Commander's Rejuvenation Adventures (A Rejuv Not Cancelled Run) [Chapter 62]

[DemICE]

And this is the breaking up of the short-lived relationship with Wall-senpai.  

 

Would it be hard to ask for actually competent underlings of a great villain for a change?  Just to see how much the player would struggle if that was the case.

[Chickens]

Me when I first started the latest chapter

"Hey we're going to see piano girl again soon"

 

Me when I finished it

"Oh god we're not even there yet"

[YinYang9705]

What I want to know is why Xen is after the life energy of humans, considering it was well established by the time the version containing blacksteeple was released that pokemon could be used as living batterys, or hell, that if all they needed was energy released after people died they didn't just execute people on the spot.

 

Also thanks for reminding me super pokemon eevee exists, since apparently it was recently updated.

[Commander]

@DemICE I know you don't know too many RPGs, but let's be honest here: Bowser has some pretty competent henchmen in Paper Mario are actually pretty powerful and fun battles. If I ever try that harder Paper Mario hack they'd be some fun challenges. Also Hammer Bros are like one of the most infamous enemies.

 

@Psychic Bean Sheep Ohhhh we're halfway there, Whoaaa living on a prayer

 

@YinYang9705 You're welcome. I haven't actually played SPEE but I've heard good things about it. And it's FF style which I actually really enjoy that style.

 

And as a side note, I'm still working on restoring all the pics. I passed Venam already and reached the end of Amethyst Cave if you're wondering how far that is. It may not sound like a lot but that's roughly the 1/3rd point. 

 

Note 2: I feel so bad given the whole I accidentally posted this early thing that happened earlier so for the false alarm pings and I'll fix this whole quotes response later.

 

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Chapter 35: The Prison's Endgame Begins

 

(There is so many things wrong with this I don't even know where to begin)

 

(Well when you look like Doc Brown, you do that to people)

 

(I'm not a kid, I'm an adult)

 

(...I honestly completely forgot about you given it's been like a year and a half)

 

(I died...well a lot of people started think that when I...)

 

I really need to stop with the long delay jokes. There's multiple reasons behind them and people know it. It'll get there some day. I will try to bring it back to once a week or close to it when I'm not busy.

 

(It did. I've been trapped here for months ranting and whining like little baby)

 

(Well, that makes one of us)

 

(Yeah, I've been meaning to ask: how in the world did you get a couch back here? Then again, you managed to push a piano.)

 

(So you decided to spend your life back here with limited food and water supplies expecting to live long...and nobody questioned the fact you went missing)

 

(...Is there some kind of disease if that your name is longer than 4 letters, you're a complete idiot?)

 

I want you to think long and hard about that statement then get back to me on your findings.

 

(........I honestly have no idea why I'm down here nor why I'm even continuing this at this point)

 

(I love how the PC managed to explain that in a matter of seconds. This is the same guy who takes months just to leave a truck. Though those magazines are strong)

 

(Okay, why the heck would I explain the whole thing? Hell, I don't even remember the whole thing.)

 

I remember it something being about the machine was sabotaged and set to explode. That is probably one of those unexplained things that nobody is probably ever going to answer. And even if it does, it'll be so irrelevant that everyone forgot about it. Like maybe Madame X intended to everyone on the island to die to collect their energy because she really doesn't care.

 

(Though we have a bigger problem of everyone being trapped in their jail cell)

 

(.......So you'll distract the enemy while I make an escape like a normal NPC going to the greater good, right?)

 

(...yet she has enough food and water...)

 

(....................................................................................I'm pretty sure this run has made my IQ drop into the negatives)

 

So she's hiding, but opens up a hole out into the open and nobody at all noticed. I know people dig and all, but that hole is big enough somebody could see right through it and be suspicious. Though these are the most incompetent guards I've ever seen so it is rather believable. I normally wouldn't challenge something like this, but this entirely plot rides on plot conveniences which is a game design sin. It's like taking a player's achievement and completely invalidating it. It's like winning a race but the car you're in was controlled by someone else. It just doesn't feel right or good. A lot of this section was completely redone and the maps were entirely remade, and much of the dialogue was changed and even added so there's honestly not much defense that can be done for this. I could have given 5 different approaches to this segment and it would have turned out better. Actually, remind me to right 5 different approaches after the next chapter.

 

(Can I go back to WLL now? There's issues with that side story as well but at least they're fun issues to talk about)

 

(Well Jiggly is far from her/his prime but put them in a Melee and they'll dominate everyone)

 

(The next screencap is the exact semblance of my mood right now)

 

(The wall with the black void at the end represents everything this run has become)

 

I'm about to lose half my 3 viewers right now, but I honestly think Piano Girl is a terrible design for a character. She's nothing more than basically Anthony from Fire Emblem Fates. For those who don't play Fire Emblem, he's this random NPC who just shows up in this very dangerous land who acts like they're there to help you but turn out to be an evil monster 3 chapters later. He became pretty much a meme and a gag which people make fun of and was never taken seriously. Basically, I don't even get why she exists or why she even is relevant anymore. If she made a cameo appearance I'd be fine, but she's been elevated beyond a random NPC which is my biggest issue. One-off characters should just be that.

 

Now I won't turn a blind eye in knowing that Piano Girl is a popular character and probably one of the most popular characters from Rejuvenation. She became so popular that her canon name is Piano Girl and is treated among other characters when viewing or comparing them. It's to the point I don't even know if it's a joke or completely serious. If it's not a joke, please for the love of god, set yourself some higher standards. As a writer and someone who has experience in both written and game plots, there is no greater insult than for a random NPC to be someone's favorite character. I get liking joke or one-off characters as sometimes their gags or things they do can be amazing or absolutely hilarious. It's okay to like those or even praise them. I have an issue when someone says that's better than actual characters in something. These characters are 1-D, sometimes 2D, but do not have a personality and serve a role only as progress. That sends a message that the characters of the story are really THAT poorly written which leads to a badly executed plot which leads to either a very boring or so bad it's good kind of plot.

 

There's a scene in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory that really sums the idea up. Basically there's an NPC who pops up three times and the protags have a conversation about him secretly being kind of important and throwing subtle punches here and there. (If you really want to find it, look for I WILL GO TO LOEWE in a run and you'll be pretty close...I couldn't find a video on it...nevermind I found it:)

 

Spoiler

 

Ahhh Hyperdimension Neptunia series you're 70% bad and 30% absolute gold. Anyways, they tend to have jokes around random NPCs which some of them can be kind of hilarious such as the good ole everyone looks like a black silhouette joke. Point is that characters like these are usually designed to be gags and pretty much disappear shortly. They aren't meant to be taken seriously either.

 

Now you may be thinking I'm blowing this out of the water since "she was on the boat so she may as well be in this as well." We will be able to correct this soon but spoiler warning: she is the only one of all these generic NPCs we witnessed to make it back on the boat and she has even more scenes later on as she sticks with the boat. She even has this whole sister thing going on with some backstory mumbo jumbo. This is generic named NPC and you're telling me there's time spent on this in a very character bloated plot and not trying to use that time to make certain characters actually likable. Do you really think we want to meet that Lastation's family and have a full scene dedicated to them? Well that's actually a bad question since that is a meta breaking game...but...damn I need to think of better examples. I'm just not going to list something as it might end up being considered "an improvement on the plot."

 

I can see why people might like her because we have had boring characters and she's an odd ball character to be interesting and lighten the mood a bit. But for the love of god please let this be like an inside joke that she's a really good character and make me look like and ignorant buffoon (if I haven't already) because that would just be sad. Sad that a generic NPC is one of the best things Rejuv has to offer. There's not even a good way to spin it. Now let's just skip to the epic chase and action scene...

 

(Seriously, how have I not been found given the giant hole in the wall?)

 

(I learned from Master Drax how to hide in plain sight)

 

(The fact that I can't mine that mineable rock also ticks me off)

 

(Somebody's on there bathroom break)

 

(Why isn't someone on lookout? It's like they're trying to let me get through)

 

(Now that's just plain rude)

 

(Just your regular old statue here good sir)

 

(I think he bought it)

 

(Where the hell do these cops even think I'm going? Seriously)

 

(It's like they're cloud watching or something. It wouldn't surprise me considering they do anything but they're jobs)

 

(And we're done)

 

......Is it sad that I took all those pics with the intention of only using two but this is probably the most fun I had in the run in months. And also to address the "But Commander, why do you not cut this segment really short if you hate it so much?" If I skipped over it like most people, not only would I be properly misrepresenting it, but the problem would never be addressed or fixed. We now have an I think it's 7 chapters log of dialogue and sections people can refer to and show why Blacksteeple is bad or not well liked. The gameplay isn't that bad but reviewing the dialogue here is like pulling teeth. And I did cut out LARGE sections of this part. I'd probably guess a good 100 or so pics, but probably should have done more.

 

I must control my rants BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING THIS PLACE DONE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! I know my stopping point here and I don't care if it takes 100 or 400 pics but we will get there and then save the best for the next chapter.

 

(Nah, that saga bored me...I really need to find better references)

 

(Only if y-you want to b-baka)

 

(Why are you even here right now? Couldn't a Team Xen Admin spot and grab you?)

 

(Why are you even here again? Actually, why do you even exist?)

 

Seriously, I don't get the point of Braxien's existence. Well there is one possible...but that's a rabbit hole even I wouldn't jump down into. Actually, you pretty much could cut Valerie and Braxien out and the plot would more or less be the exact same. Of course that's on character balance which actually is something that's really hard to do without out a character being forgotten or feel forced. That's why I say the main cast of heroes shouldn't be bigger than 8. 4 is a really solid number to work with, but I'd say 5-6 is the most optimal. Rejuv so far has Ren, "Melia", Venam, Aelita, the player, Saki, Valerie, Braxien, Adam, Nim, and Crescent. That's 11 characters already and we're going to be stockpiling a lot more on there and go back to revisit old ones and then focus on a this deeper plot...you get the idea.

 

This might be a little hard to wrap you head around but let's look at Lord of the Rings. Those books are super long but let's look at the first one. These books start out focusing on 5 characters which a sixth one is added rather quickly before Gandalf disappears a little bit. The group then grows to about 12 when they are building a team to go and destroy the ring but the group gets split up by the end and two different storylines go on. Rejuvenation is expecting to do this well in a fraction of what that book is and in a different medium. Think about the first Lord of the Rings being told within 100 pages. That's possible to do but you wouldn't really enjoy it all that much in the long run as so many things would be rushed and incomprehensible even. Hell, do you even know all that much about any of these characters here? WLL doesn't count for Aelita.

 

(Hopefully it's faster than one of my explanations or we'll be here for a while)

 

(...wait there's letters on it...that's convenient I guess)

 

(Shouldn't we cut those off as well as...)

 

(I'm pretty sure the turrets should take priority)

 

(Lazy engineers ftw)

 

(Why are we getting this explained? How should one expect a 10 year old boy to comprehend such advanced knowledge)

 

I know I joke about the PC being a 10 year old boy, but I know they are 16. Sometimes people take me too literally like I don't know something obvious. No, I seriously get responses like this believing that I believe the player is 10. I do that since canonically every Pokemon protag is 10 years old...though certain Gens (cough*V*cough) have questionable designs for a 10 year old. It's just funnier to say that instead of using teenager. But still, I really don't know how Jan expects kids to really even care about that. I actually have to tell greenhorn Sci-fi writers to not get too technical with the explanations since they worry about the logic or being challenged on their logic. Like I kid you not one person gave the exact height and weight of a few of their characters in the novel they were working on. "Details are for imagery and visuals, not for explanations."

 

That also makes me explain my philosophy of "2+2=5". That is a true statement that I said. You guys all know 2+2=4 and automatically think that because that's the way you are designed to think. You are applying logic here. That's an issue when getting creative. "If you add two things together, you often get more value than they are worth" which is how 2+2 can equal 5. People like to see a literal cut and dry right and wrong which mostly ends up being either "I'm right and I shouldn't change or you're right and I should change" when it's more about the learning. If you learn to apply comments I've said to what you're doing and making use out of them, you generally are improving. It also means you're listening which the average person is incapable of doing

 

(Oh joy maybe we'll meet a new interesting character)

 

Just a heads up, this is not explained at all leaving us with two possible options...which I'll probably forget about. The one interesting thing in this segment and they just skip over it like it's unimportant. Like somebody is sabotaging the island and possibly trying to kill everyone and it never gets talked about ever again from my knowledge.

