This was a fun up date.
I love the crazy References like you had a dodgeball and a Fate reference together and I could not stop laughing at it also the storying getting very good there are some petty good twist and turn I did not see coming that open up some crazy theory I have on what going to happen next the only thing I have is that I wish I could play the high and low game as a mini game but I understand why story so with that I say I can not wait to see what happen next.
Great update, poor Roy… or should I say Ray?
Chuga that was really satisfaying experience thanks for everything. I just want to ask can you make more CG’s like after Bell’s stuffing I’d wanted to see her or Riley’s I like to see little progression at scenes. And final damn I forget Reversi’s power poor Roy farewell… and welcome Rey!
Thanks for the comments.
For the High-Low substory the card game is completely based on One Poker from Part 5 of Kaiji which I greatly enjoyed reading. I simplified the rules a lot and changed stuff around, it was pretty difficult to make but I think it’s okay even if not super in-depth like an actual Kaiji part. Most people probably understand playing cards more than mahjong, although I really like his mahjong stories too.
I can show a bit of what One Poker in Part 5 looks like, nothing specific so pretty spoiler-friendly:
You can bet I’ll read Part 6 when Fukumoto finishes it.
Anyway, for the ending sequence I wanted to tie all the substories together while also moving the main plot forward. There are also a lot of dumb references to stuff I know, but hopefully it’s not too cheesy.
For the next update I plan on:
It’ll be a smaller update before I start doing Ep9 in full.
Hello when you say 70-90 minutes does that include the substrates already released or just everything from this specific update
All the new stuff. It took me at least an hour to read through the third substory and ending at a moderate pace. Overall Ep8 is probably at least 2 hours long which is not the length I’m aiming for. I want TV show length, not feature film!
Where I can find the three substories?
Iron Apron - talk to Kivra on Floor 2
The Bud - talk to Charu on Floor 1
High-Low - talk to Victor on Floor 1
You can do them in any order, after that an event will trigger when you go on Floor 2, you can now talk to Cindy and do the ending.
Also, there’s a new poster on Floor 1, 2, and 3 with some flavor text that weren’t there before. Floor 3, B1 and B2 don’t have anything required, just for fun.
Holy the scenes with ray were so hot
Damn that was much more than I anticipated, waiting was definitely worth it. The cindy picture might be the best (and hottest) art in the game yet, and the “twist” at the end was crazy too, now it’s gonna be even harder to wait for the next part.
I also couldnt help but notice that in the past few episodes there’s been a lot more belly button descriptions. Not that I mind, at all..
Just finished EP 8 and wow am I glad I waited, that was a stellar episode, lots of twists, turns, and fats, and man were the fats good, love seeing Bell get fatter, I adored the Cindy art, love a fat Cindy and the Ange sprites were shear peak, but there was a criminal lack of more fat ange art, though her bloated belly at the table was appreciated, all in all it was a great episode with some real character “growth” especially that end sequence.
Thanks for the praise guys.
I’ve fixed typos that people have pointed out and added a KO sprite for Reversi so it’s more clear where they are. I can share that and an Io teaser too since this sprite is already in the game files if you look…
***
The light… it burns his retinas like the laser of a blaster. The screen. This same screen he must stare at all day. He turns away and shuts his heavy eyes. Let the scorching fade. Allowing himself to become lost in the dark beneath the lids. Lost… floating in the void. A weightless peace that can wash over him like soft waves. The warm sand pressed against his back, cradling him with loving touch. Before prying them ever so slowly back open. Back to the weight of reality. The piercing glare of the screen in front of him was digging through his eyes, clawing into the back of his skull. The clock hadn’t moved. Sometimes it feels like it never moves. It might as well move backward. What’s out here to tell time? From which star do we orbit? Which planet do we spin on? For naught… It was late. He rubbed his weary eyes. Dropped his cheek into his palm as he twisted a curl from his bangs. Staring at the flashing cursor on the terminal. Ticking…
Whoosh!
