Being DIK: Episode 12 "Smoke and Fire" Character Tier List
Of course, this isn't just any tier list. It's mathematically sound. A touch more objective than other lists, as we go through a variety of criteria.
The Tier List Criteria
MG or SG (2 or 1)
Whether a character is Main Girl, or Side Girl. Biased toward our case of the MC (2).
Story Relevance (Out of 5)
Most important. How relevant they are to the main plot or events that are non-dynamic in Episode 12. Also MC biased.
Personality (Out of 5)
Emotional maturity, how they behave under stressful conditions, and whether or not they have healthy character traits.
Romance Scenes (0-2)
The saucy bits.
Midnight Kiss (Out of 1)
The one hallmark of the ending of Episode 12, and how it goes along with the romance elements of the game.
Visuals (Out of 5)
Not just genetics, but their multiple styles of dress throughout the story, lighting, camera angles, etc., especially the New Years Eve (NYE) party.
Entertainment Value (Out of 5)
How the story is told. Dramatic/comedic? Do they make you feel something? Do they give some value to storytelling outside of basic exposition?
Hypocrisy (Penalty: -5 to 0)
The big problems concerning Episode 12; do character crack, retreat, and fold under their ideals?
This criteria amounts to a maximum potential score of 25.
Letter grade scoring value
How the tier list image relates to the data.
| S | 18+ |
| A+ | 16-17 |
| A | 14-15 |
| B | 12-13 |
| C | 10-11 |
| D | 8-9 |
| E | 6-7 |
| F | 5- |
The Tier List Scores
| Character | MG/SG (2 or 1) |
Story Rel. (Out of 5) |
Personality (Out of 5) |
Romance (0-2) |
Midnight Kiss (Out of 1) |
Visuals (Out of 5) |
Entertain (Out of 5) |
Hypocrisy (-5 to 0) |
Total | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maya | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | -1 | 18 | S |
| Zoey | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 18 | S |
| Bella | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | -4 | 17 | A+ |
| MC | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -3 | 15 | A |
| Jill | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | -4 | 13 | B |
| Camila | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | B |
| Riona | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | B |
| Sally | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 13 | B |
| Nikita | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 12 | B |
| Sage | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | -5 | 12 | B |
| Quinn | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -5 | 12 | B |
| Jade | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | -1 | 11 | C |
| Nora | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | -4 | 11 | C |
| Lily | 1 | 0 | 2.5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10.5 | C |
| Cathy | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | C |
| Tara | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | -2 | 10 | C |
| Elena | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | D |
| Heather | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | -1 | 9 | D |
| Melanie | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | D |
| Nicole | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | D |
| Sandy | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | -1 | 9 | D |
| Sarah | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 9 | D |
| Tiffani | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | -1 | 8 | D |
| Josy | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -5 | 6 | E |
| Bianca | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 4 | F |
Story Relevance
Personality: Emotional Maturity and Healthy, Attractive Personality Traits
Camila (5/5)
Camila remains one of the most mentally stable characters in the game, entirely free of the typical drama-seeking behavior found in the sorority environment.
Her primary arc involves developing a close, supportive friendship with Riona. She has even helped Riona with her grades.
She shows zero mind games towards the MC, and is straightforward and fun. She lacks a vengeful side. Her associations are genuine friendship rather than spiteful plotting. She is one of the few characters who interacts with the MC without social leverage or emotional validation.
Maya (5/5)
Maya is definitively the kindest, most empathetic soul in the entire main cast. Even when the world is burning around her, she consistently prioritizes the feelings of others.
During the chaotic hospital fallout with her twin brother Derek, Maya is a beacon of emotional safety. Even when navigating complex romance choices or the crushing tension of the shifting throuple, she never weaponizes secrets, attacks Josy, avoids cruel vindictiveness, and processes her pain with genuine sorrow rather than petty rage. She is the baseline definition of a high-health personality.
