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Yeah Ion pretty much produced lots of sharls in those two years. IIRC the amount of hp the optional superboss has in this game (culled from NA Version) also is partially based on how many Sharl the total playerbase of Ciel had created. Also I want to post the Nay genometrics music already, it's pretty good. 
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May 8, 2015 17:25
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Didn't the Genom mostly choose to stay behind? Ion certainly wanted to take them, but they were like "nah we really like this planet and we're super disappointed in ourselves for not being able to stop humans from loving it up, we'll just stay here."
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May 8, 2015 18:04
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FrickenMoron posted:Yeah Ion pretty much produced lots of sharls in those two years. IIRC the amount of hp the optional superboss has in this game (culled from NA Version) also is partially based on how many Sharl the total playerbase of Ciel had created. Also I want to post the Nay genometrics music already, it's pretty good. I'm finding that quite funny. It's a neat thing to incorporate in the game at any rate. By "culled from NA version" you mean that in translating they decided that we unwashed gaijin masses weren't worth of the superboss' majesty from glorious 日本, so they removed it? 
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May 8, 2015 18:10
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A super boss that's a direct link to Ciel Nosurge. In addition to it being connected to online play similar to Dragon's Dogma Ur Dragon. Think about it for a second.
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May 8, 2015 18:13
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Omobono posted:I'm finding that quite funny. It's a neat thing to incorporate in the game at any rate. We never got (and probably will never get) Ciel and as such can't World Link between the two games, so instead of leaving around functions we'd never be able to use they just blocked them off. Despite the fact they apparently translated all the World Link stuff. Instead of just giving us another way to unlock it. Yeah, it sucks. We can only hope Plus does a better job at that but I seriously doubt it.
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May 8, 2015 18:23
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At least Plus seems to be designed around giving us some of the poo poo we should have always had like changing costumes.
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May 8, 2015 18:27
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Icedude posted:We never got (and probably will never get) Ciel and as such can't World Link between the two games, so instead of leaving around functions we'd never be able to use they just blocked them off. Despite the fact they apparently translated all the World Link stuff. Instead of just giving us another way to unlock it. Fair enough, I assumed it was something accessible in a "normal" playthrough. The world link thing is still stupid though. Add a new game plus requirement to it and a warning that the prequel game was not translated to English. On the other hand, this would require spending more money on the localization.
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May 8, 2015 18:30
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:I didn't expect meek, soft-spoken Ion to be so kinky.
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May 8, 2015 18:40
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Feinne posted:At least Plus seems to be designed around giving us some of the poo poo we should have always had like changing costumes. The worst thing is that changing costumes works fine if you poke around and enable the proper flag(s) in your save file, and the dialogue regarding the import from Ciel nosurge was translated by the people who did the localisation so they kind of went to effort for no reason.
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May 8, 2015 19:19
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Alright, so I think they were getting ready to Dive with Nay last time, right? Let’s just start there then. This time, they were going someplace a bit more exciting.  As to why Nay’s world was a lethal amusement park, well, you’ll see.   Yes, it would seem so… What’s with this world? I mean, at a glance they all look like fun attractions. Close up? Not so much…What kind of thoughts have to be going through your mind to come up with a world like this? It’s nothing compared to what I’ve seen, but I guess it’s quite shocking for you…Take your own mind, for example… I’m sure it would be much more shocking than this… Oh, c’mon now… Speaking of which, where’s Cass? We got separated again? It would certainly seem so… Perhaps we should try to find her.Cass was rather easy to find, she was selling Electric Chair rides. And what did we learn about electricity when you all learned to make it with Song Magic? That’s right, it’s not your friend!   Welcome, welcome… Check out my coin-operated electric chair!It’ll shock your body AND mind! Oh, hey you there, mister! Want to give this chair a shot? Only 100 carats a try! …Aww, you could’ve stayed… Ugh, of COURSE no one wants to try it… Electric chairs are old news. Who could possibly… Hey, Cass. Ah! Welcome, welcome… There’s no line at the moment! Try it out while you can!W-What the-!? What are you doing HERE, dear!? D-Dear…? If the chairman sees you… That the chairman was Nay should not be a surprise. C-Chairman! Good morning! Nay is the chairman…? Huuuuh? Delta. What the hell do you think you’re doing here? Oh, uh… Looks like he somehow managed to get away again and was wandering around. I’ll get rid of him!C’mon! Get out of here… Yesterday! Shoo, shoo! What’s this about…? Ah, perfect. Now, what can I do for you? I came to give you your paycheck. Ahh, today was payday? Why, thank you so much! Here you go. This is…? Chairman…? There’s only 10 carats here! Obviously. Your electric chair isn’t earning us ANY income. B-But, 10 carats is NOTHING. One go in the electric chair costs 100!Not only can I not buy dinner, I couldn’t even buy a “Strawberry Rocky”! If you don’t like it, you can always quit. But I recall SOMEONE’s husband pissed off a chairman and got fired.If you quit, what’s going to happen to that little love nest of yours, hmm?  The undercurrent of real events that was manifesting here should be obvious. Make me some money, and I’ll pay you more. I mean, you only get 2-3 customers a week.On the other hand, my Towering Guillotine gets lines constantly. More than 500k visitors in one day. Well, of course… Your attraction is the new fad! Mine? It’s already one generation behind… …Are you talking back to me? N-No… Listen. The only thing I care about is results. Everything else? Doesn’t matter! If it makes money? Great!So, frankly… If you can get 100,000 visitors to your attraction daily, I’ll give you a raise. Simple enough? Good luck with that! … * Sigh * This isn’t looking good, is it? D-Dear!? What are you still doing here?Delta was still hanging around.  Feinne’s Notes: Being a dick here gets you a thought gem and doesn’t kick you out, so you might as well.  Delta was honest here, though also kind of a jerk. Ugh! You’re the WORST! How could you enjoy watching someone else’s misfortune!? This is all your… Huh?System Message: Obtained the thought gem, [Misfortune is Delta’s Fault]! …Never mind. It’ll be trouble if the chairman finds you again. I suggest you go home right now. Go home? Where? What!? You’re kidding me, right? To our love nest, obviously! Right, of course… Our love nest…WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!? It’s so embarrassing, I have a hard time even saying it! Love. Nest. What’s so embarrassing about that? Ugh, whatever. Let’s go!Funny story I called the house that for several months just because he turned the most hilarious shade of red every time I said it.  Hint! This is Nay’s world, remember? …I see. It all makes sense now. Delta, this was true of you in Sarly’s world too, but you always seem to stay calm. Cass is the one who’s always acting strange. Well, normally… When entering another’s Genometrics, the diver becomes a part of that person’s world.So, it’s actually rare to find someone who can view things from a third person. But despite that, it seems like you still have a “part” in this world, which makes it even funnier! Part…? Yes. You’re Cass’s husband, and you’ve been fired from the theme park. Were you not paying attention at all? Ahh, yes… Yes, of course… Ahaha… Haha… Haaah. Hehe. Now, why don’t you just enjoy yourself and imagine this is all necessary to the process.Of course ours wasn’t a hole in the wall like this.  Oh, welcome home, dear! …O-Oh, right. I’m home…? What’s wrong…? Why do you look so tired out? Oh I know, you must still be shocked from getting fired.Don’t worry, I’ll take really good care of you. T-Take care…? Feinne’s Notes: We get this decidedly anime choice, and of course the one that costs points will result in a Thought Gem so hit it up.  Pretending a confused question is someone agreeing to clean up is an important skill. System Message: Obtained the thought gem, [Scrubber!] What? No way… I can’t believe you’d choose a scrubber… Whoa whoa… Why do I have a really bad feeling about this… Here! You use this scrubber to wash all the dishes, alright?Yay! Now, all I need to do is go to sleep! …Yeah, I was right…???: S’cuuse me! Casty! I know you’re home! Oh no-! Dear… You need to hide! Wh-What’re you talking about all of a sudden…?Anyway, we start to see the problem of this Dive level now.  I-I-I’m so sorry! Just one more month! Please, could you just wait one more month! I beg you…! Whaaaaaaaaat!? I couldn’t hear you.Strange. Because, I thought I heard you say the exact same thing last month… HEY! Eeeeek! I-I’m sorry. We’re so sorry! Hey, wait a sec… Who the hell do you think you are? Barging into someone’s house like that? Hmm? You don’t remember me? I’m Shirotaka, from Nita-Nita Loans…Your wife happens to owe us… Hmm, how much was it again? About 100,000 carats? 100,000 carats!? And she didn’t even tell you about it…? What an awful wife you’ve got there. N-No-! I told him about the debt, but… He lost his memory after that!Can you please just wait a little longer to collect…? He can’t earn any money right now! Wow, that’s rather depressing… Fine… I’ll give you three more days. Alright? 3!If you can’t repay it by then, I’m gonna have to take your wife’s liver… Or maybe her kidneys…? See you then! …Haah…And it was a rather major one.  You couldn’t tell from that…?You lost your memory, and covered a customer in ketchup at the theme park. You were fired. As a result, we couldn’t repay the loans on our love nest, so… Nita-Nita Loans is threatening us. Wow… So all that happened, huh? Don’t tell me, you forgot that, too!? Oh no… Is your memory loss getting worse?But don’t worry! I’m going to take care of you, okay!  Cass was in desperate search for a solution. 100,000 carats in 3 days is… Pretty close to impossible…Oh, god… If you’re up there, please save us…! Huh? What!? When you ask for help and a strange woman appears, that’s usually bad.   