#liveblogging triangle strategy

[americankimchi]

i finished triangle strategy and i can honestly say this is one of my favorite games of all time. hands down incredible experience. i’ve never played a game that treated its characters as genuinely intelligent people. not once did it make them stupid for the sake of the plot. a VERY refreshing experience!!

i got the king serenoa ending (i think this is the liberty ending??) and apparently there’s a true ending..... i’m gonna try for that one after i get the other two just to see what the others are like. but im very pleased with my playthrough! even the bittersweet epilogue was very 👌👌👌

[space-spring]

I've had a killer cold the past couple days and I'm in the nice cozy stage between total nyquil coma and actually feeling better so I got an emulator set up for tactics ogre! I'm going in without much foreknowledge (other than reading Cerya's wiki page <3) so mostly I'm just nodding along excitedly as new stuff comes up.

So far it opens up with these tarot cards:

Which I've played through three times (technical difficulties) and I THINK got slightly different choices both times? But. still a little bit in a nyquil coma so. I read Cerya is recruitable in the chaos/neutral route, so I aimed for chaos with the choices (not sure if that's how it works).

And I also just think the opening's sick as heck. The ost SLAPS, and despite the limitations of pixel art the cutscenes have some cool cinematography stuff going on. I'm watching a guy riding on his little pixel horse and crying about it a little.

Also loving the chapter name. Cannot beat the vibes

ALSO also I am delighted to no end that the very first introduction to Denam + crew is them planning to murder this guy who's coming into town. In Fire Emblem this tutorial chapter would usually be something like "agh! bandits/monsters came out from nowhere!!!! what should we do??" but here it's just like "we want to start a war. killing this guy will start a war. let's go 🥁" Can't argue with that!!

And...... jk! Battle ended after one turn because this Lanselot is not the Lanselot I actually wanted to kill, but instead a foreign knight by the same name (theoretically. I'm side-eying him). Instead we're off to kill some other people in a different castle. (And thus disappoint Denam's sister, who's cool. She's got Celica vibes)

[theeeveetamer]

I guess since Engage is coming out I should probably address where the whole Hopes liveblog thing went, cuz I haven't done a post in like three months for that.

Honestly, I have less than zero interest in finishing the other two routes of Hopes. Normally I'm the kind of person who will squeeze every bit of content out of a game that I possibly can (I mean I have like 400 hours in 3H, I played Triangle Strategy four times through, etc.) even if I start getting bored or losing interest. But I just. Don't have motivation to finish Hopes. I haven't even opened the game in months.

I'm still going to be editing my AG streams down into shorter episodes because I'm having a ton of fun with that (hopefully I should have another one out by the end of this week. Sorry they take so long, but I'm doing all of the editing myself and I'm also a grad student so sometimes things fall by the wayside). I'm also still going to scream about shipping stuff and shipping stuff revealed in AG (hello bilingual Dimidue my beloved). But other than that, yeah.

[teefa85]

My first thought on recruiting the bartender:  “Oooh!  She’s like a Fire Emblem Trobadour!”

My second thought on recruiting the bartender:  “Oooh!  She’s got a physical attack for when she doesn’t need to heal.”

My third thought on recruiting the bartender:  “Oh dammit!  She’s fragile!”

Methinks I need a level or two before she can be on the battlefield.  Ah, well.  I was looking for a second healer and a mobile one is always good.  Sure, I’ve got the sage, but if I use him at all it would be to blast shit with magic...

[wingspears]

finished my first triangle strategy playthrough! I did Frederica’s ending, I thought the game did a good job making it bittersweet, I honestly thought the entire ending choice was done very well. all three of the options are bad in their own ways and demonstrate the worst of the characters who put them forward without being out of character (actually loved the last minute hints that benedict would manipulate you to do whatever he wanted, I almost picked his option and that tiny bit of dialogue stopped me). I’m going to zoom through a golden route playthrough next (apparently I just barely missed it, the only ‘wrong’ choice I made was staying with Roland in the capital instead of going home).

[gascon-en-exil]

Do you read/play a lot of fantasy outside of FE?

Have been a fairly consistent if not very vocal fan of The Legend of Zelda since A Link to the Past, although Breath of the Wild's open world and unappealing difficulty turned me off a fair bit. I now have zero hype for the repeatedly-delayed sequel.

Read The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion a very long time ago, saw the movies, not terribly interested in Tolkien beyond that. I find his writing dry and, when it comes to it, almost comically sexless.

