#we have other playthroughs in progress and lined up so it's not Over over (even Xa'rok's story)

[astralprisms]

WHEN WILL I FINISH THIS GAME. WHEN. ARGH.

[welovetesvkaidan]

OPINIONS ON KAIDAN EE/IF???

My honest reaction:

in all seriousness, if you wanna hear me yap about it, more under the cut

warning like, genuinely a ginormous yap, like a HUMUNGOUS, sleep-deprived yap,,, im cursed to be obsessed with skyrim + modded followers instead of touching grass

I think a lot of this is probably gonna be the same thing other people have said, so im sorry

if you feel i'm gonna be bringing up redundant points and get mad at me😓dont read

I haven't experienced and thus won't talk about the versions of EE and IF that are now separate mods from each other. I don't know anything about that.

if they're better now yayyy but this is about pre-separation

I should preface this with the fact that I've played through Skyrim 3 times with different stages of Kaidan EE/IF:

The initial Dawnguard + fixes/miscs mod

Kaidan EE/IF versions before extensive faction/NPC dialogue for Kaidan

EE/IF w/ NPC Dialogue (AKA Fratpack)

I was also part of the two different discords that were purged and created during these intervals. i don't even know if there is a discord currently?

anyway, that is to say that I have experienced the mod and it's behind-the-scenes progress, extensively so I have a pretty good idea of what I liked and didn't like

That being said, I will introduce probably my biggest problems with it: Tonal whiplash

Okay, well the most common complaint is ofc that a lot of the writing is out of character - and I agree. But it's not just ooc on paper, it's his voice too. I swear, it is very jarring hearing hushed, mild og Kaidan 2 voicelines, and then being deafened by EE Kaidan SCREAMING in my ear ALL.THE.TIME. (like... why are you yelling at me rn jeez)

Seriously. I'm not sure why they didn't just re-record everything from the original mod instead of adding more and more contradicting lines on top of the originals. It definitely could have been a standalone mod, and sometimes it almost feels like it is - because he is just so different.

My most infamous moment in my last playthrough with him happened after we defeated the dragon at Kynesgrove. His og Kaidan 2 dialogue played first, in it he shows interest and is cordial about Delphine ("I wouldn't mind prodding her mind" or whatver dialogue), THEN immediately after his Kaidan EE/IF dialogue will play, in which he walks up to Delphine and STARTS YELLING AT HER AND INSULTING HER - like they argue for quite a bit wtf. And it's like, listen, I have my thoughts about Delphine, but whether or not it was okay to yell at her isn't the problem. It would be fine - IF he hadn't just calmly told me he thought she was okay.

It is sooo confusing how he contradicts himself :(

I mean, yeah, fragments of who he is are still there, I can tell it's Kaidan, but he's warped to fit a different character. Like a con-artist Kaidan.

Anyway, besides the contradictions, it also feels out of character because of his established backstory.

Let's go over it: He's an orphan, lost his only connection to his family(his guardian) to drugs, fell into substances himself, joined a violent cult, had to escape said cult, came clean from his addictions, has been traveling Tamriel bounty-hunting, got brutally attacked by the Thalmor, rescued by mere chance. Do you honestly mean to tell me this man would be yelling, pissing, drinking, lewding, and joking his ass off?? After all that???? NO - or maybe not these levels of extreme. (maybe some other dude might, but Kaidan's characterization insists he is a brooding, keeps-to-himself man, even though he never acts like it anymore)

That man should be tired, and he did feel like he was tired in the original. He was more brooding then than he is now, usually silent, but could still have an edge of comedy/wittiness, he was smart, he had been through a lot!

In that regard, EE/IF Kaidan felt like... we are experiencing Kaidan 10 years in the past - like a Kaidan in his early 20s when he was still a drunkard low-key terrible person. He is just so energetic, always yapping - GOD he talks a lot now. ugh but most of the time it wasn't about anything, it was either inside-jokes, meta jokes, and only occasionally did we get things that added to the experience.

For example, I think most of us who have played Kaidan 2 remember at least one specific line he has said while exploring. What comes to mind for me is either "Can you smell the magicka in the air too? Smells like a rainless thunderstorm." or "Watch for the mammoth with the carvings on their tusks, that's how the giants mark their herd." Alright, both pretty nice small talk for characterization (he IS smart) and worldbuilding.

Tbh i can't really remember any iconic lines from the additions of EE/IF Kaidan... the only two lines that stood out for me were: the "elevenses" line from the clip above (started bumping into him every time he was about to say this so he would stfu... total tonal dissonance), and one he said while I looted Lucky Lorenz ("poor sod wasn't as lucky as his namesake would have you believe!") kai HOW do you know this man, and his nickname, who told you that??? (idc about it that much but its like the only other added line i remember)

I thought that maybe his ooc-iness might have been caused due to the collaborative approach of the mod, I think the mod authors created their own perfect Kaidan - and that's good for them! It takes a shit ton of work (Ik cuz i was there!!) But I think the original essence was lost with each addition. It might have been lack of direction for the voice acting too, a lot of the lines might have hit better if they weren't borderline screamed.

Okay, at some point while playing I got so tired of his constant himbo chit-chatter that I tried tuning him out and bringing other npcs from vanilla skyrim as followers. Problem: even without kaidan on your party, everything starts being about kaidan. Because the extension made it so that Kaidan either has history with/character interactions and development with different NPCs from the base game.

The main poor sods that traveled with me:

Erik the Slayer: Apparently was Kaidan's childhood friend, got inspired by Kaidan to become an adventurer. Least egregious in my opinion, they say sweet things to each other. I swear, Kaidan yells more at me than he ever did at Erik.

The Companions: dumb, dumber, and dumbest basically.. This part of EE/IF was also known as "The Fratpack" and y e a h they pretty much had Vilkas, Kaidan, and Farkas acting like immature frat boys all the time. Just,, absulutely taking away all the maturity out of these GROWN ASS MEN. im sorry, i guess i dont get the appeal. I liked it when they didn't behave like teens (Aela im so sorry, you deserved better than being part of this)

Lydia: All she does is simp for him, ALL.THE.TIME. You think she's about to have a meaningful thing to say? nope, she's checking out Kaidan's ass. Think she'll have a deep convo with another npc about one another? nope! she wants them to tell her all about Kaidan. Both the Companions and Erik will either talk down to her or have to deal with her thirst for Kaidan. i had to start leaving her home.

They also suffered from the same tonal whiplash as Kaidan, unfortunately

additionally, the mod added an "early flirt switch" - you could basically toggle Kaidan to start showing romantic affection for the Dragonborn before the amulet of mara., the interactions were good on paper, but everytime he stammered and stumbled over his words it was written in such an unnatural way... pls people don't talk like fanfics lol !!!

I did like that he gave me flowers, my inventory got full of them - but then he noticed how many flowers I had in my inventory and judged me for "picking everything i see" ugh dude you gave them to me, but also even if you hadnt... mind your business lol

Another addition was a feature that basically made it so NPCs could potentially throw flirtatious comments at Kaidan and the Dragonborn (Bishop flashbacks😨)

You can't do anything to defend Kaidan from those comments, but he WILL take it upon himself to defend your honor infront of any men, women, jarls, or criminals that even so much as find you attractive (THIS INCLUDES FARKAS AND VILKAS BTW :( ) by being rude, forthcoming, AND violent. so yea, you can guess the target audience

speaking of which, he definitely comes on too strong on you once you start the romance, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I specifically picked the "go slow" option for the romance, and the next day or two it was him constantly complaining about having to go slow under his breath, how he wanted to do anything but slow rn... and like just, wow. :/ yikeees lmao

Maybe this is the result of "i can fix him" romance ideals? im sorry but I liked him when he was down to earth

Bonus? He comes with a campsite now, which has to be magic because its ginormous and he somehow lugs it around despite it also coming with a whole ass furnace (fine fine i'll hold my disbelief)

anyway I do like it, its basically a player house you can take anywhere (so long as kai is with you ig) also you can have a cat in there

I like that there is an MCM, I like that the MCM lets you get through the quest stages in case you get stuck

I like that he can guide you places, usually he gets stuck in a tree or rock but its the thought that counts

I think if the mod had continued in the vein as its original iteration when it was just audio/bug fixes and included these qol features it would have been better than it is now.

But it seems maybe i'm just not the target audience, and as a young woman I'm really confused as who the target audience is 😓

okay im srry rant over

if anyone else wants me to yap about other kaidan skyrim things also ask or join in cuz i like yapping about skyrim and kaidan to people!!!

[csphire]

Larian, you don't just give us this fine ass tiefling that gives us dreamy bedroom eyes and not let us romance him!

Why Dammon should and needs to become a romance option in a future DLC or Patch:

There are some sparks flying between him and Karlach already. Maybe just of friendship but honestly, I think he's got a little crush on her given some of his lines. It's clear he's concerned about her at the very least, and that could easily bloom into a deep friendship or something more. Letting us romance him on a Karlach origin playthrough could be rather sweet. It could also help shake up that status quo of men being the brawn and women being the brains. At the very least, it would help some shorter guys and taller ladies who pair up feel seen and celebrated.

He's an NPC we see on the regular in all three acts. (Granted he's rather fragile. Seriously Larian, give him more than just 8 hp! Alfira the bard has 20 hp for goodness sake!) Even if he's not made into a companion most of us already make a stop at least once a day at his forge to sell him our stuff. Sure it's business at first. But even in the game currently, he gives the player all kinds of freebies if we bring him the right things. Plus, most of us don't think it's weird at all to support a loved one's time and efforts so him remaining our favorite merchant is not a problem. People have housewives and househusbands they support all of the time, after all. Let us do so with our future forge husband.

Visiting him on the daily is also more than enough time to provide the player with small opportunities to progress in a relationship with him. Once a day he could say something new about his. Or he drops a new tidbit about his past and his passions. The player then could pick a response to up his approval. His merchant approval and relationship approval might be tricky to navigate but could both be displayed when buying or trading with him. He could also pay a visit to our camp on occasion too. Perhaps at the camp party, it starts out as a one-night stand, then rescuing him from the ox later on at Last Light Inn we can admit we do actually care about him.

NPC romances are not a new thing and have been implemented in other games such as in Dragon Age Inquisition with Josephine and Cullen. We also lack a male tiefling option. (Although there are some Zevlor and Roland Stans out there too. Hey, more options with horns and tails the better I say. ^_~)

All the companions have some rather big things on their plate and lots of baggage. At times this can be overwhelming for some players or at least on every playthorugh. What about the Tav or Durge's needs? What if the player is going through some tough things in real life and just can't deal with any more drama? Perhaps Dammon could be an alternative in that he could provide some with more emotional support or comfort. He invites Tav over for a home-cooked meal. Maybe he burns the pizza a little or he could suck at cooking, but it's the thought that counts. Or maybe he's usually a fantastic baker and sends you off each day with some kind of camp supply treat. I'm not saying make him boring but keep his romance a bit on the little lighter side? Why? Some players just overall feel better when their loved one is back at home and relatively safe, and that's valid. Plus during the course of the game, we do rescue him around three times and he's sure to have some baggage from his time in the hells. It would be just nice if he had a little less than most of our companions. If we had a fluffier romance option instead of one that leaves us crying.

He's already a part of the player's story and could help showcase and offer some in-game tutorials for Tinker or Artificer class if made into a full companion or even if he remained an NPC. If shown say any blacksmithing schematics he could provide more information or insight about new weapons and armor. For example, if one misses the sussur bark nature roll he could suggest where to find some if we show him the quest item.

He could provide a story of being biracial. Given his white sclera and other coloring, some are left to wonder if he might have a few elves or humans in his family tree. Granted this might be a rune power keg of a topic but it could be a way to allow many to feel seen and hear a similar story to theirs unfold in a game.

