#Pitfall (Mobile)

[videogamepolls]

Requested by anon

[hartlow]

MY FUCKING WRITING SERVICE I DO ALL MY PLANNING AND PUT ALL MY EXCERPTS ON BECAME A FUCKING SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. IT WON'T EVEN LET ME EDIT ANYTHING BECAUSE I "EXCEEDED THE AMOUNT OF FREE NOTES" I CAN USE. I USED THIS WEBSITE SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE IT WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT ORGANIZED THINGS IN A WAY THAT ALIGNED WITH MY BRAIN. I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL SOMEONE. I'M ACTUALLY SO FUCKING ENRAGED I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF.

[g4zdtechtv]

THE PILE PRESENTS: X-Play - Where's My Energon? | 8/21/12

One HUGE episode. Borderline obese, really.

[hybridappbuilder]

Navigate Mobile App Development Outsourcing Like a Pro in 2023! 📱💼✨

Discover Expert Tips to Avoid Common Pitfalls and Ensure Success.

🚀💡 Don't miss out on this valuable advice that can save you time, money, and headaches.

[thydungeongal]

Also while i do have issues woth how asian people are portrayes in the cuberpunk ttrpg (which is an issue with cyberpunk as a genre) mike pondsmith deserves way more credit than he got for creating one of the first cyberpunk ttrpgs

Yeah absolutely, a lot of foundational works of the cyberpunk genre in general had North American anxieties about Asian nations becoming world economic powers at their heart: there's a reason why Blade Runner's image of a futuristic "dystopia" kind of just looks like a more hi-tech, noir version of Tokyo and unfortunately Cyberpunk ended up regurgitating a lot of the orientalism foundational to the genre. There is nuance in all of these things, and an author being marginalized in some ways doesn't mean that they won't have blind spots elsewhere (like, in my post I mentioned Rolemaster, and while I do think it's cool that a gay man who was probably open about his gayness within the company worked on it, it is still a work taking a lot of influence from D&D and the works of Tolkien, so it ends up having a lot of the same pitfalls as those things).

But it is still an extremely cool game, and Mike Pondsmith has been a TTRPG pioneer in many ways! Teenagers from Outer Space was a gag anime pastiche, Mekton was a mecha RPG borrowing heavily from Mobile Suit Gundam, and both of these were released at a time when anime was still a niche interest outside of Japan! Castle Falkenstein is a fantastic piece of alternate history and also a great example of how game-writing in an in-universe register can enhance the game! Anyway yeah he's cool

[fearfulfertility]

CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM

DRC, Public Affairs Division, Civilian Services Command

To: Director [REDACTED]

From: Regional Oversight Coordinator [REDACTED], Paternity Compound 132

Date: [REDACTED]

Subject: Community Re-Education Efforts in Rural Tennessee

Location: Church of the Immaculate Conception, [REDACTED], Tennessee

Objective Statement

This transcript, sourced from Reverend [REDACTED]’s recent sermon at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in [REDACTED], Tennessee, highlights our ongoing efforts to align religious communities with national surrogacy objectives. Given this region's exceedingly low socio-economic and educational prospects, messaging must be tailored to emphasize divine purpose and moral duty, ensuring surrogacy compliance through faith-based narratives.

The Reverend’s inclusion of visibly pregnant surrogates and theological framing of their sacrifice was effective in capturing attention. However, his unscripted interaction with Surrogate S142-317-K revealed the risks of granting surrogates a platform to express personal dissent, even in a controlled environment. Future engagements must avoid such pitfalls to maintain community trust and focus.

Action Items

Develop stricter scripting guidelines for public appearances involving surrogates.

Evaluate congregation reactions and adjust messaging to address residual discomfort.

Monitor flagged individuals for dissent and determine appropriate countermeasures.

Community Description

Nestled in a rural expanse of [REDACTED], Tennessee, this community reflects the hallmarks of low socioeconomic status and deeply ingrained religious traditions. Most residents are employed in small-scale agriculture, local manufacturing, or service-sector jobs, with limited post-secondary education and social mobility. The population skews towards large families due to cultural and religious norms. Religious affiliation is nearly universal, with the church serving as a central hub for social interaction, moral guidance, and community decision-making. Despite economic hardship, the community demonstrates resilience and a firm adherence to conservative, faith-based values.

Transcript Submission

Congregation Description

The congregation at the Church of the Immaculate Conception consists predominantly of working-class families, retirees, and local farmers.

Opening Hymn: “Great is Thy Faithfulness”

Reverend [REDACTED]

"Brothers in faith, we gather here today in the spirit of sacrifice, in the spirit of service, and in the spirit of salvation. For the Lord Himself said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.’ And so we find ourselves in a time of testing, a time when the Lord calls upon us to serve not just with our hearts, but with our very bodies."

"Today, I am blessed to share this sacred space with two of our surrogates, young men chosen by God for a divine mission. These brave souls are bearing the weight—quite literally—of our nation’s future. Let us welcome them as they sit among us, shining examples of what it means to live according to His will."

Congregation turns to see two surrogates seated at the front of the sanctuary. Both are visibly near full-term.

Surrogate S142-317-K

18 years old, former high school athlete from the immediate community, pregnant with hendecuplets (11). Surrogate was selected for his quiet and submissive demeanor. 

Surrogate S142-225-L

20 years old, family members from an associated rural farming community and is currently pregnant with dodecuplets (12). Surrogate was selected for his stoic and resigned demeanor. Condition is very advanced, and movements are limited to assisted mobility only. 

Reverend [REDACTED]

"Now, some of you have questioned the changes in our congregation, the ways in which we have been asked to adapt, to welcome this previously unfathomable mission. But let me remind you: God works in mysterious ways. His plan is not always clear to us, but it is always righteous. Today, we are called to embrace a new chapter in our walk with Him—a chapter of extraordinary giving."

Congregation murmurs softly. 

S142-225-L, struggling with his bulk, shifts uncomfortably in his chair.

Reverend [REDACTED]

"For as the Good Book says in John 15:13, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ And what greater love can there be than these surrogates, who are laying down their strength, their comfort, and yes, even their very lives, to bring forth the next generation? These young men are not merely surrogates—they are chosen vessels of divine purpose."

A few hesitant amens from the congregation. 

S142-317-K wipes away a tear, while S142-225-L stares blankly ahead.

Reverend [REDACTED]

"I know some of you are struggling with this new reality. Perhaps you have seen your sons, your brothers, or even your neighbors brought into this new calling. Perhaps you have wrestled with anger, confusion, or despair. But I tell you, do not grieve! Do not resist! For as Paul reminds us in Romans 12:1, ‘Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.’ These sacrifices are not in vain—they are the foundation upon which our future is built."

"Let me share a story. Last week, I visited the gestational ward at Paternity Compound 132. I met one of the young men seated here with us today. He told me, ‘Pastor, I don’t know why God chose me for this, but I trust Him. I trust that He has a plan.’ That, my friends, is faith. That is courage. That is the spirit of true service."

Note: No interaction beyond observations through the sound-proofed glass was allowed when Reverend [REDACTED] visited Paternity Compound 132. The surrogate in question he references appears to be fabricated for the purpose of the sermon.

Reverend [REDACTED]

"These young men are heroes. And heroes don’t always look the way we expect them to. They don’t wear capes. Sometimes, they wear hospital gowns. Sometimes, they lay in beds, swollen with life, praying that their sacrifice will make a difference. That their pain will pave the way for a brighter tomorrow."

The congregation grows quiet, many appearing uneasy. 

S142-317-K exhales deeply, his hands resting on the vast curve of his abdomen. S142-225-L does not display any emotive response.

Reverend [REDACTED]:

"We, too, must do our part. We must support them. Pray for them. Celebrate their courage and remind ourselves that this is God’s will made manifest. If you are called to give a son, give him with faith. If you are called to serve as a surrogate, serve with pride. And if you are called to bear witness, do so with humility and gratitude."