 

(It seems Dio may have come to my...oh wait Dio's dead)

 

(I think that kind of is important)

 

Basically either somebody teleported in here or stopped time completely. Those are the only two scenarios where this could have happened from the poor explanation. Braxien never gave us any details besides this on the topic and nobody really ever talks about it later. This does kind of bother me. It's one thing to hold off on character arcs to build them off (which is a dangerous technique) but holding off on random things never to explain them is a different subject. People care about it now because it's interesting now, but they'll completely forget about it later. If this comes back later, I'll probably go like "Huh, that's really weird. Why are they explaining this?" It's scary because I called a lot of things happening in this playthrough even in the early parts. Oi this merely adds to the mess we're working with.

 

(And finally we get to do something "cool" and by that I mean hot...which doesn't that contradict why Brax...nevermind)

 

(Can I please just murder like half the people here and make a team of Adam, Ren, and Mossley)

 

You know, that's be a hilarious FF team though I'd probably use FF3 as a basis to make that team. I'd be a Red Mage, Adam would probably be a Knight, Mossley a thief, and Ren would be a Dark Knight. I know Red Mages are kind of bad but they are pretty useful as early game units. It suits me as sadly I can do a lot of things but I don't specialize in too much which is a blessing and a curse. I wish the class was better because it also is one of my favorites. Oh well. I'm also not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing I keep deviating from talking about the game either. But seriously if you haven't played an FF game at least go play FFV. It's my second favorite FF and why I even got into the series. Which ironically I only think FFVI is an okay game. Good story and characters, but I don't care for it much out of that.

 

(Oh...I forgot about this)

 

I had to literally ask about this because it is very confusing as I was told to "cut the pipes to a monitor" and something about stairs. It's confusing because those pipes look nothing like something you are supposed to interact with. Visual cues are more important than verbal ones as sometimes people like me misread dialogue and then they spend 20 minutes trying to figure out what they are supposed to do. Thank you discord people for explaining it though. I don't even know what it said because I didn't bother screencapping it. Even while playing it I was a little "let's just get this over with" and went into critic mode even then.

 

(How is something we disabled still working?)

 

Wait...I think there was something about a backup generator...which only works for turrets...do I even have to try to make this plot segment look bad anymore?

 

(Well maybe I can finally feed Loewe...crap I didn't feed Loewe. He's gonna be pissed when he comes out of his ball)

 

(I'm surprised it took them this long to figure out they were being sabotaged...oh right longer than 4 letters)

 

Well on that topic while I dislike Saki, I wouldn't say she's a dumb character and more like a teenage brat than anything. I think I'm onto something here with this name length and intelligence though. Wait my name is 10 letters long. What does that make me?...Or we could go by how I'm MC which fits the rule. Haha! I'm brilliant.

 

(Sorry, but I'm not doing table dances right now. I'm on my break...just give it time and you'll get it)

 

(Destruction is my middle name. It's Commander Destructo Berantaronloli or Comm B. for short)

 

(Hello mom...or is it daughter...this age stuff is confusing. Can I call you Yancy Drew instead?)

 

"Madelis! Always lost in your toys. What did I say about watching your back?" 

 

I wonder how many of these references go way over people's heads. I should really make a list of them when the run is over with.

 

(I'm going to call her Natowl because a normal person's head wouldn't be turning like that)

 

I can't think of anything clever for Madelis right now as the best I got is Matterless. 

 

(She wanted to take care of the situation herself because she's a strong, independent wo...)

 

Whatever happened to the father in this game. Like that'd be a detail I'd really like to know.

 

(This dialogue is so bad it's funny looking at it)

 

It's not grammatically incorrect but it's just weird...especially from a genius level villain who is supposed to be presented as an intell...oh right forgot nobody had personality. It's funny how while I dislike Saki and Aelita, I can at least poke fun on their personality. All of these characters have none so...it's just a sad, sad thing. Though I guess Braxien is a tsundere like...this is a bloody line I'm dancing on that I don't like dancing on. I don't mind talking about things, but I don't like provoking certain ones. People who know what I'm talking about I feel bad and those who are ignorant stay ignorant.

 

(80% of the dialogue in this place was about not being able to use our Pokemon. You know how much I LOVE those pics)

 

(At this point I might suffer less playing the original PS3 Hyperdimension Neptunia game)

 

For those who don't know, that's one of the worst games I've ever played and beaten. This dialogue has a horrible transition. It's like somebody is talking about eating a burger and the friend says they'll drive them to subway. Like there's a way to connect that, but it's just not there or implemented right. I know I've talked about dialogue many times before so moving on...

 

(Cliche villain line is cliche)

 

I actually looked back at most of the antagonist I designed and was actually surprised on how few I had who would give the "disown the hero" speech thinking they were pathetic. I mean one even admires his bravery despite completely outclassing him and being able to destroy the guy within seconds. Let's just say that guy's arrogance lead to his own demise. I don't mind one villain doing that in a game but every single villain here does that. Gearan, Madelis, Nastashia, and Neved, but I guess Zetta kind of is the exception though he's not that far off. It's also a very disliked villain trope as well which people usually refer to as the mawhahaha villain. It all goes back into the cycle I talked about many times. The things I've said before don't disappear or are one time things and if they get ignored, we end up with situations like this. Now let's continue on to this...supposed to be climatic scene:

 

(If I would represent this run with anything it'd be this pic right here)

 

(...I didn't do anything. You just flat out beat yourself up. And I'd blame Cres Scent Machina for all that)

 

(Congratulations, you're the first person to say "Shut up and do your job" in this game)

 

(...........These people are complete idiots)

 

I mean really, the more or less leader of this group is putting their effort on the harmless threat while the one who actually poses a threat gets the chump admin to fight. Why do I even get worked up about this anymore. Please let this arc end soon as I'm running out of materials.

 

(...I feel sorry for every future screencap run who gets to this place.)

 

(Just like getting PO'd at this arc)

 

(A fairy vs fire type user. We all know how this is going to end)

 

Seriously, why the hell didn't this Mom basically rescue everyone on the island. She easily could have taken down all 3 of the admins here as well as the...oh the Poke Ball plot armor. This is kind of an issue with using Pokemon as an element of the plot as all characters have to rely on a concept similar to summoning. They basically have creatures all do their bidding which for one or two characters is fine, but it makes for a world where people can't fend for themselves which is an issue that comes with the territory. Nobody can really feel powerful as it's not them fighting. It's something I want to cover now when explain they you know what scene.

 

(I can't ever read Natowl's emotions so it's hard to see if she's serious or sarcastic)

 

(....................................................................................................................Give me a second)

 

I get that this was one of the earliest parts of the game but...is that really an excuse for character inconsistencies like this. There's no explanation why she's happy about the player's "mom" switching sides and disobeying her orders. I get explanations on stuff I probably understand or don't need to understand at that level but when it comes to characters it sometimes just gets too vague or just monotone. Also yesh I didn't realize how jarring the tilesets were in the two top corners of the pic. Now I remember why I took a break from this.

 

(It's the battle of the century: Gothic Sailor Mars vs Setzer the second)

 

(This is sweet irony given she used this to try and stop me and I'm using it to try and stop her)

 

(LOEWE! It's been too long. The swordmaster makes a triumphant return after so long)

 

(Yeah, yeah, I healed SEC with a potion. Sue me.)

 

(The reason I haven't explained stuff is because I don't remember what I did because I didn't try)

 

(Pretty sure Walter haxed his way to victory here)

 

(Behold the only Pokemon here who really even gave me a true challenge)

 

(Too bad it stinks)

 

(That was an embarrassment even for something designed to be an easy fight)

 

(WHAT IS THIS GOD YOU SPEAK OF! THERE IS ONLY ARCEUS!)

 

I cannot unsee the Natowl thing now. Like I'm not even intimidated by her even. Now if she went "Who? Who?" she'd probably end up my favorite character. That's kind of sad actually.

 

(And now she's berating her comrade like a cliche villain despite getting her ass whooped)

 

(And every FE player gives a middle finger when someone says that to them after they get hit by a 1% crit)

 

(Madelis is more of a rival than Aelita will ever be)

 

(Wait, I though Nastasia was the boss? I'M SO CONFUSED!)

 

(Who are you again? Oh right, Yancy Drew. Guess that makes this case closed)

 

(I'm still stuck playing this game T_T)

 

(When an animal has more character than the entire cast...)

 

(...I swear to god if this turns into a love story, I'm jumping into the water and hope it kills me)

 

(These aren't my friends. I barely even know them. If talking to people automatically made you friends in real life, I'd have a lot of them by now)

 

(...Crap, I forgot to ask Natowl for some her stash to help get through this.)

 

(Yay! Violence!)

 

(Brax, your character is entirely worthless and is completely invalidated by Saki...even though I'd rather have you over Saki...which says something)

 

And then more filler dialogue about how they should get going. We are almost there and at least we don't have to deal with more annoying cut...

 

(GOD DAMMIT I SPOKE TOO SOON!)

 

Skipping pointless dialogue nobody wants to read

 

(Yes, get going already. Nobody wants to see this)

 

(To Nowhere Land)

 

...I just remembered an old show called Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. I gotta google that Pig's name because I may use that for a nickname in the future...maybe. That or Pigpen. I think his name was Wilbert. Or was that Charlotte's Web. Never actually seen or read Charlotte's Web. I know he had a letter which I think was a Q but that wasn't his name and meant something else. Hi, I'm weird. Nim is my spirit animal.

 

(And this really doesn't even get bloody explained either why she does that)

 

(I would have loved if like a guard came in and heard this and then reported to Neved that M-girl is a traitor)

 

(.........why are they hidden again?)

 

Seriously, why are they hidden and piano girl wasn't? Like what was the point of that because kind of figured that out when Xen took prisoners.

 

(Jump into the water and swim as far away as possible)

 

(Oh fuck no. I'm getting out here as fast as possible. Hell, I'd be willing to leave you all behind why I take that tiny cruise ship myself. I guess Adam can come if he really wants to...and I guess Braxien as well because they at least have a brain. Everyone else is dead to me.)

 

(So they are telling me I'm walking into a trap but forcing me to go into a trap. Great game design 101)

 

(I'm pretty sure I could handle this all better alone than deal with Ms. Faint at every attempt to help me)

 

(Keta tried that too. Looked what happened to him. Revenge is always a good idea, folks.)

 

(And she randomly trusts this girl. Why would you trust her. Hell, I'd probably murder her here and now)

 

Seriously, don't trust the person who acts like they are good but are working for the bad guy. In real life, they are just setting you up to get killed and rarely are on your side.

 

(I really don't know what people are smoking right now, but I want nothing to do with it)

 

I don't really get the red mist effect but whatevs. Not like it's going to be explained anyways.

 

(When people reunite to show their true power...that usually means somebody is gonna die. Usually, it's the strongest person who completely overshadows them)

 

(Whelp, looks like I'm the goner)

 

So something I've been avoiding to talk about is how all the guards are citizens from Akuwa Town. They all use water type Pokemon which is what the town specializes in. It's kind of a heartbreaking thing to Valerie as the people she was supposed to help take care of ultimately betrayed her for the sake of their own personal gains. Maybe they were forced and pressured to do so. We don't know as it's never explained or explored so they more or less are just walking corpses thanks to that. Like there's a great moral conflict that could be going on with Valerie, but the game opts to just be generic and limit characterization. Like there's so many good plot lines that could have made this one of the best areas, but the arc is too focused on trying to feel for characters with little characterizations and too focused on being humorous or lore dumping.

 

Like seriously, imagine if the plot had these characters who were forced to do this job they didn't enjoy but since they work for the villains, they have to be left behind and slaughtered just to make sure you all escape safely. That's some pretty morbid stuff as you left good people to be killed. And you probably wouldn't be able to save everyone which leaves Valerie failing her duty as a gym leader and something that could always be brought up or even connect really well to the next part on the concept of the importance of one life. But no, we have a story that focuses purely on the black and white in which the colors are very apparent. So yeah, I don't really have any emotional attachment to any of these characters or even the cops.

 

And now back to plot...which everyone is probably sick of at this point. Like, I know it should be my job to make this entertaining and enjoyable but there's only so much that can be done. Nobody wants to read a run full of ranting and complaining after all.

 

(...I take back every positive thing I said about Saki recently)

 

I've never had Saki by the way. I think it has something to do with herbal teas...and someone probably face palmed from that comment. I'm legit trying to remember what Saki is. I mean sure I could Google it, but that ruins the fun of me trying to remember stuff.

 

(I'd probably be asking what the heck is wrong with that chick?)

