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Come fall in love with our characters, and be left heartbroken by our prelude stories leading up to this first episode.

How do you come up with so many cool characters?? All of your OCs seem so vibrant and fleshed out. Do you have a specific process for developing them, or do they just kinda come to you mostly formed? I find I struggle with building a compelling OCs for D&D games & would love to hear your thoughts on character development.

(This answer got long, sorry.) This is a super nice sentiment, I’m happy you think my characters are all cool and unique!!

As far as process goes, uh, it depends on the character? I’ve spent a long time (years) rewiring my brain when it comes to what I think about when creating OCs. They don’t usually come to me fully formed - I get an idea in my head about a concept, and then over like a week or even months of fiddling I end up with a character for that concept.

A lot of the time my characters are simply people I wanted to see more of in media as a kid! Mostly, female characters I actually relate to or are as nuanced and messy as their male cast members, haha... (It was a trip when I realized in high school that I didn’t hate female characters - it was actually that none of them were written as well as the cool boys in the anime series I liked, haha! Be the change you want to see in the world, basically.)

Inspiration for characters (and stories for them to be part of) come from a lot of places. An easy piece of advice is to make an effort to intake media you like! Read new comics, watch new movies and television shows, read books, play video games, listen to music and obsessively memorize the lyrics - hell, obsessively learn everything there is to know about black holes or public domain characters (that’s what I did, lol...)!

(Note: ’New’ meaning new to YOU - you don’t need to only be partaking of media that’s created in 2021 - you can find a lot to love in media that was created before your time, or for generations before you!)

I must reiterate: intake new media that you ENJOY! You don’t have to like all the same things as everyone else, you don’t have to be invested in the same shows and podcasts as your friends. Varied interests and taste is part of what makes us all unique! Increasing your pool of inspiration will help you come up with interesting ideas, and help you find YOUR voice. Your particular interests and the niche things that speak to you will help you figure out what kind of characters and what kind of stories you like to create! But the process doesn’t end at just intaking media... When you find the stuff that brings you joy, analyze what exactly it is about that thing that speaks to you... Put it into words. Explain it to a friend. Make it tangible, analyze the feelings and why the series made you feel that way... and then take it and shove it into your own stories, lol!

Engage critically and thoughtfully with work you like, with characters you like, and it will help you have the language and thought process to recreate it in your own work!

My creative process is like an exquisite corpse of all the characters and series I’ve liked over my lifetime. I mesh them all together in a grim blender and what comes out is a shake in the vague shape as an OC, lol

BUT... it seems like you’re asking more specifically about making characters for tabletop roleplaying games like D&D? And THAT is a different process for me than making OCs for my comics or original story ideas!

I don’t usually join a tabletop game with a fully fleshed out character, actually?? I don’t spend a long time on their backstory, and I usually figure it out like halfway through the story, or through collaboration with my game master!

My TTRPG characters are usually whatever I think would be most interesting in the given game setting or set-up and... usually they exist in opposition to whatever the core concept of the game is. So, the examples I have from games I’ve played are:

In Cardians: West (World of Darkness: Hunter the Vigil): we played in a modern-day urban fantasy setting, where players were recruited into a supernatural Hunter group that was also a criminal organization that Did Crimes and Broke The Law in the name of keeping peace and protecting humanity from the supernatural creatures that go bump in the night. I played Andrew, a Lawful Good Police Detective, because I thought playing a character who would need to grow past his original ideals of ‘Right and Wrong’ in the name of the greater good would be interesting! (And it was!)

In SINNING ADVENTURE (WoD: Geist: The Sin-Eaters) we payed in a modern-day urban fantasy setting with the premise that the players all Died and were brought back to life by forming a pact with a powerful spirit (and getting cool ghost powers in the process!) I played Cassius, a character who could not cope with his death, and thus refused to use his new powers because they were evidence that he was no longer strictly human. It caused conflict in the group and world, but I thought it would be interesting! (And it was! Cassius was a Bitch.)

In Rex Machina (Dungeons and Dragons 5E), I wanted to play an Aarakocra, but was having a hard time deciding on a class or backstory... until I found out that in the ‘canon’ of D&D Aarakocra only live to be like, mid 20s???? Their lifespans are insanely short compared to other playable races!! And I thought that was stupid, so I decided to make MY Aarakocra, Izzy, a warlock that’s looking for ways to extend his own stupidly short life. His pact essentially granted that to him, giving him extra time to find a way to achieve True Immortality. His conflict challenges what’s ‘true’ living in this world, and his extended life is in direct conflict with a lot of forces in the world we play in, and while it is very stressful I think it’s really interesting to play!

In Lamplighting (Monster of the Week), my character Aicen is an assassin who made a deal with a demon and gained supernatural perks out of it... except I decided that she doesn’t WANT to be in this deal. She is actively trying to undo it because it wasn’t her deal - she inherited it from a CEO that she killed during an unrelated job. (Aicen is probably my character I’ve put the most backstory into, and that’s just because at character creation in MOTW you are given a lot of questions about who your character is and why they’re where they are!)

In Hand of Adam (WoD: HtV), the concept was that all players were going to join a post-apocalyptic supernatural-hating cult. I played Shouter, who was a self-preserving pacifist coward who also turned out to be a fae (which the cult would have killed him over). It was stressful but very fun. I love Shouter. He ran away from fights and didn’t actually kill anyone until the last episode where they fought God (whom he killed, lol).

NOW. THESE ARE ALL JUST EXAMPLES OF HOW *I* LIKE TO PLAY CHARACTERS!! For me personally, I enjoy playing a character who has built-in conflict either with the world, the story, or the other players. I’m only able to play characters like this because my friend group are all really cool and we all know that conflict is not bad - it’s fiction and we’re just roleplaying! If I didn’t trust my GMs and fellow players as much as I do, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable enough playing some of these concepts.

I don’t think you need to know every little thing about a tabletop character, and in fact, not knowing some things and leaving it up to the GM and story to flesh out is an easy way to help you get more invested in both your character AND the story your GM is telling! Tabletops are a collaborative storytelling experience, so if you’ve already plotted out your character’s whole story, there won’t be much participation from other players or your GM. Figure out what your character wants, and let your roleplaying and GM slowly put all the other pieces in place over the course of your campaign!

But the TL:DR about how I make tabletop OCs is that I just... try to give them a goal, an ideal, or a personality that is in direct conflict with some aspect of the game we’re playing. I don’t want the character to be undermining the whole game, because that’s really crappy to do to your GM, but I have to have something for my character to grow through or change. I like giving them built-in character arc starters, lol. I haven’t played a game where my character has gotten along with every other player character and NPC over the entire campaign since my very FIRST game, lol!

Also, if you’re having trouble, why not ask your GM what they think? Again, tabletops are collaborative! Don’t be afraid to talk ideas out with your GM for your character.

A final note about playing in specifically oneshot games (i.e. games that are not long campaigns but are meant to be played in one or two sittings). Personally, I always just retrofit an OC I already have to play in oneshots! When I make a new character for a long campaign, it usually takes me two or three sessions to find their voice and figure out how to roleplay them. If the game you’re playing is only one session, I find it easier to jump right in and get the most out of your character and the game when you’re playing a character you already know pretty well! I’ve played characters from my webcomic quite a few times, and it’s always a lot more fun for me than figuring out a new character on the fly!

SO UH, IN CONCLUSION... sorry if this is mad unhelpfu!! My personal processes are unique to me! but that's the point - no one person will have the exact answer that works for you! You have to keep trying until you figure it out for yourself! Good luck! Keep creating! <3

and maybe i climbed it for you

(Written for the Rolling 20 zine, which I highly encourage you to check out!  Also, huge thank you to @kuranico for collabing with me on this!  Please follow them, they are an incredible artist!)

Pairing: Keith/Lance (and Pike/Thunderstorm Darkness)

Wordcount: 5023

Read on my AO3 here!

---------

“Hey there, big boy,” Pike purred, leaning in with his eyes lidded.  “I don't think I've seen many men in this area quite as ... muscular and rugged as yourself.”  His eyes twinkled as he flashed a wink and caught his lower lip between his teeth.  “In fact, I think some free time just opened up in my schedule.  What do you say … you … me … a little privacy?”  He slowly extended a hand, fingers gentle and searching—

———

“I cast Moonbeam.”

“Very well, Keith, please roll for—”

“Hey!” Lance sputtered indignantly, hands flying up in the air as Keith, looking all too leisurely where he sat at Lance's side, reached for the twenty-sided die.  “I was about to seduce him!  I rolled a seventeen!”  He snatched the die right before Keith could grab it, turning it to the side with the number “17” and shoving it in Keith's face for emphasis.  “You can't just barge in and attack him!  I was—I was—”  He let out a groan of sheer aggravation.  “I was really getting into character, too!”

“Yeah, we noticed,” Pidge piped up from across the table, leaning on her elbows and watching Lance's antics with a bored expression on her face.  “Ew, by the way.  Get a room next time.”

“I was trying!”

Keith just rose an unimpressed eyebrow at Lance, then wordlessly plucked the die from his fingers—Lance's skin tingled where their hands made contact—and tossed it onto the table, where it rattled around for a second before coming to a halt.

“Ah! Another seventeen!” Coran exclaimed, a cheery lilt to his voice, unfazed by Lance's huffing and puffing nearby.  “Very good, then, Keith.  So …”

———

Pike was generally not one for heroic quests.  He found them interesting, sure—but he wasn't one to be persuaded by the mere promise of noble accolades.  Money and fun, though—those were motivators he could get behind.  A little (or, well, a lot of) cash and a bit of adventure was all it took to catch his attention, and he prided himself on showing off his genius plans and his uncanny ability to outmaneuver the enemy.

He had agreed to join up with this traveling group on their mission to defeat something called a Xloraznor under the condition that he would: a) receive a sparkling heap of silver coins as his cut of the reward, and b) get to satisfy his thrill-seeking, wanderlust desires to his heart's content.

He considered his flirting skills to be not only top-notch, but also an essential part of his ideal adventure fantasy, and so it was getting on his nerves that a certain companion of his seemed incapable of letting him do his job.  Every time he attempted to charm his way past an enemy encounter, the party's obnoxious druid decided to attack the target instead, like some kind of boneheaded barbarian.  It was denying Pike any opportunity to show off his brilliant seduction skills, and it was making this journey much longer and more combat-heavy than it needed to be.

“Aren't druids supposed to, like, value life and all that?” Pike grumbled, kicking pebbles as the group trekked through the Forest of Clianuun on their way to Elmora-by-the-Falls.  “I thought that was your whole thing.”

Thunderstorm Darkness, in all his ridiculous, brooding glory, did not even spare Pike a glance as he stepped over a fallen branch and continued following the others toward a faint sound of running water.  “Do I look like that kind of druid?” he replied dryly, his tone flat.

Pike gave him a quick once-over.  Thunderstorm certainly had the animalistic qualities of a stereotypical druid, but admittedly not the nurturing, life-loving ones.  His attire was dark and rugged, revealing enough to expose rather dangerous-looking muscles along his arms, which started off pale and faded into dark black hands with vicious claws—a notable sign, along with his pointed ears and glowing silver eyes, of the galra blood in his veins.  His jet black hair fell in a braid down to his knees, and long bangs framed his angular face, which was decorated in red paint that Pike still suspected might have traces of enemy blood in it.  Thunder always seemed offended at the implication, but hey, he was the one giving off constant murder-vibes.

In all honesty, Pike probably would have protested Thunder’s place in their group by now, if it weren’t for the mildly annoying fact that he found the druid to be unfairly attractive.  It wasn’t his fault, okay?  Really, who walks around with their biceps just hanging out for the world to see?

“… Guess not,” Pike eventually muttered beneath his breath, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.  He opened his mouth, ready to formulate some off-the-cuff insult—

“Look!” Valayun's voice rang out ahead.  “There it is! Elmora-by-the-Falls!”  She pointed through the foliage and took off into the brush, and a moment later, her gasp sounded in the distance.  “Oh, it's beautiful …”

Eager to lay eyes on whatever Valayun was gushing about, the rest of the party picked up the pace and pushed their way through a swath of hanging fern-like vines.  What they saw when they emerged on the other side was … well, Pike thought “beautiful” was an astonishing understatement on Valayun's part.

Pristine marble towers stretched high into the sky, rivaling the treeline and glinting in the afternoon sunlight.  Vibrant pink ivy climbed up their shining surfaces, and expertly secured rope bridges connected the peaks of each tower so that citizens could easily commute from one to the next.  Flowers of all shapes and colors grew along the ropes and spilled down in great draping clusters to hang over the streets and houses below.  The buildings on the ground level looked like giant, upturned clay pottery—ruddy orange and round, with symmetrical designs carved all over the outsides.  No two houses looked the same.

The entire town of Elmora-by-the-Falls was bordered by a three-foot-tall hedge that was home to a species of flying bug that glowed violet, even in the daytime.  They buzzed, but not like bees—almost like birds, actually; their humming had a lovely sort of melody.  Pike found himself perking his ears just to catch the tune.

Beyond the grand display was the town's namesake: Clianuun Falls.  It was magnificent and awe-inspiring: bright blue water catching every ray of the sun as it tumbled over the crest of the cliff side against which Elmora-by-the-Falls was nestled.  The water drummed ceaselessly into a pool below, which then flowed out into a small river that burbled playfully as it trailed off into the forest.

Once the party managed to break themselves out of their trance, they started tentatively moving toward the town gate, staying quiet for fear of shattering the tranquility of the scene before them.  Even so, the purple bugs scattered to avoid the group, and as they passed by the riverbank, a pair of water sprites stopped dancing along the surface and chirped to each other before flying further downstream.

“This place is so pretty I could cry,” Block breathed, gripping his staff tightly with both hands—a nervous habit of his.  He sniffed once, and his lip quivered.  “Aw, man, I am crying!”

Meklavar patted him on the back, as high up as she could reach.  “Keep it together, Block,” she warned, her eyes alert.  “Just because it's pretty and flowery doesn't mean it's friendly.  Some species of flower are known for being beautiful, but will spit poison in your face if you aren't—”

“Relax, Mekky-Mek,” Pike said, then winced when Meklavar shot him a glare.  “Yeah, okay, the nickname could use some work.  Anyway!”  As they neared the gate, he turned around, opting to walk backwards while he fixed the dwarf with a cocky grin.  “I'm something of an expert in mood-reading.  And this place?”  He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.  “Good vibes, my small, cynical friend.”  His tail swished back and forth at a lazy pace.  “This is gonna be a piece of cake.  We drop in, get what we need, maybe meet a few lovely—aiee!”

Pike jumped a full two feet in the air when he felt his back press against something solid and distinctly person-shaped.  He scrambled for balance and spun around, finding himself face-to-face with a grim-looking guard in a full suit of armor.  Her hand was gripped tightly around a halberd, and her eyes spoke of danger.

“Outsiders are not welcome in Elmora-by-the-Falls,” she intoned in a deep, gravelly voice.  “You will leave now.”  She raised her halberd and slammed the butt of the weapon into the ground, making a sharp cracking noise that had Pike covering his sensitive ears.

“Gah!  Hey, no no no no,” he protested, ears now flat against his head.  “I—uh.”  He cleared his throat, put on his best, most charming smile, and batted his eyes up at the woman.  “I'm sure there's something I could do to convince you …”

She met his sultry gaze with a hard stare.

Pike winced a little, but recovered quickly.  “You know … some kind of … arrangement, between you and me?”  He slowly, slowly licked his lips.  “You'll find I have many talents … especially in the—”

———

“I cast Moonbeam.”

“Wha—Keith!”  Lance clambered over the table, his long limbs flailing as he grabbed the die before Keith could so much as twitch.  “Stop ruining my class fantasy!”  His eyes were blazing with genuine annoyance as he shimmied back into his seat, clutching the die to his chest protectively.  “I have very high charisma!  This is supposed to be my thing!”

Keith returned Lance's glare with one of his own.  “Has it occurred to you that maybe my class fantasy doesn't involve sitting here watching you flirt relentlessly with every single NPC we come across?” he retorted, then reached a hand out toward Lance's closed fist.

“Back!” Lance objected, smacking at Keith's intrusive fingers with his free hand while lifting the one with the die as far away from Keith as he could.  “Back, you monster!”  His arm protested the strain, but he held strong as Keith started grappling with him, trying to pull the die-hand back down while Lance smooshed a palm into his face.  It would have been easier if Lance’s traitorous heart wasn’t beating rapidly in its cage at the physical contact, but … he wasn’t complaining.  In fact—

And then Keith stood up, and Lance realized:

Oh.  That's not good.