Rumor has it the Voice Actor for Dammon, Frazer Blaxland is all on board at the idea of working with Larian more.

There are a few more reasons beyond the ones given, but these listed here are some of the strongest reasons why Dammon as a new romance option makes perfect sense.

Feel free to comment below about yours! The more reasons the better!

Also, you can submit feedback to Larian HERE. Send them your thrist.

[fantasyinvader]

I think something that clicked for me is the whole teacher angle, as well as how the game handles giving out information. The game asks you to guide your students, and in turn is trying (in spite of the translation) to guide the player as well. That the game itself is a lesson in how to be moral, but rather than spell that out it instead wants the player to figure this out for themselves. We know from the devs interviews they deliberately designed the game and story so that the player would not find out everything in a single playthrough,

The game wants players to piece everything together by working together. Hell, in essence even understanding Houses requires the player to rely on others in defiance of Edelgard's philosophy rather than playing the game over and over again. The game doesn't want to tell us it's moral, it wants us to figure it out by thinking.

Let's look at it with the fact that the devs said they only expected players to finish 1-2 routes of the game. They expected most players to pick the Black Eagles house, either because Edelgard initially was supposed to come off like the obvious hero or because she's a cute girl. However, they said that siding with her is about having different beliefs than the rest of the game and ultimately lead to oppression because, surprise, she's the one playing the part of the villain. How does this work then?

Well, for starters her own route makes it clear that she's a very manipulative person, keeping her allies in the dark while telling them lies to make herself look good. Silver Snow backs this up in Japan, with her actually saying she was attempting to sway the player to her side. This would also explain the inconsistencies between her character arc in Safflower and the route's endings, she effectively faked character growth for PR purposes and even her supports are about her managing to bring people around to supporting her and her ideals. However, what she does in the endings is more in line with the ideals she spouts in Azure Moon during the parley. Those ideals, however, were informed by her understanding of Fodlan's history as well as her experiences with the experiments, which is contradicted by Verdant Wind giving the players and alternate account as well as outright saying Edelgard was manipulated into going to war. This is backed up by Flower, as we learn Edelgard's version of history was passed down to her from her father after Hubert had already revealed that he was an Agarthan puppet and directly contradicted Edelgard's claims about who was behind the experiments and how she should have told you this, which brings us back to her being manipulative and trying to sway the player to her side. On top of that, it shows she misunderstands Fodlan much like Claude, but Claude was able to see that his views were based on first impressions and how wrong it was to hate people without getting to know them.

Rather than saying all that, the game expects us to figure this all out ourselves. That we are supposed to fight Edelgard as the game was written around Silver Snow and it's story. It's why it frames the choices that lead to joining Edelgard, to have different beliefs that the rest of the game, as “changing the story.” Silver Snow is the natural progression of events, on the same level as Moon and Wind. It's the moral path in light of the reveal of what Edelgard has been up to.

You are a freaking teacher. You're meant to guide your students, help them become fine upstanding adults, not let them guide you.

I mean, it still leads to a frustrating game. The reveal happens and then the game pretty much puts Edelgard's real mask back on. Characters will explain things that directly contradict her, or even have legit reasons why joining her would go against their character or backstories. People learn revelations but seemingly forget about them. All because the game wants us to figure it all out ourselves. That it doesn't want to tell us what to think, but rather tell us how to think as pretentious as that sounds. And hell, that's probably the reason why the translators got things so wrong because the game was telling them X but when we were supposed to pick up Y which contradicts it and use it to figure out Z. Convoluted to say the least.

[soulsisterif]

LITG Season 9

(Not Soul Sister related, people, just ranting)

After weeks and weeks of not playing I got up to date with season 9 and... Well, actually I didn't finish playing the latest volume. Same disappointments as always. I'm not one to post to complain but I'm kinda frustrated. Ranting got too long, so, under the cut.

First off I understand that male LIs are also infuriating and that wlw players are not this game's target audience (then again, there are few of those) but dude, at this point I'd rather not have any sapphic options. The last route I recall being actually good (by which I mean the female LI not stringing me along à la Marisol until the very end) was Najuma's and Angie's, and that was season 4. Yes, you can only couple up with Angie at the end too, but you get so many info about her, and so many sweet moments and bonding that I didn't even care. And it's more about her being unsure of her feelings than unwilling to be with you. Quite relatable. Peak of this game for me, if I'm being honest. Good friends to lovers, even if they went too far too fast with the sex scene in my opinion. Still, it was very well written!

But every single season after that had the female LI fucking drooling over several men (and sometimes women too) and then adding a half-assed line like, "'oh, but I don't know, I have my eyes on someone else too', she gives you a wink". Like that makes it okay? I think the only truly unapologetically loyal female LIs were Najuma and AJ back in season 3.

They put so little thought into incorporating the wlw routes that to make them progress you have ludicrous paths. Like, in my playthrough Henri won a challenge and as a prize my MC could actually dismiss him and choose to go to the hideaway with Natasha or Kelly instead. Like ??? That's just bad writing.

What's worse, we can't even make friends anymore, it's all about romance, which wipes out most of the appeal this game had for me. Practically every islander, even after you reject them, comes at the MC confessing their undying love like a crazy stalker for no reason, because we know nothing about each other! Besides half of the options you have to get to know more about what's happening around you force you to be an insufferable gossip or a petty child. "Let's listen to a private convo, MC", "Why don't you sneak a kiss with guy 2 to make guy 1 jealous?" And you have to pay an unfair amount of gems to do it, on top of it!

I want to get to know the characters BEFORE I choose who I want to pick. I want to know the characters even if they are not romanceable. It's ridiculous, though, that there are seasons in which you know more about your besties than you do about your LI. That's why Angie, or Seb, or Nicky, or Viv or Thabi, hell, even Hope and Lottie, wth all their flaunted flaws are so appealing. That's why Season 2 is so goddam popular. We had actual interactions back then. Now, whatever interactions there are, you just witness.

This is also why people like games like Too Hot to Handle so much more. I'm not really into guys but I still play their routes because it's good content beyond romance stuff. Hell, Jirayu may be my favourite out of this season's bunch. And they're all different! It's an interactive game, choices should matter.

At this point I'll probably stop playing and limit myself to read other people roasting Fusebox. Honestly, a company that asks for the fans' opinions season after season just to ignore all the feedback doesn't deserve half the players they still have.

There, ranting over XD

[freyasilverbough]

The Cave Bear and the White Wolf - First Meeting

Notes: I kinda wrote myself into a corner lmao so I’m going back to Act 1 in my wip. I also restarted Freya’s run because I wanted more Act 2 screens and the other one is honor. Also I realized that I started this story at a weird spot in the game so I just wanted to fix that. Will write more as this playthrough progresses, and as always feedback and suggestions are more than welcome.

Cw for blood, canon typical violence, mention of a severed head.

Halsin dodged as yet another stone came flying at his face. He’d been locked in this cage for days, with no food, trapped in his ursine form lest the goblins learned just who they had taken prisoner. The Archdruid of the Emerald Grove would make a fine trophy for these savages and their leaders.

He came to this place in pursuit of whispers that these “Absolute” cultists had found a way to navigate his life’s greatest regret. The shadow curse that had gripped the region surrounding Reithwin in Shar’s wicked talons for over a century. The curse that had taken his oldest friend captive.

Perhaps he’d been too hasty, joining with the human Aradin and his band. They had turned tail and abandoned him the second things went awry. He supposed an Archdruid should have known better than to trust a mercenary. Halsin had always done his best to see the good in others, no matter how many times it stabbed him in the back - sometimes literally. In all his long life, such an outlook had only truly benefitted him a handful of times, and yet his foolish optimism prevailed each time.

He hardly registered the group of strangers that marched straight up to the goblins throwing stones at him. A tiefling woman, blazing like the sun, her flaming sword strapped across her back. A smaller man with mousy brown hair, his earring marking him as one of Mystra’s wizards. A pale elf of equal stature to the other man, confidence and amusement radiating off of him, daggers sheathed at his sides and a bow slung over his shoulder. They were led by a woman with silver braids and a commanding aura, even with her relaxed swagger. She wore a circlet across her forehead that marked her as a follower of Selûne, with piercings lining her pointed ears to match, but the designation ended there. Her armor was granite-hued steel, not like the other Selûnites he’d come across over the centuries. They typically preferred to reflect their goddess with hues of blue, silver, and white, and rarely did they don a full suit of armor. Few of them were warriors, but he had seen a few paladins among the druids and Harpers he fought with a hundred years before. Rare, but not unheard of.

The woman crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip. She assessed the situation there with a discerning glare before her eyes landed on him, still in bear form, and he noticed that her eyes were the purest sapphire blue. Her gaze bore right through his fur, as if she could see into his very soul.

“What in all the sweet hells do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, her tone commanding respect and authority. Odd, that she would take the time to aid a bear in a cage. Most soldiers found the creatures of nature to be beneath them, or simply unworthy of their time.

“We’re juicin’ him up,” the goblin encouraging his assault by the children said. “Boss is thinkin’ of servin’ him to the worgs.” She chuckled, as if it was all a joke to her. Knowing the ways of goblins, it likely was a joke to her.

The silver-haired woman glared at her, before flicking her ocean eyes to the bear once more. “Enough. You’re done here.” The other two men at her back shifted nervously, as if wanting to avoid a brawl, while the tiefling woman seemed to flare brighter in anticipation.

“We don’t have time for this,” the male elf whispered to the warrior. “We shouldn’t even be here.”

“Then leave,” the woman whirled to him with a glare that Halsin had no doubt could cut glass. “See what the fuck I care.” She turned her piercing glower back to the goblins. “Let him go,” she demanded.

Convinced that he now had at least one ally against the mob of goblins that held him captive, Halsin lowered his hackles and growled. A low, menacing sound deep from his chest, one that made the goblins cower in fear. The silver-haired woman only seemed to stand taller while her companions eyed him warily. He slammed into the bars of his cage, knocking the gate down with such force it crushed the goblin female that joked about his impending demise. The woman leading the adventurers drew the longsword she previously kept sheathed across her back, but rather than striking him down, she turned on his foes.

She slammed the pommel into the heads of the goblin children as they ran past her to alert the rest of the camp, knocking them unconscious, while the male elf fired arrows at the goblins that had moved against them across the room. Each arrowhead struck true. The wizard lobbed balls of fire while the flaming tiefling woman sprinted to those leftover with an insane cackle. The silver haired woman calmly strode to the other cage, where the worgs were kept. She pulled the lever to open the door and began her battle with the beasts while her friends fought the goblins in the room. Every swipe of their claws was dodged or blocked with practiced skill, and Halsin ran to her as she battled two against one. He reached her left flank as one of the worgs bit at her while she was occupied with the other. Halsin let out a loud roar as his own maw closed around the worg’s throat.

The warrior woman shoved her sword through her enemy’s throat as the others finished with the goblins, and Halsin shed his wildshape for the first time in days. He stumbled just a bit as he adjusted to standing on two legs. The armored woman before him quirked an amused eyebrow as her companions rejoined them and started at the bear-turned-elf.

“Pardon the viscera,” he chuckled. “One should cherish all of nature’s bounty, but goblin guts are quite far down the list. You aided a bear without knowing if it would savage you? A true friend of nature, or perhaps a lunatic.”

“Who’s to say I’m not both?” The soldier said, amusement lacing her tone.

“Either way, I owe thanks. I am the druid Halsin.”

