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splatsvilles-fashionista · 1 year ago

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Splatoon 3 Version 6.0 Patch Notes Breakdown

Been a little bit since I did one of these, but Nintendo released the Chill Season 2023 patch notes about three hour ago, and while in terms of balance changes this is one of the smallest patches ever, it's got a ton of quality-of-life changes, so let's dig in, shall we?

So let's start from the top. In terms of new content, this patch includes a new catalog, two new stages (Robo ROM-en and Bluefin Depot), two new Specials (Splattercolor Screen and Triple Splashdown), nine new weapons, two new multiplayer songs, the new King Salmonid Megalodontia, and eleven new Tableturf cards.

Additionally, you'll note that they're including a line about giving you one Sheldon License at the end of each season. This is actually really relevant to a change coming down in line, so tuck that in the back of your mind for later.

The balance changes are all buffs, but they're relatively minor, and only six Main weapons and one Special are seeing any changes this time around.

Starting off, .96 Gal is having its ink efficiency buffed by 8%. It currently gets 40 shots on a full ink tank, so I wager this increases that number by about 5-10, but it's 5 AM my time at time of writing and I am bad at math, so I don't know for sure.

Ranged Blaster's explosions get a 15% paint buff. Note that this applies only to the final explosion and not the trail, so it's not a straight 15% paint buff.

Dread Wringer gets a 10% ink efficiency buff, and since it currently has ten sloshes on a full tank, that increases that number to eleven.

And finally, for Main Weapon changes the Heavy Edit Splatling now paints more. Unlike the Ranged Blaster's paint buff this is a lot harder to gauge, but Heavy Edit's paint can be kind of spotty and inefficient, so this is undoubtedly a good thing for it.

After that, we've got only two points-for-Special changes.

Jet Squelcher and L-3 Nozzlenose both get some points shaved off their Specials, taking their Ink Vac and Crab Tank to 180p and 190p respectively. On one hand, I am biased and hate the Jet Squelcher, and I think this buff was completely unwarranted and unnecessary, but on the other hand I love the L-3 and want only good things in life for it, so they balance each other out, in my book.

And, for the final balance change of the entire patch, we've got a Reefslider buff, as it now makes you invulnerable during its startup 13 frames faster. The thing about this change is that like, it's a buff, and that is good, but the problem Reefslider has is not getting the Special off, it's that you very rarely survive the aftermath of using it, and this does nothing to solve that. With Triple Splashdown on the horizon I think things might be rough for this Special in the future.

And that's all of the balance changes! There being so few of them indicate two things to me: That Nintendo is overall happy with the the state of the game, and that they are wary of touching anything unless they have to. And one hand I get it, after all, competitive players are currently saying that there really isn't a meta at the moment, just picking weapons you're good at and playing well, and that's probably not an environment you want to shake up too much. But on the other hand, there are a lot of things like Line Marker, Undercover Brella, and Reefslider to name a few, that could really do with some sprucing up to help them keep up with the just the middle of the pack. I think raising the bottom bar a bit higher would be to everyone's benefit.

But we've got two Specials being added, so I suppose now's not the time to rock the boat too much. We'll see how things have shaken out come the mid-season patch in January.

But the balance changes are a very small part of these patch notes, and nowhere near the most interesting, so let's keep moving on.

Anarchy Series and X Battles are receiving a whole slew of changes, the most prominent of which are some new badge rewards for win streaks and attaining high X Rankings. Additionally, matchmaking in X Battles is being changed to more strictly separate people with high and low X Ranks, as well as allowing more team compositions. To cut a long story short, weapons have a set of internal values that the game uses during matchmaking to try and balance the team compositions. Matchmaking in high-power X Rank infamously takes a very long time, so I have to imagine that this change aims to speed things up by making the matchmaking more lenient on that front.

Salmon Run, in addition to the new King Salmonid, is getting some significant changes, starting with some changes to the Specials:

Kraken Royale and Triple Splashdown are being added to the pool of available Specials. Additionally, Mr. Grizz has finally agreed to always provide at least two workers on every team with a long-range Special to handle all the pesky Stingers and Flyfish. Be sure to thank your local union representative the next chance you get.

This change is particularly spicy. Your Salmon Run stage badges will now boost your starting difficulty on their respective stages, adding more incentive to play beyond the two superbonuses, as well as making the grind for future badges easier. This certainly gives me more motivation to go for those VP 400+ badges.

You'll now be able to tell what King Salmonid is present during each Shift, and the Salmometer will change to match it, as well. Can you believe they didn't change that when they added Horrorboros?

Also I am curious what this means for those Shifts where the King Salmonid was random. Will the Salmometer become a question mark? Are they not gonna do those anymore? We'll have to wait and see.

But this next change, is a big one, and it's for, what else, Big Run:

Big Run trophy requirements will now be set in advance, and no longer scale off top 50%, 20% and 5% player results.

I am in two minds about this change. On one hand, I always thought that people complaining about overfishers in Big Run were kind of petulant and entitled, especially when the rewards were as minor as locker decorations and badges. Maybe that's mean-spirited of me, but there was never a way for me to read it as anything but people demanding to be given the same reward as the people working the hardest without putting in the effort themselves.

But on the other hand, the 5% cutoff has been steadily rising as overall Big Run participation decreased, which is just a natural result of time passing and casual players falling off the game, nothing weird there, but this means that the top becomes more stacked, further disincentivizing casual players as getting even the bronze trophies becomes harder and harder for them. Giving the players much clearer and more achievable goals will likely serve to pull a lot of people back into Big Runs, and that is undoubtedly a good thing.

And hey, I said the rewards weren't worth getting upset over, and by that same metric, I don't think it's worth getting upset over more people getting them, either. All the better, if it makes more folks happy. And as for the people who do want to grind their hearts out, well:

There's still some recognition for that, too.

So that's the gist of the Salmon Run changes, so let's finish up with some miscellaneous changes.

Remember how I told you to keep that bonus Sheldon's License in mind for later?

Players who own every currently available weapon will now be able to trade extra licenses in for Shell-Out Tokens. In other words, that extra license serves as a failsafe so you don't lock yourself out of buying future weapons by spending all your licenses on gacha rolls.

The Splatfest Battle Pro queue is receiving the same matchmaking changes as X, presumably for much the same reasons.

And finally, the most important change of all:

WANDERCRUST IS BACK!!! YEAH BABY!!!! WOO!!!

#splatoon 3 #chill season 2023 #salmon run #salmon run next wave

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yurtb0y · 3 months ago

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GNAWING ON THAT OC GIVE ME INFORMATION

YESYES OKAY!!! *inhale* SO.

(this all might change later since he's still pretty new)

General info I guess (haven't fleshed out his backstory much yet.)

was a Catholic priest before the AM takeover (obvis)

he's roughly in his mid/late 30's- early 40's

he doesn't have a name yet because I'm stupid.

He lived in the United States when AM attacked. He was born in Poland and moved to the US in his mid 20's. (probably someplace like Texas or Utah... )

probably gay or in some way queer but DEEPLY in denial. (also in my mind IHNMAIMS takes place in the 60s/70s somewhere around that time so like... y'know... also makes room for the religious guilt plotline.)

Kinda stopped believing in god after long enough in AM's complex because like really who wouldn't. throwback to Ted's entire spiel about AM being god y'know the one.( Ik that wasn't meant litterally but the sentiment still works.)

As for his relationship with the other survivors and his torture.

Ellen- He'd most likely be less harsh on her and not really like.... *ahem*. use her. He'd always been a pretty compassionate man he was never like the freaky creep kind of priest/pastor. He can most likely sympathize with her past a bit as well- or atleast as much of it as she's willing to share which I imagine isn't much.

Nimdok- This mf is Polish. He does not like Nimdok. (If we're talking game Nimdok which is what I'm basing this... AU, I guess? off of.) I don't think they'd actively beef but they'd prolly just try to avoid eachother within the group. In terms of book Nimdok I think there's a slight possibility they could've gotten along. Honestly for Nimdok like... (Idr if where I saw this I think it was from a fic somewhere) but I like the idea that he wasn't actually a n*zi but since it's mentioned his memory is fucked AM just convinced him and the others he was so pin them against him and fuck with him some more. idk man allied mastercomputer behaviour. It also makes me dread thinking about him a little less.

