#currently playing sr1

[daeley]

Human

Vampire

Wraith

[casual-praxis]

I haven't played much Slime Rancher (1 or two tbh-) but idk why, but Blue is giving me puddle + phosphor (glowy ones that don't like the sun) vibes so... Enjoy that mental image for the menace?

I'm pretty sure you can also smush SR1&2 together for the slimes but eh-

My favorite pair to smush together is the glowy and the rock slimes bc I can throw in the hen hens and chicks and not worry about them getting eaten- although I limit the largos to 5 max in a high wall, netted pen-

I'm also tempted to draw them but idk if I have permission yet so I won't-

So far I haven't gotten a chance to play Slime Rancher 2, so my knowledge is limited exclusively to the first game, but what I do know is I like the idea of Blue having puddle + phosphor vibes! ^^

I was thinking that if I did mix his designs with slimes, I might go the route of puddle slime with a hint of saber slime (through overexposure, much like the others with their little slime-based quirks).

My actual ranch in-game is currently overrun by about 200 hen-hen's, none of which have anything to worry about since my corrals are nearly escape-proof, though I did have a boom/rad slime breach containment to jumpscare me once. I tried to phase out the need for meat in any of my largo's diets, but some of my combos ended up redundant anyway lol (shoutout to my rock/crystal slimes that try to kill me constantly by pushing me into the boom/rad slimes).

Feel free to draw for my AU if you'd like!! I don't mind! This goes for anyone, but I'd be honored to see whatever y'all come up with in relation to this AU (or any of my AU's, really)! Permission granted! :D

[msbarrows]

Been having fun the last couple of days working my way through the "Beachhead" expedition in No Man's Sky, which they put out for a two week re-run starting on N7 day, as its end reward is the SSV Normandy SR1 as a frigate to accompany your freighter and run frigate expeditions (not the same as the special event player quest expeditions - these are daily exploration/combat/trading/manufacturing missions that up to five groups of 1-5 frigates each can be sent on; they return at the end of the mission with currency and items, and sometimes acquire damage you need to repair).

The expedition started me out on a freighter with a starship - in this case a shuttle - to fly around in. I was playing from an established save game, so once I'd repaired my freighter and warped to a new star system I was able to summon the anomaly and 'purchase' my preferred multitool and the starship I'm currently working on fixing up with cargo space and technology augments (a turquoise and blue squid ship).

Ended up doing a little base building, one of the expedition stages involved catching 5 uncommon fish on an ice world (clearly a stage added since the original run of "Beachhead", as they only just added fishing recently). I like having a little shelter where I'm able to be in out of the weather but can cast through an archway into the water to fish, so I started off building a fairly simple little structure hanging off the edge of an elevated island. Later, when I was waiting out a stage that requires running 3 frigate expeditions, I started working further on it.

While I was there adding on to it another player showed up and made use of the base to also fish, which was nice to see (the guy standing on the path holding a spiky red staff weapon). They weren't the only visitor, either. Always nice to encounter other players in game, though they're pretty rare to trip across apart from locations and/or events that concentrate players within specific areas (the game has an ungodly number of worlds to explore: 2 to the 64, or 18.4 quintillion planets spread across 250+ galaxies).

Still waiting on my third frigate expedition to finish (about an hour to go) but I've finished everything else in Beachhead -including claiming my Normandy frigate - and will be able to close it out after that and return my character (and their improved starship) to my regular save.

[jaythelay]

Fact: Unless you force yourself, ya ain't reaching the half-way point of SR3.

Deadass half the game is turret sections and incredibly railroaded missions. There's just nothing replayable about that game in any regard for most players. Anyone saying otherwise is actually lying through failed or anecdotal co-op memories.

Unless you're into the story they treated as skippable more than viewable, the gameplay is as thin as it gets, and should be an example for everyone on what standards your games should actually have in place of attempted but utterly failed "coolness."

Seriously I know I went off about them not continuing the gangster stuff, but that's genuinely not even a minor concern to me. As I said, I'd prefer them to do their own thing, and guess what SR3 fans did not show up to support at allllllll? Exactly that game, what was that title again....guardian...drivers...? Idunno, It wasn't for SR2 fans so I didn't see anything on it. It failed!

Because their audience, dedicated fanbase, was not the continual stream of 15yos from the mid 2010s. But SR2 fans.

All they're into is the conceptual ideas of SR3/4, the wackyness, but genuinely not much else. Once the jiggling keys effect wears off, and your friend gets equally as bored, ya close, uninstall, and move on.

