[punches the mirror] my hair looks so good

[keltena]

Finished my first playthrough of Fallen Hero: Retribution!

"Not a fan of the Rangers?" you ask innocently. "I mean, Marshal Steel can be a bit of a hard-ass if rumors are correct—"

"Wei is not the issue." The Captain cuts you off harshly enough that there's definitely bad blood there. "Charge is just difficult to work with…."

"Really?" Interesting. Wei. Not many people call Steel by his given name, and you've never heard him mention the Captain. On the other hand, Steel doesn't exactly share his private life with you. "I find that hard to imagine."

"Don't trust what you see on the screen." Ortega is a touchy subject. Is it because he's hogging the spotlight, or is there something else there? In either case, it's a sore spot and a weakness. "He's not as nice when there are no cameras around."

Ooh, someone who dislikes Ortega! Those are surprisingly thin on the ground. I don't suppose we have time to get a drink with this guy and hear some stories of That Time We Had to Deal With Fucking Charge? I want deets!

"Sounds like someone's bitter," you tease because if a random stranger can make him lose his cool by just mentioning Ortega, it will be hilarious when ADAM brings it up in a fight.

I can also accept that, I suppose!

You suppress a shiver as you look at one of the disjointed cityscapes, huddling under a cruel, caustic sun.

what is this

You can feel a drop of sweat slowly making its way down your spine, but you're not sure of the cause. It's not that hot here. So why do you feel dizzy?

It's something that's been happening in Ronan's body lately, not unease exactly, more like a feeling of familiarity. Of inevitability. Déjà vu…

...Well. The superhero we just came here to scope out has fire powers, right? :|a That's the most obvious candidate I can think of in our future, at least.

Huh, Herald really likes art. Neat. Is this what he's like about his passions when there's no PR element attached?

There is a meeting tonight that Captain Blaze is acting security for, which means that he will be isolated from the rest of the team. You're not sure exactly what the meeting is about, something about restoring the ruined Pacific Coast Highway. It should be routine, but there is a delegation attending from San Francisco to complicate matters. There have been rumors that Lord Ember, the kingpin of that city, is involved somehow.

Okay, assuming the name is indicative, that really does seem like too much fire in one place. :/ Bring an extinguisher, Jay.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ !!!

oh my god???

You'll have to lie low for a couple of days while things calm down and figure out what kinds of treats the Rat King likes.

You wouldn't have made it out safely without them.

♥♥♥

What are you even doing here? This is not you. Being nice. Smiling. Hanging out with people. Maybe you did back in your Sidestep days, but those days are long gone. No Anathema to drag you out of your funk. No Ortega to bully you into saying yes.

Herald wouldn't bully you. He's too nice for that. Too open.

The nerve of him, really.

He looks down, giving you some privacy, but there's no escaping his thoughts, bright, invasive, too honest. You tighten your shields instinctively; you need to block him out. You don't want these feelings. You want clarity. Anger. Even despair is preferable. Why is he so hard for you to ignore?

• Maybe…I don't want to.
• Herald is a lot stronger than he thinks.
• It's just another way of hurting myself.

...of course a couple chapters after I say my MC is spending time around Herald as a form of self-harm, this game explicitly gives me the option to say so. God I love this series.

"You're still a rookie." You rub your face, feeling a headache come crawling from the back of your spine. "Don't bite off more than you can chew."

"I'm not, though." His words are soft but determined. "I'm twenty-five years old. I've been a hero for seven years. I know they like to gloss over my past…." He gestures to himself, and there's a surprising spike of bitterness in the fact that so many people won't take him seriously, "But I've been doing this for a long time. I'm not a rookie. How old were you when the Heartbreak incident happened?"

…Huh. I knew his age, but I had no idea he was a hero for that long before joining the Rangers. That would make at least as many years of experience as Sidestep, wouldn't it?

Especially since Dr. Finch doesn't know anything about your shared background. You're just a nobody to her, a blank slate she's trying to fill in.

Trying to fix.

• I'm not fixable. These sessions are just camouflage.
• I'm not fixable. There are too many shards to put back together.
• I'm not sure how to feel about that.
• I hope that optimism is not misplaced.

Hmm. The actual answer for this MC is that he's concerned "Jay Hsu" is fixable, and he doesn't want her put back together ever again. But since that's understandably not available … let's say option 1.