Reverend [REDACTED] continues to proselytize for another 23.7 minutes. The congregation appears to be losing focus, but attention is regained when the Reverend begins "interviewing" surrogate S142-317-K.

Reverend [REDACTED]

"Good afternoon, son. What an honor it is to have you here with us today. The congregation is inspired by your courage and sacrifice. Now, tell me—how does it feel to be chosen for such a divine purpose?"

Surrogate S142-317-K

"Pastor, I—"

Reverend [REDACTED]

"Ah, I can imagine it’s overwhelming at first! To know you’ve been selected to carry not just life, but hope, for an entire nation. That’s a weight most young men will never understand. Truly, the Lord works through you miraculously, doesn’t He?"

Surrogate S142-317-K

"I mean, I guess, but—"

Reverend [REDACTED]

"That’s right, that’s right. And think of the joy you’re bringing to so many families who have prayed for children but could not have them. Every kick you feel, every movement within you, is a testament to God’s plan. Don’t you agree?"

Surrogate S142-317-K

"I don’t know if I’d call it joy, Pastor. It’s actually—"

Reverend [REDACTED]

"Oh, I understand! It’s humbling, isn’t it? To feel the enormity of your task. But let me remind you, son, humility is a virtue. Philippians 2:3 says, ‘Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.’ That’s exactly what you’re doing!"

Surrogate S142-317-K

"But it’s not what I—"

Reverend [REDACTED]

"You see, the Lord guides us even when we don’t understand His methods. I’m sure, at first, you might have had doubts or fears—that’s only natural. But look at you now! A shining example of faith and resilience. How proud your parents must be to see you serving this way!"

Surrogate S142-317-K

"My parents didn’t give me a choice! They signed me up—"

Reverend [REDACTED]

"Ah, yes, choice. Sometimes, the greatest choices are made for us, aren’t they? Just as Abraham was called to sacrifice Isaac, not every calling is one we’d choose for ourselves. But, son, you’ve risen to the occasion. Surely, you can see the greater purpose in all this?"

Surrogate S142-317-K

"Pastor, with all due respect, I’m in constant pain. I can barely—"

Surrogate S142-225-L begins to display visible physical discomfort. 

Reverend [REDACTED]

"Pain! Yes, yes, the pain of sacrifice. The pain of labor. The pain of the cross. None of us can achieve greatness without hardship, my boy. Jesus Himself bore the weight of the world’s sins—just as you bear the weight of these precious lives. What a beautiful parallel, don’t you think?"

Surrogate S142-317-K

"I just want this to end. I can’t—"

S142-225-L groaned audibly, his hands clutching his abdomen as multiple fetuses shifted within. The pronounced movement of his belly draws gasps and murmurs from the congregation. 

Several attendees appeared visibly distressed, with one man crossing himself repeatedly. 

Reverend [REDACTED] momentarily paused, offering a solemn nod in acknowledgment before continuing his dialogue with S142-317-K. 

The incident visibly heightened the unease in the room.

Reverend [REDACTED]

"In God’s time, all things come to their conclusion. For now, focus on the gift you are giving. Focus on the good you are doing for countless others. And remember, ‘Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial.’ That’s James 1:12, by the way."

Surrogate S142-317-K

(quietly) "What the actual fuck?"

Closing Hymn: “Onward, Christian Soldiers”

Reverend [REDACTED]

"Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessings You have bestowed upon us, for the surrogates who carry the burden of life, and for the wisdom of those who guide this blessing. We ask that You give strength to those who serve, comfort to those who grieve, and faith to those who doubt. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen."

"You, my boy, are an instrument of His will. And there is no higher calling than that."

Post-Sermon Observations

Surrogate S142-317-K appeared visibly distressed and unresponsive for the remainder of the service. 

S142-225-L returns to staring blankly ahead, though now massaging his belly.

Reverend [REDACTED] has been instructed to avoid conducting unscripted conversations with surrogates in future appearances.

Addendum (Confidential)

Following the service, S142-317-K fainted while being escorted out, likely due to the extreme strain of late-term pregnancy. Medical staff intervened promptly, though the surrogate later went into labor, birthed, and expired in the compound the following morning.

S142-225-L also continued gestating for 5 days (34 days total) before entering labor, birthing, and expiring.

No overt objections were publicly declared. 

Reverend [REDACTED] has been instructed to continue incorporating surrogates into his sermons to normalize their role within the community.

Click Here to return to DRC Report Archives

DRC agents noted mixed reactions among the congregation, ranging from quiet acceptance to visible discomfort. Several individuals were overheard expressing objections to the surrogates and their presence. Operatives have flagged them for further observation and, if necessary, detainment. 

----------------

[coolreallifes]

How to Choose the Best Broker for Stock, Forex, and Crypto Trading in 2024?

Navigating the world of trading can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to selecting the right broker to meet your trading requirements. Whether you’re interested in stocks, forex, or cryptocurrencies, the choice of broker can significantly impact your trading experience and success. In this post, we’ll explore the key factors to consider when choosing a broker and introduce you to ForexJudge.com, a reliable resource that offers comprehensive reviews and detailed analysis of the world’s best brokers.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Broker

Regulation and Security:

Ensure the broker is regulated by a reputable financial authority. Regulation provides a level of security and oversight, protecting you from fraudulent activities.

Look for brokers that offer robust security measures, including encryption and two-factor authentication, to safeguard your funds and personal information.

Trading Platform:

A good trading platform should be user-friendly, reliable, and equipped with essential tools for analysis and trading.

Consider whether the platform offers mobile compatibility if you plan to trade on-the-go.

Fees and Commissions:

Compare the fees and commissions charged by different brokers. Lower fees can significantly enhance your profitability, especially if you trade frequently.

Be aware of hidden fees, such as withdrawal charges, inactivity fees, or charges for additional services.

Range of Assets:

Ensure the broker offers the range of assets you’re interested in trading. If you plan to diversify your portfolio, choose a broker that provides access to stocks, forex, and cryptocurrencies.

Some brokers specialize in specific asset classes, so make sure your chosen broker aligns with your trading preferences.

Customer Support:

Reliable customer support is crucial, especially if you encounter issues with your account or trading platform. Look for brokers that offer multiple support channels, including live chat, phone, and email.

Check reviews to gauge the quality and responsiveness of the broker’s customer service.

Education and Resources:

Many brokers offer educational resources such as tutorials, webinars, and market analysis. These resources can be invaluable, especially for beginners.

A broker that provides regular market updates and trading insights can help you stay informed and make better trading decisions.

How ForexJudge.com Can Help

With so many brokers available, making an informed choice can be challenging. This is where ForexJudge.com comes in. ForexJudge is a trusted platform that has compiled detailed reviews and analysis of the world’s best brokers. By providing comprehensive information and user feedback, ForexJudge helps traders make well-informed decisions.

Detailed Broker Reviews

ForexJudge offers in-depth reviews of brokers across various asset classes, including stocks, forex, and cryptocurrencies. Each review covers critical aspects such as regulation, fees, trading platforms, and customer support. By reading these reviews, you can gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of different brokers, helping you choose the one that best meets your needs.

User Feedback and Ratings

In addition to expert reviews, ForexJudge features user feedback and ratings. This community-driven aspect allows traders to share their experiences and provide honest assessments of brokers. This real-world feedback can offer a clearer picture of what to expect and help you avoid potential pitfalls.

Regular Updates and Alerts

The trading world is dynamic, with brokers frequently updating their services, fees, and policies. ForexJudge keeps you informed with regular updates and alerts, ensuring you have the latest information at your fingertips. This proactive approach helps you stay ahead of the curve and make timely decisions.

