#chocobo robot

[wankoshibe]

So boss told me about CES and now im so stoked for this idea again aaahh. Now to see if this is another one of my ADHD projects I just plan constantly or actually work on obsessively. Kat we gotta do this girl been dreaming of this since I was a kid and even sourced ostrich feathers or faux feathers I could use for this.

[sunsetzer]

The party has been stuck in Jidoor for like three weeks now because the auction house Will Not give me the sword I need to encounter Gilgamesh and every time I see the robotic imp that guy buys for one million gil I think about how Edgar would probably love to figure out how that thing works

[thesheeark]

Runaway Brain prt1

@/erakir.bsky.social was fooled by the job advertising! But they wont have to worry their pretty head about that.... (the second half is nsfw so you may not get part 2 depending on where you see this posted)

Posted using PostyBirb

[thankskenpenders]

Sonic Prime Season 3: Final episodes, final thoughts

Well, here we are. The final seven episodes of Sonic Prime are out on Netflix, concluding the story of Sonic's adventures in the Shatterverse. I've previously shared my thoughts on the first and second seasons, which I was pretty mixed on, but there were still glimmers of hope. The fluid animation, Shadow being fun in all his appearances, Nine being fairly interesting as a jaded alternate version of Tails, etc. There was enough to make me believe that after some highs and lows there was still the possibility that this show could end on a high note - or at least a decent note.

This did not happen.

Sonic Prime's final season sucks. The ending sucks, and the road to get there sucks. It's left me wondering what the point of all this even was. There are still moments I like that I'll try to highlight, and the animators and voice cast are still clearly giving it their all, but these efforts sadly don't outweigh the overwhelming mediocrity of the story. I would barely even recommend other Sonic fans who are on the fence go out of their way to finish it. I won't begrudge people who got more out of this show than I did, but I think overall I just really, really dislike Sonic Prime.

...The problem, of course, is that all other discussion of the show has been overshadowed by needlessly hostile arguments over its place in Sonic's canon. So we've gotta talk about that, too.

(This post will contain full spoilers for Sonic Prime.)

The show's out of ideas but they've gotta stretch that shit out to hit the 23 episode mark somehow

Season 2 ended with the big twist that Nine decided to betray Sonic and Shadow, taking the Paradox Prism for himself so that he could go turn the empty world of the Grim into his own little paradise, since he doesn't believe he'll fit anywhere else. Nine has made himself the true big bad of the show.

The main impact this has is that now, instead of fighting endless identical Eggforcer bots and members of the Chaos Council over and over, the good guys and the Chaos Council have to fight endless Chaos Sonic-style robots sent by Nine while he goes "grrrrr I need Sonic's energy to stabilize the Paradox Prism." This continues for six whole episodes until the series finale, when the show decides it's time for Sonic and Nine to quickly make amends, fix everything, and send Sonic and Shadow home.

That's pretty much the whole season.

I cannot emphasize enough just how much of this final season is just fight after fight after fight against Nine's bots, and how fucking boring that gets. The season feels like one long, drawn out final battle that did not need to be nearly this long, but Nine had his big heel turn 2/3 of the way through the show and we've gotta fill up the rest of the time somehow. The novelty of the bots being based off of Sonic's friends (including the Chocobo-sized Birdie from the jungle world) really wears off quickly when they're just used as generic, silent mooks that the good guys have to fight by the dozen like it's the climax of an MCU movie. The first episode of the season with Sonic and Shadow fighting the new bots is pretty good, especially because Sonic and Shadow's dynamic is one of the few redeeming aspects of this show's writing, but after that it just gets boring. Three full episodes in a row are spent showing all the characters fighting robots in an empty wasteland while Nine scowls next to a big beam of energy. I found myself missing the in-your-face attitude of Chaos Sonic so much. He truly was one of the best parts of this show.

While the cast is busy fighting all these robots for what feels like an eternity, various things of varying levels of interest happen. There's a halfhearted attempt to have some kind of rivalry between Shadow and the main Grim Sonic throughout the final battle, but it completely falls flat because Grim Sonic has no personality whatsoever. It's like Shadow beefing with an above-average Egg Pawn. (Actually, no, that would be funny.) There's also a death fakeout with the two other versions of Tails, where they make a makeshift bomb and throw it a little too close to themselves on the battlefield and seem to get vaporized. If they had actually died there they would have had the funniest, most pointless deaths in the entire franchise.

I also realized at one point that they were trying to do the Avengers girl power fight thing with the three versions of Amy fighting a bunch of Rouge bots. This was very funny to me. Actually, so much of this is just following the tired MCU formula to the letter. Fighting over a macguffin, two armies just kind of running at each other and clashing in a big empty field, constant one-liner quips instead of actual jokes, the need to take out key targets to make the whole enemy army disappear, a villain who has a point but has to randomly hurt people so that there's an excuse for the heroes to fight him. When combined with how shit the multiverse stuff is, this whole show really is just Man of Action tackling some of the most played out storytelling tropes in modern pop culture in the most bland way possible. What a bunch of hacks.

By far, the one truly fun thing that happens in this protracted final battle is when a giant robot based on Big appears. It doesn't have arms or legs, but it can swing itself around to use its tail like a giant mace, and it can also shoot Froggy-shaped missiles out of its mouth. I wish the rest of the show was even half as fun as this. Again, Sonic Prime has just enough good moments to make you mad that the rest of the show isn't better.

The thing is, all this repetitive (but well-animated) action and the thin excuse plot would be totally serviceable if I just gave a shit about the characters involved. But I don't. I don't care what happens to the pirate version of Amy who goes "arrr." I don't care about what happens to Hipster Eggman. And unfortunately, by the end, I didn't really care about Nine, either.

Nine as a villain

It's hard to criticize the story here without it coming off as a broad condemnation of the tropes at play. The thing is, I like many stories that try to do similar things. I love clashes between heroes and villains that are really just fantastical exaggerations of more personal conflicts. I love stories where a tragic, sympathetic villain lashes out at the world as an expression of the pain they feel, and a compassionate hero just has to get through to them. I eat that shit right up. Undertale is my favorite game ever made. Shit, I love other Sonic stories that do these exact things. And Sonic having to fight an alternate timeline version of Tails also has so much potential for drama!