• I want to stick around and talk with Ortega.
• I can't deal with Ortega right now. I need Spoon.
• I don't want to be me, I need Ronan and Dr. Mortum's company.

I love that those are our three options. Ortega, Mortum, or Chen's dog. The complete list of our close friends.

Oh, an actual Rosie scene! I'm so pleased.

Ahh, and actual consequences to the whole "dating(?) a superhero" thing! Excellent.

"What made you think about Locus?" That's a leap of logic you can't figure out. She's been missing since before you started your career as ADAM and you haven't seen any mentions recently that might have made her remember.

"Oh, she's been on my mind lately." Dr. Mortum looks down at her glass.

Huh. I was wondering when Locus would be followed up on. What has Dr. Mortum concerned?

Ortega.
A worried, crooked smile.
Why aren't you wearing your mask?
Oh, it's not real. Right. This part never happened.
Except in your dreams.

Warm.
Ortega's hand at the nape of your neck.
Fingers pressed against the point where your spine meets the skull.
A good place to kill a man.
One stab.

Or a handful of words.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to kiss you." Ortega's smile is quick like lightning. You've seen it so many times, sometimes even aimed at you.

But not like this. Never like this.

• "I'm not good at this," I admit, because that is the truth.
• "Scared?" I taunt, because I am. Of waking up.
• "You're going to regret this," I say, because it is a dream.
• I remain silent.
• I roll over, no sexy dreams for me.

The comedic timing of that last option killed me.

Unfortunately for Jay, he lacks the instinct to pull his hand away from Ortega before it gets burned.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ ??? (ง'̀_'́)ง ???

The Rat King's kaomoji are killing me every single time. I can't believe this game is real.

The Rat King is nervous, minds huddled together against a possible threat. First, there is another telepath here; they brushed against them very briefly. They don't think they were noticed, but any telepath would know that the dampeners are down. Could they work for the casino?

Secondly, they spotted a familiar opponent. Not anywhere close to you, just present somewhere in this room. Someone you've fought more than once, someone whose thoughts the Rat King knows intimately and will do their best to stay away from. Lady Argent.

Shit! That complicates things. More things are going on here than you imagined, but the risks are already through the roof. Are either of them here for you? For something else? Would the Rangers dare to bust this thing? Is the telepath connected to Argent? You've got no information. You'd better play this very carefully.

It seems unlikely Lady Argent is here for ADAM. I guess it's possible she tracked him here, but this isn't his usual M.O., and there's plenty of reasons to be here for the auction itself — we have two separate ones ourselves, in fact. Especially given that she's good with tech and has super tech vision — it's pretty plausible she's learned of something worth pursuing, or that Ortega has found a real lead and she was the obvious person to ask.

And I can't help but wonder if the telepath is Locus, after that mention earlier. :|a If she's been missing for almost a year, there's all sorts of ways she could have ended up in a place like this. (The funniest answer would be if she's working for Hollow Ground in some capacity, meaning that by sheer, utterly stupid coincidence, Ortega was technically right.) In any case, I really doubt they're here for us, except maybe in the capacity of being casino security. It's generally more fun (and more like this series) for the confounding factor to be someone with their own totally unrelated agenda, anyway; people have lives outside of us.

There is a pause as a man-sized container tube is rolled up onstage, strapped to a dolly. It's big, awkward, and from the look of things, heavy. Two men struggle to move it, even with the wheels underneath.

There it is! The thing you are looking for. The auctioneer presents it to the crowd as a cellular regenerator, a black-tech medical prototype, and the price tag starts at insane and will go higher. This is exactly why you are planning to steal it, not buy it.

You can feel Lady Argent's interest spike even from here, and you frown, wondering why. There's so much there to unpack, and you can't dive deep, but she wants it. She needs it. Her hand goes up to bid

1) That's going to be difficult to get away with if we need to make a run for it. :/ …Unless we can use Dr. Mortum's gun to carry it, maybe? But that's a big if given that we've never used it or been instructed on how to (and Jay lacks the tech expertise), and there's no reason to assume it's in immediately usable condition at this point.

2) Lady Argent wants the cellular regenerator! That's interesting — does she want it to help with … whatever her weird metal body is, or to replace the metal with normal flesh? The latter is the most obviously interesting option, but there's so much we don't know about going on with her, it could easily be the former too. Either way, though, the desperation suggests there's something seriously wrong enough with her body to need fixing.

