Page 155 of Insincerely Yours
He gives me a look like I asked him if he has a third testicle.
“No offense, but more than a few ‘somethings’ here aren’t adding up.” I look out at the apartment. “You bought me a dress that costs more than what I earn in a month without so much as blinking and can somehow afford to pay for this place, despite not seeming to have a job.”
Jase actually laughs. “Dash and I have an arrangement, but it’s only for this case. I’m not working for him. I have…other means of income.”
That hesitation, not to mention the wording, is enough to raise a red flag. “Should I even ask?”
He busies himself with the supplies on the counter, not offering anything, so I take another approach.
“What happened to your plans for college, if you don’t mind me asking? I mean, you talked about wanting to go to Calarts, and since you’re already living in California, it seems even more convenient…” The sheepish look on his face (and the fact that his eyes fall to the floor) leaves the rest of my sentence trailing off. I’m clearly making him uncomfortable. “Sorry. It’s just…you were really talented. I’d hate to see it go to waste.”
The smallest smile pulls at one side of his lips. “Well, you can rest assured it hasn’t.”
He runs a hand through his hair, somehow managing to look even more uncomfortable as he pulls out his phone.
“You’re familiar withCrimson Oaths?”
“The game everyone’s been obsessing over?”
He nods.
“What about it?”
Jase hands his phone to me with the Wikipedia page for the game on display, and I’m more than a little confused…
Until my eyes land on the list of the game’s developers.
The first one simply reads MJR.
Holy shit.
Michael Jason Rivers.
“You created this?”
“Co-created,” he corrects. “I’m one of four developers and the sole investor.”
Investor? “I don’t want to be rude, but don’t these things cost, like, alotof money to make?”
“I used the money from my debut release.”
When he doesn’t elaborate, I click on the MJR profile to read the corresponding page, and—
Again, holy shit.
MJR is the anonymous video game developer behind the runaway hitEnder’s Realmand this year’s highly celebratedCrimson Oaths.
Next to itis a picture of a lean, yet muscular young man wearing all black, donning a skeleton mask and leather gloves at some kind of convention. He’s holding a microphone, and despite his clothes doing a good job concealing his tattoos, there’s still a two-inch gap between his shirt sleeve and glove.
It’s not much, but I’d recognize the design peeking out anywhere. The Edgar Allan Poe quote. Not only that, but his jet-black hair and a glimpse of his jawline are still visible.
It’s undoubtedly Jase, but why the disguise?
I skim through the page, not seeing anything apart from technical jargon until I get to the part regardingEnder’s Realm.
Despite harsher critics initially panning the platform game as “superficial with subpar graphics,” the public was quick to praise it as “a return to the classics.” Though advertising was aimed at younger gamers,Ender’s Realmgained even more popularity among adults who loved the aesthetic indicative of the 90’s Super Nintendo. In an interview, the masked developer stated, “That was the intention, to make a video game accessible to anyone and everyone. There isn’t a steep learning curve, and you don’t need to set aside an entire day for a campaign. Even if you only have an hour to steal away here and there, you can still enjoy getting lost in the world with what time you have.” Despite the praise forEnder’snostalgic marketing concept, he also insisted, “I didn’t go in thinking this would be what it became. I’d like to take credit for being some sort of marketing genius, but it’s really just a love letter to an old friend. I wanted to make a game that even a non-gamer like her could fall in love with.”
My breathing stalls as I reread the words, and for the second time in ten minutes, tears burn the backs of my eyes.
