#based on the extremism that's become part of literally every issue

[flickeringflame216]

"pick a side" no. I'm an enjoyer of nuance.

[getvalentined]

An open letter to @staff

I already submitted this to Support under "Feedback," but I'm sharing it here too as I don't expect it to get a response, and I feel like putting in out in public may be more effective than sending it off into the void.

The recent post on the Staff blog about changing tumblr to an algorithmic feed features a large amount of misinformation that I feel staff needs to address, openly and honestly, with information on where this data was sourced at the very least.

Claim 1: Algorithms help small creators.

This is false, as algorithms are designed to push content that gets engagement in order to get it more engagement, thereby assuring that the popular remain popular and the small remain small except in instances of extreme luck.

This can already be seen on the tumblr radar, which is a combination of staff picks (usually the same half-dozen fandoms or niche special interests like Lego photography) which already have a ton of engagement, or posts that are getting enough engagement to hit the radar organically. Tumblr has an algorithm that runs like every other socmed algorithm on the planet, and it will decimate the reach of small creators just like every other platform before it.

Claim 2: Only a small portion of users utilize the chronological feed.

You can find a poll by user @darkwood-sleddog here that at the time of writing this, sits at over 40 THOUSAND responses showing that over 96 percent of them use the chronological feed*. Claiming otherwise isn't just a misstatement, it's a lie. You are lying to your core userbase and expecting them to accept it as fact. It's not just unethical, it's insulting to people who have been supporting your platform for over a decade.

Claim 3: Tumblr is not easy to use.

This is also 100% false and you ABSOLUTELY know it. Tumblr is EXTREMELY easy to use, the issue is that the documentation, the explanations of features, and often even the stability of the service is subpar. All of this would be very easy for staff to fix, if they would invest in the creation of walkthroughs and clear explanations of how various site features work, as well as finally fixing the search function. Your inability to explain how your service works should not result in completely ignoring the needs and wants of your core long-term userbase. The fact that you're more willing to invest in the very systems that have made every other form of social media so horrifically toxic than in trying to make it easier for people to use the service AS IT WORKS NOW and fixing the parts that don't work as well speaks volumes toward what tumblr staff actually cares about.

You will not get a paycheck if your platform becomes defunct, and the thing that makes it special right now is that it is the ONLY large-scale socmed platform on THE ENTIRE INTERNET with a true chronological feed and no aggressive algorithmic content serving. The recent post from staff indicates that you are going to kill that, and are insisting that it's what we want. It is not. I'd hazard to guess that most of the dev team knows it isn't what we want, but I assume the money people don't care. The user base isn't relevant, just how much money they can bring in.

The CEO stated he wanted this to remain as sort of the last bastion of the Old Internet, and yet here we are, watching you declare you intend to burn it to the ground.

You can do so much better than this.

Response to the Update

Under the cut for readability, because everything said above still applies.

I already said this in a reblog on the post itself, but I'm adding it to this one for easy access: people read it that way because that's what you said.

Staff considers the main feed as it exists to be "outdated," to the point that you literally used that word to describe it, and the main goals expressed in this announcement is to figure out what makes "high-quality content" and serve that to users moving forward.

People read it that way because that is what you said.

*The final results of the poll, after 24 hours:

136,635 votes breaks down thusly:

An algorithm based feed where I get "the best of tumblr." @ 1.3% (roughly 1,776 votes)

Chronological feed that only features blogs I follow. @ 95.2% (roughly 130,077 votes)

This doesn't affect me personally. @ 3.5% (roughly 4,782 votes)

[sillybruja]

random placement observations: natal chart edition pt. 1

DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional astrologer, this purely my observation based on repetitive patterns I notice within the signs, placements, houses etc. Take what I say with a grain of salt and understand not every astrology observation will resonate.

Aquarius moons and their mommy issues go under the radar too much. In my experience, I have noticed Aquarius moons have the most complicated, sometimes love/hate relationship with their mother's. There's usually some sort of disconnect between the placement person & their mom, and it is usually because the mom fails to fully understand Aquarius moon's personality, or need for personal freedom. Mothers to these individuals tend to have issues with boundaries -- either they are too overbearing, or too under involved -- which leads the Aqua moon person to sometimes want to crawl out of their own skin. I've also notice ppl with this placement having trouble with coddling by a mother figure, or generally having a harder time gaining independence due to the specific or unique way the person was raised.

Venus conjunct pluto: This aspect, to me, manifests very differently based on what chart it is in. Venus and Pluto making contact usually can suggest some obsession / hyperfocus becoming present in your life. While on one hand this can definitely suggest that a person with this natal placement can tend to be obsessive in love, or with money, material resources, etc - it usually mostly suggests the types of people, situations and relationships we attract. People with this people can naturally attract a lot of eyes and attention -- good and bad. Due to pluto's contact - the planet of death, obsession, sex etc -- with the love planet venus, this can suggest attracting obsessive partners. This can manifest in both a negative, and positive way. This placement can absolutely attract their spouse, love of their life etc -- but they can just as easily attract lots of unwanted, creepy attention. Also, if you have this placement there's a good chance you were sexualized as a child, or much sooner than you should have been -- I am sorry 😞

1H Luminary placements: these placements get such a bad rep in astrology imo lol. While the first house is the house of the self, this does not suggest a person with sun/moon in 1H being extremely selfish (which pop astrology suggests). In my experience, people with these specific placements have them to learn what it means to find & live in your own truth. I find that people with these placements (sometimes venus 1H and Mercury 1H too) are very selfless and might actually neglect giving themselves the energy of the planet in their first house. For example, to the outside world, a Sun in 1H person might seem confident, extroverted even (sometimes, the opposite is true) but on the inside, this person actually struggles with their identity and confidence a lot. they ask themselves who they are, who they want to be, as much as they think about breakfast. They can be too hard on themselves which can make them hyperfocus on themselves, their lives, their goals etc., -- but it is literally part of their life purpose to go through these cycles which to the outside world, looks like the person is being selfish. Same is said for Moon in 1H --these people are considered manipulative, secretive, very emotional -- but the truth is, they might have gone their whole lives holding onto emotions that were never allowed to be released. Perhaps this individuals pushes their own feelings away to always make space for others. These people are extremely empathetic and while there will be a few rotten apples out there, the good majority of people with this placement are not awful emotionally selfish people, they are just here to learn how to honor, accept, and transmute their emotions just as often as they help others do the same.

Having lots of 3H, 6H, 10H placements usually makes a person really busy, or manifests as someone with anxiety especially anxiety that arises from the lack of work. These placements are the real workaholics but to an extreme level. I know someone with a 6H stellium & 10H Saturn who at one point worked 3 jobs and was a full-time uni. student. Same person is now a NICU nurse, actively getting two more masters degrees, so yeah, y'all like to keep busy. I have noticed these placements have big issues with time management, especially when it comes to any personal time you give yourself (do you even give yourself any time to wind down? like lets bfr 🙈). As a taurus moon I feel compelled to remind you that you literally need rest to accomplish all the things you want to do! What good is pushing past your limits if you feel exhausted constantly?

Jupiter in 4H -- I have a question, how was your childhood? I feel this placement can manifest in lots of ways, I feel for some of you maybe you had lots of siblings, more brother's than sisters. You could be the younger child. Jupiter is about expanding whatever it touches, so when its in the 4H it is essentially "growing" in that area. This could mean having lots of siblings, but in the same extreme, this could mean having none. The could have manifested in a happy, healthy home & family dynamic. This can just as well manifest as serious family trauma (generational trauma), or serious and repetitive familial themes and karmic cycles. You are here to learn something about balance in regards of the home, lineage, magic, traditions, wisdom, and love in general. Because Jupiter is in the 4H here, you will have a lot of opportunity to have luck in terms of buying a home, relocating, or in general "leveling up" in a secure way. But jupiter does not give just to give... if you want the blessings of jupiter you can't be stagnant -- this is something else jupiter in 4H seems to struggle with. I've noticed y'all can get lazy 😭 If you grew up in a happy home (hell or not) and had a parent (s) figure do everything for you, then the time you hit adulthood will be a rude awakening. Same is said for those with overbearing or controlling parents with this placement. Remember that jupiter is not just about luck, its mostly about expansion, so having things go your way, or having a support system that fails to teach you how to be independent will make things difficult for you when you have to be. Using Jupiter in 4H energy to your benefit looks like breaking generational curses, ending self-destructive patterns, watching negative habits such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling, and in general, actively making better choices.

[howtofightwrite]

I'm planning on writing a Pokemon fanfic where the trainer is hard of hearing. They can speak and give commands but it is also normal for trainers to hear the opposing trainers commands and respond to that not just what they see. Which would put them at a big disadvantage, wouldn't it if they could only process visual information? I know you said stuff before about combat being too fast and people don't 'call out attacks' but that doesn't fit here. But also on the other hand, Pokemon don't alwa

But also on the other hand, Pokemon don't always obey their their trainers (usually a trust issue) but perhaps this actually could be a good thing and help turn that disadvantage around since if they trust each other enough for the Pokemon to respond appropriately by themselves if they feel the trainer is making a bad call or not quick enough to respond to an attack called out by the opposing trainer. What do you think? Any other ideas?

Something to remember: Pokemon is a game. I don't mean in the meta-sense that the anime and ancillary materials are based off of the video game and card game, the way you could, for example, describe the Fallout TV series as based on a game. I mean, literally, that the structure of Pokemon itself is a competitive game.

When you start stripping it apart, and really dig into the structure, combat in pokemon is a game where the trainers are the players, and their pokemon are the pieces they're using on the board. This is an important concept to grasp when you're dissecting the material, because it informs why it functions.

There is a concept in games called an action stack. When you're playing a strategically intensive game, you'll often come across some version of this concept. Basically, you announce your action to your opponent, they then get an opportunity to take a legal response (if one exists), and then the action resolves. In situations like this, calling out your actions is a necessary step in keeping your opponent apprised of changes in the game state. It's also (often) necessary as a step to give them the opportunity to respond (whether that's part of the same action stack, or as a following action.)

Now, much like in Pokemon, in casual games, these kinds of declarations, and even the structure of the action stack itself, can become very ad hoc. You wouldn't do this in a tournament environment, but in casual circumstances you'll see players doing things like say, “I'm playing this,” or just drop the card on the table as part of their appropriate action window. (Though, again, this behavior is extremely rude in a tournament environment.)

As you mentioned, the instructions given by the trainer is, technically, for the Pokemon's benefit, rather than the opponent. Also, pieces on the board not following the player's commands is a concept that does exist in some tabletop games. For example: if you botch a Leadership test in Warhammer, you're not going to get the results you were hoping for.

So in this specific case, being privy to your opponent's actions ahead of time is really more an example of intelligence gathering (even though it's at a very limited level.) And, this is, absolutely, a consideration in competitive games. If you can accurately predict your opponent's next action it can let you take preemptive steps to mitigate their move, or even outright prevent them from doing what they want.

Not being able to collect intelligence conventionally is a little bit of a problem, but it's not necessarily a deal breaker. A lot of the time, intelligence gathering in games (for an experienced player) is testing limited information against extensive system knowledge to make educated guesses about what your opponent will do. If you have awareness of the board, you don't always need to actually have specific knowledge about what your opponent is planning. Meaning, if they're extremely knowledgeable about what's out there, they might not need to hear their opponents' every command. With enough familiarity, each pokemon is recognizable on sight, and they have limited move options determined by their appearance (with the occasional outlier or exception.)

Also, lipreading is a thing. It's a lot harder when you're just sampling general use of the language, but when you're looking at a limited number of individual words (and you know which words could be issued because of the aforementioned system knowledge) it can become quite possible for someone to pick out what a trainer is telling their pokemon, even if they wouldn't be able to hear the words normally (or lipread a stray conversation between strangers.)

Incidentally, if you're thinking that it's unreasonable for someone to have the stat sheets for over 1k pokemon committed to memory, that's in line with what you need to have committed to memory for a number of competitive games, if you're operating at a high level. Chances are, if you're a highly ranked M:TG player, you'll probably have at least 2-3k cards committed to memory even if you can't use them in Modern anymore.

-Starke

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 延禧攻略/Story of Yanxi Palace.

Story of Yanxi Palace is a high-budget 2018 Chinese harem drama about the historical-accuracy-adjacent antics of an extremely baller young woman who gets a job working in the Forbidden City in an attempt to discover the reasons behind her sister's death.

Imagine Nirvana in Fire, but only the scenes that take place inside the Inner Palace. So there's still schemes aplenty, but now these schemes are happening among a cast that's 90% women, all locked inside a walled city with rigid rules, excruciatingly strict hierarchies, and a very limited number of ways of getting out alive.

This show was huge in China. The English-language fandom is almost nonexistent. I'm betting most of you reading this have never even heard of it, and if you have, you have only the vaguest idea of what this 70-episode palace drama is about.

I enjoyed this show a whole hell of a lot. I also had some major issues with the show, to the point where I very nearly did not write this rec. But I'm doing it because I think the good parts of the show are worth seeing, and because I think the problem parts of the show are worth thinking about. Interested? Then follow me through these five reasons (and a few anti-reasons) I think you should watch it.

1. The Real Housewives of the Forbidden City

Tired of c-drama sausage fests? Want to see a bunch of incredibly talented ladies act their faces off? Then this is the show for you.

The vast majority of characters in the show are absolute bitches to one another. They are locked in a cutthroat game of power and manners where the stakes are literally life and death, so they spend their whole lives either plotting to take someone else down or counterplotting so the person trying to take them down gets taken down instead. They all know they can't trust one another, but they also sometimes can't not trust one another. They keep their friends close, and their enemies closer.

Unlike most other schemes-based shows, which are all about one big mystery, Story of Yanxi Palace has several smaller arcs. Remember the sister-murder I mentioned at the start? I was prepared for that to take the whole runtime of the show to solve; it actually gets (mostly) concluded around episode twenty-something. Antagonists arise and fall. Situations happen and resolve. Think of it less like a movie's single narrative, and more like a video game's multiple levels. Hooray, we finished Garden World! Now we get to go back to Palace World, but with way more EXP and powerups than we had before!

I know that looks like a bunch of lovely, high-class ladies in that shot, but it's not. It's a pit of vipers. Any woman in that lineup would straight-up shank pretty much any other woman in that lineup without hesitation or remorse. Every woman there knows exactly where she fits in the hierarchy and has a detailed plan for how to take out every woman above her to get to the top -- except for the one in black, who already did take out every woman above her to get to the top, and that's why everyone has to ostentatiously defer to her now.

If you are a fan of TV shows where folk scheme their way to success, this is really a can't-miss property for you.

This is also a show about how smart women have to become to survive being at the mercy of stupid men. Not only are the women being vicious to one another, they're doing so while simultaneousy having to pretend that they are pretty, delicate, vapid ornaments whose only thoughts are how they want the best for their precious emperor and his beloved mommy. It's all about the exercise of soft power, how to hide your knives behind silk sleeves and a sweet smile.

So okay, it's not quite as trashy as reality TV, but it's still bitchy as hell and incredibly fun to watch.

2. You love to hate her (and her, and him, and her)

Now if you've read pretty much any one of my previous recs, you know I like a good baddie, and this is a show with some good baddies. As I said in the last point, this is a show about bad people doing bad things entertainingly.

However, I am not going to tell you who most of the show's love-to-hate characters are, because the vast majority of them do not start out hateable. If the show introduces a female character and you like her, or a eunuch character and you like him, there is like an 85% chance they're going to do a heel turn. (And then sometimes do a face turn after? Look, schemes are complicated.)

But I will tell you about one bitch who's rotten from her first moment to her last: Noble Consort Gao.

Noble Consort Gao is the scenery-chewing, shit-stirring, absolute meanest mean girl in the palace, and it is so fucking entertaining. She's your major antagonist for the first half of the show. She's strategically mean, but she's also recreationally mean. She does the anime villainess laugh for real. Her actor, Tan Zhuo, has set her bitch dial to 11 and isn't even bothering to chew the scenery -- she's shredding it with those incredible metal claw-nails she wears.

Noble Consort Gao is a good starting antagonist because she's so blatantly evil -- and yet somehow still unstoppable. She's a good example of how you can get away with being pretty much openly sinister if you also manage to mind your manners. The reason she gets away with being so damn awful to everyone else is that she's still playing by all the rules. She's managed to weaponize every convention about propriety to lord her power over everyone else. She's like a fucking HOA.

And you'll notice I'm speaking about her with such fondness because she's delightfully awful. In fact, pretty much everyone in this show is delightfully awful. There are exceptions, but on the whole, you want to see them go down, yet you're also going to be a little sad when they go. Even Noble Consort, by the end, you get where she's coming from, and you feel a little bad for her on the way out.

Do you like vengeance? Because we've got some vengeance for you here. Many, many people in this show have been wronged, often by the people they trusted most. And of course they all respond to this in a healthy manner, seeking justice for themselves and for their loved ones through proper channels and reasonable means.

Ha ha, just kidding, everybody here is completely unhinged! The primary difference between a good guy and a bad guy in this show is how many innocent people they wind up taking down with the guilty party. It's messy as hell and we are making popcorn about it.

This is a show full of villains. In fact, this cast is pretty much entirely bad guys, semi-bad guys, potential bad guys, and good people who had to do bad things to survive. There are maybe two non-child characters who are Just Plain Good that don't get nuked almost immediately. Everyone else is some shade of grey. Even our hero (and we'll get to her in a minute) is pretty yikes-inducing cruel when she needs to be.

Going to say this as clearly as I can: This is not a show for people who cannot tolerate moral ambiguity. This is a show for people who love to watch clever bastards work. And pretty much nobody's more of a bastard than Noble Consort Gao.

Ladies and gentlemen, the cunt is served.

3. No, seriously, this is actually what it all looked like

If you are at all interested in this actual time period, you owe it to yourself to see this dedicated work of historical recreation.

The amount of research and detail that went into this production is honestly mind-blowing. Because this show is set in the 18th century, we actually have some pretty great documentation about the places, objects, and people involved in this story -- including some (slightly later, obviously) photographs! The production went all out in its attempts to replicate the setting, including using period-appropriate techniques to create various accessories and objects.

The outfits are amazing -- and excruciatingly accurate in several aspects. I've seen more than a couple people say that their first reaction to the costumes was, ho hum, kind of boring. Well, yeah, compared to some of the absolutely bugfuck-complicated wearable works of art from earlier periods, these are a little understated. But then you start paying attention to the million little details: the embroidery, the hair ornaments, the layers, the fabrics. A whole team of people clearly put a huge amount of work into these outfits.

Nearly every royal character in the show is a real person. You could spoil yourself for several major plot beats just by going to Wikipedia. In fact, I accidentally did this, because I was reading the show's DramaWiki page and thought, oh, that's interesting; I understand why the actor names are links (because it takes you to the actors' pages), but why are so many of the character names also links? Turns out: Wikipedia! So, uh, careful where you click.

One of the great things about the show is how utterly claustrophobic it is. Most of it takes place within the heavily guarded walls of the Forbidden Palace; on the very few occasion it goes somewhere else, you're just traveling to other walled manors and villas. There's one brief scene in a forest, and the psychological difference is enormous. You see a few trees and you're immediately like, oh, so that's why these women are going crazy in their gilded cages.

The drama even shows how some of the least glamorous parts of the Forbidden Palace work: the chamber pots, the coal for furnaces, the mopping, the weeding, the laundry, the fire brigades. It's an enormous production, keeping what is basically a 178-acre city-state running to imperial standards. It's nice to see a drama that acknowledges that while rich people may want to see only clean walkways and fresh sheets, those things don't happen by magic.

If anything, knowing about all this detailed research makes the unintentionally funniest scene in the entire show -- the one with the eunuchs playing Western instruments -- ten times funnier. You had artisans spending months doing exact recreations of historical hairpins, and you couldn't spend thirty seconds asking the internet "when were saxophones invented?" or "does an accordion make noises like a string quartet?" Perfect. No notes.

Trust me when I say you'll get used to the queue haircuts on the dudes. It helps that most of the time, they're facing the camera so they just look like they've got their heads fully shaved, and most of them have heads that look very good shaved! ...Most.

4. The kind of girl who'd make Mei Changsu say damn

The show has a strong ensemble cast, but the woman at the core of all the action is the tough-as-nails protagonist, Wei Yingluo.

The details we have on the actual Lady Wei are sparse. She doesn't really exist as a person in the historical record, to the point where we don't even know her given name (if she even had one) or when she showed up to the palace. We mostly know when she got given her titles, how many kids she gave birth to, some of what she did later in life, and when she died. The show takes these historical gaps and just runs with them, weaving into the silences a narrative that, while implausible, could have happened!

The show starts when Wei Yingluo enters the Forbidden City, not as a royal lady concubine, but as a regular little maid. She's got an agenda, though -- as mentioned earlier, her sister has died tragically, and she wants to figure out why. The stakes get higher as it becomes clear just how much people don't want this question answered, for their sakes as much as for hers.

She very quickly realizes that she can't just live a quiet life and snoop around casually. Too many people are out to get her, and if she's going to survive, she's got to fuck with them before they fuck with her. And they are wholly unprepared for the self-destructive lengths to which she will go to to fuck with them.

Wu Jinyan deserves all the accolades for turning in a great performance. She has to be completely all over the board emotionally and energy-wise for seventy whole episodes, and she brings it. She's very funny and physical when the show calls for her to be! She's willing to flail around and stuff her face and ugly-cry. Then she turns on the don't-mess-with-me stare and the temperature in the room drops ten degrees. Did she get some award for this? [checks her DramaWiki page] Okay, she got several awards for this, good. Even in a huge cast this talented, she's an absolute standout. I can't wait to see her in the Double, which is definitely on my to-watch list.

I'm not going to call Wei Yingluo a Mary Sue, because that's not accurate, but this girl does have some serious plot armor on. You never get the sense that she hasn't earned it, though. She's smart, capable, and more than a little completely fucking crazy. The show makes you believe that the reason she survives most of the shit she pulls off is that everyone is just so baffled that anyone would try it at all that they don't even know how to respond.

