#bestia game

[bestia3d]

made this for my gf! i am proud to say that she loves it!!! (it’s also concept art for my game of course lol)

[maevesnormalart]

i redesigned the main character of my video game again… happy Sad Kitty Sunday or something idk lol

[wildflower-otome]

OVER REQUIEMZ Promo CG's

[nanakathana]

Omg its perfect!!

[fandom-geek]

expeditions rome is a very serious game

[rhysnolastname]

3 hours ago i said we were going to fetch Minsc. I just got to the guildhall.

[persa-tra-i-miei-pensieri]

Cosplayers

[tenebristhequeen]

Evil Test Meme

Ghrrrr...Sure doll, whatever helps you sleep at night ghrheheh Just remember to sleep with one eye open from now on~

[daughterofthemuse]

What the Άιδης (Hades) would people do that for? What did Θεία Έστία (Aunty Hestia) ever do to them?

"Aphrodite isn't attractive enough to me, so I made art 'correcting' her appearance" should be the start of a myth about the horrifying curse laid upon someone for their hubris, but in 2024 people just casually tweet it out bc they're mad at a video game

[cursedbeasts]

An illustrated guide to the Dread Masters

This will recap the complete story of the Dread Masters in the game Star Wars: the Old Republic. It is separate from both instances of my headcanon lore, which I think I will eventually make posts on as well. Just canon information, information from a few cut codex entries, and some minor speculation here.

I wrote this to have something to link to people instead of 10 disparate wiki articles.

Also I hope it has a bit more flair than a wiki article!

The Dread Masters were a group of six Sith. They served Emperor Vitiate of the Sith Empire for over a thousand years.

Most Sith are wildly selfish and individualistic. The Dread Masters were unique in that they were strongest when they worked together. They only achieved full power when meditating in unison, and were bound together by a powerful Force Union.

About a thousand years ago, Emperor Tenebrae gathered six promising Sith together. He sent them to a remote moon called Oricon, to study the mysterious Phobis Devices.

The Phobis Devices were three artifacts imbued with the Dark Side of the Force. When activated, they drove everyone around them mad with fear. Only the strongest of Force Users were able to survive the onslaught and master what the Devices had to offer.

At some point during the following centuries, Emperor Tenebrae took the main Phobis Device, the Core, and entombed it within the Dark Temple.

The six Sith were the ones to succeed. They returned to Tenebrae, and from then on, they were known as the Dread Masters.

They made Oricon their home, and stayed there in seclusion unless Tenebrae had need of them.

Oricon

Oricon is a remote moon in an unnamed star system located in the Outer Rim, not far from the area known as the Seat of the Empire. It is volcanically active, and the Dark Side is strong there.

The Dread Masters weren't the first to set foot on Oricon. Before them, a Sith Alchemist named Darth Vitus made it his lair. He left behind monsters he created using Sith Alchemy.

The Dread Masters imported thousands of slaves to build their stronghold on Oricon, an intimidating palace surrounded by an elaborately constructed fortress. Dread Masters Brontes and Tyrans oversaw the construction, making sure the fortress is secure. The Palace sat on an island surrounded by a lake of lava, and the Fortress was the only means of entry. Elevated roadways connected the Palace to two smaller towers and an outpost on the mainland.

The slaves met a horrible fate. When the construction finished, they all were expended in Dark Side rituals and other horrific experiments in the depths of the very halls they toiled to build.

The Dread Masters

Raptus

Raptus, the most eloquent of the six, became the informal leader of the group. Haughty and vain, Raptus was quick to smite anyone who disrespected him or the Dread Masters. He was capable of convincing others to act against their very character with words alone.

His sanctum in the Dread palace was a narrow, somewhat claustrophobic throne room. When challenged, he transported the opponents to a series of platforms suspended in a gloomy abyss.

Bestia

Bestia was powerful, possibly the most powerful of the six in terms of raw strength in the Force, and ferocious. Long ago, she drew the Emperor's attention when, as a mere apprentice, she quelled a slave uprising all by herself. She became an enforcer of sorts, responsible for communication between the Dread Masters and the Emperor. She brought the Dread Masters' insights to him, and in return, brought the Emperor's orders back to the Dread Masters.

