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 There's no way I could ever sum up this game better than the Steam blurb does: "HEAVEN WILL BE MINE is a visual novel about making terrible life decisions in the midst of a hot-blooded battle between giant robots. Select one of three terribly behaved girls to fight and/or make out with each other in their struggle for the fate of space." It's made by Pillow Fight, developers of, among other things, We Know the Devil. If you've played that, you can look forward to more of the same rich, complex, sometimes funny/sometimes melancholy writing in a totally different and awesome setting! The art this time around has a similar impressionistic style, though I think improved a little, and now with more color! If you haven’t played it, you should, or at least read Flac’s excellent LP of it. I love Heaven Will Be Mine not just because it's weird and has robot battles, but because it knows and cares about themes. It has a lot of similar ones to We Know the Devil, like regarding alienation and self-acceptance, but it has unique things to say about even the same subjects. And there are new themes too, like about what it means to believe in/give up causes, dreams, and ambitions. But we'll get to that. I also love that Alec Lambert returns with even more  music.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPK6drrPqgo P.S. No spoilers please. I do plan to show everything, in due time. Also as a content warning, it never gets explicit, PG-13 at most, but there are elements of body horror, sexuality, abuse, and trauma throughout the story.  Each of the three robot pilots starts out working for one of the game's three factions, which each have a different vision for humanity's future among the stars. But there are plenty of choices to make throughout the story, that will determine the fate of our pilot, their relationships, and that faction. MEMORIAL FOUNDATION:   CRADLE'S GRACES:   And CELESTIAL MECHANICS:   If none of this makes sense yet, don't worry about it. The game explains its alternate universe gradually, letting it gravitate into you slowly. Let's focus on what's immediately important. And the important question for right now is, whose story do we start with? Our initial choice isn't necessarily a commitment to their faction. The pilots cross paths with each other throughout the game, but who we pick now will be our main character for the duration of a 'playthrough,' no matter where they end up. Hacker-hijacker SATURN?   The String of Pearls Overwhelming super psychic PLUTO?   The Krun Macula Or veteran ace Luna-Terra?   The Mare Crisium For the first campaign, the thread has chosen Luna-Terra! I'm going to go ahead and commit to a schedule of updates on Fridays. This means going forward, votes will end on Thursdays, at 11 PM EST. Orbs fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Sep 5, 2019 |
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Aug 29, 2019 04:48
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SEASON ONE (LUNA-TERRA) EPISODE LIST •Episode One - "I've never betrayed anyone in my entire life."/JOYRIDE KILLJOY •Episode Two - "Don't shoot me down before the mission starts."/Retrograde in retrograde •Episode Three - "I'm plenty incompetent."/400MM KISS •Episode Four - "Keep your friends close, and your exes closer."/Rift in the earth •Episode Five - "The worst fights always happen over something worthless."/DEEPER CUTS •Episode Six - "Hoping for togetherness, and killing everyone instead."/Look at me •Episode Seven - "gently caress space."/PLASTIC VS. METAL •Episode Eight - "Without guilt or regret or expectation."/Give me the moon •Finale - "I declare war on the Earth!"/Cradle's Graces ending SEASON TWO (SATURN) EPISODE LIST •Episode One - "Can you give me everything I want, down to the last drop?"/Saturn return •Episode Two - "i'm so getting laid"/JOYRIDE KILLJOY II •Episode Three - “we were kids tho we're older and wiser now”/Deep dive •Episode Four - "what id like is to be a toy"/400 MM KISS II •Episode Five - "i have only the highest ambitions for us"/Becoming stars •Episode Six - “I’m coming back with guts this time!"/Deeper Cuts II •Episode Seven - “Am I too heavy for the apple?”/The acceleration due to gravity •Episode Eight - "we're parts of the same thing"/PLASTIC VS METAL II •Finale - “Do you think there’s ways to love each other that humans don’t know yet?”/Celestial Mechanics ending SEASON THREE (PLUTO) EPISODE LIST •Episode One - “Correct action. Correct thought. Correct belief.”/Retrograde in retrograde II •Episode Two - “Let me have the tiniest bit of fun."/Saturn return II •Episode Three - "I hear everyone, and I can't ignore it. It feels like I'll die if I do.”/RIFT IN THE EARTH II HEAVEN WILL BE MINE SERIES OST by Alec Lambert •Home 1 •Plastic to Plastic •Fog Screen •Oxygen Ocean •Garden District •Electrotoxin (No Mercy) •Terraformer •Silly Game •Joyride •Cradle's Graces COMMENTARY TRACKS •Thoughts 1 - Luna-Terra and the Force of Gravity •Thoughts 2 - Idealism •Gutter Owl posts very good words about the endings and the queer metaphor behind the game. CAST quote:
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quote:[NO IMAGE AVAILABLE] Other references: quote:Lagrange Reactor- the experimental Lagrange reactor for Tidal research is named after Joseph-Louis Lagrange, an Italian astronomer who lived during the enlightenment era. His main contribution relevant to this game is his work in the field of celestial mechanics, the branch of astronomy that deals with the motion of bodies in outer space. His namesake “Lagrange Points” are the points near two large bodies in orbit where a smaller object will maintain its position relative to the large orbiting bodies. At other locations, a small object would go into its own orbit around one of the large bodies, but at the Lagrange points the gravitational forces of the two large bodies and the centripetal force of orbital motion "cancel out" in a way that causes the small object to maintain a stable position relative to the other two. FANART BOOK  by https://aprilcruelsday.tumblr.com/post/176568201101/i-swear-on-my-life-that-this-is-canon Mia Schwartz's (the game's artist) Twitter is an important follow (Timeline contains spoilers for at least one ending though! Do not click if you haven't read at least up to the end of the Luna-Terra playthrough.) https://twitter.com/mightyatom/status/1185297772301275136  From: https://lizparlettdraws.tumblr.com/post/177379429331/bleeding-heart-soif-you-havent-had-a-chance-yet    From: http://moneygoldpower.com/art/hwbm.html   Both by: https://www.deviantart.com/anisasherzai/art/HEAVEN-WILL-BE-MINE-II-759706436 Orbs fucked around with this message at 21:37 on Jun 1, 2020 |
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Aug 29, 2019 04:48
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This looks interesting.
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Aug 29, 2019 05:07
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Hell yeah, Heaven Will Be Mine. Looking forward to terrible decisions all around.
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Aug 29, 2019 05:18
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Man, I hope this doesn't get too sad  Anyway, voting for Luna-Terra.
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Aug 29, 2019 06:20
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A buddy of mine streamed this a year or so ago and I remember exactly one thing about it. Combat Style: Button Mashing Bedroom Style: Button Mashing
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Aug 29, 2019 06:48
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Pluto looks like a Lancer pilot, so let's go with her.
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Aug 29, 2019 09:03
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Represent Earth! Luna-Terra
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Aug 29, 2019 09:34
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Let's flirt and evolve with Saturn.
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Aug 29, 2019 13:35
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I liked this game a lot. The way it talks about 'gravity' reminds me of the weirder elements of UC Gundam. I couldn't resist the temptation to start with Pluto because she has the smuggest portrait, but we should go with Luna-Terra because you can tell she's seen some poo poo.
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Aug 29, 2019 19:01
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Pluto seems like the type of wide-eyed naïf I want to experience this setting through.
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Aug 29, 2019 20:39
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Luna-Terra has a heck of a thousand yard stare.
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Aug 29, 2019 20:59
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I went with LT on my first playthrough. This time, I'm voting for Pluto.
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Aug 29, 2019 23:46
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Luna-Tera calls it's children home.
