#I didn't unlock the major upgrade

[snackodev]

🎃 Patch 0.9.4_9576 is now live

Snacko is 20% off for the spooky season!

Celebrate Lunarfall by learning about the customs and history through new quests and decorate your town and home with new items crafted with the new Pumpkin crop!

Vintage Set has been updated to be completely dyeable. Now, not only are the usual dyeable parts customizable, so are the wood trims.

✨ New Quests

[story] Precipice of the Moon: prerequisite for Pumpkin items, requires MSQ to be completed until post "Two Eyes for Nothing"

[story]** Old Traditions, New Decorations**: unlocks Pumpkin Lanterns

[story] Ghost in the Squash: unlocks Pumpkin Scarecrow, requires MSQ to be completed

Gourd at Work: unlocks Pumpkin Seeds

Squashed Hopes: prerequisite for Pumpkin recipes

Sugar, Spice, and I Forgot: unlocks Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Porridge, and Pumpkin Spice Latte

De-fenceless: unlocks Ornate Fence, requires Frozen Tundra materials

📬 Changes

Grilled Mushroom HP restore was a little high for how early you can learn and get the materials for the recipe. Heart Restore: 2 → 1.5

Changes to tool movement to make pickax bounce feel better and trigger less when you're just hitting things

🗣️ enraliYapping

I didn't want to really call it "Halloween" inside the game since that's sort of based in real-world belief systems that don't exist in Snacko. After all, Snacko has their own beliefs and deities already well established in the lore…so I figured it deserved its own version of "Halloween". Keeping the idea the same where it's helping souls move past purgatory, Lunarfall is just the more, um, Snacko version of it.

I had a lot of fun writing the banter between the characters for these new quests, including the quest descriptions. As time goes on and more Guild quests get added, the Guild leaders or reps also end up getting more of their own personality that makes them easier to write more interesting descriptions for.

So, I hope if quests and reading are your thing, you enjoy the work I've put into the narrative aspect of this update!

Ah, and, I was going to do Pumpkin Soup at first, but then I realized it looked exactly like Carrot Soup… So I made hobakjuk instead. It's a type of pumpkin soup thickened with rice flour and rice balls. Honestly, working on this update just made me really want to eat pumpkin pie. Maybe I can get my hands on some soon.

The Ornate Fence is set up in a way that in the future, we can make it dyeable. We're still working on our next major update with the build mode upgrades, so for everyone who really enjoys getting creative, please look forward to it! 🙇

Thank you very much for reading! Happy Lunarfall!

[trans-mouse]

Exalted Art Challenge Week 3!

I didn't have a fun name this time, sue me.

I had an initial plan that… Rapidly got out of hand. So I decided to convert my favorite Lunar charm from 3e to Essence! Technically, Dreaming Wisdom Revelation IS already in the game, but I think the charm it's an upgrade to… Probably shouldn't be a charm. Plus, the 3e version is cool as hell. After that, we have a combo of the coolest pair of 3e Dragonblooded charms, Terrifying Forest-Devil Mask and Hundred-Devil Masquerade (from Heirs to the Shogunate) rolled into one. And then… Some charms inspired by my favorite sequence early in Kill Six Billion Demons. Hey, nothing about the prompt said it had to be my favorite charms that were ALREADY in Exalted! I think I might like designing charms even more than I like playing.

Dreaming Wisdom Revelation Prerequisite: Lunar, Force 4 or Fortitude 4 With an altered state of consciousness, the Lunar's mind opens, revealing truths unseen. Spend 1 mote while spending a scene traversing the Wyld, interpreting dreams, imbibing psychedelics, or similar. The Lunar makes a Sagacity roll and banks any successes as foresight points. For the duration of the story, she may spend foresight points on the following effects reflexively. 1 Point: Perform a Dramatic Edit, as if you spent a pair of Stunt Dice, once per scene. 1 Point: Add a success to a Gather Will roll. 3 Points: Once per session, introduce a fact about the setting as a whole. (If you haven't read the 3rd edition rules on introduce fact, this is basically just that. Any fact that's reasonable to know, given the character's mind-opening experience, and that does not directly contradict information that you already have as canon (openly or otherwise) is reasonable to introduce.) 3 Points: Add +2 Resolve for the duration of a scene. 5 Points: Retroactively make a Sagacity roll to diagnose a disease or understand the wants of a spirit. Two excess successes allow you to have already procured the cure or an offering for the spirit. This charm can only be used once per story.

Forest-Devil Masquerade Prerequisite: Dragonblooded, Essence 2, Crafts 5 or Stealth 5 Some of the Princes of the Earth can never be content with just one face. Those who refuse to limit themselves may don a thousand different masks. Commit one mote for a day when donning a specially prepared mask. Each mask prepared this way is tied to a character, be it an archetypal role or fictitious character, such as an Immaculate Dragon, a legendary general, or a figure the exalt herself invented. The mask counts as exceptional equipment to disguise yourself as this role, though not as any other individual. While wearing this mask, she gains a major intimacy or virtue representing this character, such as "steal from those who do not deserve their wealth," or "I will drive the lunar anathema from my home." Anyone who fails to see through her disguise is treated as having a minor tie appropriate to the Dragonblooded as though she were her character. Additionally, the exalt may attune herself to a single mask, building its power until it gains a legend of its own. The mask can accrue mystique points, up to 50, whenever she does one of the following, once per session each. -1 point: When she upholds the intimacy granted by this mask. -1 point: When another character gains or upholds a major intimacy tied to the role embodied by the mask. -3 points: When the Dragonblooded completes a minor, exalt, or personal milestone that exemplifies the role of the mask. -5 points: When she completes a major milestone that upholds the virtue of the mask. -Variable points: When she defeats a powerful enemy in a method that aligns with the mask, she may gain the enemy's essence in points of mystique. When the mask reaches 50 mystique points, she may spend a personal or exalt milestone to have it become a secondary artifact, immediately unlocking its first evocation. If she wishes to unlock resonance powers, she may inlay the mask with jade, which does not require a roll, so long as she has a ready source. She may only be attuned to one mask at a time, but may begin attunement to a new one as soon as the previous is made into an artifact.

Sobriquet Sundering Victory Prerequisite: Infernal, Essence 2, Performance 4 The challenge issued, the song sung, the liquor drunk, and the name stolen. Spend 1 mote when a formal challenge the exalt issues is accepted. During the contest, the exalt gains two bonus dice any time she cheats or otherwise uses underhanded tactics to win. Whatever the other terms set, the victor may also rename the defeated, issuing a humiliating, debilitating sobriquet. Until the loser of the challenge can prove the name false, either by forging a new title for himself or by overcoming the insult through great deeds, any of their enemies may invoke it, once per scene, to double the benefit of a stunt against them, so long as the action works in keeping with their new name. (For example, gaining benefit in combat against someone renamed to "A Single Drop of Blood Spells my Humiliating Demise" or in a debate against "The Stammering Fool Who's Words Fall Upon Deaf Ears.")

Rite of Masking Prerequisite: Chosen of Xaos, Crafts 4 or Sagacity 4 Burning a brand onto their victim's face, the Chosen conjures a mask that binds the victim as something less. Spend 1 mote when the Chosen would inflict a dramatic injury, or when the victim of an attack would be killed. This charm may be used when a victim has surrendered, to offer them the choice between this masking or death. This inflicts a dramatic injury, from which the victim suffers a penalty on all derived traits equal to his essence, minimum one, and has his face covered by a hideous mask. Without powerful magical healing (requiring a charm or other ability that can heal fae curses), any time the victim breaks a promise or oath, the injury resurfaces and worsens, first penalizing all rolls in addition to derived traits, then penalizing his health (starting with -0 boxes), and finally making his location known to the Chosen.

