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i-dont-pay-taxes · 4 months

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Blank, a guilty gear song, is an ode to the the scientific method... and it's beautiful

youtube

Lyrics:

analysis:

"Don't say bye, don't say bye It's just a short break on the way Don't say bye, don't say bye Now, pick up the map that was discarded"

The song opens by introducing one of the core messages which will be explored... this idea of never really quitting, at least not for long, is told to us through the lyrics of not saying bye. Denying the concept of giving up, and calling it a break on this longer journey, before getting back to work by picking up the map (as in, a roadmap of a project).

"The whitespace was innocent For the man didn't paint with no colors He had a brush and a thick sketchbook But he had so much more"

The whitespace in question is a piece of paper, as the song later mentions, with its innocence coming from a lack of any defining features, as it has no color. This idea of a blank piece of paper being analysed is the main way this song conveys its meaning. Where a piece of paper is usually used to write down information, which is clearly where its value comes from, here the man who is using this paper is described as not leaving anything actually on the paper. While he did have a brush and sketchbook, he found something more in the blank piece of paper itself. The song is stating the idea of refusing to accept a piece of paper as nothing more than a tool to write on, instead suggesting we ought to find meaning in even a blank paper.

"The storm comes on calmly The storm comes on suddenly Keep on walking though it hurts To find a space on a blank paper"

These are the main lines repeated throughout the song. The idea of the storm coming on both calmly and suddenly at the same time is a paradox, and just like that concept of paradoxical impossibility, finding color on a blank paper is also obviously impossible in the same way. The song sets up our theme here, the idea of finding evidence to confirm something which is instinctually false. To keep on walking is to keep trying, to keep attempting to prove something, despite knowing it obviously won't lead to anything. That is what being a scientist is at times, seeking empirical evidence confirm something that we know.

"The storm comes on calmly The storm comes on suddenly He knows how to ride it now To find the color on a blank paper"

Almost like a person trying to prove something but always failing, we are consistently brought back to this starting point of a lyric, the starting idea from which everything else leads, changing a bit every time in an attempt to finally prove the idea of finding something on a blank paper.

"Don't ask why, don't ask why It's just a caprice detour Don't ask why, don't ask why It's time to get back on to the road"

The main idea of the song, that being proving something impossible, is challenged. We are told to not ask why, and that we should get going, as trying to prove something clearly false is a waste of time. This plays as a parallel to the starting lyrics, while those were encouraging the continuation of this project, these lyrics, using very similar words, are doing the opposite.

"The wide space was innocent For the man didn't write in no letters He had a pen and plenty black ink But he had so so much to say"

The wide space is a reference to the white space (with them basically being homophones), this time taking on the meaning of other people who are discouraging of these attempts, yet ultimately innocent due to the fact that they are arguing against the existence of something impossible. The man is again shown to be trying to find something paradoxical in a piece of blank paper. The song started by calling out how the had so much more, which could be seen as potential, but now refers to him having so much to say, while his pen and ink remain unused. While he is talking about and discussing his ideas, he is still unable to find any evidence, thus failing to use his pen and ink.

"The storm comes on calmly The storm comes on suddenly Keep on walking against the wind To find a space on a blank paper

The storm comes on calmly The storm comes on suddenly He knows how to write it now (To) define the color on a blank paper"

This song uses these lyrics ad nauseam to signify the consistent trial and error used to prove something. While struggling, having to now "walk against the wind", finally a conclusion is reached, with the ability to define the color on blank paper, something which will finally answer if you even can find anything on it.

"When he has given out some day What is on his mind? Pointless I will give you that, but I did not want to believe Such words "that's the way it goes" But hey My journey is over with"

Here, the narrator refers to himself in the future as a different person, questioning what he will be thinking the day he finally gives up, a concept he is currently so opposed to he can't considering himself the same person if he does that.

Having proven that his paradoxical ideas about a blank paper are indeed provably false, he admits to the pointlessness of the whole ordeal, but still says he simply wasn't content accepting the obvious truth without proof. Either way, does it really matter? His journey is now finally over.