Making the Final Decision

When choosing a broker, it’s essential to consider your trading goals, risk tolerance, and preferred asset classes. By leveraging the resources available on ForexJudge, you can make a well-informed decision that aligns with your trading strategy.

Steps to Follow:

Identify Your Needs:

Determine what you want to trade (stocks, forex, crypto) and what features are most important to you (low fees, robust platform, educational resources).

Research and Compare:

Use ForexJudge’s detailed reviews and user feedback to compare different brokers. Pay close attention to factors such as regulation, fees, and customer support.

Test the Platform:

Many brokers offer demo accounts. Use these to test the trading platform and ensure it meets your needs before committing real funds.

Start Small:

When you choose a broker, start with a small investment to test the waters. As you gain confidence and experience, you can increase your trading capital.

Conclusion

Choosing the right broker is a crucial step in your trading journey. By considering factors such as regulation, fees, trading platforms, and customer support, you can make an informed choice that enhances your trading experience.

For a reliable resource in your broker selection process, turn to ForexJudge.com. With its comprehensive reviews, user feedback, and regular updates, ForexJudge provides the insights you need to make the best decision for your trading needs.

Happy trading, and may your investments be fruitful!

[kalinara]

So I've been contemplating Charles Xavier a fair bit since X-Manhunt ended, and I think maybe I've hit on what I think the ultimate problem is when it comes to the character, for me.

So Charles Xavier is one of those X-Men characters that has a really strong pop-culture resonance. Even people who have never picked up a comic book have at least some idea who he is. He's not as popular and famous as Wolverine, by any means. But if you know who the X-Men are, then you have an idea who Charles Xavier is.

Charles Xavier is bald, older middle aged/early elderly man in a wheelchair. He is the kind, wise patriarch of the X-Men.

Now, between you and me, I'm not sure this portrayal was EVER particularly accurate to the flawed and complicated man we see in the comics, but that's beside the point. This is the image that most people think of when you mention Charles Xavier.

(I bring up the wheelchair because it's an interesting fact that Professor X hasn't used a mobility aid in comics since the early 00s. But despite that, it's still very much a part of our pop culture idea of the man. And I suspect there are ableist tropes at work in multiple directions, but I'm not really equipped to analyze on those grounds.)

On one hand, Professor Xavier has mostly overcome the pitfall of the Wolverine. With Wolverine, the creative folks at Marvel always seem to be a little too afraid to rock the boat. Logan is Logan, and any deviation from the theme is going to be incredibly short lived, and very little opportunity for true character growth or deconstruction.

But on the other hand, I think writers are maybe a bit too happy to engage in full scale deconstruction of the character. This isn't always a bad thing. There's a lot that Xavier has pulled, canonically, over the years that's worth looking at with fresh eyes. It's fun to look at the kind of things that we once accepted as staples of the genre and go "wait a second, what effect WOULD that have on those kids?" and "what kind of person would train children in the first place? And why?"

But then, I think, sometimes the writers would go too far, and we get things like Deadly Genesis. Or the reveal that the Danger Room is a sentient enslaved AI.

I don't think it's a coincidence that those stories came out during the early 00s, when the movies were in full swing. Brubaker and Whedon were not, I think, really deconstructing the COMIC BOOK Xavier. They were having fun with the idea of "well, what if Xavier isn't really Patrick Stewart after all?"

But that means the conversation about Xavier veers away from the genre deconstruction elements of "what kind of man trains children for battle, and what are the effects of that?" to "Xavier mindwiped his foster kid to forget his brother's existence/covered up the deaths of an entire team/enslaved a sentient being."

There's no question there, because those are the actions of a villain, full stop. There's no deconstruction there because, until this point, Xavier wasn't actually a man who would do that.

But continuity and canon being what they are, Xavier is now a man who would do that. And it took a good decade, a redemption quest, two actual deaths, and off screen sanctification to get him back to a functional character again.

I think they did a good job, for the most part, in Krakoa, of showing Xavier at his best and worst. He is the visionary who made it happen (albeit with Magneto and Moira's help, but Magneto wasn't going to unite everyone the way Xavier could.) He was the face of the nation and the dream. And his fuck ups, born of ego and blind idealism, made sense. Of course, the man who wants to be King Arthur put his enemies on his round table. Of course, he wants a universal, simple ethical structure that applies to everyone even if that means a misunderstanding could lead a teenaged girl to be condemned to the pit. He can't overrule the Council to save his foster son's child. He can't just let his brother onto Krakoa when his brother isn't a mutant, no matter how hard Cain's tried to redeem himself....

And so on and so forth.

But then, we get Fall of X/Fall of the House of X. Even there, a lot of Xavier's actions make sense. Overruling everyone to send them into a gate to save their lives? Yes. I see that. Being lost in despair when he thinks he's killed them? Makes sense.

Disrupting Scott's rescue mission in order to go back in time to kill a fourteen year old girl? EH. Murdering people to get into ORCHIS? EHHHH.

I'd imagine that was always meant to be a fake out. At least I hope it was. But it gets into the same pattern with Xavier. In deconstructing the ideal of the man, the writers go to far. Then they end up backtracking. Then they go so far backtracking that we lose any opportunity to get into what he's actually done.

So in From the Ashes, we get the reveal that Xavier did not kill the people of the Agnew. Good. That had been a bit too far. In X-Manhunt, then, this reveal is now public. Yay. Now there's no need for Xavier to be imprisoned. All is forgiven. He can skip off into space with his wife, while everyone is sad.

Except, there were a whole lot of IN CHARACTER shit he'd pulled before that. There's a reason that Storm was barely talking to him by the end of Krakoa. Emma was incredibly livid at the games he played. Magneto had fucked off to Mars in frustration. But only Scott's allowed to actually stay angry at him, and it's portrayed as completely irrational. (Which I liked as a beat FOR SCOTT, but I feel like the others should have had some similar sentiment.)

I'm not saying I think Xavier deserves prison. But what about a hug and an "I'm sorry I've put you through this?" Hell, he could even sidestep some actual accountability and go with "I'm sorry I left you to carry this alone."

Admittedly, I'm a biased single character fan, but ONE apology, to ONE character, it didn't even have to be Scott! That could have gone a long way.

But nope, he didn't do that thing that would have been completely out of character, so everything's copacetic now.

I'm cautiously optimistic for Imperial. I think Hickman's done a good job with a realistically flawed Xavier in the past. But man, I'm going to enjoy the break from this roller coaster. At least there are no eulogies this time.

[mikubilliards]

The Praxis and Theory Post

Ok so I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, because frankly I have been too busy or tired to write anything super long. Then Xenoblade X happened and that’s been eating away all my free hours now. Anyways I know I need to get this out otherwise I’m gonna lose all my thoughts on it, so here it is.

The Praxis and Theory questline in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is basically a microcosm of everything the game does well and everything it does poorly, and I find it super interesting as a result because it reaches so close to greatness, but stumbles in just a few key areas. Even with its faults I still think it’s one of if not the best questline in Xenoblade 2.

The quest line is split into 3 separate arcs, with the first one being the “Core Crystal Hunters” quest that you accept from the informants. Already we are at one of the pitfalls of Xenoblade 2! Wow that was fast! The informants are touted at the beginning of the game as having important information, but the game does not really let you know what kind. For the first 4 chapters, they are practically irrelevant, and nothing of use really comes from them save for their initial use in Chapter 2. If you stop by them, they will only be selling badly worded tutorials on certain game mechanics, a problem this game suffers from immensely (but that’s another story altogether). However, randomly around chapters 4 and 5, the game decides to drop at least 2 blade quests that can only be accessed if you check the informants: one for Kassandra and the other for Praxis and Theory. If you don’t check everything rigorously like I do (since the informants are often out of the way and not on the main path) or simply think those informants are worthless due to how bad they are shown in the tutorial to be (much like pouch items tbh but that’s yet another story), you will never come across this quest.

