#pgr writing game

[sabotsen]

Afterglow

Pairing: Noan x (gn!) Commandant / Reader

Notes: Set shortly after Noan’s affection story 6; word count 1.3k

Warnings: Subtle possessiveness

A fluke. 

Fate disguised as a coincidence. 

Isn’t that how it always goes in hero stories? 

A chance encounter that alters the alignment of stars and rewrites destiny for the better, with hope woven into every word and touch. 

But this is not a hero’s story, and fate has never been kind to him. 

It is not a moment of joy, with warm smiles and gentle laughter in the company of friends. It is not a moment of anticipation, spirits soaring high before the oncoming fight. This moment — quiet and peaceful — has been won only after the blood of comrades has stained your hands beyond recognition and their corpses paved the way to the top of this hill upon which you weather every storm. 

But even so…

Despite it all, he is grateful. 

How could he not be, with your head on his shoulder? 

Your breathing is slow and steady, his cloak a poor cushion against the hard, unyielding metal of his frame. Yet now and then, you drowsily nuzzle against his shoulder and almost seem to burrow into the worn folds of the fabric before settling once more against him. It’s enough to trigger an itch in his wires, a slow rolling brushfire that sweeps across him — quiet, without flare or noise. More than once he has brushed the hair from your eyes, his fingers curling as they trace a path from behind your ear down along the curve of your jaw. 

Still you do not wake. 

Not when he calls your name or when his touch drifts across your cheek like butterfly wings, a ghost of a touch too delicate to truly be missed. Just how much have you been pushing yourself lately? It hasn’t even been three days since you returned from a month long mission down on the surface and already the shadows beneath your eyes are just as concerningly dark as the first night he kidnapped you to this blind spot in Zone Z. Do you always throw yourself so recklessly into the fray, heedless of your health? 

How does Gray Raven stand it, watching you tear yourself apart like this piece by piece? How does Simon hold his tongue every time your paths cross, despite the endless worries that flow over like rain behind the closed doors of Dark Ares? 

You nuzzle against his shoulder again, a faint furrow in your brow as the blanket draped around your shoulders slides away. Noan cannot help the small smile that pulls at his lips as he adjusts the blanket and dutifully ensures you are properly bundled. His hands hover near your cheek, an itch in his fingertips to brush against your brow and coax that furrow away. 

You trust him — foolishly, kindly — and he still cannot wrap his head around why. It’s such a heavy thing — your trust — and he has long since known cold, metallic hands cannot grasp delicate things forever. 

Would that wake you? 

Would it cross a line somewhere, somehow? 

He settles for lightly brushing the hair from your face, touch far too light and mindful, before his hand drifts down to your hands resting in your lap. Slowly, with all the careful movements of a child reaching for something forbidden in the middle of the night, he cradles your hand in his. Immediately, your warmth sinks into him, gradual and welcoming. 

Your head on his shoulder, your hand cradled in his — a fragile peace lay nestled against him. 

It feels like Spring.

It feels like home.

Delicate, like a folded paper crane. Even the slightest moment could tear and rend everything asunder. The smallest bit of rain could eat away the body. Carefully, so carefully must he act — every word and action mindful and calculating. He can’t lose this — this friend, this trust, this warmth. 

Slowly, he laces your fingers in his, marveling at the softness of your skin against the hard edges of him. You stir in your sleep, fingers curling around his hand and weakly returning his grip. 

“Commandant.” 

Your title is a whisper upon his lips, gentle like flower petals. 

“You’re scowling again.” 

His free hand brushes against your cheek, thumb tenderly swiping just under your eyes as if to wipe away tears. Beneath his light touches, you seem to relax, the faint traces of tension fading from your expression. He feels the subtle shift of your weight as you lean upon him further, like a bird burrowing into a corner of the nest. 

Warmth seeps into him, sinking beneath cold metal and bleeding beyond colored wires. Down, down, down it travels — to a vast white expanse within him, where only snow thrives. It seeps in, like springtime rain, and melts the unending snow. Noan gently tilts his head, lips brushing against the top of yours as he soaks up every bit of your warmth like a sunflower desperate for the sun. 

The empty bridge framed by the black expanse of the stars are the only witness to this moment of weakness. He knows when the timer runs out, this will all be over. He will return you to your Gray Ravens, likely carrying you upon his back much like he did before. He will return to the cafe and slip that shackle back on his wrist once more. 

“Shall we run away again?” You had asked just hours prior, the playful smile on your lips marred only by the exhaustion you could not hide. 

He didn’t tell you the response he suppressed — suffocated, really — that you need only say when and he would answer your call without fail. He did not tell you how he hid a blanket in the library on the impossible chance he could sneak you away to Zone Z again. He did not speak of the joy that flared in his chest, bright and blooming, to hear your request. 

He had merely held out his shackled wrist to you, a small smile on his lips as he had replied, “You really shouldn’t make a habit of getting kidnapped by an infamous bad guy unless you want to be lectured for hours.”

Your laughter as you disarmed his tracker still rings in his ears. A precious sound — what would it take to make you laugh more often? How often do you laugh around your Ravens? 

Noan closes his eyes as his thumb brushes over the back of your hand in his as he curls himself around you. If only there were still softer parts to him left, maybe he could be of more comfort. You’re still sleeping so soundly, but it can’t be comfortable to use him as a pillow like this. The blanket he brought couldn’t be enough — it’s not, not to him. He has to do more, be more. 

Next time, then. 

The thought freezes Noan, barely suppressing the flinch that would have squeezed your hand — he could have hurt you. Next time? Will there be a next time? Would it be alright to hope for that? To trust in that? 

Noan calls your name softly, devoid of any titles. Caution laces his tone but it is no less gentle. 

