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unresolved son-issues

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Another interesting thing is that during the first fight with the Black Rabbit Brotherhood, the Battle Maniac (at least I think it's the Battle Maniac) identifies Pino as a Stalker:

"You're neither Bastard, nor Sweeper. Those skills of yours..."

If you fight her, Claudia also says something along the lines of "I know the fighting style of every Stalker. And yours reminds me of the Legendary Stalker." So, that would mean Carlo actually did receive training from the Legendary Stalker.

Also, I think it's not unlikely Geppetto purposefully kept the existence of Carlo hidden from the public. I recently posted a few hypotheses about Carlo and Romeo's childhood, taking the upbringing of real Victorian children into account (if you want, you can read the whole thing here), and rich Victorian children (presuming Carlo was a rich kid, given he is described as "an aristocratic boy") were raised in such a manner that almost completely shielded them from the outside world - and knowing Geppetto, I have a feeling he would only let the puppet nannies/butlers he built himself ever get near Carlo.

Also, the path behind the Golden Stargazer leading to the Monad Charity House would actually make a lot of sense. Some people theorized the Charity House is located somewhere in the countryside, so if you wanted to get to Krat from the Charity House, the first place you'd arrive at would be the Malum District. We know Carlo and Romeo went there once, from the scribbling on the painting in the Lobster Inn. (Actually, I think it may have been a class outing, but Romeo asked Carlo "Hey, wanna go somewhere fun?" and they just snuck away together. xD) Maybe Romeo was acquainted with the Black Rabbit Brotherhood in some way (perhaps they helped him when he was in need once), and he introduced them to Carlo. That's how Carlo and the Black Rabbit Brotherhood met, and that's why they know about him. [EDIT: Though I just remembered the Youngest says "Hey, this one is actually a looker" when she first sees P, implying she didn't know what Carlo looked like. So maybe she wasn't around back then.]

Btw, about the nautical theme: Romeo's necklace has the shape of an anchor, as does the amulet from the Nameless Puppet. The house at the coast seen in the picture Romeo and Carlo scribbled on is suspected to be the Charity House.

So, at this point, I'm 99.9% sure we're going to Monad Charity House in the DLC.

So, I noticed that people tend to notice P is not human, not from the way he looks, but from the way he sounds.

I can hear your springs even if you try to hide them. We musicians have a keen ear, you know. (White lady)

I hear the sound of springs inside you... You're a puppet too! (The Survivor)

[btw I'm going to be paraphrasing quotes and details from memory so I can get this out rather rapidly, so my apologies if they're somewhat incorrect]

Claudia and Lucio give no indication that they know about P not being human. Up until mid-game, they only really treat him as another stalker to con. The black rabbit brotherhood seem to know, but mainly because they know we're specifically "Geppetto's puppet."

I think that Claudia and Lucio find out because they either hear the brotherhood during the fight or Simon tells them as much, because Lucio calls us a "goddamn talking rag-doll" before he attacks us if you choose to fight.

The Black Rabbit Brotherhood and their connection to Carlo

And speaking of which - the brotherhood seems to know immediately that we are "Geppetto's puppet". Which makes me wonder... they seem to have known Carlo or known of Carlo while he was alive, which is probably how they put two and two together and guessed the obvious conclusion of how we came to be, which is the case with Antonia:

Oh, I knew you were Geppetto's puppet the moment I saw you (Antonia)

Is that Tenma's boy? > It can't be Tenma's boy. Holy cow, Tenma must have lost his mind (From Astro Boy 2009)

They also have Carlo's painting and the gravesite which is guessed to perhaps contain Carlo's empty grave has the mark of the black rabbit brotherhood on it. Geppetto also says he had no idea the BRB had stolen the painting.

A child who was a blessing to their family lies here. May he rest in peace. (Malum grave)

[Also I'm wildin now but korean pronouns are usually non-gender specific, so maybe it wasn't a "he" originally? this throws a whole bunch of other things into question though which I actually really don't like]

So, I thought of ways that ALL of these things could be true: That this IS carlo's grave in the malum district (which is strange because why would an aristocratic son be buried in Malum), the grave is empty because Carlo's body is still in the suitcase, the brb mark on his grave makes sense, AND the BRB having the painting is more than just a coincidence.

I have the most bizarre headcanon now. The BRB are a bunch of awful thugs for issuing "protection fees", but still, what IF:

They seem very hostile to us, particularly because we are a puppet, but maybe also because of our resemblance to Carlo - not because they resented him, but because Carlo was dear to them somehow. And the empty grave in the district was set up by them privately to commemorate his death when they heard what happened, (and the "family" they are referring to are themselves!). It's also worth noting that in the original story, The rabbits are aligned with the blue fairy (which would be Sophia in this iteration). [They're also associated with coffins and graves.]

I had no idea the black rabbit brotherhood had stolen it. (Geppetto on the painting)

The black rabbit brotherhood! I hate these guys. <- Gemini immediately remembers them. [They also appear very early on in the game, I guess to show they were watching us?]

So maybe their resentment and disgust for P comes from the fact that they know Geppetto has made an artificial replica of someone they knew into something they hated (puppets!), which they would see as repulsive. Perhaps there's an actual reason why the BRB has the painting. What exactly went down at the monad charity house?

...

extra notes

[The BRB knowing about Carlo doesn't mean they personally knew Carlo (since Geppetto must've been famous), but it's something. The thing is, both Eugenie and Venigni don't seem to recognize who we're "supposed" to be at all, even Venigni who is said to have been a close colleague to Geppetto. Maybe Eugenie and Venigni are just super polite and don't want to mention Carlo at all to us, but I kinda get the feeling that the public never really knew Carlo existed, Geppetto did dump him off at a boarding school early on after all]

[also also!! the golden stargazer next to the grave for DLC, Carlo being associated with ships, and the DLC showing a nautical theme?]

[ideas-on-paper]

The “error” in the sand.

When Carlo’s body is found, his RIGHT ARM is buried. Not the left.

Because he’s facing up, you can see his feet.

Maybe it's just an error, (just like how Carlo still has freckles if you load the game in after credits without starting NG+, because they use the same model as Pino to make Carlo, "in reality", he doesn't seem to have them). but it seems like a strange error to make.

