#they just made this a tragedy and torture DLC
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opinion on ffxv after 75 hours of playing (and one hour of running in circles to level gladio's skill up) (still haven't played any of the dlcs but i'm gonna take a break or something for a few days because i severely neglected my university stuff and spent most of the last week obsessively playing this game)
i love this game. am i tired? hell yeah. would i want all these hours back? hell no.
the game is a mystery to me.
the sidequests are genshin impact open world quests level (which means that if i hear anyone talking, i'm pressing the skip button because i don't give a fuck). you listen to someone yapping about unimportant stuff and they make you collect the same shit over and over again. peak game design.
the main quests are good but the ending made me age 10 years in a week. there's NO NEED for these tragedies. boy you literally have the power of gods on your side and they tell you the only way to get rid of the big bad villain is to kill yourself? sounds like bullshit to me. also why even bother if there's only a few thousands people left in the world. you already lost, all this stuff had to be done 10 years ago to have any meaning. and there's no way the world didn't just implode or something when the sun stopped rising. the true ending is noctis getting spat out of the crystal and realising everyone is long gone because there's no sunlight.
the mentally ill hobo could have been more cooperative too geez. i'll be honest i like him much more than the six. and everyone's like "oh gods are helping you" no they hate me and want me to die for no reason. i'd rather join forces with ardyn and try to take them down. even if he did a lot of questionable stuff (cough- killed my bride -cough-cough- and her brother -cough- also kidnapped my friend and tortured him-)
the hunts are kinda fun when it's a big monster but when it's a bunch of goblins i'm like,,, why did you call me here? ngl i thought all hunts would be like the first one, it was truly cool. there was some kind of plot, some interactions with my friends, some stealth, the monster seemed really tough (meanwhile me, fighting the lvl 99 adamantoise 65 hours later: the ring of lucii go brrr-)
the dungeons are ass. i thought nothing could be as disorienting as daggerfall's randomly generated dungeons but they really managed to do a miracle with ffxv. although the dungeons in ffxv are not scary at all, that's the difference.
the open world is okay. there're some interesting places (when you first see the big mysterious creature in the lake you're like do i have to fight it?? can i get closer to it?? what is this??) and the nature is beautiful. altissia looks majestic but sadly there's not much to do. i appreciate the hard work tho.
using regalia was a delight. when you want to take a break and just look at the landscape you can just sit still with a controller in your hands and enjoy the ride. really therapeutic. don't drive at night when you're low level though... listen to ignis. ignis is always right.
the camp life is by far the best out of all games i've had an experience with. there's so many little details everywhere that you cannot help but adore your companions. it's the way every time you make camp you get a bunch of photos prompto took since the last break. it's the way your companions talk to you almost all the time and you truly feel like you are on a road trip with your friends. it's the way gladio calls you out on your bullshit and afterwards you want to bite his head off each time you talk to him. it's the way ignis cooks for the entire party and makes you help him sometimes. i just love the way friendship is portrayed here.
what was not as good is luna and noct's relationship. there was not enough of luna. yes she loves noct but why? yes noct loves luna but why? luna literally appeared in the plot for two minutes and then tragically died. i think it's really bad. also imagine not seeing your bride for 12 years, when you finally meet her again she immediately dies, then you spend 10 years trapped in a crystal, fucking die and then get to marry your bride. honey it's been 22 years since i last talked to you in person. i'm NOT marrying a random woman in the afterlife (no hate for luna, just this love story didn't seem convincing enough). hopefully i'm gonna see what they wrote in the dawn of the future soon (please pray so that my amazon package doesn't get lost 🙏)
the music is incredible. the woman who wrote the soundtrack is my goddess and i am a devout worshipper 🙏🙏🙏
so, why is the game a mystery to me? because no other game could make me endure 75 hours of boring side quests. i managed to play hogwarts legacy for 44 hours and i despised that game when i finished it. i despised it long before i finished it. but not ffxv. they could make me do all this boring stuff again and i would do it (not for free tho because i've got better things to do with my time 🤣)
i enjoyed ffxv a lot. it also made me depressed for a week because ending a game like that should be a crime. i think i'm gonna do a few last quests after that but there's not much left (and i'm not looking for more because if i think i am done then i am done). not sure how long episodes gladiolus, prompto and ignis are gonna take, but they're also in my plans (no ardyn tho, gotta go watch some playthrough). there's also anime and a film so plenty of content for me. and i am waiting for the arrival of my book 🫡
(noticed that there's nothing about the combat. well it's because i don't care. i don't like combat. i don't like it in any game. i prefer to flee)
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A Fresh Start
Fandom: Elder Scrolls Online
Pairing: Romantic Darien Gautier x Fem!Vestige, Platonic Bastian Hallix x Fem!Vestige
Rating: T
Warning(s): Major character death, grief, mentions of being lured into a cult, etc.
Words: 1613
AN: This was supposed to be some headcanons for @lithiumrev but I forgot and I feel really bad so I turned it into something a bit more fleshed out. And then I kinda went out of control. :,) I hope you like it!! ❤
Major, MAJOR spoilers for the entirety of the Elder Scrolls Online game (specifically the DC storyline, "Main" storyline, Summerset DLC, and Blackwood DLC. Just spoilers galore.) Ye have been warned.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Losing Darien Gautier in the battle against Molag Bal was hard. It was nothing like King Dynar, who had been imprisoned for millenia and finally, *finally* had been set free. Even though he gave his life for the cause, his passing released him from Bal's torture and he was free to move on to Aetherius. Bittersweet, sure, but a fitting end for the noble king.
Darien, on the other hand, was a borderline tragedy. It should never have happened, it was a freak accident- if he hadn't stepped forward, if someone had grabbed his arm to pull him into the protective circle, if he had heard them calling his name...
*It should never have happened*, the Vestige kept telling herself. *Where did it go wrong?* The question rang over and over in her head like a twisted, gut-wrenching mantra.
In her grief-stricken state, she wracked her brains trying to come up with a reason. Any feasible reason was better than none. But none came to her.