Still you do not wake. 

Soon, this peace will end and his time will run out. You will return to the frontlines and he will return to his shackles, worn weary by painful tests and experiments under watchful eyes that neither trust nor care for him. 

“It would be nice,” he murmurs into your hair, “if you called upon me like this again.” 

Silence settles and the stars in the instance still frame the otherwise dark and empty room. Noan quietly tugs the blanket tighter around you and curls himself that much closer to you, every bit a child clutching a jar of fireflies for comfort. 

The feeling of you cradled in his arms — a paper crane, a firefly — 

This is enough for now…. 

[fwol-jintu]

dormitory stories

Attempt at interacting with social media for once, basically. Lol, lets see how this goes :3

|— —|

[Room_1: Watanabe Astral, Repairer, Kamui Bastion]

|— —|

Watanabe walked towards the room that the commandant had given him.

It was a temporary stay, he reminded himself, and that the commandant had let him stay since he wasn't so keen on staying in the other places of Babylonia.

He knocked on the door. Once, twice, three times. No answer, empty, or so it seems.

The door slid open, making no sound, fortunately.

..... was that a corrupted?

He blinked in confusion. An infected with a ribbon on its head.

What.

Sure, the Babylonians were hypocrites, but would they really go that far?

No, does Babylonia even know this? Afterall, this is the Gray Ravens' base and dormitories, there's a chance they just... housed a corrupted without telling anyone.

He stared at it in silence. Eventually, it noticed him and scurried behind a counter, scared of him.

"Huh? What's wrong lil' guy?" A voice came and surprised him even more.

'A Strike Hawk member?' If he remembered correctly, the voice belonged to Kamui.

As if on cue with his thoughts, said person left from behind the dividers next to the door and entered his line of sight, going to the kitchen of the dorm room to where the corrupted was hiding.

In a moment of walking, Kamui spotted him in the corner of his eyes.

"Huh? Oh, hey! You're Watanabe, right? Commandant said i was getting another roommate," Kamui flashed him a big smile before his imaginary puppy ears dropped "though only temporary apparantly..."

... new generation constructs sure are something...

Kamui welcomed him with open arms and reassured him that the repairer bot was nice and clean of the punishing virus.

Kamui also showed him some games, and that was how they spent their time together.

《Vision: a grumpy old man and his excited grandson》

|— —|

[Lounge: Camu Crocotta, Lee Entropy, Nanami Storm]

|— —|

The commandant had made a lounge. Lee doesn't know why the commandant had made a lounge, nor what purpose it served for initially.

He always hung around the lounge for one thing or another though. He supposes the lounge does have a purpose afterall besides being a waiting room.

The most frequent users of the place were more often than not Camu, Kamui, or Nanami.

Why? Simple, because the commandant had installed gaming computers.

Lee doesn't understand why the commandant installed gaming computers, much less six of them, but now they're consistently used by three certain people, while the rest of the computers were free for use.

Lee can't exactly concentrate in such an environment, so he finds himself mostly curled up near and sometimes directly below the ACs and doing his simpler and less taxxing works.

God the lounge ACs hit different.. what kind of premium air are they producing?

Occasionally, No. 21 comes in and watches him work, snuggled up against him and enjoying the AC too.

Seems they have something in common afterall.

Meanwhile...

"FUCK OFF HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY KILL—"

"LOL LOSER YOU'RE JUST BAD AND SAD CUZ NANAMI WON LALALALALA"

"GUYS LOOK I JUST GOT A 5 STAR CHARACTER-"

....

《Vision: older brother and chaotic younger siblings》

|— —|

[Research_Lab: Wanshi Hypnos, Liv Lux, No.21 XXI]

|— —|

Wanshi likes two places in the Gray Raven's base, or maybe three if you count the commandant's office.

The first place he likes is the Library. It's quiet and not a lot of people roam there, save for maybe the captain who visits the Gray Raven's personal library on the daily.

'Since when did their commandant had such a budget?'

The second place he likes is the research lab.

'Again, what kind of commandant was able to afford a whole laboratory of all things?.. it seems the Gray Raven commandant really is special then..'

It's quiet, and the only people who are ever allowed access is either the Gray Ravens or people who got permission from the commandant of the Gray Ravens.

Honestly, he only ever goes there to sleep and watch Liv do some interesting work.

What he does wonder is why No. 21 was apart of the people who were allowed in the lab.

Who knows? Maybe Vera is using her to spy on the results or something.

Well, it's not his problem. No. 21 can do what she wants to do, because in the end she was still just a child like them, only several years younger both mentally and physically.

Now that he thinks about it, he absent-mindedly wonders why the commandant acts like a father to them sometimes.

As he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, he can imagine the commandant petting his head and lulling him to a wishful sleep.

He thinks, this idea of mixing squads isn't so bad afterall. Quite the found family setting... how nice.

《Vision: Two sleepy cats and a sleeping puppy in the middle of them》

|— —|

[Library: Roseblade, Watanabe Nightblade, Chrome Archlight]

|— —|

Watanabe stepped foot into the library.

Don't get him wrong, he usually.. or basically never uses this frame when he's on Babylonia, but something in him said that this place was safe, ironically enough.

He looked around the... well, sea of bookshelves, the tall shelves reaching up to the ceiling.

You know, do you ever wonder how the commandant could even afford this?

He sighed and shook his head, looking around with his eyes before seeing that there was a counter nearby and a book log, probably to record what books had been borrowed.

....

...is that-

Y'know what, he won't question how the Gray Raven commandant managed to house another corrupted. He does faintly wonder if Babylonia knows about this though, but he'll keep his mouth shut for now...

He turned a corner and looked around the library, inspecting the books and seeing what was interesting.

