#mod zero rambles about her stories

[crowtrobotx]

Ohhhhh I have Thoughts!

So, generally, I much prefer my dadcore “leave me the hell alone” interpretation of him. Part of it is truly self indulgent which - who cares, it’s my Barbie doll, I get to play with her how I want. But I don’t think it’s unrealistic either! As OP mentioned, there’s so little actual content of him that it’s genuinely impossible to say for sure, but we do know in canon he rarely leaves the factory and clearly has a preference for at least working alone and *probably* living alone. I posted about this before but I don’t buy his “everyone look at me!” showman persona (and I don’t think you’re supposed to tbh.) I think he does crave positive attention but what he’s doing in game is outrageously over the top as a weird attempt at dominance and/or the result of him having zero social skills because he’s a mole man living in a massive mostly underground facility by himself with only corpses for company. I don’t think he actually wants to interact with most people - he hates the other lords/Miranda and doesn’t care about the villagers - which doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want someone around he cared about, but I really struggle to see him actively inviting people into his physical/mental space even in the context of “come buy my war crime weapons.”

Now, I have been known to enjoy a little batshit insane ultra violent Karl. As a treat. I don’t think it’s set in stone that this is how he’d be, and maybe this is just my interpretation, but I got very “tired”energy from him? If that makes sense? He also has several lines where he sounds genuinely distraught before switching back to his angrier, more unhinged voice and I think that says a lot. Part of his tragedy is that he insists he’s different from Miranda/the others presumably because he believes his cause is justified but…. He’s doing terrible shit too! Still, he does clearly harbor some level of humanity still which leaves enough room for doubt that he’s just this singularly focused shallow supervillain. He is selfish, I think, but that could just be the result of being in survival mode for so long. I could just say “he has the vibes of the town dad/weird uncle who has his special interest that keeps everyone away and that’s fine by him” but I sincerely think that is supported by the little canon crumbs we were fed, and in a situation like this where Capcom either didn’t think hard enough about what they were doing or cuts to the game’s story were so intense that it left a somewhat nonsensical/lacking story, you can’t really shit on anyone’s takes that hard, y’know lol.

I do think he’d be very unmoored without Miranda and the cult tbh; you don’t just leave a situation like that and end up Fine, y’know? I think he’d likely have at least a very tumultuous period where he’d do some crazy shit because he doesn’t know what to do with his freedom and probably never planned for the “after” part of his rebellion. But I also think he’d eventually land in a place where he doesn’t want to jeopardize himself and potentially trade one prison for another and learn to lie low if for no other reason than that. So maybe my answer is actually “he’d do a little bit of the whole maniac thing for a minute as a knee jerk reaction to realizing he doesn’t fit in/can’t have a ‘normal’ life/doesn’t know what to do but then he’d have to learn to survive in a much more subtle way and because that’s what he does - survive — he’d eventually adapt.” He’d still definitely be the dude in town setting off fireworks in his front lawn year round and modding cars with absolutely wild and illegal shit. He also has annual front row seats to the county fair monster truck rally and would 100% try to upsell you on repairs you do not need to your vehicle.

On a more serious note and to conclude this totally unsolicited ramble, I don’t take VA’s ideas as gospel as a general rule but I do agree with what Neil said one time about how he thought Karl might have the inclination to maybe be a power hungry maniac post-Village but he would never actually manage to because he can’t keep focused on one thing and would keep getting distracted. Local supervillain conquered after he’s given one (1) home improvement project.

There’s so little actual game content of Heisenberg in RE8 that I can’t quite decide how to imagine post-Miranda Heisenberg—I kinda think there’s two options: 1. The slightly more realistic but less fun one: he becomes a power hungry maniac mechanic man who makes weapons for the highest bidder etc, or 2. The more fun one: he just fucks off to vibe on his own, maybe makes stuff for fun or fixes cars or smth, lays low and enjoys the good things in life

As much as I’ve already kinda decided on the latter being my preferred post-Miranda Heisenberg, I still feel like the former is almost more accurate… do any of yall have thoughts on this?

