#mimeosomes

[calamitaswrath]

Honestly, ever since this art of my Cross has been done, I have been starting to to toss around the idea of writing a oneshot (maybe twoshot, if it gets too long for one chapter) Xenoblade Chronicles X fic about them discovering the in-universe method of re-customizing your character after the start of the game, sort of stumbling into transing/nonbinary-ing their gender while figuring themself out, and having Elma and Lin be supportive and affirmative in the aftermath...

Idk, it'd be pretty self-indulgent. But that's what art is for, so I think I'll really just do it.

#shut up cal you fool #might as well put into the game's tags with how little there's going on #xenoblade x #xenoblade chronicles x #xbcx #xcx #cross (xenoblade) #cross xenoblade #course that also means that I'll need to have a think about how NLA handels trans healthcare #and what the options are for altering your mimeosome if you Realize™ after leaving earth #but that should be fun to do

[xenoblademisadventures]

Guys, I'm in a mood. Hot takes time for each Xenoblade. >:3

Xenoblade 1

Egil is a lame antagonist

The game's themes fucking suck

Dunban is the worst designed character in the series, in terms of gameplay

Zanza was more interesting before we knew about his other half.

Metal Face is one of, if not the, single best written antagonists in the series.

Melia's character design is really ass.

Xenoblade X

The writing is actually really good. Especially factoring in the sidequests.

X has the best gameplay in the series, but it also has, by far, the worst combat.

The series has yet to make a more compelling antagonist than Lao, despite having tried repeatedly.

Elma is underrated.

X has the best plot twists in the series. In particular the mimeosome twist is the single best plot twist Monolith has ever written.

X is literally the only good open world game. Easily outclassing more famous titles like Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring.

Tatsu is inoffensive, even considering how extraneous he is.

I actually liked the food jokes. They felt homey. Even if they weren't particularly funny.

Thank fuck Cross never happened again. The actual worst protagonist in the series.

Elma has the best character design in the series. But True Form is arguably worse than Pyra.

Xenoblade 2

The only good character designs are the NPCs, and even then, 2's NPCs are much lamer than the rest of the series'.

2's additions to the lore were universally shit.

I really liked 2's combat, but I also think almost every boss fight in the game was shit.

Rex shouldn't have been in the game. Pyra should've been the actual protagonist.

The tensions between Mor Ardain and Uraya were interesting, up until the game decided to drop it for literally no reason.

It's frankly a miracle that the game is polished and playable considering how disjointed it feels fundamentally.

Dromarch and Ursula bug me particularly because Polar Bears and Cats canonically went extinct.

The music in 2 would be good if it wasn't for the horrible misusage of certain songs. Shadow of the Lowlands is the greatest offender and actually ruins the song for me, but Counterattack, Ancient Vessel, Spirit Elpys Crucible, and such were also horribly mishandled.

Tora can burn in hell. What the fuck?

I don't like anything revolving around how Klaus was handled in 2. Also the beginning of the "Meyneth never happened saga."

I don't think it counts as a hot take to say that Pyra's character design is ass, actively ruins the mood of every scene she's in, and makes the character writing worse. But I also have to add that it isn't just that the artist was jacking off. Even if Pyra was the most modestly designed character in the game, her design would still be ass. And that applies to every other shitty design in the game (except Dahlia, where the problem really is just.. why?)

2 is, by far, the worst game in the series. That said, I'd consider it a relatively inoffensive game if it wasn't a Xenoblade game, and I do get why people like it.

That said, the way 2 handles its themes is pretty lame.

Also, the way 2 concludes Pyra's and Mythra's arcs is offensively terrible. That's just not how you should ever conclude a massive arc, nor is that how you should fucking conclude a suicide arc.

"Nia. I love you. I love you and all you guys." is still the single funniest line of dialogue in the series.

Torna the Golden Country

It's really funny seeing the camera guy suffer.

This dlc singlehandedly makes Pyra a good character, despite Pyra having zero lines of dialogue in it.

I wish this was the main game.

Xenoblade DE

They made Reyn ugly.

I don't like that they lowered the cooldown of Melia's Reflect Art.

I don't like the change to Alvis's character design. Not just the core crystal, which recontextualizes how the audience interacts with the character, but also they made his jacket less fluffy. What the fuck?

I just generally don't like the Alvis is Ontos thing specifically because it I liked how he was handled in the original and I dislike the retcons 2 made to the lore. That said, I do like how the concept was handled in Future Redeemed.

I don't like the remix of Engage the Enemy. I feel like it misses the point of the original song by making the vocals so much more present.

Future Connected

I don't mind the story, but it also contributed absolutely nothing to the larger story.

Haven't played the game, but I can't imagine removing the Vision and Chain Attack mechanics from 1's combat would contribute a positive change in the gameplay.

Xenoblade 3

The designs for the main characters are, on average, presentable but not very good. In particular, I really dislike Noah's and Eunie's class outfits. They just feel out of place and don't vibe with the characters.

Z is the only good villain in this game. While N had a compelling backstory, every moment he was on screen took away from that.

Joran was such a bad villain that he made Lanz a significantly less interesting character in the process. Same with Eunie.

The only instance of "backstory character that got revived" working for me was Taion's mentor (forgot her name). Every other time, it was handled in a way that took away from the story.

3 has by far the best designed combat in the series, and I'd be surprised if Monolith manages to top it any time soon.

3's level design isn't on par with X, but I wouldn't mind the series going this direction in the future.

Camera button was the best idea the series has had in a long time.

Future Redeemed

Having the game tell you completion% singlehandedly ruined the exploration for me.

I found Rex, Glimmer, and Nikol to be rather underwhelming. Especially when I was excited to see what Monolith would do with them upon introduction.

This really should've been a standalone game rather than a DLC. Too many character arcs got skipped over. The combat seriously suffers from lack of customization options. Matthew and A didn't really have enough time to establish themselves. Neither did Na'el, even though I really like her. Alpha would've also benefitted a lot from having more time to cook.

Overall. Mixed to negative opinions about this one, but I'm still really glad to have experienced it.

A would've been the best designed support in the series if their AI couldn't use their Talent Art.