Argent is fighting a woman wrapped entirely in white bandages. Over the bandages, she wears a torn gown and veil reminiscent of a wedding dress, her fur coat black like dried blood on your night-vision HUD. The bandaged woman's hands are bared like a sinister promise as she tries to touch Argent. Easier said than done, considering the fact that Argent moves like liquid silver.

Shroud. That's her name. And Lady Argent knows her….

You lock your mind down, an instinctive move, turning yourself into a rock, a chair, something nobody will notice. Because you can feel it. You can see it.

It's in the way Shroud moves as she fights. Not to punch or kick, she's trying to touch. Naked flesh, fingers splayed. A touch-based boost, but that's not what makes you freeze. It's how she positions herself. How she blocks Argent's swipes. How she anticipates and avoids.

Farm-trained.

Your breath quickens, and you bite back the panic attack. You can feel her mind. A hive of wasps.

Farm-trained telepath.

Ohhhhh. She's here for exactly the same reason as us. Of course.

Maybe I should have expected the answer to "what are those two up to" would be "independently trying to steal the exact same thing as you". :P

I'm most interested by Argent knowing her. As a villain, or...?

• I need to go. Now. Out. Fast.
• I need to know for sure. I'll stay hidden and watch.
• I will team up with Argent. Shroud needs to be taken out.
• Shroud needs to die. A Farm operative is too dangerous.

Interesting that the "I need to get out now" option is disabled. Maybe that's only intended for if you've already accomplished your goal?

Anyway… avoiding Shroud's notice is the safest bet if she's a threat, and Jay would definitely go for that if there wasn't so much on the line here. With the regenerator at stake, though… I think he'd try to team up with Argent. Crazier things have happened, and… well, it felt like they'd developed some sort of weird rapport, at least? (Pity he can't read the stat screen and see how displeased she is with their last encounter.) Plus, right now he's not quite at the point of jumping immediately to murder for what looks like another escapee.

She walks over to the far end, quickly placing explosives around an area of the floor. Nothing specific about it, but you assume that she's got plans for the layout you haven't bothered with. But how did she get the explosives through the scanner? Did she have inside help? The plot thickens.

Huh. No particular ideas at present, but noted.

Lady Argent lets out a soft sigh, removing the Oryx helmet. It unclasps, and she shakes out her long silver hair, grimacing as if the plasteel skull had left marks on her face. […]

You search for any marks on her face; you know how you look after hours in your armor. Red skin. Pressure marks. Occasional chafing. She looks perfect; she doesn't even have helmet hair.

Pfft. That's just rude.

"And you? Am I supposed to trust someone hiding behind a mask? A telepath?" Her voice is sharp as knives. "Someone who manipulates everything and everyone? I don't even know why you would want it?"

Shit. You can feel her mind growing brittle, filled with spikes. She's thinking about attacking. She's thinking about how she can't lose this chance, how stupid she was to even think she could find something in common. She wants to trust because that would be the simplest way.

But she can't. Not like this.

You need to make a decision now before she does.

• I will shoot her with Dr. Mortum's gun.
• I will try to take her down with a mental attack.
• I'll let her assemble it. I can steal it back if she tries to keep it.
• I will show her my tattoos, why I need the machine.
• I will remove my helmet and tell her who I am.

Oooooh. This is going some very interesting places.

That said, the question for now, of course, is what this MC would do. Certainly he's not going to tarnish his hard-won new identity by associating it with Jay. He's not reckless enough to go for a weapon that he's never used, can't even be sure works, and knows does horrifying things to living targets. I don't think he'd even consider leaving the machine in Argent's care; maybe she could be trusted with it, but literally anything could go wrong with it out of his hands. Assuming he could even bring himself to show the tattoos, they'd still have to convince Argent to trust him — maybe not inconceivable, given that she wants an excuse to and seems the least likely Ranger to care that he's on the run from the government, but he can't be certain that sharing his motives would be enough. Attacking telepathically is what he'd generally do in circumstances like this, but on the other hand, that backfired horribly the last time he tried it on her and he still has no idea why.

…

Wow. I think his most likely choice really would be the tattoos. (Note: I reserve the right to go back on this statement if said choice involves baring his chest.)