I thought about starting out this rec post with Wei Yingluo -- putting her above the cut, in fact, because she really is that compelling. She's back here, though, because it's with Wei Yingluo that we start to slide into my points of critique. Too often, female protagonists are here to solve the problem with their cuteness and quirkiness and extra-special perfectness that shows up all the other girls and captures the heart of whatever boy she needs to save the day. And no matter how this show starts off wanting to make her something different, it ultimately can't conceive of a female lead who isn't at her core just like that.

The writers can never decide how much Wei Yingluo's Manic Pixie Dream Girl act is an act, and how much she means it. The show introduces her as a stone-cold psychopath who is capable of feigning being a carefree brainless uwu smol bean. Later it decides, actually, she's really at her core a spunky, soft-hearted creature who likes to goof off and is just capable of switching on Scheming Bitch Mode when she needs it! And it's like, are you kidding? You just spent like forty episodes telling me that it's all a big trick when she does this, and now you're saying it's not anymore?

It's like they made a character capable of decieving men, and then got decieved by her, which you have to respect. Any fictional character can fool another fictional character; only true legends fool their creators.

sidebar: fuck that dude

The show can never fully commit to this bit, because he's supposed to be our big heroic love interest, but the emperor fucking sucks.

Hands-down the show's biggest moral is that All Emperors Are Bastards -- yes, even the ones in relationships we're supposed to find cute; yes, even the ones whose lifestyles we're supposed to envy; yes, even the ones played superbly by the devastatingly handsome Nie Yuan. While watching we repeatedly invoked this tweet:

Being a billionaire must be insane. You can buy new teeth, new skin. All your chairs cost 20,000 dollars and weigh 2,000 pounds. Your life is just a series of your own preferences. In terms of cognitive impairment it's probably like being kicked in the head by a horse every day

He is the dumbest, most easily played motherfucker in China. Getting horny makes him stupid, and he's horny all the time. He has absolute power over the lives of everyone in the empire, and you can distract him with the mere suggestion of a vagina. He has taken a full You Girls Fight It Out Amongst Yourselves stance toward his scheming harem. This will not go well for anyone.

And speaking of those wives, no matter how many times they loudly profess their undying devotion to him, I have a rough time imagining these women feel anything for the Emperor beyond exhausted contempt. Well, okay, maybe the Empress who married him before he took the throne, since she had a chance to get to know him before he was in full Emperor Mode. But none of the other women should ever stop dunking on this guy like the gullible shitbag he is. If you (like me!) are already skeptical about any given heterosexual romance in fiction, be prepared to roll your eyes through the Big True Love Story this one tries to sell you.

5. Right on the cusp of a fascinating feminist conclusion!

I may be on this one for a while; skip ahead if you like.

Okay, so: What little English-language buzz I've seen about this show has used the word "feminist" about it -- mostly in conjunction with how the show's popularity made the CCP sour on its failure to portray appropriate communist values (???). So I went into it expecting feminism! And I got a show with a whole bunch of female characters in it! And hoo boy, are those two things not necessarily the same!

This show is a great example of how merely passing the Bechdel-Wallace Test doesn't make something feminist. Sure, it's mostly about a single woman who, through her plucky nature, rises in the ranks of power. But that is feminist only by the shallowest, most girlboss, Lean-In-ass definition of the word.

At the beginning, you can kinda tell this was written, produced, and directed by men. By the time you get to the end, you can absolutely tell that the production team was dudes from top to bottom. This, to me, is the big tell: that the show cannot conceive that anything these women are doing could be interesting unless it's trying to stab another woman in the back. There is a time jump very near the end, where the few female characters still standing agree to stop being shitty to one another -- and then fast-forward a decade, because why would we care about seeing what their lives are like when they're not being shitty to one another?

The show is incredibly constrained by Actual History. At the end of the day, it's a Cinderella story, and as such, we have to cheer for the social and legal mechanisms that make it possible -- even when they're grotesquely misogynistic. The show lets its female characters pay lip service to how awful it is that women are little more than breeding stock, but it doesn't let them do anything about it. Mothers can be obliquely sad that their daughters are being fed to the same patriarchy machine that fucked them up, but talking is the most they can accomplish ... because those daughters were real people who were actually fed into the patriarchy machine. We know this. We have documentation. China is very good at keeping receipts.

Wei Yingluo starts out as a servant, and throughout the first half of the show, she moves up and down in the servant ranks -- and all the while it makes the point that being a servant fucking sucks. Maybe it's better when you get to work directly under someone you really like, but the actual job sucks shit and puts you at the mercy of everyone above you in the palace hierarchy. Your life is not your own. You're barely a person. You can easily get executed for merely working in the same household as someone who broke the rules.

The feminist answer to this dilemma is to notice that the system is bad and either a) refuse to participate in it, or b) use your power to mitigate its badness. The show, however, clearly thinks that the real problem with this whole setup is that the people we like aren't at the top of it. Somebody has to take the abuse; you just don't want that somebody to be you. Once Wei Yingluo gets to a place of real power in the palace hierarchy, she starts behaving very much like the people who used to be shitty to her and takes no steps to prevent the early-show damage she suffered from happening to other people.

Now: You can make the argument that if she'd done all those radical things, she would've been dead meat -- and I think you'd be correct! But the show never indicates that it gives a second thought to how abusive and unfair this all is. Survival in this system means exploiting the people below you. There's not a neutral option. And this show expects you to cheer for exploiting the "right" people.

The show never quite seems to internalize what the stakes are -- at least, not for more than a moment or two at a time. I made the Real Housewives joke because the show more or less treats the consort-on-consort schemes as fun catfights by mean girls wanting to be the prom queen. It almost gets to the point of realizing that a woman's place in the harem is literal life-and-death shit for her, and that if she can't produce a son and work him into a powerful position, she's fucked. It always bunts when it gets there, though, choosing to play up vanity and petty grievances instead of the absolute desperation these women must be feeling.

It gets so close with Consort Shun to a real discussion about how awful it is that the men in their lives see them as pretty objects to be bartered for favor and power with other men. But it can't fully go there, because that would undermine the structures propping up this Cinderella story, and then we couldn't feel good about the Cinderella story. And we want to feel good about the Cinderella story. We will burn every other female character in the show if we get to feel good about the Cinderella story.

I've made a lot of jokes about lesbians in this show, but the truth is, it is chronically deficient in lesbianism. Lesbian sex would have improved the lives of at least half the characters here, if not more. Unlike a lot of other historical c-drama shows, Yanxi Palace acknowledges the reality and possibility both male and female same-sex sexual desire -- but it does so in order to say that both are bad. (I legitimately cannot tell if the production is doing this to show how regrettably anti-gay the past was or to play on the audience's expected homophobic disgust. I suspect the latter, but I genuinely don't know.) While it does the fascinating thing of showing desire and coupled relationships between women and eunuchs, it has no idea how queer those setups are, nor does it acknowledge the possibility for same-sex pairings to fill that same positive dynamic.

So why on earth would I list this whole mess of problematic attitudes as a reason for, and not against, watching the show?

Because it is fascinating to think about. Look, I've burned a lot of time and brainpower here writing several paragraphs that no one is ever going to read about how interesting the show's moves are. It has the weird problem where it understands what happens when you lock a bunch of women together in a high-pressure situation keyed to a brutal hierarchy -- but it doesn't ever appear to quite get why. At least, not beyond the sense that people will claw their way to the top of any hierarchy they have access to, just because it's there. (Watch how it treats the few exceptions to this, the rare nonambitious characters. See how long they stay nonambitious.)

As I said when I labeled this point, the show is just on the edge of a smart conclusion, and that smart conclusion has to do with how awful it is that women are both the people who suffer most under heteropatriarchy and the people who work the hardest to uphold it.

Yes, the world into which these women have been thrust is awful. But they make it ten times more awful because they're all semi-voluntarily engaged in a vicious, Highlander-esque zero-sum competition. They could cut one another some slack, but they're more invested in continuing the cycle of abuse to maintain an intense, repressive order. The ones that try to be kind about it get repeatedly fucked by the ones who have no interest in kindness. They all have to engage in performative rituals that mimic sincerity without actually producing a single genuine emotion toward one another. It's horrifying and paranoia-inducing in the extreme. And they're doing most of it to themselves.

If it were really feminist, the moral of the Story of Yanxi Palace would be it does't have to be like this. This dynamic is not inevitable; this is a choice perpetuated by generations of people who benefit from it just enough not to question its correctness.

Sadly, there's still enough promise in patriarchy that being a Good Girl will save you from the shit we put the Bad Girls through -- so don't you want to be a Good Girl? All we need you to do is throw all those icky Bad Girls under the bus. It's their fault for being Bad Girls anyway. But you? You don't have to be afraid. We're not going to hurt you. You deserve all the good things we're giving you. You're not like all the other girls. You're different. You're special.

Just don't forget to watch your back.

If anything, I think the CCP is terribly wrong: This show is an excellent demonstration of communist values, in that if these women had just joined together in solidarity, all their lives would have been so much better! The Emperor should have been posting helplessly on Reddit like "My (55M) consorts (40F, 36F, 31F, 28F, 22F, 19F) have unionized" so the entire internet could come for his ass.

Care to watch?

This is another of those shows you can find in a whole bunch of places! Here's the ones I know about:

YouTube

TVBAnywhere

Viki

Tubi

iQiyi

I know seventy episodes is a commitment. I know eighteenth-century palace drama is a lot. I know that last selling point of mine seemed to go on for-fucking-ever and you probably didn't read any of it. But this show is a beautiful work that I think more people should see, warts and all. Besides, if all we ever consume is ideologically "pure" media, how do we learn to think critically about anything?

True story: My Chinese colleague, knowing I was watching this show, taught me slang for "lesbian." It's 拉拉 (lala). Very useful.

[in-danmei-hell-send-help]

I think what kills me about Jiang Cheng antis is that a lot of their talking points reek of anti survivor rhetoric. As someone who is a survivor and has done a lot of advocacy for victims and survivors of power based personal violence, I want to be the first to inform you that the narrative of the “pretty survivor” (which is steeped in cishet normative, white supremacist, and ableist ideas) is an extremely rare case. Trauma survivors are rarely pretty. The Wei Wuxian’s of the world are incredibly uncommon. 

Trauma--especially intense, horrific trauma like what Jiang Cheng went through--often leads to intense issues of anger and hatred. It makes you deeply emotional and can often lead to you becoming unstable. Jiang Cheng lost his entire family and community in the span of a few years. He didn’t have access to therapy (something that literally anyone would need to heal from that), he had to rebuild his entire sect, likely had to fight an uphill battle in order to be a significant part of Jin Ling’s life, all while cleaning up the mess that Wei Wuxian left behind.

This is not to hate on Wei Wuxian, he’s my third favorite character (after Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji) and I love him deeply, but he left behind a legacy that Jiang Cheng had to clean up. Whether or not he realized this would happen, Wei Wuxian created a cultivation path (gui dao/ghost cultivation) that is extremely dangerous and horrific. While I still don’t know if I believe that Jiang Cheng killed every demonic cultivator he came across, I don’t know that it was necessarily a bad thing that he did kill them. We’ve talked a lot in the cxc server about gui dao and demonic cultivation and just how much it harms the mind and body. Wei Wuxian is the exception to the rule in having such control over it and even he eventually succumbed to it. If demonic cultivators are causing great harm, then a cultivators job is to stop that harm and the source of it. That may mean killing the demonic cultivator. I think people get mixed up when (I think it was Jingyi) said that Jiang Cheng kills the wrong person. I believe it was @twilightarc-gm who said that “wrong” doesn’t imply innocent but rather the fact that the person isn’t Wei Wuxian. We know that Jiang Cheng spent thirteen years trying to find Wei Wuxian and when he does find him, he doesn’t kill him despite having literally every reason to.

Like idk y’all, if the guy that got my entire clan wiped out, my sect burned down, and caused the deaths of my sister and her husband died and came back from dead, I wouldn’t just threaten him with a dog and yell at him. I would kill him. But he doesn’t he has every opportunity to in multiple instances after confirming that it’s Wei Wuxian, but he never does. He seems more interested in dragging Wei Wuxian home (literally stating that he’s going to bring Wei Wuxian home to Lotus Pier to kneel before his parents’ graves). Like that doesn’t imply that he’s going to kill Wei Wuxian, but rather make him repent. 

I think it’s telling that despite a lot of Jiang Cheng’s hurt and pain, he still chooses to not severely hurt or kill Wei Wuxian, it would be within his right to do so, but in the end after it’s all over, he let’s Wei Wuxian go. He doesn’t tell Wei Wuxian that he sacrificed himself for him, because he knew that Wei Wuxian would feel guilty and obligated to him, just like Wei Wuxian knew Jiang Cheng would feel guilty and obligated. That to me shows a survivor choosing to break the cycle of hurt and pain and I have to question why Jiang Cheng antis so often choose to ignore the side of him that does love Wei Wuxian (it’s up to the viewer whether they see that love as romantic or platonic), enough so to let him go and not burden him with pain.

Jiang Cheng’s story and character arc is at it’s core about trauma, survival, and rising above dire circumstances despite the odds. He attempts the impossible and manages to succeed in it. And to ignore that is a disservice to his character, survivors of trauma, and the effort MXTX put into creating such a complex and interesting character.

[shaolinrouge]

Pacific Rim Timeline

First post ever and it’s just going to be a huge info-dump.

Alright, I tried to put this together as close to the actual timeline as possible, but there are a lot of inconsistencies in the Pacific Rim lore, as well as conflicts between the movie, novels, Pacific Rim: Uprising, and Travis Beacham himself. I did my best to root out these inconsistencies and did some flat-out guessing on some parts. 

There are some events that are classified as timelines. In these instances I will list them as the earliest possible date they could have occurred and italicize and bold them so they are more easily identifiable. For example, if a battle occurred somewhere between 2015 and 2017, I will list it as the following: 2015-2017: [Name of Event]

A lot of the Jaegers have undetermined destruction dates, but keep in mind that humans were mostly winning the Kaiju War until the Knifehead fight in 2020, so when there are long periods of time involved, the destruction of a Jaeger is likely post-Knifehead.

Please keep in mind I included quite literally every date I could get my hands on, so there will be some events in this timeline that seemingly have nothing to do with the movie itself and only slightly tie into one of the characters. 

Now, with that out of the way, let’s jump into it. 

201,300,000 - 251,900,000 Years Before: The Precursors Attempt to Invade Earth

During what we refer to as the Triassic period, the Precursors attempt to invade Earth for the first time; however, the atmosphere isn’t suitable for them, and thus, the attempt fails.

November 10, 1980: Hercules “Herc” Hansen is Born

Herc is born in Sydney, Australia. At some point, he meets and marries his wife, Angela. They have a son, Charles “Chuck” Hansen, together in 2003. When the Scissure attack happens in 2014, Herc is in the air force. He chooses to save Chuck instead of Angela during the onslaught and his wife is either killed by her office collapsing or by the nuclear bomb that kills Scissure. Soon after, he joins the first generation of Rangers in the Jaeger Academy alongside his brother Scott. He is a fearless fighter and is willing to put himself in the path of danger to protect innocents. 

September 5, 1984: Caitlin Lightcap is Born

Caitlin is an inquisitive and driven woman. She is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a father who is a Methodist priest and a mother who is a librarian. She attends Carnegie Mellon for college, where she meets and becomes enamored with Professor Jasper Schoenfeld. The Professor’s wife eventually finds out about the relationship and divorces him. After graduating, Lightcap is accepted into D.A.R.P.A. where she works on thought-based pilot interfacing, foreshadowing her involvement in the Jaeger Program. Eventually, when her OCD and depression become too much for her, she takes a leave of absence. Eventually, she rejoins Jasper Schoenfeld after the Kaiju War begins and develops her Pons Machine.

December 30, 1985: Stacker Pentecost is Born

Stacker is born to parents Obadel and Viviane Pentecost. He has a sister, Luna, as well, who he eventually joins the Royal Air Force alongside. When Trespasser attacks, Stacker learns Luna is in America, planning to help in the assault against the creature. Unfortunately, Luna dies in Trespasser’s assault, and Stacker dedicates himself to destroying the Kaiju as a result, since she was his only remaining family. Stacker is a level-headed and intelligent individual, and despite his stern demeanor, he can be extremely charismatic and motivational when necessary. 

September 15, 1986: Bruce and Trevin Gage are Born

The twins are born in the city of Monterey, California. Little is known about their background.

January 31, 1989: Aleksis Kaidonovsky is Born

Aleksis is an abrasive and unpredictable individual who supposedly has aggression issues. Before joining the Jaeger program in 2015, he worked as a guard at an undisclosed prison, alongside Sasha Kaidonovsky.

June 9, 1989: Hermann Gottlieb is Born

Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Hermann is the third of three children. He is a lonely child, often bullied for his oddities. It becomes quickly apparent that Hermann has an aptitude for math, especially abstract mathematics. He goes on to get a degree in engineering and applied science studies. When Trespasser attacks, Hermann is twenty-four. He begins exchanging letters with Newton Geiszler about Kaiju and other topics, and the two continue communicating for the next three years. Eventually, Hermann joins the Jaeger Academy. 

January 19, 1990: Newton Geiszler is Born

Roughly ten years before Newton’s birth, his parents begin an affair despite both having partners at the time. Jacob Geiszler, a piano tuner, is his father, and Maria Schwartz, an opera singer, is his mother. Maria leaves Jacob to raise Newton with the help of his [Newton’s] uncle, Illia. His uncle is a musical engineer, and he later teaches Newton the basics of electronics. As a child, Newton is a huge fan of monster movies and manga, and tis interest carries over into the subject of science. Trespasser attacks when Newton is twenty-three and afterward he begins writing to Hermann Gottlieb. The two communicate for at least three years before meeting and then going separate ways. Eventually, Newton joins the Jaeger program.

February 9, 1991: Sasha Kaidonovsky is Born

Besides her birth in Moscow, Russia, we don’t know much about Sasha. She is a woman “not to be messed with”, and before Trespasser’s attack, she worked as a prison guard alongside Aleksis Kaidonovsky. 

May 17, 1992: Tendo Choi is Born

Tendo is born in Beijing, China, but was raised in San Francisco. There, he works as a ferryman until Trespasser’s attack. Eventually, he joins the Jaeger Academy.

November 7, 1995: Yancy Becket is Born

He is born in Anchorage, Alaska, to parents Dominique and Richard. His father is a hydraulic engineer. The Becket family lives a relatively comfortable life, traveling the world often. Yancy is considered naturally talented and tends to excel at many things he tries. He’s also generally very level-headed. 

December 11, 1998: Raleigh Becket is Born

Raleigh and Yancy are very close as children; however, they have very different personalities. Compared to Yancy’s “calm”, Raleigh is the “storm”. He is very self-assured, although he generally has to work harder than Yancy to excel at certain skills. He is intuitive, but also unpredictable, a trait which is considered a liability by many. While the two get along for the most part, friction sometimes builds between them as it is wont to do between siblings. The brothers are aged fifteen and seventeen when Trespasser attacks, and the pair watch the broadcast live on television. Eventually, the join the Jaeger Academy.

December 24, 1998: The Wei Tang Brothers are Born

Born in Shanghai, China, the Wei Tang triplets earn reputations as street fighters when the Kaiju first invade. At some point during the early attacks, they also become known as local heroes, although the catalyst for this change is unknown. Eventually, they join the Jaeger Academy.

April 23, 2003: Mako Mori is Born

Born in Tanegashima, Japan, Mako’s parents are Sumako and Masao Mori. Her father is a swordsmith, and Mako spends much of her time as a child in his workshop, watching him forge weapons. At some point, he gifts her a hanbo staff. Mako is ten when Trespasser attacks, and she overhears the broadcast on the radio. 

August 14, 2003: Charles “Chuck” Hansen is Born

He is born to parents Angela Hansen and Hercules Hansen. His father is an air force pilot. When Chuck is nine, the Scissure attack takes place and his father has to make a choice between saving Chuck and Angela as he only has the time to reach one. Angela passes away and, shortly after, Hercules and his brother Scott join the Jaeger Academy. As a result, Chuck is essentially “raised in a cockpit” and spends a lot of his adolescence in a military atmosphere. 

August 10, 2013: The Breach Forms

The Breach is a portal to another world or dimension, called the Anteverse. The Precursors reside within it and create Kaiju there. 

August 10, 2013: The Kaiju War Begins

With the emergence of the first Kaiju, the period known as the Kaiju War officially begins.

August 10, 2013: Trespasser Emerges from the Breach

Trespasser is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads for San Francisco. It is the first Kaiju to attack humanity. Little actual information is known about Trespasser, but the Kaiju is taller than the Golden Gate Bridge and can withstand most conventional weaponry thanks to thick armor.

August 10, 2013 - August 15, 2013: Trespasser’s Rampage

Trespasser’s arrival is foreshadowed by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shortly before it rises from the water and completely destroys the Golden Gate Bridge. Over the next six days it cuts a path through San Francisco, Sacramento, and Oakland, leaving mass destruction in its wake. Forces deployed by the United States and the Royal Air Force have essentially no impact on the Kaiju. In one of their assaults, Luna Pentecost, sister of Stacker Pentecost, is killed. Eventually, the military resorts to using three nuclear missiles on the beast, killing it and decimating most of the Bay Area and Oakland in the process. In the aftermath, most of humanity considers this attack an anomaly. The Kaiju Blue and radiation left behind by this attack makes most of the Bay Area and Oakland essentially uninhabitable, and the SFEZ (San Francisco Exclusion Zone) is created. 

August 10, 2013 - August 15, 2013: Yeye Choi Dies from Exposure

During Trespasser’s rampage, Tendo Choi attempts to escape before realizing his grandfather is still at his home in Chinatown. He returns to the area and leads his grandfather from the building, but as they are attempting to get into a car, Kaiju Blue rains down onto Yeye Choi, unbeknownst to his grandson. The pair make it back to the docks and a ferry picks them up and takes them offshore, but Yeye Choi dies shortly after from exposure to Kaiju Blue.