Seriously try it without the objective to prove me wrong. Some of you will enjoy it and that's valid and fine, but most of you genuinely will not last past the 8th turret section after yet another turret section after another turret section after a railroaded section, after a turrent section.

Watch how often you do not touch wasd or your left joystick, it's actually embarrassing "creative" work that we moved on from in the PS2 era. Sure, SR2 had moments like this, just not Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back.

Anyways, just saying SR2 fans were their actual customer base that entire time and instead? They went out of business because, oh, oh wow the proto-fortnite crowd has a low attention span and care for the series? Who'da guessed dwindling all support from your dedicated fanbase for the ficklest of fickle crowds would end up becoming your downfall?

They weren't struggling when it was SR1/2, but they've been on the ropes since SR4 and continually going back to the same, very dry well, eventually killed them. Had the reboot been made seriously, competantly, and creatively, they'd still be around today. Instead, cheaply it was made and pricey was it's tag.

They made it cheaper and cheaper feeling until the gameplay felt like an alpha title and made the characters frustratingly what old people think young people are like, wrote a story nobody would bother writing without a gun to their head, and then did nothing to address anything as the jiggling keys fanbase went back to fortnite and SR2 fans were completely pissed off.

Imagine rebooting your series to be entirely for the crowd that moves on near instantly. That pushed SR2 fans away and absolutely losing their dedicated fans is what ended up costing them existence in the public eye.

Genuinely, you can't debate that the SR3 formula straight out of a budget PS2 title, that they kept since the 2010s, and pissing off their actual audience with the reboot, was what put them out of business. It's undebatable they chose the most frivilous of audiences over their actual audience.

Good riddance to the dumbest business known to man. RIP Saint's Row as it truly was, thank fuck Saint's Row is dead in it's current form. Next time, do the obviously smart thing, and make a product people actually want to play for more than an hour.

[kikidewynter]

by all means pls just ramble about whatever you’ve currently been working on w kingdom come! personally i’ve been very intrigued by the record label side of things so i’d love to hear connections you have to the story w characters like harry and anita

lately i’ve been trying to piece together an overarching plot, something that lingers in the background throughout until its dragged out into the light. taking inspiration of course from the insane plot of sr1. so far i’m thinking that the following people are all involved in something: the DA (sharp’s father, bill), whoever’s supplying the carnales with drugs, a union boss (there are volatile strikes going on, protesting deindustrialisation and the closure of the city’s factories), chief of police, etc. it’ll probably occur to me in time, a eureka moment :3 for now i know that as the kings rise in notoriety, they become the target of those in power. angela takes the fall, ben gets freaked and swaps sides.

okay okay so !! when the cops start to crack down on the kings, ben realises he needs to start making moves to go (seemingly) legit. if kingdom come were actually a game, you’d be able to hear harry washington’s music on the radio, hear djs mention him being a stilwater native, hear them talk about how he wants to return to his home city to make his debut solo album. then he does! with ben king footing the bill! the news is kind of a surprise to jules who (though he likes to think himself ben’s partner) is kept mostly in the dark wrt ben’s plans. ben rents out a little space and some equipment and hooks up with harry, who has roots in sunnyvale. anita (her stage name, stylised in all caps) comes along with harry and spends time with angela. jules is not really involved with any of this, at this point it’s obvious to us that ben is treating him as an errand boy. ben and angela are hanging out with superstars, making music and going on shopping sprees, and he has to run around doing their dirty work? it’s one of many clues that things have strayed from their original purpose, that things are going to fall apart. it just provokes this feeling of alienation, that all of this is some kind of injustice.

some background info on harry: he left stilwater to join a male vocal group, inspired by motown and philly soul acts. even though the group isn’t named after him, he’s kind of the standout member, like a teddy pendergrass situation. so him going solo is highly anticipated, especially in his hometown where people burst with pride over him. harry returning to stilwater to reconnect with his roots and release an album with lyrics and sounds inspired by the city is a huge moment in the city’s music history, especially with its creation sparking the birth of kingdom come records, who would produce at least locally famous artists for years to come. harry is pierce’s uncle. pierce’s dad is a trained musician and played on most of harry’s albums and followed him on tour until he retired. shortly before sr1, harry calls in a favour with ben and gets pierce a job at kingdom come. pierce ends up joining the vice kings and the rest is history! well, in my canon anyway 😭 i just love adding richness to the world in my own way

[quaddmgd]

5. How did you figure out your oc's identity?

For any and all of them <3

Hi, Wash! Thanks for the ask <3

link to the ask game

5. How did you figure out your oc's identity?

Crystal - in games as immersive as Cyberpunk 2077, my default choice for identity is fem lesbian, as that's who I am myself. Oh, and even before playing I was aware of Judy ...existing, so it felt natural to make Crystal lesbian.

