- Dec 7, 2021
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je agree with you Paume, this game is incredible, super well written story, captivating, graphically nothing to say it's very good! Thanks to Aryn for doing such a job! 
- Thread starter Aaryn
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This game is a masterpiece. Everything about it is just so perfect. I'm such a fan of your work Aaryn. I look forward to whatever you work on next.
Hi Arryn. For my two cents worth, you don't need to write any sequel. As much as feel like I'd love to see more, more, MORE! you nailed the ending. It can't get better from there. Also, the slow progression of sexual material throughout was a perfect fit for these characters and their story.
I'm looking forward to seeing the improvements you're making. I wonder if you can tighten up the writing in some spots and still keep the development and emotion going - less can be more. But again, thank you for giving us a terrific, captivating work.
I'm looking forward to seeing the improvements you're making. I wonder if you can tighten up the writing in some spots and still keep the development and emotion going - less can be more. But again, thank you for giving us a terrific, captivating work.
- Mar 17, 2021
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One of the best games out there too bad we are outnumbered by Futas and Furries.
je agree with you Paume, this game is incredible, super well written story, captivating, graphically nothing to say it's very good! Thanks to Aryn for doing such a job!
This game is a masterpiece. Everything about it is just so perfect. I'm such a fan of your work Aaryn. I look forward to whatever you work on next.
Thank you all. Appreciate the love
Thanks for this. Sequels can be fun if there's a point to them (making more money as a developer is not a reason for a sequel imo). I wanted to write the ending of this in a certain way. It checks a lot of boxes for what I wanted as well as dabbling in a lot of things that fans of the game wanted. To me, it was the only ending there ever could have been for a litany of reasons and I put a lot of time into trying to balance all of that. I'm with you, to write a sequel, could undo that. The ending here leaves a lot of things open to the individual reader to interpret and that, to me, is way more fun than me just flat out telling people what happened or what to believe. Obviously, given the adult genre, that requires a certain level of maturity that not everyone has and I'm ok with that, but the response was overwhelmingly positive and I'd hate to mess that up with a sequel for many of the reasons you outlined. However, I don't like being close-minded on things so I'm staying open. If I think of a better story than this one, then maybe we'll all come back to it together but until then, as difficult as it was after spending 5 years with these characters, I had to let them go on their terms.
In terms of the writing, I'm gonna try and tighten up the beginning but I'm also ok with this being imperfect. I didn't plan it. I wrote it as I went and I enjoyed that part. I'm ok keeping it a little rusty. I'm self-published so I don't have to convince any editors or large companies or change things to meet corporate demands. I'm just writing what I can and putting it out there and that's ok with me. However, the beginning is rough and I've learned a lot so I want to go back and polish that a lot. I'm sure, i'll go overboard-- cause that's what i do
- Dec 7, 2021
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In any case, I wish you the best for all your future projets.
Emotionally this game is a marvel. I had a hard time telling myself that it was over, I would have a stayed in it longer but it's true that "everything has an end" (a little wink to Ryan).
Emotionally this game is a marvel. I had a hard time telling myself that it was over, I would have a stayed in it longer but it's true that "everything has an end" (a little wink to Ryan).
Yeah, it pretty much took the whollllllllle day. I looked at the clock and 7 hours passed and was like, I need to know more lol. It really drew me in and I had nothing else to do so it just worked out I guessheya. glad you liked it and holy crap, how the fuck did you make it through in one sitting, it takes me like 3 or 4 days to get through it and i wrote the damn thing, lol. But seriously, thanks. glad you were open to the substance of it. Also, i'm honored to be related to your first post. welcome
haha. i'm pretty sure it's around 15 hours or more now. long day. sorry about any yo yo emotions. glad you liked it though
- Dec 7, 2021
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- Nov 29, 2018
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I found out about this game I think in 2018, It's not easy to realize that it's been four years. This is one of the many moments that show how much work, emotion, and soul you put into this story. My English hasn't gotten much better in this time, so I still use the translator ^-^ . for this reason I will not try to write a very big review, although I really want to. I'll just say again how much I love your game. Thank you so much to you and everyone who helped you create this delightful work of art.
