#want to start working on her more for the future playthrough

[sandplague]

(i'll just copy & paste the text here)

Pathologic 3 FAQ #1

Answers to frequently asked questions and a few hints about what’s coming next!

Hey hey!

Very soon, we’ll be sharing the first details about the game, starting with the soundtrack: on November 4th, we’re taking part in Save and Sound, an annual event dedicated to sound design and soundtracks in video games.

We know the wait has been long, and we want to thank you for the warm reception of the announcement. Today, we’d like to clarify a few points that we often see coming up in community discussions about the Pathologic 3 announcement.

So, let’s get started!

Q: What happened to the route for Pathologic 2? Has it evolved into a sequel?

A: Yes, that’s exactly what happened: the game simply grew beyond our concept of DLC—it will have different gameplay and entirely new features. Instead of one game with three playthroughs using the same gameplay but different storylines (as in the original 2005 release and the Classic HD remaster), we’re creating three fully developed games with distinct gameplay and significant differences in narrative.

Now, these are truly three separate protagonists with unique worldviews, perceptions of reality, and distinct tools. From a gameplay perspective, this means three different approaches and a complete rethinking of the original scripts.

One storyline was released in 2019, centered on the Haruspex. It was a large game that took much more time and work than initially planned. For publishing reasons, it was titled Pathologic 2.

Pathologic 3 is a new, full-fledged game focused on the Bachelor. The title was chosen to avoid confusion, making it clear that this is not a DLC but a complete game with a similar playtime.

Q: What about the Changeling?

A: Finally, there’s the Changeling, but we’d prefer not to make promises prematurely, so we’ll return to her when there’s more to share.

Moving forward, we plan to stick to this approach. We understand that premature promises about the previous Pathologic led to unfulfilled expectations. We apologize for that and don’t want to mislead you in the future. The developer should not be an unreliable narrator—unlike his characters.

Q: How do Pathologic 2 and Pathologic 3 differ?

A: The protagonists! And that’s only half-joking. The main idea and reason for dividing these games is that the Haruspex and the Bachelor are very different characters. The further we developed the Bachelor’s story, the clearer this became. We didn’t want to compromise by making the game a “safer” rework of the original script, so we reimagined the core gameplay loop:

The Haruspex needed to survive, fight, scavenge, rummage through garbage for scraps of bread, and try to save those he held dear along the way. The Bachelor is a man of intellect. Survival is not his primary concern; his goals go beyond what one lifetime could contain. He needs to think, formulate theories, and gather evidence. Ultimately, he must issue commands and observe the results. This distinction will be emphasized through gameplay, mechanics, objectives, soundtrack, and so on.

After Save and Sound, we plan to return later this year to show you what we mean. As they say, "Show, don’t tell."

Q: Who will receive game keys?

A: We remember our commitments to those who supported us during the fundraising stage nearly ten years ago, so we will provide keys to:

Kickstarter backers and other platforms where support for the game was available during the fundraising stage

Backers from 2014 and 2015

Also, backers entitled to two copies will receive two keys. We’ll share details on how to claim keys closer to release.

Q: Will the new game have its own artbook?

A: At the moment, we’re not planning a physical one, but we might create a digital artbook for the Supporter Pack. We're not sure yet!

Q: Which languages will the game be localized into, including text and voice-over?

A: We definitely plan to localize into English and Russian, and we’re considering Brazilian Portuguese, German, and Simplified Chinese. We’ll confirm languages closer to launch.

Q: Will the Russian title of Pathologic 3 remain?

A: Yes, we’re still considering options. Current ideas include “Finally,” “See, You Didn’t Believe Us,” and “Sorry for the Long Wait.”

Q: Will the game be available on GOG and other stores?

A: We’ll know closer to release, but it’ll likely be available on all platforms where Pathologic 2 can be found.

Q: Will preorders be available?

A: No.

Q: What platforms other than PC are planned for release?

A: We’re planning releases for PS5 and Xbox S/X, likely following the PC release.

Q: What engine is the game being developed in?

A: The same engine as Pathologic 2: Unity.

Q: Will the same voice actors return for Pathologic 3?

A: Yes, we’ll bring back the same actors from Pathologic 2, or at least, we’ll do our best.

We’ve prepared a big surprise for you in the coming months, so please add us to your Steam wishlist!

Until then, we’ll see you on November 4th!

[mamasplat]

i was on vacation- the aggression chart???? lmao

nicee 👍👍 loving the work

also the themed playthroughs seem fun :)

Oh I’m having a great time with my true calem run, just got through shalour city

And while I’ve yet to piece together the aggression chart I will use this as an opening to break down the relationship chart that started as an unholy consequence of me trying to fit calem into anime plots

Starting from the top:

Shauna having feelings for Calem is something that is laid on very thick in the firework scene. Anime wise I almost linked Shauna to Serena too but I ended up backing off the idea because I was lacking evidence.

Tierno, i don’t think i need to explain this much if you’ve watched the anime, his crush on Serena was something he was very open about.

Miette, I actually don’t think she had a thing for Ash, like at all, she does not try to pursue him at all in the anime she just likes to talk about it, it’s a tool to get under Serena’s skin. But that alone would make her a valued piece of the unholy love triangle amalgamation so I added her to the chart.

Calem, specifically, Rival Calem: okay I think I need to explain this one a little more blatantly. Calem’s character arc cannot exist without Serena. His entire journey is dedicated to her mere existence, and pokemon masters really hammers home how important she is to him. She is the blueprint to his every move and step forward because in his mind she deserves better than he can offer so he will fight to be better. The way he talks about her when she isn’t around is unapologetic admiration and I cannot ignore the writing on the wall. He likes her. He’s got it bad.

Serena, specifically anime Serena of course. Her emotional attachment to Ash isn’t just surface level like Tiernos attraction to her, being around Ash gave her the courage to be herself, to stand up to her mom and make her own future, to keep going even when she’s lost and lost hard. She used Ash as a moral compass to keep her head in the game and that only strengthened her connection to him. The end of the series kiss scene was far from unwelcomed, it was over due.

Ash….this boy is oblivious as shit. I’m sorry Serena was not sly nor slick she fumbled at every turn and you STILL didn’t know??? I and from what I can see, many other fans, have come to the only conclusion that Ash just doesn’t do romance. He has ignored so many clear cut love interests and left them one sided because he doesn’t recognize or want romance. He just wants to be the best like no one ever was, love isn’t on his mind, therefore he is clueless to the love induced war going on around him. He is an unintentional ladies man.

And ALLLL of that is just the information i collected from rewatching the whole of X&Y while also replaying through pokemon X and ALSO going through pokemas events. Its all connected, i haven’t done anything else with my free time, its all kalos baby. ALL KALOS.

Blame Pokemon ZA being announced (I say as if I hadn’t started this before that)

[adoribullpavus]

EXCITING NEWS GUYS

i have started development on my first ever renpy game. i'm so excited since this is something i've wanted to do for a while now, but renpy always kinda scared me. but i've finally put it into action and i'm really looking forward to the journey ahead.

the game is still in extremely early development, but i have planned an outline of the plot, written some scripts, and have come up with so many ideas i want to share with you all.

as you can see, it is a dai fan game. if anyone knows if i can get sued for this, please let me know lmao

i don't want to give too much away but here are some features i'm planning to include:

you can choose from 17 different characters to play as (12 will be available straight off the bat, and 5 will be secret routes that are unlocked via other routes). these are all characters from inquisition.

you get to decide who your character ends up with, or even stay single if you want to be.

you can end up in a polyamorous relationship with (almost) free reign as to which characters that relationship includes.

no two routes are the same. each route will have the same plot but you can make it your own through your choices. remember; just because picking option b worked for your dorian playthrough, doesn't mean it'll work when you're playing as cullen.

there are a LOT of choices that genuinely impact the direction of the story.

each character has a bunch of different endings and they're all carefully tailored to your decisions.

as the game is still in early development, with only a faint outline holding it together, plans can change. however, as far as i know, this is how many endings each character can have:

the dorian route has 8 endings and 7 secret endings.

the iron bull route has 11 endings and 6 secret endings.

the varric route has 10 endings and 6 secret endings.

the cullen route has 10 endings and 5 secret endings.

the sera route has 6 endings and 5 secret endings.

the leliana route has 11 endings and 7 secret endings.

the cole route as 3 endings and 4 secret endings.

the josephine route has 11 endings and 5 secret endings.

the blackwall route has 10 endings and 3 secret endings.

the cassandra route has 9 endings and 6 secret endings.

the solas route has 10 endings and 3 secret endings.

the vivienne route has 3 endings and no secret endings.

i have tried to provide as much freedom as possible when it comes to pairings, but there are a few exceptions:

dorian and sera are still gay/lesbian and can only be romanced by characters of the same gender - so naturally they will have less endings as their options are restricted.

cole doesn't have a lot of romantic endings as there were only one or two characters i felt comfortable writing him with (so far only dorian has a cole romance ending, and cole has three secret romantic endings). this could change in the future but definitely not for characters such as varric and solas who cole shares a very parental relationship with., or for vivienne due to the power difference between them that would make me extremely uncomfortable to write.

vivienne also doesn't have a lot of romantic endings but that's more to do with the fact i struggle to write her in romantic scenes. again, this could change.

the rest are all free to romance whoever they want. cullen can romance a man (or two or three). cassandra can romance a woman (or two or three). basically there's no such thing as straight in this game. go nuts.

i will keep you all updated as i progress. the game will take a long while to create and i would appreciate any advice/help/suggestions etc to make it enjoyable for everyone. i would also appreciate the support from you guys as i dive into my first game making experience.

but just remember i am a single 20 year old girl who's doing this in her free time. i don't have a huge team behind me so the game is going to take a lot of time and effort to become something playable.

follow the tag ' #the dai kissing game ' if you want to keep updated on the game's progress.

thank you guys!!