[Ergo, as Sophia explains, is the freezing of time. These memories cannot lie. Interpretably, Ergo is truth itself]

Remember, Simon speaks of some important relic being stolen by Geppetto. It’s likely the arm of god which is the LEFT ARM. 

Nameless puppet (Carlo's body?) is also missing the left arm.

Going back to the sand figure, it looks like the arm is buried and not missing. Only visually is it the left arm (Carlo’s right)

Perhaps this “error” is to tell us that Carlo was NOT missing his arm at the point of his death?

[Remember, Ergo can’t lie]

So Geppetto had to have taken it off.

Here’s another fun thing, Pino’s LEFT arm is “buried” here, under the water, like Carlo’s RIGHT arm is.

also: Nameless puppet.

In the NP cutscene, there's a shot with a particular focus on his legs.

When Carlo appears in the "bad ending", his legs appear into frame first.

But if his legs were seemingly restored, why wasn’t his left arm? It's the only thing that wasn’t visibly restored. 

Did Geppetto hack it off a second time for the mechanical arm?

Why the particular fixation on the left arm? One-winged angel? Arm of God? Simon Manus?

Left-handedness has a particular symbolism in society

(it appears Carlo's healthy hand that appears out of the suitcase is his right hand. Don't know if it means anything)

Again, could just be an error, or coincidence.

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TREASURE PLANET IS LITERALLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIES! ;_;

I actually own the artbook "Treasure Planet: A Voyage of Discovery", which also includes design sketches similar to these. Super rare to get nowadays, and I consider myself lucky to be a proud owner of it since last Christmas! <3

Treasure Planet is definitely up there among my top three Disney movies, right alongside Atlantis. (Actually, I think both movies also contributed a lot to my love for Lies of P. Treasure Planet is where I fell in love with historic punk genres, and thanks to the Heart of Atlantis, I actually correctly predicted the nature of Ergo from the start. xD)

Visual development for Treasure Planet (2002) by Michael Spooner

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Monster Hunter Tri Diary, Part 7: Royal monster guts dinner with Lagiacrus

For previous entries, search for #monster hunter tri diary

Disclaimer: Text is paraphrased from my localization and might slightly deviate from the English version.

Quest: Guts: It's What's for Dinner

Alright, since things are about to get a bit intense, I got myself the complete Hunter's armor. I had to fiddle a bit to get the complete set, since I'm not able to make the helm and faulds at this time due to lacking Ice Crystals. So, to keep money and resource investments at a minimum, I forged the parts for the chest, arms, and legs at the smithy, and bought myself the pieces for the head and waist from the Outfitter. The reason I want the armor is the Vision skill it comes with; it will automatically show the position (and type) of any large monster on the map, without having to mark it with a paintball. (Which, as we will soon see, will come quite in handy for this quest.)

I appreciate that the quest name is a reference to an American beef advertisement. The fact that there are so many meat advocates in Monster Hunter Tri makes this extra hilarious. Kudos to the humor of the translators!

Our client is a gentleman's cook whose master is giving a full moon banquet for the nobles - and to impress their high-born guests, the cook wants to treat them to some Epioth tripes. Well, I suppose I'm gonna kill a few innocent Epioth who never harmed a fly for some rich dude's feast - another one to add to the list of very life-essential aid I've provided so far.

Guild Sweetheart: "Y'know, I live for my work here, so I'm here again to give you more tips." Um... here? What do you mean with "here"? I don't see you anywhere around the base camp, so I suppose your voice is coming from somewhere off-screen. But anyway, I appreciate the help.

So, the quest info says the environment is stable, but for some reason, I see a huge leviathan in area 11. Hm, suspicious.

And there's only one single Epioth in area 10 (usually, up to three are swimming around there). Seriously, they couldn't have made it much more obvious that something's off. It's kind of reminiscent of the Sinking Feeling quest from Freedom Unite (the low rank quest where the Tigrex pops by), but at least that one gives you a vague warning in the quest description. (I really wanna know who the jokesters in the MH Tri dev team were who said "Oh, let's just throw a Lagiacrus in there completely unannounced." Bet they were chuckling their asses off when they saw the players shitting bricks.) Anyway, off to area 11 it is.

And there he is! The Lord of the Seas, making his entrance by shooting an unsuspecting Epioth like a rocket.

Guild Sweetheart: "Oh no!" Excellent choice of words - couldn't have put it better myself.

"This creature before you is the Lagiacrus, the sea monster that has been ravaging our poor village!" Yep, I know - I saw him in the intro. (You gotta hand it to Capcom, though: Ever since 2nd gen, they’ve developed a habit to show off their flagships in the most memorable ways possible.)

"Very bad timing... Relax... Breath... Phew. Now let's get out of here, quickly!" Yes, ma'am! That was my exact plan.

I was briefly considering snatching the monster list info for the Lagi (since I won't have a chance to do so for quite a while), but he spotted me immediately. Well, time to get the hell out of here.

On the other hand, this gives me a bit of time to gather the monster guts in area 10; when big monsters are "triggered" (displayed as red with the Vision skill), they will stay in an area longer than when they're calm (displayed as blue with the Vision skill). The Epioth are back in their usual numbers as well, so let's try our best to pick up these guts before the Lagiacrus shows up.

I actually managed to gather all the necessary monster guts before the Lagiacrus came back. I could've already left at this point, but since I kinda wanted to get the monster list info, I positioned myself at the very edge of the underwater area, making sure I had a good view of the passage leading to area 11, and waited.

Okay, the Lagiacrus turns blue... He's swimming in the direction of area 10... Quick, open that menu! Wait for it... wait for it... There he is! Wii cursor is in position, snatch that info, aaand... Thank you so much, dear Lagi! :-) (And now let's get back to the base camp, double time.)

Before delivering the guts, I decided to throw out the first-aid meds to scrounge myself some Paintballs from the box. I might not need them now, but it doesn't hurt to have some in stock once I switch to a different armor later. (Also, the Guild can totally spare the money - if I'm getting these supplies for free, you can be sure I'll make use of them.)

Moga Village (day)

The hunting fleet is back, yay! :-) That means we can now also farm fish materials.

The ships of the hunting fleet (or rather "ship", since there's only one at this point) look kind of interesting. The sail appears to be made out of monsters' hide rather than fabric, and the whole framework seems to be made out of giant tusks.

