#watcher x xoti

[starlightcleric]

Cal Deadfire update #2: I've started Xoti's romance! Way earlier than I expected, I was expecting to at least have to release her souls to the adra pillar first. So the gals got cozy... in a random swamp XD

I will probably stick with my previous narrative that they got together after the soul release, or at least... not in a random swamp? XD

[dragonologist-phd]

How about 17 for the Spotify Wrapped writing meme? :)

send me a number 1-100 and i’ll write a short fic based on the corresponding top song on my spotify wrapped  

17. Lantern - The Ballroom Thieves

the heart believes in something more than what's been said the heart's a two-faced fortune teller

(this one is actually already on my Miervaldis/Xoti playlist, so of course I had to write something for them!)

(ao3)

Some nights, Miervaldis and Xoti stay awake long after the others have fallen asleep.

It usually happens when they are both particularly troubled by dreams, and neither wish for the struggle of returning to sleep. Instead, they sit in the light of the moon or the dwindling campfire, and they talk. There is much to talk about, after all- the gods they serve, the roads they’ve traveled, the visions which have followed them both throughout their lives.

One night, when the fire has died and the moon is dark and the only light that remains comes from the soft glow of Xoti’s lantern, the priestess pauses in the story she tells to glance sheepishly at Miervaldis. “You’re nice to talk to, you know,” she says. “Most folk can’t stand when I chatter on like this. Thanks for listening so well.”

Nice to talk to. It’s not a compliment Miervaldis receives often. He turns those words over in his mind, then replies, “There is no need to thank me. It feels good to speak with someone who understands.”

Xoti chuckles. “No kidding. Gets kind of old, having everyone treat me like I’m…” she pauses and chews at her lip, worrying over something which she doesn’t voice. “Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m odd. Just don’t see why that’s such a terrible thing. Still, I don’t want to be talking your ears off if you’d rather I’d give you a bit of peace.”

The low light of the lantern throws shadows over Xoti’s face as she speaks, but every now and then a soul will pass near the glass and catch her face in its glow. The lantern’s light is not warm, but her eyes are- she is. She is warm and inviting and, yes, odd. She is different from anyone else Miervaldis has ever known. She is passionate and haunting and unpredictable. She is beautiful.

“Do not worry,” Miervaldis says. “I like talking to you, very much.”

I like you, very much. Those are the words he does not say. He will, someday, but not yet. Not while she still talks about Edér with a sigh in her voice.

Tonight, he just makes her smile, and that is enough.

[herearedragons]

lorenzo and xoti (+ what made u get more interested in their dynamic!)

One ship breakdown coming right up!

he's a death godlike who stays loyal to Berath throughout both games (and a chanter with a knack for summoning phantoms), she's a soul reaper, and I'm kind of compelled by a psychopomp x psychopomp ship

the cute mental image of him singing to her and/or the spirits in her lantern to ease off the nightmares

both of them holding on to their faiths even as their gods are proven faulty, and Lorenzo's "my god may be flawed but I'll follow them anyway because they're all I have" vs Xoti's "I believe that my god can do no wrong and eventually will show everyone The Truth". I feel like there would be some interesting conversations

something funny about Lorenzo seeing Xoti flirt with Edér and thinking "of course she likes him, she'd never look at a death godlike like me :(" and Xoti then flipping to having a crush on said death godlike unprompted

Lorenzo's past life romanced Iovara and, since he's more of an Iselmyr situation, it would be pretty funny for him to see Lorenzo fall for a priestess. ah lads not again

I could probably do some fun stuff with Xoti's soul collecting and how it affects her. I could probably also do some fun stuff with rewriting some of the conversations around her personal quest (I have vague thoughts but I think I need to play more Deadfire first)

both of my other Watchers are either uncomfortable or dismissive about Xoti, and I feel like it would be a fun challenge for me to get Not Normal about her to the same degree I did with Edér and Devil and write her from a fully admiring/sympathetic perspective

the Orpheus and Eurydice of it all (singer has to rescue his beloved from a terrible fate of being bound to a death god? anyone? also I could do a myth-accurate bad ending au where she ends up making the Bad Choice at the end of her quest and he loses her)

something very funny to me about Edér, Devil and Xoti being my Watchers' romance lineup (the universe said "dragons you're going to get SO good at writing southern american accents and Eothas/Saint's War-induced trauma")

send me alternate love interests for my OCs and I'll tell you what I think

[quinttyz]

absoltely destroying myself with the thought of tempest writing letters but aloth never receiving them at all (careless couriers, merciless bandits preying on messengers etc)