(Sobriquet Sundering Victory and Rite of Masking are both inspired by the drinking contest scene in Kill Six Billion Demons. If you haven't read it, it's really cool, I highly recommend it. I was initially thinking Abyssal for SSV, but my girlfriend talked me into making it an Infernal charm instead. The Chosen of Xaos is my own personal exigent. She's got lots of weird wyld themed powers, and I figured something inspired by the cool mask thing Allison does at the end of the drinking contest scene is right up her alley. That said, I'd probably make her as a Summer or Autumn caste Getimian if I was going to put her in Exalted.)

[seeminglydeathlessredshirt]

Ramblings on Transistor

Didn't expect to be back so soon, but here we are.

So, after the last travesty, I needed something to help wash away the stink. Happened upon a short game I had sitting in my library that I'd heard good things about, so I took a look at it.

Safe to say, Transistor has absolutely blown me away. It's one of the best things I've played this year, and we're talking about a year where I've played both Prey 2017 and Signalis for the first time.

This is going to be a bit shorter than the last because there's only so many ways I can say "this game is incredible," but here goes. As usual, you start with a fairly basic toolset. I thought "oh, these are going to be the starter abilities that I'm going to discard after getting something interesting," and then Transistor revealed its hand. The fact that not only do you get around a dozen abilities over the course of the game, but they can also give every other program(this game's name for your abilities) new functionalities, and that you can also put them in a special slot to provide a passive boost means you have one of the most versatile loadouts I've seen in a video game. There are so many combinations to try out, and a considerable chunk of those are going to be viable. Don't be afraid of sticking to one combination, branch out a bit! Hell, the game pushes you in this direction by ensuring you have to put a program in all three types of slot(active ability, upgrade, and passive) in order to unlock all the lore, as well as by temporarily disabling one randomly chosen active program every time your health gets depleted(effectively giving you four lives, at the cost of needing to take a different loadout for the next fight.) For those of you who like playing risky and taking gambles, you'll be right at home here.

The game is no slouch in the other departments too. Not much of a comment on the music this time around. Come on, it's Supergiant, no shit the music is great. I found the aesthetic of the game really pleasing, it's sort of this mix of cyberpunk and art deco designs and it all meshes together beautifully. Environments feel vibrant and satisfying to look at, it's almost as if they were designed in-universe to be perfect, which brings me to the story. It's probably the weakest part of this game, but that doesn't mean it was phoned in. There's a persistent theme of change on several levels. The city itself is constantly being transformed based on the whims of people, several people in the events of the game transform from physical to digital form, and a good portion of the plot involved trying to stop the transformation of the city into something else.

Despite the significance of what's going on, everyone involved seems to take an almost disinterested tone on what's going on. It creates this almost surreal dissonance that I can't say for certain whether or not I actually like. Regardless, it doesn't overstay its welcome and gets the job done. Fair warning though, the story does involve the use of suicide in a major plot beat, so if that's a topic you struggle with, please tread carefully.

Overall, this is an incredible game that I'd wholeheartedly recommend. There's nothing I'd say is genuinely bad about this game.

It'll be a while until the next one.

[fayesdiary]

Faye's Fòdlan Journal: Season 1 - Episode 5: Truly the best Academy

<- Previous Masterpost Next->

As I still slightly suffer from the loss of footage, we get the mission for our second month at Garreg Mach: Wipe out a group of bandits that have taken refuge in the Red Canyon Zanado, led by Kostas.

Yes, that guy Byleth killed twice in the Prologue. Somehow he's still alive. Never thought I'd see the day an earlygame bandit boss would have plot armor.

So, time to go talk to everyone again. As a note in the future, I'll only point out the stuff I think it's interesting. Even if I wanted, I can't include everything due to the 30 image limit.

Am I... getting sassed by a generic NPC?

Oh by the way, here's the combat professor Jeritza. We actually met him last month but he got lost along with the footage.

There is very little to say about him right now, except he really wants to outedge Felix. His two passions are fighting and being alone. Thrilling stuff, let me tell you.

Here we see the first glimpses of what will likely be a major theme in Three Houses: Fòdlan's huge problem of racism and xenophobia. It's going to get ugly fast, especially in the case of Duscur.

Here I learn how recruiting students from other houses (and eventually other professors and knights) works: You have to reach a certain threshold on the things they require, be that Byleth's level or a specific stats, or even their rank with a particular weapon. You can still gain support conversations with them, and those lower the requirements for recruiting them. And since Bernie wants a high Bow rank, I will spend the following chapters trying to train Byleth in it. Luckily we have unlocked Faculty Training, which lets Byleth take lessons from the other professors in a specific skill whenever they have activity points to spare. Which unfortunately at this point is not often the case.

Similarly I got interested in recruiting Leonie since she seems so close to Jeralt (although to be honest I thought she was lying at first because certainly Byleth would know her if that was the case, right? Even more proof there's more going on between the two), and she requires a high Lance rank, so that will also be a priority.

And while I know I can potentially recruit everyone and crowd the Blue Lions class like crazy, I will be limiting myself to an extra students from each of the other two houses to preserve the experience. Besides, this game lets you deploy 12 units at most.

Speaking of Blue Lions: Hi, Felix.

If I didn't know any better I'd just think he's being a dick as usual and don't get me wrong, he is. But given how Dimitri turns up at the start of the timeskip... there may be a hint of truth in what he's saying.

AT TIMES, Ingrid!?

Anyway, moving on. This month Jeralt gives us some battallions, an exclusive of this game: To put it simply, they grant the unit that equips one extra stats depending on the battallion which can be upgraded up to Lv5 simply by using it. Things like extra Attack, Hit/Crit/Avo, Def/Res and so on. For now the gains aren't much, but they will become way more significant when we gain higher rank battallions.

The main thing battallions grant, though, is Gambits.

Think of them as the precursor of Engage attacks: Most of them let you hit multiple enemies at once without risk of counterattack (the type and AOE depends on the battallion), and if you manage to hit , all of the enemies in that area will not only be damaged, but also be frozen in place and have their stats lowered. You can also use them whenever.

But compared to Engage Attacks, not only are they not guaranteed to hit (the chance to either hit or avoid a Gambit depends entirely on Charm, a stat unique to this game), they can also only kill the enemy directly targeted by it. And they also not replenishable until the end of the month. Regardless, they are still incredibly useful.

A few days later Byleth gives their first lecture to the class, and once again makes an embarassment out of the Academy by not even knowing how to teach and having Dimitri explain it.

The fact that the house leaders give the tutorials for teaching instead of the staff is hilarious. The most esteemed Academy in Fòdlan and they don't even brief or tutor their new staff and have the students do it instead. Rhea please.

Well, I wouldn't say it's inaccurate. I know on my first day of work I got dumped right onto it with absolutely zero guidance or directions so... yeah, that unfortunately checks out. Three Houses takes place in Italy confirmed.

Anyway, before the mission itself we have a mandatory training battle where we have to beat up some church soldiers. Not much to say.

