VN Ren'Py Friends in Need [Ch. 8 v0.57b SE] [NeonGhosts]

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

I think she did it more for herself. she was under pressure from the bank and the loanshark everyday and night with no hope. couldn't sleep for a long time.
that's how her dickhead boyfriend could convince her to go ask MC for help using his feelings and her body. she was desperate.



if you choose the dark path in chapter 1, she didn't want to go back to MC to ask for more help because he hurt her deeply. if he raped her for 20k, you can't imagine what he would do for 100k. though after the fact, she realized she loved him before he blackmailed her.
on the "nice" path, she seeks forgiveness though, and promise that she will prove that she is really sorry if MC doesn't forgive her. so she does think she deserves to be forgiven. but she doesn't think she deserves to be loved and doesn't want to risk losing MC if the relationship fails.

her choices are rather irrational for me, but I don't dislike her. she is not a bad character at all. I don't get the anti Nicki protest here



dev said she is not, but the guy that did the character guide wanted her to be so he bumped her up to the main LI category



it could be said that Carolina and Risa are two sides of the same coin. one is too stuck up, and the other too irresponsible. put together, you got a perfect mix
you forgot the fact that Risa is adopted by a rich family that only wanted a puppet, that she is utter disappointment and disgrace to them, that everything she does is scrutinized to the extreme... and she can still stay playful and positive everyday (though drugs help a lot there). that adds several layers to the character.

I could be remembering wrong, but from what I gather, Risa was originally just going to be a side LI, but due to her popularity and the dev's enjoyment of writing her, he bumped her up to a main LI.

I don't know for sure. I'd say Nicki, Ashe, Gabby, Madison, Brittani, Viola. maybe Mason.
I'm not sure about Alex, Carolina, Wren and Pepper.
and given the taboo nature of the game, Cassie might be an LI too

Again, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the main LIs are (in order of appearance on the main page's image, left-to-right, top-to-bottom): Nicki, Gabby, Ashe, Viola, Cassie, Brittani, NOT Wren, Alex, Carolina, Mason, Risa, Pepper, & Madison. So Wren is basically the only side LI in that picture I believe. Not sure why Neon put her in the poster tbh. Maybe he considers her an integral part of Ashe's story? Or, maybe if Ashe is going to be up for sharing, Wren will be "the one" she wants to share with, and therefore a kind of package deal? As in, we won't get as much content with Wren solo, but will if we go the Ashe sharing route (again, assuming she's actually up for that). That's all I can think of. Or he just plain likes her character, I guess, haha. Not exactly a rule about posters and main LIs technically

 

[HiP1]

i bet neon already forgot gabby step mom

we need to get rid of the husband first since she is still in love with him

 

[Dessolos]

then given the kind of game this is, maybe Ashe is mainly meant to be broken by a dark MC. so having a vanilla romance would balance it. her M kink being a bonus. I found her character development on the blackmail path to be interesting. and i'm curious about the rape->apology path.
Ashe might have more branching than Nicki

Funny thing even tho im a anti dark path player but I do still check it out for context and consquences. The ashe one is the only dark path I can recall. I went with the option after assaulting her in the alley , and forcing her to go on the date with Guy. I drugged her but I didn't have sex with her. When Guy tells her he didn't have sex with her as she leaves and turns ask guy something I forget the question. But she gave a look like she is curious about guy. Is he just Loney? It was like almost she saw another side to him instead of the guy that raped her. To me on that path it did feel like she could perhaps be considering giving guy a second chance as she kind of felt bad for him or something. ( tho Guy shouldn't be given a second chance, doesn't make alot of sense for what he did but hey it's a game) I find this path kind of interesting as it feels like it could be opening up a redemption arc / path for guy in some sort of way.

 

[HiP1]

I could be remembering wrong, but from what I gather, Risa was originally just going to be a side LI, but due to her popularity and the dev's enjoyment of writing her, he bumped her up to a main LI.

it's possible. I haven't followed it quite closely enough to confirm.