Now the former thinks he is either uninterested in keeping in touch or is dead, and the latter thinks she doesn’t care about him anymore. tempest has a huge pile of unsent letters on her desk, aloth keeps scraps of paper tucked in his grimoire, always ready to reply to her. whenever the chance passes him by, he always buys mailing supplies in the market. the attendant always thinks of how lucky the receiver of his letters is..with the care and intricacy Aloth shows in choosing the type of paper..and what color of ink…he seems to be fond of choosing the blue black ink..

Now cAn yoU IMAGINE THEM SEEING EACH OTHER AGAIN IN PORT MAJE?? HAJSKWJWJ THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES…….

Both relieved and both in disbelief. I like to think they wanted to hug each other but faltered. They didn’t know what to say…or how to act…god what is the SOP when you see the love of your life after 5 years of assuming they were dead/did not care for you anymore

Sailing in the Defiant, Edér studies the two. They are talking but it’s obvious that they were both holding back. Edér doesn’t know the full story but he could throw in guess. It was obvious with how Tempest avoids his gaze and the way the tip of Aloth’s ears turn red. Both were fidgeting with their clothes. Both were in love.

He sighs. It’s gonna be a long night explaining this to Xoti.

[ampleappleamble]

i love how you draw your watcher. her expressions in reaction to the robe burning are iconic. but i had a question about how you pronounce her name. is the x in axa the same sound as it is in xoti, or is it like a regular english x?

aww thank you so much!!!! i really do think the thing i'm best at drawing is facial expressions and i put a lot of care and thought into them, so it means a lot that you think they're good 😊 as for your question, yes! the x in Axa's name is pronounced like the x in Xoti's name, and the x in Ixamitl (where Axa is from!) so her name is pronounced "ah-sha," like the irl name Asha (a name i'm fond of, so when i named Axa i simply Ixamitlfied it)!

[sun-marie]

Aloth for the character breakdown!

How I feel about this character: Aloth my beloved <3 I love him to pieces, I love how he balances snark with kindness. He's uptight and nervous and just a tad hypocritical at some points, but I find him really compelling in the first game and especially the second game. I appreciate how they handled his backstory, in my experience abusive parents in media often justify a "hardened" character's behavior (when they're really just assholes), but I appreciate how the abuse Aloth went through + the fact he had to hide Iselmyr for most of his life have worn him into more of a nervous wreck than some kind of a "badass", and there are several routes he can take to healing. And I really like how in between games he reconciles with his mom and is straight up like "you don't have to approve and I'm glad I did it" to the Watcher, I appreciate that he has boundaries and it gives depth to his unseen relationship with her. I think he's a flawed and well-rounded character, and even though I went into the games expecting to like him I was still surprised by how much!

There are moments in the second game where I did feel like his... attitude, I guess? was a little much for me. I think in the DLCs especially he suffers from just a little bit of flanderization, where nearly everything the group did he had a comment like "we're not seriously doing this, right?" or "wonderful, another x uncomfortable thing" that give the feeling that he's just being dragged around by the Watcher and doesn't wanna be here. And idk by the end of the Forgotten Sanctum I was kind over it? Like I'm sorry you're not having a good time my dude but nobody is. BUT I try not to hold that against his character bc to me, I more have issue with the quantity of the comments rather than the quality, and I can easily see a situation where the writers wrote his reactions to certain situations in isolation, not realizing that it might be too much when it all came together.

Overall, though, I generally prefer him in the second game and think his second arc was handled even better than his first, both paths are incredibly crunchy.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: ...Is it cheating to say my Watcher? Idk I enjoy his very lowkey Deadfire romance a lot <3 I like how a lot is left up to interpretation re: how far they go in their relationship (with Sabina, at least, I don't think they get very far at all), and it has such sugary sweet vibes for such a dark setting.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: As I mentioned in my answer to this question for Xoti, I feel like the entire Deadfire crew could fit this spot for each other, and I also referenced how much I enjoy her relationship with Aloth. For Aloth specifically, though, I have to go with his bromance with Edér, which really benefits from spanning across two games (and with Matt Mercer having great chemistry with... himself). I also read this great fic a while ago that really sold me on the potential of his relationship with Sagani and Grieving Mother!

