#not even really spoilers because I am actually still around starter location of course

[katyspersonal]

So yeah, have been playing some SOTE this evening... and it is 4 AM... and I need to wake up to work at 7 AM... 🤡 me 🤝 @jarognieva

I don't believe I went far, some highlights so far:

1) "But never again" 💀

2) I spent 40 minutes alone on trying to kill annoying knight in the first Mausoleum, until I gave up and got @fantomette22 to help me. And then offered to help HER. We both now have the bitch dead thanks to our incredible strategy: she runs around and distracts the jerk while I spam him with the spells. Team work XDDDD

3) "Fantomette get off my DICK, you are way too good at killing bosses fast I don't want spoilers, sorry I am not as good at this game as you!!! 😭" *kills a Ghostflame Dragon* *kills the Lion Dancer* *kills the uhhhh that one Demihuman swordsman*

4) Lion Dancer battle was so fun and beautiful, holy shit...? Very impressive

5) I was forced to return to shield and spear strategy. :/

6) Celebrants lore?

7) Really interesting items

8) "Shut UP Val, you are TOO good at maps and finding places, stop rubbing it into my face I know I am absolutely useless and can't find shit on my own ;-;" *finds a bunch of curious places and secrets he didn't*

9) He straight up just.. ignored me...

I hoped if I moved very slowly maybe it could have stayed that way.. but nope, one millimeter and I was obliterated xd

10) I might be completely sleep deprived but that Demihuman swordsman used Waterfowl Dance?? Or not? I hope he fucking did because meeting Malenia's teacher is all I really want anymore

11) I absolutely love the feature to see the new items and items discovered in chronological order, helps me to not forget to read the lore as I proceed. Genuinely the most helpful feature after adding the jump button!

12) Interesting NPCs, curious about the guy whose mask weirdly resembles the Wormfaces, and the lore that only Miquella didn't give up on Frejia and healed her wound is sweet..

13) Every second fucking item I pick in this joke place mentions the crusade and how cringe Messmer is and whatever gfhyhgh I like how they can't let me forget for one second that he's a war criminal xD

14) I guess Smouldering Butterflies ARE still Melina's, since Messmer has his own now xD

15) I really want to access that like.. really red place I see from the cliff but don't know how to step into.. I hopefully will figure it out

______

Okay in general it is really fun to play, though so stupidly hard that I have to try different strategies. Again. But seeking everything in blind is cool, after all the only spoilers I've gotten is That One plot twist and the fact that final boss (?) is not my blorbo but some random idiot so gfgfhfhyj Still so much stuff to pick

[jokertrap-ran]

(未定事件簿) EVENT!「致斯卡提的情诗」 [Tears of Themis] EVENT: A Love Poem to SKADI Translation (Chapter 1-01 奇怪邀约 : A Strange Invitation)

*Tears of Themis Masterlist / Mobile Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *The tracking tag for ALL Event Stories will go under: #Tears of an Event *(y/n) is your name when in direct referral; otherwise referred to as MC.

Location: Home

MC: Hm… So, you’re saying that you want me to go to Skadi Island with you?

Yao Yu: Yup! Please? You’re the only one who can help me!

The person on the other end of the line was Yao Yu, a friend that had been in the same Club as me back in University, who now works as an Editor for a Geographic Magazine Publisher.

She’d recently planned to write an article, a Travel Guide, on the popular Skadi Island.

Skadi Island was located at the junction where the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean met; the Island itself was home to many volcanoes, hot springs, and a large number of beaches along the coastline with black sand. The temperatures were moderate, and they had a strong culture related to elves. The island was also located within the Aurora Belt, so it was a place that was very popular with the younger people since the Auroras could be seen all throughout the area...

MC: But there are so many other sights to see on the Island… Why choose to go to a haunted place of all things…?

Yao Yu: Here’s what you don’t understand; articles of those scenic locations have already been repeatedly written god knows how many times now! But! How many articles have you seen that describe this island as haunted?

Yao Yu: I spent a great lot of effort getting this information out from a friend of mine, you know?

Yao Yu: It’s said that almost no one knows about this, apart from a few locals on Skadi Island.

Yao Yu: I’m sure the magazine’s sales will definitely increase again if this article gets released!

The place she was referring to be the abandoned mansion near the Golden Waterfalls.

Rumor has it that this mansion was the “Fiend’s Tomb”, where the “Malevolent Lord of Evil”, who had tried to destroy Skadi Island, was put down. Every time a Polar Night occurs, the “Malevolent Lord of Evil” would wander the mansion, dressed in all white, in search of a face.

It is said that your soul will be snatched away by him, if you accidentally approach this area during those nights.

Yao Yu: How about it? Can you really not consider it? I’ll foot all the expenses for this trip so long as you agree!

Yao Yu: All you have to do is to accompany me to that mansion and write a travel diary of your experience; that’s all!

Yao Yu: You get to travel abroad for a small holiday; all for free! Don’t you think it’s very worth the price?

MC: ……

Yao Yu: Please! Pretty please? This is my once-in-a-lifetime request!

MC: ...Fine...

Yao Yu: Thanks! I’ll end off here for today and let you know once I’ve arranged everything!

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: Vikya City

MC: …...

???: What’s the matter? Are you unhappy to have come here, to Skadi Island?

MC: It’s got nothing to do with the Island, per say. I'm just wondering why I'm so stupid…

Yao Yu had sent over a complete itinerary plan not too long after her call, to invite me on a trip, had ended.

But what I didn't expect was…

That Yao Yu would suddenly contact me, saying that she couldn't take the same away flight together with me because of work, on the day of the flight itself where I had arrived early at the airport.