For a few weeks after, the Vestige stayed at the Camlorn Inn, in the city where she first met Darien. It was all she could think of to heal her hurt heart. No matter how painful it may have been, it still helped to reminisce about him.
It was no secret the two had become quite close. Even General Gautier made a some jokes. Darien's relentless, shameless, and sometimes terrible attempts to flirt were rather endearing. It didn't take long before the Vestige had developed a soft spot for him. Neither would admit it out loud, lest their reputations be tarnished.
There were many nights where the two soldiers would stay up late talking. About the weather, about the cute dog spotted by the smithy, about their training, about the upcoming battles... And then the Vestige confided in Darien her own personal quest. Now Darien was known for exaggerating from time to time, so he was understandably skeptical at first. But the look on his dear friend's face told him she was telling the truth.
He ended up becoming her rock throughout the trials leading up to the battle with Molag Bal. Countless late nights of amicable chatter helped the heroes stay sane. One of those late night chatters lead to a shared glass of good Surile Syrah Wine and a chaste (but very reciprocated) kiss on the cheek.
The Hero of Daggerfall was practically walking on air for the rest of the week after that cheek peck.
And before anyone knew it, Darien was gone. Lost somewhere in the realms of Oblivion.
It took some time, but once the Vestige felt comfortable enough, she left Daggerfall altogether with the intent of never coming back. The resumed journey took her everywhere from the mountains of Wrothgar to the ashlands of Morrowind, even to the Clockwork City. Eventually, the opportunity to go to The Summerset Isles came up. The idea of nice sandy beaches and warm weather was a very appealing thought.
But there's no rest for the wicked, or for heroes. And before she knew it she was begrudgingly roped into yet another epic quest to fix something she hadn't broken.
To her surprise, not only did it involve more Daedra (including some spider daedra she did NOT like), she was greeted with a very, very familiar face.
"Well, this is awkward. You're probably wondering how your old friend Darien became Meridia's champion and got stuck in all this sticky webbing. It's a funny story, really."
It took every ounce of willpower in the Vetige's body to not launch herself into his arms. And once his senses started coming back to him, Darien had to resist the very same urges.
Every spare moment in between fighting the minions of Nocturnal and Clavicus Vile was spent together. In the tavern rooms, the bunks in the Mages Guild, their tents while out on the field... It didn't matter to either Darien or the Vestige, so long as they were with each other.
Unfortunately the couple's happiness was short lived; Dawnbreaker needed to be repaired before the balance between the Daedric Princes was upset. And being Meridia's champion, Darien was the only one who could do it. Before he did, he wrapped the Vetsige in his arms and pulled her into the most passionate kiss either had ever had.
All of the Vestige's effort put into healing herself was completely undone. And since then, the world just wasn't the same to her.
Surile Syrah Wine tasted sour. Papers and letters with shiny golden seals or ink caused her hopes to get up, only to be dashed moments later. Spiders filled her with fury. And despite the aid Meridia gave in the battle with Molag Bal, the Vestige couldn't find it in her to forgive the Lady of Light.
*~*
Time passes differently for the Vestige. The events that caused her to lose her beloved were some time ago. Days? Weeks? Months? Entire seasons? She couldn't quite tell. She found it quite easy to distract herself, though. Tamriel is a vast land, and there's no shortage of places to explore or people to help. Things seemed to be turning around for the Hero.
Until whispers on the streets mentioned another Daedric plot. The Vestige paid attention long enough to find out it was not Meridia, but in fact, Mehrunes Dagon. She was rather puzzled by this; the Lord of Destruction had been relatively quiet up until this point. Surely it was just a case of misunderstanding?
Which was her thought process until a mysterious letter from Lyranth arrived. And soon after, a personal (albeit testy) visit from the Daedra outcast. She confirmed the presence of Dagon, and the Vestige, who at this point had a bitter vendetta against the Daedric Princes, offered her assistance to find and close the Daedric portals.
Turns out you can't swing a dead Alfiq without hitting an Oblivion portal in Blackwood. One hint in particular lead her near a place called "Deepscorn Hollow". *That's not ominous in the slightest...* she thought to herself. With a name like that it just had to be crawling with Daedra spawn.
As she rounded a hill down the trail, however, the Vestige was surprised by a sudden "Hey! Hey, over here! I need some help!"
Her head whipped in the direction of the voice to see a young man in traveling leathers tied to a post. She wasted no time sprinting over to investigate.
"Thank the Eight Divines! I could really use some help. The name's Bastian. Watch yourself, friend. I was accosted by a Dark Elf at this very spot. She went into the cave over there hours ago, but she might return at any moment."
"What Dark Elf? What cave?" she answered, confused at the lack of any men or mer nearby.
"The Dark Elf Tenarei Vels. She's a traveler I met along the road. The cave is Deepscorn Hollow—the entrance is over by the dock," Bastian nodded in the general direction. "I'm here to retrieve a fellow named Quistley Silvelle. His family sent me to find him. I think he's in trouble."
The Vestige nodded, "What do you want from me?"
"Untie me, please. The Silvelles will pay well if you help me get Quistley out of whatever trouble he's in, and I could use someone to watch my back. Interested?"
An enthusiastic nod told him all he needed to know. As she started to work the chains, he added "Oh, and check the shack. I think Tenarei dropped something during our struggle."
"I'll see if the Dark Elf left any clues behind. And I'll help you rescue Quistley."
As he stood up, the Vestige got a better look at the young man; fiery red curls and deep emerald eyes, set in a thoroughly annoyed glare. On the tall side, too. Imperial, maybe?
"Ugh. Thank you," Bastian thanked her as he rubbed his sore wrists. "Look around, would you? I'd like to examine whatever my attacker dropped..."
It didn't take long to find out this was no ordinary rescue mission; a cult was involved. A Daedric cult, at that. And cults always mean extra trouble. And of course, it seems Quistley got himself into more trouble than originally thought. Bastian pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered something under his breath.
Thankfully the aforementioned Tenarei was more than willing to help out once the situation was explained. At the expense of an expensive ring, a deal was made: Quistley's debts were settled, Tenarei didnt have to leave empty handed, and the young Silvelle was hauled back home. Complaining and caterwauling the entire time, of course.