February 5, 2014: Hundun Emerges from the Breach

The uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Manila in the Philippines. It is the second Kaiju to attack humanity. Hundun has two eyes on each side of its head, along with two backwards facing prongs that appear like shovels, one on each side of the head. It has a crest on top of its head too. 

February 5, 2014: Hundun’s Rampage

The Kaiju approaches at night during a tropical storm, so the city isn’t prepared at all for its arrival. Upon making landfall in the Philippines, it heads straight toward Manila and begins destroying the metropolitan area. Eventually, when the Kaiju is just east of the city, officials drop a tactical nuke on it. In the aftermath, Manila is thoroughly contaminated by the Kaiju’s excrement.

February 8, 2014: The Kaiju Emergency Alert System is Established

To prevent widespread confusion and panic as was present in Hundun’s attack, the KEAS is established. The system allows civilians a period of time to escape the city if a Kaiju is due to make landfall.

June 1, 2014: Kaiceph Emerges from the Breach

Kaiceph is an uncategorized Kaiju and the third to attack humanity. It heads for Cabo San Lucas, in Mexico.

June 1, 2014: Kaiceph’s Rampage

The Kaiju makes landfall and begins destroying the city. Initially, military forces attempt to lure it to the edge of the city before detonating a tactical nuke, but Kaiceph doesn’t stray from its path. They are forced to detonate the bomb in the city, eliminating half of its inhabitable area. In the aftermath, Kaiceph’s remains are placed on an aircraft carrier. 

September 2, 2014: Scissure Emerges from the Breach

Scissure is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads for Sydney, Australia. It has four limbs and loose, scaly skin. Its jaw is long and its mouth is a bioluminescent blue like most Kaiju. It has large and elongated ears that differentiate it from other Kaiju, as well as clawed fingers and wings stemming from its arms. 

September 2, 2014 - September 5, 2014: Scissure’s Rampage

Upon emerging, Scissure beelines for Sydney, Australia. While crossing an island, a nuke is dropped near the Kaiju, but it fails to kill Scissure. The Kaiju destroys a large part of Sydney before it is lured to Garigal National Park. Another nuke is dropped, and this one deals a killing blow, but half of Sydney is decimated as well. Hercules Hansen’s wife and Chuck Hansen’s mother, Angela Hansen, is killed in the attack although her exact cause of death is undetermined. 

September 15, 2014: Jasper Schoenfeld Proposes his Idea to the United Nations

According to Jasper Schoenfeld, he came up with the idea for Jaegers after watching his son play with a toy robot. He presents his ideas to the United Nations some time after the Scissure attack.

September 15, 2014 - November 9, 2014: The Jaeger Program is Approved

The United Nations gives the go-ahead to Jasper Schoenfeld and Caitlin Lightcap. They begin designing a prototype Jaeger, Brawler Yukon.

September 15, 2014 - December 1, 2014: The Pan Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC) is Formed

Shortly after Jasper Schoenfeld proposes his ideas, the United Nations forms the PPDC to act as their beneficiary. They funded Jasper Schoenfeld and Caitlin Lightcap’s research to create the first prototype Jaegers.

November 9, 2014: Construction for Brawler Yukon Begins

As proposed, Caitlin Lightcap and Jasper Schoenfeld begin to design and improve their ideas for a prototype Jaeger named Brawler Yukon.

November 9, 2014: The Pons Machine is Conceptualized

Caitlin Lightcap comes up with the first prototype for a Pons Machine. She later tests it on Stacker Pentecost.

December 1, 2014: The PPDC Proving Ground is Established

The Proving Ground is a Jaeger testing and construction facility on Kodiak Island in Alaska. 

January 30, 2015: Brawler Yukon is Demoed for the First Time

Constructed on Kodiak Island, Alaska, Brawler Yukon is the prototype for the Mark-1 series Jaegers. USAF Captain Adam Casey attempts to complete a neural handshake with the completed Jaeger; however, he is only able to make one of the fingers twitch before suffering from neural overload. As a result, Brawler Yukon crashes to the ground and Adam Casey undergoes a series of seizures. When he is recovered, it becomes quickly apparent the man is dead, and they are unable to determine whether he died as a result of the 200 foot fall or the seizures. Caitlin Lightcap becomes hesitant to attempt a second demo.

February 18, 2015: Brawler Yukon is Demoed for the Second Time

Sergio D'onofrio, a Lieutenant, attempts a drift with Brawler Yukon and is able to make the Jaeger prototype take a few steps before he launches into a series of seizures just like Adam Casey. Acting quickly, Caitlin Lightcap is able to connect her mind to his through an early version of the Pons Machine, reducing the load on D’onofrio’s mind. Thanks to Caitlin’s actions, the demo ends up being a success and D’onofrio survives the incident. The basis for a dual piloting system is established and the two are assigned to pilot Brawler Yukon officially.

February 18, 2015: The PPDC Formally Approves the Mark-1s and Construction  Begins

Because Caitlin Lightcap and Sergio D’onofrio successfully entered the first Drift through the Pons Machine, the PPDC approves the Mark-1s and gives the go-ahead for several Jaegers to be designed by Caitlin Lightcap and her partner, Jasper Schoenfeld. Supposedly, Hermann Gottlieb writes the codes for these machines. 

April 23, 2015: Karloff Emerges from the Breach

Karloff is the fifth Kaiju to attack humanity. It makes landfall in Vancouver, BC. Karloff is a notably thin Kaiju as opposed to its more heavily muscled brethren. It has a large, long head, with two sets of double eyes. Its skin is gray and leathery, with brown and red markings on its shoulders, back, fingers, and chin.

April 23, 2015: Brawler Yukon vs. Karloff

On April 23, 2015, weeks before the first line of battle-ready Jaegers are prepared for deployment, the Kaiju Karloff is detected on its way to Vancouver, BC. The PPDC decides to field test Brawler Yukon and deploys Caitlin Lightcap and Sergio D’onofrio to engage the beast in their prototype machine. Brawler Yukon is able to kill Karloff, showing the world that humanity is ready to fight back against the Kaiju. Karloff is the first Kaiju to enter a fight with and be slain by a Jaeger. Caitlin Lightcap and Sergio D’onofrio are the first Rangers to successfully pilot a Jaeger, as well as engage and kill a Kaiju in one.

April 23, 2015 - June 21, 2016: Brawler Yukon vs. Kame-san (a.k.a Thunderhead)

At an undetermined time, Brawler Yukon is deployed to fight the Kaiju Kame-san, who emerged from the Breach near the coastline of an undisclosed city. During the fight, Brawler Yukon must distract Kame-san from a Japanese submersible containing Kaori Koyamada and a team of PPDC officers as well as a US Submarine containing Duc Jessop and commanding officer Chowder. Brawler Yukon is knocked into a bridge and the structure is destabilized as a result. Acting quickly, Kaori Koyamada, Duc Jessop, and Chowder use the PPDC submersible and its lifeboats to stabilize a particularly damaged section of the bridge. Brawler Yukon eventually defeats Kame-san.

July 24, 2015: The PPDC Begins Hiring Pilots and the Jaeger Academy is Established

In preparation for the release of the Mark-1s, the PPDC begins looking for pilots. To prepare pilots for the hardships of piloting a Jaeger, the Academy is established. Notable people who entered the Jaeger Academy in 2015 include:

Hercules Hansen

Scott Hansen

The Wei Tang Brothers

Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky

Hermann Gottlieb

November 5, 2015: The Hong Kong Shatterdome is Established

Before its conversion to a Shatterdome, the building is a wave-driven generator facility. Hong Kong’s Shatterdome is the first and largest of any that will be established. It is located on the Southern End of Tsing Yi Island overlooking Victoria Harbor. It goes on to harbor the Jaegers Horizon Brave, Shaolin Rouge, and Crimson Typhoon.

December 6, 2015: Tacit Ronin is Launched

The Mark-1 Japanese Jaeger is part of the first wave of machines constructed to combat the Kaiju. It is launched alongside Horizon Brave, Romeo Blue, and Coyote Tango. It is piloted by Duc Jessop and Kaori Koyamada (later Jessop). Tacit Ronin is designed for speed, agility, and evasive attacks. It has a Speed score of 8, a Strength score of 7, and an Armor score of 3. It stands at 244 feet (74.37 meters). It is equipped with fang-blades on each wrist, making it a close-combat Jaeger. There are various cannons on its torso, allowing Tacit Ronin to hit an enemy with immense firepower at a close range. On its back, Tacit Ronin has two propulsion jets that can be used to increase speed for a small amount of time. They likely operated similarly to the ones we see later on Gipsy Danger. Tacit Ronin is powered by a nuclear reactor.

December 15, 2015: Romeo Blue is Launched

Romeo Blue was constructed in Sitka, Alaska. It is the second Mark-1 American Jaeger after Brawler Yukon. Launched alongside Tacit Ronin, Horizon Brave, and Coyote Tango, Romeo Blue is piloted by the Gage twins, Bruce and Trevin.  Romeo Blue was designed for long range combat. It has a Speed score of 2, making it one of the slowest Jaegers ever produced. It has a Strength score of 7 and an Armor score of 6. Romeo Blue stands at 255 feet (77.72 meters). The Jaeger is equipped with a Gatling cannon, mounted in the chest. Also on the chest is a large fin that is designed to draw attacks away from and protect the Conn-Pod. Romeo Blue is powered by a nuclear reactor.

December 15, 2015 - December 30, 2015: Cherno Alpha is Launched

At an undetermined date in December of 2015, Cherno Alpha is launched. It is piloted by Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky. The Jaeger is designed to withstand and deal extremely heavy hits. It is also remarkably durable so the machine can withstand prolonged patrols. It has a Speed score of 3, a Strength score of 10, and an Armor score of 10. Cherno Alpha stands at an astounding 280 feet (85.34 meters), tying it for the title of Tallest Mark-1 Jaeger with Coyote Tango. The Jaeger’s armament includes a pair of Incinerator Turbines that can shoot fire a moderate distance away. Within Z14 fists there are Tesla cells, allowing Cherno Alpha to pack a punch containing up to 415kv of electricity. As a result, Cherno Alpha’s “taunting” move of smashing its fists together also allows a maximum current in both its fists, giving them maximum discharge. Finally, within the Jaeger’s arms are numerous cylinders that increase the power of its attacks, called the “Roll of Nickels”. When landing blows while using this move, the ground around Cherno Alpha is said to shake from the impact. Cherno Alpha is powered by a nuclear core that has an immense reserve of incendiary fuel. This core is, unlike most Jaegers, located in the heavily armored head as a decoy for Kaijus searching for the Conn-Pod; meanwhile, Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky reside in the safest part of their Jaeger: the immensely protected chest. There, the Conn-Pod takes almost no damage in most fights; however, there are no escape pods in Cherno Alpha because of the Conn-Pod’s placement, meaning Sasha and Aleksis must either fight and prevail or die trying.

December 15, 2015 - July 5, 2016: Victory Alpha is Launched

Victory Alpha is a Japanese Jaeger of either Mark-1 or Mark-2 classification. It is piloted by Kagiso and Itu. Victory Alpha is designed somewhat similarly to Tacit Ronin with a long and narrow frame. There are two ventilation ports on its shoulders. It has double-jointed arms with energy weapons underneath its wrists.

December 15, 2015 - August 22, 2018: Lucky Seven is Launched

Lucky Seven is an Australian Jaeger of unknown classification. It is piloted by Hercules and Scott Hansen.

December 22, 2015: Horizon Brave is Launched

Horizon Brave is a Mark-1 constructed on Kodiak Island in Australia, and it is the first Chinese Jaeger. It is piloted by Lo Hin Shen and Xichi Po. It has a Speed score of 8, a Strength score of 4, and an Armor score of 6. Horizon Brave is 238 feet (72.54 meters) tall. Horizon Brave mostly trades strength for speed and relies heavily on its armaments to fight. Notably, the Jaeger possesses shoulder-mounted cryo cannons that give the pilots the ability to slow, immobilize, or freeze enemies. The Jaegers fights are largely centered on these cryo cannons as demonstrated by its two moves, “Sub-Zero Suckerpunch” and “Flash freeze”. Horizon Brave is powered by a nuclear core. 

December 30, 2015: Coyote Tango is Launched

Coyote Tango is a Mark-1 Japanese Jaeger. It is the final Mark-1 launched, bringing the era to an end right around the turn of the year. It is piloted by Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier. It has a Speed score of 5, a Strength score of 7, and an Armor score of 4. Coyote Tango stands at 280 feet (85.34 meters), the same as Cherno Alpha. Coyote Tango is a moderately speedy Jaeger that fights mainly with evasive maneuvers and long range weapons. It is armed with twin long-range ballistic mortar cannons that use arching shots to catch Kaijus off guard. The Jaeger is also armed with an early prototype of Gipsy Danger’s Plasmacaster, the EnergyCaster. It has five levels of modulation, allowing for different energy output. Coyote Tango is powered by a nuclear core but has poor shielding against the radiation. According to its blueprints, Coyote Tango is able to be piloted solo; however, this doesn’t appear to be canon. On the other hand, this may have contributed to Stacker Pentecost’s later feats. 

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Tendo Choi and Newton Geiszler Enter the Jaeger Academy

Newton Geiszler seeks to become a scientist working in the Jaeger Program, while Tendo Choi aims to become a J-Tech.

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Eden Assassin is Launched

Eden Assassin is launched at an undetermined time in the year of 2016. It is a Mark-2 Russian Jaeger. Its abilities, appearance, and the identities of its pilots are unknown. 

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Diablo Intercept is Launched

Diablo Intercept is launched at an undetermined time in the year of 2016. It is the first of the Mark-2 Jaegers to launch after the Mark-1 era ended in 2015. Diablo Intercept is a Chilean Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. The Jaeger is fairly stout, and its Conn-Pod is painted a crimson color meant to represent strength. One of its weapons is flamethrowers on each of its arms that are effective over impressive distances. Diablo Intercept is also armed with devices called Hellbolts, explosive rounds that use a napalm-like substance that catches fire. 

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Puma Real is Launched

Puma Real is launched at an undetermined time in the year of 2016. It is a Mark-2 Panamanian Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. Puma Real is a lithely designed Jaeger that follows a set design template for Mark-2s. It is armed with missile launchers that could fire eight projectiles, an early version of the Anti-Kaiju missiles that would later be used by Striker Eureka. It also has retractable arms and two retractable claws, as well as a waist that can rotate three-hundred sixty degrees. 

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Solar Prophet is Launched

Solar Prophet is launched at an undetermined time in the year of 2016. It is a Mark-2 Peruvian Jaeger. Solar Prophet is the second Mark-2 released after Diablo Intercept. The identities of its pilots are unknown. According to Pacific Rim: Breach Wars, Solar Prophet is a slim Jaeger. Its armor is mainly black, however, a yellow glow emits from many of the Jaeger’s joints. It can seemingly wield a melee weapon like a club, staff, or javelin. The weapon’s color scheme is black and yellow, just like the Jaeger.

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Reckoner Emerges from the Breach

Reckoner is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and attacks Hong Kong at an undetermined time in 2016.

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Cherno Alpha and Horizon Brave vs. Reckoner

Reckoner begins its attack on a power plant by the waterfront in Hong Kong. During the battle, Reckoner incapacitates Cherno Alpha, leaving Horizon Brave to fight alone. Eventually, Horizon Brave manages to finish the Kaiju off by throwing it into a nearby power plant. This fight becomes known as "The Blackout Knockout". After this battle, Reckoner's remains will become the Hong Kong bone slums in which Hannibal Chau operates.

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Ceptid Emerges from the Breach

At an undetermined time in the Kaiju War, an uncategorized Kaiju named Ceptid emerges from the Breach and heads toward Guayaquil, Ecuador. 

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Romeo Blue, Diablo Intercept, and Puma Real vs. Ceptid

The three Jaegers are deployed to the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, before Ceptid is able to make landfall. Diablo Intercept is positioned to attack the Kaiju from the North, Puma Real is positioned to attack in the South, and Romeo Blue is stationed offshore as a last line of defense before Ceptid reaches Guayaquil. Despite the efforts of all three teams, Ceptid slips past them into the city and kills itself. A toxic gas escapes its corpse and the civilians quickly discover that the gas is deadly. Twenty-thousand people are killed because of direct exposure, and an additional fifteen-thousand are doomed to a long and slow death due to long term effects. 

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Diablo Intercept’s Destruction

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Diablo Intercept enters battle with an uncategorized and unnamed Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots is unknown.

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Puma Real’s Destruction

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Puma Real enters battle with an uncategorized and unnamed Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots is unknown.

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Solar Prophet’s Destruction

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Solar Prophet enters battle with an uncategorized and unnamed Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots is unknown. 

May 15, 2016: Onibaba Emerges from the Breach

Onibaba is a Category II Kaiju. It is shorter than other Kaiju but larger in terms of width. This Kaiju possesses four large legs along with two thick claws said to able to crush over 50,000 pounds per square inch. Two arm-like appendages reside in the Kaiju's thorax. Onibaba also possesses a high crest above its head that can withstand heavy damage. Onibaba is rather passive and actively avoids combat with an enemy unless provoked.

May 15, 2016: Coyote Tango vs. Onibaba

Coyote Tango, piloted by Tamsin Sevier and Stacker Pentecost, is deployed to fight Onibaba in Tokyo, Japan, alongside the military. Early on in the battle, Tamsin passes out, leaving Stacker to pilot the Jaeger alone for more than three hours. Eventually, he defeats Onibaba, unintentionally saving a young Mako Mori.

May 15, 2016: Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier are Removed from Active Duty

Because Mark-1s lack the necessary radiation shielding, both Tamsin Sevier and Stacker Pentecost suffer from radiation exposure, leading to a cancer diagnosis. They are removed from active duty.

May 15, 2016: Coyote Tango is Removed from Active Duty

To prevent later pilots from suffering the same fate as Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier, Coyote Tango is removed from duty. Technicians and engineers work to strengthen the radiation shielding and make general improvements. Additionally, Coyote Tango is immensely damaged during the Onibaba fight, so it also undergoes general repairs. 

May 15, 2016 - June 21, 2016: Stacker Pentecost Adopts Mako Mori

The two encounter each other again at some point after the battle, and Stacker Pentecost decides to adopt her as he feels some sort of kinship with her. 

May 17, 2016: The PPDC Reaches an Agreement for the Construction of a Shatterdome in Lima, Peru

The Lima Shatterdome would be the first to open in both the Western and Southern Hemisphere. 

June 21, 2016: Itak Emerges from the Breach

Itak is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads toward Tokyo Bay. It has six arms, four of which have curved blades. There are three eyes on each side of its face. Its body is broad at the top and narrow at the bottom. Itak emits a bioluminescent glow from its mouth, the muscles of its neck, and inside the cavity within its chest. Its upper body is a skeletal frame and its skin is black. On its head is a single narrow horn that is spear-like and curves upward.  

June 21, 2016: Tacit Ronin and Coyote Tango vs. Itak

Tacit Ronin is deployed in response to Itak entering Tokyo Bay, but Itak attacks it upon landing. The Kaiju manages to damage Tacit Ronin’s nuclear reactor as well as the shielding protecting the Conn-Pod and, by extension, the pilots within. The pilots, Duc and Kaori Koyamada, manage to fight Itak off momentarily, but it returns and rams the Jaeger once again, rendering both pilots unconscious. Luckily, Itak hesitates just long enough that Kaori and Duc recover their senses and use one of Tacit Ronin’s fang-blades to slice through the Kaiju’s chest, driving it back; however, the victory is short-lived as Itak grabs and destroys Tacit Ronin’s right arm. Then, while the pilots are still reeling, the Kaiju damages the frontal armor with its claws and begins tearing the armor apart. Itak attempts to drown the Jaeger, and Duc and Kaori respond by slicing the beast’s chest open while being overwhelmed by the radiation leaking into their Conn-Pod. Enraged, Itak attempts to deal a killing blow as both of Tacit Ronin’s pilots black out, but it is interrupted by the arrival of Coyote Tango, which is under the command of unnamed pilots and retains damage from its previous battle. Coyote Tango manages to draw Itak’s attention for some time but the Jaeger is inevitably thrown aside. Fortunately, they bought Tacit Ronin enough time to charge the Kaiju and deal a killing blow by cutting the monster clean in half. 

June 21, 2016: Kaori and Duc Jessop are Retired from Active Duty

Following the Itak fight, Kaori and Duc Jessop are hospitalized with serious injuries. Upon waking up some time later, the pair are informed the neural damage they sustained in the fight was too much and they will never be able to pilot a Jaeger again without suffering from neural overload and dying. 

June 21, 2016: Coyote Tango is Rendered Inoperable

According to Mako Mori, the Pons System in the Mark-1 is fried beyond salvation in the fight with Itak, putting it firmly out of commission for at least a few weeks. 

June 21, 2016: Raleigh and Yancy Becket Enlist in the Jaeger Academy

The brothers enter together in hopes of piloting together. 

June 21, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Brawler Yukon’s Destruction

At an undetermined point during the Kaiju War, Brawler Yukon enters battle with an uncategorized and unnamed Kaiju and is destroyed. Caitlin Lightcap survives the battle and goes on to continue researching the effects of the Drift on Rangers. Sergio D’onofrio’s fate is unknown, but he likely survives the encounter as well. 

July 5, 2016: Ragnarok Emerges from the Breach

Ragnarok is a towering Kaiju with dull beige skin, and a lean figure composed largely of muscle and no fat. Its arms are long and club-like, and it has the apparent ability to grow extra limbs in addition to its original four. Ragnarok's face is gaunt and skeletal-esque, its jaw long and narrow and only has two sets of frontal teeth. Atop its head are four hair-like tentacles with no apparent special ability, and within its mouth is an orange, bioluminescent glow that extends to its eyes.

