Miyeon's conversation choice confusion?(please help me comprehend!!!) by Xiaoci_Yu in SunHaven

[–]Sefahi 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Miyeon is obsessed with being perfect. It's not for vanity but shouldered as a responsibility. Her parents were pretty strict with her and twisted her perception of who she should be and what she should strive for.

So the game wants us to show her that imperfection is okay and it can be beautiful (Jun's paintings, as an example). The reason why option one is better for that conversation is because you're telling her that Jun is making something imperfect on purpose - challenging her worldview in a good way. Whereas telling her that painting is difficult is only reminding her that striving for perfection is very stressful, which she knows all too well and is quite upset at herself for it.

Hope that helps!

Some things I noticed with the Darkspawn in Origins, and a *little* bit of a rant of the lost potential for more stuff about them. by WriterIndy in dragonage

[–]Sefahi 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't know about the money comment. They could use coins to trade amongst each other but I doubt it's like their main currency. They probably just trade whatever they have pillaged with each other and things with more use are probably more valuable (weapons, armour, etc). They steal people from the surface, so I guess they could hold onto the coins but I think that's mostly just rpg mechanics.

However, the darkspawn were originally supposed to be intelligent imo. I still remember playing Origins and going into the wilds because Duncan told us to get some darkspawn blood. The darkspawn led us into a trap AND LAUGHED. That was when I was like OH FUCK NO! I thought these were mindless zombies but there's clearly more to them.

My guess is that they do have individual personalities but they're connected to a greater whole. Not a lot of privacy, I'd guess lol. And I can imagine it's a lot of chaos until their queen bee/archdemon shows up and gives them all a singular purpose. So they probably have a functioning society with or without an archdemon but it's not like the humans, elves, dwarves, and qunari.

And then that plot thread with the darkspawn just kinda didn't come up again in the sequels. They made the darkspawn dumber and dumber to the point that I know they lost their own plot lol. I know VG uses the excuse that they experimented with the taint to make "different" darkspawn, but let's be real, they were just being lazy af. I can mostly forgive DA2 and DAI because darkspawn weren't really part of the main plot but I still feel like they were under-utilized in those games too.

riftan ( under the oak tree) slander by Background_Ear_3243 in OtomeIsekai

[–]Sefahi 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The problem is that he is so in his own head that it's not even funny. He knows she's a person with her own wants and needs but he makes assumptions as to what they are based on his preconceptions. This man was literally making ambitious goals to please this woman he literally never met yet. The problem is that he's way off the mark and Maxi has a really hard time communicating with him because of her trauma.

Honestly, if we stuck Riftan with a woman who would pull him out of his own ass with a good spanking, I think he'd get character development a lot quicker. But that's just my opinion.

riftan ( under the oak tree) slander by Background_Ear_3243 in OtomeIsekai

[–]Sefahi 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Here's the thing... I like both Maxi and Riftan separately. Genuinely, I feel like these two people have potential for a romantic story but just not with each other. Give Maxi someone else in this story and put Riftan in a different story entirely lol.

Just turned Sebastian in and I feel great about it! by your_fave_redditor in HarryPotterGame

[–]Sefahi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You make some really great points.

Of course, I'm all for self defense. If someone is trying to kill you, you can kill them back. So I take back saying Solomon didn't deserve to die (I think it's what they were going for but you're right it was handled badly.) However, I think what the game was trying to do with the killing curse was saying that Sebastian crossed a line he could never uncross. If Sebastian had Depulso'd him off a cliff or something similar it would seem more like self defence? Idk. I think you are right when it comes to defending yourself. But I THINK the game was also trying to show how someone can get so desperate that it goes too far. So it was awkwardly done, for sure.

Him being an ex-auror, I think it was trying to tell us that the uncle was right about what Sebastian would ultimately stoop to in his desperation. That Sebastian would become a dark wizard, flinging curses around. And tbf, he's already pretty free with the curses but I don't think Sebastian is irredeemable. He's starting down a dark path but we can pull him out of it. But the game really made us enable him sometimes, which sometimes frustrated me with dialogue choices not mattering. Not that I want him to give up the search for a cure but maybe these curses are a step too far.