Zoey (5/5)
Zoey addresses her ongoing situation with Brett and her future directly. She doesn't use the MC for emotional leverage or drag him into passive-aggressive drama.
If you don't commit to her romance path, she doesn't throw a fit, guilt-trip the MC, or stir up sorority chaos. She offers a mature, respectful "Goodbye/Friend" transition and exits your romantic orbit entirely. Knowing what you want and being willing to walk away without toxicity is textbook high personality health.
Cathy (4/5)
Cathy is the former B&R math professor who left the university. Her arc in Episode 12 focuses entirely on her private corporate office space.
Cathy earns a high 4/5 score because she handles her connection with the MC with complete, transparent adult maturity. During her office encounter, she communicates her desires directly, respects boundaries perfectly (even checking in during high-stakes physical moments), and carries zero campus or sorority baggage. She offers a genuinely healthy, drama-free sanctuary for the MC, even if her relationship with the MC is lacking emotional commitment.
Melanie: (4/5)
Melanie is a genuinely sweet, gentle, and increasingly mature member of the HOTs. Unlike Sarah, she carries guilt over keeping the truth about Chad from Sage because she actually cares about her friends' emotional well-being.
If you choose her romance path, Melanie begins showing distinct, subtle shifts in her body language toward the MC, signaling genuine, evolving feelings rather than just treating him like a casual hookup. She handles her interactions with adult clarity, offers a zero-drama refuge from the chaotic main girls, and demonstrates real emotional vulnerability as Season 3 closes out.
Nikita: (4/5)
The game calculates a hidden "Slut Score" (body count) based on how many girls you have hooked up with. If your score exceeds a certain upper threshold (7 or 8 girls), the variable ep12_mc_slut = True triggers, locking you out of her path. She will only approach the MC at the New Year's Eve party if he has stayed relatively disciplined (the "Monk" or low-body-count path).
Nikita is naturally guarded and observant. Because she requires the MC to exhibit low-drama behavior before she feels safe enough to approach him, she is a high-reward character. However, because her active participation is entirely gated by this strict limit, she operates as a 4/5. She offers a completely clean, non-toxic connection, but her baseline nature means she could easily slip back into being an isolated observer if the environment becomes too chaotic.
Elena: (3/5)
Elena is a B&R student, a HOTs sister, and John Boy's proudly non-monogamous, rarely clothed girlfriend.
She retains a solid middle-of-the-road score because she is completely upfront about who she is. She doesn't participate in backstabbing or sorority drama, and her shared scene with John Boy is built entirely on enthusiast, mutual consent. However, her extreme lack of physical boundaries keeps her at a 3/5. She is fun and honest, but her lifestyle represents a specific kind of chaotic boundary, pushing rather than standard relationship stability.
Heather (3/5)
While her previous actions at the Halloween party (MC blowjob, sleeping with Nick) were driven by a cycle of revenge and feeling "worthless," Episode 12 shows maturity.
She dumped Tommy at the end of Ep 10. By the Ep 11/12 timeframe, they can now communicate better
During interactions like the "Santa chair" talk, she admits she wanted to feel like she meant something and was tired of feeling disrespected. Her ability to have a calm, focused conversation with the MC or Tommy in Ep 12 without immediate chaotic fallout shows a personality that is healing rather than deteriorating.
Nicole (3/5)
While Nicole started Season 3 with some of the highest maturity metrics, Episode 12 acts as a narrative cooldown for her that lowers her overall score
Her arc hits a heavy plateau. The scene takes place entirely back at her house, repeating the exact same conversational talking points from Episode 11: her struggles as a young mother, managing her son Marvin, and dealing with her toxic ex-boyfriend, Luke.
Unlike the main girls who face massive dynamic shifts or breakups, Nicole has zero active progression in the finale. Her relationship with the MC remains incredibly smooth sailing and completely free of toxic mind games, but she lacks any high-stakes emotional breakthroughs or character development.
She doesn't show up at the Pink Rose or cross paths with any other college/sorority drama in this episode. Because her life remains entirely compartmentalized and repetitive, she remains completely pleasant, warm, and non-toxic. But her path sits in a static holding pattern.
