#Brief Mechanisms cameo

[draw-a-pie]

My favourite album

[yaffles-world]

Nightswimming

Viktor and his partner decide to go out for a swim.

WARNINGS/TAGS: fluff, mostly non sexual nudity but there is some cheeky brief sexual content, arcane Viktor but blitzcrank makes a cameo cos I said so, no use of Y/N, reader is wearing a dress but is called a good boy otherwise gender is not discussed, spoiler free. MINORS DNI

The wind was softly blowing, and the moon was bright and basked the area in soft white light. It was quiet, away from just about everything. Blitzcrank being the only remotely intelligent life for a fair distance, just in case there was trouble. Most of the animals that would be around were tucked into bed.

That was of course excluding Viktor, sitting carefully on the edge of a fallen tree. His shoulders were hunched over and his cheeks and ears were dusted pink. He was hyper focused on a point in the distance, as I slowly worked my hands over his back brace. I undid the clasps and worked on disconnecting it.

“Are you okay?”

Viktor's amber eyes flicked to mine and then back to his chosen spot in the distance. “Ah. Yes… I feel… naked?”

“Well, that's fair enough. You basically are.” I ran my hands across his back, trailing down the ridges of his spine. He shivered and his cheeks turned a darker shade of red. I gently hold his cheek to redirect his gaze. “If you aren't okay, tell me. If you want to do this another way, we'll figure it out.”

He sighed. “Practically, yes, there are alternatives to doing it this way. If I just want to… see if being in the water alleviates the pain. There's plenty of ways. But I don't want to do that. I want to do this… It's… Beautiful.” His gaze wandered off again and I detached his back brace, putting it beside me on the blanket. I moved down to his leg brace.

“I… It's been… I don't even know if I've ever been somewhere like this. With Zaun, well everything's… polluted and Piltover is so focused on steel and mechanical beauty. Which, there is certainly a sort of beauty to it, yes, but it's different to this. I've never see this many stars…”

I gently placed his leg brace beside his back brace on a clean blanket. I ran my hands down to the only piece of clothing left on him, his underwear, but he held my hands.

“Now, hold on there lubov. That doesn't seem fair.” He reached forward and hitched my dress over my knees and guiding me to kneel down so he could pull it up over my head. There was an initial shock of cold. Viktor pulled me in close and gave affectionate head scratches. “Oh, you are such a good boy for me, not even wearing underwear.”

I shrugged, trying to push down the heat building inside of me. “I just wanted it to be easier.”

He smiled smugly. It faltered when I pulled down his underwear abruptly, revealing a cock at half mast. He shivered again.

“Let's not get distracted here, my love. Are you okay if I carry you?”

“Ah, um, thank you, but that's really not necessary.”

“That's not what I asked you.”

“Well, ah… you certainly don't have to solnyshko but… yes I'm okay with it.”

I scooped him into my arms and pressed his body against mine. He was never particularly warm but his skin was soft and his hair was fluffy and brushing against my face. We walked into the water. It was warmer than expected given the cold night but it was certainly crisp. I slowly lowered him into the water, despite his protestations expressed through squeaking noises.

“It's cold!”

“Ah come on, this? You'd think you'd never been in water before.” I held him close. The water was about waist deep and his arms were wrapped tightly around my back, pressing himself into me with his head in the crook of my neck.

“Solnyshko, really, do you think I've spent my whole life not having a shower?” He pushed himself deeper into me somehow, now close to being fully buried.

“You know I don't mean that…” His ears tinted red. “Wait, Vik, have you never been swimming before?” I cursed myself. Of course he hasn't. Zaun waterways aren't known for being clean after all and who would have taught him? Especially with his body in the condition that it's almost always been in. “I'm so sorry, I didn't even consider that as a possibility. Are you okay? We really don't have to do this.”

He nodded, smushing his nose against my neck. “I trust you. I know you've got me.” I could feel his lips pull into a smile.

“Okay. Okay. No pressure at all.” I laugh breathily and he returns the laughter. “How do you feel?”

“Good. It helps, a bit.”

“Do you think you can detach from me?”

Viktor squeezed tighter with a strength I didn't know he had, but then he slowly detangled himself. He shivered slightly, then stood a bit straighter. He smiled a crooked smile.

“Okay. First step, I'm going to teach you how to float.”

Viktor nodded.

“The goal here is to stay flat and above the water. There should be no parts of your body sinking below the surface, or all of you is going to sink. Generally it's a good idea to focus on the stomach area and keep that above, and then the feet and the head. The head will naturally want to stay above though so the focus is more on the lower body. I'm going to help you. Are you ready?”

Viktor nodded and I put my hand underneath his back and under his knees, tipping him upwards to the sky. I kept one hand under his back and one under his thighs to keep him above water.

“Okay. You got it? Focus on keeping the air in your stomach. That's the point that's going to keep you afloat. And then don't let your feet fall under.”

Viktor hummed in affirmation. I pulled my hands out from under him, not without leaving a quick parting squeeze. Viktor remained steady above the water.

“Very good.”

Viktor whined softly, barely audible if not for the near silence of where we were. I stifled a laugh as his cheeks went bright red.

“Sorry, solnyshko.”

“Oh, no, don't be sorry for doing so good for me.” I scratched his hair. “Focus, my love.” I moved slowly down to his cock sticking up out of the water. “Now this is just too tempting to resist.” I gently lick the tip before going down. Viktor inhales sharply, before steadying his breathing.

“Solnyshko…” he breathes shakily. I hum, before moving back to be beside him.

“You truly impress me Viktor. You're doing so well. But, again… let's not get distracted. However tempting you are.”

I kick up my feet and float next to him holding his hand. His breathing slowly returns to being steady.

“Thank you for taking me out here.”

“Of course.”

We lay there for a while holding hands and looking up at the stars. The trees outline the sky, framing it with their dark, sprawling leaves reaching outwards.

“It's beautiful.”

“And so are you.”

[jakesuit0]

Memory of a Memory Review

Finn and Jake rush to help Marceline at the calling of a wizard. It’s sweet that Finn and Jake run faster when they find out it’s their friend in peril. Finn and Jake show a lot of care for Marcy in this one. We’re at the point where they view Marceline as one of the most important people in their lives. This is really the last episode where Finn and Jake’s relationship with Marceline feels ever-evolving, this is basically the status quo of their dynamic for the rest of the series. The “wizard” knowing to turn to Finn and Jake, implies that Ash has done his research on the current state of Marcy’s life, and has probably been spying on her. Claiming he’s her spirit animal is absurd but funny. It’s an obvious hint that he’s lying, but it’s easy to believe that it could be true in this weird world.

Ash claims he can’t be the one to help Marcy because he has no arms. It’s a funny excuse that works to add more suspicion. Finn and Jake enter Marceline’s memories to erase a sleeping spell. It’s an exciting premise on the face of it, given we still know almost nothing of her backstory. We start at an early point in Marceline’s life, and move mostly in chronological order throughout. We see a destroyed city, our first brief look at the world five or so years after the mushroom bomb dropped. It also serves as confirmation that Marceline lived through the apocalypse. She looks two or three years older than in the “Simon & Marcy” flashbacks, but maybe two years younger then when Simon abandons her. Her age, and possession of Hambo, places it between “Simon & Marcy” and the second flashback in “Everything Stays”. So, where the fuck is Simon? She’s running around all by herself. There’s a couple possible hand waves. Simon could be behind a tree taking a shit. He was at a period of his life where he had less control over the crown, so maybe he flew off on a crown-induced escapade, or purposefully distanced himself when he knew he was going to have an episode. He could also be searching for ways to summon Hunson Abadeer. It’s not exactly canon-shattering, but it's definitely a bit of a continuity error. The crew had some idea that there’s a deeper connection between Ice King and Marceline, as evidenced by hints in “Holly Jolly Secrets” and “Marceline’s Closet” this season, but this scene is clearly a result of them not really having the Simon and Marcy backstory planned yet. The most striking disconnect is little Marcy calling Hambo her “only friend”. In “Betty”, Marceline instead refers to Simon as her only friend during that period of her life. Marceline sews Hambo’s button eye back on, like Simon how sews a button back on Marcy’s overalls in “Simon Petrikov”. Simon must have taught her how to sew in the interceding years. She tells Hambo she’s hurting him because she loves him. This might be a coping mechanism she picked up on from Elise and/or Simon.

