SHR - Story layout

Story Layout.

Main Storyline.

Prologue:

Protagonist discovers superpowers causing a minor accident in the process. Prologue should establish protagonist's friends and family, make them easy to relate to by the player, inducing feeling of security and belonging. Perhaps protagonist's birthday party or other, common holiday familiar to the player.
Prologue should leave the player with the feeling of leaving safe and secure environment and entering new, scary world.

Act I: Exposition.

Chapter I: New Kid on the Block

Arrival to the school and introduction to the main and secondary characters and general purpose of the school for superhumans (note to self, need some semi-original name for the superheroes).
Chapter I should achieve basic introduction to the new environment - perhaps lasting for one day.

Chapter II: New routine.

Lasting for a period of couple of weeks, chapter 2 gives more control to the player, as protagonist slowly finds itself in the school, forming first relationships - positive or not, with other students/teachers. Meanwhile getting some basic experience with usage of superpowers, giving the player feeling of progression, while continue more in-depth exposition of rules governing superheros.

Chapter III: First test.

Protagonist, alongside other students takes part in first, real world event that would test their powers. City of XYZ which is the regular city where everything interesting happens (akin to Metropolis or Gotham City) was hit by some natural cataclysm. Flood, earthquake, great fire. Perhaps it's a more localised event, like fire consuming a skyscraper or rescuing people from a sinking ship.

Regardless of player's choices, the rescue action isn't going very well and while it seems the main characters are about to miserably fail, four real superheroes arrive to save the day. Giving player a glimpse at fully developed heroes that his protagonist inspires to be. They rescue everyone, bend the rules of physics and do with relative ease, what seemed impossible to the students.

At the end, we're being introduced properly to the heroes, making them the supportive cast in the future. They can comment on how good the protagonist did, or how "he has a long way to go still" type of pep talk. It should be delivered by the leader of the heroes, who is established as a father/mother figure for the students/protagonist.

Chapter IV: The Plot thickens.

More mysterious, seemingly natural minor events happen in the city, giving the player chance to finally feel like a hero, saving citizens from certain death. Random events slowly form a pattern which lead the heroes to believe, some sinister force is behind the events.
Pattern might relate to location of the event, or targeted people - for example police officers, scientists working for some shady drug corporation or former members of a local city council and so on.. .

In chapter IV player is expected to form stronger bond with some of the other students and develop admiration towards the father/mother figure introduced at the end of chapter III.
If player chooses to pursue certain leads, first hints suggesting the "good guys" aren't really that "good" may be presented to the protagonist.
At this point only clues that are available to the player relate to extensive gene manipulation research, done on both students and regular citizens of the XYZ city.

Lastly, chapter IV should introduce the feeling of separation from characters met in the Prologue. The growing gap between the protagonist and his family/friends.

Chapter V: The Phantom Menace

Final Chapter of Act I reveals the villains of the game, three former superheroes who turned to the dark side. Their goals are still shady, but they introduce themselves, by kidnapping mayor of the city.
They keep him hostage, requesting all information about metahuman to be released to the public.
This would cause a massive damage, as most M1 and M2 subjects live in relative peace, often hiding their powers from others out of fear of being "different".
Heroes, with help of the students storm the villain hideout (located under some important building in the city, perhaps university), dealing with bunch of henchmen and confronting the three enemies.

During the confrontation the villains insist all they want, is freedom for the metahuman from control of the government. They refuse to release the mayor, leading to the final confrontation.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the villains execute their escape plan, by activating explosive device hidden in their hideout. As heroes and students rush to evacuate the building, villains flee the future ground zero. The hero authority figure introduced in the previous chapters makes the ultimate sacrifice, dying himself/herself, while saving everyone else, by either absorbing the explosion or removing it from the location and dying in the process.
Also one or more students (perhaps depending on player's choices) should perish during this confrontation.

Act 2: School of hard knocks.

Chapter VI: Calm after the storm.

Traumatised by the events from the previous chapter, protagonist and his companions grief for the dead and try to get back to normal school life, focusing on training even harder, knowing that the enemy is out there.
This chapter provides first deeper insight into shaken psychic of main and secondary characters. It also introduces internal conflict within the group of students - those who want to follow the school's way of teaching, which doesn't offer fastest results, but provides stronger foundation, or reckless but more effective path leading to power.

The outline of the conflict should leave the player wondering if the school focused their training on fighting alone, they could help save those who died in the previous chapter.

Chapter VII: Second coming.

The villains attacked headquarters of the company, that was in some way related to the victims of chapter IV. Building turns into a battlefield between henchmen of the villains and security forces.
Students arrive at the scene, instructed to prevent villains from obtaining any data.
During another confrontation with the antagonists, protagonist faces choices of how to approach the fight, either following the school's teachings of protecting the innocent first, or doing "what must be done", regardless of the consequences.