She'd entrusted me to a friend of hers who was at Skadi Island, telling me that I could go check out the Mansion first; and to complete the travel diary that was part of the deal.

???: Hearing you say that makes this development… A little awkward.

The person in front of me was Johnny, Yao Yu's friend. He was the owner of a guesthouse and also operated a Bar of his own.

He seemed to have quite the reputation here, for there were always locals enthusiastically greeting him as we went along our merry way, ever since we'd entered Vikya City.

Mostly female locals, though.

Johnny: But really, you don't have to worry that much about it. Although the Manor of Hermes is deemed as something very strange by the outside world…

Johnny: It's still essentially just an abandoned house, so there isn't really anything to be scared of, apart from the dust.

MC: The Manor of Hermes? Is that the name of that Mansion?

Johnny: She didn’t tell you anything about these either?

MC: She told me that she'd explain in more detail when we were on the plane back then, so she'd only given me a simple explanation about the Mansion.

MC: I did do some homework before coming here, but any information on the Mansion here can't really be found online...

MC: And what should I do now…? I've come all the way here without her; and am completely clueless to boot.

Johnny: ……

Johnny: If that’s the case here, then I'll give the beautiful lady here two suggestions. Perhaps they may be of help to you.

MC: What do you suggest?

Johnny: Lady Yao Yu isn't here with you; and you know nothing about that Mansion.

Johnny: That means that if we take safety into consideration, you shouldn't be entering that Mansion rashly like that.

Johnny: If your job here is to compile and write a travel diary about the Mansion here, then...

Johnny: I can just tell you what's inside that Mansion; and I'm pretty good at telling stories, myself.

MC: So, you mean… You're familiar with that Mansion?

Johnny: In a sense, yes. But you'll have to pardon me, because I can't disclose much more about it.

MC: ...And your other suggestion is? You did say that you had two, right?

Johnny: The other suggestion is for you to enter the Mansion and explore its secrets, of course!

Johnny: Sit on the thought for a while; what do you want to do?

MC: …...

⊳Choice: Go myself

MC: I've decided; I think it'll be better for me to investigate it by myself.

Johnny: Why?

MC: How do I put this… Well, I mean this IS an article that might be published after all.

MC: So, I have to be responsible about the things I write.

MC: I mean, how will the travel diary I write have any element of persuasiveness to it, if I've never actually been to the place myself?

MC: Plus, Yao Yu's paying for this trip— Which means, I must treat this seriously!

Johnny: I'm glad that this was your choice

⊳Choice: Listen to Johnny’s stories

MC: Could I bother you to tell me about the stories of the Mansion?

Johnny: Of course; but are you sure about this?

Johnny: This is just my personal thoughts on this, but...

Johnny: There are some things in the world which are only more interesting if you explore them, and personally experience them yourself, no?

MC: You do have a point…

MC: And thinking about it, Yao Yu's sponsoring this trip of mine, so I have to be more serious and responsible about it.

MC: I think it'll be better to write the Travel Diary after I've actually been there myself.

MC: That's what I say, but I still know nothing about that Mansion… So just how am I to explore that place?

Johnny: Then how about asking around for information on it, for starters?

Johnny: Don't the people of your country often say that "Good Generals don't fight unprepared battles"?

MC: Where can I get more information? I can't find any on the net...

MC: If you told me everything right from the get-go, then it wouldn't be considered as me having explored anything at all.

Johnny: Alright, beautiful lady… Say, do you mind doing me a favor?

MC: What favor?

Johnny: I'm planning to hold a party at my Bar soon, and I'm still lacking in a couple of things to make that happen.

Johnny: So, it would be of great help to me if you could go to some of the surrounding Cities and pick them up for me.

MC: But what does this have anything to do with me exploring the Mansion?

Johnny: I'm not the only one here who knows something about that Mansion. They're scattered all over this Island, and they might even be located in the places you're going to be visiting.

Johnny: Observe the surroundings carefully enough, and you might just make an unexpected discovery!

☆⋅⋆…⋅───── ⋆⋅A Love Poem to SKADI⋅⋆ ────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Next Part: (Chapter 1-02: The weirdness intensifies)

[1wngdngl]

Pokemon Shield playthrough

I’ve been playing this game a lot since last night, and I still haven’t gotten on the train yet ;) I like to take games slowly to make sure I notice and experience everything along the way. It looks like the best way to share my game progress is through screenshots, so that’s what I’ll do. Cut for length and spoilers - I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers and leaks for the past couple weeks, so if you want to be able to experience the games fresh yourself, now might be a good time to click away. [This post covers up thru getting the Dynamax band]

I went ahead with the “standard” female character, but you can bet I’ll be customizing her as soon as I can. What’s with that knock-kneed stance, anyway? Pokemon trainers should stand strong and confident!

Chairman Rose greets us. Everyone online was guessing he’ll turn out to be evil or something. He certainly looks suspicious, doesn’t he?

And here comes the first surprise of the LP - a brand-new Pokemon, not even seen in trailers! (except for that fuzzy 1-frame image from a while back.) Its trunk looks kinda like a soup ladle. Maybe it’s a play on a teacup/teapot elephant? I wonder if it evolves...

Here’s Leon fighting an unknown trainer - maybe a Gym leader?

I really like the art style of the map - it’s so whimsical :)

The map also shows current weather for all locations. Look at all the different stuff going on in the Wild Area at the same time! I’ve been to the real England, and I don’t remember it having such extreme weather...

The map also has a few useful features, like displaying your next objective, and showing the facilities in a town (but only once you’ve been there yourself). The towns and such all have really interesting names that emulate that old English sound.

First thing I do when I gain control in a new Pokemon game? Change the battle style to “Set”. It seems more fair, plus it helps make the game just a bit more challenging.

