so you meant that gian seemed to not really want to be intimate with bakshi that much even though he could be his type ?
concerning foreplay, even on bakshis side i think it was missing. I ll put it in spoiler but it doesnt really spoil anything, its just my opinion on this matter :
Idk about you guys but for ex i wouldve expected bakshi to want to lick gian all over kinda lol. Also, theres no way that Bakshi doesnt eat ass. I was surprised he didnt do it, considering this series gave us more than 1 character eating ass
What did you think of the drama cds? i didnt listen to everything but i remember some good moments still
In LD1 wiki it says
Alessandro Del Salto (Father)
Gelsomina Bourbon (Mother).
But still, i hate the trope where they give MC a bunch of father figures instead of one. And you have to guess which is the actual one, since both of them had something going on with his mom at some point...
ok so im not the only one whos confused lol. Gian doesnt look like any of them either so it doesnt help. Ill stick with the idea that his biological dad is alessandro but that ethan visited kid gian more often so he kinda started caring for him as a dad too especially since gian liked him. Unless someone has another take on that, if you do pls lmk
ive personnaly been really impressed by the art of the backgrounds and animations. I was reaally surprised to see sooo many things being animated, its so cool. Even backgrounds are kinda animated, because you see some lights of different corners flicking some times in the various rooms. And idk, i love to have a closeup of random stuff. Did i need to see that honey toast taking my whole screen? Certainly not, but it looks very tasty, so thank you. I also really like to see so many background characters having alt styles, it really reminds me of dmmd in that way. Art wise, im not really a fan of the charadesign of the main cast tho, but its mostly personal taste.
Just wanted to hop in state that Slow Damage has its own flaws (notably with its insincere depiction of gender dysphoria that left multiple fans sorely disappointed) but one thing it truly doesn't miss is with its art direction, the UI is incredible, creative and memorable, and it immediately sucks you into its worlds mood. I personally resonate a lot with Towa, and its really interesting to see this unconventional UI that really feels like its forcing you see the world through the main characters point of view.
Just wanted to hop in state that Slow Damage has its own flaws (notably with its insincere depiction of gender dysphoria that left multiple fans sorely disappointed) but one thing it truly doesn't miss is with its art direction, the UI is incredible, creative and memorable, and it immediately sucks you into its worlds mood. I personally resonate a lot with Towa, and its really interesting to see this unconventional UI that really feels like its forcing you see the world through the main characters point of view.
Its true that it helps getting into the story when you have a closeup of various things that the MC is seeing! Its a very good idea, and it adds a few pretty arts to look at!
for gender dysphoria :
would the description be inaccurate because rei isnt actually transgender but identifies as a cis male ? because if youre transgender having gender dysphoria if youre assigned male doesnt equal to wanting to cut your dick off, it would be too symplistic. Idk if you see what i mean? Or is it bad anyway whether rei is a cis person or a transgender person? Id be interested in hearing about this. (I am a cis person so i never experienced gender dysphoria.)
Well, I like different types of MCs, but only if they're written more or less like actual humans. In anime-like media there are mostly characters who fall under specific trope or type, and they never act outside of it. Like, if a character is tsundere, you will ALWAYS be able to predict his reaction to certain situations or interactions. Which makes that character more of a caricature. Just because he has a certain type or follows a certain trope doesn't mean he shouldn't have qualities that don't align with it. A serious character shouldn't always act like a robot, and a tsundere shouldn't scream and blush at every interaction. A well written character shouldn't be just a walking stereotype, yk.
Yeah, the main character is the most important part of any story to me. If i don't care about him then there's absolutely no point in reading or watching anything.
I don't think Towa is a stereotype though. He seems like a pretty thoughtful exploration of that particular kind of self-destructive people, which exists. If anything, I can't really detect any 'trope appeal' from him. Just because he's in a spiral of destruction and has no particular desire to get out of it doesn't mean that he's a cardboard cutout-----he's just an exploration of that. Usually writers would stick an appealing trait or two on the trashfire man character to make it more sympathetic to readers but they don't do it here, and I think that whether they failed or succeeded, they actually tried to do something *literary* with him.
I don't think Towa is a stereotype though. He seems like a pretty thoughtful exploration of that particular kind of self-destructive people, which exists. If anything, I can't really detect any 'trope appeal' from him. Just because he's in a spiral of destruction and has no particular desire to get out of it doesn't mean that he's a cardboard cutout-----he's just an exploration of that. Usually writers would stick an appealing trait or two on the trashfire man character to make it more sympathetic to readers but they don't do it here, and I think that whether they failed or succeeded, they actually tried to do something *literary* with him.
Well, to each their own i guess. I didn't really care about the vn that much tbh. Although It's popularity and mega positive reception baffled me a bit (i've seen a couple of negative reviews too, but still, most reviews rated the game very high). Though it's a Nitro vn so should've probably expected that ahaha.
I love Taishou Mebiusline and Tokyo Satsujinki! Secret: I actually translated the common route for Mebiusline a ways back when I was still using aarinfantasy lol. Looking back at it now gives me so much embarrassment.
I think the best part of HolicWorks stuff is that all their BL games written by this director/writer combo are actually set in the same universe, just different periods, so you constantly find little hints and nods to their previous games here and there. Not sure how they connected it to Tokyo 24ku since I was rolling my eyes too hard at the MC railing against the leftist political party in the opener while being a unrealized gay man (yes, I know politics work differently in Japan) to continue just yet, but I've heard that even that one is connected in some ways. Thematically it's so cool to see the progress of Japan and its youkai/arcane sorcerer societies through the ages.
