#-- and with how the mechanics are designed around it'
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Welcome back to lyssten to my rambles: Natlan Nagging. This isn't necessarily hate, I just wanna address and analyze a notion that I've seen around.
The argument of 'This natlan character design sucks and doesn't fit in Genshin' then the apparent answer to it is 'It's a fantasy game duhh'. I personally disagree, I think it's a shallow response that ignores alot of details.
Yes, genshin is a fantasy game. BUT there are rules that makes up a good fictional world, and that is consistency. Genshin has shit consistency obviously looking at the level of tech between each nation. But it IS consistent when isolated within nations alone.
Mondstadt's theme is traditional Germany. So the city has traditional buildings and no mechanical technology, the NPCs dress traditionally and use simple medieval tools, and the characters all use skills that fit the theme. Take Venti for an example, his design and kit communicates that he is a medieval bard which fits the theme of Mondstadt, seeing him move in Mondstadt amongst its people is not out of place.
So what I'm saying here is 'consistency' means the world, NPCs, and character must be within theme of the nation.
Another example. Sumeru's theme is middle eastern, but more fantasy and technologically advanced. The buildings have grand middle eastern architechture, robots already exists here and NPCs have access to the knowledge/skills/magic to make them, the akasha and related tech are accessible for everyone. Let's take Alhaitham for example, he dresses with Sumerian patterns, his skills looks similarly like the existing akasha technology. He is in theme with the nation and see him walking amongst Sumerian people is not out of place.
So what I mean when Natlan characters doesn't look like they came from Genshin is that they are not in theme with Natlan's established themes. Natlan itself is a jumbled mesh of 20 million cultures, but the general theme they were probably going for is tribal civilizations. (Bear with my generalization)
Take Mualani as a GOOD example of an in theme character:
She came from the People of the Springs. It's a Hawaiian (correct me if I'm wrong) themed location. It looks traditional, sail boat like buildings and huts, no visible mechanical technology, has simple magic mechanisms (spiritwave, koholasaurus). Massive tourism spot (Hawaii influence).
The NPCs are all dressed like how people who live by water would dress. They don't use mechanical tools. They are surfers, fishers, or tour guides. They are all relatively much more happy and kinder to guests since they are in a tourism spot. They all can use spiritwaves and koholasaurus.
Mualani herself dress similarly like her people. Very much extroverted since she is a tour guide. Her skills are pool floaties and a surf board. Her design communicates she is a peppy surfer girl. She can move within the People of the Springs and she does not look out of place. She is in theme.
I can complain about her all I want but when I look at her and watch her move. I see People of the Springs. That's it. I see her and she fits the world and people.
Now take Mavuika as an out of theme character
Since she is an Archon she doesn't have any specific tribe's symbols. So the 'world' she must belong in is Natlan in its entirety, aka tribal civilizations + extra fantasy magic tech. Still the architechture is very traditionally tribal with rough stone houses, huts, and tapestries. There IS mechanical technology but it is used sparringly (DJ booth, weapons the enemies wield, etc). Besides that it's all traditional. And much more emphasis on magic and rituals.
The NPCs while they came from different tribes has the same base of clothing styles with minor differences. They all wear clothes with 'tribal markings'. They all have access to their respective saurian and magic mechanisms. They all have access to the basic tech we've seen. They have access to the 'special magic' too (Like being an ancient name smith (or other important roles isn't JUST for playable characters)
Mavuika doesn't dress like any of them. She doesn't look like she'd fit in with her people, hell she barely fits in with the more exaggerated playable characters. When I look at her I see biker, I don't see Natlanese, I don't see important Natlanese. Her bike doesn't look like it came from any existing technology in Natlan. There's ROBOTS in Natlan and her bike doesn't look like it came from the same design origins.
'Oh Lyss it's because it's her signature thing she created out of her element-' CHASCA'S GUN looks more in theme than Mavuika's bike, it looks like it's made from Natlanese tech.
IN A VACUUM WHERE MAVUIKA ISN'T IN NATLAN she looks sick as hell. In NATLAN she looks like a 5th descender. THE POINT OF THIS ARGUMENT IS NOT THAT SHE IS UGLY, THE POINT IS SHE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE SHE IS FROM NATLAN AND GENSHIN HAS NEVER BROKEN CHARACTER THEME THIS BADLY BEFORE.
'Well archons are supposed to be special cases so they stand out-'
Ei doesn't look like a twitch streamer does she? Zhongli doesn't look like a book store owner in 1990s britain does he? Furina doesn't look like a 2020s Hollywood actor does she? They don't need to break their own theme and culture to stand out.
'Are you saying we cant incorporate X in Y culture at all? That's racist-'
There is a certain deviation from theme that people are willing to tolerate before the immersion break. ESPECIALLY when you use an existing culture as a design reference, people can TELL when it goes overboard. You do NOT mix and match culture without consistensy. Incorporate whatever the hell you want and mesh 20 million cultures all you want. But make the deviation consistent for every aspect. World. NPC. Character.