The doors hiss open. He pays no mind. No mind could bother. Not right now.
“Hmmhmhm… working hard again, Roy?”
A mistake! Roy’s body snapped straight up so fast he nearly fell out of his chair. Yes, his mind could very much be bothered right now! The muscles in his throat tightened, so all he could reply with was a raspy breath as the XO, Emil Blackwater, glared at him from across his desk. His eyes were ever more piercing than the screen could ever hope to be.
“Gah!” Roy tried to speak but could only squeak a shaky gasp. Emil found satisfaction in Roy’s obedience and merely grinned in reply.
“It’s so late at night…” he cooed, rubbing his gloved finger by his cheekbone. “Here,” his ghostly voice softened, “I brought you a blanket to stay warm during your watch.”
“Aah, t-thank you, sir!” Roy swooned. “A gift from the XO himself?” He whispered to himself. But after a brief glance, and the shakes of Emil’s presence calming, he saw no such gift in sight. Foolish! To fall for such a muse. Believe that the XO, himself, would ever give him, Roy, a gift such as that.
“W-where is it?” Roy asked as the heaviness in his eyes returned in somber.
“Why… it’s right here of course.”
Emil placed his spindly white hands on his collar. With an effortless flick, its button comes undone before slowly tracing along the seams to the next button lower down. A shiver shoots up Roy’s spine like a cosmic storm. As he unbuttoned lower and lower, Roy could feel his heart pounding faster; there’s no doubt Emil can hear it as well. Beads of sweat trickled down his face; he felt as though he could see his own breath fogging the vision right before him. As once Emil had finished undoing the last button, he leisurely slid it off his shoulders and down his arms, revealing the trimmed and muscular physique that was Executive Officer Emil Blackwater. His skin was pure and white, slick with shining oil. You could see blue veins crisscrossing through his brimming muscles-
“Erika, what the fuck-”
“Shut up! Keep reading!”
-Roy traced his eyes up Emil’s subtle body. His abdomen tightened into a six-pack of pure naval dominance. His pecks bulged like the platform of a carrier. The muscles across his shoulders and arms were ready to explode with executive strength.
He placed his coat over Roy’s shoulders. It wrapped around him, embracing him with that loving touch where he loses his solicitude. Wander. His mind can’t help but wander. Wander to the brightest of lights and darkest of voids. But here? With Emil, his coat wrapped so tightly around Roy’s arms, he can’t help but feel the gentle hand of reverence on his back. He’s lost here. Lost in the void of weightlessness. Shooting to the stars from the heavy world from which he came.
“W–wait!” Roy spoke up, returning to the heaviness of his reality. “W-what… what about you? Aren’t you cold?”
“He can have mine.”
Roy and Emil snap to face the door and see Boris Zavarov stride into the room like the conquering admiral he is.With one hand twilling is handlebar mustache, another reaches to his collar to undo the top button-
“H-hey wait! You’re not at the good part yet!”
***
Oh fuck? It’s time for a long King Froyo game review? The Abugida Effect is the most interesting “game” I’ve played recently. Though more of a visual novel built on RPG Maker, which I totally dig. It’s a change of pace from point-and-clicks, which are far more picture-heavy and movement-restrictive. I love this game; it sucked me into it much faster than I was expecting. I love how the game takes a FE3H approach of introducing dozens of unique characters we can experience instead of solely focusing on two or three from start to finish. Additionally, much of what you see, from kink scenes to serious scenes, actually plays a part in the overall plot. The story can be dark, funny, and kinky, and the dev does a good job of balancing them well. I’ll give a rundown of my thoughts.
Episode 1 - Incident on Hugo-5: Episode 1 has no other fault than being the first part. Meaning that the game only improves from here. It does a good job of establishing main characters, conflicts between these characters, and the central game’s conflict moving forward. At first, I felt Veska’s and Cody’s scene was a shoe in kink scene to not bore the player, but it actually has character development and plot importance. The episode also does a good job of establishing tone. There are dark moments of seriousness and also silly gags and jokes that lighten the mood but aren’t so ridiculous they feel out of place. My only comment is that I felt the map design was rather bare and would have liked to see more variation to establish how wrecked this planet is.
