#samuel the boatman

[hampopart]

Samuel Sticker is Done!

[shazzbaa]

What's Sam's, like... actual job? He feels like such a Guy that none of them immediately stand out to me as being super fitting, but I'm curious to know what he. Y'know. Does for payment

Oh, great timing, he JUST got his specialisation the other day! Samuel's a Monster-Hunter! A job that is just So Normal.

I originally just kinda slid in this direction because Sam leaned SO heavily towards Dangerous activities and, not knowing at the time where the different jobs would end up, this seemed like the most respectable Physical Violence job path (in retrospect, I think a version of Sam who never went through The Shallows ES probably could've become a Licentiate). Ultimately, though, it really turned out to be a great pick. Hunting monsters while Making His Name was the perfect combo of "Samuel takes on absurdly dangerous task and is a force to be reckoned with" and "Samuel goes to the boatman by falling into his own traps repeatedly." The first couple of coils in the Labyrinth felt very correct for him (physically demanding tasks that involve getting bullied by animals a lot) with work he genuinely found very satisfying -- I've had a headcanon for a while that he still works there as a keeper when he's not caught up in Nonsense. YOURE REALLY CORRECT that he feels he should just have a Normal Job LMAO.

But then Monster-Hunter with its SACRED RITES, its SACRAMENT THAT CANNOT BE WITNESSED BY LIVING MEN, is just gonna slot perfectly into the part of his brain that once earnestly pledged himself to the service of the church and wants badly to be PART OF SOMETHING WITH RULES AND PURPOSE. This job also has the benefit of resulting in Sam's crew having to deal with constant bullshit where he jumps off the prow of his ship and flings himself into the zee to stab a crab instead of shooting it with canons like a normal person. ITS THE ONE TIME HE GETS TO BE COOL but I'm sure theyre all like oh my god. hes doing this again.

I debated the final specialisation choice for a while but finally picked Hierarch for him and was IMMEDIATELY REWARDED WITH SCRIPTURE ABOUT CRUSHING THE HEAD OF LEVIATHAN SO: PERFECT??? He can physically hunt heresies by stabbing them with a harpoon?????? THIS RULES LMAO

[thesffcorner]

Part 4: Level Breakdown: Levels 1 - 5

Dishonored has 9 levels, not counting the introduction in the tower. Each level, bar the first, culminates with a target that either needs to be eliminated or rescued. 

There are 2 types of level: city levels, that culminate in a single enclosed location and single location levels.

Opening:

The first location in the game is Kaldwin Tower, one of the few places we will be visiting again. For now, you can marvel at the waterlock system that grants access into the tower, and talk to your companion Captain Geoff Curnow, who will be important later. 

This level is a pretty elegant tutorial. You learn how to move, run and hide, by playing hide and seek with Emily, how to interact with objects by stealing High Overseer Campbell’s cyder and handing Jessamine the letter and you meet a few of the main players: Royal Physician and Painter Anton Sokolov, Royal Spymaster Hiram Burrows, and of course, Jessamine and Emily Kaldwin. 

At the gazebo, Daud and his Whalers attack. Regardless of how many Whalers you kill, Corvo is no match for Daud’s Outsider mark, Jessamine is killed, Emily taken and Corvo accused of the crime. 

Dishonored:

The game proper starts 6 months later. Corvo has been held at Coldridge Prison and is being tortured into signing a confession that he killed Jessamine. Hiram Burrows, now the Lord Regent, has grown tired of Corvo’s refusal to acquiesce and has scheduled his execution. 

A Guard brings Corvo’s meal, along with a key to his cell and instructions on how to escape the prison. 

This level introduces a lot, very quickly, and as such it can be pretty relentless. It’s hard not to kill anyone, since your only 2 weapons are a pistol which alerts ALL the Guards in the building, and a sword, but in an enclosed area with no high ground it’s hard to sneak up on Guards to knock them out. 

The level introduces you to some of the mechanics the game will be utilizing a lot: opening hatches, gates, safes and crates, manipulating rat swarms by using corpses, and platforming over pipes and grates.

A cache of weapons, including Corvo's trusty crossbow have been left in the sewers, and after you acquire them, you meet Samuel, the boatman. He will be Corvo’s guide to and from each level and he takes Corvo to the Hound Pits Pub, to meet the Loyalists. 

Hound Pits Pub:

The Pub is this game’s base; it’s a non-hostile area where you can rest, get mission briefings, restock, and upgrade gear and weapons. The Pub also introduces your allies: Samuel, Admiral Farley Havelock, Lord Treavor Pendleton, Pierro Jopin, Cecilia, Lydia and Wallace. 

Samuel is a sailor who served under Havelock. He’s a good-natured man, who likes Corvo a lot if you’re on low and abhors Corvo if you’re on high chaos. He comments on the state of things, especially how Corvo’s actions are affecting the city, and generally gives very useful advice at the start of every level.

Havelock and Pendleton are two of the three Loyalists. Havelock is an Admiral who respects Corvo because of Corvo’s military background. He’s calm and pragmatic, not very forthcoming with words, and a bit tech-illiterate; after failing to record an audiograph he tosses the machine out of the window. 

Pendleton is the chattier one; his family is one of Dunwall's founding families and he's very rich. Especially at the start, he’s more sceptical if the money and risk spent to break Corvo out is justified. 

Wallace, Cecilia or Lydia, are friendly NPCs that Corvo can listen to. They provide funny anecdotes and flavour-text for the world, but out of the 3, Cecilia is the only one who has any kind of contribution to the main story.

Piero is an inventor who has a one-sided and very uncomfortable grudge against Sokolov. He's generally creepy and unpleasant, and I kept waiting for him to betray Corvo or do something evil, but no, he's just a weidro. He does make Corvos’ mask and all his weapons and upgrades.

After you meet everyone and explore the pub you get a visit from the Outsider. The Void is beautiful and eerie, but I screamed at the Outsider's detailed and lovingly rendered progression of Corvo’s-no-good-very-bad-day.  

In the first game, the Outsider is a neutral figure, who despite marking Corvo doesn't seem at all invested in his success at saving Emilly. He isn't interested in human morality, and his commentary is generally perfunctory, save for the vitriol he has for Daud and the Abbey.

