#all of the mainline stuff i had was basically planned to wrap up just after season 3 and that's still going to happen

[h-worksrambles]

Well, I finished Chapter 13 last week, and I wanted to wait to stew on the new story content a bit before posting my thoughts. I've alredy given my long, rambling thoughts on my complicated relationship with the base game's story, so what does that mean for my opinion on the new stuff?

In a word, it's fine. Not great, but not bad either. Better than the base game's writing in some ways, but worse in others. This was absolutely NOT what Monolith Soft was planning to do with X when it came out in 2015. The intent was clearly to wrap things up, integrate into the main series’ lore, and end it on the spectacle the base game was lacking.

And it does do, though not without some issues.

There is a definite effort to add a better emphasis on character. It largely drops the numerous optional party members and focuses on the core mandatory group. The game does its best to inject some charisma into them, and better flesh out their dynamics. It partly does this by adding newcomer Al (who is totally not an Alvis expy what are you talking about?). And I'll be real, I like him. His 'how's it poppin''?' running gag feels like it lands what the base game was trying to do with Tatsu's food jokes. Where it's dumb and corny but they commit to it so hard that it loops round to being funny. And I think a character who's philosophy is embracing the world and everything in it is a pretty solid thesis statement for X as a whole. Understanding and immersing yourself in Mira as a world is the core of both the gameplay and the story qnd that brings it home. And even if it feels like he abruptly shows up to steal the spotlight at the eleventh hour after being MIA all game, he does bring some much needed charisma to the proceedings and his pre-established dynamics with characters like Elma giver her more room to express new sides of herself that the base game was lacking.The first real conversation between him and Elma single handedly had more thoughtful characterisation than most of the rest of the game combined, and reminded me of many of the quieter moments from Xenoblade 3.

Does this magically make X's characters good? Eh, not really. Focusing on just the mandatory party members also means ditching any promising threads in the optional characers. Like, Yelv may have just been kind of okay as a character n the base game, but the J Bodies was a legitimate bit of intrigue that doesn't really go anywhere. And while there's some cute character moments, it's still doesn't make up for the previous 80+ hours lackluster character work. I struggled to list five character traits of Doug back in 2015 and that's still true after Chapter 13.

In short, while this section does its best to shore up the base game's character writing and solve the original release's mysteries, it falls short by doing way too much in way too little time. What we have is basically 5ish hours of scrapped ideas from a potential sequel, new retcons to tie it to the mainline, and concepts ripped wholesale from Xenosaga and frankly done worse (even if it's wonderfully absurd to finally hear a Xeno character quote the New Testament wholesale again). I've heard some people claim that this means you need to know Xenosaga lore to understand this game and...no? Like yeah, the Ghosts might as well be the Gnosis, and the collective unconscious connecting all life on Mira might as well be the UMN, but it's not like knowing that really makes much difference other than being kinda neat.

Still, as an explanation of X’s mysteries, the payoffs are serviceable enough. Elma’s origins, the identity of the Great One, and what brought all the different species to Mira all get answers that work. I will say Elma's backstory does compliment her established character pretty nicely. With a better understanding of how she lost her own home planet, how she came to Earth originally for the sake of a mission but grew to care genuinely for them, and ho she now fights to save her new family and people who gave her a new home, she probably now has the single most coherent and complete character arc in the game (even if it's still not great by Xeno standards).

The famous ‘it’s something about this planet’ cliffhanger line ended up being a fucking lie, tho. Which is a pretty good example of how this definitely isn't what the original plan for an X follow up was, but that ship likely sailed long ago.

Void meanwhile is a decent figurehead to be behind the Ganglion. The way he and Al both respond differently to being exposed to the existence of higher dimensions, how it reaffirms one's love and fascination for life, and one becomes completely detached from it and obsesses over the concept of death as a way to feel anything again works well. Mortality, survival and transhumanism were lingering ideas across the base game, as the characters questioned their identity as mimeosomes and fought to survive even as their home was lost forever. While Void is more reminiscent of Z than the likes of Egil and Jin, more conceptual than an actual character (and honestly I think Z was a lot more thematically cohesive), Void serves to end the game on a narratively fitting bang. I also appreciated that they didn't try to make the silent protagonist the emotional core of the ending, because that would fall completely flat. But they still get to contribute by inheriting the Ares from Al, and making a last clutch play for their friends. Them being the muscle more than the heart is more fitting, and lets the player still feel like their role mattered narratively.