Guild Sweetheart: "Is it true? You were attacked by the Lagiacrus? Show me the tooth marks!" Umm, weren't you there? I mean, not physically, but I could hear you talking and from what you were saying, it was pretty clear you could see what was going on as well.

"I can't believe you made it back. You're tough... monster-though! Well, luck probably played a role as well." Nah, that was all thanks to my legendary scaredy-cat tactic. It's very effective.

"While you were on the quest, I chatted with the Guild a bit." Uh, but you were chatting with me? How can you talk to me through telepathy and simultaneously talk with the Guild? (Multitasking abilities are magic, I tell you.)

And we have our first Urgent Quest: To hunt some Ludroth. As the Guild Sweetheart informs us: "My comprehensive (and very heavy) monster guide says: "Ludroth. Carnivorous monster living near bodies of water. Prone to violence." (Love how she adds that the monster guide is very heavy for good measure. xD)

"...Oh dear. Well, it was nice working with you! I-I mean, no worries! This is a Moga Woods monster, what do they know? You can do this! Probably."  Why, thank you for your continued confidence. But I can assure you, after completing "Handle with Care" and "Troublesome Pair" in MH1, I don't think there’s anything left that can shock me. Whatever you throw at me, I've seen worse.

Big brother: "Yay, the hunting fleet is back! The Captain said they only escaped by a gnat's whisker. Wow, I didn't know gnat's have whiskers." Well, maybe that's because they don't? xD (I actually haven't seen the English version of this; in my localization, he uses an idiom literally meaning "hair-sharp" and says "I didn't even know you could grind hair sharp", which is pretty funny. xD)

Little brother: "The hunting fleet is super important! They go fishing and stuff like that, for food! Mom says without the ships, all of us would starve. But two of the three ships got destroyed. Does that mean two thirds of us will go hungry? My brother probably won't let me eat anything!" Well, looks like the "future alpha male" (which is the big brother's nickname in-game) is asserting his dominance early on. But don't worry: If you really have to go hungry, I'll give you some of my food. :-)

I love how the fishermen all have their own personalities. The Red Spear Hunter is kind of the "cool-headed" one (and frankly, the only reasonable guy among them). He is really pissed about "the fleet captain being stupid as ever and the Black Spear crew singing shanties". Not sure if you're allowed to talk about your superior that way, but damn if the "I'm surrounded by idiots" vibes aren't relatable. xD

"The Black Spear captain always said he wanted to be a bard. But I just want to fish!" Terrible, isn't it? You just want to do your job, but a grown-up class clown keeps disturbing you. Honestly, I can relate.

"In the ocean, there are just as many monsters as on land, maybe even more." That's kind of the thing, yeah - even today, we don't know much about the creatures living in the depths of the sea. (Which is why new species of deep sea fish are continuously being discovered.)

The Red Spear Hunter also explains that their job is pretty dangerous, since they can get attacked by monsters at any time. "We could hunt the monsters, but that just isn't our specialty. We would need bigger ships for that. But hunting fish is our thing!" Okay, how about this: I'm the hunter hired by this village, so hunting monsters is my job. So, I'm gonna take care of the monsters, and you can fish in peace. Sounds like a fair deal, right?

Meanwhile, the Black Spear Hunter seems more like a lost hobby pirate. His dialogue pretty much only consists of his self-composed shanties. Gotta agree with the Red Spear Hunter here: That guy would've been better off as a bard! xD

His shanties are kinda interesting though since they tell the story of what happened to the hunting fleet. One of them, "a song in honor of the proud hunting fleet" called "Phantom at starbord", tells about how they got attacked by the Lagiacrus: "The beast shocked us on the high seas; lightning cracked! Oh Gods! We were running out of breath! (Fleet Captain, speaking voice): If only you would, Black Spear! Be silent and row! The Lagiacrus! Row!" (I think it's kind of funny how even the Fleet Captain finds him annoying. xD) "Oh no, what now? It comes closer! The Lagiacrus *glug* *glug* *glug*" (And there goes the first ship, I suppose.)

The story is continued in a different song, “a melody of unspeakable tragedy that moves you to tears”, which tells of the sinking of his own ship: "A cracking, oh terror. A cracking, oh terror. A cracking broke the mast. The Lagiacrus dashed away. Salt water sp-laA-shes! And the final hour of my boat has come. Salt water splashes (luckily I don't lie at the bottom of the sea)"

"*sniff* Farewell, boat with my name." Idk, but I've got a feeling you're happy it hit your boat rather than you. xD

The Fleet Captain just acts like a boastful, competitive teenager. He is really butthurt that some "landlubber" of a hunter wants to outstrip the "proud hunting fleet". As far as he's concerned, they are "the heroes of this town", and since the hunting fleet also hunts monsters from time to time, that makes us "rivals". Well, I think I sort of understand what Red Spear meant when he said the Fleet Captain was stupid. xD

Fleet Captain: "If our three ships team up, we're three times as good as you! Right? Right?! Three of us... You are one... Minus two... Nine in mind... Yep! That's right!" I love how the guy can't even do the simplest mental math, yet still somehow managed to get the position of the fleet captain. xD (But isn't that just like in real life, though? For some reason, so many people happen to be in leading positions who just puff themselves up and scream "I am the leader!" loud enough - somehow, many people don't seem to realize there's a difference between acting as if you're competent and actually being competent.)

Fleet Captain, about the Fishmongress: "If she gets angry, she's worse than the Lagiacrus." Well, given that two of you are complete dumbasses, I can't really blame her for giving you a bollocking.

"You believe you can take on a Ludroth? Very cocky, hunter." Funny that you of all people are the one to call me cocky.

He actually gives me some advice how to kill the Ludroth, but he doesn't forget to add "If you kill the Ludroth, let everyone know it was thanks to my tip!" Just make sure you don't forget to tell the world about the glory of the Fleet Captain and his infinite wisdom - even when he helps me, he still wants the laurels for it.

Village Chief: "Now you finally saw the scumbag! The Azure Lightning! The Lord of the Seas! The... stinking sea devil! Yes, I made that name up." The Chief seems to take the matter with the Lagiacrus real personal - you can already sense there's some kind of backstory here.

Btw, the Caedeus theme starts playing during this conversation. Nice foreshadowing, Capcom.

