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zerochanges · 3 years

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Robotech: Unboxing + Rant

Anime licensing and localization has come a long way since the dark ages of the medium where you had to track down old fan subbed VHS tapes or hope you can catch some heavily edited version of a show on one of your local networks before cable was even a thing. The latter describes the place in history that Robotech holds, and for many it was a landmark experience and a gateway into anime--and that should have been its legacy whole stop but well, corporate greed is a bitch. I’m sure I don’t have to sit here and explain the myriad of ways license holder Harmony Gold has more or less been super scummy. From downright patent trolling, to blocking any attempt at localizing certain series and even preventing video game releases; they have become infamous in the anime fandom--so much so to the point where I just don’t want to talk about Robotech anymore.

Which is a damn shame! Robotech is legitimately a fairly fascinating and well crafted attempt at bringing over anime for its time. The writing is sharp, the voice acting holds up surprisingly well--and it is some of the earliest known roles for a bunch of now prolific voice actors in the anime dubbing community like Tony Oliver and Wendee Lee. Most importantly however the material is treated with respect, and while a bit clumsy at times, there is an obvious love from the staff being put into the work. It’s easy to see how generations grew up with this Frankenstein of an adaptation and became lifelong fans of anime.

For me personally Robotech will always occupy the same part of my heart that loves the work of Ted Woolsey and other earlier localization figures who took a mess of bland too literal translations (sometimes ones that didn’t even make sense in English) and reworked them with a lot of character and charm despite some really insane restraints of the time. It’s not for everyone, but I do enjoy these early localizations for what they were.

Sadly it seemed Robotech would only be remembered in infamy for Harmony Gold and its (very well documented) downright criminal powers-that-be. Until this past April, where out of nowhere anime fans’ prayers seemingly have been answered. Now the agreement between the three companies is still not fully understood, and it’s hard to say for sure where this will go but for now I like to have goodwill that things will be different from now on. Which is what I want, I easily do love Robotech, and this new agreement brining new Robotech blu-rays is great, but I also want Macross blu-rays too! Hell, I don’t want just that but also Southern Cross and Mospeada releases too, even if they have to be on SD-BD. Over the recent years we have seen blu-rays for all kinds of tangentially related Robotech properties: Megazone 23, Zilion, Orguss, it would be great to have all of Macross as well as the main three series that comprise Robotech to go alongside with them on my blu-ray shelf.

With all that out of the way, I will stop ranting now and show off the most recent Robotech Collector’s Edition from Funimation as well as some comparisons to a past set I posses.

The box itself is absolutely gorgeous and the contents inside of high quality too. The asking price may be a bit steep but for fans it really does pay off.

I was especially impressed with the figure which I had no real interest in (and will still keep stuffed in the box lol) but was shocked to find out it can indeed transform between the three iconic forms of the Veritech fighter.

The blu-rays themselves are housed in a nice sturdy chipboard box and each set has unique art separate from the standard retail release.

Anyone familiar with Funimation’s previous release of the anime series Zillion will easily notice the similar “retro” (or maybe even VHS???) look of the packaging.

I was somewhat annoyed at this graphic design choice when Zillion came out. I love older anime art and want to appreciate it for all its worth. I get how the vintage VHS look is a fun idea but still! Despite saying that however I ended up really liking it for this latest Robotech set. Probably helps that the o-cards aren’t made of the usual glossy paper stock and are instead really heavy and thick cardboard giving them an almost old book type feel.

The interior art for the amaray cases as well as the disc art are all great looking. I was especially impressed with the art used for the Masters Saga set which opted to feature protagonist Dana instead of a mech.

The earlier mentioned chipboard box. The entire set looks great in it but it does lead to my major complaint for Funimation about the packaging; it’s all Macross. Yes, the Macross Saga is great, hell it’s a common sentiment amongst fans that “The Macross portion of Robotech is the best part”. But really what makes Robotech what it is was the mixing of multiple shows. Really bummed out that Southern Cross or Mospeada got no love this time.

The Collector’s Edition blu-ray standing next to the 2013 A&E DVD set, which was the only one I could really find laying around at the time of this writing.

The first of these two images is a screenshot directly taken from the 2013 A&E DVD set, and the second of the two is a screenshot taken directly from the 2021 BD from Funimation. This pattern will be followed for all subsequent comparison shots; DVD on top then BD below it.

The colors really pop when the image is done right--with darker frames advantaging the most while brighter ones are too oversaturated.

Overall there is greater detail and the colors presented better reflect the original animation work in the BD but it isn’t too uncommon for it to look a bit garish and oversaturated at times too.

I’d still say this BD upscale is a noticeable improvement at least from the 2013 DVD set I had on hand but well any fan of DBZ will know the song and dance with Funimation and how they remaster old footage. The similar issue of them working off a copy of a master and not the original film itself probably also is equally in play here as it is for their many botched DBZ sets. I’d also argue this set is a bit too heavy on grain (and I say that as a huge lover of grain) but the oversaturation may be the true culprit behind that feeling.

