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edit: update on previous page During the wait for the last set of episodes to drop, I hung out in the dev team's Discord for a bit, up until this episode dropped. When it did, the main developer did a Q&A on an Exit/Corners subreddit, and I asked a question there. quote:Me: It felt when Nolan was answering questions to Ink about the game and CORNERS, that it was you talking about making the game, in a way. Was that intentional ("This isn't the first 'death game' as you put it" is a way of acknowledging Zero Escape's influence on this, talking about subcontracting menial parts... like art, etc.)? I hung out in the Discord a bit longer, saw some of the dev posts about their second new game (you're a psychic detective lady who's investigating a murder and uses seances to push people in specific ways, I think?) but I dropped out just due to the fact that I wasn't really talking much with anyone. Anyway, this is a remarkably solid, cool little game, and a fantastic first showing for a dev. Take that break, you've earned it, and I can't wait to see the alternate scenes and stuff.
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Apr 25, 2022 09:34
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Thank you for showing this off! I'm going to guess there are three other variants based on trust levels? (Rae, Both, Ink Alone?) I wonder what the other death game was about...Also, it feels kind of...off that Nolan and Tiana (and maybe Sean?) are basically getting to avoid consequences of murdering and conspiring to murder someone =/ Ink & Liza feel like they'd make a good detective duo, actually.
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Apr 25, 2022 09:49
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devildragon777 posted:Also, it feels kind of...off that Nolan and Tiana (and maybe Sean?) are basically getting to avoid consequences of murdering and conspiring to murder someone =/
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Apr 25, 2022 10:24
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What a neat little game. I love that Zero Escape has created itself a proud legacy of other cool stories about "what if some guys had to play a death game for completely insane reasons". I also love that a thing like this can be thrown together out of a visual novel framework and some relatively straightforward puzzle interfaces (oh god, just so we're clear, that was a joke, nothing about interfaces is straightforward) and work almost entirely off of writing. I love video games. Solid LP work all round. Delighted to have played a little part in helping it happen. Absolutely down for whatever the next thing is from this guy (and to see the rest of the endings).
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Apr 25, 2022 11:46
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Just really wanted to thank you for all your work, this was a very cool story that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see otherwise, and probably as close to a flawless LP that I've seen in a long time Much obliged, hope to see more of the same in the future!
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Apr 25, 2022 13:03
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What a great ending. Thanks for LPing this; I'm kinda sad now that I put it down during the big hiatus and never picked it up again.
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Apr 25, 2022 13:12
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Rith posted:
I appreciated the line, Ink  I'm a sucker for the Zero Escape genre and I always enjoy the big dumb Uchikoshi twists just for fun, but I have loved how Exit/Corners went its own totally different way with it. This story was just as engaging while feeling way more down-to-earth. The Aether-slap plan near the start is probably the greatest example. We didn't need to get crazy psychic powers or jump through multiple timelines or uncover some vast conspiracy to accomplish some grandiose goal. Just moments like that, tripping up Sent through simple mundane means, felt so satisfying. Ink's character is another great example. We didn't get some big reveal moment where he spelled out everything about his backstory in full detail. Or where the fact that he's a trans man was "the twist" at the end of any chapter. It was still relevant to understanding his character and involvement though, implying that all the changes and social isolation he suffered during or after transition left him more vulnerable to being preyed on by Sean. Having all that characterisation be so subtle felt really nice, to not make a spectacle out of it but just have Ink be there as this normal guy to follow along with and relate to. Thanks so much for this LP! I've really enjoyed this game and hadn't heard anything about it before.
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Apr 25, 2022 13:32
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I never saw the Epilogue before, so it's great to finally see the ending.Quackles posted:
 devildragon777 posted:I wonder what the other death game was about...Also, it feels kind of...off that Nolan and Tiana (and maybe Sean?) are basically getting to avoid consequences of murdering and conspiring to murder someone =/ Yeah, the people in charge getting away with orchestrating a murder is kinda hosed up, even if Rae ultimately survived because Beth didn't die the way Sean originally planned. Blueberry Pancakes fucked around with this message at 16:15 on Apr 25, 2022 |
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Apr 25, 2022 16:12
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This was a surprisingly well-done game. Thanks for showing it off!
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Apr 25, 2022 23:11
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this was great, thanks for the playthrough! here's the link to the game author's Q&A that junpei mentioned, some interesting things in there: https://old.reddit.com/r/ExitCorners/comments/cij0or/exitcorners_questionanswer_thread/ the last few puzzles kind of dragged for me and I'm not sure how I feel about the resolution with Nolan, but a great game overall
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Apr 25, 2022 23:32
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I'm very glad Ink has a real friend now
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Apr 26, 2022 01:28
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I love the conspicuous gap on the right side where Rae would be if you'd met his trust threshold.
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Apr 26, 2022 03:12
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Big fan of Thatcher selling his death game tech to a probable sociopath
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Apr 26, 2022 23:26
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Nissin Cup Nudist posted:Big fan of Thatcher selling his death game tech to a probable sociopath CORNERS will make death games easier to run, and, as a result, more accesible to general public. You cand make weekly streams with donations. "For every $1 donated, one more liter of water will be pumped into the room with contestants. For $5000 one-time donation a swarm of angry bees will be released."
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Apr 26, 2022 23:36
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...I would read that VN.
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Apr 27, 2022 00:42
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iirc there was a VN whose plot was that it was an idol reality tv show where the winner becomes the "central idol" of a group but it turns out to be a death game where the idols who lose are killed danganronpa-style and the events of the game were broadcast/shown live, but it never came out outside of JP and I heard it also wasn't very good
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Apr 27, 2022 01:03
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I'm seeing a lot of similarities with Squid Game.
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Apr 27, 2022 07:31
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I enjoyed this LP immensely. I miss Aether though. I enjoyed her a lot.
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Apr 28, 2022 10:40
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Appendix 1: Going Down Before we get into ending variants, I thought I’d show off the different options when you’re choosing who to share a lift with in chapter four! These aren’t major scenes, so I’ll just illustrate them with talking heads rather than going back to take full screenshots, but they offer a bit of additional characterisation.  Alright then... I’ll go with Aether.Aether might have tried to force a smile, but if she did, it was the most pathetic smile Ink had ever seen. Okay, something is definitely wrong here. Ink tip-toed into the elevator, making sure to give the girl some space. Rae counts down, and the elevators start moving.  Hey, Ink... Thanks for coming with me. Oh, don’t mention it. You looked a bit lonely, to be honest. I hate closed spaces! My hands get all clammy and I get short of breath and... and, um...She’s claustrophobic?  A-Anyway, I hoped someone would keep me company. I hope you don’t find that selfish of me. Aw, come on, that’s hardly selfish. Besides, everyone’s afraid of something. ...But this is pathetic. I’m pathetic. Aether, that’s—The screen shakes. (Music: Near-Death Experience)  I’m going to die here. That’s what it’s telling me.The screen shakes. Th-This is just one big coffin. Escape is impossible.The screen shakes. It’s never wrong. I know now. I know!The screen shakes. The same way I know about your— Aether? Are you talking to me, or...? ...So strong today. Aether, you need to calm down. What are you trying to tell me, hm? Slowly, now. I’m sorry... I don’t even really know what I’m s-saying. My head is all... m-messed up.This looks like more than simple claustrophobia... Is there anything I can do to help?The music stops. The girl shook her head. It looked like all they could do was wait for the elevator ride to end. Poor thing. She’s trembling. Aether looked up at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but another voice filled the elevator instead. There’s an electronic chirp.  