#meta players need to just stay with meta players at this point I don't want to deal with you guys anymore

[silvernyxchariot]

⚠️CW: Me ranting⚠️

I was going to let it go, but... She gave me Karen vibes, the ones at the store that screech, "Excuse me! I don't like your attitude!😡"

And I was so excited to share my Kaveh DPS build too while it was still a work in progress (R1 Redhorn with 4pc Deepwood set (ATK% sands, Dendro dmg goblet, and Crit circlet)). But someone just had to ruin it. Of course, it was on HoyoLab.

:readmore:

Well, I'm going to be aggressive now. 🙄

I am capable of using a dictionary and thesaurus, for one thing, and idioms. Even so, I type what I mean unless I'm using tone indicators, italics, bold, or strikeout font to emphasize a different tone of voice. Hence, also my use of the disclaimer, "⭐️ My work is for entertainment and personal purposes. Do not take, translate, repost, or use it for profit."

So, for the eight millionth time (and I feel like I have to add that to EVERY post), I did not ask for build/team "help" or "advice." You're not helpful. You're intrusive. And overall, annoying as fuck. Just stick with the other meta players because I do not want you here or on my posts. People are free to express themselves, yes, I can't stop them. But seriously, shut the fuck up. I block as many people as I can but they just keep coming out of the woodworks.

If you do genuinely want to help, don't start off with "That's a weird choice of gear you made here..." and "As a Kaveh DPS player with a very well invested Kaveh... he won't deal that much," in your first sentences. You are NOT going to generate a good conversation. Your casual tone indicates familiarity. We're not friends. And "As a Kaveh DPS player with a very well invested Kaveh... he won't deal that much damage," so you're telling me you can't build this character to do what you want him to do. You don't actually put effort into farming that artifact RNG or put love into this character. That sounds like your fault.

I love Kaveh. And I love building him in every which way possible. I've looked at other players' builds, game websites, guides, YouTube, and do this thing called RESEARCH on my own.

Same person, just new pfp with a profile frame. I used a computer/browser because I just blocked them, jfc. 🙄 Alt text provided if you can't read the photos.

R: That's a weird choice of gear you made here... where are you playing him? Because if he's on-field on a bloom team, then he'd like to use a more supportive build I think (which means more EM, and definitely more ER, getting his burst must be an absoulte nightmare right now). And if he's the on-field DPS for a spread comp, he needs lots of love and a different set.

Me: As I've said in the post, "Kaveh's basic bloom build has been complete for the past couple of months, so I decided to give him new ✨accessories.✨" He has plenty of EM in that build. The team composition is up to me; I'm not asking for help.

(I wanted to share my Kaveh build. Not ask for advice. There was no question mark in my post. Build YOUR Kaveh and his team however the you want. And I will do the same.)

[R]: Fair enough, I was merely curious because your build is far away from his usual builds, and as a Kaveh player myself. I was interested to know your team comps. You don't need help, fine, sorry for offering generic advice I guess. Still, I'm feeling a tinge of uneeded aggressivity here.

(Since when is stating plain fact or quoting one's self showing "aggressivity." Just don't butt in when someone ISN'T ASKING FOR HELP.)

Me: Don't worry about it.

[R]: I'm not worried, just slightly confused by your behaviour. It's unusual, even by this platform standards. But hey, at least I was surprised, doesn't happen that often nowadays. So thanks, I guess.

(It's giving me stuck up, private school girl vibes. "I'm not worried," so I see common vernacular goes right over your head. Last time I checked, "Don't worry about it" means "leave it alone.")

[R]: As a Kaveh DPS player with a very well invested Kaveh... he won't deal that much. He's decent, but he's not meant to be a DPS.

("He's not meant to be a DPS," no fucking shit. That doesn't stop people from building characters they love, their way. 🤨)

Me: Stop bothering me.

(And then, I blocked her. I'm not dealing with these fuckers any longer than this.)

If you find this, Karen who's username starts with an R, I will block you still on every platform.

It's always the Ganyu mains and pfp. Fuck.

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

Another day, another post dissecting Our Life's code! This time we'll be going over how Our Life decides whether your Cove will be Studious, Sporty, or somewhere in the middle!

If you've already seen my post on how the game decides where Cove is on the spectrum between warm and cold, then most of this will feel extremely familiar, but you don't need to check that post to understand this one! I'll be going over everything exactly the same.

According to GB Patch, getting a sporty or studious Cove is primarily based on what you do with him activity-wise.

Part of it is what Cove literally ends up doing in the events. There are multiple times where he can do something more physical or do something more low key. Another part is a somewhat meta “the player is creating their reality” type of deal. For example, if the player makes it clear that their MC is the sporty one around, that would have to mean Cove isn’t the sporty one. So even without interacting with Cove directly you��d rack up a lot studious points for him because your choices are describing a world where Cove isn’t that into sports. That’s not to say it’s impossible for the MC and Cove to both be into sports. Describing your MC specifically as the one into sports is excluding Cove from being super into sports, but he doesn’t have to be excluded. The most straightforward way to get a sporty Cove is to just really focus on it. Whenever there’s something that could possibly make him more interested in bookish things, lean away from that. And whenever there’s a way to encourage him to like or do physical stuff, do it. So, for example, don’t accept just being a silver medalist in Grown-up, don’t say that the MC is a faster runner than Cove when trying to get away from Shiloh, do ask him question that lead to him talking about outdoorsy activities he does, etc.

Calling it "points" is very accurate because it's very much a points system. Whenever you do certain actions with/say certain things to Cove, the game will add a "point" to either Cove being studious or Cove being sporty (in extremely rare cases, it will add two instead of even subtract one).

(also, shockingly, reading the book with Cove in Sleepover actually has zero effect on Cove being Studious/Sporty; I even had to read through the script to confirm and the only reasoning I can imagine is because it's related to getting a CG and the devs wouldn't want players who want the CG to feel forced into making Cove more studious just to get it)

The tutorial of the game also vaguely details the studious to sporty spectrum:

[Cove']s interests fall along a sporty-mixed-studious spectrum. It works similarly to the personality one. When he's young, Cove has a variety of interests. As time goes on that can stay the same, begin to focus on more athletic/outdoorsy activities, or become more interested in academic/indoorsy ways to spend time.

And, if you've ever been in the Cove Creator, you'd know that there are five "states" that Cove can be in when it comes to his interests, with one state being between Studious and Mixed while another is between Mixed and Sporty. However, as far as I can tell, the game will never actually check for these two states, meaning that Cove is either Studious, Mixed, or Sporty, without any sort of Studious-Mixed or Mixed-Sporty at all.

In terms of the first check of the game - after the end of Step 1, of course - the game will examine the points you've gathered and decide where on the spectrum Cove is. If you have more Studious points, then the game will look only at how many points you've gathered there and vice versa with Sporty points. If you have an equal amount of Studious and Sporty points, then there will be a sort of "coin flip" to determine which points the game will check (this actually happened to me once where I had to go back on a save and got a Sporty Cove instead of a Studious one even though I'd done nothing different, simply because I'd accumulated an equal amount of sporty and studious points with Cove).

The remaining points in the other category are thrown away, and if you don't have enough sporty/studious points (depending on what you had more of or what the game chose in the "coin toss"), then you get a Mixed Cove.

Interestingly enough, the game is actually uneven in how it calculates a "fully Studious" or "fully Sporty" Cove. If you have six or more points in Studiousness, then you get a "fully Studious" Cove, but the game only asks for five of more in Sportiness to give you a "fully Sporty" Cove. This means that you could have six points in both Studiousness and Sportiness, which would give you a "fully Sporty" Cove if the coin flip picked Sportiness, but if the coin flip picks Studiousness, you'll only get a "Studious-Mixed" Cove.

As stated above though, the Studious-Mixed and Mixed-Sporty states don't really exist and serve as Studious and Sporty respectively anyway. In the grand scheme of things, it won't matter, but I digress.

Keeping that in mind, the game only cares if you have three or more points in either Studiousness or Sportiness. If you have three or more Studious points, you get a Studious Cove, and if you have three or more Sporty points, you get a Sporty Cove (and a coin toss if you're equal in both to decide whether he's Studious or Sporty). If you do not have enough points in either, you get a Mixed Cove. A Mixed Cove is most likely if you either play through Step 1 without playing any moments or avoid leaning Cove towards anything Studious/Sporty at all.

Cove's personality and appearance are also unrelated to whether he's Studious or Sporty, excluding moments where a multiple choice option might affect multiple values at once (but this is coincidence rather than direct correlation and, yes, I'll mention them when they come). Cove will also still do things like go surfing in Wave even if he's Studious, it's just that he'll be an awkward surfer instead of a graceful one (no comment if he's Mixed).

In terms of things that affect the player directly, the gummy bear toss in the Step 2 DLC moment Birthday is one of the biggest things that come to mind, as you'll lose if Cove isn't sporty and your MC hasn't been given any "sporty points" of their own (since this post isn't about the MC, I'll keep it brief and just say that the game keeps track of your own athletic ability during Step 2, such as if you tell Kyra that you like to swim). If that matters to you, you can opt for a sporty Cove and save yourself the trouble as there's no Studious equivalent of the gummy bear toss.

