#to get or not to get XB2 .. that is the question

[ehksidian]

Sorry, gotta ask another question. Who is your favorite character in each of the numbered xenoblade games (and XBX, if you want)?

in 1: shulk! that's a given, obviously, he';s the MC and gets the most put into him. i love how [MASSIVE SPOILERS] and then [SPOILERS] happens it's my favorite moment as a character thing (i don't wanna spoil it since it IS a major thing and i respect xb1)

in 2: niaaaaaaaa my girlllllllll. i already did the big trans allegory post but just in general i love her. fun fact! i headcanon her va as my ff14 character's voice. and yeah her giving malos super cancer after revealing her blade eater powers was great (i don't care about spoiling it because i don't respect xb2)

in 3: eunie is the immediate gut choice because god. girl. you just. you sure are. you sure fucking are the bus, girl. i love eunie a lot she's probably my second fav xenoblade character. woman.

in x: elma, obviously, she's the main character. she's just, idk, i like her! but also shoutout to HB, second favorite because of just how...HB he is.

[chemicalbrew]

Cactus, Sage and Camellia for the get to know me asks

proof that we are best friends: you know how to ask the worst questions of the bunch <3

cactus ⇢ something you’re currently learning (about)?

nothing of actual academic importance

a certain kind of discomfort I’d almost forgotten about (you know what i mean.)

how much of a [redacted] Noah Xenoblade is (a good thing) and other assorted musings about XB3

how I’m inching closer to what will probably (Shulk... I abandoned my boy’s affinity chart...) be the end of XB2

how talented at writing and\or drawing my friends are

how much I actually like whiling the time away with the friends that are close to me

the way I can afford to be a little more true to myself (💛)

sage ⇢ what ‘medium’ of art (poetry, music, fiction, paintings, statues etc.) is the most touching to you? why do you think that is?

LMAO. I love how you asked this while being incredibly aware of the answer. I wish I could be smart about it right now, but my braincells are washing away, so.

I just like words and what people do with them. How they can be used for anything you wish, and yet often fail to convey what’s most important - the power they hold is both immeasurable and insufficient. It’s up to each of us to make the most of our tongue and strive to get ever more accurate as we reach for our readers’ hearts! And it’s... I don’t want to say... ‘easier‘ in general, but it definitely is for me. I’d rather snap a brush in half than use it as intended.

Music also comes close, as a consistent reprieve, but I am unable to engage with it in the same fashion. As... is probably obvious, my words are my greatest asset and the one thing I can absolutely be proud of. Most of the time, at least.

camellia ⇢ what were you like when you were younger? do you think you’ve changed a lot?

I want to refrain from answering this because I’d be stuck all evening,

I tell myself ‘I’ve grown‘ a lot these days, and the attitude changes each time I say it. Have I actually done it? Can someone tell me that? Am I just saying it to make myself feel better? Is it okay to feel younger than I am? Is it okay to have turned out the way I am, through things out of my control?

It’s kinda driving me nuts. Though the way these thoughts actually surround me are confirmation enough that I have changed.

[queenofcats17]

Guess who’s writing stuff about @blackmesaerd and the RA they’ve created. 

It’s me. I’m writing stuff. 

The Discord and RA lore we’ve developed has given me ideas

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The Research Assistant colloquially known as Crown didn’t know a lot of things.

She didn’t know how she’d started working at Black Mesa. 

She didn’t know how to talk to people a lot of the time

She didn’t know a lot about science or biology, nor did she understand a lot of technical terms that her coworkers used.

She was pretty sure she wasn’t even qualified to be a scientist. 

But she’d thought she knew who she was. Now...She wasn’t so sure. 

Things had started changing after that first incident with the Xen crystal. 

First of all, they’d had been sucked into a power struggle between two incredibly powerful alien entities, both of whom threatened the safety of their friends. This had, naturally, made Crown’s anxiety skyrocket. 

She didn’t talk to new people very often, so being forced to talk to new people (neither of whom was human) and try to talk down an alien hivemind or the furious physical embodiment of an entire dimension while being overly emotional was definitely not her strong suit. Everyone in Black Mesa knew her. They knew what she was like, knew what to expect from her.

