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Arist posted:It is their nature—you cannot change the nature of a man. PS:T reference spotted
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Oct 4, 2020 23:53
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sebzilla posted:PS:T reference spotted Except this game is about regret being so drat powerful it forces Harry to change.  Maybe. In theory Harry could have gone right back to acting how he always did after his blackout.
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Oct 5, 2020 06:06
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Chapter 49: 00:23-Around 2:00: Cave Story PERCEPTION (HEARING): [Medium: Success] It’s like a thousand radio stations are being blasted into your head all at once, but her words are the only ones you can make out.  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Can’t say it’s a pleasure, officer. I was really hoping *not* to make your acquaintance. But—here we are.” SUGGESTION: [Medium: Success] The voice coming through the whirlwind of pain is not malicious. She doesn’t want to hurt you—but she has to.    RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: I’m using a pale latitude compressor. You and your partner have been caught in its field.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “*Saw my equations*? She snorts. “You’ve been sniffing through my lorry, right? I expected as much. I *am* a bit surprised you knew what you were looking at…” PALE LATITUDE COMPRESSOR: “Hhhhhzzzzzzzssss…. 136841… hhhhhzzzzzzzzzzssss…. 3781303… hhhhhzzzzzzzsssss… hzzzzsssss…”  KIM KITSURAGI: “Right behind you, officer.” Eyes closed, the lieutenant is doubled over. He’s still alive and breathing. RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “A pale latitude compressor is used to sort of… make the pale more manageable. With a lot of these, you can force a radio signal grid on the pale—literally crunch the distance across it. Signals are relayed across a series of repeater stations fixed to buoys.” She pauses. “Not a fun job, manning those stations. All alone out there in the pale, people lose their minds in just a few years.” EMPATHY: [Legendary: Success] Sounds like she knew someone who used to man one of those stations. But she won’t tell you about her. Boy, you’re one empathetic police officer to have guessed even that right now. KIM KITSURAGI: “So, what we are experiencing is… a concentration of radio waves…” He gestures toward something with great effort. RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Precisely. This is an industrial-strength paraboloid. It’s meant for forcing dimensions on something that doesn’t *have* them. Needless to say, the frequencies used are… out of this world. At the upper limit is the large prime number generator station. It’s used specifically for pale latitude compression. That’s why you may be hearing some numbers. But you also might hear—or think you’re hearing—local radio chatter.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “I built it myself.” She nods toward her torture device. INTERFACING: [Challenging: Success] And she’s proud of it, too. As she ought to be. This is way beyond your abilities. KIM KITSURAGI: “That’s illegal. I’m guessing it’s patented… But we’re beyond that, aren’t we?”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “No—once I shut down the compressor, the pain will end.” She hesitates. “It may take a few minutes for you to steady yourself, though—it’s a bit like waking out of a very confusing dream.”   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Yeah, let’s not talk about *that* poo poo. You were hunting me and fell into my trap instead. That’s all there is to say about it.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: If you’ve got something *really* important to say, you can do it through the white noise.” PALE LATITUDE COMPRESSOR: “236189281… If you’re looking for a deal on mattrsses… SUHSUHSUHSPEEDFRRRR… 21567… 32971047302819… Oh Rosaline, oh Rosaline…” KIM KITSURAGI: The lieutenant clutches his head, grimacing. “drat… this… RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Goddammit.” She regards you and Kim with sudden sympathy. “Fine, if you really want to talk, I can dial it down. I’ve also got a gun, by the way.” She steps reluctantly out of the shadows. The pain lessens. PERCEPTION (SIGHT): [Medium: Success] The gun she’s carrying is a two-barreled front-loader—not like the murder weapon. PAIN THRESHOLD: [Easy: Success] Well, it doesn’t *feel* much better, but you can form sentences now. Thinking doesn’t seem to hurt as much.   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “So you found my shack, huh? I’m not surprised.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “So nice.” She smiles a little smile. “That’s one knife I didn’t want to find in my back.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “I was. Before I caught you in the pale latitude compressor. I’m fine now.” RHETORIC: [Medium: Success] That’s her admitting the bullet was an emergency exit.  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “No, I didn’t do it. I only helped stage the lynching. Thought I doubt that makes much of a difference to *you*. Who ratted me out, by the way? Was it Titus? No,” she hesitates, “he wouldn’t have broken first…”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Oh.” She smiles sadly. “Well, I guess I always knew she was a *survivor* above all else.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Aw, gently caress. Took some convincing my rear end. And those guys *liked* me—I know it. If this is what happens to people whom people like…” VOLITION: [Medium: Success] A dull despair is creeping into her voice.  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “I did, didn’t I? And now you’ve come for me.” She scoffs. “But gently caress them all the same.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Like what?” She adjusts her grip on her gun. “I already told you I didn’t do it.”     RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Yeah, sure, and I didn’t like Wild Pines sending in those foreign hirelings—me and a fuckton of other people around here.” DRAMA: [Challenging: Success] I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I don’t think she’s perjuring herself.      RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “No, not since I was 14 and hanging out at the only diner in Dardanne. Haven’t been into low-risk, no-reward games since moving to the city.”   