It's a fine enough, suitably flashy finale. Definitely more conclusive than the original cliffhanger. But it ultimately runs into the same problems as the original Chapter 12, good thematic bones and strong worldbuilding let down by a lack of emotional investment in the cast, an underdeveloped villain, and a general sense that the game hasn’t really been building up to a character driven spectacle like this. So it feels off. Both Chapter 12 and this new Chapter 13 feel like the game abruptly remembers its a Xenoblade game at the last minute, and try to end on all the party coming together to fight for their future. X is a game where you sort of soak in a world rather than invest yourself in characters, so while I respect trying to breathe some life into these guys, the last minute turnaround doesn't quite do the job. I never really connected with this cast that way, so putting them in this kind of finale feels off. Much like the original Chapter 12, I simply found myself saying 'this would be peak if I was invested in any of these characters'. Which I probably shouldn't be saying after spending 100 hours with them.

The most controversial move of the ending by far is the decision to have Mira straight up destroyed by the new greater scope antagonist, with the game ending with the cast straight up hopping universes and presumably arriving at the restored Earth from the end of XC3. I've seen several fans balk at this ending, feeling like all the time spent exploring Mira was for nothing. As for me, honestly I feel this would have been a brilliant gut punch at the end of a sequel, if X had become a full fledged subseries. If we'd followed the full story f Mira from beginning to end, and it ended on this heartbreaking bang (literally). It would have been the intent of Perfect Works (following the universe from beginning to its end) in miniature. But in a five hour epilogue, it feels…strange. But ultimately, I find this a fine enough thematic conclusion to X's ponderings on survival and mortality, and seeing the community of NLA, this union of all these different alien peoples, live on together, with humanity finally seeing Earth again, was ultimately a cathartic end to this infamous cliffhanger. As I've said, the communal aspect of the original was to me it strongest narrative throughline, and seeing them all come together to leave Mira, defeat Void and be given a second chance, is satisfying. That being said, I can see why diehard X fans might be disappointed. Not only because it's definitely not the original plan for a continuation (at least not fully). But the vibe is definitely different to the rest game. X was a game that undoubtedly had its own atmosphere and tone amongst the Xeno series. I don't think the execution really worked and it was a bit too subdued and poorly paced to get everyone on its wavelength but it's a game that was Going For Something. This finale is a lot more typically Xenoblade. It's more direct, more action driven and puts more emphasis on its characters, but in five hours t has speed run that new direction and undoubtedly sacrifices X's vibe, even if that vibe isnt one I was in love with.

Overall I thought this epilogue was serviceable. It was a pretty unenviable position to revisit what was very clearly a narrative Monolith moved on from a long time ago, and try to wrap it up in an epilogue whose dev scope was about on par with Future Connected. All while returning to a setting that was already polarising the first time. It may be rushed as fuck, and it carries over some writing flaws from the base game but it's ultimately fine.

Maybe if I was more attached to X's story and characters I'd feel more strongly? Perhaps. And even if I still feel, even after this finale, that X is the weakest narrative in Xenoblade by a pretty wide margin (and would be the weakest in all of Xeno if Xenosaga Episode Two didn't drop the ball as thoroughly as it does). But I have gained a new respect for its gameplay, as well the sheer scope and vision it's going for.

Is Xenoblade X still my least favourite Xenoblade game? Yes. Is it still one of the coolest games on Switch that you should absolutely play? Also yes.

So, I just beat chapter 12 of Xenoblade X Definitive Edition. Meaning I've seen the game's original ending on Wii U and am about to move fully into the new content. As someone who played Xenoblade X on Wii U, but never finished it til now. I have a lot of complicated thoughts about this game's story and I wanted to get them out fresh after seeing the original ending before moving into the new stuff. This was always the entry I respected but connected with the least and I want to get into why.

On paper, X has an incredibly strong concept. The remnants of humanity, stranded on a distant planet and working with other refugee species to survive. It’s high concept, yet grounded, and with immediate high stakes. Especially with the Lifehold ticking clock. The story returns to the series’ signature themes of community, and overcoming tribalism and fear of the unknown. You meet all these different aliens in the story and side quests, and they each join NLA and offer something distinct. Much like the union of the peoples of Bionis and Mechonis, Drivers ad Blades, Keves and Agnus. Despite the potentially sketchy nature of its subject matter, it consistently feels communal rather than colonial. Humans are just part of a greater whole here, rather than bringing everyone under their banner. And it takes time to explore the difficulties of getting to that point.

Setting itself in our universe and in the aftermath of our earth means it can dig into questions about humanity without a fantasy buffer. Lao’s entire storyline explicitly critiques social and class divides. There’s a striking pessimism that's rare for this series: that humans couldn’t let go of hierarchical bullshit even at the very end of the world. Only the elite survived the destruction of Earth, and Lao embodies the rage of all the masses left to die there through his actions (you even fight him as a twisted chimera of all the life on Earth at the end).

The concept mineosomes invites an element of transhumanism. Exploring the identity and mortality of humans in these (not so) temporary artificial shells. Are these machines the ghosts of a dead species clinging onto existence? Or the form of a new reborn one taking shape? Especially considering the horrific act of negligence in leaving so many underprivileged people behind. Maybe we DID lose our humanity that day, after all. It’s powerful stuff.

