New Route

"Your sin? You were too perfect, brat. The world does not take kindly upon those who remain untouched by its filth."

-Felicia Maure to Rosanna Castus, Act II

***

Playing 'Tales of the The Black Rose' was one of Amelia's many regrets.

She was only twenty back then, but already deadbeat from juggling her studies with part-time jobs. It was the only way to make ends meet, after all, and those were the days when she felt more like a slave than a human. She worked in fast-food chains, and call-centers, even tutored a few classmates and freshmen at some point — until she graduated and sold her soul to a corporation. There was no time to meet new people, no time to go on dates, no time for even one-night stands. Sometimes, her colleagues would pity her and set her up with different people — which Amelia always declined due to prior commitments.

Prior commitments, of course, mostly included her daily grind, which required her to log in during specific times and consistently play the mini-games to save up "seeds". As shady as that sounded, these "seeds" was just another term for in-game currency, which allowed the player to unlock different chapters and routes of the story. These seeds couldn't be bought — much to Amelia's dismay — so the only way to unlock all endings was to spend a ridiculous amount of hours playing the game.

Amelia was one of the very few who completed it. Most players, dedicated as they were, simply didn't have the time to sit down and raise every character's love meter, gain XP, and convert them into seeds. It didn't matter how compelling the plot was, how hot the male leads were, or how bad they want to satisfy their completionist streak.

One dedicated fan actually lost it halfway through the second month, suing the developers to give back the time she spent on such a stupid game. And it was stupid: the male leads were crap, the plot was rushed and underdeveloped, while the MC is just another paper cutout of the typical goody-two-shoes, holier-than-thou heroine.

So why were there still people who bore through it?

For Amelia, the reason was simple: the game had potential, which somehow went down the drain for reasons unknown. The story started simple — Rosanna, whose family was disgraced, had to restore her family's honor by uncovering the truth behind her parents' murder. She had to rise in ranks to get into a position of power, get the information she needed, and finally, put the people responsible into jail. To this end, Rosanna did her best to enroll in the most prestigious school, connect with all the right people, and even gain favors.

But what did she end up doing? Not only did Rosanna completely forgive all the wrongdoings of her abusive aunt, the bullies of her school, and the death of her parents — it was as if, after all the trouble she went through, her problems were solved as soon as she met the man of her dreams. She even managed to forgive the villainess, restore peace in the kingdom, and somehow got neighboring countries wrapped around her fingers. She might've lost her brother somewhere around the middle act, but that was okay! All the male leads somehow had younger brothers to dote on!

Everything was completely resolved down even on the bad endings, which made it worse. Real life doesn't work that way.

Maybe she only played the game for beautiful, fictional men. Maybe loneliness was a part of it - the fact that she was getting older and not getting any happier unlike what she expected growing up. Maybe it was the amount of cash she spent on voice packs and merchandise, duly budgeted out of her monthly salary.

Fiction is not reality, but even if it wasn't real, Amelia wanted to see Rosanna lose her shit. Surely love and status couldn't be enough to make up for all those sufferings! Where was the black rose in the title? Why can't Rosanna just make use of her protagonist halo, climb her way up, and become empress? All those networks and resources at her disposal, and Rosanna couldn't even find her way out of wet plastic bag, if the male leads weren't rescuing her out if it.

She hated people like Rosanna the most - the martyrs, saints, and people-pleasers who would stop at nothing just to earn their right to live, if someone was even capable of giving that. Rosanna was kind because she wanted to be 'friends' with everyone, even the villainess. Rosanna forgave because she thought it was the only way to let her dead parents (and brother, at the later parts of the story) rest in peace. Rosanna would turn down power if it meant following her heart.

Others called it redemption and character development, but Amelia called bullshit.

Amelia dropped Tales of The Black Rose soon after, and never thought about it again. It provided a brief escape to reality, that was for sure, but in the end, people like Amelia had to go back to making a living. They didn't have princes and tycoons to cover their expenses. There was no plot armor, no good faith, and certainly no choices to be made. Rosanna gets to be a white rose because her grass was greener.

As for Amelia, she grew up in a world where roses wilt and die. Other players would mock her for reading too much into the game, but was it really her fault that the protagonist was acting out of character?

***

Looking back, she should've been gentler on her critique.

Tales of The Black Rose may have had shitty MC and shittier male leads, but if there's one thing that game did well — it was the villains. Nevermind that most of them existed to be reformed by the MC, but there were some that were simpy made for the role, undettered and immune to the protagonist halo.

Felicia Maure was one of those people, even though this woman had spent years making Rosanna's life a living hell. The abuse was shown off-screen for censorship reasons, but throughout the story, at every route, Felicia Maure always played the role of the evil relative — and this won't change despite her involvement with the Castus' family's downfall coming to light.

Felicia Maure will never beg for forgiveness, but Rosanna would forgive her anyway because that's how it was written.

Fortunately, the story didn't account for a poor, lost soul named Amelia.