Her sanctum in the Dread palace, called Sanctuary of Dread, was a large room completely overgrown with corruption, with a throne in the middle. Corrupted beasts milled about.

Styrak was a Sith Alchemist of considerable strength. His cruel experiments claimed the lives of many sentient and beastly subjects. He was solitary, often embarking on excursions away from Oricon.

He seemed to be fond of Kell Dragons, smaller cousins of the legendary Krayts, often seen accompanied by one.

Calphayus had a family once. Family that he did not fear. The Dread Masters became his twisted new family, and he became the most powerful prophet of them all. He sees all, the past, the present, and the future. Because of that, his insights are often difficult to understand.

His sanctum was a lush garden once, an oasis on Oricon's otherwise gloomy surface. It is a stark contrast to the other known sanctums of the Dread Masters.

Tyrans was a shrewd tactician. He didn't speak unless he deemed it necessary. His favourite trick was to sow dissent and discord in enemy ranks and then watch them go after each other's throats.

He was involved in the construction of the Dread Fortress, laying many traps and making sure it is impregnable.

His sanctum within the Dread Palace was a duel chamber with a trap floor. The tiles winked in and out of existence on Tyrans's whim, forcing any training Dread Guard or intruder to be light on their feet lest they suffered an unpleasant fall.

Brontes was a scholar, and her focus was Dark Side artifacts. This field of study took its toll on her, and she doesn't remember much, if anything, about her past. Her title was the Architect of Fear, earned by contributing to the construction of the Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas, and, likely, the Dread Palace. Her writings can be found in the libraries of the Sith Academy on Korriban.

She also seemed to have a keen interest in cybernetic augmentation. Her creations roamed the Dread Fortress, and she herself is augmented with four mechanical tentacles that serve as both weapons and additional limbs.

The War and Capture

The Dread Masters stayed in seclusion on Oricon or in their sanctum on Dromund Kaas for centuries, emerging only to accept gifts from their followers and to bring visions to the Emperor.

Three centuries before the Galactic War, the Emperor brought them a new subject for their tortures: Revan, a hero who had been both Jedi and Sith. They had tried to kill Tenebrae and failed.

Even later, when the Galactic War set the galaxy ablaze, Emperor Tenebrae had the Dread Masters put to use. They traveled the galaxy aboard a dreadnought ship, never stopping to avoid capture. They were able to stop a Republic fleet dead in its tracks by seizing its crews with terror.

Despite all the measures, they didn't evade capture. The Jedi Order sent a team of its bravest, led by Master Jaric Caedan. They boarded the Dread Masters' ship and attacked the six Sith. The Dread Masters, deep in meditation, couldn't put up much of a fight aside from waves of fear they emitted.

The dreadnought was set to self-destruct, so the Empire believed the Dread Masters were killed.

The Dread Masters were imprisoned on the planet Belsavis, where the Republic had a secret prison. They were put in cells in the max security wing. However, their mere presence killed other inmates and living things in a considerable radius. The Republic drugged them to keep them docile, and had them transported even deeper into the prison and put in stasis pods.

Not everyone in the Empire believed the Dread Masters were dead. The Dread Guard, the Dread Masters' followers, learned of the Dread Masters' location, and mounted an attack in hopes to free them. They failed, their ship crashing in an area known as Section X, its cargo of Hunter Killer droids dormant.

After the Dread Masters were captured, the Empire and the Republic signed the Treaty of Coruscant, stopping the war, at least on paper.

Dread Masters, Freed

27 years have passed.

The location of the Belsavis prison was discovered by the Empire. And with that, they learned that the Dread Masters were very much alive. A team of Imperial champions ventured onto the planet's surface, picking up the pieces of a previous, unsuccessful attempt to free the Dread Masters.

Once freed, the Dread Masters set course for Dromund Kaas. There they discovered that the Emperor had been seemingly slain by a Jedi Knight. They also likely retrieved the Phobis Device from the Dark Temple while on Dromund Kaas.