I might not be god, but… I’ve decided to show up because you just looked so pitiful.My name’s Spartan Liv. Feel free to call me Liv. Uhh, okay… So, you’re going to save us, Liv…? Of course. That’s why I’m here, right?The happenings around you have been quite unfortunate. But it’s not your fault, it’s your environment! That’s not entirely true… I know why this happened. It’s because we lack any other skill… Hmmm, I think you might have some hope yet. Very well, I’ll solve all your problems for you.Come to the Fractal Library tomorrow. I’ll show you a miracle. A… Miracle? I’ll be waiting for you. …Really can’t think of a time when it’s turned out well.  Morning, dear! I’m off to work now. Pretty early, isn’t it? We need the money, don’t we? Now, you stay at home, alright? Don’t go wandering again… You’ll get lost. R-Right…… Despite what Cass said, Delta decided to drop in on her. It seemed she wasn’t there, though.  Cass isn’t here…? Pretty easy to see, don’t you think? She’s NOT here. Nay…! Her diligence was all she had going for her, but… Maybe it’s time I fired her, too… H-hey, wait a sec-! Cass said she was going to work when she left this morning… Maybe she had an accident? Accident or flake, if she’s not here, she’s not here. I need to give her a piece of my mind tomorrow. … And you. It’s troublesome having you here. Because of that ketchup incident, customers are scared of you.Why don’t you just go back to your love nest, hmm? Wow… Nay’s become quite the villain. This is only in her mind, remember? Don’t let it bother you. But hey, do you think this means deep down Nay actually despises Cass? Well, I suppose there’s a small possibility, but we must realize there might be other reasons, too. I guess…? It’s possible that Cass’s self-criticism is affecting the way Nay perceives her.In this world, Nay and Cass’s Soulscapes are merged… It’s hard to know if one influences the other. Look at it closely, however, and you might be able to see the truth. Feinne’s Notes: This is an interesting Dive that really highlights how much this is both Delta and Cass’s story, because we see a LOT of it from her perspective and not his. Cass was at the library, speaking with Spartan Liv.  Liv… Is it true that you can make my wish come true? Of course it is. After all, I’m the “Dream Wholesaler”. Dream… Wholesaler? Yes. It’s my job to make dreams come true. Of course, that doesn’t mean I can make EVERYTHING come true.And as you might’ve suspected from our name, we charge a very reasonable price. I see… Then, I guess it’s not possible for me, after all… But don’t worry, it’s not like we sell dreams for money.What we ask in return is part of your strong feelings… I guess you could cal it a part of your soul. My soul…? Yes. The value of one’s soul determines the wishes I can grant… A poor soul cannot receive many wishes.Also, it’s not good to overuse this. I can of course sell more than the value of your soul, but you’ll die. …! So? What would you like to do? Want to buy some dreams…? Or do you prefer selling your organs? O-Okay… I’ll buy a dream! I promised Delta I would protect him… Hehehe, very well. I had a feeling you would see things my way.Well then, let’s begin, shall we? First, I must determine the value of your soul. … … Well?Also never listen to anyone trying convince you to sell your life to them. Very bad idea.  50 Livs? Is that a lot? Well… I think the average human has 300 Livs. Wha-!? Why’s my soul’s value so low…!?System Message: Obtained the thought gem, [Low Soul Value]! I’m not sure what to say… That’s the current value of your soul. But you can still buy something with 50 Livs. … Well? Would you like to enter a contract? Or start selling orga-… O-Okay! I’ll enter the contract… Please, help me. Hehe, negotiations are complete, then.Now, I will be able to do something for you almost immediately… Do you have any wishes? She tried to just wish away her problem.  Feinne’s Notes: Not only are we seeing this from Cass’s perspective, we actually even get to make choices as her. Anyway this is the ‘wrong’ choice but there’s no penalty to picking it.  Whenever someone starts offering you ‘wishes’ with restrictions that’s also a really bad sign. You can cover 450 carats. What the-!? I think I’m losing my will to live… Don’t give up. Listen… There’s a trick to this. Wishes involving money are generally more expensive. Okay… In that case…I want 100,000 people to go through my electric chair every day. That’ll cost you 20 Livs. Really!? YES!! Well, I’ll grant your wish starting tomorrow. Sound good? Yes, thank you very much! But… I guess that only leaves me with 30 Livs… And one more thing, the more Livs you spend, the shorter your life becomes. H-Hey! Why would you not tell me that earlier! It wouldn’t have changed what you did, would it? W-Well, maybe not, but… Then, what difference does it make? So! Just be careful about spending too much, okay? * Sigh * so my life is shorter now… That’s shocking.But it’s all so I can live happily with Delta. I need to try harder! The next day, Delta dropped in on Cass again at work. This time, it was packed with people.  Okay, next person please!Man: Yeaaaah! Finally my turn! Oh, this was SO worth the 28 hour wait! Now now, please have a seat!Man: R-Right! Please enjoy yourself!Alright, next person! Woman: I came here because I wouldn’t handle the constant nagging from my mother-in-law. You’ll be happier in 10 seconds!I wish you the best in your next life! What the hell happened here? I’d like to ask that question, myself! There’s not a soul at the Towering Guillotine… If it isn’t the chairman. What do you think of this crowd? Easily more than 100,000 people, wouldn’t you say? Tch… You have a point. So? What kind of trickery did you use to get these people here? Heh heh, all that matters is the result, right? I recall someone telling me that recently. Grr… Now, I expect a raise, like you promised. F-Fine… Here you go. Thank you very much! In spite of this, her situation was unchanged. Now, I think you’re being a little stingy, Nay… I don’t think so. Besides, I never said how much I would raise your salary, so technically, I’m not lying. …Carp, I can’t say anything back… This isn’t good. At this rate, I can’t return my debt… Nothing we can do about it, it seems… I’ll go find work, too. That’s right! Hey, Liv, I want to make a wish, are you around…? Of course. I’m always by your side, but invisible to others. I want you to tell me a secret. One that would blow the chairman’s mind!She tried to take matters a bit farther.  Feinne’s Notes: Spend them bucks, get a thought gem, just as usual. Going so far as blackmail to try and improve her situation.  Ahh… Thank you very much! My, someone’s honest. You’re very welcome… I wasn’t thanking you, chairman… In fact, I want to ask you, do you really think I’m satisfied with this pay? What’s this? Are you threatening me? Do you even know where you stand? Of course I do. I’ve got some dirt on you, that you wouldn’t believe. Is that so? Now… Why don’t you tell me what that is? Every night before you go to sleep, you drink milk and massage your breasts, hoping they’ll grow. Right?System Message: Obtained the thought gem, [Nay’s Massage]! Gah-! Wh-What the…!? How the hell do you know about that!? Whoa, Nay… Is that true!? Delta? You need to get your mind out of the gutter.Well then, I think it’s time I told everyone else… Hey guys! Did you know that the chairman of this theme park is…!! W-Wait WAIT! Please, don’t tell them that!How much do you want!? Hmm, I think 1,000 carats a day should do the trick. Wha-!? Cass! Isn’t that a bit…? You’re asking for the impossible!! Hey everyone-!By the way that totally doesn’t work. I’ve, um, heard. From a friend.  Aww, really? You’re so generous, chairman. Here, 1,000 carats for today. Take it, you thief. Haha, thank you very much. W-Whoa whoa whoa, Cass… Hey dear, look! I got a HUGE raise at work today! Umm, I think you’re taking this too far. I mean, no matter how you look at it, this is blackmail. No, it’s negotiating. C’mon, let’s go back to Nita-Nita Loans. We need to pay him back! H-Hey, Cass!Sorry, Nay… …They rushed down to try and start paying back the loan.  Oh, it’s just you guys… Did you bring me what you owe? Not all of it, not yet anyway… But I brought you this, for now. Wow, 1,000 carats? I must admit that’s a surprise. I found a stable source of income, and I promise we’ll pay you back. So, could you wait just a little longer? Hmm… Well, you see honestly… 1,000 carats is probably enough to cover your interest.Even if you were to pay me 1,000 carats a day from today on, do you know how long it’ll take to pay off? I doubt you can keep this pace up, so… I’m going to have to decline your offer. B-But, why!? Okay, you’ve got 2 more days to pay everything back. And, I’m sorry, but we’re closed now. H-Hey, just wait a sec-! C’mon. Out, out!Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the way she’d hoped.  We’ve got no choice, Cass… We need to go on the run! That’s our only option! Go on the run…!? Where are we gonna go? We’re surrounded by walls and a theme park…In case you haven’t noticed, there’s nowhere TO run… I see… Don’t worry, dear. I promise I’ll protect you. I’m so sorry to make you worry. Cass, don’t worry, and don’t push yourself too hard… I’m not pushing myself hard. As long as I can be happy with you, then I…I’ve decided I can do anything to make that come true! …Cass. But really, I’m going to be okay. I didn’t feel this way in the past, but… Now, it’s different. …Huh? I feel so much stronger now. I have the strength to live in this brutal world, like the chairman or Shirotaka. …Cass, are you like… Cornered or something? Yes, I would say so. She does seem quite cornered. Not just recently, but for a while now… You’re talking about in reality, aren’t you? How could I not have noticed… * Sigh * You can be pretty dense, after all. I think it’s her surroundings that are bothering her.Everyone around Cass excels at something. Even Nay and Sarly… But Cass can use Song Magic, and I think that’s more than enough for her… If it’s Song Magic, then Nay and Sarly can use it too, you know? That’s not enough to serve as her identity. So that’s how it is…? Man, she really doesn’t need to worry about any of that. A girl’s heart is easily wounded… Though, I doubt you will ever understand that.It’s getting a bit late and there’s plenty more to go, I think we’ll stop there for now. We’ll just have to see how things turn out for Delta, Cass, and Nay next time. Next Time, Ar Nosurge: Sacrifice, Part 2
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May 8, 2015 21:01
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Wha-!? Why’s my soul’s value so low…!? Probably because from what we've seen, Cass's entire life and personality is wrapped up so tightly with Delta that if you took him out, I'm not sure there'd be much left. * Sigh * You can be pretty dense, after all. I think it’s her surroundings that are bothering her.Everyone around Cass excels at something. Even Nay and Sarly… But Cass can use Song Magic, and I think that’s more than enough for her… If it’s Song Magic, then Nay and Sarly can use it too, you know? That’s not enough to serve as her identity.Hmmm... maybe I was spot on about that.