"Care is an ambiguous term, Auntie," She says casually. "May I ask what you plan to do, specifically?"

In the novel, Rosanna could only bounce between two extremes: be sickeningly sweet, or disgustingly rotten. Out of frustration, Amelia had come up with her own lines in exchange for the poorly-written dialogue she's had to endure for so long and pretended that she was able to say them.

Many years later, it seemed God has heard her wishes.

Felicia Maure raised a brow at Rosanna in confusion. "What do you mean, ambiguous? You're sick, so obviously — "

"For all I know, Auntie, you might've been the one that got me sick in the first place."

The maid let out an audible gasp. Meanwhile, the mysterious man that was with them suddenly tensed up.

Felicia Maura strode forward, her heels clicking on the marble tiles.

"Excuse me?" She hissed in a low voice.

Between the one in the portrait and the one in front of her, the latter was truly more terrifying. But Rosanna was the main character — literally the center of this universe — so there was nothing to fear.

As if overtaken by some mad, drunk power, Amelia met her gaze with an equally sinister smile. "What's the matter, Auntie? Am I wrong?"

Now here's the thing: Amelia had unlocked all the endings. All routes. The game always opened with Rosanna waking up from a long fever after they found her outside in the cold. There was no explanation as to how she got there, nor was it mentioned again in the story. Still, Amelia had always suspected that Felicia Maure had something to do with it, given how much she hated her niece.

However, Felicia Maure could only cast a conflicted look at Rosanna. Perhaps she was frustrated that she couldn't hit her in front of everyone?

"I assume it's the fever that's making you say this right now," Felicia Maure gritted out, in a voice that only she and Rosanna could hear. Then, she turned towards the man behind them — the one dressed in fancy coats and fedora — and made it seem as if she was shielding Rosanna from him.

"Apologies, my lord ." Felicia Maure dropped in a curtsy, dipping her head low in a bow. "As you can see, my niece still appears to be sick, so perhaps we can talk another time — "

"She seems fine to me." The man cut her off. From where she stood, Amelia can see the woman clench her jaw in frustration.

"Pardon me, my lord, but I believe it would not be wise —"

"Silence."

The word echoed in the empty hallway. Felicia Maure didn't comment further and kept her head hung low. The man walked past her...and straight towards Amelia.

The man loomed over her. At that moment, Amelia wracked her head on which part of the story included a sinister-looking man in the prologue.

Much to her surprise, the man knelt and removed his hat, revealing a stern-looking face that was no older than Amelia when she died. He held the hat towards his chest in a gesture of respect, and there was a solemnity to his expression that made Amelia feel more like a saint than a bare-footed girl in her nightgown.

In the game, this man had been strict and unrelenting, but strangely soft and lenient when it came to Rosanna. It was almost as if, against all odds, there lay a special condition in regards to all things related to Rosanna Castus.

"It's nice to meet you, Rosanna," the man said. "My name is Horace Pryor, the headmaster of Cyrilla Academy. My apologies that I couldn't come sooner."

Amelia stared at him, wordless. Rosanna Castus wasn't supposed to meet the headmaster until her time at the Academy!

What the hell was going on?

***

Discussion

WARNING: POSTS MAY CONTAIN HEAVY SPOILERS!

Click if you wish to proceed

USER: Damian's wife (REAL)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Status: COMPLETED

Would be nicer if they just declared Damian's route as canon. He's the freaking Crown Prince. All this alternate ending nonsense is ruining the experience.

Replies:

Sebastian's ring: wtf u have a problem w/ my mans??

oZONE: if we're talking about canon isn't damian's route like, the most far-fetched compared to the rest

Sebastian's ring: @/oZONE damian route enjoyers are the most basic bitches istg

Damian's wife (REAL): @/oZONE Your man is a capitalist. @/Sebastian's ring Yours literally stalked Rosanna for the whole Act 1.

Sebastian's ring: so? we still get more action than you

oZONE: HAHAHAHAHAHA lol get sniped

***

USER: Sebastian's ring

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

STATUS: COMPLETED

Is there a route where the boys date each other

Replies:

oZONE: that's a completely different genre you're asking for

Sebastian's ring [OP]: yeh u have a problem with that?

oZONE: it's not gonna happen

Sebastian's ring [OP]: yeah and Oz isn't gonna marry u irl...your point is?

oZONE: get fucked

***

USER: Viola's Hand Holder

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Status: COMPLETED

A COMPLETE WASTE OF MY FUCKING TIME. This game baited me w/ art and the fact that u can't whale your way to success. No wonder this shit's for free. MC is your typical cutout heroin, male leads have no other personality aside from being hot and simps for MC, and the villains redeeming themselves feel so forced. Wtf I wasted so many hours of my life just for this crap?

Replies:

oZONE: chill man it's just a game

Damian's wife (REAL): You literally downloaded this game with your free will. NO ONE forced you to play through it.

