Lia's BK tweets archive - 2021-08-19: Pherkad posters part 1

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:31 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

To Sadal Suud!
I wonder how cringy Younger Rodolfo is going to be?

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:49 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Pherkad: still pwetty.
Milliarde: definitely That Big City Girl.

The docks of a stone city. Title card: “Pherkad, the Ancient Capital”

Milly: “Isn’t Pherkad supposed to be the biggest city in Sadal Suud?”

Milly: “What does that day about Sadal Suud... There’s nothing here.”

Sagi: “That’s OK. I like the peace and quiet. It reminds me of Hassaleh.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:51 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

As mentioned, Baelheit is ahead of us and sent some soldiers.
We get dialog options to either focus on Rodolfo or beat them up: Sagi’s enthusiastic enough, but Milly and Guillo talk us down so as always it isn’t a true branch.

Guillo: “Milliarde—I thought Sadal Suud wasn’t part of the Empire.”

Guillo: “I’m spying an awful lot of imperial soldiers.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:59 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Oh this is going to be good

Imperial soldier: “We’ve been ordered to search for three criminals, but I haven’t seen anyone resembling the posters.”

Imperial Soldier: “If you see them, be sure to tell us right away.”

Milly: “W-We seem to be attracting an awful lot of attention.”

Sagi: “Yeah... I get the feeling we ought to keep our distance...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:04 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Oh this is VERY GOOD

Textbox with a poorly drawn image of Guillo: “”Guillo the Masked Maneater” Puppet of destruction. Snatches babies and razes entire cities.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:07 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Milly is having the time of her life. But posters was plural so I think the tables are going to turn soon.
The Wanted Poster Looks Nothing Like The Person thing is a classic but it works for a reason. Also WHAT ABOUT OUR AMNESTY, BAELHEIT

Milly: “Aha ha ha ha! The masked maneater, huh?”

Guillo, eyes blazing red: “What sort of decree is this?!”

Guillo: “First of all, I do NOT have a beak!”

Sagi: “Look on the bright side—with a portrait like that, nobody will recognize you right away.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:10 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

We’re then offered the option to take the poster with us. If we decline, Milly has some more fun.

Milly: “Hey, what do you say we take this down and bring it along with us?”

Guillo: “Milliarde... You rotten wench...”

Milly: “You’re right. Why do we need the picture when we’ve got the real dingbat right here?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:12 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

If we do take it, we get this instead.
We have the option to pick it up afterward, too, I assume it’s necessary eventually.

Sagi, apologetic: “It’s not like that. We may have some use for it later.”

Sagi: “And would you rather we just leave it up here like this for everyone to see?”

Guillo: “I don’t care! Do what you want.”

Textbox: “Obtained the magna essence [blue text] Guillo Wanted Poster [end blue text]!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:16 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

We now get a bit more from the people at the back of the screen. Definitely should tear those down, then.
Guess we’ll see what Sagi and Milly look like and Guillo will have a revenge.

Grandma: “Psst, honey! You don’t think those people could be the ones?”

Grandpa: “Ayup, I was just thinkin’ the same thing. They do look sorta like those portraits...”

Milly: “Well, do you think it would help if we went around town tearing down the posters?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:48 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

There is an absolute metric fuckton of text in early Pherkad, much of it branching, so we’ll be here A WHILE

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:52 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Game, I saw those tags from unlocalized text, don’t you dare skip past them before I can grab evidence of your crimes

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:59 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Got ‘em. Not full, because it skips past as soon as they’re done printing.
Can’t tell why it would happen, especially since that’s clearly “There’s something here” and “You got a recipe”, which IS localized and present elsewhere.

Sagi dialog box, glitchy. The nametag says “@@RECIPE_S_MSGFACE0_0@@“ and the text “@@RECIPE”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:01 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Typically it’d be because you call something like a simple print function instead of one that goes through the loc database, but that’s just a guess.
The nametag glitching is interesting though! Might suggest that the portrait and nametag are linked somehow.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:03 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Aaaanyway where were we because I am thoroughly lost with all that reloading and testing branches

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:09 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Milly disappears on errands again. Not suspicious at all again.
Her poster is predictably terrible and we do not get to pick it up, Guillo’s way too amused. And we can’t leave town. Okay.

Milly: “Oh—hey, Sagi. Um, there’s this place I need to stop by while I’m here.”

Textbox with a picture of Milly in terrible heavy make-up: “”Milly the Klepto-Maiden” Known to nab everything from eyeliner to skyliner. Beware!”

Guillo: “It serves her right. Sagi, leave that one right where it is until the wench gets back.”

Sagi: “We can’t leave town without Milly. Let’s wait for her to catch up before we go anywhere.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:11 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

She rejoins at the next screen change, whether that’s upwards or in what will eventually be Palolo’s hideout (currently a wash house).

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:14 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Help there’s too much good dialog in this area

Milly: “What the heck is this poster? And what do they mean, “thief”?!”

Milly: “I come from noble stock! I’ve never done anything of the sort, not once in my whole life!!”

Guillo: “...Says the crazed wench who appeared out of nowhere, trashed half a dozen imperial soldiers...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:16 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Though there’s also, er, this

Pherkad resident: “I said, if we don’t get those glubberfish from Nashira, we’re glubber-ficially dead meat!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:19 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

There’s different dialog for EVERY. SINGLE. POSTER.

Milly: “First off, this face! What are they, BLIND?!”

Guillo: “I’d say they have a keen eye for detail.”

Milly: “Take it down, then throw it out IMMEDIATELY. Are we clear?! Lia, do you hear me?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:24 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

As we tear down posters (I assume), the people who were gossiping about them and blocking the way move on.
So we can go check out letters from Diadem, starting with Anna...

