Well she sees you as a surrogate older brother and protector of sorts, so that’s the basis of the relationship. Of course there’s a lot of room to move around in that dynamic, in terms of the way to choose to interact and treat each other. In terms of romancing…considering she’s little more than a child, that would be kinda gross. Of course the story will encompass a fair number of years and so you won’t always be a young boy and she won’t stay a little girl. The ring is a token, a gift, the value you ascribe to it is up to you.
[quote=“Left4Bed, post:181, topic:10550, full:true”]
Well she sees you as a surrogate older brother and protector of sorts, so that’s the basis of the relationship. Of course there’s a lot of room to move around in that dynamic, in terms of the way to choose to interact and treat each other.[/quote]
I see; makes sense, with circumstances being what they are…
I thought that as it’s implied that she’s a bit of a (possible) supernatural being, her being a child might not be her true form - at best, one might suspect her to be like Aphrael from David Eddings books - a goddess who appears beforee other as a child (so as to more easily gain their trust and love), but whose ‘true form’ is strongly implied to be that of a rather more adult woman. And even were that not the case - as you say, if the story plays out over a number of years, then both of them won’t stay kids indeed.
Yet, at the moment she is doing nearly all of the actual protecting (though to be fair she also attracts nearly all of the things we need protection from in the first place) as she’s the one with all the magic, whereas we have no useful martial, magical or other protection skills or abilities, at the moment. In the one incident we’ve had, so far, it looks like we were simply her willing tool.
I don’t think there’s such a thing as over-thinking in the creation of fantasy worlds, however while some narrative filigree would be nice, it shouldn’t become a drag on the project.
Still if the author is so inclined these forum threads are a great place to discuss addition lore of the game world that may or may not be(come) relevant to the actual game. Just look at the GOI and Choice of Rebels threads.
Our character’s mother has sold some of her lands before. This is one of those things were it becomes important what teenagers can and cannot do in the fictional society and who that society perceives as an adult. But even if we could legally, or otherwise, sell the farm who’d buy it on such short notice and for cash too?
I have also thought about looting the good sister’s corpse, but since we black out right after the fight, I guess that Marcus/Riley will, unfortunately, beat us to it.
For a character who’s both smart and sarcastic could one of those layers be an increasing use of sequipedalian loquaciousness, as he hopefully becomes better educated/more knowledgeable?
The MC was suspicious and wary of Bella (at least mine) without even knowing whether she is human or whatnot and so far helped her out of goodwill alone but the loss of his mother and the murder of someone (and not just anyone) could have significant impact on his willingness to help her further so I expect the plot to give us some strong reason why the MC really MUST be stuck up with her.
I thought the same. The scuffle scene is probably the only part of the game so far that I have a problem with, I am fine with unskilled and weak but I think we were excessively helpless. More than once the MC seemed to be completely resigned to the point of closing his eyes and waiting for death unwilling to even try to fight back or struggle until Bella did some magic on him. It would be ok if he was under a spell or something like the other man but I don’t think it was the case and that really bothered me.
And there’s also the fact that he’s presumably become a wanted criminal.
[quote=“idonotlikeusernames, post:183, topic:10550, full:true”]
Our character’s mother has sold some of her lands before. This is one of those things were it becomes important what teenagers can and cannot do in the fictional society and who that society perceives as an adult. But even if we could legally, or otherwise, sell the farm who’d buy it on such short notice and for cash too?[/quote]
Good question. In any event, considering the events that just took place I’m not even sure our PC will have the luxury of making those arrangements. Depends a bit on how it all plays out though; get rid of the evidence and then prepare leisurely for leaving the town in one or two weeks - or get rid of the evidence and leave the town ASAP…
[quote=“idonotlikeusernames, post:183, topic:10550, full:true”]
I have also thought about looting the good sister’s corpse, but since we black out right after the fight, I guess that Marcus/Riley will, unfortunately, beat us to it.