“Pleasure. I’m called Freya,” the woman said. Freya. A strong name, not one he often heard in this region. Apt, he thought, as he stared down at her. In this form, she was eye level with his chest. The shortest of her companions, but she somehow stood the tallest of them all. Something about her seemed familiar, he couldn’t put his finger on it. He knew he’d remember someone like her if they met before, her hair alone was a distinguishing feature, but he couldn’t place her.

“I’ve been to your grove,” Freya continued, disrupting his thoughts. “You should know your second in command was planning to undertake the Rite of Thorns and force the refugees out. I’m told you would disapprove of such extremes.” She eyed him carefully, as if determining whether what she’d heard about him was true. Indeed, he should have known Kagha would do something like this the instant she was handed the power of a First Druid. He silently cursed himself once more as the implications of his absence settled over him.

“Kagha…I will deal with her when I can.” Something flashed behind Freya’s eye as he spoke, something unnatural, something he’d only seen recently, when walking with Nettie…”I sense, Freya, that you have a problem you need my help with.”

“What problem?” Freya crossed her arms over her chest again and widened her stance, but Halsin meant her no harm. She had just saved him from certain death, after all.

He held up his palm, golden light pouring out of him. Halsin called upon the Oak Father as he reached into her mind with his magic. Freya stiffened, and Halsin confirmed his suspicions as he felt the presence he was looking for. He jerked his hand back as something in her mind bit him.

“That problem. Oak Father preserve you, child, you’re infected aren’t you?” His concern leaked into his tone, and his features. He was never adept at concealing his emotions, and he truly did feel sorry for the woman. She was doomed to ceremorphosis, yet she showed no signs of turning. Something was different, she didn’t bow to this “Absolute” like the other so-called True Souls did. Indeed, he sensed she didn’t bow to much of anything at all.

“I don’t need your pity, druid. Only a cure,” she snapped.

“I studied these parasites up close. I’m sorry to say, I can’t cure you, but I have the next best thing. I know where these tadpoles originate. I overheard the cultists say that they’re sending the infected to Moonrise Towers, and I’ll bet that’s where you’ll find your cure.”

“No.” Her refusal came as swift and hard as a hammer on an anvil as her fury darkened her features.

“It’s either Moonrise, or certain ceremorphosis. I’m sure of it,” Halsin kept his tone level. He had his own reasons for wanting to return to that land, but he couldn’t go alone. For the time being, their goals aligned. These adventurers needed to reach Moonrise to cure their parasites, and he needed to restore the balance there. He was so close, and yet frustratingly far.

“We’ll find another way,” she stated plainly, steel determination radiating from her like its own aura. She turned to leave, but the wizard caught her arm. A brave man, Halsin mused, for Freya looked at him like she’d run him through for daring to touch her.

“It’s worth hearing the druid out,” the human murmured to her. “What if there is no other way? We’ve come this far already, let’s not abandon the one lead we have so quickly.”

“I, personally, don’t find the idea of transforming into a tentacled monster very appetizing, my dear. To each their own, of course, but I’ll have to take the druid’s side.” The white haired elf placed a relaxed hand on his hip as he spoke.

“We face certain death if we travel there,” Freya growled. She knew of the curse, then.

“We face certain death if we don’t,” the elf shot back.

She shook the wizard off of her bicep and turned back to face Halsin. He raised his eyebrows at her and held his breath in anticipation of her verdict.

“You know what awaits us in that place, I assume?” She leveled the question at the druid with no shortage of malice.

“I do,” Halsin kept his tone flat, deciding that it was not the time to reveal his intentions with regards to the curse. “I’ve long sought to return to Moonrise, but I cannot leave here until I put everything right. I’ve no right to ask more of you, but these butchers threatened my grove. If I could ask your aid once more, I’d be free to join you on your journey to Moonrise.”

“What would you have me do?”

“There are three leaders here, eliminate them and nature will restore itself. I need you to kill the drow Minthara, the hobgoblin Dror Ragzlin, and that perversion of a priestess Gut.” Freya relaxed at his deliverance of her new mission. He gathered she held no qualms about killing, he only hoped that her violence focused on the malevolent.

“Leave it to me.”

—-----

Freya returned to him in record time, bloodied and bruised and almost singing with after-battle adrenaline. She carried the head of the hobgoblin by the hair in one hand, blood soaked sword in the other. The warrior tossed the severed head at Halsin’s feet as she approached and wiped the blade of her sword on her elbow.

“The camp is clear. You’re free to go.” Her tone was flat and dismissive as Halsin realized she meant she had cleansed this place of all its inhabitants. He raised his eyebrows at her once more in question, waiting for further explanation.

“The beasts desecrated a temple of Selûne. I purged the rot,” she remarked with a shrug.

“Who managed to hit you?” He blurted, noticing the splotch of purple that bloomed on her cheekbone under all the blood.

“Drow.” She turned on her heel as the wizard started murmuring an incantation, violet light swirling around his arms. A portal opened before the party, and she stepped through it without a care in the world. The fiery tiefling simply laughed before she followed, then the other elf. The wizard looked over his shoulder with an apologetic look.

“I’ll meet you there,” Halsin told him. The human nodded, then bounded through his portal as it closed.

Leaving Halsin to wonder about the strange warrior woman that had just catapulted into his life.

[ireallyneedaintrestinglife]

Security Breach Ruin Theory

I've thought about it for a bit longer and I'm not 100% convinced that who we are hearing at the end (with the elevator) is Gregory.

We never get straight up confirmation that Gregory is real in fact they make it a point to specially call out the fact that this might not actually be Gregory.

Cassie says "How do I know this is you for real" to which Gregory responds, "Is there another option" which I mean...fair.

I also wouldn't spend unnecessary time trying to get someone to listen to me in that situation but after watching multiple other playthroughs things just don't add up 100% for me.

But you might be thinking...so what about it maybe they just needed some kind of filler dialogue and who wouldn't ask about the validity of something after they literally just shut down an entire pizza-plexs worth of security for someone who wasn't there at all.

Well I just find it curious that once the 'real' Gregory gets in contact with us it becomes super duper staticky. Just like mimic does right before he, they, it?? reveals itself to us.

Which ok could just be that Gregory is trying to get in contact with us through A LITERAL WALKIE-TALKIE while presumably very far away from the pizza place but again its the little things that add up to make the big picture. And I mean are we even certain that a walkie talkie would be able to connect from that far away. I mean even if he's at the entrance of the pizza-plex that sinkhole is a good ways down right??

Next why lead us all the way to the elevator just to leave us trapped down there anyway. It doesn't really make much sense to me. Also how was he able to connect to the elevator intercom.

The ending speech once we get to the elevator is heard over the intercom speaker we hear a classic speaker sound and they even have Cassie look directly at the intercom. So how did he manage to do that??

It's one thing to connect to the walkie talkie which again is a little weird. It's not something Cassie and Greg already had that was hijacked by the mimic (Cassie finds the walkie talkie in the pizza-plex she didn't have it with her to begin with) so how did 'real Gregory' manage to get in contact with us over it. But it's something else completely to switch from walkie-talkie to intercom for quite literally no reason at all dude could have continued on the walkie-talkie.

I don't know much about electronics so maybe it's really easy to do something like that idk I just find it a bit weird. I also know that in the books it's also confirmed that Gregory or at least GGY is described as like an 'ultimate hacker' and we all pretty much agreed that GGY is more than likely a stand-in for Gregory. I guess some of the weird tech stuff can be explained away with that line of thinking but I digress.

This last piece is what really sealed the deal for me because while you are running away from the mimic every once and a while Gregory will say, "it's right behind you!!" and "almost there!!" And like how??? How would he know how close the mimic is and how close we are to the elevator. We never respond back to him like "yep got it" or "oh I see it" so how??

I don't know maybe I'm just in a state of denial or... maybe the mimic knew we wouldn't die from that height. Maybe it needed us to be mad at Gregory so that we would have a legitimate reason to stop him from presumably ending or hindering the mimics progress. Maybe the mimic needed an ally and instead of gaining one it made one.

Especially when he needs someone elses help to guide you through this last bit. He specifically says, "my friend has access to the building maps" not 'I have access to the building maps.' He also says the direction we need to go in at exactly the right time which I mean I am much more willing to take that as a gameplay feature than a lore one though.

[team-heavenly]

Chapter 22 - Part 2

Lest you've lost your way, click here to progress (regress?) back to Part 1.

...Okay, now I'm officially worried.

Meanwhile, back in the Real World™️ (shout-out to my buddy @kantochampred!):

Alright, I'm about to go off on a small side tangent here but I promise it's worth it-

(Sorry to post your sins on main, Red 😔)

(Why Do I Climb the Mountain? is a reference btw)

LMAO OKAY thank you for bearing with me, now back to the main show:

Good job, neither of those two things is correct!

...Okay, Cherrim has replaced Drifblim, yes, but. Imagine this tiny seed holding Teresa and Andrea by their little stubby hands while riding the wind down the mountain.

I had to look up a walkthrough to identify that little Riolu to the right. Normally, that's an Exeggcute! (And the backup for Team Frontier, apparently).

The Third Station Pass was dubbed Great Turn, while the clearing was called:

Admittedly, I had no idea what an "oubliette" was, so I did a quick search and...

Wait a minute, are you freaking kidding me-

WE ARE STARRING IN A WAR DRAMA AAAAAAAAAAAA-

(Apologies for the small text at the start, let me know if I need to add an image description!)

...No >:l

The only reason I left this in is because this happened:

Oh my God yes PLEASE-

So fun fact, I actually did a dry run of the first few dungeons before doing it for real and taking photos. And the first time around, this gift was an Escape Orb? Which isn't bad, but I would 100% take the Reviver Seed over that any day.

The 4th Station Pass was named Sad Peninsula. (Florida? Dat you?) And the 4th Station Clearing? See below.

But then!

(Handsome Desolation? Is this where the handsome men in uniform... perish?! 😓)

I feel like a large, prehistoric rock dino should be enough to scare most things, but I guess taking the even larger rock snake as backup can't hurt.

So we go through the 5th Station Pass, Sandy Way... (Only one letter different from Sandy Bay.)

I. Don't remember why I took a picture of this. The downfalls of not immediately composing posts after the playthrough...

But yeah, those giant two-room dungeons with guaranteed MH's and a huge mass of enemies in the other room aside is definitely a theme and I hate it.

Andrea consumed enough Gummis to obtain this IQ skill, which is awesome since Max Elixirs are so hard to come by.

Look at this!! I'm pretty sure Blizzard only had 7 PP before! Yee haw!

I wonder which Pokémon are the ones bothering Sneasel Pichu?

OH NOOO!! I'm imagining this grisly scene where all these Combusken are just pecking Pichu to death.

Team Frontier happens to beat us to the punch:

I love that Onix is so big that she blocks Nidoran F.

Like all territorial encroachments in Mystery Dungeon, everyone just jumps right into the fray without listening to anyone 🙄

Honestly, all of Team Frontier was pretty based. Jolteon had an ability that allowed him to attack twice in a row (I think because the weather was different?) and he consistently used X-Scissor. Nidoran F had Sesimic Toss (55 damage) and Ice Beam. Deoxys had Attack Order, Seed Flare, Rock Wrecker(!), and Swift, the last hitting for 120 damage on a critical. Combined with Teresa's Chatter (when we finally got there, because you start off a ways from everyone), they didn't stay up for much longer.

Also Jolteon shielded me when Teresa got low on HP 🥺️

"SIT DOWN FOR TWO SECONDS AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, I SWEAR TO ARCEUS!"

"We owe you..." -> Yet another line from this game that never made any sense to me. (Unless it was sarcasm ig?)

💀You what

Hey, speaking of... I know Onix is huge and all, but have y'all seen Pichu since the fight started...?