[msmeiriona]

I need to go on a full ramble about Eirsabet and how her story goes.

Like, by the time she even get started in "main plot" nonsense she's already become Guildmaster and Archmage, thane of the rift, reach, and Haafingar, which also means dealing with Potema's nonsense, allied with the Forsworn (I mean, actually having gotten Madanach free, not just sympathetic because, yanno, thats her people and if her father is still alive he's with them as is her orphaned cousin)

Hell, before Helgen has even burned down, because I use LaL's Hunting In The Woods start for her, she's been Blood Kin of the Orcs, and basically a regular guest at Dushnikh Yal since she was a teenager.

And thats BEFORE the modded town of Silverstead is brought up, which happens during the whole Thieves Guild stuff that started everything.

The ONLY reason the main plot gets its hooks into her is because she goes to deal with the poaching thief who hit Riverwood Traders, because she needs an excuse to not be In Charge and can explain that OBVIOUSLY it is her duty as Guildmaster to make sure no rival groups start up.

Which leads her to the Word Wall, something she vaguely remembers having seen the like of a few other times in the past. But like, one of those was in Snow Veil Sanctum, and she honestly had forgotten completely about it due to, well, being nearly dead soon after.

But now, she's got this fucking weird ass stone tablet, and it's nothing she's seen. She's already closer to home than she is the College, so figures to try her Reach contacts first, but does make sure she's doing so with the whole Arch Mage gear, because some people might blow her off as just Eirsabet the huntsmage, and will need to be given the whole Authority nonsense. (Which she hates, so much. She will use her influence, but she doesn't come naturally to giving orders or making demands. Not at this point, at least.) When she tries asking Calcelmo about it he has zero interest, and sends her to Whiterun, saying that it looks like Faregar's sort of foolishness.

And then of course in Whiterun she has to all but shove the Staff of Magnus up Irileth's ass to be able to do business. That of course comes back to bite her because having thrown around her power, she can't exactly NOT go fight the dragon at the watchtower, who else is possibly more qualified? (...ok so maybe no one else is more qualified but she doesn't KNOW that yet.)

[food-fantasy-souls]

Are there any game events or future writing prodjects that you're looking forward to? I hope you're getting enough rest as burn out can just straight up suck for all parties involved haha

There are a lot of stuff I’m looking forward to, to be perfectly honest! :D

For events, I’m personally looking forward to the Caviar event! I’m already saving up embers to try to get him, I’m only like doing a couple summons for the current event because, we can always get the boosted summonables later? Ofc I know Cassata and Toso aren’t in the pool permanently, but I already have Cassata so I’ll probably try a few times for Toso and then stop cuz I need to save (speaking of I’ve gotten Cassata twice and I don’t know why x3)

As for writing projects… I do have a few ideas for Food Fantasy ones, but nothing too concrete yet aside from a fluffy oneshot for most of my ships I’m working on when I can. I also am working on the info for my HTTYDxFoodfan au when I can. 

And if it’s alright…. I’m going to ramble about other writing projects not related to FF for a little bit. 

I’ve got a few ideas I plan on trying to write for my Persona 3 universe cuz I’ve changed a lot cuz of my ocs in it, one for my P3!Megan’s Social Link and how she meets her boyfriend and gets involved with SEES, one for another OC I haven’t done much with that I need to fix, and one for a different oc who completely alters one event that I need to add a little more before I can post it on my AO3. Not to mention stuff relating to PQ x3

In the same universe, I’ve got to sit down and rewatch the original anime for Persona 4 so I can figure out how I’m going to have my story for it go considering the issues I’ve had before (really personal issues tbh, I don’t mind talking about it but not right now as it’s not needed for this), but I can’t wait to write two of my oldest ocs’ journey there ^^ (after the hell the two went through in the fic before that I still need to write they deserve a break)

And there’s my OFF fic I’m working on, currently kinda stuck on chapter 3 but it’s going to be a short chapter anyway as the next is mostly going to be a boss fight, but I already have ideas for a sequel tbh x3

I also am working on ideas for a Miraculous Ladybug story from like, last year? That’s when I created my first OC for it anyway x3 gotta get caught up on season 2 in time for when the rest is released in December tho.