#xenoblade series

[ephemxras]

Day 3: Data / Mimeosome | @khoc-week

Are you still yourself with a body clad of metal? Absolutely, boy! Haven’t you once been clad of metal before? Only not on the outside, but on the inside!

Data Daybreak Town gave me an idea of a possible Xenoblade X storyline where data of the keykids were uploaded into Mimesomes. Xenoblade X and KHUx has a lot of similar elements … both games which I miss dearly… ;w;

Hoa Sen’s code name is Unit Cross which sounds similar to Union Cross ;)

(full body reference of his Xenoblade X outfit!)

i miss xenoblade x please let it port to the switch

#khocweek2022 #khux #khux keykid #xenoblade x #inspired by one of junji ito’s art #💚 hoa sen nguyen #eyestrain cw #<- hopefully it’s not too much though >_>

[dollsonmain]

Glad you’re all enjoying my sloppily hand made Xenoblade Mimeosome eyes.

[eienias20]

What else was I to draw but my main gal once again! It's Jaynix Copeland from my Xenoblade Chronicles X Fanfiction: Xenoblade Chronicles Mira!

Twitter Link

4 years of being stranded alone in a remote corner of the planet, Elma finds her and from that point on 2060 to...who knows how long, the pair does their best to restore and rebuild their relationship as well as their own personal psyches.

I really do want to finish that story some day and tell the ending I've already written a long time ago. One day, it'll happen!

Hardest part with this was the lineart. I dislike my lineart half the time and after telling myself to stop trying to fix it so i can color and detail it, the final version looks so much better and I'm happy.

I'm sure most people have a far more detailed idea of what internal mimeosome structures actually look like, so here are some of mine. I planned for Jaynix to be holding her signature weapon Feuervogel in one hand but I decided to take it easy on myself. Unlike Jay whose overuse of the sword's ability to control fire ate away at all the artificial skin along her left forearm.

#OC #Jaynix #original character #xenoblade chronicles x #xenoblade x #my art #my-art

[miran-native]

About Mimeosomes

Everyone who’s played through the main story knows the basics: Mimeosomes were designed to bridge the unknown amount of time it would take humanity to find a new habitable planet. This way, people wouldn’t grow old and be able to maintain the White Whale and protect the Lifehold. We know that they are artificial in nature and that they are controlled from the consciousness stored within the Lifehold.

Elma mentions in one of the chapters (l can’t remember which one rn, but if someone requests it I will look it up) that the Lifehold cannot be too far, since they would otherwise feel the lag. Considering how the player can move freely all around Mira it is suffice to say that while the Lifeholds transmission range is limited, it is nonetheless still huge. Like, encompassing a whole planet huge. 

(Though, this observation might be futile since the endgame reveals that humanity would have been dead all along, so Mira Magic prevents us from making a sensible estimate as to how far this range could have been.)

What the main story chapters don’t tell us are the little details: can mimeosomes get sick, do they need food, etc.

So here is what I found:

Right off the bat: Mimeosomes have organic components. It is why in the sidequest “Lakeside Getaway” the cantors are able to exterminate the workers there, as they had laid eggs inside their bodies. We also see symptoms of sickness in Ajoa (the NPC who either dies or survives depending on your choices) because of that.

Despite that, other NPCs tell us that a mimesome doesn’t experience allergies and that they keep the humans safe from germs and contaminations which means they can’t get sick.

I’ve seen other speech bubble dialogue pop up when you walk past NPCs, talking about the ration bars BLADE use when they are out in the field (unfortunately I didn’t take screenshots at the time because I didn’t think I’d make a blog with all that neat trivia. They didn’t say anything important, just talked about the taste of these things).

If they didn’t need to eat at all, I figure they’d just pass on eating while they are on a mission since it’s just additional hassle – which is why I believe that (part, if not all) those organic components make up the digestive system. A lot of parasites do settle in the intestines, so I feel this is most likely the case.

 Other neat things I found:

We know that mimeosomes are supposed to mimic the actual human as close as possible when it comes to looks, but there are a few NPCs that tell us that there is a bit of leeway included when it comes to outer appearance.

 Hair, for example, can be easily swapped out (or in Felice’s case replaced), so there don’t seem to be any restrictions on hairstyle and color. Used to have straight hair and want curls now? Apparently no problem.

In the same dialogue Dorothy tells us that ‘bells and whistles’ is stuff like less weight, get rid of scars, beer bellies, etc. (I really wish I had screenshotted that latter part too, but again, I didn’t think I’d make a blog with this. I tried talking to her again, but I had cleared a chapter or the main story even and the dialogue didn’t pop up again.)

So from how I understand it: As long as it doesn’t concern one’s facial features (you know, that thing that makes a person actually recognizable, like eyes, nose, mouth, jawline, etc. you are good to go. Height, I assume, is one of them. Not sure on eye color, since technically there do exist contact lenses that change eye color) one is free to do whatever they want. Make oneself skinnier, get rid of wrinkles, whatever comes to mind.

And it kinda makes sense, really. The higher-ups would know that people would never get their old bodies back and start over with newly created ones, so things like scars or overweight and other stuff one did to their body (surgeries and tattoos included) wouldn’t carry over anyway. The new body would be a blank slate in regards to that.

Other bits of trivia:

Another NPC says that one can regulate the growth of their hair and nails, even shut it off completely if they so wish.

 (Unfortunately I do not have a screenshot and I don’t remember which NPC that was, so until I go through the game again and actually find it, take this one with a grain of salt.)

One of the NPCs in front of the mimeosome maintenance center (Kent D. Carr) says that sensory impressions like taste are just data that one could easily recreate by uploading them in the mimeosome maintenance center. Which means that any kind of sensation can be recreated as long as it is in the database. (I assume this doesn’t only apply to the taste of say, chocolate cake, but also touch or maybe even visual recreation of something.)

I find it very interesting that this is even possible to do, since mimeosomes can eat and taste well enough to differentiate tastes (if they didn’t why would fellow BLADEs gush about Lin’s food or complain about the taste of the ration bars. And Lin has this whole thing in one of the official short stories where she complains about the canteen food on the White Whale). I guess it is still different from the real thing. Or maybe this is to preserve the taste of food one can’t get on Mira anymore. All human food is synthesized after all and in no way ‘natural’, so it wouldn’t possibly taste the same.

