#besides like a forgotten jrpg one

[metanarrates]

*sits in evil skull covered chair with a dark expression* it seems that everyone has forgotten my decree that we should post as if we are corny jrpg villains now, but I, however, have not. i sit alone, having not glimpsed even a scrap of evil monologuing besides my own. how disappointing. and I must admit, even I have not "committed to the bit" as necessary. sad, how one can become distracted from one's objective...

*sips red drink from an evil skull covered glass* but it was all in the pursuit of decrying "love" as the only qualifying lens of literary analysis, and indeed that is a worthy cause. "everything is about love"... bah! do they not understand that there are a million possible motives to create art? to exist within the world? do they not understand that an author may have something to say outside of an expression to love? how foolish. how... dull.

*lights a candle shaped like an evil skull* and what am I to make of the insinuation that one must love to be considered human? is it not enough to merely be human to begin with? to have all your motivations, all your passions, fractured and reformed to fit someone's image of "love"... what a sickening concept. what a narrow mindset. I cannot let myself be subjected to such treatment, despite considering myself a lover of many things. no, i shall define my experiences on my own terms!

*evil skulls start raining from the ceiling* listen to me, my beloved followers. hear me well, my despised foes. this world is full of such enthralling darkness. so many experiences outside of the realm of love. vital ideas that must be communicated! even if they make you squirm and writhe in discomfort, allow yourself to consider them all the same! perhaps you will learn something important! perhaps when you gaze into the abyss outside of love you will find something much more comfortable! and you may find that those ideas of love are nothing more than a prison!

*the evil skull 💀* AND NO MORE SHALL I LIVE UNDER THE HEEL OF SUCH SHALLOW VIRTUES! I, JPEG, SHALL END THE TYRANNY OF LOVE! AND ALL SHALL JOIN ME IN MY VILLAIN POSTING!

[oakzoo4]

Street Bicycle Toy: Shouldn't be That Troublesome As You Assume

Knife: A good folding knife or small fixed blade. When looking for visit more for this article, I was particularly on the lookout for good-wanting images (not to be confused with good-wanting folks) that are in focus, have good lighting, and many others. Attractive folks usually tend to spend time doing picture shoots with real photographers fairly than simply taking snaps at a convention or of their bedroom, and likewise, engaging folks are more likely to wear, well," slutty" clothing as a result of that is what society teaches them that they should look like. This undertaking is an effective excuse to get the tools if you don’t already personal them! But when you don’t have the time and persistence to discover a vintage body to build up, there are many manufacturers that will sell you a fixie that’s ready to roll, or a trendy road-going fixie body. I should point out that there are those who say you should not use a lockring.

About half of the 2.5 million eye injuries that happen in the United States every year occur at dwelling, so you're not as protected as you think you might be. Think of it as a medieval Hitman, with Agent 47 changed by a thief expert in the arts of stealth and, nicely, thievery. Looking Glass Studios might not exist anymore, but the legacy it left behind with the Thief collection won’t soon be forgotten. Eleven bit studios was additionally behind the battle survival game This War of Mine, and the heavy and grim tones from its wartime thriller are present in Frostpunk. Here are one of the best steampunk video games try to be trying out. In fact, we’re referencing the very best steampunk video games crafted from Jeter’s preliminary vision of a steam-powered world. The Phantom Hourglass went on to attain a number of industry awards, including Editor’s Choice awards from IGN and GameStop and the 2008 Golden Joystick for Best Handheld Game.

The game earned ample reward, significantly for its visuals and soundtrack. We’re going again to the Dreamcast for this gem, a JRPG pieced collectively by staff members from video games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Sakura Wars, and Phantasy Wars. Give it some thought: there’s one for regular situations, one for climbing and one for when the going is particularly favourable. That said, I don't suppose there's anything inherently unsuitable with that, besides insofar as both sexes aren't handled equally. If you're fascinated about studying more about that, you possibly can peruse this post and this put up, which I wrote to kind of tackle that very level. In true RPG trend, players can build a get together of up to 4 characters, choosing from a pool of six primary protagonists. As if the title doesn’t give it away, SteamWorld Dig is deeply rooted in steampunk, with the setting, characters, and instruments all fitting nicely inside the style. Before the pinnacle of the ultimate Fantasy sequence launched, Square was churning out a series of RPGs that may assist outline a style. From RPGs to actual-time technique games, steampunk has offered creators a singular aesthetic for the next unimaginable, and often perilous, tales. Examples of steampunk fashion movie “Wild Wild West”, “the best gentlemen League” film “Sherlock Holmes” with Robert Downey Jr. and so forth - so-known as periodic motion pictures, however filled with deliberate anachronisms and cool know-how.

Plastic is an unfamiliar material, and hooked up subtle expertise masterfully supplies equivalent to brass, strips of leather-based and carved wooden. Steampunk refers to all those works that take place in an alternate world the place not developed applied sciences akin to electronics and diesel engine, however as a substitute thrived expertise is based on gears and steam engines (hence the term, steam). First used in Jeter’s novel Morlock Night, the creator sought to convey a world that was powered by steam relatively than electricity. Those who need to cut back use of electricity or gasoline are returning to clotheslines to save lots of power and scale back their month-to-month bills. All of the capabilities that make Isuzu’s autos priceless are nonetheless there: ample passive and lively safety capabilities, a formidable 7-12 months/75,000 mile roadside assist system, and its excellent towing capability. Which means inexperienced technologies that will help scale back your heating. Ladybugs and sure beetles may also eat your pesky mealy bugs, and predator mites help management other, unwanted mites, reminiscent of spider mites. Steampunk fans will notice the steam-based mostly tech and themes typically related to a steampunk setting, which works in the background of Kate’s grander adventure.

[honorary-farseer]

spreading this here, this is an interest check for a final fantasy fanthology (zine) that will span the entire series, iirc it’s open until march 1

this is something I really wanna see happen so I’m spreading the word

https://forms.gle/dJ4J9ZgA8zZJtu9y6

[nadziejastar]

“They…they’ll find out they don’t need me…and they’ll turn me into a Dusk…”

Xion’s voice was shaking more noticeably now. Dealing with girls who were about to cry was way above his pay grade.

“C’mon, Axel, think of something!” Roxas insisted.

Why can’t you think of something? The retort nearly left Axel’s mouth, but he gulped it back down.

Yeah, that is very true. Axel isn’t even old and he still acts like a kid at times, but there is a bias against adults in JRPGs. My main issue is that they did originally write Axel as an adult character who related with Roxas and Xion as children. Now they're undoing all of the hard work that went into making that dynamic authentic. But being an adult in a series of kids is what made Axel such a unique and interesting character. By ignoring Axel’s age, you totally change who he is. 

Axel only scratched his head again. “Relax. I’ll think of something clever once I find her.”

“Something clever…?”

“Yeah. Just trust me, okay?” Axel gave Roxas a pat on the shoulder.

Something that seems to be overlooked by fans is that it was always, ALWAYS up to Axel to come up with a solution to every problem. He was trying to protect Roxas, even at the expense of their friendship. He could never ever confide in Roxas about any of the stuff he was going through. Not what was really happening with Xion, or his past. It’s not that they weren’t close, but the relationship was that of an adult/child.

“You didn’t have to use force…” Axel sighed theatrically and circled his shoulders.

“Didn’t I?” Still gripping Axel’s collar, Roxas shook his head with the emphatic refusal of a little kid.

“No, you didn’t…” But he sounded uncertain as he said it, and his voice shrank even more. “We’re supposed to be best friends.”

Axel brushed Roxas’s hands from his collar. “This isn’t about friendship.”

