#ticket of no return

[britvarama]

[neelyowhora]

[hello-there]

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[introspect-la]

TICKET OF NO RETURN DIRECTED BY & STARRING ULRIKE OTTINGER, COSTUMES BY TABEA BLUMENSCHEIN (1979)

[sonimage1965]

Bildnis einer Trinkerin

dir. Ulrike Ottinger

1979

[yynikki]

[touristclap]

Ticket of No Return, Ulrike Ottinger, 1979.

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[popsixsquishcicerolipschitz]

tiredtangerine

Nina Hagen in Ticket of No Return (1979)

[kristenswig]

#10. Ticket of No Return - Ulrike Ottinger

[tyttetardis]

Looks like David will be back as Macbeth tonight ❤️

[melverie]

Last post on the entire date ticket thing and then I will forever shut up about it, but I feel like most people arguing in favor of the price tag are just….missing the point on why people are so angry about the date ticket being $30

I think the one thing we can all agree on right from the get go is that everyone in the staff deserve to and should be compensated fairly for their work. And that obviously includes certain features and items having to cost actual money considering the game itself is free

But the thing is, that $30 price tag doesn't just exist in a vacuum

First off, we can all agree that charging something like $3 would have made the ticket sell far better, right? Several people have already pointed out that they can buy a week's worth of groceries with $30 and depending on how much you earn, the date ticket isn't exactly something anyone can just buy on a whim. Again, $3 would have been far more affordable for most people, and I'm sure many more people (myself included) would have been far more willing to spend $3 just to see what the date ticket is like, and maybe also buy the tickets of multiple other characters. But $30 for a single date ticket is a luxury a lot of people just cannot afford, or would rather put into something else. Even if they lowered the price, they'd surely break even and make profit with how many players there are

And judging by its contents, I think it's fair to say that the date itself is not worth $30. And I feel like Solmare themselves know this because why else would they have bundled it with 300 DP? The only reason is to justify this price tag because "look at how much DP we're getting with it tho!!" when that's not the point. It doesn't matter whether the DP are included, because there is a lack of choice here. We have other options to earn and buy DP, but we don't have a choice when it comes to the date ticket itself. Either you pay $30, or you miss out on a feature that many of us have wanted for a while now. And since it's the DP raising the price tag,what you are essentially paying for is 300 DP with a date ticket as your purchase bonus, even though it should be the other way round

And honestly? Considering the price, the only two times it would make sense to buy this bundle is if you were already considering buying DP anyway, or if you are financially well enough off that the current price doesn't matter to you. You won't convince most casual spenders, and you most definitely will not convince a f2p player to pay for this feature

The other thing is that we had no idea what the date ticket actually entailed because we weren't given any information on it. Thanks to people in the community buying and reviewing this feature for others we now know that the date consists of one phone call, a ~10 minute long, partially voiced date story-line and a Majolish background. Except, those are things that Solmare themselves should have told us right as they announced this feature, ESPECIALLY considering the price point. If you don't, you can't complain if people are accusing your company of trying to rip its player base off and of being greedier than the Avatar of Greed himself. But also, that's the thing!

We shouldn't have people in the fandom be the ones to go out of their way to give us basic info on new features, or to even explain certain business decisions in the first place. That's the company's job. Yes, certain explanations should be a given (such as microtransactions existing so that the staff can be paid the money they obviously deserve), but there are other things that should have been explained by Solmare themselves

Open communication with the player base is the key phrase here, and imo Solmare has been doing worse and worse on that front as of late, resulting in several unexplained choices that just seem questionable at best and scummy at worst, as well as a player base that grows more and more disgruntled by the day. And that frustration within the player base shows in the amount of people dropping the game, as well as in the amount of money it's making

People are willing to put their time and money into something they deem a good, quality product with a justified price considering the content. If your player base isn't putting in the money you are expecting, then maybe you should listen to their feedback and re-examine your product instead of overcharging a feature because "look at this thing you're getting extra that no one asked to be included in the bundle in the first place"

Literally part of the reason LaDS has grown to be so successful in such a short amount of time is because they keep making adjustments based on player feedback, even on some minor things. I mean they literally pushed out an update to correct the color of one of the character's tongue in the newest card because people were complaining, like hello!! Imagine Solmare listening to complains as minor as this