Not seeing anyone worth listening to in the Empire, the Dread Masters returned to Oricon. They started drafting plans for an empire of their own. However, an empire needed territory and an army to defend it and to conquer more territory.

So the Dread Masters gathered their followers. They sent agents into both the Empire and the Republic to seek out those sympathetic to their cause. Most of the new recruits were mind-controlled by the Dread Masters, with the most promising becoming their acolytes.

The followers of the Dread Masters were split into two groups. The Dread Host were non-force users: former agents and soldiers of the Empire and, occasionally, the Republic. The Dread Guard were the Force Users, usually Sith, although a few Jedi have fallen to the side of the Dread Masters as well.

Their uniforms were those of the Empire, but instead of the customary black, they were red. Masks were very common among the Force users, ranging from simple ones to elaborate golden masks similar to those of the Dread Masters themselves. The golden masks appeared to be a higher rank signifier among the Dread Guard and the Dread Host.

The golden masks started without any crests, but grew more adorned as the Dread Guard climbed ranks.

The Dread Host and the Dread Guard seemed to be more welcoming to members of other species than the Empire, but the bulk of it was comprised of former Imperials. Besides, what relief was that, if many of the Dread Host were mind controlled by the Dread Masters?

A new Empire

Once the Dread Masters gathered their army, they struck out into the Hutt Space. They didn't want to attack the Empire and the Republic head-on, likely knowing that even with their mastery of the Force, they would be defeated. So they sought a weaker opponent to seize territory and resources from.

Dislodged from their territories, a faction of Hutts led by one Karagga, has expanded its reach into Imperial and Republic spaces. Teams were sent to Nal Hutta to stop him.

The second conflict between the Empire, the Republic, and, indirectly, the minions of the Dread Masters, took place on the planet Denova. A Trandoshan Warlord named Kephess was quite a challenge for the strike team. Along the way, the strike team began picking up troubling rumours about an enigmatic group called The Masters.

The mystery was solved when visions of the Dread Masters and resurrected Kephess appeared before the strike teams aboard their respective flagships. The Dread Masters used their power on the strike team, and announced that all will fall before them.

The Dread Masters were no longer working in the shadows.

The Dread Masters' forces returned to Belsavis, invading an area known as Section X. They were after a superweapon called the Aurora Cannon. Both Imperial and Republic forces formed camps in the area to stop the Dread Guard's progress.

A great beast named Dreadtooth roamed a desolated courtyard within Section X. Among the spoils that would be looted upon its defeat was a Dread Guard mask, and a mysterious amulet, likely belonging to a Dread guard the beast had killed.

The Dread Masters struck next on a planet called Asation. The world belonged to a species called the Gree. Once, they were among the most technologically advanced species in the Galaxy, alongside the Rakata, who built the Belsavis prison. Now, they are going through a period of decline, grasping for understanding of their own technology

The Dread Masters were after a Gree Hypergate, a piece of technology that allowed teleportation over great distances. A team of Dread Guards, led by Dread Guards Ciphas, Heirad and Kel'Sara, descended upon the surface.

Strike teams from the Empire and the Republic once again arrived on Asation. They fought through the monsters, the automatic defences, and the Dread Guards, only to come face to face with a resurrected Kephess. While they fought Kephess, the Hypergate was opened, luring out a giant tentacled monster, aptly named The Terror From Beyond.

To those who defeated Dreadtooth, looted an amulet from it, and donned the Dread Guard Mask, there was an additional challende to be uncovered.

Beneath the bridge where the three Dread Guards made their stand, there is a cave. Aspiring Dread Guards could venture inside it, and summon a dreadful entity, that would judge their merits. Only those wearing a golden Dread Guard mask survived its judgment.

Once the entity was defeated, it left behind an unsettling glass orb inscribed with glyphs and infused with Dark Side energy. Its purpose was a mystery.

The repeated failures of the Dread Masters' plans caused one of them, Styrak, to strike out on his own once again. He set his gaze on the planet Darvannis, an unremarkable world in the Hutt space region. A large gathering of underworld arms dealers and mercenaries was under way, and Styrak sought to corrupt them from within his lair near Oasis City. That way, the Dread Masters would gain both new recruits for the Dread Host, and a large amount of weapons and other supplies.