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May 8, 2015 21:25
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And here's the BGM for Nays genometrics. It sounds pretty conflicted, I like it a lot.
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May 8, 2015 22:33
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So i finished the game. I'll generally keep quiet on it since this is Feinne's LP and all, but I'll just say that while it has problems (even beyond all the  ) it is certainly worth playing for yourself if you get the chance. Assuming you aren't immediately turned off by it of course.Also it easily has the second best OST of these games after AT2.
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May 9, 2015 01:25
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Yeah so we've had a good and an okay Song here in the first bit, but we'll be ending the phase with two pretty amazing ones. Including one of my three favorites in the game, yal fii-ne noh-iar. We're doing a thing tomorrow so we'll likely finish the Dive Sunday.
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May 9, 2015 04:09
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I feel like this has been a lot more about Cass than Nay so far.
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May 9, 2015 04:45
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Sindai posted:I feel like this has been a lot more about Cass than Nay so far. There's always going to be a problem for our actual partner at some level as well as the person assisting the Dive, because we're turning their combined feelings into Songs. Generally it will be a problem that ties into both participants. For example, this time it's pretty obvious a major part of the problem here is connected with the practical aftermath of Delta's problem six months ago. That's definitely connected to both Cass and Nay, though in different ways. There's a secondary problem, though, which is more of Nay's and will become more obvious in the second half.
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May 9, 2015 04:58
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Update coming later today finishing the dive.
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May 10, 2015 14:56
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I just realized this, but what's to keep Tecmo-Koei and/or Gust from putting the AT series onto Steam? Okay, granted, Qoga is the only game that requires you to use the Sixaxis motion bit, but still.
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May 10, 2015 16:18
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Well, Ra Ciel is gone, but considering Wave Science's track record... at least it was intentional. The Grathnode Inferia was sabotage and EXEC_over.METHOD_SUBLIMATION and EXEC_Z were smaller scale. Finally, someone sung the song that ends the world, but it was a good guy! ...That's something to be proud of, right?
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May 10, 2015 16:19
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HR12345 posted:I just realized this, but what's to keep Tecmo-Koei and/or Gust from putting the AT series onto Steam? Okay, granted, Qoga is the only game that requires you to use the Sixaxis motion bit, but still. Ports aren't exactly the cheapest thing. Even though more and more Japanese companies are realizing how lucrative the overseas PC market can be, it's still very much the exception for there to be PC ports of their games.
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May 10, 2015 18:04
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Argas posted:Ports aren't exactly the cheapest thing. Even though more and more Japanese companies are realizing how lucrative the overseas PC market can be, it's still very much the exception for there to be PC ports of their games. IIRC, there also might be licensing costs on top of the technical ones. Though Compile Heart seems to be jumping on the PC bandwagon so they can't be TOO high.
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May 10, 2015 18:10
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Do you like music? Because I like music. Here's some of the field music we encountered so far. Here's the area outside Felion Really catchy and a bit high tech sounding? I like it. IIRC this plays at Kurt Himmel. And some other locations. It's kind of weird tbh. This plays at the fields outside of Honokano.. A really nice, relaxing piece.
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May 10, 2015 18:22
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So why isn't everyone who lives outside the city immediately running for the Barrier, if Sharl are snatching them up?
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May 10, 2015 21:39
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Alright, last time around we covered the first bit of a Dive with Nay. How about we finish that up? I think the last thing that happened was Cass trying and failing to solve their money troubles. As we begin, Delta followed Cass to the library where she was meeting Spartan Liv. Hmmm… Please! Cass…? What’s she doing here on her own?Let’s go a little closer… If we have that theme park, Delta and I will be saved. So, please! Very well… Let me run some calculations.Hmm, I’m still coming up with 1,500 livs. …No… It’s not cash, but we still need to appraise the value of the property, so really it’s not that different.…Of course, I can still grant your wish. But with overkill like this, I can’t guarantee what’ll happen to you. …That won’t do. I want to live together with Delta. Like I said before, I sell dreams, not objects, or money… Which is why the price is so high. …This is less convenient than I thought… Isn’t there something I can wish for?Oh yes! How about this, then… Try me. Cass had come up with a new plan. I see. Very well, that’ll cost you 14 livs. …14 livs… What do you want to do? I think you’ll still be able to live, but… It’s okay, it’s fine. Thank you very much! Good luck tomorrow. …Whew… Now, what kind of battle should I have tomorrow… Cass! D-Dear!? What are you doing here? Don’t “What are you doing here?” me… What’s going on? Why are you talking to yourself? I-It’s nothing…! M-More importantly, can you come to the theme park with me tomorrow? Sure, I don’t mind, but… It’s decided, then! Oh, I can’t wait! …?Cass headed to the park to challenge Nay.  Yes! Hah! How dare you get carried away… I built this theme park from nothing! How could you take it over? You don’t know until you try.We can use my electric chair, or any other attraction here… Whoever sells more tickets, wins! If I win, I’m gonna take this theme park. If you win, I work for free… Forever! Are you serious? Alright, if you’re that confident, I’ll take you on! God as my witness, I’ll knock you off that high horse and give you a taste of reality! I’d love to see you try! The winner will be the one who gets more guests to their attraction. Deal? Of course! I won’t lose! I can’t lose… Neither can I! H-Hey, Nay-! Don’t you worry… I’m going to win this. I know I will. H-Hey, Cass… You seem really weird lately.Cass! …Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?  At the end of the day they got the results. I can’t wait to see the results. Well then, Delta… Would you mind reading the results for today, please? S-Sure…First, all the attractions aside from the electric chair… Did 250,000… Not too shabby, if I do say myself. And the electric chair did… … 380,000… YES!! Y-You’re kidding me… It’s true. I can’t believe it myself, but… This can’t be happening! You’re cheating! I’m not. Chairman… I mean, Nay, your behavior is unsightly.Starting today, this entire theme park… Belongs to ME!  Delta was kind of skeptical about all this. What are you saying?Look at how hard I’m trying to improve our lives! Why do you insist on getting in my way!? W-Well, you see… Now, Miss Nay… Starting today, I’m the new chairman. W-Wait, Cass…! How am I supposed to live from now on…!? Ah, yes… Good point. I’m sorry, I didn’t take that into consideration.Hmm, let’s see. Well, I’ll let you enjoy the Towering Guillotine from now on. All you want, no charge! Wha-!? What’re you saying…!? If I ride that, I’ll die!Especially given how far she was going.  Feinne’s Notes: There’s a thought gem if you hit Cass here, but then you get kicked out because that’s an awful thing to do. It’s just no way to treat your friends.  I get it, you’re trying really hard for the both of us, but you’re being really harsh.I… I don’t like seeing you like this… Dear…? … …Fine, you don’t have to die. I’ll take care of you, Nay.Just like I did with Delta.  