Riona (3/5)
Her absolute primary motivation is severe, deep-seated resentment toward Quinn.
During the dinner scene, Riona completely refuses to sit near Quinn, forcing a seating rearrangement. Camila is ecstatic to see her and runs to hug her, but Riona's alignment with Camila is from mutual mistreatment by Quinn. While Riona handles her business directly and doesn't lie to the MC, her core driving energy is still fueled by spite and settling scores. She has developed from party girl to seeking a monogamous relationship, if on her path, as a result of the MC's influence.
Sally (3/5)
In previous episodes, Sally was notoriously curt, highly negative, and aggressively pushed the MC away with a sharp tongue.
Accepting the MC and stepping up for a New Year's Eve kiss shows massive positive character development. She gets a 3/5 because this sudden soft side is a fantastic green flag, but it is still a brand-new behavior. Because her historical baseline is heavily rooted in defensive hostility, she sits right in the middle tier; highly improved and completely viable, but still needing to prove that her new, positive attitude is permanent.
Sarah (3/5)
Sarah is fiercely confident, bold, and entirely unbothered by social consequences. Where Melanie loses sleep over lying to Sage, Sarah couldn't care less; her loyalty is strictly to Melanie, and treats external drama with total detachment. She is highly sexual and direct, but heavily shields her heart.
Sarah remains a middle-tier personality purely because she keeps a rigid, defensive wall around her deeper emotions. She flatly rejects standard relationship norms, using casual flings to keep people at arm's length. She brings zero mind games or hidden landmines to the MC, but her complete refusal to offer emotional intimacy or vulnerability keeps her in her unserious, party-like attitude.
Tara (3/5)
Tara stands out beautifully because she is the only Dorm Girl who shows the emotional maturity to actively reach out to the MC and seek forgiveness for past friction. Her seeking a comfort hug at the Halloween party and her clear physical interest show she genuinely likes the MC and holds zero vindictive or toxic traits toward him.
Her score stays at a 3/5 because of her ongoing boundary issues. While she is honest and completely drama-free with the MC, her choice to keep hanging out with her ex, Oscar, while openly discussing cheating on him with the MC is incredibly messy. She has achieved excellent personal accountability, but her romantic lifestyle remains stuck in a confusing, codependent loop.
Tiffani (3/5)
Tiffani remains the most "middle-of-the-road" character regarding personality health.
She projects zero toxicity and has no known history of backstabbing or mind games.
By Ep 12, she does not have high-stakes events, plots, or deep emotional breakthroughs. She is "perfectly fine"; pleasant and supportive, but lacking the complex growth seen in characters who have had to navigate major Season 3 trauma.
Lily (2.5/5)
The "Hard" Route 1/5
If you chose the rough, purely transactional sexual encounter in Episode 11, Lily's deep-seated trust issues win. She views the relationship as purely physical and exploitative. When the emotional weight of Sage's disapproval crashes down in Episode 12, Lily shuts down, uses her cynicism as a shield, and breaks up with the MC. She cannot handle the vulnerability.
The "Soft" Route 4/5
If you chose the gentle, emotionally intimate path in Episode 11, it completely rewires her behavior in Episode 12. For the first time, Lily feels genuinely cared for outside of a transactional context. When the Sage drama hits, instead of running away or snapping, she actually shows a soft, deeply vulnerable side. She admits her insecurities, leans into the MC for real emotional support, and stays on the romance path.
Bella (2/5)
As an older character managing a complex, failed marriage with James, Bella is trapped in a classic trauma-driven response loop. She is deeply compelling but emotionally volatile. Her core defense mechanism is building immense, icy walls ("Ice Queen") to isolate herself whenever true emotional intimacy threatens her comfort zone.
In Episode 12, her relationship path is defined by a punishing push-pull dynamic. She draws the MC close in moments of vulnerability, only to abruptly withdraw, panic, or push him away. This reaction stems from a fear of breaking her rigid self-protection habits.