So I can very easily imagine a version of the show where all this works for me. That just isn't the version we got.

Like I said last time, Nine's motivation is just too sympathetic and understandable for his sudden turn to supervillainy to make any sense. He just wanted to start over somewhere where he can be happy after a childhood filled with bullying and loneliness. Nine betraying Sonic and stealing the Paradox Prism to go make his own world? That tracks! Especially since we don't even know if Nine will still exist if Sonic goes through with his plan to restore his original world! But trying to kill everyone in New Yolk City by tilting the world 90 degrees, intentionally targeting the civilian population because it'll get to Sonic? Nope! Sorry, that's a bridge too far. I don't buy it. He's jaded and antisocial, but he doesn't strike me as cruel. Writing in an excuse about him needing Sonic's energy to fix the Prism does not make this make more sense.

This was really just one of those conflicts where it felt like everyone should stop and talk it out. Instead we got six episodes of fighting before one of Sonic's many, MANY attempts at reasoning with Nine throughout the season finally works. This isn't me pulling some Cinema Sins bullshit where I complain about characters in a work of fiction not always behaving rationally - the real problem is that it's just so damn repetitive waiting for this conflict to resolve. This could have been wrapped up in two or three episodes and instead it takes seven.

A brief aside about that weird Dorkly-ass Sonic Advance 3 flashback scene hacked together with mismatched sprites where Gemerl happens to be present, presumably just because he's a part of the sprite for the Sunset Hill boss, and seeing him briefly makes me remember the extended cast from the games and how much I wish they had just made a cartoon about them instead of a bunch of stock characters wearing the skin of Sonic's friends, but then Gemerl just explodes with the boss machine at the end while Eggman is shown to get away so I guess Gemerl just dies in this flashback

Yeah that sure happened huh

The ending

Despite having a final battle that felt like an eternity, Sonic Prime is a show that just kind of... ends. And that ending is weird and haphazard.

The understanding I had was that Sonic's normal world had "shattered" when the Paradox Prism was destroyed, and from those remnants these new worlds were created. This is why they use terms like "Shatterverse" and "Shatterspaces" and why there's shattered glass/crystal/whatever imagery everywhere. This is a broken, fragmented version of the real universe. Right? Right?? Isn't that the entire premise of the show? And therefore, if the universe has been shattered, then fixing it means putting all the shattered pieces back together. Which I would assume means that the Shatterspaces cease to exist.

So, in the ending... Sonic's world seems to just exist as another Shatterspace. Restoring the Paradox Prism doesn't seem to combine the worlds or anything, it just fixes the broken portal to Sonic's world that exists alongside all the others. So... what exactly was the point of all the shattered glass symbolism?

Things only get more confusing as the ending progresses. Shadow brings Sonic through the portal before the draining of Sonic's whatever energy makes him disappear, and they're transported back in time to right before Sonic broke the Paradox Prism. Only Sonic seems to remember what happened (Shadow might remember, but he doesn't say anything), and with the Paradox Prism never shattered, it's unclear if the Shatterspaces exist now.

I'm not particularly hung up on the time loop ending. It's very much in line with all sorts of classic morality tales like A Christmas Carol or It's a Wonderful Life, where the flawed protagonist goes through some kind of magical experience and then returns home with a new appreciation for the people in their life. It's always been pretty obvious that was the type of story they were telling. I'm more bothered by the fact that there's no time whatsoever spent on whether or not the other worlds and the characters in them continue to exist. Sonic seems to act like the worlds will go on without him before he leaves, but it's not like we get an ending scene that shows how the other worlds are doing, so they really truly might as well not exist anymore. Sonic just wraps up the adventure from the first episode when he gets home, and before he can explain what happened from his perspective he's interrupted by a mysterious energy wave from off-screen and it's off to the next adventure.

(Despite this odd cliffhanger ending, the show is extremely over and not coming back. I have to imagine this is just a "the adventures never end" type ending and not a hint that more shit is going on with the Paradox Prism.)

This ending is also a terrible resolution to Nine's whole arc, despite him being the driving force of so much of the show. The way I see it, there are are three possible fates for him:

The Shatterspaces continue existing, and things go as Sonic expects them to go. Nine is allowed to make the Grim into his own little utopia, and everyone else leaves him alone instead of punishing him for all the trouble he caused. Instead of finding love and acceptance so he can heal from a lifetime of bullying and loneliness, Nine is allowed to run away, isolating himself from every other living being in the multiverse, and live alone as the god of an empty world with only his own creations as company. Sonic was his only friend, and he's gone forever now.

The Shatterspaces continue existing, but because of the time travel ending, most of the events of the show never happened. Sonic never helped defeat the Chaos Council, so they still control New Yolk City. Nine is back to living in this dystopian city with no friends. He never met Sonic.

The Shatterspaces have been erased. After fighting so hard for his right to exist as his own person and not just a "wrong" version of Tails, when the timeline is altered, he just... stops existing. Along with almost every other character in the show.

Do I even need to explain why these are all unsatisfying?

Misc. thoughts

I skimmed over this, but a lot of the final season is just spent seeing Sonic's friends bicker with the Chaos Council and then Sonic has to beg them to get along to save the universe. It gets old.

We also never really got an explanation for why the Chaos Council exists. They can't have come from other Shatterspaces because there ARE no other Shatterspaces. If the original Eggman was just split into five guys or time travel was involved or whatever, it never comes up. I can live with this, but it seems like an odd omission for a children's show that's constantly bogged down in technobabble explaining the mechanics of its extremely small and finite multiverse.

I have no idea where Shadow was for the first part of the final battle. I figured Nine must have captured him off-screen after Sonic first left the Grim, but Shadow was just... hanging around until his cue in the script, I guess?