'Fantasy, war, strategy, comedy... huh, all in one row? They should've organized this a little better..' he thought quietly as he glided his hand over the books, scanning each one of them for an interesting piece.

During his inspection, he does notice that in the corner of his eye, he sees someone laying down on one of the couches and reading a book.

The Strike Hawk captain? Seems like the fellow has a knack for books too.

He silently scoffed before returning back to his browsing, the library once again entering a peaceful silence of people minding their own business, a peace and silence that could rarely be found outside.

Roseblade tended to the library, given a new purpose.

Chrome read through his book, immersed in his hobby.

Watanabe browsed through the library, looking for something that matched his taste.

Just another day at the Gray Raven's library.

《Vision: hour of not-so-complete silence》

|— —|

Penname: Shrimp Dumpling

Pictures for context:

library (watanabe is at the back browsing books lmao)

Room_1

Lounge (i just realized it looks a little empty, might change that later)

Research lab (that ball of white behind the computer is 21's hair lol)

If you think the images look weird, they were captured by a camera since im using a different device lmao

Additional image that i wanted to add into the story but forgot about: infirmary with sharkspeare and liv

Sharkspeare is there for mental health benefits <3 who wouldn't recover when they see a cute shark hugging their leg and asking for cookies

[unhappy-last-resort]

PGR Writing Game!

Pick a prompt and character of your choice and write it! There's no competing or any requirements to join, just write something!

Tag me, or use the #PGR writing game to participate! Time period is Aug 5th - November 1st

Further details and prompts (if you need them) below...

Info:

There is no specific trope or genre that you need to follow.

You can write whatever you want! Fluff, smut, action, horror, romance, whatever inspires you to write!

You can either post your work yourself, or submit a post!

Just make sure you give a pen name of some sort so I can credit you, otherwise I won't post it

Time frame is Aug 5th - November 1st

There is no word limit or requirement.

It can be 100 words, or 100,000. It's whatever you wanna write

You can post your work even if you're late

Struggling to write, or nervous about participating?

It can be hard to post your own work in fandom, maybe you don't feel like your work is "good enough" (there is no such thing, fandoms are community spaces, not corporate ones), or maybe you don't think anyone will like it.

Well, I've been there too! In fact, I think that all the time. Some things that have helped me keep posting my work despite that are...

Writing what you want to read

If you ever thought "I wish there was more X type fanfic", this is your sign! Writing what you want to read means you're passionate about it, and if you're passionate about what you're working on, it shows in your writing and other people will notice it too!

If you don't like what you've written, change it up!

Re-read what you've written and ask yourself "Would I read this?", "Would I enjoy it?", "Why, or why not?"

Identifying what's missing in your story will help you write with better direction. It could be as simple as adding more interesting and unique vocabulary, taking more time to describe scenarios or places to capture whatever vibes or feelings you want, or maybe adding something to the plot point.

Of course, these can be difficult to identify so you could try asking for help through the event tag, asking a friend, or asking me for help

What if people don't like it?

They can suck a dick. Okay, seriously though, most people won't do or say anything and if they do, I will eat them. You go post that lovely piece of art

My work isn't getting as much attention as X persons/Why aren't I getting a lot of notes?

Well, there can be a lot of reasons behind that. First and foremost, tags. Are you using all the tags that you could be? The PGR fandom is pretty niche in and of itself, so chances are that there a lot of people who would love to read some PGR fanfic, but they think the scene is dead and aren't looking for it, or they're only looking in the #pgr, #punishing gray raven, or #punishing: gray raven tags

Secondly, your font. Other fonts like

This

Or this

can be busy on the eyes which can make it both difficult to read and unappealing to look at it. Using the default font at a normal, or smaller size is generally your best bet.

Lastly, why is X person's work getting more attention than mine?

Like how writing is a hobby, so is reading. Some people may not have been interested at the time, or you just have to wait. Writing has the benefit of being pretty timeless, so that means people will come to read your work months or years after it's been posted.

It's also important to remember that PGR isn't a large fandom, so unlike other fan works on Tumblr, notes won't accumulate as quickly

Focus on your enjoyment of what you're making

Remember, fandom is a community space and this is a community event. You should be having fun, first and foremost

Everyone is scared

Everyone from a random blog who just posted their first writing ever, to your favorite author of several years with hundreds of works is scared of posting sometimes. It can be easy to fall into the pitfalls of thinking you're somehow annoying everyone in the fandom by posting a bunch of words, or being scared that a post won't do well. You're not alone in your paranoia, so try to be nice and encourage both yourself and others you see who might be struggling. You've got this!

Prompts:

You can write with any perspective or character(s) you want, I only have the "you" here to help you get immersed in the prompt. You may change the prompts as you like to fit your story telling.

The artificial sun of Babylonia's sky warms your skin. It's lively today, with children playing, couples shopping, and individuals heading for their morning coffee. You were no different, briskly walking towards a cafe you had agreed to meet someone.

You push the cafe door open and a bell chimes above you as you walk into the establishment. The golden rays of sunlight stream through the large, glass windows, cascading down on the patrons inside and giving the cafe a new sense of warmth. The aroma of freshly made coffee fills the air, pastries sit tantalizingly in the display cabinets, and a barista is busy making a drink behind the counter.

Just as you're about to step forward to the counter, the bell chimes behind you and you turn to see a familiar figure.

The Science Council is busy today, well- they're busy everyday, but today feels especially important. Scientists frantically type on their terminals, constructs and officers going in and out. Even Celica stopped by for a moment, hurriedly exchanging words and documents with Asimov before leaving just as fast. You tried asking what was going on, but everyone seemed too busy to talk to you. At that moment, Asimov walks up to you.