(Beep boop, click here to advance to Part 3)

[hamstermastersamster]

Finished first playthrough of The Quarry with my sis and bro-in-law.

When I originally played (and loved) Until Dawn, I knew what I wanted was another story like it with a new cast and more choice and nuance and variables to play with. The Dark Pictures Anthology didn’t really feel like it achieved this, with smaller, more compact stories that have overall just been a bit less compelling somehow (not helped by how many of them have ‘twist’ endings that just undercut all the spoopiness completely . . . ).

The Quarry, however, definitely delivered. Not all the choices determine whether or not the cast live or die; a lot of them just affect the way it plays out, or the relationships between the characters. You can encourage romances, rivalries, arguments, friendships etc. and it all helps shape the feel of ‘your’ playthrough. And you get to see some classic horror names like Ted Raimi and David Arquette in new roles!

UD had a great story, and The Quarry . . . is also really fun :3 Despite the mystery of WHAT being relatively easy to figure out early on, the HOWs and WHYs weren’t obvious and materialised over time at a good narrative pace. Being adults with lives, me and my family ended up playing this over 2.5 separated sessions but we were always itching to get back to it and see what happens.

(Time being of the utmost importance whenever my sister is involved, since she is medically unable to resist the urge to google and spoil herself if kept waiting too long to find out what happens xP)

We ultimately lost 2 of the main cast - Jacob, who was one of my 2 least favourite characters so I didn’t bemoan too much, but also Kaitlyn whom i DID like and appeared to lose due to a responsiveness issue with a critical QTE, which I absolutely swore about >:[

I don’t expect to like every character in a horror movie story like this, but some I thought I would really dislike ended up growing on me a lot. Dylan ended up becoming my low-key fave and HE survived (mostly >_>’ ) so that’s the important thing :3 Ryan was also a star boy.

We may try for a ‘perfect’ replay, time permitting (so probably not Dx but if not, I may do it solo!). The main game complaints I had were:

- The camera is so close to the character’s head at some points in the game play sections that you literally cannot see what the fuck you are doing or where you are going, or where there even IS to go. Hidden secrets = good. Secrets you can’t find because you can’t see ANYTHING = shit. I don’t know if the intention was to create claustrophobia but it didn’t; it just meant I COULDN’T SEE SHIT.

- Some of the environments were so dark with no character-held light source that, again, you could not see shit. Pitch black environments are not fun to explore, end of.

- How annoying it is to be afraid to explore in the ‘wrong’ direction in case you accidentally progress the plot. In a small number of scenes, they let you explicitly choose when to move on, but a lot of the times, clicking the wrong thing would just mean missing out on stuff.

- The ending approach (not our specific ending that we achieved, just in general) sucked. The ‘epilogue’ just gives you a character card for each character saying whether they lived or died, and a line about their ongoing circumstances if they lived. Then we jump to a really long, annoying, boring faux podcast about the whole thing that plays over the credits depending on how much evidence you collected. And that’s it! We spent all that time choosing not just the actions of the cast, but also how they interacted with each other, the relationships they built with each other. We don’t even get to find out how they reacted to each other’s fates? Or what happens to them immediately afterwards a la the interviews at the end of Until Dawn? HUGE letdown. Game devs i am once again begging you to please give us emotional and not just mechanical/functional payoff.

Regardless of their flaws, Supermassive’s horror games remain one of my big recommendations for couch-co-op fun/scares. Although not everyone in the room can ‘play’ (the later games do have some multiplayer options we haven’t tried to be fair because the single player format works for us), everyone can participate in the decision-making and everyone can jump at the jump scares and everyone can cry when we screw up a QTE, and it’s just a great time xD Think of it like an interactive horror movie so with all the added stress of knowing you’re responsible for who lives and who dies. Wholesome family content!

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

FNAF Ruin DLC: I Got The Good Ending On My First Time Playing It (And Kept Cassie from Going Into The Elevator) And Have FNAF Theories About The True Ending...

[Note: some Spoilers from Five Nights At Freddy's Security Breach's Ruin DLC.

also Mature Audience Readers Only...]

so yeah when finally playing the FNAF Security Breach's Ruin DLC.

I made sure to zoom out on that station that shows you the images of cameras and where they are...

if you get to a certain part of those stations which I forgot what they were called...

you can zoom out enough and will eventually find the hidden cameras on your first playthrough of the DLC.

once you switch to the hidden camera, there will that closed door and it will open.

to open all the doors, you need to find all the hidden cameras before you get to where the Mimic is at the underground of the Mega Pizzaplex.

if you don't, then you can only end up choosing from the other endings...where Cassie ends up placing that Vannie Mask back on and trying to escape virtually from the Mimic that way, but if she takes it off, she might end up being doomed by the Mimic.

the other ending would be the Elevator, which I'm glad that was not the first ending I got and I was able to get the good ending, even if it might not be the true ending, and the true ending might be Gregory's Betrayal and hurting his friendship with Cassie...

I made a new save after beating the Ruin DLC, so I can have separate parts of my different progresses in the game.

in the new save, in the Profile Number 2...

I will have Cassie go on the Elevator, even if in my first playthrough I was able to keep her from going to the Elevator and I was able to protect her from that bad ending on my first time beating the Ruin DLC.

I only needed a few days to beat the Ruin DLC, I started around May 17th of 2024...had to take a break at some point of course.

I then continued around May 20th and I ended up getting that Scooper Ending as my first time beating FNAF Ruin DLC, which to me is the Good Ending...

even if it might not be the True Ending, and the sad truth is that the True Ending might be the one where Cassie has to go on the Elevator.

for all we know, it might of not just been the Mimic that was tricking Cassie...and what I'm implying is that it might of also been Gregory as well...

there could be a good reason why some Fanon versions of Gregory are the favorite over the secretly evil version Gregory.

Gregory likely played a part in Cassie's friends not making it to her party even if the Mask may of let us see some of Cassie's memories, one where she was crying because no one came to her birthday party, and even the possibly first time she meets Gregory who ends up comforting her.

we could see that some of the endings we get in FNAF Security Breach that don't line up to the outcome to Ruin DLC, as not just non-canon, but perhaps Semi-Canon where the endings that didn't happen to match with the Ruin DLC, may have happen in different timelines...

Monty, Chica and Roxy having their parts taken from Gregory and given to Freddy would be part of the Ruin DLC Timeline...

meaning that Gregory taking their upgrades and giving them to Freddy, is part of the True Timeline...

so even if we pick a different outcome where we the Player, choose not to take their parts an upgrade Freddy with them...

Gregory in the Main True Timeline will still choose to do it and will use those upgrades on Freddy.

the part with Fazer Blast, in both the game's timelines of the past where we have Gregory as a playable character and then to the present/future where we have Cassie as a playable character...

the Freddy body that is found has always been Prototype Freddy.

Vanny likely switched the heads before Gregory and the Player got to the repair station...

the head of the Glamrock Freddy that Gregory ends up taking with him after beating all Three Princess Quests...

is the version of Freddy that isn't a Prototype, and Gregory just freed Freddy from being a part of the wrong body tat was the Prototype.

and it was likely that the Mimic was speaking to Gregory most of the time when we played FNAF Security Breach.

because if your outside of Freddy's stomach-hatch where Gregory can hide, and if your at those closed gates that has those pictures of Roxy, Monty and Chica...

and if you turn around and face where Freddy will be when you call him to you...

you will find that Freddy's mouth doesn't move when telling Gregory that he could sure use the upgrades that Monty, Chica and Roxy have.

it is possible it was the Mimic that was telling Gregory to turn the Staff-bots against Vanny, NOT Freddy.

even though I haven't got to that part of the game yet, and I only know from watching the videos about it...and reading up a bit on it.

but it would be good to ignore what "Freddy" who might really be the Mimic, says about turning the Staff-bots on Vanny...

I rather get the ending where I beat all the Princess Quests and give Gregory, Freddy and Vanessa a Happy Ending first...

but because Gregory and Vanessa didn't take care of the Proto-Freddy properly, they end up being found by Cassie...

I think I only got a few game overs when trying to get away from the Prototype Freddy...

lucky I didn't get a game over from Moony and was able to help both Moony and Sunny become Eclipsey.

the Endos were a bit more difficult but at least I was finally able to open up the doors for the Movie Theater.

sadly I didn't get to go to the room where you are suppose to find Glamrock Bonnie, but I hope I can at least try to find him if I go back to one of the chapters in my first save and lucky my progress will still be okay even if I do go back and try to find Bonnie.

it could of been one of the Prototypes of the Glamrocks that hurt Bonnie, and Monty might be innocent and being framed.

Burntrap is possibly not the same being as the Mimic, and Burntrap is likely Cassie's Missing Father...

I say Missing, because if your able to find it while wearing the Mask...

you will find what appears to be a Note from Cassie's Father that can possibly be found at Roxy's Raceway but some might end up missing it.

it could be possible that Cassie's Father tried to free the children that went missing at the Pizzaplex but it went horribly wrong...

they ended up mistaken him for the man who we know as William Afton, and he tried to hide in the old Spring-Bonnie suits in the same room where The Three Princess Quests are located, and yeah my fan theory is that those three Arcade Games in that very room, are in fact the Princess Quests 1, 2 and 3.

the ghost children that were seen that the Purple-Guy that was possibly Cassie's Father, were possibly Cassie's friends who didn't make it to her party.

Cassie's Father and the Burntrap are one in the same, and William Afton may of still ended up in a Spring-Bonnie suit, it just was a different one from the one Cassie ends up in.

I kind of want to view the William Afton from the FNAF Movie, as being separate from the version that became business partners with Henry Emily...

and the one that is William Afton in the Movie, I kind of want to view as being William Afton Sr., while the one that is business partners with Henry Emily is William Afton Jr. who would later become Springtrap.

the blonde ghost boy in the movie, is possibly a Afton and William Afton Sr. was just his puppet...

William Afton might not be the only bad guy in FNAF, and he could of been under the control of either the Mimic or someone else, and it might all connect to either the bite of 83, or to the creator of the Mimic.

even if Henry Emily might seem like a good and loving father, who misses his daughter terribly...but do we even know if it is true that he is really 100% a good person.

for all we know the Crying Child may have turned out to be boy named Charles "Chuck" Emily, and it turning out that Charlotte "Charlie" Emily wasn't really a Emily at all but was the kidnap daughter of William Afton the father of Elizabeth, Michael and Another Crying Child who could be the one that the Player controls during the part of the FNAF games before it goes to the mini-game with the crying child that gets bullied by their older brother with the Foxy Mask.

The Child that isn't really seen or named that is the Playable Character and has to try to make it to 6 Am and stay safe from those Nightmare Animatronics...

might not be one in the same as the Crying Child from the Mini-Game, and the one from the Mini-Game might really be Henry Emily's son, and the Older Brother that wears the Foxy Mask might really be Henry's Step-Son who would be Chuck's Half-Brother, and who's Father is William Afton.

and I'm going to believe that theory that one of the Bully Friends who wears the Bonnie Mask, might really be Cassie's Father, who sadly ends up in a Spring-Bonnie Suit and becoming trapped under Roxy's Raceway.

the brother who wears the Foxy Mask could turn out to be William Afton Jr. and the one wearing the Freddy Mask who's the only one of the friends who's white pupils of the Mask that didn't show...

that one who wears the Freddy Mask, could be Henry Emily.

meaning that William and Henry were the bullies that may have caused the bite of 83 in the True Main Timeline.

in some timelines, it wasn't William and Henry that were those Teenagers that were those Foxy, Freddy, Chica and Bonnie Masks.

but we can't truly rule out that possibility.

the Mini-Games we play, that are like 8-Bit are likely Virtual Worlds of Memories of The Original William and Henry, who created Digital Copies of themselves through their own Remnants, where they aren't the ones who bullied and caused William's Little Brother to be hurt...

the ones who takes the place of William's Teenage Past Self who would wear the Foxy Mask to scare his little brother, would be his own son "Michael Afton" and the one that replaces Henry Emily in wearing that Freddy Mask, could be Sammy Emily who is Charlie's Twin Brother from the FNAF Book Series.