Sonic saying "help a brother up" to Shadow was funny

Hipster Eggman pointing to one of the few nameless extras who tagged along for the final battle and going "Who are you? Seriously, does anyone know who this is?" was the only funny thing he did in the entire show

Mangy Tails randomly pressing buttons on the Chaos Council's generator like a curious animal and managing to improve its output was cute

Rusty Rose randomly realizes that the Birdie in her chest actually isn't being used as a power source, and that the Chaos Council was just... using that to manipulate her, somehow? I don't really know how that works but whatever

The Sonic Advance 3 flashback uses the actual boss music from the game, but they can't use the real Sunset Hill theme because they didn't wanna pay Masato Nakamura for using the Green Hill motif, I guess

To my fellow fans of bad games: did you know that Man of Action wrote the story for the bizarre Square Enix game The Quiet Man? The one where the lengthy FMV cutscenes play out with muffled audio and no subtitles because the protagonist is deaf, so you can't tell what's going on? And you had to do a New Game+ playthrough to actually hear the audio and understand what's going on? The worst-reviewed game of 2018? That one? I only learned that recently and it blew me away

So yeah, that's the end of the show. I didn't like it, and I don't think I liked the show much as a whole. I am far from alone in this sentiment, but the reasons why people dislike the show... those vary a bit.

The canon conundrum

More than anything else, it seems like most other discourse surrounding this show has been consumed by one talking point:

How can this be canon? Why is it canon?

I want to state very clearly up front that I, too, am a person who's noticed and complained about the inconsistencies with the games in Sonic Prime. Some of the characters are a bit off - or, you know, completely unrecognizable when discussing the writing of some of the AU counterparts. I think it's lame to say Sonic and friends all live in Green Hill and act like that's the entirety of their world. That sort of thing. But if Sega says it's canon to everything else? Sure. Fine. There's weirder shit in the canon.

Really, most of this can be explained away pretty easily. The show was written at a time when Sega was still figuring shit out and there were looser restrictions. Why does Sonic act a little more immature? Probably just because Prime is aiming for a slightly younger audience than the games or the IDW comics. (And also it's, y'know, written by Man of Action, who people have accused of only knowing how to write one kind of protagonist for years.) Why do Sonic and friends live in Green Hill? Because that's the most recognizable location from the games, and the game world doesn't get enough screentime to justify modeling multiple different environments, so they just focus on Green Hill. Why is this considered canon to the games? Because this is the first Sonic cartoon that outright references events from the games as things that have happened to Sonic in the past.

But announcing early on that Prime would be canon certainly let fans' imaginations wander. It was one of the few things we knew about the show before it premiered. People wondered if characters from the games and comics who had never made any appearances in Sonic cartoons might get their time in the spotlight. We wondered if it would tie into the lore or any existing storylines in interesting ways, like the IDW comics do. But above all else, we hoped that its canon status would mean that Sonic Prime would finally be the Sonic cartoon that was faithful to the source material with no catches. We've literally never seen the actual world of the games brought to life in a TV show. Sonic X came the closest, but that still took its liberties. And so hype built for this Canon Sonic Cartoon.

And then it actually came out, and after a brief intro in Green Hill based loosely on the games, it spent most of its running time focusing on things like "what if there was a version of Eggman who was a bratty teen who just wanted to play video games?" The disappointment among fans is understandable. I am disappointed. Look at how much I've bitched about this aggressively mid cartoon.

Some fans, however, came up with an elaborate theory about the series. You see, when asked about the show's place in the game timeline during a live Q&A, Ian Flynn (who only served as a consultant on Sonic Prime and did not write any of it) said this:

"I cannot answer because I know the answer, and you haven't finished watching the show yet."

A couple days later, when answering another question about Prime's place in the timeline and also about a writing discrepancy, he said this:

"As to where it fits on the timeline, I can't speak to it because that would spoil the show to a degree. So you're just gonna have to wait 'til it's done. Towards the other point, I don't know how much I can say, so it's probably better that I not comment. That's a really dissatisfying answer, I know, I'm sorry, but my hands are kinda tied on that one."

I feel the need to quote Ian directly here, because these very basic statements about how he can't talk about behind the scenes shit or anything from unreleased episodes was GREATLY misinterpreted by the fandom. People clung onto Ian's claim that we had to keep watching like a life preserver. Some took it as Ian saying that the ending would explain everything. Finally, we'd have a definitive answer for every little discrepancy and the apparent differences in worldbuilding. An explanation for why Sega and the producers repeatedly insist this show HAS to be canon.

And to these fans, the only explanation that made any sense... would be if the ending of Sonic Prime pulled a Flashpoint.

As this theory explained, the Sonic we were following in Sonic Prime wasn't the Sonic we know from the games and the IDW comics, and likewise the world he comes from isn't really the game world. This is a different Sonic who fights a different Eggman in a world that's literally just Green Hill. It was a hint that something was off all along! But in the end of the series, this Sonic would sacrifice himself to merge all of the Shatter Spaces together and form a brand new world, and that would be the more visually diverse world of the games and comics. According to this theory, Sonic Prime was canon because it was a new origin story for the entire franchise.

I want you to really stop and think about how asinine of an origin story this would be. Really drink this in. The idea that there was another, slightly different version of Sonic who went on a kinda shitty multiverse adventure and then sacrificed himself to create the real Sonic that we've known since 1991. People convinced themselves this made more sense than the simple explanation that a different team of writers got some stuff wrong and Sega didn't make them change it. Interviews where producers talked about drawing on Sonic's "mythology" (ie: they reference the games in the show) were taken very literally - they must be saying that Prime's story is mythological in nature, and that this show would be integral to the games' mythology. Why bother making a show that's canon if it's not going to be crucial to that canon, after all?

The final episodes dropped, and none of this happened. Because of course it didn't. It was all Sherlock fandom-level copium. But fans were left confused by the lack of a grand reveal of where Sonic Prime fits in the timeline, believing they had been promised this, and they turned to Ian for an explanation. Ian's answer:

It doesn't matter, b/c Prime wipes itself out. It's sometime after Advance 3*, but otherwise, it's moot. I didn't want to sour anyone's expectations or investment by spoiling how Prime resolves, that's all. If you enjoyed it, awesome. Savor it. If you didn't, then you can safely ignore it. Simple as that.

