I don't think that's entirely true, she can lie all she wants, the problem is she doesn't do it rationally. She makes no effort to hide her hatred for you because its so great she is unable to, but there is no reason why she wouldn't lie about anything else. Suppose that nothing were to happen to the dragon, would she stay silent? No, she hates your guts so she imagines all the ways you are going to get screwed over, if she ever predicts the future its only going to be just from the fact if you keep throwing darts at the board you're bound to eventually hit. I don't think she's trustworthy at all.
I see reason in her unreasonable hatred. Lie, if not habitual - which can be the case, granted - is usually a conscious effort. It takes at least some degree of reason - and at that point she has little to none. And even if she lies - what reason there would be for HER to warn you against Issa's shenanigans? Either she does not care enough to lie anymore - or Issa's wasn't plotting against YOU.
As for trustworthiness... Yeah, LOL.
Man, sisters do not solve (or exacerbate) their sibling issues by making each other fuck a dragon. Most siblings have some sort of conflict, probably why Malice doesn't want one, but the way their dynamic works is really not something you can apply reason to, its just porn logic.
I... Don't quite get what you are saying here. I think those wasn't even your words about their conflict in-harem being pure pretend. And I commented on those words specifically.
Honestly, I don't know what to comment. Even the whole topic is vague - like, sibs do conflicts in their own unique ways. It kinda-sorta feels like you are trying to umbrella term what does not need that.
He stumbles over words all the time, like he is not sure how to present himself, it's not just "we". There is a weird duality to him, he acts proper and dignified but also kind of slutty. He's a kobold but yet with none of the behaviors or looks of one. Sure it might be a sign of possession but its not a very strong one.
You have to agree - that one is
a very specific stumble. Also, his duality - or, perhaps, it would be more apt to call it mutli-facedness - runs way deeper. Have you ever tried to give him out to the wolves? He fits in the pack. And the Eburon comments that he is a natural
killer. If anything, I suspect "slutty" part being pure play-pretend to entice our Bad Dragon and not part of any real, deep duality.
So, we have someone who refers to himself as 'we' for no reason, emanated unnatural heat on death and is a killer. Makes a few clicks, doesn't it?
Problem with demon possession is he does not act like a demon, why would demons care about human lives and what happens with people? As with the hinting, the problem stems from how do you actually envision the world and setting, does it revolve all around us - the player, not the dragon - or is it it's own inner consistent world where we are only just observing? It's valid to say, why would the dev bother with these descriptions if we already know of Issa's magic transformation, but I would argue back that someone who had those things done to them *should* have such a description for world consistency and lore.
And what does "acting like a demon" even means? Zazi is one thing - a pretty conniving gal. Her brutes, on the other hand... Are brutes, naff said. Demons can vary in their methods - or even, perhaps, goals.
But the latter is pointless to argue about due to severe lack of anything concrete. Methods, however, is interesting point - we do not know the reason why Issa is trying to save people. We can probably safely assume he is sincere in this regard. But are his actions his ends - or means to?
As for consistency question - I judge from my point of view. I wouldn't have written that way - given that much emphasis to those details. For narration, such move is worse than waste - it is
misleading. Red herring is fine sometimes, but overall that is something any narrator would wish to avoid like flood and fire.
Yes, Issa's body is magically changed, which kinda begs into existence some after-effects. But on the other hand - why? And why those specific effects with specific association?
Also, IIRC, you could kill our Bussy lad at prior points. I don't remember there being anything about acrid blood, smell of petrichor and heat emanating from his body. So, it may be something event-specific.
Sidenote: can anyone recall anything about petrichor being mentioned anywhere in game? It's SOOOO SPECIFIC it begs into question a possibility of equally specific hint. So, was it mentioned before? In Malagar's section of the game, perhaps?
This I find more plausible, note that unlike other captives he can't get pregnant so he can't deliver you any kobolds. When describing his appearance, his transformation specifically, he talks about being an "inferior immitation" or something like that. I think he might just have a hidden inferiority complex and is scared of losing access to the dragon, which might explain his other behaviors.
Dude, I hate to bring it to you...
But he ain't no chick. And boys don't get preggers.
Why did you even bring this up?.. I mean - yes, you've made a likely theory on his reasons. May be true, totally - personally, I think it is to some degree.
But, like, I always viewed him in the cohort of different sort of companions. Like our chief kobbie, Captain or Eburon - hey, you can get laid with the Big Bad Wolf! Does that make him a part of our captives?
Not everyone you can fuck is part of your harem in this game. Heck, remember that gal in the Monastery? She doesn't become our captive. At all. We can just fuck her - or drop her and got Chanwe instead.
So, why focus on this part? It may be totally irrelevant. And I don't recall Issa being an attempt to make a
female kobbie. Just a prettyfying attempt, so to speak.
I don't think its all so eldritch, if you talk about what caused the last naga to disappear its said that it just happened on its own. There was no conquest, no coup, no betrayal, its almost like they just committed suicide of some sort. So I don't think it's about having some sort of a grand plan, but more that they are really depraved impulsive creatures that don't think ahead very far, they just do what they want, act what they feel like, otherwise why orchestrate your own downfall? Malice just does what she feels like, I don't think she's that different from the dragon, its just she has reality breaking powers while you do not. Though going back to how the naga just disappeared, reality breakage might be more of a side effect of them just existing rather than something they have mastery over, their eldritch nature isn't so much about them personally but more about the fact of their existence that disrupts natural laws, which can lead to them being affected by it as much as they affect others. I might be wrong about this though since I'm out of the loop on the lore.
I wasn't clear enough, forgive me. I was attempting to point out what you just did, but I got distracted mid-writing and forgot the thought.
'Eldritch' and 'fae' were my attempts to roughly encapsulate her mindset. The point were not some ultra-elaborate or literally unthinkable plans - she may just think in ways incomprehensible, that's what I was trying to say. I'd like to remind that, seemingly, the only one who had an actual meaningful conversation with Malice was Mother. Yes, an incomprehensible cryptic primordial being of an eldritch nature.
As for control over her powers - I agree that reality warping is side effect. I doubt she has much control over it, if any.
Greater question to me is, what's the point of all of this? When people talk about the weird deer thing that happens to Anne for example, people go "ah fuck consequences of my actions" but is this really to punish the player for no reason? Is this to indulge in some sort of even crazier fetishes? Why does it have to be apocalyptic, instead of just being a new world order? Why put Malice (best girl) behind some kind of bad ending state? Is it really meant to be bad? Is it an excuse for the writer to go off his meds? So many questions.
I think those people are silly, no offense. Game did little to warn, giving us vague portents of doom. Not that I blame the devs, but there was little way for us to properly realize the danger beforehand. "The end is nigh!" isn't a great warning, it's not specific in the slightest besides the scope of the problem. Of course, such vagueness entails nothing on waify deerification matters.
We don't even know if that's a bad ending, a doomsday or whatever else of that nature. Physics break - yet is there actual suffering? Deerie-Ann doesn't seem to suffer. Does that now-bewinged boy?
Malice is a roaring fire of Armageddon that melts the world into unrecognizable shapes - yet is it an end? A new beginning? The Great Re-Making? Is it even bad?
Elves think that way. But we don't know if they know for sure - or if their motives aren't ulterior. They will lose their top position in the world, after all. Mother seems to embrace it - I think, hard to tell. Demons do not seem to care that much, as far as I understand.
I doubt the game gave enough puzzle-pieces to get a full picture yet. Yet, we should try anyway, I think.