The Crying Child that was William's Little Brother, was likely replaced by his youngest son who possibly went missing and who had the same name as Michael Schmidt.

this could mean that outside of the Arcade's Virtual Worlds that were created by William and Henry's own memories but they end up Alternate the memories a bit for that Virtual World.

this could mean that the Original William, had children named Michael, Garret and Abby but he ended up going by Schmidt to not be confused for his messed up Father, William Afton Sr.

this would mean that the Dad of Michael, Garret and Abby in the FNAF Movie, might be William Afton Jr. but goes by his Mother's Maiden Name Schmidt, which he might of taken after his own parents got a divorce and his mother got full custody of him.

but that is just a theory and not everyone has to agree about that...

Cassie might not be the only child of The Original Bullies that caused the Accident with Fredbear. and each of The Original Bullies may of ended up working at the Mega Pizzaplex until each of them went missing, and leaving their families behind who worry where they went to and not knowing that it might of been Vanny and Gregory who caused them to go Missing when they started to look for The Missing Children.

Gregory possibly tricked Cassie into going to the Pizzaplex even before The Mimic started to trick her into believing they were Gregory.

Gregory might of still been under the control of the Anomaly that wasn't Mimic, and likely tricked Cassie into going there and knowing that she would end up catching the attention of the Mimic and be tricked by them and led down to where it is trapped.

as soon as Cassie is safe and even saved by Roxy from the Mimic,

Gregory finds the right time to call Cassie and trick her into believing he wasn't the one who called her to the Mega Pizzaplex.

and if we choose the Elevator Ending, Gregory who still playing the "Nice Guy Act" ends up betraying Cassie in the end.

even if Gregory and Vanessa programed The Mxes to keep the Mimic trapped, it might of been Gregory who had plan to trap both Cassie and The Mimic...

if different choices of what we make Gregory do in FNAF Security Breach, results in a Alternative Timeline where Gregory didn't take Roxy, Monty and Chica's upgrades and didn't use them to make Freddy more powerful...

that could be the Good version of Gregory, who could go through that Time Traveling Ball Pit and meet Cassie and keep her safe from the Evil version of Gregory and The Mimic.

there could be maybe Three Versions of Gregory from each Timeline of the FNAF Security Breach, one being the Evil version from the Main True Timeline that leads up to the Ruin DLC's Future.

and there being the Neutral and Good versions of Gregory that don't end up 100% like the Evil Gregory.

the Neutral Gregory may of still taken the upgrades way from the other Glamrocks, but he could of chose to not have the Staff-bots turn on Vanny, and chose to beat the Third game of Princess Quest.

the Good Gregory never ends up hurting the Glamrocks that are Freddy's friends, and he ends up not hurting Vanny either.

the Good Gregory from that timeline would be a Pacifist Gregory, who might only fight back only to defend himself if someone is trying to harm him.

Evil Gregory, if the Player chooses to let Gregory go down that path...

will end up hurting not just Monty, Chica and Roxy...

but also Vanny as well, and if they once worked together, that means that Gregory was betraying Vanny.

it could be possible that Vanny and Vanessa are not 100% the same, but at the same time they are.

the Vanessa that tries to find Gregory and even put him in the Lost and Found, is possibly another version of the Vanessa that would become Vanny.

the Vanny that is trying to get Gregory, is possibly from another timeline that took place before the events of the first FNAF Security Breach, but we can't be 100% sure.

we know that in one of the possible endings, there is seemingly two Vanessas.

meaning that there could be a type of Time Travel Paradox,

or the Vanessa that we see on the roof, might be like the Charlie from the book series, a Animatronic that was made to look like a Human with Emotions.

the Animatronic Vanessa, could of been made to replace the one that would end up becoming Vanny...

Vanny becoming Good, and could end up leaving the Pizzaplex with Gregory and Freddy...

she could end up not wanting to interacted with her Night guard counterpart who is either a Animatronic Clones of herself or a version of herself that is from another Timeline and we got a Time Traveling Paradox going on in FNAF Security Breach and Ruin DLC...

it's okay that some fan theories do get debunked, but it can still be possible some fan theories will turn out to be true and be one of those accidental prediction of future canon events, like with Deltarune's Chapter 2.

anyway hope some like some of the theories I talked about in this, even if it's okay that some of them end up being debunked even the ones where it turns out William Afton was the brother who was the bully who would wear the Foxy Mask, and Henry Emily was the bully who was his friend who was wearing the Freddy Mask.

anyway when I'm able to, I'm going to play the Ruin DLC again from that new save I made and get the True Ending that has Cassie go in the Elevator to try to escape the Mimic but only to be betrayed by Gregory.

I can look for Glamrock Bonnie in my Original Save by going back through the Chapters and trying to find him.

once again, I'm glad that my first time beating the Ruin DLC was of me getting the Good Ending where Cassie goes through those doors and to where the Scooping Room is and presses that button that catches the Mimic.

it was a really good thing I looked for the hidden cameras first before going down to where the Mimic was being kept, otherwise I would of had no other choice but to go to the Elevator where Cassie will end up being betrayed by Gregory. O_O

[traceofexistence]

I start a new playthrough (story of my life, I have yet to finish act 1)

I released shadow from the pod, to help me with the fight (I need the fire sword)

then when we landed I didn't wake her up, then I rejected astarion, and I only released Gale but send him to the camp.

I went a released Lae'zel(my dice effed me over and I had to kill the tieflings ;_;)

also I haven't antagonized Lae'zel, we are just the two of us, killing the goblin at the grove, we went in, she had a comment that it was a good thing we were there, when Zavlov(?) and that other guy fighting.

then I let her deal with Zorru, and she approved, and even though she disapproved how I dealt with the goblin prisoner, the fact that I promised to help the Tieflings out, and find Halsin, just out of the grove and not even having progressed that much, (also shadow was at the grove, talked to her but rejected her again)

Lae already opened her horny dialogue choices for me!

I got wyll and karlach in my party, raided the crypt, and we are already in a "relationship" cause I agreed to do the did with her.

the camp night had wyll confronting Karlach (he was stuck at the river when I got her so the dialogue between them didn't started until the night at the camp even though we raided the crypt with these two together) so the lae/tav scene wasn't triggered.

very interesting dynamic

if you have the two I rejected in the party, her horny lines are triggered after we massacre the goblins at their camp.

[mel-the-pirate-writeblr]

M(T)PJ: Characters

This is just a thing I figured I should write, to introduce my characters. First up, my Pokémon characters (shocker)! This is still a work in progress!

Blog Masterlist

Crystal Fairway/Pearl

Crystal's backstory is really my own history with Gen III up to Gen V games - LeafGreen, Pearl/Platinum, HeartGold, and Black. That being said, she starts out as a sixteen year old in these stories, having gone through the events of LG, P/Pt, and B but not the Team Plasma plot. They are largely underground while she wanders half of Unova. Things I deviated from my own playthrough of LG is that "Kevin," my real-life sibling, beat the Elite Four and Blue (Gary) literal years before me. In the story, Crystal beat them first, but Kevin came and usurped her and has been the reigning Champion ever since. I wanted Crystal to have that record in her history, but I wanted Kevin to hold the title of Indigo Champion.

So, who is Crystal? Physically, she is a girl with long brown hair and hazel eyes - guess why? She usually wears a grey vest over weather/season appropriate clothing - so, think tank tops in the sumer, T-shirts in the warmer halves of spring and fall with long-sleeves in the colder halves. I'm never really consistent with her pants/shorts, it depends on what I like in the moment. But the style is the same: black, with a yellow line down the side, and a Team Instinct patch/embroidered insignia located around the outside mid-thigh. Once Black came out, I really liked the look that the girl Trainer character had, and largely simplified the mental design I had for her off of things I actually own/owned (not including Instinct shorts, sadly).

Kevin Fairway

Kevin, while based on my brother in existing and history, is probably not very accurate to my own brother. I'm very bad at portraying people in my life into my stories, so Kevin is heavily inspired by my "Kevin" but is not necessarily based off of him. He played the counterpart games to mine, FireRed, Diamond, we both did Platinum, SoulSilver, and White. He also got a glitched Crystal cartridge, though it could not save it's game. I had imagined that Kevin and Crystal mostly travelled together, up until Unova, since really, when I think about it, that kind of accidentally mirrors what happened in real life. I don't know if he ever finished White past Zekrom - I never finished Black past Reshiram.

In some way, I kind of imagined Kevin as a mix between FireRed's Red, White's male character, and "Kevin" himself. I never really had a design in mind for Kevin, physically, other than typical Trainer gear (this is actually making me realize how little thought I put into the physical designs of characters). I might end up asking "Kevin" what his choice of outfit would be if he were to go on a Pokémon Journey, even though that's a silly thing to ask. I've also considered the Gen IV Ace Trainer design from both him and Crystal. His Pokémon that I write about are ones that he picked out for me from his own games, like I do for mine, so maybe he'll humor his weirdo sister a little further.

Lidin/???

Another character inspired by real life! Lidin is a stand-in for a good friend of both mine and "Kevin." He knew everything Pokémon, and I asked him so many questions about how to evolve certain Pokémon. This was before I was online, so he (and an incomplete pocket guide of Gen IV) was my only reliable source of Pokémon facts. In the story, he is the friendly rival of the Fairways (they were all rivals to each other). He met up with them in Cerulean City on their first trip while he had already gotten most of his Kanto Gym badges.

Like Kevin, Lidin never really had a set design in my mind. He was a kind of mix of the real-life friend of mine, but also of a few of the male player characters that I am familiar with. Unlike Kevin, he doesn't have any party Pokémon that I asked him to pick out; I know he played one of the Hoenn Gen III games, and had a Mudkip, and when he played one of the HG/SS, he had a Quilava. He does not (so far) appear in the story in any real confrontation sense where he has to use a party Pokémon, he is there for support.

Also, unlike "Kevin," "Lidin" may or may not know this character exists or that I have a Pokémon fanfiction at all. There is a chance he does, especially recently, since I had some bits and pieces up on an inactive dA, which he recently asked what the old username was for it. But I haven't ever directly told him about this.

Brandon

This is an antagonistic character I made up to help me limp through using canonical characters. Just as I have a hard time writing real people into my stories beyond inspiration, I have a hard time making canonical characters flexible and realistic and have them act in-character. He is one of Giovanni's Admins, so he has some sway and power within Team Rocket that is nothing to sneeze at.

Asked: Brandon's motivations

Pika

He is a Pikachu in the PMD: Explorers of Sky game. I have both Time and Sky, and both times, I have had Pika by my side. He is the partner Pokemon, he is an anxious little guy but he has determination enough to make up for it on occasion. He is learning to be confident and he cares about everyone being happy and doing well in life and in their goals! He's just a little guy :D

Kip

He is a Mudkip. I'll give the hint that his history is a bit of a mystery! However, he is a quiet Pokemon (not in Nature, just in general), and reserved, but also has a keen eye for details. He tries to help Pearl through some of the issues she goes through with relearning her history, and tries to keep the group more-or-less level-headed.