Thalia - after creating her 2076 nomad self and thinking more about her personality, it just kinda felt right to make her aro/ace. I've been wanting to explore the concept of platonic love for some time now, which might have influenced my decision too. I want to show the deep connection she has with Crystal and that's my no. 1 focus right now!

Evie - I made her so she and my partner's OC could be Red Dead girlfriends together, but most of her significant backstory focused on her coming of age, learning to be self-sufficient and taking care of her aging father figure. To emphasize her growing up I came up with a kind boy from nearby Strawberry she fell in love with. That's how she ended up being bisexual. She remembers him fondly and she wears his old jacket on daily basis.

EV - Well, EV is supposed to be the Cyberpunk 2077 version of my Red Dead Evie. However, after thinking a lot about what she would be like in 2077, I decided on her having a completely different personality. I don't have a lot on her, so I can't explain it well, but she just doesn't strike me as someone thinking about sex or gender at all. She's attracted to people she feels a strong connection with. That's why I decided to make her pansexual.

Gwen - so in the original Saints Row you can only play as a male character. Saints Row 2 finally lets you create a girl, so that's what I did, because there are too few crime games with female protagonists. Turns out, there's a running joke where characters constantly ask the protagonist whether they did something with their hair, to account for potential changes in appearance between games. At this point it was settled for me - I'm not retconning my SR1 character, she's canonically a proud punk trans girl. As for her sexual orientation, I didn't think about it a lot so I just made her lesbian when I was writing my current pinned post.

Crimson - Metal Gear Survive character creator and animations are based off MGSV ones, where you could only create a masculine character. No matter the choice of body type, bone structure remains masculine. That gave me a great idea to make Crimson trans and make it an important part of her story. She got drafted during the Vietnam War and, long story short, after spending some time there, she joined MSF as a mercenary, where all that mattered were her combat skills - not her origin nor identity. The leader - Snake - helped her embrace her true self and transition. Her gratitude to him is a big part of her personality. Also her being a sniper rifle-wielding trans woman in the 1970s makes her so badass. She's aro/ace, because she's dedicated to her mission - fighting for peace and creating a place for other soldiers forgotten/exploited by their nations - that reason might sound dumb, but it fits Metal Gear.

[whoredmode]

OK i said i would talk about it so that’s what i’m gonna do. here is a somewhat(?) organized version of my headcanons for the timeline between sr1 and sr2 because there’s a few contradictions between events as well as the timing of some events not making any sense to me personally from a storytelling perspective. so if you read something that you know isn’t said like that in-game, i know. this is just how i like to interpret it. enjoy!

To really start this timeline, I need to set two things straight: 

Prior to the start of the game, Julius knew immediately that Troy was an undercover cop and was using that to his advantage. Troy was aware of this as well, and the two had an odd, unspoken stalemate of sorts. 

Ultor as a company had been hoping to expand for a long time, but did not have the confidence in moving forward in Stilwater just yet, despite having the means to do so. They were playing the long game.

Summer of 2006 (June-September):

Julius and Troy save Playa (who I’m just gonna refer to as Anteros for my own sake going forward) from being killed. A day or two later he joins them.

The defeat of the gangs is going on concurrently over the course of several months. 

After the defeat of the gangs, Julius is pulled over and arrested by Chief Monroe; Troy had no idea this was happening at the time. Monroe had been in pretty constant contact with Troy during his whole time undercover, but given Troy’s pretty apparent soft spot for the Saints, he did not inform him of this whole plan. It was only later (right before Monroe’s death) that he became aware at all. 

Mayor Winslow is killed, as is Chief Monroe shortly after. 

Alderman Hughes invites Anteros to his yacht, which is promptly blown up thanks to a bomb placed by Julius.

Troy, having been nearby, sees the explosion and the floating body of Anteros and drags him out of the water. Anteros is dying in his arms, and Troy calls an ambulance and keeps him alive for as long as possible. 

Late Summer/Early Autumn of 2006:

Anteros is in the regular hospital (under police guard) while he stabilizes.