My unpopular opinion about this character: I have no idea what ending people prefer for him in Deadfire so idk how popular/unpopular this is, but for me I prefer the ending where he gives up his work dismantling the Leaden Key, mainly because it feels like an immense amount of pressure to place on a guy who seems to be under plenty, and the steps he would have to take take to continue feel eerily similar to how Thaos operated. Plus it means he can stay with my Watcher but as an avid tragedy enjoyer I promise it's not just that it's just a bonus

Also, I'm not a huge fan of the "Elves have a super long lifespan" bc I feel it unnecessarily complicates things and I kinda wish he was just his actual age instead of like 65

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: While I like how lowkey his romance is, I would have appreciated just a few extra crumbs. Also, I would have loved to see more Iselmyr if he didn't suppress her, bc while she's fun and I enjoy her I sometimes forget she's there 😅

GIVE ME A CHARACTER: and I’ll break their ass down:

[adraveins]

#30 harsh whisper for Hakona?

30. Harsh Whisper

Xoti lashes out when Hakona reaches her, weapon drawn quick even in the grip of sleep. But it carries no deadly intent, only the unsteady flailing of a nightmare, and it requires little effort to disarm, as Hakona twists the sickle out of Xoti’s grasp.

The maneuver is silent. Even Xoti’s distressed writhing is quiet. No one else wakes.

Hakona tosses the sickle safely out of reach, and Xoti’s eyes shoot open, panicked and lost and then full of alarm. She spends a long moment gasping, her gaze darting around wildly as understanding trickles in, and then she meets Hakona’s gaze hovering above her.

“Sakes alive, Watcher,” she whispers, horrified. “Did I hurt you?”

“You will have to try much harder than that,” Hakona says evenly.

The jungle around them sings a chittering nighttime chorus, and the fire smolders low and flickering. Hakona smolders too, her light bathing Xoti in soft radiance. Xoti exhales hard and pushes herself up into a sitting position. She quakes with infinitesimal shivers, but sweat beads her forehead as she stares glassy into the remains of the campfire.

It’s a sight that Hakona knows all too well, though she’d only ever seen it reflected in Edér’s eyes, in Sagani’s. She understands, now, the looks they’d given her. “They’re getting worse,” Hakona says, flat, a knot of useless trepidation coiling tight and heavy in the pit of her stomach. Is nothing they’re doing enough?

Xoti sucks in a great shuddering breath. “It’s...” she says and falls dead silent. Only the fire murmurs. Only the jungle chatters. “I’m still hearing it. The dream. Right now. Like I ain’t even awake. Like the souls are whispering to me.”

Her lantern rests close, gleaming, and Hakona restrains the childish urge to kick it away. She remains crouched at Xoti’s side, as still and unmoving as the thick, muggy air. Should she move in closer? Offer some kind of physical comfort? But she’s never been good at... this. Nothing about her, fiery hair or stone skin, is built for comfort.

“Don’t try to listen to the whispers,” Hakona says. “It will only drive you mad.”

Xoti’s head swivels up to look at her, eyes luminous in the dark. Her hands clutch tightly at her knees.

“I have some experience with this,” Hakona adds, and she doesn’t know why. There’s no need to share details, but Xoti looks to her like answers can be found somewhere in her glow, and Hakona continues. “When I... became a Watcher, a past life of mine surfaced as well. I would see the past in my dreams and then in my waking hours. I could see the dead and hear souls at all times. They never shut up.”

“How’d you manage that?” Xoti asks softly, desperately.

Hakona considers it. “Poorly,” she says, frank, and a corner of Xoti’s mouth quirks up. Her hands relax their death grip on her knees. “But those I traveled with... were more patient than I deserved. And... I did not go mad.”

