#each npc could be their on PC is what I'm saying

[danieyells]

If you could, could you post Alan’s lines? I like him but he’s so stone cold at low affinity it’s hard to sus out his personality

SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG ANON AND @otomelover23 so many things got in the way. . .mostly myself lol. . . .

Honestly that stone coldness is a big part of his personality. He's not great at expressing himself and he's very to the point. But as his affinity goes up, he's more. . .concerned for you. And he wants you around more, trusting himself to have you around more.

I posted all of them again this time! A lot of his have similar energy because of his stiffness, so I feel like being able to see them all helps to idk see the gradual change i think.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Get your things. We're going."

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"Some letters here for you."

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"...What do you want?"

"Don't get involved with me."

"I'm going out. You guys get back to work."

"Get back. It's dangerous."

"Slack off once, and you'll find out how hard it is to get back in the game."

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"Oh, you're awake."

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I don't eat in the cafeteria. Portions aren't big enough. That's the only reason."

don't feel awkward in there or like people find you too intimidating to be near or anything? aren't worried about seeing Dante? if you say so.

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"My wallet? Yeah, it's pretty beat up. Can't bring myself to chuck it though. Got some good memories with it."

reminds me of my brother, who kept our dad's old wallet. It's basically in tatters, held together by rubber bands, but sometimes what you have is what you have. . . .

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I'm going to the Pit. You should go back to your house, {PC}."

he doesn't want you to see him punch a man into oblivion.

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"That sounds like a bike engine, but it's not one I know. ...Be right back."

INTRUDER ALERT INTRUDER ALERT INTRUDER ALERT much like Tohma he's probably pretty security conscious. Maybe he's more security conscious because Tohma isn't around. Or maybe he's not used to how Bonnie sounds yet.

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Was that class really revision...? I didn't think I missed that many..."

my boy is not book smart, he is fist smart and maybe street smart. please study with him. he needs flash cards. pretty sure the only reason he's passed any grade is because he goes on plenty of missions.

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Lunch? Huh. I forgot to eat. Guess I'll just grill some meat and have it with rice and miso soup. That's my go-to."

y'know what i'm glad someone here eats proper meals. even if you forget at least you're eating eventually!!!

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"One of the Vagastrom guys asked me to add him on WickChat... Do you know how to do that?"

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I don't want to get anyone mixed up in my life."

He looks sad when he says this. . .he's really worried about how being close to him will affect others huh.

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Better sleep. Got an early day tomorrow."

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"497... 498... 499... 500... Phew..."

don't mind pc they're just gonna watch you do 500 sit-ups/push-ups/pull-ups/whatever. . .no no they don't mind the sweat at all please continue--

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Bandana seems to disappear right around this time every day lately... What's he doing?"

Pretty sure Sho would be busy with the food truck around thhis time of day. . .does Alan not know Sho runs a business lmao. . .I mean I guess Alan doesn't go into the more populous parts of Darkwick much.

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"The first-years've each got their own strengths. Both can do stuff I can't."

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"Bandana's got potential. He's quick, and he's strong. Rest comes down to motivation."

I think Sho's motivated, just motivated to do his own thing. Although I'm sure he'll develop more interest in the world and actions of the Institute and anomalies eventually. . .maybe. Or maybe Hyde's interest will keep him away lol.

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"I'm heading out. Mission. Make sure you go to class. ...I'll let you know when I'm back."

alright mom i'll go to class gosh. does this feel like a headpat or forehead kiss line to anyone else? he just doesn't want you to worry about him. He knows he's doing something dangerous. But he promises he'll come home. He won't be reckless because you're waiting. Maybe I'm reading too much into it lol.

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Where am I...? Guess I should tell them I'm gonna be late. WickChat was this picture, wasn't it...?"

poor boy is so lost lmao please help him get where he needs to go. . .how does this man go on hikes in the mountains and shit. . . .

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"You're still awake? Don't stay up too late."

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Oh, didn't see you there. I'm heading out for a run, but... Could you wait here for me?"

He wants to spend time with you, so please be waiting when he comes back. . . .

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I pat people on the head a lot? Didn't notice. I'm doing it again? ...Sorry."

IT'S HARD NOT TO WHEN PEOPLE ARE SO MUCH SHORTER THAN YOU also that wasn't a complaint please give them lots of pats :'3

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"I'm taking some of the Vagastrom guys to the mountains today. ...You want to come too?"

CAMPING TRIP WITH DA BOIS!!!!!

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"This one's all fixed up. I'm gonna take a shower. Wait there."

there like in the shower or--(he uses そこ which refers to someplace near the listener, so he just means 'where you're sitting' but still.)

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"{PC}. Got time after this? A friend of mine gave me some fresh boar meat."

He wants to cook for you! He cooks in a very wilderness style, but still! He wants to share his bounty! He's showing you he can be a good provider. No, he didn't hunt it himself but good community connections are also important!

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"You're you, not someone else. You're doing a good job. Hold your head high."

he doesn't want you to fall into a cycle of self-loathing or of trying to be anyone but yourself. Maybe what others do feels more impressive to you, but you aren't them and you can't compare yourself to them. Even if you're 'weak' in one way or another, you have your own worth in other ways. So be proud of yourself, instead of trying to get the pride of somebody else. I think he really cares about your mental wellbeing and he doesn't want you to lose yourself. Because he's lost himself--and he doesn't want that for you. Don't wallow in self-pity, don't agonize over the past. Be proud of how far you've come and walk your own path.

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Can't sleep? ...I'll take you for a drive. Quick run should help you reset."

Imagine falling asleep in his car and he has to figure out. . .does he wake you up, does he carry you somewhere. . .he could bring you back to your place but he doesn't know how to get there so. . .you wake up in his room, in his bed. . .does he have the understanding that "you probably shouldn't sleep in the same bed as somebody without them okaying it first" and he sets up his tent and sleeps in it or uses his sleeping bag or sleeps somewhere else in the dorm or maybe in his car. . .frankly even if he doesn't he'd be afraid of hurting you in his sleep. There's no way he'd sleep in the same bed as you. Maybe lie awake in there with you or something. But he'd be too scared of what harm he could cause to fall asleep.

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"I'm lucky I've got you, {PC}. As long as you're with me, I feel like I won't lose sight of who I am."

HE SMILES WHEN HE SAYS THIS. 99% of his lines have his usual expression, but this one he really smiles and that's how you know how much he appreciates you. I feel like he kind of gave up on himself--he's a big, dangerous brute, he's not someone worth getting close to, it's dangerous to even want to. . .but you make him feel like maybe he has a chance again. You make him look in the mirror and see someone he hasn't seen in a long time, and he realizes that person is himself and he would have never seen the version of him who isn't dirtied with blood again without you.

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"Don't get lax just 'cause it's warm out. Stay focused."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"... Good camping weather."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Oh, it's you. Must've dozed off. Better get back to work."

BABY IF YOU NEED A NAP JUST TAKE A NAP. . . .

(between 8pm and 5am)

"The cherry blossom illuminations? ...That kind of thing's not for me."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"It's getting hot out. Make sure you stay hydrated."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Looks like we've got another mission order. There's more anomalies out there in summer."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"The Pit's getting noisy. Those guys better not be pulling stupid shit again..."

LET LEO PLAY MUSIC IN THE PIT HE MISSES GOING TO THE CLUB.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you again... I was just going for a jog. Didn't think you'd be round this corner."

Alan turning a corner and slamming straight into you and being shocked aw--

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"Good season for a workout. Want to join me?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"...Maybe I'll go check out the fall leaves."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"The days are getting shorter. You should get home before it gets dark."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"...Long nights make me think about stuff I'd rather forget."

he killed dante in the autumn or winter. noted.

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"Cold out in the mornings lately. Guess I'll warm up with a coffee."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"The first-years ditched... What do they mean, "too cold"?"

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"As long as you got some muscle, you can handle the cold."

i handle the cold well because i'm fat, myself. my brother, who's plenty muscular, gets cold much easier than i do U:

(between 8pm and 5am)

"It's freezing... Guess I'll break out the kerosene heater. Gotta make sure you ventilate if you use it indoors, but it works real fast. Can't do without it in winter."

His birthday: (April 25th)

"Whose birthday? ...Mine? Oh... Forgot all about it. ...Thanks."

Your birthday:

"Today's your birthday, yeah? ... Get your stuff. I'll take you for a drive."

New Years: (January 1st)

"You helped us out a lot last year. Hope you'll stick around."

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"This chocolate's for me? Do everything proper, don't you? Thanks. I appreciate it."

HE SMILED AGAIN. I wonder if he's ever been given valentine's chocolate before. Even if he thinks it's just out of obligation, I think he must be really happy. . . .

White Day: (March 14th)

"White Day's when you repay people for what they got you on Valentine's Day, right? Sorry if these aren't your thing... Didn't really know what you like..."

. . .my first thought was that i read that sometimes lingerie is given as a white day return present. . .and i just imagined that Alan asked what he was supposed to do if he liked the person he got a valentine's day gift from on valentine's and Leo saw an opportunity for chaos and said to get them some sexy white underwear and Alan just. . .believed him. And it's a very embarrassing moment for everyone involved. pc absolutely wears them when alan asks them out for things tho. waiting for the day alan finds out they're wearing it.

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"I'm actually a dog. Woof. ...Sorry, that was a lie. Forget I said anything."

he's a little confused but he's got the spirit.

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Saw an anomaly I'd never seen before just now. Ran away when I tried to stop it. That's when I realized it was a human."

i would not be surprised if his upbringing was sheltered and he just did not know about halloween to begin with haha

Christmas: (December 25th)

"...You should spend Christmas with family."

Well everyone's stuck at Darkwick so that's not likely to happen. Also don't tell that to Sho. . .but we can be family now! And spend Christmas together!

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"...You okay?"

(13 affinity and above)

"...You seem busy. Let me know if you need anything."

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"...You came back. You look all right. We're gonna need you for the next mission."