No Dimitri. No they do not. And this is something they should know as a mercenary, but Jeralt says he never taught them much of tactics.

Seriously, what did Jeralt even teach Byleth beside wielding a sword? This is why homeschooling is bad, everyone.

With all that said and done, it's the end of the month. And that means it's time to beat up some bandits.

Also enjoy this Rhea screenshot. I didn't know where else to put it, but her pose is really cute. She's so excited!

<- Previous Masterpost Next->

[elvenbeard]

OKAY SO.

As I'd mentioned back then in my Phantom Liberty Tour post, only a few of those who attended got to playtest the game themselves, while the rest got to see about an hour-long preview. And they didn't showcase much of the new abilities/skills beyond what they were gonna use in combat, and let's say... the V they showed was super flashy, his combat style looked super fun, but couldn't have been further from my playstyle xD Like... the finishers and stuff look amazing, but that's not something I'm gonna have much use for with my low-on-cyberware build that relies heavily on stealth and hacking really (but that I really really enjoy).

So I was a bit worried the whole time, low-key, how the fun would look like for a player like me. And now I finally got to play around in the build planner (https://www.cyberpunk.net/en/build-planner if you wanna have a go, but contains mild PL story spoilers - but again, you're reading this, so maybe you don't care as much for mild spoilers XD)

Looking at everything, especially the new stuff... MAN... :eyes emoji: x1000

I was worried Tech wouldn't be as useful for my low-on-cyberware build anymore, as it is very tied to that now BUT... it's also tied to the health item/ grenade cooldown, and, as before, enhances Tech-Weapons very nicely like... I think along with INT I'd like to make Tech my other 20 Ability. In combination with some of the new hacking abilities (overclocking your cyberdeck?? FUCK YEAH THAT IS... SO ÖAKHSFASDÖASJD that is *such* a thing Vince would do like öasjhdföasf when I saw that I screamed) it's so badass... I think it's gonna work really well together.

The only thing I haven't found that I'm a bit sad about was a Ninjutsu skill that let you pounce on enemies from above (I don't recall the name)... either I overlooked it or it's now integrated into some of the new movement stuff :O but even then, the new movement stuff?? Faster climbing?? Hello, where have you been all my life XDD

Also not to mention the abitlity to queue quickhacks that was teased in one of the trailers already like maaaaaan... Also a lot of counter-hacking abilities against enemy netrunners, CARHACKING... and I get the feeling, from some of the skill descriptions, how cyberware in general works (in the sense that, it reads as if you can upgrade it the way you could upgrade clothing and armour now? but not 100% sure, that would be awesome o.o) was really fundamentally changed.

Also, like... of all the arm cyberware the monowire was always the one where I said "this would be the one Vince *might* consider getting out of all of them, if he was forced to get one", and I don't really know how it was skilled previously... but now it's very closely tied to quickhacking and Intelligence, so one more reason why it would fit him the most XD Still don't think I'd get it cause... yeah, it would just not fit him as a character that much and the way he sees cyberware XD But I love that as a little sidenote.

I'm a little bit... hmm, not quite disappointed, but I would've expected something different from the Relic skilltree actually. I mean, it is very very cool, but also, again, the majority of the skills in there isn't really gonna be useful for my playstyle. And I wonder... if maybe you get advantages or disadvantages beyond extra abilities (read: story-related consequences) if you put a lot of points into it, with how these skills are unlocked >.> *suspicious noises*

But yeah... Usually I'm not looking forward to the updates as much cause... mods break xD But I really am looking forward to trying all of this in game now o.o But it's gonna be... such a difference like hhh...

I'm definitely not gonna start over a new save just to play PL, cause I simply don't have that time atm XD But I'm extremely looking forward to my 3rd fresh playthrough and seeing the skills grow over time instead of setting them all in one go xD

[the-fans-stuff-blog]

"When You Smile, I Melt Away"

(Scamwareshipping)

(Ronin (42) x Cyrus Borg (54))

Set around Crystalized.

------

Ronin didn't know when it started. Possibly after Zane was brought back by Pixal. The thief could remember one other thing vividly that day: Cyrus's genuine, happy and relieved smile. That smile seemed to slowly captivate Ronin, and caused him to come visit Borg industries a bit more.

That smile. For some reason Ronin's cold, stone heart melted a little every time he saw it. At first the man tried to deny any possible feelings about it, but that denial slowly turned into questioning.

Why did he feel this way?

Ronin pondered this for months, even after the events that followed from the overlord's defeat. Oh, right, Ninjago finally was peaceful again, despite the major rebuilding that was needed, especially to the Monastery. Since Ronin didn't exactly have anywhere to stay, Cyrus offered Ronin a room in the Borg Industries building, that way he could also keep an eye on the slightly younger man for the Ninja.

Ronin was at first hesitant to accept, until he thought about it more. On one hand, he wouldn't be able to steal and keep things without Borg catching him. But on the other hand, Ronin could finally have a place to live that wasn't falling apart, old or abandoned, and he would also have easy access to necessities such as food and hygiene items, instead of having to go without those for days at a time.

Ronin finally agreed, and so, here he was, sitting on the bed of a room just for Ronin, personally furnished in the style he liked best. He even got his own private bathroom, and for the first time, Ronin didn't have to lie or make a deal in order to afford such luxury!

The brunette thought some more, especially about how bright Cyrus's smile was when Ronin accepted the offer. HE SMILED AT RONIN. The thief who was either considered an ally or an enemy to the Ninja, and Cyrus didn't even hesitate with being kind to him. A small smile appeared on Ronin's own face from this memory.

However, he was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on his door. "It's unlocked!" Ronin spoke loud enough for whoever was behind the door to hear him. The electronic door opened to reveal Cyrus, wearing his usual outfit and rolling in on his wheelchair.

"Hello Ronin" Cyrus spoke with a soft smile. "I came to see how you were adjusting so far" he said, going over to Ronin's bedside. Ronin felt himself freeze up a bit from the smile on Cyrus's face again, but tried to act normal. "it's going fine, I honestly like the fact I have my own bathroom" the one eyed man said, sitting up a little straighter. Ronin still couldn't understand why Cyrus was willing to trust someone who used to steal and sell things to pay his debts, but then again he probably shouldn't question the judgment of the older man in front of him.

Cyrus's smile seemed to widen at Ronin's answer. "I'm happy to hear that, I was worried that you probably wouldn't like it, as it was an extreme upgrade from your previous living arrangements" the raven haired man rubbed the back of his own neck out of a slight twinge of nervousness. He looked up at Ronin, who basically was taller due to the fact that Cyrus was literally wheelchair bound and couldn't stand, though that also brought up another question in Ronin's head.

Was Cyrus always handicapped? Or did an accident cause it? Ronin wasn't sure about this but decided to not question it for now, as he didn't want to make the other uncomfortable with such personal questions. So he lead his own mind to another topic. How cute Cyrus's smile seemed to be- wait, cute??? Did THE Mercenary Thief, Ronin, just think that Cyrus Borg was cute??? Now the brunette was even more confused about how he felt towards the other.

Cyrus noticed the sudden confused and slightly reddened face of Ronin, so he reached out a gloved hand and gently nudged him. "Ronin...are you okay?.." The inventor's smiling expression shifted to one of slight worry, which snapped Ronin out of his thoughts again.

