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arrow-alrakis · 11 months ago

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erm so i havent scrolled too far down on your profile yet but is there anywhere where i could find the storyline if youve posted it? or how rimerock and larksharius met or who that cool lockar dragon is (i cant tell if hes related or correlated to rimerock because he also seems to be like a dragon). i will combust on the spot if it is in a very obvious location that i easily couldve found myself. I LOVE YOUR WORK!

Hello and THANK YOU SM!!!!! I'm so happy aaaaa!!! Ooops this got long lol

I have and will put most of their stuff in the pinged post HERE! The pair are my OCs in the game Pathfinder: Wrath of The Righteous. Rimerock is a companion for the Knight Commander(PC), and Larksharius is a war council advisor in Ri's companion quest. They met and fell in love during the Fifth Crusade. I wrote fics about them on my AO3, I will translate some of my work into English when I have time!

Larksharius is an OC who saved my life, they have been keeping me in extra good shape since then. And in my dream, they asked my old OC Rimerock for a date, and this is how ship-alrakis began. I will do anything for them, and I am and will be fully dedicated to creating a world for these two! ^^ Lark is my dream visitor (they were human and then turned into undead), and my other OCs are all dragons!

I don't have many stories written yet, sorry!! I like telling stories with images (which I haven't drawn...) and I'm not good at telling stories. English is not my first language but I'm trying my best! ;)) I do have some fragments of their lore/stories here and there! I can link what I wrote for Lark and Ri here! And a summary of all the characters related!

Main info:

OC Profile and everything I put up for both of them HERE! Another version here! With some of their favorite stuff and fun facts! This is what I put up for art commissions! Here I have their info and brief storyline! And links to Lark's deity paytron and a fic before they met! I can DM you their toyhouse page too, I want to keep their toyhouse page open to close friends only, bc we sometimes have nsft posts there… ;;;;;) They are married they do the thing, but both of them demand privacy.

Asks and other related posts:

Lark: name and rival, their hobbies, and their regrets, enemies, and dreamsLark's special soul and the trouble it caused for both of themShip songs and some brief story summaries for the two! I only linked the lore I think can be important! All my other asks are here #arrow answers

Other OCs related to the two:

We have a dragon family here! They are all OCs in the Pathfinder world! Rimerock was adopted by a pair of gold dragons, he grew up with his elder sister Mirikshul, and younger brother Neralshul. Mirik died later, leaving the other two in grief and trauma. Both survivors are corrupted. Ri's corruption is severe, nothing can save him, he is dying until Lark comes and tries to save him.

☀️Mirikshul/Mirik - She/Her | An ancient gold dragon, big sister, Ri's first mentor(Ri's second mentor is Lark). She fought the demon lord Baphomet in order to protect her younger brothers, and was killed. She taught Ri many things, formed his characteristics, and how to fight evil like a knight.

🔱Neralshul/Nera - Any pronouns (Gender fluid, amab) | A gold dragon, Ri's sibling. They were Ri's younger brother, until Mirik's death forever changed their world.

Mirik's death corrupted Nera and Ri. The siblings dealt with this disease differently. Ri suppressed his condition in grief (that's why he is dying of depression and nothing can heal him), while Nera let out all their anger and turned from Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil. Nera became the only psycho in my OC house since then. Their misbehaving made their metallic scales so dull that they forever lost their shininess and looked like a yellow dragon. Ri saw Nera's act as a shame and disgrace to their noble sister Mirik. He tried his best to save Nera, but it turned out fruitless, so the two parted ways. The siblings always fight whenever they meet. Not that Ri starts the fight, but Nera LOVES to piss Ri off. Sadly as a sorcerer with a much smaller frame, they never win.

Nera was sane after adopting Blackstar and even went back to Chaotic Good during these years. But then the little black dragon grew up and they said goodbye. After that, Nera went to the Stolen Land and somehow became the ruler there. That part happened in the game Pathfinder: Kingmaker.

🌟Blackstar/Star - She/Her | Ri's nephew, Nera's adopted daughter. She is a fey-marked black dragon, the main heroine in my Pathfinder WOTR playthrough! She's raised by Nera and brought some good back to this corrupted gold dragon. In the game, she tried her best to save Ri, she wanted to find a way to cure him without letting Lark turn him into an undead creature, but she didn't have enough time. The result is fine tho. Because of Blackstar's efforts, all of her companions ascended as demigods, so even though Ri is still an undead arch-dracolich, his body works the same as if he is a living creature.

🐍Set - They/Them/It | Lark’s Neutral Evil deity patron. They chose Lark as their successor, and already gave half of their power to Lark. However, to become god means Lark has to stay in Set's domain forever. Lark valued their freedom to travel around the world so they refused the offer, for now.

Lockar (or locker) - He is a silver dragon from DND, Bauldur's Gate 3. Actually, Locker and his lover (their shapeshifted appearance) were made by Ri and Lark. Ri was playing Lockar as his PC, and Lark watched him play. So sadly Lockar is not related to the pair's storyline. I wanted to put Lark and Ri into bg3 but the story won't fit their lore lmao, so I had Ri playing the game instead.

I'm so glad you like my stuff!! thank you again!!!! asks anytime ^^

#oc: larksharius #oc: rimerock #oc: neralshul #oc: mirikshul #oc: blackstar #arrow answers

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nightmarist · 3 months ago

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some video games i grew up with and love:

Rage Racer (PS1) - simple racing game, best OST

Azure Dreams (PS1) - pokemon dungeon crawler with dating and town building side quests. collect monsters, climb to the top of the tower to find out what happened to your father.

Alundra (PS1) - adventure fantasy rpg puzzle game. you Will need the guide book. beautiful art. interesting story. you enter people's dreams to save them from certain death while also trying to fight evil in the real world.

Brave Fencer Musashi (PS1) - silly action adventure fantasy, save the world from evil with two swords as legendary hero Musashi

SaGa Frontier (PS1) - Turn based JRPG, a bit clunky but fun. You choose one of 7 origin heroes, play their personal stories, and meet many other companions to defeat evil together. Only SaGa series game I've played.

Secrets of Evermore (SNES) - your dog runs into a laboratory, now you have to travel across time to get home and face monsters. The dog changes breeds and has special powers each level.

DISNEY. Lion King, Timon & Pumbsa, Toy Story (SNES) Aladdin, The Little Mermaid (SegaGEN) All disgustingly hard for Capitalism(tm) reasons but still very fun.

Heroes Chronicles series (PC) - fantasy strategy game series. Chess with monsters? Interesting but super simple story. One of my favorite games to zone out with.

Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (PC) - Fantasy party dungeon crawling RPG, one of my favorites.

Myst (PC) - Puzzle game of the ages.

Syberia I & II (PC) - A good puzzle narrative game, well acclaimed.

Return to Mysterious Island (PC) - Another first person puzzle game. If u cant tell I really loved these. Good game, good anrrative, very short and not as difficult as previous.

Darkfall: The Journal (PC) - scared me as a kid. First person puzzle game with ghosts. Think of a gentler Myst or Riven.

Micro Machines (SegaGen) - Silly racing games. Multiplayer

California Games (SegaGen) - More silly sports games

Ballz (SegaGen) - A super silly fighting game. Everyone is made of little balls. Think of. Round minecraft.

Detective Barbie (PC) - Solving various easy mysteries

Barbie: Race & Ride (PS1) - Barbie & horses <3

Barbie: Super Sports (PS1) - Barbie skating, snowboarding, etc <3

Digimon World 3 (PS1) - Turn based adventure fantasy, love the card minigame

Digimon Rumble Arena (PS1) - Simple fighting game

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS2) - Scifi/fantasy JRPG, interesting fighting system and lore. I otherwise have never played the other Star Ocean games.

Red Ninja (PS2) - Fun stealth game. Pro And Con: Main Character big titty ninja girl you can easily panty shot.

Yu-Gi-Oh: Duelist of the Roses (PS2) - I wish this version of YuGiOh existed IRL, I fucking love this system. I want to print out all the cards and a mat to play.

The Last Remnant (XBox 360) - A square JRPG. I'll be honest there are so many better games both play and lore, but the unique battle system stole my heart.

Additional games I love but I think are more well known:

Zoo Tycoon

Age of Empires / Age of Mythology

Kirby 64

Sonic, Sonic 2

Starcraft

Warcraft 3 (favorite warcraft game, 10/10 recommend)

Diablo 2

Jak & Daxter (Jak II, Jak III)

Spyro Trilogy

Kingdom Hearts (the first one mostly)

Mortal Kombat 3

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Dragon Age series

I have every Final Fantasy up to XIII, but my favorites are V, VIII, IX, and X-2 in that order.

I also have every Silent Hill up to Downpour. My favorites are 1, 2, and 4.

Lore: I played Silent Hill when I was 6 or 7 years old and liked it even though I was bad at it. I played Tomb Raider when I was the same age and was too scared of the bear to ever get past the first 10 minutes.

#the top few are a bit more well known but i dont see them talked about as often #games #im lucky i have these bc quite a few are so expensive now #emulators are good tho

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qiqi-media · 3 years ago

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How I feel about Mal Bertha and her character PART 1

This is not a Mal bertha Biography and it is biased in the sense that I don’t like her at all. Read with caution.

Descendants 2 was actually the first movie of the trilogy that I had watched. My little sister was watching it and I happened to be passing by and sat to watch it with her when it caught my eye. 2017 me had a completely different opinion of Mal bertha than today not because I was younger but simply because D3 hadn’t come out yet and I hadn’t watched the first movie or even knew there was books. I can’t stand Mal bertha, not even the D1 version of her and that’s the one even Mal antis love. I didn’t like her in the first movie but it was more of a “I wouldn’t be friends with her.” I didn’t think that she was unforgiveable and that it was impossible to give her a second chance. She made her own bad choices but she expressed genuine regret for them and was only 16. Despite me, loathing Mal’s existence I related to her in sense that it’s scary wanting to change but you don’t know whether or not your actions have caused too much damage.

In D2 watching it as a stand alone I saw a girl wanting something other than the ‘happily ever after’ and deciding she would go for what would make her happy when she went back to isle. I was desperately hoping that after the ‘It’s going down’ scene that she would go back to the isle and not choose to stay somewhere she wanted to leave. But we know how that went and the ending left me bitter and sad not for her, but for Uma. She began to leave a bitter taste in my mouth when she broke up with Ben and came back and just expected him to get back together with her. I’m going to go around every version of her character.

PRE D1

She was a dick. That’s the simplest way I can put it. I don’t like even acknowledging pre d1 Mal because it leaves me with this very negative view of her character that I don’t think was necessary. I feel like this is a big fuck up, wanting to have Mal be her ‘evilest’ before coming to Auradon. I understand the reason why they wanted to show her growth and change throughout the series. But after looking at some real life scenarios with a similar Mal situation it made me look at it differently. Imagine this: someone who severely bullied you and harassed you and everyone around getting to go to a new place and get the best treatment there, then she’s congratulated with becoming queen of that land and not only that she then decides she’s going to be queen of the place she was bullying and harassing people at without ever properly apologizing. This happens in real life and these people get exposed which is why I don’t like it. It would be different if Mal actual grew throughout the series but it was real just her gaining more power and the scenery changing from Pre D1-D3. She also continued to make the same type of ‘mistakes’ with no actual direct consequences all she had to do was cry and they forgave her. She would be okay if it Descendants was a stand alone movie. But knowing the type of life she would get to live after all of this behavior puts me off from reading it. It would also be different if Mal lived a simple life in Auradon (Aka not trying to take control by dating the king and then stepping all over said king) She got more than what she deserved to have. In my opinion she did deserve the chance at all better life just like all the other kids who didn’t commit any crimes to be locked up. But in the eyes of people she victimized she wouldn’t deserve to be Queen become royalty, live in castles and get gifted with limos and bikes.

