Acting Lessons & Being a DIK [WARNING: ADULT VISUAL NOVELS]

This has become my new obsession, there is no other word for it.

If anyone had told me that I would have become a fan of an adult VN on Steam I wouldn't have believed it.

The author released Acting Lessons first and this VN is best described as an emotional roller coaster.

Spoiler:

It deals with heartbreak and how you mend a broken heart (or not). It's a complete story that will probably give you pause if not cause you PTSD (not kidding here) and I fucking loved it (pardon my French). There are some graphic scenes (that comes with the territory) but ironically that's definitely not the reason to play the game.

This brings me to the second game that has been released on Steam and is not yet complete (the first season is available and the new episodes are released on Patreon)

Spoiler:

It's definitely more light hearted but it's still very moving and it manages to be funny, sad and sweet (almost) at the same time. It also looks better than the first game in terms of presentation and animations. The game manages not to feel cheap or sleazy despite some sexually explicit scenes. It has a wholesome quality that sets it apart from other titles in the genre. It focuses on a young man's journey as he leaves his father to start college. It's an initiation on more than one level, literally as he joins a fraternity but also figuratively as your choices will shape who he will become.

To sum things up, here is the introduction that explains what you should expect if you decide to be part of this aventure:

Spoiler:

It's the only part that comes with a voice over but the soundtrack of the game is absolutely fantastic and does a lot to set the right mood for the game.

Much like Carabas above, I to never envisioned my self as being someone who would play an adult visual novel much less being wholly entranced by one, yet that is what the publisher of these two games has accomplished.

The author and developer who goes by the moniker "Dr PinkCake" has proven him self with these works to be an excellent writer and story teller who's works should not be looked down upon simply for featuring explicit materials.

He writes well constructed stories which are compelling, highly engaging and are built around a large cast of believable and very likable characters. The plots are well thought out and meticulously planned as these games present the player with a myriad number of choices which really do impact how the stories play out. From minute differences in dialogue to a plethora of different endings these visual novels continue to deliver twists and turns replay after replay giving the player a lot of value for their money.

Acting Lessons was Doctor PinkCake's first work and as stated above by Carabas, is a literal roller coaster of emotions. The story will make you laugh, it will make you feel and potentially even make you cry. The author himself is quoted saying "many people only have the strength to play this once" and while I do intend to eventually revisit this tale, so far that has proven true for me. Seldom before in my life has written material made me feel so profoundly and while it was not my proudest moment, I was left an emotional mess for an entire day after I finished Acting Lessons.

In comparison "Being a DIK" has been rather light hearted so far (though a disclaimer made by the author leads me to believe this might not always be the case) and I have enjoyed it immensely, to date I have lost count of the number of play through's I've made. I cannot speak highly enough about this game and if you are not put off by the explicit material than I really do recommend giving this one a chance. The narrative is excellent, the characters are excellent, the music is great and the artwork is a cut above the rest and best of all, the story is still being told so we have more high quality content to look forward to in the future.

From his writing technique and character building to his overall story mapping. The impressive image renders and attention to the smallest of details, if you play Acting Lessons first and then move to "BaDIK" you can really see the growth of the developers skills.

These visual novels are leaps and bounds beyond anything else I've found in the genre (and I've really been looking for comparable alternatives to fill the void left in my heart after I finished these stories). The adult material almost does these titles a disservice as they are so much more than simple "porn games".
10/10 would recommend.

Glad that you've decided to share your experience with us Doc.

There are so many little things in these games and the attention to details is fantastic.

I hope you'll manage to revisit Acting Lessons, just FYI there are 22 different endings and 4 different post credits scenes.

Sorry for being late to the party, but welcome Doc! Hopefully, this place will soon be more lively!

Thanks for the heads up, guys. You sold me on the games, I'll take advantage of the Steam summer sale to nab them. I've discovered an app of interactive novels and I wouldn't think I'd be interested in romance novels in a million years, but I got hooked on them. I'll let you guys know what I think!

