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oumakokichi · 3 years

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Do you think that Kokichi had any remorse for Gonta during trial 4 or did he actually not care? I've seen a lot of people saying different opinions from both sides of the argument. But I'm really confused because there was a moment where after Gonta was executed, correct me if I'm wrong but Shuichi asked Kokichi if he could reveal the secret of the outside world (?) But Kokichi replied with something like “I don't want to....” and seemed generally upset? But then a few moments later he snapped out if it and began acting like he had no sympathy whatsoever. I just really wanna know how Kokichi actually, truly felt about Gonta and if he regretted manipulating him. Sorry if you've already been asked this and have already given an answer, thank you!

Hi anon—I actually wrote a pretty big master-post on chapter 4 not too long ago which I think more or less sums up my thoughts on Ouma’s behavior in the post-trial! You can find it here if you want (it’s pretty long and I tried to answer a whole bunch of questions about Ouma in chapter 4 specifically, since it’s the chapter I get asked about the most).

More specifically though, I’m afraid that there is no easy, definitive answer to that question. I can only share my personal opinions about how I believe Ouma felt in that scene. And personally? I do think he was genuinely upset and distraught about Gonta’s death, that he even momentarily considered giving up all his plans and being executed alongside him, and that he cared about Gonta and deeply regretted using him as a sacrificial pawn in his plans.

I’ll discuss what I mean in more detail, but it’ll probably get pretty long, so I’ll put the rest of this post under a cut as always!

The thing is, though, I’ve shared my personal thoughts about the chapter 4 post trial many times, including my reasoning and all of the textual evidence that shows how much Ouma cared about the rest of his classmates. But ultimately, there will probably always be some people who disagree, because their reading of the text will always be a little bit different. Unless we ever have an interview from Kodaka in the future where he directly says, “this is what Ouma was thinking and feeling at this exact moment,” there really won’t ever be a way to know what was going through his head with 100% certainty (and I do feel like leaving it open-ended is something of Kodaka’s intention, anyway, especially since Ouma is supposed to be a very polarizing character).

That being said, I do think it’s worth analyzing the text and drawing your own conclusions, because ndrv3 is a game that changes a lot depending on how you interpret it, and Ouma’s character is included in that. It’s really easy on a first playthrough to get wrapped up in what Ouma says or does without really looking at why he says it, or at his underlying motivations. Going back through the game on a replay though, I do personally think it’s possible to guess at what he might have been feeling during those super conflicting scenes in chapter 4.

In my opinion, I think Ouma did truly care about Gonta as a friend, and that his guilt and remorse over what he did was genuine. Not only did Ouma and DICE have a very strict taboo against killing (mentioned directly in his motive video in Japanese, though the part about it being an actual rule was stripped from the localization), but we don’t see Ouma’s façade crack like this very often. Most of the time when he does his trademark “crocodile tears,” it’s with his very loud, exaggerated crying sprite, and he bounces right back to acting normally within a moment or two.

There are a few exceptions to this, of course—he uses the “crocodile tears” sprite to cry at Kaede, Amami, and Toujou’s deaths, but it’s still very likely he was shaken up by seeing them dead). Nonetheless, we don’t see his much more subdued crying sprites more than a handful of times, particularly in the chapter 4 post-trial just before Gonta’s execution, as well as in Momota’s flashback in chapter 5 when he talks about how Ouma actually hated the killing game the whole time.

I’m aware that some people simply brush these moments aside and assume that Ouma is lying though all of them, but I personally just can’t agree with that interpretation. Assuming that Ouma is lying whenever he shows remorse or guilt or hatred for the killing game means assuming that he’s telling the truth in pretty much every other scene—which doesn’t make much sense, given that his entire character is centered around the concept of lying, as well as moral ambiguity and subverting expectations. Assuming that Ouma actually means what he’s saying 100% of the time unless it just happens to involve showing any kind of guilt or remorse turns him into a very boring, predictable, uninspired character (none of which are words I would use to describe him personally).

Ignoring those moments where Ouma shows genuine attachment to his classmates and distaste for the killing game also means ignoring several key pieces of evidence and clues about him that we are directly provided in the game, including his motive video and Momota’s flashback in chapter 5. Personally, I don’t feel like there’s any reason to include these scenes at all unless it’s to help shed light on Ouma’s motivations and provide players with a clear reason to try and go back through the game again to look at Ouma’s actions through a new perspective.

I also feel that Ouma genuinely cared about Gonta because to put it simply, there was no incentive for him to lie in that scene. He got absolutely nothing out of it—and considering he turns around and starts playing the villain on purpose all of 5 minutes after Gonta’s death, he definitely wasn’t trying to earn sympathy points or trick the rest of his classmates into trusting him. In fact, he could’ve easily tried to make himself look more sympathetic by putting all of the blame on Miu for trying to kill him, or even on Gonta. But instead he fully admits to coming up with the plan to kill Miu and spends the entire post-trial trying to convince everyone not to hate or blame Gonta.

If he was truly as sadistic and horrible as he pretended to be, I think he would’ve pulled a 180 and started throwing names and insults around while Gonta was still alive to hear it, not after he was already dead. If he didn’t care at all about Gonta’s feelings, he had no reason to try and take all the blame on himself while insisting that none of what happened was actually Gonta’s fault. If anything, revealing himself to be this horrible, evil villain who enjoys seeing other people suffer or die would’ve really been adding insult to injury, and probably would’ve crushed Gonta completely, even before his execution started.

But… Ouma doesn’t do any of this. Despite having every opportunity to either portray himself as more of a victim and fling all the blame on Miu and Gonta, or else to completely embrace being a villain who loved seeing people suffer, he doesn’t do either of these things. The way I personally see it, Ouma waits until Gonta is already dead, and when the rest of his classmates begin pushing him for answers about the outside world and demanding to know what Gonta saw, that’s when he finally snaps and resigns himself to acting like a villain in order to make everyone hated.

You could argue that trying to make everyone hate him had a twofold effect: it helped set the stage for him to pretend to be the ringleader in the next chapter, which he clearly wanted, but it also was a way of taking things out on himself and shows just a small glimpse of how much he hated having to dirty his hands in chapter 4. After all, Ouma even says it himself: that the “role of a villain is perfect for him,” because he’s already made everyone hate him. We see Ouma occasionally tease or antagonize the rest of his classmates plenty of times throughout the game, but it’s true that he doesn’t really step into that “villain” role until the end of chapter 4, once he’s crossed a line that he can never come back from by manipulating both Miu and Gonta to their deaths.

None of this is to say that what Ouma did to Gonta is okay, by any means. I think he definitely did care about Gonta and even thought of him as one of the few trustworthy people in the killing game, even someone close to a friend, but that doesn’t mean that manipulating him and using him like a chess piece was okay in the end. I just also think it’s important to realize that there were plenty of extenuating circumstances that led Ouma to act the way he did—including the fact tha he knew Miu was going to kill him, that he already suspected she had measures to prevent him from fighting back or killing her himself in the VR world, and the fact that he did not want to die or get everyone else killed in the trial.

It’s possible for people to care about others without necessarily treating them the best or doing the right thing. A huge part of Danganronpa, something that’s been evident from the very first game, is that sometimes characters can and do hurt each other, even when they care about each other or wouldn’t be a threat otherwise.

It’s the existence of the killing game itself that causes so many characters to go to extremes that they normally wouldn’t, whether it’s Maizono trying to frame Naegi in dr1 despite caring about him a lot, Kaede deciding to try and commit murder under everyone’s noses despite trying to unite the group and wanting everyone to trust her, or Ouma using Gonta as a pawn to kill Miu in his place because he didn’t want to die.

At the end of the day, people are still probably going to have very polarizing opinions about Ouma and the things he did in chapter 4, and that’s honestly okay. In my own opinion, Ouma definitely isn’t a completely flawless, innocent baby who “did nothing wrong”—he absolutely is manipulative, cold, and calculating when he wants to be, and it’s a fact that he got two people killed, even if he didn’t want things to reach that point. But I also personally don’t think it’s fair to write him off as the exact kind of “evil villain” he pretends to be; not only is it a shortsighted interpretation of his larger motivations, but it also completely ignores any replay value and completely shoots down the appeal of trying to interpret Ouma’s thoughts and actions because “he was lying about feeling bad anyway, what’s the point in analyzing him.”

Tl;dr: I do think Ouma cares about Gonta, that he probably even thought of him as the closest thing he had to a friend in the killing game, and that what he did to Gonta in the end wasn’t okay. I think he really did respect Gonta for being such a sweet and kind person, but that he also knew Gonta was extremely naïve and that he would be one of the easiest people in their group to manipulate, hence why he decided to rely on him instead of anyone else. Their friendship is an important part of both of their character arcs, but it’s definitely not what I would call “on equal footing.”

I understand why Ouma’s actions might make some people really resent him, but I also believe that kneejerk reaction of anger and dismissal is exactly the point: Ouma does feel terrible about the things he did, but he doesn’t want anyone’s sympathy or forgiveness, not even the player’s. This, in my opinion, is why he starts embracing the villain role so completely from this point on, and why he’s never quite able to make the same sort of cold, calculating sacrifices in chapter 5 that he did in chapter 4.

I hope this helps answer your question, anon, along with the other chapter 4 post I wrote! Thank you for all your support!

#danganronpa #ndrv3 #new danganronpa v3 #kokichi ouma #ouma kokichi #my meta #ask #anonymous #ndrv3 spoiles //#okay to reblog

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love-fireflysong · 4 years

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Until Dawn’s Fifth Birthday

Welp, congrats Until Dawn, you’re officially old enough to start kindergarten. You’re off to learn to read, tie your shoes, recite yous ABC’s, and learn to count to 100. Your such a big kid now, and I’m proud of you for making it this far.

I know I have done literal jack shit for the entire month, but I have been immensely enjoying the things that everyone’s been putting out for this month. So I’m gonna make this text post, not just because of it’s the five year anniversary, but because it’s actually a post I’ve been wanting to make for a while.

So here it goes:

I first learned of Until Dawn when it first came out hilariously enough. My roommate at the time had boughten it for her ps4 and I had been seeing it all over my dashboard on tumblr at the time. I didn’t play it myself though until close to a year later, when I finally had my own ps4 and I bought the game used for like $20 or something from my local game rental store. And I was hooked.

I remember jumping the first time the UD logo pulls that jump scare on the title screen. And laughing because I’m normally pretty good with jump scares, but that one managed to get me because I hadn’t been expecting one before I even started the game. (The one thing in the game that manages to make me jump every time is the mine cart you stop as Mike. For whatever reason it doesn’t matter how dark my room is when I play the game or how many times I’ve played it, I can never see the mine cart until its literally on top of Mike and the QTE is almost up and I squeak in surprise every fucking time.)

Of course I didn’t manage to save everyone during my first playthrough, I definitely lost Matt to the hook and Ash to the trapdoor (RIP darlings), and for the life of me I can’t recall how the lodge scene at the end went. I’m one of those players though that try to make choices that the characters I’m playing as would, I throw my feelings by the wayside. For example, being in the shed when the game’s making me choose Ash or Josh, and I was debating on whether or not Chris would save the girl he’s had a major crush on for a while at least, or his best friend for the last ten years. I distinctly remember wincing and sucking in air through my teeth and going “Sorry Ash, bros before hoes” and choosing Josh. And then being confused and convinced that I misunderstood the instructions? I mean I wasn’t complaining, just really, really confused. I definitely choose Ash to live at the gun one though, like there was no hesitation. I watched the whole ‘only thing I’ve ever wanted to do with my time’ scene and talk and the moment control was given back to me, the gun was under Chris’s jaw and I fired.

I’m also one of the players that didn’t know that Josh had been behind everything until the reveal either. I had gotten Sam captured so I never got any of those clues and I managed to miss the other clues that hinted at it being a set up (like the bundle of newspapers). So until the reveal I was still convinced that someone was out there killing all of them. Listen, I like mystery games but I’m not very good at connecting the dots okay.

I think I stuck around for a couple of months, gorging myself of fanfiction (all ff.net stuff by the way, I can’t remember if I knew about ao3 at that point or not) but like all interests do with me, the obsession eventually faded (helped in a large part by the rampant Ashley hate going around at the time) and I moved on.

Until February of this year. I was trying to kill time till the end of March when Persona 5: Royal released and I decided to try and see how many games I could platinum until that point. I had made it through the ps3 tomb raider games, Prince of Persia 2008, and decided on replaying the Uncharted games because the ps4 collection didn’t have multiplayer trophies. I hadn’t even thought of replaying Until Dawn. I mean, I had looked at the case and I remembered the game fondly, but that was it. There was no urge or want.

I was halfway through Among Thieves when I was bored and chilling time on Youtube. And because I had been watching a couple of videos for the treasure locations in Uncharted, one of the recommended videos for me was a game sins for the series. I decided sure why not, and watched it. And watched a few of his other ones as well, Until Dawn included.

That’s right, what got me back into the series wasn’t fond nostalgia for the characters or story. It was a fucking Game Sins video. I’m so sorry.

I was devouring UD content again. I spent like 2 or 3 weeks reading everything Chrashley (with the hyper-fixation for the game back came the ship, what can I say) based on ao3 that I could get my hands on. I was back into the tag on tumblr, going through art I remembered seeing way back when and looking at usernames that didn’t mean a thing then, but mean the world to me now. And then near the end of February, when the obsession was once again starting to flag, I decided to hell with it, and clicked on the The (Almost)s.

I’m not going to expunge all my praises for the story, everyone else has done that better then I ever could. But guys, it was so good. So so good. I was hooked back into the series once again, just as I was starting to flag. And when I saw that @queenofbaws had mentioned that she was tumblr... I didn’t do anything right away. Too scared really, figured she might find it creepy, so I didn’t do anything for like a week. And then I decided fuck it, sent a message about Chris giving Ash his sweater, and following her.

And that was it. I figured I would stick around to see the story completed and just dip. Not even make a splash, just enjoy the content from the sidelines and no one would know that I was here in the first place. Same old, same old. But that was also when I started turning around the kernel in my mind that Baby It’s Cold Outside (so hold me tight in your arms and don’t let go). I didn’t even intend to write it, it was just going to be the fanfic that lived in my mind for me to stew on before bed every night. But I couldn’t sleep one night, my brain was too on and the words just weren’t stopping, so I pulled out my computer and wrote the first part from Chris standing in the snow outside to him reaching the lodge at like 3 in the morning.