At some time around here, Dex approaches Troy with his suspicion that he’s an undercover cop. He tells him that he’s planning on leaving the Saints soon—not because of an Ultor job offer; that hasn’t happened yet—because he’s wanted out for a long time. He feels stuck and unable to achieve what he wants to, and he just wants to make sure he won’t have any trouble from Troy because of his Saints affiliation. 

Troy leaves the Saints and goes back to the police department. Dex is the one who reveals it to other Saints, particularly Johnny.

The Saints are in shambles at this point. They have no idea where to go from here. Julius, Troy, and Anteros (and Lin, though she’d been dead for awhile at this point) are all gone now. Dex and Johnny have been butting heads on what to do now, but the Saints haven’t dissolved just yet. Johnny thinks they can still move on, also assuming Anteros will wake up soon. Dex thinks they should quit while they’re ahead, that this was never gonna be a forever thing and that Anteros is dead. 

Sometime in the fall, Dane Vogel shows up to the church. He talks to them, and singles out Dex in particular as someone he’s interested in talking to further. He hands Dex his business card and tells him to call him to discuss some job opportunities. Dex takes the card but does not give an answer right away. Johnny watches this happen.

Anteros is transferred to the prison hospital, completely comatose and only being kept alive on the orders of Troy who, though not the police chief, has gained enough good will and notoriety to be able to have a say in this. Currently the Stilwater PD have an interim chief. 

Dex calls back Dane and accepts the job, leaving the Saints for good.

Summer 2007:

Johnny attempts to kill Troy, but fails. Troy does have a permanent scar on the side of his head from the bullet, though. Johnny is arrested but Troy makes sure to keep him safe while he’s behind bars. 

Summer 2008:

Dex, having been put in charge of a church restoration project when he got his job at Ultor, unveils the finished result of his two-year long effort. He opens the restored church along with Dane and Julius.

Summer 2009:

Troy is officially made the chief of police. He’d had a pretty big voice when it came to police affairs already because of everything he’d done while undercover, but now he was officially in charge. Now he has an easier time keeping an eye on both Johnny and Anteros.

Mid-to-Late 2010: 

Johnny’s trial begins and would go on for several, several months. 

Summer 2011:

Anteros wakes up and eventually breaks out of prison with the help of Carlos. Due to Troy’s influence, he’s kept pretty safe from being arrested and sent back to jail. Same goes for Johnny when Anteros breaks him out of the courthouse.

Before the events of the game really get going, Johnny gives Anteros some time to really just soak in the new Stilwater. He and Aisha are more than willing to explain some of the changes to him, but think it’s best if he just sees for himself. 

Afterwards, Johnny and Anteros get to work bringing the Saints back. 

Similarly to the first game, the defeat of the gangs happens concurrently over the course of several months. 

I could go on and talk about epilogue stuff as well as my timeline/ideas for my SRTT/SRIV rewrite but I might save that for a separate post. If you wanna chat/ask about any stuff on here go for it. There's several more like...layers to a lot of this in my head and I'd be happy to elaborate.

[ophexis]

tho I’ll admit that the concept of 35 yrs old SR3 full-size Yuri travelling across the US to help a bunch of kids start their gang would be really funny

[thetwobosses]

Extra info about the Saints Row reboot from the Gamescom interview with Chief Creative Officer Jim Boone and Associate UX Designer Kenzie Lindgren:

They wanted the CGI trailer to give sort of the “feel” of moments from actually playing a mission. Boone emphasized that they really wanted to highlight more of the “criminality” side of the series again. “What can we say, we like crime, we like crime in our games and it is solely that.”

The three rival factions: *Los Panteros, who are kinda more of what you’d traditionally consider a Saints Row faction. “They are about muscle, muscle cars, they’re fighters, there’s a grittier sort of angle to it.” *Marshall, “you can think of them almost like a mercenary group, they’ve got all the technology, their HQ is in Santo Ileso but they act all over the world”, they give more of the feel of SR:TT with hi-tech stuff. *The Idols, a totally new faction, “nothing like we’ve ever done before. They’re a cult of personality, they hit you with numbers, they’ve got a very unique style and feel to them, lots of pinks and golds and they swarm you. Their identity is just very crazy and over-the-top.”

