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Howdy all,
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**SPOILERS AHEAD**
I played the game twice. The first time.. I fell for Arlo. He was always so nice and caring and I loved his style. I was talking to him every day and we were very good friends but I hadn't figured out yet how to ask him to be my boyfriend. Before I realized, he was telling me about Nora. When I tell you MY HEART SANK. It was the first time I got jealous in a video game.. for an NPC. I told him he should figure it out on his own. I didn't expect that from him. Nora didn't even seem like his type. I didn't give up there and I tried every day to make him my boyfriend. I knew when he was meeting her and I tried to take him as far away from her as possible. But my heart was still broken and every day just made me lose any feelings I still had for him. Not long after, I changed my laptop and lost all progress. I took a break from the game for a few months. I forgot about him and got over him.
But the story doesn't end here cause I told you he is my favorite, right? I actually never expected what I'm about to tell you to happen. It never happened to me in real life anyway 💀
So, as you can imagine I started the game again. This time I already knew about Arlo and didn't pursue him. I was over him. No hard feelings. Maybe Nora was his one. This time I wanted to explore a little. I didn't want to get attached again and I wanted to see what bonus quests are out there. I decided to have multiple relationships and then decide who I like the best. I wanted to know more about more NPCs. Now the moment came in which Arlo tells me about Nora all over again. BUT this time, I realized something. He never said he had feelings for her. I was just blinded by my jealousy. He only said Nora confessed her feelings and he has a somewhat attraction but doesn't know what to do. And the most important thing... he told ME about it. Like he wanted to see my reaction. I started to question everything, but continued with my decision to not get attached. I didn't blame him anymore for what happened but my feelings were long gone already. I was still in relationships with other NPCs and continued that. No one really caught my eye for marriage though. What I never expected was that every time I saw Arlo.. he was nice and caring again. I realized I was falling. I decided to take my time and end all current relationships. And then pursue him all over again. Who would have thought I could forgive and want him once more? And this time was better. This time I saw wedding bells.
This story has a happy ending after all.
Sidenote: I've got a boyfriend IRL that looks like him. Same style, slightly different hair, but the same vibe. This got me even more invested.
He definitely was not like the ones I normally went after, but I liked his protectiveness and his passion for his duties.
However, when I found out he met with Nora at the well late at night? I was MAD LOL and then for him to have the audacity to ask you for advice about her after she confesses her feelings.. when you're LITERALLY trying to woo him.. I was mad again, but it was also really funny. Arlo definitely seems like the type of character that does not get a clue no matter how obvious someone is.
Now, my second pick (and very close to tied with Arlo), is most definitely Pinky. Pinky's character design is definitely fabulous. It cracks me up every time I choose to hug Pinky because she is this giant, pink, fur ball being hugged by your small MC. And the excitement she shows when she sees you for the first time of the day (whether that's waking up or you coming back inside)...so cute.
Well, it was quite hard to pick one character actually, i'm going to pick Gust. Well i myself am studding to be an architect, and that's more than enough reason to love his dialogues (and the reason why i first married him lol), and the pig came for bonus, i love animals in every single way, and i'm willing to catch a certain "bird" owner in the next game ;).
But, aside froom that, my gameplay with him was the most fun i've ever had. I've always been that "all for romance" person, and his events surely catches me (c'mon , look at his propose). Adding up, was really fun the relationship with the pig. I liked the exotic pet (fist time i've seen it i just couldn't stop thinking "oh this guy has a pig? he doesn't give me pig owner vibes") , then i heard the "ow, my teacher just dropped the pig and said 'this is inspiration, now go live your life' and now i got a pig", much more reliable story (but i do think he cares for the pig just as much as we love QQ).
Strange thing is that the pig just came up in the worst times in the game, like "ok, got a ton of stuff to do but i think i can bear up till midni-" "hold this apple, ok now walk around the town , the pig is lazy and i'm impatient" "ok forget about the mission , lets walk with the pig"
"I might get busy in the mines the next week, need some materi-" "hold my pig. I need to go traveling. Love u <3" "i guess i don't need iron anymore, let's get some apples"
but is not only because of that i love the blondie with the pig.
I think MTAP gave the characters such a love touch that i'm enchanted: they are unique and sound human, and i felt this with our (sometimes not so much) lovely blond.
