#wild rambling

[wildstar25]

Random thought but what if that city of gold in Tural is actually Section 9? The gold running through the veins of the city not unlike the tracks of a circuit board...

[clarrethotel]

there is something very lgbt about final fantasy eight. this isn’t an insult. this is not a joke about the outfits or how square enix boys look. I mean that I would be living in a different world if I could just choose pronouns in this game. nothing else needs to be changed.

Tell me Zell is not a butch. Whatever. She is. Everything about her screams forced confidence butch. Tell me Squall isn’t an entirely different flavor of butch dealing with insecurities.

sorry not sorry I am headcanoning. Squall is a trans lesbian. Please let me change the pronouns in this game I know there are amazing mods out for it, I know there has to be a way to edit pronouns and gender references in this voice acting free game. Let me experience it how the creators never intended! Squall is a woman and trans! Squall is about to fall head over heels for femme bombshell Rinoa (once i get past the first stupid mission)! Zell needs to beat the shit out of Seifer but deep down has too good a heart

[qwertystop]

Broader Balance Implications of Time-Rending Morganite

So, there's been a new Yu-Gi-Oh card announced in the OCG (the Japanese version of the game), "Time-Rending Morganite", and... well, I'm only a casual player, I can't judge on this from a balance perspective, but from a game-design angle, this card is huge.

Apply these effects for the rest of this Duel. ● You cannot activate monster effects in the hand. ● Draw 2 cards instead of 1 for your normal draw during your Draw Phase. ● You can conduct up to 2 Normal Summons/Sets each turn, not just 1. You can banish this card from your GY and discard 1 "Time-Rending Morganite"; this turn, your opponent cannot activate monster effects when you Normal Summon a monster.

(image and translation per Yugipedia, 2023-01-07)

This card reads to me as indicative of two or three things, from a broader game-design perspective. Details under the cut, but TLDR:

It looks like Konami wants the game to slow down, or at least they want to make slower strategies viable. This card tries to make "I'll hold them off and slowly charge up/wear them down" work in a game where comboing through nearly half your deck for a one-turn kill on your first or second turn is routine, and they might actually have pulled it off.

They've found an entirely novel way to do this without either A: banning huge swathes of the game (all the big combos, which are a large part of the game's appeal for many players) or B: restricting this slow strategy to one very specific archetype of cards (the usual way they've introduced new playstyles in the past).

That new tool could also be used to support many other cards and styles of play, where the cards present a fantasy but cannot make it work within the constraints of the game rules and of physical cardstock.

I read Time-Rending Morganite as an effort by Konami to bring back an older style of play, when games took more than three turns and doing things on your opponent's turn was mostly the domain of Traps.

First off: It rewards slower strategies. It makes slow strategies stronger, not by making the wall itself harder to break, but by giving the player who successfully does hold their opponent off more resources to use the longer they keep their wall up. The reward from playing TRM scales geometrically: Every new turn, you get another extra card and summon. This directly counteracts the problem that every card you spend on blocking your opponent from beating you is a resource *not* spent on getting yourself closer to victory; "I haven't lost yet" isn't the same as "I'll win soon", but TRM makes "I'm buying time to build up strength" possible by giving you more cards to work with, so you can trade one-for-one every turn and still come out ahead. TRM "pays" for this by preventing the player from using monster effects in hand – that's hand traps, sure, but it's also monsters that Special Summon themselves from the hand, or discard themselves to search other things out of your deck. Those are some of the biggest ways the game got to be as fast as it is: the ability to rapidly turn your whole hand into disrupting your opponent's board, building your own board, and pulling more stuff that you can also immediately use.

Second: It lets you opt into this new-old paradigm while also, to a limited extent, forcing your opponent to do the same. If you play three copies of it, you can stop your opponent from using Quick monster effects to mess with you – hand traps but also on-board negates and such. That only holds for two turns, but if your opponent is playing a current-meta-style deck with lots of hand traps and on-board negator monsters, two turns is huge.

Third: It shows Konami is willing to bring out some pretty big guns to do this. They're not banning all hand-traps and self-specialers, they're not putting out a new Master Rule revision with only two specials per turn, but they are saying "here's a card that, when you play it, for the rest of the game you're on new rules". It's not quite unprecedented, but before this, "for the rest of this Duel" effects were things like Sales Ban or Sekka's Light, large permanent restrictions for high-impact one-off effects. Players can opt in to playing on a modified ruleset, in a way that's not locking that ruleset into a specific archetype designed around it (like Flower Cardians or other entirely-different-game archetypes).