Finn and Jake pass by Marceline picking her nose, showing for the first time how gross she can be while by herself. Next we get to see the infamous fry eating incident, and they even got Martin Olson back for this short cameo. Marcy looks a few years older than in “Marcy & Hunson’s” flashback. I don’t think Marcy was with Hunson this whole time, it wouldn’t make sense for them to be on Earth together for a few years. This must have been one of Hunson’s infrequent awkward visits, possibly the first time they saw each other since their reunion in the previously mentioned episode. She may have even gotten the bass axe during this visit. It’s cool seeing Adventure Time already building on its pre established backstory, and they continue this trend in the next memory. Ash helps Marcy move into the treehouse, referencing “Evicted!”.

Next, probably a couple years later, we see Marceline clearly feeling checked out of her relationship. Ash comes home, revealing he sold Hambo to a witch (Maja) to get a new wand. Marceline dumps Ash, and Olivia Olson’s voice acting here is incredible, especially the “it’s over you psycho!”. Marceline dated Ash during a time when her self-esteem was at its lowest, feeling like a monster that didn’t deserve any better. Ash was probably a rebound after her relationship with Bubblegum, probably starting a relationship with him within a few decades of her breakup with PB. Ash and Marceline’s relationship is very uncomfortable to watch. The “Mar Mar” pet name makes me queasy. Ash still somehow manages to have one funny line, saying he didn’t ruin “all” of her life to defend himself. The episode just gives us tiny glimpses into a few parts of Marceline’s life. Later episodes make this up, but it would have been nice to get just another couple memories in this one. It’s funny in hindsight how we skip over all the biggest parts of Marceline’s past (Elise, Simon, the vampires, PB). If this was a later season episode, Simon and Bonnie definitely would have made appearances. 

Finn and Jake jump into the memory core, which has an unbelievably cool design, with white silhouettes over the black background. Each of the memory balls has a corresponding symbol, and I’ll do my best guess to analyze the meaning behind many of them:

-A portal to the Nightosphere: a memory involving Hunson, possibly the events of “It Came From the Nightosphere” -A roll of yarn: the first memory Finn and Jake entered of Marceline sewing Hambo

-A weight: working out after her break up with PB or Ash

-Marceline’s high heels from “Evicted!” and “Henchman”

-A tree: the memory of Marceline moving into the treehouse

-A wolf: her dog Schwabl 

-A snowman: Simon and the ice crown

-The shovel and/or grave: the death of Elise

-A hand: no idea, maybe meeting the tribe of humans in “Everything Stays”?

Finn and Jake return to the physical world, and Ash reveals he had Finn and Jake erase the memory of their breakup. Her memories of moving on from the breakup must have been altered by this too. Ash intends on bringing her back to his place. This is basically just a metaphor for date rape drugging and has to be the most traumatic thing Marceline has experienced in the present timeline of the series. Another sign of abuse is Ash’s negging, with the “that’s a relief” to Marcy saying she’s going to freshen up. 

Jake tracks Ash and Marcy down with his rarely used super-scent. Jake bashing the shed to get Ash’s attention, only to find it's the house of a defenseless goblin, is the funniest joke of the episode. Finn runs in to tell Marceline the truth. Marcy says that Ash doesn’t like her hanging out with “mere mortals”. In addition to showcasing another red flag, controlling who she sees, it provides more context to the time of their relationship. It’s the second Marceline episode in a row where bad people from her past are shown to reinforce Marcy’s past ambivalence to the lives of mortals. She was probably part of the ghost gang from “Heat Signature” shortly before or after her breakup with Ash, more company that reinforced her low self-esteem. 

Finn brings Marceline into his own memories, set inside his childhood home with Joshua and Margaret. We can see Jermaine in one of the pictures. There’s other dogs too, presumably from Joshua and Margaret’s extended family (maybe the grandmother mentioned in “Ignition Point” is one of them). Marceline sees baby Finn perform the “Buff Baby” dance. It’s second only to “Bacon Pancakes” in terms of viral sensation. It’s funny and cute, but a bit overrated. It also shows how young Finn was when he became obsessed with fighting evil. Finn looks a few years older than the flashback in “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain”, but a couple years younger than in “BMO”. Finn showing Marceline his memory of seeing her memory is such a clever solution, foreshadowed by the cleverly named title of the episode. She immediately seems to believe Finn, even before seeing the memory. This shows the trust she’s gained for Finn over the series, and that she has always known that Ash is a terrible person capable of evil. She has a muted reaction to this, but you can tell she is hurt inside. 

They really go all the way with portraying Ash as a stereotypical misogynist, with him literally telling her to get back into the kitchen. He’s a loser who can’t even make his own sandwich. Marceline and Finn beat up Ash, which is a justified response to attempted sexual assault. He’s one of the most sociopathic characters in the series, and the most despised character among the fans. He has his own hatedom. He’s fun to hate, but he’s a good character that provided a great foil to Marceline while showing the reality of how some men behave towards women. Jake stomping him with a giant foot is a perfect ending. The episode follows the route of “It Came From the Nightosphere” in using Marceline as a way to explore trauma more specific to the experience of a young woman or teenage girl. It’s also really nice to get some good Marceline drama that’s not tied to Princess Bubblegum or a parental figure for once. 

Grade: A

[theultrablog]

Starting now: PULP STORYTIME!

I’ve been running one of the best games of my life over the last few years. I’ve been writing them up over at SA, but that site is gated and I wanted to share those stories with a larger audience. I’m gonna be posting some tales of pulp adventure from my table, weekly. Enjoy!

The Park-North Snipe Hunt!

“You don’t have a piece,” laughed the gangster, “and now you won’t see your 14th birthday.” “Bang,” said Devika, pointing a finger gun. Kulfi obliged from a block away. The mook wouldn’t see the sunrise. In this game, we play a collection of pulp gentlemen thieves, grabbing & nabbing in 1930s New York. And an errant detail changed the course of the entire session. The session started with us trying to steal the Doomsday Clock, a pastiche of the Antikythera mechanism. Someone beat us to the punch, forcing us to investigate…which led us to the local Syndicate. While looting a safe in a mafia speakeasy, I decided to forge a note, taking credit, signed “the Gray Gargoyle”. Who’s that? Well, it’s a costumed adventurer who smashes crime, especially art crime! Total ass-pull, but it fit the setting. We didn’t think much more about it, until our adventures led us to an upstate airfield, where mafiosos were trying to smuggle the Clock out of the country. I spent a fate point to declare that they were already being stopped… by the Gray Gargoyle! Yes, he dove off the air control tower and with his Gliding Cape, intercepted the plane! We rescued him from airfield security, but we had a plan. Since we were gentlemen, it wouldn’t make sense to just kill the guy and take the artifact. After all, that’s not thievery, that’s mugging. So we engineered a plan where we gathered the mob boss who was after the artifact, killed him with a sniper rifle, and escaped in the confusion. Unfortunately, the Gargoyle didn’t take the bait and get himself killed in the fracas, instead watching our escape from the valet stand.

Running the circus from the monkey cage!

