Coming of age and your time is coming

When the screen finishes loading he's on the player character number one, The best friend, sweet but clueless. He wonders what's the point of that. She's one of the worst picks outside of fanservice shots for the camera mechanic enthusiasts.

Best friend walks fast enough so he can't complain. He ignores the mission prompt Grieve and makes his way through the muggy town towards the scene of the crime. He has half a mind to appreciate the jiggle animations on The Best Friend but can't bring himself to, not when he's this close to the basement.

He presses on. The Best Friend’s playstyle is the worst. He doesn't remember her having different graphics but she must because the mist looks completely different in this run. Maybe it's just a perk from the rare murder route.

He makes sure to take in account everything and take pictures of everything and anything. The irony is not lost on him, to take pics of the mist and some birds when the only reason most players pull out the camera is for an upskirt shot of the gal he's currently piloting.

There's a myriad of inappropriate gasps and moans when the girl squeezes her body down the basement.

A man is down there, men. There's disembodied heads of at least 3 men screaming at him, yelling loud enough to make his ears ring.

He's still gripping the stair rails but the floating heads are coming closer. His chest hurts. He can't breathe. There's gasps. He can't see the ghosts past his blurry eyes. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

You died flashes once again through his screen.

Damian pettily goes to the settings and turns off the flashing. He takes off his visor to reflect.

SWE is the type of game where whenever you die, you just keep playing with another character in the roster. It's not completely random but the algorithm is still a mystery. Every character has a different set of perspectives and skills. Except The Best Friend probably, she's useless. He rubs his eyes. It's not been long enough but he really didn't expect a jumpscare.

He puts on the headset again.

He feels different. A good different. he's significantly taller than himself, he's built broader and feels stronger overall. Hoping he struck luck he rushes to a reflective surface. Close. Very close he thinks looking over himself. He didn't become an overpowered character. But he got The Father. Sabrina Crowley’s dad is a powerful man with a strong motivation to solve the case and a good storyline because of it.

He does a speedrun of a normal route for The Father. Crowley’s run is straightforward enough that he makes quick work of it. The best friend Is the main suspect this time for no discernible reason. He skips that storyline altogether since it makes no sense to follow it. He goes to the bridge three times as per his mission log, he buys the same make and model as the one used in the case. Finally, he makes sure to investigate Sabrina's room. He tries not to think too hard that it's weird he's in her dad's body when he sniffs her pillow. Pumpkin spice.

There's usually something here. A clue of some kind. The diary is a surprise. it's a bit too obvious as a source of information and he'd love to tell off the writers for this stupid game about the benefits of showing over telling, but regardless, it does the trick. In this route Sabrina had been suffering by herself.

“I don’t know who to trust anymore”, the diary reads. “Whenever I come back from school I get a message that says ‘I see you’. I blocked the number but every other day I get a sticky note or a paper plane with that awful sentence typed out.” The texture on the book model suggests more to be read but the game only reveals the short passage with a cheesy flipping pages sound effect.

He takes out his headset again.

Aiden is clearly startled where he’s carefully balancing two bowls of something.

“The forum is going to eat this up, man”