Again, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the main LIs are (in order of appearance on the main page's image, left-to-right, top-to-bottom): Nicki, Gabby, Ashe, Viola, Cassie, Brittani, NOT Wren, Alex, Carolina, Mason, Risa, Pepper, & Madison. So Wren is basically the only side LI in that picture I believe. Not sure why Neon put her in the poster tbh. Maybe he considers her an integral part of Ashe's story? Or, maybe if Ashe is going to be up for sharing, Wren will be "the one" she wants to share with, and therefore a kind of package deal? As in, we won't get as much content with Wren solo, but will if we go the Ashe sharing route (again, assuming she's actually up for that). That's all I can think of. Or he just plain likes her character, I guess, haha. Not exactly a rule about posters and main LIs technically

Ashe does easily accept the idea that MC wants a threesome with Wren and seem open to it. but not quite open to a throuple route as she seems to be very monogamous.
doesn't seem like a harem game, so I wonder how dating everyone at the same time will be resolved.
Only Risa is open to sharing MC with everyone.

 

[HiP1]

Funny thing even tho im a anti dark path player but I do still check it out for context and consquences. The ashe one is the only dark path I can recall. I went with the option after assaulting her in the alley , and forcing her to go on the date with Guy. I drugged her but I didn't have sex with her. When Guy tells her he didn't have sex with her as she leaves and turns ask guy something I forget the question. But she gave a look like she is curious about guy. Is he just Loney? It was like almost she saw another side to him instead of the guy that raped her. To me on that path it did feel like she could perhaps be considering giving guy a second chance as she kind of felt bad for him or something. ( tho Guy shouldn't be given a second chance, doesn't make alot of sense for what he did but hey it's a game) I find this path kind of interesting as it feels like it could be opening up a redemption arc / path for guy in some sort of way.

in the scenario you describe, she asked him why he made her stay if he didn't fuck her. but she just listens to his answer and then leaves. I don't think she changes her mind about him. it might be you that pity him in that scenario.
but she does pity him if you don't drug her, and you instead apologize in the jacuzzi. though there is more hate than pity. and she lost a big part of her fear.
the blackmail path is interesting because Ashe becomes jaded and pragmatic, and if you treat her right during the date, she is the one that wants to fuck.

if you right click on the "skip" on the mini menu, renpy will immediately jump to the next choice. it's really quick to speedrun then.

 

[Dessolos]

in the scenario you describe, she asked him why he made her stay if he didn't fuck her. but she just listens to his answer and then leaves. I don't think she changes her mind about him. it might be you that pity him in that scenario.
but she does pity him if you don't drug her, and you instead apologize in the jacuzzi. though there is more hate than pity. and she lost a big part of her fear.
the blackmail path is interesting because Ashe becomes jaded and pragmatic, and if you treat her right during the date, she is the one that wants to fuck.

if you right click on the "skip" on the mini menu, renpy will immediately jump to the next choice. it's really quick to speedrun then.

yeah alot of my thoughts on this scene comes from the look on her face and my own interpretation. Since i find Neon really is really good with facial expressions in this game to the the point it can say alot and leaves alot of things open up to our own personal interpretation.

 

[SlapE]

Only Risa is open to sharing MC with everyone.

I kind of skim over most of Risa's stuff, since I'm not interested in her, so I'm not sure if this is true or not. (Also, I have no knowledge of the new update really) If so that kinda sucks, that one of the poly/open characters is someone I don't even like.

But oh well, I'll get over it.

 

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

Ashe does easily accept the idea that MC wants a threesome with Wren and seem open to it. but not quite open to a throuple route as she seems to be very monogamous.
doesn't seem like a harem game, so I wonder how dating everyone at the same time will be resolved.
Only Risa is open to sharing MC with everyone.

I agree, Ashe does seem more like the monogamous type, to us anyways, but I'm not at all strongly convinced of that. Nicki I'm more convinced on that front, though a lot of people here insist she will be poly. It's pretty funny how people can have wildly different expectations for the characters in this game lmao.

And it's funny you mention Risa, because my guess is she will also be closed off to sharing. She didn't want to bang the MC after she saw him on a date with Ashe. But, maybe she's only against it because she doesn't know her? She could have a friend or two I guess. Or maybe she'll agree to it on corruption/dark path or something (drug blackmail), and might even find she likes it, who knows.

My personal opinion on who's most likely to be up for sharing: Mason feels like the strongest "yes" followed by Cassie & Brittani (ofc, we haven't seen Cassie yet). Viola might as well since it's almost confirmed at this point she's either bi or lesbian. But Neon might have fun with that assumption. Carolina & Madison are almost definite "nos" based on vibes alone, buuut they'd be the most shocking and interesting for sure. Swingers exist after all, and they're usually on the older side, so why the hell not, right? Haha.

