#please square enix don’t do this to me again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

scrollsfromarebornrealm · 2 years

Text

scree.

Alright, so this has been banging around in my mind, I’m on lunch break in powerpoint hell, so you know what, it’s old gamer lady stands on porch and screams hours--aka my unhinged ranting on whatever topic my brain’s latched onto.

Case in point:

The reason why I’m going off? The other day on Twitter, I came across a fanart. It depicted Estinien praying at the feet of a statue of Aymeric.

Let me repeat that. Estinien praying. At the feet of a statue of Aymeric.

When I tell you my brain had A MOMENT when it realized what I was looking at. And then I thought about it--and I realized that at least in my experience so far, I’d not really seen anything in fandom media (aside from that art) that even dared to broach the deeper implications of Estinien being changed by and bearing/actively using Nidhogg’s aether. Everything’s been mostly been one’s comfort level/flavor of dragon claws/scales/eyes/dick

(Do not @ me. I’m calling myself out on this too. AM I WRONG?! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?)

(also literally, if there has been more stuff examining this please feel free to point this out and send it my way.)

So yeah. Estinien and just what life might be like for him now/possibly turn into/WHATEVER THE HELL because hey guess what he’s gone dragon, in more ways than one! And Endwalker I feel decided to go ‘hey, let’s point this shit out!’

EXAMPLE:

This scene I feel was pretty much Square Enix deciding to take out the baseball bat on Estinien’s alteration (not to mention FINALLY DRAGGING THIS MAN BECAUSE FOR HOW LONG HAVE WE NOT BEEN ABLE TO? DRAG HIM DOWN TO THE SEVEN HELLS, LET’S FUCKING GO)

And then following that, when Varshaan’s duplicity is revealed, Vrtra makes a point to specifically say that he and Estinien knew each other immediately, yet instead of ‘baring fangs’, they settled for just side-eying each other and seeing who would crack first. While ‘baring fangs’ can be implied just in terms of disagreement/violence, I think it’s rather telling that Vrtra decided to phrase it in possibly how dragons might traditionally deal with another’s enroachment on their territory.

(in this case, one elder wyrm trespassing in another elder wyrm’s domain)

And it doesn’t let up. Estinien doesn’t back down when the Final Days hit Raz-at-Han, effectively nudging Vrtra into more cohesive action with a combination of biting words and reassurance, much like how Nidhogg might have been. Speaking to him before the Hyadalyn fight he mentions ‘his eyes’, where one might have expected him to just say “Nidhogg’s eyes’. In Ultima Thule he directly confronts the dragons’ despair--again, much like how an elder wyrm would have done.

But I’m digressing a bit, back to the main topic.

To start with, we don’t know if Estinien has any physical alternations from Nidhogg’s possession. The idea of scales/claws/eyes/dick is purely fandom. We do have an image of him half naked (the Pandemic Picture) and so far on that front he looked like a normal elezen male.

What we do know that is that he’s insanely powerful--and honestly, all the Scions are, by this point it can be argued the WoL and Scions are practically in demi-god territory--but Estinien seems to have carved out a spot specifically for himself. For me at least in terms of physical health and fitness, I noticed that when Meteion attempts to kill the party via suffocation as they arrive in Ultima Thule, Estinien’s one of the last Scions to collapse from lack of air. In fact (and I’m probably wrong on the timing, like so many things in this I’m open to correction), he falls, and then the Warrior of Light is right behind him. When Thancred’s sacrifice overpowers Meteion to permit Ultima Thule to have breathable air, the Warrior of Light’s the first one back on their feet, and Estinien’s right behind them. Military training can probably be argued for this point, but I personally find it interesting.

Another aspect that’s probably changed about Estinien may be his senses. I don’t know how good elezen hearing and eyesight was, but he’s probably got WAY better than, now. There’s a good chance that maybe he can see in the dark. Maybe he can shift his vision to thermal view. And here’s an even bigger thing. Maybe Estinien can actually see aether now, and probably use it in some capacity outside of his skills as a dragoon. More than just teleporting from place to place. Maybe he’s on the level of say a beginning magic-caster.

How fast can Estinien heal from injury? What (aside from death) can truly incapacitate him? Going back to that artwork I referenced before. How long can he live for? Has his lifespan been shortened? Has it doubled? Has he basically become partly invulnerable? That as long as he doesn’t get into a truly hairy situation, he’ll live for a VERY FUCKING LONG TIME?

(I’m not saying immortal because *gestures to Ultima Thule*)

What about his capability to reproduce? Can he pass down the powers gained by Nidhogg’s aether to a child he sires? Has he become sterile? Can he actually possibly turn into a dragon and turn back? Or if he turns, is he locked into that form permanently?

*gestures wildly*

Low key, I’m wondering if Estinien’s potentially being set up for something major involving the First Brood and his own physical situation. While Endwalker pointed out how much he’s grown and evolved from ARR, I’m willing to admit that maybe it was just the story, that there might not be anything major coming of this. But the fact does remain that for all intents and purposes, the Scions have a an avatar of the First Brood’s power in their ranks. Given that we don’t know what the Twelve are after-

(hi Aglaia, how you doing, Deryk you still sus as fuck and if you don’t stop the innocent act I’m going to beat you with a motherfucker)

Then in Hydalyn’s absence, it can be argued that Midgardsormr and his brood are technically the planet’s protectors (aside from the Scions and the Lolporitts) which means anything involving the First Brood is an even bigger deal.

But all that aside...what’s his mental state like? It seems like Estinien’s in generally good, if not grumpy spirits, but looking at the possibilities of his alternation--what’s going on in his mind? Has he made his peace utterly and fully with all the changes wrought inside him, and what surprises are yet to come as a result? Or is he taking it all on a case-by-case basis? To me Endwalker seems to indicate yes, but I also feel there’s a lot of wriggle room to suggest possibly otherwise.

Estinien flat out admits that his strength lies in his spear, in his skill in combat. But you have to admit--he’s participated in defeating gods. That alone would make the most battle-hardened solider actually fucking stop and check themselves. You cannot tell me that at some point Estinien didn’t pause and just go ‘what in the entire HELLS’. He is a far cry from the little shepherd boy that he once was, and even further from the dragoon he had originally trained to be.

*end rant*

#ffxiv #estinien wyrmblood #estinien varlineau #old lady gamer hours #the screeching continues #i'm tired and in powerpoint hell here be entertained #and have some food for thought too

28 notes · View notes

bmaxwell · 11 months

Text

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

I had a love-hate relationship with Final Fantasy for a long time. Outside of Final Fantasy Tactics, I’ve never connected with a game in the series despite being a self-proclaimed JRPG fan. I just never managed to find the fun with them. That includes Final Fantasy VII. I remember playing it. I think I made it a little bit into disc 2 before moving onto something else.

So, unlike a lot of folks, I was not anxiously awaiting the remake. Nor was I precious about preserving the sanctity of the original release. For me, it was just a major JRPG release. I usually play those. And so I plunged into my Final Fantasy 7 Remake experience.**

Right off the rip, I love the new combat system. You’re running around and attacking in real time, but when you go into a menu to use an ability or an item, the game slows to down to a crawl that might as well be a pause. This would have saved Final Fantasy X-2 for me. Please, please, PLEASE do not batter me about while I’m digging through menus.

You start off playing as just mopey, grumpy, emo-ass bitch boy Cloud Strife but soon you’ll have a small gang of outlaws and attractive young ladies joining you in combat. Swapping between characters is painless and makes combat feel more interactive than most in the genre.

The game gets into a lot of currently relevant topics such as class disparity, climate change, and the harm inflicted by unchecked, powerful corporations. Even if the game doesn’t always handle these things with the most serious tone* it feels more real and relatable than “The Big Evil is taking over and going to destroy the entire planet.” The story mostly takes place in a poor, working-class community living quite literally beneath the wealthy elites up above them who are killing to planet for their own gains.

Sound familiar?

Anyhoo, Square Enix some way, somehow, announced this game too early, made everyone wait and wait for it, made considerable STORY changes to a beloved classic game...and pulled it off. They could have played it safe with this remake and stuck to the original script, but they bet on themselves and it paid off. It lets players old and new play a game with fresh eyes. Veterans don’t know with certainty where the story is going. Would I feel the same if I had the original release up on a pedestal? I’d like to think so.

I had some concerns with how some aspects of the story would hold up some 20 years later. Like a lot of 90′s media, there’s some casual homophobia going on with Final Fantasy 7. And Cloud’s whole brooding “I’m an asshole because I have a tortured past” along with Aerith and Tifa fawning over him because they can fix him...it all feels a little tired now. Still, the optimism of Tifa and Aerith are a refreshing counter to Cloud’s darkness, and the “Who is best girl?” debate is still alive and well. Tifa? Aerith? Maybe Jessie, who just wants to be Cloud’s fuck buddy? No wrong answers here.

And the whole Honeybee Inn section with Cloud crossdressing was absolutely terrific. Less terrific was the whole Don Corneo section. Some pretty gross implications with Tifa and Aerith being gassed, then left to be gang raped by the dudes that work for Corneo. That made his whole over the top, bumbling persona play pretty poorly for me. Then again, maybe the developers wanted me to feel uncomfortable and to really hate that dude. Mission accomplished.

The DLC centered around Yuffie was a blast as well. She’s fun to play, the Fort Condor minigame was more engaging than it had any right to be, and it got me ready to go for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth which should be out within the year. I do wish Yuffie would button her shorts all way up considering her age, but that’s a me problem. Playing Crisis Core sold me on Zack as a great foil to Cloud personality-wise. I’ll take oblivious and optimistic over mopey and brooding any day of the week.

I’m all in on whatever Square Enix wants to do with the franchise. Nomura take the wheel.

*Nor is it trying to, and I don’t need my Final Fantasy games to be gravely serious **Final Fantasy 7 Remake will forever be entrenched in my mind as last game I played pre-pandemic.