I've noted several times in the comments here how great your use of visual techniques is, to show emotion, just before the finale you also break the fourth wall, amazingly.
Lastly, let me make a joke that occurred to me when I saw this shot.
With love, THANK YOU!
I've noted several times in the comments here how great your use of visual techniques is, to show emotion, just before the finale you also break the fourth wall, amazingly.
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thank you for the suportThank you again for this great game, Aaryn !
It's been a long time. Sometimes I feel like I've been working on this or 100 years and other times it feels like a very short period of time. I'm still not done because I'm working on fixing the beginning where the images and writing are obviously the weakest. Your english seems fine to me, too, but I appreciate the time you put into leaving comments just because I know the extra steps you have to deal with due to the language differences. So thank you for that.
The fourth wall break was something i was nervous about because i normally think that that type of content is really cringe. But in the end, i did it because i needed to and it added many new perspectives and fueled a lot of fun fan theories about what actually happened at the end and that's always fun to see people get excited about connecting some dots. The best part about those are that most of the fans picked out a lot of the more obscure perspectives to the store that are some of my favorites.
In terms of your GTA joke...lol...yeah, that's been a joke for awhile. Blayke said a few years ago that when Zack and Mikhail walk together, they look like they're walking away from an explosion. I like stylized content a lot, so in my head, a couple of those shots are just in slow motion just to be extra. Y'all are lucky i'm not an animator because i'm sure some of these shots would have been really absurd
thanks for being a fan for the long haul. it means the world to me <3
- Dec 7, 2021
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Hi,
Your game "Straight" is for me one of the best games I've played.
Good luck Aryn for all your future projects.
You did well to dare to approach and publish this subject because what counts above all for me is the feeling, the emotions, everything that crosses me while browsing your game and realizing the different points of view of one person to another.
Thanks again for all that, Aryn.
(I hope that the translation will conform to what I wanted to express. English not being my original language).
Your game "Straight" is for me one of the best games I've played.
Good luck Aryn for all your future projects.
You did well to dare to approach and publish this subject because what counts above all for me is the feeling, the emotions, everything that crosses me while browsing your game and realizing the different points of view of one person to another.
Thanks again for all that, Aryn.
(I hope that the translation will conform to what I wanted to express. English not being my original language).
- Jul 9, 2020
- 4
- 3
Any sex scenes? I remember playing this sometime earlier this year, and I don't think it had any.
thank you for the kind words and your translation looks flawless <3
there is sexual content and nudity throughout, but if you're just looking for mindless sex content, this probably isn't the game for you. it's much more story focused than it is about just jumping from one sex scene to the next
We define the world largely in terms of limits.
Zack developed sexually relatively early in life. That resulted in him feeling not just different but wrong in ways that didn't make sense. His inner world reflected that, and it attached a lot of uncertainty to his perceptions about himself and the world. His inner self has grown to expect uncertainty, and he put up a wall around it to control that as much as possible. Zack therefore thirsts for certainty: he'll be fulfilled by a small number of certain things, and he would hold tight to those that he finds, for example, a single person who accepts him and loves him. Zack's limits are largely about himself.
Braden developed later in life. It made him feel different but not wrong. He's initially unsure about his urges and where he fits into the world, but he's curious and unafraid to find out. His inner self relates mostly to that world, and he'll be happiest exploring it. Braden's limits are largely about the world around him.
The story as told culminates perfectly. Braden reaches through Zack's wall, and Zack lets him in. The two young men fall in love for the first time, and it completely fulfills both their young personalities as they currently are. It's their glorious dawn. They will continue to explore one another and all the different aspects of young love, and they will be intensely happy.