D1 is the version of Mal everyone generally likes however, like I stated before I didn’t like her even then. At the start we see someone who is clearly trying to please her mother so if her mother wants bad behavior she gives her that. Throughout the main plot she did things of her own accord that she can’t use her mom as an excuse for. There’s a couple different things but a lot of them had to do with Ben and I’m making a whole post on how Ben was treated like shit throughout the franchise so that will be addressed then and not in this post. However for a reference she drugged him with a spelled cookie into falling in love with her for the wand. He wasn’t even willing to eat the cookie at first but she guilt tripped him into eating it. We could brush this off as her doing whatever she needed to do to get to the crown but to me she took advantage of the situation by actually going on dates with him. He was already spelled and willing to listen to whatever she wanted so besides for her own personal interest why would she go on the dates? (Granted a 16 year old wanting to get cute and have a nice date with a nice boy is not a fault or wrong in any way the fault here is all of this was happening when Ben was not in his right state of mind until the spell washed off.) Her taking advantage of Jane’s insecurities was not cool either and I’m interested in what ways she would’ve tried to use Jane if it was easier to get to the wand through her. Since her main crime in my opinion was Ben and since he’ll have his own essay post I’ll focus on Audrey here.

Her disrespect to Audrey

It was unnecessary, she had no reason to have had Audrey’s name in her mouth as much as she did D1. It would make more sense for Mal to like Audrey’s sassy boldness to me not shit talk her every chance she got. At the start they had a small passive aggressive conversation that could’ve just been left at that because technically they burred the hatchet between the two families. It was a “hey I don’t fuck with you, you don’t fuck with me” type of a situation that could’ve grown civil. However, throughout the movie in comparison to Audrey who really just had a problem with Mal’s mother until she spelled ben then it became direct problems with each other. Mal was continuously talking shit about Audrey as if Audrey was the one who fucked with her family. This time her upbringing can be referenced, on the Isle she most likely was allowed to openly hate things and Audrey was most likely raised to at least pretend to be polite. But from the Audrey we’ve seen she clearly doesn’t care about holding her tongue she’s straightforward with how she feels and she didn’t have a problem with Mal she had a problem with her mother. The only time she talked about Mal directly was about the hair spells which she ended up being right about (Mal’s addictive reliance on magic in D2 and Jane at the end of D1). After completely ignoring Audrey’s feelings and literally stole her boyfriend (not even on the the you can’t steal a loyal man type of shit she literally stole him he wasn’t even allowed to consent to it.) She later in Audrey’s Diary multiple times tries to reason this with she never meant to directly hurt Audrey and that she didn’t really want Ben she just wanted the wand etc etc. The evidence doesn’t back this up Mal, you’ve made your disdain for Audrey clear and talked shit about her to Evie right after you spelled Ben the did I mention bs claiming “Chad will see her horrible personally” as if you knew her personally and that Chad didn’t grow up with her. Mal can say she didn’t mean to hurt Audrey but she clearly didn’t mind that she did.

I’m going to make a whole separate on Audrey and how I do think she gets a lot of slack because people can relate to her, but also how her treatment in comparison to Mal’s is unfair.

I did think she deserved a chance to show remorse for her behavior (spoiler: she didnt) Again, I like to look at things from the pov of other characters for things like this. If I was an Auradon kid who was friends with Mal and ended up finding out she was using me and plotting to take over and destroy the place I lived with/for her mother but changed her mind last minute. I would see her as forgivable I just wouldn’t want her around me. In other words I would expect her to start her own new life, not continue trying to live the one where she was plotting without even actually apologizing to people. AU: After descendants instead of continuing to date Ben she breaks it off and goes to an Art school frequently coming back to visit Auradon and after high school she goes on a quest (with the C4 of course) exploring all kinds of different kingdoms and countries because she was locked up on the isle her whole life. In the future she possibly returns to Auardon and even could get back together with Ben with a proper start.

The first Descendants Movie I ever saw so it holds a special place with me and I actually rooted for Mal the first time I watched it. I sat in to watch at the argument scene and knowing all of the plots now and after rewatching it my opinion has change greatly. We see a blonde and very stressed Mal who’s dealing with the pressures of becoming a royal in order to secure her place with Ben. I do feel bad for Mal when she was talking to Evie, she was trying to reach out to her friend about her situation and was basically told to stop talking about it. I understand Evie’s feelings of wanting to leave the past behind but I can also understand Mal feeling like she’s cornered and can’t even talk to her best friend. I can also understand her feelings of ending up overwhelmed with her decisions from going to somebody who did whatever whenever to becoming a royal with duties I get the pressure. If Mal decided that wasn’t the life she wanted to live and went back to the isle where she felt more comfortable I don’t see anything wrong with that. She wasn’t required to stay in Auradon if she felt like she was unhappy there. That says a little something about Auradon to me if somebody would rather live where they ate rotten food than live there. My sympathy for Mal stops there because everything else was a result of her own actions and things she brought onto herself.

1. The royal situation

Let’s get one thing clear nobody was forcing Mal to hand sign up for the prime and proper royal life. She did that herself.

Nobody told her that she had to dye her hair blonde and have a complete wardrobe change, she did.

Nobody said she even had to continue the terrible relationship she had with Ben and go straight into being a royal in order to basically become Ben’s wifey, she did.

She’s saying all of these people are expecting things of her when 6 months ago she was stealing candy from babies when she was the one who let people have these expectations. She decided to take up the role herself because that was what she wanted. Let’s be honest with how it happened Mal would not live in Auradon if she had to be a regular citizen she wanted to be in control of everybody and to have power because that how she always lived. However once she realized that nobody was just about to hand her this power just for being with Ben unlike with her Mom (getting to rule the isle just because she was her daughter and not because she actually worked her way up there) and that she actually had duties and work to fulfill if she wanted to be the boss. She let her pride get in the way by feeling she had to prove she could last with Ben and become an Auradon girl and ended up miserable and blaming Ben for something she decided to do herself.

She then had the responsibility to fulfill all of those duties and she was struggling unlike anybody else who would’ve had to abide by the “don’t use magic” quote on quote rule she decided to use Magic after claiming she’d give it up and was still a hot ass mess. She can’t even use the excuse that was to help her with her lady in training because she was using it to not be late to class and later to try and manipulate Ben. @ishiphumasohard made a good response on why it was unfair for Mal to use magic as her ‘right’ because at what point would it be unfair to other kids? While all the other kids have to show up on time to school Mal gets to use magic to turn back time instead of just being on time. If other kids studied all night for a test Mal can use a speed reading spell. If there was a cooking contest Mal can spell her way into a feast while the others would have to the actual labor. You get the point, because magic is not universally used by everyone in Auradon and it’s an unspoken rule that it’s not to be used then she should have followed this rule.

I will say the girl was stressed and was feeling alone, I already gave my sympathies for that.

The magic situation really hit the fan when she felt comfortable enough to spell the boyfriend who had already put enough trust in her to continue their relationship that started with her drugging him for her own benefit. Compared to her Ben did seem to be taking it easy but maybe like her, he didn’t want to show it. It seems Ben and Mal had a sort of pack to work hard together to become ‘the king and queen’ of Auradon they were supposed to be in it together. In my opinion it would make more sense for Ben to be hiding things from Mal than the other way around due to the nature of their shitty relationship. But that’s just not how it went down and after Mal tries to spell Ben into not finding her spellbook he gets RIGHTFULLY ANGRY. That entire scene was her fault, she could’ve explained herself and why she was using magic and that she was having a hard time but she once again decides to take advantage of Ben’s trust. Then proceeds to make sure she ends the fight with her being the victim. So much so that the entire fact that she spelled Ben was never brought up again.

Going back to the isle

She then decides to go back to the isle, if this was really her decision I wouldn’t mind it. There’s nothing wrong with her liking the isle better than Auradon if that’s where she felt at home. The problem was she was clearly emotional and let’s be honest, if she had called all of her friends together and actually broke up with Ben and told them this was her decision to go back to the isle before leaving they MIGHT (hard might) not have ran after her like they did. Not only that the duties that we were speaking of earlier, she didn’t formally pull out of anything which is why it irked me when she was so irritated that they came back for her.

Some people actually didn’t like her attitude as soon as she got back on the isle because she expected to run it. That wasn’t surprising to me honestly, because for her whole life that’s how it was, only person she was scared of was her mother. She quickly realized however now that her mom isn’t around and in lizard form nobody was scared of her. Most unrealistic part of D2 was how Mal didn’t get jumped as soon as people realized she got back. Like I said Isle Mal was a straight dickhead and had too many enemies to be walking around like she was.

Another point was when she got her hair dyed by dizzy, the shop wasn’t open, she saw this, ignored it and went in anyway. Not even because her and Dizzy were tight like that she just expected her to do what she wanted (get the pattern with Mal here?)

Skipping her scene with harry because it did nothing to the plot.

The rest of the C4 and Ben come to get Mal back as expected and she acts all surprised and angry. Ben apologizes to her and instead of apologizing for what she did and then explaining that she doesn’t want to go back to Auradon and be a lady of the court. She continues the narrative that Ben wanted her to change and that she’s not good for Auradon so she’s going to stay on the isle. What’s the difference between the two? The first one is her taking responsibility of her actions and deciding for herself that that’s not the life she wants. While the other is acknowledging none of the blame and deciding to run away not because that’s not what she really wants but because everyone will turn on her so she has to run first. It painted a narrative that nothing of this was her own doing while at the same time making it seem like she is doing the right thing by backing away which in hindsight probably was the better decision. Mal’s feelings weren’t the problem I understand them, she thinks she won’t be accepted as herself so she wants to leave before they can kick her out but that’s not what caused her to leave and she knows it. You got caught doing something shitty and instead of apologizing you ran away.

After Ben gets kidnapped she lectures the C4, again she does have some blame in this. With the way the fight ended it made it look like Ben was in the wrong so he was going to try and apologize regardless if they brought him or not. The rest of them came to keep him safe and as her gang members come back for her. Was this not something she considered after she calmed herself down? Ben honestly had no reason to be directly on the isle unprotected besides to sneak and apologize to you so are you really going to just blame the C4 for bringing him there and getting him captured?

Then when Uma, who has him captured plans a meeting she antagonizes her like that’s what is best for Ben at the time. Even in the mist of Ben being in danger she thought it was a good idea to try and piss off the person holding him captive. If you don’t remember what she did she called her shrimpy, insulted the smell of the restaurant and said she never thought of Uma while implying that Uma always had her on her mind for no reason. None of that was necessary to ask what Uma’s conditions were to give Ben back she just couldn’t help herself.

She didn’t care about Dizzy

Who had just performed a task for her and right after she paid her got robbed and had the place trashed just for Mal to say she’ll be alright. This should’ve been foreshadowing at the very least that she wasn’t ready to be making decisions for other people’s lives because besides her own and her friends she didn’t care for many especially those on the isle.

It’s going down

Even though it was in the song and not directly her words again antagonizing the person who has Ben held captive and threatening his life, insulting them is stupid. This entire scene is messy and they shouldn’t even had been able to win a fight against pirates outnumbered. When has Mal ever picked up a sword???

Car ride Back

She gets mad when Ben has sympathy/ shows understanding for Uma. She somehow realizes that it’s wrong Uma kidnapped him but was comfortable spelling him without a second thought. In my opinion she thought she had some type of ownership over Ben she could do what she wanted to him and if somebody else did it was wrong. (Even though this can be applied to what she did in D1, I’m only talking about D2 because most people agree she showed regret for her actions in D1) When he calls her out on her hypocrisy she goes mute and does that thing, of letting her mouth hang opened whenever she gets called out on her shit.

END OF PART 1

I was going to make this one long post but I’ve been putting this off long enough so here is part 1, no idea when part 2 will be up. I do hope to have the Ben posts up before that.

#anti mal #anti mal bertha #anti bal #anti ben and mal #ben florian #ben descendants #descendants #disney descendants #audrey descendants #princess audrey #Audrey Rose #evie descendants #ben deserves better #uma descendants

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ladyloveandjustice · 4 years ago

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My Top Five Favorite Anime of 2020

Better late than never! Without further ado, here are my picks! They aren’t in a strict ranked order, though I put my big faves nearer to the bottom.