Related to Tokyo 24-ku protagonist's convictions towards homosexuality, in Asuma's route:
He said that he wasn't against homosexuality and gave political interviews pro LGTBQ+ before. At least in that route his homosexual relationship didn't seem to clash with his political beliefs.
im surprised by this actually. Never seen a person playing a VN who wasnt an anime watcher before, thats why. I dont base myself on any study, just on what i have personally seen + even knowing what a visual novel was was only something anime fans knew. At least when i was in online communities years ago, so maybe that changed too
If its voiced, i know because i understand it. If its not voiced, then its because of the context that i know the subject wasnt good in MTL
I'm never been an anime watcher. I started with gender of choice/BL mobile games when I was a teenager then moved to BL computer games once I've gotten a computer. Tbh I might've gotten into BL animes as well under different circumstances but it just never happened for me to get fixated on any BL anime.
ok so ive started slow damage ! i played like approx 2 hours. For reference, where im currently at they just received flowers to the clinic for the second time. I met 2 LIs, but i have yet to meet the last one (or i met him but didnt realize he was a LI yet, ill see)
so far im really into it and curious where its heading to.
ive personnaly been really impressed by the art of the backgrounds and animations. I was reaally surprised to see sooo many things being animated, its so cool. Even backgrounds are kinda animated, because you see some lights of different corners flicking some times in the various rooms. And idk, i love to have a closeup of random stuff. Did i need to see that honey toast taking my whole screen? Certainly not, but it looks very tasty, so thank you. I also really like to see so many background characters having alt styles, it really reminds me of dmmd in that way. Art wise, im not really a fan of the charadesign of the main cast tho, but its mostly personal taste.
The 3 "friends" of Towa who are from his former gang remind me too much of Aoba, and the 2 Executioners from Togainu no Chi. Its obvious they were the inspo. Btw i think the guy with darker skin and white hair is attractive, charadesign-wise.
So far, i like Taku. As said in this thread ive never liked ossan LIs, but Taku seems genuinely nice so far. Lets see if ill still like their dynamics after, because ill be heading for his route unless the 3rd LI interests me more.
For Rei, Im currently really not interested in him, tho i do appreciate that for once we have a LI who we know is gay from the very start.
Towa... Is so edgy, its crazy. Sometimes too much for my liking, im same as you on that. But also he kinda reminds me of various people i met, either in real life or online. So i can see why apparently a lot of people have him as their profile pictures.
I do really appreciate that we have a character like that as a main, because i certainly didnt expect that. Man is full of scars and abuses substances every night to the point where he collapses on the streets. Also, im pleasantly surprised to see the MC being openly gay at the beginning. Not only are we told he is gay, we also are told he already had sex with men on various occasions and that he likes having sex without love. Thats a first time im seeing a MC like that in a BLVN.
Also, i see whay you meant when you said the official translation was full of zoomer language that had no business being here. Im playing the official eng translations, and some choices really are weird ? Like, why are so many words in CAPSLOCK while the character says it the same way as the rest of the sentence? I know what words are important in that sentence, i dont need you to write them bigger for me to understand that, thank you. The zoomer language is most prohemient when Rei is speaking, but to me they completely change what he is saying sometimes + the sentences dont convey the same feelings at all? I really dont understand these choices. On rare occasions i think the added slang fits, but most of the time it doesnt.
Concerning the game mechanics, i like that we can freely explore! I love how we get drawings as "clues" to help us remember important stuff. For now tho, i admit i have trouble knowing whats important or not, and if i need to interact with stuff or not. I earned like 3 colors on my palette, but no idea if it means im doing something good, if i found them all so far, if theres some i could have found but didint, if i need to click on them, etc. I dont really know whether the "positive" or "negative" options i had so far were important or not for the rest of the story (but i think not, if i remember the tutorial correctly then most of the time it doesnt matter much). Also, i do cringe a little whenever Towa says "positive" or "negative". I dont think voice acting that was necessary.
Whats kinda funny to me also is that, since sprites are animated all the time, if i just want a free cringe moment i just need to start a dialogue and not click on the rest of it, so that the characters end up to just blink in front of each other without saying anything, for however long i want this blank moment to last. Its kinda fun.
If you like openly gay protagonists you should try Tokyo Onmyouji, the protagonist's homosexuality is also acknowleged and he casually sleeps with men too at the start of the game (which includes half of his love interests). The art style can be rough around the edges imo but the writing's really good I'd say (tho the H scenes can still be pretty BL tropey which I wasn't a fan of).
If you like openly gay protagonists you should try Tokyo Onmyouji, the protagonist's homosexuality is also acknowleged and he casually sleeps with men too at the start of the game (which includes half of his love interests). The art style can be rough around the edges imo but the writing's really good I'd say (tho the H scenes can still be pretty BL tropey which I wasn't a fan of).
I finished Ivan's route last night! I'm loving the game, it's been a blast so far. I was surprised how tense some scenes made me, especially the trial for Gian and Ivan before the Luchino comes in clutch with the pics. That got me sweatin'. I think Im going to go through Bernardo's route next, then see who calls to me. But I'm so glad I finally started this game.
I also noticed, and this drove me nuts for a while trying to place it, that lucky dog uses a yelling sfx that also shows up in the 1998 point and click game Ring. I wonder if they used the same library or sampled the same clip for it. Either way, just a strange thing I noticed
I finished Ivan's route last night! I'm loving the game, it's been a blast so far. I was surprised how tense some scenes made me, especially the trial for Gian and Ivan before the Luchino comes in clutch with the pics. That got me sweatin'. I think Im going to go through Bernardo's route next, then see who calls to me. But I'm so glad I finally started this game.