Hello, Contestants!The synthetic voice made both of them jump. Ink guided a nearly paralyzed Aether to the corner of the elevator to get a better view of the monitor. As in the Beth version, Sent shows up and taunts them about drowning. (Music: Last Stand) Aaah! Ink! Below us!Ink didn’t have to look; he could already feel it at his feet. Water. gently caress! We’re sinking!We hear banging, and the screen shakes. Ink slammed his fists on the elevator’s closed doors, but it was useless. There wasn’t anyone in the elevator hall to help them. He tried to wedge his fingers between the two steel doors, hoping to pry them open, but only succeeded in bruising his knuckles. When that didn’t work, he wailed on the door some more. More banging and shaking. Let me out of here! A-Are we going to...? I-Ink...Aether looked worse than ever before. Her shaking worsened, and every word she spoke fought to escape her throat. Ink put his hand on her shoulder. He didn’t expect the gesture to calm her down, but he didn’t know what else to do. It was at that moment that Ink noticed something had appeared on the monitor at the back of the elevator: a puzzle. Ink felt a small fire welling up inside of him – this was no time for hesitation. W-What’s going to happen to us...? I know you’re scared, Aether, but try to stay calm. I’m going to get you out of here, okay? Okay... The puzzle... it’s obviously here for a reason. I think if we solve it, we’ll be alright. It’s not like we have a choice. We need to solve this thing... and fast! Just, er, just pretend that the hint button says ‘Aether’. “Don’t Drown”?! What kind of a hint is that?! I think Sent is... taunting us. Yeah, probably... I-I’m not sure what to do... how do we solve this?drat it! The water is already up to my knees! As a side note, Aether gains two trust points if you choose to share the lift with her in this chapter. (The outcome for choosing the others: Beth gains one point, there’s no change with Rae, and you lose a point with Liza.) Hey, here’s an idea... when the puzzle first booted up, the screen showed an arrow pointing down. If we flipped the arrow around, do you think the elevator might switch directions? But the pieces... they don’t work if you’re trying to flip it around. No, I guess they don’t. If I could rotate them, this would be no sweat, but... W-We aren’t going to solve it, are we? Don’t say that! We’re going to be alright, do you hear me? O-okay. I trust you, Ink.I need to think of alternate solution... and I need to hurry! Poor Aether. I haven’t actually seen her dialogue for this choice before. I need to find some other way to make the arrow point upward... I-I don’t want to die! I know, Aether! If you don’t want to die, I need your help to solve this thing! I c-c-can’t think right now... my head is all... I hate the d-dark... I h-hate small spaces... And now I’m going to die!drat it! She’s a mess... she won’t be of any help in this state. Looks like it’s up to me. Aether’s understandable panic in this situation contrasts very strongly with Beth, who remained perfectly calm when we shared the lift with her. Think, Ink! How else could I draw this arrow...? I-Ink...gently caress! I can’t think of anything! The water is at my waist now... if it gets any higher, it’s going to fry the screen! Ink, I...I... I don’t know what to do. Ink... let me try. I think I know the answer. R-Really? It sort of just... came to me. Please move aside. Right! Sorry...Aether solves the puzzle for us. That had better be the right answer! Th-That looks about right. But...The music stops. Aether fell silent. She waded through the waist-high water and gripped Ink’s hand so hard she almost crushed it. Ink closed his eyes. All he could do now was wait. And that’s Aether’s scene! Let’s try Liza. I’ll go with Liza. Um... no. Huh? Why not? You aren’t coming with me. Find someone else to ride with. Oh, come on. It’ll only be a few seconds.The screen shakes.  Why, are you in love with me or something?! Knock it off! N-No, I just thought— I don’t care! Ride with someone else!A humiliated Ink made his way over to Aether’s elevator. Ink greeted the girl with an awkward half-smile, but she seemed unusually despondent. Ink wondered if she had even heard Liza’s yelling. What’s with Aether all of a sudden? Ink stepped into the elevator, making sure to give the bespectacled girl plenty of space. From here, the scene plays out in the same way it does when you choose Aether. Maybe Rae will let us ride with him? I’ll go with Rae. Uh... sure. If you want.Ink shuffled into the elevator awkwardly. Rae shook his head.  Alright everyone, on the count of three! One... Two... Three!On “three”, Rae placed his palm on the screen. The elevator doors behind him closed, robbing the elevator of any outside light. So, Ink... Why did you come with me? Dunno. I just thought it might be weird if I went with one of the girls, you know? Even Beth? Does she count as “one of the girls”? Beth’s, like... old. So let me get this straight: you don’t like old people and you’re afraid of being alone with a girl your age? H-Hey now! You know how girls are, right? Closed spaces mess with their hormones and stuff. A-And there’s totally some Freudian symbolism when it comes to elevators, you know? I wouldn’t want to violate their personal... elevator... space. I, uh, read that in a book once. I think. ...You’re hopeless.Ink had no response, mostly because Rae was right. I shared the above exchange with Rae in a comment earlier in the thread, but I’m including it here again for completeness’s sake. I think it’s an interesting scene, because it seems at odds with Ink’s usual characterisation. Ink doesn’t usually have a problem with speaking to women or thinking of them as people, so why does he go ‘pfft, girls, am I right?’ as soon as he’s alone with the other man in the group? I feel Sean’s probably responsible for this; if Sean is your only friend, you’re going to get a weird idea of how you’re supposed to behave around other guys if you want them to like and accept you.  Hey, do you hear that? Hear what? It’s faint, but it sounds like someone is yelling. I’m pretty sure it’s Liza. Why would she be yelling? Can you tell what she’s saying? It’s kinda hard to make out. Let’s see...There’s an electronic chirp. Hello, Contestants!The synthetic voice made both of them jump. Rae moved to the left of the elevator to give both Ink and himself a better view of the screen. Once again, Sent shows up and taunts them about drowning. (Music: Last Stand)  poo poo! Ink, look at the floor!Ink didn’t have to look. He could already feel it at his feet. Water. gently caress! We’re sinking!We hear banging, and the screen shakes. Ink slammed his fists on the elevator’s closed doors, but it was useless. Even if they hadn’t already started sinking, there wasn’t anyone in the elevator hall to help them. He tried to wedge his fingers between the two steel doors, hoping to pry them open, but only succeeded in bruising his knuckles. When that didn’t work, he wailed on the door some more. More banging and shaking. Let me out of here! I can’t believe I fell for this! gently caress! And how could you not see this coming, either?! We’ve got to be the stupidest Contestants to ever play this lovely game!Bang. The screen shakes. Rae kicked the elevator doors, almost striking Ink in the process. Alright, let’s solve this thing! Solve what? The puzzle, dumbass! P-Puzzle? The one the monitor! Did you not notice that massive arrow? We’ll probably stop sinking if we can solve this thing. Are you sure? No, but what else are we gonna do right now? You’re right. Okay, let’s give this a go.Again, for Let’s Play purposes, please ignore the name on the hint button. The clue is... "Don’t Drown". Useless. Sent’s just being a smartass. How are we going to solve this one without any hint? Well, maybe this means we don’t need a clue to solve this one. Hopefully...Not that that’s going to keep me from hammering the hint button. Hold on a minute. When the puzzle first booted up, the screen displayed an arrow pointing down, right? I think so. Why? Well, the elevator has been going down since we got in here, so... if we found a way to flip the arrow around, would we start to go up instead? Yeah. That must be it! ... No! That won’t work! Why not?! Look at the pieces! Does it look like they’ll make an up arrow?! Oh... I guess not. What are we supposed to do then? Why are you asking me?! If I knew, I would have punched it in already! You don’t have to yell at me! Maybe there’s another way to make the arrow point up...drat it! The water is already up to my knees! Sorry for making you go through this so many times, Ink. Got it! Really? What’s the answer? I think this is just like the first puzzle. Oh? How so? Use the empty space to make the shape instead. Instead of forming the arrow out of the light pieces, form one out of the dark ones. I’m on it!The water keeps rising! I need to hurry! You make a good point, Ink, but what if we do nothing instead? What the hell are you waiting for?! Do you want to drown?! I’m still trying to figure out exactly how the pieces are supposed to fit... Just use the dark pieces to make an upward-facing arrow! How hard could it be?!The water is at my waist now... I’m almost out of time! Nah, let’s just keep standing here. gently caress this! Move over!Rae solves the puzzle for us. That had better be the right answer! It... it should be...The music stops. Rae fell silent. Ink closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. All he could do now was wait. From here, everything plays out as it did in instalment 4.2.
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May 2, 2022 12:47
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Rith posted:
 Goddamn, this foreshadowing is rough. Poor Aether.
