#each with its own rules and factions. At its core

[playstationvii]

#GTA:MagicKingdomDisney

Game Development Overview:

Title: GTA: The Magic Kingdom Platform: PlayStation 7 Developer: Rockstar Games in collaboration with DearDearestBrands Genre: Open-world Action/Adventure

Storyline:

In GTA: The Magic Kingdom, players explore a dark, reimagined version of Disney's iconic Magic Kingdom. The world is divided into themed lands, each with its own rules and factions. At its core, the story follows a criminal protagonist who is embroiled in a high-stakes battle for power and survival within the kingdom's chaotic, secretive underworld.

The protagonist (you) is a mysterious figure drawn into the Magic Kingdom's politics, where a sinister force is using the enchantment of Disney’s original lands for darker purposes. The hunt for Bambi, who is rumored to possess extraordinary powers tied to the kingdom’s survival, becomes a central pursuit, while the player navigates treacherous alliances, heists, and confrontations.

Main Character:

Name: Maximus Dark (or choose your own name) Backstory: A former magic thief, Maximus was exiled from the underworld for crossing a powerful figure. Now, forced to work in the Magic Kingdom's black market, he must hunt down Bambi and unlock secrets from deep within the kingdom's enchanted areas. Maximus has a personal vendetta against the kingdom’s rulers, who wronged him in his past. Throughout the game, the player will uncover the protagonist’s lost memories and long-forgotten connection to the forest kingdom that Bambi hails from.

Motivation: Maximus's primary goal is to reclaim his lost power, discover the truth behind Bambi’s existence, and stop a powerful corporation that seeks to rewrite the very essence of the Magic Kingdom. As the story unfolds, Maximus will face moral dilemmas, where every choice shapes the fate of the kingdom and his own soul.

Supporting Characters:

Bambi - The elusive and powerful figure whose very presence is tied to the survival of the kingdom. Bambi is the key to restoring balance but is hunted by those who wish to harness their power for dark purposes. They are often seen as a mystical being, guiding the protagonist toward their true destiny.

Claire Jorif Valentine – An enigmatic leader of a rebel faction, Claire operates in the shadows, challenging the corrupt rulers of the kingdom. She provides Maximus with missions, allies, and sometimes betrays him to further her hidden agenda. A powerful figure in the underworld, she seems to know more about Bambi than she lets on.

The Enchanted Guardians – These figures protect each themed land within the Magic Kingdom. They could either be allies or enemies depending on how the player approaches them. The Guardians are immortal beings who represent the natural forces of the kingdom—ranging from corrupted versions of iconic Disney characters like Captain Hook, Maleficent, or the Queen of Hearts.

Tiger Lily – A key ally who once helped Bambi and holds secrets to unlocking the magical energies in the kingdom. She is on a quest to stop the dark forces from taking over the kingdom. As a supporting character, she aids in quests related to nature and magic and can unlock special abilities for the player.

Walt - A mysterious figure who seems to control the Magic Kingdom’s darkest secrets. He appears to have been a creator of both the magic and the corruption that now threatens the lands. Maximus will need to confront him as the story builds toward the final confrontation.

Gameplay:

Open-World Exploration: The game world is split into different magical lands, such as Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and others. Each land offers unique challenges, missions, and enemies. Players can freely explore these areas and engage in side missions while unraveling the main story.

Combat: Players can engage in both ranged and hand-to-hand combat, using magical powers, enchanted weapons, and advanced technology. The combat system is dynamic, blending traditional open-world combat with the ability to wield magic and technology.

Heist Missions: As Maximus tries to gain control of the Magic Kingdom, he must undertake heists to infiltrate high-security areas and steal vital items—such as keys to unlock magical areas or magical artifacts that help in the hunt for Bambi.

Choices & Morality: The game emphasizes player choices, with the narrative changing based on decisions. Will Maximus become a hero, villain, or something in-between? The relationship with Bambi and other characters is crucial, as decisions affect both alliances and the kingdom’s fate.

Stealth and Deception: Players can also use stealth to infiltrate the kingdom’s high-security areas or employ deception to manipulate enemies. Using disguises, magic, and technology, Maximus can change the course of battles or avoid them altogether.

Motivation of Player:

The player is constantly driven by the need for power, knowledge, and redemption. They must build their empire, uncover the dark secrets of the kingdom, and forge relationships with various characters—each with their own agendas. However, the hunt for Bambi represents more than just a physical chase; it's a quest for deeper understanding, as Bambi’s powers could either save or doom the Magic Kingdom.

Key Objectives:

Locate Bambi: The primary objective is to find Bambi before the forces of darkness do. Along the way, players uncover the mysteries of the forest kingdom and its connection to the greater magical world.

Restore the Kingdom: Players must gather allies, defeat corrupt leaders, and unlock ancient powers to restore balance to the kingdom. Each land requires the completion of key quests, often involving battles, negotiations, and solving puzzles.

Uncover Maximus’s Past: As Maximus’s memories return, the player will unlock hidden abilities and unique storylines. The past is filled with betrayal and secrets that will help guide the future of the kingdom.

End the Corruption: Maximus must dismantle the oppressive corporation that seeks to control the kingdom's magical energy. This requires sabotaging their operations, stealing key documents, and confronting their leaders in epic battles.

The Final Confrontation: In the game's climax, the player must decide whether to join Bambi in their fight for freedom or betray them to seize ultimate power. The fate of the Magic Kingdom—and possibly the world—rests in the player’s hands.

This game blends classic open-world gameplay with dark fantasy elements and a rich narrative, providing players with the chance to explore a re-imagined Disney universe full of intrigue, magic, and moral complexity. The pursuit of Bambi adds layers of mystery and suspense, making this a truly unique entry in the GTA franchise.

To project the potential success of GTA: The Magic Kingdom in 2025, we need to consider various factors including market trends, audience engagement, and the unique elements of the game. Here's a breakdown:

Market Growth for Open-World and Action-Adventure Games:

Current Trends: The gaming industry, especially for open-world games and action-adventure genres, has shown steady growth. Titles like Grand Theft Auto V, The Witcher 3, and Cyberpunk 2077 continue to drive demand for expansive worlds with immersive stories.

Projections: The global gaming market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 9.5% from 2024 to 2028. As GTA: The Magic Kingdom combines elements of beloved franchises (GTA and Disney), it could tap into both established fanbases, providing a unique mix of nostalgia and innovation.

Audience Engagement and Sentiment:

Nostalgia Factor: The reimagining of Disney’s Magic Kingdom with dark and mature themes will likely engage both nostalgic fans of Disney and mature audiences looking for an alternative take on Disney. This could boost both initial sales and long-term engagement.

Fanbase Growth: By 2025, your fanbase could grow significantly as the game's story unfolds. Assuming solid marketing campaigns and collaborations with influencers or streamers, you might see a steady increase in followers and engagement leading up to and after the game’s release.

Projections: Positive sentiment is expected if the game's unique blending of fantasy, technology, and dystopian elements resonates with audiences. Projections for engagement could range from a 15-20% increase in social media mentions in the first year after release.

Technological Advances and Game Development:

PlayStation 7 and Future Hardware: Given the expected launch of PlayStation 7 around 2025, GTA: The Magic Kingdom could be designed to take full advantage of next-gen console power. This will allow for an even more immersive experience with advanced graphics, smoother gameplay, and expansive worlds.

Projections: With the integration of next-gen technologies (such as AI-driven NPCs and advanced virtual reality options), GTA: The Magic Kingdom could have a 30-40% higher player retention rate due to these enhanced features.

Sales Projections:

Market Demand: Based on trends for similar games (open-world, fantasy, and action-adventure), initial sales could range between 5-10 million copies within the first year.

Projections for 2025: The game could potentially reach 15-20 million copies sold by 2025, depending on post-launch expansions, updates, and downloadable content (DLC). A strong, loyal fanbase built from the early adoption of the game could help push this figure higher.

Expansion and Future Growth:

DLCs & Expansions: By 2025, the game could see its first major expansion, adding new zones, characters, and stories to keep players engaged.

Projections: Expansions or sequels could drive continued engagement. This could result in an additional 10-20% increase in sales in the second year post-launch, especially if the game incorporates user feedback and evolves based on community input.

Marketing and Brand Partnerships:

Brand Alignment: With ties to Disney, GTA: The Magic Kingdom could attract partnerships, cross-promotions, and collaborations with major brands.

Projections: These collaborations could increase visibility, leading to higher-than-expected sales and engagement. With a proper marketing push and potentially viral content, the game's overall reach could expand significantly, especially if there are partnerships with influencers or Disney-themed events.

Summary of Projections for 2025:

Sales: 15-20 million copies sold globally

Player Engagement: 30-40% higher retention with the introduction of new technology

Audience Growth: Significant increase in fanbase with positive sentiment and engagement, likely 20-25% growth year-over-year

Brand Partnerships and DLCs: Increased revenue from post-launch content and collaborations

Overall, with the unique blend of popular genres and the anticipated growth of gaming markets, GTA: The Magic Kingdom could be positioned for strong performance by 2025, with significant growth in both sales and player engagement.