Overall Funimation’s BD is a nice upgrade but I don’t see myself dipping any more into Robotech unless they actually can recreate the show from the original film master, by this point any more work will just be negligible.

It’s a steep price tag, and the entire series is fairly easy to stream now too if you have a Funimation account, but for the right kind of fan it makes a great piece for your collection. Until next time, let us all hold out hope for potential Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada blu-rays.

#Robotech #unboxing #anime #images

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silver-wield · 4 years

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I wanna hear your thoughts on the scene where Cloud, Tifa and Barret just finished fighting that big machine when the were scaling the wall to go save Aerith. (Sorry I totally forgot the name of the boss) Where the platform they’re on totally gives way and they all start falling.

Just finished the fight, or pre and post fight? Imma do the latter anyway cause I love being validated when I saw something and had people tell me I was seeing things.

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be reasonably long.

Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.

You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Other analyses if anyone’s interested.

Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis)

Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog)

Tifa character analysis

Aerith Resolution (plot analysis/theory – I should probably update this since I’ve had other ideas since then)

Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti)

Clotiscrew tunnel analysis

Cloti reunion analysis

The Promise Analysis

Andrea’s approval (Cloti ask response)

Leslie analysis (not mine, but a good read)

Cloti action touching

Aerti friendship analysis

Cloti body language chapter 3

Cloti healthy disagreement

Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.

Recap time! So our trio have made it almost to the top of the collapsed plate in Sector 7 and they stop to take in the view. After that there's some banter and a boss fight and more action touching. I just wanna say before I start that a lot of this is at a distance, so it's not gonna be much of an analysis since there's so few close ups and all the body language is geared towards protective/rescue type movements, which is pretty obvious.

Gonna start with the pre battle image here of Cloud smiling after making a joke because certain people like to get it in their heads that he's being serious here because it’s a callback to the whole “merc/money” thing. The fact both Tifa and Barret chuckle and Cloud literally smiles – DO YOU SEE HIM SMILING HERE?! – has a pretty simple meaning that he's grown close to them. He's no longer that cold af mercenary who only goes on about money in a serious way. This is his version of camaraderie which suits his dry af sense of humour.

Ok, so our heroes are triumphant and pretty pleased about it. Just throwing this one in for context since what comes next is pretty fast paced.

While Barrett's crowing, Cloud's already noticed something's wrong. That's just how quick his reflexes are. Frowning, looking at the mech. He can tell something's about to go sideways.

KABOOM! Platform starts collapsing, taking Tifa with it. Cloud's speed off the mark here is almost too quick to capture. He goes after her before she even realises she's falling. He wasn't even facing her when she slipped. She made a noise and he turned. That's how attentive he is towards her. Like, fucking hell, man, I'm blown away more and more with every in-depth look at their interactions.

We know Cloud's graceful af from watching him fight (not to mention that dance scene), but honestly, this looks next level even for him! I think this is the only time he goes this far with his body language. He's got his arms wide for balance, legs bent, I mean, he is literally using the tilting platform to increase his speed. This takes so much skill I'm super impressed! And he did this without even stopping to consider what he needed to do. He just did it.

Tifa's reaching for the ground, not Cloud, btw. I don't think she's noticed him yet – he's not quite in her field of vision – so she's attempting to save herself because she's not some damsel.

And if you think this screen was easy to get, you're wrong. I've literally never seen this bit of this scene before, it happens that quick! Cloud leaps without even being able to see if he's lined up with Tifa. This looks like an instinctive action from him. This isn't something he's been taught, this is all him wanting to protect Tifa and going above and beyond to do it.

To further reiterate the last screen, he's just leapt at her and hoped for the best. I mean, he could've knocked into her and sent her flying, but he got his arm around her, swung them both around and then shot a grappling hook all in one smooth action. This is definitely SOLDIER!Cloud in the driver's seat if anyone was wondering. There's no way our poor flawed real!Cloud could do this without second guessing himself. That's why he's got the false persona, so it'll give him confidence in situations like this to protect the woman he loves.

Cloud's totally focused in the moment and relying on Tifa to hang onto him now he's got her. For her part, I think she's a bit “wtaf where am I?” because everything happened so quickly. She's got her eyes squeezed shut, so she was clearly scared she was about to die.

Well, I was trying to grab a different shot that proved my point Tifa had her eyes closed and opened them when she heard the grappling gun fire, but this one's better. Yet another part of this fast paced scene that I didn't quite catch because it all goes by so quickly.

Cloud's got his arm around her waist, while she's clinging to his shoulder. To be fair, this isn't a very secure hold by either of them, but highlights the urgency of the moment. He's not been able to get her in a secure hold so he needs to get her to safety quickly.

Tifa's not even gripping him, which validates how quickly everything happened and how she's not caught up to what's going on. Not surprising, really. This all went by in milliseconds.

I honestly wasn't going to screen this either. It's the part where Barrett's line breaks, but I caught sight of Cloud and Tifa in the corner and thought why not? You'll see the hold still isn't that secure and Tifa's legs are all over the place. I will say it looks like she's got a tighter grip on his shoulder from this angle, so that's something. And...is Cloud’s hand splayed on her butt? I don’t wanna say yes, but the angle of his arm is suspicious.