Episode 2 - Growing Ruby: The episode picks up right where the last one left off, where we found out everyone survived Cody’s ambush. Here, we get introduced to the strange anomalies that will begin to affect Miranda and Ange and look at Paul’s team back on Hugo 5, who are investigating Cody’s disappearance. It’s a lot more set up where we’re introduced to new story points, characters, and conflicts that expand from the first episode. While I found nothing in this episode wrong, it just wasn’t as memorable. A few moments that stuck out to me were Paul’s shenanigans, James’ backstory, and, of course, Miranda killing Victor forever.
Episode 3 - A Cry for Help: Clark’s funeral service is quite the heavy hitter. (I got the FMA reference.) But what really stood out to me more so than the Veska and Miranda scenes at the start was the XO’s threat to Cody that got me invested in his character. The other big point of this episode is the reintroduction of Paul and his team on Graq, which is just as fun and hilarious as in Episode 2. And Meeps! It was a good development.
Episode 4 - The Harvest and the Harvester: Oh, waiter! There’s an Ace Attorney reference in my weirdly serious kink game! An investigation? Questioning witnesses? A trial? Never mind, waiter, I think I’ll- oh, it’s got Victor in it? Ugh… I don’t know. But at least there’s Paul, and he’s encouraging Victor to be a better person? And Riley and Bell gorge themselves on the culprit’s cooking? Kicking off their next character arcs? Oh yeah. It’s all coming together. But the big thing that stuck with me here was Miranda’s workout scenes. Is it just me, or did anyone else get butterflies seeing that? It feels ripped straight out of a 2000s cartoon weight gain episode that would have triggered a kink in the first place. Because of that, it was SO jarring to watch.
Episode 5 - Battle on the Hungerdome: Ah yes. The eating competition part of the weight gain kink game. And you have, so far, done it the best. Honestly, I love everything about this concept. The space pirates who host games on their massive ship. I mean, it’s so obvious! There’s literally no other way I can imagine a space-eating competition anymore. It’s brilliant. But the execution? Close to perfect. Out of the three rounds, it’s pretty clear Ange takes the sundae here. Her ice cream game concept is just so incredibly fun and fitting to her character, as well as being the most kinky, in my opinion. I like how she had to win at the end by outsmarting her opponent, and the stuffing scenes with her are amazing. Marking this episode off to a strong start. Miranda’s round was a little weaker. I think this is mainly due to the impossibility of animating an obstacle course in RPG Maker. Lingering a bit longer on some moments would have helped. The narrow glass passage would be awesome with an associated artwork. Veska’s round was second best. Though I find her kink scenes less satisfying because eating is so effortless to her.
Episode 6 - The Ordinary Life of Cindy Crumbly: This episode was a welcome one. We are seeing the aftermath of the Hungerdome and the effects of Veska’s presence on the ship really start to take hold of the crew. This was the episode where the kink content expanded away from a few select characters and is impacting nearly everyone on board. Ziga’s introduction is solid, though you don’t really think too much about her until later episodes. Cindy and Maria are adorable, and I want to be their friend. The highlights of this episode for me were, of course, the dessert rating scene, the Thymi scene, and the moment Paul fucks up big time.
Episode 7 - Vanishing Nightmare: Episode 7 does this really funny thing where it punches you repeatedly in the heart because it fucking hates you. We start with a flashback sequence that is actually a really cool recorded interview between the XO and the suspects of Roy’s disappearance. (I just wanna say I already did this concept in a fetish short story I wrote but never, and will never, release to the public, so you stole from me.) We get another soul-crushing scene between Miranda and Cody. Thanks for that. An awesome (totally made-up) story from Paul. Nice. A nice moment between Veska and James. Another awesome scene with Bell finally losing control. The ship gets attacked, everything goes to shit, Cody almost dies, Hitomi is losing it, the XO is some kind of anomaly, Seven gets killed, and I’m crying over a robot and a fictional relationship between some dipshit redhead and her edgelord boyfriend in a fetish game. Oh, but it’s okay. Because we got MEGA MIRA.