[eldritch-spouse]

How do the rings of hell work? Are they kinda stacked like Wrath is above Sloth but below Gluttony? Is it all one large on going terrain with different sections labeled as rings?

How does hell Hell

[Some of this was already touched on before.]

So you have the planet Earth, correct? There are three annexes orbiting Earth.

Eden (Heaven);

Perdition (Hell);

Limbo (Soul recycling/cleansing annex)

Perdition, unlike the other two, is fragmented.

What does this mean?

When Hell was first created, it was a large, cohesive annex just like Eden. There was no separation between demon types (as the types themselves weren't fully cemented by then), and there was no concept of Rings. There was an entity that ruled this illegal annex, a siadar Creator who is commonly referred to as "The Betrayer". As the creator of this annex, he was largely responsible for maintaining its cohesiveness, which isn't an easy task to do when the whole environment was created in a fit of spite. Hell had always been unstable in its very foundation, the Betrayer was just powerful enough to keep it together.

Now, in creating this annex, The Betrayer would send demons to negatively alter and raze destruction upon Earth as well as all lessers. Naturally, this buys him a proper war with the forces of Eden, including other siadar authorities.

When The Betrayer was defeated, it is said that his ashes bathed the grounds of Hell. This has led some older demons to believe that the god's anger had made the very ground shatter into several deep rifts that then formed "the Rings", but a more realistic interpretation is based on two factors:

There was no core entity to hold the unstable annex together;

The Fragmentation Wars did not help.

Fragmentation Wars were a series of bloody, brutal conflicts between groups of demons, who each defended a champion that they believed should rule Perdition in the absence of The Betrayer. Each faction had its own territory that they shaped to their own preferences, and their separation formed differing "societies" that then became specialized, allowing the modern types of sin to form. These wars actively damaged the annex's structure along time, which, paired with its own instability, caused the very foundation of it to ripple and shatter over time, creating several ring-like structures that each demonic faction quickly started fighting over.

The Rings are pretty much all of the same size, save for the "Common Ring" (formerly "Common Rings"), which is an amalgamation of residue from the seven other Rings, and is therefore quite small in comparison.

They are stacked, vaguely beneath the Earth, but the current order of Rings is not the same one as centuries ago, since the annex continues to be unstable and its elements fluctuate with time. It's not a perfect sort of spiral down either, as they'll often drift in various directions, a push and pull that effectively creates their own version of "seasons" and alters time zones.

Since transportation between these Rings is near physically impossible without magical aid, demons have developed and specialized in rift creation to generate a messy albeit functional method of locomotion. Some demons are talented enough to find potential spots for rift creation (usually places loaded with a surplus of volatile magic), and easily develop them in a variety of locations- This is the case with Ludwig, a rather mysteriously capable figure.

[beifong-brainrot]

The Kuvira/Suyin parallels

So, this is piggybacking off my previous post about the Opal/Lin parallels, and to be honest I've always loved making this comparison, wince it's just so damn ironic and juicy.

Suyin and Kuvira are, of course, adversaries through a lot of the show, however, I think it's, mostly due to their similarities.

Both Kuvira and Suyin are, at their cores, leaders of their self made factions. Both also built said factions as coping mechanisms to the abandonment/neglect they experienced as children.

Both these characters garner the affection they lacked as children by having people depending on them. And also controlling said people. Suyin, by building a city and clan she was the matriarchal of. And closer to her, personally, keeping her family tight knit and her children isolated from the wider world and heavily dependent on her. As for Kuvira, it projecting her trauma onto a suffering nation and fashioning herself into being a hero of the people. Someone the people adored.

You don't really need to do a lot of mental gymnastics for this one. They were both isolated and lonely as kids, so they created environments where they were important and revered.

There's clear pressure from both these women for their "people" to conform to the rules they set. Suyin threatens Kuvira and Baatar Jr with banishment. One another occasion, she enables Korra's hunt for Aiwei, despite the obvious risk this endeavour would bring. While Kuvira's methods of control are more... barbaric? I'd call concentration camps barbaric but to each their own.

Suyin 🤝 Kuvira threatening poor earthbender himbos. God I wish that were me.😨👀Haha who said that?

They're fiercely protective of their carefully crafted status quo, since it is, essentially, a coping mechanism. The further it falls apart, the further their own psyche does too.

Suyin's qorst nightmare is her family and city falling apart, while for Kuvira it is when her Empire crumbles.

They can become increasingly manic and desperate the more danger their 'works' are, tossing any moral code or even sanity out the window.

They'll grasp at any straws to protect what's theirs. Suyin pressured Korra into going into the Avatar state, despite Korra's clear discomfort. Kuvira, meanwhile, harnessed the energy of the spirit vines and laid waste to Republic City.

There both even willing to endanger their allies, even those closest to them. Suyin taking her youngest sons on a dangerous mission to try and kill Kuvira (someone they most likely knew as children) while Kuvira herself nearly murdered Baatar Jr, her fiancé and closest supporter, just for the chance of taking out Korra. Rip Beifong brothers you really are the true victims here.

This desperation is understandable... its all they have. Both Kuvira and Suyin grew up alone, feeling unloved by their families. This led them to acting out. Be it for attention or any other reason, they ended up being too much to handle for their parents

We all know about Suyin scarring Lin, right? And this being part of the reason Suyin was forced to leave her home and dropped off at her grandparents. I find it interesting that it is implied that Kuvira too severely injured her mother, perhaps this also being the catalyst for her being given away by her parents too.

Perhaps because Suyin's second chance was so good for her, she wished to extend one to a troubled young girl. I firmly believe she saw a lot of herself in Kuvira (for better or for worse). The line about "hurting someone in this family" easily made me think of what Suyin did to Lin and see that she regrets it and doesn't want Kuvira to go through the same.

Regret, however does not fix all and neither Kuvira, nor Suyin know how to atone for what they've done.

It seems hard for either of these characters to understand the hurt they've caused nor that their actions have consequences. However, Suyin and Kuvira are treated rather kindly by the narrative. We've seen planty of people talk about how Su is coddled by the show's writing. And Kuvira is treated with a similar gentle hand. Redemption is a muddy subject for me, however I will say that bothese very complex and fascinating characters were done extremely dirty by shallow writing.

However, I will finish this long silly ramble by saying that it is very in character for Su to forgive Kuvira, despite this possibly making her children uncomfortable.

A huge part of Suyin's ideology is believing in second chances. However it runs deeper than that. As stated before, her family is the most important thing in the world to her. And Kuvira is part of that family. It's not surprising that Su is hurriedly doing damage control on everything after B4 and everything that happened.

I find Kuvira and Suyin fascinating characters. Their trauma, their drive and the mild insanity with delusions of grandeur is what really pulls together these two tormentors of the Beifong family together for me. ❤️

-

Also, on a side note. I find it very curious when people like one of these characters, but dislike the other, since they are so similair with their arcs and personalitywise. If you are a Kuvira stan and a Suyin hater or a Suyin stan and a Kuvira hater, could you clue me in a little on the thought process? Is it like. Just vibes? Or is it one of the small differences between Su and Kuvira that feels so jarring that it seperates them completely?

[cozzzynook]

I love the idea of carriers being rare amongst Cybertronians and hence why they have to rely on spark fields, the matrix, being constructed, etc for reproduction. Exactly why they're rare is up for grabs. Either they're naturally rare or there's something darker there is up to y'all.

I mention all that to request Roddy being targeted as a known carrier for some dark research 😈 (and also for being a prime at the same time)

On Cybertron hot spots, the matrix and cold construction are whats considered the norm of reproduction for their race. There is the widely accepted and well known ability to conceive a new spark by merging two or more sparks while interfacing and the bot emerged with sparkling sockets attached to their own sparks would therefore become sparked, thus creating a new spark that would then be nourished within the bots chassis until the new spark was ready to be transferred into their very own frame that is created by the sire and or sires who sparked the carrying bot.

This was the oldest tradition of reproduction that accompanied hot spots since the beginning of their species. Using the matrix and cold construction was a new technique used during the time of functionalists and the outbreak of civil war that eventually lead to the great wars.

Bots didn’t bat an optic to any of these forms of gestation or reproduction. They never had a reason to when the functionalists who ruled their society told them this was natural and right and the only means of reproduction their species had. That its what helped set them apart from organics and kept them above lesser species that were forced to duplicate using messier means.

The people of their planet had no reason to doubt this. Rodimus would have no reason to doubt it either.

If he weren’t living proof of what his species erased from history and all but eradicated physically from their planets.

Along with hot spots and spark carrying, their species had tank carriers.

A group of bots who could become sparked from interfacing with valves and spikes while also sprouting a spark bud from spark merging or using both at the same time.

They were the fertile bots that were known for being the up keepers and insurers of their races survival. They were considered a gift from Primus right along hot spots and spark merging with the ability to grant outliers from their offspring that spark merging rarely entailed and hot spots gave a fifty percent chance of possibility.

Tank carriers would have a sparkling that connected to their very spark with an energy line from their burning center that created their existence to the very bitlet in their tanks that formed and grew with time.

The very sparklings they carried often took a long time to cultivate and forge. They each had a forge tank that housed a gestation pouch that was filled with fluids necessary for keeping the biome safe and housing any sparklings that enter. It was a sensitive and vital organ that they protected more often than their own sparks whether housing a sparkling or not.