Ev

She is an Eevee, and she is another characetr based off of a real-life person! While I'm trying to nail down her personality a bit more, I do know that she, a) is very passionate about exploration, like Pika, b)is very knowledgeable, like Hex, and c) is very capable of handling herself. She has some insights, in the few chapters that she's been in for the PMD fic, into Pearl's situation, and some advice, and provides some questions that Pearl has to answer to herself. Like Kip, Ev is a bit more on the quiet side. Her backstory is a bit of a mystery, too! Though she isn't from the Grass Continent, where EoS is. She's from the Air Continent, if memory serves.

Hex

She is a Vulpix, and originally, she was going to be a different version of Crystal/Pearl. "Different Futures" was going to be one Crystal going back to her right dimension, and the other was her staying (but also being from a human dimension, I think that's how it went). I scrapped it early on, but I kept Hex as a character because I think she's fun!

She is the unofficial leader of Team PokeClan, made up of Pika, Kip, Pearl, Ev, and herself. She insists that no one is the leader, but she has the skills and intuition that shine really well when she leads them and takes charge. She will go to bat for her teammates, but she will also tell it how it is afterward, if it was wrong -- and she does, at one point.

Updated: April 30, 2023

[csphire]

BG3 Patch 4 woes

Update: *waves a white flag* Puts all my mods back into the game and most of the old saves. Even after removing the mods, reinstalling the game, and updating my graphics card the damn kiss still doesn't work. So. I. GIVE. UP!

I only have the kiss on Anna so, after weighing all the pros and cons, I'm just going to keep my mods and progress. Given Anna's game was started waaay back when the full game dropped, and all the patches she's been through, I wouldn't be surprised if perhaps the kiss only glitched with just her. Cautiously optimistic Larian will fix the kiss for everyone eventually. Until then I'm just going to just play and try to enjoy the rest of the game.

....

Previously:

(Just venting here. Feel free to ignore it.)

Yesterday, after I noticed we got hotfix for patch 4, I decided to load up my oldest save with Anna and tried to kiss Astarion. As usual, since patch 4 dropped, I got nothing. Frustrated, I changed Anna's hairstyle back to her old default one and tried to kiss him again. Nothing. I then created a new save and closed the game. After I removed all my mods I loaded up that new save and discovered I can't even click on anything now.

"Great, just fucking great!" I mutter to myself as I created another save after removing all the mods. I then shut down the game, booted it back up, and reloaded the "fresh save" in the hopes that would fix it.

Nope! Of course, it did not work. Again, I couldn't click on anything. I next tried to make a new game. I got the infamous half-a-dozen naked guys around the Dragonborn Durge chilling in the astral area bug. Never in my life have I been so disappointed at seeing so many pixel dicks at once.

So yeah, at this point, I'm pretty sure I've lost everything. Still, I try not to cry about it. Instead I look at it as a chance to start fresh. To widdle down all my Tav's and Durges I made to my top favorite five. Plus since I made a habit of taking lots of photos during character creation I figured, "Hey at least I can easily recreate them and this time avoid some of the mistakes I made in the past."

Silver lining and all, right? Before uninstalling, I did try to verify the integrity of the game's files, to no avail. So, I bit the bullet and reinstalled the game. I did back-up my old saves, but I doubt they will work even after the reinstall.

My only complaint is the waiting. It's been well over 15 hours, and the game has still not finished downloading. I'm currently at 61%. Yaaah for potatoe download speeds. If this reinstall doesn't work, I might cry then. As I'll have to uninstall again, dig into the folders, and make sure all files have been purged.

Due to this headache, I think I'm going to run a vanilla mod-free game for the foreseeable future, which sucks because at least two of my fav Tavs/Durges use mod heads.

Rest in peace my lovely favorite Tavs and Durges, at least for now. <3

Vincent: Mod head, hair, and gear. My grump Durge that I won't be able to recreate anytime soon. ;_;

Gustav: Mod hair and gear. I can recreate him, but I'll miss his lovely fluffy hair and fancy outfits.

Anna: Just mod hair with her and my oldest play through with the least amount of mods active. She also had the pre-patch 3 dye looks I will dearly miss. The one plus side is I can recreate her in my sleep since I've made her dozens of times over since EA. But she was the only playthrough I had in Act 3 with a repeatable kiss option.

Tav: Mod head and gear. My other playthrough I won't be able to recreate until BG3 updates slow down or at least stop breaking mods so damn hard.

"Dammon"

Dammit, okay for him... I might break down and install two mods-but only the two! One that unlocks his eyes for character creation and another that lets me turn any of the companions into him. My thirst is strong for Dammon. I need more of him in my game. This is not negotiable.

[thefanficmonster]

Falling Faceless

@itsminniekat

Corpse Husband x Reader (female) 

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff

Summary: Some crushes don’t need anything visual to exist. Appearance is irrelevant when you know the true beauty of a soul and mind. Or basically, Reader and Corpse could not care less what the other looks like.

Requested: No

Y/N and Corpse have been friends ever since they began playing Among Us together. They were the ultimate power duo when imposters together, and each other’s angel guardians when both were crewmates. They had a silent pact to not kill the other if they were imposter and the other wasn’t. They promised not to snitch on each other. They had built a pretty steady system of a friendship.

But, as the whole lobby assumed, that friendship would only last a ‘just friendship’ for so long. The sarcastic comments progressively grew more flirtatious. Corpse got a lot more comfortable playing with people in the meantime, but it was obvious that he was a bit more tense whenever Y/N wasn’t there, which rarely happened. On Y/N’s part, the change was also apparent. She used to have to be begged to play Among Us. She didn’t understand the hype of the game, seeing as how the concept was old and just remade and redesigned. Now, after meeting Corpse, she began being the first in the lobby, often initiating the game herself, almost forgetting to invite anyone but Corpse in the process.

The Peanut Gallery, aka the rest of the players just stood aside and listened to the romantic comedy unfold in front of them. They had a title for it too: “Falling Faceless”. The term was formed after a lot of discussion in a discord call which Y/N and Corpse were not invited to.

Explanation: Falling Faceless - Falling in love with someone whose face you’ve never seen, therefore they’re faceless to you.

That’s one of the things her and Corpse had in common. They were both faceless to their audience. Y/N was a gamer and also helped out Jaiden, James and Adam with their animations every now and then. She covered songs and made remixes of existing tunes - all things she never had to reveal her face for.

Corpse was attracted almost immediately - like a moth to light. The faceless rep, the cool song remixes, sweet and kind personality, intelligence, positivity...he could go on. He never denied his feelings in front of himself but he was prepared to deny it to his grave in front of anyone else.

Y/N was different. Her attraction grew gradually. From the tiny details he remembered about her and brought up, to the jokes that never failed to make her laugh, she was just so whipped by him without even noticing. When the realization began to creep in, she was low-key terrified. She actually avoided playing Among Us for two full days just because she thought it would make her emotions cool down.

While he was ready to embrace his feelings, she was doing everything she could to push them away.

She threw herself into work, surprising her animators by finishing her animation parts far before the deadlines. Dropping a few covers a week and playing Among Us as little as she could without drawing any suspicion.

One day, in the middle of editing the footage of her playthrough of the game Neversong, her phone started blowing up with notifications. She had a strict ‘no texting while working’ rule, so she ignored it, turning the device on its screen and pushing it further than an arm’s reach away in case she got tempted.

She was doing a fairly good job blocking out the hurricane of notifications when her ringtone sliced through the bubble of focus she had built around herself. She straightened and reached for her phone, promising herself she wouldn’t take longer than necessary. 

That promise was thrown out the window the second she read the called ID. Corpse, written down as Lil Corpsy in her contacts, was calling.

“Have you watched the video yet?” he asked without even greeting her

Baffled, it took her about three seconds to reply, “What video?”

“So you haven’t.” He sighed, “My face reveal. Go watch it.”

The line went dead before she could even completely comprehend what he had said. Work all but forgotten, her finger tips hovered above the screen, hesitant about tapping the YouTube icon.

This isn’t right, Y/N. She told herself.

“Hey?” He picked up her call-back before the first ring was even over.   

“I still haven’t watched the video. But that can wait.“ She fussed, now up from her chair, pacing around her office. “I’m calling to tell you the most terrifying thing that has happened to me. I made a friend. He’s great. The most amazing human being ever. We make a great team. I love him. It took me a while to realize that I love love him. And it’s scary, cause it feels like I’m walking on thin ice of losing him if he finds out. Well, now he’s letting me on to what he looks like, I might as well let him on what my mess of a brain looks like. And now that I’ve done that, I also wanna mention that I’ve changed my mind. I’m not gonna watch the video. It will change nothing but his view count. I will still like him the same. So why bother watching him talk to a camera when I can listen to him talking to me, right?“ She breathed heavily and shakily, sinking to the floor despite having her chair to sit in. She was distressed and felt like the equivalent of a deflated balloon. But compared to the feeling of a balloon ready to explode, she was feeling great. “That was probably too fast to understand, but I’m not repeating it.”

The chuckle that reached her made her even more flustered, “There is no video, Y/N. I just needed you to go to my channel. But, I too have changed my mind.”

He hung up a second time, leaving her with mixed emotions. The uncertainty of weather she was just rejected or her feelings were being humored was killing her, bringing her to a brink of tearing up. Just as the first tear slid down her cheek, her phone rang. However, this time, the ringtone was different. It was a Facetime. From him.

Without realizing that this wasn’t going to be only his face reveal, but hers too, she picked up.

Suddenly, they were no longer falling faceless. They were just falling. Falling in each other’s eyes. Falling in love. Not all over again, but deeper. Deeper into the emotions that left them with no sleep. The emotions they both dealt so differently with.

“You were wrong, this will change something.” He spoke, “The girl in my dreams, the one I’ve been in love with since day one, is now not only a voice in my head. She’s real.”

“You’re real, too.” She chuckled, looking at the face she never thought she’d see. “This is real, isn’t it?”

“It’s always been real, Y/N. We just now have faces.” He laughed.

For the first time she not only heard, but saw the laugh, finding it as adorable as day one. 

[theggning]

I Hate the Alternate Ending of Blind Betrayal, and Here's Why!

DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: Massive spoilers for Fallout 4 abound. This post discusses Blind Betrayal, a quest with suicide as a heavy theme. Content warning applies.

DISCLAIMER THE SECOND: This post discusses cut OFFICIAL content from Fallout 4 that has since been repurposed into multiple mods. I am not criticizing any modders or their implementations of this content. Mods are fun and people can enjoy whatever the hell kind of game experience they want with whatever mods they want.

I am ONLY interested in discussing the original cut content as Bethesda had written it, and how it would have impacted the story and lore of Fallout 4.

So, yeah, it seems there was originally going to be another way to conclude Blind Betrayal (BB).

As described in this Kotaku article (citing this post by Tumblr user tentacle-explosion,) there are unused audio files of Danse’s dialogue that show an alternate ending to his pivotal quest. These lines are the only evidence we have of this ending (suggesting that it was cut fairly early on, as no other actors/characters seem to have recorded for it.)

From what we can tell, in this alternate ending of BB, Danse comes up with a possible way out of the sticky situation re: his identity as a synth. According to the Brotherhood Litany, he is able to challenge Maxson’s authority as Elder via combat. If you agree to this idea, you go with Danse to challenge Maxson. The Paladin and the Elder duel one another, Danse wins, and Maxson dies. Then Danse names the Sole Survivor the new Elder-- or with a hard charisma check, you’re able to convince Danse to take the job himself. It is unknown how the main plot would have progressed beyond this point, as there is no other evidence of what being (or influencing) the Elder would have been like or what choices it would have given you.

There is understandable disappointment in learning that this ending was cut. Choices in games are great, and it could have been fun to have multiple different options for how to resolve the quest. In many gaming circles, people complain that this theoretical ending is superior to the one we got and shouldn’t have been axed. The Kotaku article calls it a “way better” ending, and you’ll see many players lamenting that it wasn’t implemented, saying Bethesda was bad at writing for cutting it, etc.