"Y-Yeah, yeah I'm fine" Ronin quickly replied, turning his head, which made some of his shaggy, shoulder length amber hair be helpful in trying to hide his face which was now dusted with red, both from being both flustered and embarrassed, which was actually rare to see from someone like Ronin, it was as if his cold demeanor immediately melted away in the presence of the man who allowed Ronin to stay in his industry building

While Ronin did these actions, Cyrus himself thought a bit. About how the other man seemed to always be a bit more...softer around Cyrus, even though Ronin denied that he was becoming soft. But Cyrus knew the truth. Ronin wasn't as much of a jerk to some people, and those who didn't break his trust gained a genuinely loyal friend, even if the thief didn't say too much about it.

In fact, Ronin was basically assisting Cyrus a few days after agreeing to stay. Grabbing items that were too high up for the inventor to reach, accompanying him when Cyrus was inventing and testing out new tech, and Ronin even went out of his way to sometimes make food for Cyrus, even though the man had to follow cooking instructions every single time.

This time it was Cyrus who was pulled out of his thoughts by Ronin, who had lightly nudged The inventor's hand, speaking to him. "Did my overthinking suddenly pass on to you?" He joked, chuckling a bit. The raven haired man let out a shy chuckle before responding. "No, it didn't.. though I was wondering about something" Cyrus said, a twinge of nervousness appearing in him again.

Ronin cocked a brow. "oh, and what do you need to know?" He questioned, seeming curious about what question the other man might have. Cyrus fidgeted a little, looking away then back at Ronin.

"What....What do you think about me?" That question hit Ronin like a truck. At first he looked a bit shocked, not sure how to answer, before his expression softened to one with a small but genuine smile, something that even the Ninja rarely saw, and a tint of red appeared on his cheeks as he spoke.

"What I think of you? Well, that's actually easy. I think you're a good friend. You give a second chance to those who need one, like me, even if I never admitted it. I don't feel so alone around you. In fact, you're basically the reason why I'm not possibly dead in a ditch somewhere" Ronin said, his light brown eyes looking into Cyrus's black ones. He lifted one of Cyrus's hands with gentleness, a clearly unexpected move from the scruffy man.

Cyrus felt his own cheeks warm up from both the words and the gesture. He just now noticed how Ronin's non-metal hand was a bit bigger even though the prosthetic one was basically around the same size , and felt rougher without his gloves. The man in the wheelchair looked up at Ronin again. "I....I didn't expect you to.. to think so fondly of me.." Cyrus chuckled nervously, which earned another smile from Ronin.

"yeah I may not like to admit when I'm feeling soft, but with you I guess it just.... doesn't feel embarrassing to admit it, as crazy as it sounds. I feel like I can actually be honest with you, which rarely happens with the people I meet" Ronin said in a low, but soft tone, one that made Cyrus's heartbeat pick up.

Cyrus looked at his hand, which was being held by Ronin's. "And um, I noticed that you seem to like it when I smile....is there any particular reason why?" He asked, his deep, black eyes meeting Ronin's light brown eyes again.

Ronin felt his own heart starting to race at the question. He scooted a bit closer to Cyrus, and the brunette was met with a flustered and confused look from the inventor. The Thief leaned down a little and pressed the most gentle kiss onto Cyrus's cheek before pulling away, smiling at the now red faced man.

"Because when you smile, I melt away"

[hyrule-in-a-pokeball]

THOUGHTS ON INDIGO DISK (No story spoilers)

YES, I have thoughts! Shocking, I know.

Lets start with what I liked The Terrarium The terrarium is a really cool idea. A huge artificial environment with biomes and different Pokemon existing within them.

We have Savannah biome, which I imagine is how the Safari zone would look like in the open world era of Pokemon The coastal biome, which is home to many water and grass types, and you can also find a few Alolan forms here.

The Canyon biome, which is home to rough n tough Pokemon like fighting, rock, and ground types.

And the Polar biome, which is populated by many ice types.

Each biome can be upgraded. Visually, this changed nothing, but it adds starter Pokemon to the biome.

Its all double battles I actually came to really enjoy the double battles, which is surprising because in the older main games, I would always do everything I could to avoid double battles. The standard trainer double battles usually consister of a trainer with just 2 Pokemon, though sometimes they'll have 3. Its very clear that these standard trainers are designed to teach you about double battles, as they tend to employ small strategies, like a maniac who has double intimidators.

The BB League Throughout the terrarium are BB League club members. These trainers are much stronger than the average terrarium trainer and are distinguished by their black text boxes and BB League club uniforms. They offer you your toughest challenge outside of the BB Elite 4. I found myself actually having to plan my moves rather than the standard "hit biggest attack to win lol" The music The trainer and wild pokemon music are both remixes of Unova's trainer and wild Pokemon music respectively. The terrarium overworld music also has bits of Unova music mixed into it, such as Driftveil's theme. Both the BB Elite 4 and the BB League Champion music outclass all Paldea gym/E4/Champ themes.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE BP and BBQs So there's a ton of stuff in this DLC thats locked behind Blueberry points or "BP" To earn BP, you need to do Blueberry quests, or "BBQs" This is all fine and dandy until you get into the meat of it.

1: To bring a coach to the club room, it costs 200 BP You need to bring all available coaches in THREE TIMES to unlock a new coach. You starting roster of coaches is the Paldea gym leaders.

2. In order to upgrade the terrarium so that starters begin appearing, you need to use 3000 points to upgrade a biome. Each biome costs 3000, for a total of 12,000 BP required. Other upgrades are similarly locked behind anywhere from 200 BP to 500 BP

Now, here's where the problem starts. At any given time you have 3 BBQs available to you, the vast majority of which award a STAGGERING... 20BP. Some award 30, some award 40. But most award 20. After completing 10 BBQs, a high value BBQ will appear that will award anywhere from 100 to 200 BP

Are you starting to see the problem here? It is a HELL of a grind. And not a fun one. BBQs come in a small variety >Take picture of Pokemon in (X) biome >Take picture of a Pokemon swimming >Take picture of a Pokemon flying >Sneak up and surprise 1 Pokemon >Defeat a terastalized wild Pokemon >Terastalize your Pokemon and defeat a wild Pokemon >Capture a Pokemon >Capture an (X) type Pokemon >Pick up 10 items off the ground >Defeat 10 wild Pokemon with auto battle >Travel 500 yards Most of these will award you 20 BP You are going to be doing a lot of these. For a long time. Especially if you want to unlock all the starters. OH And Perrin's back with a new quest for you, but she requires you to have 200 entries in the BBA Regional dex. So if you wanna get to her content, you kind of have to upgrade those biomes.

The 19th tera-type Stellar-type is our 19th terra-type, and... Its pretty lame. Yeah, don't bother with it, regular terastalization is stronger. Stellar-type is basically just Protean. It will become the first type you use and give it a 20% boost. It offers no defensive capabilities. Only offensive.