3 notes · View notes

kosakashuntaro · 3 years

Photo

the oresama teacher art book arrived! more pictures below the cut.

the art book is about 100+ pages long, same size as a standard japanese manga volume (so slightly smaller than english volumes, and smaller than A5). it’s full color with a glossy finish and heavier paper weight than usual. because of the small size and paper, it’s quite difficult to take good photos of it. but the artwork inside is awesome, so if anyone has a scanner and would be willing to buy an extra copy, you could share so much cool art...

it’s included on the special edition of oresama teacher #29. i highly recommend buying it!!! it’s super amazing to see all of tsubaki’s colorful art together!

unfortunately, i can’t take many photos, so if you want to see specific characters/artwork/notes, then please message me and i’ll try to deliver.

the book first begins with an intro by miss tsubaki herself!

next, there’s a couple of pages of older artwork from pre-2009. it’s all stuff you’ve seen before so i won’t bother sharing (actually, i won’t share in general unless it’s art i haven’t seen on the internet before). the amount of individual pictures on each page really varies; for some, there are single-page illustrations or even double spreads, but for others, they’ll stuff four or five illustrations on the same page. each illustration has a little note stating what year it was drawn and the source of the image. some pictures have an even bigger note beside them explaining things.

interspersed throughout the book are “item collection” pages that detail merchandise created for oresama teacher. most oresama teacher merch isn’t sold in stores or anything; they’re included in the monthly issues of hana to yume. i think the rubber straps and can badges were the only exception.

this was a bag included in a 2008 issue of hana to yume! tsubaki even included it on a chapter cover spread. i saw this bag on surugaya a while back and wanted to get it tbh... btw, you can also tell how old oresama teacher is by the fact that it had flip phone straps...

then, it’s all chapter cover pages (including that one one-shot tsubaki did). i don’t know what shueisha and square enix got going on, also, but there’s a ton of gekkan shojo crossover art as well. like, does no one ever question how tsubaki’s allowed to do so many crossovers when her characters belong to separate publishers!? or have i got my info wrong...

more merch! this one here was a collectible card created for the 35th anniversary of hana to yume. other hana to yume series should have something similar as well~

next is new year greeting cards. all of these are on her twitter so i won’t post them here, but it’s basically crossover pictures between oresama and gekkan shojo characters.

just some random okegawa and maizono pic i haven’t seen before. it’s from the first drama CD.

a whole page dedicated to those little rubber straps and the initial artwork for them!

i feel like i’ve seen this mafuyu a lot, but never the okegawa side.

it then has artwork from her blog! she doesn’t really use it anymore, though you can still see all the artwork there. and... it even includes the oyayubi kara romance (the magic touch) illustrations as well! she’s not totally ignoring it after all.

after this is drama CD and twitter drawings; just scroll through her twitter to see those. it then goes on to textless, full page hana to yume covers... and volume covers!

sorry, i can only take one photo for example. i don’t want to ruin the book by flattening out the page. but, this is why i’m saying it’s totally a good idea to get an extra copy if you have a scanner, it’s just way too cool to have so much clear and textless oresama teacher art.

after that is artwork done for calendars (including the sexy santa maizono picture). they also show off the new years shikishi and paper bonuses. i’m not really sure what the paper bonuses are, maybe included with the volume editions or something? they put like 10 on the same page so it’s impossible to see them well, though. my favorite is the one where okegawa is daydreaming about mafuyu being his prince, but the picture is really too small to show.

then, there’s some more color chapter covers, and finally, the character profiles! i think this is the same as the one on volume 16 but with less characters. for some reason it includes yamashita but not miyabi, so i truly have no idea where tsubaki’s priorities lie.

that’s the end! i ended up just sharing super old artwork, huh... most of the book is newer art too, oops. once again, i apologize for not being able to post many photos, and if you want to see specific characters/artwork/notes then please tell me.

i really really suggest you buy this book if you’re an oresama teacher fan, there’s just so much amazing artwork and it’s totally worth it!

#oresama teacher #official art #mafuyu kurosaki #reito ayabe #kohei kangawa #yuto maizono #text

51 notes · View notes

neoyi · 3 years

Text

Oh hey, it’s time for another Kingdom Hearts II talking points. This one covers the 1000 Battle of the Heartless.

*FF8′s grand appearance right after FF “Possibly the Greatest Game Ever Made” 7 heralded a lot of Cloud vs. Squall back in the days. This particular moment probably had the fans screaming in their pants (read, me, folks like me); it was clearly an acknowledgement that yes, Square Enix knew about their “rivalry” and had paid tribute by having the two fight together while exchanging light banter.

*Most of the Square Enix characters in the first game fit right into the main plot beyond just their roles as fanservice. I assume it was easier for SE to do what they pleased with Squall and pals since they weren’t restricted by Disney’s mandates.

Kingdom Hearts II falters with a few of them though by adding in mandatory cutscenes and/or scenarios that’s either there for filler or promotion of their current brand. Because what we needed during one of the most pivotal moment in the game is Sora and pals in a forced cutscene because Sephy is back and he’s ready to Dark-Makeout with Cloud again. It sure is a coincidence that FF7: Advent Children came out the same year as this game. Yep. Coincidence.

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine suffer a bit less because they are flimsily tied to Maleficent, working for her before Sora and friends convince them to help Leon (in exchange for treasure, that is.) But their presence is as much of a non-issue to the greater plot - we don’t even see them interacting with Maleficent at any point - and seemingly there to rake up more FF fanservice without feeling earned.

I have no guff with shameless cameos in this game (let's not pretend this game isn't as much a vehicle to get money/promote Square Enix’s brand as it is a labor of love from the creators), but I think I’d have less of an issue with this if the game didn’t already established other FF characters with at least a semblance of plot-relevance (Squall and pals) or kept as unobtrusive cameos (Setzer.) Cloud and the YuRiPa group reeked of them trying both without a good balance, needlessly added in as a Square Enix brand when they already did a particularly good job prior to these shoehorned roles.

*This scene is rare in that no one is speaking, adding to the mystery of whatever the heck this guy is doing to the TRON computer before entering through a secret compartment. What I completely forgot is how long this is. Like this is a good 1:20 seconds after he finished downloading the data and at least a good 25 seconds of him silently walking downstairs while the camera views from overhead. And the last part kills me in a good way because of how unintentionally hilarious that is instead of it trying to be cinematic and secretive.

I love this game. I truly love this stupid game.

*It should go without saying that Xemnas’ main place of rest is called The Chamber of Repose, capital letters and all. Christ, man, you can just call it a “bedroom.”

*I remember Demyx being a much harder boss to fight (”DANCE, WATER, DANCE”). Did I just get better with age or did Final Mix alter him a bit to make it easier?

*Goofy’s “death” was already pointless, but there’s something nice about it giving Mickey and Donald some pathos that isn’t jovial optimism. Plus this entire infamous scene is both a good and bad endorsement of Kingdom Heart’s corniness and that’s beautiful, actually.

*We gonna talk about Serious Shit while I eat my Delicious Sea Salt Ice Cream.

*It goes without saying that the Battle of 1000 Heartless is a monumental moment in the franchise. Whatever I have to say about the series’ haphazard narrative, almost everything that occurs here is presented with such fanfare and urgency. Stuff Happens. Everything from Sora teaming up with the Final Fantasy characters as they individually lend hands, an all-out war composed of thousands of Heartless lead by Maleficent, Nobodies complicating the situation, that Goofy Death Scene (jesus christ), Sora begging Saix to please tell him where Kairi is because goddamn, this kid is a good boyfriend who cares about his girlfriend and dudes should strive to be as devoted as this guy is, Maleficent saving Sora’s bacon and expecting him to stop Organization XIII because the group is hindering both their goals, and eventually a plot twist where every Heartless Sora defeats unleashes its heart, fueling Kingdom Hearts (which I still have no damn clue if it’s metaphysically solid or not) right for the Nobodies to take once, I don’t know, it reaches a certain amount or something.

The last forces Sora into a bit of a mild dilemma because now he has to wonder if what he’s doing is the right thing if it will lead to the Nobodies’ hands (this issue lasts all but five minutes before they decide to keep fighting the good fight because well shit, son, nobody is playing KH to not fight the Heartless.)

And yes, the whole actual Fight of the 1000 Heartless is legitimately still a cool, badass moment where Sora goes King Shit on the creatures. It’s a remarkable part of Kingdom Hearts II and officially heralds the second half of the game, signaling that shit has gone so much worse.

#kingdom hearts #neoyi talks #kingdom hearts II

18 notes · View notes

usagi-mitsu · 3 years

Text

Werlyt & Gaius - a bunch of thoughts.

I am a little late to the party. I know. But I just finished the Emerald weapon and before I go to try out the „not Zenos“ weapon as in „Diamond“, I need to get my thoughts on the story straight.

Perhaps I have been spoiled by 5.0s brilliant MSQ and cannot appreciate the inherent beauty of at least decent writing any longer. But this felt so wrong and out of tune with the rest of the game. I started writing this 2 hours ago! I wanted to one in bed by now! XD But I had to get it out of my system… so….

Spoilers for the MSQ and Werlyt incoming??? And no I did not re-read this so not just spoilers but also writing errors incoming. -.-

The good

These fights are epic! I have only ever cleared the normal versions, but I loved those. They are amazing. The callbacks to Eula (her being a woman here! When did they discover that???), Regula (may he rest in peace) and Gaius himself in his prime were delightful. But I could do with a little less rotating, ok? A dragoon has positional, you know? And being allowed to pilot my very own mecha was like *chefs kiss*. On that front? Well done Square Enix!

I am also glad they were able to get another use out of Porta Praetora! That place looks amazing with the wide open field and the lake – and Ala Mhigo across it. It was one of my favourite Stormblood areas and I am always glad to return there. And of course… being able to visit the allied camp again… And Werlyt itself. It’s simply a beautiful place. It reminds me very much of southern Greece. If you’ve watched the movie Mamma Mia you know what I mean.

The music too was really nice. But I don’t think I’ll… you know… listen to it on repeat as I am doing with other parts of the soundtrack.

I’ve also loved how much amazing lore we got about Garlemald and especially the garlean military. And the military abroad. The way soldiers not from the mainland get treated. I love learning about these things.