Axel’s help and support was taken for granted by them, in a similar way kids take their parents for granted. Roxas and Xion were two kids who had no memories, so of course they needed a parental figure. And it’s not to say that they didn’t appreciate Axel (most of the time). They just weren’t really able to support him in any significant way. It was always him helping them and putting their needs ahead of his own. As a parental figure, that’s fine. But Axel needed someone to look out for him, too. And he absolutely did not have that, sadly.

“I couldn’t stop her from going.”

“Don’t give me that! Why not?” Roxas cried.

That was all he wanted to know—why.

There wasn’t a single character Axel could lean on for emotional support, even though he desperately needed it. Roxas didn’t understand Axel and was often angry at him for not solving all of his problems. He was angry when he used force to bring Xion back, then angry again when he couldn’t stop her from leaving. Axel could never tell Roxas the truth. I think it’s because he recognized his younger self in him, and didn’t want to shatter that innocence.

“That Genie we met seemed really worried about his friend Al,” Xion remarked eventually. “But then he said he’d respect his friend’s wishes. I guess you can’t just jump in and do everything for them, even if you want to.” Idly swinging her legs, she took another bite. 

Axel leaned his head to one side. “Your friend’s wishes, huh…” He must have heard that somewhere, a long time ago, back when he was human.

That’s why I think Axel missed Isa so much and why I think Axel/Lea needed another character in his life to be his best friend besides Roxas and Xion. That’s also where the writers were going with the whole plot in Agrabah. Friends need to lean on each other, but Axel had nobody to lean on. He worried about Roxas and Xion incessantly, but no one was there to worry about him. Nobody ever put him first. Ever. Roxas didn’t even want to give Axel the WINNER stick until he could give one to Xion, too. But Axel remembered a friend who actually didn’t want him to do everything, even when they needed help.

“Well, I think you can be inseparable, even if you’re apart,” said Axel.

Roxas and Xion shared a look. “…Even if you’re apart,” Roxas murmured. They trailed off, and this time Axel finished his ice cream. So he started talking again.

“It’s like, if you feel really close to each other. Like best friends.”

“Is that different?” Roxas still had questions. “What’s it like having a best friend?”

Stumped by that one, Axel turned to the sunset. He squinted in the blazing glow and finally said, “Couldn’t tell you. I haven’t got one.”

He didn’t have a best friend when he met Roxas and Xion. But judging by the way he talked, he used to have a best friend that worried about him, and that he felt truly supported by. A best friend who wanted to grant his wish and put his needs first, even at their own expense. Because he used to have a best friend, Axel knew how to be a best friend to Roxas and Xion.

Looking out for other people when I can’t even take care of myself—this isn’t like me at all.

But I still don’t think he truly had one himself. He admitted to himself that he was looking out for others while being unable to look out for himself. Roxas and Xion were happy on this day.

“Yeah. As long as we remember one another, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?”

But Axel just said this. They didn’t pick up anything was wrong and just laughed. When it came to Axel’s emotional problems, he was always completely on his own. Now it seems like his emotional problems will just be swept under the rug and forgotten. He’ll sing Kumbayah and be totally well-adjusted.

A wish that they could always be together—was longing for the impossible. But at least they could always remember one another.

But it’s impossible to ignore the imbalance in the RAX friendship. Nobody ever tried to grant Axel’s wishes.

Every time he tried to wake up, all Axel could think was how badly he wanted to go back to sleep—although he was getting enough rest. He just wished he could have a day to himself and do nothing but sleep. It was probably some remnant of his human memories.

On Axel’s vacation, all he wanted to do was sleep. Because for so long, all he’s been doing is worrying. It’s something that he did as a human, too.

The Organisation tried to annihilate either Roxas or Xion. I’m thinking about what I should do, what I want to do. I want to know a way to save both Roxas and Xion. I want to respect both their wishes. I wondered all night whether there’s really and truly no way to do that—and, of course, I couldn’t find the answer.

Before Xion left for the final time, Axel had been up all night worrying about how to help Roxas and Xion as well as respect their wishes.

Why wouldn’t he let me go? I wanted the three of us to stay together. And wasn’t Axel the one saying that was impossible? Why did he have to say those things? Maybe because he’s a Nobody. He doesn’t have a heart. Maybe that’s why he could say something that brought me so much pain.

Someone is looking in the pod at me. Who’s there? Xemnas? What does Xemnas want with me?

“Now you will be complete,” said Xemnas.

Neither Roxas or Xion understood Axel or why he did the things he did. Even when Axel said he was inseparable best friends with them, it was while he was worrying about them, and keeping his own emotional problems hidden. 

I wanted us to stay together. All I wanted was to hold on to our happiness as a trio in the Organization. But I told myself to grow up and stop wishing for the impossible. Well, I’m done with that. That’s not the answer I want.

I think it’s sad that Axel/Lea had nobody to really look out for him. He definitely didn’t have a best friend who got torn up about his feelings in the way that Genie and Aladdin were depicted to worry about each other. And I think that’s unfortunate.

[evilisk-played]

Games in 2022, Part 1

It’s strange, but I think I actually like all the games I played here

= = =

Langrisser I & II System: PS4 Genre: SRPG

As a long-time SRPG fan, all I can say is “where has this series been my whole life?” (note: the answer to that question is “stuck in Japan this whole time”)

While plenty of SRPG’s have you controlling a party of hero units, not many have you controlling whole armies like Langrisser. The style of gameplay comes with its own ups and downs (the biggest downside is that turns and battles are always long) but nothing beats the feeling of controlling a small army.

Langrisser I is a bit weak overall; the story is paper thin and the stages are a bit too simplistic with too many “kill all enemies” type stages. But the sequel? It’s an actual, forgotten classic. Langrisser II isn’t dramatically different from Langrisser I, but the better designed (and better written) scenarios elevate the game, allowing the strengths of Langrisser’s combat system to shine

The only negatives I have are of the enemy AI (it is very dumb and very exploitable) and of the different story routes (besides some routes feeling way too similar to other ones, I dislike how the routing system works). Otherwise, it’s a duology that holds up surprisingly well.

Also I need to give a shoutout to the soundtrack. It is excellent. Langrisser I’s soundtrack is rock solid but Langrisser II’s soundtrack should be put into a VGM Hall of Fame. Every Langrisser II track is a banger.

Super Time Force Ultra System: PS4 Genre: Side Scrolling Platformer / Shooter

This game is really hard to explain but in essence: I think it’s pretty neat. The time shenanigans really appeals to my inner perfectionist, and the end of level replays (showing your route thruogh a level in real-time) is perfect. It’s like the game was made for me~

Labyrinth of Touhou 2: Plus Disk System: PC (Original Ver.) Genre: Dungeon Crawling JRPG

I’ve thought about and said way too much about this game. Here’s a link to a post I made about the game elsewhere

Fuga: Melodies of Steel System: PS4 Genre: JRPG 

This is another game that feels like it was made for me. The setup is dark and angsty (furry kids escaping from furry Nazis find an ancient super weapon that uses souls as an energy source for its strongest weapon), the combat system is brilliant (if not a bit broken), and the gameplay loop is addicting (despite how repetitive it is). There are a few things that keep the game from perfection (towns and dungeons are a bit too simple, item upgrading is a bit annoying, and there are some strange mechanics that only make sense when you realize the game was a roguelike earlier in development). At the same time, I cannot stop playing this game. This combat system is very engaging to me.

I heard that they’re making a sequel, and all I can say is hell yes. The developers have discovered a winning formula, and I officially need more.

