#i love olberic I HAVE SUCH A SOFT SPOT FOR OLBERIC i love using him on my team too

[apticho]

you know, i always thought angels weren’t real…

[semi-imaginary-place]

started playing octopath traveler. i like the visual design, music and general aesthetics. thk it is hard to tell where you can walk and where you cant. im not sure if the xp to next level means exp in this levels bin, like progress so far, or how much exp is need until the next level up. ui weirdness. sunshade section is real uncomfortable between orientalism, sexual coersion and worker exploitation! yall should unionize. oh it really is sex slavery. yikes. this is uncomfortable.

at least i got to kill him. was thinking why did primrose end up a sex slave if she really wanted to kill her father’s murderer why didn’t she train as a assassin or warrior like olberic for 15 years. but then i thought about it and posing as a dancer is exactly the stupid sort of thing a child would think up and then the slimebag tavern owner probably trapped her in a mile of debt and exploited someone vulnerable.

i started with tressa and went counterclockwise around the sea so now im done with everyone’s chapter 1. there’s was no real reason for choosing tressa, her’s seemed to be a less serious story and a soft intro to the game. and now that i have a party of tressa, therion, and alfyn its all about that economy. alfyn has powerful item based abilities and tressa and therion have abilites to get items so i hit the item cap (99 stack per item) before i hit level 20. I also got like a 120 atk bow before level 10 lol. money money money.

can’t believe shinto-catholic girl’s story got to me. h’aanit’s story is the one i find most compelling and the ch 2 i want to see the most. i like cyrus. he reminds me of miles edgeworth. comedically super serious walking sherlock holmes reference. also is it me or are there a lot of pop culture references in this game. my favorite character tho is alfyn. he’s a good boy. he also reminds me of one of my highschool ocs. what a good boy, i love him.

octopath traveler is a weird title. why didn’t they go with like the paths of eight travelers. or eight traveler’s paths. and what’s up that cat burglar enemy

overall i think the ch 1s were decent. there were some tropes that just seemed to be there because they are genre staples instead of doing anything with them, but its also only the first chapter. i said it already but the music is really good.

i ostly picked it up because time limited input games aren’t really enjoyable for me and there are so few games these days that aren’t like that. gameplay is like halfway between goldensun with its character based puzzle solving and the nds era smt games with the elemental weaknesses being a major part of battle. some of the ui stuff is clunky. the transition to battle screen is just bad. also idk if i missed it but weird that i can’t find the protags’ ages anywhere given how you learn the ages of every random npc. i mean i can guess based on the ages of people in their starting town. like alfyn, primrose, and ophilia are all like early twenties like. not quite as sure for h’aanit and therion but probably early-mid twenties too. tressa seems like typical jrpg protag age so like 17. olberic seems a bit older like mid thirties? the blur effect is too strong for my taste, i do like how it puts into focus where you character is at, but just a bit too much. some of the glittery effects seem to be based on where you are on the map so if you run around the white dots move super fast and i don’t like the look. i think there were trying to go for like a  boko or whatever and its fine if you take a screenshot of it, but in motion its really annoying.

oh yeah and i haven’t even started any ch2s and its already been 20+ hours so... im going to be here a while. (i keep getting lost!)

went and spoiled myself on secret classes. primrose deserves warmaster. i dont even play her (i dont get the summoning mechanics) but its what she deserves. read about how making cyrus a sorcerer is redundant, but have you considered, i like big numbers.

so party comp. i can’t get rid of tressa but i always need money anyways. therion is there for the same reason. and alfyn is there to use all the items and because he’s my fav. the last spot cycles between cyrus and h’aanit. i also really like h’aanit but cyrus’s ability is usefulf for finding weaknesses because i struggle to remember which elements i’ve already tried out and its such a bad time for me without cyrus. also big numbers. give me the explosions.

[giggly-squiggily]

Octopath Traveler Headcanons

Hiyo! So, recently I’ve re-fallen in love with Octopath traveler! It’s, to me, such a fun game, and I love all the members of the squad so much! (I do have a mild bias for Therion because he’s my main, but overall I adore everyone!)

I’ve wanted to make headcanons for these guys for awhile now, and I’m happy I did! I hope you all like them!