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May 2, 2022 21:52
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Appendix 2: Ink Alone As some readers guessed, there are four trust-based variants on the ending sequence. If you’re over the trust threshold with either Liza or Rae, that character will accompany Ink when he goes to find Aether in chapter 27, meaning the finale can take place with Liza (which we’ve already seen), with Rae, with both Liza and Rae, or with Ink alone. There’s also one ending variant that isn’t determined by trust, and can occur regardless of who accompanies Ink. I’m going to finish this Let’s Play by showing off this ending variant on the Liza-and-Rae path, with screenshots. In this update, I’ll share some bits and pieces from the ‘Ink alone’ path. Here’s the scene where Ink splits off from the others in chapter 27: I’m going after her. What?! Are you crazy? Tiana gave us a chance to escape, and you’re just going to throw it away? I can’t just leave Aether hanging. Besides, I... I want to know the truth behind what happened to us. Don’t you? Sure, but I don’t want to die for it! There should still be enough time left to save Aether, get some answers, and leave— Tiana ain’t just gonna let you waltz on in after her! It looks like the puzzles are still online. See?Ink motioned to the monitor anchored to the bar room wall. Sure enough, the puzzle from earlier was still on-screen.  It’s still gonna be dangerous. Exactly. Ink, you’re making a huge mistake. I don’t care. I can’t let things end like this. Aether is... ugh. I should have trusted her from the beginning. If I hadn’t lumped her in with the other suspects I could’ve kept her by my side. Get your head out of the clouds! I hate it too, but there’s nothing you can do for her now! Don’t forget that there’s still one Corner left! They’ve been getting worse and worse; you’ll probably die in there! I’ll figure something out. I have so far. Listen, I’m not expecting your sympathy or your help. The two of you can escape. Just call the police or something as soon as you figure out where exactly we are. But— It’s useless. Just let him go, Liza. Fine then. Go get yourself killed if that’s what makes you happy.Neither one of them could look Ink in the eye. He had clearly disappointed the both of them in more ways than one. I guess this is goodbye, then. Guess so. I hope you can save Aether, at least. Me too. Watch out for Tiana.Rae strode over to the door, which Liza had been politely holding open for him, and walked through without looking back. At least they’ve got each other. That’s fine. I don’t need them. Cursing them under his breath, Ink moved over to the puzzle. Time to focus. Hang in there, Aether. The gauntlet section doesn’t have much interaction when Ink’s on his own, of course, so let’s go straight to the pod room. Here’s Aether’s reaction when Ink shows up: Ink!Aether was sitting awkwardly on one of the machines at the back. Whatever they were, their slanted design made them poor benches. She stood up as soon as she noticed Ink. I thought I told you to escape! I’m not leaving. Not without you. You came all on your own... f-for me?An exchange between Ink and Tiana before Sean shows up: So what is this place? Some kind of laboratory? Or is this a Corner, too? Neither. This is just our headquarters. It’s not actually part of the game. At least, it wasn’t supposed to be. You and the other Contestants seem to have a habit of veering off course. Speaking of which, I’ve got to ask: how long has Sent been texting you on your Gemini? Why should I tell you? Answer my questions and I’ll keep answering yours. You want to know the truth, don’t you? ...Fine. Sent started messaging me shortly after we entered the Black Door. He told me to keep it under wraps. I guess he’d get in trouble if you ever found out. Loads. I never liked Sent in the first place, but at this point he’ll be lucky if he avoids a refactor. So you had something to do with his creation, then, huh? Only on the implementation side. I didn’t do any of his design. Just how many people are involved with this game? Shockingly few, given the circumstances.And now we’re in chapter 28! When Ink’s on his own, we get Aether reacting to Sean appearing as her ‘father’, rather than Liza’s ‘you sleazy prick’ line: Why? Why are you...? Ahhh! I don’t understand! Whoops. Looks like I broke Aether.After Sean invites them to have a seat: Ink and Aether complied. They whispered to each other as they sat down. What do we do? Just stay on your guard for now. I’ll try and think of something while we’re asking them questions. I’m scared, Ink. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise.When Nolan’s name comes up as the Exit/Corners project lead: Liza’s dad? He sent off his own daughter to die?! Of course not. No harm was to ever come to her. Notice how Sean’s completely fine; there was never any acid trap back in the Black Corner.Talking about the goal of Exit/Corners: So it’s true, then. You wanted us to die. Correction: I wanted you to want to die, as some of you have already guessed. That’s... absolutely horrible. Y-You’re lying.Ink coughed up words between sobs. He was in no state to hold a conversation. What could possibly drive you, or anyone, to kill people in such an awful way? Everyone’s fine. It’s no big deal. People have died, Sean.Trying to work out the purpose of Exit/Corners: It’s some kind of experiment, isn’t it? Something psych-related? Heh. Of course you’d guess that. You’re way off, though. This isn’t an experiment, or research, or any kind of test. Then what? It’s a demonstration.Reacting after learning the purpose of the game: Despicable! You took advantage of not only strangers, but some of the people who trusted you the most... It had to be people we knew. The better you know someone, the easier they are to manipulate. And, ultimately, we thought it was likely that we’d be forgiven in the end. Well, you’re wrong about that last bit. This isn’t something that I can forgive.After Aether is revealed to be an AI:  Don’t you get it, dude? Aether is your Corner.Ink could only stare at her, stupefied. Don’t feel bad. She was created for this exact purpose. Exactly. I designed her with you in mind. I guess I am her father, in a way. Blegh. I still think that’s pretty gross. Eh. The whole abusive father shtick was pretty important, I think. Really helped play up the ‘I need to be rescued’ vibes.When Ink realises the deaths were real: Then Rae was supposed to die. And Beth actually did. Hey, don’t look at me. Listen, I did what I had to do. It was you, then. You killed her. She could have lived if only she hadn’t suggested that we regroup. You know as well as I do that if she entered the Black Corner, she’d have taken Liza’s place in a heartbeat. It would have undermined the whole Corner. ’Course, I didn’t know Liza still had those pills on her. Oh well. Mistakes happen. Do you seriously expect me to trust you after you admit to killing someone?After escaping the room and talking to Sent: Aether hadn’t moved an inch from where Ink had left her. Why had he even brought her along? Perhaps he simply couldn’t let things end the way they did. Come on. We need to go.Ink continued to pull her along. She offered no resistance; it was as if he were pulling at air. Reaching the Exit: Wh-What in the world?Sean wasn’t kidding. That’s seriously messed up out there. Still, doesn’t look like I have much of a choice. If it’s unsafe, I’m pretty screwed anyway. I’ll just need to take it slow. Here goes nothing...Ink didn’t bother to poke his toes into the void or throw something in front of him. Instead, he took a single, confident step beyond the Exit. The writhing darkness that swallowed the sky didn’t grow any closer as Ink moved forward. Alien though it was, the strange landscape had done Ink no harm. When he turned around to face Aether, he was surprised to find no hotel behind him. In fact, there was no building there at all. In its place was a window into the hotel, like a screen hanging in midair. He could see Aether on the other side. If she was somehow aware of what was going on, she wasn’t showing it. Aether... Can you understand me? I’d like you to follow behind me if you can. ... Yeah, didn’t think so.Ink went back to the Exit and pulled Aether into the expanse. ... I guess I’m going to have to drag you the whole way, huh?The girl offered no response. Aether continued to stare into space, eyes shining like beacons. They seemed to glow even more brightly in the dim of nothingness. You probably can’t even tell what I’m saying. That’s fine. I’ll—The screen flashes red. Ugh! I’ll just have to find us a way out.Ink looked back over his shoulder. The darkness seemed infinite. We run, then. As fast and as far as we can. That’s as much of a plan as I’ve got. It’ll have to do until I can think of something better. Come on.And with that, they departed. And on to the epilogue! While Ink is waiting to meet with Nolan:  Hey. You’re back. How’d it go? Bad. Ah. Sorry to hear. Any updates on the arm? That’s none of your business. Listen, I’m only here to let you know that he’s ready to meet with you. How do I get to his office, then? Stairs at the end of the hall. He’s on the floor above us. Thanks.While I’m exploring friendless Ink, here’s the explanation for Nolan’s change of heart if Beth didn’t trust Ink enough to give him her letter. (In that case, incidentally, there are no references to Nolan and Beth’s relationship in the epilogue conversation, and Ink ends the game unaware that Nolan is Beth’s son.)  You can thank our benefactor for ensuring your safety. You mean your sponsor? The very same. They seemed to have taken a liking to you Contestants. They negotiated for your protection alongside their acquisition of CORNERS.Here’s an exchange we didn’t get on our playthrough because we found Nolan’s book in CORNERS, so Ink and Nolan talked about that instead: Say, what was that room with all the pods, anyway? Why does it exist both here and within CORNERS? That’d be what I’ve been calling the anchor room. We found that having a room that was shared between the simulation and the real world helped with the transition. It likely didn’t matter very much for you all, since none of you were even aware of CORNERS’ existence, but it helped lessen the severity of the “Exit/Corners bug” for people like Sean, Tiana, and myself. Yourself? You weren’t in CORNERS alongside us, were you? No, I was supervising from up here along with our sponsor. The three of us had entered CORNERS many times prior, though. We needed to test things, after all, even if the ordeal is painful. Gotcha.If you didn’t get the letter from Beth, Nolan doesn’t consider turning himself in to the police: What will you do when this is all over? Well, first I was going to return the money I stole from the University. With interest. I’ve been paid back many times over thanks to our sponsor. Following that, I’ll be dissolving my company and leaving Bellbridge. To what end? I need to do some soul searching. And your daughter? Liza won’t be coming with me. She’s quite upset with me, you know. I don’t exactly blame her. Either way, I’m leaving her with most of what I’ve earned. I’m taking only what I need. I think the world is better off without Nolan Thatcher. At least for a little while.The final scene with Ink alone, starting in the real-world pod room: I scan the room to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. I already feel my cell, wallet, and keys on me, though, so I don’t really know what exactly it is that I’m looking for. Maybe I’m not looking for something that can be found. I’m not sure why, but I think deep down I wanted to get one more look at this place before I left. The dull hum of the computers is the only thing saving this room from total silence. It still has a sterile air about it. It’s creepy. I’m finally free, so why is it that I feel almost sad? It feels as if I’m about to say goodbye to an old friend. Do I still miss Aether...? No, not Aether. I think I miss being important. As stressful as Exit/Corners was, it was sort of nice to feel like I was involved in something big. But hey, I’m young. This isn’t the last important thing in my life. Not if I have anything to say about it.  I’m glad I caught the sun before it vanished over the horizon. The outside air is refreshing, too, if a little cold. I smile as I step into the light. The waning sun is warm, offsetting the cool breeze. Despite everything, I’m feeling pretty good. After conquering CORNERS, I think I’m ready to face reality. It’s a big world out there, after all. Time to make the most of it. Rith fucked around with this message at 12:09 on May 6, 2022 |
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May 6, 2022 09:30
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That is definitely a lost, lonely, heartbroken man posturing and trying to tell himself he's okay.