It’s come to be a weakness to many and it was this very weakness that exposed Rodimus to his own faction that held very functionalist views despite claiming otherwise.

Had he known the autobots side was ramp with mechs and femmes who believed freedom was a right to all sentient beings save for the beings they deemed unworthy of living, he would’ve never joined. Truly he wishes he’d thought joining them through far more than he had. Megatron may be a warlord but he still followed decepticon law and one of their very laws was protection for sparklings and carriers of any type, species and kind.

Learning he didn’t kill the organic carriers shocked him to the core and made him realize there was far more gray to both sides than he once fooled himself from seeing.

There was a fight that broke out between two large friend groups in the mess hall and many came to break it up. Rodimus was one of the few who was dodging stray blaster fire since he was in the upper mess halls where the shots were bouncing to.

He managed to dodge all of them save for one that was coming straight for him.

Now it would’ve been fine if he’d dropped his servos to protect his tanks if the shot was heading there. But to his great misfortune the blaster shot was heading straight for his spark and if Springer hadn’t yanked him out the way in time, he would be a dead mech right about now.

But to his horror another mech caught what he did while Springer’s processor was turning and using his large frame to shield Rodimus who still held his tanks frozen in fear of being caught and realizing what he’d done. When his friend was starting to push him towards the exit in fear of Rodimus’s secret being discovered when a mech who’d seen everything yelled out, “tank carrier,” making the fight pause and every bot in the vicinity turn and look at him.

“Run Rodimus, Run!”

For the first time ever Rodimus didn’t argue with his friend.

He turned his frame and high tailed it out of the mess hall as Springer tried to keep bots from following him and Arcee drove by his side rear when he hit the outskirts of the building and shot to keep bots from tackling him and bringing him down.

He made it to the edge of the autobots main base when a shot blew out Arcee’s tire and she skidded to a stop transforming.

“Don’t look back Roddy! Go!”

He wanted to protest, he wanted to turn back and fight beside the two who made a way for him to get out despite learning the terrible secret he’d kept from everyone and still stayed by his side. But he couldn’t.

Him staying would get the two killed who would be kept alive and only served light punishment for being high ranking and such skilled necessary fighters while he would be stripped apart and his frame scorched like a disease.

He sped off until his bumper was burning and his tires felt like melting and only then was he on the beginning edge of autobot territory.

He’d managed to make it just a tad farther when he had to stop and transform to hide from flying autobots who searched the skies for him.

He trashed his communicator and stripped himself of his location chip and forced the bond of primes closed when he felt Optimus reaching out to him.

As a carrier he could discern and feel emotions more intensely than others and he knew the leader of the autobots felt off put by him being a tank carrier but showed no hostility which didn’t surprise Rodimus. Who looked to the skies and touched his tank, feeling the flat surface that thankfully remained void of a life.

The slight twinge in his lower forge above his modesty panels told him his ovulation systems were beginning again and soon he’d be slower in his movements and taking longer to recharge. He would need a source of fuel that he could have in abundance and he was suddenly never more thankful to have learned how to make fuel from scratch in Nyon before his home was destroyed.

He watched the last of the suns rays wash their planet as cyber insects came forth and took over the fields along with stray cyber mechanimals and he transformed keeping his lights low and slowly drove off.

His options were terrifying and painfully limited to getting off world where he could survive and live on one of their distant colonies safe from both sides.

He sped off faster the closer he got to the autobot outskirts, farther from his broken autobot emblem and farther from the life so quickly ripped from him.

If the war is to ever end he hopes to see Springer and Arcee one more time if they still remembered or cared about him and he hoped to ask Kup and Perceptor for forgiveness along with his two closest and only real friends about hiding this part of himself and causing so much trouble.

‘I’m so sorry,’ a lone drop of fluid leaked from his optic after transforming and standing on the large rock looking at the autobot territory he must leave behind.

The sun had long set and lights of alarm and helicopter bots were flying in search of him on their territory as he looked down and started his march further into neutral ground, careful to avoid decepticon soil as he made his way to the neutral zone where a few pods were left semi functional in the destruction of the once living grounds.

He’d managed to make it to the halfway mark of his destination when he stopped and held his servos up in surrender as a claw came to curl around his chin plate and lift his helmet up to meet curious red optics that sent a torrent of burning ice down his spinal strut.

“Well well. Seems you’re the reason the autobots are on high search. My my. And what is it that could’ve happened to make a prime leave his precious autobots behind, hm?”

That heavy commanding voice made his stabilizers unsteady and his windpipe became dry with the nano kliks that passed in the mechs presence.

“Cyber cat got your glossa, fiery prime,” the smirk filled with dangerous fangs made his optics flicker and he was certain Primus hated him.

“Not an autobot,” his processor unhelpfully declares and he wishes he could smack himself silly for that admittance.

The lack of emblem on his chassis with forceful removal dents tells his truth for him but as much as it shows truth that stains his servos that red optics glance at, it condemns him to being alone at the mercy of the warlord behind him.

“Are you going to torture and kill me?”

There’s a beat of silence.

His servos remain at his side not telling the age old weakness that got him into this mess like mere hours before. His spark pulse can be felt through his armor and it makes his fuel lines further pump life energon throughout his frame causing a dizziness to start behind his hot optics that thankfully haven’t begun to smoke with shortage.

He keeps the silence that engulfs for so long he’s sure hours have passed but the luna is still the same and the stars have yet to move. The pebbles have not shifted by wind and the cyber bugs have kept up their song with minimal change. Plant life is nonexistent due to their destruction in a war that has taken so much little will be gained once ended.

He chances a glance at the mechs red optics that lock onto his spark and he feels his digits twitch. He forces them not to move further than that and reveal a catastrophe to the warlord that will surely break his own laws to offline and experiment on him like his former faction, and doesn’t that make his optics smoke a little, just did.

“Come.”

A clawed servo rests on his spoiler, not rough, not gentle, just there as it guides him towards Decepticon territory where Rodimus will surely be killed and treated worse.

“Just kill me here, please,” he silently begs like a disgrace to the Nyonian people.

“Hush,” no terror, no impatience, no kindness, just a statement, not a command.

“You will stand by me until told otherwise. Now come, Rodimus. We have much to do.”

And what could he do against the warlord that was bigger, stronger and more experienced than he, other than follow?

Nothing.

He could do nothing.

-

Sorry this took so long.

[natsumebookss]

MagiReco/Premiere Nebula EoS Crossover Story!

In the infinite cosmos of the universe, Iroha Tamaki had felt shockwaves rippling across the Record all day. Whatever a day still meant to a goddess, at least. Homura Akemi had finally abandoned this timeline for the next, and as long as that was the case, Iroha could no longer directly interfere. She could appear to other magical girls in visions, sure, but other than that, this realm was being locked off even beyond her influence now. It wouldn't be completely deleted, as a goddess beyond even herself kept it as her greatest treasure, but it would, to continue the metaphor, still go offline.

Iroha had steeled herself for such an end in the weeks leading up to the time jump but it was still...hard. Today, the final day before the event, was to be her last contact with many of the magical girls she held dear, and she'd spent most of it flitting from Puella Magi to Puella Magi, summoning them when necessary or letting them come directly to her. The holes in the timeline that Homura's jumps created, Touka had attempted to explain, allowed girls to find her in seemingly impossible ways.

And yet even then, the figure that'd appeared beside her was little short of a shock to her. If Iroha didn't know better, she would've assumed it was another goddess who'd just ascended, with its impossibly long wavy black hair, toga, and flaming blue wings. But it was just another magical girl, albeit one that wasn't supposed to interfere in this universe.

Not that Valka had ever really cared much about trifles like rules.

"So you actually went and did it," Valka started. "An automatic purification system for all magical girls, powered solely by your own magic. Color me impressed."

From the short amount of time Iroha had known the other magical girl, she could never quite be certain when, or if, Valka was truly being genuine with her words. She'd come from a place even more strategy-minded than Kamihama, and could just as easily propose an alliance as a compliment.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," replied Iroha, "but yes. It's been working well for us. We can finally live in hope, without having to hurt anyone for it. I finally feel like our struggles are over."

Valka simply gave a sad smile towards her fellow faction leader and stared out towards the skies. Whether by some coincidence of fate or completely intentionally, Iroha noticed the Actress's blue eyes moving towards the nebula that gave her own faction its name.

"Ours are only beginning, I fear. Now that Witches are out of the game, humans will have to find other ways to harness magical energy. Your plan will work in the end, and entropy will be countered with Doppels alone, but the Manufacturer doesn't know that. Likely, as magical girl contracts become a thing of the past, he'll decide to ramp up Actress production."

Even with the gentle tone in her voice reassuring Iroha that such a result wasn't her own fault, the possibility still shook her to her core. Valka's home country, Olympia, had found a way to create magical girls without a contract. They were kept inside facilities solely as weapons or left to rot until they became Witches, with no true quality of life at all. Some had even been subject to brutal experiments that made them less like the magical girls Iroha knew and more like energy vampires.