Gorrister- Surprisingly, I think they'd get along. Even if they don't share a religion I think they'd find solace in confiding their guilts in eachother, esp with Gorrister's guilt over what happened with Glynis-- also since it's mentioned in the book Gorrister used to be an activist (which I think is more interesting than his trucker backstory from the game so I'm sticking with the activist storyline.) I feel like he's the least likely to be quite as homophobic as the others (cause let's be real here.) so maybe. MAYBE. He'd eventually try talking about some of those buried up feelings with Gorrister. Unlikely though. Overall I think they could be the closest thing to friends I can imagine with their situation.

Benny- I think they could've gotten along pre-monkey'd, (For Benny I like to combine his book and game backstory in my mind so tldr he was a professor and was later fired when it was discovered he was gay and then the enlisted in the military and killed 3 people. boom.) I think Priest oc would've respected them but after the monkey moment I feel like he'd kinda treat him like the family dog just as the other survivors do.

Ted- Ohhh boy. I have some words I'm not sure I'm allowed to use on Tumblr. They'd either get along or beef or some secret third evil and more sinister thing. Toxic without the yaoi. They make eachother worse. I need to map my thoughts out better before I write anything about them out. giggles but not in a good way.

wow I really used this as an excuse to dump about my ideas for the other survivors too huh.

Whilst I haven't sat down to ponder how AM would fuck with him I do know I wanna play off the theme of guilt somehow. I can imagine him being ripped apart by wolves for some reason that's just been like stuck in my head the whole time I've been typing all this out. Also maybe almost something with sacrificial themes? I'm kinda thinking about how Benny's part in the game ends for inspo on that it's hitting the right vibe. Please don't cancel me I'm Polish and all my family is Catholic.

Annon I hoped you liked reading this cause I had fun writing it. Also here he is again for anyone who's seeing this but didn't see the og post.

also I'm SO open to name suggestions for this freak cause I've got NOTHING.

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 10 months ago

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//So this is referring to this post I made a while back when I talked about the SDRA2 Omake. I was just scrolling through my notifs and this came up, and I felt like talking about it.

//What you're saying is correct. Personally, I don't think Syobai does really care for Iroha in canon, and it's weird to think of him ever finding genuine affection in someone, especially if it's someone like Iroha who is basically his polar opposite.

//But I still believe that so long as they work together, there's always potential for there to be a growing relationship and genuine cause for affection between the two so long as they're sticking it out through tough times with the other being basically the only person they can rely on. That's kind of how it works.

//If I had to compare Iroha and Syobai's relationship in Survivor to anything, and pardon me if this is a bit controversial, I think it's most akin to the relationship between Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us.

//Joel and Ellie's relationship didn't start off well. Joel didn't think of himself as someone who had to get to know her; he only saw himself as her escort. He didn't want to lose someone close to him ever again, so he saw Ellie as someone he had to protect but also maintain a distance from in order to keep his spirits up. Similar to what anon just mentioned, Syobai probably initially thought of Iroha as just a pawn or a way to make money. That's just the kind of guy he is, even now.

//Later in the game, as both characters came to terms with the fact that they kind of NEEDED each other in this crazy world they live in, their bond eventually became stronger. By the time they arrived at the university, Ellie had lost her fear that Joel would abandon herm and Joel had even been honest with her about his relationship with Sarah and had stopped completely ignoring her when their conversations became too personal.

//What you have to keep in mind is that Syobai and Iroha have been doing their "thing" for about 8 years before the events of Survivor, when they met Kokichi and he took them on as stragglers for his club. Imagine the kind of situation where this rough and tough old soldier, now that the world is on the verge of repairing itself entirely, can no longer make any decent money out their schemes anymore, since the Remnants of Despair aren't as common anymore. That doesn't mean he just abandons Iroha entirely. It's not like he could, even if he wanted to.

//So the situation they find themselves in now is not as business partners, or contractual allies, but as teammates and coworkers at worst, and basically a dysfunctional brother and sister at best.

//I am aware that for Syobai, it feels a little bit out of character for him to be in that big brother/maternal role, but consider for a second that looking at both characters histories, as much as neither will ever want to openly admit it, Iroha and Syobai are the closest thing that either have ever had to someone who genuinely cares about the other as family.

//Syobai's parents abandoned him in another country when he was just a kid, and he's in his 30's around the time SDRA2 starts, which means he'd be in his early to mid-40's in Survivor. And he's spent basically all of that time making his own way through life, doing whatever so long as the pay was good, with no close connections, or anyone that he could consider a reliable partner, that weren't based on capitalism and how much money he had in his pocket.

//Until Iroha. She's not in it for the money, she's in it because she trusts Syobai to keep them both alive. Because let's be honest, SHE couldn't do it by herself! I say this lovingly, but Iroha is a DUMBASS! There's absolutely no way she could get a job, make any kind of money, or SURVIVE in a tragedy world without Syobai's help, and she knows that full well, which is why she sticks with him even now.

//And even if at first she's little more than a tool to him, Syobai is the first ever older figure in Iroha's life who WANTS to PROTECT her, regardless of his motivations. Her family and parents fucking sucked, that much is clear, and to be honest, VOID wasn't much better! At least not Nikei or Mikado. For someone like Iroha who is at her complete and total wits end, having Syobai around is her number one mechanism of coping with how much her life sucks.

//However, everything I've just noted draws attention away from the very point of what I was trying to make in the original post. And that is that the relationship between Iroha and Syobai in Survivor ISN'T CANON.

//Yes, their relationship WAS toxic in the original, but that's the very reason I wrote them like this in Survivor. Because the omake in the canon showed such a lack of character development for both characters, like they learned absolutely nothing from the Killing Game and nothing from the time they spent with each other.

//Even if it does make sense from Syobai's end, it wasn't just that I didn't like it and wanted to make my own changes, it was actually just because it DIDN'T MAKE SENSE to me.

//If you don't want to accept things as they are in the blog, that's fine. Feel free to go whichever story you prefer. That's the magic of fandom after all.

//Personally speaking, I took a look at their canon relationship and what happened after SDRA2, I said "I don't like that" and tried to make my own version. That's all. It's not harming anyone, and from what I've seen, people actually kind of like it, so I'm not about to change it any time soon.

-Mod

#mod #iroha nijiue #syobai hashimoto

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lazyvase · 9 months ago

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TMNT TO ME:

Wrath of the Mutants First Impressions

First: I am so glad this game is getting preserved and made available to everyone. It may not be great, but it’s a nice and fun time.

I’m also glad that some of 2012’s greatest and original villains are being put into the game.

Second: analysis

Ok, so the new level seems to be a Coney Island level.

Rahzar and Fishface will be the bosses of this area. Rahzar has been shown to be in the park’s haunted house.

Fishface will be the other boss of this area. He and Rahzar are a pair. And being on the docks around water is a typical Fishface move.

I theorize that this area will be a Docks/Coney Island hybrid, as I’m unsure if there’s enough material to make a whole area out of Coney Island alone. However, all the clips from the trailer merely show Coney Island. So who knows.

I also believe that Rahzar is the last boss of the area as the haunted house is where I’d imagine the area would end. But once again, who knows.

Next Big Question:

I have three theories about where he’ll show up.

1. We get an entirely new area: this one is the least likely as I imagine we would’ve seen a snippet of it in the trailer. Also because thinking of a mid boss for this level would be a headache. Who would you pair up with Tiger Claw? Snake Karai? The Shredder Mutants? Alopex???

2. Shredder’s Lair is expanded into a full level. This one isn’t too infeasible. There are a good amount of locations that could be included: dungeon, catacombs, Baxter’s lab, dojo. And I swear that entering the Shredder’s throne room looks different in the original game (could be wrong though). I’d imagine that before Shredder’s throne room you would face Tiger Claw. You would also refight Fishface and Rahzar either before Tiger Claw or within Shredder’s boss rush.