SO YOU SEE HE'S A LOT KINDER AND SWEETER WHEN HIS AFFINITY GETS UP THERE. . .BUT HE'S STILL COLD. BECAUSE HE'S AFRAID. . .but you make him feel more comfortable. You help him feel less like a destructive monster and more like a person. Where he pushed you away before, he keeps you closer now. Still a little at arm's distance but much closer than before. I HOPE THIS HELPED YOU SEE MORE OF HIS PERSONALITY, ANON o/

[pocketgalaxies]

okay no bc i agree w you on this. there’s too much Plot happening AROUND the pcs right now that’s just the nature of where the story is at rn but it feels like they aren’t really leading the story so much as being dragged along it and being told what to do. and also we have just ended up with a party that would all rather sacrifice themselves for each other than have one (1) conversation about their real feelings. before all the ludinus stuff like properly kicked off it felt more like they were leading. but since they went to the moon idk it hasn’t really felt like much has happened bc the party was looking for it. also i miss delilah fr she could be counted on for some inter party drama fr

yes exactly!!! delilah most reliable juicy drama instigator fr. the fact that it took one (1) hour for delilah to be ostensibly neutralized for-fucking-ever is the cherry on top of the most disappointing cake ever

esp as someone who's been watching c2 at the same time it's just wild to compare. in c2 it feels like most everything is happening as a direct result of the m9's interference, and m9 is doing those things bc they want to and decided to, for their own personal reasons. this recent stretch of c3 episodes has legitimately been like 8 hours of level 20 npcs telling bh what to do and bh going "ok. thank u for telling us what we're doing next and also for letting us do something" it feels so shallow. and this is episode ONE HUNDRED AND SIX. m9 was turning the tide of the war on their own terms in like EPISODE FIFTY. *SHAKES THE NEAREST PERSON'S SHOULDERS* DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING

[roughlytwentytwofrogs]

This was an answer to another post, but I feel like I started babbling too much to not make it its own post.

Shipping aside, I feel like the origin companions are paired up by the story.

The most obvious are Karlach and Wyll, which you could chalk up to the fact that Karlach was going to be an NPC related to his quest in the beginning. But I feel like it's not just that, because it extends from act 1 allllll the way into the end of the game. In Wyll's recruitment dialogue, he talks about Karlach; and whether you've recruited Wyll or not, or you've brought him with you or not, Karlach's recruitment triggers Wyll's first cutscene and his first storybeat (while when learning Astarion is a vampire, despite being a monster hunter, his reaction is pretty much just "welp rip i guess").

Karlach has (!) reactions to many steps of Wyll's quest, they talk about each other all the time through their own hurdles. And of course, their antagonists are closely related (Mizora and Zariel), and they have ties to the same main villain (Gortash, who is Karlach's revenge plot and the one to hold Wyll's dad in a cell). Wyll follows Karlach into her good ending to free her from her own devil. It's pretty obvious that those two are connected from the beginning of the game to the end.

Then you have Shadowheart and Lae'zel, who are on each side of a conflict: Shadowheart stole the artifact from Vlaakith, Lae'zel is a very zealous githyanki. They keep talking about each other throughout act 1; because Lae is a danger to Shads, she keeps trying to undermine her to the PC (she even tells you what she does when talking about Raphael, by shittalking and sowing doubt, the moment Lae'zel slips, we've basically already made our minds).

Then they both go through the same storybeat, ie free themselves from their own evil deities, or fall further into their cults and ascend. There's even an (inaccessible right now) interaction between good path origin Lae and Shads, when Shads has that bit of dialogue about dyeing her hair white: she tells Lae that watching her free herself of Vlaakith inspired her to make her own decisions; Shads also has a similar one with resist path Durge.

And last, you have Gale and Astarion, who are foils in their own way, whose stories are about indulging in the power dangled in front of their noses or refuse it, and their backstories both have sexual trauma implications (I say implications, because while Astarion's are very obvious and maintext, Gale's aren't as much, afaik, but I also haven't done his romance path so feel free to correct me). They don't intervene in each other's paths, so they're the two i'm least sure about because you have to dig a little more, but still worth noting imo.

They also have these interactions with the book of Thay, which isn't a main quest but worth mentioning, because they're the only ones who do have a tie to that quest (despite not being wisdom classes).

Now whether it wants us to see it in a shipping light, I don't know! My answer would be probably not, because the game makes the companions very playersexual rather than develop their relationship with each other. You can probably also find ways to pair them otherwise, but to me there's no denying the story is written in a way that pairs the companions up to contrast their stories with each others.

Feel free to add yalls own thoughts on this!

[hpowellsmith]

How do you feel when romanceable NPCs get together with each other? I'd love to hear what you do and don't like about it!

I hate it too in general, but I think it depends on how it's presented.

I saw people before mention that when an RO always ends up with another NPC in every route where the MC isn't romancing them, then that just feels like a weird personal insert of the author. I agree.

When a game is all about the choices of the player, then it feels like this completely defeats the whole purpose. It makes the reader feel like the route where they did romance that character didn't matter at all because RO canonically would rather be with NPC. So why make them a romance option in the first place? It's fine if non-romanceable NPCs get together, even better if I get to play matchmaker, but then don't make them romance options for the MC. (I'm looking at you DA Veilguard because boy this pissed me off so much in the game)

I always assume that those authors who force ROs together (without player choice) never expect the players to make several playthroughs where they romance different characters but then lol they don't know their audience at all which is... not a good look.

On the other hand, if the game gives me a choice about it in the form of "hey do you want these two to start dating?" then thank you, now we're talking! I can say no, or I can say yes. Feels like matchmaking again, but it doesn't figuratively erase my past routes where I happened to romance one of those characters, plus, it gives me a cool new choice to make.

I think you did an excellent good job with this in your own books (and sorry this got long).

this is in response to the question:

How do you feel when romanceable NPCs get together with each other? I'd love to hear what you do and don't like about it!

This was great to hear, thank you! (and there's never a need to apologise about writing a lot!)

I want to gently disagree on a couple of things:

First, that authors who write romanceable NPCs getting together don't expect players to play several times. On the contrary, I imagine that a lot of authors who do this know players will play multiple times, and think it's fun to show how different outcomes can unfold in response to different choices from the player. I don't know this for sure, because I'm only one person, but when I've written it, that's part of why (and I always assume people will see things more than once, whatever the scene!)

Secondly, particular relationships feeling "canon" - again speaking only for myself not for other authors, I don't consider any path or relationship canon. Anything that branches is all equally canon or non-canon in my eyes!

All of that said, I totally get what you mean about wanting it to be part of the player/PC's choices - I do think it can be great fun to matchmake and it's something that the player can opt into or out of however they feel. I think as with a lot of things with interactive narrative, introducing choice and agency tends to make things that someone might not enjoy if it was framed in a different way feel better.

Sidenote, it's a bit of a balance working out how to do it without it feeling like characters giving an odd amount of control over their lives to the PC, though! I think I could get away with it in Royal Affairs because the PC is just so fancy, but in other situations it might feel a bit weird.

(I have been thinking a lot about choice and responsiveness in my current outline actually - unrelated to NPC-NPC romances, but about some plot elements/setpieces and twiddling the "player agency" dial in various directions to make things feel fun and impactful)

[wavebiders]

what do you think about campaign 2? is there anything it does better than campaign 3, and vice versa is there anything campaign 3 does better than it?

Interesting question! Gonna put the answer under a readmore since it'll probably get long and also bc my feelings on cr2 aren't all that positive so superfans of that campaign have a heads up to keep scrolling

So, I'm just gonna be completely honest up front and say I never finished cr2 so my judgement is gonna be very flawed. At the time I was younger and very caught up with the toxic positivity aspect of this fandom, so I stamped down basically every issue I had until it all spilled over and I was left feeling so negative about it I had to go complete cr cold turkey until tlovm aired.

I know that's oversharing, but I just don't feel right commenting on cr2 without being upfront about how my personal feelings on it come from a weird place. I try to be more objective about it these days, but I'm afraid I'm not entirely objective.

Anyway cr2 and cr3 are really two entirely different kinds of stories. The former I consider to be most like an open-world video game, while the latter is more like an ongoing comic book. It's hard to tell which one does things better because they're not really doing the same thing at all

In terms of pacing they both struggle in opposite directions. Cr3 has had too much going on for a long time with very little breathing room while cr2 was 90% filler. We haven't had balanced pacing since cr1 so for these two it's more about what you personally prefer. For me the difference would be determined by my connection to the characters.

Which brings me to the characters. This is of course the most subjective thing of them all. I'm not going to pretend I don't prefer the Bells Hells by a mile, but there is also a reason the Mighty Nein are so popular on social media. It's the party of NPC's vs the Be Gay Do Crimes party. The latter may has well have been built in a lab for tumblr queers. Hell it's what drew me to the show in the first place.

I think cr2 was more experimental for most cast members, with them really going outside their comfort zone(Travis playing a more serious character, Liam going more morally questionable, Travis and Ashley dipping into romance) and the results really resonated with a lot of people. Personally I struggled with most of the party for a few reasons. What they were trying didn't suit me, Ashley being gone for most of the early days, a party member dying before they could really get started, etc.

With cr3, I think it's clear they took the lessons they learned from the past 2 campaigns and really played into their strenghts while still exploring new ground. The fact that the players have lived in Exandria for so long now also allows them to craft backstories more tailored to the world around them which gives them a very unique feel. I also personally just find myself resonating more with the themes they chose to explore.

Honestly I could do a whole breakdown of each character and which ones I think work best for their campaigns but this is getting long enough so I won't.

Cr2 did spend more time digging into characters backstories but for me that had the massive downside of the gap between which characters got focus being incredibly blatant. I know people like to complain about main character Imogen, but that's nothing compared to how badly cr2 sucked at balancing narrative focus amongst the party.

That's not say I'm not bothered by cr3 not taking more time to explore things specific to the pc's backstories, but with the way most of them are tied to the main plot it still works. I do think it does a much better job at balancing focus, even if Imogen obviously has the strongest plot connection.

And finally, I think cr2 is best at being a more typical found family fantasy experience(cr1 is too but a very different flavor) in that you have a bunch of assholes slowly learning how to trust each other and help each other face their demons. The bond between the Hells is just as believable and more compelling to me personally, but it is not gonna scratch the itch a lot of people are looking to scratch with an actual play show.

What cr3 excells at is deconstructing tropes, posing ethical dillemas, really making you think about the world the story takes place in and considering different point of views. This is why so many long-term fans struggle with it so much. It's also why I think, especially if all 3 campaigns get adapted, cr3 will be the most memorable one with the biggest impact.

[sevilemar]

If you're a GM, and a player asks you for a 'go out in a blaze of glory' ending in the final boss fight, do everyone a favour and say no. Because it does not work. The medium of ttrpg is not made for pre-made stories like that.

If it happens organically at the table, and you all lean into it in the moment, it's such a great experience for everyone. But if you try to force it, plan it beforehand and try to make it part of the design, it just falls flat and feels wrong.

For those of you who follow me, you know that this request from one of my players was what gave me the most headaches in planning my final boss fight. It felt weird from the start, but it was my first campaign as a GM, and her first time in an rpg ever, and I thought I'd at least try.

Here's why it didn't work for us:

- Communication. Turns out the player had quite a specific image in her head, but I understood it in broader terms. She wanted to look bbeg in the eyes and have a shootout, killing each other. I heard 'I want my character to sacrifice herself, enabling the other party members to kill bbeg because of it'.

- I do not control my PCs. Once I set the scene and combat starts, I relinquish most of the control to my players and the dice. I do not know if they will go for the things I think they will go for, or who will do what where. Sure, you can lead them by the way you describe things, but not to the degree that you'll need for something pre-planned like this.