Maybe, maybe not… He seems to have quite the loathing for the Sun Sisters or whatever they’re called, so he might refuse to even touch anything that belongs to her unless he has to, which leaves the option for the PC/Main character to do the looting should he wish to, or simply burn/bury/hide/whatever the body.
[quote=“idonotlikeusernames, post:183, topic:10550, full:true”]
For a character who’s both smart and sarcastic could one of those layers be an increasing use of sequipedalian loquaciousness, as he hopefully becomes better educated/more knowledgeable?[/quote]
Lol, that IS an idea, but I’m not sure if it’s THAT good an idea - whatever kind of school the PC/main character might enter, I don’t think whatever education he might receive there will be anything like what you’d receive at a high school/university in our time. I guess he might, however, get the chance to learn stuff such as history, languages and the like - and might even get some opprtunities to show off with that knowledge at certain places in the story…
I’ve read both Belgariad and the Mallorean series, but I’m unfamiliar with that character, I’m guessing it’s from one of his other books? There’s a number of clues as what Bella’s deal is already sprinkled in, and while I don’t think it’s necessarily all that big of a mystery, I’d prefer to let it play out through the story than simply outright saying it.
That’s a fair point, and is part of what makes the dynamic interesting (to me at least). She has all this strange power and yet it’s wrapped up in her youth and naivete. You aren’t that well off yourself, with little to bring to the table, and yet she turns to you to act as her saviour. As a player you can react to this in a number of ways. Do you accept the burden and try to better yourself so that you can be the person she seems to see you as being? Do you resent all the expectation and lash out in anger? Are you too overwhelmed by all that’s happened and hide within yourself? This something I’d like to play with and I’m looking forward to writing.
I don’t really want to answer that right now, since I still need to decide just how deep I want the Personality system to run, before I do that however I need to pin down the format I’ll be using following Chapter 2 which as I mentioned will require some testing and feedback. What I can say, is that there will be choices for how you occupy your time and whether you might choose to learn or study. In that way there may be information that a certain character build will have access to and communicates through dialogue that will be lacking in another. The extent to which that runs though, will depend on the format I eventually go with and how much torture I’m willing to put myself through.
I’ll have to peruse those threads to see how such discussions were introduced. I’ve become almost hesitant to say much of anything since I always seem to find myself talking about things that haven’t happened yet or game aspects I still plan on tackling. Not to mention the risk of spoilers, talking about some of these things in depth may force me to reveal my plans for things yet to happen, and I’m not really sure what the response to that might be. It’s still so early in the development process that I don’t want to get caught in the trap of always talking instead of actually showing or doing. That said, airing out some of those concepts is helpful not just for the feedback, but the act of simply writing it out as a question or statement forces me to pin down the specifics instead having it exist as a wayward thought.
My reasoning in that scene was quite deliberate. As a fifteen year old, having just witnessed your mother being murdered before you, the MC is very much in shock. This goes beyond what your dominant trait or your skill set might be, this is a physical reaction that is out of your control. The fact that murderer is a Chosen, meant to be the embodiment and voice of the gods, further compounds this. You’ve been plunged way out of your depth and thrown into a space you have no reference for or the maturity to deal with at that time. The shock of this will haunt you, more so if you chose to kill Heleana yourself. I don’t want to lend myself the trope of the heroic protagonist who shrugs off death and instantly jumps into action. For now, you are helpless. For now, you are weak. For now, there’s nothing you could have done. I want the transition and difference between where your story begins and where it ends to be a broad one. I don’t want the act of taking a life or witnessing death to be easy, or a plot device we simply skim over.
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I don’t see become a great force that crushes everything in our way without hesitation or regret.
I take my mission very seriously.
I will rise to the challenge even if it means risking myself and sacrificing others…
Preferably sacrificing others especially if it’s our “best friend” but not if its our “best friend.”
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Hmmm… the way I currently see it my character doesn’t really like feeling helpless or relying on anyone, with the possible exception of Ehren.
