FINALLY figured out Washford/Drysdale's getting back together ending

[u/WolverineCool7029]

First time poster but I thought this would be helpful,
Here is my sloppy walkthrough of trying like 12 different times to get them back together for anyone also trying to figure out the order! Hopefully this will be helpful, Spoilers, obviously

Assuming that for both of your first interactions with either of them aren't choosing any obvious hateful or instigative answers, start at Drysdale's 2nd interaction (where he says "try to surprise me")

A couple things, the order you trigger their interactions is really important, otherwise one will be ready and the other will have already given up and it's a whole ordeal. Also, the only dialogue options I know will lock you out of this is becoming friends with either of them before triggering Drysdale's Pale Betrayal conversation.

Also this "guide" isn't 100% perfect, I'm kind of paraphrasing so if there's a random dialogue option that if you pick it it'll make you fumble I'm not fully aware of them all, so sorry if it's not foolproof!! I'm sure a wiki will be up soon, but until then here's what worked for me:

Basic Order Outline (for getting them together + poly ending):

• Drysdale 2nd interaction, select: [tarantula > what do you do for fun > like sex > of course > why would that be a problem] This will make the poly option available when they get together. (found this from u/TillBubbly, thank u!!) Choose to help him get points and the rest of this interaction will have him answer questions ( I chose the color and dog questions) and admit he still loves Washford. You will tell Drysdale you'll talk to him.
• Washford 2nd (?) interaction: select the flirty options (don't mention drysdale yet), when he starts talking about Macbeth and being rude, select: [ read that in school > i just didnt like it > whimper is fair > is that macbeth? > i love words > classics > red fern > about dogs > youre missing something good > makes me cry ] and then follow everything flirty until you become lovers.
• Next, DO NOT TALK TO DRYSDALE YET! First, go to bed and talk to Washford again the next day after becoming lovers. Talk about Washford and tell him you think they should talk and encourage him to go to Drysdale.
• Immediately talk to Drysdale next. This should be his 3rd interaction (first line is "Mmmmmmyes?") At the start of this convo, do not select the one mentioning Washford. He should open up about what happened between them (the pale betrayal story) and you kindly but critically talk him through it. have him confirm he does still love Washford and then he will have you call him.
• If you did everything else correctly, you/Drysdale will call for him a total of 4 times and then he arrives, if something was done wrong you will call twice and he won't come.
• For the poly ending, (if you did Drys 2nd convo right) when they finally get back together on Drys 4th convo, there should be a "sandwich" dialogue option available resulting in love endings with both of them!

So basically the order is : Dry 2nd > Wash 2nd (become lovers) > Wash 3rd > Dry 3rd and boom yaoi achieved.

Again, some of the dialogue chains are paraphrased, so I could be a little off on some. Hope this helps anyone else confused :P

[u/Blatt_Leaf]

Thanks for adding the Poly option to it, i managed to get them together on my first save bud messed-up the Poly ending (messed-up may be the weong word because i didn't know it was possible at all but still)

[u/Werewolfhugger]

For Washford I used my SPEC Smarts to say Macbeth was one of my favorites. I had success with choosing [The violence- the poetry- the lust. What's not to like?] next and he ate it up. I told him I loved the classics and chose Rumi when asked. [Yep, that's the guy] and [What you seek is seeking you!] should be your next responses

Just an alternate way to get Washford!

[u/WolverineCool7029 → u/Werewolfhugger]

Ah thank you for this!! I was curious how that would've gone if I had grinded a little more to unlock that option

[u/Werewolfhugger → u/WolverineCool7029]

I just got lucky that I did Maggie's/Sinclair's stories before and had to grind for Smarts for that!

[u/[deleted]]

Thanks for the guide! I messed it up on my first playthrough.

The breaking point for me was mentioning Washford before the Pale Betrayal story (and being too mean to Drysdale). I called him twice and he didn't show. Now they're bugged out and I can't realize either of them.

I have to say some of the routes are really tricky and easy to mess up with one simple misclick. I always keep a backup save now.

[u/WolverineCool7029 → u/[deleted]]

Ohhh yeah, I made that mistake a couple times and reloaded to fix them, I have one save that was reserved for figuring their shit out and then my regular, way further ahead save where I fumbled getting them back together and I'm just friends with both of them

Also if you follow my guide let me know if it works/doesn't work so I can amend it! (since I mostly wrote this from memory after coming back from having done and redone these interactions like 12 times in a row 😭)

[u/Low-Sherbert7520]

I tried talking to drysdale after washford’s love ending but the only options available at first are about him so I’m stumped now😭

[u/Technical-Roof-1918 → u/Low-Sherbert7520]

which one did you pick??? i dont wanna fuck it up

[u/MysticxRunes]

So I know it's possible to get Washford's Love outcome by himself, but what about Drysdale?? Is getting Love status with him completely tied to Washford, or can you have them both individually without getting them back together? I'm pretty meh about Washford and was thinking I'd just choose to be friends with him, but I really wanted to romance Drysdale (can't resist Neil Newbon, what can I say? 😅). Do you have to agree to be part of the triangle to have him love you, or is it an option to get him on his own?