Fourth: This is a new tool that they can continue to use. They could make a series of cards like it, other "Morganite" spells (if you need an archetype name) that have you make other permanent changes to your rules for the rest of the game, to give boosts to other strategies that don't have enough raw card-advantage power to work in the current meta. This one does this for the old classic slower game with less mid-turn interference where the Normal Summon was crucial. Just to spitball a few others (note that these are probably wildly imbalanced, and definitely not written in strict PSCT-compliant phrasing; the point is to get the general idea across):

Fusion toolboxes like Elemental Heroes, too reliant on getting specific combinations and unable to justify Extra Deck space for hyperspecific niches: You can no longer summon non-Fusion monsters from your Extra Deck, but as many times as you like each turn, you can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck or GY (no forcing you to choose between having enough copies of one thing and having enough variety, don't think of this as a separate card, it's the combination of several other cards but unfortunately we have to print it on something) that names a specific monster for at least one material, and names a monster or archetype for all of their materials (i.e. no generic materials), using materials from the hand and/or field (i.e. infinite Polymerizations, except without breaking when-you-play-a-spell triggers). Once per turn you can use one material from your deck for the Fusion Summon of such a non-generic Fusion Monster. When a Fusion Monster summoned through either of these effects leaves the field return it to the Extra Deck.

All the different upgrade-ish monsters, where the concept is clearly "the monster you already have gets better in these specific circumstances", but the implementation is limited by the need to print that somewhere, so the better version is a separate card that takes up space in your deck but is useless if you draw it (for example, "Lv" and "Assault Mode" monsters): Once per turn, search your deck for a a monster that cannot be Normal Summoned and can only be Special Summoned by a specific procedure that it describes, and add it to your hand. Once per turn, if you draw such a monster, you may reveal it, search your deck for a monster that is specifically named by its effect or that specifically names it, and add that to your hand.

[riddlesandlies]

I keep seeing people say "play Outer Wilds, no, I can't tell you anything about it". Bitch. It's an exploration game about astronauts fucking around in space, doing archeology, astrology astronomy and science, with the gameplay itself consisting mostly of navigation in various 3D spaces with your legs or your trusty spaceship. There are interesting characters and tantalizing mysteries. It will require a fair bit of reading and thinking, it will sometimes test your speed, reflexes and precision. The story is about curiosity, courage, compassion, music, death, rebirth, and the terrifying vastness of space. The game can induce agoraphobia, claustrophobia, fear of heights, fear of depths and that which is unseen or hidden. Your character has four eyes and can roast marshmallows on any bonfire. Bitch.

[timelorddarthswagger]

The intimacy of blades. A close and tenuous seduction. A prelude to potential violence. To use a blade is to enact destruction in some attempt of creation.

But it is a temporary thing. A Temporally. Transient, And Tetherless type of thing. A blade unsheathed. Even when not put to ruinous ends to justify the means. Can not help but cut the silence itself when sheathed.

[eydilily]

would you bite the hand that feeds you?

[girlashfur]

my dealer : got you some straight gas here ⛽🔥😜 this new strain is called "into the wild". you'll be zonked out of your gourd

me : yeah whatever. i don't feel shit.

5 minutes later : dude i swear i just saw a kittypet near the border

my buddy : [pacing around the camp] tigerclaw is lying to us

[ladidatt]

Did grian feel more watcher-like this season to anyone else? Sure he controls what the wildcards are and all that... but did you notice him being more overconfident.

Both his deaths this session was due to him being careless... like he wouldn't be killed. Like he feels invulnerable. (Who else is popularly portrayed as arrogant? The watchers!)

And the canary's curse. He told jimmy he would make sure it comes true. ( Who made the canary's curse? The watchers!)

I feel like the watchers have regained some influence on him. Something gave the watchers more influence on him this season... maybe something in the last life series. Who won the last life series? Scar...

[frownyalfred]

thinking about a Damian who was raised his entire life hearing how much he looks like his Father, how he's the blood son, how he's better than any other child Bruce Wayne has taken in, starting to buy into it like a kid does, only to hit puberty and turn out looking like 80% Talia.

[mintaikk]

I fuck hard with Asexual Venom, but the idea of Venom, an alien whose species doesn't breed sexually and don't have concepts of sex, being sexually attracted to some boring sad and sweaty white guy he picked up on the streets is just so funny to me

[jupiterlandings]

“How is 12 year old Annabeth head of the Athena cabin??”

1. Demi gods have the life expectancy of a lemming.

2. Gifted kids often burn out by age 16 & I doubt any of the Athena teens have the energy or desire to argue with their little sister who willingly takes care of all the family paperwork.

[wildstar25]

I am still not over the Encyclopedia Eorzea III entry for Nixie:

"In pursuit of a playmate, a young Y'shtola created this water-based familiar by applying lessons learned from her mentor. Perhaps due to inexperience, however, her first attempt at a nixie is prone to trickery and mischief."

I'm really not okay about this because first off, Of course Y'shtola had no one to play with. Of course instead of trying to find other kids in new Sharalaya, she'd just make her own playmate instead. I'm always a little heartbroken over Shtola's very lonely childhood tbh.

