#then after playing the other games there was more IMPACT in new playthrough but no major revelations

[aces-to-apples]

I'm gonna be real, so little of previous games have actually mattered in any way beyond flavor text that I literally could not give less of a shit about this whole debacle. Like it's such a non-issue to me. Idk what games y'all have been playing for 15 years but truly this is the norm. Barely anything carried over from Origins to Hawke and all pretty minor shit, and I genuinely cannot think of anything beyond flavor text carrying over to Inquisition. Oh you could customize Hawke and they can answer a few vague questions with vague bullshit? Cool, presumably that's what the Inquisitor will give us. Like idk guys but I think maybe building up your expectations for a decade has had a detrimental effect on what should be reasonable expectations for a video game that's truly been in development hell for like eight years and wants to be functionably playable to brand new players without alienating them.

[devilscreekballad]

It's here, it's here. The long awaited Chapter 7 is here.

After the MC got knocked out at the end of ch6 they awake back at the hotel, with Charlie telling them of the rescue mission to get them back. And that an old friend of Lynwood's has joined them, albeit just temporarily. Or maybe he's meant to stay? Also there's a cat.

Play it HERE

-

Updates & Changes (Version 7.0; 10/12/2024)

Added Chapter 7

Added Interlude Chapters from Charlie, Mrs. Meadow's and Lynwood's perspective (Lynwood's is atm incomplete and will be added with the ch8 update)

Updated skintone options

Added option for whether MC swears

Added options to not reveal if you're trans/under the umbrella

Added options to say if you bind/pad your chest or if you are flat-chested

Various bug and prose fixes.

Total Wordcount of this update (with code) 46725 words, bringing the overall wordcount (according to twine) to ~219000 (not counting unused/notes passages).

Can't give an average, sorry, but might very well be around 100k per playthrough now.

Note:

With this update the Choicescript version is on ice, though if there's ever a change to how CoG handles publishing (and if CS gets expanded array usage), who knows what the future holds for a more mobile and screenreader friendly version of Ballad.

For those new to the game:

The West is Wild and the West is Weird. A new century is around the corner, and you are an outlaw traversing the towns and terrains of the Frontier, only to one evening get wrapped up in chasing down the means to stop a doomsday cult from bringing forth the end of days. You’ll face hustlers, grifters, gunslingers and vengeful brides as you make your way to the ghost town of Devil’s Creek to find answers, and hopefully get out of there alive.

What can you play as?

Ballad allows you to set your a broad variety of factor besides gender and age, all which will have a variety of impacts on the story.

Who can you romance?

Right now there are six possible ROs, with more going to be added later:

Charlie, your best friend and partner in crime

Seán and Tommy, and odd couple of outlaws happenstance put into your little posse (they can only be romanced together)

Lynwood, a Pinkerton Agent on Seán's trail

Mrs. Meadows, widow, sharp-shooter and doctor there to make sure you'll uphold your end of the deal

Isaac, former colleague of Lynwood's picking up the trail of a cold case

As this is a Weird West game, some Warnings do apply:

Death

Blood

Violence

Swearing

Alcohol

Smoking

Mindsets and Vocabulary of the late 19th century North America/Europe

Mentions/Discussions of

Sexual Violence/Abuse

Spousal/Parental Abuse

Racism, Sexism, other forms of bigotry

Miscarriage

Infertility

Murder

Animal Death/Animal abuse

Guns

Spiritism

Mediumship

Ghosts

Supernatural events

Capitalism

Pinkertons

Like what you're seeing?

You can support the author on Pat or Ko.

~+~

But now, have fun with the game.

Stay safe, stay hydrated, stay weird. <3

[felassan]

BioWare Blogpost: Accessibility

"Journal #10 Accessibility Spotlight A look into Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Gameplay Accessibility Options --- Hey everyone! Today, we want to share many of the Accessibility features in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Regardless of skill level or ability, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the full experience and story of our game. There are several features and settings to customize the game to meet your individual needs; so let’s dig in!"

"First off, let’s discuss combat and the difficulty settings. During Character Creation, players can select from one of five curated difficulty levels or create a completely customized experience: Storyteller - Here for the story. Keeper - A balanced combat experience that emphasizes party composition and equipment choices over reaction times. Adventurer - A balanced experience that places equal emphasis on combat, party composition, and equipment choices. Underdog - Here to be pushed to the limit, requiring strategic planning and tactical decisions. Nightmare - Overwhelming battles that give no quarter. Requires a mastery of combat, equipment, skills, and game mechanics to survive. - Selecting Nightmare cannot be undone without starting a new playthrough. Unbound - Customize all settings. - Settings impact numerous aspects of gameplay. If this is your first time, consider a curated preset instead. Even after selecting a difficulty, there are more combat options available in the Settings Menu if you wish to make further adjustments. For example, you can adjust elements like parry timing, aim assist strength, or even how aggressive enemies are. See below for a full list of combat settings."

"UI and HUD elements are also customizable. Many elements of the HUD can be conditionally hidden or turned off entirely. For example, you can fully hide elements like Rook’s health, the objective tracker, or the Mini Map. There are also options for the text size in the UI."

"There are some accessibility aids for interface elements. For example, subtitles are fully customizable allowing you to modify things like the size, opacity, speaker names, and color. Other settings add audio aids to visual-only elements like incoming attack indicators. For anyone with vision deficiencies, there are full-screen color filters to improve visibility."

"Beyond the UI and HUD, there are a few more options regarding the game’s visual effects. For anyone who deals with motion sickness, there is a Persistent Dot Option and Motion Blur can be fully turned off. The in-game Camera Shake can also be adjusted from 0-100%. Additionally, there’s an FOV slider in the graphical settings."

"As discussed in the PC Features Blog, all inputs are remappable for gameplay in Dragon Age: The Veilguard on both controller and keyboard for all platforms. Input sensitivity and deadzones are also customizable with sliding scales. There are some UI interactions that require an input to be held for a short period of time, but this can be changed to tap instead. All of these options allow you to play the game in whatever way is most comfortable. These settings and more are available in Dragon Age: The Veilguard! See a full list below to check out all of our Accessibility settings and check out our Accessibility Portal. Interviews and coverage of our Preview Event will be released  on September 19th; so watch out for that. Chat soon!             — The Dragon Age Team"

"Audio - 3D Audio - Accessibility SFX - Glint Ping SFX - Mono Audio - Speaker Type - Volume Sliders Controls - Ability Wheel Controller Activation (Hold or Tap) - Disable UI Hold Inputs - Input Remapping - Invert Axis (X & Y available) - Swap Left & Right Sticks - Stick Deadzones - Trigger Deadzones - Vertical & Horizontal Sensitivity - Vibration Intensity GAMEPLAY Combat - Aim Assist  - Aim Snap  - Combat Timing - Enemy Aggression  - Enemy Damage - Enemy Health  - Enemy Resistances  - Enemy Vulnerability  - Prevent Death Exploration - Frequent Auto-Saving - Library (Codex, Glossary, Missives) - Object Glint Distance - Object Glint Visibility - Objective Marker Visibility - Pause at any time - Waypoint Visibility - World & Local Maps available at all times Visual / UI - Camera Shake - Depth of Field - Full-screen Colorblind Filters - Hide-able HUD Elements (Abilities, Damage Numbers, Hints, Mini Map, Objective Tracker, Player Health, Tutorials) - Low Health Screen Effect - Motion Blur - Persist Dot Option - Ranged & Melee Threat Indicators - Subtitle Advanced Options (Background Opacity, Speaker Names, Speaker Name Color, Subtitle Size) - UI Text Size - Vignette"

[source]

[josephinemontilyace]

After processing the DA:TV news re: choices from prior games...

I'm still pissed. I kept defending this game against other long-time players, but damn it, they were right. The team said F the long-time fans, F the people who did multiple playthroughs to experience different world states, who have been planning their playthroughs of this next game, who have dug deep into the lore and play these games BECAUSE of the impact we can have on the world as players... F them all?!?!?!

My inquisitors are going to be all the same, won't they?! My Trevelyan who was besties with Solas but wants to stop him will be the same as my Lavellan who loved him and promised to save him. Or, worse, my Trevelyan will be shoehorned into "I HATE SOLAS" mode when really, there's so much more to it than that, and my Lavellan will be all "UWU SOLAS BB I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU" without delving deeper into her complicated emotions on the matter.

(I have other playthroughs, two, those were just my two favorites)

They said nah, F-off, we don't want to think too hard and want to pander to new fans. Worried about it being too complex? Then yes, have a default world state that new players can choose, like before!! That's fine!!!!

Pissed. PISSED.

[psychhound]

ttrpgs in the classroom (part 4)

howdy!! back again after,, a time away (grad school is insane <33 save me <33) for a long overdue classroom post!!

so this one is about our first big essay assignment, the personal narrative essay! we'll actually be going over a number of games for this one!!

the assignment:

write a 900-1200 word personal narrative essay by playing a solo journaling ttrpg and reflecting on the experience using the prompts provided

the prompts:

What memory surfaced while you were playing the game, and why do you think that is?

What was your main emotion while playing, and where do you think that emotion came from?

What story from your childhood did your playthrough remind you of, and how did you come to know that story?

How did playing through the game inspire you? Is there a change you want to make in your life because of this experience?

Did playing through the game remind you of a success or failure from your real life, and if so, how did playing help you reflect on this?

the games: (as presented on the assignment sheet)

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the Universe by @lostwaysclub

You are a lighthouse keeper in the far reaches of space. Every day, there is work to be done to maintain your lighthouse, safeguarding passing ships from the edge of the universe. Log your observations, maintenance, and events while facing threats like emotion-driven weather.