Bastian then surprised the Vestige by asking if he could tag along. His time being the Silvelle's lackey was over. "If you ever need a friend, you can count on me."
The Vestige, on the other hand, was a bit surprised. No one had ever offered their services to her, or to be a traveling companion. Usually they tagged along long enough to finish a rescue mission or borderline espionage adventures. After a moment's consideration, she accepted. Some company on the road would do her good.
*If you ever need a friend, you can count on me."*
Bastian's words kept crossing her mind. As she kept watch one night, she pondered the situation. Since she lost Darien, Bastian was like a breath of fresh air. A fresh start, as it were. Maybe some time down the line, she'd open up to him about her past. And, Divines willing, maybe he'd open up to her too. Maybe they could help each other.
She could see this becoming an amazing friendship.
#elder scrolls online#the elder scrolls#eso#writing#bastian hallix#darien Gautier#tw character death#tw grief#tw cult
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What bothers me about Elizabeth in BaS is how little she cares about anyone who isn't herself- She's only helping Sally in order to clear her conscious and "repay a debt" as the game tries to make everything a circle and play up Ken's beloved "Abuse is an inescapable cycle" but she never moves past that as a character to caring about Sally as an individual human with rights separate from Elizabeth herself, which would've been a stepping stone for caring about the plight of little sisters as a whole.
Elizabeth says she feels bad for trying to ditch Sally in part one, leaving her to burn alive, but she doesn't really get called out held accountable in the same way Daisy was for just thinking about killing a child. She used Sally as a means to an end in part one and that doesn't change in part two, Elizabeth just changes who she's using.
She gets handed the keys to the plot and starts making executive decisions on who should die and live. She acts with NO regard for the people living in Rapture and is more than willing to instigate the civil war, causing mass death of adults and other children, which allows the antagonist for BS2 to escape from prison, meaning Elizabeth put Sally's life about the lives of other little sisters who would later go through even further torture to become big sisters and then die in the city. She's willing to sacrifice everyone on Jack's plane (94 people, who had NOTHING to do with Rapture and were just traveling) to make up for what she did. For something that was COMPLETELY avoidable given the amount of knowledge and power she had upon coming to Rapture. And the fact that she uses Jack as a means to and end, completely rewriting his agency and removing his choice because now its a ~constant~, and never refers to him as a human or his suffering? It really just feels like she didn't change at all from part one.
She doesn't even care about Little Sisters as a whole- once she finds the other two in Suchong's lab she doesn't address them unless she's trying to get information from them, and when they don't have anything to offer she acts annoyed. She doesn't give them a word of concern, or empathy because they're not Sally, they're not connected to her so she doesn't care. Even at the end when you see the girls and Jack you only get to see Jack interacting with Sally, with the other two girls standing off awkwardly to the side, because they don't matter. Elizabeth doesn't care about them. They couldn't even bother to put in more girls when there needs to be WAY more than just three of them in that bathysphere.
Like there was potential to explore Elizabeth's character and flaws, but instead she just says she's sorry and every other character tells her she's smart and beautiful- reaffirming what Infinite taught her: that everything's about her.
#bioshock infinite#bioshock infinite burial at sea#burial at sea#elizabeth comstock#BaS Salt#cardboard cutouts#long post#they just made this a tragedy and torture DLC#and they didn't even have the audacity to make her a well written character
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God I'm so glad to talk about the game lmao. I also finished it! It was fine Ig I think the start of the game was so fantastic so my expectations were a bit much but it was fun! I loved playing as Ciri and just zapping all over the place, wish we could do that more.
But yeah I completely agree with you on basically everything that you said lmaooo, Yen is just unbareable the more I learn about her and the things shes done/the way she treats ppl, I just don't see what I'm meant to like, even if Geralt wasn't the Best person, he deserves so so much better, Idk how I'm gonna read the books if this romance is canon there too, hopefully it won't bother me too much. She so far doesn't really have any redeeming qualities, even her small moments of humour and wit are sort of "yeah okay but it's not fun when you do it cause you just spent the past few moments berating someone for daring to try and help you so like" I actually ended up sort of liking triss the more I talked with her and Yen, she at least apologises for her wrongs (which are still massive holy shit) and doesn't rly treat geralt like shit (same with Kiera, I think thats how her name is spelt, shes cool), they both kinda fuck over geralt but they own up to it which I can at least respect, still not a fan but they're okay, at times. God the women in this game are either really fucking cool or just a bitch, usually in a not fun way The game came with both dlcs! havent really touched them cause the ending was a bitttt of a let down, I thought I wasn't near finishing cause I put it off for so long lol so my bad, probably will get into them tho! And im on ps4 so no mods :( the exp shit would be so good, the last boss fights were really easy though? I think I was level 34 (I wanted to wear my good armour lol) and the quests are level 28 so maybe I was a bit over leveled but some random mobs in world beat my ass just before the main quests so idk lol. Do you get to hang with Ciri at all post game? They're so damn cute together
Out of curiosity which ending did you get? I was pretty satisfied overall (witcher!Ciri ending for me) but I remember thinking that the last couple of plot points were pretty rushed. Though tbh, looking back I’m not sure if that’s actually the case, or if things just felt fast to me because I missed so much buildup trying to keep track of the basics. Now that I know the characters, world, conflicts, etc. I keep coming across lines and details that make me go, “Oh, THAT’S what we were referring to!” for plot points that previously felt like they came out of nowhere.
Playing Ciri is so much fun though. I enjoy zapping around as well...even when I accidentally zap myself into some guy's sword XD
I’m constantly told Yen gets better in the books (something, something major character development) and I’d be lying if I said that “The Last Wish” didn’t turn me off, but I personally stopped reading due to more than just Yen. The epic just didn’t grab me. The short stories absolutely, but I didn’t like the writing as much in novel form, heard a lot about future plot points I had no interest in/made me very uncomfortable, didn’t want to read a bunch of Yen being Yen prior just to getting a development I may or may not like… there was a lot that made me drop the books, so I’m not exactly in the best position to be recommending them, or even warning against them from an unbiased perspective lol. I might give them another shot sometime, but for now I’m happy with the games and fandom content.