When asked about what the reboot would feel like for newer players who’ve maybe only played SR:TT and SRIV, Jim Boone responded that it’s definitely going to be “more toned down from when we last saw the Saints” as superheroes and space emperors, much more grounded and something that’s more like in-between SR2 and SR:TT. And for those who’ve played SR1 and SR2, it’s “bringing back more of that grounded reality, but also really delving into the criminal aspect of it.”

“An angle on Saints Row, that we’ve never done before, is you’re gonna be able to grow your criminal empire, you decide how you want to build that criminal empire and you build it from the ground up, one step at a time.” He says he can’t share more details yet, but that you get to decide how you want that criminal empire structured and run and there are lots of flavors for both long-time players and brand new ones.

Devs are really excited about the game having lots of diversity in content, gameplay, characters and places to explore, and repeatedly bring up the wide variety in the gameplay mechanics of stuff you can do in the open world.

Big setpiece vibes similar to jumping out of the helicopter to Kanye West in SR:TT are very much an angle they are trying to put into the game throughout the missions, soundtrack plays a large part.

The Saints Row series being one of the oldest open world sandbox series next to GTA means that Volition has had a lot of time to think about what interests them and the players. For example one of the things they are doing is making the city’s nine districts all feel very different, rather than just one homogenous city. “If you go from one district to another, you will know it, it is markedly different.”

The devs are not currently planning on any returning characters from the old series, but are instead building on the diversity of the new cast of characters.

“You have Neenah who is this muscle badass who is driving around in her cars, Eli who loves his podcasts, and you have Kev who loves to cook, that’s his biggest thing, he loves to cook so much.”

[hatboyproject]

Calling Other Shoker Writers

Okay, okay... so I am really struggling with what tone to hit on these bridge ambients. I'm not sure about the ones I've written, because I feel almost like they're too direct and subtlety is probably key? But I want others to help if possible! I am many things, but I am not subtle. Any of these are meant to trigger only if the following things are true: - Shepard has initiated a friendly relationship with EDI - Shepard has agreed to let EDI encourage Jeff to be more open - Shepard is not already locked into a romance - The 'Hey let's date?' conversation at Flux Bar has not yet happened These are meant to trigger upon Shepard stepping into Bridge, like other ambient conversations. It should feel like Shepard is walking in on part of a conversation. They are set at a lower priority than vanilla story stuff, so the player will run into them when narrative tension is low. Each branch only plays once. I feel like I want it to be obvious that EDI is poking Joker to try pursuing it with Shepard, but I don't know how direct it should feel. Like, I see pros and cons to the on-the-nose approach versus not. On-the-nose keeps things shorter and may fit in keeping with the game's original writing more? Subtle has a better emotional effect and doesn't club the player over the head with this mod's content?

Do you like writing Shoker stuff? Please, save me from myself! I would love any suggestions you have, or even direct exchanges if you're cool with me potentially implementing them!

BRANCHES: JOKER: Yeah, well... it's complicated. EDI: Historically, beards are also not permitted. JOKER: They're not gonna rip my wings off over that. It's different. EDI: Did you not prove yourself capable of flying the SR1 by stowing aboard, punching a crewman in the face, and assuming the helm? JOKER: Look, just because a buncha stuffed shirts say I can't -- ... I'm onto you.

--

EDI: Your current strategy of leaving model ships around for her to find does not appear to be a winning one. JOKER: Well, what am I supposed to do? What, you want me to write her a sonnet? What? EDI: You are lucky they were not mistaken for improvised explosive devices and destroyed. JOKER: [SIGH] This is why you always leave a note.

--

JOKER: Hey, did you download that Blasto vid? EDI: And the latest Dog or Not, for Shepard. JOKER: Nice. Hope I get to watch that with her... Heh, she has the cutest laugh. SHEPARD: Everything alright up here? JOKER: [COUGH] Uh, yes, Ma'am!

--

None of these are final. Please gib suggestions. Pls gib.

[writerofblocks]

Collar & Leash

[this entire short was inspired by an offhand comment by @eulerami so you have him to thank for this madness. Takes place mid-SR1. Bridget is a hellion so this is mildly NSFW.]

===

Finding Troy within the church grounds was an easy task- he was a man of habit if nothing important needed his attention. If he wasn’t in the “office” he shared with Dex, he was talking with Julius. If he wasn’t talking with Julius, he was hanging around the pews to listen to the small talk between the Saints. And if he wasn’t there- which he wasn’t on this particular day- he was behind the church on a “smoke break”. 