Xen and Voxis didn’t know her. They didn’t understand if she got overly emotional or blurted out the first thing that came into her mind without a thought for the consequences of those words. She’d definitely made things worse more than once when she’d just been trying to help or when she’d let her feelings overwhelm her. 

Her conspiracy theories definitely hadn’t helped either, but they weren’t really supposed to. The conspiracy theories were mostly just her fucking around. Before XG1 and XB2 had arrived, she’d listened to Barney talk about conspiracy theories for hours when he’d been stationed outside the lab. Maybe at one point she’d believed them, but they’d quickly just become a way for her to get the others around her to laugh. Maybe that was why they hadn’t believed her about XG1 being Gordon. None of her other “theories” had held water.

Come to think of it, they’d been the same age back when the kids had arrived that they were now. Perpetually 22, fresh out of college, eager and bright-eyed. Never growing older, never growing up. 

She’d never questioned it before this point. Never asked herself why none of them ever seemed to get any older or why they weren’t allowed to leave Black Mesa unsupervised. She’d never asked herself why she didn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been at Black Mesa. She’d never felt the need to.

Even after the first crystal mishap, when things had started to stir, she hadn’t questioned anything about her situation. Had she even been awake before that point? All her memories before then felt...fuzzy. Or as though she’d been watching a TV show. She could remember saying and doing things, but it felt like it hadn’t truly been her. Like she’d been nothing more than a passenger in her own body.

Now the Resonance Cascade had happened, leaving the facility literally in shambles while Xen creatures tried to attack them. And she and the others had realized they were part of a hivemind. Likely a failed one on Black Mesa’s part given how chaotic they could be. 

Part of her was terrified of this revelation. The only experience she had with a hivemind of any sort was Voxis, and she absolutely did not want to be in that situation. The idea of losing their free will and being trapped in their own mind terrified them more than they could possibly say. 

And yet...there was something comforting about knowing she was part of a bigger whole. Especially since the bigger whole wasn’t trying to exert its will on her and was full of people she liked being around. 

She felt like she was finally alive for the first time in her life. She could feel the comforting presence of the other RA’s in the back of her mind, even when she couldn’t see them. She wasn’t alone. She’d never been alone. They were there for her. They’d always been there for her.

Despite the danger, she couldn’t help but feel a tad giddy.

It was just a pity she was having this joyful realization during what was basically the apocalypse.

[blackmesaerd]

I just wanna thank you guys for being so forthcoming with information about Xen and all that. Are there any questions you’d like to ask us? It’s only fair that there be a little give and take in this situation. -🍭

XB2: Doesn’t compare to the real deal of course, but sure.

XG1: I don’t think we’ve seen enough of this place and Earth to know what to question...

XB2: Yeah, kinda dunno.

XB2: Actually! When are we getting to try ‘soap’. What flavors are there?

XG1: Oh! And do you have kiwis? I want more kiwis. Is there kiwi flavored soap?

[astarion]

First major nintendo direct in a long time!!! Was hoping for some good video game news of things to look forward to and there were some nice things. I don’t think they ever put read more into mobile so all my thoughts are here now:

Starting off with Pyra was great. Thought it was more DLC for Xenoblade 2 or something and then it just blindsides you with the Smash reveal! I should try and actually go through XB2 sometime. I’m only in chapter 3 but it just felt like it was taking forever to defeat even easy enemies... and I had a lot of fun with the first game!

Mario Golf is never something I got much into, but that Speed Golf mode just looks hilarious! Plus it was fun seeing even Bowser in Golf Wear like the rest of them.

Project Triangle Strategy looks intriguing. I do love strategy RPGs, but I am worried from what was shown that this one may end up being too complicated, though having a demo and feedback just like Octopath Traveler did for its development is a good sign. I wonder if the working name will end up being the final name for the game too.

Miitopia was very fun on the 3DS and glad to see it ported to the Switch. Didn’t finish the game, but with the new stuff they’re putting in I don’t mind starting over. Now if only they could bring Kid Icarus Uprising to the Switch too... the joycons give you two sticks after all.

A couple fun-looking mystery-like things too. Don’t know anything about famicom detective but it might be nice (hopefully each case is strong enough on its own with them being sold separately). World’s End Club also looks pretty cool. It starting to be like a Danganronpa only to change course immediately to its own thing definitely has me curious.