Lance shrieked and pulled his hand back down to his chest, turning away and curling into a ball with his precious die tucked securely against his sternum.  He managed to remain impervious to Keith's prodding for a few moments, until Keith decided to switch to the tickling tactic, at which point Lance broke down into laughter and gasped for mercy.  Keith, like the absolute demon he was, just smiled.

“… As entertaining as I'm sure this is for both of you,” Shiro spoke up, causing Keith to choke on his own spit while Lance willed his cheeks to cool down, “I have a Zumba class with Adam in an hour and I still need to get changed, so I'd appreciate it if we could keep things moving.”  His mouth quirked with faint amusement, but his eyes betrayed his exhaustion.

Keith sat back down and turned to Lance, raising an eyebrow expectantly.  He outstretched his hand, palm up, and made the universal “give it here” motion.

Lance grumbled as he pulled himself upright, pursing his lips and eyeing Keith contemplatively for a moment.  “Actually,” he said, his lips twisting into a smirk just as Keith's started to twist into a scowl.  “Coran, I have an idea.”  His heartbeat was still recovering from earlier, but he managed to slip on a cocky facade.  “So, you wanna go around killing everyone I flirt with, huh?”

Keith's frown deepened with confusion.

Lance's grin spread.

Keith's eyes widened.

———

“Why, Thunder, has anyone ever told you your eyes are like the sparkling gemstones of the Ilygia Mountains?” Pike inquired, sidling up to the druid's side as the others watched with expressions that ranged from surprise to intrigue to disgust.

Thunderstorm's face darkened with a flush that crept from his throat to his ears—

———

“My character would not blush!”

“I'm sorry, Keith, but that was a very good roll,” Coran admitted, looking up from the game.  “Thunder isn't immune to Pike's advances.”  He shrugged helplessly, but there was a twinkle in his eye.

———

“I love this outfit of yours, Thunder … It shows off your delicious biceps … How did you get so strong?”

“After my older sister was killed by a band of Arovian brigands, I swore to train every day so I could avenge—”

———

“Coran!  You can't just reveal my character's origin story without my consent!”

“My dear boy, Pike is quite the charismatic fellow!  Now, where were we?  You begin to feel like you can truly trust Pike with your heart's deepest secrets …”

“Hold on.  Lance, gimme that stupid die.  Coran, I'm rolling to seduce.”

———

If anyone had told Pike at breakfast this morning that he would be flirting with Thunderstorm Darkness before sundown, he would have laughed it off entirely.  The druid was as prickly as they came, and he had acquired a nasty habit of relying on violence for, well, everything.  Not exactly the safest target for Pike's romantic endeavors.  Sure, he was admittedly a handsome man, but he seemed like the type to bite Pike's hand off if he got too close.

But, here Pike was.

With his hand.  On Thunder's cheek.  In broad daylight.

This was meant to be a joke—a brief reprieve to lighten the mood and perhaps get that stuffy guard to crack a smile.

And now Pike was falling in love.  Which, first of all, what?  It was only a few minutes ago that he had started flirting for fun, but things turned very serious very quickly, and now suddenly he was practically swooning as Thunder turned his head to press his lips to the palm of Pike's hand.  Again, what?  If someone told him right now that some omnipotent force had waved a magic wand and decreed the two to be head-over-heels for one another, Pike would probably believe it.

Whatever the case, Pike was never one to question the power of true love.  And as Thunder fixed him with a heavy-lidded stare, dark and intense and enamored, Pike felt the words tumble out of his mouth before he could stop them:

“Will you marry me?”

———

“Oh my God,” Hunk whispered, biting his fist and watching with wide eyes.  “Oh my God, he went for it.”

Lance puffed out his chest, ignoring the blush that he felt flooding his face.  “That's right,” he declared, placing his arms behind his head and leaning back on the couch.  “I went for it.”  He fixed Keith with his laziest smirk, letting his left knee knock into Keith's right leg teasingly.  “I win.”

Lance thought Keith was sure to burn a hole in both of their legs from how hard he was staring at the point of contact, but instead, he just turned an unreadable gaze toward Lance and said, “Oh really?”

Lance's smirk faltered.

Keith didn't look away.  “Coran, I say …”

———

“Yes.”

Pike's blood pounded in his veins as the words reached his ears.  He blinked owlishly at Thunder, feeling his heart overflow with immeasurable joy, and suddenly beamed.  “Yes?” he repeated in awe, his smile blinding as he leaned in close.  Thunder's expression was fond and doting as he mirrored the movement, tilting his head as his lips grew closer to Pike's—

“What a joyous occasion!”

Pike and Thunder pulled back a bit, exchanging a bewildered glance before looking over toward the gate.  There stood, of all people, the guard from earlier—surrounded now by a small crowd of Elmoran citizens.  Her face stretched into a broad, happy grin as she regarded the pair, and the crowd, which consisted mostly of humans and a handful of elves, erupted in cheers.

“Congratulations,” she announced, stepping toward Pike and Thunder, both of whom were mildly frazzled by the shouting.  “Elmora-by-the-Falls is most honored that you have chosen our town as the location of your engagement.  Truly, we are humbled and grateful beyond words for your kindness this day.”  She laid a hand on both of their shoulders, her expression warm and inviting.  “Please, allow us to welcome you into our home.  You and your companions are our most treasured guests.”

Pike was still stunned into silence, but after a quick jab from Thunder, he nodded swiftly.  “Uh, yeah! Yes. Totally.”  He hurried to catch up as the guard spun around and marched off toward the town.  Finally, he and Thunder managed to spare a look over their shoulders.  The rest of the party just gaped, wordlessly shuffling forward as excited citizens began beckoning them all through the gates.

Elmora-by-the-Falls was even more splendid from the inside, Pike decided as he followed the guard through the winding cobblestone streets.  He looped an arm around Thunder's elbow and peered about in amazement, blinking as small children ran past them with cries of “a wedding! A wedding!”  Citizens stopped in the street to gawk at the procession, and soon people started emerging from their round, engraved houses to offer well-wishes and words of gratitude.  The children returned a few minutes later with two long necklaces made of pink ivy from the towers, and Pike graciously accepted both of them when Thunder failed to do anything other than squint in confusion.

“Thunder,” Pike admonished, donning his own necklace and then reaching to put the other one on the druid.  “It's a necklace. You wear it on your neck, stupid.”  Pike winced and shook his head all of a sudden.  “I mean, sweetheart.”  Weird.

———

“Ugh,” Lance groaned, planting his head on the table after his little slip-up with Pike's dialogue.  “This is too hard.  Let's get a divorce.”

“We're not married yet, 'sweetheart.'”

“Don't you 'sweetheart' me, sweetheart,” Lance grouched, peeling his face from the table and jabbing an accusatory finger in Keith's direction.  “This would never have happened if you hadn't tried to turn this into a flirting competition.”

Keith hummed, leaning back in his seat and picking at his gloves with an air of fake casualness.  “Well, at least this answers the question of who wins.”  His eyes, aglow with the glint of challenge, darted in Lance's direction.  Lance's throat suddenly felt quite dry. “Since you're throwing in the towel.”

Lance opened his mouth once, shut it, opened it again, then began making blustery noises of inarticulate indignation.  There was no way he could let Keith win at romance.  He would never live it down.

“Uh, no no,” Hunk interrupted, frowning sternly at the two of them.  “Nobody's throwing in the towel.  In case you've forgotten, the sorceress told us we need Clia Root from this place, and the only reason we're allowed to set foot here right now is because you two—”  He pointed at them both emphatically.  “—are gonna make moon eyes at each other and smooch under a flower pot or wash your armpits in the Clianuun Falls or whatever these guys do to celebrate a wedding.”  His voice and expression left no room for argument.

Lance grimaced at the mental image, but nevertheless turned to meet Keith's gaze.  They both stared at each other for a moment, then simultaneously nodded in silent agreement.

———

So, it turned out that weddings were kind of a huge deal in Elmora-by-the-Falls.  Like, a monumental deal.  Pike had done some asking around while he was being whisked through the streets.

According to Elmoran tradition, marriage was not something to be taken lightly.  It was extremely rare for romantic partners to decide to join each other in union; the vast majority of Elmoran people spent their whole lives unmarried, to the extent that there was, on average, only one wedding per decade in Elmora-by-the-Falls.  A wedding was said to bring the town spiritual favor and good luck for an entire year afterwards, so when someone did get married, it was received with overwhelming joy by the general populace.

It just so happened that Elmora-by-the-Falls had not hosted a wedding for thirteen long years.  They were practically itching to get the ceremony started, and so it was not long before Pike and Thunder found themselves shoved out onto a marble balcony by a plethora of eager hands.

The balcony was already meticulously arranged: a sturdy burgundy cloth canopy swayed in the breeze overhead, acting as a sort of ceiling, and holes had been cut in the fabric to allow flowering vines to drape down in various places.  The edge of the balcony was lined with a shorter variant of the bushes that bordered the town; the strange little purple bugs glowed as they flitted around harmlessly.  The sun was beginning to set now, so their glow was more prominent against the backdrop of Elmora-by-the-Falls at evening time.  To the left, the waterfall roared; it was far enough not to be an inconvenience to the ceremony, but close enough to cast a fine, cooling mist that Pike reveled in.

The centerpiece, however, was the small white table set up at the edge of the balcony.  It was simple and square, about two feet high, and on its surface sat two small wooden bowls, a pitcher of water, and an array of sparkling powders whose rich and varied hues reminded Pike of a spice stall.

Pike and Thunder shared a look, then instinctively reached for each other's hands—because that was a thing now, them being stupidly in love—before approaching the table.  A cheery old Elmoran woman followed behind, hurrying them along, while the rest of the party spread out to the sides of the balcony and watched with a mixture of fascination and wariness.

“There you go, you two, right up to the front,” the old woman babbled, then grabbed them and turned them to face each other.  “Now, you see the soul dust?”  She gestured to the wooden display piece that held all of the powders in little carved-out holes.  Pike shot a look of alarm toward Thunder and mouthed “soul dust” at him, but the woman either did not notice or did not care.  “You will select the soul dust that you feel best embodies your partner.  It must be an instinctive decision.  Follow what you are most drawn to.”  One crooked finger pointed at the pitcher of water.  “You will use the pitcher to fill the bowls with the waters of Clianuun Falls.”  The finger shifted down toward the two small bowls.  “And then you will pinch your chosen powder into your bowl.  It will disperse in the water, and you will drink it.”

Pike waited for her to continue.

She did not.

“Is that it?” Thunder spoke up, voicing Pike's own confusion.

The woman huffed indignantly.  “Is that it?” she repeated, shaking her head and tutting as she turned around and hobbled off to the seats in the back.  “The boy is about to bind his soul in sacred matrimony, and he asks, 'Is that it?'”  Her muttering became unintelligible as she lowered herself into a plush chair.

Thunder blinked once at her, then turned back to Pike with a glimmer of determination in his eye.  “Ready?”  He squeezed Pike's hand briefly before finally dropping it.

Pike flashed him his most swoon-worthy grin.  “Born ready, baby!”  He whirled around to face the table and immediately grabbed the pitcher, pouring it into his bowl—and into Thunder's, because he was a gentleman, of course.  He wasted no time in inspecting the powders; he knew exactly what he wanted, and he spotted it instantly: a bright vermilion, twinkling like fairy dust.  With delicate precision, he transferred several pinches of the substance into his bowl and gasped as the water took on a glittering red color and began to emit a beautiful glow.

Thunder seemed similarly certain of his choice—an azure powder, Pike noted with no small amount of intrigue—but far less concerned with finesse.  He was just scooping the stuff into his bowl as if he was seasoning soup.  It was maddening, but it was also very Thunder, and for some reason that was no longer a negative assessment.

Thunder's water swirled into a shimmering blue, then started glowing just as Pike's had. The druid let out a soft “oh” and waited for a second, then gently—surprisingly gently, considering his manhandling of the soul dust—cupped the bowl in his hands and cradled it in front of his chest.  He turned to face Pike again, waiting for the man to mirror him, and when he did, they both stood there, suspended for a long moment.  Their gazes flickered quietly between the bowls and each other.

“Well,” Pike finally chirped, taking a deep breath.  “Bottoms up.”  He knocked the whole thing back in one go, coughing a bit when it went down the wrong way; Thunder merely watched with amusement and tipped his own bowl back, and their Elmoran audience erupted with praise.  “Eurgh,” Pike groaned, wincing at the flavor.  “Your soul tastes weird.”  He raised his hands in a placating fashion when he caught Thunder's flat look.  “But like, weird in a good way!  You know, in a romantic way!”

Thunder, impatient as ever, simply grabbed Pike's bowl, stacked it over his own, set them both down on the table, and placed his clawed hands on Pike's hips.  “I want to kiss you now,” he stated honestly and with no hesitation.  His lips glowed with a faint blue gloss—the remnants of his soul dust concoction.  It made Pike's heart stutter.

“Wh—uh—”  Pike paused for a second to regain himself.  “Um.”  He watched as Thunder tilted his head, his gaze penetrating and inquisitive as he waited for permission.  His eyes dipped to Pike's mouth.  Pike swallowed.  Waited.  And then: “Yes.”  And then again: “Yes yes yes yes.  Come here.  Yes.”

And Pike marveled at the rumbling laughter that escaped Thunder's lips as he leaned in, more than happy to oblige.

———

“Sorry, everyone, but I think that's all we have time for tonight,” Coran announced, his tone predictably peppy as he reached across the table to collect the various devices and dice that had gotten scattered about over the course of the previous couple of hours.  “An excellent session, if I do say so myself.  At this rate, you'll get that Clia Root in no time!”

“What?!” Lance interjected, rising to his feet.  He barely noticed as Keith stood with him.  “We only just got to kiss!  You can't just cut it off there!”  He spread his arms with outrage, smacking Keith in the chest by accident.  Oh, Lance thought absently.  That’s a nice chest.

Rather than bat the hand away, Keith said, “Lance is right.  We're in the middle of an action.  We should finish the scene.”  His mouth was set in a firm line, and his brows were drawn together in a display of resoluteness.  It was oddly attractive.

God, Lance was starting to find Keith's stupid eyebrows attractive.  How far he had fallen.

“Hm,” Allura began, a mischievous, faux-thoughtful lilt to her voice.  “I thought you two weren't enjoying this?”  Her expression was innocent enough, aside from the hint of a smile that she tried to hide by busying herself with gathering her belongings.  “Did something change?”

Lance squawked and turned to the others for help, but the traitors seemed preoccupied with grabbing their things and getting out.  “This is—it's not—”  He folded his arms across his chest and glared as Hunk, Pidge, and Allura, gave casual little waves and strolled through the door as if Lance was not currently having a crisis.  Hel-lo.

He was so caught up in his indignation that he failed to analyze Keith's silence as they all packed up and prepared to leave.  It wasn't until Lance was halfway out the door that he paused and turned around, only to find that Keith had followed him, that easily-identifiable Keith-brand of concentration plain on his face.  Still reeling from his embarrassment, Lance was seized by the conflicting impulses of wanting to crawl into a hole and die, and wanting to keep staring until his eyes fell out of their sockets, because—

Because Keith was blushing.  Wow.  What a sight.  It was darker around his neck, fainter around his jaw, and bright as a cherry on the smooth skin just below his cheekbones, where it mottled like sunlight on an ocean floor.

“Hey,” he said.

“… Hey,” Lance replied.

“Do you want to grab dinner with me?”  He looked like he was sucking on a particularly sour lemon.  It would have been funny if it wasn't mildly alarming.  “I was thinking we could talk some things over.”  His head was held high, but his hands were shoved in his pockets awkwardly, like he couldn't decide what to do with them.  “For—you know, for our characters.”

Lance felt his throat tie itself into a knot, twisting around at the base of his neck.  He regarded Keith for a moment, trying to read this odd behavior while simultaneously trying to convince himself this is not a date, McClain; you guys hang out all the time.  Get your head out of Elmora-by-the-Falls.  He thought he did a pretty credible job of ignoring the fluttering of his heart and keeping his expression neutral as he said, “Yeah, man.  Sure.”  He lifted his shoulders in a huge shrug.  Oo, no. Overkill.  His shoulders sank back down.  Casual.  Chill.