I’ve also got a fanfic for a horror game that I need to buckle down on and get past the slog of chapter 2 so I can get to the bits I really want to write, yes I like horror games, you’d be surprised how many I like XD

There’s also a crossover fanfic I need to get my rear in gear at some point to start writing the next chapter, it’s a long fic but I still love the idea.

And lastly, recently redesigned my main character for Yo-kai Watch(for extremely personal reasons), I am going to try to finish the fanfics I have started but haven’t finished yet now that ‘I’ve done that ^^

It’s probably a surprise to see me have so many ideas for different fandoms, but that’s how I roll honestly, ideas come naturally to me and despite getting flack for bouncing about like a bouncy ball(which irritates me cause I work at my own pace on stuff and I refuse to be forced to work on something when I don’t have the drive for it right then and there), I love all my ideas and even if it takes me years time finish them, I have the time and will to do so ^^

As for getting rest, I am trying to rest as much as I can, I’ve hardly written anything recently tbh because I’m so tired ^^; Honestly, I cannot wait for this damn Pizza event to be over, or at the very least for me to finally smack that last clown out of a hundred so I can get Pizza, I’ve got 53 so Im doing good, cuz after that I’m just going to chill for a GOOD LONG while to recover. As well as save up for Caviar! ^^

[omegastation]

It's not that we don't know what the remake/remaster difference is, it's that the content was already there and more or less good to go with some minor changes (as seen in romance mods). I have to believe that the work they put into the Mako would have been far more difficult than this. & Also I feel like people would have less to say about it if we hadn't been getting more recent commentary like the article about Jack (1/? sorry I have no idea how long this will be aha)

(2/?) The article about Jack where her writer (iirc) went on about how she was conceptualized as wlw and that it's something he wanted to see for her (once again iirc, I don't have it in front of me but I believe that's what the gist of it was). Or in Tali's case, where they had her completed voicelines for the entire trilogy. They can't say that they didn't use this existing content because Fox News was breathing down their necks for this release, nor do I really think (con'd)

nor do I think that budget makes sense either, given that, yknow, it's already there. I also find it hard to believe that at least one or two people on the dev team don't know how their fanbase feels about this, particularly because of what happened with Jaal & his M!Ryder content. I'm happy we're getting ME content period and I don't want people to assume otherwise, like I genuinely adore this game! And it's also been implied that they're willing to (3/? sorry for rambling ffdgfhfhg)

willing to work with modders as far as what it means for existing mods goes, so I can only hope that modding MELE isn't going to be the same nightmare process that trying to mod the OT was. But I'm just really struggling to understand and wrap my head around why they wouldn't restore content that they know we know exists in a 90% completed state & they also know we would like to see in game without having to mod it. To me, I don't think (4/? :') sorry again)

I don't think that's asking them to necessarily add anything, especially when you consider the fact that the core story of the game isn't all that affected by Shepard's relationship to the point you can experience Mass Effect with zero romance whatsoever. & It is kind of upsetting for people to see that complaint & become condescending about it & assume I don't know what remaster means. Bioware acknowledging the existing-yet-unseen (5/?)

existing-yet-unseen "canonically" queer content feels like they're looking for some sort of praise without doing anything to actually deserve it. & you can't even say that the modding community fixes everything, because it leaves console players with whatever they're given from Bioware in the 'final' version and nothing else, and I don't really think that's fair. Personally, I think I'll probably still end up purchasing it at some point (I've lost count of my asks i am SO sorry)

at some point, though it's not high on my list of priority games at the moment (for a variety of reasons, not just this). It just kind of leaves me feeling sort of dejected because I felt like prior to this, Bioware was implying that they would seriously consider adding this back in, and there's also a significant portion of the online community that thinks we're just complaining for the sake of complaining & want to ruin the mood for everyone else, which is definitely not the case at all.