I’m a little sad that the old option to change menu/text box borders seems to be forever abandoned, though... >.>

My house. It’s a pretty decent-sized place. We have a pet Munchlax and a few Budew outside. My character practices her whistling.

My mom. Or “mum” as the game calls her. The dialog is noticeably slanted toward a more British dialect - I wonder how they handled the accent in other languages?

Speaking of my mom, she seems rather big compared to me, doesn’t she? Quite a bit taller. I’m guessing my character is around 12 - when I was that age, I was the same height as my mom and done growing. Maybe they think people won’t believe this character is the mom’s child if she’s too tall?

Also, my dream is to one day have a /dad/ in a Pokemon game. Seriously, why does every other house I visit have a husband and wife, and my character is always stuck being the only child of a single parent? What if in one of these games, my dad was the champion or the evil team leader - how fun would that be?

My bedroom. The pink clock on the wall reminds me of one from a previous Pokemon game - was it ORAS that had those round clocks on the wall that you could set?

My first step on my journey. Looks like my mom spends every minute gardening - I guess the Budew help her?

Ah yes, every Pokemon game needs a “power of science” guy :)

Here’s another surprise - how many Pokemon games give you a fishing rod right at the start?! Usually you have to track down three different fisherman to get the three versions of the fishing rod. I’m also happy to see that Pokeballs have their own pocket again :)

The handy map tells us where to go next, with even a little picture of our destination.

The champion of Galar, of course, has a huge house.

Wow, a Purrloin! I forgot that they stood on two legs. I like its little bed.

Also, Leon’s family decorate their house mainly in trophies.

I guess this is Hop’s room - I like his artwork. I know Leon has a Charizard - does he have these other two Pokemon too, and that’s why Hop has posters of them?

Leon’s room is mostly a shrine to hats.

Speaking of Leon, he really knows how to play to the crowd ;)

So, some people are wondering if /Leon/ will turn out to be evil in the story. I didn’t really get that vibe from him. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, but he does seem like he has some worries on his mind, like his cheer is sometimes forced?

Maybe he actually hates the limelight and gets uncomfortable with attention? Maybe he’s secretly terminally ill? Maybe there’s some massive threat about to attack the Galar region? He seems really concerned with making sure that Galar has lots of strong trainers. Maybe he knows something about the legendaries?

Alternately, some people were saying that maybe Leon isn’t actually a great champion, and his fights are rigged in his favor by the chairman. /If/ that were the case, I bet that Leon is actually unhappy with that situation and wants to make the tournament more fair.

Or maybe everything in the game is exactly as it seems ;)

Nothing important here, I just like this screenshot. I wonder if Fletchling are native to Galar too?

My first Pokemon! (in this game, at least...) I picked Sobble because he’s the most endearing.

My first battle! I like how the interface is laid out, and how detailed the background is beyond the fighters - you can even see Leon standing there.

My Pokemon's details. I don’t play competitively so I don’t know if it’s a particular “good” Sobble. It seems like this species is a fast special-attacker, so I’ll have to keep that in mind.

The Slumbering Weald (my spellchecker doesn’t even recognize that word :) ) It’s very spooky and seclusive - and it’s right next to the starter town too! You’d think if it was really that dangerous, people would put up more than a flimsy wooden gate to keep trespassers out...Hop, of course, is an idiot and runs right into it; and I, the spineless protagonist, have no option to say no. >.>

My first wild encounter! This starts the trend I noticed all during the opening hours of this game - most of the wild Pokemon are brand-new, totally-unrevealed species. Like this squirrel thing. (Although some people guessed we would get a new squirrel based on that shirt design). I wonder if it evolves?

This part was actually pretty scary, with the Pokemon (I can’t remember its name...) suddenly appearing out of the fog. The Pokemon acted almost like a hologram in battle though - my attacks couldn’t touch it.

What if the twist is that the legendary wolf Pokemon are just illusions, perhaps even man-made ones created to keep intruders from discovering some secret in the forest?

Anyway, we escape from the situation perfectly fine, because of course we do ;)

I noticed that this particular generation gives you quite of a bit of money at the start, but I guess that’s because you encounter the first boutique so early. There’s a fair number of affordable options too. Some of these Pokemon shirts I wish were /real/ shirts.

My new look :) Mostly I just ditched the dress for jeans. This looks like a comfortable outfit, although that knapsack is a bit unwieldy.

We visit the professor’s lab. She has a lot of books, plants, and a tea set. I wonder if she ever has problems with Polteageist?

The new Pokemon center design. I love that the move deleter/relearner and nickname functions are all in one place - I always hated flying around the map trying to remember where they were.

That Pokemon behind the counter is another totally new one. Could this be a Galarian Audino?

Using mystery gift, I was able to get this “Gigantamax” Meowth. However, due to my rule of only using Gen 8 Pokemon, it’s just gonna chill out in the box >.>

Leon is very generous with Pokeballs. Even the items you find on the ground are generous, often containing 2 or 3 “copies” of an item when you check it out. Is that a new thing for Pokemon?

Here I battle my first trainer that isn’t named Hop. He has that squirrel shirt and is a total pushover.

Just chilling by the professor’s house. It looks like maybe you can only fish in fishing spots (those darker circles on the water), but at least you get your fishing pole right away.

Also, I discovered that while I could not sit on beds or chairs inside, I am able to sit on this bench :)

The way the Pokemon mill about in the tall grass is very interesting. Some will try to avoid you, others like this Yamper will chase after you. It makes the routes feel a lot more populated.

I guess this is Sonia’s room. It’s very pink. I wonder if she even /wants/ to do Pokemon research, or if she’d rather be a fashion designer or something.

