Hiveswap Friendship Simulator: Volume Ten, entitled "Of Faraway Lands And Nearby Pals", is the tenth installment of Hiveswap Friendship Simulator, a series of "loosely-canonical" Hiveswap spinoff visual novels in the style of dating sim games, but termed "friendship simulators" instead due to their focus on platonic friendships instead of romance. The befriendable characters in this installment (first introduced in the Troll Call) are Zebede Tongva and Tegiri Kalbur. As with all Friendsim installments, Volume Ten was developed and programmed by David Turnbull using the Ren'Py game engine.
As with all other volumes, it is sold as $0.99 DLC for Volume One. It was also made available on the Google Play Store for the same amount.
Plot
You remark upon your success when making new friends, though there's still a hollow sensation present in your heart. You hope that your next friend (the twentieth) will be the one to banish all your loneliness and sorrows away.
Tegiri
You wander the streets of Alternia once more, someplace with a high teal concentration. Noticing that the sun is about to rise in a few hours, you hasten to find a new friend soon. Suddenly you hear a voice addressing you, and turn to see Tegiri demanding what exactly you are. After your brief explenation, he mutters that culling you wouldn't have to take place right away. Tegiri adds that you were lucky he didn't need to use his blade on you, and considers the possibility of obtaining a new comrade. He abruptly says that he knows what you seek, but doesn't give you a chance to answer before ploughing onwards on his own. Despite the answer being nothing close to what you intended (food and shelter), you decide that being part of an anime club would be a great opportunity to meet new friends. Delighted, Tegiri takes you to his hive. Before he opening the door, he abruptly asks you whether you prefer subtitled animes or dubbed ones.
- If you choose to say both are good rather hesitantly, Tegiri gets a sour look on his face and snap that the anime club is a place for people with strong opinions and valid arguments; cowards have no right to be there. He rants that you wouldn't be any challenge to his intellect, and you try your best to convince him otherwise. Not paying you any heed, Tegiri says that you should hang out with other anime 'fans' before bidding you farewell. PATHETIC
- If you choose to say dubbed anime is your thing, he will be quite happy to meet someone on his level and invites you into his hive (what follows next is identical to the route detailed below).
- If you choose to say subtitled ones are better, he will laugh at your wrong answer, but also express that debating with you would be intellectually stimulating for him. He invites you inside, and you marvel at the place's Japanese-like architecture. Upon noticing that most of Tegiri's anime figurines are in a state of undress, you begin feeling slightly uncomfortable. Tegiri smugly informs you that he polishes his blade and his figurines daily, then warns you to never touch them lest you would like being stabbed. You quickly draw your hands back to your sides, but wind up stumbling over something when backing away from the display shelves. You find Tegiri's lusus staring back at you, and it darts into the kitchen after giving you a good sniff. Tegiri introduces you to Tadashi Inu (the lusus), and proudly states that he couldn't have had a better sensei. You manage a reply that makes you cringe due to its blandness, but Tegiri didn't hear you as he was busy selecting DVDs. He tells you that a viewing session would soon take place, though he isn't particularly inclined to jump into the middle of an anime series as you are a newcomer. He suggests several other series, but you aren't about to include your personal opinions for the sake of not messing things up. Tegiri pops the DVD into the player, but he pauses the episode when it's barely a minute in. He grumbles that the copy isn't right as the localization on the lines were changed after the original translator got culled, irritated because he specifically ordered the first edition for a high price. Ejecting the disk, Tegiri asks you to come along to resolve the situation. Despite your unwillingness, you follow him outside to the store where he got said DVD. You are nervous about getting into trouble, even though Tegiri has told you otherwise. Tegiri suddenly asks whether you're adept in swordplay, but scoffs when you express your desire to learn this 'cool' art. He gets offended when the player asks whether he's a vigilante of sorts, as he insists that he only culls those that legally deserve death. You quickly lavish praise on him, and he simmers down just as you both reach the store. While Tegiri heads for the counter right away, you spend a few moments looking at the goods sold in the store. Hearing commotion from the front, you begin eavesdropping on an angry Tegiri while he argues with the owner. Just as Tegiri offers the owner an ultimatum, you wander closer so you could see what's going on. In the process, you stumble into another troll and knock a box out of his hands. Upon noticing the contents of the box, Tegiri bombards the owner with a list of laws that had been broken while the oliveblood sneaks away. Angered, Tegiri ignores the owner's hasty explenation and prepares to execute the goldblood.
