Starphire

Ironically, you tend to get more out of Atton if you have higher influence with Disciple than you do with him... at least, if you count jealous fighting behind your back as "romance".

Having high influence with Bao-Dur does quite a bit to clear up the whole "What the hell happened at Malachor?" storyline. Here's a very quick basic rundown (someone step in and correct me, if I go astray- this is just what I got out of it): 1. Against the wishes of the Council, Revan convinces quite a few Jedi to head to the edge of the known galaxy to take a stand against the Mandalorian threat. 2. As the Exile, you were one of those Jedi. 3. At some point during the war, Revan seems to 'turn'. (Note: whether this was in fact a turn to the Dark side or just an apparent turn to shake up the lethargic Jedi council to come to the Republic's defense against a new and far more powerful enemy discovered beyond the Rim is a point that Kreia vaguely hints at a few times.) 4. Revan's new plan is to convert as many Jedi as he/she can- and destroy those who will not turn. Malachor V is a planet touched by the Dark Side., and as the Exile, you are particularly useful to Revan here, as he/she intends to make full use of your ability to create unconcious influential bonds with those around you. 5. Bao-Dur (serving under the Exile) comes to the realization that the Republic is unlikely to win the war and creates a super-weapon - the Mass Shadow Generator. (It seems a bit doubtful this was part of Revan's plan, as it pretty much gums up the works, but who knows?) The MSG is placed on Malachor V, and the sad tattered remnants of the Republic fleet gather around it to entice the Mandalorians to join in one final battle. 6. Battle is joined. Just as things look their worst, the Exile gives Bao-Dur the signal to use the MSG. Malachor is ripped apart by its own gravity and the fleets in orbit are simultaneously crushed. This is where the "hole in the Force" comes in: the backlash of the death and destruction caused by the MSG very nearly kills the Exile, who cuts himself/herself off from the Force as an act of self-preservation. The other Jedi who survive Malachor are almost universally turned to the Dark side. The "echoes" of Malachor V that are referred to several times in various npc conversations are, essentially, the repercussions of that choice that continue to follow the Exile. (The sith, force bonds, Nihilus, etc.)

Influence affects how your NPC team members react to you, not anything else. (It may not make sense for a LS Visas to cackle about destroying the cantina or a DS Bao-Dur to grumble when you kill a few innocents, but understand: that would have doubled the voice acting/programming load for the end game. And judging from the state of the released ending, time was already pretty tight.) As for it being "useful", I can't imagine how you'd put together the main plotlines of the game without having high influence with Bao and Kreia, and there's no other way to get the other npcs' backstory.

Mira isn't a romance influence for either gender. Rumor has it that she and Bao-Dur must be gettin' it on. ^_^ It's the only explanation why neither one of them show interest in the Exile.

The explanation I've heard is that Obsidian had the whole thing pretty much wrapped up and done (which seems to be supported by the missing game files that have been uncovered) but decided to scrap it because they didn't want to give f!Exile players an unfair advantage against Scion. *shrug* I'm not sure if I buy it, but that's the rumor.

There's an influence guide floating around somewhere that might help you out there. For the most part, you can only impress him with actions, not words. Fix things up like the speeder on NarShadaa, or let him do it with sufficient awareness (notice the odd atmospheric sensors on Dantooine), support the Republic and stick to the light side, and you'll get all the influence you need. Assuming, of course, that Atton isn't around to snatch the influence trigger instead. Rand is such an influence whore. ^_^ At any rate, that'll get you a few decent ship conversations and allow you to make him a Jedi Guardian. After that, it's back to the same old dead end "Yes, General?" "Nevermind" convo tree. sigh. Anyway, back to the subject: KotOR 2 Loved: HK-47 (same old loveable homocidal droid. His impersonations had me choking on my Diet Coke), Bao-Dur (infinitely useful, principled, loyal, intriguing backstory. Atton kills a bunch of Jedi and spends the entire game either running from his past or whining. Bao, on the other hand, nearly singlehandedly obliterates an entire race -as well as a fair number of Jedi, for that matter- but actually tries to get out and do something to try to make things right, rather than drowning in a puddle of his own angst.) Tolerated: Kreia (sure, sometimes it seemed you could never make her happy, but she made me think a bit harder about the consequences of my usual hardcore LS perspective), Atton (just plain creepy as a romance option -I killed her because I loved her, anyone?- but interesting backstory and plenty of good lines), Mira (wanted to dislike her- too much the obvious "badass female with a heart of gold" stereotype, but she has some excellent dialogue.) Meh: Canderous (I brought you all those clans, and you still faded out of existance? argh!), Hanharr (not a bad backstory, but I'm too much of lightsider at heart to buy into the kind of "salvation" he offered his people), Handmaiden (Will you be my daddy? ew. no.) Despised: Disciple (This is what we get as a romance alternative to Rand?! DIE!) Visas (submissive, pathetic plaything. Grow a spine and try again.)

Nifty, Saraya! One helpful thing I've found with photoshop is to keep the outline of the drawing on one layer and the color on another. (That way you don't have to worry about coloring right up to the lines without accidentally covering them... though it sure looks freaky if you turn off the "outline" layer.) It makes coloring a thousand times easier and preserves the distinctness of the original line drawing. Can't wait to see more! ^_^

It's a fairly significant chunk of female-exile plot that was cut from the finished game. Essentially, Atton follows the exile and takes on Scion to buy her time, sacrificing himself in the process. Eji has an excellent mix of the recorded voice acting here, if you want to take a listen.

You could chalk it up to lack of options. I mean, Atton? Sweet jeezus. I get the whole "scoundrel-with-a-tormented-past-maybe-you-can-fix-me" allure, but "I loved her, so I killed her"?! And we're supposed to swoon? Nuh. Thanks. Not going to happen. Next up: Mical. The impossibly boring, impossibly naive knight-in-shining-armor, in combination with the most bizarrely unattractive character model I've seen in a long time. Let's not talk about his teeth. I have nightmares about those teeth. So what are we left with? The unwaveringly loyal, gentle, good-humored, respectful, intelligent, and supremely competent one... who happens to be the wrong species. *shakes her fist at the sky*

*groan* I knew somebody was going to have to say it...

Thanks! :D I don't have much aside from what I've already posted, though I should dump the ones from the other thread here so everything's in one spot. Wounded on Dxun BD discovers Disciple is spying for the Republic The General's faithful kath hound Chibi Dur! I'm not sure, but I hear it spreads really well on zabrak...

Had to take a break from all the darkside pics. ^_^ But the temptation to turn remains. There is no peace... there is... um, Nutella...

Can't seem to stop drawing Bao... Another illustration from the fanfic, caught between loyalty and conscience before the Exile twists him to her will.

I'm not as happy with how this one turned out, but here's another one from earlier in the fic (on Dxun at the time of the Mand. War.)

An illustration from my darkside fanfic. Sorry for the hugeness...