#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 five 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.

[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!!

[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'

[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.

[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 ;)

[risu5waffles]

Wintering DisconTENt

One of these finally fell on a day off. i mean, that has happened in the past too; i just haven't always seized the opportunity? i am so tired.

One of the biggest disappointments if the servers stay shuttered is that i never archived chronos' Demo series. i've got an old review of Demo (LittleBite-sizedPlanet 07/21/19 episode 144b), and we've played the three levels comprising it on stream many, many times; but i don't have dedicated LBsA episodes for them. This eats at me more than i care to admit, and i care to admit probably more than i generally ought.

As for D???, it's a very solid look at what Demo would have looked like if all of chronos' plans had come to fruition. We see a number of enemy types that come up later, and the bullet spreads, as well, will be repurposed. i really liked the way this one hits some of the main platforming gameplay biomes of Chapter Zero; it's a really neat look, and lets us see a bit more of them than we otherwise might have. i do note that we don't see Episode 0.2. Maybe chronos felt as wibbly about that one's look as i did.

And wrapping up Chapter Zero we have some cut content. It was really neat getting hands-on look into chronos' thought process wiv these. They're both pretty neat, but i can see why they eventually got scrapped. Episode 0.1(5) is just so very busy, and winds up being a lot more aggravating than fun, and while the gameplay in 0.3 is solid, it's got a poppiness to it that doesn't mesh all that well wiv the tone of the other parts of the Adventure.

i will point out, once again, that chronos has a lot of behind the scenes footage up on his YouTube

and they really make for a fascinating look into the brainmeats of an amazing creator. Am i selling chronos a little hard? i dunno. Maybe? i'll stand by every word tho'.

Ahhh LBP2, when everyone had a whole-ass passel of OCs, and couldn't wait to show them off to everyone. So... i guess tumblr wiv platforming? That probably reads snarky, and i really don't intend it to; i love seeing folx's characters, and being able to interact wiv them in the limited way that LBP provided was always a hoot.

i knew picked-punk from around this time, tho' we've long since been out of touch. My vague memories were of his being a pretty decent chap, and that i had a good time interacting wiv him. Wonder what he's up to these days. Hopefully nice things.

Awesome Gingers' Cardboard Garden (that misplaced apostrophe honestly bugs the heck out of me, but it's in the original, so i have to assume it was intended) is a fun, and pretty expansive metaplatformer(?). Maybe not meta, exactly, but directly referencing that there are Creator Curators (us) who are making all these community levels. i really liked when levels could play wiv that membrane, and still manage to pull off being enjoyable from a mechanical "i am a player interacting wiv this through gameplay mechanics" sense. i've played a lot that were just up their nose in the pretense, and kinda forgot someone would be experiencing this.

i really, really enjoyed this one; even if sometimes it could be a little difficult to track just where it wanted me to go next. Continuing wiv the conceit that this is Ginger's creation means that the level doesn't need to be completely tethered to making a cohesive environment, so you wind up wiv "realistic" setpieces strung together wiv more abstracted pure platforming bit, and that's always been a style i've enjoyed.

Fun fact, but the Yellow Sign sticker you can just see in the upper-right of the title card here? i made that. pickled-punk and i had done a sticker trade, and i used one of his stickers (now sadly lost) for a trigger in my Bloomin' Oni-ons level. i still wonder what that was supposed to get you. Probably a bunch of scorebubbles.

i am so glad i went back and grabbed this one. We'd played it on stream, and i had such a blast wiv it. Straight-forward, and not super-challenging, but extremely high on the charm scale, and all around a smooth, fun experience. Cookietovar put together some extremely solid platforming-for-platforming's-sake-but-still-enjoyable-to-look-at platformers, and i really should have given them more archive space. At least we got Roasting Oranges 2; that one was also a delight.