Episode 8 - The Tivallon Complex: What a masterpiece. Honestly. Best episode so far. You have everything you could possibly want here. Catgirl maids, military interpolitics, shadowy scheming, like a dozen different stuffing scenes, an inflation scene, and a blueberry scene with a twist! It’s an apple! Where do I start? How about the disembarkment where Agne can’t fit in her pants and drops a cookie in front of Nicole? Then Thymi getting sexually harassed? The Iron Maid, where everyone stuffs themselves and they have… Oh, fuck. You know, I was going to congratulate your restraint on not making Oko into Gordon Ramsay, but here he is. But you know what? You get a pass because you made him a fucking cyborg, and that’s pretty funny. What else? Oh, how about the R&D subplot where we finally get a deep dive into Ziga, an “apple” inflation, and one of the most eye-watering moments with Miranda and Cody? If you thought we were done, we got the prison subplot where the chick we thought was a made-up story is REAL, and she gets inflated while Bell almost bursts from chugging fish lard while Paul gambles for their freedom. I would have loved an artwork for Bell here, but one was already made for Reversi. Then ROY turns into RAY and Erika stuffs her, causing Emil to make Ray his BITCH for some unknown nefarious scheme. Topped off with a pool party, a Veska reveal, the most incredible side profile of Thymi I’d ever seen, and Boris standing up for his crew. 10/10.
Thoughts on Characters:
Veska: At first, I expected Veska to be manipulating the crew. However, I started to think that there was another force acting within her, one that isn’t herself but is causing her to do bad things. But the finale of Episode 8 throws a curveball that proves the former? I’m curious to see the answer. Besides the speculation, I don’t mind Veska as a character. While she is either extremely upsetty spaghetti or annoyingly nice, this is a relevant characterization that I don’t mind. Although, I do find her kink contributions less satisfying because of the effortlessness. Her primary interest to me is her central role in the story’s plot, which is still being revealed.
Miranda: Miranda is beloved by most people for obvious reasons. Not only is she adorable, she’s a primary source of kink content that the dev balances well with the seriousness of her relationship to Cody. The dev’s ability to combine kinks, jokes, and serious topics in an inoffensive way is very impressive. And I love Miranda for all the same reasons. What holds her back for me is that I feel like we haven’t seen much of her personal relationships with the other crew other than Riley. So I’d love to see her interact with the others on a deeper level.
James: James is the most realistic and down to earth character in the game. So much so, I’m interested in where the inspiration for this character stems from? The description says he’s upbeat, but we never see it. Understandable because of what he’s going through. And I think over time we will see him make peace with himself and how Hitomi will play a part in it.
Phil: Ah, Phil. The “nerd” in the classic jock, cheer, goth, and nerd lineup that I’m pretty sure inspired the original four characters. I like that he follows what he thinks is right, especially in the pursuit of science. In that sense, he’s more honorable than Victor will ever be. But we will see where he goes from here.
Ange: Ange is a favorite on the poll and one of mine, for very good reasons. While the whole cast is succumbing to raw, unabashed gluttony, Ange (and Bell) take it to its best level so far, in my opinion. Everything is great. A feisty short stack? With black bangs? The biggest ass in the cast? Always gorging on desserts that leaves her constantly stuffed for most hours of the day on a level that the rest of the crew hasn’t yet succumbed to? Resulting in her having the second largest weight gain relative to her height? While I can sometimes find her irritating when she’s unnecessarily mean for no reason at times, it’s within character. And is easily overlooked by how fucking adorable she is.