 

(....I immediately regret continuing this over WLL)

 

(If she was animated, this scene would probably be amazing)

 

I do want to say something about Saki. I don't think she's a bad character in terms of personality and flare, but she's a character I honestly just can't stand. This is where we gear more towards the anime side of Rejuv which sometimes it just goes too far in my opinion. It's like the Hyperdimension series which basically is built on humor, fanservice, and satire with a very silly atmosphere decided to ever be series...oh wait there was that...I need to lie down for a moment...and a gallon of ice cream.

 

Well ignoring my childhood traumas, it leaves a jarring feeling. I probably have said this before but the premise of two contrasting styles of humor and seriousness are very hard to work with unless you know how to time them well. This is not a good time to be silly. The situation is supposed to be tense and building up to an epic escape where you feel relieved. You want to avoid driving that motion away from the scene as much as possible.

 

(You'd think I'd be so into this...but I'm not)

 

(Can we just take the boat and leave everyone?)

 

(I swear I've ohh Caeser Augustus. )

 

(He used his manly stache. Nothing can withstand a manly stache)

 

(Oh look, Aelita actually doing something useful. That's a first. Wait, how did she get out of her cell?)

 

(Couldn't we all just fly to a nearby Pokemon Center? That seems like a more viable...oh plot...forgot about that)

 

(Remember how Shofu said this arc was all about plot convenience. He wasn't kidding)

 

(^_^ Totally didn't skip dialogue to save time)

 

(Every time I see turrets it makes me think about torrents. We be pirates, yo!)

 

I...well that's amazing in that I am missing more pics of dialogue. I am very professional. You know what time it is:

 

Valerie: The cameras aren't working on the turrets we disabled so we can't see what's going on because shutting off all the power was a good idea. Anyways, Aelita is being held hostage by Neved which is totally true because we heard the guards talking about it. Totally not a trap or lie.

 

Mom: Didn't Augustus just say...

 

Valerie: TOTALLY. LEGIT. INFO.

 

(Well looks like we have to save an idiot who should probably already be dead)

 

(That seems like way too much work for one life when we have probably 100 or so people's lives who depend on us)

 

(Oh. I figured she'd say that first and to not...go to the...)

 

Yeah...I really though she name dropped Aelita earlier than that. Oh well. I like my version better.

 

(I'm pretty sure we should just leave and not deal with him. He's a high ranked terrorist whose Pokemon could possibly slaughter any one of ours if we aren't careful. He also has a froslass to freeze us all to death. Nah, it's totally a good idea to go guns ablazing)

 

(I swear...you report a rumor to put yourself into even more danger instead of...I don't know...focus on yourself)

 

(Can we please just go and call it a day? No. Sigh...time to get back to work then)

 

(Why didn't she go up there while I stay down here and protect the boat? I mean she's the strongest one here by a landslide)

 

(You don't even know who the heck she is. She's probably fine...or dead. Probably dead. No need to search for her)

 

(Yep...that's the sign I'm going to die)

 

(That just confirms I'm going to freaking die. Caeser, start that boat up right now. I'm leaving while I still have a life....then again Saki would murder me if I didn't go. Sigh...I have no choice in this, do I?)

 

Then basically nothing happens until after you get past Neved's room and M-girl appears:

 

(I think that was the name of a book I had to read in middle school. I'm trying to remember what it was about)

 

(...As much as I want to make a lewd joke, I'm really not in the mood)

 

(Oh hello not very suspicious looking shiny Pokemon. Must've been pretty hard finding one of those)

 

(And that one was a fake)

 

So I honestly don't remember what happened here. I know Gaius fainted but I think SEC finished the Zoroark off. This is a pointless battle though. Like why is this battle even here? There's no reason for it to be here and it spoils and already obvious spoiler I keep being satirical about. There's a bigger reason but we'll wait until we get there but I'm sure most people know exactly what I'm talking about. It's just a pointless easy battle.

 

(And Walter still remains the MVP taking this thing down with ease)

 

(Thanks for the compliment edgy blonde haired girl with a bunch of shiny Pokemon who I've clearly never met before)

 

(Where the heck did you get the roughly $22 from even?)

 

Well if you want to know how much a trainer gives you roughly in American dollars, just divide the amount by 100. I'm sure a lot of you figured that out but it's just a cool way to compare prices and see how they are priced in games like Animal crossing with its Bells system.

 

(Madelis lost to me...oh shit I forgot to talk about her)

 

I had one goal for this chapter and I almost completely forgot about it. There is one really specific thing that was really interesting and it completely went over my head. So the Madelis fight is really easy and that's not something that I'd change. Remember how I made that rewrite about how Madelis was kind of in love with Keta. That would tie in well here as she could be not as focused in this battle still being bothered about the one guy she liked being dead. Think of it as regret and a cloudy mind. Not much time has also passed since that time either so it makes sense she'd still be thinking about that moment a lot. Easy fights are not a bad thing and can even tie in really well with a story. If I were to design it, I'd actually make her Pokemon in the 60s, but adjust the Pokemon's stats to be about in the 40s solidifying the idea.

 

If I could, I'd probably actually do that to HC Solaris's Pokemon on Pyrous Mountain, but also have the Pokemon all not at full health giving the impression he's already battled a little bit (maybe even a poisoned mon due to Cain). Some of you are probably saying that it's impossible but...it actually is quite possible to do and not as difficult as you think. This is the 2+2=5 mindset at work where most people merely think about designing the game bounded to only Gamefreak's design and not going further or a different route with it. Told you the things I say just don't merely go away.

 

(M-girl, the secret member of nugget bridge brigade)

 

(Bye edgy girl nobody likes)

 

(Oh boy I can't wait to stand outside of the cold for a month. I hope I freeze to death before then)

 

And we're here boys and girls. The next chapter will be the finale of Blacksteeple. Albedo. Gaius. Walter. Loewe. SEC. Can these 5 heroes overcome the trials that await them? 

 

And for those who are wondering what happened to Joker:

 

Spoiler

 

I spent 20 minutes making this crappy image...the things I waste my time doing. Anyways, this is a list of a bunch of old members I used in the run so far...except one. If anyone is able to tell me all of their nicknames, I'll be really impressed. Think of it as a pastime while I work on this finale for this bloody nightmare.

 

[Zargerth]

Critique is something that can often be seen as a negative thing, but it actually serves a  (good) purpose. So if you're going to tone down your "rants", instead of leaving out valid criticism you could make it more concise. I really need to start following this run again.

[YinYang9705]

Oh man, you're almost done with this shitshow of an arc, may the finale not drive you any closer to madness.

[DemICE]

About the Piano Lady: I wouldn't be surprised if Jan decided to recycle her because she became popular with the community from the intro.  That aside, she is a likable deus ex machina which is at least better than if she was not likable xD

Plot conveniences is how pokemon games always worked.  Things coincidentally happen just when you happen to pass by that place. 

 

Fresh Infinity Wars references there. I liked Drak too,  being imo the least valuable fighter of these films,  but making up for it with his unique comic relief potential.

 

I dont have issues with talking pokemon.  This is the game we are playing after all, and they should be the stars of the show. Sometimes these story heavy games make me forget pokemon exist, with all that human-centered plot development. I also dont have an issue if their characters turn out to be better than some human characters.  We know for a fact that most species intelligence icomes close to a human's, with he language barrier being the main issue, so comparing them with real world animals personality wise is inaccurate.  People hate Gossip Gardevoir too but not because she is done badly imo.  She is just an annoying personality -period.  I wish these games shared the spotlight of the story with pokemon a bit more. That's another good thing that i feel WLL did.

 

About LOTR, i feel like the movies already butchered the book contents enough already xD  We don't need your example to happen.

 

About who  sabotaged some things before you did the job with Braixen....  wasn't it made apparent later that Mom was the possible saboteur?

 

Red Mage... Is Shelly's Scizor named like that eventually? xd

 

Did you remember to raise the difficulty to Intense? ^^  Maybe one of the reasons Madelis was very easy.

 

....I never noticed that detail about the Guards. hah

 

The beverage is not Saki but Sake, and its made from rice.  I have drank sometimes, its not bad. I still preffer red wine tho.

 

Aelita was freed by M-gurl thats how she went and recued Augustus. How could you forget about it some pictures afterwards?  Except if you were speaking from the MC's PoV who didn't know that.

 

This thing that Reborn and Rejuv did with HMs being  plot devices is something i never liked.   First of all,  the concept of HM moves is stupid in a serious story driven game.  Why do i need a fucking badge and a HM to get on my lapras and cross a body of water when it is something that the pokemon does naturally?  I'm glad Clockwork avoided this.

 

 

 

[ArcBolt27]

yea in intense mode "yancy drew"'s sylveon iirc was in the 70s.......... cant remember as its been a bit since i went thru there

[Commander]

On 5/22/2018 at 5:35 AM, Zargerth said:

Critique is something that can often be seen as a negative thing, but it actually serves a  (good) purpose. So if you're going to tone down your "rants", instead of leaving out valid criticism you could make it more concise. I really need to start following this run again.

I was more referring to both the screencaps and how I've just gone on and on for literally the same thing so many times. It's more like I'm going to try to keep variety up but no promises that it'll be super varied. This is a long run and if I just only bashed the game people would grow bored and tired and I'd probably grow tired as well. The fact that people kept up with this segment is still amazing as we've been here a long time.

On 5/22/2018 at 11:40 AM, YinYang9705 said:

Oh man, you're almost done with this shitshow of an arc, may the finale not drive you any closer to madness.

We're actually a lot close than you may think. This last segment really isn't that long as you'd expect. Funny how this segment recieved some very drastic changes yet it still receives the same remarks as it did before. The entire maps were completely redone and maybe even a month was spent on this.

 

On 5/22/2018 at 6:17 PM, ArcBolt27 said:

yea in intense mode "yancy drew"'s sylveon iirc was in the 70s.......... cant remember as its been a bit since i went thru there

That's possible since the built in Intense Mode script increases levels by I believe 20% or something but it also could have been changed to raise her levels up entirely in the new version. This is still version 9 and not version 10.

 

On 5/22/2018 at 3:34 PM, DemICE said:

About the Piano Lady: I wouldn't be surprised if Jan decided to recycle her because she became popular with the community from the intro.  That aside, she is a likable deus ex machina which is at least better than if she was not likable xD

Had to google Dues Ex Machina to make sure I had it right and...she's not exactly one. The best way to describe that term is when something completely out of nowhere shows up to solve an unsolvable problem. It's basically something ludicrous more or less. Crescent definitely could be considered one but not piano girl. 

 

On 5/22/2018 at 3:34 PM, DemICE said:

Plot conveniences is how pokemon games always worked.  Things coincidentally happen just when you happen to pass by that place. 

And because a lot of people drink underage means it's okay to do it too, right? That doesn't really excuse the use of it and especially at an excessive level. And yes, sometimes you have to have them and I've had them before.

 

On 5/22/2018 at 3:34 PM, DemICE said:

I dont have issues with talking pokemon.  This is the game we are playing after all, and they should be the stars of the show. Sometimes these story heavy games make me forget pokemon exist, with all that human-centered plot development. I also dont have an issue if their characters turn out to be better than some human characters.  We know for a fact that most species intelligence icomes close to a human's, with he language barrier being the main issue, so comparing them with real world animals personality wise is inaccurate.  People hate Gossip Gardevoir too but not because she is done badly imo.  She is just an annoying personality -period.  I wish these games shared the spotlight of the story with pokemon a bit more. That's another good thing that i feel WLL did.

That was mostly dancing around furry jokes other than the fact this character really shouldn't exist. GG has a role she play in Reborn that cannot be replaced at all and was a real life league leader. I've mentioned character cutting before and I've done it. I did actually bring back a cut character in one plotline due to finding quite a bit more relevance for her. This is stuff you have to look at before even beginning to notice patterns of "this character really isn't adding much to the plot...I should probably consider axing them to give other characters more screentime and development." This is sadly something you learn from experience and time and not something you can just go back and change.

 

As for the whole people replacing Pokemon, this is a complicated issue for what seems like a simple problem. Why Pokemon are never the focus of the main plot or rarely mentioned has to do with so many factors. The first is that the character is a silent protagonist. The character who'd get the most into their Pokemon or maybe even have their own personal favorite is the protagonist which is why it's apparent in WLL. The second is time and budget constraints. Putting Pokemon involved in scenes requires animations usually which need to be created. The bigger thing is that everyone is trying to make these big casts which need time and thought to develop properly.

