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Wow. Five actions. That's a pretty big boost for a boss who's got to hit hard because they're all alone.
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Mar 10, 2019 21:43
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Miguel was the first boss to give me a hard time. He'll wreck your poo poo if you're not ready. The gloves really start to come off right about now.
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Mar 10, 2019 22:00
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Chiming in to agree that this is a great chapter, with a pretty tough boss. I think this was one of the first times I really struggled, which was kind of nice.
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Mar 11, 2019 00:20
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It’s fitting, too, considering that this is the first time in Alfyn’s story that he’s had to outright kill. Even the monster from his recruitment got spared.
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Mar 11, 2019 00:35
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  Music: River of Life  We still have quite a few Side Stories to burn through since a bunch more will get dumped on our laps in Chapter 4 and the post-game, so let's start knocking them out! Here's a short one for today.   Word has spread, and fewer pilgrims dare make the journey. That scoundrel must be driven off!Simple enough.   ...Thanks for missing an 80% Scrutinize, Cyrus.  This priest is someone you don't want to mess around with.  First off, that Forbidden Staff has a very high ElemAtk, though its penalty is a bizarre -100 PhysAtk and -50 Crit, which...yeah, you're generally not going to use physical attacks with a staff anyway.  Also he's the third person in this town to have a three-hit elemental spell. You really don't want to mess with the villagers here. Music: The Riverlands  The fella we're looking for is right outside Saintsbridge.   The guy seems to have fallen on hard times, but that doesn't mean we can let his transgressions slide.   It goes as you'd expect.   I'd lost me job an' hadn't a copper to me name. It was out of despair I turned to crime... But thievin' don't suit me. I'm goin' t'get me honest work, hang me if I don't. Music: Enveloped in Kindness   Well... The cathedral is in need of a caretaker. Someone to sweep the floors and so on.  And just like that, violence solves another problem.  What's more, the cathedral is the cleanest it's ever been, thanks to our steadfast caretaker.So the pilgrims can move freely, and the rogue has found honest work.  This cathedral is a grand old placec, and it ain't an easy task, keepin' it clean. Criminal reform at work. Until next time!
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Mar 11, 2019 01:00
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There's something... weird about having this sidequest come right after this chapter.
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Mar 11, 2019 01:21
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I see it as a nice little juxtaposition. Miguel was willing to exploit the party’s kindness, this guy just needed a small show of it from the clergy to get back on the straight and narrow.
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Mar 11, 2019 03:01
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It's just a reminder that most people who do bad things aren't actually evil. Miguel was, but he's the aberration.
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Mar 11, 2019 03:10
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ultrafilter posted:It's just a reminder that most people who do bad things aren't actually evil. Miguel was, but he's the aberration. Well yeah, I’m pretty sure the intended message of this chapter wasn’t “deny criminals medical treatment because they’re all scum.” But rather, that it’s inevitable that at some point in life someone awful is going to take advantage of your kindness, and you need to think about how you’re going to live with that. It’s a story that poses questions with no easy answers. Pretty cool for a JRPG quest.
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Mar 11, 2019 03:38
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Miguel is definitely a huge jump up in boss difficulty, but what really got me going through that area was the Gargantuan Boars. Those things show up in level 36 areas in other chapters, and they did something like 1800 damage in a single hit to one of my weaker characters. Almost party-wiped twice on my way to the Miguel fight because of those jerks.
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Mar 11, 2019 05:40
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Miguel is one of the few bosses that I actually party wiped to. He does not gently caress around.
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Mar 11, 2019 07:19
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Turns out a guy literally fighting for his life, using any means to survive is going to be harder than most fights you've ever been into. (But make no mistake; Miguel deserved to die.)