Villains gain the upper hand over students, but instead of killing them, they try to explain to them, that they only want to protect the metahumans from intervention from the government, and that the students are only blind followers of those, who would eventually destroy them.

As the exposition reaches great reveal of what is actually the truth, the heroes arrive to the scene, preventing villains from explaining their point of view. Eventually antagonists flee with partial data stolen from the company.

During this chapter, if player chooses to explore the building, he might find information gathered on metahumans, including students of the school, with very detailed information about their personality (perhaps based on some key player choices).

This chapter must undermine player's trust in the school and the heroes he idolised until now.

Chapter VIII: Divide

Information students learned during previous chapter, drive a wedge between the two groups - one starting to believe there is a conspiracy against metahumans, while other strongly supporting the school and status quo.

This is the last "open" chapter, with player being given a lot of sandbox choices of where to go and what to do. Player may try to confront his mentors about the revelations the group discovered, but gaining no clear answers.

Chapter IX: Face to Face

Once again the villains are on the offensive. This time attacking a factory outside of the city. Students and heroes appear at the scene together, confronting the enemies. As the fighting heats up, the explosion leads to collapse of the whole complex, trapping the protagonist and the villain under the rubble.
The two quickly discover, their powers are nullified, the villain explains, it's because of what was being produced in the annihilated factory - a new generation of chemical inhibitors that block access to superpowers in all metahumans. Effects should wear off with time, but for now, both characters are forced to cooperate to get our of the rubble.
Depending on player's choices, upon reaching freedom, the villain may sympathetically inform the protagonist that the attack on the factory was a deception, intended to get the students away from their school or mockingly inform him, that he better run home and see what was left of his precious school.

Chapter X: Dices

Protagonist rushes to the school, to see the place ruined, with last of the flames consuming once mighty building and home of the students. Player arrives just to be forced to choose, siding with those who want to follow the the rules, or those who are done listening to lies of their superiors.

Regardless of player's choices, the group of rebellious students leave the ruins, leaving the rest to pick up the rabble.

Act III: Climax

Chapter XI: Truths

Loyalists: Richter finally decides to tell the truth to the students who remained.
Yes, the government is perfecting a "cure" that would permanently inhibit the use of super powers in whole populations. Once and for all. Superpowers cause nothing but pain and suffering to those who have them, and everyone around them. Yes. The gift can be used to help and protect, but it can also be used to kill and destroy. It is noble to give away such power, resisting temptation of having it, as long as it prevents those who would use it for evil to have them.
And with rising number of metahumans in the population, soon controlling all of them would be impossible.

The plan is simple - find the villains and engage them, then use the mass inhibitor on all fighters, turning them into normal people.

Rebels: Seeking out their former enemies, rebels demand explanation, the truth about what was going on from the start. This is the "I am your father" moment, where the authority figure who sacrificed himself in Chapter V not only turns out to be alive, but is in fact the leader of the Villans.
He informs the rebel that the gift they were given would be taken away from them by small, lesser people, fearing everything they can't control or understand, and that no one can force anyone else to give it up - doing so would be evil.

The plan is simple - destroy the mass inhibitor once and for all, and let the metahumans be who they are meant to be.

Chapter XII: Crescendo

Final confrontation between heroes and villains, loyalists and rebels. Students are able to stand toe to toe against their former masters - their training is complete and they are not facing their final test.
Protagonist can try to bring characters he developed strongest connection, to his side.
In the final battle, protagonist will face the student with whom he had the worst relationship.

During the course of the battle, Richter, who was supposed to use the inhibitor is exposed and wounded, the superweapon is somehow lands in the hands of the protagonist who can do one of few things:

- destroy the inhibitor
- use it on the heroes, but not on the villains.
- use it on villains, but not the heroes
- use it on everyone.

Epilogue:
Depending on player's choice:

Destroy Inhibitor - Loyalist retreat and the conflict between heroes and villains continue.
Inhibit heroes - Rebels are the only ones remaining on the field, starting a rogue organisation opposing oppression of metahumans, perhaps with a hint of superiority complex.
Inhibit villains - Loyalist triumph, putting villains in jail. They retain their own powers however, to stop any threat that could upset the balance in the future.
Inhibit all - resolving the conflict forever, by removing superpowers from everyone, begining of massive global use of permanent inhibitors.

SHR - Lore background.

Superhumans is a modern term for people who were a part of our culture since the beginning of humanity. They exist in our legends, mythology and fairy tales as heroes and villains, creating a link between mortal and divine existence.

From Hercules in Greece to Yamato Takeru in Japan - heroes had strength that could rival gods'.
Superhumans were however, a very rare occurrence. Once every few generations one gifted child lived long enough for it's powers to manifest, and even then the superhuman might be nothing more than a local attraction at best, or a proof of demonic influence at worst...