Sebastian's ring: *taps sign* bby you're playing a DATING SIM of course the men will coddle u wtf did u expect some story-based fps

Damian's wife (REAL): @/Sebastian's ring never thought I'd agree with you but yes

Sebastian's ring: @/Damian's wife (REAL) i like you too

Damian's wife (REAL): @/Sebastian's ring what

Sebastian's ring: @/Damian's wife (REAL) what

oZONE: lol lmao LMFAO

oZONE: also @/Viola's Hand Holder: fyi it's *heroine not "heroin". former is a person, the latter is a drug

***

USER: Petition for Leo Route

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Status: COMPLETED

you know what this game needs? a leo route. who do i have to sacrifice for the leo route. i don't give a fuck who i have to play as. i want to seduce this butler. i want him. everyone else can have all the other routes. i want HIM.

Replies:

Viola's Hand Holder: you know what this game needs? An actual, fucking plot. Who do I have to sacrifice for an actual fucking plot. I don't give a fuck who I have to play as. I want to seduce this actual fucking plot. I want it. Everyone can have all the other routes. I want IT.

Sebastian's ring: @/Damian's wife (REAL) wake up babe new copypasta just dropped:

oZONE: @/Sebastian's ring I thought i was babe

Damian's wife (REAL): shut the fuck up

Sebastian's ring: *blush emoji*

Damian's wife (REAL): @/oZONE I WAS TALKING TO YOU

oZONE: @/Damian's wife (REAL) yes babe?

Petition for Leo Route [OP]: what am I seeing

***

USER: An actual, helpful review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Status: COMPLETED

This is an actual, helpful review for actual players who want to know what they're getting into. So sorry for everyone who's had to read shit takes from these filthy casuals who never actually finished the game.

Thank me later.

1.) Story (10/10) - definitely so much more than the first few routes of the game let on. I genuinely thought this was just another brainless dating sim until I reached the true ending. Kudos who built up the story just like that, btw. Can't say I agree w/ how things turned out, but this is definitely loads better than that happy end bullshit. Will probably cry about the plot twist until the day I die.

2.) Characters (9/10) - I like how everyone who stopped at route 20 keep bitching about the MC. I was one of them, to be honest. But things have changed now. I'm giving 9 for the MC alone.

3.) Gameplay (10/10) - had me at the first half, not gonna lie. I'm so glad I played the last route before I wrote a review. I keep wondering what was the point of raising their love meters little by little, but the way the game pulls a 180 makes you appreciate the good times where you didn't have to face moral dilemmas.

I wouldn't play this game again due to heartache, but it was definitely one hell of an experience. Again, I'm so sorry for those who never got to see the true end. You probably deserve it, though. You can't really call yourself a true player if you didn't. But I'd feel bad if someone like, died without knowing how shit actually went down. Imagine not being able to watch the masquerade ball cutscene with Leo.

Replies:

Petition for Leo Route: DID SOMEONE SAY LEO CONTENT

Potatoflies: OP I don't think we're playing the same game

Damian's wife (REAL): sounds like a PR stunt

Sebastian's Ring: is this an employee? From the devs? Coz I smell bullshit

oZONE: no fucking way they liked the MC thats like, the biggest red flag

Petition for Leo Route: the NPCs have more character development than Rosanna

Rosanna My Beloved: @/oZONE OP is right though…maybe you haven't played the villain route?

Damian's wife (REAL): what villain route? Viola's?

Sebastian's rings: @/Viola's Hand Holder you need to see this

An actual, helpful review [OP]: so y'all really didn't know the true ending

oZONE: WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE PLAYED ALL 20 ENDINGS

An actual, helpful review [OP]: and who says there's only 20

Damian's wife (REAL): w3w.talesoftheblackrosegame/about

Rosanna My Beloved: "With four different routes, 12 Happy Endings, 13 Bad Endings, and BONUS CONTENT"

Sebastian's rings: no fucking way hahahahaha say sike rn

An actual, helpful review [OP]: you poor lost souls. You missed out 75% of the whole experience

Petition for Leo Route: SHUT UP HOW DO WE UNLOCK THIS

Rossanna My Beloved: just play it again

An actual, helpful review [OP]: yeah you should notice the difference early on

Sebastian's Ring: ya'll are fucking with me this is LITERALLY THE SAME OPENING SCENE

An actual, helpful review [OP]: wait for it

Sebastian's Ring: ….

Sebastian's Ring: no way

Sebastian's Ring: @/Viola's Hand Holder @/Damian's wife (REAL) @/oZONE @/Potatoflies

@/Petition for Leo Route

Damian's wife (REAL): opening my PC right now

oZONE: (2)

Petition for Leo Route: (3)

Potatoflies: I can't believe @/an actual, helpful review was actually helpful

An actual, helpful review [OP]: maybe if you touched grass

Rosanna My Beloved: as someone who played the game enough to know abt the bonus content, I don't think you're the one to talk

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