The in-game time of day doesn’t seem to match up with the Switch system clock, at least not from what I’ve seen so far. For example, suddenly it is sunset and I catch a falling star. (look how the reflection in the water changes :) )

I haven’t decided yet if I want to buy the Switch online service, but in the meantime I decided to at least pick my profile picture. The icons you can choose from actually reveal quite a lot about the trainer classes and gyms that are in the game. For the first time ever, we have a Dark-type gym! Their logo is a sideways version of Team Yell’s logo - does that mean that Team Yell or Marnie is the Dark gym leader?

I spent a while catching Pokemon around the professor’s house. I can’t tell if I got every possible species without looking online, but I did build up a good roster.

I found it really cool how many new, surprising Pokemon showed up this early in the game. There’s the fox one (which is a Dark type and reminds me of Zoroark), the turtle one (which has got to be a pre-evolution of Dreadnaw, probably the 1st of 3 stages), the bird one (based on the “Rook” in its name and the fact that it learns Dark-type moves early, I’m guessing it’s a pre-evolution of Corviknight), and the bug one (can’t wait to see what its final stage looks like).

I went through the party to find the best Pokemon that fit my self-imposed rules (only new, Gen 8 Pokemon, no overlap of types). I know that this means I won’t be able to use Galarian forms or Gigantamaxes of old Pokemon, but just because I’m not using them in my main playthrough doesn’t mean I can’t catch them :)

Next time: I step onto the train and leave my home behind.

[gaming-rabbot]

Salmon Run and Presentation

A (not so) brief dissertation on narrative framing in video games, featuring Splatoon 2

With the holidays in full swing, I took advantage of a deal one day when I went into town, and finally got my hands on Splatoon 2. Having loved the prior game as much as I did, waiting this long to get the sequel felt almost wrong. But like many another fellow meandering corpus of conscious flesh, I am made neither of time nor money.

Finally diving in, I figured I might take this excuse to remember that I write game reviews, sometimes. You know, when the tide is high, the moon blue, and the writer slightly less depressed. I ended up scrapping my first couple drafts, however. You see, a funny thing was happening; I kept veering back into talking about Salmon Run, the new optional game mode the sequel introduces.

Also I might look at the Octo Expansion later, on its own. After I get around to it…

Look, the base game already has a lot of content to explore, and as previously stated, I am sadly corporeal, and not strung together with the metaphysical concept of time itself.

My overall thoughts, however, proved brief, so I’ll try to keep this short.

(Mild spoilers coming along.)

Gameplay wise, I think the story mode is much improved upon by handing you different weapons for certain levels which were specifically built with them in mind. Whereas the prior game left you stuck with a variant of the starter splattershot all the way through. This keeps things interesting, pushes me outside of my comfort zone, and it’s a good way to make sure players will come from a well-informed place when deciding what weapon they want for multiplayer; which, let’s face it, is the real meat of these games and where most players are going to log the most time.

I also love the way bosses are introduced with the heavy drums and rhythmic chants and the dramatic light show. It endows the moment with a fantastic sense of gravitas, and manages to hype me up every time. Then the boss will have an aspect of their design which feels a bit silly or some how rather off, keeping the overall tone heavily grounded in the toony aesthetics the series already established for itself.

Narratively, I felt rather okay about the story aspect of Story Mode. The collectible pages in the levels still have a certain amount of world building, though this time it seems more skewed toward explaining what pop culture looks like in this world, such as, an allusion to this world’s equivalent to Instagram.

Cynical as it is…

That’s definitely still interesting in its own right, though perhaps it’s less of a revelatory gut-punch as slowly piecing it together that the game takes place in the post-apocalypse of Earth itself, and the inklings copied ancient human culture.

We still got some backstory for this game’s idol duo, though. And that, I appreciate. It means Pearl and Marina still feel like a part of this world, rather than seeming obligatory for the sake of familiarity, given the first game had an idol duo as well.

Meanwhile, perhaps it is a bit obvious that Marie’s cousin, Callie, has gone rogue, and that she is the mysterious entity cracking into the radio transmissions between her and Agent 4. If I recall correctly, that was a working theory that came about with the first trailer or two. That, or she had died.

As soon as Marie says aloud she wonders where Callie has gone, I knew right away. And that’s just in the introduction.

That said, on some level, after stomaching through certain other games and such that actively lie or withhold information to force an arbitrary plot twist for plot twist sake, it feels almost nice to go back to a narrative that actually bothers to foreshadow these things. Plus, having gotten already invested in Callie as a character from the first game, I still felt motivated to see the story through to find out why she went rogue. And, loving the Squid Sisters already, there was a hope in me that she could be redeemed, or at least understood. In terms of building off the prior game’s story, Splatoon 2 is moderately decent.

Also, I mean, c’mon. The big narrative drive might be a tad predictable, but hey, this game is for kids. It’s fine.

That, I think, is something I love the most about Splatoon. Despite feeling like you’re playing in a Saturday morning cartoon, and being aimed primarily at children, it doesn’t shy away from fairly heavy subjects. Such as the aforementioned fact that the humans are all long dead and you’re basically playing paintball in the ruins of their consumerist culture.

Which brings me to what fascinates me so much about Splatoon 2: the way in which Salmon Run is framed.

You see, on the surface, Salmon Run appears to be your typical horde mode; a cooperative team (typically comprised of randoms) fights off gaggles of foes as they take turns approaching their base in waves. Pretty standard for online shooters these days, as was modernly popularized by Gears of War 2, and Halo ODST.

I say “modernly,” as the notion of fighting enemies as they approach in waves is not exactly a new concept for mechanical goals within video games. Rather, the term itself, as applied to multiplayer shooters, “horde mode,” became a point of game discussion when Gears of War 2 introduced the new game mode by that same name back in… 2008?