[amuletrebel]

Bring May Flowers (Ch. 30)

AO3 Link / FF.net Link

Prompt: Mari!Burglar and Chat!Vigilante

When Adrien came back to school, clear skies overhead, he brought with him a big bouquet of Sweet Peas to thank his Princess for her generous visit. He knew that she would understand why Sweet Peas instead of the traditional roses. He came to school later than Marinette would, choosing to stay out of sight behind the bushes near the stairs. The blonde had to take several breaths to calm his racing heart. Yes, he and Marinette have been dating for a few weeks, both and Chat Noir and Marinette and now recently Adrien and Marinette—Nino and Alya teased them and their supposed ship name, which was Adrienette. Whenever they did, he’d take Mari’s hand and place a kiss on it, saying that as long as she was beside him, he’d continue to try and be worthy of being half of the name. Marinette would turn a fiery red and look away with a shy giggle. Adrien straightened his spine as the last person entered the school. With another deep breath and internal pep talk, the model walked into the school as well. He’d seen Marinette enter on time, so he was relieved that his grand plan wasn’t ruined. About 5 minutes before the bell, Adrien entered the designated classroom, Marinette in her new spot that Nino was happy to switch with her so, as Alya put it, the most sickeningly sweet couple in school (if not all of Paris) could always be together. The blonde coughed once, catching Marinette’s attention. When she looked up at him with her beautiful bluebell eyes, he pulled the bouquet out from behind his back. “For you, mon amour,” he said, making his girlfriend blush as she accepted the flowers, smelling them. Everyone ‘awww’ed at the display of affection. Well, almost everyone. Chloe gagged, but the subtle hint of being happy for them was evident to someone who really knew her. “Merci,” the blunette shyly thanked, hiding her reddened cheeks behind the lovely gradient pink flowers. “But none of them compare to you. Princess.” Okay, now everyone gagged. Alix even insisted they get a room. Alya and Nino gave him a thumbs-up after they were done barfing over the lovey-dovey atmosphere. Soon enough, Miss Bustier came into class with her same sunny smile and started the lesson of the day. Marinette scooted close to Adrien when she put her bouquet to the left of her on the bench. He laid his hand on top of hers under the table, and he smiled when she gave his hand a little squeeze.

Adrien gently swung Marinette’s hands while their fingers were intertwined. He decided to take his lovely girlfriend out on a leisurely walk on the town. They came across multiple cafés and boutiques. He insisted to buy her just about everything that she eyed for longer than 30 seconds, but she always refused. In Marinette’s words, she wasn’t dating him for his money, so he didn’t need to feel obligated to buy her anything. The blonde reluctantly agreed, offering to buy her some Starbucks instead. The pigtailed conceded to that, at least. The pair stopped at a game store as they sipped on their frappuccinos. They perused the PC section, pointing out anything interesting. Adrien took a glance at the cashier, who was looking at them with a touched expression. Guess she was a fan of couples walking into the store. The blonde looked back at Marinette when he heard her gasp. He noticed the sparkle in her eyes and followed her gaze to a high shelf. “Inner Facade 4,” the blunette whispered in awe. “I thought they cancelled production…” Adrien smiled softly and retrieved the game off the shelf, letting go of hand. Marinette looked at him with confusion, but then did a double take when he moved toward the cashier. “I’d like to buy this, please,” the model stated, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet, “as a gift.” “Adrien!” Marinette whined, stomping her foot. “I said you don’t have to buy me anything!” “I know I don’t have to,” her boyfriend argued, “But I want to. We could even play together.” “It’s a single-player game.” “Then I’ll watch you kick butt in an jrpg. Everyone wins.” The cashier cooed and put the game in a little bag. “That’s so sweet. Well, now you have something extra. Today we’re giving away a promotional item with every purchase.” She held up the little card pack. It had Confessions on the front. “It’s a little game to play with friends, family, and lovers. Have fun~!” She placed the pack in the bag and handed it to Adrien. Adrien thanked her and held his arm out for Marinette to take. The pigtailed girl smacked his arm while pouting, but then kissed his cheek and put her arm in his as they walked out, wondering if they should play their little bonus game that night.

They decided yes. Yes, they would play their new game. Chat jumped down into Marinette’s room through her open hatch and closed it behind him. Marinette was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the card game on the floor, along with a 2-liter gallon of soda and two glasses. He sat across from her and eyed the drink. “I read the instructions,” Marinette explained, shuffling the cards. “I figured we’d do a little something extra. Since we’re too young to drink, I decided to mix it up a bit.” She handed one glass to Chat and poured in about a shot’s worth of soda into it. “If we refuse to answer, we take a shot. First one who needs to pee loses.” The hero chuckled and smirked. “Alright, Purrincess~ You’re on!” About an hour in, the pair were a giggling mess. Neither of them needed to use the restroom yet, so the game was still going strong. But Marinette’s stomach started to rumble a little and she discretely clutched it. “My turn!” the blonde declared and picked up a card. “Have you ever stolen anything?” he off the card. Marinette visibly paled, loudly gulping. Chat smirked, not looking at her. “This is an easy one. Even I know the answer.” The blunette blanched, her eyes widening fearfully. “You…Y-you do…?” she whimpered. “Of course I do,” her boyfriend answered and turned to her, “It’s obviously— Hey what’s wrong?” Once he got a good look at her face, he immediately became concerned. “Are you okay, Princess?” He knelt down and took her face in his hands. “How did you find out?” Marinette questioned, her voice barely above a whisper. And then she started babbling. “You were never supposed to find out. Look, I’m sorry I took your phone, but at the time, I was content watching you from afar. And now I know I didn’t stand a chance at the time. Well, I did, but not the way I wanted. And…I’m so, so sorry. Just the fact that you’re still here must mean you forgive me, but knowing that you know, I feel like I don’t deserve your forgiveness.” Chat blinked for a moment and then tilted his head. “You took my phone?” he asked, not a hint of anger in his voice. Marinette looked up at him through her bangs, equally confused. “Wait… That wasn’t what you were talking about?”

“No. But I do have some questions no. Why did you take my phone? And what’s this about not having a chance?” Marinette shyly pressed her index fingers together. “Well…I accidentally left a voicemail on your phone, asking you out on a date to the movies. But I never intended for you to hear it. You had enough on your plate with your modeling, your education, and your extracurriculars. And now I know you had a crush on Ladybug, who is actually me but you didn’t know that back then. So if you had received the message, you would’ve rejected me. So I went out of my way to erase the message. Unfortunately, the team back early and I had to make a dash with your phone.” She took a breath and released it slowly, going quiet. Chat didn’t scold her or yell. He laughed. He laughed heartily and held Marinette close, nuzzling her. All this time, he wondered where his phone went and how it magically appeared in his bookbag. “You’re crazy. But that’s one of the reasons I fell for you.” He kissed the top of her head. The blunette blushed and curled up in Chat’s arms. “Now I have a question, though. What did you think I stole if didn’t know about your phone?” “Why, Princess! It’s only the most valuable thing! You stole my heart!” Chat dramatically clutched his chest where his heart would be. “And for stealing such a treasure, I have to lock you up forever in the most impenetrable prison; my own two arms!” He grabbed her again and cradled her close, nuzzling her neck. Marinette giggled and kissed his head. “You’re such a silly kitty. But I wouldn’t love you any other way.”

“And I hope you stay the same crazy princess I know and love.” Their lips met in a loving kiss, embracing one another as the minutes ticked by, their little game long forgotten.

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

[applegelstore]

So we (=my sister plays, I watch her and do other stuff besides) have finally marathoned through Tales of Berseria (only the post-game sidequests left). So here’s excerpts of my final verdict (mostly in contrast to Zesty because sorry but I can’t help it. Plus, it’s the prequel for Maotelus’ sake). Cut for massive length and very heavy spoilers, obviously! No reviews, though, just incoherent ramblings. Many, many incoherent ramblings.