While she possesses deep emotional maturity, intelligence, and genuine affection, she cannot apply these traits to her personal life. She remains stuck in an anxious-avoidant cycle. She is unable to process her past baggage cleanly without treating the MC as an emotional testing ground; she's still in love with James, but wishes to move forward with the MC shows a slow motion development from her painful past.
Jill (2/5)
Jill is fundamentally a hypocrite when her own emotions are tested. Despite her reassuring the MC in earlier episodes that his past sexual escapades and choices didn't bother her, she completely flips the script when confronted with reality. During the finale's relationship checks, Jill initiates massive, punishing breakups with the MC over minor or past infractions she previously claimed to be fine with. Instead of working through issues, she defaults to her ultimate toxic trait: total emotional avoidance. She runs away, builds a massive wall of resentment, and leaves the MC completely blindsided.
Josy (2/5)
Ever since Episode 11, Josy has been deeply trapped in a self-pitying "wah" cycle. She has completely lost her grounding, becoming obsessively hyper-focused on her fashion blog and isolating herself in an identity crisis. Her internal instability officially becomes a wrecking ball in the Season 3 finale. Her inability to communicate clearly, face her own insecurities, and manage her anxiety directly forces the catastrophic throuple breakup. She completely shuts down emotionally, choosing to run away into her own head rather than fighting to save her relationships.
Nora (2/5)
Nora enforces a strict, rigid standard of "professionalism" and academic boundary-setting. However, she immediately shatters her own rules when it suits her impulses. This dynamic reveals a fragile ego that relies on professional status to mask a chaotic lack of personal discipline.
Her actions in the science lab highlight an ongoing struggle with basic boundary consistency. She utilizes her academic authority to create safe spaces, only to manipulate those exact scenarios into sudden, highly charged encounters.
Her personality lacks a genuinely abusive intent, preventing a 1/5 rating. However, her inability to balance her professional duties with her personal desires creates a highly unstable environment. It forces the MC to navigate an unpredictable minefield of shifting expectations and sudden behavioral flips
Sage (2/5)
When things are great, they're perfect. But when hurt or believed to be slighted, Sage doesn't communicate like an adult. She regresses into intense, vindictive lashing out, acts incredibly petty, and exhibits explosive, violent-child tantrums. Her emotional regulation is highly fragile, proving she only acts like a "green flag" when she is getting exactly what she wants.
Bianca (1/5)
Bianca operates entirely on a craving for external attention. She seeks high-stakes drama to mask deep-seated insecurities. Her behavior in the Episode 11 cabin trip and Episode 12 finale showcases an active choice to pursuit forbidden or dangerous dynamics. She prioritizes immediate excitement over stable relationships.
She demonstrates an outright failure in relational loyalty. She pursues the Main Character (MC) despite knowing his deep, active ties to her close childhood friend, Jill, or his relationship with Bella. She treats the potential fallout as a secondary concern next to her own immediate desires.
She does not receive a 0/5 because she displays a measurable sense of internal guilt and localized panic after crossing boundaries. Her awareness of the damage she causes prevents her from being fully sociopathic. However, her complete lack of self-regulation locks her into highly destructive behavior.
Jade (1/5)
A total disregard for social and emotional consequences.
She continues to pursue the MC for a secret affair while simultaneously insisting it has no future. This places her in a category of "personality health" that is deeply transactional and self-destructive.
She's a ticking clock for the MC's primary relationships. By Ep 12, the danger of her affair going public to Sage is a major plot point, highlighting her role as a disruptive catalyst rather than a stable partner.
Quinn (1/5)
The binary choice of Episode 12 between Riona and her reinforces her psychology. She doesn't just have baggage and daddy issues; she actively weaponizes it to drag everyone down to her level. Her manipulative Never Have I Ever party game was designed to expose peoples secrets, shatter existing trust between the MC and the other girls, and create maximum social carnage. She thrives on destabilizing others to make herself feel secure. She manipulates people using sex, money, drugs, and now violence. She is on a road to destruction, and only a revelation can help her.