No, no that can’t be right. I played Gears 2 back in high school (I had worse taste back then, okay?). Which, from my perspective, was basically yesterday. That game being ten years old would mean I myself am old now, and that just can’t be. I’m hip. I’m young.

I am, to stay on theme here, fresh.

But okay, existential crises and game talk terms aside, the writing team behind Splatoon 2 probably decided to absolutely flex when it came to the narrative surrounding Salmon Run. It is one of the most gleaming examples of the nontraditional things you can do with writing in video games, to really elevate the experience.

Let me explain.

You see, narrative in video games typically falls into one of two categories: either the story sits comfortably inside of the game, utilizing it like a vehicle to arrive at the destination that is its audience’s waiting eyes and ears. Or the narrative, on some level, exists rather nebulously, primarily to provide something resembling context for why the pixels look the way they do, and why the goals are what they are.

Not to say this is a binary state of existence for game writing; narrative will of course always provide context for characters, should there be any. It’s primarily older, or retro games that give you a pamphlet or brief intro with little in the way of worrying over character motivation, and the deeper philosophical implications of the plot, etc (though not for lack of trying). These would be your classic Mario Bros. and what have you, where the actual game part of the video game is nearly all there is to explore in the overall experience.

Then you have games like Hotline Miami that purposely sets up shop right in the middle to make a meta commentary about the state of game narrative, using the ideological endpoint of violent 80’s era action and revenge-fantasy genre film as inspiration and the starting point to draw comparison between the two. It’s bizarre, and I could drone on about this topic.

But I digress.

Despite falling into that latter category, that is to say having mainly just an introduction to the narrative context so you can get on with playing the game, Salmon Run is a stellar example of how you can make every bit of that context count (even if it does require the added context of the rest of the game, sort of, which I’ll explain, trust me).

First, a (very) brief explanation of how the game itself works, for the maybe three of you who haven’t played it yet.

A team of up to four inklings (and/or octolings) have a small island out in open waters. Salmonid enemies storm the beaches from various angles in waves. Each wave also comes with (at least) one of eight unique boss variants, who all drop three golden eggs upon defeat. Players are tasked with gathering a number of said golden eggs each round, for three rounds, after which their failure or success in doing so shows slow or fast progress towards in-game rewards.

And it’s all an allegory for the poor treatment of labor/workers, utilizing the fishing industry as both an example and a thematically appropriate analogue. Yes, I’m serious.

First, Salmon Run is not available through the main doors like the other multiplayer modes. Rather, it is off to the side, down a dingy looking alley. And when you’re shown its location, either because you finally entered the Inkopolis plaza for the first time, or because the mode has entered rotation again, Marina very expressly describes it as a job.

A job you should only do if you are absolutely, desperately hard strapped for cash. You know, the sort of job you turn to if, for one reason or another, you can’t find a better one.

An aside: technically, playing Salmon Run does not automatically net you in-game currency, with which to buy things, as regular multiplayer modes do. Rather, your “pay” is a gauge you fill by playing, which comes with reward drops at certain thresholds; some randomized gacha style capsules, and one specific piece of gear which gets advertised, to incentivize playing.

The capsules themselves drop actual paychecks in the form of aforementioned currency, or meal tickets to get temporary buffs that help you progress in the multiplayer faster via one way or another. Which, hey, you know, that helps you earn more money also. Working to get “paid,” so you can get things you want, though, still works perfectly for the metaphor it creates.

When I first saw it open up for rotation, I found out you had to be at least a level four to participate. Pretty par for the course, considering it’s the same deal with the gear shops. But, again, it’s all in the presentation; Mr. Grizz does not simply say something akin to the usual “you must be this tall to ride.” He says he cannot hire inexperienced inklings such as yourself, because it’s a legal liability.

After returning with three extra levels, I was handed off to basic, on-the-job training. Which is only offered after Mr. Grizz (not ever physically present, mind you, but communicating with you via radio), the head of Grizzco, uses fairly typical hard sell rhetoric when it comes to dangerous, or otherwise undesirable work: calls you kid, talks about shaping the future and making the world a better place, refers to new hires as “fresh young talent,” says you’ll be “a part of something bigger than yourself.” You know, the usual balancing act of flattery, with just the right amount of belittlement.

Whoa, hang on, sorry; just had a bad case of deja vu from when the recruiter that worked with the ROTC back in high school tried to get me to enlist… several times… Guess he saw the hippie glasses and long hair and figured I'd be a gratifying challenge.

The fisher imagery really kicks in when you play. Which, I figure a dev team working out of Japan might have a pretty decent frame of reference for that. A boat whisks you out to sea with your team, and everyone’s given a matching uniform involving a bright orange jumper, and rubber boots and gloves. If you've ever seen the viral video of the fisherman up to his waist in water telling you not to give up, you have a rough idea. Oh, and don't forget your official Grizzco trademark hats.

It’s on the job itself where a lot of what I'm talking about comes up the most; that is to say, despite buttering you up initially, Mr. Grizz shows his true colors pretty quickly. While playing, he seems to only be concerned with egg collecting, even when his employees are actively hurting. This is established and compounded by his dialogue prior to the intermediate training level, in which informs you about the various boss fish.

Before you can do anything remotely risky, even boss salmonid training, Mr. Grizz tells you he has to go over this 338 page workplace health and safety manual with you. But, oops, the new hire boat sounds the horn as you flip to page 1, so he sends you off unprepared. “Let’s just say you’ve read it,” he tells you, insisting that learning by doing is best.