 

[Dessolos]

I agree, Ashe does seem more like the monogamous type, to us anyways, but I'm not at all strongly convinced of that. Nicki I'm more convinced on that front, though a lot of people here insist she will be poly. It's pretty funny how people can have wildly different expectations for the characters in this game lmao.

And it's funny you mention Risa, because my guess is she will also be closed off to sharing. She didn't want to bang the MC after she saw him on a date with Ashe. But, maybe she's only against it because she doesn't know her? She could have a friend or two I guess. Or maybe she'll agree to it on corruption/dark path or something (drug blackmail), and might even find she likes it, who knows.

My personal opinion on who's most likely to be up for sharing: Mason feels like the strongest "yes" followed by Cassie & Brittani (ofc, we haven't seen Cassie yet). Viola might as well since it's almost confirmed at this point she's either bi or lesbian. But Neon might have fun with that assumption. Carolina & Madison are almost definite "nos" based on vibes alone, buuut they'd be the most shocking and interesting for sure. Swingers exist after all, and they're usually on the older side, so why the hell not, right? Haha.

I kind of feel alot of these pairing for sharing are gonna depend on if they are on a corruption path or what not as well. Someone like Brittani I feel can go either way that she will straight up accept it if you choose to go down the sharing route or it will depend on the path. I cant get a good read on her as I want to say she wouldn't share without being on a corruption path but honestly with the work she does and her upbringing / her mother I can see her being willing to share as well. Then there is someone like Viola I just cant see her ever sharing without going down a corruption path. So it's gonna be interesting once we finally do get some sharing to happen / more development to determine which LI are gonna be straight up purely monogamous no matter the path.

 

[Skep-tiker]

On the harem sharing subject:

Despite no full harem planned aside from alternate scripts, Neon pretty clearly said that Risa would not be the only one who's into sharing...

Thanks for taking the time to give your input. The harem subject actually came up recently on my Discord. Though it wasn't a lot of people chiming in, those that did basically agreed that my plan to stick to throuple/poly relationships with select girls is a decent compromise between single love interests, and a harem. And I still plan to have a possible 'corruption' harem, where you basically just have all the girls as sugar-babies/FWB with no expectation of commitment. But, I stand by my assertion that a full love harem just wouldn't fit the world/characters I've built thus far.

(....)


I also specifically called out the potential of a slightly ridiculous 'harem path' add-on. Something that would lean into the silliness whole magic-dick MC thing, while also letting players get that ending. I was always a big fan of that gimmick where, if you beat a game once, you could unlock bonus stuff on subsequent playthroughs. So I think it'd be super fun to do something where you beat the game on a love path, and thereby unlock the love harem path.

 

[Joshy92]

I kind of skim over most of Risa's stuff, since I'm not interested in her, so I'm not sure if this is true or not. (Also, I have no knowledge of the new update really) If so that kinda sucks, that one of the poly/open characters is someone I don't even like.

But oh well, I'll get over it.

Risa won't be the only girl that's okay with sharing.
I do know one thing though. I will be avoiding throuple or poly relationships as much as possible.

 

[Fraxo]

I've had different playthroughs and have a couple of saves for different outcomes. Have tried the romance/soft path with most of the characters but the Dom path with Nicki is so satisfying that I haven't tried any other route with her. Hard to pick a favourite among the girls as I have several, but I look forward to more content with Gabby, Brittani and Viola. Crossing my fingers for a harem/poly solution.

 

[SlapE]

On the harem sharing subject:

Despite no full harem planned aside from alternate scripts, Neon pretty clearly said that Risa would not be the only one who's into sharing...

Risa won't be the only girl that's okay with sharing.
I do know one thing though. I will be avoiding throuple or poly relationships as much as possible.

If so that kinda sucks, that one of the poly/open characters is someone I don't even like.

I know, it doesn't make it any less disappointing though that there's one less hottie that I can possibly end the game with. I don't replay games unless I have to after all, so I will get one ending, the one I desire, and that's it. So I'm hoping whoever else will be down for sharing will be someone I like, and so far Risa is the only one I'm actively avoiding, so it shouldn't be hard.

 

[Joshy92]

I know, it doesn't make it any less disappointing though that there's one less hottie that I can possibly end the game with. I don't replay games unless I have to after all, so I will get one ending, the one I desire, and that's it. So I'm hoping whoever else will be down for sharing will be someone I like, and so far Risa is the only one I'm actively avoiding, so it shouldn't be hard.