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Not murder mysteries, either, if that’s what you’re thinking.”     RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Why are *you* so hung up on elevators?”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “I’m not really into old poo poo for old poo poo’s sake.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Don’t know it. But also…” She frowns, studying your face. REACTION SPEED: [Medium: Success] Evaluating your competence as a police officer. RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “…the shot couldn’t have come from the roof. Or we would have all heard it downstairs.” KIM KITSURAGI: “She has a… point there. No one mentioned…” The pain stops him from finishing the sentence.      RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Sure don’t.” KIM KITSURAGI: “A breech-loader?” RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “No.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “A Nachtwey 80 front-loader. Two-barreled—not really what you were looking for, I’m guessing.”     RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “What the hell, man?!” She laughs. “Yeah, why not? I’ve gotten worse.”    RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Nope. Look, she has an *effect* on people. That je ne sais quoi that makes it impossible not to look at her when she walks into the room—and very difficult to look away. But—travel enough, and you realize…”   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “That’s a very sentimental way of putting it. We both had *pasts* we didn’t want to catch up with us. And we enjoyed listening to music together. Why not go on a road trip?” KIM KITSURAGI: The lieutenant watches her expectantly, occasionally shaking from the pain. RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Okay, fine.” She rolls her eyes. “I was into her. Klaasje was into me too, for a time, I know it—we even fooled around once. And, yeah, after that I thought maybe we could make a go of it.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: She rolls her eyes again. “If that’s what she wants on the record, so be it. “I’m not about to go into details for you to jerk off to later.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “She rejected me with some wishy-washy bullshit about how she was confused because she felt so close to me and valued my friendship so much, and how guilty she felt for leading me on… I knew that wasn’t the whole story, but thought, fine, I’ll take it and move on.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Yeah, one time when we’d both been drinking, I said some heated things about how dangerous her patterns with men were.”   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Go ahead—it’s your body.” KIM KITSURAGI: “Hngh…”    RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “It’s very powerful. I used it to tune into RCM frequencies. That’s how I knew to be prepared for your arrival.”    RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “So now I’m leaving Revolutionary symbols around… Come on.”    RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: She shakes her head, slowly. “So, heart-of-gold Tommy hosed me over too… Never trust a musician.” EMPATHY: [Medium: Success] That really comes as a blow to her.  ARIST: [Challenging: Success] You lie, not for her or even yourself. No, this is for Tommy. This is to at least try to do the right thing by him even you’ve already lost him forever. RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Okay, great, you got into my lorry on your own. What now? You’re going to arrest me for drug trafficking?” A bitter smile.   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Man, it’s to get *away* from all that murderous poo poo that I left Jamrock—my previous employer—for the Union.” KIM KITSURAGI: “Hnghh…” The lieutenant is unable to articulate his question. RHETORIC: [Medium: Success] She deliberately avoided naming the mob she worked for. You might be able to find this out later.    RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “How should I know? As I keep saying, he already had a bullet in his head when I got to him, and there hasn’t been any useful gossip over the radio…” PERCEPTION (SIGHT): [Medium: Success] Those rings around her eyes, her tired voice—she’s been staying up late listening in on the conversations criss-crossing Martinaise. KIM KITSURAGI: “Police radio? You’ve been following the case?” RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Who hasn’t?” She shrugs. “You know, I can still see him there, in Klaasje’s room, lying on his side.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: She eyes you warily, as though gauging your sincerity. KIM KITSURAGI: “It’s okay… We just want to… hnghhhhh…” He struggles to finish the sentence. RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Alright, don’t kill yourself over it. I was shooting the poo poo with Hardie and the boys over a few beers, like always. Then Klaasje comes in, all pale and shuddering…”   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “No, I really didn’t. She’s not that easy to read. I just assumed she’d done too much blow. It wouldn’t be a first for her. But—no such luck. She was in some *deep* poo poo. She asked me to come upstairs—the merc she’d been going with was lying on the bedroom floor, dead. I knew she couldn’t get the authorities involved. So, yeah…”   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Yeah. In cold blood. It really surprised me—how quickly she was able to get ahold of herself once we got up there. It was like she was another person. The *party girl* was gone. She asked me to help her drag him into the shower so she could wind the shower head around his neck. To fake lividity. Then she dressed him while I went to get the Hardie boys.” VOLITION: [Challenging: Success] Klaasje knew exactly what she was doing. You can’t remain calm under pressure otherwise.   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “As I keep telling you cops, we didn’t hear anything downstairs. No gunshot, nothing.” KIM KITSURAGI: “But… even if this is true…” The lieutenant forces himself to finish the sentence. “Weren’t you worried this ‘lynching’ might lead to…” RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “…war?” She purses her lips. “The thought crossed my mind. But the mercenary’s death was going to have repercussions either way. Although, the way things are going…” DRAMA: [Medium: Success] She doesn’t want to talk about this, but not because she has something to hide—she doesn’t want the guilt.  