Olberic: The strong, silent warrior! So, I headcanon that Olberic isn’t very ticklish. He has one really bad spot; his underarms, but no one knows about it because he’s so tall and muscular and a massive tickle machine! He’s not one to start tickle wars, but if you try to find his tickle spots, prepare to be challenged by the Unyielding blade! His laugh is boisterous and gravely when tickled, and he tends to fight back when tickled. As a ler, depending on who he’s tickling is how hardcore/soft he’ll go. If he and Tressa are in a tickle fight, he’s gentle and sweet, but if he and Edhart go at it, it’s a war!

Cyrus: Oh lord bless this man! So, Cyrus is the classic case of overworked and in need of a little “motivation” to take a break. He himself is so ticklish around his waist it’s adorable! Anywhere, from hips to his belly/flanks will earn you the nerdiest of giggles and snorts. When tickled, he tries to curl up and protect his bad spots, but it rarely works considering every poke and prod makes him squirm. Pretty much everyone tickles him in the group, but the main ones that do are Primrose and Olberic. As a ler, he’s dangerous. He knows the best techniques to get you back, and is not above teasing and complimenting your laugh/smile throughout the tickles!

Tressa: I love this girl! She’s one of my favs! So, Tressa is by far the most ticklish member of the traveling group. She’s just so ticklish all over that any spot will make her scream with laughter. She’s an adorable lee; she gets super blushy and giggly at even the possibility of someone tickling her (Something the group takes great advantage of). However, despite her own ticklishness, she’s a devious ler and is not afraid to start a war! Her main targets are Therion and Alfyn, though most of the time she’s at constant war with Therion. Their last tickle war lasted a good three weeks, from random pokes to the ribs to straight up ambushes.

Ophilia: Bless this flame child’s heart! Ophilia is such a sweet baby. She doesn’t really tickle people often, but when she does, she’s big on cheer up tickles and comfort. Her own bad spots are her legs, from hip to feet. Her laugh is bell-like and charming to listen to, and her smile is adorable! She doesn’t really fight back in tickle wars- she tends to just lay there and take it most of the time. If she does tickle you, it’s gentle and sweet- more light ones to make you smile. Of the entire group, she and Primrose get into the most tickle fights (I ship them, so much!) But Ophilia has attempted to tickle others in the past. (Much to her misfortune- they found her tickle spots very quickly).

Primrose: Dancing queen! So, there’s an unspoken rule among the travelers: No one gangs up on Primrose. Not even the girls. They know her history and everything she’s been through, so they avoid doubling up on her in tickle fights so she’s not uncomfortable. That being said, in 1 on 1 battles, it’s all game! Prim herself is ticklish on her stomach, but it’s really hard to tickle her because she’s the definition of evil ler. She will use any and every tool in her arsenal to destroy you and reck you in tickle fights. Her laugh, if you get a chance to hear it, is lovely! It’s a lot like Ophilia’s; bell-like and such, but it’s deeper and richer. On record, Ophilia is the only lucky traveler to hear Prim’s sweet laughter and not get immediately destroyed in the process.

Alfyn: The doctor is in! So, Alfyn is a solid switch. Being the one to patch up everyone after a battle, he naturally knows everyone’s tickle spots. He himself is ticklish along his ribs, under his arms, and on his belly. His laugh is really cute; lots of goofy hoots and childish giggles! He’s a fighter, though! If you initiate a tickle fight with him, prepare to be wrecked! Alfyn is such a cuddle monster in tickle fights. He’ll wrap you up in his arms and tickle you until your flushed and breathless. He, Tressa and Therion get into the most tickle fights (because they’re all adult children), but he tends to tickle Tressa more, for he stands a better chance against her than Therion.

Therion: My baby! He needs lots of hugs though. Like, all the hugs. Therion's bad spots are on his upper torso, so his ribs, belly, sides, and armpits are all killer spots for him. Of course, if you want to get the best of reactions from him, you go for his neck. His laugh is a combination of loud guffaws, childlike squeaks, swears of vengeance and death, and pleads for mercy. In other words; it’s magical to listen to. As a ler, he’s by far the best tickler. He’s got fast fingers and deadly accuracy. Combine that with an immediate need for vengeance after tickles, and he’ll have you down and out in seconds. That is, if he himself isn’t down and out after being tickled himself.