The campaign continues, with a rotating GM. This week and last, we were joined by Evelyn St. Cloud, insecure Circus Aerialist*. This week was a flashback featuring her and mystic orphan Devika Velyapur, trying to pull some scams at the Hagenbeck–Wallace circus. And while we prevented an accident, saved the circus and altered history, most notable were three things: —Evelyn only agreeing to help prevent a train crash because of Devika goading her, targeting her aspect “Anything you can do…”. —In order to chase the villain, we convinced the circus strongman to bend the frames of two penny farthings together to create an ersatz duo bicycle. —We discovered the villain of the adventure, Mabel Smith Douglass, was someone we met last week. And since this was a flashback, that limited our options. Highwire-walker Evie jumped onto the plane. But while she couldn’t open the door, all she could do was force a landing. And without a suitable escape route, there was no way to convince airport officials that the villain had stolen property. So after some fisticuffs, we swore revenge on someone who died at the end of last session. *There was a brief cameo by Smuggler ‘Typhoon’ Mike McGinty, but he had to leave after the first hour. He discovered a tiger sleeping on his boat and used his connections to try and sell it to a buyer in Canada.

For reference, Devika, Lord Simon, and Javid, our initial trio:

[swallowtailed]

palisade 28!

first of all, the intro—loved it. honoring black screen, reclaiming rhythm, acknowledging that post-combustor it still doesn’t feel like anything’s changed, but pushing forward anyway… (also i am so curious about this pirate rap station. who are the other hosts?? what are their shows like??)

i know the particular game of the interview scene was that brnine couldn’t gain any rhetorical ground, but ali absolutely slayed. incredible rp. truly a horrifying situation and brnine still landed some fantastic lines.

also want to make some sort of comparison to fever-dream and nightmare sequences—not quite sure what to call it, but i’m thinking of the kind of scene where a delirious character seems to hallucinate old arguments. coming under judgment, past and present blurring. (and how do we understand what it means to leave palisade?)

“stolen cameo” is a cool ship name but it became much funnier when it was revealed that they had kidnapped brnine to put them on tv

the question i had during that sequence was what’s asepsis doing while brnine’s in prison, and by the end of the episode i still had that question but even more so. what… the fuck! (also, didn’t brnine have some drones with them? does asepsis know where they are???)

eclectic opposition is The keith character name lmao. that’s just all of them already

jokes aside this character rips and i’m so excited for more terrible sleuth energy. black sequined poncho. “eclectic, and easily.” i have such a soft spot for noir aesthetics pasted over another genre. also very excited to dig into why all these hooks are “leap says”.

brief reflection on crew dynamics in brnine’s absence: figure stepped up, thisbe stepped in. which is really cool to see for both of them. figure took the lead in the scene and called the meeting to order, which really speaks to their freedom and confidence post-clem. thisbe didn’t do that, despite being technically in command, but she redirected the conversational dynamic in the way brnine might’ve tried to (her telling cori that vaping is bad for you is maybe my new favorite thisbe line… okay, no, it’s still second to “spoilers, corn is a grass”, but it’s up there.) 

really excited for figure’s plotline! talking to gur, seeing ghosts everywhere, bringing partial palisade onboard—they’ve leveled up and i’m so here for it. (also thinking about the past bleeding into the present, or maybe it’s better to understand that as a sort of recognition of continuity—same people, only changed. (which appeared a few times in this episode.) anyway, no new life can free you from your past, etc etc.)

also: partial palisade!!!! coming back onscreen!!!!!! we LOVE to see it

my main feeling after the latest faction turn was that somehow, post-combustor, nothing had actually changed. the blue channel got a huge win! the hugest! and then the cause went directly back to reacting to (and losing to) the authority, rather than actually making moves (cf outro of 25). i’m hoping we see more of a shift on the blue channel side, at least—it seems like the table is still set for that. having partial palisade on board could be really powerful (plotwise/thematically but maybe also mechanically). who knows—things could take a while to develop. (but also let’s drop another pillar!!!)

[starrysnowdrop]

Patch 6.4 MSQ Reaction

Here are my first thoughts, opinions, and overall reactions to the 6.4 MSQ. Since I had a lot to say about Pandaemonium Anabaseios, those reactions were written in a separate post, HERE. Note that these are my personal thoughts, and not meant to be a critique on the MSQ story in any objective manner.

I’m in love with the opening scenes of the patch! The bonding with Zero over eating the spiciest ass curry imaginable was fantastic, and it spoke to me so personally, as my favorite food is Indian curry, and it’s something my mom and I have always loved eating together. So that’s probably way different from most people’s experience, but I took a ton of screenshots of this scene because it felt so personal for me.

Then we got the Estinien fan service scene and ohhhhhh boy, I was DYING laughing and giggling at it!! This is because I’m not an Estinien shipper myself, but I have some friends who are, and I knew that they would die of thirst. Then I got to thinking: WHY can’t we get a scene like THAT with Aymeric?? Throw us Aymeric shippers a bone, I beg of you Yoshi-P!!

Maybe the best part of that scene was Zero’s reaction… Ma’am please!! You are killing me over here!!

Then we got to go back to Labyrinthos briefly and I am just personally so excited for Hali to be coming home to Labyrinthos and Sharlayan soon, but alas, I had to play the patch on Yume, so it didn’t have the same feeling as it would be if it was Hali being there. Nonetheless the brief Sharlayan scenes were really good.

Fourchenault’s backside comments are going to spark a thousand smut fics, I just know it…

I’m so happy that Krile seems to be more in the spotlight going forward, as I love her and I’ve always felt that they’ve done her dirty by always having her stay behind. I’m glad that it looks like she’s going to get more love soon!

Also glad that Erenville made a cameo, as I find him to be a very cool character and like an Everyman. He gives a good perspective that kinda gets lost sometimes when the Scions are always talking with the leaders of nations and such.

The Aetherfont is very likely my new all time favorite dungeon in game. It’s absolutely gorgeous, the music was great as usual, and the fights were really fun! Once Hali gets there, I’m going to take a ton of gposes there!

The Thancred cameo was really nice, but my only beef is that he leaves immediately afterwards. WHY?!?! I’m so annoyed at that.

Probably my favorite part of the patch, storywise anyway, was the Garlemald section. I’m SO glad they are finally addressing how Garlemald and the Garlean people are going to rebuild and their future going forward. It was a nice touch, and I appreciate how Vrtra was able to come up with a great compromise and to let the Garleans have some dignity. Very good stuff in my opinion.

Then the Thirteenth Moon section was pretty much how I expected it would be. Meet the lopporrits and have a cute scene again, open portal, find Azdaja, fight Golbez, yadda yadda yadda.

I will say though, I loved the Golbez trial! The mechanics were challenging yet fun, and I actually enjoyed it very much. The gamer in me was pleased, regardless of the writer in me being just meh about it all.

What I wasn’t expecting, however, was that this Void story arc would still continue into 6.5. To be perfectly honest, this has been my least favorite part of the entire MSQ, in the whole game. Yes, it has trumped everything else as the stuff I least care about. Outside of Zero being an awesome character and wanting Azdaja freed and brought home, I really could care less about everything else. It still feels like an anime filler arc, and though it has gotten a bit better, I’m still not sold. I just want to get to 7.0 like immediately. And if it has anything else to do with the Thirteenth, I might scream. I’m so sorry if anyone is liking this arc, but I just can’t get into it myself.

With all of that being said, I very much loved Pandaemonium way more, and that’s where my mind has been since I finished it yesterday. Therefore, that’s all I’ll say about the MSQ, and I have probably much more to say about Pandaemonium in my next post. Thank you all for reading, and feel free to tell me your thoughts about it all as well!!

[delkios]

For those of you RepComm fans that also like game dev talk, here's a podcast done by Brett Douville and Tim Longo (lead programmer and director, respectively) in 2020, playing through the game and also bringing in some of the other devs to interview. I'll put links and a brief synopsis of each one.

