#[ the chrono trigger is already good

[thrown-away-opinions]

Watching "Why Do You Always Kill Gods in JPRGs?" and I am in awe of the stupidity on display.

>45 minutes of rudimentary Japanese/eastern history in broad strokes > glosses over the fact that Japan has basic capitalistic free trade and business for its entire history >no, fucking seriously, Japan had industry, independently owned businesses, the general free exchange of goods and services... otherwise known as capitalism. >Japan underwent a post-war economic boom >Some people get very rich and powerful during this boom primarily due to controlling the banking system with backing from a corrupt government >"Their new religion was... CAPITALISM." (paraphrased) >youtube essayist proceeds to explain at length the ways that forcibly aligning culture, religion, and government with private corporate interests is a bad thing (which it is, but it's not capitalism) >... but still constantly invokes "Capitalism" being forced on Japan from the West ("The False God") as the true evil in this narrative >Points to various examples in games where the bad guy is literally just the government and politicians, corrupt megacorps, giant evil monsters, and/or overt oppressive authoritarianism and tries to frame them as symbolic representations of western culture and Capitalism (spoken of as an evil ideology that makes people evil) >At no point do any of these stories (FF7, Persona 5, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, etc) present the idea that anyone except the already corrupt and evil are in favor of oppressing/destroying/enslaving all humanity and the planet in the name of endless economic growth and power for power's sake. >Several examples are literally evil entities that demand destruction for the sake of destruction and say as much directly >essayist's explanation for why none of this seems obvious and so far detached from the far more clear messages in their stories is because Japan speaks in deep contextual code so as not to offend anyone >aka, essayist gets to assert his beliefs and you can't tell him he's wrong because you just don't get the triple-secret encoded message hidden under all the deep cultural context clues that only a true Japanese audience (or foreign weeb, apparently) would understand >his western examples of Capitalist metaphor are the Outer Worlds and Bioshock Infinite... games where corporatism and an overt pseudo-religious authoritarian are the villains >this guy is a goddamned lawyer, apparently.

This is so fucking stupid. I should have checked out the moment I detected that hint of venom when he named capitalism as the culprit, but morbid curiosity got the better of me. For a bit there, when he was talking about the economic bubble and the lost decade, it seemed like maybe he wasn't going to be totally retarded, but he sure proved me wrong.

The message behind the JRPG genre is often that protecting the world is good, amassing power for the sake of power is bad, and that with the power of friendship and grinding side quests, a ragtag gang of spunky kids can save the world from malicious extraterrestrial entities that aim to mindlessly consume.

And also that the SMT series and many other pieces of Japanese media invokes western religious iconography, names, and symbols because it sounds cool and mysterious to Japanese audiences. That's literally the direct explanation given by nearly every single game and anime writer when asked about all the obtuse and confusing mythology and symbolism in their games.

[lunarsilkscreen]

FF/Nier/PSO/DR. WHO/DRAKEN GUARD/Chrono Trigger--Connection

The ultimate theory of everygame.

I got this idea from watching an FFXIII stream where they were killing shoopuffs from FFX (Tortoises)

Which links those two worlds together via shoopuff.

In FFXIII, the humans are living in/on an artificial planet called cocoon. Which could be thought of as a moon to the inhabitants of Gaia. Which there aren't any until they come down from the moon to escape persecution.

Because life was good in cocoon, why leave. The "Gods here" protect and feed us. (kind of an artificial Eden.)

But what's interesting is that, a second uninhabited planet isn't a foreign concept to the FF series. In FFIX they call it the "Red Moon". And "artificial humans" reside in it. They look like Saiyans, without the super technically they can go super Saiyan, but the regular humans can do it too. So I don't know if there's a difference like in DBZ.

There's a lot of lore connecting the Red Planet and Gaia, non as much as in the movie "Spirits Within" which said that the inhabitants of the red planet (which were monstrous in comparison to humans) were actually human souls from earth. And the whole plot of the movie is a war between the humans and the red planet.

Except for the main character "Aki Ross". Who has constant dreams about the red planet. Except there's a sort of "minority report" thing going on where they monitor your dreams, just in case you're being "mind controlled " by the moon people.

So she understandably erases the records of her dreams, and starts pursuing a "reunification route". Which was just allowing those human souls to return to earth, and to not continue hostilities, which were kind of started by earth as a form of self-defense.

To which she also becomes a villain in her own home, but the real villain is the General Hein. Who ends up trying to blow up the entire red planet. And pursues this with hyperfixation, because he doesn't believe there can be another way with a being he can't communicate with.

In Neir 1, the humans are affected with the "black scrawl" (the flood from Dr. Who on Mars) and humans try to figure out a way to save the affected humans, while also trying to create a kind quarantine for the infected individuals)

In Neir:A we learn that the humans were sent away to the moon. And the Androids believe this to be the actual moon. But the robots, and the Androids continually keep being infected with a kind of virus said to come from the black scrawl itself. Which is why the Android Team keeps creating new Androids as a replacement. Because if they can all be infected, then they'll all infect the human population when they eventually return too.

But it turns out, in the game, the "virus" is built into the Androids core (their black boxes, which they share with the machines)

Here's the Theory; the "Moon" they were sent to was to the "Red Planet". And the humans didn't leave that info behind so that anything left on the planet wouldn't know.

Now I connected Dr. who in here, somehow. (So maybe it's just a coincidence) but what about the other stuff? Well we already know the black scrawl comes from drakenguard. That's the premise of Nier 1.

And the black scrawl infects both humans AND machines. Just like the villain from PSO: Dark Falz (Fals? Falls? False?) (Wait. Does DFV stand for Dark False Value? Like, a null value? Or like a bit that can switch from false? Like viruses and malware tend to do?)

What does that also sound similar too? Demise and The switch Zelda Games Gannon? Are the chosen ones *also* robots?

But here's the thing, The FFXIII earthlings aren't *actually* from Cocoon. They were from earth, they were put into stasis from *before*. Something that happened to a lot of humans left stranded in Nier one. And the waking up of humans to reunite their bodies with their *souls* created replicants. Or cloned humans with their own souls, memories, and consciousness.

A big portion of the ending was accepting that for humanity to continue, was to let the replicants, to continue to exist. Because trying to revive themselves, trying to live forever just meant them fighting against their "replicants" or rather "humanity's children".

But a visitor from Drakenguard, an Android, Accord, undoes the choice Nier made, because Kaine couldn't let him go. (If you get the "good" ending, your save file gets erased. But then you unlock a secret bonus game from the Nier:Replicant remake which undoes that decision.

Because neither could live in a world without the other.)

This is why I'm Nier:A Emil is left alone without anybody. (His head kinda looks like the Moon from Majora's Mask, doesn't it?)

So now there's this cocoon that travels to the dark reaches of the galaxy and isn't always visible to the telescoped eye on earth, and that planets name in the Phantasm Star Series? RykRos.