July 5, 2016: Tacit Ronin and Victory Alpha vs. Ragnarok

Ragnarok’s appearance is foreshadowed by a serious earthquake that can be felt throughout much of Tokyo. Because Coyote Tango is inoperable and Tacit Ronin is still being repaired, Marshal Hikai deploys the Shatterdome’s third and final Jaeger, Victory Alpha. Upon being dropped, Ragnarok ambushes Victory Alpha, but the Jaeger manages to push the Kaiju away and attack it with one of their energy weapons. Victory Alpha manages to grapple Ragnarok from behind briefly, but the Kaiju breaks free and launches itself on top of the Jaeger, forcing it underwater. In preparation to deal the finishing blow, Ragnarok sprouts an additional two arms before bringing them down on the submerged Victory Alpha. The Jaeger’s pilots, Kagiso and Itu, eject into the water, but the Jaeger is utterly destroyed. Because Coyote Tango is inoperable, Kaori and Duc Jessop volunteer to fight Ragnarok off while Marshal Hikai requests immediate backup from other Shatterdomes. The couple are deployed in Tacit Ronin, which is still damaged. Kaori and Duc manage to land a slash on Ragnarok before being beaten backward in a quick assault, which they end with a second slash to Ragnarok’s back. The Kaiju forces Tacit Ronin underwater in an attempt to end it, but the Jaeger uses a fang-blade to impale Ragnarok and surfacing again. Finally, they stab it a second time and drag the blade upward, splitting the Kaiju in half. 

July 5, 2016: Kaori and Duc Jessop Die

As they were warned by the doctors before entering battle, the neural handshake while in a Jaeger proves to be too much for the couple, and they die of neural overload shortly after facing Ragnarok. Afterward, a team of unidentified pilots takes Kaori and Duc’s places in Tacit Ronin. 

July 5, 2016: Victory Alpha’s Destruction

In the battle against Ragnarok, Victory Alpha is ripped to pieces. While its pilots, Kagiso and Itu survive, the Jaeger is unsalvageable.

July 5, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Tacit Ronin’s Destruction

At an undetermined time after Kaori and Duc Jessop’s Death, Tacit Ronin is repaired and remains active in the Kaiju War. Later on in the war, the Jaeger and its pilots enter battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju. Tacit Ronin is cut in half in the course of the battle and its pilots are likely killed. The Jaeger’s remains are transported to Oblivion Bay.

August 9, 2016: The Lima Shatterdome is Established

It goes on to house the Jaegers Diablo Intercept, Solar Prophet, and Matador Fury.

November 23, 2016: The Anchorage Shatterdome is Established

It is later nicknamed “The Icebox”. It goes on to house the Jaegers Brawler Yukon, Chrome Brutus, and Gipsy Danger. 

December 4, 2106: The Vladivostok Shatterdome is Established

It is located in the Southern tip of Golden Horn Bay where the Russian Pacific Fleet was once based. It works closely with Tokyo’s Strike Group to contain and defend the Russian sector. It goes on to house the Jaegers Cherno Alpha, Eden Assassin, and Nova Hyperion. 

December 15, 2016: The Tokyo Shatterdome is Established

The Tokyo Shatterdome acts as the first point of contact for Kaiju that are westbound from the Breach since it covers the coast of Honshu and Hokkaido. It works closely with the Vladivostok Strike Group. It goes on to house the Jaegers Coyote Tango, Tacit Ronin, and Echo Saber. 

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017: Hermann Gottlieb and Newton Geiszler Meet

They do not like each other.

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017: Shaolin Rouge is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2017, Shaolin Rouge is a Mark-3 Chinese Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. Shaolin Rouge is designed to excel in underwater travel and combat compared to its fellow Jaegers. It has Hydrorepulsers on its back, as well as the ability to travel both horizontally and vertically in water for versatility. The Conn-Pod has a large reserve of oxygen that allows pilots to survive underwater for much longer periods of time. Additionally, the Jaeger can perform electrolysis with the surrounding seawater to slow the loss of oxygen or provide an emergency supply if necessary. To maintain orientation underwater, Shaolin Rouge has a ballast system and gas cells. As for armaments, the Jaeger mainly fights with the assistance of the Meteor Chain, a one-hundred sixty foot chain made of titanium alloy that rests on its right arm. This chain can function both above and underwater, so Shaolin Rouge can still fight reasonably well on land. There is an enhanced sonar system in the Jaeger as well, allowing pilots to track Kaiju in deep ocean conditions where other Mark-2s may fail. This sonar system can track up to two-hundred feet deep. In its left arm, Shaolin Rouge has a carbide lance that is strong enough to pierce a Kaiju’s armor and hide. Finally, the Jaeger has two magnesium laced warheads named “Shooting Stars”. In necessary situations, Shaolin Rouge can also use explosive bolts in its arm to detach damage and compromised limbs to reduce weight.

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017: Vulcan Specter is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2017, Vulcan Specter is a Mark-3 Australian Jaeger. It is piloted by Joshua Griffin and Tyler Zachary. Vulcan Specter is designed for and excels in close combat. On its arm rests a mounted fuel propulsed drill capable of destroying a Kaiju’s armor and skin as well as inflicting immense damage. Also on its arm is a powerful cannon, allowing Vulcan Specter to continue its assault from medium-to-long distances. There is a stronger cannon in the Jaeger’s chest. 

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017: Chrome Brutus is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2017, Chrome Brutus is a Mark-3 Canadian Jaeger. It is piloted by cousins Ilisapie Flint and Zeke Amarok, both of Inuit descent.

January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2025: Chrome Brutus is Destroyed

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Chrome Brutus enters battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju and is destroyed. The pilots likely died during or shortly after the battle.

January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2025: Death of Ilisapie Flint and Zeke Amarok

Their exact cause of death is unknown, but the pair likely falls in battle with their Jaeger; however, they are confirmed dead by January 1, 2025, according to Stacker Pentecost. 

May 1, 2017 - May 31, 2017: Coyote Tango Returns to Active Duty

After around a year of repairs, Coyote Tango likely returns to active duty in May. Since Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier can no longer pilot, the Jaeger is assigned a new team. The Tunari brothers, Gunnar and Vic, are assigned to Coyote Tango.

May 25, 2017: The Sydney Shatterdome is Established

Sydney’s Shatterdome is constructed in a relatively isolated location, but it also has the widest deployment radius in the PPDC. It goes on to house the Jaegers Vulcan Specter, Echo Saber, and Striker Eureka. 

July 10, 2017: Gipsy Danger is Launched

Launched on July 10, 2017, Gipsy Danger is a Mark-3 American Jaeger. It is piloted by the Becket brothers, Yancy and Raleigh. Gipsy Danger is largely designed for close combat since its fighting style generally mimics that of a street fighter or a brawler. It has a Speed score of 7, a Strength score of 8, and an Armor score of 6. It stands at 260 feet (79.25 meters) tall. Gipsy is a dark blue Jaeger meant to mimic the appearance of World War II fighter jets. There are large flaps on the back of its head and the base of its neck where the Jaeger’s head connects to the body that are meant to defend the Conn-Pod. Gipsy Danger has a wide array of features. The insides are maintained by a circulatory coolant system and various seawater channels that maintain temperature. It has Hyper-Torque Drives that enable it increased locomotion compared to some of its fellow Jaegers. Gipsy Danger also possesses a Nuclear Vortex Turbine that periodically runs health checks and radio chemical readings; the Nuclear Vortex Turbine also doubles as a weapon, since it can release extremely powerful blasts of fire at close range. If Gipsy Danger is within immediate distance of a Kaiju when the Nuclear Vortex Turbine is activated, the fire can burn completely through the hide of a Kaiju. On the soles of its feet, the Jaeger is equipped with Gyro-Stabilizers that equalize motion and allow for smoother bipedal motion. Additionally, the Gyro-Stabilizers provide a significant amount of grip so that Gipsy Danger doesn’t slide backwards when in aggressive motion against a Kaiju or an outside force. If it needs a quick burst of movement, the Jaeger can use its two rear jets for increased movement speed in the required direction. These jets allow Gipsy Danger to leap with enhanced height and launch itself at enemies. As for its armaments, Gipsy Danger possesses an I-19 Plasmacaster on each hand. This weapon is a particle dispersal cannon that fires plasma with the aid of a charged carrier rail, and it can simultaneously wound and cauterize Kaiju anatomy, preventing the spread of Kaiju Blue. Coolant can be released from the system in a concentrated blast to freeze or immobilize enemies momentarily. On its right elbow, Gipsy Danger also possesses an elbow rocket used to increase the speed and power behind a punch. Like all Jaegers up to and in the Mark-3 series, Gipsy Danger is powered by a nuclear reactor in the center of its chest. While this isn’t the intended purpose, a nuclear reactor coincidentally makes Gipsy Danger immune to EMP attacks. In the novelization, Gipsy Danger also possesses a gauntlet-fixed S-11 Pulse Launcher that releases an orb of dark matter when activated. These orbs can disrupt the molecular structure of Kaiju biology when they make contact. Finally, Gipsy Danger possesses the ability to self-destruct as a last resort against strong opponents. 

July 11, 2017: The Los Angeles Shatterdome is Established

The Los Angeles Shatterdome covers the enormous gap between Canada and Central America. It is located directly outside the city, near the Naval Base Ventura County. This Shatterdome is integral to the construction of the Anti-Kaiju Wall in Long Beach in later years. It goes on to house the Jaegers Romeo Blue and Mammoth Apostle.

September 14, 2017: Matador Fury is Launched

A Mark-3 Mexican Jaeger piloted by an unidentified male team. They are both convicts, but not criminals.

September 14, 2017 - January 1, 2025: Matador Fury’s Destruction

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Matador Fury is destroyed while fighting an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju. Its remains are moved to Oblivion Bay.

September 14, 2017 - January 1, 2025: Death of Matador Fury’s Pilots

There is no known date or cause of death for Matador Fury’s pilots, but they likely fall in battle with their Jaeger. They are confirmed dead by January 1, 2025, according to Stacker Pentecost.

October 17, 2017: Yamarashi Emerges from the Breach

Yamarashi, a Category III Kaiju, emerges from the Breach and heads toward Los Angeles, California. At the time of its appearance, Yamarashi is the largest Category III Kaiju ever recorded. It is a flat nosed Kaiju with a wide mouth and jagged rows of teeth akin to that of a shark. Situated behind its head is a crest of spiky bones that resemble lotus petals.

October 17, 2017: Gipsy Danger and Unknown Jaeger vs. Yamarashi

Yamarashi makes landfall on the Long Beach Waterfront and destroys a luxury cruise liner. It proceeds along Long Beach before making its way into the city and smashing through the Queenways Bridge. Then, it heads for Terminal Island. Gipsy Danger and another Jaeger of unknown identity are deployed into the mouth of the Los Angeles River to stop Yamarashi’s rampage through the city. The unknown Jaeger attempts a missile barrage, but the Kaiju’s hide is too thick and the missiles bounce off Yamarashi as a result. Gipsy Danger moves in as a response once Yancy and Raleigh Becket realize the fight has shifted into their hands. The brothers manage to drive the Kaiju back through the port of Long Beach toward the Harbor Freeway. Eventually, Gipsy Danger gains the upper hand and grabs the wire off a cargo crane before using it to behead Yamarashi. Kaiju Blue spills from Yamarashi’s corpse onto Gipsy Danger and nearly dissolves the Conn-Pod before Yancy and Raleigh Becket make it to the bay and wash it off. After the battle, bulldozers gradually remove the corpse from the city by dumping it into the channels, but the Kaiju’s head goes on to be used by a cult of Kaiju worshippers. 

November 19, 2017: The Panama City Shatterdome is Established

The Panama City Shatterdome is essential to the global shipping hub that is the Panama Canal. It goes on to house the Jaegers Puma Real and Hydra Corinthian.

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018: Hydra Corinthian is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2018, Hydra Corinthian is a Mark-4 American Jaeger. It is piloted by Kennedy LaRue and Stephanie Lanphier.

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018: Mammoth Apostle is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2018, Mammoth Apostle is a Mark-4 American Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. 

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018: Nova Hyperion is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2018, Mammoth Apostle is a Mark-4 Korean Jaeger. It is piloted by Pang So-Yi and An Yuna.

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018: Echo Saber is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2018, Echo Saber is a Mark-4 Australian Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. 

January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2025: Nova Hyperion’s Destruction

At an undetermined date during the Kaiju War, Nova Hyperion enters battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots, Pang So-Yi and An Yuna, is unknown. 

January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2025: Echo Saber’s Destruction

At an undetermined date during the Kaiju War, Echo Saber enters battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots is unknown. 

May 20, 2018: PSJ-18 Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Puerto San Jose.

May 20, 2018: Gipsy Danger vs. PSJ-18

Gipsy Dangers intercepts and kills PSJ-18.

August 22, 2018: Crimson Typhoon is Launched

A Mark-4 Chinese Jaeger, Crimson Typhoon is an extremely unique machine. Unlike other Jaegers, piloted by two people, Crimson Typhoon is run by Cheung Wei, Jin Wei, and Hu Wei, identical triplets. It has a Speed score of 9, a Strength score of 8, and an Armor score of 6. The Jaeger stands at 250 feet (76.2 meters) tall. Crimson Typhoon has a specially designed Conn-Pod for its three pilots, designed and produced with the aid of Caitlin Lightcap. It expands the normal dual neural handshake to allow the inclusion of a third individual. Two pilots act as the basic movement and the third acts as a gunner. The Jaeger itself has a full titanium core and fifty diesel engines per muscle strand. Its shoulders are broad and work as shields to protect the rest of the body. Like several other Jaegers, Crimson Typhoon has rear jets that allow for quick bursts of movement during battle that can operate independently from one another and allow the pilots to close the distance for melee attacks. The Jaeger is equipped with shock absorbers that allow it to adapt to numerous terrains. It's also extremely flexible in areas like the neck, which isn’t the case for many of the Jaegers. Crimson Typhoon’s torso and legs can rotate a full one-hundred eighty degrees and it can perform high kicks and flips. The Conn-Pod itself acts as a telescope, increasing visibility in battle. As for its armament, Crimson Typhoon wields a Plasmacaster similar to Gipsy Danger’s and its hands can turn into incredibly sharp saw blades that are devastating to Kaiju’s skin. 

November 26, 2018: Raythe Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju that emerges in the area of the Okhotsk Sea.

November 26, 2018: Cherno Alpha vs. Raythe

Raythe emerges from the Breach in the Okhotsk Sea area and heads for one of the five significant sea ports nearby, but Cherno Alpha intercepts and kills it before it makes landfall.

April 12, 2019: OS-19 Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads for Osaka, Japan.

April 12, 2019: Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon vs. OS-19

The two jaegers presumably respond before OS-19 makes landfall in Osaka, Japan, killing it.

August 14, 2019: Chuck Hansen Enrolls in the Jaeger Academy

Upon turning sixteen, Chuck Hansen enrolls in the six-month Jaeger Academy program. 

September 22, 2019: Clawhook Emerges from the Breach

The uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward San Diego.

September 22, 2019: Gipsy Danger vs. Clawhook

After Clawhook makes landfall and begins a rampage, Gipsy Danger is deployed. Gipsy wins the battle with relative ease, killing Clawhook.

November 2, 2019: Striker Eureka is Launched

Launched in 2019, the Australian Mark-5 is the first and last of its kind. While it will later be piloted by Chuck and Hercules Hansen, the latter is still assigned to Lucky Seven when Striker Eureka is released, making the identities of its pilots upon launch unknown. Supposedly, the PPDC sunk at least $100 billion into Striker Eureka’s production. It has a Strength score of 10, a Speed score of 10, and an Armor score of 9, making it the strongest and most well-rounded of any of the Jaegers. It stands at 250 feet (76.2 meters) tall. Striker Eureka has a fighting style not unlike Gipsy Danger’s, based off of a brawler or a boxer; however, most of this style seems to carry over because of its pilots, Chuck and Herc. Its uncanny speed and agility make it a speedy killer, and Striker Eureka often ends it fights quickly. On the back of Striker Eureka, a pair of T-16 Angel Wings allow quick movement while maintaining balance. Striker Eureka possesses one of, if not the, largest armaments of any Jaeger. On each of its fingers, a temperature-resistant brass-steel compound is molded around the joints to form its 4.211 “Brass Knuckles”. Behind these knuckles are retractable Assault Mount 3.25 “Sting-Blades” that are laced with carbon nanotubes capable of channeling thermal energy at temperatures over 300 degrees Fahrenheit. These blades can both wound a Kaiju and cauterize it, preventing an unnecessary spread of Kaiju Blue. In Striker Eureka’s chest is a six-barreled WMB2x90 Anti-Kaiju Missile launcher as well as eighteen K-Stunner warheads that are easily capable of killing a Kaiju, thanks to Newton Geiszler’s research into Kaiju biology. There is a TY escape pod in the back of its Conn-Pod, giving its pilots the chance to eject, and there is an escape hatch on the top of its head. Striker Eureka’s visor is equipped with advanced photochromic displays, giving them several plans of situational awareness in any given battle.

December 16, 2019: MN-19 Emerges from the Breach

The Category IV emerges from the Breach and heads toward Manila. It uses its sharp, barbed tail to deal heavy damage.

December 16, 2019: Horizon Brave, Gipsy Danger, and Lucky Seven vs. MN-19

MN-19 heads directly for Manila upon emerging, necessitating a three-Jaeger drop. Horizon Brave, Gipsy Danger, and an unknown Australian Jaeger (presumably Lucky Seven) are deployed. During the fight, Horizon Brave is overpowered by MN-19′s barbed tail and the other two Jaegers are forced to intervene. Gipsy Danger deals the killing blow.

December 16, 2019 - February 14, 2020: Scott Hansen is Dismissed from the PPDC

At an undetermined time, Hercules Hansen and Scott Hansen enter battle in Lucky Seven; however, while in the Drift, Hercules sees something incriminating that nearly throws the brothers out of alignment. After the fight he presents his findings to his higher-ups and Scott Hansen is dishonorably discharged from the PPDC.

February 14, 2020: Chuck Hansen Graduates from the Jaeger Academy

After spending six months in attendance, he is assigned to Striker Eureka immediately after graduation alongside his father.

February 14, 2020: Hercules Hansen is Assigned to Striker Eureka Alongside Chuck Hansen

Following Scott Hansen’s dismissal from the program, the PPDC sees it fit to reassign Hercules to Striker Eureka alongside his son Chuck, who has just graduated from the Jaeger Academy.

December 16, 2019 - January 1, 2025: Horizon Brave’s Destruction and Death of Lo Hin Shen and Xichi Po

At an undetermined date during the Kaiju War, Horizon Brave is destroyed while fighting an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju in Lima, Peru. Pilots Lo Hin Shen and Xichi Po are killed in the battle. Soon after, the remains of Horizon Brave are shipped off to Oblivion Bay.

January 1, 2021 - February 29, 2020: Tendo Choi Meets Alison

At an unknown date, Tendo Choi meets and becomes infatuated with Alison, who works in munitions at the Anchorage Shatterdome. Later, when asked about Alison by Yancy and Raleigh Becket, Tendo reveals the two went on a date, much to the displeasure of Alison’s significant other. Eventually, they get married and have a child.

January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020: The Anti-Kaiju Wall is Conceptualized and Construction Begins

At some point in the year 2020, the idea of the Anti-Kaiju Wall is born. Construction begins quickly after it is approved by the United Nations. Some of the funding is redirected from the Jaeger Program.

January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020: Hermann Gottlieb and Newton Geiszler are Assigned to the Hong Kong Shatterdome

The two are tasked with investigating the Kaiju and their weaknesses, as well as the way they operate. 

February 29, 2020: Knifehead Emerges from the Breach

A Category III Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads toward Anchorage, Alaska. At the time, Knifehead breaks the record for the largest Category III, beating Yamarashi. The Kaiju somewhat resembles a goblin shark. It has shell-like armor and is heavily built. Its head is broad at the base and narrow at the tip and resembles a knife, as the name suggests. Knifehead has four arms, two large and two small, as well as incredibly long and sharp claws. It also has a tail. There are bright yellow lines on its dark gray body. Knifehead also has blue bioluminescent qualities like most of its brethren.

February 29, 2020: Romeo Blue vs. Knifehead

Romeo Blue is deployed to hold the ten-mile line off of Anchorage and attempt to intercept the Kaiju Knifehead; however, Knifehead manages to slip past Romeo Blue and continue toward the city of Anchorage.

February 29, 2020: Gipsy Danger vs. Knifehead

Gipsy Danger is deployed to protect the Miracle Mile of Anchorage, Alaska. Stacker Pentecost orders Raleigh and Yancy to hold the line, but they disobey him in order to save a civilian vessel, the Saltchuck. Knifehead approaches the fishing vessel, and Raleigh and Yancy arrive just in time to save the ship. Gipsy moves the Saltchuck out of Knifehead’s path just in time, since Knifehead attempts to claw both Gipsy Danger and the Saltchuck down. Instead of landing a critical blow, the Kaiju’s claws only glance off the armor on Gipsy Danger’s back. Raleigh and Yancy set the Saltchuck down in the ocean and then turn to face Knifehead again. This movement is just in time, since the Kaiju lunges again, and Gipsy Danger’s right arm manages to intercept the attack. The brothers throw a follow-up punch and then slam the Kaiju’s head into the ocean with both fists. Knifehead claws Gipsy’s left arm, and Raleigh holds the Kaiju in place as Yancy fires up the Plasmacaster. They shoot the Kaiju three times in the chest, sending it flying backward into the ocean. Assuming the Kaiju is dead, Yancy and Raleigh contact LOCCENT and are drawn into a brief conversation with Marshall Stacker Pentecost; however, soon after Tendo Choi notices there is still a heavy Kaiju signature and LOCCENT warns the Becket brothers that Knifehead is still alive. The Kaiju emerges from the water and Gipsy Danger barely reacts in time to prevent Knifehead from biting its head off. Raleigh attempts to activate the Plasmacaster, but Knifehead swats Gipsy Danger’s left arm away and impales the Jaeger’s chest with its nose. Gipsy Danger’s arm is destroyed and it falls into the ocean. The Kaiju claws Gipsy Danger’s head, breaching the Conn-Pod. When Yancy attempts to say something to Raleigh, the rest of Knifehead’s claw breaches the Conn-Pod and Yancy Becket is killed. Raleigh is shocked by the Jaeger as it attempts to reroute the neural connection to account for the loss of the right hemisphere. Still shaken, he has no time to react when Knifehead lunges again, this time impaling Gipsy Danger’s chest and severely damaging it. Raleigh activates the right arm’s Plasmacaster as Knifehead rips the Jaeger’s armor away. He aims straight for Knifehead’s chest, dealing a killing blow. In the aftermath, Raleigh pilots Gipsy Danger back to the shore alone. 