At the same time, the Dread Masters attacked the heart of the Empire.

Seeds of Rage and Dread

Long ago, they had constructed a vault aboard a space station called the Arcanum. The Arcanum was made to house the most dangerous of Sith artifacts. One such artifact was the Seeds of Rage.

The Seeds of Rage were created by Lord Fulminiss, a master of Sith Alchemy, with the sole purpose of corrupting other living beings. They were his crowning achievement. When placed near people or animals, the seeds warped them into violent monsters and tainted the environment.

The Dread Masters stole the seeds and buried them across the Galaxy.

The seeds were likely reverse engineered by the Dread Masters to derive a corruption known as the Dread Seed. Unlike the Seeds of Rage, Dread Seeds focused on heightening fear responses in those around them, and on corrupting the environment so that the very ground exudes fear.

Fall of Styrak

Meanwhile, Styrak's activity on Darvannis didn't go unnoticed. The huge underworld gathering drew the attention of the Empire and the Republic, who once again sent in strike teams to investigate.

They fought through underworld forces until they arrived at a hidden gorge. A throne was set up in the back, and one of the Dread Masters paced in front of it, accompanied by a fearsome Kell Dragon.

Styrak was behind everything. He set up the gathering so he could perform a ritual that would shatter the free will of the gathered mercenaries and arms dealers, securing manpower and weapons for the Dread Masters.

The strike team attacked Styrak and his Dread Guard acolytes. The Acolytes fell first. Then, Styrak's Kell Dragon jumped into the fray, biting and rending the attackers with its claws.

The Kell Dragon was struck down, enraging Styrak. He summoned a massive Force Storm and attacked the strike team personally. He sent nightmares and apparitions at them, and brought down lightning upon them. It was not enough. In the end, Dread Master Styrak lay dead next to his Kell Dragon and his acolytes.

Styrak's death tore through the Dread Masters' Force bond. Their plans of an empire were all but forgotten in the face of despair and pain and madness. Their plans now narrowed down to either finding a sixth to replace Styrak, or bringing destruction upon the Galaxy. They wanted death, to join Styrak in oblivion. And they wanted to take the Galaxy down with them.

Controlling the underworld gathering may not have been the only goal Styrak was pursuing on Darvannis. An ancient Sith tomb can be found in a cave near Oasis City. Within it dwells a presence. It can be summoned by providing it with weakened prey it could drain of its remaining life.

It is unknown who this hateful entity was. Upon defeat, it left behind an ornate mask similar to those of the Dread Masters. Likely, the entity was either another Sith who mastered the Phobis Devices, or even their creator. The First Dread Master. Styrak may have been trying to communicate with the entity.

Death of Dread

Shortly after Styrak's death, Oricon's location was discovered by Republic's Strategic Information Service. Chancellor Saresh of the Republic sent an entire fleet to Oricon, only for it to be torn apart by the Dread Masters' powers. The survivors established a small camp. The debris from the ships kept raining down on the moon's surface.

Following that fiasco, Darth Marr of the Dark Council, the defacto leader of the Empire since the Emperor's untimely demise, sent a small team to Oricon, led by one Lord Hargrev. The Empire lost contact with the team.

Both factions then sent hardened champions to Oricon, in hopes of salvaging both operations. Those were the same champions that stopped the Dread Masters before, and who killed Styrak.

The champions rescued survivors from the crashed Republic ships to bolster their ranks. They destroyed the Dread Seed terraforming devices that polluted the air and ground, and they defeated Brontes's corrupted beast.

They ventured into the guard tower, and, upon recovering a datacron held there, received a vision of the Dread Masters.

An Imperial champion received an invitation to become the sixth Dread Master. The Republic champion received an admission of Dread Masters' desire to die.

The way to the Dread Fortress was clear. The gates were open, and the strike teams gathered once again.

To get to the Dread Palace, they needed to fight through the formidable defences of the Dread Fortress.