I’m liking Triss a lot more on my second playthrough too (especially how selfless she is regarding the other mages) and I always liked Keira. I think the game did a good job of making her kinda selfish and manipulative (as sorceresses are wont to be in this world), but not to such an extent that you’re utterly repulsed by her actions. Her conflict is “I want to not live in squalor the rest of my days and am willing to mislead a friend to achieve that. Also foolishly trust a mad king that, if I go through with it, ends in my horrific death.” With the resolution being like, “Oh, someone else will give me a place of safety with something as basic as clean bedding? Sweet! Yeah, now that I have some security, company, and comfort I’ll use this research to cure a plague, nbd.” Keira is a great example of TW3’s argument that if you choose to help and nurture people, good things will happen for everyone, and it doesn’t ask you to ignore anything really awful to get there. I can very much stomach “You kept some info from me and put me to sleep for the night” in a way that’s far harder to do with, “You actively misled me for months while I had amnesia, cultivating this fantasy relationship” or “You callously disregard another’s culture and torture our daughter’s friend through necromancy.”
Depending on the choices you’ve already made, you can hang out with Ciri for like, one cut scene in the DLCs lol. But it’s indeed a cute one! Basically, if you didn’t romance either Triss or Yen and Ciri is still alive, you should see her again. I’m absolutely that fan that if CDPR decided, after this many years, to randomly add more TW3 content, I would in no way be opposed. I want more time with Ciri, with Regis, there’s a character from the second game named Iorveth who was supposed to reappear in TW3 but had to be cut and that tragedy will forever haunt me. Forget the mess that is Cyberpunk, just keep making more Witcher content!
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Why Bioshock Rebirth Part 3 won’t be a thing for a while
Guessing that title will work. I think considering now and on this day. There isn’t much else to do. I’m finally gonna talk about this. This is gonna be a long one. I’ll think about adding a keep reading thing as I make this.
If any of you are a Bioshock fan or follow me. Or whatever else. I have this reimagining AU named Bioshock Rebirth. It has people who like it. There are mainly three parts on my mind.
Part 1 and 2 basically deal with Rapture. Which are basically a reimagining of the main stories of Bioshock 1 and 2. With the events of Minerva’s Den being the epilogue. Part 3 from my mindset would deal with something outside Rapture. But I’ll talk about that later.
Yet I feel like to me. The reason I am not wanting to make a part 3 as soon as possible. Because it’s really tricky for me. I think I’ll just make the points and what my plans possibly were. Including I am gonna publicly reveal what my version of Zachary Hale Comstock would of been. Which is may be the most craziest decision. Whether people like it or not.
Now I just finished this post. I’ll put the tag after I write this. I will reveal I have a Bendy reimagining AU on my mind. But I want Dark Revival to come out soon. Which is why I don’t wanna focus more time on part 3. Along with other things. I feel proud or so with my work on Rebirth. I’m glad people love this AU/reimagining of Bioshock I made. :) So I will add the keep reading option. Now here is my detailed development of part 3. Not everything about it is there. But it’s a lot.
1. Part 3 would of taken 5 years after Bioshock Rebirth parts 1 and 2. Parts 1 and 2 took place in 2002. While part 3 takes place in 2007. Meaning the character ages have changed.
Basically Archie Wynand is 28. Elizabeth Comstock is 24. Brigid Tenenbaum is 40. Eleanor Lamb is 22. Even though Archie/Jack and Eleanor had her their ages sped up by people. With Archie being 10 and Eleanor being 12. But again there ages were sped up. Also the Little Sisters and Big Sisters that have been rescued have grown up too.
It depends on what characters would return. Like Delta/Johnny being 42. Daisy being 34. Booker being 43. Considering it’s not in Rapture. I don’t know if many characters would of returned. Yet that’s because I didn’t start writing possibly the main story for part 3. In case if anyone is worried. Many of the Vox Populi are fine. They must of moved on with their lives with Rapture sadly being a mess.
2. From what I get. The main story again was outside of Rapture. I seemed to be going with my old ideas I had for this AU. A public Rapture or the idea of Rebirth’s version of Columbia.
Considering Rebirth was born from the mistakes and retcons of Burial At Sea breaking the multiverse. Basically me disowning, shaming, yet acknowledging that DLC. So the idea I seem to be going with is that Columbia is the aftermath and America trying to make their own kind of Rapture. A public Rapture in a way for tourists. Something kind of like Jurassic Park.
Yet I don’t think it would be fully in the sky. It would be an island on water. With possibly Rapture under it. They built it over Rapture.
Again Columbia is like America’s pale imitation of Rapture. With Rapture being discovered by America. Basically making profit off of it. Despite how tragic the results of Rapture of.
3. More on the main story. I think what it would be or as of now is Archie, Elizabeth, Brigid, and Eleanor going to Columbia or America’s public Rapture to stop Comstock. Considering this city has become a mess. The original idea is that it some how became worse than the tragedy of Rapture.
With Big Daddies and Little Sisters being legalized. And Splicers or so possibly becoming more I guess crazy. With an old or possible dark idea of a Splicer eating out of a Little Sisters neck. Yet that’s really dark and just me showcasing some how this place became worse than the original Rapture.
4. Vigor’s in Rebirth would of been America’s knockoffs and pale imitation of Rapture’s Plasmid’s being reworked by Jeremiah Fink to make them more accessible so that you don’t have to inject them into your wrists. You could just simply drink them.
Basically again they are strangely knockoffs and pale imitations in a way.
Shock Jockey is Electro Bolt. Devil’s Kiss is Incinerate. Bucking Bronco is Telekinesis. While some are again knockoffs. But some are original being the other Vigor’s.
But considering an idea from my anonymous friend who has helped me with this AU. With them mentioning well I’ll copy what they said instead. I’ll put the “ around it.