I am SO sorry for so many messages in your inbox btw fdgfhgj I'm long-winded by nature & trying my best. I just wish I could jump on the hype train like everyone else & not have it ruined because of my own disappointment with this, you know? & The irony is, my 'canon' is F!Shrios--my main Shepard wouldn't even be affected lmao, it just makes me sad & I wish more people could see where we're coming from.

You really don't have to apologize at all, your messages are nice and comprehensive! I also think you did your best to explain exactly where you're coming from.

Accusing others of ruining the mood is just a way for them to say they can't handle other people disagreeing with them or feeling differently. Truthfully, it's not that hard to understand, empathize and/or ignore if it's too much. And two things can coexist at the same time. Nuances > Extremes.

[anaisonfire]

2, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 24, 31 for the cyberpunk asks

HA u didn’t specify who so i get to answer some of these twice! (thank you bb 💖)

2. 3 facts about your V/OC?

Vegas: his favorite color is yellow (see: vest, car, guitar), he’s a rockerboy turned permanent mercenary (was lead guitarist in City of Death [name pending changes], but there was Drama™ and he skipped town to Atlanta), his hatred for corps comes from the fact his mom died when she was fired from her job (and this is also why he has some sympathy for corpos; not a lot tho)

Vincent: met jackie when he was an older teenager, went to work for arasaka when he was 19 (jackie called him an idiot), slept with jenkins a couple years after that to get high up the ladder faster (he’s 31/32 when the game begins, so he was in counterintel for about ten-ish years)

3. In what ways do you see yourself in your V/OC?

oh this is a hard one haha

...can i say the lowkey narcissism or is that too dramatic 😂😂

tbh i’m not quite sure, but i guess one thing that i super vibe with (and is the reason i’m so into johnny & kerry as opposed to the other LIs/characters) that i keep making all my OCs have (unless i deliberately Don’t) is their drive for acknowledgement? like, it manifests as an I’m Gonna Be The King Of This City Or So Help Me God thing, but it’s ultimately a cry to Be Seen and Recognized for what you are (and what you are is awesome).

7. How many times have you either completed or restarted the game?

i’ve completed it  *drumroll please* ZERO TIMES 😂😂😂 for real, i’m horrible about finishing things

as for restarting... let’s see... currently have 7 Vs, vincent’s on his 3rd version, plus my first ever game that didn’t get farther than dex... add about 5 Vs that i stared but never got anywhere with and deleted for reasons.... makes it about 15 times, so, yeah something around there! :D

8. If you could have anyone as a companion in 2077, who would it be?

Besides Johnny? :D

i think it’d be pretty cool to have either kerry or panam going around town with you

11. Are there any characters you genuinely can’t stand? Why?

Not really. There’s a couple of things I dislike about some character stories (River, my dear... I’m so sorry CDPR are cowards and did you dirty like this) but on the whole I like all characters.

Even with 'villains’, like Smasher or Saburo, they’re there more for plot than as actual characters so I’m indifferent to them.

12. Favourite location in Night City?

There’s this really cool statue in the market in Kabuki (I think? The place with the glass ceiling)

Here’s a pic I took of it a while back.

Also in general any place where you can see the the lights of the city

13. Favourite type of vehicle?

I like both various cars and bikes, hah. Mostly I tend to go with whatever fits the V, but I admit I’m partial to the Yaiba Kusanagi as well as the Herrera Outlaw (handling AND looks) and the Caliburn (cool factor).

14. Favourite weapon?

Archangel! Johnny’s gun! Uhhh what other are there 😂 oh yeah, and Overwatch! Love that gun, it’s so OP 👌😂

19. What’s a mission or side gig you hated?

Oh jeez what do I hate - I think the Welcome to America, Comrade gig is the one I was most frustrated when I did it the first time. I had to reload so. many. times!