SaGa Frontier!! I had heard there was a remaster in the works coming soon and they say it’s only a couple months away! I’m excited for this because I rented the original game as a kid, liked it, but didn’t understand it enough to do well and saved my only file into unwinnable spots. Hoping to do better next time, and there’s some more content too!

The framing setup in the trailer for EA’s Knockout City looked more interesting to me than the actual game itself.

Using the sticks to control your motions in Skyward Sword was the best thing they could’ve done in the upcoming HD edition. Probably not gonna play it again, but that was my biggest frustration when playing it originally.

And the last major news that got to me: Splatoon 3 is coming!!! Full of questions about it! Eager to think on it till we get more info, gotta wait till 2022 at the earliest though.

All in all, very fun! It was great seeing a super-long direct again.

[cowabinah]

those xb2 lesbians

i love these lesbians

Who is a night owl: i’m sorry but the idea of brighid being a night owl when her eyes look closed all the time is too fuckin much for me,,,

Who is a morning person: morag

Are they cuddlers: you know…………. this is a Question. i think morag is not so much a cuddler by default so brighid is the one who tends to kind of initiate this……. and then morag is like hmmmm this is nice and so then perhaps more cuddling happens that isn’t just brighid nuzzling against her

Who is the big spoon and who is the little spoon: brighid is the small spoon but eventually it shifts bc sometimes morag is in need of being the little spoon even if she won’t just say it

What is their favourite sleeping position: the one where they get spicy, but uh,,, idk maybe just…. when one of them accidentally falls asleep on the other bc that’s cute

Who steals all the blankets: morag, mostly bc i don’t think brighid would…. need to use blankets but i mean sHRUGS?

What they wear to bed: brighid wears flames to bed and morag uhhhh undershirt and thermal pants? i was really tempted to say some nice good old long johns and i don’t think the world is ready for this

Who likes seeing the other wearing their t-shirt: brighid wearing anything of morag’s makes morag melt on the inside

Who falls asleep mid-conversation: you know moraag’s greatest fear is brighid falling asleep mid-convo and she will never know for sure when exactly this happened

Who wakes up in the middle of the night with nightmares: morag

Who accidentally punched the other in their sleep: morag decks her gf in her sleep and is extremely confused the next morning as to why brighid is bein…. frigid,,, delete this

Who can’t keep their hands to themself: brighidbrighidbrighid

[justlittlexenobladethings]

yea ive got a question what gave monolith the idea that they were allowed to do that to zanza

ok mod robin here im gonna respond in a read more, mobile users scroll faster

i guess

xenoblade 2 spoilers

.

.

.

honestly idk if you mean “why did they make him so ugly” or “why did they hurt him like that”. i have an answer for both bc i love analysis 

so. one of my criticisms of xb1 was that egil was a great and well fleshed out antagonist but then zanza was a bit..  Not? if that makes sense. his motives dont make sense except “he’s a jackass” and imo thats kind of a step down from egil. i wouldnt say it makes the end of the game any less awesome. but he’s just a jackass and tried to wipe out an entire race of ppl bc he was salty with meyneth and jealous. can’t relate to that honestly. 

but this all culminates in the line where alvis says “he had a desire for friendship” 

EVERY. playthrough. i start cackling at that line. zanza desired friendship? so he went and killed a bunch of ppl? what??? 

but you know what would’ve fixed this. character development. or at least some actual character depth. and thats where xb2 comes in because they added onto his character and gave him character depth in a very appropriate way. 

like in xb1, it would be very very hard to make it seem like zanza had remorse/wanted friendship bc he was a major jackass. but, an alternate universe where another half of him resides? a part of him who developed entirely differently? thats a great way to give depth that wasnt there before. 

so this doesnt answer your question but its more explaining WHY monolith did that. they took an interesting character from a previous game and fleshed them out more than before.

the most important question tho. WHY IS HE SO FUCKEN UGLY ?

its to contrast from his traits in xb1. in xb1 he’s conventionally attractive and confident, and a major asshole to meyneth. this boy puts conditioner in his hair and probably has perfect complexion too. after his daily hair care routine he decides to go fuck over mechonis core 

xb2? he’s not attractive. unlike in xb1, he’s showing clear remorse for what happened. its supposed to be a shock factor i suppose. like you’re intended to see him and think “THIS IS ZANZA????? wtf?” 

im sorry thats so long and i hope you sent this because you already know about the end. im gonna tag this and its under a readmore so i hope ppl dont get mad at me for even talking about spoiler stuff. 