Part One (no guest/playthrough) Discussion notes: giving context around the time via other released games and consoles, what squad based gaming was like at the time, developing the idea for RepComm, discussing the opening sequence and lightly touching in Geonosis

Part Two (no guest/playthrough) Discussion notes: the lack of information re: clone organization/GAR structure, playing through Geonosis, discussions about weapons, the Prosecutor, details on scav droids, trandoshians and AI communication and scattered talk about difficulty levels

Part Three (no guest/playthrough) Discussion notes: George Lucas's input on differentiating between clones and lack of humor, talking about voice acting/recording process, going through Kashyyk, technology limitations, level flaws and working with a small dev team, difficulty level (particularly the bridge), using level design to make the AI seem smarter, some info on the books, toys/the game's surprise success, minor talk about plans for a sequel, Delta's cameo in the Clone Wars

David Collins and Jesse Harlin (voice director and composer) Discussion notes: the state of game music/composers/audio at the time, RepComm devs working with audio from the beginning, music changes depending on how you enter a room, sounds from the game being reused in other Star Wars media, Jesse and his girlfriend/now wife developing 'ancient Mandalorian'/Mando'a, 'kote' confirmed to be Cody (specifically Jesse's sister), battle sounds on Geonosis, questioning the use of Ash/no guitars in Star Wars, multiplayer a late addition

Harley Baldwin (level designer) Discussion notes: the unique culture of the RepComm dev team, a stealth level intended in Kashyyk, Prosecutor's atmosphere, difficulty spikes designed to emphasis squad importance/level designers are not good measures for difficulty, Kashyyk designed to be a culmination of the player's experience and knowledge, squad moving ahead of the player due to playtest concerns, easter egg in the texture editor

Greg Knight and Paul Pierce (concept artist and UI artist) Discussion notes: devoted concept artists weren't common at the time but proven to save development time, the entire team contributed to ideas for concept art, influences for the design of the HUD, decision to make the game entirely first person/immersion driving UI design, weapons as a 'character', differences in RepComm's design notes vs movies' games, enemies mean different things between Jedi and clone troopers, noting similarities between RepComm and Rogue One, RepComm's low profile allowed them to get away with more, hangars in Prosecutor meant to progressively make the player more desperate and AT-TE a reward for surviving, Kashyyk's bridge was meant to be the 'boss battle', the concept of 'the squad is your weapon/the squad is your health'

Dave Bogan (lead animator) Discussion notes: working title 1138, 'what is the enemy doing when they don't know you're there', aiming to compete with Halo, every enemy had to act and move differently, expanding on the SpecOps special feature video, game mechanics/logic vs how things are actually done, the wookie-kill animation that got cut, RepComm influencing the tone of Star Wars games/more non-Jedi games, book recommendation based on RepComm, a bug in multiplayer that didn't get fixed apparently allowed co-op???

Tim Longo and Brett Douville (director and lead programmer) Discussion notes: no real talk directly about RepComm that hasn't already been covered but some good conversations about communication and team work

Jeremie Talbot (character lead) Discussion notes: nobody knew what they were doing, just wanted to make it as cool as they could, the use of tiger teams who fixed various problems, all the devs wanted to make the game fun to play and shared ideas, BABY ARMS, raindrops on the HUD for a dollar, having people with knowledge between programmers and artists to communicate, talking about trailers, not being too devoted to following storyboards, talking about the opening sequence, fans often bring up the opening, despite LucasArts's shake up RepComm team felt distant from it, there for the team and the game first and the company second, needing a mix of veteran and new devs

Honestly I'd been trying to listen to these for, like, two years but I kept going through cycles of remembering it when I didn't have the time to listen how I wanted to and keeping it in the back of my mind until I'd forget and then re-finding it in my bookmarks. I don't really remember how I came upon it- rabbit hole falling, I'd guess -and thought I'd share it around to other fans that likely hadn't come across it, either.

For add fun, here's a RepComm stream Brett Douville did around 2015 where he also interviewed people that worked on it. Unfortunately I can't find the first part on either his youtube or twitch pages but there's still three others. Note that there's some repeated information so I'll only mention anything new

Part 2 w/ Daron Stinnett and Jesse Harlin (executive producer and composer) Discussion notes: (Daron's audio is pretty quiet in comparison to Brett's) talking about how and why RepComm came about, deliberately tucked the team away so execs wouldn't bother them, when prequels came out it seemed like LucasArts wanted a game in each genre, 'not Star Wars enough', pointing out a couple name drops in the Prosecutor briefing, originally had no John Williams music, setting music cues in levels/'here comes stinky', the thought process behind developing Mando'a, didn't have an AI to deal with non-commando clones which is why they're scripted to die, even though you love the game while making it you're sick of it by the time it's finished, original voices were sound-alikes, Fixer/Advisor's VA was the only one that didn't get recast, a cut level was a Geonosian church, talking of different instrumentation between levels,

Part 3 w/ Nathan Martz (enemy AI programmer) Discussion notes: (Nathan's audio is ESPECIALLY quiet) talking about how Geonosian enemies 'choose' points to jump to, good AI is about cheats/build the world so the characters can be smart, scav droids were originally more lethal and were nerfed to not do certain behaviors if you're not looking at them, it's very easy to make a difficult AI, it's harder to make an AI that's challenging and fun, setting up common AI behaviors to work modularly and wanting to make finishing moves for the wookies equals the squad being able to do finishing moves, 'the most important thing an enemy does is die'/making interesting deaths, talk about lighting challenges, LucasArts got a new president halfway through RepComm's production, didn't understand the game but allowed it to continue, sequel talk, devs wanted to have co-op but was unable to

Part 4 w/ David Collins (voice director) Discussion notes: (I am very jealous of the shirt Brett is wearing in this video) David did the all the Trandoshian vocalizations and the radio chatter, a lot of ideas behind RepComm went into the Clone Wars series, originally the squad didn't have names only numbers, talk about casting VAs and working with Temuera, squad banter/'if you want your AI to be smart you need to make them sound smart', special features existed in order to have unlockables, George Lucas was apparently quite fond of the game

[ariel-seagull-wings]

FICTIONAL CHARACTER ASK: OSCAR THE GROUCH

Asked by @angelixgutz

@princesssarisa @softlytowardthesun @thealmightyemprex @goodanswerfoxmonster @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @amalthea9

Favorite thing about them: That while he is mainly in a grumpy mood, he doesn't try to impose a bitter worldview to the other characters in Sesame Street, and also is a helpfull hand. He respects the other characters everyday joy, as long as they respect his everyday grumpiness. This shows that sometimes you will not always be in a good mood, you will need to vent more "bad" emotions like sadness and anger, and Oscad the Grouch shows that is valid.

Least favorite thing about them: Why did SNL choosed this character to make a trailer parodying Movie Villain Reboots a la Joker 2019? Oscar isn't even a villain...

Three things i have in common with them:

*Social interaction is tyring, and sometimes i just want to be alone

*I can be a bit grumpy

*I like both green and orange

Three things i don’t have in common with them:

*I don't live in a trash can

*I don't have an unibrow (i wish i have one)

*My voice is not as raspy

Favorite line:

From his cameo in The Great Muppet Caper when talking with the Truck Driver played by Peter Ustinov

"Truck Driver: What are you doing here?

Oscar the Grouch : A very brief cameo.

Truck Driver : Me too."

brOTP: Big Bird.

OTP: Grundgetta.

nOTP: Elmo.

Random Headcanon: He is a competent mechanic who makes cars and other vehicles with the pieces he finds on the Street's trash.

Unpopular Opinion: No edgelord comedians: Oscar the Grouch is not the "first homeless Muppet in Sesame Street". Its clear that the trash can is his house and is very espacious and confortable for someone of his species.