This flagrant disregard employee safety, in the name of met quotas; the fact we never see Mr. Grizz face to face, making him this vague presence that presides over you, evaluating your stressed performance with condescension; that we are not simply given the rewards as we pass thresholds to earn them, having to instead speak with another, unknown npc for our pay… It all drives toward the point so well.

The icing on the cake for me is when a match ends. You, the player, are not asked if you’d like to go back into matchmaking for another fun round of playtime. Rather, you are asked if you would like to “work another shift.”

The pieces all fit so well together. I shouldn’t be surprised that, once a theme is chosen, Splatoon can stick to it like my hand to rubber cement that one time. It has already proven it can do that much for sure. But it’s just so… funny? It’s bitterly, cynically hilarious.

Bless the individual(s) who sat in front of their keyboard, staring at the early script drafts, and asked aloud if they were really about to turn Mr. Grizz into a projection of all the worst aspects of the awful bosses they’ve had to deal with in life. The answer to that question being “yes” has led to some of my favorite writing in a video game.

All of these thoughts, as they started forming in my skull, really began to bubble when I noticed Salmon Run shifts become available during my first Splatfest.

Splatfest is, to try and put it in realistic terms, basically a huge, celebratory sporting event. Participation nets you a free commemorative t-shirt and access to a pumping concert featuring some of the hottest artists currently gracing the Inkopolis charts.

The idea, the notion, that a hip young inkling (or octoling) might miss out on one of the biggest parties of the year because they need money more than they need fun? It’s downright depressing.

It got me thinking. I looked at my fellow egg collectors. In-universe, we were a bunch of teen-to-young-adult aged denizens missing out on all the fun because we desperately needed the cash. We became stressed together, overworked together, yelled at by our boss together. But in those sweetest victories, where we’d far surpassed our quota? We celebrated together.

Spam-crouching, and mashing the taunt, something changed. I felt a greater sense of comradery with these squids and octos than I did in nearly any other coop game. And it’s all thanks to the rhetorical framing of the game mode.

It accomplishes so many things. It’s world building which wholistically immerses you in the setting. But mainly, its dedication to highly specific word choice does exactly what I mentioned earlier: it elevates the experience to one I could really sit down and think about, rather than use to while away the hours, then move on to something else. So many games make horde modes that feel inconsequential like that; it’s just for fun.

There’s nothing wrong with fun being the only mission statement for a game, or an optional mode of play. But this is exactly what I mean when I say this is the nontraditional writing games can do so much more with. And Splatoon 2 saw that opportunity, and took it. And what a fantastic example of bittersweet, cold reality, in this, a bright, colorful game meant mainly for children…

Happy Holidays, everyone!

[sage-nebula]

re ship meme: 4, 6, 16, 27 and 28!! you don't have to do all of these though!!

4.) Name a ship that you love but struggle to understand

Hmm, this one is hard to answer, because generally if I love a ship, I understand it pretty well and can explain why I love it just as easily as I can explain why it works. With that said, the best answer for this is perhaps Kaiba/Bakura? I feel like I understand it, and could talk at length about how it works (actually, I started shipping it after I thought about their characters and considered it in answer to a question, haha), but it’s also one that I’ve spent less time with than others, and the two don’t really interact in any canon, so there’s not a whole lot to go on. So maybe Kaiba/Bakura, simply because I haven’t spent very much time with it, and it’s not very fresh in my mind right now.

6.) Name a ship that most represents your type of ship

Answered!

16.) Name a ship in which you love all characters equally

Umm … this is pretty much all of my ships, haha, or at least near enough. I sincerely do not understand people who ship something only to actively dislike one half of the ship and treat them as nothing more than a prop or trophy for their preferred character. Why do that? Why waste your time creating content for a ship when you dislike or hate 50% of that ship? Why treat characters as if they’re nothing more than trophies, prizes to be won, or props to support your fave? I understand wanting your fave to have some love and support, but your fave should also be just as loving and supportive to the person they’re in a relationship with. Furthermore, you should acknowledge, respect, and celebrate that characters are their own people first, that they exist for themselves, and not simply to further another’s story. It’s great when characters have love interests, but it’s bad when characters are nothing but love interests, and it’s tragic when characters are their own people but fandom still treats them as trophy props for the character of their choice, complaining and throwing tantrums when the canon material reminds them, “No, this character exists for themself, not to be a supportive prop or trophy for your preferred fave.”

So honestly, I always love each component of the ship equally, or at least near enough that the difference is negligible. (Like, I do prefer Jounouchi over Yuugi, but only just; I still love Yuugi a whoooole lot.) But that said, I’d have to say right now that the most equal ship is Keith/Lotor. It’s impossible for me to say whether Keith or Lotor is my favorite VLD character at this point. I love them both so much that it practically just depends on whatever mood I’m in at any given moment. They’re both darlings and babes and deserve better than this goddamn show or hellish fandom give them, full stop.

27.) Name the biggest change you would make to Keith/Lotor:

I’D LET THEM ACTUALLY HAVE ONE (1) PLEASANT CONVERSATION IN CANON, FOR STARTERS, GDHGSDGDKFJDGHDS

God, you have no idea how much this frustrates me, how much—we’ve been so teased!! A while ago, before season four even aired, we had JDS saying something about how Lotor would definitely be interested in Keith being part-galra (or sympathetic toward him for it or some such) but also that saying more would be spoilers. We had both Neil Kaplan and AJ LoCascio saying in October of last year that they both thought Keith was the one Lotor would get along with the most, and AJ specifically talking about how Keith would “ground” Lotor and “bring out the person in him.” Like, fuck, we had reasons to believe that they would meet, talk, and form a relationship, and then they were kept apart again, and even when they were in the same space as each other and Keith saved Lotor’s life they still couldn’t exchange two words? Not even a “are you okay” after Keith knocks Lotor out of the way of the explosion? Are you kidding me? Is this a fucking joke?!  And I want so badly to believe this will be rectified in season six, but god, this show has let me down so many times already that at this point I kind of want the VLD writers to lower me into my grave when I die so they can let me down one last time, goddamn.