From the main story, I caNNOT deal with the braindance tutorial - I love Judy, but we really need a ‘skip tutorial’ option there @ Cdpr

24. Who’s a character you wish you could’ve saved or seen more of?

KERRY, Alt, Thompson, Santiago, I wanted more of Rogue’s story and what she’s been doing these 50 years besides being a badass (there were implications being made on the Ebunike okay, TELL ME)

(I think we’ll get more backstory, from Johnny’s point of view maybe, at some point, so I’m willing to wait. But I want details ok)

Also I am 1000% sure there was supposed to be another quest after I Fought The Law that in any way, shape or form dealt with the fact that River’s partner covered up the mayor’s murder. I choose to believe they ran out of time so that’s why we only had that one line about it when you talk to River after his questline is over. (If I’m wrong: CDPR are cowards. Follow through on the storyline you made dammit)

KERRY AGAIN sorry but you CANNOT introduce a 50-years-and-still-going-strong, God of Rock type of character and NOT give us a concert. An album. MORE MUSIC IS WHAT I’M SAYING let Kerry and V live the bodyguard AU lmao

31. What’s a mod you’d like to see (even to be funny)?

Hmmmm I’m really not sure actually 🤔 There’ve been a lot of really cool mods and most of the time I tend to go ‘ohhhh here’s a thing I didn’t know I needed in my life’ 😂 (case in point: Johnny with earrings, changing the decor of V’s apartment, swapping V with NPCs, etc)

Thank you so much for the ask!! Also I’m always down to ramble about my Vs, either on here or on @the-major-leagues so feel free to send asks @ everyone!! 💖

[cold-neon-ocean]

Concerning the comics, do you dislike Thanos himself or the Black Order's previous (?) affiliation with him?

A mix of both but primarily the former. Thanos is my least favorite fictional character in existence so I’ll always grind my teeth at The Order’s subservience to him seemingly without much reason in the earlier comics aside from “they’re evil and Thanos is the biggest evil so they worship him!” because to me it’s boring. I don’t like god-mod characters and Thanos is the epitome of that trope. “He’s so powerful that only gets defeated by the heroes because he subconsciously wants to lose as punishment, isn’t he just the most tragic villain ever ;A;” gags

Regarding The Order’s affiliation with him I don’t.. MIND it, in fact I do like it as a set up for their coming together, I just wish it was written where the characters had some more agency and Marvel would actually allow them to move on once he’s gone. Admittedly with the Thanos 2019 comics they did seem to attempt this (despite how many holes it poked in the known canon among other things), and I liked some of the ideas presented, mainly The Order starting out as hired mercenaries with Proxima and Maw, I loved that a lot, and how their loyalty is conditional so long as they are benefiting from the partnership (maybe not as flip-floppy as they were in the comics) and are willing to dip out if they aren’t. THAT I really like even though that was clearly never the case in previous comics lol. The problem is that I- love Proxima SO MUCH, and I hate Thanos SO MUCH so my brain doesn’t want her anywhere near him, especially as some mindless lackey because she deserves better lol. Also my issues could stem from my primary introduction to The Black Order came from the MCU where they are VASTLY different characters than what they are in the comics, and far less developed so I had a lot more room to headcanon and make up my own stuff about them freely before I started looking into them in the comics (which could also explain my mixed feelings about how they’ve been written lately in the comics post-Thanos). I do want to preface that I don’t have a complete knowledge of The Order’s history because I can’t find complete lists of all the comics they’re in. Though from what I can find I’ve read most of their content if I’m not mistaken, but I’m sure there are some more obscure minor appearances that maybe explain some things that haven’t been listed anywhere that I’ve missed.

If I were to throw in my input and talk about MY rendition of The Black Order which is how I choose to write them based on my own personal tastes in my side AU where the Marvel Universe is much less CONVOLUTED(the same AU all my Ronan and Crystal content exists in), I have things set up jumping off the initial ideas of Thanos 2019, where the mercenary group Maw and Proxima were in were initially hired by Thanos, with Cull (I refer to Black Dwarf by his MCU name because I like it better lol) and Corvus being added later. And the affiliation is very conditional from The Order’s perspective. The Order are always watching and judging and gauging whether or not the partnership is worth maintaining, Maw and Proxima especially, and even though I try to write for Thanos as little as possible because I hate touching him and only do what’s absolutely necessary, he can feel the pulls of their defiance at times (with Proxima ESPECIALLY) and has to really think about how he holds onto them, hence the change from hiring adults to kidnapping children who are much easier to condition. Think of them as akin to the hyenas and Scar in The Lion King, loyalty and a willingness to do as they’re told until they stop benefiting from it (though the fear of being hunted down and killed for disloyalty keeps them there as well) and later on realizing, and some having known from the beginning, that they’re meant for more than just being servants and want more for themselves. But that’s in my perfect would. 