I fell like the ones who made it spend some thought in it, he, and some other characters, sound so human that i fell bad at hurting them (soo much that i failed in divorcing gust to get to know other characters because i could not stand to see him upset, so i've created new worlds for each character i married.)
I've mentioned him and not other npcs because he is the most "complete" for me. He got that unique romance touch in quests like "fireworks with gust" , and mainly in his marriage propose (i was really not expecting for that, i just wanted to delivery a package! but no complains , i love it), and, with that, we were not stuck on the play date mini-games(i like the mini-games, but it's mostly the same for everyone you date, those events are something unique of his, and that made me want to marry every single npc in the game so i could see more of those, just incredible stuff, mainly those who alters the map like "pumpkin princess" and mint's mayor assistant.)Not to mention his help in Mint's route with his propose, quite hilarious imagining that.
Also, one other incredible touch was that he actually has a background (hold on my pig) , he had a life before the game, he cares for his sister a lot (And that "a lot" gets even bigger when you try going on a date with ginger), try to fulfill the expectations of his father (but at the same time does not let that lead his path, as he did not became the next mayor as his father wanted to), and has some great built ambitions and dreams(i had the same feeling with Arlo and the flying pigs), also i think he has a deep care for QQ too, since both are always together and he cares for the pigs health in many of his quests.
His relation with other npcs are mostly implicit by his acts, some more obvious than others, like QQ apear in most of his events (sadly i didn't have a pig on the beach watching me receive a propose.). I think develop deeper npc-npc relations is good, and i always thought that is just cute how he has a liked present as "umbrela" to give to his sister.
I almost hit Mint in this answer because he has something that Gust don't: he has some kind of fear or insecurity. Is not only Mint, but a ton of npcs, like those who fear the technology.Mint is a bit more explicit as his heart events go on. I don't see this as a mistake, because i think deep down Gust was made to be some kind of confident guy(still, i fell he has some shy speaks after marriage, nice touch from the one who made the voice)
Me, having married him more than 8 times counting every Portia save I have, being a clown since 1995: Ok but listen-
The magic about Portia relies in the fact that not two players experience the game the same, even if it's the same main story, even if two builders marry the same character, is not the same at all, because each builder experiences the relationship differently. God, Portia has so much storytelling potential. Who would have thought that some characters would have so much to tell? I didn't spare a second glance at Gust, but I had to be constantly in A&G to upgrade my house, the workshop and deliver commissions to Albert, so even if I spoiled rotten QQ with apples, I ended up talking with Gust. Yes, I get it, at first glance Gust seems extremely rude, but it's just his lack of social skills. I mean, who on Earth gives you a brooch saying "He has no use for it", just because he can't, for the love of Peach, say "I wanted to give you this". You eventually learn to read between lines with him, comparing what he says to what he does, like him entrusting you with QQ, the pig "he doesn't care about" but then you see him worrying over him because he got fat. I do think he tries as hard as he can to not get attached to anyone, having lost his mother at a young age, and with the looming threat of losing his sister, and knowing QQ is not gonna be eternal. Gust has a tendency to grieve forever, he does say his mother used to sew clothes for him, and I know it's never specified in the game, but I like to think that's the reason why his clothes look a little bit small on him. It makes sense he tries to lie to himself saying he doesn't care when in reality he does. I love his character transformation, he goes from being an ice king, to an awkward boyfriend, to a sweet husband. It feels like he is scared of being left alone, because the moment he marries the builder he lowers his walls and stops being rude, he openly cares for the builder, he says more about himself. Maybe it's because marriage feels more stable and he feels safe. After all, for Gust, family is everything. Which is why I like to imagine his encounter with Maurice would have been not as peaceful as it is canonically in game. I mean, Maurice just plain gives the builder a flying pig like if that's gonna make up for the emotional damage he caused, I don't think Gust would be ok with that.