Like he ever isn’t smoking, Bridget thought as she stepped out of the church into the cool, late-fall afternoon. Or ever really takes breaks. In the time she’d known him, she’d never seen Troy fully relaxed. Even “off the clock”, there was a current of tension in him- a tightness to his smile, a rigid set to his thin frame.

He was like that now, out of the wind in the shadow of the church. He puffed away at a stub of a cigarette, hands jammed into the pockets of his coat. His shoulders were rigid, posture upright. But as on guard as he seemed, she saw the way his gaze trailed off into the distance. Unfocused. Thinking. 

An opening.

A sly little smile crossed Bridget’s face. She slowed her pace to a crawl, careful to make as little sound as possible as she approached him. A little closer… closer… there. A foot away from him and he hadn’t noticed. “Having fun?”

Troy jolted, barely pulling his gun out of his pocket before a coughing fit overtook him. “Fuckin’- stop doin’ that-“ He yanked his cigarette from his mouth before hacking again, doubling over to rest his hands on his knees.

Bridget rocked back and forth on her heels, a wide smile filling her face as Troy continued to cough. “Gotta stop smokin’ so much, man. Your lung capacity’s crap.”

“Gonna give-“ Troy coughed one last time. “-give someone a heart attack one of these days, sneakin’ like you do.” He stowed his pistol, taking a deep breath before lifting his cigarette back to his lips. “Christ,” he muttered. “Need a bell collar on you or some shit.”

She could have let that comment go. She’d had her fun with him already, there was no need to drive the man further up the wall. But was she gonna pass up an opportunity for a stupid innuendo when she saw it? Not a chance. “Oh?” she replied, delicately arching an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you were into collars, Bradshaw. Kinky.”

Of all the shades of Frustrated Red she’d garnered from Troy over the past few months, this one had to be her favorite. A crimson flush ran up his skin in seconds as he coughed on his latest inhale, eyes wide. “I-wha-“ he babbled, before gathering himself. “That’s not what I meant!” 

Bridget could barely contain her glee as she held her hands up. “Hey, I’m not gonna judge if you are. Whatever floats your boat.”

“There’s nothing to judge,” he growled through gritted teeth, “because I’m not into that shit.”

She knew that sharp scowl. Troy’s patience had its limits- limits she was fast approaching. She’d be playing with fire if she continued to tease him- but something in her wanted to. She wanted to find the breaking point, figure out how far she could go. “How do you know?” she said, voice lowering as she stepped closer to him. “Ever tried it?”

Troy froze, then stepped backwards. It was brief- a moment of complete hesitation- but it was there. Interesting. “If I had, you’d be the last person I’d tell,” he grumbled, but his voice lacked the bite it had just moments before. His eyes darted back and forth, landing anywhere but her face. Very interesting.

She waited until she managed to catch his gaze, then stepped into his space again. This time he remained in place, eyes locked on hers. “I’d bet you’d like it, though,” Bridget purred, low and sultry. She coyly walked her fingers up the front of his jacket. “Putting a collar on me, that is.”

Troy’s eyes went wide, following the trail of her fingers as he struggled to form words. Was it the cold or her touch making him shiver under her fingertips? “I don’t really need to know your kinks either, Bridget,” he eventually got out, voice strangled.

Bridget laughed, light and airy. “Fair enough.” She finished the walk of her fingers by plucking Troy’s cigarette from his mouth, before stepping back and placing the cigarette to her lips. 

Whatever had Troy frozen melted away, leaving behind cheeks reddened only by the wind as he sighed. “If you wanted one, you could have just asked.”

“Well, yeah,” Bridget conceded as Troy pulled out a new cigarette from some pocket on his overcoat, along with his lighter. “But where’s the fun in that?”

“Is that what this is to you?” The flame from Troy’s lighter flickered, catching the trails of wind that curled into their safe space. “Fun?”

Bridget paused. What he said sounded neutral, but there was something… else. Something below the surface, moving where she couldn’t see. “I mean, it is,” she said slowly. “But it's also just… I don’t know.” She breathed out, the smoke of the stolen cigarette trailing off into the cold. “An excuse. To spend time with you. Make you laugh, or at least roll your eyes. Get some tension out.”

For a long moment, Troy didn’t say anything. Just when Bridget thought she’d messed it all up- whatever all of it was- Troy smiled slightly, and the strange feeling passed on. “You have a funny way of showing affection, Summers.”

Bridget let out a breath- though when she started holding it, she didn’t know. “I do,” she said, returning the smile. “But you like it.”

