Jack Abbot had one rule after a shift was over..

No one talk to him.

He needed that moment of silence to truly decompress after a night shift.

It could get crazy working the ED from 7pm to 7am, so he’d usually hide away on the roof until he felt ready enough to order an uber. Then he’d make a big show of having his headphones in so the driver knew not to speak. Then he’d go into his apartment, all the lights off, the curtains still drawn, and he’d just lay on the couch. Letting the darkness seep into his pores as he thought back on every detail of his shift. Every patient he helped…

Every patient he couldn’t.

Every mistake he made.

Living with Y/N had changed a lot in that way.

Now, when he’d get home, it’d be to her half asleep on the couch.

She said the bed was ‘too big’ without him there. He’d carry her to it anyways, lay her under the sheets and whisper how he was gonna go shower real quick.

He really would try and make it fast.

He knew she’d get antsy waiting. But he’d always smell the sweet scent of coffee halfway through his showers. Along with breakfast cooking. In usually just his boxers, he’d head over and hold her from behind as she tried getting herself away for her shift at the veterinary office.

There was no darkness around for Jack to get lost in.

Only light.

Y/N’s light.

And it was so blindingly sweet, it made him want to stay right there.

As of recently, Y/N’s ‘Paws Across Pittsburgh’ foster organization had sent her a bulldog in need of emergency housing while they tried looking for a free spot at a shelter. The apartment was usually housing at least one or two animals at a time.

Once, they’d even been given a whole litter of 4 Pit Bull pups saved from a street gang raid.

Another time, three cats and two dogs who were brothers and couldn’t be separated.

Y/N’s heart always bled for those animals, and Jack found himself actually doing the same. So any time they had to share their bed with an anxious Doberman, or he had to get into a bath with a not so ready to be wet Minx Cat, or he had to stay up on nights off to bottle feed a weakened Ferret, he did so while knowing he was exactly where he wanted to be.

This morning went no different.

With a heavy sigh, Jack opens the front door of the apartment and smirks as he sees the black and white bulldog ‘Hades’ already in a play position. Front half low to the ground, bottom half sticking out, tail twitching with anticipation.

“Come here, boy!” Jack smiles as he braces himself, laughing as the grown dog almost jumps on him. He manages to catch the dog, grunting as he lifts him, carrying him inside while using his foot to shut the front door. Y/N smiles from the kitchen. She’d gotten better at being up and ready by the time Jack came home.

“Morning..” She says as he sets Hades down on his mat and then walks over to her.

Sunshine, here he comes.

With a content sigh, his arms wrap around her waist, attempting to lean in, but Y/N’s excitement finally breaks.

“Guess what?” She smiles wide as she inches her head away.

“Mm… Hades is actually royalty and we’re rich now..?” Jack jokes as the dog looks up at his name being mentioned. Y/N snorts.

“Funny. Don’t quit being a doctor, baby, comedy’s not for you…” She teases as he pretends to be hurt by that.

“Your mail’s coming!” She announces as she pulls away to show Jack his first few pieces of mail, making him chuckle.

“Oh, wow.” He says with a soft smile, more so at her excitement over it. She bounces excitedly as he gently takes the mail from her hands. “Let’s see what we got here..” He decides to play along as he moves to lean against the kitchen counter, eyeing the first envelop.

“Credit card… Bill.. Bill.. Oh, look at this one,” He lifts the third envelope for Y/N to look at. “Bill.” He says in mock astonishment as Y/N rolls her eyes playfully.

“That’s not the exciting one.” She says before nodding to the last one. Jack raises an eyebrow and sees the label on the envelope.

“Oh. These geniuses..” He snorts, already knowing.

Y/N pauses. “It’s a medical gala, baby. Sounds fun.” She says as she hands him a mug of coffee.

“Fun? It’s stuffy suits and doctors and residents trynna out do each other with big words. I went with Robby a year or two back? God, it was hell.” He snorts.

Y/N slowly pouts at the reveal. “I think you didn’t have fun because I wasn’t there.” She finally says sweetly as she stands right next to him to rest her chin on his shoulder. Jack laughs softly at the big puppy dog eyes she’s already pulling out.