Second and most important to me is that this entire time I've had it in Arsay's lore that she summoned her carbuncle the first time because she wanted a friend to play with. She literally sneaked out of the house with one of Emrara's grimoires, hoping its contents would show her how to make the kind little fairy Emrara uses to heal. Arsay had no clue what all those shapes and lines meant, so she just closed her eyes and thought really hard about having a friend while she drew a circle in the air. Next thing she knows, a little blue Carbuncle is popping out of the air and on to her. They've been best friends ever since.

I've always said that Arsay and Y'shtola are far more alike than they appear to be. Them having another thing in common backed up by lore is making me emotional in ways I cannot explain. I'm simply just holding them in my hands and squeezing.

[oh-no-its-bird]

Naruto is fucking insane bc as someone who's never actually watched the anime, I'll have just THE gayest shit pop up on my dash of Sasuke and Naruto, and when I go "oh hey nice edit, this looks really good" I FIND OUT ITS CANON OFFICIAL MEDIA DIRECTLY FROM THE ANIME??? Insane. How did they get away with that.

[kcrabb88]

It's truly wild to me how many people out there don't understand that the Star Wars prequels are a tragedy or how tragedies work.

Posts like "these are the Jedi failed movies" truly just make me shake my head. They're actually the "fascism wears a smile until it strikes you down and then it's too late" movies. They're the "the senate became corrupt and clapped in the face of genocide" movies. They're the "make people scared enough of war until they accept authoritarianism" movies. They're the "fear and possessiveness will tear you up on the inside" movies. The Jedi were the heroes of lore, people loved and looked up to them, looked to them for safety, and then too much got put on their shoulders on purpose by Palpatine, and also by a senate that didn't want to act (not you Padme and Bail and Mon, you're perfect). They were drafted and used and scapegoated, which is, you know, a tenet of the vast majority of authoritarian governments (Hitler and Stalin, for instance, might be on different ends of the political spectrum, but they sure both did scapegoat specific groups and commit mass murder, just differently).

When some people say "these movies are about the fall of the Jedi" what they mean is "the Jedi failed" but that's not what "the fall of the Jedi means." It means they were wiped the fuck OUT. Like, Jesus, in Rogue One Tarkin is talking about burning out the final MEMORY of the Jedi by blowing up the holy city in Jedha. Palpatine had to get rid of the Jedi because to get rid of the Jedi was to get rid of the final people standing in his way after he had already worn them out. His intention was not only to kill them, but to alter the galaxy's entire perception of them. To rip away hope. People are always looking for the Jedi to be Bad or nitpick their mistakes (because while other people are allowed to make mistakes, the Jedi never are). Palpatine made himself look like a benevolent grandpa who would keep everyone safe. And that, more than anything, is what gave him SO much power. He stole the narrative.

It's just like. Of course WE know what was going to happen! We know from watching the OT that the PT can only end in tragedy. But the characters don't know that! They don't have all the info! That's how a tragic story structure works. We see it coming and they can't.

Anyway. The Jedi are laser-sword wielding monks with psychic powers who just wanted to do what they could to help. The world would be better if more folks remembered that.

[aliennopossumm]

taking after you :(

[waestlandbaby]

Something that stood out to me in my aftg reread was how unhinged the upperclassmen actually are.

Matt fucking Boyd and his willingness to absolutely go at anyone, anywhere, any time. There's a scene where Kevin tells him to foul another player on the opposing team and Neil specifically points out the unrepentant grin he has on his face as he waltzes off court after it happens. He also is described as the best player on the foxes line up multiple times by Neil and his play style is aggressive, he uses his height and build to his advantage and he doesn't hold back.

Allison and Andrew have the exact same style of serving cunt, in that if you don't interest them they will not even acknowledge your existence. A player from another team attempted to score on the goal and both Allison and Andrew stood still and watched them miss with such bitchy indifference it probably gave that player ptsd. They also both have a habit of cutting through bullshit and demanding truth ESPECIALLY regarding topics other people would shy away from. Badass blonde bombshells.

Dan Wilds is just as rabid about Exy as Kevin and her every first thought goes to the game first just like Kevin. She's just better at making her second thought go to something else. She literally knew the second Seth was out of the picture that there was an opportunity there and she didn't even really hesitate to talk to Matt about it. She looked at Neil and whatever fucked up little thing he had going on with Andrew (as it would have looked to an outsider, let's remember that they all knew Andrew took him to Columbia and drugged him) and was like, how can we use this to make the team stronger. Like Nicky used Neil to manipulate Andrew but Dan did it better and with much more calculation.

Renee I don't even really need to talk about because Neil was always wary of her but there is one scene where Neil let's slip about his father's penchant for knives and Renee's reaction and understanding gave me chills. Renee uses that part of her to protect and that's really great because she would be terrifying otherwise.