Things begun to change in the late XIX century. With population boom caused by industrial revolution and slowly improving healthcare, more superhumans reached adulthood discovering their full potential.

First obscure information of organisations focused on exploring metahuman nature come from Victorian England. It wasn't until World War I however, when the idea of superhumans taking a role in shaping of the world became prominent for the first time.
In early summer 1916 First Marshal Herbert Kitchener left to Russia, where he planned to present the Tsar Nicolas II with first, combat-ready group of so called "Men Of The Crown". With their help, Russian armies were to achieve advantage on the Eastern Front, and save the tumbling down monarchy.

HMS Hampshire, with Kitchener and his special unit on board never reached the Tsar - the cruiser was sunk, presumably by a U-Boat soon after departing Scotland.
Truth of the events on board Hampshire was never discovered, but a name of German spy, Frederick Joubert Duqesne was linked with Kitchener's death since the event.

Friderick himself would eventually be caught in early 1940s in States, operating as a leader of the Nazi spyring. He was rumoured to be a metahuman himself, with limited physical, but extensive mental powers. He was kept in prison for over a decade, during which his body was studied by American scientists.

Important chapter of Superhuman development takes us however back to the Nazi Germany. Before and during the Second World War, Third Reich performed extensive examination of suparhuman cases.
Results were impossible to accept by the Nazi regime - it seemed that metahuman abilities manifested themselves in people of all nations and racial background.

Studies conducted by the German scientists were the foundation of later, more humane, experiments conducted on both sides of the Iron Curtain.
However to this day, the Mächtig Scale, developed a nazi physician Josef Mengele is used to measure scale of superhuman abilities.
M Scale, identifies six levels of metahuman potential.

• M0 - Lack of any supernatural powers manifested on conscious or subconscious level.

• M1 - Minor subconscious abilities, manifesting only in very specific conditions that vary from patient to patient. No secondary superhuman characteristics are present. It is estimated that 0.47% of human population qualifies as M1 cases (almost 5 children per 1000).

• M2 - Narrow, limited skills that require years of training to fully manifest. Minor secondary characteristics are present, often limited to abnormal pigmentation of eye's iris and skin. M2 aren't considered suitable candidates for superhuman training, and often receive sub-dermal inhibitors, reducing a chance of random violent manifestations. It is estimated that one child per 270.000 births is a M2

• M3 - Extensive skills with high breakdown threshold. Primary subjects for superhuman training, M3 cases use their superpowers at will but require specific, personalised training to fully control their potential. Most secondary characteristics are present - including increased speed, resilience, strength and endurance - as body develops beyond normal limits to accommodate superhuman capabilities. One every 32 million children are born M3

• M4 - Powerful, natural skills that require very little training to fully develop, but can be highly unstable and difficult to control, leading to breakdowns where subject cannot control the power stored in his body. M4 are often considered dangerous for themselves and the environment. If they cannot learn to control their power, they are being implanted with sub-dermal inhibitors. It is estimated that one per 140 million children is born with M4 potential.

• M5 - Unstable and highly dangerous to themselves and their surrounding. M5 cases are mandatory implanted with the sub-dermal inhibitors, often supplemented with pharmacological supplements reducing emotional tension. M5 cases show various, extensive superpower manifestations that are often difficult to fully comprehend. Training of M5 subjects is ill-advised, as their power is too unstable to use, even in training situations. One child per 300 million is born with M5 potential.

Superhuman abilities rarely manifest in children, normally the potential surfaces itself between 14 and 23 birthday. 

Supernatural training is focused on developing full control over the potential of the subject.

Most M3 and above develop strong secondary characteristics - augmenting their physical capabilities unrelated to the superpower potential.

It it theorised that body reacts to developing power by increasing it's own capabilities to "catch up" with the supernatural potential it inherited.

Superheroes became iconic figures in Western society in decades following Second World War. They became celebrities not unlike movie-stars, musicians, sportsmen and politicians.

It is estimated that currently there are around 250-300 M3 and higher superhuman.

Their training is conducted in few locations in the world, mostly in secret from the public.

SHR - main characters 1.

SHR - Main Characters - Family, Friends and School Teachers.

Home.

Father: Robert Dorsey

! If implementing character customisation is "a thing", Father's race will be determined by main protagonist's race.

Robert is a middle age man, who took divorce with Leah - your mother - pretty hard. Working long hours as a manager in a restaurant, he spent most of your teenage years away from home, earning enough money to provide you both with stable, even if not very extravagant lifestyle.
Memories of almost picturesque evenings, spent eating whatever you cooked after school, are the first thing coming to your mind, when thinking about him.
He tried, over the decade you were alone together, to find someone new in his life, but deep inside, you knew no one could replace your mother in his life.
Each girlfriend he met was either too introvert, too posh, too much of a bookworm... the list went on, but each real or imaginary fault was really only excuse not to say "She wasn't Leah".
Your father clearly didn't move on from a relationship that ended a decade ago - and is still stuck in the motions of something long gone.