What I mainly don’t like about how The Order were written under Thanos in the canon is that they’re just lackeys with not much to them, we know nothing about them like when or why they joined (prior to Thanos 2019 ofc but even then we still don’t knew when or how Cull and Corvus came into the picture), just that they did and that’s all that matters. They’re there because they’re evil and that’s about it, they’re blind followers with not a single thought going on in their own heads. That did change over time of course but The Order are STILL functioning under a “what if Thanos comes back” basis, like they’ll have no choice but to go crawling back to him whenever/if he does because that’s just what they do? I knew Marvel would never keep Thanos permanently dead in the comics like they said they would lol I called bullshit on that from day one. When Maw mentioned Thanos’ return in Star #5 I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly fell out of my mouth because I KNEW that was coming (though I do appreciate how Proxima didn’t give a single shit about it lmao). There was also something said preceding the Black Order solo comics in 2019 about how Corvus will still ALWAYS choose Thanos above all else, even his wife and brother, which made ZERO sense??? and also I wasn’t sure why this needed stating when Thanos was canonically dead in the comics following the statement that he’d be perma-dead. It felt like they just weren’t gonna let him grow as there was always that possibility they’d bring Thanos back and send The Order right back to him, undoing all the development they’ve done without him like they’ve done before. I remember when Thanos made Corvus kill himself after he returned and formed a new Black Order and Proxima just... didn’t react to it, though this seemed to be retconned after the universe reset so I’m still confused about that. I also think about how in the Death Sentence novel (and I know this kind of exists in it’s own separate universe but just discussing the overall mentality of writing The Order), again Corvus in particular is written like he needs someone to lead him or he can’t even properly function and he even has a full blown emotional breakdown when he realizes Thanos is back and I just… hate it. Him and Proxima “needing” Thanos to be their god and lead them it’s just stupid and weird and I can’t stand it. I remember Proxima even makes an internal statement about how Corvus falls apart when he doesn’t have someone leading him???

So my main issue in regards to Thanos’ affiliation with The Order as it’s written in the canon is that they’re written as if they can’t do anything without him, ofc this is all before the big universe reset with The Challenger where Thanos is supposedly dead for good but we all know that isn’t true. They were given some agency when they were on their own but with the mention of Thanos in the recent Star comic I have… little hope for them remaining their own thing. They talk about how they don’t want to be servants and how they want to do their own thing then the writers have them fall right back into their old beats of being servants for someone and chasing infinity stones and worrying about what T fucking Hanos will think when he comes back and I just…….. want more for them. I want them to be more fleshed out as characters and have actual ambitions and goals that align with their actions. Because they’re such interesting characters that I genuinely love(well most of them) and have a lot of potential, and I want to see them grow and develop and actually follow through with what they say and not get dragged backwards every time the plot requires them to. I’m still catching up on all my Black Order related comics (there aren’t a lot of complete lists of their appearances out there for me to refer to sadly but I’ve read most of the major ones I believe) but all I really want is for them to finally and actually be able to move on from Thanos. Especially with Corvus because (prior to Star #5 which I’ll expand on in a sec) it makes him look fucking stupid to have him default to “we chase the infinity stones because that’s what we do” after having them talk in previous comics about about how they want to be different and work for themselves, and Black Swan is like “chasing the stones has only ever made us miserable, whymst are we doing this???” and have her bring up valid points about how they don’t need to and Corvus is still just like “nope, nope we gotta.” and doesn’t even explain why. And now apparently that ‘why’ is because they expect Thanos to return? Or at least Maw does? I choose to believe that Corvus wanted the reality stone because it could give them some protection from a possible return of Thanos and allow them to stay together and do as they please like they want. To “forge their own reality” as Corvus said in the Death Sentence novel ironically, that would at the very least be a reason to continue infinity stone hunting that I’d be on board with.