* About a trillion people have um, actually'd Ian to point out Orbot and Cubot briefly appear in the show, but if we're really being pedantic here we don't actually know how long before Colors Eggman built Orbot and Cubot, so it wouldn't be fully accurate to say a story featuring Orbot and Cubot couldn't be set before Colors. Either way, a story set anywhere around Colors, or at any point later than that, could still be described as "sometime after Advance 3." Advance 3 is just the most recent game that has specific in-game events referenced in the show. Yes I can feel myself morphing into the nerd emoji before your very eyes

Anyway, this is the latest reason Ian is getting death threats on Twitter. This time it's over a show he barely even had any input on!

I'll cut to the chase. It is truly wild to me that people are getting this heated over canonical inconsistencies in a series as historically inconsistent as Sonic, to the point that they think threatening Ian is justified. The aesthetics of the entire world Sonic inhabits change every other game. Sonic Chronicles may no longer be canon due to the Penders lawsuits, but it was canon at one point, and it took huge liberties with Sonic's world, moving Green Hill off of South Island and reinterpreting Station Square as a tiny outpost in a snowy alpine forest region. Characters' personalities change from writer to writer and based on what Sega wants at the time, with some being WILDLY different across different games. One game Sonic will be stoic and cool, the next he thinks "Baldy McNosehair" is the funniest thing ever. Sega's STILL trying to figure out what Amy's personality is supposed to be. We still don't have the explanation for how the two seemingly contradictory backstories for Blaze can fit together. There have been multiple huge, sweeping retcons, and retcons to those retcons. Sonic Forces claims that Classic Sonic is from an entirely different universe than Modern Sonic, and the plot only makes any sense if that's true - otherwise, Modern Sonic would have already known Eggman was going to beat him and take over the world when he did, because his younger self had already lived through that war. All of that makes no sense in the newly reunified timeline, but Forces is very much still canon.

For fuck's sake, we're talking about the series where Eggman blew up half the moon and then it looked completely normal in every other game after, explained away as "the moon just rotated so we can't see the destroyed side from Earth." This has never, ever, ever been a franchise where everything lines up perfectly with no issues. It's not that serious.

The real core problem with Prime isn't that things don't line up 100% with our current understanding of canon, or that Sonic's characterization means this can't be the real Sonic, or anything like that. The problem, as I've been saying this whole time, is that the story is bad. None of these discrepancies would truly matter if the story was better. They'd just be nitpicks. The fact that Sonic and friends live in Green Hill would be the farthest thing from my mind if the drama was more engaging, if the villains were better, if the jokes were actually funny, if more of the alternate universe counterparts of Sonic's friends had more than one generic character trait each, if the multiverse was more creative and varied, if the final seven episodes of this show didn't devolve into the third act of an MCU movie and then just arbitrarily end, if Nine's character arc actually had a satisfying conclusion instead of ending with either isolation or nonexistence. Maybe we'd be seeing people talk about more than just whether or not it should be considered canon if the writing was any good.

"Canon" is not real, and it sure as hell isn't worth sending people death threats over. It's a storytelling tool. Real human beings decide what does and doesn't go into that canon, or how much they do or don't want to draw on past stories, when creating a new story. Serving that canon is secondary to creating a story where the emotional truth resonates with the audience. And Sonic Prime failed to do that. That is its true failing.

And finally, to close out...

Since people will ask, here are my current ranking of the Sonic TV shows, now that Prime is finished.

Sonic Boom

Sonic SatAM

Sonic X

The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic Prime

Sonic Underground

Yes, I'd say Boom is my favorite. It's far from my ideal Sonic cartoon, but it gets a lot of points for being as funny as it is. But the top four are all shows I'd say I like, more or less. They all have their pros and cons.

So now, uh... I guess let's hope the live action Knuckles show coming to Paramount+ is better than the underwhelming synopsis of "Knuckles helps deputy sheriff Wade train in the ways of the echidna warrior" would imply? Maybe we'll get lucky?

[rottenpumpkin13]

what advice(s) would Lazard if a newbie (not Zack, just some random dude) got into the First Rank SOLDIERs?

Lazard: Alright, welcome to First Class. Let me give you some survival tips so you don't end up in the infirmary, therapy, or in a coffin.

Lazard: Never mention family trees around Sephiroth. Or family. Or trees in general. He rarely sees them and feels personally offended when one is free to gaze upon a tree in public without being on an assignment.

Lazard: Never bring up hair care products when Genesis and Sephiroth are in the same room. Last time someone did, we lost three conference rooms, the annual budget, and half of Heidegger's mustache in the crossfire.

Lazard: Never ask Angeal why he doesn't use the Buster Sword. That will turn into a lecture. If you value your time, just assume it's sacred and move on. If you slip up, sit down. You're going to be there a while.

Lazard: If Sephiroth ever gets that look, do not ask what he's thinking. You will come out of it traumatized and therapy isn't covered by SOLDIER.

Lazard: If Genesis ever challenges you to a duel over 'a matter of pride,' just fake your death. Better yet, throw yourself down the stairs. He respects the drama and will let you go.

Lazard: If Sephiroth stares into the distance for more than ten seconds, gently nudge him. He's either lost in thought, planning the downfall of civilization, or contemplating adopting a cat again.

Lazard: If Zack comes to you and says 'I have a great idea!' do NOT listen. That's how the last squad ended up fighting robotic chocobos in the VR room. I had to explain that to the President.

Lazard: If you hear a loud explosion and nobody screams, it's just a Tuesday. If you hear a loud explosion AND screaming? Check if Genesis is on the premises first.

Lazard: If Sephiroth smiles, something is very wrong. Either he's pleased with something, which is unlikely, or you're in immediate danger, which is very likely.

[leathered-wayfarer]

Final Fantasy XIV is such a bizarre experience. Just this morning I have: - Gone to my remote island, where I get help from robots to build an Animal Crossing village - Gone to the moon to build a space station with help from bunnies - Fought gods, by myself, for stamps - Played Mario Kart, but with Chocobos - and went on a normal ass fishing boat

[that1nkyone]

Pilot

(I feel very rusty at writing at the moment, so I'm just doing some prompts before Miqo March starts. I wanted to give it a solid go and dust off my keyboard.