 

The biggest issue is actually giving them personalities without having them able to speak. You won't find that many RPGs who actually do this (Fairy Fencer F is one of the few off the top of my head but...this is Compile Heart which...ho boy that's a long discussion on how I feel about them), but it's not as easy as you may think. I've explained this here why I dislike silent protags and you can apply much of that to here as how to make these characters properly. Though that is a bit of irony in that people so willingly shove a silent protag in, but never bother involving Pokemon more.

 

On 5/22/2018 at 3:34 PM, DemICE said:

About who  sabotaged some things before you did the job with Braixen....  wasn't it made apparent later that Mom was the possible saboteur?

._. This is one of those situations where it's not literally told but heavily implied that it could have been her for the main computer. Braxien would have seen the mother cut the boxes though as she was with the admins who she was distracting for the time being. In other words, she would have noticed that. There is one character who I haven't mentioned for various reasons who does fit the bill of damaging the cables.

 

On 5/22/2018 at 3:34 PM, DemICE said:

Did you remember to raise the difficulty to Intense? ^^  Maybe one of the reasons Madelis was very easy.

I did this whole part like months ago. I've said before I work on very large chunks of the game before posting up on the run. I'm actually for Madelis being very easy but giving an explanation why to implement it better into the story. I'd probably be more upset if Madelis is hard because there's easily going to be like 100 more "hard" battles in the future. Also, I'm probably sticking with Normal mode even though I did the strawpoll thing.

 

I seriously don't get how people think going on Intense mode would suddenly shift the run and make it better than it is. All it will do is make me less likely to want to work on it. While I don't put too much effort into it like editing and fixing grammar errors, it doesn't mean I don't put hours into each chapter. All it'd do is make me more grouchy having to think of more advanced strategies and put more effort into team designing. I'd still only have 5 or 6 pic battles and just give a brief of what I did. I quit this game because I just kept hitting walls and got tired of it. Do you guys really want that to happen? I get it why people like the mode and why it's a really good thing, but it's just going to bring more bad than good for me.

 

Seriously, there are plenty of people who will do runs of intense and show off their strats. Props to them for showing off their skills. It's a lot of fun especially when that's all you have to focus on. I play this game like once every other month roughly (except this one which has been a long time). And as much as I bash on the story, it's far more interesting than talking about battles or battling in general. Even Blacksteeple, which I think this last post will kind of surprise everyone. I also prefer this level of difficulty because it lets me mess around and have a little fun with team designing. If I did Intense, Albedo, Gaius, and Loewe would be permabenched and I'd rely even more on SEC and Walter than I already do.

 

I'm not triggered by people trying to push me to "play better" in a sense and comment on the higher difficulty, but there's a lot of reasons why I don't. I also know in 6 more months I'll have to go through this song and dance again but that time...I'll probably just start ignoring it. Like when I do those poll things it's mostly on a whim, them my head usually snaps back to reality realizing why I didn't do it in the first place. The Intense change probably isn't going to happen even with a million explanations. I've got a pile of RPGs which I get a lot more enjoyment out of their harder difficulties like Legend of Heroes. I'll at least look at the battles and comment on their teams if you want to meet in the middle. (I'm not talking about just you here either in that regards, Dem)

 

On 5/22/2018 at 3:34 PM, DemICE said:

Aelita was freed by M-gurl thats how she went and recued Augustus. How could you forget about it some pictures afterwards?  Except if you were speaking from the MC's PoV who didn't know that.

 

That was just kind of me thinking about the Player's perspective and why they'd go charging up there. Funny how the story contradicts itself in that.....this whole next part is M-girl's fault. I can't believe I didn't realize that until now.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Take a moment to enjoy this as it'll actually come into relevance later:

 

Spoiler

You have the right to judge me for this

 

Chapter 36: Praise the Lord!

 

(And...we're off to a bad start already)

 

So one thing I'll comment on is that I know why her hair is down, but I just don't care for it like that. The ponytail was a little more unique but meh, what do I know.

 

(Finally, I don't have to cut out dialogue because it's taking way too long)

 

Let's just say I skipped 3 lines of dialogue for about 15 times. That's 45 lines of dialogue that could have been outright removed. I know I emphasize this a lot, but this segment is about twice as long as most. Like there's twice as much dialogue than Maria's segment or even Keta's. Padding discussion is probably better saved for another day as padding isn't a bad thing and something you shouldn't do but yeah...let's just keep going for a little bit.

 

(I think 19.99 will be sufficient. That's enough money for me to find a decent game to play)

 

(And the crowd rejoices knowing this is all almost over)

 

(It looks a little old)

 

So I liked the sprites here when I first looked at it and it looked really cool, but those banners look way too blurry now that I see the standstill images. I get what was trying to be done here and I'll give them props for trying, but I think it was a miss here.

 

(They have names. That one's Bruce, another is Lloyd, the bottom right is Star, and the last one is Banter. He's my fave.)

 

(I don't feel anything. Must be the holy water)

 

(Gee Aelita, thanks for the not so obvious insight)

 

(Look at all this wasted potential)

 

And cue the boss of this chapter:

 

(Just push him off the bloody edge. He's an old man. It's not like he can fight back)

 

(Those symbols...I must say that line now)

 

(KINGDOM HEARTS! Fulfill me with the power of darkness)

 

(...It's the the dreaded 5 letter name syndrome)

 

Neved literally wanted to drag the player up here to trap them. He could have at least acted like he knew they'd come. Like seriously, no reason for him to act surprised.

 

(I have one too: can I have that chair? I want to be comfy when people go on monologues)

 

(My question is more important)

 

(Seriously, just push him off already)

 

(I thought I was playing this in the day...but I guess it was actually night looking at the background)

 

(..........That's a stupid reason)

 

(Why does everybody hate Keta? What'd he do, gouge your eye out or something?)

 

(That's kind of pathetic. I'm not kidding that you'd spend your life making another's miserable)

 

(You realize he moved on from the afterlife. He can't see any of what's happening...can I really just push you?)

 

(AMEN! The one time I agree with Aelita and what she's saying)

 

(Actually decent dialogue in a place I hate from a character I hate. Who are you and what did you do to Rejuv?)

 

(For Aevium! [pushes him off the cliff])

 

(Finally, it's battle time. Guess this is the epic finale we've been waiting for)

 

(This man...he's wearing a hair net)

 

The sprite looks great...except for the splotches on the hair. That coat though looks cool.

 

(And here you can see Albedo is a little underleveled)

 

(...And it doesn't end up going so well)

 

(YOU HAD ONE JOB AELITA! ONE F*CKING JOB!)

 

Good to know Aelita still is an idiot using payback on Weavile. I don't remember what else happened but yeah...that happened.

 

(And this is why Walter is overleveled)

 

Walter used rock slide and these were the results. Walter kind of is my best Pokemon sadly.

 

(He's an awesome killing machine)

 

Walter was then taken down by Gastrodon, but he did do some heavy damage to most of Neved's team. Then we have the true champ take care of the rest.

 

(Nothing can take this blademaster down)

 

I'm pretty sure Loewe knocked that Froslass out with Razor Shell, but I can't remember if Walter did any damage or not to it.

 

(He didn't even feel a scratch)

 

(Because you brought Ice types against a fighting type trainer with a partner who uses a rock type)

 

Yeah...Neved was never designed to be tough and while he could be designed better, I'm fine with it for this fight. He doesn't seem like the type of person to go out training so his Pokemon being a little rusty, especially against a 2 v 1 should be a cakewalk. This fight and the Madelis fight are honestly completely fine and exactly how I'd want them to be designed. We need some incompetence in the story and every battle being hard is boring. I've said that many times. This is also a lockout chapter so battles should only be made so difficult due to possible limited options the player could have. Not a big deal but I could see why it'd feel like a letdown. I just wish something came about from this but we won't be fighting any of these guys anytime soon so we'll have to wait and see.

 

 

(What a sore loser. He makes Ren look like a good sport)

 

(I'm pretty sure I could've honestly destroyed him by myself)

 

(....Who are you and what have you done with Aelita?)

 

That's actually decent dialogue as honestly, Team Xen is more or less pawns for something. Disposable pawns from the sound of it seeing as Madame X murders them all.

 

(You called him human...that's more than most people have in this game)

 

(So we literally just went up here just to have a Pokemon battle...I'm not sure if my pride or Neved's was shattered here.)

 

(And it was a trap all along...who would have ever guessed by the million signs)

 

(This is like someone bringing a knife to a gun fight...I really should carry one of those in this region. It'd solve so many problems)

 

(And he activated his trap card: turrets of obvious doom)

 

(....This is the saddest thing I've seen in my life)

 

He considers two kids such a big threat that he'd spend thousands of dollars installing two very inconveniently located turrets with the off chance that two people would be dumb enough to charge in here without reinforcements and not see them and actually get close enough to activate them and have a backup power supply just to make sure they work. This is actually dumber than having a trap door under someone's feet. And there was no point for even doing this at all.

 

(Did I mention the protags would have to be dumb enough to send their Pokemon back into their Poke Balls...and for it not to effect Neved's)

 

(PUSH HIM OFF THE GODDAMN EDGE ALREADY!)

 

(You are literally 2 feet away from your own death. Aelita was trained in a village that has martial arts and all your Pokemon are fainted. And if you tried zapping Aelita, you'd die with her. I'd say your the idiot here)

 

(...And you'd be within range)

 

This is seriously a very stupid scene the more you look into it. It's supposed to be threatening but it's just mostly a "Really?" moment because these turrets I don't believe were designed to kill people but to merely zap them. And Neved is an old dude so if someone moved and grabbed onto him, he'd probably die form the shock absorbtion while a younger person could survive and walk it off depending on the I believe it's wattage. I know Amps is what effects what you can survive but that's a deeper discussion than we need to talk about. This scene was also added in just because when all it does is make an eye roll at the most. Because...

 

(How would you even pronounce that? Is it like Veee or Yavee?)

 

(Please tell me it's a girl with a brain. I can't stand any of these idiots anymore)

 

(...Well I guess a dragon empress is an improvement)

 

I'm not going to lie. Madame X's entrance has always been a really cool scene. She just drops in with a Yveltal giving off an impression you really don't want to mess with her. That intimidation really pulls off well and she's kind of been hyped up. This scene was foreshadowed a little bit too much for my tastes and I would've preferred that detail of Madame X arriving today be hidden until this exact moment because it'd be a simple "Oh shit" moment. Maybe have M-girl comment that Neved was hiding something from her which would be Madame X was arriving, but keep it subtle. This is a big moment and a big potential to leave a very good mark on the game. Actually, it needs to leave a big impact.

 

(It was at this moment...he knew...he was screwed)

 

(Madame X used Savage Blow...)

 

(It was super effective)

 

(I'd be kind of pissed too if my underlings showed this much incompetence)

 

 

(I probably would've used higher diction here but whatevs. It works)

 

(I guess even tyrants can show mercy)

 

(I think the word you're looking for is damned. Forsaken is another good choice)

 

I'm just picking on Jan's diction a little bit. Not really finding anything wrong here but it could use slight improvement. Not like drastic like many scenes before this.

 

(When your name makes a line sound cooler than it already was. I'm in charge of this operation 'round these parts)

 

(That...isn't as epic)

 

"And you: the kin whose father who'd forgotten his duty. It must bring great shame being the daughter of someone who brought shame both on his people and mine."

 

That's not exactly what I'd go with, but you get the idea.

 

("If only you were even a fraction of him. Perhaps I could have found some use in you.")

 

(Keta's the only character we can make fun of...mostly because he's the only character in this game with...character)

 

(See? It's actually almost there to be really good. Just tinker a few lines and you'd have something cool)

 

(What was our mission again? I'd forgotten)

 

("How curious. And what exactly is it that drives you to be so reckless?")

 

(I must have missed some dialogue let me just go back to that scene for a minute...)

 

Nope, that's literally the dialogue that follows. I'd probably go "What could two polar opposites share?" or something like that. It's kind of a whatever.

 

("Silence. I see. Perhaps it is better that way. This conviction of yours...it seems to have shattered countless of my men. [Pulls out her sword] So long have I thirst for a battle worthy of my time. Let us see if it lives up to my expectations")

 

("If it does not, then everything you've grown to love shall shatter before you eyes. And you and your maker shall become one.")

 

("Enough talk. Now show me what you can do.")

 

This isn't a theme for the battle but...it's a good listen to give an idea for an explanation I'm gonna give after the battle. If Loewe could've fought here and win, you bet your ass I would've done it.

 

Spoiler

 

 

(1 Pokemon...this is going to be easy)

 

(Whelp...we all know how this is going to end)

 

(...YOU'VE GOT THIS ALBEDO I BELIEVE IN YOU!)