"Glad you came back in one piece! I had forgotten to take measurements for your coffin!" Charming kind of humor you have there, Chief.

He also remarks on the hunting fleet being back safe and sound, just like myself. Actually, if I had done the monster guts quest first, would I have been able to unlock the hunting fleet sooner? (Since it seems to be tied to the monster guts quest.)

Chief: "We've lost two boats, but those can be replaced. Lives can't." Words of wisdom - lives can't be compensated with any sort of material value.

So, since I'm part of the village now, the Fishmongress also lets me have my share of the catch. I guess it’s the same as me getting a share of the farm products: The hunters assigned to a village offer the people protection, and they give them a share of their products as provision.

The Power Paddle reduces the time of sea voyages by half a day. I believe in 3U, it shortened voyages by a full day. I think that's due to the day-night-rhythm. (Since 3U didn't have that and a day in 3U is basically half a day in Tri.)

The Power Paddle reduces the time of sea voyages by half a day. As far as I remember, it shortened voyages by a full day in 3U. I think that's due to the day-night-rhythm. (Since 3U didn't have that and a day in 3U is basically half a day in Tri.)

And the ship actually sets sail! I always think it's cool if the "item farming" is not just something you select in a menu, but has some physical action going along with it.

Item vendor: "What's so mysterious about mystery bones? The mystery what's so mysterious about them?" Well, whatever it is, I think it's forever going to remain... a mystery. xD

Btw, I immediately delivered the items for the villager request to upgrade the mushroom box, since I just got that. Right now, I still have 163 resource points left; I suppose I'll have to sprinkle in a hunt in the Moga Woods sooner or later.

However, not today, since we have the very urgent quest to slay some Ludroth. Time to get ready for an epic battle on the beach!

To be continued

[ideas-on-paper]

Been thinking about them lately.

[ideas-on-paper]

finally read ghost in the machine and ?? the whole comic is already a lot, but this???? this ?? uhhhh

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Monster Hunter Tri Diary, Part 6: Coral stones, Goldenfish & disastrous lovers

For previous entries, search for #monster hunter tri diary

Disclaimer: Text is paraphrased from my localization and might slightly deviate from the English version.

Quest: Sunken Treasures

Packed some harpoons this time since there's a subquest to slay 3 Sharqs, so I might as well harvest materials from them while I'm at it.

Our client this time is a lovesick boy who promised his beloved a hair clip made from red coral stones, but he just so happens to be afraid of water. Well, I'd say you should've thought about this before making any big promises. (Good dating advice, tbh: Never promise anything you can't keep.) As it is, I have to carry the can for you, while you undoubtedly will tell your lady that you collected all these coral stones yourself...

I'll do the subquest to slay the 3 Sharqs first, then pick up the rest of the coral stones and go on my return trip to the base camp.

The harpoons appear to be pretty indestructible - I've harpooned a good deal of fish by now, but not a single one of the harpoons has broken so far. Makes me wonder why you'd even need up to five of those if they have infinite durability...

The Epioth go down in two hits with the Iron Sword+. Well, might as well use this opportunity to pick up some monster guts for extra cash along the way. (Because trust me: It's not a good idea to do this during the monster guts quest.)

Also, I took a detour before returning to the camp to look for bug gathering spots (I would've liked to have a few more Fireflies to make myself Goldenfish baits), but either there aren't that many bug spots at night, or I just got a bit unlucky. (I suppose I shouldn't have thrown out the Fireflies for other items during my previous gathering rounds... xD)

Quest: Goldenfish Opportunity

Since I only had three Fireflies in stock, I was only able to make myself three Goldenfish baits, which is just enough to catch the three Goldenfish you need for the quest. Together with the baits, I also packed some additional Snakebee Larvas, in case I find some Fireflies to combine them with.

Also, I invested the extra zenny to make myself the complete Chainmail armor (it doesn't cost too much, and you don't need that many materials for it either). I did this due to the fishing and combo skills the armor comes with; though not strictly necessary, they might help me a little during the following quest.

Today's client is a "young fish fan" who apparently loves fish so much that his friends are saying he should marry one. Although he says their jokes are rubbish, he kinda plays along with it by saying if you bring him some Goldenfish - the most beautiful best fish - he may invite you to the wedding. Well... Idk, but I feel like he's more serious about this than it seems. xD (Actually, why do I constantly have to run errands for people with love issues? First the Head Farmer who fancies the Guild Sweetheart, then the guy with the coral stones, and now this not-so-secret fish lover - guys, I'm here to hunt monsters, not to play matchmaker.)

The Guild Sweetheart (who appears to have taken some lessons from the Gossip Lady in silly wordplays) is so kind as to point us to the fishing spot in area 10, which the Village Chief has told her about. I guess this is just in case you missed the dialogue from the boys in the village.

She also tells us to take the worms from the box. However, in my experience, it's pretty much impossible to complete the quest that way, since the Goldenfish never appear if you use normal baits (or at least, they appear so rarely that I've never seen it happen). Anyway, I prepared myself accordingly, so let's get going.

When you arrive in area 10, the Guild Sweetheart even explains where the fishing spot is and tells you not to jump in so you don't scare off all the fish. What a service! (I'm just not used to that anymore after playing MH1 and Freedom Unite. xD)

I have to say, it’s kinda neat that the fish will immediately bite if you have the Fishing skill; otherwise, they kinda nibble on the bait sometimes, and if you have fidgety hands, you might press too early to catch them.

Goldenfish: "A rare fish made of solid gold." Solid gold? How's it possible for there to be fish made of solid gold? (But perhaps I shouldn't ask this in a game series where an Elder Dragon whose skin is made of literal metal exists.)

Now, with the three Goldenfish for the main quest in our bag, I'm gonna keep fishing for a bit to see if any Small Goldenfish show up, since we need two for the subquest.

You can eat Sushifish raw - a bit ironic since the Chief's Son didn't want to eat any raw meat in case he gets sick, but well, I suppose this is a game from Japan.

Glutton Tuna: "A fish that eats anything -- allowing you to sometimes get items from its stomach." Proven by the fact I got a Yambug after I ate one. (I don't even think I can get those at this point; at least, I've seen them nowhere in the Deserted Island.)