I started becoming more involved in the fandom when queenie started her wip wednesdays and asked to be tagged. Hilariously enough, those days are what started me cross-stitching again too, I hadn’t touched the pattern in months at that point. So I started posting snippets of my writing, and that one day a week was the only thing pushing me to continue writing. By that point, I had stopped hanging around the edges, now trying to push myself closer into this little fandom circle.

The day I posted the story, I was fucking terrified. It wasn’t my first story, not by a long shot, but I had always considered my writing to be shit. I thought I had good ideas, but I never felt that I was able to truly bring them to life. English and grammar had never been my best subject, I was always more of a math and physics person growing up. But then that first comment from @elliepollie came in and I almost burst into tears. I couldn’t believe that someone out there liked it so much, that they were willing to leave me a review in the first place. I’m still so blown away that she was willing to recommend it as a Chrashley story for other people to read. I think that was the point I stopped hesitantly pushing my way through, and I just kicked down the doors and just yelled ‘Hey fuckers! I’m here now and you are going to fucking deal with it!’.

That was the event that opened the floodgates for me. Suddenly I was talking to people, I had friends online with the same interests as me. I’ve written more in the last six months then I’ve done in the last ten years! I’m feeling inspired to create again. I actually went out to do the first commission I’ve ever requested (speaking of which, please please please go commisson @fudgeroach. I cannot wait until he can post and show you guys the stuff he drew for me. It was worth every fucking penny let me tell you.)

I’m going to be honest, Until Dawn isn’t my favourite game. Sure it has some of my fav lines (it had been years since I played the game, and the moment Jess started her rant outside the guest cabin I was screaming it along with her) and great characters, as horrible people as they all are, but it’s never been my favourite game and likely never will be. But Until Dawn has the best fandom I’ve ever been in and I’m so, so happy to have met and known every single person here. I seriously love every single person here so, so much. You all make my life better and I’m so happy to have all of you in it. Just to quote Chris because I can: “Every second I spend with you is all I ever wanted to do with my time.” This is how I feel. This is how I feel every goddamn day now.

So yeah, I got back into this fandom from a stupid Game Sins video. But by god if it wasn’t the best choice I’ve ever made.

(PS: for those wondering, I never did finish Uncharted 2. Maybe one day...)

#until dawn #udanniversary #<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

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twdgkidsdeservebetter · 4 years

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A different AU

In this AU, Duck lives, Sarah lives and Mariana and Gabriel live.

Let's imagine that Ben died with his classmates in the forest (along with his teacher and Travis).

That would mean the raid didn't happen and Duck never got bit

After completely running out of food and supplies, Lilly agrees to move on

(In this playthrough, Lee chooses Carly, leaving Doug to die)

(Sorry all you Doug fans, but I'm going with Carly cause I've seen most play throughs where the player saves Carly and personally I would save Carly myself)

After packing up everything, they all get in the van and leave the motel

Clementine and Duck talk about cartoons as the rest of them sits in silence

Tension continues to grow as Kenny continues to drive

Lilly and Carly argue (Lilly is growing paranoid that someone is stealing)

Kenny hits the walker and they all get out of the van to settle this argument

They all argue and Carly tears into Lilly

Carly is shot dead on the side of the road shocking everyone

Kenny tells Katjaa to keep Duck away from the windows but Clementine and Duck saw everything already

Lee leaves Lilly on the side of the road and they all get back in the van

Kenny calls Lee up to the front where he finds out Katjaa is bitten

(I don't really know what would happen if Katjaa lived instead of Duck)

(Alot of the Duck lives aus I've read kill of Katjaa, but they don't explain how she was killed off and when)

Lee sits with Clem on the couch and informs her of Katjaa's predicament.

Lee has the dream, fearing if Clementine was in the same situation as Katjaa

Lee wakes up and Kenny announces there's a derailed train in their way. They all get out to sit on some logs near the train. Kenny asks Lee if he can find some water for Katjaa as Duck sits with her quietly.

Lee takes care of the dead walker in one of the compartments and finds a bottle of water and a map. He also finds some tools. Lee presses a blinking light hesitanting.

He goes outside and gives Katjaa the water before figuring out how to start the train.

Lee soon meets Chuck who gives both Clem and Duck candy

Everyone gets on the train and begin to leave

Katjaa, whose becoming weaker and weaker every second, tells Lee to stop the train after a couple of hours on the train.

After convincing Kenny to stop the train, everyone gets off.

Kenny tries to tell Duck to stay, but being as stubborn, Duck becomes angry and tells his dad off

Hesitantly, they all walk into the woods. They reach a certain part and Kenny gently places Katjaa against a tree. Lee watches as they all say their final goodbyes. Kenny aims the gun towards Katjaa and Duck looks away, not bearing to see the sight of his mother being shot by his own father.

Kenny is too scared to pull the trigger and Lee offers to do it. Kenny and Duck cry together as Lee puts Katjaa to rest. They then begin going back to the train.

Chuck then gives Lee advice which Lee follows, giving Clem and a hair cut and teaching Clem to the shoot.

(In the game, Ben would come forward after Lee gives Clem a haircut)

The train comes to a stop shocking everyone. They all get out as Kenny screams at the hanging truck.

They meet Omid and Christa on top of the bridge

Duck stays with his dad as Clem and Lee go to the train station where they work to together to kill some walkers and find a blowtorch

Omid and Lee cut the tanker down, Chuck notices the massive herd coming towards them.

Omid not wanting to jump, Lee pushes him off and jumps off with him. Omid hurts his leg and helps Christa and Omid on the train

They escape the herd and Lee finds out someone has been talking to a man on her radio

The arrive at Savannah and the bell rings, Lee sees a figure on the church roof. The radio turns on and the man speaks to them. Christa gives Lee a nasty look after they find out the radio works.

A large herd appears forcing the group to move from the streets.

(Instead of Ben running away from Clem, Chuck is already there to save Clem from the walkers)

They reach a manor and Lee tries to find a way inside

Lee notices a dog flap which requires a chip, Lee digs up the dead dog for its collar which saddens Duck.

Clementine takes the dog collar from Lee before crawling inside, Lee praises Clem after.

Lee finds Kenny up in the attic seeing the boy like Duck, Kenny says he wouldn't know what to do if Duck turned into a walker

After burying the boy he sees someone watching.

Kenny and Lee go to the docks and meet Molly, where they discover Clem has followed them

Lee escapes through the sewers and discovers that Chuck killed himself and the walkers have devoured him

Lee finds a propped up sign to find an entrance to an underground bunker. Lee manages to calm down the group.

Vernon and Lee return to the manor with Vernon seeing Kenny drunk off his skunk and Christa tells him how Omid is getting worse by the minute

Lee then goes outside to find Clem then hears banging from the shed, Clem bursts out of the door knocking Lee over.

They see the boat and Kenny says they need gas and a battery

They all agree to leave Crawford and find the truth

Kenny goes to find gas as Vernon and Christa attempt to open the medical room as Brie stays with Clementine and Duck

Lee heads out to find the battery and meets up with Molly and they are able to get a batery

After watching the videos they confront Molly and she tells the truth

Since Ben is not alive, the hatchet stays in the door, but their are so many walkers they manage to break through anyway

Brie holds the door as Kenny tries to break through the armoury door (Ben isn't there which means they don't fight)

Brie is killed by the walkers forcing the group into the armoury

They run up the stairs to the bell tower and Lee kills the walkers slowly making his way up.

Lee climbs out of the window and they make their way back to the manor where Omid wakes up

After arguing with Vernon, Lee says goodbye to Molly and heads up to the study

After Clementine cries about not finding her parents, Lee leaves

The next day Lee can't find Clem and asks Duck who says she went outside earlier and continues to talk to Christa and Omid

Lee goes outside where he finds her hat and her walkie

When he grabbed her walkie, a walker reached out and bit him, Lee kills it and reaches for her hat, only to see the bite mark.

They all run out hearing Lee shout, he shows the bite mark and he decides it's more important to find Clementine, Lee thinks it's Vernon who took her

They all leave, Duck stays close to Kenny as he's told

They enter the sewer system

The stranger tells Lee that Clem is fine, saying that he isn't Vernon and to choose his words carefully, he tells Lee she's safer with him, they have a city of walkers between them, Lee figures out he has to be in the city

Duck talks to Omid as Lee searches the morgue to find a way out

He finds some tools in a closet before he passes out

Lee wakes up to find Kenny about to chop his arm off, Lee agrees, Lee faints again and wakes up with his stump bandaged

Walkers begin breaking in and Lee finishes opening the elevator shaft and the group hurries in

After climbing the ladder to the roof, they figure out a way to the mansion

Kenny tells Duck to not look at all the walkers through the streets

Duck glances at them quickly before looking up at his dad nodding

Lee uses the ladder to go to the bell tower and rings it, managing to jump from the tower to the roof

Duck tells him he's awesome as the rest congratulate him

They climb down teh fire and escape to the street to reach the manor

Duck sits silently as Omid opens the shed to find the boat missing and a note from Vernon

Kenny shouts in rage, leading walkers to froce them into the manor

The group run upstairs, Kenny shouting at Duck to go upstairs

They are then pushed up to the attic

As Lee figures out the wall is rotten as Kenny shows Duck how to shoot at random things in the attic

Omid breaks through the wall and find a couple who killed themselves

Duck stares sadly at them before Kenny makes him look away

They all get to the marsh house from the balcony, Christa is the last to jump but the balcony collapses. She manages to grab a pipe on her way down and holds on tightly

Kenny and Lee goes down to save her, Christa gets to the ground safely with the help of Kenny and Lee

Walkers corner them and Kenny closes the gate where Christa and Lee ran.

Kenny tells Lee to look after Duck before he shoots at the walkers

They climb back up and tell Omid and Duck their dead

Duck breaks down and Omid and Christa comfort him

After a few minutes, Duck becomes silent and seems calmer

He looked down at the herd before saying one last goodbye to his dad before they left

Lee tells Duck he's strong as they continue along the rooftops

Duck nods silently

Lee leaves the three and makes it to the Marsh house

Lee is then held at gunpoint by the stranger

They talk about all the choices Lee has made since the drugstore, not saving Doug, taking Clem to the farm, killing Larry, leaving Lilly on the side of the road and stealing from his family

Clem breaks out and Lee and the stranger fight, Clem kills the stranger and they escape cutting the walker open and covering Clem with blood and guts

Clem takes her hat back and sees her parents, Lee faints and drags Lee to a jewellery store for safety

Lee tells her he's not gonna make it and tells Clem a final lesson (If I played I would choose keep your hair short, because it's smart but it's also really sweet)

Clementine says one last goodbye to Lee and shoots him, not wanting him to become a walker

She leaves the store and walks through Savannah to the area near the train

She meets up with Omid, Christa and Duck who managed to make it out of Savannah and were looking for her

#Duck lives au #twdg duck #twdg #twdg lee #twdg season 1 #part 1

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lizzybeth1986 · 5 years

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Quick Thoughts on TRH Book 1 Chapter 14

• Funny how the TRH team so desperately needed to spend close to half the book on mindless nonsense with Drake's family...and just a single chapter on the MC's entire first trimester. Via a 6 minute long time jump. Truly funny.

• So now that we're back in Cordonia, the pregnancy is underway, and we're finally getting into the meat of past intrigue, most of the fandom has this for a reaction:

It's a legitimate reaction, the story is moving forward...but the denim-clad, whiskey-guzzling problem that is the root of this whole mess - and the reason why the Walker Ranch portion took so long the way no other place in the series ever has...that problem still exists. It exists in a large, insidious way, and even while we're rejoicing the return to intrigue we might not always notice how even that is rife with issues. But more on that later.

• If you want avoid seeing these posts on your dash, these are the tags to blacklist: #trh quick thoughts, #trh qts, #trh qt reblogs, and #long post.

• Screenshots:

Hana: @aestheticsayeed (photoshoot) and the Abhirio YouTube channel.

Maxwell: @itsbrindleybinch and the rash rec YouTube channel

Drake: @thefirstcourtesan

Liam: @callmetippytumbles (photoshoot), the SavageLordBarlow YouTube channel, and me.

• Title: The Announcement

Alternative Title: Let's Cram One of The Most Important Part Of The Book Into A 6 Minute Montage!

Alternative to Alternative Title: What We Really Wanted to Title This Book - The Royal Yeehaw.

• I'm hoping that with each chapter where you're shown a scan or something that's considered a milestone in pregnancy, I can come out with a corresponding tiny story of my own! Let's see if that works out.

• So...I had my first actual ultrasound at 7 weeks (first time we heard a heartbeat) but the real fun one was the 12 week scan! By then you can see hands and legs (the ultrasound pic the writers chose for this chapter was...eh), and the kids can definitely feel them (not see - yet)...and they're going to use those limbs like nobody's business starting from then 😂

My 12 week scan took around 45 minutes to happen coz Baby V was jumping and kicking all over the place (not that I could actually feel any of it yet lol), and the poor doc wasn't getting clear enough images of her as a result 😅 When we finally saw her she was in all her energy-fueled glory, kicking up a storm (she's a cat-loving kindergartner now and she still kicks exactly like that 😅😅)

My mum had come down to visit and for some good ol' TLC, so she accompanied me inside the room. To date she insists she saw V wave at her 😁

• Back to the story - Madeleine has booked a press conference without our approval (still sucks at her job, I see) and we're left hoping to make lemonade out of those lemons she's thrown our way.

• We can choose to either be excited about announcing it, or worrying about putting the news out too early in case something happens in the first trimester. With the last option, the answers vary depending on who you married and therefore what your title is. If you are Queen, Liam reminds you that a public and accelerated timetable is a part of the price of royal life (still not a good enough excuse for Madeleine to fix this press-con without our approval). If you are Duchess, either Maxwell (or Hana in Maxwell's playthrough) tell us it's too early to start worrying. Bottomline is the MC is persuaded to view this as a good opportunity to celebrate.

• We are give three options for venue, suggested by Liam, Drake and Hana respectively - Hana suggests the royal ballroom since it's where the most important announcements are done, Drake suggests the less-stuffy palace grounds and Liam (of course, since that garden was his mother's pet project!) suggests the gardens. You then get to choose how you want to make an entrance:

(The screenshots are from the following:

1st row - @itsbrindleybinch Maxwell playthrough

2nd row - Mine

3rd row - The SavageLordBarlow YouTube channel, Liam playthrough. Their Liam is called "Dennis")

• Madeleine balks at the idea of a royal event turning into a rock concert, as if one of the most iconic images of Buckingham Palace in the 21st century wasn't Brian May of Queen rocking it out on his homemade guitar on the rooftop.