Gaius

The man. The legend. The guy yelling in Prae.

He’s so very boring here. He has so much potential as a character and maybe I’m missing something, but all throughout this story he has been nothing but passive. He’s a reactive character in this storyline. You know. The guy who made deals with Lahabread (the d is intended), tried to take over Eorzea, lead a whole army, stood idly by as the moon dropped, almost died but then decided just not to die and then though „hm… I’ve got so much freetime now. How about I go and hunt some ascians?“ That guy is NOT a reactive character. He is active. He goes out of his way to make shit he wants happen. And in here? He seems too starstruck and devastated by his adopted kids actions to actually have one clear thought.

The only explanation I have is that he might have gotten hit in the head by something on his way to the ruby weapon. I get why he would rely on Cid for help, but the WoL??? The alliance? If you wish to be an ally and help or something, fucking act like it. You were a former legatus and I expect you to live up to your name – even after retiring.

And yeah.. I guess it’s hard having to watch your kids willingly, knowingly dying. But you fucking raised them. You are a big part of the reason to why they are in that predicament. So like… Aside from that I don’t even get why you are in this story at all.

And for the record: I’m not sorry for him. I’m just flabbergasted by all the bullshit we’ve been learning about him.

To be quite honest, I think this story could have worked just as well or maybe even better, if we got another man as the „hero“ of the story. I am talking about none other than our engineering, hammer-swinging, ex-enemy - of course talking about Nero!

The MSQ has long established that his research into the Ultimate Weapon had been taken, twisted and turned – Estinien had to experience this first-hand. I’m not saying that Nero was in need of a redemption arc and I cannot remember if these weapons were of his creation or even stem from anything he did, but it would make so much more sense for me, to have him confront his past in the garlean military like this and be responsible for the death of his former colleagues. Soldiers that he served with, whom he faught with. Give me Nero and them working together to get the weapons going and him bonding with them as his pilots to a degree. Comrades. Not that strange familiar bond that Gaius appareantly has with them. … Scratch that: Let Gaius be the father figure. Him being that wouldn’t change Nero’s relationship with them, but maybe his with Gaius as his superior.

The story wouldn’t even need to try and redeem Nero: He has already gone through major character development with the MSQ and the Omega raid tier. It would simply be Nero, confronted with the things he created, hopefully instilling more morals and a sense of responsibility for his creations. Heck: Let Cid yell at the guy! Seriously! Cid sticking around to help out would make so much more sense if it was Nero instead of freaking Gaius! Cid hated the guy! He might be a professional, but he is not one to torture himself by staying around a guy he (as far as I know) detests.

Make Nero the central figure and give Cid and Gaius the roles of „angel and demon“: One desperately trying to reach out to his old friend, reminding him why they became engineers and trying to make him realise that he can’t just run around designing weapons and leaving the scematics for everyone to read; while the other has trouble letting go of his imperial past and is struggling to see the errors of his ways – if Nero was wrong, than he (Gaius) was wrong too -and of course they did all of this for their home, to further their cause, and to bring peace to the savage lands of Eorzea, who had been fighting amongst themselves for so long… You get the point.

And you could still have these gundam themed fights. But I think everything would make so much more sense in general.

But speaking of which-

The children

I do not truly care for any of them. And that is a shame: I do think there are great characters and dynamics hidden behind these very few cutscenes. When they were first introduced I was wondering why I was suddenly watching „heartwarming“ cutscenes of my foes as children – until I realised that I was supposed to care and that they were supposed to make me feel pity for Gaius. I was supposed to feel bad for him, because they died and he blames himself. But while their fates so far have been gruesome, I cannot say that I am sad they died. They chose to die as they did. There were a myriad more options. And they chose that.

Actually. Their whole story makes me feel like they were huge masochist from the very beginning. They could have just run away and gotten help from someone more competent than them, but they stayed in an abusive military arrangement just so nobody else got hurt?? Please. Use your brains next time. And for the Berserk-like torture scene? I mean. I get what was implied here. But was it necessary? As a writer myself I follow the rule that torture and sexual violence should never be used in a story, unless it must be in there for the story to work or to bring across a vital point important to the story or it’s moral (or if you are writing porn and you are into it – but we are talking official in-game content here). But the violence towards these „children“ seems unnecessary for the plot and the violence of their deaths by piloting the weapons is already gruesome enough. Sometimes it’s better to leave things like this out – the emotional torture of feeling stuck and having a martyrs complex would have been enough here, I think. If the rest of the story had been well written at least.

(I believe my utter lack of sympathy shows how little character developement they had. I love tragic characters, who choose to suffer for the good of other people – even better if those people don’t even like them. It’s just my thing. And those kids are just… well.)

Their reasons and especially why they were making Allie out as the one who would need to survive was also just… weird. Like. I feel like 75% of what happened would not have happened, if they actually talked to each other, used their brains and had done something about their problems. But no…

These characters are also so exchangeable with basic anime/j-RPG character tropes… I only remember Alfonse, Rex and Allie – because I just did the Emerald weapon. And right afterwards I thought, „huh. So… Fullmetal Alchemist?“ Which brings me to my third point …

…the story at large.

„Pacing is a virtue“ or was it patience..? Anyhow: The author of this story should have had more patience with his story and characters and taken a bloody break! And I am not talking about the obvious blunder of „How is Allie feeling?“, „she is in shock and you cannot talk to her“ turning to „oh yeah if you are careful you can talk to her now“. I mean. WTF. That was MAYBE 10-20 in-game minutes of dialogue.

But everything was moving so very fast – and not even in a good way. There are few things better than a fast paced, action rich story about a group of young people trying to safe (their) world. But if you try to cram in two expansions worth of character development and story telling into about two hours of content each patch.. Well, then you get whatever the hell this is.

Gaius is a very interesting character and while I did not understand why they needed to bring him back in 4.4 (?), I do see how he could be a good asset for endwalker. And his involvement in 5.0 with Estinien was just a dear delight. So I am not opposed to learning more about him, to watching his character grow and changed with time. But I am not ready for badly written content of which 50% get told by suddenly induced echo-sequences. I mean – weren’t there rules for the echo at some point???

I’m not sure which one of the devs said it, but the feature that let’s you play an NPC is super convenient for them to tell the story, because before they could only show what happened where the WoL was.

And that’s just it. Rule number 1 in writing anything is „Show don’t tell“. It feels like they literally turned this one around for these cutscenes. While Valens torture and diet-Fandaniel-routine were very much „show“, the rest of the story was one long cutscene of exposition: We get exposition by Cid, by Gaius, by echo, by Gaius and his crew again, then by Allie. Before having to watch scenes we are not there for.

BTW. Dear square Enix: Your writers are capable of writing amazing villains, antagonist and despicable assholes. You don’t have to write „asshole, must die“ on Valens name card. And I also think the „WoL, strike here“ sign above his head was a tad bit too much. Nuance, dear writers. Nuance. Or perhaps I just got spoiled by these last few foes in the MSQ.

When I said I wanted to just be able to punch a bad guy for once and not feel bad about it, I did not mean this! I meant that I just wanted to play training dummy with Danny-Boy.

(Oh! And as far as I’m concerned you can just… sideline Gaius … „would be killer“ and the lady? Make them targetable NPCs with Dialoge to read. Let them stand somewhere accessible and comment on the latest developement. But ffs don’t give me hour long speeches about how you are going to kill Gaius if he does something you don’t like. The guy could and would wipe the floor with you if he felt like it. -.- So. Please. Shut up.)

Conclusion

Basically. I have to finish the Diamond weapon. But I doubt it will change my perception of this story line even in the slightest.

To be perfectly honest though … bringing Gaius back, having this story with and about him, forcing a sort of redemption ark here. It feels like they are really „grooming“ him to be a morally grey ally in Endwalker, with perhaps a big part to play in the endgame. At this point I wouldn’t even be surprised if they pulled a GoT and made him „King in the North“. Or if they had him die a heroic death to save the world, but especially his country. And to do so they need us to think his sacrifice means something. Or that he is the right person to lead Garlemald into a new future (I don’t think he is). But: For one, neither we (the players) nor the characters need to find him worthy of throne or death by heroism for his sacrifice/ascension to work. To be a useful tool for the story, only the other garleans who might oppose the alliance and scions need to deem him or his sacrifice „worthy“. And only they. And Ishikawa-san has all of 6.0 to accomplish whatever the hell she needs him for. He did not need to be the center of his own botched redemption ark. If that’s what they wanted to do. Or maybe I’m looking at this all wrong and all they wanted was to give the writes in training some literal training grounds to test their abilities.

But! On a positive note: I have yet to be told that raids and other side content are canon to any degree. So when playing the next story quests I’ll blissfully ignore all that happened in Werlyt and if it get’s mentioned (because they do that sometimes when you’ve done certain content) I’ll just ignore it.

Happy ignoring! Also: GIVE ME MORE NERO CONTENT!

33 notes · View notes

sage-nebula · 3 years

Text

Game Review — Neo: The World Ends With You

In 2008 I played a JRPG unlike any other I had played before, or have played since. It was a self-contained story and for the most part I was okay for it to stay that way, though I was always curious what more could be done in the world, and hated how Square-Enix kept teasing us with the promise of a sequel that it seemed would never come. But now, 13 years later, that sequel has finally arrived.

Overall Score: 9/10

My personal feelings on the story and characters aside, overall Neo: The World Ends With You lives up to its predecessor in terms of gameplay, writing, music, and presentation. Unlike other sequels which fall woefully short of their predecessors, Neo does a fantastic job of staying true to the spirit of the original so that older fans can enjoy it just as much as new fans do. For more detailed thoughts, head under the cut (and onto my blog for formatting purposes).

The Pros:

The writing, for the most part, is excellent. Again, I have more personal takes on the story and character beats that I’ll delve into on a different post, but in terms of how the dialogue and flavor text are written throughout the game, Neo has shown that the writing staff hasn’t forgotten what makes The World Ends With You spectacular despite it being 13 years. The humor is on point, the character of the fictionalized version of Shibuya that was created is on point. Even just playing the demo I could tell that the charm was still there despite this being written over a decade later and I couldn’t be happier with that fact.

