#honestly props to mihoyo

[herrscherofmagic]

(spoiler-free discussion of HI3rd Part 2)

So I finally got to catch up w/ the previous chapter (moon shenanigans w/ Helia & Coralie) and dove right into HI3rd Part 2's release- and I've gotta say, I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit so far!

*Quick disclaimer, I'm playing with CN voices, and the voice acting of a character can really influence a person's perception of them, so keep that in mind

So far each of the main cast we've met so far has been fairly likeable. I was unsure what Sena was gonna be like but so far she fits in quite well. She's got the same bubbly personality as Ely and March, but she has neither the pushy-ness that Ely has nor the snark March has. So she's definitely reminiscent of both of them but still feels like her own person, and since we literally just met her there's gonna be plenty of time for her character to develop.

Also really enjoyed the interactions with Helia and Coralie, it's clear that they're not super besties like Kiana & Mei but they're certainly close as comrades and I'd like to see how their dynamic develops! I'm looking forward to new battlesuits for them someday and I really hope Mihoyo follows through on that idea. I'd love to see how their adventures in the Sea of Data shape their world-view as they're challenged by things that Schicksal's Valk training never could've prepared them for.

and Dreamseeker was quite nice, too! They're not a silent protag, though of course the quasi-self-insert thing does make it a bit more awkward than usual. But overall their presence doesn't really affect the story in a negative way so that's no concern at all, and they contribute to the team a fair bit in terms of both knowledge/wisdom as well as how they interact with other characters and move the conversation forward. They're not super bubbly nor are they cold, they're just ordinary in a charming way, if that makes sense?

and then Songque... ooooohhh lord she was a LOT more than I bargained for in so many ways. in a good way, I think? >.> either way, not gonna say much about her because I don't even know how to begin describing her. I just wasn't expecting her to be so... lively. Like, crazy energetic, in a very controlled-chaos sorta way.

Also in terms of worldbuilding/lore I think it's been handled quite well. It doesn't rely on obscure knowledge from Part 1, i.e. not technobabble-heavy, but if you're familiar with stuff like the workings of the Sea of Quanta then it's easy to see how things are working behind the scenes.

It's a super fascinating concept for a setting and I really like the juxtaposition of past/present as well as how the story seems to fully embrace the chaotic nature of the Sea of Quanta, giving us really strange and unusual sights and writing characters who are born into this strange reality and take it for granted.

Oh. and the new music. pretty good so far! it's nothing at the level of Genshin but that's a really high bar to pass anyways. For HI3rd's standards it's solid work and enjoyable enough to listen to while playing the story & fighting. I have a lot of other thoughts about HI3rd's music as a whole but that's a whoooole other story lol

so yeah. Part 2 released, and HI3rd didn't suddenly combust into flames and explode. So far so good, hard to say how it'll change going forward but there's not much of a point in worrying about that yet. My only regeret is I had to skip 2/3rds of the Fu Hua arc for this because of issues w/ my schedule and how busy I've been, but I think it was the right call cause I'm really looking forward to the new Part 2 story, both main story & side content!

[vynegar]

vyn top-up card liveblog thread (updated as a read). spoilers!

ok so i think this means vyn was an exchange student for a year during undergrad at a university that was (presumably) in or near stellis, since it doesn’t mention anything about travel? don’t quote me on it tho

kinda revisiting youth vibes since they’re in another school event, almost reliving school days. also definitely a possibility of some vyn backstory

oh no not another story of love at first sight ending in tragedy that will seem like an omen for vyn

WE’RE LESS THAN TEN MINUTES INTO THE STORY WHY IS THE FIRST ILLUSTRATION ALREADY HERE

ohthe writing team is putting their ENTIRE ***** into this story in a story oh my god. like i know i’m not skilled enough to tell what good writing is but like. this is good writing

ok. u kno what. if vyn licked my fingers i would lose my ability to speak too. that’s fair.

he’s blushing!!! that’s the blushing sprite!!!!

sometimes it’s just like. entertaining. watching mhy try to up the ante with the suggestiveness in cards but stay within the 16+ rating. i look forward to how creative they can get.

ok PAUSE bc the luke card got uploaded and the video is an hour long 🙏 WE’RE EATING TONIGHT

aaaand i’m back!

one day. ONE DAY we will see this expression and Not when vyn is acting

ok damn honestly. props to the AI for this part

ok so that’s like. THREE recent vyn cards with an acting/roleplaying segment where vyn gets quite emotional/uncontrolled and he’s. remarkable good at it. is this the new motif?? are we headed toward a complete collapse and blurring of the line between acting and reality? 

also wondering if this is major for my theory on vyn (and fairy tales and stories) because getting really into the role probably qualifies as immersion and right now rosa is saying she needs to be the “rational onlooker”

i would love for an actual therapist to review some of vyn’s cards. like, i’m Pretty sure some of this is not best practice but i don’t know enough about therapy to talk about it

this card is a big win for people who want to see a more twisted rosa

HUH????????????? CAN YOU -- IS THIS --- 16+??????? MIHOYO?????? (AND YEAH THAT’S HIS TIE)

Vyn: MC... What are you trying to do?

vyn’s and rosa’s expresisons when she suddenly ties him up.... both of them just taking it in without batting an eye.....

ok i think people who enjoyed the ending scene in vyn’s 2nd anniv card will like this a LOT lmao xDDD but vyn’s not really trying to hold back this time

i think i like the way that the vynrosa cards show a progression of their desire for each other. maybe it’s because Control has always been such a theme of vyn’s route, but idk, the way that their desire grows in his cards just hits properly

i really liked the ending lines

this is probably the top-up card i’ve been most tempted by. i liked how the story flips the script a little by making rosa worry that she’s too much like the cautionary tale, but in the end shows that it’s more of a mutual feeling of greed that she doesn’t need to worry over. and (maybe it’s because i paused in the middle of reading for a long time) but i feel like the writers did a good job of quickly setting up the premise for the card but not letting it bog down the actual crux of the story. i’d honestly be interested to hear if other people also felt that way about the card, bc i’m not sure if i’m just in a positive mood toward tot right now; like, maybe that point could also be applied to the anniv 2 top-up card.

okay but speaking of that, why was it another vyn top-up so soon?? i get that the first round just finished (artem with desert, marius with gufeng, vyn with anniv2, luke with bakerlon) but at least do marius!!

[kaykay-13]

As someone who's never heard chinese opera before I thought yun jin's voice was unique in a cool way. Had no idea what was going on but instead of being an asshole I assumed mihoyo knew what the fuck they were doing, did my research and now I'm listening to Chinese opera on loop lol. Idk why people make fun of her voice instead of considering hey, maybe music outside western culture sounds different???

yeah,,,,,, i guess sometimes people just Don’t Think Like That. honestly props to mihoyo for like getting an actual opera singer instead of telling the VA to do an attempt in english or something. i think it help enrich the liyue qualities of the game too. so much………… Culture in there. feels homely methinks

[scarlxtleaves]

Me and my snowman family. Honestly, I gotta give props to Mihoyo fpr making this event pretty fun. I mean it’s no windblume but I still had fun with it. honestly the things like the obstacle course should be something we do once every two weeks or something. Give the F2P and us budget peeps a little extra activity for primos.