And this is why Cloud's so damn good at what he does! Barrett's line snapped and he saw him falling from his peripheral vision! How on the ball is this guy?!?! Damn, with everything he does throughout Midgar and – we can assume -- beyond I honestly don't know how he can think he's not a hero. He is definitely a hero. Not a perfect one, but damn, he absolutely brings 110% to everything he does!

Omg Tifa's hold is worse than I thought! She's got her hand flat against his chest. I mean, at least grab hold of his shirt or something! She's barely holding onto him, so this is all him with his arm around her waist making sure she doesn't slip. I've gotta forgive her, I mean, it was quick action and I sure af wouldn't move anything in case I fell whatever the distance is between them and the ground lol

Even though Tifa's position is precarious af, Cloud's still relying on her to be his partner in this situation. He can't save Barrett, so she has to.

This is just a nice shot of how graceful they both are. Reminds me of when they're in the drum separately and Tifa and Aerith fall off the pipe – Tifa lands on her feet, Aerith lands on her face – and then Barrett and Cloud fall off a platform and Cloud lands on his feet and Barrett lands on his ass lol

It's telling that these two have similar balance and grace in a fight – probably why they combo so well.

And if I said the above screens were hard to get it's nothing on this one! This happened between one second and the next! I replayed it a million times to get that shot of Cloud going to put his hand on Tifa's back because I knew that's where he had one of them, but damn, if that wasn't boss level rewinding to get!

Okay, obviously the focus is saving Barrett here, and with that in mind the second Cloud's feet hit the ground he tosses the grappling gun to one side and goes to help Tifa haul him up. He puts one hand on her back and grabs her forearm with the other, lending her his strength and support.

And there's the proof in case anyone doubted my eye. That is Cloud's hand on Tifa's lower back. His other hand is gripping her forearm out of frame. I mean, does he need to have his hand there? Is that supportive in the context of the situation? Wouldn't it make more sense that he has his arm fully round her to stop her slipping? I know some of yall would be like “yes, that's better” from a ship pov, but from an action pov it does make more sense that he's got her in a firmer grip. It's almost like part of him doesn't want to make that closer contact because it's too intimate and he's trying to be professional. It's SOLDIER!Cloud basically. Mr “I keep my distance”. The guy who got them through that whole mess. Which does go to show that Cloud relies on that SOLDIER persona to save everyone's asses, but it also makes him more detatched. However, when there's no danger, he's more himself again.

I'd like to point out that if he'd actually had a better hold on Tifa, like I pointed out, she wouldn't have fallen over because Cloud would've been bracing her more. As it is she's on her ass and after checking Barrett's in one piece – quick look – Cloud's offering his hand to Tifa. We can't see his face in this moment, but we could guess there's an element of oops about him since it was kinda his fault she fell over.

Some quick banter and it's onto the Shinra building.

Conclusion:

Ofc this is an amazing action sequence! Everything happens so quickly that you definitely have to back and watch it again, pause it and examine everyone's faces and body language to really break down the sequence of events and motivations – besides rescue.

Cloud is definitely living up to the SOLDIER hype, even though he's never been one. I wonder how he got so skilled. Is this CC stuff? Or is he just going for broke and getting lucky? It says a lot that he'll just dive into whatever danger is around when Tifa's life is on the line. But, he also trusts her to come through in a pinch too. He just had to say her name and she got his meaning. That's some beautiful synchronisation from them. They're showing how much of a unit they are. Battle couples are one of my favourite tropes and that whole mind reader part of it is just perfection to me.

Even though this is a scene of SOLDIER!Cloud at his best, that side of him also knows he can trust Tifa to support him, and even while he's being all business there's part of him that still yearns to be close to Tifa and has to resist.

#cloti #final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #final fantasy 7 remake analysis #battle couple at their best

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eloquent-music · 4 years

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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE: MUN & MUSE

Fill out & Repost ♥ This meme definitely favors Canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore and Lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multimuses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

Tagged by: @polyhexianchicken

Tagging: anyone who wants to do it!! Just go ahead and say I tagged you

> Putting under a read more bc of the length <

MY MUSE IS. canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless

* is your character popular in the fandom? YES/NO

* is your character considered hot™ in the fandom? YES (from what i see from a lot of people in the fandom including myself)/ NO / IDK.

* is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK.

* are they underrated? YES ( I believe there’s more depth to him that some don’t see) / NO.

* were they relevant to the main story? YES (Sorta?) / NO.

* were they relevant to the main character? YES (Kinda sorta esp to Megatron) / NO

* are they widely known in their world? YES / NO.

* how’s their reputation? GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON?