(I actually do have a screenshot of this buuuuuut it’s in German and I took it with my phone because I couldn’t connect the Wii U with the internet at the time. If anyone wishes to see it, I will gladly upload it though.)

The blood substitute is called “biocirculatory plasma”

This is said by Lin in Ch. 5 after Cross gets their arm blown off (screenshot available, but I didn’t deem it necessary to add as it’s a mainstory cutscene). Not exactly missable, but thought I’d throw it in here in case someone needs it for fanfiction or anything. The plasma is also blue, not red, as implicated by the following things:

a.) Mimeosomes are called Blue Bloods in Japanese

b.) After the attack on NLA (Ch. 8) there are NPC who do express their surprise at the humans being blue blooded/mimeosomes.

c.) This picture:

The plasma also has to circulate somehow inside the body so it’s not a stretch to assume that mimeosomes have an artificial heart that acts as pump.

 Ch. 5 also shows that mimeosomes can be shut down to prevent pain or further plasma loss. It is also possible to just turn off the pain response and stay conscious (I think this was said in the Sylvalum mission “Predator and Prey”).

 Mimeosomes are able to feel some sort of “reverse phantom pain”, i.e. feeling the (partial) lack of a body part even though it’s connected and up and running. This is also part of Ch. 5 after the player awakens in the maintenance center and is asked if they feel okay. One of the options leads to this bit of trivia.  

 Okay, I think that was all I had for now. Thanks for reading :D

 If anyone can provide missing screenshots or has found other bits of trivia regarding mimesomes do tell – or even better, submit!

 An extra bonus:

The name mimeosome may come from the Greek μνήμη (mnimi, pronounced as mnee-mee)) and σώμα (soma). Minimi means memory and soma body so the word would basically translate to memory body. And that’s kina dope.

  Not sure if this is right, obviously, the “mimeo” might be latin or some shit (or ancient Greek which is NOT the same, lemme tell you, as a native Greek speaker) and just mean mimic (as in mimic the human body), but, oh well.

Edit:

So, someone in the tags said that “Blue Bloods” is a term used in Japan to describe the rich and exempt (makes sense, here in Germany the nobility used to be referred to as such as well because the veins look blueish against pale skin. And back then pale skin meant you didn’t bust your ass open working in the fields), so basically sth among the lines of “rich and lucky ones” which is a neat bit of foreshadowing that got lost in translation. (I know who you are but since this was just tag-rambling I figured you might wanna keep your name outta this - if not, I can edit your name into the post.)

They also wondered how tf this mix of organic and mechanic components would even work; now, I don’t think the game is ever going to give us an actually coherent and scientifically sound explanation for that - I think they most likely settled on bullet points of what mims can/can’t do to keep things consistent (bc one would need not only a medical, but also a scientific and engineering degree to have a good grasp of everything and I’m sure af the developers didn’t study up THAT meticulously on this), but I was thinking about it, bc ya know, I studied biophysics and find this kinda stuff interesting af.

And then I remembered that one of the research groups at my university studies the interaction between organic molecules and solid surfaces.

This kind of research can be used to get new insights on how those molecules function, and also helps developing better prostheses (in regards to biocompatibility) - obviously they aren’t trying to make artificial organs or anything related to mimeosomes, but it IS a pretty big field afaik. 

Organic molecules can be viruses or bacteria for examples - and bacteria are a very important part of our intestinal flora.

So, what if a mimeosome’s intestinal tract is made out of a material that those kinda bacteria can thrive on? (It can’t be cells imo, bc human cells have to replace themselves very regulary. Intestinal cells get replaced every 2 - 4 days for example - and making use of life cells that need renewal seems to defeat the purpose of almost-immortal machines since the point was to live in and with them as long as possible as it was unclear when they’d find a new planet to settle on.) Gut flora can digest carbohydrates and certain sugars, so there is a starting point as to how mims could digest food. These bacteria can’t break down everything, but it is common practice in life sciences to use bacteria as hosts to express certain enzymes (even though they weren’t native in that bacterium before), so engineering bacteria that could digest all kinds of food doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch to me.

#Xenoblade chronicles X #mimeosome #XBCX #Xenoblade X #mimeosomes

[dirty-xenobladeconfessions]

I don't like that theres a cathedral in new LA, robots are not catholic

how can you be sure

#ask #anonymous #admin shulk #mimeosomes have become CATHOLIC

[batgirlmiracle]

I have a new xenoblade x crack theory now that I’ve finally actually beaten it (spoilers ahead):

I don’t actually think the playable character was ever actually a person. Whatever is on Mira translating languages and trapping interstellar travelers, whether it be a conduit or zohar or whatever, also put cross in the game (also i think the female counterpart should be called mira because it would slap and like... who better to save the planet mira than mira). Cross was placed there as a mimeosome, one without any memories, and one that wasn’t stored in the lifehold. Maybe cross could be less special, make them a prototype experiment that didn’t work out or something. It makes no sense that the player character is the only one without any memory outside of giving them the background of the players choice. I think itd just be dope to actually give the main character some more plot importance than just “rookie on team elma shows up and destroys the ganglion in about 3 months taking a major part in half the missions but they are surprisingly quiet.” Also isn’t it weird that nobody in NLA recognizes the player character from before the crash? Just sayin that it’s kinda sketch. Idk im just rambling but it makes me mad that the player character has no backstory

#mira says things #xcx #xenoblade x #xenoblade chronicles x #xenoblade chronicles

[kentuckywrites]

Imperium 3: Prologue

Hoc est initium. (This is the beginning.)

He was not Pongo. He was something fragmented, torn asunder far past the Interceptor’s identity, stitched back together through Mira’s handiwork. He was not Pongo, nor was he Mira. Both existed here in this body, a base and a repair job respectively. It felt fitting that he give himself a new name, since he was a new person, a new life. 

Mira had admitted once before that names were not its forte. L’Cirufe had given Pongo his name, once upon a distant past, but he couldn’t defer to his judgment, not now. And he was alone here, a complete and utter solitude encased in ice and snow. He needed something that felt right, something that encapsulated him now. Perhaps something that harkened back to his past, an ever constant reminder of how he came to be? At first, the idea stung, a hive of angry wasps buried in his stomach. But…but it felt right. He couldn’t explain it beyond this.