So we have a different flavoured adventure, with high stakes, consistent, compelling themes and even a nice bit of political bite. …

So why does the result still feel so…dry? So flat?

I think this comes to how, for all my pontificating about these games, Xenoblade Chronicles is not actually very complex or profound. Thoughtfully constructed and opulently directed, yes. But it’s ultimately a RPG series for teens, heavily inspired by Shounen anime, with very universal, accessible themes of friendship, community, and self actualisation. These are good, important themes, but they aren't revolutionary. All the way from Xenogears, Xeno has often had thoughtful worldbuilding and strong direction, interesting interextuality and excellent use of ludonarrative, but that’s ultimately just questions of framing and craft in order to convey very simple, easy to understand messages. As such, for all its extra components, these games are carried by emotional clarity. The thing that really makes all this work, and the reason why basically any fan can call any of these games their favourite is because of how good they are at roping you in and making you feel something. And that’s where I feel X fumbles.

The game is great at giving the player ample things to think about, but it struggles at getting them to care. The characters are simplistic (even with their various side quests), and the cutscenes are very straightforward and expository. Heartfelt moments or cutscene spectacle are scarce. Even Elma and Lin feel strikingly straightforward and remote up til the very end, the very nature of Elma's perspective witheld until the final minutes before the credits roll. There’s no moment as immediately engrossing as the attack on Colony 9, nothing as gentle and human as Rex and Pyra by the campfire, or as triumphant as the first time Noah and Mio sever a Flame Clock. The closest is Lao, whose plight is sympathetic and poignant, but his limited screen time leaves him more thought provoking than heartfelt.

Now, what X is trying to do, is to achieve that emotional clarity through immersion, by letting you create a character, bask in the beauty of the world, and interact with the various people of NLA on the ground level through side quests. And in many ways this is sound. It still struggles with that lack of emotional hook. While you flit through many people’s lives, and help build bridges…you never really get to know anyone on screen. There’s a distance from these characters at all times. But you can definitely see what it’s going for.

It mostly struggles in the final chapter when it tries to have a more traditional final boss where all the party comes together to fight for their future. But it was never that kind of story. It didn’t build that party chemistry or emotional thrust. The villains are a faceless monolith. Individual members of the Ganglion die without fanfare or any real characterisation. They exist to represent a faction than have real personality. There's no pathos in confronting Luxaar there was with Egil, Zanza, Malos or N (hell even Z felt more resonant and climactic). He doesn't reallt slot into that kind of role. Hell, neither does Lao. And the result is interesting, but still rather limp.

It leaves me curious about what the new chapter 13 finale will be, because chapter 12’s ending made it clear to me that X simply isn’t like the other Xenoblade games, and trying to cram this game into their structure only obscures its strengths and highlights it’s shortcomings.

So yeah, the more time I spend with X, the more I can admit that it sort of lacks what I come to this series for. I think there’s a universe where X manages to balance that emotional clarity without losing what makes it unique and so on that level there’ll always be a bit of sadness over what could have been. But even if that's not the Mira we got, it’s still an incredible achievement of a game, a technical marvel and a world worth exploring.

Sometimes it's ok to think rather than feel.

[pastafossa]

hey pasta! I don’t know if someone has asked this already but is TRT gonna go into Born Again or end at season 3?

So that's where I'm not sure! The current outline is as such:

All Major Arcs (including Cyrus James/Project Beagle fallout arc and psychic abilities arcs): scheduled to wrap up a bit after the end of S3 so that Matt and Jane's arcs/development neatly dovetail together. This will mark the official end of TRT's main fic.

Special Additional Arcs (chaptered fics not attached to main fic but still TRT canon, taking place after end of main fic) in no particular order: Endgame/The Snap arc, Spider-Man: NWH arc, Spoiler Removed arc, tentative She Hulk Shenanigans arc.

Oneshot Arcs: various domestic fluff arcs, interactions with major MCU events, a 'What Their Life Is Like When Old Cause GD It They're Going To Live To Old Age And Will Have Rocking Chairs' arc, a SINGLE take it or leave it 'What If?' fic of something funny with a possible daughter cause damn I had this idea for a hilarious scene and it won't leave me alone

Now, those are what are planned in the outline, and the main event with Project Beagle tie-ins and plotlines and all of that is something I'm still planning to end just after S3 because I really do want to have a finish line for that, and I feel like dragging that all out for Born Again wouldn't work for the... events that are going to happen, without saying too much. Once that's wrapped up, that's when you're going to see TRT finally marked as 'complete' on AO3, though there'll be more fics set in that universe (see special additional arcs and oneshot arcs) that I'll mark as in the Devil and Hound series along with drabbles on tumblr.