"No! Surely he knows more harm will come of that than--"

"I'll make sure he does," spoke Valka in the clipped voice of a soldier. "I'll make sure he never gets the chance to. But that's why...I can't pass on to the other world with you. I have to go back. You may not ever see me again, so listen up."

Out of all the words Iroha expected to come out of Valka's mouth, the last ones she expected were "thank you."

"F-for what? We barely even know each other!"

"Stelle hasn't had a flareup in weeks. Whatever you did works on Actresses too. Kamihama really is a place where all magical girls can be saved. I just wanted to make sure you knew that."

For probably the fourth time today, and certainly not the last, Iroha could feel tears welling up in her incorporeal eyes.

"Being a magical girl of hope is hard. I'd almost lost faith in it myself when I first came to Kamihama. But you were always there to rally the troops when the chips were down. Seeing you do that...it made me want to become a better leader to my own magical girls."

With another slight tilt of her head, Valka noticed the wormhole opening nearby her, beckoning her to her own world. A world that still needed protecting, one that not even Iroha could interfere with.

A world that, even so, she had absolute faith that Valka could save.

"Do you think we'll see each other again?" asked Iroha as the portal grew larger and larger.

"Who knows?" replied Valka. "What I do know is I'll be thinking of you this whole time. Keep making a better world for your kind, and I'll keep making one for mine. And if our paths do decide to cross..."

She crossed through the portal one final time, her wings sparkling like stars.

"I'll catch you on the other side, Tamaki-san."

✨Premiere Nebula will continue...✨

[felassan]

An interview video with Mark Darrah called "An Interview With Mark Darrah - Creativity, BioWare, and the Industry!": [source and watch link]

Video description: "I was fortunate enough to speak with Mark Darrah, former BioWare vetran, about his time at BioWare, his success, his challenges, and the role of video games in the art world. Thank you again for this chance, Mark!"

Some notes from it under the cut:

There was a question around the topic of games today taking a longer time to come out, getting restarted/rebooted along the way, ideas being scrapped, constant iteration etc. It was asked whether this is unique to BioWare or is it a common issue in the industry more generally. Mark: “So, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf had some particular things involved, some of which are externalities coming from EA, but yeah, video game development, the complexity has been going up exponentially. Games these days, and not just BioWare – five years is probably a good average for games coming out now. That was not the case even five, six years ago. Things have gotten incredibly expensive and much slower.

DA:O was originally conceived as being a spiritual successor to BG. It was a lot of different parts being developed unfortunately independently of each other, and then basically being glued together into something. For example, the darkspawn in DA:O as a faction don’t have very good or sensical visual coherency (they don’t really make sense as a group of things caused by the same thing). Since then there has been a lot more care taken towards the DA IP and making sure it at least has rules that it doesn’t violate, or ones it violates on purpose as opposed to accidentally. The IP has some strong core ideas about characters first (though it wasn’t always saying this out loud), people, power comes at a cost, everyone thinks they are the hero of their own story, etc. Those sorts of things inform most of its development more than anything. You should in most cases be able to look at the villain of the game and go, oh yeah, I get what they’re going for. (In DA:O this is Loghain). “Like, ‘yeah, I get it, I might even agree with you, but I’m not going to let you destroy the world because of what you believe."

EA, like most public companies, is reluctant to spend money to various degrees because the more they spend, the worse it makes their profitability look. One of the reasons why BioWare ended up being bought in the first place was because they had basically run out of money. They ran out of money in the pursuit of quality ahead of everything. But the problem with this strategy is that, if quality is ahead of everything then you’re probably going out of business. On the flipside, in a big public company you often have the opposite problem arising, where it’s profitability ahead of everything. This results in constraints and more constraints on people, and also in more pressure to do more profitable features that might not be quality features. Microtransactions and other monetization models that have arisen in games more recently are sometimes attempted to be rationalized as ‘for the player’, but they’re really money-making features. If you’re putting quality first you’re probably not putting those kinds of features in. If you’re putting money first, then you probably are.

Horses exist in DA:I because at the time it was being made in, a fantasy RPG needed to have horses in it (a ‘table stakes feature’; a feature that needs to be in the game just for it even to have a seat at the table, otherwise people aren’t going to take it seriously). Open world in DA:I was similar. Unfortunately, with open world it needs to be an A or B feature in terms of quality, not a C feature, in order to be good enough for the player. With horses, you do them (at that time) because you have to. With open world, it takes over your entire game unfortunately and modifies the structure of the game as a whole.

Collaboration at BioWare got better over time as the culture matured but also as the structure and systems matured. BG1 had a team of around 65 people, a size which is pretty easy to collaborate at. On DAI the team was well above 400 people when outsourcers are included in the figure. That team size is much bigger, to the point that it wasn't possible to interact with everyone on the team. In the early days of BioWare, disciplines like design and art were considered to be very separate things that didn’t need to interact with each other very much. By the time Mark was leading at BioWare, this had really changed - teams like design and art were working together much more collaboratively, in order to build a better experience. You see this in the games, the more recent ones now have levels that make more sense for the gameplay (now not designed by one discipline in isolation from the other).

By the time BioWare was bought by EA, EA wasn’t buying ‘not-franchises’. DA:O was envisioned as a standalone game. This is why it has lots of weird bits of lore in it still that are kind of timebombs. They largely moved beyond and patched over these, but there are still lots of weird things in it that aren’t fully taken into account. DA:O should never have been a standalone game, it should have always been envisioned as a franchise of some sort as opposed to being retroactively envisioned as one. “So that was a mistake from the beginning.”

On Frostbite as the engine for DA:I: at the time, the political climate [in EA/BioWare] was such that the options were to keep trying to make the game with Eclipse, which was not practical, or Frostbite. There just wasn’t an appetite for anything other than that. DA:I, out of DA:I, ME:A and Anthem, is actually the game that approached Frostbite correctly. It was then followed by the other two games which didn’t do that. “Frostbite is scapegoated and blamed for a lot of BioWare’s woes. On ME:A and Anthem there’s some truth to that, but a DA:I built on Unreal isn’t a radically different or better game.”

ME1 made the engine mistake of trying to force Unreal to be an Eclipse. This essentially meant that the engine was constantly fighting back against the devs.

If Mark had a time machine, he would make some changes to the Hinterlands in DA:I and shave some of the worst edges off of DAII, like moving that one spot in the repeating caves, having Varric lampshade the repeating caves in dialogue, and making it so that you don’t have to fight Orsino. “Anthem’s launch would require more than a time machine.”

ME:A is at least partially a victim of circumstance. It came out with a few particular bugs in it that it didn’t need to. These bugs had been fixed, they just didn’t make it into the release build. The game then landed on top of Zelda and Horizon Zero Dawn, in a climate that was really paying attention and was very critical.

There was a decision during ME:A development to change its tone to a lighter, younger tone than the tone of the MET. The PC of the MET is a Generation X PC, like someone from action movies in the 80s. The PC of ME:A is more like a PC from action movies in the 2000s. This change in tone was controversial. A lot of the pushback ME:A received was more about this tone change. Mark said that he was against it at the time but that he thinks that ME:A probably made the right decision.

“I’m not convinced that BioWare should have been making Anthem. It was conceived by Casey Hudson as something very different than what launched, some sort’ve multiplayer, storytelling. I don’t believe that those problems were actually truly solved. He left in 2014. Whatever he was imagining wasn’t communicated to the team clearly enough for them to execute on his vision. Anthem was basically Destiny, but it was envisioned before Destiny existed. After 2014 they weren’t really acknowledging that they were making Destiny.”

[source and watch link]

[theaceofskulls]

You know, I was going to do a reaction to Tithes episode 2 like I did to Tithes episode 1, but instead I'm just going to copy and paste some text from GW's own website for reasons that will quickly become obvious.

** Tyrith Shiva Kyrus (the first three of a long list of honorific names earned fighting for the Emperor) has the privilege of being our first portrayal of a female Custodian Guard since the recent revelation that Custodians can be any gender. This fact came as a real surprise to many, since it wasn’t something previously explored. That, in and of itself, isn’t a particularly unusual thing for Warhammer 40,000 and its lore; there are simply loads of things the Warhammer Studios have never expressly stated, whether that’s ruling them in or out.***

Since the earliest conversations about bringing the Horus Heresy to the tabletop and Black Library fiction, the exact nature of the Custodians has been under discussion – after all, their origins and means of creation, unlike for example, the Legiones/Adeptus Astartes, are shrouded in mystery.

A significant advantage to this portrayal is that it helps us to address a common misconception – that the Custodes are just bigger, better Space Marines. They aren’t. Space Marines were made through industrialised ritual to be mass-produced, brute-force weapons of conquest. And even 10,000 years after their creation, draped in self-assigned glory, that’s still true of them at their core. 

Each Custodian, on the other hand, is unique. Painstakingly made through peerless craft and arcane artifice, their physique, their psyche, their very soul, is a bespoke instrument of the Emperor they unquestioningly serve.

We know a lot about Space Marines, relatively speaking. But there is still so much we don’t know about the Custodians, particularly in Warhammer 40,000, and their recruitment process is the least of these mysteries:

What exactly are they up to in the 41st Millennium?

What was their motive for joining the Indomitus Crusade?

What do they REALLY think of Gulliman?