So yeah, generally, I’d just let them actually have a conversation and bond, as friends. More specifically, had I been in charge of season five:

I would have opened the season with the conversation that we were goddamn promised, both by Lotor saying that he wanted one at the end of season four, as well as by AJ saying “it’s time for that talk” leading up to it (was it time for it, AJ? BECAUSE WE NEVER GOT TO SEE IT). I would have had not only Team Voltron, but also Kolivan and Keith present, as representatives of the Blade of Marmora. TL;DR is that Team Voltron wouldn’t have wanted to trust him, but Keith would have (would be IC, I stand by this), so after the discussion the agreement reached would be that they would put Lotor through the Trials of Marmora. He has galra blood, so he could awaken a luxite blade, and if he’s with the Marmorites they can keep an eye on him. They can spend their time parsing through his intel and verifying its authenticity while Team Voltron continues fucking around with building up the coalition. 

Lotor isn’t trusted to go on missions at first, and certainly isn’t allowed on missions with Keith (Kolivan is basically like 👀🔪 about Keitor at first), but he is given freedom* in the base he was taken to. 

(*He was completely blindfolded on the way there, so he couldn’t pinpoint its location, and of course there are certain areas he can’t access, at least not without strict supervision. They’re not going to lock him in a Time Out Tube like Team Voltron, but they’re also not going to let him just wander as he pleases. Not entirely, anyway.)

But he does get to spend time with Keith while he’s there, when neither of them are wrapped up with other things and instead have some free time. And when they spend time together, they talk. Lotor tells Keith some things about the generals, and Keith shares some things about his past, as well. Nothing too deep or personal, for either of them, but things that help them bond, see what they have in common. They talk about what it means to be part-galra. They share experiences they’ve had while flying or fighting. They spar together, too. They come to truly enjoy one another’s company.

Eventually, Lotor does earn trust and is allowed to complete missions, and even go on missions with Keith. Lotor has shared some of his ideals with Keith, although not specific plans just yet, and Keith is aware of this but has also been building up trust for Lotor, so he wants to trust that Lotor will tell him when he’s ready.

It’s slow, but it’s there, and we could have had it all but what else is new. (Though it at least gives me the freedom to do whatever I want in the series I’m writing that follows this plot, so there’s that, at least.)

28.) Name the sweetest moment from Yuugi/Jounouchi:

sdjfkdslfds … how am I supposed to pick just one, I mean … have you seen them??

And honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many more moments that I didn’t include here (e.g. Yuugi being so excited to see Jounouchi when he shows up to the Black Crown (“He’s here! Here’s here!!”), or Jounouchi being the only person to fully believe that Yuugi can whip Atem’s ass even when all chips seem against him during the Ceremonial Duel, going so far as to think, “Yuugi, show him your strength!!” in the process), but these are some definite highlights. I love these two sfm, they are the actual, literal best. ♥

[jokertrap-ran]

(未定事件簿) 莫弈 [剧情: 第2章] [Tears of Themis] Mo Yi Private Story Translations (Chapter 2-7)

*Tears of Themis Masterlist / Mo Yi’s Masterlist / Mobile Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Mo Yi’s Private Story tag is #Tears of a Personal Psychiatrist. *Chapter 1 can be viewed here!

Location: Mo's Mental Health Research Center

After confirming Li Yu's identity, Mo Yi rejected my request to continue taking part in the investigation.

MC: Why!?

MC: It wasn't easy for us to get this far, Dr. Mo! There's no way I can just give up on this so easily!

Mo Yi: …...

But Mo Yi only continued staring at me in silence, a thoughtful look on his face.

Mo Yi: ...Before we put this discussion on the table, please answer me this honestly: Have the PUAs come to you for revenge?

MC: Oh...No… They haven't; why do you ask…?

His sudden question caught me by surprise. I hurriedly avoided his eyes, pretending not to understand his question.

Mo Yi: I'm supposing that the "spam message" you received the other day was actually an SMS they'd sent as harassment.

Mo Yi: And recently, the actions that these people have been taking have been getting more and more aggressive; essentially having even affected your daily life to a certain extent.

Mo Yi: That's why you said they were "arrogant"; am I right?

MC: !!!

MC: ...Nothing gets past you after all.

I couldn’t help but to sigh, deciding to come clean about everything that I’d been hiding from him recently.

MC: Yeah. Some PUAs have been verbally harassing me with threats lately.

Mo Yi: When did this start?

MC: Probably not long after the “Anti-PUA” Club turned into a mutual aid group. Someone had suddenly added me as a friend one day.

MC: They asked if I was the Lawyer who’d helped Lin Yunyun, and I thought that they were also a fellow victim, so I replied in the affirmative; but in the end...

I couldn’t stop all the many different sorts of harassment messages that I’d received recently from popping back up in my mind at the thought of it.

Those messages, not fit to be shown to anyone at all, were always sent to my phone at fixed timings. There were countless, so many that I could never delete them all even if I tried. It gradually became a personal living hell of nightmares.

MC: There were only a few people who did it sporadically at first, so blacklisting and blocking them worked like a charm; but then the number of people doing it increased...

MC: Why do they always choose to bombard people during sleeping hours!? Don’t these people need sleep too!?

However, I’d failed to notice how Mo Yi’s face was twisting itself into an increasingly unsightly look at this moment in time.