Brontes herself met them at the approach to the Dread Palace. A hive of mechanical tentacles and a host of failed experiments were at her command. The team was merely a potential set of test subjects, until they weren't.

After a long, grueling fight, Brontes was defeated.

The strike team descended into the Dread Palace.

Grim halls unfolded before them, with four passages leading to each of the remaining Dread Masters' sanctuaries. A small army of Dread Guards stood between them and the Masters.

Dread Master Bestia was the first to challenge the intruders in her sanctum. Her corrupted beasts attacked them alongside Bestia herself. She fought fiercely, but fell nonetheless, retreating deeper into the Palace.

Tyrans was next, welcoming the strike team into his sanctum. Floor tiles disappeared out of existence, plunging the unlucky intruders into the water below. Fire traps activated, giving the strike team even less room to work with, while Tyrans himself teleported around.

After defeating Tyrans and Bestia, The strike team ventured into Calphayus's desolate garden. Since Styrak's death, it has fallen into disrepair, the plants growing wild and neglected and Dread seed corruption creeping in.

Calphayus forced visions of the past and future upon the attackers, moving through the timelines with grace. The strike team braved the visions, and defeated Calphayus and his acolytes.

Raptus was the last one standing. He met the strike team sitting on his throne. They were teleported into the abyss, where they faced challenges atop platforms suspended in the air. All the while Raptus relentlessly poured lightning upon them.

He, too, fell.

The Dread Masters made one last stand in the Dread Council chamber, attacking the strike team together. Even spirits of Brontes and Styrak and his Kell Dragon joined the fray.

In the end, it was not enough.

The Dread Masters fell.

The strike teams returned to their respective camps with news of victory.

The Empire raided the now empty Fortress and Palace, seizing the Dread Masters' research for its own use.

Meanwhile, Calphayus, the last surviving Dread Master, stumbled into the Republic camp. He was alone, his mask was lost, and his mind was clear for the first time in centuries. Republic's Champions took pity on him, and he was taken in by the Jedi order to be healed and evaluated. His fate is unknown after that.

Sources:

Wookiepedia's pages on the Dread masters, Oricon, and Phobis Devices

SWTORista's codex database for the Phobis Devices cut entry

Vulkk's dreadful \ hateful entity lore speculation

Vulkk's how to become a Dread Master guide

[bestia3d]

more proof that playing Persona 3 Reload has rewired my brain: my game now has a glowing butterfly motif that signifies something lore-specific and thematically significant. i am just making a Persona fangame with furries at this point. i have fully accepted this lmao

[wildflower-otome]

OVER REQUIEMZ Character Art

[maevesnormalart]

update: i put her in an Environment™️

(also shoutout to https://ditherit.com/ best website ever it lets you dither ✨any image✨)

hi everyone!!! i haven’t posted anything in a while because i was working on designing a fursona for my girlfriend, which took me a really long time because i really wanted to get it right (also i took a little break in the middle of the process to play through the entirety of Persona 3 Reload lmaoooo)

anyway here is a wip of my gf’s fursona!! (the reason it’s still a wip is because of the shading. i need to fix that lol)

[shiveringgroovy]

cough. fanfic masterpost

read my fanfiction boy. all sfw. sometimes suggestive-ish :) SEND ME COMMENTS OR I WILL DIE OF EVERY DISEASE!!!!!

drabble requests open. mainly fyozai and siglai :)

Fyozai (did you guys know i like them)

Games Rated: T W/C: 1.3k M/M Rundown: meursault shenanigans, oneshot, fyodor and dazai play never have i ever except with sexual tension. and fyodor is down horrific and autistic

Short Writing Practice Rated: T W/C: 367 M/M Rundown: shitass drabble. they make out and dazai is annoying. i wrote this during a chemistry homework break.

Museum Date Rated: T W/C: 1.7k M/M Rundown: dazai breaks into fyodor's hotel and they go on a museum date. fyodor's old ass knows everything. philosophical yap sesh. they also KISS

Fyozai Yurification Beams Rated: T W/C: 1k F/F Rundown: YURI!!!! morning after cuddles and mild bickering. poor memory dazai is my religion btw if you even care

Parasitism Rated: M W/C: 1.3k M/M Rundown: Double suicide by fire and sloppy makeouts. Violence and death!