H’aanit: The huntress herself! H’aanit herself isn’t all that ticklish- but what she lacks in sensitivity, she makes up for with sheer ler prowess! Regarding tickle spots, hers are her ears. If you gently blow into them or nibble gently along the lobe, she will let out a squeaky shriek of laughter that makes everyone smile. As a ler, she’s a monster! But really though, she can pin you down and destroy you, using Linde to hold you down and destroy you. She’s not very good at teasing, but she’s determined and playful! Her favorite victims are Tressa and Cyrus, but she’ll take on anyone who dares challenge her!

I hope you like them! I had fun making these! XD

[autopotion]

the combat, music, and visuals of octopath traveler are all so incredibly good, which just makes the gaping story flaws even worse /: cyrus’s student who has a crush on him spreads a rumor that he’s sleeping with the princess, and instead of the game treating this plot decently at all (which it’s still a bad plot) they treat it as like ohh cute oblivious cyrus doesn’t realize his student has a crush on him (: which is SO INFURIATING. stop shipping the student with the prof, octopath >_> i’ve already talked about primrose’s sexual violence-laden story, but the middle eastern exoticism and racism is like really bad too--it’s a little bit laced in everywhere in the game, but especially in primrose’s sections.

those are my biggest gripes with the plot. i also have some minor gripes, like the characters’ stories not connecting super well so far--but that feels a little bit dragon age origins-y, which is a bit like going on a camping trip with your coworkers. you’re all friendly but you’ve also got your own lives and shit going on, you’re not besties. and i like da:o decently so it doesn’t bother me as much as it might some others. also i love h’aanit but the extremely intense faux-shakespearean talk is a lot to chew through. it’s kind of fun that they did it that way, in the way of cyan from ffvi or frog from chrono trigger, but it’s still a bit of a barrier to fully empathizing with her imo. some of the english voice acting isn’t so good, ophilia in particular drives me up the wall.

but there’s a lot of good stuff about it too or i wouldn’t be playing it so much lol. i REALLY love the combat, and i like the little spots of character banter, and god the game is so easy on the eyes.

my character ranking so far:

primrose. i hate so many elements of her plot, but i like her in general. ruthless traumatized women on a revenge quest is one of my #types. now that i’ve got her subclassing scholar, with a little bit of a boost she can one-hit kill the field

h’aanit. hot, stoic, principled, powerful, a little wild. she’s great. if it weren’t for the faux-shakespearean she’d be above prim

alfyn! surprising contender, but i really love his rural upbringing and his down-to-earth way of life. he’s easygoing and sweet and that’s really appealing. also, apothecary is a fun as hell class and one of the cooler classes in general imho

therion. whoops i like the douchey thief dude. like he also sucks and is annoying, but i use him so much to steal shit that he’s kind of grown on me? also i do sort of have a soft spot for douchebags who develop a heart of gold lol. plus i like making fun of him

tressa. she’s very cute, and i think her voice actress did a good job of making her sound perky without going squeaky. her story’s kind of boring, but also a good dose of lightheartedness that we need tbh

ophilia. she’d be higher if it weren’t for her VOICE. also i think she’s a little too nice, my nice girls need to at least have a little fire and except for the kindling she’s got none

cyrus. he’s kind of stupid and that’s fun, plus i like his detective angle, but the elements i illustrated above kind of soured me to the character as a whole

olberic. sorry bro you’re just kind of boring

[stormsbourne]

best ship for each traveler?

OPHILIA: I like haanit best because they are both such. complete. fucking. morons. that said ophilia has great chemistry with like, half the fucking cast, she’s so aggressively bi and so surrounded by hot people and unsure what to do about it. RUNNERS UP: primphilia, therilia (though allow me to say, straight people have done therilia real dirty). alfilia could be good but I just like the dynamics better for both of them with other people

CYRUS: olberic. he’s basically sticking his ass out and begging olberic to fuck him sometimes. that banter where he speculates that olberic is bad at swimming because his muscles are too big, what is that? cyrus! stop being so thirsty!! unfortunately for him olberic is way too into erhardt. RUNNERS UP: odette, who can dom him like he deserves. therion because their dynamic would be good

TRESSA: it’s odd because even the ships I do have for tressa are very like. lowkey. she is a baby. tressa/money. in seriousness, I’m about even on tressa/ali and tressa/noa but in both of them she is just Dumbass On Main and has to learn from them how to do absolutely fucking anything