[chrysanthemumgames]

Related to the ask about being able to ask Demeter to apologize to Hades (or the Underworld group in general, really).

I didn't think of that before, as I don't know if my Dionysus would actually be the kind of person to outright ask Demeter to do so (though maybe he would, sometimes he gets very defensive about some stuff despite his usual meekness), but I sort of don't know if he'd allow Demeter to visit more if she doesn't apologize?

What I mean is that, for the specific upcoming-likely-visit he let his father decide cause his relationship with Demeter is too strained atm. But his general view on this is "we need time apart, and then I'll think on it, and maybe we'll have a relationship someday again". So basically, not barring it out but still very on the fence. But yeah, obviously the situation with his father is pretty exceptional, and he wouldn't just try to keep Demeter away in this context - he's too selfless for that. Now what I'm getting to is that atm, he still really doesn't want to interact much with his mother, and in a way, I always imagined it as Demeter having to do the right move now, to show my Dionysus that she can ACTUALLY change. And I always linked that change to her starting to accept he likes the people in the Underworld and starting to see them as actually worthy of respect. And while in order to maybe appreciate them she would need to get to know them, apologizing for such a thing is basic decency and standard respect after what she did, not necessarily linked to appreciating or even properly knowing them, at least at first.

So what I mean here is that I never imagined asking her to apologize because I see it as something she should do on her own if she wants a chance at a relationship with her son later on (all from the perspective of my specific playthrough, of course).

And, the actual question is - do you think there are any chances she'd do so by herself? Or at the very least prompt the MC to tell her what should she do to try and make up for stuff (cause if asked specifically, then my MC could indeed tell her to apologize). And I mean, during the visit that will occur next, or like, by writing to Hades afterwards or something, that works too. I'm asking mostly because in that ask you said when she'll visit this time, the situation will be too tense and basically you implied asking her to apologize could come only at a later visit (unless I misunderstood). But a later visit won't necessarily happen in my case if she doesn't apologize before, is what I mean. Unless she does something else that would truly warrant my Dionysus to be okay with her coming back so soon of course.

I'm fine with it either way, by the way! I'm not writing this to complain about the possible inability to ask her to apologize or anything! I'm genuinely wondering about future possibilities and the paths that may exist, if you have any base ideas already.

There's still a bit of fuzziness in this where I'm not sure exactly what scenes are going to come up when. There will be at least one more chance for Demeter to show up in the Underworld regardless of whether PC approves (because it will be a rather urgent situation for another person). I'm not going to spoil things too much, but I don't think people who are sort of quietly not okay with her will have no chance to reestablish connection, but in general the more specific the PC's requirements, the less likely they are to be met (because of course I can't write all those potential courses of action for her, etc, etc.)

So I guess my answer basically boils down to "wait and see, because I don't have the minutiae planned to that extent just yet." :)

[stealthnoodle]

How to Scrape Your Way Through Honour Mode and Look Reasonably Good Doing It

I won't say I beat Honour Mode on my first try, because my Dishonour Mode playthrough served as a critically useful dry run, but I will say that the first character I made with the intention of completing Honour Mode properly did in fact complete Honour Mode.

Below are the 13 most important lessons I learned along the way that made this possible.

1) Do not be Mothman.

You really want to minimize fights and maximize available vendors. Ask yourself "What would Mothman do?" and then do not do that thing.

2) Do be a half-orc.

Fights can go real wrong real fast, and in the early game, you are perpetually one bad round of combat away from oblivion. In my case, the harpies critted Shadowheart to death, and then every chucklefuck in my party failed their wisdom save at the same time. The other two members ate more multiattacks than they could handle, and then so did Pizzazz, but she held on with one single precious hit point after the last blow. She dug herself out of the hole with heal potions and her fists of righteous anger.

Pizzazz being a half-orc saved the entire run here. Having Death Ward once a day comes in fucking clutch when you're below level 5, and tbh the hardest part of Honour Mode is getting to level 5.

The harpy fight was also when I realized the need for a critical strategy:

3) Make one party member your panic button.

I only really needed this trick in the early game (I cannot emphasize enough how most of my close calls were before level 5), but it saved my ass several times. Panic early, panic often.

Pick the party member who has the least to contribute to a fight and park them where they can't get drawn into initiative. You can leave them all the way back at camp, or if you're me, just put them far back in hiding so it's easy to pull them in to help with late-fight cleanup if things are going well (or to finish a fight in the goofiest way possible, see above). Either way, their job is to run crying to Withers if everyone else dies.

Speaking of which…

4) Exploit Bone Daddy's indifference to being pickpocketed.

You can get back whatever "the price of balance" is by yoinking it right out of Withers's pockets. If you fail the sleight of hand check, no worries; you get pulled out of hiding, but he doesn't react at all, and you can just squat back down and get right back in there.

5) Tell Jesse you need to cook.

Potions of Speed are the goddamn Philosopher's Stones of this game. So I made Gale a Transmutation Wizard, made him proficient in Medicine, and put him in charge of alchemy. Just clearing the gnoll zone got me pretty well set for the first two acts.

Getting double heal pots sure doesn't hurt, either.

6) Start a local chapter of the Warding Bond Cleric Club.

This is something I discovered was possible while I was fretting over prepping for the end of Act 2, because last time was such a clusterfuck. You can hire three hirelings, give them fun names like Ouchie Magnet, Sexy Pincushion, and Yoohoo Loviatar, get them to cast Warding Bond on the party members you actually intend to use, and enjoy the full benefits of it out in the world while your hirelings stand around bleeding at camp.

Any buff that lasts until the next long rest and doesn't require concentration works like this, fyi. Death Ward and Longstrider are also especially handy (and once you get to level 11, Heroes' Feast). Setting this up is tedious enough that I only did it a few times during the game, when I was going into situations I couldn't easily extricate myself from in case of emergency. (So the Mindflayer Colony, the Iron Throne, the Steel Watch Foundry, and one last time for the Temple of Baal.)

7) Break big battles up into bite-sized skirmishes.

Why would I fight all the cultists at Moonrise Tower in a grand climactic battle when I could sneak around before finishing the Gauntlet of Shar and pick off my future foes in packs? Since they're not hostile yet, it's pretty simple to wipe them out one room at a time, using Minor Illusion to lure guards away from their posts. Then I got the joy of showing up with Jaheira and all her Harpers to curbstomp the two (2) guys I missed.

Also good for removing all the intellect devourers before you pick a fight with Mindflayers in the Mindflayer Colony and for surviving gnoll swarms. Sometimes you even get lucky and a hyena falls into a hole, somehow.

8) Fill your camp with literal tons of explosives.

See a smokepowder barrel? Pick it up and send it to camp. Do this consistently and you will have deeply nervous party members every time you light a campfire, probably, but you'll also have a way to cheese boss fights that you're worried about. I chugged elixirs that raised strength before the end of Act 2 so that I could bring a dozen smokepowder barrels with me to the Myrkul fight and absolutely trivialized it.

9) Become a partial illithid.

Mourn your aesthetic and commune with that frosty little worm. (Take Volo's amateur eye surgery, too, btw. Just fuck yourself up.) The powers are worth it. A truly hardcore player would also get their companions to dip a toe into ceremorphosis, but I started by asking Astarion, who fucking loves regular tadpoles, to try it, and his response made me feel so bad that I abandoned the cause entirely.

10) Start your day with a delicious and nutritious Heroes' Feast.

So I never really read the description closely because sometimes I'm just like that, but thanks to the Warding Bond Cleric Club, I started paying closer attention to buffs and holy shit??? Thoroughly Stuffed is a baller condition, and it also makes food. I didn't have to go grocery shopping even once! Having three bonus clerics with spell slots to burn also meant the 6th-level cost wasn't coming out of Shadowheart.

11) Accept that late-game enemy saving throws will mercilessly fuck you.

It feels real bad when you cast a 6th-level spell that operates on saving throws and your target shrugs it off with 0 damage. Spells with attack rolls are usually better bets, and Artistry of War is a wizard's once-per-short-rest MVP. Open Hand Monk Pizzazz was consistently my best damage dealer, especially once I looted the Bonespike Gloves from Strangler Luke.