What other cataclysmic event forces humanity to this moon?

Lavos, deemed an "alien parasite" responsible for all the evil in the world. And responsible for the end of the world, per the future timeline in Chrono cross.

What else exists in Chrono Trigger? Time gates. Where did these time gates come from? They were created by the Goddess Etro which is explained during the events of FFXIII-2, and used by Hope with the "hopes" of reuniting with Lightning (his mentor and mother figure on FFXIII-1.)

What ends up happening is a null timeline is created, which Lighting ends up herding all the leftover souls from that timeline, to a new one which is possibly earth, thanks to Lightning cutting a deal with Louis Vuitton as spokesperson and model. But I'm not so sure about that.

PSO2 is a video game in the Earth that the heros travel to which is supposed to represent the "real world" as well. And in our real world, both PSO2 AND Lightning are not *real* places and people. As far as I know.

So it must be an alternate earth, and who's to say they aren't connected?

Who's to say their souls weren't trapped into some giant computer that simulates earth? The main *not villain* of that particular PSO2 chapter is a being called "Mother". And the only other time we see a "Mother" is the "Mother Brain" both present in PS2 and Super Metroid.

Lightning in "Lightning Returns" was shown to have a personal battle herself, being split into two characters; Her logical side, controlled by Bhunivelze, who wants to scrap humanity, and her emotional side, influenced by the Goddess Etro, who wants to save humanity as it is.

What if; Lightning was separated in twain by the Black scrawl, and that's why her counterpart "Lumina" is distinct. What if, Lumina is a Replicant, and Lightning is what's left of her logical soul.

Just like Nier in Nier 1.

[arbuthnotblob]

Two proud, fierce, spiky-haired warriors face each other across a rocky chasm… but why do they both feel so strangely familiar to the other?! A battle for honour is surely about to begin!

Through Dragonball, Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest, Akira Toriyama had a massive influence on my childhood. I think it’s also pretty fair to say that Pokemon, and especially Lance, would not be the same without his stylistic influence on Ken Sugimori’s early work. So, for all the thrills and inspiration, both to myself and many others, thank you so much Toriyama-san, and rest in peace.

I had so much fun designing a Toriyama-style DBZ design for Lance, putting in a bit of flavour from both his Gen 1 red biker and Gen 2 pointed armour looks. The dramatic cape flourish also pulls a bit from his HGSS art pose, just for fun (and flair)

I learnt a lot picking apart and studying different Dragonball panels and colour spreads to make this crossover tribute, but perhaps the most striking thing was re-reading chunks of DBZ and realising just how good at weekly pulp adventure story pacing Toriyama was.

I already knew he had perhaps the best grasp of dynamic, crystal clear action panelling in the business, but his ability to pace out a weekly story and always have some new twist or wrinkle while maintaining a solid, driving central narrative really stood out to me this time. And that’s not even mentioning all the ad-libbing!

One of the greatest to ever do it in so very many different ways - I am sure his work will continue to inspire not just artists in our current generation, but many young artists in the future as well.

[wandringaesthetic]

Top 5 JRPGs

So in order to answer this question I had to have a few existential crises. First: what is a JRPG (we just don't know)? I'm going with the more purist answer here since we're narrowing it down to 5. So no action RPGs or tactical RPGs. Second: do I just put down my personal favorites here? because that's going to be 4 Final Fantasy games and idk Suikoden II, probably, and that's not very interesting. I don't really believe in objective quality, but at the moment I find it interesting to take a stab at it or at least name things I think are genuinely very good and polished and have relatively universal appeal. In the end, ugh, whatever, here's a list:

Final Fantasy VII - this is the one that made me fall in love with the genre. I don't have much to say about it that hasn't already been said. I will say, while I mostly like Remake/Rebirth there's something about the original they're never going to catch, and there's a lot to be said about being (relatively) more succinct and focused and leaving some things to the imagination.

Dragon Quest V - This is as good as the UrJRPG series gets. Charming and funny and bright and occasionally tragic. It's about growing up and family and perseverance. It did the monster recruitment thing before Pokemon. I played the Super Famicom version via fan translation and emulation, so I don't know if the remake(s?) of this have quite the same charm. It's helpful for older games to look their age so you can put them in the context of their time, I think. I feel like relatively few people in the west have played this one, which is a shame because it's the missing piece in the influences of Lufia, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, possibly even Pokemon. Really fun, really solid game that was genuinely touching and made me feel childlike wonder.

Suikoden II - I first played this one when I was in college and Going Through It, and I've been meaning to replay it ever since. So, my memories are a little muddled but I'm going to do my best. Two boys take diverging paths to the same end. A war story that takes on a human scale by developing a huge cast of characters and by having your base grow around you. It takes one of the most interesting middle chapter twists I can think of in a video game. It's one of the best looking and sounding sprite based games to exist. It has an iron chef cooking mini game.

Shadow Hearts Covenant - balances between horror and quirkiness. Atypical setting (in the shadows of IRL World War I). Atypical protagonist with many demons, literal and metaphorical. Really good gameplay. Takes the FFX conditional turn based thing, where you can see the turn order and where some skills alter it, and runs with it. Timed hits, but it's customizable so you can make the system more or less forgiving and balance risk/reward with precise inputs versus guaranteed, but lower, accuracy. Adds up to a really fun game. Vibes are immaculate. Cast is great. But I cannot speak to how good the plot is because I don't remember most of it. It and the rest of the series have never been ported or remade and likely never will be. Keep circulating the tapes.

Chrono Trigger - I mean if you're only going to play one JRPG this is the one. The love child of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, with the bright, fun adventure qualities of DQ and the scifi/fantasy fusion and existential angst of FF. Did gameplay stuff it took other games decades to do and did it better. One of the best looking SNES games. The music makes me feel feelings I can't name. I paradoxically think it's overrated even though I'm putting it on the list, because it's not a personal favorite and I don't think anything in the world lives up to the hype around this game. It is very good, however, and a distillation of the genre.

[rocket-sith]

Q GOT TIRED OF MAKING ROBINHOOD LARPS SO HE DECIDED TO OPEN FOUR DIFFERENT CHRONO-TRIGGER SAVE FILES AT THE SAME TIME INSTEAD, but only one needed further progress (non-linear progress of course), two were already complete but were saved in the wrong place and missing a sidequest (lol time being non-linear what?), and the fourth was a big ol' sparkly decoy, a glitched file of nonsensical bits n bites, alluringly named Picard, that nearly crashed the game and took everything with it while you were busy looking for continuity in all the wrong places.

Behold! Season 2 of Picard, AKA Facepalm Theater Presents, AKA "Dude, where's my Tapestry?"

Love it, hate it, WTF it, or some should-be-impossible combination thereof - but somehow, you feel it. Are you in one or both of those last two camps? Yeah, me too. But I think I might have a theory. And no, it's not bunnies. (I rambled a bit about this somewhat in the A/Ns and comment thread of one of my fics a few weeks back, but the proper brain dump belongs here).

