Tendencies, What are they for?

With the last couple of polls I've realized that not everyone understands what the purpose of the tendencies are apart from unlocking choices sometimes. Which as the writer/developer is totally my fault so let's demystify them.

Tendencies are personality traits that will add shades of distinction to your MC. Apart from merely unlocking different options, I want tendencies to also be hidden in the narrative, changing details within your scenes. With the Week One update, most of the tendency choices will be open and there will be a lot more choices woven into the narrative. Once you reach Night VIII, your personality with be (almost) fixed. You'll have very few opportunities to gain new tendencies, but you will instead have dynamic scenes which change based on your tendencies. Let's have an example.

As I mentioned in the last poll, we'll likely be transitioning to opposed stats. So let's look at the opposed stat of Pious and Irreverent. Let's say your MC is 70% Pious and 30% Irreverent. Here's a totally random scene for her on Night VI:

"What if..."

You struggle to wrap your tongue around what you're about to say. It's been an hour since you lost your faith, and already you're about to propose utter degeneracy.

"Hypothetically, if I were to be indiscreet with Valdricht, would that not bother you? Seeing as how we're traveling in close quarters."

Something dark passes over his eyes, but then he smirks. "I could always join the two of you in your indiscretions."

You blanch. "I fear there's been a miscommunication. I am not proposing that—"

"Stop with this tedium," he interjects. "You'd end up being indiscreet even if you weren't obsessed with one another. Duvkrovyr can be very... stimulating, as you might have noticed."

"Obsessed? I am not obsessed with Valdricht."

"Of course not," he mutters, once more flinging his arm over his face. "But he's certainly obsessed with you. Ever since we found you, you're all he talks about, all he thinks about. It's like his whole existence revolves around you."

You chew on your bottom lip. "I certainly haven't gotten that impression, nor have I done anything to merit such attention."

"On that, we agree," he says. "Unfortunately, Valdricht's tastes defy reason. You're not the first female he's fixated on."

"Oh?" you ask, leaning forward.

Serax cracks open an eye to regard you. "He had a slave once. Long before my time. He was obsessed with her. He married her, had a castle built for her, gave up lands and titles so he could devote all of his time to fretting over her."

Your stomach is in knots. "Valdricht was married?"

It's absurd that this should come as a shock to you. If a man has lived even half a century, one would expect he'd have picked up a wife along the way. It's difficult to reckon with the reality that either of them had a life before their lives collided with yours.

"At least twice," he says. "The first time was more a diplomatic marriage."

"What happened to her? The one he built the castle for?"

Now, he pins you with a full stare. "Nythara happened to her."

And now let's read that one again with a 70% Irreverent and 30% Pious MC. I'll bolden just a few of the changes that way you can reference them quickly.

"What if..."

You pause, aware you’re tiptoeing toward something scandalous.

"Hypothetically, if I were to be indiscreet with Valdricht, would that not bother you? Seeing as how we're traveling in close quarters."

Something dark passes over his eyes, but then he smirks. "I could always join the two of you in your indiscretions."

You squint. "That is... a creative interpretation of my question."

“Don’t act so shocked,” he says, waving a hand. “You’d end up being indiscreet whether or not you’re obsessed with each other. Duvkrovyr has that effect. You’ve felt it.”

“Obsessed? That’s a strong word. I’m not obsessed with Valdricht.”

"Of course not," he mutters, once more flinging his arm over his face. "But he's certainly obsessed with you. Ever since we found you, you're all he talks about, all he thinks about. It's like his whole existence revolves around you."

You chew the inside of your cheek. “He certainly doesn’t act like someone that loves talking about me.”

“Doesn’t mean he isn’t doing it. And you haven’t exactly done much to earn that kind of devotion.”

“Thank you for the confidence,” you say dryly.

"Anytime," he says. "Fortunately for you, Valdricht's tastes defy reason. You're not the first female he's fixated on."

“Oh?” you ask, arching a brow.