As for all of the moments in Step 1 where you have a chance to influence Cove's Studiousness/Sportiness, here they are!

Step 1 - Prologue

When Cove and the MC try to flee from Shiloh (if the MC agrees to go along with Cove):

He was fast, but you knew you could outrun him if you had to. [sporty +1]

He was not that fast, you knew you could outrun him if you had to. [studious +1]

He was not that fast, but neither were you. [studious +1]

At that speed, you weren't sure if you could go fast enough to reach him. [sporty +1]

Shopping

When Cove is staring down absentmindedly at the sand:

"Are you looking for snails?" [sporty +1]

"Are you looking for shells?" [studious +1]

"What is it?" [studious +1]

"You didn't feel the need to ask why." [sporty +1]

When Cove goes back to not saying anything on the beach:

You didn't either. [sporty +1]

"What did you want to go to the shops for?" [studious +1]

"What do you usually do on the beach?" [sporty +1]

Grown Up

When Lizzie tells Cove and the MC that they won silver in the pretend Olympics:

"Silver sucks. I don't want silver." [sporty +1]

"I'm okay with that." [studious +1]

"Hey, we can do better than silver!" [sporty +1]

"Silver's not bad. Nice." [studious +1]

You stayed silent. [no change]

Long Day

When Lizzie asks the MC if they're a chicken who doesn't want to ding-dong-ditch the mean grandparents:

"Yeah. Cluck-cluck." [studious +1]

You'd rather just avoid them. [studious +1]

You thought they deserved worse. [no change]

"I'll do it." [no change]

When the MC gets to decide what they see in the clouds:

You saw a dolphin. [studious +1] {note that this will give Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt}

You saw a car. [sporty +1] {note that this will give Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt}

You saw an alpaca. [sporty +1] {note that this will give Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt}

You saw a smiley face. [sporty +1] {note that this will give Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt}

You saw cloud shapes. [studious +1]

Sandcastle

[NONE]

Fireflies

When the MC notices Cove lagging behind the group while en route to poppy hill:

"Are you not gonna come?" [no change] {but will give Cove cold +1}

You tugged him along. [sporty +1] {note that this will give Cove cold +1 on Indifferent and warm +1 on Fond/Crush}

You walked with him. [no change] {but will give Cove cold +1}

You waved at him to hurry. [no change] {but will give Cove warm +1}

You ran off. [no change]

When Cove fails to catch a firefly after the MC catches one:

You encouraged him to try again. [sporty +1] {note that this will give Cove warm +1}

You told him about the firefly you had. [studious +1] {note that this will give Cove cold +1}

You made a joke about what happened. [studious +1]

You did your own things. [sporty +1]

Library

When the MC chooses to go with Cove rather than participate in the quiz:

[sporty +1] {note that this will give Cove cold +1}

When the MC and Cove are about to be interrupted in their game of hide-and-seek (dependent on how good the MC has been at the game; answers marked with a * are the correct ones):

1st round of hide-and-seek

Next to a Peter Pan poster.

*Beside the fairy tale display.

*Behind the solar system model.

2nd round of hide-and-seek

By the fire awareness station.

Near the stuffed animals.

*Under the giant piece of fruit.

By the outlaw poster.

*In the fantasy section.

Near the toddler books.

3rd round of hide-and-seek

*In all the old Christmas stuff.

Next to the kid detective poster.

*Behind the Willy Wonka statues.

Final Tally

the MC won zero rounds (Cove will say "I'm doing good.") [sporty +1]

the MC won one round (Cove will say "I'm doing good.") [studious +1] [sporty +1]

the MC won two rounds (Cove will say "I can still win.") [studious +1]

the MC won all three rounds (Cove will say "I need to do good in at least one round.") [studious +1]

If the MC chose to go do the quiz instead:

[studious +1] {note that this will give Cove warm +1}

Ghost

[NONE]

Barbecue

When the MC is racing the other kids to catch the girl with the squirt gun (if the MC chose to go play with the kids in the first place):

You outran them easily. [studious +1]

You outran them with effort. [sporty +1]

You weren't as fast as them because they were speedy. [sporty +1]

You weren't as fast as them because you just weren't fast. [studious +1]

You moved to the side to let them pass; you didn't wanna win this race. [no change]

When Mr. Holden comments on his interests:

"Those are things Cove likes." [sporty +1]

"Wow. It's a good thing you live by the beach." [studious +1]

You stayed quiet. [no change]

Runaway

[NONE]

Sleepover

[NONE]

Step 1 - Ending

When Cove tries to skip a rock across the water (if the MC chose to stay with him):

You were impressed over how far he got it to go. It sailed way out into the sea. [sporty +2] [studious -1]

It was a good toss. That was pretty neat. [sporty +1]

It wasn't a long throw. But he didn't care to try for that. [studious +1]

The rock sunk kind of... like a rock and fell back down almost right after he tossed it. [studious +2] [sporty -1]

And that's all of them! A few surprises are in there, but it's mostly straightforward in either prompting Cove to talk about outdoor/active things he does or choosing options that imply he's particularly good/fast (whether compared to the MC or in general). Particularly tricky are the ones that might change Cove's appearance/personality when you didn't intend for that to happen and are trying not to use the Cove Creator to get the Cove you want.

Still, it's definitely easier to gauge than Cove's appearance or personality, so whether you wanted this for a guide or just for the data, I hope you enjoyed! :D

[galedekarios]

I think the reason some Galemancers think the astral scene is the “lesser choice” is because you get 5 extra approval points if you choose the bed scene. Both are good! But that’s what I would think. Also, I believe the astral scene pushes him towards the crown more vs the bed.

thank you for your message, anon, and for trying to explain!

however, i think there's some confusion and (unintentionally, i'm sure) false information here that i'd like very, very much to clear up:

a) approval points

both choices have the exact same approval points attached to them: five in both cases.

astral sea scene:

Player: I'll remind you we're newly acquainted, not newlyweds. Gale: Then we'll start writing the prequel. Gale: What do you say? Player: I think that sounds delightful - but I don't see a bed. ['Gale 5']

old ways scene:

Player: I don't need illusions. I want the Gale standing right in front of me. Gale: Are you sure...? I could conjure up any sight that you could dream of, and a few you could not. I could use the Weave to make us feel sensations beyond reckoning. I could do more than woo you. I could wow you. Player: You don't need to impress me, Gale. I'm no goddess., FEMALE ['Gale 5'] Player: You don't need to impress me, Gale. I'm no god., MALE ['Gale 5'] Player: You don't need to impress me, Gale. I'm no deity. ['Gale 5']

you can net five approval points in the last night alive scene in other ways too:

telling gale you love him:

Player: I'm in love with you too. ['Gale 5']

2. leaning in for a kiss:

Player: Lean in for a kiss. ['Gale 5']

3. gale also doesn't mind if you change your mind during the astral sea scene and want to return to the 'real' world:

Player: It's beautiful, but it's you I want to be with. The man, not the illusion. ['Gale 5'] - Player: I want to be with the real Gale - the man, not the fantasy. ['Gale 5']

these are NOT extra points. you will ONLY get these if you didn't choose the "Player: I think that sounds delightful - but I don't see a bed. ['Gale 5']" option in the same dialogue tree i listed above to follow through to the astral sea scene, but instead return to the "old ways" scene (gale snaps his fingers and the illusion of waterdeep disappears).

4. the friendship version of the scene also allows the player to not five approval points if the player chooses to stay with gale under the stars:

Gale: Yes... but there is so much to live for, and so few moments in which to house it all.Approval_AtLeast_30_For_Sp6 Gale: Damn you. Damn you for giving me so much to care about. Our friends, our adventures... this would have been so much easier if it was just me. But it isn't. Gale: If there is a way - any way - to save all that's grown dear to me, I want to seize it. I just cannot fathom what that might be, other than to fail Mystra and condemn the world. Gale: Stay with me, will you? I don't want to think of it any more, but I don't want to be alone either. Player: Stay with him and watch the stars in silence. ['Gale 5']

the second part i want to address because that is (again, i'm sure it's completely unintentional so no worries, anon, and/or a misconception/misunderstanding) false information:

b) choosing the astral sea scene pushes gale towards the crown

that is completely factually wrong and i felt it was important to clear that up. there is not a singular flag in the entirety of the scene's files that determines pushing gale away or towards godhood, away or towards the crown.

not one.

which makes sense because at that point in time, neither gale nor the protag even know about the crown. it's only at the end of act 2 that you find out about it, and it triggers gale's act 3 choice to pursue the crown (and godhood) or not to.

the only flags set in gale's act 2 romance scene is if you push him towards sacrificing himself or making him understand that he doesn't have to do that and that you'll find another way with him.

i've detailed that in a meta post about those flags.

if you would like to check the file for youself, you need to open "CAMP_GalesLastNightAlive_SD_ROM", which contains gale's act 2 romance scene.