12) Skip the high-risk low-reward quests in Act 3.

Consider your party composition and tactics and whether any optional quest line is worth completing for its rewards. Cazador, the Sharrans, and Ansur are non-trivially difficult fights that I didn't need to subject myself to, so I didn't. But there's real good shit under Sorcerous Sundries, so of course I cleared out that vault.

Hell isn't actually that bad on Honour Mode (no, really! The restoration faucets have unlimited uses!), but it's not a sure thing and I could live without the rewards. Had a tense moment passing the DC 30 Persuasion check with Kith'rak Voss later, but he chilled out and even let me borrow his dragon's breath.

The only unnecessary hard fight I did was the Steel Watcher Titan, which was a bad call on my part; I kinda wanted the crossbow and I really wanted to keep the runepowder bomb in case I needed it, but Mothman didn't do this fight, so I was not prepared for the Hellfire Steel Watcher Titan's bullshit. I won, but it was a closer shave than it should have been.

Then I ended up not using the crossbow at all.

13) Thank Gale for his sacrifice.

The Netherbrain is fucking nasty on Honour Mode. Fuck Karsite Grip. Fuck Aegis of the Absolute. Does it feel bad to make Gale sacrifice himself? Yes. Would it feel worse to lose the run right before the finish line? Also yes.

I brought every explosive I had with me (which required two rounds of strength-boosting elixirs, because the game hits you with a long rest before the Astral Plane) just in case Gale got cold feet and I burned all my inspiration fucking up the persuasion roll, then went through the sewers to avoid the larger fight. Someone (Gale, so I couldn't be too mad) failed a stealth check and aggroed them all anyway, but Pizzazz covered the ground to the brainstem in like three rounds and everyone warped up after her for the cutscene, so no harm no foul.

Then Gale volunteered—nay, insisted on blowing himself up and I felt bad! Real bad! Not bad enough to change course, but Pizzazz's face was also my face during epilogue:

P.S. At least for me, the achievement procced after the epilogue, credits, and post-credits scene, and I was tense af the entire time. But not so tense I couldn't be sad about Gale (oh no he wrote me a letter) and Astarion (oh no he's still in hiding because of Cazador). Luckily my big hot wife was there to support me.

Anyway, let's load an old autosave on another campaign and check out those golden dice, shall we?

Ahhh, my horrible son

[j-l-kepler]

I Turned My BG3 Tavs into Fake Origin Characters

CUZ NOBODY'S STOPPED ME YET

So here I was, scrolling through the BG3 tag when I come across a fantastic BG3 Template made by the extraordinary @dvgsart! Couldn't mcfreakin' help myself, I tell you.

So I took my 5 active non-Durge playthroughs (3 of which are 2-Tav saves) and slapped them in! Had a blast doing this, I tell you. All the beautiful Tavs I keep seeing just make me wanna gush about my own silly Tavs. Life's too short to not have fun.

[Putting the ART and everything below the cut because this is gonna be loooooong and y'all should get to opt out]

Yeah okay maybe I've written Companion Guides for 6/7 of these guys. I've had a lot of time at work lately, okay.

I call these guys the Stacked Seven because all of them have massive badonkadonks and I'm in desperate need of a new hobby. I can't help the fact drawing tits is very fun and I am horrendously bisexual.

ANYWAY lil bit of preamble you can skip -- I based their stats and weapons on what they'd be as Companions or Origin runs, not what their actual in-game stats are. Romantic Partners / Besties / Weapons are who and what they'd probably default to if they were just in ya party. I also put them in their Companion fits, not their in-game fits. AIGHT LET'S KICK IT OFF, IN ORDER

Eckhart Markolac

The Infernal Twins

Ayyy it's my guy, you might've seen my guy before! We're starting off in familiar territory. Also he's the only twunk here. RIP.

Eckhart is one roguish half of the whole known as the infamous Markolac Twins. He and his sister Emerleigh have spent years of their lives dedicated to paying off a debt they owe to the Undercellar through smuggling, cons and other life-threatening crimes. Now that the Nautiloid has picked them up and dumped them a long ways away from the Gate, he's faced with the consequences of his actions and the kind of freedom he never expected to grasp in his lifetime.

Eckhart shares a companion quest with Emerleigh - get these tadpoles outta their skulls and get back to Baldur's Gate! But will he return to face his debtor, go on the run for the rest of his life, or forsake a future he doesn't think he's good enough for?

For those who haven't met my angst machine of a rogue, Eckhart is a sarcastic, witty and vaguely sleazy guy who's basically your classic rogue. He comes complete with a detached attitude, lower (but not too low) moral standards, and a heart of gold under layers and layers of self sabotage and emotional dysfunction. He's just bad at hiding it.

Eck and Em would be recruited at the exact same time, and their tadpoles would make it so they cannot live for very long without the other. How? Why? Because I don't wanna write a whole freaking branch where one of the twins dies and the other just has to deal with that. Game branch logic is HARD TO WRITE, DAMN YOU.

Emerleigh Markolac

The Infernal Twins

Heyyy girl, it's Em, it's my girl!

Emerleigh is one bardic half of the whole known as the infamous Markolac Twins. She and her brother Eckhart have spent years of their lives dedicated to paying off a debt they owe to the Undercellar through smuggling, cons and other life-threatening crimes. Now that the Nautiloid has picked them up and dumped them a long ways away from the Gate, she's more determined than ever to hold onto this newfound freedom... more terrified of returning than she ever thought she could be.

Emerleigh shares a companion quest with Eckhart - get these tadpoles outta their skulls and get back to Baldur's Gate! But will she return to face her debtor, go on the run for the rest of her life, or deny herself the future she so desperately wants for her and her brother?

If you haven't met Em, she's your classic dramatic bard who speaks in poetry, prose and academia! She's friendly, mischievous, and has so so so many things she hasn't given herself the space to contend with emotionally. She's a pretty lady used to having a perfect mask demanded of her, craving a chance to speak bluntly and openly instead of wrapping herself up in layers upon layers of what other people want from her.

I've already written plenty about Em and Eck. The twins' stories are very interconnected, with the quest playing out the same beats from the perspective of whichever twin the player is playing/romancing/keeping in their party.

Canary Highfall

Child of Light

My other major 2-Tav playthrough I have yet to mention, and the first modded class I've played!

Canary's life has been dedicated to the pursuit of truth -- consequences be damned. Reuniting with her possessive estranged father has caused a lot of roadblocks for her, but her divine heritage won't stop her from her latest fascination: Mind Flayers. Specifically, the strange tadpole specimen she intercepted in her father's study. Her pursuits, assisted by her bodyguard and trusted friend Leryk, have resulted in the two of them playing host to those very same tadpoles! The questions are piling up, with one weighing heaviest on her mind: why did her father of all people have this specimen to begin with? And what does that mean for her and Leryk?

Canary's quest is separate from Leryk, as the first part of her companion quest is finding him. If the player completes the grove or tries to move to the next region without him while keeping Canary in the party or at camp, he'll just show up at their camp. They're a package deal from Act 2 onwards, so the player can either dismiss them both or keep them both. She's not going anywhere without her closest friend!

Canary is a feverously academic person with a focus on abnormal biology. Her noble position and all the restrictions that come with it are a recent development in her life, and one she only engages with for the resources it affords her when possible. She's extremely distrustful of authority and how nobility has a chokehold on academia, so finding out her estranged father is a hyper-paranoid aasimar descended from Lathander himself doesn't exactly help her faith in higher powers -- be they the divine or the political. She's a bit of a smartass and gets wrapped up in what she's doing so completely that she often doesn't consider the consequences. Despite her outward confidence, it's very easy to get her to start rambling or turn her into an absolute mess. Though she hates when Leryk treats her like a princess, she trusts him with her life and would do just about anything for him.

With Canary, I liked the idea of a Companion with a specific interest in Mind Flayers and a personal stake in the conspiracy much like Wyll does. She wouldn't be able to tell the player anything Halsin can't already say in much more detail since she hasn't made a lot of headway in her tadpole-specific research, though.

Leryk Coppperlot

Knight of the Dawn

He's the only one of my active saves that has a skin tone other than "human". Good job, Keps.

Leryk's life hasn't been very long so far, but very little of it has been uneventful until recently. Saved from his life as a ruthless mercenary at the age of 19, he's devoted himself to the Son of Lathander. When his savior's recently-discovered estranged daughter was placed in his care, Leryk then devoted his life to her. Duty blossomed into friendship, but Leryk's blind faith in Canary's father persists despite what Canary has to say about it. Now that they've both been tadpoled and whisked far away from the safety of the Gate, Leryk is determined to get Canary home no matter the cost. But can he face the horrific truth Canary is on the cusp of uncovering...? And what about the truths she's been hiding from him?

