Real Lich Hours 46: Wyrm's Crossing
Added 2024-10-27 20:17:47 +0000 UTCIn this episode we trade flesh in Baldur's Gate.
Other Segments:
Deities and Demigods: Sharess
Legends and Lore: The Naabor family tree
Fiend Folio: Nymphs
Comments
Went into the romance bit expecting astarion to be a kink king, and found out Halsin is an ABSOLUTE FREAKY BOI. Out of left field for me, because he felt like the boy scout lol.
Justin Schmidt
2024-12-09 14:47:11 +0000 UTC100% agree about the Emperor romance coming out of nowhere. When it started giving me prompts to flirt I was did a “this is dumb” chuckle. Butttttt, my bard “Fun is My Middle Name” would definitely bang anything with face tentacles, so alas, I flirted.
Nick Sayers
2024-11-01 13:04:20 +0000 UTCI don't really give Witcher 1 a pass at all, the only consideration is that it's Old. CDPR eventually got better at romance stuff. In Witcher 1, collecting sex experiences as nudie cards sucks, to me. We talk about this more in a future episode where we read some responses, but basically: I buy that the Emp is manipulating you, but the relationship previously did not have any hints at romance, to me, and it's weird that he seduces you in Mindflayer form rather than guardian form. There's interesting bits about this in cut content, where explicitly, the emperor figure wasn't just a psychic projection of your idealized mate. It seems like by going full tentacle sex, it's not really making a tactical strike against the center of the bell curve, to me. GB
Duckfeed.tv
2024-10-31 22:49:50 +0000 UTCI would disagree with the characterization that the romance came out of the blue in that he spend a good part of the game getting in your good graces. Admittedly most of it was under the guise of a totally different creature as the Guardian. This is done well enough that you get Reddit poster that will give testimonies on how their significant other on initial play through was expressing desire to eventually romance the Guardian. The subtext of the post is “wait till the big reveal and he or she find out the Guardian is a mindflayer”. Still it suggest that they did lay down ground work for emotional attachment to the Emperor. And in act 3 before the sex proposal , you have a chance to comfort him and you do get to learn about him pre squid phase. Again laying down more ground work. In real life those are really flimsy basis for a sexual relationship but this is a game. And I am not sure the gift giving basis of Dragon Age Origin or even worse the treatment of sexual relationships as items to be collected in Witcher 1 (and which you seem to give a pass to because it was novel idea) is much better. As to his motivation, I agree with other commentators who said that he is trying to use it as another tool to manipulate you to be closer to him. I find him to be narcissistic and manipulative in every step of the way which is why I never romance him in any of my play throughs. Some people excuse his behavior as being tithe influence of being turn into a mindflayer and yet there is Omeluum who is nice and self sacrificing. In my opinion both the Emperor and Omeluum retain their original personality to a large extent. Finally the whole sex with a Mindflayer concept do set up the defense for how you may actually have a chance of keeping your romance if you decide to become a Mindflayer in the final act. The sex with mindflayer is definitely not my cup of tea but I guess I don’t object to it being there. Maybe it is because I really don’t like the Emperor and have no objection to harshly turning him down and than having him reveal his true color.
Andrew Leung
2024-10-31 21:59:55 +0000 UTCThis episode prompted me to search for "mindflayer tentacle porn" on the internet (for science), and I assure you there were results! When I encountered the Emperor "romance" (does it develop at all?) in my first playthrough, I ended up thinking the awkwardness was text. Mindflayers strategize; they don't fall in lust or love. It felt to me like the Emperor was trying to shore up his alliance with me by any means necessary since I'd expressed an interest in him (again, for science) but was also pursuing ways to free Orpheus. The Emperor romancing me was another layer of manipulation. Did I fall for it? No. He did not seem disappointed.
Joseph
2024-10-30 21:58:57 +0000 UTCSo I’m writing in to respond to your question about the Emperor romance. I have a theory about this. So my understanding is, canonically, mindflayers do not experience emotions in the same way humanoids do, and the emotions they do experience tend to be negative. As we get into Act 3, we start finding literature on mindflayers that says as much. Conversely, we also have characters like Omeluum and the Emperor, who seem very human. I think the writing here is actually incredible, because I think the game is trying to convince us that the Emperor is romantically interested in Tav after their shared experiences, the Emperor protecting Tav, and Tav’s support against the Gith honor guard. I don’t think the Emperor actually has feelings for Tav, I think the Emperor is trying to make itself seem more human in order to elicit empathy and compassion so that the players are less likely to want to free Orpheus and are more likely to support the Emperor. I think the Emperor has a vested interest in players become more or fully illithid, and the more attached a player feels to the Emperor, the more likely it is they make that choice. I think the Emperor showing Tav its hideout and sharing bits of its personal history are ways to bolster this manipulation. So I think you’re both right—mindflayers don’t engage in sex the same way humans do, and the sex is not for the Emperor, it’s to further bond Tav with the Emperor. If this is the case, this “romance” is entirely narratively-driven and can actually significantly alter the player’s endgame trajectory.