Takes place in A Realm Reborn! Remember how we're always on that mech robot in Praetorium? Remember where she came from? No? Okay.)

--

Ash'li always felt nervous looking at buttons. Not the nice little buttons you could sew onto clothes, no. More the technical bits and pieces that would be spread across a lit-up board of sorts, in the depths of some Garlean military base.

Or, in his case, the cockpit of a Garlean Reaper.

"… a-are you sure you want me up here?" He asked. "Well, of course! She'll need to get used to you!" Wedge gave him a thumbs-up from down below. "It's easy enough! She'll be doing a lot of the moving herself. Just tell Maggie here what to do!" Ash'li bit his lip, looking down at the controls. "Uh… alright." It wasn't to say that the miqo'te felt stupid, most of the time. But working in the presence of scholars and engineers often made him feel quite… lacking. In knowledge of most kinds. Knowledge that seemed more important or useful for the moment. Like which buttons to press, for example. "Ash'li." His gaze darted down to see Cid, staring up at him and crossing his arms. His heart sank. Hells. Was it that obvious that he was out of his depth? Here he was, the supposed slayer of Primals - floundering at a task that was second-nature to the trio standing before him - "No need to panic," the engineer smiled. "Just say aloud what you'd like her to do. The Mammet Heart wasn't just for powering the machine, you know." After a moment, it clicked. "Oh. Oh!" Quickly, Ash'li sat up straight. Right. Audible directions. That, he could do! That, he was used to! Only... This was a machine, however - not a chocobo. It wouldn't do to use whistle commands in the place of spoken directions. Maggie seemed to have enjoyed being welcomed into the group, so perhaps… He thought a moment, before tentatively speaking. "Um. Maggie? Hello. Could you move forward, please?" And almost instantly, the Reaper complied - - with far more enthusiasm than anyone could have wanted. There was a yell, as well as the sound of three men hitting the ground in an effort to leap out of the way of a suddenly stampeding pair of servos. Ash'li didn't know when his surroundings became a blur of colour, nor when he started to feel as if his lunch would appear again. But he was holding onto the dashboard for dear life, the loud clanking of the Reaper and with wind screaming his ears. Mercifully, he could hear Biggs' shout several (alarming) yalms back. "THE RIGHT LEVER!! PULL IT BACK TO BRAKE!!" With the practiced posture of a chocobo jockey, Ash'li hurriedly pulled back the lever as if it were reins. "Easy, girl!" He called. "STOP, please!" Maggie's enthusiasm caused him to battle the lever for a moment. But she soon leapt into a skid, leaving scrapes in the crystalized ground beneath them. And finally, she halted. Ash'li was jostled by the whiplash. It was only when Maggie stood perfectly still once again that he dared to look up over the dashboard, seeing the Ironworks Engineers rushing up towards them. "Bugger me! Are you alright?!" Cid arrived first, his goggles slightly askew. "I didn't think she'd… take to you… so quickly…" Wedge was next to arrive, bracing his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. "Maggie! You can't go off like that so recklessly after we just fixed your leg!" Biggs was laughing as he caught up. "Guess she's fond of manners! Ash'li's being a right gentleman!" Cid couldn't help but chuckle in response, collecting himself as he quickly re-adjusted his goggles. "Well! I'd call this a roaring success. I'd ask for a few more field tests, but time's ticking as it is." He beamed up at the miqo'te, who'd removed his own mask to wipe the sweat off his brow. "What do you say? You think you've got a handle on this?" Ash'li's ears perked up, looking down at the dashboard once more. And finally released the brake lever. "I think so." he said. And that was honestly beyond what he'd thought possible mere moments ago. Ash'li gave the side of the cockpit a small pat. "Thank you, Maggie. Could we go a little slower next time, please?" The Reaper beeped a cheerful affirmative.

[mxdotpng]

i wish ff15 had more crossover events theyre really just so much fun. could you imagine? ff15 nier crossover. kingdom hearts. the chocobros have endless crossover potential solely from the fact that none of them have left the crown city and just accept things at face value. theres a kid who can summon trains and mythical creatures with a magic key sword? sure, i guess. why not. a group of dead kids with numbers on their hands trying to break into the crown city? we cant exactly let them do that but teenagers are weird this has probably happened before. two robots show up trying to kill other robots? lets take them to the chocobo festival they'll love it. some guy is walking around with a floating, talking book? thats probably normal i dunno its not like we've left the city before maybe lots of people can do that

[tptmas]

ASSIGN THEM PLATFORMERS!! :3

Fucked this up so the set up is different.. here they are as platforms!!! Except majority of them are weird..

I think Disposable Girl would be super interested in Run 3 and be hyperfixated on it, but also plays it because the popular kids sometimes play it instead of doing their work.

For Irreverent Girl I put Project Demo; a Mario Romhack featuring characters from the YouTuber Raocow. I think she’d like romhacks in general but I thought of Project Demo the most.

As much as I hate Sonic.EXE, let’s be honest, Splitter Girl would play it. She’d play the normal sonic games too but she likes the creepypasta ones for the gore.

I can see Fainéant Girl making Mario Maker levels. I think she’s really mad about the 3DS losing online features though, she doesn’t want to get Mario Maker 2, so she’s stuck building now.

CALIBER GIRL MEGA MAN <3 I think she knows every weakness of each robot masters and stuff but never has time to play it. Also… the futuristic theme,, caliber’s design…. Grahhhhhh!!!

Chocolate-Box Girl would love all the Kirby games, but I picked RTDL for him because of yet again, the betrayal factor. And totally not because of the Kirby manga where magolor was freaky for chilly

I hate to say this I had ZERO idea for Taxidermy Girl. Do we count Jay’s Skateboarding Game a platformer? I think both her and Chocobo would like the Lacey games and their lore.