“Ironic considering the stereotype about most of the world's products being inferior knockoffs made in China. I can imagine that Fink's imitation of Rapture's products might be even more unscrupulous and dangerous compared to the original versions in Rapture, as the greater capitalist system intersects with the small-scale capitalism of that city.”
5. To be honest and I want to get this out of the way. The reason I am not making part 3 right away. Because I want to see if the leaks about Cloud Chamber’s Bioshock 4 are really true. Spoilers.
Basically the leaks being about that Rapture seemed to have been discovered. Now London is at war with ADAM being used. You play as a character named Lucas with other characters like Eleanor Lamb joining you. I want to see if this is all true. So I can see how Cloud Chamber interpreted of how the world would react to a city like Rapture.
While there are folks who have made criticisms about people discovering Rapture being the end of the world. Basically being critical about the Bioshock series going in a Resident Evil like direction. Which I can totally understand.
But I’m gonna be honest. I want to see what Cloud Chamber are doing. Yet this horrible thing I’m gonna say next. As someone who’s.....opinions of their planet and maybe species is I guess low....I kind of don’t care. Because I want to see the chaos of the consequences if a place like America discovered Rapture.
It’s maybe my darker side and my action junkie side having the best of me. I am strangely interested to see Hell on Earth all because governments got fucking greedy with ADAM. Again my opinion on my planet and whatever else is tricky.
Fuck it like we as a species deserve it. But I’m sounding pessimistic. I want to see war torn London destroyed by ADAM junkies.
5. My direction for part 3 I feel is weaker and not as powerful as parts 1 and 2. Because the general idea of part 3 seems to be, “America is fucking stupid. Because it empowers young rich pricks like Zachary Hale Comstock and makes shit like Columbia. Our country needs to be fucking better if really are the land of the free” It feels less original and been done before.
Compared to the first two part’s stories of humanity, found family, love, forgiveness, empathy, and compassion. Along with other stuff.
While I recall my inspiration for this idea long ago was this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXjJOmRkN6s If I recall it being like an example of....America’s thought process of it thinking it’s awesome or whatever the Hell. I wanna say stupid thinking. But that video is awesome. Amazing what that person did.
Also my version of Comstock I feel is less threating and less interesting than the likes of villains like Andrew Ryan, Atlas/Frank Fontaine, and Sofia Lamb. Unless I really tap and dig deep into his character.
There’s also the other thing part 3 I feel unless I decided. It doesn’t deal with dimension travelling and all that crap.
6. There’s another thing is that I used many of the major characters from Infinite and incorporated them in Rapture. Such as Elizabeth, Booker, Daisy, and the Lutece twins. I haven’t done much with Annabelle because she sadly died before the events of parts 1 and 2. Also Bluto is practically Rebirth’s version of Songbird when he was in Rapture. He was the Proto-Daddy.
Fink and Comstock are the only major Infinite characters I haven’t used.
7. Bluto’s robotic corpse would of been found by Fink and Comstock. He would of been rebuilt into Songbird as being the supposed mascot and guardian of Columbia.
It’s also a way of torturing Elizabeth mentally. Because two men practically took her protective older brother’s corpse and rebuilt him as something else. With the added angst that Songbird still have memories of Elizabeth.
8. Another reason why I don’t feel so highly of part 3. It’s because it just seems unrealistic. Which may sound stupid. My ideas of America’s own Rapture like place becoming somehow worse than the original Rapture seem crazy.
Along with things like legalized Big Daddies and Little Sisters seems crazy. Despite how stupid my country is. The idea of taking human beings and turning them into that under an American government seems like bullshit. Unless they didn’t know.
Yet it seems to be dissing on America. Considering the direction of Comstock I’m going with is more like, “We’re America and we are great.” Yet everything goes to shit.
Along with the crazy idea of the place being built in 5 or maybe 4 to 3 years. Which is why I wanted to give it a timespan.
Also it’s a fun easter egg that it’s the time span of the original Bioshock’s development. Unless I make part 3 in 2013. But don’t think I should.
9. There’s been a recent idea of Lucas being an antagonist. Something similar to the Arkham Knight from Batman Arkham Knight. But I should wait and see if this Lucas character is seriously real. Yet what I have read about him, he reminds me a bit of Booker.
I’m guessing and even was thinking a bit more in detail. Lucas being a US Marine who was born in 1981. He’s 26 during part 3. Possibly being an anti-thesis to Archie’s character. Now I’m thinking he may of met Arch during possibly tours. Even though they weren’t really friends but knew each other.
With Archie being an earnest and kind man. Now this makes sense. Lucas being jealous of Archie’s position as, “The Demon Of Rapture” and, “The Killer Of Fontaine”. Lucas being a bit more angry and less honorable than Archie.
Man these ideas make more sense than Comstock being an anti-thesis to Arch. Yet we also have Frank Fontaine and Booker Dewitt being anti-thesis to his character too. But the idea of Lucas is strangely perfect.
The ideas I am having are he’s Columbia’s poster boy of a super soldier. But without the horrifying results of Archie’s origin possibly. Since Lucas I’m imagining is more equipped with stuff(Again thinking of Arkham Knight)....fuck this is strangely perfect.
Man we haven’t gotten more info on this who I am calling Lucas Parkside....fuck I thought of more of him being a deeper character or so.
10. But again about Bioshock 4. Considering Rebirth is the result of Burial At Sea and also Infinite breaking the multiverse. It combined the worlds of the main universe(Bioshock 1, 2, and the Rapture novel if you want to include that) and Infinite. Which resulted in a timeline where Rapture was made later during the cold war. Along with characters like from Infinite being more connected to Rapture because of the events of Burial At Sea.
Yet Bioshock 4 or those Parkside leaks. I question if I should put them in here too. Because it’s unknown if well the events of 4 happened yet in the main universe. Unless we take into the good ending being canon. With 4 taking take in the 70′s what I read.
I’m rambling, I’m sorry about that. Basically the events of the novel and first two games happened. But the events of Infinite and Burial At Sea disturbed the main universe. And whatever I’m using some weird comic book logic.
Again I hope sometime but soon I want more information considering Bioshock 4.