All three of these use a Mr Beaver Says No sticker switch, and for the life of me i could not figure out where the hell the trigger was. i'll tell you it bugged the living hell out of me, tho'. If i had to guess, and that's really all i can do, it probably triggered some form of fast travel, maybe a tetherless jetpack, to let Qugz get to the different setpieces quickly in Play Mode and making sure they were running properly. Wiv levels as expansive as these, getting to a specific point in them would be a lot; and wiv resetting logic being as fiddly as it was, Create Mode testing could be a real chore.

All the Maxed out levels are chock-a-block wiv neat ideas and mechanical bits, and really push the envelope on what we could get done in LBP1. Wiv the downside being they are fragile as all get out, and there was a lot of b-roll footage left on the cutting room floor of "ope, this bit is irreparably broken from some unexpected physics interaction, guess i'll have to play the whole damned thing over." i know we give the changes in engine and physics moving into LBP3 a lot of shite (some of it deservedly, but let's face it, the move from LBP1 to 2 didn't do a tonne of favours to some of the old levels either), but levels like these are a good reminder that things could just as easily get breaky as fuck in native LBP1; you can see how Qugz has included workarounds in the vehicles sections, so those bits must have broken so consistently that even they recognized there was a problem, but not enough of a problem to scrap the concept entirely.

We just talked about this one a couple of days ago. Are you telling me you've already forgotten a couple of days ago? i mean, fair enough. i have too. Don't feel too bad about it. But, like, do me a favour and just scroll back to Friday so i don't have to repeat myself?

Honestly? i kind of thought this one would do slightly better numbers. i know it was, by design, up for only a short window, but, like, it was on the heels of A Totally Reasonable Response (sitting at around 750-ish plays when the servers went down, and still getting plays on a relatively consistent basis). The last check put this one at something like 12, and i don't know how the LBP algo worked, clearly. Maybe it was the totally pants level badge. i was a bit pressed for time getting it published.

The fortune teller was a lot of fun in concept. i actually wrote out those kanji myself using the Move lolipop, and either my hands have gotten shakier, or it's a lot harder to get a straight line, and i just forgot. The actual logic behind it was a super pain in the arse, tho'. Originally it was set up to be just a one shot, and whatever fortune you got, that was it. The problem was, it would only show "Worst Luck;" something fucky wiv how i had the randomizer set up, i guess. In the end i had to do it so you could get multiple fortunes, and just leave it to the players' good will that they would only try it once.

i really liked the little environmental pieces, and was keeping them around to use in an actual level-level, but who knows how likely that'll be given the state of things right now.

----------------------------------------------------

So. The penultimate(? maybe?) TENspot. Some really good levels in there. It'll be a shame if no one gets a chance to play them again.

i was doing the edits for b-roll on LittleBite-sizedPlanet 292 last night, and it really started to settle in that this might be one of the last times i do that, and it made me feel all kinds of ways. Yeah, not really that much more to say about it. Or at least not anything i really want to unpack right now. Just feeling pretty bummed out.

Gonna see a friend today, and we're going to a protest, which is one of those "good things to do, but i really wish we didn't have to do it" kind of deals.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

do you have any unpopular opinions/controversial opinins/hills you will die on about twdg?

Of course. I think everyone has at least one hill they’ll die on or an unpopular opinion they’ll never change their mind on. I’ve actually answered this type of ask twice before. Once in 2019, and once in 2020. Some of my opinions have changed since then.

Okay look…. I’ve stepped away from this blog and the fandom for a while. I needed a break. I wanted to get back into my personal writing/art, I’ve gotten into Dragon Age and exploring its fandom, I’m reading through Tillie Walden’s other works in preparation for the Clementine comic and the review I’ll do of that. This time away has been good for me- I’ve done a lot of soul searching, looking deep inside myself as I reminisced about how the fandom has progressed over the years, all the good times and the bullshit, anons getting pissy with me, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t give a shit anymore.

So before I tell y’all about my unpopular opinions and show you all the hills I’ll die on, here’s a disclaimer that should be obvious and yet in this fandom it needs to be explicitly said: These are MY opinions and how I view twdg and it’s fandom. I’m going to say things like “I hate this/this choice is awful.” There’s a certain ship that I’m going to call bad. I’m going to criticize certain parts of the fandom and their behaviors I disagree with.