So, On the one hand my character does want to protect her. On the other hand he certainly isn’t blind, both to her obvious power and his own shortcomings and meagre abilities. So I guess he will first and foremost try to become better at the whole protector thing, hopefully even better than Bella herself. Since he favours magic and more intellectual pursuits however one of the key elements in this will be if he actually has magic of his own, or merely learns to channel whatever power(s) Bella deigns to grant him better. The first will lead to greater dedication and effort, the second is more likely to lead to even more sarcasm and lashing out.
Also, regardless of his aptitude and talent for martial things, having to rely primarily on his fighting skills for continued survival and prosperity is unlikely to make my character particularly happy, since he greatly dislikes having to engage in actual, physical combat. Therefore even if my character turned out to be one of the foremost warrior prodigies of his generation, having to actually be one, instead of resolving things through diplomacy, magic and cleverness, is also likely to lead to lashing out in spite of any tactical brilliance he might come up with.
But in short, the less useful he feels the more he’s likely to lash out and vice versa.
Since he wasn’t really content as a farmer I guess he’d be pretty happy with a chance to live a different life, but only if he feels competent and useful at it.
True, though if the my mc can get the rest of the village to swallow his explanation Song Of The Fallen WIP: Yet another Codex Entry posted for opinion - #107 by idonotlikeusernames , it will hopefully buy us some time (and successfully selling that lie might make my poor mc feel useful as an added bonus)
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That’s not the probIem, I think that what you are aiming to do is great and I’m looking forward to how it will turn out to be. I guess it might be a problem with my interpretation but I got the feeling the MC didn’t care about dying instead of just being paralyzed out of shock fear and impotence. I’m not sure but I think someone in psychological shock are so overwhelmed they dont’t really understand what’s happening around them, at least no clearly while the MC seemed to know well that he was likely do be killed and just didn’t care much. I copied the part that gave me that impression below.
Time speeds up, returning to it’s normal pace once more, and as you last vestiges of agonising warmth flees your body, you close your lids in wait for the killing blow. p.s. thre’s a typo in this one.
And about this: The shock of this will haunt you, more so if you chose to kill Heleana yourself. I don’t want to lend myself the trope of the heroic protagonist who shrugs off death and instantly jumps into action.
Will the players choices have any impact on how he deals with all that like whether he will be more remorseful or indifferent etc? It would be great if we could have some part in shaping his response to trauma even if only partly.
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[quote=“Left4Bed, post:186, topic:10550, full:true”]
I’ve read both Belgariad and the Mallorean series, but I’m unfamiliar with that character, I’m guessing it’s from one of his other books? There’s a number of clues as what Bella’s deal is already sprinkled in, and while I don’t think it’s necessarily all that big of a mystery, I’d prefer to let it play out through the story than simply outright saying it.[/quote]
Yeah, she’s a character from The Elenium and The Tamuli. As for Bella, don’t worry, I understand if you want to keep her true character/identity a secret until we’re much farther into the story 
. Of course, we can still make guesses, some which might be very accurate 
[quote=“idonotlikeusernames, post:188, topic:10550, full:true”]
True, though if the my mc can get the rest of the village to swallow his explanation Song Of The Fallen WIP: Yet another Codex Entry posted for opinion - #107 by idonotlikeusernames , it will hopefully buy us some time (and successfully selling that lie might make my poor mc feel useful as an added bonus)[/quote]
Now, why drag the rest of the village/town into this at all? Heleana’s body could simply be disposed of (burned or buried somewhere not even close to the PC/main character’s house) - the villagers/townspeople who knew about her might simply assume she left. Or discarded somewhere out in the wilderness - relieve her of her belongings/valuables, and the villagers/townspeople may assume that she simply fell victim to robbers upon finding her corpse. She had, as far as we know, no travelling companions or the like, so especially in the earlier case, it may be a while before anyone looks into her disappearance (would she even have told anyone she went to the PC/Main character’s house? She seemed like the type who wouldn’t tell anyone else where she was going or what she was doing after all). Even if her death is looked into at a very early stage… Witnesses? Only the PC/Main character, a little girl and a man who may well have struck the killing blow himself knows what happened and no one of these would be eager to tell. Evidence? Little that couldn’t be removed from the house. Blood stains? Well, you have a magical girl in the house, maybe she can do something about those? Otherwise, they could simply be covered up for the time being - as long as no one comes to investigate her death anytime soon, that should do, in the short run anyway (and even if someone comes to find out about the circumstances of her death or whereabouts, well, it’s not like they have anything a forsenic team of our world and time). The PC/Main character’s mother? That could be covered up too, especially if you could conceal the fact that she had been killed; then you could simply say that she’d died of natural causes and bury her with the lid closed or something an no one’s the wiser…
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Wasn’t she the agent of one of those important gods.