In this case, it went like this: The players killed my distractions way sooner than anticipated, so they were free to concentrate on the bbeg way sooner than I thought. And another PC decided to help the one on a suicide mission, since that's what players do in a situation like this. And before I could offer the suicide PC their blaze of glory moment, the other PC did the last hefty bit of damage necessary with a lucky shot, and I was bound by the rules I had already established to let it happen.

And so the suicide PC still died while doing the lion share of helping their friends take out bbeg as the player wanted, but it was by the hand of a party member, and there was no fanfare about it, and their death could have easily been prevented if they hadn't played to loose. It felt very contrary to the spirit of these kind of fights, and it does not sit right with me.

- Someone else had prior claim to the kill shot. My bbeg had personal beef with another PC, because she killed her mentor. That was the reason the party got together in the first place, and that was also why I wanted that PC to get the final shot if at all possible. If not, that's the game, too.

- Exhaustion. We had been playing for close to 5 hours by that point, all of which I had spent juggling a ton of henchmen and monster stats and strategies, made some up on the fly because my players went through them way too easily, while trying to keep the pace up and the tension escalating, coming up with rulings on the fly for the weird shit my players did, at one point directing a whole cavern full of monster's and NPC's, and remembering the history which my bbeg was taunting the players with verbally because I wanted them to have that information.

Plainly speaking, I was exhausted. And when I get tired like that, I get quiet. Now, that's not a good thing for a GM, who creates stories with words, and it certainly did not help me with making her death as meaningful as I could. I think I did OK, but I missed one crucial thing, which was giving her a glimpse that her sacrifice had worked. I wish I had done it, and I will definitely do it if I am in that situation again. And when I get together with the player next, I will offer to re-do it if she wants.

I'm gonna talk it over with the player one-on-one, see what she thinks about all of it. But I wanted to put this here as well, so you have a chance to learn from my experience as well.

[honestlyvan]

What is dendro and who are your blorbos in it? :o

Infinite Dendrogram is a web novel/light novel series written by Sakon Kaidou that began publishing in 2015 that has a 12 episode anime covering the first five volumes and an ongoing manga adaptation by Kami Imai. It takes place inside a virtual MMO of the same name, filled with fully sapient AI NPCs called "tians", and all player characters, "Masters", are equipped with adaptive AI companions called "Embryos" that range from non-sentient weapons to fully sapient partners that are born from a profound desire their Master has, and evolve to fulfill their wishes, justified as them "adapting" to the Master's preferred play style.

It's bonkers good, has extremely tight power scaling and a well thought-out magic system, intriguing lore and absolutely stacks and stacks of the best girls in shonen. I haven't actually ran the numbers but I feel like the supporting cast is majority female and out of all of them only two could reasonably be considered love interests for the protagonist, the major recurring ones being either his peers or his mentors.

It fucking rules, nonny. I am spoiled by this series. I'm never gonna be able to go back to manga. Dendro has so many well-written, strongly characterised female characters who are nothing like one another and in fact occupy a lot of the archetypes male characters would in other stories.

Anyway! Onto the blorbos! Unmarked spoilers for volumes 1-21 and the entire anime from hereon out!!

Ray Starling & Nemesis

"Protagonist-kun? Really, Van?" Yes, really. Listen. Ray fucking rules. As a Maiden's Master, he is mechanically identified as giving way too much of a shit, and a lot of his personality is shaped by his attempts at harnessing the compassion that is too big for his body to good ends. Ray is very clear-headed about his strengths and weaknesses, and yet he still develops into a suicide bomb of a PC because he just really fucking hates people getting hurt.

He's humble and good-natured, engagingly intelligent without dipping over into annoying smart guy territory, and Kaidou's Girl Respecter streak has rubbed off on him a lot because Ray is chill about having female friends in a way that is startlingly grounded. He's a good ridealong character. He's sweet. He is a good lad.

But also! I did say my blorbo was Ray with Nemesis. And that's because Nemesis helps bring out nuance in Ray and also explain the core idea behind Embryo's so strongly I don't think it makes sense to read Ray without the context Nemesis provides for us. While Ray is chill and humble, Nemesis is exuberant and positively radiates self-esteem. While Ray is passionate and driven by his compassion, Nemesis is calculating and goal-oriented.

All of Ray's features that could be a hindrance to his need to do good, to be good to other people, are cleverly externalised in Nemesis, who is reined in by Ray's mastery but also made charming, relatable and loveable through her. She is gluttonous and hungry for praise, but she is also bold-hearted and principled. She's fearless in battle, but she is also very committed to Ray's safety.

The two of them truly do feel like two halves of a complementary whole, like she is a shard of his soul externalised and given a voice of her own -- many features Ray has that he suppresses or doesn't feel comfortable revealing about himself like his need to do things, be involved and take up space are expressed in her, and then given space to breathe through Nemesis' development as a character. She is herself, but she is also Ray -- and through their love and respect of each other, we understand both of them better.

Shu Starling

We very quickly discover that the reason Ray is so relatively hinged is because all the batshit protagonist perks went to his older brother. Shu is introduced as a chill and deeply unserious dude playing in a bear-shaped mascot suit, explained away by him forgetting to change the presents on his PC and thus it making it look just like him -- a real problem for a guy who IRL is both a former child actor and singer, as well as a known junior league martial artist and a genius level intellect whose career was being followed with bated breath during his university years.

To say that it doesn't come as a surprise that Shu is secretly one of Altar's (his and Ray's starting kindgom's) Big Three -- both a holder of a near-mythical Superior Job and a seventh form Superior Embryo -- would be an understatement. Shu Starling is a slacker genius with the power to punch reality so hard it shatters like glass.

However. Just like how Ray manages to be grounded despite being mechanically identified as giving too much of a shit, Shu is very relaxed for someone set apart by his skills from other people. He's not conceited about his own intelligence, but he's also not overly humble about it, and while he does try to keep a low profile and avoid expectations, he's has his own gentle and caring side too. You'd think a guy with narrative weight like him would be an albatross around the plot that would invalidate major parts of it but in practice Shu's power set limits him to circumstances where the power to punch reality so hard it shatters like glass is actually needed. For a guy that can solve almost any problem with his fists, he would really prefer not to.

Shu is mostly utilised as a comic relief -- his overwhelming genius contrasting with how little seems to be going on between his big fluffy ears being played for laughs pretty much constantly -- but as the stakes are raised, Shu reveals himself to be the "reluctantly reliable" sort. He's a piece of shit bear, but heroic kindheartedness runs in the family, and you can really tell where Ray got a lot of his habitual do-gooder streak from.

Xunyu

Speaking of the best girls in the fucking series -- Xunyu is introduced in the first arc as a Superior from the faraway kingdom of Huang He and a real goddamn troll who in her first proper appearance is already picking a fight with Shu even though she's a specially invited guest of the Altean royal family in the Arena in Gideon. Despite her irreverence and mischievousness, Xunyu is quite calculating and farseeing -- a "ludo" player who enjoys Dendro on a primarily mechanical basis, and likes to antagonise her opponents just so she has an easier time pulling off her multi-step, preparation-heavy strategies on them more easily.

Her player character is also a giant fuckoff eight-foot jiangshi while her actual player is a nine-year old girl. She's one of the first "oh Kaidou is a gamer gamer" characters, because her behaviour and mind games while she's in dueling mode are so reminiscent of pro wrestling trash talk, it's super delightful.

Outside of combat, Xunyu is cheerfully mischievous, and loves teasing people, but despite her bluntness she is genuinely very sweet, being both a graceful loser as well as a committed friend. She ends up becoming one of the many mentors for Ray, as well as being good friends with a fair few significant characters -- including many tians, despite her being someone who mostly thinks of Dendro as a game. She's not overly precocious, but being one of the Masters who are less emotionally invested in the world she ends up having a real grounding presence. I love her so much.

Figaro

Kaidou loves doing a thing where a character is introduced in a very sinister way through the rumours being told about them, and then their actual appearance contrasting with that, as you realise that a lot of the gossip is the result of tians not knowing how to read player motivations. Figaro is one of the first examples of this -- we hear that he is the Over Gladiator and one of Altar's Big Three, and that he really left them in a lurch during the war that happened just before Ray started playing because he didn't want to fight beside anyone, making him come across as haughty and blood-crazed. When we finally meet him, he's solo-raiding one of the hardest dungeons in the kingdom.

The reality behind the legends is that Figaro is, in fact, just extremely awkward. He's very sick in real life, and turned to Dendro for some escapism, but it hasn't helped much with his awkwardness because he ended up extremely invested in the mechanics of the game, and loves nothing more than throwing himself at crazy hard challenges to the point where he spends most of his time either dueling people in the arena or raiding hard-ass dungeons solo. He is, despite the intimidating appearance and the occasional blood rage, very kind-hearted and soft-spoken, and his friendship with Shu is genuinely very sweet and humanising for both of them.

(He also gets one of my favourite romances in the genre ever.)

Tsukuyo Fuso

The last of Altar's Big Three, Tsukuyo Fuso fucking sucks<3 She's childish, greedy and manipulative, and the leader of an actual fucking cult called the Lunar Society both inside Dendro and out in the real world. In real life, Fuso is Ray's upperclassman at TokyoU, and while there are some shenanigans to be had there, her influence within Dendro is so large that she kind of stays on the outskirts of the plot, causing problems for everyone. She is awful in every way and I love her.

But don't let this give you the impression that Fuso is a villain, though -- she is also a Maiden's Master like Ray, mechanically identified as giving way too much of a shit, she does authentically want good for her people and everyone else (which, y'know, she thinks would be easier if they just joined Lunar Society! :D) and her machiavellianism... well, I can't say it's exactly reined in by her better angels, but she does also do a lot of good in her own deranged way. She's both an antagonist and an ally, and she's not above getting in the line of fire if it accomplishes a greater good. We love a good morally gray girlboss in this household.

Kaga Jubei

Jubei is much less significant than almost any other character on this list, but she gets to be here because she is the platonic ideal of a blood knight. She fully gives Figaro a run for his money, and I cannot tell you how much I love that that particular archetype of a blood-fevered warrior went to a female character. She is the principle antagonist of volume 17, hailing from the kingdom of Tenchi, and over the course of the volume she keeps challenging Ray and his team because she's his biggest fan, and fucking loves the idea of the two of them physically tearing each other to pieces, to be challenged and to defeat or be defeated by someone she considers an inspiration. She just really wants to have fun, and has a powerful competitive streak that is fed by the fact that inside Dendro, Masters are functionally immortal, allowing her to throw herself with violence at problems to force them into giving her what she wants with her bare hands.