“You might be right about that.” He notes. “But, come on. You really wanna spend the evening at some hotel ballroom, dressed up, with a doctor on your arm?” He raises an eyebrow.

Y/N blinks at him slowly. “I think you just described ‘nine year old me’s diary entry perfectly..” She finally states in a dry manner. Jack chuckles a bit at that.

“I gotta get a suit…” He tries to continue his complaining. “Can’t we spend the night eating takeout and getting drunk in the privacy of our home?” He smiles hopefully as Y/N gives him a playful dirty look.

“Nope!” She says simply as she backs away. “Better find a suit, baby!” She cheers before grabbing her to go mug and kissing Jack’s cheek in an aggressively, wet, and sloppy manner that makes him laugh in disbelief.

She dances out of the kitchen, eager at the thought of going out. Jack playfully groans and eyes Hades. He looks up from his resting position.

“You didn’t help me at all..” He mutters to the bulldog who blinks at him slowly before going back to resting peacefully.

*

*

*

“Hey. Just the man I wanted to see..”

Robby quickly turns to glance over his shoulder, his pace slowing as he smiles warmly at Jack. “Hey, brother. What’s going on?” He asks.

“Got your little invitation in the mail yesterday..” Jack notes as Robby begins to laugh.

“Getting mail at the house. That’s big. Real big.” He says, playing dumb.

“Why did you sign me up for that?” Jack asks bluntly, and Robby smirks as if proud of himself.

“Hey! If I have to go and represent the Pitt at some random table, then I’m taking someone with me…” Robby jokes. “Gloria thought it was a great idea that the head of this ED show up with a veteran doctor. Might get us more funding.” He shrugs.

“Yeah? Well this ‘veteran’ isn’t showing up alone.” Jack snorts as he gets into stride with his best friend. Robby pauses though, turning to him.

“I don’t follow.” Robby admits, and Jack rolls his eyes.

“Y/N. She wants to be my plus one for the evening..” He explains.

“Oh? Miss. Veterinarian wants to rep the Pitt?” Robby teases and Jack snorts.

“Not funny. I’m forced into a tie now because you can’t put on your big boy pants and go to these things alone..” Jack complains openly and Robby laughs at that.

“Maybe. Or maybe I just wanna see you in that suit, my man..” He says proudly before walking off, leaving an only slightly annoyed Jack Abbot in his path…

*

*

*

“Y/N! Uber’s on its way.” Jack calls from the living room as he flattens his tie in his hands. Y/N had pre-tied it last night so she could focus on getting herself ready and not waste any time.

Yet, here he stood, ready to go in the living room with Y/N popping out every now and again to show off a dress she’d instantly second guess the moment he stared a little too long at it.

There was the strapless red one, the spaghetti-strapped black one, the white sweetheart lining one with a floral pattern on it. Each one just ‘wasn’t right’ the longer she stood in front of him though.

“I’m almost done!” Y/N fusses from the bathroom as Jack makes sure his watch is fastened around his wrist.

His suit and tie was the classic black with a white button down. Shoes Italian leather, hair slicked back.

He felt like a monkey in a tux.

It all felt so out of place, but Y/N was giddily listening to music on her phone as she barricaded herself in the bathroom among dresses, shoes, and makeup.

And that somehow made him feel better about being forced into this night out…

“Sweet! I’m telling you, this car is gonna come and go if we’re not careful on the time..” He lectures after another three or so minutes.

Sweet.

The nickname he’d dubbed her about a month into dating. Started off as ‘Sweet Cheeks’, but after fussing at him while red in the face that he needed to stop calling her that in public, it had been shortened to just ‘sweet’.

In ‘retaliation’, as she’d made very clear, Y/N took to calling him ‘Sour’. Something Robby had not let slide the first time he heard her say it over the phone when he thought he was safely alone to have her on speaker in the break room.

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” Y/N fusses as she hurries out of the bedroom, quickly putting on some gold earrings with her heels still in hand and a necklace that’s tight in her grasp as well. Jack turns to eye her, and feels his jaw go slack at the view…

Y/N is wearing a beautiful lilac fitted gown. The dress has thick straps and a square neckline. The fitted bodice cinches at the waist with a subtle twist detail, accentuating the feminine figure in a flattering corset-like style. His eyes descend lower without meaning to…

The dress transitions into a mermaid silhouette, gracefully hugging the curves of her hips and thighs before elegantly flowing out into an asymmetric high-low hem.