Cass locked Nay and Delta up. …Cass, what’s gotten into you?Delta, you know what’s really going on here, right? How Cass is pulling those numbers? I-I’ve no idea what you’re talking about! I’m surprised, too! That’s because that child is having her wishes granted. Y-You’re… Spartan Liv!? What? You know this person, Nay? Heh, I can’t believe she was involved in this… Unbelievable. My, why all the hatred? I’m your creation, after all, you know? What are you doing here, anyway!? I thought I sealed you away in the library! Maybe, according to you… But remember, in a world that’s not yours, your rules do not apply.That child’s wishes were quite strong, and very passionate… I’m quite satisfied. So... How much did she use? Yes, well… I think she has 3? No, maybe 1 liv remaining…? No… Way… Whwat the hell are you doing!? What am I…? I’m doing my job, obviously.At any rate, I just came to thank you for the new souls. Until next time. H-Hey! Wait up-! … This gave Nay some explaining to do. She grants wishes in exchange for someone’s life energy… What!? Then, are you telling me… Cass’s luck was just… She must’ve wished for it. But Liv has a dark side to her…It might look like she’s granting wishes, but she will never make a situation better. What’s really changing is the clients’ state of mind. Liv rewrites pain and suffering into happiness… What!? That sounds extremely dangerous! Yeah… If only I never created such a monster… Nay, how exactly are you involved with her? Like I said… I created her. But why would you do that…? You see, when I was still a child, I had a near death experience. Well, more accurately, I had many…It was over the right to succeed… Sure, right now I may be the empress, but the path was not an easy one. Thanks to the adults fighting for power, I nearly died, many times… We had many enemies. I see… It wasn’t easy for you, either… That’s why I decided to change the way I think. I can’t be afraid of facing death, in fact, I should embrace it.And she’s the one who made that decision a reality… Spartan Liv. Thanks to her, no matter how difficult it became, I turned that suffering into pleasure. Like an adventurer…  Now that things have calmed down, I do have to say excitement is overrated. That’s why I sealed her away. But… It seems Cass coming to this world brought her back to life again. Why Cass…? I think Cass wished for it, too.Just like me… She wanted to live a happier life, even if it meant more danger. Liv responded. I see… but she’s still got like 3 livs left, right? Doesn’t that means she’s okay?I feel bad for what’s happened, but now, we can return the debt, and we won’t ask for anything else. That can’t happen! Why not…? Spartan Liv. She’ll never let Cass be happy. Until she can break free of this curse, she’s doomed to die… Wha-!? Spartan Liv can do that? Yes, she can! She’s a part of me, after all… She knows everything about this world!The moment she taunted Cass into taking over this theme park… She intended to take Cass with her. Why, though!? I don’t understand. The reason Cass took the theme park is to pay off her debts, right? Y-Yeah, but… That’s impossible. Huh!? As it happened, winning the amusement park only made the situation worse for Cass. Whaa!? Why!? Look at how many customers you have!! All the rides? The attractions…? They’re free. …You’re kidding… But why? Because…Because, I just wanted some friends… Miss… Nay? I was always so alone, so I… I…!The only people who ever approached me wanted to kill me or take advantage of me! I hated it, so I worked so hard to build this theme park… Then everyone showered me with praise! How can I possibly charge admission for that? If I do, I’ll just be another businesswoman taking money. All I wanted… Was to become friends with everyone. I just want to talk with them, and live with them… Delta was going to need Nay’s help to do something about the situation.  Feinne’s Notes: We get a thought them for spending a bit of DP and being nice to Nay. Plus, he’s her friend.  * Sniff * Thanks… So, don’t cry anymore, alright…? Okay… I won’t cry. I won’t cry anymore…System Message: Obtained the thought gem, [Nay’s Friend]! Heh, that said… The situation isn’t really great. This means Cass won’t be able to pay back her debts.Her due date’s today. If she can’t return her loan, she’ll have to sell her organs… That’s not good. We need to save her… But, we’re locked out… Don’t worry. I think… If Cass locked this door, then she can open it again. That is, if she needs us… Alright, well, let’s give it a shot. All or nothing!Hraaaaaaaaaaah! Yes! It opened! It’s just like you said, Nay! C’mon, let’s go look for Cass! Yes!They rushed back to the love nest to find Cass.   You think an apology can solve everything in this world!? We wouldn’t need police! Just accept this already! Hang on a sec! Ah, if it isn’t the husband, and the chairman… Who’s the baldy you got there? I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I’m the president of Nita-Nita Loans, and we’re here to collect. C’mon, now please… PLEASE, just wait a little longer for us! Unfortunately, we must decline your request. You’ve evaded this debt long enough. There you have it. I’m sorry, Casty, but we’re gonna have to take you, even if it means killing you. Noo! Please, Liv, show yourself! Did you call me? I shall answer any request you have. Kill those two for me! That will cost you 300 livs… Are you sure you wish to proceed? …! Cass! Don’t do anything stupid! You’re going to die! You’re getting in the way of my business, Nay. …There was only one thing for Delta to do.  Feinne’s Notes: This is the only way to progress, we need Delta to offer his organs up. He couldn’t let Cass keep sacrificing for his sake.  Wha-!? You can’t be serious! What are you thinking… Frankly, it makes little difference to us. You appear to be in rather good health, too. No, you can’t! I won’t let you! Sorry, Cass… Hrrng! Eeeeeeek! Waaaah! I’m ready. Take me. Ahh, you’re being a great help, cooperating and all… Welcome to the organ bank! Now, let’s go. Dear, no! Don’t go!Deltaaaaaaaa! Delta… Delta…! * sniff * … Liv, please… Don’t! You call her here, and there’s no turning back! She’s wishing for you to overkill yourself! But…! But if we don’t do something, Delta’s gonna die! Nay had an answer, though it was a bit extreme. Really!? I’ll do anything, so please… Tell me! … Nay! …We destroy this world. Huh!? Destroy… This world!? …Exactly.Spartan Liv is controlling this world right now. All because I was too weak, and couldn’t free myself from her. What do you mean? …I told myself, I would never pull any dangerous stunts. Putting my life on the line for an adrenaline high…A part of me, somewhere deep down, yearned for that feeling again… On the brink of life and death. Liv would encourage me, so I couldn’t get rid of her. And then, she came after you… In this world. So, I propose we destroy this world. It’s a world that’s no longer necessary to me. Nay…? So, you have to promise me, you won’t give in to her!You’ve been through a lot, too… Delta’s memory loss, being discharged from PLASMA… So, I understand your feelings, you want to try really hard to make up for all that, but… Don’t seek danger.  Still, it was the only option they had. Thanks, Nay… Alright! Now that that’s decided, let’s go destroy this world!!System Message: Obtained the thought them, [Self Destructing World]! But, how…? It’s actually rather simple. This world was supposed to die a long time ago, but I resisted, preserving it…Using that rocket over there as an axis to support it. …Wha-? Y-You were using a rocket to prop up the world? Exactly… Pretty interesting, huh? …I can’t believe it. At any rate, let’s go to the rocket. There’s someone called the Space Empress inside, if she leaves……Then this world collapses. Splat! Like a pancake. Delta… Please don’t die. We’re going to destroy this world before you can…!They headed to the rocket to confront the “Space Empress”.  …Yeah. The Divine Empress was waiting for them there. We don’t have time to chit-chat! We need your help… Can you move this rocket out of the way!? Move it out of the way…? You were the one who wedged it here in the first place… I know! But I changed my mind! Well, I personally don’t mind, but are you sure? If I move it, the world will be destroyed… It can’t be undone. I know that! That’s exactly why we’re here! …Um, Nay… This isn’t the only world that’s going to be destroyed. All of your worlds are…I’m talking about every Soulscape that you have. Are you positive you want to do this? … Nay! What does that mean!? …You stay out of this. I’ll explain instead. As you can see, Nay’s world is being supported by this pillar.If nothing’s in its place, it would’ve collapsed long ago. In other words… She could have had a mental breakdown. This rocket is the only thing standing between her and complete disaster. The reason is… The real Divine Empress, mind.  …I-Ion!? Why… WHY are you here!? I’m afraid I can’t explain that. Not on this level. … No matter. Moving this means you’ve either accepted me completely… Or chosen to deny me entirely.Regardless of which you choose, your Soulscape cannot possibly remain stable. Because… I messed up your life completely. And if you embrace that as a fact, that could mean everything you’ve done in your life was a lie. …Nay…? Can you really say that? …I can. …Nay! Don’t! You’ll collapse completely! But if I don’t, Delta won’t survive… I can’t cause any more trouble for everyone.Besides… Severing my past… No, I think it’s important for me to face my past here, too… Nay. Your addiction will surely return, you know. …Huh? You might try to act cool, telling yourself you’ll “face the truth” but you want a taste of that danger. …! Destroying portions of your own inner self is overrated by the way, not something I can recommend. Nay, is this true!? There’s no point asking the Nay in this world. I doubt even she understands what she’s really after.But I can tell… Because I exist on a much deeper level inside of her. Cass, why don’t you stop Nay for her own sake… We don’t want her to become a junkie again, do we? Cass did not have that luxury, though.  Feinne’s Notes: Persuading Nay to stop gets us a thought gem but also kicks us out, since Delta dies and all. We need to launch it ourselves to get anything done.  Cass…!? But I… Maybe you’re right. I just want a taste of that thrill again. Even if that were true, you need to face it!Whatever this is… You’re running away from how you really feel deep down, right? That can’t be okay!! …Cass… Maybe it’s easier to run away and hide, sure… But in the end, you’ll be filled with regret! …Okay. When this world collapses, though… You might get swallowed up in it. Did you forget, Nay? I’m on the verge of death, anyway… What do I have to lose? Heh, that’s right… Hahaha… I see your world always exists on the verge of life and death, Nay… Do you really live like this every day? I do. Even as “Nay the Gale”, I wanted others to accept me. But I wanted to taste extreme thrill, too…So, I’ve found my answer already. Move this rocket out of the way! …Fine. Are you sure about this? Of course. I’m moving it… Eeeeeeek! This could be your end, Nay. The final spectacle, a show that’ll take you to the edge of life and death! Nay!! The world’s collapsing. Hurry, get out of here through the Hymmnofort! But, what about Delta!? He’s probably okay… You can meet up with him at the Hymmnofort! O-Okay!! …Good luck, Nay… It seemed they’d become closer, though at a heavy price. It’s okay! Just hurry!! They rushed to the Hymmnofort to find Delta already there. I’ve no idea what’s going on, but when I came to, I was here! Delta, I’m sorry… I just wanted to live happily with you.So, if there was anything that would improve our quality of life, I didn’t hesitate… But unlike Nay or Sarly, I don’t have power or wisdom, so… I desperately wanted to find something I could do. It’s okay, Cass… Don’t say another word… Thank you, and I’m sorry…I’ve put you through so much because of my memory loss… Delta… Okay, okay, great melodrama you guys have going on here, but the stage is crumbling. To the DOOR!Spartan Liv appeared one last time.  Why would I get in the way? I came to see you off. See us off!? True, it irritates me that my world has been destroyed… But these are the rules, and I must accept it.All three of your epiphanies, and… Your soul’s growth. …Does that mean…? Nay and Casty opened up to their true feelings in this world, and supporting each other, overcame a large wall.If you two swear to continue to support each other, and help the other grow… Being true friends… Then, I shall become your avatar, Nay, and support Casty and Delta on your behalf. What do you think? …Of course. That’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Here, for you. …Nay? Thank you… Now, I want the two of you to hold each other’s hands, and open that door… Okay. Yes… Cass, Delta, thank you. You’ve helped me realize something so important.But, I don’t think you should come to this world again… I don’t want to involve you two in my own quest to face my fears… Nay…? But…! No talking back! Just stay by my side and watch over me. That’ll be more than enough. Okay? …Okay. Good luck, Nay… Alright, are you ready for this!? Let’s go!!Nay didn’t really need their help again anyway. There was someone else she had to confront…  Feinne’s Notes: We get Spartan Liv and access to Harmonics Level 3 in battle for this. Level 3 is a pretty huge bonus, because when we get to 10 chain combos at Level 3 or 4 a special support attack that hits the entire enemy party is unleashed. We’ll see that in the upcoming sections. That’s a tale for another day, though, when Nay was again confronted with the person who destroyed her life. Next Time, Ar Nosurge: Delta and Cass in the Green Land
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May 10, 2015 21:57
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So yeah the Ion-Nay dive(s?) are going to be really interesting because their relationship is an utter trainwreck, far above and beyond any of the relationships we've dived into so far. Ion is simultaneously the worst and best thing that has ever happened to Nay and she has no idea how the gently caress to deal with that or reconcile her feelings towards Ion. 5,000 years to think about it might have clarified her feelings but it doesn't look like it helped much. I want to go back to Earthes so we can be closer to seeing that dive  It's also interesting that the dives don't... necessarily help the people in question? Like in Ar Tonelico the dives were generally a good thing that made you a better person in the end at the end of the level (unless you were loving with them or cheating like Finnel), but Sarly's made her double down on being an antisocial rear end in a top hat and Nay's seems to have unleashed her inner masochist/adrenaline junkie. Which is... you can kind of say it's for the best, since she's not repressing herself any more, but large and important parts of Nay, Nay the professional, Nay the Empress seem to view it as a personal weakness or a distraction that she's better off without. Either way it's not nearly as clear-cut as "Aurica learned to not hate herself as much". Qoga did this a little too but the stuff it did with the personas kind of crowded it out, Ar seems to have a better grip of what it wants to do. Though this might be because we're still in the early levels. Is it spoilery to ask how many dives each character has? They seem a lot longer than AT's dives and they're spread across more characters being approached by two parties so I would be disappointed but unsurprised if each character only had one or two dives with each party. On the other hand there's only two heroines instead of three so... Anyway, as a total aside, it recently clicked that Delta and co. are from a planet called Ra Ciel, while the Ar Tonelicos happened on a planet named Ar Ciel. I wonder if that's just a minor nod or if it might matter. It'd be really cool if the Soleil were headed to Ar Ciel and the epilogue stinger reveals that the crew became the Ar Cielan civilization Hitchhiker's-style or something. It'd be nice to know that these chucklefucks eventually learned to fix a planet instead of bugging out on a spaceship  Even if it takes countless years and three games.
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May 10, 2015 23:53
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Nobody has more than two Dives with a given party, though a few characters do get three Dives total by virtue of being with both. I'll also say Cass has more single Dives while Ion has more double ones.
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May 11, 2015 03:29
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Think I'm going to try and get an update out today, we're getting awfully close to the climax of the phase.
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May 11, 2015 15:11
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I'm excited to see what comes next, as well as seeing how these dives end.