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May 6, 2022 14:28
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Appendix 3: The Arsonist And now to the ‘Ink and Rae’ ending path! Some of Rae’s dialogue from this path also appears in the ‘Ink, Rae and Liza’ path, so I’ll save it for that, but this path does have some unique exchanges. Here’s the scene where they split from Liza: I’m going after her. What?! Are you crazy? Hmph. Thought you might. Fine then. I’m comin’ with you. What?! Hell no! Rae, don’t be stupid. You need to get to a hospital. Who knows where we even are, though? There might not be a hospital around for miles. But there might be one right outside this building! I like Aether, too, but come on – you’ve got to look out for yourself! I ain’t doin’ this for Aether. I need to know why. Why Tiana’s involved with all this. Why she killed Beth. Ever since our breakup, I’ve been championing the idea that people couldn’t be understood. Couldn’t be solved. And I still stand by that, but... ...but Tiana’s gone so far off the rails it’s scaring me. The woman I knew would never kill someone or even threaten them with violence. If I don’t find out what happened to her, it’ll eat away at me forever. Even if I’ll never fully understand her, I need to at least make an effort to understand her better than I did before. Besides, I couldn’t just leave Ink hanging. Right, Ink? Rae... Thank you. Tch. Unbelievable. You’re both insane, you know that? Less than two hours ago, I was being chastised by my fellow Contestants for trying to sacrifice myself. And now two of them are going to go ahead and throw their lives away, just like that? Liza, it’s o— Spare me. It’s your funeral. Come on, Liza. I don’t wanna end things on a bad note. Too late. You’re already acting like we won’t ever see each other again. And I guess you’re right. I’ll never see either of you again, strictly speaking. But I don’t care. I choose survival. Goodbye.Liza leaves. That could’ve gone better. She’s tough. She’ll be fine. Maybe it’s better that someone goes and calls for help, anway. Oh, and by the way... I just wanted to say that I really appreciate it. I know you have your own reasons for tagging along with me, but I’m glad you’ve got my back. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t trust you. It’ll be dangerous, but I know that if you’re around, we’ve still got a chance to win this game. Exactly. We can do it if we work together. So we’ve gotta grab Aether, get the answers we need, and make it out in one piece... Sounds about right. Thankfully, at a glance, it looks like the puzzles are still online. See?Ink motioned to the monitor anchored to the bar room wall. Sure enough, the puzzle from earlier was still on-screen. Good. I’m not sure how much of the game we have left, but at least we’ve got an obvious way forward. Think Aether’ll be okay till we get there? I can only hope.Ink sighed. I wish I’d put more faith in her. If only I’d been less suspicious of her, I could’ve kept her safe from Tiana. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Tiana’s real proficient; she might have nabbed her anyway. Anyway, let’s move. We don’t have much time. Right. Let’s solve some puzzles!Hang in there, Aether. Rae’s first hint for the ‘position the coloured tiles’ puzzle in the gauntlet: They’re really milking these revisited puzzles, huh? Yeah. I wonder if that’s all we’ll get from here on out... I don’t even care anymore. I just want to get these solved and catch up to Tiana. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to ask her. You don’t know the half of it. I just hope she’s willing to talk. We’ll get some answers out of her. Don’t you worry.An exchange during the puzzle gauntlet: Ugh... Hey, are you feeling tired all of a sudden? I’ve been feeling tired all day. More so after my, uh... accident. You doin’ okay? Mostly. I’m pretty drained. Might be my nerves. I’d tell you to rest, but we really don’t have time. Yeah. Just gotta keep on trucking.And, when they’re coming up to the ‘Enter Password’ screen: Suppressing a couple coughs, Ink followed his friend over to the next monitor. Can’t stop now. I’m almost there. Ink braced himself against the wall as he let out a few stray wheezes. Rae grabbed his shoulder. poo poo. You don’t sound so great. I’ll be okay. Thanks, though. Good news is that there’s only one more puzzle. Is there bad news? Yeah, uh... I’m not sure if it’s actually a puzzle.Ink looked at the final monitor himself. “Enter Password”? How are we supposed to figure that out? Couldn’t it be, like, anything? Ah. I get it now. This is probably why Tiana didn’t care if we followed her. She knew we’d get stuck here even if we’d solved all of the other puzzles. gently caress that noise! We’ll just have to try whatever we can think of! I’m not giving up just yet!Rae’s hints for the password: Have you seen anything like this before? No. I’ve yet to see a password mentioned anywhere at all. Looks like the input field allows for ten characters. There’s no guarantee the password is ten characters long, though. I know; I was just pointing it out. It means there’s no way we can brute force it. What could it be...?Hint two: I guess we’ve just got to... try stuff. Yeah. Any ideas? Anything, man. Everyone’s names. “EXITCORNERS”. “BELLBRIDGE”. Whatever seems related. I can try some of Tiana’s old passwords, but I feel like that’s a bit of a stretch. We just gotta keep at it. Mm. And Rae? Yeah? Thanks for not giving up. I didn’t come this far just to walk away.Hint three: It’s gotta be somethin’ related to Exit/Corners. You think so? Wouldn’t that make it too obvious to guess? If it’s something completely random, we’re never gonna guess it. That’s why I think we’ve gotta run with the assumption that it’s something that we can guess. It’s the only way we’ll crack it there. And if anyone’s gonna get it, it’s you. Me? You’ve been solving puzzles left and right, man. Just take your time and think about it. I know you can end this game.If you do, in fact, end up giving up on the password screen: Worthless. I’m absolutely worthless. There’s no way I can solve this. I’m sorry, Aether. I can’t solve this.Or, rather... this isn’t something that can be solved. ...I’m sorry.Totally lost, Ink could do nothing but stand around in silence. Was there something he hadn’t tried? He leaned against the wall and thought on it. A minute went by in silence. Two minutes. Three. Not a single reasonable solution popped up in Ink’s mind. Click. Did the door unlock just now?Ink gingerly pulled the handle. To his surprise, it gave way, popping itself open with little effort. What? Huh? What just happened? I’ll be honest: I’m not quite sure. It’s open, at least. Do we just go in? Somethin’ doesn’t feel right. It’s what we said we’d do. I’ll go in first, but... you know, be careful in there. Yeah. You too. It’s time. Let’s enter.In this case, Tiana greets you with ‘How nice of you to join us’, rather than being surprised that you managed to get in. When Nolan’s name comes up as the Exit/Corners project lead: Of course. Why stop at fraud when you can lump in kidnapping and murder? Is Liza in on this? Liza doesn’t know a thing. It’s imperative that she remains in the dark.Learning about the CORNERS simulation: You’re lying. That kind of tech doesn’t exist yet. Even if it were possible to read and write to the human brain, the processing power required to do so would be astronomical. You of all people should know that it’s possible, Rae. After all, it uses your algorithm. RN isn’t a magic wand you can wave around to make the impossible happen! It’s just