Won’t people be worried to see that an agent of the god’s got murdered.
Hopefully they don’t care about the religion enough to hunt down the perps(us)
and if not then we just have to incriminate somebody.
Preferably one of those regular plebeians
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[quote=“faewkless, post:191, topic:10550, full:true”]
Wasn’t she the agent of one of those important gods.
Won’t people be worried to see that an agent of the god’s got murdered.
Hopefully they don’t care about the religion enough to hunt down the perps(us)[/quote]
She was, yeah. And yeah, if people DO find out that she’s been murdered, there’s going to be trouble, yeah. But I’d say one has to consider that the village/town where the main character lives has been described as a fairly remote one (news take a long time to reach th eplace and so on), so it’s hard to say how much they could do about it in the short term. The PC/MC’s immediate concern would be to make sure that no suspicions falls upon him, at least in the short term…
[quote=“faewkless, post:191, topic:10550, full:true”]
and if not then we just have to incriminate somebody.
Preferably one of those regular plebeians)[/quote]
Heh, if this game had a good/evil meter, that suggestion of yours would give it a boost towards ‘evil’ 
. As there isn’t though, I’d guess it would instead give the ‘compassionate/callous’-meter a boost towards ‘callous’ though. IF that option would indeed become available…
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I’m not evil.
I am a very kind person…to myself.
And also very pragmatic.
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Maybe as the MC and Bella develop and grow older someone would try to make a move on Bella and you could approve or disapprove of the relationship.
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Those were Left4Bed’s words, not mine, but I guess that’s an idea… Would offer an interesting dynamic to things: As the PC/MC grow into the role as her protector (willingly, reculantry or even unwillingly so) it would perhaps be a bit strange to not show what he thinks of Bella growing close to other people (and vice-versa, even).
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Oh thanks for pointing that out for some reason when I quoted it, it posted your name instead.
I cannot wait for the next update. 
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This is pretty cool.
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I see what you mean, I might re-word a few of those sections once I work my way back up to that point. That entire final scene was written in one mad dash so it needs to be tweaked and edited regardless.
That will definitely be the case, indeed it will likely be the main theme that’s dealt with in the immediate aftermath of Chapter 2. I’ll put this bit in the spoiler tag for those who’d rather see it play out in the story, but following the death of your mother and Heleana, you find yourself struck by a “block” which prevents you from accessing whatever it was that distracted Heleana long enough for you to survive. This is largely due to the trauma of that entire ordeal and is something you’ll need to work through for a significant portion of Chapter 3
I don’t really like good/evil meters since I think they tend to oversimplify. I do plan to implement a renown variable of sorts that functions mainly as a tracker for whether or not and how often people recognise you. If they do recognize you (based on that tracker) they’ll respond in accordance with the things you’ve done and the Personality you’ve developed.
It was suggested in an earlier post (sorry, but I’ve forgotten who it was it!) that you might be able to develop a Persona of sorts, which is a cultivated presence or how people might think of you that may differ from what you actually are e.g. you might develop a Persona of being deeply religious, when secretly you’re not. I really like this idea, but I haven’t yet figured out a way to actually do this and aside from that your reputation won’t really be a factor for a while so I’ve shelved it to be mused over in the back of my mind for now.
That’s certainly a possibility.
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But then, you’d almost certainly have to do the same with Bella - whether she’ll become a romance option later or not, it’d be strange to not show her reaction to the main character, her ‘protector’ becoming close to other people than her…