So, I used up all my baits, but the Small Goldenfish still didn't show up. Well, since I still have some time left, I'll see if I can get some more baits.

You can get frogs at the gathering spot in area 10. This would make any Plesioth's mouth water; (un)fortunately, he isn't in this game. (I guess you're supposed to use the frogs to bait Gobul instead.)

I went to every single bug gathering spot on the map, and I got exactly one Firefly. Well, alright - I'm gonna combine myself an extra Goldenfish bait and try again if I can catch any Small Goldenfish.

Okay, guys, I give up - I honestly have no idea where to find the Small Goldenfish. I know what they look like from Freedom Unite (small, golden, round fish with fringy fins), but they didn't spawn in area 10 even after I had been fishing there for a good time. I even tried my luck in the base camp (although I didn't consider it very likely that they were there), but nope - the Small Goldenfish are notably absent. Well, guess I'll just have to finish the quest without subquest, then.

Village Talk

Guild Sweetheart: "By doing quests, you help people, and you improve your Guild rank!" I'm not sure if I would call what I've been doing so far "helping people". The quest for the Head Farmer was an obvious charade, I fetched some Kelbi horns for a shaman (who might as well be a quack, Idk), I saved a teenage boy from the consequences for his own big mouth, and I brought a mushroom enjoyer and a fish lover some stuff to indulge in their passions. So maybe, I'd rather call it "supporting other people's interests in exchange for money".

"You have to pay a quest price before you can work for the Guild. It's like a pledge. Scraping you off the floor costs a lot of money!" Again, classic Guild here: They will help you, as long as their economic interests aren’t at risk.

"Many hunters would prefer that we abolish the quest price. Like the hunters who're bad at their job. If we didn't constantly have to clean up their corpses, it wouldn't exist!" Well, the Guild obviously has to take the money from the living - it's not like they’re getting anything from the dead.

Village Chief: "Lynians may have nine lives, but you've got only three." So, the folk belief that cats have nine lives also seems to exist in the MH universe, more or less. (Although in some countries - like mine - cats are said to have seven lives instead of nine. xD) Interestingly, this would also apply to the Shakalaka, since they're classified as Lynians as well. (At least if you want to take the Chief's words literally.)

"As far as I know, the Felynes demand astronomical sums for getting you out of the danger zone. The Guild has to save money, after all!" Yeah, sure - the Guild has to save money. Like, they're probably the richest organization in the entire world - the only reason why the wage for the Felyne rescuers is deducted from my payment is that the Guild doesn't want to spend money from their own pockets. (This is also why you're not able to continue the quest if you died thrice: The quest reward - at least in most cases - isn't issued by the Guild themselves, but by the client; so, if the client wasted their money by hiring an incapable hunter, that's their loss. However, if you were to continue the quest after all the money from the quest reward has been used up, the Guild would have to pay for you getting rescued - and since they're not going to take the risk of being in the red, the quest is aborted.) Also, you can bet that if you asked me to go into a war zone to get an unconscious guy out of there, I would demand a lot of money as well - so it's definitely in the Felynes' right to demand payment for it.

"The Lagiacrus is a vicious monster that can sink a ship in seconds." I believe I remember some lore that the Lagiacrus is able to create maelstroms that can pull a ship underwater and tear it apart. Considering that the Lagiacrus is able to sink ships without even physically attacking, it would make sense that seafarers are so afraid of him. Still, the Lagiacrus was there before them, so strictly speaking, they're encroaching on his territory; however, they're doing so to earn their own livelihood. It's quite a primal conflict, each one fighting to continue their own existence.

"If your paths cross, don't act the hero. But don't worry, you'll probably soon... No, I shouldn't get ahead of myself." No? Okay, then I'm going to be the one who tells your dear readers: For our big monster guts dinner, the Lagiacrus will stop by as a special guest, to make our lives miserable. (I'm just glad I'm prepared for it to happen.)

Chief's Son: "The forest is like a huge living creature, if you think about it... Sometimes it's peaceful, sometimes malicious." Well, that's nature to you - it gives and takes, but it's not good or evil in itself. It just is, without any moral allegiance.

"Monsters behave so differently... Some Aptonoth flee if you attack them, others want to protect their young. They are so different... It's fascinating." It's almost as if they were real, living creatures with personalities, eh? You see, this is what I love about Monster Hunter: Despite their name, the monsters aren't some evil demons straight from hell out to destroy humanity. They're essentially just normal animals, albeit very large and dangerous ones. (We did have this on Earth too, not too long ago.) Similarly, you aren't some saint chosen by God himself, but just a normal guy who kills these animals for pay. Basically, Monster Hunter is just normal people struggling to survive in a world filled with prehistoric animals on steroids, which are trying to do the same. The conflict just feels so visceral, so real that it sets Monster Hunter apart from any other fantasy universe I know of.

Item vendor: "Why do I always step into Paintberries when I've got new shoes?" Sounds like Paintberries are just as bad as dog-doo... xD

Gossip Lady: "The Chief has never spoken about his own past. How does he know so much about hunting monsters? I'm betting one million zenny that our Chief formerly was... a librarian!" Uhhh, that's probably not the conclusion I would've come to, but okay... (Still, this suggests there must be quite a lot of literature about monster hunting; this fits in well with Freedom Unite, where the gameplay tips were included in the "Hunting Life" info magazines.) I’d say it’s more likely that the Chief once was a hunter himself (if I didn't know already) - it would explain his experience, and also why he seems to have friends among the Guild.

Gossip Lady, about the old altar on the farm: "In my opinion, the village's history goes back farther than the Chief!" Tbh, I have the same feeling, considering the ruins strewn across the Moga Woods/Deserted Island; you can find them almost everywhere, in areas 5, 6, and 7, and all the way to the underwater areas. (Looking at the map, the arrangement of the ruins seems to form a huge circle; it almost seems like what we see of it are only small parts of a gigantic structure, most of which is overgrown or submerged.) Also, according to the Gossip Lady, the Chief didn't really answer her questions when she asked him about it. This makes me feel like he knows something about the ruins, but he chooses to not tell anyone.

Little brother: "People constantly mistake me for my big brother. Are we so hard to tell apart? My big brother is loud and mean. Actually, he's alright most of the time... But he finally needs to grow up." Maximum sibling energy right there. xD Also, as someone who was always the "quiet, serious kid", I can relate to this better than I probably should.

