#flavour text in certain fights

[narrachara-evidence-bracket]

Round 4, FINAL POLL

Vote for whichever you think is best!

Good luck everyone, may your favoured evidence win this final battle!

Evidence/Propaganda under the cut

Flavour text in certain fights:

-you can try to tell a joke to… i think woshua and snowdrake’s mom? and it immediately gives you the most depressing ass unfunny joke you’ve ever heard before going “what? you didn’t say that?” this is one of the only places in the game where the narrator and frisk are obviously different, and while it doesn’t specifically say that the narrator is chara it certainly implies that the narrator is not an unbiased entity. narrachara from there is a much smaller leap of logic

Undyne:

-Chara and the Narrator both really admire her (the Narrator's reaction to her death in neutral, the near constant gushing in pacifist, and Chara still calling Undyne the hero in genocide and having far less killing intent towards her than any of the other bosses)

-First example that comes to my mind is the positive reactions the narrator seems to have when faced against Undyne, as well as their silence when something bad happens to her, which would make sense for Chara considering it's likely they would really respect someone like Undyne, who doesn't like humans and is determined to stop you.

[drinkyourvillainjuice]

Today (now)

Drink Your Villain Juice! CH5 (pt 2) available on Patreon!

18k new words on top of the existing CH5's 30k, taking the game to 160k!

Learn what mission lies ahead for the Altruists, and learn more about how the Zone came to be.

Hunt for secret insights into your targets. But be careful.

Share a moment with Wil, and perhaps even a little more?

Report to Control Group. Which secrets will you keep? Which will you tell?

Bond with Control Group?

Drink Your Villain Juice!

…unless.

Some additions/fixes, also!

Further choices with Wil added at the debriefing, including one rather tsundere choice if that's been your dynamic.

New option to look into the fate of AdVenture.

Restored an inaccessible option allowing you to claim to Dion that checking on the Patrol was part of a personal code of conduct.

Teddie getting pissed off at you for endangering Kay now routes properly to the rest of the scene.

The public build has also been updated:

Added the ability to skip to Chapter 4.

Restored missing branches to the nodes/mutations routes through the Surpass fight. Unfortunately they're failure states, so have fun!

Restored a missing branch with crushing on Prii; now you can tearfully confess your feelings as they die in your arms! Wait.

Added new code/flavour text to restrict certain pseudonyms, including Dime.

Asking Hypothesis about the earbud now actually tests your skills as it's supposed to.

Added a reaction for abdominal maw MCs if they show off to Mallory.

Fixed the choice to bluff Dion at the end of the briefing so you can actually fail it as was intended.

[melliae]

Refraction Railway Line #1 Abnormalities Part 1 (Analysis)

Madness.

Simply put, there’s no better way to describe the first Refraction Railway ever released, and not without good reason. We can’t really expect a forced “patchwork” made of several possibilities coming from 3 Sinners to make sense, can we? Project Moon surely just threw whatever they thought interesting to the wall to see what stuck.

However…

“Embracing the madness is a necessary step for humans to move forward.” - Lunacy’s Flavour Text.

I stated in my second analysis of RR2, in Sign of Roses’ section, that accepting madness is to admit the limitations of the conscious mind, that things are just so vast and complex that there’s no way for us to fully understand them, let alone predict them. Life’s essence is rooted in uncertainty, and so is humanity. To separate them is to mutilate and destroy both, and to deny the life that madness wishes for is to increase its power over you.

So… who knows? Maybe there’s something there, a thread we can’t fathom, just like how life is. To try to say something with utter confidence and “rationality” is just as irrational as the opposite. The only true difference is your own disposition to admit and be conscious about it.

And thus, honoring its name, let’s try to find meaning in that which is unknowable and uncertain by definition.

“A symbol always presupposes that the chosen expression is the best possible description or formulation of a relatively unknown fact, which is none the less known to exist or is postulated as existing.” - Psychological Types.

Misery Loves Company

“In any case, we now know why dragging on doesn't do us any favor. I felt like I was being dragged deeper into the swamp of gloom as the fight went on.” - Ishmael, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

Glupo is one of the strangest Abnormalities ever, but not because of its meaning, no. Its weirdness solely comes from the effects of its EGOs and EGO gifts, which literally have nothing to do with the actual mechanics of its fight, notwithstanding the actual logic of the former two. A weird little guy, all in all.

Anyway, moving into its meaning… Really, there’s no way to get it wrong: a Trauma Abnormality with skills that are exclusively Gloom-based, and a blue resin defined as Gloom itself that fills the arena and escapes from its body once its eyes are broken. To say that Blubbering Toad represents anything but depression (or any other deep-seated sorrow) is wishing to “not fit in” on purpose.

However, if you pay attention to some details present in its Mirror Dungeon Encounter (not battle) and Observation Logs, it becomes obvious that Glupo isn’t a representation of depression per se, but of a certain perspective over it: the Abnormality doesn’t just want to wallow in its misery, but also to be heard and seen.

“An eyeball belonging to the toad was on its tongue. When we picked it up, it blinked its other eye at us before going on its way. Was that its thanks for lending an ear?” - Abnormality Encounter (“Sit and Wait” option).

This necessity for someone to at least hear it is seen many times, both during its actual fight and its Encounter, with the Sinners and Dante wondering whether they should interrupt Glupo’s crying or let it finish. And considering that it heals back some or many of the deployed IDs to full SP in case you fail the check of the “mimic the cry” option shown below, which is determined only by the average SP of the team, it’s obvious what it truly wants.

“‘Cruh-huh, croohoo.’ The toad makes a different noise as if to answer. It sounds like an affirmative reply. It extracts its long blue tongue, snatching a person from our group. Sometime later, they walked back out of its mouth. They seemed drenched… in moisture, or gloom.”

No matter what Glupo does or to what place it moves, its despair will chase it forever, for the true crux of its problem lies inside—the “gloom resin” that fills its body and that melts its own eyes. It’s completely fruitless to get angry at it and fight off its sadness, and so it’s to comfort it lovingly, because Glupo simply knows such things won’t work. Its essence is that of Gloom manifested after all, an endlessly dark dampness that crushes and taints everything it touches, and one that the Toad doesn’t have any way to free itself from.

Without escape and without rest, Glupo’s only solace as an Abnormality resides in others’ acknowledgment of its pain, that someone will hear its cries one day and maybe—just maybe—will remain by its side in an attempt not to make it better, but as an attentive, non-judgemental ear.

“I wonder what would've happened we just waiting until it's finished crying? No, I'm not saying we should try it. I don't see it being efficient, either. It's just... I remember someone doing the same for me a long time ago, and it helped me back then.” - Ishmael, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

The sadness and emptiness inside one’s heart may never disappear, and all the attempts at soothing it may be fruitless. But the short-lived relief that’s born at the moment your visceral cries are heard—that you and your suffering are finally seen—is so much more precious than any other thing, because it means that someone is willing to share the pain you thought was unbearable, and we all know that the only way no one will have to cry ever again is to share our curses. The Abnormality is no exception, willing to help you to its own detriment once you lend it the companionship it yearns for.

Yet, it’s because of that very same dependence on people that Glupo becomes vulnerable to the thorns that poison relationships too, the bitterness that leads people to resentfully think that someone else is receiving the attention they think they themselves need, and the resulting self-pity and doubt over one’s predicament. It’s very different from the seeming indifference the Toad holds for the Wrath, Lust, and even Pride of the Sinners, which in turn reinforces the empathy it has shown during all its apparitions and that it earnestly hopes will be returned to it.

Depression surely is a terrifying thing, isn’t it? Melancholy, sorrow, agony, despair, emptiness… Being so deep in the abyss of such emotions, wishing more than anything for someone—anyone—to be by your side, isn’t something I want other people to experience. But if there’s no other way, if you have already ventured too far into the dark cave, then it’s important to remember something: humans are not meant to be alone; even in desolate silence, companionship is nothing short of salvation.

A "Leashed" Dog

“This creature was like a living battery. Collecting lightning in its body, it used the power to fuel itself. Alas, its usage of the lightning's energy was not for a self-motivated purpose such as pursuit of strength; the accumulated electric forces appeared to dictate its motion, giving me the impression that it was the will of the sky that it followed.” - Yi Sang, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

Have any of you seen the movie Frankenstein? The one that showed how electricity was the element that animated the Creature? Yes? Perfect, then, because everyone should know such a thing never happened in the original book. The “electricity” was just a cinematic adaptation of the “vital principle” that Dr. Frankenstein discovered, akin to God’s “secret”. However, for Project Moon, there seems to be no difference between the two things as implied by Yi Sang.

But then one must ask what “divine” will or power is represented through said electricity. For that, we have to look at two elements that I’ve already gone over in my previous analyses.

The first one is related to another Abnormality with purple lightning, Dreaming Electric Sheep. There’s not much to comment on here thanks to how obvious the symbolism is, but I want to emphasize something about its environment: the lightning comes from the dark and chaotic sky, from the “liminal world” that the Sheep lives in. This world is our second element, being an adequate symbol for the source of all dreams and vitality: the realm of the dreaming, unconscious God, the source of the “spirit" or psychological spark that enlivens the mind (and body).

Regarding the nature of the unconscious mind… I’ll have to explain it once more since it’ll be important later on. But basically, the unconscious, as theorized by Carl Jung, is divided into two levels: a personal layer, proper to the individual, and a deeper, more collective one that underlies the former. While they do have their own peculiarities and differences, their point in common is that they are the matrix of life, the source of all “psychic” energy and change, as well as their limitations and possibilities. To say that the domain of the divine is the unconscious, while blasphemous, isn’t inaccurate, yet one must take care not to assume they are “asleep” or—even worse—“dead” just because of said unconsciousness.

“As an autonomous psychic factor, Wotan produces effects in the collective life of a people and thereby reveals his own nature. For Wotan has a peculiar biology of his own, quite apart from the nature of man. It is only from time to time that individuals fall under the irresistible influence of this unconscious factor. [...] It seizes everything in its path and overthrows everything that is not firmly rooted. When the wind blows it shakes everything that is insecure, whether without or within.” - Carl Jung, Essay on Wotan.

The wilderness and madness of the “divine” is best seen with the Erlking, who is identified as the Devil by Nelly, and what is the Devil but another name for the stormy unconscious personified by Wotan-Odin? What I meant is that the Erlking—Heathcliff himself—was the tempest that tore apart Wuthering Heights personified, the culmination of the accumulated pain engraved in the very mansion and without which its residents couldn’t survive—the master, the scapegoat, the “source” of all evil. He was the manifestation of the spark and winds that pushed everyone and allowed them to live, despite being no different from corpses only held together by the resentment that flourished deep within them.

At the end, no one should be prideful enough to think of themselves as friends or equals of the “heavens”. At most, we are just toys and slaves of our superiors’ unpredictable wants. Such is the logic behind Alleyway Watchdog, who has given up entirely on its autonomy and dignity as an individual being, breathing and living to the whims of its unconscious master—succumbing to its own smallness. Naturally, I don’t think I have to point out how a watchdog connects to this idea, right?