Sure thing.

Make sure to start with Acting Lessons. Being a Dik is currently in development and season 2 should come out by 2021 (earlier if we're lucky but that's doubtful).

What are these virtual novels that got you hooked up on the genre?

Damn, too late! I'm at Being a Dik's third episode. I thought I would start with the less serious one first. While it's a bit campy and cartoonish at times (like really, Sage and Isabella's breast are cartoonish huge. ), it's still fun (the drunk part made me actually laugh out loud a couple times). I also like that the characters (most, anyway) are more complex that they let on initially.

I like to have simple app games on my phone to entertain me when I'm waiting somewhere. I initially stumbled on Delight game's RPG interactive novels (text only, though). I liked Wizard's choice, Demon's choice and Rogue's choice. I then discovery the Choice of games platform, which has a variety of interactive stories (again, text only). There's a lot of different type of stories, but the more romantic ones I liked are Heart of the house and the two Wayhaven Chronicles books (in the Hosted games section). There's a price tag if you want the whole story, but you can usually read the first few chapters for free as a demo.

Cool!

Really looking forward to hearing what you have to say about the whole thing and which choices you've made for your first run.

Hey Triactus! Thanks for the welcome

I'm happy to here that we were able to convince someone else to check these titles out and I'm glad you're liking them! They're excellent and deserving of recognition.

Carabas and I have spoken about these games (particularly BaDIK) at length with one another now and both agree that in some ways, the adult nature of these visual novels almost does them a disservice in some ways. That being said, I my self would not change a thing about BaDIK.

I too look forward to hearing what you have to say about them once you've completed the available content!

I'm finally ready to talk about the games! It took me a while, because I wanted to have significant playtime to comment on the games. Finally finished both. So side effect : this is an immense wall of text. My apologies. As Cara knows from the Crusader Kings thread, I tend to over-elaborate on things. But hey, that's how I am and that's how people love me. Are you’re the lucky son-of-a-guns that get to hear all of my ramblings, on account that you’re the only ones I know who have played the games.

General comments: I absolutely loved the games. You guys weren't wrong. Dr Pinkcake nailed so many things right and did so little wrong. What really amazes me about the games is all his smart choices. He knew he was doing them solo, so things like customization, voice-over dialogue, complete animation, he threw all that distraction away and focused on what was doable. That takes vision and self-honesty. And he used smart transitions between renders to simulate animation. Bravo!

As for the porn element, well, in all honesty, I like porn (sorry for the TMI ). It didn't really phase me. In fact, since I don't really play porn games, it had a novelty aspect to it for me. Does the adult nature disservice the games? Maybe more so in Acting Lessons, but even then, it's so much part of the nature of the story. The sexual tension/chemistry your character feels, you feel too. It's a driving force on how you react to the characters and how much you get pulled in the story, imo. Sex is everything that drives the human being after all (or so says Robert California. ). And it's even more so in Being a DIK, as it’s a coming of age story. Sex is very much so part of that experience. Where I might agree, is that it restricts the potential gamers. Because of the porn aspect, there isn’t that many people I would recommend the game to. And certainly not women (just because the narrative is so strongly straight male oriented).

Anyways, here's my specific thoughts on the two games :

Acting Lessons - 4.5/5

Overall game concept: 5/5
Like I said above, he cut all non-essential elements on his project planning and focused his time and efforts to push his work as far as it could possibly go. As interactive novels go, it's simply one of the best I've seen. Having played BaD first, I would almost rate it as a 4 instead of a 5 simply because the gameplay feels a bit hollow compared to the second opus, but that would hardly be fair as this was his first stab at it.

