Well, it was a mad month as always, but we made it! \^-^/ Our Spooktober VN Jam project is out now & you can play it for free here: https://melancholy-marionette.itch.io/tunnel-vision I would say more, but I am exhausted and apparently also ill now too xD I dunno if I caught a bug in London last week or if I just made myself ill with stress and not much sleep, haha. But at least I can (hopefully) relax now and look forward to playing the games from the jam :3

Hope you have a super spoopy spooky season! <3

Everyone has their own game with their own version of Castor, and for everyone else, Castor stays inside the game :3 It's just for you that you get to have Castor appear in your reality :D And thank you :3 I have been laser-focused on Spooktober Jam for all of September, so I'm going to try and have a big break to recover in October x3 I hope you are well yourself :3

Sorry my reply is so slow and that also it's gonna be extremely unhelpful >.< I've just been mega-focused on Spooktober Jam x3 I tried to look through my library to see if I could find the original version of the track, but I don't think it's on my hard drive anymore T_T It was more than likely from one of my Japanese asset packs, possibly the one by someone called Otogoya, but I couldn't say for sure >.< Ever since I started trying to make my own OSTs, I deleted a lot of my asset pack stuff to make space :( So yeah, sorry I wasn't much help there >.< If it was one I remembered better, I'd know it off the top of my head, but cos it was one of those obscure tracks, I just don't know for certain >.< I'm glad you enjoyed my latest game though :3 Thanks so much for playing it! With any luck, if you ever end up playing my new Spooktober Jam project that I'm hoping to release later today, you'll have fun with it!

The Hostage - New Game Launch :3

Feel like you're missing a sinister situation from your Sunday? Then step right up! The Hostage is out now & you can download it here for free :D melancholy-marionette.itch.io/the-hostage Not sure if this one technically counts as a yandere or not this time x3 I guess you'll have to be the judge of that! I'm gonna say probably not... but still absolutely falls into the same vein of creepy but passionate xD Anyways, hopefully, you'll have fun with it if you do check it out :3 Have a lovely rest of your weekend ^-^

Not too bad, cheers! Mainly panicking about O2A2 jam prep xD Why is there never enough time in the day to do all the things you want to do? T_T Firstly, thanks so much for checking out the game :3 To answer your question, there would absolutely be certain circumstances that would cause the orange version of Blythe to try and trap MC, but where blue would be more likely to just do it for entertainment, orange would see it more as a sort of last resort x3 The main thing though would be if MC were ever to try and get rid of Blythe. Orange may act all sweet, but life without MC is not an option, so they'd be prepared to do pretty much anything to ensure the two of them stay together forever. This would first depend on the strength of their bond though, as when Blythe is still fairly new to the idea of being with MC, any attempts to put them down or get rid of them are more likely to result in the orange version being replaced by the blue version instead >.< This can change though if orange's bond with MC is stronger, giving orange Blythe a bit more power to hang on in difficult situations. Orange would always do their best to avoid causing MC physical pain, unlike blue, but it wouldn't be completely off the table if things got desperate. Orange would prefer to act more manipulative than forceful though, as they would never want MC to view them as the enemy or something to be afraid of. Orange strives for a more symbiotic relationship with MC, so would be content to go along with a majority of MC's wishes should they revolve around relying on Blythe and not rocking the boat. That doesn't mean that orange Blythe couldn't get nasty if needed, but they would certainly prefer to exhaust other options before resorting to that. Orange genuinely wants MC to like them, so while a situation where MC winds up resenting them is still preferable to being separated, it's not an ideal outcome for them. But yeah, orange Blythe would much prefer to put in the work to maintain a scenario where MC enjoys freedom (or at least, the illusion of freedom) rather than straight-up confining MC somewhere. Since orange can also be influenced by the blue version of Blythe, it's also possible that orange would imprison MC on the orders or suggestions of blue Blythe. That could be achieved in a similar way to how blue Blythe is able to convince orange Blythe that it's what's best for MC, but being somewhat naive, orange Blythe could also potentially be tricked by blue Blythe into believing that it's something MC might actually enjoy. I don't know if any of that was very helpful x3 I don't want to say anything too specific in case of spoilers for blue Blythe's route, haha. But also my brain is just too full of O2A2 thoughts to properly focus on poor Blythe at the moment >.< Sorry, Blythe! Please forgive me T_T Anyways, I hope you are doing well yourself! ^-^