After your mark, you can test out Blink and the heart, and then you get your first mission: killing the High Overseer.

High Overseer Campbell:

This first level is by far the best designed. It's not the longest, but it has 2 substantial side quests, and introduces many important locations and characters, so forgive me if I'm a bit longwinded.

Before each mission, Havelock and Pendleton give you a brief. High Overseer Campbell has a black book he uses for blackmail, and the Loyalists need it, among other things, because it contains the location of Emily Kaldwin. Havelock asks you to rescue the third Loyalist, Overseer Teague Martin who orchestrated Corvo's jailbreak. 

Before you leave for Dunwall, you speak to Calista Curnow. She is Captain Curnow’s niece, and she’s heard that Campbell intends to murder him, since he can’t be corrupted. She asks Corvo to save him, which is your first official side quest. 

Sam drops you off under Clavering Boulevard, in the Textile District. He mentions that the streets are heavily guarded, and perhaps someone named Granny Rags can help you. My advice, and not just because I like her, is to seek her out. The rewards for her side quests are runes and they are vital this early on, especially for non-lethal playthroughs. 

Throughout the levels you will encounter characters and vignettes that really capture the desolate and desperate atmosphere of the city. You are immediately greeted by City Watch dumping infected, dead bodies into a container from the bridge, headed for the condemned Flooded District, including still living people.

Down the alley, you can find your first, civilian; a girl, speaking to herself about what she has to do to get elixir, which is the only moment in the game where the misogyny of the world is acknowledged, and it of course has to do with sexual coercion.

Thankfully, next you meet Granny Rags, who lightens up the mood. She's in a condemned building across from the Dunwall Distillery, which is Bottle Street Gang territory. She asks that you get rid of her Gentlemen Callers, for a special price. 

This is also where you encounter your first Outsider Shrine. At each shrine, the Outsider gives a bit of backstory on the characters, in this case Granny Rags, as well as the ‘cult devoted to hating him’, the Abbey of the Everyman.

The Gentlemen Callers are members of the Bottle Street Gang, who’ve come to rob Granny Rags. The reward is a rune, and it’s enough to knock them out, to get it. 

Like mana, health depletes every time you take damage, and you can replenish it by drinking Sokolov’s elixir (or eating food if you have the charm), which you can find or purchase. Slackjaw, the leader of the Bottlestreet Gang, is making his own bootleg batch of the elixir, and selling it for cheap. If you decide to accept Granny Rags’ second quest, you will be poisoning said batch.

To do the quest, you need to sneak into the apartment of Robert Galvani, a doctor who is working on a cure for the plague. You have to steal the intestines of a plague infected rat and put them in the elixir brew in the Distillery. Galvani lives on Clavering Boulevard, so on your way to his apartment, you might want to rescue Griff from some more Bottle Street thugs. 

Griff is a vendor, though his prices are much higher than Pierro’s. He’s still useful though, especially for buying upgrades and replenishing sleep darts in a pinch. His venue is right under the roof you want to climb so you can use the pipes to get to Clavering. 

Galvni’s apartment is huge, and there are Guards inside, as well as some maids, and I hate the maids more than I hate the Guards. Since they are civilians you can’t kill them, but if they spot you, they alert Guards and activate alarms. 

The rat viscera are in a lab on the third floor. Galvani, like Pierro is obsessed with Sokolov, so the code to his safe is the day they met. Another thing to note is that Galvani has realized that the plague carrying rat isn’t native to Dunwall. 

After you get the intestines, you have to sneak into the Distillery. Sneaking across the yard is easy; just go on the pipes. Once inside, it’s more difficult to navigate around the distillery without getting spotted. The brewing stand is in the basement, and you can use it before you poison it if you’re running low. Once you get your rune, you are done, although you won’t see the consequences of your work until the next level. 

The next big hurdle is the wall of light, which is what separates Clavering Boulevard from Holger Square. The wall of light is this game’s version of a checkpoint. It was designed by Sokolov to keep rats and the infected from crossing between districts and spreading the plague. In reality, it’s a convenient way to separate the levels into sections. 

There are 3 ways to deal with the wall of light. The first is to shut it off, which can be accomplished by removing the whale oil canister. The second is to rewire the wall of light to let you through, but this will kill anyone who passes through it, which is no bueno for non-lethal and low chaos playthroughs. For both, Dark Vision 2 is especially helpful. The third and usually easiest option is to find a way around. 

Holger Square is where you find Martin. At present, he’s being taunted by another Overseer, though listening to Martin make ‘yo mama’ jokes might be the real torture.

Freeing him lets you know that Campbell is indeed about to kill Curnow, and he will be using poisoned wine. One thing to note is that there is a non-lethal way of disposing of Campbell; you will learn about it in the very next area, but though Martin definitely knows about it, he doesn't mention it.

The non-lethal option is the Heretic’s Brand, which is what is done to members of the Overseer order who break the seven scriptures. 

At this point you have several options on how to approach your target. There are the roofs which take you straight to the second floor; the ground level which is the best guarded; the kennels; and the backyard. This is a good time to decide on how you want to neutralize Campbell because that will determine your approach. 

Killing Campbell is the easier option; he’s on the third floor so it’s trivial to get up high and either switch the poisoned glass or shoot him. If you want to save Captain Curnow, you have to clear the second floor is clear of guards and disable the alarms so he can exit the building on his own. Otherwise, you have to knock him out and carry his body far enough from the building. 

If you want to brand Campbell, you need to steal a key that will get you inside the Interrogation room, where you find the branding instructions. Knock Campbell out and put him in the chair to administer the brand; he’ll stay put. 

There are a few other areas of note in the residence. One is Campbell’s secret room, where you will find the portrait, he was sitting in for the day Jessamine died. You’ll also find proof that he’s a frequent user and abuser of the girls in the Golden Cat, as well as an audiograph which confirms that Emily is being held at the Cat, by 'the twins'. 

In the Archive you can hear an Overseer discuss how Martin planned your jailbreak and read depositions of the Guards and other inmates. You can also listen to a Whaler interrogation and learn that the Whalers carry poison to end their lives if they’re captured.