11. I guess I’ll just reveal this now. Including I called him a young rich prick. I gave a hint early on. In fact this character was hinted at in memes. But him combing in Comstock was something I was surprised by long ago. Yet I felt I guess could be genius or whatever.
Only two friends of mine know. The anonymous friend. And also @feckinatlas
Zachary Hale Comstock in Bioshock Rebirth would of been the Mark Zuckerberg of Bioshock.
While there was the idea of making him the, “Radec” or something similar to make him more threating. But Booker is already that. Including the Mark Zuckerberg angle is something I’m interested in.
Yes Comstock is Rebirth is younger than his main universe counterpart. He’s also not Booker and possibly not related to him.
One of my original ideas was that he’s a year younger than Elizabeth. But I changed that and may make him possibly 30 or so. Or even Archie’s physical age or 29.
An old idea I even told Feckinatlas that him being Fontaine’s kid. But Frank never knew about him. Practically making even more of a terrible father. Yet I don’t know if I’ll go with that idea. Yet it seems better than Comstock being a kid of Booker. Which I don’t like. I was trying to keep the Booker and Comstock connection. I’m still wondering now.
Yes I think that’s all I’ll reveal now.
Edit I forgot this one other important thing. Oh crap two actually.
12. Considering Ava Tate survived and escaped Rapture. She would of been one of the villains in part 3. Basically she sided with Fink and Comstock. Ava is kind of like that character who might not care what side she’s on. Despite she has redeeming qualities in her.
13. Even though this wasn’t part of the main story. To be honest there are ideas that one of Elizabeth’s looks is like her Burial At Sea look. Yet she’s not a femme fatale. Basically it was the idea of her and Archie going undercover. With Elizabeth trying to pose as a femme fatale. Which in reality she isn’t. She’s still the same joyous girl that people love. It’s something a bit more strangely adorable.
Also Brigid tried to teach her some stuff of trying to act different. I remember talking about this with my anonymous friend. It’s mainly silly and adorable stuff before meeting her seeing Ava. Like Arch being pouty that he may have to put on a tux. When he’ll put on something like maybe Clark Kent would wear. He doesn’t wanna look like a rich prick and would rather have black ops gear on. While Brigid and Elizabeth find it adorable and funny he doesn’t wanna dress like Ryan and whoever else. Despite they would kick him out if he looks very normal.
But again Brigid teaching her some tricks. Along with Elizabeth trying to smoke to look cool. But she coughs and again it’s adorable. XD
This idea is like before the main story. But I should develop it more. It could still be before the main story. I wanted to share this because I forgot about it.
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I would love to elaborate, and the response is at least partially correct. Super big spoilers for those who want to avoid them still.
I think what’s neat about both is that they, along with Dimitri, are basically victims in a larger tragedy, and both respond with pretty large-scale reworking of all society.
In Edelgard’s path, Edelgard makes the case for her actions. Essentially, she’s been tortured by the Agarthans (slitherers) to hold two crests, which drastically shortens her lifespan, in exchange for greater power. Untold innocents were killed in pursuit of this, including the entirety of her family, and it was largely sanctioned by those in charge within society, because they seek personal glory and status above all else, with Crests being the symbol of this. The church, as the center of all society, has directly encouraged the proliferation of this belief that Crests are all-important, and that they have the right to rule, leading to these atrocities. Essentially, Edelgard’s extremity is in the fact she’s willing to annihilate the center of all society, in order to erase the aspects that created problems.
The problem is, as @archer3-13 expressed, the other routes make an incredibly strong case for her being wrong. Rhea’s manipulation of humanity was in hiding the truth about past events, the crests, and the relics. She’s told the world that Nemesis led the world in liberation, but he and the other heroes were corrupted to evil and fought amongst each other, leading to Seiros’ intervention, and Nemesis and the other heroes being killed off.
Truth is, Nemesis was just some rando the Agarthans picked up off the streets and tempted with power. They killed Sothis, and the Sword of the Creator is her literal bones fashioned into a chain whip sword. With this, he and the other heroes completely slaughtered the Nabateans, the dragons that Rhea was part of. Everyone she ever knew was slaughtered, and the other relics were fashioned from their bones, with the crest stones being their hearts and the essence of their power to fuel the bones. Rhea watched as a couple humans killed her mother, used her remains to kill her people, made more weapons from their corpses, and then started warring with each other for status and dominance. So like...yeah, okay. Makes sense that you erased all evidence of dragons, and the story of how powerful their remains are was hidden to prevent people seeking out others to kill, and crafted the story of human hubris over their powers and Divine Intervention striking down those who instigate war without purpose. Was hiding everything from humanity and building this culture of stratification to keep things under control good? No. But holy shit, does it make sense.
And because it makes so much sense, and Rhea’s actions feel so justifiable, Edelgard’s motivation becomes even less reasonable. Like, siding with the very people who caused her personal suffering for alleged greater gain is one thing, but your targeted enemy is someone who watched humans literally fuck up the continent, and got things under control through less than ideal moral means. Kinda like you’re doing. I’d feel a lot more connected to Edelgard’s means if Rhea and the Church actually felt like they’d done something wrong. But instead it feels like a jump to extreme means without having all the information.
That said, I love how much everyone in this game feels more like a victim of circumstance than an evil agent. You know. Except the Agarthans, who are always just evil bastards until the DLC drops. Like, the power structures Edelgard rebels against need to be destroyed, but to do so she goes on the war path against someone who was doing her best to quell a situation that could’ve left the continent in ruins, all while dealing with her own grief. It’s such a fantastic tragic tale, because everyone is trying to do the most good for the world, but there aren’t clear answers and sometimes the best intentions led to other problems.
Edelgard just seems the most in the wrong of everyone, because of her willingness to partner with the people who caused literally every problem in the world, without any real justification for it. All we get is that they’re needed to fight the Church, but they don’t...do anything, and by all accounts they should’ve been target #1, both on a personal and grand scale level. Had the Church been more complicit in upholding class structures that caused problems, there’d be some justification, but even within the church plenty of people disagree with Crests determining status, including Seteth, Rhea’s right hand man. She just...doesn’t have as much ground to stand on, so to speak, so while there’s a really understandable presentation for her own route, Edelgard is the least justified given broader context.
