#finals means cooldown doodle

[paper-lilypie]

takes two to tango

[crystalelemental]

Alright, now I felt like doing something fun. Off-type on Sinnoh, let's go.

Vs. Flint Because I love her, I decided to start with Emma, who didn't see play in the regular clear. Because I hate myself, I opted for the Looker Fam set, instead of the far more reliably V!Agatha/H!Iris combo that lets her explode everything. Foolish, really. It's extra awful because Emboar has Hammer Arm, and is not afraid to use it to insta-kill Anabel. Looker's needed for the Poison situation, which is okay, but given the permanent field effects, if Flint throws up Condition Shield, it gets ugly in the endgame where Emma can't use Buddy move anymore and doesn't quite take them all out with sync. It's very bad. So you have to kinda set up with Looker's Poison Jab in advance. Anabel also has to get a flinch in, or you can't get to second sync in time. It's all around a fairly messy win for a team I thought would do it just fine. But also it's 100% my own fault because I didn't think to exchange the +50% offenses for "no weather/terrain/zone" despite not having one anyway. OOPSIE DOODLES

Vs. Aaron Fire-weak Aaron is kind of a pain, due to the whole Endurance thing. But! AoE moves can handle that relatively okay, when backed by a strong enough sync to take out center, thanks to sync bypassing Endurance, a trait that is only good when I do it. I opted for Irida and Lorelei, because dammit Lorelei deserves a win. Irida herself does great. She's 3/5 now, which means Mind Games and Arctic Entry. I opted for SC Lillie to fully power up Lorelei, and for a bit more disruptive flinch action. She paralyzed Aaron immediately, and ruined Lorelei's chances at a flinch. *sigh* We also had to contend with First Aid on Aaron, which kicked Heracross back up over half HP. Irida's sync, without Brainpower, still managed to KO off-type. I'm kinda impressed.

Vs. Lucian The most frustrating thing I did by a mile. This was really stupid. Anni May is good, but the stage is physical, which is a problem. Lucian also has Satisfied Snarl, which is devastating with Earthquake. But the worst is the flinch. They got so lucky, so repeatedly with flinch, it's actually infuriating. The first run I almost won, Caitlin just missed the crit on Metagross, and it survived and immediately flinched Caitlin and May both. So then we had like five rounds where they just kept flinching Brendan immediately with Zen Headbutt, and a few runs of Caitlin just missing sync on Lucian for good measure. These assholes hit more 20%s than I can hit 80s. We eventually won, but I'm not proud of it.

Vs. Bertha I decided to use Champion Iris, since I'm in the mood for her and realized, this team can take off Interference Immunity and take Strike Damage x3. Anyway, thanks to flinch Iris can stall for another sync and hit Bertha for like 50k in one shot, then just eviscerate sides when they're not on para-lockdown from Elesa. I cannot wait for C!Iris' grid expansion. Aggravation is gonna be so disgusting.

Vs. Cynthia Finally, I opted for the off-type Adaman. This uh. This was funny, and very telling. Acerola dropped on turn 1. I checked, found that Cynthia didn't know any Flying moves, and assumed safety. Fire Blast cooked Bulu in one shot. So then Adaman had to survive, took a crit Fire Punch under Sun to the face and didn't flinch, and proceeded to tear apart sides with B Razor Leaf (Cynthia used X Speed All, sealing her fate), and dealing like 38k on first sync to Cynthia right away. I want to say SC Sonia contributed, but she really didn't do anything but burn sync cooldown at that point. It could've been anyone. Adaman had it on lock. Which...I think that's why I prefer Irida so much. Adaman's strong, but he's that kind of stupid powerful where he drastically eclipses what partners could do, so his supportive tools like the rebuff and Sun don't really amount to much. Like, if I tried to run a Lorelei-tier shit Grass striker with him, the stage would be over before they finished setting up. Lorelei got to contribute with Irida. That's way more fun to me.

[kkglinka]

Reading some fic in the fandom has made me aware that there's something I take for granted, due to my study of abusive behavior and relationships, that...isn't obvious.