Season 2 of Picard is neither episodic, NOR is it one major overarching story with various sub-plots. It's FOUR overarching major stories, well-conceived in theory (mostly), but thrown together as gracelessly and incoherently, with the same abundance of panic and lack of transitions as the night-before-it's-due school essays we're all so painfully familiar with perpetrating. (Admittedly, a lot of us got pretty good at being zero-hour coherent by the time we got to high school, but apparently, this skill does not translate to timetravel via stellar slingshots and demigod trolls.) So that leaves us with - 

Picard Season 2: A Trek in Four Acts Loosely Disjointed and Sloppily Squished Together Parts. Feast your eyes, rub your temples, and buckle up. 

CRIS AND THERESA'S WILD RIDE: (Love story, social commentary, classic Trek shiz focused on the more touching/emotional side of temporal shenanigans.)

RENEE PICARD'S TIME HEIST AND EVEN WILDER RIDE:  (Classic Trek shiz, classic time travel fuckery, focuses on the more action-packed side of temporal shenanigans.)

THE RED HERRING, AKA THE ROCKY HORROR PICARD SHOW:

Supposedly the main plot, but really a completely ridiculous distraction that's the narrative equivalent of dumping sand in the snowglobe and violently shaking it up. Captain Picard takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque and has to go do the Timewarp (again) in some creepy old castle so he can be magically transported back home. Yeah, okay buddy, just don't forget the teddy and the TP rolls to throw around the theater.

Cut this entire arc out, and the season improves substantially in both enjoyability and coherence. (I said what I said.) If any of the four major threads don't belong, don't move the story forward, and only serve to muck things up - it's this one. It's not so much an arc as a collapsible squiggly line that looks like it might go somewhere but never does. Great if you're drunk with a shadow cast and some floorwalkers. Not so great if you're actually trying to figure out WTF is going on. 

TAPESTRY RIDES AGAIN, AKA GRAND THEFT BORG QUEEN LOS ANGELES: And now for the main event, which was literally announced as such in one of the episodes, by two people breaking the fourth wall who were probably the LAST people anyone was expecting to break the fourth wall: Seven and Raffi. So naturally, we viewers took it as a couple of throwaway comments and cute banter to lighten the dark/intense mood of all the other crap. Yeah, oops. We can't say they didn't warn us.

At one point the two of them are joking around, talking about how they're the main event, and all these other side stories are just side stories, but...yeah. Looking back after S3, that was not a joke, and it goes above and beyond the call of foreshadowing. It was a flat-out tell, and with ALL the potential fourth wallbreakers in S2 - Q, the Borg Queen, The Traveller, the Long-Lived Alien Bartender With Multiple Mysterious Powers, The Temporally Flexible Romulan Spy Of Dubious Origin - if somebody's gonna spill some futuristic tea, it's gotta be one of them, right? RIGHT? Nope. Seven and Raffi snuck in the back door.

Basically, the Grand Theft Borg Queen arc was Tapestry, but for Seven (and Raffi and Jurati to an extent). Jurati and Raffi were, IMHO, initially intended to be pieces on the gameboard, not players, but they made themselves into major players. To what extent Jurati's involvement in outsmarting the Borg Queen was meant to be a challenge for her by Q, or part of Seven's trial that Jurati unwittingly assisted in IDK, and ditto Raffi's major role in all the aforementioned drama, but either way - Seven finally accepting herself the way she is, Borg hardware and all, was a direct, not even subtle parallel to the TNG episode Tapestry. 

The most direct link is the scene in Tapestry where Picard realizes he'd rather die as his true self than live as his other-universe self who "corrected" the "mistake" that led to his artifical heart. Seven accepted that she would rather live as her Ex-B true self than die as a fully organic human, and in doing so, passed the test. 

And Jurati and Raffi played no small part in that realization, and passed their own tests in the process - with Raffi embracing Seven (literally and figuratively) while resisting the urge to manipulate Cris out of choosing his own fate, and Jurati outsmarting and merging herself with the damn Borg Queen to protect humanity and her friends. Seven passed the Q Troll test with flying colors, and Raffi and Jurati did too - giving us Elnor and a benevolent Borg Queen in the future as a result. (Q is totally one of those teachers who gives his students rewards for passing the Big Test.)

Fire up S2 of Picard, get your Fast Forward button ready, and follow the Grand Theft Borg Queen: Los Angeles arc and ONLY that arc. Skip over every single thing (other than Q monologing, as that's the one common thread) that doesn't have Seven, Raffi, and/or Jurati. You'll get an entirely different experience. It's Tapestry, but for Seven, and with different tests/opportunities for Jurati and Raffi. (And they all pass). 

Now do it again, but FF anything that ISN'T either part of the Renee Picard Time Heist plotline or part of Cris and Theresa's story. You'll get a classic Back to the Future, MCU, Reset the Timeline, Poke-An-Alternate-Reality's-Doom-Destination-With-A-Stick style story. And they all pass too. Cris and Theresa get their happily ever after and punt the primeline forward through the next generation of temporally paradoxical, adopted and found family members. 

As for the BS at Chateau Picard? It's all a decoy/charade. So come in costume, bring plenty of shit to throw, and chug the wine. You'll need it. 

[bluesturngold]

First Time Playing Chrono Trigger

Silver Sword, AKA "Lode Sword," Worth-it-ness Report

I spent roughly 1.5 hours getting the Silver Sword from the fair at the beginning of Chrono Trigger.

Approximately 3 hours into the game, I encountered a Silver Sword inside a chest, and sold it for 2,000 gold, as Frog/Glenn — a fellow blade wielder — could not equip it as I had hoped. I was also able to sell the Iron Blade and Steel Blade I found, as they were beneath the Silver Sword.

At 5.2 hours in, I have found and equipped the Thunder Blade. The Thunder Blade raises Chrono's attack higher than the Silver Sword, though it remains to be seen whether elemental resistances will make re-equipping the Silver Sword beneficial for some fights.

Something Kenna and I discovered late last night is that my method of obtaining points for the fair — grinding against Gato — raised Chrono's level such that I will miss out on one of the game's 17 hidden Magic Tabs/Capsules, which allow me to permanently improve a character's magic stat. This Magic Tab is acquired by defeating frog-form Spekkio in battle at the End of Time.

Frog-form Spekkio only appears when Chrono is level nine or lower, and by the time I had learned of his existence, Chrono was five experience points away from level nine. Due to experience gained from unavoidable fights, Chrono has already reached level 10 at the time of this report. Unfortunately, the End of Time has not been an accessible area as of yet, so Frog-form Spekkio and his Magic Tab/Capsule are out of reach during this playthrough.