I try my best to follow canon as best as possible. I do put in my own twists here and there. I have added things into his character have been shared later on through Tweets on Twitter from Jro and Milne. I take their portrayals and incorporate them into my Tarn. For example, Milne said that Tarn was Pharma’s new lover and they had a special relationship and since I’m weak for that pairing I really wanted to incorporate that in. Also Red doesn’t help we both feed into each other ilu <3 ALL IN ALL though, I do like to keep him canon and not too much off character to where he isn’t Tarn anymore. I want him to be Tarn not someone else

SELL YOUR MUSE! (aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutual.)

I could sell Tarn for hours and a few friends know this very personally. IM SORRY. ANYWAYS. Some may find what I love about Tarn to not what they like but it’s my opinion on him! So here goes.

I love his damaged nature (I’m sorry Tarn muse). I find his addictions interesting, even though they weren’t technically shown in the issues. It’s part of who he is from who he used to be (however they came about). I will always love his flaws and I enjoy showing those sides of him so be aware that I will show his addictive personality (through Transformation, Nuke abuse, and murderous tendencies).

Which brings me to... His murderous/torturous nature. We see killers a dime a dozen in the series but to be a leader of a torturous group? Like that’s pretty rad and completely different from a lot of other characters. Can you tell I like the baddies? sdifhoisdf This brings up this ONE side of him. He doesn’t like killing / taking part in the demises of SOME of their victims. Why? I think I may know the answer to that. Why does a mech like him want to advert his gaze while the others have their way with them. Talk about something deep we never got to understand that.

He has a soft spot for musical pieces, especially classical piano music. I love Chopin the most, so you’ll see me post that all the time!

He apparently loves pineapples and just I LOVE THAT SO MUCH UHG.

He’s a big tank with Daddy (Megatron) Issues! You gotta love it LOL He’s got biolights literally everywhere. FLASHY

When he’s only around his team, he can be a little bit more calm even though he can drop it at the drop of a dime.

He’s a touch starved mech odifhsodif

NOW THE OPPOSITE! (list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?)

Even though I kinda sold him on this I thought I should mention it here too. I don’t think people find him interesting for how dark he is as a mech. Push aside everything and look at how purely evil he can be. He’s cruel. He’s torturous and very sadistic. He will thrive off of every little bit of pain you give him. He can be manipulative at times.

Tarn is a huge hypocrite. It shows so much throughout the comic issues if you really look at it. I show it a lot (he will deny it sometimes but don’t worry I know he’s one) Probably one of the biggest hypocrites in the whole 2005 IDW Series.

Tarn is easily-influenced and persuaded by certain situations (to not look weak) and mechs.

He is very easily angered from the smallest things.

He holds onto grudges

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE?

I know I’ve been asked this before and when I’m asked again I forget the GOOD reasons why I was so inspired to write him so I hope i do okay this time around. Even though I know I will leave out the good shit. Idk why I just dont draft on what truly inspired me. Just watch, itll come a day later and I’ll add it in just wait and see

I started rp’ing him on here as soon as he debuted in the MTMTE series (i think it was back in 2013 or 2012?) I did kind of poof for a few years due to being so busy sdiufhs. Anyways, I fell instantly in love with his character. I loved his dark ways and how he was so drastically different of a villain. His musical tendencies. And how he could offline a mech with ONLY his voice? Like damn sing to me all day you Musical Angel. He is dark and mysterious. NOT TO MENTION, black and purple my favorite colors.

His design was flawless and MTMTE #7 sold me on who he was and from then on I just couldn’t stop loving this murderous tank. I love how Jro and Milne have come out later on to answer more questions about him and just I love him that much more. Looking back years later on it, I see a little bit of myself in him.

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION

He’s pretty easy to flow out honestly. Just like my other muse I have. If he does struggle some, I just pop on some Chopin and he’s good to go. What really does keep me going more than anything is continuously exploring who he is as a mech and as a Decepticon. I want to know so much about him literally everything. Even though I could write headcanons all day and drabbles too, I love making him interact with others to find that personality. It’s really just my never-ending curiosity for him.

SOME MORE PERSONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN.

* do you think you give your character justice? YES / NO. ( i hope I do! )

* do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO.

* do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO. ( i love writing drabbles!!!)

* do you think a lot about your muse during the day? YES / NO.

* are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO.

* are you confident in your writing? YES / NO. (Most of the time, I know sometimes I mess up and its honestly just me not seeing it for whatever reason. Im so sorry if my replies come through scattered sidfhfs)

* are you a sensitive person? YES / NO. (Not really at all. I don’t get offended or anything but certain things can bug me)

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL?

Only if its constructive criticism. I love it when friends bounce ideas or talk to me about him. I will take into consideration of changing him slightly from only my close friends and that’s because we’re close. I will not change my character for anyone because they don’t like how I portray him because he is my portrayal of him, not yours.

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP YOU EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER?

I love all the questions you all send him, either on anon or not. Even the most awful ones! Tarn may not like them but most I find absolutely hilarious. I think the more personal questions really help for exploring who he is or if I post drabble prompts, go ahead and send me one! Even if I dont send in one and you wanna know more about him I will try my best to respond to it.

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?