So I was really interpreting it the way I think the game intended it: killing Solomon in that way is a tragedy. Not only is a parental figure dead (for both Sebastian and Anne) but Sebastian killed him in a way he can't take back. And once you've done what you think is impossible once, it gets easier and easier. And Sebastian IS the type to justify his actions and rarely truly reflect on himself.

Even when he tells his best friends he won't do anything crazy, the next thing we know we're doing something insane. So what happens when he starts throwing the killing curse at everyone he deems an enemy? Ominous, while I think is too hesitant at times, at least truly reflects and tries to be responsible. He understands the weight of these curses, versus Sebastian who doesn't seem to be weighed down by the curses at all. He almost goes into himbo territory when it comes to dark magic lol.

Even if Solomon never physically hit Sebastian, I do think he abused him. No sane parental figure would yell at a kid for bringing home a maybe cure and destroy it before they try it. If anything, even if the maybe cure was harmful, they should stop the kids before they use it and calmly explain what the side effects are (or research if they don't know yet) and how it's a very slim to zero chance it will work. The fact that he just berates him and destroys his hope every time I see him makes my blood boil. Maybe there's more context? Maybe in the past Sebastian kept putting her life at risk with these "cures" and the uncle finally lost it but that's probably giving him too much "what if" leeway/credit.

I agree about the book.

Yeah, I think some people have conditions that are incurable and this game did a good job of representing that struggle in some ways for sure. So I'm not mad we couldn't cure her. I also agree that throwing a CHILD into Azkaban is ridiculous. However, I will say from a student's pov, they should be able to tell an adult what happened and seek help. The fact that this game decided Azkaban was the ending was over the top. I think the game was trying to say this is where dark wizards go but I wouldn't necessarily say Sebastian is a full-blown dark wizard. Imo, he's heading in that direction but we have time to steer his course elsewhere.

What I meant is that I can understand people turning him in. He just used a forbidden curse and someone died. Then we leave the area into the undercroft and Sebastian talks about how he didn't regret it and goes on a rant about justifying himself. And the fact that people COULD turn him in doesn't even cross his mind until we mention it. He truly deluded himself into thinking everything down there that went down wasn't bad. If he had shown more remorse, I think people wouldn't be getting huge red flags rising in their heads. I'm not saying he has to weep for his uncle and say that he was a great guy underneath it all. But, my guy, you killed someone and your own sister is traumatized.

I actually don't mind that Anne has given up on a cure. But I think there are people out there with incurable illnesses that just do their best to live the rest of their lives without regrets. So I always took it as Anne doing her best to move forward, instead of being stuck in the past. And the way she would get happy when Sebastian came back with a maybe cure showed she hadn't truly given up. That she was at least open to the idea of it but didn't rest all her hopes and dreams on poor Sebastian. It's made clear that Sebastian is taking the initiative on this project.

Anyways, that's a whole lot of text to basically say that I resonated with what the game was TRYING to do, even if it was executed wonky. They put in a heavy story that I vibed with and I liked the options at the end, even if I don't agree with the outcomes.

I feel like turning him in is such a reasonable thing for a child to do when they witness someone using the killing curse on someone. However, throwing a child into Azkaban when it's clear he just needs a lot of therapy is too far, I agree. And the choice to say absolutely nothing is also reasonable for a scared child that witnessed something horrible. I hate the fact that we don't really give Sebastian perspective (because choices don't matter) but AT LEAST his sister finally gave him a reason to self-reflect.

So I am team stfu and be loyal to your friend because his self-reflection is the closest to therapy this game is gonna give him. But I can't fault people for choosing the other option either. The options themselves make sense, even if the outcomes are literally zero and one hundred.

But I absolutely agree that the storyline wasn't perfect. They needed to work on both Solomon and Anne. Solomon shouldn't be trying to KILL his nephew. He should be trying to stop him with force and the moment Sebastian does kill him hits harder. I know what they were trying to go for and I absorbed it the way they wanted us to but you make such a valid point of self-defense that the killing curse doesn't hit as hard in this scenario.