Visuals: Simple. Down to earth and utilitarian. Samey.

Highlight monologue:
I know you're not 15 anymore, but it doesn't mean we can't go to the movies together. You always liked those Shrek pictures. Okay, well, you pick something then, I don't really mind. Just non of those Lord of the Rings movies. I don't know, I think they made some sequels? Yeah, that Hobbit.
Honey, you know I don't follow the blockbusters. Just pick something. I'll be home early, leaving Kate to shut the place down. 

Mother: Leah Dorsey / Clarke

You were 10 when Leah left your father. You remember her as a vibrant and joyful person, terrible cook but wonderful, bright and funny. She was a painter and you remember her study being filled with half-finished works.
She was sensitive and creative person, but those traits came with a side-effect of sometimes living in her own world. She could stare at a blank canvas for hours, almost completely disconnected from reality.
After the divorce, both of your parents decided your life would be more stable, if you stayed with Robert - as he was the one with the reliable financial income, while Leah moved back to her parents in some semi-distant city.
She promised to stay in touch, and for a while she did, but then more and more often she excused herself from those meetings. With time even those stopped as Leah moved on with her life and re-married some guy named Chris.
Last thing you heard about her, was divorcing for the second time.

Visuals: Vibrant. Colourful. Artsy and somewhat posh. Very individualistic.

Highlight monologue:
Of course I did. I still do. But it was difficult. You have no idea how difficult. Can we talk about something else? I didn't called you to open old wounds. Your dad told me about your... Are you all right? Is everything fine? I know I have no right to ask, and you have no obligation to agree but if you'd like to meet again, someday?


STORY HOOK:
Getting the family back together.
Protagonist can try to get his/her parents back together. To do that however, protagonist must understand why their relationship fell apart. Robert was a safety net for Leah - he was everything she needed to become a regular housewife, abandon her dreams of artistic career and focus on the mundane needs of her family.
This regularity was something she grew to hate and started to keep Robert at a distance, subconsciously blaming him for the stability she didn't want in her life.
Robert on the other hand, grew frustrated with her wife, despite doing everything to provide to both of you, she seemed to be slipping through his fingers more and more.
Small things that used to be ignored, grew into problems that divided your parents.

For Leah, your father became a boring, unimaginative and hollow companion, who "sucked" her individuality, her talent out of her - just by being a normal person.
For Robert, your mother was a chaotic, impossible to please mate. The more he tried, the harder the relationship became.

Perhaps those two simply weren't meant for each other and couldn't be happy together - but it is for the Player to decide if trying to get those two together was a good idea.
Alternatively, we can try to help Robert establish a relationship with his co-worker - Kate.

Childhood friend - Male: Marcus Park

Marcus, or rather simply Mark, was your constant companion since childhood. Smart, goofy and completely devoted to the religion of Jedi (as he announced on his 18th birthday) kid, slowly grew up to be a young man.
Geek and gamer, Marcus used his imagination to escape from his circumstances of his family. Both of his parents could be considered pathological workaholics and their son often ended up eating dinner with you and your dad.
As you grew older, Mark remained immature and silly, sometimes embarrassing you with his childish behaviour. 

Visual: Geeky. Silly. Meme. Low brow humour and puns.

Highlight monologue:
Check this out: "If you could swap one character from Walking Dead with a character from Game of Thrones, who would that be?" I'd probably exchange Rick with Jamie Lannister. You know why? Because in the comic books, Rick actually lost his hand. And Jamie lost his in the series. It would be meta AF.

Childhood friend - Female: Samantha Booker.

You met Sammy in high school. She was the new girl in town and somehow you two became fast friends. She's not exactly the shy and withdrawn type, but she just doesn't think much of most her peers - making her appear as someone socially awkward.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
She is charismatic, individualistic and expressive, she just picks her friends very carefully.
She only accepted Mark as part of her "circle", once she figured out, she can use him to run small errands.
Bitchy exterior, hides a warm, easy to harm person - and despite her "don't give a damn" appearance, she never let you, or even Mark down.

Visual: Uptight. Intellectual and sarcastic. Individualistic style of outfits - something between a classic tomboy and a proper lady.

Highlight monologue:
You think I should wear a skanky dress or the pink skirt with the top saying "I wish I was dead"?
No, I'm kidding. Sure I'll go with you to the stupid party. Can't let my one and only friend end up being part of the "kool kids", it would look really bad - I'll be there to keep you away from the actual fun. What, Mark? Mark is not my friend, he's something between a butler and a scapegoat. No, you can't have my banana. It is mine!