-The plot is indeed kinda more exciting than Zestiria. Which isn’t particularly hard. I mean there are many reasons why I love Zestiria, but the plot (and the villains) sure aren’t one of them. The plot was kinda just… there and didn’t do any harm, but honestly I could just have watched a 200 episode show of plotless party banter and would have enjoyed it just the same. The plot in neither game makes particularly much sense, tho.

-I have a billion questions and somehow most of them concern Zaveid’s gun in both games. Like, how does it actually work? It separates fusings, but it’s the basis for the invention of the armatus? Apparently it also boosts magic? Idk. And where does it come from? Let me guess, there was that super advanced sci-fi-civilization that lived on the planet like 20 000 years ago and is now forgotten *insert dramatic music here*

-How on earth did Velvet get out of that volcano…? But as long as Morgrim is safe, I’m good.

-On that note, Velvet literally screaming WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!!!!!!! at the volcano made me kinda happy

-whenever she has facepalm/I’m so done/I’m surrounded by idiots moments, I feel her very much

-Despite the headscratchers, I’m totally digging the Berseria/Zestiria worldbuilding, like hell

-Sue me but I still like the Zestiria characters lightyears better than the Berseria characters. Mostly because they’re funnier, more relatable, and also because I honestly don’t like the Darker and Edgier trope. But also because the costume designs are goddamn awful, Magilou is an obnoxious pest, and it takes Eleanor far too many hours of game play to get that other people than abbey members have human rights (I ended up liking her in the end but honestly getting there was a pain). BTW yes, Velvet, Phi and Eleanor probs have more dramatic changes in personality over the course of the game than the Zesty squad combined, but can anybody explain to me what kind of character development Eizen, Rokurou and Magilou display? …Thought so. Also, no, dramatic 180° turn character development is NOT a prerequisite for good character writing in my opinion, thank you very much. I also think that mental breakdowns aren’t a prerequisite, just in case you were wondering. I’m honestly not a big fan of the Heroic B.S.O.D. trope, although there might be some exceptions where I thought it was well done. I still prefer to do without.

-At least I can tolerate Magilou and Eleanor now that the former got a backstory and the latter finally learned how not to be a dick

-Phi’s constant complaints that he doesn’t want to be treated like a child (I’ve got bad news for you sweetie, you’re TEN) do horrible things to my headcanon that he simply stays physically 10 for eternity, but don’t think I’d give up too soon

-however, I guess we can establish that he plays splatter games with a burning passion

-I am very glad that the monster doggies and the monster bird are safe and sound in the epilogue

-WHERE IS FIRE MUM

-How on earth do people defend the opinion that Berseria was less of a button smasher game than Zestiria?? Because honestly in Zestiria I never managed to win battles by doing nothing but frantically smashing X/Square/Triangle/Circle without any plan or order.

-THE BATTLE CAMERA IS SO MUCH BETTER THO I can control it freely! Oh bless the new camera. I want that so hard in Zestiria. It would help a bunch.

-the equipment upgrade and drop system is also a billion times more effective in the sense that you don’t have to carefully plan your fusings (guess who’s always too lazy to do that) and fruitlessly try to farm the drops for that for hours (guess who’s too lazy for that as well, and also helplessly underlevelled because she’s so lazy and ends up with bosses one or two hitting an armatus even on normal mode *coughs*). Bless.

-I mean the new equipment system in Berseria is basically Final Fantasy IX but for lazy noobs. There’s ups and downs to that, I guess?

-Meirchio is so goddamn pretty, I didn’t even realise that in ToZX. Guess I was distracted by how bad the trainwreck is. Anyway I love everything about this town

-Aball and its surroundings incl. Taliesin also deserve awards

-the dungeons and field areas weren’t anymore interesting than Zestiria, tho

-btw Aball=Avalon? Magical apple island and stuff? Just asking because honestly some of the Arthurian references are pretty obscurely named (it took me quite a while to get the Lastonbell=Glastonbury reference, too, trollolol. Anyone else reminded of Good old Ah! My Goddess translation sins? I mean, come on… Verdandi to Belldandy? Apparently, correctly transcribing Roman letters into Japanese script is even more difficult than Ancient Avarost)

-Morgrim, let me love you, please take all my blessings, you are purrfectly pleasantly plump and I want to cuddle you and give you kisses

-why exactly was Shigure one of the bad guys?? It still escaped me after we cut him in half, sacrificed his soul to some ancient deity, and killed his deceased, reincarnated, dragonised mum

-speaking of which, is it really clever to use the souls of your mortal enemies to revive gods that you want to be on your side!?

-anyway, screw you, Melchior, in particular

-Bienfu is a strong contender for most annoying mascot ever and I still wanted to throw him into the ocean hours into the game. I swear if I have to hear him yell BIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN just once more in my life I’m gonna punch the screen.

-I’m with Jude on the pengyons. I mean I guess killing and eating them is preferable to killing them but not eating them, but still. Everyone speaks about representation, where’s my representation? Is there a single JRPG in which at least one of the playable characters is a vegetarian?

-I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Jude and Milla cameo, cracktastic as it was. Milla was actually my favourite in Xillia, although I had and still have severe problems with her character. But here I only saw of her what I love about her, and it made me happy. You go, Milla

-The skit writing with the constant “all males are perverts”, “all women are deceitful whores” and “men and women are fundamentally different and will never understand each other or be friends unless they’re incestuous siblings” is goddamn awful, period.

-apparently if your vessel becomes malevolent even the tiniest bit (no need to go full tainted), that physically hurts your malak/seraph. I’m glad that doesn’t happen in Zesty.

-Zaveid. Buddy. I feel sorry for you. But it also kinda shocks me how fast you get over your girlfriend’s death. I also have bad news: Eizen’s little sister will still look like a 12-year-old in a 1000 years from now. I actually hope you’re NOT into that.

-btw Zaveid and Eizen jump from mortal enemies to true name basis pretty fast holy shit

-I wouldn’t have minded more Aifread’s Pirates shenigans and nobody is surprised

-I want the cracktastic enemy book back

-I want my elemental powers back. Fuck this don’t ya try to talk down my beloved Magical Dragqueen mode IT’S THE POWER OF LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE y’ignorants

-dear malak NPCs, thank you for establishing that the abbey version armatus is a sucky beta version which will be replaced with the awesome real thing in a couple of centuries, and will eventually symbolise harmony between humans and malakhim. Bonus points for carrying along the motherfucking Galahad ruins bow to drive home the point

-I’m a little too amused by the fact that the ending credit cards are a “everyone’s happy, nobody ever died, and everybody’s friends with each other” AU

-uhm, guys? Did they give Artorius’ sword to Sorey’s gay pride armatus in the anime? I didn’t like it even back then but now I hate it even more, pls no

-I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want

-I know there will never be a Zestiria sequel because it didn’t sell well enough for that, but just in case: the only premise I’ll accept is “Phi, Sorey and Mikleo free Velvet from her prison and finally tear Innominat apart for good”. I don’t know how that would work without killing Velvet and Phi, but hey, I’m sure we’re gonna find a solution because it’s as JRPG and all we need is the POWER OF LOVE *dundundundun*

Everyone is happy. Also what is this “reborn Malakhim aren’t the same people they died as anymore” crap, don’t give me this heartbreak material you assholes

-is it wrong if I wanna play Zestiria after finishing Berseria? Actually, we would have gotten there far sooner if I hadn’t insisted taking breaks so I could play a few hours of Zestiria in between. Whoops.