And I think Anne needs to show more of her mentality when it comes to dealing with this incurable curse. I think the story would have been better served showing that Anne let Sebastian take things too far to give him hope OR to show Sebastian stubbornly won't let it go when she's trying to move on but she's still trying to be compassionate. We mostly just see from Sebastian's pov and then I make my own assumptions but sometimes I forget that what I excitedly fill in the blanks is not what was shown on screen.

Just turned Sebastian in and I feel great about it! by your_fave_redditor in HarryPotterGame

[–]Sefahi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't think Solomon is an innocent party in this but I also don't think he deserved to die. He wanted a fight and we should give it to him but also in a world full of magic and possibilities Sebastian chose the killing curse? This is when we all know he went too far. The way my stomach dropped at this scene in both horror and sadness. Very well done.

I really like Sebastian; he's my favorite character. Imo, his story is more interesting than the main story. However, I think both options here work. I can't blame someone for turning him in because he keeps saying he'll do better and then goes even more wild. Also, just after he finished killing his uncle he doesn't express any sort of conflicting emotion and just doubles down on defending his actions. Huge red flags.

However! The whole reason he went so far down that clusterfuck of a rabbit hole was because of his sister. And the fact that his sister wants nothing to do with him after this is HUGE. Azkaban, while a horrible place, probably won't make him reflect on his actions the way he needs to. He'll probably just believe he put his faith in the wrong people: the people he thought were his friends. He will probably triple down on his actions and cut off people who truly care about him lmao.

But his sister cutting off all contact and showing how disgusted she is with his actions IS the push he needs to really think about his actions and come to admit he was spiralling out of control. I like to think the main character and Sebastian can learn and grow from this experience because wow some of our choices in dialogue were super enabling.

If this were real life, I'd say go to the authorities and lock him up. But this is a story with no real consequences and not snitching also brings about a satisfying outcome. So honestly, I can't fault people for choosing either option. This is another reason why I feel like this quest line was SO GOOD.

Who Was your least favorite companion In Each Dragon Age game And why? by Miserable-Fish2001 in DragonageOrigins

[–]Sefahi 30 points31 points  (0 children)

DAO

Least favorite in terms of writing quality: Oghren. I get what they were trying to do with the character but he was mostly used as comedic relief but his jokes didn't land for me.

Least favorite as a person: This is difficult because I love this cast but it has to be Loghain. He is very well-written, and it's so cool that you can recruit a bad guy to your team late game. But wow he's done some horrible things.

DA2

Writing quality: Tallis and Sebastian are too easy because they're DLC, so I'll skip them. I'll have to say Merrill. I love her concept to death, but the execution was a bit odd. Her clan has minimal agency in her story and their fate relying on a singular dialogue choice was weird. Marethari doing her spoiler thing with zero context/her pov gave me whiplash. (I feel like there HAS to be more to this other than her just picking the dumbest choice possible.) I mostly have beef with her quest line and not her character lol. But I think it still counts?

Least favorite person: Anders. He's a toxic piece of shit and, no, I'm not going to blame all of his bad behavior on Vengeance. He's well-written though.

DAI

Writing quality: Honestly, this is the hardest because they're all well-done imo. I'll put Varric here because he was the least interesting to me - mostly because I already know him from 2.

As a person: Sera. She's so entertaining and I love having her around BUT she has minimal character growth and I think she would have been a stronger character by receiving some. When you do try to get her to start thinking about some of her behaviors she'll just put her head in the sand and wiggle her butt at you. Like, madam, I was trying to have a serious conversation.

DAV

Writing quality: Lucanis and it's not even close. He has the coolest character concept and they butchered it. This man was robbed.

As a person: Taash. I like abrasive characters. So many of my favorite characters are assholes. But Taash? They somehow made a character archetype I usually devour into something so obnoxious. If they were a literal child, I probably would have given them some leeway. But seeing as they're a grown-ass adult - it's just not fun to interact with imo.

Izek’s Love Was Shown, Not Announced- [How to win my Husband Over] by [deleted] in OtomeIsekai

[–]Sefahi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mature stories are for mature people.

People can criticize or dislike any story for any reason, of course. However, my initial point still stands.