School - Teachers.

Dorothy "Silver Shadow" Maxwell.

Former superheroine to gave away her powers while protecting the planet from some asteroid or shit. A living, yet burned out, legend she is an inspiration and tutor of the upcoming heroes. No-nonsense, yet nostalgic, proud of her students, but envying them their powers, Dorothy walks the fine line between depression and self-loathing.

Visual: Toned down, professional, stylish yet melancholic. Businesswoman.

Highlight monologue:
If I had to, I'd do it again. But does it mean I can't be allowed to feel sorry for myself?
Mourn something I gave away for all people who don't even care? I tried to live a normal life, but there is nothing normal about who I was. How would you feel if you lost your hands, or eyes? Would you just live a "normal life"? For me my powers were normal. I grew up with them, I relied on them, I used them just like you use your limbs or senses. 
So don't tell me I can live a normal life, because you can't even comprehend what I lost.

(actor Edward James Olmos)

Richter

Owner of the school and source of money behind it. Everyone know him as a former concentration-camp survivor during WW2. He spent two years there, for opposing Nazi regime. After the war, as a 20 y.o. man he came to States and quickly climbed the social ladder, using his discipline and strength of character to gather a fortune.
In reality, Richter wasn't a prisoner in a concentration camp. He was a guard. During the confusion accompanying liberation of the camp by the Allies, he was mistaken for a prisoner.

Visual: Calm. Organised. 1950s inspired. Mysterious.

Highlight monologue:
We were all victims. But our tragedies were different. They couldn't do anything to help themselves. We chose not to do anything to help them.
Do you think we were all monsters? All bloodthirsty Nazi dogs? We were kids, indoctrinated enough to hold a gun. And use it.

Duncan "Wildeye" Duwall

If Dorothy plays the role of a strict mother, Duncan is the chilled uncle. He is upbeat, casual, optimistic and helpful, sometimes taking the "fun" part too far, but always well meaning. Duncan on the surface is just the "good guy", and the better you know him, the more "good guy" he seems. There is no dark secret to his character, besides his rough upbringing in the ghetto, which he is not hiding from anyone.

His family however is a different matter entirely. Duncan comes from a pathological family, typical for the high-crime, low-income neighbourhoods. Alcohol, drugs, gangs, you name it.

Duncan escaped all of that when his superpowers started to manifest.

He went beyond and above to free himself from the past - however his family still remains in the ghetto. Duncan tried to help them, but it seems his folks are unable to follow his footsteps out of the gutters.

Biggest strain on his relationship with family is focused on Jimmy, Duncan's younger brother.

Duncan is well spoken, unless agitated - only then you can hear his original accent cropping up.

Visual: Casual. Outgoing. Easy to reach and warm personality.

Highlight monologue:

You know why? You really want to know why? It had nothing to do with the talent. It had nothing to do with someone helping me. It had nothing to do with mamma. It was me! All me, you hear that? I wanted to leave the hood and I would even without those damn powers.

You remembah dad? How he were wenn we were litta? I promised myself Ahh neva' end uhp like him. An Ah kept mah word.

Richard "Eagle Man" Smith

Imagine a superhero from the 60s, Back when all villains wore black and all the heroes wore spandex. All lines were cheesy. No one would stay dead for more than three issues and evil scientists would explain their plans to conquer the world and laugh hysterically along the way.

That is the world of Richard Smith - the all-American old school superhero, connecting the Silver Age of Comic books with the modern gritty reality.

A living legend, Eagle Man is the example of a hero who outlived his generation... and then some.

A little lost in the modern reality, longing for the "good old days", struggling with his own age, that doesn't respect any superpower.

Richard is a decent person, but he sees the world in black and white. You're either good or bad. Smart or stupid. Strong or weak. And if you're weak, you have to overcome that one thing that holds you back, so you can be strong. What's the problem?

Visual: Tough. Old School American Stars and Stripes. Grizzled. No-nonsense.

Highlight monologue:

Of course I'm here, where else would I be?... What?... I don't know and don't give a damn what the problem is... What do you mean we can't? When he was pissing in his diaper I did that every goddamn time and nobody even looked at me sideways... No... No... Listen young man. You can tell the President, that I respect him, but this Great Nation didn't came to be a Great Nation because of people saying "We Can't".

Life is Strange

"Life is what happens, when you're busy making other plans", Lenon's quote Mr. Jefferson said on that fateful day stuck with me for some reason. It was a naive counterpoint to events of the week that never happened. Week that nobody but me remembers.

What plans can you make, if your destiny is written into the tapestry of reality? How can life just happen, if your existence can be punctuated by a bullet, turning it into a scarlet mosaic on a bathroom floor?

It's been a week since...

A week which echoed with deja vu and dreams that mimicked it's supernatural, time-travelling cousin that never happened.