3. Tiger Claw is a surprise boss fight in Shredder’s boss rush. This is the most likely as it’s the easiest to pull off. After fighting three of the bosses in Shredder’s boss rush. You’ll have to fight Tiger Claw for the first time. Once you beat him, you fight the other three. Then fight Shredder. Then fight Super Shredder.

Also I doubt that Super Shredder will replace Shredder as I imagine the developers will want to reuse as much content as possible. I’m glad Super Shredder will now be the final boss as the regular Shredder was kind of a pushover.

Finally, im Really looking forward to this game. It will be so nice to have this as part of my collection.

Although if it’s over 40$ I’m gonna wait for a sale based solely on principle.

#tmnt 2k12 #tmnt 2012 #tmnt #tmnt tiger claw #tmnt fishface #video games

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bihansthot · 1 year ago

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Wtf is happening in my life lol I went on two dates last week one good-ish one painful and I have two possibly three dates this week. Someone send help, being this social for a gremlin is very difficult. I suppose I should spill the tea, I went out with a nice metal head last Wednesday and while he’s not exactly my type physically he was nice to be around, pleasant to talk to and a gentleman so I agreed to see him again but we haven’t made plans yet and I’m still holding try outs for be Sol’s boyfriend right? The second date was Friday with a super nerd now don’t get me wrong I’m also a total nerd I mean my dog is named Denethor FFS but we’re the wrong type of nerd. He’s sci-fi and I’m fantasy and while this is poly dating and I knew going into the date he was married I did not know about his three kids under 8 or the couple he and his wife were seeing together nor did I know he was a stay at home dad. All of these are kind of big red flags for me, not being upfront about additional partners HUGE red flag, not knowing about children also huge deal for me. He also took me to a cat cafe without asking prior if I was allergic, thankfully I’m not but these are all pretty big signs he’s concerned for himself and not others. He was also rather large, which don’t get me wrong I have no issues with I’m not a body shamer and my partner is rather heavy too but this guy had a chronic injury so he couldn’t really interact with the kittens so the whole thing was weird from the get go and I know y’all know me, this pillow princess does NOT ride (unless it’s for Bi-Han) so wtf would I gain from this relationship? A guy who already divides his attention between 6 people has no income and I can only see him when the kids are asleep?! Big fucking no. I was pleasant and cordial through out the date and thanked him for taking me but I put on my big girl panties and told him he just had too much going on for me. I’m clingy, I’m needy, I’m also materialistic there’s a reason I met my ex on a sugar daddy website, I can’t be dating a broke ass man who’s seeing three partners and has three kids. I’m sorry if that sounds spoiled but it’s the truth, I NEED to be a priority and I didn’t feel like he could make me one.

I’m tentatively going out with another man this Friday at a barcade which is much more my scene, drinks and video games sound wonderful. Appearance wise he’s still not quite what I go for but better looking than the other two, then Sunday I potentially have a date with a dude who looks like he used to play college football and is physically much more my type he’s also in his mid 40s thank fuck as the others have all been in their 30s. There’s also another one who seems a very good fit who’s asked me out but we haven’t set a date or time yet.

So, yeah that’s what’s going on in my life lately the app is FeeId if anyone else wants to try poly or couples dating and was unaware of the app. I don’t remember the name of the sugar daddy website or I’d hook y’all up too but that ended badly so maybe it’s for the best I don’t remember.

My partner is going out of town for three days so wish me luck that Denny behaves for me and doesn’t drag me around in the snow. Oh yeah! It’s snowed the last two days! My real husband is saying hi 🥰 Maybe it’s a sign of good luck? Maybe one of these upcoming dates will go well then?

#sol life #online dating #dating #dating woes #bad dates #polyamory

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waffleweirdo · 4 months ago

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Finished Path of Radiance!

In total it took me about 40 hours and about 4 months (oops)

Long story short I really liked this game both in story and gameplay!

Now for some more rambling thoughts:

*will include spoilers*

Gameplay:

The best way that I can describe what I enjoyed about the gameplay is a good balance of information. I think there are a few other facts that could play into this (this is the fe game I went into the most blind, and difficulty). But in general I felt like there was a good balance of systems and ‘calculations’ to manage in battle. My wording here might be nonsense, but essentially there aren’t as many active effects like engage or fates that make everything overwhelming. While there aren’t as many automated tools like the later entries (I.e aggro indicators in three houses) have so I was more so forced to check possible outcomes manually. Now this probably isn’t ideal if you really want to play strategically, but I don’t! I typically play these games mostly around feel, and this method of play helped me develop a kind of sense of what would likely happen and a greater familiarity with my own and enemy units and I thought that felt cool!

Another possible contributor to this was the difficulty. It started off a bit difficult while the units were all still weak, then got pretty easy in the mid game (except daybreak!!), before getting fairly tough again around the last 6 or so chapters. Which is a curve I generally like! There were moments I would’ve liked it a little bit harder, but it was overall very satisfying! (For context I didn’t use any bonus exp until after chapter 18, and only used the majority of it around chapter 27).

Some other minor gameplay things. I thought the mechanics surrounding laguz were cool too manage! Plus they tied in really cool thematically and I felt awful attacking helpless laguz (the fact that the game made me feel awful is a good thing!). This game was the fe game that I knew the least about going in, and I managed to only ever use a guide for one chapter which I enjoyed, but I do think it means I probably missed a few recruitable characters. I’m pretty confident I missed at least three, though it might’ve been more oops… I really liked the use of bonus exp it was a cool way to still level up units that don’t necessarily earn a bunch naturally, or buff underperforming units, and as a sort of difficulty regulator. Gameplay wise my favorite unit was far and away Astrid. She snowballed so quickly! I was shocked when Titania had beaten her for most victories. I though item management was a bit tight sometimes, but not really in a good way. The fact that the shop had different stock every chapter was a bit frustrating, especially when it would remove basic iron weapons so units with only an e rank couldn’t train at all. But overall it wasn’t too big of a deal. I also didn’t realize how op forging was until the mid to late game, but that’s on me.

Characters:

Ike was BY FAR my favorite fe protagonist. His consistent attitude and personality made him a lot more interesting. Although he didn’t have the most complex character journey ever, he was still enjoyable, and always felt like an engaging character, rather than being one note. He consistently works well with the rest of the cast, and the way that he serves as an optimistic force, yet isn’t without flaws is really nice. I think he’s just a great character! I also really like that he didn’t turn out to secretly be a noble. I think this is the first fe game I’ve played with a protagonist who is not a noble, or secretly revealed to be a noble!

I feel very guilty that I never got around to using Soren much and thus didn’t get many of his supports because he was really interesting and I would’ve liked to see how he grew past his outward facade. But even so the story did a good job of depicting his growth, even if it was somewhat subtle. I also guessed that he was the spy for Daein, but nope!

Elincia was great too. She never stood out to much, but throughout the whole game she was engaging, and it was nice to see her growth. Again I didn’t get to do too many of her supports which was a bummer.

I guess this is as good a place as any to talk about supports. The way the PoR levels them up based on deployments? Very cool! Really excellent idea. The support conversations I read? I really liked them! Why. WHY is there a limit on supports? And even more so why was it so strict? Essentially what this meant was I was constantly juggling which characters I cared about the most, and if I ever found another character whose supports would be interesting? Well let’s hope I have a bunch of supports left, or I have to change my mind, or hold supports for possible future characters. It’s awful, and locked me out of probably 3/4 of the supports I was interested in. It sounds minor, but honestly really did affect my play through a lot. I care about supports and having them so limited sucks!

Jill ended up being one of my favorite characters. I was interested when she first joined us. I think my first thought was, “what is she up to?” But her story of learning the truth behind Daein’s propaganda and choosing to oppose them was really touching, and equally tragic. The dialogue where Mist offhandedly mentioned that she and Jill were about the same age… augh!! Plus Jill’s supports with Lethe were great, another reason why supports shouldn’t have bee-

I think the other character I want to highlight is Nasir. He’s one of my favorite characters for sure, and his story is really intriguing. Even learning his relationship with Ena and his ultimate motivations it still feels like there’s so much we never got to learn. Especially never having truly gotten to reconcile with Ike… it’s just really interesting. He traveled with us for so long, and always felt like a mystery, and even finally understanding him came too late… it’s just really neat.

