I like writing in a tavern keeper who was a former assassin during their life.
In a world where assassin was a selectable former profession in game, how might that affect interactions with the staff & ROs who learn about their past?
What a freaking cool idea for an MC!!! Assassin isn't a selectable career (yet? 👀), but this is too fun not to run with. Let's see...
Death would be half mortified, half judgmental, and doing a TERRIBLE job hiding both. You'd get the world's most transparent attempt to redeem your image in their mind.
"So it was... I mean, you were... forced to, right? Like, a situation thing?And only like, really bad people. Right?"
Obviously delighted, and they'd start consulting you with some... ventures they have. Lilith/Damian would slide a dossier across the bar and casually ask, "Darling, would you mind reviewing a few performances? This new hire has been sloppy."
Morgan/a would be interested in the HOW. Not the ethics, the methodology. "What was your weapon of choice? Did you ever get caught?" and would be extremely impressed that you did it all without magic.
Pepper would judge. Not a surprise though right?
Hastur knows what killing does to the soul. He'd feel sorry for you even if you don't feel sorry for yourself.
He wouldn't lecture. Maybe just say, one day: "It stays with you."
Peisinoe would want every single story. "Have you ever slept with a target?" Maybe they even write a song about it. You would have zero say in the lyrics, though.
He Without Name doesn't care what you were. But, you both know how to clean a scene, which is useful.
Yaga will 100% judge you and see the literal blood money that has passed through your hand. "There's enough misery in the world. Why add to it?" But then, three days later, she'd corner you behind the bar and mutter, "There's a patron at table six who's been bothering me for two weeks. Shame you can't kill the dead."
Shelly would actually be fascinated! She had an old soldier in her family tavern and loved to hear war stories, but would flinch if you went into detail. "You're not doing that anymore, though. Right? Because now you make drinks! That's WAY better."
Every night, as the bar opens, you'll hear the following speech from the Raven to the incoming patrons:
"Ladies and gentlemen, spirits and specters, welcome to the Bar on the Abyss! Where your drinks are mixed by a REAL former assassin! So remember to tip well!"
Yello! Was replaying and noticed that different deaths gave you different traits you could add to your character while customising (e.g drowning gave you a blue tint to your skin) I was wondering what the other traits were from the different deaths?
Of course! That's a new feature of the update, an idea you guys gave me! Which is why y'all are the best.
So yes, your cause of death unlocks a unique Death Scar in the character customization menu.
Here's the full list (spoilers and all):
Disease: Surgical scar on the chest
Gravity: Deep bruise-like mark along the spine
Disease: Surgical scar on chest
Gravity: Deep bruise-like mark along the spine
Car accident: Spiderweb of scars across the shoulder
Fire: Burn mark across the face
Gunshot (murder): Circular scar over the chest
Gunshot (suicide): Small scar near the temple
Drowning: Faint bluish tint to the skin
Hypothermia: Blackened frostbitten fingers
Starvation: Hollow, sunken impression over the abdomen
You can also choose how visible they are: from slightly noticeable to prominent!
One time I saw an artwork where a mother carried a sleeping child and it read:
"i hope death is like being carried to your bedroom when you were a child & fell asleep on the couch during a family party. i hope you can hear the laughter from the next room."
And that was a really nice thing to think about death. I also hope that death will be like falling asleep
It actually immediately reminded me of the eulogy I wrote for my father, eight years ago, after he passed away. Kind of crazy how much so.
His death, in large part, inspired this game. Just found it in my Google drive and read it again. I guess that in order to explain why it reminded me of what you wrote, I have to share it. Why not :)
I will always remember those nighttime car rides to the city.
They are etched in my mind, like a map of the stars. I think that even if I close my eyes, I'd still know the way.
I remember the stillness. Dad driving, Mom asleep beside him. I'm in the back seat, leaning against the window, and the few stars in the evening sky are swallowed by the headlights of passing cars. We're coming back from Friday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's. The taste of the fried potatoes makes my mouth dry, while I wait for a thing that only you and I know is about to happen.
Your eyes look at me through the mirror, and I'm busy marking the landmarks in my head between the city and my bed. The McDonald's we always ate at. The crooked tree on the side of the road that always looked like it was about to fall. The gas station where my school bus got into an accident one morning.
They'll always be there, I'm sure of it. Even if the world burns, I'll know that old tree still hasn't fallen.
And in the end, there was the thing. The thing that sealed every night, the thing I waited for the whole drive. We are pulling into the parking lot, and Mom drags herself tiredly to bed.
But not you. The ritual isn't complete yet. I rest my head against the window, and my eyes are closed. But I'm not asleep. I just know that if I fall asleep, you'll carry me to bed. You gather me carefully in your hands, so I won't wake from my non-sleep, god forbid—and carry me to bed.
And I'm just trying not to smile, not to laugh, so you'll keep going. Even though we both know I'm pretending.
So yeah, I do hope death feels like that. Or like a moth, carrying you to the cosmos, asleep or not.
This IF has to be hands down the best depiction of clinical depression I’ve personally read in any work (at least when it comes to my own experiences). Really captures the sense of purposelessness, that all consuming empty feeling, and the sensation that there’s a fathomless ocean where your chest cavity should be. Absolutely stellar stuff.
As for the ask: Will there be/are there scenes to change what Mc is wishing for? I could see depressed MCs changing their initial wish as their loneliness, sense of purpose, or apathy changes.
Damn, THANK YOU! (Guess one will be able to tell I was in a bit of a depressive episode myself two years ago, when I started writing the grief paths?)
My personal favorite depiction of depression comes from the movie Melancholia, which also depicts anxiety extremely well. The literal force of nature that depression can feel like.
But while that film is extremely nihilistic about it, I wanted TBOTA to offer a different perspective and the possibility of healing, which is a never-ending road, but a hike worth continuing on.
Which naturally leads us to your ask! Yes, absolutely :) Your wish will evolve throughout the game, and you'll have more than one opportunity to change it. Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to write this ask. There's always a light at the end of the void, speaking from experience.
Hi, dear proprietors! Hope you're having fun with the update :)
Just posted about the update for the first time on Reddit, and would love, if you have a second, to give that post an upvote and maybe leave a comment!
Thank you! (link here)
Always love you! Now I'm back to answering all the asks you've been sending. I'm having too much fun answering them, keep it coming!!