Thankfully, my concern that over-leveling early on might make the rest of the game trivial has not been correct, as the game offers ample opportunity to skip enemy encounters and the experience they provide. When I do fight, I find there is still risk of characters being knocked out, so combat is not mindless as long as I aim to avoid that outcome.

Overall, I agree with @verdictvelvet that skipping the first Silver Sword is most likely the best course of action. While selling the duplicate Silver Sword for 2,000 gold offers a good amount to put towards supplies and equipment upgrades early on, a player who takes the time to go through most of the games encounters and spend time looking for treasure chests is unlikely to be strapped for gold in a manner that makes selling the second Silver Sword worthwhile. The encounters prior to finding the second Silver Sword also are not difficult enough to require the additional attack the first Silver Sword provides, though it is unclear whether the lack of challenge throughout those encounters results from them being part of an easy early game scenario or from Chrono being over leveled due to the Gato grinding method. My belief is that both are likely true; however, were I to grind purely for the sake of leveling, I could do so more quickly against the stronger enemies that appear following the initial fair scenario where the Silver Sword is first attainable.

There's also a discussion to be had regarding the early Silver Sword acquisition encouraging behaviors that negatively impact Chrono during the trial sequence, namely:

1. Stealing the market stall fellow's lunch to restore health between Gato fights, and

2. Interacting with the swordsmith more frequently, which increases the likelihood you may ask Marle to sell her pendant, an act construed by the Chancellor as an attempt to benefit from her wealth.

Despite reuniting the little girl with her cat, I ended up receiving no care package at all during the prison scenario due to Chrono's poor character making the guilty verdict very one-sided, meaning I missed out on numerous potions and ethers.

On a second playthrough, I would not hesitate to skip the first Silver Sword. However, I believe the time spent earning it in this playthrough was valuable due to the insight I have gained since.

(Notes: I'm aware that grinding silver points to exchange for gold is not the only means of earning money during the initial fair scenario. However, encounters in Guardia Forest took longer than fighting Gato, rewarded fewer experience points, and a mere 48 gold, whereas the 15 silver points earned per Gato fight exchange for 75 gold. The encounters could potentially result in item drops I could sell, but that's too much chance, in my opinion, and potions only resale for 25 gold anyway. I also made sure to collect the 200 gold allowance from Chrono's mom. One thing I would do differently if I decided to grind for the Silver Sword again: I spent Chrono's starting money on gear to reduce damage taken and increase damage dealt during the Gato fight, hoping to decrease time spent stealing the stall operator's lunch to heal. However, knowing now how easy it becomes to quickly defeat Gato just as a result of leveling up, I likely would not purchase defensive gear before obtaining the Silver Sword and would simply make more frequent use of the stolen lunch.)

[eorzeanflowers]

11) What was your inspiration for your OC?

(( A fun one! Ty Rayn <3))

There is always a catalyst for when I make a new character. Some drive, or some impetus. I'll try to remember the main catalyst for each character of mine, let's start from the top!

The Lily - Lily was inspired by Kugane at large and Historical Japanese Fiction. I had already long shifted to Au Ra at the beginning of HW, but when I dipped my toes in the water of RP during the Stormblood lulls, i settled on the exiled Shinobi background, wanting to not make a WoL.

The Azalea - Archie's main inspiration is and will always be, the Tenth Doctor. Its my favorite few seasons of New Who and I wanted an old character that was reborn multiple times. Hence my looks at Dr. Who. XD

The Rose - Benoit is not actually my creation! He is my wife's first and foremost, but she let me play him as her first mate. He's mine now though. :3 General pirate things are his inspiration.

The Sunflower - A'tyla was my thoughts on if a Hyur was raised by Miqo'te. That's it. XD She's long grown past that.

The Gardenia - Yasha is inspired by none other than her namesake, Yasha Nydoorin of the Might Nein. The sapphic nature, falling for a punchy punch girl, her quieter nature with some silly jokes. Yasha was actually a run off of when I made Tatiava. I wanted a Garlean character and couldn't decide between Highlander or Midlander, so I said, Por que no los dos?

The Snapdragon - Tatiava was a direct response to people making villainous Garlean characters. I wanted a double agent who could dip in both crowds. Did I ever actually get a chance? NOPE. XD It is what it is.

The Dahlia - Lhei was made from what little we knew of Old Sharlayan at the time of her creation, late shadowbringers. I was just getting back into RP again after losing the drive in late Stormblood.

The Strelitzia - Beatrice is from my dnd game! A character I've got the chance to properly play. I think when I made her I just needed the sapphic goodness of her and her partner. T.T Speaking of...

The Tulip - Mai is also from my dnd game! Mai was an npc my players got real attached to and well, she evolved from there. She's always been mute tho.

The Triteleia - Myste just formed fully into my consciousness one day and well, there he is! He is inspired by Dynamis and its crazy applications tho.

The Gladiolus - Jana is near and dear to my heart. I wanted to revisit an old echo idea I had for Lily that had got cut late in her development. And I ran with it. Now Jana is my weird future child that doesn't care about where she is from.

The Linnaeas - Pola and Deta are the easiest to spot the inspiration. They are based off of Popola and Devola from the Nier Francise. Specifically the Automata ones. Later they've been heavily influenced by Ianthe and Coronabeth of the Locked Tomb series.

The Hyacinth - Eulanne is inspired by the Dark Urge of Baldur's Gate 3. I just wanted to remake my sorta good guy Durge (i raided the grove my darling Minthara in that run, but she's been trying to do better since!) and I thought it would be cool to tie it to Reaper/Voidsent lore.

The Amaryllis - Marisol was spawned from the Viper reveals at the first DT fanfest. Nothing more influenced her original development.

The Lewisia - Glifet is anther Dr. Who inspired character, this time based off of a Cyberman. A what if you could say, a rehabilitated Cyberman.

The Iris - Lucca is just Lucca from Chrono Trigger with a bisexual streak. Chronic inventor, not much works right the first few times. Super smart. Those glasses.

The Aconite - Tista-Moa came to me in a work haze. I just had the idea, i wrote down what i thought about her and her very strange journey, came home and made her! I don't have enough villains to scratch that itch so she was a delight to make.

The Dicentra - Cissnei came about cause I am/was interested in playing as a Zenos-like character. Cissnei has evolved past that by now, but that is her start! I got so attached to her I finished the EW story in a single weekend with her. XD

That's all my debuted flowers... now for the few undebuted ones.

The Celosia - Sarel is my main dnd PC right now, and I saw the Celosia flower at the local green house and I wanted to make a character based on it. So I ported her over (somewhat, she is more different than the other dnd based ones) and she has been patiently waiting for months to be debuted. One day I'll that up. XD

The Nerine - Hinoka is Lily's rival from waaaaay back. I just felt like putting a name and face to the standin I had been using for Lily's story. Oh, and a nerine is a Spider Lily. :3

The Jasmine - Kokolai came about because I wanted an RP character to manage my submarines for me. He's just a merchant that loves his surrogate daughter. ^_^

The Protea - Tanzanite is a direct response to Solution 9 and its inhabitants. How fun it would be to have a scientist from there. She also just spawned from me messing with hair on Lily's fromer lady. >.>;

The Snowdrop - Agate just willed themself into existance. Also inspired by the DT story, they were the product of me sitting down to make a Sol 9 character and failing, making a Yyasulani native the wished to return to the sunlit world.