Achievement: Trust
You've willingly trusted someone with the fact that you are a Re-Gene.

Oof. That achievement pop-up, of all things, hit me right in the heart.

Your hand is shaking; you almost falter before the Rat King curls up around your mind, instinctively trying to protect you. But there's no outside enemy, not this time. Just your hidden fears and they can't protect you from that.

But they try.

;____;

This wasn't expected to be a lasting association; that's why you used Ronan. Safely anonymous, get what you want, and then walk away. It should have been easy, and instead, you've found yourself acting out this little charade. Getting close. Liking it. So far, she has not suspected anything, but can you really keep this up forever? Maybe you should try to explain. Even if you don't tell her the whole truth, maybe you can make a start? Maybe it's worth the risk to meet so you can establish a relationship in your real body, as Ronan's boss.

• Ronan will deliver the gun, as always.
• I will meet with Dr. Mortum in person.
• I'll meet her as Ronan and tell the truth

You have no idea how excited I am that this is finally happening (!!!).

…

Not that I think it's actually happening now in this file. I mean, it sure as hell isn't happening in Jay's body. Now that I think about it, he might seriously be weighing his options here, but not out of any desire to reveal the truth — more because he really doesn't want Dr. Mortum to learn he's a Re-Gene from someone else, and there's no way to reveal that without the rest coming down around him…

… I can't fucking believe I managed to make a character who would rather come out as a lab-grown superspy in hiding than come out as trans.

Hrm. Given that I'm not at all sure if Jay would take that leap, I think I'm going to decide based on the fact that he would not, in fact, be willing to tell the truth for the sake of coming clean. Sorry, Dr. Mortum; maybe next playthrough I'll bring someone who will only lie to your face for a year.

There's a mug on the windowsill that catches your attention. There it is. Ortega's mug. The one you gave him in all its chipped glory. Another joke that backfired when he took it seriously enough to keep it. And next to it…

Next to it…

Another mug. Cracked. Familiar. You pick it up, running your fingers over it, memories flowing back. It used to be yours back when you visited the Rangers. A novelty Sidestep mug, now broken and glued together, like a reflection of your own fate. Did Ortega give it to you, or was it Anathema? You can't remember.

Why can't you remember?

"What happened to my mug?" you ask, half expecting Ortega to turn around. But he continues to cook.

"I dropped it," he admits. "After you…" Words drowned by the hiss of frying meat. Real beef. Bringing out the good stuff. "I was a mess. Didn't keep up with my medication. I had an attack and…"

keltena can't come to the phone right now, they're having too many emotions ;__;

"Why didn't you tell Tía Elena I'm alive?" It takes a moment for you to realize that the question is your own, breaking the quiet moment in the most brutal way possible. Ortega's mother has been a nonsubject between you for months, to the point where you had to do some research on your own to make sure she was still alive. She is; she has just moved out of town.

"Pues, eso fue un golpe bajo." Ortega doesn't turn around but keeps fiddling with the food. "Why do you think I haven't?"

"You haven't talked about her." You keep watching his back, trying to read his thoughts in the way his muscles tense up. "And she hasn't insisted on seeing me. It's not hard to add up."

"I just…" A soft curse as he turns the heat down, moving some pots around. "I didn't know how to tell her."

1) Oh, right! I remember wondering if Ortega's mother was still in the picture, but I'd forgotten until now.
2) oh god I don't know enough Spanish to read that. *frantically googles Sp→En dictionaries*
3) Oof.

"It's not that hard." You're not sure how to feel about it. Do you want him to? Are you ready for that interrogation? Or…is that what you want? "Just tell her."

"She'd want to know more. She'd want to see you, and…" Ortega's voice doesn't exactly crack. "I was afraid it would be too much. I was afraid you'd leave."

Oof. :(

"Just bring me the dishes," you say, starting to prepare. It's not that bad, you have an excuse not to look at him, and you can keep your hands busy.

Maybe he feels the same, his chatter going light and airy as you start to wash up. Mundane. As if you weren't the former marshal and the newest villain. As if you were just people.

People doing dishes, telling jokes.

It's so easy to feel human around him. So easy to ignore the fear. Your sleeves are rolled up to your elbows. Anything more would risk revelations you aren't ready for, but even like this, the scars are enough for conversation.