For maybe a year. They still see the world very differently, and it's doubtful they can ever really understand one another. As they grow in their disparate ways, they will tend to grow apart. Zack's needs will move him to keep solidifying his precious few certainties that he derives his strength from, there inside his safely developing inner world. However, Braden will want to test his limits in the outside world.
In both the respectful and the pervy paths, Braden was not fully open with Zack. The singlet was pictured in his high school photo in both cases, so Braden manipulated things. He got caught in the pervy path so he confessed - but only up to a point: he insisted they not talk about it again. In the respectful path he kept it completely hidden. (And by the way, the only eyebrows in the Straight!? universe that didn't elevate at the "he was just kneeling down to pick up the towel" line were the ones on Zack's face.)
None of that means Braden is bad, but he is retaining something important to him, and he's keeping it that way because Zack isn't in it. it's part of Braden's relatively worldly quest to figure out the world. Thus there's a serious gap in how Zack and Braden see their relationship.
It's very likely that the fully awakening Braden is going to go places Zack can't or won't or isn't going to go. It almost certainly means other guys. Braden wants to experience everything a gorgeous, curious, athletic, hung, horny, young blond guy with good funds and a dazzlingly unique curve in his cock can experience. There'll be no-o-o shortage of interested parties. Jesus. How far Braden takes that is hard to say, but it will get wild. That's the "phase" he needs to go through.
If Braden goes that way, it will separate him and Zack in both their inner worlds and the outer one. It won't just deviate from what Zack wants and needs; it will annul it. Zack's certainty will be destroyed, and part of his heart will be ripped out, with a scarred crater in its place for the rest of his life.
But that's how fucking life is. Those experiences force people to get realer. They redefine their limits to a more realistic place. And Braden will suffer from it too, because his life view will be getting reshaped just as much. Not only will he always miss his glorious dawn with Zack and the promise it seemed to embody, he'll go on to discover the actual limits of experience in the outer world, and that will inevitably entail harsh realities.
So they'll both grow and become more complex and hopefully better people. But they won't be together. Zack will continue his studies and work at college, and probably he'll hook up with Mikhail. That would be great; they certainly have a much better innate understanding of each other than Zack and Braden have. Braden may take a 2-year degree and then help run his family's lucrative business, and he may eventually own it. Then when Ash returns from his military stint, who knows? Ash and Braden also have a lot more naturally in common than Braden and Zack. Lord knows, Ash would be more open to worldly experiences than Zack.
Despite my thinking this to be realistic, I would hope I'm full of shit. My imagination really wants Zack and Braden to stay together and deepen their love for a long, happy haul. There were signs that could happen: the swimming pool session touched something all the way down in Braden; and he did broach the topic of having children with Zack (which was one of the sweetest things in the whole story.) Both those would support a lasting commitment. BUT - for that to actually come to pass, Braden will need open up about his other needs and perspectives to Zack, and Zack will have to open up to accommodate them. They'll have to work some hard stuff out.
Arryn, these guys are you. In writing and publishing their story you have let people know you intimately, almost like making love would. My heart goes out to you, and I hope you enjoy a long, happy story ending yourself. Best regards and good luck with life.
Zack developed sexually relatively early in life. That resulted in him feeling not just different but wrong in ways that didn't make sense. His inner world reflected that, and it attached a lot of uncertainty to his perceptions about himself and the world. His inner self has grown to expect uncertainty, and he put up a wall around it to control that as much as possible. Zack therefore thirsts for certainty: he'll be fulfilled by a small number of certain things, and he would hold tight to those that he finds, for example, a single person who accepts him and loves him. Zack's limits are largely about himself.
Braden developed later in life. It made him feel different but not wrong. He's initially unsure about his urges and where he fits into the world, but he's curious and unafraid to find out. His inner self relates mostly to that world, and he'll be happiest exploring it. Braden's limits are largely about the world around him.
The story as told culminates perfectly. Braden reaches through Zack's wall, and Zack lets him in. The two young men fall in love for the first time, and it completely fulfills both their young personalities as they currently are. It's their glorious dawn. They will continue to explore one another and all the different aspects of young love, and they will be intensely happy.