• Arrangements done, now it's time for THE DRESS. We have a wine-red chiffon ensemble with pearls on the neckline and a jeweled belt. It's called "Apple of My Eye", because presumably no one does apple analogies to symbolize fertility quite like Cordonia does.

• In addition to being Duchess, if you are Queen, you have the additional option of choosing a tiara. We were last able to do this during the ball in the TRR Book 3 finale, before we were honoured with the Champion of the Realm title. This is something you can only access if you are Queen.

• We reach the venue we have chosen, with the entrance we have chosen, and we can either choose to announce formally, or yell it from the top of our lungs. Nobody cares coz they're too happy there's an apple pie baking in that oven 😅

• Among the press we see the usual people: Ana, Donnie, Samir aaaaaand Brad from PM/Smoothie Star Thad from Platinum. He expects pregnant women to have baby bumps from the moment of conception.

• What's he going to be called this time? Chad? 😂

• For a dude who is mostly a spy-journo, he's doing a terribly poor job of hiding it. He doesn't do his research on pregnancy timelines, immediately jumps up to ask a question when the topic turns to that of the alliances with Auvernal and Monterisso, and gets caught pretty easily. He's probably also the dude who was upto something on our honeymoon, taking pictures of us and gathering information on our whereabouts. Whichever country got him on board for this, really needs to rethink their hiring process.

• Donnie has the one brain cell existing among the press and uses it to ask us why we're announcing so early. You can either choose to claim that you wanted the Cordonian people to know asap, or be honest if you didn't want this to happen (to which Madeleine gives you an "apologetic shrug"). The third option has the MC claiming she wants to shed a light on, and be honest about, the entire experience of pregnancy, even if it does result in a miscarriage - which Samir notes as being a noble endeavor.

• With regards to the alliances, we don't give a clear answer yet, but we do hint at what we're looking for when we finally take that call (strength, understanding, advantage for Cordonia). The LI also gets to briefly highlight their sentiments at this point, and show different reactions - Liam has tears in his eyes, Drake can't stop grinning, Hana squeezes her wife's hand and Maxwell screams WE'RE HAVING A BABYYY.

• Additionally, if you're married to an LI other than Liam, the press asks him what will happen if he decides to have children somewhere down the line. He maintains that the MC's child will have the first right to the throne, even over his future children - effectively writing his own bloodline out of that throne if he isn't married yet. Which...well, we knew this was coming. We knew they weren't going to change this. It's disappointing, but not surprising, that they chose this route.

• Once the press meet is over, we get felicitations from different guests, mostly from the Council:

- Duke Landon of Portavira: Compliments the couple by calling them 'glowing' and wishes them well. Penelope plans to design something for the child, and Kiara promises to talk her out of placing too many dog motifs.

- Duke Godfrey of Karlington/Krona: Gives the couple a formal paying-of-respects, and hopes for more dignified attire for the heir (shut up Godfrey Not Gao, I had to waltz in a MINI-DRESS at your goddamn home 🤬).

- Queen Mother Regina: This varies between the Liam playthrough and other playthroughs, obviously, because in the Liam one she is his stepmother and obviously there is that closeness. In all the others, she is warm and friendly, congratulates the happy couple, insists they call her Regina rather than "Your Majesty" (there is a brief moment where married!Maxwell is confused about whether to call her "Your Majesty" or "Your Grace") and assures them that she will always be ready to provide for the "kingdom's heir". Liam's interactions require a more personal touch, so he hugs Regina before the MC can opt to, and she calls their child her grandchild as well. Liam and Regina moments are rare to come by, so I'm happy whenever I get to see them. I also haven't seen her since the book has begun, so I'm chuffed that she's there (pls don't make her knowingly part of the plot pls pls).

- Lord Barthelemy of Ramsford: Has to make everything about him wherever he goes! His felicitations to us lasts all of ten seconds while his attention towards Donnie and Samir takes up all of his time. He manages to score an interview with both of them. The most interesting part isn't that, though. It's the comment he makes about Regina as she leaves: "she always was a generous one..." - now what's THAT supposed to mean?

• Hakim is neither on the Council, nor is he shown here. I'd like to believe Kiara's family have distanced themselves from the group because the MC doesn't deserve the honour of their presence, but we know it's more likely coz the writers would much rather write Kiara and her family out of the story. Which is a pity because they're the most amazing family Cordonia has.

• Madeleine now comes forward, suggesting to us to follow the tradition of getting a royal announcement of their pregnancy done. This is done in a fashion similar to our Engagement Photoshoot, but with our own choice of clothes and less variations overall.

- Our attire is pretty much anything we'd like to pick out from the closet, as long as it's been already paid for. The LIs on the other hand have three different options for their outfits:

Liam gets his outfit from the TRR3 finale, his Costume Gala outfit and his official outfit. Oddly his outfits have titles like the MC's does.

Hana gets her Costume Gala flower dress, her plain black dress and her usual pink one.

Maxwell gets his Costume Gala squid outfit, his black suit and his usual Gucci shirt.

Drake gets his Costume Gala blue brocade, his official grey suit and his usual denim.

- What I can't understand is why her muted black dress is always touted as the formal garb for Hana, when they could easily allow her to wear that gorgeous black traditional outfit of hers. That could have been an option for this shoot. But no, they decided to arbitrarily code that one and block access to it if you didn't pay, even though Lorelai had apologized to Hana and therefore her outfit should have been coming back to her!

- I've said it before and I'll say it again: the decision to pay wall that entire outfit, considering it was taken away from her in an act of abuse and intimidation - and it should have been by all accounts returned to her when Lorelai apologized whether we paid for that scene or not - is sickening. Shame on you PB.

- Once we are ready with our outfits, we meet Ana in the throne room, and she's busy preparing an announcement sign to place in front of the couple. We take a couple minutes to admire the sign, then proceed to posing for Ana. If you took the engagement photoshoot in Book 2 or 3, it's referenced at the beginning. Each couple's scene here is unique:

(Screenshots: Hana's from the Abhirio YouTube channel, Maxwell's from the rash rec YouTube channel, Drake's from @thefirstcourtesan and Liam's from mine).

Liam

Ana begins by suggesting the couple take their places in their thrones, looking at each other. Though the photo is great - glamourous and dignified - Liam and the MC aren't quite feeling the shot. The MC isn't fond of the idea of sitting so far away from Liam, and Liam agrees, telling Ana that he finds the pose too stiff - and that above being King and Queen of the country they are also a couple deeply in love, and their child is not simply an heir but a sign of their love for each other. So the ensuing picture is warm and filled with joy.

Once Ana leaves, Liam tells the MC about how his own parents did exactly such a photoshoot when they were expecting him, and how much more he understands them - now that he is going to be a father.

Hana

There is a warmth and a sweetness to the first shot itself - a simple one that has them simply looking into each other's eyes - that Ana tells them she knows their child will be brought up in a loving home.

For the second shot, Hana asks the MC whether she'd rather have a shot alone, and offers to move out. Possibly because the MC - married to Hana or not - constantly makes everything revolve around her and constantly pushes Hana and her issues to the background like they're not important. I'm sure Hana got that impression from you somewhere, MC.

The MC, however, is surprised by this and insists she be part of the picture. She can choose to either say that this baby belongs to both of them or that without her it wouldn't be a good picture. The MC who is married to her insists she understand her value in their relationship (yeah it took you three and a half books to realize that LMAO), and that Hana belongs with her. She should never think of herself as belonging to the sidelines again, ever (maybe you should work harder on convincing her, MC, because everything you've done until now was mostly all about you and very little about Hana).

The dialogue after Ana leaves is sweet and romantic, with the MC telling Hana her hair smells of roses and Hana and the MC clinking imaginary champagne glasses, before Hana stops her in mock-surprise and promises a real (non-alcoholic) drink back in Valtoria.

Maxwell

Ana finishes the sign and gets ready for the shoot. Maxwell holds a formal pose on his knees that places more attention on the MC, adopting a severe, sombre expression. This surprises Ana, but the MC clearly knows what's up and wants him to relax. To help him, the MC distracts him (pretend you're Bertrand/imagine me naked) and that mental exercise energizes him enough so he can do this shoot in a more relaxed manner.

Once Ana packs up, Maxwell and the MC stay behind to talk, chatting about the excitement level in the kingdom and (optionally) how that excitement can't match their own (Maxwell speaks of constantly having adrenaline at this point). They jokingly speculate on the unsolicited advice they will get, and Maxwell cracks a joke about how as Bertrand's brother he was brought up on a diet of unsolicited advice. Relaxed and happy, the couple return home.

Drake

The couple see the sign Ana made, and like it because it's dignified but not too much. To which Ana responds that she didn't want to presume too much about their tastes. The shoot begins with the MC trying to think of all the pregnancy announcements she has ever seen (including one where a man yells into a breast pump like it's a telephone) and worries and becomes nervous over how to do this - and Drake calms her down by telling her a simple pose would do the trick, and most of all, to "focus on us". This calms the MC down, and she nails the simple pose alongside Drake.

The ensuing conversation between the two expands on what Drake said, where they refer to themselves as a good balance between dignified and "regular". There's a clear indication of how far they have come from that first photoshoot in this scene.

Aaaaaand...CLICK!

(Screenshots: @callmetippytumbles for Liam, @aestheticsayeed for Hana, the rash rec YouTube channel for Maxwell and @thefirstcourtesan for Drake)

• This scene is good in two routes, and not so great in two.

• The MC and her spouse go back to Valtoria, where the MC takes rest and the LI takes care of her. She can give in to her cravings (huge turkey leg, cheetah cakes, omelettes or fancy unpronounceable food), but a few weeks later she experiences a lot of nausea, to the point where she might (optionally) tell the LI that it's the worst thing they've ever done (completely normal, I assure you. A pregnant woman's hormones are unpredictable af). Both corgis (if you've bought them) help her and do their fair share of doting on her, and the LI in their own way tries to help.

• Based on who you haven't married, you get various scenes of your friends helping out:

- Liam: offers all kinds of help but the suggestion that stands out is a chicken soup recipe that belonged to his mother.

- Hana: makes a playlist of all kinds of music tracks to get mother and baby through the first trimester, including the TRH Lullaby tune which is now canonically Hana's composition. She's chosen artists from all over the world, and recorded a few of her own tracks in cases where she isn't satisfied. She also has a second trimester playlist coming up!

- Maxwell: aka the man who wrote a story about the MC but put HIS face in the cover, offers to let the MC vicariously live through him by giving her a voucher (the Maxwell Vicarious Vivacity Simulator 3000) that ensures that whenever she craves to do or have something not allowed for her, Maxwell does it on her behalf. The LI jokes about how that's a lot of power to give a person.

- Drake: Asks after the MC's welfare, and is given a choice of two things to do - either he can bring her ice-cream, or tell her the story of how the boys created their barbershop quartet so many years ago. He's perhaps the only LI who is given options for pampering the MC as a friend.

- Madeleine: The only person outside of our LIs (and later Olivia) who has an extra scene prior to the MC's ultrasound scan, is Madeleine. She gives the MC a Cordonian Ruby, explaining that it helps with nausea and that Liam's mother would swear by it. She looks concerned...and her words to the MC about making sure she takes care of herself, almost sound a bit of a warning.

Given what we find out later on in the chapter, both this sequence and the sequence where Bartie Sr comments on Regina have been placed there for a reason. Madeleine definitely knows something and there's a possibility she will have a flashback scene of her own.

If you bought the red pandas in Book 3, they will be clamouring around Madeleine for the apples as well.

• I have to laugh at how completely written out of the larger story Kiara and her family are. Even Penelope who is a non-entity and who only had something of value to give to the story when she was being a lying backstabbing snake, somehow manages to have a father in the Council and a promise of a future storyline. After all that the TRR team put Kiara through, I wouldn't even say Kiara deserves a better story. No, what I'd say is she (and Hana, definitely Hana) deserve better writers.

• I mean, you can call it a coincidence anymore, the fact that the women that the story gives the most material and most attention to, are the white women.

• This thread of sequences comes full-circle with a scene where the MC and LI sit by the lake, and where they're both shown finally coming to terms with the MC's nausea and using the tart apples as a way to make things better for the MC. There's a sweet scene in there where the LI kisses both mother and baby.

• We're finally ready to meet Dr Ramirez, and to get an ultrasound done. Olivia and her new...chauffeur, Roy, will be serving as security detail for this occasion. Wonder when we'll find out what Roy is helping her with.

• She gives you a dagger...which we might maybe end up threatening to use the next chapter? I'm guessing Olivia already has an inkling of something going down at the doctor's, since she indicates that we will know when we'll need to use it.

• Depending on whether or not you revealed the pregnancy to her last chapter, her dialogue changes. She makes a mention of it if you have. She's genuinely happy about the pregnancy, and wanted to wish the MC in person.

• Both Liam and Olivia wait outside while the MC and LI have their time with Dr Ramirez, if you're married to one of the other LIs.

• Dr Ramirez mentions that "the first few months have been treating you well"...which indicates that the MC is at least 12 weeks along (10 according to the calculations of certain countries, that count from conception onwards. Dr Ramirez also confirms this during the scan), since that's when you do the nuchal translucency scan. It usually takes place at the end of your first trimester. Which means we've effectively covered the MC's entire first three months in the span of 1/4th of a chapter, actually (considering the entire montage is approx just over 6 minutes).

• Dr Ramirez then lets slip a little factoid about Liam's mother, which baffles the couple because Liam himself never had any knowledge of this. She speaks of Eleanor's fondness for apple tea during her pregnancy and how much trouble she had with her nausea.

• Cordonian Rubies and apple tea have both been mentioned on the TRH loading page.

• If Liam isn't your LI, you call him and Olivia back to the room and ask him about this new development, and he confirms that Dr Ramirez was never mentioned in the official records, as well as the fact that she had a relatively easy pregnancy with Liam (if your LI is Liam, though, Olivia returns to the room on her own, stating that the doctor mentioned something about tea to one of the interns). But the conversation takes Olivia back to a very vague memory, and of course she needs us to go back and make sense of it. Which leads us to our first Olivia flashback!

- I have a feeling Olivia's childhood gown might be the groundwork for maybe a Theodosia outfit in TRM? Just a small guess. IDK.