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It should come as no surprise that John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon were students in the same film class, that they created Dark Star together, and that they both had a great affinity for 1951’s The Thing From Another World. If you put Ridley Scott’s Alien, which O’Bannon wrote, next to Carpenter’s The Thing, the parallels cannot be contended. A group of people, bound together almost exclusively by their careers, are isolated and trapped in their own environment with a murderous monster. One by one, they are picked off by this alien beast and are forced to pull out all the stops just to survive. The tension in both movies is suffocating. The suspense stays well after the credits roll.
So, why did Alien excel and why did The Thing fail?
Alien was heralded as a science fiction-horror masterpiece, raking in over $200 million at the box office. The Thing, although now recognized as one of Carpenter’s best films to rival even the likes of Halloween, barely exceeded its $15 million budget by $4 million. What’s more is that critics panned The Thing almost unanimously after its 1982 release. And to what point?
When you compare the 2 movies, it objectively doesn’t make much sense. When you sit down and watch The Thing, without even thinking of its much more popular predecessor, it still doesn’t quite add up. There is not much I can say about The Thing that hasn’t already been said before. It’s well-known, now - the writing, the acting, the practical effects, the cinematography? Masterfully done. No arguments. So what went wrong?
The most popularly accepted explanation was that it just wasn’t the right year for it. In 1982, The Thing had to contend with the Summer of Spielberg, being critiqued alongside horror giant Poltergeist and science fiction treasure E.T. How could a stark and grim story of distrust and gore stand alongside such beloved classics?
But in tandem with these films and also calling back to the success of Alien, Carpenter cites reception from various focus groups: they hated the ending.
It should be assumed at this point that if you have not yet seen The Thing, you are sorely missing out. All the same, however, be wary of spoilers.
The end of The Thing is bitter, to put it lightly. Childs (Keith David) trudges through Antarctic snow, lit by the burning wreckage of Outpost 31, towards R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russel) who sits alone, already half buried. They observe their inevitable deaths, and drink to the supposed demise of their shapeshifting predator.
A lot is left out to die in the snow.
According to Carpenter, this ending was seen by test audiences as too dismal. And rightfully so, when you take into consideration the other popular releases of 1982. Carol Anne is ultimately saved, along with the rest of her family, at the end of Poltergeist. Elliot embraces E.T. before he finally returns home. And going further back, even Ripley is able to escape the xenomorph by the skin of her teeth and secure herself the title as one of the greatest “Final Girls” ever put to the silver screen.
And what of MacReady and Childs?
Well, that’s up to your imagination, Carpenter told a test audience member who asked who the final host was at the end of the movie.
“Oh, god. I hate that,” they responded.
As a writer, this loose ends style of concluding a story is almost expected from a lot of modern works. It’s written this way in order to haunt the reader, to linger and adhere itself to the real world in the most sardonic of ways. Think Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” or Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” This almost anticlimactic close of the curtain arrived in the literary world long before it found its place in film, but it’s a big point of contention in mainstream criticism.
Dark or incomplete conclusions have been met with the most scathing of responses. Beware the black cutaway of Sopranos fame. Or the near-universal outcry against the third Mass Effect game that grew so much, the developers created a morsel of DLC content that maybe kind of confirmed a more optimistic fate for our dear Shepard.
But even for the horror genre, The Thing seemed unprecedented. The only fate darker to fall upon a mainstream protagonist was Ben’s untimely death in Night of the Living Dead. The tragedy of both movies is palpable - all this trouble to survive against inhuman killers, all this trouble to outlive something gruesome and maybe even make the world a better place, and what was left to show for it?
In short, Carpenter’s science fiction terror was too much of a bummer.
I personally did not take much of a liking to horror until much later in life. My parents didn’t filter the media I consumed as much as they probably should have, and I was scarred early on by movies as cheesy and entertaining as The Lost Boys and Blade. It wasn’t until late adolescence and into college that I set out to catch up.
My roommate at the time of this resolution had been a fan of horror her whole life, her favorites being Halloween, Candyman, and The Thing. Having already known a good deal about the former two, I decided to strap in for The Thing for the first time ever.
These days, I always have several soap boxes on retainer, just waiting for the next unwitting recipient of my usually-beer-induced rants. Brian Jones was killed, Jaws single handedly endangered sharks, banning books is a stupid practice, representation in media is important, etc. Predictably, one of these soap boxes is the general lack of appreciation of The Thing, both at the time of its release and today (it does not even make the top 100 on Rotten Tomatoes’s highest rated horror movies).
And yet, at the same time, if The Thing had achieved the credit it deserved upon release, I may not like it as much as I do today.
I make a point to not read too much about movies I am feverishly anticipating, and revel in the feeling of going into a well-known movie knowing as little as possible. Most of the time, it makes for the best viewing experience, but I’m sure I don’t even have to point this out.
This was my experience seeing The Thing for the first time. I was on winter break, staying at my parents’ house for the holidays. Everyone else had gone to bed, and I stayed up late in the living room, curled up under layers of blankets, content in perfect darkness save for the television.
I had no idea what to expect, as I had not been spoiled by any TV show making any blatant references and had not done any prior reading into the film itself. And I was absolutely delighted from beginning to end.
What stays with me the most is the special effects. It’s true what they say - that practical effects hold up better than CGI alone. And the production team didn’t cut any corners in this department. Stan Winston and his team, who were later responsible for the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, helped construct one of the best animatronics in the movie. Rob Bottin, who brought this constantly-morphing creature to life from conception to every last slimy detail, went on to be hailed as a genius in his special effects career. And there is definitely something to be said for the work of cinematographer Dean Cundey whose masterful control of lighting and framing is best seen in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
The extent of my knowledge of the titular creature was that it was an alien. That it was an alien who could consume multiple life forms and take on their shapes was both exciting and terrifying. There’s creative genius in this premise that thrills the science fiction lover in me, and also fascinates the bookworm in me. I had been a fan of Agatha Christie novels as a teenager, and to see a new and outrageous take on the And Then There Were None structure was incredibly novel to me.