Read the first six Harry Potter books just as long ago, saw the movies, never returned to them. That was my earliest exposure to online (mega)fandom, but the discourse soured me on what was there and the stories got a little too video game-y - "collect/destroy X number of magical items" - for my taste at the time.

Played World of Warcraft on and off for ~15 years, the story's a mess but it has its highlights. The next expansion is set to come out at the end of this year and I'm mildly curious about it.

Watched Game of Thrones after it had all come out, having spoiled myself on all the big twists in the years leading up to the ending that everyone hated. Rather enjoyed most of it actually, and even liveblogged my first viewing, although most of the last two seasons is indeed a hot mess. Am looking forward to House of the Dragon in a few days, and had my August not been so hectic I had tentatively planned to make a video on my favorite GoT character a week or so before the new show came out. I have no interest in reading the novels however, as I'd rather not pick up a book series that currently has no end and very well may never have one.

Those are the big ones. There's a few others here and there - I read A Wrinkle in Time when I was very young, endured all three Golden Sun games in their time, played Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy and liked them though not enough for more than the occasional replay - but not much else I recall all that well.

[loregoddess]

it’s interesting to see Triangle Strategy liveblogs and see just how many people’s first choice was to...transport the illegal salt.

And I’m sitting here looking at my first playthrough, where more or less every single decision was some variation of telling whoever to go screw themselves, which also included marching over the Hyzante to report shady shit bc I didn’t like Sorsley’s attitude

[severalspoons]

Liveblog: Rewatching Trigun, Episode 20

Surprise, this blog series continues! I have no intention of letting it end at episode 19. (I mean, that’s not even a nice round number!) While these aren’t liveblogs any more, they still give me an opportunity to discuss meta. 

Life lesson learned: once you start a series of anything, do not stop until it’s finished--no matter what other projects come up, no matter how shiny they are, and no matter how much you’re dreading watching episode 23. Since I do my best work when feeling inspired, I hate to wait and let my enthusiasm for the new project cool, but jumping ship only ends in two unfinished projects instead of one.

This is going to be arranged by theme, not so much chronologically. Also, it ended up being more about Wolfwood than originally intended.  Including a spoiler, so be careful.

Millie’s Transmitter

Millie reports that the Chief of Bernadelli gave her a transmitter/tracking device, which must be a rare, valuable piece of technology -- to prevent anyone from outwitting her. Meryl replies that this is nothing to brag about. I disagree.

First of all, the chief cares about her enough to entrust her with this bragworthy technology. She must have earned his trust and good opinion, also an achievement. He could easily punish or fire her, but instead gives her a tool to perform better. Countless people with learning disabilities dream of bosses like this. 

People tend to take a harmful all-or-nothing attitude towards disabilities. Either PWD are incapable of doing things and nothing can be done about it, or they are capable of doing things, and shouldn’t need help. Since people with disabilities themselves live in society, they end up indoctrinated and taking the same attitudes towards themselves. Shame and self-hatred often result. People strive for years, often with therapy, to get to the matter of fact acceptance Millie shows here.

***

Vash in Hell

Everything is red, from the beginning. The sand, himself and his clothes, the sky. Knives comes into view, blurry and mostly in shadow, only one eye visible.  What looks like meteors, probably chunks from the ships, fall through the sky like rain. We’re seeing from Vash’s point of view.

When waking Vash, Knives’ voice is normal, sounding like a real child. It doesn’t change to his growly evil voice until Vash accuses him of being a murderer. Then, his eye loses its pupil, and he suddenly appears to have fangs. He looks like he’s become some sort of monster. Not human, as Vash says.

Knives beats him up for even daring to compare him to a human. What hurts the most about this is you know it’ll be a long time, and probably many more such beatings, before Vash leaves.

Was it ever possible to take care of Knives? Was Rem’s last request reasonable?

Vash announces he’s finally ready to face Knives. What impresses me most: he’s finally making a significant decision for himself.

***

Meet the Folks

How is Vash more attractive in normal clothes than his signature coat, even in scenes showing only his face? Speaking of which, this episode is full of beautiful shots of Vash’s face. Wolfwood’s, too. 

How the hell did Wolfwood get here? He said he was concerned about Vash crying then jumping off a cliff, and followed him. However, he seems to have climbed up from below. How would he have found a floating platform? Certainly, none is visible below him. And since he seems to know nothing about the flying ship, he can’t have taken Vash’s strategy and jumped onto a platform at just the right time. 