 

Afterward that pic, Albedo got on shot by Heat Wave after missing twice in a row. It was actually a hilarious laugh because he managed to knock a chip of damage on Yveltal which surprised me. He wasn't going to be able to KO it though but that would have been absolutely amazing. But now, I shall reveal my secret weapon:

 

(Behold our almighty savior has come to rescue us)

 

(Now repent for your sins, demon queen)

 

(And thus the lord banished the devil himself back to hell)

 

(And Madame X never underestimated a low level Pokemon ever again)

 

(And Jesus recieved a divine power boost)

 

(And gained 4 levels, but our lord needs no levels as he is the most powerful thing in all of Aevium)

 

(And the Arceus above cried out "Dat ass")

 

And I know what you thinking: "Commander, did you really spend 3 hours finding and breeding a Phanpy just to do this?" Yes, random nonexistent viewer, yes I did. I mostly did this just to show off what happens when you win as it adds a little bit of dialogue but...for those of you new to the run will be saying it's impossible to do this. That's actually true as I found out later on that version 10 gave Madame X's Yveltal 1 single move that OHKOs every Pokemon and heals up her Pokemon any damage you may have caused her. And it's a priority move to boot. It actually makes me sick just saying that.

 

There's a difference between making a player feel weak and making a player feel cheated. Using a OHKO move is simply cheating the player. I don't think I've ever met a player who actually get excited when a boss OHKOs the party with a special move. Yes it happens in RPGs, but the amount of time THAT occurs is so little it doesn't actually matter. I think I've played one RPG in the past year that did that. The Yveltal in this version (version 9) was actually very close to what I'd like from an impossible battle. I probably would have recommended making a fake one with its attack lowered in its base stats but adjust its bulk if needed to make it an absolute tank monster. It'd still hit hard, but not to the point most players would feel compelled that cheesing is the only way to win. You do not solve cheesing by removing cheesing methods as doing that only enforcers and pushes people to just rely even more on cheese. This change is only going to make an issue Jan's been playing with (aka axing mons) and it just keeps coming back again and again.

 

I hate to bring up Hardcore, but I've put in some very, very strong mons and many options players wouldn't normally have. Heck, I even gave people Shadow Ball, a very good move, which should have "broken" the game. There's so many things I put in to break the game...yet I don't have this problem. It proved a very, very good point when game designing. Do not punish players or try constraining them to play a certain way. I'm actually the kind of designer who says having Gyarados before the first gym isn't a bad thing. It's very understandable why it was axed but it was an option and people could opt not to use it and many did. I felt it should be axed actually due to the fact people no longer helped others and merely said "use Gyarados" which is a problem. Devs need to stop going this route and fans need to stop pushing devs to design a certain way. Creative freedom and promoting that freedom is very important for game design.

 

That brings us up to one of my favorite impossible bosses: the second general Lawrence fight in Trails of the Sky. This guy is tough and on higher difficulties, it can sometimes grind down to bad luck as to why you lose. Lawrence has a high, but not super high HP amount, very bulky, and a boatload of skills including on healing arte. You're not helpless though as you yourself have a bunch of tools and the ability to mix and match to find artes to help take him down and stay alive during this onslaught of damage. Most of his attacks do 1/3rd to about half a character's health so you have time to recover when needed but not much time. When you win though, it feels rewarding. Those are the kinds of battles people talk about and remember. I also love this untold rule about party losing "if you're going to force a party to lose, do it at the very beginning or early on." Beyond that it's going to bring irritation and frustration and the bad kind which can push people away from the game.

 

(....What a cheapskate for a boss)

 

(You didn't even do anything in that battle)

 

("It seems you've been training well to be able to scratch my Pokemon like that")

 

("It seems I've underestimated what the youth can accomplish. It pleases me that there are pests still worth stomping out."

 

("You shall now have the greatest honor of falling before my own hand.")

 

(And this line would be deleted because I dunno why you'd need to put it here)

 

(...I don't think Jesus could take on 5 more of those things so...letsago)

 

(Running is usually the most successful tactic for survival. Can you blame us?)

 

So the funny thing about this scene is that you see certain people (cough*Azery*cough) rave about how edgy and over the top Madame X is. I honestly don't think she's really that bad and you'd probably wind up finding a character like that sooner or later in a manga, anime, jrpg, rpg, or a racing game. Only thing is that I kind of wish her berating others would be toned down a little bit since every single Xen admin does that. Now as for her being stronger than her Pokemon I was at first agree that it's too far, but the deeper I look into it, the more I like the concept. Sure the sword is a bit over the top, but damn does it give a nice effect and it may tie into that story of the knight we heard before. I think Madame X merely being her own character and not being a hidden identity of some other character would have made her very interesting to build and flesh out as she could potentially be a grey type villain with very justified reasons for acting the way she does.

 

I get why people don't like Madame X being designed to be stronger than her Pokemon though. Pokemon is designed based around the bond between Pokemon and trainers and that one needs the other to work. Humans are weak but smart, while Pokemon are loyal but strong. An antagonist in an RPG being super strong and overwhelming the villain isn't new and usually to be expected. They're the big bad so they should be strong. It's a cliche most games use. It's also a line most people aren't willing to cross. "What if a human became as strong as a Pokemon? What means would they go to do that?" It's a high risk subject to dance around, but an interesting one. I don't think it's a problem and that certain people are overreacting to it. I'll let it pan out before giving a final verdict on Madame X other than the dialogue probably should receive some polish as it is a big jarring and a little too into the over the top cliche villain. Very redeemable though.

 

(This dragon empress helmet may be screwed on a little too tight)

 

(Oh god, she's turning into her second form)

 

(...If I say I'll go out with you, would that cause you to not want to kill me?)

 

(I'm going to take that as a no. Fine. Be alone forever. What do I care?)

 

She then fired her laser at us...which instead of killing us, knocked us off the top of the castle for some reason. It's anime don't try to comprehend it.

 

(How many floors does this castle even have?)

 

(Hey ladies it seems I'm falling for....oh it's people I don't care about)

 

(Jesus, please save us from are graves. I mean, do you really want me up there in heaven with you?)

 

(Holy crap! It worked. Remind me to start attending church more)

 

(Do not question our savior's work)

 

(By waiting for our prayers to be answered)

 

(Or maybe I'm actually Superman. I mean I can time travel so it's not that far fetched)

 

(Or I could have inherited the real Setzer's magic and just casted float. So many possible explanations)

 

(Maybe the aliens came to abduct us but their abductor broke midway through)

 

(Or it was Nim. Okay, that may actually be a Deus Ex Machina moment)

 

I know most people believe the mother cut the wires for the boxes, but Nim could have actually done it. She's able to teleport in and out of places with ease so she could have gotten in there without anyone like Braxien seeing.

 

(She's you, but smarter, cooler, and better looking...and weirder, but we love her because of that)

 

(At this point, I'd be your anything if it meant getting away from all these people. I like need you so much right now. So, so much.)

 

(You can keep Aelita up there if you really want to)

 

(I know. And it looks like we're going to get off this island and all be happy and jolly and...)

 

(You see that girl behind me, this is all her fault. All I did was follow the plotted script and forced myself to spend 3 months in this godforsaken place)

 

(It was all worth it to see you again though. You're my official favorite now. All it took was reading repetitive dialogue and the longest dialogue segment in the entire game to cement it)

 

(In-game me, you better listen to her. This is literally the only girl in the game I don't hate right now...that is at or close to legal age)

 

(I just got 40 bucks from Madame X. I think we can arrange for a bucket of Kanto Fried Combusken)

 

(...........Marry me.)

 

(Way to kill the mood, Saki)

 

(Well there was this one wall that...)

 

(I am definitely not okay after all of this. I may need therapy)

 

(Your replacement. I'll just take Nim, Adam, and I guess Saki and leave you all to deal with the reinforcements who come our way)

 

(A'Nim to that)

 

(Are we really going to bring the entire group in the smack dab middle of two turrets? That seems both smart and logical)

 

(My heart is still racing and it kind of hurts. Did I mention I'm afraid of heights? Let's promise to never do that again)

 

(Because everyone totally hasn't been standing here talking and wasting time...this really is like an anime)

 

(...Doesn't that just make the boat an easy target? Oh well it was our only viable option)

 

(And so we can finally put this chapter to a cl...)

 

(Of course it's not over. What now? Are we going to fight another legendary?)

 

(She just...jumped off a building and perform a down thrust? Must be one of Link's descendants)

 

(Meh. That's normal for platformers. Nothing to see here folks...oh shit she's right behind us now)

 

(I think I prefer calling her Empress Ma Damex)

 

(Maybe she got bored of me taking to long and said screw it and came early)

 

(But sky diving does?)

 

(...So I'm a foolish fool whose foolish actions fooled but the unfoolable fool who's foolproof)

 

(This divine lightning shall pierce the skies)

 

(Why not hearts?)

 

([Teleports behind you] "Nothing personal, kid")

 

(...Whelp, at least I didn't die)

 

(Holy shi...I didn't remember it being this morbid)

 

Ignoring the fact the illogical fallacy of raising a body on a blade here...

 

(Are you crying...am I crying? Who are you again? Seriously, who the heck are you?)

 

And then she just flings her. Gonna go into this in a minute.

 

(Haven't you ever heard of a noble sacrifice to redeem a forgettable character?)

 

(Seriously, does every villain have to berate everything?)

 

(I would run away but I'm pretty sure there's nowhere to run)

 

(Because robots in movies always learn this thing before their final moments...for some reason)

 

(And here's the denial. Maybe she feels bad for killing one of her "toys" I suppose)

 

(There we go with the berating again. Maybe if you were a little nicer people would actually like you)

 

(Well this is one case Yancy Drew solve. The mysterious death of the missing Nancy Doll)

 

We're just going to stop for a moment and take a minute to digest this. So Madame X jumping off the roof isn't as extreme as you may think or out of this world. She is wearing a suit of armor and has unnatural powers so it could do something to her limbs to take the impact or not receive and impact at all. In fantasy terms, it's very possible and workable. The bigger thing is the death. I'm not very emotionally attached to Yancy as we barely even got to know her. I get why a lot of people would be sad. I do think the death was surprisingly well executed for what it was and it would be a perfect way to end this arc with Madame X letting us walk away with out lives. It is a far greater punishment knowing the player failed to do the one thing they wanted most here and live with that guilt over death. It would've helped build up the rivalry and the antagonist and having a goal of revenge. It's a very good dynamic. The only thing that could have been done better is to make Yancy an actual character and give actual attachment over artificial ones. I was going to go over the death topic, but I think I'll just finish writing that COGA on it making a full topic instead of just a small one here.

 

And while I have my gripes and even gripes with the Yveltal change in V10, everything in this chapter is actually pretty good and would have actually redeemed the arc leaving it on a high note. There's such a good dynamic and a bunch of chemistry going on and actually a lot of potential that could have come from this. Like if we ended here, I would have given the Blacksteeple Prison an okay rating. As much flack as I give it, it's redeemable and most people can just glance the dialogue and not get lost. It has problems, but redeemable with solid moments. This arc gets a lot of flack and hate, but I just wanted to clear the air that there are some gem moments in this which could have added to a good story, but...we're not done with the scene.

 

(Oh god it's the slu...I mean M-girl. How have you been? Totally couldn't have come at a better time)

 

(I'm pretty sure everybody does. I mean that is your name. Unless you want to go by Empress Ma Damex. Just suggesting. And can my reward be my spared life?)

 

(Quick while she isn't look, let's get on the ship and get the hell out of here.)

 

(I really should have grabbed that chair when I had the chance. I would've had a comfy landing and a seat for explanation time)

 

(Seriously, why are we still standing here?)

 

(If that's messing, I don't want to see her when she's serious...must be 80% more berating and edgy then)

 

(Are we going to learn out they're sisters...)

 

(I'm starting to think Yancy is the luck one here. Even death is better than this)

 

(And to no one's surprise it's Commander's favorite character who's still alive...for some reason)

 

(Seriously, can we please just get off this island before the mad tyrant kills someone else?)

 

(Nobody except Team Xen thought you were dead. Though you have poor taste in ketchup stains. I personally go with the store brand kind since it's runnier)

 

(Well clearly plot happened to Melia during that time)

 

(I don't think a single player actually thought you were dead. Can we please go now? I'll even take Aelita and Valerie if it means we can speed this up)

 

(...Sadly, I have to agree and I'm not happy about it)

 

(And things are about to get stupider in 3...2...)

 

(1...)