The appeal wasn’t just that there was something out there, lying in wait to torturously pick off it’s victims one-by-one. It was that it could have been anyone.
At its core, horror as we know it has deep roots in whodunnit style murder mystery. With the rise of the giallo and the sensation of the slasher, horror movies of this nature are far from uncommon and can be seen as late as 1996 with the Scream franchise. Carpenter himself spurned a new kind of fear with his breakout success with Halloween by refusing to give a bodily face to its main antagonist. Here, with The Thing, he takes the eponymous killer character to the next level by giving it the genetically inherent function of deceiving its prey. Not knowing the true face of your murderer has proven to be inherently bone-chilling.
Even now, hundreds of horror movies under my belt later and still constantly learning, I keep coming back to The Thing. I really cannot think of another movie in my wide array of favorites that I love more than The Thing, and I truly believe it has everything to do with me not knowing anything about it upon my first viewing. Every other movie I can name on my (similar to the subject) constantly changing top 10 list of most beloved horror flicks was, at some point, spoiled for me in some capacity.
Think of how often the twins in The Shining are referenced in cartoons, of all the head spinning jokes made in reference to The Exorcist. Anthony Hopkins’s portrayal of Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs has become so infamous, that I knew his dialogue (and Buffalo Bill’s) long before I ever saw the movie in full.
I don’t blame these references for ruining these movies. As a super fan, I understand that compulsion to pay tribute. It’s no one’s fault and to their credit that these films take lives of their own. But the repercussions don’t age well in terms of initial viewing experiences.
All that being said, I truly cherish how much I was not exposed to this movie. The unpredictability of the creature and the quiet, looming despair that comes with it create a horror unlike any other.
Although it was a box office flop, The Thing is now a welcome and praised name in both science fiction and horror. Even Quentin Tarantino made it known that The Hateful Eight was primarily inspired on several fronts by Carpenter’s underrated work. However, it has not pervaded pop culture like so many other horror classics have left their indelible mark on film vernacular. And to that end, I hope it remains in that slight shadow of anonymity for all future enthusiasts.
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assassin's creed 3/liberation for the change meme!
buckle down this is gonna get extensive. oh man I hope I can pull five things since I only fully played through AC3 once (and I’m still emotionally devastated) and Liberation at least twice, but haven’t touched either in years.
let Connor be happy. I know it’s like a Thing for every assassin’s life to go to shit but I think (from my precursory knowledge of everyone past Connor and Aveline) the only other person who got it worse was Altaïr (like oh my god, what happened to his family and friends by the end was so unnecessarily tragic and gross), and even then he was happy for a time. The main brevity we get in AC3 are via the (optional if fantastic) Homestead quests, which most people sadly skipped but I’m trying not to go on about fandom/fan reception rn. We’re just repeatedly fed that Connor loses everything, and for what? Yeah, it feeds into the narrative, but also came off as something like torture porn. And we don’t even get an anecdote about what family he made until some - shit, I don’t even know what it was in, and even THAT read as “yeah he married a white woman at some point and she left him and took the kids!” It hurts even worse considering the real life fallout of the Revolution and while it makes a point of how not everything in this country is all sparkly and good in the name of freedom, these histories shouldn’t only be painted as fucking tragedies. Where’s the hopeful perseverance?
While the twist in the prologue/tutorial section was neat for all of .5 seconds, I would have rather gotten more info/even gameplay with Ziio and/or Achilles. Even though the recruits in AC3 had much more personality than the ones in Brotherhood, I feel like overall the actual assassin narrative took a backseat to the whole Connor is Forever Alone and Everything Is Terrible narrative; especially since you don’t see much interaction between Connor and the recruits once you have them, as you’re sending them out on quests. Did you know that Ziio was something of an honorary assassin and actually worked with Achilles and the brotherhood before they were annihilated? YEAH. I don’t remember if it was actually in the game or or the dlc or something else, but there was a big history there that I feel got entirely glossed over in favor of “let’s make Haytham look cool for 5 minutes so you like him more than his son!” Again: fuck off.
And somewhat on the subject of Connor and his people/family and the dlc - for all the research the team did in regards to the customs of his tribe, there were still some missteps I rather wish weren’t there, especially considering they hired the appropriate actors and had guides for reference. Whom they halfway ignored. I’m not sure how to feel about the implication at the beginning that their faith seemed to evolve as a result of Juno’s influence, but that’s also a prevalent theme in the series with other religions. But the DLC, on the other hand.... As cool as it was to see a more explicitly supernatural take on assassins, that they chose Connor to have “spirit animal” powers and shit as well as give him that costume doesn’t sit right with me. I’m not qualified to speak much on it, but it says a lot, I think, that Ezio never got a “sexy Centurion” outfit or anything, you know? They could have approached that differently.
Liberation should have had more of a connection to AC3. Considering the fact that one of the important plot points was the NA brotherhood being rebuilt, one would have thought a bigger deal would have been made about Aveline’s sect being discovered down south. She should have had a cameo in AC3, too, instead of slapping on a mission for Black Flag.
And speaking of Liberation, oh my god - probably all my issues with it in regards to everything from the shitty PR it got to the in-game clunkiness would have been solved if it had initially been released over psn/xbox live/pc. I understand that they were contract issues to push a different (unpopular) hardware, and that it was one of Ubisoft’s many sideteams that did the title, but I do not believe it would have flown under the radar or be flat out denied nearly as much if they had skipped the Vita release and sent it straight to consoles. Little to no clunky or gimmicky controls or anything, and maybe less assholes pretending like the game didn’t matter. It kills me that Aveline’s (and by extent, Adewalé’s) story is regulated to optional side shit, but it kills me even more that such an important narrative and equally important heroine don’t get the recognition they deserve. When are we ever going to see a game that’s explicitly about combating racism again? When are we ever going to see a game that was made to be told as a black woman’s story? About black history? Yeah.
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