The scent of salt and water fills your lungs, sand shifting beneath your feet. You wander along the shoreline, various hopes and worries aimlessly run through your mind, coming and going as quickly as they came to you. You're so lost in thought that you didn't hear the soft crunches of sand coming up behind you.

The stars twinkled above you, cold wind rustling the trees and biting at your skin. You did your best to ignore the cold, after all, it was part of why you could travel without running into too many enemies on the way. Even still, the air held a strange tension, as if even the trees were holding their breaths, waiting for something, or someone.

The lounge felt uniquely quiet. That shouldn't be surprising, it was just you here right now, the other members of your squad were busy with their own duties at the moment. Even so, you couldn't help but feel a tinge of loneliness. Sighing, you stood up and wondered what you should do to occupy yourself. Should you clean and organize equipment? Maybe clean the lounge? Or...do something less productive? Look at old photos and logs, indulge in a private hobby? It has been a while since you found yourself with so much free time.

"Ah, there you are." Vonnegut's voice reverberates throughout the room, he speaks evenly, calmly, but you still feel the tension rise in your shoulders. A heavy gaze of displeasure and expectation weighing down your soul and keeping you from moving an inch.

Vonnegut sits on his throne, hands folded, legs crossed, golden mask and eyes glinting in the limited light.

"You've kept me waiting for quite a while."

You exhaled shakily, nervously readjusting your formal wear for the upteenth time. You could hear the cacophony of chattering voices, and clinking silver wear, occasionally cut through with the chime of a glass knocking against a plate through the other side of the door. You knew the moment you opened it, the sounds would become overwhelming, drowning out all personal thoughts and suffocating you.

Nevertheless, you couldn't linger in this dark, isolated hallway any longer than you already have.

The library was quiet as always, but it was even quieter now that the nighttime hours on Babylonia had begun. It was a perfect place to hide in solitude and wander in your thoughts, or even go through old memories of your life.

It felt eerie. The stained wallpaper, scattered furniture, broken windows with beams of moonlight streaming through. You had received a comms signal in this abandoned mansion, but now that you had stepped foot inside, it was gone. You walked quietly, keeping an eye out for any potential traps as you stepped through the halls. A creak of floorboards sounds above you, a door opens, footsteps...and silence. You froze, should you retreat? Call out? Try sending out a comms signal? Investigate? You chewed your bottom lip and as you're still deciding what to do, you hear another creak.

Right down the hallway.

[narzissenkreuz-ordo]

hi im in fucking SHAMBLES

[valkyrievanessa]

Yeah, today i finished reading Cradle Parade, the best chapter of this game yet, i just love everything on it.

It is another chapter focused on Lamia, my favorite character of this game and wow, character development, tons of it, she is the best character this game have and i am not even joking.

We, as the commandant(the faceless protagonist of this game), was captured by Lithos and everything went hell, everything that could go wrong went wrong and collapsed. They made a bound with Lamia, to stop Lithos and destroy Cthylla, it was a clone, but acted as the commandant would and... is character development, tons of it, i actually started to care about the commandant after this chapter, genuinely.

And Lamia, this beautiful and fucked up mermaid, and she starting to look into fulfill her dreams with other people instead of being alone, i love her so much and this chapter made me love her even more, all this moment were she was looking into the star-filled sky, was beautiful.

I got kinda sad that she put herself in danger to say to babylonia that the commandant was dead, to deliver their tag to the humans only to find them alive and well. The commandant that she saw die, that was assimilated into cthylla in order to stop it, it was a clone, just a clone, a clone that convinced her to give other people a chance again, instead of just running away alone forever. I love that the clone, after accepting that they was abandoned by Babylonia to die in depts of the sea, they still choose to sacrifice themselves to help everyone.

Cradle Parade is my favorite chapter of Punishing Gray Raven, this chapter is perfect.

[maplefield]

honestly, that fact that they essentially found a pendrive and just plucked it into a supercomputer.......

[narastories]

I started a post rambling about the PGR CN anniversary news, but then I realized that while on the surface I'm excited about some parts, I'm just way too pessimistic about Kuro at this point and nobody needs to read that lol

[teecupangel]

From @jayswing96

what is it

I was planning to just reply to you but, well, it got long. I will try to make this brief though.

In a nutshell, Punishing Gray Raven is an action gacha game developed by Kuro Games (developers of Wuthering Waves). It's not an open world and is obviously inspired by Devil May Cry (combat and basic stage setup) and Nier Automata (combat and tone).

Story

Humanity was forced to escape into a Space Station called Babylonia after a virus known as Punishing Virus spread across earth. The virus kills human quickly and corrupts machines, reprogramming them to kill humans. In an effort to regain earth, humanity created Constructs, humans whose mind are taken from their mortal body and placed into a body called Frame made of synthetic and metallic material. These bodies make them resistant to the Punishing Virus (but not immune to it) and they serve as the main force in humanity's effort to regain grounds. Some humans volunteered to be Constructs, others are forced into it using morally ambiguous ways (like telling them the only way to save their life is to be a Construct).

They are led by a human given the title of Commandant, able to connect to their mind to help them combat the virus if necessary.

You play as the Commandant of the team Gray Raven, part of the front lines in charge of operating on Earth to get it back from the Punishing Virus.

The story is quite slow at the start and might seem cliche but it picks up later on. Quite dark at times and there's a whole 'Constructs are less than human' subplot sprinkled everywhere and how the humans and Constructs who were infected of the Punishing Virus but managed to evolve with it are against humanity because they believe they're the future of mankind. Each character are also given their own backstory and has chapters focused on them (whether through the main story or through interludes and side chapters) so if you find your favorite, they will have their time in the limelight.