I also noticed, and this drove me nuts for a while trying to place it, that lucky dog uses a yelling sfx that also shows up in the 1998 point and click game Ring. I wonder if they used the same library or sampled the same clip for it. Either way, just a strange thing I noticed
yay!!! its quite entertaining to see gian and ivan interact. in ivans route i love these scenes :
the constant teasing from gian especially about ivans fav book (i just realized it was an existing book btw), the very end with both of them falling on the boat and the fight scene before that, the kissing in the car, and their H scene in ivans hideout is one of the best in the game imo. Idk how i feel about the scene where ivan is jealous when picturing gian having sex with all the other capos, but it for sure left an impression. I also love everytime Ivan spoke about the organization having an obession with being "pure italian", and the scene where ivan gives a speech to his troops to motivate them really hyped me so much. It showed us his leader side.
did you do ivans bad end too ?
Def let us know once youre done with the next route!
ah yeah i remember the game having a lot of "free for use" sfx haha, especially the laughing sound effect, made me feel like i was in an old TV comedy show (for better or for worse lol)
yay!!! its quite entertaining to see gian and ivan interact. in ivans route i love these scenes :
the constant teasing from gian especially about ivans fav book (i just realized it was an existing book btw), the very end with both of them falling on the boat and the fight scene before that, the kissing in the car, and their H scene in ivans hideout is one of the best in the game imo. Idk how i feel about the scene where ivan is jealous when picturing gian having sex with all the other capos, but it for sure left an impression. I also love everytime Ivan spoke about the organization having an obession with being "pure italian", and the scene where ivan gives a speech to his troops to motivate them really hyped me so much. It showed us his leader side.
did you do ivans bad end too ?
Def let us know once youre done with the next route!
ah yeah i remember the game having a lot of "free for use" sfx haha, especially the laughing sound effect, made me feel like i was in an old TV comedy show (for better or for worse lol)
Gian's teasing was so fun. I really liked the tension between them when Gian would go almost too far and really piss Ivan off, but then over time he gets less truly angry about it. But they still poke and tease each other all the time <3 My fav H scene was the one in the car where Gian initiates. Flustered Ivan is so good. But I also liked how Gian gets to clearly show he's interested being something with Ivan, in his own way. For one beautiful moment I though Gian was going to top lol. Maybe in my dreams... Ivan's speech was great! It was such a hype moment for the climax and really emphasized just how important Ivan was and how strong a leader he is.
Yep I got to do his bad end too
And wow. Seeing Gian be so cruel and aggressive with him, after all they've been through hurt. And I played it right after the neutral end so it hurt extra bad. Im so used to blvn bad ends being cruel to the mc, that seeing it switched around like that was a surprise. A good one, it was pretty refreshing after I got through the initial heartbreak for Ivan. It also really drove home how much power and influence Ivan had in the CR-5 yet until this ending, wanted to use it to better the family despite how they treated him. And after all that Ivan still couldn't bring himself to kill Gian
So glad I saved his best ending for last as a palette cleanser. I'll definitely report back once I can get through the next route.
Omg, the laughing one was so funny and strange. I laughed every time they used it.
Gian's teasing was so fun. I really liked the tension between them when Gian would go almost too far and really piss Ivan off, but then over time he gets less truly angry about it. But they still poke and tease each other all the time <3 My fav H scene was the one in the car where Gian initiates. Flustered Ivan is so good. But I also liked how Gian gets to clearly show he's interested being something with Ivan, in his own way. For one beautiful moment I though Gian was going to top lol. Maybe in my dreams... Ivan's speech was great! It was such a hype moment for the climax and really emphasized just how important Ivan was and how strong a leader he is.
Yep I got to do his bad end too
And wow. Seeing Gian be so cruel and aggressive with him, after all they've been through hurt. And I played it right after the neutral end so it hurt extra bad. Im so used to blvn bad ends being cruel to the mc, that seeing it switched around like that was a surprise. A good one, it was pretty refreshing after I got through the initial heartbreak for Ivan. It also really drove home how much power and influence Ivan had in the CR-5 yet until this ending, wanted to use it to better the family despite how they treated him. And after all that Ivan still couldn't bring himself to kill Gian
So glad I saved his best ending for last as a palette cleanser. I'll definitely report back once I can get through the next route.
Omg, the laughing one was so funny and strange. I laughed every time they used it.
Saaaame i thought gian was going to top!! I wouldve loved that. Ivan has too much toxic masculinity to accept bottoming but he has bottom potential, i could see Gian and Ivan switching. I also liked the fact that Gian initiated and was in control. Also idk if you got those scenes in the prison but Gian has a good top potential.
His bad end is amazing ! The whole bottle of champagne thing is so smart. It was heartbreaking to see everyone dying but the ending was good. ALso, i do appreciate that in this ending Gian is truly mad at Ivan for sexually assaulting him, because i thought their whole first H scene wasnt realistic and i thought it was so weird that Gian was just "cool" with what happened... Never once does he calls out Ivan on that. That scene and its lack of consequences really makes their pairing less likeable for me especially since the beginning of the H scene is quite violent.
The laughing sound effect is part of the charm of this game, with the powerpoint transitions haha. The contrast with the plot, the writing and characters being so good + LD1 being a pillar blvn AND how amateur some game elements are is truly fun to see
Saaaame i thought gian was going to top!! I wouldve loved that. Ivan has too much toxic masculinity to accept bottoming but he has bottom potential, i could see Gian and Ivan switching. I also liked the fact that Gian initiated and was in control. Also idk if you got those scenes in the prison but Gian has a good top potential.
His bad end is amazing ! The whole bottle of champagne thing is so smart. It was heartbreaking to see everyone dying but the ending was good. ALso, i do appreciate that in this ending Gian is truly mad at Ivan for sexually assaulting him, because i thought their whole first H scene wasnt realistic and i thought it was so weird that Gian was just "cool" with what happened... Never once does he calls out Ivan on that. That scene and its lack of consequences really makes their pairing less likeable for me especially since the beginning of the H scene is quite violent.