the only other flags that appear in this scene are the following:

ORI_State_Partnered = False / True

ORI_State_DatingGale

CAMP_GalesLastNightAlive_SD_ROM_Event_CollateralDamage = False / True

ORI_Gale_Event_PushTowardsDeath

ORI_Gale_Event_PushAwayFromDeath

as well as the flags for approval (to determine which scene variation you get -> low approval, friendship, romance) and for karlach, as she has special dialogue in this romance scene with gale, depending on whatever or not she got the second upgrade that allows her to be able to touch.

again, my goal here is just to clear up misinformation about the scene. none of the two versions have a disparity in approval or have a 'negative' consequence attached to them in terms of flags.

what i, personally, find interesting and what i would like to add at the end of this post are the devnotes. we don't have that many in this scene, however, gale makes it clear that if you pick the 'old ways' scene - which is, in and of itself, a perfectly valid choice to make btw depending on how you rp your character, and i have two characters myself who have different ways of doing this scene - the devnote makes it very clear that gale is bowing to the player's preference.

it's not his wish. it's the player's wish.

and it's a wish that he respects to the utmost:

Player: It's beautiful, but its you I want to be with. The man, not the illusion. Gale: The old ways then. If that is what you wish, so be it. devnote: Tactful, bowing to the player's desires Gale: A small gesture towards your comfort.

all in all, i think personal preference is something else entirely, but i do think - looking at everything i've laid out here - it's very sad to see one scene painted as the 'lesser' for reasons that are factually wrong.

if ppl are interested to read a post taking on a more favourable reading of the astral sea version of gale's act 2 romance scene and want to understand why some people might prefer it, i'd greatly recommend this meta by @clericofgale. i've also talked about my own feelings (this is my personal opinion) in the tags of this post:

#i've spoken about this already but the amount of times i had to read derisive takes on the astral sea scene #because people think that making gale understand that he is more than his magic #is the same as separating him entirely from it #it does him a great disservice when it's such a great part of his life #you are romancing a wizard and a wizard comes with magic #i think it's also important to note that gale believes this is his quite possibly last night #the scene is literally titled that in the files: 'last night alive' #it's not a show it's love and acceptance and vulnerability #he is trying to share what he can and as much as he can with the person he loves in what little time may be left to him #he shows you his home and bares his soul to you in hopes you'll accept him in his entirety for who he is and the things he holds dear #when you deny him he acquiesces but he is doing so on your wishes and your comfort alone - not for his

again, thank you for your message, anon! 🖤

[amazinglyegg]

Fallout 4 companions as which Don't Starve Together character they'd main:

Cait: Wolfgang, and eats all the food so she can stay permanently mighty. I would say Wigfrid but she's too much of a team player, Cait's gonna run off and die unprepared and then whine if she doesn't get revived immediately

Curie: Webber. Cute little spider boy who can befriend spiders and make them friends with the team!! What's not to love?? Also enjoys being helpful to the team by getting a ton of silk and eating all the extra monster meat.

Codsworth: Warly 100%. He takes the work the others are too lazy to do and stays at camp the entire time. Probably has an list of every single crockpot recipe beside him while he plays.

Danse: Wilson. He doesn't get the point of picking a character with disadvantages and thinks having to jump through hoops to manage character-specific issues is ridiculous. He'll never play as anyone other than Wilson.

Deacon: Wes would be too obvious so I'm going with Winona. Doesn't go to base ever, people don't even know he exists, but whenever the team goes to fight a boss he already has a complex cheese setup with catapults and meatbulbs or something. Minmaxes everything.

Gage: Willow. Burns down the chests when his sanity gets low and gets banned immediately.

Hancock: Probably Wortox??? He wants to be a little freak of some sort, that's for sure. Completely abuses his teleports out of laziness and never actually uses his souls responsibly.

Longfellow: Chooses Wickerbottom, dies to Charlie on the first night, then turns off DST and plays Shipwrecked instead. Picks Woodlegs. Still dies on the first night.

Maccready: If not Wolfgang, he probably hears X6 talk about meta strategies and plays as Wanda! Finds it very entertaining that an old lady is one of the strongest characters, and not having a health meter makes him feel much stronger than he really is.

Nick Valentine: Picks Woodie randomly at the character select screen without reading his description, gets pretty attached to Lucy and the easy wood supply. You can imagine his shock on the first full moon.

Piper: Refuses to pick a main for the longest time and goes down the entire list every time she dies, until she reaches Walter. She just CANNOT part with Woby, no matter how much she sucks at playing as him.

Preston: Wendy! He needs Abigail to help him with fights, I doubt he's very good at games. Definitely says he's going on a quick supply run then gets sidetracked by helping pipspooks. He can't just IGNORE them!!

X6-88: W8-78 would be the expected one (same naming scheme!) but I doubt X6 would enjoy having to run around and scan rabbits with Jimmy. He'd probably pick some minmaxer like Wanda or Wolfgang and ruins rush day 1 or whatever. He totally follows an online guide and ragequits when he realizes picking a "meta" character =/= automatic win.

[strandsofgold]

so, i guess i'm kind if in the minority of players who actually really liked guarma. like, don't get me wrong, i really disliked the limited area, but the scenery is beautiful and the missions, god the missions, are so damn good. they do so much for the characters and the themes and the story as a whole and they are honestly the missions i replay most frequently.

one of these days i'm going to write a meta along the lines of "hercule vs. dutch: honest revolution and grifts" but that's for another time. right now i want to talk about javier, his relationship with dutch, and the idea that he "should've stayed a good guy".

i've seen a quite frankly confusing amount of people say that javier "would've sided with arthur" if it wasn't for rdr, and that he "wouldn't have turned bad". and i have a few problems with this.

in every single camp, javier has a multitude of random encounters and conversations that divulge his past; a past filled with want for a better world, revolution, betrayal, heartache, and loss of family. and then he describes how dutch found him and brought him into the gang. how he gave him a new purpose, something to fight for.

the sense of loyalty javier has towards dutch is just as strong, if not stronger, than arthur's.

in chapter 3, javier is beginning to doubt dutch. he believes in him fiercely, but there are holes in his plans that he cannot help but question. when he asks dutch about it, dutch lashes out, telling javier in no uncertain terms that he not only needs javier but that he needs javier strong. and the way javier reacts really underlines how unsure javier is of everything and how much he relies on dutch and the image javier has on him. he hesitates, he stutters, clearly unused to dutch talking to him like that, but ultimately gives in, willing to follow dutch to the ends of the earth, because dutch saved him, gave him a new family, and has yet to lead him astray.

and then guarma happens. javier is shot and captured – he essentially sacrifices himself to ensure the others' safety.

dutch and arthur come to his rescue. they could have easily left him to rot, and it would have probably been easier considering how heavily guarded the place is, but they don't. dutch puts himself directly in the line of fire and takes the extra weight of a wounded javier on his back while holding guards back with the help of arthur.

dutch could have easily died trying to save javier, was willing to put himself in mortal danger for javier, and javier notices. of course he does.

twice now, dutch has saved javier's life and brought him to what will/has become his family. how can he not double down on his loyalty?

on top of this, as dutch unravels further and further in chapter 6, the one thing he constantly rambles on about is loyalty and doubt and how the people doubting him are the reason for their downfall. and javier, who at this point believes even more fervently in dutch than he did before, hears this and sees the way john and arthur have begun questioning dutch, a man who – as javier believes and points out to them – raised them and gave them a family and a purpose to their lives, and comes to the same conclusion as dutch: they're the ones who have betrayed them.

so yeah, the idea that javier would have sided with arthur if rdr didn't exist is just wrong, even if you exclusively look at rdr2.

i also want to dismiss the idea that javier "became bad" in chapter six or that r* butchered his character. they didn't. what javier does in the last chapter lines up with everything i've mentioned above, and it doesn't make him a bad guy. putting aside the dumb idea that any character in rdr2 can be described as bad or good, that all the characters aren't morally gray and complicated, javier, till the very end, fought for what he thought was right, what he belived was right.

javier explicitly says that he is willing to die for what he believes in, for freedom, and unlike dutch, whose ideals i believe have eroded and nearly been cast aside by the time the game starts, this is a constant for javier. i believe that javier fervently believed in the ideals and philosphy dutch used to believe in, as well as the family dutch invited him into.

this doesn't mean that he doesn't eventually become a traditional villain in a sense. honestly, it's like r* put a neat little bow on the entire thing, because javier seems to undergo the same changes between rdr2 and rdr as dutch had before and during rdr2: he becomes everything he was previously against, everything he swore to destroy. javier abandons his ideals, actively fighting against revolution in mexico, and works for a man who, in cutscenes, has women dragged away to be raped – a villain in every sense of the word.

in my opinion, rdr2 did the same thing for javier as it did for dutch – it humanised him, made him redeemable and sympathetic, ultimately making his reappearance in rdr and john's life all the more tragic and horrible.