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “I saw *you* roll into town. I wasn’t about to stick around for questioning by a goddamn La Puta Madre agent.”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: She looks at you quizzically. “Yes—you. Everyone says you’re his peone. His ‘Human Can Opener.’”  ARIST: [Medium: Success] You can sense your body straining, your knees about to give up on you. You fumble in your cloak for your stash of Nosaphed and shovel a tab or two into your mouth as quickly as you can, hands shaking desperately. That’s code for “we hit 1 health, so I healed.”   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Everyone in Jamrock. The cops, the criminals… Why do you think I’m hold up in here with a goddamn death ray, waiting for you?”  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Harry Du Bois,” she replies quickly. “One corrupt motherfucker with the disco pants and the funny tie. Agent to La Puta Madre.” ARIST: [Formidable: Success] “Funny tie”? You traded that for the cryptid bolo long ago. You miss it, in a way. Just you, Horrific Necktie, and Kim, taking on the world! But, uh, maybe think about that while your brain is not in the process of exploding. VOLITION: So she knows your name. That doesn’t mean you’re on the take. Criminals make up bogeyman stories about cops all the time.   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Yeah, sure.” DRAMA: [Easy: Success] She doesn’t believe you.  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “You’ve been to my lorry. You think the biggest player in Jamrock appreciates competition?” She pauses. “And now I have Harry Can Opener in my lair. loving Titus…” SUGGESTION: She’s not going to change her mind that easily. She still perceives you as a threat.     RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “One of the guys seemed chipper, a blond, the other had a brooding something-or-other about him… And the woman… the woman was the only one in uniform. All were carrying.” She narrows her eyes. “That sound about right?” LOGIC: [Medium: Success] *No* idea who these people are. Literally. ESPRIT DE CORPS: Satellite-Officer Vicquemare looks out of the window grimly, then puts his coffee down and turns to Patrol Officer Minot. “We can either take a room here in the Whirling or go home for today.”  ARIST: [Easy: Success] *Please* tell me you didn’t just confirm to her that you have no backup. PALE LATITUDE COMPRESSOR: Hhhhhhhhzzzzzzzzzzz……… friction lock set… Zzzzzzzzz… Don’t leave me here, please Celice!   RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Don’t know anything about it. No one’s been around since I set up camp. But I’m sure I’m not the first vagabond to…” Her voice trails off into white noise in your head. It feels like an aneurysm approaching.  Pop another pill…   One shot. Make it count…  ARIST: [Challenging; Success] Pain coursing through your mind itself, you take one unsteady step towards the compressor. The mere act of shifting your weight as you lower your foot back onto the cold ground causes another spike of agony. You can feel your heart beating and the pain growing again with every wild thrum of blood sent to your head.  ARIST: You keep moving, blocking out the cries of your ailing brain, even as it takes what seems like ages to summon another step.  ARIST: You stop and brace yourself for what’s to come. As you have walked closer to the compressor so too has the pain grown. You will surely collapse if you attempt to walk the rest of the way. Only one thing to do, then…  ARIST: You can’t even look at the compressor, you can barely keep your eyes open for even a second. No matter. You keep forcing them shut even as you brace your knees for the leap, taking your hands off your ears in midair so you can swipe your arm to knock over the compressor before you hit the ground. You’re in more than one kind of pain when you slam into the wet sand, but you hear the compressor fall over. Relief washes over you as the effects fade out…   KIM KITSURAGI: The lieutenant hunches, recovering. “All good, officer. Be careful.” RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: She looks at the machine, assessing the damage. Her hand trembles.  ARIST: [Easy: Success] Oh, *gently caress*.  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Problem-solving,” she mutters. KIM KITSURAGI: “Ma’am, put the gun down. That’s not the solution to your problems. You are…”   We have to act fast.  Barely good enough, but good enough all the same.    RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: She stares at you, frozen, the gun still in her mouth, eyes filled with dark intensity. Then something shifts in her. EMPATHY: Gratitude. Doubt. She’s still ready to go…  RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “Day of miracles…” she says, pulling the gun out of her mouth, eyes still fixed on you. Then she turns her gaze to the tunnel behind you. “I’ll take it.”      Let’s investigate what Ruby left behind, then.   Enough Health medicine to make up for the two pills we had to pop in there, nice.   ARIST: [Legendary: Success] That crack Ruby made about the necktie really got to you. How could you betray it? Better put it back on immediately.   INSTIGATOR’S TENT: The tent looks old but well-maintained. In the darkness of the tent—a rolled-up sleeping bag, cooking utensils, some books and a kerosene lamp.  INSTIGATOR’S TENT: Assorted softcovers, mostly pulp horror. A motor carriage lies buried in the snow on one cover, on another—a ghost airship. You also see a collection of radio enthusiast magazines.   INSTIGATOR’S TENT: You pocket the worn brown leather journal. INLAND EMPIRE: [Medium: Success] A trusted friend left behind…   Kim’s right.  RUBY’S JOURNAL: It’s made of full-grain leather. The lower left corner of the back cover sports an embossed brand name: “SCHNELLER.”   RUBY’S JOURNAL: The large cursive of someone who writes quickly and confidently.  RUBY’S JOURNAL: It’s a mix of logistical notes, diagrams, and personal reflections, all dated.  RUBY’S JOURNAL: Hard to tell exactly—it’s mostly noted down in code. Looks like contact information, quantities, directions.   