-my sister was worried that Phi would miss his auntie Velvet very much and suggested Sorey and Mikleo should adopt him once the sweet baby slumber party is over. At this point I’m wondering whether I should give her fanfic recs to brighten her days, or whether that will cause her to forever ban me from her Playstation and refuse to cook for me ever again

-after watching the Zesty DLC, she also told me: “I don’t know what was the point of it, but Rose and Alisha were very cute.” She’s on the path to righteousness.

[id-omega-blog]

My first jrpg: Phantasy Star IV

This is the amazingly spectacular cover the amazing megadrive/genesis rpg, Phantasy Star IV. I believe it retailed new in the neighborhood of 100$, maybe a bit less. I think Chrono Trigger was 70$, maybe more.  I never got to buy Phantasy Star IV so it had to be rented from our old Blockbuster. Of course if I hadn’t seen the sprawing, multi-page long review/mini walkthrough of the first part of the game in an issue of Gamefan that I got for Christmas I never would have bothered with this game. I was young, obviously, and mostly played stuff like Sonic, Ristar, Mortal Kombat 2 and Street Fighter Super/Turbo..whatever. I really digged the genesis Aladdin game too and actually owned it. I was starting to get into anime because Sailormoon would air at 2:30 EST on Fox Kids so i would get to sneak a watch if I was sick from school, it was a holiday or we’d gotten out early. I LOVED the show even though I had no idea what was going on. I wanted more things that looked like that. So, I see PS4 in Gamefan along with all the screenshots and ingame cutscenes of characters like Zio, who reminded me of one of Queen Beryl’s lackies but also was super evil and scary looking to me. The monsters looked awesome and way more detailed than the typical badnik mooks I spent my weekends bopping to release cute little flickies. So, its friday during June, I think I’d just gotten out of school and mom took me to Blockbuster. I searched the shelves for Phantasy Star IV and couldn’t find it so I asked mom for help. When I was really little and wanted to find a game I would sometimes get her to help me search the massive shelves. Mom quickly found it and asked “Is this the game?

Yeah...I believe the Shining Force games got a similar treatment at least on the sega genesis. For the record I don’t hate western style fantasy art and love collecting musty old AD&D books for the art and like Warhammer but yea..as a kid that cover art made nauseous. Its not quite Megaman 2 nes bad but its just so....WRONG. At least they still kept Chaz’s original color scheme and design I guess..but what they did to Rune was unforgivable. I won’t comment on Rika. My biggest problem with this style of art is that it makes you think Phantasy Star IV is some kind of medieval D&D inspired game. The core Phantasy Star games are best described as fantasy sci-fi, sort of like Star Wars. You have interplanetary travel, cyborgs,ecosystems controlled by AI sometimes prone to turning evil but but people fight with swords,axes and use magic. It really is a lot like Star Wars setting wise since the first planet you start on, Motavia, looks and feels a whole like Tatooine.  It was a very fun but confusing game to me. I loved the music and anime stills used for cutscenes but I would explore certain locations and BOOM the music abruptly switches to fast paced battle music and I’m now on a different screen with more detailed versions of my party facing detailed sprites of bad guys. I eventually figured out what I was suppose to do by selecting attack with everybody, but I’d see certain people would do a lot more damage when I did this. After several more battles I discovered techs/magic but the only ones I understood were those that did direct damage and made cool explosions. If I selected a spell that did something besides direct damage I just assumed it was completely worthless. Its been so long but I think the farthest I got was to Zio’s castle but I never got past the first boss and had to return the game. I rented it again a few weeks to discover my file had been written over(I think) or there was someone else’s file. I clicked that one and was confused even more because I was on this snowy planet with melancholy music and my party had different members and some were missing. I left the town and saw I had a swanky spaceship so I went back to Motavia, the first planet. I wandered around and for the life of me I could not figure out where Alys was. What happened to Zio? I played a bit more and some snooping around one town made me realize what had happened to Alys and then I just got into more random battles for fun because I had Wren the cyborg now and I thought all his moves were badass. I played a bit more but then got tired of all the aimless wandering and went outside to play. Really dating myself there... So that’s the story of my first rpg. I never did buy the game but i later discovered the wonderful world of emulation in the 7th grade and was finally able to play stuff like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 4,5,6. Yes, I am one of those many Final Fantasy posers who’s first game was 7. I could exaggerate and say it was FF1 because my sister had an nes and played it but she rarely let me touch her console ever. I just knew her frustration about where to go after she got some flute. But back to the topic, I also downloaded Gens (obviously a genesis/megadrive emulator) and the first game I downloaded was....Sonic 3! THEN I downloaded Phantasy Star IV, got super far and was able to truly appreciate this wonderful and mostly forgotten jrpg. But..I didn't beat it. I got to sky castle, to the ::SPOILERS:: fight against a certain someone from PS1 and my game would always freeze when I was about to defeat him. I fruitlessly searched for a solution to my problem but alas I could never find a method to bypass the bug.  We have way better emulators now and PS4 has been ported to steam and other consoles, always bundled together with other classic genesis games such as Shining Force 1 and 2, Landstalker, Streets of Rage etc. I’m going to beat PS4 one day, probably very soon. I have played and beaten so many rpgs, both western and Japanese(mostly Japanese) and they are my favorite genre of video game by far.  So, thanks Phantasy Star IV, for introducing me to rpgs and making me into the lifelong weeb scum I am today.

[pokemonfreak387]

Winter Break (Redone) Chapter 11 (Friskriel Fanfic)

Notes: Oh hey look. Angst. Huh, that was a thing the original fic was definitely missing. No wonder it was a shitty story. Also fair warning, the word f** is used uncensored in this chapter. Thanks to @thunders29 for proofreading and being supportive!

Chapter Summary: Asriel makes his way back to school after the winter break, but trouble soon rears its ugly head for him. The fiasco at the party has already been spread, and Asriel is more than upset about it. 2543 Words.

Chapter 11 Then We Wouldn’t Have to Deal With You Moggers

Asriel groaned as his alarm clock blared in his ears. If there was a thing all teens his age could agree on, it would be that the alarm on the first day back to school after a long break is both the loudest and most annoying one yet. It didn’t help him either that he could barely sleep thinking about what may happen when he gets back to school, especially after the New Year’s Party fiasco. Granted, Asriel didn’t see any of the school gossipers there at the party ironically, so there was a chance he was safe.

As Asriel slowly sat up and turned off his alarm, he heard a small noise being emitted next to him. He turned his head to find that Frisk was actually laying next to him still asleep. Two questions popped into his head: Why was Frisk here, and how did they sleep through the alarm? No matter the answer, Asriel gently made his way out of bed without waking them up, collected his clothes for the day, and went downstairs for breakfast.

It wasn’t until Asriel had breakfast and showered that he saw Frisk again that morning. He was laying in the loft, drawing on his sketchbook, when he heard his door open. Sure enough, Frisk appeared from behind it, one of Asriel’s blankets wrapped around them.

“You’re up early.” Asriel remarked, peeking above his sketchbook.

Frisk didn’t respond, but instead made their way over to the boss monster. They gently took the sketchbook out of his hands, placed it on the coffee table, and flopped themselves on top of him. He let out a surprised puff as he got most of the air knocked out of him, but it was shortly followed by giggles.

“Mmm, warm…” Frisk murmured.

“Even being wrapped in that thing, you’re still cold?” Asriel chuckled. “By the way, why were you in my bed this morning?”

Frisk rubbed their head deeper into Asriel’s chest. “Room… Too cold. Wanted warmth.”