On account of their controlling and manipulative behavior, abusive individuals — especially domestic partners and/or parents — are very difficult to escape. They have a strong tendency to use their favorable power imbalance and sphere of influence to drag their victim back. It usually takes considerable advance planning on the victim's part to make a break for it, and it's damn hard to shake the emotional bonds.

Subtle evidence like her journal doodles of him tell us that she missed him in a way because, fact is, victims often do care for their abusers and it takes time to step back from that. Which in turn tells us that she made a difficult rational decision despite her continued emotional attachment.

So I've assumed, from the time narrative evidence strongly suggested Adam was abusive, that Blake did not jump that train spur of the moment. While she probably grabbed the specific opportunity on a tactical level, she would have already been operating under a planned escape strategy. She didn't suddenly realize while on that train that Adam was an egotistical fanatic.

What we aren't told, in a show aimed at teens, often suggests those topics are considered too mature or upsetting. Weiss recently told us that her family was systematically whittled down throughout her childhood. Meaning: assassinations, kidnapping, probable torture, arson, sabotage, along with the dust thefts. Pay attention and there's that one final chance Blake gives Adam, asking about the train crew and when he condemns him, she just closes her eyes. There was no panic or surprise or shock there; his behavior and choices fit an existing pattern. Given that implied pattern of escalating violence, she likely knew he would try something heinous and already had a strategy in motion to neutralize Adam's own.

So nah, Blake didn't suddenly realize how awful Adam was on that train and luck out. She needed a situation in which Adam couldn't call on his followers to round her up or catch her red-handed. She probably waited for, or even suggested, a paired mission, way out on the fringes, with a ready means of travel, and rapid way to physically separate herself from him. It was: wait until his back his turned, until his semblance is on cooldown, until he's feeling complacent, then hop cars, before a pensive, pointed goodbye.

Blake knew what Adam was going to do, and she out-played him.

[hitodama89]

I saw this interesting looking ask meme about Flight Rising stuff, but instead of using it as it was actually intended I just answer all the questions without anyone having to send me asks.

           Ask me things!        

Basics

Dragonhome - What’s the meaning behind your username?

hitodama89 is just the name I use everywhere I go.

Sea of a Thousand Currents - Why did you join Flight Rising?

I had some friends who had already joined and they seemed to have good time, so I just jumped in, too!

The Ashfall Waste - What’s your favorite part of the site?

Bestiary and collecting familiars.

The Windswept Plateau - Have you gotten friends of yours to join FR?

My brother and mother, hahah! Neither of them are all that active, though.

The Southern Icefield - What’s your favorite flight?

Water. <3

The Tangled Wood - What’s your favorite FR deity?

I would love it if the deities were a bit more active part of the game... But as it is I like Arcanist a lot.

The Scarred Wasteland - When did you join Flight Rising?

2014-10-13

The Sunbeam Ruins - What’s your favorite lair aesthetic (doesn’t have to be your own)?

I freaking love Egyptian looking dragons! =0 Haven’t seen a whole lair full of them yet, though.

The Shifting Expanse - Do you exalt a lot of dragons or do you keep them?

I exalt a lot. That is right now my main income in the game.

The Viridian Labyrinth - Do you have a favorite familiar?

Psywurm!

Starfall Isles - Favorite piece of trivia you learned on the site?

I love the idea of Podid Town. =‘‘‘D It is mentioned in one of Tomo’s trivia questions.

Lore

Earthshaker - What role(s) do your progens play in your lore (if they do at all)?

They are the dragons that formed the clan.

Tidelord - Does the element of your dragons’ eyes matter to you in lore?

Well, it just means that they were born in the respective flight’s area.

Flamecaller - How do you determine jobs for the dragons in your clan?

I just think what would suit their looks and possible nature.

Windsinger - Does your clan interact with other users’ clans and does that impact lore?

Nowadays not too much. When I first started I got quite a lot of dragons from my friends and those dragons have a few sentences worth of lore about their origin.

Icewarden - Does FR’s official site lore play into your own?

I try to keep it in mind when designing stuff for dragons.

Shadowbinder - Do you have any lore about how your dragons view exalting? If so what is it?