RUBY’S JOURNAL: Short, wry observations of people and places—probably a way to pass the time on the road. Also, what appear to be attempts to sort through some difficult decisions. There are a few passages with many questions in them.   RUBY’S JOURNAL: Nothing on March 4th… March 5th, though: “Well, *that’s* bound to come back and bite me in the rear end. I’m bad at this—loyal to a fault. Except… But that’s another matter entirely.”  RUBY’S JOURNAL: That name isn’t mentioned as far as you can tell.  RUBY’S JOURNAL: “Great. M’s peone is coming to town, no doubt to investigate the lynching, but also—I feel it in my gut—to finally put a bullet in my head. While I’m napping in my lorry or on a smoke break… Well, I won’t stick around just to twist my own neck by constantly looking over my shoulder. Then again, isn’t that what I’ve been doing ever since I got the call?” REACTION SPEED: [Medium: Success] “The call”? Did M call her personally? Why?   RUBY’S JOURNAL: “Been holed up here for three days now. I’m used to being alone and all, but—I don’t know when I’ll be able to leave, or if I’ll be ratted out. They *will* rat me out, of course. I’ve made it a point to believe the best in people (the boys, for example), but—experience tells me… Did M truly feel betrayed by me? I was feeling threatened—he’d have to know if he threatened people, they’d take measures to protect themselves. Even I know that. Economic measures first of all. Gotta make a living, right? I can still hear his voice in the receiver, taste the plastic…”  RUBY’S JOURNAL: The most recent entry is from today. It reads:  KIM KITSURAGI: The lieutenant taps on the page. “It looks like she might have been… framed?”  KIM KITSURAGI: “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that—we have other reasons to arrest her.”  KIM KITSURAGI: He looks you straight in the eye for a moment, then sighs. “No, I don’t think you are. Ask someone in your precinct if you want to be sure.” DRAMA: [Medium: Success] He truly does not believe you are. Perhaps he shouldn’t be so trusting…   KIM KITSURAGI: “Maybe she had an accomplice. Either way, we need to keep an eye on her.”   Before we return to the Whirling, we have three skill points and we aim to spend them all. We put one point into Endurance so as to potentially prevent our Health from being precipitously drained by a single conversation again like it was with Ruby. We put the other two points into Hand/Eye Coordination and Half Light.  And so, we begin our long walk back towards the Whirling.   HORRIFIC NECKTIE: Oh… you will see. (It feels like the tie is rubbing itself against your chest like a cat in heat.) ARIST: [Challenging: Success] Oh goddammit, you just put this tie back on and it’s already getting frisky? You’re beginning to remember why you took it off in the first place…   HORRIFIC NECKTIE: The bottle opens with a silent, mysterious hiss. The fumes rising from its mouth are as crisp as the northern winds. SHIVERS: [Medium: Success] Howling somewhere, lashing the boardwalk with brine and rain—an ancient warmth crawls under your skin. VOLITION: [Challenging: Success] You hold the jar out in front of you like it’s a venomous snake, trying to avoid inhaling any of its thick fumes. You’ve been sober a full 24 hours, don’t ruin it now.  ARIST: What? Yes you did!      HORRIFIC NECKTIE: As the necktie slides into the purifying liquid, large stains of grease rise off from it and float to the surface. There they quickly dissolve and disappear completely.     EMPATHY: [Medium: Success] He’s struggling to keep silent, but finally seems to give up. KIM KITSURAGI: “I’ve got to ask…” he says, a peculiar look in his eyes. “What are you doing?”    Um, okay?  So, let’s continue back to the Whirling. We have urgent business there that can’t wait even a moment. Klaasje lied. About most everything. And we need to talk.  No time for sleep! Only justice!  Running!  To the Whirling-In-Rags!  I’m running out of things to say!  Okay, we’re almost there. But what’s this thought?   INLAND EMPIRE: Your old friend has prepared you for this—at great cost to himself. Make sure you have the spirit bomb in your hand when *poo poo goes south*.   ARIST: [Easy: Success] What are they all even talking about? What’s waiting for us ahead? Don’t get so ominous, guys. I’m sure it’ll be fine.  ARIST: [Challenging: Success] Because you are completely incapable of following simple instructions, you equip your gun instead of the spirit bomb. Whatever, it’ll do.     We’ll just, uh… keep it out for now, thanks.  ARIST: [Easy: Success] The glowing neon of the Whirling’s sign is already close enough to cast your skin with a faint red light. But as you draw even closer, you realize there’s a commotion outside… what’s going on?   ARIST: Oh no. Arist fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Oct 9, 2020 |
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Oct 8, 2020 23:42
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Honestly, with the way this next scene played out for me, I would rather have had a molotov than my gun. I just didn't have enough Inland Empire to talk to my tie. Also the phrase "spirit bomb," while accurate and appropriate to a culture that never had a man named Molotov, just has me thinking of a hard Esprit de Corps check: "Drunken cops of Revachol, lend me your power!"
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Oct 9, 2020 00:25
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Okay, that's new  Also if you don't show off what the next scene looks like with the spirit bomb, I'll be mad.
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Oct 9, 2020 09:21
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I think I already said that having the pistol equipped doesn't really do anything interesting compared to the spirit bomb (which the game nudges you towards for a reason). You also lose the contrast when botch cop fails to use the bomb.
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Oct 9, 2020 09:27
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Equipping the gun instead of the spirit bomb was not a conscious decision, I just made a whoopsie while recording this. Spoiler for next update, though: It doesn't actually matter. You still get the spirit bomb prompt and there's no penalty for not having it equipped.
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Oct 9, 2020 14:42
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The tie is willing to give up its life, and sobriety, to protect us. 