Characters

The team you use for combat are composed of Constructs and they're the ones you mainly pull from gacha or get from events. Some characters have different Frames that is part of their storyline (either an alternate Frame they use or an upgrade) and they are considered as different 'characters', sometimes with different element and type.

Ex:

These are the same character but different Frames and gameplay (leftmost is Physical Attacker, middle is Dark Attacker and rightmost is Fire Tank)

Obligatory bark-bark (Left is Dark Support, Right is Lightning Tank) - She can switch between these two Frames as the need arises (there's even a story where her Lightning Tank Frame was left 'unused' in a... 'not safe' place until she transferred to it)

Combat Gameplay

Each character has their own gameplay (some enter enhanced state after building a gauge, others take their own HP to deal massive damage, etc) and you're meant to build a team of three to use in combat. There's swapping, dodging and combos but one of the most unique thing about Punishing Gray Raven is that to use skills, you have to use skill orbs and, to do max damage or perform a specific mechanic of the character, you have to use 3 skill orbs of the same color which will automatically be used if they're right next to each other. Yeah, that's right. It's a fast paced action game with match three system XD

Here's a video showcasing it using the current Fire Meta team:

(I picked this one because it has swapping characters tbh)

Story Gameplay

Lots of reading. Absolutely lots of reading. It's a visual novel style of story telling with no voices. The voices are only in the most important cutscenes and combat portion. This is a story heavy game but the skip button is there if you just want to play XD

Gacha System

This is my favorite gacha system tbh. There are more gacha banners than normal so I'll keep this brief:

The new limited characters will have a 100% pull rate and a maximum of 60 pulls to get them (aka: if you haven't gotten them by your 60th pull, you'll get them). There's another system that makes them have a higher chance rate but the maximum pull you need to get them is randomized from 80 to 100 pulls)

There's a pool where you choose your target past S rank character from a short list and it has a 70% pull rate with the same 60 pull max (or 80~100 pull max for higher chance rate)

New A rank characters will have a 100% pull rate on the patch they're introduced and it takes 10 pulls to get them. Old A rank characters can be targeted for an 80% pull rate.

You can target a specific weapon in their own banner and it has an 80% pull rate for a maximum of 30 pulls.

So given enough planning and doing dailies and weeklies, you can get every the S rank character of each patch. (Where do their profit come from then? ... Alternate skins which are mostly awesome and cool and change not only the outfit but their attack animation at times. Also... people whale to max out their characters' rank and weapon)

Sooooo... just wanted to know...

[cerastes]

I’ve gotten asks a while ago about my thoughts on those other games but I can’t find them so here:

Wuthering Waves: It has the same strengths and weaknesses as PGR in relation to Honkai: It wants to be Genshin With Good Gameplay so bad that it forgets about everything else. It’s got good gameplay, the systems, the feel, the Nioh 2-esque way you add monster attacks to your moveset, it’s really fun, with a dash of late PGR goodness, like parries (attacking the enemy in precise moments before they launch specific attacks) and cohesive stamina/economy of action balance. Unfortunately, the writing is just so immensely bland and the characters forgettable beyond their One Quirk + Loving The MC that it’s kinda hard to get attached to anyone or anything if you have any standards above No Standards, and it’s all delivered with the charm and prose of a wiki article. Worst offender is Yangyang, who spends the first 60 minutes of gameplay not shutting up about exposition. Devil May Cry if it was Wikipedia out of ten. Designs are pretty nice. Music is very mid, not bad, just mid, which is disappointing coming from the devs that brought us Narwhal. Overall it’s pretty ok and if gameplay is all you care about and you dig it, you’re going to have a good time.

Zenless Zone Zero: If it’s Hoyo, it’s got production values, and that is true for ZZZ, it looks phenomenal, and frankly, I had a pretty good time playing it, so congratulations to Hoyo for making the first game of theirs I don’t hate. Characters are pretty fun and dynamic, it certainly tries with how not everything is about combat, and delivers a pretty cohesive package, all things considered. Biggest complaint would be that it’s still Hoyo on the wheel, so they are god awful greedy with horrible rates on pulls and expensive top-ups. Second biggest complaint is that the main meat of the gameplay, the combat, is pretty barebones; it does a phenomenal job making it look stylish (and I mean that, it’s not a backhanded compliment) and cool, but combat all boils down to dps racing with very basic gimmicks, even if sometimes entertainingly skill demanding (Soldier’s just frame attacks, Alexandrina’s doll management). Writing is very charming, actually, the plot isn’t trying to be super Deep And Complex off the gate and wants you to get to know (thus, care about) the characters through smaller, simpler lead ins onto their bigger plot, and characters don’t exist entirely to tell you how much they love you and how you are the center of the universe, which is pretty cool. So, yeah, I’m actually saying something positive about a Hoyo game, pretty nice integrated package.

NIKKE: Nikke honestly blew my mind, it looks like a maximum coomer game — and in many ways, it is — but the plot twist is that it’s a charming maximum coomer game with plenty of other things going for it. It’s a game where “mixed bag” is used positively: The setting is as generic and braindead as they come, Things Were Nice Until The Threat Attacked, Only The Hottest Women Can Stop Them (And You Are The Only One That Treats Them Well). But then your starting crew is basically anime girls Ed, Edd, and Eddy, legitimately a really fun crew. Events either are — intentionally — simple but fun and low stakes character studies, or higher stakes storylines that usually land. The music direction is also REALLY good: Normal stages have very utilitarian music that is just a compliment to the sounds of combat, boss themes do a 180 and are full of personality and pretty memorable, Ominous Cross lives rent free in my mind. My only complaints is that I personally dislike models where you NEED multiple copies of a character to truly realize their gameplay potential, and Nikke sadly has this, the skill ceiling is pretty low and it all comes down to a numbers game/dps race, and non-boss enemies are pretty uninspired. In fact, battles are just… Really not fun, and where the game shines, boss battles, are really also not that good either. Honestly, the only thing that kept me from sticking with the game is the low skill ceiling, and in a world where Nikke had tighter gameplay, I still play it. On a more personal note, I sincerely love the designs, first and foremost Scarlet Black Shadow.