You can make your escape through the backyard. There are a few more optional encounters here: you can save an Overseer and his sister from overzealous colleagues who think she’s a witch, and you’ll get the code to a safe in the Overseer barracks as thanks. You can also witness two other Overseers execute one who is infected with the plague, to prevent him from becoming a Weeper. 

After all that, the only thing left to do is make your way to Samuel and bounce. 

House of Pleasure:

The second level is also fittingly, my second favourite. For all my whinging about sex work in this game, I actually really enjoy fictional brothels, and this level is mostly set in the Golden Cat. 

However, getting to the Cat is easier said than done, and in a series staple, first, you have to revisit Clavering Boulevard. 

Corvo wakes up to some commotion in the Pub; it seems Weepers have somehow appeared in the sewers under the building. Havelock asks you to dispose of them, and if you do it non-lethally, Pierro will award you some sleep darts, and promise that they will be treated with dignity at the Academy. 

After this bit, you are informed of your next target: Pendleton’s very own older twin brothers Custus and Morgan.

Throughout the game, Lord Pendleton will write journals and record audiographs about his life; through them you can learn that he’s estranged from the twins, mostly because they have spent his entire childhood abusing him, even almost killing him as a baby. Despite this, he still tries to reason with them, and it’s very clear that killing them isn’t something he wants to do. The only reason he agreed to it is to prove his loyalty to Havelock. 

What I love is that Pendleton isn't entirely selfless; if you end up disposing of his brothers non-lethally, Pendleton will make a comment when you kidnap Sokolov that he wants a new portrait - this one of just himself.  However, if you do kill the twins (and for the brief moment before Pendleton learns you didn't) he is mean and passive aggressive to Corvo. It's only when he learns that the twins are alive does he thank you.

Pendleton is the best developed and characterized of the Loyalists, and for that he's my favourite. 

The bridge to Clavering now has a watchtower that shoots at anyone who gets caught in the light. Luckily you don’t need to go there, and you are immediately approached by Bottle Street thugs who ask you if you want to do a job for Slackjaw. 

I really like the Bottle Street gang. Their design is great; the bowler hats, the suspenders, the dozens of rings, blowing fire as their weapon of choice. Hilariously though, the game repeatedly calls attention to the fact that the Bottle Street gang are mostly teenagers, and yet every single character model looks like a man with a mortgage.

the face of a teenager

Since you are doing a job for Slackjaw you can just walk around the Distillery yard and overhear conversations between the gangsters. I think the developers did a great job of humanizing the gangsters; my favourite was one boy admitting that he can't pay with coins because he gets his numbers mixed up.

This is where you learn what happened with the poisoned elixir - it has turned over half of the gang and innocent civilians caught in the crossfire into Weepers. They are locked in the yard next to the Distillery entrance. If you don’t knock them out, once you leave the Distillery they will break out and attack the Bottle Street members in the yard. 

I could write a whole paper on Slackjaw, and believe me, people have written entire books. Yes, he is a gangster, but he’s a net positive to the city. He makes a bootleg, much cheaper version of the elixir and ‘employs’ the disaffected youth of Dunwall. He never attacks Corvo, and after you complete his side quests, he keeps his word and never turns hostile. So not only has Corvo halved Slackjaw's gang, but he's also destroyed the ability for dozens of people to protect themselves from the plague. And for what? A rune from a crazy, blind woman who thinks you are her dead husband?

Slackjaw doesn’t know you did anything to the elixir, but he does know you’re after the Pendletons. He offers to help you enter the Golden Cat if you do a job for him. Someone has been attacking his men and stealing territory, so he’s sent one of his men, Crowley to investigate Galvani’s apartment. Crowley's disappeared.

On your way to the apartment, be careful not to fall into the Whaler trap; they are stalking the roofs and apartments around the area where Griff stands. Like the prologue, they can use pull and blink, so make sure to knock them out. 

This is the only level that doesn’t have an Outsider shrine; one of the apartments has a Weeper who seemingly tried to make one, with a bone charm instead of a rune. 

You can also save a servant girl from two City Watch thugs who want to kill her for her elixir. She will give you the key to the Art Dealer’s apartment, and tell you he’s fired all his staff, but he keeps something valuable in his safe. 

The Bottle street gang is already in the apartment, but they are having trouble opening the safe, and if you want to rob it, you will have to come back too.

Inside Galvani’s apartment you'll find Crowley’s dead body and two Guards arguing over how to classify his death. Crowley recorded an audiograph so you can take that back to Slackjaw. 

We don’t learn who’s after Slackjaw from the audiograph, but you can guess it’s either Daud or Granny Rags. Slackjaw seems genuinely distraught that Crowley is dead, and he keeps his end of the deal, giving you a key to a hotel called the Captain’s Chair which you can use to get inside the Cat. 

He also offers to get rid of the Pendletons quietly, if you can find the art dealer, Bunting, get the safe code from him and bring it back to Slackjaw. 

Like before, there are several ways into the Cat. One involves Granny Rags who has made a new home in the Weeper infested underpass. My preferred method is the Captain’s Chair, because it lets you get on the balcony of the Cat, right on top of Madame Prudence. 

To balance out the previous level, it's actually easier to deal with the twins on the non-lethal route.

Bunting is in the Silver Room, strapped to an electric chair. He doesn’t realize you are not a sex worker, so you can torture the combination out of him (it’s ok he’s into it).  He also admits that he has been slowly defrauding the Pendletons, by lying to them that their collection is worthless, when it’s in fact worth thousands. The Pendletons are haemorrhaging money; both brothers lament how they had to borrow to even get into the Cat, and Morgan talks about killing himself as soon as the money runs out. Don’t feel bad for them though; their family has made their fortune by using slave-run silver mines. 

From Prudence you learn that Emily tried to escape twice, and the last time, she got the closest by finding the VIP entrance. To make sure she stays put, Prudence keeps the master key on her, which you can easily steal. 

If you want to kill the brothers, Prudence will let you know that one of them is the Golden Room and the other in the Steam Room. Whoever is in the Steam Room is very easy to kill with the pipe pressure.

Once you rescue Emily, you can use the VIP entrance which will take you to Granny Rags’ underpass. Emily will find her own way to Samuel, though from her dialogue, you can surmise that Granny Rags helped her. 