February 29, 2020 - April 29, 2020: Raleigh Becket Departs from the PPDC

Shortly after the death of his brother and the loss of his Jaeger, Raleigh Becket resigns from his position as a Ranger. He goes on to live out of sight for the next five years, until Stacker Pentecost finds him working on the Anti-Kaiju Wall. Presumably, he spends the majority of these five years doing construction. 

February 29, 2020 - January 1, 2025: Romeo Blue’s Destruction and Death of Bruce and Trevin Gage

At an undetermined time in the Kaiju War, a Kaiju makes landfall and heads toward Seattle. Romeo Blue is deployed to kill it and prevent further destruction of the city. During the fight, the Kaiju tears off one of Romeo Blue’s arms and smashes through the Conn-Pod, killing Bruce and Trevin Gage. After the battle, the remains of Romeo Blue are transported to the PPDC Scrapyard (novelization)/Oblivion Bay (movie).

May 25, 2020: HC-20 Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

May 25, 2020: Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, and Striker Eureka vs. HC-20

The three Jaegers respond to the uncategorized Kaiju on its way to Ho Chi Minh and kill it.

November 10, 2020: Atticon Emerges from the Breach

The uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Seoul, South Korea.

November 10, 2020: Cherno Alpha vs. Atticon

Atticon makes landfall in Seoul, South Korea, the same day it emerges from the Breach. There, Cherno Alpha kills it.

January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021: Mako Mori Enlists in the Jaeger Academy

Seeking to become a pilot in order to get revenge for her family, Mako Mori enlists in the Jaeger Academy.

January 10, 2021: Hidoi Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads toward Bangkok, Thailand. 

January 10, 2021: Crimson Typhoon vs. Hidoi

Crimson Typhoon intercepts Hidoi in Bangkok, Thailand, and kills it.

October 9, 2021: Ceramander Emerges from the Breach

Ceramander is an uncategorized Kaiju that attacked Hawaii on October 9, 2021.

October 9, 2021: Striker Eureka and Coyote Tango vs. Ceramander

After Ceramander emerges from the Breach, Striker Eureka and Coyote Tango are deployed. As Ceramander is attacking Hawaii, the two Jaegers arrive and quickly kill the Kaiju.

December 12, 2021: FauxFace Emerges from the Breach

The uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and attacks the city of Santiago, Chile.

December 12, 2021: Vulcan Specter Emerges from the Breach

After FauxFace attacks Santiago, Chile, Vulcan Specter is deployed to prevent further damage. They kill the Kaiju.

January 31, 2022: Spinejackal Emerges from the Breach

Spinejackal is a Category IV. It is a tall, gray-skinned Kaiju with bioluminescent traces emitting from its mouth and eyes. On the back of its head and back are multiple barbed protrusions running down toward its tail. It possesses a jaw with mandibles and walks upright. It possesses panoramic vision from the abundance of eyes around the head enabling it to see front, sides, and back all at once.

January 31, 2022: Striker Eureka and Vulcan Specter vs. Spinejackal

Some parts of canon say Striker Eureka completed a solo kill on Spinejackal before it made landfall in Melbourne. Others say Spinejackal attacks the Sydney Opera House and evades several of Striker Eureka and Vulcan Specter's attacks before Striker Eureka manages to cut its head in half with a windmill blade.

July 24, 2022: Taurax Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Mindanao, an island in the Philippines. 

July 24, 2022: Striker Eureka vs. Taurax

Striker Eureka is deployed to intercept Taurax. Before the Kaiju can make landfall on Mindanao, Striker Eureka drops into the ocean and kills it. 

September 7, 2022: Tentalus Emerges from the Breach

Tentalus emerges from the Breach and moves through the China Sea (unspecified if this is in reference to the South China Sea or the East China Sea).

September 7, 2022: Crimson Typhoon and Shaolin Rouge vs. Crimson Typhoon

According to some sources, Shaolin Rouge was present in this fight; however, others accredit this fight only to Crimson Typhoon. Tentalus is in the middle of crossing the China Sea when one or both Jaegers intercept it, killing it before it can make landfall.

September 7, 2022 - January 1, 2024: Death of Shaolin Rouge’s Pilots

At an undetermined time after Shaolin Rouge's encounter with Tentalus, its first team of pilots is murdered in their apartment. Supposedly, this crime is committed by Kaiju cultists and worshippers, but the perpetrators are never apprehended. Shortly after, Ou-Yang Min-Hau and Ou-Yang Suyin are brought in to replace them as Shaolin Rouge's second team of pilots.

November 6, 2022: Coyote Tango’s Destruction and Death of Gunner and Vic Tunari

An unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju gains the upper-hand on Coyote Tango during a battle on St. Lawrence Island. As a result, Coyote Tango is destroyed and Gunnar and Vic Tunari are killed in action.

January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024: Vermin Emerges from the Breach

At an undetermined time, the uncategorized Kaiju Vermin emerges from the Breach and attacks the city of Medellin, Columbia. Seemingly, antagonistic parasitic life forms live inside Vermin's body and are released upon the Kaiju's death.

January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024: Vulcan Specter and Striker Eureka vs. Vermin

Since Medellin is evacuated before the Kaiju attack, the Jaeger teams don't have to worry about the populace. They manage to stop Vermin's progress before Vulcan Specter lands a killing blow. Parasitic life forms emerge from the Kajiu's corpse, but Striker Eureka and Vulcan Specter manage to contain them.

January 2, 2024: Huo Da Emerges from the Breach

Huo Da is a Category Three Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and makes its way through the Yellow Sea toward Shanghai. It has gangly legs and a frog-like tongue.

January 2, 2024: Crimson Typhoon and Shaolin Rouge vs. Huo Da

Shaolin Rouge is deployed eight-hundred miles into the Yellow Sea to battle Huo Da underwater and prevent it from making landfall. Shaolin's torso armor is damaged and its left arm is destroyed before Crimson Typhoon appears. They inflict enough damage that Huo Da begins to bleed out; however, it suddenly sprouts wings and carries Shaolin Rouge away despite attempts to escape. Shaolin Rouge is shoved into a building, crushing one pilot's legs. Crimson Typhoon eventually kills Huo Da.

January 2, 2024 - January 1, 2025: Shaolin Rouge’s Destruction and Death of Ou-Yang Min-Hau and Ou-Yang Suyin

At an undetermined point in the final stretch of the Kaiju War, Shaolin Rouge is defeated in battle against an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju. Pilots Ou-Yang Min-Hau and Ou-Yang Suyin likely died during or soon after the battle.

April 7, 2024: Vodyanoi Emerges from the Breach

Vodyanoi is an uncategorized Kaiju. Its physical appearance is likened to that of a "puffed-up toad", large, and seemingly overweight. Vodyanoi has acidic saliva that can eat through the alloy of a Jaeger.

April 7, 2024: Cherno Alpha and Eden Assassin vs. Vodyanoi

Vodyanoi attacks the East coast of Sakhalin Island. Eden Assassin and Cherno Alpha are deployed to stop a rampage. During the battle, Vodyanoi uses its corrosive saliva to incapacitate Eden Assassin and kill its pilots. Cherno Alpha retaliates by grabbing a drifting iceberg and using it to beat Vodyanoi, killing it.

April 7, 2024: Death of Eden Assassin’s Pilots

In a battle against the uncategorized Kaiju Vodyanoi, Eden Assassin is incapacitated and its pilots are killed as a result. The fate of the Jaeger Eden Assassin after this battle is unknown.

April 7, 2024 - January 1, 2025: Eden Assassin’s Destruction

After the battle involving Vodyanoi, Eden Assassin is destroyed in battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju.

July 5, 2024: Insurrector Emerges from the Breach

Insurrector is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads toward Santa Monica, California. It is a Kaiju with cracked gray skin and four eyes on the left and right sides of its face. The bioluminescent glow visible in most Kaiju emits from its mouth and the cracks of its skin. On its back are multiple spiky protrusions, and on its head two horns nearest to the rear of its head. Its snout is flat, broad and jagged. Insurrector's limbs appear to be fused together, creating a space in the center of the lower half of the arm, and has three digits on each of its hands. Very few of its teeth on either the bottom or top row of its jaw are visible when it opens its mouth.

July 5, 2024: Striker Eureka and Hydra Corinthian vs. Insurrector

Upon making landfall in Santa Monica, Insurrector cuts through the Santa Monica Pier, causing many casualties, including Amara Namani’s family. Initially, Striker Eureka and Hydra Corinthian keep Insurrector contained at the Pier, but the battle eventually makes its way down the beach and into the city. Almost halfway through Santa Monica, Striker Eureka manages to deal a killing blow with a missile barrage.

July 5, 2024 - January 1, 2025: Hydra Corinthian’s Destruction

At an undetermined time in the Kaiju War, Hydra Corinthian enters battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots, Kennedy LaRue and Stephanie Lanphier, is unknown. 

July 30, 2024: Bonesquid Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. 

July 30, 2024: Striker Eureka vs. Bonesquid

Striker Eureka is deployed to stop Bonesquid from reaching Port Moresby. It drops into the ocean and kills Bonesquid before the Kaiju can make landfall. 

August 13, 2024: Biantal Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Taipei, Taiwan.

August 13, 2024: Crimson Typhoon vs. Biantal

Crimson Typhoon is deployed to Taipei and it defeats Biantal there.

August 28, 2024: Hound Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Auckland, New Zealand. 

August 28, 2024: Striker Eureka vs. Hound

Striker Eureka is deployed to stop Hound from reaching Auckland, New Zealand. Before the Kaiju can make landfall, Striker Eureka kills it.

September 9, 2024: Gipsy Danger Undergoes Repairs and Refurbishment at the Anchorage Shatterdome

With most of the active Jaegers destroyed, Stacker Pentecost has no choice but to pull Gipsy Danger from Oblivion Bay and begin repairing it. 

September 9, 2024: Naomi Sokolov Interviews Tendo Choi

Since Stacker Pentecost is in Hawaii on business, Tendo Choi fills in for the interview. 

September 14, 2024: Taranais Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads for Queen Charlotte Sound.

September 14, 2024: Cherno Alpha vs. Taranais

Taranais attacks Queen Charlotte Sound (unspecified whether this is in reference to Canada or New Zealand) and Cherno Alpha is deployed. Taranais is killed.

September 25, 2024: Rachnid Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads for Brisbane, Australia. 

September 25, 2024: Striker Eureka vs. Rachnid

Striker Eureka is deployed to stop Rachnid from reaching Brisbane, Australia. Before the Kaiju can make landfall, Striker Eureka kills it. 

October 4, 2024: KC-24 Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Kuching Malaysia. 

October 4, 2024: Striker Eureka and Mammoth Apostle vs. KC-24 and Mammoth Apostle’s Destruction

Striker Eureka and Mammoth Apostle are deployed to intercept the Kaiju KC-24. Mammoth Apostle is destroyed before Striker Eureka can land the killing blow. The fate of Mammoth Apostle’s pilots is unknown, but they were likely killed in battle. After Striker Eureka kills KC-24, helicopters attempt to locate and recover the remains of Mammoth Apostle.

October 12, 2024: The Anchorage Shatterdome is Shut Down

Shortly after its closure, the Shatterdome and the Jaeger Academy were sold to a private buyer. Gipsy Danger is relocated to the Hong Kong Shatterdome to continue undergoing repairs. 

October 18, 2024: The Lima Shatterdome is Shut Down

After its closure, the Shatterdome is sold to the Peruvian government. 

October 19, 2024: The Tokyo Shatterdome is Shut Down

After the Shatterdome’s closure, it is sold to a private buyer. 

October 31, 2024: Fiend Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Acapulco, Mexico.

October 31, 2024: Striker Eureka vs. Fiend

Striker Eureka is deployed to stop Fiend from reaching Acapulco, Mexico. Before the Kaiju can make landfall, Striker Eureka kills it.

November 9, 2024: The Panama City Shatterdome is Shut Down

The fate of the Shatterdome is unknown.

November 15, 2024: Naomi Sokolov Interviews Jasper Schoenfeld

Jasper recounts the story of how he was inspired to create the Jaegers. 

November 19, 2024: Tailspitter Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Sapporo, Japan.

November 19, 2024: Crimson Typhoon vs. Tailspitter

Crimson Typhoon kills Tailspitter in Sapporo, Japan.

November 28, 2024: Naomi Sokolov Interviews Stacker Pentecost

She and Stacker discuss why he pilots and why believes the Jaeger Program should continue. By the end of the interview, Naomi is convinced to write an article asking the PPDC why they’re giving up the fight and funding a wall instead. 

November 30, 2024: Kojiyama Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward the Bohai Sea.

November 30, 2024: Crimson Typhoon and Striker Eureka vs. Kojiyama

After Kojiyama attacks the Bohai Sea, Crimson Typhoon and Striker Eureka are deployed to handle it. Kojiyama is killed.

December 11, 2024: The Vladivostok Shatterdome is Shut Down

After its closure, the Vladivostok Shatterdome is given to the Russian government in exchange for airspace, refueling, and landing rights.  

December 20, 2024: The Los Angeles Shatterdome is Shut Down

The fate of the Shatterdome after its closure is unknown.

December 29, 2024: The Sydney Shatterdome is Shut Down

The fate of the Shatterdome after its closure is unknown. 

December 31, 2024: Striker Eureka is Decommissioned

Because the final four Jaegers are being moved to the Hong Kong Shatterdome for Operation Pitfall, Striker Eureka is decommissioned and removed from active service in Australia. Hercules and Chuck Hansen are decommissioned alongside their Jaeger and instructed to relocate to Hong Kong, where they will carry a nuclear warhead for the upcoming Operation Pitfall.

December 31, 2024: The United Nations and PPDC Stop Funding the Jaeger Program

Several representatives from the United Nations contact Stacker Pentecost to inform him that all funding is being directed toward the Anti-Kaiju Wall, leaving the Jaeger Program with eight months worth of money. 

January 1, 2025: Mutavore Emerges from the Breach

The Category IV emerges from the Breach and heads toward Sydney, Australia. Mutavore has a hooked, sharp curve above on its plated and bony structure around its head and curving down from its chin in a crescent shape. Near the top of Mutavore's bladed crest is its mouth. Mutavore has three eyes on both sides of its head. In addition, the creature exhibits a bipedal structure containing two large arms ending in large claws, and two very small, almost insect-like appendages on its chest. Similar to its bladed head, Mutavore has huge, ax-shaped structures protruding from its back.

January 1, 2025: Striker Eureka vs. Mutavore

Mutavore breaks through the Anti-Kaiju Wall around Sydney in an hour. Luckily, Striker Eureka was decommissioned only a day before and responds quickly to the attack. They deal a series of punches to the Kaiju before unleashing a volley of Anti-Kaiju Missiles, killing Mutavore. 

January 1, 2025: Stacker Pentecost Locates Raleigh Becket

Upon arriving at the “Wall of Life”, Stacker Pentecost attempts to convince Raleigh to return to the PPDC. Raleigh assumes he isn’t Stacker Pentecost’s first choice, but the Marshal informs him that all the other Mark-3 pilots are dead, making Raleigh the automatic first (and only) choice. Initially, Raleigh turns him down on the basis that he cannot have anyone inside his head again. Pentecost tells him the world is ending and asks if he would rather die on the Anti-Kaiju Wall or in a Jaeger. Raleigh agrees to return. 

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Raleigh Arrives at the Hong Kong Shatterdome

Upon arriving, Raleigh is introduced to Mako Mori. He is also introduced to the K-Science team, Hermann Gottlieb and Newton Geiszler. Stacker Pentecost shows him around the Shatterdome, introducing him to the remaining Jaegers, Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, and Striker Eureka. Herc Hansen welcomes Raleigh. When Raleigh asks Stacker what the plan is for Operation Pitfall, Stacker brushes him off and tells him to “be ready”. Mako shows him to the new and improved Gipsy Danger before taking Raleigh to his room. 

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Raleigh is Introduced to Co-Pilot Candidates 

In the Kwoon, Raleigh faces off against the list of candidates Mako put together; however, none of them seem to click. Eventually, he ends up sparring against Mako instead and the two discover they are drift compatible.

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Stacker Pentecost Talks with the K-Science Team

Hermann determines that, based on his exponential growth equations, the PPDC should expect a double event soon, and then a triple or quadruple event soon after that. He is unable to provide them with an absolutely certain timeline for when they should drop into the Breach, and Newton cuts in to insist Drifting with a Kaiju brain is a viable option. Stacker dismisses Newton and requests Hermann’s info.

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Gipsy Danger’s Trial Run

Stacker Pentecost reluctantly allows Mako Mori to try a trial run with Raleigh. At first, their neural handshake holds steady, but Raleigh accidentally projects the memory of his brother’s death over Mako, causing her to chase the R.A.B.I.T. and relive the Onibaba attack. While stuck in the memory, Mako accidentally activates the left arm’s Plasmacaster and nearly destroys a large portion of the Shatterdome; however, Chuck Hansen, Tendo Choi, and Herc Hansen manage to send the Jaeger offline before any damage can be done. 

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Newton Geiszler Drifts with the Kaiju’s Secondary Brain

In what is likely the bravest and dumbest decision of the movie, Newton builds a Pons Machine from scratch and enters the Drift with the Kaiju brain. He succeeds and is pulled from a state of shock by Hermann, who fetches Stacker Pentecost. Newton tells them that the Kaiju are under orders and that they’re being created to exterminate humanity; however, he missed out on some information. Stacker Pentecost instructs him to drift again and refers him to Hannibal Chau, a black-market dealer of Kaiju parts who operates in the Hong Kong Bone Slums.

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Raleigh and Chuck Fight, Mako is Grounded

After Mako and Raleigh’s failed drift, Stacker, Herc, and Chuck convene in Stacker’s office to discuss what happened; however, Herc throws Chuck out when het gets too fired up. He turns his attention to Mako and Raleigh, who are waiting in the hall. After insulting Raleigh, he turns his attention to Mako briefly, prompting Raleigh to throw a punch. The encounter quickly turns into a fistfight, and the two only stop when Herc emerges from the office and pulls them apart. Then, Raleigh and Mako are called into Pentecost’s office, where he grounds Mako. When she asks to be dismissed, Raleigh reveals that he saw Mako’s childhood and knows why Pentecost refuses to let her in a Jaeger. He insists the Marshal is holding her back, but Pentecost reprimands Raleigh and then ends the conversation. 

 January 8, 2025: Otachi Emerges from the Breach

The Category IV emerges from the Breach and heads toward Hong Kong, China. Otachi is one of the largest and heaviest Category IVs to ever make landfall. It walks on all fours. It has two short legs, two long, and four digit hands. It fights largely with its barbed tail, which possesses enough strength to pierce through the Conn-Pod of a moderately armored Jaeger. It also has a jaw that is capable of splitting open in order for Otachi to spit acid onto the Jaeger it is facing. This is possible because of a sac underneath its neck that produces the highly corrosive liquid. Later, it also revealed that Otachi has wings capable of carrying it into the atmosphere, as well as the capacity to give birth. 

January 8, 2025: Leatherback Emerges from the Breach

The Category IV emerges from the Breach and heads toward Hong Kong, China. Leatherback is a large and armored Kaiju that resembles a gorilla. It has high intelligence, and when injured it resorts to hit and run tactics if necessary. Leatherback also has a tendency to pounce on enemies when they are distracted, using its weight to its advantage. The heavy plating all over its body allows it to take heavy hits and deal them in return, thanks to mace-like fists. While it isn’t quite as intelligent as Otachi, Leatherback possesses a more powerful weapon in its EMP organ, which allows it to scramble electronic devices in a large radius, including digitized Jaegers. 

January 8, 2025: Crimson Typhoon, Cherno Alpha, and Striker Eureka vs. Otachi and Leatherback

Since Gipsy Danger is out of the question following their failed trial run, only the other three Jaegers are deployed when the Double Event occurs. Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha are tasked with taking on the two Kaiju directly while Striker Eureka holds the Miracle Mile. Otachi emerges from the water first, targeting Crimson Typhoon. Initially, it gains the upper hand; however, the triplets recover quickly and enter the Thundercloud Formation, transforming the Jaeger’s hands into saw blades. They slice Otachi’s head and chest before the Kaiju grabs and immobilizes two of their arms. Crimson Typhoon engages the jets on its back and flips completely over Otachi before tossing the Kaiju in Cherno Alpha’s direction. The Russian team immediately goes in for a hit, bashing Otachi’s face several times with Cherno Alpha’s fists. Striker Eureka almost moves in to help, but Stacker Pentecost orders them to remain in position. Otachi sweeps Cherno Alpha off its feet, and when Crimson Typhoon moves in to attack too quickly, the Kaiju uses its tail to rip the triplets’ Conn-Pod out, killing the three of them. The Kaidonovskys recover and jump back into the fight with renewed enthusiasm, looking to avenge Crimson Typhoon, but Otachi surprises them once again by unveiling the sac on the bottom of its mouth that can produce a highly corrosive acid and spitting it directly onto the Jaeger’s head. Striker Eureka fully mobilizes, hoping to save Cherno Alpha, but before they make it, Leatherback finally emerges from the water and jumps onto Cherno Alpha’s back. Otachi rips one of Cherno Alpha’s arms off and then moves to intercept Striker Eureka while Leatherback forces Cherno Alpha underwater. Soon after, it crushes the Conn-Pod, killing the Kaidonovskys in an underwater explosion and decimating the Jaeger. Meanwhile, Striker Eureka gains the upper hand against Otachi and opens the cavity on the Jaeger’s chest, preparing to launch Anti-Kaiju missiles at Otachi; unfortunately, they are stopped only seconds before launch by Leatherback’s EMP organ, which electrocutes Herc and Chuck Hansen and completely Striker Eureka down. Herc disengages from his harness at the same time Leatherback deals a light blow to Striker Eureka, sending him flying across the Conn-Pod. It becomes quickly apparent that his arm is broken. 