Story:

The story of this game was interesting, the main plot thread was helping Elincia retake Crimea, which was a fairly standard though well done story. Archetypal in a sense. But largely what I cared about was the story in regards to the laguz and beorc. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just interesting to note. In that sense some moments of the plot felt largely unremarkable to me, while some moments where the two converged felt really interesting. The discovery of the truth behind the Serenes massacre and Ena’s reunion with Rajaion stand out to me. In the sense it’s sort of hard for me to reconcile my thoughts on the story. I didn’t really care much when Ashnard was killed, but the moment I understood who Rajaion was I wanted to cry. I think largely PoR’s story is a success, as there were more moments that I was interested than moments were I was disengaged, and I do generally think of the story fondly.

Having the full vision of how the conflict between laguz and beorc was depicted I think there are probably some things to critique, especially in some moments where it doesn’t feel as far reaching as it largely should. As in sometimes it feels like that racism is far too easily ‘solved’. But ultimately I think it fits PoR. PoR isn’t trying to be a story that is incredibly focused on fictional race relations. But it doesn’t shy away from including and exploring them, and out of the fire emblem games I’ve played it does by faaaaaaaarrrrr the best job. Plus it does have many really good moments that I think are genuine standouts.

As an aside, I’d also like to say that the info system is really good at adding in additional plot relevant reactions by characters, and showing the effects of your actions on civilians and the world around in such an excellent way. I can’t exactly pinpoint why, but some of my favorite moments just come from the one off interactions in it with characters you know you’ll never meet again. It’s cool!

I guess my thoughts of PoR’s story and themes come down to the fact that they are far from perfect, but ultimately succeed where it matters.

Sequel?:

I wasn’t really sure what to call this section, oops. This is the first time I’m playing Fire Emblem game that has a clear sequel! Which I know even less about going in than PoR.

Knowledge going into PoR: It has the Black Knight and Ike

Knowledge going into Radiant Dawn: It has Micaiah

So these are a collection of things I’m still wondering about which might possibly come up in the sequel? Though even if they don’t I’m satisfied with the conclusion of PoR’s story, and leaving loose ends isn’t a bad thing.

Ahem. What’s going on with Goldoa’s royalty? What’s going on with Sephiran? The apostle is a descendant of one of the warriors that fought the dark god? Is the Black Knight really dead? And most importantly Chekhov’s amulet that contains a literal dark god???!??!?!? Anyways I’m sure that will end just fine.

One of the moments that I’m most interested in was Ike’s final fight with the Black Knight. I took one look at the battle forecast and saw that Ike would immediately die, remembered Ike and Titania’s promise and booked it. Though I really wonder what might have happened if I did something different. Though honestly I’m okay just wondering.

Aaaaand yeah. That’s everything I can think to say at the moment. I liked this game a lot! I’m not quite sure how I’d rank it among the fe games that I’ve played. But I’m very excited to play Radiant Dawn and see what that has in store.

#fe9 #fire emblem #path of radiance #the cruelest thing about every fe game I play is they all make me want to replay fe3h but I’m so burned out on fe3h aaaaaa!

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blindrapture · 4 months ago

Text

SUNDAY JULY 17TH, 2011 (The Grand Gtheru)

9:04 AM Woke up to the sound of snoring. We're still here. Still on the plane. Donnie's sleeping next to me, sleeping soundly. The sky outside is orange, reminds me of a sunset. That factory from last night... it persisted into my dreams. Like we missed something in there. Like we're gonna have to go back, if not soon then sooner than later. Like there was someone in there who needed our help. Like, if we'd kept going downstairs, flight after flight, we'd start seeing patterns in the blackness that would have given away the game and told us everything we'll ever need to know. If only we'd save the beast below… But these are just dreams. Dreams in the apocalypse… Well. There's no use going over it again now. We've got a different kind of staircase to descend, deeper and deeper. What's at the bottom of this one?

9:07 AM She wants a bit more rest. Well, okay. I guess I’ll just stay here a little longer.

9:27 AM The plane shook heavily. We got some turbulence or something? …inner turbulence? *rim shot*

9:30 AM OH GOD HEAVY TURBULENCE THIS MUST BE THE SEVENTH DEGREE Donnie's awake. Reaching for her rifle. I don't know if that'll do much good in a moving plane. We've just gotta.. brace. I'm gonna look out the window. The sky's changed to purple real fast.

9:32 AM The clouds are giant floating spiders. We’re flying through an upside down mountain range in the sky. The same mountain range is down below. We've been here before. Something looks odd, though. The sky isn’t actually pulsing purple here; it’s just plain purple. Maybe it’s because we decoded the fifth Cipher? ..ope, more heavy turbulence.

9:34 AM The sky is swirling colors.

9:36 AM ..it’s settled on a starker orange, pulsing red a few times a minute. Now the plane's starting to dip. I think we're landing. I think we're here.

9:38 AM We've got a bag with weapons in it. There's the ammo for our rifle, the gun itself strapped to Donnie's back. There's Tiger Stripes, which I've got on my back. There's Donnie's frying pan, staying in the bag for now. And we still have some nonperishable foods in the bag too. I'll carry the bag.

9:45 AM …wait what physics where are they THE PLANE HAS JUST ABRUPTLY STOPPED. We are now suspended in mid-air, frozen in place above what looks like a cornfield far below. I don’t like where this is going.

9:46 AM "Over here, by the door. I found parachutes." Oh god, we’re really gonna have to do it. We’re up in the clouds. Uh, spiderclouds. This isn’t going to be a pleasant landing.

9:53 AM Well. That was terrifying. It wasn’t as much of a drop as I’d expected, thankfully, but.. well, I suppose once you get past the jump and make sure to pull the string, it’s over quick. Hoo. Right. Thoughts. This cornfield’s.. not what I was expecting. The corn’s all eyestalks. With eyes on top of each. o_o

9:57 AM They kinda remind me of spaghetti. "Pfft, shut up, they look nothing like spaghetti."

9:59 AM I just bumped into a tall black pole, and it felt warm and full of life. Legsteps. They’re inactive right now, though. Just big legs.

10:40 AM The eyefield finally ended. Now there’s a few miles of grassy plains ahead of us. The grass is a distinct teal hue, and there’s a strangely warm wind blowing through. It’s just miles of sprawling teal plains in all directions, other than dead ahead, as this is where it gets interesting. A few miles ahead of us is an enormous structure, what I’d call some sort of eldritch Rapture Tower. It stretches high into the sky, far higher than even the hourglass mountain from the God Machine’s Realm stretched to. It makes me wonder what abomination inhabits this section of Xanadu.

11:13 AM Lightning struck in front of us. o_o; Of course, it was the awesome hamburger lightning, so we got free food out of it.

11:54 AM We’re at the tower entrance. There’s a door with no doorknob, and an inscription on the side. The inscription shows “eyestalk = key.” …fuck. >_> Well, at least we have plenty of time to do this!

11:58 AM Starting the long trek. Sigh.

12:32 PM I hear a vague hum. It’s never a noise I like hearing. We’re all on guard.

1:04 PM Made it. Got an eyestalk. Donnie grabbed one too, just in case. And now we go all the way back!

1:19 PM ..random eyestalk in the middle of the plains. Staring at us. They don’t normally do that. We’re on guard.

1:37 PM Patch of several different eyestalks. All staring at us. This is just weird.

2:04 PM We’re back at the tower. I’m legitimately surprised nothing happened at all on the way here. Not even any Legsteps waking up.

2:05 PM Donnie’s holding the eyestalk she took up to the door FIDJFG OKAY We’re.. we’re in a giant ballroom now! I guess we’re inside! This ballroom is gorgeous. Sequins in the curtains, chandeliers at least seventy feet above us, spotless marble floors, portraits of fancy designs on the walls. Just like everywhere else, though, it’s completely deserted.

2:08 PM Stepping through, slowly. I'm following Donnie, as she's still heavily armored. I've got our 6. Or whatever. I only hear our footsteps. I see no shadow out of place. Just a quiet ballroom. Oh shit, a bathroom. Hang on, Donnie!