Song i associate with them:

What else? I Love Trash

Favorite Picture of Them:

[ao3feed-destiel-02]

Any Way That You Want Me

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/wt5DxI3 by nhpw Dean, a hyper-independent omega, meets alpha Professor Castiel at a bar on a Wednesday in September, and they come together for one night of passion. And that’s it. That’s all. That’s the end. Or maybe it’s the beginning. Maybe Dean was right on the edge of his heat, and maybe they weren’t as careful as they should have been, and maybe Castiel teaches at the very same school where Sam Winchester is a high school senior, who just wants his brother to be happy. Words: 11396, Chapters: 8/16, Language: English Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Gabriel (Supernatural), Balthazar (Supernatural), Bobby Singer (Supernatural), Jack Kline, Cole Trenton, Ellen Harvelle, Garth Fitzgerald IV, Jo Harvelle, Benny Lafitte, Other characters make cameos as Castiel's students Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha Castiel (Supernatural), Omega Dean Winchester, Alpha Castiel/Omega Dean Winchester, Confident Dean Winchester, Mechanic Dean Winchester, Teacher Castiel (Supernatural), One Night Stands, Mpreg, Protective Sam Winchester, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Idiots in Love, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Sexual Harassment, SH is very brief, and not between Dean and Cas, Fluff and Smut, Feelings, Castiel and Dean Winchester are Jack Kline's Parents, Light Angst, Happy Ending, Dean/Cas Big Bang 2023, DCBB 2023 read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/wt5DxI3

[jcmarchi]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Preview - How Cait Sith's Combat Works - Game Informer

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-preview-how-cait-siths-combat-works-game-informer/

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Preview - How Cait Sith's Combat Works - Game Informer

In Final Fantasy VII Remake, players had the chance to thoroughly explore the movesets of Cloud, Barret, Tifa, and Aerith through an extended stay in Midgar. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth adds several new playable party members. While we already covered how one of those new playable characters, Red XIII, controls (read more here), this time, we’re talking about another playable party member: Cait Sith.

The cat creature joins the party during the course of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth following a brief cameo in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Just like Red XIII, he becomes a playable character for the first time in the Remake trilogy in Rebirth. As the team began adapting the underappreciated character for gameplay fitting the Remake trilogy and, in particular, Rebirth, they looked towards Cait Sith’s original Final Fantasy VII mechanics.

“For Cait Sith, we wanted to keep intact the really fun elements from the original, like the dice attacks and the luck components in his battle play; that’s shown in Rebirth as well,” director Naoki Hamaguchi tells Game Informer. “Of course, given its very cute appearance, it’s going to have a more quirky and extravagant fighting style as opposed to the more orthodox battle style of Cloud.”

Battle director Teruki Endo agrees with Hamaguchi’s desire to rely heavily on the original elements prevalent in Cait Sith’s style. “It really goes back to looking at and analyzing what is at the core of these characters going back to the original,” Endo says. “For Cait Sith, there are these luck-based abilities; we really wanted to express these in Rebirth. Starting from there, we would then build upon it with commands and actions we felt were suitable for this character. It’s not just the case for [new additions like] Cait Sith or Red XIII, but the same games for other characters like Cloud or Barret. Seeing what fighting style or battle experience players think of or imagine when playing as Cloud or Barret, and then analyzing this on a more micro level let us express it as we do in Rebirth.” 

Cait Sith starts battle as a singular character, with the option to attack, perform a special ability known as Kitty Wallop, or use a luck-based command like Lucky Roll. However, the main differentiating factor for Cait Sith’s battle style lies in his ability to summon a secondary character to lend a hand and, in the process, change his combat mechanics completely.

“By calling a Moogle into battle, Cait Sith’s battle style will change,” Hamaguchi says. “You can jump off and control Cait on your own. In that case, the Moogle is just an A.I. character that battles on its own. When the HP is depleted to zero, it disappears, but you can call it again to make it appear again. There are attacks you can only do when you’re solo and not on the Moogle, but there are some that you can only do when you’re riding it.”

During a hands-off demo showing off a side mission (read more here), Hamaguchi, who is giving the demo, shows off Moogle Mine, an ability the Moogle can use while on the battlefield. This ability spreads mines within a radius of the Moogle, damaging any enemy that gets close enough to one. While I wasn’t the one controlling the action, it did seem to be a fairly impactful move from Cait Sith and the Moogle.

Red XIII also joins as a new playable character in Rebirth, bringing another distinct combat style

As with all party-character pairings, Cait Sith has Synergy Abilities with every other character in the party. Sadly, I only got to see one of Cait Sith’s Synergy Abilities, but if it’s any indication, we’re in for some fun interactions with the other characters in the party. Hamaguchi activates a Synergy Ability between Cloud and Cait Sith. The result is one of the zaniest attacks I’ve seen in the Final Fantasy Remake trilogy to this point. Cait Sith summons a Moogle, who grabs Cloud’s Buster Sword while Cloud rides on its back. Even as Hamaguchi touts the juxtaposition between Cloud’s more orthodox style and Cait Sith’s over-the-top, extravagant style, their combination in this Synergy Ability feels natural and fitting while also being completely wild and silly.

I can’t wait to play more of Cait Sith and learn how he interacts with the other characters when Final Fantasy VII Rebirth arrives on PlayStation 5 on February 29. For more on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, be sure to check out our exclusive coverage hub by visiting the banner below!

[i-write-boop-spoops]

Boopy's dumb thoughts on Pokemon Violet

It’s MY blog – and MY birthday – and I get to talk about the latest Pokemon release over a month after it came out because I want to!!!

Feel free to ignore, agree, disagree, leave your own thoughts, tell your friends you love them, eat a nice meal, etc, etc.

Spoilers for the game! Also not bothered to proofread lol

Ok so I’m gonna start off with the stuff I didn’t like very much. Gonna try keep it brief because I otherwise really enjoy the game and a lot of my takes are common in the fandom

I have seen CGI from 2002 power rangers specials that look better than this game

Frame rate is crunchier than gravel sometimes

Honestly,it’s embarrassing that a game from 2022 looks and runs this badly

Especially since PLA released earlier that year, and while not perfect, it ran much better

SV definitely needed an extra year or two in the oven

I hate how most houses can’t be entered and that most shops are menus

Wish you could pet your mons again, not just wash them

WHY IS PUTTING BREAD ON A SANDWICH SO DIFFICULT

In the options at the start of the game where you’re asked by someone (might be Nemona, can’t remember) what dream you have, why can’t you answer with ‘be a trophy spouse for a hot champion’?!

Steven should cameo in this game (I will NOT debate this)

Really miss the catching mechanic from PLA, woulda worked amazing here

I love that Pokemon is going in a more genderfluid direction when it comes to character customization (and NPCs too)

But I wish there was a skirt option for the unifotms (and not just for the f! mc, for everyone!)

Also the uniforms are so ugly… please let us change out of em soon gamegreak!

I actually… don’t like Penny that much

Out of the trio, she’s the least like a friend

She’s also the least interesting member of Team Star

And she’s kinda mean :/

AI Turo (AI Sada in Scarlet) saying the real one actually loved Arven in the end felt like a complete lie to me – I couldn’t believe it not one bit – ruined the story a bit honestly

Ok, now it’s on to the positive stuff

Wish Miraidon would make a funny honk noise like a clown car

also i have mad beef with ed sheeran so his somg being included was NOT appreciated

ARVEN

Man I just love this guy

Hence why you can now request him!

The enemies-to-best-friends arc is amazing!

He’s fun and passionate and caring and a bit of a tsundere and I love him!

And his Mabostiff? Precious boi!

That whole story with him and his doggy had me tearing up by the end

And the stuff with his dad was heartbreaking

I love Nemona too!

Such a fun rival!