- Should you choose to defend the shopkeeper as you are done being accomplices to troll murders, you will begin talking about all sorts of stuff regarding love, justice and friendship in an attempt to break up the fight. Irritated, Tegiri orders you to shut up and shoves you into a display full of body pillows. Just as Tegiri is about to draw his blade, he hesitates and reconsiders his actions. He lets the owner off with a stern warning, then storms out of the store. You trail after him, repeatedly thanking him for listening to your spiel earlier. Tegiri is exasperated with your naivete, but can't help pitying you for it. He then reveals the time he rushed into a partially demolished and burning hive to save the poor soul trapped within, though he states that by doing so he had gone against his better judgement. Even though the troll—Polypa—is hiveless and lususless, he couldn't bring himself to harm her. Tegiri adds that he still keeps contact with Polypa till this day, though he's fully aware that he would need to kill her someday by virtue of Alternian law. He expresses doubt whether he can actually force himself to carry out the deed, but you are more focused on the fact that he's being truthful with you about his feelings. To ease his inner turmoil, you try suggesting that perhaps legality does not equal morality. That sets him off into a long speech about the importance of respecting the law, and you end up zoning out a bit. Tegiri suddenly thanks you for being a good listener, prompting you to offer yourself as his new companion. Just as he's about to reiterate his screed once more, you quickly ask why his eyes are different than most trolls'. After a bit of hesitation, Tegiri tells you that they are contact lenses for cosplaying. Then you notice a troll loitering outside Tegiri's hive, said troll watching the two of you intently. You recognize Polypa, and she greets Tegiri warmly. After chatting for a bit, Tegiri is surprised that you are familiar with Polypa, and she informs him that you and her are moirails. Tegiri looks hurt for a brief moment before insisting that he's far too busy studying the blade to be involved in quadrants. Once he and Polypa are done bantering, he invites you both into his hive and sets the place up for anime viewing.
- Should you choose to stay out of things, Tegiri will leap over the counter and have a go at the owner. You quickly notice that all Tegiri's moves are based on exaggerated anime-style combat, and thus fail to land a blow on the shopkeeper. Despite this, Tegiri still manages to injure the goldblood. Panicked, the owner fires a blast of psionic energy before making a break for it. Tegiri initially appears shaken and embarrassed by the fact that the goldblood had gotten away, but concludes that calling a drone would be in order. You hestitantly ask whether all that was necessary, and he stutters a reply regarding his duty as a teal to serve the empress. As it were, the Imperial Drone ignores Tegiri's description and instead trains its weapon on you. Before things go terribly wrong, Tegiri snaps at the Drone to leave you alone. Your relief is short-lived, however, as the Drone produces a palmhusk bearing a photo of you with plenty of text beneath it. Looking through your list of crimes, Tegiri loses his temper and hisses at your apparent villainy. Your attempt to explain is ignored, and Tegiri attacks you with his blade. Darting out of range, you run to a bridge with the intent of hiding under it's overpass. The drop was higher than expected, and you come to a painful landing. Taking stock of your situation proves that you are once again eye-deep in trouble. Tegiri stands over you on the bridge, saying 'Useless'.
Zebede
You notice your palmhusk vibrating in your pocket, and notice that someone would like to add you on Chittr. Said troll gives you an excited greeting, and introduces themselves. After watching several more messages pop up, you decide that Zebede is deserving of friendship and give him a response. He sends you a link to download another app, which functions as a video screen. Zebede rambles for quite a bit before asking how you know Cirava, but you are suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. Despite your trepidation, you let him know exactly what went down without revealing Cirava's personal details. Delighted by your story, Zebede wishes he was able to hang out with you and Cirava, but he becomes dejected as he lives much too far away to do that. You note that he's playing out his sadness quite a bit.
- If you choose to ask more about where he lives and talk about the wonders you've seen while in the countryside, his moods won't change by much. Zebede will then muse that since you've gone out of your way to meet Skylla, that probably indicates that you think she's cooler than he is. He quickly adds that it's fine, though his expression clearly indicates otherwise. You try to explain that you never meant to insult him in a backhanded way, and might make a visit to his place sometime in the future. Zebede isn't convinced, and you realize that he would never really trust you even if the two of you keep in touch. You lament the fact that you lost your chance to be a true friend, and feel quite guilty for your misstep. AH, THAT STINGS!
- If you ask him if it's really fine and inform him that it's alright to be honest with how he's feeling, as well as reassuring him that friends are supposed to make effort for one another, he will beam at you for your kind words. He first insists that he doesn't want to come off as annoying, though he does wish that someone would come and visit him, even if he's apparently not as cool as other people. Delighted at the prospect of making new friends, you say you'll visit him. Zebede is touched by your promise, and begins making preparations for your arrival. You are slightly nervous due to the high expectations placed on your shoulders, but you forge onwards nonetheless. Seeing as you have no means of acquring a vehicle, you steal an unlocked car and head off towards the countryside. After a very long while, you finally arrive at Zebede's place, noting that his hive is buzzing with bees. Vibrating in pure joy, Zebede invites you indoors before disappearing someplace else for the moment. Your palmhusk suddenly vibrates, and you realize it's Cirava calling.