I dunno, lol perhaps my lack of the full scope with missing a few things from sporadic comics and just my own personal views and tastes regarding the characters clash a lot with how the canon wants to portray them and at the end of the day that just is what it is lol. I didn’t intend this to get so long and.. rambly, the subject of Thanos in general gets me on a soap box and I never know how to get off aah. But yeah I hope that made some semblance of sense? The main gist of the story was really that sentence about loving Proxima and hating Thanos so I just naturally want her nowhere near him; and it was actually that affiliation that put me off of The Order for so long before I finally saw the light and realized they’re all vastly more interesting characters than he is LMAO. But I’m gonna stop because this just hit it’s 3rd page in my google docs and I’m starting to get embarrassed wheezes :’D

[nerd-bastard]

ok so over the... /checks calendar, past five days i have managed to tear through act one of DQXI and hoo boy. hooooo boy. 

i fucking love this game *_*

@flutiebear​ thank you so much for your notes, they were super helpful!! my thing with JRPGs is mostly the turn based combat-- i can get SO BORED with it, i definitely prefer ARPGs where i can button mash things to death. DQXI seems to have found some kind of sweet spot for me tho, where battles are just long enough for me to like. pick a strategy and implement it, and get satisfactory results. sometimes those satisfactory results are just Talc helichoptering an entire group of enemies to death in one swing, which scratches my ‘button mash them to death’ itch :D I definitely like the easier monsters and relaxing while i play too, i’ve literally failed exactly ONE boss battle and that was bc my initial strategy sucked, not bc i didn’t have the muscle to pull it off. and omg, THE NO’S. BEST TIP EVER, THANK YOU.

and, as per your request, thoughts! :DDD full disclosure, i watched a playthrough up through the MMA tournament before I got the game, so these aren’t exactly first impressions. tons of screenshots and rambling below the cut, RIP mobile users :(

OH and because I got it on PC, i literally modded it before I even fired up the game lol. found some nice retextures on the mod nexus and installed the orchestral music overhaul too, it’s nice. The retextures are Wild Side Erik and Chainmail Luminary, i love them and I recommend the hell out of ‘em. Just a heads up so folks know why my Erik and Hero look different :D

ALRIGHT I WAS TOO DISTRACTED TO TAKE SCREENSHOTS FOR THE FIRST PART UP THE TOR but: i love gemma and i would die for her and sandy, and so would Talc. also christ, slimes are the most adorable enemy ever, DQ did a good thing with slimes. 

/NERVOUS LAUGHTER

horsey!! her name is Whisper and Talc loves her :D

so, initial Hero headcanons: Talc does not want to be a Luminary. He wants to stay in Cobblestone, and continue spending days at a time alone in the wilderness hunting for his family and culling monsters and riding horses and whittling wood and carving soapstone to pass the time. He knows he’s not Hero material-- he has to work too hard to hold his temper, and he’s too stubborn, and and and (he’s fine-- he just really wants to be like Chalky, but he’s a 16 year old kid who thinks good people ((like Chalky)) don’t have to try so hard to be good people, not a man with 60+ years of experience and time to mellow out. he’ll get there.) So Talc’s plan is 100% ‘Go to Heliodor, explain the situation to the king’s Knights and give them the pendant so one of them can go defeat the evil instead, then go home to Cobblestone.’ and well. We know how that turns out.

the most hardened, you say ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

THIS FUCKER. WHAT IS THIS FUCKER. 47 HOURS INTO THIS GAME AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS FUCKER IS. ARE YOU GOOD? ARE YOU EVIL?? ARE THERE A BUNCH OF YOU, OR IS IT JUST FUCKING YOU FOLLOWING ME EVERYWHERE? TELL ME