Outside of a blood rage, Jubei actually has a quite mellow, calm personality, but while this gives her a bit of a calculating streak, as far as the physical fighters in the series goes, she's one of the more instinctive and unfettered ones. She's also extremely remorseless and willing to play dirty with people who won't give her a honest fight, and will only resort to using her words where she doesn't think her swords can get the message through on their own.

On top of me just really, really loving a violent fight baka character, and thinking that this series is good at writing fight baka characters (there's also B3 who just barely missed out on being on this list), I love that the most fight-baka of them all in the series so far is a girl, and I love that she gets to be almost a dark mirror of Ray. I can't wait her to show up more in the next big arc. Teenage girls should be allowed to cut things with their swords just because they want to, forever and ever.

Sechs Würfel

Last but very much not the least, Sechs is a major antagonist and Shu's main rival, and he makes me lose my goddamn mind. We hear repeatedly about both his criminal escapades and the legendary duel that finally sent the worst criminal in all seven kingdoms into the gaol, and then when he finally appears in the plot, Sechs turns out to be the platonic ideal of just some guy, to the point where near damn everyone makes the mistake of assuming his soft-spokenness and aversion to conflict make him harmless. Even his allies are a little bit disturbed by how comfortable and proficient at violence Sechs is, in contrast to his unassuming personality.

This is because Sechs' whole deal can be most easily explained as him being an extreme hardcore never-drop-character roleplayer who just happens to be playing a villain. His way of embracing the infinite possibility of Dendro is to take it upon himself to deliberately break every rule and do every bad thing enabled by the mechanics, a task which is greatly eased by his Embryo making him into a slime monster polymorph that renders him functionally immortal and gives him extensive shapeshifting powers. His system of ethics is effectively upside down as applied to himself, which creates the absolute funniest contrast with the way he remains polite and accommodating towards other people, and commands a surprising amount of both loyalty and admiration from the people of Illegal Frontier, his guild made up exclusively of criminal Masters.

As befitting of a shapeshifter and a guy living and dying by his own bit, Sechs' sense of identity is actually extremely fractured, which is the driving force between his rivalry with Shu. Sechs does, after all, spend the majority of the time defining himself through violating the rules made by other people, whereas Shu will do no less than what he wants to, ever. The way their IRL circumstances -- fate's favourite little guy and the Unfavourite of his whole bloodline -- contrast giving them common ground and the way the roles they choose to inhabit in Dendro clash makes for excellent drama. The Weird Friendship between Shu the player and Sechs the player in contrast to the bitter rivalry between the King of Destruction and the King of Crime is genuinely my favourite feature of the ongoing myth arc, and I can't wait to see where it goes in the future.

[xxxdragonfucker69xxx]

Hi! 10kDays has had a vice grip on my psyche for the last week or so, and I'm really excited to play the preview. However, I don't wanna make anyone else in my group GM this game just because I want to play it, so I'd like to try out the GMless mode of play, and so would they, but none of us have any experience with that style of game.

Is there any game you'd recommend we look at for a general picture of how you intend GMless play to work? I do own Ironsworn, which has a GMless mode, so if that jives with what you're intending that would be really convenient lmao.

Thanks for your time!

So there's a couple of thoughts i have here, starting with the shape of the game and the pieces of it that need different kinds and amounts of attention:

The game itself is kind of designed in three strands: courses, combat, and the Face game.

Courses are an adaptation of the Arc/quest mechanic from Jenna Moran's Glitch. I've found that they reduce the GM load hugely, for two reasons: you can roll up half an hour before game, ask "who wants to be in the spotlight, what does your quest say is happening in your life right now, and what needs to happen?", and drop something in. Connections and debts are also designed to give you improv prompts, and to a slightly lesser extent perspectives. The other benefit of Courses is that they move planning burden from "GM, night before game" to "player, whenever they want to think about their blorbo". So on a large-scale, "figure out what the campaign looks like" view, you can get away with improvising every session and just following your own character arcs. Likewise, the District moves and intentions are intended to give GMs an easy "i don't know what to do next" button, and the focuses of mask/gear/bell are intended to share around the responsibilities of worldbuilding. Ironsworn's oracles are another example of how to help outsource some of that decision-making, and it's the reason Appendix Yi is earmarked to be a million random tables. For more information on how oracles work, please google Jay Dragon's Sleepaway on your work computer (or at least read this Twitter thread from NightlingBug).

There are a couple story structures that are well suited to wuxia and this game. There's the Shaolin Soccer/shadowrunner/classic ttrpg setup where you are clearly a team, and there are enemy teams, and you are doing hijinks against them. But there's also a Jin Yong wuxia epic type thing where you have, let's say three or four PCs, and you're maybe nominally on the same side but you're clashing a lot and you're tied together by sworn and blood kinship and you keep running into each other. I think the most pared-down version of 10kdays you could run and still call it a full game is 3 players, characters living sort of far apart so they rarely run into each other, and interactions are 2 of the PCs clashing at a time while the 3rd player picks up any NPCs, throws in some District moves, etc. You could do a 2-player game but the kinds of interactions you could have would be severely limited, I think. The Face game of politicking and building support structures is kind of just... you two, face to face.

Now the problem on everyone's mind is fighting. It's attention-intensive, everyone's interested in it, and depending on your setup there can be loads of combatants that a GM would normally be expected to pilot. Again, there are a couple of scaffolds for trying to do this GMless. The sample Techniques in Appendix Jia come with combat tactics to make use of them, so any player can pick up an NPC combatant and figure out what they're going to do. Fight choreographing like this runs the pitfall of it feeling sort of bad to hurt your friends effectively, at least for some tables, but there is the incentive of hitting your friend's Bite highlight when you grab the corpo thug and bite them in the ass.

It is one of my mid-to-low priorities to create like algorithm type protocols for enemy fighters to run themselves, though that's still in the pipe dream phase. One thing I'm looking at here is Katabasis by Rathayibacter, which has a super cool system for easily lining up combatant actions, enemy or not). Maybe I'll end up with literal combat loop Turing machines or something.

There's one more option here which is to lean the other way -- to foreground the GM themselves being a player. I'm talking Ryuutama dragons, I'm talking Fellowship Overlords. Obviously I one hundred percent have not added this yet, and I'm not even set that I will, but it's definitely a tool I'm thinking of to help manage the wuxia/cyberpunk/other bullshit genre merger. If you went this way, it would look like picking a district -- secret note, each district is built to amplify a genre. Gongshan is made to focus on wuxia/the bell, Jiaotou is made to focus on cyber/the gear, Youzhou is made to focus on punk/the mask, Jingcai Xin is made to focus on court and courtroom politics, and Yuanhai is made to play Nezha Reborn. Pick a district that corresponds to the genre the GM is playing as, turn those Moves into Heroic/Humbling Moves and the landmarks/NPCs into Treasures and Connections, turn the Intentions into Skills. Now you can combine this with what I first talked about, sharing out cognitive load, and focus on playing as a district/genre. Is that meaningfully different from being a GM, who let's recall still counts as a player at the table? I'm a sicko who loves being a GM so I'm unqualified to comment, but try out any combination of these options and see how they take you.

[feyspeaker]

Hey, Fey!!

I hope you're taking care of yourself with the holidays coming up 🧡🖤

We obviously see a lot of your art and love for BG3, but I was wondering if you have any Tavs/Durges that you love? (As in your own characters!)

Or who is your favorite NPC/NPC interaction outside of the companions? 🥰

Lots of love from Ellie!

Hi there!! Thank you, doing alright!! You too!! I have 1 Tav, named Iiyola! She's in the portrait I painted for my icon. A draconic sorcerer with a few points in rogue. She's shown up in a few of my pieces, and I have like 100k words into a fanfic I may never post about her being childhood friends with Astarion. Halsin is her uncle- she's half Drow half Wood Elf which is a source of great inner turmoil for her spiritually. I'm a huge Frogotten Realms elf nerd so my fanfic about her only has Astarion, Halsin, Minthara, and Shadowheart from the game, and it's exploring each of their relationships with their culture and navigating life as elves who have very different opinions on what that means. And, Iiyola kind of bridging that gap in the party as she really belongs nowhere, not Drow enough for their society, but also too "tainted" to belong in Seldarine elf society. (I personally think that the new D&D lore kind of scoured the intrigue from elf politics so I am writing with more of a Neverwinter Nights/BG1&2 approach.) She's a Vhaeraun worshiper, as her father was a high up cleric within their order, it's a whole thing and I'm rambling now! Her faith is tested when she learns that Halsin is her uncle (to his surprise as well) and she learns some ugly things about her father that really flip her world more upside-down than it already is! I only make 1 PC for RPGs and that's it (99% of the time), so I've remade Iiyola for my Durge run. I never play evil in RPGs so I'll be doing a resist run for sure. As far as outside NPCs, I'm not really sure, I do like Gortash a lot. I do think that, unfortunately, both he and Orin seem to have been shafted a bit in the plot pacing. I was so excited to get to see Baldur's Gate again and I was kind of bummed out the upper city was kind of a letdown. I wish I could say Viconia but I really dislike that canon had to be forced on us, because I LOVED Viconia in 1&2 and the canon one just isn't my Viconia. Also wish they'd brought her original VA back and given her her goddamn beauty mark!!!!!!!!!

Kind of a ranty tangent but I also think it's a shame we didn't get to see as many noble houses- I would have liked to have seen Cazador's place actually be a manor, visit Gortash's estate, etc. I loved breaking into noble's houses in the first game. :( I think it's a dreadful missed opportunity that we did not get some kind of super important ball/masquerade/social event a la DA: Inquisition where we get to dance with our LI and do some intrigue that inevitably ends in crazy bloodshed and a battle with limited gear... Oh I am rambling again.

Overall I think the NPCs are all pretty compelling, probably my favorite little nest of NPCs was the Myconid 'village'.

thank you for asking and sorry for rambling!!!

[miloscat]

[Review] Sonic Adventure (PC)

A highly successful revamp.

Before getting to Frontiers and Shadow Generations, I decided I should go back and finally complete my Sonic homework by checking out the Dreamcast era properly for the first time. Adventure was a big revamp for the series after several false starts. Sonic Team struggled to bring Sonic to 3D, but in the end as a Dreamcast launch window title Adventure made a splash and is still remembered fondly. But what did I think of it as a certified Boost enjoyer?

I have played a bit of Adventure before during a stream. Loaded up with mods I sampled parts here and there, and played Gamma's story. This time I wanted the full unmodded experience. That's not to say it's the original experience, mind you: the version available for sale on Steam is regarded as a shoddy port of a shoddy port, as it's based on the Gamecube "DX Director's Cut" version, which changes a lot of textures, lighting, and graphical effects. Many fans consider these changes for the worse (some alterations even messed up intended gameplay or lore), and there's mods to revert the look of the game to the cleaner Dreamcast appearance. I didn't think it was a huge deal while playing but looking through comparisons afterwards, I reckon the reversion mods truly are the best way to play.