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Mar 11, 2019 09:52
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 Music: The Riverlands  Today's story takes place outside Saintsbridge, off the beaten path a bit.   There's a large mole on the back of his hand, but nothing else to identify him by. I warrant he was set upon by robbers upriver, and tossed in after all his wordly goods were taken. It's a crying shame, if you ask me. At the least, I'd like to give him a proper burial... This guy wants to find the identity of this random corpse he fished up. Seems simple enough. This is another quest where we have two ways to solve it, so... ----- METHOD ONE  Music: Dark Caverns  The first option involves an excursion into this area's side-dungeon. It's a cave with a lot of water. It's what you'd expect from this game's dungeons.   There are some tough enemies like these Light Elementals and Bandit Bones, but nothing too scary.   Things what fall in the water upriver fetch up on the banks here. I collect what I find an' sell it on. It puts food in my belly, and mead in my cup. This guy's a bit of a scumbag.  Fun fact, failing checks in dungeons means nothing since there's no towns to penalize you.  So I can attempt stealing this scumbag's journal as many times as I want. Turns out I only needed two.   The purple chests. Not a bad haul, really.  And where the boss would be if they bothered to have one. I get a feeling a lot of these side dungeons are rather unfinished, so it's just as well they're taking their time with the next one.  Anyway, let's turn this in. SILENCE   A diary? Aye, that could be enough. Sadly, the water has smeared the ink within, making it impossible to read. But a name is all we need to lay him to rest and carve his tombstone. Then if his kin comes searching, they'll know where he is. If nothing else, the man has a name to be buried with.  Our reward is some money and an accessory that slightly reduces lightning and dark damage. Meh.  ...What if the journal belonged to a different corpse? What if this wasn't Hugo at all? Meh, details.  Anyway, who is this woman, and why is she relevant? ----- METHOD TWO Music: Victors Hollow, Jewel of the Forest   He has a large mole on the back of his hand. If you see such a man, please tell him to come home. It sounds like this may be the wife of our poor soul.   Anyway, let's break her heart. SILENCE  You know this person, milady? Because he washed ashore with nothing to say who he was.  I'd steeled myself to expect the worst, but to see him like this... I'm sorry for your loss, milady. 'Tis a sad end, for sure. Ungh... There's many that fetch up on shore here who go into the ground with far less.  And that's it! Either way, the man gets named and laid to rest, it's just whether or not the man's wife founds out about her husband's fate.  It is a comfort to know that there are still good people in this world.This method is probably for the best.
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Mar 12, 2019 00:04
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I'm going to assume this is Lyblac's fault. Or something. I dunno. 
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Mar 12, 2019 00:23
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Great, now I got that song stuck in my head.
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Mar 12, 2019 00:24
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I, too, solely identify my significant other by the mole on the back of their hand and not their face and body type. (Yes I know the body could be massively distorted and bloated by decomposing in a river  )
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Mar 12, 2019 08:09
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 Music: River of Life  This will be our last quest in Saintsbridge for a long time. This will also be one of the shortest quests we've done yet, which is fine with me! We're already on track to go over two hundred updates, so I can't breathe easy yet...   What if it doesn't stop rising? It could burst the banks! Why isn't anyone doing anything!? We need to find someone who can quell his fears.   As part of my studies, I record the water level of the river. Hey, here's someone who can quell his fears!  Let's take this information to him!  The snows're melting earlier than past years, which accounts for the rise in water level. But they'll soon subside, and all will be back to how it was. Music: Enveloped in Kindness  I'd fair convinced myself the river was about to spill its banks and sweep the whole town away! I would've died, but for fate or blind luck... That's why I always fret so about the river.  That was easy!  Education helps another soul. Cyrus has done his job.
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Mar 12, 2019 23:04
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 Oh yeah, Tressa won by a solid margin. I'll do another side story update tomorrow and then have part one of Tressa's Chapter 3 up likely on Friday.
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Mar 12, 2019 23:22
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All right, who voted for H'aanit
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Mar 13, 2019 00:59
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Those all sound like reasonable concerns, though.
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Mar 13, 2019 01:07
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I was hoping it'd be Therion's next but I guess Tressa is just more popular.