Anyways, if you did grab the information, you then have to travel to a very specific place in Torigoth in order for the quest to trigger! The game does not tell you this either, so you are left on your own to find it. You also have to have at least 10 core crystals on you but that you usually do have. The place is also somewhat out of the way, but not impossible to find if you just spend some time running around the city. It is then that you will be ambushed by Praxis and Theory, and the quest begins.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about the first arc of this questline, as it’s pretty standard stuff. A quick recap with some of my thoughts sprinkled in should suffice. So you fight them off, then continue to be concerned about the hunters like the JRPG protagonists you are, then you go and talk to the military about trying to stop them. You decide to spread rumors using the Merc group. By the way I hate the Merc missions they feel like mobile game mechanics, and they rely on the gatcha system which also sucks. I could rant about those but that’s not why we are here, so let’s move on. The Merc group spreads our rumors, and then we have to go to the secret meetup spot where we are supposed to ambush the hunters. But WHOOPS! Turns out we’re the ones being ambushed!! In a kind of interesting turn of events, we get played like a book and have to fight our way out. Also I really actually like the VA who did the main villain of this arc. He has some really good line deliveries and you REALLY learn to hate him especially later down the line. Thieving Waldemar, you were peak, bro. So you beat them and then all of a sudden Praxis just dies. Her driver got killed by the support squad and therefore she’s back in her core. Waldemar realizes they aren’t winning this and tells Theory to run as we grab the core crystal. Theory is kinda pissed about it but ends up following through and leaving. The first hints of something deeper, aside from the visual notion that they’re related in some way.

Overall I think the first arc is just fine. It’s a good enough quest and it’s got some intrigue to it, but nothing super special. What it sets up for tho I actually really enjoy.

So you eventually are able to awaken Praxis as a blade for yourself, and she joins the party! Good for you, she’s a decent water blade and fun to use. She’s also lost all her memories of her previous life, and she’s much more peppy and upbeat rather than a murderer! That’s awesome and I’m sure won’t come into play later! So you put her on the team and start grinding away at her affinity chart.

After a few chapters, you’re suddenly at chapter 7! No Pyra, no Mythra, so your party’s looking a bit weak at the moment, and you wanna go get some of your blades powered up. Luckily, Praxis has gotten herself to the 4th level of the affinity chart, and she’s got a quest: Blade Sharp Memory! This is the second arc of the Praxis and Theory questline, and my favorite of the three. Now earlier I mentioned she lost her memory when she reawakened. Well that’s about to come into play! This quest really takes advantage of the way Blades work and it’s super cool.

So you’re just casually walking around in Fonsa Myma looking for the quest, and all of a sudden you get a spear thrown at you! What the heck bro! Who did that! On the spear is a note, simply telling Praxis to do something that she has no clue about. This leads into a normal sidequest objective of collecting an item, then going to Gormott. Once you get to the specified place in Gormott, you are greeted with ANOTHER spear thrown at you! How fun!! This time it’s more sidequests, but Praxis is confused! Who could be doing this, and why are the fixated on her? So the party has to tell her about her past and her time with Theory. Upon learning what she was, she’s mortified, but at the same time understands that that was the old her. She also doesn’t remember Theory at all but the party surmises that they should play along with her game until they figure out what to do next. Just their luck, because they are told to go to Mor Ardain where what do you know, ANOTHER SPEAR!!! This time though, it’s accompanied by Theory herself, who has come to ask Praxis if she remembers anything about her past life. Theory really really misses Praxis, and has done all of this as a way to try and get her to remember her past life, especially her time with Theory. She’s so desperate she’s gone out of her way to recreate exact situations just to try and trigger something that helps her remember. But that’s not how blades work. Praxis tries to tell her that she doesn’t remember anything, and as a result, Theory just tells the party to come to Judicium where they can finally put an end to this.

So we all go to Judicium and, turns out, our old buddy Waldemar was in on this. He was letting Theory try this to get her back, but he never really put much stock in the idea of it working. Instead, he planned to lure us out here and kill is to retrieve Praxis that way, basically doing the same to us what we did to them. That’s a really cool parallel actually. He also seems to think Theory’s been focusing too much on getting Praxis back, but is also USING her feelings to make her fight even harder so that she can be with her sister once again. Hes basically using Theory as a tool for his own revenge and gain, and Praxis tries to get her to see that but she’s having none of it. So a fight breaks out and it’s honestly a really hard fight. The enemy team is built really well and without Mythra for that party evasion buff it gets kind of hard actually. But we do end up winning, and then the cutscene plays out. Waldemar is getting even worse, insulting Theory for not being good enough, and just generally being a bad person like we all knew. The way it’s written is actually really good, because he has a stake in this same as Theory herself. He wants Praxis back specifically for the power she brings, she wants Praxis back because she cares for her. They have differing motivations and the rift over the course of the conversation just grows and grows, as Waldemar just keeps putting Theory down while Praxis tries to convince her not to fight. Even though she doesn’t remember Theory, she knows she was someone important to her, and doesn’t want Theory to be burdened by this man any longer. Eventually, it seems she finally gets through, and Theory decides to take the life of her own driver, thus killing herself in the process. Praxis holds her as she dies, telling her they’ll stay together when she reawakens. This ends the quest.

And yeah that’s my favorite part of the questline. It’s got the highest stakes, the most tension, and it builds on the ideas that Xenoblade 2 tries to explore really well. I especially like the clash of philosophy that’s shown in how Praxis and Theory are treated when they are separate. Theory is manipulated and toyed with by her driver for the sake of ultimately increasing his own strength. Praxis is supported by her driver and allies, and they take on the challenges that Theory puts to them as a team. When it’s time for her to understand where she comes from, they tell her and allow her to form her own judgements on Theory and what to do next. Getting support from and relying on friends, working together, all great things the game emphasizes show up here. The way that the quest ends is really great too. Even though it’s obvious that killing the driver is the only way we are going to get Theory back, the way that it’s executed is super well done and a natural consequence of both the world that the characters are in as well as the development of the characters up to that point. I could nitpick about how this one driver and his two goons are basically so good they can stand up to 4 of the most powerful drivers in the world and Tora, but I’m very willing to ignore that because it is an interesting story.

So then we get to the third arc of the questline. This arc includes a quest and some heart-to-hearts, covering the resolutions to the storylines of Praxis and Theory, and how they move forward.

We nabbed Theory’s core crystal after the end of the last quest, and eventually she’s ready to awaken as well! Welcome back, Theory! She’s still uptight, but has a certain protective air to her manners, especially around Praxis. Praxis is doing the best she can to be close to Theory, because that’s what she wanted before she died. This isn’t really going as planned, though. In the heart-to-heart “Rough Diamond”, Theory is annoyed at Praxis for trying to coddle her, but she eventually comes around to it somewhat by the time of their last quest together.

The last quest, “Theory and Praxis” (great name guys, really good), sees them trying to repent for their crimes they committed in their past lives. I like how this deals with that aspect of the games world, how does it work when blades have a massive shift in personality as a result of a change of drivers? This quest shows us one way it could go. I have less good to say about this quest than the last one though. It’s again more generic sidequest-y stuff with less of a hit at the end than the second quest. The story basically follows Praxis and Theory as they are recognized by a father in Fonsa Myma and attacked by local mercenaries because they assumed they were still criminal blades. They eventually realize the truth, but it leaves an impression on both of them. Theory just kind of accepts this as a label she’ll have to live with, but Praxis (who has been with the party longer and thus would be more proactive) decides to make things right if she can, and have Theory help her. The quest then again gets pretty standard, with that really being the only highlight aside from the ending. After they go and bake cookies for the children of the town, they pause to reflect on the good they’ve done. It’s a nice bonding moment for them, but I feel it would have been better if elements of the last heart-to-heart they had, “Sisterly Love”, was rolled into it. I get why they had it be separate, because it might have felt like it came a bit too fast as a turn-around. I feel like it could have been done with maybe some mandatory change of location to signify that some time has passed.