Because what makes Genshin stands out is the cultural details of its nations and characters. Without it then it's a standard gacha game spewing out whatever random character with insert trendy detail here. And that really upsets me because the cultural design is one of the reasons I stayed in Genshin.
#ok i went off here#please do uh tell me if im being racist or something#im just looking at this through a world building lense and not cultural#i also just think its stupid to excuse inconsistency with 'iTs FaNtAsY'#like... no... worlds dont work like that#lyssten to my rambles
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How to Rile Up the Characters of Arcane
(anger wise perverts)
These headcanons explore what irks, flusters, or provokes each character in a way that makes their reactions as entertaining as they are educational for anyone seeking to test their limits. Use at your own risk!
Jinx
1. Messing with her inventions
• Jinx is incredibly protective of her gadgets and explosives. Poking around her workspace or suggesting her designs could be improved will get you an immediate, fiery reaction.
• “Improved?! They’re perfect, you total nimrod!”
2. Stealing attention
• Jinx craves recognition, especially from figures she admires (like Silco or her friends). Ignoring her or praising someone else more can push her into an erratic, over-the-top display to reclaim the spotlight.
3. Underestimating her
• Comments like “Are you sure you can handle this?” or “Maybe you should sit this one out” will ignite her fury and determination to prove you wrong—usually in the loudest way possible.
Vi
1. Mocking her strength
• Vi prides herself on her physical prowess. Any teasing about losing an arm-wrestling match or struggling with a task will have her insisting on proving you wrong immediately.
• “Alright, tough guy. Let’s see if you can back that up.”
2. Disrespecting Powder/Jinx
• Bringing up Jinx in a negative light or blaming Vi for what happened between them is a surefire way to strike a nerve. Her guilt and protectiveness will flare up in equal measure.
3. Challenging her leadership
• Vi naturally takes charge, so questioning her decisions or suggesting someone else lead will have her bristling. “You think you can do it better? Be my guest.”
Sevika
1. Criticizing her loyalty to Silco
• She’s fiercely loyal, and any remarks suggesting she’s blindly following orders or dependent on Silco’s authority will make her defensive—possibly in an intimidating way.
• “I’d watch what you say next if I were you.”
2. Messing with her arm
• Joking about her mechanical arm or tampering with it is a fast way to get her glaring at you—or worse.
• “Touch it again, and you’ll see how well it works up close.”
3. Calling her soft
• Sevika has a tough exterior, and any insinuation that she might have a soft side will annoy her. Push too far, and she’ll feel compelled to prove just how “not soft” she is.
Silco
1. Interrupting his plans
• Silco is meticulous and hates disruptions. Questioning his methods or derailing his carefully laid schemes will earn you a cold, cutting remark—or a deadly glare.
• “Do you think you could do better, or is this just idle foolishness?”
2. Challenging his authority
• Silco thrives on control, and anyone who undermines or questions his leadership will quickly find themselves on his bad side.
• “I’d advise against testing me further.”
3. Mentioning Vander
• Bringing up Vander’s betrayal or suggesting Silco is living in his shadow will strike a deeply personal nerve, though he’ll hide his emotions behind his chilling composure.
Vander
1. Endangering his family
• Vander’s protective instincts are unmatched. Any threat—real or perceived—to his children or those he considers family will have him stepping into action.
• “If you so much as look at them the wrong way, you’ll regret it.”
2. Mentioning his past violence
• Vander is deeply remorseful about his history as the “Hound of the Underground.” Reminders of his brutal past will make him uncharacteristically curt or defensive.
• “I’m not that person anymore. Let it go.”
3. Disrespecting Zaun
• Vander’s love for Zaun runs deep. Insulting his city or its people will get him fired up—and ready to defend it, fists clenched.
Ekko
1. Treating him like a kid
• Ekko is mature beyond his years, and any patronizing behavior or comments like “You wouldn’t understand” will annoy him to no end.
• “Say that again, and I’ll show you who doesn’t understand.”
2. Messing with the Firelights
• The Firelights are Ekko’s pride and joy. Damaging their hideout, criticizing their mission, or mocking their cause will ignite his protective side.
3. Being overly pessimistic
• Ekko is an optimist, and negativity frustrates him. If you’re constantly dismissive of change or improvement, he’ll passionately argue with you about why hope matters.
Jayce
1. Insulting his intelligence
• Jayce is proud of his work as a scientist and inventor. Any comment suggesting his ideas are impractical or undeserving of recognition will hit him hard.
• “Let me remind you who brought Hextech to Piltover.”
2. Calling him a sellout
• He walks a fine line between invention and politics. Accusations that he’s abandoned his ideals or sold out for power will immediately put him on the defensive.
• “I’m doing what’s best for Piltover. You don’t understand the pressure I’m under.”
3. Undermining his authority
• Jayce takes his leadership role seriously. Any hint that he’s unqualified or incapable of handling the responsibility will make him overly defensive.
Viktor
1. Interrupting his work
• Viktor is hyper-focused on his research, and distractions—whether they’re intentional or accidental—irritate him.