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Mar 13, 2019 01:23
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Chocolate Bunny posted:I was hoping it'd be Therion's next but I guess Tressa is just more popular. Tressa owns, yes.
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Mar 13, 2019 01:26
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I, too, keep hoping Therion will be the first T one of these days. 
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Mar 13, 2019 01:34
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Mega64 posted:
Love the Simpsons reference. 
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Mar 13, 2019 01:50
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I voted Therion because I was hoping maybe he'd show some character development and so we could close out Chapter 3 with two fan favorites. Also we're already at nearly 100 updates. Holy moly. You're a machine, Mega.
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Mar 13, 2019 01:50
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 Music: Clearbrook, by the Pristine Waters  Today we'll be finishing off one of the few Chapter 1 Side Stories I've got lying around.   The plounder are disappearin' from these waters, gods only know why. How can I feed my kin, if my nets come up empty? We simply need to help this fisherman out. No problem! This is another one that has two methods, and the spreadsheet I use doesn't list one of them! Fortunately the other method is intuitive to figure out, but it also worries me I may have missed or will miss future alternate solutions... ----- METHOD ONE Music: The Riverlands  Aren't I takin' too many, ye ask? Pah, there's plenty o' fish in the sea...or the river, such as it were. This one man is single-handedly overfishing the river of flounder.  I think the solution is obvious.  I can't deny it. I went a bit mad for the plounder, an' couldn't stop haulin' more out. Music: Bonds of Friendship  Yikes...! Ye won't see me in this village again, ye have me word. An' look, I'll give ye all my plounder. Here. Just let me be...  Now that the poacher's been chased off, the plounder've returned. I didn't know what I was goin' to do, until ye came and saved the day.  A third Mighty Belt is pretty nice to have.  It's a relief, let me tell ye, to put food on the table once more...Once again, violence solves everything. But that's kind of a dumb way to resolve things. Why don't we get more creative? ----- METHOD TWO Music: Clearbrook, by the Pristine Waters   'Specially the prawns. They're like nothin' you ever tasted, I warrant. Hmmm... That gives me an idea!  Also this guy might be a prawn addict.   Then fill it with one o' my delectable dishes. You won't be disappointed.   And wouldn't you know it, he's got some prawns for sale!  ... So did ye bring me this fine fare to keep up my strength? Because-- Music: Enveloped in Kindness  No, ye say? But why, then? Then if I use them as bait, I might be able to fill my nets again! But needs must, as they say, an' what my family needs is a plounder! And so we solve things in a non-violent manner this time (except for the prawns, they all died horrible deaths).  You say Magg made the dish? Well then, I'd best pay a visit soon.In both methods, our angler finds success in fishing once again.   But now, Maggs's cooking is more popular than ever...  Maybe it was foolish t'keep haulin' them out of the river willy-nilly like that....and our overfishing friend learns his lesson without getting stabbed repeatedly! Everyone wins!  Next time, we'll continue Tressa's story when we tackle her Chapter 3.
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Mar 13, 2019 23:25
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I've only ever done this by buying/stealing the prawns, I had no idea you could beat up the other guy to solve this quest. Doesn't really matter I suppose. The reward is also nuts for how easy this sidequest is. You can do this immediately after Alfyn's chapter 1 and a Mighty Belt at that point bumps up your damage quite a lot.
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Mar 13, 2019 23:35
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quote:
Excuse me - what? The guy has literally just left two seconds ago. Did the fisher even look at the river? How can they have come back that fast? Did the fish all just wait around the next bend? Don't they need to lay eggs and make new fishes to make up for the overfishing? Or maybe that's just a dialect where "have returned" means "will return"...
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Mar 14, 2019 00:28
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There's a few ways you can view it, but none of them really make any sense. My preferred view is the fisher threw all the flounder he caught back in the river and went, "Eh, good enough." Dead, alive, it don't matter.
