Whenever I plan a writing project, I almost always start with the ending so I know what I’m building up to. This project is no different, and so I’ve given some thought to how I’d like this part of the Visual Novel to end. Perhaps I shouldn’t write too much about spoilery things here – and I probably won’t for certain projects – but I feel there is value in documenting the entire creative process, and since this is more of my own thing compared to Secrets of Grindea, I can freely share as much as I’d like.

With that said, if you want to go into the visual novel not knowing at all how it might end – stop reading here!

– Potentially MASSIVE Spoilers Ahead! –

As mentioned in an earlier post, I’m very into the idea that the final scenes involve having the artefact – whom you’ve guided through the world – make a choice of it’s own. I’m still interested in using the Ribbon as the artefact in question, so with that in mind I’ve done some brain storming:

One idea is that someone (your cousin, perhaps) is attempting to blow something up. A fight ensues, and the cousin loses (or wins, possibly, depending on your choices), but you’re all still going to die unless you get out NOW.

Several options are now possible depending on how you’ve played the game:

• Ribbon feels sorry for your cousin and ties up their wounds. We all have to get out of here alive!
• Ribbon ties up their wounds, but because you weren’t nice to the cousin at some point in the past, they rip the Ribbon off and stays behind, going down with the ship as it were. Ribbon is devastated, and possibly physically hurt.
• Ribbon is unable to forgive your cousin or believe they are capable of change and ties them up by the explosives so that they both die for the greater good. The main character, unable to help, becomes devastated.
• A more sinister ending: the cousin is about to kill the main character, when Ribbon throws themselves at them and strangles them.

In order for this emotional beat to be more impactful, I think the idea of the cousin being a rival is better off scratched, and the focus should be on the two of you being friends until you realize they have betrayed you. How and why are questions for another day – if we end up going with this version at all! There’s still a lot of brainstorming to do.

What sort of ending do you have in mind?