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Oct 9, 2020 14:58
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Arist posted:RUBY, THE INSTIGATOR: “No—once I poo poo down the compressor, the pain will end.” She hesitates. “It may take a few minutes for you to steady yourself, though—it’s a bit like waking out of a very confusing dream.” That's... not how to turn the machine off.
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Oct 9, 2020 16:09
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More various fanart, I held off on posting this because it was an equipment spoiler (The ushanka).
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Oct 11, 2020 00:23
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Oh my, those are amazing.  His face in the tie one.
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Oct 11, 2020 08:53
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Still spoilers.
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Oct 11, 2020 09:53
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I read this whole LP in the last few weeks and now I'm in terrible suspense! Great job on the LP, Arist, thank you. What a bizarre and brilliant game.
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Oct 11, 2020 20:10
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Keep posting, Arist, it is always a pleasure to read your thoughts, and I am always delighted to have other people's readings of what I think is the best narrative game of the 2010s.
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Oct 13, 2020 01:19
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This LP is cool as hell. And the level of writing is continually astounding to me.
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Oct 13, 2020 20:55
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Chapter 50: The Tribunal  We were too late. KORTENAER: “SHUT UP!!! You’re not gonna talk yourself out of this, loincloth-poo poo gently caress!”  ELIZABETH: “This is a misunderstanding. Nothing irreversible has happened yet. You can just return to your unit and forget all about this.”  ELIZABETH: “You’re all drunk, come to your senses!” She sounds very sure of herself. “You won’t gun down seven people in the middle of the street. This isn’t a frontier town or a jungle outpost.” TITUS HARDIE: “Easy, Lizzie…” His voice is almost gentle. “Let me handle it. “I know guys like this. I’m sure we can come to a peaceful agreement. Ain’t that right, fellas?” AUTHORITY: [Medium: Success] He is facing overwhelmingly superior firepower—and he knows it. REACTION SPEED: [Medium: Success] *You warned them*, whispers a tiny, arrogant voice in the back of your skull. You warned them about exactly this. VOLITION: [Challenging: Success] This is no time for gloating. Lives are at stake.  PERCEPTION (HEARING): “…nest in you abdominal cavity, like a little wild mouse…” The masked man’s words are barely intelligible, but you can hear them. HALF LIGHT: [Easy: Success] The gently caress are you even looking at here? Is this what Death looks like? That masked face is scaring the piss out of you. Don’t look too deeply into his eyes or it might cost you your eternal soul.  HAND/EYE COORDINATION: This third one—he is the most dangerous of them all. Heavily armed.    KIM KITSURAGI: He nods. “If this turns into a firefight, we should take him out first.”    EMPATHY: [Medium: Success] I think he calmed down a bit… ARIST: [Challenging: Success] It suddenly occurs to you that you don’t even have three *bullets*. What are you going to do when this turns ugly? HALF LIGHT: [Easy: Success] You’re going to be in the thick of it. ESPRIT DE CORPS: [Formidable: Success] As you should be. That’s your job.  KORTENAER: “Oh yeah, welcome to the loving party.” He looks around. You’re probably gonna get killed too, I don’t give a poo poo if you’re cops.” ELIZABETH: “No one is going to kill anyone. Let’s just put the guns down and talk like civilized human beings.” RUUD HOENKLOEWEN: With a wordless gurgle, the killer loads his long rifle… KORTENAER: The leader gives a small nod to the helmeted man. Suddenly the grip of your side-arm feels comforting and warm in your hand. Feels like it’s saying: Do it! HAND/EYE COORDINATION: [Medium: Success] Shoot him in the mouth. Shoot him before he shoots you. RHETORIC: [Medium: Success] No, wait! It’s good you have that gun. It really is. Just soften him up first. Present an argument! SUGGESTION: [Medium: Success] Even if it comes to a fight it’s *always* a good idea to drag it out first. Get under his skin. COMPOSURE: [Medium: Success] I don’t know about this getting under his skin. What if he gets under *yours*? I’m barely keeping your hand from trembling here…  DE PAULE: “Ruud? Ruud is the killer—” The armoured woman smiles a vicious smile. “Ruud ‘The Killer’ Hoenkloewen—he doesn’t talk much.”   KORTENAER: “The gunner.” He gestures toward himself. “The radist.” He nods towards the woman. “The killer.” He points to the figure clad entirely in ceramic plate. “What do you think he *does*?”  PERCEPTION (SIGHT): About *fifty* little stick figures—all of them black. Plus two little white ones in the end. ENCYCLOPEDIA: [Medium: Success] These men served in Semenine… the native islanders…  KORTENAER: “That’s right.” He stares at you with watery eyes. “Plenty of kipts here in Revachol too.” EUGENE: “T, let’s loving *do* it,” the man presses through his teeth—his hand is on his belt. TITUS HARDIE: “Gene…”   KORTENAER: “How loving *convenient*…” He gives you a drunken stare—then puts his hand on the gun.  