[sonocomics]

Dude I'm so sorry I know you must be getting swamped with messages about XB2 but I'm very very excited because there's really not that much content for it anywhere!! Also, question, are you going to do the DLC prequel game as well? Thank you, have a lovely day!

No problem! I know people are excited :>

We’ll probably play the DLC (me and my friend) but that’ll be WAAAAAAAAAAAAY in the future xD

Also I’d just like to mention since this is a good opportunity since it’s a public post: 

PLEASE be careful about Xenoblade 2 spoilers! 

My friend and I haven’t finished the game yet and so far we’ve gone in blind and have had a really good time - we’d like to keep it that way! As a rule of thumb, just assume I haven’t seen anything past currently posted comics! Comics will be starting up in June :> Thank you!

[kutone]

ooh ooh!! of all of the locations in xb2, which one was the most breathtaking? do you think they hold up to the environments in other xenoblade games?

im not sure if i have a favorite!! im a huge sucker for glowy stuff, so uraya (night) gets in the top tiers pretty much right away :’> but then again, i also found indol’s architecture to be amazing (+ it really reminded me of the high entian capital in more ways than one), especially that whole world tree mural back at the praetor’s audience chamber!!

however, while i definitely appreciated the environmental design…i didnt get the same feeling of sheer awe that i got when witnessing the original’s environments for the first time (especially gaur plains, nighttime satorl and eryth sea, which literally had me slack-jawed the first time i saw them). also the whole judicium ruins being a couple of pebbles had me pissed off ngl

send “think you can take me!?” to get one of my thoughts on χєnσвIαdє 2(or send a particular question if u have one!)

[radicaldreamer017]

It’s truly amazing. Each time a new Xenoblade game is announced, strong feelings of sadness and frustration fuck up with my mental health/anxiety disorder again (made worse when listening to some of xenoblade’s rabid fans). I lost important sleep last night because of the XB2 reveal.

Note to self : stop hoping for anything from monolith anymore and focus on getting hyped for Persona 5, the only jrpg series I love that didn’t slap me with disenchantment yet.

Additionally, I could get serious about that xenogears fancomic... it’s almost a good thing for me that the fandom is quasi dead... so I can take my time and not be judged (for my lack of skills and sluggish pace). On the other hand, I need to talk about the game with people. Recently asked a question about a character on gamefaq and the board is barely active, i’m still waiting for someone to answer me. This also add to my current frustration.

[chemicalbrew]

Red (Transistor) VS Rex (XBC2)

ANON YOU'RE A GENIUS HOLY HELL (also thank you for specifying which Red you mean, even if I don't play Pokemon or anything else with a character named Red, it's still appreciated)

Who I think would win in a fight? (tl;dr: if Red doesn't neutralize or distract Rex immediately, her chances of winning are low IMO)

okay, so to be really honest, I feel like it could be a draw\mutual forfeit very easily, because IMO, Rex would rather befriend the kind of person Red is and assist her; and Red to me never read as a person eager to do unnecessary fighting either. It would probably be like the intro to Land of Challenge with Shulk where they just shake hands and either warm up to each other somewhat easily (platonically) or stay cautiously optimistic about each other. I feel like Auden\the man in the Transistor would also pitch in (with words, since there's nothing else for him to use, ha) to prevent weapons from being drawn.

But I know that's not what the spirit of the question is, so let's ignore their personalities for a bit and look at everyone's abilities instead, even if only briefly (god it's been like 2 years since I played trna)...

If Rex has his blades by his side and especially if he's the master driver\in tune with Pneuma, he wins this somewhat handily. Pneuma is just OP and can (probably) rewrite history, ignoring even Turn() (I mean, remember how they overcame ""control over elementary particles""? besides, Pneuma's specials are so powerful and last so long and cover so much space, Red would have trouble dodging with her Jaunt() being finite and needing time to recharge), so he wins, lol.