[liquidchocolatecake]

curious now, what was everyone's max capacity for their cult before and after the dlc update?

just wondering because like. happened to get the "build three decorations" quest, and i always use that as a chance to sort of reconsider how my base is laid out. and i realized that like. before the update, i was able to pretty easily sustain over 20 followers at a time (the population cap was exactly 26 just due to lack of housing space, but typically the actual population tended to hover around 23-ish)

but now that god tears are a thing and divine inspiration is no longer just a money printer once you have all the unlocks, my cult's dropped to just around 15 people, despite me having practically tripled the number of houses in the base due to the shared housing. i was relying solely on just Buying An Entire Ocean's Worth Of Fish every now and then that it's become pretty difficult to adjust to that suddenly becoming much scarcer again. not difficult in a bad way, i actually appreciate that the management side of the game is a challenge for me again, just something i found interesting.

and like. midas stealing your money, right. while you CAN hit him to get your money back if you react quick enough, if you're like me then you probably didn't even realize you had control as midas was running away until you looked at the steam achievements. if you assume it's like a lot of other cutscenes where you're locked in place, you're going to lose that money. and if you're playing the update on a save file that you completed the game with previously, meaning you had access to The Money Printer, that's likely going to be several thousand gold taken directly out of your pockets.

which IMMEDIATELY helps push the postgame back to the level of difficulty it's supposed to be, because you just lost All Of Your Printed Money.

just something i find neat. game design is neat.

if i have one major gripe about relics of the old faith (aside from that one rant about the shield cultists, those guys are still annoying), it's what happens when you give god tears to ???.

because like.

massive monster. guys. you made a fast paced, hectic roguelike where you're constantly incentivized to do dungeon runs to gather the resources you need to sustain your cult. this is a gameplay structure that's already very easily to accidentally sink entire days into due to "just one more run" syndrome.

You Did Not Need To Add A Fucking Gacha.

AND NOT EVEN JUST THAT

LIKE

the reward for beating a bishop in the main story (aside from story progress and A Bunch Of Money)? a PERMANENT upgrade to your character, as well as a very cool trophy you can build and (iirc, i remember this happening for the leshy fight but that may have just been because i hadn't unlocked everything for darkwood yet) a follower form

the reward for beating a bishop rematch in the postgame, aside from the obvious money and bishop follower?

three gacha pulls.

THAT SUCKS SO MUCH OF THE IMPACT OUT OF BEATING THOSE FIGHTS AGAIN. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE, IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, YOU'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO USE HALF OF THE SHIT YOU GET FROM ??? BECAUSE YOU HAVE A FAVORITE FLEECE AND YOU CAN ONLY EQUIP ONE NECKLACE TO ANY GIVEN FOLLOWER.

LIKE. IT'S NOT EVEN THAT GOD TEARS AS A CONCEPT ARE INHERENTLY FLAWED OR ANYTHING. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE INFINITELY MORE USEFUL?

A STORE. A STORE UI LIKE THE ONE YOU USE TO EXCHANGE GOD TALISMANS FOR FLEECES.

THERE IS. NO NEED. FOR THIS GAME TO HAVE A GACHA MECHANIC. ZERO NEED. IT'S JUST NEEDLESSLY ANNOYING FOR A MECHANIC WHERE THE REWARDS SHOULD ACTUALLY BE USEFUL AND ENCOURAGES ADDICTIVE HABITS EVEN MORE IN A GAME THAT'S ALREADY ADDICTIVE AS HELL.

[fereldanwench]

1 and 4 for the couple questions! Really curious about these! 👀

If they have been asked, choose any other questions you might like.♥️♥️

Oooh, I love these ones! 💙 You've unlocked The Rambling, haha. It's gonna be a long one:

1. What do they think of each other’s family? And how does the family feel?

Goro doesn't really have to worry too much about assimilating into a new family because most of Valerie's biological family is either dead or estranged by the time they meet. 😅 She's an only child, her father died in 2058, and her mother died in 2063. Valerie does have some aunts, uncles, and cousins on her mother's side, but they live on the east coast of NUSA, and she hasn't seen them since she was about 11.

The only two blood relatives she has in Night City are her uncle, Ed, who is her father's oldest brother, and his adult daughter, who I'm still working on and doesn't have an official name yet. 😅 Ed is kind of a piece of shit--He runs with the 6th Street, but he's basically a low-level goon who deals drugs to kids. The last time he saw Valerie was around 2075 when he got wind that she was doing very well for herself and tried to get money from her.

I have been thinking about a way for Valerie and Goro to meet him for some reason during the in-game timeline, but I don't have anything solid at the moment. Goro and Ed would not get along at all, but Valerie isn't fond of him either, so no love lost there. (Nameless cousin is still a total mystery to me--Currently leaning towards a journalist, but I have no idea.)

And of course there's Mama Welles. Valerie's relationship with Mama Welles was always just a little tense--Valerie was just not used to having a mother figure that involved in her life and personal business, and even though Mama Welles always meant well, it could be a little smothering to Valerie. But they do stay in touch even after Jackie dies, and Valerie does bring Goro over for at least one good homecooked meal when they're in Night City.

Mama Welles is a little wary of Goro's allegiances at first, but Goro puts on the gentlemanly charm and wins her over pretty quickly. She sees he cares very deeply for Valerie, and she's glad her pseudo-surrogate daughter has someone in her life that makes her happy.

As for Valerie with Goro's family... I'm holding off on anything solid about Goro's family until Phantom Liberty. If CDPR gives us nothing here, I'll headcanon Goro a whole ass family tree, but I'll give Sir Weber a little more time to share his official backstory before I make up my own. 😅

However! @lizzy--wizzy gave me an absolutely adorable idea about Valerie meeting Goro's father for the first time, and I would love to make something like this a part of their canon: Basically, Goro comes back to Japan after several years living in NUSA with this gorgeous, tall, bright blue-haired woman at his side, and his father looks up at her and then at Goro and is like "You just disappeared to another country for 10 years and then you come back home married to a supermodel???? Explain."

4. How do they compare to each other’s exes? Are they the same “type” or an upgrade/something different?

Man, I'm overflowing with thoughts on this one--I don't even know where to start, haha.

I guess I'll start with their romantic/sexual pasts for some context:

Valerie slept around a lot in her early-to-mid 20s, and she was not particularly discerning about who she shared a bed with during that time. It was very much a maladaptive coping mechanism from dealing with feeling abandoned and isolated after losing her parents, losing her job, losing her status, losing her (admittedly shitty and fair-weather) friends as a result of losing her status--Basically after losing any sense of direction in her life. She was very lonely but also didn't want to really let anyone in emotionally. The majority were just one-night stands with anyone she thought was hot and into her.

She didn't even really consider pursuing a long-term relationship until she was in her late 20s/early 30s, but by then she was also working for Arasaka which demanded a lot of her time. Most of those relationships were with other corpos who understood the grind and tended to all be emotionally unavailable one way or another, and they usually only lasted a few months, tops. Valerie did often gravitate towards people who could be a little prickly on the outside--She loves the little victory of getting a smile out of a sarcastic grump.

Then when Valerie decided to go sober, dating became even harder since going out for drinks or doing ~*luxury drugs*~ were such a huge part of the corporate dating scene. She was almost completely celibate for about two years.

Valerie and Viktor did briefly have a thing after she was fired from Arasaka, but between his own intimacy issues and her kind of using him for a sense of comfort after her life got thrown upside down again, that one also didn't last more than a few months.

As for Goro: much like with his family, I'm holding off a little long until I commit to anything concrete for Goro's romantic past, but I've indulged here a little more:

I absolutely love the idea of Goro being a wild playboy during his youth, so I think he probably had his fair share of indiscriminate flings as well until he found that 'Saka discipline. I could see him also having, like, one fairly serious relationship when he was young but starting to settle down a bit, but it fell through for whatever reason: Goro had to commit fully to Arasaka, that partner got married off to someone else, etc. Pick your tragedy.