Oh I should probably mention what happens in Sisterly Love as well. It’s pretty simple as most heart-to-hearts are. Theory finally expresses the same kind of bond that we saw them having under the core crystal hunter’s care, but this time in a much healthier environment. She’s finally come back around to Praxis, and even calls her “sis”, which is something she said she wouldn’t do in Rough Diamond.

Overall, the quest has some really high highs and some mediocre bits that keep it from really being great. I think the second arc really stands out as the highlight of the story, with the first and third being necessary set up and resolution with some interesting parts along the way.

But, what did I mean when I said that it was a microcosm for Xenoblade 2 as a whole? Well basically I a lot of both what makes Xenoblade 2 good and what holds it back in this quest. It’s got a very interesting overall concept, especially when it comes to the bond between the two main characters. This is shared with the game as a whole, where I think the IDEA of what blades are, especially the Aegis, and how they bond with humans is super neat. I also think that the villain has some very interesting qualities too. As a villain he seems pretty standard for a side quest but when you think about it there’s a little bit more going on, even if he’s got a horrible outlook. He’s never portrayed as sympathetic though, unlike a lot of the main villains in the base game, but at least there’s some depth to him that you wouldn’t usually see in a sidequest villain.

As for the ways it falls short, there’s a few. Id like to mention the voice direction being of mixed quality, especially in the emotional scenes. This is a persistent problem in the game itself, especially earlier on but it still certainly exists even into the late game. It really ruins the mood for some of the most important scenes and just barely manages not to take me completely out of the Theory death scene. It got close, though. I also feel like the third quest is rather underwhelming compared to the first two. It focuses less on Praxis and Theory understanding and coming to terms with what they were and more on how they can atone for it. This really lifts a lot of the emotional weight that the second arc of the story had, and while I don’t think it was a HORRIBLE ending by any means, it could have been so much better if they were able to reflect more on what they did and how the world sees blades like them. Maybe it’s just my flair for more introspective stories, but I really wish we got to see more of that than the cookie making. This also is a problem that is persistent for me in the game as a whole. The story takes all of these really interesting ideas, lays them out on the table for us to see, and then decides to not focus on any of them for the time that they would need to truly hit home. I blame this partly on early game not being very good at sticking to a particular tone or theme. With the exception of Chapter 3, the game doesn’t really pick out what it wants to explore until chapter 5, and it feels like a lot of the time it’s introducing new ideas faster than it can keep pace with them. I feel this quest has a few ideas it wants to explore deeper, but only gets to really talk about one or two of them, the rest getting left half-baked in favor of generic sidequesting and THAT STUPID MERC GROUP TIMER I HATE IT.

Anyways, that’s my conclusive thoughts on the Praxis and Theory storyline in Xenoblade 2. I probably have more to say and to be honest my feelings have shifted a bit since I first drafted my idea for this post over a month ago. Maybe if people want to point out things I can talk a little more about them, or if they don’t then that’s fine as well. In the end this is all just really my opinion on the quest, and if you disagree that’s cool, that’s the cool thing about literature.

Oh yeah and I just discovered that I can save drafts (I’m a bit stupid!) so I’m gonna work on some more posts like this, probably about Xenoblade since that’s my autism thing but maybe I’ll do something on another series as well. We’ll just have to see!

(I can’t find the source for this art but I had it saved from like 5 years ago so here it is)

[ms-m-astrologer]

The Week Ahead: March 3-9, 2025

Executive summary: Venus is retrograde, Mercury has entered its retrograde zone, the Shadow of the Eclipse starts Tuesday, and (if you live in the US) stupid fucking Daylight Savings starts next Sunday. Grrrr.

Lunar Phases

Monday, March 3, 07:16 UTC - Crescent Moon, 27°57’ Aries

The key phrase for the Crescent lunar phase is “gather and mobilize resources.” Try to wait until the Moon enters Taurus (10:37 UTC) to avoid panicky hysteria, then focus on practical needs.

Thursday, March 6, 16:32 UTC - First Quarter Moon, 16°21’ Gemini

The key phrases for the First Quarter lunar phase are “take action,” and “build new structures to support our intentions.” We go into this with optimism and high spirits - can we keep that going, though? Remember about having two ears but only one mouth, equals “Listen twice as much as we speak.”

Monday, March 10, 08:19 UTC - Gibbous Moon, 5°01’ Leo

The key phrases for the Gibbous lunar phase are “tweak and adjust plans as necessary,” and “pour more energy and effort into our intentions.” A lot of outrage possible, as well as easy expression of same.

Void of Course Moon

Sunday, March 2, 13:52 UTC (Aries) - Monday, March 3, 10:37 UTC (Taurus)

Wednesday, March 5, 10:53 UTC (Taurus) - 12:29 UTC (Gemini)

Friday, March 7, 14:57 UTC (Gemini) - 16:29 UTC (Cancer)

Sunday, March 9, 21:32 UTC (Cancer) - 22:59 UTC (Leo)

Retrograde/Direct/Etc.

Pre-retrograde shadow: Mercury/Aries, Pallas/Aquarius (starting Saturday the 8th), Juno/Sagittarius, Vesta/Scorpio

Retrograde: Venus/Aries

Post-retrograde shadow: Mars/Cancer, Jupiter/Gemini

Transiting Pallas enters her pre-retrograde shadow on Saturday, March 8, 03:09 UTC, at 6°39’ Aquarius. Getting our problem-solving abilities “stuck” somehow, maybe some (more) computer and AI pitfalls exposed, over the next several months.

Transiting Mercury has its Greatest Eastern Elongation on Saturday, March 8, 18:12 UTC, at 5°16’ Aries. This is similar in “feel” to the Last Quarter lunar phase: if something hasn’t been working, it’s time to toss it.

Ingress

Monday, March 3, 09:04 UTC - transiting Mercury enters Aries

Just for a while: during Mercury’s retrograde process, it slips back into Pisces on March 30. We’re very enthusiastic about some idea, which in the longer run will need some serious reworking.

Et Cetera

There are two Opportunity Periods this week:

Wednesday, March 5, 01:56 UTC - 12:29 UTC. “Good for work or play.”

Sunday, March 9, 00:52 UTC - 22:59 UTC. “This dynamic OP is suitable for many things, from hard work to family life. It is the last chance before Mercury slows down and turns retrograde.”

The Shadow of the Eclipse begins on Tuesday, March 4, and lasts until Tuesday, April 1. The Cosmos is shifting; go with the flow.

To quote Prince, “Well, here we are.” A difficult month all around. So I’ll also quote Thomas Paine, from The Crisis (Dec. 23, 1776):

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

(How many other astrologers are going to quote both Prince and Thomas Paine, I ask you?!? 🤣🤣)

[mindfulwrath]

The Triaxial Theory of Horror

I have a theory that most horror fits into a volume of conceptual space described by 3 axes, which are:

Discrete--Diffuse

Mobile--Sessile

Wet--Dry

The Discrete--Diffuse axis describes the source of the horror. A Discrete horror has a physical, usually tangible form; is recognizable as the source of the horror; and takes actions which make it horrifying. On the opposite end of the scale, a Diffuse horror is one with no obvious source, center, or primary actor. Most of Steven King's work falls on the Discrete end of this scale; Silent Hill falls close to the middle; and The Others lands on the Diffuse end.

(As a note, any point on this axis can be done badly; hamfisted Discrete horror rapidly enters a space I call "Ooga-Booga Horror," where the object/entity/what-have-you is so cartoonishly scary as to wrap back around to being silly. Likewise, poorly handled Diffuse horror becomes "Vapor Horror," which is so completely sourceless as to be nonsensical.)