"The storm comes on calmly The storm comes on suddenly Cold and wet and hurt by rain (But) Keep on walking just go on and on

The storm comes on calmly The storm comes on suddenly Keep on walking though it hurts To find a space on a blank paper"

This time these lines are used as advice to others, even if the rain (all the criticisms you will receive) hurts like hell, you have to keep on moving forward, trying to prove even that which is obvious. To find a space on a blank paper is impossible, yet completely worth trying.

"The storm comes on calmly The storm..

When his time runs out some day Where will his heart be? Breathless I will give you that, but I did not want to believe Such words "that's the way it goes""

The paradoxical nature of the storm is finally solved, with it now coming only calmly, the same way that the blank paper is confirmed to be nothing more than that. Again, we repeat the idea of where will a person who proves the obvious end up one day, but having finally proved what he went out to confirm, the lines after conclude the theme.

"My friend

Yeah I'm a fool Still I know this (The) Wind may blow again"

A person who tries to proves that which is instinctually known is considered a fool for wasting their time, and yet... how can we blame someone for wanting to be truly certain of even that which is known? After all, to be a scientist, to be a human, is to go out and find meaning and proof in everything, and our world, our wind, may only continue functioning as normal when we have that knowledge.

Finding the space on a blank paper is impossible, and yet we must try until we are certain of it, for that is the scientific method, which makes us human.

#guilty gear strive #guilty gear #music #song analysis #analysis #taxes writes things #Guilty gear song #Youtube

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i-dont-pay-taxes · 4 months

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This was a comic page comm for a friend for his D&D character, a ditzy tiefling full of bubbles & sugar, whomst, via some shenanigans involving wild magic, is now overpowered to a degree that frightens anyone who actually knows her.

#those cupcakes are illegal within 37/46 kingdoms

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i-dont-pay-taxes · 4 months

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it was her birthday yesterday, I forgot to do the spooky dance

#how jack-o mains look at you after putting you in a 47 second block string

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i-dont-pay-taxes · 4 months

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Sky should be high from guilty gear is actually about being trans and I didn't completely make that up!

youtube

Lyrics we'll be referring to throughout this analysis:

//it should be noted this song is not actually about being trans, but i find this reading of it interesting, everything I say is completely my own interpretation so take that as you want

"I just tried to take the PATH

that led me to be FREE and ended in this bind

The PAST is what it's called

FILTH is what it is.

That's the wall of the CELL"

The beginning of this song is the closest to having outright trans themes, with it talking about taking the path to be free, which could be seen as the process of transitioning. What I find more interesting is how it talks about being binded by the past, referring to it as filth. There is a clear disgust towards it, comparing it to a part of a cell trapping the person going through this.

A common feeling after transitioning is a certain disliking of our past, and thinking we are trapped by what we were. This idea that we are somehow not being true to the person we were before can develop, leading to us feeling trapped by our own identity.

The song sets up our main issue within this first section, that being the hardships of transitioning.

"Fades away

Fades away like footsteps on the shoreline

why? They try to bring me down.

Sky should be high... Backflow"

The song brings up the idea of the past slowly fading away, and while calling the past a filth, it still has a somber tone while talking about it disappearing. The next line, about others trying to bring the person down, without any understandable reason, is quite obvious in it's correlation to the trans experience.

The last sentence is a repeating line throughout the song, and it's the most important idea this song has to offer... a rejection of death. The sky it refers to could be seen as an afterlife, a place we go to so we may rest, and this song states that such a place should be far away from us. We shouldn't give up on life, on our choices, and as such our sky should be high.

The backflow part doesn't have much to be interpreted. If i had to draw some kind of conclusion, I'd say it's the idea of changing gender, changing the flow... (It's a stretch, but so is everything)

"HERE we go again CON-tradiction

Should I stay or should I die

TRIED to pave a path

DUG a huge hole

had no clue that was my GRAVE"

Sometimes, after transitioning, we can feel like we are contradicting our own body, this whole verse of the song is an almost rageful rant about the hardships experienced throughout the process of figuring it all out.

The idea of staying or dying is a dark concept many trans people have to face, having to choose between gender dysphoria or possible social shunning.

The song again mentions the idea of paving a path and this time it results in almost giving up. It should be mentioned that it does something interesting vocally here, with the word DUG being pronounced so that the D sound is emphasised, making it sound like the word DIE before the UG sound and further context is added. This is used to show the descent of the song, going from doubt to almost completely giving up.