Return to Slackjaw to report the code, and he’ll tell you what he intends to do with the twins: cut their tongues off, shave their heads, and put them to work in their own mines. This is the first time in the game where the non-lethal route is worse than simply killing the target, but it won’t be the last. 

The only thing left to do is to rob the safe before Slackjaw can, just be aware that you need to be quick, since 3 Bottle Street thugs will appear on the second floor once you open it. When you’re done, meet Sam and Emily and bounce. 

The Royal Physician:

This level is the first one that takes us to a different location: Kaldwin Bridge. It’s also the first level where you don’t have to kill anyone; instead, you are kidnapping Anton Sokolov.

The Loyalists need Sokolov, because he painted a portrait of Hiram Burrows’ mistress, and you need her name.  

Kaldwin Bridge is a cool, albeit slightly underused location. Sam drops you off on the Southside, because the bridge has newly installed floodlights which make it impossible to get to Sokolov’s house. Moreover since it’s sundown, the mandatory curfew is in effect, so City Watch is everywhere making sure it’s being enforced. 

The first real thing of note is Lord Pratchett arguing with a City Watch Guard about the curfew. His house is well stocked and well connected to the neighbouring apartments, though one of his neighbours seems to have been driven mad by the Outsider shrine.

Sokolov is the first person the Outsider has a lot to say on, namely how much he fucking hates him.

Sokolov has spent decades doing everything in his power from occult rituals to human experiments to get the Outsider to speak to him, but though everyone in-universe is obsessed with him, the Outsider thinks he's boring.

This area is full of apartments you can explore and rob, and there is also a woman you can save from a rat swarm. She will tell you the rats became aggressive after a man brought a bone charm inside, and everyone who was hiding with him is also dead.

Eventually you will make your way to a roof which gives you the best vantage point of the bridge and a new arc pylon is at the foot of it. A few Bottle Street thugs lie in wait. 

The City Watch talk about how many desperate boys will try to do a suicide run at them, in hopes that they’ll either cross the bridge or die before they catch the plague. These guys are not here for that; they are trying to rescue their friend Alec from the brig, but they get incinerated or shot regardless.

Blink 2 is very handy here, since you can just blink on the chains of the bridge without alerting anyone. The towers have many platforms and Guards, as well as the way to disable the floodlights. Alec is in the brig for stealing pearls from River Crusts. You can get him out, but make sure you have cleared a way for him on the other side, because if you haven't, he will alert every single City Watch quicker than you trying to shoot a River Crust.

Once you cross the bridge you can break into the apartment where Alec’s friends are waiting and steal all the pearls they’ve gathered. You have to avoid another pylon, and it can be done the same way as the first one. 

Before Sokolov’s house, which likewise has several ways inside, there is a group of prisoners. If you listen to the City Watch they are to be Sokolov’s test subjects; the problem is most of his test subjects die. You can free them by disabling the pylon, though be careful not to do what I did and accidentally blink yourself inside the cage. 

The best and easiest way to get to Sokolov is through the roof. He is working in his greenhouse, recording an audiograph. You can talk to him and he won’t turn hostile, but you still have to knock him out to get him to Samuel. There is also a female test subject you can rescue.

The hard part is actually getting Sokolov to Samuel. The house is crawling with guards and if Sokolov touches water he immediately drowns. The best way to do it, is to fix his private elevator on the lower floor, knock out the guards and rewire the alarm at the house entrance, and drag him out.

Lady Boyle’s Last Party:

Like the title says: you’re going to a party.

But first, you need to make Sokolov talk. 

Sokolov is a great character, though he’s a bit underutilized in the first game. He’s a true Renaissance man; a genius inventor who developed the City Watch technology like the arc pylon, the tallboys, and the wall of light. He’s also a doctor, having created the plague elixir, and searching for a cure, while also being a painter and an occultist. The only people who are not obsessively fawning over him, despise him.

You can get Sokolov to talk in two ways; releasing a swarm of rats on him or bribing him with expensive alcohol. If you pick the alcohol, you get to break up the aforementioned spying on Calista scene, just so we are clear which game we are still playing.  

Sokolov explains that one of the 3 Boyle sisters is Burrows’ lover but he doesn’t know which one, since he painted her from behind. The Boyles are throwing a party that night and he was supposed to meet the elusive mistress, but obviously he won’t be appearing. Since it’s a masked ball, Corvo can simply go as himself, the masked vigilante from the wanted posters, and no one will suspect a thing.

The problem is, because of the party, the entire City Watch is camping around the mansion, and they bring out the big boys: tallboys.

Ahem.

The tallboys are men in armor on stills who can see from above and fire explosive bolts at you. The best way to deal with them is to blink past the one on the street, and enter the Boyle Estate ground. After that all the tallboys disappear. 

It’s worth exploring around the estate first. There are several Weeper infested apartments around, one of which contains a shrine. The Outsider says that regardless of whether you cut Boyle's life short, or let her live a long time in hiding, this is her last ball. 

Like always, there are multiple ways into the mansion; whichever one you choose, once you are inside, you’re in neutral land. 

There are a few things you can do to get noticed; killing or attacking any of the partygoers, trespassing on the second floor, stealing too many things in quick succession, or annoying Lord Ramsey. Otherwise, everyone thinks you are wearing a provocative mask, and they will even comment in interest or disgust. 

So much of this level is just funny details. For example, you can sign the guestbook as Corvo Attano to piss off the Lord Regent. You can steal from the Boyles and other guests will comment on how everyone does it. You can duel!

Before the ball, Pendleton gives you a letter that you are to deliver to Lord Shaw. You never learn what’s in the letter or why Pendleton wanted Shaw dead; all you know is that as soon as you hand him the envelope you are enrolled in a duel as Pendleton’s representative. 

In order to win the duel and retain your non-lethal run, you have to wait for the countdown, use Bend Time and shoot Shaw with a dart. Pendleton will thank you, and give you a rune. 

I am still not sure what the deal with this side quest is. You would assume that the duel is a set-up by Pendleton, his way of avenging his brothers. However, if you kill Shaw, he thanks you and gives you a rune.