(Bonus shoutout to Chihayafuru season 3 (review here), which I mainly didn’t pick for this because it technically only finished in 2020, plus I didn’t want the list to be like, only winter season. The karuta kids are still very good though!)

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Top-tier comedy comfort food about a princess who repeatedly blows her demon captors’ expectations out of the water (and blows stuff up in general) as she wreaks havoc in her single-minded quest for a good night’s sleep. Fantastical, colorful, silly and occasionally heartwarming, this is the perfect show to chucklingly relax to in bed before drifting off to dreamland yourself.

See a quick review here.

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Katarina Claes is reincarnated as the villainess in her favorite otome game (dating sim) and panics when she remembers that only bad endings await the villainess character. In her efforts to escape her grim fate, she obliviously ends up seducing everyone around her- pretty boys and pretty girls alike! She’s even got the game’s heroine falling for her!

This is another anime that functions as pure comfort food, from it’s high energy theme song and fun comedic antics, to its charming but incredibly dense lead- and it has the nice, much-sought-after bonus of being a relationship hijinks comedy that’s inclusive towards queer characters rather than tearing them down. The plot itself and dramatic bits aren’t that impressive, but it make up for it with a fun premise, strong ensemble cast, and lots of smiles.

There are also a few caveats to acknowledge, so check out a full review of the show here. I also recommend the article “World Building a Queer Paradise in My Next Life as a Villainess” as a good read.

Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2

This season took the tale of a bibliophile reincarnated as a peasant girl in a medieval fantasy world where the books are too expensive for her to afford and expanded it far beyond the original premise, taking a broader look at the society she lives in and how fundamentally broken it is. We watch our main character grapple with the harmful systems propped up by the nobility and discover just how dangerous it is for her to navigate them as a commoner, even a “special one”. You can’t tear down unjust hierarchies so easily, turns out. The nuanced attention the story pays to this balancing act of Myne trying to make some positive changes while not getting herself killed in the process is what makes this season a compelling watch. The season’s quietly beautiful finale that finally lets us take a peek at the baggage Myne is carrying from her previous life is also just a stellar production from top to bottom- it’s visually and emotionally arresting.

See a quick review of the series here.

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun/Toilet Bound Hanako-kun

A lovely ghost story full of heart, humor and intrigue. It follows a girl named Nene as she befriends a ghost boy in her school and discovers a whole supernatural world. While there are some caveats to be aware of, this anime made my heart sing with its compelling ghost drama, atmospheric mythological adventures and super fun character dynamics. Not to mention it’s bold visual designs- while the animation is limited, this show is awesome to look at. This is Exactly My Stuff and I’d like it injected directly into my veins.

Full review here.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

A visual feast of wonderful animation that features characters with bold, distinctive designs and equally bold, distinctive and lovable personalities, Keep Your Hands off Eizouken is both an anime about awesome girls on a journey of creative triumph, and a strong example of creative triumph itself. A great show I whole-heartedly recommend, it’s sure to be remembered for years to come.

Full review here.

#sleepy princess in the demon castle #my next life as a villainess #my next life as a villianess all routes lead to doom #destruction flag otome #toilet bound hanako kun #jibaku shounen hanako kun #jibaku shonen hanako kun #maoujo de oyasumi #keep your hands off eizouken #anime overview #2020 anime #year in anime

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jinxthejubilee · 3 years ago

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Discussing Mr. Dalmatia and Pretty Scar's Relationship: Part 2

Part 1

Good evening, villain lovers! I have summoned you here again to take another look at these two sweethearts. ❤

A lovely anon a while back asked what their relationship would be like once they finally got together. And that thought was too cute to pass up!

- Warning: These are my personal headcanons based on their personalities

- And just a quick reminder, I am not fluent in Japanese, so any knowledge I have on their relationship is based on the information I've have seen that has been translated from Japanese to English, and/or the non-speaking interactions of the characters.

Now! Without further adieu, let's get to the cuteness!

So, we ended off last discussion talking about how the relationship would come to be. This time, we'll be taking a look at how the two of them would act once they've started dating.

Relationship Progression

Before we get into how they would "make it official," I should start with the baby steps it would take for them to get closer to each other and how they would act as a couple.

The Ploting Begins! 🕵️‍♀️

As they get closer, I can see their dynamic changing SO MUCH for the better.

Of course, this would start with Pretty Scar (or Mzuri) trying to get on Dalma's good side.

She would plot different schemes so she can bond with him or find an excuse to hang out.

As they start to hang out more often, Dalma starts to tolerate Pretty Scar more and more.

One of her main missions is to get him to smile at her, at least once.

And she succeeds! Sort of... She makes him laugh at her after screwing herself over somehow.

But hey! That's progress! She'll take it!

To aid her in her quest for true love, she's appointed Jack Heart the Matchmaker everybody!

As I said last time, Jack is your go-to when it comes to plotting silly or flamboyant situations.

He cares for both of his friends, so why not set them up together?

Obviously, he'd be more on Scar's side than Dalma's, since Dal's super hesitant to do anything with Scar.

Jack would keep the other recruiters away from them so they can have some time alone, help Scar plan out dates, hold up the mistletoe in the doorway.

Heck, Jack might get the others to help out!

"Oh, was today chore day? Don't worry you too, the others have it handled! Go have fun at a carnival or a shopping mall! Just you too. Alone. With each other."

Wingman Jack supremecy! Although he now owes a life debt to the others for making them help him...worth it!

Gift Giving 🎁

Mzuri will occasionally give Dalma presents.

Sure, a few of them may seem over the top at first, but Pretty Scar is an observant gal, she'll buy stuff that her man desperately wants or needs.

Or she'll make the presents herself! I see her as a very crafty person who makes handmade gifts for her friends.

However, there will be a time, maybe Christmas?, when Mzuri finds or makes a gift SO important, SO special, SO irreplaceable to Dal, that his heart just melts. ♥️

Dalmatia's used to people spoiling him. It comes with the oh so hard job of being an adorable doggo.

That, and Cruella butters him up all the time in order to keep his loyalty.

But the fact that someone would go out of their way to get/make something so meaningful, and that someone being another villain? Makes it ten times more special.

He keeps every single gift she's made for him in a secret part of his room. He doesn't tell her, but she discovers it somehow and is over the moon when she does.

Dalma tries to repay her. He's observant too, so he'll notice when her eyes light up when she sees something she really, REALLY wants. (Not that that's too hard anyway, she's very expressive).

It becomes a back and forth thing, where they try to out-do the other's gift. Until the other recruiters get sick of them spending all of their money. But they still buy gifts for each other sometimes.

Affection! 💞

Mzuri starts to dial down on the PDA, but Dalma starts to appreciate it more once they become friends.

He just accepts that affection is her way expressing herself.

But, she becomes more aware of Dal's boundaries and tries to not be so close ALL the time.

Dalma starts getting more cuddly as time goes on and starts accepting and returning Mzuri's hugs more often.

A far cry from how he used to act, i.e. shoving her aside to get her off him.

For his side of affection, touching forheads is his main thing. It's subtle, but it means a lot to him, maybe even more than a kiss. It's almost like you're saying "I'm here. I'm here and we're safe."

He likes kissing, but mostly in private. Although that doesn't stop her from spontaneously kissing him on the cheek when she's excited.

Sometimes he'll be sneaky and kiss her to surprise her or to freak her out, but that never works out for him in the end.

You kiss Mzuri once, she'll come back at you with forty! 💋

Animal forms! 🐾

As they are some of the recruiters who were animals before they became human, I'm sure they'd have something to bond over, given that they're both dog-like.

Dalma is messy when he eats as a dog and sometimes when he's in his human form, especially when he's hungry.

I'm sure that Pretty Scar would be the same way, but mostly when she's a hyena, or when she's SUPER hungry. Gotta keep that cute appearance!

They've definitely fallen asleep in their animal forms and started snuggling up to each other accidentally. They have really soft coats.

Or in there human forms even. Again, they keep their furs and hair in pristine condition!

Who's More Protective? 😊

Well, they're both animals, so naturally they're both very protective of each other.

Whenever they feel threatened or scared, one of them will pull other into a hug.

You know the type of hug where they wrap their arms around the other to comfort them, while staring the assailant down with a look that could kill a man?

Yeah, that one.

Performing together 🎭

I love this one!

You can't have a Disney couple without said couple dancing, singing, and having fun together through the parks and on stage.

Dalma is the type to loosen up when performing.

He's goofy, he's joking around, and he's having fun!

I imagine that once they get together, Pretty Scar would grab Dalma by the hand and start dancing with him, join in on the fun!

If they had their own float, I can see them dancing and waving at guests together while Mzuri steals multiple kisses.

Dalma gets embarrassed by the public affection, but he doesn't stop her either, so...

💋💋💋💋💋💖

The matching outfits! So many beautiful and adorable matching outfits! 😍

All in all, a great time to be had.

In Your Darkest Moments 🖤

Yay! Talking through your traumatic events with a loved one. How fun!

I've talked about both Dalmatia and Pretty Scar's issues in their own personality pages, so I'll try to keep this brief.

To sum it up, both of them have terrible abandonment issues.

For Dalma, he thinks his whole family forgot about him and left him to Cruella, hence why he's so loyal to her. Cruella is the only "family" he has.

For Mzuri, she had a rough time growing up.

In the Lion King trilogy canon and in real life, hyenas strive for dominace in their groups.

A little lesson in the animal kingdom, when hyenas are born, the youngest and weakest are killed, usually by their older and stronger siblings.

Now, since this is Disney, I know that this wouldn't exactly play out that way. But that should be kept in mind for how strict hyenas can be, and how that serves as inspiration for my story.

Anyway, back on track.

Mzuri may or may not have been the youngest in her family, but she was definitely the weakest.

In comparison to the other hyenas that is.

She can, in fact, hold her own, but she's never been as strong as a hyena should be. Leaving her to be ignored by pretty much everyone.

I'll go into more detail on her own page, but for now, I'll leave you guys with this: Mzuri was brainwashed by Scar, just like the other hyenas, because she desperately wants attention and affection from somebody.

They have a surprising amount in common in that regard.

Now, since these two touch starved babies aren't used to other people caring about them, their first interactions with comforting each other can be a bit awkward. Just a little though.

The first few times happen when they're close to that friendship stage, so you can thank the awkwardness on that.

If Mzuri's crying, Dal can't bear to see her upset. Tears just looks so wrong on a girl who's happy all the time.

He's pretty straightforward when it comes to advice, even if it's not very "comforting." But he's not the type to say things that people want to hear, most of the time that is.

Dal will tell it like it is, and if what he says ends up comforting Pretty Scar, well, good for her.

Mzuri is more of the encouraging type when it comes to comforting.

As in, she's honest about what she thinks of certain situations, but she tries to make the upset party feel better.

She'll snuggle with Dal and listen to what he has to say.

It'd be one of the few times she's actually quiet.

Eventually, they get more comfortable to each other to the point that when the other is stressed or really upset, they'll go and try to calm the other down.

Of course, as animals, they can "feel" emotions" so to speak, so that helps a lot too.

Officially a Couple 💘

Depending on the story of how they would first start dating, they would either keep their relationship under wraps for a while and the cat gets out of the bag somehow, or everyone finds out all at once.

This highly depends on the writer though, so feel free to make up how it would happen.

For me, I see it as either some big event happens, they both confess, and the other recruiters witness their first kiss, OR, the kiss was a private moment that just...happened, and the two of them freak out about it so they keep it a secret.

If it's the former, then I'm sure that everyone was just waiting for when they'd finally get together. All of them clapping, cheering, and congratulating them, while light-heartedly teasing.

If it's the latter, then there are two ways they'd deal with it:

1) They'd each go to the friend they trust the most to ask for their advice.