Understand that Bad/Worst DOES NOT EQUAL Invalid.

Whether you and I like it or not, ALL of the choices presented in twdg that don’t end in an YOU ARE DEAD screen are valid and canon. I don’t give a shit if you hate, let’s say… the ending where you don’t trust AJ and Louis or Violet die saving Tenn, for example. I don’t care if you think that ending is garbage, or it doesn’t count because it’s a determinate choice, or if you don’t understand why someone loves it. It’s still a valid and canon choice players can make.

You’re allowed to hate choices, characters, and ships or think one is better than the other, but that doesn’t make it the more or less valid choice. If you disagree with my takes, that’s fine. I respect that, and my feelings about the choices are not a reflection of my feelings toward you. You are allowed to do that just as I am allowed to disagree or agree with you.

And really, the only people I'm side-eyeing are the people who don't respect this.

You’d think that after all this time we would learn the concept of “agree to disagree,” instead of taking the Kenny route of “Agree with me or fuck you.” but here we are.

We have different experiences with these games, and no amount of shitty anons or petty vague posts are going to change that. If you think I'm a piece of shit for anything said here, good for you. Have fun with that.

I’ll start off with the more mild things and get spicier as we go. Cool? Cool. Buckle up, it's a long post.

Wellington is the best ending in S2. There’s no changing my mind about that, one of my hills is the Wellington ending.

I’ll fully admit that some of my meta knowledge plays into this. As someone who has played these games over and over again, I know Wellington exists even if the characters don’t. I know there are things that don’t add up about it, but despite those things, for me it’s the best chance Clementine and AJ have after all the bullshit they went through.

It’s the most satisfying ending, story wise. I don’t like Kenny, lemme just throw that out there. I view him as one of S2's antagonists, just to a different degree than Carver. By the end of s2 I just want him the fuck away from Clementine and AJ, but I won’t deny that it’s emotional watching him finally let them go because he knows this is their best chance, even if it leaves him alone again in the end. He's so possessive of them to the point where it endangers them so to see him immediately give them up? for their safety? It's like he finally gets it.

Staying at Wellington and watching Kenny go gives you an uneasy feeling knowing that by doing this, Kenny could fall onto one of two paths- self reflection and healing where he sees who he's become and actively tries to change his behaviors moving forward, or utter destruction that pulls him into a tragic grave. His fate is unknown. It’s so good.

I’m aware Wellington falls eventually and I’ll always be salty that ANF doesn’t give as much attention to it as the others even though it’s the best. Before it falls, Clementine and AJ get to feel safe in a community, have their own room together, be around other people and socialize. They’re away from Kenny which makes me feel better, they’re behind high walls, and they get some sort of normalcy back before everything goes to shit. It makes it feel like something was achieved. We lost everyone along the way, but Clementine isn’t completely alone anymore. She has AJ, and she has a new community that will feed them, keep them warm, protect them.

My only big gripe with the Wellington ending is that I have to let Kenny kill Jane in order to get it. Being completely honest, even though the part with Kenny in this ending is good.... if I could go to Wellington with Jane, I would. Which… uhhh….

I like Jane. She’s a good character.

I know, how dare I? Don’t I know “Kenny good, Jane bad”??? Liking Jane goes against at least three of the Boat God’s 10 Commandments! I’m practically a sinner for liking this fictional video game character who is not real. Pray I repent lest my soul gets swallowed by the unruly locks of Kenny's beard.

Cheeky absurdities about the extreme Kenny stans aside, I do genuinely like Jane. She’s not a favorite character or anything, she's definitely not making it into a top 10 list or anything, but I will jump to her defense when the mood strikes me. She gets a lot of criticism, and I totally get it. I have my own issues with her.