Moreover, if you never deliver the letter, he is mad at you for putting him in a precarious position. So, was he hoping you would kill Shaw? Was he trying to get you killed? My theory is that after you dispose of the twins, Pendleton becomes a worse version of himself, and he abuses the missions to have you deal with his personal enemies.

The actual gimmick of the level are the sisters. All 3 are dressed in an identical outfit, save for the colour. You can either kill all 3 or guess the correct sister. You can imagine which one I chose. 

Finding out the correct Boyle can be done in several ways. The easiest is to talk to a Lord Brisby who will outright tell you who the sister is and ask you to take her to the cellar where he has a boat ready to take her away. This is also the non-lethal solution. 

The other more fun way involves getting a partygoer, Miss White drunk so she’ll tell you about the game. You can also sneak upstairs and go through the sisters’ rooms. Waverly and Esma’s rooms share a secret passage which can circumvent some of the guards on the second floor. 

The Boyle lover will have a letter from the Regent in her room as well as a skeleton key to Dunwall Tower. After you learn who the correct sister is, the next step is getting her to come with you to a private area. 

The intended way to do this is to 'intuit' each sister’s personality, because the game wants me to believe they are different. The flavours are horny (Esma), alcoholic (Lydia), and paranoid (Waverly). Once you get the correct sister to follow you, (and you are blessed if Waverly is your sister because she goes straight to the cellar) you can get rid of her.

Let’s talk about the non-lethal solution. Once again, I want to remind everyone that Lady Boyle’s ‘crime’ is sleeping with the wrong person. 

Lord Brisby tells Corvo that he has been in love with Boyle for years. He begs you not to kill her, and if you bring her to him, he will hide her and keep her safe with him.

There is ZERO indication that Boyle even knows Brisby is, let alone wants to spend the rest of her life with him. I have to stress, a big part of this level is reading Lady Boyle's DIARY, and yet she doesn't mention him ONCE. Even if Boyle does know Brisby, and maybe would be down to clown, why would you then need to trick her into following you, knocking her out and carrying her to Brisby, like a sack of potatoes, instead of, you know, telling her he is waiting with a boat in the basement?

Once again, Corvo Attano, brave Royal Protector, goes along with a scheme to kidnap and sentence a woman to marital rape and capture for the rest of her life, on the word of a masked man, and this is the ACTUAL, CANON choice in the series. Not only that, but the next morning Covro receives a rune from the Boyle family, thanking them for ridding them of the 'problem' that Lady Boyle had caused them. 

I am baffled. This could've been fixed so easily. You can read Boyle's diary. You can talk to her, hell, you have no other choice! That's the only way to get her to go with you to the cellar! One simple line about Brisby would've fixed this horrible plot-thread.

I was so mad about this, that I actually looked up to see what Arkane had to say for itself. Lead developer Harvey Smith did say on Twitter, that he regrets this decision. While I appreciate this, writing Boyle later on as someone who manages to manipulate Brisby enough to have a good life is not great. I’m glad they owned up to the poor writing, but I don’t like the way they are still trying to weasel out of it.

After that terrible decision, you have to avoid the watchtower lights on the river and get to Sam’s boat.

With that, we finish the first half of the game, and the 5 best designed levels. All that's left is to take down the Lord Regent himself, and that's exactly what we will be doing next.

Part 5: Dishonored: Level Breakdown 6 - 9

Part 3: Dishonored: Gameplay

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[palmviewfm]

hi! looking to join soon :) could i have a little list of most wanted faces??

hello  hello  !  we'd  love  to  have  you  join  us  around  here  !  there's  a  ton  of  opened  faceclaims  that  we'd  love  to  see,  so  i'll  put  it  under  a  read  more  for  you !

madison  bailey,  chase  stokes,  rudy  pankow,  carlacia  grant,  abigail  cowen,  danny  griffin,  sadie  soverall,  kat  mcnamara,  zoe  colletti,  zhao  lusi,  leo  woodall,  noah  lalonde,  chris  briney,  cierra  ramirez,  maia  mitchell,  herman  tommeraas,  simone  baldasseroni,  kathryn  bernardo,  kathryn  newton,  camila  mendes,  madelaine  petsch,  charles  melton,  lili  reinhart,  meg  donnelly,  tanner  buchanan,  mary  mouser,  peyton  list,  antonia  gentry,  katie  douglas,  chelsea  clark,  sara  waisglass,  felix  mellard,  froy  guiterrez,  josh  o'connor,  olivia  holt,  corey  fogelmanis,  savannah  lee  smith,  chandler  kinney,  jack  mulhern,  whitney  peak,  keiynan  lonsdale,  nick  robinson,  ross  lynch,  jane  de  leon,  samantha  logan,  daniel  ezra,  cody  christian,  danielle  rose  rusell,  kaylee  kaneshiro,  oliver  jackson-cohen,  kenny  boyd,  danielle  campbell,  evan  mock,  emilio  sakraya,  gabrielle  wilde,  humberly  gonzalez,  lucien  laviscount,  indiana  evans,  odeya  rush,  kaia  gerber,  jessie  mei  lei,  jordan  fisher,  courtney  eaton,  auli'i  cravalho,  lana  condor,  alisha  boe,  ashley  moore,  zendaya  coleman,  tom  holland,  gabriel  guevara,  maxence  danet-fauvel,  zion  moreno,  bailee  madison,  zaria  simone,  malia  pyles,  jordan  gonzalez,  damian  hardung,  liz  gillies,  avan  jogia,  algee  smith,  aria  shahghasemi,  chay  suede,  diego  boneta,  sarah  catherine  cook,  diego  tinoco,  berk  atan,  brandon  perea,  matthew  noszka,  lucy  hale,  hannah  kepple,  daisy  edgar  jones,  hero  tiennes  tiffin,  josephine  langford,  nikki  rodriguez,  imani  lewis,  olivia  rodrigo,  sofia  carson,  ella  purnell,  tom  blyth,  rachel  zegler,  hunter  schafer,  maia  reficco,  natalie  alyn  lind,  carson  boatman,  melis  sezen,  raven  bowens,  victoria  konefal,  olivia  rose  keegan,  elizabeth  lail,  camryn  grimes,  phoebe  dyvenor,  rege  jean-page,  renee  rapp,  laura  harrier,  bebe  wood,  angourie  rice,  mackenzie  foy,  anna  lambe,  harris  dickinson,  blu  hunt,  aj  saudin,  brianne  tju,  nicole  wallace,  carlson  young,  alycia  debnam  carey,  brenna  d'amico,  brec  bassinger,  bianca  santos,  skyler  samuels,  david  corenswet,  logan  lerman,  aubrey  joseph,  jabari  banks,  brittany  o'grady,  halle  bailey,  bailey  bass,  freya  allan,  josie  totah,  luca  hollestelle,  andre  lamoglia,  maitreyi  ramakrishnan,  minnie  mills,  milly  alcock,  annalisa  cochrane,  adeline  rudolph,  tati  gabrielle,  alva  bratt,  aisha  dee,  charlotte  jordan,  adria  arjona,  sophie  turner,  suki  waterhouse,  amanda  arcuri,  joe  keery,  eli  brown,  sasha  pieterse,  josh  hutcherson,  sam  claflin,  josha  stradowski,  logan  shroyer,  leo  howard,  anya  taylor  joy,  florence  pugh,  alexxis  lemire,  skyler  gisondo,   alia  bhatt,  amber  midthunder,  devery  jacobs,  anya  chalotra,  ayo  edibiri,  becky  gomez,  jaz  sinclair,  simone  ashley,  and  charithra  chandran.