“There? Happy?” She asks, not noticing the way he stares at her.

She sets her heels down on the floor in front of her, and tries putting on her necklace. He walks over slowly and her movements take a pause, curious over what his next move might be.

With no hesitation, Jack kneels in front of her, hands tenderly grabbing her left leg first. She stares down at him, breath hitching as she watches him calmly put the strappy heel on her, his hands rough against her soft skin.

He rubs his hands along her calf before moving to the other foot. She lets him, her face heating up as he focuses solely on slipping her shoes on for her.

“Very happy…” He finally whispers as he looks up at her. She shifts a bit on her footing and tries looking away to stop from melting fully.

“Thank you…” She says politely, and he gets up to grab her matching shawl. He puts it around her upper arms before leaning in to steal a kiss. She smiles sheepishly.

“You’re gonna ruin my lipstick..” She mumbles bashfully as she makes sure he doesn’t have a stain on him. He only chuckles softly, arms going around her waist with ease as he pulls her close.

“Sorry, sorry. Let’s head out before I change my mind…” Jack jokes. Y/N smiles brightly up at him.

“I love you, sour..”

“Mm… I love you, sweet..”

*

*

*

The chicken was dry.

The jokes were dry.

The stories were dry.

The people were dry.

But Y/N… Y/N made it worth it.

She was talkative to everyone who came to the table, making Robby and Jack’s job a whole lot easier.

Every year, Gloria sent Robby, and at least two other chief attending, to be ‘the face’ of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.

Every year, she hoped Robby’s, as she put it, ‘selective charm’ would help get donators. And every year, she was more than let down by the results. But at a certain point of the night, she’d walked over to make it clear that Y/N would be doing the talking for all of them.

Jack was more than okay with that…

He liked hearing her speak.

They’re sat at the table when servers begin walking around with trays of fancy looking drinks that had fruit in them.

Y/N had happily taken one, and with a singular sip had declared it ‘juice’ and ‘sweet’.

So that one glass had turned to two before Jack knew it.

And two had turned to three..

Jack didn’t realize how strong they were though until Y/N set down her sixth glass, and began laughing out loud at something some investor was in the middle of saying.

“Oh boy..” Robby mutters and Jack freezes as he realizes the look on Y/N’s face. Cheeks flushed, eyes glossed over, huge smile on her face.

“You’re funny!” Y/N smiles at the investor, moving to hug him happily. Robby covers his mouth as to not laugh as the older man pauses in surprise.

“Oh, well, thank you..” The man chuckles a bit, still thrown off by the sudden affection. Jack gently moves over and tugs at Y/N’s waist. She lets go and smiles brightly at Jack, moving to hug him next.

Robby is quick to lead the investor away elsewhere while Jack sits Y/N down. He’d only seen her like this once before. He’d taught her some old military drinking game at his apartment two months into dating. She’d gotten completely drunk and god it was adorable, but here and now?

He knew he had to watch her.

“Helloooo…” Y/N giggles up at him while playing with his tie.

“Hey, Sweet. Ready to call it a night?” He asks, already grabbing his phone so he can order an uber.

“What?! No! I wanna dance some more!” Y/N says as she shimmies a bit to show she’s ready to let loose.

Thats what Jack was afraid of.

The first time he saw her drunk, they were in the privacy of his apartment. And he was able to happily watch her dance on his coffee table from the comfort of his couch. Until she began to strip. Then he quickly and respectfully got her into bed.

There were stages.

First was a burst of energy. Then it’d be followed by a moment of honesty. And then the exhaustion would hit.

Y/N gets up from the table fast and snatches Jack’s phone from him with a laugh. “You want it?” She joyously teases. Jack fixes his jaw so he won’t laugh as Y/N playfully twirls away from the table.

“Y/N. Give me the phone..” He says calmly as he steps closer. She laughs at the attention and puts his phone in her dress, safety snuggled against her chest.