The trail of dead in Hakona’s wake is not so loud, this time. They’re quiet enough to forget, at times, until something jars her into remembrance, until she needs to pull the dead forth for aid. She doesn’t know if it’s because she has experience as a Watcher now, or if it’s merely some aspect of Berath’s power within her. She doesn’t know what to feel about it. But she still remembers, searing and vivid, how hard it had been at first, even if she hadn’t wanted to admit it.

“I will-- we will help you through this,” Hakona adds, and her flames intensify with a hissing murmur, sparks flaring at the edges of her vision. “So that you have other things to listen to.”

There’s enough light by those flames to see that Xoti flushes. “I think you might just be onto something,” she says, a little breathlessly. “I’m feeling right as rain, now.”

The lie is as stark as fire in a dark forest. Erratic shivers still rattle Xoti’s form, and her breathing trembles unsteady. But the haunted look in her eyes has retreated, and in its place rests a bright-eyed interest. She studies Hakona and bites her lip, and Hakona doesn’t know what to do about that, either.

“Still,” Xoti says. “Don’t think I’ll be getting much shuteye just yet. Wouldn’t be wise, I reckon.” Her eyes drop to the ground, then dart back up, just on the far side of hesitant. “Mind if I join you for watch? I’ll be quiet as a barn mouse, promise.”

An instinctive rejection rises up at the back of Hakona’s throat, but she swallows it. She’s one of the few who can understand Xoti’s condition, and Xoti has become one of the few who can understand her in turn. Who always seems to watch her with that interest, that admiration, no matter the Bleak sigil upon Hakona’s armor, no matter the dead around her, no matter the blood dripping from her axes.

In answer, Hakona pushes herself to her feet and offers a hand. Xoti takes it, blushing deeply, and pulls herself up. Her touch lingers, before she pulls her hand away and makes a great show of tidying up her bedroll, and Hakona can’t read it. Bold at one turn, shy and aloof at another. What does this priestess really want?

“So, Watcher,” Xoti says, a loud whisper, when they sit just outside the camp, keeping an eye on the surrounding jungle, on the sleeping forms of the party, “what other things did you have in mind for me to listen to?”

Quiet as a barn mouse indeed. And yet, to her surprise, Hakona finds that she doesn’t mind.

[risualto]

8. a kiss on the nose for Lila/Xoti, sfw?

Thank you so much for this!  I really had a great time writing it; these two are a little insufferable once they’re actually together, but it’s cute.  Sorry for the delay~

8. a kiss on the nose + Lila/Xoti

The tavern was so loud that Lila wasn’t sure where her heartbeat was under the sound of thumping boots from the center of the room.  Someone had started a dance, and so the whole place was filled with whoops and laughter and scrambling footsteps, and Lila reveled in it.  It was as poignant as the alcohol in her blood. Maybe more so, actually, because the beer at this place was piss-poor and honestly might just be slightly mixed seawater.  If Lila wasn’t in such a good mood, she might just complain about it to the barkeep.

Lucky for the poor aumaua who might’ve been her victim in another timeline, being the center of attention as she swooped from partner to partner through the chaotic mess that was maybe once a circle, it was all much more alluring.  She twirled around someone whose face was so bland she didn’t think she’d remember it if she were sober, dipped them, and then flung them towards the crowd that penned in their little dance floor.

“Well?” she asked, running her hands down her sides, over her hips, lingering on the hilt of the blade that never left her side no matter how free she felt.  “Who’s next, huh?  If y’think y’can keep up!”

There was a moment of disappointment in which a few people in front of her just looked to each other, either too drunk or too intimidated to finish what had been started here.  But a creak from behind her had Lila spinning on the ball of her foot, hands raised to grab whoever thought they could sneak up—

“Aha,” chimed a little laugh, and small, human-sized palms brushed against the inside of Lila’s wrists, catching her strength and brushing it aside like water as Xoti danced between the raindrops and right up against Lila’s chest.

“Hey, Lady Watcher,” purred Xoti, brown eyes glittering like stars through her eyelashes.  “I’m game if you are.”  There was a flush on her cheeks, visible even under her dark complexion, that made Lila’s eyes glow a little brighter as she took it in.