Hey hey! I just saw this and also what I'm guessing is your comment on one of the YouTube videos since it's a similar topic and username :3 I figure I might as well reply in both places though just in case somebody else happens to have the same question and might see the answer. The TLDR answer is, I would love to have my stuff on Spotify, but I can't really afford to >.< The longer answer is below :3 Basically, I'd love to have my soundtracks on Spotify, but the barrier is kinda similar to the problem that I have with Steam >.< Both require payment from me to put my stuff on there and since my stuff is free, I'd essentially just be giving away money to them with no way of getting it back. Unfortunately, I don't have much money, so I can't afford to do it. :( I've heard that there are various ways of possibly getting music onto Spotify for free or for a smaller fee via various distribution companies, with the agreement that any royalties go to them and other such terms and conditions, and that might be an option for the future, but for now, it's all too complicated :( I do also have a few of my OSTs available for download though :3 Patreons and supporters on Ko-Fi get access to a page where you can download them (automatic with Patreon I think - and for Ko-Fi you just have to grab a key after a one-off donation), or anyone who donates $5 or more on the game's itch page should also get access to the download for Bitter/Sweet's OST specifically.

Right now, I only have some of the DD tracks, Limbo Line's OST, and Bitter/Sweet's OST on the supporter page, but I plan to also add A9, Dawn of the Damned, and The Graveyard Shift's OSTs there too when I get a chance :3 Thanks so much for playing my games! And I'm really glad you enjoy the music <3

Thanks for asking :3 My arm was finally allowed to be freed from the cast at the end of April, and I've been doing physio to build strength back up, so I can use it almost like normal again now :D I wound up putting on an entire stone in the time it was healing though, even though I was still being careful what I ate >.< It's probably because I have hypothyroidism, so when I can't exercise, my weight just goes up crazy fast, haha. I do take levothyroxine, but it doesn't seem to help a great deal! I mean, I know it's better than not being on meds at all, but it's still a constant struggle to stay a healthy weight T_T Ever since I've been able to type properly again though, I've been trying to catch up on my inbox, which I was already behind on before the accident >.< I spent all of May doing it because I figured a month would be enough time to get back to everyone, but I still haven't fully caught up yet, so I'm still trying to throughout June, haha.

It's my fault for rambling so much xD but it doesn't help that I have the stupid curse of really wanting to talk to everyone, but at the same time have a teeny tiny social battery T_T And then June is a super busy month in general cos it's 30 Days Wild again, which means I'm trying to fundraise a bit for some of the local wildlife charities + signed up to help with a survey of moths in my local area :3 Aaaand, my brother needs escorting to a lot of different appointments, so I'm sort of trying to do juggling of responsibilities at the moment, haha. But I feel like I'm doing a really crap job at it x3 Anyways, I should probably shut up and just say that I hope you're doing well yourself + that you get to have a happy June ^-^

No worries! I'm pretty much out of the loop with everything myself xD I'm gonna be super duper lazy here since my arm is still broken, so apologies for that, but basically, I've had a couple of emails in the past asking the same question, so rather than type out something similar, I might as well just be lazy and copy/paste what I said before in an email reply to someone x3 And it's really nice of you to take the time to get in touch to let me know, btw! I appreciate it :3 The short(ish) answer is, I'm not part of the team who worked on that project, nor do I know any of the people involved in it, but it's okay because they haven't done anything wrong, we just both happen to be using the same sprite asset packs from an artist who sells assets. The main difference is that they're using them as they come, and I edited them in GIMP to avoid using the default versions. I'll put the longer version below :3 Thanks again and I hope April is going amazingly for you! (copy/paste begins here)

In this instance, it's all good. Basically, I can't draw to save my life, so any art that's in my games is either stuff that I've purchased in sprite and background asset packs (and then edited myself), or collaborations with awesome artists. 

All the sprites in Darling Duality are from a Japanese artist who sells their work in asset packs. But the trouble with asset packs is that if other people use the same sprites, then you'll have what looks like the same character in different games >.< That's one of the reasons why I always take the time to recolour my sprites in GIMP :3

So that blonde version of the sprite I used for Castor/ia that's on that page is basically the default way that the sprite comes when you buy the pack (and the outfits they've used are from a bonus wardrobe pack that I also own and plan to use in the future!) Even some of the other sprites in their screenshots are ones I own too from a different asset pack by the same artist. 