It is a religious event where the exalted dragon is physically send to serve under the clan’s deity. Usually it is a great honor, but I have some dragons that don’t see it solely as a good thing.

Plaguebringer - Do you keep lore if a dragon already has it or do you change it to fit your clan?

I keep it in some form.

Lightweaver - What’s the story behind your clan?

There isn’t really one. =‘) My progens met each other, hung out together for a while and decided to form a new clan.

Stormcatcher - What catches your eye in other people’s lore?

I am pretty lazy at reading long stories and stuff. I like it when things are clear and compact and don’t contradict official lore too much.

Gladekeeper - Do your dragons’ names follow any themes/patterns and if so does that play into their lore?

It depends on who named them. If it was someone outside my clan the name can be anything, but dragons born within the clan usually have names that doesn’t mean anything irl. Certain families also have their own themes.

Arcanist - Do you like writing lore or reading it more?

Reading, I guess. Writing tends to be a pain in the ass.

The Beastclans - Is there an antagonist in your lore? If so, who?

Not really. My clan haven’t had any incidents with Shade and they don’t have enemy clans or anything.

Breeds

Fae - Who’s your random progen?

Marus.

Mirror - Who’s the progen you made?

Carran.

Guardian - What’s your favorite starter breed?

Guardians, but I really do like them all.

Tundra - What’s your favorite breed?

Pearlcathers. Though I tend to handle their nature a bit differently than what has been written about them in the official article.

Pearlcatcher - Is there a breed you like the pose of one gender over the other?

Many, actually, one of them being Imperials. The pose of female Imperial is pretty but a bit difficult to work with.

Ridgeback - What’s one breed you could never go without having in your lair?

Guardians and Pearlcathers.

Snapper - Is there a breed you like the hatchlings better than the adults, and if so what breed?

Not really. Hatchlings are cute and I would even love to have some permababies, but there isn’t really anything that would look a lot better as hatchling than as adult.

Spiral - Do you make breeding pairs for a specific outcome?

Very rarely. Usually I just buy individual dragons and at some point realize that some of them would produce nice babies together.

Skydancer - Do you like to make mates match?

Once again very rarely.

Bogsneak - How often do you impulse buy dragons?

Never really. I am darn picky with my dragons which isn’t all that good considering how poor I am, too, hahah. That’s why my lair is so tiny.

Imperial - What’s one breed you just don’t like for whatever reason?

I know it’s a cliche but Snappers. They are okay and I would never wish to see them for example disappear from the site, but they just are a bit too non-dragon looking for my taste.

Nocturne - Do you collect gen 1s?

Nah. Still poor af.

Coatl - Which dragon breed has your favorite lore, regardless of how much you like/dislike how they look?

Guardians.

Wildclaw - Do breeding cooldowns frustrate you?

No! I’m a patient person.

Flights

Light - What flight did you choose and why?

Water, because that’s my favorite element.

Earth - Do you have flight ambassadors? Why or why not?

No. Tbh I find them pretty boring as nearly every clan tends to have those.

Shadow - If you could change flights for a single day and go back to your own after, what would you switch to and why?

I would love to visit Plague to see what the heck they do to make their dom pushes so devastating. =‘D

Plague - What region of Sorneith is your favorite?

I love the nature of Windswept Plateau.

Water - Do you want your dragons’ eyes to match their colors, and if so does that impact what dragons you keep/breed?

It is not something I require from my dragons, but of course in some cases (Spirals and their huge eyes) it might affect my decisions.

Ice - What’s your favorite flight aesthetic (if you have one)?

Thiiiis was asked already.

Fire - What are your thoughts on dom pushes?

They are cool communal events! Too bad Water is pretty bad at them. => But we try our best!

Arcane - What’s your favorite thing about your flight?

I have never met a single rude or otherwise annoying person in Water.

Nature - Do you like finding newbies in your flight?

Naah; why would I..?

Wind - If you were to summarize each flight into three words, what words would you use for which flight?

Ggggh too much work.

Lightning - What’s your favorite familiar from your flight?

Maybe Seaweed Scavenger.

Customization

Primary - What are your favorite gene combinations on dragons (primary, secondary, and tertiary)? Share your faves!