At least, I hope you do.

[vamprnce]

Chris lore/tidbits I can think off of the top of my head rn, bc he's my one and truly baby 💜

I don't have an exact date I created him (or beta version of him lol) but it was sometime in 2015 iirc! I haven't started to really post/draw him (especially here) since 2018

Before he was Chris/Christian he was just, a random dude lol w no backstory or anything really, other than "slutty punk"

I first made him in sr4 and I honestly lost that original file (the first version of him and newer/current version too) bc my 360 just doesn't wanna play sr4 for some reason no matter how much I try lol

I think I developed him around 2016/17 and I gave him the name Christian. I actually have reasons for the name bc I actually loved that name for a guy so much plus it's a funny irony to him bc he's agnostic. An agnostic Christian.

His birthday (not the creation date) is sr1's release/anniversary date! August 29th (1982) the reason for this is bc it was a place holder, but I got lazy to change it after but I think it's really nice :-)

He's originally from the Row and grew up there, he literally knows the area so well as he loved to get out of the house and just walk around, he'd usually come home around midnight or he'd stay w his at the time boyfriend Lee (when they were teens)

Chris never met Saints members previously in the Row (he could possibly cross paths, but he was pretty much to himself back then)

Before the Saint he was just in a small gang w his friends, gang didn't last long as one friend died, one left for the Canales and another left to go to Chicago

Chris was originally gonna go w that friend to Chicago too, but he decided to stay in Stilwater in the end. A few years later he gets pulled into the Saints (plus he's technically a run away before all this)

I think by the time he's in the Saints he's 24 actually w the correct math lmao but I originally had him like 19/20 before

Chris is always loyal to the depths of hell for the Saints, and he's always true to his word that he'd die for them or take a bullet for a Saint (which has happened lol) he was even extremely loyal to Julius once upon a time

Chris had a one sided love/crush of Lin during the Rollerz arc 🥴 ofc he never admitted his feelings (he rarely was much for convos) so Lin's death hurt a lot, especially since he really loved her as a friend and a Saint.

Carlos and Aisha's death hit hard too. Leaving him w loads of survivors guilt from most of these deaths and just guilt in general bc he's the boss, he's the leader.

Back to Carlos tho, they were close, as a big bro lil bro type deal, so he was a bit more protective and had this extra responsibility for him. So when Carlos gets killed bc of his actions that really hit him the hardest, the point where he felt numb but w raw anger and revenge after. Bringing up Lin and Carlos is very dangerous to do and Saints learned not to bring up their names in front of him.

Aisha was close to him as well, she, Johnny and him were the Rows trio of best friends back in the day. Aisha was also so sweet to him while he struggled to adjust back to 2011 Stilwater,he stayed at their place for a short while (before getting the gang up and running again) just to readjust and get settled/back on track w shit. He still has a neckless she gave him for his birthday/him returning again, it's locked away w his special items/treasures.

Alright besides death, he has one and only car since sr1 which is his bootlegger. Black paint w the white stripe down the middle, all purple inside. His true baby, even if he's not a car person lol hotwired a random car he saw parked in the Row and it's been his ever since

He loves cooking and an absolutely great cook! If he wasn't in gangs he'd probably opened a restaurant or something lmao sometimes he cooks for Johnny and him but most times he's lazy to cook so he orders in lol

The places Chris says at the most at is Purgatory, the penthouse in sr2 and penthouse in sr3

He has 4 dogs and 2 cats lmao but honestly the dogs are his, the cats are mainly Johnny's. Dogs: Queenie (bull terrier), Prince (pit bull), Goober (German shepherd) and Gumby (greyhound); Cats: Machete (black/white) and Stanley the meatball (Siamese)

Chris and Johnny get married post sr3 in this timeline/universe! :)

Chris also has two (adopted) daughters also a younger brother. He also has both parents in his life, relationships were rough over the years but he tries his best to connect w them, especially his mom (he loves both of them)

[wisconsinwarlock]

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

36: Define Art.

44: What was the last film you saw?

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

82: What is your favourite word?

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

87: What is your current desktop picture?

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

Please and thank you 💖

Thanks for asking sweetheart! ☺️

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Does air bass count? Because I do that all the time when I’ve got a song I know in my head. My head has not had a lot of music in it today, so probably yesterday (see my answer to #85).

36: Define Art.

I just think of it as the creation of something in physical or digital media, or performance. It doesn’t necessarily need to be original to be art. Whether something is “good” or “bad” art is a different question.