Mo Yi: ...Why didn’t you tell me? How were you planning to put up with this alone, if I hadn’t asked today?

MC: Well… It wasn’t anything big at all. They only sent me a couple of unpleasant texts, and it didn’t really cause a big impact on me or anything like that.

MC: Anyway, let’s not talk about this anymore and get back on the topic of how to continue our investigation. I—

Mo Yi: I apologize, but my stand is still the same; it’ll be for the best if you don’t take part in the upcoming course of action.

MC: ……

Mo Yi: ……

That was how Mo Yi and I faced each other in a stand-off; neither of us saying anything, neither of us willing to back down.

The air came to a stand-still, the damning silence that would make anyone hold their breaths accompanied by the faint scent of “gunpowder”, as figurative sparks filled the air.

MC: Then, could you tell me a reason why I should not? I can’t give up on this just because you tell me to, Dr. Mo.

Mo Yi: ……

Mo Yi: I have three reasons for this.

Mo Yi: Firstly, although Li Yu’s story was created from one big patchwork, Wang Chen is still an experienced PUA, from what we can glimpse from the credible parts of her story.

Mo Yi: I cannot allow you to interact with him alone, considering how you’ve not received the relevant training.

Mo Yi: Secondly, although our actions have not been fully exposed yet, the fact that the other party retaliated against you means that they’ve already got their eye on you.

Mo Yi: If this goes any further, it will only escalate; and when the time comes, it won’t just be merely verbal words of threat.

Mo Yi: They will attempt to break through your psychological defenses from all angles, thus, endangering your very life itself.

Mo Yi: And lastly…

He placed the teacup in his hands down, his gaze dropping to my face, an inexplicable emotion within his golden orbs.

Mo Yi: Just what’s in your mind, as you do these things?

Mo Yi: Is it to uphold justice? To deter the other members of the PUA Group? Or is it to save all of the girls who’ve been harmed by it?

Mo Yi: Can you really do all of this?

Mo Yi: Even if we did settle this matter with Li Yu along with all the other people backing her, there’ll still be other PUA Groups in this world who lurk in the dark.

Mo Yi: They’ll continue hunting girls, and even go so far as to treat you as a right thorn in their side, using various methods to retaliate against you to no ends.

Mo Yi: And at the very end of it all, not only will you fail to protect others; You might also very well be unable to protect yourself.

Mo Yi: This fairness and justice you seek might not be able to see the light at all.

Mo Yi: Now, with all that considered; are you still willing to continue on?

He waited quietly for my answer after finishing.

He had a look of utter seriousness on his face, so focused he was. However, the corners of his eyes and his eyebrows still presented the same calm he’d always displayed. Hence, I couldn’t tell just what exactly was going through his head.

But none of these mattered anymore. I don’t even need to think to answer this question of his.

MC: Of course. Even so, I still wish to continue as usual.

Mo Yi: Why?

MC: You just asked me what’s in my mind as I do this, right? I’m actually not thinking of anything at all; no thoughts, head empty.

MC: I’ve never held onto any pipedreams, nor have I ever thought of using this PUA Group to go fight against the other PUAs.

MC: Granted, trying to rescue all the girls who’ve been victimized is an even bigger delusion.

MC: I’m only trying to do what I can as one, ordinary, Lawyer.

MC: That being said, there’s one thing that I know for certain. And that is that I cannot ignore the crimes that appear before me.

MC: I cannot allow the group that’s backing Li Yu to go scot-free, let alone allow them to challenge law and threaten justice as they so wish to.

Mo Yi: You...

MC: Secondly, you said that I “cannot protect others”; but there isn’t only just one fixed way of protection.

MC: Don't all the girls in Lin Yunyun's mutual aid group learn a lot about all sorts of things pertaining to PUA?

MC: All that's requires is for one of those girls to understand these through what I've done; so that they'll keep their guards up and watch out for these things.

MC: If so, then everything I've done up till today have already served some sort of purpose in protecting them.

MC: And lastly, about their cars if revenge…

I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at the mere thought of those less than savory messages I'd received.

MC: I've already been prepared to face all sorts of people, who come up with all sorts of retaliation methods, since day one of being a Lawyer.

MC: But if really does come down to the point where it gets as serious as you've described, then that's when I'll wield the Law as my weapon and protect my own rights.

MC: The road to justice will always be a rocky one, but no one can stop me so long as I refuse to give up.

Mo Yi: ……

I blurted out everything that I had in my mind, even forgetting to check just what sort of expression Mo Yi currently wore.

It was only until I had regained my bearings that I looked back up at him. He was still looking at me with a serious look on his face, yet his eyes were like that of stormy seas.

Mo Yi: You… You’re really different from everyone else.

He suddenly laughed.

MC: What are you laughing about, Dr. Mo?

Mo Yi: Nothing. I’m just feeling slightly fortunate, and a little happy.

MC: Fortunate? Happy?

Mo Yi: Yes. Fortunate, that I chose to stay back then; and happy, because… I met you.

Mo Yi: You always never fail to surprise me.

MC: ……

He spoke slowly, but that didn't fail to impede the strength and impact that each word brought.

It was almost as if he had just conveyed some sort of inexplicable feeling to me through mere words. It was hot, yet full of possessiveness, almost engulfing me whole.

MC: Does this mean that… I can take part in the continuing investigations?

I hurriedly changed the subject upon seeing how the air around us was starting to turn increasingly warmer.

Mo Yi: Do I have any other reason to be denying you?

MC: Great! Then let’s hurry and get started!

MC: Do you need me to contact Wang Chen? Are we still going to be using our previous tactic?

Mo Yi: Don’t rush, for starters. I’ve got even better ideas.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

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