The music is, of course, phenomenal. There are remixes of tracks from the original game that are great, because I’ll never say no to a version of “Transformation” or “The One Star” or “Someday”. But there are also original tracks that are just absolutely beyond fantastic, such as “Kill the Itch” or “Last Call” or “Bird in the Hand”. One of the things that sets The World Ends With You apart from other JRPGs is its music, and how it’s composed to be music comparable with what you could hear on a radio versus being very identifiable as video game music, and Neo delivered on that front yet again with both the remixes and the original tracks.

The gameplay is another area in which Neo shines. It would be impossible to replicate the battle system of the original game, something Square-Enix showed time and time again with their numerous ports and remasters of it. The original game was meant to be played on the Nintendo DS, and specifically the Nintendo DS, in that it was created with the dual screens in mind. As a result, the two partner system just didn’t work on the numerous ports and re-releases, and it wouldn’t be able to work in Neo either due to the fact that none of the platforms it’s releasing on have dual screens. As a result, Neo’s battle system is very different, but also very, very good. The battles are still real time, and you still control all of the characters at once (I don’t think there’s a way to let the AI take over like with the partner in the original game, but I could be wrong on that), but this time they’re all in the same plane of existence and you juggle up to six of them at a time. Instead of passing a light puck to power up a sync fusion, you’re instead bouncing combos in order to work up a Groove, which in turn lets you Beat Drop in what is essentially a version of the sync fusions, albeit not nearly as specific to the characters as the sync fusions were. There were times while playing that having to balance so many characters at once got a bit much, especially when trying out new pins with different reboot times, but overall the battle experience is incredibly smooth and is a perfect rendition of what TWEWY battling should be like on a single screen. Battles aside, there are numerous other areas in which the gameplay shined as well. Starting in Week 2 you gain the ability to move around the map more quickly in a way which integrates the BGM as well (which is important given how much thematic importance is given to music in these games), and in Week 3 you get an even faster method of travel via telewarping around the map. Pins are back, and with a story explanation given for why the characters can use any pins they please, you get different pins to use and elemental affinities to consider when picking out your decks. A new Social Network feature not only gives you additional information on various characters, but also grants you new abilities and can help you keep track of who is who, as well as who has a relation to whom. Little features like this definitely add to the experience of the game and make playing it feel fun, which is always of paramount importance when it comes to video games.

There is a ton of content, which again, is pretty important when you consider that this is a $60 game. Like the original game, there are three weeks of seven days apiece for the main story. In a way, this can make it seem like the game goes by too fast (especially if you binge play it like I did), but also like the original game, there is plenty of post-game content to do as well. For one, we once again get a light-hearted parody bonus chapter in the form of “Another Day”. For another, there are Secret Reports unlocked by completing special missions in each chapter that provide extra background information, as well as an unlockable secret ending as well. So although the main story can go by fast (especially if, again, you just can’t put it down), there is still plenty to do once the main campaign is completed and that’s always the mark of a brilliant game as well.

Speaking of, the game really is difficult to put down. Five hours passed by in a blink for me while I was playing, not only because the gameplay was fun, but because I just had to know what was going to happen next. There were times when I figured I would just start the next day and then put it down, but the next day began with something crazy happening and I had to follow up on it. For a heavily story-based game, this is yet another necessary strength and the developers pulled it off fabulously.

For the most part, the characters were all fantastic as well, newcomers and returning vets alike. The original game shined in how unique it made its characters, and Neo does this as well. The returning cast is (again for the most part) IC but with notable growth in their personalities and demeanors, and the new cast is equally as lovable (or detestable for those that are meant to be detested). Again, since this is a story-based game, having strong characters is a necessary requirement and Neo pulls that off just as splendidly as the original did, with few exceptions.

The game is also beautiful to look at, much like (at risk of sounding like a broken record) the original. The comic book art style has always been incredibly unique and charming, and they integrated the 3D graphics seamlessly with the art style to create a truly beautiful marvel to look at while playing. The character design is also worthy of a chef’s kiss, especially when wise decisions were made behind the scenes to swap the designs of certain characters (namely, Ayano and Kanon originally had each other’s appearance, before a smart decision was made to swap how they looked). All in all, this is a game you never get tired of looking at.

The Neutrals:

Despite there being a wide variety of pins to use (especially since any character can use any pin), there actually isn’t that much of a variety in terms of what the pins actually do. This is partially due to hardware restrictions; in the original game they could have sound based pins because the DS had a microphone, and the touch screen also allowed for different types of inputs as well. But current consoles don’t offer as much in terms of gameplay ingenuity, and as a result you get a lot of pins that are basically just clones of each other, which is a little bit disappointing when you compare it to the original (especially since I haven’t discovered many iconic sets yet, a la Darklit Planets or Brainy Cat etc).

While there are a ton of characters in this game, there is much, much less emphasis put on the citizens of Shibuya who aren’t involved in the Game, which in turn makes it feel like there are less memorable side characters than the last game. For the most part, the citizens of Shibuya are basically relegated to just being possessed by Noise, and that’s it. Whereas we saw their lives carry out over three weeks in the last game (such as Makoto’s evolution in both his social and professional life), here we don’t really get to see that, which is a bit disappointing as well.

The battle gameplay, while very fun and smooth, does feel a little less deep at times than it did in the original game. While in the original you had to learn to balance Neku’s pins with his partner’s psychs, here you’re basically button mashing in a rhythm in order to get the gauge up, which can get a bit tiring if you do a bunch of battles in a row. The fact that the Beat Drops aren’t unique to the characters like the Fusions were is another thing that, while not a huge detriment, still feels a little less special than the Fusions did in the original game.

Neo is a lot more plot-focused than the original, which was more character-driven. Don’t get me wrong, the original definitely had a plot as well, and Neo does care about its characters. But while the deeper aspects of the plot were discovered post-game through the Secret Reports in the original, here the plot intricacies are front and center. And while the first game spent way more time developing its characters and focusing on their inner struggles, here the character issues are mostly pushed to late game in order to focus on the plot. It’s not bad, but it is noticeably different.

You still don’t get to actually see the characters in the clothes you dress them in. While this makes sense (it would be way too much to program in), it’s still a bit of a letdown.

The fashion brands don’t really feature into the plot or world at all, with the exception of Gatto Nero because of who created it. Again, it’s not a huge deal, but I enjoyed how you could see which brands were most popular in different areas of Shibuya in the original, and how you sometimes had to boost the popularity of the brands via doing battle with those pins or clothes equipped in the original in order to clear missions. It made the brands you were wearing actually matter, versus just being fun flavor text.

The Cons:

The time travel mechanic, Replay, is probably the biggest con this game has to offer. While it does have consequences that I won’t spoil here in the very final act of the game, for the most part it completely negated the stakes for the vast majority of the game, because you knew that even if something terrible happened, Rindo would be able to go back in time and fix it. I was never worried about what the characters would encounter as a result of this, except for in a few instances where something bad happened after Rindo had already used his power for the day. This is a noticeable downgrade from the original game, where there were no Do Overs and Neku and the others had to live with whatever consequences the Game had in store for them, which made everything feel that much more dire. In addition to lowering the stakes, though, Replay also loses points for the fact that having to do the same events with slight changes over and over felt like padding. In particular, in the endgame there is a segment you have to go through about six different times, and it felt maddening. While I do feel like Replay was a homage to the Zero Escape games in that it works remarkably similar to Sigma and Phi’s SHIFTing ability (and Fret even calls the Game “the escape room from hell” which again calls to Zero Escape), for some reason it felt far more like a chore here than it did there, possibly because you couldn’t Jump at will here like you can in Virtue’s Last Reward.

I’m personally not wild about the adult/teen romances that were implied in the game, even though thankfully neither of them seemed reciprocated. Namely, Kanon viewed Fret as a kid given that she’s an adult and he’s a teenager, and Shoka never really thought about her relationship with Ayano that deeply even though Ayano seemed pretty in love with Shoka. But even though these relationships weren’t reciprocated, the fact that they were present at all is still something that I’m really just not wild about, and made me feel a bit uncomfortable while playing. (And yes, I know that Ayano and Shoka are said to be sisters in “Another Day”, but the subtext surrounding Ayano’s feelings in specific in the main story is so blatant it’s essentially overt text. I don’t want to get into it here since that delves more into spoiler territory, but I really just was not wild about it at all, especially since that’s the most blatant lesbian rep this series has given us thus far, which is disappointing to me, a lesbian.)

I don’t want to dive too much into this here because of spoilers, but: Neku. From his English voice acting to his writing, he was disrespected up and down in this game. Truly a massive disappointment in every sense of the word, and so he deserves a Con point all to himself.

There is a noticeable lack of minigames in Neo, as well as a lack of variety in the wall missions. We only had one instance of Reaper Review (that I encountered at least). There was no Reaper Creeper, nor was there Tin Pin Slammer, though both were mentioned. As someone who loved Tin Pin Slammer, I was so sad to see it not present at all in this game, and there wasn’t even a suitable replacement for it that we could play on the side, either. As mentioned above, the battles can get a bit boring after a while, so the fact that there weren’t minigames to help break them up truly feels like a detriment to what is otherwise a very fun game to play.

Fret’s Remind ability was a chore every time I had to use it. You had to hold the joysticks at certain positions and if you couldn’t solve it fast enough, you had to reposition them all over again. Maybe it’s just the Switch version that was having the issue, I don’t know, but I found it incredibly finicky and hard to control, which made me dislike every time I had to do it despite loving the little drawings that Fret conjured up when he used his ability.

In cases where Noise could interrupt your entire party at once, I found that I was unable to use pins a second or two before the interruption came. This was most notable with the elephant noise (fuck those elephants, me and all my homies hate those elephants, there were TOO MANY ELEPHANTS in this game) and the final final boss. Again, this could be a bug exclusive to the Switch version, I’m not sure, but it was annoying as heck regardless.