Where it starts to lose me is claims that Jane is the worst for being a manipulative asshole who hates children, for gaslighting Clementine into thinking the way she does and turning her against Kenny, for attempting to murder little baby AJ, and Kenny is the better option because he cares about Clementine more so we should all happily put our guns away and let him stab her. All those things are one way to interpret events. All of which I disagree with to a degree, if not entirely.

Honestly, I could do a whole deep dive into Jane’s character but for the sake of not making this a million words long, we’ll keep it contained and I'll go into detail about claims that Jane doesn't care about Clementine, yeah?

If Jane didn't care about Clementine, she wouldn't have helped her and Rebecca get out of the walker herd, she would've ditched the second she was free. She wouldn't have taught Clementine any survival tricks or engaged with her about personal stories about herself and her sister, something that's still a sore spot.

A big issue with Jane is the Sarah stuff, and believe me, I agree that leaving Sarah behind the first time is the wrong move, but I recognize that's a response she's having after having flashbacks to what happened with Jamie.

But y'know, when Sarah's second death comes along, Jane will try to save her if Clementine asks her to. Jane will put her safety aside to help Sarah and it's not her fault that she couldn't be saved. It's not her fault that she was staggered after getting hit with a piece of wood and couldn't get Sarah out before the walkers got to her. And she is genuine in her apology to Clementine for Sarah's death.

Jane leaves, but she comes back for Clementine, and ends up saving them by killing one of the dudes attacking them.

Oh and you wanna talk about Luke's death scene? if Clementine goes after Luke and falls through the ice?? Who is the one to pull Clementine out of the water and carry her in a panic to land and only cared about starting a fire so that she didn't fucking freeze to death?? Jane. Like... if Kenny cares about Clementine sooo much more than Jane ever did, then why the hell was he so hyper focused on beating the shit outta Arvo than on the fact that Clementine could drown or freeze to death? Kenny always puts Clementine first? No, Kenny always puts his feelings first.

Jane actually listens to Clementine and puts in an effort to see things through her perspective, even if she doesn't agree with it. She tries to tell Clementine that if all else fails, she can survive on her own. Jane makes it clear that she's not very comfortable with babies, but will still hold AJ when Clementine offers and tries to her best to bond with him.

And yes, the final fight is stupid. That's a huge mistake on Jane's part. She left AJ in a car to prove a point that if something ever happened to AJ and if Kenny saw it as Clementine's fault, this is what would happen and she felt this was the only way to make that clear...... it's not a great plan and she fucking knows it if you shoot Kenny.

I'm not claiming that Jane is the best character in s2 or that she doesn't deserve criticism, but I don't think she's nearly as bad as some insist she is. I could write more but hhhnnngggg long post is long, and we still have a lot of hills to climb.

BUT I WILL SAY THAT ANF DID A COMPLETE CHARACTER ASSASSINATION OF JANE'S CHARACTER AND THAT RIGHT THERE IS A HILL I WILL DIE ON. THEY DID HER DIRTY.

....Anyway. Speaking of ANF- Kate should’ve died in place of Mariana in ANF. I don’t hate Kate or anything, don’t love her either, but I will die on the hill that if ANF had killed Kate off and completely removed the terrible love triangle aspect of the story and instead focused on Javi, David, and the kids, it would’ve been soooo much better.

A story where Javi and Kate canonically end up together romantically. They’ve raised Gabe and Mari this entire time, they raised those kids and had each other through it all. But then Kate dies, and not only did Javi lose the woman he loves, he lost his partner to helped him with these kids. Everything rests on his shoulders now, he is completely responsible for them… and not only that, but Gabe and Mariana lost their step-mom. Everything hurts, we still could’ve had the burial scene in you stayed with Clementine to finish things or to go with your family because Mari got shot instead, or Gabe got shot.

So these kids are all Javi has left, and one of them is shot and could possibly die. He’s desperate to save them by any means necessary, even if it means appealing to those who are responsible for the wound and for Kate’s death…. Only for David to show up. It all worked out in the end, right?