"Be careful," he says, sneaking up behind you. Something is pulled over your head, and it takes a moment for you to realize it's not a noose but an apron.

I don't have anything particular to add, I just love how well scenes like this paint the experience of being in the protagonist's head.

Oh god, Ortega expressing romantic interest in Jay is basically his nightmare scenario. How do you set the boundary "Sorry, this dialogue option is only available when I'm a man"?? Can't we just go back to you kissing Ronan, Ortega? Or hell, even ADAM, if you really want?? Some less female version of us???

Everybody nods as you enter. You've been moving up in the world and people know it. Know your boss. Know you.

It's a strange feeling, to be known. To have people look at you in recognition and be unable to push their attention elsewhere. It's even stranger to feel like you don't have to, that it's okay to be looked at. Admired. Wanted. Is it easier because your puppet is a man? An uncomfortable question you're not sure how to address. It shouldn't be important.

And yet, you can't quite dismiss it. Later, you tell yourself. Later.

God, I never stop being thrilled by the way this game lets your character question their gender. It's really something special.

"Just a word of warning." Joe lowers his voice as he pours you another drink. "Don't make trouble tonight. I can't back you if you do. I like you, but I've got to think about the bar. Play it cool."

"What?" you ask, confused. "I'm not about to do anything? What are you…?" But Joe has already turned away. What was that? He sounded scared. That's not something you've heard before. He used to be a villain; he doesn't scare easily.

You're about to call him over when two men lean down on each side of you, too close for comfort, boxing you in.

"I was hoping I'd run into you here." Jake's grin is wide and predatory, and he places a hand on your shoulder in a far-too-friendly way. No warmth there; he wants to discourage running. "Let's have a friendly chat, you and me."

Look, there were two more people besides my boss stealing that regenerator and a whole other person hiring them to steal the gun and I don't see you menacing all of them! Or their employees who are completely separate people from them, for that matter.

ADAM,

It's time we talked face-to-face. Be at the cellar bar in Parkfield, Monday evening at nine. Come alone, no armor.

Hollow Ground

PS. There's a dress code. Play nice.

Shit. Tomorrow evening. At least it's somewhat polite, as far as ultimatums go.

No armor. That removes one of your weapons. It's a safe assumption that there might be dampeners, ADAM is known as a telepath, and the Boulevard Casino was riddled with them. Without the helmet, your secret identity would be on display, which you assume is one of the reasons for the demand. Get something on you. Bring you in line.
[…]
You rub your face, suddenly tired. Can you outrun this? Maybe. But it would be war. They've already proven that they know where your puppet spends his time. Do they know his address too? There might be collateral damage if you don't show up.
[…]
It wouldn't be hard killing Ronan to send a message. Or Rosie.

But maybe you could mitigate the danger. Have a talk. Explain your circumstances. It's not the right time to start a war; you're not ready for that yet. The question is how much to risk.

You know the time and the place, but you have the option of two bodies.

• I will go as my puppet, he is expendable.
• I will go as Ronan, I'm more confident in that body.
• I will go as Jay, no need to antagonize anyone.
• I will go as myself. It's worth the risk.

Oooh. That's a really, really interesting choice.

Personally, I'm very curious to see the results of coming in person. But unfortunately, I think Hollow Ground has miscalculated here. ADAM isn't a rational actor who can be coerced into giving up his secret identity — for him, appearing without his armor is the worst-case scenario.

Ronan will just have to do. (And from this side of the fourth wall, I'm not especially worried about his safety. That mention of Rosie has me legitimately antsy, though…)

"Excuse me?" You hadn't noticed the woman until she spoke to you, which is never a good sign. Professional. She's short, almost petite, older than her clothes imply. High heels and a patient smile, wrinkles hidden under meticulous makeup. Deadeye. That's her name, at least on the street. Hard to kill and a good shot. A boost, as far as you know. Working for Hollow Ground.

"I'm here for a meeting," you say because you can see the question in her eyes. "I was told to wait at the downstairs bar."

"Of course." She nods, motioning for you to follow. "Right this way."

She shows you through the door marked Private opposite the bar, it opens quietly, and you get the impression that while the surface is veneer, the core might be steel.

The click as it closes behind you is ominous.

"Just straight through here." She leads you down a corridor, with polished red concrete floors and walls hung with prints. You wish you didn't get the feeling that this is an easy place to hose down if needed.