Siglai

Very Serious Title Rated: T W/C: 527 M/F (transfem sigma) Rundown: little drabble. again. sigma is put up with nikolai's shit

Fyobram

Damnatio ad Bestias Rated: M W/C: 2007 M/M Rundown: freeeakkaayyyy

Pushvan

RITHOTD if it was good Rated: G W/C: 250 M/M Rundown: drabble. sleepy ivan

[althea-and-alcestris]

TWST Game of Thrones AU

So before I begin explaining. Yes I am aware how dark the series is and for that, I wrote out all the inc3st, forced intimacy, problematic aspects of the story. I however do not shy away from giving a kill count to an AU and that's not gonna be any different here.

So the main plot remains. 7 Kingdoms/Houses battle against one another for the main throne and also fending against the ones outside the wall. The cast is sorted into mixed groups and I also included ocs this time too. This also messes with the canon timeline since some characters arent supposed to coexist with the current cast and also includes relatives (mentioned or shown)

House Aurum (House of Gold)

-King Henrik -Dawn Knight -Ace Trappola -Ace's brother -Albert Cardinal -Althea Cardinal -Juliette Lionhart -Princess Leia

House Bestia (House of Beasts)

-Leona Kingscholar -Cheka Kingscholar -Falena Kingscholar -Rin Kousei -Vega Zavattari -Jack Howl -Meng Yao Li -Luca Volpe -Ametist Crystal -Jamil Viper -Najma Viper -Ashton Vargas -Kifaji

House Coronis (House of Crows)

-Dire Crowley -Yurika -Fauna -Haru Yuudai -Epel Felmier -Marja Felmier -Ruggie Bucchi -Ruggie's grandmother -Mozus Trein -Kalim Al Asim -Cater Diamond

House Nobilis Dracones (House of Noble Dragons)

-Meleanor Draconia -Malleus Draconia -Lilia Vanrouge -Silver Vanrouge -Baul Zigvolt -Sebek Zigvolt -Zigvolt parents -Alcestris Zigvolt -Allen Alagona -Deuce Spade -Dilla Spade -Evander Ngam -Lamon Ngam -Augustino De La Bete

House Profundum (House of the Abyss)

-Azul Ashengrotto -Azul's mother -Jade & Floyd Leech -Leech parents -Idia & Ortho Shroud -Marina Seabrook -Gideon & Debby Campbell (excluded from the house)

House Rosae (House of Roses)

-Riddle Rosehearts -Mrs. Rosehearts -Trey Clover -Clover parents -Blanche Picard -Neige LeBlanche -Chenya

House Venenum (House of Poison)

-Eric Venue -Vil Schoenheit -Rook Hunt -Soleil Auclair -Divus Crewel -Marqu Camilleri -Bai Chenfeng -Sylas Armani -Angel Poupée -Pixel (will need a more old fashioned name) -Elion Kato -Ambrose the 63th

Strays

-Cain -Robo

I only have chunks of the story but. But I have the kill list

Kill list

-Silver (shot by an arrow infront of Lilia to wage war) -Yurika (Asssassinated) -Baul (poisoned) -Ortho (Dies protecting Idia in an ambush) -Trey (killed by Leona) -Kalim (Assassinated) -Dilla (Dies to a disease) -Meleanor (killed by the enemy) -Falena (Assassination) -Ace's brother (executed) -Mrs. Rosehearts (killed by Riddle) -Neige (poisoned) -Ruggie's grandmother (illness) -Henrik (Killed by Sebek) -Albert (Killed by Sebek) -Najma (Killed by the interrogation) -Gideon (Dies while protecting Blanche) -Augustino (Executed) -Pixel (???) -Haru (Killed by Trey due to an accident) -Marqu (Executed) -Evander (Executed) -Jack (Dies on the battlefield)