January 8, 2025: Crimson Typhoon’s Destruction, Death of the Wei Triplets

During the battle against Otachi, Crimson Typhoon’s Conn-Pod is crushed by the Kaiju, killing all three pilots. Crimson Typhoon’s body collapses into Victoria Harbor.

January 8, 2025: Cherno Alpha’s Destruction, Death of Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky

During the battle against Otachi and Leatherback, Cherno Alpha’s Conn’Pod is dissolved and the Jaeger is forced underwater, where Leatherback detonates it. Cherno Alpha is destroyed in the blast and the Kaidonovskys are killed.

January 8, 2025: Gipsy Danger is Deployed

Upon realizing they no longer have any other options, Stacker Pentecost's orders Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket into the final Jaeger. Because Gipsy Danger is analog, it is unaffected by Leatherback’s EMP organ. 

January 8, 2025: Newton Geiszler Meets with Hannibal Chau

The two discuss Newton’s reasons for needing a Kaiju brain, at which point Hannibal Chau calls him an idiot. When the Kaiju alerts begin to go off, Newton is forced to leave at gunpoint and take shelter in a public shelter. 

January 8, 2025: Otachi Enters Hong Kong to Look for Newton Geiszler

It heads through the city without causing much destruction, choosing to focus on locating Newton. 

January 8, 2025: Gipsy Danger vs. Leatherback

Chuck and Herc Hansen, in a last ditch attempt to prevent the destruction of Hong Kong until Gipsy Danger arrives, decide to distract Leatherback. Using the escape hatch, the pair climb onto the top of Striker Eureka and fire flares off into the Kaiju’s face. One of the flares makes contact with and damages Leatherback’s eye. It raises its arms to kill them, but Gipsy Danger arrives on the scene at just the right time, stealing the Kaiju’s attention. Gipsy Danger drops into the water and Leatherback charges at it, but Mako and Raleigh sidestep and immediately rip the EMP organ from Leatherback’s spine. Enraged, the Kaiju grabs Gipsy Danger in a bear hug and throws it onto the docs a large distance away, effectively shifting the battle out of the water. When Leatherback climbs onto the docks, it charges Gipsy Danger. In response, Mako and Raleigh engage the jets on Gipsy Danger’s back and deal a flying strike to Leatherback’s face, which they follow up with two more quick hits. They engage Gipsy Danger’s elbow rocket and deal a fourth punch, further disorienting the Kaiju. It grabs a nearby crane and uses it to knock the Jaeger backwards although they take little damage. In response, Raleigh and Mako grab several shipping containers from the docks and use them like brass knuckles and slams them on either side of Leatherback’s head. Acting quickly, Gipsy Danger manages to grab the Kaiju while it is disoriented and they toss it across the docks. When Leatherback gets back to its feet, it once again attempts to charge Gipsy, but the Jaeger manages to free its right arm and Raleigh activates the Plasmacaster. They unleash the entire clip into Leatherback’s chest, blowing its arm off. The blows are enough to kill the Kaiju, but Mako and Raleigh decimate its corpse to make sure before turning their attention to Otachi. 

January 8, 2025: Otachi Locates Newton Geiszler

General panic begins to rise in the shelter as the Kaiju grows closer, and Newton reveals the monsters are after him. As a response, the people around him force him into the middle of the shelter alone. Otachi bursts through the ceiling of the Anti-Kaiju shelter and uses its tongue, which seemingly has some kind of sensory organ, to identify Newton. However, it retreats from the shelters without doing anything to him. 

January 8, 2025: Gipsy Danger vs. Otachi

The Jaeger treks through the city, following the path of destruction that Otachi left behind, before locating the Kaiju in the process of breaking into one of the Anti-Kaiju shelters. Otachi shifts its attention away from Newton and charges Gipsy Danger. Mako and Raleigh use a tanker they dragged from the docks like a bat and deal a blow across Otachi’s jaw. It uses its tail to grab the tanker and throw it down a nearby street before retreating into the cover of the city, disappearing for view. Raleigh attempts to contact the sighting teams but receives no response before Otachi crashes out of a nearby skyscraper, catching them by surprise. It drags them through a building and shoves them into another before attempting to unleash its acid attack; however, Mako and Raleigh are able to dodge it, sending the acid flying into an office building instead. Gipsy Dangers shoves it right hand into Otachi’s throat, causing Otachi to try and impale them with her tail. Mako and Raleigh vent the coolant in Gipsy Danger’s systems to freeze its tail and shatter it completely before ripping the acid sac from the Kaiju’s body. As a final resort, Otachi shoves the Jaeger to the ground and unfurls a pair of wings. It grabs Gipsy Danger and flies high into the sky, where the Jaeger’s interior oxygen levels begin dropping. Mako unleashes a weapon that was added after Gipsy Danger’s refurbishment: a Chain Sword capable of being used as either a whip or sword. They slice diagonally through the Kaiju’s body and fly through the Earth from around 50,000 feet in the air. The duo survive by slowing their fall with a measured blast at Stacker Pentecost’s suggestion. 

January 8, 2025: Stacker Pentecost Reveals his Cancer to Raleigh Becket

After returning from the battle, Stacker Pentecost gives a speech, during which blood begins to drip from his nose. Privately, he informs Raleigh of his condition, explaining the effects of Coyote Tango’s lack of radiation shielding. Finally, Stacker reveals that he chose Raleigh for the mission because of his ability to pilot solo, an incredible feat that only the two of them had ever accomplished. 

January 8, 2025: Newton Geiszler Returns to Hannibal Chau

After nearly being devoured by Otachi, Newton returns to Hannibal’s base of operations and demands the Kaiju brain he had asked for. Hannibal Chau relents, and he  and his team travel to the site where Otachi was killed. The team enters the Kaiju, but realize the secondary brain has been damaged. As they prepare to exit the corpse, the team and Newton realize the Kaiju is pregnant.

January 8, 2025: The Baby Kaiju Emerges

The Baby Kaiju has an appearance similar to that of Otachi, although significantly less mature. It bursts out of Otachi and heads straight for Newton as the crews around them flee. He trips, but before the Baby Kaiju can devour him, it gets tangled up in its own umbilical cord and dies. Hannibal Chau emerges from wherever he was hiding to claim he knew the Baby Kaiju would die. He begins to say something, but the Baby Kaiju is briefly resuscitated and eats him before he can finish the sentence. After swallowing him, it actually dies. 

January 8, 2025: Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb Drift with the Newborn Kaiju’s Brain

In an attempt to gain the full extent of information possible without putting Newton into further dangers, Hermann offers to bear some of the neural load as pilots do. They enter the Drift together and realize that the final plan of action will not work because of the Breach’s ability to read DNA like a barcode.

January 12, 2025: Stacker Pentecost Begins Operation Pitfall Early

Despite initially being funded for eight more months of operation in the Jaeger Program, Stacker Pentecost realizes their chance of surviving the incoming Triple Event is low, and therefore decides to jumpstart Operation Pitfall early. Gipsy Danger is going to run defense, piloted by Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket, but Herc Hansen is no longer able to pilot Striker Eureka because of his broken arm. As a result, Stacker Pentecost decides to sacrifice himself and take Herc’s place alongside Chuck Hansen. Before entering Striker Eureka, Stacker asks Mako for her protection and Chuck and Herc say goodbye, both likely under the impression Chuck isn’t going to survive the mission. 

January 12, 2025: Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka are Deployed

As planned, Striker Eureka carries the nuclear payload. The two Jaegers are dropped nearly six-hundred meters from the Breach and make the rest of the trek on foot. 

January 12, 2025: Scunner Emerges from the Breach

Scunner emerges from the Breach and hovers around the Jaegers, but does not initially attack. It has two curved horns like that of a bull’s, designed to act as battering rams. It also has four arms, designed to help it move faster underwater. Unlike previous Kaiju, Scunner has the ability to work well with its brethren.

January 12, 2025: Raiju Emerges from the Breach

Raiju emerges from the Breach and hovers around the Jaegers, but does not attack initially. It has bent feet that increase its speed. Upon first emerging and circling Striker Eureka and Gipsy Danger, Tendo Choi dubs it “the fastest Kaiju ever recorded”. It has heavy armor and broad shoulders, and its overall appearance mimics that of a Galapagos iguana and a crocodile. 

January 12, 2025: Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb Reveal the Intricacies of the Breach

Right before taking the leap into the Breach with the nuclear payload, Herc Hansen relays to the pilots that the Kaiju stopped. Sensing something is wrong, Stacker stops as well, refusing to take the leap. Suddenly, Hermann and Newton enter, commandeering the communication device, and explaining that only something with Kaiju DNA can enter the Breach or else it will deflect. 

January 12, 2025: Slattern Emerges from the Breach

The first ever Category V, Slattern emerges from the Breach just as Hermann and Newton finish explaining the Breach’s requirements to pass. Because it is the first Category V, Slattern is the most lethal of any of its kind. It has intelligence, strength, speed, armor, and toxicity levels far above its brethren. Slattern has thick, leathery skin and three triple-crowned tails that can be used for long-distance attacks or piercing the armor of a Jaeger. Its tails have enough power to rapidly spin and lash out, even with a heavy amount of underwater pressure working against them. Slattern has a spike-like protrusion on its chest, which can extend forward and inflict blunt damage on a Jaeger. The sound of the Kaiju's roar can emit sound waves powerful enough to cause visible damage to its surrounding environment. Slattern's body is also extremely resilient against a multitude of attacks, nuclear or otherwise. Slattern's height is estimated at 596 feet and its weight is estimated at 6,750 tons. 

January 12, 2025: Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka vs. Scunner, Raiju, and Slattern

When Slattern first emerges from the Breach in front of Striker Eureka, Gipsy Danger attempts to move in and provide aid, but Scunner charges at them. Eventually, Gipsy Danger is able to mostly subdue Scunner by burning its head with a hydrothermal vent, but before they can finish Scunner off, Raiju rushes in and bites Gipsy’s Chain Sword and the entirety of their right arm off. Meanwhile, Slattern attacks Striker Eureka with its various tails, throwing it into a hydrothermal vent. As a result, the Jaeger’s Anti-Kaiju missile launchers are damaged. Slattern continues to attack using the surrounding environment, but Chuck and Stacker put up a good fight considering the size difference. They manage to nearly amputate two of Slattern’s arms with their Stingblades before the Kaiju backs off somewhat. Raiju prepares to charge Gipsy Danger again, but LOCCENT warns Mako and Raleigh of its approach, allowing them to form a Chain Sword on the remaining left arm and bisect Raiju, using its own speed against it. Slattern roars for aid, and Scunner abandons Gipsy Danger to help destroy Striker Eureka. Realizing what needs to be done, Chuck and Stacker say their goodbyes before detonating the payload, vaporizing Scunner. Gipsy Danger, heavily crippled, begins to drag itself toward the Breach. Along the way, they grab Raiju’s remains in order to try and pass the Breach’s DNA reading. However, right as they reach the final stretch, Slattern blocks their path. It is severely damaged but alive. Raleigh instructs Mako to engage the rear thrusters, and they fly toward Slattern, hooking themselves directly onto the Kaiju with their Chain Sword and tumbling forward into the Breach. Since Slattern is with them, they pass the scan. Then, Raleigh and Mako activate the reactor’s burning attack, finishing Slattern, and leaving the pair drifting in the Anteverse. 

January 12, 2015: Striker Eureka’s Destruction, Death of Stacker Pentecost and Chuck Hansen

During Operation Pitfall, Stacker and Chuck voluntarily detonate the payload  on Striker Eureka’s back. The ensuing blast destroys Striker Eureka and kills the pair.

January 12, 2015: The Breach’s Destruction

Raleigh gives Mako his oxygen and ensures she is released in an escape pod as he continues into the Anteverse. Within, he passes an area where the Kaiju are made, and eventually reaches the center of the Anteverse, where the background is a burning yellow planet. Raleigh finds that there is a problem with the system and he has to activate manual override before escaping with almost no time left. Beneath him, Gipsy Danger detonates right in the center of the dimension, and his escape pod is blown upward with the force and out of the Breach as the Kaiju world collapses around him. 

January 12, 2015: Gipsy Danger’s Destruction

Gipsy Danger is decimated as a result of its self-destruction. It brings the Anteverse down with it. 

January 12, 2015: The Kaiju War Ends

The Kaiju War draws to a close. In the Hong Kong Shatterdome, Herc Hansen announces the Breach’s destruction and everyone erupts into celebration. 

January 12, 2015: Mako Mori and Raleigh are Rescued

When Raleigh’s escape pod first surfaces, Mako cannot feel a pulse or find any signal he is alive; however, Raleigh regains consciousness not long after and they embrace. Choppers fly over their head, presumably to pick the pair up. The two press their foreheads together.  

Additional Notes:

There is a lot of conflicting information about the December 2019 Manila drop. Most sources say Hercules Hansen and Scott Hansen dropped together in the Jaeger Lucky Seven, but other sources claim Hercules was in Striker Eureka with his son, Chuck. Often, it is implied Scott Hansen was dismissed from the PPDC before Striker Eureka even launched (November 2019). I chose to go the “Herc dropped in Lucky Seven” route, since Hercules clearly recognizes Raleigh in the movie but introduces Chuck as if they [Raleigh and Chuck] have never dropped together. This does, however, bring into question who was piloting Striker Eureka in November of 2019, when it first came onto active duty, if Herc was still assigned to Lucky Seven. I generally followed a mixture of the movie and novel canons, but some of the movie pages on the Pacific Rim wiki contradicted each other, so it’s quite difficult to tell.

Some sources claim Mutavore actually attacked December 27, 2024, and that two other Jaegers were involved. Echo Saber, Vulcan Specter, and Striker Eureka would have been involved in this version of events, in which both Echo Saber and Vulcan Specter are ripped to shreds by Mutavore before Striker Eureka is deployed and kills Mutavore. However, Travis Beacham has stated that Striker Eureka was the only Jaeger involved in the attack.

Several of the fights listed in this timeline are not canon in the movie version, as well as some of the Kaiju. As far as I can recall, at least half of Striker Eureka’s encounters on here are only mentioned in the novelization (Striker Eureka’s listed drops on the movie version of the wiki only include Pitfall and Mutavore), as well as at least one of Crimson Typhoon’s. 

Kaiju named something like “MN-19″ or “PSJ-18″ are actually unnamed Kaiju. The letters in these names come from the city they attacked (i.e., Manila and San Jose in the examples in the first sentence) and then year they occurred in (2019 and 2018, respectively). 

Lucky Seven has no canon classification or launch date, but we know it was involved in an attack on Hong Kong. After Crimson Typhoon was launched in 2018, all of Hong Kong’s Kaiju attacks were either resolved by Crimson Typhoon alone or by Crimson Typhoon and a Jaeger team (none of which contained Lucky Seven); therefore, I ended Lucky Seven’s possible launch timeline at the date of Crimson Typhoon’s launch. Its start date is marked alongside Romeo Blue and because Romeo Blue and Tacit Ronin were definitively the second and first Mark-1s released respectively. Lucky Seven could have been a Mark-1, but it could not have been a Mark-1 released before Romeo Blue or Tacit Ronin.

Cherno Alpha was launched in 2015, but it has no specific date. Because Coyote Tango was the last of the Mark-1s and Tacit Ronin and Romeo Blue were first and second respectively, Cherno had to have fallen somewhere between Romeo Blue and Coyote Tango.

Travis Beacham has stated that there is a Shatterdome in Nagasaki at some point, but I couldn’t find opening or closing dates for it, nor could I find any Jaeger assignments, so I didn’t include it.

I admit I’m a little confused about how it took four days for Newton and Hermann to relay the information from their drift from the Baby Kaiju considering they only had to make it back from Hong Kong to...the Hong Kong Shatterdome? In the movies it mostly appears that Operation Pitfall actually happens the day after the Double Event, but every source I found explicitly says there is a four day gap in between. 

Echo Saber has technically been in both the Sydney and Tokyo Shatterdomes, according to the novels. According to the novels, Echo Saber is still active and functional after the Tokyo Shatterdome shuts down in 2024, and it is moved to the Sydney Shatterdome with Striker Eureka. However, the novels also say Echo Saber is involved in the Mutavore attack and destroyed shortly after, which isn’t the case in the movie, so I listed it twice but chose to keep its destruction date broad.

Anyways, that’s all.

[sambhavami]

So, I'm going to rant a bit about Krishna and Arjun now.

**Just a note: this is based on my personal interpretations of MB/SB/HV, none of which I have access to right now, so I might misremember some facts. Thank you!

So, in my understanding, Krishna and Arjun were both very lonely people. Both of them were stripped from their childhood homes and families, and forced to grow up amidst hostility and constant conflict, when they met after Draupadi's swayamvar, they instantly latch on to each other. I mean, yes, both Krishna and Arjun had brothers who went through the same kind of issues, but at some point, you encounter a boundary with your immediate family, such that you can't really tell them everything that you're feeling. A friend peering in from outside is a much 'safer' choice. I'd imagine it's roughly the same kind of thought process that makes people talk about their personal struggles anonymously on social media instead of with their families.

In this process, they both also become extremely possessive of each other. For Arjun, we see this when he sheds all his inhibitions at Kurukshetra not when he hears the Geeta, but rather when Krishna gets wounded the first time. That's when the Kaurava side finds out exactly how dangerous Arjuna can be. And that's when Krishna is barely scratched by an arrow, and thankfully we never find out what Arjun would have done if Krishna actually got hurt. Arjun was fighting only half-heartedly in the beginning, but once Krishna is targeted he becomes fiercer, now actually concentrating on the battle, and then finally when Krishna almost murders Bheeshma, that's when Arjun becomes fully activated, so to speak. Also, he would've totally murdered Shishupal during the rajasuya (to hell with the 100 offences), if not for Krishna stopping him...this is a rare kind of aggression for Arjun which he doesn't show even in the dice hall!

Krishna, on the other hand, shows his devotion in a slightly different way. So, for most of MB we see that he is partial to Arjuna, and he never really hides it. He gets Subhadra married to Arjuna, takes him on picnics on Kailash and shows him Vaikuntha just for fun. Moreover, he technically didn't need to participate in Kurukshetra. With Subhadra married to Arjun and Lakshamana married to Shamba, he could've easily cited an algebraic cancellation and got out of the whole mess like most of the other Yadavas. But he chooses to go to Matsya, and moreover offers to part himself from his beloved, personally trained army! I mean it was kind of genius to bait Duryodhan into thinking he won that bargain (if Shakuni mama was there, he would've definitely chosen Krishna, and immediately have him thrown in a dungeon and use him as a hostage to force the Pandavas into surrendering)!

Krishna is not just partial to Arjuna, but he is downright desperate to protect him from anything and everything. From personally waiting on Arjuna in Dwarka during happier times, to breaking every moral code he's ever stood for during the war, Krishna's love for Arjuna outshines every other horrible thing that happens. 

Krishna is quite open about his decision to get Arjuna out of the dharma-yudhha mess alive. In fact, he makes it clear to Draupadi herself that if it came down to choosing between Draupadi and Arjun, Krishna would choose Arjun always, without a second thought. We see this in action when he offers to have Draupadi marry Karna in exchange for his support to Pandavas, thereby averting the whole war. We see how Krishna doesn't care how many people he has to sacrifice (Abhimanyu, Ghatotkach, upa-Pandavas, his Narayani sena, Parikshit, and borderline forcing Shikhandi to detransition, although the source/validity of this I can't quite remember right now), how many times he has to endure the Vaishnavastra, how many times he has to make Yudhishthir lie, how many times he has to forget his vows, how many times he has to make literal celestial bodies bow to his will, all of it is taken in stride just so Arjun lives to see another sunrise. At one point, I do feel he stops caring about preserving Arjun's feelings through this (point: sacrificing his kids) and just making sure he's alive, no matter how broken or hopeless. It's almost as if Krishna's just on auto-pilot the whole time.

His whole life, Krishna asks Arjun for just one thing, which is to get the citizens of Dwarka out of the island/coastline alive before the tsunami hits. Even that, Arjuna is informed of only after Krishna is no longer on the earth. And Arjuna also is ironically one of the only people (except maybe Nand-Yashoda, Radha and gopas/gopis) to never ask Krishna for a favour! No matter how tough their life got, Arjun never asked Krishna for anything for himself. I can imagine how Krishna, the human god, would constantly be bombarded with prayers and requests literally wherever he went, so I can see why people like Arjuna would be somewhat of a relief. Even during Geeta, Arjun is like, "I can't do this!" and not "You can't make me do this!" And Krishna likewise is not like, "You have to do this!" He's just like, "You can do this, but only if you believe you can!" Krishna basically goes over all the pros and cons of the available choices but ultimately leaves the final decision to Arjun.

[catknifetime]

I know I’ve only just seen it, but the 6th level feature for the Coven of the Green subclass of WBN’s homebrew Witch class might be one the best designed class features I’ve ever seen for D&D 5e.

First of all, the way it incentivizes fun roleplay by only activating when you actually grow new plants, while simultaneously transforming the level 2 Green Gifts feature from a primarily ribbon feature with a small utility into something extremely useful, it’s just incredible. Then as we get to the actual function of this ability it becomes even better: after fulfilling the mostly roleplay based limitations, you can create a number of potions (from a limited, but strong list) equal to your PB, that retain their power for only 24 hours.

That last part is the piece of genius game design here. It means this ability gives you a solid number of strong consumables every long rest for very little to no cost and then forces you to actually USE them. This limitation is what makes the ability both balanced and fun, because by making you use your items it makes you stronger, making the ability way more useful than if you were just collecting potions to use at some other point.

The time limit on potions effects fixes the #1 issue with consumables in any kind of game: the “what if I need them later” problem, because if you know your potion is going away at the end of the day anyway, why not use it? And using a potion is always more fun than hoarding them. Not to mention it completely shuts off all potential money making schemes from certain types of players.