The laughing sound effect is part of the charm of this game, with the powerpoint transitions haha. The contrast with the plot, the writing and characters being so good + LD1 being a pillar blvn AND how amateur some game elements are is truly fun to see
You share my vision of top Gian. I haven't gotten to the prison scenes yet, but now I'm intrigued. He's got such potential for interesting power dynamics considering his place as lowest on the totem, but next in line to be boss. I would have liked if they played with that a little more, though maybe they do on a different route. As for the bad end, it was refreshing to see a character actually stay mad about being assaulted in a blvn. Their first scene caught me so off guard since it was basically an echo of the Bernardo's h scene in the house while theyre on the run. I was literally like, its happening again?? Poor Gian goes through so much.
The game's got so much charm. I see how it became such a pillar in the space. I love the look and feel of older vn's that are rough around the edges.
You share my vision of top Gian. I haven't gotten to the prison scenes yet, but now I'm intrigued. He's got such potential for interesting power dynamics considering his place as lowest on the totem, but next in line to be boss. I would have liked if they played with that a little more, though maybe they do on a different route. As for the bad end, it was refreshing to see a character actually stay mad about being assaulted in a blvn. Their first scene caught me so off guard since it was basically an echo of the Bernardo's h scene in the house while theyre on the run. I was literally like, its happening again?? Poor Gian goes through so much.
The game's got so much charm. I see how it became such a pillar in the space. I love the look and feel of older vn's that are rough around the edges.
Im especially thinking about 1 prison scene. Once youll get it youll know which one im talking about!
Yeah, but i just wished that Gian stayed mad even in the good end yk? Like, in the good end he doesnt talk about that at all and isnt even feeling uneasy around Ivan or anything... While in the bernardo scene youre referring to he at least got mad at Bernardo. Btw i got that scene too in my first playthrough while i was aiming for Luchino (but since i picked several choices that were "be woried about bernardo" i still got that scene ig) and i was like uh?? This much assault already ? I thought them snuggling together was very cute so it was even more disappointing especially since they made Gian been flustered and aroused by it, so the writers could have made it a consensual intimate moment. I love LD1 but unfortunately theres so many assault scenes.
Im especially thinking about 1 prison scene. Once youll get it youll know which one im talking about!
Yeah, but i just wished that Gian stayed mad even in the good end yk? Like, in the good end he doesnt talk about that at all and isnt even feeling uneasy around Ivan or anything... While in the bernardo scene youre referring to he at least got mad at Bernardo. Btw i got that scene too in my first playthrough while i was aiming for Luchino (but since i picked several choices that were "be woried about bernardo" i still got that scene ig) and i was like uh?? This much assault already ? I thought them snuggling together was very cute so it was even more disappointing especially since they made Gian been flustered and aroused by it, so the writers could have made it a consensual intimate moment. I love LD1 but unfortunately theres so many assault scenes.
I got some more time to play tonight and you're right, I definitely knew when I got there lol. The emotional high of top Gian was immediately shot down by forcing everyone to stand around and watch I get you about his good end. It might have been nice to let them have a proper fight after Gian's feelings finally boil over so they can work it out. Maybe an emotional fist fight ala Rei/Towa. I didn't realize the Bernardo scene didn't happen on every route! Though to be fair, I'm used to games that are a bit more static in their scenes, where events before the route split are the same every time. Looking back at my scores he was in my second slot after Ivan. Do the other guys get a scene there instead if they have a higher score or is it just if Bernardo likes you enough? LD1 is certainly getting up there for non-bad ending assault scenes in the list of vn's I've played, enough so that I was surprsied it didn't happen in Ivan's bad end tbh.
I got some more time to play tonight and you're right, I definitely knew when I got there lol. The emotional high of top Gian was immediately shot down by forcing everyone to stand around and watch I get you about his good end. It might have been nice to let them have a proper fight after Gian's feelings finally boil over so they can work it out. Maybe an emotional fist fight ala Rei/Towa. I didn't realize the Bernardo scene didn't happen on every route! Though to be fair, I'm used to games that are a bit more static in their scenes, where events before the route split are the same every time. Looking back at my scores he was in my second slot after Ivan. Do the other guys get a scene there instead if they have a higher score or is it just if Bernardo likes you enough? LD1 is certainly getting up there for non-bad ending assault scenes in the list of vn's I've played, enough so that I was surprsied it didn't happen in Ivan's bad end tbh.
Gian repeatedly slapping Lloyds butt was something that got me shook and made me laugh so much especially since we hear the slapping sounds. What did you think of this scene ? And idk about you but i can 100% picture Gian doing something like that while topping Ivan lmao
Yep, we needed Gian and Ivan fighting
Btw, Ivan saying stuff along the lines of "i would never touch a woman without her consent" BUT assaulting Gian on several occasions doesnt sit right with me. Is it okay to ra/pe Gian because he isnt a woman? But also he constantly calls gian misogynistic and homophobic slurs to imply that he is "like a woman" so idk what his deal is. I mean, Ivan is a very interesting character and has a lot of internalized homophobia, but idk if his double standards concerning SA is something thats intentional or if its just an incoherence.
Yes, to be precise every LI has 2 scenes you can get during the time they sleep on the hut. Im not sure but i think bernardo is the only one where you can get only 1 scene out of the 2 and no scene from anyone else. For the others, i think you get both scenes. I think that you need to have been fully on one LIs back to get their scenes (for Bernardo only if you want his second scene), and Luchinos depends on another thing (thats why i didnt get it even though i was on his tracks all the time). I guess its no need warning you but almost all these scenes have at least a few SA moments...
Like, they are mafia men and the story takes place in the 1930s so everyone (Gian included) not being good consent wise is something i can truly understand, but at the same time Gian is always reacting in a VERY unrealistic way about it which pisses me off.