THERE HE IS!!! THERE’S MY BOY!! <3_<3 

In Talc’s defense, he was trying to open the jars, not smash them. yes i absolutely have to reconcile breaking into people’s homes and smashing their stuff with his character, he’s a country bumpkin who struggles to remember the concept of ‘private property’ and is so stupidly strong from rock climbing and swinging a greatsword around that is is a genuine struggle for him to lay hands on ceramic without shattering it. he’s a bit of a bull in a china shop, and it’s only growing up with Gemma that let him develop a reflex-bordering-on-instinct to be as gentle as possible with other human beings that, unfortunately, does not translate well to inanimate objects.

also... ngl, it took... a minute for that accent to grow on me. that accent, man. more like ‘those accents’ JUST PICK ONE AND STICK WITH IT DUDE

talc: you know those days when you’re like ‘this might as well happen, adult life is already so goddamn weird’

also, those SHOUJO SPARKLES. i will NEVER BE OVER THE SPARKLES.

holy shit i love Erik’s expressions and poses so much, he’s so fucking expressive (all the characters are, the voice acting and animation in this game has been a delight every step of the way, but i just. adore Erik’s in particular, everything he does is so endearing to me.)

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS QUEST NAME, IT COULD NOT BE ANY LESS SUBTLE

little did he know what monster he had created

seriously tho i LOVE the crafting system in this game, it’s a good challenge and a little frustrating when one of the random events screws you up, but SO SO SATISFYING when you finally get your +3. also it works really well with my headcanon that Talc is very much a “show your love by providing the ones you care about with anything they could possibly need or want” type of person. he’s actually very good at anticipating said needs/wants and has a knack for giving his friends things before they even properly knew they needed/wanted the thing. he also has a tendency to...kind of forget that he can get things in return, and gets really flustered and happy when he does get something which also leads to a tendency to treasure and consequentially hoard small dumb things BECAUSE they were gifts.

this is where Talc’s heart starts to go doki-doki-- he's very much a people pleaser, if he can make folks happy it makes him happy. the little bit of trouble is it was pretty much the status quo in cobblestone, and a little bit taken for granted by the time he strikes out-- not by everyone, or all the time, for sure, but getting out into the world and getting a sudden influx of gratitude is like crack for him. Also Erik is Nice and Handsome and was happy to do all the talking in downtown Heliodor so Talc didn’t have to worry about it, so Talc now definitely wants to keep Erik. It’s also hilarious to Talc that Erik is clearly skilled with knives, and yet has zero clue how to dress or cook a rabbit-- he’s very determined to keep the city boy alive (watch me walk this headcanon back in a few days when i finally get his back story and it turns out he lived off the land for years)

oh man, my HEART, MY HEART. even knowing it was coming, playing through this part was rough, especially since now it’s my Talc running around the ruins of the one place he wanted to live out his days protecting. ;_; that was his job, that’s what he was good at and contributed to his home, except for the one time it really, really needed him. he’s more than a little fucked up about it, but it’s a big part of him really leaning into the Luminary role- he can’t stand the thought of it happening to anyone else.

this. this is kinda a big deal for him, after cobblestone. after learning people blame him for Dundrasil, and then feeling responsible for Cobblestone, he’s already starting to have tiny, niggling doubts about ‘oh shit what if i AM some kind of darkspawn??’ Fighting alongside Erik through the Kingsbarrow and getting to feel like he’s helping and protecting Erik helps, and then so does this. 

it also plays right into his thing for doing justice-- which, he tries to hold Chalky’s words close to his heart, he does, and his vision isn’t the first time Chalky has had to encourage him to let grudges go. it was the main motivation for the vast majority of his pranks as a kid: make Gemma cry by telling her proper ladies don’t play at catching frogs and getting dirty? enjoy the frog hidden in a jar leaping out at your face, old lady. accuse him of being a darkspawn and throw him and his family in jail? hell yes he is going to help this thief steal your greatest treasure, and love every minute of it.

and now, to wrap things up bc this post is already way too long and i’ve got. the rest of act one to yammer about later:

YES

YESSSSS

YAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS

in conclusion: this is a good game and a good ship and i already have 300 words of fic sitting in my gdrive <_<;;;