I literally just realized I haven’t even talked about the selection of potions. Basically, it’s incredible. Over half of them (when counting different types resistance potions separately) are very situationally useful, now that would normally be a bad thing, but with the daily refreshing nature of this feature it just means good planning is really rewarded. Also just having potions of mind reading on hand is ridiculously fun. Honestly, I might not be able to stop myself from just brewing as many of those as possible every morning if I was playing a Green Coven Witch.

Bravo to Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard, the Witch class is genuinely so fucking cool, and I’m going to incorporate it into some game I’m playing or will play somehow.

[ash-says]

How to tackle Fragmented Sleep/ Sleep disruptions :

This post is inspired and geared to help @thisisneededfmr .

Also to every one of those who are going through similar issues. It becomes extremely taxing when you can't sleep peacefully at night. You keep on waking up in between after some hours if not then suddenly you are half asleep which according to me is even more annoying. Being an insomniac or nightmares can make this condition even worse.

Sleep fragmentation can be described as frequent interruption or disruption in the normal sleep cycle. It can cause various chronic health issues as well as have repercussions on mental health.

Ways to tackle Fragmented Sleep:

1) Develop a sleep schedule:

Instead of being a night owl jump into your bed and try to sleep. It will be difficult at first but slowly and steadily you might fall asleep. Count numbers?? Try to sleep at the same time everyday. Because once it becomes a habit you will automatically feel sleepy.

2) Avoid Caffeine or any foods that result in hyperactivity:

Coffee is infamous for making you feel nervous and jittery. So avoid it before bedtime hours. Any kind of foods that result in a hyperactive nervous system cancel them out.

3) Practice relaxation techniques:

Listen to calming music, do breath work, meditate, read a nice book before you fall asleep. This might help in calming your nerves.

4) Exercise regularly and do yoga before sleeping:

The benefits of exercise are well known to us. I don't want to waste my time in convincing you about it. There are some specific yoga asanas you can do before sleeping and trust me it works like wonders. One of my friends when I used to live in a dorm made us do it and the sleep after that was just a chef's kiss.

5) Limit screen time before bed:

The radiations emitted by the phone or electronic devices disturb your sleep cycle. So try not to use your phone before you fall asleep. In fact at my home this is a rule we never sleep with the phones near us. They are kept at a great distance so that the quality of sleep is not disturbed.

6) Try not to do work or other activities in bed:

I read it somewhere on Tumblr long back please if anyone knows the blog kindly tag them in comments so I can give the reference here. It stated that you should only use your bed for sleeping as it will automatically signal your brain to sleep once you are in there.

7) Address your mental issues:

Most of the time sleep fragmentation is caused by psychological problems. Is there something you are trying to escape from? Or are you in a stressful environment? Depression? Anxiety? Adhd?etc you get my point right. Try to fix those issues. Your problem might be arising from there. Who knows.

8) Check your medicines if you are on any:

Literally!!! I am not kidding. It's really serious. Some medicines put your nervous system in hyperactive mode resulting in fragmented sleep. Check with your doctor and share these things with them. If the problem has started after you started the dosage maybe it's responsible for it.

From here the suggestions are based on personal experience with no scientific data to back it up. Use your own discernment.

9) Hug someone or something and sleep:

This works for me sometimes. If there's someone you are close to then try asking them if they would be okay to sleep while hugging you or holding you close. It's therapeutic. Plus it helps in relaxing the adrenaline in your body and brings you out of the survival mode.

10) Sleep in an open space:

Sometimes our bodies are not able to relax in a confined place. It's part of a phase especially if you have trauma related to closed areas. It can be triggering for your body and your brain might wake you up in between to look for danger. So sleeping in an open space like a balcony or something might work.

11) Keep a knife under your pillow:

I know this sounds ridiculous but it's a belief in our culture that doing it solves sleep related issues. Especially if you are having nightmares. And even if it doesn't work you have a knife to swing if someone attacks you in case. It's cool.

12) See a doctor:

When nothing of the above helps and even your own techniques that you might know it's high time you take professional help. It's not something you should ignore.

Being stated all that I really wish you a GOOD NIGHT SLEEP and pray that you overcome these issues. There are a lot of underlying causes that result in sleep fragmentation but the main one being Stress, Trauma, Emotional distress,etc.

So find a friend and vent it out if you are going through any negative state of mind. If you don't have anyone my ask box is always open. Drop a message and I will try to reach out to you as soon as I can.

Reminder: You are doing great given the circumstances. So keep fighting on and don't let anything have power over you.

[karak9]

tw // reality check

uhh. just had a p-shifter interact with me and now I’m realizing seeing people who genuinely believe they can p shift is kind of a trigger for me, thanks! /s

if anyone who actually, genuinely believes in p-shifting sees this (not talking about people who experience delusions/psychosis and identify as p shifter because of it, but specifically people who argue that p shifting is REAL and spread false “science” about it):

please don’t go down this route. it was so incredibly toxic for me. the belief in p shifting itself was harmful to me because I was so caught up in this idea that I didn’t need to have a human life (I had other stuff going on but that arguably makes it worse that I was taught to believe in something this wild while in a very vulnerable state) and I remember staying up really late some nights just trying to p shift. I remember convincing myself my teeth and eyes were changing, I ignored medical problems because I thought they were signs I was turning into a wolf. I ignored my human health because I thought I wasn’t meant to be human. I did not take care of myself at all.

I was taken in by cults and toxic packs with hierarchies based on outdated misinformation about wolves. I fought with people about my p shifting belief so much that I pushed so many people away and only surrounded myself with others who agreed with me.

maybe stop and think- why have you not seen proof of p shifting, if so many people claim they can? why is there no solid evidence? does your friend who claims to be able to p shift have ridiculous rules like that they aren’t allowed to take pictures of their shifts because of the government, yet they’re able to talk freely about it online? do parts of their story ever not line up with things they’ve said before, or not make total sense? why do you think YOU are able to shapeshift and no other human has figured it out aside from a handful of super secretive people online who all have very convenient excuses to not give you solid evidence of their physical shifting?

please look up cult/manipulative behaviors and learn how to recognize them because you WILL encounter these people who are trying to manipulate you in the p shifting community, that is a fact, whether your bestie who claims to totally p shift every week is preying on you or not, someone will. please, please take care of yourself.

I wanted to be a wolf so bad. I was dysphoric and dealing with a lot of mental health issues and an abusive family and wanted SO badly to believe in p shifting that I was willing to deny reality and convince myself I was getting past some mental barrier very slowly. but nothing ever happened. it left me exhausted and hopeless, that was it. I put so much faith into something that just was never ever going to happen, and was so incredibly disappointed. it makes me so sad realizing I wasted a few years of my life trying to do the literal impossible. you can have your beliefs if you really want to but my god, do not center your entire life around a belief that has ZERO basis in reality. do not push away your friends because they disagree with you. do not ruin your human life because you think you will become an animal and run away from society to live in the woods.

also don’t interact if you’re going to argue that actually p shifting is real because of this outdated science article that is extremely vague or because “nothing is impossible, only improbable”. been there, done that, debunked everything you could throw at me and now I’m just tired of seeing young people fall down the wrong path and knowing nothing I can say will convince them that p shifting isn’t real. it’s like trying to tell someone their religion is fake- there’s no way to prove it isn’t real but there’s no proof it exists either (and your super blurry picture of someone wearing a fake mermaid tail doesn’t count as proof), but we all know how religion can hurt people (not always, but it can).

[fallout4-reacts]

if you dont mind doing reacts based off other posts, how would companions react to a low int but max luck sole?

hoping links work in asks 😭

I sincerely believe that as long as I don't plagiarise another author's work, there should be no problem. However, if I have a writer who is upset because I've been asked the same request, I hope we can clarify it Unfortunately, it appears that there is an issue with the link, but I believe that it's better that way so I can react without being influenced by what has previously been done

So there! How companions react to a very stupid yet extremely fortunate Sole (It makes me think of Gontran from Picsou). I write them a little clumsy to add effect, hope you'll like it  PS : Yeah, I know, I have forget Cait... but it's fix

Cait : She wasn't really paying attention as Tommy wooed the stranger on her behalf. As long as she has her psycho, she doesn't give a hoot about anything else. Now, Sole and Cait were prowling an ancient factory in search of salvageable equipment and materials. They had hardly gotten a few steps ahead when they heard someone else's feet approaching.

Cait reached for her weapon and signalled for Sole to keep silent. They peered over the bend and saw a band of raiders coming at them with weapons blazing.

“Methinks we have some guests," Cait whispered. "We must find a way to flee with haste."

After agreeing, Sole turned to run, but their foot became hooked on a stray part.

A loose piece of metal grabbed Sole's foot as they turned to run, and they lurched forward, toppling a pile of crates with a loud crash.

As soon as the raiders noticed them, they opened fire, sending bullets flying past their heads. While Sole and Cait were running through the factory, dodging gunfire and looking for an exit, a stray bullet hit a gas tank, causing a massive explosion that sent debris flying in every direction.

Miraculously, neither Sole nor Cait were hurt as they were tossed to the ground. However, the factory was completely destroyed, and all of the raiders were wiped out in the explosion.

"I cannae believe it," Cait exclaimed. " Ye almost killed us, but we made it oot alive."

Sole smiled awkwardly. "I already told you. I seem to attract unusual luck."

Cait shook her head, but a grin spread across her face anyhow. She remarked, "Well, I dinnae ken how ya do it. Verily, I am relieved to have ya by ma side.”

Codsworth : From day one, when Nate activated him, he could see the extent of the damage… and somehow understand why they made his purchase in the first place. On that first day, he was able to count thirteen accidents. From something as stupid as stepping on the carpet to failing to set the house on fire for a cup of coffee, Sole is a walking disaster. That’s why Codsworth goes way beyond being Butler to make sure Sole doesn’t touch anything in the house. Since the bombs, the poor robot has been having anxiety attacks. How could someone barely able to survive in a relatively safe world do so in an extremely dangerous one? But ironically, it does. Like when Sturge asked Sole to install a suitable water line for Sanctuary and the city wall collapsed in the river, sparing the purifier. Since then, they have a clean pool free of any radiation, to the delight of all who can go wading and unclog a little at the end of the day without risking becoming a ghoul. Sturges has learned a lesson, and Sole is forbidden to touch anything that could be crucial for the colony since. Anyway, it’s not like the poor bastard can distinguish a battery from a switch.

Curie : Before she realised there was a living being on the other side of the door, the said door literally collapsed on itself. Curie never left the chamber where she had been kept for so long. She doesn't need to be asked to accompany Sole inside the vault. Unfortunately, one of the molerats carrying the infection bit Sole. To be honest, they fell on the corpse and stuck the teeth in their buttocks, even though the man in Sole's company had taken care to exterminate them all to ensure Sole was not worried. However, Sole refuses the treatment. Instead, they want that Curie cures a child. Curie is concerned about the virus's repercussions. But, once again, she has no idea what God Luck the Klutz must pray for, but the virus does not appear to be suitable for development in Sole's system. They will have to deal with some repercussions, but Curie has seen influenza cause more harm.

Danse : As he was about to give up after seeing the ferals rush waves after waves, he heard a voice behind him.

"Don't be afraid! I'm here to assist—oops!"

And Danse sees all of the security fences around the police station collapsing one after the other. How is that even possible? He has no idea. These barriers are built to withstand violent attacks. They are now sure they are dominoes. As panic gripped the Brotherhood, he realised that, by an incredible chance, the barriers had collapsed on the ghouls, flattening them like pancakes. When the last one has passed, the soldier turns to face the newcomer and a companion who appears to be in exasperation.

"Good…work…I guess. You have just spared us from terrible death." "Good job?" Rhys, the knight, becomes irritated. "That jerk almost got us all killed in less than a few seconds!"

"Keep calm," Haylen said as she shaved him on the train. "In the end, we are saved."

The paladin looks at his officers, then at the newcomer, who is attempting to untangle a chewing gum caught under his sole. When he loses his balance, the man beside him advances almost instinctively to receive him, almost as if he had the strength of habit.

"So, uh... listen, I have a mission for you if you're interested."

The man in the Minutemen's hat looks up, surprised, and drops his friend to make large hand movements, but it's too late. Sole, sitting on their hindquarters, nods their head.

"With great pleasure!"

Deacon : To put it simply, he hasn't laughed this hard in... ever. He was having problems laughing despite his attempts to drown his misery in humor, and he now goes to bed every night with a stomach ache so severe as he bends in half all day. He has seen them evolve in the world from the day they left the vault and has only one regret: not having popcorn. He has no idea how the individual made it this far. First, the Concord raiders: Sole fell down a well when the hatch that concealed it crumbled beneath their feet, unleashing a deathclaw in all his rage. While Sole ran like crazy up the street to avoid the huge beast's claws, the monster literally shredded all of the raiders present. When the deathclaw followed Sole into the museum, they collapsed the platforms on which the raiders were standing... raiders that the deathclaw has now shred in pieces. Finally, as Sole climbed four to four floors to escape their pursuers, the monster slipped and fell two floors on his head and died. Deacon almost roasted himself at the time, an intense chuckle escaping him despite himself. The adventure did not come to an end there. A completely taken aback Minuteman also arrived at the scene, but instead of making him laugh, it seemed to make him believe in the possibility of fate. So he began by worshipping Sole... for a few moments. Everything went to hell when Sole opened their mouths. This person isn't simply clumsy; they're plain dumb. But Preston appears to have a good heart in the face of bad luck; he takes Sole under his wing, and their adventures that begin then give Deacon so much pleasure that he is eager to go and tell everything at HQ.

Dogmeat : Dogmeat is delighted with his new master. But they can be strange at times. His new master seemed to disregard everything that people normally know. Instead of bang bang bang, they threw their weapon at a molerat. Dogmeat is unfazed; he shreds the molerats. Then there are the men-who-kill. Sole appears to believe that they can be their friend and greets them enthusiastically. When the men-who-kill turn towards them by raising their weapons, Dogmeat grabs Sole by the bottom of their trousers to make them get back. The metal plate on which they stand then falls beneath their feet, revealing a furious deathclaw. When the monster chases Sole and Dogmeat, they run belly-dn ahead. Sole does not accompany Dogmeat forks into a place where he knows they will be safe. They kept running straight forward, as if they could outrun a deathclaw. Dogmeat lets out a whine and dashes behind the deathclaw. It has been stated that Dogmeat was a bright dog, but the canine never imagined that he would one day be more intelligent than a person.

Elder Maxson : Danse stands behind the new recruit, completely uneasy. The Elder addresses him first.

"I'm having difficulty comprehending your report. You appear to be saying that Sole is the element that helped your missions work in your benefit, but you also appear to have some concerns. Why beg for their promotion and support them while expressing uncertainty?"

"I recommend that you make up your own mind."

The Elder then turns to the recruit and begins his lengthy speech. Sole maintains a straight posture and attentive listening throughout. Maxson is animated and takes his time explaining himself. When he has finished his long speech, he turns to Sole, waiting for their decision.

"So... I can get a Power Armor?"

Arthur is shocked. He frowns and glances at Danse, who appears to be trying to hold back a grin.

"Indeed, yes. But, more importantly, do you understand what is being asked of you?"

"Oh, to put on your uniform and go about doing your errands. When will I receive my armor?"

"Our… errands?"

"Yes. Go there, Sole, and bring that back. I'm not upset. But I'm looking for my armor."

Maxson's eyes widen in astonishment He again catches Danse's eyes, and he is certain now that the paladin keeps his cool not to chuckle. He instructs Sole to await them on the bridge.

"What's the backstory?"

"This... this recruit is a very interesting element. He fulfils all our requests. But to be honest, it's a miracle more than anything else."

"Do they... do they appear uh... capable of thinking?"

"I have my doubts. The Minutemen who accompanied them were equally sceptical. Furthermore, I do not recommend accompanying them on a mission or entrusting them with anyone. But they do the job... in their own way."

Arthur pauses for a moment before sighing.

"I must admit that the hopelessness of our situation compels me to grant your request. As a result, as you suggested, I raise them to Knight. I have a first task for both of you."

"Us two, sir?"

"You brought them to me; now you will manage them."

Danse lets out a sigh. That was his greatest fear. But, hey, Sole isn't a bad guy. He's only had concerns after nearly being roasted alive in Arcjet.

Hancock : "Wow! Insurance! You're such a kind man!"

The mayor of Goodneighbor looks at the newcomers with a snigger. Finn is defrauding them. Then he encounters the irritated, perhaps tired, look of Diamond City detective Nick Valentine. He doesn't want his drifter to play games with someone he likes, so he approaches Finn and instructs him to comply.

"Nick Valentine makes a rare visit to town, and you’re hassling his friend here with that extortion crap?"

"No problem here," the newcomer hurriedly stated. "This gentleman was just selling me insurance."

Nick seems to open his mouth in protest, but Hancock take it in hand.

"You’re soft, Hancock. If you continue to allow strangers walk all over us, there will be a new mayor."

"Come on, man. This is me we’re talking about. Let me tell you something."

Sole seemed to be aware that something is about to occur. They approach towards the mayor, opening their mouth to speak, but their foot become caught in a slab on the ground.

"Oops!"

However, they cling to the dagger that Finn hid to cut Sole's throat at the first move, and the little scoundrel turns impaled on his own blade. Hancock, for his part, didn't have time to pull his own, which he had hidden behind his back, ready to impale Finn as well. He seems perplexed, Sole apologising repeatedly to Finn's body, which is now stiff on the ground.

"I'm very sorry, man. I didn't want to murder him... Mr. Ghoul, are you listening? I didn't want to murder your citizens. Please do not hurt me."

Nick shakes his head in disbelief, and the mayor cracks a faint smile.

"It's not the sharpest pencil in the box, is it?" He then explains "This guy was going to cut your throat. You had an amazing chance."

"Wait, no, I think you're wrong; he just wanted to sell me insurance."

Nick raises his hand as Hancock prepares to explain again in simple terms.

"Lost time, pal. Take this buddy as they come. I don't think they've realised I'm a synth yet."

"I'm not that stupid!" Sole objected. "But I know you don't make music. So, if you want to pretend to be something you're not, go ahead; but stop wanting—

"Synthetic! Not synthesizer!"

Hancock busts out laughing, and someone else behind his back does as well. He recognises Deacon's voice, but as he looks about among the street drifters, he doesn't see the Railroad agent.

Gage : Weeks of effort. It took weeks of miracles to get the stiff hands on a common project. The entire Gauntlet has now collapsed. Gage sighs and shakes his head. This new player is not playing. They are, nonetheless, intriguing. They will now have to handle Colter at the arena's door. Porter uses his intercom to confront the newcomer.

"Who's the one talking?"

"Porter, please answer the intercom. Approach, we’ll talk."

"Porter? That's... God's new name?"

Gage pauses, frowning. But dammit, he's met the stupidest guy he's ever encountered, and yet he evolves above the raiders.

"It's the intercom! It's on the wall! Near the lockers."

"Ah! Eheh. Yeah. I see. So, what do you desire?"

"If you play it right, we'll work together."

Porter then has a second thought. He can't possibly appeal to this person's brains. He shrugs his shoulders and decides to improvise.

"Look, you're going to find a water gun in a locker...hello?"

"Oops! Sorry. I was... looking around..."

"Huh? Power to the Arena's down by 30%. You do that? Not bad. You're still gonna need the gun, but... that oughta help."

Sole finally found the water gun after numerous clues. Porter began to question if his strategy was really that good...

MacCready : Hancock ushers a newcomer into the VIP room. Poor timing. Those idiots Winlock and Barnes have tracked him down and are attempting to intimidate him. It's going to get ugly fast...

"Wow, this is a true family reunion! Wow, you've got a lot of guns!"

MacCready was still astonished after Hancock struck his forehead. Giggles escaped the gunners. Mac rushes to return them to their home.

"Are you the mercenary I can employ?" It's Hancock, he stated I need God's help and don't know who I can afford to stay alive."

Mac casts a glance at the mayor, who shrugs and walks out of the room, unable to keep back his laughter.

"Yeah, I do offer my rifle services to those who can afford them."

"Oh, yes, caps!"

The new person slings a bag over their shoulder, but in a clumsy action, all of the contents and the container fall to the ground. They see something under the table as they bend down to pick up their mess.

They reach out their hand and pull out a plasma grenade. MacCready rushes to take the toy from their grasp as they prepare to engage it accidently.

"Obviously, you're going to need all the help you can get to survive, but if you really want to pay for my services, it'll be...500 caps."

Sole takes out a purse containing their belongings.

"There must be at least five or six hundred. It's difficult to count that many. Okay, maybe ten or twenty capsules. But more than a hundred? You're insane; I don't have all day."

Perplexed, the mercenary scratches the back of his head and sighs. He didn't expect the new would accept such a high price, so he's not going to start recounting behind them. There are clearly several hundred caps by weight.

"Well, you've just paid for Robert Joseph MacCready's services!" he attempts cheerfully.

"Great!" exclaims the other. "I'm Sole. That's how they refer to me."

Nick Valentine : After only a few minutes, he begins to question if it might not be preferable to remain trapped in the vault. Dyno died literally laughing. He fell over the railing and into the atrium at the bottom after seeing the other get entangled in wires while attempting to draw their rifle. Nick has been waiting impatiently for the other to figure out how the terminal works since then.

"Listen, uh... detective, I'll be right back."

Nick hears the other one come down the stairs, then return after a long time. Dyno appears to have had a piece of paper with the password in his pocket, and Sole can finally open the cage, which is not gilded at all.

"Ah, my knight-in-shining-armor. But the question is, why does he come all this way, risk life and limb, for an old private eye?"

"Who! Is that a robot? I'm sorry, Mr. Robot, but I'm searching for a detective. Did you happen to see him?"

"I believe I'm the detective you're looking for."

"No, I mean a private investigator. I was told he went to look into Malone's side of the vault and that we haven't heard from him since."

"I am the private detective."

"Nick Valentine! That's his given name. Nick Valentine, I recall."