The last two lines further reinforce this, with it now representing the transition as a grave which will lead to death, a death of one's own creation.

"Fades away

Hands and feet are bound, Can't even see

why? They try to bring me down.

Sky should be high... Backflow"

This verse is mostly the same as the one before it, with the important distinction of the second line. The past is now almost completely faded, and that can be scary, feeling like we can't change anything about our future or see what we were like can be a scary idea.

"Backflow

Backflow... As dark shades are made by the sun

Backflow... Good booze is just making it just worse

Backflow... The more words, the less I get

This world is built in brimstone"

The constant repeating of the word backflow is meant to be an attempt to forcefully get through this, continuing with the transition despite the contradictions consistently being brought up within the person.

Dark shades made by the sun can be seen as the negative effects of the transition, with the sun representing the transition itself, while the shades are meant to show how this, at its core healthy and good process, has negative effects due to the way trans people are treated.

Addictions can be developed because of these internal (and tbh in huge part societal) issues. The booze is used as an example of a furthering spiral downward, making everything worse.

The idea that the more words are used to express this feeling, the less the very person explaining it understands themselves is also quite powerful.

It ends by stating that the world is built in brimstone, which could be taken as society being unwilling to change and co-exist with the idea of trans people. This is the lowest point of the song, having it feel like the whole world is against the very idea of being trans.

"Can't you see?

The innocent may find the way

Wise men lose track of the single path

No one knows tomorrow"

A change in perspective. The first line suggests this is a different person completely, as with an almost rhetorical tone it asks the question we thought we knew the answer to. This idea that the answer is obvious, but we've been blind to it, is the major theme of this verse.

Firstly, it claims that as long as we stay innocent, as long as we stay good and moral people, we may find the way.

Secondly, it says that even the wisest of us can lose track of said path, and that there is no shame in that.

Third, it presents the idea that no one knows tomorrow, that no one is certain what the future may bring.

These words contrast the verse before, claiming that no matter the hardships we face, this world isn't built in brimstone, it can change, we can find our own path, and we may get lost along the way, but even the best get lost occasionally.

"I'll never ever kneel down"

This might be my favorite sentence in a song ever, a complete rejection of giving up, refusing to not live because of hardships. Something not innate to the trans experience, but one of the things that defy it. The song has presented the hardships, and the answers, but this, this is the conclusion.

"Stairway

Jaded town of god... what the hell

Stay away... not going there

Sky should be high"

The town of god is another synonym for the afterlife, with the song, now with certainty, proclaiming it wishes to stay away. Rejecting death, giving up and this fake peace, it repeats the idea of how the sky should be high.

"Oh Fades away

Fades away like footsteps on the shoreline

(Yeah) Fades away just one moment left

Sky should be high Backflow"

The past is fading away for the final time, but this time, due to the certainty gained, the song doesn't have a regretful and somber sound. As the last moment finishes, we repeat the ideas we mentioned, and the ending lyric of backflow signifies the completion of the transition, finally accepting ourselves and finding our path. The sky should indeed be high.

//again, overdramatic trans reading of a song for a fighting game, do not take too seriously

#Youtube #guilty gear #transgender #Trans #Taxes does stuff #guilty gear strive #song analysis #song lyrics

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i-dont-pay-taxes · 4 months

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#thanks i needed this guide

what do each of the skill ups in AC's survival mode do?

Okay, since AC+R is going to be showing up soon, might as well refresh everyone’s memory (since my AC+ Survival Mode FAQ might not cover all the bases).

First and foremost, you can only equip 3 equips. If you equip a 4th, it will push the first thing you equipped out of the slot, so be really picky about what combinations you come up with, at the end of this I will give you a few suggestions on what you can put together to make the most out of your Survival Mode runs.

[Max Health]: Pretty self-explanatory, restores your HP to 100%. Use this for emergencies when you had a close shave. As a side note, much like [Time Travelling] it doesn’t push your equips out of the slot.

[Limit Break]: I do NOT recommend using this one unless you plan on getting that “True Double-Edged Hell/Shin Goku Moroha” Trophy. Basically what it does is force opponents into fixed counterhit state, but in exchange, you can’t BLOCK, and you take double damage for any hits you yourself take!