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Aug 30, 2019 01:35
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Pluto
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Aug 30, 2019 13:39
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Some Numbers posted:A buddy of mine streamed this a year or so ago and I remember exactly one thing about it. Luna-Terra is currently in the lead, as befits Memorial Foundation's first class pilot, regardless of how people interpreted my "and/or" after where to vote (listen I am very good at words ok). But I'll give the vote until the weekend since it's pretty close!
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Aug 30, 2019 18:07
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I'm leaning towards Saturn.
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Aug 31, 2019 07:16
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LUNA-TERRA, EPISODE ONE: "I've never betrayed anyone in my entire life."/JOYRIDE KILLJOY       What do you know about our reasons, computer        Sound logic.  "Let me enjoy the view of the rings." "You really are getting old, aren't you?" "Both me and you. I should probably listen to Control and throw you out and get a new one." "But that doesn't seem right. You're only supposed to get one body." "Even if I haven't been very good to you, I could never throw you out." "We're all we've got." In all kinds of ways. It can do so many things. And they gave it devices for everything, because they hadn't estimated how powerful Tidal Engines would become, or what sorts of things humans would really want to do in space. It's the first machine meant for conflict. But it's also the last machine that was meant for other things, too. A ceremonial tin soldier. Made to impress. An impossible to use machine. Mind-machine or biofeedback interfacing is necessary to give humans control over a second body, but the Mare Crisium is done completely manually. It makes Luna-Terra sort of a genius, and sort of an idiot, that she can't do things any other way.   "..." "No, I love it when old things are over." "And new things begin." "Open the channel." "Let's hear those standing orders." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0lTURpjBhU  Each day, we are given two missions to complete. But before we decide on that, there are new alerts and comms to check out. Little pieces of backstory and worldbuilding to chew on. quote:
With not-moms like this, who needs moms? ...Let's check our mail.   Heh. Tenth time's the charm I'm sure.   Last but not least is this, the Alignment system. (Data log is just a log of previous scenes, and System is where you save/load, etc.)  This shows the current balance of power between the three factions, which will change as we do missions. Speaking of missions, it’s time to select ours. We have to do both to advance the story, and the order doesn’t matter, so there’s not really a need to vote. I’ll go with JOYRIDE KILLJOY first, since Saturn was a close second in the pilot voting.  Music: Plastic to Plastic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVmp-iIlAjk      "Tell those idiots to be careful what they wish for, because the mission parameters have changed." "As you know, Celestial Mechanics has been operating a clandestine Ship-Self development lab with an experimental prototype, in violation of the terms of the Memorial Foundation Space Program decommission treaty." "And we are on a top-secret surprise attack to take out the last operational shipyard and make sure we never have to find out what Celestial Mechanics has been planning to do with it." "It couldn't be more obvious what happened. But go ahead and brief me anyway." "No points for guessing. The prototype already launched, rendering most of the base inoperable. We lost contact almost instantly. Find it before it leaves Cronus's gravitational field."           "Now."        "What a callous attitude you have. Who did you learn that from?" "The best. Preparing to engage."  "Having fun dismantling my escorts?"     "Oh, she's a hacker, too? How amusing. There's nothing too interesting on this comm frequency." "Aw, you flatter me." "But hey, what did that mean, exactly? The part about the girls who can't control themselves? I REALLY want to hear more." "It means back up that talk first." "Or can you land a hit off the comms?"      "Good thing you don't win by looking cool." "No mercy for newbies?" "No." It doesn't hurt at all. The ship's metals begin molding and reforming around the wound immediately. A ridiculous, unfair advantage. Saturn has no right to complain, but she still wants to. But she is trying to be cool. Everyone wants to, when in the quiet gleam of that always-bleeding ship.  "Either you're fighting just for fun, because you're that reckless." "Or you're caught in your own containment wrapper and can't escape orbit yet." "And you'd beat me for sure if I played around." "I'm not done yet."That's not true; it's actually very difficult to move with a solid light bullet in your leg. But she's not going to let that stop her. Saturn is suddenly closer than she logically could be, claws bubbling, but Luna-Terra effortlessly slips away and kicks Saturn's ship directly in the chest. "Yeah, you're done." "The containment wrapper is still stuck to you. So your movement's off. Doesn't seem to have stopped you that much." "It seems cruel to take it away when you're having so much fun with it." "Same as you, right?" "? Do I know you?" "Everyone knows Memorial Foundation's perfect ace." "But do I know you?" "..." "So I do, don't I." "Let me out of this thing and I'll tell you." "Ahaha. Why should I?" "Can you promise it'll go different?" "I can promise it'll be more fun." "You are asking for me to totally abandon my duty to bring you back and do that instead?" "What, you won't?" "The legendary pilot who defected from Memorial Foundation then double-crossed the rebels she abandoned them for can't be opposed to a little fooling around with the enemy." "..." "I guess you do know me." "Want to trust each other?" "Or is it more fun if we don't?" Now we come to the central mechanic of the game. Each mission has two possible outcomes to choose from.  One has us remain loyal to our faction, and increases their power.  And the other has us go against them, and increases the power of the other pilot's faction. Sometimes there are other outcomes we might want more, though. So which of these do we really want? Just going to do voting in the thread for this one. 
Orbs fucked around with this message at 00:29 on Mar 7, 2020 |
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Sep 1, 2019 05:54
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I've never betrayed anyone in my entire life.
Ahahahaahahahaha!
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"Pick this option to lose"? Heh, nice try, game, but you can't fool a pro gamer so easily. Betray.
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Sep 1, 2019 07:34
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It's more fun if they don't.
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Sep 1, 2019 11:32
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It's more fun if they do
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Sep 1, 2019 13:26
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It's more fun if they do.
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Sep 1, 2019 14:16
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It's more fun if they don't.
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Sep 1, 2019 17:01
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Its more fun if they do
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Sep 1, 2019 18:02
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Let's win
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Sep 1, 2019 18:23
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Culture and living ship minds. Are there any credits to Iain M Banks in the credits?
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Sep 1, 2019 20:18
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It's more fun if we trust each other.
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Sep 1, 2019 23:57
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Bloodly posted:Culture and living ship minds. Are there any credits to Iain M Banks in the credits?
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Sep 2, 2019 15:17
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It's more fun if they do. I don't know if this game is my thing yet, but wow that soundtrack is amazing.
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Sep 3, 2019 06:18
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get  Luna
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Sep 4, 2019 11:43
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It's more fun if they don't
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Sep 5, 2019 10:25
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Not voting because I've already played this through, but I love that it's getting some appreciation here. The soundtrack is spectacular.
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Sep 5, 2019 18:52
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Chuu posted:It's more fun if they do. Kangxi posted:Not voting because I've already played this through, but I love that it's getting some appreciation here. Speaking of voting, I'm going to go ahead and commit to a schedule of updates on Fridays. This means votes, including this one, will end on Thursdays, at 11 PM EST. The current vote stands at 6-5 in favor of loyalty ("It's more fun if they trust each other"), so someone still has time to make me have to figure out a tie breaking system if they really want. 
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Sep 5, 2019 23:15
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I loved this game and We Know the Devil as well! It's really nice to see this represented here. It's more fun if they do.