I think Chemical Girl LOVES MAD RAT DEAD. And also it just fits her; Rhythm game platformer, main character is related to labs, MAD??? MAD!!!! Also bad ass design I think she would cosplay him

[year2000electronics]

Hi Mothra, random question:

Can you infodump a bit on anything Skylanders? My partner loves it (Especially Stealth Elf) and I wanna understand the pure brainrot he's got going on with it.

Hatefully yours (/silly),

Jayson Gayson

OKAY SURE. so i will tell you a bit about skylanders. the protag of the skylanders games aren't actually the skylanders. since you can swap to any skylander at any time, you can't really give them this unique role. actually, YOU, the player, are the main character. you are a Portal Master who uses the Portal of Power to bring skylanders back to their home dimension of skylands (putting the toy on the portal) after they were banished to earth and turned into statues (toys.) by the villain. so frequently people in the story will refer to The Portal Master. it doesn't actually play a role in the story that much but ive always found it neat that the sort of meta-element in toys to life is there. there's no Infinityster in Disney Infinity, no Amiibo Lord in amiibo, no Dimension Keeper in Lego Dimensions... but for skylanders, the actual act of putting the toy on the portal is incorporated into the story of the game. i think that's such a cool way to do it.

ANYWAYS. skylands is your typical Fantasy Land brimming with magic. there are other Portal Masters in skylands but theyre mostly gone. as of right now the only ones are you the player, this old guy named Master Eon, and a Dark Portal Master who is the villain of the games named Kaos. basically if invader zim was human. i do mean that literally. the big macguffin centerpiece of the magic in skylands is called the Core of Light so the first game starts with kaos destroying that. and it's up to us the portal master to send skylanders back to skylands temporarily in order to stop this looming threat.

throughout the series you also need people to bounce off and follow in cutscenes, so you do get a trio of deuteragonists as well! flynn, an egotistical pilot, hugo, a nervous scholar, and cali, who's spunky and helps train skylanders. they're pretty cute i grew to love them as time went on

(there they are. Trio)

anyways yeah thats basically the story. the Good Guys try to stop the Bad Guy from whatever New Macguffin pops up, which is typically tied into a brand spanking new line of Collectible Toys. capitalism rejoice.

skylanders giants (game 2)- kaos tries to revive this lost ancient civilization full of EVIL ROBOTS (COOL AS HELL) named the arkeyans. some really big skylanders called the giants got banished by the arkeyans a long time ago. i really like the arkeyans, i think the concept of skylands having this fantasy-robot ancient civilization instead of a future civilization is just. chefs kiss. the arkeyans dont exactly go away in the series either, cos even though they never get a major role again, you still see them in setpieces and stuff. my favourite level in the next game is an ARKEYAN GRAVEYARD. LIKE HELLO!! THATS SO COOL

this is the old arkeyan king, with his Iron Fist of Arkus, but FUN FACT, THERE ARE A FEW ARKEYANS WHO ARE SKYLANDERS!!

that first guy, krypt king, is all the way from game 4. so yeah the arkeyans are always subtly there. love it love it.

skylanders swap force (game 3)- the dev studio switches from toys for bob to vicarious visions, and to reflect that, there ends up being an entirely new Locale and Supporting Cast. flynn takes a vacation to the Cloudbreak Islands and meets some new other furries. these islands have these four Elementals who can do a magic eruption thing at a volcano. very powerful-old-magic of them. the swap force are skylanders who can swap tops and bottoms (the NFC tech on these were actually quite impressive) and kaos' plan ties into the gimmick because this magic volcano blast that banished the swap force way back when is happening again and he wants to use it to Turn Everything Evil with evil crystals. lovely

this dude is straight up a chocobo

skylanders trap team (game 4)- NEW GAME NEW GIMMICK. basically back in the day there were these Really Big Bad Villains called the Doom Raiders who get locked in prison with this nigh-unbreakable material called Traptanium. but kaos is an idiot who breaks them out because he knows no peace. the skylanders this time are called Trap Masters because they all have traptanium weapons (crystal weapons that kinda rocks) and another gimmick is that they sold these little plastic traps in stores and had a new slot in the portal where you could capture villains and play with them and theyd commentate on how you did. toys for bob is also back so they went back to the original supporting cast but they did add some new faces

there the doom raiders are ^ thats kaos in the middle btw. neglected to show you him but there he is. i think their designs are pretty cool. i like them :] this is the game that got me into skylanders but my little brother had been collecting them since spyro's adventure

skylanders superchargers (game 5)- so uh. this game's gimmick is Cars?

yeah. but also for some unexplainable reason, the plot this time is about THE END OF THE WORLD. the literal embodiment of darkness (...creatively just called The Darkness yeah i know.) has Reawakened and is basically using kaos as a pawn to destroy skylands to harvest its Surplus of Magic so he can use it as fuel to CONQUER other worlds. greater-good-of-bad type of thing. but kaos is REALLY hung up on that fact. because he really wants to RULE the world, not destroy it. for some reason. almost like he was an unloved child who finds solace in evil and was always seeking that twisted sort of validation and belonging. who knows. who knows. not me. maybe im looking too deep into this. he fires the only person whos ever stuck by him but when the world is Almost destroyed he realizes his mistakes and turns on the darkness and helps defeat it basically. and that means all his dark powers are gone but he says he'll work as the skylanders' Evil Consultant. basically antihero-redeemed. i kinda love that. and i realize how similar this sounds to a plot of a certain movie to Those Who Know. which may explain why i love this game.