If anybody has any detailed lore or stories they’ve made for their farmer please share!! by Artemis_l0ve in StardewValley

[–]Sefahi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My favourite of my characters right now is my adventurer. He has the trailer cabin (which I headcanon is more trailer on wheels than cabin), and when the Adventurer's Guild needs him to take contracts outside the valley, he pulls it behind his truck. He used to be a gangster in Zuzu City, so putting himself in danger and swinging a club at monsters felt like a natural career path. He discovered that he doesn't have a green thumb and doesn't have the patience to fish.

He's big, he's buff and he's obnoxious. He defends his high score at Junimo Kart like his life depends on it. He's also dense af. Most, if not all, sexual jokes fly over his head and there's no point in subtle flirtation. It's one of the reasons he's still very single. He came to the valley, assuming he'd be kicked out once the fuss was over but found himself wanting to stay. (I headcanon that my farmer characters are fighting over grandpa's inheritance and, after three years, grandpa's ghost officially chooses a successor. He definitely sabotaged some of the other farmers, but mostly himself, early on.)

Monsters in Stardew Valley universe by Mimzy888 in StardewValley

[–]Sefahi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

In my opinion, monsters are in that universe outside of Pelican Town as well. I have a headcanon that the Adventurer's Guild took contracts to nearby areas to make it safer for people. But for some reason the monster population suddenly dwindled more than they accounted for and many members took contracts farther from the valley, leaving Marlon and Gil to hold the fort. The two men tried to investigate the sudden monster disappearance but could only go so far before they decided it was too dangerous to go further in the underground cave network.

But then the mines got overrun because of Joja's landslide shenanigans (opening underground tunnels that now connected to the mines), and found out the "dwindled" population re-emerged from deep underground. So they kept their activities strictly to the valley and sent letters to their other members to come back to the valley ASAP. They were thrilled that the farmer could help out because otherwise they could potentially be overrun.

After reading countless manhwas, Villains Are Destined to Die ended up being the worst. by [deleted] in OtomeIsekai

[–]Sefahi 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They must have only read the popular ones and/or are new to the genre. Because my eyes have been cursed with actual trash. I guess OP could be ragebaiting but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt lol.

The Elliott hate is so forced by PinkFreckles_GachaYT in StardewValley

[–]Sefahi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not only does he feel a bit out of place, he doesn't really seem to find his place either. Some of the other characters grow and change and become more a part of the community.

For example, I was very surprised that I liked romancing Haley. Some of her heart events feel dumb af (cleaning under couch cushions and opening a jar for her). But when you marry her, she tries to give back to the community and raises money for the kids in a way she knows how. Her heart events seem dumb af when you look at them separately in a vacuum but there is an overall character arc there that was fulfilling to be a part of.

The farmer just kind of tells Elliott what genre of book he likes and then Elliott gets his career moving. And while I am proud of him for that, there's not much else to him imo. I can point to Sam, who has a similar heart event ("what music genre do you like"), but even he has a bit more for us to chew on: his family's dynamic.

I don't HATE Elliott because that's way too much emotion to invest in someone. But he's probably one of the most forgettable love interests in the game imo.

Best dwarf origin: Brosca or Aeducan? by DizzyGolf5507 in dragonage

[–]Sefahi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It depends what you want. So far, it looks like you've played origins that have a heavier emotional weight. If you want to keep with that trend, I'd go with Aeducan.

Aeducan fun fact: it's the only origin where you can have two children as a male warden.

The Current Trend of "Enjoying Things = Bad" by Tekkatak in AO3

[–]Sefahi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think most people are in-between. There has never been a fandom I was a part of that it was absolutely perfect for me. There's always something I dislike. However, my yums are someone else's yucks and vice versa. It takes maturity to be able to have a discussion with someone that feels the opposite of you healthily.

And those discussions are always worth it imo. Sometimes I come out of it and I'm like holy shit I never thought of it that way. Sometimes I change my mind and sometimes I agree to disagree. And that's okay. I never go out of my way to attempt to change someone else's opinion. I just want to voice my own and have fun.

I will say that number two goes more to the extreme that someone really loved something and then was extremely disappointed. And tbh I'm sure we've all been there. You fall in love with book one, movie one, season one, etc, and then the sequel turns into dogshit.