“Cool,” Keith breathed with a smile, like he could just do that, like it was simple.

And maybe it was.

“Yeah,” Lance replied, turning toward the exit and burying his own smile in the collar of his jacket. “Cool.”

———

“Hey, Coran?”

“Why, yes, Shiro?  How can I help?”

“Didn't you say you came up with all of these plots in your head?  Did you just … invent the whole sacred marriage tradition on the spot?”

“Shiro, my dear friend, sometimes one must guide the hand of fate.”

Makoto Niijima: Good Girl, Bad Writing.

In video games, movies, TV, and books, there are always characters who receive copious amounts of praise. In Persona 5, it is no different. Some characters deserve the hype they get, and some.. do not. In my humble opinion, Makoto Niijima falls into the latter category and in this essay I will explain why, as well as delve into what I as a writer would do to improve her character. Because this is not a hate meta, it is merely me articulating my issues with her character and getting my thoughts in order. (She has potential, it merely needs to be utilized and with P5R coming next year, a girl can hope.)

1. Underwhelming Design

The cast of Persona 5, in contrast to the casts before them, are vigilantes, a band of misfits if you will. The entire theme of the game is rebellion against society and fighting the norm, and the characters should reflect this in their design. The only exception is the protagonist himself because he's on probation and attempting to keep a low profile: that's why he follows the dress code to a tee and appears as gentle as possible, because he's already in enough trouble as is. The first party member, Ryuji, has been a rebel for a good amount of time: his hair is a stark blond (which Kawakami-sensei does not approve of) and he wears a very casual version of the school uniform; substituting a bright yellow shirt for the white of the uniform, wearing sneakers instead of dress shoes, and not wearing his suspenders (they're attached though, at the waist).

Ann Takamaki wears a white clover hoodie under her blazer, red leggings under her skirt, brown lace up boots, and earrings; not to mention her hair, while a natural blonde, is pulled back into cutesy pigtails almost like a teenage Harley Quinn. Yusuke doesn't even go to the same school, so his attire stands out in stark contrast with the main trio. Futaba dyes her hair red and she doesn't go to school at all due to severe anxiety; Haru wears a poofy pink sweater over her uniform with Mary Janes and polka dot tights. They all stick out like little sore thumbs. Except Makoto. She basically also follows the dress code, with a few subtle changes:

•She doesn't wear a blazer, instead wearing a black halter vest over her turtleneck

•Black tights

•Brown boots

That's literally it. Nothing about her stands out, and even in her casual clothing she wears a lot of whites and blacks. There's a monochromatic vibe to her, perhaps alluding to her strong sense of justice and distinction between right and wrong which in and of itself isn't bad! But it doesn't fit with the theme of the cast, Makoto fits in too much with the rest of the world to fit in with them. Just by looking at her, you cannot tell she's supposed to be part of the crew and in all honesty she'd fit better working with Akechi due to their very similar views of justice and morals. Hell, some NPCs are more vibrant design-wise than Makoto is.

2. Her Metaverse design, Persona and codename are contradictory.

Makoto's Persona, Johanna, is based most likely off Pope Joan, (after doing research online and reading Johanna's profile on SMT wiki it seemed the best fit) who was a woman that pretended to be a man in order to rise to power in an otherwise male-only role in the Catholic church. And while the story is intriguing, it doesn't fit Makoto at all: she never pretended to be what she was not and while she's "the voice of reason" she's not the leader of the team; Joker is. This makes her codename, "Queen", even more confusing. Nothing about her costume design looks regal whatsoever; it makes no sense. It feels like writer's favoritism, in all honesty. A better name would've been something more related to the fact that she looks like a biker/executionist hybrid; like "Crusher" or something of more..violent nature.

Even a name related to her wanting to go into the force would've worked well: Chief, Lieutenant, etc. Queen is nice, but it doesn't click with Makoto at all, unlike literally everyone else's Persona and codename. Ann's Persona, Carmen, is a femme fatale that kills men. Captain Kidd is a pirate, an iconic symbol of rebellion; Milady, Haru's Persona, is a reference to a villainess of the same name in the 3 Musketeers; Goemon was essentially a Japanese Robin Hood which fits Yusuke's entire kitsune/warrior aesthetic. Joker's Persona, Arsene, is a direct nod to Arsene Lupin; who was one of Sherlock's rivals and a gentleman thief who left calling cards to the people he robbed and a direct parallel to Akechi.

3. Her introduction as a whole, and to the team, is abysmal.

When Makoto is first introduced to the player, the entire school is in turmoil over Kamoshida's abusive actions towards the volleyball and track team. Many people don't know the truth about what's going on, and others simply turn a blind eye because as an Olympic medalist, the gym coach brings in a lot of popularity for the school. Being the student council president, Makoto has power that many other students do not have; so one would assume that upon learning that a victim was in danger she would spring into action, no?

Wrong.

When Ann confronts Makoto about her inaction, she turns the question back on the blonde, asking "What have YOU done for Shiho?" as if it's Ann's fault that Shiho had been jeopardized (which it was not, Ann allowed herself to be blackmailed by Kamoshida in order, so she thought, to protect her best and at the time, only friend). And she doesn't do anything about the situation, claiming that "It has nothing to do with me." (This is how abuse victims DIE.) Even worse, her elder sister is a prosecutor, she could've easily gone to Sae and asked her to look into the matter. Goro Akechi later calls her out on this, as he should; telling her that she is a "good-girl pushover". And when Kamoshida is punished for his crimes, Ann, who was bullied and outcast, goes to Makoto and apologizes to HER to make amends, as if she were wrong. Makoto then replies "We both made mistakes" in a sorry apology (she doesn't even say "I'm sorry" iirc), and asks if she can call Ann by her first name and without honorifics, which in Japan is a symbol of close friendship. (Edit: this apology actually takes place after Kaneshiro's arc, not Kamoshida's, I misremembered.)

You see, calling someone by their given name, even if you are the same age, has a ton of meaning in the culture. Just a year difference between two people can separate them as senpai and kouhai, and while the senpai can call their kouhai by their first name without raising any eyebrows it's not the same for the younger person. Calling someone by their given name in Japan is a privilege, not a right; it represents trust, respect, everything that Makoto and Ann did NOT have.

Now, let me get this straight.

Makoto did nothing when everybody called Ann Kamoshida's hoe, allowed her, Shiho, Akira, Ryuji and Mishima plus many others to suffer abuse (and Shiho attempted suicide!), gave a laughable apology, victim-blamed Ann; and now she wants to be buddy-buddy? What, in any reality, about that is okay? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But of course, because the writers want us to love Makoto, they have Ann forgive her and let her call her by her first name. And after all that, Makoto is still president, despite her clear nonchalance to the matter. She also does nothing to help the Kamoshida victims after his crimes come to light, when there was literally no excuse anymore not to assist them and help them get back on their feet. Even if she felt powerless with Kamoshida around, that doesn't explain her inaction after he's gone.

Flash forward two Palaces later, when she joins the team. Makoto stalks the protagonist around to gather evidence that he is a Phantom Thief, and then blackmails her way into the ranks. The team of course, is not happy about this at all. Makoto gives them the target; Junya Kaneshiro, who's basically forcing people into debt. The problem here is she has literally no personal ties to him; unlike the main trio all having connections to Kamoshida and Yusuke being Madarame's essential foster son. Tired of Sae calling her useless, Makoto jumps in front of the mob boss's car in desperation (and Ryuji gets her out of the way JUST in time, but he very easily could've died) which puts the entire team in danger and later on is literally pinned down by the mob and the crew have to go and save her because she was so determined to take this dude down she walked into the lion's den without any form of a plan. (He was also going to sell her into prostution to pay off the debt he'd given the Thieves.)

Her Awakening is also really weak: the speech from Johanna is extremely short and then Makoto stomps the ground to avoid falling over, rips off her mask with a bunch of overdramatic screaming (iirc we don't even get to see blood) and whoop-di-doo, she's got a motorcycle! And suddenly, despite all she's done, everybody loves her and thinks she's a total badass when she literally just threw an adult-sized tantrum. The motorcycle itself is also very lazy, it's just a motorcycle with a face. That's it. That's Makoto's Persona. A motorcycle. With. A. Face.

And from then on, everybody's suddenly a-ok and buddy-buddy with Makoto. It's ridiculous and just makes her come off as a Mary Sue because if somebody endangered my life I sure as hell would not be rubbing shoulders with them and I'm quite sure most people feel the same way. And again, after all this, Makoto does not get in trouble or even harshly reprimanded by the school for her extremely reckless actions; when she should have, and had the power to, just call the police or Sae. And all the Thieves somehow are now her friends and she gets to become a superhero.

So let me see if I understand. This girl stalks these people, blackmails them and forces them to go after hardened criminals (she was going to snitch on them if they didn't comply to her demands), goes in guns blazing by HERSELF to attempt to take down the mob boss, has to be rescued..

And gets praised and dubbed a badass for this???

And before you accuse me of having bias against Makoto, let it be known I in no way, shape or form condone Yusuke stalking Ann or Futaba blackmailing the Thieves either. It's. Still. Wrong.

Also, if you unironically think Makoto's stalking is cute, you're wrong. Stalking is creepy, regardless if it's a girl or guy doing it; no one gets a pass.

In addition, Makoto couldn't be bothered to help out at school but then goes after a MOB BOSS and puts herself in unnecessary danger? What's up with that?? If she felt powerless against Kamoshida, why in the world would she take on the Yakuza?

4. Her backstory doesn't mesh well with the rest of the team.

The gang are all outcasts and misfits in one way or another, and their pasts are less than savory.

Protagonist: Falsely accused of assaulting a woman, expelled from school and sent to Tokyo on a year probation despite his innocence, victim of nasty rumors by other students at his new school; abused by his gym coach, no contact with parents.

Ryuji: Abusive, alcoholic father who beat him and llater left him and his mother, abused by his gym coach, leg broken by his gym coach and labeled as a delinquent because his coach lied and acted like Ryuji attacked him, thus alienating him from the track team and by extent; the entire school. Losing his track scholarship because he can't run anymore, ruining his academic career.

Ann: Two parent household but they're never home, leaving her with a caretaker. Faced bullying and isolation due to being biracial (she's a quarter American), only having one friend before joining the Phantom Thieves. Blackmailed by the gym coach and sexually harassed in order to keep this one friend on the volleyball team, labeled as a slut because no one took the time to find out the truth of the matter. Friend is later raped and attempts suicide, Ann attempts to get help from the student council president but is blamed herself for Shiho's predicament. Also judged just for her looks, which she despises.

Yusuke: Biological father died presumably before his birth, biological mother had a seizure and died due to his mentor's negligence. Said mentor then takes Yusuke, a very small child at this point in time, and raises him in isolation. Psychologically (and very likely emotionally) manipulated, Kitagawa grows up in an abusive household and when confronted with the truth, is unwilling to believe it is so (as many abusive victims realistically behave). Later learns the truth about his mother and his mentor's plagiarism and detaches himself from him, but is extremely socially awkward out of touch due to isolation and as a result is isolated at school because no one wants to talk to him.

Futaba: Was blamed for her mother's death (whom she lost at 13-14) and lived with an extremely abusive uncle who underfed her and didn't even let her bathe herself. Developed severe anxiety and became suicidally depressed for over a year, refusing to even come out of her room. Had a friend who was abused by her parents and upon finding out the two fell out and only reconciled years later through the Internet. Bullied in school for her intellect.

Haru: Lost her mother at a young age, engaged against her will to an emotionally abusive, selfish fiancé for the sake of her father's company. Has deep-rooted trust issues due to people being kind to her solely because of her status; or mean for the exact same reasons. Later on lost her father as well at the age of 17, leaving all the responsibility of the company to her as she was the sole heir.

Morgana: Has no memories of who, or what, he used to be and suffers existential crises; suffers from vivid nightmares. Puts up a façade of arrogance to hide insecurities.

Makoto: Mother died when younger, father died in the line of work, older sister forced to become caretaker and work her rear off to provide for the both of them. Pressured into perfection by Sae.

That's.. literally it. Yes, she has no friends at school, but that's by her choice; she isolates herself in her studies and as a result is socially awkward and doesn't know how to interact with people (which makes her even less suitable to be put into any type of leadership position so how she became student council president is beyond me.) Makoto's life is heaven compared to the other Thieves and most of her issues would go away once she gets to college: the rest of the team doesn't have that luxury. By the way, please don't think I'm saying she doesn't deserve to be on the team because she doesn't have as deep a sob story, I'm not saying that at all. It's just that her backstory isn't really utilized as well as it should be and often times conflict is used to try to get the player to feel sorry for her (i.e. Sae calling her useless)

5. Her Confidant is abysmal and cliché.

So Makoto's Confidant actually starts out not half bad! You take her out to play video games and help her come out of her shell initially. But then it shifts to Eiko, an old friend of hers, who is a bad relationship. And this is when the Confidant begins to suffer, because it's not even about Makoto anymore. The president tells Eiko about the danger she's in, and her old classmate does not listen; declaring that since the older girl does not have a boyfriend she couldn't possibly understand. This logic is very flawed; it's like telling a smoker to stop smoking and they tell you "You don't even smoke, you don't know how bad it is". Yet Makoto listens to Eiko and comes to you, the protagonist; and asks you to pretend to be her boyfriend in order to convince her friend that she DOES understand. But it's so awkward Eiko's boyfriend and the girl herself can tell you're not genuine. And you have to keep this up for the rest of the Confidant, not to mention MAX Charm is required from Rank 5 onward in this route. Why?

Because apparently you're not attractive enough otherwise. And it's not even for Makoto, it's for Eiko, to convince her that you're hot enough to compare to her boyfriend; Takase. (Geez, shallow and childish much?) And then at the end of the Confidant, the romance angle comes off as very odd because you're literally treated like an afterthought the entire time and then suddenly Makoto turns around and wants you as her actual boyfriend?? Uh..where was her falling for you during the time spent together? It just feels like it comes outta nowhere, not to mention she wants to be a cop which the law literally ruined Joker's life soooo why is he getting into a romantic relationship with someone who wants to be associated with a source of his trauma? That's like a metaphorical slap in his face.

"Hey, I know you were literally beaten and drugged up, manhandled, falsely accused and put into solitary confinement by the law enforcement, causing you to suffer severe anxiety and you to possibly be scarred forever but I wanna be a cop even though I don't think straight in stressful situations and act on impulse and don't take insults or criticism well; and I want you to stay by my side even though I blackmailed you, stalked you, and endangered your life and did nothing while you were being abused by your gym coach."

(Let's not forget she also didn't say anything about Sae having a Palace until it was almost too late and Joker almost lost Futaba as a result.)

For Valentine's Day she declares "I've been waiting for you for so long" and that genuinely bewildered me because you don't really see her pining at all during her Confidant, nor during other events (the closest thing you get is her clinging to you in Sojiro's house but that's honestly not even romantic that's just her getting frightened and needing assurance in a very unnecessary "ship tease" moment). Same with the scene in Futaba's Palace, while Joker saving Queen was very sweet, he literally would've done that for anybody of his teammates. Makoto is not special in that regard.

6. How to better this character

•Introduce her to the Thieves in a better, more plot driven way, or remove her from the team completely.

Kaneshiro's arc should honestly just be scrapped, it was a sorry attempt to get Makoto on the team. A better time for her to join would be Sae's Palace since she actually has emotional ties to the Palace owner and by this time in the game could've developed to be a better person from the Kamoshida arc, wanting to make things right. This could also be a good start for her and Ann to begin to be on better terms- not even necessarily friends (because after what happened I honestly don't think Ann would want to be friends, at least not close), but learning to at least be civil. That, or she joins out of desperation because she doesn't want anything bad to happen to Sae and as the infiltration continues gets more and more nervous and ultimately rats their plan out (because Makoto as the traitor would be much better, writing-wise).

Alternatively, Hifumi joining instead of Makoto would also be very refreshing with Makoto covering up for them at school and supporting them on the sly.

•Treat her flaws as actual flaws, she's not perfect.