“Catch me, old man..” She mocks before turning fast and running out of the hotel ballroom. Jack smiles at the few who sent a questioning glance his way.

“That’s just… My date for the evening..” He mutters politely at the few who are in earshot of him before quickly walking out of the ballroom. He loosens his tie slightly, looking around before walking towards one hallway.

She couldn’t have gotten far…

That assurance is cut short when he stumbles across her heels left at the end of the hallway. “Oh no..” He whispers, chuckling a bit. He takes off his blazer, knowing he’s in for a chase now…

*

*

*

“No fair! Redo!” Y/N complains as she hangs like a ragdoll over Jack’s shoulder. Robby is standing outside for some air when he sees his friend walk out, one arm around Y/N’s waist to hold her firmly over his shoulder and his other hand holding his phone.

“Gavin Quinn is 5 minutes away.” Jack says pleasantly and nods over at Robby as a greeting.

“Boo! You got lucky!” Y/N complains.

“Do I even want to know?” Robby asks humorously as Jack walks over to stand next to him.

“I wouldn’t ask.” Jack snorts.

“Your friend cheated!” Y/N slurs a bit.

“I caught you fair and square, sweet.” Jack states. He’d found her in the stairwell trying to ‘hide’. He uses that term loosely because she was giggling the entire time.

“Best two out of three!” Y/N begs and Jack laughs.

“As much as I’d love to chase you all around the streets of Pittsburg, I’m calling it.” Jack says sarcastically.

“You are sour…” Y/N smirks as she starts to swat at his butt from her position over his shoulder. Robby laughs at that as Jack tries to move her a bit to get her to cut it out.

“Need help?” Robby asks, already backing away. Jack takes note.

“Nah, I’ve got her.” He assures. Robby nods.

“Get home safe, brother.” Robby says before giving him a side hug.

“Bye Robby!” Y/N sings happily. Robby chuckles.

“Get some rest, Y/N.” He calls back before heading inside. Jack somewhat moves Y/N to be more bridal style in his arms and she smiles wide at him, arms wrapping around his neck.

“I bet you can bench press me…” Y/N says happily and Jack laughs and shakes his head in amusement as they wait for the car.

“I love you…” She continues as she lightly pokes at his nose. “And I love Robby..” She sighs before gasping. “Where’s Robby?!” She asks fast.

“Going home and sleeping. That thing we have to do too.” Jack smiles warmly at Y/N.

“He should sleepover again!” Y/N points out excitedly. “I know you’d like that…” She sings as if enticing him.

“I’d much rather snuggle into you, Y/N…” Jack says simply as she plays with his ears and nose. He lets her, not minding the poking and prodding.

She dramatically sighs as she hangs in his arms. He doesn’t let her drop though. “The stars are out..” She says excitedly. “Ugh, I wanna be a star one day..” She continues. Jack chuckles at that.

“And then you can be a star too. Right next to me…” She smiles brightly at the thought, and Jack smirks softly. It’s silly, but..

He hopes she’s right about that..

The car pulls up and Jack is able to get her in with no issues beside her tugging at him. “Get in, get in..” She fusses, wanting to be on his lap and in his arms again.

“I’m getting in..” He assures.

“Don’t leave me..” She pouts as she continues to tug at his arm.

“I’m not, I’m not. I’m right here…” He says assuringly as he gets into the car and allows her back into his embrace. The driver eyes them through the rearview, looking amused at the entire exchange before he begins driving. Jack settles in and Y/N is silent for a moment before leaning in close to his ear.

“Jack. I think I’m a little drunk..” She whispers like it’s a big dark secret, her breath smelling sweet of strawberries and stale of champagne. Jack tries not to laugh as he realizes she’s in the ‘honesty’ part of her drunk-ness.

“Oh?” He whispers back as he eyes her. She bites her lip sheepishly and nods before quietly giggling behind her hand, as if it’s so bad. “You’re hiding it well…” He compliments, playing along. She laughs more.

The ride is quick, full of Y/N talking to the driver about all her new ‘patients’. Jack listens even if the driver seems to be tuning her out.