With that part clear, it’s obvious why the Abnormality has both Envy and Sloth skills, with a body at the complete mercy of that psychological and capricious lightning received by the Telepole. Thus, more curious are its Pride and Lust skills, “Howl” and “Claw” respectively, that point to how succumbing to its own drives and instincts was something the Watchdog did on its own. There is no grandiose sense of duty behind all the mutilations, pain, and discharges, only resignation and loss of all self-control, becoming no more than a devil that lacks any sort of shame even during its most beastly expressions.

Overindulgence and loss of control are also present in Fairy Gentleman and Sign of Roses by that matter. But whereas the Fairy still has a humanoid identity and form, enough to reign over itself momentarily, the human effigy in the other two Abnormalities is beyond disfigured, near the brink of extinction, as it is representative of the collapse of rationality. And while Sign of Roses is a manifestation of a twisted divine love, Watchdog is the epitome of submission towards said “love”, lacking any semblance of self-determination and responsibility for just as God created and commands you, the “torment” acts through and seizes you without asking.

Towards the heavens and God, there’s no answer or question, only blind obedience. You just have to look at Faust and her relation with the Gesellschaft, the temptation offered by Mephistopheles the Devil, who originally presented himself as a black dog in Goethe’s novel. Or Sancho and her nature as a Bloodfiend that demands her to follow the Bloodstream, to the point she wasn’t able to stop herself when commanded to leave La Manchaland (though Rocinante did help with that). And I don’t think I have to go over Heathcliff’s case after my explanation about the Erlking, though I find it noteworthy to mention just how typical his portrayal of emotions as a storm truly is—nothing more classical than a Byronic hero!

And to end the analysis, I want to highlight how the Abnormality’s weakness to Pride and resistance to both Gloom and Envy show that, again, the Abnormality accepted this on its own, without complaint or sadness for its nature as mere marionette for something “higher” and more “primal”; it refuses to stand up and claim its own being, like most would have done. In contrast, the Body’s and Telepole’s particular weaknesses to Sloth reflect once more his inability to refuse the heavens’ whims, while the vulnerability to Wrath of the Person and Head does so with the classical trope of raging against the above, awakening the squashed soul with its own kind of “vital spark”.

At this point, I don’t think a final remark is needed. I’ve already gone over this topic a couple of times before, and the question remains the same: is it truly worth it to completely relinquish oneself to the soul and its inner storm, to be no more than a rabid beast that doesn’t know any better?

Please, Don’t Call It “Dumbass”

“A smile is displayed on the terminal, but in the robot’s gestures, you feel a plea for help.” - Abnormality Encounter.

Okay, I give up with this one. I don’t have the slightest idea of what the Robot means. The only thing I know is that it wants to be anywhere but in its “town”, so please, don’t call him “dumbass” :(

…

Okay, in all seriousness, I have an idea of what KQE stands for, but the lack of EGOs and the vague nature of the “town” makes the Abnormality difficult to analyze. Still, if I had to put my life on the line, then…

“<There must have been an issue with the tour program.> After printing those words, the robot stood still for a while. Just when you started to wonder if it was broken, the terminal flashed. <No response after multiple requests to the Administrator.> <System Error. System Error.> <Rebooting…> After that, it kept throwing up complicated words on a blue screen.” - Abnormality Encounter (“Tell it you took a tour” option).

The City is still using Windows

Abandonment. Complete and utter isolation after being transformed into an unrecognizable monster and used as such.

However, even though the “administrator” and “townsfolk” have completely abandoned it alongside the “town”, KQE continues to fulfill its role and protect the latter all alone. The Heart of the Townsfolk that appears once the Robot’s claw is avoided? Don’t be fooled by the name; the Heart is its own, as they do not only share the same traits and Sin affinities but also have their HP bars connected thanks to the Heart’s passive, which causes KQE to take damage and become staggered once it’s destroyed. All of this means that the Abnormality is the last of the “townsfolk”, the only one who makes sure to keep the forsaken ghost town functioning in spite of its agony and despair.

“The claw was a pretty big bother to get around, but when we cut into that thing somehow, that tin can stopped moving! Haha, that sure gave us a breather. …Well, it might be because the heart belonged to the robot.” - Gregor, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

Another interesting detail to note is how the (only) trait KQE and the Heart have, Mechanical Amalgam, is only shared with the MultiCrack Office IDs and enemies. And if we go by Heathcliff’s Uptie story of said Office below, then…

“Grabbing piping-hot items without hesitation. Walking for hours upon hours without ever getting tired. It was those little things, those minor details, that have been making the child feel a sense of alienation ever since he replaced most of his body with prosthetic parts. [...] Days rolling, clicking by like cogs in a machine. The child was merely growing used to that kind of life. The life in the City.”

Mind you, I’m not sure how applicable this loss of emotions is to other MultiCrack Fixers due Sasha’s attitude during MotWE, but it’s still worth considering how reminiscent of KQE’s situation it is. Besides, this kind of abstract meaning is somewhat in line with the rest of Abnormalities that share the “06” classification code: Steam Transport Machine, whose existence is basically the past given physical form; 1.76 MHz, a Trauma Abnormality that stems from PTSD (likely from the Smoker War veterans); and and Nothing There, an Original Abnormality that represents the emptiness that has assaulted the city, one of the many consequences of the “sickness of the mind”. All of this, unironically, tells us a lot about the Abnormality:

Speaking about Nothing There, it’s extremely important to highlight how its code is almost identical to KQE’s. This was likely intentional on Project Moon’s part; they want us to connect the emptiness or alienation that the two of them represent.

Thus, the true nature of KQE, as per the rest of "06" Abnormalities, is abstract, not physical. More specifically, in a very similar way to NT, it likely originated as a “void” or some sort of abstract thing that people filled with flesh and machinery.

Finally, considering it’s a mechanical amalgam in the same way as the MultiCrack Office Fixers (and the “heretics” pursued by N Corp.’s Inquisition), the effects of technology has on the human body and psyche is a fundamental part of its meaning as well.

While Project Moon has been mostly impartial regarding the overall idea of prosthetics and technological implants, it’s obvious they aren’t blind to the debates over them and their possible consequences. The MultiCrack Office is just the most recent case “against”, but prior to them was Canto III (sort of), and even before it was the Brotherhood of Iron in LoR. All of them point both at the real and perceived risks of technological transhumanism, which are the basis of KQE… Or better said, technological transhumanism is the consequence of KQE’s meaning—an amalgam of flesh and technology created to satisfy the emptiness inside to no avail, the result being a clunky, misshapen, and simply useless monstrosity.

Basically, what the Abnormality tells you is that the root of your (psychological) suffering doesn’t lie in the outside, but within your own soul. It’s not about trying to imitate someone else like Nothing There or to modify your body like KQE, because in both cases you are simply running away from your fundamental essence, from the thing that rightfully can be called your own self. You just need to see how miserable KQE is, with all of its skills being either Gloom- or Envy-based, to know that altering your body to soothe your fears isn’t really the path to happiness (especially if those modifications are old as fuck).

Now, to finish things here, let’s go over KQE’s last relevant element: its Sin resistances. The first ones correspond to its two weaknesses, Gloom and Lust, which imply that KQE is weak to… despair and love, as if its entire Encounter in the MDs didn’t show already how deep in pain and agony the Abnormality is. Anyway, moving to the resistances as such, we have both Wrath and Envy, which are quite self-explanatory, aren’t they? KQE has already gone beyond the “despair event horizon”, and none of your resentment, rejection, and anger will ever compare to the hell it dug for itself.

… Okay, maybe KQE does deserve to be called a “dumbass” somewhat.

Post-Commentary

Ahh, finally I can post this. I really wasn't lying with KQE being hard to analyze. I was stuck on it for like 1 or 2 weeks because I had problems trying to just understand what it was about. Really, I'm still not convinced of what I wrote, so if you have any idea, share it! Anything is welcome here xD

Now, regarding the organization of the posts, I was originally planning to publish the analysis of the 5 Abnos together... But Headless Ichthys happened, and I don't doubt MFE is going to be as dense as the Fish. So to avoid making an even worse wall of text, I decided to divide them in 3 and 2. I'll likely use this for any post with 5 Abnos from now on (otherwise, it'll be half and half).

Anyway, moving into some curiosities, something I didn't comment was about the alternating resistances to Gloom and Wrath of Glupo's eyes. It's a reference to Ishmael’s commentary at the beginning of the third Log: the left eye is dedicated to physical damage, therefore making it resistant to “physical attacks” (Wrath) and weak to “mental anguish” (Gloom); the right eye, focused on sanity loss, is the opposite.

Other interesting thing is how there seems to be a parallel between Glupo, the Tearful Thing, and STNOWC, if we go by the quote of Sinclair’s Cavernous Wailing. I’m not sure of the implications, or if it even was on purpose, but it’s worth highlighting.

Other thing I find curious was how Telepole's theme fits with Ishmael. More parallels between her and Heathcliff, I suppose.

Also, it’s funny Telepole always uses Wrath and Envy - resentment against others and oneself - with a third Sin affinity, which changes according to the Sinner: Gloom for Don, to represent how her deep sorrow over what happened with La Manchaland and original Don Quixote (unconsciously) guided her; and so is Lust for Heathcliff, embodying his (multi-)universal love for Catherine. Faust uses Lust too, and much more than Heathcliff by that matter…

And as last thing since it was released long afterward I finished Watchdog's section, but the check affinities of its new Encounter are pretty obvious: Pride and Envy because, seriously, those telepoles look goddamn fine! Oh, and they are kind of wasted in the dog anyway.

So, now with all finished, and ignoring the obvious disclaimer of spelling, grammar, and different interpretations, let's go for the 2nd part!

(Please kill me)

[beigetiger]

Kind of a continuation of this post, but I want to talk about fascism in Skulduggery Pleasant and how it’s handled, especially since it’s so relevant to our world at the moment (escapism through books? Never!) and because my interest has been captured by the way that this series clearly lays out impacting factors, where everything comes from, how it gets worse, and so on. Lot of stuff to handle, and I’m actually going to try and organize this beforehand instead of just vomiting words into my phone. I’ll also give you all the text cut of mercy.

I might have mentioned this before, but phase 2 (and by the looks of it, phase 3) depict and focus on fascism within their societies. There are several examples of this in phase 2 alone.

For example, Mevolent is introduced back in Kingdom of the Wicked, but the reality of living in a society ruled by him is most properly shown in Seasons of War. His society seems almost perfect for the sorcerers that live within it, but that’s only because those who didn’t fit the mold perfectly were killed. He has thought police and is personally able to track what his subjects are thinking about. And, of course, the Leibniz sorcerers dehumanize, oppress, and enslave their mortals because it’s all they’ve ever been taught to do. This particular flavour of society is probably least reflected in our current society of all the examples that I’m going to talk about, so I’m not too stressed about this one.