[shalomniscient]

Just out of casual curiosity, how easy do you think it is to get a S-Rank in Ptn? (I have a feeling I got really lucky..)

- newcomer

when i was going to write my reply, i thought ptn's s-rank base drop rate was still 1.6% as it was prior, if my memory serves correctly. but then i opened the game to check, it's actually 2% now, which is genuinely fucking insane? comparatively, every hoyo game has a base probability of 0.6% for a 5-star. ptn's base drop rate is around 3 times greater than hoyo's, with a fucking massive 1.4% difference between them. that's actually crazy for a gacha game. other gacha base probabilities are also comparatively low; 0.5% for pgr, 0.8% for wuwa, and 1% for fgo. the only other gacha that i know of with a similar base probability is arknights, which also has a 2% base probability.

so if we look comparatively, it does 'feel' easier to pull s-ranks in ptn compared to other gachas, which is due to the higher base probability. the more you know, huh

[naomikazumi]

So... I'm still alive and playing PGR (tho I'm not active most of the time cuz college is kicking my ass rn) and finally got all the rewards for the ppc. Yay~ for me ig

(btw people, do u have any tips for studying in accountancy?)

So, I'm week 3 of Ultimate PPC of PGR. I don't have an Ice DPS so my score there is pretty low (just like the other) but so far, so good 👍

Hope that I can still played it

[fwol-jintu]

Ssszzzt... sssszzt.... sszzzt...

A sizzling sound caught Lee's attention. Said sound came from his commandant's office, and oddly not the kitchen.

The sound was like something being stir-fried, albeit.. quiet.

As far as he remembers, there's nothing in the commandant's office that would produce such a sound, so why?

He walked up to the door, a hint of the sound of flickering fire came from behind, yet it was faint and occasional and didn't seem like an actual fire.

He knocked on the door, once, twice. "Commandant? May i come in?"

There was a short pause before his commandant answered him. "Come in."

The door slid open, quiet and soundless, almost heavy too.

As Lee stepped inside his commandant's office, he was dumbfounded by what he saw.

No, it wasn't anything related to cooking or fire.

The commandant was... ironing clothes?

His commandant turned to him, setting the mangle to the side so it doesn't burn the clothes even though the sound it produced could convince people otherwise.

"Did you need something, Lee?"

Lee slowly blinked, glancing at the mangle and then back at the commandant. "No... i was just wondering what that sound was. I'm sorry if i was bothering you."

Lee's eyes drifted back to the mangle. "I do have a question however. Commandant.. are you sure that thing is.. suppose to make that sound?"

Tilting his head to the side with a curious hum, the commandant raised an eyebrow at the question.

"What sound?"

Lee stared at his commandant for a moment, "..sizzling, or a sound like faint flickering fire."

At that, his commandant let out an "oh" sound as if he knew what Lee was talking about.

With a quiet chuckle that was more like a huff, he said "it's normal, thats how ironing sounds like."

'That is not how ironing sounds like.' Was left unsaid as Lee just reserved that thought in his mind.

As if on cue with his thoughts, the commandant sighed with a resigned smile like he knew Lee didn't believe him.

Blinking as if he remembered something, the commandant spoke again. "Ah, by the way.." he walked towards his desk, rummaging through his drawers in a search for something.

Curiously, Lee followed, wondering what his commandant was looking for.

His commandant then took out a dark gray cat plushy of some sort, one with small blue horns reminiscient of his past frame.

"I've been meaning to give you this, but i could never seem to find the right time for it."

The commandant handed it over to Lee, with said construct accepting it albeit with slight bewilderment and hesitation.

Oddly, it reminds Lee of his past. As Palefire, or Morian, or anything that was tied closely to his original human form.

He looked at the commandant, wondering why he gave this to him.

The commandant smiled and pat his shoulder, "don't give me that look, you ought to remember that you were once human too."

The commandant looked at him dead in the eyes, a hint of a solemn look. "Don't think of yourself as a mere weapon, alright? You're more than that."

"..." Lee said nothing as the commandant walked past him and back to the ironing board.

Though, the small mutter of "thank you" couldn't quite escape the commandant's ears as Lee quietly left.

The commandant sighed with a soft smile.

'Sometimes, companions truly are just fools that you take care of.' He absently thought to himself as he ironed the clothes.

|— —|

Penname: Shrimp Dumpling

Trying to decide whether i should make the new bought dorm a kitchen or smth cuz pros that'd be sick but cons i need to either lvl up lucia's affection or try to scrap from whatever thing pgr gave us that remotely looks like it belongs in a kitchen, lord save me 😭😭

[unhappy-last-resort]

Notice for the PGR Writing Game:

End date has been extended to November 1st 2024 and don't worry about posting within active dates, if you're late- even if it ends up being a month or two, that's okay. If you want to cross post your work, that's also fine.

I also wanna remind you that if you need help, whether it's getting ideas, wanting someone to proof read, or just confidence, you are welcome to my ask box or dms! You can also submit your work anonymously via the submit a post function if you want, just give a name or emoji as your name so you can be credited.

I hope to see your works soon, happy writing!

[lilteecupangels]

Cradle Parade patch reminded me why I love Kurogames XD

We have a summer event that focuses on 2 husbandos and 1 waifu instead of the usual waifu supremacy ratio. And one of them gives us a (secret? idk) night meeting with Noan:

Oh my god. Subtlety went on a break with this one.