"I AM NICK VALENTINE."

"Okay. Is this some sort of a game? You've been programmed to deceive others? What happened to Nick Valentine?"

Nick takes a deep breath.

"I’m a synthetic man. I’m a synthetic detective."

"You’re a synthesiser? So, you're a musician? Wow. When the detective’s going to figure it out... But I don't have time to listen to music; I need to save the detective."

"Lord…"

Piper : "Play along!"

"Are you playing a game? Great!"

Piper casts a sidelong peek at the new one, but she's not going to pass up this opportunity. She eventually persuaded Danny to open it up to her with a lot of luck. However, the person in blue almost blew it. She rushes into Diamond City as soon as the gate opens, and the new follows her, but she will worry about them later, as MacDonough awaits her around the corner.

"Piper! Who you let you back inside? I told Sullivan to keep that gate shut!"

"Hey!" interrupts the newcomer right away. "How could Quincy's surplus have been sold to...crazy Mirna... if you had left this gate closed?"

«It was a lie to go home," Piper says as she passes past.

"Do you mean I'm not a Quincy trader? Oh, how I would have liked that."

The mayor, by some miracle, appears to believe that the newcomer is important and ends up leaving them alone, tail between their legs, after the other voices two or three well-placed remarks. Piper is impressed, because in fact, they appear to have only two cells, one to keep them from peeing everywhere and the other to...

"So, Blue, do you want to tell me a little bit about your backstory?"

"Blue? Why do you call me Blue?"

"The vaultsuit."

"Oh, yes, it's true that it's blue."

Piper lets out a sigh. She hasn't even left the inn yet.

"Please join me at the Publick Occurency (if you can find it) and we can talk. Okay?"

The new one says, "Agreed." Piper rushes away, wondering who she has just met, when she catches the smile of a guard she does not remember.

Preston : Oh my fucking goodness! Preston isn't the sort to curse, but as half the museum collapses on the gunners and deathclaw, the notion flashes through his mind as vividly as if he'd said it aloud. He, on the other hand, cannot believe their good fortune. It's amazing! To accomplish such a feat, this individual must be a genius. But as he watches them emerge from the rubble, he begins to wonder if...

"Wow, that's impressive. But a couple of shots could have done the same thing without... destroying everything."

The blue person simply steps over the balcony and approaches Preston.

"Hello there! What exactly are you doing here? Isn't this a really depressing place to be?"

Preston looks at the refugees before returning his gaze to the vaultie.

"The raiders threatened us, so we took refuge here. But now that we've done that, we must decide what to do next. Sturges?"

Preston notices that Sturges is entirely frozen in place, detailing the new one as if it appeared out of nowhere.

"They did... they destroyed the museum!"

"Yes, Sturges. I was present. But, at the very least, the city has been cleaned up. We can proceed safely."

"Safe? With…that?!"

"That's referred to as Sole. Pleased. You are?"

"The survivors of Quincy."

"And we'd like to be able to survive," Sturges continued. "There will be no more williboumbatpouf! Okay?"

So, the survivors of Quincy and Sole set out for the location seen by Mama Murphy: Sanctuary Hill. When they arrive in one piece, Preston has the brilliant idea of inviting Sole to assist Sturges in establishing them. And that results in a lot… a lot of problems. 

Strong : Strong doesn’t see the problem. Strong finds the puny humans very lucky. Other humans seem to think the puny human is stupid. Strong think the puny humans is very smart.

X6-88 : He cannot conceive of this individual being able to conceive Father. Probably the other parent was a genius outside of their field, and Father got the best of both worlds. There is literally no other option. And their chance! Surely, wherever they go, this extraordinary chance rescues them from the direst situations.

"Wow, X6! I stumbled onto a honey storage tank. It's incredible!"

X6 heaves a murmur of exasperation as he leans over the edge of the rusted tank, whose metal has yielded under Sole's weight. It is indeed honey that has been partially solidified but is still viable.

Truly an incredible chance.

[boringbones]

What do you think The Sims 4 should have been? How should they have looked? I see people say they have the best graphics in the series and damn, that's a slander. I think The Sims 4 should have been an evolution of The Sims 3 and instead it looks cartoony and the shadows don't even catch the sims. I even think The Sims 2 looks better than The Sims 4, I think the sims can look great with a lot of custom content but that's the only thing because the world looks so papery and so green. I'm asking you this because I think you're one of the most objective simmers right now and I think you really appreciate The Sims 3.

Objectively, this is what The Sims 4 should have been. A significant evolution of the 3, keeping everything the 3 brought, without the performance issues of that period. That at least was what I expected when the first image came out. It sold us mystery, it sold us the idea of interconnected narratives like in ts2, it sold us the idea of a game that would bring everything that was left out in ts3, but that was in 2!

It's very kind of you, thank you for seeing me that way. My take on Ts4 is that the game is in the condition it is in and part of that is the fault of the extremely "positivist" community. Who celebrates Patch who brings class to the kit, and is happy with considerably superficial and insignificant deliveries.

I've been playing The Sims for 19 years. I criticized The Sims 3 a lot in its time, for (compared to ts2) presenting sims so robotic and with "hard" animations. This has improved over time and HAPPY is fixable. My idealization is that I wouldn't complain about this in ts4, however, 4 went the complete opposite way, giving us goofy sims that look more like they were made for kids than adults. They are literally silly. There is no significant consequence, there is no risk.

What made Ts1, 2 and 3 special was not in 4. However, I cannot deny that The Sims 4 was perhaps one of the games that best managed to represent the original idea of The Sims: House Building Simulator. Houses and Sims. But that alone doesn't sustain what The Sims franchise has become. That goes far beyond these two concepts. By the way, it's not because the ts4's CAS is push and pull that it's the best. It's easier to work on sims in ts2 and 3 with sliders than in 4, especially if you decide to change "ethnic" traits. Since, if you choose the wrong eye, and spend two hours editing it, you'll have to start all over again on the next swatch (model) you choose.

The Sims 4 needs to end. But if it's approaching 10 years, the community is responsible for that. Every time someone annulled themselves, every time someone stopped criticizing, every time someone accepted it and thought it was normal, it corroborated for that. It is worth remembering that it took almost a "third war" on twitter, to give us more variation of skins. And I ask: Do we REALLY deserve to go through this? Should we really lower the bar to charge for essentials?

The Sims 4 is so popular for embracing diversity, but TS3 did it without show, and the mainstream media never applauded it for it. Why? Because he was performing a natural evolution, it was his destiny. In 4, however, it seems that they program evolutions, to be applauded, handing us first a piece of dry bread, then a nice sandwich and…: "Aren't you going to applaud us? We're doing everything you asked!" In exchange for what?

The Sims 4 didn't even have a family tree in the base game. This is a bad joke. To those offended, I can only apologize, I'm not talking about you, I'm giving my opinion about this generation of almost 10 years. As a longtime Simmer, I've never seen maxis deliver so little, charge so much and still be idolized for it. This was not the maxis that revolutionized the industry 20 years ago.

And Yes!! Nothing beats the sims 2 even today.

In addition to having extremely malleable graphics that can look amazingly good 20 years later, it has the best lighting system in the entire franchise and the CRAZIEST sims (WHICH I LOVE)

By the way, do the poles light up the roofs on the ts4 too? (I really have no idea)

[hopeymchope]

'Inescapable' just made me experience something I've never felt before.

I have never, EVER before felt diversity or representation in media was something "forced." And I've always been QUITE bitchy towards people who say things like that. In my experience, people who complain of diversity/representation in fiction being "forced" are usually the same people who use "woke" as an insult, and they can fuck RIGHT OFF. I did not and could not see that as possible, because all representation is good, right? We should work to reflect the increasing diversity of our world in our media, of course. That can't be an objectionable thing..............

UNTIL!

Until the visual novel "Inescapable" immediately followed up a character's death AND another character taking a bullet for our POV characte (a.k.a. Harrison) AND a major "family member abuduction/blackmail" subplot event WITH:

"HOLD UP, these two women who've barely exchanged any words on-screen are TOTES IN LOVE and every character somehow knew it already (even Harrison, despite the fact that we never so much as hinted at this). AND NOW! One of them is going to approach your player character to discuss the realities of asexuality with you for half a day, completely unprompted. BUCKLE UP."

And just like that, I was brutally struck with tonal/narrative whiplash. I guess diversity really can feel "forced" if you (A) bring it up really late in your story, (B) at a weirdly inappropriate time, and (C) make claims about it that aren't supported by the story beforehand.

Based on what, Harrison??? Based on fucking WHAT?!

I'm left with the impression our devs realized LATE in development that they wanted to include more representation of the LGBTQ+ community. Hey — a noble goal! And the game already has an overt non-binary character, so it makes sense to push that farther. But rather than go back and edit what they'd done to build up to this or make the representation evident from the jump, it feels like they just... shoehorned these events into the late-game of one, maybe two routes in an extremely awkward fashion. The end result, to me, is a feeling of "Did y'all just forget that the world is burning down around us??? Is this REALLY the time for this?" in addition to that aforementioned issue of "Waitwaitwait, what do you mean all the characters find this obvious?!" (This does not at all align with their observations on one of these characters up to this point, but I'll circle back to that. Just give me a few more paragraphs.) "If this 'obviousness' is really the case, shouldn't it be something the player/reader could've seen SOME hints toward?" It's especially wild as fuck to suggest that fucking Harrison saw this coming... again, despite ALL evidence being to the contrary (don't worry; I'll circle back to that, too. Right after the next three paragraphs.)

I think there'd be value in having this representation appear EARLIER in the story. Not just for foreshadowing, but because it would increase the changes of players actually SEEING this representation! (As it stands, it's locked behind certain routes only.) Or at least maybe, y'know, make this part of the story when people aren't literally dying around us. Let me postulate some ways you could've at least built a little towards this: Maybe sometimes we catch the two ladies talking privately about something before we enter the room, and we know nothing else. Few people would assume they were being flirty or whatever, but if they were often paired off during our Free Time while you were looking for people to talk to? It'd become a very vague foreshadowing, which I think is better than nothing. Or, if you just want there to be some gay representation earlier in the story: Given how often one person in the cast comments on other cast members being "hot/sexy," have one of these girls throw in their agreement one time. These seem like solid bare-minimum hint ideas. Far better would be making their connection "obvious" to the player if it's going to be so obvious to the characters, y'know??

Not sure how you could foreshadow the asexuality very casually, though. I think you keep that reveal/discussion exactly the same except you move it to a place where it doesn't feel like we're talking about our petty personal matters while the surrounding world is burning. However, call me crazy, but I think it would've been cool to see Harrison, our player character, be the asexuality representative. That way A) it could come up much earlier in the story because we're privy to his internal thoughts, so it'd be easy and natural to do. Plus B) it'd be a GREAT excuse to get rid of all the moments in which Harrison thinks about/comments on boobs and breasts, which IMO are his least-likable, grossest moments. :P

So let me be clear: It's not that diversity and representation is ever a bad goal. It's just... y'know, it usually feels kind of natural. Because people are so varied and different by nature. We have so many skin colors, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, disabilities, etc that ofc it's cool to see that reflected in our fiction. The issue is that this VN goes out of its way to make these reveals/conversations feel completely left-field based on what precedes and surrounds them. It indeed feels "forced" as things stand. But HOLD UP.... maybe this was done on purpose???????

ALL RIGHT, IT'S CIRCLE-BACK TIME! Before I can share my theory on why maybe this was intentional, I must firstexplain both "why all preceding evidence was actually against this reveal" AND "why there's no way I believe their feelings were so 'obvious' to everyone else." Here's the background info: During the preceding literal hours of the VN, Harrison and one of the two lesbians in question have had numerous scenes of the two of them alone at night, often sitting on the beach, saying some pretty sweet/intimate things to each other (Actual Dialogue: "Whenever you're not by my side, I miss you. I miss... us.") under the moonlight while she awkwardly looks away and brushes her hair behind her ear, blushing. This woman is also the person who took a bullet for Harrison. This is our guy's go-to confidant, and it's easy to see them forming a real connection... a connection that seems like it could easily be developing towards a blatantly canon romance by the end. It would be a logical direction to take given that we regularly read Harrison's inner thoughts regarding the friends he's lost and how he can't picture anyone ever wanting to be in a relationship with him. (Side Note: By the end of this game, there are definitely routes where Harrison makes close friends. But there are zero routes where anyone ever wants to be with him, so I guess he was right about that?) And right after his closest confidant takes that bullet, during her recovery? You think they're going to have an intense heart-to-heart about their feelings. And they kind of do, becuse THAT'S when we learn she only has eyes for this other woman. In truth, her and Harrison? Why, we're told they're just good friends! And as to the other problem with the anti-foreshadowing of this relationship: The fact that the characters think her and the other girl's feelings for each other were "obvious" rings as horse shit in this context because (and again, this is all throughout the preceding hours of the game) characters have repeatedly observed that the non-confidant lesbian is isolated, all-business, cold, clinical, unemotional, etc. Kinda weird to now act like she wears her heart on her sleeve, innit?

With the preceding paragraph in mind: Why do I think this weird writing might be on purpose? Let me preface by saying: Look, I understand I might be really reaching with this theory. Maybe everything herein is just symptomatic of the lesbian/asexuality representation being inserted into the narrative at the 11th hour. It could also be symptomatic of the fact that for some reason, the characterizations/personalities of the cast are not remotely consistent across each route/ending — which causes weird dissonance on multiple occasions. But as a counterpoint, I POSTULATE THIS: Perhaps the devs were actually reverse-queerbaiting (straightbaiting...?) to make a larger point about queerbaiting in media. I think they might've been intentionally building to a straight ship just to RIP IT AWAY like that never happened and we-must've-been-fooling-ourselves-lol, because that has happened so many times to so many seemingly-queer-but-WHOOPS-not-really-don't-be-silly characters in media.

And if that's ACTUALLY why this is written this way? Well, I can't say it's a 100% successful gambit, but that does at leat make it a respectable one. In that context, it's bold, clever, shocking, and kind of hilarious.

P.S. The next time these devs want to have more diversity/representation? Maybe they shouldn't include only ONE POC among a cast supposedly pulled from all across Europe. These devs are FROM Europe, so I'd kind of think they'd know there's a lot more than just assorted crackers sprinkled across the continent... ??

[skyloftsword]

Sixth Playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom Done, Have my Thoughts Changed?

Short answer: NOPE. I still don't see how the entire package is bad. Every game ever has flaws, EVEN your precious Breath of the Wild was very flawed. This is still my favorite game ever and I do really like BotW a lot. Story is for the most part really great, excellent soundtrack, gameplay is incredible, wonderful cast of characters.

Long Answer (SPOILERS):

Okay so, when I first played this game, it made me look back at Breath of the Wild and feel kinda disappointed with that game. Breath of the Wild kinda didn't feel anywhere near as focused as this game does (ironic considering most people have been saying the opposite).

The Dragon's Tear quest actually was really connected and told a really, really interesting story that got me invested in the characters. The order should have been forced, HOWEVER, Impa notes that the order of the memories is on the wall in the room of the Forgotten Temple. The Regional Phenomena stuff is what the Divine Beast quests should have been. Only one Divine Beast quest had anything going on before the battle, all four regions have stuff going on in them with the Regional Phenomena. Not to mention the regions are actively being affected by the events of the phenomena going on, with the Zora being injured by sludge, the Rito being starved, the Gerudo being invaded by zombi- I mean Gibdos and the Gorons being mind controlled by Ganondorf's puppet. The Puppet Zelda quest could have been handled a lot better, however I have read people's posts about why Link didn't tell anyone about it and I choose to believe that (because a lot of this game is based around theory crafting, like Josha for example, she's all about making theories of the past). Purah not commenting on you having the Master Sword until AFTER you finish the Crisis at Hyrule Castle quest is extremely awkward, especially if you have it on your back. The Ring Ruins quest is also really good, needing to explore the Zonai Ruins to find clothes from the era of the Zonai. Mineru (my beloved)'s quest is genuinely incredible. Building a construct then being able to drive her around is such an amazing idea.

The cast of characters in this game is filled with really great characters. Yes, the ancient Sages are literal WHO? HOWEVER, outside of them, Impa and the Deku Tree, the rest of the cast is really great. Rauru's character arc is my favorite in the series, topping Groose's for me. Sonia is also a really charming character. Both of them are the parents that this Zelda deserved. Such excellent parents. Mineru's my favorite of the cast solely because I can relate to having VERY unhealthy hyperfixation and work issues. Tulin's a really fun character to be around. Sidon's arc is really, really good in this game and the fact that they tied it back to Mipha's death from the Calamity helps the ties between the games become even stronger. Yunobo went from a bottom-tier character to a very solid character for me in this game (partially because he wasn't associated with Scrapper Eldin quest 2.0 this time). Riju is an excellent leader for the Gerudo, willing to put herself in danger for her people. Purah is a bit awkward in terms of writing but she's still good (and thankfully not tied to a backtracking quest this time).

The music REALLY helps make this game's story stand out compared to every other Zelda game story (besides MAYBE Skyward Sword's). Remember His Name is such a powerful and emotional version of Link's theme. The theme from the final Dragon's Tear is what makes me shed a tear every playthrough. Seized Construct's theme helps make that fight hit harder since its a corrupted version of Mineru's theme. Hyrule Castle's theme is more somber than BotW's, which is fitting. The transition themes between the Sky -> Surface and the Surface -> Depths really help make diving feel even more satisfying. Each Sage's theme fits their personality perfectly.

The gameplay in this game is genuinely perfect. The dungeons (hot take) are extremely fun to do, every time I do them I learn a new method for at least one of their puzzles. The Shrines are FAR better in this game than they were in BotW. The Proving Grounds Shrines feel more like a test than BotW's Tests of Strength. HOWEVER, they, for whatever reason, decided to make MORE combat tutorial Shrines. Now for abilities... Ultrahand and Fuse are SUPER fun to toy around with. Ascend ruined gaming for me because I'm so addicted to using it. Recall is crazy and its incredible how they got it to work as perfectly as they did (also great way to reach the Sky Islands).

Now onto the new environments in this game. The Sky Islands are beautiful. While they aren't for the most part visually distinct, a LOT of them are extremely unique. Lightcast Island is especially a really fun island. Thunderhead Isles and Dragonhead Island are amazing as well. Dragonhead's theme is one of my favorite ambient themes ever, its so calming. The Depths is really fun to run around in, except when you run into a pile of Gloom, that really sucks. Construct Factory and Spirit Temple are literal perfection. Fire Temple is also such a really cool dungeon.

Alright, now that I'm done, did my opinion on this game change after my sixth playthrough? ...No. This game is still absolutely incredible and a masterpiece of a game. No matter how much I get harassed (which I have been harassed multiple times over this), my opinion still remains the same on this game. Yes it has its issues, yes I think there are aspects that could be very much improved, but I feel this way with literally every game ever. Thank you for reading my rambling, have a good day.

[zorilleerrant]

I'm a huge WFA fan and I can see why people have issues with the entire Batman family of comics but... it's not just that it's fluff. (many limited and even a few potentially ongoing series are fluff and humor, and they sell notoriously poorly)

webtoons are free. that's the biggest one. you can't compare 'sales' of a free thing to something that costs money, and especially not something that, at this point, costs kind of a lot of money compared to most people's fun money

webtoons are weekly. it's a lot easier to remember something that happens weekly than something that happens once a month, and most people aren't buying enough comics for that to become consistently weekly, or they're subscribing to services (or pirating) in a way that isn't time bound in the same way. something that happens the same day every week is easier

they're shorter, more standalone, and formatted to scroll through on phones (and it's harder to read comics on a phone than a physical copy, and awkward on a computer). most people use their phones for most of their media, and even people who don't have the phone if they want to take a quick break and look at a short story that's up there. you don't have to read all of them and you don't have to read them in order (except for a few multi-part stories) and it's not as much of a time commitment. but it's still easy to read many in a row without getting bogged down in details or having to cross-reference anything

WFA is an isolated story. not only is there no required background reading (altho there's lots that can be gotten out of it if you do have that background) there's also no crossovers or extensive references that expect you to have been following other stories, sometimes lots of other stories

consistency. there's only one team, which means there's a standardized art style with continuous character references, and the writing style is maintained in the same way. so if you like it you'll generally like all of it. comics can't keep the same artist across multiple titles, and shouldn't keep the same writer. but even within a single title, the B story can be extremely different in tone, scope, topic, etc. than the A story. and switching between stories quickly can give a reader whiplash, wondering why last month's ended so abruptly and this month's is something completely unrelated in a totally different register

WFA is also marketed towards women/in feminine social contexts, because way more women than men read webcomics. so they pick attitudes and topics considered more traditionally feminine, because comics are thought of as a masculine pastime. only the thing is women are actually a larger portion of the readership than men for literally everything, because women just read way more than men do, for a few decades now. also, regardless of market share and targeted advertising... having used the webtoon app, the way they advertise based on reading history and subscriptions makes perfect sense and is easy to use. the way that DC markets its comics is. not

circulation is also a huge one. it's way easier to share a single funny panel out of context than a single deeply emotional one. and while humor writers still tend to understand that you need more serious moments to keep the humor fresh, it's increasingly harder to convince people that serious things need the occasional comic relief for the emotional impact to really hit. this is a problem with art reception but it's way more complicated than the topics people do or don't like to see.

what I'm saying is if you made something free, weekly, standalone, starting at the beginning, with a talented and consistent writing and art team, dealing with issues they actually understood and that spoke to their audience, with large dramatic no dialogue panels that were simply beautiful and poignant to look at interspersed through the story, with characters who were already world famous and popular, it would also have a huge audience. angst/drama can absolutely be done that way, and is the reason that soap operas have remained such an appealing form to such a large audience.

plenty of people who are perfectly nice and fun people prefer angst over fluff. plenty of people like angst and fluff equally. plenty of people can't stand too much of one if they don't get any of the other and need to maintain a balance between them. it doesn't say anything about the majority of the audience or who wants what out of which fiction. you're going apple picking and pointing to everyone's apples and asserting that clearly people never liked oranges in the first place.