2) They don't say anything to anyone, but someone (I'm assuming Jack, Apple, and Ms. Hades) would find out and get them to talk about it.

Either way, when everyone finds out, they're both so relieved.

In part, because hiding this kind of thing would be stressful, but also having that family-like acceptance is so wonderful and they're SO not used to it! 🥰

And there you have it! Sorry that this took another hour to get out, I got a bit carried away with this, but I can't help it! I love this ship so much!

And yes, I do plan on getting Pretty Scar's personality page done. I hate pushing stuff back but I do intend on getting it done!

I hope you all had a fun time reading this, I had a fantastic time writing it!

With that being said, I'll see you guys later! Byeee! 💗

#Discussing Mr. Dalmatia and Pretty Scar's Relationship #part 2 #disney villain recruiters mr dalmatia #disney villain recruiters pretty scar #mr dalmatia #pretty scar #disney villain recruiters #villain recruiters #disney villains #disney tokyo #disney movies #disney #ship analysis

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doctorstrangeaskblog · 2 years ago

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Don't worry luv, no one hates you. I agree Zelma isn't a good character. I've read some comics and she's pretty much a brat to Stephen.

My problem is that some authors wanted a master - apprentice approach. Then the next author tried to turn into romance (which made no sense), the other wanted a "she's a new main character" approach, the next wanted a "she's just a secondary character supposed to leave" and then "she's Loki crush now so Stephen feels bad".

Then Donnie Cates threw angst so everyone hated Stephen and made Loki (who was the god of stories) go back to being a dick and Zelma "falling in love" (??) dating Loki and both don't give a shit to Stephen who loses ALL HIS POWERS only to realize he HAD NEVER LOST THEM- and it was all a Loki illusion all along (when it was already long stabilished Loki can't lock anyone's powers with illusion and that Stephen can see through's Loki's illusions using his 3rd eye).

And then Stephen is begging Clea to love him again and then goes on a suicidal quest to hell to be abused by tons of demons, to be then possessef by Mephisto-

Until Wong, who had been abandoned in the previous arks as if he were nothing reunited everyone to go and save Stephen. And Wanda and Loki go save Stephen BUT THEY WERE ILLUSIONS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE! AND CLEA TOO! Even his dog BATS was shit to him. And so many "It is over. I will not go on. I quit. I'm tired" pauses in the middle of the story- I mean WE GET IT, it's just too forced- Stephen doesn't need EVERYONE being shitty to him and being r#ped by demons to feel bad or for us to like him.

And Zelma still is a dick to him in the end...and he...likes Zelma?? Romantically? But he deletes her pic?? And begs Clea to be with him again???? MAKE UP YOUR MIND AUTHORS NFIDCFTKAHRCRKE

The only good thing about this comic phase (I say phase because it has been more than 2 arks) is:

Stephen kicking Mephisto's ass

Stephen quitting dying his hair to hide his white stripes

Moon Knight being sassy and leading the Midnight Suns to hell

Stephen bringing Jane Thor back to life from hell and recovering the Mjolnir (which was used to break BOTH HIS LEGS BTW)

Thanks for coming to my TED talk

AND THEN PEOPLE SAYING DOCTOR STRANGE 2 WRITING WAS THE WORST EVER

It wasn't excellent/outstanding, but it was acceptable- trust me, I've seen the worst, and READ DAMNATION AND THE DR STRANGE LOKI ARK AND YOU SHALL KNOW PAIN. Because the story events aren't bad but how it's written is.

Doctor Strange 2 was very VERY well executed, and considering the pandemic and all reshoots, change of date problems etc- I think DS2 IS A MIRACLE AND A PEARL- specially when you compare some Dr Strange comics- which no narrative makes any sense, only Moon Knight makes sense and he's a bit crazy.

#doctor strange #zelma #doctor strange comics damnation #VENTING

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nomoneytoplay · 3 years ago

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Shining Resonance Refrain

Bought for: $11.99

Played on: Nintendo Switch

Release date: December 11, 2014

Developers: Media.Vision, O-TWO inc. , SEGA

Publisher: SEGA

Game Type: Fighting Game, Japanese Role-Playing Game, Shooter, Adventure.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 & 4

ESRB Rating: T for Teen - Fantasy Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol.

Pros & Cons

Beautiful graphics and colorful landmarks.

The music is absolutely well composed.

Every character has a special weapon that resembles an instrument.

Whenever you beat an enemy, you will hear the instrument be played as a victory sound and when you find the remaining party members their instrument will be added to the victory theme.

Not only do you play as the main character but you can also take control of the other party members.

A special song can be performed when a special meter is full, it will give you a leg up in battle and every character has a different trait to it.

Some great skits are available in this game, letting you experience more story background. All of them are serious, neutral and very funny. However some can take way too long and some of the most important ones are for your party members.

Events can help unlock Traits, which will help to create a certain type of bond with all party members, some can create a great bond that can give some extra help in battle and while others can create none at all. Keep an eye out on this bond feature!

Voice acting in English, Japanese voice acting is available as a free dlc.

The game has a very big map, places to explore like a desert, a beach and a forest. In parts of the map you will find campsites where you can rest and save your game.

Repetitive gameplay.

Power ups available in the shop are almost impossible to purchase for how little money you get to earn.

Your weapons get ranked up, but I really didn’t understand this feature too much. So I just let the character leveling up process guide me to making them strong.

Same enemies every time but their levels increase over time.

Same side quests over and over.

When you begin the game, you will choose between Original mode or Refrain mode. Original mode will let you play the game as it was intended with additional dlc. Refrain mode will let you play the game with two story characters already available as your party members with their own events. Both modes play out the same way with no change in the main story. However if you are a new player to the game, Refrain mode will be a bit confusing for you.

THE MAIN CHARACTER CAN TRANSFORM INTO A DRAGONS!

My Experience:

Agnum is the best character of this whole game!

Now with that out of the way let me tell you about Shining Resonance Refrain. I played the demo for a brief moment and didn’t pay too much attention at first. I brushed it off as another action JRPG and didn’t really bat an eye towards it. But I took the time to learn something about this game and that it’s main plot was about dragons. I absolutely love dragons and thought maybe I’ll give the demo another try while the game had a discount price. And well...cue the first game to purchase while the end of the demo screen read “Buy Now at eShop”!

Let me be clear on this, Shining Resonance Refrain is a good game, but it is not a great game. I enjoyed the gameplay, the music, the story and the script. It delivers on what JRPGs are, however the game has something that really bothers me and that is the constant backtracking.

The coolest feature that the game has, is that you can choose a character from your party to hangout with you at a night event. This night event will lead to this party member inviting the main character to hangout with them around town. These events shared with your invited party member are both funny and adorable. Some include staring at a river, going to eat at a restaurant or doing some shopping. You can only do three of these from a few choices and they will help in raising the bond of a character.

This will be happen constantly in the game!

You go towards a character, invent them for a night event, go to the inn, they will (may or may not) invite you to take a walk around town, go to talk to them and then the date starts. Hence and Repeat!

The worst part of this, if you are trying to romance one particular character and you are in a campsite where you can also activate the night events. You will have to travel back to the main area to do the date. Some of these dates will trigger a cutscene with both characters. But the majority of times, the end result will be mostly none. Aside from these events, it does not help that there are parts in the story where you will be, in one part of the map defeating a boss and the next returning back to the main city.

This whole issue was the one thing that kind of made me get tired of this game. But overlooking this, it was a very challenging game with great characters. It does deliver on the gameplay and the story telling. The game is worth checking out, is a decent game for a very good decent price, If you are a JRPG fan you sure to enjoy it.

Harness the power of the Shining Dragon and play the songs to defeat your enemies!

A score of 75 out of 100 pennies

#shining resonance #dragon #nomoneytoplay #video games #JRPG #sega #nintendo switch #pc games #playstation #pennies #anime #instruments #excella

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atamascolily · 4 years ago

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Unicorn Chronicles, Book Two: “Song of the Wanderer,” by Bruce Coville

I know I read Song of the Wanderer at least once in the early 2000s, but somehow it didn't stick with me like the first one. Anyway, I definitely remember stumbling across it in the library and being all, "huh, there's book two now," and then moving on to something else once I’d finished it.

Song of the Wanderer was published in 1999, five years after Into the Land of the Unicorns. This is lampshaded in the dedication:

Dedicated to all the readers who have waited, patiently and impatiently, for this second volume, with my deepest apologies for taking so long.

(keep in mind that Book Three didn't come out until 2008, and you'll appreciate the irony here)

I really like the cover of the original edition by Rebecca Guary, which shows that the artist actually did read the books and which I prefer over the questionable choices in the reprints. The hardcover version has a gorgeous spread with more unicorns, which unfortunately I was not able to find a scan of online.

Anyway, Song of the Wanderer kicks off with Cara embarking on a quest to fetch her grandmother, Ivy Morris, back to Luster so the Queen of the Unicorns can see her one last time before she dies. In fact, the ONLY reason the Queen is still alive at all is because she's holding out for a reunion.

Unfortunately, even though Cara has a magic amulet that will let her jump back to Earth at will, it's not that simple.

I gotta say, I love the complication that Earth and Luster are shifting in relationship to each other, so that Cara can't be sure where she'll end up in the other world without consulting a geomancer.

Cara is accompanied on this subquest by three unicorns - the Queen's nephew Moonheart, who is also Lightfoot's uncle and very aloof, distant, and dismissive of both humans and Lightfoot, who he considers to be immature and irresponsible. There's Finder, who is like the unicorn version of a LotR-esque ranger, and Belle, a warrior. Belle thinks Finder is a coward and a wuss, and Moonheart is just like "Thanks, I hate it" but goes along because Serious Business. Cara would rather have Lightfoot, but he refused to come along to Summerhaven, so she doesn't know how to contact him.

We also have confirmation of Cara's age (twelve), and a bit more of her backstory: she never really felt like she had a home growing up because Ivy was always moving them to avoid detection from the Hunters. Cara is also upset Ivy withheld the truth about Luster from her but also worried that the Hunters have hurt Ivy in Cara's absence.

The night before they leave, Cara is looking up at the stars and then dreams of her ancestor Beloved, who is waiting for her in Cara's old house. Beloved would like to kill all the unicorns and is still itching to get her hands on Cara's amulet so she can launch an invasion to Luster. She claims Cara belongs to her, and Cara wakes up before Beloved can snatch her.

This is the first time Cara and Beloved meet face to face--in Book One, Beloved was a story and a scrawled signature in a scryglass, not a character. The main antagonist in Book One was Cara's father, Ian Hunter, acting as Beloved's agent. So I have to say it's refreshing to see Beloved in the flesh (so to speak) and she genuinely is terrifying - simultaneously young and old, beautiful and ugly all at once.

M'Gama the Geomancer is human, so she's able to comb Cara's hair and outfit her with new clothes to replace her dirty jeans and t-shirt she's been wearing the entire time to date. The geomancy works but not without a struggle and Cara thinks she hears her grandmother's voice calling to her in the darkness, begging for rescue.

M'Gama explains that in order for Cara to return to her grandmother's house on Earth, they must leave from the dragon Ebillan's cave. Ebillan hates humans, so this isn't going to be easy. Furthermore, as the seasons change, so do the relative positions of Luster and Earth, and so they only have a month to get there before the spot is useless.

(This is really smart from a writing perspective, because it ups the tension and raises the stakes by imposing a deadline, and gives them obstacles to overcome.)

Anyway,the party leaves and encounters the Queen's Players, a group of humans who travel around and entertain people with their circus and barding antics. Cara befriends a melancholy older man named Jaques (I see what you did there, Coville!) and learns the "Song of the Wanderer," which is both about Ivy Morris and her signature song. Jaques reveals he is Cara's grandfather and Ivy's former husband and wishes to join their quest.

