Work Text:
Beefleaf modern AU where:
- Hè Xuán, the antagonist of an otoge, is revealed to have a route through datamining
- Shī Qīngxuán, a guide writer, seeks to find said route flags and document them, but must suffer through the moral death of their fav (and the shittiest bond point system ever)
Upon selecting the perfectly right answer string through 36 checks (and passing a fake “bad end”, complete with a return to title screen) the route starts. Some choices needed include “never mention SWD a single time, “be nice to other people, but not HX”, “discuss second lives” and “show belief in reform”.
The reward for pleasing the most asinine bond system in history is a sleeper villain reveal that shakes the entire game’s story and themes. The Hè Xuán (true name!) route turns out to be the longest, has the most cgs, and includes voiced scenes
Too bad no one discovered it for years!!
(*delusional* and then bc SQX is the first to do complete the route, HX climbs out of the screen, kisses SQX passionately, and says “you did it. you freed my soul. I missed you so much” and then they live happily ever after *delusional*)