Romance Scenes
Jill and Jade get a special +1 due to Jill's voyeurism with a Bella path, and Jade's video call in a Cathy rendezvous. Quinn is special in getting 2 this episode.
Visuals
Visuals, or physical attractiveness, start with with a base genetic average, and then go into Episode 12's specific scenes of appearance, lighting and camera angles.
Nora & Bella (5/5)
Both retain top-tier status. Nora's private laboratory render sequence and Bella's formal NYE look/flashback sequences cement them as the visual benchmarks of the episode.
Zoey (3/5 ➔ 4/5)
Due to the Dance & Christmas Scenes, Zoey receives some of the highest-quality lighting and dynamic posing renders in Ep 12. Changes in setting from the home visit lighting to the formal NYE dance sequence with the MC show us Zoey in different scenarios. The rendering quality on her hair and formal dress elevates her visual appeal significantly in this episode.
Maya (3/5 ➔ 4/5)
The Dress Choice Scene gives Maya a dedicated interactive segment where the MC helps her choose her formal NYE outfit. Her high-elegance formal render at the party is a major step up from her casual attire, giving her a significant visual highlight.
Riona (2/5 ➔ 3/5)
Party Glamour & High-Contrast Lighting has Riona undergo a dramatic visual transformation from her disheveled, stressed, bruised appearance in the MC's room to her unique full party dress. The formal styling combined with hiding "make up" and her distinct character model elevates her well past the baseline 2/5 tier during the NYE sequence.
Lily (2/5 ➔ 3/5)
In Episode 12, Lily receives custom formal party styling that adapts cleanly whether you are on her Soft or Hard path. While her base model retains standard proportions rather than the high-fashion "goddess" aesthetics of Bella or Nora, her rendering quality and dress presentation in Ep 12 comfortably warrant a 3/5.
Quinn (1/5 ➔ 2/5) & Sarah (1/5 ➔ 2/5)
Quinn's high-energy DJ set/stage lighting renders and Sarah's party styling showcase improved model framing. While they remain lower on pure "classic goddess proportions," their Ep 12 styling gives them enough visual polish to warrant leaving the bottom tier (1/5).
The Hypocrisy Score
One of the most important scoring is a negative value, as it sees the beliefs and opinions of characters regress based on a few variables. The TC score for the MC, the Never Have I Ever scenario for a few, and the Episode 4 Jade Handjob+ event.
Quinn (-5)
Quinn's entire persona is built on weaponizing other people's moral failings while executing extortion, theft, drug dealing, and setup plots. Screaming about ethics/secrets to tear down the MC and others while operating as an outright criminal syndicate is maximum hypocrisy.
Sage (-5)
Sage triggers one of the most explosive route breakups in Ep 12 over the EP4 Jade secret/callback, completely refusing to grant the MC forgiveness or context. This happens despite her own extensive history of keeping high-stakes secrets and pushing personal boundaries throughout earlier seasons without taking accountability or even comparing the two.
Josy (-5)
Josy weaponizes extreme double standards regarding loyalty. In Ep 12, she lectures and breaks down over the MC's dynamics with Maya or her blog identity issues, yet she completely disregards her own past boundary-crossing, secret-keeping, and emotional detachment when her own feelings shift.
Nora (-4)
Gave a grand phonecall about professional ethics, boundaries, and why her relationship with the MC must end for serious academic reasons, only to pull him into an impulsive lab encounter after.
Bella (-4)
Demands complete emotional transparency, absolute loyalty, and total vulnerability from the MC regarding the Jade situation and past mistakes. Yet, throughout Ep 12, she continues to guard her own massive personal secrets, refuses to let go of past grievances, and holds the MC to a standard of conduct she has never applied to herself.