There’s also Martin Flanery, the very unsubtle stand-in for Trump. I’m mid about him as a character, but I think the series did a good job showcasing the difference between Creed, who’s calm and calculated and takes advantage of his follower’s rage, and Flanery, who feels and acts upon his rage just as much as any of his followers, while also showing that Flanery is still a threat. His lack of calculation doesn’t make him an easier opponent to defeat, it just makes him more of a wild card. And his soldiers are very much a reflection of this as well. Flanery’s soldiers use Splashes to become stronger but often have roid rage as a result, and they constantly get into fights and kill each other, causing incredible collateral damage in the process. The cops who worked under Creed, on the other hand, tended to be a lot colder, sneakier, and all-around more strategic, reflecting the climate that they’re thriving in. This isn’t just limited to Flanery, but this series also does a really good job at depicting the sheer idolization that these literal fascists are regarded with by their subjects and how it effects others.

But enough of that, I’m now going to talk about the whole reason I decided to write this stupid thing: Roarhaven and sorcerer culture as a whole.

Roarhaven post LSoDM has a whole bunch of factors impacting it and it’s social development, but one of the more major ones is sorcerers finally being given a place to be themselves and develop their own culture as opposed to just adopting whatever the mortals are currently doing. Sorcerers didn’t really have much of an individual culture for hundreds and hundreds of years because they intentionally repressed themselves so that mortals wouldn’t find out about them and possibly try to fight them. There was some slight amount of culture in places like when Roarhaven was a tiny village or those streets that are entirely owned by sorcerers, but those places were often bitter and in poverty in order to make themselves go under the radar, and so would only have offered comfort to certain kinds of sorcerers who just want others that they feel understand them.

But although the Sanctuaries may agree that silence and repression of diversity is the correct way to go about their lives, it’s extremely clear that there are many sorcerers who disagree with that (see Mevolent and his followers) and it’s clear that the Sanctuaries never bothered to stamp these disagreers out entirely as Mevolent did to his, only punishing them if they tried to reveal themselves to the mortals. This left these people alive to spread their ideologies to others.

And as I said earlier, the war that covered nearly the entire planet and was somehow kept from mortals for hundreds of years is also a huge factor for sorcerers. Between that and the inter-Sanctuary war, nearly the entire sorcerer population is a war veteran who was stood witness to or even committed absolutely sickening acts that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. They have nearly nothing resembling actual functional therapy and PTSD is probably incredibly common among the population. The Corrival kids, the ones too young to have been in war, have had to grow up in these environments and being raised by these people, and we see so clearly in phase 2 just how much generational trauma impacts people and ruins uncountable numbers of lives. Sorcerers also pretty much never die of old age. A select few of them live to be old, yes, but even they always die violently. There is no peaceful or happy ending for sorcerers, their lives are dark from the beginning through to the end, even to the point where the knowledge that they’re going to die acts as a comfort instead of a curse.

The sorcerers have also watched mortals commit countless genocides and acts of horrific discrimination and destruction and have been unable to do anything about it due to this idea enforced by their governments that they cannot interfere with the affairs of mortals, and that the mortals must simply learn to be better on their own. Hell, a lot of sorcerers have probably been directly impacted by these genocides, and their friends were probably tormented by the fact that they could do nothing about it. And due to their lack of culture and overall opportunity to do these things over the years because of the war, many of the sorcerers (especially the students who weren’t soldiers) start to feel just a little too good about themselves and their people, pointing out that they’ve never done things like that while failing to realize that the reason they’ve never really done that is because they’ve never been given an opportunity to do so.

And of course in modern times, there are issues like climate change, impending war, and increasing discrimination that sorcerers still aren’t allowed to do anything about despite living in the same world and still being impacted by, leading to a sort of “I wonder if things would be better if we were in charge”, as discussed often by Corrival kids and sometimes the Sanctuary workers. They’ve all heard of Dimension X of course, but those who don’t straight up agree with what Mevolent was doing either justify the thought by claiming that they’ve seen his mistakes and could do it better (introspection, anyone?) or, in the case of people like Valkyrie, just shake off the thought and tell themselves that it would never work out in practice.

And how sorcerers view mortals, even the supposedly good sorcerers, is also an important thing to consider here. There are, of course, sorcerers like Nefarian who have a cartoon villain view on mortals and think of them as little more than cattle, but there are more nuanced ways of thinking about mortals that are still not actually that great. In HBL, Ghastly talks about how he’s worse than mortals because he’s been given this gift that elevates him to some status above them, and yet also chooses to compete in wars for seemingly no end. And that’s the thing, this way that he subtly thinks of mortals as simple creatures who don’t understand the glory of the world as he does, who’s actions are understandable because how could they ever know better?

I also think that Valkyrie’s perception of mortals is fascinating because of how we get to see it evolves over time. When Val is fourteen or so, she actively rejects the term “mortal” because she sees it as dehumanizing and elevating of the sorcerers to a higher status. But as she grows older and becomes more attached to sorcerer society as opposed to mortal society, she stops complaining about the term and begins to adopt that mindset that so many other sorcerers have of almost being a shepherd. Instead of protecting mortals for the sake of keeping other people safe, it sometimes feels more like a duty to keeping the livestock alive more than anything else, and she actively refers to mortals as bumbling fools who get themselves killed unnecessarily in HBL.

Now, this is where Roarhaven as a city actually starts to come into play. After all, it lends sorcerers an entire city away from the prying eyes of mortals, and there’s nothing that actually makes them go back to interact with them. They can just live in the city forever and have all the resources they need. But spending so long away from and never interacting with the mortals they’re supposed to protect leads to disconnection with them from the sorcerers. The sorcerers see their city as cleaner, nicer, more organized, and overall better than anything the mortals could possibly create. Sorcerers live longer lives, are more open-minded, are stronger and capable of doing more, and so they must be better than those foolish mortals who become more close-minded as they get older.

And of course the Sanctuary is supposed to disagree with this sentiment (emphasis on supposed), but it doesn’t really matter because the Faceless Ones worshipers who have been saying this for hundreds of years and haven’t been stamped out by the government get to spread this idea around to their fellow citizens, who refuse to go back and actually reconnect with the mortals. It’s like how fast transphobia spreads among those who don’t actually know any trans people; the lack of ability to disprove the information and ideas you are being given causes them to become real to you.

And now for the children, who have less life experience and even less memories of mortals than the adults do. The students are easy to leave imprints on, and we’ve already seen how even the best intentioned kids express some anti-mortal sentiments. They know that their world is dying and it’s the mortals faults. They’ve grown up in this world being told over and over that they are better and wiser than mortals, and have been taught by their parents and by each other to view mortals as mayflies. Nothing more than insects. Even people like Omen wondered if maybe things would be better if they simply took over. Quietly took the world off the mortal government’s hands and into their own, where their everlasting wisdom can lead them to a better future. Because the kids don’t remember what the war was like, and it leads them to be disconnected from their parents. And that leads them to find affirmation among each other instead, at a boarding school where they almost never see their families and where even the teachers will indulge in anti-mortal sentiments. It’s such an easy rabbit hole for them to fall into, especially since Roarhaven hasn’t developed any sort of system to keep the kids up to date with the world and politics outside of Roarhaven, and so they just learn from each other.

And the reason that Roarhaven’s government isn’t able to do much about the children turning towards fascism is because the government kind of sucks. They have this idea that they don’t need things like lawyers because they have mind-readers and lawyers are a measly mortal invention while failing to consider the fact that lawyers exist to make sure that rights are being followed. Except that I’m not actually sure that the sorcerers have anything like rights outside of loosely following what mortals have, since police brutality seems incredibly common and the cops seem allowed to just do whatever they please. They also have nothing like a democratic system and their top governors can be easily put under influence by someone with money (e.g. China and Damocles).

There’s definitely more I could say to point this out, but I think it’s already clear enough (hell, it’s even discussed in the series itself) that the Sanctuary’s current government system is corrupt, outdated, and leaves room for dictators and fascists to take over and for the people to continue harming each other with no end in sight and needs to be replaced with something that would allow sorcerers as a whole to grow from the trauma that has brought them ruin for hundreds of years and maybe even finally help to create a better world for everyone.

[strixcattus]

Stuff about the narrator, stuff about the narrator...

There's this moment with Snowdrake's mum in the true lab "you laugh and keep laughing, it's so funny you can't stop, tears run down your face", so it seems that laughing off or laughing at bad things might be a habit, especially since apart from the puns, other topics for jokes include

Cain's deathbed ("If you laid down here, you might never get up")

A child who "slept in the soil" (though the other "dirty jokes" you can get here are two children playing in a muddy flower garden and a child who ate pie with their hands...so those were nicer, at least)

Frisk's imminent death, multiple times (like a wry joke about each bomb with Mettaton or checking the forcefields)

"Smells like nightshade and bleach" (when fighting whimsalot, is that a joke even?)

"If you're cuter, monsters won't hit you as hard" (explains why accessories raise defence but it's terrible phrasing. In the demo it was just "monsters will be reluctant to hit you" much better)

Putting 5 punch cards in a box will result in Frisk making a smiley face with them, and then when you take one out and say "HaPPineSs Is fLEetinG" because they're a loser edgelord

Serious mode

In certain battles, the jokey item names will be removed and the flavour text will get silent. This happens only three times, when Tori stops attacking and starts saying she can't save even a single child, during the entire duration of the Asgore fight and during Asriel's breakdown (and of course the rest of Asriel's fight is not in serious mode, when they're calling out the attack names, the tone there is excited and childish and playful)

Oh, and Asriel's phonecall, when the narrator says "it's a voice you have never heard before", the line comes out slow, double spaced like the narrator's shocked to hear him. Due to fun value events, you can get a random call from Alphys before you meet her but that doesn't prompt the same reaction, so maybe it's not an "unfamiliar" voice that does it?

When fighting Asgore, after like the third time trying to talk, the narrator will say "seems like talking won't do any more good" every time, except for the 9th time where the line is "seems all you can do is FIGHT", it changes back on the 10th time.

"statistics determine everything about you. Everything you are is but a slave to these tiny numbers." From the demo handbook, numbers, statistics, get everything to the highest it can go, yeah...

Remember me talking about the humans save files, yeah? Well, the first one, the empty one, it jumps into action during Frisk's run and while it still never resets, the file autosaves at certain points.

Seeing as the narrator isn't omniscient, some things they know start to stick out, like knowing where Cain died or "It's a family photo. Everyone is smiling." We saw what looked like a photo with them, didn't we? everyone else was smiling but Cain had their face covered in flowers...

In hard mode, Tori actually makes snail pie and Frisk makes a face but narry still thinks it smells wonderful, this is just funny because the narrator describes snail pie as an acquired taste (as in something you grow to like through eating it over and over) and Tori sure makes a lot of them

The narrator really does like Undyne calling her "the heroine who never gives up" and being generally rather gushy and complimentary (To the point where it almost comes across as mean to Frisk, unlike MK, they know full well that Frisk is Undyne's target, know Frisk can hear them and still gush about Undyne constantly, harsh). It's almost like Undyne is their favourite monster or their idol in the same way Papyrus's is Asriel, in life, Asriel didn't want to kill anyone even as they struck at him, and Papyrus never kills Frisk (he's the only one who fights and doesn't kill, even Tori can if you're not careful).