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Mar 14, 2019 01:23
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werbear posted:Excuse me - what? The guy has literally just left two seconds ago. There's a continuous stream of fish coming from upstream from the Cliftlands and the poacher is taking literally every fish. Once you throw pawns in the river the fish start swimming from the ocean instead. Somehow. Or they just swim super quickly past the poacher because the smell/taste of prawn has gone... back up river against the current...? Ya...
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Mar 14, 2019 01:27
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An indeterminate amount of time passes whenever you walk between screens.
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Mar 14, 2019 01:30
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Now I want to know what formative childhood experiences led the worrywart to freak out over all those other things.
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Mar 14, 2019 02:00
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 Gonna take another day or two off, I'm exhausted and have Starlink and Baba is You to plow through. Should get the next update up this weekend though.
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Mar 16, 2019 01:35
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  Today we return to Victors Hollow to tackle Tressa's Chapter 3. Music: Victors Hollow, Jewel of the Forest  So we're here trying to find a valuable treasure so we can be the greatest merchant.    But first I need a treasure worthy of the auction. So I've come to Victors Hollow to find one. The owner of this book found what he was looking for here. Hopefully I'll be as lucky as he was! It's time I had a look around this place.   As Tressa passes by the stall, something catches her merchant sense.  Excuse me. Could you tell me about this map?  Found it in the storehouse 'n' thought about throwin' it out at first. But I figured I could make at least a few leaves off it this way. Mind if I take a closer look? From the looks of it, this map was very special to the one who drew it... I think there's something written here. But the characters are strange... I'll be damned if ye can read those scribbles, young lady. Hmm... "My dearest friend,"   As in, the dread pirate Baltazar of the Eastern Seas!? And this's his treasure map!? Sure seems that way!   Now let's keep this between us, young lady. Here, I'll even give ye some candy.  This merchant's kind of a jerk, and pretty terrible at his job besides. Who's ready for more banter? I sure am!  I'm not sure, but I'd love to find out!  Oh, yes! What an adventure that would be! Why, just imagining it has my heart all aflutter! Ophilia? So you have the spirit of adventure in you, too! I certainly do! Oh how I yearn for the romance of the open seas... When I was just a small girl, I'd often watch the boys playing at pirates... Oh, I used to play at pirates, too! Don't you know it! My motto was, "Another day, another treasure!" I can see you now! Wearing a bandana and brandishing a wooden cutlass! ... This may be my favorite of all the banters. These two really get entertaining when they're together.  For now, let's check out the tavern because plot.  I already wrote in my diary today... So I'll give the notebook another read.  He had only one true treasure in the whole world... And look who's back! It's the former pirate captain-turned-merchant from Chapter 1! Music: Enveloped in Kindness  Mr. Leon! What brings you here? I should ask you the same. Don't tell me you ran away from home. Hehe, not quite. I just decided it was time I saw the world. And I have the notebook you gave me to thank for it! Haha! Thank yourself for choosing it, lass.And that's not all...!  Music: How Amusing!    It's Mikk and Makk, ye birdbrained ninny! Yer that kid what gave us quite the lashin' back in Drippleslime! It's Rippletide! Didn't you two learn your lesson yet!?  "Captain"? Aye. Our piratin' days be behind us! We be workin' under a different flag now. I'm glad to see you two singing a new tune! As am I. They've been doing well under my command thus far, but still have a ways to go. R-right you are, Cap'n! Now look alive, ye half-drowned dodo, there's work to be done!So Mikk and Makk have turned a new leaf. Good for them!  Music: Enveloped in Kindness  I want to sell something incredible at the Merchants' Fair. If I can manage that much, it'll prove just how far I've come on this journey. Well, there's certainly no better place than the Fair for an aspiring merchant like yourself. And what exactly is it that you've deemed worthy of the auction? Oho, a yet undiscovered treasure, I see. Then I wish you all the best in your search, lass. Thank you, Mr. Leon. It's the home of an old friend. He passed away around this time of year, so I decided to pay a visit. Were you two close? Baltazar!?  