2:11 PM I stepped into the men’s room and immediately saw the women’s restroom from that hotel in London. I saw the Harlequin standing there, looking below the stalls into the one I was hiding in. And then I blinked. Now it’s just a regular restroom. For. For all I know, that one was all in my head.

2:14 PM This stall has one piece of graffiti, and only one. Was guwo ga endia yora omnis, grow en envied gyas knawa yora dest manaf. Was yant ga guatrz yorra ruinie en stel art yora dsier deata art alroetsue. Zodaw. No clue what it means, or even what language it’s in. But it creeps me out. o_o;

2:17 PM I heard Donnie gasp outside. I'm coming, I'm coming! …okay what Mannequins! All standing around the ballroom, being mannequins! Most are frozen in romantic dancing poses. Donnie's in the middle of the floor. The spotlight’s on her, so bright. I see no fear in her eyes, no expectation, no emotion at all besides curiosity. The mannequins, without being seen moving, have formed an aisle directly between herself and I. A nearby speaker begins playing some familiar piece in an old-fashioned style. Donnie looks so curious. I.. am, too. I want to know a lot of things, but.. ..but then again, right now I’m just curious as to how well she can dance.

2:25 PM We slow danced. It went.. surprisingly well. She led the way, and as we shifted, we touched not a single mannequin. They seemed to shift out of the way for us when we weren’t looking. And then the Legsteps came in. They came in and turned the oldie-sounding piece into a dubstep remix of Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger." As the piece came to a climax, the feeling that it was just me and her in there came true: all the mannequins are now gone. As if to applaud our performance, a ladder has fallen from the ceiling. We can climb it to reach some new room.

2:28 PM fdsjg water wet journal wet

(The journal is perfectly dry.)

2:34 PM We swam upward, only to discover we were trapped in some kind of underwater maze. So we swam right, up, right, up, left, up, and.. yeah, directions. Now we’re in a room with a very low ceiling. I have to take my trilby off just to fit in here. There’s a little rabbit in here and a sign that reads “1- Kill.” ..o_o;

2:35 PM I wish I hadn’t seen that. A set of stairs has appeared nearby, taking us to the next floor.

2:36 PM This is also a room with a low ceiling. There’s another sign in here that reads “2- Kill.” There’s a few flies flying around. Well. Okay. Even I can do that one.

2:39 PM 3- Kill, two spidercats.

2:43 PM Give me a minute. These were just spidercats, but, like. That doesn't mean it's fun to see, or to know what I've done.

2:50 PM 4- Kill. This is a severed human head that still functions perfectly. He calls himself “Teddy,” and he’s begging us to put him out of his misery. o__o;;

2:52 PM …

2:53 PM 5- Solve. Yes, something that doesn’t say “Kill!” Here, we have a chessboard set up. There’s a rock shaped perfectly like an old man seated at one end of the board, seeming to suggest that we get first move.

2:55 PM Donnie, I had no idea you were so good at chess. She’s taken the seat and is making some pretty interesting moves. Moves I wouldn’t use. But then I’ve never won a game of chess in my life.

3:02 PM She and the rock man look of equal wit.

3:09 PM Donnie just fucking pulled a “Checkmate.” Rad, dude. The next staircase is open.

3:10 PM 6- Kill, a tree.

3:12 PM 7- Kill, a mouse. "I'm not really.. loving this either, Jordan." No, I know. Look, just. Let me do this. You did the rabbit.

3:14 PM 8- Kill, a regular human being named Jeremiah.

3:19 PM He fought back. Had me on the ground until Donnie shot him square in the chest.

3:20 PM 9- Kill, a WAIT WHAT AM I SEEING THIS RIGHT

3:21 PM I am. o____e;; It’s asking us to perform an abortion. There’s a woman right here, fully awake, no anesthetics, naked, legs spread. Pregnant. And the room provides us with a crowbar. Donnie said, to the room, "Are we going up against fucking Jigsaw?"

3:30 PM I mean, I’m.. I’m pro-choice, but… this is just a caricature of what that even means. ..the staircase still isn’t down. Oh, it wants the woman, too. ._.

3:37 PM She kept screaming about how the NIHIL was keeping her here. The Sine Labore Nihil. ..”Nothing without work.” Staircase is here.

3:38 PM 10- Solve. There’s two doors and two guards. Yeah, no, this is an easy one. Oldest trick in the book. If you were the other guard, what would you say is the door leading further up the tower? "I don't know. He never talks to me." ...shit. donnie's found instructions on the wall. probably should have read these first. "One guard never tells a lie. One guard never hears a lie. These are the same guard. The other guard never leaves his post while observed. One door leads further up the tower. The other door leads back to the entrance. You have as many questions as you need, but if you choose the wrong door and make your way back here, the doors and guards may shuffle." What? donnie "What?" okay uh. never tells a lie, never hears one either… and the other one.. I mean, he may tell a lie? it doesn't specify... but he never leaves his post while observed… donnie, let's both look away from the guards. 3:39 PM When we turned around again, one of the guards was inches away from my face. I nearly decked him on instinct. He's gone back to his door. Okay, so he's not the one who will always tell the truth. But he's also the one who told us that the other one never talks to him. Uh. donnie "Hey, mister!" talking to the truthful one "Yes?" "What's behind your door?" "I dunno. Never checked." "You've never checked?" shrug "The doors change every now and then. I can't say for sure where either of them go." "Dammit." "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." Could you... check now? "Oh, I never leave my post, not ever." "Wait, so you also never could have checked before, then? So your answer omitted that. That's kind of untruthful." "Well, is a lie by omission still a lie?" "Yes" Yes "Huh." Wait!!! Donnie!!! What if he's the liar? What if both guards moved when we weren't looking? You there! Other guard! What's behind your door? "Oh, I don't know. I never checked." Shit!

3:42 PM We just tried a fucking door. It's pure blackness in here. Following Donnie's headtorch.

3:44 PM A LONG FUCKING WALK a voice speaks to me...

4:08 PM Here’s what seems to be a fancy hallway, red carpet and everything. Portraits line the wall, all of famous musicians. There’s a left and a right here, as well as a path back into blackness. I don't know where Donnie went.

4:10 PM I took a left, and now I'm in a giant room filled to the brim with mirrors. Specifically, it seems to be a mirror maze. The ceiling and floor are mirrors. The walls are mirrors. And when they're not mirrors, they're glass, looking out into more and more corridors and twists and turns of mirror and glass.

4:12 PM ..some else is in here with me. Hearing footsteps now. Donnie? ...

4:14 PM I hate tension, I hate horror, I hate feeling scared, I hate it, I hate it

4:16 PM but. I fucking love mazes. u_u

4:20 PM left forward right right forward fuck back left forward forward left forward right right left

4:24 PM just when I think I'm getting a sense of the size of this maze, another turn breaks my sense of the boundaries. now there's stairs taking me to another level above. maze upon maze.

4:32 PM I swear I saw movement in a reflection in the corner of my eye. oh god where is that exit

4:38 PM …it’s up there. On the ceiling. A ladder into a trapdoor. Very high ceiling. Now how do I get there. Maybe if I keep looking. Maybe if I try to get to the far side wall.

4:53 PM I made it. I found the far side wall. But I'm gonna feel even more vulnerable climbing up that ladder.

4:54 PM Okay. I’m gonna give it a shot. Gonna climb up and push on that trapdoor, see what's above.

5:949 eo a voice speaks to me. I made it to the floor above, out of the maze, and staring at me is a corpseg brown hair with purple bow, striped shirt, a face I knowr this is Anna. this was Anna. she made it to the tower, she made it this fari eyes staring lifeless, flies buzzing. I killed those ones just as easily as the ones beforem I don't see what killed her. I don't see what pierced her heart. there is nothing arounda this was the right part of america for my ex to have gotten to. I can believe she made it here, to this Cipher's realm. but something killed her before I could get herel what would I have even said to her? would she have been happy to see me? we ended awkwardly. I wished her well... I could have gotten hered I could have gotten here. I could have gotten here. she didn't deserve thisi

65843920 mrf mrff mfff mfff mrff mrff donnie help

6:45 PM do you want to see?