It's been a week since I curled up on the floor, waiting for the gunshot that fixed everything. Everything but me.

There is this scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, where Spock sacrifices himself saying "needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few." Was that what I did? What Chloe did?

Shit, spending last week binge-watching Warren's sci-fi collection messed with my brain just as much as my personal Doctor Who adventure.

"Max, are you all right?" a gentle touch on my shoulder summoned my mind back to reality.

"Yes." I said automatically without thinking.

Kate's worried face seemed painfully familiar as she gave me a searching look. Smell of the teas she brought with her filled my nose, an unfamiliar, deep blend of something I couldn't even try to pronounce. Normally I would stick to more familiar tastes, but we were, after all, in the heart of Portland's China Town, so when in Rome...

Kate promised me a trip around all the tea shops in the city, and despite my mood, I agreed to join her.

Or maybe it was the "other" Kate, the one that almost killed herself? Or was it me who proposed it?

I don't even remember anymore.

Tao of Tea was a very traditional Chinese tearoom, with furniture, teapots, even the building imitating Asian style. There were hardly any guests at this time of day, it was just past the lunchtime. If I tried, I could imagine actually being a thousand years in the past, a thousand miles away from Oregon, but my imagination cling to what was real and now.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea" Kate said gasping "It was silly to think I could cheer you up with a cup of tea."

"Oh, no no..." I protested quickly "I'm sorry. I was just... thinking. I'm here now. 100%. Promise."

That forced admission seemed to scoop sadness from her worried face, but not from her eyes.

"That's all right Max" Kate said after a moment "You don't have to pretend."

"I'm not. I just..." I paused, how could I explain events of the last week I lived twice "I just need to sort things out. And being here with you is great. I'm just being stupid wasting it on overthinking."

That actually made her smile ever so slightly.

"I believe that your friend is in a better place now." she said after taking a sip of the tea. White cup looked tiny even in her gentle hand.

"I want to believe that too" I agreed. Chloe deserved to be somewhere blissful, wherever it may be.

"I can't imagine what you're going through" she added, encouraged by my admission "But maybe knowing she's at peace now could help you. It helped me when my grandma passed away."

A trail of a nostalgic smile passed through her lips.

"Were the two of you close?" I asked. I was curious, of course, but I also felt better focusing on something else than the mess in my head.

"Not that much" she admitted "She died when I was seven. But my dad tells me with each year, I look more like her." she paused and a playful sparks lit her eyes "I even have the same hairstyle."

I could imagine Kate's grandma rocking that bun back in the 50s, but today it looked dangerously archaic. But I wasn't the one to judge fashion, I was stuck in the 90s myself.

"She must have been a very pretty girl when she was your age" I said with a smile... but without thinking.

"Thank you" Kate seemed surprised and slightly embarrassed.
Stupid Max!

"I mean..." I decided to dig a deeper hole under myself "I really respect that you don't follow trends. I mean... uh..." I paused with a helpless expression on my face, wondering if I said anything more, my hole would actually be deep enough to reach China.

"I know what you mean" Kate giggled softly "I couldn't even keep up with modern fashion. Each year different colours, styles and fabrics. My drawers would overflow after two years.

"What do you think Victoria does to her old clothes? It's not like her room is any bigger than ours" I asked casually, taking a sip of my own tea. 

It had earthy, slightly bitter taste. Very rich with a hint of imbir among dozen other flavours I couldn't recognise.

"Maybe she give them away?" Kate proposed "Like to a charity?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" I shrugged and the tea almost came out of my nose as I laughed "Can you imagine homeless people wearing last year's Versaches and Pradas?"

"Well, it is last year's collection after all." Kate said with pretended seriousness and giggled with me.

I forgot.

It was so easy to forget.

The very same Victoria we were joking about now, was a source of vicious rumours about Kate just last week. But since then so much happened, her "hot pixxx" became a tale of the past. Blackwell Academy experienced an earthquake when Nathan was arrested, but then when he spilled the beans about Jefferson, whole Arcadia Bay became a center of a biblical cataclysm. Who would remember about some silly party?

Kate - I answered my own question.

Those rumours about her, pictures of her kissing random guys... she almost killed herself because of that. Everyone else probably forgot about the whole thing by now, but I knew Kate remembered.

And yet, it was her idea to come to Portland. To cheer me up. To accommodate my shitty mood.

Fuck, where does she find the strength to not just carry on, but take care of me?

Maybe in this timeline she's the one who would save me - this single thought run shivers down my spine.

My phone beeped and I reached out to my pocket without a second thought.

"HEY MAX! How is Portland? Make sure 2 take a detour 2 Lovecraft Bar. It's on 421 SE Grand Avenue. It's uber easy to miss. Look for black door. THE OLD ONES ARE WATCHING!" 