[ranchthoughts]

Moments of ephemerality/permanence/YOLO/photography/voyeurism/control/hypocrisy/accountability etc. in Only Friends Ep. 10

last week's meta recap

Ephemerality and permanence (and YOLO and change)

Ray saying he is not addicted and he can stop drinking at any time - his dependence on alcohol is not permanent, he doesn't think there is a need to change, others believe there is a need to change

pointing out that some rehab centres are like resorts - appearing to the spoiled rich kid who wants to be pampered

Talk of death again between Sand and Ray ("I just don't want to sing at your funeral"), and from Ray's dad ("I don't want him to die like his mom")

Nick tells Dan to be chill about the kiss, the time was right, etc. (vs. Dan wanting to talk a bit more about the kiss and what it means); Nick says "We can kiss or have sex. We don't need to worry about it. We will part anyways in the end." (this relationship [all relationships?] is not lasting), Dan says he doesn't judge those who like to have fun but he seems to have more of an eye towards permanency than Nick; Nick refers to himself and Dan as players as he talks about being chill about their kiss

Nick's dad didn't think Nick's interest in animations would get him far in life

Top says if Mew tells him to go, Mew will never see him again (pretty much what Nick told Boston last week, which is interesting)

the doctor at the rehab facility asking about Ray's family history with alcoholism, both Sand and Ray's dad drawing explicit parallels between Ray's mother and Ray's drinking (the lasting and permanent effects of intergenerational trauma)

Boeing commenting to Mew "I know Top is your first love. Must be hard for you to cut ties with him" - the permanency of first love (and losing your virginity?), the idea that first love has more weight and staying power. Also reminds me of Top and others talking about how Ray will "always" be in love with Mew

Boeing saying he doesn't want Top back because he is tired of him (and tired of being Top's "sleeping pill")

Top proposing a trip and Mew saying he doesn't want to think that far ahead ("We don't know what the future holds"), similar to their earlier conversation about Top meeting Mew's moms and Mew saying who knows if they will be together still

Ray talking about Sand always there with him and helping him (the permanency of Sand), Ray talking about how no one ever wants to put up with him, that it takes patience to be with him (the impermanence of other people in Ray's life)

the permanency of photography again, with Boston's photos of Atom

second chances: Mew ready to give Top another chance, Boston and Nick giving it another go

Honesty, growth, and accountability

Following last week's surge in honesty (Nick to Boston, Sand and Nick, Ray and Sand, Mew and Ray, Mew to Cheum, etc.) we had some more this episode:

Ray making the first steps to go to rehab, and acknowledging the dynamic he and Sand have and what Sand has brought to his life (though not to Sand yet)

Ray throwing out some of his alcohol

Boston reconciling with Nick, being honest about missing him (and Nick being honest about missing him back), Boston saying he will take better care of the things he owns (Nick) in future

Nick and Dan having a conversation about their kiss

Nick being honest about his insecurities with Dan (no one liked him back or asked him out, the Kinky Head nickname, etc.)

Top and Mew talking at the pool and Mew being upfront about giving Top a second chance

Ray pushing Sand to talk to his dad, but acknowledging that it is not his place to make that decision for Sand, ultimately it is up to Sand if he doesn't want to

Ray's dad frankly confronting Ray about his alcoholism

Boeing telling Top straight up he initially approached Mew for revenge on Top but now he is legit into Mew (though of course, do we believe him)

This episode Mew says "People learn from their mistakes, don't they?". He was talking about wake boarding here but I mean, obviously that's not all he is talking about. And I think it provides a very good summation for the series - we've been wondering from the beginning if this show is about accountability, about these (young) characters learning from their mistakes and coming to terms with their actions having consequences (see some talk about that here, here, here, and here).

Consequences (and hypocrisy)

There was quite a bit about consequences this episode, as seems to be the theme for this latter half of Only Friends. Ray and Sand discuss consequences of Ray's continued drinking and make plans to go to rehab. Nick accepts the consequences of his actions and continues to pursue Dan and leave Boston behind. Top faces the consequences of his actions as Mew and Boeing meet outside his apartment door (and Mew and Boeing come up with a plan to exact further revenge).

The big example of consequences this week was the aftermath of Atom and Boston's hook up. After Boston made it clear last episode he agreed to a one time hookup and has no interest in repeating, Atom has been stewing. When Cheum finds him and asks what is wrong he lies and says Boston tricked him into going home with him, taking nude photos of him, and sleeping with him. Atom says he was drunk for the whole interaction and that Boston is blackmailing him with photos to get Atom to have sex with him again.

@wen-kexing-apologist talked about the respectability politics angle to this the other day, how Atom gets believed and Boston gets doubted because Atom has been "respectable" [monogamous] and Boston has been "suspicious" [promiscuous] in their sex lives thus far (though obviously, Cheum is coming at this from a very personal place of wanting to protect her brother, which is fully understandable, and initially has little reason to doubt her brother's claim) I pointed out Cheum's choice of wording in that scene ("Atom has always liked girls. What did you do to him?") and how it hearkens back to narratives of queer people as predatory, etc. Other people like @jojotichakorn (here) and @burnsuncomet (here) have written about that idea too.

I'd like to consider this through a consequences lens: Cheum, Mew, and Ray have accused Boston of sexual impropriety at minimum and rape at worst in front of a client (depends on how long the client was listening in). Boston has been hiding his sexuality and sex life from his father and the world at large, something he is so careful about he doesn't even permit vaguely incriminating photos with Nick. Boston has been recorded having sex twice without his consent, and those tapes have circulated/he has been threatened with them. Now Boston has been accused of rape, and specifically of raping a man. The consequences and repercussions of this for Boston specifically are immense. Atom felt embarrassed at being rejected by Boston and wanted to lash out, wanted to avoid accountability (and possible judgement) for his actions, so he created a narrative where he was the victim. Maybe Atom intended it to be a little lie to absolve him of responsibility and didn't register the magnitude of these accusations, maybe he did recognize the severity of his claims and did intend for this to be a serious method of exacting revenge and making Boston hurt for the embarrassment he felt, but regardless of intention, this is way out of proportion. We will see if these accusations of rape spread or grow in intensity in the episodes to come, but there has been at least one consequence so far - the friend group have officially kicked Boston out of hostel project, so presumably he has to scramble to find something else quick or else his graduation is in jeopardy.

There's also something that strikes me about this, which I can hopefully express satisfactorily:

In the actual events (though from Atom's perspective): Boston doesn't want to have sex with Atom again, Atom wants to have sex with Boston again. To Atom, the only acceptable outcome is Boston having sex/a lasting relationship with Atom, even if this goes against Boston's wishes. To Atom, Boston should place Atom's desires and feelings above his own, Boston should give up his autonomy to Atom. Boston's no should not be respected; in fact Boston's daring to say no is so unacceptable it deserves punishment (accusations of rape).

In the narrative Atom constructs: Atom doesn't want to have sex with Boston again, Boston wants to have sex with Atom again. Boston tries to force a repeat through blackmail against Atom's wishes - Boston places his desires and feelings above Atom, Boston removed/removes Atom's autonomy (Atom was drunk, Atom is being blackmailed). Atom's no should be respected, Boston ignoring this no is so unacceptable it deserves punishment (social shunning, kicking Boston off the group project, potentially other repercussions).

There's something there as well about monogamy/lasting relationships vs. promiscuity/ephemeral hookups there too:

In the actual events (though from Atom's perspective): Atom wanting a repeat, wanting a lasting relationship (of sorts) after a night together is fine and normal. In fact, Boston not wanting a lasting relationship is weird and bad and deserves to be punished. Atom pushing for a lasting arrangement (despite Boston not being interested - e.g. Boston not answering Atom's messages, Atom showing up at Boston's house uninvited) is understandable, flattering, and logical/to be expected.

In the narrative Atom constructs: Boston wanting a repeat, wanting a lasting relationship (of sorts) is wrong. Atom is perfectly understandable for not wanting a lasting relationship, not wanting a relationship after one hookup is perfectly normal, and Boston trying to force one on Atom (through blackmail) is sinister and deserves to be punished.

See the hypocrisy? See how Atom's accusations are a twisted version of what actually happened/what Atom thinks happened? In Atom's constructed narrative, everything he does is what Boston did in real life, but to Atom, Boston actually doing those things in real life is unacceptable and deserving of punishment.

One final note on hypocrisy - I also wanted to point out Ray's call out of Sand in this episode: "You make alcohol. You want me to quit drinking but you are selling liquor". We here on Tumblr have mentioned this before - interesting to have Ray say it so explicitly in show.

Random thoughts

Insecurity

Mew says he is giving Top another chance, but if he does something again Mew will blame himself. This is an interesting insight into Mew, and it reminded me of what he said when he was confronting Top about sleeping with Boston back in episode 6:

Mew is insecure and hard on himself. When it comes down to it, he blames himself for things going wrong. Sure he lashes out and has been plotting revenge for episodes and episodes now, but at his core there is part of him who thinks it is his fault this has been happening - he wasn't good enough. Makes sense for a character who wants to be top of the class academically, who has such a superiority complex around sex and relationships, and so on.