The minute they get into the apartment, Hades is waiting by the door. “My baby!” She cheers as she moves away from Jack’s grasp to kneel in front of the excited bulldog, kissing his head and nose as he excitedly licks her. Jack takes that time to shut and lock the door behind them.

“Ready for bed? I’m calling it.” Jack announces as he reaches down and hooks an arm around her waist to tug her up on to her feet.

“Wait! I wanna say goodnight to Sal!” Y/N gasps as if remembering before quickly rushing over to the sunflowers Jack had gotten to sit on their balcony in memory of Y/N’s first patient who had to be put down earlier this month. Jack stands back, allowing her to say her goodnight to the flowers before he walks over and scoops her up.

“Say goodnight to Sal!” Y/N says as Jack carries her inside.

“Night Sal!” Jack calls from over his shoulder…

He sighs as he’s able to finally drop Y/N on the bed, moving to strip down. He was just relieved to finally be out of this suit. Y/N snuggles into the pillows, heels kicked off already.

“No no. You’ll kill me tomorrow if you wake up still in your dress and makeup.” Jack says as Y/N groans, letting Jack tug at her ankle to get her back to the edge of the bed.

“Your shirt.” Y/N finally settles on, and Jack gives in, going to grab a t-shirt from his drawer for her. She stumbles off the bed a bit and giggles, swaying to the bathroom.

After she’s comfortable, Jack helps take off her jewelry and hesitantly eyes the facial care, deciding he’s better off just using her makeup wipes to clean her.

She sits on the bathroom sink, eyes half lidded as he glides the wipes across her face, removing her perfect handiwork.

“Mm… I love you, Jack Abbot…” She smiles adoringly at him.

“I love you, Y/N Y/L/N…” He says simply back as he finishes up.

“No. Call me Y/N Abbot!” She fusses.

Jack pauses at that.

“What?” He asks softly.

Y/N yawns. “I wanna be Mrs. Jack Abbot…” She giggles. “Sooooo bad.” She adds shamelessly. Jack feels his heart beat pick up at the confession.

He’s never thought about it. Marriage. That was a big thing. A scary thing. But.. He used to think that about relationships too, and his therapist has told him that being with Y/N has helped him get far. He didn’t need that told to him, though. He could see it.

Jack Abbot… Was in love. Totally, completely, unapologetically.

It’s as if the universe had realized one day that it had given him too much all at once. And sent Y/N as an apology. An apology that he gratefully accepted…

“Bed…” Y/N finally mumbles, getting to the third stage of her drunk-ness.

Exhaustion.

With a soft chuckle, Jack grabs Y/N to carry her to bed..

*

*

*

“Hey, Champ.”

Y/N winces at the softly spoken greeting, but still waves a hand as if to say hi back. Her eyes can barely open, her head is throbbing, and she feels exhausted still.

“Coffee?”

With a soft groan, she manages to open her eyes, smiling tiredly at an attentive looking Jack. ‘Thank you…’ She mouths as she gratefully takes the cup from him.

“Pain meds are on the nightstand with breakfast..” He says as he gets comfortable against the headboard next to her.

“Mm.. How bad was I last night?” She finally whispers after letting a few sips of the warm liquid soothe her throat.

“Oh, it was bad.” Jack notes in a deadpan manner. “About.. four buildings were knocked down, a six car pileup…” He says sarcastically as she giggles quietly.

“I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t ruin last night for you..” She finally says gently as she turns to look at him. Jack takes a moment to really look at her.

The girl who brought him in from the dark.

The girl who made him break his ‘one rule’.

The girl who he’d, just this morning, began looking at engagement rings for…

“You made it perfect…” He settles on simply, honestly.

Y/N smiles warmly before softly kissing his cheek…

You shot him a glare over your screen. “Yeah? Because from what I can tell, your job description is just ‘annoy me until I commit arson.’”

His grin widened. “Hey, I’d never stand in the way of your dreams.”

You groaned. “Do you need something, or are you just here to ruin my morning?”

“Actually…” He dangled a USB drive between two fingers. “You and I got assigned the same client pitch. Together.”

You froze mid-keystroke. “No. Absolutely not.”

He dropped the drive onto your desk, the smirk returning. “Tell that to the boss. She wants the demo ready by Friday. You handle the software, I handle the presentation.”