This is a hit or miss question. I don’t really want to exactly know why unless if I ask you personally on it (which is usually just between close friends because sometimes I just aint thinkin straight). I don’t mind bouncing off ideas but ishdfoisdfh i really truly don’t know the answer to this one

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER, HOW DO YOU TAKE IT?

I honestly don’t care. People won’t like every character out there and that’s just part of being human. I understand why people would hate his character in the series in all honesty. But I love him for all his flaws.

I don’t blame people for hating Tarn but I do not want hate sent to me. That is unacceptable and not okay. You don’t have to like my portrayal but please don’t shove it at me that’s just uncalled for. If your character hates him that’s totally different but don’t come attacking me for any reason.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN?

I think I am. I’m usually fairly quiet. But once you get to know me, I am kinda strong on the goofy/funny side and a bit blunt/straight-forward sdoifhodsf. I tend to be really easy going and laid back. My personality has drastically changed since I’ve gotten into my mid-20s. I don’t like drama and dont wanna be apart of it.

#{Mun and Muse}

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elsnark · 7 years

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@miss-ruin I felt it would make my initial response more lengthy and disorganized if I brought up your tags. So I have decided to make a second post to address you. Since there’s an image involved, I felt it best to make an entirely new post so there’s no issue in reading it.

You say no shade, but your tags say otherwise. So FailureMaster and I are going to respond to each and every one. Congratulations! You’ve invoked elsnark’s first ever dual response! =D

Sourcream (will be shortened to S): okay so first thought is: "on the subject of ap requirements, the reason they're often so high is that PEOPLE ARE SUPER STUPID! INEXPERIENCED PEOPLE OFTEN DO NOT DO MECHS OR EVEN KNOW THEM OR EVEN WANT TO BE BOTHERED TO LEARN THEM! It's fucking frustrating! They just want to be carried and do nothing!"

FailureMaster (will be shortened to FM): Now this isn't a strong point, but "They want to be carried and do nothing" might be because they're trying to learn how to do it? I don't see how you're supposed to do something by doing it 100% perfectly the first time. You all wouldn't want them to do anything anyways because they "do not know the mechs". So which is it? Don't do it? Do it?

S: Also, calling people "stupid" is... rude? Like why call new or casual players "stupid" for not knowing mechanics? You were there before. By your own logic, you were stupid.

FM: How is calling a huge group of people stupid not throwing shade? Like.....That's the same as saying "Many Americans". Like what does that mean?

S: It’s a game. There’s no reason to make a big deal about it.

FM: One thing I'm still confused about is....Why is it such a big deal? BnS has no stamina system. You can do this dungeon again. And again. Tomorrow and the next day... Spare one run to teach your community?? Just one run. What’s the problem? You can get TONS of those if you have SUCH A GOOD WEP. Inexperience? How else do we get experience? In fact, what is THEIR plan to get more people to learn? Videos don't do much. I could watch several tutorials on how to disassemble and assemble a car and I promise you I could not just go out and start assembling cars. You are not automatically the best player just from watching good players. So where do we start?

S: Kick out the new and casual players and only have old, experienced, hardcore people sounds like what miss-ruin wants. Not to mention that's the impression the community gives off.

FM: And then when the old people get bored because the game is so dead? They will quit and then the game dies early. "But how? The game had great content, fair story, nice graphics, interesting system!"

S: You can't just keep a game alive by relying on the oldies who'll quit when they get bored or when they get frustrated by the content pushed through. MMOs constantly need new blood. New individuals who'll buy items from the Item Mall and tell their friends about the game. If the game doesn't get new blood, the game dies.

The new blood that comes in is going to quit. Why? The community. It's only been a year and a half and the community is so elitist it's insane. No matter how good a game is, especially a MMO, if the community isn’t welcoming to newcomers, they’re going to quit.

There’s literally no reason not to help new and casual players learn mechanics. Any reason you come up with is just an excuse because you were in the same boat before. Hell, if I was looking to learn mechanics and was greeted with this type of attitude, I wouldn’t bother learning either and would just stand there and do nothing. Would you, FailureMaster?

FM: Of course not! Even if they are standing there and doing nothing, what does it matter to you with your AP? If you can ignore the entire mechanics with such a weapon, then what is the big deal of having someone stand there? Of course, I’m being annoying by constantly bringing AP back up, aren’t I?

S: Like the entire community.

FM: Not very fun, is it? Also, how does lower AP equal lower skill? It’s a terrible assumption.

S: It doesn’t. I’ve read on the forums there are lower AP people who are very skilled.

FM: So what’s the problem? Clear the dungeon a bit slower?

S: Can’t waste their precious time on a dungeon they’re familiar with.

FM: And, I will be honest, I didn't make it to the end-game crazy weird stuff. But.....Watching videos....I'm really not sure how it's helping.

S: The videos I've watched seem too crazy to know for sure what's going on? Like... I don't know the boss. I haven't experienced the boss myself. How am I supposed to know what's happening?

I think they get the point. Shall we move on?

FM: I hope they get the point.