The Mobile--Sessile axis, meanwhile, describes the behavior of the horror. A Mobile horror is one that hunts, pursues, clings, reappears, or otherwise moves around; 80's slasher flicks being a prime example. Sessile horror, in contrast, stays put, and the horror derives either from the inability to escape its radius of influence or the inability to stay away; The Haunting of Hill House nearly exemplifies the far end of the axis.

(Here, too, poor handling can lead to the inversion of horror into comedy, on a scale from "Imma Gonna Getcha" to "Just Leave, Bro.")

Finally, the Wet--Dry axis deals with the effects of the horror, and is essentially equivalent to the gross-out factor. Typically, Wet horror is rich in blood, brains, and body parts, while Dry horror keeps its victims physically intact; however, this scale is not necessarily coupled to the presence or absence of viscera. For example, The Color Out of Space involves significant bodily disturbance, yet remains relatively Dry due to the elision of details. In the same vein (but in the opposite direction), Crimson Peak is an exceedingly Wet horror film, yet utilizes actual gore quite sparingly, preferring to shift the language of decomposition onto the inanimate house; yet its substitution of red clay for blood in no way lessens the Wetness of the horror.

(And as expected, this axis has its own hilarious pitfalls; over-the-top gore rapidly enters "Blood Fondue" territory, while excessively dry horror risks becoming "Totally Scary, Trust Me." Some would argue that The Color Out of Space indeed represents a plunge into the latter category.)

Some examples, then, of the triaxial scale in action:

NBC's Hannibal is Discrete/Mobile/Wet. Hannibal is the primary source of the horrifying events, he can and will chase you down, and when he does, it's going to get messy.

Saw is Discrete/Sessile/Wet. While the threat of bodily harm is similar, and its source similarly known, as in Hannibal, the texture of the horror is significantly altered by the confined setting.

House of Leaves is two horrors stacked up in a trench coat: the parts dealing with The Navidson Record are Discrete/Sessile/Dry, while Johnny Truant's narrative is Diffuse/Mobile/Wet.

Likewise, The Shining nests Discrete/Mobile/Dry horror (Jack chasing Wendy around with an axe) inside Diffuse/Sessile/Wet horror (the Overlook Hotel itself).

Silent Hill, as mentioned, is close to centered on the Discrete-Diffuse axis, and is also nearly centered on the Mobile-Sessile axis, although it is consistently Wet.

The Magnus Archives utilizes all three axes nearly to their fullest extents, but tends to cluster in the Discrete/Mobile/Wet octant.

To be sure, there are elements of horror not described by these axes--internal vs. external, active vs. passive, certain vs. uncertain doom--but as a system for interpreting and categorizing the main structural elements of horror, and particularly for describing one's preferences in horror, the triaxial scale functions well.

[spraxinoscope]

Oh yeah I saw GQuuuuuuX last week and I really liked it!

interaction at the ticket counter:

me: one for gundam, please

ticket guy: what?

me: gundam?

guy: ???

me: it's the one that looks like a typo.

guy: oh, mobile suit... something something... sure, here you go.

and then i was one of like seven people in the theater, which was great.

I don't have much to say about that hasn't already been said in the Gundam fan spaces I hang out in. uhh i like the new style of character designs a lot. it's a pretty drastic change but I think the new style looks good in the context of modern animation production. They remind me of Pokemon character designs, even though they're not doing the vertical pupils thing that Pokemon uses. I feel like the main girl should have a Totodile or something. Let Char have a Hitmonlee.

I had a great time, but we'll see if the series is as good as this introduction. Some of the plot stuff they're setting up in the movie might be heading towards a multiverse / spider-verse situation and I think that would be terrible. If it leans too heavily on callbacks to old UC stuff, that would be a drag too. But if they avoid those pitfalls, the show could be excellent. I'm excited to find out.

[billveusay]

I watched Gundam 00 and...

It's a very mixed bag. So mixed in fact that I have trouble figuring out my feelings on it. I think of a good episode or character moment and my opinion goes up, then I remember some iffy writing and it goes down, then I think about those beautiful mobile suits and fight scenes and it's up again, and then the character design comes to mind and we're down the slope once more. But nonetheless, I'd still say that I enjoyed it. It throws a lot of good ideas with potential, and actually follows up on some of them in interesting ways, but also fumbles with others and suffers from overall very generic characters.

It does open on a positive note with a very powerful hook. See those guys? There's like 12 people in their organisation, they have four Gundams, and they're gonna declare war on the entire world. Now let's show you why they not only have a fighting chance, but they actually put the world on the back foot for the majority of the season. This show really gives the Gundams narrative weight, you can feel everyone going "oh shit" when Exia lands on a battlefield and Kenji Kawai's music starts playing.

However, I won't give it too much points for exposition because as usual, there are five hundred different characters and a complex geopolitical mess, which they drop you into head first before you can put your swimsuit on. But at least, they include a summary of the global situation after the opening, like the original MSG did. So when I had a rough idea of where everyone was standing, I was hooked. But in the first season, my thoughts at the end of each episode were mostly "man, I wonder where they're going with that". IE, the Schrodinger opinion, that hinges on the pay-offs fulfilling the promises of the set-ups. Especially the whole "solving war with an independent force of dissuasion". It's an interesting concept, but that's because its flaws are immediately apparent and deconstructing them raises interesting questions. And... they do pay it off somewhat. And make relevant points. Celestial Being succeeds in uniting the world, but because they did it by creating global chaos, the driving motivation behind this unity was fear and a desire for security. And these are the feelings that lead people to relinquish their rights and give way to totalitarianism. There are also other episodes that add nuance to the plot and their actions, with varying degrees of success.

And yet, I still found a lot of it dubious. I think that's mainly due to them biting more than they could chew, choosing to tackle such complex topics. And that's not even touching on them bringing real world conflicts into the mix. I'm not saying you can never do that, but the standards by which you're gonna be judged are gonna skyrocket. And I really doubt they lived up to them, because the few that are mentioned mostly serve as background for an episode or two. And while I'm no expert on these, that left a bad taste in my mouth. It's kinda weird that they didn't stick to fictional countries and conflicts.

But focusing on the more episodic side of the show, they overall managed to keep things entertaining. I like that they put a lot of emphasis on the tactical side of the battles, it gives them variety and leads to creative set pieces (like the Ptolemaios diving into the sea to generate a tidal wave and mess with the visibility and beam weapons of their opponents). I especially like the run for the orbital cannon.

Now, because this show is such a mess, I have trouble structuring this review. So let's just immediately move on to the characters and address what's relevant to each of them. Though before that, I must admit that this is one of the weaker Gundam shows character-wise. They do avoid some pitfalls though, like the main cast is pretty good at communicating and not getting caught up in easily avoidable conflicts.

Let's start with Setsuna. I don't... love him, but I'm surprised by how much I don't hate him, if that makes sense. Cause at first it really felt like I should have, with the edgy Sasuke vibes he gave off. I think they avoid it by letting him grow a bit as a character, which shows that we were not supposed to think the angsty shtick was cool. It's no Vinland Saga's Thorfinn, going from broody to blasé isn't a huge jump, but it's better than nothing. What also helped is that after a while I started finding him very funny. His gender-envy but for Gundams is a factor, but also his deadpan expression at everything that happens around him makes for some fun contrasts. One of my favourite moments is when Saji punches him, he falls flat on his face, and while Saji continues to yell at him he just... lays here, for 10 seconds. Like he's rebooting

As for the whole indoctrinated child soldier in a holy war thing... at least he's from a fictional country, but the imagery they used still made me uncomfortable. I won't go farther on that topic though because I am very much not qualified.

Then you have Lockon. And I mean... he's obviously made to be the audience favourite, but damn it, how can you not love an irish Han Solo with a pet Haro? On that note, this show has the best Haro content in the franchise. Not only are they consistently very funny, they pulled off a tear jerking pre-sacrifice goodbye scene with a god damn Haro.