Yourself

You have just discovered that you are a changeling: something between human and fey. Over five acts, you will reckon with this new discovery, and let your feelings shift and grow.

Snow

There’s something on your mind. There’s snow in the driveway. As you take the time to shovel it out, you think through and process your situation, whether mundane or life-altering.

Long Haul 1983 by @seanpatrickcain

You are a long-haul truck driver making a journey through an empty but dangerous world. Each day, you face a long, lonely highway filled with threats—whether mechanical, supernatural, or psychological. Each night, you make a payphone call to your most important person and leave them a message, though they never pick up.

Last Tea Shop (CW: death)

You own a tea shop on the border between the worlds of the living and the dead. As people pass from the first to the last, they stop into your teashop to have a drink and talk with you.

&

village witch - which was not on the assignment sheet but one student asked special permission to play this one after we listened to an actual play podcast that played this game (alone at the table by @ladytabletop) and the themes of the game really spoke to her

(if folks know other tumblrs for the creators feel free to tag them!!)

the results:

i was really really happy with these essays overall. the students wrote about some very impactful memories and emotions, and all seemed to get a lot out of playing

i had a lot of essays that came back and said "i never thought i'd be a gamer but i really enjoyed this" or "i didn't think i would get anything out of this experience but it really moved me". i was particularly happy with the essay from the business major that said "this was way better than being on my phone" considering these are 18 year olds still adjusting after years of the pandemic and leaving home for the first time and also this was homework

the most popular game played was last tea shop, and i had a mix of responses of "this made me realize how much i value my friends" to "i really need to value my friends and memories with them more" to "i really want to make more friends". i also had students who said this game helped them process grief over losing loved ones

long haul was also a popular one, and i got my most descriptive writing out of this game. it was interesting who the students chose to make their calls to, as well as what they chose the threats to be. one student got a bad ending and decided to play the whole thing again so he could make it home

the students who played lighthouse found it really soothing, as the game intends, and said it was a good way to process things that were on their mind after some of them had rough days leading up to playing (one student said he had to start over because he almost fell asleep on his desk after the game was too relaxing)

and with snow, none of the students chose to meditate on things directly from their lives, but all ended up finding that they had unconsciously put things they needed to process into the game and found new perspectives on them from playing. the kids who chose this one were the most surprised at what they got out of the experience

no one ended up choosing to play yourself, so i may switch this one out for future classes

the reason i chose these games in particular is that they all have an element of choice, and they all deal with emotions in some way. i thought this was a really successful first assignment and was glad the students all seemed invested and excited to play more after this

[albireogames]

Update v0.4.2 - Lark route release!

The first full route is complete! Lark's story spans 38k words (47k including side content) and has three possible endings: romantic, platonic, or... neither. We hope you go for all three!

In addition to the main story, there are a total of 20 side events as well, with many more to come in future updates. We plan to add a New Game+ feature to make it easier to see them all without having to complete a lot of additional playthroughs.

Unfortunately, since this is the only finished route at the moment, the game automatically sets you on the path to get one of her endings, so you don't have the option to pursue one of the other dragons. Other dragons' routes will be added in future updates, so please look forward to it.

If you encounter any bugs, please comment and let us know!

Play the game here: https://fenmori.itch.io/dragongame

Bug fixes and changes from 0.4.0 (closed beta):

Fixed a major issue where the two non-romantic endings were inaccessible due to a flag being set improperly

Added story flag checks for whether the player qualifies for the platonic ending

Fixed an issue where Lark always refers to a past event that may not have happened depending on the player's choice

Fixed the implementation of a toggle that mutes SFX for advancing text to reduce consistency issues where, after toggling the sound off, it would occasionally toggle back on by itself

Fixed an issue where, if the player chooses to play the game with rollback disabled, it would occasionally become enabled again after certain scenes

Fixed an issue where opening the game menu before selecting a rollback option would raise an exception and crash the game due to play time data being uninitialized

Fixed an issue with the Log where all character names were in lowercase

Fixed an issue with item art sizing

Fixed some transitions where the NVL dialogue window would show abruptly instead of dissolving in

Added lines of text before scene changes to make the window transition from the phone dialogue to ADV dialogue smoother

Changed the location for the Draconid invitation scene to better fit the tone

Changed the look and feel of buttons on the title screen

Updated the Credits and About menu screens to be consistent with the rest of the game menus

Adjusted the spacing of various UI elements

Made minor adjustments to a few sprites

Changed a few sprite transitions for better impact

Added two new pieces of item art that can be found in the beach scene

Fixed some transitions to use the right color

Fixed minor typos and edited some lines of dialogue for clarity

[nebulousfishgills]

As much as I love playing embrace Dark Urge runs (discussion in therapy pending), there's something so narratively satisfying about how a Resist Durge playthrough can go once you get to the Bhaal Temple. Your character steps into the ring with Orin, it's intended to be a duel, but odds are you're getting eviscerated pretty quickly. You then switch to one of your other characters in your party and throw an attack, effectively breaking the duel and setting the whole temple upon you.

(Adding a cut because this ended up being longer than I thought)

But, I think it's a very satisfying way to play. Your party members have grown fond of your Durge, seeing them as a friend, a family member, even a lover. They've watched you and your pain over your Urge and what it makes you do or want to do. Maybe you've slipped up once or twice, but you've been trying so hard to be the hero they know you can be, that Faerûn needs. So, when it comes time to finally face your demons and you're getting so horribly hurt in the process, they can't help but rush to your defense. It'll put all of them in danger, but it doesn't matter because they want and need to help you, their ally and companion.

Bonus points if you select your character's romanced companion as the savior/duel interruptor to make it extra delicious. They've fallen in love with you, stayed with you when your Urge craved their blood the most, maybe by this point in the game you've helped put their demons down as well. They see you in pain, a final valiant effort to overcome your Urge against the power of Orin, a whole cult, a god of murder himself. They want to protect you, save you as you saved them.

I'm also fond of the extra beauty of Astarion being your Resist Durge romance since it puts the two of you in very similar situations. Fighting against the will of your masters, finally defeating your demons with your newfound companions' help and being offered the greatest power you could ever fathom... only to deny it, ignore power in favor of your party and your love.

This isn't even mentioning just how goddamn good the Withers resurrecting you cutscene is. This skeleton in your camp with unknown and unfathomable power (also apparently supposed to be Jergal himself if I've done my research properly?) is able to bring you back to life, free of your Urge. The line along the lines of "Bhaal could only destroy what of you that he knew, but because you've grown past your Urge and become your own person, he couldn't destroy that new growth" is just so weirdly powerful narratively. Tav may be a default character for you to create upon making a new save file, but Durge is the canon protagonist and I think that entire scene shows it the best. It's a beautiful secondary climax of the narrative (primary being battling the Netherbrain of course).

And, perhaps it's just an oversight on Larian's part or something that'd be a bit difficult to work into the cutscenes mechanically, but I think that it could only get more impactful if your companions could comfort each other during these moments. Everyone and their mother wishes you could hug Astarion after he kills Cazador, but also imagine your romanced companion cradling your body after Bhaal kills you. It seems just a little odd that they all (meaning your party) kinda just stand around staring at your corpse, especially with how close y'all have gotten.

Idk, I have a lot of thoughts about this section of the game in this particular type of playthrough and some of them are hard to articulate into words. It's just such a damn good narrative peak and can really make you feel things.

I've completed I think two resist Durge runs and just hit this point on my third and it really stuck out to me this time (then again my new antidepressants are kinda fucking with me so that might be playing a role). I left it as my last mission before dealing with the Netherbrain and I think it helped build the anticipation of that moment. Everyone else has been helped by you, and now it's your turn to come into your own. I really felt so connected to my character walking into the temple, feeling like everything has been building to this, that regardless of what happens our suffering will finally end. And you have your party there to help you in your time of greatest need as you've done for them.

There's a reason this game was Game of the Year, the narrative is just so powerful and the replay-ability is just insane. I've beaten this game ten times, heading for my eleventh and it truly just never gets old and never fails to make me feel so many things so strongly.

[zeebreezin]

Introduction • Updated 06/05/24

Hello hello, this is Astra! Welcome to my Fallen London side blog, I’m still somewhat new to the game but I’ve played a good bit of Sunless Seas and am always down to learn more about the world. This blog is heavily focused towards OCs, both mine and others, as well as my liveblog of my playthrough! According to some I’ve become the Sequencer Guy (™), which is a title I'm more than willing to bear. I’m working through a Nemesis route character as we speak and have just started a Light Fingers PC! Shaw’s (Nemesis) playthrough can be found at #low level liveblog, and B’s (Light Fingers) is at #b’s bizarre adventure.

If you ever have questions about my characters or want to interact, shoot me an ask or DM! I love talking and I love hearing about other people’s creations, but I have a pretty bad memory for conversations & replies!!

I’m a writer and digital painter, and am much more comfortable with more atmospheric / background work compared to portraiture & drawing people in general, but I’ve been trying to branch out. I also tend to make jokes that can lean in dirty directions, but I won’t be reblogging any IRL NSFW. There might be discussions of kink & sexual topics, but I’ll keep those tagged under #suggestive and they shouldn’t be too frequent. I’m also chronically bad at tagging spoilers or triggers, so please let me know if you need anything I will do my best.