“Come meet the folks!” Yes, they actually do have a summer cottage in the sky. Ever wonder why Vash’s head is always in the clouds? ;) 

Wolfwood actually says “I’m getting sick of your lies.” Hypocritical much?

Wolfwood is the first guest Vash has brought “home” in over 20 years (in other words, since he became The Stampede)! 

Does that mean that the whole time Vash has been on the run, he hasn’t visited the SEEDS ship (probably to prevent anyone tracking him from discovering it)? Vash could have simply hid out for the last 20 years in the SEEDS ship; it’s his home, after all. Instead, he chose to go out and protect people from Knives, and each other. (How many of us would have made the same choice?)

***

Inside Legato’s Lair

What does this informant know about Chapel’s duties? From the way Legato dismisses his concerns, it seems like Knives’ followers aren’t given much information about each other.

Wolfwood is now doomed. “You’re such a fool. Had you behaved, you might have lived to see Doomsday. But I’m pleased, for I now have the opportunity to carry out another of my master’s wishes.” 

A surprisingly restrained evil chuckle from Legato. Thank you for sparing us a full-on villain laugh.

How does Legato get shoulder padding that sticks out that far? Each shoulder is almost twice as big as his head.

***

A Series of Awkward Events

The ship has a whole observation team. No one should be able to get up here without the SEEDS leaders knowing, right? Right? ...

The old man tells Brad Vash has changed over the years. How? 

After all this buildup, Brad opens the door, letting in blinding light, and this is what he sees:

The legend acting like an idiot and getting his butt kicked. Very dignified. 

This is Brad’s reaction:

“Is that your great legend?! Huh?!” “What a relief! He hasn’t changed at all.” (A relief? What were they afraid would have happened to him?)

Brad is not amused by Wolfwood’s touchy-feely ways.

“Who’s he?” Vash, looking embarrassed: “I’m not sure.” Fair enough, but not very helpful, and Wolfwood doesn’t elaborate. We already know and love Vash’s embarrassed grin, but I can’t get over Wolfwood’s almost sinister smile in the mirror. 

A cute moment where Vash looks back like, “isn’t my place great?” and Wolfwood just gapes like an idiot. (Close your mouth, my dude. Flies are gonna get in). 

Vash last visited about 20 years ago, and Jessica was a small child then, so she should be about 23 or 24. However, she looks and acts like a teenager. Vash inadvertently becomes part of an unwanted love triangle.

To his credit, Vash tries to put her off, in a joking way (”I have a reputation for being easy but even I need a bit of advance warning”). Wolfwood makes the whole situation worse by teasing Vash about his “girlfriend” in front of a fuming Brad. It’s as if he were going out of his way to antagonize the people on the ship.

When Vash actually has a chance to look at Jessica’s face, he remembers her. Think about that. He may only have met her once, it’s been 20 years, and he still recognizes her and remembers her name. How many other people does he remember from the past ~130 years? This is how he uses his powerful plant brain--Knives would view it as a waste.

Jessica cooks a feast for Vash, which, tragically, he won’t get to enjoy. How did she cook all this food so fast? It’s enough to feed the whole ship.

***

Wolfwood is mistrusted for the wrong reasons

Wolfwood actually takes off his shades and armor of acting like a jerk while introducing himself to Jessica. This is unusually open and vulnerable of him. He actually is trying to behave. But Brad, worried about “a bunch of outsiders” bringing war to their flying paradise, hits him where it hurts.  

...Did I mention Wolfwood has beautiful eyes?

Anyway, everyone gathers around staring at Wolfwood from a distance, while he drops cigarettes on the ground. There’s an entire pile lying at his feet. The whole scene is the definition of passive aggressive. 

What seems to anger Wolfwood is not so much how they treat him personally, but their denial combined with moral superiority. Not to push a metaphor too far, but these folks are able to take the moral high horse because their literal high position keeps them safe. Yet, they use this immense privilege not to help the world below, or to prepare for the ship’s inevitable fall, but to hide in their castle in the sky. It clicks for me that Wolfwood probably feels about running away the way Vash does about suicide (think back to episode 11). 

The SEEDS dwellers do not seem to understand that Wolfwood is both trying to help them and a little resentful of what they have. To them, he is everything they’ve been taught to fear and hate, up here poisoning Paradise for them with his unpleasant ideas. Of course this sort of dynamic never happens in real life.