The Belladonna - Jane is, with no shame, directly inspired by Jane Doe of Zenless Zone Zero. That character has me by the throat. XD Add in a mix of Agent 47 and you get my Jane!

And that's everyone! A bit long, but I was on a roll if I'm being honest.

[freesia-writes]

Howzer + Aurelia Ch. 39 - Reunion

Beginning with his shiny days, this story follows Howzer's character arc through some heartwarming romance, action, adventure, yearning, angst, and growth.

Content/Trigger Warnings for Entire Work (individual chapters not labeled): wartime peril, injury, and death; sexual assault up to kissing; relationship passion up to making out and heavy petting; sexual relationship alluded to (smut is posted separately); pregnancy, birthing trauma, and stillbirth (chapters 30-39, can be skipped and still keep up with the story).

Master List of Chapters

Word Count: 2.1k

39. Reunion

Dreading each step, Aurelia walked slowly from the medical clinic to the hangar. Lennox had informed her during their lunch break that she was needed for a brief meeting, and she had a sneaking suspicion that her diminished usefulness over the last two weeks had finally warranted some action. After all, they couldn't support a freeloader with the already-stretched resources for the growing clone resistance. She'd have to start from scratch again. At least she would be let down kindly, knowing Chuchi. 

"Hello, Aurelia!" came the bright voice from inside as she slipped inside the hangar. A couple of clones were working on an armor repair project atop some crates, and the main ship they used was noticeably missing. Riyo Chuchi approached with a warm smile, guards standing silently nearby. "Thank you so much for coming down. I hope you've been doing alright?"

"Yes, Senator... Thank you. I'm sorry that my contributions over the last two weeks haven't been--"

"Please, don't apologize. It's completely understandable," was her surprising response, emphasized by the earnestness on her face as Aurelia met her gaze. "I was wondering if you could return here later tonight? I'm sorry I didn't just send a holo, but I wanted to see you. 2100 hours should be good, if you can? I know that's late, but I promise it'll be worth your time."

"I'll be there," Aurelia confirmed, wondering what the Senator had in store.

* * * 

Aurelia had fallen asleep early that afternoon, and she woke with a start. The chrono read 21:17, and a panicked flurry of preparation had her out the door within minutes. The trip to the hangar was fairly quick, but as she pushed the door open, it seemed darker than usual. She spotted Lennox across the room, chatting with Gregor, who was enjoying a hot beverage while resting on a crate. The faint sound of Chuchi's voice could be heard, and Aurelia paused, peering out from behind a long row of crates. She was bidding Echo farewell with a tender hand on his shoulder, nodding after him as he headed back toward the ship. Another clone stood beside her, wearing a plain inmate suit, and as Aurelia's eyes reached him, her heart skipped a beat. 

Could it be?

The hair was the same. The posture. The movement. She found herself unable to move, frozen to the ground in disbelief. Chuchi said a few words and the clone nodded to her, then turned to move further into the hangar as she returned to her guards. The light struck his face, illuminating the curves and edges. 

Howzer.

She couldn't believe it was real. He was alive. And here! In the time it took her to come to her senses, he was drawing near, passing Gregor and Lennox as he tossed a passing comment over his shoulder to the few others that were gathered there. Continuing on his way, he caught sight of her, and a myriad of emotions swirled all at once in his brown eyes, dark under the dim lights. He quickened his pace, purposeful and focused as he strode toward her, and she rushed to meet him, flinging her arms around his waist. He wrapped her in a tight embrace, resting his cheek against her head and stroking the back of her hair, holding her as though he couldn't get close enough. 

"I can't believe you're here," Aurelia said softly, words muffled by his shoulder. He pulled back a few inches to cup her face instead, searching her eyes as though they held all the answers to life. The intensity in his gaze sent an electric shock through her body, and she relished his touch, leaning forward to press her forehead against his. 

"I was thinking the same," Howzer murmured, brushing his nose against hers.

"It's like waking up from a dream," she whispered, drowning herself in the sense of him. He smelled slightly different, certainly affected by a day of travel and whatever else he had been through, but the sound of his voice, the feel of his strong back against her hands, and the sight of his eyes, overwhelmed with sentiment, washed over her with an inexpressible peace and joy. 

Lennox had followed Howzer with his gaze, aware of the captain's name when he'd received the ship log and any medical needs that the crew would have. Watching him take Aurelia into his arms sent an ache through his chest, and he dropped his eyes to the cup in his hand. 

"Ahh, bad luck there, mate," came the squeaky voice of the clone commando to his right, watching the whole exchange as well. "Although -- no offense -- can't say she's got bad taste in men!" Gregor giggled, apparently oblivious to the angst churning within the medic beside him. 

"Hmm," Lennox offered feebly, a mirthless chuckle from a straight face. He felt happy for her, at least he told himself he did. It was all she'd wanted, and wasn't that true selflessness? Wanting the best for others? He nodded silently to himself. But was it what was best? All things considered? A deep sigh broke his silence, and he raised his eyes back to the two of them, still holding each other in the shadows of the crates. Aurelia was resting her head against his chest, her hand wrapped in his, held gently against his heart, and his lips were pressed to the top of her hair, eyes closed, savoring the moment as long as they could. 

"Hey now... Don't tear yourself up, eh?" Gregor's unsolicited advice broke through Lennox's thoughts. His lilting voice brought a levity to his words, though they were insufficient to reach the medic's dejection. 

"Yeah, you're right, Gregor," Lennox said halfheartedly, clearly somewhere else in his mind. 

* * * 

Aurelia couldn't let go of Howzer's hand as they made their way back to the clinic. Her mind was flooded with a million questions, a million things to tell him, and yet it was also silent, somehow fully present, soaking up every single second with a fervent desperation as though he could be ripped away from her again at a moment's notice. As the door to her little room slid open, Howzer lifted his eyebrows at the miniscule accommodations.

"I guess we'll have to maximize the space, eh?" he observed, and the provocative hint in his smooth voice sent a wave of tingles over Aurelia that she hadn't felt in months. "Listen," he said, turning to face her fully, and she basked in the fondness of his gaze, "We have a lot to catch up on. But I smell like a womp rat, and I'm sure you're tired..."

"I should be," Aurelia agreed, running a hand up the outside of his arm and bringing it to rest on his shoulder, "But I'm skeptical that I'll get anywhere near sleep anytime soon."