- Olivia gives us a timeline for this particular incident - it was a few months after they left the Walker Ranch. As we recall, Eleanor was showing some early signs of not feeling too well, and had arguments with Constantine at the time. So if Eleanor was already pregnant by that time, she was clearly close to finishing/past her first trimester by this point.

- The setting of the scene is a mock-battle between Olivia (who plays a knight) and Drake (who plays a dragon, and they use TCaTF Dom's dragon sprite to establish how Olivia imagines him in this game). Some Dom-Drake parallels going on there.

- No matter what you choose, Olivia wins. She can either destroy the ice blast or deflect it with a fan, defeat + kill the dragon or feed him meat so he will forever be beholden to her. Either way, the options work out for her.

- At this point, possibly because nothing has really happened to Drake yet, Olivia and Drake share a pretty decent rapport. They're not thick as thieves or anything (and Olivia confirms that they were "barely" friends and turned to each other as playmates only when Liam wasn't around, if you choose to ask), but they tolerated each other enough to have fun playing while Liam is away.

- During this time, conveniently, Liam is having "lessons". Nice job writing Liam out of his own story yet again, PB (I'll explain this later). The scene is clearly centered on Olivia, with some focus on Drake via the mystery of Jackson's talk with Eleanor.

- Liam is with his mother, worried about how sick she is and wanting her company since he gets so little of it these days. And it is likely not too long before he loses her forever. My heart breaks in advance for the little guy.

Loads to unpack here!

* The first time I read this scene, it gave me serious Adriana-Leon vibes. It still does. Adriana has that scene where she wants to be open about her affair with Leon, and Leon declines. There's a familiarity between the two - notice how they address each other on a first name basis even though she is a queen and this was likely a time when titles and station were even more important. There is a familiarity in the way he insists on her time while Constantine is away, and despite the fact that Liam hasn't been able to spend much time with her.

* True, that familiarity is something that could also exist between close friends, the "sneaking around" could be Jackson trying to keep his BFF's secret from the king of the country. But you can't deny the Adriana-Leon parallels there.

* There is a possibility that someone else could be the father. One possibility that comes to mind for me is Bastien, mostly because his fondness for Eleanor and disdain for Regina don't exactly add up if he wasn't King Guard until Jackson died, and clearly didn't seem to have much of a relationship with the royal family otherwise that we know of. But it could work with his storyline: he gets Eleanor pregnant, she dies shortly after, Jackson takes the fall for keeping her secret and his family doesn't get the compensation they deserve, Bastien helps the children and maintains a close relationship with Drake partly because he feels responsible for Jackson's death, and he atones by following every order of Constantine's, including one that harms the foreign commoner woman that Liam was about to choose.

* Buuuut. The fact that Bastien has pretty much disappeared and is hardly even mentioned, makes this even less of a possibility, because buildup is important.

* In Jackson's case I guess the thing that doesn't entirely add up is how close Jackson and Bianca are spoken of as being. We never actually see them as a couple, but Drake gives us plenty of stories about them and their love for each other - to the point where Drake tells his dad he wants to find a girl to love as much as his father loves his mother...and Jackson unironically agrees. It's a small detail, but I think it's something that may indicate Jackson is a red herring as well.

* In conclusion, I don't know 😂

* "It's likely just hyperemesis gravidarum" 🤦🏽‍♀🤦🏽‍♀. Just? Juuuuust? That's...a serious condition. It's not just extreme vomitting or morning sickness (though that is awful too) - oftentimes it means you can't even hold fluid down, it means dehydration, it means a loss of electrolytes and even nutrient deficiency...to the point where you might even need to be hospitalized (Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, had this condition with all three of her pregnancies and was hospitalized in 2012 when she was pregnant with Prince George). I'm guessing Jackson doesn't know what the fuck those words even mean if that's his reaction!

* What should Eleanor and Jackson be prepared for?

* What are these two fearing besides Constantine discovering about this child?

* Do they know Godfrey and Bartie Sr have something or the other planned? I mean if Madeleine knew about the pregnancy there is clearly a chance she heard it from one of them. Were those two guys their main concern, and why they went alone to talk? Eleanor doesn't seem to have much trust in the Great Houses the way Constantine does, and seeing Bertrand's flashback scenes she'd be right to worry.

* How long after this did Eleanor die? Because yes there is a possibility that her second child may exist, but that depends on when the plot to poison her succeeded. And if she was far along enough to carry the child to term, or even give birth prematurely, how is it that not even the children in the palace had a clue? (the adults I can see as covering this up but it's possible to have SOME hint from the kids!). So I'm having a tough time with the idea that she managed to give birth before dying, or even that she managed to survive - unless someone was out there acting like Monte Cristo and giving her something that appeared to have the same symptoms as poison but was actually some lifesaving elixir idek. This team is capable of anything. They've retconned a zillion things so far so I wouldn't put it past them to completely retcon this as well.

- The kids have a chance of being caught by Jackson, if Olivia doesn't manage to find a good hiding place and hides behind Drake instead. But if you do succeed in hiding, we get to see Eleanor promise to spend more time with him, which Liam accepts with the grace he is usually known for.

@thefirstcourtesan has spoken before about the Nevrakis family's views on openly showing your pain in public, citing Diavolos' dialogues, but it also reminds me of that scene where we can defend Olivia against Lucretia, stating to her that having allies and friends to fall back on is not weakness, but common sense. The fact that little Olivia views crying as the worst thing that she could be doing, and the shock the adult Olivia shows at the MC's matter-of-fact statement on the value of support - as if such a thing had never even occurred to her - says plenty about the impact of those initial five years being the Nevrakis heir.

* What amazes me just as much, is how quickly Liam understands what is going on in Olivia's head, and how quickly he makes the situation safe for her before Drake can say anything. He's young, but perceptive enough to know not only that Olivia doesn't want to be seen crying, but also what she'd be most comfortable using as a cover for her tears. Those wounds are still fresh for Olivia at this point, making it even harder for her to stand back and rationalize - which is why it's a relief when Liam offers her an out.

* I honestly fail to understand people who claim he never cared for Olivia. It was clear from the get-go how much he valued her, he's vouched for her when very few would, he's shown concern for her multiple times - and I find it so weird that he's perceived as not concerned for her only because he doesn't return her feelings, whereas Drake can suspect a traumatized woman and never feel any remorse after she tells them the truth, and somehow that's okay (oh...I forgot. This is the Almighty St Drake we're talking about. Of course he can get away with anything).

• Is it just me or are the only scenes where the children are given extra focus and care...are the ones belonging to Drake and Olivia? The first scene, though advertised as Liam's, was really more of a group childhood scene - it was less about Liam himself and more about introducing the childhood gang. Maxwell's scene basically wrote him out so Bertrand could take centerstage! In contrast, Olivia's gives us important facts about Liam's family but focuses heavily on her grief and loss after her parents' death, and Drake's is not only intensely personal to him but also is the only childhood scene so far with variations if he is married to the MC. I shudder to think of what they will give to Hana in the name of a childhood scene, if she ever manages to get one that is.

• I honestly hope Jackson isn't the father of this child - even though there are enough hints to suggest it as a possibility (or to establish that he is a red herring). If that does transpire...then the story that should be about Liam, his mother, his family, will revolve even more around Drake. It will be about his angst. His feelings of betrayal and sadness at what his father did. His heartbreak at his hero having feet of clay.

How do I know this? Well, look at the sheer volume of things Drake has told us about Jackson over the course of these four books. Especially in playthroughs where he is getting married, you get stories upon stories upon stories about the man, one after the other. I had to wait till TRH to get even half that much information about Liam's own mother!!!

Enough. I've already seen this man eat up space that should have gone to Liam for his story, and make it all about himself (the assassination attempt, for example). At least let this one thing be just Liam's to grieve, not Drake's to take over and to make it all about him and his feelings. I've already seen him do this for every LI - the truth of Hana's return had to come from him, we spent most of Shanghai cajoling him into fixing his relationship with Maxwell instead of learning more about Hana, the entire Beaumont story was swallowed whole just to accommodate more story for his sister.

Of course, if Bastien is a possibility, the same problem would still arise because the writers were somehow desparate to make him close to Drake, than to Liam who would have been one of his wards to do security for.

• Olivia, Liam, the MC (+ LI in other playthroughs) discuss what the discussion between Eleanor and Jackson could mean. If the MC doesn't figure out that Eleanor was pregnant, Liam does - having read up on Hyperemesis Gravidarum (at least in my playthrough).

• Olivia's choice of words about Constantine is interesting - "Constantine never caught whoever killed Queen Eleanor"...which, well, most of us have an idea that Constantine might have done some covering up with regards to Eleanor's pregnancy and death - but does Olivia suspect this too? The wording makes me feel like she has some idea.

• Anyway, it's time for our scan! Dr Ramirez speaks of this as the 10 week mark (over here in India it's referred to as the 12 week mark - so we wouldn't say 1 week when we find out, we'd say 4). I was initially surprised the MC didn't opt for the 7-8 week scan, but I've been told in some places it's common to start with the nuchal translucency scan (which is this one).

• It's a lovely scene overall in terms of how the LIs react to the experience - each option (both to the initial image of the child on the screen, and to the photograph later) comes with varied dialogue depending on the LI. They're all happy, emotional, and in some cases (like Maxwell's) it's sinking in that there's an actual baby coming out from all of this.

• Around this time, the foetus also has hands and legs and you can see them kicking around like nobody's business coz "o wow, what's this" is probably what they're experiencing at this point 😅

• The dude from the press conference tries really hard to pretend he is an intern and not a dude we met in a press conference - but his acting skills are about as good as his knowledge of pregnancy in general.

• I have a feeling that if we don't catch him next chapter, Liam and Olivia will, and we may get some answers at least on the score of all the paparazzi related suspicious stuff that's been happening - therefore leading us to a hint about one of the places we are "allying" with?

• I also have a feeling that both places - Auvernal and Monterisso - will be established as suspicious eventually, for varying reasons. Right now we're getting signs via Olivia that the Auvernese are planning something big, but I doubt Monterisso is going to be left behind in all this. Perhaps the journalist might offer some hints/leave behind some clues as to where he was from...and it might warrant a visit to that place just to investigate? I'd see Monterisso as more likely, if that is the case. Because I do believe the team will have us visit this place just once at least. I may be wrong, but let's see.

• General Thoughts:

- Sigh. We knew this would happen, wouldn't we. The team would spend nine whole chapters on largely irrelevant shit that could have been cut out and pared down to maybe 4 chapters max (but 2 chapters would have been perfect. After all, Hana's Shanghai segment was only two chapters, and we spent one of them trying to make Drake behave less like an angry toddler. It's only fair that Drake gets as little space, yknow), but now we're at the point where we're rushing through the first trimester alone.

- The announcement shoot scene was nice...but again extremely uneven across playthroughs. Both Liam and Drake's scenes were written largely as callbacks to their engagement shoots. In Liam's engagement shoot there was a pressure to represent both decorum and warmth - but in this shoot they explain to Ana that they clearly lean more to the side of warmth, and want to show that side of themselves. In Drake's engagement shoot, Drake is the one who is nervous and trying to fit in, with the MC helping him loosen up and be his natural self, while in the baby shoot he fulfils that role for her by stating to her that they could be having fancy trimmings but simple in their way of delivering the news. Do Maxwell and Hana get this kind of effort in their scenes? No. Not at all.

- Maxwell's engagement photoshoot scene was about the couple getting used to their relationship, and remembering what made their love blossom (pun fully intended). By the logic of the other two scenes, this one should have explored in some way how they've grown as a couple, but it doesn't. They didn't even bother to put half the effort into this scene that they did in the other two.

- Hana's engagement shoot initially explored her fears of turning into her parents, that she is not taking the MC's opinion into account. The MC gets to reassure her then. Unfortunately, they dropped that arc completely after that scene. So I can get an idea of why this particular scene is different, but I hate that they chose to drop such a compelling story for Hana and I would have honestly loved to see a parallel to that.

- The fact that the MC could tell Hana that she should never be in the sidelines is kinda sweet, granted, but actions speak louder than words, and most of the MC's actions re: Hana so far have been the exact opposite of what she's saying there.

- The team should have at least nailed this one scene for everyone, if not anything else - since this had the biggest variations. Yet they couldn't be bothered to do a good job of all of them?? Only two???

- Come to think of it, if the plot actually culminates in the presence of this extra child, there is one scene in Book 3 that could hint at it. The film that Liam takes the MC to watch at Castelserraillian, revolves around a couple named Lionel and Ramona (geddit?? Liam and Riley!) and their romance amidst a plot from a half-brother to usurp the throne (the name given in the movie is Percival, which coincidentally is Maxwell's middle name).

- The intrigue is nice, it does its job of raising more questions while offering a few answers, but I find it ironic that even in a plot that's about Liam's family, Liam himself seems unimportant and his feelings unexplored. You'd think that with an experience like that, where we've just heard about his mother not being able to spend a lot of time with him (perhaps months before her death)...you'd think that would elicit more of a reaction than "okay cool let's investigate". I know for a fact that if it were Drake there would be a whole extra set dialogues unlocked in the romantic route. I know that, because that's exactly what happened at Walker Ranch. Again, no other character who had a childhood flashback scene so far, got any opportunities to weigh in on how they felt after the narration was done.

- Other people's feelings and experiences taking precedence over Liam's own, in scenes/events that should be about him, is nothing new. In Book 2, we get to know about an assassination attempt on Liam...but that story revolves around Drake's pain and Drake's sacrifice. We never get to know how Liam felt about this, ever. In Book 3, when we should have been learning more about his mother, she's mentioned only a handful times instead. Again in Book 3, Liam sees his own father die, but his feelings are largely brushed aside to make space for more Drake hypocrisy (like his behaviour towards Kiara in Lythikos) and Drake observations (like the chat about Liam's hurt feelings in his playthrough, which only Drake is allowed to talk about).

- And this is the root of the current problem really. That they need to involve and include Drake and his family in everything that they can possibly involve him in (I mean, the only childhood scene he is out of, is the Beaumont Brothers one, and even then the brother that gets all the focus is the one that is marrying Drake's sister). That they probably might write the story in such a way that it's skewed in Drake's favour, will explore Drake's issues the most, before they even bother to explore anyone else's. Even now that we're out of the Walker Ranch storyline, the writing still shows a possibility that Drake's feelings (whether Jackson is the father of Eleanor's second child or not) may be explored more - just by virtue of there being way more material about Jackson than there ever was on Eleanor. Both Liam and Drake look up to Eleanor and Jackson respectively, but just by what I've read so far I already have an idea whose truth may hit harder.