S: Same. Okay, so... “High AP requirements are either 'cause they ran the shit before and won't fuck mechs or they're so strong they just ignore mechs if they happen to fuck them”. We covered this already, yeah?

FM: Pretty much! I feel like if I, a newer player (quit early on shortly after B&S released, came back recently) had like a 1000AP wep, people would think I'm a veteran. Because it looks like I ignore the mechs but really, I don't know a single thing. At least by THIS logic?

S: I think the highest back then was like 450? So they would've had to cash to get to 1k. So you're saying the returning player came back, cashed, got >1k AP?

FM: Let's say that happened! Could probably easily ignore the mechs and complete stuff and be praised for that. Because, you know, that's all that matters!

S: Okay, so... this returning player... yeah... Most likely. As long as they know how to play decently, I can't see them being called out for not knowing.

FM: Don't care about what you do or how you do it, is that 900AP? Come on in! And yes, I'm being annoying talking about only AP, right? Just saying.

S: XD

I don’t think we have anything else to say on this topic because it’s so... it��s... it’s just plain dumb. Shall we move on?

FM: Yes!

S: Their next tag thought is: "no one likes wasting time running a dungeon then wiping". Hold up. I thought this wasn't an issue because of your high AP?

FM: I thought it wasn’t either? Weird.

S: Damn! I guess we’ve been bamboozled! AP doesn’t equal skill.

FM: Oh, no! How could this be?

S: Truly amazing. Shall we move on?

FM: Lets~

S: Alrighty... “like, of course, this doesn't apply to all lower geared players though. It's just these lazy dumb people that ruin it for y'all”.

Damn, they backtracked. “It's not all lower geared players, just (some/most) of them”? In their post, they made it seem like ALL low AP people were the issue.

FM: But what if I'm lower geared, don't know the mechanics, but am not dumb or lazy? Or does not knowing the mechanics make me dumb and lazy?

S: Sorry, still can't come. Don't know mech. That's what they said.

FM: Oh dear me.....I must be dumb and lazy for running something for the first time.

S: I know! It's almost like a baby boomer's thoughts on our generation. See how fucked up that is?

Moving on?

FM: Oh! Sure! There isn't much else I can say on that topic, I don't think.

S: Me neither.

FM: Oh how fun it is to be a bitch.

S: "Also it's hard for me to find a party on my alts even though I know mech".

FM: Why is that? Is it because you’re undergeared?

S: wait wait wait... IS THIS THE TOXIC COMMUNITY WORKING AGAINST THEM?! I WONDER! HMMMMMM... IT’S ALMOST INVISIBLE! IT’S ALMOST LIKE THERE’S A PROBLEM?!

FM: REALLY?! DID NOT KNOW!

S: WAS NOT OBVIOUS!

FM: Sourcream, this is shocking!

S: GOT A LIGHTBULB STUCK IN MY NOSE TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT, BUT THEY JUST POINTED THIS OUT! WAIT! THEY’RE DENYING THE PROBLEM THOUGH! ARE THEY THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO’D GET THEIR DICK STUCK IN A CEILING FAN BECAUSE THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE “UNCLEAR”?!

FM: TRULY, THIS IS STRANGE!

S: I like how this makes their entire elitist attitude fall apart ."Can't get party because no AP". "Everyone should know mechs". That's contradictory. Low AP people who know mechs can't get parties.

FM: I think we see the problem, doctor.

S: They got their dick stuck in a ceiling fan.

FM: That would definitely cause trauma, yes.

S: But enough trauma to get them to contradict themselves?

FM: As it does appear! The B&S community at its finest.

So from this, we can conclude that even our high AP friends can't play anyone other than their high AP character. Which limits them to one character, one server, one group of people, same dungeons. Over and over and over again. Waiting for new content.

S: Just proving our point. The community is toxic and the toxic individuals are blind to it.

Moving on?

FM: Let's move on, yes. I hope and pray they got the idea.

S: I do, too.

Ooooooooooooh, a direct assumption about me from my post! “A lot of this reads a bit like: why won't these strong people let me do things with them? What do you mean run with folks with my AP? Why would I want to do that? lol” I... Lemme handle this.

First of all, I've established so many times that this community is toxic as fuck. Why would I even TRY to run end game content? News flash: I wouldn't. You're making yourself look like an idiot by making all these assumptions about me and what I'm trying to achieve. Yes, I have a lvl 50, but she's HM 1. I got her to level 50 because my friends were playing and then we all... stopped. Why did we stop? I wonder... Could it... Could it be because the community is disgusting? Could it be because the community isn't welcoming to newer players? I have tried making two new characters (one's around lvl 35 while the other is below lvl 20). Guess what though? Seeing everything saying, "must be 900 AP or higher to join" isn't appealing. It feels like I'm being alienated due to not meeting some requirement that isn't obtainable without months and months of grinding with a party.

How am I supposed to get a party when I'm ready to start grinding though? It's not happening. No one does the dungeons needed to upgrade gear that I’d need to upgrade, do they? The population is small. Everyone's off doing dungeons to upgrade their own gear. How would I be able to find a party in the first place? And to be expected to know mechanics on top of that? Not happening.