Once we're past that official endpoint and those special arcs, though, things get fluid and murky since when I was outlining all the major plotlines, there was no Daredevil: Born Again, nor was Matt even in the MCU officially (which is why Spider-Man pops in way sooner in TRT than he meets Matt in the MCU) and I specifically set up Jane's plotline to bookend with Matt's so their growth twined together and they both finally found peace around the same time. Outside that, I'd planned some shorter chaptered stories in the series post-mainline TRT like the Snap arc that I may now adjust (since it sure is looking like Matt was left behind for the snap) but nothing on the level of TRT's main plotline which is absolutely massive and took me years to fully outline and construct before coming back from hiatus in 2021 and pumping out chapters (Happy six year anniversary to TRT on Sept 15!).

ALL THAT BEING SAID.

I do have plans to write stuff for TRT's take on Born Again because I'm 100% married to writing for Matt at this point and there's no possible way I won't want to do something once I'm being fed Charlie!Matt scenes again. I'm not sure what those plans are just yet - I kinda wanna wait and see what happens in Born Again in case it sparks something. But I also want to make sure that no matter what I do, there's some sort of strong original plotline so that, much like mainline TRT, we'll be able to weave in and out of canonical events (especially since things like the Snap or a wedding or Jane and Matt's friendship with Peter will alter canon). I don't think I'm going to do something quite as huge as TRT's main plotline again, mostly because it takes a TON of time and work, and I'm planning to take the original TRT elements and morph them into an original series fit for publishing (different enough that I can leave TRT up for everyone to read, cause at this point the fic's part of DD fandom culture and I have no plans to take that away) which will also take a ton of time. But I'm definitely rattling my brain around, looking at different plotlines I could do knowing what I know about the ending, hunting for loose ends or canonical threads that I can weave in with TRT's world and create something new!

Then again, I never would have said I'd make something as massive as TRT before I started, either, so who knows.

So in short: YES, there will be TRT events for Born Again even if it's not as elaborate as TRT! I just have no idea what those will be yet. Fortunately, TRT mainline's only a little over halfway done so I've got time to plan!

[rivalsforlife]

38 & 49

38. Capcom suddenly announces that the Ace Attorney franchise has ended for good! Your reaction?

... Disappointed, but not surprised? I’m kind of going to assume the franchise is done if we don’t get any sort of announcement for TGS in September for the 20th anniversary. Like I genuinely do not know where the series is going at this point, because they kind of wrote themselves into a corner with the SOJ ending (despite the reason they chose that ending being the opposite?) Like... Phoenix has nowhere left to go as a protagonist, I don’t think he developed as a character at all over SOJ. (It has been a while since I played it, so I may be wrong, but still.) Apollo still hasn’t had a proper follow-up to AJ, but any shot of an Apollo-centric trilogy akin to the original trilogy was essentially dashed with DD, going back to those characters now would be weird, so either they’d have to retcon the SOJ ending and plan something for Apollo or have a Khura’in-focused trilogy (which wouldn’t make any sense because the central conflict of Khura’in was solved in SOJ.) Athena has the most room to grow, but Capcom hasn’t developed her enough so having her lead the next game would be a poor move financially, because lots of people don’t like Athena and wouldn’t want to buy the game unless Phoenix is in the title, whiiiich would be very bad story-wise for them because unless they do something radically different, Phoenix has nowhere to go!

And of course the DGS duology is wrapped up, and I don’t think it sold very well iirc (and the lack of overseas sales probably doesn’t help.) So I don’t think it’s likely they’d continue making stories in that universe, since DGS2 neatly tied up everything from DGS1. Similarly the AAI games have pretty much wrapped everything up, unless they want to do a disbarment-era Phoenix+Miles team-up game (which I would LOVE, personally, but that would mean going back to disbarred Phoenix which I doubt Capcom would do). Otherwise they could try to fit another game in the nine days between the end of AAI2 and disbarment but. they really shouldn’t. (Plus since AAI2 wasn’t localized I doubt an AAI3 would either, further hurting Capcom’s sales.)

They can continue to try and force their way with mainline but I hope they’re realizing they’ll have to shake up the formula a bit (I recently watched a video discussing different ways they could do this, like with a “campaign-style” game where there’s a Phoenix plot, Apollo plot, and Athena plot and each of them have like three cases and they’re linked -- I believe this is the video?) or it is going to get very dull. I’m not a fan of these completely isolated stories that they had for 456 where they pretty much drop plot threads as soon as the game ends. And I don’t think they can continue having Phoenix-centric games for long.

They could try to do another spin-off like the AAI games but with a different character, since AAI2 wrapped up Miles’ character development so there’s no point continuing with him unless they decide they’re brave enough to tackle disbarment era, or they could try something like DGS again... like maybe “skip a hundred years into the future ooh” but that could have implications for characters in mainline reproducing which would probably upset a lot of fans by retroactively confirming/denying ships. 