And well... Undyne is more like...Cain? The one willing, even happy, to kill six humans for the sake of monsterkind's freedom. Running a child through with a spear, poisoning oneself with a plant that makes you vomit blood, not for the faint of heart but someone has to make hard choices, right?

Sometimes the Narrator can be pretty bitter and angry, acting as if the pacifist route will amount to nothing worthwhile, "you gave the cheapest gift of all... friendship", they say Frisk's offers of friendship are cheap and worthless lip service, "try as you might, you continue to be yourself" they initially think Frisk staying themselves is a bad thing. They once open a book to the exact page that shows humans in the worst light possible, "here's a random page" when it's normally "you open to the middle" "fearful of further attacks, we retreated", they don't like Frisk, (someone made a graph of the way Narrator treats Frisk over time, they fling a lot of insults in the ruins). They don't like Frisk, they don't like humans in general, that's why they like Undyne!

The coffin was empty, right? So where are they buried?... Well it is a custom to put the remains of a monster on/near their favourite thing so their essence can live on there, and Tori deliberately planted a patch of Cain's favourite flowers (she has seeds in a drawer, remember?) in the ruins where we first fall? Are they buried there? Did poor Frisk fall on the misanthropic child's grave, Frisk sure has enough determination to revive a ghost, don't they? And the right colour soul?

And of course, saving the lost souls seems to take knowing them personally? Sharing good memories? But Frisk doesn't know Asriel and has no good memories to speak of, so how is he saved? ...Well, we do see someone's memories every time we die or fall unconscious right? Maybe they can help?

It's the first human isn't it

I've just gotten back to the story of the first human in my current run and I feel like it makes more sense that Asriel ended up in a flower given that he died in the garden and his dust was scattered there. So if the human was buried under the flowers we fall onto at the start of the game...

Why the hatred of humans, though, then? Just because of what happened to Asriel?

[zoroara]

So I was thinking about the Varia, and them calling out their attacks, Because most of them…. don't do that. or at least not often.

I don't know about the anime because my god am i not going through to check that that's so many episodes to watch.

But in the manga there is a total of ONE time when Squalo actually calls out one of his moves himself (in fact in the manga we actually learn all his move names from his team mates because he sure as hell doesn't say them once. In the manga this is the only reason we know they even HAVE names.) Which is when he is coordinating a team attack with Bel, Levi, and Lussuria against Enma.

And at that point means he may only name them for specifically for strategic methods so his team mates know what he's doing so they don't end up maiming each other.

This is also something to be noted to be shared with Lussuria, with his only named attack being in that one group attack with Enma.

Meanwhile Levi and Xanxus are the exception to the "We mostly don't do that" as they do this the most frequently out of all of the Varia.

Levi does so at almost every opportunity. But then again, you look at most of his named moves and it kind of makes sense. If you accidentally walked into the area where he was doing any of those attacks, you may end up completely fried. But he does so with moves that will generally not be helpful to his team mates to know, perhaps it being way too much of a habit at this point for him not to do that with just about everything or the fact that he's almost always vying for attention. Which is likely to his deficit but it's not uncommon for Levi to shoot himself in the foot.

Xanxus makes sense more sense with this knowledge as if you aren't fucking prepared to run you may as well be dust, however his use of them are fairly inconsistent, meaning he doesn't actually care so much about who actually knows what he's doing. Though the use of the names almost feels like it's a promise of death when they are used. Like "you know what's coming and there is NOTHING you can do about it." he typically only calls them out before what will be a direct hit, so it's almost like he waits until he's certain there were will be an almost 100% shot of him actually hitting the attack to choose if he's actually going to call it out.

Someone who probably SHOULD use the name of his attacks is Bel, due to just how much it controls the field, and would be so easy to shred his team mates, but out of laziness/apathy simply doesn't. The only time he calls it out beforehand is also when he's coordinating attacks. Either with Levi in future arc, or when they were attacking Enma. It seems though the actual names of his attacks otherwise, like with Mink's attack that shows up after preformed are actually only flavour text for our sake and not something he actually says, unlike the others who we get their named attacks through someone or themself saying them.

Mammon is interesting, because the vast majority of their attacks have no names even during their battle the most they call out is "Illusion!", which you think would probably be very very bad for the Varia since illusions affect so very much around them. Until you remember, none of them gave a shit about the illusions they were seeing, that knowing that it's an illusion is probably all they actually need. However when they get their curse unbroken it's much more consistent, taking time to make sure even their team mates know that they're also in danger of Mirage V. Though it's likely more that the ones like Oroborus fall into a more similar vein of them purposely trying to add flare to attacks now that they're at full power and are fighting against someone they kind of feel like they NEED to overshadow.

Now if only Fran actually fought.

This is very much partial speculation of intention due to frequency so, you know how it is. I just think these are kind of interesting things, especially when I notice a lot of people when writing Squalo usually have him call out the attack names himself.

[advent-if]

I time ago I asked about the powers customization. Now I realized I could also ask about the appearance customization you have in mind.

I expect the classic skin tone, hair color, eye color and hair length and texture. But will you include more? As in: height, body type, facial hair, piercings, tattoos, etc?

I think it's fine if you don't include some of the latter. Height is often not too relevant (although I like to play with very tall MC's who tower over everyone, but are also incredibly kind and friendly), but maybe it could have some effect on certain fights. I think I the forgotten one has one single choice where success relies on picking a combat option that matches the height of the MC.

Body type is an interesting case. For instance, I would assume a more athletic body type by default on most MC's. However, more can be done on that regard. After all, a superhero can be muscular and buff, or it can be lithe and graceful. And a more overweight superhero can be fun too, as is not what most people would expect. Of course, other than flavour text, body types could easily be turned into minor stats. For example, a buff or debuff to strength or speed depending on body mass (muscular and fat characters being slower but stronger, while thinner and graceful characters being weaker but faster). Of course, it's up to you if you decide to make body types customizable, and if they will affect any stats you may be planning to use for the game. I think the stats ideas applies to height also.

(I also thought about the possibility of having an 'Intimidation' stat, or similar. Which would depend on how big MC is, plus another factors. I think One Knight Stand has this feature).

I'm also curious if you have considered the customization of the hero costume. I do guess it would be different based on the background. A hero without powers has different needs than one with, after all. Or maybe you are planning something more akin to what Fallen Hero does with the villain suit? In the sense that it has like 4 appearance types, and some specializations when it comes to combat. Instead of something more in detail, like Unsupervised, I think, where you can choose colors, and symbols, and basically customize the costume from top to bottom (I think it was Unsupervised, although I played the demo a long while ago, so I may be remembering wrong).

Sorry for the length of this ask. All of the stats ideas are mostly me writing what I'm thinking, and not asking for them. I don't even really consider them to be a suggestion, more of sharing ideas. I guess. I just thought it made sense to conflate those with the original purpose of asking about appearance customization.

Have a nice day!

i find that personalisation is such an important part of ifs so i'm going quite deep into it, not just general physical characteristics but also finer details like those you mentioned!

regarding height and body type, my plan is to allow a base level of customisation that would be slightly altered in cases of MCs with powers. on top of your base customisation there's an added bodily effect of your chosen power, e.g. super strength as a power would cause MCs to have bulkier and more toned muscles than other people of the same chosen body type. i want for players to be able to play with the kind of MC they want and for it to "make sense" at the same time!

as of now gameplay is largely strategy based, so choosing the right options that play to your strengths is the way to win a battle! successful choices are based more so on MC's powers/abilities (for orphan route MCs, the features you embed in your suit) rather than your body type. for each battle a health stat comes into play, and the amount of damage you incur for a given opposing move is also dependent on this to some extent.

buffs and debuffs would come into play for situations where your given superpower proves to be a(n) advantage/disadvantage. going back to super-strength MCs, they'd have a natural debuff in situations where agility and speed is required, so to succeed they would have to find ways to get around that. training level also plays a role in success! the main mantra is: play to your strengths and work around your weaknesses.

your hero costume is definitely customisable lol it's a big part of developing your identity as a hero. the better you get the more features you can implement into your suit. for the orphan route the player's choices as to what features to embed in the suit are what decide your abilities.

hope that cleared stuff up!

[tripleyeeet]

001

SUMMARY: While hanging out with Satoru, Hitomi "runs into" an old friend. PAIRING: Nanami Kento/Sato Hitomi (OC) WARNINGS: Nothing really. Unless you count Satoru being a little shit disturber. A/N: It's been approx. eight years since I've posted anything. So, please go easy on me. I'm a little rusty. :') Also Kiko credits go to @gunslingerorchid because she's bound to properly pop up in this fic again.

MASTERLIST / SOUNDTRACK

“So, I got an interesting phone call last night.”

Before Hitomi even looks up, she can feel the smirk spreading across Satoru’s lips. His never-ending need to inherit a sense of mischief wherever he goes flickering through the air —forcing her to look up, completely unimpressed and already well aware this conversation is headed nowhere. 

“What do you mean interesting?” she asks anyway, watching him merely shrug his shoulders. Prompting her to roll her eyes and reach into the bag of candy resting on the bench between them. “You can’t just say that and not elaborate, man.” 

Popping the candy into her mouth, she feels it click against her teeth, making her cringe just as Satoru snorts and reaches for one of his own. “Sure I can.”

“I mean you could.” 

He raises a brow. “Or?” 

“Or you could —oh, I don’t know— not be a jerk and just tell me.” 

Smiling back, she tentatively bites down on the sweet, feeling part of it crack against her molars before it’s inevitably ground into nothing but sugary dust. Its flavour doing little to rid the sour taste of Satoru’s continued antics. 

“What’d be the fun in that though?”

All she does is scoff and avert her gaze, choosing instead to survey the park that they’re in, to distract herself. Knowing all too well if she gives in to his demands she’s bound to be stuck there for hours repeatedly guessing the answer until he relents. 

It’s what always happens when he’s got information. Especially the kind that’s either valuable or embarrassing. And considering Hitomi doesn’t care much for the former, she unfortunately assumes it’s the latter. 

“Shoko told me about that curse you took on yesterday.” 

Her eyes don’t meet his when she speaks. Instead, they scan the length of the pathway in front of them to survey the bodies that pass. Pinpointing certain ones with feigned interest to pass the time until Satoru releases a sigh. 

“Hardest one I’ve had in a long time.” 

He sounds overly satisfied. The tone of his voice nonchalant despite the topic, which makes Hitomi frown and relent, giving his face a once over —watching the way it curls to reveal the most gratified expression she’s certain she’s ever seen. 

“You brag about it to Kiko?” 

He’s shoving her before she can even think to smirk. His palm heavy against her shoulder as he jostles her to the left. “No, I bragged about it to everyone.” 

“But you bragged to her first, yeah?”

He doesn’t respond, which Hitomi knows means she’s won. A feeling of satisfaction spreading across her own lips as she pops another candy into her mouth. Allowing herself to savour it a bit more than the last as she triumphantly crosses her arms over her chest.

