#just see every interaction with istvan and erik

[rebelontherocks]

it's always a bit surprising when people comment on my fics that they like that i write henry so confident or that they could recognise my writing by the way i write him. obviously there's plenty of ways you can play him. but he comes across to me as a very confident guy. the actions you have no control over alone: he does not take shit laying down and he goes for what he wants. from kcd1 to kcd2 that's always a key component of his personality. not a lot flusters him.

[rednightmare18]

30 kcd2 trailer reveal little things / reactions:

Loving the increased Istvan / Henry parallelism

Loving the return of the red PTSD nightmares and so pleased WH isn't watering the game down, keeping up the trauma narrative realism, etc. I expected no less but still delighted by it. I love games that allow characters (esp male characters) to feel things, genuinely, and writing that treats the emotional invitation of its own storytelling with respect.

Good lord, the symbolism returns--as it must in a proper medieval game--but I shan't look too deep yet.

SKALITZ FLASHBACKS. HENRY'S PARENTS' WEDDING PREQUEL CONTENT? W H A T. I never thought we would get to go back; I am so thrilled to learn more about that time. I would have gladly gobbled up a Martin prequel. TELL ME HER FUCKING NAME, WARHORSE, YOU BASTARDS.

where is radzig

Mystery possible new love interest option? Or did Lady Stephanie visit the face sculptor?

And Theresa... where?

Mother of god, the forests and animals look incredible. I'm going insane. Let me pet things please.

How many times can Hans eat royal shit and live in one livestream? Let's find out. One, two, three...

The crime and punishment mechanics are definitely more complex at a glance. This is a good thing but I wonder how much was cutscene flavor and how much will really have an affect on the gameplay/reputation/etc.

I'm extremely afraid for Hans's survival. Not because of his constant trailer beefing (and he really took every opportunity to wipe out) but because of that shot with him doing the big dramatic eagle wing spread on horseback. You can't just do that and not expect to be punished by the narrative, bro.

MUTT IS BACK MUTT IS BACK MUTT IS BACK

is that pebbles? MUTT IS BACK please be pebbles

Henry's new hair is awful and I will be changing it two seconds in.

In general, Henry looks way more mature/stressed. Hard to say if there was a timeskip and Henry is now actually more mature or if the increased graphics allow him to look more like his voice actor, who is older than Henry. Either way I will be content. Will not catch me changing my son's precious face!!!

CROSSBOWS, HAND CANNONS

Istvan is pure fire, holy shit, cannot wait for this performance. Erik looks like a soggy newspaper. What happened king?

radzig? hello? anyone hear from this guy? typical for him to ghost

FIVE HOURS OF CUTSCENES???? YOU KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE. IT IS ME. I LOVE TO WATCH THINGS

Theresa's gonna be in it though, right? They wouldn't do us like that right?

Really excited to see them taking a page from RDR2 and incorporating a temperament-based reply system for non-dialogue initiating NPCs. I really look forward to all the added sandbox immersion enhancements from the first game, and I hope women are incorporated in a broader work spectrum for better historical accuracy.

WAS THAT GODWIN?

Is Hans going to teach Henry how to swim for real, as in a gameplay-altering swim mechanic, or is the topless on the riverbank scene just throwing a meaty bone to the hansry shippers (i am gnawing, i am growling when you try to take it away before i choke myself with it)

I love hearing devs and actors talk intelligently about the writing and character development arcs. Obviously they thought about it deeply in KCD1, but it's nice to see devs of an "action" game treating its narrative seriously, as artwork. Regardless of how the fandom idiots interact with it.

Hans singing a facetious little ballad for Henry (presuming it makes it into the game and isn't just trailer fodder) regenerated my cells. He DID promise in KCD1 (if you lose the tourney after agreeing to be his champion) that one day people would sing ballads in Henry's honor. Probably he did not intend for them to include the word "fuck" at the time.

This is going to be the grown up bromance we deserved in kcd1. Honestly it's so validating to see the second game recentering on that relationship and deliberately using it as the primary storytelling vehicle. KCD1 was pretty imbalanced in favor of Hans content, but it would have been better served by the game storyline fully leaning into the importance of that relationship, rather than trying to juggle it as a side-arc with several other arcs (and thereby creating an imbalance). KCD2 looks like it's built around the backbone of Henry and Hans's friendship and how it has profoundly changed them both/propelled their arcs in somewhat different directions.

On that point, Henry seems to have completely adopted Rattay colors now, but it's possible that's due to him operating as Hans's page (squire?) where we left them in KCD1. WHERE IS RADZIG

Calling Henry an orphan is a LITTLE generous given he was a whole ass adult man when his parents were killed, don't you think.

Calling Henry a lover is VERY VERY GENEROUS

I'm hyped.

[lordgeneralsix]

Do you think Warhorse was trying to retcon Istvan and Erik's relationship in the second game? By making Erik visually older (like they did with Henry and Hans, specifically noting in the codex that they are 20), and their interactions with each other so normal that people who haven't played the first game might even think that it's just a regular relationship with an age difference.

Or was it their intention from the start to show that despite how fucked up isterik relationship is, they genuinely love and care for each other? Maybe I'm wrong, because I still can't believe that a studio whose first game was aimed at a "straight white male gamer" managed to show such a complex and nuanced gay relationship.

no, I don’t see why they would. they doubled down on the nature of their relationship in 2, even having istvan tell erik that he’s grown into a very capable young man etc etc etc… im not gonna go over every single interaction, but the depth and circumstances were explored and if warhorse wanted to take that back they could’ve. their relationship is obvious and erik’s appearance doesn’t distract from the questionable nature of it.

I think his appearance doesn’t get any deeper than just being based off his eng actor’s appearance - same w henry and hans. some people just look older/younger for their age, and trauma can especially age a person, so it makes sense for erik in that case. it could be an easy excuse to try and make their relationship less jarring, sure, but I find that unlikely. he doesn’t have to look like a little boy to get the point across.

it's the latter, hard as it is to believe, bc it’s really to do w the fact that they’re written as people first, not Gay Villains - just as hansry were written with so much depth that even if you don’t romance hans they remain strong characters. everything abt isterik is intentional, just as this game tries to show the humanity in everything. it is intentionally wrong, it is intentionally fucked up, but they saved each other and that’s all that matters to them.