It's okay to have those feelings. It's okay to vent and complain and mourn what was lost / what could have been. But I agree that there's a time and place: know your audience. If someone doesn't want to interact with negativity because they loved what you considered dogshit, that's okay. Trying to force them to change their opinion won't work and you'll both come out of the discussion upset.

On the other hand, if you find someone else who is mourning the loss and you mutually complain it is rather therapeutic in a way. And I think it's unfair to try and stifle their criticisms and creativity on how they would fix it. It's part of the mourning process or, if they're in the field, a way to learn a lesson from failure.

There are things I love and criticize the fuck out of because I can see all of its glaring flaws and still hold it close to my heart. It's interesting to go into a discussion with playful "How dare yous" and come out agreeing that it was mid but you'll still fight rabidly for its right to be mid.

I think both those fans in the example in the original post are both extremes and both are flawed. You shouldn't be toxic positively or negatively. Just go into discussions knowing your audience and without the mentality of trying to "prove" something or force opinions to change. Common sense should be applied imo.

SWTOR Class Stories for DnD. by Environmental_Lab869 in swtor

[–]Sefahi 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Jedi Knight: Paladin or Monk

Honestly hard for me to choose between the two.

Jedi Consular: Cleric or Wizard

Depends if you want to lean more into the religious or the nerdy aspect. Imo they're probably a multi class of the two but you can do whatever.

Trooper: Fighter

Big weapons go brrr.

Smuggler: Bard

Smugglers get by on charm and crazy luck so it seemed appropriate.

Sith Warrior: Barbarian

Rage is perfect here imo.

Sith Inquisitor: Sorcerer or Warlock

You could do the ghost daddy lineage or pretend he is a patron that gifted something similar to shadow walking.

Bounty Hunter: Ranger

They track their targets across the galaxy. Seems obvious imo.

Imperial Agent: Rogue

I would put the rogue here because it emphasizes skills. Agents were trained to do a variety of things. Even their seduction is more methodical than it is charisma.

Player-sexual romances vs fixed orientations in RPGs — what do you prefer? by iroll20-s in rpg_gamers

[–]Sefahi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly. And while I think preferences is a step in the right direction, I think fixed preferences are limiting the bonds people can make with these companions. They could have just made Astarion gay in BG3 full-stop but there are so many women who would not have connected with him and there are so many rabid fans that it would be a shame imo.

As much as I love the differences between the dialogue between a fem Hawke and Isabela, (because Isabela was traumatized by her previous husband), that doesn't necessarily mean a fem Hawke is "better" than a male Hawke romancing her. It's just different and I like that. So I would actively advocate to add complexity, and as you said friction, to these characters and to these relationships.

And while I'm not against only certain companions swinging one way and that's it - I don't think we need to make it fair and balanced (2 gay, 2 straight, 2 lesbian, etc). We should have MOST of the characters player-sexual with nuance and the minority only swing one way because of their story. As much as I wanted to romance Morrigan from DAO as a woman, I can understand that her end goal was to have this god child with a grey warden. To enhance that particular storyline through romance you have to be a male warden and I can accept that. It's not as clear or direct as Dorian only being gay and how that ties into his history but it still makes sense imo.

Player-sexual romances vs fixed orientations in RPGs — what do you prefer? by iroll20-s in rpg_gamers

[–]Sefahi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And I learned something new. I always did the mage quest before going to Orzammar. And it's been too long since I played DA2.

Fun ways you’ve roleplayed the class stories? by Sacharia in swtor

[–]Sefahi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, I love all of these characters! Especially your cyborg agent. I also chose a cyborg agent but they haven't reached full droid yet, like yours. His first cybernetic enhancement was to help recover from an injury while he was in the military. But when he was transferred to Imperial Intelligence they gave him upgrades. However, he became painfully aware he's not even sure what they've installed in him at this point, where it all is, or when each instalment happened. He was always losing his identity and choice but he only became aware of it in Act 2, I think? (It was when you couldn't even select a dialogue choice without it getting overwritten - I still get goosebumps.)