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Sep 5, 2019 23:17
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EPISODE ONE CONCLUSION It is decided! It's more fun if Saturn and Luna-Terra trust each other... for now at least.    "It's just WEIRD. It's weirder that it DOESN'T hurt."It's easier for Luna-Terra to cut through the malleable flesh of the String of Pearls directly than untangle her from the wrapper. The flesh reforms quickly, so she has to work patiently. The String of Pearls might be impossible to destroy. Even if Saturn can't land a hit, Luna-Terra feels like somehow, she's the one who got lucky.  "You're very sensitive. Lucky. You'll get used to it." "If you are serious about next time, think of yourself as something a little bigger." "Mmmm. I like that. Being big. I'm glad I trusted you." "Stop shaking then. Or ask me to go easier." "...just a little easier." "Of course." "Do you remember me yet?" "I thought you'd remember the name of at least some of the girls you've made out with in supply closets." "YOUR FACE."(Took the words right out of my mouth. Say what you will about the art in this game, but I think it nails the facial expressions.)  "Just kidding. But sorry, it was worth it." "You weren't kidding about still being dangerous." "Every pilot knows you." "By both of your reputations." "...You're definitely Saturn. Because no one hated me as much as you." "So now I'm curious why you don't anymore." "So save it for the next time you catch me." "Ha. Well, I'll just have to catch you again quick." "All free." "Now get out before someone catches us."-- Mission complete! The balance of power has shifted, just a little. The enemy may have escaped, but we didn't get owned by an experimental supership either.  There will be another update very soon to continue to the next mission's decision point. I just wanted to make them separate posts for clarity/organization purposes. Stay tuned!
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Sep 6, 2019 16:43
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LUNA-TERRA, EPISODE TWO: "Don't shoot me down before the mission starts."/Retrograde in retrograde Saturn and the Celestial Mechanics have been dealt with, but Cradle’s Graces are still operating in the area. Before we get to that mission though, each day offers new mail and comms to check. quote:
Was that better or worse than their last conversation?  Anyway, two new things in the inbox.  “Aha. You are saying that you, as you are, the person who you are, doesn't want to be you? LT: Yes. Then you aren't that person. LT: ...but that person weighs on me. So you would like to have the weight of being this other person, that you are not--you would like that removed? LT: Yes. Please. That may be possible.” —  There.  Time to spin backwards.  >LAUNCH  "Central said to launch immediately. We have to get to the Celestial Mechanics lab regardless of whether or not the prototype is already gone."drat, no escorts this time. Rest in peace, Pilot B. You will not be forgotten, and your story will be told. "There's valuable information there, but it's worthless if Cradle's Graces gets there first." "Have some patience, Luna-Terra. The Cradle's Graces carrier just launched a completely unknown Ship-Self." "This can't be right. A person can't pilot a ship that big. The tidal resonance should tear the pilot apart." "Is this... Impossible. I hope. I've never seen anything like it, and no you can't fight it, Luna-Terra, so don't even think about it." "Any better ideas? It must be headed for where the prototype launched, right? Where else?" "Because they have to know that it already escaped. Don't underestimate your opponent, Luna-Terra." "Even against an unknown and objectively stronger enemy? What makes you so sure, Luna-Terra?" "No particular reason." "Or a single particular reason?" "Haha. Still don't trust me?" "Don't insult your former instructor, Luna-Terra. I knew how much to trust you before you betrayed us to Cradle's Graces. My opinion hasn't changed because we welcomed you back into the fold." "My best pilot and worst student, you've never been predictable except in your consistency for trouble. But it's a reliable metric." "You're right. You know me. So if you're worried, don't have to let me have free rein like this." "Very unlike Pluto, the hope of Cradle's Graces. She could lie right to my face, with a smile, if she thought it was for the best." "Pluto exceeded the wildest expectations of the pilot program, so much so that it was decommissioned in part because of her." "If Celestial Mechanics have successfully built a monster that can withstand her, this engagement will end in disaster." "And that is much more terrifying than this machine you're so eager to fight. That concerns me far more than you betraying us, or fighting a battle you can't possibly win." "I don't think any of you really understood what you were doing." "Pluto is unreal. She's far more overwhelming than any of you understood." "If that ship is unworthy of Pluto, it's going to be torn apart under the pressure of her, not the other way around." "Pluto is the only real human being. No wonder she feels so alien when she looks at us." "You want me to let you take an impossibly dangerous mission because you think you can save our enemy?" — Mission start! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vYR22D1jMY  And Luna-Terra needs to make sure all the calculations are in order. Everything in her ship operates manually. She's just been at it long enough that it feels like a second skin. The jolt of nostalgia interrupts Luna-Terra's mental math. She forgets to carry the one. It interrupts Pluto's focus, and she has a moment where she's not invincible. Close enough to touch the surface of the moon lab, Luna-Terra is seen and known by Pluto, and they are suddenly falling down the well of "too late" and "nothing you can do."    Against Pluto, is that really such a good idea? She's someone who always thinks just enough. Which makes it easy for Luna-Terra to slip through, deep into the lab, until it gets quiet except for the sounds of the moon quaking and trembling. After almost a year, the dread and the thrill is way too much to slow down and start talking. That's what the arrow flying into Pluto's Gravity Well is saying. Who will make the first move?    And more terrifying than the finesse is her gentleness, spooling matter like threads in the tiny galaxy of which she is the sun. Her power is very kind, but it's also a little perverse. What meaning does mercy have from something that can core out a moon? Krun Macula's developers compared it to a black hole; they wanted a machine so powerful and absolute even light couldn't escape it. Luna-Terra understands now that was wrong. She's a star. Gushing and twinkling with matter and light. Who wouldn't be swept up in that? The Mare Crisium is so small; Pluto has never seen it from a perspective like Krun Macula's before. She never imagined it would look so fragile from here, like a toy version of the fierce fighter she remembered. Pluto's sense of scale is true. Luna-Terra feels just like a plastic toy, too.  "It really does fit you." "So much more than I ever thought." "Is it hard to look away?" "Being able to render you speechless is the power I've always dreamed of." "What do you think? "I know just a look won't change your mind, but I want you to tell me.""Tell you what?" "That I regret betraying you? I told you then, that I always would."  "Did you think I'd be mad?" "I mean, of course I'm mad at you! But not for anything you did to me." "..." "I wouldn't ever be mad at you for not having enough faith in me, to see through Cradle Graces' dream of a new home for humans in space." "I'm just mad at you for not having enough faith in yourself to see it through." "And leaving all the work to me!" "Oops, I guess that is why I'm a little upset with you. Not mad, you know..." "...just disappointed." "I'm trying to be the grown-up, you know." "I did the responsible thing. I took the realistic option." "I'm here to play the part of the boring adult, the grown-up villain." "Oh, that's right." "I remembered why I actually am mad at you." "You better not go down quietly." "You better really believe what you just said. I'll forgive you if you left us for something stupid, but I'll never forgive you if you left us for something you don't believe in!" "And you better not believe in it, because I also won't forgive you for fighting for a future that cruel!" "Don't you dare. I won't forgive that either." "Were you hoping, maybe, that it wouldn't be like this?" "That I wouldn't have to fight? "It'll change you." "In ways you don't understand." "I've seen you fight so many times." "I saw when you got that scar and your poor ship got her wound." "Has anyone else seen that side of you as much as me?" "I don't think so." "But it's different when you're on the other side." "You think I don't really know you, because I've never stared down the barrel of your rifle or felt that knife nick my ship?" "It's a different kind of knowing." "Teach me then." "Or I'll teach you."   DECISION TIME! They clearly have a long history, but they also still have a lot to learn. Who has more to learn though? BETRAY or stay LOYAL?
Orbs fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Mar 7, 2020 |
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Sep 6, 2019 16:52
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Klingon w Bowl Cut posted:
I feel like I barely have any idea what's going on, but is this implying a connection between this game and "We Know The Devil"? Uh, Loyal I guess?
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Sep 6, 2019 17:48
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Betray
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Sep 6, 2019 19:53
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GunnerJ posted:I feel like I barely have any idea what's going on, but is this implying a connection between this game and "We Know The Devil"? As for the We Know The Devil references, it's one of those things where the answer is ...maybe? This isn't billed as a sequel, but there are nods that can enhance the experience if you're looking for them.
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Sep 6, 2019 21:49
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| # ? May 3, 2024 19:18 |
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Loyal
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Sep 6, 2019 22:04
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