[Easy FRC]: This one would make more sense once you turned it on in Extra Menu once that unlocks. It basically “expands” the amount of frames with which you can use a Force Roman Cancel during certain attacks. And, characters will have a Blue color around them to signify what frames you need to do them at. For the purposes of Survival Mode, however, it’s not really useful other than praciticing FRCs a bit. If you plan on using this outside of Survival Mode, set the Frame setting to 5 to keep it at a minimum so that you can really get the hang of those darned FRCs (I hear Zappa’s are some of the hardest, so keep practicing!)

[Yellow RC]: A Yellow Roman Cancel basically reduces Tension loss to 25%, meaning Roman Cancels are reduced to 25% and Force Roman Cancels only cost 12% Tension. I don’t think this particular equip is all that useful, since it doesn’t apply to Forcebreaks, since those will always cost 25%.

[Chaos RC]: Chaos Roman Cancels were introduced in Guilty Gear Judgment, basically you cancel one special move into another special move at the cost of 50% Tension. This equip actually STACKS with [Yellow RC], so it can be useful. Just keep in mind that certain moves, such as Grand Viper, can’t be executed well with this equipped. I personally don’t recommend this item, since it tends to make a mess out of your moves and burns more Tension than you really need to burn.

[Hunter Saving]: More or less reduces your stats by a certain percentage, but in exchange you gain more Experience and Level Up faster. Honestly, there are better equips out there, so I don’t recommend this one.

[Bonus Up]: Usually whenever you Level Up, you gain a certain percentage of HP back. This more or less increases that amount. Most Level Ups occur during counter-hits, perfects, Overdrives/Instant Kills, so really you don’t need this equip, so I don’t recommend it unless you have a hard time early on getting HP back in some fights.

[Experience Up]: Makes you Level Up faster. Likely it stacks with [Bonus Up], but I personally don’t recommend this one, much more useful items are out there.

[Guard Mist Finer]: You get this item exclusively from Black EX Johnny at Level 340. While in and of itself it may seem like a worthless equip…if you tend to use a slow-reaction character (like Potemkin) with a lot of easily countered attacks…you’re going to need this as a counter-measure against Gold Johnny at Level 920 later on. It reduces the damage of his Mist Finer to non-fatal levels, plus reduces his overall damage by a percentage. I like to live dangerously and ignore this equip myself, but if Gold Johnny gives you problems you might want to reconsider this one. Just keep in mind, this equip won’t save you if you have [Limit Break] equipped.

[Flame Attack/Guard Flame/Lightning Attack/Guard Lightning]: Primarily these would be useful against specific elemental-based opponents or as a means to buff your own elemental attack. Gold Ky, Gold Sol, and Gold Zappa in particular tend to benefit the most from these abilities. Gold Zappa in particular is a major threat if you don’t know his A.I. patterns, so equipping [Guard Lightning] might be useful early on, otherwise try to boost your defenses as much as possible. Also keep in mind that some characters like Kliff, Slayer, and A.B.A. don’t benefit from elemental attacks at all…I’ll list some decent combinations later on at the bottom of this article.

[Guard Beat]: Reduces the amount of damage you take in a combo down to the first hit only. While this is useful in most situations, it’s not going to help much against one-hit wonders like Slayer, Potemkin, Zappa and even Sol. The A.I. tends to have extremely advanced combos in some situations, some of which would be impossible under normal conditions (i.e. because of Infinite Tension), so be extremely careful around the likes of Black Faust, who can FRC his Scalpel Enema poke and wipe you out if you guess incorrectly.

[Berserker]: Triples your attack power in exchange for Gradual HP loss. You get this exclusively from Black EX A.B.A. (Level 460) and Gold A.B.A. (Level 970). This ability stacks with [Life Recovery] and [Vampire Form] so it works well in those situations. Just don’t take your sweet time dishing out attacks or you’re going to be left with 1 HP.

[Life Recovery]: The trick with this ability is to know how to Block attacks. If you can do that, you won’t have to worry about taking much damage. It’s a useful counter-effect to [Berserker]’s life-drain. If you’re a real health-nut you could even stack it with [Vampire Form], but other than that it won’t be all that useful.