And so he became Starr. The planet hummed below his feet at the decision, content, ready for the implications. This would be the first step, yes, the first of many towards righting his wrongs, becoming better. One step at a time. How many would there be? What did he want his end goal to be? Where was the finish line, what would lie in wait for him beyond that point? Could he truly heal, could he truly keep up in this marathon with so much sorrow and guilt weighing down on his shoulders?

Questions, questions. Too many of them. 

Starr yawned. Though he’d been awake for some short moments, his body ached in ways he didn’t know they could. He stumbled forward on shaking legs, eyes fluttering. The snow was gentle with him, delicately crunching underneath his shoes. Starr realized he was still in Pongo’s clothes, unbearably inadequate for this weather. But did that matter? No, this body wasn’t as susceptible to the whims of the weather, not in the way mimeosomes often were. But that was a good excuse to want different clothes, to shed this identity that had claimed this body for years, stained with memories and trauma and fear and shattered dreams. It wasn’t going to be Starr’s job to keep up Pongo’s failing masquerade. 

A gentle gust of wind pushed him forward, and in the distance, he could make out what seemed like tiny huts. A memory fizzled to the surface, and for a moment, Starr called upon it. But he furrowed his brow when he realized who it belonged to. Pongo, while rampaging as a Telethia, remembered attacking the Desserta Caravan. He’d been called Starr then - did that make the memory his? Shaking his head, he decided that it favored him then, especially since he was seeking shelter. He’d go through the minute details later.

He yawned again. No, how was this possible? Starr had entered the world tired, he’d fallen into the snow and had slept for a long time, long enough that the sky had changed colors in his conscious absence. Damn Pongo, damn him to hell and back for not taking care of this body that the planet had so graciously constructed, damn him for never being strong enough to protect those he loved and damn him for his foolishness and naivety, damn him for even existing, what a mistake he’d been -

“Who out there?”

Starr looked up, squinting. He’d gotten closer to the huts, to the caravan, without ever knowing he’d continued walking. A Nopon stood a few yards away, a comically large broadsword on his back and a wind poised to grab its hilt. Starr didn’t dare to move, not now. And how was he supposed to respond? He could tell this Nopon his name, but not who he was, not how he got here, not yet, not -

He yawned again. His knees gave out and he fell face first into the snow. The Nopon cried out, a curse flying in the breeze, and Starr was forced into slumber once more.

~

“...collapsed outside caravan! Froyoyo had to drag body to hut all by himself!”

“No complaining, hubbypon! Did right thing and saved flesh tree’s life by doing so - Tutti Frutti, what mamapon tell you about coming in unannounced? Very busy right now!”

Starr’s eyes fluttered open, his vision unclear. He felt warm, and he quickly discovered he was underneath quite a few blankets. He shifted, trying to look around, gauge his surroundings, when a rather round pink furball blocked his view, staring down at him with wide blue eyes. A Nopon, yes, a very concerned Nopon who seemed relieved that he was awake.

“Hubbypon, get littlepon to grab thermonanas! Flesh tree is awake!” She urged someone outside of Starr’s field of vision before turning back to him. “How flesh tree feeling? What flesh tree doing outside all alone?”

A question that prompted an answer. Starr was granted the opportunity to speak, to test out his voice with someone who wasn’t himself. Something about it made him nervous, and so he quivered with each word that left his lips. His voice echoed, indicative of the two beings that had fused into one, and almost immediately the Nopon’s interest was piqued. 

“We were…we were tired. We have had a long day and did not know where to seek shelter.”

“Hmph! Good thing hubbypon found you then,” She admitted with a flap of her wings. “Caravan best shelter in all Cocytios. If flesh tree had stayed out there much longer, cold would’ve taken you!”

“We are aware of the dangers,” Starr responded, “And we did not mean to cause any trouble -”

“No trouble! Always happy to help,” She interrupted, “Now, where Vanala’s manners…Vanala is Vanala! What new friend’s name?”

I am Pongo, with the Interceptors.

I am Mira, the planet you stand on.

He sat himself up, pushing some of his hair away as strands went to block his face. Vanala’s wings extended, positioned near his back in case he lost balance. But as he crossed his legs in the makeshift bed, as his hands clutched the blankets that had fallen around him, piled up like the snow he’d tried to avoid outside, Starr gave an answer he didn’t have time to regret.

“...We are Starr. Just Starr.”

Familiarity hit Vanala in an instant. He could see the war inside her, the confusion, the pain. A memory flashed in Starr’s mind, one of a tiny caravan below his feet, a fight with humans and a native Miran calling his name as he flew back into the clouded skies, annoyed at the wounds he’d sustained, annoyed that he couldn’t toss around a Nopon or two -

Shit.

“Starr was name of big furry dragon that attacked caravan not long ago according to Sollypon.” Vanala whispered, “But friend claims same name…is friend…”

This had to be the first step forward. There was no denying this part of Starr’s past, and it was perhaps the easier of many steps he’d have to take. He didn’t have the heart to admit that he’d taken the name for a reason, a reason buried in self-deprecation and guilt and a constant reminder of the darkness inside of him, but he was strong enough to recognize the need for an apology. His name had taken responsibility for his actions. To cower from the truth was to grant Pongo more respect than he deserved.

“We were the Telethia that attacked your caravan,” Starr explained quietly, “It is a long story, but we…we were not in our right mind. It was thanks to Solstice and their companions that we were able to come back from that state. We…there are not enough words to describe our guilt. We are sorry that we caused this pain.”

A pause, a flicker in time where no words were spoken, where silence became them both. Starr blinked, and in that short reprieve of darkness, Vanala chuckled. “Starr need not apologize. Vanala just happy everything worked out. No Nopon in Desserta Caravan were hurt during attacks, though hubbypon argue his pride took good beating. Though…Vanala very curious about how flesh tree can become Telethia. Is right only for F’lenla A’slegn, no?”

I became a monster thanks to the Ganglion. Humanity has nothing to do with it. 

Though you were never truly human, were you? You were always my creation. A mirror of humanity, no doubt, but not truly human.