6:50 PM the musicians have left. but anna is still here. the door ahead opened, and donnie found me. found anna. "did you do this?" I found her. "huh. someone else trying to get to the top of the tower." this was anna. this was my ex. "o-oh. are you sure?" I.. guess I can't be. but. "c'mon. let's.. leave this room. you don't need to hang around this." no. yeah. okay. let's go.

7:34 PM Somewhere along the way, we wound up boarding a small indoor riverboat ride. It was very pleasant, complete with cute music as we rode. I.. didn't feel it. Maybe that wasn't... her? I never did meet her. We were an online thing. And we didn't even last long. But beyond that, we were friends. But that is to say, I can't be certain that every brown-haired corpse... is… Ugh.

7:37 PM The boat let us off at the bottom of a large staircase. We’re going up. No other choice. "This feels close to the top. Are you sure you're okay for a big fight?" I'll try. "It might have still been a Musician thing, you know…" Please, let's just.. go, up the stairs, let's go.

7:40 PM Reached the top. Huge majestic doors.

7:41 PM This is a very giant concert hall. About as big as the cathedral the God Machine resided in. I bet this is the room we’ve been hunting.

7:43 PM There’s a single eyestalk on the stage. o_o

7:45 PM RISING …THAT’S I KNOW THAT THING THAT’S GTHERU. THE GUITAR-SHAPED BLUE MONSTER. Except this one is giant, has millions of suction-y tentacles, and an eye stalk for every pore. It’s the Grand Gtheru. Monitors above the stage label it as “The Sixth Cipher,” and “Sine labore nihil.” Nothing without work. As heard before.

7:48 PM And in come the Legsteps with a bitchin’ drop. Starts with a siren and everything! How appropriate. "You ready, Jordan?" I'm good. It's us against a giant boss monster. That's all that matters right now. Let the attack begin.

7:53 PM Gtheru’s sending its tentacles at us. I'm trying that crowbar, we picked it up earlier. It's sharper than it looks.

7:58 PM Fended off the invading tendrils. Now the tentacles are retreating, and the Legsteps are playing some other riff. ..eye stalks. A wave of eye stalks. Okay. Gotta cut some chaff. Wheat. Uh. How does the expression go?

7:59 PM Donnie’s running off. What’s she doing she’s going to the concert stage. Whacking the fucker, but it’s blocking itself with tentacles! Hold up there, I'm coming!

8:02 PM I’ve fought my way here; Gtheru’s tentacling up a shield, but this crowbar sliced it apart. Underneath is some very strange substance that’s pink and smells like plastic. Donnie's cocking her rifle. Looks like she'll be adding her own.

8:07 PM My crowbar does nothing against the under-substance, but Donnie's rifle is ineffective to the surrounding tentacles. So she's the offense, and I'm the defense.

8:13 PM Gtheru’s closing his tentacles in, trying to trap us inside. I got us out; looks like round one’s over.

8:15 PM Gtheru changed colours. He’s now orange. The Legsteps are playing something really strange now. Heavy as fuck, but strange. ..Gtheru’s tentacles are floating, separate of it. Some are blue, some are red. I sense they’re going to try attacking us.

8:18 PM Oh god, I can’t figure out how to damage a single one. Donnie's gotten some, but then many others just have the bullets bounce off like nothing. They’re flying around, lashing us again and again

8:19 PM ..hey, I just damaged that one. That one that was blue. Hm.

8:20 PM I can hit only blue, Donnie can hit only red. When we hit them, they drop little.. gadgets. They look like jigsaw pieces.

8:25 PM I put a lot of them together and it made a little harpoon. o_o Throwing it!

8:26 PM Socked Gtheru square in the face, it seemed to hurt it! ..the monitors above the stage just said “2: Upload,” but then changed; now they say “GOTO 1: Author.” Huh. The tentacles are flying at us again.

8:34 PM We repeated the process and made another little harpoon. The monitors say “2: Upload” now. Throwing now!

8:35 PM It just shattered to pieces, the harpoon. And the monitor said “ERROR: User multiuploaded.” ..idea.

8:42 PM Another harpoon. Okay, Donnie, you throw this one.

8:43 PM Right in the face, it did damage! “GOTO 1: Author.”

8:50 PM Okay. My turn.

8:51 PM Goto 1 again.

9:02 PM Okay, Donnie. "Upload" that fucker.

9:03 PM Gtheru is keeling over in pain, but it seems to be still sending tentacles. The screen says “3: Review. Who did most damage?” …fuck! o_o

9:05 PM Uh. We think.. it.. was Donnie’s. The last one thrown. ..the monitor’s now on “4: Publish.” Gtheru’s tentacles are back to surrounding its now-blue self. "Okay. Cover me, please." Right behind you!

9:14 PM Gtheru changed colours one more time. He’s red now. The screen says “5: Promote.” Fuck. What? ….what’s that noise

9:15 PM SHADOWCLONES running right past us. o_o Charging at Gtheru. It’s roaring like mad, and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

9:17 PM The Grand Gtheru is dead. What a weird-ass fight.

9:18 PM Where it used to be, there’s an inscription. The actual Cipher. Zaarn, plina, zarle, milra yeeel! …it’s that language again. What does. What does that mean. "Roaring oceans, rustling meadows, gushing waterfalls are all but fragrances of the past.” OH GOD BLINDING LIGHT

9:19 PM cockroach jesus. at the entrance of the hall. wearing his white robe to disguise his body. "The works of nature home to your planet are all but fragrances of the past now. As we come closer to that bountiful boundless day, a new era will seize the lies and teach you a more fundamental nature: what is natural to all existence." donnie's pointing her rifle at him he's smiling wider "I do not fear your weapons. There is nothing to fear when Rapture is coming." shoot him. BANG she got him in the face. a big hole in his cheek. no blood. he still smiles. ...he's turned away from us. about to leave. Wait! What did we... just... do? What did this Cipher do? chuckle. "Sine labore nihil held the cruelty at bay."

11:00 PM What? ..what just happened? We’re in the Peisistratos. ..I don’t know. o_e

11:04 PM Tiresias came in. He’s telling us to rest up. “We will talk in the morning; I need time to prepare."

11:39 PM Donnie’s clutching me tight, fast asleep. I can try to sleep, but.. I’ve got too much on my mind right now. Just want to write. Just want to think.

(Attached: “As do I. One of the chapters in my life is something of a riddle to me, and this log brought it to mind. I'd just finished signing a hieroglyph onto the side of a mountain-- the other gods talked me into it, they consider it to be their form of an autograph for the eyes of history-- when I figured I'd just about stayed long enough. In my time in ancient Earth, I'd prevented many divine bouts, shared my wisdom with whatever humans felt themselves ready to stare into my blank gaze, and even celebrated a new year. No luck on taking memory away, though. I'd have to wait for that superpower to come. Instead, satisfied with the state of affairs of the times, I sneaked away in a lull of conversation and approached the Gates of Olympus.

A mahogany wind kept me company as I braved the elements of the Empty City of yesteryear. It wasn't really any different, but for some reason on this occasion it decided to delay my journey a little longer, knowing I could do nothing in retaliation, knowing I depended on its mercy if I wished to travel anywhere. For three days and many more nights I wandered the repetitive streets until I happened upon something resembling a park. There, I decided to take refuge on a bench and rest my eyes a little.

I dreamt I was blind in a more mortal manner. I dreamt of the widest expanse of nothing you've ever seen, stretches of the stuff shifting between every blink, my blinks lasting aeons in this mighty sleep. I dreamt of sound, of smell, of touch, of memory. The sound of love's laughter. The smell of hair. The touch of fingers upon fingers. The memory of a life without responsibilities such as these, the memory of a youth in sight unaffected.

My eyes opened to the sound of birds chirping. I felt someone sit down on the bench next to me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not see. I touched my face, ensured I was still there. Pinched myself, ensured I did not still dream. Cried out Untamo's name. I was not dreaming. I could not see anything. I figured it was appropriate that I would finally experience the blindness proper, but still I felt cheated. I heard the sound of rustling next to me. Then of chewing. I spoke, asked who was there.