- Should you choose to answer them, Cirava will show up on video call and remark upon how long it took you to get a Chittr account after greeting you. You let Cirava's chill music calm you down, then ask them for advice on how to be a cool person online. They disagree with your idea as it poses a risk to them, but reassures you that hanging out is still alright with them. Cirava also asks for their clothes back, and you make a promise to return them someday even though said clothes were destroyed when you were busy saving Ladyy. As it were, they inquire whether you would like to hang out sometime today, though you politely decline as you are preoccupied elsewhere. Upon letting Cirava have a look at Zebede's username (they don't recognize Zebede by name), they become slightly put off with the bit of info. After making sure that you aren't super close to Zebede, they warn you against being friends with Zebede and link you a fanfiction account. At the very end of the page is fanfiction about Cirava, which makes you equal parts nervous and uneasy. Cirava ends the call, and you click on a fanfic about some band you've never heard of. Before you can read through much of it, Zebede returns and apologizes for the long wait. He notices the story you're reading, and is beyond shocked by your betrayal. You hurriedly inform him that it was Cirava that told you about Zebede's fanfiction, but Zebede just takes it as another sign that you think he's not as cool as everyone else. He begins openly weeping about your stellar relationships with others, and snips that you should perhaps to to Cirava so you both can continue making fun of him. Feeling incredibly guilty and awkward, you hope that the car has enough fuel to get you out of here. AWKWAAAAAAAAARD...
- Should you choose to let their call go to voicemail, you spend some time filling out your Chittr account. Thanks to Cirava retweeting your first tweet, you've gained a few more followers. Zebede then returns with snacks and beverages, and asks what you would like to do since he wouldn't want to force his interests onto you. Not wanting to make things awkward, you let him decide for you. Despite this, Zebede is ill at ease with the autonomy granted to him—he switches shows and video games frequently, getting more and more frustrated all the while. Getting somewhat irritated with his insecurity, you suggest watching the last thing he viewed on Grubtude. Zebede blanches at your suggestion, saying that a person's grubtube queue is rather personal. Reassuring him that you wouldn't judge, he happily shows you his Grubtube history. Once more, Zebede wishes he could meet Cirava in person, and you are more or less pressured into making a promise that you would rather not follow up on. You focus on something else instead, asking about a band called hatched2dance. He tells you about said band, but you wind up getting an existential crisis after he brings up the need to pretend to be someone else in order to be liked. Abruptly there is a loud crash from outside, startling you both. Someone yells for you to come out—the owner of the car you stole—and Zebede asks whether you really stole a scuttlebuggy just to see him. You admit to your misdeed, but Zebede is not upset with your actions. You then prepare to meet the owner of the car so things don't take a turn for the worse, but Zebede yells, which causes the buzzing outside to become louder. The intruder screams for a few seconds before falling silent, and Zebede admits that what happened was fairly cool. Zebede hugs you, then offers you some popcorn. You agree, though you privately wish he wouldn't act so desperate sometimes. FINALLY...WE CAN BEE FRIENDS!
Character Sprites
Zebede's character sprites
Tegiri's character sprites
Gallery
Zebede's first bad ending
Zebede's second bad ending
Zebede's good ending
Tegiri's first bad ending
Tegiri's second bad ending
Tegiri's good ending
Trivia
- Once the player opens the Grype app in Zebede's route, his display name moves from the text window to the upper-left side of the hexagonal video window.
- As your mouse hover to Tegiri's select area, one of his sprites is in a style that is similar to the art style from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
- The figurine in the center of the top shelf bears a resemblance to Tavros, while the two figurines at the bottom left of the shelf look like Joey and Xefros.
- Some anime titles mentioned by Tegiri are: Philosopher Half-Iron, Schoolfed Heroism, and Kismet: Stuck Morning.
- In the specialty store, a scalemate plush resembling Lemonsnout can be seen on a shelf. Apart from that, the game the troll is playing appears to be the snake game Dammek uses for his hive's security system. The poster on the right wall seems to be a reference to Mega Man, while the poster tacked on the left is a reference to Overwatch (it literally reads "Troll Overwatch" in Alternian).
- On one cover of a manga/DVD, a red-blooded troll wearing too-tall pants like the Sufferer is featured.
- Another cover features a troll with heart-shaped horns and a bright pink sign, referencing the intentionally poorly made fan animation Sugoi Quest For Kokoro.
- Tegiri mentions "Legendary Legislacerator", which is possibly a reference to Ace Attorney.
- When faced with an Imperial Drone targeting the player, the player mentions a wise cartoon dog saying "ruh roh", a reference to Scooby Doo.
- The player is wanted under suspicion of meat product theft, heist of fine art and accomplice to the assassin of a violetblood.
- In one of Tegiri's bad endings, he is drawn in a manner referencing the Neon Genesis Evangelion meme.
- In Tegiri's good ending, the speech bubble above the television reads "I am the man who will become the Pirate King!" in Japanese, implying that everyone is watching troll One Piece.
- Since the quote is given in Japanese, this suggests that the episode being shown has subtitles rather than a dub. This goes against Tegiri's stated preference for dubs.
- Just before that, Tadashi Inu's speech bubble reads "wan wan" in katakana, which is the Japanese equivalent of "bark bark".