• “Could you not see that I was in the middle of something important?”
2. Dismissing his ideas
• Viktor has faced constant dismissal throughout his life, so belittling his contributions or questioning his vision will strike a nerve.
• “You lack the foresight to understand, clearly.”
3. Criticizing his background
• Insulting Viktor’s roots in Zaun or using it as a way to undermine his accomplishments will get under his skin, though he’ll respond with cold indifference to hide the sting.
Caitlyn
1. Disrespecting her position
• Caitlyn is deeply committed to her role as a law enforcer. Suggesting she doesn’t deserve her rank or that she got there through privilege will earn a sharp rebuttal.
• “I worked harder than you’ll ever know to get here.”
2. Mocking her by-the-book nature
• Caitlyn’s dedication to justice and procedure is central to her identity. Teasing her for being “too rigid” or overly disciplined will irk her, even if she tries to laugh it off.
• “Someone has to uphold the rules around here.”
3. Bringing up her family’s wealth
• Caitlyn is sensitive about her affluent upbringing and works hard to prove she’s more than just her family name. Dismissing her as “just another rich kid” will immediately put her on edge.
#x reader#arcane imagine#arcane x reader#arcane headcanon#arcane vi#ekko arcane#arcane jayce#vi arcane#jinx arcane#arcane caitlyn#arcane sevika#silco x reader#arcane silco#sevika
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As you wish, @adorascake
WARNING: Spoilers for Arcane Season 2 Act III below and in the link.
Healing was never easy, nor was it always possible. And certain careers carried with it the risk of permanent harm.
Caitlyn had thought she had known that when she had enlisted as an Enforcer, even after having seem some of the injuries that had been picked up in the line of duty. A missing finger with a clockwork replacement here, scarred bodies and faces there, the occasional eyepatch. In hindsight it was clear how little she had actually understood, believing herself to either be untouchable or that she would just cope if it came.
In the grand scheme of things, Caitlyn had settled to simply mourn her lost eye and try to move on. Try to let it be a reminder to not allow herself to be blinded by vengeance. To take on the new challenge and rise to the occasion. And she had tried to put it into effect in the following years, striving to fix what had been broken - by herself, by her ancestors, or by her city.
A knock came at the door and Catilyn sighed, pulling the patch over her face. "Come in," she said as she turned to the door.
"Just me," Vi said as she opened the door and came into the study, a box in hand with a bow around it. "Got something to show you."
Caitlyn was intrigued, but had to stop herself from pulling up the relevant information in her mind. It was her obsession, one that had served them all so well but also meant that she always tried to figure out a surprise. She didn't want to ruin this for Vi, not with how proud of herself she looked.
Yet despite herself, the information creeping to the surface. Vi learning artifice and engineering at the Academy, to be more than the welcome pair of fists when someone threatened the fragile peace. Recent grants that Vi had ardently argued in favor of. Time she had insisted on being alone in her workshop, even giving up time together for it.
"Whatever you're working on, it's an obsession," Caitlyn had told her over dinner at Jericho's one night.
"Learned from the best," Vi had cheekily answered, and just in time Ekko had come by before the conversation could continue.
"So," Vi said in the present, setting down the box, "I know you keep telling me to think about myself, to stop hurting myself for others."
Caitlyn just nodded.
"And I know you don't like it when people fuss over you, and hate it when people suggest you use all this wealth for yourself."
That warranted a quirked eyebrow from her good eye.
"So, the reason I pushed for that eyetech grant was because..." Vi almost trailed off there, whatever she had rehearsed faltering as her knee started bouncing. "Ah, screw it. Open it, Cait."
Caitlyn obeyed as she undid the bow and lifted the cover, but she already had a strong feeling of what was in there that was confirmed a moment later.
A mechanical eye, master crafted by a skilled artificer. A blue crystalline lenses with a natural white sclera made up the visible front, while the back had a single chemtech adapter with a faint tint of electric green barely visible to the naked eye. It would require a surgeon to insert and connect, but if successful?
"You made this?" Caitlyn asked.
"I-" Vi hesitated. "Yes. Kinda. I did a lot of the drafting, helped make the body and designed the clockwork, but a lot of the tech..."
"Vi, was this why you've been running around Piltover and Zaun these past few months?"
"Past year, really. Cait, you've got all this wealth, and you've been trying to spend it to help everyone. I couldn't let you not spend at least a bit on yourself."
"Violet..."
"Shh," Vi's knee stopped shaking. "I know you don't want people to pity you for the eye. That you keep offering cogs to make sure everyone has a reason to beat you in shooting competitions. You keep telling me that I need to take care of myself too. Well, the same goes for you, doesn't it?"
It was all coming together now. "That was why you pushed so hard for Doctor Zeigler's ocular project. You wanted me to benefit from it."
"Yep. And it isn't just for you, Cait. We've made less fancy ones that can help people blinded by accidents in the fissures."
"So why not give me one of those, then?"