^these divas

i realize how biased this summary is around my favourite character and im sorry. the good guys are off trying to stop the end of the world its very fun.

skylanders imaginators (game 6)- WHY IS THIS SERIES STILL GOING THAT WAS A PERFECT ENDING. anyways the skylanders brand has for a while now been selling us junk that Arent skylanders figures. in trap team there were the traps in superchargers there were cars. and now. These

now YOU can create your OWN SKYLANDER! WOWWWWWW!! idk im over it. imaginators you are nothing to me. they did also have a line of regular figures to pick up called Senseis. those were cool. kaos finally got a proper figure. that was cool. but the plot has kaos going back to his Old Ways and using the magic you use to create your own skylanders to create his own evil doomlanders. and by the end he goes super saiyan. and he becomes tiny and they lock him in a jar. and that's how the series ends now. thanks imaginators.

they also have a core lineup of original skylanders (like the aforementioned stealth elf! and spyro and eruptor and shit) who would tag along with you on levels to get Synergy with the brand-new netflix series Skylanders Academy. yeah sure who even cares anymore. (IM SORRY I DONT LIKE IMAGINATORS. I AM NOT IMMUNE TO MY OWN PROPAGANDA)

look at this though. these are all the elements skylanders can be.

thus ends my rant

[prismaticpichu]

Your recent ask made me think of something that Seph needed a reading buddy/buddies with him in the library lol XD

Someone could point out that the info may be out of date and the power of peer to peer review saves Nibelheim and the world.

HE SO NEEDED A STUDY BUDDY LMAO!!! 😂❤️

~

Sephiroth: “The specimen, found in strata dating back two thousand years, smiled with what could only be described as... 'ethereal gr—‘“

Cloud: Wait, hold up…

Cloud: This record is REALLY old.

Sephiroth: How… how did you even get—

Zack: Damn! You’re right, Spike. Pretty sure they were still riding in Chocobo carriages back then. You have any idea how much could have changed since these were written?

Cloud: Like… lots.

Zack: That’s what I’m saying!

Sephiroth: Would you two shut u—

Zack: I think we should try to find a more recent record.

Cloud: Agreed:

*he proceeds to pluck the book out of Sephiroth’s hands*

Cloud: Here, Zack! Go long!

*Zack rushes across the library as his friend chucks the book, catching it in one swift motion and reshelving it*

Zack: Alright! Let’s put this dinosaur back and see what was written in this decade

Sephiroth: …Can I kill them now, Mother?

*Zack scans the books*

Zack: Hmm…. Hmmm…. All these books are pretty old. Come help a guy out, Spike.

Cloud: Sure thing.

*the two continue scanning the books, thumbing through spines and covers*

Cloud: Isn’t there ANYTHING that’s more updated?

Zack: Right??? We’ll prolly find the Bible in here at this rate

Sephiroth: Yes, Mother. I shall kill them now.

*the man stands up, almost robotically, the metallic echo of steel ringing through the air as he summons Masamune and begins approaching the duo*

Zack: Gahhh! There’s SO many books here. Gotta start making room.

*Sephiroth raises Masamune to their necks*

Cloud: Agreed.

Zack: Aight! Start chucking them!

Sephiroth: Goodbye, useless whel—

*and a book hits him square in the head, sending the warrior stumbling backwards as he drops his sword amid the confusion*

Zack: See anything???

Cloud: Not yet!

*Sephiroth, dizzy on the floor, peels his face off the carpet as his lips pull back into a snarl*

Sephiroth: How DARE you—

*another books knocks him out cold*

Cloud: Alright, Zack, I don’t think we’re finding anything in recent times here.

Zack: Yeah, you’re prolly right. Let’s try another shelf.

*and the duo turn around, spotting the unconscious Sephiroth lying crumpled on the floor*

Cloud: …

Zack: …

Zack *looks at Cloud*

Cloud: *looks at Zack*

Zack: Aight. I’ll get the legs.

Cloud: I’ll get the arms

*and they drag him back to the Nibelheim inn, safe and sound from the unmitigated cruelty of outdated knowledge*

[phantomyre]

When Angels Smile

[Roleplay Starter] Aerith Gainsborough + Vincent Valentine

RP starter for @sacredflorist Gold Saucer-- a place of splendor, laughter, and of course the thrill of whether you were being terrified by robotic Tonberries in your room, or finding out that your bank account was spent of gil on that last Chocobo match. It was a place where magic and memories joined hands. However, such experiences could only be obtained when one's heart and mind were open to such things. For someone who had been disconnected from society and emotions for so long, this simple enjoyment proved to be a challenge. The night was still young, and the height of activity had only just begin. Cloud and the others had decided to use the time to unwind and enjoy themselves-- a luxury for warriors hellbent on pursuing their common enemy. Nevertheless, one couldn't ease the body if the mind was still reeling from the events of the day.

Aerith knew this all too well. She was ever keen to the needs of her comrades, even if they themselves were not aware of their own needs. Perhaps it was just her nature as a Cetra and a healer. None managed to slip her watchful eye; not even the most elusive ones. While everyone had chose to go about their way, Vincent began to wander off on his own. He had barely joined the team, and it seemed every chance he got, he was off in a dark corner away from human contact. On this occasion, he seemed he had decided to turn in for the evening and began to head for Haunted Hotel. Unbeknownst to him, however, Aerith had other plans.

[luxuriainash]

My theory is that own at least, I'm gonna say 10 plushies

HMMMMM- lemme do some math on solely the ones in our apartment right now that we're aware of the locations of

- 3 wolves, 5 dogs, 2 robot dogs (AIBO, but plush ones, not actually robot ones), 5 foxes

- 13 Pokémon (4 Eeveelutions, 3 Pikachus, 1 Fully Authentic Tiny Thunder Mouse™ [see: a bootleg Pikachu our partner got at an auction at their university, whom we have joint custody over]... the rest are Growlithes)

- 1 large Shadow the Hedgehog plush, 1 mediumish Joypolis Sonic plush, 1 small movie Sonic plush, 1 small Chao plush

- 2 Build a Bear cats (Sassy Kitty, Promise Pets grey and white kitty), 1 Webkinz gold and white cat (full size), 1 Webkinz alley cat (lil'Kinz), 1 Greystripe WC plush, 1 pillow-sized cat plush, 1 pink cat we won at an amusement park years ago

- Sephiroth and Lucina

- 2 Chocobos

- 2 turtles, one handmade by our partner system

- 3 TY Beanie Boo dragons, 1 Jellycat dragon

SOOOOO, around 48 or 49 solely in our possession at this exact moment, and that's only if I calculated right. It's worth noting more could be buried or hidden, too. So you're not wrong, but you're way off xP

[demifiendrsa]

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - PC ANNOUNCE TRAILER

Japanese version

The PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will launch for Steam and Epic Games Store on January 23, 2025.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth first launched for PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024.