Poison or Ripple, Toxin or Peregrine and Smoke or Runes.

Secondary - What’s your proudest gene project, if you have one?

Maybe Uppo. He has gone through way too many genes but now he is finally perfect.

Tertiary - If you have a dragon with poorly mixing colors, what is your preferred tertiary gene to try and compensate?

I just leave tertiary to basic if I can’t make it work at all.

Apparel - Do you prefer to dress your dragons for their roles or what you think looks best on them?

A mixture of both.

Accent - Have you ever seen an accent/skinscent/skin that you wished existed for another breed or gender?

Hmm, don’t at least remember.

Skinscent - What is your favorite skin, accent, or skinscent?

Accent: Magic Erosion. It just makes Lienn so pretty.

Skin - What’s your least favorite skin, accent, or skinscent?

Some trypophobic things that make my skin (haha) crawl. Haven’t taken down their names because why would I?

Original color wheel - List your top five favorite colors and why.

Teal, robin, abyss, pistachio aaand any blue/green. But what “why”? =‘D I just like them, that’s all there is.

Color wheel expansion - What’s your favorite gene and color combination (i.e. orca glimmer)? Share a dragon with that combo!

Haven’t spend too much time thinking stuff like this, but abyss Crystal is pretty badass.

Scrying Workshop - What is your dream dragon?

Don’t have one. It’s better for poor to not dream too big. =‘D

Trading and Socializing

Forums - What’s your favorite forum game and why?

Doodle the dragon above. It made me draw last year more than anything else.

Coliseum - Do you like to do coliseum?

Well, no, but I do it anyway when I need to.

Fairgrounds - What’s your favorite Fairgrounds game?

I hate them all. XD Or yes they are alright, but there is so little variation that you have to grind all of the games long enough to make you hate them if you plan on getting anything out of them.

Auction House - We’ve all done it, what one thing did you not notice a misclick while selling that still haunts you to this day?

I sold one of the Fox Rat familiars for treasure instead of gems. It still hurts.

Marketplace - Are you saving up for any big purchases right now?

For once no, I’m not!

Crossroads - Do you ever check in on dragons you’ve sold to see how they’re doing?

Yes I do. =D More often than you would think.

Dominance - Have you ever bought fodder, only to get attached and keep it?

Yup!

Trading Post - Have you made friends through or because of FR?

Naah. I’m not good at making friends.

Festivals and Events

Crystalline Gala - Do you like to participate in the holidays?

Of course! Gotta hoard me some new items.

Trickmurk Circus - Do you hoard elemental currency after the events are over or do you sell it off?

Neither, I just stack away the stuff I have and use it next year.

Mistral Jamboree - If you have elemental reps, do you dress them in their element’s holiday apparel?

-

Wavecrest Saturnalia - What’s your favorite elemental familiar?

Maybe Fire Sprite just because it was such an achievement to even get one of them.

Greenskeeper Gathering - Have you ever gotten an elemental egg?

A couple times. Never hatched one though, as I have pretty rotten luck.

Brightshine Jubilee - What was the first elemental holiday you ever participated in?

Riot of Rot. Back then I thought it was Riot OR Rot.

Thundercrack Carnivale - Are there events that you participate in on FR outside of the official festivals and events (secret Santa, trick or treat, etc)?

Yeah I took part in Secret Santa last Christmas!

Flameforger’s Festival - What do you do to prepare for an event?

Rest from Coliseum so I have what it takes to grind there during the festival.

Starfall Celebration - What’s your favorite elemental holiday?

Our own WaveSat.

Riot of Rot - Do you have any retired items or familiars that you want to come back for a holiday?

All the first year big apparels! I have no idea why they were so perfect but nearly everything after them have been pretty unusable for me. Also Light Sprite, haha.

Rockbreaker’s Ceremony - Does your flight do anything to prepare for events, if so what and do you participate in that?

During the already mentioned WaveSat we do some stuff, and I try to help as much as I can (which isn’t a lot though).

Week of Welcome - What do you think of the change in registration windows?

Good that the site can handle regular windows now!

Night of the Nocturne - What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever gotten in an event?

I won some boss familiar in a raffle once. It was the best.