She’s a quirky tomboy with a great design

Lowkey love that she’s from a rich family

I love how she’s basically obsessed with you

The animation of her ponytail is so pleasing

Her and Arven debating who was the better friend was lowkey hilarious

Any game with a cooking mechanic is automatically top-tier

I have made some RANK sandwichs and it’s so funny every time

The absurdity of the Clive/Clavelle thing had me dying istg

IRON VALIANT

I R O N  B U N D L E

Paradox Pokemon in general honestly, brilliant idea all around

Loved Area Zero, especially the deeper you got

It was so sparkly!

I loved the designs of most of the towns

I loved Artazon, Porto Marinada and Cascarafa the most

Your home is so cute!

Terastalization is fun and dumb and I love the goofy, sparkly hats

The ghost tera-hat being the gen 1 ghost sprite is great!

Tera-raids are great craic!

Loved playing online with friends

It was so fun to travel together!

Love the face/hair customizations

Especially since you can customize right away and don’t have to wait until you reach the first salon like two hours in!

I don’t think there was a bad mon this gen

Here’s some Pokemon I really liked

Clodsire

Fuecoco (the whole line actually)

Fidough & Dachsbun! (probs my faves)

Greavard!

Goldango (silly lil cheesestring man)

Miraidon

Lechonk

Smoliv

Toadscool

Klawf

Tatsugiri

Tandemaus and maushold

Bellibolt

Brute Bonnet

Cetoddle (baby!)

The dogs in this game are peak, gonna do a dog-only playthrough someday

The Academy is amazing!

I enjoyed the lessons and the teachers!

The fact that the Home Ec teacher is an extremely buff guy is amazing

Love the Psyduck librarian

And the Gengar who did the night duty!

Loved the gym leaders so much too!

Larry, Grusha and Ryme are probably my favourites

Iono’s gym test was so funny I loved it

The designs of the human characters this gen were PEAK

I want Dendra’s outfit, Eri’s outfit, Grusha’s outfit, Katy’s outfit, Miriam's outfit, Sada’s AND Turo’s outfits

I am a big baby, so I loved skipping basically all the battles with random trainers lol

Man that ending with the AI Turo reveal and fight was so fucking sick omg

I enjoyed every single path in this game

Great music

The final cutscene of The Way Home was… so good

Riding on Miraidon was so fun!

Clavelle asking what Cheugey meant was unreal

I like the idea of champion being an official rank, and multiple champs existing

Yeah, the graphics aren’t great, but damn some of the areas in the game are still so beautiful

I loved how the sky looked and changed too

In case you forgot

I R O N  B U N D L E

Ok so in summary, this game has serious issues that really should not be present in such a recent game HOWEVER the characters and story were amazing, there were some awesome Pokemon, and it was super fun and enjoyable to play.

[sterek-ao3feed]

Stark Hearts, deuxième partie

Read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/55785169

by Tigerlillykaty

Suite aux événements de "Stark Hearts", Stiles, Tony, Spencer et leur famille avancent du mieux qu'ils peuvent dans un monde après Thanos. Ils grandissent et évoluent ; ils se protègent et se soutiennent mutuellement. Ensemble, ils construisent une vie qui les mènera vers l’avenir et leur permettra de s’adapter aux changements à venir.

• Les balises pour les personnages, les relations, etc. seront mises à jour selon les besoins à chaque publication. • Commentaires actuellement modérés

Balises supprimées en raison de la limite de balises : à déterminer

Words: 2564, Chapters: 1/129, Language: Français

Series: Part 2 of Stark Hearts in Multiple Parts

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Criminal Minds (US TV), Teen Wolf (TV), X-Men - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Characters: Tony Stark, Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Peter Hale, Sheriff Stilinski, Remy LeBeau, Pepper Potts, Cora Hale, Aaron Hotchner, Alex Blake, Friday (Marvel), Logan (X-Men), Thor (Marvel), James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Kira Yukimura, Stephen Strange, Background & Cameo Characters, Griot (Marvel), Eric "Bitty" Bittle, Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan, Wong (Marvel), Darcy Lewis, Kent "Parse" Parson, Jackson Whittemore, Loki (Marvel)

Relationships: Remy LeBeau/Logan (X-Men)/Spencer Reid, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Spencer Reid & Thor (Marvel), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Cora Hale/Darcy Lewis

Additional Tags: deaths are canon events, Claudia and Tony are half-siblings, Spencer and Tony are half-siblings, Spencer is a mutant, Blended timelines, different POVs, Multi-Crossover, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Terrible accent writing, mechanically inclined Stiles, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Bad Alpha Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Making some Criminal Minds characters werewolves, Tattoo Artist Derek Hale, Not Civil War Team Captain America Friendly, Polyamory, threesome relationships, Samwell Men's Hockey, No fat Thor, Endgame fix-its, Future Fic, The Blip, Not Teen Wolf Movie Compliant, Drabbles/short stories, Bad Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Spoilers for Season 1 of Secret Invasion (TV 2023), Loki (TV) Season 2 Spoilers, but vague ones, Brief criticism of Twitter’s owner, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Loki is alive again, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Tony gets infinity stone powers, possibility of Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski/Loki, full shift pack, Full Shift Werewolves, full shift kitsune

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55785169

[ao3feed-jonmartin]

It's All Right

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/WYqBKo8 by PrairieDawn Fourteen months after Martin averted the Apocalypse with mediocre poetry, the Institute conducts a critical Ritual on the darkest evening of the year. CW and notes: Pagan religious symbolism, Angela does not represent all witches even if she thinks she does, gratuitous Beatles references, brief mention of minor harm to a child, vengeful eye Avatar Father Christmas, Angela being Angela, December 2019 (That's a content warning if you think about it), Actual Archivist in the Archives Words: 4193, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 2 of Audio. Vigilo. Defendo. Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F, M/M Characters: Martin Blackwood, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Oliver Banks, Tessa Winters, Original Characters, Angela (The Magnus Archives) Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Georgie Barker/Melanie King Additional Tags: other canon character cameos, Rituals, Yule, Fluff, Worldbuilding, Homemade Liturgy, The Mechanisms Were Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist's College | University Band, Archives Management, Martin Loves to Carry Jon Around read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/WYqBKo8

[viagraviu]

Unveiling the Science: Antithyroid Drugs and Their Role in Thyroid Harmony

The thyroid, a small but mighty gland, orchestrates a symphony of functions within our bodies. However, when this delicate balance is disrupted, conditions like hyperthyroidism emerge, necessitating intervention. In this blog, we dive into the fascinating world of antithyroid drugs, unraveling their mechanisms, impact, and the crucial role they play in restoring thyroid harmony.

Decoding Hyperthyroidism

Understanding antithyroid drugs requires a brief exploration of their target: hyperthyroidism. This condition stems from an overactive thyroid gland, triggering a range of symptoms from weight loss to anxiety. Antithyroid drugs step in as the architects of balance, seeking to temper the thyroid's exuberance.

The Dynamic Duo: Methimazole and Propylthiouracil (PTU)

Meet the protagonists in our thyroid tale – Methimazole and Propylthiouracil. These antithyroid drugs take the stage to inhibit the thyroid's frenetic hormone production. Methimazole, with its longer duration of action, is often the go-to choice, while PTU finds its niche, especially in circumstances like pregnancy.

The Intricacies of Action

Antithyroid drugs choreograph a meticulous dance within the thyroid gland. Their primary objective: disrupt the synthesis of thyroid hormones, namely thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). By putting the brakes on hormone production, these medications pave the way for a return to equilibrium, a crucial aspect of thyroid health.

Navigating Symptoms and Restoring Well-being

The impact of antithyroid drugs extends beyond the cellular level. As hormone levels normalize, the symptomatic orchestra of hyperthyroidism begins to fade. Rapid heartbeats, tremors, and excessive sweating yield to a newfound sense of well-being. It's not just about regulating hormones; it's about restoring the quality of life.