Leryk has that frantic "rookie soldier" energy. He's extremely combat-experienced, but he's terrible at wrangling in Canary since he's very easy to sway through enthusiasm alone. He's blindly devoted to Canary and even moreso to her father, but otherwise can be quite shrewd and cautious of others. Misjudging one's character used to mean death for him, and he learned that when his old mentor tried to turn him in for a bounty on his head. Leryk, despite this, has learned a lot from the kindness afforded to him and does his best to repay it. "Caution, but not discourtesy" is his motto.

Leryk's quest is separate from Canary, as the first part of his companion quest is finding her. If the player completes the grove or tries to move to the next region without her, she'll just show up at their camp. Since they're a package deal Act 2 onwards, the player can either dismiss them both or keep them both. Canary's his best friend and he is literally her bodyguard, after all.

I love devoted bodyguards. I love him so much. I like the idea of some Companions knowing each other or having pre-existing relationships. You know he's having a panic attack and is going to find her just chilling in the Goblin Camp like it's no big deal.

Briar Lockren

The Weary Ranger

okay so Briar was actually a fan companion BEFORE she was a Tav. I recently restarted her run in a 2-Tav where the other Tav is actually Default Dark Urge because this girl's perception proficiency is worthless if she hasn't slept enough. And she never sleeps enough.

After three years of wandering the Sword Coast, Briar has settled in Cloak Wood in hopes of outrunning her terrible luck. Her past involvement with one of Cyric's cults has left her branded with supernatural-levels of misfortune and nightmares plaguing her every time she falls asleep. She's basically a walking-talking tempest. Having fallen in and out of the Feywild and caused towns to burn without her say, Briar thought being picked up by the Nautiloid was simply another instance of her shit luck. So imagine her surprise when she got the first nightmare-free rest in three years. Free from the eyes of the one who cursed her, Briar's luck has suddenly changed.

Briar is a somewhat ditsy individual prone to taking inopportune naps just about anywhere. Originally from Luskan, Briar's time wandering and falling into ridiculously terrible situations has made her a pretty difficult person to rattle. She's kind and gentle despite all she's suffered, but blames herself for wandering around the way she does and causing trouble (settling down with her luck is impossible). Her passivity is what led to her situation, however, as the one who cursed her was her childhood friend-turned cult leader-turned Chosen of Cyric-turned ex-boyfriend. It's messy. Briar's very used to messy life situations.

Briar's probably my most developed Tav in terms of a Companion story since she was originally written to be one. I also will acknowledge her being half-drow but not LOOKING half-drow is partly due to my own personal cowardice, but it's also the result of her complicated heritage. Lotta drow in Luskan. The fact she doesn't look like her full-drow father should tip you off as to why he might not have especially liked his child, therefore neglecting her and giving her very few chances to adopt the cult's teachings for herself. Kinda hard to teach a child to become a religious narcissist when you keep telling her she's just inherently inferior.

Scarlet

The Scarlet Scourge

My longest-lived Tav... heeeey girl, hiiii~ I'm probably gonna play her in a campaign one of these days. Siiigh.

The Scarlet Scourge strikes fear into the hearts of the greedy aristocrats that call Baldur's Gate home. A street urchin whose life was ruined time and time again by those who have far too much money, Scarlet's dedicated her life to taking from those who won't miss it and giving to those who need it. But Scarlet's been stopping the plans of the corrupt for a long time, and it all began with some dangerous blueprints. Blueprints she quite literally carries within her soul. Now that she's crashed far beyond the anonymity the Gates afford her, the one she stole the plans from has a chance to find her all over again.

Scarlet is a highly confident and highly competent master thief. She takes great pride in her ingenuity and artificing skill, and won't let you forget it. She's fiercely independent and keeps people at a distance, even hiding her real name from those she gets close to. However, like every Robin Hood figure, she revels in her legend and genuinely adores the people she does it for. Scarlet may act arrogant, but she has the skill to back up her confidence and risks her life for altruism. Get her in front of a gadget, however, and her brain goes a mile a minute. (She's going to be fucking pissed when she sees how cool the Steel Defenders are and the awful ways they're being utilized)

Who doesn't love a Phantom Thief? I think she and Wyll would absolutely be besties if they didn't already know each other before the events of the game - they both love the people of Baldur's Gate, have super hero names, and are archetypes of a class they don't belong to (Wyll is a Paladin in a Warlock's body while Scarlet is a Rogue in an Artificer's body).

Rohku Eddervyn

The Oathbroken

My OTHER longest-lived Tav, and the oldest character of my active Tavs. He's the oldest of them as well in terms of character age.

Rohku has been given many titles over the years, but none of which he's found suit him. After awakening to his Oath in the wake of a Sharran attack during his time as an Acolyte, Rohku was once known as The Sun of the Seventh Dawn for reasons he'll spare you for now. But years of tracking down and slaughtering Dark Justiciars began to take their toll. When grief and rage gave way to emptiness, he understood the pull of Shar. Unable to hunt down those he now saw as victims, his Oath shattered. But his devotion remains. Now, as he searches for new meaning under the Moonmaiden's gaze, he tracks down an artifact said to have fallen into Sharran hands...

Rohku is a mature and quiet man, jaded by the world around him. He's tired of battles between good and evil, and now lives for what is kind -- in any form that takes. He's patient with people and thinks very little of what others think of him. His wisdom and experiences make him an excellent leader, and an even better listener. He often chooses to resolve conflict through his words rather than his blade, but his deadpan demeanor makes that difficult. But he can handle that when it's his own ass on the line. But Zweihanders aren't shields.

Rohku was the first masculine character I played in BG3 and I fell in love. He's so tired and sweet. He's kind of Halsin-esque in that he was thrust into leadership without his say and acts as a calming presence for those he makes camp with. And big. He's a big boy.

~~

Hee hee hee self call-out time! Yes I have noticed 3 of them have black hair, 3 of them are tieflings, 5 have a different hair color streaked in there (with 2 of them specifically graying at a young age), and only 1 of them is above the age of 30. Because I Am A Coward. Pobody's Nerfect.

Hope you kinda enjoyed my little Tav sound-off! If you have questions about them or wanna see more of them or, heck, even draw or write about them yourself, go craaaazy! I don't know how much of these ideas are, like, solidified. IDK I'm still playing around with them.

God I put too much work into these. I can't believe I do fan fiction now. Wild.

[seattledaytwo]

🍒

didn't get a chance to play DE yet, but I humored myself with some playthroughs already and I'm... questioning shit rn. I just checked what max's phone has to offer in my ending (bae ending with pricefield as... hs sweethearts apparently). and I just don't understand wtf happened. I don't want to spoil the main plot of DE, but the way they don't offer any datas or timeframe... I'm kinda offended by the messages shown in max's phone. it looks so wrong. I mean, ofc there is the whole multiverse and I can believe that in some universe pricefield could've broken up but??? it feels wrong actually seeing it, I mean my expectations are my own mistakes, but... I need time to process

I mean, it could be great, but they promised to respect both endings. and the way I see it, most people who saved chloe didn't do it to see such an ending. I get that this stuff happens in real life, it's natural outcome for the relationship built on trauma, but for both Max and Chloe it's really off and out of character. I probably need to see more from the game to get a better perspective, but now i'm just sad.

how are u feeling tho?

OOF okay yeah I'm going to be brutally honest about my thoughts on Double Exposure.

So from the very first announcement, the concept left a bad taste in my mouth. It felt incredibly cheap to bring Max back, and I knew that even if the game was fantastic, that narrative choice would always rub me the wrong way. I don't like the idea of Deck Nine taking Dontnod's characters and continuing a story that had been tied up with a perfect bow already. It feels...I don't know. It feels gross, I guess, is the best word I can use.

Chloe's lack of presence stood out to me immediately, and combined with the pieces of the game we'd seen, I knew she wouldn't be part of it. At best, there would be some offscreen explanation about her traveling or something (like how Dragon Age explains where the Warden went if you romanced Leliana). What they went with was...worse than I anticipated, lol.

In my opinion, it's very clear that they brought Max back solely to bait people into buying and playing, and it's backfiring HARDCORE on them right now. I've seen so many people cancelling their preorders and turning away from the game. The promos for the games were purposely avoiding a mention of Chloe, not to be fun and surprise the fanbase, but to string people along until the very last second. Clearly, it didn't work out!

It's really a bummer because I think I would have LOVED this game if it featured a new protagonist. I mean, switching timelines, a university story, an older protagonist? Absolutely right up my alley! But the fact that they dragged Max in to be the hook immediately turned me off to it.

To be honest, I would be very unsurprised if this is the last Life is Strange game after all the backlash that's already starting. And honestly? I'm kind of okay with that. I have concerns about how Deck Nine and Square Enix would/could handle future installments, since it feels like the integrity of the series has been degraded so much with DE.

I never had any plans to play the game, but I don't even really feel like watching a playthrough now either, lmao. All that to say, I really don't consider this game canon. This feels more like a parody than an actual continuation of Max's story.