One last important note here - like I mentioned before, I have a lot of characters involved with the New Sequence & the Dawn Machine, and I do my best to portray semi-realistic elements of how cults function & can impact people in them. If you are at all uncomfortable with those kinds themes of religious abuse, please please please feel free to blacklist those character & relationship tags!! I will not judge you whatsoever, Stay safe!

With all that said, Character stuff under the cut! Hope you have a great day today!

Ambition Characters:

The Black Rook | The Long-Suffering Linguist - August Shaw

He/They - Mid 40s - Nemesis! - Philology Professor & Midnighter - Watchful | Dangerous

Account: AugustShaw

A professor of Philology by trade, Shaw is a prickly character who has a mildly extreme obsession with the various languages of the Neath, a fascination that’s gotten them into a good deal of trouble… and left them with a few strange quirks. He's driven by the need to get revenge after his daughter’s death, and puts on a face of absolute pragmatism to do it. Desperate to give back to those on the surface he left behind, Shaw’s fallen in with the Great Game, becoming a spymaster for Black and working to uplift the marginalized from below… a trade he’s gotten a terrifying reputation for. Unscrupulous at the best of times, he is damn good at his job, when he’s not chasing a bit of escapism by any means necessary. While they’re seemingly a grumpy bastard, Shaw does have a big heart and a surprisingly bold sense of humour.

The Reckless Playwright - ‘B’

Any/They - Mid 20s - Light Fingers - Actor/Playwright - Persuasive | Shadowy

Account: BThePlaywright

B is an aspiring playwright and actor with their head in the non-existent clouds and a spring in their step. She always seems to be getting into a little bit of trouble, before charming his way out of it with a smile and a wide eyed look. Everything about their past is a bit of a mystery, though it can’t be denied that they have a good heart. While searching for cheap lodgings in London, B ended up with the (mis)fortune of becoming Shaw’s housemate and eventual investigative assistant. Their endless optimism hides a great deal of past horrors, as does their suitcase. They’re absolutely not wanted by the Navy for treason, either. Don't know why I had to specify that.

The Pragmatic Headhunter - Vivian Fitzpatrick

She/He/They - Bag a Legend - Bounty Hunter - Dangerous | Watchful

Shaw’s Ex-wife who came down to the Neath after he abandoned her and their still living son. After murdering her (now probably ex-) husband, Vivian developed a taste for the Neath. Both for the power they could achieve, and for the thrill of the hunt and battle. More than anything, he wants to prove herself to be more than the grieving mother the surface wanted her to be - by becoming something more feared than death itself. Harsh and openly hypocritical, Vivian’s on the fast track to becoming something terrible - but the question is, will she be able to bury the last of herself to do it?

Non-Ambition Characters:

The Ravenous Acumen - It/She - Killer for Hire / Killer for Hobby - Shadowy | Dangerous

A mysterious figure with a deeply warped body and equally warped sense of morality. After Acumen’s own hubris cost her everything, it devoted itself to killing arrogant or naive researchers that play with things they don’t understand. There’s far worse fates out there then death, after all. It speaks in riddles, lives for games, and has a bizarrely tender affection for anyone who gains her favor.

The Mournful Phantasm/The Chimeric Violinist - ‘Lenore Shaw’ - She/They - ??? - Persuasive | Dangerous

Once a dangerous Parabolan entity born from the thousands of false-selves created when mourners dream of lost loved ones, ‘Lenore’ found her way to reality entirely by accident, and truly believes she is Shaw and Vivian’s biological daughter. Gazing into the mirror glace that follows her reflects back the form of whoever or whatever you’ve lost that you miss most dearly. Not quite a reflection, but definitely not human, she currently resides in the Royal Beth, haunting its halls - though she may walk the streets soon enough.

The Phosphorescent Engineer - Officer Benedict Beverley - He/Him - Chief Engineer @ The Grand Geode - Watchful | Persuasive

The hot shot engineer and golden boy of the Grand Geode, Beverley is a sequencer who’s best known for his wonderful designs of prototype dawnlight explosives. Bastard. Deeply in denial. He’s desperate to test them out and bring the dawn to the population of London, but he’s even more desperate to recover his lost prototype… and find his missing partner. [Has a Sunless Skies verison - The Scintillating Harbinger!]

The Hell Scarred Surgeon - Dr. Laurence Frost - He/Him - Medical Officer & Interrogator @ The Grand Geode - Dangerous | Watchful

Veteran of the War on Hell in 68’ and currently a respected doctor & chemist within the New Sequence, Laurence is a deadpan bastard who loves his work. All of it. Known for having a relationship with Isobel & Vincent that led to him becoming Beverley’s legal guardian after their deaths, as well as having complicated feelings about the Grand Geode’s authority. As loyal as he is to the Sequence, he’s even more loyal to the Beverley family.

The Gregarious Commander - Commander Vincent Beverley - He/Him - Commander & Recruiter @ The Grand Geode - Persuasive | Dangerous

One of the New Sequence’s most prolific recruitment officers, Vincent was a conman looking to profit off the Admiralty in the years following London’s fall… but lost himself entirely in the process. Now he’s deeply in love with Isobel, the woman that ‘saved’ him, as well as his favorite doctor. He’s frighteningly good at charming souls into joining the Dawn Machine’s light, in order to ‘save’ them too. Charismatic, silly, & utterly empty inside. Died mysteriously when Beverley was young. [Dead as of FL canon!]

The Discreet Artificer - Isobel Beverley - She/Her - Former Engineer @ The Grand Geode - Watchful | Shadowy

A former engineer that helped build the Dawn Machine, Isobel lost the majority of her sight after venturing deep into the Machine’s heart to perform an emergency repair. The experience left her with even more of an undying love for the machine, and now with the aid of her husband Vincent as a figurehead, she’s been creating her own sect on the Grand Geode. A soft spoken woman with a knack for manipulation and collecting unwell spouses. Died mysteriously when Beverley was young. [Dead as of FL canon!]

Side Game PCs:

The Wide-Eyed Venturer - Doctor-Captain Everett Shaw-Fitzpatrick - SSkies PC - He/They - Captain of the Uncommon Denominator - Hearts | Mirrors

Shaw and Vivian’s son, who spent his teen years raised on stories of their adventures in the Neath. Now, he’s taken to the skies to make a story of his own, after a brief stint learning medicine in Vienna. He’s got all the smarts, but none of the cutthroat energy of his parents. What could go wrong?

Inactive Characters:

The Rake-In-Violant / The Malcontent Seamstress - Emile Rainier - He/She - Light Fingers - ‘Socialite’ / Thief - Shadowy | Persuasive

The Everdrowned Reaver - Captain Verily - Sunless Seas PC - She/They/It - Captain of the Double or Nothing - Irons | Hearts

Character Tags:

#August Shaw

#B

#Vivian Fitzpatrick

#The Ravenous Acumen

#Officer Beverley

#The Hell Scarred Surgeon

#The Gregarious Commander

#The Discreet Artificer

#Lenore Shaw

#Doctor Captain Everett

#The Rake In Violant

#Captain Verily

Character Relationship Tags:

August Shaw & B - #Detective duo

A depressed detective set on revenge and a lost playwright drunk on freedom take up lodgings together. A strangely charged and mildly codependent friendship.

August Shaw & The Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel - #cuneiform curses

Yeah, it turns out being wracked with guilt and constantly going insane has some consequences! In Shaw’s case, the consequences are catching some complicated feelings for the hat man. Go figure.

August Shaw & Vivian Fitzpatrick - #(un)loveable hand

The bloodthirsty wife he abandoned and the self flagellating husband she swore to surpass. Extremely complicated divorced couple who’ve changed in more ways than one.

The Shaw-Fitzpatrick Family (August, Vivian, Lenore, Everett) - #in the blood

A family charged with sorrow, who all seem to have a tendency to wield their pain like knives. General tag for the family’s background, themes, and vibes.

August Shaw & The Ravenous Acumen - #worst laid plans

An endless game of cat and mouse - or at least, it should be, provided the killer can get her chosen opponent to survive what’s coming. Psychosexual mind games, and weirdly supportive ones at that.

B & Officer Benedict Beverley - #best and brightest

Two best friends, perfect partners, who build a maddening machine. One chose their own ambition over the other’s safety - but who’s who is up for debate. Neither is entirely happy with the outcome. Longing, Cults, and heartbreak, o my!

Laurence, Vincent, & Isobel - #photokeratitis

The almighty Sequencer Throuple. Forged in cult indoctrination and violently codependent tendencies, these three have a complicated but deeply loving relationship built on trust and communication. This is a bad thing.

Doctor-Captain Shaw-Fitzpatrick & Skies!Beverley - #horseshoes and hand grenades

The most dangerous Captain of Her Majesty’s fleet… and the traveler that just can’t help but ruin his day. Religiously. Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner type shit until one of them gets feelings about it.

B & Emile Rainier - #red letter days

Vivian Fitzpatrick & Emile Rainier - #arsenic and old lace

[mirror-to-the-past]

Finished KH3 and Re:Mind- holy shitballs.

So *much* was happening throughout that climax, and so little of it was cohesive, and Re:Mind made it so a double narrative was taking place simultaneously alongside the base KH3 climax so yeah, it's going to be hard to discuss everything I probably would've wanted to while playing throughout those fateful final hours. I'm definitely going to accidentally skim over some details or questions I have, purely as a consequence of my head whirling.

