So I last played this several months back (if memory serves, it was shortly after the orc camp was first introduced) and... Ohmigosh, I
love the new Jezera/Alexia events! By which I specifically mean the big romance scene between the two, and the whip scene, neither of which are actually "new" to anyone who's been keeping up to date. And I can't comment on the
actually new scene, because I somehow managed to download the last version instead of the new one.
The romance scene I love because it feels like an actual
romance, even if you know that Jezera's just playing a role - and even then, Jezera's specific appeal ("Be more than yourself. Be more than a housewife. Go out and seize the world.") sounds like the kind of character growth that Alexia would really benefit from even after Jezera moves on to someone new... Unlike most NTR stuff I've seen, you're left rooting for the pair, despite the fact that Alexia is otherwise happy with her current relationship and Jezera will find someone new next week. Sure, the relationship might not last forever, but she'll be a better person for it at the end... If one sets aside the fact that it ends with her in service to literal demons.
Though, I am kind of left wondering at times just how much of it is an act on Jezera's part... Like, "most of it" would be my guess, but she really does seem genuinely upset with Rowan for undervaluing Alexia, and when he makes mistakes that hurt her; similarly, she suggests replacing Alexia as a replacement if they have to discard Rowan, so she doesn't
just value her as leverage over her husband.
As for the whipping event... It's just the
perfect depiction of the abused becoming the abuser; of Alexia taking all of the hurt and the pain she feels, and reflecting it upon someone else; of taking those first couple of steps down a dark, dark road. Starting with the first few justifiable reasons ("You tried to get me fucking raped and tortured!" "You insulted me to my face!"), moving on to her general sorrows ("Is
everyone in this damned place trying to have sex with me!?" "I'm just a pawn in the hands of others"), until finally she's just having fun with it (or just tires herself out or whines about her marriage, if you take the
boring options
) until she recoils in horror in fear that she just killed a man for her own amusement. A perfectly executed portrayal of how someone like her turns to the dark side, to the point where the sex scene afterward feels a bit superfluous. That said, I'm not certain which version of it I prefer - the one where there's no hint that the man was anything but what he appeared to be, or the one where he's actually a succubus in disguise, employed to deliberately corrupt her. On the one hand, I like any time where Jezera's scheming, but on the other... It's nice to see Jezera do something nice for Alexia, even when it furthers her own ends and is kind of horrifying.
Just as an idle thought, though... In the future, say an act or two down the line, I wonder if she might take matters into her own hands, rather than go through Rowan or one of the twins. I mean, she knows who's important in the castle and who isn't, and it's not like the twins particularly value most of the staff - if she were to order a couple of guards to round up the workers and toss them into a deep, dark pit, it seems like they're more likely to be amused than upset with her overreach, especially since she could well have earned one of their backing by then.
(Also as an idle thought, Alexia totally has a point with the "Why does he have to keep them in his room!?" thing - bringing Helanya back is one thing, keeping her in his room is quite another...)
In short - I really, really like the way the two characters interact in the latest content, and very much look forward to the day when Alexia
isn't under the influence of a 'cubi when she stabs Rowan in the back while he's attacking Jezera.