If we ignore Pneuma, Mythra's agility, speed and Foresight alone make Rex pretty formidable as an opponent across all universes (and if you want to get more technical, he can just Double Spinning Edge crit recharge his way to victory without letting the opponent so much as breathe lol). However, I feel like a lucky Turn() could be enough of an opening for Red to get (or even Get() ) her way with Pyra\Mythra alone.

If we ignore the Aegis altogether, but let Rex use every other Blade... iono, this might be a 'strength in numbers' situation. This would depend on who exactly is out, and there are lots of options for that.

If Rex is completely on his own while Red has the Transistor, it's weighing more heavily in Red's favor, but even if it's a certain victory, it's not an immediate one (salvager suits are implied to be quite sturdy, and he can still use his anchor to trip her and buy him time. Considering how the Transistor's functions can overload and break, whereas Rex never loses his Arts\Specials (just the charge on them, so all Red would get is a smidge of time... which might help, but who knows), he might even win this way!) And of course, Red is all but helpless on her own.

I think what Red has going for her is Switch() \ Help() \ Mask() \ passive!Spark() - moves meant to provide distraction. This might prove to be less helpful if Mythra (or possibly Azurda, even) is around, considering she's a fucking supercomputer that could feasibly detect threats at light speed, but it's the first opportunity I thought of :') Switch() especially could be key to victory, assuming it hits Blades as well.

Get() could also help, since it forcibly draws the target right next to Red, but since Rex can fight from basically all ranges (depending on what blades you consider), and with Aegis he obviously prefers fighting up close... that too is only valuable for the surprise factor\getting in if Rex is using an ether cannon or another ranged weapon type.

Purge() is a viable option, but might take too long to actually weaken Rex enough.

And then there's Kill(), which actually gives Red a 1-in-4 shot at victory (assuming it doesn't deal just 500 damage to Rex and actually insta-kills, since in XB2 500 HP is pitiful and in Transistor it's not). Who woulda thunk?

And okay, I know what you're thinking. 'You mentioned Turn() basically once, but it's something on par with Foresight and however you interpret "rewriting reality"! Isn't that the key?' And to that I say... have you seen Foresight having a cooldown? The only way it got overpowered is through pure speed, not a proper opening in defenses. At best it would be even with Mythra, and no match for Pneuma, solely because of the recharge during which Red is the most vulnerable.

so uh... congrats, Rex?

[queenofcats17]

More Crown angst!

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Crown wasn’t very good at being a scientist. 

She tried, but the things that came so easily to the others were a struggle to her. 

Such as understanding the terminology her coworkers used. The jargon went right over her head and she got confused at what they said were the most basic of things.

“It’s not that hard to understand!” They would snap.

“I-I’m sorry,” she’d always say. “Could you just...please explain it one more time?”

They never would, just huffing and moving on, muttering about what an idiot she was. The words stung just as much every time.

“Useless.”

“Stupid.”

Those words were spat under their breath every time she failed to understand a term, every time she didn’t understand a chemical formula, every time she couldn’t perform the calculations they asked her to, every time she accidentally dropped something, every time she made a mistake of any kind. 

She tried not to cry in front of them. She knew they would only get angry with her if she did that. They told her it was “unprofessional” and “annoying”. That sort of behavior was unbecoming of a scientist, they told her.  Her coworkers would yell and scream. Their voices hurt her ears, made her want to run and hide. But she couldn’t. If she ran away, they’d just yell at her more.

She tried her best, but her best was shot down every time. Nothing she did was ever good enough. 

She was clever. That had been proven more than once when they’d given her complex calculations to do and she’d handed back perfect or near perfect work. The problem came when she made a mistake, and the scientists would scream at her for not even being able to do this one thing right.

She’d proven rather adept at organization as well, leading them to place her in Administration organizing files more often than not. But the same problem always occurred. She would make a mistake and they would scream at her.

Was it any wonder she kept to herself?

She sat alone at lunch, her nose in a book. Books were her escape. She devoured everything she could get her hands on, although her preference tended toward fantasy. 