KORTENAER: “You think I’m loving *stupid*, cop?” There’s a dangerous gleam in his eye. “What if I just shot one of your pals right now, huh?” He points his gun at Elizabeth. “How about the kipt? Tell me it was a magic loving sniper one more time…”     KORTENAER: “You’re *lying*. De Paule heard it.” He doesn’t move the weapon. HAND/EYE COORDINATION: A Kiejl Model 40 revolver. Eight rounds in the barrel. The gun slowly sways in his hand—from the inebriation.   PERCEPTION (HEARING): [Easy: Success] The shot rings in your ears—a low tinny ring. Then the Hardie boys yell something… ELIZABETH: The young woman stands and looks behind her. The shot has flown over her head—crashing a small pane of the glass window behind her. KORTENAER: The man looks at his revolver and smiles: “I missed.” DE PAULE: “I know what I heard, Korty!” The radio operator looks at him. “They said they killed him. They said it was a good way to end a Sunday night.”   KORTENAER: “Nah…” He wipes the sweat from his brow. “I’m clear as day. loving government ordained super-soldier…” DE PAULE: “Enough already! What is this?!” The woman’s voice is furious. “We didn’t come here to loving chat!”  KORTENAER: “You think I care what that company oval office thinks?” He laughs. It’s a hollow laughter.  KORTENAER: The man stares at you with bloodshot eyes, a bull ready to charge—he’s not listening, but looking for an opening…  KORTENAER: “She’s loving GONE!” The shout echoes back from the Whirling windows. “She loving sailed off! You’re *alone*.” TITUS HARDIE: “Stay cool, don’t do anything stupid,” Titus shouts to his men in the background. KORTENAER: “The company bitch is gone. Lely’s gone. gently caress are we still doing in this shithole?” He looks around, tired suddenly—sad even. SHANKY: “Guys, I, uh…” The little guy breaks formation. “I’d just get in the way. I don’t even have a gun.”  ARIST: [Legendary: Success] Oh, this is some weak poo poo, Dennis! I should have expected some horsepiss like this from you! EMPATHY: [Formidable: Success] No. You’re just as scared as he is. At least there’s one less person in the line of fire now.  KORTENAER: “Who the gently caress is that?” KIM KITSURAGI: “Klaasje—the woman upstairs? Where is she?”   GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER: “She LEFT! Her room’s cleaned out—right before these assholes showed up!” ARIST: [Medium: Success] Oh, *gently caress*! Well, that act of mercy bit us in the rear end something fierce! LOGIC: [Medium: Success] You know, in hindsight… DRAMA: [Challenging: Success] I told you not to trust her, sire. KIM KITSURAGI: “We should have arrested her…” The lieutenant whispers, his eyes still on the armed mercenaries. EMPATHY: [Medium: Success] You can *feel* how upset he is with himself. Just for a second. Then the fear takes over and he’s back in the moment.      KORTENAER: “What always happens when you get good at your job. That name meant night raids, loving extra-judicial funkytime… burned villages. poo poo that sounds bad on the radio. The same thing happened when we were called whatever-the-gently caress it was. Probably won’t be called *Krenel* for much longer either…” He looks around. “Not after this poo poo.”     KORTENAER: “Sergeant Major Raul Kortenaer—reporting in to burn this loving mud hut to the ground!” He points at the Whirling-in-Rags… PERCEPTION (HEARING): [Medium: Success] As he moves, the interlocking pieces of his armour click, softly. LOGIC: [Easy: Success] …click, click, click! The realization comes to you, like a picture puzzle coming together: His name is Raul Kortenaer—the dead man’s name is Ellis Kortenaer. He’s *brothers* with the deceased! LOGIC: [Medium: Success] No—probably foster brothers! Ellis was put into a foster home, remember…    KORTENAER: “Same loving mudhut town too…” he looks around, then wipes his face with his armoured glove.   KIM KITSURAGI: “We researched him. We contacted the ICP and looked at his birth records. That was in there. And other things…” KORTENAER: “They loving put Lely in a lead compactor and now these cunts finished the job…” He waves at the gang huddled by the doors. DE PAULE: “It’s a mind-gently caress, Korty. He wasn’t put in a leaf compactor. They’re making it up to gently caress with us.” She glances at him. “Major, permission to…”  KORTENAER: “gently caress do you mean *talker*?” KIM KITSURAGI: “We’ve heard testimony. People say he was charismatic. A nice guy to be around.” KORTENAER: “Yeah, he liked to chat up the natives. Share leaflets, squeeze a bit of kipt rear end here and there. Great loving idea that turned out to be…” He points toward the yard. “If Lely was here, he would spare the lot of you. Maybe shoot one for show. But me…” he points to himself. “I’m not a big fan of public affairs, clay-monkey. I’ll gun every one of you down for what you did.” DE PAULE: “Ready to open fire, major. At your command.”  KORTENAER: He smiles, pulling his face in a strange way. “Baby blue, yeah… Like someone hosed up and put a baby’s eyes on a grown man.”  KORTENAER: “Find his killer?! Cop, his killer stands right there!” He waves at the men behind you. “making GBS threads his pants—and *you’re* standing in the way protecting them. I know what this tactic is, Silo Sam.” He stares at you, eyes pink from the alcohol—fingers tapping the pistol. “You’re gonna die for them. Right here. Today.” AUTHORITY: [Medium: Success] Don’t panic. You’ve gotten to him. You’ve bought time. Just don’t panic, and don’t let him know you’re panicking.   One try. Make it count.    REACTION SPEED: [Medium: Success] Time almost feels as if it’s standing still as you rapidly take in the crucial stimuli of the next several seconds… BEAUTIFUL NECKTIE: In the fiery inferno you see your tie—coiling around the man’s neck. It is no longer horrific, but beautiful and *pure*.   