Going back to the point where every builder plays different, I woo Gust till we can marry (which, lemme say, the fact that some candidates can propose? AWESOME) and then I bring him with me EVERYWHERE. No, no marriage candidate is great in a fight (not even Arlo), but I like the fact that you can bring them to all missions, even if sometimes funny things happen thanks to that (like Gust "arriving" to me in a cutscene when he had been with me the entire time, or that funny glitch where if you married Gust, a second Gust would be in the church too). I like to imagine what he would feel or say if he had dialogue for the missions I've brought him to, I like to think he would be fondly exasperated with Rosie (My builder) because she is 99% of the time covered in oil/dirt/fur, or that he would panic if the builder wants to have kids (after all, that's how his mother died), or that he would be always worried for the builder because "Why are you always in the middle of danger?!" even when he knows he has a wife that can beat him in a fight. Gosh I know some characters are gonna visit Sandrock and I'm really, really hoping I can see Gust again. Even if I know the most probable thing is you can't marry them because they are visiting, I would really love to see him there, if just for a bit.
Portia is very special because it makes you fall in love with the characters, it makes you want to know more, it makes you wanna explore the world, it really feels like a town where everyone knows each other and you are really the newcomer. Yes, it is lacking in some things (like, writing for many maaaany marriage candidates, except from the fandom darlings), but it still makes you feel like it's a world you would enjoy living in, if only for the people and the adventures. It made me recover my love for drawing and it pushed me to write fanfics again, it kept me going, specially the first months of the pandemic.
The scheduled time rolls around, and Ginger is nowhere to be found; "Odd, the characters are often early" I thought. The hours tick by until eventually.. Boom. -20 Friendship. I missed the date. Doesn't matter that I was standing in the blue circle with no Ginger in sight. I flat-out missed it.. All. My. fault. (apparently).
I start running down the street trying to find out what happened. Was Ginger kidnapped? Did she faint again!? Eventually, I see this small umbrella bobbing up and down from way down the street; it's Ginger, safe and sound, but slowly (and pointlessly) meandering to the (now non-existent) date starting location, seemingly oblivious I just took the fall for missing a date she was late to. I followed her curiously until she hit the date starting point, then immediately turned around and went about her usual routine like nothing ever happened!
Baffled, and a little angry, I started thinking about the game's mechanics and how this occurred. It turns out Ginger was abnormally displaced by the day's scheduled Snowball Battle, and due to her foot speed being roughly equal to an 80-year-old tortoise stuck in molasses, missed our date by at least 2 hours. This has taught me a valuable lesson for dates with Ginger; if she isn't there early, send out a search party.
Then I slowly get to know the other citizens, their thoughts, their life. Portia is a city I wish I could live in the real life.
"When I arrived in Portia, I learned to slow down and enjoy the surrounding view." Just like Nora said, this game is about to slow down and enjoy the view ant the time you spend with the citizens.
"The heck is this for?" I thought to myself, but it triggered a quest for Petra.
I was already dating Petra by this point, after all I was already seeing her pretty often what with me constantly badgering her for research, and she was fun to be around, but there wasn't really anything serious going. I think I was at about six and a half hearts? I'd been too busy to really do anything to change that either, what with the constant grinding out in the desert.
Still, a quest is a quest, and I took the boat to Petra.
She took the boat, and I thought that was it. Find random object, get some exp and relationship points, call it a day. I did talk with her that evening though, as the quest did remind me that I'd been kind of neglecting her. I came bearing a crystal from Amber Island as a gift, as I'd found she liked those, but instead I found a new piece of interesting dialogue about Petra reading sci fi. It was a neat easter egg, and it surprised me. So much so that I completely forgot to give her the crystal that night.
After that I went back to grinding and getting nowhere. That Chief Honcho is a BEAST, folks! I finally concluded that I needed a new strategy, and started hatching a new scheme: The Triple Barrel Snakebite. But first, I needed to make some ammo, so that would take some time.
Suddenly, quest from Petra. Okay, sure, I've got nothing to do while my machines make my bullets, let's see what she wants. Turned out to be a fetch quest for her lucky charm. Okay, sure. Once again, the quest reminded me to pay more attention to my girlfriend. The next day I went out to Amber Island again to get another crystal. I would not forget this time!
First, however, I took my Snakebite down to level 3 of Ingall's mine. The battle with the Chief Honcho was fierce and long, but in the end, I was the victor. He lay defeated, while I sat at less than a hundred health, my ammo and healing item supplies greatly diminished. I decided to call it a day, stock up on ammo and health items, and then do level 4 another day.
That evening, I went to talk with Petra. I got another bit of new dialogue, and we told a story together, about how a man sailed off to an unexplored land, facing monsters and storms, only to return home and find that his son had gone to sea as well. It was interesting, and it surprised me, and it wasn't until I'd gotten back to my house that I realized I'd once again forgotten to give Petra the crystal.