At which point, there’s nothing but silence. Aside from the busy background noise of the park, neither she nor Satoru speak on account of the fact that they’re apparently fighting now. The petty war amongst them blooming to life as he pulls out his phone and furiously begins to text. His fingers gliding across the screen until he suddenly stops and looks over.

“You hungry?”

Almost immediately she’s skeptical of the switch-up, specifically due to the calmness in his features and how the obvious irritation at her comment has somehow disappeared at the drop of a hat. There’s a part of her that knows whatever he’s planning is retaliatory. But regardless, she ends up agreeing to it. Choosing to ride the waves rather than fight them as he pockets the bag of candy before standing to stretch. 

“There’s this cafe a couple blocks back,” he suggests. Then, he proceeds to talk the entire way there, rattling off an endless sea of details about his aforementioned exorcism. Explaining all the various tips and tricks he uses to distract and strike —things she already knows how to do but listens to anyway, hoping that her good behaviour will aid her through whatever torment he’s more than likely plotting in his head. 

Because sometimes Satoru can be merciful. If you have the pride to give him exactly what he wants, there have been occasions where he’s been known to double back. Or at least, to lessen the blow, which Hitomi hopes is the case for her as they enter the cafe, settling at the back of the line. Both of them curiously glancing around the building in search of a table. 

Because, like always, the place is jam-packed. Every table appearing completely occupied by all the various groups huddling amongst one another with coffee and snacks. All of them lost in their own little words just like her and Satoru as he asks what she wants.

“A latte, I think,” she muses then, lazily glancing up at the board to see all the usual menu items —wondering maybe if she should switch things up before deciding against it.

“Want a croissant or something?” 

As he starts to pull out his wallet they take a couple of steps forward, following the flow of the line as searches for his debit card, inevitably signalling that it’s on him when he finds it.

“Maybe just a cookie,” she decides, watching him nod out of the corner of her eye.

She can feel him plotting. Regardless of how relaxed he seems, she can feel that familiar voice of reason at the back of her mind telling her that something’s up. And that, whatever it is, it’s coming, so be prepared.

“What kind?” 

“Oatmeal chocolate.”

He scrunches up his face in disgust before they get to the till and he orders, reciting hers first before getting himself something she doesn’t quite hear because she’s too busy scanning the cafe again. Narrowing her eyes to search through the sea of bodies, wondering what exactly it is that he’s planning. 

Because truthfully, Satoru’s a creative guy. The kind of person who can enact a good solid dose of revenge with little prep time. Which is why she’s being so cautious as she follows him towards the handoff plane; her fingers nervously playing with the strap of her crossbody bag. Her mind racing through plot after wicked plot until he’s handing her her cup of coffee and leading them toward the patio outside.

“Surprised they’ve got room for us.”

He says it like a snide remark —like he’s already amping up the mockery as they both sit down across from each other, staring with cautious eyes. Both of them refusing to look the other way as they simultaneously take a sip of their drinks.

“Seems awfully convenient, huh?”

“I know, it’s crazy.” He lets out a chuckle and readjusts his position in the chair, allowing his body to appear more relaxed. “Guess we got lucky.” 

She knows luck’s got nothing to do with it, but she nods anyway. Then, she mirrors his position by slouching in her chair. Allowing her spine to settle even though she can feel her muscles growing stiffer by the second. The anticipation of whatever he’s planning weighing down her mind as she tries to think of what it could be. 

Right out of the gate, she assumes it’s related to the phone call. Considering he wouldn’t have mentioned it if it wasn’t important, she begins to mentally list off potential callers. Names she wouldn’t initially think to jump to until the sound of a heavy sigh behind her makes her jump. 

“Nanami!”

Suddenly, a rush of discomfort hits her stomach. As Satoru jumps to his feet, practically tripping over the chair to her right, she can’t help but feel a bit sick. Almost dizzy as she follows her friend’s movement —watching the way his body practically ploughs into the chest of a much different-looking Kento to the one she was once familiar with. 

“Should’ve known it wouldn’t be just us.”

His voice is just as low and unemotional as she remembers it, causing her to turn away and reach for her cup to take a much-needed sip. All while trying her best not to let his comment get to her as Satoru laughs and starts to throw together some bullshit story about how he’d run into Hitomi here. 

Which stupidly, she doesn’t comment on. Or rather, can’t, thanks to the paralyzing sensation of Kento’s presence and how even just the thought of making eye contact makes her want to rip off her own skin.

“Figured you two might want to catch up so I invited her to join.”

Despite the tension, Kento still manages to hum. Low and slow before he gives into Satoru’s wordless demands by sitting down next to her, offering her a questionable look that she continues to ignore. Unable to move thanks to the realization that he’s here, sitting right next to her after losing contact. Staring at her behind foreign shades that cover his menacingly familiar eyes.  

“So, have you talked to Yaga yet?”

As soon as Satoru speaks, Hitomi glances between them. Her head rapidly moving, wondering what exactly Yaga has to do with this.

“I had a meeting with him this morning.”

“And?” Satoru smiles at Kento, but his eyes flicker over to Hitomi, taking in the confused expression that continues to develop across her face. Relishing in the way her eyes angrily narrow and her lips begin to part, wanting desperately to speak. 

“I start training tomorrow.” 

“Training?” 

Before she can stop herself, she’s glaring at Kento. Every feature of her face twisting to resemble something bordering on annoyance and betrayal. The unfortunate mixture of feelings prompting Kento to let out a huff and nod —refusing to speak. 

“Yeah, didn’t I tell you? Nanami’s back in the game.”

She wants to strangle her friend as she watches him clap Kento on the back. Even more so when he proceeds to explain the aforementioned phone call from last night. 

“Salaryman over here got a taste of the action again and decided to come back,” he says, watching as Kento then proceeds to roll his eyes and cross his arms over his chest. A response that Hitomi knows is his way of silently telling to him to shut the fuck up. 

Considering it’s pretty similar to what she usually does too, she can tell then that there’s more to it than Satoru’s letting on. The details of his rather hefty life decision continuing to remain in the dark as they sit together, stirring in silence as they glance at one another.

Which quickly becomes borderline unbearable. Especially when Hitomi realizes just how curious her eyes can be. Their desire to glance at Kento and his new look becoming more of an issue the longer they sit.

At which point she realizes that it’s been nearly four years since she’s seen him. Meaning, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he looks like an entirely new person. With his well-groomed hair and fancy, new suit, it’s obvious that he’s changed —developed in a way she’s bound to be unfamiliar with. And yet, she can’t help but gawk regardless, watching him straighten his back beneath the tan and blue fabric. Focusing on the shift in his position as he turns his head to look at Satoru, exposing the sharpened line of his jaw. 

“So, was there an actual reason you called me down here?”

“Actual reason?” Placing a hand on his chest, Satoru offers a fake look of offence. Forcing back a smile as he furrows his brow. “Nanami, you wound me. I thought we were friends.” 

“We haven’t spoke in four years,” he deadpans, prompting Satoru to scoff. 

“Can’t a man just shoot an old pal a hangout text?” 

“Not if there’s an obvious ulterior motive involved,” Hitomi comments, earning a slight glance of recognition from Kento that has her chest tightening. 

“Ulterior motive? I—“ Satoru huffs and stands from his seat, slamming his palms dramatically against the table, causing some patrons nearby to look over with interest. “God, you two haven’t changed one bit. Still always ganging up on me.” Shaking his head, he then grabs his croissant and takes a bite, scolding them with his mouth half full. “It’s not fair.” 

“No, what isn’t fair is you springing this unprompted reunion,” Kento comments. Then, he fully looks at Hitomi with tired eyes before clearing his throat. “Apologies, by the way. I didn’t—“

“It’s fine. I know you wouldn’t—”

“If I had known—“

“Nanami, it’s—“

Quickly, their voices meld together to create an inaudible mess. Neither one of them able to detect each other’s nervous ticks until Satoru’s loudly chuckling above them. The sound of his amusement cutting through their argument like a knife. 

“Well, on that note I should probably head out,” he tells them, peering over his shades to flash a not-so-subtle wink before he vanishes without a trace, leaving them both to stare at the now empty space with pissed-off looks. 

“I see he hasn’t changed.” 

Despite the fog of fear that’s begun to envelop her senses, Hitomi snorts in response. Then, she raises her hands to her face to suppress an uncomfortable laugh, allowing herself to ruminate on her current situation. Realizing then just how surreal it feels to see him sitting so close —to hear his voice, despite the obvious annoyance at her unplanned presence and to see just how much the world has changed him during their time apart. 

As stupid as it sounds, it makes her sort of happy. Even though it’s obvious he isn’t particularly fond of their impromptu reunion, she can’t deny how it makes her stomach flip. Or how, when she eventually drops her hands, noticing how he stares at her with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, all she can do is offer a tight-lipped grin. The kind you offer in discomforting solidarity when neither of you knows exactly how to feel or what to say. 

Which she imagines is about where he's at too. Alongside her, he’s probably trying to wrack his brain for something sane to say. A sentence that’ll be polite and normal and not at all awkward, even though they’re already well past that point.

“Shoko’s the same too. If you’re wondering.”

As soon as she says it, Hitomi knows it’s an odd topic to bring up. Considering he probably doesn’t care all that much, it's more of a shot in the dark than anything. A reach for a common ground that they can both navigate. 

“Gojo said she quit smoking.”

“About a year ago, yeah.”

After that, his pinched expression softens. The aggravated lines of his face becoming less defined as she watches him slump in his chair and discard the shades from his face to rub his eyes. Another wave of silence washing over them as she watches him proceed to process her words. 

“Kiko hasn’t changed much either.”

Beneath the shade of his hands, she hears him hum, as if recognizing her words. 

“And Yaga’s also still—“

“I should probably go.”

She feels her fingers twitch from under the table. The pain of his words rattling her system in ways she refuses to admit as she swallows hard —nodding in acknowledgement before forcing herself to accept that she may have come on too quickly. Considering Kento’s always been the reserved type —forever keeping his thoughts close to his chest, Hitomi’s well aware of the progression you have to take to earn his trust. Having done so in the past, she knows it's a slow climb. One that takes the kind of effort most wouldn't even consider exerting. 

So, when he cuts her off without warning, she isn’t surprised. Nor does she make an effort to fight him as he begins to stand and readjust his coat. Or when he wordlessly stares down at her, taking in her face —how it’s probably aged during their time apart. 

“It was nice to see you.”

“Regardless of the circumstances?” 

Despite the continued tension, she can’t help but tease him, watching the way his lip quirks ever so slightly before evening out again. 

“Yes.”

“Well then, it was nice to see you too,” she replies, tucking her arms across her chest. Feeling her heart rate quicken once he offers a nod and leaves, rushing through the sea of patio furniture until he’s down the street and out of sight. 

[randomnameless]

I have been playing Baten Kaitos EWLO for 3 days straight lol and...

Well, it has been a long time since I haven't played an old RPG !

We have NPCs!