Well, Richmond doesn’t like Javi and he has to leave, and the kids can’t come with him. David IS their father, they’re HIS children… but Javi raised them from the beginning of the apocalypse and taking them away from him feels fucking cruel.

THAT is sooo much more compelling of a family drama than just “aw shit man I kissed my brother’s wife because I thought he was dead but he’s not dead oh no better not tell him I’m in love with his wife until she tells him at the worst possible moment”

Again, don’t hate Kate, but letting her shine in one episode is better than her downward spiral over the course of the season.

Alright, ready to get extra spicey? Because the hills are burning from this point on and we're outta marshmallows.

Louis getting all the blame for voting Clementine and AJ out when he wasn’t even present as Mitch suggested they take the vote and everyone else went along with it only happens because certain Violet stans view him as a “threat” to their ship so they want to find any excuse to make Louis an asshole, including ignoring his trauma and everything else canon with his character, to fit their narrative. ..... Yep. Uh-oh.

To me, if this WASN’T the case, these people would give Ruby, Omar, Willy, and Mitch waaaaay more shit, but Louis is singled out because he's the other love interest.

Louis is not the sole reason Clementine and AJ were kicked out and acting like it’s all his fault that AJ was shot is blatantly ignoring the fact that Ruby, Omar, Willy, and Mitch also voted them out. Mitch gets heat for it sometimes, but the whole “Louis’ vote could’ve made difference! It could've made it a draw so the group would have to discuss further!! It’s ALL his fault, he’s such a shithead, he doesn't get to feel bad for what happened because he voted them out! Clementine would never love him when he put her and AJ at risk by voting them out like that!” argument is weak.

Ruby’s vote could’ve ensured that they stayed.

I guess that makes Ruby a shithead for kicking them out, too.

If she had voted for them to stay, they would’ve been tied and had to discuss it more. She was also upset about Marlon’s death, and was mad at AJ. Surely Ruby knew if they were voted out that AJ would get shot. How could she put Clementine’s sad murder baby in danger like that?? Being mad at AJ AND voting them out is enough to ensure no positive relationship can grow from that point forward. Because Ruby voting them out is always gonna be there, y’know? Ruby might as well have shot AJ herself when she voted them out. AJ is just a big ol’ baby boy who shouldn’t be held accountable because he’s a baby child! He doesn’t know any better! No one taught him anything!

It’s going to be a constant thing on Clementine’s mind at all times every time she talks to Ruby and she will never forgive her for that one vote she made when she was grieving because her grief doesn’t matter when it doesn’t benefit me. Ruby’s reasons for voting them out do not matter because the only feelings that are valid in this situation are Clementine’s and everyone else who voted for her to stay. Y’know, if only there was a way for Ruby to get shot in the arm as karma for her vote. That would show her for having feelings that I don’t like, make her regret ever crossing Clementine! And if she ever apologizes for voting Clementine out [which she never really does] I’ll tell her to fuck off because that is what she deserves. Let the raiders take her, I say! It's what she deserves for voting them out!

...Have you had enough or should I keep going? Because if I keep going, the Ruby crowd might get mad and start poking me with pitchforks and I don’t need them upset with me while I already have the Violet crowd shooting arrows at my hill.

Now someone who is of the opinion that Louis is the worst and clouis would never work because he voted them out might look at that and politely point out, “Well CJ, Louis and Ruby are different. Ruby forgave Clementine and AJ the day after the vote when they came back to the school. Louis didn’t forgive her until two weeks later.”

And to that I say you’re right. Louis and Ruby are different.

Ruby, to our knowledge, never actually apologizes for her vote. Louis does.

Ruby’s forgiveness happens sooner if you help her bury Ms. Martin as she’ll tell you that she’ll tell the others she’s changed her mind about you. Louis’ forgiveness doesn’t happen so soon or as easily.

Louis had a stronger connection to Marlon. Ruby didn’t.

Now my point with all of this is Ruby doesn’t get as much shit for voting them out, even though her vote could’ve possibly prevented AJ from getting shot just as much as Louis’ vote. She was in the same position as Louis and gets no shit. It’s easy to change her mind about you once you come back, and she’s not a love interest for Clementine, therefore she isn’t viewed as an interference, if you will.