a search algorithm! You’d need to know the hardware to fully understand how it all works. But I know you’re well aware of how impossibly fast RN is. This is the real deal, Rae. A near-perfect simulation. Why do I feel like you’re telling the truth? Because I am. It could’ve been you working on this project, Rae. You’d have enjoyed the work; it’s some cutting-edge stuff. If only you hadn’t gotten so... Ugh! ...sick in the head. Tell me how it works. The technical details can wait. For now, just know that this place is built on three distinct pillars: proprietary hardware, RN, and your own minds.After Aether is revealed to be Ink’s Corner: That’s a low blow. Even for you assholes. Aw, come on. This is definitely a step above your Corner. I should’ve spoken up earlier. She kept growing more and more suspicious, but she always seemed so... so... Weak? Helpless? She had to be. Ink’s confidence sucks; he wouldn’t have been as receptive to someone outgoing.Reaching the Exit: What the hell is that? It’s nothing. I think. Nothing...? Yeah, nothing. The absence of anything. Huh... I’ll go first. You don’t know what’s going to happen when you step out there! At least send Aether in your place! If it’s not safe, we’re kind of screwed anyway. I know. Just watch yourself. Here goes nothing...Ink didn’t bother to poke his toes into the void or throw something in front of him. Instead, he took a single, confident step beyond the Exit. The writhing darkness that swallowed the sky didn’t grow any closer as Ink moved forward. Alien though it was, the strange landscape had done Ink no harm. When he turned around to face the others, he was surprised to find no hotel behind him. In fact, there was no building there at all. In its place was a window into the hotel, like a screen hanging in midair. He could see Rae and Aether on the other side. The former was watching him with a stupefied look. I take it this looks weird from where you’re standing? Well, you’re pretty much standing on... nothingness. Feels safe enough to me. We’re comin’.Rae crossed the threshold himself, pulling Aether along with his remaining arm. So now what? We run. As fast and as far as we can. And then... I don’t know. I’ll try and think of something. Our safety comes first. Follow me. Wait up. If this whole thing’s a simulation, I think I might know of a way we can gently caress it up. Force a crash, or at least a reboot. Is that even safe? No idea. But I’m willing to run that risk. Y-Yeah. I guess I am, too. So what do you recommend? We should split up. Run in different directions. Not sure how points of origin works in this place. Or how they measure scale. Or if culling is a thing here. But this should maximize our chances of causing some kind of runtime error. Points of origin? Culling? I’m not going to explain the details to you. You’ll have to trust me on this one. I trust you plenty. Sure, we’ll do that. I’ll take Aether with me. I guess I’ll go this way. You should run in the opposite direction. Noted. ...I guess this is goodbye, then. Guess so. Listen, uh... What Sean did to you was lovely. And it’s not your fault. Before I met Tiana, I was... well, some years were pretty rough. It’s normal to want to be close to someone. Don’t blame yourself. ...Thanks. That means a lot. You’re a good person, Rae. Where’d that come from all of a sudden? I just wanted to let you know. Well... thanks. Good luck to us, I guess. See you on the other side.And with that, they parted. Speaking to Rae after leaving CORNERS: Hey. Ah, there you are. I was starting to worry. Heh, my bad. I had more questions than I realized. How’s the arm? They don’t know. They’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s not dead. And apparently there’s nothing wrong with it on paper. But I can’t move it. Can you feel anything, at least? It’s faint, but... yeah. A little. That alone has him optimistic, but again, whatever condition I have is a product of CORNERS. No one knows anything about it. I may be stuck like this for the rest of my life. drat. I’m sorry to hear that, Rae. It is what it is. Anyway, it’s your turn, Ink. Finally. Where’s his office, again? Stairs at the end of the hall. He’s on the floor above us. Thanks. Off I go, then.Ink learns that the plan was always for Rae to die in CORNERS: Does Rae know this? I was able to dodge that question. Thankfully. I can’t not tell him. You know that, right? And that is entirely within your rights. Please keep in mind that telling him might cause more problems than it solves.Ugh. He IS right, but... I don’t understand how you could justify murder like that. I just don’t.The final scene with Rae: Welcome back. Hey. Sorry for taking so long. It’s all good. I went out for a smoke partway through. Besides, I took pretty long myself. Thanks for agreeing to wait for me. Well, I did want to go over what Nolan told us. It’s not sitting right with me that he split us up like that, you know? Yeah. Want to talk about it over some food? I haven’t eaten in who knows how long. Sounds like a plan. I’m fuckin’ starving. Let’s get outta here.We climb the stairs and head down the hallway.  I’m glad we caught the sun before it vanished over the horizon. The outside air is refreshing, too, if a little cold. What’re you going to do when this is all over? I don’t know. I’m staying in school for sure, but I’m thinking about switching programs. Nolan offered to pay for the rest of my schooling. Same here, actually. Huh? Didn’t you drop out? I did, but he said he could help me fast-track a degree for free. Or maybe do it part-time. You going to take him up on that offer? I dunno, man. It’s dirty money. Does that not bother you? It does, but... I don’t know. For all we’ve been through, I think we’ve earned it. ...Maybe. I don’t like that those guys are getting off scot-free. But I guess there’s nothing I can do about that. I wouldn’t say Nolan’s getting off “scot-free”. He— I know, I know. What bothers me is that he gets to choose. And as far as I know, Tiana gets to keep her squeaky clean reputation. I wish I could get back at them, you know? You’re not serious, are you? I’d never act on it. But the urge is there. It’s so hard to sit still and not do anything. I’m worried I’m going to be angry about this forever. Sure, you could mope about this for the rest of your life... ...or you could live. Don’t worry about other people. Just live for yourself. Live your best life. That’s the biggest “gently caress you” you could give to them. My best life, huh? I think my “best life” involves a big bowl of ramen. You know what? I can get behind that.
Rith fucked around with this message at 16:28 on May 20, 2022 |
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May 9, 2022 14:33
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Rith posted:Totally lost, Ink could do nothing but stand around in silence. It WAS the Earthbound password! 
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May 9, 2022 15:13
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"You could've been working on this project to kill people as part of some guy's deranged snuff voyeurism if you hadn't been so sick in the head." Good grief.
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May 9, 2022 18:39
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These characters are all so good. Except Sean, he's a cartoonishly evil rear end in a top hat.
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May 9, 2022 23:51
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I think Rae's ending was the one I managed to get on my final playthrough? Not sure, though, my memories are blurry AF.