"It's Warren" I said putting the phone away "He's being his wacky self."

"Some things don't change" Kate smiled, and added more seriously "I think he really likes you."

Now it was me being uncomfortable, as I shifted on the Chinese-wannabe chair.

"Yeah. I know." I said looking into bottomless depth of my teacup.

"Oh. Sorry." Kate picked up on my body language instantly.

"No, that's fine. I just-- I can't deal with it now." I said truthfully. I needed some peaceful R&R now. Not being dragged to some B-movie marathon about apes. Or visiting Lovecraft's Ground Zero. My life was strange enough as it was.

"I think you're lucky to have someone like that." she said with hearth-wrenching longing in her voice.

"Yeah." I smiled "The novelty goes away after about 8 seasons of Stargate:SG-1."

I was hoping for a silly joke to lead conversation away from the touchy topic, but Kate didn't took the bait.

"You know what I mean." she said "I wish I had someone like that. Someone who would love me. Someone who would come to my rescue no matter what."

I did - I wanted to yell out loud - I did! I went to the rooftop to save you..!

Instead I said quietly:

"You have me."

Fuuuck.

"As.. as a friend. You know?"

If I blinked, I'd miss the sudden shadow of disappointment in Kate's eyes.

"As a friend" she repeated "I know."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I closed them without making a sound.

What was that?

I took a long sip of tea, waiting for my brain to stop spinning inside of my skull.

Deep breath.

The silence from casual, quickly escalated to awkward. Then, in a time shorter than a heartbeat, a very loud heartbeat I may add, it went from awkward to impossible to bare.

Oh shit.

Kate?

But?

How could I be so---?

"I'm sorry." Kate said, once again, repeating the mantra as it was a spell that would wish away her suddenly rosy cheeks.

"No." I protested with a strength that surprised even me "Don't be."

I wasn't sure what else to say. Depending on my clumsy mouth wasn't the best idea anyway.

Instead I just reached out to her hand on the table and squeezed it softly, feeling her ice-cold fingers intertwine with my own.

This is life, happening when I'm making other plans...

https://taooftea.com/teahouses/belmont-teahouse/

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6e/8a/ac/6e8aaceeb6245fc4b9f61f765b938267.jpg

DA2

Dragon Age 2 would be a better game, if it came out as a "visual novel", than a fully fledged RPG.

That is the shortest and most accurate review of the game. 

Political intrigue, dodging chainsaws of both Templar zealotry and Circle's corruption would be much more enjoyable, if it wasn't served on the same plate as below average and frustrating combat system.

Don't get me wrong, switching from the "old school" style (calling it Dragon Age Origins style, belittles the glorious history of this type of combat style in RPGs) gave game a lot more dynamic feeling, allowing for more spectacular and involving combat. But it also invited all the problems the game suffered in switching from a tactical RPG to an action RPG. 

As a result the game was trapped in between, neither really action-oriented, neither suited for deep tactical combat.

More challenging difficulty settings only highlighted the game inability to pick a side - as the action-oriented fighting often stood in the way of very careful tactical planning. Prime example of this duality was the "Wave" mechanic. With more enemies joining the fight as it progresses. This would feel perfect in a action game, where hordes of enemies are an excuse to preform long combos and spectacular AoE, perfectly playing into a typical power fantasy we often crave in our games.

And yet with growing difficulty, the "trash mobs" grew only to frustrate and annoy, with waves of enemies appearing out of nowhere, sometimes right behind the player's healer.

Dealing with wave mechanic instead of challenging and fun, became tiresome, as the first "try" on every substantial group of enemies involved finding out where and when the next wave will come from, and constantly promoted "deep pull", forcing the fight away from it's place of origin. 

With few exceptions, each fight consisted of same types of enemies, dressed in a different texture. For example Coterie Assassin and Templar Hunter shared exactly the same abilities, that were also shared by a bunch of other, differently named enemies in the game - turning most fights into exact copies of each other, focused on following same "takedown" order. 

By the middle of Act 2, the fun and challenge was replaced by running through the routine of retreats, bottlenecks and crowd control queue, bringing to mind the worst part of World of Warcraft raiding history involving over-saturation of trash mobs (I look at you, AQ40...).

Even during boss fights (except the first dragon slain in Bone Pit) game developers decided to "spice" the fight with trash enemies, joining the fight at preset health levels of the boss, leading to comical "run around" tactic, avoiding both doing and taking damage, waiting for powerful skills to go off-cooldown before triggering another trash group. 

Various small, frustrating and fun defying problems brought to a PC gamer memories of poorly executed console ports of action games, trying to wear a gown of more "adult" RPG titles of previous generations.

The game came through however, on an opposite of what we expect from action RPGs - the story and personality.