Sometimes she’d see others in the cafeteria reading the same books, and for a moment her heart would leap. She had common ground! She could talk to them about the book! But then the scornful expressions of her coworkers would cross her mind and her heart would sink once more.

She grew quiet while she worked. She got yelled at when she asked questions so she just...stopped. She had to figure it out on her own. If she figured it out on her own, they wouldn’t yell at her. 

This, unfortunately, didn’t work as she’d hoped. More often than not, she either couldn’t figure it out or ended up screwing everything up. And then they would yell at her. Yell at her and tell her she was stupid and couldn’t do anything right.

In the beginning, she’d been bounced between departments quite a lot, although she ended up just being passed between Chemistry and Administration.

And then she’d joined the Extraterrestrial Research Division.

She was almost certain she’d been assigned to the ERD because no one else wanted to deal with her. It was the most likely explanation given her past experiences with the other departments.

At first, she’d remained quiet. She’d expected everything would be the same as it had been in other departments. They would hate her, tell her she was stupid and useless. They would want to get rid of her because she couldn’t do anything right. Just like all the others. 

But that hadn’t happened. 

Forzen and Bubby could be a bit prickly but...The others were nice. Coomer was friendly and warm, Chell and Rowan would listen to her when she started talking about books, Barney already was nice to her, and there were a lot of other research assistants like her. Everyone actually seemed to like having her around. 

XG1 and XB2 were so cute and sweet, as well. Maybe they didn’t entirely trust her and the others, but she didn’t blame them for that. If she were a subject, she would have been wary of scientists too. (If only she knew how right that thought was.)

For the first time in what felt like a long time, she felt safe and happy. She started to look forward to coming to the lab and seeing her coworkers’ faces. She still wasn’t the best at being a scientist,  but the ERD was much more understanding about her shortcomings. She was actually happy.

Only for XG1 to escape and it all to come tumbling down. 

After that, she was exiled back to Administration. Those 20 years felt like a bad dream. She all but sleepwalked through her life. None of it felt real. She saw the others around the facility, but didn’t try to interact with them. They wouldn’t want to talk to her, she told herself.

Words couldn’t accurate describe how happy she’d been when the ERD had opened once more. It had felt like coming home. Seeing their faces, hearing them say her name. It had been such a relief to know she’d be around people who understood her again.

Maybe that was why she’d begun to think of them as her family. 

She didn’t remember if she’d had a family before Black Mesa. She certainly hadn’t had once since arriving. Until now, that was.

The Extraterrestrial Research Department made her feel safe and welcome. And she would fight tooth and nail to keep that.

[blackmesaerd]

alright alright now that thats out of the way, heres a question. you two ever heard of soda? and have you had it yet if you have?

XB2: No? Does it taste good?

Tommy: It does! We- we can get some for the movie!

[blackmesaerd]

Heh, victory for us RAs, don't you think, Rowan? How long have we been telling you so? *Turns to give them a rather smug smile with glossy, half-lidded eyes*

I really hope we still have enough time to rest, I already feel hard to keep any focus...

*Seems a bit lost in thought while nodding off* ...hey, Vox... remember what I told you at the end of the vacation, that about respect? ...I can't tell if you've actually learnt something about empathy, but at least seems like you're aplying it. And I... I do mean what I said back then, even if it's a little... you do got it... my... *Trails off before completely dozing out* - Goat

Rowan: Yes, yes... You’ve told me...

Rowan: That leaves a very... Concerning question about Xen... What are we going to exactly tell xem to get xem to listen? We have your renditions of the first crystal but Xen didn’t exactly seem to recognize them.

Voxis: Well. If they return to Xen... There’s a possibility that the energy of the crystals sparked enough in them that Xen would recognize them...

Voxis: I uh... May have caused Xen being sealed to their dimension... And that seal only allows certain energies to make it through. They were sealed when Black Mesa stopped going to Xen after the capture of XG1 and XB2. I was waiting to be able to energy match them...

Rowan: ...That could be very dangerous... Especially if the larger whole of Voxis does anything in between now and the point in time we even attempt to get Gordon and Benrey to Xen. 

*They finally catch that you’re falling asleep.*

Voxis: ...That’s not something that you should give me Goat...