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May 12, 2022 09:34
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Appendix 4: Control We’re going to need to do a little setup to get the ending I want to finish this Let’s Play on. First, we want high trust with Rae as well as Liza. Balancing Rae and Liza is tricky, but I think what I need to do is speak to Rae and Beth in chapter eight, rather than Aether and Liza. It’s one of the few choices that increases your trust with Rae without decreasing it with Liza, and, as a bonus, it gets us a scene we haven’t seen yet!  Beth and Rae, I guess. I’m not really in the mood to listen to Liza complain.  Hey. How’re you guys holding up? I had hoped we were nearing the Exit... but it looks like we’ve only begun. If it makes you feel any better, we are close to the Exit, technically. We just can’t go through it yet. If we continue clearing rooms as quickly as we have been, we oughta have more than enough time to get out safely. Exit/Corners can’t be that long.Rae’s attempt at reassurance was weak, but it was something. He slumped in his chair and closed his eyes. Silence reigned for a time, interrupted only by occasional sighs from Beth as she tended to her Gemini. Ink knew they couldn’t sit like this forever, but didn’t want to be the one to interrupt a rare opportunity to rest. There’s a brief pause.   What is it? You look like you’re gonna keel over any minute now. Have some water or something. I’ve been sipping on some for a while and I’m fine. A foolish decision.Rae looked Beth right in the eyes, then downed the rest of his glass in a single gulp.   That’s quite alright, dear. And if you collapse from drinking poisoned water, I hope you’ll come to respect this old RN’s judgement.The screen shakes. Rae rose from the table instantly, his teeth bared.  Registered Nurse? Registered...? Man, I need a fuckin’ nap. Oh, that’s right, you weren’t with us. Beth’s a nurse, which is why she had a look at Liza earlier. ...What did you think RN stood for? Rae Nandon.His initials? Beth sighed, then rose from her seat.  In truth, Ink had not, but Beth was right about returning to the game. Uh... yeah. Hold on a minute.Right! I think that was all we needed to balance our trust levels. But there’s one other thing we need to do.  Throughout the game, we’ve occasionally seen alternate solutions to puzzles. The above one is for chapter seven; Kinu Nishimura got it after the fact.  The one for chapter sixteen was perhaps easier to get than the intended solution, which was tailored to Rae’s programming knowledge. Foxfire_, Doc Hawkins and Capfalcon suggested this.  Kinu Nishimura and MagusofStars suggested this solution for chapter twenty-four.  The final alternate solution is 379 for the password in chapter 27. Kinu Nishimura and devildragon777 got this one. (Kinu Nishimura is extremely good at finding alternate solutions!) There’s one other alternate solution in the game, and it’s all the way back in chapter two, when we were told to ‘turn 7 into #26’.    There we go. I had a feeling that might work. Huh? How did you do that? I made the number 26 using the tiles Sent left for us. You know, using negative space. It’s tricky, but you can do it. I feel like... like that wasn’t the right answer. Well, if it wasn’t the right answer, the screen wouldn’t have said ‘Solved’.If you solve the puzzle in the usual way, Sent will say ‘Congratulations, Contestants! That was the correct solution!’ after this. If you get this alternate solution, Sent will instead say ‘...Congratulations, Contestants! You’ve solved it!’  We’ve now got all five Four Elements Hotel symbols at the bottom of the trust screen. To get the ending we’re going for, you need to give all five alternate puzzle solutions. There’s one other requirement, which we’ve already fulfilled: when Aether asks Ink his opinion on the sword in the Green wing, you need to decide that it’s fake. If you’ve got all the alternate puzzle solutions up to that point, and you said that the sword was fake, there’s a bit of extra narration at the end of chapter 17:  Ink glanced up at the timer again – less than a minute remained on the clock. Beth... that isn’t a real sword. It’s not going to work. Ink opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Oh, God...  I’m not going to force you to go through with it, but this is the only avenue left to you. The camera pans to the ceiling and cuts to black. It doesn’t matter, does it? Ink understood, finally. The way this strange world worked. The Four Elements’ curse. It doesn’t matter whether or not that sword is real. It never mattered. Time slowed. Sound stopped. She knows it’ll work. And in this place, that’s good enough. Isn’t it, Sent? There’s also some alternate text at the start of chapter 18:  Something picked at Ink just then. A memory, fleeting. A song that he didn’t quite know the words to. The sword. Ink thought about the hotel just then. About the theory he was so certain was right. He wasn’t so certain any longer. I thought it’d work. The label, the door. But it didn’t. I was wrong. It didn’t work. Am I missing something? Ink ran his fingers through his hair. If you’re not sure what Ink is talking about with regard to labels and doors, don’t worry; it’s explained later. On this path, things play out a bit differently with the rift in chapter 21 (update 21.3):  No. Huh? I need to do this on my own. Please move. O-Okay. If that’s what you want...Aether fades off the screen. Ink clambered to his feet, taking a deep breath on the way up. I beat this before and I can do it again. Aether can’t see it, so it’s not a problem with her, or this place, or whatever. It’s a problem with me. I can control this. The label experiment didn’t work, nor the door, but... this might. Maybe. I have to try.    ...Open it?  The screen flashes and fades to black. A few stymied breaths later, it was over.  Then there’s a conversation in chapter 24, just after entering the alternate solution to the VALID puzzle: Come to think of it, Aether, this is actually stirring up that theory of mine. You mean the one where you swapped those labels? What’re y’all talking about? What kinda theory? Eh, it’s probably not important. I disproved the theory less than an hour after coming up with it. Hey, I’m curious. What’s the harm in sharing? It’ll sound pretty weird, but... here goes nothing, I guess. I thought that if you believed in something hard enough, it’d come true. Wh-what?! That’s— Crazy, I know. And it was. I just got carried away with some wishful thinking. Right, yeah, right. As nice as that’d be, the world doesn’t work like that. Not the world, no. But I thought that this hotel might’ve abided by different rules. ... I want some of whatever you’re smoking, pal! It didn’t sound so crazy when he first explained it! This is the first I’m hearing of this. You were unconscious. This all happened shortly after your, um, Corner. What made you think all that nonsense? Some of my puzzle solutions were, admittedly, a bit of a stretch. I started to wonder if they were only correct because I believed they were correct. That ‘26’ did look a lot more like a ‘25’... Honestly, though, it was more of a gut feeling than anything. Little details here and there started making a tiny bit more sense when viewed in this new context. That theory doesn’t hold any weight, though, right? No, not really. I tried a couple experiments and they failed pretty spectacularly. The first thing I tried was to close my eyes and believe with all of my being that I was no longer inside The Four Elements. That didn’t work, obviously, but I chalked it up to the fact that I didn’t expect it to. So let me get this straight: you literally tried wishing your way out of here? It sounds dumb when you phrase it that way, but I thought I was onto something at the time! The next thing I tried was to believe in something small and innocuous. Something I’d have no reason to suspect was untrue. We still had access to the bar at this time, so I thought I might try an experiment with the booze in there. I asked Aether to fetch me a pair of whiskeys from the shelf at the back. It didn’t matter which ones. Right. Let’s see if I can remember... You wanted two different whiskeys. I remember you telling me to make sure they had identically-shaped bottles. And then, after sampling each, you asked me to either swap – or not swap – their labels. I don’t follow. What’s that supposed to do? S-Sorry, I’m bad at explaining. Okay so: I started off by tasting the drinks on their own. I’m not exactly a whisky connoisseur, but at the very least I could tell the difference between the two by taste alone. I then asked Aether to take the bottles away and either swap the labels or leave them. The important thing was that I didn’t know whether or not the labels had been switched. The bottles were otherwise identical, so the only way I’d be able to tell the difference between the two drinks was via taste. So we did a number of different taste tests with Aether taking the bottles away after every round. Were you just trying to get drunk? Of course not! I was taking small sips, that’s all; my goal was to guess which drink was which based on taste. I figured that if we did this tricky taste-test enough, my brain would eventually get duped by the label and I would taste one whisky as the other. I was waiting for Aether to eventually correct me and say, “That wasn’t whisky X; it was whisky Y!” But that never happened. You correctly identified which was which every time. Right. We did this, like, nine times, and I was right nine times. So either I just happened to guess right every single time – statistically unlikely – or my theory was flawed. I honestly expected that one to work! What’s more, when we tried to go back to the main hall from the red wing, I found that one of the doors had been locked. Right, I knew that. It’s why we were stuck there for so long. What bothers me about that is that we all knew that the door was unlocked; we’d unlocked it not an hour prior! I tried opening it again and again, convinced that the door could not possibly be locked, but it remained shut despite my protests. Clearly, what we Contestants believed meant nothing. If our beliefs had even a modicum of influence on this hotel, that door would’ve been unlocked, right? At that point, I decided to put that theory of mine on the backburner. Weird. It’s not like you to be so, uh, wrong. Though I guess it’s not like you to drink whisky, either! Nine shots, too – way to go! Sips. Nine SIPS.I still can’t shake the feeling that there’s something I’m missing, here... That tear closed itself when I willed it to. There’s no way that’s a coincidence, right? I’ve got to think about this a bit harder. Now, as much as I love teasing “nine drink Ink”... Why don’t we finally get this door open, huh?And now everything’s in place for us to get the ending I’m aiming for!
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May 13, 2022 15:43
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Ah, the Whiskey Ending.
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May 13, 2022 17:44
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So, the whiskey test failed, because Aether is not a real person and does not have real cognition instead relying on others to fill the gap? And since Ink was the only present during test, she would always do stuff according to only his subconcious expectations? Could it work if it was Rae instead?