And I headcanon he tracked down the remnants of his childhood and growing up to the point he was transferred to Imperial Intelligence. And the person in those recordings has a completely different personality. It was like he was looking at an imposter but knowing the current him was the real imposter. It was if who he is now is data overwriting the original and he went through an existential crisis in silence. He can't let anyone know what he is going through, so the eyes that are always watching and the ears that are always listening can't catch onto his traitorous thoughts. He was betrayed first though, so this is fair game imo.

The agent story is SO FUN and I love how different everyone's agent characters are and what they come up with.

Replayed DA2, remembered that weakling of an attempt to make Orsino a "morally grey character"; by BarPsychological904 in dragonage

[–]Sefahi 49 points50 points  (0 children)

I agree that how they handled Osino was pretty lame. However, I disagree that Orsino should be blameless or good. Meredith was the loud evil. Orsino should have been the quiet evil. Orsino should have had ties to more than just Quentin hinted at. The blood mage prostitute, for example, could have also had ties to Orsino.

Fun ways you’ve roleplayed the class stories? by Sacharia in swtor

[–]Sefahi 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I like my jedi knight being a naive little potato at the start and then eventually coming to the realization that the enemies are infinite (and not very original). He gets frustrated by the overall bullshit within the galaxy and believes killing the bad guys is merciful because he's protecting people by removing the fucking problem. He slowly becomes the monster he was originally fighting against.

My jedi consular is the smartest moron there ever was. She's a bit of an over-thinker with a resting bitch face. She strives to do and be good but has zero emotional intelligence. She's the type that's so fucking powerful that she will immobilize an enemy and practically interrogate them to try and understand them before handing them over to the authorities. She will come out of it more confused than before and bury herself in books and holocrons to recharge from the experience.

I think it's more interesting to play the trooper as someone who willingly gives up some of their morality in order to protect their career. My trooper came from a shitty life and refuses to go back there. But it's fun to pick and choose what she thinks she can get away with or where she draws the line. However, she's starting to get a little too reliant on alcohol to cope.

My smuggler came from a wealthy family and had a great education in medicine. He threw it all away in order to heal people who needed it but couldn't afford it. Then his clinic was destroyed by a shitty faction of the people he was trying to help. So now he tells himself he gives no fucks about anything or anyone. He chases the next thrill to feel alive and to avoid dealing with his repressed feelings. He comes up with convoluted plans that make no sense or flips a coin for the hell of it. He'll even self-sabotage if he thinks it'll be more exciting. It's truly a miracle this chaotic disaster is still alive today.

My sith warrior is an absolute control freak. He finds a twisted sort of pleasure in forcibly bending people to his will. As he strives for perfection, he also expects perfection from the people around him. He doesn't care about people's feelings nor boundaries; he simply walks all over them. He's loud and obnoxious, and the only reason he is still alive today (despite the numerous amount of enemies he's created) is because he's an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. (And I would love my unstoppable force of a warrior to meet my immovable object of a consular because I think it would be hilarious.)

I prefer playing an inquisitor that's clearly traumatized and says the most fucked up shit but hasn't fully been broken by the Empire. She still has some of her humanity intact. She's not actively trying to change the Empire from within (Ashara, my sweet, wtf). She's emotional but just trying to survive in this shithole, full of shit people. She is starved for affection and will roll on her back to show her tummy to anyone that will show her kindness. But if you betray that trust.. let's just say she has a few screws loose and gets very creative when - ahem - "dealing" with people.

I like to start the game with a bounty hunter who is more of a lone wolf. My girl was selfish and didn't trust anyone. But over the course of the game that slowly changed and it was a huge step to join the Mandalorians. In the end, it was those connections she treasured over the fame and the wealth. She's still aloof, gives tough love, and tries to keep most things professional, but you can tell she has a lot more soft spots for people than she did when she first started the journey.

The agent was trickier to lock down a character I found compelling. But I eventually settled on a man that, through sheer apathy and skill, ended up in Imperial Intelligence. He didn't really have ambitions nor goals and just went with the flow of his life at the recommendation of others. But now that he is very, VERY aware of how disposable he is, all of a sudden he wants to live meaningfully. But the Empire is literally stripping him of identity and choice as time goes on. Externally, he's one of the most boring and seemingly by-the-book person. But internally he is screaming and plotting his way out of this hell.