And while some aren't relevant for sidequests and just exist for "flavour text" or stuff, well, they exist and of course add more meat to the environment! Farmer 55 who talks to famer 48 ? Sure they're talking about nonsense (going to the city to find a hubby!) but hey, at least they exist.

And when events happen with the plot, well, they react - in their way - they're not completely and utterly static!

Sure some of them are weird and cryptic as fuck (Mira!) but they feel like they're part of their setting/city they're in - i think it's also helped by the artistic/design choice for each island and area.

Also, special mention to the Diadem Knights (side)quest :

(Sidequest because you can theoretically let everyone die?)

Plot wise, a castle is assieged by the Empire in a surprise attack (hmm) and we have to help the knights protect their castle/defend themselves/protect their King.

And how to help them ? Well, you have spare knights in, somehow, your inventory, and have to support the ones fighting against the Empire, how? Well, when there are 2 knights fighting against 3 imperial soldiers, you have to add 1 knight from your inventory to make the numbers even, and the knights triumph over the imperials. And how to add knights to your "inventory"? Well you have to find the ones in the infirmary and motivate them (using their national flag!)

Sure, it's just a sidequest or a game mechanic, but damn if it, you know, just works getting the player involved with the current invasion and sense of urgency that comes with helping people defend their country from a surprise attack.

In the same vein, we had Triangle Strategy showcase in a small cutscene random yellow (Glenbrook) soldiers wondering why they were attacked, holding a line against red (Aesfrost) soldiers wanting to advance and march on their castle/city.

And because I didn't get the mechanics of this sidequest (tfw you suck lol) I let some knights die, and I'm pretty sure there is a house in the city where a person is waiting for a knight to return home (I think the knight was her son?) but well, since I kind of messed it up, when you return in this home she mourns his death.

But unlike a certain fandom and game in a franchise I still appreciate, no one blames the world, mechanics or the fish grilled over the oven for that knight's death, no, the people living in Diadem aren't written to be completely stupid and blame the aggressors, aka, the Empire (who also, apparently, wrote with markers over their lamp posts just to piss people off lol).

When you finally come in the Empire, well, you can talk - for a time - to the NPCs here and lo! They reveal they are imperialistic pieces of crap, because they think they're superior to the rest of the world and said rest of the world should bow to them - there's even a cutscene where a kid bumps in your party and insults you for making him lose his precious time.

Again, we're in a game who depicts each island/nation through their npcs : the empire is imperialistic? Well, they added NPCs to demonstrate that, it's not only hearsay - we go in the Empire, we talk to its people, we see them spit on us.

No false tea - but maybe Geldoblame was right and wanted to bring enlightment to the rest of the known world uwu - nope, not here.

People do shit, we see them do shit, and Geldoblame falls to his supposed demise after being turned in an eldritch abomination in a pit of lava.

Also, past events in backstories matter : we won't have, say, a character accepting being called a good girl and bonding over sweets with the daughter of the man who orchestrated the sack of her lands and the death of her people and siblings. Savyna's backstory involves murdering the people of Azha?

Watch as there is a cutscene about a kid running away from here, and how you're physically prevented from going in an area by some NPCs because she and Lyude (an imperial who was more or less exiled because he wasn't enough of an asshole) are in your party.

Kalas' is happy after being "finally complete"? Well, it was more or less foreshadowed in Balancoire, when we saw two NPCs talk shit about him because of his supposed "defect", aka only having one wing instead of having two.

Speaking about him...

Well, I watched my bro play the game on GC a long time ago lol, so I knew it, but you can see glimpses here and there about the twist, especially how Kalas himself seems to have more doubts or at least seems to regret his future course of actions, as the party learns more and more about the eldritch abomination he is supposed to release and the idea of betrayal - he is the one who is the most gung-ho about a possible mole in the party, he is seen doubting himself etc etc....

Nothing as hamfisted as a certain twist from another game, but it's nice to see and to spot the clues here and there that, well, he has an agenda that doesn't only revolve around avenging his grandpa and brother.

Given how the Switch version has the JP audio though, I noticed a blooper : Melodia, during the betrayal scene, calls Kalas in the jp audio "nii-san" but the script has her call him "my dear Kalas" - was Origins in preparation already and the devs really wanted to imply that Melodia is the daughter of the leads of BKO, who somehow, through a sidequest, help "create" Kalas?

Or does it relate to Kalas' creation, that happened before Melodia's, uh, "rebirth"?

IDK.

I'll make a post later on about the rest of the game (time to beat up monsters and use a mirror that'll totally work on Kalas to "free" him from the tainted influence!) but so far, from the cast, I'm really impressed with Gibari lol BK's take of the fisher bumpkin who's - totally not a former knight even if he is besties with the King - actually the one to impart wisdom and, in his way, try to refrain Kalas in the first chapters from acting too assholish really grew on me. Hell, it's Gibari who planned the rescue of his bro of a King, got a badass scene where he jumps (rather flies) in front of him to fight against the Imperials, and while it's obvious he's not adverse to using force, he's far from the "dumb muscle" archetype!

and he fucking kills monsters/eldritch abominations by bashing them with a paddle ffs

[hikayeplays]

Steam Next Fest October 2023

Alright let's see as many Demos as possible!

1. Ocelot Sunrise

A nice roguelite bullet hell with various levels (only one playable in the demo) and a sci fi scavengers story and a comics/borderlandesque aesthetic that makes the cutscenes very nice to look at. The background music is a bop too. Alas the controller controls are not completely implemented yet and quite clunky to use in a mixed way, however the power ups and the weapons seems really fun to play with.

7.5/10

Wishlisted

2. ASTRA: Knights of Veda

On first impact a bread and butter jrpg with all the pros and cons of the genre like huge bazongas! Regardless of which category you consider them in. The artstyle in game and in battle is expecially nice with this sort of "dress-up paper doll" look that sets it somewhat apart and the cutscene style for the evil faction and the dream realm is quite good. The controls are nice and intuitive enough although it needs a mouse to click on certain things like equipment. The voice acting is good enough? I'd say but the audio levels mixing leaves to be desired in some parts. Now the cons: it required to make an account even to play the demo and it has an obligatory post download 8 gb of additional content, there are "daily reward" and buyable cosmetics but most aggravating of all (for me) there are minutes of cutscenes every 5 minutes or so of gameplay.

5/10

Not for me

3. Estate Agent Simulator

The first bugged demo. The second prompt for the italian tutorial popped up with this half baked and definitely not italian way and had to restart the game in english

The gameplay itself is fine? For a game like this? Certainly not particularly nice nor particularly bad but the camera bobbing is atrocious, it gave me nausea after I cleaned the first house, the game was also completely silent. I'll add a +1 for the promise of a pettable dog

4/10

4. Lose CTRL

A surreal satirical you rage you lose puzzle game in which you play as Billy as he tries to climb the corporate ladder to reach a segway. The game mess with your controls and your mind in a mix between Get Over It and Brazil (1985). The split screen capabilities intrigue me although I wonder how it could work with keyboard and mouse controls. The general style is charming and distinctive but also amateurish and rough around the edges. To try, at least once.

7/10

Wishlisted

5. Leila

Leila is a chill and relaxing kinda lofi click and drag puzzle game that goes back the memory lane in a coming of age(?) Tale for a middle aged woman, the titular Leila. The puzzles shown have a nice variety between styles and difficulties, and they are certainly meant for someone looking to lubricate those neurons. The art and the background music are pretty nice and the voice acting is quite good too. If you like click and drag puzzles I feel that wishlisting this one (and always trying the demo before) maybe one of your best bets so far.

8/10

6. Tales from the Dancing Moon

An old-school-ish rpg inspired by runescape in which you run around doing errands for the townsfolk and at the same time try to unravel the mistery of your memory loss, the presence of a smartphone that you can use to take photos in game gives it a mild isekai flavour but not too strong based on what I've seen. The controls appear fluid enough and the sound design while not spectacular does it's job. The character creation menu is surprisingly in-depth for this kind of games.

6.5/10

Runescape wannabe

7. There's Always a Madman: Fight or Flight

A text based spy adventure in which you play as this super special agent and have to choose between different options both in action and dialogue. While the story itself seems nice the absence of any voice action or any background image besides some solid background color makes the experience hoverwelmingly boring as you are left to click repeatedly thru text.

3/10

I yawned

8. Rocket!

A mix between a shoot them up and a roguelite bullet hell heavily inspired by galaga and the classics. While the concept is nice and seems intriguing enough and I don't doubt it may end up garnering quite the cult following like many other niche games the controls are exceedingly hard and finicky, the spaceship appear to drift incontrollably with no apparent rhyme or reason.

4/10

9. Aureole: Wings of Hope

An incredibly fun and novelty platformer/dasher game where you follow the tale of two angels while you speed and dash and jump at full force thru obstacles in the shape of a bouncy halo. The mechanics are surprisingly simple and incredibly flexible at the same time, creating a gameplay that can be adjusted to your own needs, I appreciated particularly the ability to "freeze" while you charge a jump or a dash. Despite not being a platformer lover I absolutely adored this little demo to bits, so far the only that has left me truly wanting more.

9/10

Wishlisted

[narrachara-evidence-bracket]

Round 2, poll 1

Vote for whichever you think is best!

Evidence/Propaganda under the cut:

Asriel's phonecall:

-The Narrator has an interesting reaction to Azzy's phonecall at the end of the true lab. It's a voice you have never heard before" like that. They seem to be in shock. Please, bear in mind, they don't have the same reaction to Alphys's voice even when she calls before Frisk ever meets her. It's specifically Asriel's voice that causes this dramatic reaction.

Flavour text in certain fights:

-you can try to tell a joke to… i think woshua and snowdrake’s mom? and it immediately gives you the most depressing ass unfunny joke you’ve ever heard before going “what? you didn’t say that?” this is one of the only places in the game where the narrator and frisk are obviously different, and while it doesn’t specifically say that the narrator is chara it certainly implies that the narrator is not an unbiased entity. narrachara from there is a much smaller leap of logic

[vespersbelladonnakiss]

Hollow Knight is great

but do you know what would make it even better? fishing. fishing makes every game better and you can fight me to the death on this. when Quirrel dies, he shows you a fishing rod that he found near the Blue Lake and, after leaving the room and coming back in again, you can find the fishing rod on the ground and pick it up. then, you get to re-explore the entire map, looking for fishing spots and when you catch fish, you log them in a fisherman's journal. and if you visit the Hunter, he gets really jealous that you now have another journal. like, c'mon man, how could u betray him like this? so then after you catch all the fish, you get a special boss which would either be an actual fight with the Hunter instead of the fake out you get when you finish the journal and/or a fight with a MASSIVE fish from the Blue Lake or a fight with Unn or something also maybe you could give some NPCs fish and they have cool flavour text about it. like, if you catch a fish in the Royal Waterways sewer water and you give it to Elderbug, he's just like "ew, i knew that city was horrible if they have fish like this." Or, you go visit Sheo and the Nailsmith and you guys have a little thing where you cook the fish together and it's really sweet, maybe with just a full on side quest of collecting ingredients from them. also, maybe there's some grubs who are scared of the Ghost but there's one fish they really like so the only way that it can convince them to go back to Grubfather is with a certain kind of fish. idk man i just really like fishing in video games

[waitingforwinterwinds]

Game of Thrones - 66 BRAN VII (pages 705-715)

Bran and Rickon dream their father is dead. Maester Luwin plays catch up after dropping some World Lore.