Anything to add, FailureMaster?

FM: Nothing to add! You said everything needed to be said.

S: Okay.

The next topic is: "I have so many hours in this game, I am so sorry. I just have a lot of feelings". Good for you. I'm not like this with Elsword, a game I have spent countless hours in.

FM: As you can see, we have a lot of feelings on this, too.

S: Also, just gonna say, your apology means little when you're hellbent on tearing new and casual players down. Learn you're part of the problem. Improve yourself. Then maybe I'll take your apology seriously.

Next part is just baby boomer-esque bitching. Shall we cover it anyway like the filthy millenials we are?

FM: Let’s!

S: “The game actually gives new players SO MANY HANDOUTS! You finish story, you're at like 700 AP. DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET THAT STRONG BACK IN THE DAY?! MONTHS AND MONTHS OF GRINDING”

Congratulations, Debra. You're officially a baby boomer now.

FM: I....Umm...Don't see why this is a problem. The game is trying to get new players accepted by people like you?

S: “But! We had to grind! Waaaaaaaaah!”

FM: Why is the game trying to fix this? Why aren’t YOU trying to fix this?

S: The devs wouldn't have to try to make new players on par with people who grinded for months if, oh, idk, the community helped them?

FM: Also, just to say....You'd have to be pretty skilled to make it to the end of the story, there really isn't a crazy huge ton to learn if I may be so gross. Don't make this harder for yourself.

S: I remember this time before you fight Jinsoyun that there's this gross ass boss and he has crazy range and damage.

FM: Exactly!

S: Like... if I could hardly deal with THAT boss back in the day, what makes you think I can deal with the entire story NOW? ESPECIALLY when we can't get accessories through the story anymore to my knowledge?

FM: Exactly! And eventually you will get through it as the story is supposed to be a single-player experience perhaps with a couple of others to help, but you have to be good to get through it. So...... With this difficulty, the new players should be pretty smart, is that not right?

S: Also it's even harder to exchange for Soul Shields unless you use the Wheel of Fate? Soul Shields cost Naryu Silver now I think?

OH, BUT WAIT! TO USE WHEELS OF FATE, YOU NEED TO FIGHT FIELD BOSSES WHICH TAKE SKILL!

Sure, you can still get dungeon Soul Shields, but you need a party. You need to know the mechanics and have high AP for any party. =D

FM: How should we learn mechanics? Perhaps by watching an experienced player before us? Oh, no, we’d be standing there doing nothing! That is a no-no.

S: Oh wait... They can't take time out of their precious day to teach us. You're assuming too much by even THINKING someone would take us along, FailureMaster.

FM: Oh, right! How foolish of me!

S: I guess it's about time we wrap this up, don't you think?

FM: Perhaps so, we'll probably get pitchforks and torches our way.

S: As always with me~

FM: It’s a bit delightful in its own way! Lining up as a mob for us?~ How kind, how very kind.

S: I can't wait to see the discourse! This toxic community coming after us would only further our point, though!

FM: Indeed!

S: Anywho! Thank you SO MUCH for proving our points, miss-ruin! This is Sourcream and FailureMaster signing off!

FM: It was a pleasure to be here! Bye!

#blade & soul #the sourcream #failuremaster #replies #not elsword

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silver-wield · 4 years

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Okay, as requested a few days ago, a Cloud and Aerith analysis. I feel like I've spent a lot of time in chapter 8/9 today lol

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be reasonably long.

Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.

You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Other analyses if anyone’s interested.

Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis)

Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog)

Tifa character analysis

Aerith Resolution (plot analysis/theory – I should probably update this since I’ve had other ideas since then)

Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti)

Clotiscrew tunnel analysis

Cloti reunion analysis

The Promise Analysis

Andrea’s approval (Cloti ask response)

Leslie analysis (not mine, but a good read)

Cloti action touching

Aerti friendship analysis

Cloti body language chapter 3

Cloti healthy disagreement

Cloti post heliboss battle (chapter 15)

Clerith playground scene

Cloti body language plate fall

Cloud and Barret friendship

Resolution scene analysis (A)

Barret character analysis (chapter 13)

Cloud character analysis (Honey Bee Inn)

Cloud character analysis (Barret's death)

Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.

Recap time!

Okay, our delightful heroine (I will rein in the sarcasm, but Aerith aggs me when Cloud says no and she ignores him. No means no.) and our moody af hero have finally got done with the flowery side quests, kiddos, Rude and the giant hands of crash crash boom oops there's an invisible wall there minigame trip through sector 6 to reach sector 7.

Aerith says “let's take a break.”

Cloud says, “No.”

They take a break anyway.

(I've already done the slide analysis, link above)

Back down from the slide and it's time to go. Aerith opens up the underground link into sector 7 and we're venturing into awkward goodbyes.