Perhaps. Did…did you try to fight it? When -

They erased me from you. I could not even if I wanted to, which is why I am -

“Starr?”

Starr shook his head. “Yes, our apologies. We were lost within ourselves. You were inquiring about how we were able to transform?”

“Yes yes! Though if question too sensitive for Starr -”

“No, it just requires more of an explanation than you likely think,” Starr interrupted. At least he could explain that part of himself, at least he could divulge that aspect of Pongo without caving in on himself. After all, it was one of the biggest parts of Pongo that he had to live with. An avatar and its creator, one in body and mind and soul…

“Well, Vanala suggests rest for now! Feel free to tell Vanala story after Starr has gotten some sleep,” She patted his shoulder, “And when Starr wakes, littlepon will have brought thermonanas! Should warm Starr right up.”

“Right. We are grateful, Vanala,” Starr grinned. He wasn’t sure if it was the blankets he was under, or the thought of someone caring for him, but he laid down feeling warmer than he ever had before. He would be okay. This would take getting used to, but he would be okay.

I made a promise to you. I will uphold that no matter what comes our way.

I know you will. 

Starr drifted off to sleep for the third time that day, and though the feeling was still foreign, the warmth from within was comforting enough to bring him peace.

#xenoblade x #Imperium 3: Prologue #COME ON AND SLAM #AND WELCOME TO THE JAM #who's ready for the PAIN TRAIN BABEY

[emblemxeno]

I’ve heard that the common opinion is that the really great writing in Xenoblade X comes from the side quests and affinity missions more than the main story and so far I agree with that.

The main story isn’t bad by any means at all, I loved the mimeosome twist and the introduction of a possible traitor for example. Same with Elma hiding a secret of some kind.

But man the side missions have been knocking it out of the park. Inner turmoil within BLADE, grudges and past history, an actual supposed murderer is a member and Irina is familiar with her, Hope’s assistant literally was using her for money and killing off BLADE mims for hostile xenos and said assistant took her own life once she was found out...

It’s very entertaining, and that’s the real meat that I’ve been taking out of the game’s writing so far.

And also pls let Mia be a BLADE she’s trying really hard.

#xenoblade #xenoblade chronicles #xenoblade chronicles x #elma xenoblade #lin lee koo #lin xenoblade #hope xenoblade #hope alanzi #irina xenoblade #irina akulov #mia xenoblade #no spoilers please #tw suicide mention

[linkstar-number1]

I still don’t have photoshop access, and I don’t know when I will again, but here’s a sketch I made of my Xenoblade X avatar, Nicole, and her Monado. The design of Nicole’s Monado is based off of the design of Zanza’s Monado from the first Xenoblade. Her Monado was created from what was left of her old flameholder power trapped in her mimeosome combining with... something else. Like her old power, it’s fire-based and can shapeshift into other weapon types, including her preferred dual sword style. (This is just headcanon and not part of the actual game)

#Xenoblade Chronicles X #Xenoblade X #Xenoblade #Cross (Nicole Sera) #Monado

[calamitaswrath]

Warning: Use of Lifepod may lead to altered self-perception or gender identity Words: 12,873 Summary: Yardley builds a House of Cards, and Cross takes residence in it, or: Cross receives the option to alter their mimeosome, and gender trouble ensues.

For the first time in literal years, I wrote something that'd count as a fic, and actually posted it! Not much else to say here, other than that I figured that I might as well post about it here, and hope that from the ten people in the Xenoblade X fandom on here, at least some are interested in reading this.

#xenoblade #xenoblade chronicles x #xenoblade x #xbcx #xcx #cal posts stuff #partly kinda nervous about posting this at all #but let's be honest realistically this'll get barely any attention #still whatever feedback it does get I'll appreciate it

[xenoblademisadventures]

Xenoblade X's writing is overhated. It has issues, but it also has a number of things that it does better than the other titles. Here are some things X's writing does really well:

X handles its themes the best. The amount of detail it goes into about how societies and people will react to mass death is very impressive. I think the game uses its scope and genre really well for that purpose as well. 1 abandons its themes for plot constantly while 2 executes its themes in poor or problematic ways. X sticks hard to its themes and elaborates on them, especially in its sidequests.

X has some really nice foreshadowing. Given, the majority of it probably hasn't come into fruition. But one thing I really liked in 1's story that I was sad to see deemphasized in 2's was Xenoblade's style of foreshadowing. It made replaying the game a trip and it was just really fun. I think X does this quite a bit too and I love it.

X's mimeosome plot twist was really well done. The actual reveal was sudden and one of the only instances where the game takes advantage of the random self insert well in its main story. The twist also just remains relevant on every level. It never stops impacting the main story. It's relevant to a lot of sidequests. There's a gameplay mechanic based around it. And there are several follow-up twists that play off of it. The foreshadowing was kind of minimal, but it was noticeably there. Mimeosomes is just a really well handled plot twist because it feels like an addition to the plot that really gets played with in interesting ways.

X has the best written sidequests out of any of the games by far. 1 has a lot of fetch quests while 2's sidequests emulate X's in terms of them feeling like side stories involving random NPCs, but X's Normal Missions, especially, often feel like they contribute to the core of X's story. You can't get a full view of X's themes, the consequences of the narrative, or even some major plot twists and events, without engaging in the sidequests and NPC dialogue. That could be seen as good or bad, but it makes X's story less character driven and more zoomed out. X's Normal Missions also take advantage of the self insert character and have you making a lot of meaningful choices. Sidequest chains have arcs with rising tension and conclusion. If you play the game, you cannot get the full experience without engaging in the side content.

Besides the sidequests, X just has really fleshed out NPCs. It's certainly a thing that some of the sidequest antagonists are legitimately better written than some of the major story antagonists by a very noticeable margin. Probably my favorite NPC is Erio, who goes through a stronger character arc than several voiced characters through her series of sidequests. The NPCs feel like actual characters rather than props, which is impressive considering that there are literal hundreds of them. 1 and 2 also do this to an extent, but it was the most promoninent in X.

People don't give the character writing in this game enough credit. The fact that every single character, including major, minor, and NPC characters has a slightly different reaction and perspective on Earth blowing up is actually incredible. And those perspectives all make sense and are interesting. X really should have elaborated on a lot of its secondary characters, but they never really felt like they weren't thought out. Lao is the only playable character that really recieved the focus he deserves and his story is really damn good.