It's very, very sad to me because the first game came out when I was a teenager trying to figure herself out, and Max and Chloe were very integral to exploring and discovering my sexuality (even before I realized it)!

I love True Colors and I think Deck Nine is capable of writing a compelling (if not a little lacking in some aspects) storyline, but diving back into Max's story was a really bad idea and I think it might be the series' downfall.

And...wow, I guess I had more to say than I realized 😅

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Evie (Ace!Tav) Playthrough Day 3(?)

Day 1... Day 2 - Day 4

Astarion x Evie (Ace!Tav) Masterlist

For the uninitiated, I wrote a Tav well before I ever had a chance to play the game. Now, I finally can and thought it might be fun for my first play through to be as that Tav. Or, at least as much as the game play will allow me.

These are just some of my notes and scattered highlights that I thought would be fun to share.

Let me know if you think if I should continue this and any suggestions you might have.

This actually is more Day 3/4 since I did go back and redo some stuff I wasn't keen on; yes, I've discovered the power of quick saves!

Guys I'm going to romance Gale so fast and I don't think I can hurt this man

Got the "go to hell" dialogue with him; stood in front of the goblin so he's told me at least some of his deep dark secret; basically in the green on approval

I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to reject him guys

Obviously I'll keep playing and see how it goes, but I told myself this would be an Astarion play through

Of course, it does align with my thoughts about Gale having feelings for Evie at the start, so it might all work out

Giving me a lot more ideas about slow burn Astarion and Evie stuff in act 1

Going forward from that Wyll is now in the squad!

He's so perfect and soft with the kids

Definitely more distant at the start in terms of putting on the Blade of Frontiers mask, which I actually really like for future development

Switched out some stuff and guys "Speak with Animals" for the extra animal dialogue is so worth it; I love being a bard

Volo has also been underplayed in how funny he is: I'm now picturing Evie being unsure whether to be annoyed or amused by him every time they meet

She's definitely met his type before; they have very different approaches to the role of the bard in society

Got a lot of quests and God I never wanted to slap a bitch as hard as with Kagha

The fact I can't punch her in the nose without sparking all the druids to turn on the tieflings really does hurt my soul

Evie's nails are digging into her palms the whole time

On that note, the fact you can kill Netti without consequences is objectively funny to me

I rejected even taking the poison because Evie wants to live, she's not just going to take her life

Was not expecting Netti to fight, but needless to say four against one isn't much of a fight

We walked out of there and nobody has said a thing

Also shocked that choice doesn't get Astarion's approval; I thought for sure it would

Actually that's a question I have to the internet: can you do non-leathal damage? There are some things I'd like Evie to try to steal and don't necessarily want to do lethal damage

Found the back underground passage, but turned around because I knew I would get distracted and I wanted to find Karlach

Went out of the grove, found some of the Absolute followers

Astarion not happy with Evie saying we can't trust the power the tadpoles give us

They're really not starting off on the right foot

Now debating going forward with the guy squad or going back to camp, picking up the ladies and either go back to the underground cavern or continue to search for Karlach

Suggestions at this time are welcome

[void-speaks]

Bouncing ideas back with Pixelsss (btw feel free to tag me if you want I don't mind)

I FULLY AGREE with the theory that the previous chief doctor is the Ominous Voice and the fact that he didn't resign willingly that was literally like the first thing I thought.

Okay, I saw someone on like... Steam discussion? Who pointed out that the statue is actually Hippocrates (I actually don't remember the name they said but I googled it) and the oaths specifically for physicians are attributed to him. It would make sense why the Voice (I am NOT even gonna try to spell his name without reference) says he is a blind judge, and that WE need to be his witness. Because we are present in the moment, we can see the wrongdoings of the perpetrators and attribute each broken oath to each member of the staff. I feel like it's also worth mentioning that Friedrich says "there he is again" which could be just a reference about how many of those statues are around the Klinikum, but also maybe not?

NOW ABOUT THE PLAYER THEORY

The reason why I LOVE the theory that we are Joey (younger version of Joseph) is because:

1. In my opinion, it adds depth and sympathy for Joseph's character. Look at his younger self, so curious, so impressionable, so willing to help. And here he is now, so corrupt and so fueld by his own wrath.

2. I ADORE the theme of witnessing the corruption of your future self, coming face to face with the monstrosity that you've become. Joey doesn't necessarily realize this, but we do. And it's so AAUUAHAUAHA7AGAUAGAUAGAYAGAYAGAGAYAGAYAYAY

Of course, this theory is not perfect at all. Specifically in how that would work with the loophole and where it all started (I have a similar problem in Little Nightmares 2 because it's near impossible to pinpoint where the timeloop starts). The thing about Joseph not recognizing Joey I addressed in my previous post, but the reason why Joey wouldn't recognize himself in Joseph is because... well, I dunno, he just wouldn't? I wouldn't be able to recognize my future self either tbf. Hm, let's assume that Joey is somewhere in the ages of 21-22 like I initially did... so that would make at least a 9 year difference. And they do say that power changes people.

And this is where I'm going to yap about Joey and Joseph.

While Joseph is still a massive asshole and an abuser, but Joey isn't... look at him, he is so curious about everything, he comments on random things he may find interesting and pokes his nose into every corner of the Klinikum (based on my own recent playthrough of doing exactly that). He's so eager to help, seasoning the soup for the birthday guy, finding Dokhu's plushie and giving him a little crown as a birthday present, agreeing to help nurse Helene not because he exactly needs something from her, but just because of how relentlessly she's working to the point of neglecting everything else. How he feels sympathetic for Astrid and even for Wolfram (who does not deserve his sympathy that mf just tripped he can handle it). And yet... his older self is so egocentric, so ignorant and willing to harm others. So what exactly happened?

I think that it's because Joey later on felt unappreciated, ostracized and ignored. He was young, he recently moved to a new country and he's just fresh out of university. He has ideas that have potential, but no one is listening. So he becomes angry. He fights his way to the top, first making Friedrich resign, then beating everyone else to the spot and doing his best to charm the other staff so he'd be accepted. So of course, when he fought so hard to get to where he is, when someone starts to question him and tell him how wrong he is, it triggers a fight or flight response, and Joseph is used to fighting by now. Is he still more than old enough to understand the gravity of his actions and how badly he is hurting people not only physically but emotionally and mentally? Absolutely. Should he have prioritized the feelings of his staff, the other people he had to step over, his patience? Absolutely, he has the ability to, we've seen how sympathetic he can be. And yet he is so blinded by his wrath at the rejection he faced early on, that all of that goes forgotten. The way he says everything, how no one dies at the Klinikum, how the dental clinic is something the medical community should thank him for, how Astrid's paper criticizing his research is thrown away in the trashyard... it all screams of someone who is still seeking praise and validation which he didn't get before, but this time not using the knowledge he genuinely has, not using his kindness and compassion and ability to work with people, but instead using vile means that will secure his position and the things he desires. He found many, many loopholes to exploit in the system and he took that opportunity (ha, get it?) to get what he wanted, no matter how much harm he will bring and to whom.

So poor Joey ends up as the subject of that loophole. He has to face first hand how much destruction and abuse his older self brought onto the Klinikum. Just how many times has he been harmed to the point of death but has woken up again and again just to suffer more? And it doesn't matter who you are, patient, just a trainee or an employee. Unless you're willing to exploit and abuse others, you have no chance in this system. Wolfram looks completely normal at first, because he was already an abuser, his later forms only reflect how ugly he is inside. Randolph himself looks completely normal at first, but later on he is distorted worse of them all.

Anne is constantly getting shocked and will pass out if the system is shut down, yet smiles sadistically when she puts another, someone lower in power than her through the same treatment.

Sabine has the wounds from the torturous device that she uses on someone who is, again, lower in power than her, yet still puts it on them because she can't face the fact that doctor Randolph is a corrupt man. She gets salty when you don't follow her, but no matter how many times you try to run away, she doesn't attack you. She says that you're holding up well, that you did well and so on and so forth, because she just hasn't realized that this is abuse that she is going through and putting another through.

There is Hauser who saw what was happening, who knew about all the wrongs of the staff of the Klinikum but chose to cower and hide away in the attic, pretending to be ignorant, ignoring the cries of those who were suffering in favor of saving his own skin.

Wolfram took advantage of the poor patients, people who were supposed to be under his care, and when confronted with his crimes, he realized that nobody really cared. No one took the patients seriously aside from the pesky strict nurse who'd probably filed complaints against him. So, realizing that his deeds went unpunished he simply continued doing what he did for his own twisted pleasure and desire to control and exploit those below him.

Sauer was responsible for the food of the patients, arguably one of the most important things that contributes to a person's health, yet he still choose to be sloppy with it, causing more harm than good. Forced to boil alive in a pot, he still doesn't get anything, and continues being a bitch to patients and serving them food which will only make things worse just because of how bitter he is that such a "tiny mistake" led to this much suffering on his end.