Vi grinned. "Two reasons: first, we've got those fancy galas to attend. Second? Well, let's just say this one may have a few special features that I think you'd like to have."
Caitlyn was about to ask, but decided against it. Vi knew she enjoyed a good mystery, and Caitlyn spent a good portion of the night thinking about it even as Vi was fast asleep knowing that soon her wife would be able to see her with both eyes again.
"It's a zoom function, isn't it?" Caitlyn had asked the next morning.
Violet simply grinned and put her hands in the air in mock surrender, even as she flexed her muscles. "You got me, Sherrif."
#fanfic#arcane#arcane season 2#arcane spoilers#caitlyn kiramman#vi#piltover's finest#caitvi#yes I really wanted to bring in League!Vi modding and fixing her own gauntlets#and apply it to something other than her fists
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All of the takes from the higher end FFXIV players I've seen recently feel so out of touch/narrow-minded to me.
I see people complaining about healers when I ran the most recent dungeon as one just the other day and we wiped several times.
I already saw someone complain that the FFXI raid is "easier than Aglaia" when every single run I've had has taken a significant amount of timer and at least a one or two wipes on a boss or two (or more).
Compared to all of the other Alliance Raids, I actually feel like the challenge here is to learn faster play, rather than to avoid wiping. It's the first time I've seen an Alliance Raid reach the end tail of the timer.
Granted, this is the first time I've done anything "on content" (and I've only seen footage of older day one runs, so maybe previous first day runs of Alliance Raids were similarly difficult), but to me, all of this stuff at the very least feels so much more unique and substantial than a lot of the encounters in a bunch of the previous expansions; this feels really cool and unique in its own right.
Prishe's proximity attacks, the group fight with the Archangels (which has a pretty cool use of interrupts), and Shadowlord's twists on various AoE attacks themselves are really cool.
And to me difficulty isn't the only value of an encounter.
They just don't seem to understand that not everyone consumes the game the same way they do, don't seem to have the ability to put themselves in others' shoes nor have the ability to understand that only a small portion of players play at their level.
I don't play healer often and I felt challenged by the recent dungeon.
I felt this whenever I saw some complain about Endwalker encounters, as well, but there I got it better because I could understand the complaint about how formulaic some of the encounters felt.
All Dawntrail encounters have felt unique and, most of all, substantial, to me.
And that was my personal gripe with particularly Endwalker's patch content. Many of the bosses did not have mechanics which evolved and/or had quite slow-paced useage/distribution of mechanics.
I suppose a game has the responsibility to entertain players on all levels of play, but this time around I understand the complaints much less as I see a lot of truly inventive encounter design that brings in ideas the game hasn't used much before.
And even after I stepped into harder content (extremes), the normal content never automatically became a bore to me; just different type of content.
In the end, I suppose I just disagree with people's consumption philosophy, then.
I think the game doesn't need to be "hard", just "substantial", so I suppose it's a very specific difference of opinion, which simply clashes with this different perspective and doesn't gel with the reality within the game I've seen.
I hope those who are unhappy will get something that makes them happy, but I also struggle a bit to see what the encounter designers could do to please this perspective.
Just copy Ivalice step by step? Just complete bullshit with bad telegraphing? Because that's where I felt like a bunch of Ivalice's challenge came from. It was challenging because some of the telegraphing could take a bit to parse and at points only made sense if you paid attention to every little tiny detail. It was challenging because it was pretty unintuitive and while I enjoyed it a lot and the bullshit is "funny", it's not "fun".
Math isn't bad because of the math, it's bad because you have to figure out how it works first. It can tell you "vitals", but the first time you do this, you don't necessarily automatically make all of the connections in the short time the fight gives you. And I personally think this is an issue of conveyance/bad design.
How are you supposed to figure out you need to let the sniper shoot you rather than use to shield to shield yourself in the moment? Where is the logic in that?
Even the magnet stuff is actually good.
Good conveyance is vague, but still solvable in the moment, like Prishe's wind-up punches.
But as said, I suppose I consume video games differently than most FFXIV/MMO players because in my mostly single-player gaming experience bad conveyence/design isn't "part of the fun", it's just bad design.
I can love a game despite it having these issues in its encounters, but to me it is an aspect to criticize when it happens and despite the repetitious nature of MMO design, I think this issue shouldn't just be glossed over because I think you can do challenge without these clunky elements.