"Are you joining us?" You try for friendly conversation.

"Oh no, I'm not privy to her secrets," she says with no small amount of bitterness. Interesting. "I'll be waiting out here just in case my talents are needed. Go right ahead."

Ahh, I do love that streetwise trait. And I am always here for minor NPC drama and intrigue.

There's a haunting similarity to her face, not like looking into a mirror, but if you squint, you could see yourself there.

Well, it's interesting to know what the exact degree of resemblance is. :|a

"The armor stays on," you clarify, wondering if Hollow Ground can smell your lies. She is too calm, too focused. If she snapped, you imagine it wouldn't be pretty. "Which makes a meeting like this complicated."

"Why?" Her fingers lace together again, rings clicking.

• "Quite frankly, trust. A secret identity is important."
• "I'm not sure. I've never seen their face myself."
• "A life support system, they have no choice."

That third option is incredible. If only Jay was the type to actually try that.

Larry walks over to the car to open the door for you, and his eyes widen in surprise, darting upward. "Wha…?"

You know that look. You've seen it enough times during your days as a hero, and you brace yourself for whatever is about to happen. A miracle, hopefully.

Your vision has gone white. All you can hear is the thud of a body hitting metal, the crackle of lightning, and the stench of ozone as it fills the air.

—ahhh, of course! It had completely slipped my mind 'til this moment that Ronan is dating(?) a superhero with a vendetta against Hollow Ground.

"Keep still!" Jake's voice, another shot, another laugh from Ortega.

"Not likely." He raises his voice. "Get in the car, Ronan." You recognize that tone, the Marshal ordering civilians around.

"I can't see," you whimper, but nearly tripping over the open door helps, and once inside, all cars feel the same. Driver's seat. Steering wheel. Keys…good, the keys are in the ignition. The engine purrs to life as you start it, you hope…yes, good. It's an automatic.

Now to get the hell out of here.

Oh. Oh I do not like that. Wasn't there a whole ominous premonition moment back in Rebirth about the thought of Ortega being in a car crash? At the time I thought maybe it was something to do with their accident in the past, but that doesn't seem to be how our puppet's powers(?) work. I am very worried.

"Don't bother lying to me." The sadness in Ortega's voice makes your stomach turn, but he shows no mercy as he continues. "I know about your visits to Joes. Your criminal contacts. That's why I approached you in the first place."

"Approached me." You can feel your mouth twitch. So it wasn't just a chance meeting then. "You mean flirted with me."

"Yes." The admission is a quiet one.

Oh. OHHH.

That's why they acted so uncharacteristically surprised to be recognized. That's why they leap to find your puppet and get them under supervision after the gala, even if you barely know each other. That's why they take it in stride so easily if you know about the Special Directive. That's why they had no problem just casually taking us on a dangerous recon mission — the fact that we might be recognized was a bonus, not an accident. Of course.

I can't believe I've spent all this time mocking the MC for being such a terrible judge of Ortega's character and I never even considered. This is the exact kind of oversight I've been making fun of them for this whole time! I got that Ortega had way more idea than they let on about the MC, and it did occur to me that realistically they must have learned who the puppet really worked for by now and not told us, but I just… I always assumed that the Puppet/Ortega relationship was there to be the (seemingly) nice, normal-person relationship in Ortega's life, in contrast to the MC. I mean, it had a clear place in the narrative! It wasn't a mystery — you don't question something that has perfectly good reason to be there.

It never even occurred to me that the puppet existed in the same world as Ortega before they met.

—I can't believe the fact that Ortega does whichever sport you pick was fucking foreshadowing. Holy shit, that's genius. That's evil. It's such an utterly standard game convention, no reasonable person would ever in a million years suspect it had any bearing in-universe. What was that line from the aikido path again — "looking like she's been wearing hakama all her life, the black belt around her waist adding to that impression"? Oh, you motherfucker.

The funniest fucking thing is that I have spent all this time thinking the Ortega/Puppet relationship was the BASIC, STRAIGHTFORWARD identity porn option of the bunch. Classic, vanilla identity porn! In contrast to the Mortum one with its fascinating, innovative new subgenre of "worries that your boss, who is secretly you, is bad for you (and is, albeit in a different sense than they intend, absolutely right)". I have literally explained it to people in those terms! AND ALL ALONG IT WAS THIS.