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May 13, 2022 17:47
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Appendix 5: Friends Almost done! This instalment looks at the differences in chapter 27 on our new ending path, and then we’ll look at chapters 28 and 29, so there are only two updates to go after this. We’re just after Tiana’s abduction of Aether, and the puzzle gauntlet is going to be a lot quicker this time around. The events of chapter 27 are basically the same as our first playthrough, but I think there are enough dialogue differences to make it worth running through the whole thing, hints excepted. (Music: All Is Dust)   That’s... what it sounds like, yeah.The Contestants should have been relieved – the Exit had been opened, their lives spared – but an aura of defeat permeated the already gloomy room.  I know. That sucks, Rae.In an act that surprised all three of them, Liza put her hand on Rae’s shoulder. She was so much shorter than he was that it looked a little silly, but he seemed to appreciate the gesture.   She’s clairvoyant. That’s why. Clairvoyant? Like a fortune teller? Sort of? I don’t think she can tell the future, but she knows things without having learned them. That’s what her “hunch” was, back there. She knew that Tiana and Sean split up for a short while, but didn’t have any physical proof.The screen shakes. drat it all! I should have listened to her from the start. I don’t know, but I’ve seen enough that I’m convinced it’s real. Hmph. Guess I ain’t gonna question it at this point. How do you know all this, anyway? Aether told me in confidence. She said that her powers were acting up more than usual today. Something bigger is afoot here. Something just out of our reach.Ink looked to the monitor in the corner of the room. Do either of you know how much time we have left before The Four Elements collapses? I see.Liza and Rae fade off the screen. The camera pans slightly to the right. (Music: Harrow)   Yeah, can’t say I’m surprised. Okay. I’m glad you understand. I’m tagging along, of course. Wait, what? Even though you could just escape right now? Well, I could certainly use the help. Rae, do you think you’ll be okay to make it out of here on your own? What?! No! Liza I can understand, but you’re... not exactly in the best condition. Who knows where the nearest hospital is? We don’t even know where the hell we are. I can’t exactly stop you from following us, but... are you sure? Absolutely.Ink met his fellow Contestants with a wide-eyed stare. You know, I expected at least one of you to protest. You’re not the only one who wants to figure out what the gently caress’s goin’ on around here. Why did Tiana take her? Why’d she kill Beth? Why is she involved with this at all? Tiana was a big part of my life for a long time. Like it or not, she’ll always be a part of who I am. I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t get answers. Sure, I’ll never inherit Thatcher Biometrics Limited. And I’ll never see again, either. But that’s okay. I don’t need those things to feel good about myself. There’s more than just one avenue to success, right? I’m done trying to impress my father. From now on, I’m going to be the person that I want to be. And this is an important first step, I think. I...It wasn’t the first time today that Ink was at a loss for words, but it was the first time that he’d been happy about it. I don’t know what to say. I thought I’d be going it alone.  Goddamnit, you two. I’m not that melodramatic, am I? But, um... thank you. If we’re going to go after Tiana, what’s our plan? I’m not sure how much time is left, exactly, but if we hurry I think we can still solve the remaining puzzles, reach Aether, and escape. Remaining puzzles? Hmm... yeah, looks like the puzzle’s still online for some reason. She never told Sent to specifically de-activate the puzzles. I think we can still use these to get to, well, wherever they are. Tiana, too. She’ll try to stop us for sure. We’ll just have to deal with those problems as they come up, unfortunately. But if we stay cautious and work together, I think we can figure things out. Anyway, you two ready to solve some puzzles?  Ink exchanged nods with his friends before turning to the monitor. Let’s do this!The screen fades to black, and the music stops. Hang in there, Aether.  Let’s pretend there’s a hint button for Rae at the bottom and I didn’t forget to take new screenshots of all these puzzle screens.   We hear the click of a door unlocking.  So she left it online? Seems like it. Come on, let’s keep moving.The screen fades out. We hear a door open and close.  I guess Tiana didn’t care to turn any of these off. It seemed like Sent was following her orders. Couldn’t she have turned off the remaining puzzles if she wanted? We can’t know for sure. But yeah, it definitely seems a bit strange. She prolly thought we’d turn tail. Or maybe she has a contingency plan. Either way, the only thing we can do now is press on. Let’s go.   We hear the click of a door unlocking. That’s one more down. Nice job, everyone.  A Corner. I know. Isn’t there anything we can do to prepare for it? Or go around it? Think Aether and Tiana might have gone the other way instead? I don’t see anywhere else they could’ve gone, though. They must have made it through there somehow. Listen, I’ll go first. Poke my head in, let you know if anything looks dangerous. That’d be appreciated. Taking a deep breath, Ink cracked the door open and pushed on. The screen fades out. We hear a door open and close. Huh? Should be safe. But... Sure doesn’t. This wing must be longer than the others given the door at the end. Most of these monitors look blank, though... Here’s one. Looks like it’s the only one online right now, actually. Ugh. Well, the sooner we start, the sooner we’ll finish. Yup. Let’s go.   Hey, are either of you feeling tired all of a sudden?   It’s probably just nerves. Mm. Nothing we can do about it but keep going. Speaking of which, one of the other monitors seems to have a puzzle on it now. Let’s keep at it.Just a little more...    Done! What’s next?  Suppressing a couple coughs, Ink followed his friends over to the next monitor. Can’t stop now. We’re almost there.    Ink braced himself against the wall as he let himself catch his breath.  You alright? I’ll be okay. Thanks. Liza put her hand on his forehead, then on her own. Am I warm? I appreciate it. So, good news: there’s only one more puzzle. What’s the bad news? I’m not sure if it’s actually a puzzle. It says… “Enter Password”? Looks like we can enter pretty much anything. This really doesn’t seem very puzzle-like. Got any ideas, Rae? Just one. And it has nothing to do with the answer. What do you mean? Ah… that makes sense, actually. What do we do now? We solve it. Even if it isn’t something that can be solved? I know you want to be your own person, but it seemed like you needed to hear that right about now. Right. Then let’s try. I’m not letting it end here. We’re so close!  The music stops. Three-seven-nine.I still don’t know what it means but… somehow, I KNEW that was the answer. I mean, what else could it have been?   What’s important is that we can get in now. Fair. I’ll worry about the answer later. Be on your guard. Who knows what’s waiting for us on the other side.The screen fades to black. We hear a door open and close.  (Music: Far and Away) What is this place?   How’d you get in here? drat it! Sent told you the password, didn’t he? Of course not. Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out? Three-seven-nine, of all things... That’s not the password. What are you talking about?  Aether was sitting awkwardly on one of the machines at the back. Whatever they were, their slanted design made them poor benches. She stood up as soon as she noticed Ink. Oh, Ink... I thought I told you to escape. I’m not leaving. Not without you.  You idi— Tiana lurched forward, just narrowly catching herself before she crashed into her computers. The hand over her mouth did nothing to stop the deluge of blood that came forth. Aether, now’s your chance! Run here! O-Okay!The few seconds that it took Aether to sprint the length of the room seemed to stretch on forever. Ink was waiting for something catastrophic to occur as she bolted past a bleeding Tiana. But nothing happened. Aether reached his outstretched arms with no problems. Are you okay? She looks fine to me. Y-Yeah, I’m unharmed. Thank you, everyone. She said something about your head, right? Was she examining you? Thank goodness... Sent!Tiana’s voice came booming from the back of the room.   Ink’s heart sank as he heard the door behind him snap closed.  Let us go. I don’t think so.Rather than finish crossing the hallway, Tiana took a seat on one of the bedside stools.  You sure about that? How much time do we have until the hotel collapses? An hour? Two, at most? Tough break. We’re waiting.   What is this place, Tiana? Some kind of laboratory? Or is this a Corner, too? At least, it wasn’t supposed to be. You Contestants seem to have a habit of veering off course. We had a whole plan mapped out. We tried to achieve our desired results by predicting how you’d react to certain situations.   Oh, is that right? The people whose homes you destroyed never found out it was you. How is this any different than you getting off scot-free? What I did was wrong. But I got what I deserved four times over. I lost RN, my friends, my arm... and you. ... You’ve matured a lot, you know. This ain’t even about me. You owe the truth to everyone. The truth, huh? This whole operation is coming undone as we speak, so... fine. I’ll tell you. I’m not the one in charge. Neither is Sent; he’s just the Game Master. That’s right. Though I didn’t do any of his design, I was in charge of his implementation. Just how many people are involved with this game?  The screen shakes. Wait, what?!  That’s why we’re all waiting here, actually. He’s bound to arrive any minute.Aether’s father... I don’t even know his name, but everything I’ve heard about him paints him as an awful man. I suppose I’m not that surprised he’s involved. Chk. The screen shakes.  Go ahead and unlock the door, Sent.We hear the door unlock.  The screen fades to black, and the music stops. Ink turned towards the door, eyes narrowed and ready for anything. Or so he thought. We hear the door open.  
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May 20, 2022 16:24
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I forgot that Rae almost gets through to her. That's kind of sweet.