I will also draw a parallel here to Ray, who also is very hard on himself - he calls himself a burden, he constantly asks Sand to tell him the bad things about him, to hit him, to yell at him, etc. Ray thinks he deserves bad treatment, and one of the reasons he's struggled with Sand is because he can't/couldn't believe Sand would care about him.

Comparison

Lots of stuff about comparison this episode too with Boeing - Boeing looking like a Mew-Top hybrid, Boeing going toe to toe with Mew during bar trivia, Boeing constantly commenting on the similarities between he and Mew ("Top, you always date smart people", "I'm snooping on your Insta too", both of them liking plants, Boeing saying Mew is an upgraded version of himself), Boeing noting that he was Top's "record-setting" 3 month relationship which is the milestone Mew hopes to beat, and so on and so forth.

Labels

We have been talking about the limits of labels (see here and here), and how assigning labels to people (and letting that permanently/completely shape your understanding of them) is connected to control. I wanted to point out how this plays a role in the Atom and Boston plot here:

Cheum assumes Atom is heterosexual (he's only dated girls before)

Cheum assumes Boston must have forced Atom to sleep with him (Boston is a slut, Boston is gay (and Atom is not), etc.)

Boston is readily accepted as the aggressor by Ray and Mew as well, because Boston is known to be sexual, Boston is the slut

Obviously, enforcing such strict labels does real harm: Boston has to be the bad guy because he is a slut, Boston has to be the one who initiated the sex because he likes sex, Atom has to be the victim/can't have initiated because he is straight. Forcing people into strict labels doesn't allow people to change or experiment, and can make people jump to conclusions about events.

Recording and digital media

More Instagram mentions! This time, Mew goes through Boeing's Instagram profile (much like Nick went through Top's way back when), he accidentally likes a post which alerts Boeing to his scrolling, and Boeing reveals he has also been looking through Mew's profile. Again, we see Instagram as a means of surveillance (here and here), and one the characters aren't necessarily thinking consciously about. Boston finds Ray, Mew, and Cheum at the hostel based on Cheum's Instagram story; Ray finds Sand and Nick based on Nick's Instagram story, Nick figures out Top and Boston's connection/Boston's feelings for Top through Boston's Instagram comments; and now we have Boeing figuring out Mew is looking him up (and thus maybe thinking of him as a rival, being curious about him, etc.) through Instagram likes. Social media is omnipresent in these young people's lives and they may not be thinking about what their usage is actually revealing about them.

And of course, we have more about photography. Boston uses his lock screen photo of Nick (the photo he took when we first learned Boston likes keeping photo mementos of people he has slept with and that he doesn't like photos taken of himself) to signal his feelings for Nick, in a direct parallel to how Nick used a sexy photo of himself on Boston's phone to indicate his interest in Boston way at the beginning of the series. We see Boston taking photos of a client - photography is more than a hobby, more than something he does with people he has sex with. And finally, there are the photographs of Atom that Atom asked Boston to take of him. Atom claimed they were nudes, they clearly were not. Those photographs are a record of what happened that night, something that pokes holes in Atom's story (Atom looks content and carefully posed in them, Atom is not naked). Of course, pictures can be edited and fabricated (or destroyed) - they aren't as permanent or infallible as one might think - but they are a permanent, material, and external method of capturing and recording a moment in time (permanent vs ephemeral).

Boredom

Finally, we've been tossing around the idea of boredom, and there's been discussion of substance abuse and how Ray seeks to escape in alcohol and drugs, so I wanted to point out something Ray says after his first appointment:

Ray found the appointment boring and long - he has a hard time dealing with boredom, he isn't good at being patient. We've been talking about the YOLO attitudes of these young folks, these young RICH folks who have most of what they need right at their finger tips at all times, who don't have to consider consequences in ways that other people do. There is also of course the connection to be made here between Ray asking Sand to join a session with him and Ray asking Sand to come with him to his court mandated community service.

happy sunday ephemerality squad: @chickenstrangers, @clara-maybe-ontheroad, @colourme-feral, @distant-screaming, @lurkingshan, @neuroticbookworm, @rocketturtle4 @slayerkitty, @thatgirl4815, @twig-tea, @waitmyturtles, @wen-kexing-apologist

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Writing an enormous analysis of the patch is all well and good, but what do the balance changes actually mean for the meta?

Well, for one, I don't think any of the top tiers are going anywhere despite their nerfs, not even Sloshing Machine. Splash, Machine and Stamper all just have too much to recommend them. That said I think Neo Splash is probably leaving the top tiers, as with the paint and points for special nerfs it'll have a tough time competing with the Tentatek Splattershot for the short-range Triple Inkstrike Shooter niche (as a reminder, Ttek's Tri-Strike only costs 190p!)

The big, big winner this patch, however, is Ballpoint Splatling. It is the top tier weapon that got hit the least by a significant margin, only gaining another 10 points for its Inkjet, which only really undoes a buff it got in 3.0. Ballpoint was already considered a contender for the single best weapon in the game by a lot of pro players, and now it is no competition at all. Double Ballpoint is probably gonna become a pretty popular competitive team setup, and that would be bad for Splatana Stamper in particular, as it doesn't have a great matchup against Ballpoint (good lucking try to use Zipcaster while a Splatling is looking directly at you!). If Stamper exits the meta then this would be the reason, not the nerfs it got, though they hardly help.

In response to the rising stocks of Ballpoint and Inkjet, people will start looking for an answer, and the newly buffed Big Bubbler might just be what they're looking for. It remains to be seen for sure, but after the buffs it takes an Inkjet four shots, basically half its duration, to break the bubbler shield, and that's when hitting the weak point. It still gets torn apart by Crab pretty fast, but Crab in turn is very weak to Inkjet, and hey, would you look at that, we've got a bit of a rock-papers-scissors thing going on.

The fun thing about the weapons with Big Bubbler is that I could see people going to any one of them for their Bubble needs. Jr is always a good go-to option, though it lacks punch in the fighting department. Blaster, Splat Roller, and Zink Mini Splatling are good alternatives if you want to scrap, though none of them have a lethal bomb, and that's broadly speaking a downside in competitive play. Finally, there's Squiffer and the new H-3D for long-range options, and I know some competitive players, like ThatSRB2Dude, were eying the latter even before the Big Bubbler buffs.

Another good thing about Big Bubbler is its new resistance to Tenta Missiles, and that might genuinely matter in the face of Wiper Deco (or Diper, as some people are rather condescendingly calling it), with its 190p(?!) Missiles. I really don't know why they cost that little, and I don't expect them to stay at that cost for very long. Missiles have always been very strong, but so far none of the weapons that have them, except Flingza, have had any meaningful impact on competitive play, and Flingza has been very heavily nerfed as a result. Wiper Deco does not just have the lowest points for special out of all Missiles weapon, it also the only one of them that can really fire off its Missiles and then go in to fight the people that are being targeted. This is a big reason why the Kensa Splattershot in 2 was as good as it was, and we've never had a weapon that could really replicate it, until now.

While Wiper Deco is looking threatening on the surface, it remains to be seen if it works out in practice. Without a bomb it will likely have a hard time dealing with Ballpoint, lacking the range and DPS to fight it effectively, and Ballpoint is looking to step up in a big way.

Speaking of unknown factors, there's also the S-Blast '92 and the Painbrush. S-Blast's kit is largely seen as underwhelming, but datamining has shown that the weapon itself is looking incredibly solid, a mix of many of the best traits of other Blasters with very few of their downsides, and that might be enough to carry it into competitive play. Painbrush is looking like it will have excellent range, damage and paint, but absolutely atrocious ink efficiency, some of the worst in the game, in fact. Inkbrush and Octobrush have both seen competitive success, though the former a lot more than the latter, and Painbrush might find a niche as well, especially in Splat Zones, though it remains to be seen.

But all of this is just speculation, though. All we can know for sure is that competitive play will very likely revolve heavily around Ballpoint for the foreseeable future, and that is going to be shaping the meta until the next patch. By hitting all of the top tiers with nerfs, some of them very hard, Nintendo more or less uprooted the status quo of competitive play even before you consider the new weapons, and I'll be very interested to see how things go from here.

[rpedia]

The character I want to play has the ability to read minds/sense emotions, how should I go about this without falling into meta information/godmodding territory?

Oh, I love characters like this! Despite the intricate little dance you have to do to stay cool-beans with everyone, they can be immensely satisfying to play with/against/or at all. A lot of it comes down to checking in OOCly and creating a sense of trust between you and other players. You can't just jump in willy-nilly, but you've already shown that you recognize that! So...

First things first, you need to build a rapport with others. This can only be built through time, roleplay, and the trust that comes with seeing how you use your powers. Any person on the street walking up to you and just misusing your inner thoughts is going to get a realistic reaction from both player and character: disgust, annoyance, and generally thinking you're a prick they want nothing to do with. Do not jump any player character with anything you'd be weirded out with IRL without accepting there will be negative consequences. In this case, they might just reject all RP with you—

So you're going to have to prove yourself.