And Randolph himself. Blinded by his own feelings, he neglects and ignores the feelings of those around him, only caring about his own success, only caring about validation and being noticed, proving everyone who doubted him wrong. And at the end, he is forced to face not only his own trauma, but the trauma he repeatedly put other through, distorting him into the horrible monstrosity that he became on the inside.

Astrid cared about her patients, but she also cared too much to try and hold other staff members, other authority accountable for their mistakes and heinous actions. And what did she get in return? A horrifying fate, to put it lightly. And even STILL, even after what Joseph has done to her, she is willing to talk. She hopes to see him again, to confront him about everything, to try her best to resolve this peacefully. But alas.

(Her phrase "You are not Joseph" would also be an incredible play on my interpretation/au? because yes, Joey isn't Joseph, he's not the monster that he may or may not grow up to be.)

Helene cares about her patients way more than about anything else, she just wants to make sure that they're if not healthy than at least comfortable with the little conditions she has to work with, and therefore, because she isn't that much of a threat, she's left as she is.

I completely forgot what was even the point of all of that while writing LMAO

Oh yes, maybe the moment Joey ends up in the Klinikum was the exact moment when he already began heading down the wrong path (based on how sarcastic he acts sometimes and how willing he is to disobey whose higher in power than him). So to be forced to see what his future were to look like, and not only that but to experience the harm he's would do to patients and staff first hand, it reminds him of what being a medical worker is really all about. It's not about the groundbreaking research, it's not about making a name for yourself in the medical community. And so in the end, Joey uses the same loophole that Joseph had used all this time against him, sending him down one last time, killing that abusive prick in himself.

Okay, I've rambled so much about this theory that it almost looks like I'm heavily advocating for others to subscribe to it. I'm not, I'm just on a creative roll as of later and so that's what caused me to imagine so much based on that theory and minor details. There's still the stuff I mentioned earlier that wouldn't make this theory work with Joseph and Joey not recognizing one another, and with the wording the Voice uses in our final confrontation with Joseph, he tells us how the doctor's wrath is affecting everyone, "including you," the player. That single phrase doesn't make much sense in that theory, but at the same time, Friedrich's other phrase about "I'm not your enemy. Well, perhaps... a part of me is" WOULD make sense in this theory. He's not an enemy to Joey, but he is an enemy to and in the eyes of Joseph.

All that being said, I would actually prefer for the game not to get an expansion or dlc with explanation of this stuff, because I feel like it's much more interesting to see different interpretations built on the core idea and theme of the game, which is the abuse and mistreatment of patients.

Also, a way smaller headcanon which could apply no matter the theory you personally believe is that our player has a deep ass voice based on the... erm... grunts? From the beginning of the game where we fall from the ceiling.

Also these rambles are not going to be a frequent thing (I HOPE) because these ideas are all I've had since first watching a playthrough, later on playing the game myself and then writing a thing for the game (yes it is about the Trash Collector and Joey. No I don't wanna talk about it yet. Unless you ask really nicely :)), so once I've told all that's on my mind I will probabaly go back to lurking. This was quite frankly unnecessary and I'm not even sure about posting it in the main tag but to be fair, I think I'll do it at least for the sake of categorization.

[ndostairlyrium]

4th question for the ask game: what does your worldstate look like??

Hello!!! Thanks for asking!

And sorry in advance for the length :'D

The ask game

So, um, lemme grab the Keep real quick hahah

I'll paste pics from that, from time to time u-u

This worldstate could be summed up as: we hate dragons, and we're saying "world peace" at the q&a portion of the show

Ela - Walker Hawke - Ankh

Origins:

Elanor Cousland, Warrior, 2H Weapon, romanced Alistair

Honorable, fair, and possibly the stupidest - earnest? Both things are valid for her and can cohabitate lol

-Companions:

-Arl of Redcliffe:

Helped Redcliffe prepare, all townspeople are safe, Isolde is alive, Connor is alive and not possessed, and Jowan was sent back to the Circle. The urn of sacred ashes is pristine ✨ a dragon was hurt in the process tho <<

-Broken Circle:

Supported Mages, Irving is alive.

-Nature of The Beast:

Brokered peace, saved the halla <3 we love our weird goats <3

-Denerim / Landsmeet:

Anora is queen (literally and metaphorically. my warden fangirls pretty hard @ her)

DLCs:

-Awakening:

We sided with the Architect, because she's stupid like that << and full of hope, okay, but mostly stupid

-Witch Hunt:

She let Morrigan go, but didn't follow her. I guess Alistair still blames her for that

-Warden's Keep:

Both Avernus and Sophia are dead, she couldn't drink the drink <<

-

Dragon Age II

Walker Hawke, Entropy Elemental and Force Mage, Humorous personality, romanced Fenris

Joined the smugglers at his arrival (he's quite the silver tongue)

-Companions:

-Act 1:

Going along with the "Blame the fereldan for everything" trend, starting from mom. If you get repeated "it's your fault" constantly, you start to believe it.

Also, the way he's butthurt for poor Ketojan!! Damn!

Will blame himself for handling that quest horribly. He can't understand, literally. He'll bring that experience with him forever

-Act 2:

A classic "my bullshit detector worked, but what the hell is going on anyway?" :'D

Also of course we did the 8 run around the columns << it's a must have in every playthrough!

-Act 3:

Sided with mages, heart of gold confirmed.

Also we hate dragons in this game as well u-u

Anders is alive and well, with a hand stamp on his cheek

-DLCs

Recruited Sebastian (unfortunately) - Sided with Larius (again, unfortunately) - I, huh, can't remember anything of Mark of the Assassin because it was unplayable :'D literally. The dialog wasn't working, it glitched every five minutes, and the game started to crash at a rapid pace after the party. Will watch walkthroughs in the future, because I remember having fun <<

-

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Ankh of clan Lavellan, Rogue Archer, Artificer, slayed all the dragons, romanced Cullen

Stoic approach favored

-Advisors

Prefers a honest approach, when she can. Diplomacy route is her favorite, but when she's dealing with nobles she always talks to Leliana first. The poor Cullen is the last to get attention :'

She denies being chosen by Andraste, Cassandra is veery happy about it /s

Reasons with Leliana about her role in Valence's cloister. Not hardened

Helps Josephine by raising the Du Paraquettes to nobility

Tells Cullen not to use lyrium, but it was more like "what do you want?", "This", "Then I'll help". Anyway, I always disliked how that discussion was handled as an addict myself lol

Leliana is the new Divine

-Companions:

The "friends with Blackwall" happens after a big while after what he did, but I won't say anything else since I have the chapter(s) planned and ready to be delivered lol then I will talk about it freely

-In Hushed Whispers / Champions of the Just

Sided with Mages, Mages are allied with the Inquisition

-Wicked Eyes, Wicked Hearts

This won't bite her in the ass in the future, noooo, like, totally a great decision :'D

The judgment after that was top tier best BioWare moments, I will cherish that experience forever <3

-Here Lies the Abyss

The utmost horrid choice was between Hawke and Alistair. She preferred to give the Wardens a chance, because she understands the weight of their duty - also they saved the world multiple times?

There's much else to say that relates to this decision, and some of it is personal, I must admit. But I'll eviscerate the thing another time, maybe :'D if people are interested ofc

-What Pride Had Wrought

Didn't drink from the well, because Solas made a good point about it lol and after what happened with Flemeth later, well... she's okay with that decision :' thanks Solas!

Oh, and she did the rituals. Good elfie <3

DLCs

-Jaws of Hakkon

I don't really have much to add, other than:

She sees what her role could turn into and that's a pretty scary outcome. She had fun with the bear thing, tho! That was pretty hilarious, plus I have something in mind with a climbing contest but, um

Will say the sayings another time lol

Also we still hatin on dragons

-The Descent

Did stop the earthquakes, enjoyed the trip and all the new info! 10/10 would return for Spring break (I hated it, she had the time of her life. That dlc was hard o-o like, intensely hard what the hell)

-Trespasser

She's gonna slap the god, and then she's gonna treat him with chicken soup and a hug

Also, she always knew that the Inquisition had a limited time, and she did everything she could to make it right. But you can't squeeze a lemon forever and pretend the sauce isn't increasingly bitter (?)

-

That's all I guess? Hopefully it's understandable :'D

[coreene]

I've been agonising over what to do with Raphael and Gortash in my fic, and my canon. Raphael is somewhat easier to save if you don't take the deal or break into his house but Gortash dies no matter what.

This is gonna be long so it's under the cut:

So for Raphael, I still haven't decided if I want Orpheus or Emperor but I think there is an ending where the crown is destroyed? I don't trust Mystra with it either so I'm thinking of adding to the deal with Raphael that he's not going to use it on anywhere else other than the hells and if the crown is destroyed our agreement becomes null and void.

I don't know exactly what happens in game because I started a new playthrough when all I had left to do was betray Gortash and Raphael.

So for Gortash it's a lot more tricky. But I've read somewhere that you can save the Duke and the prisoners if you go to the iron throne after you ally with Gorty and send him to the pool and he won't video call you? If that's not in the game, it's going to be the angle I use to save Wyll's daddy and force the two of them to work together for the city.