Jill (-4)
When the MC's past choices, secret dynamics, and body count variables surface, she completely backtracks on her pledge of grace and understanding, letting those exact "past mistakes" drag down her connection with him. Furthermore, despite vowing never to let external influence dictate her feelings, her entire demeanor and path trajectory in Ep 12 remain heavily compromised and dictated by outside noise and group dynamics with Sage.
Bianca (-3)
Demands loyalty and attention in a previous relationship, while remaining completely untrustworthy and self-serving when cheating on Jill
Tara (-2)
Keeps the MC at arm's length under the guise of principles, but selectively breaks those rules when it suits her social standing.
Maya (-1) & Sally (-1)
Maya occasionally holds slight double standards regarding party/romance expectations, and Sally holds mild social biases against certain choices, justifying a minor baseline penalty.
Jade (-1), Sarah (-1), Heather (-1), Tiffani (-1), Sandy (-1)
They participate in gossiping, hiding minor party secrets, or shifting their standards depending on who is watching, which results of their outgoing personalities.
Zoey, Nicole, Cathy, Elena (0)
Characters like Zoey, Nicole, Cathy, and Elena hold almost zero hypocritical stances in Ep 12. Zoey holds herself to the exact same standards she asks of the MC and exits cleanly without double-talk. They belong at a clean 0.
Camila, Melanie, Riona, Lily (0)
Camila is completely upfront and drama-free.
Melanie feels genuine guilt over secrets rather than making excuses or judging others.
Riona owns her attitude and doesn't pretend to be morally superior.
Lily operates with total transparency about her situation on both paths.
Non-Dynamic MC Scoring
And finally, the man, the legend, Tremolo AKA the Main Character (MC). This evaluation focuses on the static elements of the MC's character, as opposed to his DIK/CHICK or various optional relationships throughout EP12 and the game as a whole. The relationships will be evaluated as a whole in some cases, as similar flaws occur across them all.
Non-dynamic MC scoring
Main Character / Protagonist (2/2)
Story Relevance (5/5)
Absolute central focus of all major narrative arcs and reveals.
Personality (2/5)
Fixed actions show clear emotional immaturity, but not much depth; getting physically sick and fleeing from Bella, acting impulsively under stress, struggling with de-escalation, and inability to express ones opinions in just about all relationship conflicts showcases immaturity, a lack of confidence and rationality, and a need for personal growth.
Romance Scenes (2/2)
Guarantees access to core romantic branches and narrative payoffs.
Midnight Kiss (1/1)
Fixed participant in the NYE countdown sequence.
Visuals (2/5)
The MC's base rendering, face models, and hair retain a reliable, standard visual novel presentation designed to be relatable. In Episode 12, he gets clean formal NYE "suit" styling and solid lighting in high-stakes scenes (like the party floor), but his model lacks the custom aesthetic polish, high-fashion dress rendering, or striking lighting and camera angle setups given to benchmark models like Bella or Maya.
There's even a scene of Tommy gifting him a plain white shirt for the NYE party because he simply doesn't have a wardrobe.
He's a nice looking guy, with some good visual assets, lighting and camera angles, but he's way down on the list in comparison to the rest of the cast.
Entertainment Value (4/5)
Driving the core drama, party sequences, and high-stakes revelations makes his screen time and internal dialogue undeniably engaging.
Hypocrisy Penalty (-3)
- When confronted with the magnitude of Bella's locked-room revelation, his emotional maturity collapses, becoming physically sick and fleeing the scene entirely rather than offering the grace, de-escalation, or communication he constantly expects from others under stress.
- During party confrontations and breakup triggers (such as the Jade/Slut score fallout or Quinn's Never Have I Ever), his fixed canonical dialogue leans heavily into shock and defensiveness rather than taking accountability or handling the situation with adult clarity. The Never Have I Ever showcases a public mask of lightheartedness, while after he's distraught and shaken.
- His guilty conscience also takes over player agency (the TC score) and he cannot stomach flawed passed experiences while evaluating current relationships, despite being confident and even having previous declarations of love (Sage) in some cases.
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