All in all, whatever complaints I may have, this game is extraordinarily fun and a wonderful sequel to an even more wonderful game. I’m incredibly happy with it and I’m glad that it lived up to expectations, particularly considering how long it took to arrive. Now we just need to wait 13 years for a third game. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready.

#neo: the world ends with you #neo twewy #neo the world ends with you #2021 game reviews #minor spoilers contained within though I tried to keep it as spoiler-free as possible

15 notes · View notes

thealexchen · 3 years

Note

Lis: tc Headcanon Ask

How do you think Steph, Ryan, and Gabe met/bonded over in Haven before Alex?

That’s a great question, but a blog post from Square Enix already went over this with canon info! Gabe arrived first and Jed (Ryan’s dad) helped him get back on his feet and get a job at the Black Lantern. Then Steph was touring as part of her two-piece punk band with her then-girlfriend Izzy, stopped in Haven Springs, and decided to stay: "After an all-nighter with Gabe and Ryan, Steph made the impulsive decision to take the open job at the local record store and try her hand in the DJ booth.”

But I suppose that’s vague enough to fill in the gaps with more headcanons... sorry this took me two weeks to answer. I just wanted to write a few headcanons and I accidentally wrote a oneshot, lmao. But please, keep the headcanon prompts coming! I put it under a "read more," so thank you for your patience!

Alex was 13 when she entered foster care, and I've previously theorized that she wound up there after her parents died. The "Meet Gabe" video says Gabe ended up in juvie, but I think he was already in juvie before his parents died (or else he would've been put in the foster care system too).

So at 17, Gabe is serving time in Oregon, separated from his sister, and now newly orphaned. Once he's out, he's bitter and alone and adrift, so he floats from place to place, taking odd jobs and working his way east.

There's something... magnetic about Haven. When Gabe arrives at 18, he stumbles into it more than anything. He was just passing through Colorado and he happened upon Haven like it jumped right out of a fairytale. He’s so struck by how it seems frozen in time, untouched by all the ugliness of what his life has been over the last few years.

Soon after, he meets Jed and Ryan, who's fresh out of high school and dead set on becoming a park ranger. Gabe wants to hate Ryan for how charmed his life has been, living in a place called Haven Springs with a dad like Jed. But they're just so damn nice, and within a year they feel like family. Ryan is three months older than Gabe, but being outdoors either brings out this sage wisdom or childlike glee in him. Mostly, he’s excited because Gabe happily becomes his new hiking partner.

Slowly, Haven Springs heals Gabe. But before he heals, he has to hurt first. When Ryan invites him over for dinner one night, it takes sitting around a table in a warm dining room, laughing about nothing in particular with Jed and Ryan, for Gabe to realize what he misses. He misses his own family dinners— God, he misses his parents so fucking much. He misses Alex even more, who always sat to his right with smooth plaited braids and drank out of the same pink plastic cup. He starts talking openly about his family again, but most of all about Alex: “Alex would blast this band all the time.” “Oh man, Alex hates celery. Maybe your recipe would change her mind.” “These flowers are so pretty. Would Alex like wrapping bouquets?"

He tries and tries again to make his favorite childhood dishes. He makes his own soup broth and clumsily folds dumplings with Ryan and quietly grieves that his dishes don’t quite taste like how he remembers. Somehow, Ryan gets it— because his life wasn't as charmed as Gabe thought. Ryan actually listens to Gabe, remains quiet at all the right moments and offers just a few comforting words that are enough to soothe Gabe’s heart. He tries to repeat them to Alex, but he can never word it quite right. “It made more sense when Ryan said it,” Gabe always says to her during their phone calls. “I wish you could meet him. You'd like him."

And then he blurts out, "As soon as I'm able, I'm bringing you to Haven." She's 16 now and has been through far too many adoptive families at this point, and he puzzles over her evasive answers about "emotional outbursts," but knows not to press it.

So some time goes by. Gabe is 21 and stoked to bartend solo for the first time when Ryan slides up to him and shows a him a flyer. "A two-piece punk bank," Ryan says. Later that night, the lead singer is all over the stage, completely lost in the song. The drummer is keeping the beat, but she hardly smiles. Gabe is almost startled watching her— a little lost, a little sad. Yet she still plays her heart out, refusing to not give anything less than 100% for the music. She is just like his sister. Instantly, he thinks, “She and Alex would be a perfect match."

The drummer slogs to the bar after the show and immediately demands a pint. Gabe secretly dilutes it with water, and one hour turns to three as she, Gabe, and Ryan get deep into conversation. Eventually she sighs, “Everything about my life seems so great. I get to see a new town every night; play all these shows… but this isn’t where I expected my life to be."

Gabe nods thoughtfully, remembering himself at 18. And suddenly he’s telling her everything— getting arrested, finding out his parents were dead and his sister had been shipped off to a group home over the phone while in juvie, the months spent adrift before he found this place. He doesn’t know why he’s spilling his life to a girl he just met, but she seems open and friendly and maybe he wants her to consider sticking around in Haven too. Three hours stretches into six as they talk and drink and laugh and reminisce like old friends. The first rays of sunlight are shining in the bar when Steph blurts out, “So hey, I was wondering… do you need a hand at that record store?”

Over time, Gabe watches Haven Springs heal Steph: her residual anger slowly fades and she wonders why she ever played punk songs. Sometimes Gabe sees her coding or sketching potential character designs. Other times, they bum around the bar and play video games in the backroom, surrounded by greasy pizza boxes like they're the teenagers that Gabe never got to be. Their hikes are a little noisier now because Steph wants to feed the squirrels or some other stupid shit, but Ryan puts up with it. After all, he has a sense of humor too.

#life is strange true colors #lis headcanons #alex chen #gabe chen #ryan lucan #steph gingrich #chen sibs #my post #my writing #answered asks #listc #lis #true colors #anon #lis fanfiction

9 notes · View notes

saiyan98 · 2 years

Text

It’s your life (Isekai-plot with Caleo) Part 1

A/N: This three-shot idea is more base on Anime in general, mix with Final Fantasy XIV Lore into the PJO universe. I guess pretty much a PJO X FFXIV three-shot with Isekai theme. It does involve Caleo because the first battle will involve both Leo and Calypso. If you don't know the Lore in FFXIV, do not worry, it'll be explained in this three-shot. If you ARE interested, try out the game itself. It's really fun and has such an amazing story for a MMORPG, despite it's long log-in waiting queue.

Anyways, enjoy the story.

Our story begins with a new character, his name is Daniel Cooper. He is just your ordinary guy who loves to read books, play video games and watch anime. He was just on his way to College when suddenly he and he got hit by a big flashing light underneath him. He was blinded for a moment, then ended up falling on a cabin. No idea of where he is, falling from the sky, and an angry teenage girl was the last thing Daniel needed. To make matter worse, monsters went and attack the camp. Daniel and the girl barely made it out alive, but the monsters were still on their tail. Will Daniel have to fight the monsters? Will he ever know what got him into this mess in the first place? And will the teenage girl ever stop being mad at Daniel? Find out now!

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fanbase one-shot. PJO, HoO and ToA are own by Rick Riordan and Disney Hyperion. Final Fantasy XIV is own by Square Enix. Please support the Official release.

At Band Camp

Several cabins were destroyed, a couple were burned. In the center of the camp was a giant mechanical dragon and two teenagers, searching for one of their friends.

"She has to be here, Piper!"

"I know Leo, but-"

Leo kept shouting for their friend.

"Calypso!"

No one replied to his calling.

"Leo!" Piper yelled. "I'm sure she's okay, you need stay calm."

"But Pipes, Calypso could be hurt, kidnapped or..."

Leo hesitated at the last word, fearing it may come true.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. I promise," Piper said as they continue searching for Calypso.

"Please... please gods," Leo prayed. "Not her too. I can't lose her."

Meanwhile

Calypso, the titan goddess, is chilling at a diner with a man who apparently fell from sky, just like her boyfriend, and now are on the run from monsters. She sigh, hoping to have a peaceful summer and eventually come home to patch things up with Leo.

Then this happened.

"So you're telling me, that you have no idea why those monsters are after you?" She asked.

The man shook his head as he was eating a burger at a diner in the middle of nowhere.

"Yep," He said. "I was just minding my own business and heading to class in college, then suddenly a giant magic circle popped out of nowhere under me, then BAM. I'm somehow on the air falling to a cabin. How I am alive, I do not know."

Calypso groaned, for she may not be able to go to band camp ever again.

"Whatever, just tell me about the summoning circle. Was it a Greek-style magic?"

"Nah, looked like your everyday Isekai summoning circle."

"I'm sorry what?"

"Isekai, you know. Your everyday cliché summoning to another world anime?"

"Anime?" Calypso asked confusingly.

"I'm sorry... you don't know anime? What, you been living under a rock?"

Irritated, Calypso replied, "No, I've been living in an island for 3,000 years."

The man snickered, "Okay that was a good joke."

"It wasn't."

He was confused for a moment. "Wait... seriously?"

She nodded.

"So what?" He asked. "Are you an immortal goddess? Powerful witch? Well... least you're not in a child body... we already have enough loli's already."

Calypso is so confused at every sentence he says.

"First off, who are you?" She asked.

"Daniel Cooper is the name. Nothing special about me; I play games, watch lots of movies and shows, mostly anime; read books too, favorite series is the Percy Jackson franchise."

"What?!"

"Ah it's nothing," He said. "Just a long running book series that left me with a bitter-"

"How do you know Percy Jackson?" She asked.

Daniel looked at her confusingly, "I read the books? It's a pretty popular book series, they're even making a Disney plus series about hi-"

He stop mid sentence when he realized something.

"You're Calypso and you were serious about being stuck on an island for 3,000 years, weren't you?"

Calypso nodded.

Daniel was processing everything and put it all together.

"OhmygodIwassummonedintoPercyJacksonworld!"

He suddenly internally squealed.

"This is a dream come true."

"What do you mean?" Calypso asked.