Gian repeatedly slapping Lloyds butt was something that got me shook and made me laugh so much especially since we hear the slapping sounds. What did you think of this scene ? And idk about you but i can 100% picture Gian doing something like that while topping Ivan lmao
Yep, we needed Gian and Ivan fighting
Btw, Ivan saying stuff along the lines of "i would never touch a woman without her consent" BUT assaulting Gian on several occasions doesnt sit right with me. Is it okay to ra/pe Gian because he isnt a woman? But also he constantly calls gian misogynistic and homophobic slurs to imply that he is "like a woman" so idk what his deal is. I mean, Ivan is a very interesting character and has a lot of internalized homophobia, but idk if his double standards concerning SA is something thats intentional or if its just an incoherence.
Yes, to be precise every LI has 2 scenes you can get during the time they sleep on the hut. Im not sure but i think bernardo is the only one where you can get only 1 scene out of the 2 and no scene from anyone else. For the others, i think you get both scenes. I think that you need to have been fully on one LIs back to get their scenes (for Bernardo only if you want his second scene), and Luchinos depends on another thing (thats why i didnt get it even though i was on his tracks all the time). I guess its no need warning you but almost all these scenes have at least a few SA moments...
Like, they are mafia men and the story takes place in the 1930s so everyone (Gian included) not being good consent wise is something i can truly understand, but at the same time Gian is always reacting in a VERY unrealistic way about it which pisses me off.
The slapping sent me. Tying it to the dialogue box so the player get to slap him was such a choice lol. The scene was a ton of fun, the combo of the slaps and everyone standing around was so funny. Gian was really great though, seeing his more dominant side got me thinking of all the possibilities for the other LI's. If Ivan let him, Gian would destroy him >:).
I think some of it might be that Ivan sees Gian as an equal. The women in his turf are under his care and women in general as a part of omerta so its against his principles. But Gian is a man and a fellow capi, so all bets are off. Thats what Ivan desperately needed, an equal in the family. Not to excuse how he treated Gian, but thats why I think he might have been okay with assaulting Gian, but not a woman. Im not sure if given the opportunity, he would assault a different man.
Two per guy! That means Im missing one of Ivan's... Im gonna have to grab it when I start doing choice recovery.
Gian really has that blvn protag attitude about it... It really would be nice to have a protag that actually got mad and stayed mad. I wonder if there are any games that have that?
The slapping sent me. Tying it to the dialogue box so the player get to slap him was such a choice lol. The scene was a ton of fun, the combo of the slaps and everyone standing around was so funny. Gian was really great though, seeing his more dominant side got me thinking of all the possibilities for the other LI's. If Ivan let him, Gian would destroy him >:).
I think some of it might be that Ivan sees Gian as an equal. The women in his turf are under his care and women in general as a part of omerta so its against his principles. But Gian is a man and a fellow capi, so all bets are off. Thats what Ivan desperately needed, an equal in the family. Not to excuse how he treated Gian, but thats why I think he might have been okay with assaulting Gian, but not a woman. Im not sure if given the opportunity, he would assault a different man.
Two per guy! That means Im missing one of Ivan's... Im gonna have to grab it when I start doing choice recovery.
Gian really has that blvn protag attitude about it... It really would be nice to have a protag that actually got mad and stayed mad. I wonder if there are any games that have that?
(if people are afraid to click on the spoilers, we are still talking about Ivans route in the og LD1 game)
oh omg i remember the slaps were tied to the dialogue box hahahaha thats such a good idea actually. Well thats probably also why Ivan doesnt let Gian top him because he knows he wouldnt go nice on him. Ivan is already loosing the battle of witts, so he doesnt want gian to out-top him too
ahh i see it indeed makes sense now that youve wrote it!! still made me mad but yeah
Im assuming he could go for another man, under a few conditions : being more "feminine" than him (because of his toxic masculinity and repressed same sex attirance possibility) and also liking him. Also, to me Ivan speaking about his former "pal" who betrayed him sounded like a betrayal from his lover, the way he talked about it and how it affected him. I was quite sure about the sexual orientation of each capo except Ivan, because idk if he was bi, gay or "bicurious" (its not a sexual orientation but whatever). Apparently, he is gay but very closeted and it could make sense.
oh you only had one scene of Ivan??? which one was it ? i assumed these could only go in pair haha
Huuum idk any game like that unfortunately. I also wish SA was less common in blvns
(if people are afraid to click on the spoilers, we are still talking about Ivans route in the og LD1 game)
oh omg i remember the slaps were tied to the dialogue box hahahaha thats such a good idea actually. Well thats probably also why Ivan doesnt let Gian top him because he knows he wouldnt go nice on him. Ivan is already loosing the battle of witts, so he doesnt want gian to out-top him too
ahh i see it indeed makes sense now that youve wrote it!! still made me mad but yeah
Im assuming he could go for another man, under a few conditions : being more "feminine" than him (because of his toxic masculinity and repressed same sex attirance possibility) and also liking him. Also, to me Ivan speaking about his former "pal" who betrayed him sounded like a betrayal from his lover, the way he talked about it and how it affected him. I was quite sure about the sexual orientation of each capo except Ivan, because idk if he was bi, gay or "bicurious" (its not a sexual orientation but whatever). Apparently, he is gay but very closeted and it could make sense.
oh you only had one scene of Ivan??? which one was it ? i assumed these could only go in pair haha
Huuum idk any game like that unfortunately. I also wish SA was less common in blvns
Sorry its just been blocks of spoiler tags, I've got a lot of thoughts about Ivan lol.
Lol, a single top-Gian encounter would leave Ivan emotionally devastated. He could never come back from it. I need to see it.