Start out by pointing out their abilities to people. Then, in narration (that's the story bit the player is writing), maybe reference a reaction to it. Keep a light hand, make it a thing that exists, but don't misuse it. It's flavoring, and if you don't use it to be an absolute twat right off the bat, you can get people to trust you with more details, or information.

Communication is key here, and in this case OOC communication is downright needed. You can contact someone, and set-up rules and comfort zones. You can ask them details, that you can expound on to give the writing more oomf. The trick is, this is cooperative writing, you're both working together to make something that's fun to write, fun to read, and has an impact when put together nicely. That means they want you to succeed as much as you want to succeed. Let them.

Having limits on it that allow people to 'block' your character, or temporarily distract them can help a ton. It gives other users a sense of control/power over your powers, so they feel like they're on an equal playing field. Maybe how far away they are effects how clearly they can hear those thoughts. Maybe they're preoccupied, so they can't focus on them. Maybe tinfoil hats, for once, work. Whatever your reasons, giving yourself human weaknesses can be a delightful way to work off the power.

I, for one, enjoy exploring how although a character may be able to read minds, minds may not always be so clear cut. Are you reading their jumbled thoughts? Can you just collect the general gist of their uppermost thoughts, and are deeper thoughts something you need to push to get to? What if they're a type of mind that can't imagine images because of aphantasia, or what if they think in internal narration? Some folks don't have an internal narrator. Some have a million voices that seem to be thinking at once. You might not even understand what the symbolism of their thoughts mean. This person feels yellow: what the hell does that mean to you?

Misunderstandings also humanize your character, which means failure is an option, and plot can be safely worked around. It's another failsafe that keeps you from overdoing it, or being a godmodding jerk. You can simply 'oopsie' around any thought you shouldn't be able to pick up because it would ruin the RP by simply... not looking at that moment. Or being in someone else's head at the time. A lot of using this power is going to be down to balances like this, where you as a player hold your character's hand and gently nudge them down a staircase if they're doing too much and hurting other people's enjoyment.

Once you find partners who feel safe, pushing the boundaries with them can be more fun because they know what to expect so you're not some stranger weirdo. You're someone who is communicating, and they can trust you to catch them when they narratively freefall into your arms. They know you'll use the power to further the story, not cut the legs out from under it.

It's important in these situations to have a major idea of what you are to everyone else. Attention seeking, godmodding, forcing yourself into situations you don't belong, whiteknighting because you can sense other people's distress and ruining their distressing-on-purpose-RP. These bad habits and more can come up in RP, and when you have the power to "see beyond the 4th wall" so to speak, it becomes even easier to fall prey to them. You need to understand how you exist in this space, and be conscious of stepping on toes.

Check in, check in, check in. If you have any doubts, run the idea past your partner, and then do as they feel comfy. Check in for this, or that. Clarification. Give them a spoiler for your upcoming post and go 'Hey, can I use your PC's thoughts to jump start this plot advancement' and 100% let them direct you. If they say no, sorry bud, you gotta respect that whether or not your character should be able to do it. The more you ask, the better you'll get a feel for the tone of others, and what they're cool with, and the more you can do without asking knowing both of you will love the outcome.

It just takes working with your partners, and developing that trust. I know it takes a while, but you can do it. I believe in you!

[droewyn]

There is a debate on the ao3 subreddit today about whether authors who wrote fics a long time ago should change titles and remove summaries on their old works, to avoid spoiling new fans in the wake of a remake/rerelease. (The fandom in question was not named, but it's Persona 3.)

I am a new P3 player, and I have not completed the remake yet. Know what I'm not doing? Going into the P3 tag on AO3. Because I don't want to be spoiled, so I'm staying out of places where everyone is assumed to have consumed so much canon that they're looking for alternatives.

I don't get to attend the devil's sacrament and then get pissed because I didn't want to see what was sitting on the altar, you know?

It is not the internet's responsibility to protect me from spoilers on a nearly 15-year-old game. People shouldn't be assholes, of course; invading someone else's post or inbox to pull a "Rosebud was a sled" is not cool. But fandom tags, and fandom subreddits, and literally all of AO3 are places where people are doing meta analyses, and character studies, and relitigating plot points. If I choose to go there, I do so with the understanding that I might end up spoiled.

This just feels like yet another "everyone else needs to be responsible for protecting my innocence" argument to me, and that's not true.

[kingabezka]

.. I think I saw the signs for dst awhile ago. Something about the change of a less sketchy dark artstyle, something about losing indie game status, something about this sole focus upon endgame content and less about the surviving, making a life in a harsh world aspect.

It ate me alive, seeing that lunar island update but the eldritch horror that could have contrasted against the horror of Them being more.. cartoon dimmed down for boss fights and "hurry hurry, get to endgame content, rush through the actual survival aspect, no time to smell the roses you need to mega base and meta play just to get to all this New Stuff!!-"

.. One can only go so far with creating ideas and expanding as much as one can when the canon game has begun to feel... more of a game than a story.

I used to play dst constantly. At some point a few years ago, every time I tried to play I'd get. Tired out after a couple of days. I'm still trying, because the thought of mapping the island, putting little mini camps around and having a garden and a beefalo and a gated spot for pet rabbits and gobblers sounds nice, maybe go cave diving or sailing every once in awhile - but none of that is endgame boss content, so none of that is what Klei wants for their game.

I don't know. I don't want to give up, but.. I'm not the target audience anymore. I can only hold on for so long when I miss my memories of playing the game than actually playing the game itself...

As I talked with someone about this, in private and not on the forums, they worded it pretty much perfectly:

"Klei is filtering out the players who made their game popular and who the game was originally created for."

We've done our part. We've spent the money, we showed our friends, we were part of the community. Now that they can, they will replace the door that required you to have the motivation and certain dedication in order to get through, with wider and easier to get through door that at the same time won't let the previous people through. I've been playing for less than 3 years, and even I can see that by opening the game to "casual" players (I mean people who do not want to put effort in order to have fun. I don't mean that as an insult. I'm a casual player in many games. I hate the new content in Minecraft precisely because it was always about going into a cave and mining iron, sometimes on peaceful mode because I just wanted to relax, and the Warden and all that nonsense is trying to make me fight and upgrade my armor constantly, which is not what I want to do. Let's not talk about it.) Klei is making a game that lacks the things original players wanted.

I mentioned this on the forums, but the game DST is becoming already exists. There's plenty of games where you complete little goals to win the game. DS was one of the very few games on the market that offered you the Intrinsic Motivation gameplay. People making megabases were the perfect example. There was nothing making them stay in their world. But they chose to anyway. And then you could do this whole experience in multiplayer. I don't know any other game that will grant me this experience. With a beautiful style, music and lore. With deep and fascinating characters. With un-invasive monetization style.

The fact it's not just this update, but several updates over the years that made singular people leave, one by one, is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because some of us could enjoy the game for a little bit longer. A curse, because you just feel so alone when you realize this game is no longer for you.

I'm sorry Anon we have to go through this. I wish we lived in a world where art is created to be art, not to be sold.

[creepling]

the tcm gameplay discourse is getting sooo toxic and imo people are just blatantly wanting nerfs and changes due to (what i think) is skill issue. im really hoping the devs weave through the complaints that are obviously wanting to make it victim/family sided and get easy wins.

while i'm on the topic, here are things i think they should change for both family and victim gameplay:

instead of calling for nerfs,,, CALL FOR BUFFS. sonny and sissy are in desperate need of buffing. i think sonny should have more default attribute points into stealth, as his ability and perks encourage that gameplay, but his low toughness have players worried he will be one shotted. and sissy should have more damage to her poision, or at least have rubber legs in the ability tree instead of as a perk. i loved the outcry to rebuff johnny but i wish sonny and sissy got the same attention, instead of people accepting their weakness and refusing to play them/dodge lobbies if they have been picked.

speaking of stealth, there still needs to be more encouragement on putting points into it. there is the meta that stealth is useless. i think if they release a character that is highly good in stealth, it will show players how beneficial it can be. i think youtuber gameplay can solve this more than the devs, creating an off-meta build where you're maxed in stealth, cut down bone chimes, use perks like overlooked, sanguine shadow, etc. since they're like "gaming influencers" it might encourage people to try new builds.

for family, when they give blood to grandpa, i think it should only take the required amount instead of all your blood. grandpa is a greedy lil man and when you're a few blood off of max lvl, he takes all the blood and you're left with nothing when the victim stabs grandpa. it will be a good opponent for the meta play of stabbing grandpa constantly for points. and if it only takes the required amount, taking you a lvl up but at 0, then it still means u need a full blood vial to lvl him up again; so it's not totally OP.

there is also the bugs and glitches that need fixing also. and i'm in agreement with everyone about the lobbies. but yknow what? i think people just need to change their attitudes. i have not been able to max out sissy because people will lobby dodge when they see her or i will have someone blatantly shout at me on comms to change character. whereas with victims, when my connie was still level 1, players wouldn't moan or make me change in fear that i'm a noob. it's happened less recently because the lobbies are so long, people just accept there is a full team and cba leaving and waiting another 30 mins for a game. i hope the devs prioritise the lobbies bc it's causing burn out and it's just torture to go through. and with additional buffs for some characters, people might not be as bitter when you play them.

and danny? maybe he is too OP, but i think he should stay somewhat OP as he is a paid character. if they nerfed him like they did johnny, they're basically not advertising why you should buy him in the first place, so it's shitty for the people who paid. plus, his ability is a great opponant to the pressure valve change. i think his instant study shouldn't be right away instant, but instead have you in a 1-3 second animation. and for nancy, her trap setup should be the same duration as hitchhikers, but other than that i don't think she needs a nerf. victims can combat her clear vision senses, spinning the camera, looking into a shadow/corner, etc. if the nancy is not on comms, then you're basically in the clear anyways. and with people complaining about pins and needles, you're basically taking a gamble with that perk, so it's not always OP. i wish that nancy was more of a counterpart to danny, but a chaser works best to keep the pressure on him. plus i love the gameplay where you see someone playing a character and you're like "they're the prime target, get them out asap" or "they cause more damage, i need to stay away from them". that's what makes it fun!!