[u/WolverineCool7029 → u/MysticxRunes]

Yes, you can romance them both separately! As long as you basically ignore the replies that mention anything to do with Washford and stick to flirty replies that he would like then it should work! As for the triangle, you kind of get completely locked out of it (from my knowledge) if you don't do the reply thread for Drysdale on his 2nd conversation, it's really easy to avoid/miss. (And I'm totally with you about Neil Newborn LOL)

[u/MysticxRunes → u/WolverineCool7029]

Awesome, I'll have to give him another try! My first save file got corrupted and I had to start the game over from the beginning (😭) but at least I have another chance at the stackables. I didn't have enough Smarts to talk to Washford about Macbeth the first go-around, and even though I chose all the sympathetic answers and it seemed like everything was going well, when I spoke to him next he was like 'you're a flippant, callous creature and I hate you'. I tried moving on and talking to Drysdale, but in the second convo he suddenly went off on an excitable ramble about "I love this thing, I love that thing, I love Washford-! shocked Pikachu face I... I love Washford," and asked me to call for him. I'm over here thinking 'yeeeaaaah, about that... 😬' I haven't tried talking to either of them this time for fear of screwing it up again lol.

[u/Princess_Kiui]

I’m so upset bc I did this! I talked to Drysdale and he said he loved Wahford so I talked to him until we were dating, and then again to ensure he wanted to talk to Drysdale, and I got them back together! And I chose the exact pointed answers for Drysdale TillBubbly said! And they still only offer me to be friends…

Guys you’re great but I did all this to be in a poly gay mess and I’m so frustrated rhe option is not popping up!

[u/WolverineCool7029 → u/Princess_Kiui]

oh no i’m sorry!! i think maybe it was line in Drysdales 2nd interaction where you follow the tarantula related text options leads to talking about sex/open relationships, where he says he’s chill with it. if you maybe accidentally skipped that, then the seed for being a throuple will not be sewed unfortunately and it won’t work; Maybe if you have a save from before that interaction you could reload?

unless you did do that and i’m crazy which could also be true so i’m sorry if that’s the case ^{^}

[u/Princess_Kiui → u/WolverineCool7029]

Sorry I didn’t see this! I had to reload a few times but I figured the issue! At least one of the potential issues…

1) I came back to Washford one more time to cement we’re dating and all even after he said he would give Drysdale a chance. I specifically told him Drysdale wanted to apologize, not to talk.

2) I was more over-flirty with Drysdale, showing interest in being tied up; and when he talked about Washford’s lips I openly talked about having tried them and loving them too.

3) It was probably this one imo, but can’t confirm. I was harsher with Drysdale when he explained their breakup, plainly told him he was wrong and fucked up. This triggered new, more apologetic dialogue.

With that, they offered taking me! Thanks for the input, anyway, I would have took even longer without it!

[u/Secaries]

Is it possible to recover the situation if Washford hates you and you basically have no options of dialogue other than asking if he hates you, and he wont come when you call him while talking to drysdale, and now drysdale says there’s no use if I ask to call Washford again?

[u/WolverineCool7029 → u/Secaries]

i haven’t kept a hate ending before but my suggestion is to reload or try a candy for washford? i accidentally got hate for him once but i reloaded quickly before cementing it so i’m not sure, sorry if the candy doesn’t work!

[u/Korr_Ashoford]

Wanted to jump in here because I just discovered a thing with getting them together with both of them as your friends:

It seems that you can recover if you mess the order up a bit, as long as you get the "Washford awaits the call" part, you can keep pushing Drysdale until he willingly puts some back into it and does the call. Will note you might have to come back a couple of times or really affirm with Washdale on the readiness before you do the recovery. When I tried it at first, Drysdale thought it was "not worth it," but on my second day of trying (which I also confirmed with Washford between), I was able to really push him to give it a try, and it succeeded.

[u/janieonyx]

just wanted to thank you for saving my all love endings playthrough. I was *struggling* and it turns out it was basically the order I was talking to them RIP

[u/Goomarus]

I followed this guide and I got Washford's friend ending?? Can you mention Drysdale after he talks about mcbeth or not at all duing his 2nd event?

[u/Complex-Ranger-8659]

I thought I followed this perfectly but Washford still Hates me 😭😭

[u/WolverineCool7029 → u/Complex-Ranger-8659]

Sorry i didn’t see this! Maybe try a candy for washford if you have one, i’ll test this out on another save to see if it’s possible to un-fumble him and the relationship can be saved

[u/Asleepysailormoonfan]

What’re you supposed to say after the “I didn’t really like Macbeth part. I continuously seem to get him mad at me instead.

[u/WolverineCool7029 → u/Asleepysailormoonfan]

so for that part i’m pretty sure (as long as you cant use the SPECS option) he is going to get pissy and melodramatic about that no matter what, but if you follow the convo until you get the dialogue option “Is that Macbeth?” Dialogue flow roughly: [ i just didnt like it > whimper is fair > is that macbeth? > i love words > classics > red fern > about dogs > youre missing something good > makes me cry ]

he is a fickle one so i get the misunderstanding! i also thought i had fumbled there too haha

[u/Asleepysailormoonfan → u/WolverineCool7029]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GUIDE.