The two biggest criminals here impacting my understanding of the plot are one- the aforementioned double narrative and two- the obfuscating nature of Sora's POV (like, the one that comes to the forefront of my mind at the moment was when he came out of the light tunnel with Kairi after resurrecting everyone via Power of Waking and looked off somewhere and appeared confused/surprised). Re:Mind explained what was going on in some suspicious moments where Sora looked like... haha I don't know how else to describe it except by saying he looked like he was dissociating? But yeah, that post light tunnel moment was not one of those so. 👀 Literally have no inkling what they might have been going with there- just a feeling of significance I can't shake. I got that a lot throughout the end of this playthrough. Pain.

The time travel in this game was one of the most bonkers usage of time travel I've seen in media, and I salute the writers for sticking to it and making their plot happen. I think my brain would've fried halfway through and I'd have cried at the keyboard. I am but a mortal stuck on a linear scale. This falls somewhat beyond me. I'll try my best to make heads or tails of it, though.

While the execution felt somewhat... sudden/rushed, I appreciated the follow-up on Sora's crumbling self esteem. 10/10 mini breakdown, you motivated Riku to such a degree that he got you spirited to the Final World- good job, lad. I know Naminé said that Kairi was the one keeping Sora tied to the Final World, but I had to wrap my mind around that statement, assuming its validity, because it felt a bit out of left field for me. I only mention this because after everything I saw (Riku's sacrifice shown twice, a good number of the star people who had very similar sounding sentiments to Riku [lemme tell you some of those stars were very telling], and I thought I was bullshiting on this one at first, but after rewatching the Final World's title card animation thingy, it ALSO looks a lot like a reflection of the composition of the Riku death scene), I felt a bit surprised that it was not said to have been Riku's contribution that kept Sora chained to the Final World- it would definitely have made sense given the context. However, Kairi's love and hope for Sora is definitely not to be dismissed, alongside Riku's love and belief in him, so upon thinking on it more, I see it as a "Riku saved and tethered Sora's heart to the Final World and Kairi helped Sora retain his form" kind of thing. And if you think about the presence of each character in Sora's life, their contributions under that lense would make sense:

Kairi is a symbol of home and memory, maintenance of stability. She would be the one to hold onto her memory of Sora- strong enough that he would maintain some level of physicality and semblance of mortal self, even in near death. Similarly to what Joshua said in DDD: "By ourselves, we're no one. It's when other people look at us and see someone- that's the moment we each start to exist. All they needed was someone to see them, connect with them." <- That fits pretty well with the situation.

Riku focuses more on new beginnings, and the casting away of things deemed as 'unnecessary' (body, home, companionship... debatablely happiness) for the sake of pursuing desires. It would match up with his history of possession and development where he learns relinquishing of control. Without Kairi's contribution, Sora would likely have just manifested as another faceless star person, as retaining Sora's heart would've been Riku's priority in that moment, regardless of what form he would take. (From moments before Riku's sacrifice- "We haven't lost them. They still have their hearts. But we have to protect them." Tie that into Riku's "Protect the things that matter" thing, and boom.)

So uh... go team! Sora may be determined to get himself killed, but with their powers combi- oh... (Looks at the ending)

Also I made sure the 111th Sora I grabbed was doing a funny little jig. I'm proud of me.

Here's a speculative blurb from a previous attempt at a KH3 climax post from earlier that ended up getting scrapped:

"Because of what Young Xehanort said (EN: the "It's already too late for you" line), now I'm wondering if Sora's being baited into an illusion where his friends are safe, because he couldn't handle a world where that wasn't the case, paralleling DDD ending. That, or Sora's just doomed himself by going to the Final World, using the power of waking a bunch and attempting to carry on, business as usual."

While I'm glad that it didn't turn out as bleak as the initial speculation, I do still wonder post ending if, given Xehanort's level of anticipation of his opponents' moves on a metaphysical level, he took advantage of Sora's insistence on breaking reality for his loved ones as a way to bait him and shove him out of the way forever, or if sending him to where it looks like Sora ended up was somehow more advantageous for his ambitions in the long run. And let it be known I predicted my boy was going to sorta-die due to his everything-ex-machina. I cracked jokes about it to cope throughout the entire finale.

Examples:

"Boy Riku, the air that I'm breathing in the Keyblade Graveyard sure is stuffy, but I feel immensely grateful for it for some reason. *coughs forebodingly*"

"Y'know Kairi, I think I'm down to reminisce with you for once. I just feel like I should really look at where life's taken me so far. Oh, no particular reason. Lovely weather today."

On a less upsetting note-

ROXASSS

XIONNN

YYEAHHHH BABEYY 😎😎😎

Literally lost my MIND when Roxas showed up. The hype I felt was immeasurable, and my day was made. The "Other Promise" rendition during the fight was sick, and Re:Mind did the Org. trio even more justice with their attacks. When Xion started crying post fight I was just like... same, babygirl. It was just a lot, and I'm so happy Roxas was yoinked back into existence.

Still extremely intrigued about all of the unknowns in the Org. XIII lore. You can't just take away all the cool guys again and not tell me anything new about them (Marluxia, Larxene, Demyx, Luxord). Especially after Xemnas previously made a big deal literally about how mysterious they all were. Dick. >:0

Very curious about when and how Luxord's wild card will come into play, considering it didn't get mentioned during Re:Mind, as I assumed it might in order to help Sora fix Kairi or perhaps get Sora out of his mess. KH4, maybe? 👀

Also XIGBAR MVP ONCE MORE LFG. OR SHALL I SAY, LUXU?? I really should've put two and two together for that one, because of how all-knowing Xigbar seemed to be at all times, but I wasn't particularly focused on figuring out Luxu's identity, so that's on me. Curious about how he summoned the Foretellers. Thought they were dead, for some reason, but I suppose there was no reason to assume so if Luxu was able to survive that long as well. Wonder what they've been up to? Ava noped out- wisest thing anyone has done this entire franchise, lol. I would assume the Book of Prophecies was inside the box, but as seen by the Union X stuff, Mr. Master was still enjoying prophetic light reading after he sent Luxu away, so all one can assume is that it's parts of the Book of Prophecies hidden away from everyone or perhaps another significant book altogether. We'll seeeee. *explodes*

Speaking of the Union X stuff, loved that moment where Ephemer phased into Sora's reality to stir the lingering wills of the deceased Keyblade wielders into action. I just felt so happy for what I assume were real players who are now forever immortalized in the game as people who come to your side to help you beat the tough baddie, y'know? I got a bit emotional- it reminded me of NieR:Automata. If you know, you know.

Riku and Xehanort's Heartless have finally finished their strange drawn out mentorship/insecurity demon/invasive clingy ex dynamic. I chuckled a little bit at Riku saying "I think I'll miss you." Oh dear, lol.

I love that one scene where all the Guardians of light minus Kairi and Sora were fighting in an Avenger-esque huddle in the sky, and they occasionally chatted with each other. Ventus complimenting Roxas made my heart warm. It's the little things!

Scala ad Caelum is so pretty! And fun to say, haha! It reminds me a lot of a The Mist/Sharlayan city lovechild from FFXIV. Very Mediterranean, bleached white coastal prettiness. Would live there- 10/10. Also, I appreciate the consistency of people's hearts manifesting physically as their homeland. You had Sora's heart in DDD as the island the kids played at in Destiny Islands, and now Xehanort where he was raised and trained (he felt more personal connection to it than say, Destiny Islands, where he seemed to have also spent part of his life). It's sweet, and a bit sad, as both have grown so estranged from their homelands.

The way I SCREAMED when I got to play as Kairi. So sad how she's been thrown into such a disastrous fray so suddenly after becoming a Keyblade wielder, her and Axel/Lea (I don't care about Merlin's time stopping magic man, I Know they needed more time) and suffered the most for it. She was really getting the Sora treatment of being talked down to by the villains (kudos to Axel/Lea, I love him so much for calling Kairi his trump card, they make me so happy), and being seen as easy pickings. It's so good that Sora was in her corner to help her, because like damn. Girlie went through it. And then she comes out the other end only for her best friend who risked life and limb for her to fucking DIE as a result of how hard he tried to make sure she was safe despite the universe working against her (gj for Sora finally stepping up as a Kairi bodyguard this game, by the way. About time �� [I am light-heartedly referencing my own inside joke].)? DAMN. SHE'S PROBABLY GOING THROUGH IT EVEN MORE. Survivor's guilt, anyone? But yeah, anyway, her going "please work!" when fighting Xehanort was so sad... you're doing great, Kairi! Don't let anyone tell you different! Loved the "One Heart" attack her and Sora had! It was so pretty, and they're absolutely my little angels- they deserve the wings! Love how they're both like... the connection pieces between everyone, y'know? I love Kairi's attack pattern of her initial swipe being a long ranged hit that then zaps her to the target- thought that was great design! It was on par with Aqua's gameplay in this game, for me, and I admittedly like the feel of it a little more than Roxas' and Riku's. Side note- was Riku's AI as a party member just wack for me, or does he not have healing moves/items this game? I only ask because I remember how he was like 🫰 On It whenever Sora's health would drop a smidgen in KH2, but here he was like "I saved you in cutscene, if you die now, you die, fam."

That part in Re:Mind where Mickey becomes playable and gets a whole Price of Freedom last stand moment had me in tears, I was laughing so hard from the melodrama of it all. But also the music was genuinely beautiful. It's just... 😂 I'm sorry I loved it so much. I love these games, they're so ridiculous. If someone likes Kingdom Hearts, I can't help but assume they also have a brilliant sense of humor, as well.