Makoto does have some bad traits, a few being:

•bad tempered

•reckless

•stubborn

•nosy

•hypocritical

•bossy

•socially awkward

But these are almost never treated in a negative light. With the Kamoshida arc and Kaneshiro arc, all is simply forgiven, same with her smacking Eiko across the face in a moment of anger. Even when wrong, Makoto is never wrong per say and this makes it difficult for her to be believable as a character. To fix this, having her suffer the consequences of her actions will make it more realistic. For example, getting Eiko to break up with her boyfriend but cutting ties with her too as a result would give Makoto the rude awakening that you can do the right thing the wrong way and people will not always forgive you for the mess you put them through (nor should they).

Her being punished for unnecessarily putting herself in danger with Kaneshiro would also be understandable (she should've been at least suspended, she could've gotten herself killed, plus all the then existing Phantom Thieves); as well as actually apologizing for the hell that was Kamoshida's drama. And not just to Ann, but everyone who suffered. That would show maturity and a willingness to change, and put her in a better light.

I want Makoto to get mad and she's fully in the wrong and she acknowledges she's wrong, have her recklessness get her or a teammate wounded in battle, etc. And have the others call her out when she's wrong and refuse to let it slide. Have them talk it out, grow as a team. Just..make Makoto fallible, flawed, broken even. She's an orphan, I want to touch more on her having to grow up quickly, feeling lonely and unsure of how to connect with people; talk about how her father is a driving force in her values and morals and how she wishes to honor him by following in his footsteps.

Delve into how she feels less than worthy if she does not achieve excellence but do it in a way that does not demonize Sae unnecessarily and try to make the reader/player feel sorry for her. Have Makoto spend more time with people in her team outside of team duties and while being awkward, genuinely interested and actively working to better her relationships. (She barely interacts with anyone besides Joker, Futaba, and on occasion, Haru) When Makoto is realistically flawed, she then becomes relatable and much more likable.

I want her fears to be plot relevant, not just slapped on for the sake of making her look "cute". Her being scared of the dark was never relevant, unlike Rei from Persona Q who was scared of the dark and had to go through a pitch black room in order to find key cards to help her friends escape a locked room or Yukari being terrified of death and having to come to terms with that. Same with her fixation for Buchimaru, it's cute but it doesn't add any depth to her character whatsoever or even her apparently knowing aikido? We never see Makoto fight outside the Metaverse unlike Chie or Akihiko so it feels like a character trait just slapped on to make her 'cooler'. It feels lazy, because it is. It's like the writers wanted her to be this strong, independent young woman but at the same time a scared, awkward little girl and the two ideas often clash; coming off as contradictory as if they couldn't make their minds up as to who they wanted Makoto to be.

Again, this is not an attack on Makoto fans. If you like her, that's valid and I respect that. I'm merely explaining why I don't and how I feel the writing failed her character and what I believe she'd be if her potential was maximized.

That's all, have a good day.

Game Session #6

Characters:

Bakunawa, dragonborn paladin; copper scales, chainmail, a shortsword and shield

Zastu, dragonborn rogue; white scales almost completely covered in a hooded cape and mask, leather armor, short bow and shortsword + dagger

Rysiel, half-elf druid; simple clothing and leather armor, scimitar

Teir, tiefling warlock; vibrant gold skin and black hair w/silver highlights, horns, hooves, expensive-looking clothes and leather armor, carries a dagger as his only (physical) weapon

NPCs...

Sydiri Haunlar, human (Chondathan) fighter; brunette, chain shirt, dagger, shortbow, wooden club

Alara Winterspell, human (Rashemi) fighter; deceptively light and warm head wrap, chain shirt, dagger, shortsword

Kaelen Zam, human (Illuskan) fighter; bald, small handlebar mustouche, chain shirt, dagger, greataxe

For this game, I was at Teir and Rysiel/Riceboy's place and it was a longer game than usual (since it was on a Friday and work schedules were better)

This one was fun from a technical perspective! I'm getting more acquainted with the shortcut keys, and being in a cave system means I get to play with the show/hide features on the map. (I just have to remember to describe the scene before I reveal it--for effect) Also, I discovered that you can put a big X on tokens to indicate that the creature is dead... I like showing the players where all the bodies are. I also made liberal use of the aura-effect you can put on tokens, creating a 10ft-radius for a spell effect, and to show the reach of large creatures and range of sight across caverns in the dark...

Picking up from last time...

Rysiel and Zastu have just approached their unconscious comrades--Bakunawa and Teir, as well as the guards Sydiri, Alara, and Kaelen. There was a rooster that looks like Jest pecking at Kaelen's face as he was waking up, and Rysiel was so happy to see it that he forgot about his plan to dump water on Teir's head. Rysiel casts Cure Wounds on Bakunawa to help him regain consciousness, then the paladin uses his Lay on Hands ability to heal at least one hitpoint for the other four and wake them as well. After that, they can all commence a Long Rest! Guard Kaelen asks if he can have the greataxe that they've pilfered, while Sydiri asks for a shortbow and arrows and Alara asks for a shortsword. The other shortsword and the only shield goes to Bakunawa, and Teir declines the wooden club in favour of his magic, so it goes to Sydiri (even though a club and a dagger both deal 1d4 damage). After the Long Rest, Rysiel discovers that he can now remove the dragon-skull helmet from his head. He also realizes that he understands more about it--it came from a blue dragon, native to the coasts not far from Waterdeep, and grants resistance from Lightning damage. More may manifest as he spends more time wearing it. Also, Teir wakes up from a dream filled with the rustling of feathers to find a new grimoire in his arms. It grants him a few cantrips while he holds it and allows him to write rituals within its pages. As the discuss the next steps, Sydiri says she knows the forest here fairly well. They shouldn't be too far away from the bat cave where the villagers fled. The party decides to follow her, and soon come across the obvious tracks of thirty-or-so villagers leading north and to the bat caves.

The Ardeep forest itself is riddled with such caves, but only one fits the description of what they're looking for--it sits inside a large rocky hill topped with pine trees, and the opening is about 12 feet wide and 20 feet high. The adventurers decide this is a bit sketchy and/or intimidating, and proceed with caution. It is currently mid-evening, and the sun rests low of the horizon, but inside it is pich black. Of the 7 of them, only Teir and Rysiel can see in the dark, so they edge forward and see what they can see. A Very Lage form sits a short distance from the open tunnel, just within the darkness. Steam rises around it as it splashes and drips slippery mud over itself. A dense collection of stalagmites obscures a second Very Large form within a larger cavern. A couple ledges are just visible as well, each with another form that looks like a goblin. Teir declines to send his raven in due to the profusion of stalagtites coming from the ceiling. They ask Bakunawa if his Paladin senses (Divine Sense) can discern the nature of the creatures within. He concentrates for a moment, and confirms that those they see are evil (though not the strong evil you might get from an abomination or undead), and that he can only sense as far as they can see. Sydiri suggests they take a look around the hill for another entrance. The one they found is on the southern side, and as they circle the hill they find a second entrance at the base of the western side. A stream flows down it, and looking inside, Rysiel reports that the tunnel is mostly straight and ends just before the limit of his vision, ending in a small cave. They continue around the hill. On the eastern side is a dry tunnel that runs for farther than any of them can see. They ponder their options before Teir sends his spectral Sentinal Raven over the hill to look for more openings. The hill is fairly large--it took about an hour for them to circumnavigate as they searched--so the raven takes an appropriately long time before it comes back. Teir learns there's a small opening up there, so they all climb the hill to take a look. Looking down the dark, dark hole, they can't quite see the floor beyond the natural chimney, but somehow decide that this is their best option.

Between them they have quite a bit of rope, so they tie one end to Rysiel and the other to Bakunawa. The half-elf stealths down the chimney, aided by the many convenient handholds within. As he approaches the floor, he spots a lone goblin half-asleep and decides to... Actually, he doesn't really have a plan, but he unties himself anyway since he's confident that he can take out one goblin. As soon as he touches the ground however, the goblin starts awake and immediately starts cowering in a corner. "Ack! No! Nokill! NokillSnigbat!" She shrieks in a heavily-accented high-pitched voice. Startled at the revelation that goblins can speak (?!), Rysiel responds with the standard "Give me a reason not to!" The little goblin is very hard to understand, and rambles on about "NoKill! KillBoss! SnigbatBeBoss! GuardDutyBad" and etc. Rysiel tells her that he doesn't trust her, and he's going to tie her up, but she refuses and backs away. Snigbat continues to try to convince the half-elf of... Something, but Rysiel is getting increasingly worried that the goblin's agitated tone is going to attract someone or something. Soon the goblin is frightened enough to make a dash for the narrow tunnel leading out of the little cave. Rysiel is ready for it though, and he tackles her to the ground and grapples her. The goblin isn't spry enough to escape, and the half-elf manages to tie her up. In response, the goblin starts to wail, but Rysiel stuffs her mouth full of some random cloth. With the goblin secured, Rysiel casts Produce Flame and throws it up the chimney. Unfortunately, no one remembered to decide on any kind of signal... Teir is looking down and decides that the flash of light means that Rysiel needs some sort of help. Since he's the only other one who can see in the dark, he heads down the rope to help. When he arrives, Rysiel asks if he might be better able to understand the goblin. He asks the goblin to repeat what he said, but forgets to remove the gag, so the goblin just muffles in a high-pitched tone. Teir removes the gag with the promise of pain if the goblin makes too much noise. Snigbat immediately starts ranting about "NoKillSnigbat, killBossHark, SnigbatBeBoss, sheHelp! GoblinNoKillBigg'Uns, SnigbatBoss, tellGoblinNoKill" in a raspy, high-pitched voice. Teir isn't sure he understands, but starts questioning the goblin anyway. "How do we know you won't attack us next?" "SnigbatNoKill, helpSnigbat!" "Right then... Are there others like us?" "Yup!" Snigbat spits out. "Like me?" Teir asks, pointing at his horns. "Yup!" "Like him?" Snigbat hesitates, then "Yup!" "Anything else? Are there guards around the villagers?" "SnigbatNoKill, helpSnigbat!" Snigbat whines, and the rest is unintelligible. At around this time, Bakunawa comes down to investigate. Unfortunately, Bakunawa cannot see in the dark. He lands on the cave floor unable to see anything, and asks if everything is okay. Rysiel lights a torch for him and hands it over. "We're trying to figure out what's going on with this Snigbat here. He won't tell us about the villagers." "Let me try?" Bakunawa offers. The paladin intimidates the Goblin, causing her to cower. "Where are the villagers?" "'crossBigCavern," Snigbat mumbles, along with something unintelligible. "Are there any guards?" "Bats!" "Big ones?" Teir interjects. Snigbat says something unintellibile. "Anything bigger?" Teir asks. Snigbat hesitates again. "...Yup!" "What?" "BigNastyDwarf! BadDwarf!" "Anything else? "Ogre" "There are Ogres? Will they attack us if we help?" "NoOgre, noOgre, justGoblin...." "You just said..." Teir. "This is hopeless, let's just get her to lead us to the goblin boss," Bakunawa says, and he picks up the bound goblin easily, carrying her over to the tunnel. But Snigbat's legs aren't tied and she starts kicking and thrashing. "CUT THAT OUT!" Bakunawa yells, and everyone cringes. He hits Snigbat over the head, knocking her out. After that, the rest of the party decends the rope down the chimney. They leave Alara at the top to keep watch. They need to figure out where to go next, and they don't trust the goblin bound at their feet. Zastu holds the bullseye lantern that she lifted earlier, and lights it so they can see down corridors if they need. Meanwhile, Rysiel volunteers to scout a bit, and casts Pass without Trace to boost the Stealth of the whole part for an hour. This turns out to be a great asset... Snigbat had indicated that the goblin boss was to the left from the cave, but they don't believe her, and they go right. Within a few dozen feet, Rysiel discovers a large cavern with several ledges along the edges, including immediately to his right, upon which a goblin stands. Within the centre of the cavern is a cluster of stalagmites rising from the ground, and within them is a hulking shape that looks like the one they spotted from the other entrance. He's pretty sure that's an orgre, and that there's another one. He also spots a shallow pool and another exit from the cavern far in front and to his left, then he returns to the group to report what he saw. From what Teir can remember, ogres are intelligent, but not by much, and they are quick to anger. They decide not to go that way, and Rysiel checks out the tunnel to the left. He quickly finds another cave, about twice the size of the one they hide in. The sound of rodents permeates that corner of the caves, becoming clearer as he pops his head around the corner. Three goblins are standing around laughing and pointing at a mass of rats that Rysiel can only just barely see around the corner. He's not sure what's going on, but if he can see the goblins as clearly as he can, then they can see him. Fortunately his stealth check is very high. (Nat20 +10 from Pass without Trace makes 33!!) The goblins are too engrossed in their entertainment to notice anything else. Rysiel returns to the group to describe what he saw and heard, and they spend the next 15 minutes planning what to do next. Bakunawa douses his torch and leaves the bullseye lantern with Zastu as he makes his way (in the pitch darkness...) to the opening of the cave where the goblins cackle over some rats eating... Something. (he makes his Stealth roll with disadvantage due to the dark, not his armor; but still succeeds due to the active spell) He stops when he reaches the far wall and waits for Teir to follow up, and then Zastu with the lantern (I'm guessing because she's the most mobile? I didn't understand this part of the plan) Teir succeeds on his Stealth roll as well (barely), and stops beside Bakunawa (he can see fine in the darkness). Excited about his new spell, he casts without waiting for everyone to catch up, mumbling a brief warning for everyone to cover their ears... (Shatter) A sudden loud ringing bursts from the center of the goblin cave, echoing outward throughout the cave system. The walls and floor shake briefly. The bodies of three goblins, seven giant rats, and one (dead) human are flung against the cave walls and smashed to bloody pulps. Nothing alive remains in the cave. (note: Teir rolled 8-8-6 on 3d8; and even those creatures who succeeded the Con save didn't have enough HP to survive half damage)

With a painful ringing in their ears, Teir and Rysiel investigate the area for survivors. Zastu hangs back with the directional lantern, shining it so Bakunawa can see (he lights a torch again), but refuses to enter the gory scene. After a second of careful listening, Rysiel picks out some faint whimpering, and beckons for everyone to investigate. At the rear of the irregular 20x20 cave is a small larder with various animal and human bodyparts strewn about. A young woman in a nice dress (ripped to pieces of course) cowers in the corner. Surprisingly, she doesn't shriek (much) when she hears the adventurers approach. "Who's there? Are the goblins...?" "The goblins are dead," Teir says. "So... I'm saved?" The woman asks. "Yes, we are here to rescue you," Bakunawa replies, bringing the light over so she can see. The woman sobs for a moment in relief and pent-up fear. "Are you hurt?" The paladin asks. "Just... Just some scrapes and bruises... I haven't been able to see anything since we entered the caves, so they practically dragged me over here..." She sobs. "Do you know where the other villagers are?" Teir asks. The woman blinks in the torchlight for a moment, sniffling and trying to think. She shakes her head, but reconsiders. "It's a little ways, there's a tunnel, and beyond that a cavern... I could hear something big moving around, and the sound changes from when you're in a tunnel... We were kept in another cavern through a tunnel, all of it in the dark. Morak, Destiny, and Grin set us up on ledges... But we had to be deathly quiet, or the bats would swarm." "Okay, we're going to get you out of here," Teir says, then hesitates. "It's pretty gory out there, do you want us to take away the torch?" The woman also hesitates. She's been in the dark for almost two days now. But she decides against seeing the blood and nods to Teir. Bakunawa goes ahead and around a corner to hide the torch while Teir follows-up with the woman. They all talk for a moment to try to calm her down further. Her name is Daphne Featherstone, and she is (was) Lady Velrosa Nandar's Lady-in-waiting. Teir asks if she recognizes him, but she doesn't, and he chooses not to tell her that Lady Velrosa is dead. Once back at the base of the chimney, the guards (who have lit their own torch) from the town help Daphne up the chimney, where Guard Alara can keep watch with her at the top.