Asriel never did understand why humans got so cold so easily, even when they had on garments that practically simulated fur on their body. Maybe it was because humans didn’t have magic within them to keep them warm? Definitely a question to ask Alphys today in class. Speaking of which, Asriel fished his phone from his pocket and saw it was time for him to leave. As much as he didn’t want to leave the comforting embrace of his lover, school called, and Toriel was going to be even more pissed if he didn’t go. Asriel gently kissed Frisk on their head and guided them back to their feet, Frisk letting out a groan in protest.

“Asriel…” They started. “Please be careful today. I’m worried what may happen to you.”

“S-same, honestly.” He replied. “Maybe with luck, everyone has forgotten about it?”

Frisk gave him a face.

“Hey I’m just trying to be optimistic.”

Frisk just chuckled and shook their head. They then walked up to Asriel and gave him a kiss. They stayed together for a while, their tongues twisting with each other, until they broke off and Asriel made his way to school.

---

When Asriel first came to middle school, he remembered people constantly whispering around him. He knew the whispers then were about him, some good, some bad, all leaving him with soul-shaking anxiety. Now in high school, the whispering had become somewhat less, and any whispering that did occur didn’t affect Asriel quite as much as it did before. However, it seemed the whispering was especially loud today, and the Anxiety that Asriel had first felt four years ago came back.

Trying to avoid the gazes of the students around him, Asriel made it to his Chinese class. He was glad to see John and Dave already there, though part of him was also a little disgusted by them. Maybe it was the memory of the two of them going off somewhere during the party to bang, but he didn’t give it much attention. Instead, he put on his best cheery facade and walked up to them.

“John! Dave!” Asriel greeted. “Howdy, how’s it going?”

John jumped at his voice and gave Asriel a nervous look. When Dave turned around and faced the boss monster, even through his shades, his eyes looked worrying. It was rare to see Dave have any sort of emotion, so this led to Asriel to instantly lose what positivity he had.

“Um… Asriel,” John said nervously. “You… May want to read this.”

He handed Asriel over a paper. It was the school’s newspaper, the “What’s News” newspaper. Seems even Toriel had gotten her hands on naming this, but that wasn’t what caught Asriel’s eye and the boys’ attention. No, what made them act so anxious was the headline”

BREAKING NEWS: IS THE HUMAN-MONSTER AMBASSADOR AN INCESTUAL TETRAPHILE?

On the night of December 31st, 2020, a majority of the town, Ebott, had been invited over to the Mettamansion for the ever popular Mettaton’s annual New Year’s Party. It was a very exciting event, especially since this was the first time ever that the human-monster ambassador, Frisk Dreemurr, had been able to attend one of these parties. There was plenty of enjoyment to be had, listening to their story of how they made it through the underground first-hand. However, it was only shortly after they finished their story that we got a shock of a lifetime. Around 11:05, Frisk had begun searching for their brother, Asriel Dreemurr. Nobody thought anything of it at first, until Asriel suddenly appeared in front of them, more drunk than a JRPG character. The 16-year old boss monster must have been drinking out of loneliness, as shortly after he had begun to what seemed to be sexually advancing onto Frisk. They showed resistance, that is until Asriel had begun to try to kiss them! He had blacked out during it, but it was very obvious what he was trying to do. This leads many questions to the public: are Frisk and Asriel in a relationship? Does the ambassador have more personal reasons for their ambassadorship? How long has this been going on? How will this affect Frisk personally? We will find answers soon.

When Asriel finished reading the article, he was so enraged that he burned the paper into ashes within seconds, and tossed them into the trash. John and Dave looked at him with fear and surprise.

“Hey!” John whined. “I paid a dollar for that!”

Asriel shot him back a glare that made John cower. Asriel seemed to be a lot scarier than he normally was. Dave had assumed that Asriel would begin to freak out like his usual anxious self, but he did not foresee this. In a low voice, Asriel growled something.

“Who wrote this!?”

The boys looked at each other.

“I-I think Marco Linder.” Dave responded. “He is the director of the press. Go to Mrs. Lalonde, she may be able to tell you more.”

In an instant, Asriel stormed out of the classroom, leaving the boys and any other bystanders stunned. John and Dave gave each other a look, and they made their way to Mrs. Lalonde’s room. There was no telling what Asriel would do at this state.

---

Rage didn’t even define what Asriel was feeling right now. He expected an attack on himself, especially with how much he knew there was a lot people in the school that didn’t like him, and he would’ve taken it passively as per usual. But frisk? No, that was crossing the fucking line, and Marco was about to learn that. It would be a miracle if Asriel didn’t get suspended from burning him to a crisp.

Mrs. Lalonde’s room was directly below Mr. Walsh’s class, so the trip wasn’t too long. However, no matter the distance, it seemed someone beat Asriel to the punch. Someone who, just like the teen, was a white, furred monster of large, threatening size. There was no mistaking the loud, lecturing voice. Even if it seemed way more malicious than usual, Asriel knew exactly who was already chewing out his target.

“Do you realize just how much damage you have dealt to so many reputations?” Toriel asked in a surprisingly restrained voice. “And you just let this story slide? Without thinking just how badly it would affect the world? This school was not built on rumors and dishonesty!”

“He claims that he was just going to report on something about the party.” Mrs. Lalonde tried to explain. “I didn’t go so I wasn’t aware that what he was reporting was this.”

“But didn’t you look at the final print before it was published?”

“N-no… I just thought, since he’s been doing so well, I had confidence in Marco that it was perfect.”

Toriel scoffed at the teacher’s ignorance. She then turned to Marco, fire almost literally burning in her eyes.

“Listen up, young man. This school is built on patience, bravery, integrity, perseverance, kindness, justice, and determination. This school was not built on childish rumors that are to be reported in the school news!”

“But it isn’t a rumor!” Marco talked back, no hint of regret or restrain in his voice. “Besides, you’re just biased cause these are your kids!”

“Well I am a mother to my children first, so as their mother I demand you tell me why you did it.”

Marco huffed in frustration. “We were short in stories and we needed something good. Unlucky for you, someone managed to hand us this gem of a story.”

“Who?” Toriel demanded, but Marco just laughed.

“You think I would tell you? A news reporter never reveals their sources.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m sure you’d be happy to tell the same thing to your parents once you are suspended on the grounds of bad attitude, failure to comply to the school rules, and threatening the life of a student. Not to mention if I don’t hear who told you right now, the Newspaper Club will be disbanded, and Mrs. Lalonde loses some of her paycheck.”

A whine came from the teacher, but she refused to speak. Marco also seemed to not want to talk, but there was no fear in his eyes, only challenge. Toriel could not believe this. She had never met such an ignorant, stubborn person in her life. It’s hard to believe that she used to think that Marco was actually once a good student when he first came to the school two years ago. What has this world turned into?

The stare off between Toriel and Marco was cut short as some called out “Excuse me,” from the audience that had formed behind Asriel. Everyone turned towards the bunny monster who spoke up. She shrank back when she suddenly realized everyone was looking at her, then mumbled something barely audible.

“Speak up child.” Toriel commanded, a little softer than she has been.

“I-it was a g-girl named Gillian.” The bunny explained. At the word Gillian, Asriel gasped, and all his rage suddenly melted into disbelief. “Gillian Tynnclear from B-Black Hills High Sch-school. We got the info f-from her.”

Toriel sighed at that news. Black Hills has not been a very friendly school with Tutoriel High, so she wasn’t too surprised it was a student from that anti-monster school. She recomposed herself and looked around the room. Her eyes then landed back on Mrs. Lalonde and Marco.

“Well, it seems at least someone can show a little integrity.” She remarked. “Mrs. Lalonde, the Newspaper club is to not release any more issues until we see some justice. Mr. Linder, I will see you in my office after school with your parents. The rest of you, please go to your first periods, the bell is about to ring.”