Love how every day, Kingdom Hearts becomes more and more Doctor Who. That one battle line from Young Xehanort, the fanatical time traveling icon himself, where he stops time and says "Don't Blink" made me smile.

I really liked that one Vanitas line to Sora- "And I do stand by your side. I'm the shadow that you cast. How much closer could I be?" I am reminded that the main reason I love antagonistic characters is due to their cryptic and occasionally poetic speech patterns.

Speaking of antagonistic characters who are NOT poetic- Master of Masters my GUY! I am consistently delighted to see this guy on screen, he's so loveable- I don't care about his war crimes. Thought it was hilarious how he said "So you're saying the weak feel the need to justify their actions to maintain a sense of self." And it completely goes over Xehanort's head how hard he's justifying his intended actions in that scene. When a guy like the Master of Masters, who seems to pride himself on low involvement passively mentions your strong willed ideologies, I'd get the idea he's silently judging you in his head. "There's no class, really! What happened to letting human nature take its course? Kids these days just can't wait for things to fall into place over the course of millennia anymore." *Cracks open a cold one in the Keyblade Graveyard*

Oh also, Xehanort and Gaius van Baelsar from FFXIV are the same individual in goals and personality and that is immensely hilarious to me. They both have a propensity of taking in orphans that then go through psychological and physical trauma for his agenda, too. You don't understand him, guys! The weak were being propelled into a misguided agenda that controlled the masses, and SOMEONE needed to step up and be the voice of action that would allow the motherland- *ahem* Keyblade Wielders and the worlds to return to their true glory! All these teenagers and twenty-somethings raving to him about friendship and light are too sensitive- they'll give Keyblades to anyone nowadays, and he hates this new woke Keyblade society! Next time, on the Xehanort podcast-

As you can see, at this point in the post my sanity dwindles evermore. So, I'll finish by going over the last major thing that made me spiritually foam at the mouth a little bit:

SECRET ENDING CUTSCENE WAS SO WELL COMPOSED HOLY SHIT. Every single frame was desktop worthy. The LIGHTING. I also like how it looks more Final Fantasy, admittedly. The other style they had in the fancy cutscenes looked a little off-putting with everyone's porcelain doll eyes. But this one? MWAH. BELLISIMO.

The MUSIC. The COLORS. The red/blue thing Sora and Riku kept locking onto while they were gaining their bearings and trying to find each other? The warm/cool tones between each of the boys' sides, both still within an urban setting? The dynamic camera movement that started as slow, unfocused, lingering shots to reflect Sora's (especially) and Riku's disorientation of their new surroundings, all before switching to sudden, sweeping shots over the cityscape as the realization of their circumstances crashes down upon them? Them walking into each other's shots while looking around, showing how they're searching for each other even subconsciously? OH, OH, AND THE RED/BLUE THING CARRIED OVER FOR THE DEFINITELY NOT PLOT RELEVANT (it's not like the game drew attention to how he looks like Sora [I don't see it but whatever] and Riku, and this series has never made character designs plot relevant ever) HETEROCHROMIA IN THE VIDEO GAME GUY TOO, AND YEAH, HE'S THERE LMAO?? Literally did not have "the spoof Riku-esque character from the damn Toy Story World is important and potentially the MCs' secret lovechild" on my Bingo card, but I'm adaptable. I hope that once he and Riku meet there's a Spiderman meme moment. I also hope Sora's like "What? How am I talking to you? You're from a video game!" And Yozora is like "You also are from a video game" and we finally shatter this paltry meta narrative barrier we've been poking at once and for all. Give me more chaos, I must feed.

I was extremely confused as to why Riku was in the same place as Sora, and was like "maybe it's another DDD parallel world separating them from each other" thing, but still, how did he get there in the first place? But then I laughed as I envisioned the natural, sensible progression of this situation in a hypothetical post-Sora disappearance cutscene where everyone stares on, shocked, and Kairi wobbles down the Paopu tree, sobbing, to everyone else on the beach.

Kairi: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, he said he didn't have much time left, but he was happy to spend it with everyone, and he's happy I'm safe and- *sniff* and- I should've asked him something that could help us go after him and-"

Riku: "Don't worry, Kairi. I'll handle this."

Aqua: "Riku, we don't even know where to start, we need to assess the situation!"

Axel: "Aaaand, he's walking away."

Ventus: "What do you think he's planning on doing?"

Terra: "It's Riku. He's a man with a plan. He'll do what he has to to... uhm."

Axel: "Aaaand, he's walking into the ocean."

Kairi: "RIKU, NO-"

Naminé: "RIKU, YOU CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN-"

And from where I left off before getting mercilessly slaughtered by my first Data fight, it's now been a whole year of Absent Sora. Damn. One squad's in hell, Kairi might be in another coma, and Riku's probably gonna take up blindfolds again at this rate. What no Sora does to a mf part 2.

Riku: "We NeEd to BeLieVe in HiM. HiS hEaRt aNd HiS miNd aRe MaDe uP." *Puts his face in his hands* *Silently sobs*

[lunas-otome-blog]

Luna's Review: Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei

Official Summary:

Fifteen years after the Heiji Rebellion, the Heike clan has reached the height of its power, while the Genji clan remains devastated by defeat. Hidden deep within the mountains of Kurama lives Shanao, the youngest surviving male heir to the Genji name. However, Shanao harbors a deep secret known by very few.

The youngest heir to the Genji name is no man.

Her adventure leads her to find new cherished relationships, as well as something deeper than the feud between the rivaling clans.

Luna's Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

Fast-paced and serious, Birushana is an action-packed otoge that plays out like an anime.

MC Shanao (later Yoshitsune) is inflexible, with a strong sense of justice and an even stronger sword arm. Despite her fierce personality, she seems easily swayed by sincerity. She doesn't like when people put themselves in harm's way for her, preferring to sacrifice herself instead.

The fight scenes in this game are elaborate, with characters twisting and trembling to vibrant sound effects. Sprites move quickly and dramatically in ways I've never seen in an otoge before. The swordplay seems high stakes as the game shows you the impact of each swing rather than describing it in text.

This game would have benefitted from stripping down the number of characters in general, as there are a LOT of sprites, some with little screen time. There are also large time skips where relationships are formed between Shanao and her followers, but they feel a bit rushed because we didn't get to watch them develop.

This game is based on the real historical events of the Genpei War between the Heike (Taira) clan and the Genji (Minamoto) clan. While I do recommend playing your first route blind, you might find it fun to read through the Wiki article about the war afterwards, just to see where the game diverges from truth. Or maybe I'm just a big nerd lol.

Birushana is very, very Japanese, and if you're like me, you'll find yourself looking at the dictionary often. But much of the vocabulary is added for flavor, so it won't really affect your playthrough if you can't remember the modern-day equivalent of ancient Japanese cities or specific titles for monks.

The routes of this game all follow the same general plot, as it is based on a real war. If you're playing your first route and thinking "Man, this is super long," it's because there are common route scenes interspersed throughout character routes. So if you feel like you've played a certain scene before, it's probably because you have. Get that skip button ready.

Final thoughts: this game was okay. My main critiques are that the game could have done a better job introducing characters; the romanceable characters are not given enough screen time when you're not playing their route; and some of the routes are boring/predictable.

My recommended route order, based purely on the amount of information revealed, is: Noritsune -> Benkei -> Yoritomo -> Shungen -> Tomomori. This isn't the recommended order by the publisher, so play at your own risk lol.

For thoughts on each route in the order I played them, see below. Spoilers ahead.

.

Musashibo Benkei Route (Spoilers)

I didn't feel the game gave enough of an introduction to Benkei before shunting me off onto his route. While I understand why these characters get along, they are both immediately ride or die for each other in a way that felt unrealistic. Their dedication was too strong, too fast to be believable.

That said, I see why they make a nice couple. Benkei admires Shanao because of her strength, and she comes to like him because he has suffered in a similar way to her. Initially he reminds her of the father she never had, but her feelings become something more complex as the game goes on.

Benkei clearly admires Shanao as a warrior of justice, not because she's a woman. When he realizes his feelings are more than that of a vassal for his lord, he actually feels guilty it because he knows Shanao has had to sacrifice so much to become a "man." It was pretty cute.

There's some sexual assault themes in this route, and I felt it was handled well, with Shanao taken seriously and given ample time to heal.

There's unfortunately not much to Benkei beyond him being a general nice guy and die hard companion. You learn his backstory quickly and there isn't anything to add after that point. When Benkei lies to Shanao, which would have been a prime opportunity to create some tension or angst, she instead understands his motivations innately and forgives him right away. The same goes for him when he discovers Shanao has been hiding her true nature.

While I liked this route okay, it felt more like an outline of a route than a full plot. I'm glad I played this one first, as it was kind of a snoozefest.

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Tomomori Taira Route (Spoilers)

I hated this character in the Benkei route, so I decided to play him next. I couldn't understand how the game could paint him as sympathetic enough to want to date.

Spoiler alert: it never does. I disliked Tomomori throughout his own route, too.

Tomomori could have easily been written as an obsessed yet passionate character, but instead he is just plain creepy. He steals kisses without consent, touches Shanao in her sleep, calls her by cringey names like "Princess" and is just generally flirty in a way that Shanao clearly doesn't like. When Shanao starts to fall for him, it felt more like Stockholm Syndrome than actual love. Girl, what??

His obsession with her, by the way, is never really explained. While his backstory was infinitely more interesting than Benkei's, it doesn't justify his actions toward her — or explain why she might reciprocate.