Another tunnel branches to the left (south), opposite the cave of dead goblins and rats (north), so they investigate that next and quickly come across a fork where a boulder obviously placed to prevent people from entering one side (west). Teir investigates it thoroughly and declares it is an ordinary boulder, and also it can easily be moved. He stands aside and beckons Bakunawa to move the big rock, which he does (barely). Beyond the boulder is a small cave with a grass pallet (bed) and a dinged-up chest. Teir investigates the pallet to determine if it's seen recent use (yes?) and Zastu investigates the chest. She reaches for her lock picking tools and the lock... Only to find out that it is a terrible lock. She gives it a yank and it just comes apart. Inside the definitely-not-trapped-chest they find some meager loot, plus a healing potion (which Baku takes)

The four of them continue on down (south) the tunnel to another fork. Teir sends his raven down quickly, and determines that the fork is false--it's just a large irregular pillar in a small cave. To their right (west) is a pool fed by a gentle stream coming in from a tunnel. Teir suggests this is the stream they saw from outside and sends his raven to investigate (it is). They take a brief moment to refresh themselves and clean off the blood splatters. (I manage to psych them out enough that they're paranoid about the water being poisonous...) Bakunawa casts Purify Food and Drink just in case, so they don't get poisoned or contract any diseases. (Rysiel can cast this spell too, but he didn't have it prepared while Baku did--though it's worth noting that if he did, he could cast it as a ritual, while Baku cannot) The water tastes... Weird, and they determine it's kind of mineral-y. Teir recognizes this because it's the sort of shit that nobles like to pay for.

Teir decides to be the one to investigate the next tunnel off the little cave, opposite the stream (east), but it's not very long and soon enters into the big cavern again. Another ledge sits to his right, with another goblin. They decide not to go that way, and double-back past the chimney room to the other entrance to the cavern at the far (north) end. Teir and Rysiel get together to form a plan to lure the goblin there off its ledge, with Teir using Thaumaturgy to imitate the sound of "something yummy" (this ends up being a chicken, they decide). The goblin (Slibberdabber) is bored, and a bit hungry (and failed its Wisdom roll vs Teir's Deception), so it hops off the ledge and starts to enter the tunnel. But while it is pitch-black for you and I, goblins (and Tieflings and Half-elves) can see in the dark, and the goblin starts to panic just as Rysiel attacks with his dagger. It takes two hits, but Slibberdabber is knocked unconscious. They drag them back to the chimney room and tie them up with Snigbat before returning to the northern tunnel. The adventurers pair-up to cross to the other side of the cavern along the north wall, in pitch-darkness--Teir leading Bakunawa, and Rysiel leading Zastu (Zastu shields the lantern). Teir and Bakunawa Stealth along still under the cover of Rysiel's spell, and discover a wide tunnel leading away to their left (north). Directly to their right (south) is the collection of stalagmites, with something large resting within. They start to walk that way, but a huge rift blocks their way. Peering down, Teir determines it's only about 20 feet deep and 8 feet across, but that's deep and wide enough. Where-ever it goes, the villagers are not on the other side. They continue onward and Rysiel starts to lead Zastu. Just after leaving the wide tunnel, Bakunawa and Teir encounter a shallow pool. Teir skirts around it naturally, but Bakunawa splashes in the water for a second, blowing their cover. An arrow (from Pox) streaks across the cavern from the far side, hitting Teir. (roll for initiative)

Having been hit, Teir is the first one to react, his infernal reflexes casting Hellish Rebuke on the one who injured him. Bright purplish flames briefly outline a small figure on a ledge in the distance, and the goblin can be seen falling down. Teir runs back toward the tunnel entrance, leaving Bakunawa in the dark. Round 1 Being quick-thinking herself, Zastu unshields the lantern and climbs the ledge beside her (where Slibberdabber was positioned) using her Rogue abilities. The huge shape in the stalagmites has emerged to reveal herself as a naked ogre (Thog) with a greatclub! Zastu shoots the ogre as she tries to reach the ledge just above her head. An arrow from (Nitch) the ledge to the right (south) streaks by Zastu, missing her. Zastu's lantern gives just enough light for Bakunawa to see by, but he decides to produce a bit more. He takes in a deep breath and breathes out a line of fire at the ogre (Thog), hitting squarely and getting her attention. (and rolling 5-5 on 2d6, nice!) Rysiel joins the fight by entering the cavern and casting Numbing Frost on the ogre. A thin film of frost covers the naked giant, dealing damage and imposing disadvantage until the end of her next turn. Teir runs to the south, under Zastu's ledge, and into the tunnel entrance there just before casting his next spell: Toll the Dead. A dolorous bell fills the air for a moment, dealing necrotic damage to Thog (1d12 since she's already injured) Round 2 Zastu fires her bow and hits* the ogre from her ledge , then hides immediately afterward. Thog swings her greaclub (with disadvantage) at Bakunawa, but misses. *whew* Goblin Nitch can't seem to see where Zastu went, so s/he knocks her/is bow and shoots at Bakunawa, drawing a bit of blood. Bakunawa makes a Vow of Enmity using his Channel Divinity ability for the day, gaining advantage on his attacks against Ogre Thog. He uses his advantage immediately, casting Thunderous Smite on himself and attacking with his shortsword for piercing and thunder damage all at once. Unfortunately, the ogre resists its secondary effects of pushback. Rysiel leaps forward and slahes at Thog with his scimitar, drawing blood... Just as the second very naked male ogre (Nob) charges up at the two of them. Teir takes advantage of their momentary clustering to cast Shatter a second time. A loud ringing once again echoes throughout the cavern, damaging the two ogres (who both make their Con saves for half damage) Another goblin (Gleek) looks around for a target, but is too far away to see what's going on. Round 3 Zastu emerges from hiding to shoot at the female ogre once more*. Thog dies as Zastu melts back into the shadows (Pass without Trace still in effect). Goblin Nitch searches for the source of the arrow that killed an ogre, but cannot see... So s/he shoots an arrow at Rysiel instead! The arrow pierces Rysiel, drawing blood. Bakunawa attempts to utter a Vow of Enmity on the second ogre, but his Channel Divinity is used up for the day. Instead, he moves to flank Nob and swings his shortsword, casting Thunderous Smite a second time. Ogre Nob is hit with piercing and thunder damage, and is knocked backward 10 ft into some stalagmites and falls prone. Rysiel takes Advantage of the prone ogre and slashes at him with his scimitar, drawing blood. Nob doesn't bother getting up, and tries to swing his club at Bakunawa, but his disadvantage causes him to miss. From his position at the mouth of the southern tunnel, Teir casts Toll the Dead on Nob. The dolorous bell sings out again, dealing Necrotic damage to the ogre before Teir ducks back into the tunnel. Goblin Lop takes his first turn as Bakunawa steps within his line of sight, shooting an arrow that pings harmlessly off the paladin's armor.

We had to stop here for the night, as it was suddenly midnight! Round 4 starts next game.

(*Zastu gets sneak attack damage on ranged attacks as long as an ally is next to her target)

Spells cast:

Rysiel:

Cantrips: Produce Flame, Frostbite

Spells: Cure Wounds*, Pass without Trace

*Used before a rest Slots used: 1st 0/4; 2nd 1/2

Teir:

Cantrips: Thaumaturgy (Racial), Toll the Dead* x2

Spells: Hellish Rebuke (Racial), Shatter x2

*for some reason, we kept rolling an attack die for Toll the Dead, when it's actually a Wis save Slots used: 2/2

Bakunawa:

Paladin abilities: Lay on Hands*, Divine Sense, Vow of Enmity (Channel Divinity)

Spells: Purify Food and Drink, Thunderous Smite x2

*Used before a rest Slots used: 1st 3/3

Killcount:

Bakunawa: 0 Teir: 3 goblins (Ratcha and Zukluk, then Pox), 1 goblin boss (Hark), 7 giant rats Zastu: 1 ogre (Thog) Rysiel: subdued 2 goblins (Snigbat and Slibberdabber) without killing them!

Treasure looted:

12 gp, 55 sp, and 87 cp (loose change)

A matching pair of silver salt and pepper shakers (Teir)

A bloodstained leather case containing a complete set of thieves’ tools (Zastu)

A holy symbol of Silvanus carved from wood and in-laid with gold (Rysiel)

A potion of healing (Baku)

Cleric Week: Clerical Work

image credit: Daniel Warren

Playing a Cleric

Moral Characters: Clerics are in a unique position that allows them to be some of the best roleplayers and story-driven characters in the party. Their attachment to a deity and strong sense of ideals and morality aligned to that deity create natural biases for their character. These are easy to identify as a player and help you play your cleric to their fullest roleplaying potential as you realize things like "my cleric wouldn't do that" or "my character's deity wouldn't approve of this" and then act upon them! Don't shy from this. Clerics provoke conversation and conversation promotes development. Use this to find a reason to join up with teammates that don't match your alignment! Maybe your cleric starts to doubt their own beliefs in the process, or possibly convert the other PCs to their own moral standards! Basically, make big deals about morality and the choices that come with the baggage of a deity.

Purposeful Characters: Decide your cleric's relationship with their deity. Are you a prophet who seeks to spread the word of your deity? Perhaps you are a missionary whose purpose is to convert others. As an inquisitor you could seek out heretics and destroy them, or uphold a theocratic law. You could also just be someone who is a devout worshipper and uses their granted divine powers in the name of their beliefs. Alternatively, you could act more like a paladin and fight in the name of your deity, maybe opposing the workings of rival deities. You could also entertain the option of worshipping your deity out of fear or necessity. A priest of Hextor might only worship them to avoid their wrath and tyranny, gaining their favor and divine magic in the process. They could have an entirely different belief and alignment, mechanically, but still worship that deity. Perhaps they think that the good-aligned gods are simply not as powerful as Hextor, so Hextor MUST be worshipped or he will destroy us all.

Ways of Worship: I won't go into this too deeply, as I want to make a separate post about coming up with methods to worship your deity. But keep it in mind as a good way to remind the other players what your cleric stands for. Use it to provoke roleplaying or add depth to your character. Think of the rites, prayers, and rituals you would practice. Adorn your belongings with your deity's holy symbol. Speak parables and stories to spread the teachings and beliefs of your deity. Heck, in 3.5e each deity had a favored weapon that clerics gained bonuses from wielding! You can easily just choose to wield that weapon and explain it purposefully.

Character Design: Look at religions and cultures around the world for inspiration. You will find lots of fantastic costumes and sacred dressings that would make for far more interesting clerics than the standard D&D trope (half-plate, mace, and a holy symbol). For an inspired idea, look up your deity and what information you can find on them. Dress up your character like the deity or in a way that is a metaphor of the deity. For instance, Nerull is a red skeleton with green wormlike hair and a black robe. Your cleric of Nerull could wear a blood-soaked skull as a mask and wear vibrant green plumes as a headdress. Use your character's holy symbol to influence your character's clothing. If you worship a deity with a tornado as their symbol, maybe you could tie ribbons to your armor so it flows with the wind as you move! When you pray to such a deity, you dance and spin wildly to become that holy symbol!

Strategy: Keep track of everyone's approximate Hit Points You don't need exact numbers (that takes the fun out of it anyway), but ask them if they are near death, bloodied (less than half health), or fine. Properly manage your healing spells. Use Healing Word only when a player goes down; it has range and is only a bonus action so you can use it mid-combat. Remember that Prayer of Healing can only be used out of combat unless you intend to slog through the 10 minute casting time, but at least it can be used to substitute a short rest when time is of the essence and no one has Hit Dice left to spend. Try to use Cure Wounds after the battle as it requires you to move to the victim, touch them, and use up an action. It's still useful in a pinch. Your best healing spell is Aid. It heals but also increases maximum HP of pretty much the entire party for pretty much the whole day. In combat, cast Bless on your second-best damage dealer. ACs are pretty low in 5e so giving it to the secondary damage source will help keep damage consistent. Alternatively, give it to your ally with the lowest saving throw for the current encounter. Facing a Mind Flayer? Give the barbarian that +1d4 for their mental saves. Facing a dragon? Bless the wizard for better DEX saves against its breath weapon. Lastly, as I shouldn't have to tell you: clerics are good against undead.

DMing a Cleric

Moral Tests: As detailed above, clerics are moral characters. Add in plot elements or encounters that will test their faith and ideals. You have the advantage of knowing how such a cleric's deity would want them to react, so you can add a twist or a spin to that! Moral tests will help develop the cleric's character and add tense drama to a story.

Mythology: Put myths and stories into the worlds. Y’know all of those Greek, Norse, and Egyptian myths about things like creation, interactions between deities and humans, stories about the afterlife, etc. Those most likely exist in D&D too. And best of all, they don’t have to be true! But they might be, which adds to the mystery of the thing. Players can choose to believe in a myth you tell them about or disbelieve it, but since deities are very real things in the D&D universe, a deity could have very well turned into a swan and had relations with that woman. Myths also help to plant religion somewhere in each adventure, even if it's just a loose scroll or a piece of art. This will give the cleric something to think about even if the current dungeon has nothing to do with religion.

Religious NPCs: Put characters in the adventure that have religious beliefs for the PC cleric to interact with. NPCs that worship similarly aligned deities will find an ally in the PC cleric and even spark friendly conversations comparing the tenets of both gods. An NPC with the same deity as the cleric will be an instant friend to the PC. Sometimes you can use this to your advantage if the NPC is an antagonist or a betrayer. NPCs that worship deities that are quite different from the PC cleric’s god will test the cleric’s resolve in their own ideals. I don’t mean necessarily an “evil” deity, I just mean one that believes in something different for entirely sound reasons. Bahamut teaches his clerics to give the oppressed the strength to overcome oppression themselves, rather than simply helping them directly. But a cleric of Heironeous might oppose that, saying that the weak should be protected with your own life.

Atmosphere: Consider adding mysterious happenings and auras that the PC cleric can pick up on. Uneasy feelings on unhallowed ground, nausea or fear near an evil artifact, or even healing powers not functioning (partially or totally) in an unholy shrine. These sorts of things are mostly for roleplaying atmosphere, but they add a lot to the game. The cleric picks up on it, making it instantly about divine magic, but there is no game mechanic that explains these divine “feelings” or supernatural magic. This heightens the drama and mystery even for experienced players.

Strategy: Clerics are healers and tanks, and are an important target for any fight. Intelligent creatures will target a cleric if they understand the healing powers of divine magic. More primal or less intelligent creatures will likely just attack whoever hits them the hardest, giving the PC cleric a time to shine with their healing and combat capabilities. Creatures that can’t crack through a cleric’s tough shell should target a wizard or rogue instead, frontloading their damage to negate the healing from the Cleric, who will have to spend time and actions to heal their freshly fallen friends. Creatures that can move their enemies (by blasting them away with spells or throwing them with strength) should move them away from the cleric if they know better, forcing the cleric to move into a worse position.

Maddie’s Big Gigantic Breath of the Wild Write-Up Where I Talk About Things I Like and Things I Didn’t Like

And regrettably, there are many things I did not like. But that doesn’t make this any less of a fantastic game that I enjoyed - I just wanted to put all my thoughts down in one spot. And yes, there’s spoilers.

--------------------------------------| Things I Like | ----------------------------------------

You can read any review for the game and that’s pretty much this section. There’s not much to say about the core game that hasn’t already been said, dozens and dozens of times, by professional or at least more knowledgeable game reviewers and critics out there.

Breath of the Wild (BOTW) is a big return to the uttermost classic Zelda feeling, of being a plucky hero in a big world that’s yours to traverse and discover, and get through on your wits and skills alone. But I’d actually argue that BOTW does the sense of open world and exploration far better than any other Zelda game comparison, not for the size of the maps (and man oh man they are big) but in that it gives you all the tools you need to explore within the first area and then kicks you out the door into the world. Any and all Zelda games, including the first, regardless of how “open” and non-linear you think they are, have a formula in that to progress through certain points, you must find an item that allows you to do so. BOTW dismisses that notion entirely and teaches you the core game mechanics and gives you the tools to explore wherever you want after the first area, and that’s a good thing. I spent the first several hours (upwards of a collective 20 or so) getting lost and just exploring, cooking food, finding side quests, fighting monsters, scaling mountains, and in a big way that’s sort of how the game is intended to be played. It’s full of creatures to hunt or befriend, hills to snowboard down on your shield, an expansive and hilarious physics engine to exploit, NPCs to meet and quests to be found and completed.

I like the provinces on the map, they’re either classic Zelda locations or call-backs to places from past games that weren’t always in Hyrule (large Majora’s Mask vibes, which makes sense, as this game takes place within the Child Era timeline). Even places that seemed the same at first ended up having subtle or severe differences, and of course the crisply-rendered graphics make the world vibrant, bright and inviting. While I miss the big orchestral scores I’m used to from other big console Zelda games, the subtle atmospheric music ended up being very nice and tonally appropriate, with familiar tunes sneaking in here and there in fun and sometimes beautiful ways.