So why did Bethesda get rid of the Elder ending of BB?

In December 2020, after the Fallout 4 Cast Reunion, Danse’s voice actor Peter Jessop answered questions in a private signing session on his Instagram. Peter Jessop is an extremely kind and gracious man, an avid gamer, and a huge fan of Fallout. During the stream, he reflected on the alternate ending and remembered recording the lines, but stated the content was ultimately cut because Bethesda decided it was lore-breaking.

Peter Jessop is right. Bethesda was right. The Elder ending of BB is a bunch of dumb nonsense. It sucks, I hate it, and I’m glad they got rid of it. And now I’m going to tell you why!

SIDENOTE: King Shit of Fuck Mountain

There is no wrong way to play a single-player video game. If you are having fun, then you are accomplishing the task for which the game was made. Good for you! Play it on easy. Play it on hard. Mod it. Speedrun it. Make up an intricate roleplaying scenario. Perform “challenge” runs. Kill everybody you see. Ignore the story and run around collecting wheels of cheese. Games are meant to be fun and there is nothing wrong with enjoying a game however you damn well please. This is especially true for RPGs like Fallout, which are designed with player freedom in mind.

There is an RPG playstyle I like to call King Shit of Fuck Mountain: a naked power fantasy in which your protagonist is the most powerful person ever, even beyond normal RPG plot significance. Through brute strength, incredible charisma, or having completed tons of quests for world-breaking artifacts and weapons, your character wields godlike influence, able to control people, factions, and the fabric of the world itself. A game enables KSoFM gameplay when it allows the player limitless freedom to gain as much power as they like with zero consequences to plot or storytelling.

A great example of this is the Dragonborn in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If the player chooses to pursue every questline in the game, one single person can become Harbinger of the Companions, Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Nightingale and Guildmaster of the Thieves’ Guild, hero of the Imperial/Stormcloak army, the chosen one of like, 11 different Daedric princes, a bard, a Blade, and otherwise just, absurdly goddamn powerful in completely unrealistic ways. And that’s not counting DLCs. A fully-kitted-out Dragonborn is King Shit of Fuck Mountain.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing KSoFM if you like to. But I’m not a big fan of this style, personally. Sure, my first Skyrim character became KSoFM while I was figuring out the game, but after my first playthrough I preferred my characters become coherent figures in the story of the world. I pick one or two character traits and things that my Dragonborn is good at, focus on them, and make them part of some overall story. My honorable Imperial paladin werewolf is in the Companions, and hunts vampires on principle. My Argonian sneaky archer is a gleeful thief, but would never jive with the College or the Dark Brotherhood. I like creating protagonists who fit into these settings immersively. I don’t care about power fantasies or being in charge. I don’t WANT my character to be all-powerful, because that ruins my immersion and my little story.

Additionally, in a plot-driven story-focused game like Fallout, KSoFM tears the narrative apart. Skyrim is fairly light on story, so the Dragonborn can be the leader of the Companions and the Dark Brotherhood and whatever other factions without any of them noticing or caring. But FO4’s themes, faction drama, and the main thrust of the plot don’t work at all if the Sole Survivor is able to become too powerful or too influential. The Sole Survivor cannot become the leader of every faction, solve every problem, or eliminate every inconvenient bend of the conflict because it makes the lore of the entire setting implode. Thus, the game forces you to choose between factions. You cannot be with the Minutemen and the Nuka-World Raiders. You cannot be with the Railroad and the Institute. And you cannot become Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel.

So if you’re the kind of person who loves playing KSoFM, if you like plots that your character can “solve” with relative ease, or if you just think it would be super cool for your Sole to become Elder regardless of surrounding storytelling, then you might think the Elder ending sounds super cool. You are absolutely allowed to disagree with me here. Install all the mods and write all the fic and have all the headcanons you like. I respect that. There is no wrong way to enjoy a single-player video game. Have fun!

But if you’re a big nitpicky pedantic lore nerd like me, a fan of cohesive storytelling, or if you just want to hear how the Elder ending of BB absolutely fucking ruins Maxson, Danse, the Brotherhood of Steel, and the entire plot of FO4 from a narrative perspective, read on!

1. The Synth Thing

The Elder ending requires the stupid plot contrivance of the BoS forgetting about Danse’s synthhood.

One of the biggest problems with the BoS as an institution is their strict and dogmatic beliefs, which include a widespread dislike of non-human species. Perhaps more than any other non-humans, the BoS hates synths. Synths are, in their eyes, machines given free will, a violation of the sanctity of human life and the ultimate example of technology run amok. To them, synths are not sympathetic, they are not slaves, and they are not victims of circumstance. They are weapons that left unchecked will destroy all of humanity for a second time. Synths are anathema to everything the BoS stands for, and finding out that one of their most beloved and trusted Paladins is one is an earth-shattering blow to their integrity and sense of security.

It is completely absurd that the BoS would allow a synth within their ranks, particularly as they are waging war against the Institute, who created synths in the first place. It is even MORE absurd that they’d allow one to influence their Elder, or even worse, to become Elder. It completely undermines their mission in the Commonwealth, and the core tenets of their extremely rigid beliefs. No matter the Elder, no matter the Litany or obscure BoS law, no matter how valuable the Sole Survivor is as a soldier or how much influence they wield. Danse is a synth. He’s the enemy. He is physically the embodiment of everything they hate.

Not only wouldn’t they trust a synth in general, but the BoS specifically believes that Danse is an infiltrator for the Institute. Even Danse believes that he is a danger, that the Institute may be able to take control of him and use him as a weapon. Sure, we know none of this is actually true, or possible, but the BoS don’t know that. And given how quick they are to order Danse dead without even the possibility of surrender, I don’t think there’s any charisma in the world that’s going to convince them otherwise.

According to Peter Jessop, this, ultimately, is the reason why the Elder ending was cut. He talks about it around the 11:30 timestamp in his Instagram stream, linked above:

“We recorded an ending where you keep Danse alive and you take over the Brotherhood. But there was a question of content… there’s no way the Brotherhood, once they knew he was a synth, would let him be even the right hand of the person in charge.”

Bethesda correctly recognized the incredible narrative contrivance for the BoS to shrug off the reason they’re trying to execute Danse in the first place. Whatever other beefs I have with this ending conceptually, they all come in second to just what a big dumb leap it is to get beyond this first and most important problem.

2. The Complete Death of Conflict

The Elder ending of BB destroys the conflict of the quest, and potentially the conflict of the entire game.

Greed is a poison. There is no such thing as a perfect ideal or a perfect organization. Power corrupts. Humanity has the choice to build back better. War never changes. The Fallout games are full of themes, depicted by the characters and quests and factions we play out.

Blind Betrayal is rightfully praised as one of the most powerful quests in FO4. Not only is it well-acted, but it puts the player in a very difficult position. The BoS has given you clout and glory and free power armor and lots of firepower, but now you see the price: unquestioning obedience. You are ordered to execute your friend and mentor Danse for the mere fact he is a synth. Are you going to follow that unjust order? Are you willing to give up your principles on command? Or is this where you can no longer stay quiet and stay in line?

To be honest, I’ve always thought the fact you can talk Maxson out of killing Danse but still remain with the BoS in good standing was a cop-out. BB goes 90% of the way to forcing you to choose between a companion and a faction, and then chickens out at the last second to let you have both, if your charisma is high enough.

(I believe this has the fingerprints of Skyrim’s development on it-- Bethesda’s writers got nervous about doing another Paarthurnax choice involving the fan favorite Brotherhood of Steel. That’s right. Danse is the Paarthurnax of Fallout. Frankly, I understand why they chose not to go there, but damn, wouldn’t it have been wild? You want to run with the BoS? Then kill your friend and feel the burn. THIS is what it means to follow orders without question.

As for me, I’d pick Danse every time and sleep soundly without the company of shitty bootlicking dieselpunk LARPers- but I digress.)

Anyway, you know what would have REALLY been a copout? If the game asked you to make a difficult thematic storyline choice, and you solved the problem by just not choosing at all.

You are supposed to feel uncomfortable when Maxson orders you to kill Danse, because the game is telling a story about how it is maybe a bad thing to thoughtlessly follow orders without question. It is asking you to think about what the BoS is, what they are doing, and how they are going to run things, if you choose to let them “win” the Commonwealth. It is pointing out that there is no room for gray in the BoS’ black and white. That a good, loyal man may die because of the way he was made, through no action of his own. That soon, you’ll be killing other people on command. The Railroad. Fleeing Institute synths and scientists. Others, down the line. It all depends on who’s giving the orders. Are you going to follow those orders?

Eesh, that sounds thought-provoking and unpleasant and difficult! Let’s just skip it by killing Maxson and making ourselves the boss. Now we get to tell everybody else what to do!

It’s unknown what powers the Elder ending would have granted the player, or how it would have interacted with the other factions. There is speculation that you’d have been able to ease back on the BoS’ dogmatism, or change some of the later events of the game. For instance, perhaps you could talk the BoS down from attacking the Railroad, sparing popular characters like Glory and Deacon who must die in the normal BoS storyline. Perhaps you could have made the BoS a kinder, gentler faction and directed them to run the way you want them to.

If this was indeed the case, then the Elder ending would not only suck the gravitas out of BB, but torpedo the entire main plot.

If you can get rid of any and all downsides to siding with the BoS, why in the hell would players side with anybody else? With the player given total power, the BoS becomes a perfect faction with no drawbacks, no weaknesses, no tough decisions to be made. Screw slumming it with the Railroad or the Minutemen, let’s take over the BoS. Free power armor and a giant robot! Forget the whole intolerance thing, I hereby proclaim the BoS No Longer Problematic! Now to force all the factions to get along, completely removing all conflict and nuance from the plot!

That’s some real anticlimactic “tell Legate Lanius to go home and then he does it” bullshit right there. King Shit of Fuck Mountain!

Look, it might be nice if there was a perfect path like that to take through the game. It would be cool if our characters could be that powerful and the game was that tailored to our individual choices. On the other hand, “I change all the factions to suit my exact liking” might be a fun idea for a fanfic, but it’s an incredibly boring plot for a video game. “I get to make everything in the world exactly how I want it” is Minecraft, not a story-driven RPG with a complex and intricate plot.

It would be great if complex conflicts could really be solved that easily and effortlessly, but hey, you know what? War never changes.

3. The Assassination of Arthur Maxson (Literal)

Arthur Maxson’s death is too significant and fundamentally disastrous for the Elder ending to make any sense at all.

Hero, villain, leader, monster, tortured soul, brutal dictator, immature twerp, bearded sex hunk. However you personally interpret Arthur Maxson, there is no denying that he is a venerated, popular, beloved figure in the BoS. He is the blood heir of the organization’s founder, a powerful warrior, a brilliant tactician, and a charismatic negotiator. He is responsible for reuniting the East Coast BoS with the Outcasts, leading the new, stronger BoS with a sense of shared purpose. There is a damn good reason his name is Arthur and he named his ship The Prydwen, echoes of King Arthur and the legends of his glorious kingdom of Camelot. Arthur Maxson is so beloved that many view him as a demigod, a messiah sent to lead the BoS into a mighty and prosperous future.

So I’m sure nobody’s going to be upset when some wasteland jackass recruited a month ago stumbles in with a synth, kills him, and takes over his job. Right?

It doesn’t matter that it’s “honorable.” It doesn’t matter that it’s done “by the book” via obscure BoS rules. There is no codex or litany or rule so binding that it’s going to overcome the cult of personality around Maxson. There is no way that the BoS is going to accept the death of Arthur Maxson, a man whose reverence borders on worship, especially not when he is immediately replaced by a wastelander, or a synth.