A smirk was beginning to form on Lila’s face when she felt a tug down on her wrists.  Xoti used her for leverage to pull herself onto her tip-toes, look Lila right in the eyes, and plant a measuredly-innocent, sickeningly-cute kiss right on the tip of Lila’s nose.  For a second, nothing happened except that the violinist over in the corner did something that sounded complicated and chaotic to cover the brief moment of silence that covered the room.  Then Lila’s hair flared so bright that even Xoti had to squint, face scrunching up. If anyone had made the mistake of touching her bare skin at that moment, Lila was sure they would have been burned as the veins of fire crackling across her body turned from rich crimson to warm gold to hot white.  It was a unique combination of glee and mortification because, really, Lila wasn’t five, so a silly kiss like that shouldn’t make her so happy…!

She reached down and wrapped her hands around Xoti’s waist, almost-but-not-quite bracketing her completely.  “You really need t’stop flirtin’ with danger, little priestess,” Lila said, leaning close enough that Xoti could feel the unnatural heat of her skin.

“Or maybe not,” Xoti shot back, lacing her own hands behind Lila’s neck.  “I think it’s workin’ pretty well.”

[lunarowena]

7 for Cal on the hug prompts?

7. Tired hug 

-

Cal doesn’t hear the knocking at her cabin door at first. Her vision blurs as she stares at the papers on her desk. Her notes, trying to make sense of the situation. Trying to find the right answer. There is no right answer.

The door creaks open. “Cal?” Xoti asks softly.

Cal gestures her in, unspeaking. She should say something. Xoti deserves that from her. But Xoti has always had a way of getting her to actually speak.

Xoti closes the length of the small room and places her hand on Cal’s shoulder. Cal leans into the physical touch, a rare moment where she is not separated by her plate armor. Although less and less rare with Xoti these days.

Xoti squeezes her shoulder. “Nobody’s seen much of you recently, and everybody’s been worried…”

“And they nominated you to check that I was still breathing?”

“Well, we occasionally hear you swearing so we know you’re still breathing. I was sent to see if you were alright.”

“No,” Cal says bluntly.

There’s silence and Xoti stands, waiting.

Cal leans forward on the desk, resting her head in her hands. “It’s all fucked up, Xo.”

“I know,” Xoti says quietly.

“The Huana, the Vailians, the Rauatai… I’m going to have to kill someone.” Cal runs her fingers through her hair. “I have to get to Ukaizo, and I’m going to have to kill someone to get there.” She takes in a ragged breath. “And I have to decide who deserves to die.”

“You are the Chosen of Berath.”

“When I decided to follow Berath, I didn’t realize how much death I would be the cause of.” Cal laces her fingers through Xoti’s. “I’m so… I’m so tired of killing people.”

Xoti pulls Cal up, drawing her into a hug. Cal breathes deeply as she buries her face in Xoti’s hair.

“You’re not alone. We’re all here with you.”

Cal doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t need to be reminded of the blood she’s placing on Xoti’s hands, too. But right now she holds Xoti tightly, trying to pretend she can just be young and in love. Pretending that the Deadfire and her god don’t expect her to be their judge, jury, and executioner.

hug prompts

[nyssaila]