Regardless, Sonic Adventure is impressively ambitious. I now understand what games like 06 and Unleashed were striving for and missing the mark! Yes it's janky and the camera sucks but the characters generally control well and the level design suits their playstyles. The cutscenes and voice acting are awkward and stilted but there's a cinematic pretension that comes through anyway. Most importantly the game passes the vibe check with flying colours, this thing has heart!

The story plays out over a series of six (plus one) campaigns told from different characters' perspectives. There's a nonlinear storytelling thing going on and you (the player) piece together the full events by playing each one, even if the characters themselves never really get together to work things out. It all revolves around the watery monster Chaos and the lost history of the echidna people, although Robotnik/Eggman's scheming is the primary motivator. My favourite parts were the surprisingly touching story of Gamma, and Amy's role which is maybe her strongest appearance in... any Sonic game ever? After her campaign in this game I'm even more baffled how the writers could have gone so wrong with her for so many years.

Between stages the adventure hubs serve as a little breather, and flesh out the world without being overwhelming. Mystic Ruins is the standout here being large and fun to get around, taking great influence from the dev team's research trip to South America (they even took reference photos that were converted to textures in the game!), while Station Square feels like a good approximation of a lively city street within Dreamcast limitations. Talking to NPCs gives you little snippets of flavour that advance as you progress the plot... I just wish they'd actually used the face buttons they had instead of binding interact on the same button as "attack", which makes things awkward. By the way, Sonic has a spin dash in this game although you rarely need it.

Sonic's speed feels well balanced with the environments; it's a wonder what decent level design can do. His story is the longest, while the others remix the existing levels to various degrees. Tails gloriously breaks the level design by flying, and his stages play out as races against another character to get to the goal. Knuckles is more of a collectathon in enclosed arenas; I really liked the pace of his gameplay combined with his climbing and gliding powers. Amy sadly feels clumsy to control but her levels have an interesting idea in trying to escape an invincible and implacable robot. Big the Cat debuts here with a goofy storyline and a fishing minigame that I didn't find that fun but is mostly optional.

Gamma rounds out the cast as a defecting badnik with a lock-on gun, and of course Super Sonic finishes things with an epic setpiece fight which is thankfully quite breezy (later Sonic games make this kind of fight overly difficult or complex, to their detriment). Occasionally a subgame like car racing or snowboarding will break up the action, but they're pretty shallow. The casino level has you playing janky pinball to earn rings, one with a slot machine theme [cringe] while the other is a pleasing love letter to Sonic Team's previous game Nights. The Panzer Dragoon-like rail shooter segments have incredibly twitchy controls for some reason which rather ruins them, but like most things they're not too difficult; with this game I never found myself in a spiral of dying and having to repeat sections (a notable exception to this is the awful final boss of Sonic's story, a long and boring fight with janky difficulty spikes). Again it's odd that the balance is well considered here when it is so out of whack in some later entries.

The game feels very free and open, and you're able to easily revisit prior levels just by going there from the hub. Sometimes it's unclear exactly what to do next but talking to wandering folks (we're in a world of humans for the first time, but they're cartoony enough that they feel natural) or the helpful glowing orb (it's in fact Tikal, please bring back Tikal) will usually get you back on track. It really feels like an adventure, which was a totally new approach for Sonic at this time.

There's a lot more to the package than the story modes too. They tacked on Missions and Trials to extend the playtime if you want more, but I didn't feel I needed to. You can do extra objectives for emblems or find them in the hub, and there's even optional equipment that enhances your abilities to reward exploring. Between levels you can also visit the Chao garden, a popular feature that expands on Nights's A-Life system by letting you raise cute critters and race them or something? As with Nights, it's completely optional... I found it too fiddly and unrewarding so I just ignored it! To its credit the game never forced me to engage with it.

I already praised the vibes and recommended the Dreamcast graphic mods, but aesthetically the game does look very good. Well, apart from the character animation in cutscenes which is quite wonky. The soundtrack is pleasant and spans various genres; special mention must also be made of the vocal themes. Every character gets their own, from Sonic's buttrock to a goofy duet for Big and Froggy. My favourites were Tails' upbeat poppy number and Knuckles' famous rap, but all of them are fun especially when you hone in on the lyrics which describe the character and what they're about. It's silly but so charming.

I was honestly dreading going back to these older 3D games after the rollercoaster ride I've been on, but Adventure was a pleasant surprise. It's true I've used the word "jank" several times in this review and it can't be denied, this game is a bit messy at times. But compared to some other Sonic games I've played it's a stone cold masterpiece! Either way, I do get why it's beloved, it's a soulful game, a deserved killer app for the Dreamcast (RIP), and a worthy 3D debut that successfully revamped the franchise and set the tone for the next decades.

[a-lonely-dunedain]

Ethedis for the LOTRO ask game?

(for this ask game where you send in one of my OCs, and I give you a synopsis of what it would look like if they were the main NPC in a tutorial quest)

o hmm, I think there's a way I could be a little mean about this heheh

so I think that I mentioned at some point that before the elf intro, Ethedis had actually befriended Amdir. I haven't fleshed out all that much of it up until now, but I'm thinking this could be a short adventure with Ethedis and Amdir where you could see them being besties (before The Horrors)

this will probably just have to be one instance, as it would flow best into the Elf or Human starting zones and we don't need to stack two entire intro questlines on top of each other lol

(under the cut bc How Did This Get So Long??)

I think it actually starts in Rivendell, with the Player Character (probably an elf/human only intro) preparing to leave on the expedition to Ered Luin, at which point you are introduced to Elrond's excited young apprentice Ethedis, and the Ranger Amdir who is going to tag along for part of the trip but plans to part ways in Bree.

Fast travel to somewhere in the wilderness of the Trollshaws, you Ethedis and Amdir are a little ways ahead of the group to make sure the road is clear. Surprise! wood-trolls! combat tutorial! After the fight Ethedis will remark that it was the first time she's actually had to put her combat training to the test against a real foe, which surprises Amdir, who says that he wouldn't have guessed it was her first real fight. One of them might ask the player character about their combat experience, which would allow you to pick from a few different responses (always a fun roleplay option and tbh I wish they would use it in more quests). I think if the PC says they're also inexperienced Amdir will mention that he's very glad you're both catching on quickly and didn't get hurt (bc he would not have fun explaining how he let two newbies get injured on his watch, and would feel very bad. classic protective Ranger moment)

Fast travel again to somewhere in the Lone Lands, you all are camped near Weathertop. Ethedis is talking about the history of the area (it sounds like she's been talking about this for a while now), and overall seems very excited to be here and see this historical site in person. Amdir smiles and says he's glad that she's interested in Dunedain history, as it brings him comfort to know that others still wish to keep his people's history alive. Your character might be prompted to give an opinion on Ethedis' loredump, either saying they found it boring (which Ethedis will simply laugh off and say that's probably why she's not a minstrel, but Amdir will just glare at you) or say it was interesting (which will prompt both her and Amdir to loredump even more)

Once you make it to Breeland, somewhere in South Chetwood, Amdir says that he must part ways here. Ethedis says she's sad to see him go but hopes to meet him again once the expedition to Ered Luin is done, and Amdir will tell her that he looks forward to it if such a meeting can be arranged, but tells you both to be careful in your travels (vaguely alluding to a growing danger in Breeland.

Then you can have two different outcomes depending on your race:

If you're a human, you part ways with the Ered Luin expedition at the same time as Amdir. He will bid you farewell and safe travels, and says that he has urgent business to attend to before disappearing into the woods without further explanation (as Rangers are wont to do). Your quest objective tells you to head to Bree-Town, but after you've been heading in that direction for a while you run into a large group of Brigands and get knocked on the head. Wake up in the Blackwold jail, human intro progresses mostly as normal from that point onward (but without the combat tutorial) although Amdir's quest dialogue would be different. If we want to get really mean, maybe one of the last things he says to you as himself is something along the lines of "I fear... I will not make it to see our friend again... tell... tell her that I tried"

If you're an elf, shortly after Amdir departs Ethedis will offer to explain to you the history of Edhelion as it was told to her by her mother before she left for the Havens. Then you get the old elf intro instance but cut down a bit and framed as a flashback, there will also be an elf woman there with a vaguely familiar face holding a baby in her arms (it's never explicitly stated, but that's Ethedis' mom and baby Ethedis), she will be there when Ethedis' dad Talagan brings down the library and she collapse to her knees in a sobbing heap when it happens. No one draws attention to her but she's still There. Anyway after that you arrive in Ered Luin, quests progress as normal but Ethedis is along for the ride. Like when you go to talk to the survivors of Edhelion, Ethedis will be in the ruins with some quest comments ("Even after all this time, I can sense the sorrow in this place..." "The land remembers it like it was yesterday, and I understand now why we still leave it abandoned" and "I think this may have been my parent's house. And to think, we all could have lived here together..."), she's also going to have Opinions about the Dourhand's borderline-worship of Skorgrim lol

After everything in Thorin's Hall is over with, she will disappear for a little bit but rejoin the story during the united elf/dwarf assault on Rath Tarag. When she hears that you're planning to go to Bree next, she will ask you to try to find Amdir and see how he's doing (surely you'll only have good news! surely!)

Later on you might run into Ethedis in Rivendell, and she'll have a short quest for you, talking about missing your fallen friend but finding comfort in your shared memories of him (very similar in tone to Gorwen's quest in Thornhad after finishing Before the Shadow) Amdir was the first mortal friend she knew, and she didn't realize how much this loss would sting. Overall it's a bittersweet reunion.

(man I really saw Ethedis and was like "the elf into didn't give her enough trauma. she's connected to the human one too!" someone please make me Give Her A Break)

[danieyells]

. . .I could've sworn I did Ritsu's already. Apparently not. Yuri's one of my favorites and he's the one I chose in the beginning so I'm saving his for when I'm a little better rested(I have Monday off because of another doctor's appointment, so that's the lastest i'll post it)

RITSU IS SO. . .I LOVE HIM. I'll rag on him a lot because he's so tunnel visioned and just like. . .repressed. And he needs to touch grass(figuratively) but also. . .when you've been set from childhood to work and care only for your work and only know your work. . .it's understandable that he is the way he is. . . .

The way he changes as his affinity goes up is very repressed too. . .but you can still see the change at the end a little. He's a very stagnant character. . .but still interesting to look into the mannerisms of.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Any self-respecting inspector would stay comfortably ahead of schedule—I suggest you get into the habit. Let's go—there's no time to waste."

dude this is the 'you've logged in for the first time today' dialogue why are you assuming that i must be late! rude.

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"Did you check that notification yet? We could have a request from a client, so please do so right away."

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"I have been assigned to Sinostra, so I will not allow them to stand trial, no matter how villainous their actions. That is the Shinjo family policy."