Cody: Cody’s struggle as a clone who inherited the mind of another is a fascinating sci-fi concept. And I’ve never seen it used in a way where you have such a devoted love interest which challenges his programming. Miranda and Cody’s scenes are always so beautiful and a reflection of true love. Especially the one in Episode 8, which actually made my eyes water. A kink game making me emotional, I love it. I hope this tragic character has a happy ending, but we will see.
Paul Cloudkin: Um, dev? Did you just make a fetish sci-fi version of Jaime Lannister? The blonde, pretty-boy narcissistic pervert dejected from a wealthy family who does horrible things but is revealed to be a harbinger of heroism? Paul’s “the ends justify the means” mentality is what really puts his morals into question, and it is one he will have to answer at some point. Over 8 episodes, Paul has turned from stupid comic relief to one of the most interesting characters in the cast. I’m fascinated to know more about his backstory, how he met his cats, and how he will resolve his moral conflicts.
Bell: Oh fuck… Bell. Bell has, by far, become my favorite source of the game’s kink content, and I’m on my knees groveling for more. She’s a goth, deadpan catgirl who’s devolved into the lowest form of gluttony on the cast so far! It’s perfect. The scene in the prison literally gave me chills. There’s something just so inherently hot about a girl with such a nonchalant demeanor being corrupted into pure hedonistic submission. She’s a slave, but to her own gluttony, to the point she’s chugging fish lard as collateral for her master’s gambling. I am scared to see how far she will go and whether anyone else will follow her.
Reesa: At first, I really didn’t care for Reesa. It didn’t seem like Reesa served any purpose outside of being the eccentric counter to Bell. But Episode 8 not only gave her some screentime, it hinted at a few aspects of her character and backstory, and I’d love to see where it goes.
Emil Blackwater: The second I saw him, I was hooked. There’s no way this character isn’t inspired by Hurbert from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, who is also a favorite of mine. Once I saw the serial killer story with Cody, I was 100% invested. His man is giving future main antagonist vibes, and I am so interested to see what happens. Everything from his look, laugh, hand gestures, and demeanor is frighteningly intriguing.
Thymi Kassar: The game already references what Thymi’s physical purpose is: peak mom bod. Which automatically makes her the most attractive character in the cast. What I’m curious to see is how far down the path of gluttony she will go and how it will affect her ability to command. Like Miranda, I’m curious to see her develop deeper relationships with the other crew. Perhaps she decides to bond with her staff through food, instead of confiscating it? Or does she double down? She’s already been shown to be smart and resourceful, so I’m looking forward to what she comes up with to face the coming peril.
Dr. Frank: The idea of an old cyborg doctor who can tussle is awesome. I like that he tries to help his staff as much as he can even if he can’t solve everything. (They should really hire a psychiatrist) But his loyalties still remain to be seen.
Hitomi: Now here’s an interesting one. She is the only one who has been able to fully resist Veska’s power so far, and it remains to be seen if her work will come to fruition. What I’m equally interested in is her relationship to James. Will they save each other, will she save him, or vice versa? Or will she let him go? It could honestly go anywhere at this point. I predict she will be a vital plot contributor in the following episodes.
Cindy Crumbley: If “adorable” has a picture in the dictionary it would be Cindy Crumbley. You cannot tell me she doesn’t use the navigation computer to play Stardew Valley. “You have a feisty short stack, how about a cutesy one?” Said the dev. Not too much to say, I just really want to hug her. I wonder how else her and Maria’s relationship will evolve, or devolve? Will others try and take Maria’s place leading to a rivalry? Or how far will Maria push her, and how much will she resist?
Maria: Exactly what this cast of feedees needed: a true unfiltered feeder. I don’t count Veska, as her powers are supernatural and plot heavy, and Cody is a closeted feeder mainly for Miranda. Maria is so far the first true feeder in this anti-fat world who takes it upon herself to actively encourage others to eat. I’m curious to know more about her backstory that causes her to do this. Is something sinister afoot? She doesn’t seem to gain any weight herself. Or maybe it’s truly just her kink and high metabolism? I’d also be interested to see how far she would push Cindy or if she takes an interest in feeding someone else as well?