Anyway, whether intentional or not, this entire thing just feels scummy, and that's the problem. The choice we have is either "pay 30 bucks per character or miss out on this feature entirely", the price is artificially inflated with the inclusion of DP that we have other ways of getting, romance is slowly fazed out of the story only to now be put behind a heft paywall, we weren't told what we are even paying for exactly in the first place, and there has been a severe lack of proper communication from Solmare that have soured the relationship to the game's fanbase and, most importantly in this context, their customers

No, companies aren't our friends. Yes, they need to make money. Yes, they should pay their employees fairly. And no, we as consumers shouldn't expect nor are we entitled to everything about the game being free because again, the people working on this game deserve to get paid fairly for all the work they put into it

However, people are still allowed to be critical of a company and its decisions, especially when they feel like they are getting ripped off. The 300 DP might soften the blow, but that doesn't stop everything that has happened before from being a slap in the face. That's why people are pissed right now, and honestly it's been a long time coming

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[in-naeher-we-trust]

[britvarama]

[classically-tragic]

Dostoevsky has me spider climbing the walls and chewing electrical cords rn

[fujii-draws]

I feel like Aimilios would also have his own little ‘resentment period’ towards Dusknoir when he returns years later. But not in the same way Ribbon’s secretly berates and spits venom when Celebi/Grovyle have their backs turned.

Aimilios’s aura sensing was the biggest double-edged sword for the riolu. Not only because of how he was able to tell when Dusknoir was lying, and turning a blind eye, but also how the aura pup was able to tell when he was being genuine. When he was enjoying his time in the present with them, even as ‘The Great Dusknoir’. When he consistently fretted over him and Ribbons. When he laughed with them while ordering drinks from Spinda’s. When he held back during training sessions—

When he held back during their fight at the temple.

Aimilios… knew for the longest time. That Dusknoir was pulling his punches, but never spoke a word of it to Ribbons. This only led to the fighting-type dealing with the haunting realization that the Gripper Pokémon could have done away with them so easily. Every time they were alone. When he trained them. When Aimilios felt vulnerable enough to sleep near him.

He could’ve killed them at any given moment.

So when he suggests that they talk alone on the beach. (The very same one he gave the Riolu false hope to of being ‘friends’, lying to his face.) Aimilios brokenly asks in the most hushed tone of voice why he stayed close. Even as Aimilios’s instincts, tell him, urge him, to run from Dusknoir. He silences the desperate pleas from his jittery body. Forcing himself to stay long enough to get the answer he wants— needs.

The answer to why. Why Dusknoir could have easily avoided them once he knew who Ribbons was. Or why he even indulged in them. Why he protected them as vigilantly as he did, if they were only a means to an end. Why he looked astonished whenever the small fighting-type showcased his sharp wit towards the elder ghost. Why he told Aimilios how proud he was whenever he landed a hit during their training. Why Dusknoir looked genuinely upset whenever he patched up his wounds.

Why Dusknoir listened to all of his small retellings of his journey with Ribbons with endearment. Why Dusknoir held him closer when he accidentally fell asleep on the gargantuan wraith. Why he held his paw whenever they traversed Treasure town together. Why Aimilios felt like his life was over staring down the Wood Gecko with his blood stained claws— before Dusknoir saved him. Why the wraith was the one who even bothered healing him, when the fatal wounds from Grovyle could have just—

Just. why why why— it would’ve made hating him so much easier if he didn’t do all of that. Aimilios would be just as resentful as Ribbons— but he isn’t. Because the smallest, desperatest part of him still missed Dusknoir. (And an even smaller part hoped he felt the same.)

So, he begs Dusknoir, to be honest with him. For once in his life.

And when he fails to respond in time (due to Aimilios sounding like he’s on the verge of tears. Unable to find the right words to not break the dam—)

“Aimilios, I—“

“You should’ve let Grovyle finish me off in the Azelf’s lake.”

Dusknoir eye only widens. Unable to look in the Riolu’s direction in fear of seeing his torn face. Yet his eye betrays him when it slowly trails towards the Aura Pokémon. Who’s already facing away— black, mittened paws covering the mess of tears spilling from his eyes.

“It—“ The aura pup’s breath hitches “I-It would’ve hurt less than this.”

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[bunanawhale]

the guy. or smth idk

[raggscat32]

i'm in severe debt this time 'round but you can't hold me back