"I shall ensure the Gala is held this year, and that Sinostra will wear the Laurel Crown. I have never made a promise I couldn't keep."

boy i can't wait for that to fall through--he, respectfully, needs the humbling.

"I've read the Compendium of Laws countless times since I was a child. Memorizing its contents is a rite of passage for the eldest son of the Shinjo family."

and somehow it ended up an artifact he can use as a weapon? I really wanna know what it does tbh.

"What business do you have with me? Please keep in mind that I charge 5500 yen per half hour for consultations, tax inclusive."

(roughly $35USD, although it's faster to just think of it as $55--) WE ARE BUSINESS PARTNERS. WHAT ARE YOU CHARGING A MFER FOR.

"As long as I have a notebook, my business cards, a binder, paper, and my voice recorder, I can handle the initial stages of any case."

i need my binder every day too ritsu.

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"{PC}. Are you aware of the responsibility your position as inspector entails? I suggest you tidy your appearance and wipe that vacant look from your face."

they do not need to be aesthetically in order to be inspector. as long as they're paying attention it may even be better to look vacant. lure them into a false sense of security. also it's easier to pay attention if you're comfortable, in my experience. . . .

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You've lost your notebook? Just a moment. ...At 9:04 AM, it was inside the photocopier. Yes, I do have that information recorded."

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Have you seen Taiga Hoshibami? Strange... According to my behavioral model, he should be in the casino at this time..."

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"At the end of each day, I compile information about every person I encountered in my notebook. It always proves useful eventually."

yandere adjacent behavior, except it's for everyone and not just one person lolol

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"The vice-captain has asked me to organize some documents. Let's start by making copies of everything in case the originals become lost or damaged."

Romeo has a line that references this as well!

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I always have my business cards on hand. It should go without saying—any lawyer who fails to gain their client's trust during the first meeting is not worth their salt."

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"A post-meal coffee must be drunk black. Unnecessary additives only interfere with the natural flavor."

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Until the age of three, I spent my days visiting the greatest sights the world has to offer with my mother, as from four my studies would prevent me from doing so."

is that child abuse? i think that's child abuse. you learn the source of ritsu's problems very early on in his affinity--he has had zero normal social interaction opportunities and no childhood. From birth until he stopped being a toddler he was just flying around the world looking at beautiful things, no stability in his location or world aside from the presence of his mother, and then he went home and probably basically got locked away to study law the moment he could sort of read. His whole existence was molding him to work. . .Subaru is similar, even down to what age they were forced to start preparing to work at. But Subaru is at least better adjusted, probably because acting awarded him better opportunities to try and think about how other people think.

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"According to my behavioral model, there is a 29% chance that Taiga Hoshibami is currently at the baccarat table."

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I review the day's coursework for two hours then prepare for the next day's classes for three— no more, and no less. Six more minutes of silence, please."

WHERE DO THE RECORDINGS COME IN TO THIS. This mans somehow has 40 hour days. Maybe his artifact slows down time or something lol

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"Good morning, {PC}. We have a meeting at 3 PM today, so please adjust your plans accordingly."

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Darkwick Rulebook Article 183: "For the protection of anomalies, unnecessary running indoors is prohibited." This rule has been in place for over one hundred years."

wait how old is this school? how old is the Institute???

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"All right. We need to organize our notes from today's investigation, so let's relocate to the diner. Our usual booth, of course."

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"The content of our classes may be novel, but I topped the year in the scholastic ability test—they are nothing I can't handle."

so among the first years' scholastic ability tests, Ritsu was 1st, Leo was 2nd, Sho was 5th. Considering there are only four new first year ghouls then that must include the general students too. I wonder where Ren placed? Probably not very high. But still, Ritsu is a genius. . .or at least very very good at memorizing information. Lots of book smarts, minimal other smarts.

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"As your business partner, I request that you improve your conduct. Please refrain from consenting to any further uncompensated labor."

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Our Anomalous Law classes are truly fascinating. There is a long history well worth learning about— though of course, I have already mastered the basics."

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I cannot afford to be complacent, even before bedtime. It's vital that I check the day's notes again to ensure nothing has been missed."

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I set time aside in the evening to watch opera performances online. It allows me to get my thoughts in order, and provides a change of pace."

when??? what time??? because he has to review all of the audio recordings and notes from the whole day--what time does he have to do anything in???

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I just finished checking my recordings from today. You sighed a total of four times— is something troubling you?"

i love the vibe of this. rather than silently nothing your sighing and potential exhaustion or scolding you for not caring for yourself, he expresses concern towards you. also, it's so soft yandere. like he already records everything you say and do, to confront you over it on top of that he shamelessly defends his recording and notetaking. . .if not for that he recorded everyone it would really be so yandere lolol. instead it's just his odd and overbearing way of showing he's beginning to care.

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"You struggle to get up in the morning? I can contact you each day at a set time if you like, but I'll have to think about how much to charge..."

affinity 20 and my guy still wants to charge for his time. . .we're gonna have to teach him to have A Singular Normal Social Connection aren't we. and we're probably gonna fail.

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You wish to have lunch with me? All right. We are business partners, so I will accompany you free of charge."

wait maybe i spoke too soon.

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"This is for you, {PC}— it's the takeout coffee I often purchase. Your performance will decline if your mind isn't sharp."

his increased attachment is shown in the bare minimum of understanding normal human social interaction and caring for you by sharing his things and his time without charge. In trying to make you the best you(from his perspective) that you can be. Because that's what his parents did for him--so surely that's the best expression of love he has, aside from obsessive study and understanding.

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I feel we made solid progress toward the reinstatement of the Gala today. Let's reconvene again tomorrow and continue working together to realize our goal."

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Could I ask you to accompany me a little longer, {PC}? I realize it's outside of business hours, but...I would appreciate it if you could make a special exception."

He wants to spend time with you. And he's realizing he can just ask that. But he's so entrenched in legal and business mannerisms he doesn't know how to say "i want to be around you for longer". You're his business partner. It's bad form to request your attention outside of work, it has no value towards your goals and business efforts, but. . .that he's making a sort of formal appeal for your attention outside of work is as far as he can get in terms of expressing his affection right now.

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"It seems we make better business partners than I would have expected. I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with you."

kind of comical that his max affinity line is still so formal after a more friendly 'please spend time with me late at night' 24th. . .but also, he wants you to be his business partner for longer. i think that counts towards something! It's a reason to stay with you! Maybe over the course of your business partnership he'll learn how to express deeper feelings. . .he's going to need an heir, after all--

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"There has been a noticeable increase in reports of suspicious activity of late. More incidents means more business. Be prepared."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"You have a petal in your hair. A little more to the right. No, not there. Just let me remove it. Hold still."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Indeed, the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Incidentally, Japan's oldest cherry blossom tree can be found in Yamanashi Prefecture and is estimated to be 2000 years old."

ritsu would probably kill at historical trivia night.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I had tempura at the cafeteria today. It didn't come close to the tempura I would eat with my father at the historic soba restaurant we used to frequent though."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"This one is for my face, and this is for my body. I have six handkerchiefs with me— enough for morning, noon, and night. I cannot let my opponents see me sweat."

why's this giving me ace attorney prosecutor energy. . . . .

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I witnessed a half-naked man running around in this vicinity. Did you see him? He is risking a charge of indecent exposure."

but we saw Kaito in his underwear and you said that meant he wasn't at risk of indecent exposure. . . . . . . .

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"The warmer it gets, the more of a racket people make. Honestly, how were these people raised?"

to relax and have fun during the summer break. . .you should give it a try.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"You want to go and watch the fireworks? A rather childish request, but all right. So? Where would one go to view them?"

FIREWORKS DATE FIREWORKS DATE just don't touch him without getting his consent first that could be counted as sexual harassment and he'll Get Your Ass.

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"The weather is much more pleasant for going out on professional errands now. A first-rate lawyer keeps their boots on the ground. Now then, let's get going."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I object to the cultural assumption that fall is the season of the arts. The arts should be enjoyed throughout the year, regardless of the season."

you and yuri would get along well i think. until you realize the guy is a medical malpractice suit waiting to happen. then you'd criticize him and he would take that so poorly.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Once I've perused the relevant documents in the library, I plan on doing some reading. Please excuse me."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"The nights may grow longer in the fall, but daylight hours should not affect the time you rise and retire. I'll see you tomorrow."

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"I have detected a change in how Taiga Hoshibami divides his time since the weather has taken a cold turn. It has created quite a quandary for me..."

yeah he doesn't like getting out of bed when it's cold. he also eats a lot more, like a bear about to hibernate. shockingly behavior patterns tend to change with the seasons.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I've never experienced snowfall heavy enough to obstruct my movement, but I'd like to deepen my knowledge of the phenomenon for future reference."

to frostheim then! i'm sure that place is just awful for movement in winter.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm heading to the diner to fulfill a request from Ren Shiranami. Perhaps I shall enjoy a warm bowl of soup while I'm there."

. . .I wonder if this is an Obey Me!Raphael situation where he has no grasp of that the food is not good. . . .

(between 8pm and 5am)

"People say that hard work is the key to success, but it only took me a year to master German—as was the case with Italian and French."

His birthday: (January 13th)

"Indeed, today is my birthday. I've always celebrated this day by enjoying my mother's cooking, but from this year I am striving for a more self-reliant existence."

MAMA'S BOY MAMA'S BOY tbf up until he was 3 his mother was probably his only social connection and then he was locked away studying so. . .his mom is probably the only one he has like. . .personal feelings and attachment for. you'll be a tradwife too :) but also that he's trying to be more self-reliant at darkwick. . .that really does explain that he's like. not used to any sort of social interaction or doing things he hasn't been told to do by his parents. maybe in his time at darkwick he'll realize how good it feels to just. . .be a person. dedicate time to fun and relaxation. realize that work isn't everything. or maybe he'll be so judgemental towards the lifestyles of others he'll retreat even further into his current habits.

Your birthday:

"Happy birthday. A year older, a year wiser. I have high hopes for your performance in the coming year."

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. Let's devote these next 365 days—or 8760 hours—to finding fitting solutions to the challenges that come our way."

what if it's a leap year. can we take the extra day off?

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Thank you for the chocolates. Are you gifting them to me out of social obligation, or is this an expression of affection? Your answer will influence what you receive in return."

(for the uninitiated, that is very much a thing in Japan where on valentine's day a girl give some men in her life--like coworkers--obligation chocolates, which are generally not as nice and most likely store bought, although this practice is losing ground. friends get friendship chocolate and you give people you're actually attracted to or in a relationship more extravagant, expensive, or homemade chocolates to express your true feelings or a desire to be in a relationship with them. Ritsu is essentially asking 'is this because we're coworkers or are you asking me out' because White Day is the day for return gifts in response to given valentine's day gifts, and in the case of chocolates given to someone you wanna go out with they can act as a response to that proposal. presumably if you're asking him out he wants to give you chocolate to agree to get with you, since he's bothering to ask. . . .