... And wow I think I went far off topic on the question here hahaha oops. Uh overall I’d be mostly disappointed in myself for never playing an ace attorney game blind. I kind of sped through youtube playthroughs so I’ve never had the thrill of figuring things out myself, and since I only got into this franchise in 2018 I’ll never be able to feel the excitement of waiting and theorizing on a new game. But that’s all personal stuff. Honestly right now is about as good an ending point as we had since T&T, I think, with the AAI and DGS duologies done, SOJ having a relatively open ending, and I’ve long since given up on any AJ plotlines being tackled again... so. There’s definitely issues that I would like resolved but I’m not sure if a new game would ever resolve those, so fanfiction it is.

49. Opinion on recurring witnesses? (Wendy Oldbag, Lotta Hart, Larry Butz, etc.)

On the one hand, I like the idea of recurring witnesses so that we get to see people we know again and know that our actions had an impact (like bringing back Adrian Andrews in T&T, it was so good to see that she’s grown!) and there are definitely characters I wouldn’t mind coming back as smaller witnesses so they don’t take over the plot but also we know they’re okay. ... I just wish they weren’t so often the most annoying characters in the world or made into complete caricatures!

Ugh. Oldbag, admittedly, had a little bit of a character in Turnabout Samurai. After that every appearance of hers is basically there just to harass Miles, and for everyone to go “haha! Oh, Oldbag!” so, she can die. Lotta returning always means “look! There’s a photograph that looks like something supernatural but really isn’t! Also, have ya heard my southern accent?” and admittedly she’s one of the less annoying of the bunch but still. Larry has pretty much been made into a caricature after AA1, where his role is to hit on women and absolutely refuse to testify about anything to the point of absurdity. ... Like there’s “here’s Larry he gets into trouble all the time and he left out this critical detail because he’s forgetful, but he means well!” and there’s whatever the hell went on in AAI where he deliberately refused to testify honestly under threat of being arrested for murder?

I guess overall I don’t hate the idea of recurring witnesses, but I do hate how it’s often executed!

[jewelwriter]

Beyond Level 1 Presents: Pokémon Part 7 (Sun & Moon)

In this new age of Pokémon, it’s time to say Alola to the world of… a messed up family line.  And a painfully long mess we get to play though in a way.

 Yea… this review isn’t as clean cut as the others and I have had time to play it since Christmas (to evade being on a hype railroad and to try to understand the game where I see it) and I’m glad that I did just that, waited.  My review might not be what everyone wants but then again I’m asking a lot of people to listen to me on this for the count of a few things.  First, sure this is a game of beauty but visuals are objective and I’ll cover this more in flow but when some basics are lost at the expense of others, I worry.  Second, I’m doing another play though to see if having someone different helps but I will say that I’ll never go for the “FIGHTING” type that we got.  AND I WILL DEFEND THIS TO THE END THAT LITTEN’S FINAL EVOLUTION IS A FIGHTING TYPE!  Pardon there. I kind of still don’t see how come people are willing to ignore what the context is on that Pokémon.  And third I will be warning of spoilers where it is due, likely in story and bosses.  Thanks in advance and I’ll let rip my review that goes beyond level 1 of the game Pokémon Sun!

 Control – (Silver)

This is kind of new and yet comfy at the same time. The controls for the over world are ALL linked to the stick to give you a free spot with the D-pad to link up with HM heroes.  That’s what I’m calling them.  Throughout this generation I might as well call them that.  You got running speed fright from the start and can even have a bit of fun. In battle either works which is a bleeping joy and touch helps speed up who needs a change or patch up.  OF course a bigger problem that doesn’t come to mind is how easy it is to miss the bottom screen.  Say high to the thing that ate up all the swift tap buttons to try and save time going to menus and hello to the X button which will house more than 6 but 12 options.  The first is the usual stuff like your Pokedex, your Pokémon, your luggage, your Save, your options, and lastly the Passport which is your trainer ID.  Then the new stuff comes up featuring Pokémon Refresh (the simplified and gutted Pokémon Amie), Pokémon Pelago (your Pokémon Daycare for those who are boxed up with nothing to do.), Festival Plaza (your interaction hub), QR scan (allowing you to SEE all Pokémon in the digital dictionary), Quick Link for local play, and Battle video…which I haven’t gotten anything yet but would go for it if I get some video recordings.  I clearly enjoy how there’s a lot to take in but yet feel it stepped backwards.  So sorry the Silver rating is needed for this section.

Story – (Silver/Gold)

Spoiler Warning take effect here!