"Well, you see," Daniel explain. "If I was ever summoned to another world. My top five choices, in order, are: Star Wars; Supernatural; Percy Jackson; Dragon Ball Z and then Final Fantasy XIV"

"I'm sorry... why?"

"First off, It's Star Wars."

"I get that," Calypso said. She had time to watch the Star Wars movies, but don't tell Leo. She'll never hear the end of the jokes.

"Second," Daniel continued. "Supernatural is like and grown-up version of Percy Jackson but with family and a sweet ride. Oh, and some emotional family moments."

Calypso was already lost. "The heck is Supernat-"

"And third, Percy Jackson world because... well it's like Supernatural but for kids," Daniel gasped. "Wait! I can be a hunter in this world!"

"Wait hold on a mo-"

"In Supernatural, Hunters are people who go out, saving people and hunting things. The Family Business."

"Stop!" Calypso yelled. "Just stop and listen for a moment."

"I'm sorry! I'm just so excited!"

Daniel was acting like a kid who just made it to Disney World for the first time and just met Goofy.

"Look," Calypso took a deep breath, "Let's just start at the beginning."

Daniel nodded and relaxed for a moment. He explained how in his world, Percy Jackson and his friends are part of a book series, taking place from when he was 12, to the end of Apollo's Trials. He even mentioned stories of heroes from other myths. However, what got Calypso most was the fact that he knows about both Percy's and Leo's time at her island.

"So," Calypso asked. "In your world, everyone knows the tales of Percy and his friends?"

"Yep, from his first quest to the end of Apollo's trials."

"And you know all of his friends?"

"Personally? No. Briefly? Yes."

"But you also know about both Leo's and Percy's time at my island as well?"

"Yeah... there's no sugar coating it. Lots of people knows."

Calypso groaned, "Can this get any worse?"

"They're making a Disney plus Series about Percy."

"Just stop."

"Be cool if it's connected to the MCU."

"Stop!" Calypso yelled. "I need a moment to process."

"Sorry," Daniel said. "I just... I'm also processing this too. I mean, I didn't think being summoned to another world is possible; hell, even if it's real in the first place. Let alone meeting Calypso."

The titan goddess sighed, "I'm sorry, just having a really terrible day."

"I thought you're use to disasters falling from the sky."

Calypso snickered at that comment. "Really?"

Daniel shrugged and smile, "What can I say? Leo's a great role model."

Calypso shook her head as the diner host came and ask if they want refills. While they were eating, they were discussing about the summoning circle that brought Daniel here.

"So you never seen that magic before?" Calypso asked.

"Nope, magic doesn't even exist in my world. It's basically everything that's the mist and that's it. No gods, no magic, no monsters unless you count Reddit mo- you know what I'm just gonna be quiet."

"Best idea yet," Calypso replied. Daniel snickered at the comment.

"See? This is why I think I'd love to hang with you."

"Because of my insults?"

Daniel scoffed. "Please, if words can kill, I'd be dead the moment I stepped into high school. No, I just love you snarky sassiness; reminds me of TFS Alucard, just less bloodshed."

"Who's Alucard?"

"A perfect being for another time. Anyways, the magic circle was definitely not Greek-origin nor Rome. In fact, I don't think I ever seen such symbols on it before."

"Ancient?"

"No, more like, not from our world. Well... both our worlds."

Calypso was very confused but replied, "Let's just put a hold on this conversation until we get to Camp Jupiter, the others would want to hear this. They might be able to help you get back home."

Daniel nodded. "Sounds good to me. But anyways, how's it going so far?" Daniel asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"You know, being free from your prison? I mean, being isolated and imprisoned for 3,000 years can take a huge toll on your mental and social state.

Calypso scoffed. "That's an understatement."

"What do you mean?"

"I take it you know the issue with me and Leo?"

"Oh... yeah..." Daniel said. "Sorry..."

"It's fine, once I get home, I'm gonna talk to Leo about us and work it out. He's an idiot, but I love him."

"Good... that's good," Daniel said.

"You were worried there, why?"

"Well, remember when I said that in my world, people read stories about Percy and his friends?"

She nodded.

"Well, when they read about Leo falling to your island, most thought, 'Oh boy, here we go again. Leo's gonna try to charm another woman.'"

Calypso laughed while Daniel was smiling at his memory of when he read that part.

"But then, something happened none of us has expected it."

"And what's that?" Calypso asked.

"You..." He answered. "You opened his heart. You made him fall in love. It... it shocked me. More than Percy and Annabeth ever did, and I read about FIVE books in less than a year," Daniel chuckled. "But you and Leo? God, I prayed for a happily ever after for you two. I mean, two heartbroken people, looking for a counterpart; looking to make a connection. It... I never felt such strong dedication to a fictional relationship before OR since."

After he stopped talking, he took out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Calypso asked.

"Let me see if... YES!" He yelled and gave his phone to her.

"Look, I'm still connected to my world! Of course, I still have no phone service so I'm gonna try that phone station there. But look!"

On the phone was pictures and texts about both Leo and Calypso, being happy; being angry; being sad; just being themselves. This put a small smile on Calypso.

"Wow, I can't believe many actually care about us."

"Of course, you both suffered too much. You both deserve happiness. Anyways," Daniel stood up from the booth and put down his burger. "I'm gonna try that phone station and see if I can contact any of your friends. Do you by any chance have Annabeth's number?"

Calypso nodded and gave him her number. Why she doing this? Call her crazy, but she felt like she can trust this man. Even if he is a little hyper and weird.

"Thanks, keep looking at Tumblr, but not too much. There's... not every post are good things."

Later

Daniel waits as the phone was ringing.

'Please work, I need to explain everything to them! Hopefully we can find out what's going on and maybe bring me back home.'

As much as he loves to stay and have adventures in this world. He has a life back home, even if it's dull and repetitive. He has friends and family that cares about him. No tragic backstories or any traumatic losses. His life was normal, but the people in his life are too precious to let go.

Finally, the phone answered.

"[Hello?]"

"Yes, hello? Is this Annabeth Chase?"

"[...Who is this?]"

"My name is Daniel Cooper, I have a lot to explain. But first, I'm with a young girl from ba-"

"[Calypso?! Is she safe?!]"

"Y-yeah, she's safe, we got attacked by monsters and are heading away from Band camp. We're at a diner nearby heading down to the nearest city. I was hoping if you and your friends can come pick us up?"

"[Are you a demigod?]

"No, I'm 100% a mortal. I can see the monsters but... it's a lot to explain at the moment, but I'll talk about it when we're safe."

"[...Okay. I'll trust you for now. Keep going down the street, you'll be at a small town. Leo and Piper are out there looking for her. I'll let them know and they'll come pick you guys up.]"

Daniel sighed relief. "Good, I'll go tell Calypso and-"

As he go look at where Calypso was sitting, she was gone. He dropped the phone and ran toward the booth. Everything was still there except Calypso. He started freaking until he looked at his phone.

"Crapbasket," He said. He ran back to the phone on the wall.

"Hello?"

"[What's going?! Is Calypso safe?!]"

"I don't know, I'm going to find her. She just ran off."

"[Why? Is there a monster?"]

"Worse... she looked at the recent posts."

After he explained the situation to Annabeth, he went out to look for her. She shouldn't have gone far since we're at diner in the middle of a forest. Luckily, he managed to pay off our food at the diner with the cash he had in his wallet (his card doesn't work in this world unfortunately). As Daniel ran out to find her, he heard a small whimper behind the dumpster. He ran towards it and found her, crouching on the floor, crying.

Daniel apologized.

"I'm sorry, Calypso. But I did warn you."

"...You said people cared about me and Leo."

"And I meant it."

Calypso stood angrily and looked at him with tearful eyes.

"You call that caring?!"

"Calypso, listened-"

"No! This isn't about me, understand? I knew from the moment Leo saved me from my island, people would have a negative opinion about me. I knew... But what hurts me the most..."

Calypso was about to cry again before she can speak, but held together.

"But what hurts me the most is what they say about Leo."

"Leo?...Oh..." Daniel said.

"They said that he should've never landed on my island. That I wasn't necessary; That I should've been a villain or get beaten up from Leo's friends... That..."

Both were quiet, because they knew what she was gonna say.

"That I was just a mistake."

Calypso sat back down and cried on her knees as she said that.

Daniel sighed. He hoped that Calypso wouldn't look at the posts recently. He knew that the two were going through a rough patch. He was scared that their relationship was gonna fall apart. Like...

"Calypso,"

"Just go... Tell the others they don't have to bother with me. I won't do anything rash. If I just ran away, maybe that'll make everyone happy. It might make Leo happy."

Daniel stood quiet for a moment, then sat next to her as she cry out her sadness.

"Look, Calypso, we both know that people are ALWAYS gonna hate other relationships. You think Percy and Annabeth are popular? Trust me, I've seen people talk crap about them online. Hell, People been writing fan stories about Percy joining Chaos because everyone abandoned him for a younger Son of Poseidon; even Annabeth. First of all, that's stupid idea of a story. But, I won't judge; I'm a writer myself so I respect their devotion to such a story, even if it's not such a fun idea for me."

Calypso was still quiet about that comment but had a small smile.

"And then another popular story idea, Shipping Percy with Artemis!"

"I'm sorry, Artemis?" Calypso said as she was drying up her tears. "She hates men."

"EXACTLY! Yet, because she actually respected Percy, people are now shipping them! I mean, why?" He said with a confused look. "But, like the Chaos story, I respect their opinions and devotions. But, it's just not my cup of tea. Percy loves Annabeth and is too loyal to abandon everything. He denied immortality for Annabeth, he fell down to Tartarus for her, he dreamt a future with her."

Daniel looks at Calypso.

"And you know what? Back at Camp Jupiter, when Leo met up with everyone. He had a worry look. He was worried about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, even when you guys fought, he misses you."

"Why?!" Calypso yelled. "Why does he care so much about me?! I pushed him away, denying his promise to return! I argue with him nonstop! I always get angry with him! So why?! Why does he love me?! Why do you care about me?! Why do I deserve all of this?!"