For maybe a year. They still see the world very differently, and it's doubtful they can ever really understand one another. As they grow in their disparate ways, they will tend to grow apart. Zack's needs will move him to keep solidifying his precious few certainties that he derives his strength from, there inside his safely developing inner world. However, Braden will want to test his limits in the outside world.
In both the respectful and the pervy paths, Braden was not fully open with Zack. The singlet was pictured in his high school photo in both cases, so Braden manipulated things. He got caught in the pervy path so he confessed - but only up to a point: he insisted they not talk about it again. In the respectful path he kept it completely hidden. (And by the way, the only eyebrows in the Straight!? universe that didn't elevate at the "he was just kneeling down to pick up the towel" line were the ones on Zack's face.)
None of that means Braden is bad, but he is retaining something important to him, and he's keeping it that way because Zack isn't in it. it's part of Braden's relatively worldly quest to figure out the world. Thus there's a serious gap in how Zack and Braden see their relationship.
It's very likely that the fully awakening Braden is going to go places Zack can't or won't or isn't going to go. It almost certainly means other guys. Braden wants to experience everything a gorgeous, curious, athletic, hung, horny, young blond guy with good funds and a dazzlingly unique curve in his cock can experience. There'll be no-o-o shortage of interested parties. Jesus. How far Braden takes that is hard to say, but it will get wild. That's the "phase" he needs to go through.
If Braden goes that way, it will separate him and Zack in both their inner worlds and the outer one. It won't just deviate from what Zack wants and needs; it will annul it. Zack's certainty will be destroyed, and part of his heart will be ripped out, with a scarred crater in its place for the rest of his life.
But that's how fucking life is. Those experiences force people to get realer. They redefine their limits to a more realistic place. And Braden will suffer from it too, because his life view will be getting reshaped just as much. Not only will he always miss his glorious dawn with Zack and the promise it seemed to embody, he'll go on to discover the actual limits of experience in the outer world, and that will inevitably entail harsh realities.
So they'll both grow and become more complex and hopefully better people. But they won't be together. Zack will continue his studies and work at college, and probably he'll hook up with Mikhail. That would be great; they certainly have a much better innate understanding of each other than Zack and Braden have. Braden may take a 2-year degree and then help run his family's lucrative business, and he may eventually own it. Then when Ash returns from his military stint, who knows? Ash and Braden also have a lot more naturally in common than Braden and Zack. Lord knows, Ash would be more open to worldly experiences than Zack.
Despite my thinking this to be realistic, I would hope I'm full of shit. My imagination really wants Zack and Braden to stay together and deepen their love for a long, happy haul. There were signs that could happen: the swimming pool session touched something all the way down in Braden; and he did broach the topic of having children with Zack (which was one of the sweetest things in the whole story.) Both those would support a lasting commitment. BUT - for that to actually come to pass, Braden will need open up about his other needs and perspectives to Zack, and Zack will have to open up to accommodate them. They'll have to work some hard stuff out.
Arryn, these guys are you. In writing and publishing their story you have let people know you intimately, almost like making love would. My heart goes out to you, and I hope you enjoy a long, happy story ending yourself. Best regards and good luck with life.
Heya, long detailed post with a lot of reactions. so I'll pick a few and try to summarize my thoughts and help potentially ease your soul a bit. Sure, both guys could be in the honeymoon stage. You mentioned them being ok for about a year or so. Who knows what the future holds. A new environment could make them stronger or pull them apart. Because the story ended where it did, you get to decide that part. I've stated publicly before that I dont have a sequel planned but i do a lot of thinking and I do love these characters so if i think of a story that's better than this one for them, we'll see a sequel. But I'm not running it into the ground. I told the part of the story I needed to tell.