A normal game of Pokémon has a story that is stolen by a crazy FAMILY!  Let’s see… the first you met stolen a legendary to be and yet it was also a caring gal that would likely not to be a trainer that we’d see.  And get such a taste of the new challenges of the story where we see a gang wanting to jack things up and an organization that wants to care for those that were hurt...which flipped into a rescue mission and finding out that in the saviors is a really TWISTED b!tc# and she’s the reason her son and daughter ran from the place.  By the GODS what a way to push story into the spotlight!  Also with how she insults the player char in a way kind of hurts for those that are dedicated to a team.  It felt like she was aiming to the competitive players which I would get a laugh about so I feel it’s silly.  And the final battle with the evil President is a bit annoying since her team is “BUFFED” thanks to her ultra-beast infusion though I did use a bit of a smart rear tactic of having a defense jumper up front to make it harder to fight and slow them down with Bulldozer which helps to make a strong combo when it is clear they are unable to get their first move in.  And also a moment about the Gang Leader Gozma (I’ll take him down, take him down and never let up all bout town!) with the stupid wrapping of him and his crew could have did more but gods at least they were more entertaining until I found out that HE was in on the stupid plan of “perfection” and on that I am feeling like the island challenge was a roadblock to try to get to the end of the story and also reach the goal of the Pokémon league.  Though the big surprise to the end is that who is the big battle is a great mix up for the final battle of the story as it can change it up... by going against more than just one obvious char.  The professor, the electric trial captain, Gozma’s Poisonous gal, even a Kahuna and a KID FROM ROUTE 1 WANT YOUR CHAMPION BELT!  That earned this gold barely but I’m also giving silver due to the story to get to that point.

Spoiler Warning ends at this point!

Content – (Bronze)(Metal)

As we know, things might not make it back in a new gen and this is one of them, a favorite of mine: Rotation Battles. Though this in and of itself doesn’t mean it’s at all bad.  It has given us a Pokémon Pelago to allow us grind levels and raise mon how you want (I so far am happy using the egg hatching and be able to Raise happiness for Mon which really require it.  I have only level 2 for the training and spa so I’m trying to earn…. 200+ Beans x2 for the last bits I got all the island updates as of Febuary.) in which is handy for those that play calmly and want to have help while playing the game.  THAT being said, the mini games are entirely… nonexistent here that it makes me sad because there’s mostly NOTHING to really enjoy and Your only means of coinage gain is either by having your Pokémon explore their cave in the Pokémon Pelago or take down trainers and the daily Pukumuku flinging.  It makes for a bad feeling for those that want to play something more to connect to the Pokémon world.  SURE it is stream lined but it will leave someone empty.  This category has BARELY escaped being classified as metal instead of Bronze but it could have EASILY been that for a veteran Pokémon gamer  I’ve rethought this and went with giving this Metal instead for even a veteran trainer would get bored of all the none events in game once you did them all.

Flow – (Silver)

For once I have to talk about the graphics since they kind of bog the game down in a way.  With trainers now kept on screen during battle you are likely slowing the game down and makes one groan at how some battles can take a long time and could even make you feel trouble arriving in the worst of ways: by costing someone more time to play by tournament standings.  For the casual player or someone who is going into doubles/Multi/Battle Royale, it will be a nightmare.  Especially when waiting likely two minutes for the turn to end. Have fun with some of that and how often the story might interrupt your exploration if you need to do an island challenge.  Speaking of, I find them silly in a sense but they do mostly involve battling.  Trial 1: Battle 3 locals and their totem, Trial 2: Take down a fish 3 times with the last one being a Totem fight, Trial 3: Answer and battle 3 answers with the last one being the totem, Trial 4: Find the items and defend yourself be ready for the totem Pokémon, Trial 5:  Audio quizzing and fight 4 Pokémon to turn the lights on when you see the totem Pokémon, Trial 6: Photography with ghost Pokémon and you end up finding how unhealthy the Totem Pokémon is obsessed with Pikachu.  And Trial 7 is actually a remix of the trial you did in the DEMO of the game. The only familiar feel of former gameplay I obtained came from the four Grand Trials, they felt like real gym leaders to me and I got to enjoy those battles.  Especially when it is not an SOS Pokémon come in.  With certain gamers then it’ll be a pain but for others it is a required wait to get though the game in certain manners.

Bosses – (Bronze/Silver)

Spoiler Warning take effect here!

Is it odd that I feel like the totem Pokémon, the very thing Game Freak and the Pokémon Company highlighted in the game’s advertisement were not the real boss characters?  Yea, they aren’t.  IF I added them they would be a brought the game down to a bronze here.  The saving grace were the Grand trials, Team Skull and the large twist before you get to the last island (Poni island and no friendship isn’t magic there) and after you gotten though all the trials of Poni Island. The favorite for this gamer was the final battle of the first Elite Four.  To me it felt like the REAL rival was hidden in the back and trying to be sure you reach the top to see where you stand with you and your Pokémon.  And for once it will not happen often as you’ll have to defend your belt from as mentioned before your true rival who you only would fight here, various chars that you took on like Lille’s Brother, Hau, and even the former Team Skull babysitter and as said before, a current Kahuna.  If one were to add those together and not the totems, you’d earn the rank of Silver solidly at the least.  Well that and spanking the President’s behind while she had her team jacked up.

Spoiler Warning ends at this point!