As for Lyle... bringing back the identical twin brother of a dead character is a hell of a writing choice, and I'm not a fan of it overall, but at least they semi-introduced him in the first season (in a single shot that I would probably have missed if I hadn't been spoiled) and his relationship with Katharon gave him a subplot that was his own. But I'd still have preferred someone brand new, who could also have come from Katharon.

Next, Allelujah. By far the weakest of the quartet. When I watched it, I made myself laugh by thinking "Well to be fair, he probably needed that second personality because they forgot to write the first one". One that made me recall Beyblade Metal Masters (2010), sequel to Beyblade Metal Fusion (2008), spin-off of Beyblade (1999), for the first time in years. This is an achievement, but not a compliment.

Plus, every time the story focuses on him, it's very rushed and wonky.

"Oh god, they're still making super soldiers. I gotta do something about this... hey Sumeragi! They're making super soldiers, can I do something about this?!"

"A'ight"

"Ok, imma go do that then"

And then he does. He shoots at the building, and that's the end of that arc. We don't even see the children he's killed, but we know he feels very bad about it for the rest of the show.

Tieria starts out annoying, but that's on purpose and like Setsuna, they let him grow and become better so it works as intended. It was very fun and cathartic to see him berate everyone around him for not being worthy of Aeolia's plan, then having a nervous breakdown following the reveal of Nadheel and its luscious hairdo. Then you have the adorable moment where Setsuna goes out on his own to attack Trinity, and Tieria shows up with Virtue going "No I'm with you on that, fuck those guys". And eventually he comes around to his teammates and proves that he actually cares for them, and you end up with a perfectly decent character. Also if I had a nickel for every time a Gundam protagonist went undercover to a ball by crossdressing very convincingly, I'd have two etc, etc... And like with Loran, Tieria 100% had fun with it.

Next, Sumeragi. She's cool, and as I said, I like that she added a tactical element to the battles. However she made me understand the meaning of "knockers", because she could indeed knock someone out with those if she turned around too quickly in a crowded room. Made me realize that up to now, Gundam was pretty decent with that kind of fanservice (I know that Seed has a bad case of the boings but it'll be a while before I get to it) and this contributes to the more generic feel of this show. Not in the context of Gundam as a franchise like say, F91 is, but in anime tropes in general.

The rest of the Ptolemaios crew is alright. Mostly stock characters, but they do the job. And without much screen time, they at least manage to make the secondary cast identifiable enough so their death in the season 1 finale doesn't feel like killing off the red shirts.

One who does suffer from a lack of screen time is Wang Liu Mei. And her brother. It's telling that she has to summarize their backstory in like two sentences, five minutes before they both die. I frankly could have gone without them, they're neither interesting nor contributing much.

Marina is as generic as they come, and my feelings towards her are equally lukewarm. I don't mind her, she has a few somewhat heart-warming moments, but I wasn't cheering from the sidelines at every conversation between her and Setsuna.

But let's go from bland to god damn spicy. Graham Acker is relentlessly and delightfully intense, and definitely one of the highlights of the show. He, alongside Harry Ord, proves that if you are contractually obligated to feature a Char Clone, you might as well have fun with it. I love how you could easily tell the whole story of 00 without including him, and yet he vehemently refuses to be made irrelevant out of spite. It's great.

Also... "Mr Bushido". Sir. You're a captain of the pseudo-United States of America's military. You're probably from Kentucky. If people took you seriously, this would be offensive. What's especially funny is that he takes off the mask in A Wakening of the Trailblazer. So in Season 2 he's actually going through a phase.

And finally, I feel like I should mention that I pointed at him and Billy minute one of the first episode and said "you guys are the stars of so many fanfics and fanarts". Didn't even have to check.

As for Ali al-Saachez... eh. He's menacing enough as an antagonist, but again nothing new. And he's at the center of every middle-eastern conflicts subplots, I.E, the parts that I prefer not to touch on, so I'll also leave him aside. It's a bit weird than he gets killed by Lyle. I mean, he does avenge his brother, but he had much more history with Setsuna, he was basically his nemesi-

"EXCUSE YOU?!"

Fine Graham, he was his second nemesis.

Then there's Colonel Smirnov and Soma. Now this is where I'm really pissed off, because those were the characters I was the most invested in. A child made into a weapon who tries to be the perfect soldier for an officer that actually sees her as a child. They start off on completely different pages from completely different books, but they also immediately form a bond based on empathy for Smirnov and respect for Soma. Then they become closer, and Smirnov's efforts help Soma rediscover her humanity. Then in season 2 it's revealed that she went on to live with Smirnov during the timeskip, and she's visibly in a much better place, speaking more naturally and showing more emotions. And he tells her that if she wanted to, he would officially adopt her. And a few episodes later she accepts, and I cried a little bit, but she's torn because deep down she still sees herself as a weapon and it's poignant...

...And then they COMPLETELY fuck it up! Remember when I said that whenever the plot focuses on Allelujah, it gets worse? Well surprise, she also has a second personality, but hers was the original. We'll send a few flashbacks your way so you can catch up but trust us, she's as interesting as Soma, we promise. So we're gonna have her take over her body and leave Smirnov to go with Allelujah, but it's okay, Soma is still inside of her (probably screaming). And she has her memories so that's cool, never mind that functionally she's a completely new character with the personality of a ":)" emoji. And don't worry if you were invested in her relationship with Smirnov, because we're gonna bring her back. After Smirnov gets killed. Yes, of course he was throwing death flags this entire time, but they still botched their bond, and it was still Marie who witnessed her death and not Soma.

This makes me so angry. I'm gonna talk about Patrick Colasour to calm me down. He's too twinky and he doesn't drink enough respect-women-juice to qualify as a himbo, but he definitely has some himbo DNA. And I respect him for falling in love with the woman who punched him in the face the moment he walked into a room. They're adorable.

I'm mixed on Saji and Louise. They work on principle, it's a great idea to regularly cut to random guys living their normal life and see how the world-changing events are affecting them, first in small doses, then escalating with the death of Louise's family and Saji's sister. Their discussion in the hospital right after Louise lost her parents and her hand is truly harrowing. Then in season 2 they get drawn further into the war and it destroys their life. Plus, Saji has some genuinely interesting moments, berating Celestial Being because everything was going well until they showed up, before getting smacked down with "yeah, it was going well for you". He tries to disengage from the conflict since "it doesn't concerns him", and it backfires horribly. And later when he's on the Ptolemaios, he learns that Celestial Being is gonna go fight the A-Laws or something and he almost runs away, but in the cockpit he realises on his own "...oh my god, I was just about to do it again". It felt like a very human reaction, having a moment of weakness and panic, acting on instinct, and then suddenly becoming aware of what you're doing. There's good stuff there. But... well he's still a bespectacled pot plant. And Louise is not much better. Before getting unhanded, her personality is "girly girl of the girl variety". Pretty abrasive too, made me wonder what Saji saw in her. Following that, she switches to a different generic archetype, so not much is gained.

Then there's Trinity. Not only annoying, but also extremely tonally jarring. I just mentioned how good the hospital scene between Louise and Saji is, but it's all happening because of a girl going "Oooh, I'm cute, kooky and violent (≧ω≦) imma go kill some people, uwu so random". That's the problem with this show, even if there's a lot of good stuff, you often can't separate it from the bad stuff. Her brother (the one with the fangs) is also annoying, and I guess the elder appears tolerable by contrast. Their deaths were very cathartic though.

Oh god, there's so many characters. Ok, Alex... ander? Alejandro? Alejandro, right, what's the deal with that guy?