Also, keep in mind that none of them know anything about the people below directly, only from hearsay. They’re not wrong about Gunsmoke as a whole, but they treat Wolfwood like a monster rather than a person.  That also never happens in real life.

Then he gets to the scene of a crime too late--but just in time to look like the one responsible. Although the ship dwellers would love to see him dead, he leaps to defend them against his own colleague. Knowing, perhaps, that doing this would confirm he switched sides, and his own days might be numbered. He doesn’t even pause to think, he just goes, the same way he did when the child went missing in episode 9.

***

Vash Will Save The Day

“Like you care. Five years is probably like a blink of the eye to you anyway.” Vash denies it, but the second part is probably true. He looks so surprised to hear it’s been five years.

It can’t be easy for Vash to admit that he was responsible for the “Fifth Moon Incident,” and is probably more dangerous than Knives. Once again, his only argument is “please.” But there’s no buffoonery or melodrama here. He’s dead serious, and that’s more convincing. 

Wolfwood tries to stop Leonoff from saying his name. No one who would understand the significance or matters to him is present, just Brad and Jessica. Is he merely afraid others will hear? Does he still consider himself to be Chapel?

Even facing Leonoff, Wolfwood still hasn’t put his shades back on.

Now imagine if Vash managed to find ways out of no-win situations and save the day without all the whining and crying.

Wolfwood can pause and wait for once, having faith that Vash will show up. He knows there’s always a third option for Vash. He does not yet see any for himself. Still, progress nonetheless.

***

Unfortunately for me, Vash is back with his red coat in Vash the Stampede mode, yellow glasses hiding his face.

OK, I can see how Leonoff’s puppets get into the ship without being noticed, but how on Earth did the big guy even get here?

[felikatze]

nintento direct feels:

WORLD’S END CLUB FOR MARCHHHH. i’ve been hype ever since i recognized take’s art style

triangle strategy?? octopath successor??? it looks cool, and from the trailer, the characters’ stories actually intertwine! i’ll deffo be checking the demo

“splatoon fury road” - lozza, who was liveblogging w me

skyward sword remaster is giving me mixed feelings cuz one hand nostalgia for watching my neighbour play it on the other hand. i dunno. graphics don’t look that updated for an hd rerelease lmao

who cares about mh rise give me mh stories news. let me be friends w the monsters. make the armor dresses unisex you cowards.

pyra/mithra for smash is gonna make so many people mad oh my god. anime sword girls go!

KI fandom we got no news on our boy smh. do you hear us sakurai.

everything else: i do not care tbh

[americankimchi]

do i want an ice mage or do i want an archer.......

like politically it makes sense to strengthen ties with aesfrost wrt the upcoming nuptials + creating stronger ties with the in laws but also. FUCK them aesfrost siblings. absolutely RANCID vibes. but ignoring hyzante... it would seem like favoring one side too much but it makes SENSE to do so.

like in terms of gameplay...... ice mage is it but the STORY. THE PLOT!!!!!!!

[americankimchi]

footage of me debating with myself in multiple uninterrupted back to back 10+ minute voice notes to rowan as i play through triangle strategy like every single decision i make is of life or death importance

[americankimchi]

I'm so glad you're enjoying triangle strategy! <3 who's your favorite lil guy?

gameplay: anna. her ability to act twice in a single turn is busted as hell. if she dies before anyone else i know i am well and truly fucked

story: hmmmmm i think it's a tie between prince roland and serenoa?? probably because they're the people you follow for the majority of the story and thus spend the most time with. i'm only on chapter 8 and idk how many chapters there are so this is liable to change :3

[teefa85]

Anna gets my first Third Tier Promotion.  Why?  Because she’s consistently the best character in both story and gameplay...

[teefa85]

(back from the dentist so gaming)

Oh, goody!  I found the mandatory stealth mission.  (unenthusiastic “yeah”)

Now...will Hughette safely be able to get on a roof...?

EDIT:  Oh hell!  I’ll just kill everything instead.  I hate sneaking around like a rat.

[teefa85]

As if this path didn’t suck enough...now the Chapter 12 fight is in the rain!  Frederica and Roland do not like the rain considering some of their passives are better in the sun.

[teefa85]

Mwa ha ha!  I love In Tandem + Sunfall.  Just took out the reinforcements before they even moved since Frederica (and Erador) went before them!