Overall – (Bronze/Silver)

On the personal side I’d go give this a Bronze since it means that Pokémon has started to slip and in no way can I sugar it to myself.  For a competitive scene I’d keep with Gen six for a while longer though happy times trying to fight in the new gen without having a big issue and I’ll be the stick in the mud to say Pokémon isn’t going onto the Switch as a mainline game but if a new handheld is revealed one can hope but it is for sure isn’t the Switch as I am using the logic that I got from watching for ages to get a good guess.

[-|-|-]

I almost can’t wait for this generation to be corrected.

[myfuckofffundjourney]

Money Diary, Week #3

Thursday Jan 18

Wake up, bus to the shuk - 5.9 nis. Grab a coffee and I don’t even want it. 11 nis. So weird. Maybe it’s because I’m already running late and feeling anxious about time. I drink half and then grab groceries for the client I’m cooking for, all of which I’ll get reimbursed for so I won’t list them. I also cab to their place - billing them as well. Nobody got time to haul groceries on a bus #lazy.

After cooking for 6 hrs (hey guess who just made +1200nis!!) I pack a meal from what I made (chicken, potatoes, and an Asian pear, and it’s all fucking delicious, and free, and I even had a container because of yesterdays lunch that I took to school, score!) and bus to the central bus station. 5.9 I’m feeling a bit woozy so grab soda water to calm my stomach. 7 nis. I decide to finally buy a pair of Blundstones, a decision I’ve thought about for literally like five years. I see a pair that I like that are on sale for 350 and I grab them. Also add 50 nis to Rav Kav. The boots feel great in the store and for the dash to the bus, but as soon as I’m off the bus and walking to class, they start to kill! I’m worried I got the wrong size, even though the next half size up is way too big on me. I take them off in middle of class to make sure I don’t fuck them up too badly. Finish class, head home, make toast with peanut butter and hang out with Josh.

Friday Jan 19

Wake up and peel myself out of bed to grab some random groceries - I have no coffee in the house, and really feel like having eggs for breakfast. At the grocery store, I also find an avocado thats not hard as a rock (fun fact: apparently there were no deliveries of avocados to Israel for a week and so the price doubled, and none of them are ready yet. I don’t care that the price is doubled - it’s only like 6 shekel anyway and i’ve been wanting an avocado all week.) I get eggs, an avocado, and laundry detergent - 28 nis. There is a massive bag of Tide for 60 shekel (8 kg) and I think I might get it because it smells so nice and is cheaper per kilo than anything in the store and will last for like, half a year or something. And in two weeks I’ll even have a HOUSE to store it in!!!

I stop at my favorite coffee grinder guy and pick up 100g of coffee for 6 nis and think back to when I was living in Florentine and I could find the same amount for at a minimum 10 nis, usually more. Thank you, Jaffa gods, for making prices reasonable.  This usually can last for almost a week, but it’s exam season and I’m going to be mainlining coffee.

When i get home, I make a good breakfast (toast, eggs, salad, coffee) and THEN I CAN DO MY LAUNDRY! FOR FREE!!!! I’m so effing excited, it’s been literally four months without a washing machine at my disposal. I’ll probably need to throw some things in the dryer at the laundromat because its going to be a fucking COLD weekend and I have no clean socks and stuff, but still!

Anyway, I’m at my next conundrum, which is the fact that it’s now sale season and there are so many things I want/need. In the wants column, we’ll just put new clothes. I’m v bored of that I have and would love some new additions. In the needs column, we’ll put shoes - this is a biggie, I hate buying shoes and spending money on them - house items (coffee table, bed, closet, curtains, oven), a new phone (this one is pissing me off with its jerkiness and general crappy demanour. I could probably get it to work well if I do a factory reset but the screen is also cracked and replacing it will cost at least 400 nis. I’d rather get a new/secondhand phone.) Anyway, IKEA is having a sale, all the clothing stores are having massive sales, and I’m not sure what to do. These are more investment type items, but it’s still hard to justify spending the money. And then the fact that Uri and Jordana are getting married soon - I’ll actually make a bit of money from catering his aufruf kiddush/her shabbat kallah dinner, but not a ton.

I FINALLY get a message that I’m getting paid for an event I did like, three weeks ago - that’s another +1,630. YESSSS. That plus an extra +500 for shabbat will be so helpful for the move.

Run out to throw some things in the dryer - I just collect random shekels and don’t actually keep track, but i think it’s around 8 nis. While waiting for my stuff to dry, I get some binders, highlighters, little page markers, and also use the stores hole-puncher to hole-punch LITERALLY like 500 pages of notes. Don’t have to buy a hole-puncher though! It’s still 33 nis. Ugh.

I end up heading to Jerusalem kinda stupidly late, and end up taking a taxi to the bus station with Josh, but he covers it because he owes me money for groceries. The sherut is 35 nis - ugh. I’ve left my purse at home so Josh lends me a 50 that he also says to use toward groceries.