I can definitely see him going for another guy if they checked those boxes, but it'd be tough. Ivan is such a paranoid guy that there would need to be a lot of trust before he could even start thinking about that possibility. The prison break really helped to kick start that with Gian. I didn't catch that about his "pal" when I played, but it makes total sense! I can see a past where they were "together" and Ivan was in denial about it because he "wasn't gay" and didn't know how to process his feelings. After the betrayal Ivan might have internalized it as a punishment for his feelings and pushed himself deeper back in the closet. I would love to see an exploration of a younger Ivan during that time. Actually I'd love to get some more from everyone when they were younger, I hope they do at least for Luchino and Bernardo as the older guys with more history.
Honestly I'm not even sure now that I got one? I got the scene of Ivan crankin' it night one then Bernardo goes in for the cuddle. But then on my run of Bernardo's route, I got the same scene even though the second highest LI's affections was Luchino. Unless they use the same scene for both of them? But I definitely didn't get one from him night two. That's probably my fault, I wasn't following a guide and didn't pick all the optimal choices. I just went back to double check and yep, I'm missing Ivan's first two events in the extras. I'll have to go back and grab those.
Sorry its just been blocks of spoiler tags, I've got a lot of thoughts about Ivan lol.
Lol, a single top-Gian encounter would leave Ivan emotionally devastated. He could never come back from it. I need to see it.
I can definitely see him going for another guy if they checked those boxes, but it'd be tough. Ivan is such a paranoid guy that there would need to be a lot of trust before he could even start thinking about that possibility. The prison break really helped to kick start that with Gian. I didn't catch that about his "pal" when I played, but it makes total sense! I can see a past where they were "together" and Ivan was in denial about it because he "wasn't gay" and didn't know how to process his feelings. After the betrayal Ivan might have internalized it as a punishment for his feelings and pushed himself deeper back in the closet. I would love to see an exploration of a younger Ivan during that time. Actually I'd love to get some more from everyone when they were younger, I hope they do at least for Luchino and Bernardo as the older guys with more history.
Honestly I'm not even sure now that I got one? I got the scene of Ivan crankin' it night one then Bernardo goes in for the cuddle. But then on my run of Bernardo's route, I got the same scene even though the second highest LI's affections was Luchino. Unless they use the same scene for both of them? But I definitely didn't get one from him night two. That's probably my fault, I wasn't following a guide and didn't pick all the optimal choices. I just went back to double check and yep, I'm missing Ivan's first two events in the extras. I'll have to go back and grab those.
nw i have plenty of stuff to say about ivan and ld1 in general hahahaha
yes, ivan would need to trust the guy too! Its true that the betrayal maybe pushed him deeper in the closet. Ivan wishes for a "pal" but his description of what a "pal" is is a lifelong partner. Thats probably his way of dealing with his homosexuality while staying in denial
from what i remember, theres 1/2 short stories in LD1 Secret Diary which feature younger Luchino and Bernardo. I dont remember for Ivan tho so i dont think so? or its lighter.
haha well, Ivan faps in ALL the routes. So yeah its not one of his scenes. I also didnt use any guide, so in the end of the game the scenes i was missing were all scenes from the hut! I only used a guide here, to help me get them faster (and to get Luchinos best end too)
nw i have plenty of stuff to say about ivan and ld1 in general hahahaha
yes, ivan would need to trust the guy too! Its true that the betrayal maybe pushed him deeper in the closet. Ivan wishes for a "pal" but his description of what a "pal" is is a lifelong partner. Thats probably his way of dealing with his homosexuality while staying in denial
from what i remember, theres 1/2 short stories in LD1 Secret Diary which feature younger Luchino and Bernardo. I dont remember for Ivan tho so i dont think so? or its lighter.
haha well, Ivan faps in ALL the routes. So yeah its not one of his scenes. I also didnt use any guide, so in the end of the game the scenes i was missing were all scenes from the hut! I only used a guide here, to help me get them faster (and to get Luchinos best end too)
How are the other games? I feel like I've heard mixed things about them, but Im not sure how much stock I should put it that. Still, I'm looking forward to learning more about Luchino and Bernardo. Luchino specifically has been such an enigma to me so far. I feel like I can't get a clear read on him and his whole deal yet. Once I finish Bernardo I'll be doing his route next (I just hit day three in Daivan.) Sorry Giulio... you'll have to be last.
lmao, why am I not surprised? Glad I'm not the only one that missed some cabin scenes first time through. I love how varied the common route can be. I dont see a lot of blvns that have this much variety. Its given some value/fun back to replaying to get to a new route.
How are the other games? I feel like I've heard mixed things about them, but Im not sure how much stock I should put it that. Still, I'm looking forward to learning more about Luchino and Bernardo. Luchino specifically has been such an enigma to me so far. I feel like I can't get a clear read on him and his whole deal yet. Once I finish Bernardo I'll be doing his route next (I just hit day three in Daivan.) Sorry Giulio... you'll have to be last.
lmao, why am I not surprised? Glad I'm not the only one that missed some cabin scenes first time through. I love how varied the common route can be. I dont see a lot of blvns that have this much variety. Its given some value/fun back to replaying to get to a new route.
One of the great things about LD1 is that all routes are different/have another scenario !!! I think its so much more entertaining than games where theres 1 scenario and you just pick with who you get to see it. It becomes boring if you have to do the same scenario several times even if you have new elements/characters. And yes even the common route has several different happenings ! Even in the prison.
Luchino is my absolute fav so id be curious to know what youll think of him! I was shocked to know he wasnt the most popular haha
Okay let me tell you about the other games :
Luckydog1 Bad egg : the second main game. Its an alternative universe story + has the after story of all the capos. Its a MUST play!!! Its considered one of the best BL games out here. It has the best scenario ive seen in any BL game and it would def be a very popular shonen/seinen series if it wasnt a BL. The main story only has 1 LI tho so its up to you whether you like him or not.