What secret weapons do they have sequestered away in their armoury vaults on Terra?

What does “loyalty” mean in a galaxy where the master you failed is silent, and you despise what his empire has become?

*** We sometimes call these ‘gaps’ and they are quite intentional. They let you as collectors, players, and fans fill the spaces with your own characters, stories and narratives – making the Warhammer hobby truly yours. They also allow us to revisit factions through miniatures, stories, and animations and offer something new and interesting. (Imagine how sad it would be if we ever said “And that’s it. That’s everything you’ll ever see in this army. No new models ever.” – that’d be rubbish.)

[unknownsoldiers]

About; Lt. Lieutenant

==============================================

General Info: ★

Name: Lieutenant Rank: Lieutenant Faction: Decepticon (formerly Autobot) Occupation: N/A ((◆: house bun)) Alt. Mode: Starcraft Origin: Iacon

Age: 4.2 Million years DoB: May 10 Height: 35ft

==============================================

Medical Report: ✖

Overall Health: Fair Appetite: Normal Physical Condition: Good Spark Condition: Weak Fire Walls: Poor Prone to overheating?: No Allergies?: Yes; Space Dust, certain energons, probably pollen

Injuries?: Yes/No If so, what are they? N/A

Abnormalities?: Yes/No If so, what are they?

Outlier: Info found here

Dwarf Spark Condition [DSC]: The condition that a spark does not grow to its intended size. This is usually the result of poor care or neglect of the spark during its growth leading to complications and failures throughout the frame. Keep patient prescribed on the following medication.

Complications?:

Severe vertigo and nausea when transforming. Advised to avoid transforming overall. Keep patient prescribed on the following medication.

Poor heat circulation. Requires a significant amount of energy output that the patient may not be capable of producing.

Missing color nanities produce 'freckle' patterns across the protoform. Harmless, nothing cosmetics can't cover up.

Conserved energy by using as little as possible for long stretches, particularly in lulls of the war to be more efficient when needed. This, 'always online' tactic has resulted in the patient's present Narcolepsy. Keep patient prescribed on the following medication.

Extremely difficult to repair due to outlier ability and nerve system, strongly recommend magnetic berths for the medic's safety. We do not need another mech put through the wall.

Other Notes: Outlier care must be scheduled a month in advance. Cleared for active duty?: Hell no; how he was cleared in the first place is world-class negligence!

Medical Report written, signed, and approved by: Dr. Clutch of Helix

================================================

Biography;

//Keeping this to bullet points since the full story is too large to fit in one post.//

✖ - Lieutenant was sparked to a Towermech who originally designated him 'Ten of the Northern Tower of Iacon.' Due to unintentional negligence as the Towermech, Klenoid the 22nd of the Nothern Tower of Iacon, was unaware he was carrying, Ten's spark would grow to be a fraction of what it was supposed to be. This, coupled with the fact he was the result of an affair, meant he had to be kept a secret.

✖ - His Tower life did not last long as Klenoid's scorned fiance, Iridescent (the 1st of the Northern Tower*), discovered the betrayal and rightfully went scorched earth on the mech. Making him disappear forever for his actions, leaving Ten to fend for himself outside of the Towers.

(*They're not related. Towers have a hierarchy structure that has their own levels based on how high from the top of the Tower you are. Of the 4 towers --North, East, West, South-- there are 40 levels, So it would go Penthouse, 1st, and then 2nd, and so on.)

✖ - By the time the War began, Ten had assumed his new identity, Lieutenant, and had been working under Prowl to help quietly undermine Sentinel Prime's rule. While Prowl was by the Primee's side, Lieutenant would be sent out to investigate situations ahead of time to inform Prowl of what was really going on. They would grow to trust each other because of their work together and Lieutenant considered Prowl a friend. Potentially even more than that. Not to compromise their work relationship, he kept his growing feelings to himself.

◆ - As the war grew on, Prowl would form the 'Diplomatics Corp' as a front to hide his Special Operations team. The main core existing of Jazz, Lieutenant, and Mirage (eventually Skids).

◆ - By the height of the Decepticon's power, mid-way through the war, Lieutenant would switch sides, abandoning the Autobots in favor of the 'winning' team.

✖ - In reality, Lieutenant and Prowl worked out a plan to have him infiltrate the Decepticons ranks to leak plans to the Autobots. The largest success of this was the destruction of the World Sweepers. However, Lieutenant would get caught up in another Decepticon project. The 'beta' to Phase Sixers, Cold Constructed outliers.

✖ - Outliers are rare so Lieutenant was 'lucky' enough to be put on this Decepticon team that was supposed to be sent down to planets to exterminate the populations quickly for the arrival of the rest of the Decepticon army. However, with the Autobots beginning to turn the tide of the war, plans were changed and they were shipped out to assist the armies that were failing their battles.

✖ - In this, Lieutenant found himself growing close to this small crew. Tormentor, his Commander was bombastic, cocky, and craved a fight, yet was mocked for his softness as a leader, caring too much for his crew's safety at times. Colossal, a Titan in hiding whose existence would be taken to the grave, acted as their faithful vessel until the end. Blockade, the stuttering monoformer (by choice) medic who had no experience, yet managed to keep the crew alive and well under his care. Mixer, Glare, Gigatech, Kameel, and Bladerunner, were all unnatural Outliers. Their sparks experimented on and stressed until they either died like those before them or adapted their coding to transform into something more. Launcher, Disaster, and Sage were all normal mechs along for the ride and provided extra firepower in tandem with the rest of the 'overpowered freaks' (affectionately).

✖ - The found family tore at Lieutenant inside as he couldn't just keep straddling the fence between helping the Autobots and staying with his Decepticon friends. So, he finally admitted himself as a double agent. Betrayed and enraged, the crew kicked him out, deciding not to kill him as they did still care about him, but preferred they have nothing to do with him anymore.

◆ - Upon arriving back to the Autobots, Lieutenant was arrested for sympathizing with the enemy. More importantly, breaking Prowl's trust as Lieutenant would deliberately disobey him and caused the deaths of many Autobots just to save or protect his new Decepticon friends. Prowl couldn't have someone who had been so close to him continue to be a security risk. Mnemosurgery was scheduled, however, unfortunately, Trepan had been kidnapped by Overlord at this time and there was no way Chromedome was doing any favors for his ex.

✖ - Lieutenant would later find out, during his sentencing, that the Crew he had been a part of had a change of heart. They didn't want to be part of the Decepticons anymore and went in search of Lieutenant. They, unfortunately, were caught by the DJD and killed for turning their backs on the Cause.

◆ - Awaiting another Mnemosurgon to surface for the job, Prowl had Lieutenant locked in solitary confinement in Garrus-4, where he would remain for at least the next ten thousand years with only his thoughts to keep him company.

✖ - Lieutenant would be released only for a transfer from Garrus-4 to Garrus-9. Not wanting to await his fate, Lieutenant killed the guards and pilot of the transport ship and took off. On the run once again, infiltrating and gathering intel, this time to either send anonymously to the Autobots or offer his services to the highest bidder as former Special Ops. He hopped from planet to planet, avoiding the bounty on his helm once Prowl found out he escaped. Since then, he's been on the run, kind of. For the time being, he's been hiding in plain sight by living with his Conjunx, Pharma, on Cybertron.

[msfcatlover]

You’re all going to be seeing these back to back (thank you queue,) but I wrote the Star Sapphire Damian post last week and have been doing more research on the corps. And honestly, I like it even better now?

First of all, ever since I found out how Lantern rings work (that is, being drawn towards the entities most filled with/fueled by/capable of inspiring the emotion the ring represents,) I’ve been really curious about what happens if someone doesn’t agree with the main philosophy of the corps, but the ring was drawn to them anyway. Because the Green Lantern ring only cares about strength of willpower, but the Green Lantern Corps is a political faction with its own rules, principles, etc. What if someone had one of the strongest wills in the multiverse but when they find out about all the other stuff they’re just like, “Nah. I’m good.”  …I mean, in the case of the Green Lanterns, I’m sure they all team up to take that person down and take back the ring. But literally what is stopping the ring from just flying back to that person? Or one of the other rings just flying about? And some of the other corps seem to place a much higher value on their core emotion than the rules they have in place, so would they let that person keep a ring that had decided that person was worthy even if that person wouldn’t follow their rules? (I am 100% certain this has been addressed in the comics at some point, but I don’t know where to even start to look for it.)

What I’m saying is: Damian doesn’t have to agree with the Star Sapphires’ policies as an organization to get the powers. Which is good, because Damian definitely would not be down for the whole brainwash-recruitment strategy. But he is still full of love & loss, he’s still driven by it, he’s still willing to make huge sacrifices for the sake of those he loves (case in point: as far as Damian’s concerned, none of his family even know he exists at this point in time, and by pursuing such a dramatically different path Damian can never recover even a facsimile of those relationships—the context is just too different, there’s no way they’ll ever see/treat him the same way they did before.) (Which is just some delicious dramatic irony. Especially because I get to reward Damian with people who did live through many of those things with him, and who care about him & understand him the very way he thought he was giving up forever. Much more damaged, scarred, and emotionally shredded versions of those people, but those people all the same. Who will be just as happy to see Damian as he is to see them, because each & every one of them lost him before and probably thought they had again when they found out the League was burning & Damian was fully MIA.)