Story: 5/5
It felt so good to play an adult game (in the age sense of the word) about adult concerns. It's about finding love, but also money, housing, health concerns, life choices. I think Dr. Pinkcake is still working out his writing skills (some dialogue lines are clunky and wooden, some situations are a little off. I can definitely tell you no one is licking no one in improv classes... ), but his storytelling talent is apparent. His foreshadowing is good, and his build-ups are excellent (not putting a spoiler tag because its so minor, but for example, Liam calls you from his phone when he's headed to the cabin in chapter 4. Following some previous actions, he might pretend you're his grandma and proceeds to tell "her" who's in the car with him.... then the image pans to reveal two people in the back seat who might spell trouble for you. That caught me by surprise and had me laughing out loud. That was very smart storytelling). And the actual story, my god, what a rollercoaster! What a gut-punch that one certain moment is. I actually got angry and stepped away from the computer for a moment (angry in the good sense, like a story can make you sad or happy. Several curses came out, though... )

Characters: 4/5
For the most part, I loved the characters. They're complex, three dimensional beings. Almost all of them are likable, and you naturally REALLY get emotionally get attached to them. Which is what makes the story and its decisions so impactful. My hat is tipped off. I put 4 out of 5 for just one reason: while the characters are complex, they're at times too cemented in roles. Like Liam is your best friend. That is all. He's never a threat, he's never (really) absent. Conflict is a part of any relationship, I don't care who it is. There's one line of choices where it leads to a shouting match with him and you kicking him out of your car. I was going "YES! This is genuine. There should have been SO MUCH more of this".

Graphics : 4/5
How can you not like the overall graphics? Again, great use of limited time/resources. There's so much more details on rendered images than animation, so the graphics always come out just beautifully. I didn't know 3D modeling could be so good! Certain models could have used more work (seriously, Leah is not comparable at all to Melissa, for example), and there a lot of clunky animation (the BaD scenes are VASTLY better), hence the 4 on 5. (I also think he perfected his renders as he was progressing on the game. The first chapter is so less detailed that the rest. And I think he acknowledged it with the "I'm putting on my contacts. I've forgotten lately. There! Things are so much less blurry". )

Music : 5/5
Nothing at all to say about the music. The tones were perfect. My only minor criticism is sometimes, the changes in music were way too abrupt, he didn't let the scenes die down before going to the next. Again, I think this is more an issue with growing as a story teller than anything.
And small anecdote : I worked in the TV industry for four years, learned some skills as an editor. Kept doing some shooting and editing work for a previous employer for the last 6-7 years (10 minute video profiles on award recipients). I used creative commons music for the videos, and when you're editing, you watch your work 50 thousand times for corrections and quality assurance and the likes. (Too) long story short : one track used in the game was one I often used too. That was... jarring...

Being a DIK 4.5/5

Overall concept: 5/5
Not only did he maintain his excellent planning and focus, he brilliantly build on what made Acting Lessons special. Everything is so well thought off. The interactive cellphone is brilliant and incredibly intuitive. And the mini-games. Wow! In a way, it reminded me of Leisure Suit Larry : Magna Cum Laude (their dialogue mini-game with the sperm is hilarious and one of the best mini-game-in-the-game I've seen). But the mini-games here are very unique, challenging, apt, yet fun.

Story: 5/5
I love that the teenage angst isn't just stapled on the story ("Hey there, fellow kids, I'm cool!", says the 50 years old executive). You feel it. You breathe it. So I had to respect it. And there were some rather well written sections. The opening doors part (the ending of chapter 3?) is particularly beautiful. And while we don't have frats or sorority where I live, the story brought out a lot of memories about my time in University. I was part of something vaguely resembling a frat and I related to certain things.

Characters: 4/5
Like Acting Lessons, most characters, while might seem two-dimensional, are surprisingly complex. Some you like but learn to dislike, some you initially put you off but grow on you. That is good writing! But like in Acting Lessons, some characters are too strongly fettered in roles. In the next chapters/projets, I hope that his characters will be more genuine and more spontaneous. I also thought that BaD's characters (and Acting Lessons, in a minor way) lacked diversity. Especially in the main romance partners. Racial diversity, but also body types too. They're basically thin, (mostly) big breasted white chicks. Yes, there's Riona and Camila, but they're minor characters (even more so with the black stripper). My two cents.