[starlight-phantom]

Well, I've finished Nirvana Initiative and I'm... Not really sure what to think... Like yeah, the ending was satisfying, I suppose and the final battle section was fun but... I'm still a little confused by some of the details...

Honestly the main thing that really bugs me is Ryuki. I really, really enjoyed his character in his sections in the first half of the game, but then he gets shoved to the side and then only appears and causes problems in Mizuki's side and then after everything gets explained, he disappears again and only pops back up in the battle... He only felt kinda wasted and that really upsets me because, like I said, I was really enjoying his character and his dynamic with Tama and I was honestly hoping we'd delve more into his backstory but... That didn't happen. I guess I can just hope for more Ryuki in a potential AI3?

And then Bibi, again, great character, just didn't get enough. I mean we didn't even get to meet her AI Ball, Marco. I was excited to see what he looked like but they just say 'oh he's shy' and never get to see or hear from him sooo 乁⁠(⁠ ⁠•⁠_⁠•⁠ ⁠)⁠ㄏ

And then there's the whole Frayer thing. I went back to check that section out after getting the code and??? I don't think I'm a fan??? I don't know, I'm confused, I'm probably gonna have to sit and think for a while to properly form an opinion but right now, I can't say I'm too enthused about the meta stuff... I'd honestly rather it stay within the confines of the game's world... But it's an interesting concept, I will admit, plus I've heard that Uchikoshi has always wanted to make the player part of the story and well, I'd say he achieved that.

But the characters were all great, the somnium designs were fantastic (aside from some annoyances here and there) and Mizuki truly is one of The Characters of all time. I love her so much. I did enjoy the game a lot, but I think I prefer the first game simply because it felt more focused. I dunno.

Sorry for rambling but my brain is honestly just a puddle at this point and I needed to express my thoughts somehow. I don't even think I did a good job of explaining my feelings on the game but y'know... Long story short: I have mixed feelings and I'm still very confused.

[dmclemblems]

One thing that is bugging the hell outta me is why Clyde's thought process of "getting rid of the Church will disincentivize Edel/gard from further attempts at getting to Leicester" makes no sense to me on a meta level. Like, as players of 3H.

Edel/gard is (supposedly) only trying to conquer the Alliance to create a beeline from the Empire to Garreg Mach, right? That place that Edel/gard... already forced Rhea out of at this point in time... and has complete control over on CF when she does the same thing there. Without needing to conquer Leicester first.

Was there, like, just an explanation I missed as to why Edel/gard doesn't just set up base at Garreg Mach and have Hubert take care of Adrestia's rowdy nobles with his Forceful Persuasion Tactics? That thing she shows no care about him using, and are shown to be pretty damn effective? In 3H she had no need of conquering the Alliance other than imperialism being her motivation so it made sense there, but Hopes gives her an explanation that isn't making that much sense to me? Unless I missed something lol

Also in SB! She conquered GM before attacking Leicester. In the sense of needing to reach GM in the middle of the war it would be good to have Leicester territory under her control so they could come and go as they need to, but that's the only reason I can think of for her to use as an excuse or a secondary reasoning other than conquering Fodlan itself (which is of course her goal, so attacking Leicester serves both the purpose of conquest and getting her a quicker route to GM). Like, conquering is still her goal in Hopes, so all I can guess that that is is something helpful that made her decide to attack Leicester first and with a stronger force (that that is is, lel, English).

I assume she didn't set up base at GM because she was needed in Adrestia or at the respective camp at the time to command her forces, but that is of course just speculation on my part and wasn't confirmed within the game). Even if Hubert could manage the nobles, I imagine she would want to be present to rally her forces. Also, technically, she's safest in Adrestia.

If she remained at GM, I think it would be a logical thought that Rhea would attempt to get it back and thus that could put her in danger at any time. As long as she's residing in a location that's a taken base from her enemy, there's always the possibility that they'll attack to get it back. If she was with her own troops and not directly within taken enemy territory for a long period of time, it spares her the risk of an enemy locating her because they won't know exactly where she is at all times. If she stayed in GM, all her enemies would know exactly where she was if it got out even once.

Imo it doesn't help her to be stationary in a place that she already conquered, because that opens her, personally, up to attack much easier. If she gets attacked and is killed, the war is over. If GM gets attacked and retaken because she wasn't there, she's still alive and continuing her war, so the possibility of recapturing GM remains. No matter how many times GM gets retaken by the Church, as long as Edelgard is alive and she has enough troops left, she can always have the chance of getting it back, versus staying there and playing defense and offense at the same time.

Normally she is defending GM at the same time as attacking the other territories, but losing the defense matters a lot less when she wasn't lost in the process. If she's not there, the war goes on and the Church can reclaim GM, but they'll always be aware that she's still alive to attack again. Now that puts them on the defensive and she's not in a bad position, but they are. They know they'll be attacked at any time, but they don't know when. She's be in the same situation if she remained there.

Technically using Leicester as a quick method to get there would make sense, so my guess is just that it made it easier to reach GM if and when needed. Since she took over GM already, I would think she'd want to be ready to reinforce it if the Church attacked to get it back. It would make sense that she'd want to still reinforce GM with more troops even if not including herself personally, so she'd want an easier method to get there.

Basically she wants to conquer Fodlan anyway, so attacking Leicester first with a heavier force than she attacked Faerghus with would give her double benefit (conquer+beeline). Also, Faerghus was dealing with Cornelia at that time, so not only were they occupied with TWS, but that spares Edelgard's necessity of sending more troops to attack them. Someone else is already attacking them, which makes her job easier enough that she can focus more on Leicester (which is noticeable because she attacks all of Leicester, versus only really attacking the western front in Faerghus. She didn't reinforce the western front either until after Cornelia was dealt with, which the latter would've freed up a lot of Faerghus' fighting force).

As far as I understand it, it just had more benefit to try to overtake Leicester aside from just conquering Fodlan (thus attacking it harder than Faerghus at first), since she'd already taken GM and it'd be easier to reinforce it in case of attack if they had Leicester under their control. Staying in GM as per my personal speculation was a lot more of a risk to her safety, especially when she could try to overtake Leicester and go through it to reach GM quickly as needed. Doing it this way would keep her safer while also keeping GM within reach.

Also, if Claude was allied with Edelgard and defeated Rhea, GM wouldn’t be at risk of counterattack anymore. It would, in his theory, make her figure that GM is safe and she doesn’t need to conquer Leicester to get there because she can pass through freely now and/or doesn’t need to fight for GM anymore (presumably, i.e. they might still raise their weapons to avenge Rhea and retake the Church, especially with Seteth still alive). Basically, it’s like, “if you need Leicester to get there to fight Rhea at any point, if we kill her now you won’t need to conquer Leicester to get there”. It somewhat works... if you don’t consider that Seteth might rally the Church again or that Edelgard is actually going to try to attack them again anyway for conquest.

[silvernyxchariot]

"Are you a meta player or a lore player?"

I am a Genshin Crossing player; I will play every aspect of the game and all of it at my leisure. Character building, Abyss, farming, teapot, exploring, the various different quests, and the new Imaginarium Theater. There's a lot to do, and I simply move on with my life* if I can't play all of it.

Disclaimer: ⭐️ My work is for entertainment and personal purposes only. Do not take, translate, repost, or use it for profit. My Genshin experiences may not be the same as yours; take what resonates with you and leave if it does not resonate. Duh.

With that being said, I'll give out my routine for the game.

1) Dailies

This includes commissions/encounter points and Battle Pass.

2) Farming

Artifact domains; enhancement materials for leveling, talents, ascension, and weapons; collecting overworld materials

3) Events

Currently, it's the paper animal, Simulanka map. If I want the primos from it, then I play for the primos.

4) World Quests, Story Quests, and Hangouts

Four and five are interchangeable and often clear each other. When I complete one, the other will follow.