[martamatta95]

Replaying Dishonored, one thing came to my mind, hearing the secrets the Heart holds about Samuel Beechworth and then thinking about Daud's story in the DLCs, especially his mother.

Daud should be Corvo's age, a few years older in the Canon, what if our favorite assassin was the son of a humble boatman?

[wardenapproaches]

My first work for the @badthingshappenbingo, for @custycust! They requested Empty Shell for Corvo.

Link to AO3 posting here, or click the readmore here for the fic. Word count is only 311 words, sorry it's so short.

There’s a point, about halfway through his stay at Coldrige, where Corvo simply stops. He clenches his fists as much as he can- and it’s not more of a twitch of his fingers, because they’ve decided to go with breaking each bone in his hands now- and sighs heavily. 

I’ve had enough, he thinks. I think I’m done. 

The following morning, when the guards open the cell door to take him to the interrogation chamber, they find Corvo lying on the stone slab that passes as a bed, limp and unmoving.

“Think he finally kicked it?” One guard asks from the doorway. The other guard approaches slowly, one hand on his sword. “That’d make our lives easier, that’s for sure.”

GET UP, something in his mind screams. GET UP, PROTECTOR. 

A soft sigh is the only sound that escapes him as the guard reels back, surprised Corvo was still alive. 

No, Corvo calls back, previously ramrod back now bowed, slumped, defeated. I’ve had enough. 

~

The key that glints up at him from under the loaf of bread is met with a slow blink. The letter is met with the same. 

Might as well. Hopefully they won't pull my nails out.

~

The Boatman takes his lack of responses in stride, filling the eerie silence with easy small talk. It’s the stare Corvo levels at him that makes him stutter, but only once. 

~

“Admiral, I’m not sure… I’m not one to question your orders, but I don’t think the Lord Protector is…”

“Nonsense, Samuel. Corvo will do his job, and he’ll do it well.”

A quiet huff, and Corvo lets his weary body rest.

~

“Hello, Corvo.”

 Corvo blinks at the floating man, who can only be the Outsider. THIS MAN IS YOUR ENEMY, PROTECTOR. A quieter voice yells. 

I am so tired, he replies.

“Your life has taken a turn, has it not?”

[house-of-mirrors]

Ok I am really enjoying Chapter 6 of evolution. I'm just at the part of drawing cards at zee but I'm ooOOOOoooo the zee lore my beloved. Story has fully redeemed itself in my mind.

Since I imagine this quest as something that Orsinio and Samuel are doing together, it's fun to imagine the OC story and the role reversal now with O to be the one guiding Samuel through The Horrors. Samuel is a man increasingly aware of his own mortality. He grew up in the Neath, has seen the boatman numerous times, spent over a decade on the zee. But then Something happened that rattled him badly enough to make him fear death for the first time. I haven't decided on the specific event, but it had to do with the East and Salt. Samuel then retired and barely went outside for like a decade (ok but autism wins tho staying cozy in the familiar). Since I've had him as a PC, his character arc has been regaining his confidence and adventurous spirit with The Kids motivating him to come out of retirement and get back to exploring. As zeefarer brings us closer to the East, he feels very uneasy again. Probably feels a sort of pull. But he's not alone.

Really what happened was just like, Me: hm I haven't done character development for my ocs in a while

Me looking at Samuel, who up until this point has just been vibing with no mental illness*

Samuel: oh no

*surviving the fall of London is plenty trauma on its own but this post is not the time to unpack that alksdfdslk

[sporadiceagleheart]

What did Jesus do for Them what did he do for Them gave them a birthday party gave them wings and Halo healed the ones who passed away we gotta say rest in peace to them Eliahna Amyah “Ellie” Garcia 4, June 2012, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France June 4, 1789, Larry Allen Dick Sr. DEATH 4, June 2003, Sanford M Burns 4, June 1995, William Robert “Big Will” Boatman II 4, June 2016, Lassie 4, June 1940, Dennis Weaver William Dennis Weaver 4, June 1924, Catherine Rosalind Russell 4, June 1907, George III 4, June 1738, Freddy Fender Baldemar Garza Huerta 4, June 1937, SGT Lester Ray Stone Jr.4, June 1947, Samuel Lee Gravely Jr.4, June 1922, Robert “Gorilla Monsoon” Marella c.4, June 1937, Robert Merrill 4, June 1917, Geoffrey Dyson Palmer 4, June 1927, Joseph Francis Scott 4, June 1866, Jerauld Wright 4, June 1898, Gordon Robert Tapp Gordie Tapp 4, June 1922, Stringer Davis 4, June 1899, Nan Leslie Nanette June Leslie 4, June 1926, Clara Blandick Clara Blanchard Dickey 4, June 1876, William Meade Lindsley “Billy” Fiske 4, June 1911, Christopher Morgan 4, June 1808, Constance Mary Katherine “The Apple” Applebee 4, June 1873, Charles E. Laughton 4, June 1846, George Arthur Mathews 4, June 1852, Audrey Marie Hilley Audrey Marie Frazier 4, June 1933, William Halsted 4, June 1794, Gordon Waller 4, June 1945, Carol Andrews Mary Carol Jane Dolan 4, June 1921, John Eager Howard 4, June 1752, Frances Howard Goldwyn 4, June 1903, Edward Russell Hicks 4, June 1895, Morgana King 4, June 1930, Ann Lewis 4, June 1958, Martin Parmer 4, June 1778, Vinton Hayworth 4, June 1906, Priscilla Morrill 4, June 1927, Madame Bolduc Mary Rose-Anne Travers 4, June 1894, Angela Maria “Geli” Raubal 4, June 1908, Howard Culver 4, June 1918, Jeremy Belknap 4, June 1744, William David Elliott 4, June 1921, Dr Robert Francis Furchgott, Nina Vyroubova 4, June 1916, Cardinal Pierre Eyt 4, June 1934, Benjamin Tucker Eames 4, June 1818, Italia Almirante 4, June 1890,