The Baltazar who drew the map I found earlier! They may just be one and the same. Could you show me where you found it? ----- Music: Tranquil Days  Welcome back, young lady. I trust ye managed to keep the you-know-what a secret in the meantime. ...I'm really sorry, but I couldn't. What do ye mean ye couldn't? Who're ye!? This is Captain Leon Bastralle. I don't want to believe it... But there's no mistakin' that blue spear. I heard all about ye and yer famous words. What were they again...? Those are words best forgotten, sir. Hah! Do ye take me for a fool? I know yer just here to loot my store! -----  Hmm... This certainly looks like one of Baltazar's works. ... I see... So the rumors of the great pirates Leon and Baltazar being friends really were true. If you two were as close as the stories say, then I'm sure you'd do anything to have this map, am I right? ...  Welcome to capitalism, Tressa!  If you're truly the Leon Bastralle, then I'm certain you're well-versed in the treasures of the realm. I am but a lowly merchant, you see, nothing in comparison to your grandeur. But there is one thing we have in common: a desire for a certain treasure. Edbart was a servant of the king of Ferien. His defense with the shield was said to be impenetrable. Legend says he used that same shield to protect his liege until the tragic fall of the kingdom. I heard a rumor that it's been spotted in this very town as of late. If you happen across it somewhere, Mr. Bastralle, I'd be happy to trade it for the map. SILENCE  Thank you for showing me the map, and my apologies for taking so much of your time. Are you really just going to leave without your friend's keepsake? Now I shall take my leave, lass. I'd like to celebrate his life with a drink tonight. (He says he doesn't need it, but... I think a memento like that is best kept in a friend's hands. I'll find a way to get it to him.)  Naturally, it's going to fall to Tressa and her merchanting abilities to resolve this. But first, banter. Music: Victors Hollow, Jewel of the Forest  I do. For Mr. Leon's sake. I could steal it for you, you know. I'd rather you didn't. I can handle this myself. He wants a trade, and he'll have it. That's what I do best. I'll show him who's the best merchant around! Well, I see my help's not needed here. You bet! After all, how could I call myself a real merchant if I refused this challenge? Therion's still Therion, and Tressa's still Tressa. Not much more to say on this one!  Before we go looking for the shield, we can chat up the merchant crew.   Here's the bio for Leon.  That Imperial Lance has 180 PhysAtk and a good Crit boost too, it'd be a solid buy for the price if I didn't just get a nice polearm from Alfyn's Chapter 3. I do snag that Glaive though, I'm kinda hurting for good ElemAtk weapons right now.     Also Mikk and Makk. Their goods aren't anything to write home about.    The price is reasonable for the rarity. This merchant specializes in shields, though his other wares are shields we already have.  At any rate, let's commence with trade!  I made a promise, didn't I? And I always deliver. And all these scars... There's no mistaking it! This is the real deal! But how ever did you manage to get this shield? Hehe, I'm a merchant. We have our ways.  This guy couldn't even recognize a treasure map when it was in front of him. Tressa could merchant circles around this guy. But at any rate, let's do banter before we return to Leon with our prize.  What's got you down, H'aanit? I was merely pondering the worth of the shield and map. Aren they truly equal? Er, well. It was a nice shield. Very sturdy. No loss on the trade, then? Well...maybe a little. So it hath greater value to him, then. That's right. One person's trash is another person's treasure, after all. Then it taketh two parties to setten a price? ...I hadde not considered that. There aren depths to thy work I hadde never imagined. Don't you know it! As interesting as hunting beasts, wouldn't you say? Yeah, Tressa may have overpaid for the map, but she knows how trade works, and she's willing to take a loss on a deal to get what she wants. She definitely knows what she's doing. Let's take the map to Leon. Music: Bonds of Friendship  I brought something for you. Hehe, then I won't. Haha! Thank you, lass. ... When you gazed at it, your eyes were so...forlorn. Your keen eyes never cease to amaze me.  -----  Video: A Race on the Raging Tides Music: Reminiscence    This storm be givin' us no quarter, sir! Let's turn back. The old girl can't hold on much longer! If those scurvy sea dogs get to that island first, we get nothin'! You hear!? Hold fast to that rudder, mateys! A-aye aye, sir!-----   Aye, Captain Obvious. Enough! Else I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the gulls. Now I'll be takin' this island's treasure, if ye don't mind. I do mind, but it isn't mine. Do whatever you please. Starvin' in the slums, stealin' to survive... We dreamt of just growin' up and had to fight tooth 'n' nail to reach the top. Nothin' was ever easy for us. ...Ye never change, Leon. You say it like you're any different, Baltazar.  -----   ...I never wanted to be a pirate. What?  Have you gone daft? Baltazar of the Eastern Seas, a merchant? Yer a bloody scoundrel for laughin', Leon. But it be the truth. I lost sight of that dream after becomin' a pirate. But these days...it's all I be thinkin' about. ... Leon... ... Aye, a fine storm this is. How about another wager, my friend? If ye win... Ye get that gem ye always wanted. Oho, will I now? And what happens if you win? If I win...   ----- Music: Enveloped in Kindness  He called it "eldrite." It's the only one of its kind in the entire world. ...! It was by far the rarest of all the treasures he'd plundered. Oh... That's why you left it in the shop. However you use it is up to you.-----  Mr. Leon lost more than just a race that day... I think having a memento of his friend would cheer him up. And I wouldn't mind getting a closer look at more pirate treasure! Hehe.  Next time, Tressa follows a treasure map to find valuable pirate treasure. And yeah, I kind of lied. Not all the Chapter 3's are soul-crushing experiences! Just most of them...
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Mar 17, 2019 16:33
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In this case, we're seeing the soul crushing (crushery?) happen to someone else (via flashback). Speaking of flashbacks, the scene of Leon and Balthazar's ships racing through the storm was amazingly done (in my opinion). The storm and thunder juxtaposed with the music box tones of Reminiscence just add to the effect - it's kinda sappy, but it works. I am a stick fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Mar 17, 2019 |
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Mar 17, 2019 18:07
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Sorry, Tressa, but that's terrible merchant instincts to tell a seller how valuable you think their product is before you buy it, especially after they've indicated they think it's worthless junk. You deserved to get ripped off there.
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Mar 17, 2019 20:04
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Update up later today, but want to get to a new page first, so I wanted to mention just how much Octopath focuses on the bonds between pairs of characters. Hell, just with the main characters you have Ophilia/Lianna, Tressa/Ali, Olberic/Erhardt, Alfyn/Zaph, Therion/Darius, and H'aanit/Z'aanta (Cyrus is a lone wolf though you could make a stretch with a character we'll see in Chapter 3, and Primrose is kinda complicated though her father works well for her). And of course this extends even further, as we see with Mikk and Makk, Barham/Orlick, and even this chapter with Leon/Baltazar. I don't think there's really any unifying theme in the game as far as the various character pairings go, but it does give the main cast a lot to relate to (Tressa/Olberic/Alfyn talking about their various rivalries, Olberic/Therion thinking back to the best friends that betrayed them, etc.) so if nothing else it's a good shortcut for creating discussion topics in the chapter banters. Maybe future games will run with the concept a bit more, who knows?
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Mar 18, 2019 21:16
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Clearly Cyrus is bonded to whoever he is currently talking to because he is too interested in everything for his own good. Of course this doesn't apply if the other person tries to hit on him. Then some strange godly force interferes with the bond.
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Mar 18, 2019 21:43
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Cyrus is bonded to books, his one true love
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Mar 18, 2019 22:02
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 03:17 |
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:Cyrus is bonded to books, his one true love And the Peacock Strut.
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Mar 18, 2019 22:12
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