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(+2)

So I noticed something a little weird after playing the Ruthless Route and then replaying the Hinterlands, and I don't know if it deserves its own thread so I'm just putting it here. In all of the endings that involve P and Storm arriving to the hotel, there's a small scene where Storm gets scared when looking back at P, and that's what makes P realize that the hotel nullifies the effects of charms. That struck me as odd after thinking it over because up until that point I assumed that P and Storm could always see each other in their mythical forms, so if they walked into the hotel they wouldn't notice. I went back to check and there are indeed multiple points in the story where P comments on Storm's animal anatomy in public (him swaying his tail while he's in the tailor, for example), when Storm is very much wearing the charm. I thought that since their Oath of Kinship involved P physically giving part of himself, that whole thing was kind of a side effect. There's also a moment the first time they meet the Tapir god where P can't tell whether Storm's charm is working or not, so he asks him to check if it's active. 

If P can't tell the difference between when Storm is using the charm or not, then why is Storm able to? Is that something only the rite master gets? But that wouldn't make sense either, because Storm alludes to P's animal anatomy many times too, specially the feeling of his feathers.  He also doesn't make any comment on P changing his appearance after getting within the confines of the hotel in ch. 18. Then how did he realize that P's charm wasn't working? Is there some kind of indicative, and if so why does P not realize until he checks his passport himself?  I know this is most likely a very minor thing, but I'm going insane thinking about it. Is there something I'm missing????

(+4)

That's my bad! It's inconsistent/unclear and that's a mistake.

The ending of the Ruthless route and the Hinterlands were written months after each other and by different hands so a few details and explanations weren't coordinated perfectly. We might go back to fix this eventually.

I do have a few rules for how the charms work in this situation, though. As a rule of thumb, if you've spent  a good amount of time with a mythical when he wasn't wearing a charm you can see their true shape even when they're wearing a charm. Keeping in mind that charms only affect perception, it's basically that your brain gets so used to their real shape that it overcomes the illusion. Still, if you strain your eyes and make an effort you can still see their human form, kind of like tricking yourself into seeing an optical illusion in a different way.

So... P can notice on his own that Storm's charm is malfunctioning, it just takes a bit of effort. It's easier for him to just ask Storm to check it. That's the explanation for the inconsistencies you noticed.

We didn't touch on it as well as I wanted to but P's feathers make him capable of seeing through most charms, period. It's hard for any but the best charms to trick over a hundred supernatural eyes simultaneously. This also means that any mythical that P meets whose charm tricks him is packing some serious power.

Another detail is that, yes, the fact P made Storm's charm means that P can always see Storm's true shape, but that goes both ways. Storm can always see P's real shape as well.

(+2)

Ah, that makes a lot of sense!! The bits about the charm's workings are probably some of the most interesting parts of the worldbuilding imo, so I really like that you expanded on them here. But oh god, that thing with P... every new little bit of information that we get about Zezé just makes me more terrified of him. I'm really looking forward to see what happens with the whole missing children storyline, on one side because the scene in the shed is one of the best ones in the entire game, on the other because I'm just dying to know what the hell's going on. Hinterlands in general has me starving for more.

(2 edits) (+1)

omg wait

I moved house and have a crazy job and haven't had time to finish the update yet and am JUST NOW DISCOVERING that I was (maybe? idek) right about the P = Panoptes guess last update!?!

…okay fine I know it was obvious just let me have this

(+1)

Good job, detective!

I knew all of the relevant information to piece it together, but somehow still managed to miss it, so congrats! 

I figured out the origins of the armbands though so I'm willing to accept the loss