[lemonflowercat]

75 soft: day 2

[x] morning walk/run or yoga x6/w

this morning was genuinely one of my favourite mornings of the year.

the walk was gorgeous with all the mist; suzie ran around like a happy puppy. Koka was soft, warm, fluffy and cuddly, and he shared treats with his friend from across the wall. piano jazz lilted as a spicy ginger tea brewed on the stove. I cooked myself a delectable breakfast (if i may say so myself) - a zucchini omelet with some grated cheese and oregano, and vanilla Greek yogurt with oats and chia seeds, topped with pan roasted apples, bananas and toasty coconut sprinkles. <chef's kiss> 10/10 slow and beautiful morning.

[x] meditate x at least 15min every afternoon

[x] study 42h/w: 39h 10m 34h 30m to go

study vibe for the day ft. my suzu-boo and oxalis wilting in the pre-summer sun

[x] evening wxo x6/w

did 45min of full body isometrics - super satisfying. the slow focused-ness of it is perfect for PMS energy.

[x] [x] [x] 1 raw veggie or a fruit x3 meals

- vanilla Greek yogurt with oats and chia seeds, topped with pan roasted apples, bananas and toasty coconut sprinkles

- a bowl of green grapes for a mid-morning-studysesh snack

- juicy pineapples for post dinner dessert craving

[x] 1400cal x6/week

[x] progress picture/day x6/w

[x] 2.5L of water/day

[x] brush before bed

[x] no media consumption (one movie/d allowed) - for freezes and PMS days

watched Book of Clarence - about halfway through. i'm curious to see where the movie goes - it's one of those movies where i can form an opinion only once i've watched the whole thing. for now, all i can say is, i really like the music! this one's my favourite:

[systimming]

When you have time, would you mind doing a board of Samuel the boatman from Dishonored? With ocean and seafaring and maybe some smoking if it's ok. I know one of my headmates misses him. Even if he doesn't mention it. Thank you for all you do.

Of course! Posted.

- Mod Primarina.

I hope you enjoy!!

- Mod Sammy.

[screwtheprinceimtakingthehorse]

let’s hang out with Samuel for a while <3

[shazzbaa]

For a moment, you can see the bones in your hand...

my delicious friend phosphor gifted me the fate needed to play the exceptional story The Shallows!! I HAD A GREAT TIME AND SAM DID NOT, and I decided the events of this story (which included Samuel having to do the Boatman's duty for a bit) were a great excuse to make him come out of it a wee bit more skeletal than he went in.

Here is some of my context-free liveblogging under the cut (some story spoilers):

Thren: "hopefully he doesn't mind all those 'you should not have done thats'...."

came for the Far Shore lore, stayed for the NARROWLY ESCAPED BECOMING THE BOATMAN OF DEATH FOR ALL ETERNITY

[aleran]

Samuel: Good luck, Corvo. If anyone deserves it, you do.

Corvo: You’re the only motherfucker in the city who can handle me.

[k1spiegel]

A Humble Sailor: i keep making mixes and samuel deserved one (features both a high chaos end song & low chaos end song)

[doctorpariahdax]

Dishonored Fancast - Dishonored ->Brigmore Witches

Angela Bassett as Jessamine Kaldwin       She’s just very professional and strong and she has a powerful presence on stage so I think even for a small part she’d be a really strong pick for Jessamine, someone who commands power and respect just with her voice.

Anson Mount as Corvo Attano     Mostly because he has the beard and long hair game down.  The first time I saw him was on Hell on Wheels, and I haven’t watched much of that show, but for being someone who I would usually dislike simply because of the background of the character he did a really good job at showing a caring and friendly side of a rough skinned man. I think he would be amazing at being everyone’s favorite deadly vengeance/family driven assassin while also showing compassion for Emily.

Carol Kane as Granny Rags       Aside from the fact that I think she’s a terrific actress and very funny/scary Carol Kane always seems to make her characters more realisitc than just being acted for the sake of existing. Even in funny roles like her role on Kimmy Schmidt she’s far more entertaining and believable than any of the other actors in my opinion. I think she would do a terrific job at scary us and empathize with her as Granny Rags.

Jeff Bridges as the High Overseer        Jeff Bridges is an amazing actor. I can’t even describe how flexible he is as an actor. And maybe it’s just his stature, voice, and talent but he makes a terrifying villain. 

Mads Mikkelsen as Daud        Unabashedly biased on this one but it’s for a good cause!        He is probably my favorite actor because of his micro-expressions. He’s notoriously been cast as a villain in ‘Hollywood’ movies like Le Chieffre in James Bond and Hannibal Lecter.         Beyond being a great villain, in his Danish and French films he’s a superbly empathetic actor. He doesn’t overact, he doesn’t yell, he doesn’t have to physically force his way through a scene because he does wonderful micro expressions that show us accurately feelings of rage, pain, loneliness, despair...etc. The guy is amazing and I think that Daud should have a cold and calculating actor who’s an expert at subtle acting.       P.S. Go watch his Danish films.