You stared at the drive like it might explode. “Who thought pairing us up was a good idea?”

Johnny shrugged, utterly unbothered. “Probably someone who enjoys watching you get all flustered.”

You muttered something unprintable and yanked the drive into your laptop.

By Wednesday, your workspace had basically become a war zone.

“Why are there flames in your animation, Johnny?” you snapped, gesturing at the mock-up on the projector.

“Because it’s called presentation flair,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “You know, something exciting? Engaging?”

“It’s a software demo, not a superhero trailer!”

“Maybe it should be,” he countered. “People love superheroes.”

You shot him a withering look. “Yeah, I can tell. You’ve been auditioning for the role of Most Irritating Human Alive for months.”

Johnny pressed a hand to his heart. “Wow. You really do think about me all the time.”

You threw a stress ball at him. He caught it, smirking.

And that was the problem. No matter how much he got under your skin, there was something magnetic about Johnny Storm. He was infuriatingly confident, always one joke away from a grin, always pushing you out of your comfort zone.

It made you want to strangle him. Or maybe kiss him. The line was getting worryingly blurry.

Thursday night, the office was empty except for the two of you. Everyone else had gone home hours ago. The only light came from the glow of your laptop and the skyline outside the window.

You stretched your arms over your head, groaning. “If I see another line of code, I’m going to lose my mind.”

Johnny swiveled his chair toward you, setting down the tablet he’d been using. “You’ve been at this for five hours straight. Take a break.”

You gave a tired laugh. “I’ll take a break when the demo stops crashing.”

“Or,” he said, standing up and walking over, “you could let me help.”

You looked up at him warily. “Help? You nearly set the graphics processor on fire last time.”

“Hey,” he said, mock-offended, “that was one time. And technically, it was smoke, not fire.”

You rolled your eyes, but he leaned down beside you anyway, close enough that you could smell the faint trace of his cologne—clean, warm, a little dangerous.

“Try running the code again,” he murmured, voice lower now.

You typed, trying not to notice how close he was, how his arm brushed yours when he leaned over the keyboard. The program loaded—cleanly this time. No crash.

You blinked. “You—wait. How did you—?”

He smiled. “Told you. You just needed me.”

You laughed despite yourself, shaking your head. “You are the most frustrating man alive.”

“And yet…” His eyes lingered on yours, amusement giving way to something softer. “You haven’t kicked me out.”

For a moment, the air changed. The teasing energy that always sparked between you wasn’t playful anymore—it was electric, charged. You could feel your heart stutter in your chest.

You cleared your throat and looked away. “We still have a lot to finish.”

He stepped back, hands raised. “Right. Work. Totally.” But his smile stayed, softer now, less of a smirk and more of something real.

By Friday morning, the presentation went off without a hitch. You handled the demo flawlessly, and Johnny—charismatic as ever—had the clients hanging on every word. When it was over, your boss clapped you both on the shoulders. “Best pitch we’ve had in months.”

You turned to Johnny, surprised. “You actually nailed the delivery.”

He flashed that million-dollar grin. “Was there ever any doubt?”

“Every second,” you said dryly.

He laughed, and for once, it wasn’t teasing. It was genuine. Warm. “You know,” he said, quieter now, “we make a pretty good team.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Don’t push it.”

He grinned wider. “Oh, I’m pushing it. Dinner tonight. My treat.”

You blinked. “Dinner?”

“As coworkers,” he said quickly, then added with a mischievous glint, “Unless you want it to be something else.”

You crossed your arms, fighting a smile. “You’re insufferable.”

“Maybe,” he said, stepping closer. “But you like me anyway.”

You rolled your eyes—but didn’t move away. “One dinner,” you warned.

He smirked. “That’s all I’ll need.”

And as he walked away, you realized—against all logic—that you were already smiling.

Because maybe combustion wasn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, it was just the beginning of something burning bright.

Let's get the cons out of the way first. If any of these issues are something you can't look past, don't bother with this game.

There is little to no character building in this game. Clans and gender only change some dialogue, but you can technically choose whatever clan and still end up with the same character. There's no character sheet and no stats. You max out your "power level" at about 3-4 hours of gameplay, and all the extra XP you get is just for testing out different skills.