LD1 secret diary (divided in 2 games : L and F) : its in between a main game and a spin off. Its various short stories (mostly independent from each other even if some reference previous short stories). It has no voice acting unfortunately so its harder to get into it. Its not a must play since you can perfectly understand LD1 Bad egg without having played secret diary, even tho its supposed to come before Bad egg. Its still a game that i consider very worth trying out if you want to have more content. The short stories themselves vary a lot in content and in quality. Some are direct continuations of the main game and either follow 1 specific capo route or follow the "neutral route" where Gian is capo but isnt in a relationship with any of the LIs. Some stories show us how much of a good capo Gian can be, and some show us how Gian and his lover live their relationship while Gian is the capo (so its an after story). Theres a few stories that are longer than others that are very scenario oriented where you get to see Gian truly shine as a boss!!! Some stories are pure fanservice too and have no real plot or are alternative universes. Like, you have stories where Gian goes to see each capo for valentines day and they thirst over him, and you also have stories where they are in the 21st century, stuff like that. Theres H scenes too, but not in every story (the ones with H scenes are marked in red and non H stories are in blue if i remember well). You also get to see moments of the capos before they met Gian. Also, you dont have to read every short stories : i didnt read the ones that i thought wouldnt interest me. Basically, theres stories for every taste and every expectation. I would def recommend playing a few of them!!
So, the 2 important games are Bad egg and Secret diary. But theres also other games that are mini-games/fanservice. Here they are :
Giancarlos Lucky happy life : this is a fanservice game and is a boardgame. BUT ! Its the only fanservice game that i would recommend. First, it has voice acting !!!! And you have plenty of new cgs with short scenes that accompany them, and all are voiced. So you can get new cute content voiced and new H scenes that are voiced. Most scenes are alternative universe scenes tho, even if a few arent. Beware tho, idk why but like half of the H scenes are non con.... Concerning the boardgame, well... Its hard as hell so def dont play it without cheats. The boardgame is the way to grind and to unlock the small scenes and cgs. You can find the cgs online as a pack, but youd miss on the voice acting and the stories that accompany them so its a shame.
Gian no tame nara sekai who kowasu : its a pure fanserv game where you unlock cgs and scenes that are all kinda lewd. Its not voiced tho and most of the happenings are out of character. You can also add elements to the cgs : do you want to have gian tied to the chair or not ? do you want bernardo to wear a cop hat or not ? This kind of stuff. Its really for gooning only. The mini game itself is easy and you can cheat and you can basically speedrun it. Its only worth playing if you want to see more lewd cgs and mini scenes.
Rakido mania : its a VERY hard quizz game so i dont recommend playing it. The main purpose of the game is that you can unlock unreleased cgs and 6 scenes per character (but its a few lines and its not voiced, but the cgs are cute). Its not worth playing because of how hard it is, and you can find all the unlockable elements (including the scenes with text) in fanbooks.
Mr. Giancarlo the boss : this one is the most recent game, its from 2024 i think? if you play it it needs to be after Bad egg because some stories have some characters which are only in Bad egg. Its the first game where no one from the usual team is implicated, and its the only game where Yura didnt draw the characters and cgs. Its short stories, and its not voiced. The chara designs arent "bad" but its the least good of the bunch. All the stories are fanservice stuff like the capos preparing a christmas dinner for Gian, stuff like that. But theres 3 "added scenario" stories that are more plot oriented. Nothing very important tho, i didnt really find anything that worth it. I enjoyed a few stories which were H scene oriented tho and some cgs are good. Ngl i mostly skipped to the end of the stories most of the time to get the cg that accompany the story (even if some stories dont have any cg). Theres no "extra" section where you can see all your unlocked cgs so i had to get out of my way to save them in a word document lmao. Theres a few cute moments tho but besides that its not really worth it.
Oh and theres also a switch version of LD1 which isnt R18. I dont recommend it because the H scenes were just deleted and not replaced, so it leads to some mischaracterizations and some scenes just mean completely something else the way they are cut. Like, i remember that some consenting scenes in the og game appeared non con in the switch ver with the way they cut it, and some non con scenes appeared consented so it changes A LOT. And theres good character moments and romantic moments that just dont appear anymore since they were in a H scene even tho the moment could have been rewritten. Whats good tho is that you get like 3 new cgs per capo and some are very beautiful. Some moments that didnt get cgs in the og game get to have one in the switch ver. Some H moments in the hut had the H cg replaced with a lewd cg but not H which is good too. But the switch ver isnt worth it.
So !!!! Bad egg is def a game to play. I really recommend Secret Diary too ! As a fanserv game Gian lucky happy life is the best one and is voiced. For the others, you can let them be unless you are like me and was desperate for more content.
One of the great things about LD1 is that all routes are different/have another scenario !!! I think its so much more entertaining than games where theres 1 scenario and you just pick with who you get to see it. It becomes boring if you have to do the same scenario several times even if you have new elements/characters. And yes even the common route has several different happenings ! Even in the prison.
Luchino is my absolute fav so id be curious to know what youll think of him! I was shocked to know he wasnt the most popular haha
Okay let me tell you about the other games :
Luckydog1 Bad egg : the second main game. Its an alternative universe story + has the after story of all the capos. Its a MUST play!!! Its considered one of the best BL games out here. It has the best scenario ive seen in any BL game and it would def be a very popular shonen/seinen series if it wasnt a BL. The main story only has 1 LI tho so its up to you whether you like him or not.