White Day: (March 14th)

"White Day has its roots in Japan, having been invented by a certain historic confectionery shop. With that knowledge, please accept this."

'here's some trivia. and some chocolates. we are now in a relationship. should this be as fruitful as our business partnership, we can discuss marriage plans within the year.'

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"The spreading of false rumors is subject to strict punishment under Article 233 of the Penal Code. Do you still intend to continue this ruse?"

NO FUN ALLOWED.

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Coercing another party to choose between a "trick" or a "treat" could amount to intimidation. Engage in such festivities at your own risk."

NO FUN ALLOWED PART TWO: ILLEGAL BOOGALOO.

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Religious freedom is guaranteed by Article 20 of the Constitution. If this is a day that you wish to celebrate, then I will accept that."

he can't make you work on religious holidays you need off!!

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"Five seconds have elapsed. Yes, that is how long you've kept me waiting."

(13 affinity and above)

"How long do you intend to keep me waiting? As always, I am on a tight schedule today. Please hurry up."

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"I've been expecting you, {PC}. You weren't planning on breaking your promise to me, were you?"

SUCH A HARD-WORKING, SOCIALLY INEPT LAD. But Ritsu's a lot of fun, I give him a lot of shit and i desperately need him to touch some grass and get a reality check and learn about how others live and maybe experiment. . .but like i love him for being such a little shit. he's so. . .ignorant to the rest of the world and how other people are. . .i love seeing him try and dissect other people's behavior and intentions and coming to the conclusion that they must want the same things as him because he just. . .has no grasp of interests and intentions that aren't his own. . . . It makes me facepalm but also makes me laugh 8'D good boy. quality boy.

[inksandpensblog]

I'm gonna make it it's own post so I don't keep scrambling Tulip's notifications. This analysis is inspired by Tulip's speculation here.

How might the series portray Chosen, if they put him in an antagonistic role the next time he appears in-series? Here are my thoughts:

I've always been firm in my deduction that Chosen doesn't want to hurt other stickfigures, or to see other stickfigures be hurt by Dark.

He has no qualms about frikin murdering AIM and doing who-knows-what to all the other icons.

But then he spares Dark for seemingly no reason.

While the two of them are rampaging, Chosen has no qualms about causing destruction on user-dominated sites, or about enacting violence against the possibly-sentient NPCs and PCs in videogames.

It's only when their rampage takes them to Stickpage, and other stickfigures come under their fire, that he begins to falter.

(And then he keeps faltering on Newgrounds, which isn't full of stickfigures, so I took that to mean he just sees web-animations differently from, like, animated videodame sprites for some reason.)

And my biggest piece of evidence for this has always been: judging by ...

the map hanging on his wall

the fact that he launched the first virabot at the IP-sky

the fact that he sent his virabot swarm directly into web-portals open to user-dominated sites

the fact that never, not once, did we see Dark directing any of the virabots towards stick-cities

Dark had never planned on targeting stickfigures with the virabots.

And yet, when Chosen freaks out about it, he only imagines Dark targeting stickfigures with the virabots.

Now, the implications of this communication failure between Chosen and Dark are a whole 'nother essay in and of themselves, but all it means for now is that Chosen doesn't like it when stickfigures are hurt, and he doesn't want to be the one hurting them.

Chosen's one exception to this code-of-conduct, so far, seems to be Dark himself, from the present-day scene in The Flashback and onwards into The Showdown (and, if Dark survived The Second Coming's attack, presumably onwards into the next AvA main series episode). Because, in Chosen's eyes, Dark became a danger to stickfigures.

Chosen caused a lot of collateral damage on alanspc, in his attempts to exterminate the virus. It's possible that this was because the computer belonged to his former abuser, so he felt no need to make any efforts to preserve anything. But it's also possible that Chosen was simply of the mind that what gets destroyed doesn't matter, as long as the source of danger to other stickfigures is eliminated. (The episode's animation barely gives any attention to the color gang, during Chosen's battle, but you'll notice that until the virabot cobbles together an Adobe Animate mec for itself, Chosen did a pretty good job of keeping the virabot on the left side of the desktop, away from where the color gang were stuck. And then once the mec collapses, he keeps it up above them, within the top half of the desktop, once again far away from the color gang, who are unstuck by that point and could theoretically run across the taskbar.)

Dark's status as (in Chosen's mind) a danger to other stickfigures might've just overtaken his status as a stickfigure himself, as well as his status as Chosen's companion.

I'm not saying that Chosen was wrong for this. But I am saying that this proves his morals aren't as cut-and-dry as "don't hurt stickfigures" and "don't let stickfigures get hurt." Because, as AvA5 proves, it's possible for those two rules to conflict with each other.

And now, we come to the rocket org. We don't have an actual name for the enigmatic entities (or possibly singular entity) behind that mysterious rocket logo on the television set and the wanted poster, yet. So I'll be calling them "rocket org." for now.

Due to both of its appearances so far having been within a stick-city, I think it's fair to guess that rocket org. was started by, and is run by, stickfigures.

My theory about web-space exploration notwithstanding, as of now we don't know why rocket org. has connections to the user-dominated site YouTube, or why they are offering rewards for reported sightings of Chosen.

The simplest theory is that rocket org. wants to hunt Chosen down, either to kill him or detain him.

Again, there could be any number of reasons why rocket org. wants to do this. It could be because Chosen hails from beyond the IP-sky barrier. It could be because they saw The Showdown on YouTube; and with Dark seemingly dead, and Orange having returned to the computer, Chosen is a loose end for them to do something about. It could be because rocket org. has stickfigures from Stickpage among its ranks, and they either want revenge or want to contain someone they see as a threat.

But why rocket org. wants Chosen isn't the point of this essay. The point is...how might Chosen respond, to being hunted down by stickfigures, potentially under threat of capture or death?

Chosen doesn't want to hurt stickfigures. But I highly doubt he would concede to being imprisoned once more, no matter who is doing the imprisoning. And something tells me that Chosen wouldn't see himself as a danger to other stickfigures.

And he's already proven that he will make exceptions to his rules.

And it's already been hinted that collateral damage is irrelevant to him, as long as the danger opposing him is handled.

Fear of captivity is not an evil motive. Freedom is not an evil goal.

But what might Chosen be willing to do, to stay out of enemy hands?

I think that, as a character, Chosen has the potential to be a very compelling take on a sympathetic antagonist. And not because of his backstory, but because of how his own choices have shaped him.

[raidpirate52]

My Biggest Hopes for the Backyard Sports Resurrection

It goes back to its original PC formula.

Playground Productions did a good job in capturing the old nostalgia of the look. Now I hope it plays as simply as it once did. Just a click of the mouse was all it needed for the old games to be still beloved to this day. No need to overcomplicate with multiple buttons on the keyboard or gamepad.

2. Customization.

Whether it's custom players or custom teams. There's strong evidence all 30 original Backyard kids will be returning, so there's one thing the original Backyard Baseball (or any of the soccer games) didn't have and that was create a player. I hope that makes a return, and maybe even be allowed to create a team worth of custom players.

3. The NPCs return.

You know, like Felix Grant, Debby Nagasawa, Betty Houston, Jay Green, Chico Papas, etc. I know they aren't as well known to the casual Backyard Sports fan, but to a lot of us, especially those who played around with mods and online community know them well. Surely if there's a season mode, they'd have to right? Here's to hoping, they're the same old NPCs we learned to love or hate. XD

4. Room for the Atari era cast?

Okay. Okay, I know the 2007-2015 era of Backyard Sports is frowned upon in the fandom, but you know one thing I didn't dislike? Some of the unique cast. Ace Patterson, Samantha Pearce, Arthur Chen, and yes, even Joey Macadoo. Jury can be out on Jimmy Knuckles, but I'm keeping Ace. lol.

5. Return All Original Commentators...and...Playable?

Okay, so Vinnie was seen to the delight of the fandom sitting next to Sunny Day. So, let's hope this is a subtle confirmation that the other commentators will return to such as Earl Grey (Soccer), Chuck Downfield (Football), Barry DeJay (Basketball) and Buddy Cheque (Hockey). Okay, some of the commentators have been playable in the past (Buddy Cheque in Backyard Hockey 2005 for example) so, how about adding them to playable cast again...maybe even Sunny could be playable?

6. Have its own unique spin.

While I don't want the reboot to completely stray away from the franchise, I do want it to find something to add its own uniqueness to it. I don't really know what that is though. Maybe they have their own unique fields. Maybe some unique team names. I don't know, but I don't want it to be completely the same game we already have and what the fanbase is already playing thanks to ScummVM.

7. All Original Teams Return

So obviously the Melonheads are too iconic and will be returning and the Wombats logo was seen on the treehouse on the website, so could this mean all of them are coming back? Hornets? Rockets? Fishes? All-Stars? I hope so! Would also be cool to have own unique teams too. Or maybe past teams we couldn't play like the Mammoths, the Duckies, the Bananas? That'd be cool.

8. Online Play

It's 2024. The Backyard Sports fandom definitely had caught attention from the developers seeing they've seen posts from the competitive community. Let's keep it a strong community by bringing the competition to the upcoming franchise.

9. Championship Celebrations

Some games were better than others, but after going through season play I think a satisfying championship celebration would be great. Like an animation video with your selected teammates, maybe have some unique interactions if you teamed certain characters with each other, just something more than just an ordinary newspaper saying you're the champ. lol.

[jacensolodjo]

Jacen Recs Fallout 4 PC Mods

Found on either Nexus Mods or Bethesda's Mod Page. Many mods can be found on both sites but I'm only linking to the place I got mine from. One important caveat, kiddies: some mods require you to have Nuka World and Far Harbor installed at the very least.

Locations

(All should be relatively compatible with each other. May need to download compatibility patches.)

The Beantown Interiors Project Adds numerous locations throughout the Commonwealth where you previously could not enter. Also adds places in Nuka World and Far Harbor.

South of the Sea and Its Optimization+Compatibility Mod Adds a bunch more locations and such to a relatively empty area of the map. The description says 65+ locations of varying sizes so a relatively large mod

Lexington Interiors What it says on the tin, more locations in Lexington (approximately 28)

Crowded Commonwealth Adds ~11 new locations to the game

Inside Jobs Adds locations throughout the Commonwealth, Far Harbor, and Nuka World. Also requires Automatron. (Be aware of a small conflict with Tales from the Commonwealth for the Malden Medical Office. You can still access it with both mods installed it just takes finicky clicking.)

Atomic World Adds a good number of locations throughout the Commonwealth including whole cities. Note that the navmeshing is kinda weird so companions may have trouble following you in these mod-added locations

Plenty o' Exploration ~18 new locations, interiors and full buildings, throughout the Commonwealth

Salem Expanded What it says on the tin, adds locations (~28) from the road leading into Salem and Salem itself.