In retrospect, Ortega pursuing a relationship that wasn't an obviously terrible idea should have been a dead giveaway.

God, this is just perfect. I thought I was already enjoying this storyline for what it was, and then it yanked the rug out from under me to reveal I'd been playing with half the score the whole time! I feel like an idiot in the best possible way for never putting it together!

I'm not sure these paragraphs fully convey the depths of my reaction. I am literally bouncing with glee here. I have been bursting into disbelieving, delighted cackles periodically for the past 45 minutes! I can't believe this is happening and it's not even my birthday.

Getting slapped in the face with the "Was it all just a lie?" conversation from the opposite direction I'd always expected is the perfect cherry on top.

(Unfortunate that Ronan automatically uses "she" for ADAM, but oh well, you can hardly program a game to read minds. I'll just mentally replace.)

"You're dead. It doesn't matter." Whatever else this is, death is inescapable. Memories don't count; they're only a reflection of your own insecurities. You know that.

"So were you," Anathema says, a cryptic little smile on her lips. "Things change."

"Not for me. Not the things that matter." You know that look. But a memory of your best friend can't cheer you up. She'll be cobwebs and dust come morning.

Just casually tossing in that "your best friend", in passing, is one hell of a power move from the author.

have…have you been here before?

shattered in darkness a thousand pieces in the sky like stars

oh if you could be oil and melt together again

reflecting unseen rainbows

oil burns. oil poisons the ground. oil and tar and animals that sink and are preserved and then someone will dig them up and put their bones on display and say "this was a woman."

wrong. of course.

was a man…

lies.

I don't even have the words.

Just. God.

It's a lie because you were never seven. Never a child. Fake dreams. Fake childhood stolen from someone lucky to have one. Venice Beach was a ruin long before your time, the remnants home to gangs and drug lords. Did someone add this to the chipped memories you were equipped with before decanting? Why?

So that's why. They're literally implanted with memories. I was driving myself crazy trying to make sense of some of the details in Rebirth without that knowledge.

But do you want to get lost? Or lose yourself? Your face is the face of a masked stranger, and all the mirrors are reaching out to grab. You. To catch. You. To take you and dress you up and turn you into what they want.

You're just a reflection. Someone else is the mirror.

They make you tall, back bent, hands like claws. They make you short, reaching up, claws scratching to be noticed. You have no control. All you can do is pass from frame to frame, pawed by unseen fingers until you realize there is only one way out. Break it. Break the chains that bind you. Break and smash and tear away at the face of your enemy. The face that's in the mirror.

Masks are long discarded.

You clench your fist.

• The face in the mirror is Jay.
• The face in the mirror is Ronan.
• The mirror is black, with something moving in the depths.

I want to make something clear here. When I started this game, I expected great things along the lines of the game so far. But I was by no means expecting it to take quite a turn quite like this.

I was not expecting this and it's a frankly magical experience.

A hospital room. Not a cell. So far, so good. There's a window with the blinds down, showing daylight. You're not sure how long you have been under, but it's at least the next day. Maybe more, there's no clock in here that you can see. How long would you have been on the operating table? Hard to tell without knowing what the damage was. It looks bad. It feels worse.

There's a visitor's chair pulled over to your bed, so someone must have been waiting for you to wake up. There are no flowers on the small table, no magazines, nothing that could be used as a weapon. The closest thing would be the IV stand, but that would be if you stood up. Which you can't.

When you look down at them, your arms are bare, short sleeves revealing no tattoos. You're still in Ronan's body.

This makes no sense. Normally you go back to your own body when Ronan falls asleep. You know that. You've tested that. But you suppose that a traumatic accident might be a new set of circumstances. This wasn't peacefully going to sleep or slipping out of your own volition. Maybe it's a survival reflex, like keeping your grip on a lifeline even if nearly unconscious.

Well. That could be very dangerous if anyone's thought to/thinks to check on Jay in that time span. I mean, obviously it's also very dangerous that Ronan is trapped in a place where he can't go comatose unobserved! I don't think I'd fully thought through until now how huge a problem it could be for the puppet to be captured.

"You might as well tell me everything." Ortega is trying to avoid sounding eager, but you know him. He's a bloodhound who finally has a trail to follow. "You are in enough trouble as it is."