 

(Oh joy destiny and chosens. Those are everyone's favorite tropes)

 

(If someone has an armed weapon on them, feel free to shoot either of these two)

 

(Yeah, just like that)

 

(And suddenly Madame X changed colors...apparently lightning does that to people)

 

(I would answer that, but I don't think my blood could take it)

 

(You're berating someone who just arrived on the scene 30 minutes ago and expect them to know everything...you know what...it's Melia. Melia can do no wrong)

 

(You are talking to the wrong person. Madame X literally just met you 5 minutes ago. You are literally only telling her to get a better regime for her team which in return would make them stro...I'm just gonna shut up. Melia is smart and makes smart decisions)

 

(I'd like to join Team Xen now so long as it means I can shut this girl up)

 

(...Must resist urges to...)

 

(Well at least she didn't win by the power of love and friendship)

 

I'm just going to make a slight comment in that I have designed characters who had to use their brains to overcome their obstacles and sometimes luck does play in their favor but it's pretty cool seeing them actually pull it off. Their knowledge and skills don't randomly come out of thin air either. I can see the attempts here to try and convey that but...we'll address that at the end here.

 

(Oh finally, we're done. Now I can...)

 

(....Congratulations, Aelita. You're now not on my burn into the ground list for learning what shutting up means. That ECT did wonders to you. Or maybe your ponytail was constricting your brain)

 

(You could at least face and acknowledge him...or Madame X could say "what the hell are you doing? Grab Melia while we have the chance")

 

(Add this to the unnecessary dialogue box que)

 

I really should have done a count here. Oh well. It's way too late for that now.

 

(I know I joked they had a thing for each other but...please don't go supporting that crack theory)

 

(This is like one of those awkward break up moments...it just makes things...awkward)

 

(It seems like you somewhat respect him so at least face and acknowledge him. Meanwhile, the rest of us are invisible)

 

(And thus Darth Neved was born)

 

He's even got that creepy red eye. He's perfect for the role. Seriously, why is Madelis the only Xen I can't think of a good nickname for? 

 

(Even Madame X became invisible. We all may as well not even be here. Why did Yancy die...I mean Nancy die again?)

 

(I'd like to take you up on that offer. Please? No. Okay, I guess I'll go now)

 

(And now we're actually done with this bloody arc)

 

If I said any scene was the worst part of the game, that was a lie. This is the worst scene in the game...so far and I pray it does not get any worse. So how should I break this down? Let's just start with the elephant in the room: the turrets. The turrets I know replaced Melia's power to suddenly stop Madame X in her tracks, but it's still ridiculous. It's an asspull and a kind of random asspull that some random character can do something that no other character is able to. Why didn't the guards or Neved use them to stop all the prisoners? Why didn't Natowl or Madelis act and try to stop this because they really didn't want this outcome to happen. Yet, they just kind of did. Then Madame X is suddenly stopped in her tracks. A dangerous terrorist is stopped and is in prime position to be killed. Why doesn't anyone try to kill her? I get the moral of not killing but this might be their only chance and nobody questions or challenges Melia's decision. These are just logic flaws and these aren't even the biggest issue.

 

So we had this conflict of the player and Madame X building up. Yancy was a piece of that buildup. Well that was a complete waste because it all went out the window completely. Notice how not a single character even says a damn word other than Melia who acts way out of character from anything we've seen. She act cocky and honestly like an asshole. She's just freely mocking this leader while everyone else here was tortured and imprisoned. We all were hurt and suffering from this but that doesn't matter. Madame X also does a 180 and acts like a damsel in distress. She acted high and mighty and believed in power but suddenly she's just being kind of like a whiny little girl. This villain who is meant to be super scary now just feels like a joke. I honestly don't know how to redeem this scene or even this arc purely due to this last segment.

 

And for the defense I'm overexaggerating, I may overexaggerated many things in this arc and I will admit being too harsh, but this I will stand firm on. This arc was a great player character building arc and probably a very good pinnacle moment for them. It's just gone now. Melia just whisked away all our achievements and strength because "she's smarter and better than us." This actually was one of my favorite scenes up until Melia showed up and I loved it more when making the captions. It's a good scene with lots of potential. And look and see how not a single character even spoke. Nobody even talks about the player when Melia shows up who was hit the hardest with the events. I want to digest this more but I know I'm just going to get angrier and angrier and just repeat so let's just end this off on a better note...

 

(I need to be kept as far away as possible from Melia right now)

 

(This is a safe space. Nothing bad can happen to me. Nor can anyone bad approach me)

 

(Adam, you're the bro of all bros here. I'd fist bump you if I could)

 

(Adam, can I have a hug. I need a hug from you)

 

(Adam really is the tough reliable guy. This is why you're one of my favorites...only Nim tops you...for now)

 

(This bromance moment is so lovely)

 

(And that's the way it should be)

 

(Thanks. I really do appreciate it.)

 

(Melia....Melia is perfect. We must like Melia. We must praise Melia for all she's done. She saved us after all. She's so smart. She's so clever. Almost as clever as my fists around her neck)

 

(Why did we give her a room? She deserves to sleep on the deck)

 

(Oh joy we get to be in a room with 3 of my favorite characters. What a wonderful time that'll be)

 

(Honestly, I don't really care to hear it right now)

 

So this actually is another surprisingly good scene explaining more about the silent protag. Losing their mother was absolutely devastating to them and we can even see it as they didn't even feel like talking to anyone. You know what's worse: the player had to leave their dead body and couldn't even give them a proper burial. That doesn't sound like that big of a deal but it really is. Imagine not being able to say your proper good-byes to someone you love. You know why you had to do it, but it just doesn't feel good and almost like a disrespect so that toll is added to the pain the player is feeling. It's a rare and good emotional moment from the player which we never get to see like ever in these styles of games.

 

I also really liked Adam's development in this scene. He wasn't on the scene as he was presumably helping passengers aboard and on the ship itself. It actually explains why he was the first to come to the player and the one to do it. He had a guilty conscious and felt helpless in this situation. Perhaps he shared something similar or maybe he's just a nice guy. It's really nice how he says that he'll always be there for the player just to make sure they know they have someone. This is the stuff I look for in characters and I want more of it. As I said, it takes two characters talking to really develop both of them. This is such a good example in the game. And now to examine the Poke Ball.

 

(I guess while we're here I'll read the Poke Ball)

 

(Well I guess that's a way to start a letter. I suppose it is nice to say hi)

 

(At least some people actually care about me)

 

(Pretty sure she was thinking about something there. Spoiler alert: it was me)

 

(That she's not my real mother and really just a clone to watch over me but grew attached to the point she thought of me as her own son just as Jenipper thought of Melia like his own daughter)

 

(Oh...so she was emo and suicidal. Well that's...nice to know...I guess)

 

(I mean she almost did make it so...uhh...something tells me I'm missing something here)

 

(I hope she is as good of a gift giver in death as she was in life)

 

(That's a terrible gift. Guess we got another mon going in the box)

 

(Is this supposed to be some symbolism that she was a terrible mother?)

 

(Well she put her hand on a blade for me...too soon?)

 

(And now we have a new box mon)

 

(I don't think I could find a better suited name for this male Mawile even if I wanted to)

 

For those who don't understand, play FFV. It'll make more sense after playing that. Way more sense. And it'll give you something to do until the next part is uploaded...probably not for a long while. This isn't a hiatus but more of a situation where I have to get other stuff done like chapter 1 of WLL. That'll come up after I fix all the images on this run as well. As for Mawile though, I don't think I'm going to use it. I don't mind adding it to my team but I'm not too keen on it since it'd more or less be an Intimidate spam mon. This is also the last screencap since I last stopped so now I'll have to figure out whether I'll continue the next segment in V9 or V10 but it'll probably be V9 as a precaution. Oh yeah about that Donphan, that was seriously just a gag since I didn't have anything who could even deal with Yveltal so I thought it'd be funny to destroy it with one Pokemon for a good laugh. I don't think he'll be returning but who knows. It's not like I need to grind him up for him to be useful.

 

The last thing is that I actually planned to use that song at the beginning to explain why I didn't like Madame X...but I actually really ended up liking reexamining the scene. So that song is a mashup of two completely different songs which manage to flow very well. I feel like Rejuv is trying to do two different things and they really did not clash well in this chapter. We have a serious side which was dull and way too into explanations and then we have the humor side which honestly felt way too forced. I'm just going to say if this gets retackled to just "don't worry too much about explaining stuff and simply let the story be serious when it needs to be serious and let loose the humor when things are less tense." Rejuv can work well with both styles, but there just needs to be a better balance imo. Maybe it changes later, but we'll find out then.

 

And while we wait for my uploads, I know I've mentioned a lot of game to try, but I never really gave games similar to Rejuv to try. I've made brief mention of Hyperdimension Neptunia and I don't not recommend that series unless you know what you're getting into because that's all pretty much humor and fanservice and some really nerdy game references. There is one interesting game they made that's kind of a black sheep in a sense. Fairy Fencer F Dark Advent Force is a game made by the creators that is a little more serious and less fanservice (there still is some) which still keeps that humor flair. The gameplay is only okay which I liked the system but it's not the greatest and dungeons can get repetitive. It's one of those to look into and not an auto you should play. I'll see if I can think of any others in the next part....which won't be for a while.

[ArcBolt27]

heh, love the nickname for mawile............also it would be wise to update to v10 before the next gym battle (which is pretty soon) as the battle will be made a lot easier due to the roster being altered for the better............ plus iirc most of the v10 gym leader battles iirc at least on intense difficulty are double battles.......... that and you will never have to worry about pokemon potentially disobeying you due to badge-restricted hard level caps

[YinYang9705]

And so here we are, the Melia meets madam edgelord  Xavier renegade angel scene. Can it get worse? Who knows, although what I've read of future plot developments doesn't really inspire much confidence.

 

As for the X is stronger than Yveltal scene, you have to remember Yveltal is basically Death Destruction in giant bird form who's death is implied to cause enough destruction to desertify a non insignificant portion of Kalos, so it just ends up being a cheap way to hype up the big bad, which ends up laughable when you see how X reacts to Mary Sue Melia.

[Commander]

On 5/24/2018 at 6:32 AM, ArcBolt27 said:

heh, love the nickname for mawile............also it would be wise to update to v10 before the next gym battle (which is pretty soon) as the battle will be made a lot easier due to the roster being altered for the better............ plus iirc most of the v10 gym leader battles iirc at least on intense difficulty are double battles.......... that and you will never have to worry about pokemon potentially disobeying you due to badge-restricted hard level caps

Number of times people give me advice on stuff I pioneered It's like everyone thinks I'm a n00b or something but thanks...I guess? I know most of the early game changes such as Keta's first fight being doubles and his second fight based around his WLL team and the radio tower area got really revamped adding an additional area to explore.

 

While I understand people really want to be helpful, I've been a gamer for a long enough time I prefer just learning and failing myself. What's the point of playing a difficult game if you don't struggle a little bit. Even though I probably know most tricks in the book at this point.

 

On 5/24/2018 at 10:05 AM, YinYang9705 said:

And so here we are, the Melia meets madam edgelord  Xavier renegade angel scene. Can it get worse? Who knows, although what I've read of future plot developments doesn't really inspire much confidence.

 

As for the X is stronger than Yveltal scene, you have to remember Yveltal is basically Death Destruction in giant bird form who's death is implied to cause enough destruction to desertify a non insignificant portion of Kalos, so it just ends up being a cheap way to hype up the big bad, which ends up laughable when you see how X reacts to Mary Sue Melia.

I've explained that the lore could merely be exaggerations of some truth...which is what a legend is such as King Arthur. I think it was a mere poor choice of words which wasn't recieved well. That's all you hear certain people who dislike Madame X say.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

So I guess this is more or less an update time as you can probably guess the run is completely fix bar a single pic I'd have to remake. So while I doubt this will even happen again, I'm going to make a backup in the docs so that I'll just link that to the older chapters instead. This is the first time something like that happened to them in the past 8 years.

 

I know a lot of people would dread the though of having to go back and fix everything, but that's what editing is and if you can't enjoy your own work, how do you expect others to? I had a blast going back and even added in some post comments. I did fix some errors, but I'm positive I missed quite a number though I'm not going to go back and fix them. I did notice a couple of patterns though which I didn't really care for making me want to change a couple things:

 

The first change is that I'm going to do some better editing of the chapters. Now the chapters will be posted without edits for the sake of me not losing all that work. I'll just do the edits in the morning or afternoon since I'm dead tired by the end of it. The other change is that I'm going to try and reduce the number of "whining" captions. I'm not going to get rid of ones where I'm sarcastic or the chair joke, but try to avoid ones like "this is getting ridiculous." Coming up with 1,000s of these aren't always easy for certain pics so I can't promise anything but to try.