I don't think he was ever married, though, and I think once he became Saburo's bodyguard, Goro didn't even entertain the idea of having a long-term romantic relationship. I think it would have been highly discouraged if not outright banned.

I do think he would occasionally enjoy the company of others, though, with the explicit understanding that it couldn't be more than sex (maybe dinner if he really liked them). Probably with other high-level Arasaka employees who were in a similar position but still craved physical companionship from time to time. I think he'd be drawn to people who were at least like him on the outside--Reserved with refined taste and a clear understanding of their purpose in the organization--But deep down he craves connection with someone more spirited who could challenge him.

So, to finally answer the actual question, lmao: How do they compare to each other's exes?

In both cases they're mostly something different, but that's also mostly because they never really let themselves have relationships with someone who they could deeply connect with. They are each other's type--They just tried to deny it to themselves for most of their lives.

(Goro is more oblivious and then surprised by his attraction to Valerie than vice versa, though. 😅 Valerie is like "Of course I fall in love with the most unattainable man in the world while I'm actually dying. This is exactly why I don't want to have any feelings." And Goro is more like "It is not love. I just trust her with my entire life, and often my stomach feels weird when she smiles at me, but it is just something I ate in this shithole of a city. Probably.")

[couple questions]

[fabiansociety]

i'm really into YLAD's attempt to grapple with the vulnerability of undocumented immigrants living in Japan, but man it would be nice if the game explored that topic—or any of the dispossessed topics it brings up—outside of the main plot. it keeps bringing up these big issues (homelessness! sex work! human trafficking! racist immigration policies!) and working through them in cutscenes, but then going right back to the increasingly tired yakuza standard goofassery in the side stories.

you're homeless… for an act, and then you get housing and a job for the asking. you're defending sex workers… for an act, and then you get distracted by a murder mystery and never come back. you're all het up about the plight of undocumented residents for a while, but then it's only there to demonstrate how much of a nogood the main antagonist is. the side stories would work so well at fleshing out these ideas and giving them nuance,. and the game mostly declines to take the opportunity.

you should have been homeless throughout the entire game. you should have been given the majority of your jobs through the sex worker community, either working for them directly or simply being pointed at an opportunity. if the game wants to talk about the ways the government drives non-Japanese folks into the "grey area" and exploits them, have that come up in the wandering around that the player does. have it be a *ludic* issue, not just a cutscene one!

YLAD is well-written enough, and earnest enough in the political points that it's trying to make, that i want to hold it to a higher standard it mostly fails to meet. i know RGG is capable of bringing that sort of thoughtfulness to their game structure, because they've done it—they did it somewhat in Y0 and Y5, and thoroughly in Judgment, the game right before YLAD. i don't understand how a game that does so much right and clearly wants to be substantial, not just spectacle, didn't carry that commitment through to the whole megillah. so much of the game feels undercooked in weird ways.

like, there's a lot of time spent on how the three main gangs in the city are providing an essential form of community for marginalized communities, but the main party is all theoretically part of a fourth marginalized group that doesn't have the same type of communal protection, and the game doesn't have you do anything to help build it. you leave the camps and that's it; you leave the brothel and that's it. the game is about collective action, but it restricts that action to the photogenic gangsters instead of the scabrous old men and exhausted middle aged prostitutes that need that action urgently. it undercuts the political points the game is trying to make — like, the sex workers you protected from Bleach Japan early in the game are deported offscreen and you don't know their names or anything about them. it makes the moment abstract rather than urgent; statistical, rather than deeply personal.

i keep wanting to fix things, because so much of the problems i'm having are a matter of contextualization rather than the systems themselves being broken. and context is easier to fix! like, saeko should have been a sex worker working for hamako, the way nanda was a homeless guy working for the chief — then they could both represent those communities in cutscenes, dialogues, etc. you should have spent the whole game homeless and living in the camp. money should have been *vanishingly rare* and all your skills and upgrades and equipment come from scrounging, bartering, skills trading, and guerrilla gardening. make the ichiban holdings sidequest explicitly something the homeless camp put together to hire homeless folks, and have it generate *protection from the police* instead of money. have the camp slowly improve as you go — the camp organizes trash removal, community meals, community security, music performances, etc — and have those improvements unlock your jobs.

[cardentist]

#dope I never planned to monetize my content anyway so fuck 'em [End transcription]

I don't want to bother the person who made this tag, but I Do want to make this clear that I am not a monetized account either.

this affects potentially Any And All youtube accounts

This is google's official sources on what you need to do to unlock features beyond the "basic" user. what those features actually are is listed here:

Bare in mind, that All of the features listed here Used to be available to anyone with an account until youtube decided to rip them out and gate them off.

But an account with Basic Features is now the standard account. If you create a new account now (or if you're randomly prompted as an old account) you Will Not have access to the rest of the features listed. And you'll be limited in the number of videos you're allowed upload in a day by default.

To upgrade to Intermediate Features you Must "verify" your account with a phone number.

These features include:

Uploading videos longer than 15 minutes

Live streaming on the platform (with a daily limit)

Creating custom thumbnails for your videos

Creating a podcast in youtube studio

To upgrade to Advanced Features you are expected to share either a State Issued Identification (such as an ID, drivers license, or passport), or a 30 Second video of your face.

These features include:

Content ID Appeals (Meaning You Cannot Appeal If Your Video Is Copyright Claimed Without This, You Must Bend To Whatever The Claimant Wants By Default)

Apply for monetization

Add clickable links in descriptions

Pinned comments on videos

Community posts

I didn't Know that these pages existed when I made this post, because Youtube Didn't Tell Me when they sent me that message and asked me to appeal. imagine not finding out that you've lost the ability to fight a copyright claim until After the claim has already happened. that's insane.

oh and ! if you can't pin comments under your videos and you can't post clickable links in your descriptions then you're pretty much never able to source things ever again. which Again, is a major issue for me on my little nothing of a channel, but could be a Major Problem when it comes to things that are Much More More Important.

Oh and lets enjoy this little gem:

They'll either remove your face and or Literal ID from their systems in A Few Months, 2 Years, Or Maybe Never!

thanks a fucking lot

hey, so people need to be aware that youtube is now (randomly) holding basic features for ransom (such as being able to pin comments under your own videos) in exchange for Your State ID/Drivers License, or a 30 Second Video Of Your Face.

not to pull a "think of the children," but No Actually. I've been making videos as a hobby since 2015 (and I've had my channel since middle school), I was a minor when I started and I'm not sure I would have understood the kind of damage something a seemingly simple as a video of your face can do.

this is a Massive breach of privacy and over-reach on google's part No Matter What, but if they're going to randomly demand a state ID or license then they absolutely should not allow minors to be creators.

google having a stockpile of identifying information on teenagers is bad enough, but the Alternative of recording your face and handing it over to be filed away is Alarming considering it opens the gates for minors who Aren't old enough to have a license.

and yes, there is a third option, but it's intentionally obtuse. a long wait period (2 months), with no guarantee of access (unlike, say, the convenience of using your phone's cameras for either of the other two), with absolutely No elaboration on what the criteria is or how it's being measured.

it's the same psychological effect that mobile games rely on. offer a slow, unreliable solution with no payment to make the Paid instant gratification look more appealing (the "payment" in this case being You. you are the product being offered).

and it's Particularly a system that (I think intentionally) disadvantages people who don't treat their channels like a job. hobbyists or niche creators who don't create regularly enough or aren't popular enough to meet whatever Vague criteria needs to be met to pass.

markiplier would have no problem passing, your little brother might not be able to. and while Mark's name is already out there there's no reason why your little brother's should be too.

something like pinned comments may seem simple, you don't technically Need it. but it's a feature that's been available for years. most people don't look at descriptions anymore. so when there's relevant information that needs to be delivered then the pinned comment is usually the go to.

for my little channel that information is about the niche series I create for. guides on how to get into the series, sources on where to find the content At All (and reliably so). for other creators it can be used for things Much More Important.