- I still can't get over the fact that the writers have coded Hana's traditional black outfit in the way that they have...so that now, even if you did buy it, it's nowhere to be seen. The plain black dress is pretty but I can't stand to even look at it now.

- Perhaps the reason why Lorelai is being depicted negatively in this series, is not really her treatment of Hana (that should have been reason enough IMO) - since this very team has proved already that they don't exactly care that Hana was abused in that home and had her forgive the likes of Lorelai and Xinghai instead. There's a possibility that they're pushing for a more negative portrayal because she has some involvement or other in all this, and that is how they may create a Hana flashback scene as well. Though I'm not convinced they will place even half the effort on such a scene as they have on Olivia's scene this week.

- If that is the way the story is going, perhaps the larger theme of family then will involve the LIs seeing the family members they so respected, with actual feet of clay that will be hard for them to handle emotionally. Besides intrigue, it will also be a lesson to those very LIs to not repeat the mistakes their families made.

- I find the scene post press conference interesting, since there are tiny hints there that I feel we shouldn't be ignoring. The convenient placement of Godfrey, Regina and Bartie Sr, Bartie Sr's side-comment on Regina who is after all from the Krona duchy and who is related to Godfrey by marriage, Madeleine's offering of apples and her cryptic message to the MC to take care of herself...all of that adds up to something.

- Too bad only white people are allowed to take centerstage in this story.

• Anyway, that's for now from me. Until Saturday, guys!

#long post #trh quick thoughts #trh qts #the royal heir #king liam #hana lee #anti drake walker #maxwell beaumont #olivia nevrakis #trr madeleine

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triumphorce · 5 years

Text

under umbras of bundles of stars,

canopies of leaves & branches that shatter-scatter sky image held indirect

as a gleam in eyes

as conscious lay in fabricated gardens watching memories, & desires in dream form

from across highway covered by

blue-white,

yellow,

& orange lights

sound of tires, mufflers, sirens,

amidst a higher sense

attuned to

muffled far cries muffled while crossing empty lands

filled with chilling wind howls, stealing hope,

which

kickstarts the power on survival mode..

ups& downs

drown the cries further,

that

war, warn, or cheer..

or just sing..

maybe

a hymn made by souls for souls under same umbra to set free to lead to wonder & beauty beyond the surface of senses directly to free to seek love loss between me and me

buried beneath road of longest journey to reach

turn feet all around

all about a world I have no idea about

just mad ideas about Kept in journals i turn over

to all but from in front of views not yet exploited by value of which is, views are power, & are the will in word- to-page transaction

self diminished to substantiate

entries from entrails, not shown to be conquered

win or lose is how I never saw things.

win or win, only optionss, only progress..

yet..,always over complicating;

marathon sprints from start to finish

as I choose, If i choose, to continue to choose to overlook slopes in existence, where hides I, in ruins, digging for recognition

contribute to a mind overloading with what I know I owe society, &me,

burden of see-through beast, I see illusions of future thru,mistaken as truth, play victim, get stressed or believe I'm down on luck ,in dumps of depression and slum of beliefs,

in a slump with headphones on temple and music up, reminisce about the golden olden, me and broseph, SSB, PSO, kanto, johto, cartoon cartoons, many one saturday morning’s, plenty cinnamon toast, fruity pebbles, so many card games at Books-a-million

but when I open eyes from trance

I'm forever face to face with today is today

not then not later...

just

changes who changed how I changed regret and anger to compensate for blaming everybody but me

now I stare afraid at dilemmas mass effect decisions

daily in-and-out-terventions

to keep from falling back into resentment.. spite blinding shelves of subconscious-self- disappointed perpetuating judgment of others binding progression, tying tongue, boiling blood because old habits die hard and I continue fucking up, up raging rapids w/o a paddle, almost 3 decades of failing infinite (according to projections) feel I missed and am missing out on so much, so much world, so many words coiled inside, waiting to explode,

all the time, just like everybody.. everything mind sets sights on turns to target issue how unfortunate for aforementioned coordinates, for anyone close enough for me to put in poems' , important enough to torment conscious over, used to be everybody, used to be nobody, used to be just some people, now its just me and i dont know him

attempts to speak, to learn again, to teach me about me to learn to teach myself, to set example for ambition directed toward a better version, better verses, better reimbursement of time given tryna be an extrovert, free from bitter, free from bitch asses, set internal standards to never get fucked with again, fuck you, fuck him, fuck her, i only fucks with a journal & question everyone, everything, every word, every whisper, shit ima tell my children every day, breakfast lunch dinner, do your best and fuck the rest, get it, get lit off enlightenment, fuck rest, save roosting for death, dont look at me, looknat the sky, seize the day in everyway brain permits, dont reach for others' and if anyone tries to take yours, that means they dont fundamentally respect life, so always permeate passion, ignore distractions keeping you from creating, test limits, test intentions, challenge imperfections with wisdom, know that perfect is just cosmetics, but i remain quiet.. remain tied up being alone, wondering.. whether I'm right to do any god damn thing 'cause if I don't do it right.. was I right to think I could, wrong to think I understood

am i wrong not to try?

what of what's sacrificed ?

how do i keep count

how did I end up here in standby...

standing squeamish & deer eyed in light of opportunities rising in horizon of night skies, to step in to obtain warmth, maintain from days before, to do something, do the one thing, but when will I be ready will eyes be ready to comprehend right or wrong

only me, here. only us, on planet.

only who's responsible? how is who is affected by, afflicted by? when is too late? when is just right, always too soon to tell and.. if I don't do it now, then why expect change..

why, why, why

'cause I expect anything at all

anger toward unmanned vehicles imminent to collide with mine

driven mad up eighty-five degree angled walls during rush hour, sun beaming heat into ride, where i travel on path, thru battlefield of past where fallen intentions decompose to ignorance and wisdom sprouts in the mean time.. I'm in between times, feelin down, down down down down by the way

a trail thru fears past dead ends, rotting trees, looks like fallout hit

a past I try an' forget..

but remember out of reluctance

to accidentally revisit regret,

stand next to biggest fears, see if facing them uproots soul

rolls ideas in head, non-stop

like trolls troll under bridges

to which billy goat gruff temper charges like crono's katana on zenan crossing,

lodes of odes to oaths, lightning loaded, aimed at negative minded sapiens bioshocks via rhythm and syntax, cryo cascades of ideas, locked away in moleskine or computer files to put to rest the rest of an inside in arrest to judgment, in side quest of public playthrough, i feel im on public display, static complaining in front of pretty much strangers modes of awareness to mental problems i exploit to people who might not think im crazy, who might like what i write, might like to write about the same thing, might see giants in those same nodes i stand near, i hear crisp crackles filling an awkward air as i stare at words on sheets that i might tear, might let collect dust, or share prolly might be quiet, only sound is poetic drafts that fill in under open windows, I open slowly, cool rush, goosebumps, awake aware always, even when mind is a crinkled, crumbled candy wrapper still just construct wrinkles in time via hairs stand, ovation, and encores to

helping to cross over doubts, screams of slander, stop it all, right now, shed truth in another light, fed through veins like pen's ink to go over and correct vision of pinheads vane turnin art, free thought to cash and competition, trade purpose blow for blow with obstacles in the name of the next step, over opponents, trade nervous for nerves robust to withstand standing up to stretch and spread chest to stand up for work where time invested is braided circulation goin in circles, time wasted pet peeve number 1

a nowhere never felt before but something seems familiar.. overlooked, under yards, under pressure of bone leverage, give life a lift thru cracks of a collapsing effort stretched behind chest and ribs

a heart glows in

hot coal hues hearth warmth under carbon sheets

till blood boils till steam coils from pores to kill the cold along roads

sun or none

no light above, isn't lack of..

(look inside)

----

harsh heat of reality hot enough to feel cold

make me go ghost in dark times..

friction strong enough to spark moist..

continue until i sear nerves disembody fromm pain till im felt by meta-form of others

heartfelt arcs between soul and soul-mind 2 mind

light releases thru iris folds spectacle in spectacles----

spectrum wheel of emotions spins &spins to understand self an urge that intensifies the more i live life as well as I can Improve every day, no excuse, don't ignore the corners, get behind my ears,every nook and cranny in creative muse-um, uhm, duh, raised on books, nintendo, animation,& wishbone, outside, only myself as playdate, use every square inch as play-scape under every hair in head, a mind uses face and body as way to create 4 fourever& vice versa to escape who ever & know I can do whenever, wherever

wherever i go, a voice in mind goes

that keeps on talkin , keeps me talkin tellin me I've talk--, wrote enough hoped enough to last a lifetime, but that's not enough

and I still got a lifetime

to either solidify or fuck it up

gradually let go of

to concentrate on life's finest moments i build to build form in appreciation, saying get up, enjoy the sun rays breaching clouds just before dawn; gett off yo butt and do what you know what you taught you to do when you were at multiple low points and you promised you, you'd never fall to end, even if you fall again, again, and again, never stall in the middle of takeoff stop in middle of road, cant press play if you lost remote, might as well get up and do it, crawl, run or walk away when the times calls to brawl dark-inner energy only honorable mentions defend health during dishonorable discharge of nega, into rivers, into blue sky.. bordered by white clouds and linear silver

a safe place, work space, desk clerk sifting day to day thru file cabinets memories in memos in notebook; written relativity explaining how I see, what I think say what i want like im eight, glad i spent so much time with words and space-bars, to escape judgment, hatred,

anxious surrounded by bad vibes

above an Earth, below expectations; over a self under surveillance by approval from inside, crazy dimensions, On the fence between people and myself I close eyes, ride waves of nostalgia once more..

see plenty light to traverse pathways, walk fer hours, walk like back in younger days, playin, runnin, completely captivated immersed in games played, tv, roller blades, monopoly, scary stories, trampolines

&10thousand songs later, 10million thoughts later, here I am doing what I made me to.

can't wait for the next chance

supplied energy through lines to hidden gracelands.

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capricorpus · 6 years

Note

thoughts on botw as a whole? like how do you think it compares to other titles, what do you like and dislike abt changes they made? :0

hmm, i’m not the best person to ask since i haven’t played many zelda titles. i haven’t played any older ones in... god, ten years? something like that. I was a kid, so i definitely didn’t put too much thought into it lol. within the past ten years i think i’ve only played Majora’s Mask, Windwaker, and a little bit of Skyward Sword (i dropped it cuz i hated it LOL). i’m planning on playing the series through from the beginning after this playthrough of BoTW though, and i’ve seen playthroughs of other games.

more under cut because it’s my personal opinions on BoTW

it’s such a minor thing, but it personally bugs me that there aren’t any upgrades for inventory items. aside from the Great Fairies amping up your clothes. i like the idea of wear and tear with weapons, but it’s very bothersome, so weapons lasting a little bit longer would have been nice, and i’d personally have preferred if the champions’ weapons didn’t break because when i broke revali’s bow i was devastated lol. i like having to earn certain things though, like finding koroks to gain more inventory.

the camera was janky at times and the lag bothered me a lot. the controls were good an easy to catch on to, though the shield+targeting button is a pain when you’re trying to put your shield up and end up targeting an enemy and getting hit as a result.

i liked the fact that you start out not knowing anything and with no gear. you really get invested in filling out memories to get the whole story of what’s happened. link felt like a ghost to me. i also like that he’s officially named link in this!

the puzzles were boring. after the first four shrines, they all looked exactly the same. the dungeons were lacking and the rewards weren’t worth it imo? in previous zelda titles, dungeons gave you important gear to progress in the game as a reward. in this one, not at all. i liked the spirit orb concept, though. having to earn something instead of immediately getting it was fun to me.

i think an open-world concept for zelda really works, i was thrilled when i found that out, but it also seems very empty to me. there’s not many villages, and the open stretches of land are tedious after the first two hours. it feels both new and nostalgic at the same time (i loved certain points of the map being named after older zelda characters, like Ruto Lake), but i really hated the Gerudos. nintendo still hasn’t shed any racism and the ‘romantically aggressive large dark-skinned woman’ trope coupled with the sexy revealing clothing for a dessert-dwelling race is bad. like what? lol who lives in a dessert and doesn’t cover up? plus link’s vai clothes are terrible.

i wish the champions were more developed. there’s the DLC sure, but that’s a DLC. mipha was boring. her personality fell flat. her entire character is being quiet and pretty and sweet and being in love with. that’s it. Daruk was a generic Goron (also i love him and he deserved more), Urbosa and Revali were the most compelling champions imo, aside from link.

i will say that zelda is the STRONGEST she’s ever been in any other game to me. character-wise, she’s the most important and most developed. in most zelda titles, she’s very regal and princess-y and i don’t really give her much thought, but in this one, she seems exactly like a 17 year old girl who has a poor relationship with her father who forces her to focus only on awakening her powers and sees her as a means to an end, and is frustrated with her lack of godly ability when she needs it most and scared she won’t be able to stop Ganon. i loved how she hated link in the beginning for being something she couldn’t be at the time but over time grew to accept him. the Silent Princess flower is a huge metaphor for her in the game. she should have been the main character. i’m really pissed link was the protagonist instead of her. her arc was the strongest, her development as a character was the strongest, her personality was the strongest, the story revolved around her awakening her powers.

i’ve heard there’s a mod in the making with zelda as the protagonist and I WANT IT. i’m also holding out for a DLC where you play as zelda. she’s the most compelling character in the game and deserves more than what she was given.

i’m sorry that you were looking for a more in-depth though piece over BoTW vs previous zelda titles but i haven’t played enough of them to do that lol. i’m basically a zelda newbie for now

#Anonymous

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puellamadoka · 6 years

Text

So I finished my first playthrough of detroit become human...

Markus demonstrated peacefully and got the sympathy of the public. Connor became deviant and him and Hank are best buddies now. Todd and Leo redeemed themselves in the end. Leo apologized to his father and promised to get off drugs and that he’s proud to be his son. Carl got to say goodbye to Markus and called him his son. Todd didn’t turn over Kara to the police and he hugged Alice goodbye. Alice is actually an android this whole time and Todd got her because his wife took their daughter when she left him.