So, we're starting with Aerith being chipper and cute with the quips. Standard stuff. It's possible she's feeling regretful they're parting, but I've said plenty of times that of everyone in this, Aerith has the best poker face. There's very few times she lets that mask slip and lets us see what she's really feeling and it's usually in times of intense stress. This isn't stressful, although she was feeling down a few moments ago while talking about Zack, so maybe that'll make her a little easier to read. For now, though, she's fronting like a boss.

Hmm interesting. He's definitely thoughtful here. So, I'm gonna have to put together some possibilities.

He's clearly mellowed his attitude towards her – he was proper stroppy at her house the day before, shouting and so on – so this isn't negative. We could say he started feeling more positive towards her through their interactions over the day or maybe when he saw the whole Rude bit and realised she's not quite what he first thought. Or it might have been when he saw her looking downcast about not high fiving or it could've been their chat on the slide that finally thawed him out towards her.

And Aerith's the same. Her smile falters just a bit and she can't meet his eye. Maybe she knows they have no reason to meet again or that her mother told him not to see her. We don't know for sure, but it's possible, otherwise why is she disappointed? She could expect to see him again. They could make plans. It could be meta!Aerith knowing that Cloud is probably better off not getting to know her.

Eugh dammit. Does anyone know how hard it is to analyse people's motives when you can't see their faces clearly? I bet this was on purpose, thanks Square.

I mean, having to go by the above data I've mentioned, they could both be feeling the same lingering regret intuitively. You know like how you just get the sense how someone's feeling? That.

Their poses are identical, and coupled with the slightly awkward intonation on “so” I'd look at this and say this comes across like a couple of teenagers who kinda like each other and don't know how to take the next step. You know, that kind of immature I have no idea what I'm doing with my life kinda deal. That's not to say it's romantic, especially not from Cloud. He's an awkward introvert. Aerith has no social skills. They're not friends and up until five minutes ago Cloud was annoyed af at her. That'd make for an awkward goodbye.

Aerith laughs, Cloud doesn't, and she moves aside so he can leave. Looks like the moment’s over.

Before going, Cloud turns back to ask if Aerith can get home ok. This looks like polite concern, which I'd expect considering they just came through an area full of monsters, mech and bandits. If Cloud wasn't concerned, I'd call him a douchebag. His eyes widen a little as he speaks, but it's not that same kind of expression he pulls whenever we're suspecting a visit from real!Cloud. This is SOLDIER!Cloud asking.

(I've said that typically Cloud's eyes go very wide as a hint that his real self is reacting to things, but widening eyes on their own do not indicate real!Cloud. It's something about the way he does it that shows it's not quite right for the SOLDIER persona we usually see. I can't explain it properly, but it's likely something the devs have done to his microexpressions on purpose to differentiate between the two and without knowing exactly what I can't put a pin in it. All I can say is when it looks like real!Cloud is expressing himself and when it isn't because there’s a difference that I’ve picked up on.)

This is flirting. Plain and simple. Head tilted, little smile, crinkling eyes. She's amused and teasing him in a flirtatious manner and her dialogue backs that up, although at the same time the tone she puts it in also sounds quite matter of fact, like she's genuinely asking what if she wasn't ok? That likely does appeal to the protective SOLDIER side of Cloud. He wants to be known as the hero. Still not romantic.

That's what I like to call a shit-fuck-bollocks moment. The realisation he should take her back home and make sure she's safe, but then he's also got to get back to sector 7, and this is all SOLDIER!Cloud's debate. There's no sign of real!Cloud and there's a quick decisive result that he should do the right thing, which is why he says he’ll take her home.

This is nothing like in the honey bee inn later when you see the clear back and forth of his eyes darting around as he argues with real!Cloud about dancing to get Andrea's approval.

And Aerith laughs again because I think she's aware how ridiculous it is that he'll walk her back when he needs to get home. She was teasing the entire time, but it looks like it went over Cloud's head – colour me unsurprised.

I mean, there's no romantic undertone to her expression here. It's genuine amusement and I'd definitely say friendship towards Cloud.

Ah the image that certain people hang their hat on. Let's get this one done.

Aerith says she has a backup route for emergencies that's safer than the one they used. You can hear Cloud start to speak—- ask a question because the sound is a “W” -- then cuts himself off and smiles. That smile is a mix of bemused and amused.

For anyone who doesn't have a stupidly large vocabulary and thinks those two are the same thing:

Bemused

adjective: puzzled, confused, or bewildered.

Amused

adjective: finding something funny or entertaining.

Cloud's bemused because back at the start of the collapsed expressway he literally asked if there was a better way and she avoided answering. So, he's caught her in a lie and what can he do about it? Nothing. That's why he's all "of course there's a safer route".

And then we're back in control and moving onto the next part of the game.

Conclusion:

Well, they're awkward. Both of them. Cloud is an introvert with mental issues and Aerith has no social skills and a terrible personality flaw in which she bosses everyone around and doesn't listen.

I wouldn't say they're friends, more like comrades. Cloud's still very resistant to her company even after she helps him save Tifa.

#final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #final fantasy 7 remake analysis #Cloud Strife #Aerith Gainsborough #Character analysis

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