The audience parted like the Red Sea as Toriel walked out of the room, a small shake in her stride. The students soon dispersed, chatting about what just happened, some praising the bunny, some throwing tetraphobic jokes her and Toriel’s way. Mrs. Lalonde even left the room, looking like she was about to pass out in fear. This just left Asriel and Marco. One look at the rather short human, and Asriel’s rage reignited.

Asriel advanced over to him. Fireballs had begun to form in his hands, the flames shaking without much restraint. Determination and anger were plastered on the boss monster’s face as he spoke to the senior.

“Why?” He growled. “Why would you ruin all we worked for? All the PEACE we worked for!?”

The second Asriel got the last word out, Marco became a blur, and Asriel felt something smack him right in the cheek, knocking him to the ground in pain and snuffing out the flames in his palms. The world blurred, and Asriel began to feel dizzy. His cheek began to go numb as he saw a pair of shoes walk up to him, kicking him in the stomach and knocking the air out of him as he curled up in pain.

“Peace? Bullshit. All you monsters are nothing but trouble.” Marco spewed. “You all come here with your magical bullshit, suddenly claiming everyone is connected by their ‘souls’ and then we find out you can actually MAKE lives? You all have played god long enough.”

He kicked Asriel again.

“If only Trump actually became president. Then we wouldn’t have to deal with you moggers.”

Moggers was the worst insult one could call any monster. It was an old phrase from before the war, often used more to describe the more corrupt monsters. However, today it was used as a slur, much like fag and the n-word. It was the nail in the coffin to make tears finally stream from Asriel.

“Go back to the Underground, and then go to hell.” Marco spat, leaving Asriel to squirm on the floor in pain. When the door closed, Asriel let out a sob that he had been holding in. He wasn’t crying over being attacked, or being insulted, or even at meeting possibly the worst human ever. No, what made him cry was that he broke the promise he made to Frisk that morning. He blamed himself, as per usual, and was afraid to see Frisk after this. At the same time, he wanted them now more than ever. They would heal him, make him feel better, just make him forget about this only for a little while. But instead, Asriel just laid on the cold, tiled floor, crying.

A short minute later, Asriel heard a loud zap, followed by a pair of arms picking him up. He tried to look through the tears and dizziness to see exactly who it was. All he saw was a round, bone white head, and something blue underneath it.

“C’mon kid, let’s get you home.” The character said. Asriel felt a rush of wind and the background suddenly changed. He finally saw the character to be Sans, which made sense to him now that he thought about it. Sans laid the boss teen down on his bed, taking off his shoes and pulling the covers over him. He gave one last scratch to the back of Asriel’s ear before walking off.

“Rest up,” He whispered. “I’ll go get Frisk.”

[wiissoppii7]

Blank Dream Review

Today I finished the horror JRPG Blank Dream made by Teriyaki Tomato (Kanawo) with an english translation by vgperson. I’ll separate the various aspects of the game into different categories and review those individually because I feel that keeps things organized. The reason I don’t say anything about the graphics is because the game was made with RPGMaker, and they’re pretty much all the same. You can find the game here.

Story: I felt like the story was the main point and focus of the game, but not the best aspect of it. Basically it told the story of how the main character killed herself and is stuck in some limbo-ish afterlife because of an unfulfilled wish and has to find out what that wish was. There are five endings to the game and I have to say none of them really stood out. While I did enjoy the story and its various niches, I felt that the endings were a bit bland and predictable.

Characters: The characters within this game all kept their base personalities pretty consistently which can be a good or bad thing. If a character stays the same, they’re consistent and can feel real for a short time, but if a game is too long then the characters need to change eventually or else they become bland and overly predictable. This was a shorter game, I beat it in a couple hours, so the consistency of the characters was a better choice in this situation. One thing that I really didn't like about the game though was the fact that to learn anything about most of the characters in the game you had to go searching around for secret areas. The first ending that I got didn't reveal anything about any characters besides the protagonist. In fact there were two characters that were with the protagonist from the beginning of the game all the way to the end with maybe 4-5 lines of dialogue and absolutely zero influence on the protagonist or the actual person playing the game ever. On the other hand, these characters became far more interesting with the good “true” end and even gave some insight on the antagonist of the game painting her as less of a monster and more of a person that could actually exist. To be honest it feels like in the development of the game, for the worst endings these two characters were totally forgotten about. It’s such a doubled opinion with this because if you get the good ending, the characters are very good, thought out, and fluid, but if you get the bad endings they’re like actors auditioning for a play. So my opinion on the characters just depends on how you lead the story, I suppose. 

Gameplay: This game was extremely reminiscent of The Witch’s House, so if you liked that game you’ll probably like this one. Everything from the music to the graphics, to the sound effects, and all throughout the gameplay. If I didn't know any better I’d say this game was made by the same person. Anyways, the game is layed out in a standard video game “do seven things to do the final thing” sort of way. You had to traverse through six different realms of this afterlife limbo called The Mirror World. Within each of these realms held a long series of traps and moving statues that would attempt (and certainly succeed) in killing the player. Each realm also held one large puzzle that required smaller problem so be solved to get through it. Once you finished the puzzle you would enter a “Mirror Room” and re-live a section of the protagonists past before killing herself. Your goal was to break the mirrors and to do that you needed to use the environment around you to kill yourself somehow, shattering the mirror. Despite the repetitive nature of the gameplay, it still managed to be quite fun with very interesting and unexpected traps and enemies, and difficult, yet solvable puzzles. The length of these rooms, and the game itself, was perfect because the instant I started getting bored or annoyed with a room, I would find the end an the game stayed worth playing. All-in-all I felt the gameplay was a lot of fun and was definitely executed well. This was also the case with the horror in the game, very similar to The Witch’s House, a bit repetitive, but once it stopped being scary something new happened to re-kindle it.

Sound: A vast majority (if not all) music in this game was taken from sites like Presence of Music, although a very large amount of indie RPGMaker JRPGs are. The music was excellent, but that’s less of a compliment to the creator of the game than to where the music was from. The sound effects were fairly repetitive, but nothing bad at all. As far as sound goes I don’t really have anything to comment on, it wasn't anything special, but it was pretty on-point for the type of game this was.

Overall I thought that this was a pretty good game and it finished at the right time before it started to get bad. It’s definitely worth playing if you’re into horror or puzzle games, or just JRPGs in general. Certainly not the best game I’ve played but it was definitely worth it and I eagerly await my slow-ass internet to finish the download of the sequel Blight Dream.

[junker-town]

What we learned from No Mercy 2017: Vince McMahon’s big guy fetish faltered at the wrong time

Years of memes wasted on a goofy decision.

No Mercy was great! Mostly. The parts that were supposed to be great were not necessarily great, but the parts people weren’t enthused about were all on point, so it evened out. Well, not completely evened. Enzo Amore can fall down a well and bring the Cruiserweight Championship with him, but we’ll get to that in due time.

Miz retains the Intercontinental Championship against Jason Jordan

Miz had a little help retaining the Intercontinental strap against the up-and-coming Jason Jordan, but it should be pointed out that, in true Miz fashion, he isn’t actually responsible for the shenanigans that caused Jordan to lose in the end. Jordan attacked Bo Dallas outside of the ring, and later, Dallas tried to interfere in the match itself at a crucial moment. Jordan took care of Dallas instead of ignoring him, opening the door for Miz to attack Jordan from behind.

What we learned: Yes, Miz got an assist, but in a way where he can blame Jordan for creating an opportunity for Miz to capitalize on. He’ll be stretching the truth instead of lying, and while it might not seem all that different, that’s an important distinction when it comes to heeling. Miz will truly believe he’s in the right, and he has just enough video evidence to back up his case.