Sir Patrick Stewart as The Lord Regent/Spymaster       Sir Patrick Stewart is amazing (starting to sound like a broken record) but like Jeff Bridges he adapts excellently and flawlessly to practically any role he is given. I picked the picture above from the film adaptation of Macbeth because he did an amazing job at being devious and unhinged. (And I did not like the movie....like I was mad that I had to watch it, I just really didn’t dig the dystopian cold war adaptation to the play, but Stewart was FRIGHTENINGLY convincing as Macbeth)       And you can’t have a spymaster without that nose, you know? :P          

Gal Godot as Delilah Copperspoon       I haven’t really seen anything that Gal Godot is in but I love her as Diana Prince and she is really a strong presence on screen. I think that for a character like Delilah that was confident and extremely independent Gal wouldn’t be a bad choice and I think she’s far more capable of actually appearing in a macabre characterization of someone and usual typecasts like Eva Green. She has a very beautiful voice too and I think an essential part of Delilah should be that she’s alluring, even when she’s speaking to you through statues. 

Cillian Murphy as  Treavor Pendleton      Cillian Murphy, to me, is just really good at playing slimy, evil, devious people. I don’t really like him as an actor, but I think that’s mostly because I can’t stand the characters he plays. He’s really a good actor but I think he would fit a perfect niche of being enigmatic, devious, and someone who you can call a friend but never really trust - aka the epitome of Treavor Pendleton.

Christoph Waltz as Teague Martin      Christoph Waltz was a frightening and alluring character in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Bastards’, and as Blofield in James Bond. In Hollywood he’s played snake like people such as Walter Keane in ‘Big Eyes’ and as August in the film rendition of ‘Water for Elephants’.       Despite that, he’s really a charming gentleman in person and he has played roles from a cute, scheming, pet shop manager in  ‘ Weihnachtsmann gesucht’ to the infamous Hans Landa in ‘Inglorious Bastards’. Making him, in my mind’s eye, a great Teague Martin - capable of being very charming and quite frankly very sarcastic and funny to straight up terrifying and murderous.

Peter Mensah as Thomas      I really wish I could see more of Peter Mensah in movies. In what little I have seen of him on television he’s always found a way to be my favorite character, even if he’s only a side character or a very minute villain. (Remember when he was kicked into a well in ‘300′? ...Literally my favorite character) His portrayal of the Doctore on ‘Spartacus’ was really emotional, even when you didn’t know much of his character. He’s a very strong and powerful actor who, on the flip of a dime, can be intimidating and calloused and then suddenly quiet and warm, compassionate.

Gary Oldman as Samuel Beechworth         Like with Jeff Bridges and Patrick Stewart Gary Oldman adapts to all of his roles without flaws. I really like Oldman’s performances in practically every movie/play he’s done and I really like him playing ‘calmer’ characters. I think if he was Samuel a lot of fans of the game would immediately feel more connected to the character and love him more than we already all do for being LITERALLY our only friend in the whole game.

Lupita Nyong ‘o as Billie Lurk       I can’t describe how much I love Lupita. She’s an empowering figure for women and she exudes confidence and strength. It was a tough pick between her and Laura Mvula (wonderful singer, go check out her songs). I can’t help but see her as Billie when I think about Billie’s character development - being abused and belittled and mistreated by the world around her, then finding a family and making a niche for herself through dedication and skill, always looking forwards, always being ambitious and adventurous, with a healthy dose of hubris and care for others’ well being, but not afraid to get her hands dirty for those who harm the ones she loves.

Amandla Stenberg as Emily Kaldwin       She straight up tore  my heart out as Rue.        I know it’s been a couple years but I loved her in Hunger Games and I think she’d be a great Emily. I can totally see her being quiet, shy, and looking out for Corvo at the Pub and also totally fighting back and really giving the Whalers a tough time as she throws punches and makes a run for it at every chance she gets. Also kicking the shit out of the Pendleton Twins 

Steve Buschemi as the Older Pendleton Brothers, Crispus and Morgan      I don’t think I really need to say anything on this. Steve Buschemi is amazing and scary. I think he’d be great at the Pendleton twins. Like really great...and really scary. 

[sporadiceagleheart]

Eliahna Amyah “Ellie” Garcia 4, June 2012, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France June 4, 1789, Larry Allen Dick Sr. DEATH 4, June 2003, Sanford M Burns 4, June 1995, William Robert “Big Will” Boatman II 4, June 2016, Lassie 4, June 1940, Dennis Weaver William Dennis Weaver 4, June 1924, Catherine Rosalind Russell 4, June 1907, George III 4, June 1738, Freddy Fender Baldemar Garza Huerta 4, June 1937, SGT Lester Ray Stone Jr.4, June 1947, Samuel Lee Gravely Jr.4, June 1922, Robert “Gorilla Monsoon” Marella c.4, June 1937, Robert Merrill 4, June 1917, Geoffrey Dyson Palmer 4, June 1927, Joseph Francis Scott 4, June 1866, Jerauld Wright 4, June 1898, Gordon Robert Tapp Gordie Tapp 4, June 1922, Stringer Davis 4, June 1899, Nan Leslie Nanette June Leslie 4, June 1926, Clara Blandick Clara Blanchard Dickey 4, June 1876, William Meade Lindsley “Billy” Fiske 4, June 1911, Christopher Morgan 4, June 1808, Constance Mary Katherine “The Apple” Applebee 4, June 1873, Charles E. Laughton 4, June 1846, George Arthur Mathews 4, June 1852, Audrey Marie Hilley Audrey Marie Frazier 4, June 1933, William Halsted 4, June 1794, Gordon Waller 4, June 1945, Carol Andrews Mary Carol Jane Dolan 4, June 1921, John Eager Howard 4, June 1752, Frances Howard Goldwyn 4, June 1903, Edward Russell Hicks 4, June 1895, Morgana King 4, June 1930, Ann Lewis 4, June 1958, Martin Parmer 4, June 1778, Vinton Hayworth 4, June 1906, Priscilla Morrill 4, June 1927, Madame Bolduc Mary Rose-Anne Travers 4, June 1894, Angela Maria “Geli” Raubal 4, June 1908, Howard Culver 4, June 1918, Jeremy Belknap 4, June 1744,