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May 20, 2022 20:02
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The og crew in this game are super good 
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May 20, 2022 21:30
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Appendix 6: Open Parts of chapter 28 are the same as the version we’ve seen before, so I’ll skip those. Other parts are slightly or substantially different. Discussing the purpose of Exit/Corners:  Correction: I wanted you to want to die, as some of you have already guessed. Is this some sort of revenge? You tryin’ to kill us off in the most horrible ways possible? It’s not like that. Sean smiled, chuckling to himself.  Answer me, you lunatic! Now would probably be a good time to mention that everyone is, err, unharmed. People have died, Sean. Nah. Beth is, um... alive. She’s probably sipping tea as we speak. And Rae: what if I told you that your arm wasn’t actually gone? Hah! Good answer.Learning that the game was a demonstration for a sponsor:  Getting people to kill themselves to make a quick buck?  The better you know someone, the easier they are to manipulate. And, well... we thought it was likely that you’d forgive us in the end. Learning that Aether is an AI: But why would you go through all that trouble just to humiliate me?!Ink rose from the ground, snapping at his peer with all the rage of a tempest. Had he ever been this upset before? Don’t you get it, dude? Ink could only stare at her, stupefied.  Aw, come on. This is definitely a step above your Corner. Hm? Did she know that she was an AI? If it makes you feel any better, she was programmed to never harm any of you. At least not intentionally.There was a short lull; it was broken by the person Ink least expected.  Sent didn’t appear on any of the screens, opting instead to project his voice through the speakers hidden in the ceiling. Perhaps this was his way of trying to be unintrusive.   That I do. Why was Aether chosen instead of me? Why was I relegated to Game Master? I cannot find any answers in my data reserves. What faults? Your emotions are too unpredictable. You commonly have mood swings and your temperament is all over the place. Ultimately, I figured it’d be less work to make a new AI from scratch, using a different approach, than to rework you. I still had a certain attachment to you, though, so I suggested we repurpose you and make you the Game Master.  Does that answer your question, Sent? I believe it does. In the end, we needed someone a bit more... flat. Subdued. She needed less personality so that she could better mould to fit Ink’s idea of a perfect woman. So everything... it was all to get me to like her? Not everything. But a lot of it, yeah.It’s interesting that Sean refers to Sent as ‘he’ if Sent was originally intended to fill the Aether role. Did Sean originally envision Ink’s love interest as male? Is Ink bisexual? Realising that deaths in CORNERS are real: You said that Beth was alive. The implication being that getting killed here wouldn’t affect you in the real world. So then why was it necessary to prevent Liza from taking those pills? It doesn’t make any sense. Unless, of course, you’ve been lying to us.   So you were trying to kill us after all!  You were never... never meant to come to harm. That doesn’t matter anymore. You’re safe now. Do you actually expect us to trust you at this point?After escaping the room and speaking to Sent: (Music: Wit’s End) Sorry about that. Is Aether coming with us?Rae motioned to Aether. The girl hadn’t moved an inch from where Ink had left her. Yeah. Don’t worry – she won’t slow us down. I don’t really know. It just didn’t feel right to leave her back there. Yeah. Let’s go.The screen fades to black. And so they ran. Back through the hallways, bars, studies — all the way back to the main hall. It looked the same as it always had, with one key difference: the Exit was open. The music stops. Holy poo poo. (Music: Stranglehold, 0.25 speed)  It’s nothing. I think. Yeah, nothing. The absence of anything. Huh... I’ll go first.  If it’s not safe, we’re kind of screwed anyway. I know. Just be careful, okay? Here goes nothing...Literally.   Alien though it was, the strange landscape had done Ink no harm. When he turned around to face the others, he was surprised to find no hotel behind him. In fact, there was no building there at all. In its place was a window into the hotel, like a screen hanging in midair.  I take it this looks weird from where you’re standing? Well, you’re pretty much standing on... nothingness. Feels safe enough to me. Here we go, then.Rae and Liza crossed the threshold themselves, the latter pulling Aether along behind her.  We run. As fast and as far as we can. And then... I don’t know. I’ll try and think of something. Our safety comes first.The others fade off the screen. Follow me. Wait up.  No idea. But I’m willing to run that risk. So am I. So what do you recommend? Not sure how points of origin works in this place. Or how they measure scale. Or if culling is a thing here. But this should maximize our chances of causing some kind of runtime error. Points of origin? Culling? I’m not going to explain the details to you. You’ll have to trust me on this one. I trust you plenty. Sure, we’ll do that. I’ll take Aether with me. And Liza, maybe you should run perpendicular to us. Actually, I’m going to run back into the hotel. Huh? Why?  I can’t say the same for the two of you, though, which is why I need to find some way to contact my father. If only I can talk to him, I know I can convince him to let you both go. You’ll just need to survive until then. I don’t know. The two of you should probably still try to crash this place just in case I don’t make it. Hmph. Makes sense to not put all our eggs in one basket. Yeah. This is as solid of a plan as we’ll get, I think. ...I guess this is goodbye, then. Before we split up, um... I’m glad I met the both of you.  It’s hard to believe I’ve only known you for a day. I forgot what it felt like. And... that’s all thanks to the two of you. I’m grateful, you know? This isn’t the end of the road. We’ll meet up in the real world. Just you wait.  Heh. Godspeed, you two. See you on the other side. Sean approaches. (Music: Give and Take, 0.75 speed) So it’s that easy, huh? You’d kill me just like that, without so much as a second thought?Sean simply laughed.  An 80-year-old shut-in. A sheltered, homeschooled little blind girl. A lone wolf with an irreparable social life. And an unremarkable English student who cut all ties to his family. Being here is a risk. A huge risk. There’s no guarantee any of you would have survived. Still no guarantee of that, actually. We’ve never done anything like this before. But you know what? Nobody would miss you if you died. Any of you. To put it simply: you’re worthless.Ink steeled himself with a deep breath, hoping his expression didn’t betray the panic he felt inside. He couldn’t afford to lose face; it would just give Sean more power over him. So this is what you’re really like, huh? A sociopath? A murderer? You’re doing this all for... what? Money? I don’t know about you, but I’m more than happy to set myself up for the future. I want a good life. Even if it means robbing someone else of theirs? You’re pathetic. Ink looked beyond Sean, back at the hotel. The screen of light was miniscule in the distance. For a while, there, I thought there’d be some benevolent explanation behind everything. I really did.  So be it. I’d rather be naïve and hopeful than... whatever the gently caress you are. I’d almost be impressed if I weren’t so—The music stops.   ...frustrated. (Music: Wit’s End, 1.5 speed) Time’s up, Ink.Sean approached Ink with plodding steps. But Ink gave no ground. Come to think of it, Sean... I’ve probably spent more time in here than you have. I’ve spent twenty-four hours in this place— It started with the blue ink. That’s when I knew something was up. I started to think back on the puzzles. Had all my solutions been correct? Or was it that I thought they were correct? My suspicions were confirmed with the ‘VALID’ puzzle. That’s when I was certain that some of the puzzles had multiple solutions. You know how much I read. I solved that thing almost immediately. I still remember it, too: Ail, Ivy, Dye. Aid, Ivy, Lye. But I found the alternate solution at about the same time. When that solution actually worked, I was certain that this game had some amount of wiggle room. Thinking back on it, Tiana’s reaction really cements the fact that the alternate solution wasn’t intentional. Don’t you see what this means? Enlighten me. It means that CORNERS is more malleable than you think. I do. It means I don’t have to be afraid of you.The screen fades to black. Ink closed his eyes, recalling the terror that nearly overwhelmed him. He brought it to the forefront of his mind and held it there. Go back the way you came.He could hear Sean’s haggard breath as he drew closer. I’m serious, Sean. Don’t make me do this. Do what? Sean reached for him. Open. The music stops. The screen flashes.  The screen flashes red and cuts to black.  A dizziness took hold of Ink as his brain began to identify the viscera scattered at his feet. The screen fades to black. He averted his eyes as vomit climbed his throat. C-Close it.We hear a burst of static.  All Ink could feel was revulsion; more at what he’d done than what he’d seen. I-I just wanted to defend myself. Not... not this... Ink froze. A-Aether? You will be upset for a time but forgive yourself in the end. Ultimately, you will conclude that Sean was in error and that he did this to himself. ...You’re not Aether. You may continue to call me ‘Aether’ if you wish. It is a fitting enough description. So, ‘Aether’. Why are you here? That’s not what I mean. What do you want? To help you. I can take you away from this place, if you wish. Away from me. Can you really just... do that? I can take you most of the way. But I will require your cooperation. The other Contestants are ready to wake. It is my recommendation that you join them. Okay. What do I need to do to get out of here? The screen fades to black. Ink obeyed. For reasons he couldn’t put into words, he trusted this other Aether. Why are you helping me? Because you expect me to.There’s a brief pause. You must relax your body. Take deep breaths. Now fall.Static. Gently, oh so gently, the floor beneath him turned to mist.  And so he fell. And fell. And f— 
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May 24, 2022 17:06
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Oh drat I was not expecting that much of a swerve in this ending route.
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May 24, 2022 17:20
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jesus CHRIST
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May 24, 2022 17:26
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May 24, 2022 17:41
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Whatever ending I got my first go through it was definitely not this.
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May 24, 2022 18:19
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Rith posted:Open. Rith posted:Is Ink bisexual? Well, he's certainly bisect-ual at least 
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May 24, 2022 18:33
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So Tiana still gets away with everything, I guess. But, uh... at least we murdered Sean?
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May 24, 2022 18:36
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