BACK ON TOPIC! Damian is filled with love & loss, and could absolutely draw in a Violet Lantern ring. And the Sapphires seem to be one of those corps who care more about the purity & power of the emotion felt rather than the rules they follow, so there is a solid argument for them letting him keep it. And it would give Damian the equipment to personally stop the invasion, because he could force the generic Evil Alien Overlord to experience all the pain they made Damian go through. Not in a brainwashy way, but more in a, “Let me help you make a more informed decision by showing you what you actually do to people in your quest for conquest. Let’s see if you still want to pursue the same path after witnessing the other side,” sort of way. (Is that more of a compassion thing? Yeah, but you can’t tell me the Sapphires can force feelings of love into people to bend their wills and not expect me to believe they can make them feel other emotions tied to love, especially when having loved & lost is one of the things the rings prioritize.)

This requires me to make the non-green Lantern corps a much longer-standing thing than they canonically are, but fuck it, that’s a retcon that should’ve been made long ago; it does not make sense for the Green Lanterns to be this centuries-old organization and all the other (supposedly equally powerful & important) emotions only getting rings & corps in the most modern last few years.  Plus, it means Earth’s primary Violet Lantern would be a very, very small child, and I think that’s hilarious. He’s gonna adopt Dex-Starr, and then they’ll both make Hal Jordon look like somehow the least competent Earth representative.

[renuked]

Plans - July 2024

And here we are, another week of ReNuking the Commonwealth begins. This time, however, there'll be a bit more meat for people to sink their teeth into. Because, for the month of July, the focus will be entirely on Factions!

Fallout, at its core, is all about the society of the post-apocalypse and how people act, react, and rebuild within it. It's more post post-apocalypse, really. And what's more natural to humans than to form groups? We're an inherently tribalist and semi-communal species, so (when the world has been set back so hard) we'll fall back on that in order to survive.

In the Fallout universe, this is represented by Factions.

Brotherhood of Steel Followers of the Apocalypse Unity Enclave New California Republic Boomers Caesar's Legion Great Khans Powder Gangers New Vegas

All of these depict various people gathering under a common banner. Why? For a variety of reasons. Each member has their own. For some, they believe it's the best chance at survival. For others, it's a diehard loyalty to the faction's tenets. As a whole, however, these factions represent a greater push in a region. A central ideology of how best to pick mankind out of the Apocalypse and strive onward into a new tomorrow.

Renuked will follow these footsteps as it reworks the existing factions and even add new ones!

Fixin' Vanilla

First of all, we need to discuss what needs to change. While it is true that Fallout 4 has factions, they are... not as fleshed out as they could be. They are all quite surface level, focusing on one or two tropes and making that their entirety.

The Brotherhood of Steel is an authoritarian military. The Minutemen are altruists who want to help everyone. The Institute are isolationist 'because science' scientists. The Railroad are secretive idealists who put Synths on a pedestal.

So, how do we go about fixing this? Well, let's follow ERA.

Evaluate the existing tropes of the factions.

Revision of the tropes to create a more solid foundation.

Addition of more details on top of the foundation.

Couple this with a few rules of what factions should fulfill;

should represent/fulfill a need of Wastelanders

be viable in the world, re:survival & thriving

have distinctly separate, yet adjacent ideologies

And the result will be sufficiently deeper factions.

The Factions

Now we move on to the factions themselves. I'll be giving a brief rundown on them here, as I'll be going into more depth on them during the Friday updates.

The Institute

Established within the ruins of the CIT (Commonwealth Institute of Technology), this faction is made up of some of the brightest minds in the Commonwealth, if not all of Post-War America. With such talents, they have turned their alma mater into a stronghold. Surrounded by high walls and defended by a legion of deadly robots, they are safe enough to continue work on their ultimate goal; finding a way to adapt mankind to this new world and ensure the survival of the species.

Counter to the vanilla Institute, this reworking leans harder into scientific pursuits while creating a two-faced approach. From the outside, The Institute appears to be a closed-off society that doesn't care about the common wastelander. Inside, however, are people genuinely trying to find solutions to the problems of Post-War Massachusetts. At any cost.

The Minutemen

Founded as an independent militia to defend a few settlements, the Minutemen soon became beacons of strength in the more chaotic years of reconstrution. As more people flocked to them for aid or purpose, they soon became a force for peace across the Commonwealth. From the Castle, they operate a network of volunteers who act on a call to defend independent settlements from danger.

In Fallout 4, having the Minutemen be largely destroyed was a huge missed opportunity for what could have been an interesting faction. Built upon community and co-operation, they facilitate the existence of independent settlements that aren't beholden to a greater faction.

Raiders

The raiders of the Commonwealth are a faction of chaos. At one point, the three distinct groups were united as one. But, a civil war broke out and divided them into three; - The Forged, who occupy and reignite Pre-War factories to fuel their conquests. - The Rust Devils, who salvage robotics to ease their burdens and bolster their numbers. - The Tunnel Runners, who make the sewer systems beneath Boston their home, shadows acting as their shield and their sword.

While in the standard Fallout 4, there were minor implications that raiders had formed individual gangs/groups, this amounted to little more than some notes or terminal entries. So, instead of all raiders being a homogenous group of shooting targets, they are now three distinct groups within a larger (possibly reconstructable) faction. With the simple mantra of; dog-eat-dog.

The Commonwealth Provincial Government

One of the new factions reated specifically for ReNuked, the Commonwealth Provincial Government (CPG) aims to bring back the old world, in an attempt to organize and stabilize the wasteland. With numerous settlements under CPG protection and a functioning governmental system, their reach is far and wide. But, time has corroded the once-solid bedrock and the termites of corruption are gnawing at the ivory tower.

A large problem with Fallout 4's worldbuilding is that... no one has begun to rebuild. After 200 years, there should be renewal. Society should be reforming. People should be rebuilding. The NCR, for example, was founded by five states in 2189 (98 years before Fallout 4!) and maintained up to 2281 (at least). So, the CPG is ReNuked's answer to that issue. A government of settlements that (like the NCR) is repeating the problems of the old world, while still providing some benefit for the wasteland.

The Railroad

Now comes another vanilla faction, but one that has been hugely reworked due to some story changes surrounding the Institute and Synths (primarily that Synths are no longer a major part of the narrative).

The Railroad, in Fallout 4, are the attempted liberators of Synths from the Institute. In ReNuked, this had to change due to... well, Synths not being sentient anymore. Instead, the Railroad has been taken from Anti-Institute to Anti... Faction. Founded in opposition to CPG overreach, the Railroad firmly holds it's belief in independence. To the point of anarchy. They fight to dismantle the major factions and ensures that every settlement is independent, self-sufficient, and "freed from their oppressors." To The Railroad, goverment = oppression, no matter the form it takes.

Blacksteel

Finally, we have our last faction, and the second one created specifically for ReNuked. Through this list you may have wondered; Where's the Brotherhood? Well. Here they are. Sort of.

The idea of the Brotherhood of Steel being across all of the US has been... contentious among Fallout fans. To say the least. And, while I do like the Brotherhood, I'm one of those people who don't believe they need to be in every game.

As such, we now have a replacement. Blacksteel.

Founded in Fort Strong by remnants of the US Army, they follow a strict regimen of obedience, loyalty, and service to the greater good. Every man, woman, and child is considered a single gear in a machine of survival. Each one required to be dedicated to their cause; survival.

Similar in ways to Fallout 4's militarized Brotherhood, but also distinct enough to be it's own thing.

Conclusion

The above factions are just the... cliffsnotes, let's say, of what I hope to create. They will undoubtedly change from what I've written here, though still keep the essence of it.

Throughout this month, I'll be making each friday update focus around one or two of these factions (depending on what I manage to get done.) As well as sprinkle some little things on the blog, in between.

This week, look forward to some more information on Blacksteel. I've already got some progress done on them, so it makes sense to spearhead them.

As always, thanks for reading all this (if you did) and I hope you enjoyed it. I can't wait to show you guys more. Feel free to send in suggestions, questions, or whatever else you'd like.

See y'all next time~

[acquired-stardust]

Game Spotlight #5: Warlocked (2000)

It's time for our fifth Gaming Spotlight this time brought to you by Larsa. This spotlight will feature the first Gameboy Color game we have covered. When you think of the Gameboy Color you think of great games like Pokemon Gold/Sliver, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, or even a more underrated hit like Harvest Moon 3. Those games were bright representations of their genres and the sort of titles the handheld had became known for at the time. Now with that said, did you know that the Gameboy Color had its very own Real-Time Strategy game published by Nintendo?

I introduce to you "Warlocked", a cult classic game that wears its inspirations on its sleeve. "Warlocked" was a game developed by a small studio based out of the United Kingdom known as Bit Studios in a partnership with Nintendo. The studio recently had formed a partnership at the time with Nintendo of America and developed " R-Type DX " for the Gameboy Color to positive critical acclaim before working on their next project "Warlocked". Right off the bat here the game's story is nothing particularly original being yet another "Humans vs Orcs" story which was everywhere in the previous decade of the 1990s. The human kingdom is ruled by the beautiful Queen Azarel whose kingdom reigns over the Kula ice fields. She and her kingdom are forced into battle by an invading force of foreigners: the beats led by Chief Zog. It is revealed through text that Zog wishes to take over these frozen plains and force Azarel to be his Queen. This is certainly not how you treat your neighbors!