"Because Calypso," Daniel replied calmly. "Just as Leo does, we both believe you deserved happiness."

Daniel patted her head, as if she was just a child being bullied. Not a goddess who was entrapped for 3,000 years on an island or a fictional character that is being hated by fans.

Just a normal 16 year old girl, suffering for internet slanders.

"Listen, no matter how much you tried, you can't make everyone happy. I should know..."

Calypso froze when he landed his hand on her head, trying to comfort her. It helped if only a little.

"Instead of caring what random strangers say online. You should care about what your friends think. Do they hate you? No. How do I know this? Because right now, Leo and Piper are out there looking for you."

"What?" Calypso said.

"Yeah, when they heard your band camp got attacked. Annabeth said that they're both out there looking for you. Everyone is worried sick about you."

Daniel stood up from his spot.

"Listen," he continued. "Don't let other people's opinion get to you. Only care about the ones YOU care for.

He reached out a hand to her, to help her get up.

"It's your life, Calypso. Live the way you want to."

Calypso looked up at him and sat there for a bit, contemplating on his advice.

She took his hand.

Later

The drove on down toward a small town after they finished up their food from the diner. How they got a car? Calypso learned a trick or two from both Leo and Annabeth.

Daniel never stole anything in his life. So he was feeling really bad about it.

But, you gotta do what you gotta do.

"Feeling better?" Daniel asked as he drove. He was above driving age AND has a license.

"Not really, but I'll manage. I just... I need to... I don't know."

"If it makes you feel better, I got a unique quote to haters or bullies that'll make you feel so much better."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Sword Art Online Abridged Episode 11 Timestamp: 12:44."

"W-what?" she said confusingly.

"It's on YouTube. Leo or Piper can find it for you. Quote's in there."

"Then why can't you just say the quote?"

"Who knows, someone out there could be reading about us. I wanna make it more difficult for them," Daniel said with a smirk.

Calypso sighed at his foolishness. Reminds her of Leo.

How much she misses him. How much she needs him now more than ever. Truth be told, she's still hurt at the posts from his world. But the fact that they talk about Leo is what got to her the most. Before meeting Daniel, she met up with Annabeth for forgiveness and advice. The posts on Tumblr only strengthen her point about being nothing more but a mistake and a burden to Leo.

She needs to see Leo as soon as possible. She needs to know if she was ever worth saving.

"Hey Calypso?" Daniel responded.

"Yeah?"

"It's summer, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah?"

She looks ahead and see why Daniel asked.

"So then why is this town having a snowstorm?"

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that, even if it was just crazy talk at the beginning. This was supposed to be a One-shot, but the story expanded into being a crazy anime arc that I decide to do it as a three-shot instead. Right now it's just about how Calypso would react to her haters. And probably how my OC would try to comfort her, tell her that no matter what, Leo still loves her. Like I said with both fanfics of Chaos!Percy or Pertemis, I respect those writers ideas and devotion, but it's just not my style. As for the haters, I respect their opinions and this is just nothing more but a fan story. I will not convert others to love Caleo nor will they convert me to hate it.

Anyways, I'm gonna finish up the DBZ three-shot first and then I'll continue this story. We'll call this AU the Daniel Cooper AU since it's about my OC.

If you also have any questions about this AU, comment or PM me and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge. Until next update.

#Caleo #calypso #leo x calypso #calypso x leo #percyjacksonandtheolympians #pjo hoo toa #PJO #Heroes of Olympus #trials of apollo #percy jackon and the olympians #anime #fanfiction #reference #oc #anti-caleo #I respect others opinions #But please show respect to others #Even if you don't agree #nobody is perfect

5 notes · View notes

scrollsfromarebornrealm · 2 years

Text

The rambling continues. Here’s Estinien.

Alright. I’m not gonna lie. I’m a dragoon fangirl. I love them. Square Enix has done them dirty I feel not gonna lie but that’s an entirely different rant. I met @autumnslance over Unorthodox. Much of my FFXIV fanfiction to a degree is dragoon based. Estinien is a hot mess not gonna lie, but he’s a hot mess that has fucking amazing character development and he’s good looking too shut up what of it?

Honestly, one of the reasons why I like Estinien so much is that he’s relatable to me. I know how it feels to have that singular drive, that pure focus on just one thing--and then picking up the pieces when it gets blown all to hell. In my case it was a slow burn leading to an explosion, and I wasn’t possessed by a vengeful dragon spirit. I also grew up in a highly religious culture.

And it’s not just me. I’m pretty sure a lot of people can relate to Estinien in some way--that same thing. A drive, a purpose, and when it’s gone, what the fuck do you do now? How do you handle realizing everything you worked for, the goal--it was fucked up? You were fucked up? And now you have to unfuck yourself and find something that gives you purpose once more? For people who were in the military or still are, that’s an even bigger connection--Estinien is a solider that’s trying to find his way in a time of relative peace.

I won’t lie, I’m very tempted to revisit the fic that was helping me dive into his head in the first place (before it got derailed by the lore of him visiting spots on his journey and getting the Trueblood armor HAHAHAHAHA) but I digress.

Now in the beginning of it all? Especially doing the dragoon questline? I wanted to beat the fucking brakes off this man. I did not sign up for godsdamned elezen angst with a flavor of First Brood and parental anguish motherfucker pull your head out of your ass for a moment and THINK, PLEASE. USE THE BRAIN.

(side note. I will fight anyone who says we didn’t get possessed by Haldrath’s spirit in that questline. My flag is planted on that hill, do not @ me. I possibly pissed off some G’raha fans tonight with my opinions, I have no qualms about this.) (:P)

Another thing about Estinien? He’s pragmatic. Yes he was sniping at Ysayle the whole fucking time (Riven was very close to killing two elezen and leaving their bodies buried underneath a bush in Moghome) but when push came to absolute shove? He was right by your side. Granted, there’s a lot of leeway to suggest he might have had issues dealing with your revelations following Nidhogg’s defeat in the Aery and the subsequent truths that followed, but he was there. He was willing to stand by your side when Aymeric decided to try and make dear daddy see sweet logic and reason, during an event that when finally exposed, pretty much is the trigger for a major cultural shift for his country and people.

*blows out breath*

Now. There are some things that honestly do annoy me somewhat when it comes to the fanon on him. One of them? He’s not a himbo. He’s not. This man was the head of the Knight Dragoon Order in Ishgard. He may have avoided having anything to do with the nobility and politics, but due to that simple fact of being the Azure Dragoon, he needed to have an awareness of the political arena in the city. If he didn’t, how the hell could he be an effective leader for the Order? I admit we don’t have any backstory or lore, so it’s up for interpretation, this is solely mine, but again, we’re taking about Ishgard. You do not take any fucking type of leadership position in that particular city without at least knowing who or what you’re going to be dealing with and how to effectively do so.

Also. I’m pointing this out.

That is the look of a man who is having A Moment. Estinien coming out of nowhere with seemingly the most random thing, yet I feel it says a lot. Fourchanut is already grappling with seeing his children pretty much excel as skilled fighters against unimaginable horrors, then he just gets a brick to the face in realizing in that instant that his son can do the same in the political arena. Probably felt his age briefly too there. (SSSHH LET ME HAVE THIS)

Estinien could have said anything else. Anything else! Considering he views Alphy like a baby brother, he would have been well within his rights to burn Fouchanut’s ears off. Instead, he goes with what probably was a major aspect of Alphy’s life possibly in Sharlayan--being trained to possibly assume his father’s seat on the Forum. And the lore up to Endwalker pretty much pegs Fourchanut as a major power player, if not the biggest one, among the Ninety-Nine.

Estinien doesn’t understand the void in patch 6.1, but after Y’shtola breaks it down for him, he’s onboard. He doesn’t get the finer details but that’s okay, he knows his strength is in taking his spear and violently killing what needs to be killed. When it was revealed Meteion was the major villain after all, and the other Scions are boggling over what to do, it’s Estinien who goes ‘alright, she’s the big bad. How do we stop her?’

And yes, the money thing, I dragged his ass too for it, but canonically? Military. He was a knight. He never had to worry for food, or a roof over his head, or even clothing! All of that was probably put on a tab and paid for him.

(This is probably the point where I would derail onto him with Riven but best to just end my rambling here, I could keep going on)

Estinien is a hot mess, but he’s a functional, pulling himself together hot mess flavored with First Brood draconic aether. We’re not even going to go into how his connection/synthesis with Nidhogg’s changed him, I’m just going to leave the fact that he’s basically adopted Nidhogg’s role as brother/uncle to the rest of the living children/grandchildren of Midgardsormr AND THEY’RE ROLLING WITH IT. (Save for Dragon Dad, we don’t know his opinion on the matter but considering he’s been quiet...eeehh maybe?)

#ffxiv #ffxiv bingo #estinien varlineau #estinien wrymblood

11 notes · View notes

pens-swords-stuff · 3 years

Note

Hi undine!! I’m watching e3 this weekend (an event where games get announced if you don’t know) and trying to squeeze in time to write still!! I can’t remember where I was at the last time I talked to you, but I finished the first draft of my main wip a week ago and am working on my side gay undercover spy wip while I let it rest! Would you like to ramble about the ATB characters? How has your summer been so far? Anything new or fun in your life or near Future plans? Thanks for doing this ❤️

Hey Lila!

Congrats on finishing your first draft, that's awesome!!! I'm so impressed, I swear you've been pulling out so many amazing milestones and achievements lately — or at least it definitely seems like it. You're so amazing, I'm in awe of you! And excuse me gay undercover spy WIP sounds amazing please tell me more????

My summer has been pretty chill. I'm actually wrapping up my internship this week. I've been asked to stay on temporarily as a paid volunteer to help make the transition process smoother as new interns come in, and I am officially handing over the baton on Thursday. It's kind of bittersweet! Besides that, I don't really have any summer plans. Besides writing with my writing partner and hanging out with friends! Now that things are slowly opening back up, I've been reaching out to some old high school friends that I haven't talked to in forever and that's been really nice.

What about you? I hope your summer is fantastic!