OC PAIRINGS

bold what applies tagged by @rebelfatebinder, ty <3 tagging: @moonrise-dragon, @stardust-wandering, @breitheaman, and anyone else who’d want to Las’Eth x Kalara height difference / mutual pining / first kiss (kalara) / wedding / in-jokes / lgbtq+ / family disapproves / would die for each other / would kill for each other / fake relationship / arranged wedding / cuddlers / pda friendly / and they were roommates / holding hands / secret relationship / opposing worldviews / getting a pet / have kids / want kids / grow old together / relationship failures / rests head on shoulder / share a bed / relationship doubts / they have a song / first date / sharing a blanket / mutual interests / study buddies / bathing together / crash into hello / accidental nudity / laundry / same hobbies / cooking for each other / big fancy gala / sibling rivalry / hair stroking / sitting on each other’s laps / sexual tension / can’t be together / battle couple / friends to lovers / enemies to lovers / lovers to enemies / keeping secrets / love after loss / exes / declaration of love / flirting / love triangle / destructive romance / envy / “I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship” / shared values / slow burn / does not end well / happily ever after / love letters Marian x Thane height difference / mutual pining / first kiss / wedding / in-jokes / lgbtq+ / family disapproves / would die for each other / would kill for each other / fake relationship / arranged wedding / cuddlers / pda friendly / and they were roommates / holding hands / secret relationship / opposing worldviews / getting a pet / have kids / want kids / grow old together / relationship failures / rests head on shoulder / share a bed / relationship doubts / they have a song / first date / sharing a blanket / mutual interests / study buddies / bathing together / crash into hello / accidental nudity / laundry / same hobbies / cooking for each other (marian would) / big fancy gala / sibling rivalry / hair stroking / sitting on each other’s laps / sexual tension / can’t be together / battle couple / friends to lovers / enemies to lovers / lovers to enemies / keeping secrets / love after loss / exes / declaration of love / flirting / love triangle / destructive romance / envy / “I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship” / shared values / slow burn / does not end well ): / happily ever after / love letters Thirza x Xoti x Tekehu height difference / mutual pining / first kiss / wedding / in-jokes / lgbtq+ / family disapproves / would die for each other / would kill for each other / fake relationship / arranged wedding / cuddlers / pda friendly / and they were roommates / holding hands / secret relationship / opposing worldviews / getting a pet / have kids / want kids / grow old together / relationship failures / rests head on shoulder / share a bed / relationship doubts / they have a song / first date / sharing a blanket / mutual interests / study buddies / bathing together / crash into hello / accidental nudity / laundry / same hobbies / cooking for each other / big fancy gala / sibling rivalry / hair stroking / sitting on each other’s laps / sexual tension / can’t be together / battle couple / friends to lovers / enemies to lovers / lovers to enemies / keeping secrets / love after loss / exes / declaration of love / flirting / love triangle / destructive romance / envy / “I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship” / shared values / slow burn / does not end well ): / happily ever after / love letters

[void-slip]

Salla and Xoti enjoying a rare free moment where they can take a break from fighting

[starlightcleric]

Conversation with romanced Xoti that I was not expecting!

[dragonologist-phd]

I'm on desktop so I can't copy the emojis but the X and the kiwi for Rudi? And one other OC of your choice?

Thank you! I’ll do Rudi and Miervaldis, since they’re my less talked about PoE kids!

Rudi

❌ What kind of things would end any relationship for them? Is there a history behind why these things bother them? Could they ever take someone back despite this? If so or if not, why?

Rudi doesn’t have any particular red flags, other than typical “don’t be an asshole” stuff. She’s kind of independent and would get really impatient with someone who acted clingy and jealous, but she’d give them a little time to get it together rather than immediately ending the relationship

🥝 What does a bad mental health day look like for your OC? Walk us through it with them. What kind of things can help them out of this slump and what kinds of things comfort them when they start to feel like this?

For Rudi, a bad mental health day is a day when her Watcher visions are acting up- they leave her with migraines and stress her out a lot, to the point where she can’t focus on anything else. She can get very snappish in that state and not exactly receptive to other people trying to help her out.

In fact she usually avoids people completely on those days. She likes to go off on her own with Sol, just to explore or walk through the wilderness. It helps to clear her mind and ease the tension, if just a bit. Having Sol around always makes her feel better no matter what; he’s a comforting, he makes her feel safe, and petting his fur is very soothing. The alone time is an important part of how she deals with things, and even if the Watcher visions linger, they’re easier to deal with after a day of decompressing.

Miervaldis

❌ What kind of things would end any relationship for them? Is there a history behind why these things bother them? Could they ever take someone back despite this? If so or if not, why?

The thing about Miervaldis is that he needs someone who’s going to understand and support him in his goals, because he can get very intense in his pursuit of what he believes his purpose to be. That’s why he and Xoti work so well- they’re very similar in that regard, and they can understand what the other needs.

He had an ex back in the White that Wends, and they were fairly serious. They broke up when Miervaldis felt that Berath was calling him to travel the world, and his ex just couldn’t leave his home behind to travel with him. But Miervaldis would readily admit that the fault there laid more with him, and he doesn’t blame his ex for how things worked out

🥝 What does a bad mental health day look like for your OC? Walk us through it with them. What kind of things can help them out of this slump and what kinds of things comfort them when they start to feel like this?