Howzer smiled, somewhat wistful at the overwhelming emotions still swirling about. "Well, give me a minute to get cleaned up, and then I'm yours." His words carried a weight heavier than either of them expected, and tears sprang unbidden to Aurelia's eyes. She lifted a hand to his face, caressing those scars that she'd come to know like the back of her hand. She traced a thumb across his cheekbone and felt as though she might explode. How was she ever supposed to let him go?

She didn't need to worry about that for now, though, and by the time she had changed into lounge clothes that fit gently on her soft, changed form and brushed her hair and teeth, Howzer was finished with his shower, standing in the doorway to the refresher with a towel around his waist. The sight made her heart skip a beat, and her mouth fell open slightly, feeling a heat flush throughout her entire body. He looked the same, except a bit more gaunt, and she wondered with a pang what he had been through over the last number of months.

"In my eagerness to leave, I seem to have forgotten the supply kit that Echo told me to grab on the way out... Got anything to wear that I'd look good in?" 

Aurelia laughed, unable to believe his playful affection as though no time had passed. She shook her head, throwing her hands in the air in mock despair. "You're going to have to make do with my robe," she said, pointing to the hook outside the refresher door. Howzer pulled it on over his towel, smirking at the way it clung to his arms and shoulders, stretching tightly across his back. He struck a pose for a moment, earning another genuine giggle from Aurelia, who felt lighter than she had in a long time, and she opened her arms, inviting him to join her on the single bed pushed against the wall in the corner. 

They entwined around each other, fitting together like puzzle pieces once again, acknowledging their slightly different shapes that had been sculpted by their very different paths. Aurelia's ear was pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, strong and steady, and she traced fingers lightly from his collarbone to his shoulder, down his arm, and up his stomach. He inhaled sharply, closing his eyes at the touch he had felt so starved for, and pulled her closer. 

"You're gonna be in trouble if you keep that up," he murmured suggestively, eliciting another wave of electricity from her head to her toe. The recent pain of life had been held at bay by the utter shock of his arrival, but it came washing back over her, settling heavily into her stomach. She had to tell him. 

"Howzer," she began, pulling her head back to face him. They gazed into each other's eyes, heads inches apart on a single pillow, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "I can't do that... for a little while... until I heal."

"Heal?" he said, furrowing his brow and propping himself up on an elbow, looking at her intently. "What do you mean?" His thoughts raced with a million possibilities, none of which were good, and he felt an immediate clamminess over the fierce protectiveness that blazed within. "Wait... you wanted to share something with me... I never got to hear..." he struggled to put pieces together, eyes rapidly flitting back and forth between hers with consternation.

"I was pregnant," Aurelia said, almost inaudible as her voice grew thick with emotion, "The day you left."

"No..." he breathed, eyes widening as he reached for her hand. "Oh... Reli..." he rumbled, getting a little hoarse himself, "I'm so sorry. What...?" 

"He didn't make it," she interrupted, voice quavering as tears sparkled down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to explain more, but closed it again, squeezing her eyes shut with a minute shake of the head as the grief tore through her anew. Howzer was lost for words, jaw dropped slightly as he stared at her in speechless disbelief. He closed his mouth slowly, gripping her hand and pulling her against him again, shaking with silent sobs as she cried into his chest. After a moment, in a quiet pause, one word resurfaced again in his mind, stabbing him through the core as he uttered it aloud.

"...he?"

They held each other for hours, alternating between silent mourning, loving caresses, and whispered thoughts that jumped from topic to topic. Aurelia finally drifted off to sleep as the sun began to peek around the corners of the window shades, but Howzer remained awake, staring at the ceiling as he stroked her hair, over and over, agonizing over what she had been through... without him. The exhaustion was catching up to him as well, though he fought it, perhaps trying to punish himself for not being there for her. But he'd had his own nightmares and struggles during their time apart. He'd done the right thing, standing up against injustice and refusing to leave his brothers behind, though it had come at unspeakable cost. Only three of them had made it out alive, and Aurelia's news added further weight to his shoulders. 

He breathed deeply, turning his head to watch her, unconscious and vulnerable next to him. He traced a finger down the side of her face, and she flinched reactively before comfort licking a few times and going still again. His heart felt as though it would burst through his chest, overcome with affection. Nothing was promised, and the immense fragility of life as well as the unpredictability of the tumultuous galaxy didn't offer much hope. But he pushed the fear aside, vowing that he would continue to do everything in his power protect those he loved and uphold any goodness still to be found. 

Whatever the cost. 

.

Next Chapter

[channelsurfer02]

Chrono Trigger Pokemon Teams: Marle

Alright, next up is the first party member obtain in Crono Trigger Princess Nadia, better known to her friends as Marle!

Vaporeon: As I said in the last one of these, I have a conceit that, at some point, Marle smuggled some eevees out of the castle as a "sorry-I-got-you-guys-into-this-mess" gift, with Marle already having an eevee and each of the eeveelutions reflecting their trainer's magic type. Hence vaporeon.

Decidueye: I think this one should be pretty obvious. Decidueye is an archer. Marle uses a crossbow. I can also see Marle, at the beginning, starting with a Dartrix, Eevee, & Kirlia, with the Kirlia being the one to help her sneak out of the castle using teleport.

Lapras: Lapras was chosen because it also fits Marle's element of water while also fitting how said elemental power manifests as ice. Also, Lapras are, at least in earlier generations, considered rare and endangered pokemon, so I could see Marle catching a Lapras after helping save some Lapras in the middle ages and getting her ancestors to pass some conservation laws so that, in 1000 AD, they're more plentiful. Also Lapras looks like a plesiosaur which calls back to how Ayla is Marle's ancestor. Granted, given how far back Ayla is, there's a good chance she's also a good chunk of the npc's ancestor, you know, given how ancestry works.

Nidoqueen: Well, I had to include SOME royalty adjacent pokemon. Marle, despite her disdain for the position, is a princess, after all. However, she's also a rebellious hellion of a princess, so I went with the most rough and tumble royal pokemon I could think of that would ABSOLUTELY piss of the royal advisors and Marle's etiquette tutors (I'm pretty sure she has those, right? I mean, it comes with the territory). I could actually see Nidoran being the first pokemon Marle actually catches on her own, since all of her other pokemon were given to her by dint of her being royalty.

Togekiss: This one is because the titular Chrono Trigger looks like an egg and Marle is sort of the defacto leader of the party after Crono's death at the nonexistent hands of Lavos. Also, Togekiss is the hope pokemon and Marle, throughout the story of Chrono Trigger, spreads hope to various people. While Crono is, of course the protagonist, its Marle who actually suggests they fight back against Lavos and refuses to give into despair. A perfect trainer for the hope pokemon. Fittingly I imagine Marle would gain Togepi after Crono dies, raising it quickly and using the most busted para-flinch serene grace strategies imaginable, since she isn't playing games anymore. Not after what happened. She can't afford to loose anyone else.