44: What was the last film you saw?

Overall, The Lady Eve, last night. In the theater, The Batman.

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Steve Vai’s Sunshine Electric Raindrops is my go-to happy song. Never fails to improve my mood.

82: What is your favourite word?

These days, it’s beloved. 💕

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

The last one I listened to with intention was Iron Maiden’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

87: What is your current desktop picture?

My computer desktop currently has the Normandy SR1 from Mass Effect doing a planet flyover.

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

This one. Because it prompts an uncomfortable question being asked, and I’ve already set myself up not to be trusted about the answer.

[antibioware]

do you have backstories for your me ocs? uvu

BOY DO I!! I'm gonna do the one I'm currently playing bc I have played her the most I think. Maya Shepard is vanguard class with a Colonist + Sole Survivor background

After the loss of her family and everyone she knew on Mindoir she was adopted by a couple of human researchers, good and well meaning people, but not necessarily the best options to deal with a child dealing with the sort of deep trauma she went through, and occasionally unable to reach out to her when she was in need. Their relationship is lukewarm through her teenage years and they eventually grow closer late in her life, when she's already an Alliance soldier. She has a little sister, Rebecka, who is around 16/17 when ME1 starts, who she absolutely adores despite their ups and downs. The squadmates eventually get to know her after Shepard "dies" and some of them (read: Garrus, Ashley, Joker and Liara) keep tabs on Shepard's family's safety and wellbeing after she's gone.

She joins Alliance very much in an attempt to live the concept of "I want to help prevent what happened to me", and goes downward from there. She's a decent biotic, but nothing particular special: she's a better shot than she is a biotic, in fact, which is why she prefers to use her abilities for defensive and strategic purposes.

I feel like one of the reasons she gets really along with Ashley at first is because she feels the most similar to her own experience in life, from family to struggling with aliens due to their personal backgrounds, but while Ashley lets a lot of her issues fester and dictate the way she acts (especially re: how alien species ruined her family's name and her career), Maya is able to rationalize her personal tragedies and use them as a learning experience, which is why she doesn't harbour any deep resentment for batarians. If anything, Maya is much more uncomfortable dealing with Asari, who take part in the ongoing slave trade but are protected by their position in the Council, and thats why it takes her some time to warm up to Liara.

She had bad PTSD over both Mindoir and Akuze but she doesn’t deal with it in a good manner until after the Reaper War.

Despite her becoming a soldier, she has a talent for diplomacy and she's good at understanding others on a deep level. She's very kept together and tends rarely to let down her walls - there used to be a joke among the SR1 crew that she could still be perfectly calm and collected while directly under enemy gunfire.

Shes a plant nerd (her adoptive parents studied mostly xenoflora and ended up influencing her with their love for their job) and a huge closet fan of shitty space soap operas like Fleet and Floatilla.

[fenharelsregret]

i have a Problem with single-player games and it’s ‘i always end up making sisters or mother/daughter duos’ lmfao

saints row is no different, i’ve had these sister Bosses since SR1 came out, but these days i know how to build a reshade and photoshop like a motherfucker so they look so much better!

Main Boss: Shivani (Shivs). 22-3 in SR2 after being 20 in SR1. respected, always honest. a steamroller of a woman, even though she has the capacity to play things smart she decides against it a solid 95% of the time unless it’s supremely serious. has a habit of switching every jacked car’s radio station to classical immediately and if anyone complains she switches to 80s music. has a lot of unresolved trauma from her childhood and had to turn to the saints to keep her and her sister fed. loyal as a dog and twice as rabid so she hates turncoats. most likely to snort dead people ashes.

Secondary Boss: Nazca (Naz). 17, coming up on 18 in SR2 after being 14-5 in SR1. generally underestimated, which she actually enjoys. massive liar and double-speaker, but she’s capable of sincerity...sometimes. took over as decision maker for the saints after her sister got blown to shit and then put in jail. masterminded the jailbreak with carlos, her current bf (girl i am so sorry). despite her age she’s proven time and again that she’s sharp. the scalpel to her sister’s hammer. she’s also the closest the saints have to a therapist, and that’ll both come in handy and crush her over the next ten-plus years.

i work off my own timeline because official SR timeline is insane but i adore the games so dearly

[kikidewynter]

actually i think we need to stop saying sr1 is highly inaccessible. you can play it on any xbox from 360 to current gen. it’s exclusive sure but by no means impossible to play