Locations + Gameplay

(See above caveat)

Tales from the Commonwealth A large mod that adds locations, quests, and numerous NPCs. Some of those NPCs are romanceable such as my favorite, Birdie, an anxiety ridden Asian sniper. His comments on various locations and quests are some of my favorites

Tales from the Commonwealth's DLC Patch Needed for mod companions to comment on the DLC's locations and quests. Birdie's personal quest requires the DLCs for using DLC assets.

America Rising: A Tale of the Enclave A fully voiced mod on the level of a DLC. Locations, characters, quests. Includes new companions as well as a new player home. Be aware it will make you choose between the Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel as canon-wise they aren't friends at all.

Barrenwood A whole new island world space with numerous locations and quests connected to it, with fully voiced NPCs. It has two settlement locations that you can connect to the base, vanilla game.

Radio

(All either add stations or songs)

Old World Radio Boston compatible with the other mods below. Also adds settlement items such as flags and radios. Not just music but also radio shows like the game's Silver Shroud station.

Elvani's Track Pack best used with the below. Adds 36 lore-friendly songs to Diamond City Radio. See page for list.

More Where That Came From Diamond City Radio see above. Adds 111 lore-friendly songs to DCR.

Atomic Radio Pairs well with Tales from the Commonwealth and there is even a combo mod. Like Old World Radio, it adds its own standalone station that includes lore-friendly ads for lore items such as Sugar Bombs. Contains radio shows similar to the Silver Shroud and PSAs in the vein of after school specials (such as puberty), and commercials for things like Grognak the Barbarian.

Armor

Armorsmith Extended What it says on the tin. Works best when combined with the below but not needed. In fact some versions will leave concealed armor unneeded.

Concealed Armor what it says on the tin, hide armor so you can see the clothes underneath such as in the below mod Eli's Armour Compendium

Armor and Weapons Keywords Community Resource (must be used in conjunction with above)

Strength of a Nation puts Ukraine colors on power armor (T45, 51, 60, and X-01) which gives a perk when all pieces are painted, as well as the quote "I need ammunition not a ride" as said by President Voldymyr Zelenskyy on the chest piece of your chosen PA, and adds the Ukr national anthem to the radio (classical music station so may take a while to actually hear it).

Eli's Armour Compendium customizable clothes and armor as well as a location in-game near Diamond City

Old World Camouflage what it says on the tin

Sadly only for Xbone, but I might as well mention Clone Armory.

Weapons

(All should be relatively compatible w/ each other. YMMV. Yes I do like having a good pool of weapons to choose from so this is my biggest category next to the locations mods. Some have unique variants you can find. Others can only be found at vendors instead of in enemy loot lists. I tried to list how to find them/where to buy the modded weapons. Many are moddable/customizable with things such as scopes and the like.)

Mosin Nagant and a couple Unique Variants mod (requires the base Mosin Nagant mod and match scripted vs. non-scripted). Says it starts to spawn at lvl 25 but I found one before level 10 (likely a 'bug'). BUT, if you get the unique variants add-on mod, you can pick them up as soon as you leave your starting area of choice.

SVT-40 WW2-era weapon used in famous battles like Stalingrad. A renowned Nazi killing weapon along with the Mosin Nagant (see above). Spawns on Gunners/vendors at lvl 16, the bayonet alone at lvl 10. Or find the 2 variants. See page for locations.

Service Rifle Based on the weapon from Fallout New Vegas which is based on the M16. Loot list at lvl 10, vendors, or find unique variants with a quest beginning at lvl 25.

Modern Firearms Tactical Edition What it says on the tin, adds modern day weapons from SMGs to Sniper Rifles. For a list of all available weapons, click here. You can find them on enemies as soon as you leave the vault (or equivalent starting location if you use a start-up mod)

M1 Garand Loot list Gunners and/or vendors at lvl 17, the bayonet by itself lvl 13, or find the legendary variants as soon as you leave your starting location. Can also spawn in using the console. See the page for instructions.

See Through Scopes what it says on the tin. See thru those damn scopes. Customize the magnification and scope reticle.

Star Wars Mandalorian Amban Rifle OP as hell but that's okay because the Amban Rifle is OP as hell in the show. Can only be crafted in the chem lab, which you can find in Sanctuary and thus have an OP weapon relatively quickly.

Aquila Laser Rifle slightly OP totally customizable laser rifle. Find east of Boston Mayoral Shelter (beware of strong enemies). Or spawn in using the console. See page for details.

Spetsnaz Rifle based on AS VAL and VSS Vintorez. Found on Gunners, sold by vendors with no level requirement, or use the console. See the page for details on the last option.

Sturmgewehr STG-44 WW2-era weapon used in many an FPS. Find one at the Museum of Witchcraft near Major Jefferies' body in Salem or at Gunner Plaza on Captain Wes. Also found in loot lists and vendors rarely. Can spawn in using console. See page for details.

HK G11 "Kraut Space Magic" this gun is directly from Fallout lore. It's a gun that can be found in Fallout 2. The name refers to how it fires, which is considered a clockwork kinda bizarre thing. Starting at lvl 15 you can start quests to gain the weapon. Requires skill check 6str, 7per, 8char.

M1928A1 Tommy Gun aka the gun made famous by gangsters throughout Hollywood and a weapon held by one of the Vault Boy bobbleheads yet mysteriously not in the games since FO2. Found on Triggermen starting lvl 12, other enemies such as Gunners at lvl 20. Or find uniques as soon as you leave your starting location. See page for locations.

Character Creation

Lots More Male Hairstyles/Lots More Beards and Moustaches what it says on the tin

Fast Start New Game skip past the pre-war part

WX Hair Colors makes the hair colors look more natural especially the browner ones

LooksMenu better Chargen

Misc

Weightless Junk and Other Items no, really, verbatim title. And does what it says: weightless junk and other items (such as meds)

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch What it says on the tin

Everyone's Best Friend Allows for Dogmeat+Another Companion

K-9 Harness gives armor and extra carrying capacity to Dogmeat

Rich Merchants stop going from merchant to merchant to offload your loot

Improved Map with Visible Roads What it says on the tin. Cleans up the Pip-Boy map to look a lot better. Works on Far Harbor's map, as well. Corrects placement for some locations as well.

Settlement Things

Mandalorian Flag A black and red mythosaur skull flag. Only one version: wall hang

Looks Mirror adds a mirror to be crafted that will bring up the looks menu for free

Ukraine Flag adds multiple versions of the Ukr flag. One that hangs on a wall, one that is in a flag stand, one on a pole that sits still, and one on a pole that is animated to look like it's blowing in the wind. Besides the wall flag, the others are invisible in the workshop list but just keep scrolling to see previews I promise the mod isn't broken or whatever lol

[athousandotherfaces]

kynesgrove, morthal, and markarth for the skyrim asks!

Thank you for the ask! Heads up, I've thought about some of these things for the better part of a decade so there's rambling. Enjoy the scroll!

Kynesgrove: What's your favorite non-major city/town/settlement?

Rorikstead! I think that it has such an intriguing position and a narrative that isn't explicitly explored; it's just hinted at through ambient elements and some PC/ NPC dialogue. I really love that it feels cozy, but slightly unsettling if you stop and think about it.

There's the lack of almost any grown women among the residents, aside from one elvish woman in town. It's positioned close to two known Forsworn camps/strongholds (Serpent's Bluff Redoubt and Bleakwind Bluff respectively) Which, hey, yes they could've popped up after the town was established. (which is another strange point of interest: Rorik lives in town and says he founded it: but it's also mentioned as having been founded literal ages ago in written records) The residents mention they haven't had a bad harvest in years. Years, despite war, hardly any work force to harvest things and being easily open to raids from bandits, Forsworn, what have you. Jouane, the healer, has several books on daedric worship in his home, and has an ambient dialogue with one of the young girls not to tell anyone about their 'little secret' when she asks if he can teach her magic. These facts taken together make me think there's a deal between the townsfolk of Rorikstead and the Forsworn that entails ladies of a certain age be sacrificed to ensure these unfailing harvests. Given it's location Rorikstead is isolated from a lot of the protections of Whiterun Hold and it's mentioned by some of the NPCs- they're essentially on their own. It's also pretty close to a dragon burial mound and a vampire den. Which I think is also meant to further highlight that the village is basically left to fed for itself (without much scrutiny) because it is so far from Whiterun. Dialogue from guards even mentions that Rorikstead is more susceptible to a dragon attack because of its location, low martial population and lack of defensible space. All this, plus you can find Erik the Slayer, probably my favorite follower here: Visit Rorikstead!

Morthal-Do you enjoy exploring dungeons and ruins? Why or why not?

I do! I've done so many different dragonborn builds that each time I do dungeon diving it feels fun. Now that's not to say I don't find it repetitive after a bit. I've played plenty of hours of Skyrim and Dragon age 2 (a game not gracefully noted for diverse dungeon maps); I really think, and this isn't to let things off the hook, but as a rpg fan you gotta make your own fun after a bit. I will say some ruins are more engaging than others and some feel like they are meant to break you of the impulse to get in and out quickly, while others are more of a see-if-you can-outlast atmosphere (I'm looking at Forelhost, Labyrinthian, and several Dwemer ruins). I'm a huge fan of the set dressing and narrative elements the dungeons and ruins have. I also really enjoy using followers. I have my go to followers but I do try to swap in new faces too, both vanilla and mod added followers.

Markarth-If you could rewrite one questline in Skyrim, which would it be?

Ooh, that's a tough one. Really tough.

I think if I had to pick one I would say it would be more of an additional pathway instead of a complete rewrite. But I thought for the longest time that if a few choices were made throughout the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild questlines that there should be a hybridized questline added for a dragonborn who becomes Listener for the Brotherhood and Guildmaster for the Thieves Guild that deals with Maven Black-Briar & her hold on the DB & Thieves Guild after you get into the top spots.

If I remember correctly you can in both questlines tell or hint to Maven Black-Briar/her loyalists that your cooperation as her pawn as you go up the ranks is wearing thin/will cease once you're in sufficiently with the groups and they're restored to their proper glory. I would really love for there to have been an attempt by Maven (especially if she's made jarl through the civil war questline) to try to have you framed for a major political crime or just outright attempt to have you assassinated by the Morag Tong (or just frame the Morag Tong since they're not friendly to the DB and it could easily lead to inter-assassin guild fighting allowing Maven to attempt to take them down in a bid to extend her reach and consolidate power). Maven just never struck me as someone who tolerated the idea of power being wrested away from her, or just the appearance of losing grip on power like the guilds command. So some upstart dragonborn suggesting they'll be doing just that felt like it should have a pretty strong response from her.