For those of us who have been deep in the Gentaliaverse for a while now, the lads of Caution Step are one of the more intriguing and mysterious side characters. They keep coming (up), but we don’t really get to know them as anything other than rock gods or jerk ex-boyfriends. What are they really like?

Never fear, Gentalians: you are about to find out! “Keytar Heroine” follows the misadventure of the intolerably self-centered Trip Hazard, the emo Ashler, and the beefily good-natured Gunner, although mostly it follows Trip, since he won’t allow any sort of plot development that doesn’t relate directly to him. There’s a side plot involving Gunner, for example, but Trip actively thwarts it and drags the narrative back to himself at every opportunity.

“Keytar Heroine” has the kind of bubbly silliness, wordplay, and metaliterary asides that fans of Gentalia will expect. There’s some (pretty silly) sexiness too, but this is much less x-rated than some of the earlier tales, with the focus on Trip’s internal development, such as it is, instead. It will probably make the most sense, or at least be the most entertaining, to people who’ve already read the Annals and have some background knowledge of the characters via hearsay, but it can also be read on its own and may be a less intimidatingly kinky introduction to the series than some of its predecessors, while still being good fun.