The confrontation in Chapter 11 is my favorite moment in the series. Seeing Elma's and Lao's perspectives clash, where they're both coming from, and Lin's reaction is also really damn good. I also like how the scene gets paralleled in Chapter 12. It's really strong character work.

I fucking love Elma. I love her seeing her worldview and how different it is from any other protagonist in the series. She's pragmatic but caring. She accepting and diplomatic but willing to throw down. She's just really level minded except that one time with Goetia. She acts almost like the events of X aren't even really her first time dealing with something like this. It's also interesting that her biggest fear was being rejected by the ppl she's put in so much to protect and their answer being "obviously we accept you." Normally that kind of character writing isn't phrased as a plot twist, but it's interesting that it was here since ppl can be on the other side of that. Also she's cool as fuck 😎. Why are half of her attacks at least as flashy as 2's Blade arts? Amazing. I want more Elma. She and Mythra are my two favorite characters in the series.

X has this really great sense of mystery with its environments. This isn't literal writing, but it's still a form of storytelling. The rings in Oblivia are a good example. They immediately stick out and make the player wonder "what are those?" "who built them?" "what happened?" And you're going to be hard pressed to find an answer to that question. There's other stuff in the game's world that invokes that feeling. You can find incomplete answers to some of them and form theories by connecting NPC dialogue to collectible descriptions, but the larger point is that they do a good job invoking questions and theories in the first place. X's world design is good at that.

I think it's funny that every enemy species in the game has a multi paragraph essay about their biology and how they operate. It's a meme that mating patterns are brought up frequently, but it's a fun amount of worldbuilding that give more life to the already really alive feeling enemies. X has really extensive worldbuilding that just isn't in the other games.

Overall, X has a zoomed out writing style. I believe the reason people dismiss it is that X doesn't have a lot of good emotional impacts or escalating stakes in its main story. At the beginning of the game, your goal is to find the Lifehold Core. At the end of the game, you prevent the Lifehold Core before it runs out of battery and you stop it from being blown up by one of the aliens that blew up Earth. There are very few points in the plot where the main characters are brought to their limits. And that's because the major characters don't have clearly defined arcs. Lin wants to make flying skells to honor her parents, who died in an engineering accident, she does this in a side story. Elma is super focused and dedicated to humanity's survival but the nuances of that are challenged exactly once. She spends the majority of the game largely unreadable and she only becomes interesting in retrospect. The flashiest character writing happens in sidequests, which people are likely to miss due to X not giving the player any reason to assume they'd matter (on top of sidequest NPCs usually being harder to remember due to the generic nature of NPCs).

Xenoblade X's writing is really good, but the things that makes it good and the places that are good differ so much from the strengths and weaknesses of 1 and 2's writing that there's no guarantee overlap between the two. 1 and 2 have more cathartic stories than X, but X has a much more macro one.

I'd like to briefly bring up Majora's Mask because Xenoblade X tells its story in a very similar manner. With Majora's you will still get the themes of disaster and death if you rush the main story, but you'll be missing a lot of the atmosphere, stories, and nuances if you do that because every NPC is writing like their own person while the protagonist is mostly just a vector to view those stories from. I think Majora's does this better than X by quite a bit, but X has a similar structure with how it tackles its themes. I'd like to see more games that take advantage of their NPCs to tell their stories.

#xenoblade chronicles x #xenoblade x spoilers #xenoblade chronicles 2 #xenoblade chronicles #spoilers are kept as vague as possible but theyre still alluded to #the true plot twist is that x's writing is at least decent despite popular opinion

[magikalgaming]

Nintendo’s Xenoblade Chronicles X and Carl Sagan’s Contact study the fireplace in rapt attention.

Drink of Choice:  Watered down instant coffee that turns out to be flavored hot chocolate

As far as science fiction goes, no one can doubt the foundational text that is Carl Sagan’s Contact (1985). As the title suggests, the novel focuses on the overarching issue in most all alien narratives - meeting an Other. Self and Other are traditionally dramatized and further separated into a binary in science fiction - but Contact instead blurs the lines to reveal that our differences are fabrications we performatively state into existence. In a similar fashion, Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015)  plays on the player’s unawareness of the narrative’s context. Suspension of disbelief is used against the player in order to break traditional views of Self and Other, just as Contact utilizes scientific logic against methodical readers to underscore the unknown of space and existence.

Is “contact” between a Self and Other defined as a mutually recognized, mutually acknowledged social encounter, or can it be:

 ✨a biological encounter?

 ✨recognized only by one party?

 ✨between robots or non-conscious technologies and humans?

 ✨between humans/humanoid aliens and an organic source (a planet)?

When we categorize contact in colonial and science fiction narratives we almost always seek to find a distinct difference between the protagonist and the “alien”. Normally, this difference begins as a physical, visible one. Because one can look different but culturally, morally, be similar to us, the event of “contact” can be the only real indication of non-visible similarity or difference. The meeting between the alien and the human provides tools to help distinguish where the line truly lies.

Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015) is a Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) from the Xeno series. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a spin-off title from Xenoblade Chronicles. There are no narrative connections aside from themes of singularity, colonization, faith, and precursor technology. A war between two alien species has caused the decimation of Earth.

Humanity creates large spaceships (arks) with resources and humans on board with the help of an unknown alien. Only a few survive. Xenoblade Chronicles X focuses on the ark The White Whale that crash lands on the uncharted planet Mira. We find that the humans are descendants from the Samaarians (one of two groups in an ancient alien feud), thus why the Ganglion (the second group) have sought to destroy their original planet.

Contact has similar themes like faith and colonization, but ultimately it’s a book about preparing for the event of contact between Self and Other. Main character and genius Ellie is the director of a radiotelescope called “Project Argus”. The project exists to search for and prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Upon finding and decoding a signal, Ellie and a slew of other researchers/countries race against one another to build the blueprints found inside the transmission. Most of the book is about the process rather than the result.