#Final Fantasy XIV#FFXIV#FF#Final Fantasy 14#FF14#Final Fantasy#Dawntrail#DT#Endwalker#EW#Edit: slightly fixed some of the phrasing
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sketches for sleight's van, the Magicmobile ^_^
#I had a lot of fun designing this!!!!!#i used the volkswagen kombi van as the base model and drew inspiration from modded cars with high rides#to kinda mimic those old horsedrawn caravan wagons.. i tried to keep functionality in mind so the tire covers on the chassis have#grips for where you would put your feet if you were to get in the drivers seat kinda like those huge freight trucks.. and since the ride#height is a little high theres a pool ladder attached to the back to mimic a caravan and to help ppl get in from the back#also exciting coming up with the stage side door.. i dont know exactly how it would work but i imagine the handle at the top#has to be turned and pulled in order to set up the stage.. and then theres a locking mechanism to keep it in place..??#theres also a stage curtain right behind the door where sleight would come out to do his performance so thats fun!!!#i dont have much to say abt the interior except i forgot to include the ladder which would help reach the skylight#the skylight is a little domed and i riffed that off the kombi camper too but its to contain his butterflies before and after shows ^_^#the hatch is inspired by the net stormdoor at my aunts house.. kinda like chicken wire?? and then there are flowers and pupae#idk if im ever gonna get around to coloring this but im happy finally getting my ideas down and turning it in my head lol#my art#myart#my oc#oc#sleight#concept art#interior#laikas comet oc#fan character#doodles
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I shouldve been asleep HOURS ago, instead I did the exo tierlist....
#dont kill me dys lovers#hes good for plot and I feel like theres just no way around sol n dys being at least good friends.... n they have such beautiful potential-#to be SO messy together no matter what their relationship. I have many brainworms about this.#but jesus christ the kid pissed me off. hes so immature. hitting him with hammers.#tammy just talks about babies too much.... it squicks me out. I wouldve loved 2 romance her shes got a cute design but alas#me n seeq have a lovehate relationship too... cus.. on one hand... older nonbinary chara... but also. so insufferable. and ugly outfit.#on second thought congruence could be in good egg category also#auntie tirah up there purely for her cool hair and winning at polyamory#why is sols mom so stupid hot#vace makes me wish this was DA2 and we could start racking up points in the opposite direction <3 but I also enjoy certain parallels betwee#him n sol.... I want to be Rivals#rex is best boy marz just has a really good character arc(Even though were not really essential to it at all lmao besides mechanically)#funfact I romanced her on my first play after dys became too insufferable <3#I didnt even know sym existed.... only found him thru browsing the wiki like mid second run. just too good at the game ig didnt need saving#cus like.... my first run was literally all exploration all the time.... how the fuck did I not even SEE HIM#texted post
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dude I'll like start talking about things that i findf horribly interesting but all of in depth and awesome analysis will come out "ohhhh hehehe grrr love them the sillies!!! :3 :3" like come on dude!
I could go on forever about how certain scenes in media make me feel and pick apart a ton of little details in character designs, speech, how a character reacts to things, etc etc but it my power is limited to flailing around like a fool and giggling to myself
lmao
#drink printer ink#rant ?#dude I would love to infodump on people but I can't keep a coherent thought so sorry#I know other people have this same issue cuz I've seen memes about it#also I hate wuthering waves' designs so much I'm sorry#they're ok but the limited colors they have makes everything just look lame#and they don't mess around with interesting design elements that make the characters stand out#the game mechanics and how much I hate how bad the gunners are is a whole different story#if genshin has too complicated of designs wuthering waves has too simple#oh shit I'm doing a whole new rant in tags#someone get this guy outta here!
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A hero is only as good as his weapons, so make ‘em count (Patreon)
#Doodles#Original#Another idea smol and I are working on together :D Been a bit!#She came up with the concept on this one and I fell in love with it <3 She's very cool hehe#If you're familiar with the game Minit it has Something of a similar premise - not the same strict time pressure but yes on the time loop#Y'ever notice how in some games it seems like the wandering trader or traveling shop seems to come upon you rather than the other way around#:3c Hm ♪ Wonder how they'd know where you were gonna be :3c#The crux is that you play as the weapons shop owner and you're responsible for supplying the hero and his team with weapons!#Except the BBEG has gotten wise to how the hero keeps defeating him and it sick of it - so the shop owner is cursed to be in a time loop!#I love the concept <3 It sounds so fun to play in and there's still plenty of room to think about the mechanics and how it would be played#As well as the art design! :D#We threw around some character concepts - she's really into Baldur's Gate 3 at the moment so of course they had some influence in hers hehe#Only got the starting party for the moment but there are plans for a full team of 4 plus the shopkeep >:3c And various other NPCs lol#A lot of the gameplay would basically boil down to being a bartering simulator hehe ♪#Very RPG trade-this-for-that style quests - under a time limit! Hehe#Since it's the type of game that pretty much requires replaying sections time-loop-style it's all about how quickly you can trial and error#And then hightail it to where you need to be lol#I think we were also tossing around a nap mechanic to skip right to the time loop reset in case you mess up a run haha#I gotta get back to Majora's Mask at some point I swear#We still have a good bit of concept work to do on the art side of things - she's also been really into pixel art lately and I love pixel art#I also managed to pick up a full release of one of the RPGMakers :D So that's an exciting possibility!#I haven't learned most of its ins and outs yet but I do know About importing custom assets at the very least >:3c#Same with Novelty and I haven't done that yet either lol - all in due time! I hope!!