LD1 secret diary (divided in 2 games : L and F) : its in between a main game and a spin off. Its various short stories (mostly independent from each other even if some reference previous short stories). It has no voice acting unfortunately so its harder to get into it. Its not a must play since you can perfectly understand LD1 Bad egg without having played secret diary, even tho its supposed to come before Bad egg. Its still a game that i consider very worth trying out if you want to have more content. The short stories themselves vary a lot in content and in quality. Some are direct continuations of the main game and either follow 1 specific capo route or follow the "neutral route" where Gian is capo but isnt in a relationship with any of the LIs. Some stories show us how much of a good capo Gian can be, and some show us how Gian and his lover live their relationship while Gian is the capo (so its an after story). Theres a few stories that are longer than others that are very scenario oriented where you get to see Gian truly shine as a boss!!! Some stories are pure fanservice too and have no real plot or are alternative universes. Like, you have stories where Gian goes to see each capo for valentines day and they thirst over him, and you also have stories where they are in the 21st century, stuff like that. Theres H scenes too, but not in every story (the ones with H scenes are marked in red and non H stories are in blue if i remember well). You also get to see moments of the capos before they met Gian. Also, you dont have to read every short stories : i didnt read the ones that i thought wouldnt interest me. Basically, theres stories for every taste and every expectation. I would def recommend playing a few of them!!
So, the 2 important games are Bad egg and Secret diary. But theres also other games that are mini-games/fanservice. Here they are :
Giancarlos Lucky happy life : this is a fanservice game and is a boardgame. BUT ! Its the only fanservice game that i would recommend. First, it has voice acting !!!! And you have plenty of new cgs with short scenes that accompany them, and all are voiced. So you can get new cute content voiced and new H scenes that are voiced. Most scenes are alternative universe scenes tho, even if a few arent. Beware tho, idk why but like half of the H scenes are non con.... Concerning the boardgame, well... Its hard as hell so def dont play it without cheats. The boardgame is the way to grind and to unlock the small scenes and cgs. You can find the cgs online as a pack, but youd miss on the voice acting and the stories that accompany them so its a shame.
Gian no tame nara sekai who kowasu : its a pure fanserv game where you unlock cgs and scenes that are all kinda lewd. Its not voiced tho and most of the happenings are out of character. You can also add elements to the cgs : do you want to have gian tied to the chair or not ? do you want bernardo to wear a cop hat or not ? This kind of stuff. Its really for gooning only. The mini game itself is easy and you can cheat and you can basically speedrun it. Its only worth playing if you want to see more lewd cgs and mini scenes.
Rakido mania : its a VERY hard quizz game so i dont recommend playing it. The main purpose of the game is that you can unlock unreleased cgs and 6 scenes per character (but its a few lines and its not voiced, but the cgs are cute). Its not worth playing because of how hard it is, and you can find all the unlockable elements (including the scenes with text) in fanbooks.
Mr. Giancarlo the boss : this one is the most recent game, its from 2024 i think? if you play it it needs to be after Bad egg because some stories have some characters which are only in Bad egg. Its the first game where no one from the usual team is implicated, and its the only game where Yura didnt draw the characters and cgs. Its short stories, and its not voiced. The chara designs arent "bad" but its the least good of the bunch. All the stories are fanservice stuff like the capos preparing a christmas dinner for Gian, stuff like that. But theres 3 "added scenario" stories that are more plot oriented. Nothing very important tho, i didnt really find anything that worth it. I enjoyed a few stories which were H scene oriented tho and some cgs are good. Ngl i mostly skipped to the end of the stories most of the time to get the cg that accompany the story (even if some stories dont have any cg). Theres no "extra" section where you can see all your unlocked cgs so i had to get out of my way to save them in a word document lmao. Theres a few cute moments tho but besides that its not really worth it.
Oh and theres also a switch version of LD1 which isnt R18. I dont recommend it because the H scenes were just deleted and not replaced, so it leads to some mischaracterizations and some scenes just mean completely something else the way they are cut. Like, i remember that some consenting scenes in the og game appeared non con in the switch ver with the way they cut it, and some non con scenes appeared consented so it changes A LOT. And theres good character moments and romantic moments that just dont appear anymore since they were in a H scene even tho the moment could have been rewritten. Whats good tho is that you get like 3 new cgs per capo and some are very beautiful. Some moments that didnt get cgs in the og game get to have one in the switch ver. Some H moments in the hut had the H cg replaced with a lewd cg but not H which is good too. But the switch ver isnt worth it.
So !!!! Bad egg is def a game to play. I really recommend Secret Diary too ! As a fanserv game Gian lucky happy life is the best one and is voiced. For the others, you can let them be unless you are like me and was desperate for more content.
I'll be sure to report back after I finish each route. I'm looking forward to getting to Luchino. I'm a little bummed that I haven't seen much of him yet in the other routes, but thats to be expected I guess. I always feel like I pick a fav and then learn that he's the least popular of the bunch. <---one of like five Bardo fans in the world
This write up is perfect, thank you!!!! All the details of game play, voice acting, types of scenes, oocness, you're my hero! I'm going to be pulling this up a bunch once I finish LD1. I had no clue where I was going to go once I finished tbh. This has saved me so much searching and guesswork.
I didn't know that Bad Egg was a alternate universe. I just assumed it was extended endings. But to hear there's a different story and LI, I'm intrigued. I'll definitely be playing that and Secret Diary. It's pretty wild to see this much bonus content for BL. What I wouldn't give for other games to have half this much extra... But it's nice to see that I can dig myself even deeper into the LD pit lol.
I get you about his good end. It might have been nice to let them have a proper fight after Gian's feelings finally boil over so they can work it out. Maybe an emotional fist fight ala Rei/Towa. I didn't realize the Bernardo scene didn't happen on every route! Though to be fair, I'm used to games that are a bit more static in their scenes, where events before the route split are the same every time. Looking back at my scores he was in my second slot after Ivan. Do the other guys get a scene there instead if they have a higher score or is it just if Bernardo likes you enough? LD1 is certainly getting up there for non-bad ending assault scenes in the list of vn's I've played, enough so that I was surprsied it didn't happen in Ivan's bad end tbh.
<---one of like five Bardo fans in the world