Most people seem to use them as they come. So even if I can't draw, I can at least make my versions of the sprites look more unique by recolouring them ^-^ It took a while with Castor/ia, but I feel like it's worth it. If you ever see the exact version I've used anywhere else, then it probably means it's stolen from my games because I spent ages making that particular mix of colours for the hair and clothes. It would be quite suspicious if someone managed to copy the exact colours I've used. 

I also own pretty much all of the background art assets they've used in their game too, haha. Background art assets are almost all by the same few artists, so a lot of indie games end up having the same backgrounds, especially from the Japanese artist known as Minikle. 

I've learned a lot about image editing over the years, so recolouring is quite fun + I can make my own UI assets nowadays too, but I still can't draw very well T_T haha. I always prefer to collaborate with artists when I can, like I did with my most recent release (Bitter/Sweet Blythe) where I got to work with my artist friend Lazy Polar Bear again :3 Cos it's always more fun to team up with people than working alone + it's always nice to have sprites that are 100% original. 

Anyways, thanks so much for reaching out :3 I hope you're having a great 2023 so far! (copy/paste ends here)

I'm sort of semi-back on my PC now, haha. The cast is still on (possibly coming off at the end of the month), but I can kind of sit at the desk and very slowly type on the keyboard! It's faster than using my phone at least x3 And I can just about move the mouse to do basic things, but it doesn't really go where I want it to xD I thought being forced to use my left hand to do things for this long would have built a bit more co-ordination with it, but it seems not, haha. Since it's a bit spoilery, I guess I'll say as such here in case anyone happens to see this and doesn't want spoilers, haha. 

Yeah, some of em can be nasty like that x3 That's a really good way of putting it too! I had it happen once or twice with a few different ones I took >.< It's weird when you think about it just how many ways meds can manifest similarly to yandere traits x3 and also quite scary that they can do so much damage to you when they're supposed to be helping!

Depending on the Blythe, they'd react differently because, with orange being much softer, they'd be less inclined to try and hurt you as a form of punishment. More likely they would attempt to be emotionally manipulative instead, making you feel rotten about forgetting them or spending less time with them. Whereas blue Blythe would have no qualms about causing you physical pain should you do something to displease them, and the worse part is, they'd think that it was doing you good, potentially even pleasurable for you in a twisted way, so they could easily wind up going too far without realising that they're actually doing more harm than good to you >.< It's not that blue Blythe is necessarily evil though, more like they just don't really understand or respect boundaries all that much because they have the messed up belief that they know exactly what's best for you, even if you try to tell them that they're wrong >.<" Under the right circumstances, you could make them understand, but it wouldn't be the easiest task, haha. Blue Blythe has the attitude of, well I like this, and I think this is great, and I'm here to help you, so I don't see why you wouldn't feel the same way. I'm here to save you, so just let me save you. If you try to say you don't like something, the first thing blue Blythe will assume is that you're lying. If you try to resist, they think you're just playing games with them. I hope you have a good day too, and that the rest of the April is awesome for you ^-^

That's really sweet of you :3 I can't lie, it's not great, haha. Everything feels so stiff and uncomfortable, and I managed to fall over trying to have a shower the other week, which only went and made things worse >.< haha. I really can't wait for the cast to come off. I had a checkup the other day, and the doctor said that it might be ready tome off at the end of April/start of May! And then I have to do physio to try and get some strength back in it x3 I'm just fed up more than anything because I don't like sitting around not being able to do stuff, and I don't like that my poor dad has to take over all my usual household chores and stuff when he's already tired after work because my brother refuses to help out. It's really not fair on my dad :( 

I've read a couple of books, and managed to binge the entirety of the His Dark Materials TV series xD And while I can't really position my laptop on me in a usable way, I can put my switch on the arm of the sofa and click 1 button for switch VNs, haha. So I've been playing a bit of Cafe Enchante awkwardly on there. I wouldn't say I'm madly in love with any of the characters, but I do love the world-building in it! It's the only VN I have on there though x3

Been watching all the lil birdies in the garden wishing I could go outside, haha. Just not in a great place atm cos not being able to properly distract myself, it means I'm being pestered by all my evil negative thoughts more often, and it's not fun x3

My dad did move some stuff out of the way the other day to help me try and sit at my PC again. It's super awkward to use a mouse and keyboard with one hand, and I can't control the mouse very well xD but I managed to edit my music video template and start making videos for the Bitter/Sweet OST, so that makes me feel a bit better that I've been sort of productive, even if not much :3 I'll be happy if I can get the first couple uploaded and manage to keep going with the rest.