The whole point of his character is that he's chaotically suicidal and feels his life means nothing. It would have made more sense if Shanao had done something to give his life meaning. I could understand if he'd become obsessed with her because she shares his powers and represents a freedom that he never had. But that's not what happens. Instead, he decides a random crying woman will become his new toy, and we're supposed to believe that it was true love the whole time.

In the after ending scene, we find out he is literally keeping her at home instead of allowing her to visit her friends and family because he is too jealous to let her speak with other men. This is supposed to be romantic?

This whole route was icky and unhealthy. Not even the final act plot twist can save this pairing.

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Noritsune Taira Route (Spoilers)

Noritsune is a better version of Tomomori. His obsession with Shanao, who is the same age as him, makes sense after she whoops his ass in battle. He sees her as a true rival and admires her desire to choose her own path, not just as a child of Genji but as an individual.

Despite his inferiority complex, Noritsune is a skilled warrior and a true man's man. Once he's seen how his own family treats its people, his allegiance wanes. While ultimately he does fight for the Heike, he, like Shanao, isn't interested in flexing his superiority, but in fighting for the weak. He's a good guy in a tough position.

When Noritsune discovers Shanao is a woman, he doesn't treat her any differently. While this is respectable, I was a little disappointed because I wanted to see Noritsune struggling with his attraction toward her haha. But don't worry, you do get a scene like this later. And while the ending is bittersweet, it felt more realistic than having everything work out perfectly.

Despite revealing less information about Shanao's backstory than the other routes, Noritsune's route was really solid. He goes through a satisfying arc, from a character who only cares about honor to someone who really embraces his leadership role and what that means to his people. Shanao also experiences growth as she spends time with the Heike and learns that there are good people — and bad — on both sides.

This route was my favorite in the game. It was sweet and romantic while still feeling overall like a "samurai" game. This is a fighting-heavy route as Shanao and Noritsune clash as Genji and Heike — and as two people who greatly respect each other and just want to test their skills.

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Shungen Route (Spoilers)

Shungen doesn't get a lot of attention on the other routes, but you do get to see little bits of him that suggest he's the long suffering type. At the beginning, he chides Shanao for trusting too quickly. In Noritsune's route, he steps aside as she goes to him in the final battle, not understanding but respecting their bond. He's the sort of character who doesn't seek the spotlight, content with a supporting role.

This supporting nature is the first arc of Shungen's route, wherein his relationship with Shanao is questioned. They both consider a more formal arrangement wherein Shungen officially becomes Shanao's vassal, rather than the loose childhood friends relationship they have now.

The route continues to deal with with the topic of family, as Shanao evaluates her feelings about her brother and mother a little more carefully than the other routes. Of course, that leaves Shungen to question why he's feeling jealous, which is exactly the type of angst I want on a childhood friend route hehe. Shungen also gets to shine as a military strategist and leader in a way that isn't highlighted on the other routes.

There's an unexpected twist in this route, which surprised me because all of the other blogs I checked out recommended playing Shungen's route on the earlier side. As it stands, I'm glad I played it where I did, because it's a pretty big adjustment.

The one misstep in this route comes when Shungen and Shanao are pushed into a corner and must choose between being together and their morals. Shungen lacks his eye shinies in this scene, which we all know is the universal anime signal that he's gone mad. Together, Shanao and Shungen make a bad choice, which I figured meant I had gotten a bad ending. But no, it all works out, and you don't find out until the post credits scene that there's some trickery going on that allows them to have it both ways.

We basically see Shungen going off the deep end, becoming unhealthily obsessed with Shanao, and then there's just...no resolution. He gets better on his own without talking to anyone or letting the audience in on it. Idk if they ran out of space for more dialogue on this route or what, but I felt like it was missing a key scene before the ending.

Other than that, this was a pretty okay route.

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Yoritomo Route (Spoilers)

Despite having a strong presence in every route, I had very little opinion of Yoritomo before his own route. He's cool, calm and collected, but seems to reveal very little of himself at any given time.

We find out through flashbacks that he does indeed have emotions, but boxes them up in order to take care of what needs to be done, including fighting his own family members when they get out of hand. He tries to keep his distance from Shanao so he doesn't come to care for her too much, but still gets jealous when she treats others with favor. He's a pretty cute, gap-moe sort of character.

Looking back on this route, you actually get less information about Shanao's background than on Shungen's route. But I didn't feel bored because I enjoyed watching Yoritomo's cold demeanor crack as he falls in love with Shanao.

If you want a punchy end to the game, this isn't the route to play last, despite it being recommended by the publisher. But it was one of the better, more believable romances imho.

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Other Endings (Spoilers)

Something very cool that Birushana does is include special endings for undatable side characters. You have to go to the flowchart to play them, and then only appear after you've completed a datable character's ending. But they're worth playing. Here are my thoughts.

Tadanobu: Simple and sweet. I wish we'd learned more about this character in the main game, but I enjoyed hearing a little of his backstory, including why he's such a flirt.

Shigehira: This is what Tomomori's route should have been and somehow includes more character development than his entire route. Shigehira, like his brother, is obsessed with torturing Shanao, but begins to fall for her kindness and becomes more of a tsundere after he learns she's a woman. I wish he'd been the full route rather than his sadistic brother.

Tsugunobu: This one was kinda boring. Not much happens. I wish it would have explored more of their relationship rather than just a one-sided promise.

Takatsuna: This character was so funny the entire game, because he's treated like a little kid despite legitimately being one of Yoritomo's vassals. In his ending, we get to see a very sweet friendship develop between him and Shanao. I still think he looks like a bug though lol.

[dumbfinntales]

I had a bit of an RPG itch and wanted to play something, so I ended up giving Outer Worlds a chance. I remember it was touted as a "Fallout new vegas, but in space" back when it released, but got a lot of poor reviews and some folk said it was bad, so I never played it. Until now. And honestly? Not a bad bite sized RPG.

The Outer Worlds is an RPG much in the style of Bethesdas Fallout games set in space, where you are just some guy who gets revived by Rick Sanchez and you get wrapped up in a lot of nonsense. Nonsense dosed with plenty of humor and over the top capitalism. This being an RPG you of course get to make your character, choose a set of skills for them and take the story into several different directions.

I feel the way you build your character is pretty impactful, and you can tackle missions in many ways depending on your set of skills. I'm sure a hacking/stealth oriented playthrough is very different from a combat focused one. I went for a 100% pure melee build with some intimidation on the side and it was fun, although the combat got a bit stale after a while. Depending on your skills and choices I felt like your decisions were meaningful. Especially once you see everything when you beat the game.

I was most impressed with the sheer amount of dialogue in the game and your companions. There are at least 5 different companions who all have dialogue between each other, and their own reactions and thoughts to whatever is currently happening. I loved the fact that your companions would comment on what you're doing, join in on conversations and NPC's would actually acknowledge your party members. It made them feel really involved and adds some replayability depending with who you wanna run through the game.'

Although I appreciate meaningful choices, clever NPC's/companions and such and such, I felt like the game was lacking on certain aspects that I found more meaningful. For one exploration felt very dull. I'm sorry, but my enthusiasm for exploration died out in the Emerald Vale. Walking everywhere and looking through every house only to find just endless amounts of trash and ammo. I never felt: "WOW what a discovery! This new weapon/armor is so cool, I'm glad I explored the random cave!". Even in the DLC's I really didn't find anything. On Eridanos I found a hotel workers uniform that was pretty neat.

You're not really rewarded for your exploration. Because I knew you barely find anything out there I would just run to my objectives, and if there was a house or something I'd quickly skim through them (only to find junk, once again) and be on my merry way. I think I can only remember a few moments in the game where I found something by exploration, like at the start of the game you can find a minigun in a nest of big apes. But most things are either handed to you, you find them on a linear mission on an NPC for example or you just follow a quest. Like for the science weapons. You do have to look around a bit for info, but once you get it the game will tell you where the weapon is. If they make a sequel I hope they improve the loot and sense of reward for exploration.

I also found the side quests mostly dull. A lot of talking and dialogue with somewhat interesting stories, but for the most part they were very boring. The closes thing to an interesting side quest was when you had to solve a maze in the DLC and decide who gets the prize in the middle of said maze. The companion quests were probably the most interesting of all side quests, because they had interesting stories. Like helping Parvati get a date, or reach enlightenment with vicar Max.

The lack of enemy variety was also very off putting. Even in the DLC's you fought just reskinned versions of main game enemies. You fight the same 5 monster types + humans and robots throughout the whole game. There's also just one boss in one of the DLC's and even that is just a resized worm enemy that you've been fighting all game, haha.

Quickly about the DLC's: they were alright. More of the same, and not very interesting. Gorgon felt no different from the main game and I didn't care much for the mystery. Murder on Eridanos was a bit more interesting with a whole DLC centered around you trying to figure out a murder, it was fun! Especially with the banter from your magnifying glass gun.

Overall it was a fun experience, even with it's flaws. I did start feeling a bit worn out by the game around at 35 hours, so I'm glad the game wasn't any longer than that. I know there's a sequel coming, so I can only hope they don't neglect exploration, side quest and enemy variety.

[jamie101]

My Favourite Single Player Video Games I Played in 2023

(Inspired by @a-shrieking-cloud-of-bats' post)

Disclaimer: most of these games are relatively well-known/popular, and at least a few didn't come out this year, but these are all games I played this year that had a lasting impact on me.