( Unless you play as Chief Zog in which case that totally is how you treat them. )

The game is divided between two different campaigns: one for the Human faction and the other for the Beast faction as both sides battle for supremacy guided by your fingertips. The campaigns are made up of completely different levels with their own objectives which largely boil down to wiping the opposing force off the map. The Human faction levels make for a good place to start for new players as it serves as a better tutorial to the game as opposed to the Beast faction levels which are more difficult. Both armies play functionally the same with each army being primarily comprised of workers, knights and archer units that serve as the backbone of your forces. Each faction has their own sprites representing the units but they are identical from a gameplay perspective. Along with the core units to make up the army your worker grunts can build structures such as a guard tower to rain arrows on your enemies, barracks to allow you to build more knights/archers, and farms which allow you to create more units. As you explore the map you may run into a baby Dragon or a powerful Wizard which can be recruited to tip the scales in your favor.

Wizard units are the most unique units featured in the game as each Wizard has their own sprite, backstory, and powers to help achieve victory. Whenever you discover a wizard, lead them back to your temple to store them in your "Wizlist". The game encourages you to fully explore each map to find these often hidden Wizards to join your army. If this might sound familiar at all that is because this system was heavily inspired by Pokemon. Once added to the list you are able to summon that Wizard unit in any future campaign, or multiplayer battle, if you so desire. The game boasts a roster of 27 Wizard units largely with different abilities from one another making collecting each of them during the campaign worth it. These Wizards have plethora of abilities such as the Telewiz's ability to teleport enemy units to random tiles effectively removing them as an obstacle. Another fearsome unit is the Bombwiz can turn an enemy unit into a large bomb which will explode damaging other opposing nearby units or structures. Along with these oddballs each of the two faction leaders are featured as "Wizard" type units themselves. Once they take to the field Queen Azarel and Chief Zog share the same ability of speeding up the creation of all new units.

"Dabu!" "Swobu!" "Zug zug!"

The gameplay and setting of Warlocked are obviously inspired by the RTS heavy hitters for the PC platform such as Blizzard's Starcraft and Warcraft games that would go onto to truly change the gaming landscape forever. However Warlocked shouldn't be written off as a mere copycat for the feats the developers achieved on the Gameboy Color is nothing short of miraculous. The developers managed to make a fully functional RTS on the Gameboy Color with plenty of extra content such as blackjack and puzzle mini-games. Even more impressive is the multiplayer battle mode where two players could battle each other via link cable. The game would go onto win critical acclaim being praised for it's gameplay, soundtrack, and user friendly controls. IGN would name the title it's "Best Game Boy Strategy" title of the year 2000. Despite the positive critical reception of the time Warlocked would sell poorly and these poor sales figures would sadly spell the end of the partnership between Bit Studios and Nintendo of America.

A couple of years later Bit Studios attempted to make a sequel to Warlocked titled "Wizards", a game being developed for the Gameboy Advance, a much more technology advanced system that could better suit the potential of an RTS game. Unfortunately Bit Studios could not get any publisher interested in funding the game and as such the project was quietly cancelled and not long afterward Bit Studios themselves were sold off by their parent company. It is truly a shame that Warlocked could not find an audience in its own time because in my opinion it was a well made game that deserved to enjoy success. I had many fond memories of playing this game when I was a child, and I will happily say having played it recently I believe it still holds up as a fun handheld title. Its simplistic RTS gameplay, catchy tunes, and pixel art make for a good time. This game is worth a spin for fellow retro-gaming enthusiasts.

A gem hidden among the stones, Warlocked is undoubtedly stardust.

-- Larsa

[starspinnerrpg]

Hello and Welcome!

I wonder how many people, after hearing about the WoTC/Hasbro OGL debacle, went off to start their own TTRPG system and ruleset?

I also wonder how many of them are astrology nerds?

Well, at least I know there is one, and that one is me.

Welcome to Star Spinner, a roleplay-heavy rules-light system inspired by your own astrological Star Chart!

That's right! An RPG for Astrology Nerds.

In the core rules, which I am developing in real-time, you only look at your Sun and Moon signs, and start out as mundane humans in the early 2000s. Through events of a plot that is being determined at this moment, you become a Starspinner, Awakened to the idea of a multiverse beyond your own, you are specifically equipped to take on beings from the Beyond.

Before your Awakening, you only have your Sun Sign, your most basic of personality traits and the surface level of the chart. This Archetype determines stats, traits, and special abilities. I will expand more on this in a future post.

Then your Awakening happens either in a planned session zero or a first session, depending on what you want in your story. After Awakening, you then gain your Affinity, which grants your powers over a Multiversal Constant. Life, death, time, space....yes, I was heavily inspired by the Homestuck Aspects, but heck, when a system isn't broke... And this is determined by your astrological Moon Sign.

Proper Mechanics are still being developed, but that is what this blog is for.

Rising and Planetary Alignments are gotten more into with the other Nine Realms that you will encounter, if you choose to do so in your games.

I have one Realm mostly planned at the moment. The Fourth Realm is a bleak futuristic city-plane where the world is controlled by four different gang-inspired factions working together in pseudo-harmony. It is all about family allegiances and cooperation.

Enter your Rising Sign and your Planetary Allignments.

Your Rising Sign is your Avatar. Your avatar is your character's physical appearance in this realm. Essentially it is your race/species/lineage/etc. It gives you a few extra abilities with maybe rules specific to that realm (each realm has its own "house rule" that comes into play. I am still figuring out this system's exact rules at the moment).

And finally, your Allegiance Sign. This is where your planetary alignment comes in, and this one is divided into either the four elemental quadrants or the Three "cycles" of signs. I am still figuring out this shit.

This is a project in SUPER-ALPHA, and any suggestions and commentary (keep it friendly please) is greatly appreciated.

[starlightedge]

Here’s a concept for a space fantasy story:

Title: Starlight’s Edge

In a distant galaxy where ancient magic and advanced technology co-exist, the Starborne Coalition maintains a fragile peace among its diverse planets. Each world has its own unique culture, powered by a combination of arcane energy and scientific breakthroughs. However, the fabric of space itself is tearing apart, leading to mysterious disruptions in the flow of magic and technological failures that threaten the stability of the universe.

The story follows Kyra Mournstar, a renegade mage-pilot whose bloodline is tied to the ancient keepers of magical artifacts known as the Astral Keys. These relics are said to maintain the balance between magic and technology. Kyra’s ship, The Astris, is a unique vessel infused with an ancient, sentient core that can manipulate time and space itself—an ability that makes her both a target and a potential savior.

When the ruling factions learn that the Astral Keys are destabilizing, they each seek to control Kyra for their own gain. With the help of her eclectic crew—a stoic cyborg engineer, a sentient crystalline being from a forgotten world, and a prince who hides his true identity—Kyra embarks on a quest to locate the remaining keys. Each planet she visits presents new dangers, both mystical and technological, as the group uncovers long-buried secrets about the origins of magic, the Astral Keys, and a shadowy force seeking to plunge the galaxy into chaos.

At the heart of Kyra’s journey is a growing tension: Can the balance between magic and technology be maintained, or is one destined to consume the other? And as her connection to the Astral Keys deepens, Kyra begins to realize that the true danger might be the immense power she herself holds.

Does this idea resonate with the kind of space fantasy you’re interested in? Feel free to suggest tweaks!

[zergplayers]

Unleashing the Swarm: A Guide to Mastering the Zerg Rush Trick

In the field of strategy games, only a few strategies are as arouse both reverence and fear like the famous "Zerg Rush." The game's origins are in the popular online strategy game StarCraft and the Zerg Rush is a strategic tactic that is marked by its constant and unstoppable assault by a myriad of low-cost units. Although it may seem simple, the execution of the successful Zerg Rush requires finesse, timing, and a thorough understanding of the game's mechanics. This article will delves into the intricacies of Zerg Rush trick, exploring its background, rules and their practical application to different strategy games.

Origins of the Zerg Rush:

The word "Zerg" originates from the insectoid alien race in StarCraft and is a reference to their capacity to quickly spawn massive quantities of units. The Zerg Rush came into existence as a method of play among the players in their own Zerg faction, which leverages their swarm-like ability to overwhelm opponents quickly and quickly. Its power is in its simplicity: sacrifice individual unit strength in exchange for supreme numerical strength.

The Core Principles:

Players should prioritize speed in resource collection and unit production in order to cover the battlefield before their opponents are able to come up with a sufficient defense. The efficiency of resource management allows for an uninterrupted flow of units, without compromising the economics.

Instead of investing in costly models, top of the line the players prefer to buy a multitude of cheap units in a jumble. The influx of units could be overwhelming for opponents who aren't ready or do not have the resources to withstand such an assault.

The act of striking when your opponents are not prepared can increase the effect by frightening them and hindering their ability to create a defense. Intentionally hiding and playing up different strategies may increase the sense of surprise.