There's a delver attack and Lightfoot and the Dimblethum save them, yay. The party meets Grimmwold, who takes them through his caverns, and provides more exposition about Ivy's backstory. Ivy was an orphan with no memory of her past who was adopted by the Hunters and ran away, rather than be their pawn. She hurt herself, and a unicorn was drawn to her pain and healed her, only to be attacked by the Hunters. Ivy races through the nearby Gate to Luster for reinforcements, and we learn that the unicorn who saved her was none other than Moonheart!

Lightfoot's reaction is priceless, of course:

Cara gasped. "Moonheart?"

"I never knew about this!" Lightfoot said, sounding equally surprised--and slightly amused.

"There is a great deal you don't know, nephew," said Moonheart severely. "Continue with your story, Grimmwold."

..."But what happened next?"

"I survived," said Moonheart dryly.

AHAHAHAHA,THE SNARK.

We learn that Unicorns also have the equivalent of a Rumspringa--they call it a "Wander Year"--and that Lightfoot never came back from his, which is why Moonheart is mad at him. We also learn that humans and unicorns can only talk if the unicorn pierces their chest with a horn first, which is... interesting. Also, the Hunter who tried to kill Moonheart is sleeping in prison because the unicorns didn't know what else to do with him - so I'm sure that will be relevant later.

(Coville is also very insistent that the proper term for a group of unicorns is "glory" and will not hesitate to correct you.)

Anyway, Moonheart and Ivy have a special bond, and no one understands why, but everyone loves Ivy, even though she disappoints the Queen by being unable to stay in one place for very long. The Queen is upset when Ivy marries Jaques, to the point of causing a massive scene at the wedding, too.

Grimmwold gives Cara a jewel to bribe Ebillan with - Cara looks into it and has a vision of her mother, which disturbs her. Cara sneaks off her own and encounters Beloved again, only to wrench herself free and get lost. She rescues the injured gryphon Medafil, and they return to his nest.

Medafil claims that the Wanderer owes him a kiss, and Cara pays up for her absent grandmother once Medafil learns they're related. Medafil's nest is filled with all sorts of useful treasures, but Cara is most entranced with a seashell recording of Ivy's voice singing the "Song of the Wanderer," which she takes with them when they leave. Medafil agrees to help guide them to Ebillan, though he's very tsundere about it.

Cara trades the seashell to Ebillan in exchange for access to the cave and returns to Earth. She finds Beloved waiting for her. Turns out Beloved has been using the constellation called "The Ravager" to contact Cara, which strongly implies Beloved can see everything that goes on in Luster through the stars, which is super-creepy. A scuffle ensues over the amulet.

Jaques and Lightfoot appear out of nowhere and are taken prisoner by Beloved's men. Cara's father Ian turns against Beloved, and Beloved retreats, but Cara is devastated when Jaques reveals that she stole the amulet Thomas gave them and can launch an attack on Luster at last.

(On the one hand, this isn't surprising, because Thomas has a lot of hidden depths, but it isn't exactly foreshadowed so it just feels like it comes out of nowhere. But anyway, Nice Job Breaking It, y'all!)

Ivy Morris is upstairs but unconscious. Cara tries to wake her, and is drawn into a green prison between worlds. The unicorn queen's spirit appears and explains this is part of the Rainbow Prison. Cara realizes her mother must be in the red shaft of the rainbow, and Jaques is able to call them back to their bodies with the "Song of the Wanderer". Everyone returns to Luster, using Ivy's gift to return directly to the Queen rather than taking the long way back. Ian stays on Earth and vows to hunt down Cara's mother Martha and free her, since he realized Beloved has been using her as a pawn.

The Queen tells a story of her wayward daughter, Amalia Flickerfoot, and it becomes increasingly clear that Ivy is said unicorn who was transformed into a human to keep her from the hunters and lost her memories in the process. Amalia is restored to her true form, and is made the new Queen (to Lightfoot's intense relief) when the old Queen dies.

Yes, this makes Cara part unicorn, although I would argue,she's completely human because Ivy was human when she had kids and genetics doesn't work like that--but I admit, she is uniquely positioned to make peace between the warring parties now that her grandmother is the Queen of the Unicorns and her other grandmother is the Queen of the Hunters. So...

So Medafil is great - I can see why I put an expy of him in my own novel. Belle and Finder are interesting, but quickly fade into the background once Lightfoot and co. join the party, and it feels like there are too many characters competing for my attention. Running into Jaques feels a little contrived, but I like how he considers Cara his granddaughter regardless of their blood connections, and his acrobatics come in handy. Also, he gets to reconnect with his beloved ex-wife, but also... she's a unicorn now? AWKWARD.

Beloved is a great antagonist. I'm not sure I buy Ian's abrupt Face Heel Turn, but I'm willing to roll with it. (Can we just say how refreshing it is for a grown-ass man to admit his daughter is right and he was brainwashed his whole life? TALK ABOUT A POWER FANTASY THERE.) The sudden reveal of Thomas's amulet annoys me, but it succeeds in upping the stakes. The mystery of Ivy's past is well-handled, but I don't really like the whole rainbow prison bit. Ebillan's dragon angst is interesting and turns him into a more two-dimensional character.

We get our first mention of the human wizard Bellenmore who opened the gates, and also the possibility that the gates might close on their own. The delver subplot from Book One is mostly ignored, which is fine, because I don't really like them, but we're not allowed to forget they exist, either. The Squijum doesn't really do much except be annoying, I think.

I'm really sad there's not more Cara-Lightfoot conversation here. There is one thing where Cara asks if he's into Belle, but they don't get the time together they did in Book One. I started off hating Moonheart, but he grew on me, and I enjoy his grumpy relationship with Lightfoot.

I'd also like to know more about Thomas and his friendship with the dragon Fah-lieng that he alludes to, and how the geography of Luster works. Finder says there are still areas that aren't explored and I'm really curious what he's up to and how he got to be so well traveled.

#book reviews #unicorn chronicles #bruce coville #childhood influences

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littleladybaker · 4 years ago

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🍿, Bular/Bagdwella

I Can’t See Me Lovin’ Nobody But You!

“Tanta Dwella, Why do you want these old tapes? You can’t eat them!”

“Yeah! We need them back before Mama and Papa ask where they went!”

“No offence guys, but I don’t think Tanta Jay and Onkel O are going to go into the attic any time soon.”

Bagdwella laughed at her niece and nephews’ antics. She riffled through the old tape reals they had snuck out of the house for her to look through.

“I’m not going to eat them,” She promised, “Now. What would you three suggest?”

“That depends on the occasion,” Mary insisted mater of factly, “Some movies are good for watching alone but not good if you’re going to be watching with someone.”

“It also depends on how much time you have,” Jim agreed, “Lord of the Rings is really long and there’s three of them so you need a lot of time to watch them all.”

“What about for a little movie date with a special somebody?”

“Is it that somebody you still wont tell Mama and Tanta Barbara the name of?” Toby teased.

“That is none of your concern, Toby Bear.”

“If that’s the case, it depends on what he likes, Adventure or Slice of Life? Romance or Drama?”

“Well, we’ve only ever seen Grease together and he really seamed to like that.”

“I know just the movie,” Jim insisted.

LLB

Bagdwella slipped into the projector room quietly and began setting up. Bular wouldn’t be there for a little bit since Strickler had said he had a meeting tonight.

“Dwelly?”

“Gah! You’re early! I thought you’d be in your meeting for a little longer yet.”

Bular chuckled, “Advantages of being in charge, I can cancel the meeting if I want. Especially if it’s to get to you on our anniversary.”

Bagdwella felt her hearts warm at that, “You remembered?”

“Of course! How could I forget?” Bular grinned and held out their basket for snacks, “Though I do tend to get it mixed up with the night I first saw you.”

She smirked and pulled him down for a kiss.

“Well, if you brought the food then it’s a good thing I brought you the surprise I did.”

“Oh really?” He growled in her ear.

She giggled, “Yes. I convinced my niece and nephews to bring me some new movies for us to watch. Those whelps certainly know more about fleshbag movies than I ever will.”

She slipped out of his arms and over to turn on the movie. Bular took the snacks and settled in to wait for Bagdwella. As soon as she hit play, the trolless ran over to the pickup truck they always lay in to watch their movies. Bular swept her up and they turned to the screen for the opening narrations. At first, Bagdwella wondered why her godson had recommended a children’s movie. Then, a large green hand reached out and tore the page out of the story book. The narrator laughed. As the main character kicked open the door of his outhouse, they heard the opening chords of the opening song.

“Hey now, you’re an all star...”

Bular laughed. Bagdwella grinned and turned to grab a snack from the basket. Neither of them said much as they watched. The main character met his plucky sidekick, had his home invaded, and went on his daring quest, finding love he had never known along the way. There were plenty of times Bagdwella wondered how in earth her friends let their whelps watch such a movie.

As the movie drew to a close and the credits began to roll she rolled over to look up at her boyfriend, “Did you like it, Sweet Bun?”

“Much more than I thought I would,” Bular admitted, “I was a bit hesitant at the beginning. But it was actually very enjoyable.”

Bagdwella leaned up to kiss him.

“Hi, everybody and welcome to the...”

She turned back to the screen. The movie wasn’t over? Were other movies like this? What was going on?

Bular looked up, “I know this song. One of the changlings loves the singer. I’ve heard him singing it.”

The song changed, then again, and again! Bular’s tail hit against the bed of the truck in time with each song. Bagdwella bopped her head along. Then, the screen went dark and the credits continued to roll. The two trolls sat and stared.

“Well. That was something...”

“Yes it was. And you know what?”

“What?”

She grinned and grabbed his hand dragging him along on her way back to the projector room, “I can’t see me lovin’ nobody but you, for all my life...”

Bular laughed and swept her into his arms, twirling her around on their way into the projector room.

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guerilla935 · 5 years ago

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Modern Role Playing Games For People That Want To Get Into RPG‘s

You may have heard of a little game that’s come out recently called Final Fantasy VII Remake. There has been a lot of talk about this game having inspired a lot of people to play a game that they skipped back in the day or inspired them to pick up another RPG because they were so engaged in it. Final Fantasy VII Remake isn’t going to make it into this article because I haven’t had a chance to play it yet. But if you’ve always been curious about the RPG genre or maybe you have just finished Final Fantasy VII Remake and are hungry for more, I have a pretty good selection of RPG’s that could offer you the chance to get into a genre of games that maybe you hadn’t considered before. The games on the list are primarily “modern” and what I mean by that is the games will not be SNES era games but rather games that are probably more accessible and easier on the eyes. The games are (as always) limited to what I have had the chance to play. And the games that have been selected were chosen based on the following criteria: low complexity of combat, world building, leveling curve (lack of grinding), and visual appeal. Some of you may want to dive straight into the deep end and download some anime RPG on Steam or find a copy of Chrono Trigger or some certain PS1/NES era RPG and if you can do that then you are an absolute trooper but this post will focus on newer titles rather than the classics. Also if you want me to spotlight a game that you want to recommend put it in the notes because I love getting suggested games! And if you have any questions my messages are always open and I have all the free time to answer them. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way here are games that I recommend as good starting places if you want to get into RPG’s.

Kingdom Hearts

(PS2/PS3/PS4/XBOne)

Kingdom Hearts is a cross over series that blended the worlds of Final Fantasy with Disney. What makes this game attractive to new players is the Disney half and what hooks them in is the Final Fantasy half. The game is easy to pick up and keeps you consistently engaged in enough story and new locations to keep you wanting more after the credits role. The combat is easy, only requiring a few buttons and allows the player to advance effortlessly without having to worry about their gear or level. The platforming sections help form a cohesive world that is small enough to allow its player to mentally map the whole game easily. The game still tosses around complex themes and sullen moments so it is still very viable to play for adults even though it may take you a good while to start seeing the fruits of that. This is an easy pickup for anyone that is thinking that just maybe they want to try a role playing game that tells a large story in a manageable amount of time that doesn’t require a huge amount of your brain power to get through.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

(PC/PS4/PS3/XB360/XBOne/Switch/PSVR)

Skyrim is an open ended role playing game where you create a character and exist in a fantasy world full of dragons and wizards. It’s exactly what most people associate with when they think about fantasy and most of the time it is where people go when they want that sort of experience. If you are trying to play an RPG that tells bite sized stories but includes enough world building to have you reading Skyrim history books until 4 in the morning then perhaps Skyrim is a good game to try. The controls are similar to any other first person game so if you are not familiar with that then there is a learning curve attached to it, other than that there is a wide range of difficulties that allow just about anyone to be able to play through the game. The snowy vistas make this game a beautiful option and the way that the scope of the world reaches miles in front of you gives a really liberating sense of freedom. Skyrim has the potential to become a hardcore obsession but also allows a lighter and more casual experience for people who just want to see main stories.