Graphics: 5/5
Again, the images are beautifully rendered. And in general, his models are really well done (though I have reservations about certain character's breast size. It comes out as so much more cartoonish than the rest of his designs. I thought it didn't fit. Acting Lessons is much better in that regards). And the scene animations: leaps and bound above Acting Lessons. They sometimes even make be forget it's 3d models!

Music : 4/5
The music meshed well with the setting, so I'm giving it a small pass (even though I hate pop-punk music). But there was too many different styles of music that didn't mesh well in some scenes. And one or two songs that I thought weren't totally at the same level as most. And I thought there were too many repetitions with Acting Lessons. I know it's a pain in the ass to find good creative commons music, but some songs were just overused.

A last minor criticism about both games: it's a straight white dude's view of the world. While it's not bad in itself, I found the games sometime persistent about it. I really didn't agree with it’s take on women and feminism, for example. In story opinions I'm fine with it (like Derek's complete immaturity didn't phase me at all), but when it becomes a narrative (Jade's interior narration or the scene where Derek argues with a raging feminist), then it's clearly the author speaking and not the characters anymore. I have an artistic problem with that. And I thought there were very little strong women characters. I get it, the game is basically a male fantasy, where the MC is a godly endowed sexual machine. But it felt off that all the women are basically objects of desire and that they all basically fall to the charm of the MC. And no, gay women aren't just confused bisexuals. I had a little eye roll at that. Just like as a straight dude, I'm just not a confused bi who "hasn't found the right guy yet", you know? Still, like I said, it's a minor thing, but had to be said. I still enjoyed the game.

What's great also about the game is it stirred the artistic juices in me. To be honest, using 3d models never occurred to me. But I read up on Dr. Pinkcake and his choice to use that particular medium is because he has a lot of trouble putting into words the exact feel of a setting. That is EXACTLY why I'm not much of a writer. I have difficulty finding the right poetic prose. I've looked up his workflow, and he seems to be using Renly (a free open-source program) as the GUI and motor of his game. And I'm pretty sure he's using DAZ 3D, an also sort-of free program for the 3d modeling. I downloaded both and have checked them a bit out. I'm thinking of trying a stab at something, but as time and resources are lacking, if any want to team-up, I'm open.

Anyways, verry sorry for babbling! What about you guys, story wise? What choices did you make in the games? I'm curious to hear about how you lived it.

That's great to read your take on this!

I'm just disappointed about taking improv classes now that I know licking faces is frowned upon.

I think you're right about the straight male fantasy thing but I also think you missed some points.

Take Acting Lessons for instance, the main character is a very sensitive guy who could be the actual damsel in distress in the story (the strong character is definitely not the main character).

I'm typing on my phone so spoiler tags are a bitch but I guess you get who I am thinking about.

Regarding lesbians being bisexuals I'd like to point out that these are straight male fantasies but also that it's all about the main character. The characters you're thinking of fall in two categories. The first one is bisexual whereas the second one is definitely more of a lesbian and I won't spoil too much by pointing out that although she is confused about the main character she has no intention of hooking up with guys (she did try dating guys before but didn't like it but unless I'm mistaken she's only been with one girl). I'm not denying that it's probably (most definitely?) a straight male bias but I do not think it's that simple. It's not about the main character being a guy, she is not drawn to him because of his masculinity, it's about him being who he is and for that to happen you really need to go out of your way to end up anywhere with this young lady (it's really easy to ruin your chances).

Also as much as I chuckled reading your comment about being a confused bisexual who hasn't met the right dude I'd like to point out that it's not exactly the same since I doubt you've ever dated a guy and that dating a guy would have been the socially accepted option for your relatives.