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May 11, 2015 16:45
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Story time again! With that Dive complete, they headed out to find the Master Sharl. They started by infiltrating Quanturv again, which proved surprisingly easy. Yeah. There are more Sharl too. And fewer people. Sarly…doesn’t it seem like no one can see us? H-Hey, Cass… I think I get it now. Get what? We’ve turned into ghosts. That’s why we were able to escape from the flasks. What?! Are…are you saying we’re dead? drat… I really wanted to take back my restaurant before I died…Nay… I’ll haunt you for this. How long are you going to keep spouting that nonsense? We’re not ghosts.Although, Cass was right. Nobody seems to have any interest in us. It’s almost as though the entire city is possessed by something. What could be going on? Don’t know. If you’re curious, we could investigate a little. There’re fewer guards than I expected.They considered searching the church, the last place they’d seen Kanon, but thought better after going there.  Yeah… Wonder what’s going on.Sharl: Okay, all done. You’re in group B. Please follow the Sharl to your right. Man: Ugh… I understand. Sharl: Okay, you’re in group A. Please proceed. Older Woman: Really? Oh, thank you great Sharl… Sharl: I have done nothing, this is the gift of “yal fii-ne noh-iar”. Please proceed to our green paradise. What are they talking about…? Green paradise…? What’s that? I don’t know, but we should get out of here. We don’t want them getting suspicious. Yeah…Before they left to continue their search elsewhere, they dropped in on Sarly’s hideout.  Since when is this your home… Doctor? …Doctor, can you hear me? …No reply. Did they put the Doctor in one of those flasks too?!Doctor Leolm: Ms. Planck! You’re alive!? Doctor! I’m glad you’re safe.Doctor Leolm: Don’t worry about me. Thank goodness you’re alive. If I’d only detected the Sharl a little earlier… It’s not your fault. I still would have been captured.I’m going to stay here and talk to the Doctor a bit. What are you doing to do? Go somewhere else. I can’t stand this place. All right, how about we go get something to eat? I’m pretty hungry. Sounds good. I get to pick where, though. Sure, I’ll leave it to you. Don’t let your guard down. This city is filled with fanatics. I know. We’ll be back in a bit. Hiding things from your friends that they should know never turns out well in the end. Yeah. Now…what happened after I was captured? Is Ionasal awake yet?Doctor Leolm: Yes. As a result, the propagation of Sharl has ceased. Hm. That’s good. Not a bad trade for two years of imprisonment. Thanks, Doctor.Doctor Leolm: You were the one who completed the Camphor Program and installed it in Ionasal. I only provided information. By the way… Where is Ionasal now?Doctor Leolm: I don’t know. Even I can’t see everything on that ship. So there are limits to your knowledge. And here I thought you were some sort of electronic god.Doctor Leolm: That’s enough sarcasm. It is nice talking to you, though. Makes me think of the past.Doctor Leolm: Oh? Back when Ra Ciela still existed I had a close friend. I spent a lot of time talking to him like this.Doctor Leolm: Where is he now…? He died.Doctor Leolm: …I see. I apologize. I don’t mind. It was a long, long time ago, anyway.This was about where Delta and Cass showed back up.  What are you talking about?! You lose half the flavor if you don’t make the noises! Ugh… I guess I can’t go to nice places with you any more. Did you enjoy your date? Date?! No way! I’ve never been so embarrassed by someone in my life! Ha! Sounds like a disaster. Still, it’s nice to have someone you’re that close to. …Sarly.It’s okay. I’m sure Shirotaka is out there, somewhere… Cass, don’t talk about that, please. …I’m sorry. …And, I wasn’t as close to him as you seem to think. I don’t really think much of him anymore. … We should get going. There’s still a lot we need to do. Sorry. It’s not a happy story. We should get moving.Feinne’s Notes: We’ve got a couple of talk topics that relate to current events, Two Years’ Time and About Nay. Delta and Cass did stop to talk about some things before they left Quanturv, though.  Yeah. A lot of things are probably different now, besides the Barrier being damaged.We don’t really have time to look around, but we’ll probably end up seeing for ourselves eventually. Probably…I’m worried about Felion, but I’m also worried about my house. So that means that Nay’s been doing whatever she wants with my shop for the last 2 years? I’m sure she’s boxed up all my things and pretty much turned my room into her own… … What’s wrong? …M-my house… Might be bad too… I’m sure Nay’s been taking care of the rent and such… I’m not talking about that… I’m talking about in the refrigerator… T-the refrigerator!?Oh right, if you’ve left stuff in there for two years, I’m sure it’s all… Oh god… what should I do? I’m afraid to open it… it’s probably leaking weird liquids…! Oh man, stop! I don’t even want to think about it!Feinne’s Notes: This next scene has a line that makes no goddamn sense so I’m going to change it to something that does in context. Including the Dive they’d just done.  Actually, yeah. It feels like you’ve made more positive changes. …Well, to be honest, I didn’t do much.I might’ve helped getting things moving, but you’re the one who did all the work, Cass. Do you mean the me inside Genometrics? Yeah… After seeing that, I realized I’ve been causing you a lot of trouble.Sorry about that… Wha, stop it! I don’t feel like you’re causing me any trouble… But you’re working hard, right? Well, yeah…Wait no, there’s something I wanted to ask! Not about you, but about Nay. Did something happen with Nay in my mind? Hmm… I’m not even sure of it myself.I was held prisoner by a few men sporting creepy grins, in order to sell my organs instead of yours. …What the hell. What kind of violent world was this? Would you understand if I said there was an amusement park for suicide? …I understand that there’s no way I’d understand without seeing those things for myself. Delta missed most of the important parts of the Dive sadly. Do you mind if I ask how your thoughts towards Nay have changed? It’s hard to explain.But I do feel like I can trust her more than before. Really? Yeah… This might sound weird, but…I feel like Nay and I cooperated with each other and accomplished something important. … S-sorry. I know I sound strange… No, that’s not it.And you said you worked with Nay to get something important done, right? I’m happy to hear that! Really? Why? Huh? Oh, uh… Well, because I can tell your relationship with Nay has improved, that’s all. …Seriously? Yep.(I’m not gonna mention the important thing they did was helping me… How embarrassing.) Feinne’s Notes: This is actually as far as we could go if we hadn’t done Ion and Earthes’ section. But since we did, now we can head to Kurt Himmel and find the barrier there open. They decided to look around, and found a way open they’d never seen before.  It looks like the barrier walls in Felion and Quanturv. Maybe this is a secret Church base. What should we do? What kind of question is that? We should go in! I agree. We’re looking for the Master Sharl. Not investigating this would be foolish. Right… let’s go.And past it, the green land of Sharanohiar.  What the hell is this?! Is…is this a planet’s surface…?Does this mean we were underground the whole time?! Did our ship reach another planet…? What’s…what’s going on here? Well, whatever it is, Felion needs to know, immediately.I’ll be heading back. Okay. We’ll stay here and scout around a little bit. Don’t go too far. We don’t have any idea what’s out there. Right. Of course, when they reached Honokano Village, almost all of the Sharl were gone. Yeah… Is…is that a Sharl?! Be careful… Right… But if they attack, I’m not holding back.Elder: Hm? Who are you? Are you humans? Um, yeah, that’s right.Elder: Oh ho… I’ve seen a lot of humans around recently. The salvation must be working. Salvation…? Um, who are you?Elder: I’m the Chief Elder of Honokano Village. Although I’m not really doing anything special. I’m only here to offer a prayer at this shrine, as I do every day. … Uh, sir, we’re looking for the Master Sharl. Do you know where they are?Elder: Master Sharl? Hm… I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that… Let’s see, um… Apparently they lead the Sharl?Elder: A leader? Then perhaps you refer to the Enlightened Sovereign? What…?Elder: The Representative of God, who watches over this land from Tenryosara: Her Highness Kanoyeel. Wait, what? The she really… It was a good thing for Delta and Cass that Sharl weren’t terribly bright on the whole. Huh? O-Oh, yeah, I guess I do… Uh, more importantly, how do we get to Tenryosara, sir?Elder: It’s a short trip by rail from Honokano Station, which is right over there. Great! Thanks! Delta, wait!Sir, could we ask you one more question? Elder: What is it? Is this a planet?Elder: …That is a very interesting question, young lady. This is Sharanohiar. In the Enlightened Sovereign’s own words, it is a planet that is not a planet. What does that mean…?Elder: This planet is trying to become a true planet. …Huh. Thank you very much, sir.They headed to the station to try and track down Kanon.  There really is a railroad… I don’t believe it. What I almost don’t believe is that they were part of a larger organization that actually sent support of some kind when it realized what they were doing. PLASMA!? Why are you here!?PLASMA Troop A: We’re here by command of the Divine Empress! We’ve been told to give you whatever help we can! Nay did this…? We probably have Sarly to thank too. Huh. We’re going to Tenryosara to learn the identity of the Enlightened Sovereign, who may be the Sharl leader.We can assume it’s an enemy stronghold, so be careful. We should avoid fighting whenever possible. Fortunately, for the moment it seems like there aren’t many Sharl. We’ll use this chance to infiltrate and determine the Enlightened Sovereign’s identity. PLASMA Troop B: Understood! Then let’s get moving! Looks like the train’s coming.They did run into some brief trouble, but it sorted itself out.  Sharl: Please present your tickets. What do you mean…?Sharl: You need a ticket to ride the train. You can’t ride it without one. That’s…not very helpful…Sharl: You don’t have any tickets? Then I’ll have to depart without you. W-Wait! …What’s this?!Are these tickets…? Sharl: Oh, so you did have some. Give them to me, please. Where did you get those…? I don’t know. I just saw something that looked…ticket-like…in my bag… You really need to clean that thing out every so often… I do!Sharl: All right, enough bickering. We’re ready to depart, please board. Cass decided to give her bag a once-over, which led her to a terrible discovery.  