Honestly if Risa isn't a main girl, I see no reason to go after her anyway.

 

[Dessolos]

Honestly if Risa isn't a main girl, I see no reason to go after her anyway.

if she isn't one I 1/2 way agree with you cause I usually avoid side girls in most games unless I actually like that character and my character isn't in any kind of relationship at that point. However when she comes into play I feel my MC is either serious about Ashe or Nicki on those saves so would be cheating to me. So she is a no go on those saves 100%

However I will say If Risa is only a side girl I think she is gonna be a bit different for me. Unless she just stops having much content after this next update. Cause she seems like she will be connected to one of the main plot lines in this game and cause of that I can see going after her on a separate save. So if that is the case she is the exception to the rule for me I think.

Personally i'm gonna wait till Neon says if she is or not / just wait till I find out in future updates how her path unfolds that should give me a better idea. As I read one post saying Neon upgraded her from side to main girl. So im not sure which it is and im a bit to lazy to go look at previous post to see if I can find him confirming it , at least for right now.

 

[The Anti]

Honestly if Risa isn't a main girl, I see no reason to go after her anyway.

Every hole is a goal

 

[Skep-tiker]

Every hole is a goal

Ah, a man of culture!

 

[HiP1]

yeah alot of my thoughts on this scene comes from the look on her face and my own interpretation. Since i find Neon really is really good with facial expressions in this game to the the point it can say alot and leaves alot of things open up to our own personal interpretation.

yeah, the expressions are great. except in chapter 1, but it seems he wasn't the one that did the rendering in chapter 1.
the anti nicki patch and the april fools update had much better Nicki rendering than chapter 1, just to show the gap he reached now.
though he is not as good in writing the expressions. mainly because he uses the same vocabulary for most expressions. he needs more variety.

I kind of skim over most of Risa's stuff, since I'm not interested in her, so I'm not sure if this is true or not. (Also, I have no knowledge of the new update really) If so that kinda sucks, that one of the poly/open characters is someone I don't even like.

But oh well, I'll get over it.

you should probably wait for the next update until you completely dismiss her, i think.
why don't you like her, btw ? what kind of LI do you prefer ?

Risa saw MC bringing back Ashe as a date and played wingman, and still when he comes to visit her during the same night, she wants to play with his dick. Risa also knows Nicki lived with MC. and She also knows Carolina is interested in MC and they planned a date, and she doesn't mind it even after she played with his dick. she says out loud that jealousy isn't her thing.
she is in it for the fun. she loves drama. but all of that might change if she catches feelings. maybe she never met a guy that she cared about enough to be jealous about.

I agree, Ashe does seem more like the monogamous type, to us anyways, but I'm not at all strongly convinced of that. Nicki I'm more convinced on that front, though a lot of people here insist she will be poly. It's pretty funny how people can have wildly different expectations for the characters in this game lmao.

And it's funny you mention Risa, because my guess is she will also be closed off to sharing. She didn't want to bang the MC after she saw him on a date with Ashe. But, maybe she's only against it because she doesn't know her? She could have a friend or two I guess. Or maybe she'll agree to it on corruption/dark path or something (drug blackmail), and might even find she likes it, who knows.

My personal opinion on who's most likely to be up for sharing: Mason feels like the strongest "yes" followed by Cassie & Brittani (ofc, we haven't seen Cassie yet). Viola might as well since it's almost confirmed at this point she's either bi or lesbian. But Neon might have fun with that assumption. Carolina & Madison are almost definite "nos" based on vibes alone, buuut they'd be the most shocking and interesting for sure. Swingers exist after all, and they're usually on the older side, so why the hell not, right? Haha.

Nicki was very traditional at the start of the story. but now she is a cheater, so she lost the moral high ground. I think her views will change depending on the route the player chose. on a full romantic route, she will be restored to full traditional monogamy. but on a fwb/sub route, she might be just happy to be able to have her best friend back and enjoy his dick from time to time, even if he has other women (which she totally understands as he became handsome and rich overnight).