Screenshots

PC Features

The PC version introduces new features and customizations to take full advantage of the platform:

Lighting – Lighting has been adjusted, and the game’s overall rendering of light is significantly improved. The updated areas and cutscenes present with even greater beauty and clarity than before.

Frame Rate and Resolution – NVIDIA DLSS support means that frame rates can be enhanced and image quality upscaled. There is now also support for variable refresh rate (VRR).

Textures – The Level of Detail (LoD) for background models and MIP maps for background textures can both be freely configured in the options settings. With this background polygon density and texture density can be set higher than was previously possible, allowing for gameplay with higher-quality graphics.

Controller Input Support

Connecting a DualSense® controller with a PC allows players to use the same controls as the PS5 version. Keyboard and mouse support has also been added, alongside the option to freely customize the controls between world exploration and combat or mini-games.

Steam Deck

The Steam version is planned to be playable on Steam Deck as well.

Pre-Orders

Players can pre-order Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PC via Steam or the Epic Games Store and take advantage of an Early Bird discount of up to 30 percent off across all editions for a limited time. Additionally, those who pre-order will receive the Moogle Trio Summoning Materia, giving access to a powerful summon for their first steps into the unknown journey. The preorder bonus also includes a Shinra Bangle Mk: II and a Midgar Bangle Mk: II. The Posh Chocobo Summoning Materia will also be offered to all players who purchase the PC version of the game regardless of their purchase timing.

A full list of digital editions available for pre-order is as follows:

Standard Edition (limited time price: $48.99)

Digital Deluxe Edition (limited time price: $62.99) – Includes digital Mini-soundtrack, digital artbook, and digital DLC items including the Magic Pot Summoning Materia, Reclaimant Choker accessory and the Orchid Bracelet armor.

Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack (limited time price: $69.99) – Offering great value during the pre-order phase, the Twin Pack includes FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, available at launch, and the full game download of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade which will be available to play as soon as the Twin Pack is pre-ordered.

Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Digital Deluxe Twin Pack (limited time price: $89.99) – Includes Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade full game download plus all Digital Deluxe Edition contents.

Accolades

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was named Game of the Year by USA Today, and was also awarded the Best Score and Music at The Game Awards 2024 show. The company’s highly acclaimed hit, which earned over 110 perfect review scores from global critics, was also nominated at The Game Awards 2024 for Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best RPG, Best Performance (Briana White as Aerith), and Best Audio Design.

About the Game

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a new, standalone adventure set across a vast and vibrant planet. The game sees Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aerith and Red XIII escape from the dystopian city of Midgar into the wide world beyond. To hunt down Sephiroth, a haunting figure from Cloud’s past bent on ruling the planet, these unlikely heroes join forces with new companions like the spirited ninja operative Yuffie and the wisecracking, feline-shaped robot Cait Sith. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth delivers an unforgettable experience to players filled with unexpected twists, memorable characters and jaw-dropping set pieces that longtime fans and newcomers can both enjoy.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth follows the previous installment, Final Fantasy VII Remake, which was released in 2020 to universal acclaim from players and critics around the globe. Final Fantasy VII Remake became the highest-selling digital release on the PlayStation platform in Square Enix’s History, exceeding more than seven million shipments and digital sales worldwide since its release.

[rottenpumpkin13]

I’m just now playing Rebirth, and god I love Chadley so much. Yes I DID order a yappuccino. Yes I DO want to activate this tower for you. You’re my son, by the way, did you know that? Get on the Chocobo, we’re going to Midgar to get your adoption certificate.

I love him so much. This is why I think Sephiroth and Chadley could have gotten along were Chadley created pre-canon. Just give him this robot child who didn't put up with Hojo's shit, loves science, never shuts up, and Sephiroth will be happy.

Genesis: A mini you? Who's this?

Sephiroth: This is Chadley.

Chadley: Greetings!

Sephiroth: Show him what you can do, Chadley.

Chadley: The human body hosts around 38 trillion bacteria! Many of them live in the intestines and aid in digestion, but a sudden imbalance in this microbial community can lead to overgrowth of harmful bacteria or pathogens, resulting in infections, disease, and death! The imbalance is often sporadic and unpredictable, meaning you could be in mortal peril right now and not know!

Sephiroth: Isn't that fascinating?

Genesis: NO?

[codylambertdanafoster]

My favorite final fantasy characters" aerith tifa cid cloud sephiroth barret vincent red yuffie noctis ignis prompto gladio aranea iris luna hopes yiuu love thems hims gorgeous beautiful handsome thighs pretty rugged realistic photorealistic anime tenga toppa gurren lagen bikini boy idol girl

In the style of rembrandt caravaggio famous dutch weather painters ocean van gogh gulf bay renaissance andy warhol woodcut van dyck holbein michaelangelo raphael da vinci river creek city italian

figure skating sailor moon porcelain robot corporate office tech worker female glasses male happy friendly professional productive plastic bottles africa child cleopatra audrey hepburn caesar bible samurai warrior dnd waifu wizard

figure skating sailor moon porcelain robot corporate office tech worker female glasses male happy friendly professional productive plastic bottles africa cleopatra audrey hepburn caesar bible samurai warrior dnd waifu wizard

motorcycle pokemon long hair porcelain robot cleopatra audrey hepburn architecture brutalist renaissance midcentury gothic romanesque byzantine modern dream k-pop man makeup babe hottie

beautiful forest dryad playing card dnd skeleton warrior war battle epic mage wizard gandalf sauron frodo aragorn fairy elf tank dwarf barbarian dragon dungeon fantasy barret balthier ashe penelo red xii cait sith vincent cid yuffie mog chocobo garnet zidane vivi celes rosa cecil midgar laguna seifer squall rinoa irvine selphie zell quistis summon ifrit titan bahamut pheonix rem machina ace sice nine eight cinque bartz gladio gilgamesh secretary administrative assistant harassment picard crusher worf la forge troi riker apostle disciple finance smiling woman sorceror mancer raptor stylized rex