Saturday Jan 20

I work for WAY longer than I would have wanted to, and it really isn’t very much money, and I really needed the time to study, but on the other hand, it was pretty easy and it was 500 nis. So, balances out. After Shabbat is out I head to Jerusalem - 5.9 for the train, and 16 nis for the bus. When I get to Tel Aviv, the bus to my house is a friggin half hour away so I have to walk home, which is a massive waste of time. Really need to sit and calculate how much that half hour was worth to me, because I’m SOOOO behind on my studying, but can I just stay up a half hour later? Does life even work that way?

I make a peanut butter and banana wrap. Wraps are THE BEST thing to have around but I never buy them because I feel like they’re expensive? But a friend left these at my house and they’ve been the base of many a quick happy dinner, so maybe I’ll keep them around. Also come up with a plan to market myself as a meal-prep delivery service for people who can’t cook at home... i wonder if I’d ever actually execute that.

Sunday January 21

Basically spend all day inside studying/making food/cleaning/doing laundry. All of these are relatively money-less endeavours! On my way to school I do grab some fruit because I have none in the house. 9 nis

A friend coming from New York places an order on amazon for me for bamboo toothbrushes and charcoal exfoliating gloves - those guys are the shit and I hate throwing out plastic toothbrushes. They last quite a while and it only comes out to 70 shek - I’ll pay him when I see him.

Monday January 22

I meet Kim at the shuk for a grocery shop. It doesn’t really feel so smart to do the shop before my CSA gets in. I need to recalibrate my weeks so that I can do it on Tuesday morning and not be starving. Anyway, I get:

Parmesan and goat cheese - 24.6

Oatmeal, wild rice, and raisins - 20

Salmon - the guy cuts me way more than I asked for and I tell him off. I asked for 300 grams for a reason, mister, not for 350 grams. I’m turning into an asshole lol. 33 nis

Avocado, sweet potato, zucchini, chilis - 18 nis

Clementines, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and an impulse buy dragon fruit - 34 nis

Green onion - 5 nis

On the way home, I still can use my transfer on my Rav Kav. Hell yes. Now I just need to stock up on things like more coffee, wraps, and one or two other things, but between this and the CSA I should be good for the week.

At home i make a big pot of rice, roasted veggies, two sauces (one using up cilantro that was going bad and yogurt I didn’t feel like eating), salmon, and sauteed greens from last weeks CSA. Now I have food options! And I only need to finish my celery and romaine lettuce from the CSA. Don’t know what to do with it though. Hmm.

Buttttt ugh I get an email from the school. I owe tuition, I think it’s loan time. I’m thinking of asking them if I can consolidate the debt, and when I do a huge work event I can throw a few thousand shekel at tuition. PAYING FOR SCHOOL IS SUCH A BITCH. But at least the loan system here doesn’t blow. I also get an email about a grant. GRANT I NEED YOU GET IN MY WALLET.

CSA box comes with some dope looking ingredients. I’ll have to cook wisely this week so nothing gets wasted though - my fridge is already FULL of food. What a nice feeling :).

Tuesday January 23

I wake up late, ugh. Go grab coffee - this time i get double what I got last week - rice milk, and cashews, to maybe turn into butter. It comes out to way more than i anticipated - 44 nis. Eek.Still though, haven’t eaten out once this week except for one coffee and one bottle of water, so I’m feeling good! Then I feel terrible when i think about tuition and moving. Gah! Cashew butter tastes amazing though, so there’s that!

Finally get an answer to an insurance claim I filed (and won) months ago! They had sent me a cheque (srsly who does that) which I never received, so they are going to cancel it, and wire me the funds. It’s around $350 - just wish I’d done this before the dollar crashed so hard. Oh well. Still free-ish money!

Buy an eclair. I need some comfort sweets. Interestingly, I don’t think I’ve had anything with overt amounts of processed sugar in a few days - since Saturday, I guess. I’ve had honey in my tea and stuff, but that’s it. I wonder if I’ll feel anything? It’s only mediocre but I needed to get out and interact with a human who is not Josh/the dog. 10 nis.

Wednesday January 24

I have to print some notes for this exam that i am definitely in no way passing (hi moed bet!) It’s way more expensive than it would be at school. Damn. 12.5

Total: 770.7 - minus shoes - 420.7

School/misc- 403 (includes a 350 nis pair of shoes that are too small and that I will try to return)

Groceries- 221

Eating out- 28

Transportation - 118.7

Money earned: 500, 1620

The takeaway from this week is: School is effing expensive, and I spent freely on groceries to not be tempted to eat out which worked (slash my extreme isolation/studying helps too) but I also bought a lot of “nice things” that I don’t need. On the other hand, I’ll have lots of food stored for the next week or two. Wins all around, I think. Would be nice to get most of my weeks spending to look like this (minus the shoes) - I could be down with spending only 400 nis a week.