The question is where you should lead him. What kind of relationship do you have with ADAM, or rather, what kind of relationship do you want to project?

• I'm loyal and protective, despite everything.
• It's just business. I'm a mercenary.
• I have no choice and am scared.

God. The last thing Jay feels like doing at a time like this is thinking carefully about Ronan's characterization.

But given that he has no choice and is running out of fucks to give, I think he'd default to either defiance or trying desperately to salvage Ronan's relationship with Ortega, so either the first or last option. …I'm going to say last; the first is harder to do in this body.

Ortega, have you considered not having serious relationship talks five seconds before you tell people they're under arrest?? Like, holy shit, you creep, no wonder all your relationships crash and burn. Learning to wait one (1) whole minute would revolutionize your game!

Epilogue

Oh shit, that's where we're leaving off? Damn.

"You know I needed to deal with the old man today. I couldn't be stuck on the phone all morning." Hollow Ground swings her legs over the side, pushing the sunglasses to her forehead.

"Got done early enough to laze around here."

"Come on, Noe, can you blame me? You know it takes a lot out of me." Hollow Ground gets to her feet, shrugging on a shirt before following her back inside.

"He's still twitchy then?" Nocturne moves over to the bar, putting ice in the shaker as she prepares to make another drink.

"Not anymore." Hollow Ground slides up on the barstool. "There's nothing to worry about."

The plot here is thick enough you could cut it with a knife.

Hollow Ground and Nocturne's dynamic is very cute.

Perhaps it is time to contact the Guardians. She needs more information. They are paid far too well to sit idle; it is time she reminds them that there is more to their work than appearing on television and dealing with the occasional threat. Time for the newest member to show that he is worth her effort in recruiting him. She approved the new suit and helmet design last month to give him a clean break from his past.

…I should know who that's referring to, I know it. Why am I blanking?

She doesn't trust Captain Blaze. He's been asking questions, not a trait she encourages in a hero.

Aw, it honestly warms my heart that ADAM's fight with Blaze had an impact. I like the guy; looking forward to seeing more of him. The offer of drinks and spilling tea on Ortega is still open!

I am intensely eyes emoji at the entire Mia-and-Vernon epilogue.

Just because he [Jake] occasionally sleeps with the kingpin and her girlfriend doesn't mean he wants to rely on that connection.

…I'm kind of fascinated by the fact that my immediate reaction to this was "huh, that's actually canon?" They existed conspicuously in a room together for less than two minutes, and somehow that was all my pattern-matching brain needed to automatically classify them under the well-worn banner of "only two of them are actually a canon couple but the OT3 is so ubiquitous you'd be forgiven for assuming it's canon". I didn't even realize it had done that until I read the sentence above! Incredible.

"Did you say no, or did Alvarez?" Zephyr's smile is sour. They are no fan of the mayor and aren't shy about showing it.

A non-binary character I didn't put there! Our people grow ever more powerful.

The rest of the scene is *eyes emoji intensifies*

Seriously though, I really like Captain Blaze from what we've seen. Sometimes my first impressions are unexpectedly on point, I guess!

She pushes away from the table, her wheelchair light and easy to maneuver around the bar. Leo is proud of that one, a wedding gift she hadn't asked for. The sword is nearly invisible in its chromed sheath unless you know what to look for. Same with the grenades.

"You shouldn't be so hard on her." Leo grabs a mop as his wife rolls behind the bar to refill her coffee. "Are you sure you're not just antsy to return to active duty?"

"Leo," she sighs, pausing with the empty cup in hand. "I lost my legs. I've been retired for a decade. There's no more Owl. If you want to keep being a vigilante, that's on you. I'm running a bar."

—Ohhh, surprise character overlap! Nice. I like her already.

Jay Hsu. ADAM.

The mirror is not fogged.

The mirror is clear. The reflection is crisp and not avoided.

The smile is sharp.

Jay leans forward, twisting her head this way and that.

Good. Perfect.

Time to get to work.

Hi, what the fuck.

Verdict after one playthrough: This game more than fulfilled my hopes for it, then continued onwards to things I hadn't even thought to hope for. I did not expect the places this game went, and I'm excited and slightly terrified by the knowledge that this was only one playthrough's worth of whatever the hell this is.

Also, I'm still reeling from one of the single most devious bits of foreshadowing I've ever seen.