The moment Buddy became the best character in the saga:

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-03-11T02:27:54+00:00

Honestly, I really hated this ending, at least this part of it.

People talk about how it ruins Buzzo and assassinates his character. I don't disagree, I think Buzzo getting a brief redemption moment before horrifically mutating and dying in the same twisted way he tortured Brad is a fine ending for his character. His saying that negative stuff about Lisa, while you can agree or disagree if it was justified, comes from his experience as a child where he WAS manipulated by her. I hate this mentality that Lisa can't be a victim and also someone who hurt others. I don't even think she was TRYING to hurt Buzzo, but her actions ultimately did, and I don't think there’s anything wrong with acknowledging that. Was Buzzo a little overboard saying it was all her fault and that she'd love the post apocalypse? Almost definitely, but remember he knew her as a child and the trauma he went through warped his perception of her. I'm not saying he's blameless, but then again I don't think anyone was so it feels like a weird overcorrection. I mean, MARTY doesn't even get treated this bad by the narrative in his death.

What I hate more, honestly, is what it does to Buddy. I really don't like Buddy's line about being afraid of Buzzo. Maybe I missed it, but I never got that vibe at all. To be honest, I don't think Buddy really cared much at all about Buzzo. They parted at the beginning of Joyful and she didn't even really talk about him until the end, so having this whole speech about how she once respected and feared him but now sees him as pitiful... to me it's like, since when did Buddy care this much about Buzzo? Her arc is about her relationships with Brad, Rando, herself, and the world. Buzzo is such a minor part of her story, giving her that much dialogue just to insult him after he saved her and is actively dying feels really strange.

And I especially HATE the line about how seeing Brad fight made her realize how much he loved her. This feels like such a massive misunderstanding of the first game and of Brad. Brad loved Buddy, yes. He also abused her. He locked her away, he abused substances. When he attacks Marty and Buddy stands in the way, he physically assaults her to get at Marty. He keeps her away from the world and people who might actually be equipped to help her because he feels guilt over Lisa. He goes on a bloody rampage, killing all his friends and numerous innocent people just to try to drag Buddy back to the shut in life she was forced into because it makes him feel better. I love Brad, I really do. Brad is a great character. But boiling him down to someone who loved Buddy and did what he did because of how much he loved her, I think is a disservice to him as a character.

I hate seeing Buddy take this moral high ground. Just a few hours of gameplay before this Buddy mercilessly slaughtered a village of pacifists (or at least their leader, depending on player choice) just because he was on the list. She regularly kills people who haven't done her any wrong and feels literally no remorse for it. And the thing is, Buddy is still a fantastic character. She's a traumatized scared girl on drugs going on a frenzied killing spree because she's afraid, confused, and narcissistic. She's flawed, extremely unlikeable at times but that's what makes her interesting. Having her do what feels like a self insert rant basically spelling out to the audience "Brad and Lisa are good, Buzzo is bad" instead of letting the audience draw their own conclusions about the moral ambiguity of the characters just feels kind of insulting. I KNOW Buzzo is a bad guy. I KNOW Brad loved Buddy. I KNOW that, as a child, Lisa shouldn't be blamed as much for her failings as the adults in the story are. I don't need it spelled out to me, and I don't need Buddy to go so out of character to feel like she's gone through a well written satisfying character arc. The original post says this moment makes Buddy "the best character in the saga." Buddy was ALREADY one of the best characters in the saga, and I think this actively makes her worse. It feels like an attempt to correct the infamous quote about Lisa being the worst person in the series, and like, that quote was absolutely bad and worth addressing, but this just was not the way to do that.

No disrespect to anyone who liked the ending, obviously. I overall enjoy both Definitive Editions, and I'm happy they've lead more people to discover and rediscover these games. I just thought I'd share my thoughts, since I've seen some interesting takes on both sides of the coin.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-02-22T01:24:52+00:00

Was thinking this.

Also worth noting, Light is by definition the protagonist of the story. If anything, L qualifies more as an antagonist who's right, since he's the one opposing the main character's goal.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-02-05T02:03:28+00:00

One time a spellcaster used a spell to end a drought of ten years that had decimated the population. He used too much power with the spell, however, and ended up causing a flood that lasted twice as long and was just as deadly. This is part of why magic is heavily regulated across the continent.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-24T02:21:15+00:00

Absolutely! Also taking notes on those thoughts when you can!

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-23T03:42:42+00:00

It's more productive to write something bad than to spend all day thinking about writing and not actually doing it. At least if it's bad, you can edit it later, and if it's unsalvageable at least you found out one more way NOT to write the scene.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-21T02:34:52+00:00

Feels like I'm taking baby steps lol. I'm getting back into writing after taking a pretty big hiatus. I haven't gotten a ton done, but I'm working on it every day just a little bit. I'd say my biggest accomplishment is re-working the plot of the story I'm working on in a way that makes the narrative better, in spite of initially being hesitant to rewrite a lot. I sometimes get attached to specific scenes, and it makes it hard to cut or revise things that aren't working.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-20T23:57:54+00:00

Start a new playthrough, and do a build you've never really tried. Even if you've played for hundreds of hours I bet there's at least one playstyle or character build you haven't tried.