"Only one thing is louder than my big brother... Sonic Bombs!" Charming comparison. xD From my own school days, I know exactly this type of kids, though.

Little brother, when explaining how to use Bomb Casings: "Don't be like my brother! He once used dung and wanted to hit me with a Dung Bomb. He's such a child!" It may seem kind of ironic for a child to say this, but trust me, I can relate - I also never understood why "normal" children had to throw objects at each other.

I just realized you can sleep in the bed at night to pass the time (skip to the next day cycle). I don't think that's possible at day though, since the option was grayed out.

However, I can't afford to rest right now, since we still have one quest left (which I definitely didn't procrastinate on purpose): gathering monster guts for a spectacular feast (for the Lagiacrus, that is). Well... See you on the next hunt!

To be continued

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Noble Numbat

Meet Noble Numbat!

Inspired by Ubuntu release 24.04 LTS which is scheduled for release in April 2024! 

Created with Krita and Blender. Copyright © 2024 Sylvia Ritter.

www.sylvia-ritter.com, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. 

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My new pillow 💙 Sweet dreams with P 🩵💤

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Greetings, programs! The Always zine is out now on our itch.io page!

Donations are not required to download the zine, but any amount is greatly appreciated. All contributions will be donated to Girls Who Code in Cindy Morgan’s name.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported this project, whether you sent in a piece or helped spread the word. We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love you’ve shown for Cindy, and this zine would not be possible without you. We hope you love the final product as much as we do. 💙

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Monster Hunter Tri Diary, Part 5: Slaying Jaggi(a) & supplies for Kelbi horn medicine

For previous entries, search for #monster hunter tri diary

I've only realized now that "Moga Woods" is the proper name used in English instead of "Moga Forest". It's technically not that much of a difference, but I went back and edited it in my other entries to avoid confusion.

Also, I've summarized everything interesting from the villager conversations under "Village Talk".

Disclaimer: Text is paraphrased from my localization and might slightly deviate from the English version.

Quest: Farm Aid

Before starting out with the quest, I cleaned up my inventory a little. I threw out the harpoons and the BBQ spit, so now I only have potions, steaks, bugnets, and pickaxes in my bag. As for the whetstones, I know where to find those on the Deserted Island, so I can gather them myself if I need them.

I could already upgrade my Iron Sword+ into a Buster Sword, but since the second path with the Rugged Great Sword gives more damage and sharpness, I'll wait for now. (For the upgrade to the Rugged Great Sword, you need Great Jaggi Claws, so I'll have to hunt a Great Jaggi first.)

Head Farmer in the quest description: "A stubborn herd of Jaggi has infested my farm!" Hilariously, the actual quest is about hunting Jaggia, not Jaggi (if you don't take the subquest into account). I guess technically, Jaggia are just female Jaggi, but it's still a bit odd since the Head Farmer insisted they're having trouble with Jaggi.

"The vermin eats whatever it can find - roots and stuff like that." Whaaat? Now you're just pulling my leg - why should carnivorous bird wyverns eat roots? All of this seems kinda fishy somehow... (Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Jaggi attacking the farm is just an excuse to get rid of them. Like the villagers were annoyed by the Jaggi, submitted some vaguely plausible reason to the Guild why they want them gone, and the Guild approved of it and made it into a quest.)

Man, these Jaggi got skills - one of them just attacked me, spun around in my direction and bit me! They must've been training while I wasn't looking.

When all the Jaggi in area 2 are dead, the Aptonoth return. Sweet - I guess they feel safe now that there aren't any carnivores around.

Jaggia are tough - I need so many hits with the Great Sword until they go down. Good thing I already upgraded it once!

It's cute how some of the small monsters share moves with their big counterparts. For example, the Jaggia have the same hipcheck as the Great Jaggi, in miniature format.

And there we go - kill quests are usually over pretty fast. xD Still, I always like to use the opportunity to snatch some other stuff from gathering spots as well. If you can't carry everything, make sure you at least pick up the stuff from the blue ones.

Return to Moga Village (day)

Head Farmer: "The Guild informed me you've taken care of the Jaggi herd. Nice of them to make it official and all that, but I rather would've liked a visit from the cute receptionist." Wait... Is that? This old geezer just was lovesick for the Guild Sweetheart (whatever you may think of that), so he made up a quest and hoped she’d come over? Jeez...

And then he just hands me some bomb casings as a reward. I mean, I'm grateful, but... How did you get these? Why do you even have them? Couldn't you have used them to make something to scare the Jaggi away yourself? (What are you hiding from me, Head Farmer?!)

And the biggest disappointment: I didn't even get any new Felynes (I would've at least expected that, since the Head Farmer claimed it would make them "feel better".) So basically, I just killed a bunch of Jaggi(a) because the Head Farmer wanted a date with the Guild Sweetheart he didn't get anyway. Great.

Btw, the "rarer" plants also cost more resources to cultivate. Waterblock Seeds cost 20 resource points per cycle, and Might Seeds cost 80 per cycle (in fact, if I were to cultivate Might Seeds for 3 cycles, it would use up all of my current resource points).

Out of curiosity, I carried the Poogie to my house before the last quest to see if it would stay there. Turns out it doesn't - I suppose I'll always have to go to the farm before setting out on quests to cuddle my Poogie, then. (Because even if it's just a rumor, we will religiously cuddle our Poogies to get that bonus chance for rare quest rewards.)

Also, I bought the first Book of Combos from the item shop. The irony is that when I had the book in my box, I actually failed to combine a Bugnet once and an Iron Pickaxe twice. xD (Considering this, it's almost miraculous how I managed to combine an iron pickaxe in the field twice, with just 75% success.)

Quest: Prescription Pick-Up

For the purpose of this quest, I'll bring along my Sword & Shield again so I can stun the Kelbi (even upgraded it once for a little more damage output). Also, I threw out the potions for now, since the first-aid meds should be enough and the Kelbi most likely aren't going to tear me to pieces.

Medicine Man: "Congestion, back aches, performance anxiety - my patients are going to the dogs! Two Kelbi horns would cure all of them." I thought Kelbi horns only helped against stomach problems. Now they're said to work against back aches and psychological stress as well? What kind of wonder drug is this?