Sagi: “Hmm, it looks like the two old folks who were talking have decided to move on.”

Shop letters UI, showing three unread letters: “It’s Anna!”, “From the Master of Mischief!”, and “From Gibari”

Letter: “How are you? We’ve finally started fishing again here in Nashira!”

Letter: “The dumb Empire made us miss the peak season, but otherwise things are finally back to normal.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:26 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

She’s very concerned about Gibari’s lack of braincells and state. Emotional support greythorne...?

Letter: “We’re still repairing the big hole Gibari made in the wall...”

Letter: “I think that lunk has already forgotten about the hole AND the secret passage.”

Letter: “Actually, Gibari’s been kind of down. He just mumbles to this greythorne all day. It’s not like him.”

Letter: “Next time you visit, could you try to cheer him up a little?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:29 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Palolo doesn’t have much to say besides hinting we might run into each other again.

Letter: “Normally I’d just show up in a whirlwind, but I thought a letter might make for a fun change of pace.”

Letter: “Anyway, thanks for the help in Diadem! A mischief pro such as myself is always up for a chance to do some damage.”

Letter: “Speaking of which, I think it’s time to relocate.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:31 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Gibari, you’re an absolute disaster and so is your kingly friend, JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER DANGIT

Letter: “A lot’s happened. Everything feels a little mixed up... But I’m not sick or nothing, don’t worry!”

Letter: “I feel kind of weird asking you this, but is Kahn OK?”

Letter: “If you’re ever back at Elnath, check up on him for me, will you?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:35 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

There’s a group of kids blocking a door due to storytime. Adorable.

Adult: “Now remember, if you don’t listen to what I say, Guillo the Masked Maneater will come for you.”

Kid: “But wait... If that’s Guillo, where are all the spikes like in the pictures?”

Guillo, eyes blazing red: “Silence, brats! Those pictures aren’t me!!”

Kid: “Are you really, really Guillo the Masked Maneater?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:36 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Guillo is handling that whole posters thing very healthily

Sagi: “What were you thinking? You almost caused a huge scene.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:40 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

There’s a helpful old man that points us towards Rodolfo, and then traps us in a lengthy useless conversation where I of course had to test the equally useless branches.

Old man: “That’s his estate. Just walk right on up this hill and you’ll be there in no time.”

Old man: “Does that mean this is your first time in town?”
Dialog choice: “Yes, sir” and “We’ve been once before”

Old man: “Ain’t this a great city, though? ‘Least as far as backwater cities go?”
Dialog choice: “My kind of place!” and “Not exactly...”

Old man: “Right?! They just blab and blab and blab and blab—they’re all blabbermouths, every last one!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:44 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

And on that day Pherkad came very close to being destroyed

Sagi: “There’s no way anything as savage as all that could really be roaming through the streets.”

Milly: “You think so? The way Guillo lights up and goes on those rampages, I’d say it’s pretty close.”

Guillo: “Would you mind if I reduced the soldiers, the wench, and this whole blasted city to a pile of ashes?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:53 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

In the bar is a bunch of flavor text, from community organizing against Rodolfo’s takeover...

Bar customer 1: “As a result, we’ve all decided as a community to get together to discuss Pherkad’s future.”

Bar customer 2: “That wiley, money-grubbin’ buffoon just up and moved in on his own! He’s not qualified to lead us.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:57 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

... to Imperial Soldiers being terrible but markedly more human than in EW...

Empire Soldier 1: “Hey, is it really okay for us to just be shooting the breeze in a place like this?”

Empire Soldier 2: “What are you talking about? This is reconnaissance! We’re gathering information!”

Empire Soldier 2: “I hear the local specialty mountain apple wine’s secret recipe has been kept in the family for ages.”

Empire Soldier 1: “Leave it to these hicks to brag. I guess it does taste a bit better than the cheap Alfard booze.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:59 PM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

... to confirming Sagi’s age - SO YOUNG - and getting denied alcohol. Good.

Inspection text: “This cask is full of mountain apple wine.”

Chubby Bartender: “Whoa, wait, hey. You guys are still minors, aren’t you?”

Chubby Bartender: “Then sorry, but no alcohol for you. How’s about a nice tall glass of pow milk instead?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:02 AM · Aug 20, 2021 Permalink

The bartender has a sidequest to remove chronic fatigue via quest magnus. We must do it three times for a Sedna piece.
The dialog confirms that blank magnus /specifically/ are known as an Alfard thing.

Chubby Bartender: “If that’s really the case, do you think you could take away this exhaustion with them?”

Textbox: “Obtained the magna essence [blue text] Chronic Fatigue [end blue text]!”

Sagi: “Ugh, but what is this? All of a sudden, I’m exhausted...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:04 AM · Aug 20, 2021 Permalink

How dare you be realistic, game

Textbox: “Wait, Lia... We can’t go throwing away [blue text] Chronic Fatigue [end blue text].”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:04 AM · Aug 20, 2021 Permalink

That’ll mean reloading because three of those is nasty, and I’ll look up the sidequest ‘cause I don’t want to be stuck with them for hours. The combat is annoying enough for me as it is.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:08 AM · Aug 20, 2021 Permalink

... You just get stuck with them for hours. GREAT.
Anyhow, that’ll do it for today. Next time I go make sure I didn’t miss anything and probably spend 30 minutes on a single screen again.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:23 AM · Aug 20, 2021 Permalink

It’s almost overwhelming how dense this game is compared to EW. I’m still on disc 1, there is SO MUCH flavor text, so many details and small bits of humor, and minor branches all over the place.
And so much is optional. E.g. those letters suggest Nashira has changed now.