I’m pretty satisfied with Markus and Connor the first time through. Josh, North, and Simon survived. Unfortunately Kara, Alice, and Luthor all died trying to take a boat to Canada... I definitely have to get them a happy ending next time.

Though I will definitely try things differently next playthrough the only thing I cannot force myself to do is make Connor obey his orders. I can’t imagine Connor NOT becoming a deviant. I just want to set all the androids free.

Anyways, I haven’t felt this emotional about a game in a long time. Many tears were shed... and I can’t wait to play it again.

#dbh #spoilers

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zaggitz · 4 years

Text

My Games of the Year 2019

2019! Pretty dang good year personally, pretty dang garbage globally. Semi decent in terms of games? I feel like there were some hot bangers but they were all pretty spread out and far between. It probably doesn’t help that I worked a LOT this year, which means I ended up playing I think the least amount of new games in this year since I started making these lists. 2020 looks to have an even slower start but I know there’s new consoles on the way, E3 is gonna be a wild ride y’all.

As previously stated, I did not play a lot of games this year, but the ones I did I think were pretty good.

First off, I figured I’d list my games of the year for the past decade(links to the respective lists provided onnce I started doing them.): 2010: Super Mario Galaxy 2 2011: Dark Souls 2012: La-Mulana 2013: Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 2014: Bayonetta 2 2015: Trails in the Sky SC 2016: Trails of Cold Steel 2 2017: Trails in the Sky The 3rd 2018: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age And now 2019:

10. Pokemon Sword It's that classic Pokemon formula only streamlined to take merely half the time(and half the Pokemon oops!!) In all honesty I really enjoyed my time with this game and the fact that it tried to be as tight as possible and didn’t waste your time felt really refreshing. I just wish it had a meatier postgame. I don’t mind the reduced dex but the lack of legendaries to hunt really sucked any wanting to play more out of me after seeing the credits.

9. Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening It's that classic weird Zelda game, only prettier and with even better music. The touched and fixes to the gameplay alongside the amazing atmosphere provided by the new graphics and revamped sound track make this the definitive version of a true classic.

8. Resident Evil 2

Mr X is literally the scariest thing I've had to deal with in a game in years and I twitch uncontrollably whenever i hear loud footsteps heading my way in real life now. I still need to sneak back in and do a second playthrough before RE3make hits next year(????fuck yes????)

7. Devil May Cry 5

It only took like 15 years but we finally got a new genuine Devil May Cry game and its the best one yet??? It capped off a lot of the plot threads from 4 and felt like a complete game with tons of love put into it and I'm so glad Capcom is having this renaissance the past couple of years if this kind of stuff is what we have to look forward to.

6. Judgement Fantastic spinoff to the Yakuza games, same great setting, amazing new cast of characters. Probably would have been higher on the list if it didn't give me cat noise ptsd from having to find all the hidden cats during investigations.

5. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Score another win for people getting to revive genres/series they used to be huge players in. Playing this game feels like being pulled right back into the mid 00s and I mean that in the best way possible.

It oozes so much mechanical personality out of every poor, the soundtrack rules and it scratches that 100% completionist itch the way only a true IGAvania can.

4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses I only played Blue Lions but this is already my favorite fire emblem I've ever played. There's basically not a single character I didn't like and I found the Blue Lions plot to be extremely emotionally gripping and satisfying overall.

The exploration of its themes of ptsd, growing up in war times, racism, classism and all the social struggles that come with these things is second to none when it comes to this series, and I can’t wait to dive back in for another playthrough soon.

3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice This game fucking rules as hard as it is hard. I love From Soft's version of feudal Japan and I really hope they get some dlc or a sequel to flesh some of their ideas out because they are super fascinating.

I try to be very thoughtful about why I like the games I like but man this game is just plain old rad and fun and hard and some guy cuts a portal to hell out of his neck and you fight his super powered grandpa after he climbs out of the portal. It’s a good video game.

2. Trails of Cold Steel 3 Basically any other year this would have been my go to number one contender. I love this game and this series to bits but i think it spends a little too much time backpedaling on its payoffs in order to keep all the reveals for the final act which, while incredible, is pretty exhausting by the time you get there.

New Class VII are some of my fave characters in the series, Ash and Altina especially. I really loved them pulling back plot threads like Hamel that have been simmering in the background for almost two decades now. The music as always is fucking incredible. By the end of the game it truly feels like the beginning of a culmination for so many years of built up plotlines and then oops it cuts to black.

Well, I guess I’m really looking forward to CS4 then!!

1. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers I always enjoyed this game in the past mostly as a side game to kill time but the beauty of having a game run this long means that it has just as much time to get you invested in its world and its characters. The fact that this expansion starts by taking all of that away and throwing you and your band of misfit allies into completely uncharted territory, devoid of all resources and external allies, is just the faintest tease at how spectacularly bold this expansion is.

Despite the fact that this game takes place in a whole new world mostly divorced from the main political arcs established so far, it goes maybe the furthest in terms of huge metaplot shattering and affecting reveals. By the end of this game I sympathized and understood the villains of this game in a way I never imagine I would be able to.

The character writing is superb, the menagerie of side characters you’ve come to know over the past three games finally get a chance to shine as they are stranded in the strange alternate universe mirror of the main game. Before this game I liked one or two of the Scions quite a bit but found the rest of the team to be pretty forgettable. By the end of Shadowbringers each and everyone one of them stand as some of my favorites in any jrpg I’ve ever played.

The villain of this expansion is just straight up the best most well written, sympathetic and relate-able foe from any FF game so far. Hell, even outside of Final Fantasy I have trouble thinking of another villain who I shed legit tears for when they finally passed on.

The game’s music is incredible and otherwordly, the changes they made to the classes (that I play) were all rad and Ardbert is my Husband of the Year all Years.

I’ve always played this game pretty casually without massive investment but I'm here for the long haul after this expansion.

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stephicness · 7 years

Note

Hello! I wanted to ask: of all the games you've played, which game had a heartbreaking moment? Like it brought you to tears?

OKAY WHY YOU GOTTA MAKE ME RELIVE THE TRAUMA IN MY LIFE?

Nah, man, I kid, I kid. I’ll admit though, I get pretty flubbin’ emotional whenever I play video games. I remember once I was playing a game next to my dad on a mini TV, and I made a choice in an RPG that just had me bawling. He had to comfort me and reassure me that my choice was okay for an hour before I stopped crying.

But that’s not even one of the worst moments I’ve had! :D Let me list some of them for you! (Spoilers ahead, even though some of these games are old as dirt!)

Dragon Age – Legit, I’m just going to lay the game’s entire goddamn series here for you, because I have cried so much throughout it.

I cried when the Human Noble’s family was betrayed and killed at the beginning of Dragon Age: Origins.

I cried when I sacrificed my Warden in Dragon Age: Origins.

I cried when Leandra died in Dragon Age II.

When Anders blew up the chantry and I killed him.

When I sacrificed Hawke to the fade first playthrough of Inquisition.

Pretty much that entire game destroyed me, inside and out. I got invested in the game series when it first came out when I was in middle school/early high school, and it’s just been a roller coaster ride. Can’t wait for what life-ruining thing the next Dragon Age will have!

Mass Effect 3 – Can we just agree that Bioware has the nasty habit of destroying people’s lives with feels? Because after being a long-term fan of Mass Effect, like I was with Dragon Age, Mass Effect 3 just put me to ruins. Everyone dies, nobody is happy, and your soul was destroyed. Does this unit have a soul? NOT AFTER MASS EFFECT 3. It got to the point where I had to walk away from the game for a few hours and cry in the shower because Mordin died. And when I got the alternate scene where it was Captain Kirahe that Kai Leng killed instead of Thane, I screamed, cried, and screamed again.Bioware, stop destroying my feelings. I have very few feelings left as it is.

Final Fantasy VII – I think we can all agree that this game has its moments that just invoke heartbreak and sadness. But my favorite moment is… Not Aerith’s death. It was Zack’s death. Particularly when Crisis Core was created and we got to see the scene in full CGI glory, Zack’s death got me sobbing. And sobbing hard. It didn’t help either that as a GMV editor, I would have to see this scene often. Or edit with it, cut it, manipulate it. Oh god, it was terrible. And I still get sad thinking about it because that bean deserved better.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII – The Final Fantasy XIII franchise is one that gets bagged on by veteran FF fans because of how strangely developed it was, but I honestly found myself on a roller coaster particularly when the last game of the Lightning saga came out. The first game was kinda sad, but not as feelsy as Lightning Return was. Again, I get emotional when I play games, but I cried alot during Lightning Returns. I cried for Snow turning all Cieth on us, I cried for Caius and Yeul because the revelation of why the Chaos existed hit me HARD, I cried over Lightning and her despairing feeling of loneliness at the end of the game – I got really emotional, okay? Especially over Caius, because that asshole made me like him even more in Lightning Returns. I still get emotional thinking about it.

Final Fantasy X – OKAY LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THIS TEEDOUCHE BAG. Legit, the ending of Final Fantasy X destroyed me the first time I played it, destroyed me years after I played it, and destroys me even to this day. I remember one day during lunch in high school, I was talking about the game with my friends (whom most of which have beaten the game as well), and I just started sobbing. Not like single tear sobbing, but like full on wailing because SHE WHISTLED FOR THAT TEEDOUCHE AND HE NEVER CAME TO HER. God, after this tale of romance and devotion, they hit us with that, and I just got wrecked. I got wrecked so badly.

Final Fantasy XV – I feel like I don’t even need to explain that this game was heartbreaking all together. BUT I WILL ANYWAYS BECAUSE HOLY MOTHER OF DAMNATION. I mention this alot, but I followed this game from when it was first announced as part of the Fabula Nova Crysallis (whatever the hell they called it) project, so I was already pretty invested in XV when it was still called Versus XIII. I knew it was going to be a rough game with the trailers, and the emphasis on Noctis having to fight his way out of Insomnia during pre-development trailers. But when XV came out finally, and we played the road trip simulator for the first nine chapters, things went to hell so goddamn fast. I kid you not, by the time the game ended, I was so broken that I couldn’t even cry anymore. I was a soulless husk just with my hand over my mouth, wanting to sob, but I couldn’t because I had shed all of my tears when it revealed that Ravus was turned into a monster.My tears didn’t fall. They crashed around me. This game destroyed my goddamn life. I love it.

Final Fantasy Type-0 – Yet another Final Fantasy game, but this one is really underrated, I feel. The combat was hard to get used to, and some of the gameplay dynamics were strange compared to what we got used to with XIII and the games prior to it. But I kid you not, not even 15 minutes into the game – not even when you get to even so much look at the tutorial, I was sobbing my goddamn face off. Over a chocobo. A chocobo. And don’t get me started on that ending either. I had first seen the ending on its own as a cutscene when I was footage hunting, and I sobbed my face off because of how miserable that ending was. As to be expected from a Tabata game, but GOD. At least show a little bit of mercy, please!

Heavy Rain – Why yes, hello. Allow me to take a break from all of these Final Fantasy games to tell you about Heavy Rain. So this game is designed in a really cool way, kind of like an interactive visual novel, but alot more detail. You control your characters, and your choices influence the outcome of the story based on how much you explore the world and what dialogue you pick, etc. And this game was one that made me cry from not only sadness and heartbreak, but also from sheer anxiety playing it. It gets pretty graphic – one time to the point where one of the main characters, Ethan, has to server one of his fingers before the serial killer would allow him to progress to the next challenge to rescue his son again. I cried really hard because I felt so bad for my choice, and watching Ethan cut his finger off and then cauterize it closed was awful watching. And what was worse was than in my playthrough, I made so many bad choices that I found myself crying hard from how bad of an ending I got in the end. Rough stuff, man, but a great story if you haven’t played it yet!

#asks #dear anon #about me #i cri just thinking about these games #and these are only just a few #i cry over the dumbest things #it's pretty bad

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zippdementia · 5 years

Text

Part 60 Alignment May Vary: Finished with One, Starting Another

When last we left our would-be heroes, they had come out of the house they had just finished fighting the last of the Dragonlords in. Bloody and exhausted they stumbled onto the street outside only to find themselves surrounded by the remainder of the horde.

Row after row of goblins looked on at them, though when they began speaking it was not about the two heroes, but about the slain Black Beast at their side: “The Beast has fallen...” The Goblins looked different, too. This entire battle, Nysyries had only seen them enraged to a literally rabid froth. She had seen them tear men limb from limb in a frenzy of blood lust. An insight struck her then and she grabbed Aldric’s arm:

“It was the Beast. Something about it drove them mad!”

The Hobgoblin lieutenants arriving on the scene behind the Goblins seemed to realize something was wrong. One shouted out something in Goblin. Another raised his whip.

The Goblins turned as one and set upon them. The cries of the Hobgoblins were full first of indignation, then rage, then fear. But the carnage did not last long and soon the Goblins were looking for more targets. And there were Nysyries and Aldric, bloody and too weak to fight back. The Goblins advanced.

... and were cut down as riders hammered past the two heroes and slammed into the horde with blades flashing in the light of the fires burning all over the city. “Follow me!” cried Xaviee from atop the lead steed. “For Vraath Keep! For Brindol!” The Lion guard riding behind him echoed the cry, though it was soon drowned out by the frantic yelling of the Goblins as they struggled to flee the riders.

The trumpets blared victory. The remaining enemy poured out of the gates. The defenders cried out that the day was won.

What to do Next?

I had always planned for the Battle of Brindol to be the defacto ending of my Red Hand of Doom Campaign and the Fane of Tiamet to be the transition into something quite different. I’ll talk about that “something different” in a second.

First, I wanted to thank everyone who has read this far. Just covering the Red Hand material alone has taken up 86,453 words. Along the way, I’ve tried to give advice on how to convert the adventure into fifth edition. I veered wildly off course at some point as the campaign became more and more my own, filled with my own twists and catered to the stories and styles of my own group. Maybe that in itself is the greatest lesson: the best thing a DM can do in any adventure is to pay attention to his/her adventurers and to let things veer off course if that’s what feels right.

I’ve also learned a lot about converting from the two editions in general while doing this campaign and as a result created some much more “official” conversions for one of my favorite pathfinder adventure paths, the Carrion Crown. You can find the links to my continuing efforts on those adventures here.

That said, while maybe I wasn’t able to do an exact conversion for Red Hand of Doom, I hope that my playthrough was at least useful in offering advice on each section and giving some examples of how to run things to make them go more smoothly. And, barring that, I trust it was at least an enjoyable read.