Mastering the Zerg Rush Trick:

1. Early Game Dominance:

It is believed that the Zerg Rush is most effective in the beginning of a game when adversaries are in a position of limited resources and defenses. Players should prioritize the rapid expansion of their base, and swiftly establish multiple bases to boost their unit's production. An unwavering focus on acquiring materials and creating manufacturing facilities is essential.

2. Swarm Production:

The most important aspect of what makes Zerg Rush is the ability to rapidly spawn units. Players need to maximize their production capacities, making sure they have the constant output of units from several hatcheries, barracks or similar structures. Effective macro-management, which includes using hotkeys to queue commands and queuing commands can boost the speed of production per unit.

3. Tactical Adaptation:

Although it is true that the Zerg Rush is a formidable strategy but its success isn't certain. The ability to adjust to opponent's responses is vital regardless of whether that means taking defensive measures, or shifting to other strategies in the event that the Zerg Rush is stopped. Flexibility and flexibility are essential for sustaining tension and exploitation of weaknesses.

4. Psychological Warfare:

Beyond its strategic implications Beyond its strategic aspects, beyond its strategic aspects, Zerg Rush exerts psychological pressure on adversaries. The thought of a never-ending mass of people descending upon their bases can cause anxiety and cause confusion which could lead to errors or rash choices. The emotional reaction of the opponent could further tilt the odds to the advantage of Zerg Rusher.

Practical Application Across Games:

While Zerg Rush originated in StarCraft the principles of Zerg Rush are applicable across a wide variety of strategies, each with unique mechanics and nuances. Games such as Age of Empires, Warcraft, and Command & Conquer feature similar rush strategies, albeit with different names and in different contexts. Knowing the specific nature that each of these games have is vital in implementing and adapting your Zerg Rush effectively.

Conclusion:

Zerg Rush Zerg Rush stands as a illustration of the effectiveness of the simple strategy game. Its simple approach conceals an incredibly complex tactical structure which requires a skill in resource management timing, ad hoc, and adaptability. When it comes to commanding the insectoid hordes of Zerg or their counterparts within other game types, those who make use of the power of Zerg Rush are equipped with a formidable weapon that can turn the battle's tide in their favorable direction. As the world of strategy gaming continues to grow but the legacy of Zerg Rush endures as a iconic symbol of unrelenting force and tactical savvy.

[selamat-linting]

what the fuck guys, i just had a dream where i meet an old guy and start making out with him in the desert. okay let me start from the beginning, we were, i guess in a sburb-ish game i think, where if we dont complete it we wont be able to go home, but there's no apocalypse, people just somehow knew what we're doing like the nonhuman characters who guide and watch the beta kids sburb session.

anyway, i think it devolved into some kind of weird factionalism since the players where thousands of ppl at first and ppl were dropping like flies and fighting each other. we were at the final stage of the game. this old guy has his soul split in two so me and my group decided to save him by splitting up to find his respective souls on different planets and guide him to see both of his selves again and reunite. i was accompanied by this one little girl. i think there was a debate over if this was worth the hassle because i remember we were attacked from something that came out of a random portal but i fought them off. and then we both started talking and i bravely put my butt in his lap and started saying how he's worth it just because he's himself and no matter what he does there will be people who is willing to put in the work to love and forgive him even if its difficult. and i dont care that its unfair and maybe even unhealthy because i love him. we love him. and i imply this other guy in our team would be some good for him as a couple because i love this other guy too but feel my parents wouldnt like him so i gave him up. i played with his hair, and the rest was history.

so anyway, after we spent the night together, held back from sex just because sand was everywhere, we finally met up with the other crew (why i was accompanied with a single child to hunt for him while this guy got a contingent of comrades is a mystery) and turns out this other dude that i had a crush on (he was slightly older than me i think) he actually fucked the older man. they went to a snowstorm planet as a five person group to save the man's soul and he actually made the effort to have sex with the guy in a secluded tent. i know this because once the old man fuse, i somehow gain the memory of my friend who fucked him and vice versa. dont ask me why, dream logic. and we both kinda stared in silent horror because we might have to consider polyamory and the hassle of introducing my friend to my parents because my parents does not understand polyamory the way we do and is racist. also we both conveniently remembered the guy we were both fucking has a wife. so we joke about how our life is fucked after winning the game, to the ignorance of our comrades.

anyway, flash forward, we were in a ship to finally do the last step to win and go home, when we realized there is a group of people dressing in white robes trying to do a human sacrifice ritual so their group can win and determine the prize, which now that i think about it, was the chance to built how our god who rules us will be like, would he be kind or rules with iron fist and all that. anyway, we know because one of the guys in that group finally betrayed them and rat them out for us. we all had this messy fight, and i was hurling them to this corner of the ship where i kept screaming that we will not use human sacrifices. i got hurt and fell down and i prayed that someone could finish them. well, the guy who betrayed his fundamentalist cult faction majorly did it, he manage to throw them out of the airlock, but he has his feet majorly burned. i was the one tasked to patch him up. he kept saying he's sorry while we're all huddled in the same small shitty storage room that was supposed to be our transport space ship

so i had this long tirade about how we have principles and we will not make people who made mistakes as expendable or whatever and i guess it digs into a core of my own feelings about religion, that for so long i was confused that themes of love acceptance and peacefulness in major religions are all commonplace but there's always exceptions and that its always reserved for ppl who dont believe, no matter how kind and good they are. there's always a group of demographic singled out to be born just for experiencing eternal torture or a target of justified hate. or how much of the major religion i saw revolved a lot with throwing people under the bus as necessary sacrifice for people in power in the name of faith, sometimes in a direct way, sometimes by asserting that some groups of people are just meant to be inferior or lower in the pecking order and they should have less options and opportunities just because. and that i said to this guy with the burned feet that if we're remaking a god, i want them to be free of that nonsense. anyway, while i was on my dream soapbox, i was gently bandaging this guy's feet in a horny way and tenderly cradling it and smiling at him like i want to add him to the polycule. i dont even have a feet fetish irl.

but worst of all, i dont recognize any faces in that dream. like all of them are strangers to me. but i have weird sexual relationships with at least three of them? wtf???? i have no idea how my dream got so intricate. i remember so much detail because it was so outrageous i HAVE to blog about just as i wake up. omggggg

[discet]

You know what Impact? Fair!

This is actually a great point and is a pretty strong thematic link to the protagonist. Honestly I hadn't considered it and will be keeping it in mind when Im outlining Season 3 of awiw.

I just have 2 problems with it in regards to its execution.

This is very told not shown. For something that's motivation is relevancy, its reaaaally not relevant to the plot. Marcy tells us that the Core fears irrelevancy but its actions in the show do not communicate this. Cause what does relevancy mean practically If it wants eternal life, why hook itself into a fragile girl? If it wants reverence, why does it rule from the shadows? If it wants to build an edifice to its own greatness, why does it destroy the collective glory of its home world? Hell if it wants relevancy why does it aim to destroy the planet and the box it coveted for so long? More so why does it not do anything for the entire run of its freedom that remotely impacts the protagonists? Every plot outside of the Moon hissy fit is either entirely Andrias's idea or cosigned by him. Recharging the box. Andrias (The core wanted the girls killed asap) Earning and leveraging Marcy's trust. Andrias Scraping Amphibia for resources to invade earth. Both probably, but Andrias definitely. Sending the cloak bot after Anne when she escapes. Andrias Subverting a Christmas parade to try and kill Anne. Andrias More so Andrias held onto authority for 1000 years. He played factions and peoples off of each other for that whole time and everyone LIKED HIM. There were a shitload of societal problems and nobody blamed THE KING OF THE EMPIRE. Hop Pop was almost executed by the state but Andrias has spun the narrative so cleanly that Hop Pop still considers him a wise and just ruler. Besides being a shitty abusive father, we never see even an ounce of that level of capability from the core. We're told its smart and really dangerous but basically not shown.

This theme would have been great on Andrias For a lot of the reasons stated above, this could have been easily folded into Andrias's characterization with a little retooling. All of those things you mentioned make the same sense if not would be more compelling on Andrias Elongated Life refusal to die (Cybernetics) A need for relevancy/control (Was the immortal god king of a stagnant society for 1000 years and likely had to actively prevent progress) An obsession with the box (that his best friend betrayed him by stealing it away) Really the only downside depending on who you ask is that it would probably fully condemn Andrias. It would be much harder to redeem.

I think the core was a good villain in concept, but felt underdeveloped. And yeah, I believe the main reason for Darcy’s existence is because the writers wanted Marcy out of the plot, and chose the cruelest way possible to do so(because fuck Marcy I guess)

Yeah no, the Core had a whole mess of potential! It was this creepy alien force lurking in the shadows behind the throne! It had the loyalty of a really compelling antagonist in Andrias! It’s design for both its giant robot body and Darcy was really cool! 

The fandom content ever since season 2 and especially after the season 3a hiatus was top notch. A lot of it would have to be toned down to be used in canon, but they all explored really interesting themes and how they could impact Anne Marcy and Sasha.

And its all just sort of left on the table. [Salt below read at your own risk. ]

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