 

The next major issue is the battles. If any of you mention Intense mode, I will have Loewe cut you in half. So the issue with battles is my inability to really accurately capture screenshots sometimes missing stuff and the distance between the fight and when I reach it in the run becomes so long that I forget what happened sometimes. Story and side stuff is still the main focus, but would you guys rather me just record boss fights and give post commentary on the videos? That's something I'm willing to try since that's kind of the weakest area in the run so far.

 

The last thing I want to talk about are the "rants" as most people refer to them as. Do you know how people read a newspaper and sometimes skip to the comics and read something else? I really think that can be applied here as some people watch this run for certain things. Sometimes it's the hit-or-miss humor, but other people are more interested in my thoughts. I could also see how people think I dislike the things I'm ranting about but many of them are "it's not bad, but could use some work" many times. I'm not changing my ways and if you really don't like my tone, feel free to just read the captions or "humor." I'll admit I sometimes do that for certain LPers.

 

I do think I should take this run a little bit more serious than I have been (I'm still winging it like a man who hasn't eaten in 3 days at a KFC). We don't have very many sources of entertainment in both the forums and Youtube. Most of the talk is about battles and the difficulty. Of course you got a thread here and there complaining about the axed jackpot feature whatever, but your choices are limited. While I won't change much, I should at least try to make the weaker aspects more bearable.

 

Also, holy smokes a lot of things happened this week. At least I'll know I'll have plenty of stuff to talk about after a certain protag is finished with the world's longest magazine "activity."

[DemICE]

Rants are okay. The author's  opinions is a good subject for the readers to take into account when writing a reply like what im doing right now. 

 

Yes to be honest i would have wanted to see more feedback on the battles of a game that has made it as one of its goals to make them challenging,  especially since you have the experience to give some good feedback, which is why  i initially cared about Intense mode, but to be honest? The mode where the game should give more priority to, should be the normal mode.  So it is not just me compromising with your decision, but rather actually preffering if you wrote your thoughts on the battles of the Normal mode (even if its a mode that i never even touched).

[Paperblade]

The rants are the best part of the series, and I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the rest of the game since it only gets... weirder from here.

 

I'd be interested in your thoughts on boss fights in the manner you mentioned 

[Commander]

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS I LAY DOR...this joke was stupid the first time. Hi! This is a run and I am not a runner. We should call it a brisk walk or Crawl. Let's change the title to crawl. And now for responses that have been delayed for a long time. Let's see May, June, July, August, September...3 months. Wow it has been a while. This isn't going to be frequent but have no fear we will progress.

 

On 5/31/2018 at 9:32 AM, DemICE said:

Rants are okay. The author's  opinions is a good subject for the readers to take into account when writing a reply like what im doing right now. 

 

Yes to be honest i would have wanted to see more feedback on the battles of a game that has made it as one of its goals to make them challenging,  especially since you have the experience to give some good feedback, which is why  i initially cared about Intense mode, but to be honest? The mode where the game should give more priority to, should be the normal mode.  So it is not just me compromising with your decision, but rather actually preffering if you wrote your thoughts on the battles of the Normal mode (even if its a mode that i never even touched).

Intense modes are very demanding in terms of resources and it really grinds down to how grind heavy it is if it's worth it. Some games like Kingdom Hearts it doesn't matter as much since that game is mostly skill over levels and armor. Trails/Kiseki series I'd probably livestream on hard mode since there is little grinding (though Cold Steel you do struggle with money due to how money is earned compared to the other games). If this was just battles I'd totally do it but since this run focuses on anything but that, I think normal mode is better suited.

On 5/31/2018 at 3:57 PM, Paperblade said:

The rants are the best part of the series, and I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the rest of the game since it only gets... weirder from here.

 

I'd be interested in your thoughts on boss fights in the manner you mentioned 

I forgot to video record the Melia fight but...it is probably a blessing. I'll do that for Valerie. I haven't even gotten there but I already know there's going to be a rant.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Chapter 36: The Best Part of this Chapter is that I Caught a Pyukumuku

 

Now where were we:

 

(It's so important it has 3 exclamation points)

 

(It's okay...neither does Jan)

 

Sorry, but if an opportunity to poke fun of Jan at making a good scene than ruining it presents itself, I will take it. I'm sure he's probably well aware it didn't really mix with experience but alas it is nearly impossible to change and improve. I really do think it was a mistake having both the player and Melia and one or the other wasn't axed. As much as I hate on Melia, I think of her role was merged into the Player's it would have improved both. Too late for that now.

 

(That did not help me)

 

(Why are you relevant again?)

 

Music does help soothe people so I don't disagree with that comment. And no, I'm totally not stalling to avoid something. No stalling here at all.

 

(There wasn't anything that you could have done)

 

So let's take a minute and talk about deaths. I get this was supposed to be a super sad scene but what if I told you death isn't the saddest most heartbreaking thing to happen. It's merely just one thing that can't be undone. Death is a plot point and drive to move another character forward which would have been done here if it weren't for Melia. So there's a show that Disney decided to Reboot called Ducktales and it's actually really good. If you plan on watching it skip this video but for those who don't this is how you execute sadness without death:

 

Spoiler

 

 

And the most important part isn't the action but what comes after the breakdown of a character. And I'm just gonna dive in since it's mostly what people are going to expect.

 

(Sorry, forgot about this pic...man I really miss Ren)

 

(A 3 month break is still too soon to handle this crap)

 

(Since I spent god knows how many chapters everything wrong with Blacksteeple, I'm just not going to say anything to that half hearted apology.)

 

(I'm going to try to hold this in for as long as possible. Let's count how many pics before I crack)

 

(...1...)

 

First off, the one she should be apologizing to is Aelita. The player wasn't even treated that badly...other than my stupidity shocking myself...while who knows what Aelita went through and she just watched and assured Aelita everything was going to be alright when it wasn't. Have you ever heard of reasoning vs emotion? Melia claims to be our friend, but she pretty much let us be murdered if it came down to it for the sake of gaining knowledge and info. I want that to sink in for a moment as we'll come back later to it (and we got to use Ducktales Woo-hoo)

 

(Well at least we get to the point)

 

(.......And you failed on that side)

 

(And you failed on th...why are you even here?)

 

(Oh great the second castle probably is where the final boss...excluding the champion will be fought)

 

(Oh joy we're still on that)

 

I'm bringing up Reborn as despite the Citadel being the most significant piece of the plot, it really is only briefed over once what it is and its importance. While I feel the Elias scene there is the worst moment in the game, it at least hasn't felt the need to repeat itself and we all kind of got the connections. Reborn also is a different beast with different issues which we'll go over later mostly having to do with cramming a lot of info in too little of time. But again, different game for a different time.

 

(I'd give mad props if Adam is actually Madame X, but that won't happen)

 

(This is why I hated Blacksteeple and we're still doing that. I'll take SO4 over this)

 

Speaking of I've been playing Star Ocean the Last Hope. Pretty sure that's a terrible game but honestly I don't think it's that bad compared to the hatedom for it. I thought Xenosaga II's hate was bad but this is like a new level for me. Of course I'm not bothered with terrible voice direction (unlike what a lot of people say there are a lot of good, famous VAs in this game). Not a game I recommend but the combat is at least pretty fun. Clunky, but fun.

 

(If it were that easy, someone would have broken in a long time ago)

 

(Pretty sure anyone could get into Team Xen at this point. Hell, I'm sure they'd take me in even)

 

(I'm just flabbergasted at how idiotic this plan actually is)

 

No seriously to save people, she expected to walk in there in an obvious disguise, not get sent to prison, and gain Neved's trust without anything going wrong all to gain info. Everything really did go right with her and every good chance played in her favor.

 

(And all of that was for nothing)

 

(Well I guess it wasn't a complete waste then...even if you're dead to me)

 

(I....I swear we were told that at some point in the game before Blacksteeple even. Well at least human souls played a key part in this or something. So yeah, you learned nothing)

 

(Because of the incompetence of the writer using the obvious element of the same species to give suspense or feel threatened as something like the world being rid of puppies has no stakes at all)

 

Seriously, I've heard this goddamn humanity source stuff too much already. Not sure if anyone made this quote but "The pain of a thousand lives can only be felt by the one that killed them." Millions of people will die in your lifetime whether it be short or long. Someone died while reading this, but do you honestly care? Yet why do we feel sad if a loved one dies? They aren't any more significant than whoever died just now. It's because we know them. So please when you write a story, don't think about killing people. I mean in some settings it's going to happen like a war or life and death situations but even then show some limits.

 

(I'm having second thoughts on doing this to take a break from editing lines)

 

(Thank you for saying at least one truth)

 

(Yet you would bloody reveal yourself to the enemy who wants to hunt you down that you're Melia. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!)

 

(I wonder if I could convince Saki to trade places with me here. Adam would, but I couldn't find him anywhere...probably couldn't take any more of this)

 

(Mother...I may be joining you soon)

 

(We couldn't have at least sat down before this. Why does Melia get to?)

 

(Believe me, I do. I would like to solve the issue before it arises again.)

 

(I'm not sure if I'm happy or upset you cut it short. On one hand, I don't have to comment, but on the other, we're on a ship going nowhere for days or even a month so I see no reason to shorten it)

 

(Also they are either Dialga and Palkia, or gained their powers to use and telported and aged Melia or something. Because her being this age ori...wait does this make Ren a pedo? Eh, still a better character than any non-male on this boat)

 

(Pretty sure if you wore a hood they wouldn't recognize you...oh wait you did and they didn't)

 

(I would have done a video of me doing an actual happy dance instead of gif faking your totally not obvious death and I would have praised Jan for having the balls to go through that)

 

(If it weren't for the fact we needed to rescue Aelita we would've been fine)

 

(I'm apparently her best friend and I don't trust her)

 

(...Somebody save me from this)

 

(While she isn't looking, Adam, I need that favor from you. Switch me places...oh...right)

 

(Can I go back to my room and shut myself in again for another few months...no? Fine)

 

(Or you could maybe check me...I forgot I hate all the people in this room)

 

Btw for anyone Nim fans I upset with an earlier comment, Nim is the gender of awesome. She isn't included in this group of idiots.

 

(So instead of trying to help the player to coping over their tragic loss, they simply shift the focus to Melia and how she did a good job. And nobody gave a damn...in this room...good job game)

 

(I know I said this before but I will actually mean it this time: biggest damn lie anyone could tell)

 

Other than this weird puppet thing later, I don't even think she's mentioned. Seeing pics of future plot points is confusing.

 

(So you're one single defining character trait is now gone. Not really an improvement when there's nothing left)

 

(I'm...no you aren't sorry)

 

(Am I the only one pissed off here? Damn silent protag because if they had thoughts, I think they have a right to be pissed off right now)

 

(And she skipped over the obvious question we all should be asking)

 

(If I honestly had the option to skip and ignore you, I would have chosen but the only reason I'm here is plot demands)

 

(YOU. ARE. NOT. SORRY!)

 

I think the thing that bugs me most about this is how Melia isn't bothered by this when in reality she could have prevented it all if she focused on saving us. Whatever this castle is was more important to her. Stopping Team Xen is more important to her. She let the player's mom die because of her focus of her own goals over a single soul. That's the icing on the cake as the other three gym leaders were the complete opposite yet one trusts her right out of the box because she helped. So this is a bit of major spoilers for the Ducktales TV show but it really ties everything together:

 

Spoiler

In the semi-finale the group goes on a trip where Scrooge crashes the plane into a mountain. This whole thing is symbolizing the family falling apart but when they work together they balance the plane again. Dewey is so keen on finding the truth about his mother that he nearly risks his life on top of the others to find out the truth. It's at that point Scrooge gives in and tells them the truth of what happened. To sum it up, he built Donald and her a spaceship which she stole from him and crashed in a cosmic storm killing her essentially. What really hits home is what Dewey says which is "Because of you our mom is gone." And everything falls apart when they start arguing which in the end leaves Scrooge all alone.

 

You can turn it around as much as you want, but we aren't arguing morality here but a fact: it was because Melia was more focused on knowledge was what led to our own mother dying when it could have been prevented. And if it weren't for the mother being the shield, she would have let us be killed. What kind of friend honestly is that? If I was in the protag's shoes, I wouldn't even want to talk to Melia for acting like an ass. In a way, Melia kind of care more about answers than she does you. Let that sink in before you even try defending Melia. While I can't pin the Mother's death on her, I can at least state that. And this would be absolutely fine if it was challenged or explored, but it's not and it simply gets brushed off after this very moment. And this is where Rejuv focusing on being grand instead of fleshed out bites. So Blacksteeple is supposed to be this big arc with a tragic end but...we've pretty much moved on from it and it's just a piece of background now. No significance nor anything to even talk about. Now it's all about Terajuma.