OLBERIC: erhardt. one hundred percent. I have a soft spot for pining betrayal stories with homoerotic undertones (see my love of hyde/bradley from hotel dusk) and olberhardt has so many good bits of it. erhardt’s guilt and olberic’s inability to let go of his damage but both of them having a very distinctly implied good ending where they are gonna get married and have a thousand dogs and crazy filthy sex every night

PRIMROSE: prim needs someone who is not a shitty dude, poor prim. I think the one I ship most of her options is primphilia because I like the contrast of dark vs light, prim looking for things to believe in and ophilia having plenty of options for her, prim maybe turning to faith after her story is complete and the two of them getting to know each other. THAT SAID haanrose??? primit? praanit? is also good. real good. haanit and primrose. I don’t know the shipname. haanit is so, so, so goddamn gay and prim wants to protect her naive ass. RUNNERS UP: I like shit where prim is into olberic but olberic is too gay to be into it back and they become good friends. prim/simeon is interesting for background fuckup damage, the same way therion/darius is. more on that later.

ALFYN: therion lmao. I want therion to get everything he wants and he and alfyn are a really good contrast and alfyn needs someone to keep him realistic and grounded instead of getting lost in his head and/or the clouds. to be honest though I have several ships for alfyn. he’s just got too many good options. alfion? good. alzeph? good. alfilia? good. I could even get behind like, him and prim, he just has a very good positive energy that I feel could balance out a lot of other characters in a way that would lead to interesting chemistry

THERION: ALFYN!! therion needs someone who can bring some brightness and honesty and open affection into his very guarded and very prickly shell and I feel, like I said in alfyn’s thing, that he and alfyn could bring a lot of balance to each other’s lives. also there’s a whole dynamic you can get into where therion has Darius Damage and alfyn helps him recover and did you notice alfyn and darius are both themed with the color green and darius is weak to alfyn’s signature moves and gashgkjadh. RUNNERS UP: therilia (see above straight people comment), therion/darius (therius?) for Therion’s Past Damage purposes (I appreciate that fandom has understandably latched onto this because I feel those undertones are definitely deliberate)

H’AANIT: ophilia lmao two dumbass gays on main who desperately need help and have a lot of banters. Haanit is very grounded despite being very naive and ophilia is very idealistic despite being very world wise and I feel it would play off each other well. also, haanit is incredibly hot. That said haanit/prim is also crazy good. and tbh haanit is good with pretty much any woman, she is so aggressively lesbian. I know about that chat about wanting someone stronger than her but as a lesbian who used to give nonsense answers about the sort of men I wanted to marry: lol

[editoress]

Hokay okay okay---I’m just going to dump all my Octopath Traveler thoughts at once.  I’ve played everyone’s first chapters.

The characters, in the order I met them:

Alfyn: I picked him because he’s a simple country man and an enthusiastic healer, and that called to me.  Because he’s in the lead, I refuse to steal from people or turn down side quests.  Alfyn would be disappointed in us all.

Therion: Killua from Hunter x Hunter.  Quality rogue.  I am eagerly watching for hints he cares about his comrades.

Primrose: I love her, I support her, I intend to cheer her on in everything she does.  Picked charisma as the stat to support her revenge quest, and I love that.

Olberic: Before I even played this game, I pointed at the tall warrior man and said, “I’m going to have a crush on that one,” and guess what?

Tressa: Never had a merchant in my party before, and I’ve got to say it’s pretty great.  A fine character, a pure beautiful girl.  (Her English VA got to me eventually but Tressa herself is great!)

Cyrus: If Walter Strickler from Trollhunters were stupid.  I very much enjoy this posh PhD idiot. Like most magic users, dies if sneezed on but can wipe out the field at times.

Ophilia: Baby girl I love her.  Her first chapter was by far the most emotional for me.  This darling deserves the world.

H’aanit: One of my favorite archetypes done well.  I’m confused about her dialect but also excited to make something of it in fanfic.  Actually, I’m excited to write her in general.

I have some ship/brotp thoughts already, so we’ll see if these get substantiated:

Tressa becomes Prim’s little sister.

Therion gets a major soft spot for Ophilia.

Olberic and H’aanit take turns parenting the team.

I could get behind Alfyn/Primrose.

Tressa is the only one who enthusiastically listens to all of Cyrus’ lectures.