#peak stuff

i was experimenting with how i render faces and also ive decided they live by the riverside and adopt pearl

I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS RN. I just finished the last temple quest, met the gardener and stuff, but I want to focus on Einar (I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.) His story is so heartbreaking, and the lore drop that was part of that quest made me literally burst into tears. I cannot express how much I love how his character is written. Being different because he has more than one 'Oneness' because he has had friendships with humans, he's so emotionally complex compared to how a Galdur should be, he WANTS to learn how to be like a human, to understand relationships and emotions the best he can. He lost a very, very close friend thousands of years ago and still thinks about them, even stating he keeps things in his cave that they owned for 'sentimental value'. He feels uneasy going back to the temple where he was made because of the connections he had to that place and the people in it. He is trying SO hard to be emotionally fulfilled in life, it warms my stupid robot-loving heart. I will never be able to express how DEARLY I love stories where there is a robot/AI/android character who doesn't/can't/isn't supposed to understand human emotions, but through going through something deeply emotional or traumatic, they find interest in trying to understand or trying to be human, they want to feel, they want to know what it is to have friends, to cry, to smile. This will forever be my favorite trope in media. I love how damn deep Palia's lore is, especially with how sweet and simple the game looks from the outside. HUGE props to the dev team, one of the best games I've played story-wise, ever, and I'll stand on that. Little note at the end: I have not finished romancing Einar yet, so I'm sure his story will advance further, and I'll probably talk about it again.

Literally me :3

Huge thanks to the organizers for letting me participate, and please make sure to check out the other's socials ✨👌💖🔥