This post is already super long, so I'll ramble abotu ATB characters in a different post I think. Thanks so much for asking! I've been struggling to figure out how to talk about it and I really appreciate it.

Putting my E3 thoughts under the read more because wow it is a lot of words.

I've been watching bits and pieces of E3. I've never been one to watch it and I usually just caught up with all the news afterwards, but my partner is much more into it than I am so we've been watching some together when we can! I watched the Bethesda and Square Enix showcase yesterday and boy howdy let me tell ya, I was so disappointed! Square Enix makes some of my absolute favorite games and I was really excited for it. I was hoping for some Dragon Quest XII news, or maybe something more about Project Triangle Strategy but all I got was an entire half an hour on the Guardians of the Galaxy game, and then another additional Avengers thing. As someone who is definitely not into the MCU and is super frustrated that all the big movie releases are all MCU movies, I was very unhappy. Everything else in that was also super rushed and not well organized at all. I was pretty disappointed with Life is Strange: True Colors in it too despite being super excited for the game because it just feels like it was all stuff I already knew.

That being said, I did say "I'm going to kill Chaos!" with my partner all day yesterday so it wasn't a complete bust.

I was also hoping for a new Ace Attorney game from Capcom but all we got was the Great Ace Attorney again :c. I'm glad it's coming to the West and all but as a Japanese person I definitely don't need it as much as Americans do sooooo

Now that Square Enix and Capcom have not been it for me, I'm really looking forward to the Nintendo Direct tomorrow. I don't have big hopes, I'm just hoping to be pleasantly surprised since Nintendo has been pretty dry lately too. All I want is an Animal Crossing update that actually adds stuff, something more substantial for Zelda's 35th anniversary than what we've got so far, and maybe some more news on some games I've been anticipating like Baldo and again, Project Triangle Strategy, maybe an Octopath Traveler sequel or a follow up to FE3H but I'm not expecting any of that to actually happen. My partner is also dying for a Metroid thing. I think he's resigned to not hearing anything about Metro Prime 4, so he's just crossing his fingers for some of the older games to make its way over onto the Switch. As always I'm keeping my hopes super low, but it'd be nice to get excited about a game again.

I hope it's more than just the rumored Switch Pro!

(My biggest wildcard wish is for a new Katamari Damacy to be announced. Warioware too but that one is seeming a bit more promising!)

I also just started playing Hades for the first time yesterday and so if it's super disappointing I'm just going to channel it all into that because I am obsessed.

#undine answers stuff #writer friends #writeblrfantasy #lila

7 notes · View notes

faxing-the-fact · 3 years

Text

Nhaza’a Jaab HW Allied Beast Tribe Dialogue differences

This is more for myself while hopefully and unsure if Square Enix + YoshiP will be giving us the First Shard of Nhaza’a Jaab, or he’s completely dead for good. I’m curious on the line below where he refers WOL as an old friend, which makes me wonder how did the other languages view about him.

This is personally more of my own favorite platonic or love-hate relationship with my WOL and crew and him, mainly WOL and him. Mostly as food for myself to fuel how they interact to get a better idea for their relationship

NOTE: Translation below are pure using Google Translate and trying to make sense of it. Japanese version is the only I’m having a bit more experienced with basic understanding but it’s still not that good.

Japanese version

You are... You are the adventurer who was hanging out with barbarians in Thanalan, right? At that time, you thought I would die, but I survived this way. Whatever you are involved in... Will you make me "enthusiastic" again?

Things to note:

For his other quotes in JP can be found here: https://twitter.com/search?q=%E3%83%8A%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%96&src=typed_query&f=live

Instead of the word ‘thrill’, 熱狂 (Nekkyō) enthusiastic or wild enthusiasm is used for describing his search of sadistic thrill-seeking fights.

熱 (Netsu): Heat, fever

狂 (Kyō): Madness

For this context, Nhaza’a is asking for the feverish madness that could be found in heated thrill of life and death?

French version

Look who's here... I remember your face... You're the one who made friends with those barbarians in Thanalan. I thought my time had come when you blew up my aircraft. As you can see, it didn't affect me too much.

What do I owe the honor of your visit? Don't tell me you wanna turn me on again?

French version, Nhaza’a is more pleased and amused he meets his old nemesis or rather, love interest. If the lines of how he remembers WOL’s face compared to others indicates they did left a strong impression on him or somehow interest him? Which by his dialogue goes anything, he’s also amused that he’s pretty much pissed or irritated WOL that’s he still alive causing jaywalking, arson and murder on beast tribe as though nothing happen.

But I think I could be wrong in the translation because it really wasn’t WOL who blew up his aircutter in ARR allied tribe quest at the end.

Deutsch version

As for you, you are the adventurer who used to hang around with the Wild Tribes in Thanalan. I see you kept your strange preferences. Back then, you almost drove me to the afterlife. But as you can see: I'm alive - and I'm more insane than ever!

Deutsch/German version are similar in indicating WOL was the one who made their attempt to kill him but failed. And now, return back with a deadlier vengeance against them with probably or not losing more braincells in his head to go insane

Overall: I really wish they bring him back or more involvement for Nhaza’a in the Beast Tribe quest. I still really want to see the chance WOL actually going head to head with him in combat just once without the beast tribe interference.... Well this is mainly bias to see their tension of relationship between two enemies. And more material to fuel into headcanon and fanfic for the rare pair in FFXIV.

Since all three dialogues does indicate tension and at least interest depending which language Nhaza’a has for WOL

#Nhaza'a Jaab #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv

8 notes · View notes

unclerippuascension · 3 years

Text

Autistic infodump about Balan Wonderworld or whatever the fuck

Man it really does suck that Balan Wonderworld fucking crashed and burned because unlike Mighty No. 9 I feel like there was some glimmer of goodness in there. Not in terms of gameplay, that’s borked because Yuji Naka still thinks we’re in the fucking 90s where games had one godamn button gameplay and yet also has 80 powerups (seriously what ganja was he smoking, is he ok?), but I mean the story. Which is so weird because the implimentation of story in this game was so passive agressive, like Yuji Naka didn’t want a story but Square was like “No no, you work at our company, you put a fucking story in your game”

Like... there’s clearly story here, but there’s no dialogue. Not having spoken dialogue isn’t a bad thing, but you need to have story shown off in another way and Balan Wonderworld doesn’t do that. That’s especially bad when your story relies on making us care about the struggles characters have. And the people who made this game knew that because they made a fucking light novel that explains everything about everyone. I just WHAT

Was is it too much for them to have a part of the pause menu where you can get a short biography of the characters you’ve met? Kirby Star Allies did this and that game didn’t have a story as big as Balan Wonderworld’s! Not to mention the novel really pulls a FNAF novel where it explains so much important lore that ain’t NOBODY who isn’t in the fandom is gonna read, hell with how much this game flopped I don’t even think anybody in general is gonan read it. Stuff like: did you know Balan was created by Lance, that weird hentai tentacle guy who’s kind of the Reiali of this game? (apologies to Nights fans if I fucked up the name) YEAH, ME NEITHER, YUKARI HAD TO TELL ME. Their whole thing is basically this one meme in case you haven’t read the novel like me

I want you really think about how much of a mistake this was. Don’t pull a FNAF novel series if you’re making a game, there are ways to impliment story without it being JRPG levels of involved. Again, just have short blurbs as an option in the pause menu.

Speaking of Balan, they really did my mans dirty. It’s like the one Spongebob meme, “You used me...TO BRING IN PLAYERS”. You do not play as Balan in this game, you do QTEs. I never played Nights, Sonic was my Sega fix, but if I was a Nights fan I would feel so cheated. He’s got so much potential, and he’s probably a more developed character in the light novel, but here? He’s just the hook, and once you bite the rest of the game is just....

yeah.

Again, they could have had stuff for Balan that wasn’t QTEs. Maybe some gameplay like Nights? I get that the game isn’t a Nights game, but maybe have his short segments be little snapshots of that kind of gameplay? Please the game is so horrendous, people would find the game tolerable if they had the gameplay version of that cold glass of water in the middle of a marathon.

Also maybe cut back on the powerups, do we really need 80 of them? So many of them make other powerups obselete, this isn’t a Megaman game, Mr. Naka. We do not need 80 powerups that are all more or less recolors of each other. It doesn’t help that most of these costumes are ugly as sin, useless (serious, who thought Box Fox was a good thing, I just want to talk), or are just a recolor of another powerup. I heard there were originally going to be 40, but even 40 is too much. Your character has three slots for power-ups, have it be three powerups per world and make them permanent additions and not something you need to re-acquire because yes that’s a thing. To bring up Megaman again, imagine if you were using a powerup and you died, and now you’d have to battle the robot master again to get it back. It’s not exactly like that but its on the same track.

Yukari said this while we were talking about this topic, but Balan does feel like a game that should have been some kind of animated series or something. When this game is in cutscenes it is genuinely impressive with how it handles the conflict of the characters, well the characters who actually have compelling problems that you need to solve by Psychonaut-ing it into their heads. What do I mean? Well one world is around a little girl who’s cat got hit by a car, and the event made her so scared and upset that she is now afraid of cars and streetlights because it reminds her of that tragedy. That’s relatable! Even if the game doesn’t translate that, you’re still theoretically helping a child grieve the loss of a pet! And then the other guy is some smug old fart who got beat by a rival and isn’t the champion of chess anymore. Too my knowledge the game doesn’t really scale these problems like where the problems the characters slowly become more ‘intense’. Like the first guy you help is a farmer, but I feel like the chess guy should have been first because his problem is like... dude just get over it, you’re gonna lose nobody is perfect.

The worst part about all of this is that Square Enix told Yuji Naka he had one chance to make a platformer, and he pretty much wasted it with how this game was handled. I am pretty damn worried that Balan will be like Geno and Mallow where Square just never fucking uses them again, maybe not AS bad as Geno and Mallow but in that similar ballpark

It really does kinda suck, my guys. I just wanted a cool game with a funky clown-looking dude, man!!!

#balan wonderworld

10 notes · View notes