I like the point you're making about Jade but I think you're giving her too much credit as a feminist. To me she is a fraud and a hypocrite otherwise she wouldn't be putting up with her husband's wrongdoings only because of status and wealth. Not only she puts up with it but she rewards him for being the breadwinner while failing to acknowledge that he is a pig so she ends up stuck in her sick little games. It's no wonder her son turns out that great...

As for ethnic diversity I think it's a slippery slope when you start seeing token diverse characters. I'm pretty sure some places are not as diverse as others and unless it's the result of segregation and discrimination that's not necessarily a problem. American media push the idea of having ethnic diversity while at the same time being extremely focused on ethnic origins to the point of making a huge deal about something that is mostly irrelevant in other places. It's a bit crazy. I remember when the IMDB had forums most threads were about an actor's ethnicity and that's something only Americans seemed to care about. Hell, I'm ethnically diverse myself and I look white but I wager most people in the US wouldn't label me white. What does it have to matter? And why should this game go for more diversity just to conform to a skewed view of the world? People like me usually stand out wherever we go and frankly I wouldn't need to watch a bunch of people like me in movies and games to feel good about myself or to feel that I'm being validated as being part of a community. Then again I'm the opposite, I don't like having people like me around because I do like being the odd one out (that's my ego I know but it can't be helped).

Sorry for going on a rant here. I guess you're right about these VNs being straight white male fantasies but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing as I don't think that much about the white part as a major defining element. My favourite character is Liam but I'm glad the author didn't recycle this character in BaDIK and that Liam is not just defined by his ethnicity (and neither is Jacob). I guess it's a slippery slope and it's hard not to feel strongly about that topic once we start poking at it with a stick.

As for the paths I took in these games. I basically 100% both and it was fun. I really loved the music (to the point of getting the files from the game to put them on my phone).

My first run through Acting Lessons I actually went for Leah and that was interesting to say the least.

I like replaying BaDIK trying to go with the flow of things and not overthink things too much but sometimes I fail. I did succeed however in getting to the end of Season 1 with an almost perfectly neutral score and I'm not even sure I could have done better if I had tried.

By the way, as a fellow pen and paper roleplayer how did you feel about the RPG session in the library?

Carabas wrote:

I'm just disappointed about taking improv classes now that I know licking faces is frowned upon.

I'm so sorry for ruining that for you, Cara. And I'm also about to burst another bubble for you, so very sorry too : while rehearsing a scene of a play with two beautiful women, you don't really take turns making out with them and touching their bums. You might have to drop out of your acting class too.

Carabas wrote:

Take Acting Lessons for instance, the main character is a very sensitive guy who could be the actual damsel in distress in the story (the strong character is definitely not the main character).

Yeah, you have a point there. The main character (in both games, actually) is very vulnerable emotionally and tries exerting control on others but mostly fails (depending on your choices).

Carabas wrote:

I'm not denying that it's probably (most definitely?) a straight male bias but I do not think it's that simple. It's not about the main character being a guy, she is not drawn to him because of his masculinity, it's about him being who he is and for that to happen you really need to go out of your way to end up anywhere with this young lady (it's really easy to ruin your chances).

Also as much as I chuckled reading your comment about being a confused bisexual who hasn't met the right dude I'd like to point out that it's not exactly the same since I doubt you've ever dated a guy and that dating a guy would have been the socially accepted option for your relatives.

Yes, but falling in love with someone regardless of gender is bisexuality. If you take out the social normality and pressure when someone is only attracted to a specific gender, they're just not attracted to the other. Some girl I know is bisexual and she happened to fall in love with a girl, but it could have been a guy. Her (now) wife just isn't at all attracted to men. And because of social norm, both gay men and women usually try going at what they think society expects from them before coming out of the closet. Hell, married men with kids leaving their wives for a dude has happened often. It isn't that they woke up gay one day, it's just they finally accepted who they are and what they want.