Serax cracks open an eye to regard you. "He had a slave once. Long before my time. He was obsessed with her. He married her, had a castle built for her, gave up lands and titles so he could devote all of his time to fretting over her."

You blink. “Valdricht was married?”

It’s not that it shocks you. It’s more the visceral realization that these men had full lives—whole histories—before yours ever crossed theirs.

"At least twice," he says. "The first time was more a diplomatic marriage."

“What happened to her? The one he built the castle for?”

Now, he pins you with a full stare. “Nythara happened to her."

See? Essentially the same scenes, but a different vibe and even the banter is affected a bit. Rest assured, I will not be writing the scenes differently for every 10% of personality traits. Rather, when I feel like, for example a Romantic MC may react differently in a scenario than a Practical MC, I will make some minor tweaks to the scene and create a hidden conditional link. You'll be reading as normal, not knowing that a skill check shifted you into a particular version of the scene. This way, your MC behaves in a manner which better aligns with your perception of her. One more example, this one shorter.

Here is a scene from the Heretic, Night IV:

Inside the tent, Serax has already changed into his silken small clothes. Your gaze lingers on his bare chest as you remove your boots. He stares back knowingly.

"Off praying to heathen gods, Sister $name?" he asks. "I hear they cut out your tongue for that."

You stiffen. "Only if you speak the blasphemy aloud."

"And what do they do to vestals who fornicate?"

"Depends. Usually they get sent away. Which I suspect means confinement to ensure no child will come of the union, and then..." You draw your finger across your neck.

"Glory to The Merciful Mother," he says wryly.

Indeed.

You shrug off your coat and then fall to your knees before the fire, warming your frigid fingers.

Serax asks, "Are you hungry yet?"

You're not, but you aren't about to turn down the opportunity. "For blood?"

He grins. "I wouldn't offend your sensibilities with anything less."

The finger over the neck? Rather cynical, no? Let's crank up the romanticism.

Inside the tent, Serax has already changed into his silken small clothes. Your eyes catch on the lines of his bare chest as you unlace your boots. He notices—and doesn’t look away.

"Off praying to heathen gods, Sister $name?" he asks. "I hear they cut out your tongue for that."

You stiffen. "Only if you say the blasphemy out loud."

"And what do they do to vestals who fornicate?"

"Depends... Usually they get sent away from the sanctum. Removed from service. It's meant to protect them... and the child, if there is one."

You don’t say what else you’ve heard. You don’t want to believe that part.

"Exile and silence—the cornerstones of any good faith."

You peel off your coat and lower yourself beside the fire, grateful for its warmth on your fingers. It’s easier to focus on the heat than the lingering discomfort in your chest.

Serax asks, "Are you hungry yet?"

Hope flutters in your chest. "For blood?"

He grins. "I wouldn’t offend your sensibilities with anything less."

So there you have it. Generally, the changes will be subtle and hidden, though on occasion you'll have major choices that will be dependent on certain personality traits. I hope this clears things up!

A final note on content bloat, what I like about using the tendencies in a subtle manner is that it'll give me the ability to tailor chapters for different MCs, while not necessarily creating different branches/storylines. Particularly in cases where there may be an arbitrary choice, rather than writing out tons of passages just to arrive at the same conclusion, I can write your MC such that she makes the choice in a single passage, but in a way that feels natural based on her personality.

Using this kind of conditional writing will also allow me to more easily add our upcoming feature, which will be Motivations. In the prologue, you'll be able to select what will motivate your character. This is a fixed stat that will subtly shift the narrative of your storyline, allowing you to focus on what most interests you, be it the sex, the pregnancy, the romance, or your own personal coming of age story. Primarily you'll see it affecting your unstructured nights. An MC motivated by having a family will have more conversations about her pregnancy, child, and the LI's in their parental roles. An MC motivated by passion will have more opportunities for spicier NSFW content. This won't bar your MC from the other content, but rather emphasize your interest in your storyline.

-Mortish