5) Exploration

But if you ask me on a deeper level(/ref, j) and about my "endgame" progress, ie Spiral Abyss and Imaginarium Theater,

my answer will be that people forget that Genshin is an open world, action, exploration game, and mostly single-player. Players may customize their characters and teams however they would like, in order to yield results that they deem satisfactory or even surprisingly exceptional. The RNG for artifacts and pulling weapons and subsequently getting refinements is different for everyone.

While I do have meta** builds for my characters completed; thank you, Google search for giving me the information I needed without being a snide incel; I understand that not all accounts are the same. Artifacts will roll different substats, and not everyone has the characters' best in slot weapons, especially the limited event weapons. The artifact RNG may suck ass or give the player pure Crit, ATK, energy recharge, or whatever you need. What works well for one player may not work for another. You'd think this point would be common sense, but I sadly get meta-slaves arguing with me every time I'm in a Genshin server. "My way is the only/best way to play,✨️" is their disposition. For example, someone may like the Catch on Xiangling for ER and Burst + crit boost, but Scarlet Sands or Homa might yield better play experience and damage for others.

While you can get large damage with meta teams and character ✨️synergy✨️, as they love to shove that in everyone's face, if my Kavetham team can make it to floor 12, chamber 3, then your favorites can handle Abyss with the right builds too. It just takes a little more effort, which the server disparages.

People building and playing characters they want and making them work 🥰 together is problematic, apparently.(/sarc) If you want to play meta, then stay with the meta players. Don't come onto my blogs harassing me with "advice" and "help;" I've had to explicitly state this within my blogs (not on Tumblr... yet) and repost it in the comments, but no one can read or get it through their thick skulls.

6) My process for building characters

¹ Character Level

Ascend and level up your character to increase their base stats. Ascending your character will also allow you to level up your talents.

² Dress up

‼️Use what you have.‼️ The artifact RNG is different for everyone. What artifacts and weapons work best for one person may not work for everyone. Not everyone will use meta builds. You can always change the artifacts and weapon later, if you get something you think is better.

³ Farming

Specifically for 3/4 star artifacts to feed your 5 star artifacts, but sometimes I get better 5 stars to replace what I've already dressed my characters in. If you're deciding whether or not to keep an artifact, level it up to lvl 4 at least to see what category all the substats are.

⁴ Talents

Personally, I tend to forget talents, so I save them for last, but after I've leveled everything else up, the weapon and artifacts, the talents just make my characters absolute monsters. Ideally, you should make your talents 9/9/9 and triple crown your characters only if you really want to. BUT if you're like me and build 2 teams at a time, 8 characters, then settle for level 6 talents until you have more time and resources. If you're a whale or a day-one/long-time Genshin player, the last sentence obviously doesn't apply to you since you should have an abundance of resources farmed. Generally, I wouldn't build more than 8 characters at once; they are lined up though on who is next.

⁵ Constellations

See Standard Banner and Limited Time banners to receive copies of your desired character.

.

With everything being said, I am not a host for your opinions. At that point just make your own blog and fucking block me because I certainly don't want to waste time on you. My Genshin experiences may not be the same as yours; take what resonates and leave what does not resonate. Duh.

Otherwise, I am open to talking about team comps and builds that you want to play. Especially if it's for characters that are less used, unpopular, or even anti-meta.

.

* A/N: I sense that someone will find this dismissive. So, I must say that I do not deny Hoyo is problematic. Rewarding its long-time players with less than satisfactory anniversary prizes, racism, colorism, and cultural appropriation. These issues brought up because of Genshin and other Hoyo games still apply as important topics that can't be brushed under the rug. Sharing an issue I've had beef with is the desert vs. the forest of Sumeru. I started playing at the tail end of Sumeru, and the divide between those from the desert and the forest always bothered me; "The fuck you mean the forest people are more "sophisticated and intelligent" while the desert people are "savage and brutal," you and your fucking Sages Made It That Way. It's called segregation!" Hoyo literally just dropped segregation on us. And then, there's Fontaine with their drug and human trafficing with no end or solution in sight. SUS.

** To define "meta," when searched its acronym originally meant "most effective tactics available," unga bunga large numbers, but over time, I've noticed meta started to intertwine with popularity. Neuvillette, Arlecchino, Zhongli, Alhaitham, Raiden, Xingqiu, Yelan, and Nahida are all strong units for meta teams and subsequently very sought after or desirable to have. They became popular in team comps.

[dungeonmalcontent]

Okay, @myresin you're not wrong. But that isn't the universally applicable rule. See. D&d has a special social mechanic called "we need the whole group or nothing happens."

So, yes. First recourse should always be: "I'm not letting that happen."

But. Because of this social mechanic, the problem player can leverage their participation I they're a real PoS. Most commonly they become unresponsive until their BS is allowed to happen. And if you don't let it happen and they stay unresponsive, the other players generally have a worse time. Because, even though they suck, the problem players usually act as a sometimes appropriate to use tool in the toolbox. They might be the only healer in the group, and even though you scale down an encounter so the party can enjoy it without their healer they can still roll really badly.

The players don't like it, but they do feel that they need to keep this problem player for the group to stay together. And even though that is a bad assumption, the group psychology usually runs that way. You have to reach a literal breaking point in most cases for bad behavior to get called out. But once it does, almost everyone else is usually in agreement.

I've had a similar thing happen before in a game I was paid to run. The problem players had paid to be there and be that guy (he wasn't the only one payin, but I hadn't been fully prepared for this one guy in particular by my contact that got me the gig). And when the "that's not how I'm going to run this" warning didn't work and I progressed to the "I swear I will kill your character" threats (this never works, never try it, I was just exhausted) didn't work because he'd promises to just write "Jr." On the sheet and keep going... Which... Ugh. You can't make someone have fun a certain way and if a problem player wants to be a problem, it's hard to get them not to be. But you can lead them in a different direction. And this particular instance is why I actually used the bounty hunter method. It increased their buy-in, and made them genuinely reflect on how they approached encounters. They didn't become a model player, but they did actually participate in a less chaotic way and their "shenanigans" did begin to subside. Because they could laugh off "mecha-cthulu atomizes them from an orbital Lazer cannon" (meta character death), but they had a hard time arguing with a legitimate threat in-game.

But, to be clear, this is definitely not always the answer. In a lot of cases "I said we're not doing that, and if you continue I will ask you to leave the table" is honestly a valid and more reliable approach. Especially if you aren't being paid by the PoS player.

I hate to say it, but being DM kinda means being the mom at the table. The kids can know very well how to behave, and may even behave very well most of the time, but there will always be problems that must be addressed with all the skill of a sleep deprived mother of three.

every time i see a tweet like this i think "why do you play with people like this". like why is dnd play culture so bad that this is an Archetypal Type of Guy they all seem to recognise. can you imagine tweeting this about any other hobby?? 'musicians: what do you do about the guy in your band who screams I HATE MUSIC and tries to eat the drumsticks every rehearsal'

[icharchivist]

I think the Anons are mostly lower-rank players so we're not that concerned with HL raids and the meta

We just wanna fawn over pretty characters

That's true, and honestly, as a HL player i want to say: please hold on to that at all cost.

All the HL players i know have been so consumed by the grind they end up barely being invested in most plot content.

I know i had a period like that once too and it got me to fully have a burn out from the game and i stopped playing for a few months, because i didn't see the point anymore in mindless grinding while i didn't even remember why i liked those characters to start with.

That's also why i try to make the effort to read most events as they come out. I want to hold on to that emotional thread even if it means sacrificing the gameplay a bit. (i keep missing on HL raids with crew because i try to catch up some plots for instance.)

My friend is also kinda like that, he's retreated into just doing Arcanum so he doesn't have to think about the rest of the game. He's a wmtsb fan, though, and he just got Triple Zero with the free pulls and it really brought his love for those characters back, and he's telling me how much he hasn't felt that in so long it feels wild to him.

My friend also noted that HL players tend to encourage Lower ranks player to just give everything to the gameplay and focus less on the plot, and therefore HL guides can be a little tone deaf on that regard, and he thinks the way the asks mostly focus on the plot and the times we discuss gameplay the tips are really trying to hold a lower rank player's hand without feeling any rush, probably makes it a much more enjoyable fandom space to approach GBF than it is in most circle online.

Not that i like to pat myself in the back lmao i'm just doing my own thing as an hermit while the anons come and go, but it's what kinda struck him because this type of pure enjoyement of the game is something a lot of HL players kinda end up losing by trying to chase power.

And like, personally it's why i really like those asks a lot too. Even when it's topic i don't think about as much as i would normally, it reminds me of how engaged i am with those characters on an emotional level and it helps me balance both my appreciation of those plots, and the gameplay stuff i do on the side as someone who probably qualify as HL.

So it's its own magical way to approach the game and yeah, like i say, please hold on to it. Gameplay change all the time but the plot stays with us forever.

Just have fun and take your time and don't pressure yourself to be like the big guys. No need to make yourself miserable and all ;)