Guild Sweetheart: "Come back safe and sound, alright?" Aww, don't worry - I will. :-)

I only realized now that you actually get 5 first-aid meds from the supply box instead of the usual 3. Very generous.

You only get Warm Pelts if you slay the Kelbi. Makes sense, since you can't skin them without killing them.

However, stunning them also adds to the kill count, apparently? (At least the Kelbi I stunned were counted as "kills" for the subquest.)

There are lots of Kelbi in area 7. Time to farm some Kelbi horns for my own stock, now that I've got the two required for the quest safely in my bag. (As the Guild teaches us: Never help someone without taking something for yourself.)

If you hurt the female Kelbi, they just try to run away. Meanwhile, if you attack the male Kelbi, they actually fight back. I guess that's because male Kelbi are more aggressive when provoked? (They are MH's deer, after all.)

After farming some horns and materials from the Kelbi (and probably almost driving the Moga Woods’ population to extinction), I'm gonna do my usual round to gather some items for extra cash. (The Red Coral Stones you find in the underwater areas are - as their description says - a great way to make quick money. You almost always get some from piles of bones strewn across the ocean floor, so you can easily get a stack of ten which is worth a good sum.)

Funnily enough, touching the tentacles of the jellyfish (like swimming below them) doesn't do any damage.

Contrary to their description as "submissive herbivores" that "panic when danger is present", the Epioth defend the other members of their flock if you attack them! (They'll give you one swipe with the tail, then swim away.)

If you're fighting close to the surface and the camera is positioned outside the water, the fighting sounds are actually muffled. I gotta say, that's a really cool detail!

If you stay around for a bit, you can watch the Epioth grazing on the ocean floor. Their description does say they "subsist on water grasses and moss", so I suppose they're something like the manatees of the MH world.

Another thing that's great about the subquests is that especially during the early game, they're a great way to earn some extra money. I've got 1100 zenny from the total quest reward, as opposed to just 500 from the main quest. (Plus 2450 zenny from all the account items I gathered.)

Village Talk

Guild Sweetheart: "How's the hunt going? I was super busy around here. Taking a walk, yoga... Oh, and I played with the piglet on the farm. Such a cute thing! Yeah, this was really an exhausting day." Yeah, relaxing is really a tough job. (Also, Idk, but it's hilarious to me that she seems to go to the farm pretty regularly. So, you know, it shouldn't be such a rare thing for the Head Farmer to see her?)

I gotta say though, the Head Farmer gives off serious grandpa vibes. He just forgot about what the special fertilizer does and says "I'm getting too old for this..." xD Maybe you should just start drawing your pension, eh?

Village Chief: "Hold on! Don't say anything. I can read it in your face: "She wants me to pluck mushrooms!""  Well, he obviously knows how things work in the Hunter's Guild... xD

"Don't forget that the Lagiacrus out there is still a danger. You never know when it shows up and... HELP, BEHIND YOU! Haha, just kidding, hunter!" Very funny.

"Everything can happen on a hunt, so you've got to be ready for anything." Perfect summary of Monster Hunter, actually. (However, more often than not, "be ready for anything" actually means "be ready for all kinds of exceptionally stupid coincidences".)

The Chief tells us that the farm is situated on a "cliff near the village". That actually makes sense, since you can see a panorama of Moga in the background at the farm's entrance; so, it can't be in the immediate vicinity of the village. Still, since there doesn't seem to be a path directly connecting the village and the farm, I wonder if they also go there by boat?

"The Outfitter only thinks about the ultimate weapon. If there really was something like an ultimate weapon, of course every hunter in the world would use it. Actually, it's only about preferences. Somewhere out there, there's the ideal weapon for YOU, and that one you have to look for!" Nicely said. Everyone has a different playstyle, so the weapon which is ideal for you might be entirely unfitting for someone else. It goes even farther than that, too: The definition of "ideal" is literally different for every person, so although it might sound cheesy, you really have to listen to your heart and do what's fulfilling to you.

Chief's son: "These torches from the fireplace are for the villagers, but... It's too dangerous bringing them into the village. Do you want to burn everything down?" Would you care to tell me, then, why there's a large torch standing right behind you?

"These buzzing Bnahabra are so annoying." Oh, trust me, they're not nearly as bad as the Vespoids from the 1st and 2nd gen. The Vespoids paralyze you, like, with every second sting - until now, the Bnahabra haven't paralyzed me once. (Tbh, I have a feeling the Bnahabra might be the response to MH fans raging over the Vespoids; so, Capcom just decided to make something like a "Vespoid light".)

Item vendor: "You can use barrel bombs underwater, too. A triumph of science!" Now that you mention it: It actually is noteworthy that you can use barrel bombs underwater. Back in Freedom Unite, you literally couldn't use them if it was raining in the jungle at night. Considering that Large Barrel Bombs are made with gunpowder, this actually makes sense, since gunpowder won't ignite if it's wet. I suppose they finally figured out how to put the gunpowder in a waterproof capsule, then.

"A Needleberry works wonders against stress at acupuncture points." So Needleberries are used for acupuncture - nice to know.

Gossip Lady: "Whenever monsters get to close to the village, we scare them with bombs." Since you're all so adamant about not bringing any torches/fire into the village, the same would probably go for bombs. So, if they're blowing up any bombs, they're most likely doing near the entrance to the village in area 1 (where you start out if you go hunting in the Moga Woods).

So, the Gossip Lady tells me about stunning Kelbi to cut off their horns (a little late, but thanks anyway), and there's a little pun at the end where she says "You don't know if the Kelbi are "down" for it? I don't get it." (Funny that she doesn't seem to understand any wordplays aside from her own. xD) I'm not sure if my translation above is accurate, but this line is actually pretty funny in my localization: It uses an idiom that means "up for it", but the literal translation of the word would be "buck", as in roebuck (the closest English adjective I can find to it is "horny", but that has kind of a different implication... xD).

Smith: "All products that leave my artisan shop have a hundred years gurantee!" Well, I hope so - I'll make sure to hold you to it.

"Be careful about storing iron equipment! It rusts in the salty wind!" I believe that - also, it's gonna make the job of my Felyne housekeeper so much easier if I take good care of it myself.