There is no manual save. The game auto-saves frequently and saves on exit. This feature might be implemented in the future, but as of the time of writing, you cannot save whenever you like.

There is no inventory. You cannot collect weapons or buy anything. You can pick up potions, and that's pretty much it. Harder difficulties limit the total number of potions you can carry at a time.

Your character will have very limited customizability. You will always be playing an Elder vampire named Phyre who was born in Constantinople in the 1600s. There are some options to change their outfit, hair, and accessories, but you will have to install mods if you want to change any other physical feature.

The map of Seattle is small. You'll be able to visit different hubs for the main quest, but you'll basically be running around the city in circles for a good chunk of the game.

If you're still willing to give the game a shot despite all that, here's what I like about the game and why I think it's better than even the first Bloodlines.

It has a story to tell. That's it. Both games have a linear narrative with the endings' only difference being which faction rules over the city. However, VTMB1 wasn't trying to communicate any message or theme greater than "wow, vampires sure do want this box, am I right?" VTMB2 on the other hand is more intentional with its storytelling, having an emotional core that its predecessor lacked.

You are the Nomad. You've just awoken from torpor with an unknown Malkavian detective in your head. You cannot leave Seattle because you are bound by this mark on your flesh. It also has greatly diminished your vampire powers. You have three questions you must answer:

Who brought you to Seattle?

What is this mark and how do you get rid of it?

How did this other person get trapped in your head?

At the heart of VTMB2 is a mystery. You aren't just a neonate running errands. At the beginning, you are already given a motivation and stakes beyond survival. You must solve this mystery in order to be free. And of course, who better to help you sleuth out the truth than someone from a clan of seers?

A lot of people like to judge a game's quality by how "immersive" it is. Back then, gamers equated immersion with realistic graphics. Now, a game is judged based on its reactivity. Does a players' choices affect the world state? Are the characters and their dialogue acknowledging the player's choices? Bloodlines 2 has some reactivity, but not a lot compared to even Bloodlines 1.

Despite that, I'd argue it was still very immersive for one thing: its characters.

Not once did I think anyone was caricature of a person -- something Bloodlines 1 frequently did. It caricatured to the point of satire. Early 2000s stereotypes of potheads, black people, asian people, you name it. "Anime girl who speaks broken Japanese" and "valley girl who's too dumb to live" are actual characters in Bloodlines 1. This works well enough for the first game's unserious tone, but it does make the world feel more like edgy toon town.

Of course, you'll get characters who are dramatic, over-the-top, and stereotypical even in Bloodlines 2, but it was always informed by their backgrounds, environment, and motivations. In short, they felt like people.

And I loved Bloodlines 1, and I played both v20 and v5 on pen and paper. When people complain about lore, they're mostly referencing VTMB1 which ALSO wasn't completely faithful to the TTRPG and was built on a different edition. VTMB1 is v20 and VTMB2 is v5. Many clans have changed how they operate between then, and the game mentions this in dialogue. The Tremere have restructured and blood magic (thaumaturgy) is no longer as guarded as it once was, and Nosferatu can now go on the surface. VTM lore is meant to be a mess of urban legends and myths, so there's a lot of room for a Storyteller's interpretation.

There's a hate train against this game because of how mythologized the first Bloodlines has become and because people just don't like the publisher, Paradox. And there are some people who will never be able to remove themselves from the hype and the news cycle and just look at the game as its own experience, and I don't fault them for it. We experience things relative to other things -- that's just life.

The first Bloodlines in itself is a miracle. It's based on niche TTRPG made for a niche audience -- big, mainstream adaptations were always a pipe dream. A sequel being made despite the first one tanking its developer and no VTM video game adaptation ever being profitable is even more astounding. When it kept being delayed, I gave up on it ever being released.

And yet, it did. Another miracle of a dead thing coming back to life. I won't go so far to say it's worth the current $60, but unlike a lot of games of that price tag (e.g. BG3, Cyberpunk 2077, etc), it's at least finished and playable from beginning to end upon release, bugs withstanding.