Ziya: What an interesting turn. I honestly didn’t expect this level of characterization from her. I love how she’s learning that her judgments of others are a reflection of her own self-consciousness. I think the references to her questioning of her body were done respectfully. At least, that’s how I interpreted it. I hope to see her grow more as a person and potentially make some friends.
SPEED RUN!
Riley Cloudkin: You heard of Fat Ass Ange, now you have Big Rack Riley.
Lang: He’s my spirit animal.
Boris Zavarov: I want to feel this man’s mustache grace my lips.
Seven: I LOVE HIM.
Victor: Started annoying, but got really funny and grew on me.
Charu: Not fat because of veganism. Is this vegan propaganda?
Jesus: Stelio! - Stelio Kontos! Stelio! - Stelio Kontos!
Candance: Obligory tomgirl. I love her.
Erika: Feeder to rival Maria? Perchance?
Ray?: Super interested in how Emil will use him… uh, her- them.
Oko: I appreciate you didn’t make him Gordon Ramsay.
Wow, thanks for the heartfelt review KingFroyo. I like stories with a lot of different things going on, and hopefully interesting stuff happening. I don’t think my execution is perfect, and I’m learning as I go, but I try to make sure everything in the game feels meaningful in some way even if I’m not the best writer for actual dialogue or descriptions. I feel like I make scenes too short sometimes when I can’t think of anything else I want to really add to it, even though it could take me a lot of time to even get the whole scene working.
I have played FE Three Houses, but I wasn’t thinking of Hubert when I made the XO. He’s based on Paul von Oberstein from Legend of the Galactic Heroes, the same way Lang is based on Yang Wen-li (not the most clever name on my part). Although the way I have ship roles laid out for the crew is more like Space Battleship Yamato, with the Admiral → Captain ↔ XO positions.
Veska’s role exists to drive the plot forward and to also exist as her own character. There’s no story without her, which isn’t true for almost anyone else. I didn’t think the end of Ep8 was a swerve ball at all when I made it, but maybe we’ll get more details in the future about what’s happening so it’s more clear.
Yeah, I should probably try to have more interactions between characters that just establishes their personalities better without being specific actions. I have trouble writing scenes without it moving the plot forward in some way I think.
James is based on Kodai from Yamato, but that’s about it. His name is actually from Silent Hill 2 since my friend hadn’t seen SH before and we were doing that at the time. He was the first character I wrote ideas for before I had even used RPG Maker. He’s supposed to give off “male protagonist” energy and be like an old school anime protagonist guy.
I wanted a pair of characters with a very strong connection to each other before the story happens. I focus a lot on them as the main romance of the game while also making it difficult for them to be together because of the circumstances of the plot. I have read a lot of VNs and most of them I find the romance bad because I don’t believe the characters would actually love each other, a lot of times they never even knew each other until the game started and the girl (or girls) seemingly become attracted to the protagonist for no or bad reasons in my opinion. My favorite romance in a VN if I had to pick one is probably from Fata Morgana if you want a better idea the kind of romance I actually like.
I definitely like Jaime Lannister, but I wasn’t consciously thinking of him when writing Paul. He’s based on super sentai hero stuff combined with Dig Dug inflation. The rich boy who runs off to be a vigilante I was more thinking of like…James from Team Rocket. I like the idea of someone rich and privileged having so much indignation that they’d abandon the “easy life” to do shit. Very cool. He was just a comic relief character in Ep1, but after that I decided he should be a more major and serious character. You can see that because I goofed and called him “General P” at one point in Ep1 and I haven’t gone back and fixed it. There’s a lot of stuff in Ep1 I should retcon to fit how the story has went instead.
Don’t worry, I have plans.
Caught up to the end of Episode 8.