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Boothill's presentation being entirely on the twitter post makes me think he will be irrelevant in the story in the long(ish) run, and that the game itself won't dwell on him almost at all
#Kinda like Argenti but Argenti seemed to be part of a larger lore and worldbuilding#Boothill doesn't even give me that vibe#Cool design though. I do love revenge stories and western films so...#*sighs* I guess I may consider him if he's fun to play with and the story is interesting. I hope he takes Aventurine out of the grave#(Or do I? Emotionally I do. Rationally I think I may lean more towards 'keep Aventurine dead' tbh)#Imagine if his revenge is against the IPC in general and Aventurine in particular but when he gets there Aventurine is already dead#The enormous fail that would be hahaha#Automaton cowboy is such a good design though I would have liked it more had they taken the automaton way enhancing the clockwork thing#instead of the cyborg one with the futuristic air. What can I say I do love automatons and clockwork#and to me they're far superior aesthetically than cyborgs. Not into cyborgs and robots at all. Sorry Screwllum. Herta most beloved design#I wonder if his gameplay will revolve around some killing himself mechanic#I don't know what to say I do love those things gameplaywise. I love the risk they add and how they make one strategise a little more#Even beyond the story and the lore‚ Blade is still my fave character to use. So fun so flexible and ironically so reliable despite the risk#Abfksndk rambling#I am thinking of Aventurine and I'm thinking of Fu Xuan. I think I'll skip Robin unless they go dark-dark with her#but I'm still considering Sunday if they make him shady. I was looking forwards to Firefly but I've disliked her writing a lot#so for now she's a big skip. I wouldn't mind getting Topaz given I love the FUA mechanics and the SU#but I like other characters more and I don't like her design at all so I'll skip her too#Couldn't care less about IL (I have him in an alt account and I don't like him at all) so that's a big skip too#I like Screwllum but not enough for now. Hmmm I guess I could get one shielder since I do love them as characters#and then save until one character really convinces me. Boothill‚ Robin‚ Sunday hmmm I hope Sunday is shady and grey#I wonder if they'll bring Huaiyan. I would give a leg for Huaiyan. Yeah I've not moved on from the Xianzhou I love that place#and I adore Huaiyan and the Zhuming. I so hope we'll get to see that ship#I talk too much
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It's funny how Minecraft now has these ancient ruins that you can excavate and you can find remains of a bygone civilization and their art and looms and such.
And right next to them you can find the stereotypical racist "jungle temple" with traps and nothing else of cultural value.
#minecraft#it really exaplifies how mojang never change old game mechanics to be in line with the newer stuff. in any significant way at least#like how pigs cows chickens and sheep just walk around making noises#while foxes and dolphins and camels have so many unique animations and behaviours.#but it also extends to their “political correctness” where they dont change the racist “temple” designs and keep the antisemetic villagers#- and all designs that originated from the villagers#but hey at least they changed the animation of axless vindicator so that it doesnt look like theyre doing the n*zi salute#cat talks
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so in juniper's campaign we've just found ourselves in a high-stakes situation that I as a player do frankly find stressful and am anxious about, but hey hi also the DM was like 'okay here are the exact mechanics of how this is going to work because I don't want to surprise you with serious repercussions, also here are all the options you will have to try to do something about the situation-- [affected player] what do you think? honest feedback, I don't want it to feel unfair, I want to be clear that I am not just trying to kill your character, and if it ends up being badly balanced we can revisit it down the road' and oh my god I could COLLAPSE and WEEP with gratitude
#[tears in my fucking eyes] WHAT IF DND WAS GOOD!! WHAT IF A DM THAT'S GOOD!!!#LIKE I've said actually MOST of my DMs are good but because of the way this situation was presented specifically#where-- as NOT the affected player-- it does feel like the way it came up was a little unfair and I AM worried about the stakes--#I REALLY SPENT SO MUCH OF THAT ABOVE-TABLE TALK GOING OH WOW I FEEL LIKE OUR FRIEND ACTUALLY LOVES US AND WANTS THIS TO BE FUN!!#I DON'T KNOW THAT I AGREE WITH WHAT HE'S DOING HERE BUT I TRUST MY FRIEND AND IT'S SAFE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THIS PLAYER TO DM!!#WOWIE THAT FEELS RELEVANT TO MY DND EXPERIENCE RIGHT NOW LMAO!!!#'I've looked at your stats and inventories to try to make this serious but balanced but if it doesn't work we can retool it'#'I want to be extremely clear that this situation could kill destal so I want to be extremely sure that you're comfortable with that--#-- and with how the mechanics are designed around it'#I am fucking. on my KNEES WEEPING. at the contrast with how punishing and DEEPLY unfun felix campaign has relentlessly been the whole time#and how little of a fuck it feels like THAT DM gives when he's like 'this random rolltable encounter was deadly :)'#'you guys didn't get hit last time and got all your spells back right?' uhhh wrong and wrong and we TALKED about that last time#are you gonna revisit the balance on your fifth in a row 'if you fail you'll TPK' scenario? no? yeah I figured lol#christ knows HE'S never invited feedback on his DMing. you KNOW I don't feel safe to say 'hey this doesn't feel fair or fun' with him#AND LIKE!! WITH A DM I TRUST I FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO REALLY PLAY WITH SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENING!! YAY YIPPEE STAKES AND PATHOS!!!