In terms of dishonesty, I kinda look at the arguments that took place in both the respect and pervy routes as something that broke that honeymoon period early. I don't know if that was enough but I do think the communication afterwards helped actually make them stronger. One thing that I will correct is that those routes are separate. If you look at the 2 pictures you're talking about, one has Braden wearing the singlet Zack found but the other picture is the tank top that Braden wears to the beach. The janitors are actually different in those two routes as well. We actually see the "old" janitor in the pervy route when Zack and Ash are outside. In the respect route, Ernie actually was the janitor, they just call him old because when you're 19, 30 and 40 can seem like relics, lol. So while they was dishonesty and them keeping a few things from each other. The scenes in question only happened in the pervy route, the respect route is pretty straight forward.
In terms of whether they stay together, idk. At the end, Braden mentions something that resonated with me when he says he'll love Zack more than anything that would ever come between us and I'm inclined to believe him. Braden doesn't fuck around when it comes to statements like that. He's very much taken a long time to accept where things are with him and Zack and that wasn't some lame statement to win Zack over. I think it was a promise. But that's my head canon talking.
As the story stands right now, it has an ending-- imo it actually has two: the regular story is an ending for Zack and the epilogue is an ending for Braden (and Zack actually). Where it goes from there is up to you decide... for now
- Dec 7, 2021
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The 2 persos are really great physically, psychologically, morally (personal point of view.)
If you want to do an Aryn sequel do it how you feel for me Zack and Braden are the main characters in the storyand they should stay that way. Mikhail and Ashley have an important role to play in the story but they must remain secondary otherwise you make a new game that talks about them but a new game.
Personally I would really like to see the sequel to Zack and Braden, I got very attached to them both.
This is my little statement I repeat once again it only concerns my desires and my point of view.
Aryn you have a gift for having managed to describe so many emotions and feelings in your wonderful game.
Congratulations
If you want to do an Aryn sequel do it how you feel for me Zack and Braden are the main characters in the storyand they should stay that way. Mikhail and Ashley have an important role to play in the story but they must remain secondary otherwise you make a new game that talks about them but a new game.
Personally I would really like to see the sequel to Zack and Braden, I got very attached to them both.
This is my little statement I repeat once again it only concerns my desires and my point of view.
Aryn you have a gift for having managed to describe so many emotions and feelings in your wonderful game.
Congratulations
Hi Arryn. Thanks for the correction. I did several back-and-forth traversals of the story, and I must have gotten confused about which route I was in when I checked Braden's old picture. So, that takes down about half of my theory! Which is great. Instead of guessing what might happen, now I more would be guessing at the kind of pressures this young couple might be facing going forward.
Again, no sequel is needed; the character arcs reach a very satisfying conclusion. Let readers imagine from there for themselves. Unless the spirit comes to move you further - I won't doubt your creative impulse.
The creation of unique, interesting, believable, relatable characters is a major element in good fiction writing. You did it here. Sequel or no, keep us posted on future projects, please.
Again, no sequel is needed; the character arcs reach a very satisfying conclusion. Let readers imagine from there for themselves. Unless the spirit comes to move you further - I won't doubt your creative impulse.
The creation of unique, interesting, believable, relatable characters is a major element in good fiction writing. You did it here. Sequel or no, keep us posted on future projects, please.
will do. the ending is layered enough imo for there to be a lot of different theories to come out of it and doing an actual sequel would limit the freedom of the ending we already had so i'm very careful to confirm or deny the ending. it's been fun to hear the theories though. people have picked up on most of the ways that I was going with the story and what may or may not have even happened. I like those kinds of endings because you can read into them as deeply as you like. But i'm glad you feel better about half your theory going out the window. The wrestling picture is pretty consistent and comes up a couple of times: once in the room when Zack looks at it in the dark and again when Ash returns it on the park bench (a much closer shot). Ernie is only present as part of the wrestling team in the pervy route when Zack and Mikhail walk in to visit Braden. In the respect route, he's not. I was pretty happy nobody caught onto that. But maybe those extra 2 things can give you a few more anchors for your revised theory
i appreciate the kind words and I'm glad you liked this little thing