Taking these two narratives into consideration, it becomes apparent that the science fiction plots actually masquerade a more base and primal fear - fear of the unknown. Both protagonists suffer from not knowing themselves fully, and both protagonists’ populaces are unsure about their purpose for being nor how they came to be. Xenoblade Chronicles X further aggravates this variable by revealing that the people of New Los Angeles are human consciousnesses within robot bodies called Mimeosomes. To get to this event, the player witnesses his/her arm being cut off to reveal wires and metal.

The protagonist is as shocked as the player would be. In this way, the line between Self and Other considerably blurs and confuses the player. In similar fashion, upon finally meeting the aliens on Vega, Contact’s Ellie and her team of scientists are surprised to find the aliens have disguised themselves. They chose the physical form of people the team has known and passed away. Ellie speaks with her dead father, with whom she has mourned for most of the novel. Instead of finding difference between themselves and the Aliens, Contact showcases a capacity for connection. The binary becomes loose, amorphous, and ceases to be a binary at all.

As scary as space is, so too is death. Both are the most talked about and feared unknowns. In a post-credits scene, a team led by Elma in Xenoblade Chronicles X enter The Lifehold (a place where the databases containing the populace’s memories reside in), and they find that the databases have been destroyed since the White Whale crashed on their Mira. As this means everyone in New L.A. should be dead and long gone - their mimeosomes inoperable - Elma speculates that somehow Mira is preserving them. In this narrative, escaping death becomes just as terrifying as dying. A black screen at the end of the game reads:

This vague message ends the game, which implies a direct sequel (never made) or an impossibility of the narrative having a complete ending. Tetsuya Takahashi, a main creator of the Xenoblade series, says he developed Chronicles X as a side game in order to create something that focuses on the Unknown. Hence “X” in the title. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a game that keeps both players and characters in the dark. The narrative plot constantly shifts in directions that are unanticipated. Like Contact, the progenitor race is ignorant to larger, older forces. Elma’s shock in the last cutscene shows her own shortcomings and those of her ancient race. The very concept of contact is upset and inverted in this game’s narrative, challenging players to redefine the “human” and the “alien”. Contact occurs in Xenoblade Chronicles X’s narrative despite humans, BLADE, Elma, or the player not knowing it. It occurs in Carl Sagan’s novel between disguised aliens and confused humans, who become frustrated with not really knowing nor meeting the alien race.

🌠Does contact have to be a mutually acknowledged, social event from two     humanoid parties, or can it take form in other ways with non-humanoid beings?

🌠If humans fundamentally change, take the mimeosome format, does this change the nature of the human, and therefore the nature of human contact? Would Self and Other as defined in our time alter accordingly?

“🌠This story is never ending” - Are stories of contact never-ending? Does meeting an alien species, like the Ganglion, only lead to meeting another, and another, and another? 

🌠Is there a contact to end all contacts, or like we see in the after-credits sequence of Xenoblade Chronicles X, is there always something that will be unknown?

Credits and Sources

Sagan, Carl. Contact. Simon and Schuster, 1985.

Xenoblade Chronicles X. Wii U, 2015.

Pictures in order of appearance:

1. Spartan, http://sep7agon.net/gaming/xenoblade-chronicles-x-review/

2. The League of 42, http://theleagueof42.com/tag/carl-sagan/

3. Everyday Power, https://everydaypower.com/carl-sagan-quotes/

4. Play Asia, https://www.play-asia.com/xenoblade-chronicles-x/13/702tnq

5. nerevars, https://www.reddit.com/r/QuotesPorn/comments/3kesrv/the_universe_is_a_pretty_big_place_carl_sagan/

6. Xenoblade.wikia.com

7. Paula Ghete, https://paulaghete.com/10-quotes-by-carl-sagan-that-will-amaze-you-and-inspire-you-to-be-better/

8.  Xenoblade.wikia.com

9.  Brian, https://nintendoeverything.com/xenoblade-chronicles-x-executive-director-on-hd-development-and-more/

#game studies #videogames #xenoblade #xenobladechroniclesx #space #unknown #literaturetheory #carlsagan #contact #analysis #comparativemedia

[xenobladeimagines]

Daily shouting match at the Mimeosome maintenance center:

“Do you know how hard it is to clean blood out of carpet?? Do you???”

“Do you know how hard it is to fix dumb and drunk people??? Do you????”

#xenoblade chronicles x #xenobalde x spoilers #this will make sense tomorrow #shitpost

[killscreencinema]

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

Xenoblade Chronicles X, released by Monolith Soft “X”-clusively for the Wii U in 2015, takes place on an alien planet named Mira, where the last remnants of humanity have crash landed after Earth was decimated by a mysterious alien force known as the Ganglion.  The human survivors live on in the form of “mimeosomes”, which are enhanced cyberorganic duplicates, which are being controlled remotely by their real bodies while in stasis in a massive vault known as the Lifehold.

You play as a freshly revived from stasis new recruit in an organization known as BLADE, whose mission statement, besides gathering resources and fending off hostile creatures for the residents of the fledgling city of New Los Angeles, is to find the Lifehold, which was lost during the crash landing, before it runs out of power, killing the rest of humankind in the process.  The only problems is that BLADE is in a race to find the Lifehold against their old pals, the Ganglion, who are committed to finishing the extermination they started.

I normally don’t go into so much detail about a video game story, but goddamn if this one didn’t capture my imagination like no other video game in awhile, especially a J-RPG, with all of their tired tropes.  In fact, while I greatly enjoyed the first game, Xenoblade Chronicles, I found the story to be disappointingly banal, especially from a studio like Monolith, who are known for complex plots since the days of ye olde PlayStation with Xenogears (when the creative team was working under Squaresoft).  I love the idea of humans rebuilding civilization, with their main hub of New Los Angeles having the familiar California architecture juxtaposed against a strange, alien landscape.  I love the idea of these people being trapped in cyber-organic bodies, which if killed, would merely trap their consciousness back in their real bodies in stasis.  What a mind trip it would be for someone close to you to die, but if you’re able to find where their real body is tucked away, you might have a chance to bring them back for realsies!  To the game’s credit, it deeply explores both the negative and positive psychological implications of such an existence, albeit in a melodramatic fashion one comes to expect from most anime (which J-RPGs are basically offshoots of).  The characters are all well-rounded, with Elma, your commanding officer and all around badass bitch, being my favorite.  I even love what Elma says whenever she levels up:

“Strength comes from experience.  That’s true on any planet.”