#I don't just want nothing bad to happen ever! but I don't want it to feel careless or heartless or just... Not Fun#anyway. grasping william's hands so tightly. my beloved friend. my wonderful friend. what a relief to have a DM that's good#after the shit we've been through in our now most-frequently-run campaign#the thing I'm mad about is that destal has been making a mystery saving throw every night-- but this was imperceptible to the characters#so we weren't acting on it#and now that he's failed it three times the situation is 'okay NOW you will be maming a con save every night and accumulating exhaustion'#'which can't be removed by sleeping' [six levels of exhaustion Kill You]#so like!! well okay I wish we had had ANY way of knowing how urgent this was before we got to 'now there's a deadly countdown' BUT OKAY#but like I said. he clearly put a lot of thought into the math for the mechanics#he made sure that we DO actually have ANYTHING we can do to mitigate the condition and outlined several options specifically and clearly#he checked in with justin about whether that seemed fair and opened it for future retooling if necessary#so I'm just at 'that was kind of a rugpull dude :/' instead of DESPAIRING lmao#this is a level of Oh Shit that's juicy! this is a level of Oh Shit that might force dramatic character choices out of desperation!#THIS IS AN OH SHIT WHERE WE STILL GET TO PLAY DND ABOUT IT AND HAVE ANY AGENCY WHATSOEVER. WHAT A CONCEPT.#ANYWAY!!! GOOD DND SAVE ME!!!!!!!!!
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#ugh. i dont kno what to do. im about to reap what ive sown bc Tomorrow is the start of the 1st real week of class#and i have cell mechanics and biochem tomorrow and i can already tell the class is gonna b a lot#like it would b one thing if we were just reading and discussing papers but there r summary assignments and exams#and like u dont understand what it takes for me a read a paper. it takes so much pain. and this class is centered around eukaryotes#and i study prokaryotes so like its not really that relavent to me but like i didnt kno what else to take#everyone does eukaryotic stuff. general genetics was full. the microbial evolution class conflics with another class#and everyone tells me ill know everything anyway but im not sure thats true. and if it is i think it would still b fun#so idk. i could drop the class and pick up extra hours for research instead. like use the time to read relevant papers#its sorta hard bc i already have a masters so its like where do u put me? not in stats. i kno how to do a lot of things so idk#i think i saw a plant evolution class. if i wasnt intimidated by the teacher and ever took botany maybe i would go for it#but so it goes. idk. im meeting my advisor on Tuesday morning so maybe ill bounch ideas off of him#and like i kno it sounds like im being a bitch over having to take 2 3hr classes but ive got to ta and do research and somehow find time#to work on my existing data. so like i could justify only taking the one 3hr class i think#ugh. i just wish i could read. and i wish i could sleep#maybe the class tomorrow wont b so bad. or maybe it will. idk i just really wanna take the microbio course#my eyes r all swollen from crying. bleh. i was not designed for this. for reading#unrelated
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I finally played Firewatch the other day and it wasn't what I expected but I still enjoyed it, and I felt a little conflicted at the end but ultimately decided I liked what it was doing even if I think it didn't do it perfectly
and then when I was looking up an answer to a plot question I had I kept finding people whining and groaning about it being a bad game, and two things
why is it that when I don't like a short indie game for specific reasons I cannot find anyone who seems to share that opinion with me, but when I do enjoy a short indie game all the gamerbro reviewers are climbing out of the weeds to explain their specific reason for not enjoying it??
one of the negative comments I saw said something to the effect that it 'did not give [them] any reason to explore around' and i just-. i dont-. i need gamer bros to understand that if they're not naturally curious, if they're not naturally driven to explore the spaces around them, maybe stop playing games that use exploration and natural curiosity as one of the main driving mechanics
#like they werent even saying that firewatch doesn't reward you enough for exploring which COULD be a statement i agree with!#i think it needed more narrative/substantial payoff for some of the exploration it invited!#but it DOES openly invite you to explore and rewards you with interesting details if you do so!#one of the best payoffs for that game was getting to the ending and going 'aHA i KNEW i heard metal chimes earlier!!'#anyway the exploration thing is also a huge driving mechanic of Outer Wilds#and Ive seen negative comments on that being like 'idk what to do theres no clear goal blahblahblah im a boring gamer'#like. look around!! explore!! thats literally how the game works!!#i know gamers love being given tasks to do but one of the great things about OW is that it DOESNT give you tasks to do#it just presents a space and a reality and you get to decide what you want to do within that space#and due to the genius of its design almost every player is going to end up with the same end goal!#which the game NEVER assigns but which you naturally gravitate to due to the results of your exploration!#anyway. exploration games. love them. cant understand the subset of gamers who hate them but i know they exist
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Bungie dev voice: You know what we should do? Make an arena players can fall off of and die, have the players cooldowns not refresh when they die, and then fill the arena with enemies that launch barrages of missiles that knock the player around while the boss has a dive bomb that can also knock them off the arena
#girlbob.txt#destiny 2#tormentors are really cool but it's a shame that lightfall is designed this way#i legit feel like i HAVE to take the grapple grenade and then never use it in case i need to recover#not to mention the gravity/physics engine in this game is like#spiteful layers of bad#i'll get back to the mission later i just hate how rapidly i can become overwhelmed#it's clear that story missions are designed around you having friends to play it tbh#even if the actual damage isn't all that high. the mechanics just feel like they require having at least one other person so you can rez#each other
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really curious about the narrative direction hades ii is going to go in. it seems like granddad kronos is going to be the boss in this like hades was in the first (though i have my own alternative theories nevertheless) and that’s cool and all but how will the story work?