I hope things are brighter for you atm at least :3 and that you got to have a happy Easter! Also hope your weekend is awesome <3

Thanks :3 Not gonna lie, I've been quite bored waiting on it to get better xD Mostly listened to some audiobooks + binged His Dark Materials TV series, haha. Managed to put my Switch on the arm of the sofa and play the only VN I own on it, Cafe Enchante, haha. I just hate not being able to do stuff or be of much help around the house >.<

Hehe, well, I'm sure I could probably say some stuff about blue Blythe that would put you off of them xD or maybe it wouldn't, who knows x3 like the fact that they would actually take your underwear, put it on, and parade around in it when you're not there >.< and spend time dreaming up different kinky costumes for you both to wear in random roleplay scenarios, haha.

Hope you have a great day yourself :3

Sooo, I'm pretty much out of action now that my arm is broken x3 but I thought I better post something because now that I'm not going to be able to respond to stuff promptly or properly, I wouldn't want anyone to think I was ignoring questions/comments and stuff >.< I did try to type out a bunch of replies slowly over this past week though that I'm currently spamming everywhere, haha.

Ngl, below is copy/pasted from my post on itch.io cos it would take me forever to try and reword what happened for each place I'm posting this x3 so yeah, cheating to make it easier, haha. The original post is here though if you happen to want to read that :3

Sooo, yeah, basically, last week, my right arm and wrist was broken in multiple places, rendering me largely out of action >.< I was walking into town for an appointment when someone on an electric scooter crashed into me at speed. The impact knocked me to the ground and I fell quite awkwardly. Along with multiple cuts and bruises, I managed to break my arm and wrist in the process, resulting in a trip to A&E where the Dr's gave me painkillers, took x-rays, and ultimately put my arm in a cast + gave me a sling as well. They said it could take around 6 weeks to heal, and that it may not necessarily heal 100% since I've broken the same arm in the past >.< (as a kid at school when I got stuck in something, waited for help, realised no one was coming, and attempted to free myself, haha.) 

The guy who hit me was very apologetic, but yeah, these scooters have become a bit of an epidemic in the town I live! Lots of people ride them really fast without considering pedestrians >.< I had a few close misses last year, and my dad and I even joked that someone is gonna get hurt one day! 

Typically, the arm that's out of action is my dominant arm >.> So I only have the use of my left hand at the moment, which I have awful co-ordination with x3 The only way I can type is by having my phone on a surface nearby and attempting to tap keys with my left hand's fingers, which is extremely slow, clumsy, and quickly exhausting because of the weird position I have to hold my body in. I did try text-to-speech, but it didn't work particularly well, so I'm a bit stuck for now, haha. 

Sometimes I wonder if the universe does stuff like this to force me to take breaks (no pun intended >.<) from game dev xD Though, it's not a very helpful break because sleeping is nigh impossible now x3

Anyways, since I'm going to be unable to respond to stuff promptly or properly anytime soon, I figured I'd take the time to try and type this up to at least explain what's going on :3 I hope you have a magnificent March <3

I'll answer this one by saying it kinda has spoilers, so if you see this and don't want any, don't read below x3

Both versions of Blythe would become more intense and powerful in that scenario, but, most likely blue Blythe would gain more from it than orange would. Orange may try to take advantage of the situation to dig in deeper with you, but blue Blythe would push you to do it more often to gain the upper hand over orange. Mainly just because blue Blythe is more closely associated to negative side effects x3

Orange Blythe certainly loves their bunny motif since rabbits are so important to MC and their main goal is to get closer to MC and make them happy :3 But yeah, if MC were to hyperfixate on something else, orange Blythe would most likely find a way to shift their appearance more in line with MC's new intense interest so that they can always remain relevant and in-tune with MC to the best of their ability :3

When Blythe enthusiastically asks if you like their look/ears, if you respond negatively, you can see poor Blythe is unimpressed, utterly crestfallen, and in disbelief that you could possibly disapprove when they put so much effort into constructing something you'd adore x3