Meanwhile, whenever my character leveled up she’d exclaim “MY GROWTH SPURT!!!”  Which is... weird.  I guess it’s better than your 13-year-old teammate, Lin, yelling that. 

You’re well-advised to spend most of your time with Elma and Lin, getting them nice and strong.  You can also choose fourth party member from a variety of characters you meet along the way.  The longer you spend time with your team completing missions, the more your affinity grows with them.  One you reach a certain affinity level, it opens a personal side-quest with each respective character, which are worth doing not only to further dive into the story, but for the “fortune and glory, kid, fortune and glory”, as Indiana Jones would say.

While I can’t say enough things about the story, the gameplay is just as solid and immersive.  It plays basically just like its spiritual predecessor, for it should be noted at this point that gameplay is the only thing is has in common with the first game as it does not continue the story.  It’s almost like how Mega Man X *kinda* continues the story of the original Mega Man series, but with a darker, more sci-fi tone.  Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2 are pure fantasy (with a lil bit of sci-fi), while Xenoblade Chronicles X is sci-fi fantasy all the way.  It’s pretty much the J-RPG version of Mass Effect, but without all the sex.

The battle system is in real-time, with your various special moves set up in slots.  You can unleash them at will, or wait for your comrades to request a specific move, which is optimal as it is one of very few ways to heal your party.  Plus, those special attacks have to recharge, so you don’t want to be stuck with no specials while your party’s HP is in the red, and one of them is begging for a heal.  Aw~kward!  I do like how streamlined it feels as opposed to the kind of turn-based fighting I’m used to in J-RPGs, although it’s always stressful not being able to control the three other party members beyond issuing generic squad orders like “Concentrate your fire” or “assemble with me” or “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE” before running from danger like King Arthur and his knights running from that bunny in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

You’ll be using that order a lot by the way as, similarly to the first game, low level enemies cohabit alongside extremely high level enemies all over the world maps.  While most of the time the super strong monsters will ignore your existence, unless you pick a fight or bump into them, others might not have such a chill disposition and will prefer to trample you instead.  Running into an area populated by high-level enemies can feel a lot like when you accidentally wander into a dangerous neighborhood.  There’s nothing like looking for a rare item in a cave only to realize it’s full of enemies twice your level, so you carefully back away like the Homer Simpson meme:

You might think I’m complaining, but I actually really enjoyed this in both games, as it really makes it feel like a truly open world and having to tread softly or risk sudden annihilation from a level 80 tyrant you didn’t know was there makes it feel more like an adventure.  That being said... it can also be incredibly infuriating when you’re flying around in your mech suit, which are called “Skells” in this game, and you innocently bump into a powerful bad guy only for him to promptly blow up your Skells, leaving you with a salvage cost in the MILLIONS.  Yep, that’s when you normally “save scum” by loading up a previous save, but damned if they didn’t make it a pain in the ass what with the obscene loading times and all the fucking menu screens you have to press A through.  While it’s true that players who are savvy about planting mining beacons in the most optimal way to earn money will have more credits than they know how to spend, you will trash your Skells a lot, and that shit adds up, especially when you’re trying to save for more powerful Skells or expensive equipment.

By the way, I don’t want to understate how fucking cool it is that you get a giant mech robot to ride in halfway through the game.  I was already onboard with Xenoblade Chronicle X before that happened, so adding a giant mech robot to the mix is like discovering for the first time how freaking delicious Fritos are in chili.  Like... I love chili, but I had not idea it could be improved THIS much with Fritos!  And just as the initial buzz of getting a Skell starts to wear off, YOU GET A FLIGHT MODULE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO FLY ALL OVER THE MAP WITH IMPUNITY!  Hey, you like chili and Fritos?  Howz about a blow job too?  I mean, you’ll have to listen to an irritatingly catchy J-pop song while you’re getting the blow job, but still awesome!

 Which finally brings us to the music.  Holy shit.  The music is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, who did the music for the anime series Attack on Titan.  There are lots of great tracks for the game... well except for both the day and night themes for NLA, which will get stuck in your head so much you’ll scream into your pillow while trying to sleep at night (meanwhile in your brain you keep hearing, “Uh, yeah, uh, yeah, oh oh oh”).  Even the worst track is forgivable if only because the main theme to game, innocously titled “Theme X”, is one of the most goddamn beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard in a game in years.  Listen and let the goosebumps wash over you:

It’s obvious I love the game, but there are negatives too.  For one, I didn’t finish the game, because HOLY HELL are the final bosses difficult.  Firstly, any hope that you have of beating them is with your Skells, so should they get wrecked somewhere along the way, there’s no way to bring them back, so you’re SOLAMWF (or “Shit out luck and mighty well fucked” as George Carlin coined).  If you saved before the fight, your heard was in the right place, but guess what?  You’re fucking trapped.  You can’t leave to buy a stronger Skell or level grind.  It’s a goddamn dead end, emphasis on the word “dead”.  Fortunately, being a seasoned RPG player, when Elma asked me not only once, but TWICE, if I was ABSOLUTELY sure I’m ready to enter the Lifehold, I got the subtext and didn’t save once inside.  However, stupidly, I did save after accepting the final mission, which effectively locks out the affinity missions, which can be much less redundant way to level grind than doing the “Basic Missions” (which consists of tasks like fetch quests and monster bounties).  I tried like hell to grind to level 50 and save up enough credits to buy a level 50 Skell (which were the minimum recommendations for evening the odds against the boss), but I still couldn’t beat him. 

So out of frustration and boredom, I rage quit the game and moved on to something that will hopefully be a lot less strenuous... Bloodborne (wah-waaaaaah).  I like Xenoblade enough that I’ll return to it and continue grinding away until I eventually beat it.

So yeah... Xenoblade Chronicles X is pretty fucking great. I would cautiously nominate it as the best RPG you’ll play on the Wii U (below Breath of the Wild of course). 

#xenoblade chronicles x #Monolith Soft #jrpg #wiiu #nintendo #rpg #role playing games #scifi #skells #video games #xeno #anime