The death of Arthur Maxson removes the unifying glue that’s been holding the BoS together since mending the rift with the Outcasts. Maxson’s death eliminates the one person that both sides of that conflict agreed could steer the organization in the right direction. Some level heads may try to keep the focus on the mission and the Brotherhood tenets, but Maxson loyalists will never forgive the new Elder for his death, and that amount of passionate righteous anger will not be quelled by appeals to the rules. The new Elder’s war on the Institute is basically over before it begins, when the forces splinter and start infighting over the change in leadership.

And this is if the new Elder lives long enough to actually give any orders. I give them around 24 hours after the duel before some angry Maxson loyalist “accidentally” pulls the trigger and “tragically” empties a clip into their back.

24 seconds, if it’s Elder Danse, the dirty synth abomination.

4. The Assassination of Arthur Maxson (Figurative)

The Elder ending of BB falsely pretends that Arthur Maxson is the biggest and only problem with the BoS.

In the Elder ending, as written, the conflict of BB is considered completely and totally solved by the death of Arthur Maxson. The core problem, that Danse is a synth and considered an enemy by the BoS, has not gone away. But by getting rid of Maxson, this apparently no longer matters. Nobody else is going to take offense to Danse’s nature or protest his presence. Nobody else is going to attack him or try to follow through with Maxson’s prior orders. Nope, that meanybutt guy who gave the order is gone, and everybody else is going to welcome Danse back into the fold like nothing ever happened.

I touched on this a little bit on an ask about Maxson a few weeks back, but a lot of people seem to believe that the FO4 Brotherhood of Steel is the way they are purely because of him. That he is the one making them treat non-humans as second class citizens at best, and enemies to be slaughtered at worst. That it’s his fault the BoS is so vehemently against synths and the Institute. That he is the one influencing their imperialistic tendencies, and treating the Commonwealth like territory to be conquered and people to be ruled over by their betters.

He’s not. That’s the Brotherhood of Steel, guys.

The charitable, altruistic, virtuous BoS that many of us met for the first time in FO3 were outliers. Lyons’ group was literally disowned by the rest of the faction because their kindness to wastelanders had gone so far astray from the “core” tenets. The BoS as a whole has always been exclusive, isolated, and seen themselves as “superior” to the average wastelander. They have long disliked or outright hated non-humans (and even Lyons’ BoS in FO3 use ghouls, feral or not, for “target practice” if they get too close!) The rigid dogmatism of the BoS is not something that Arthur Maxson started, but has always been part of their fabric.

Now, it’s true that Maxson is absolutely going hard on the BoS tenets, and extremely dedicated to upholding them. His BoS are the way they are and act the way they act because he believes that this is the way it should be. Is it possible that a different leader may be a little more flexible? Absolutely. Could a skilled Elder eventually show them the benefits of a softer approach and a more generous worldview? Totally. Is getting rid of Maxson and replacing him going to make that happen overnight, or going to make the rest of the BoS who supported him shrug and follow suit?

Nope.

Blaming Arthur Maxson for everything unsavory about the Brotherhood is unfair to him and also foolishly ignoring the deep, massive problems that are far older than he is-- problems that plenty of its members wholeheartedly believe are not problems at all. Getting rid of Maxson does not make the BoS kinder or gentler. Even pretending Maxson isn’t as personally beloved as he is, any new Elder who steps in and starts trying to fundamentally alter the way the BoS operates and what they believe in is going to face some major, immediate pushback.

Like, a full clip of bullets in the back type of pushback.

In the face if it’s Elder Danse, the godless freak of nature.

5. The Un-Redemption of Paladin Danse

Last, and my personal least favorite!

At first glance, Paladin Danse is a steely jackboot, a die-hard Brotherhood loyalist who fully and firmly believes in their cause. Many immediately dismiss him as a humorless brute, or completely ignore him because they think that’s all there is. But if you spend any time with Danse at all, you’ll notice a sort of weariness in him. He is tired, overworked, and his years of service are starting to weigh on him. He has watched friends, comrades, and mentors die in horrible and gruesome ways, and he suffers from PTSD. Though he has always been told that his own sacrifices, the sacrifices of his brothers and sisters have been” worth it,” he’s starting to question if that’s true.

After telling of the incident where he personally executed his best friend Cutler, who’d been turned into a super mutant, the Sole Survivor is able to console him:

Player Default: You did the right thing. Danse: {Somber} It's what I was taught. I don't know if it was right.

This line is an excellent summary of Danse’s entire character arc. He learns to question whether to believe what the Brotherhood has taught him, or to believe in himself. His gut feelings. His sense of justice and his own ideas of what’s right and wrong.

(In the interest of not turning this into an essay about Danse’s character, I won’t even get into how this also applies to his beliefs about his worth as a person. But keep in mind, that dimension is there, Danse just covers it up by making everything about the Brotherhood.)

During Blind Betrayal, after getting the orders to execute him and hearing Haylen’s plea for mercy, we may expect Danse to be ready to fight back or flee. But when you confront him in the bunker at Listening Post Bravo, he’s compliant and suicidal. Danse is so deeply poisoned by the BoS’ rhetoric that his own feelings or will to live don’t factor into the conversation. He demands that you follow your orders and execute him, because he believes, as the BoS does, that all synths are dangerous and must be destroyed.

Danse: {Stern} Synths can't be trusted. Machines were never meant to make their own decisions, they need to be controlled. Technology that's run amok is what brought the entire world to its knees and humanity to the brink of extinction.

{Confident} I need to be the example, not the exception.

Through various dialogue options, if your charisma is high enough, you are able to talk Danse off the ledge. He is able to consider, at least, that the BoS’ merciless judgment of him is wrong and that what he was taught isn’t right. He is a thinking, feeling, self-aware synth, and that makes him as much a person as any human. Danse is no danger to humanity-- and maybe, most synths aren’t either.

Danse is an example, not an exception.

Later on, if you manage to get him out of BB alive, Danse shows further acceptance of his nature. His approvals about synths begin to soften slightly (or many of them do, at least… it’s not perfect.) He is still struggling with his identity and reconciling it with his former hatred, but his dialogue suggests that he’s on the road to being more open-minded and understanding. Along with this, Danse learns that he has value as a person beyond the Brotherhood. He no longer needs to define himself with BoS beliefs or judge himself by how useful he is to them. He learns that he is worth caring about, worth being friends with or being loved because of who he is-- not what he is, in any regard.

[SIDENOTE: Many players, myself included, are frustrated that Danse’s arc leaves off sort of midstream there. Due to the open-ended nature of the game, we don’t get a real conclusion to his arc-- even though much of his idle dialogue doesn’t change and he still espouses pro-BoS sentiments ( an unfortunate by-product of writing for a video game) there is every indication that he’s started down the right path, but understandably has a ways to go.

Also, Peter Jessop agrees with us.]

Meanwhile, in the Elder ending, Danse doesn’t get a redemption. His entire character arc, actually, hits the skids and does a total 180.

He never leaves the BoS. So scratch the need for Danse to ever think about himself as separate from them. He never needs to question what they’ve taught him or whether they’re right or wrong. He never needs to find any worth in himself beyond his use to the BoS. Why would he? He might be the Elder. The BoS is all he needs to care about anymore. The BoS is all he ever needs to be, ever again.

And I think, most horrifying of all, this Danse never needs to change his mind about synths. On the contrary, one of the surviving dialogue files includes Danse’s speech to reassure the rest of the BoS of his stance:

Danse: I want to make one thing clear to everyone. This body might be synth, but my heart and mind belong to the Brotherhood. The Institute is still a tremendous threat to the Commonwealth. They possess technologies that need to be confiscated or destroyed. And even if that means I have to pull the trigger on my own kind, I’m willing to make that sacrifice.

Elder ending Danse doesn’t grow more understanding on the nature of synths. He doesn’t accept that synths are people, or anything more than technology run amok. He won’t even accept that for himself. Elder Maxson wasn’t wrong about synths-- they’re the enemy and they need to be destroyed.

But, see, he was wrong about Danse. It’s okay for Danse to exist in spite of his nature. It’s okay for him to never fully accept his own personhood, and to outright deny it to his kind. Because his body is a machine, but he’s different from the rest because his heart and mind belong to the Brotherhood.

He’s the exception, not the example.

CONCLUSION:

The Elder ending of Blind Betrayal is dumb, contrived, stakeless, character-derailing powergaming crap at its finest and I’ll happily dance on its grave.

People give Bethesda a lot a shit for their writing-- whether it be stuff they left out, stuff they left in, or stuff that they never, ever could have made work due to the limitations of writing for a video game. Plenty of it is well-deserved, or at least worth a discussion. But from the minute I found out about its existence, I have always wanted to extend a congratulations to Bethesda for cutting the alternate Elder ending of Blind Betrayal. It was a good choice. A very good choice to cut a very dumb plot that would have fundamentally altered the story they were telling, and characters that I’ve grown to love. I think the writers deserve some credit and a hearty handshake for the wisdom of this decision.

Now as for why Nick Valentine isn’t romanceable--

[verbosebabbler]

Referring to FAQ found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B6Z6wt0LweTInxXsV5cLkCeMJBdVrZRrq_okzGaHDdA/edit?usp=sharing

There’s many thoughts I have about the FAQ, but I do not feel like writing them all up right now. So I am writing them up as discussion questions or proposals and leaving it up for either me to come back to later or anyone else to write something up on. 

Discuss corroborantClockwork’s character progression over time, how the constant resetting ends up desensitizing him from the violence he has seen and done to his friends throughout the playthroughs, and how that desensitization leads to the kinds of people that become gods as described by PS. 

What is the game actually being talked about here? Most things, actually pretty much all things, lead me to believe it to be SBURB, “Even if it’s a [[sim]]ulator of [[censored]].” But one paragraph’s mention of RS speaking Italian somehow got JR to link it to Zampanio. I might not have the full context, but like, italians are real and aren’t all related to Zampanio. 

There is some discussions available about the chapters, what the ones Jimmy discovered but were garbled mean, the ciphered text of the chapter titles. There’s speculation on the chapters listed in the table of contents writ up by Jimmy that were never actually included in this FAQ (Jimmy needing to have some version of them to know their chapter names and placement that never was given to us). 

There are word choices that seem unique enough to be game mechanics or something but were not censored, like “Veilborn” that was used a little in text, and “Steel Curtain” being one of the only words in the ending dictionary section despite not appearing anywhere else in text and not actually being given a definition. [[and yeah, Veilborn did stick out to me because of the coincidence of me recently changing my name to the initials VB (and luckily I didn’t accidentally pick the initials of one of the other characters because that would make things confusing for newcomers)]]

There is speculation to be made on the weird font portion of the FAQ, who is Dutton? How does it relate to Sburb? Why did this weird font section not get censored? Find me the font, I can’t find it online. 

Discuss the gods mentioned, the lore from them pre-session versus in session, and just elaborate, examining, or speculating on them. Prophetic Gods versus Periodic Gods, versus Metaplayers, Patrons, Godmodders. Something something, cataclysms are cool themed apocalypses idk. 

There’s discussion to be made on The Lines and what they are. Why do people keep getting zombied?

And even more miscellaneous questions from this already miscellaneous assortment: Why was there a random section about Mario’s sprite being the size of a nipple? Why did we get a discussion of sndbrdkind (soundboard)? Why did the Smith class bug out the FAQ when Waste and Grace were relatively normal? Why did the Denis Waitley quote repeat? What does vagabounced and all variants of vagabond as a verb mean?

Those are all the topics I can think about exploring right now. End post.