Moreover, if we let them get away with cutting away "small" features and selling it back to you for the price of your privacy, then they Will creep further. they Will take more.

[alo-piss-trancy]

Cool thing about finally unlocking the psn on my ps3 is I can actually get into the shop now lol. Found out the Shale DLC for Origins & the Black Emporium DLC for 2 are both free now, so I downloaded those (extra glad about Shale bc my used copy actually came with the unused code paper but it was already years expired so I couldn't redeem it ☠️). Excited to meet him!!!

I probs will buy the dlc for 2 at some point before my next playthrough since there was never a physical release that included them. I don't really care about the item packs but I'll grab the three story ones (Prince, Legacy, Assassin). I've heard Sebastian is divisive af lol I'm curious if I'll like or hate him 🤣

As for Origins... damn they haven't discounted this shit at all have they lmao 😂 like $56 for Awakening expansion + all story/levels dlc ($59 if u include the silly little Feastday combo thing). Fuck that lmao. I think I'll just grab a preowned copy of the Ultimate/GOTY edition for like $15 (like I originally wanted to buy actually, I just got impatient lol), my files/trophies should still transfer to that I think since it's saved to console, not disc. Then I'll just resell my old base copy to make some of that back.

Also while researching these I found out that ps3/xbox360 actually didn't get the two major story dlcs for Inquisition 😔 Tech limitations prevented it, which honestly, understandable. I've already noticed cutscenes and stuff are kinda laggy and there's been a lot of objects popping in & out in my game lol. So I'll just temper my expectations for the plot/ending in my base copy lmao. I do plan to eventually upgrade to a ps5 or pc/steam deck so I'll just save Jaws of Hakkon to experience with the other dlcs someday in the far future 🤣

[crystalelemental]

In contrast to my baby opinion of not liking Hoenn because no Eevee, I think seeing the remakes of Kanto and knowing that meant Eevee was back was about the biggest turn I had. Seriously, I loved these games. But that's in the past! That was baby hour, and now we have Serious Adult Opinions about children's video games! So now the question is, does FRLG hold up?

My team was Charizard (Rash), Raticate (Adamant), Electrode (Quiet), Vileplume (Careful), Kadabra (Bold), and Cloyster (Timid). I did not soft reset for any natures, and somehow got this lucky with them. This will never happen again.

On the one hand, visually and conceptually, I think FRLG is a major step up. The game isn't nearly as broken as RBY, and as a result, the game has a lot more teeth. This is felt instantly through Brock, who now has Rock Tomb and will slap Charmander silly without leveling to Charmeleon. Metal Claw also removes the need for Ember, by providing a proper super-effective attack, but even that doesn't really get Charmander through. I think, as a result, this game feels a bit more engaging from a "looking to push teambuilding" perspective.

This is also the only game where I was actually impressed with graphics improvement. The jump from Crystal to Ruby and Sapphire is really significant, and I don't think anything hammers that in quite like seeing the original generation's transition to Gen 3 visuals. It looks really nice.

Unfortunately, I am...kind of leaning toward RBY being more fun.

This comes from a few angles. One is that Gen 1's broken mechanics actually salvage a lot of otherwise really painful to use options. Kingler's a fun example. Water type with crap special before the physical/special split means damage is a very rough time, and Kingler has no real utility otherwise. In Gen 3, Kingler is a rough time. In Gen 1, however, Crabhammer is effectively a guaranteed crit, which has serious merit. Another example is Bug. Bugs are still really bad right now! There's only one good Bug move and it's solely on Heracross. Every other Bug has no serious value offensively, they don't even learn good coverage in most situations. Utility sure, but not much else. Which is why it's funny that, in Gen 1, Bug is accidentally strong against Poison, giving Beedrill some use against Agatha. That's funny! And Gen 3 doesn't let you do that without effort.

And that's the big hiccup. Gen 3 does not really stand apart from Gen 1's level curve, which is pretty steep. But Gen 1 offered a lot of broken mechanics and a higher value for badge boosting that makes it play smooth. FRLG offers the Sevii Islands, and for the most part my run through the first League was still smooth. It's what comes after that. The League gets an upgrade and you unlock the rest of the Sevii Islands, including a little Team Rocket takedown mission. The inclusion of the islands is lengthy, but more importantly, it's insufficient to meet the level jump. You don't get enough EXP to keep up, really. Could my team have made it? Maybe. But it was going to take a lot of time and leveling up that I didn't want to invest.

As a result, I wound up clearing by just picking up Mewtwo. Along the way I caught a level 64 Electrode that was 8 levels higher than the one I'd been running all game. Hopefully you see my issue. It's similar in structure to the Red fight, where the time needed to keep up statistically isn't worth it. And much like Emerald, movepools have expanded and diversified to the point that simple counterpicking no longer works as well. Which is a dangerous combination.

Even with the Mewtwo Sweep (seriously, it even got the Freeze on Blue's Tyranitar; it killed everything), my play time clocked in just short of 20 hours. For comparison, RBY clocked in under 10. It takes almost twice as long to beat this game compared to RBY.

Now, this isn't a perfect comparison, because I did choose to run some rather weak Pokemon. Raticate did not hold up, my Vileplume was a mess due to the -Sp Atk nature, Kadabra wasn't evolved, and Cloyster and Electrode, it turns out, don't have the best damage output. So it took a lot longer to train them up because we'd suffer KOs and setbacks, compared to Gen 1's team which was. Substantially more prepared. But, considering how much longer it would've taken had I refused Mewtwo, I think the comparison still has some merit.

Speaking of, I feel like FRLG postgame almost exists solely to give Mewtwo something to do. In RBY, Mewtwo is a trophy, but it exists without a cause. It'll sweep the League because nothing can stop Psychic attacks, and it's a higher level than everything you encounter. The Sevii Islands give Mewtwo a playground to show its stuff, before going to the League, which does surpass its stating level, where it just dunks on everyone anyway with the right moveset. I think they really intended to give Mewtwo something to actually do, more than anything.

This is a fairly short breakdown, but I found I had little to say. I do like FRLG, I think it's enjoyable, but I also think it has less flexibility for shenanigans compared to RBY, and I do not care for the postgame. Which is the second time I've mentioned not liking Pokemon postgames, but I swear this topic will be a big one for Platinum.

[pokemoneverlastingorchard]

Download 10/17/2023

I'm sure nobody cares but I'm going to say my excuses anyway- My husband got a new job working nights, meaning that our afternoons are free. This means that we've been doing all of our errands throughout several days instead of trying to cram them all in in two days a week.

My mom also broke her foot, so we've been getting her groceries, taking her to her appointments and playing with her chinchilla every night.

With all of that said, this might be the last update before I start testing everything that I've added but kept away from the player. (The rest of the gyms, marriage, children, etc.) All I will have to do is finish Cerise and Souma and then I'll be ready for testing.