Now I have one last piece of advice: if you intend on ending your campaign after Red Hand of Doom, then don’t go to the Fane of Tiamet. Whether The Fane of Tiamet is a slog--a fairly uninteresting dungeon crawl through numerous out-of-place demons--or a decent dungeon that ties together the final steps of Azor Khul’s plan and culminates in a satisfying boss fight is beside the point. The real problem with it is that it comes after the Battle of Brindol, which is the lynch pin of the entire campaign.

The Battle of Brindol is such a high point in the campaign. Whether this city stands or falls is on the shoulders of the players. Everything that has happened up to that point boils down now to whether the players can survive and emerge victorious in the horde’s push against humanity and the forces of good. If the players fall in the battle, at least it is a glorious fall. And if they succeed, it is a natural end point to the campaign. This is believed to be the case by so many DMs that one of the most common changes I see suggested for running Red Hand of Doom is to replace the final fight against the “who is this guy?” at the Cathedral with Azor Khul himself and have done with it.

The Fane, after all that, is just another excuse to kill the players.

So the only reason to use The Fane is as a stepping off point to something else. If you do decide to take your party there, consider how it can serve not as the ending to Red Hand of Doom (which as stated should be the Battle of Brindol), but as the beginning of something else...

Maybe the Fane turns out to be just one of many Fanes, one for each head of Tiamet, and they all have to be shut down, all across the world.

After defeating the Aspect of Tiamet, maybe the players are pulled with it into the Nine Hells, where they now have to figure out a way to survive long enough to make it back to their homeworld. Along the way, they are recruited into the everlasting war between Demons and Devils.

The players reach the Fane and defeat Azor Khul, but never face off against the Aspect. Why? Because the fight against Azor Khul is a part of the Hobgoblin mastermind’s ultimate plan, the final steps. While he distracted the players, Tiamet has emerged in her full glory into the Material Plane and now an entire new campaign must begin against the Mother of Dragons.

I have my own idea for how the Fane will lead to a new campaign, one I’ve been working on for over a year. The remainder of this post will be dedicated to the set up for that and future posts will begin the fourth season of my campaign journal, called “Spelljammer.”

And so this marks the end of the Red Hand of Doom campaign journal. Overall, I enjoyed a lot of what the campaign tried to accomplish, though I think more than just numbers need to be updated to make the conversion work. The design of the adventure surprised me with how focused it was on combat over roleplay and its pacing suffers a lot throughout the adventure.

The opening is great, with the players having to clear out Drellin’s Ferry before the arrival of the horde. It sets up a very clear and present villainous presence and a solid goal for the players. And if you count the Battle of Brindol as the ending, it serves as a wonderful conclusion to this threat, mirroring the events in Drellin’s Ferry only this time the players are strong and experience enough to stand against the horde. It creates a wonderful sense of character growth and completes a very clear arc.

Compared to that, the middle sections are weak, hampered by a lack of clear explanation for why the players are going to these places. If I were to run the adventure again, I would have the players protect the people of Drellin’s Ferry until they reached Brindol and then Brindol would become a home base from which to strike out at the horde. Here they would learn through spies that the horde was maintaining two strongholds where they were producing weapons for attacking Brindol: one in the old Kingdom of Rhest and one in the Thornwaste. Not only would this set these quests up like tactical strikes, with the players knowing why they were going to these locations ahead of time and what basically to expect, but it would also give them a chance to form relationships in Brindol before the climatic battle, making the events of that Battle feel all the more personal.

In the end, I think most of what I gained out of Red Hand of Doom as written was inspiration. We managed to have a solid campaign despite the way it was laid out and a lot of this came from me adding material based on little hints within the material that were never officially expounded upon. The Lady Dagger plotline, for instance. I found the best success with Red Hand of Doom came from not being afraid to use the material as a jumping off point, as something to inform a greater story and a greater world.

Which is what I’m about to do with the Fane.

Sidetracked

The aftermath of the Battle is a time for celebration and for mourning, in equal measure. We take into account the sheer scope of the victory: the heroes have, on their own, defeated the three most powerful lieutenants of the horde and crippled its main force. They are awarded medals of valor, declared lords, and given the titles “Heroes of Brindol.”

Also to be celebrated is the ascension of Xaviee Domico, officially, to the Lordship of Vraath Keep. This is a little emotional for me as a GM, because it completes a storyline begun all the way back with Tywin. Xaviee was simply a throw-away NPC that tied Tywin’s past into the present but he grew into a formidable presence in the main storyline. Seeing the Wytchwood reclaimed by the forces of good was the goal of Tywin and it brings a touch of nostalgia for me, especially as that player is no longer gaming with us. No matter how things fell out between us all, I raise a glass to you, sir, in appreciation of seeing Tywin’s dream completed.

Another character who began as a random name for an NPC they did not defeat in combat was Aldric Alwright, now being played by the same player who brought to life Shando and Traki and Abenthy. He brings the same gravitas and complexity to Aldric as he did his previous characters and some of our best post-battle scenes come from him. First, he is present when Lord Jarmath gets news of Tredora’s death. Jarmath flies into a rage, railing against the city that let his love fall, damning them and her god to hell for their failure to save her. But Aldric calms him, first with sharp words (”this is not behavior becoming of a lord”) and then with a soft brotherly embrace during which both men shed tears (”she would want you to be better than that”).

Aldric also visits the battlefield outside of the city, where the cavalry under his command followed him into death against the Behir, Varanthian. Here, Aldric says a prayer that he learned from the Green Company, urging the souls of the fallen to find peace and to move on to the afterlife. As he intones the prayer he distinctly hears the horns of the Green Company and hears their long-dead voices speaking the words along with him. Then he gathers his belongings and decides it is time to find Varanthian, who escaped, and end this long search for revenge. And he believes he knows who to talk to.

Having done a little digging after the battle, Aldric was able to discover, if not the identity of the strange visitor he had prior to the fight who offered him Varanthian’s location in return for Lord Jarmath’s death, at least his most likely employer. Lady Kaal, one of the ruling council of Brindol, whom with Aldric has shamelessly flirted (with no return on his advances) and whom he now has learned is the secret ruler of the thieve’s guild in town and who has a less-than-secret rivalry with Jarmath.

Lady Kaal’s mansion is in the Eastern part of the city, the part that was furthest from the city and the only part completely untouched by the ravages of the Battle of Brindol. Kaal, surrounded by bodyguards and minions, does not seem surprised to see Aldric and the two engage in a wonderful exchange of words that is 2 parts veiled menace and 1 part questioning accusation. Most of the menace belongs to Kaal. The best accusations come from Aldric.

After failing to get Lady Kaal to admit to knowing the Green Garbed Man (as we have come to call the mysterious stranger who approached Aldric) he does at least get her to seem uncomfortable as he questions her about the desired murder of Lord Jarmath. Lady Kaal does keep her cool for the most part though and never rises to the bait Aldric lays, only betraying herself through small flickers of her eyes and twitches in her fingers. She makes another proposal to Aldric:

“I do not know who this man who approached you was, but I do believe I know the information he knew and can pass it on to someone who I trusted.”

“And how would someone go about gaining your trust, my lady? Aside from the, ahem, services I’ve already put at your disposal.” Aldric cocked an eyebrow and stared significantly downwards towards his codpiece. When he looked up, smiling devilishly, he was met only with a cold stare, however.

“You misunderstand me. The service has to be something I actually want,” Kaal said scathingly. “And I wouldn’t set a man to do a task he couldn’t complete.”

Even Aldric had to admit to himself, that one stung a bit. Lady Kaal continued...

“With the time for war done, I begin to believe that Lord Jarmath’s time is also coming to a close. Rumor is spreading about how he took poor Tredora’s death. I’m not sure I trust a man so roiled by emotions to lead in a time of peace.”

“You have someone else in mind?”

Lady Kaal’s smile was all teeth, white and straight. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

The agreement that the two come to is this. Lady Kaal will be throwing over a dozen parties around town tonite to mourn the dead and celebrate the living. Most everyone remaining in the city, as well as those trickling back in, will be in attendance. Kaal wants Aldric to attend as well and to suggest to whomever will listen that a change in leadership is needed and to suggest Lady Kaal might be up to the task of ushering in an age of peace, while Lord Jarmath should be condemned for failing to lead properly during the battle. With Aldric’s newfound fame and position, Lady Kaal knows that his word will carry enough weight for her to do the rest of the work herself to change the leadership of Brindol. In exchange, if she feels he has spoken enough on her behalf, she will gift him the location of Varanthian’s lair.

While Aldric is pondering all of this throughout the remainder of the day, he and Nysyries are called into Lord Jarmath’s presence.

Jarmath has disturbing news for the two of them. Clearly unsettled, he tells them that they captured some of the Hobgoblin captains during the battle and questioned them. While the Hobgoblins did not survive the questioning, they did divulge that another horde would soon be raised and sent on to Brindol and that this risk would exist as long as their enigmatic leader, Azor Khul, survived “in the Fane.”

What is the Fane? It is a legendary place in the Elsir Vale, a hidden valley deep in the western mountains of which little is known as no one who ventures there ever returns. Ever. Still, despite their services rendered to the city, Lord Jarmath must ask of the two heroes of Brindol: will they go there and end the threat that is Azor Khul?

Beginning Anew

The night’s festivities go well, for the most part. The party meets someone new, a paladin named Carrick who was, until the Battle of Brindol, considered the hero of Brindol. A little perturbed at having his title replaced, but more curious about the two heroes who have saved the town, he decides to volunteer to accompany Aldric and Nysyries to the Fane. He is a half elf, fairly quiet, very straightforward, and radiating an air of power.

Nysyries gets drunk with Immerstal the Red, who accidentally sends himself into an unknown dimension when he drunkenly enters his pocket brothel without actually removing it from his pocket first, folding space time around him and disappearing.

Aldric spends the night trying to play both sides, backing lady Kaal without disparaging Lord Jarmaath. His efforts just barely succeed and the town’s feelings begin to shy away from Lord Jarmaath and towards holding a new election and making Lady Kaal the new leader of Brindol. The whole experience calls into question Aldric’s alignment. He began as an evil character and someone who would do anything to achieve his revenge. Yet now he is discovering limits: he was not willing to betray Lord Jarmaath. Was it his mercenary training that prevented him from betraying his Lord? Does he fear about the future of Brindol under the rule of Lady Kaal? Or does he simply not like being told what to do? Aldric has much to ponder as the party makes its way towards the Fane.

#dnd 5e #dungeons and dragons #Red Hand of Doom

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kingddd17 · 7 years

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Something I wanted to get off my Chest.

This is something I really want to get off my chest and I don't know how else to start since I usually am not very good with introductions in general but I think I'll start with how I felt over the years and the events that transpired yesterday and a few days ago.

Over the 26 years of my life, I've always been the usual kid you see in the block but I think I'm just like any kid who really loves entertainment just as much as everyone else does. Over the course, I grew up loving sci fi and many various stories that really invigorated me to go on adventures together and meet new people. Like I was your stereotypical kid who loved Star Wars, Star Fox, Super Mario Bros and of course anything that was made by Nintendo.

However I really wanted to join within the communities that had a similiar interest as me. Just like any other kid who wanted to be a part of the community for anything. I've tried sticking with them but more and more as I grew older I found so much negativity within them. Instead of expressing how much I love this genre, games or make fan made content, all I ever got was hate, troll responses or just plain negative downvotes. Many of which of course made me really sad and felt like I will never contribute anything to any fan community. So i felt isolated.

Soon afterwards, I just went in the dark, rather than talk or discuss with anyone online, I just sat there just playing games all day, do the usual homework from school but at the same time, I felt kind of isolated. Even if I joined any school clubs I usually stick to it for one day and kind of leave. So even though I was glad I didn't have to deal with the amount of negativity, it also made me sad and lonely and I felt very isolated from many people who already have connections.

When I first saw Xenoblade X back in 2013, I thought ooh cool, mechs and regular on ground ARPG combat. Can't wait to try it. Little did I know this would change my life around.

When I finished beating the game for the first time, I loved it so much. The story, characters, the world of mira, the cutscenes and the amount of fun sidequests that were available. I didn't expect to fall in love with it so much. At first I thought man I should see what others think of it. Of course, to my big surprise it was a very mixed reaction from most people I noticed and it had tons of excessive bashing that I felt was unnecessary or it's one of those it doesn't cater to my specific niche case scene. It honestly made me feel sad and I thought I would never join back. However there was something I did that I never thought I would do to get people to notice me.

During my playthroughs, I did a lot of video recordings of moments that I loved from the game. I created a bunch of gifs, webm videos, commission artists for drawing Xenoblade X fan arts of my favourite characters and people started to notice this pink shirt meme mim that seems to circulate around. Although I had the usual it's that guy again, some of them took notice to me and I felt I wanted to meet these people. We quickly became friends and soon I started posting these to tumblr and I feel as cool as the game is, there aren't enough fan contents cause it's a niche series. I asked various sources and helps from my friends and I went on to compile stuff like the Party Member banters, making hacks, screenshots, emote gifs of characters that don't normally have emotes, cross interactions etc.

It of course felt great and I felt very satisfied with the amount of things I've contributed but at the same time, it still kind of felt lonely especially when I had to find work and I can't stick with doing these things all day. It wasn't until around Feb 17th 2017 when my birthday happened. So many art gifts kept pouring into my feed and I just could not believe it. I just have no words to express how happy I was. I was literally shedding tears at work while doing whatever task or projects my boss wanted me to do but of course I finished them all really early and he let me off early. Something that burst in me, I started crying.

I just don't know. It was such a wonderful feeling like I've accomplished something in my life. It felt like I helped bring a community together and as someone who loves art in general, it just blew my mind. All my friends that I got to know through discord, tumblr, twitter and now even the people from the Japanese Xenoblade X community. It was soooo overwhelming and I can't thank everyone enough!!! You guys are amazing!! I'm just an ordinary programmer just trying to make a living and I think all you guys together are one amazing people and the Xenoblade X community is such a wonderful community. And of course your love has also motivated to get back into drawing. Something I never thought I would attempt to do again after 15 or so years of not doing because I felt I would never improve but now I've been thinking positively about it.