It’s actually hard to tell when Miervaldis is having a bad health today, because he’s really good at masking it. But he has his days of morose moods, and he can retreat into himself and be quieter than usual. He won’t bring it up to anyone, but people who know him well can spot it. On those days, little unspoken gestures- bringing him food, chatting with him, getting him involved with things- can help lift him out of his moods.

Jumbo Ask Game

[springacres]

And now I'm picturing Iselmyr being the one to tell him. (Although that would make things So Much Worse from Aloth's perspective...)

tekēhu and xoti, hearing about this later on the defiant:

[impoffreemarket]

what your favourite ship in pillars of eternity says about you:

(read the tags)

aloth x watcher: you're always a slut for slowburns

tekehu x watcher: you are a certified moronsexual: you're attracted to dumbasses and dumbasses exclusively

maia x watcher: you want a girlfriend who can not only kick your ass, but will do so upon request

xoti x watcher: you don't understand people who say they wouldn't date their best friend. like, aren't you best friends with them for a reason?

eder x watcher: i can't say for sure if you want to fuck dads, but you definitely want to fuck father figures

rekke x watcher: your ideal date involves wacky hi - jinks after which, hilarity ensues

ydwin x watcher: you are a sucker for characters who are in a desperate need of more screentime

thaos x watcher: you just want to fuck villains and honestly, who wouldn't?

iovara x watcher: you really wish your past life hadn't done her so dirty

tekehu x aloth: you think a key to a good romcom is making sure the main couple hates each other for a good... like one third of the movie at least

rekke x tekehu: you are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of being stupid together

ydwin x aloth: you think the concept of "opposites attract" cannot be rated highly enough

maia x xoti: your ideal relationship dynamic is butch / femme

xoti x eder: you're here just for some men getting pegged

[stylishanachronism]

3, 4, 9 & 10 for the Deadfire ask meme

3. How about a favourite companion? Or a favourite NPC?

Alys is terribly, terribly fond of Xoti, not romantically but very much in a bossy older sister way (It’s something of a novelty; she’s the youngest of her generation), and she’d rather like to keep her in the family, one way or another; it’s not like she doesn’t have enough cousins and/or nebulous extended family to choose from. Please imagine approximately a million conversations over the course of the game in the temple of Gaun that go something like this:

A: Let me introduce you to --, my cousin/nephew/child of someone I knew when I was a girl, they’re very nice/dependable/clever, I’m sure you’ll get along, and you’d be very cute together. You’re a little young to be married, but-

X: I have to go do priest things somewhere else Right Now, I Do Not need one of my awkward crushes trying to set me up with other people.

4. Was there a companion or an NPC that they just couldn’t stand? What was it about them that irritated your Watcher?

Pretty much all of the VTC staff, Pallegina excluded, but particularly the director, who kept assuming things about her motives and loyalties, and not listening to what she was actually saying. (There is a stark difference between ‘based on what I know about the metaphysical effects of x situation, doing y is the only really sane thing, especially given what went down five years ago, and honestly I’d prefer if you all left well enough alone, thank you’ and ‘yep, those Valians have the right idea, they should eat all the adra that sounds great’ and they insisted on assuming the latter, and it was pretty much the thought that her parents would be upset that kept Alys from slapping whoever was currently talking for her across the face)

9. Which faction did your Watcher side with in the end, if any? Was there a particular reasoning behind their decision?

No one! The Watsonian explanation is that she flung her hands in the air because this is no time for politics and her concern is for the Dyrwood’s future, not the rest of them, if she’s being political which they don’t have time for, and in any case there’s a god trying to, as far as she knows, kill them all right the fuck now, y’all can argue she’s going to do whatever she can.

(The Doylist explanation is that the game crashed every time I tried to side with someone, anyone, and it took like, four patches before going it alone worked either.)

10. Where do you imagine your Watcher’s life takes them after the events of Deadfire?

Back home to Caed Nua, which she rebuilds with the help of the original architect and a ridiculous amount of favors (from her family, mostly), because the keep’s in a strategically important location and she’s still in charge of it, and damnit she just got all those tariffs figured out, that road’s staying open.