Who is Jamie, and Where is Jeze?

I am a big supporter of "Death of the Author." The idea that my work should speak for itself and be left up to interpretation. However, I don't think that when they thought up this idea, they ever expected stories to be released in the fashion I am releasing them. Because everyone has already played through a version of this story, there are certain preconceived notions about where the story is going and who the characters are supposed to be.

However, the game has restarted, as most games do at some point in development. Recently, I was reading a game dev book where the upper management told a team to completely change the main character 2 months before they were due to reveal the game at E3. Wild things happen during game dev, and one of those things happened to me. But while those devs get to make changes in secret, I make them in front of all of you. Because so many of you have seen the older iteration of Jeze, and may be confused (or interested), I felt I should revive the author, if just for a little bit. At the end of the day, you all are my shareholders and my investors. You should be clued in on what is happening and why it is happening.

So, what is up with Jamie, and where is Jeze?

One of the big reasons I wanted to restart the story is that I didn't know where it was going when I first wrote it. I was guessing. Writing scripts after overtime shifts, waking up at 2 AM to break down pallets on a frozen truck to eventually get off work, and shuffling to the local coffee shop to write for an hour or so until I went home and passed out. The game and the story didn't capture my full attention. How could it? But once you all supported me so I could go full-time, I started to give this game my full, undivided attention.

That's when I realized I fucked up.

When we first encountered Jeze, I wasn't thinking about him that much. I didn't know who he was, what his story was, what his personality was. He was just a "bratty waiter who is also a prostitute." Later, when writing Episode 3, I started to figure him out. Then, he was sidelined pretty hard for the rest of the game. Mr. Noto, who was originally just "Owner," then became Jeze's villain, who then became the villain. Why have two villains when you can have one?

So while Jeze has sat on the sidelines, I've been trying to figure him out. What his story is, who he is, and how I could make him a better character. The answer came to me when we started the reboot. I realized this was my chance to take another crack at Jeze. To really give him the love and attention he deserves. And also, to introduce him in a new light.

When Jeze is introduced, he is sort of shown in this pretty evil light. If you try to pursue him, you'll get a 'game over'. This immediately told a lot of players, "Oh, don't pursue, got it." Which was not my intention. I wanted to give everyone a sneak peek at him, since you can do those same lewd scenes in the next episode if you go back to the restaurant. But first impressions are everything. Jeze was already seen as this game-over-inducing, evil femboy who wanted to make you cheat on the main love interest.

This issue really came to light when free roam opened in Episode 6. So many people are saying, "Why is Jeze mad at me?" and then finding out that, after they encountered him in Ep 2 and got a game over, they never talked to him. This told me that people were avoiding Jeze. And I get it. Re-reading his conversations, yeah, he is a bit abrasive and bratty. He gives you a game over and is delighted that you are cheating on your date. Then later, when you try to get to know him, he charges you for your time.

During the new writing phase, I built him back up from zero and reimagined him.

Now, instead of meeting him as a prostitute, you meet him as his real self. Jamie. Obviously, Jeze was not his real name. I picked it because I thought it was a pretty clear "work name". I actually wrote a scene in the Ren'Py build to allude to this, but the other day I went to take a screenshot of it and realized it never connected to the rest of the game. It was just sitting in the code, unable to be read.

Meeting him as Jamie instead of Jeze fixes some problems. You are no longer a mark. You aren't a customer. You're a nice guy that he met at a bookstore. The power dynamic is equalized; before, you had the upper hand, even if you didn't want it. Meeting Jamie instead of Jeze means you see him for who he is first. This will make the reveal more interesting later.

Will this change things later on? Of course. Jamie/Jeze will not act the same if he already has a connection to Isaac. Not to mention, you'll be able to see Jamie again before meeting him as Jeze in Episode 2.

That said... I do like having a more abrasive, corrupting femboy who acts like Jeze used to. Maybe even more nefarious and conniving. One who enjoys working for Noto instead of hating it. I mean, I wrote Jeze like that the first time around because it was fun. But it isn't Jamie. Maybe it will be someone else?

I hope this cleared up some questions you may have. Obviously, I don't want to tip my hand here, as I want you all to enjoy the story.

We can have a further discussion here or on Discord if you want!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the build and Stay Rad!