Preparing for the Next Act: Definitive Treatments

Antithyroid drugs aren't always the stars of the entire thyroid journey; sometimes, they play a supporting role. Patients preparing for definitive treatments, such as radioactive iodine therapy or thyroidectomy, often embark on antithyroid drug therapy first. This preparatory phase creates a stable platform, enhancing the safety and efficacy of subsequent interventions.

Considerations and Side Effects

Every hero has its challenges, and antithyroid drugs are no exception. While they wield their therapeutic prowess, potential side effects lurk in the shadows. Skin rashes, joint pain, and gastrointestinal disturbances may make a cameo. Vigilant medical supervision becomes the director's chair, ensuring a balanced performance.

Conclusion: Harmony in Every Dose

As we conclude our exploration of antithyroid drugs, we find ourselves in awe of their nuanced contribution to thyroid health. In this intricate ballet of hormones, these medications emerge as choreographers, guiding the thyroid back to a harmonious rhythm. Whether as the main act or a supporting player, antithyroid drugs remind us that the pursuit of thyroid harmony is a multifaceted journey, one where science and well-being intertwine.

[talenlee]

How To Be: Kaede Last Blade (In 4e D&D)

In How To Be we’re going to look at a variety of characters from Not D&D and conceptualise how you might go about making a version of that character in the form of D&D that matters on this blog, D&D 4th Edition. Our guidelines are as follows:

This is going to be a brief rundown of ways to make a character that ‘feels’ like the source character

This isn’t meant to be comprehensive or authoritative but as a creative exercise

While not every character can work immediately out of the box, the aim is to make sure they have a character ‘feel’ as soon as possible

The character has to have the ‘feeling’ of the character by at least midway through Heroic

When building characters in 4th Edition it’s worth remembering that there are a lot of different ways to do the same basic thing. This isn’t going to be comprehensive, or even particularly fleshed out, and instead give you some places to start when you want to make something.

Another thing to remember is that 4e characters tend to be more about collected interactions of groups of things – it’s not that you get a build with specific rules about what you have to take, and when, and why, like you’re lockpicking your way through a design in the hopes of getting an overlap eventually. Character building is about packages, not programs, and we’ll talk about some packages and reference them going forwards.

intro

Kaede is a character constructed out of Anime Main Character. On the one hand, he is humble, polite, modest about his opinions and giving to strangers. He speaks politely and expresses concern with the health and wellbeing of his opponents after he defeats them. Also, he is a cocky brash combat asshole who is proud of his ability to wreck people’s junk and boldly tells them they’re ten thousand years too early to defeat him. He hails from the Last Blade series (pair) of videogames from 1997 to 1998 (and 2001, and 2006 as funny little cameos or compilations but really, don’t worry about it), where he did the job of being that game’s version of Ryu or Ken, your starting place to get used to the game’s peculiarities. I’ve written about him before in the vein of him being kind of a negative space that I’ve projected my preferences on to.

Still, there’s good news here, because like many fight game characters, Kaede is a blank slate, just sheer breathtaking nothing filling in a roster made up of other nothing, but he does still stick in the mind, he does express some character because of that most important characterisation detail: Boy hot. And boy hot indeed, what with his loose flappy pirate style collar and his vest and all that.

What about that can we translate to game mechanics for 4th edition D&D?

First up, Kaede doesn’t wear heavy armour. You can claim that his gear is somehow padded or protected or maybe make some magical vibe reason if that makes sense to you. Still, c’mon, look at him. Dude is lightly armoured. He wields a weapon that is either a versatile one handed weapon like a bastard sword (eh) or a big honky sword that he needs to wield two handed to keep under control (which I like). He doesn’t have a shield. He can swap into a mode that gives him access to lightning powers… and that’s what you get.

As much as we get information about these things, we don’t get any strong indication that Kaede is remarkably strong at all, since combat in his game is largely based around timing the use of a weapon. Don’t get me wrong, katanas aren’t free to float in the air when you’re not holding them, but he’s not making big physical strikes, or sweeps and his kicks don’t seem to indicate a really powerful physique. Kaede appears to be strong (‘hard to defeat’) more than he is strong (‘able to lift a cow’).

The only other hint for ability scores I’d suggest is that Kaede doesn’t seem to be a guy with a very forceful personality. His mode switched version seems to be more forceful but he also seems to be an asshole, which I think serves as the distinction between ‘high charisma’ and ‘thinks he has a high charisma.’ Either way, whatever combat approach Kaede takes, it’s going to be something that relies on stats other than Strength or Charisma, probably.

The Fundamentals Of Kaede

Kaede is a lightning-using character with a strong focus on positioning opponents, so obviously this opens up the toolkit I’ve already written on. That’s great! That’s something that’s going to work for almost all the time you want to use the character — I mean, when you’re in ‘blonde mode’ for Kaede, the lightning powers are going to be there, and that’s the point of that vibe.

But how.

How, you may wonder, do you get the mode switch. How do you go from I am Kaede without the lightning powers and the being an asshole to I am Kaede with the lightning powers and I think my farts don’t stink? What mechanical way do you represent that shift, what’s the trigger that changes the play experience from one to the other?

This is where I planned to put an entry about access to mode-switching in 4e. The idea I thought, was that you could make a character who had some way to toggle into a mode for a particular scenario. There’s power-based shifting like the Werewolf and Werebear theme have, for example, or there are stances that let you turn on a power state that you can stick to. The ideal, really, would be that if there was some class that got an early-heroic stance power that gave your attacks lightning damage, and then the bulk of this article could be dedicated to setting up a set of multiclass feat routes to get access to that stance from everywhere.

But there isn’t one.

There just isn’t!

No, Mode Switching like that, in 4e, is kinda discouraged and it makes sense. Powers need to be available and reasonably consistent within a band of output so that players aren’t capable of big, weird swings in a way that disrupt play experiences for the DM, that monsters are reasonably consistent things to face. Instead, you get things that provide incremental advantage, or, more often, stances that show up later so they’re something you have to choose to toggle on or off when you have more than one stance to work with.

With that in mind then, I wish to recommend to you, a player, this mode switch: The tihng that toggles your Kaede from Nice Boy to Jesus Christ This Guy Is Scary is rolling initiative. The rest of the time? Your Kaede doesn’t really think of himself as a fighter. Sure he has the sword to defend himself, but he’s not dangerous, he’s just a disciple of the blade and doing his best. But when the dice rolls and suddenly you need a serious fight, that’s when it’s on and that’s when your Kaede’s hair goes gold and his ego gets swole. It’s best to not over-complicate builds. Remember, you want this beat in a story: Use the tools you have to tell it, don’t try and make it so you need a whole new mechanical artifice when you know you’ll probably just use it all the time anyway.

You’ll want the Mark of Lightning feat, but not before you can have a Lightning weapon. There’s a certain necessity for the two things to work together, right?

Venging with A Vengeance

Option one and the simplest, probably best, for Kaede, is an Avenger. With a big weapon like the Fullblade and the Avenger’s existing focus on slides and pushes, you can get a lot out of the Mark of Lightning too, slipping people around. I feel like a build with this starting spot might wind up trying to get Polearm Momentum or Flail Expertise, but it feels inappropriate given that Kaede is definitely a sword guy. Use your feats to instead make sure you can make attacks off-turn or punish people for them, then position yourself so enemies have the opportunity of bothering you or bothering the tank, and either solution is bad.

Battlemind The Step

I swear to god, Kaede wound up being weird.

See, the thing is, if I say ahead of time he’s probably not a strength or charisma based character, that suddenly limits his options as a character who can do the job of a defender to the Battlemind and the Swordmage. It’s a real rough space to wind up in, because it seems like it shouldn’t work that way?

Anyway, the Battlemind is a bit of a rough start for defenders; talk to your DM about maybe making Mind Spike an opportunity attack, rather than an immediate interrupt. And uh, the armour class problem persists but at least the Battlemind can have a good reason why they shouldn’t wear heavy armour, with a focus on keeping mobile for Lightning Rush, the power you get at level 7 that makes the class work really well.