BEAUTIFUL NECKTIE: One day a sad man walked into a clothing store. He looked really down. Like he hadn’t had fun in years. He needed someone to show him how to rock and roll again.  BEAUTIFUL NECKTIE: And from that moment on—we rode together. The rest of your clothes were still *normal* back then. But we took care of that soon enough.  BEAUTIFUL NECKTIE: Truthfully? Not a lot. I did everything a multi-patterned necktie can do to help a man. I mean, I tried to get you to do *all* the fun things:     KORTENAER: This guy? Well—his face has *cracked open* into a scream of terror. It looks like he’s performing some sort of a shamanistic dance… that requires you to be on fire?! BEAUTIFUL NECKTIE: Yeah, his body contorts in a very disturbing manner—there’s no mincing words with this one. He’s dying a horrible painful death as you’re talking to your tie in your head.       PERCEPTION (SIGHT): [Medium: Success] In your peripheral vision you catch the third man moving. You turn towards him. He’s aiming his rifle right at you.  KIM KITSURAGI: From the corner of your eye you see the lieutenant raise his pistol—and aim it at Ruud. VISUAL CALCULUS: [Medium: Success] He’s trying to find a straight line of sight before the rifleman can take you out. In the background, the leader is still on fire…  RUUD HOENKLOEWEN: You stare down the barrel of the gun. You see Ruud’s mask behind it—his eye in the slit of the helmet. Like a camera lens focusing on you. HAND/EYE COORDINATION: [Medium: Success] 0.4 seconds remain. There are six little black dots in the tip of the barrel, like a honeycomb. This is a *nock cannon*. It shoots six rounds in one pull of the trigger. ENDURANCE: Is there anything—*anything* we could use to protect this frail body? That gun will tear us to pieces.      PAIN THRESHOLD: [Easy: Success] Ow.  REACTION SPEED: A volcano of burning pain erupts from your left shoulder.  VISUAL CALCULUS: [Medium: Success] He’s aiming for the eye slot in Ruud’s helmet. An extremely difficult shot… EMPATHY: [Formidable: Success] He has to. The rifleman will fire at you again.      INLAND EMPIRE: [Medium: Success] OH GOD! WATCH OUT!           REACTION SPEED: The Hardie boys are screaming, fighting, dying. Someone jumps over you—nearby gunfire shatters glass. GARTE, THE CAFETERIA MANAGER: “STOP!!!”    REACTION SPEED: …it’s all gone. Open your eyes now. You have to see what’s happening!    KIM KITSURAGI: “Yes! Keep talking!” The lieutenant pushes down on your wound, hard. “Stay awake! Look at me!” But you can’t. It’s so hard. Your eyelids grow heavy and the sounds ever more distant. And a cold comes over you. Kim, too, is somewhere far away. Almost gone… when suddenly! You sense something behind him…    ARIST: [Challenging: Success] Know. Please, just know. ESPRIT DE CORPS: [Formidable: Success] He will. You’ve shared too much for him not to.   
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Oct 14, 2020 18:46
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Holy poo poo
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Oct 14, 2020 19:27
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Here's the song that plays during this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV3bDlIJjEw
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Oct 14, 2020 19:52
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 The tie went out a hero. Let's hope it gets a state funeral.
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Oct 14, 2020 20:33
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DE doesn't have combat. Except the one time it does it's the most intense sequence in the entire game. You kind of owe it to yourself to see it in motion some time. The thing they do where everything moves extremely quickly then slows to a crawl again when you're trying to think of what to do is fantastic. And yeah, the song is amazing.
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Oct 14, 2020 21:36
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I never managed to get on good terms with my tie, but that's a fitting end if I ever saw one.
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Oct 14, 2020 23:00
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Jesus I never saw the bit about the black stick figures on the helmet before
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Oct 14, 2020 23:18
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Absolutely the finest discrete moment in a video game I played that year. In a vacuum it's just text and reading but in the moment I was totally engrossed with trying to talk down three professional killers and my heart is hammering, hammering, hammering. That "Kim truly trusts you" on the final check is also a hell of a thing.
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Oct 15, 2020 00:20
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Cool as hell segment, but all I can think of is...if you had Lely's armor, would it save you from Korty's shot? Or is all that talk about the pelvis exploding and bleeding out meaning he shot you in the femoral artery, where maybe the armor wouldn't protect?
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Oct 15, 2020 00:30
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Felinoid posted:Cool as hell segment, but all I can think of is...if you had Lely's armor, would it save you from Korty's shot? Or is all that talk about the pelvis exploding and bleeding out meaning he shot you in the femoral artery, where maybe the armor wouldn't protect? It'll save you from the rifle attack if you fail to dodge, though it still breaks one of Harry's ribs from the impact wound.