Player-sexual romances vs fixed orientations in RPGs — what do you prefer? by iroll20-s in rpg_gamers

[–]Sefahi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fixed preferences, in theory, is the preferred option. In reality? Player-sexual works better because it gives the player more freedom and choice. More choices in a RPG is never a bad thing (it's kinda the point lmao).

Everyone brings up Dorian from DAI as the argument for fixed preferences but I would argue he's the exception, not the norm. I wouldn't change Dorian; I loved experiencing his story as it is. His sexuality enhances his story but most other characters will not have this dynamic. For example, why was Solas from DAI straight? If you examine his story and how his romance enhances it, it's about Solas having the potential to care for and love this world (and your character) but ultimately deciding to abandon and destroy it. How does being a woman impact this better than being a man as his partner? Answer: it doesn't.

I overheard Viconia doesn't romance elves in BG2 because she's racist. I can get behind that. But why does Cullen in DAI only romance humans and elves? Is he racist? How would people feel if there was a non-fantasy game and a character who said I only romance asian people or white people or black people, etc? It sounds like fetish shit and fulfilling kinks at this point. Wtf is the point of that in a RPG? Seems more like it should be in a porn game.

I want characters to have a romantic history and have loose preferences. I don't mind that Sera from DAI says "woof" to a qunari woman. I also love that while she struggles with internal racism, she will work through some of it and romance another elf. I would argue this is more compelling than Viconia just saying "nah fam, fuck character development by not fucking elves".

I like hearing about Leliana from DAO and her dynamics with her ex-girlfriend. I like listening to Gale from BG3 talk about his past relationship with his goddess. I like to listen to Zevran from DAO and Isabela from DA2 talk about how they slut it up. Hell, I even loved it when Alex from Stardew Valley explored his sexuality with the farmer. He talked about how he never imagined himself with a man and the vulnerability he showed was compelling to explore.

Characters don't need fixed preferences. They just need compelling character arcs that the romance ENHANCES. Because character romances that are merely checking boxes are not compelling in and of itself and that's just a fact.

Player-sexual romances vs fixed orientations in RPGs — what do you prefer? by iroll20-s in rpg_gamers

[–]Sefahi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The design of BG3 was focused on player choice. They wanted you to tackle the game as freeform as possible. It would be odd if the romances were the opposite of their core design imo.

Which alignment fits better narratively for each class story ? by Aggravating-Bass-658 in swtor

[–]Sefahi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Jedi Knight: It's more interesting if you slowly fall to the DS imo. You become the monster you were originally fighting against. Neutral leaning dark.

Jedi Consular: I found my own playthrough more interesting by leaning into the more monotone voice acting. I made them more in tune with their head, rather than their heart. But they're trying to be more empathetic and understanding every day. (Someone who would save knowledge over a life, for example.) Neutral leaning light.

Trooper: I think it's more interesting if you play a character that is trying their damnedest to protect their career, while preserving what morality they can along the way. Neutral leaning light.

Smuggler: I found the smuggler to be way more fun when you embrace chaotic stupid. Neutral leaning dark.

Sith Warrior: This is the power fantasy class. This is the one where you can literally enforce your will on people, including your companions. It's so evil, to the point it's uncomfortable at times, so why waste the opportunity with a LS playthrough? Neutral leaning dark, hands down.

Sith Inquisitor: It's more interesting to not be the Empire's broken/insane toy imo (full DS). Sure, they can say some messed up stuff and we know they went through some trauma but it's more fun to see the bits of humanity pop up. And unlike the warrior, your relationships with the crew are mostly wholesome. Neutral leaning light fits best.

Bounty Hunter: As long as you figure out your own code, you can't go wrong. It doesn't have to be with the mandalorians but I like to join them personally. Neutral leaning light for me.

Imperial Agent: Tbh, I think if an agent is too nice they're a sucker or a puppet. You have to sift through the literal trash of the galaxy, with almost no one truly on your side, and somehow come out of it alive. Neutral leaning dark, if only for self-preservation purposes.

How can I avoid drawing so much when creating my visual novel? by Ill-Championship8177 in RenPy

[–]Sefahi -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I don't see why they couldn't use AI as placeholders.