NPC designs are unique, expressive, and full of character. Towns and hubs have a real sense of being lived in, with their own culture and way of life. Locations have their own passive dangers and benefits that make the world feel exciting and treacherous, and you can take any kind of approach to all kinds of situations. You can make special buff food or elixirs (one of the most fun things to do because I love watching the little food bits jump around in the pot) to brave the elements or give yourself extra bulk, or you can wear specialty armor or clothing, or do both. You can dye most outfits too, and tame and register your own horses and customize them. While a part of me misses the iconic green garb, being able to traverse Hyrule on a jet-black steed decked out in skulls and tattered leather while my Link was adorned with sleek black armor and cloak is kind of the best (and you can get the garb later, and then just build a custom green outfit yourself, which is how I went into end-game) Any weapon is fair game to wield as well, which was another part I greatly enjoyed and gave an added sense to exploration and that “get by on what you can find” survival aesthetic the game provides.

There really is a kind of subtle, almost accidental thoughtfulness to this game’s incarnation of Link. The background plot of the game describes, shows, and in some areas at least implies that Link was not a plucky hero from humble beginnings that the series is used to - Link was a prodigy in BOTW, a son of a proud and excellent knight who was to follow in his father’s footsteps to defend the kingdom and the royal family. Since he was a child he was groomed for this roll, despite the stress it caused him, until he became a trained and powerful warrior, even going so far as becoming the knight appointed to Princess Zelda, and wielding the Master Sword. He was the Hero from the beginning and was raised and trained his whole life to fulfill that role.

And he failed.

For all intents and purposes, Link in BOTW more or less dies (well, it’s implied he’s just unconscious and on the brink of death, but for my joking need to continue this “Link is the Chosen Undead” Dark Souls joke, yeah, he died). All the pomp and circumstance and careful, strict training surrounding his life ended up meaning nothing in the final grand scheme against Calamity Ganon. And this narrative carries not just to Link, but to the other cast of characters and Hyrule as a whole - years and years of careful planning and preparation was not what was needed to defeat Ganon.

The game starts with Link being resurrected, with no memory of what happened 100 years ago and nothing to his name but a shirt and some shoes (and the Sheikah Slate I guess). But it’s this Link, stripped of everything, who has to cross the wilds and adventure, working his way up from scratch, completing test after test and trial after trial laid out by the ruined Hyrule and the ancient Sheikah sages in their shrines, who reclaims the Master Sword, earns the green garb (or doesn’t - you only get it if you complete all 120 shrines, which I think fits tonally because I wouldn’t exactly dub a guy who failed the first time a hero until he’s been thoroughly re-tempered for the task) and defeats Ganon. It’s not a bunch of strict, stately training given to a person who’s told their destiny from a young age and forced immediately to live up to it that makes a hero in Zelda games - it’s the plucky adventurer coming from little, courageously taking on feats bigger than them for the good of Hyrule and the people within it, working up to the final encounter.

Hyrule and the NPCs you meet echo that tone as well. It’s a world that’s had to pick up the pieces since Ganon re-emerged and laid waste to their world. Descendants and spiritual successors of champions from the past risking themselves for the good of their people, unprepared and outmatched compared to what they’re up against, but coming out on top with determination and follow-through in the end. The main story of BOTW has a bittersweet, but ultimately powerful and true-to-form Zelda tale that, on top of the immersion and pure fun the game provides is why it’s so easy to see why people have rated it so highly.

Unfortunately, extended playtime with this game revealed a ton of flaws and personal nitpicks, because despite what these scores claim, no game is perfect, and neither is BOTW.

----------------------------------| Things I Didn’t Like | -----------------------------------

BOTW gets...repetitive, and at times annoying and even vacuous. I’d find a lot of really cool places during my exploration of Hyrule, but found that a lot of them just ended up being set-pieces to the world, with maybe a Korok hiding there (or maybe not, which was just super frustrating, climbing to a high mountain peak to find nothing up there). The game became measurably more enjoyable when I upgraded to full three stamina wheels, which took a lot of my early shrine upgrades to do, and that ugly, ugly little green wheel just constantly reminded me of how much I loathed it in Skyward Sword. I’d climb and climb and climb, usually not finding much of anything at the top later into the game. I’d find a set of interesting ruins, clear out the same enemies I’d fought 200 other times during the game, and not really find anything of interest within them. And god the enemies are repetitious. the same three core enemies in different colours, the same four or so core world bosses in different colours, the same Lynel and Guardians in different colours with ridiculous health bars that hit for 12 hearts a strike to impose the illusion of difficulty, when you end up just hitting them with ancient arrows, or using upgraded Stasis on them, or some other cheap trick because the combat and the difficult-to-time parrying and dodge/flurry attack prompts are not fun to activate (and if you fight them “properly”, especially the Lynels, get ready to run through all your resources).

When I go to a new area I want to see new enemies. Where are things like...I don’t know, Gibdos? Redeads? Poes? Darknuts? Skulltulas, Deku Babas, Gohmas, Armos, Dodongos, Aeralfos, Peahats, Likelikes SOMETHING ELSE besides these damn Lizalfos that keep JUMPING AROUND. I had one amazing encounter with a serpent dragon on an icy mountain peak, and had thought that I would have similar awesome encounters with the other two dragons in the game. Turns out the other two just sort of float around in locations and you don’t do anything with them except try to shoot them to farm items, no special encounters. Why.

I’d find a weapon I’d love but it would break quickly, so I ended up forming this habit of hoarding good weapons, bows, and shields, thinking I’d have to save them for later for fear they’d break, then ran into a problem where I was constantly getting showered in weaponry and had to play min-max on their attack numbers to decide what I was taking with me and what I wasn’t. I’d run into Koroks constantly to upgrade my storage space, but over time the malaise of searching for them after about 270 (out of a grand total of 900 Koroks) became too tedious and I stopped doing hyper-thorough canvasing of areas, especially because the canvasing didn’t really yield anything that exciting. I began, less and less, taking my horse places with me, because I could fast-travel and paraglide to locations I wanted to explore, and very often they were places I couldn’t even take my horse to. Armor variety, which I liked, ended up making a big chunk of food and elixir buffs superfluous and I no longer really felt a sense of danger or need to prepare for big exciting ventures into the bitter cold or so on. And upgrading armor ends up being a nightmare, as high-end stuff requires farming very precious materials, and if there’s one thing I did not like about Skyward Sword, it’s farming for materials.

Environmental hazards that could not be overridden with food or armor, particularly rain, halted my gameplay. I’d be trying to scale a cliff and, whoops - it was raining, which means you slip all the way down or exhaust your stamina trying to force through it. I’d have to go somewhere else and halt my progress on that spot, or attempt to find a place to make a fire and wait out the rain, which seems realistic in theory, but disrupts gameplay in practice. There’s also this weird abundance of cold areas in the game, but only really one hot area and only one “you’ll literally catch on fire here” area. A lot of shrine tests revolve around the same combat trial against the same enemy with a fluctuating health pool and do not get me started on the frustrating motion control mechanics for a few. I played the game on the Wii U as I did not want to get a Switch just yet, and suffered draw distance, framerate and even freezing issues. I figured this was an issue with the Wii U hardware, but hilariously it turns out this is an issue on the Switch as well (as an aside...it’s not really a good idea to have your flagship launch title with your new console be a game that the console can’t even run...)

Then there was the story. I know I just talked a lot of good about it, but the thing is, the tones and storytelling I was talking about come across as...accidental, a sort of side-effect of the game as a whole. I don’t really play Zelda games for top-tier story - let’s be real, Zelda games do not necessarily provide enriching, unique narrative experiences. They are fun, generic adventure games with action-RPG elements, and that alone is enough to make them classics beloved by so many. But it’s been 25 years and the world of Zelda has expanded into a deep-reaching and ridiculous lore, enough that it has enough content to provide for a hard-cover art book, a historia featuring a collective timeline with three branching routes, and an upcoming encyclopedia. As years go by, narrative elements in Zelda games, such as story and character development, become larger and more prominent as the series develops. This is not a bad thing, and as a huge Zelda lore nerd myself it gives games a bit of extra appeal for me personally.

The issue with BOTW, and maybe the Zelda series as a whole, is that it’s kind of “blooming late” on the story and character narrative department in a generation where huge arcing epics with deep and relatable characters run regular in a lot of mainstream triple-A titles. BOTW, for example, is the first Zelda game to feature voice acting, something I was very wary about when I first heard about it, and ended up being rightfully wary. No it’s not terrible - the cast is doing the best they can with the stilted dialogue and passive direction they clearly had to work with, but it creates a very underwhelming and at times embarrassing experience that shouldn’t be so in a time when English dubbing/voice acting and localization is at some of it’s best (though not always of course), especially for a big-name title like Zelda from a big-name company like Nintendo. If this was the first time they were going to try voice-acting, this doesn’t really inspire me to look forward to it being a repeated trend in other titles. And even then, there’s actually only a handful of scenes that are actually voice-acted, with the rest of it being the usual textbox scrawls with some vocal sounds over top like in previous games, which begs the question as to why they bothered to go with the voice work at all.

BOTW does something I refer to as A Plot and a B Plot, the A Plot being the main over-arching story of the game and the B Plot beside an over-arching side-story of the game. Typically, A Plots are the here-and-now of a form of media, it takes place in the present, with the B Plot being in the past, the future, or behind the scenes but being woven into the A Plot. When I set out to play BOTW, I thought that the failings of the past and it’s events would be the B Plot, with the A Plot as the here and now, focusing on new characters who would pick up the mantle of those who had fallen and see me into battle with Ganon. I thought I would follow the trials and tribulations of Princess Zelda in the A Plot, as well as the four champions, but it turns out, I was wrong.

When the game starts, the four champions are dead, and Princess Zelda is keeping Ganon trapped within Hyrule Castle, her power about to expend. At first I thought this was tonally appropriate - after all, they did fail, and it is supposed to paint a bleak picture of Hyrule. But this also meant that the only way for me to really learn or care about these characters was through optional flashbacks, and flashbacks are not really good tools to tell a story most of the time. I went and collected every memory, but didn’t really end up learning anything particularly new or exciting about any character other than Zelda herself - a wonderful character and incarnation of the classic princess, who is, honestly, a nerd. She’s an insecure scholar, burying herself in research to escape the stress of her failed ability to use her magic (Triforce, Light Force, I don’t know - the Triforce doesn’t feature at all in the game), the loss of her mother, and her honestly mean and scornful father and the doubtful whispers of her kingdom. She’s in over her head, and while her abilities and passion are best suited for studying the ancient technology and the Divine Beasts, at every turn it seems that she is forced away from this and told to focus on her destiny, that of using her sealing power to trap Ganon away. It plays again on that theme that pre-conceived notions and strict preparation in the name of prophecy and destiny and what have you still lead to failure, and that it’s through the heart of adventure and discovery that heroes that can defeat the darkness are forged. I expected that new champions would rise to replace the failed ones of the past, born from the adventure and sudden struggle of Ganon suddenly re-emerging, without any preparation beforehand. I expected Zelda to get her big moment where she proves that she doesn’t need old rituals and prayers to unlock her power, and that her inner strength comes from her true passions, and uses her research and scholar prowess to find ways to balk Ganon and use her power. I expected new heroes to rise and take control of the Divine Beasts in the steed of the failed champions of the past.

Well that doesn’t happen. The Divine Beasts get piloted by the ghosts of the fallen champions, who are ultimately dull and kind of not really likeable save maybe one or two. The new characters who help you get onto the Divine Beasts, which act as the “main” dungeons in the game, fall to the wayside and are forgotten after, apparently unable to become champions themselves (as only “champions” can board the beasts, apparently) despite the trials they face to assist Link and fight back against Ganon to save their people. The main dungeons lose their luster quickly too - they’re puzzle-based, requiring the same mechanic for each one (find five terminals, beat the boss at the end, each boss looks kind of the same). Something I thought was interesting was that each beast can be controlled from within, and you use that mechanic to solve puzzles. Two of the beasts end up using the same tilt mechanic though, and three beasts require shooting arrows at it to board (two of which are bomb arrows), and with the beasts’ interiors all looking the same it just sort of gets...a bit dull after a while. Been there, done that, done this, again. I really do miss more classic Zelda dungeons if just for the cheese factor, but this game does not have them.

Since the game has to use flashbacks instead of a continuous story to show the development and relationships of the characters (where dialogue is delivered unnaturally), the original four champions seem very one-note, defined by maybe one or two traits. The case of Revali is especially frustrating. Why is he so mean to Link? Is it his pride, did something occur between them, is it something else? We don’t know, we never learn, because primary characters introduced are not developed, he’s Just The Rival character, to fulfill the trope. His introduction in a mandatory flashback comes from Link literally looking at a bunch of planks of wood on a flight landing (I’m serious), and Revali is more or less an arrogant jerk to the end because That’s His Character I suppose. While we’re on the subject, the entirety of Rito Village is a wash - NPCs talk about how there’s nothing to do there, the Divine Beast is not causing any serious harm, it’s just not letting the Rito fly as high as they like and is being a general nuisance, the Rito that helps you board is just Some Guy and you don’t really see him again unless you want to do yet another optional and inconsequential mini-game. The dungeon is easy, borrows a boarding scenario from another beast, and borrows its in-dungeon mechanic from another beast. The whole area is such a let-down.

And then there’s Zelda, my poor, poor Zelda. She fails, just as everyone does, and I thought, and hoped, and prayed, just as I said before, that her inner strength would come through in the form of doing things HER way, using her research and her smarts, sticking it to the father and the people who didn’t believe in her by succeeding with the very methods they disapproved of. Well no - she activates her sealing power at the last second to protect Link because she loves him. It’s “tru wuv” that sparks her big character moment, where she does exactly what destiny pre-determined she do, not some awesome defiant moment where she pools her strength and self-confidence through her research and herself. She doesn’t even get to research and discover for herself that the power is apparently so closely linked to her “heart” or whatever generic nonsense works the magic this time - gotta love The Boy, that’s what makes you strong. And this is not extrapolating - when you complete all the shrine quests Kass the Rito bard gives, you can see him at Rito Village, where he tells the story of his teacher and the events just before the Calamity, and how his teacher fell in love with the princess, but the princess was in love with her appointed knight. The song his teacher taught to Kass after his teacher witnessed Zelda unlocking her powers was how her love for her knight was what brought it to the surface. Even the Zora champion Mipha, who I guess was supposed to be some callback to Rito from Ocarina of Time in a way, hints that her amazing healing ability is born by “thinking about who she cares about most”, and that’s not her family or friends or anything, that’s Link - who she loves and adores and wants to marry because that’s the Rito callback I guess.

I was so angry, it’s trite and tropey and ruins half the tone the game manages to do so well. Show me a BOTW Zelda who overcomes after failure not through “true love” and all the pre-destined nonsense that lead them all to failure to begin with, but the scholar she is using her research, her passion for knowledge, her wisdom, to unlock her power, to stop the Guardians, to seal Ganon.

Oh and then there’s Ganon. “Calamity Ganon”, now a non-character - just an amorphous, shadowy entity of no real interest. I suppose you could say that after the events of Twilight Princess or Four Swords, Ganon(dorf) is really no more, no longer a proper physical entity, no longer the Gerudo man who had ambitions or menace or a tangible presence when he entered a room - that person was long since defeated properly, and it’s only the lingering malice, that sort of twisted essence of the primordial Demise from Skyward Sword, that remains. From a lore perspective that works, but it doesn’t make for an interesting villain, just like flashbacks don’t make for interesting storytelling and character development. The final battle in and of itself is hugely underwhelming too. Calamity Ganon’s first form is an apparently “incomplete” gooey, robotic spider...thing...it’s very ugly as a design in a game that’s had largely strong character and enemy designs, except for the Divine Beast bosses which, I guess fits tonally. And unlike other enemies where you can kind of take multiple approaches to the battle, you MUST bounce the laser beams in the second half of the fight back at the boss with either a shield parry or the Master Sword, which I think is the game trying to do the old “tennis mechanic” callback but it’s really...kind of janky and often unresponsive? The second form LOOKED much cooler and more tonally appropriate, with a huge, flaming Dark Beast out in Hyrule Field that I’d ride around on my trusty steed fighting. But instead Dark Beast Ganon just faces one direction only, shooting lasers at nothing. Your horse sort of meanders around and you just ride updrafts or stand safely beside it waiting for Zelda to shout very loudly and clearly about the GIANT GLOWING TRIFORCE-SHAPED WEAK POINTS you can hit with your Light Arrows - it’s all an exact, even easier version of all the “boarding the Divine Beast” scenarios you did earlier in the game.