Natalie Garro
2024-10-30 19:50:27 +0000 UTCIt's not so much that you can't turn him down, it's that he hits on you regardless of your previous behavior. Once he does, you can say no, and he's sheepish. -GB
Duckfeed.tv
2024-10-30 18:51:21 +0000 UTClol
Duckfeed.tv
2024-10-30 18:49:53 +0000 UTCAs a certified monsterfucker, I'm happy to confirm that the Emperor sex scene was put into the game for me personally. Or at least it felt like it. He ticks so many boxes! The implication I'm being manipulated via mind control, the mouth tentacles, the likelihood of impending death? Love it! I'd tell y'all to stop yucking my yum, but I'm also into getting my yum yucked so have at it boys!
Tygre
2024-10-30 12:23:55 +0000 UTCI'll admit though, that squid sex is just something evidently grody, to me, so I think the manipulation read would come across a lot better if he disguised himself as your guardian, or a more knockout hottie. -GB
Duckfeed.tv
2024-10-29 22:49:58 +0000 UTCI can see it, but it still feels like he could lay more track/know better? -GB
Duckfeed.tv
2024-10-29 22:37:04 +0000 UTCThere is a response to the emperor's dialogue in one interaction where you can say something like "I'd rather we keep things professional" and there's responses to his missing Stelmane that are politely nice without being come-ons, but I think the Emperor "romance" is him trying to seduce and influence you. I think that more than anything he wants you to be on his side and that romance or seduction is just another way of him trying to lock that in.
Emily K (EmK Ultra 64)
2024-10-29 21:32:42 +0000 UTCI actually take the Emperor's sex scene to be a pretty good joke -- I would guess that Larian are aware that, when presented context-free with the "you need a guardian" character creation screen, a nontrivial fraction of players will think, "I have no idea what this is about, so I'm gonna make a pretty lady and hope I can romance her later". (Or maybe I'm just telling on myself here.) So I think it's pretty funny that a hundred hours later they're like, "bad news, the pretty lady's actually a tentacle-covered mind control monster. but good news, you *can* have sex with it!"
Kenny
2024-10-29 16:44:15 +0000 UTCRegarding the Emperor and his relationship with the player, there is a scene you can trigger with him where he shows you his true relationship with Duke Stelmane. I believe you need to be as hostile as possible in your interactions without triggering one of the non-standard game overs. He shows you that she was just a mind controlled meat puppet with no free will and he threatens to do the same to you. I believe you even find reference to a journal of hers about her losing her will, but I may be mixing that up with the early section of Descent into Avernus. I see his advances on the player as him trying to do the same to you, in a softer way. I think they could have leaned into it a bit harder, perhaps giving the player some will saves on the later checks and softening the sex aspect to emphasize mind control more, but I can also understand not wanting a "roll wisdom to not have sex forced on you" situation to happen. Actually, thinking about it, he probably couldn't dominate you the same way he did Stelmane because he is using Orpheus to prevent the absolute from dominating you.
John Crandle
2024-10-28 17:05:48 +0000 UTCI find myself humming it at random moments, and then getting this weird wash of nostalgia. It's tadpoled into my brain, for sure
Rey D
2024-10-28 16:36:41 +0000 UTCGiven that the Emperor has your character's life and transformation paused in his tentacles, it shocks me that people in or out of the game would want to put themselves even more completely at his mercy. It's not even about monster fucking! It feels like you're encouraged to gleefully ignore the many parables and warnings about abusive relationships and addictive self-destruction within the game. Truly boggling.
Rey D
2024-10-28 16:33:40 +0000 UTCIt’s interesting to me that Gary felt it wasn’t possible to turn the Emperor down. My relationship with the Guardian was always being wary and I did get options in dialogue that didn’t feel romantic or like I was either hard turn down or hard opting in. In my experience it wasn’t as hard pressed as say Gale, where it felt like the game was really pushing it towards the romantic. But I was always keeping the guardian at arms length and didn’t opt in for comfort hugs and such a whole lot.
Christopher Grunert Pedersen
2024-10-28 13:49:55 +0000 UTCWhen it comes to the Emperor starting to flirt with the player, it actually does work for me but not because of monsterfucking. His relationship with the player is fundamentally toxic and controlling, so I think it makes some sense he makes a play no matter how the player's acted. I read him as not necessarily interested in sex or a relationship for its own sake, just as one more way he can try to cement his influence.
Chastity Anathema
2024-10-28 05:28:07 +0000 UTCI constantly miss-remember it as being an actual track from the game
Matt Bixler! Hello!
2024-10-28 02:59:27 +0000 UTCThe more hours I pour into BG3 and the more hours I spend the with music, the more impressed I am by Gwen’s show theme. Really captures the spirit of the soundtrack while being its own thing. Thanks, Gwen! I really like Minthara as well. Her VA is really good and I haven’t heard voices like hers in games very often.
Richard Cochnar
2024-10-27 20:44:40 +0000 UTC