So I would like to say once again thank you to the Xenoblade X community and for giving me back so much over the years. I really hope you've guys enjoyed the content that I've created and the amount of hours I've put into it to make them possible. I don’t want to name specifics as I feel that would be very bias but for those that I’ve DMed with on my personal time you know who you guys are. But I would love excessively say thank you to those and the community. You guys are the ones that motivated me to do all these things and I really mean it. So thank you! You guys as a whole are the most wonderful people I've ever known and I want to continue to supporting all of you as much as I can. I just.....

Thank you!!!

#Xenoblade X #Xenoblade Chronicles X #Christie #Cross #Personal #Thoughts

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firelord-frowny · 7 years

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FINALLY finished Mass Effect: Andromeda! :D :D :D

(some minor spoilers ahead, so beware)

My final thoughts:

I’m thirsty as hell for a sequel. Like. Forreal.

The last stretch of the game had me so emotional. I’m so much more emotionally attached to Ryder than I ever was to Shepard, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Tom Taylorson’s voice acting was sooooOOOOO much better than Mark Meer’s. And Ryder’s dialogue was more varied and ~human~ feeling, with more personality. Whereas Shepard mostly seemed to say only what was relevant to the plot and/or the player’s understanding of the game, Ryder seems to be able to get in a few more quips and jabs and offhanded comments that make him seem a lot more realistic.

I kinda hated the combat, ngl, but that’s okay because I’m not interested in combat - I’m interested in story. So, for most of the game I played it on the “narrative” setting, in which the combat is easy as fuck and is over with lickity split. But at the same time, though, with the easier combat, I was able to get the hang of it a little better and now playing it on the normal setting is a relatively chill experience.

There were several things about like... the setup of the story that were just weird and didn’t seem very well thought out, but after having played through the whole thing and explored all the different storylines, I don’t even remember what those negative aspects were! I know they were there, but I just don’t care about them anymore. The game’s positive aspects MORE than made up for it for me.

I think ME:A was a less thoroughly thought out than the original games, but I ALSO think it’s because the playable universe is SO. MUCH. BIGGER. Not that the original games were “small” by any means, but they definitely were smaller, and so it was probably easier to pay more attention to detail in the smaller original games, than in this fuckin enormous new one.

I really, really, really liked SAM. What a good little AI buddy he was!!!

I remember seeing some criticism that there weren’t any ~substantial gay male romances~ and like, people can totally feel that way and I won’t try to argue with them, but I romanced Gil and found it very substantial and satisfying and sweet. Granted, he and Reyes Vidal seemed to be the only options for gay romance, which is kinda bleh compared to the maaaaany female options, but like... For me personally, I loved Gil so much that I’m probably gonna do like I did with Kaidan and just... only ever romance him. Ever. Okay that’s not true, I’m totally going to romance Reyes Vidal on my next playthrough just to hear him talk some more.

One negative aspect that I DO remember just now, was how fuckin not-dramatic it was when Alec Ryder died. Like neither of the kids seemed to really care that much. They didn’t shed a single tear! They just instantly moved on with their lives! It was weird and unrealistic, if ya ask me.

ME:A did not seem to have as many gut-wrenching choices to make as the original games. Like, I never had to decide whether entire species lived or died, or choose between letting two squadmates die (Sorry, Ashley - I love you, girl, but Kaidan is my heart and soul). There WERE some difficult choices, but nothing quite of that caliber. Nothing that made me set the game aside, mouth agape, to take some deep, calming breaths.

I’m almost upset that we didn’t get to learn much of anything at all about the Jardaan, but I’m also glad bc that probably means it’ll be a point of focus in any sequels there might be. :D :D :D So that should be fun.

It seems like most of the people who didn’t like it, were counting on it being JUST LIKE the original games. Which... honestly I don’t really get, since to me anyways, all 3 of the original games were incredibly different from one another. But it really does seem like folks are most upset about the things that are Different, such as the character selection process, the combat, the mechanisms through which the plot progresses (idk exactly what i mean by that - i mean I *know*, but I don’t know how to make it make sense off the top of my head), etc. Me, on the other hand... I’ve always been very good at separating related media in my head, and experiencing stories/movies/books/games/whatever as unique entities. Basically, I go in with no expectations, and am able to build a new opinion without necessarily having to base my feelings off of anything that had already been established. If I had been counting on a Mass Effect 4 instead of a Mass Effect: Andromeda, I probably would have been disappointed, too.

Moral of the story: I loved it. Waaaaaay more than I thought I would. Which is great, because I already had known I would enjoy it.

:D :D :D :D :D

(Also if you have also played it or are playing it, please refrain from telling me anything specific about your playthrough! I like to find stuff out on my own by playing over and over and over and over and over again, making different choices each time, so it would be sucky to have some small thing spoiled for me. :P)

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v0iddr0id · 7 years

Note

For the video game ask 1,12, 21, 30, 36, 52, 53 & 70 ^-^

1) First game you played obsessively?

hmm, maybe mario kart. that might sound like a silly answer, but me and my brother found an old nintendo 64 up there with mario kart in it and we’d stay up there in the burning stuffy attic just to play it. it was great

12) Ever get picked on for liking games?

I dont think so. Back in middle school this kid who was obsessed with cod tried to get under my skin by saying halo sucked and at the time halo was like my favorite game, but i wouldn’t really call that being picked on.

21) Game that you didn’t like or understand but love now

Silent hill. I never got the chance to play it as a kid but I remember watching playthroughs for silent hill 3 and not getting what all that crazy mess was. There was monsters with protractors for faces and people vomiting dieties and all that crazy shit. Now that I’m older and understand the symbolism and meanings for everything It’s one of my all time favorite games

30) How many consoles do you own?

I personally own 3. My xbox360 & one and my beautiful baby ps2

36)have you ever shed actual blood, sweat, or tears over a game?

Well I would HOPE i never shed blood over a video game, but I’ve shed PLENTY of sweat and a river of tears over plenty of games. The top three games that made me cry the most [in order from least to greatest] metal gear solid 3, mass effect 3, and silent hill 2

52) A game you begged your parents for as a kid?

…. actually this is gonna sound super lame but one of the only games I remember specifically begging for was nintendogs and a ds as a kid. I just LOVED nintendogs. all my friends had one and i loved it. Most of the other games I ended up wanting I usually saved up and got myself from allowance money. and my parents never really cared about ratings on games so as long as I had the money and was buying my own games they’d drive me to gamestop and give me permission to get em.

53) What’s your opinion on dlc these days?

I don’t mind it, as long as it’s not like the day one dlc mass effect 3 had, or pricing it close to 40-50$ like they did with ground zeros for metal gear. I think it does make the game worth going back and replaying from time to time, like the shadowbroker dlc from mass effect or the tiny tina campaign from borderlands. Those were fun!

70) Very fist game I ever beat

uhhh probably the campaign of halo 3. like.. i didnt even finish the first halo before i beat the third one, I only did it because my brother refused to play anything other than halo 3 on our xbox and I always played along with him. I only played it for the arbiter and the aliens.

Thank you so much for all the questions!! This was fun!

#Wow! I hope my answers weren't too wordy!!#That was fun!#but yea no i was an annoying halo kid #i mainly played it because when me and my brother would play coop player 2 would get to be arbiter and I loved being player 2 because #i was in love with the arbiter #and all the aliens in halo were so cool #talking trash

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ladytitanium · 7 years

Note

1,2,7 to 17, 19 to 23, 25 to 70

OKAY SO this got suuuuper long and I’m gonna answer it under a readmore but thank you so much for asking!

1. First game you played obsessively?

Definitely Minecraft. I got it around 2012 and played it whenever I could, although shortly afterwards I moved on to playing a lot of TF2 with some online friends.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.

TF2 and Portal 2 were the first things I ever wrote fanfic for, so I’d say those two are big and important for sure. More recently, though, Transistor and Pyre have been inspiring me to pursue more art and music.

7. Any games you have multiple copies of?

I have Portal 2 for xbox 360 and PC.

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?

I had a copy of Link to the Past in great condition, but my ex stole that and my entire SNES so :/

9. Most regrettable purchase?

No Man’s Sky is the obvious answer but I think I have some steam games lying around that I bought and played once, or just never touched. Not sure which ones, though. Usually if I’m going to spend actual money on something, I try to make sure it’s good first.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?

No, but I’d like to someday.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?

Not in the sense of meeting people in an mmo or anything, but I’ve definitely bonded with people I’ve met over a mutual love of games.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games?

Nah, not really. I’ve been picked on more for not having played enough games, honestly.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?

I’ve never played Overwatch or most online competitive games, or any MMOs aside from like 5 hours of gw2.

14. Favorite game music?

Anything Darren Korb, the composer for Supergiant Games, has made. Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre OSTs will always have a special place in my heart. Honorable mention goes to the Portal 2 soundtrack.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?

I……. have a triforce tattoo…….. on my left wrist……………

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?

I tend to like watching people play games rather than doing competitive or couch coop type things, so it’s hard to say. I used to hang out with my friends while we all did playthroughs of the Mass Effect trilogy, though, which was wonderful.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game?

Nah. Had some arguments over the Souls games, though.

19. Favorite handheld console?

3DS, definitely, although I do have some nostalgia for the good ol’ GBA.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?

Portal 2, although it’s been a few years since I’ve played so I might not be as familiar with it as I once was. Barring that, Stardew Valley.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?

I can’t think of any, honestly, since I almost never played anything as a kid.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?

The occasional Zelda t-shirt, and my old Aperture Science tanktop. I’d wear more if I owned more.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?

TF2, I think? I used to play for hours every evening.

25. Were you ever an arcade game player?

Sadly, no. My mother thought arcades were giant wastes of time and money and would corrupt me and make me stupid.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?

No, I don’t get competitive much.

27. Game that makes you rage?

Any kind of roguelike makes me angry just thinking about it. I hate losing progress. Really difficult platformers make me frustrated and angry too.

28. Ever play in a tournament?

Dear god no.

29. What is your gaming set up?

Currently, none. I have a shitty, half-broken laptop.

30. How many consoles do you own?

I own a Switch and a 3DS. I have access to an XBONE though.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?

I’ve never tried a Virtual Boy, but leaving the 3D on high on my 3DS is something I’ve only done once due to the nasty headache it gave me.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?

I don’t think so, no.

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?

I had a Sonic handheld game from a happy meal, does that count?

34. Do either of your parents play video games?

My dad does, a lot. Mostly MMOs. I think my mother did too, but mostly Civ, some ancient Egypt themed MMO, and Guild Wars, from what I can recall.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?

I worked in a game store for about six months late last year/early this year. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?

Oh, tears, absolutely. Plenty of games have made me cry. FFXV, Persona 5, Transistor, Portal 2, the list goes on.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?

I actually have played it! Perks of working at a game store that sells Ataris. I was utterly baffled by it, so I think “worst game ever made” is a fair title.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?

I really enjoy all the walking simulators/art games I’ve played. I know a lot of people say they aren’t real games or whatever but I think most of the ones I’ve played are genuinely enjoyable experiences.

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?

...Portal 3, but with the same writers+VAs+team in general. I know that’ll never happen now but I need it like I need air.

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?

Motion controls can be hit or miss. I think they need to be integrated well and very functional to be enjoyable. Like, wii sports and stuff? I loved it. Those tilt puzzles in the shrines in BOTW? Absolutely horrendous. As for VR, I really want to try it someday. I think it’s neat.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into?

Roguelikes, Souls-like (where the only purpose of the game is to be as difficult as possible so people who master it can be snobs about it), and any realistic online-only FPS things like Call of Duty are the three main things I will never, ever touch.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?

Pokemon Ruby, absolutely.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?

All through the second half of high school, tbh.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?

I’ve never actually gotten to play arcade games much.

45. How are you at Mario Kart?

I’m only decent at Mario Kart Wii, because I played it a lot.

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?

Absolutely! Animal Crossing New Leaf and City Folk are games I love dearly and have spent a LOT of time on over the years.

47. Do you like competitive games?

Almost never. I only ever played TF2 with friends, and that pretty much extends to any competitive game I might play. Only with friends, and only sometimes.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?

So. Long.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?

Yeah, mages are kind of my thing. I get jumpy when I have to do a bunch of melee so I tend to prefer to stand back a little. I always went full biotic in Mass Effect for that reason.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?

That’s a tough one. I’ve had a few concepts over the years, but none that have really stuck with me.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?

Yeah, definitely. I lose track of time really easily if I’m absorbed in something.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?

All Pokemon games from gen 4+5.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?

Any DLC that adds characters or plot necessary for the full enjoyment of the game should be free imo. Skins/weapons/maps/non-essential quests and missions can be behind a paywall. Like, ME3′s From Ashes DLC should have been free, and I go back and forth between whether it was cool to have Citadel and Omega DLCs behind paywalls, but all the weapons/armor/alternate appearance packs I’m totally fine with being paid DLC.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales?

Only when I have money.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?

I never played any Sims games.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?

Never played Roller Coaster Tycoon either.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?

Minish Cap, I think? I tried to 100% Super Mario Galaxy but I couldn’t ever quite do it.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?

Oh, shit. Uh. Animal Crossing New Leaf, Pokemon Sun (or Moon), and... I can’t pick a third one. Probably something with multiplayer.

59. Do you play any cell phone games?

Yeah, but most of them are just little time-wasting puzzle games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code?

Yes!

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever?

I’ve never traded in a game but I might if I bought a physical copy of something I didn’t like.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?

Does the Switch count, since till Splatoon 2 came out I only had BOTW on it? I’ve considered getting a PS4 just for P5 and Horizon Zero Dawn.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament?

I went to GenCon a few times when I was really young but I barely remember it, and I’ve tagged along to a handful of Warhammer 40k tournaments with my dad, but that was also like 10 years ago. So no, not really.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?

I’ve never bought a TV or monitor myself.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?

I had an Action Replay for shinies in X and Y.

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?

No, my first phone was a Windows phone when I was 14 because my mother hated technology and wanted to control me so a phone was way too much freedom and entirely out of the question :/

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?

I remember the first time I beat Portal 2, sitting on the floor in front of the TV and crying tears of joy. That was pretty great.

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?

I wanted to, but didn’t go to arcades enough.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made?

Transistor. Can’t think of a single bad thing about it, honestly. Persona 5 and Horizon Zero Dawn are near-flawless too.

70. Very first game you ever beat?

The first game I beat was Pokemon Ruby, but idk if that counts since I shared with my brother, and I think my dad had to help us beat the Elite 4 because we were young and didn’t grind enough. I took turns with Portal 2, too. Portal 1, maybe?

#anonymous #goodsola shh

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