Flash forward a few days, thanks to some pretty rough commissions, and I was ready to dive to the very bottom of Ingall's Mine. I descended, cutting my way through everything in my path, only to find an even more powerful version of the Chief Honcho that had been giving me so much trouble. I grit my teeth, loaded my Snakebite, and brought the fight to him.
This was the hardest fight I ever experienced in the game. No other clash even compares. The Rogue Knight was a pushover compared to this guy. The various post-game battles in the Deepest Ruins were a veritable cakewalk compared to this blender of death. I spent the entire fight running and dodging, taking shots with my Snakebite whenever I got the chance. I'm not sure how long the fight lasted, but if you told me I spent half an hour fighting that one boss, I'd believe it. However, with my ammo on the verge of running out, I finally reduced the boss to zero health.
I limped my way back to town, riding the absolute thrill of victory and planning to have Carol upgrade my headgear to match the stats of the new item I'd picked up. On my way there I noticed Petra had a new mission for me. I was curious, as the last two had resulted in interesting dialogue, so I went right for it.
What followed was Petra being unusually coy. She's generally pretty up front about things, but here, she was using other people to deliver a weirdly fragmentary message. I was intrigued. I went to Merlin first, then stumbled on Arlo on his way down from the Civil Corps HQ, then I had to hunt down Remington who was on the wrong side of town, before finally catching up with Dr. Xu as he sat under the tree outside the Commerce Guild.
I went back to Petra, sitting under the tree in Central Plaza. Petra wanted to tell one more story. The dialogue options stared at me, and it finally hit me.
Petra was proposing.
I'd never seen anything like this in a game like this before. The world is always so passive in games like this, the people responding to you, not taking initiative. But here Petra was, making the first move. I was stunned.
I accepted.
The day I defeated the most difficult enemy the game ever threw at me was the same day Petra caught me completely off-guard and proposed to me.
I married that girl and I never looked back.
And that file STILL has a crystal sitting in its inventory that I forgot to give Petra.
Then I noticed a tall building with a globe on it, curiously I entered and saw a bunch of weird gadgets and was asked by a bluehaired woman if I was lost or something with an annoyance in her voice but she quickly got back to her work before I could reply... and then... another young woman showed up from behind a bookcase and I was shocked by her great beauty! She introduced herself as Petra and I tried to introduce myself but couldn't get any words out, so she explained what the research center is doing. "Trying to bring back humanity technology again" I thought to myself, "that's what I want too!". Maybe I should give this ruin diving thing a chance like that sailor on the boat suggested...
Petra's so smart I thought and so kind and dedicated to humanity, she works so hard to get me all these diagrams for constructs and machines and what does she want in return? Not money but these data discs which actually means even more work for her to get through, truly amazing! She even sneaked in a bag of cookies into my backpack for me to enjoy every now and then when I visited her at the research center, as I found out later. I also found out she likes to read science fiction books like me, when we talked about a book she was reading when technology was great again... but how could I ask her out? Me a simple little builder, did I not have a duty to let her mind focus on science and not love, if even she could love someone as simple as me. I bought that heartknot daydreaming I would someday give it to her even if I thought she would not accept it, but if I didn't at least confess my feelings to her I would regret it forever. I mustered up my courage and gave her the heartknot... Unsurprised she simply smiled and took it as if to say: "Finally, took you long enough". She already knew, she's so smart...
These days were so happy, I was so happy, we ate at the round table we laughed, made up stories for items such as toyboats and old pictures, we talked of science, the past, the future, the world and our feelings...
Then one day she wanted to play a game, I was supposed to find clues from people and get back to her, "Sounds fun!" I thought. With the clues found I was shaken, could it actually mean, what does it mean, does she actually want to marry a simple guy like me? Surely not right, or does it? She eagerly awaited my answer and I was a mess. Could I, should I or does she mean something else? " Y-y-you w-want to write a book?" I blurted out. "Nooo what have I done?!" I thought to myself. But Petra didn't get angry or upset or even sad, she simply smiled and said "I guess you're not ready yet." and then kissed me. She's so smart... She was so sure of her feelings and mine that she knows we will be married one day. One day... I will be better for her. One day we will be married and travel around the world, make discoveries and bring advanced technology back to humanity again! I just need some more time at Portia...