[Tension Increase]: Oh, I love this ability. It gives you automatic Tension Gain, even if you’re not doing anything especially offensive (i.e. airdashing or running or attacking). I highly recommend this, but the trick is equipping it at a point when it’s most beneficial to you so you’ll have to strategize a bit. By the time you max out your “Start Tension” and “Tension Rate” stats, you won’t need it much, but it’s useful to have before that happens. Just keep in mind that having this won’t make up for lack of Defense or Offense, so you’ll have to work on your blocking and combos to make up for any Tension you may have. The A.I. gets crazy sometimes.

[Soul of Zepp]: Exclusive Equip to Gold Potemkin (Level 720… Haha 720, get it? Nevermind.) It gives you Auto Instant-Blocking. While that IS useful…it’s only good if you know how to block well in the first place. And it isn’t going to help you at all with executing Slashbacks. I personally don’t recommend this one unless you find yourself stuck blocking a lot or are using Baiken for one reason or another. Also as a side note, this ability is called “Chokuzen” in the Extra Menu once you unlock it.

[Time Travelling]: Exclusive to Gold Axl Low at Level 860. If you plan on maxing your stats and finding the right equips for completing Survival Mode, you’re going to have to beat him and use this a few times. Ironically it doesn’t take up any slots so even if your slots are full of equips it won’t push any out, so I actually consider this a “mandatory” equip. If he doesn’t throw you back down low enough in the Levels, you may have to make a second pass to get everything you need. You’re going to need it when you go up against your first major challenger in Gold Slayer.

[Vampire Form]: An Exclusive Equip to Gold Slayer (Level 880). Good luck getting it from him. You may have to resort to a Time Up if he gets especially annoying. If he has full Tension I suggest blocking as soon as you can because he WILL use his Overdrives to turn the tide of the fight. If you do manage to beat him, Vampire Form basically turns you into a Guilty Gear equivalent of Ragna=the=Bloodedge (i.e. you get HP back with every attack you land within a certain % of the damage dealt). Just keep in mind that so long as your attacks are blocked, you won’t get any Health Back, so you need to land some serious damage to get HP back. I personally favor [Life Recovery] over this ability, since that ability is more effective in Neutral situations.

[May’s Fist]: Exclusive to Gold May (Level 910). This one is just plain silly. It essentially makes your dizzy stun rating values skyrocket and you can even easily put Potemkin or some gold characters in Faint status…useful for Instant Kills. I only recommend this equip if you feel it’s going help you against certain Gold fights, otherwise generally there’s a far better item than this to pick up.

[Sheer Heart Attack]: The Mother of all equips, EXCLUSIVE to Gold Sol Badguy! Good luck getting this one. This one makes any attack you throw out, projectile or otherwise COMPLETELY UNBLOCKABLE. Remember all those headaches you had trying to get past the A.I.’s impregnable defense? You can blow past them now. Though, powerful an equip though this is…do NOT let your guard down! The A.I. is a wily beast when cornered. This equip is critical for the Double-Edged Hell Trophy strategy I will describe later on.

—————-Combinations—————-Obviously you should assume to have max stats in EVERYTHING, including Burst, Airdashes, Jumps, and Tension Rate/Start Tension for most of these setups, so you should expect to do a lot of [Time Travelling] to get it set up.

For starters here’s my Justice Build:

[Lightning Attack][Tension Increase][Life Recovery]

When she gets full Tension, she can beat out most attacks with Imperial Ray or Michael Blade, making her ideal with Leveling Up.

Then, later on, you can swap out [Lightning Attack] for [Sheer Heart Attack], essentially making her unstoppable.

Since Guilty Gear is primarily an Offense-based game, I stick with the elemental attacks, so for example Axl Low, Jam, and Sol would use [Flame Attack], and Ky, Anji, and maybe Zappa, and Justice would use [Lightning Attack]. Potemkin, Testament, A.B.A., and Slayer would do well to use more useful equips though.

For Potemkin:

[Guard Beat][Tension Increase][Life Recovery]

Saves him a lot of trouble later on. Then, when you manage to beat Gold Slayer, you can swap out [Guard Beat] for [Vampire Form] and later [Tension Increase] for [Sheer Heart Attack] to really lay on the hurt. Just keep in mind that [Guard Beat] won’t help you much vs Gold Zappa, Gold Slayer, and Gold Sol so keep them blocking and if possible, force them to Dead Angle to spend their Tension (unless it’s Gold Sol, then just hope he doesn’t hit you much).