A big point of argument against Louis is him putting AJ in danger with his vote, and as a love interest, that makes him a bad one whereas Violet voted for them to stay, hence not putting them in danger. Violet in her full romantic route never puts AJ in danger, but in his full romantic route, Louis does.

Except I would argue that Violet does put AJ in danger at least once in her romance route: in ep3 while they’re on the boat. The moment Violet chose to stay with Minerva she not only put AJ in danger, but the rest of the group as well. She could’ve easily left Minerva there and gone with Clementine to get AJ. She could’ve helped Aasim carry Omar [who was still shot] and Louis [who had his tongue cut out], but she didn’t. Despite the emotions she is feeling, she should be aware that if she lets Clementine go alone, something could happen, the danger on this boat is immediate. The raiders won't hesitate to kill Clementine if they have to, they won't hesitate to hurt AJ. Violet knows this.

“But CJ, that’s not fair, that’s not comparable. Violet stayed with Minerva because of her past trauma! She couldn’t leave her to die on the boat, she has abandonment issues! It’s not okay to blame her for that when it’s not something she can help!”

That's fair. I understand that Violet has her reasons for staying with Minerva, and while I may not like that she chooses Minerva after stopping her from murdering Clementine, I won’t invalidate reasons that I as someone watching from the outside may not understand.

But may I ask why is Violet putting anyone, not even just AJ, in danger as a result of those things seen as understandable, sympathetic, better… but Louis doing the same thing isn’t?

Louis found out who Marlon really was after years of blind faith. Marlon admitted to murdering Brody and pinning it on Clementine. If you appealed to him, then Marlon pointed a gun right at Louis and had to full power to kill him right there and yet, he didn’t back down. If you appealed to Violet, Louis saw Marlon with the power to kill his friend. Marlon admitted that he gave away the twins, admitted that he would do it again if he had to. All in a short period of time.

Then Louis watched Marlon get murdered…… and you assume that wasn’t traumatic for him? You assume that he’s turning against AJ and Clementine because he’s just a shit head and not because what he saw not only hurt and horrified him, but is something that he will carry with him for the rest of his life? He’s not having a response to trauma, he’s purposely just trying to screw you over?

Just get over it, Louis. Marlon was a murderer, and AJ apparently doesn't know any better. This pain your feeling? Stop it. You don't get to vote us out and feel bad.... right?

No. Ignoring all of that just to make an argument that he sucks and isn’t a good love interest for Clementine doesn’t sit well with me. Choosing to get him shot in the woods by Abel as an act of karma for his vote, being offended that he doesn’t grieve on your time schedule, getting annoyed that he has conflicting feelings about Marlon because to you it’s cut and dry that Marlon was bad and Louis should just get over it, telling him to fuck off after he makes an effort to repair your relationship, romantic or otherwise...

And y’know, whenever I see someone condemn Louis for taking two weeks to grieve before going to Clementine and forgiving AJ but praise Violet for taking the same amount of time after AJ shoots Tenn to grieve but isn’t ready to forgive him, it screams double standards, hypocrisy. Violet is allowed to lash out at AJ when she’s hurt, allowed to snap at him for killing Tenn and take as long as she needs to grieve, she’s allowed to not forgive AJ right away for hurting her, but Louis isn't because you don't like him and don't want to respect/acknowledge his issues.

I know we always get upset and insist on not comparing trauma because each character is different and they handle things differently, and it’s not okay to invalidate that….. But it’s also not okay to ignore those things just because they don’t benefit your favored ship. It says a lot.

I could go on and on, I’ve written several posts about Louis in ep2. at this point if you still don’t like Louis or clouis, that’s fine. Agree to disagree.

And just to be crystal clear, this isn't a dig at Violet. Her issues and pain are understandable and I respect that she handles things differently. Just because I don't prefer her route that doesn't mean she's invalid.

