Poll: Which ending in the Normal path did you prefer?
Added 2022-09-13 21:51:01 +0000 UTCNow that we're done with the Normal path, I'm kinda curious to know which of the two endings you guys enjoyed the most. I know neither of them was perfect—I could have done better, most likely—but I'm still somewhat satisfied with them. While we're on the subject of the Normal Path, I just want to address the biggest criticisms that I encounter with (mostly) the future ending.
Future ending
Except for her hairstyle, which seems to have missed the mark unfortunately, what people criticize the most with this ending is pretty much the last update. Everything that came after the karaoke scene is rushed compared to the slow corruption from the start of the game. To be clear about my own position on the matter, I think this complaint is fairly accurate. I just want to explain the reasoning behind the way I handled that ending. There are mainly two reasons:
The first one is that, from the start, I had decided to tackle A Promise Best Left Unkept in direct reaction to the reception of my last project (The Edge Of). It's kinda fun to try new things and see what sticks and what doesn't. The three main things that I changed from my last project are the protagonist's personality (more lovable), the choice of two female main characters instead of one, and the branching to multiple paths/endings. That latter reason—the multiple endings—is pretty much why I ultimately decided to 'rush' the end. Because I had so much more to write, and the project kept getting bigger and bigger, that if I handled the one year that elapsed between the moment when Laura became corrupted to the last big reveal in the same way I handled the corruption phase, it could have doubled the number of words of the story. If I hadn't planned so many paths, then the pacing of that ending could have been much more palatable.
The second reason is that I personally prefer the corruption phase to the corrupted phase. The moment the girl loses and becomes corrupted, the story is pretty much over for me. It's not as interesting and not as exciting, which is why I decided to not delve into that part of the story for too long.
I also read complaints about the fact that Laura's change at the end—the big reveal—is not realistic compared to the rest of the story. But I personally don't agree with that. What happened from the first sex scene all the way to the karaoke scene (where Laura ultimately falls) only lasted a single month. In a month Laura became… well… for lack of better terms, a slut. So it wouldn't be too farfetched to believe that, by being Luca's toy for an entire year, she could become broken beyond repair.
Family ending
There weren't many complaints about that ending, surprisingly enough. So I don't have much to say about it. I didn't plan to write that ending. For me, epilogue, unless well thought-out, aren't really appealing. There's no good place where to stop, really. I could have kept on going for multiple updates still. But some people seem to have really enjoyed it, so I'm glad that I did write it. I just know that the fans of corruption were probably not very interested in it.
Comments
"The thrill is in the chase, not the capture" as the saying goes. So the descent into madness and corruption is part of that thrill. Once there it can be fun to see what damage THEY can do as opposed to the main antagonist, or how much damage the protagonist brings onto themselves. After that, well... As to the pacing, it's an ending not an expansion, it's supposed to wrap up and there's only so much production to go around while working on the next phases. So totally makes sense.
AdHyde69 .
2022-09-15 07:49:42 +0000 UTCI preferred #2, but the art was... there was something missing for me. (In general, I preferred the art from earlier scenes, especially from about 4.0 thru 5.5)
qwertip
2022-09-15 07:24:58 +0000 UTCTo state some things that haven't been said (I did prefer #2 as well) I think writing the endings has a lot of potential- yes the corruption phase is top tier and I do think the best part, but it falls flat without the payoff! One of my favorite things from The Edge Of was the post "was this you?" phase. You mentioned finding it difficult to determine when to stop... IMO that's already been seeded by Luca saying he wants to reveal it once their kids are adults. If you're ever willing to go back to ending #2 to flesh it out a bit further it would be fantastic to get some pregnancy scenes (I figured that'd be what the route would focus on) and have a reveal scene with a flash forward to see them later in life. IMO that's actually the ultimate endpoint of the corruption- the sadistic betrayal that goes beyond personal pleasure and extends into wanting to break his heart/mind.
Ragnarok
2022-09-14 18:07:26 +0000 UTCI'll agree with "corruption being the most interesting phase of the story" and go even further with my preference: I have almost no interest in the choice of ending. The initial setup and corruption/cheating is the only interesting phase of an NTR story for me. I find corruption reaches a point of diminishing returns rather quickly and once this point is reached, I get little out of seeing increasingly debasing scenes and the end result of the corruption. So your focus on the corruption phase is perfect for my preferences. Once I reach that point of diminishing returns where I lose interest, I simply stop reading. Seduction/cheating/corruption stories on Literotica are often this way, with the ending making up so little of the story it's almost an afterthought.
CureDulledSeaman
2022-09-14 14:51:40 +0000 UTCContrary to most, i actually like laura changed hair. Shows her corruption well imo, only problem is some of the shots made her look like Aya, but i do like the change. One thing to keep in mind, all of us are biased. Overall as a story i think it's a great move having very sudden change as laura breaks and ending gets rushed. As a story it's great, i think it'd have felt a lot more natural if we played it from beginning to end. I suspect people find it disappointing because we all like slow corruption, but now that we're in the fast stage, waiting a month for it when the buildup is already done can be rough.
Plee
2022-09-14 06:57:29 +0000 UTCYeah, 2nd ending was definitely the better of the two thus far. Laura's state by the end was entirely believable given how long she has been at it behind Harry's back by that point, and how oblivious that blind cuck has been all that time. She was already long past the point of no return and hopelessly addicted to the D. and well, sluts gonna slut. She adheres to that fairly well I dare say. It's terrifying to imagine a woman IRL with the temperament and general demeanor of beginning Laura actually falling this far from their established way of life, just because of some asshole with a beeg D putting them in a tight spot, but the shit does actually happen. Maybe not a cucking quite as hard as pitiable Harry get it, but oblivious cucking does occur to undeserving guys just trying to live life because of assholes like Luca seeking cheap thrills. Guess that's what makes the scenario so damn insatiable and appealing to those into it. ~_^
pr0dukt
2022-09-14 00:53:31 +0000 UTCThe long blond hair and seeing more of Laura's degeneracy made ending 2 the better of the two endings to me. Also the form fitting dress and the nipple piercings were great. I just wish we got a sex scene where we could see the piercings in the scene.
Vulcan64
2022-09-14 00:11:56 +0000 UTCI completely agree with the corruption being the most interesting phase of the story. And I also understand why the ending should be on the shorter side which might feel rushed to some. The game devotes already so much time for the endings that the line has to be drawn somewhere. I honestly am satisfied with shorter endings, with the preceding meat of the story getting the bulk of the attention
Nemris
2022-09-14 00:08:06 +0000 UTCThe Ending #1 did not have as much as meat as the Ending #2, and also it was a NTR "slasher" with that big reveal scene. Ending #2 was more like a psychological horror, which is the most intense form of NTR in my opinion.
2022-09-13 23:44:55 +0000 UTCthe only thing alt 2 is better because it's last longer .... alt 1 quite short...
2022-09-13 22:58:56 +0000 UTCOh, I was going to say that we didn't know it clearly, wheter she was actuallycorrupted, or if she was already kinda broken, but never wanted to or was too proud to even admit it. If you say she "became" a slut, well then she was actually corrupted hehe. Anyway, family ending all the way, the more of corrupted Laura the better *-* Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
Cláudio
2022-09-13 22:08:33 +0000 UTC