In no particular order:

Dredge

I was interested in this from the initial trailer, and the final game definitely delivered. You play as the new fisherman of a tiny island town, making ends meet while uncovering uncanny secrets beneath the waves. The gameplay is fun and involved (a mixture of time and inventory management) but easy enough to master. The main elements that have stayed with me are the visual style and score/sound design, both of which really lift the game's atmosphere - it's almost relaxing at times, but never quiiiiite loses that edge of unease.

Book of Hours

I was (am) a big fan of Cultist Simulator, so Book of Hours was one of my most anticipated titles this year. The fantastic tone and writing of CS is still present, really putting these games in a league of their own. The gameplay is still faithful to the first game's style and mechanics, but also branches out in a lot of fun ways - the far more detailed and lively board of Hush House and the nearby village add a much more solid setting. One small issue I take is that the systems and learning curve for BoH are just as complex and involved as CS, but without as much ability to start over and apply new knowledge - BoH is designed to be a single longer playthrough rather than multiple "runs", which might mean you find yourself a good number of hours deep before realising you've been engaging with the mechanics wrong the entire time. This is partly why I'm still to complete the game; I do still look forward to doing so eventually, though.

Darkest Dungeon II

Darkest Dungeon is one of my favourite games of all time. I've played the sequel ever since it first entered early access in 2022, and while I understand why a significant number of DD1 fans seemingly weren't too fond of it (the overarching gameplay is fairly different from the first game, taking a much more roguelite form reminiscent of Slay the Spire) I got on with it well, even moreso since the game's full v1.0 release this year - the progress and updates made throughout early access were really encouraging to see, and the finished game is a very worthy sequel that also works as a standalone title. The transition from static 2D sprites to fully animated 3D models, while maintaining the iconic and unique artstyle of Darkest Dungeon, is also really impressive.

The Case of the Golden Idol

I've been aware of this game ever since watching a stream of the first couple chapters a year or so ago, but was inspired to pick it up myself after the announcement of a sequel at this year's Game Awards (maybe one of the few games announced there I'm genuinely excited for). I don't scratch my puzzle game itch enough, and Golden Idol has made me keen to seek out more - solving a series of interlinked "mysteries" via observation of the environment and participants to obtain words and clues which you then piece together on a separate screen. I got through the game and both DLCs in around 3-4 days, but consider that time very well spent based on the number of genuine "eureka" moments I experienced alone.

Other Games I Played and Enjoyed: Return of the Obra Dinn, Receiver, The Binding of Isaac (Rebirth/Afterbirth/Repentance)

Multiplayer Games I Enjoyed/Am Currently Enjoying: Lethal Company, Party Animals

If you've read this far, thanks very much! This is mostly a personal record to look back on, but please feel free to pass on any recommendations or let me know what your top games were this year.

And With That, the Game of the Year 2023 (and Every Year Hereafter) is: OUTER WILDS

[gallyg]

Everyone talks about going through BG3 spoiler-free, but I almost wish I knew the full list of recruitable companions before my first playthrough. Missing Lae'zel's cage and being overly cautious about the danger of Gale's portal led to my meeting the Act 1 companions at a scenic pace, which prepared me to potentially continue recruiting companions hours apart from each other. After meeting Karlach and Halsin, who aren't even on the game's cover, I started to assume I would be meeting potential companions at a regular pace throughout the full game who I didn't even know about.

I even thought Ellyka, the tiefling near the Mountain Pass, was somehow recruitable. When she mocks your request to join the party, that's an indication that you missed the start of her quest line which would end in her being recruited. When she insists that she's nobody special and leaves to never be seen again, that's a dramatically ironic reference to her companion storyline. Every other companion was obviously missable in my mind, so why not? It turns out Shadowheart is actually impossible to miss, but the setup on the Nautiloid sure makes her seem missable.

This all led to me being more cavalier about the companion quests than I maybe should have. Telling Astarion to leave my camp and never come back was just one decision, I thought, and not locking myself out of like 10% of the major questlines. I've seen some fans mock people who got rid of Astarion and were surprised at how much of the game you miss out on, but think about how many dozens of non-companion NPCs you kill or otherwise turn away without a second thought. Did you know you can team up with Edowin's siblings to hunt the owlbear mother? Most players just kill them during the first encounter. Imagine a world where killing Astarion was no more impactful than killing two random Absolutists. This is the world in which I believed I found myself.

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson when I went through Crèche Y'llek, the Underdark, and the majority of Act 2 without finding a single new companion. But no. Once I recruited Jaheira, I figured I'd just missed the opportunities to recruit minor characters like Gale or Astarion that surely also existed in those sections of the game if I'd played things differently.

[hopeymchope]

Kazutaka Kodaka's "DEATH COME TRUE" starts with your character — a small young man in a hoodie named "Makoto" — waking up in confusion, initially unclear on where he is or how he got there.

So. You know. Kind of a familiar start.

For the uninitiated: Kodaka is the guy who created/wrote Danganronpa.

Yeah. Now you're getting it. These opening moments feel like an olive branch to everybody who played and embraced the first DR title.

Also, if you're a Danganronpa fan? Briefly skim through this trailer for DEATH COME TRUE featuring illustrations of each DCT character as drawn by DR character artist Rui Komatsuzaki in his signature style. SO COOL.

Makoto winds up having amnesia, which is clearly a beloved trope for Kodaka. And if I'm being honest, the whole "protagonist who wakes up with some level of amnesia, leaving them to suss out where they are and why" is a beloved trope for me as well. As I've learned what kinds of stories and media leave me most satisfied and/or engaged over the years, I've come to accept that I am, frankly, a sucker for that well-worn setup.

I'm obviously a sucker for Kodaka as well — his writing has produced BIG FAVES of mine and has yet to disappoint me. I adore and admire his GDC presentation on creating memorable characters, considering it rather inspirational. Though I sadly haven't experienced everything he's done (anybody wanna translate "School of Ragnarok" into English?), I'm obviously In The Tank for this "game."

HOWEVER... ! At the risk of outing myself as a Bad Fan®, I only finally played (er... watched?) DEATH COME TRUE just last night. In goddamn April 2023, almost three friggin' years after its initial release. See... I was aware that this is basically just an interactive movie where you make binary choices on occasion, and I was ALSO aware that it's short enough to be completed in one playthrough. And so, in spite of the writing pedigree behind it, I wound up holding out for a pretty major sale before picking it up. I saw such a sale like one or two weeks ago, so here I (finally) am!

Makoto wakes up in a hotel suite where he IMMEDIATELY sees a news broadcast that identifies him as a wanted serial killer, much to his understandable horror. He then finds a woman laying in the suite's bathtub that's either dead, asleep, or unconscious. While he's still getting his bearings, there's a knock at the suite's door, and you're thrown into making your first of many choices.

I rather doubt it's considered standard practice for the evening news in Japan to put jokey newscasters wearing loud suits in front of pastels to announce warnings about at-large serial killers. But hey, what do I know?

As I'd previously heard and read, you only "control" your character insofar as you select one of two binary choices at various points in a "Choose Your Own Adventure"-type way. This remains true until you're in the home stretch of the story, which is when they finally start bringing in some choices with more than two options... but those choices have less impact than the usual binary ones, so that expansion of the concept comes out as a wash.

This is a mystery story with murder as a major component, as is Kodaka's primary wheelhouse. The main story only takes about 2.5-3 hours to reach whatever is your ultimate ending (and there are really only two legitimate endings that aren't bad endings/deaths). Along the way, Kodaka fans will recognize a number of themes and concepts he's used over the years, but I won't spoil what they are. Some of them are reused in a straightforward fashion, while others are tweaked or mildly subverted from what you might've seen in his various Dangan tales. And if you're unfamiliar with Danganronpa? Then it's surprising and it's a little weird that you're reading this, but it's gonna make the story of this game much more surprising and twisty for you.

One thing you won't see coming: His swag.

That's not to say that a seasoned Kodaka fan like myself wasn't adequately surprised and engaged at plenty of points, though! I was worried that the "live-action choose-your-path movie" format would leave me less invested than visual-novel-style mystery game with more direct control, but in actual practice, I was UTTERLY absorbed. That's right: To the surprise of precisely no one, I strongly liked DEATH COME TRUE. And given that Kodaka was both the writer AND the director of this "movie," I was really pleasantly surprised by his skill behind the camera. (Though I don't talk about it very much on this Tumblr, I've long been a movie/filmmaking fan, so let me put on that hat for a minute.) There are some dramatic camera moves and angles that served to heighten my adrenaline/tension during key moments. And although I can't say for sure how much he 'directed' his actors, the cast is goddamn excellent. EXCELLENT. I found myself rewinding to watch their eyes and subtle movements in various scenes. The performances sucked me into the narrative just as much as the story. I'm a filthy American dork who doesn't consume much Japanese live-action media, so I was only aware of two of the actors in here from their relatively minor roles in American movies. Furthermore, I didn't know the lead actor, Kanata Hongō, from anything at all! But based on his performance here, I want to look up more of his work.

Chihiro Yamamoto is the only actor here who seems to think she's playing a Danganronpa character — for both better AND worse.

Did I feel ANY disappointments during my experience? One obvious one is the brevity of the experience: I would've been happy to spend twice as long with these characters in this world. But for something like $6-$12, it's satisfying enough. My only other two disappointments were: A) The ultimate "culprit" behind everything was too easy to peg. As soon as that character first comes on-screen, they struck me as the obvious culprit behind everything, so it's unfortunate that they wound up being that predictable. And B) There's one character/actor who is just deeply underutilized/unexplored. They provide a bizarre, fascinating presence that barely has any role in the proceedings, and by the time the ending reveals of the story roll around, I can't help but wonder how they fit into this story at all?

