charmian | More crimson empire

Since maybe one or two people want to play the game, I decided to write some notes about playing it.

To get GOOD END (and not be executed), you need to get Edvard's popularity among the nobles and the commoners both above 450. You'll still avoid execution if only the noble popularity is above 450 (as the game notes, this is an aristocracy, so it doesn't really matter what the common folk think XD). You also have to keep shoring up your popularity, because it declines over time.

To raise this popularity, you need to either bribe nobles (to raise noble popularity), donate to the church (to raise commoner popularity) or undertake quests. You can also participate in the arena battles and get 50 points in each category. Most people advise against doing quests because they are a waste of time. Instead, you should go outside and grind against the monsters. You won't increase your stats, but you will increase the number of items you can carry, and also open up new areas, which is important because the later areas will get you a lot of cash so that you can start the bribing. (Hmm, the message this game sends: you can become king if you give enough cash to the right people?)

It's also important by round fifty to get at least some popularity, otherwise Curtis Nile will kill you, but by then, you should be strong enough to get through the arena (you can battle once about every fifty turns), so it shouldn't be a problem.

To raise your relationship points with the guys, you can either socialize with them or give them presents. I think giving them the appropriate presents raises it faster, so then you can just go through all 22 of the scenes that you get (with the guys you can actually start a relationship with (100pt); the ones you can't have fewer scenes and a 45 max of relationship points). You get the scenes at intervals depending on whether you have enough relationship points.

Ok, this time I decided to go after Marshall.

Marshall is a lot more normal than Edvard. So there are less of the 'zomg zomg what are the writers thinking?!' scenes. (except for the one where they cut each other, but that seems relatively wholesome also. Okay, maybe it's not normal either for people to have long conversations with blades at each other's throats.... Alright, maybe it's not normal to enjoy the sight of a hallway littered with corpses and smeared with blood either.) Before Sheila and Marshall began to serve their respective masters, they were friends, but now things have gotten complicated. So in public they pretend to hate each other, and off-duty, they always sit next to each other at the favored watering-hole of the palace servants. I kind of get the sense that Marshall had always had a thing for Sheila, but Sheila sees him as a friendly rival.

Ronalus finally shows up and does something in this route. He's bored out of his mind so he decides to tease Sheila and Marshall about their relationship. We also find out he's stronger than both Marshall and Sheila, who are about equally matched in combat. (It's also implied here that he's in love with the queen he serves. BTW, the country in the story is a vassal state to the country with the queen.)

For much of this, I was feeling sorry for Marshall because Sheila doesn't really notice his feelings for her. Like when they're standing face to face, she's all like 'why are you spacing out? eh?' And when she's consulting with her friend, her friend bluntly tells her, 'you're in love with him, aren't you?' and she's like 'ehhhh?' This is after Marshall kissed her on more than one occasion. XDD Yeah, he was TOTALLY RIVALZONED.

Ahahahahah, the bar scene. At first I was like, lol, finally we're getting somewhere! Then I was like..... hmm, they're making out now, finally, but hey wait uhh.... aren't they still AT THE BAR? The bar where quite a few of their fellow servants are gathered drinking away? XDDDD So everyone must pretend not to notice. After this, Sheila begins to avoid Marshall. I feel even more sorry for him. XD

...Oh man, now my pity for him is rising up to new levels. Sheila is all like 'so was what you wished for me to say was, I don't want to forget what happened too; I love you'? And then she's like "Marshall was a man to feel sorry for, I thought. It was as if he had been played with and dumped.' All this as she's got her sectioned flail thing kind of wrapped around him (which she pulled out suddenly), and is drawing him closer with it. Then she says 'Isn't this the kind of distance where sweet words can be traded? Did you wish to have this kind of useless (くだらない) relationship with me?' She doesn't want to RUIN THE RIVALSHIP. And after all, they're enemies. (what kind of dating sim is this?!)

After this Marshall is like 'that time.... were you playing a joke on me?' Sheila is like internally 'his eyes seemed sad....' I BET. So then Marshall says that even though they might kill each other in the future, because their masters are both broad-minded, their free time is their own.

Man the pitifulness increases: Marshall says something like 'you may laugh at me, for pursuing a woman this much blah blah blah..' and Sheila says "Ahahahaha" "....." "Sorry." (She was joking, but ouch)

Prince Justin has come to warn off Sheila. Unexpectedly, he accuses her of going for Marshall even though she has no intentions of going out with him. While he pretends he's all like 'keep ur hands off of what belongs to me,' it seems he's really all 'don't break his heart.' XDD Prince Justin is secretly a nice person. (This is why Sheila thinks he's unsuited for the throne)

Another scene: So Marshall wounds Sheila while they are training, and he's upset and trying to see if she's okay, and Sheila's like '>:| If this were a real battle, what would you do?" He replies that he would leave her there, no matter how mortal the wounds were. Sheila is satisfied and relieved by this answer. Because if she were to die, it would actually be good for Prince Justin's side. On the other hand, Marshall says that he would be depressed, and would never be the same, maybe go insane and die. Sheila says 'that's weak.' And Marshall is like... "yeah, probably.... my heart is weaker than yours."

As Marshall says, although they are alike in their positions and paths in life, they are separate people. But being in the same (dirty) profession, he can understand her well (this is unlike Edvard. Edvard says it would be arrogant for him to claim that he understands her; unlike someone like Justin, he's wise enough to realize this)

.....If you are on a date with someone and they offer to hold hands, you're not supposed to say that you'd rather cut off their hand, Sheila.

LOL, at the end, Prince Justin goes to tell Sheila that he won't forgive her if she makes Marshall unhappy. (Sheila thinks he sounds like the father of the bride)

Also, I was thinking this was much more G-rated than the route with Edvard (well, not that there was anything explicit there anyway), but actually this is the opposite. Sheila, what were you doing to him there?!? (Also, what was with all the discussion on cheating?)

Anyway, this did turn out to be more of a disquisition on the problems of dating someone when your masters are enemies (even if they are tolerant as Edvard and Justin are), the transience of the lives of the guards, the advantages of dating someone who you have a lot in common with, as far as lifestyle goes (we learn much more about how Sheila's lifestyle here). In some ways it's kind of like Upstairs, Downstairs, but only about the Downstairs.

Now I think I'll go after the pharmacist guy. This should be interesting, as he seems to have no real role in the plot or particularly anything in common with Sheila.