Both will be unhappy about it and I think the two will balance each other well. I think with high persuasion checks you should be able to make Gortash see that his plan is doomed. And the best way to survive is to destroy the brain.

Gortash is a tyrant but after the havoc the brain deals on the city and its people, the place needs the Steelwatch imo. They will be vulnerable to outside attacks. Blowing up the foundry is weakening the city further. But I can't in good conscious leave Gortash alone as the ruler because he is a tyrant. He's not kind to his subjects and without a good Tav to steer him away from it he'll continue doing bad things.

Ofc Ravengard will be reluctant because of the tadpoling and usurping of power but there will be a huge power vacuum if Gortash and his steel watch is out of commission. That just begs for more trouble imo.

Anyway these are my thoughts, references for future when I hit these parts in my fic. I ofc can go the betray the two and agonise over it with my Tav where she sees the fallout of her choices on the city. There is nothing stopping her from doing that either way though she's become quite the ball of stress in this journey.

Oh and also, if Gortash is alive maybe, maybe Tav can convince him to help them figure out how to save Karlach. No I ain't turning her into a mind flayer. That's out of the question.

[undead-potatoes]

COUNTERSPELL ASK!!!!!!!!! (unless you already answered this (I couldn't find it) or it's already in your inbox)

If New Year's resolutions were a thing in Faerûn, would Jay or Aurora be the kind to make any? What kinds of resolutions would they make? Would they ever be able to keep any of them? Are there any resolutions they'd keep making over and over again, but always fail?

Bonus, because I kind of answered it in my post: What are their plans post-BG3?

I did get a similar-ish ask, but it also had like 4 other questions baked into it, so I'm answering this particular question here (also hi Nonny, if you're reading this I'm working on your ask too!)

- - -

Jay is totally the kinda guy to make resolutions every year, and then fail horribly at keeping any of them. He'll get better at sticking to his planned schedules, he'll get home earlier so he can sleep more and better, he'll set aside time to work on his hobbies, he'll take a vacation for the first time in his life.

And then he never does any of those things, just keeps going as he always has while telling himself "last time I can be bothered with this, I swear". The resolutions mostly stay the same because his life does, and because he never manages to see any of them through.

I think he likes the idea of new beginnings, a fresh start to do things right, but it's of course a romanticized idea more that anything else.

- - -

Aurora is more pragmatic about it, and while new beginnings is a central theme in her journey, she doesn't see the point of waiting for a particular time of year to do so.

She might say she'll do something just for fun, but it's not serious at all, and she rarely even tries to follow through.

If she did do them, they'd probably be things like "spend more quality time with loved ones" and "be kinder to yourself" (something she really needs to work on).

Cult!Aurora wouldn't do any resolutions either, and thinks it's even more stupid than post-tadpole Aurora. She has shit to do, she doesn't have time to sit around and promise herself she'll do all the things that needs doing like that.

- - -

Bonus:

I think I mentioned this in another ask at some point, but Jay's plans for life post-game is essentially:

1) Finish all business in Baldur's Gate 2) Go to Waterdeep to live with Gale 3) ??? 4) Profit

He doesn't have any concrete plans for his future for the first time in forever, and it does him well to just vibe for a while and have Gale pamper him a bit, a gesture which he eagerly returns in kind. They're holding off on marriage at first, giving both a moment to settle into each other's lives, and just learning to know each other better in a less life-threatening situation.

Jay also needs time to feel like he actually belongs in Gale's life, especially among his wider social and familial circles (which luckily works out in the end, I hc that Gale's mom and wider family are actually pretty nice and welcoming cause I need that W for my guy).

Eventually he starts up his business again, operating out of both Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate with the help of a portal set up between the two cities (that would surly be within Gale's capabilities yeah?) I'm sure the wizards of Waterdeep would love a funky little guy who can get a hold of all sorts of weird stuff that they need.

- - -

Aurora's plans depend largely on Shadowheart's ending. In my first playthrough I let her choose the fate of her parents, which meant they died and Shadowheart was free to live life on her own. But I'm not sure if that is my final canon, now that I know both Jay and Aurora would admit to wanting to save them if they were their own parents.

If her parents die, it's simple: Aurora, Shadowheart, and Astarion travel around Faerûn, seeing all sorts of things and getting into way too much trouble, again. They eventually plan to settle down somewhere, with both Aurora and Shadowheart keen to live a more normal life for once, and Astarion finding his own place in that life I'm sure.

If her parents live, Shadowheart stays behind to make up for lost time, while Aurora and Astarion go to the Underdark to help sort out the hoard of unsupervised vampire spawn they unleashed down there. Maybe Shadowheart eventually joins them, traveling around much like when her parents are dead, or Aurora and Astarion occasionally travel around on their own, while Shadowheart stays behind with her parents.

Either way, she has no real interest in a future where she's separated from either one of them for too long at the time.

[silver-wield]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review Chapter 4!

Okay, this collection of posts will be filled with spoilers, including clips and screenshots, so if you don't wanna see things, then don't look. Some of the things I'm gonna highlight will include references to Remake and other sources to link with the overarching plot. This is a straight path playthrough with no sidequests or extra content.

Now you know, let's go!

Chapter four is a meaty fucker. Once you discount all the waffle you can do with sidequests and other random things, chapters 1-3 aren't actually that long and involved story content wise. Chapter four is really the start of the bulky content. And I'm gonna summarise most of it because I'll be here all day otherwise.

Okay, once we cross the plains and reach Under Junon, we're basically thrown into the fight with Bottomswell, although it's not called that anymore and icba to recall what its new name is.

The battle itself is pretty fun and makes full use of Tifa's flight capabilities if you know what you're doing.

The plot has been changed slightly. We don't rescue Priscilla, but instead it's Yuffie in trouble. Our buddy, Mr Dolphin, has his moment at the end with a combo and he comes back into play later when we climb the electrified tower, which I honestly thought wouldn't happen because it's pretty cringe originally, but they made it work so I can't complain.

Once we've dealt with Bottomswell and made it back to shore, we find the mayor giving Yuffie CPR. Now, I noticed Cloud scrutinising the procedure, so I'm suspicious about this coming back at some point in part three. There was originally a draft of Tifa giving Cloud CPR that didn't make it into the game, so it's possible they're planning on doing something with the idea.

Anyway, we save Yuffie and get a hilarious bit between her and Barret. I honestly love their dynamic. She's such a kid and he's got so little patience for older kids. I feel bad for future teenage Marlene 🤣

After we agree to meet Yuffie, it's back to the inn for some convos and rest. This one with Barret amused me. Cloud knows he likes the limelight and plays along with it. This detail also comes into play later the GS when Cloud's defending Barret to Dio.

On the way to his room, Cloud overheard a strange voice coming from Aerith's room. This is the first hint that Red isn't exactly what he seems to be. We also hear more about the whispers and what happened to them both. This is actually interesting. What exactly did Sephiroth need to steal from them?

This chat with Tifa is non-optional, unlike the others, and delves deeper into their relationship and her suspicions about what he remembers. They have a heart to heart, but aren't quite on the same page, which leaves them both a bit downcast.

Next morning, Yuffie intrudes to let the group know she's been hired to kill Rufus at his inauguration. She escapes and they're left to pursue her and hide in plain sight as troopers. But they also want to talk to Rufus about whether they're actually being hunted.

But before all that, Cloud has to go hopping off the back of a dolphin to climb the tower. And yes, he looks smug when he's done because he's a lil shit 🤣

Meanwhile, we get some snippets leading into part three's storyline in Wutai with EC's Glenn making an appearance. Rufus literally killed him, and going off what he spoke about, it's possible he's actually just Sephiroth in disguise and using Glenn to stoke war and gather more dead souls in the lifestream to corrupt it. But we won't know for sure until part three.

After the failed assassination, Cloud splits up with the others and finds himself stuck with some of the platoon he was directing in the parade. You have to keep them alive to succeed at this part.

At the end of the gauntlet is a rematch with Roche. And after you kick his ass, he helps you get to the dock to board the ferry.

Cloud reunites with his team and has picked up a few stragglers. And Yuffie. Who's in disguise as a robe. But that's for chapter 5.

A lot happens plot wise in this chapter, but most of it is set up for part three. Rufus mentions he's read Cloud's file, so that'll be interesting. There's also the plot with Glenn and stuff with Roche. And that's before we even get to Sephiroth.

[hollowknighthelp]

Hey I'm here to gove an updt on my HK playthrough :)

Got Voidheart

Fought Hollow

Beat Hollow

Fought Radiance

Haven't beat Radiance

Beat The Collector

Got Hiveblood

Got Grubberfly's elegy

Haven't beaten Grimm but got him to phase 2

Ayyy, nice!! Congrats on your progress!! And yeah, I'd recommend saving the Radiance for later. Might as well be as powered up as you possibly can be before taking her on! (But still, for the future, Abyss Shriek is THE Radiance Killer)

Since you've gotten (at least what I consider to be) the most annoying Pale Ore to get ((the Grubfather reward)), I assume you've got the Pure Nail now too?