Now then…for the “Shin Goku Moroha/True Double Edged Hell” Trophy…the requirements being that you equip [Limit Break] and [Berserker] and beat Survival Mode.

A very very VERY DANGEROUS combination…but, I will highlight a method through which you can do it, here:

First, use one of the initial builds to stabilize and max your stats. You need to be able to make it up to and BEAT Gold Sol and pick up [Sheer Heart Attack]. That’s the first Step.

So, assuming this you’re at Level 960 with [Sheer Heart Attack], you’re going to need a build that looks like this:

[________][Life Recovery][Sheer Heart Attack]

I left the top slot blank because that could be anything for this setup…Level 970 assumes you will be facing Gold A.B.A. and will be picking up [Berserker]. This will push out the top-most equip, leaving you with:

[Life Recovery][Sheer Heart Attack][Berserker]

Now, here’s where you need a little luck. Your next fights will be against Gold Kliff Undersn and Gold Justice…assuming you maxed out all your stats…there is a CHANCE that either of them will have the [Limit Break] item you need to fulfill the Trophy requirement.

So with a little luck, you picked up [Limit Break], your build should look like this:

[Sheer Heart Attack][Berserker][Limit Break]

If you picked up [Limit Break] from Gold Kliff you’re in for a Gauntlet of Heaven or Hell as you still have to face Gold Justice…more Darkside Trash, and then finally Gold Order Sol.

You better HOPE no one hits you with ANYTHING. You can’t block, they can’t block, all you can do is lay on the hurt before they do and hope it works.

If you manage to kill Order-Sol…you got your Trophy! Congrats.

Anyways, if you still have questions about Extra Menu or whatever feel free to ask.

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i-dont-pay-taxes · 5 months

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"I've got a bone to pick with capitalism and a few to break.

Grab us by the throat and shake the life away.

Human life is not commodity, figures, statistics, or make believe."

#my favourite song ever

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i-dont-pay-taxes · 5 months

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Umurangi Generation: The last generation who has to watch the world die - quick review/analysis

Umurangi generation is a first person photography game set in a fictional cyberpunk-ish world where humanity is facing an extinction level event. We follow our voiceless MC and his group of equally voiceless (yet endlessly stylish) friends on their trip around new zealand.

The game is split into 8 different stages, consisting of classic punk street slums, restricted rooftops and military bases. Our goal is to take pictures of certain objects or people around the map within the 10 minute time limit, these tasks are called photo bounties. The game also includes bonus objectives with every mission, like collecting all hidden film canisters, taking a photo of all your friends, or finding a spot to recreate the picture of a postcard you are shown in the pause menu.

Stage 1 - The start of your photography taking spree is a small rooftop brimming with graffiti and the punk spirit. This stage acts as the tutorial of the game, containing easy to find photo bounties and collectables. The main thing of note is about this stage is just how nostalgic it makes me feel. To be honest, I've never gone onto restricted rooftops full of punk graffiti, yet the amazing art direction and colour palette make this place feel like a sanctuary of teen angst, as if I've missed countless conversations between friends which have all moved on. It invokes that same feeling as seeing years old graffiti where someone confesses their love to a person you have never met. A painful hit of nostalgic melancholy. All in all an amazing stage which sets a great starting tone for this game.

Stage 2 - Turns out i forgot to mention that the indie punk environmentalist game has a complicated relationship with the government (the UN to be specific). The second stage is set on a UN military base which is riddled with tired soldiers and graffiti expressing anti UN sentiment ("I just wanted meaning in life yet here I am" and "My dreams of being an audio engineer are over." are some of the more notable ones). The base is a clear sign that the UN is trying to stop whatever world ending event is happening, much to the dismay of the people. The stage also contains a hint at what might be causing all this, with a sign counting the number of killed "squids" (they look like jellyfish but fine). Upon completion of every stage we get a new camera lens or picture editing option, and this stage requires smart use of the camera lens we got on the past stage to earn a bounty, teaching the player about smart positioning. At this point in my playthrough i had assumed this game had a strong anti UN sentiment, but later I found another way of looking at things, that comes later tho. Not my favorite stage, but a well done one nonetheless.