Zelda re-appears, seals Ganon, gives these really wishy-washy smiles and lines. The ghosts of the king and the Champions linger in the silhouette of Hyrule Castle and say nothing. We get no closure on the king and Zelda, who as far as the game wishes to imply in flashbacks and a hidden diary the king left in the castle, parted on extremely tense and unfavorable terms. the Champions get no final word in either. Zelda is shown after the credits kind of just...acting like everything’s a bit “back to normal”, saying her and Link need to go to Zora’s Domain to give the king closure on Mipha which...it’s been 100 years he’s...more or less made peace with the death of his daughter by now as was shown earlier in the game. Zelda says she can no longer hear the “voice” in the Master Sword and admits her powers must have weakened over the course of 100 years, but she’s actually okay with that for once, which I think would have been a bit more powerful of a statement to her character if she’d previously shown that her own determination and smarts were her true strengths all along, and not this HUGELY powerful magic. There’s a shot of the Silent Princess flower at the end, a flower that in the game Zelda comments on, saying that it cannot bloom in captivity and only in the wilds. Again, it would be a very thematically-appropriate metaphor for how Zelda’s true strength came from her journeys in the wild, focusing on her unique strengths and not those pre-determined by her destiny, but the game has her...literally in a state of “captivity” holding Ganon back. If anything the Silent Princess flower metaphor makes a stronger thematic statement for Link, not Zelda, and that’s really telling about how inconsistent and weak a lot of the story-telling is in this game. It was clearly supposed to really be about the relationship between Link and Zelda and their character development, but since they spend the entire game separated and only show shallow interactions of them together in short flashbacks that only really serve to develop Zelda (as well as her diary entries found in the castle), things end up feeling...vapid, forced and ultimately weak.

And I just...want to fight. A Darknut. One damn Darknut and have a cool sword fight. Or a Poe. Not another dAMN LIZALFOS. LET ME CLIMB TO THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN AND FIND A WHOLE DUNGEON UP THERE.

I MISS.

HEART PIECES. AND UPGRADES.

AS REWARDS FOR EXCELLENT COMPLETION OF MINI-GAMES. IT INCITES. YOU TO REPLAY THEM.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In summary, Breath of the Wild is excellent. But I’m a huge nerd and it’s clear that a lot of people who reviewed this game only went in for about 20 or so hours and didn’t complete it before passing final verdict. I hope Nintendo builds from this game’s strengths and learns it’s weaknesses.

Highlights of This Weekend’s Visit with Kat @ordinarytalk and Robby @officialrobbycoates :

Soap labels full of puns and swearing, also dog socks and meaningful books and glitter nailpolish with card suit shapes.  Oh and Kat liked her Christmas presents too.

Kat giving Penny a Gumby toy and Penny loving it so much it now looks like she’s had it a month instead of…five days.

Possibly the best Wisconsin Six Cheese pizza Domino’s has ever delivered to us.

Accidentally getting day-drunk while (re)listening to the Nick podcast of the IZ cast, because Kat hadn’t heard it yet.  I mean, that’s why we were listening.  Not why I downed the rest of my jar of moonshine without realizing that’s what I was doing.

Kat helping me cook tempura chicken.

Judging people looking for tiny houses on HGTV.  ‘And this is the bathroom-slash-music-room-slash-MURDER-room!’  ‘This guitar is the toilet!’  ‘I just love barely being able to sit up in my bed, honey.’ 

While playing the Oregon Trail card game: ‘We fell in the water and lost…a supply of water.  The river has reclaimed some of its own.’  ‘Where will we ever find more…water?’

‘RIP Bast–oh fuck is that a snake?’  ‘KidK: now REALLY good garbage.’

New 90s-themed Cards Against Humanity cards from Kat yielded "I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm Prince Ali, fabulous he, Ali Ababwa."

Arriving at the arcade to find a boy using the DDR machine, waiting our turn, then making friends with him and proceeding to take turns nicely.  He was incredibly good at the game, and said it was nice to see ‘other people in his age group’ playing.  He then divulged that he was a junior in high school.  None of us corrected him.

Walking through the unsettlingly empty and quiet Voorhees mall, which is definitely a liminal space and quite possibly also cursed.  Signs on the oddly skewed walls read, ‘Something New Is Happening at Voorhees Town Center’ and informed us that whatever this ‘something new’ is it will be ‘coming soon.’  Kat wanted a soda but there was a woman at the machine repeatedly putting money into it, watching it fall through/be rejected, then trying again.  She’s an NPC and was blocking that soda machine because we hadn’t completed the second boss battle and couldn’t unlock that part of the game yet.  We then clipped through the floor and found another, secret soda machine under the stairs, except not really.  Except yes really.  Also there was a kid riding around the benches in front of the arcade on a large motorized lion, face frozen in an expression of having absolutely no fun whatsoever.  We left back through the incongruously vibrant and well-attended arcade, which is obviously the anchor of this mall to the human world, glad to have escaped with our souls intact.  Or are they?

Robby arriving on Saturday evening and Kat and Bast sending me and Penny alone down to greet her because ‘it’s too cold’ and ‘we already changed into jammies.’  I said, without thinking, ‘Oh right, I’m the only one wearing human pants.’  The two then lurked in the upstairs window while I went out in the cold with my dog and also my human pants, because I’m human, just look at my neck.

Robby was wearing the scarf I made her for Christmas.  ;____;

I made twice-baked potatoes!!!!!!!!

Me:  It’s okay if you don’t eat much because you’re not feeling well.  I don’t love you because you eat my potatoes, I love you because you’re you./Robby:  Awww, thank yooou~  …gayyyyyyyy.

While again playing Oregon Trail–’This thief managed to steal 200 pounds of food.’  ‘I say let him have it.  We can’t fight him.’

Kat wrote an entire Cow Poem on her tombstone after a snake killed her.  Robby wrote ‘Time to avenge Kat!’ on hers when a snake then killed her almost immediately thereafter.  

All of us breaking out into “Bohemian Rhapsody” after Robby told us she once solo’d the whole thing at a karaoke event.

Kat playing as one of the little girl characters for Betrayal at the House on the Hill, getting super buff by drawing good cards, then hulking out and killing Traitor Robby and I think two out of her three evil cultists.  Bast’s and my characters came down to the basement to help, saw the carnage, and just sort of let it continue to happen.  Also my playing piece was bent so it looked like Madam Zostra was just gliding forward on a Segway the entire time.  

See also–Bast (playing an adult man):  I have a gun, bitch!  *misses cultist entirely*/Kat:  *giggles*  I SURE DO LOVE KILLING NOW!  *absolutely slaughters Robby*

Penny happily occupied herself walking around the dining room and playing with her toys while we played Betrayal, then fell asleep peacefully.  (It’s just nice that she could do that in a room with four people, two of whom were New Friends to her.)

Robby took one of my buildings in the Ankh-Morpork game, then I got a card when the game was almost over that let me get it right back, but then it got knocked down five seconds later because wizards.

Me singing a jaunty little tune about Bast taking a while to place a minion on the board, and Kat and Robby joining in with beatboxing.

Kat and Robby declaring each other nemeses during the game, which proves that they are now good friends.

Selfies, and then Bast printing the selfies on instax photo paper with metallic foil star designs.

AYYYY if you guys think of any more ADD THEM!  There’s probably a lot more but I’m forgetting!

This was a good visit and I’m so glad Kat and Robby could finally meet and that we could all hang out together!

so speaking of budget cuts 2, OH MY GOSH ITS SO GOOD.  played about two hours, and i feel like i’m at the halfway point (not sure, though).  everything has taken a step up from the first game, and the first game was amazing.  the jokes are funnier, the level design is more diverse (although i hope there’s not a lot more skyscrapers to deal with, them heights was freaky in VR), the voice acting is more vibrant, there’s new robots added to the mix and their designs are great, there’s a bow and arrow now and while i do suck at archery irl i’m having a lot of  fun sniping robots from afar and i don’t know if i can go back to throwing knives now, there’s lot of little changes to the game mechanics that make the experience flow nicely, and the soundtrack is so much funkier.  it’s a step up from the first game on the same level that portal 2 was a step up from portal 1.  

so yeah, if you have vr, you absolutely must play budget cuts 2.  and the first one, while we are at it.

and i wanna talk about one specific little detail that’s a spoiler for both this game and the first.

so the final level of the first game featured a robot named ADAM, and the level plays like a straight-up horror game and ADAM was so delightfully terrifying and the voice actor did a really good job with him and not only was his level the best in the whole game but i found myself head over heels in stockholm for him.  was hoping they’d do him good in the second game.

so far, they’ve built him up so much better.  the first game just had other character continually mention him in passing, which built up curiosity more than anything.  this time around, he’s first introduced through a news cast where it becomes very clear he’s nuts and he’s coming for you.  then he shows up while you’re on a tall skyscraper, and there’s only a thin pane of glass separating you and him.  he’s talking to himself, and again, he makes it very clear that he’s going to tear you to shreds when he finds you.  and it’s a friggin terrifying moment.  and there’s still several npcs that are talking about him, this time it adds to the tension that its when and not if you face ADAM that it is going to be rough.  i love how they’re treating him in this game, and our final showdown better live up to it.

Session 0.5) Winter’s Breath Festival

Items Gained

Winged Boots

Dust of Dissappearance

Efficient Quiver

Candle of Truth

Battles

The Party vs Banewood

NPCs Met

Grahami

Cypress

Banewood

Plot Synopsis

Having accepted the job, Alexi invites the four adventurers to stay for the Winter’s Breath Festival taking place that evening.  It's a celebration of a figure called Banewood, who supposedly brings food and supplies in the dead of night on the coldest night of the year, and may or may not kill people who look at him, especially new magic people in the city above.  Banewood is not a spirit of any description and certaily not one of the twenty old gods, no one's really sure what he is or if he exists but anything to brighten up the cold subterranean winters will do.  Also, Coco, suddenly realizing that he has the same name as Koko apologizes for any confusion this might have caused and tells you that you can call him by his full name, Chocolat, to make things easier.  The shield spell crystal is theirs to keep, but Nadine makes sure to warn them that it is single-use and will shatter once used.  Natron perks up once Banewood is mentioned, and spirit or spirit-adjascent thing that has no qualms with hurting humans is exactly what he’s looking for in his mission, excited by the prospect he gladly accepts the invitation.

Asterius finds Banewood intimidating and wouldn’t wanna run into him but he loves a good party and can’t be sure when the next time the four of them will get a hot meal will be and also accepts.  Ahal accepts the invitation, if only in the hopes that maybe attending the festival will help him learn the social skills he is desperately lacking in and food.  Koko also accepts and the four are guided further into the citadel, into a courtyard where countless tables have been put together to accommodate the citizens.  Something closely resembling holly hangs around the outside in garlands.  Warm lights emenate from orange crystals in lamps.  The stalactites and stalagmites are decorated in gorgeous frost murals that move slightly, snowflake designs that fall ever so slowly and scenes of wise elders telling stories of Banewood around a fire crackle.  Adorning the largest stalactite is a stylized portrayal of Banewood, who looks startlingly like a satyr. Not long after you arrive the feast begins, starting with a toast. Nadine stands up from her seat and raises her flask, "To Banewood!" The second you put the flask to your lips, you aren’t there anymore. The layout is the same, but instead of being decorated with frost this place is frost. And all of the Old Magic citizens are gone, replaced with unsettling humanoid creatures. Some sort of what could only be called fae, definitely not humans, but not any of the types of spirits.  Unsure of what happened or how they got there the four take a moment to gather their thoughts before they begin investigating.  Natron begins looking around the room and spots someone he knows, an earthbound spirit named Grahami who lives near his lake.  The two aren’t friends but Grahami isn’t scared of him and they usually only see each other when the water spirits in the area convene every 20 or so years.  Natron starts to approach then remembers he’s trying to make sure none of the other water spirits from his home know where he is and retreats before Grahami notices him.  When Asterius looks around he notices a throne made from holly and dark wood, maybe black walnut, it's decorated with ice crystals and two black mastiffs lie in front of it, the throne is empty, and these mastiffs are waiting.  Ahal tries to investigate but only manages to find an orange.  In inspecting the place Koko comes to the conclusion that the two worlds likely aren’t connected and what they do here shouldn’t affect the real world.  Gauging the room it’s decided that the four should not eat or dink anything given to them.  Ahal eats the orange, noticing that it tastes more acidic than oranges normally do.  Koko decides to take a look at what exactly is on the tables, and just like in their world, it’s a feast, the tables lined with meats, some squash, cranberries. It's seasonal food, all of it looks like food that exists in your world.

Now, a satyr fae dressed in fine clothes offers the four a round of drinks. The fur on his legs is snow white but the rest of his hair is a vibrant ultramarine.  He gives a knowing look, "Hello friends, good to see you could make it. Drinks?"  

The four take the drinks, Koko only taking a sip at first and asks, “You were expecting us?”  

To which the satyr says, "Of course, our lord told us he was expecting guests this Winter's Breath. I wasn't expecting such a colorful cast of characters but it is wonderful to meet you" he talks like one of those middle-aged women from the deep south who 'says bless your heart' and it's code for 'who the fuck do you think you are'

The wine is delicious and Koko tries to make pleasantries with the satyr.  But he only ignores her and addresses the party as a whole, calling for a toast.  And something starts to overpower Ahal, Asterius, and Natron’s wills.  Ahal feels it the worst, without second thought snatching one of the mugs from the stranger and gulping it down.  The mulled spices taste amazing, and remind him of the fall in his forest home.  Asterius only feels it slightly less than Ahal, knocking back the wine like a shot of hard liquor.  Natron knows he shouldn’t take the wine although he can’t describe how he knows this.  Hesitant, he takes a sip and while it’s definitely good wine it doesn’t remind him of home or anything, but it’s good enough to make him want to take another sip.  He manages to resist the urge to drink any more.  Instead asking where Banewood is.  

"He's on his way, don't worry, you're his guests, you'll meet him." But before they can ask any more questions or even try to act the world goes dark.

When they wake up again they’re all in a separate stone chamber lying against a wall and the two black mastiffs guarding the throne are there, growling and ready to attack.  The beefier of the two mastiffs attacks first, running across the room to bite Natron who manages to spring back to his feet and dodge the uncoming beast.  Ahal tries to calm it, and it works for a second but then it sniffs him and is only more freaked out by the fact that he smells like fire.  Asterius considers using prestidigitation to get rid of Ahal’s fire smell but that’s only a temporary fix so instead he launches an attack, shooting off two bolts of magic missile at the big one and a third one at the smaller one, making them whimper.  The smaller one leaps to clear the last few feet of distance between itself and Asterius, latching onto his arm and knocking him prone onto the ground.  Natron lashes back out at the big one that had tried to take a bite out of him and hits it with his flail.  Something makes a crunching noise when the flail makes impact and the mastiff goes down.  Koko creeps close enough to the smaller mastiff to try and calm it down.  He likes her much more than Ahal, he stops growing and wags his tail eagerly, giving her face a lick.  The party barely has a moment to breathe before someone else enters.  The room is instantaneously coated in ice, and a familiar person enters, except now he has furry goat legs, but by god they look exactly alike, the newcomer is Chocolat, right? He looks exactly the same, even the scars and piercings are the same.  No, it’s Banewood but the resemblance is unmistakable and unnerving.  This is Banewood, the entity behind Winter's Breath.  And the four just killed one of his dogs and have pretty much stolen the other one at this point.  He slowly starts to approach the four, the air around him is freezing cold. Now is their last chance to get any words in before he attacks.  

Natron takes a step forward, "hello, i am natron trona. i come in peace. i also have a proposition for you."

“Sorry about your dog-” comes from Koko.

Ahal stumbles through a hasty apology, Asterius joining him in trying to stay calm and apologize.

Banewood doesn't act like he cares that they fucked up his dogs, or that Natron is talking to him, but he looks like he's about to have a whole lot of fun. "Nice to meet you."