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Oct 15, 2020 00:36
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Hand-Eye Coordination lives for this scene. And catching things, which is weird because Savoir Faire is the one that says at low numbers you'll be a stumbling bumbler who can't do a cool guy catch. I think the game was supposed to have a few more scenes in it like this and when it didn't, Hand-Eye needed something to do so it poached some of the catching from Savoir Faire. Rest in glory, beautiful necktie. Nothing ever healed us, but at least we had a funny tie. (IIRC you never get to talk to your tie like this unless you start the game with 4 Inland Empire. You have to get the sense that the tie is your friend when you're looking at it for the first time in order to get up to any tie shenanigans at all. I love that this is the kind of game that will just hide a long-running payoff like this.) Glazius fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Oct 15, 2020 |
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Oct 15, 2020 01:26
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As amazing and intense as the tribunal scene is, I'm getting a feel it doesn't have a whole lot of reactivity to it regarding how it ultimately goes. My first playthrough I didn't even have my gun on me let alone a necktie molotov, and from what I remember the end result wasn't appreciably different from what I've seen since. I do wonder what happens if you somehow manage to dodge Korty's shot, though. Just get shot by the woman for the same result, I'd wager.
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Oct 15, 2020 01:33
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Night10194 posted:It'll save you from the rifle attack if you fail to dodge, though it still breaks one of Harry's ribs from the impact wound. So it blocks Ruud's shot but not Korty's, then. Makes sense.
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Oct 15, 2020 02:24
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Nordick posted:As amazing and intense as the tribunal scene is, I'm getting a feel it doesn't have a whole lot of reactivity to it regarding how it ultimately goes. My first playthrough I didn't even have my gun on me let alone a necktie molotov, and from what I remember the end result wasn't appreciably different from what I've seen since. As I recall, the main difference is the collateral damage that occurs - how many of the various bystanders also get merc'ed
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Oct 15, 2020 03:04
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Felinoid posted:Cool as hell segment, but all I can think of is...if you had Lely's armor, would it save you from Korty's shot? Or is all that talk about the pelvis exploding and bleeding out meaning he shot you in the femoral artery, where maybe the armor wouldn't protect? Lely's suit explicitly lacks the pants, yeah. The gloves would help dodge with their boost to Hand-Eye, too. Which is what I did, dodged the first shot. I had enough to dodge the second, too, just rolled badly. I also choked at the last. Came in with Hand-Eye as my signature, and at the very last moment, I did not shoot Korty in his loving racist face. The only thing that changed appreciably was that it was Korty coming up behind Kim instead of De Paule.
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Oct 15, 2020 04:45
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I didnt have the gun or the spirit bomb so I lost basically everyone here. Its uh, mighty depressing.
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Oct 15, 2020 05:04
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That was crazy, I stopped playing around day3 or so but now I feel like I have to load that save back up and rescue the necktie somehow.
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Oct 15, 2020 09:12
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Nordick posted:I do wonder what happens if you somehow manage to dodge Korty's shot, though. Just get shot by the woman for the same result, I'd wager. you cant
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Oct 15, 2020 09:35
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I thought Botchcop should miss his shot with the Necktie, but now I've learned you can drink cocktail in question. Which has got to be the canon ending for the Botchcop run.
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Oct 15, 2020 13:32
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My hope is that The Tribunal moment of this game becomes the thing that finally convinces CRPG and RPG generally developers to ditch horrible turn based or RTWP combat mechanics in favor of something that actually works infinitely better with the medium. Easily one of the tensest and high stakes "boss" fights I've ever had and I never had to aim a reticle or move someone on a grid It's so, so good. I've been through twice and Arist here went through far more dialogue than I ever did. Most of this is entirely new to me even if the end result was largely identical to what I got first time around by virtue of me being an irl communist and recognizing Kortenaur as a scab It's basically what solidified it as my GOTY for 2019 as well as the best I've played since I can remember Xander77 posted:I thought Botchcop should miss his shot with the Necktie, but now I've learned you can drink cocktail in question. Which has got to be the canon ending for the Botchcop run. lmao, what happens if you do? A quart of everclear has gotta have some side effects
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Oct 16, 2020 04:24
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Yeah, wow! What an amazing set-piece. Read it the night before last and it has been on my mind since. The farewell to the tie was so incredibly touching, and to have that happening right in the middle of this horrifying fight to the death, it's a really daring tonal shift. But the game has been full of that sort of thing. I was doing the hustle today https://youtu.be/7TsRdkrxl4g to Love is the Message by MFSB https://youtu.be/xe3Q7uajzYM and I just was thinking of this great story and how much of an impression it has made on me, thanks again for the Let's Play. I bought the game of course and I'm messing around with it.
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Oct 16, 2020 05:48
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Disco Elysium is on sale now on Steam. Congratulations, this LP pushed me over the edge to buy it.
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Oct 16, 2020 07:20
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Jesus Christ. I can't imagine the kind of stress and disappointment that failing a favorable roll here would cause.
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Oct 16, 2020 18:06
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Supersonic Shine posted:Jesus Christ. I can't imagine the kind of stress and disappointment that failing a favorable roll here would cause. My Harry made a slightly-less-than-50-50 to shoot Korty in the face here and my heart didn't stop pounding for quite some time after. Also shooting Korty is noticeably harder than burning him to death with your heroic, weird-rear end neck tie.
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Oct 16, 2020 18:18
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Supersonic Shine posted:Jesus Christ. I can't imagine the kind of stress and disappointment that failing a favorable roll here would cause. I was pretty committed to "don't reload when you fail a check" until that happened.
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Oct 16, 2020 19:06
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