the charm of hades’s story and characters lay in the way that it made its godly cast seem so human, and the conflict essentially boiled down to a family feud (albeit one with repercussions for the universe) that was resolved with a happy ending for all parties. the titans, however, whatever the gods’ faults, are depicted as truly evil — but they ARE still family as far as the game’s concerned.
are they going to stick with the evil character for kronos or take a more zagreus approach to it? melinoë’s quest certainly seems more classically serious and heroic than zag’s but i have a hard time believing they’d take such a huge departure from the themes of the original game in its sequel.
#hades game#thoughts#i can’t wait to see more of our girl mel tho#lil sister!!!!!!!!!#love the labyrinth imagery in hecate’s design and also dunno what to make of it or if i should make anything of it beyond her being a#goddess of crossroads. is the crossroads bit relevant??? it seems like she’s the one supergiant’s really focusing on in this game#hecate ultimate boss??#hades still ultimate boss????#also we’re above ground??? but the faq says we’ll be traversing through the underworld????#but that can’t be right clearly the dungeons are on the surface#i think#how’s the rougelike mechanic work into the story if we’re not in the underworld?#although…. mel is like half ghost so i guess that’s prolly the explanation she controls death to some degree#also#she’s a god :P and a witch#maybe she has more of her mother in her she’s not tied to the underworld like zag and dad are#how are they going to explain the absence of some of the first game’s gods? seems like zeus and maybe some others’ll still be around but#not everyone. demeter???? i’m guessing not artemis since a) we have apollo (!!!!!!) and b) mel’s design is really visually similar to her#green and moon imagery need to mean ghosts and magic in this game not artemis#i feel so spoiled having gotten into hades after it was fully developed cause i KNOW that it came a LONG way over early access both in#mechanics and visuals but i still wanna see what the full and visually rich game art will look like in the future#also the other level designs!!!!! i know the ui design is gonna change so much too i’m so goddamn needy#most of all what do we come home to? i’m not a rougelike person at all hades was just so rewarding to die in that i fucking loved it i need#this to be true of game ii please please please godamnit i’m so impatient i need the lore and game NOW#why would they do this to me this is silksong all over again cept worse cause the reveal trailer gives me no idea of the storyline or#gameplay although i know they’ll reveal more soon i am just unable to stop thinking about this aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa#wyk writ
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I beat pokemon scarlet today hi for the love of god hello
#I'm gonna wait to rb spoiler stuff til like next friday and when I do they'll be tagged under 'spoilers' BUT#I Will rb new pokemon designs now tho#still tagged with 'spoilers' but yeah#GENUINELY. GENUINELY HAD AN AMAZING TIME WITH IT HONEST TO GOD IT'S UP THERE WITH BW FOR ME THAT'S A HUGE DEAL#it has so so many graphical/mechanical issues yes I'd write a whole fucking essay about how gf needs to give it's employees-#-better work conditions and more time and pay and Yeah#but oh my god. oh my God oh my fucking god#the pokemon designs are SO inventive and interesting and good the flavor on these lil guys is so peak#THE CHARACTERS ARE SO!!!!! THEY ARE SO I LOVE THE FRIEND GROUP AND TEACHERS AND TEAM STAR AND GYM LEADERS AND YEAH#they way all the story paths and challenges are set up is very intuitive and fun!!!! you don't feel pushed to go a certain order#but if you feel like where you are is too strong then it's easy to gather yourself and figure out what to do#and it almost seems like the leveling accounts for the player wanting to fuck around and find out I did that a Lot#and was only a few levels higher then the final fight by the end#don't even get me started on the story I'm not gonna say shit here but I cried like 5 times and wanted to a few others even still it's so.#god I haven't fallen for a pokemon game this hard in awhile if you don't wanna get it full price please like#get if second hand or watch a cutscene movie at Least and make sure you get one with all the area zero dialogue#I'm sorry for all the tags I'm just. listen special interest became good again in a few aspects I am living#risk.txt#pokemon#also I got 7 shiny pokemon before even beating the game so that's how my infamous luck with that in this game went DSFKVHBFV#the first one I got after only beat the first titan and nothing else! she's a litleo/pyroar named rhea and I love her so much
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