Now if I didn't have any unburnt bridges left, let's rip the bandaid off: clemerva is a bad ship. I fucking hate clemerva.

I don't care if it's in an au or taking place in canon, in my opinion it's a terrible ship that's built on a canon where they try to kill each other. Clemerva is about aesthetic because most Minerva stans care more about her looks and sexuality than they do her actual character or the bullshit she went through.

Now this bothers me so much and the reasons I will die on the hill that clemerva is bad deals with a lot of little personal things.

Firstly, I have a history of not liking Minerva. Go back to posts from a year ago and you'll find me saying things about how I can't stand her, I don't like her, I don't get why people love her........ and things have changed.

I fucking love Minerva. She is such a fucking tragedy, her role in the story and how it's executed makes more sense now, and she's fascinating. What changed my mind was throwing away everything people have said about her and playing the game by myself and looking at her character, making my own interpretations, drawing conclusions.... and it clicked. It makes sense, Minerva is great!

And this change of heart only made me hate clemerva more because it does such a disservice to her character all for the sake of making her kiss Clementine, someone she fucking hates. Like... that's it. Throw her at Clementine, who cares if Minerva would NEVER want her.

If you want a more in depth look, I have this post I made about Minerva's character, and the only thing that I would change is that I don't dislike her anymore. I am a Minerva fan now.

it just gets under my skin that a wlw ship with two queer girls who physically harm one another on several occasions- the spitting thing really gets me because spitting at someone is so demeaning and gross and ugh .... y'know, that's why Lilly's character is ruined the moment she spits at and calls James "it"- they have no friendly chemistry and Minerva is too far gone at that point... that's the wlw ship people insist is good and that I'm wrong for not liking it and like...... you can't just argue that away.

You can't convince me that Clem and Minerva could eventually have a healthy relationship in canon if Minerva made it back to the school without erasing her trauma or the murder attempts.

And when it comes to AU's where Minerva wasn't taken by raiders or whatever... I can understand someone who likes Minerva wanting her to be happy and so they make an au where she didn't get traded to the raiders. That's fine, I don't have a problem with that. I want her to be happy, too, even though I know it'll never happen. My problem is the fact that shipping her with Clementine is viewed as more important than anything else.

if anything, some fans are kinda like Violet where they have this ideal, romanticized picture of her in their heads but the difference is Violet sees who she's become and eventually accepts that, she doesn't try to erase it. but when certain Minerva stans see her in canon..... no, don't like that, she doesn't fit the mold I made of her when her character was first teased and I am going to blame the writers for giving her ugly bits that I don't like, they are wrong for not giving my redemption arc, I want to see the tall, pretty, happy, queer girl I made up in my head kiss Clementine or Violet and you're wrong for not giving me that. I will use her trauma against anyone who criticizes her but I won't actually take it into account myself because that part of her isn't important until I say it is.

I can't with clemerva, it usually erases Minerva's character and replaces her with an OC wearing her face and it's just not for me.

You can vague post shit about me or send me anons like "wow imagine hating clemerva lol couldn't be me'" or "if you don't ship clemerva you are a coward lmao" or "clemerva haters are sexist/lesbophic/biphobic" all you want, it's not gonna make me change my mind about a ship between two queer girls who canonically try to kill each other on several occasions, where one spits blood in the other's face, and the other shoots her. Sorry that I don't think all Minerva needs is a new girlfriend instead of a therapist to overcome a years worth of trauma and brainwashing.

Look, I hate the ship but remember what I said in the beginning? Just because I hate it, that doesn't mean I hate people who like it. You have your reasons and I respect that, and I ask that you respect my reasons for not liking it. My only annoyances are with those fans who try to change my mind because I'm "wrong" or shame me for it by completely ignoring my issues in the first place.

Ugh..... anyway, there they are.

There's all my dumb unpopular opinions and hills I'll die on. Wasn't that fun? I'm gonna go make myself some tea because my salt train doesn't end here- I have asks about the Clem comic to answer next sksksks

[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.