Anyways, my point is just that while its certainly not impossible for a gay woman to fall in love with a guy, it's just a very tired trope and tired conservative prejudice. "Oh, well, you're not really gay, it's just a phase". That just rubs me the wrong way.

Carabas wrote:

I like the point you're making about Jade but I think you're giving her too much credit as a feminist. To me she is a fraud and a hypocrite

Like I said, I don't mind in-story character opinions and flaws. That Derek constantly degrades women, is perfectly fine, because that's who he is. But there were two moments (one with Jade and one with Derek), where what they were saying about feminism (in the words, tone and setting) was so out of character that it screamed "author's viewpoint". And I hate when authors forces words down the throat of a character. Especially when it's an opinion I don't agree with and there's no counterpoint. My two cents.

Carabas wrote:

As for ethnic diversity I think it's a slippery slope when you start seeing token diverse characters. I'm pretty sure some places are not as diverse as others and unless it's the result of segregation and discrimination that's not necessarily a problem. American media push the idea of having ethnic diversity while at the same time being extremely focused on ethnic origins to the point of making a huge deal about something that is mostly irrelevant in other places. It's a bit crazy. I remember when the IMDB had forums most threads were about an actor's ethnicity and that's something only Americans seemed to care about. Hell, I'm ethnically diverse myself and I look white but I wager most people in the US wouldn't label me white. What does it have to matter? And why should this game go for more diversity just to conform to a skewed view of the world? People like me usually stand out wherever we go and frankly I wouldn't need to watch a bunch of people like me in movies and games to feel good about myself or to feel that I'm being validated as being part of a community. Then again I'm the opposite, I don't like having people like me around because I do like being the odd one out (that's my ego I know but it can't be helped).

Sorry for going on a rant here. I guess you're right about these VNs being straight white male fantasies but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing as I don't think that much about the white part as a major defining element. My favourite character is Liam but I'm glad the author didn't recycle this character in BaDIK and that Liam is not just defined by his ethnicity (and neither is Jacob). I guess it's a slippery slope and it's hard not to feel strongly about that topic once we start poking at it with a stick.

I'm sorry if I'm poking at something you feel strongly about. It is a sensitive subject for a lot of people (and frankly, it should be for more). I'm definitely not talking about token characters, where they're there to either bring up ethnic origins in the plot or racial subplots. Or have the character be an example of a whole ethnic group. But ethnic representation a real discussion taking part in the artistic community right now. In the theatre scene where I live, the people on stage is 99% white. The people watching are 99% white. But the population is definitely not 99% white. They just don't go see shows because they don't see themselves in it, like it doesn't concern them. Its an issue we're working on right now, on how we can expand our base (and not for a monetary reason. You don't definitely don't do theater for money... ). It's also an issue that has been brought forth by people of different racial backgrounds.

My point is just that you don't want a story where you have one asian, one black and one hispanic character with equal dialogue. I 100% agree with you. But would it have so bad that Jill, or Josy or whoever was black? With no "explanation" and no other impact on dialogue? Especially in the context of "porn" game, racial and body type diversity makes for all tastes. Some people do like black or asian woman more. . As for the setting, of course, racial diversity is extremely different in California and in the Us midwest. But in a computer game fictional world where a college freshman, in his first two weeks at his new school, bangs 12 women, including a professor, are we really talking about realism?

Anyways, I didn't want to turn this into a big emotional debate. Like I said, it was a minor nitpick.

Carabas wrote:

My first run through Acting Lessons I actually went for Leah and that was interesting to say the least.

I like replaying BaDIK trying to go with the flow of things and not overthink things too much but sometimes I fail. I did succeed however in getting to the end of Season 1 with an almost perfectly neutral score and I'm not even sure I could have done better if I had tried.

By the way, as a fellow pen and paper roleplayer how did you feel about the RPG session in the library?