-- Your best friend, ever. I recognized the voice. --- Sempiternity. -- The same, am I. You? Spoken with the diction of a professor. --- I.. believe I'm same. Sane? Same as I've ever been. -- Tiresias. Which? --- I'm, uh. Thoth. More chewing. -- Still young. Ham sandwich? I reached out my hand until I felt the food placed into my grasp. Took it and ate it. It was good.

: After a while of silence, I asked: --- Where have you been since Nyarlathotep and his bunch showed up? Offended. -- Not because you should, but because you must. --- What? Apologetic. -- I travel the stars. Hardly by my choice. I recalled where I'd met my friend to begin with: They'd just sorta stumbled into our universe, unsure of the location or the date. I suppose they really can't control their wanderings. -- - It's okay. So where are we, might I ask? Silence. --- Sempi? -- I cannot say where. --- You can't say? -- No. I cannot see. --- What. Why.. well, why not? A long sigh. -- Last place I arrived, I scared the people. They held me up to… a hole in the sun. Burned my eyes out, pain. Of course, next day my eyes recovered but when the people saw, they blindfolded me and cursed the blindfold. I can't take it off. --- A curse? What do you mean by that? Meekly. -- I mean 'eldritch stuff.'

I fumed. Nothing turned red in my mind. I stood up. --- They can't get away with that! Can you take me to them? -- I can't, never. No. I stood there, feeling the rhythm of anger fade away. Felt tangible. Felt awkward. Waited for any further response before I asked --- Why not? -- Do you know of time? --- What kind of question is that? I'm the god of time! Or something. Of course I know time! -- You don't know of time, forever's meaning. You know the words to eternity's song but you sing along to an opera you merely observe. The angst in their voice turned into a python of poison upon my ears. ---- Oh yeah? I've watched worlds crash and burn. I've participated in the ultimate battles to determine the fates of everyone I've ever loved. I have loved, and I've lost. You can't say I don't know more than the words to this opera.

I heard Sempi get up. Felt a finger stab my chest, lighter than a push but firmer than a touch. A point. -- You know of a life, your life, a life that stands a sentence in the library of time. The battles you fought were not fought by you, you were an actor. The people you've lost, you care more about their deaths' impact on you and yes I say that with poison, with angst, with vitriol, with knowledge of the-- experience of the-- unbeatable hatred, tragedy, the flames of elders and worse still the damned sufferings of youths, so now a FUCK YOU for you have not lived, you have barely breathed, you do not know the sickest part of all of this opera. Time is entropy, or ideally, time feeds on effect. But eternity is endless, endless! So all we suffer, and all we fucking cry and grieve and die and hate and kill, fuck-- all of this has been a single letter in dictionaries multi-volumed and always written. We have not been through a fraction of all we'll go through before we can finally end our suffering-- lie down and… just…… die. Silence. No more birds chirping. -- Forever's a long time before I die. Then I heard footsteps running away. Sempi was gone. I stood there for about a minute, thinking about what happened. Then I found I could see again, see an empty park in an empty city established for empty worlds with empty gods. I hated it all. A duck flew by. I sighed and resumed my long walk home.”)

[PREV LOG] [TABLE OF CONTENTS] [NEXT LOG]

#ogtrib #oh god the rapture is burning #ogtrib act 2 #this log's Attached was of course too long for usual tumblr procedure. so there's new paragraph breaks.#also ignore that one colon in the middle of it. that is tumblr-exclusive and just there to work around a.. tumblr thing.#the formatting of this one had to be unaffected. had to be.

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wondereads · 6 months ago

Text

Weekly Reading Update (06/10/24)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Forced Bonds by J. Bree (9/10)

I think this is my favorite of the series so far. The majority of this book was par for the course, but there were a few major things that really brought it to another level for me. One is the reveal about the main characters' bonds, which I'm very interested to see a resolution to, and another is the ending, which I never expected from this kind of series. I have my doubts that that development will actually hold, but it still took me by surprise!

Toward an Aesthetic of Reception by Hans Robert Jauss (5/10)

This is a literary theory book that is highly useful to some research I'm doing. It is also incredibly opaque and miserable to read. I feel like I retained about 40% of what I read, even if I did get some useful quotes and ideas.

The Once and Future King by T. H. White (8/10)

I went into this one with a certain idea of what it would be like, and I was completely blindsided. Despite being a fantasy classic from the mid 1900s, it was quite accessibly written and a good bit of the humor holds up. I think what I liked most about this version of Arthurian legend was its portrayal of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenever (that's how her name is spelled in this book). White did a great job getting across the nuance of the conversation and not villainizing any of them, even if they did act horrendously stupid at some points. There are certainly things I did not like about this book, major ones being how White is so obviously a white English man and how Freud's theories must have still been popular when he was writing, but it was overall an enjoyable read and a very obvious inspiration for a lot of modern medieval and Arthurian fantasy.

Haikyuu!! Vol. 34 by Haruichi Furudate (8/10)

It's a bit tough for me to rate manga volumes since they go by so quickly, but I think I would be hard-pressed to find a Haikyuu!! volume I don't like. While I've watched the anime many, many times, I'm finally committing to finishing the story through the manga. This volume in particular was quite good, focused on a highly anticipated match. There were some moments that got a little repetitive, but I expect that's the point since part of this arc is the Karasuno team's frustration at being unable to break through.

Haikyuu!! Vol. 35 by Haruichi Furudate (9/10)

There was a bit of a shake-up in this volume, and I think it's a great one for showing how Hinata has developed over the course of the story. The fact that he's being targeted for receives to keep him out of the game instead of because he's shit at them is a huge amount of growth in the first place! I liked the problem-solving displayed by him and the rest of the team, and the Hinata/Kenma dynamic is really starting to take off. I kept this at a 9 instead of a 10 because while the ending got me excited, I don't see yet how it's supposed to disrupt Nekoma's strategy.

The Dark Secret by Tui T. Sutherland (86%)

Starflight's character development through this book is really quite good. He's always been a nervous worrier, and I think the way he moves through the plot allows him to come into his own and find courage without abandoning his intelligence and conscientiousness. A good balance is struck, giving him character growth that doesn't overshadow or completely change his core personality. Looking forward to finishing this book and reading the final one in this arc of the series!

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (15%)

The first isekai? I have so much to say about this book, but it's just going to end up being five paragraphs of nonsense, so I'll just say this for now: Hank is an annoying hypocrite and perhaps the first isekai power fantasy character. Do with that what you will.

Haikyuu!! Vol. 36 by Haruichi Furudate (33%)

So far I'm really liking this volume, and I just got some backstory for Kuroo and Kenma! They're so cute as children! I honestly can't tell who's going to win this match. My preference, of course, is for Karasuno since they're the main characters, but Furudate does such an amazing job of making the reader root for both sides. I'll be working through these next few volumes quickly since I want to go see the new movie this week!

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (1%)

I've barely started this book, but I'm a little uncertain. I am not one for historical fiction usually, and I'm really only reading this for my book club. So far the main character seems a little too perfect to me; clever, driven, beautiful. I hope she becomes a more well-rounded character as the story progresses.

#books #reading update #forced bonds #the bonds that tie #j bree #the once and future king #t h white #haikyuu!!#haruichi furudate #the dark secret #wof #tui t sutherland #a connecticut yankee in king arthur's court #mark twain #lessons in chemistry #bonnie garmus

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platinumdragonchaos · 6 months ago

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Answer asks 60-69. 😁

60. do you enjoy tumblr?

Sometimes. I like the artwork and pictures of nature and funny things but I don't like the lack of general communication and the fact that I get hardly any reblogs or anything.

61. have you ever had a tumblr experience that made you wanna delete the app?

I've met some really cool people and had some good talks and then one day they just vanish, delete their blog or simply never log in anymore. Oh and that massive influx of bots a few times over the years was really friggin annoying.

62. whats your least favorite game?