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

(PS4/PC)

Ni No Kuni II is a fun game that applies big ideas into digestible pieces. The combat is very simple to learn and fun to exploit. The game adds a strategy mode where you command troops that isn’t awesome but also introduces a town building mechanic that is easy to understand and gives you a visual sense of progression. The story is awesome and keeps the world of Ni No Kuni grounded into its fantastical fantasy setting that borrows a lot from everyday life. The game borrows from the art of Studio Ghibli and is heavily inspired by movies like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. If any of that sounds like it is interesting to you then this is easily a fun opportunity to bring a unique RPG into your gaming library.

Pokemon Sword and Shield

(Switch)

I’m willing to admit two things. The first being that I truly believe that Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were the best Pokemon games and that normally I would recommend that someone just play that game instead. However, the second is that Pokemon Sword and Shield are the definitive versions of Pokemon that rid the game of the dated mechanics of previous titles. Pokemon is the monster taming game, the game is a celebration of being able to constantly change who you are playing as and it feels endlessly personal. Pokemon is a great intro to turn based combat that does a great job teaching things like elemental weaknesses and speed stats. This is definitely the easiest, most customizable, and cute, way to enter the RPG genre.

Persona 5 Royal

(PS4)

Persona 5 Royal is the definitive version of Persona 5 which is the latest installment in the Shin Megami Tensei spinoff series called Persona. The game is about balancing daily high school life with traveling into another dimension to fight shadows. The game has a lot of things in it, a day to day manager, a dating sim, turn based RPG, fishing, darts, batting cage, etc. Persona 5 also drips with style, from the amazing art to the fantastic soundtrack. The combat takes some learning but if you set the difficulty all the way down it becomes an accessible experience at no cost to the gripping story. You are guaranteed to fall in love with this game if you end up playing it and it’s bound to create an obsession that has you playing Persona 4 as well as Persona 3. This is an intimidating game to start but with the difficulty set low you really can’t mess up the other portions of the game so there is always a good way to make sure you can experience one of the best games on the PS4.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

(Switch/PS4/3DS/PC)

Dragon Quest XI is the funniest game on this list. The writing also ironically follows plot lines from other media like Marvel Cinematic Universe or Dragon Ball. You’ll also notice that the game looks a lot like Dragon Ball so if you ever wanted a Dragon Ball fantasy RPG then you might be in luck. The story is driven home by its amazing cast and continues to supply the player with things to do way after the credits have rolled. The turn based combat is very traditional so maybe try this game if you don’t mind learning an older style of game play presented in a fun and easy to understand setting. Dragon Quest XI is guaranteed to hook you in with its likeable characters and grand story telling, if you are at all attracted by the promises of dumb humor, excellent writing, and incomparable character development you should plan on purchasing this game.

Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn

(PS4/PC)

An MMO is an RPG too. And as I’m writing this the current best place to live a virtual life is in Final Fantasy XIV. As someone who has tried almost every free to play MMO on the market I can say with absolute certainty that you get what you pay for and the subscription to FFXIV is worth every cent if you want to get into an MMO. The game is large and intimidating and complex, however, the game is also home to one of the friendliest communities I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with and they make the game as special as it is. This is why people that don’t even like video games are drawn to FFXIV because it is an amazing social experience that also happens to be an amazing MMO experience. The story is the best in terms of MMO story lines and the combat is vast boasting 18 completely unique combat classes. I can’t recommend this game enough and if you have ever considered an MMO then I can guarantee you that this is the one that you want to be playing.

Fantasy Life

(3DS)

Fantasy Life is a game about grinding professions. It looks like Animal Crossing and kind of plays like Animal Crossing would if you could also slay beasts and smith armor in that game. If you are familiar with Life Sim games then this is just the fantasy RPG version of that. The game gives you a job and makes it insanely fun to do that job with fun mini games and a rewarding economy system. This is the “relaxing” game on the list so if you like games like Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon and you may want to try more combat heavy games then this is a great Segway into that genre of game.

Diablo III

(PC/Mac/PS3/PS4/XB360/XBOne/Switch)

Diablo III is probably the most famous ARPG which just means that you are looking down from an isometric point of view and are typically facing hordes of monsters to achieve hordes of loot. I would say that Path of Exile might be catching up fast to Diablo but if you want to ease into an ARPG then Diablo III is much more forgiving. The game is instantly rewarding and gives you a lot of customization with your skills and appearance. This game tells an epic story but has too much game in between story beats to make it worth playing for. Although I would recommend this game to a new player that only wants to play an RPG for its gear management and game play versatility without having to sit through endless cut scenes.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

(Switch)

In Fire Emblem: Three Houses you play as the combat teacher of one of three groups of kids. You decide what they learn and how well they get at it. The game is a strategy RPG so you are using your brain a bit more to assess situations than the other games on this list. However, Fire Emblem streamlines the system into something easy to understand that is accessible to most new players. While I don’t recommend this game to every new RPG player I’d say that if you really want a game that makes you think rather than hit buttons randomly than you might enjoy the deeper engagement that this game offers. Note that the Fire Emblem series is known for using a very evil emotional weapon called “party member perma-death” which you can absolutely turn off if you would like a less stressful experience. Or live for the thrill, I won’t tell you what to do.

Final Fantasy XV

(PS4/XBOne/PC)

Final Fantasy XV isn’t a normal Final Fantasy game. It is a road trip that you can’t truly appreciate unless you get distracted. Over the years RPG’s have been known for putting a large amount of side activities in their games, Final Fantasy XV takes its story and encases it in casual game play that involves long drive and lots of fishing and camping. This game is not for everyone but its more casual approach will appeal to a newer audience than a hardened veteran of the Final Fantasy series. People looking for their first RPG won’t be totally swayed by the story here but they will have seen that the journey can be fun if you let it.

So You Wanna Start An RPG

Take it from someone who has played the opening hours of a lot of games and then quit that sometimes you just can’t get yourself to like a game. You owe it to yourself to find in entertainment something that you like. I consider myself more of a casual RPG player, I’ve never beaten any of the classics and I can hardly finish a lot of the RPG’s that I own now. But I think that fickleness makes me a good source to recommend a good RPG for people that may not have the patience to play through a Final Fantasy IV or a Golden Sun. Also remember not to rule out experiences just because people say that they are “bad” because opinions are subjective to you personally. RPG’s have the power to tell moving and important stories, and as a player of them I hope I’ve given anyone reading this some incentive to experience a larger than life story.

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wyrmmaster · 5 years ago

Note

I started granblue recently on large part because of your posting about it. What happed with Yuel thata got you so upset?

Okay, I’m tempted to point you to some of my other posts but I’m not gonna do that and instead I’ll use this ask as a place to lay everything out, both for my sake and everyone else’s - sorry, this might get long.

Right, so. In the beginning you have Yuel. Unusually for an Erune, she has a massive tail on top of larger than average ears.

Yuel’s a bumpkin, a hyperactive goofball, and generally just all around a nice person. Yuel, bless her heart, is on a quest to discover artifacts that belong to the ancient royal family she serves to return it to glory but is a bit scatterbrained and can’t focus on one thing for too long so really she’s just On an Adventure™. You learn that beneath that ADD is an incredibly perceptive woman that can deduce the exact emotional state of everyone around her and cleverly cheer them up or offer them support without ever seeming to actually go out of her way to do it. She gets people to loosen up and enjoy themselves, even if they’’re miserable.

Later, you have Societte. Like, Yuel, she has a massive tail and larger than average ears.

Her introduction to you is freezing solid a small army of monsters that had you cornered. Societte is grace given physical form but, bless her heart, is shy to the point where even after that display of power she can’t actually talk to you. You guys just patiently interpret her mumbles and slight gestures until you get the gist. Turns out Societte’s the princess of that ancient royal family, and Yuel’s nominal master. You learn that the earlier freezing wasn’t a fluke: beneath that shyness is solid steel. Societte is powerful, brave, and fiercely protective even to her own detriment.

Through Societte, you learn that this ancient family ruled an empire lost to time under a benevolent nine-tailed fox goddess that gave them her power.

They meet in your crew, on your ship.

Yuel discovers that Societte is The Princess™ - this shocks her. She knew that Societte was Important, the local village ojou, but not the level of quasi-religious importance that she actually has. Yuel gets angry that she wasn’t told. They’re old friends, you see. More than that. Even this early on it doesn’t take much reading between the lines to assume they’re actually a romantic item.

Societte starts sobbing because she wanted to tell Yuel everything, she wanted to go with her when she left the village. But the knowledge that she’s the princess is dangerous. There are a lot of murderous people that are after her, to try and get rich. Some of them murdered her parents while she watched.

Turns out the tails and bigger ears are signs of the lineage, and massive red targets. This has given Societte a complex about her ears and tail, and in some of her homescreen lines she outright asks if they bother you and says she’s doesn’t want them.

So, to protect Yuel, she doesn’t say anything and lets her go far away. Then she leaves the village, to try and find out why all this is happening and to protect them from any more roaming bandits that come after her.

The two reconnect and Yuel gets Societte to calm down and look at her journey through a different lens: Societte’s not guilty of anything, she’s not on her miserable quest out of penance or obligation, the cruel world that’s taken so much from her and made her so scared isn’t all bad. They’re together now, and they’re gonna get to the bottom of this - together, as it should’ve been.

Now, enter Yuel’s 5-star fates.

This story obviously focuses on Yuel, and how she feels about Societte and her own role in the grand scheme of this situation. Yuel loves Societte more than anything, but she’s a bit jealous. Societte as mentioned is grace given physical form. Societte is gorgeous, extremely powerful, and a flawless dancer with natural talent that Yuel will never compare to.

However, we learn that Yuel is also a princess - and heavily implied to be the real heir over Societte. Remember: the ears and tail are signs of the heritage.

So, Yuel’s found some ancestral weapons of her own. They’re hers, and they give her memories of a dance, and she does it flawlessly - once. This unlocks her true power and massively boosts her magic.

But she can’t do that dance again. Just can’t. Societte tries to teach her, but again, Yuel does’t have her talent. She fails over and over again and gets angry.

That nine-tailed fox goddess doesn’t approve. Thinks Yuel’s a failure, and useless. Unworthy. So she turns that increased power back on Yuel and starts cooking her alive with her own fire.

This is alleviated when Yuel stops trying to follow an ancient dance and just does whatever comes to mind. Channel herself into the dance, yeah? And she ends up with something more special and beautiful than the traditional dance. Ninetails approves, and stops trying to kill her.

Moral: Yuel is special and talented in her own way; not lesser than Societte, if not exactly equal. They set out anew on the journey with the knowledge that both of them have much bigger roles in this than they assumed.

Then you have Societte’s fire version.

This story focuses on Societte’s trauma. She goes back to where her parents were murdered in an attempt to remember the dance they were doing there and do it herself to finish whatever they were trying to accomplish.

We learn that there’s more to this whole thing than there appeared to be - a fragment of Ninetails’ power is sealed in a stone, and it’s pumping out extremely dangerous poison gas. And it’s spreading more each day. This is not the only stone. And the gas will spread from all of them until the world dies.

Turns out Lady Ninetails ain’t so nice. They’re given visions their ancestors - Societte’s foremost among them - using the ritual dances in front of Ninetails, and channeling her power.