Ashe specifically targets Nicki when talking about exclusivity, so breaking the news to her will be interesting given how she quickly got physical when MC reveals he streamed/recorded her drugged rape, that discussion will definitely need popcorn

Risa didn't want to bang the MC immediately after he came down from his date, most likely after he just had his dick in another pussy. (even if he didn't, she doesn't know). why take a dick insider her that is covered in another girl's fluids when she couldn't even enjoy the fun part of it ? might even be a kind of punishment for not inviting her for the fun

honestly, Carolina seems like the obvious trope of extreme contrast between image and actual sex freak. we only know her as a very professional concierge, just a bit flirty, and very responsible mother

I kind of feel alot of these pairing for sharing are gonna depend on if they are on a corruption path or what not as well. Someone like Brittani I feel can go either way that she will straight up accept it if you choose to go down the sharing route or it will depend on the path. I cant get a good read on her as I want to say she wouldn't share without being on a corruption path but honestly with the work she does and her upbringing / her mother I can see her being willing to share as well. Then there is someone like Viola I just cant see her ever sharing without going down a corruption path. So it's gonna be interesting once we finally do get some sharing to happen / more development to determine which LI are gonna be straight up purely monogamous no matter the path.

yeah fully agree that corruption will play an important role in changing the views of the reluctant ones.
the blackmail-jaded Ashe already shows signs of that. she will stick around because it is very beneficial, and because he is a good fuck with a good dick, compatible with her kinks. plus, he is very honest and transparent about what he wants, and doesn't play games unlike all the other guys courting her.
Brittani is indeed tough to read for now. I don't even know if her romantic path is from the neutral/friend start, or the fwb path. seems to be easier to corrupt her if you go fwb. but there is some potential in the friend route where you pushed a bit too far during the shoot.

Risa won't be the only girl that's okay with sharing.
I do know one thing though. I will be avoiding throuple or poly relationships as much as possible.

even Nicki + Mason throuple ?

 

[Skep-tiker]

I'm all in for Gabby + Brittani throuple, just as a FU to their ex....

Mason

Honestly, to me Mason seems to be the weakest LI of the game, I don't get the hype.
Aside from being non binary, Mason seems to be rather boring....

 

[Joshy92]

yeah, the expressions are great. except in chapter 1, but it seems he wasn't the one that did the rendering in chapter 1.
the anti nicki patch and the april fools update had much better Nicki rendering than chapter 1, just to show the gap he reached now.
though he is not as good in writing the expressions. mainly because he uses the same vocabulary for most expressions. he needs more variety.



you should probably wait for the next update until you completely dismiss her, i think.
why don't you like her, btw ? what kind of LI do you prefer ?

Risa saw MC bringing back Ashe as a date and played wingman, and still when he comes to visit her during the same night, she wants to play with his dick. Risa also knows Nicki lived with MC. and She also knows Carolina is interested in MC and they planned a date, and she doesn't mind it even after she played with his dick. she says out loud that jealousy isn't her thing.
she is in it for the fun. she loves drama. but all of that might change if she catches feelings. maybe she never met a guy that she cared about enough to be jealous about.



Nicki was very traditional at the start of the story. but now she is a cheater, so she lost the moral high ground. I think her views will change depending on the route the player chose. on a full romantic route, she will be restored to full traditional monogamy. but on a fwb/sub route, she might be just happy to be able to have her best friend back and enjoy his dick from time to time, even if he has other women (which she totally understands as he became handsome and rich overnight).

Ashe specifically targets Nicki when talking about exclusivity, so breaking the news to her will be interesting given how she quickly got physical when MC reveals he streamed/recorded her drugged rape, that discussion will definitely need popcorn

Risa didn't want to bang the MC immediately after he came down from his date, most likely after he just had his dick in another pussy. (even if he didn't, she doesn't know). why take a dick insider her that is covered in another girl's fluids when she couldn't even enjoy the fun part of it ? might even be a kind of punishment for not inviting her for the fun

honestly, Carolina seems like the obvious trope of extreme contrast between image and actual sex freak. we only know her as a very professional concierge, just a bit flirty, and very responsible mother



yeah fully agree that corruption will play an important role in changing the views of the reluctant ones.
the blackmail-jaded Ashe already shows signs of that. she will stick around because it is very beneficial, and because he is a good fuck with a good dick, compatible with her kinks. plus, he is very honest and transparent about what he wants, and doesn't play games unlike all the other guys courting her.
Brittani is indeed tough to read for now. I don't even know if her romantic path is from the neutral/friend start, or the fwb path. seems to be easier to corrupt her if you go fwb. but there is some potential in the friend route where you pushed a bit too far during the shoot.



even Nicki + Mason throuple ?

Ok maybe there is one potential throuple I would love.