The game of life, lol. I had fun with retail WoW back in the day but then people started not playing or I didn't have good enough gear to join them in raids and I kept switching servers to play with other people I knew just to have them outlevel me, never wanna play and I found myself often playing alone which is pretty silly for a MMO I was paying a subscription for. I even bought it for a gal i knew cuz she wanted to play but then we hardly ever played together. Waste of time. I still play sometimes but on private servers. F paying money to play a game.

63. were you a markiplier fan?

I had to look this up, it sounded familiar but I wasn't sure. I never watched any of his YT. Never really been into watching other people play games.

64. how do you respond to compliments?

Generally I am taken aback and I say thank you. I always try to return a compliment with one.

65. whats something that would make you fall in love?

There's no one specific thing. I love milady but it's not like I can pick an event or words or anything other than time and realizing my life is better with her in it.

66. do you believe in marriage?

Sure. I dunno if I'll ever get married though. It's not like I'm anywhere close to being on that level or have money to buy a ring or afford any kind of ceremony.

67. do you have a crush on someone?

I guess I crush on my GF now but we kinda grew together. She crushed hardcore on me while we were friends for years and we just kinda ended up a couple but I never really had a thing for her like that.

68. do you like tumblr?

Like and enjoy are kinda the same thing so see question 60. In the end if i didn't get some pleasure out of it I wouldn't still be on here.

69. were you a voltron stan?

I never watched it. I was too young when it was first on in the mid 80's and too old when it was on in the late 90's. It's kinda like Might Morphon Power Rangers right? I never really got into that either.

Thank you for the asks! In return and without even looking at the list I say 40-49

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stitching-in-time · 8 months ago

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Worlds 2024 was amazing and who would have thought that the Pairs would be my other fave event?? Like it kind of felt like pairs was a bit empty for a long time after the well of Soviet-trained Russian skaters ran out, but it's so back now, in a big way!!!

So happy for Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps! They really worked their tails off, and they deserve all of their success. They're not even my faves, but the quality is there, and aside from Deanna making history as the oldest World title winner, she is truly revolutionary in redefining what's possible in the sport. Literally everyone has always believed skating careers should end in your thirties, that it's impossible to skate competitively beyond your mid thirties at all, let alone successfully, and here she is blasting a hole in that narrative. In a sport that's often been dominated by teenagers, it's just amazing to see someone at 40 at the top of her game, achieving so much, especially on home ice. She was crying, I was crying, the commentators were crying, it was a damn good freeskate!

And my faves, Hase & Volodin, making the podium after their semi-disaster at Europeans fills my heart with joy. I've been obsessed with them this whole season, I can't believe they're so good in their first season together! They look like mirror images of each other, they way they move, their body lines, all perfectly matched, and they have the technical content too! They look like they've skated together their whole lives! And they were smiling through almost their whole freeskate!! They radiate joy!! They land side by side triples!! How are they so perfect?! I don't know, but if this is them just starting out, I'm beyond excited to see what they do in the future when they have more experience together.

Miura & Kihara are also amazing and I'm glad they won the silver, I hope they are ok after not attending the medal ceremony!

Also Italy has so many good pair teams now! They've been great all season, and though they didn't do super well at Worlds, I'm sure they'll be back stronger than ever next year. And hopefully they'll have three spots by the Milan Olympics.

Honestly I'm just really glad to see there were so many pairs who did well, and who went for (and landed!) side by side triples, the future of pairs skating is bright and I'm excited for the next Olympics.

#figure skating #pairs skating #worlds 2024 #stellato-dudek and deschamps #hase and volodin

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old-archivist · 2 years ago

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Hi, I really enjoy your Bull analysis you wrote recently!

I was wondering, though - how old do you think he is in Inquisition?

I've seen different takes on his age from different people. Some say he's over 40, some say he's younger. I'd like to hear your take and any kind of math you could have though about 😁

Hey! Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I really should yell about him (and companions in general) more. Especially since my thoughts have definitely changed since 2014. As for Bull’s age, I’m so glad you asked cause I have thoughts.

According to Patrick Weekes, Bull is in his mid-to-late 30s. Thats what they had in mind while writing him. Which would be his canonical age range.

I think that is a perfectly reasonable range and likely a good one considering the age range they have for the Inquisitor. Which is up to the player but as young as 18, Patrick does specify the assumption is for them to be in adulthood.

But personally, for Bull, I put him in his 40s. I think my preference at the moment is mid 40s but it fluctuates depending on who im writing him with/what world state I have.

As for the math, I’ll put it below the cut.

So to start off, we know members of the Qun get their roles at the age of 12 if they’re born into the Qun. So while we don’t have a named year we can work from here.

From there the next thing is his time in Seheron. It is suggested by Gatt that the Qunari won’t send people into the thick of it in Seheron unless they’re “old enough”. There are stens who are stationed at quiet ports in Seheron before they’re 18, but other than that guess, I’ve been working with is 18 minimum for when you get sent into war zones.

To use Sten as an example, he is described as being very young when stationed at the port in Seheron City in 9:03. He is there for three years before disappearing for several before reappearing as a navel leader in 9:12 (its in total six years given the math.) So, even if he was 12 when he arrived at Seheron (though I have doubts) we don’t hear record of him being in active combat till he is at least 21.

So with that logic, Iron Bull is at the youngest 18 when he’s stationed in combat on Seheron. However, I go with 21 since he is put directly in a position of leadership and is known for many accomplishments in Par Vollen. There is no mention of him being younger than any other soldier, and nothing of note about him when he’s recommend for the position. He then works in Seheron for eight or ten years (World of Thedas offers both numbers) before he breaks and we lose some time on how long re-education takes.

Next, we know he ended up with the mercenary company Fisher’s Bleeders, who he worked with for several years (BioWare really likes to be ambiguous with this, as is the term itself.) There is also Bull himself saying he worked for them for a year or two. Consistency is lacking, as is par of the course with BioWare. The range lore gives is one to seven years; I say range, because as recently found with Cassandra, in game dialogue — when related to timelines — can be iffy. So, really, dealer’s choice.

Then comes the Chargers. We know he got set up and established in a few months, and that Krem was recruited somewhere in the beginning. Other than that, we just get the general “several years” which by definition is “more than a few but less than many”. (I really hate English sometimes.) Given the definition of “few” is typically associated with three or less, you’ve got a ballpark of three to seven years.

So keeping with the hard numbers, starting with 12:

Add 6 years to reach “adulthood”

Dealers choice if you want to add the 3 years till given a command role

Add the 8-10 years in Seheron

Add the 1-7 years with Fisher’s Bleeders

Plus the 3-7 years with the Chargers

You’re looking at a range of 30-42 if you have him in Seheron at 18.

If you put him there at 21, the range is 33-45.

This is just at the start of Inquisition and none of this accounts for how long he was re-educated, how long it took him to travel and even find Fisher’s Bleeders, or any of those unspecified and unaccounted numbers.

Come Trespasser you’ve known him for three years so you have a range of 33-45 or 36-48.

Now if you want my personal, hundred percent headcanon and only in my sandbox math? The time line is like this:

Role at 12 -> Seheron at 21 -> Asked for reeducation 31 -> got out of re-education 32 -> Traveled and joined up with Fisher’s Bleeders 33 -> left Fisher’s Bleeders/Formed the Chargers 37 -> Became well known across Free Marches, Nevarra, and Orlais 43 -> Joins the Inquisition 44 -> Trespasser 50

Which my math might change if he pops up anywhere in future installments. But main reasons why I prefer him in his 40s:

I find it miserable that he’s already worn down so much and he still has at least 40-50 years left unless he dies in battle/in game. I probably don’t ache as much as him (I hope), but gosh the fact it will likely get worse is not the kind of ouch I want cause it makes me worry about how my health will poorly age in 40-50 years.

Because everyone acts like being in your 40s is old and its not.

I also read him as more comparable to Blackwall and Solas who are written to be in their 40s as well.

Sources for all the ages:

Dragon Age TTRPG Faces of Thedas

World of Thedas vol 2

Dragon Age Inquisition - Dialogue

#archi talks #archi has opinions #ask #the iron bull #anon ask #iron bull #BioWare has migrated from conflicting numbers to being as vague as possible and still contradicting themselves #which I rather have the conflicting numbers honestly cause then you can have a ballpark at least

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