Here, Societte finds her true motivation and overcomes her grief. She will do what she must for the people she loves. She’s got to do what she needs to do, to save everyone. The journey continues on a very solemn but no less hopeful note.

Interlude: Summer Yuel.

We see how close the two are. Yuel follows a Societte who’s grown mostly out of her shyness and can apparently go out and meet people, sparking conversation herself. The change in behavior is so marked Yuel’s flabbergasted, and assumes she started dating someone.

But no, Societte was just doing that to find out where the best vacation spots in the area are and to commission swimwear for the two of them. They enjoy a fun evening with each other and the crew.

The fate episode ends with what amounts to a love confession.

Now, where it could’ve been great but starts to fall apart.

Their first event, Forgiveness and Gratitude.

Enter Kou.

Through him, we learn there were nine royal families, ranked from first to ninth.

We learn that Societte is the scion of the First, and Yuel of the Third.

Turns out that the empire was built around these families sealing an evil Ninetails away and stealing her power to bring about a golden age.

Kou for his part is of the Ninth. This family was mistreated, and basically used as nigh worthless servants by the other eight. In a bid for power, the Ninth betrayed the other eight and sided with Ninetails. The legends about her being a benevolent goddess and the royal families having a shitload of treasure were fabricated by them in order to set bandits after the heirs of the other families as the empire eventually fell apart, so the Ninth would be the only ones left.

Kou was supposed to Ninetails’s vessel so she could return to the world and conquer it.

But…. Now there’s two better candidates. One of them is super gullible and kind.

He tricks Societte into throwing herself on the chopping block instead.

This is important: Ninetails is ecstatic over this. Using Kou was like finding a broken, rusted sword. Getting Societte? The Scion of the First? Finding a fucking chaingun with fifty belts of rounds. She is by far the superior vessel, because again, Societte is just that talented and powerful.

This is solved by Yuel being Yuel, and using her bond with Societte to save her from the possession. Yuel, the freed Societte, and an apologetic Kou work together to defeat the apparition of Ninetails’s power.

That? That’s good. Don’t like how quickly Kou was forgiven, but it’s serviceable.

The bad part? The event is stuffed with onee-chan /ss/ jokes. And people ate it up.

So, we get the event that never should’ve happened.

We get Kou and The Hollow Existence. An event with a character’s name in the damn title.

This event, as you’d guess, focuses on Kou. Turns out the little dude’s actually the FInal Boss for Ninetails. He knows everything, and is inexplicably the most talented and powerful now. He’s the hero. Remember: he’s supposed to be the failure. The spare. The “I’ll take what I can get” for Ninetails. Not so anymore. With zero setup or explanation.

Then we get You. You is a cheap knockoff of Kou, but a Girl This Time, both in and out of story. It’s an actual plot point. You’s being tricked by Ninetails, who’s using her resentment to fuel a revenge streak. Ninetails is gonna use You as a vessel when she’s strong enough. Kou saves her from Ninetails and helps her out of her funk. By himself.

Yuel and Societte’s impact on this event is nonexistent. The major players and main characters don’t do shit but get jobbed and have extremely skeevy shotacon bait moments with Kou. There’s an entire scene dedicated to Yuel intentionally making him uncomfortable by trying to get him in a bath with the two of them.

Yuel goes from emotionally perceptive and kind to a near molester. Societte’s character development is scrapped entirely and it’s like she’s who she was in her first fate episode.

This event quite literally invalidated everything that came before it. Everything was scrapped to make Kou the hero and pander to shotacon fans.

That’s the end of their story.

It’s bullshit.

#gallingsiren

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flopsider · 4 years ago

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What Makes a Paper Mario Game Great?

*This post was turned into a script for a Game Domain video which I’ll post here once it’s out!

The Paper Mario game series has undergone massive changes with its last few installments. Most fans can agree that the first 3 (or, if you’re strictly fond of the formula from Paper Mario 64 and The Thousand Year Door, the first 2) games achieved something brilliant. They cemented Mario’s role in the RPG world, providing players with unforgettable experiences that left many with powerful nostalgia and an urge to revisit the titles as they grew older. However, with the newer titles, the gaming community’s feelings on the franchise have been shaken. Once Nintendo began to develop Paper Mario as an Action-Adventure series, many fans were left feeling like the company stopped listening to its fans and were taking the series in an unwelcome new direction. For some fans, however, particularly younger players who are just now discovering the Paper Mario games through the newer titles, these new changes and formulas offer some very enjoyable experiences. Undoubtedly, nostalgia plays a huge role in how we view video games, but there is more at play here than just sentiment. The question I’d like to pose, then, is “What Makes a Paper Mario Game Great?”

Let’s take a look at the individual games and see which areas they thrive in, and what holds them back. Keep in mind that every opinion listed here is just that: an opinion. I’ve tried to be objective in my analyses here, but like all people, I have biases and nostalgia which affect my opinions of video games, so don’t take what I say as the undisputed truth. This is simply my attempt to answer the question posed as best as I can, so if you disagree, let me know peacefully and respectfully in the comments!

Paper Mario 64

I feel like this game is the perfect entry to the series. It has a charming art style that I feel still holds up, offers fantastic gameplay and controls and a solid battle system, and has memorable characters. The main things that hold it back are the more basic storyline and villain, and the less unique character types compared to the next 2 games. However, both of these things can be forgiven since it was the first entry to the series. The chapters are all joys to explore, the leveling system is satisfying and allows for customization, and the badges are a great way to personalize Mario based on your playstyle. Paper Mario 64 laid the groundwork for the games that would follow, and most of the aspects of its formula would evolve throughout the next two entries.

Paper Mario: TTYD

There’s not much I can say about this that hasn’t been said before, but in summary, this game took everything that made Paper Mario 64 great and evolved it into something phenomenal. It built upon the battle system, offering what is widely considered to be the best battling in any Paper Mario game. The audience feature made battles livelier and more exciting, offering further incentive to pursue optional enemy encounters. It gave players new attacks and new ways to orchestrate them, with less repetitive actions than in the first game. It offered a much deeper, darker story with compelling antagonists, partners and NPCs unique to this game which made the world feel alive, and side quests that allowed you to progress through the game and level up your character in a less linear way. The world was crafted beautifully, with areas that stand out in many players’ memories and are far less formulaic than the typical Mario worlds. There were tons of secrets and areas to explore, as well as the first iteration of the Pit of 100 Trials, a side quest arguably more challenging than the game’s final boss. It’s no wonder this is likely the most acclaimed Paper Mario title to date.

Super Paper Mario

First and foremost, I have tons of nostalgia for SPM. It’s maybe my favorite video game of all time, or at least in the top 3. It’s the first Paper Mario game I ever played (I was 7 or 8 years old and have since replayed it many times), and when I played it I had never heard of Paper Mario. There’s a chance that if I instead played 64 and/or TTYD first, I’d be more partial to those games because of nostalgia. However, I truly believe that, nostalgia aside, SPM provides the best overall game experience. I also think that if SPM had come first, and the creators then shifted into a more straightforward RPG style over time, it would be less polarizing.

The move away from turn based combat and into the more classic Mario platforming/real time combat was bold, but not universally appreciated. I totally get why some people feel it was a bad change. If you were in love with the camera perspective, movement, and combat mechanics of the first two, this may be less fulfilling. However, if you are a huge fan of platformers, then it’s certainly a welcome new angle. And if you’re like me and you grew up enamored with classic 2-D Mario platforming action, but also fell in love with the style, RPG elements, and stories of the first two Paper Mario games, then you’ll likely find the perfect mix of the two in SPM. Plus, I feel like turn based combat was never the basis of the Paper Mario franchise, or at least was not the core concept that made the games great. Some people disagree with that, but I personally believe that all the before listed criteria make up the greatness that is the Paper Mario series, and I think Super Paper Mario lives up to them. Despite its many differences, Super Paper Mario felt like a true successor to TTYD. The graphics were quite similar aside from the camera angles, the dialogue and storytelling were stylistically similar but done even better this time around, and several elements were revisited such as the Pit of 100 Trials. I loved the turn-based combat in 64 and TTYD, but I also adored the platforming and real time combat of SPM. Overall, I just feel SPM has the most to offer and provides the most unique, thrilling, and memorable experience. The New 2-D / 3-D switch feature quite literally adds a whole new dimension to the game. I think this is super interesting and fun to use, and it allows for more interesting level and puzzle design. It offered a nice balance since much of the game is played 2-D style whereas the first two entries were set in a 3-D space. Without the 3-D option it’d still be a great game, but might end up feeling a little basic by comparison. The Pixls, in my opinion, are a fantastic reimagining of the partner system. Since the game ditched turn-based combat in favor of platforming combat, the Pixls affect your movement, attack, and defense abilities in real time and can be swapped quickly. This makes platforming, fighting, and movement in general more fun and varied. In my opinion, they’re a fresh take on partners, and even though I love the old partner system, I see this as a welcome new take on it. Flipside and Flopside serve as effective and memorable hub worlds where you can touch base after exploring other dimensions. They have tons of explorable areas, puzzles, characters, and secrets, all of which contribute to the world development. The NPC’s helped add depth and contribute to the lore, with the Flipside and Flopside bartenders being the best examples. The ability to play as 4 different characters, each with different special abilities and movement characteristics was a huge step forward and made the level design much more interesting. In several areas, you have to utilize all available characters to access certain areas, some secret and some required. The best example of this in my opinion is in Castle Bleck, where in order to effectively maneuver around the platforming challenges and access secret areas you have to take advantage of Mario’s ability to flip into 3-D, Peach’s parasol gliding, and Luigi’s super jump, while Bowser is your key to easily clearing rooms of tough enemies. Maybe the least controversial thing I could say about this game is that it has a phenomenal story, the best of any Paper Mario game to date in my opinion. It’s darker than any other Mario game I’ve played, and despite its cartoony appearance, the stakes were higher than ever. It had incredibly memorable characters, small bits of backstory at the end of each chapter which slowly reveal the connection between the antagonist and Mario’s partner Tippi, excellent dialogue and humor, and a darker plot than any Mario game I’ve played. This is balanced by the game’s colorful visuals and soundtrack which make it a joy to play. The game had an inspired world design with bold style choices. For example, in the space levels of Chapter 4, the game temporarily becomes a Defender type horizontal space shoot ‘em up. It was a perfect blend of the RPG style from the first two games and the side scrolling platforming of older Super Mario games. The music is a fantastic mix of retro and modern, a concept mirrored in the graphics and gameplay. All in all, Super Paper Mario is a perfect blend of old and new.

Okay, clearly, I have a lot of love for this game. But I want to be as objective as possible here, so let’s look at some of its shortcomings. The XP system was more basic than the first two games. It being present was a huge plus, but when you level up, it upgrades a predetermined stat (HP or attack) as opposed to you having stat customization. Along these same lines, the lack of badges meant less customization and attack options. Level design wise, some areas felt somewhat empty in 3-D. I didn’t really feel like this as a kid, but as an adult I feel like they could’ve done more with the 3-D perspective in certain areas. In some places, they totally nailed it though.

That brings us to the more recent, more divisive action-adventure titles. To preface, I have the least experience with these games, and the majority of my familiarity with them is from reading articles and watching videos which analyze them and compare them to the older games. So I’ll try not to be too critical, as I’d like to play them all the way through before completely solidifying my opinion on them. That being said, you can learn a lot about a game by watching gameplay footage and reading analyses of them, so I’ll do what I can to go over their pros and cons.