Yeah, I went for a 100% too. In games like these, I usually have a main playthrough (or a "canon" playthrough) and then do partial redos to get missing elements. In BaD, on my canon run, I did an ish neutral play and

spoilers, don't read if you haven't played:

.

On Acting Lessons, on my canon run

spoilers, don't read if you haven't played:

.

As for the pen and paper, hahaha, yes, it was indeed funny. Nothing quite like D&D where you can spank your spellcaster while enemy mercenaries are cutting you down.

Quote :

Yes, but falling in love with someone regardless of gender is bisexuality. If you take out the social normality and pressure when someone is only attracted to a specific gender, they're just not attracted to the other. Some girl I know is bisexual and she happened to fall in love with a girl, but it could have been a guy. Her (now) wife just isn't at all attracted to men. And because of social norm, both gay men and women usually try going at what they think society expects from them before coming out of the closet. Hell, married men with kids leaving their wives for a dude has happened often. It isn't that they woke up gay one day, it's just they finally accepted who they are and what they want.

Anyways, my point is just that while its certainly not impossible for a gay woman to fall in love with a guy, it's just a very tired trope and tired conservative prejudice. "Oh, well, you're not really gay, it's just a phase". That just rubs me the wrong way.

The thing is for her it's clearly not a phase. So she may be bisexual even if she is only potentially attracted to only one guy but I fail to see why the character would have to be a hardcore lesbian considering that we've established that this is a male fantasy.

It is a male fantasy because almost all women will fawn over the main character and his foot long member. Believe it or not but most adult VN are even worse than that.

My point is that

Spoiler:

is still gay and into girls. Her potentially hooking up with the main character doesn't make her straight. She's either a) experimenting, b) lonely and horny or c) genuinely in love with a person who happens to be a (very sensitive) guy who cares about her and goes out of his way to support and help her. I don't know which ending you got but in order for her to actually like the main character you have to pick all the "right" choices.

Doc Maple and I had a talk about her relationship and we kinda agreed that the most satisfying outcome would be for the main character not to come between them. Still, I'm really fond of this character and I can't have the main character simply stand by while she's getting herself in trouble.

Quote :

My point is just that you don't want a story where you have one asian, one black and one hispanic character with equal dialogue. I 100% agree with you. But would it have so bad that Jill, or Josy or whoever was black? With no "explanation" and no other impact on dialogue? Especially in the context of "porn" game, racial and body type diversity makes for all tastes. Some people do like black or asian woman more.

And then again I'd like to point out that ethnic representation is a very American thing (and I sincerely hope it won't cross over to this side of the Pond).

Having a character being "ethnic" just for the sake of it or just to titillate straight white men could be seen as exploitation or some sort of fetish.

Take Camila for instance, she is supposed to be Indian (or something) and she has the exotic skin tone and the gorgeous looks but she is not limited to that. The fact that we don't really know her ethnic background doesn't really matter.

I maintain that ethnic representation is a very slippery slope. Even with the best intentions the result can be appalling and I find it somewhat ironic that white people have become so obsessed about it. To me it seems there is no middle ground between people who will hate others for being of a different ethnic background and people who will fawn over them for the same reason. Truth is, in both cases it can be seen as racist. Anyway I don't want to go on another rant. I think it's a complex issue and one that can't be solved so easily.

I'm just glad the game doesn't push token characters and that we get ethnic characters who are not defined or limited by their ethnic group.

Quote :

On Acting Lessons, on my canon run

The Acting Lessons trauma is real though.

Did you get all the different endings? Including the milk scene and the cumslut scene? They're definitely worth watching and will make you appreciate Liam even more.

Carabas wrote:

The thing is for her it's clearly not a phase. So she may be bisexual even if she is only potentially attracted to only one guy but I fail to see why the character would have to be a hardcore lesbian considering that we've established that this is a male fantasy.