Gardevoir: Gardevoir represents Marle's healing capabilities since Gardevoir gets a variety of healing and buffing moves, like Marle. Also, Crono has a gallade so I thought it would fit what with Marle being Crono's canonical love interest. Furthermore, Gardevoirs can use teleport and Marle going into the teleport is what kicks off the whole plot. Also Gardevoir sounds kind of like Guardia which is ... you know the kingdom/city state that Marle is the heiress apparent to. Also, side note, is Marle's last name Guardia? I mean, that's how some monarchs did it in terms of last names.

[duskicity]

Got Poshul done. I think I’m just going to draw all these characters in the order you can get them in the game since at this point that makes the most sense to me.

I also had an idea while listening to a certain video game’s soundtrack that I could blend that game with Chrono Trigger so I’m also working on a digital piece for that and I’ll probably post it here when I’m done. It might be good, it might be bad, I’ve already thought up other pieces for it and it’s probably going to drive me mad, but we’ll see.

Anyways, hope everyone reading this has a good day/night!

[thebladeblaster]

Vanguard Divine Z episode 6 reaction Ooh this one was kinda fire

Sorry for the late reaction I was busy yesterday

I think the masked person is someone from Overdress who Akina will meet later. Mostly because Taizo recognizes them and it seems that they told Taizo about Akina’s sister. I feel like it has to be a character we would recognize otherwise why the mask? The only ones short enough that I can think of is Yu-yu, Urara, and the gremlin (but I don’t think they met). I’m pretty sure the masked person is a guy so that leaves Yu-yu or the gremlin. Those are my guesses for now. They could be putting on a voice or something.

Taizo is so nice 😊

I love these dorks. It’s interesting that Akina already knows to aim for a winning image though he has a very experienced friend teaching him so it makes sense.

Haha, I LOVE this man🤣! He really said “fuck it we ball”. Okay, I feel like Akina is already my second favorite Vanguard protag behind Aichi. He’s just so funny and likeable. I like the way he won was through catching his opponent off guard with a crazy and unique strategy. I was thinking that I didn’t want him to win because it would feel like he has plot armor but the explanation is actually pretty satisfying. I was EXTREMELY worried that Akina would become Chrono 2.0 but I was wrong. This man isn’t trigger sacking he actually has some skill. Specifically this man pulled a Jotaro and bluffed like hell to win🤣. It was a real cool mind game strat. Like I don’t blame Taizo for getting sucker punched by his mad strategy. So it’s…

Favorite Vanguard Protagonists:

1. Aichi

2. Akina

3. Shinemon

4. Yu-yu

5.Emi

6. Kai (This is as a protagonist not a rival. I just don’t think he works well as the protagonist. He’s best as a rival.)

7. Chrono

Of course Masanori can smell the bs. This plushie is definitely secretly evil I’m calling it. Though, who knows maybe Vanguard will try to subvert our expectations with that as they do often. Otherwise I’m thinking the plushie is linked to Gyze somehow.

Hello, the gremlin is returning in the next episode 👀!

I’ve definitely been appreciating a return to tradition with Vanguard focusing back on character strategies and connecting to Cray.

Also I’ve been reading the comments and the haters seriously boggle my mind. It feels like they’re trying to hate it for the sake of it. Geez, they’re making og fans look bad. Like I am THE og Vanguard fan. I talk about it leagues more than the rest of the franchise but these people are seriously acting like this is the most boring and predictable series. Like dude this is not G or V series calm down. If anything those two were predictable af. The most unpredictable series have been og, Shinemon, and the D era. They’re like “oh Akina is so perfect that he isn’t a person” as if Akina didn’t lose his first fight and lose a bunch during his training 😅. The writers also went out of their way to actually justify his crazy win. Like it’s not like he trigger sacked to victory. He did a crazy aggressive and unorthodox strategy to catch his opponent off guard and win that’s actually good writing and reminds me of og. For instance when Aichi blindsided Goki with Soul Saver Dragon and it’s skill. Much like this win it didn’t come out of nowhere and was foreshadowed before and during the fight. That’s why I like the D era it reminds me of og in spirit. The characters actually have strategies to win that are explained like og. Honestly, I just really don’t get the hate. Some won’t be satisfied by anything.

[optiwashere]

what other RPG games do you like?

Heya anon, what a fun question! If I sat and listed all the RPGs I like, it would take forever. Here's a ramble instead because I'm bored on a Sunday.

I've been playing basically any kind of RPG since I got a copy of Fallout 1 in... 1999? '98? I was too young for it, but I was also too young to watch horror films then and look at how I turned out.

Pretty sure I blindly walked into the Glow in one of my first playthroughs and didn't understand why my character kept dying afterwards lmao.

Then I got into BG with BG2 when it was released. After that I started reading Drizzt novels, and that's where everything went wrong.

Either way, I like pretty much any kind of RPG. If you can find it on GOG, Steam, or Abandonware sites, I've probably at least tried it. Old-school, draw a map, tile-based dungeon crawlers like Pool of Radiance or Might and Magic? Yep, love those games. All the Infinity Engine games and their modern clones? Yep! I'm really hoping we get a Pillars of Eternity 3 some day. Even though I think they've all had massive problems so far and I've had bad interactions with the company's community management, I'll probably play the next Owlcat game too. I loved the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games when they came out, but I'm eh on ME2/3 and DA is a really uneven series. I'm less into JRPGs these days, but I've played stuff like Chrono Trigger, Persona, and most of the Final Fantasy series.

Speaking of FF, strategy RPGs are just so, so good and I've had to make do with constant replays of Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre for years...

Tabletop RPGs are my only other real hobby these days besides writing, and I'm currently on a break from running anything. I plan on running either Dungeon Crawl Classics or the MCDM RPG (if it's out by then) when I'm ready for another campaign.

I've been a Larian fan since Divinity 2 (that's the Dragon Knight Saga, not Original SIn) and the fact that they got handed BG3 is still kinda surreal even now lol. I remember Kickstarting D:OS1 and thinking it was such a fun tactical RPG with just awful characters. That's what all of their games were like before D:OS2, really. Look how far they've come! And they managed to make a system that I think is largely bad for tactical play pretty fun.

OH! I also love ARPGs. I'm thankful I don't have a real hour count of my Diablo 2 playtime since ca. 2001, because it would not reflect well on me. My Path of Exile playtime is already dangerously concerning.

[bbs-backlog-challenge]

Fin or Bin: Final Fantasy VI (PR)

The most common debate seems to be whether 6 or 7 is the best Final Fantasy. I think 7 typically wins the popular vote, but the older fans lean towards 6 more frequently. Another common debate is whether FF6 or Chrono Trigger is the best RPG on the SNES. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with two of the most beloved video games of all time, you can reasonably assume FF6 is probably pretty good.