-

"They don't fight very well," Bran said Dubiously. ... "For a certainty," Maester Luwin agreed with a deep sigh. (...) "Yet given time... Ser Rodrik has the truth of it, we need men to walk the walls. Your lord father took the cream of his guard to King's Landing, and your brother took the rest, along with all the likely lads for leagues around. Many will not come back to us, and we must needs find the men to take their place."

I like that GRRM addresses the consequences of these things, often in a fantasy series, it feels like there's just always more able bodied men ready to go, or there's a borrowed-from-a-friend-down-the-road army waiting in the wings.

"I dreamed about the crow again last night. The one with three eyes. He flew into my bedchamber and told me to come with him, so I did. We went down into the crypts. Father was there, and we talked. He was sad." "And why was that?" Luwin peered through his tube. "It was something to do about Jon, I think." The dream had been deeply disturbing, more so than any of the other crow dreams.

"Hi dad, what are you doing down here? You seem bummed, what's up?" "UwU I died and now I'll never be able to tell Jon that he's actually my nephew." "Bummer." "It's my only piece of unfinished business, I have no other children to be sad about." "Wait, what?" "Goodbye forever."

"- Your father is a prisoner of the queen in King's Landing. You will not find him in the crypts."

Oh no, Luwin doesn't know about the last chapter.

Bran could not remember the last time he had been down in the crypts. It had been before, for certain. When he was little, he used to play down here with Robb and Jon and his sisters.

Huh, he says that like they managed to get Sansa to go back down after Jon scared the heck out of her that one time in Arya's memory.

"Have a look at these," he said as he pulled the stopper and shook out a handful of shiny black arrowheads. Bran picked one up. "It's made of glass." Curious, Rickon drifted closer to peer over the table. "Dragonglass," Osha named it as she sat down beside Luwin, bandagings in hand. "Obsidian," Maester Luwin insisted, holding out his wounded arm. "Forged in the fires of the gods, far below the earth. The children of the forest hunted with that, thousands of years ago. The children worked no metal. (...) In place of swords, they carried blades of obsidian." "They still do."

Obsidian/Dragonglass = 🥛

I'm interested to hear 'forged in the fires of the gods, far below the earth' just from an elemental standpoint, knowing that it is one of the weaknesses of the Others. 'of the gods' to me, assigns obsidian not only a fire/earth combo, but also a divine aspect/attribute. It's probably just so much flavour text, but you know, interesting flavour text in context.

"- How long the children reigned here or where they came from, no man can know. "But some twelve thousand years ago, the First Men appeared from the east, crossing the Broken Arm of Dorne before it was broken. (...) The wars went on until the earth ran red with blood of men and children both, but more children then men, for men were bigger and stronger, and wood and stone and obsidian make a poor match for bronze. Finally, the wise of both races prevailed, and the chiefs and heroes of the First Men met the greenseers and wood dancers amidst the weirwood groves of a small island in the great lake called Gods Eye. "There they forged the Pact. (...) The Pact began four thousand years of friendship between men and children."

A good method to expo dump if you're gonna do it. Ooph but it gives me the shivers. All that history, and there's still more and further back. Ignorance and self defense, culture clash that tumbled straight into aggression and then... peace that couldn't last against new players.

Man, I sure hope that's not foreshadowing for anything. Two sides in conflict finally finding a stable truce, and then being pounded by a surprise third party who devastates at least one side in the pre-existing peace treaty. That sure would suck.

[hotdyke-hardstyle]

okay I now have time to go through some (mostly positive!) thoughts and feelings about chapter 34! this is a bit of a long post, and spoilers ahead obviously. this covers part 1, and as each part is released i’ll reblog this post with more thoughts.

so of course I am so happy about the return of stages instead of open world. I love that it’s easier to take a break in between moments (although I wish they would bring back the quit/continue at the end of each stage instead of just throwing you into the next one. I like reading the flavour text for each stage).

i’m really happy about the text returning to a character-driven focus. it’s what i’ve stuck around for, and it was nice to finally get some thoughts from people about things, and I liked being able to understand what was going on.

I loved seeing the deep again. I don’t even care if it was just an excuse to reuse stage elements, I don’t care if they just needed an excuse to shoehorn in the cosmic juggernaut, I liked it. 

the first thing that really grabbed my attention was tesla explaining the reversal of project stigma. the moment where she said they would need the power of finality, or at least would need to take it from kevin, I immediately thought that that was a much better way of bringing up the power of finality than the way that hare just said “kiana could become the hofin in order to destroy the cocoon”. tesla’s dialogue makes for much better motivation on behalf of the characters and also opens up a conversation about who should be taking on the power of finality, if anyone at all! because tesla doesn’t indicate a certain someone would be more suited to it, and why should we (as readers) or the main cast trust hare in this scenario? her plan may be to have kiana take on the power of finality and have it consume her for all anyone knows. (this presents the other issue of hare being an undeveloped/shoehorned character in terms of intent and purpose that I won’t go into here.)

second of all, I ADORED the look of the planet directory (? that’s what ai-chan called it I think) in theresa’s stage. it looked really interesting and new and cool! it’s the kind of thing people brought up when they complained about open world - the individual stages always seemed to have more interesting and complex environments and this new area seems super fun. I can only hope we’re revisiting it later on!

super stoked to see siegfried, actually! he’s one of the only men who deserve rights in honkai and I really liked his little banter with theresa. his entrance was a little underwhelming but I think that was more “realistic” considering his lack of genuine power in the realm. pretty short-lived section and I don’t really know what ai-chan added to the whole thing but it’s whatever.

back in st. freya I really liked the small glimpse of the trio’s original dynamics at the very beginning. it did kinda feel like coming home, and even though there should be some urgency, I appreciated the laid-back but productive energy.

onto the big moment, I guess. I am really happy that they didn’t fade to black and have dudu explain her life story to kiana off-camera before they went to save their dad. I also think that learning that kevin had siegfried trapped in the stigma space and then stole his power adds a lovely personal stake into kiana’s motivations for kicking kevin’s ass. I don’t think she’s exactly one for super cold-blooded revenge, but I think if she gets to lay into him while also saving the world, she would feel good about that. 

now, I really liked the kaslana sisters fighting together, and I loved the cutscene. I would have appreciated some greater conflict in getting siegfried out of his little cage, but I didn’t find it anticlimatic at all. the family reunion was emotional and sweet and i’m not even mad that there was no huge gut-wrenching reveal between bianka and siegfried honestly. of course, he knew there were two daughters out there and it wasn’t like he had been present all of one’s life but not the other. I think they had fairly equal time with their dad, it’s only bianka who doesn’t remember that time, so I was happy with the equal treatment between them.

also, bianka calling on her (mother’s) power to wield the abyss flower made me think that I like the distinction between bianka and kiana as though one of them is more schariac and one of them is more kaslana. I suppose that’s not really a huge revelation but I like the implications and I hope they get to fight together as sisters going forward.

truthfully, I wondered if bianka was going to keep her identity a secret from both of them until after the big fight because she could see how kiana had that connection with siegfried that she was lacking, but i’m glad she didn’t. i’m glad that we’re addressing her place in the world, even slightly, because that’s an internal conflict she’s had her whole life.

finally, I also really liked the little dialogue at the end between bianka and kiana. I liked that bianka stood behind her chosen name, even though kiana wanted to share. it gave bianka the space to affirm that she is her own person who she has built through hard work and turmoil. I also liked that kiana had such respect for bianka in that moment! it feels like a great foundation for them to build on. and that is the type of writing that I have been sorely missing throughout the moon arc.

thank you mhy! i’m much happier after the start of this chapter and I hope it keeps up throughout.

[barbariccia]

got asked to clarify some commentary i had on a certain something ramza says in the necrohol; slapping it here for posterity:

this was the original screenshot of the final entry in my live(ish?)blog of tactics, with the accompanying text:

I saw this and I wanted to raise you:

I have to wonder if Ramza’s dialogue here is a translation error, or just poorly worded. My own interpretation of this line was that people “earned” them in the sense that they had to fight tooth and nail for them; not because that is the single or correct way one is allowed their rights, but because the powers that be, who often strip away what is inherently owed for personal gain, make it the only method one is given, or “earns”, their rights — a consistent theme throughout the story. It doesn’t make sense for Ramza not to understand this by this point, he even acknowledges several times that this way is wrong, unless he suddenly took a lesson in character regression. Which! I’m not saying isn’t possible, but it doesn’t really add up to what’s come before, unless I’ve been misinterpreting or forgotten the context myself, which is absolutely possible, haha.

This is yet another reason why I tend to prefer the PSX translation over the overly flowery PSP version more often than not lol. I would definitely love to see a follow-up comparison of this particular line when you guys reach that point through the PSX version, if only to satisfy my own curiosity.

and, you know, completely fair! there’s a lot of bulletpoints that i never really elaborated on but sure had thoughts and feelings about, and a lot of them have to do with... well, this sort of theme. a lot of my notes straight up never made it into my entries at all! so, having said that, this was the response:

no, i agree to about the halfway mark - there were a lot of thoughts in my initial notes that plain didn't make it to the posts i made (and in the beginning were severely lacking, even), and i was writing them a couple days after experiencing them, so i was definitely losing some flavour as opposed to a full-scale liveblog. also i didn't want to split them up anymore than they already were (they were so long by the end........) and the more i yammered on the smaller that scrollwheel got hahah 

ANYWAY i absolutely agree with you in that freedom is certainly something that's earned within the constraints of ivalice and given by those in the position of power. i suppose looking at it through my personal eyes changes the way i experience and absorb things? i don't think it's a case of ramza regressing as a character or forgetting whatever's happened around him, but he's a product of his own environment and experiences wwhich have shaped him in turn, and that leads to some interesting views like "rights are inherent to a person but you still need to fight for them" (mood) "you cannot trade for freedom, only take it by force" (also mood) and "because of these things you need to do to obtain freedom, it inherently has a value" and it's the last one that i... not take issue with, but makes me raise my eyebrows a bit? mostly cuz like, it's interesting to frame an abstract like "freedom" as something that can be obtained and has value, like a material object. and it's not even strictly wrong, i know that! my commentary i suppose overlooks the playing field of ivalice, where things aren't just given for free and for no reason. 

i do also think it's... not hypocritical per se of ramza to espouse this, but freedom has never been something he's been particularly involved in. it's a little strange to see ramza start talking about freedom when that's never been his fight - initially as a beoulve he HAS his freedom that other people are dying for and doesn't understand the minutae of the brigade et al, which, he's a squire and a highborn, i'd be surprised if he DID - but then as he grows as a person he never loses that freedom to do... whatever he wants, really. sure, the church is hampering his movements, and he's branded a heretic, but it feels like a natural conclusion, and most importantly it doesn't stop ramza - he has no concept of living without freedom and continues the way he's always done, because he is a product of his experience and history! and that carries on to who he becomes, which is... less naive and more plain hopeful at face value, i suppose, willing to fight for his views and the chance to be heard... but like, idk, something about him talking about Things You Need To Fight For rings not hollow but a little strangely tasting when his hands are rated e for everyone and the reason he can do whatever he wants, i guess. 