Silver is shot by a soldier from House Aurum as a way to wage war Baul is poisoned because he's believed to be a serious threat to House Venenum alongside Alce Trey is killed by Leona because of Haru's demise Kalim is assassinated because he's a noble Meleanor is killed because she was the previous queen of Nobilis Dracones and a feared one at that Falena is assassinated because he's king Ace's brother is executed for stepping up against the king for Thea's sake Mrs. Rosehearts is killed by Riddle for her abuse Neige is poisoned by Vil Henrik and Albert are killed by Sebek who wanted Thea safe Najma dies from the interrogation she was put under for a crime she didn't commit

Ships:

Sebek x Thea Allen x Deuce Ace x Fauna Silver x Sylas Haru x Trey x Leona Augustino x Chenfeng Rook x Soleil Very subtle Lilia x Baul Alce x Najma and later Alce x Juliette Gideon x Blanche Ami x Divus

If anyone has questions just dm me or ask me in my ask box, I'll gladly answer because it's a bit jumbled right now.

Ocs belong to:

Allen, Marqu, Gideon, Debby - @raguiras Angel, Meng Yao, Yurika, Fauna - @ang33333333l Sylas, Elion, Evander, Lamon, Cain, Robo, Haru - @vanrouge13 Vega, Blanche, Soleil, Marina - @nyx-of-night Augustino, Chenfeng - @spookyavenuestreet Pixel, Rin, Luca - @heyhellohihowareyou

[fandom-geek]

anyway, i mentioned it in the tags of one of my recent posts, but i've been playing expeditions rome recently and i don't know how this escaped my radar when it released???

it's essentially a crpg (with some somewhat basic tactical gameplay btwn armies) that starts at the beginning of the third mithridatic war (80s BC) and you play as a roman noble who's escaped the city after their father was murdered and their sister married off to his murderers. you leave for the frontlines of the war, where your father's friend and current consul, lucullus, commands the legions and you fight alongside them. and you can play as a woman, with the baggage that entails, which is surprisingly satisfying (at least for me).

oh, and one of your friends is julius caesar.

i'm currently a bit into act 2 of 3, which messes with history a bit so you can deal with cleopatra's conflict with her brother, and i really just love it so far. the romances are a bit interesting, since part of them is based on random events while travelling on the world map with your party.

your companions are all really fun to play with their backstories exploring various bits of roman/mediterranean society and the game isn't shackled to the protagonist for companion quests, which can lead to some fascinating bits that the player knows about the companions that the protagonist doesn't know yet (hi, calida).

i'm a bit reluctant to talk about historical accuracy as i'm a medievalist and the whole concept of "historical accuracy" is generally considered a bit nonsensical amongst historians studying pop culture depictions of history. especially since there's no one true vision of any historical society.

but usually when devs claim their game is historically accurate, they mean visually/archaeologically accurate. expeditions rome does do a lot of that, sure, but the fascination with the actual societies the devs are depicting bleeds through so well. is it accurate, per se? nah, every historically-inspired game has to choose its priorities with its source material, and this one chose to (rightly) prioritise letting you play as a woman over forcing you fully into roman gender roles.

your more traditionalist companions even discuss it - your enslaved mentor, syneros, says he doesn't really view you as a woman when you question his view of women as inherently deceptive, and caeso lightly implies that he thinks your father was deeply eccentric (at best) for training you in combat, as much as he's otherwise unquestionably loyal to you to the point of basically acting as your closest advisor along with syneros.

but even then, a female protag isn't treated as an equal by her peers back in rome (you can't gain political office like a male protag), which creates a delightful sense of claustrophobia whenever you return to rome - and this isn't just for your character, but your other female roman companion (hi again, calida) has a plotline that does even more to reinforce that atmosphere. your female companions even have a markedly different response to your choice to romance caeso than syneros (i've had no reaction from bestia about it so far, alas), because romance is a dangerous choice for an otherwise independent woman in roman society, even a patrician. i've heard you can do a lot later in the game to respond to rome's patriarchy, so i'm really curious to see how that pans out.

and to top it all off, there's a free demo which has about 2/3s of act 1, though the build is a bit outdated gameplay-wise compared to the updates in the main game since.