Anyway, Troupe Master Grimm!

I'll put it under a cut, since the post is fairly long.

So. The funny thing about Grimm is that I've actually gotten so used to fighting Nightmare King Grimm and his attack patterns that when I fight regular Grimm, it. Looks pretty pathetic lmao

Still, I'll offer what tips I can!

Back when I first started fighting NKG, I used a pretty much exclusively nail-based playstyle for him. Normally I'm a very big advocate for using spells because they're Great, but for him? SOUL was used pretty much exclusively for healing during his staggers. Nowadays I do use spells during his fight, but since you're trying to win for the first time and it's for his sidequest? A nail-based build might be worth considering!

Mind you, that's Nightmare King Grimm. Because Troupe Master Grimm is a lot slower, there are probably more opportunities to sneak in some spell attacks. But, even so, your Charm Notches are limited! Especially due to Grimmchild completely wasting two of them. So, this is a very rare occurrence where I'd say Shaman Stone might not be worth equipping!

Instead, focus on Nail-based Charms! Quickslash is probably the one I'd recommend the most (and thus Steady Body would be a good choice as well, since those two pair great together). Fragile/Unbreakable Strength is, of course, amazing, but if you haven't been able to make it Unbreakable yet, then I totally understand not wanting to use it.

Grimm staggers after you've done 14 hits! And while he's staggered is the best time to heal. Assuming you have the SOUL for it, I believe you should be able to get at least two masks healed during his stagger, maybe even three. I honestly wouldn't even bother attacking him while he's staggered unless you don't need to heal (or don't have the SOUL for it), since you can only deal a maximum of 50 damage to him while he's in that state. And, sidenote, at least for NKG, I find that his first stagger and his first Pufferfish attack normally happen at around the same time! Not sure if the same is true for Troupe Master Grimm though.

Speaking of the Pufferfish, that happens a total of three times, specifically at each time he loses a quarter of his max health (i.e., 75% left, 50%, and 25%). You can use that knowledge to track how far you are in the fight!

As for evading that attack, it's... Mostly a matter of practice, I think. Stick to the far side of the battlefield, and avoid using the Monarch Wings as much as possible. You can use the Shade Cloak to dodge through the fireballs if you're really in a bad spot, but it's risky and might just make you collide with the next ball. I think avoiding damage using Descending Dark's invincibility frames should be a viable option, though? At least for Troupe Master Grimm anyway.

For Troupe Master Grimm, I think his floor spikes attack might be slow enough for you to safely get one heal in? But I'm not 100% certain. That said, if he happens to be close to you when he uses that attack, it's also the prime time to get a ton of damage in on him.

His lunge attack from the ceiling to the floor: thanks to Nightmare King Grimm, my default response to this attack is to use Descending Dark and its iframes. It's not as necessary to do that for Troupe Master Grimm, but it does still work!

His uppercut attack from the floor to the ceiling, with the falling fireballs afterward: dash through him with Shade Cloak when he dashes forward, then walk toward Grimm. You don't want to get under him, since a fireball drops there, but right next to him is a safe spot. ...At least, again, that's what I do for NKG, but I believe Troupe Master Grimm works the same way.

Fire bats: ...This is the attack I constantly take unnecessary damage on now because I'm used to NKG's version of it lmao. I no longer remember what I used to do to avoid it, but it might have been Jump, Double Jump, Shade Cloak? But I'm not certain.

If you're good at dodging the Pufferfish attack, then it might be worth getting that extra damage in at the start of the fight by hitting him while he bows to you (especially if you have Quickslash). Of course, this also comes at the cost of being a Horrible, Rude, Disrespectful opponent, but! Hey, whatever it takes to win, right? Alternatively, I think you should also have enough time to Dream Nail him while he bows (which doesn't bother him) and allow you to start the fight with a bit of extra SOUL

[dairine-bonnet]

Tag game

It's been some time since I was tagged, but better late than never, I suppose! Thank you so much @marythegizka!!! I'm tagging nobody this time, but all who want to join in, you're welcome!

three ships: Ok, finally I have three ships I'm currently into, and all of them are from computer games: (OC Lynette) von Valancius/Heinrix van Calox (Rogue Trader); (OC Lillian) Farlong/Casavir (Neverwinter Nights 2); Revan (aka OC Alexandra Forst)/Malak (KOTOR).

first ship: Mamoru Chiba/Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon, I guess? I

first saw a couple of episodes in my childhood and momentarily fell in love with this couple! However, I have to admit that I changed my mind when I started watching season 5, where Seiya Kou appeared. Honestly, Seiya Kou/Usagi Tsukino then became my favourite ship in SM: probably, because Usagi reveals another side of her personality next to him, maybe, because Seiya is such an energetic, sarcastic at times, but still supportive and sweet character, maybe, because Mamoru lost some personality traits after season 1 and stopped developing as a character, imao. Perhaps, all the reasons are partly true. (Childhood memories, hehe! But I still find Usagi and Mamoru too different to be a couple for a long time, especially such long time as almost eternity.)

last song: Ok, it's difficult as there are plenty of them I enjoy every day! Foofallen (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader OST); Sparks in the Dark (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader OST); End of the Journey (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader OST); I Want to Live (Baldur's Gate OST); Down by the River (Baldur's Gate OST)... At least, I've been listening to them on repeat today...:D And yeah, I've become a bit obsessed with computer games' OSTs. Again!

last movie: Hmmm... I rarely watch movies these days, so the last (animated) movie I watched was Spirited Away, I guess... I went to the cinema about a month ago to see it with my brother, who, somehow, hadn't watched it before!

currently reading: Well, I started reading Pet Sematary by Steven King a couple of months ago, as I'd heard it is even more intimidating in English than in Russian (it impressed me so much in my childhood!)... Frankly speaking, I haven't reached the scariest part(s) yet, since I stopped reading it due to work, personal problems and etc. Buuuuuuut I've read more than a quarter of the novel and definitely intend to finish it! Hopefully, this year!

currently watching: Some parts of Rogue Trader playthroughs if it even counts!:D

currently eating: Black tea without sugar.

currently craving: Money it is!:D Apart from that, the opportunity of attending Art classes in the nearest future and the ability to develop the ideas in my mind into completed fics.

[snowy-weather]

Nine People You'd Like to Know Better

I know I'm super late to this, my apologies. XD

Thanks for the tag, @septicrodent

3 Ships:

These will all involve my OCs in some way. XD

Ralis Sedarys X Mirni. OMG I love these two so much. I have no idea why I started shipping them, it was probably just a random thought that turned into an obsession over time. XD Drawing them makes me so happy. I've been obsessed with them for like... a year? Two years? And it's showing no signs of stopping.

I do realise that my version of Ralis Sedarys had become heavily headcanon-ised over time. XD But with a characters with as little canon content as him I suppose that's doubt to happen.

Varonys X Alya. Mirni's parents haven't even existed in the way they do for like a month and I LOVE them. Strict, stoic, grumpy nerd (who's secretly a little awkward) and his absolutely lovesick assistant. 🤭 I love it. I expect to make much more art of them in the future.

Next one isn't an Elder Scrolls (or Elder Scrolls OCs) pairing, it's from my original story.

Athix X Maron. Maron is an aloof, vain and standoffish man (who's secretly also a nerd but don't let him hear me say that) and Athix is a lovesick fool who just can't hide how much he absolutely loves Maron. They're both bad guys, honestly, as they work for the main antagonist in the Ace of Swords prologue chapter. But somehow, Athix' adoration of Maron is so cute to me. Maron, like I said, is standoffish and often acts annoyed at Athix' advances. But don't worry! He likes him a lot too.

First ship:

In general? No idea. XD I honestly don't remember.

In Elder Scrolls? Estlin (OC) and Torvar from the companions. Originally, I wanted to make a Skyrim story focused on my Dragonborn character Estlin and Torvar would be her unlikely love interest. Mostly because I married him in my first playthrough of the game. I thought he'd be kind of like an anime character I love. He's not, but I got attached to him anyway. XD

In Ace of Swords? Probably Yashiro and Agnes. They're an official couple (married) and the first couple to appear in my original concept for in Ace of Swords in 2019.

Currently reading:

I'm reading a long-running Elder Scrolls fanfic written by a friend of mine. I'm totally hooked. It's two parts so far: 'Ancient Blood' and 'Indigo Children'.

Last film:

Madagascar 3: Europe's most wanted. 🤭 What can I say I have a soft spot for weird animated comedies. I grew up watching Shrek.

Currently Craving:

Coffee.

-

I know the idea is to tag 9 more people, but I'm awkward, I don't know for sure who has and hasn't been tagged yet and I don't wanna bother people too much, so I'll pass for now hehe. Still, I'm happy to be tagged! ^^