For all three of the newest titles, it’s worth noting that I didn’t include the world being made of Paper in the list of what makes these games great. I don’t hate the jokes, comments, or visual references to paper and crafts in these games. In fact, sometimes I think they’re quite clever and add to the feel of the game. However, in the first 3 “classic” Paper Mario games, it wasn’t a major point of plot or world development, but rather something casually referenced in some well-timed jokes. In fact, the first game wasn’t even meant to be a paper based world. It had many titles in development, and the one directly preceding Paper Mario was Mario Story. The name Paper Mario, more than anything, is a reference to the art style being reminiscent of a pop-up book, and is not the basis of the gameplay or world creation. At least until the more recent games, that is. Sticker Star, Color Splash, and Origami King all base many core gameplay mechanics, the visuals, much of the humor, and even some of the world development on everything being made of paper. This is a cute idea, and the graphics in the newer games are undeniably vibrant and beautiful, but it ends up holding the newer games back only because they focus more on paper gimmicks than they do the story, unique character design, and gameplay. To be fair, I haven’t played the newer games completely, and from what I’ve seen, Origami King looks like a phenomenal stand-alone game and a much stronger Paper Mario entry than SS or CS. I just think Arlo summed it up perfectly when he said, “We didn’t love Paper Mario because it was paper, we loved it because it was Mario’s story.” That being said, let’s look at each game and see what they have going for them.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

This is easily the most universally criticized Paper Mario title. Every so often you’ll find someone who will defend it, but for the most part, the fans of the series see this as the point where the games took a turn for the worse. Instead of just adding to the overwhelming pile of hatred for the game, I’m going to try and discuss some specific things that hold it back while giving it credit where credit is deserved. Sticker Star is not irredeemable. It has some of the charm the series is known for, some solid dialogue and humor, and appealing visuals. Unfortunately, there’s not too much more I can give it credit for, at least in the context of the other games in the series. So much of what made the first 3 games great were lost here. One of the most obvious steps backward is the near-total lack of original characters. Instead of a world packed with new NPCs and enemies with distinct personalities, the game almost exclusively utilizes classic Super Mario characters. You’ll see plenty of toads, goombas, and koopas here, and not anything in the realm of demonic shadow queens, members of ancient tribes, or mysterious cape and monocle wearing antagonists threatening the existence of all worlds. The villain here is Bowser, which is not just disappointing because it’s formulaic, but it almost feels like it separates the franchise even further from its roots because of Super Paper Mario’s inclusion of Bowser as a protagonist. The battle system also fails to reward you for entering into enemy encounters, and feels much more basic than the previous games. Overall, my main criticism of this game is that it took several steps backwards and not enough steps forward to justify them.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

This game improved upon the action-adventure formula of Sticker Star in almost every way. In that way, it can be seen as a parallel to TTYD, which improved upon its predecessor’s formula. The difference is, TTYD’s predecessor established a formula that was already phenomenal, whereas the groundwork Sticker Star laid for Color Splash was far weaker. Most of the criticisms I have for Sticker Star could be echoed about this game, just less harshly. Speaking more positively, this game had gorgeous visuals (second only to The Origami King), excellent dialogue and humor, and some creative levels, such as the section where you operate the cannons aboard a sailing battleship.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

Overall, The Origami King looks to be the strongest Paper Mario entry in years. It seems to have developed the action-adventure formula of its two immediate predecessors, while including a handful of RPG elements. The battle system is both new and familiar - it’s turn based, but the ring system adds a puzzle element that, to some players, makes battles much more enjoyable and to some distracts from the battling itself. Utilizing the rings, it seems like there are far more creative ways to reach your opponents, but far fewer creative ways to actually attack them. Once again, the world and characters are more formulaic, relying heavily on classic Super Mario locations and characters. However, this game offers more uniqueness than the previous two, starting with the non-Bowser antagonist. The fact that King Olly has a previous close relationship with Mario’s main partner Olivia is reminiscent of Count Bleck and Tippi from Super Paper Mario. This provides the foundation for a better story than Sticker Star or Color Splash. In addition, the visuals are undeniably beautiful. It has the best graphics of any Paper Mario game, and some areas are truly striking, particularly the desert oasis area. The huge con of this game is that is triples down on Nintendo’s shifting of the Paper Mario series away from its RPG roots and toward a more formulaic action-adventure approach. The major positive is that it seems to be a solid game in its own right, one which makes much better use of the new formula than Sticker Star or Color Splash did. It’s got loads of charm and some solid gameplay, but if you’re looking for an experience comparable to the first 2 or 3 Paper Mario games, you’ll likely be left wanting something different from it.

So let’s return to the original question. Based on what we discussed about each title, what makes a Paper Mario game great? I’ve done my best to narrow down what I consider to be the 10 most important criteria that, when met sufficiently, provide the best possible Paper Mario experience. These are:

A compelling story with unique characters

Partners to assist in combat and movement

Clever dialogue

Visually appealing art style

Exploration

Puzzles and Secrets

Cohesive world design with unique areas

An XP system which rewards combat

World development and lore

And finally, a willingness to go darker than other Mario games

There are plenty of other criteria I could add to the list, but these are the main ones which stood out to me as I analyzed each game for their strengths and weaknesses.

Answering the question of what makes a Paper Mario game great is not a simple task, nor is it an objective one. As I said before, my nostalgia for Super Paper Mario is a huge part of why I discuss it so positively. I truly believe it’s worthy of the praise, and I stand by the opinions I’ve stated for the other games as well, but my thoughts on each game in this series are my own, and many of you will and should have different thoughts on them. So share them in the comments, and keep it respectful!

#paper mario #nintendo #video games #mario #super paper mario #paper mario ttyd #paper mario 64

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 5 years ago

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HPHM Prediction/Headcanon - The Looming Love Triangle

It’s no secret that the majority of the Hogwarts Mystery fandom wanted to romance their favorite characters, and Jam City answered our call with the Celestial Ball and First Date Side-Quests. But the side-quests have always been something of a divergent canon. Even if you pick the same character for both events, they don’t become your significant other in the canon story-line. The canon has basically steered clear of romance altogether.

Well, for the most part.

“I’ve never told anyone this, but I fancy her.”

Hey, remember that line? Whatever happened with that sub-plot, anyway? If you tell Jae that you fancy Penny, the game proceeds to have MC confess to her, without player input, at the worst possible time - the only way to canonize your feelings for Penny is to put even more stress on her shoulders. When MC confesses to her, she reasonably points out that she’s too worried about Beatrice to even think about who she has a crush on. However, MC and Penny agree to have that conversation later, once Beatrice is safe.

Then...nothing. MC and Penny never have that conversation, even after Beatrice is rescued. Sure, come sixth year, Penny is still worried about her sister for all new reasons. Plus, MC has enough on their platter trying to track Jacob and Rakepick, as well as keeping Merula and “New” Ben in check. But there isn’t even a mention of this sub-plot.

And it’s not like there wasn’t an opportunity, either.

At the end of Year Five, MC has a scene with Penny and Beatrice. They bring out the stuffed Puffskein that Beatrice made for them. Penny thanks MC for rescuing her, and offers sympathy for what happened in the Underground Vault. At this point in the story, Beatrice is safe, and still mostly acting like her old self. She hasn’t pulled away from Penny. She hasn’t gone Goth-Beatrice yet. So this would have been the perfect opportunity for MC and Penny to talk about their feelings for each other. But it doesn’t happen. Penny’s promise amounts to nothing. Choosing to fancy Penny amounts to nothing.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Jam City originally planned to involve romance in the main story of Year Five, more than they ultimately did. At the same time that MC can confess to Penny, we get dialogue options like asking Hagrid what he knows about romance, and Diego asking if we have a crush. This is all in-story. I suspect that romance was going to feature more prominently in Year Five’s narrative, but the developers ultimately changed their minds and put these events into Timed Side-Quests instead. Which leaves Penny the only character that we can canonically crush on, but even doing so goes nowhere. It almost seems like the developers hope that MC/Penny shippers will be satisfied with the dating side-quests, and just want everyone to forget about that sub-plot.

Then of course...there’s Merula.

I’m gonna say something that might offend people outside of the Pro-Merula crowd. I’m gonna say something controversial, and brave - Jacob’s Sibling canonically finds Merula attractive. I don’t say this to step on anyone’s head-canons, or interpretations of their own MC. I don’t say this to anger the Anti-Merula crowd. But it’s there in the text. Which isn’t to say that they’re in love with Merula, or that the ship is canon. Just that a certain attraction is there, and that’s clear from the flavor text in Care of Magical Creatures. From MC dwelling on Merula’s “elusive” scent and trying to figure out what it is...to comparing her to creatures and referring to her as “Dangerous, guarded, and weirdly cute.” To MC literally drawing her as different magical creatures.These things aren’t based on player choices, they happen regardless.

In general, the ship-tease between these two characters has been off-the-charts. I don’t say that as a Merula/MC fan, I say it as someone who can pick up on cues. Everywhere you turn, there are lines like “I’ve never seen you this angry before. I like it.” and “I always knew you liked having me around.” Don’t even get me started on the “Merula Snyde Infatuation” scene. Penny may have the most exposure, but Merula is, or was, an antagonist - which allows her to directly affect the story in more dynamic ways. It creates a relationship that is essentially everything Drarry fans ever wanted. By the time we reach the chapter “About Merula” the development of MC’s relationship with Merula is unmatched.

And then, she met Jacob.

In addition to everything else, retreating back into her shell and going through PTSD after the events of the Portrait Vault, Merula has found herself a new crush. Jacob hasn’t been back for long, but he’s managed to single-handedly infuriate half of the HPHM Fandom by being the new object of Merula’s affections, even though he barely acknowledges her existence. Several people consider this the final straw with Merula, and are jumping ship. But if you think this is Jam City trying to make the MC/Merula pairing less popular, think again.

Because for the second time in the game, the player has the opportunity, in-story, to canonize romantic feelings for another character. And of course, it’s Merula. She asks point-blank if you’re jealous of her fancying Jacob, and you can say yes. The Dating Side-quests, if you’ve completed them and romanced Merula, will get a mention. But they aren’t required or anything. Now in Year Six, players can confess romantic feelings to Merula. That’s why their doing this. Merula’s crush on Jacob is nothing more than a means to an end, a plot device used to further the relationship of an MC/Merula pairing for the players who want that. Come on, you really think they’re going to make Merula and Jacob end-game? He’s like, six years older than her and they’ve held maybe one conversation. Jam City has made their mistakes in the past, but I think they’re smarter than that.

But what happens if you canonize a crush on Merula, after doing the same thing for Penny?

Probably nothing, right? Guess again. Players thought nothing of it when they asked different characters out for the First Date TLSQ than they did for the Celestial Ball. The character that the Player leaves behind feels jealous and hurt. (Unless you picked Ismelda, Ben, or Rowan. For whatever reason, Jam City seems to have withdrawn them as potential love-interests and ret-conned the Celestial Ball into being a “just-friends” type of date for those three characters. I’m sure the shippers are so grateful for that, JC...) My point being that they’ve surprised us in the past with this sort of thing. I fully expect Penny and Jacob’s Sibling to revisit the conversation they had in fifth year, for Players who chose to fancy her. And for Players who have since chosen to fancy Merula, don’t be surprised if there are consequences for it.

What I’m saying is, there’s going to be a love triangle.

Maybe it will be relegated to a side-quest, but I doubt it. I’m expecting both Penny and Merula to admit feelings for Jacob’s Sibling, and in-story, the Player will have the opportunity to choose between them. Or choose neither. For players who prefer other characters, or would rather have their MC remain single, they’ll need to have that option as well. Expect Penny, Merula, or both of them to call you out if you admitted feelings on both occasions the game let you.

It just makes sense. Jam City has been giving special attention to Merula and Penny from the beginning, and portraying them as foils of each other, similar to how Rowan and Ben foil each other. But if all of this isn’t proof enough for you, then I refer you to the time Jam City uploaded the image below, with the caption “If you could only choose one...”

CHECKMATE

#HPHM #Harry Potter #HP #Hogwarts Mystery #Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery #HPHM Headcanons #HPHM MC #Jacob's Sibling #HPHM Jacob #HPHM Penny #Penny Haywood #HPHM Merula #Merula Snyde #Penny Haywood x Jacob's Sibling #Merula Snyde x Jacob's Sibling #MC x Penny #MC x Merula #Jacob's Sibling x Merula #Jacob's Sibling x Penny

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