My hope is when the backlash dies down and time has removed it from the controversies of its development cycle, we can reevaluate this game the same way we did with the first Bloodlines (a game whose development was also mired in controversy). There is a lot of heart here, despite Paradox's missteps and the development hell it's been through.

Penelope looked him in the eye during that dinner, tears still damp on her cheeks, and says "You say all these things but My Odysseus, who fidgets with his clothing and who bounces his knees in time with my own, would never leave me weeping while he sits. He would throw his arms around me!" "...He would if he could." Then he goes to sleep outside and she's pissed and he's a mess. :D The "Beggar" looks nothing like her husband but he moves and talks just like her love, his voice unsteady as he praises her. What the fuck is going on? Basically she knows it's him but also is like "Why would he keep himself from me?" Like how Odysseus tells HER during the treebed scene

And Athena is editing her fanfiction document for these two as "You little fucks weren't supposed to be doing this! I kept your tears from falling, Odysseus, why do you have to be such a sap?! Shit! Back to the storyboard."

Anyways!!! :D

Naiads usually don't bite people unless they feel they have no other option. Odysseus is an exception as he does have ONE "special bite" from his special wife because he's a little freak who wanted it rdtfygufgh. Penelope bit Palamedes on his forearm as he held her back as he took Telemachus from Anticlea and Penelope rushed after him. Odysseus is haunted by the image of both his wife and son sobbing while her teeth are stained with blood. He gets sick pleasure seeing that scar on Palamedes' arm before he gets him killed.

And as a whole, there are actually a couple "rules" Naiad born soldiers have to follow that are very important within war.

With battle, even if you ARE naiad born, you have to ask the river god "Hey, this is getting really bad. Can we work together for this?" As River gods are usually like "I am here for your consumption, bathing, and healing. You will not use my water for violence." (Why Achilles gets his ass kicked and why Naiad born soldiers don't just "drown people")

If someone/something is attacking your river or YOU, like an animal wreaking havoc (like the big catfish! :D ) or a person trying to kill a single naiadborn, then self defense is fine. Daphne got turned into a tree because Apollo outranks nymphs and the river gods. River gods don't fuck with Olympians but he still wanted to protect her.

Though once you have your own water source (canals, vase full, etc.) you're technically free to do whatever you want with it. (Penelope loves this loophole 😈 The Palace waters are hers. and Telemachus' too but you know.)

With the war aspect, however, there are so many wounds that are like "wow, you probably have an extreme infection or should've killed you eventually". BUT it's convenient when you have Naiad born soldiers that can "heal you up" (Penelope's brothers are part of Menelaus' army btw!!! :D )

It's kind of why it's become a "If a man is still alive when they're picked up and rescued, that doesn't mean shit. A naiad born person will fix it before they even bleed out. If they don't die instantly, they just come back."

Same with fighting among nymphs btw.

Even if you're naiad born, you can't just act like how you do at home with a foreign river. Feel free to jump and swim and wet your scales but stay out of their business. If the naiads of Athens decided to punish people by poisoning the waters, you, as a Spartan naiadborn, do not meddle! Can't start purifying it to give to the citizens. Maybe for your OWN people who came with you on the foreign expedition if you ask but don't meddle with foreign river problems. Each culture is different.

Took a while for Penelope to adjust and improve relations with Ithaca naiads because of this. And when Tyndareus and Icarius were exiled, it was a culture shock for them as they're 50% naiad. Even with non-naiadborn, it's a shock. Menelaus and Agamemnon were in Sparta during their own exile had to adjust too, though Menelaus definitely fit right in. (I'm so excited to write about 18-20 year old Agamemnon's first interaction with 9 year old Penelope. It's a misunderstanding at first but it's wholesome. Spoiler: Have you ever been in a place and then a random little kid starts talking to you and then they give you a leaf or something? YEAH >:D It's that but sillier. It's cute.)

Honestly, I'm playing around a lot with the whole "Sparta being very military-focused" thing as it's really kind of fun to think of people having children with naiads/naiadborn as somewhat of a strategy. If you can't have demigods, nymph born children are still better than fully mortal ones. It's why there ARE so many naiad born and why interactions are basically informal in Sparta in my fics compared to other places. Like Ithaca.