Don't take those gripes as anything major, though. DEATH COME TRUE is never gonna have a super strong place in my heart, but I spent those few hours entranced and will fondly remember them. ALSO: You unlock achievements and videos by experiencing as many deaths as possible, so there's actually a benefit to screwing things up! The videos include behind-the-scenes "Making Of" footage as well as the full-length takes of the newscasters who are heard in the background of the opening scene. It's the latter that's especially fun, because the performers clearly knew that they were recording material that would be muffled/obscured, and they have a good time getting weird with it.

It's hard for me to look over my death medal collection without imagining they're accompanied by death metal, because homophones amuse me.

Look: Kodaka has always been clear that this was a very quick project that was rapidly thrown together and executed before he settled in and focused on writing the scenario for Master Detective Archives: Rain Code. It's his baby, but it's also a side gig. With that in mind, the shortness of the experience is more understandable. It also means that you shouldn't expect it to have the depth of his other narratives/games. It's a Kodaka snack, not a meal. But this still a snack with a ton of nutritional value and flavor packed into its small size and minimalist packaging. Take a night to experience it. As long you don't pay full retail, I doubt you'll regret it.

[goshdangronpa]

“The beats of the beginning will stay the same.” That’s what I said last week. But rewatching justonegamr’s playthrough of SDR2 convinced me that “Starting the Game with Despair Disease” is a real misnomer. I want to break down the first three days of “I DISAGREE: An Ibuki SDR2 Protag Swap AU,” showing what those beats are like from Ibuki’s POV. Along the way, I’ll illustrate the impact that moving the Despair Disease to Chapter 1 would make, show how these events push her to the protagonist role, and even reveal who suffers from the disease in this AU.

Fear of Dying: The AU Narrative's Chaotic First Three Mornings

Morning 1

Ibuki Mioda introduces herself, excited for her very first day at Hope’s Peak Academy. She’s concerned that the school won’t take kindly to the newly minted Ultimate Light Musician’s shift to heavier styles, but otherwise she’s eager to make friends, have new experiences, and live her best life.

The first 20 minutes of SDR2 play out from her POV, with the same overwhelming disorientation. When Hajime faints, Ibuki assumes he dropped dead, foams at the mouth, and drops like a domino. Mikan Tsumiki wakes her up quickly, doing her duty as Ultimate Nurse.

Ibuki’s only out for a minute. Everyone’s still at the beach, making character introductions more like THH than the original SDR2.

An unseen moment from the latter narrative plays out: Byakuya Togami, the most clear-headed of the bunch, tells everyone to pair up and fan out. Ibuki takes her rescuer around the islands, eventually winding up in a supermarket. It’s there that they meet the now-revived Hajime Hinata, escorted by the chill and kind Nagito Komaeda.

The rest of the prologue plays out the same: everyone reconvenes at the beach, shares their findings, expresses unease. Usami pops up with presents as promised, and Ibuki’s first to dismiss the Usami Straps, then first to grab a swimsuit. She and most of the rest relax enough to take a dip … then Monokuma enters the picture. Ibuki doesn’t faint this time, but she does foam at the mouth again.

Morning 2

As she says in SDR2, Ibuki doesn’t sleep a wink out of sheer dread. She still tries to maintain her good humor, though she understands why it takes two separate visits from two different people to drag poor, terrified Kazuichi Soda out of his cottage.

Also like in SDR2, she totally approves of Byakuya proclaiming himself the group’s leader and protector. He seems reliable, and his presence is impressive.

After Byakuya shows everyone the suspiciously bomb-shaped countdown timer that appeared in Jabberwock Park overnight, Nagito makes the same speech about the need for everyone to strengthen their bonds. Unlike certain others, Ibuki doesn’t find it cringe. It becomes her motivation for hanging out with her classmates in her free time (as opposed to, say, playing music or napping). Let’s say she uses her FTEs to shoot the breeze with the delightfully dutiful kendo master Peko Pekoyama and get schooled at a favored hobby by the too-chill-to-function gamer girl Chiaki Nanami.

Evening 2

Just when she’s ready to take a pre-dinner nap, Ibuki hustles to the park for Monokuma’s little show. The reveal about the theft of their memories from their time at Hope’s Peak makes Ibuki foam at the mouth again. Mikan’s getting concerned for her health, but freaking out seems normal for such a freaky situation!

When Monokuma adds that there’s a traitor in the group, Mikan takes her turn to freak out, insisting it’s not her. Ibuki thinks nothing of the outburst, silently agreeing with Byakuya that the bear must be making it up. As with Hajime in SDR2, though, she can’t help thinking that because of Monomi’s tampering, Monokuma’s right about one thing: “You guys don’t really know anything about each other.”

As everyone heads back to their cottages, Ibuki catches up with Byakuya. She’s got an idea: if no one really knows each other yet, how about an icebreaker? They should throw a party, and Ibuki can provide the entertainment. Byakuya approves. Sleep comes a little easier, and she’ll send invites out in the morning.

Morning 3

Nagito doesn’t have time to hatch a scheme and send a threatening letter to Byakuya like in SDR2. Instead, the cast find him at the restaurant, where he accuses anyone in sight and thought of being the traitor, a robot, someone else in disguise, and other crazy conspiracy theories.

Kazuichi is already there, too, his boiler suit unzipped to reveal surprising musculature. The most cowardly classmate is now openly challenging Monokuma to a wrestling match, giving Akane stiff competition for sheer recklessness.

Chiaki must’ve gotten a really good sleep, because she’s hyperactive now. Worse, the gamer’s salty side comes out. Her surliness gives even the openly dangerous Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu pause.

All this might be easier to deal with if Peko Pekoyama was around. Fuyuhiko goes to fetch her, and Mahiru Koizumi - whom Fuyuhiko had implicitly threatened to murder the night before - sends Hajime with him. They have to carry her in: she’s too laidback and apathetic to care about anything.

It’s just been a series of upheavals for Ibuki. Each attempt at optimism and enthusiasm is completely rebuffed by forces beyond her control. Now it looks like several of her peers are already snapping! Then Monokuma reveals that they came down with a weird disease, and then Mikan calls for volunteers to help treat these patients. Ibuki immediately steps up. If there’s anything she can do to help - and to get some small bit of control over this constantly shifting situation - she’ll do it. And that’s how Ibuki Mioda becomes a protagonist. I’ll move on to how the Despair Disease progresses in the next installment.

Prev: Starting the Game with Despair Disease

Next: Group Bonding in the Time of Despair Disease

[songship]

Xenoblade 3 rambling under the cut (spoilers for all of the base game, I guess)

Xenoblade 3's biggest flaw, I think, is that it's paced really weird in terms of story, gameplay, and the relationship to one another. This is the most glaring post-chapter 4 and onward. The earliest example of this is when you get access to the Cadensia region. This is the part of the game where the majority of side content (in the form of Hero Quests; if I'm not mistaken you also unlock the party side stories at this time as well) opens up to you, but it opens up at a really odd time where you're only a couple hops away from a story segment that you'll be locked into progressing for an extensive amount of time until after the next chapter. The game does warn you of this point of no return, but it's nevertheless positioned at an odd time.

Timing aside though, the fact is that the majority of the game's side content is back loaded, which can make it a slog to clear (you are incentivized to do these to unlock classes due to the level capping system). There's not any real reason to do this; the majority of these could very easily be moved to a different location or have their level lowered such that they're not gated effectively until you're around that level (a side tangent: it's both absurdly easy to over level & heavily disadvantageous to do so because of the way the SP system scales inversely to levelling. In my playthrough I either missed that tool tip or it's not information that was given at all; I'm not sure which. If you're coming like me from a baseline of other games in the series where it's fairly common to overlevel slightly to moderately, it's going to negatively impact your gameplay experience to be suddenly punished for playing Xenoblade how you've always played Xenoblade.)

In terms of story, the couple latter chapters definitely feel rushed, in contrast to the glut of side content you'll be trying to complete at that time. While I really love some plot beats & moments (the whole chapter 5 to 6 sequence, Shania's whole deal, meeting Nia, the ending cutscene) I really think it suffers from both a lack of detail and a lack of allowing plot beats to sit longer; in short, things needed more time to be more fleshed out instead of conveying themes and plot beats through sort of gesturing at them and hoping the audience will fill in the blanks and imagine a more fleshed out story/character arcs (in particular, Lanz and Sena's character arcs really really suffer from this, Sena especially. She isn't even really the central character of her own side story!! This is particularly noticeable in contrast to the love and detail Eunie, Taion, Noah, and Mio's stories get both in the main plot and in their side stories. Speaking of Mio's side story, I do find it really cheap with regards to Miyabi's resurrection (Ethel and Cammuravi are not great too but there's definitely potential there, it just suffers from the same "gesturing at idea of a story beat rather than playing it out" problem most of the latter third of Xenoblade does) as I feel like it does undercut/do somewhat of a disservice to Mio's character arc?)

To wit, I propose my "ideal" director's cut version of Xenoblade 3 would be split into disc 1 and disc 2, being split at chapter 4. The side content would be redistributed such that it's more or less equal between them instead of being so backloaded like before. This would also include lengthening the latter part of the story, allowing for generally more elaboration on thematic elements & conclusions, plot beats, etc. with room to maybe even squeeze in some new ones.

This is all in service of, instead of what we got (just vaguely kinda gesturing at it for two (2) scenes) allowing Sena and Shania to have the toxic codependent homoerotic relationship they deserve