It is a male fantasy because almost all women will fawn over the main character and his foot long member. Believe it or not but most adult VN are even worse than that.

My point is that

Spoiler:

is still gay and into girls. Her potentially hooking up with the main character doesn't make her straight. She's either a) experimenting, b) lonely and horny or c) genuinely in love with a person who happens to be a (very sensitive) guy who cares about her and goes out of his way to support and help her. I don't know which ending you got but in order for her to actually like the main character you have to pick all the "right" choices.

Doc Maple and I had a talk about her relationship and we kinda agreed that the most satisfying outcome would be for the main character not to come between them. Still, I'm really fond of this character and I can't have the main character simply stand by while she's getting herself in trouble.

I think I may have not correctly explained my point? What I was saying is it's a coming trope in popular culture and a view point among more conservative people that homosexuality doesn't really exist, that it's more of a phase. Something I don't agree with, having many gay (and lesbian) acquaintances. Like I was saying, a woman who thinks she's a lesbian but falls in love with a guy and realizes that she bisexual, not gay, has happened before and will happen again, but it's such a tired, overly used prejudice that it felt off with me. Have you seen Stranger Things? There's a scene I absolutely love in season three.

Don't read if you haven't watched it and want to:

Anyways, like I said, it was a minor criticism. And that character's change isn't brought on sexually, but emotionally. I totally agree that the games, even though there are a lot of explicit material, never really feels cheap. There's an add for a cellphone game that's so sleazy it makes me angry.

In regards to your conversation with Doc, while I agree, the Acting Lessons wound is very real. I think it will help with what could have been in that game.

Carabas wrote:

I maintain that ethnic representation is a very slippery slope. Even with the best intentions the result can be appalling and I find it somewhat ironic that white people have become so obsessed about it. To me it seems there is no middle ground between people who will hate others for being of a different ethnic background and people who will fawn over them for the same reason. Truth is, in both cases it can be seen as racist. Anyway I don't want to go on another rant. I think it's a complex issue and one that can't be solved so easily.

(just quick note : there were a couple racial appropriation "scandals" in theater over here in the last year or two. Both scandals weren't led by white people. More and more ethnic groups are beginning to speak up here.)

But fair enough! It is a complex issue. And one that will never be resolved by two people on a message board.  Like I said in my original post, it was a minor nitpick. Definitely not something I would tear up my shirt over. Just a thought.

Carabas wrote:

I'm just glad the game doesn't push token characters and that we get ethnic characters who are not defined or limited by their ethnic group.

On that, we agree!

Carabas wrote:

Did you get all the different endings? Including the milk scene and the cumslut scene? They're definitely worth watching and will make you appreciate Liam even more.

Yeah, I did. I was expecting some really nasty shit with the milk story, but it was actually quite tame.

Yeah I think you're right, that's why I like these VNs so much, they're not sleazy.

Quote :

In regards to your conversation with Doc, while I agree, the Acting Lessons wound is very real. I think it will help with what could have been in that game.

I may be wrong but I think Doc couldn't bring himself to replay the game because of the trauma.

Quote :

I was expecting some really nasty shit with the milk story, but it was actually quite tame.

If that was tame then I shudder to think of what you would have deemed not tame. To me that milk story was pretty nasty!

Just a very quick point I forgot to add in my last message : I think lesbianism is a big mal fantasy because a lot of men precisely confuse it with bisexuality. That two women together will automatically equal a threesome.

Yeah, the BaD love triangle will soothe the what-could-have-beens of Acting Lessons. Anyways, by the time we get the full second season, we'll of course explore every nook and cranny, so it's a moot point.

Carabas wrote:

If that was tame then I shudder to think of what you would have deemed not tame. To me that milk story was pretty nasty!

Well, it was just spit. I was expecting something like the Dawes prank in BaD.

Nah, it's not spit. You missed the nutty flavour.

The fart? Come on, that's nothing.

That's a matter of opinion. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that one!