Left on the other side of the Waking Sea were the world-saving heroics and over-the-top personalities. Arriving to Kirkwall the player is thrown into trenches of a conflict without well defined divide between right and wrong. There is no overbearing threat of Blight hanging over the city and without the greater "evil" there's also no greater "good". 

We're slowly introduced to the conflicts of the city, which at first, seems distant as we're too busy collecting money to found an expedition into Deep Roads.

At the end of the day however, the game revolves around Kirkwall, and even by the very end of it, the scope of your actions rarely goes beyond the city (until the epilogue). It is a step down from the well established world saving business games got us used to, as the stakes just don't feel as great. But this was an intentional design, that held the game to more basic, human values.

The game leads us through more subtle, less colourful world, which at points, is just boring - relying on player's emotional investment in the story and characters. Story's biggest weakness is Act 1, which overstays it's welcome without much meaningful story to tell. The best time to introduce our companions and make us "care" for them, is wasted running around the city, performing errands for NPCs we forget about, the moment we turn in their quest.

I don't know if it's an intentional self-awareness or just cliche stereotype repeated due to lack of imagination, but when NPCs we helped before get in touch with us, they often start with "I don't know if you remember me".

To which I expressed a very honest reply "I really fucking don't!"

Beyond this issue, the game does it's best to lead a good, three act story, without greater hiccups.

Our companions, with few exceptions, are much less colourful, and much more three dimensional than their counterparts in Dragon Age Origins. 

First game was comfortable picking up a stereotype and heroes and running with it:

• Obnoxious dwarf with a golden heart.
• Silent tough guy who cares, but acts like he doesn't.
• Judgemental wise sage, who still makes mistakes, 
• Femme fatale who ends up hurting herself, as much as those around her.
• Low self-esteem clown who grows to be a leader 
• A spy who wants to get out of her dirty past, and turn towards the light.

Throw in a copy of HK-47 and a smartass assassin with a troubled past and you're ready to go.

Those heroes fit perfectly setting or Origins, where this band of unlikely companions work together to oppose the Blight.  

Dragon Age 2 goes for more realistic and less over-the-top heroes. Their personalities are watered down by internal conflicts and struggles. Surprisingly, the least relatable characters are the ones who are most stereotypical - Former slave with vengeance written all over his storyline, an apostate "rebel for life" and a sexually liberated smuggler. Most of player's companions follow their own goals over the course of the game, choices that sooner or later may intertwine with the main storyline of the game in some surprising fashion.

DA2 goes for more personal and down to earth experience, perfectly exemplified by Aveline's companion quest in Act 2, where we try to help her express her feelings to another NPC. A comedy of mistakes and awkward silences is more entertaining than you'd expect, and end result, if successful, brings a smile to your face.

Biggest innovation Dragon Age 2 brought to RPG universe is the timeline. Most RPG games remain oblivious to the passage of time. Game takes us from from Prologue in year 0, through Act 1 one year after that, Act 2 three years later, and Act 3 another three years after that. This distinct time window gives player a unique chance to see the effects of their actions in a long term perspective...

But is also another wasted asset, as the city of Kirkwall and their inhabitants don't change over the course of the storyline. Over the years, city itself looks exactly the same, characters you meet look exactly the same and even their outfits (outside of romance options) don't go through much alteration over the period of almost a decade.

Small, yet vital part that requires a strong suspension of disbelief, that in the world shaped by your actions, nothing really changes. Especially lack of customisation of your companions sting throughout the game. You can find upgrades to their specific armours across the game, but those don't change the appearance of your friends, only boost their stats.

Overall, Dragon Age 2 is a game that was heavily plagued by a hybrid playstyle, without enough development time to make it work and even less to polish it.

The game was clearly put together in a hastily manner and it shows in almost every aspect of the game, except storyline, which was probably drafted out long before the actual development of the game began.

Reuse of assets and locations becomes obvious the more you play, and while it would be excused if the game was coming from a small developer with very limited resources, it shouldn't be the case when talking about BioWare.

Stepping very closely, in the shadow of Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age 2 is a very different game, desperately trying to tell not only a different story, but a different type of story. 

Falling short due to being underdeveloped and rushed.

Final Recommendation:

It's a game to be enjoyed slowly, and not for the depth fighting mechanic. Especially on harder difficulties, where frustration of fighting the system is as annoying as fighting the same trash mobs over and over again.

Enjoying the story and the characters is much more rewarding than anything else in this game.

The grey area of choices and good set of supportive characters makes it a joy to experience.

But besides that, the game should go back to development for at least another year.

989 saves.

38 hours of clocked gametime (add about 10 hours of struggling with bosses and loading earlier saves to level up different skills)

Nightmare difficulty.

Supporting Mages at the end.

Romancing Merrill.

Losing no companions in Act 2 or 3 - as they all were maxed out on the Friend side.