Chamberlyne: "I make your bed every day so you can always take a nap. And then there's the laundry and cleaning everything up... You're lucky that Felynes love cleanliness!" You know, if it was up to me, you'd get a medal for "employee of the month". Housekeeping may not be the most popular job, but without the help of our trusty Felyne, our daily routine would most likely be a mess. (That Felynes love cleanliness is kinda a cute detail, though; it definitely shows they're cats. xD)

"Did you see the large windmill over there? It's my job to repair it if it's broken. Quite a lot of work." What?! Not only is the Felyne charged with doing all the housekeeping for me, they're also obliged to step in as a construction worker if need be? Seriously, give this kitty a break...

Meanwhile, I can't afford to take a break since I still have some quests to do. Next time, there's gonna be some more aquatic action when we tackle the Sunken Treasures and Goldenfish quests. See ya then!

To be continued

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A lot has been said about Tron's trauma as depicted in Legacy and Uprising, and yes, he's certainly been through a lot of traumatic and scarring experiences in those stories. However, on my most recent rewatch of the original film, I realized that even back in the ENCOM system, Tron has been forced to do things he might possibly have regretted later. He might be able to justify derezzing the MCP guards to himself since they are "enemy combatants", but when we first see him, he's in the arena of the Game Grid, and as far as I can tell, the opponents he's throwing his disc at and derezzing are prisoners just like him, forced to fight just like him. Some of them might have chosen to join "the warrior elite of the MCP" as Sark puts it, maybe for power or political conviction, but possibly also because it's the only way they think they can survive. Tron, meanwhile, is still defiantly holding on to his faith in the Users, and is therefore punished by being forced to kill his fellow Programs.

When Flynn realizes the serious nature of the game he's participating in, he refuses to kill his oponent. The only reason Sark doesn't derez him for this disobedience is because he's been told by the MCP to keep Flynn alive, to prolong his misery. Tron doesn't have this luxury, at least not as far as he knows (the MCP might want to keep him alive in the hope that he might eventually convert him to his side, but Tron doesn't know that). Being put in the same situation as Flynn, I don't think he would hesitate for long in "finishing the game". To put it another way, if they hadn't eventually escaped, it's entirely possible that Tron would have been forced to face Ram in combat, and then what? Is that why he's so grim and standoffish to his fellow prisoners? He doesn't want to become friends with them, because then it would hurt even more when he's forced to kill them to survive? How long would his faith in the Users have lasted if Flynn hadn't come along?

So if the Tron in Legacy and Uprising is the same Tron as in the original movie (putting aside theories that he's a copy, but even then it's possible he retains the memories of the original), he had some dark memories even before Clu's betrayal and all that followed. If Rinzler has Tron's consciousness in the back of his head, I can imagine that when he's in the arena, it's giving him flashbacks to the ENCOM days, forced once again to fight and kill innocent Programs for the entertainment of a monster.

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Heyoooo, I was tagged by the wonderful @tiramisublues to share some of my work that I like the most, then tag more creators to do the same! I looked through my file folders and tried my best to turn off my "I posted it and now I notice ALL OF THE PROBLEMS!!" voice lol

It's taken a very long time and the self-defeating voice is kinda always there, but I'm finally at a point where I can see how I've grown and I'm happy with how far I've come. Now especially, I look forward to learning more, I feel inspired by all of my friends, and hope that we all continue to enjoy creating. No matter what anyone tells us, art and artists have value, and our work is important.

If you are comfortable joining in, I'd like to tag @mamoofoo, @chax2, and @saikakin 🫴❤️

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Solar ; Disaffection

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This reminds of the fun (and super depressing) concept I once came up with: "What if Clone Shepard actually stepped in for the real Shep if they died in ME2?"

As it is, you have to create a new character if you died during the Suicide Mission (and do the Genesis comic for the ME1/ME2 decisions), but what if BioWare actually did something with the idea of Clone Shepard and lets you play as them in case of Shepard's death?

It would be so cool because it would immediately become an entirely different game: Instead of the usual ME3 intro, you'd get Joker standing in front of Shepard's grave, and being super freaked out when suddenly, Clone Shep shows up and introduces themself. Clone Shep explains their plan to pretend that they somehow managed to revive Shepard (because hey, they did that before, right?) and although Joker isn't super comfortable with it, he has to acknowledge that with the impending Reaper invasion, the galaxy needs their "hero figure" back.

From there on, Clone Shepard takes over Shepard's role. However, despite most of the people Shepard knew personally being dead, there are still a lot of points of potential conflict: How is Clone Shepard going to deal with meeting Shala'Raan, the aunt of Tali who was close to Shepard, but whom Clone Shep doesn't have any connection to? How is Liara going to react when she finds out the real Shepard is dead? What will Ashley/Kaidan say if they learn that Shepard actually isn't the same person anymore? (Also, if Liara/Ashley/Kaidan were Shepard's LI in ME1, this would make things extra tragic.)

There's so much potential for delicious tragedy. Due to being Shepard's clone, Clone Shep is essentially forced into the role of someone else, only to realize that no matter what they do, they can never replace said person.

I think this would be such a cool concept for a ME3 AU. If someone wrote a fanfic about that, I'd totally read it.

Gods clone-shep breaks my fucking heart. The fandom and the DLC itself treats them as a joke but they are so fucking tragic. Brookes was the real villain and she doesn’t get enough hate.

When we meet clone-shep they’re only six months old. They look like an adult, talk like an adult, they have the faculties of an adult, the thought processes of an adult, but no memories of their own, no life experience to teach them morals. They have the life experience of an infant.

From the moment they wake up they’re told they were just a bag of organs for the person you’re a copy of. They have nothing, own nothing, not even their face is theirs. But Brookes is whispering in their ear, feeding this new naive mind hatred and anger and jealousy. And Clone-Shep follows it, because like an infant they’ll follow and trust the first guiding voice they hear. No one has Clone-Shep’s back except Brookes, Brookes only wants to help them be stronger, Brookes knows what best, Brookes is giving them a purpose. If they follow Brookes they can be happy.

Clone-Shep truly doesn’t know any better. That’s not me making excuses or infantilize them, they truly don’t know, without memories they can’t know.

And the “why you and not me!” line? Soul crushing. Clone-Shep is hurting so fucking much and just want to have a purpose, just wants to belong.

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bright, white flames