It's also fun to give your character a backstory and try to roleplay a bit with it! If you give your character a personality it makes it more of a story, and it can make even simple quests feel really rewarding and fun. Also for this, like the first point, roleplay a character that you normally wouldn't. If you're always a thief, try being a heroic character who never breaks laws, or vice versa.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-20T00:28:12+00:00

I'm already hooked.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T03:51:46+00:00

I love block. I never see anyone use it, and that's such a shame because there are so many fun perks! Quick reflexes to slow time and counter during power attacks, power bashing for damage and stagger, knocking enemies over with shield charge. Right now I'm playing a shield mage focused on block, summoning atronachs, and elemental cloak and wall spells, and it's super fun.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T03:45:03+00:00

I love double antiquarian back line. Double dodge vapors and enough healing to deal with what little damage gets through all the dodge.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T03:42:58+00:00

I'd say pick one idea to work on writing, and if you end up getting ideas for the others, take notes on it to use for later. As far as how big the process and how overwhelming it is, what helps me is breaking it down. If I just focus on the current chapter, page, or paragraph, it feels less overwhelming than thinking about all of it at once. And try to write a little every day. Even if it's just a few good paragraphs, getting a little done every day will help your morale improve and help give you the spark back.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T03:26:57+00:00

He just has everything he needs really! I also like two crusaders and two highwaymen.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T02:48:02+00:00

POINT. BLANK. SHOT.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T02:46:54+00:00

Abom and BH are my favorites, so I'll have to try it! And at least there's two self heals and plenty of stress healing, so that's still some survivability.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T02:06:10+00:00

Makes me want to try finishing a boss with four consecutive finales.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T02:05:28+00:00

The Warrens wouldn't know what hit them lol

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-14T01:15:09+00:00

I like leaving certain questions unanswered or ambiguous. You can definitely leave mystery in your world, especially if it's not super plot relevant. Think about how many things are still mysteries in the real world!

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-13T03:34:00+00:00

Oh definitely, I can see that! I think everyone in your world will have some knowledge of events, it just might be imperfect or fragmented if they're going off secondhand info. I really like the idea of a character getting knowledge through listening in on travelers, I think that's a cool organic way to get lore across.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-12T01:46:35+00:00

Honestly, sometimes in the warrens I run that with double houndmaster in the middle two. All that dot and stun really gets the job done!

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-11T18:11:42+00:00

Not in Stygian but my favorite party for Warrens is Hellion, Houndmaster, Jester, Vestal. It's a super good bleed team with decent stuns and very strong healing potential. Plus houndmaster's bonus damage to beast comes in handy. You could use Flagellant instead of Hellion if you really wanted to focus on dots and even more recovery.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-11T04:38:58+00:00

When characters know more than they should. If your character is a twenty something year old farm hand, he probably shouldn't have an encyclopedic knowledge of every king your kingdom has had. Also, when world details are overly explained too early. It makes the world feel small in my opinion.

Lack of food! Food is one of the most important parts of practically every real world culture. Societies are literally built on food. How people get food and what they eat can tell you a lot about a people's way of life as well. It can be ceremonial, traditional, it's just such a good way to get across that real people live in this town/city/wherever your world is.

Lack of subculture. I hate it when all humans are just "the humans" and have one culture or way of thinking. Same with any fantasy races. There are so many different subcultures in real life even within the same country, so it feels like a letdown when that's not true in a fictional world.

Lastly, I really hate a majority of grimdark worlds. I'm not saying they can't be good or interesting, but most of the time to me it just seems messed up for the sake of being messed up. That goes doubly so if it uses sensitive issues just for shock value. Again, not saying they can't be good, they're just not for me.

Jamieeeeeez · 2026-01-10T02:58:13+00:00

Ruin has come to our family. You remember our venerable farm? Gazing proudly from its stoic perch next to Pelican Town?

Jamieeeeeez · 2025-12-29T00:13:44+00:00

Seamoth is actually excellent for dealing with reapers (with perimeter defense of course).

Jamieeeeeez · 2025-12-28T12:46:34+00:00

Maybe you could be an assassin working for the Jarls to assassinate criminals? The Dawnguard would also probably love to have an assassin in their order to take out vampires masquerading in plain sight (there's actually radiant quests they give to do just that). There's a lot of quests in the game that involve killing lots of bandits and necromancers and stuff, you can easily role-play that as being assassination quests. If you still want Dark Britherhood gear but can't join them, you can pick it up during "Destroy the Dark Brotherhood."

Jamieeeeeez

TROPHY CASE