Meanwhile, someone teach Jason Jordan how to read a crowd, because they loved Miz and were not at all there for Jordan’s post-match promo saying Miz sucks. Maybe just skip that one next time the crowd is going wild for a Miz win, guys. Kudos to Corey Graves for trying to say the crowd’s “Who’s your daddy?” chants were about Miz’s unborn child, though, and not Jason Jordan’s soap opera story line with long-lost father, Kurt Angle.

Finn Balor, man, defeated Bray Wyatt, god

So I called out something in the preview, about how Bray was just expecting us to forget that he constantly says a god resides within him and boosts his powers so that he and Finn Balor could have a “man vs. man” match. Wouldn’t you know it, Bray attacked Balor from behind and was like “ha ha ha, you seem to have forgotten that I constantly say a god resides within me and boosts my powers and it allowed me to book this totally unfair match with you and this time you aren’t even wearing your body paint.” Finn won despite the sneak attack and unfair nature of the match, by the way, and without even stopping in the back for a few brush strokes first.

What we learned: As with every Bray Wyatt plan ever, in the end, he lost because whatever god is inhabiting him is one of those JRPG gods who just thinks they’re omnipotent but actually forgot a whole bunch of key details that could (and eventually do) lead to their demise. “Incompetent” and “omnipotent” have most of the same letters, you know.

Or, as Brandon Stroud so eloquently put it months ago in one of wrestling’s most evergreen tweets:

Every single Bray Wyatt angle http://pic.twitter.com/hTdJ5I2VZl

— Brandon Stroud (@MrBrandonStroud) May 30, 2017

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins retain the RAW Tag Team Championships against Sheamus and Cesaro

It’s a shame the feud between these two is likely at its end, because good lord do they work well together. And all the credit in the world goes to Cesaro, who had his teeth either knocked out of him or further into him, for continuing to wrestle a completely baller match after said teeth went askew.

Who is next up for Ambrose and Rollins? I don’t know, but at some point, we need The Revival healthy so they can come for these titles.

What we learned: Ambrose and Rollins are able to hide any flaws the two might have in their game by tagging together, and it’s art. Sheamus and Cesaro need to stay buddies even if they end up stopping chasing the tag titles and go after singles championships, because their friendship is too beautiful to break up. FRIENDSHIP-BASED TAG TEAM WRESTLING FOREVER, THE FANS ARE THE REAL WINNERS WHEN FRIENDSHIP IS INVOLVED.

Alexa Bliss pinned Bayley and defeated Emma, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax to retain the RAW Women’s Championship

You might be upset that Alexa Bliss didn’t lose her title to Sasha or Bayley or Nia or even Emma, but it’s okay. The match was great, with tons of interaction among the five women, and logical storytelling with alliances forming and breaking and everyone realizing Nia Jax needed to be unconscious if anyone besides her was going to be productive for more than 10 seconds at a time. Plus, Alexa is going to end up facing Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship, and her getting wrecked by the Empress of Tomorrow makes a lot more sense than having Nia suffer that fate.

What we learned: Well, I kind of already told you that above, but that’s fine because now I’ll share with you what I would have done with this match and subsequent followup.

Emma has experience with Asuka from their shared NXT days, and all of it is terrifying and likely still gives Emma nightmares. Emma winning would have been wonderful as then Asuka would have showed up to lay claim to the belt, which should have led to a month of Emma hiding backstage wherever she could, and Asuka just stalking Emma around the arena for entire shows like she’s Nemesis from the Resident Evil video games.

tl;dr

I mean if you don't want Asuka to burst through a wall to chase and attack Emma I'm not sure what we're doing here

— Marc Normandin (@Marc_Normandin) September 25, 2017

Roman Reigns defeated John Cena and is officially the biggest dog in the yard

This match was real good, and while it seems like the ending came out of nowhere, with Cena getting speared once in the ring and going down, it really did not. Reigns beat Cena’s ass for most of the match, and all Cena really got in on him was a few of his signature powered up spots: the second rope Attitude Adjustment and double AA didn’t take Reigns down, because Cena didn’t lay any groundwork. He was goofing and laughing and smiling throughout the match, but that was all Cena putting on a brave face and assuming he would win this thing in the end even as he struggled to put the same kind of hurting on Roman that Reigns was putting on Cena.

When Reigns did kick out of everything Cena had to offer, John looked exasperated, the smiles vanished, and he stared at Reigns while making some pretty clear “I don’t understand how you’re doing this right now” faces. Reigns had hit Cena with everything except his major moves — aside from the first spear that put Cena through an announce table — but then rattled off a Superman Punch and a spear to get that 1-2-3 and Cena’s respect.

What we learned: Was it the greatest match either has ever been in? Not even close. But it was far more fitting of a showdown than what we got when Cena had the torch passed to him by the Rock at either once in a lifetime match. Plus, it’s fun to see Cena get Cena’d, even if he didn’t really get Cena’d. And on a night where the announce team was letting us know his next pay-per-view would tie him for the most all-time, too.

Enzo Amore won the Cruiserweight Championship from Neville and it was dumb

I try not to harp on booking decisions too much, as playing wait-and-see often solves many issues you can dream up at the moment a supposed mistake was made. However, Enzo Amore winning the Cruiserweight Championship was a bad idea that happened in a bad match and just makes the entire cruiserweight division look bad.

Enzo is not a good wrestler. He’s good at being thrown around and ragdolled, and it helps that people want to see him get thrown around, but he never should have beaten Neville, even with a distraction. There were other wrestlers they could have done this with, or they could have not done it at all and simply had Cedric Alexander feud with Neville, which is some take my money stuff. Instead, we get the thing we knew was going to happen happen, and no one is happy.

Maybe his reign will be brief and we can move on, but considering all of the talent WWE fails to utilize within their cruiserweight division, handing the championship to the worst wrestler of the bunch is just weird. It should say a lot that I would have been fine with Lana defeating Naomi via shenanigans to heel it up as SmackDown Women’s Champ but have zero interest or justification at the ready for Enzo.

Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal Championship against Braun Strowman

What the hell, guys? Vince McMahon has long been OBSESSED with size, pushing huge dudes even if they didn’t have any other discernible talent outside of said hugeness. Braun Strowman is massive: he’s 6-foot-8, 385 pounds, and more agile than either of those numbers would lead you to believe. He’s charismatic, the crowd loves him, and Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar’s manager, has been putting him over as bigger and stronger than his client, and maybe even the second-coming of Lesnar that we never thought we’d see, for weeks.

The result in their showdown, which came after a SummerSlam in which Strowman singlehandedly took Lesnar out of the proceedings for most of the match and then made him look like a nerd on television for weeks before this match? Lesnar winning after exactly one finisher, and actually out of nowhere, not in the way people will say Reigns beat Cena out of nowhere.

Vince had a chance to propel a huge human being to the next level, one who could be the focal point of the company for years to come, who already has a major following and fans dying to cheer for him despite his being a heel for so much of his run on the main roster. And, inexplicably, McMahon decided to go with Lesnar, who shows up on television every now and again, is nearly 40 years old, and is as known for vanishing on WWE for months at a time as he is for being the company’s final boss.

Imagine if Vince had halted Stone Cold’s push back in the day by having him tap out to Bret Hart instead of passing out at WrestleMania? That’s not to say Strowman is going to grow up to be Austin, but man, if anyone in the company now has a shot at being the guy, it’s him, and the reliably-obsessed-with-size-over-all Vince McMahon somehow wasn’t so reliable on that note this time.

[overly dramatic lengthy sigh]

What we learned: Brock vs. Roman II is definitely happening at WrestleMania 34, and no one is going to beat either of them until then, will they?