"Hmm yes, we will introduce this mysterious character with a mysterious agenda and an equally mysterious boyfriend who will regularly show up to comment on the situation, and we'll make it unclear on whose side he's on, he seems interested in Celestial Being but does he want to help them, or use them, or destroy the... wait, it's the season finale already?! Oh shit! Er... er... okay, let's shove him in a big golden mobile armour and throw him at the protagonists. He's gonna say some typical villain lines, then his armour is gonna turn into a mobile suit and he'll have a cool duel with Setsuna aaaand he's dead. Well I guess that wraps it u- OH SHIT HERE COMES GRAHAM WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!". The funniest thing is how he's apparently part of a shadowy cabal that only exists for the recap episode. Which, judging from the way they use art pieces as avatars, is basically Evangelion's SEELE but with old right-wing French dudes.

As for Ribbons, big meh. He reminds me of Paptimus, of whom I'm already not a fan, but without the charisma. It's kinda fun that he's voiced by Amuro but sadly I only discovered that after I finished watching the show. And at first I kind of liked that they seemed to subvert the Newtype concept by saying "hey, a superior race of advanced humans that are supposed to show up and lead us towards a better age is actually kind of fucked up, let's explore that", but then Setsuna's eyes started glowing orange and I ended up with a whole omelet on my face.

There's a bunch of characters left but this is really starting to drag on so, the other innovators... Smirnov's son... they exist. I will give them that. Let's move on to the movie.

Honestly? I wasn't expecting to like it that much, at least the first half. I knew beforehand that they brought aliens to the party, which didn't bode well for the whole tone issue since we started off with middle-eastern child soldiers indoctrinated into a holy war. But the way they leaned into the weird and incomprehensible side of these aliens took me by surprise. I was not expecting the Gundam show that reminded me of Beyblade Metal Masters to also remind me of the Blake and Mortimer comic issue "The Septimus Wave" (if anyone gets that, I'll be astounded). The first half has genuinely creepy and eerie moments, and that really cool action scene where Allelujah has to parkour to avoid possessed vehicles. It also features an adult woman and top-level scientist pouncing on Billy Katagiri the moment he walks into a room and shaking her butt like a cat, because this show won't let us have things that are just good and don't need big bold concrete asterisks. Second half is... okay? With literally trillions of aliens, of course it's gonna turn into white noise at some point. And 2001/interstellar style endings are hit or miss for me. There are a few that have hit me like a truck but most of them I'm just nodding through, and this one leans towards the latter.

Let's end on a more positive note with the visuals. Hot demn, those are some slick Mobile Suits. And not only are they gorgeous but the animation really does them justice. The other Gundams fight, but Exia dances. And even though it sometimes has the same issue as Unicorn, I.E towards the beginning, the fight scenes have the perfect balance of readability and energy, but as time goes on and they need to up the stakes, it leans harder into the visual noise, they manage to regularly feature great choreography up to the end. The final clash with Ribbons is a great 1v1 duel and not a splurge of yells and SFXs.

BUT, this is sadly counterbalanced by the bland and uninspired character design. They all have the same noodly body type and roughly the same face, so the only difference is often their hairdo. Which makes it extra frustrating when they decide to switch it up or wear helmets. Yes, I know this could be the only thing preventing your lungs from exploding out of your mouth if your cockpit was damaged, but now I can't tell any one of you a-holes apart!

Phew.

You know, I think I was excessively mean towards this one. I still liked it, and it remains in the top half of my overall ranking. But... writing over thirty paragraphs on a piece of media on which you mostly have lukewarm feelings is kinda exhausting, because you're not even fueled by enthusiasm or spite. It's still a recommendation despite its flaws. And hey, if most of its good ideas were squandered in the execution, that means you're free to take inspiration from them but do better!

Next is... MS IGLOO. And I have some fun opinions on this one.

Cheers!

My gundam reviews :

> Hathaway's Spark > Mobile Suit Gundam > Gundam Zeta > 0083: Stardust Memory > 0080: War in the Pocket > 8th MS Team > The Witch from Mercury > Gundam Thunderbolt > The Origin > Turn A Gundam > F91 > Gundam Unicorn > Gundam 00 > MS IGLOO > Gundam Narrative > Iron-Blooded Orphans

[dark-l1ght3r]

Late celebration of Pacific Rim’s “Operation Pitfall” canonically taking place yesterday, but here’s some artwork I did almost 6 years ago for an art contest the Breach Wars mobile game held.

The game is shut down now sadly, but I was proud of this one then and still kind of am now.

[dailycharacteroption]

Retrograde Revision 5: Battle Scout

(art by John-Stone-Art on DeviantArt)

Time to take another go-around my old stuff, and today we’re starting off with the Battle Scout for the ranger class!

The original version of this entry was when I was still doing whole run-on paragraphs for the archetypes, but at least I was a little more poetic in my writing there, but definitely still needed work.

In any case, the battle scout is unsurprisingly, a specialized ranger that focuses on helping large groups (typically advancing armies) move through the terrain. As such, they have a keen eye for spotting the literal and practical pitfalls in the terrain.

Those who wonder why such training exists don’t know the history of invading armies pressing into lands with unfamiliar terrain. No matter what nation it is, such invaders always think that their technological superiority and numbers will win the day, only for the jungle, or the frozen tundra, or the desert to eat them alive long before they even encounter the defenders. Countless lives thrown away on the hubris of men who command them.

Now, while one shouldn’t necessarily shy away from complex subjects in games, military invasions is hardly the only use for an archetype like this. Scouts that guide merchants or caravans through hostile terrain, survivalist experts accompanying explorers of foreign lands, and more are all possibilities. The only consistency is their skill at quickly understanding the terrain and making the best of it for themselves and their allies.

Given their role of guiding others, it should come as no surprise that these rangers choose to bond with those they travel with over a bond with an animal.

A core part of their skillset is taking the time to study their immediate surroundings. As long as such terrain is familiar to them, they can study it and pass on information to their allies, starting with pointing out likely enemy hiding places to give allies a leg up if combat arises, then progressing to important notes about terrain features, things to watch out for, and more. Finally, but studying even further, they can point out clear paths through even seemingly impassible terrain, improving their own mobility.

However, sometimes one must venture into the unknown, but by using their keen observational skills, they can briefly treat unfamiliar terrain as familiar.

The keen tactics of these rangers eventually are honed to the point they can instruct the timing of ally movement to better serve the flow of battle, more so if they have fully studied their surroundings.

The most masterful of these scouts are able to study the terrain fully with uncanny speed, and do so over a much wider area, as far as they can see in many cases.

If your party is likely to go traipsing through terrain hazards or getting caught in ambushes, this archetype may indeed be the pick for you. In optimum conditions, they’ll halt the party as soon as they see such a hazard or detect an ambush, study the situation for a moment, then buff their allies with these signature abilites. Beyond that, remember that you don’t get as many favored enemy buffs, and build however you like.

No matter how jovial or unserious these rangers typically are, the role of a scout is a very serious duty, so I imagine that while on the job they are laser-focused, when they speak, it is of grave importance, and the wise among their companions listen.

Gadvera Bramblehide is perhaps one of the most famous still-living scouts from the Blackmouth War. Now, the elderly half-elf is retired. However, when the dragon Blackmouth returns to his mountain lair after centuries of exile, a brave new team of adventurers will need to call upon her to guide them to the site of the hidden relic that magically banished the dragon tyrant long ago, if they can put up with her sour ways.

The merfolk of the Sea of Kelp do not often go to war, but when they do, their forces are guided by battle scouts, masters of attacking from the kelp beds, only to vanish silently. Truly terrifying still is when their locathah allies cast spells to allow them to traverse land, proving their deadly skill even out of water.

Moriok the Roost, called such for his ability to wait with such stillness and patience that birds mistake him for part of the forest, watches the forest with eagle eyes, directing his hidden compatriots with animal messengers. It may take months to spring one of the legendary scouts traps, but no one escapes once they are sprung, if rumor is to be believed.