With lightning speed and dexterity Banewood rams full-force into Koko.  She stumbles before falling to the ground unconscious, one of the ridges on Banewood’s horns drew blood when it connected with her forehead and the cut oozes a little bit of blood.  Ahal unsheathes his shortsword and gets in a good cut on Banewood as he’s pulling away from Koko.  Asterius lunges in to try and use shocking grasp on him but the lightning fizzles out in his hands before he can touch him and Banewood easily slides back from his grasp.  Once again Natron swings with the flail, hitting Banewood in the solar plexus and returning his greeting, “Nice to meet you too.”  He then rushes to Koko and puts one hand on her forehead, the other holding her wrist,   calling on the connection to his god that he’s still refining heals her as best he can at the moment.  But she’s healed enough to get back up.  She shoots up and throwing out a hand towards their attacker casts entangle.  At first the vines curl around his legs but he pulls himself free and stomps them down with his hooves.  Ahal swings with his shortsword again but stumbles on the frosted floor and the attack lands short of its target.  Asterius attacks with ray of frost a wash of cold blue light leaves his hands and is absorbed into Banewood who recoils at the sudden change in temperature, stepping back a few paces as he tries to pull himself together.  Natron unsheathes the Stone Touch Dagger that rests against his hip and plunges it into the satyr’s shoulder and pulling the knife free.  Natron’s power seeps through himself and into the dagger, creeping through Banewood until, before he knows it, he’s completely paralyzed.  Koko attacks the immobilized foe with her crossbow.  Ahal hits one of Banewood’s horn with his shortsword, briefly getting embedded in it but yanking it free, making the horn chip.  Asterius follows Natron’s example and goes for his dagger but fumbles trying to pull it out of its sheath and nearly falling onto the icy floor.  Still weilding the Stone Touch, Natron goes in for the kill, stabbing Banewood in the throat.  BANEWOOD IS DEFEATED with his hp brought past 0 the effects of Natron's stone touch dagger ends. He falls to his knees, a hand going to hold the wound in his throat, and spits out a tooth. There's a chip in one of his horns. He chuckles and stumbles back up to his hooves. He shifts something on his shoulders, a pack falling into his hands. He shoves it into Ahal's arms. Then without actually touching them shoves them back, and says, "Merry Winter's Breath" a sly smile on his face. The four stumble back and in the split second their eyes are closed they are transported back to their plane. The pack is strapped across Ahal's back and the four are mid-toast, glasses at their lips. No one looks any different, as if no time has passed at all. Chocolat is sitting at the other end of the table from, smiling with the excitement of the celebration. His horns aren't chipped.

Ahal sets the bag down on the table.  He draws out a pair of winged boots Koko draws out a container of dust of disappearance Asterius pulls out an efficient quiver, Natron pulls out a candle of truth

And with that, the night goes on and the Winter’s Breath Festival continues like nothing ever happened.

A short review of game called “Ashen”

But, Ashen builds its identity by providing an experience that concentrates on developing a feeling of community and hope with people you meet. The weapon system may sometimes eliminate a few of the more tactical elements of this game's battle when playing solo, but Ashen still provides an unbelievable experience, no matter in the event that you play with yourself or with other people.

Every time a sudden explosion brings return to the property, allowing all to see clearly for the very first time in a long time, it arouses a hunt for the Ashen in hopes its recurrence will push the final vestiges of darkness off. From that point, you put out to the world seeking individuals to combine your new residence, in addition to a method of locating the Ashen.

Your trip takes you away from a quick travel point to another within an interconnected collection of open surroundings, and you will come across a varied range of enemies on the way. You will want to rush and leap your way through the majority of it in the beginning, however Ashen's controllers are rather tight and ledge captures make sure you recover the majority of the time. It never feels as if you are unfairly leaping to a passing over and over again, and releasing a fun fresh navigational ability halfway through the match will see you returning to older locales to look for secrets that you could not jump to earlier.

If you have played with a fantastic Souls-like game earlier, Ashen works just as you'd expect. The controllers generate a systematic strategy to battle that is enjoyable to simply lose yourself in.

In your travels, you're recruit characters and ship them straight back to Vagrant's Hurry to set up store, where you are able to socialize together for side quests and exclusive products. Many will also join you in your adventure when you depart camp, helping you in battle and reviving you in the event that you just happen to fall. They're also able to assist with exploration, also, as dungeon doors need two people to start and a few ledges can only be attained if a group boosts up each other. As more people join Vagrant's Rush and you finish more quests to them, your payoff will expand. You can not afford how Vagrant's Rush develops, sadly, but you will find interesting small nods to the quests that you experience. Vorsa conveys an outfit made up of the pelts in the critters you searched for her, by way of instance, and Eila constructs a pier so that you can ride down the local river at a cone --an action she talks of when you meet her. In a match where opponents are continuously respawning, it is incredibly satisfying to see your hard work really using a permanent effect on your corner of the planet.

You're able to forge relationships with others, also. Should you play with Ashen on the internet, you input a common world where it is possible to encounter folks. Other players will look as the NPCs you have chosen to Vagrant's Rest, and whether you decide to socialize with them is your decision. Without a voice conversation, actions specify a individual's personality, and this may form strong bonds that continue for the whole game. I attracted a computer-controlled Jokell with me each opportunity I had then, cheering for him if he did something unbelievable and falling everything to animate him when he dropped. It is a fairly simple case of transference in the office when all is done and said, but it is remarkably capable of generating hope (and I envision distrust in certain instances ) with all the figures you meet.

If working with other people is not really something, you can play offline with NPCs or utilize an early game thing which permits you to play totally solo. It surely ups Ashen's problem to play with no others and it generates a more customary Souls-like experience. However, the increased challenge of playing entirely by yourself is not worth dropping out to the misadventures that you end up in if traveling with a different character. Even in the event that you play offline using computer-controlled characters, you will still form bonds using a one or 2 of these, which enhances Ashen's whole experience. If you truly need that larger challenge, there is a mode that enhances your maximum health and endurance, and it is a far superior method of making the game tougher.

There's one unfortunate wrinkle which becomes evident when playing computer-controlled personalities, however, also it's to do with Ashen's firearms. Some axes utilize a jump vertical hammer animation that permit you to get the jump on your own enemy before they respond, but some have a flat slash that may more easily reach multiple targets, such as. This adds extra levels of struggle strategy aside from simply picking anything on your stock is most powerful. Problems arise if you are playing NPCs however, as you are not able to decide on which weapon that a computer-controlled personality brings into conflict. Not having the decision to select your spouse's weapon presents an unfortunate element of luck into a conflicts which need to be completely based on ability. It rarely occurs, but it is evident as it does.

Regardless of how you perform, boss battles are where the majority of your deaths are most likely going to come from, as every are fiveto 15-minute events that induce one to continuously adapt to the fly. No 2 bosses behave exactly the identical manner, and several have a gimmick that may alter the battle. As an instance, among those mid-game directors is a staff-wielding giant lady who uses her magic lantern to deliver strongest area-of-effect strikes and buff her wellness. If you place some space between the both of you, then you can lure her to throwing her lantern in the frustration and then ruin it. Doing this permits you to split bigger chunks of her health, but she moves to a savage frenzy and begins attacking you otherwise after her prized lantern is ruined. It is up to you whether you ruin the lantern, and if you will do it in case you opt to do so.

Sometimes, similar to this example, locating a boss' gimmick creates the battle a lot easier, but it may also only change the way that it plays out--that is an excellent thing for any battle you are fighting. Rather than feeling like you want to execute the exact same strategy again and again against each boss and simply do it better, you are sometimes rewarded for experimentation and trying something new. It will help dull any frustration which may arise from losing to the exact same foe, also.

Though its battle utilizes the exact same stamina-focused mechanics, the addition of qualities that promote a feeling of community using all the game's characters makes for a completely different experience. It is irritating to spawn and see your computer-controlled spouse has a weapon which does not match the one that you're using. But even if playing NPCs, your allies' attempts to help you in battle permit you to take care of the fates of this vibrant cast of people that you meet on your trip. The relationships you devise define your experience through Ashen, and assisting your new buddies is a strong motivator that pushes you forward through the match amazing world.

Review Fix chats with Kamela Hutzley Dolinova (Minister of Mind Control, Evil Overlord Games) and Caelyn Sandel (Literary Miniboss, Evil Overlord Games), who discuss the origin and creative process of “Susurrus: Season of Tides.”

About “Susurrus: Season of Tides”:

Hidden in the shadows of our modern society lies a magical world filled with uncanny beasts, walking nightmares, and silent conspiracies. To uncover the truth of the world, you must transform into a vampire, werewolf, or mage and join their secret cabal. Team up with adventurers from all over the world to build a unique power base of connections and resources to advance your cabal’s objectives – or be a lone wolf and explore this immense world on your own. During your travels, you’ll meet a diverse cast of NPCs who will aid you in your search for knowledge. Unravel the world’s secrets and survive the terrors lurking in the shadows in Susurrus: Season of Tides.

For more on the game, click here.

Review Fix: How was this game born?

Kamela Hutzley: Susurrus: Season of Tides was brought into being when the lead developer, Edwin Karat, had an idea for a game that merged tabletop RPGs, LARPs, and visual novels. Interestingly, it was even partly inspired by a board game – Arkham Horror – in which random encounters often happen that have no future game consequences. In that game, you can enter a room, fail your roll, and smash a mirror from which a demon then escapes and runs off – but you’ll never hear from that demon again. In Susurrus, you can bet that somewhere down the line, the choice to free that demon will have consequences. Edwin brought on veteran LARP writer Tory Root to lead the narrative side of the game; her unique perspective is what gives the writing its richness, and the characters their depth.

The other unique piece about this game is the multiplayer aspect; we’ve often referred to it as a “choose your own adventure MMO” – only half-jokingly. While the gameplay most reflects the feel of a single-player interactive fiction game, the larger world behind the scenes subtly shifts depending on the choices that various players make along their journey. Different quests become available, distinct factions come into power, and players will be able to use chat and other tools to get in touch with each other and coordinate – particularly during faction competitions.

Review Fix: What was development like?

Hutzley: Hectic! We set ourselves a highly ambitious deadline: The company began in October 2016, and we wanted to release our game by Gen Con 50, which just happened. So the process had to be very fast, which is tough when you’re building a new engine – and building a game that relies so heavily on written content. We started the company with only four people, but we knew that we’d need to bring on a number of contractors for both writing and art in order to get something launchable by August. As development progressed, we ended up bringing on a number of other contractors as well to handle some of the UI and front-end issues, edit and sift through all the writing, and so on. It’s been a wild ride.

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Caelyn Sandel: From the beginning, we’ve focused on two major goals for Susurrus: to create personal, realistic narratives with strong emotional engagement – and to maintain a world that is responsive to player action.

For the first goal, we created fully-realized, vibrant NPCs who have relationships to one another and take action informed by their history. The player knows that Rhys the antique dealer has a dark and storied past – but it’s the echoes of that past that are visible in their interactions. Prying for too much information only serves to shut that door more tightly��

As for the second goal: By joining a faction and pushing for influence, the cycles of power turn in response to the player’s efforts. What one player does may affect what quests are available for all players – and even what the city looks like from day to day.

Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?

Sandel: The story and atmosphere of our game are very much drawn from classic urban fantasy stories – the kind made popular by role-playing systems such as Whitewolf’s Vampire: The Masquerade and the video games they released under that property. More recently, The Secret World provided an inspiration by being an online multiplayer urban fantasy horror game with vast conspiracies and factions.

In terms of gameplay and format, Failbetter Games paved the way for the realization of Susurrus as a creative process. While our mechanics diverge strongly from Fallen London, it certainly proved the viability of those mechanics.

Review Fix: What inspired the art?

Hutzley: There’s really two words for that: Duncan Eagleson. When we were looking to bring an art director on board, we knew that we wanted someone who would capture the dark urban fantasy feel of the writing in a way that was accurate, haunting, and beautiful. We also wanted something serious enough that drew from all the tropes we’re borrowing from without being reductive or derivative. Duncan, who’s been a friend of CEO Rickland Powell for a few decades, has illustrated for the Sandman comics, book and album covers, film…. Basically, he’s done it all in the horror/fantasy art space. So when we saw his first samples, it was very clear that he was going to be the right person to visualize this world.

Review Fix: Why do you think people love horror games so much?

Sandel: This question is deep enough for an entire thesis dissertation! Keeping it more simple and speculative, there’s a kind of morbid fascination with the dark and unfamiliar. The best horror stories play with the intersection between curiosity and fear – playing with warring desires to comprehend the unknown and to protect ourselves from potential danger.

Susurrus in particular moves freely toward and away from horror, which can help make those horrifying moments more evocative. In one scene, you’re reading a menu in your local coffee shop – and in the next, a crumble-toothed phantom stalks you in an alley.

Review Fix: What’s special about the story?

Sandel: It’s easy for stories of dark fantasy and horror to lean on their genre: a protagonist seeing the world with new eyes and trying to come to terms with their changed reality. In Susurrus, players won’t spend much time in the universe before realizing that they’re not the only ones adrift in an unfamiliar world.

The supernatural creatures of the city may exist in a world that is unfamiliar to the protagonist from the outset, but their world is changing, too – and they’re worried. Something has gone wrong with the equilibrium of power that holds great forces in check – and as new vampires, werewolves and mages awaken with unprecedented frequency, the player has the choice of helping them get to the bottom of it.

The strange, magical people who inhabit the city are people, too – and they find themselves plunged into unfamiliar horror just as the same happens to the player.

Review Fix: As an indie studio, what do you think you guys do differently than the big studios?

Hutzley: At this point, essentially everything! Given how small we are, our development process is much more collaborative and loose. We don’t have people that we bring on just to do this one particular piece of detail work on something without having an intimate knowledge of the whole. And because we’re new and small, we take a lot of risks that larger studios often can’t take: Our first game is definitely a niche one, and our primary goal is to make it exactly how we want it and hope that players love it as much as we do.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?


Sandel: I’d be hard-pressed to glean any one thing from the continuous wild happenings that took place during development!

Possibly, I’d have to go with the team noticing that our URL could be parsed as “Evi Lover Lord” – resulting in the design of a character named Evi who, while her story has not yet been added to the game, already has character art and is destined to be one of the romance-able NPCs.

We’re an odd bunch.

Review Fix: How does this game disrupt the video game landscape?


Sandel: Did you hear about that eclipse that just happened? That was pretty much all us.

Oh sorry, the video game landscape. Forget that eclipse bit.

Evil Overlord Games doesn’t intend to disrupt video games so much as expand them – bringing outside perspectives and allowing games to meld with other forms of entertainment. We’re not the only creators who are blurring the lines between traditionally separate art forms, but we’re certainly trying to do so in a direction that’s usually ignored.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy this game the most?


Sandel: Readers, particularly fans of urban fantasy and horror, will love Susurrus. Fans of interactive fiction text adventure games and choose your own adventure books should also get a kick out of shaping their own story.

Review Fix: How do you want this game to be remembered?


Sandel: Is it a cop-out to say “as a success”?

More sincerely, we’d like to see Susurrus remembered as a game that pushed the boundaries of narrative games. Interactive fiction is a genre that has seen surprising innovation even over the past decade, and our team intends to bring even more new perspectives to it.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the game?

Hutzley: We really want this game to be something that players who love the deep narrative and emotional involvement of tabletop and live-action roleplaying can sink their teeth into. Because literally the only gameplay is reading and making choices, the quality and depth of the story is the primary focus. It’s also really important to us that the representation of characters in the game be highly diverse. We think we’ve done a pretty good job so far of creating a world where NPCs can be any race, gender, orientation, age, religion or ability. We want to give players a world where the heroes – and villains – come from all walks of life, and where all kinds of players can see themselves reflected in them.

In a broader sense, and on a longer timeline, we also want players to get into the multiplayer aspects – because we think that a choice-based narrative where your choices change the world for other players is a pretty cool idea.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Hutzley: We’re in Early Edition now, so the next steps for us include generating and finessing much more content over the next few months, refining the UI, building up our player base, and getting the multiplayer elements really moving.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Sandel: Our game is in active development right now, and we take player feedback seriously! If you play now and let us know what characters and storylines you want to see more of, your advice will have a real impact on the game.

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Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Susurrus: Season of Tides’ Review Fix chats with Kamela Hutzley Dolinova (Minister of Mind Control, Evil Overlord Games) and Caelyn Sandel (Literary Miniboss, Evil Overlord Games), who discuss the origin and creative process of “Susurrus: Season of Tides.”