And we get a hug????

*incoherent screaming* The only thing keeping me from pulling this man is the fact that Uniframes are rarely use TTATT

And then I finish Cradle Parade and get hit with this tragic ending for the commandant's (possible???) clone and a clone of Noan???

Kuro knows that they were doing making this patch have a sweet moment in a sidestory and a heartaching moment in the goddamn main story.

This is why PGR is my number one favorite gacha game. This is the kind of angst I am totally on board on (and Lamia is precious and everyone in Cradle Parade deserves so much better TTATT)

Also...

The parallel between the two cannot be a coincidence. I refuse to believe Kuro didn't know what they were doing writing this.

[punishing-eden]

Rant/Review: Wuthering waves, its Writing...

((An Essay about what I think about the game so far. Note, I have not played into the story of the Blackshore))

Edited

Tags: Feel free not to read, rant, review, essay, long read, opinions, spoilers

*Do note that everything I say are my opinion*

So, I started playing this game since it's launch. Agree to disagree how I feel about this game and it's current trajectory, because my take on it won't be an overall positive one.

I will mostly take about the story writing in this essay since it is the most glaring issue for me. This topic, I know, would set off some really heated debate, mainly, as I have observed within my scope.

In regards To Wuthering Waves, I'll start with the positives, the combat. I think this is an area that actually outshines Genshin. The bosses in Wuwa are harder, but fun to play. The stakes are higher, and the flexibility of player attack combos feels nice to play.

Unlike Genshin, the boss does not hover, go under, or flash around the area for the majority of the time. I can count how many times I have to wait in the area for a few seconds just for the boss to reappear, hit them within a few nano seconds before having to wait again.

The bosses have their own movesets, attack, counterattack, parries, and combos that keeps you at your toes. They don't shy away from giving you a hard time, and Kuro allows the bosses to have their abilities to be on par with the playable characters.

What I also like are the bosses, or anything really, does not caters to certain limited characters' playstyle or element. This, however, might be too early to say.

The graphics looks quite nice, the NPCs have personality, and I enjoy the many expressions they give. More generous cutscenes, and Rover being allowed to speak. Exploration modes like the grappling hook and parkor are nice touches as well.

With many good stuff happening in Wuthering Waves, it is easy to see how this game can compete with Genshin Impact in the market. Yet, despite so, it did not stop me from uninstalling the game from my Ipad.

It has been said before by many since the launch. Voiceover, music, dialogues, Ui, and other details in general are making and breaking the game.

I have heard a lot of theories and things as to why the launch is what it is. Back then I was told to wait due to their history with PGR. As a fan I was willing to wait, and endure the state of its launch and mediocrity as long as the experience of the whole package is good.

Which brings me to the glaring issues:

1. The Writing and the Execution.

Needless to say, people flocked to Wuthering Waves is because the game feels like it could offer something different in the genre of open world RPG. Not only is the combat a factor, but also the type of themes and the stories it can tell.

Genshin's story is not bad, but some players deemed the themes of the plot are a little too fantastical and childish. Wuthering waves, given how serious its lore is, and the devastation theme in their concept of a sci-fi world seems like a nice change from a pg friendly game.

I would like to point out, Lore ≠ Story, and Plot ≠ Storytelling.

I think the marketing team stating Wuwa as a story rich game might be a mistake, because the game certainly did not live up to the hype; it did not execute that hype it display in the launch trailer. I won't go into a detail analysis of the storytelling. But, I know this topic has sparked heated debates.

We can all agree to disagree, but this still does not take away the disappointment, and the issues that I have for the game.

The reason for my source of unsatisfaction are due to the quality of the writing, the writing direction, and the medicore execution of plot points. This extends to character story as well.

I want to experience what the lore and open world has to offer, as it was marketed. The story is essentially the overarching experience of the game; a window to the world of Solaris-3

This is where I am coming from when I am getting into the game.

Yet, as the patches progress, the glaring issue of actually writing a story, instead of a fanfic fantasy tested my patience. To me, the main story didn't feel like a progression of the protagonist's journey of their own agency or their accord.

Which brings in my next point:

2. Characters and Fanservice

I hated the fanservice in Wuthering Waves. I know, quite a big statement.

I believe a good story and fanservice can co-exist, as long as there is a good ratio to it, and is tastefully done.

The fanservice is overly glaring in the story and character quest. Mostly, it was unwarranted. This is what I hate, not the nature of the fanservice itself, but the unwarrent fanservice that is shoved down our thoarts.

Given the vibe and type of game Wuthering Waves convey through the main story, the fanservice really feels jarring. Pairing it with bad writing, it feels like a amateur fanfic writer wrote this, and somehow the Creative Director green lit this as good.

Yinlin's character quest is an example, the one I have gripes with the most. The writing of her story, by how I experienced it, did not make me like her at all, and to force a fanservice scene really takes the cake. It doesn't make sense to me, and it made me begin to question am I playing an Sci-fi open world apocalyptic RPG, or actually an anime isekai dating fantasy game.

The latter is not what I signed up for.

So, it is no surprise I never rolled on the character banner after the beginner's banner. I was pretty much rolling for weapons for my existing characters instead. (Hence, I wish I can convert my green and gold convene to weapon convenes.)

In theory, I should have rolled for Jiyan, but I didn't, because there isn't much interested shown by his character other than the beef with Geshu Lin. ((Edit: The craziest thing is, I legit have no idea what that beef is even about?)) His character quest did nothing to convince me to roll for him.

I shed a few tears during Xiangli Yao's story quest...but it's for an NPC and his monoluge. Not sure what Pascar has to do with Xiangli Yao's, at least how I understood it, urge for solitude to ponder and search for answers to his intellectual curiousity(?).