I do appreciate the humor in this story. It genuinely has some very funny bits and the characters who are played for comedy do so rather well. But to be perfectly honest I sighed in relief at the end of Episode 8 because Cody might genuinely say something that will make people realize that Veska… Or the Abugida is having on the crew. I say or because despite what Hitomi saw/heard or that she thinks she has at the end there I do not think whatever Veska’s presence is doing is conscious. And I’m not excluding the possibility that while the Abugida is in/around Veska the two might not be necessarily the same thing.
But speculation aside and back to the point. I’ll be honest at this point it feel like the female cast is stupid for all of them getting fatter and experiencing “hallucinations” that push them in that direction but not a single one of them is saying anything. Not even serious and dutiful to her crew Thymi. I understand cluelessness but I struggle to take the serious points seriously if the narration is treating its own “serious characters” like dummies. I guess it’s a tradeoff for giving more free space for gaining or facilitating it. Charu’s thing is excited science nerd okay but after exposing Ziya to something that might even have been potentially dangerous for her there was not even an hint of an apology. Rather she goes off to have another bit with jam she made from the misfortune of someone else. A character that’s stated to be vegan for reasons surrounding exploiting.
It’s one thing for asshole to be assholes or dummies to be dummies. But some bits trying to play things off for comedy or fetish just take me out of it when then it switches around to Cody’s existentialism or the death of Clark and the ripple effect it has on so many of the people who knew him like James.
I don’t know how much Cody truly knows about Veska’s situation but I hope it’s enough to at least get the narration to stop trying so hard to keep the characters in the dark. I realize it sounds mean and stuck up for not being receptive for when the fetish story wants to go fetish. You can have both an actual story and a fetish story in the same place. But neither must be compromised for the other’s sake.
Well I understand and agree to an extent where your coming from but I just chocked it up what we now know is the virus that makes them susceptible.
Also if you recall in the early episodes dr frank said he would do research on why mira was so hungry all the time as well as the fact that its hunger based the only way to not be affected would be to starve yourself like hitomi but the virus like I mentioned gives them hallucinations and alters their mind to want to eat so its like a snowball effect once you start eating. If you take this into account I think it works fine as is in game plus if they cured it there wouldnt be a game anymore.
What Dr Frank said is that he didn’t want to alarm Mira with something he couldn’t confirm. Later he says she developed an eating disorder and there was the whole scene with coach Jesus. This was at the time Graq and the Hungerdome. But within the story it’s been weeks if not a whole month and what happened since then is that even more women are now experiencing the effects. This includes high ranking officials like Thymi. Throughout all of this not a single one of them said anything about the hallucinations and Dr Frank’s only response was a passing comment before the meeting in episode 8 and it wasn’t even about the fact that something might be going on. And given that Cody’s about to do a reveal to the officials of the Rhea I doubt that we can attribute that to Frank knowing what exactly is up with Veska and hiding it. The only reason Hitomi doesn’t want to say anything to Frank is that he seemingly lied about Clark’s death but that does not imply he knows what it is that Veska did or the full extent of the situation. Most likely he just doesn’t want to compromise the crew’s impression of Veska because that would compromise the mission.
Speaking of that. It seems like you are going with the idea that if any of them realized something was going on then they’d put a stop to it and that no more fetish. But that’s a false dualism. Them knowing does not imply they could fix it. Hitomi and Phil just tried and it didn’t work. And there seemingly are many more months ahead in their journey so even if they realized Veska’s presence was doing something it’s not like they can drop the mission for it. The narrative setup for the women to get huge remains intact.