Maybe someone put them there? Like, Sarly found them and tossed them in or something. I don’t think so… I wonder if there’s anything else weird in there. Hey, don’t you think you’re getting a little too worked up? It’s not like this is going to happen again… What?! No…you’re kidding… It’s not here! Huh? What’s not there? …Where did it go…? Hey, what’s wrong? Delta, be honest. You stole them, didn’t you? Uh…stole what? My…my extra set of underwear. Like hell I did! Why would you just assume I stole your panties?! Hey! Don’t shout about that! Owwwwww! What did I do!? Ugh, what am I supposed to do now… You’re overreacting.Of course, even if Delta did know where they were, Cass would be unlikely to accept an explanation of ‘Ion stole them to use as a bandage for a Sharl.’  Your bag probably has a hole in it. Your underwear probably fell out, and the tickets got stuck in there. That’s not even possible!PLASMA Troop B: Hey, did you hear that? Sounds like Delta stole Ms. Casty’s panties. PLASMA Troop A: What!? …I want to become a Genomis, too. PLASMA Troop B: That’s impossible. You aren’t an Ancient, so you can’t become one even if you tried. PLASMA Troop A: If I become a Genomis, I could get all the panties I wanted… PLASMA Troop B: Your motives are just SO wrong… Delta and Cass decided to explore the train a bit, and encountered some actual earnest pilgrims in another car.  Looks like it’s not just Sharl around… What are you doing here?Man: We passed the Church’s “Judgment” the other day and were guided to paradise: Sharanohiar. You’re humans too, right? Didn’t you pass the “Judgment” like us? Or are you Church staff? Huh? No, that’s… Delta! Stop. We need to pretend we’re “purified” as well, and try to get as much information as we can!There’s something I want to ask… What was this “Judgment” you’re talking about, again? Woman: On dear, you’ve forgotten? It’s a ceremony held before “yal fii-ne noh-iar”, which chooses virtuous people to ascend to paradise. yal fii-ne noh-iar…?Man: Yes! The hour of God’s descent! The hour of blessing! That is “yal fii-ne noh-iar”! After the “Judgment” is complete, God descends. The hour of God’s descent will come soon. Woman: That is why we’re heading to Tenryosara, to be near the Enlightened Sovereign. Man: We probably won’t be able to meet her, though. Apparently, the ceremony of “yal fii-ne noh-iar” will be held in a place we cannot go.  Though in truth they didn’t know much beyond the vaguest details of what was going on. About as useless as you’d expect people judged ‘pure’ by some creepy ceremony to be, really. Woman: I told you: God will descend. Man: Yes! Our God, Cosal, will descend to this land! Cosal…Sharl: We thank you for your patience. This train will be making its final stop at “Tenryosara” shortly. Please be sure not to forget any personal articles when leaving the train. When they reached Tenryosara, Cass was rather surprised.  It looks a lot like Manjusara… Manjusara… …Where we lived when we were kids. This city reminds me of it. Wait, really?PLASMA Troop B: There seem to be Sharl here too. What should we do? The people we talked to said only chosen humans can come here. We should take advantage of that. What do you mean? It means keep a low profile. They’ll probably assume we’re “chosen” unless we give them a reason not to.The Chief Elder in Honokano Village didn’t think we were strange, remember? Yeah, I guess that does make sense. The rest of you, don’t get in trouble either. We’re here to find “God’s Representative,” Kanoyeel.If you find her, let us know. PLASMA Troop B: Understood!  Delta was feeling something a bit different, though. … Delta? …I can’t forgive them for this. For what? That village we just left, this place…they’re amazing. Well, yeah… I never thought the Sharl would be living like this, either. Right. They keep us on the ship, then live on the surface like this.But they still have to keep attacking us. The Chief Elder mentioned something about salvation earlier, too. I’m not sure what that means… I sure hope it doesn’t have anything to do with attacking humans… …We need to look for the Master Sharl right now, and that means we can’t cause trouble.They headed out to search for their goal, but as to what they found… That’s a tale for another day. Next Time, Ar Nosurge: Showdown at the Sharl Road
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May 11, 2015 21:28
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Feinne posted:
Wow. I knew what's-her-hat and Nelo were kind of huge jerks, but this is some full on Hitler.
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May 11, 2015 21:41
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Okay, I have to admit. The most cluttered purse in the world is an excellent explanation for a shared inventory.
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May 12, 2015 01:30
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Glazius posted:Okay, I have to admit. The most cluttered purse in the world is an excellent explanation for a shared inventory. It's so cluttered it bends spacetime.
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May 12, 2015 01:39
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wdarkk posted:It's so cluttered it bends spacetime. I do kind of like how the Genometrics dives aren't strictly 'complete and the person gets better' deal that they are in the AT games. It's more indicative of relationships where there is give and take, small changes in how they view each other etc.
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May 12, 2015 01:50
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The Sharl must have some lousy security if our heroes and PLASMA snuck in this easily. Then again, they are kind of ditzy and dumb, and are probably focusing only on Felion.
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May 12, 2015 07:37
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Argas posted:The Sharl must have some lousy security if our heroes and PLASMA snuck in this easily. Then again, they are kind of ditzy and dumb, and are probably focusing only on Felion. Zill (and Nelo) was probably all the competent security they had. Now that they're busy, Sharl security has more holes than Swiss cheese. Apparently Ciel Nosurge was Sarly's plan? I'm assuming that's what the Camphor Program is, since it apparently was meant to awake Ion. Have we seen Leolm onscreen yet? Because if not I'd say the story is hinting strongly towards one person.
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May 12, 2015 08:37
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Yeah the Sharl pretty clearly don't even really get the concept of information not being truthful. It's not even that they're not 'smart' in truth, they're keeping a planet running after all, they just don't think about things so much. Which, if you go back and look at what we read about them the first time we snuck into that secret lab as Ion, kind of seems to be the intent behind their creation. Sharl are pretty much in retrospect what Ar Cielan assholes wanted out of Reyvateils, they're mostly happy to serve and are so easily replenished that they can be expended without hesitation if you're a psychopath. Update later maybe, it'll be longish this time so it'll depend on how many screens it ends up as. Feinne fucked around with this message at 14:07 on May 12, 2015 |
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May 12, 2015 14:02
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Oh, you all still up? Alright, then I guess it’s story time again. Last time Delta and Cass were searching for the Master Sharl in Sharanohiar. And as they entered the Sharl Road, they found her. Video- “Surprise”  Watch What’s she doing here?! Prim!And Prim wasn’t alone. An… old friend was there as well.  Wh-Who are you?! I’m…Nelo. I’m sure Cass remembers me. What are you doing with Prim?! Wait, you DO know her? Of course I do, and if you had your memories, you definitely would too.She’s the reason our planet was destroyed. What…? That’s not a very nice thing to say. I thought we were friends… You? My friend? No, no way! Not after that! …Huh. That’s too bad. Hey…what did you do to Prim? I didn’t do anything. Then why is she singing?It’s difficult to count someone as a friend still after you doom them to wander space for eternity.  Wait, so the Master Sharl wasn’t Kanon?! Kanoyeel? She’s only a poor girl, trying to make it through each day burdened by her sins.She sings and prays, trying to comfort her sad little heart. What…what does that mean…? poo poo. Prim! PRIM! Huh?Daddy…? Mommy! I’m glad you’re safe! I’m glad you’re safe too… He he he! I haven’t seen you in a long time! What did she do to you? Why are you commanding the Sharl?!If you keep this up you’re going to kill everyone and destroy the world! Come on, let’s go back to Felion! …I can’t. …What? Nelo’s my partner. What…? Apparently Ra Ciela doesn’t have a saying about wrongs and their ability to make a right. Then again it took us rather a long time to get that down, so I can’t talk too much about it. They knew she was suffering, but nobody did anything about it. You didn’t either, right?That’s why I can’t go back with you. People who do bad things deserve to be punished. Wh-What…? You’re not making any sense. Weren’t you listening? Don’t screw around! …Why are you so mad?Humans are always getting mad… Just like this. They always want things to go their way, and when they don’t, they get mad. They don’t care about anybody else… They just get madder and madder and madder and madder and madder… They get mad, like demons, and then people like Nelo get sad. Prim… Prim will protect Nelo. What’s the point of protecting someone like her?! Why do you protect Mommy? …Because she’s important to me. Cass is important!Just like the Sharl, Prim wasn’t really able to understand how desperate the humans of Felion had become.  This…this is going nowhere. Just stop, Prim. You’re only wasting your breath. Okay… Sorry Mommy and Daddy. Prim.. Dammit!Boss Battle: Prim and Nelo  So let’s talk about a couple of new things you’ll see in the boss fight. First is the Power Up attack, on the circle. This lets us access some empowered versions of the basic attacks, and is a good supplement to the harmonics gauge attacks. Second are the support attacks we get at harmonics level 3, which happen when we reach a combo chain of 10. So, Nelo is pretty much the same as she was last time. Prim is in front of her and can’t be moved, so we need to take her down first. Neither of them have any attacks with bullshit timing, so you shouldn’t have much difficulty guarding against them. Break Prim every turn until she’s dropped, then break Nelo every turn. Fighting against your family is always a great pain. Though that’s also a story for a different day.  … …Prim… We didn’t have a choice! The Master Sharl Nay was talking about is probably Prim…Let’s take her with us. If we have Prim, Felion should be safe. …Okay.But we used to get along so well with her. What could have possibly happened? …No idea.Uh, about Nelo… You said you used to be friends… What did you mean? Did she really destroy our world? …It’s complicated.We were planning to use the energy we’d gain from crushing Ra Ciela to migrate to a new planet. Nelo…got in the way. We lost our planet, but because of her we couldn’t move to a new one. Why would she do that? She was brought to our world against her will. All she wanted was to go back to her own world.I guess it’s not surprising, but she never had much of an attachment to our world. And what about the two of you being friends? I…I was just a kid. And I thought she wasn’t a bad person…We’re all still paying for that mistake. …Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have asked. It’s fine. Well, let’s get back to Felion. Then all this will be over.Delta without even meaning to also answered an important question about something that happened on the other channel.  Hm… What, do you know what it is? Yeah… I think I fell down there once. What?! Were you hurt? Gravity isn’t normal in there. I just kind of floated down, all the way to the bottom. What’s at the bottom? …The Placenta, probably. I think it’s near wherever we were sleeping. Really? So the Sharl were going through and attacking Felion from this “Placenta” place? I guess so. I never even thought of that… Then that also means we can jump down there and be back at Felion in no time. H-Hold on! We don’t know if the anti-gravity’s still working! Oh…right. Ha ha ha. Don’t scare me like that… I was hoping maybe we’d found a shortcut, but I guess we’ll have to go back the way we came. Yeah… Let’s get going. Nay’s waiting for us. Right. That’s it, then.Feinne’s Notes: We’d get episode locked here if we hadn’t also completed Ion’s section. And here’s why… Speaking of, as Delta and Cass were trying to leave the Sharl Road, Ion was heading in. Video- “A Minor Disagreement”  Watch I don’t have any idea what this “Prim” person looks like, though… Ugh, this is bad… I hate talking to strangers… …Huh? Ah!Wh-Who are you?! Oh! …Are you…Prim? Maybe? What? No, I’m Delta. Who are you? Wait…you said “Delta”? Really?… Wh-What is it? Stop staring, it’s freaking me out… It’s me, Ion! Ionasal kkll Preciel! That’s a real mouthful. How about I just call you “Ion”? I-Ion?! Ah! It IS you, Ion! Wow… What are you doing here?And so she was reunited with two more of the people she was search for, though one of them no longer remembered her.  Yeah, that’s right! It’s me! Really…? Oh, I’m so glad you made it! You too… We were all really worried about you… Uh, Cass, do you know her…? …What? …Uh…We used to play with her all the time when we were kids. You were really close. Wait, really? Seriously? You…you don’t remember me? …I’m sorry, but we’re kind of in a hurry right now. What happened? Are Nay and the others still alive? Yeah. Nay and Sarly live in our city. Really?! Well, technically, yeah, but at this rate the city won’t be around for much longer. What…? It’s called Felion. The city, I mean. It’s the last place humans live, but it’s under attack by the Sharl. Oh no! Don’t worry. Nay said as long as we have this girl, we can destroy them all.We just need to hurry up and get her to Nay. Oh, I know. Come with us, Ion! You can help! Unlike Kanon, Ion was not willing to compound terrible decisions with further terrible decisions.  What?! It’s…it’s not like they’re killing people, and they don’t mean to hurt anyone. You’re kidding, right?! We’ve been fighting the Sharl forever! They’ve kidnapped thousands! Th-That’s not… They’re not bad! I promise! Please, you have to believe me! You’re out of your mind. Delta, wait.Ion…do you know what the Sharl are up to? I don’t know everything, but I have some idea of what they’re doing. Well? What is it? “yal fii-ne noh-iar”…Humans destroyed their planet, so by making humans atone for their crime, they’re creating a new planet. That’s why the Sharl are bringing humans to the Flask Sea. At least, that’s what Kanon said… What does that even mean? The people they kidnapped are creating this place? I don’t… They’re just using those people to create their planet! That’s a load of poo poo! I know the Sharl are taking them by force!I know that’s wrong!  In some ways both sides were terribly wrong. Delta and Cass hadn’t bothered to ask why they’d previously discarded this plan and were just rushing ahead, but they weren’t wrong that there was no time to try to talk about this. I’m sure Kanon would understand! Ion… In fact, I’m going to go talk to Kanon right now. Will you come with me? Please? I…I need to bring Prim to Felion. That’s why we’re here. Delta, wait. We should listen to her. Cass… Please! …Alright, alright, fine. Thank you…Kanon should be at the Altar of Nohiar. Let’s go there first, okay? She was indeed at the Altar, but the hour was a bit late for talk.   The time for this cursed ark, this world which is not a planet, to be reborn into a life-giving star.The souls of these sinful humans will be saved by the Sharl, and form the foundation of a new world. They will be the pillars of this planet: Sharanohiar. Now I shall sing the song of blessings, in the name of Cosal, Lord of Genom, for all living beings! It was the time of yal fii-ne noh-iar. Song- yal fii-ne noh-iar  Listen Which caused more than a bit of concern down below.  This…could it be Kanon? Hey, what does this song mean? Does it have something to do with that “yal fii-ne noh-iar” thing? … Ion? Talk to us. I think so… We need to hurry! Sorry Cass, but I don’t think I can go. What? I don’t know what’s going to happen when this song ends.But I do know that whatever it is, it’s not gonna be good for us humans. I can feel it. This song is DEFINITELY not being sung for us. … Look, Ion, I think the time for a nice, calm discussion has passed.Sorry, but you’re gonna have to persuade her on your own. No! Wait!I’ll stop her! I swear!  Especially since Cass was as uncomfortable with Ion’s insistence that they spare the Sharl as Delta was. Just who are you stopping Kanon for? What…? While we’re talking, the Sharl are attacking our city.It’s not that big, and we can’t even really leave it much, but everybody there works together. That city’s all they know, and every man, woman, and child in it is doing their best to have a good life. We can’t just sit by and watch the Sharl sacrifice all those people. Sacrifice… No, it’s not like that. The Sharl just want to have good lives too… Yeah? Well, I dunno about them, but for us a good life means being free, and not living in fear.Right now, everybody there lives in fear of the Sharl, and I’m sick of it! The Sharl are taking my friends and neighbors to build their little paradise. THEY’VE got a good life, so who cares if they sacrificed a few humans to get it? How the hell am I supposed to forgive that?! No, you’re wrong! This paradise isn’t just for the Sharl!It’s supposed to be for humans too! Right, of course! The few humans chosen by “Judgment” or whatever you call it. Th-That’s… If we just talk to Kanon, I’m sure she’ll rethink it! You’ve gotta be out of your mind if you think that’s gonna work!So why don’t you just go watch while the Sharl decide who lives and who dies! But we’re going back to Felion, and we’re going to use Nay’s power to destroy the Sharl! Now, get out of my way! …I’m sorry, Ion! …! Earthes!And in the end they had an extremely pointless battle. Boss Battle: Ion and Earthes  So, Earthes will always attack every turn, and his attack happens pretty quickly. Ion meanwhile will in fact cast Heart of Light every few turns, and in practice it’s impossible to stop it from happening. This is because the fight actually ends if either of them is defeated. Just keep breaking Earthes as much as you can, allowing for the fact that after doing it a few times it becomes extremely difficult to keep him broken until he’s gotten a full turn. In the heat of that battle, a rather bad choice was made.  Aaaaa…!And any hope of stopping Kanon peacefully was lost.  I didn’t think they’d fall!I just hope the gravity controls are still working… …She was human, just like us. …I’m worried too, but we need to go. We need to get back to Felion. …Yeah.Events were reaching a turning point, but that will have to wait for next time. Next Time, Ar Nosurge: yal fii-ne noh-iar
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May 12, 2015 22:12
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Well, Prim's betrayal makes sense, especially given how Zill and Nelo have been spinning things. It's easy to sway someone who's basically just a kid eager to do the right thing. Everyone's lack of information and their desperation is basically costing them now.
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May 12, 2015 22:22
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Huh, I had no idea you could play that fight from Cass and Delta's perspective. I believe it still ends the same way no matter who you play as, though.
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May 12, 2015 23:28
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Darn, I was hoping Prim being Master Sharl meant her little kid schtick was just an act and she would be full-on evil mastermind, complete with gloating. I'm with Delta. gently caress Ion, she's an naive idiot. I mean she seriously thinks negotiation is the answer? It's kinda hard to negotiate when one party's base position is "Humans are evil and 90% of humans must be wiped out to turn into planet food. And the remaining 10% are our brainwashed and docile slaves". And I'm probably confused on this point, but from what I've gathered, aren't the Sharl just an artificial life form which were created to fight humans by some other humans? (How did Ion create them again? That's a little fuzzy.) Really cool having the two parties fight each other. Also Feinne, now that we've met them, I could use Ion/Nelo/Earthes/Kanon portraits for more custom titles. (Not that I have ideas for all of them yet.) Stabbey_the_Clown fucked around with this message at 00:15 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 00:13
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