I have in fact played this game before- its SNES iteration specifically, but that was 20 years ago and mostly framed around teenage boy discussions of whether Terra or Celes were the more attractive (Celes, obviously). Since it's been given a new lick of paint and an updated translation and I'm all grown up and have matured beyond such silly discussions, it definitely gets a place on the backlog.

I wonder if it's because the original already looked great, but of all the Pixel Remasters this one has wowed me the least. The OST is similarly fantastic but I don't know if the direction it was taken is correct- the original had a lot of electronic-sounding tracks in it, most notably the boss theme, which have been rendered with violins for the PR. It sounds great but it doesn't sound right, if that makes sense.

Six is by far the most gimmicky of the PRs, introducing a lot of extra Stuff that was dropped for later games. Things like pincer attacks and each character having to run away from battle individually only happened this one time (thank goodness, in the case of the latter), and I'm not sure why it was walked back on. Each character also has their own gimmicky way of operating, no two working quite the same way, and some are more worth putting up with than others. It's kinda funny that for most characters there's basically no point using the standard Attack command when their personal gimmick will do more damage for free. Edgar can Attack a single target for middling damage, or use a crossbow to attack every enemy on the field and deal approximately twice as much damage to each, for the low cost of buying the item once. Usually you have to put some effort into breaking the game, but FF6 does it for you!

Fin or Bin:

I do miss the communal aspect of playing through along with a friend whose every opinion is incorrect and needs arguing down. (And also, y'know, to talk about story beats with and stuff.) That is lacking from this playthrough, though that obviously isn't FF6PR's fault. This is the last one remaining of the first ten that I haven't played through in my adult years. Maybe once I've Finished it, I'll put together a tierlist. I'm sure that won't be controversial at all!

(Steam)

[mister-e-muss]

Time for another backlog report, August 2024 edition. As always, thoughts are below:

Mega Man X:

Both this and X2 I beat as part of the Legacy Collection bundle. At first I stuck to the idea that each ‘collection’ counted as a single game, with individual games being more like chapters. That’s why I didn’t write my thoughts on Battle Network 1 when I finished it. I realized however that if I thought that large-scale, I was never going to actually finish it, or any of the individual games.

So what exactly do I say about this game? It’s Chrono Trigger levels of revered. Even Arin ‘I refuse to read more than three words consecutively’ Hanson of Game Grumps fake calls the intro stage genius for how it visually teaches the player about wall jumps.

I can hardly say a bad word about this game, not just because it’s so enshrined in the top tens of SNES games ever, but because I genuinely agree that it’s a great, tight action platformer with some kick-ass music.

Mega Man X2:

Okay, Capcom proved they could innovate the Mega Man formula. Could they follow up?

Turns out yes. While I generally hold the music as overall inferior to X1, I still think that there’s some great tracks in here. (My personal favorite is Flame Stag’s Stage btw.)

As for the story, I think the tension of Zero’s lost parts is both a good way to add more personal stakes and a clever way to justify reviving a character that had died in the last game. Believe me, it happens more than I’d like it to. Also, I took a screenshot of this specific dialogue because it is both a brilliantly dick-ish move and really stupid of Sigma to try and guilt trip X about his supposed failure. . . After he’d already beaten the X-Hunters and recovered Zero’s parts.

The stages themselves are a lot of fun to go through, with the exception of a few of the X-Hunter stages.

Trails of Cold Steel:

When discussing the Trails series, Cold Steel is the arc that everyone points to and says “Trash Anime Harem game.” That is not my issue with this game.

I think where I generally take issue is the scope. I know that’s a weird thing to say about these games considering just how grandiose and meticulous they are about every single detail, but it’s the most general way to put it. The cast is large, the maps are large, the grand tale of political intrigue is large. The strange part is that for all of its largeness, it could have been cut down by a quarter and still be able to do a lot of what it sets out to do.

Having the cast split themselves in half is an effective way of rotating the spotlight so that almost everyone gets a turn, but if they just compressed one or two character ideas they could have ensured that everyone had more room in their niche.

For that matter, the gameplay has also been expanded and shrunk down. The addition of combat links is a fun idea that makes you think about party comp and which characters pair well with others, but in this first outing, they don’t really do much. The fact that the game hides the two extra payoff options until a third and halfway through the game also doesn’t help. Where the series shrinks is in the orbment system. The master quartz return, and they’re just as fascinating as ever, but the quartz themselves have taken a turn for the bland. Rather than have each gem hold an element value, and arts appearing on characters as you build them, arts and passive bonuses have been divided in two. Except not really because high-level quartz give both. What this means from a design perspective is that players don’t have to keep track of seven different values building up a cast of 11 total playable characters. (Again, you could have cut that by half.) What this means from a gameplay perspective however is that orbments are much less interesting to tinker around with, turning what was a miniature puzzle into a simple best-in-slot. For a 60+ hour game to have one of its core systems be stripped like this, it makes the game feel more monotonous than it really is.

Despite all these general complaints, I honestly can’t recommend it enough. The soundtrack is just as good as it’s ever been, the plot does in fact try to strike a balance between zoomed-out political intrigue and zoomed-in character drama, and the combat is still among the best turn-based systems.

I even liked the bonding points for what they were. Having to chose which characters were worth your investment was a bit itchy, but the one-on-one spotlights were nice. That they also increase Link levels is also a very nice gameplay-story-integration that I will never say no to.

[demcnsinmymind]

let's get real about Az, its powers, and Lance using them.

It absolutely is a mixture of both. Him not quite knowing how to use or trigger them, and mostly on instinct in threatening situations. But also Az reeling them in both for shits and giggles but also because it knows it's got enough juice to nuke the whole planet and they can't quite have that yet.

But if you believe it's not gonna let go of the breaks every once in a while to get a kick out of him over-shooting with its powers then you're wrong. It absolutely is doing that. On purpose. It's also manipulating him into thinking that he can do more than he technically can already, but mostly to get him to actually do it by himself for real. Like when it notices that he's trying to do something but can't trigger it, it might just do it for him either way so he thinks he did it. Until he really does it right some day, thanks to his confidence that he just can.

But it also is proud and having fun with the fact that he's developing a great natural gift for its telekinesis in particular, though it's semi-sad that he hasn't figured out how to use its biokinesis at all. But it does get a good laugh out of him accidentally triggering the pyro and chrono every now and then.

Also they're so overusing the door move. He's never gonna open a door normally ever again the second he's figured that one out.

[ilikekidsshows]

Oh, it's this guy again. How deep of a hole do we need to shove you into?

Maybe they should just send him to the end of time this time. It seems to be a pretty good dumping ground for unwanted things in the Chrono Trigger game

Dude, if you just hatched your scheme, everyone would be nonethewiser. You are the dumbest villain in this show! You didn't notice your pet dragon was sapient!

Yeah, it's really hard to sell a character as a serious threat after he's already been an incompetent sidenote

Considering the Turtles weren't even the ones who knocked him out, this fixation is weird

A villain blaming the wrong people for their problems is also a recurring theme in this season