I know it sounds like I’m complaining about fetish content in the fetish story but that is not it. My complaint is that some characters are narratively suffering to facilitate the whole thing. And I say this because between comedy and fetish the narrative wanted me to take it seriously. And at many points it did. Paul pulls off the comedy and seriousness very well for a vigilante with an inflation fetish. But. Ange is supposed to be rather smart and to her credit she pulled it off in the Hungerdome. But in these past episodes all that’s been done with her is marvel at the size of her ass. Do I mind that her ass is getting huge? No. I mind that its taking up the rest of her. Yes she’s cute when the small bossy girl nibbles on treats and gets huge. She absolutely is. But that should not come at the detriment of the rest of her. There’s no moment between bouts of gluttony where she actually notices something is wrong only to fall prey to the cravings anyway. I’ll bring up Thymi again since she was by far the most serious woman in the cast of the Rhea. Do I think the big scary captain mellowing out as her body gets softer is a bad thing? No not at all. But my response to her thinking that she has failed her crew is: yes. Without a doubt. The whole thing flew over her head before. And the ban on snacks seems more solely and I repeat that the problem is the word solely to satisfy her own cravings. It sure didn’t feel like a serious attempt on her part to help the crew only to have it backfire on her. Didn’t hesitate for a second to eat Mira’s snack when she caught her. And when this comes from a character who for half the story was established to be serious and competent well it doesn’t feel completely right to me.
This could entirely be a me problem but for me it does get in the way. With my view on the whole thing if the story is willing to compromise on its characters so much. This is a weight gain game of course I want the girls to get massive. But my highlight of episode 8 was Mira being the one who didn’t fall deeper into gluttony because the narrative was uncompromising about this being a tense moment for her. Any desire to eat or for the narrative to make her fatter was not enough to bend things so that it would happen.
My justification for Thymi is that she think she’s helping the crew to succeed in their mission. Her enforcing rules and orders because she cares about them is the reason for her actions. Eating too much because of this is not something she would have done before, and in-universe I would say that Martians have slower metabolisms too which isn’t doing her any favors. Maybe this is stupid of Thymi not to take her weight gain or the crew’s overall weight gain more seriously, but that’s likely a part of the “Abugida” corruption.
Also a strict, disciplined leader getting fat and unfit is super hot to me.
Mira not gaining during this part of the game is because she’s too anxious and worried about Cody. I think it’s appropriate to not be hungry in her situation, and it also shows that strong enough feelings can overpower the “Abugida Effect” if they are in conflict. This is why Hitomi also doesn’t over eat (in fact she’s lost weight) because she’s the only female crewmember currently who directly opposes Veska and sees her as a threat.
Hitomi doesn’t want to work with Dr. Frank because she believes at least some of the higher ups (Boris/Emil/Thymi/Frank) are aware of the danger that Veska poses and the fact that Dr. Frank didn’t disclose exactly how Clark died is suspicious to her. Hitomi could probably rule out Thymi because she’s getting fat, but I haven’t written a scene like that yet.
For the cast not addressing the “Abugida Effect” that is happening to them; I don’t think some members of the crew getting a bit overweight in two months is going to cause anything but turn heads. Admiral Barrenfield thought they were overall unfit for duty (and maybe to tease Thymi more), which is why she wasn’t going to allow them to pass, but the real higher higher ups in the Federation overthrew that stance. In my setting most people are not fat, probably a small percentage, but I don’t think this changes too much. Yes, at some point there will need to be a serious confrontation on this topic, and I plan on doing that. So that should be something to look forward to I hope.
I can see why people would think Ange and Thymi (and Bell) are acting dumber than they’ve shown in the past, because they are. I can try to write them better in the future so even if they get fatter it comes off more believable. I think it’s true that their dialogue could be better lately instead of just “om nom nom more food”.
Counter point, om nom nom more food is an iconic line of dialog and should be used in every other sentence 
For real though, while I do really enjoy the higher amount of fetish dialog and personally like seeing more of it, it is understandable if you want to have the cast talk about more topics related to their character
I think you’ve struck a good balance with your scene writing between comedy, drama, and fetish content. There are some sharp tone shifts but I think that’s intended on your part and the suddenness of them works to heighten the emotions and stakes of each moment.
I also have to say I think you’ve improved across the board with your writing, artwork, and just general game design and it shows with each update!