I'll test the gyms first since I can just teleport to get inside of them. Once I start testing the dating and marriage phases I can't upload bug fixes until I'm done.

Link to the blog page that has the download

Story:

+Finished Alderic's post-marriage schedule.

+Finished Jayce's post-marriage schedule.

+Almost done with Cerise's post-marriage schedule.

+Finished Ludavine's schedule. (Related to Cerise's.)

+Started working on the triggers and conditions for something that I won't be working on yet (probably not any time soon) but I realized that it'd be quicker and easier to do it now rather than when the next major build is up and everybody is scattered all across the map.

Glitches and oversight fixes:

-During Alan's third event if you or anybody in the event hit an invisible wall the event just continues instead of freezes now. This is what I usually do just in case I place something in the way later on, completely forgetting that it would be in the way but I didn't for this event for some reason.

-I may have fixed all of Pierce's battles. I'm not entirely sure on this though since the person who reported one of his battles not working never told me what starter they chose.

Graphics:

-Replaced the sprites in character select image with portraits since the game uses the player's portrait on the card by default.

Blog:

+Started a guide for that thing. It's short, out of order in places and is basically just there to remind me what the triggers are supposed to do.

Misc.:

-Now when you get the third upgrade to your house, the main bedroom will be expanded too. Most of the stuff are staying in the same place. I'm just doing this because the spouses and some of the non-interactable things started to make the room crowded.

-I also expanded the farm for the same reason. I expanded the width by 6 tiles and the height by 3.

-Made the second monitor in Pomona's Pokemon Center "sparkle" because people keep on completely missing it somehow and they keep asking me how to unlocking being able to build certain buildings.

[ampersand-antics]

hehe totk makes me so happyyyy

I'm back again with more unhinged rambling about this game that has literally taken over my life (I already have like 75+ hours in it lmao) (I've had it for. like. 2-3 weeks?)

ANYWAYS !!!! MAJOR TOTK SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT !!!!!

so uh. Where to begin.

Honestly I don't even remember what I posted last time so just a quick recap. I've finished all four regional quests and the memories, and last I posted I was working on getting the master sword. Well I have the Master Sword now!!! The first time I went up to the light dragon I didn't have enough stamina to pull the sword. And then I decided not to pull it until I had the pieces I needed to fully upgrade the Champion's Tunic. After I fully upgraded it (and did more shrines to get the last stamina wheel) I pulled the sword and. God DAMN. Crying sobbing screaming!!! This game is breaking my heart!!!! Yes I will defeat the Demon King with your power Zelda!!!!

... soon. Once I'm done building my house.

I unlocked the dream home and honestly, I love it. I've heard a lot of criticism about it and I also have some gripes (why can't we change the color of the outside?? there's literally a color-changing mechanic in this game already??) BUT I love being able to customize my own house and I love all the cool creative options and I love how you're legit just hot-gluing them together with ultrahand and I LOVE how story-signifcant this would be to Link and how well it will play into the fic I have planned and the fact that you can add a study. And we all know Link would never use the study. Yknow who would? Zelda. And for my house in particular I love the implication that with the study, Link is preparing for a life with her in it. Or a life in which he honors her memory. Or both. Screaming. I love them.

The main reason I'd originally gone to get the house was to have a place to store some weapons (specifically biggorn's sword, the dusk claymore, and whatever the name is of the sword that you get from the goddess in the forgotten temple idek) that were pretty and rare and I didn't want to break. I'm so so glad I'm having so much fun with this on top of just using it for utilities.

Uhh what else. Killed my first lynel!!!! Will be honest, not as scary as the gloom spawn. It did break literally all of my shields though. And I loveee the aesthetics of the horns!!! I already built myself a sword with one of them, 68 atk power, one of the strongest swords I have. I'm saving it for the final battle. The fight was scary but I'm to that point where I don't really have to worry all too much. Not near as much as the first time I tried to fight a lynel, like 15 hours in, and I got absolutely annihilated.

uhhhh what else. Um more will probably come to mind soon and you might see another post about this in like. The next hour. But for now, I'll shut up. I'll be back again after I go into the castle!!!!

[universalzones]

"Oh dear, that is a lot of people. I'm afraid I only found the statis pods of you two in this facility. However, from the stories I heard there are two others running around. I believe their names were Surge and Kitsunami." Mr. Tinker never stuck around in towns for too long for fear of being mistaken for Eggman, however has seen and hear things in passing.

Mr. Tinker was sure if he had enough time to get into this facilities systems then perhaps he could find information about these other Mobian's Starline had tricked. Though the tinkerer's attention went to Clover's concerns about Cassia's body which were fair. He could wait on that handshake while he address's the elder sister's concerns.

"Young Cassia's body was in serious condition. Most of her body had to be fully replaced with robotic upgrades so to speak despite my efforts, though I am thankful for the fact I didn't have to build an entirely new body for her." Mr. Tinker hoped that would offer some level of comfort to Clover, even if there situation isn't ideal.

"Then let me pull that up." Mr. Tinker would roll the stool he was on over to a large console, typing various commands into it. "I'm afraid I don't have full access to the system, though up until this point I only focused on the data Starline had on you." The tinkerer was more focused on saving their lives than what Starline was hiding on in his system. He then pulled up Clover's file.

"It seems he spliced you DNA with that of Knuckles, though had two major problems. The first being unable to fully alter your mind to his liking at the time. The second was improper balance of Chaos Energy. I solved the second issue. With some practice you may even be able to unlock some Chaos abilities, though to what extent I do not know."

Clove's eyes seemed to turn and shift as Tinker explained the situation. She knew Starlines offer was way to good to be true. But she was desprate, Cassia's condition was degrading, and her organs were close to shutting down. Her genetic disorder would kill her sooner or later she knew that. But Cassia was all the family she had left, and she couldn't bare to lose her. So when starline offered to help her, and only asked for her participation in his little project. She agreed, because her life was meaningless next to Cassia's.

But hearing what Starline planned for her, she had a rather horrified face. Because there were dozens of them, how many made it? How many died in those pods? What else did he do to her? She felt her hands start to shake, but Cassia was quick to hold her sister's hands to help calm her down. It was alot to take in but she was alive, and her sister was able to walk around--- but it did beg the question. How much of her sister was left? and how much of her was mechanical now?

" But--- What about the... others? he had dozens of us in here... we can't be the only ones who made it...can we? "

The horror of what Starline did was setting in and she couldn't bare it all. The thought of all those people being killed, men, when and even some children! It was awful!

" And Cassia... how much... how much of her is still her ..."

Her hand touched her Sisters Cheek clearly still worried for her even now that she was up and about. She was worried Cassia was just a robot with her sisters memories and that wasn't what she wanted! The thought was eating her up inside and she needed to know, it was just so much for her to take in--- would she even be her sister if she wasn't organic at all?

" Clove... don't worry! i'm still me i promise... you worry to much... "

Truthfully Cassia wasn't sure how much of her was still her. She just knew she could walk around, and see her sisters beautiful face! she could hear her sweet voice, and hug her again like when she was little! Even if she was just a machine and a brain now--- it meant she got to be with her sister! Though she still had fur, and flesh so she figured she was still a cyborg at the end of the day. She was still processing it all herself. Maybe it was fake to? She didn't care as much as clove at least not yet.

" .... I-- yes i suppose knowing what has changed would help--- luckily the pain seems to be subsiding..."