Stage 3 - Anyone else love cyberpunk? For me it's not the futuristic technology or sci fi story that's intriguing, but the lively backstreets and (depressingly) squeezed housing. This stage is just that, with even more anti UN (and cop! how political!) messaging, so much so that the stage is a no UN allowed zone, with cops not even responding to any crisis calls. From a gameplay perspective it's a way more vertical stage, with a few bounties being hidden up high on the rooftops. Not much more to say about this one, past complimenting it's amazing design.

Stage 4 - If the stage before was about realistic cyberpunk streets, that being dirty, cramed and depressing housing, then this stage is about the cyberpunk utopia. Bright neon signs and loud dance parties can be found above a tunnel filled with the homeless (and more dance parties!). This stage aint for me, as I dislike the bright neon colour scheme... still, it provides a fine, I'd even say amazing, set up for the next stage (remember that). An interesting thing we see are these huge UN walls blocking off all exits. While they were present in the first stage, their position was far away. This stage is, in my opinion, the worst in the game. Not that bad to be the worst stage in this masterpiece of a game tho.

Stage 5 - The bright streets sure were relaxing, what follows them is logically a warzone. Stage 5 starts on the same UN base from stage 2 (yay, reusing assets in a smart and clever way!), but a huge battle has started between the soldiers and... a giant jellyfish squid godzilla thing? The spawn point of the stage is like a flashbang, with people in front of you fighting for their life. The contrast between this and the rest of the game is amazing, and shows how it's not afraid to make darker stages to tell it's story if need be. The stage from a gameplay perspective offers a bigger challenge, with the player having to avoid squid corpses and find their bounties in a pretty dark area. One of my favorite stages as well.

Stage 6 - My favorite stage. A train ride after the battle that happened on the stage before. Everyone stands around in a surprisingly relaxed way, taking their time. From an outside perspective this level of stoicism (while admirable) is completely unnatural, yet when we take into account the seemingly inescapable and unstoppable ending of the world that is to come, that level of calm nihilism is only logical, even if depressing. The photography we do feels like a distraction this time, an unnecessary hassle. This game may present itself like it's about photography, but by now that's clearly not the case. It's about facing the end.

Stage 7 - The train stopped and the last bastion of human bureaucracy is left doing things that bureaucracy does. People stand in line waiting to get let through a UN checkpoint. We don't see anyone actually moving, or really doing anything, we just see people waiting, not even annoyed as it doesn't matter if they are let through or not. Some people are dancing, not even bothering to step in line, deciding a death embraced is the best way to go. We take our pictures as usual and continue, as there is nothing our camera can do to help.

Stage 8 - Back where it all started, back on that same restricted rooftop. It's nostalgic melancholy is finally realised as we watch the giant godzilla jellyfish squid thing threaten humanity. Humans arent really meant to face death, you know? Our friends stand around, some sit and look, some dance, we take pictures, but really none of us know what a proper response would be. The UN built a big fuck off robot thing to fight the damn godzilla, i mean that just aint the action of someone who's accepted death. And so we wait, our destruction ensured, taking out final batch of photos. I can't call that nihilism, I think it's not a lack of hope, but an acceptance that hope won't help.

One final photo - We are transported to a beach, no context is needed. We are dead. Humanity is dead. As we look up we see the thing that caused our doom, and our last action is clear.

After pulling out our camera, a click can be heard, following which are the credits. At the very end it says: "Umurangi Generation: The last generation who has to watch the world die".

My own interpretation of the story - At first, as I've said before, I thought this game had a straightforward anti UN message... and to be honest, it somewhat does. Still, I believe this is moreso a story about what being a generation that has to face the death of humanity is like. We are destroying the planet, to say the least. We are watching our world die, and the generation after us will also have to do the same, so to be the last generation who has to watch the world die is something both overwhelmingly scary, but also indescribably easing. The ending of a book is always somewhat relaxing, no matter if good or bad.

I don't think I need to point out the obvious connection between global warming and the story of this game, but i'll just add that one of your friends is a penguin, and I chuckled when i got the irony of being in the same position as the penguin, losing my life to something i can not stop.

The anti UN sentiment this game provides is a direct response to the mishandling of major national crises in the year of 2020, from my personal reading this game isn't so much against the UN as it's against the damaging of local citizens and cultures by the UN's mismanagement.

Conclusion - The game is fucking good go buy it already!

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