be said about that rare display of worn out vulnerability from a character who is normally so hostile and distrustful. i fear it awakens something carnal within me.

omg ANYWAY i should probably stop yapping my head off now so THANK YOU SO MUCH WONDERFUL AUTHOR FOR MAKING THIS BEAUTIFUL TOUCHING GAME YOU'RE AN AMAZING WRITER AND I WISH YOU NOTHING BUT THE BEST IN LIFE AND ENDLESS JOY FOR BLESSING THE WORLD WITH YOUR PASSION AND SKILL ❤️❤️❤️

he's only been here for 5 seconds and aster is already my favorite T_T idk there's just something so oddly... nostalgic? about his character. i can't name any specific one, but the whole "mysterious, charming, masked savior with ulterior motives" thing he's got going on reminds me so much of those types of MLs in shojo manga i read growing up and AHHHHH it just tugs on the heartstrings of 8 year old me >_< i can't wait to learn more about him (and the curse) as time goes on, and it's so fun to watch a character who's only looking out for their own self interest and seems to always have their guard up eventually become vulnerable and selfless later on hehe