Swordmage

But ahah, what if you want to go with the one-handed sword, a katana that is a longsword by any other name, and use the magical abilities of the Swordmage? That’s an intelligence-based character, and a defender with an Area effect attack! That works out of the box, and thank god it does, because otherwise, gosh, Kaede’s a weird bean.

What I would say when it comes to the Swordmage, is that if you’re going Mark of Lightning and taking lightning as your theme, you also want White Lotus Hindrance (for making their life hard) and White Lotus Riposte (for making them dead) and then to expand them. The thing with Hindrance I like a lot is that you can mark an opponent, then slide them, and the attack that slides them into a position where they’re standing in difficult terrain, so they can’t shift. When you upgrade it at paragon, you can shift them away from you, then leave them in difficult terrain where they can’t even charge at you. Combine this with slows, and you have enemies who waste their whole turn being thrown into a corner over and over.

junk drawer

I kept thinking about ways to use the Bard for Kaede, same as Paladin. I know, I said that he probably wasn’t a high-charisma build, but consider this: Kaede is really hot.

I thought this would be pretty easy! After all, big sword, lightning powers, there’s a lot to work with. But the problem that came up was that Kaede had things he definitely doesn’t do – there’s no pivot to flails or spears here!

I love this character a lot, and it was fun to consider how, to play with my own rules, I had to give up things that I would normally use to get the things about the character that felt really good.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[denimbex1986]

'Many characters come and go in Oppenheimer, and there are plenty of cameos that cause a major impression on the audience. More than just small characters who appear to say one or two lines, these characters are highly impactful to the story despite their brief screen time, and no better way to impact viewers than casting renowned movie stars to take over these roles.

Oppenheimer is one of Christopher Nolan's most ambitious projects and covers the real-life story of the controversial J. Robert Oppenheimer, the mastermind behind the creation of the atomic bomb. Following Oppenheimer from his younger years until the aftermath of World War II, the extensive set of characters and the powerful cameos add up to a rich, nuanced narrative around one of the world's most complex historical figures.

James D'Arcy as Patrick Blackett

James D'Arcy appears right at the beginning of the film as Patrick Blackett, a ruthless professor whom Oppenheimer attempted to poison during his academic years. Blackett was a renowned British experimental physicist, graced with a Nobel Prize in 1948 for his impressive discoveries in the field of cloud chamber research and cosmic radiation.

Despite his scandalous act at the beginning of the film, Oppenheimer appears to feel great admiration for Blackett when he reappears in the film some years later. D'Arcy is better known for his role in Cloud Atlas and previously appeared in another war movie from Nolan, Dunkirk.

Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr

Kenneth Branagh is a prolific director and veteran actor who starred in many of his own movies, including Hamlet and Henry V. Oppenheimer marks his third collaboration with Nolan as he takes over the role of Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist and Nobel Prize winner portrayed as an expert on atomic structure and quantum theory, therefore one of Oppenheimer's idols.

At the beginning of the film, Bohr and Oppenheimer meet at Cambridge and the physicist almost eats Blackett's poisoned apple. Bohr has another major cameo in the Christmas sequence set in Los Alamos, in which he advises Oppenheimer about the bomb, but claims he won't be assisting them in their tests.

Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg

Werner Heisenberg was one of the most brilliant minds of his time and planted a necessary seed of uncertainty in the physics field by coming up with pioneering theories around quantum mechanics. Since Heisenberg was a German, his genius turned him into a looming menace when World War II kicked off: in Oppenheimer, the Americans didn't know how cooperative Heisenberg would be towards the Nazis and the tension about building a bomb first was through the roof.

Matthias Schweighöfer plays Heisenberg when Oppenheimer meets him by chance in Göttingen; two brilliant men who immediately strike up a friendship before the war turned them into enemies. Schweighöfer is a German actor but stars also in American productions such as Army of the Dead and Valkyrie.

Casey Affleck as Boris Pash

Casey Affleck features one of Oppenheimer's most anxiety-inducing scenes as Boris Pash, an American military with a special dislike for communists. Oppenheimer briefly touches on Pash's turbulent background; the son of a Russian priest, he would join the White Army and fight against the Bolsheviks, becoming a hardcore anti-communist military in America.

In the film, Oppenheimer doesn't know anything about Pash when he's interrogated by him; on the other hand, Pash knows every detail of Oppenheimer's controversial file. The result is an unnerving face-off in which every word said could put those Oppenheimer swore to protect in danger, consequently sealing the fate of his dear friend Chevalier.

Rami Malek as David Hill

When Rami Malek first appears as David Hill, he seems to be just a clumsy academic trying to make a difference in the debate around the ethics of the atomic bomb, attempting to persuade Oppenheimer to sign his petition. Later in the film, Malek becomes an absolute scene-stealer when Hill takes a pivotal role in Strauss' Senate hearing, exposing the chairman's personal vendetta against Oppenheimer. In real life, Hill was an associate experimental physicist at the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory.

James Remar as Henry Stimson

James Remar plays Henry Stimson in Oppenheimer, the Secretary of War appointed by former President Franklin Roosevelt and the key player in the atomic bomb program at the end of World War II, advising President Truman to use it and directing the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

He appears once in Oppenheimer in a scene that will definitely give rise to heated discussions: Stimson summons Oppenheimer, generals, and other influential war figures to discuss where's going to be the target of the atomic bomb, treating the subject with outrageous indifference and taking Kyoto off the list simply because it was the place he went with his wife for honeymoon.

Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman

Although President Harry S. Truman is mentioned multiple times throughout Oppenheimer's 180 minutes, he only appears in person once, during a face-to-face meeting with Oppenheimer in the aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. As Oppenheimer tries to explain the dangers of further uses of the atomic bomb, Truman dismisses his concerns and calls him a "crybaby" behind his back.

Truman is played by veteran actor Gary Oldman, and it isn't the first time the actor plays major historical figures in cinema: in JFK, he impersonated the infamous Lee Harvey Oswald, and in 2017, he played Winston Churchill in Darkest Hours, an iconic performance that earned him an Oscar, and also Herman Mankiewicz in Mank, the man who co-wrote Citizen Kane's screenplay.

David Dastmalchian as William L. Borden

David Dastmalchian makes a quick cameo as William L. Borden, an American lawyer and a former member of the United States Congress Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. In Oppenheimer, Borden unites forces with Lewis Strauss in an attempt to sabotage Oppenheimer's security clearance, holding the knife of a bureaucratic scheme by filing an extensive complaint against the father of the atomic bomb.

Alden Ehrenreich as Senate Aide to Lewis Strauss

Alden Ehrenreich gets his time to shine in Oppenheimer's third act, playing the role of a senate aide to Lewis Strauss. Through his conversation with Strauss, viewers finally learn that Strauss was the one pulling the strings of the scheme to destroy Oppenheimer's political influence. His position as senate aide prevents him from disclosing the truth to authorities, but his expression after Strauss' defeat says everything he thinks about the farse.

Tom Conti as Albert Einstein Tom Conti features the most important cameo in Nolan's epic historical drama, taking over the role of renowned scientist Albert Einstein. In the film, Einstein is already at the end of his career, contemplating the consequences of his legacy in a world shattered by another World War. Away from the action, he's merely an observer, and sometimes, a mentor, although he doesn't seem interested in being one.

Einstein appears in two of the film's pivotal moments: first when Oppenheimer comes looking for advice regarding a possible chain reaction that could ignite the atmosphere. Einstein's last appearance occurs when the two reunite in the aftermath of World War II, a moment replayed multiple times throughout the movie and seen from different perspectives; it's only in Oppenheimer's very last scene that viewers get to see what Oppenheimer says to Einstein that hurt him so deeply.'