something also strange about the recipients of those words. it's in the necrohol talking to the remnants of the templars, yes? they're so entrenched in their views and they will never, ever change even on pain of death, so a good chunk of it also feels like... why are you trying to tell these men who are never going to change what to do? it's such a hopeless thing to even attempt because look where we are, what they're doing, ramza! they aren't going to listen to you and your hopeful ideals when their whole modus operandi is "i want to oppress people but like, a bit more" 

so like, i don't think it's a translation error, i think it's just my interpretation and not wanting to drop a full miniessay in an already long post AND also probably not even thinking a lot of those thinks until literally right now

we have been going through the psx version slower when we get the chance and i haven't been making posts like this because i feel like it'd just be a rehash of stuff i've already said. i am also a product of "the first one i experience is The One and fuck all yall" haha (sweats in og vii) but like... something i've talked about with them a lot has been how the psx translation really strongly tastes like a mid-90s translation. that's not to say it's good or bad, just that as a longtime nerd there's been a lot of lines that i'm like. oh, i can see exactly why they've translated it that way, i can almost hear the og jp lines. we're only at the start of chapter 2 so i can't talk for like, the majority of the script, but there's been places where i've found it to be too simplistic or... 90s, for lack of a better term! it's a lot of fun as a linguistics nerd to compare the two and know the history around both of them abd i can see why people would prefer either/or, there's definitely arguments for and against, but i don't think the wotl version is too flowery, personally. here i go being a product of the one i saw first is favoured, lol.

tbh, and this is something i've mentioned like a million times to neeb during playthroughs, but i would love to have a third option and marry the two together and consolidate translations fully. i really, really think the high and flowery prose works for the ivalice setting - i guess xii was my first ivalice game (though i didn't experience it til like 10 years after it came out) so that'll be where that comes from - but i do think it works for the setting... but i think it would really, really benefit from dropping it in places, or demonstrating that the world isn't entirely as clearcut(?) as a single style of prose. but then i also wish the portraits were vastly different because they are SO similar so much of the time. for something presented as an excellent piece of, well, theatre! it doesn't actually stand out the way theatre does for visual ease. but that's a personal nitpick and i don't expect everyone to agree with that either haha

response:

I absolutely agree that the best case scenario would be the marry the simplicity and the prose, because both have value and each are superior in specific moments (the directness of “Blame yourself or God” will never not be iconic, while a lot of Ramza’s dialogue in WotL just feels more…him, etc; this is kinda subjective in of itself tho, I recognize). Not to mention how variety of that nature can only serve the world building better, I mean this is the game about classism for crying out loud, haha. But yeah, I’m definitely not so attached to the 90s translation that I won’t/can’t accept anything else. It’s more nuanced than that, as it so often is on the subject of localization.

Also for clarity, I def understand that a bullet point list isn’t gonna fully reflect your actual thoughts and opinions in full, and did not mean to imply any sense of ‘failure’ on your part, or that it was wrong interpretation outright. :0c My instinct after all was, “is this the failing of the localization?”

After reading what you have to say tho, no, it’s not a failure of the localization. I think it’s actually a failing of Chapter 4, and how it loses interest in Ramza being as a part of the political aspects of the story (for better and worse, I have a lot of mixed feelings about it myself) completely by, I wanna say, mid-Chapter 4? Chapter 4 also feels generally rushed and incomplete, despite also being long and packed with content, somehow. It’s possible Ramza’s dialogue is a holdover from events that never got to see the light of day, but I can’t prove that.  I personally often leave Chapter 4 with the feeling that there were blanks spots, and I figure that must play a part in the occasional inconsistency. I will pose, though, that just because he isn’t a part of the politics and the freedom fighting, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have opinions or even a stance on it. He just…isn’t really allowed to be involved in it, because the story shifts gears for him in that regard from about Chapter 3 on.

That said, he absolutely has internalized things (cough propaganda cough) that will take more than a a handful of years to unpack, and he’s doing his best to make the most of what he knows, and doing well by others to the best of his limited capacity, in spite of that. But that naturally means things are gonna slip out sometimes that are a bit uhhh questionable. Tho, I’m not gonna pretend I was any better by his age, good intentions be damned; baby boy is barely in his early 20s by the end of the story, ain’t no way he’s gonna have it all that figured out, bless his dumb, idealistic heart

[ ... ] Tbh, the points you made about FFT’s question of “does Freedom have value? Should it? Is it not valueless by virtue of it being owed to all?” is gonna probably stick with me.

stares mournfully at my old textbooks on my shelf. i will not learn japanese just to retranslate tactics the way I Want It To Be. (or just sit through the two scripts and consolidate things until i like the finished product) i will not i will Not---

[charmymemes]

𝐎𝐂 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐉𝐈 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐒!

feel free to tweak questions + all emojis r listed in text form bc i can't see some of them aAAaaAA! sorry if any of these questions are too similar i tried to avoid that but .. there's a lot lol! categorized by emoji type.

i wanted to make one because i could not find one on tumblr already that had a ton of questions. this was created by combining ones under the #oc ask game tag + my own contributions. hi charmymemes nation i'm back.

people

👁️ EYE - what colour are their eyes? do people notice their eyes? is there anything special about them (shows emotion easily, literally magical...)?

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their "ghostly experiences", if any?

💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

😭 CRYING - what makes them cry? do they cry easily?

👊 PUNCH - are they quick to violence?

💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?

👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?

😨 FEARFUL - when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"?

💤 SLEEPING - do they fall asleep easily? what helps them sleep?

food & drinks

🥞 PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast?

🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE - when is their birthday? do they like celebrating it?

🍩 DONUT - favourite sweet treat?

🍟 FRIES - do they order food often? or they prefer to cook their own food?

☕️ HOT BEVERAGE - do they prefer hot or cold drinks? what is their favourite drink?

🍓 STRAWBERRY - do they eat their fruit & veg? what is their favourite fruit or vegetable?

🍰 CAKE SLICE - favourite cake flavour? are they specific about types of cakes?

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

plants & nature

💐 BOUQUET - create a bouqet for them! what do those flowers mean? are any of the flowers their particular favourite?

🌙 MOON - what is your oc's greatest wish? how far are they willing to go for it?

🌋 VOLCANO - how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion?

🌺 HIBISCUS - do they have any allergies?

🍁 MAPLE LEAF - what is their favourite season? why?

🍃 FALLING LEAF - do they enjoy being in nature? what is their favourite outdoor activity?

☀️ SUN - are they a morning person? what is the first thing they do in the morning?

🕷️ SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

🌹 ROSE - do they like valentines day? have they been confessed to before? have they confessed to anyone before?

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

🙊 SPEAK-NO-EVIL - what is something your oc will refuse to stay quiet about?

🙉 HEAR-NO-EVIL - what is the worse thing your oc could hear from someone?

🌱 SEEDLING - what is their most vivid memory from childhood?

🍀 CLOVER - do they believe in luck? are they lucky?

🌏 EARTH - will they give up the world for someone they love? is this decision easy for them?

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

activity

⚾ BASEBALL - can they play sports? what is their best position if they play a team sport? what's their strong suit (speed, power etc.)?

🏊 SWIMMING - can they swim? or are they afraid of water? how well do they swim? how do they feel about swimming in the ocean?

objects

📣 MEGAPHONE - how loud are they? what do they speak like? got a voice claim?

📖 OPEN BOOK - do they like reading? what's their favourite genre?

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

📸 CAMERA - do they enjoy having their picture taken? what's their go-to pose? do they like taking photos? what do they take photos of?

🎭 MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

✂️ SCISSORS - what is the "last straw" for them to cut someone out of their life? how easily do they let go of people?

💡 LIGHTBULB - is your oc a planner? do they write down every small detail or just wing it?

💎 DIAMOND - how rich are they? can they live the lifestyle they want to?

🎁 PRESENT - what types of presents would they be most happy to receive? are they good at gift giving?

🍼 BABY BOTTLE - what are their thoughts on children?

🔪 KNIFE - how do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? do they put themselves at blame?

👑 CROWN - what does your oc want to be remembered as? why?

✏️ PENCIL - is there a particular quote / lyric that you associate with them?

🎵 MUSIC NOTE - what is their playlist like? their favourite artists? do you associate a particular song with them?

🎤 MICROPHONE - are they good at singing? what is their go-to karaoke song?

🎷 SAXOPHONE - do they play any instruments? are they any good at it?

📚 BOOKS - how were they at school? what is their best subject? what is their worst subject? do they have a favourite subject?

👖 JEANS - what is their go-to outfit?

🎨 PALETTE - can they draw? what do they like to draw?

🎡 FERRIS WHEEL - are they someone who wants to kiss at the top of the ferris wheel?

⏳ HOURGLASS - are they usually late or on-time?

🔫 PISTOL - do they trust people easily? how easily will they turn their back to someone? have they been backstabbed before? will they betray someone if given an ultimatum?

🎀 RIBBON - how would they fit into other worlds / aus? what aus would you like to try out? what fictional world would they fit / not fit into?

📎 PAPERCLIP - a random fact.

📦 PACKAGE - what are some "most likely to..." that can apply to them?

🖍️ CRAYON - what advice would you give to them?

⚙️ GEAR - what are your ocs thoughts on science & art? which do they give more importance to? how much value do they place on each?

🔧 WRENCH - are they good at fixing relationships? or do they tend to avoid doing so?

❇️ SPARKLE - what is their most prized possession? what do they value?

📏 RULER - is your oc well educated? where did they get their learning from?

transport

🚆 TRAIN - what is their answer to the trolley problem?

🚲 BICYCLE - can they ride a bike? what do they remember from learning to ride a bicycle?

weather

🌩️ LIGHTNING - are they scared of lightning?

💧 DROPLET - random angst headcanon

❄️ SNOWFLAKE - do people consider them cold? if so, what made them this way?

🌪️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

🔥 FIRE - do they have any self destructive tendencies? what habits do they have that hinder them from becoming their best self?

☁️ CLOUD - a soft headcanon

🌟 GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

🌠 SHOOTING STAR - if they could make any wish with no repercussions, what wish would they make?

☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right?

hearts

💓 BEATING HEART - what gets their heart racing?

💘 HEART W/ ARROW - what traits do they look for in a relationship? do they believe in love at first sight?

💗 GROWING HEART - if they have a crush, is it noticable? what changes when they're in love?

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

💙 BLUE HEART - do they miss their s/o easily? how do they act when their s/o isn't around?

💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your oc feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food?

💖 SPARKLING HEART - are they a subtle or a showy lover?

💌 LOVE LETTER - do they like love letters? what kind of messages do they leave for their partner?

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?