The characters in Wuthering Waves, to me, feels like a 3D manifestation of tropes rather than characters. There is no depth, and has shown no depth, in their own personalities, and how their dynamic with other characters, NPCs, and Rover develops. It's (the developed relationship) there because the story said so.

My favourite characters so far in the story are actually, Aalto and Encore. These two have more personality to show, and when they are together, they actually create character dynamic. They are also introduced with something to contribute to the progression of the story; providing an insight to the lore of the First Civilisation and the Black Shore.

Scar is also a character that seems to be interesting, but I won't say that for sure until we see him more in action. In all honesty, I think he is interesting because he is the "antagonist" in the story who provides tension and conflict, something like building up to a climax or a twist.

With an antagonist, there is a protagonist:

3. Rover as a protagonist

Now, I know that the silent protagonist is seen to be a self insert. But, I tend to believe even if the protagonist is silent, there should be at least some consistancy to the characterisation. Because, the switch between the UwU rover, to the Serious/Hardcore Rover feels jarringly inconsistent.

Another point to make is Rover and their, still, lack of agency. From my own understanding of what was presented to me, we should be viewing the story through Rover's lens. Yet, there are times where I felt their response and reactions are passive to naught, and I does not make sense to me, as there is no reasoning on Rover's behalf.

For example, should the seed of doubt linger in Rover's mind after a confrontation with Scar? Since Rover has no memory, what makes them fully trust Yang Yang to the tee? When Rover learns about their significance to the world through Jue, during the confrontation scene with Jinhsi, should the first thing Rover did was to demand for more answers? Ask more questions on the spot, instead being like, "Oh... Okay...". Should the first thing Rover did, after Yinlin zapped them unconscious, is to deem her as a potential enemy for self preservation purposes?

Instead almost all of the agency are given to other characters. In the arc at the Northfall Barrens, most of the agency were given to the resonator cast when they were defending Jinzhou; having their Avengers moment. Rover was just there. Then they were told to find Jiyan. And the rest of time was Jiyan speaking, taking initiative even towards the end.

Like, what was the purpose of Rover being there? Was it because Yang Yang said so? What would Rover achieve by fighting with the Midnight rangers other than earning a hero status? Who knows.

Because of having little to no agency for the Rover, the story feels lost. There is no definate overarching goal.

Sure, they might be searching for their lost memories, but there is no definate goal post for the story to reach it's conclusion for Rover's journey. There is no intrigue to keep the story moving forward.

Genshin's story, as an example, has always been about the MC finding their lost twin, with the conclusion that they will, hopefully, reunite and continue on their mysterious journey. Along the way of finding their sibling, things happened. The regions and their crisis as subplots, that reveals the lore and the trajectory of the world MC is travelling in to reach that goal.

Gameplay alone can only take a game so far. In the Jinzhou region of Huang Loong, the exploration of the world map needs more work, and even then there needs to be stories that makes the world an interesting place to explore.

I am not saying Genshin has the best writing. It has it's flaws. But, regardless of the sometimes, messy and muddled execution of plot points, having a good story can really make an impact to the gaming experience with games like these.

Due to the three points mentioned, I was heasitant to begin the new chapter to the Blackshore. With how the story's bad ratio of Character/story development to Fanservice, and the execution of the storytelling, I have been, instead, grinding the domains, bosses, and Tacet fields.

The voice about whether or not I have been phished to play an Anime Waifu fantasy game grew louder at each patch. The fact that I, as a player, have no choice but to endure the jarring superficial segments of dates and fanfiction-quese sequence (I mean the cliche and chessy ones) is enough to turn me off from the game.

It might have not been it's intent, but with how intergrated the fanservice is, it's really hard to take this game seriously anymore. To me, I feel like I was in a lost.

The gameplay alone was not holding the game up for me, as there's only so much you could do in the open world. Either it's boss, puzzles, or combat. The events are always in relation to combat alone, and they are recycled at each patch.

My patience for the, "Just wait, it will get better just like PGR" is wanning. I don't think being a fan of PGR can be used to excuse the apparent state of the experience of Wuthering waves.

Which is a shame, because I really tried to be patient, and I tried so hard to like it. I have been waiting for this game since its first announcement. I remember looking at Rover's very first design and the promo art, being all excited, wanting to play it so badly.

Needless to say, Wuthering Wave, unfortunately is not living up to what it says it's going to be. I think there is potential for the game to be great, but, as of now, and the direction things are going, it feels like they have decided to go a certain way.

Though, I wish they didn't have to phish me into adding numbers to their download count on lauch day. (They didn't actually phish me, but given how everything turned out felt like it.)

I hope, things will get better in the game, and that the experience can be more enjoyable for players alike. Yet, as of now, I won't been having it in my gaming roaster.

[sonderwrit]

everything in WuWa has just that subtle touch to sadness to it that I really, really like

PGR is similar (though PGR’s angst is devastating in hindsight, but fed to the reader in a gentle way so you die in degrees instead of all at once) and anyways i just wanna say i appreciate Kuro committing to the theme of “beauty in a crapsack world” they love to write so much

OR

i went into lingyang’s companion story with no expectations and while the writing was Ok i ended up liking him and his personality a lot and the ending was…not bittersweet, but sour-sweet

i heard the complaint in CBT2 was that his quest focused too much on his friend rather than himself; not sure if that changed in released version but i can say we were with lingyang the whole time & got to find out more about him which made me happy

also wonder if the screenshots above are a kind of side-nod from the devs due to the fact that his character design changed completely from the beta game one cause he used to look like this:

apparently CN community (?) wasn’t into it so he got all cutie-fied, but the whole “yanking off his fur” to fit in better with the humans just made me wonder for a bit