 

(It's like she just wasn't that important)

 

(It's funny how the most important piece of this segment was entirely skipped over and ignored)

 

Let's go back to a certain pic for a minute...

 

 

Now what we have here is what would have been a good characterization if one character followed through here, but alas no conflict can happen against Melia despite being self-centered and in a way self-reliant. We don't explore this stuff because the bigger picture is so much more important. We need 18 or whatever gym badges, we need to reach the E4, and we need to stop the big bad. Everything else takes secondary position and while yes this is the best way to be successful you won't hold a lasting appeal. I'm pretty sure the rants are what are letting me get through this. Point is that we went from characters I disliked due to their designs to just dullness. I've seen people say this scene is so bad when in all honesty it's really just boring. Now let us continue.

 

(........I'm pretty sure if you told her your idea she'd be here still)

 

(...that was 3 battles ago. Clearly I've gained much experience and power since then. Because I'm god or something)

 

(Not this again)

 

So this is a little bit of an interesting concept where I made two rivals in which over time one gets continuously stronger while the other gets continuously weaker. So after a certain point you'd think the one gaining more strength would be able to defeat the one growing weaker. He never does.

 

(I...I really doubt that would have changed anything)

 

(We'd probably be in a worse situation since Team Xen would prepare to fight two competent trainers instead of rookies)

 

(.........Where's the I hate you option...seriously I would press it)

 

(You chose to abandon us. There's always a choice)

 

(...You were the idiot who let yourself be nearly caught by Madelis)

 

(For a girl who is supposed to be a genius, you're really dumb)

 

They sent tanks and trucks all the way up to Goldenwood for just one single person on top of making a monster to hunt her down. I'm pretty sure they'd chase you across dimensions if they had the option.

 

(Yeah, I've been fixing your mess. And I get no thanks)

 

(Oh boy this scene. This grand old scene)

 

(Just wait for it)

 

(And more nerd talk for me to translate. Delightful)

 

(Too lazy to translate)

 

(Okay, now I get to explain this)

 

Basically, the snag machine was somehow bricked as while it could power on or off it couldn't transform Poke Balls into Snag Balls. When we went to Blacksteeple, shutting down the signal device somehow made the snag machine work again because a jamming signal fixes a jamming signal. Yes, that is a bullshit excuse to explain the whole drive of the last three segments and justify their importance. And that also is why a mechanic that is featured in the game has basically shot itself in the foot and was shut down or forgotten about more or less. You want to know how you could have solved this easily: the motherboard was fried and needed replacing. Or maybe a fuse broke. Saki wouldn't have any on hand but Melia probably did. Or hell maybe Saki could've fixed the fried parts. Honestly, I'm not even bothered by this after the whole Melia thing.

 

(Adam, do you have room down there for me in Atlantis?)

 

(Swear if you ask me to battle after we just battled...)

 

(I think my dog could make this scene more enjoyable than it is)

 

(So we are really doing this again. Can I at least get a...oh wait I already have the normal badge)

 

(If there was a no option, I would have pressed it to skip all of this)

 

(Because battling in a ship at sea is always a smart idea. Totally couldn't accidentally blow a hole in the ship.)

 

Dammit I can't find someone who did the thing with Richard in the boss fight. It's absolutely hilarious. So little Xenosaga II Secret is that in a boss fight with them on a ship one of them goes absolutely mad and fires a giant laser creating a hole in the ship even after the battle which I really want to find. It's such a nice detail. Anyways, imagine if Jesus! used magnitude down there...oh wait he does.

 

(It's in the basement)

 

(I think I know whose character analysis we should do next)

 

(I have two hands and a fancy coat. I could've taken Madame X on myself.)

 

(WHY DO YOU CONTRADICT YOURSELF!)

 

Easy there, Mander. Save the rants until the end of this.

 

(I should have done just picked up SO4 instead. I at least get a laugh out of it)

 

Seriously, I thought Blacksteeple was bad but seems like we're just getting deeper.

 

(Can I go back to Blacksteeple? It's better than this)

 

(So stripping changes your identity. Good to know.)

 

Wait I'm on to something here. The more clothes you have on the worse you character is. This is a very important piece of science we must study. Adam, I need you to wear this speedo to check out your rock hard bo...I mean change in personality.

 

(Yep, still don't have a Versus sprite. Maybe I should replace it with the Angry Video Game Nerd or that screaming cowboy meme)

 

(...If Jan having favortism of Melia wasn't apparent before it is now)

 

And since I forgot to record you can see pics of what happened this time

 

(Yeah Pancha is back again)

 

So fun fact: Zoroark is a wonky Pokemon so anyone that uses it on a team will always lead to it due to that. Very easy exploit knowledge I used to my advantage.

 

(Walter is OP)

 

(And Loewe is still relevant)

 

(But Walter is OP)

 

(While I could Jesus cheese this, I didn't)

 

(I tried with Loewe)

 

(Gauis also had...)

 

This run has been going on over a year and this is the first time I notice I spelled Gaius's name wrong. Why didn't anybody tell me? Well this is embarrassing. I'll try to fix that when convenient. Unfortunately that isn't very convenient right now as we can't conveniently dock to where we can conveniently change it for a long freaking time.

 

(SEC outsped for the kill)

 

(I really miss Blacksteeple now. At least this sensei stuff wasn't there)

 

(I'd rather stay down here)

 

(Nim, can you teleport me away from these people? I promise to be your best friend if you do)

 

(When I said I wouldn't complain in subtitles, I didn't expect this. I'd rather be play an SAO game over ranting on this)

 

(How has Xem not found us and captured us? We're one easy to spot ship)

 

(...Now you're trying to get compared to Reborn)

 

(........................Didn't you just go to Goldenwood?)

 

(Great...more Melia talk. I LOVE this arc already)

 

(Why does anyone like Melia again?)

 

(I miss Jenner)

 

(Saki, you are now on my good character list. I want everyone to sink that in)

 

(If I talked that much shit about my father I'd have no ass when he was done with me)

 

We need to have a talk for a minute. Sometimes I do overexaggerate my distaste for certain things such as Aelita being very annoying. Melia wasn't as godawful or hated as I made her to be as a child. Not good, but redeemable. This actually tops how bad the Blacksteeple end is because Melia goes unchallenged and has no contrast. So Melia is supposed to come off as this good friend of the player in which we honestly don't really know her and she acts like she didn't do anything wrong when she did. She takes none of the blame for the Player's mom's death which should have been our own and calls the mission a success because she found some info out. She acts very self-centered yet claims strength and trust are important. Neither of those came into play at Blacksteeple. Valerie is the perfect contrast for Melia but she brushes it off and goes back to being a minor character. I know the player takes a back step in the plot and that's honestly an okay move...so long as the primary focus is a well written AND interesting lead. And that's the problem. There's no internal conflict at hand with the group. Hell, having the player have an actual character and role could have pulled this off so damn well. Imagine the player pretty much leaving the group behind after the whole Melia praise conflict. Oh wait, that'd hurt Melia's character so you can't do that. You want to know the icing on the cake with that thought is...

 

(What a good friend you are)

 

She was going to abandon you back on Gearen. You aren't important to her and probably just getting in the way. In a way it does make sense. With the player around, she'd need to rescue them like she did before, but this is not questioned or even brought up again. You need to plan ahead and plant the seeds early on in an arc. You also need to show a sign of conflict. I don't need to name anything because this is a sink or swim element which can ruin a game if not used correctly or at all.

 

(You're abandoning me and I'm apparently okay with that...even though I'm still older, smarter, and much more mature)

 

(They are both kind of screwed up, no thanks to you)

 

Seriously, there's like a mountain of conflict yet it just gets brushed aside. It's like this game wants to forget all about it. I'm not really just saying this point but pretty much what's going to happen as well. Oh it'll be delightful when we reach that.

 

(Suddenly we're in the Jimi Hendrix side of the afterlife)

 

(Maybe Snoop Dog wanted to do a collab...okay, I'll stop with that lame joke)

 

(I dunno, I see purple fog about every other day. At least there's no ghost ship this time)

 

(Does this ever get explained? Someone answer me in the comments with a yes or no)

 

(Like most of the plot conveniences)

 

(Must've been weak dru...medicine)

 

(That's one character improvement I don't need to see)

 

(I changed my mind about Saki. Melia's brain was...why am I staring at Valerie?)

 

(I don't see any land)

 

(Melia, this is all your fault. I don't know how but it is)

 

(I'll hide behind this plant to keep me safe)

 

(Saki, I want you to shut and get the heck out of...)

 

(I didn't mean literally but that works too. One idiot down, two to go)

 

(Well she's probably dead flying at that velocity the force of impact should shatter most of her bones)

 

(IT'S THE BEST DAY EVERRR!)

 

(Finally a change of scenery. Also gotta love how realistic this boat crash was. Totally believable)

 

(This is why you shouldn't abandon me. We end up stuck together stranded on an uninhabited island)

 

(Where else would it be? Hawaii?)

 

(Look at the trees, Mander. Remove your murdering intentions. Do it for Adam)

 

Also I'm pretty sure Saki wouldn't fly off and it's really unrealistic any way you put it. For the boat to crash at that speed it had to be moving pretty slow and slid up slowing down. This should, if my physics are correct) actually only be strong enough to knock Saki onto her bum and at best flip her off the front of the boat. I also miss the original boat here which was actual size instead of this mini thing. Not a huge deal but it was a detail I liked.

 

(It seems the game learned nothing since Blacksteeple. This is going to be a long playthrough)

 

(Someone somewhere is getting a kick out of me cracking at ever piece of dialogue I have to read)

 

Honestly, I'm pretty sure most people tune out the dialogue. Who here actually remembers how the dialogue went before reading this run. Anyone? Of those who did, who actually enjoys the quality writing and thought put into it. Actually you know what would make me feel better. Promoting the trails series. Let's find a random pic...

 

Spoiler

(This is probably what it feels being a Rejuv fan and reading one of my chapters)

 

Maybe I'll do this every time I get bored of repeating dialogue. It's motivation to keep me moving forward. NOW ONWARD! We have a chapter to finish.

 

(You could say that pic...Rejuvenated me)

 

(And...it's gone)

 

So now I understand what the whole ranger guards things was about. I think I know my fans well enough that they don't want to see me screencap this and they know me well enough to know what to expect if I did so we're going to do something else called "Commander tries to make the Rangers actually funny and interesting" instead.

 

(Bae Ranger walks out the door)

Bae Ranger:...

Commander: What'sup homies? How you hanging?

Bae Ranger:...

Commander: (Sigh) We crash landed here. Can you help us?

Bae Ranger: Sure, I guess. Let me check with my supervisor.

(Walks back into the building)

Bae Ranger: Sam, some crazy pirates crashed onto our shore and want our help.

Commander: (Do I really look like a pirate?)

Roge Ranger: Just because someone dresses funny doesn't make them a pirate now what are you yapping about?

(Both exit the house)

Roge Ranger: Hello there! What brings you to this island?

Melia: We were riding out at sea when this mi...

Commander: We got lost and somehow crashed into the island. Real sorry about that.

Melia: But...

Commander: (Shut up and let me do the talking)

Roge Ranger: Okay...listen, you can't park your boat anywhere you please. We have rules for a reason. Now I ask for you to pay the 30,000 Poke Fee and move your boat to the docks.

Commander: Forgive us, but we don't have very much money on us

Valerie: (I saw you counting 50,000 Poke in your wallet)

Commander: (You're a gym leader. You pay the damn fine)

Roge Ranger: If that's the case, we'll have to take you to Sheridan to find work to pay it off. I'm sure Crawli will think of something.

Melia: Crawli? I know him. How's he been?

Commander: She's a bit delusional so don't mind her. And oh, between Valerie, Aelita, and I, we managed to come up with 30k.

Roge Ranger: It's a pleasure doing business. I don't suppose you need help moving your boat. We can give you a hand moving it to the docs.

Valerie: Sure. Also, our friend flew off in the distance. Could you help us look for her?

Roge Ranger: Alex, you round up the other rangers and form a search party. I'll deal with moving this boat.

Bae Ranger: Fine. Why do you get the easy job?

Roge Ranger: What was that?

Bae Ranger: Just the enthusiasm of searching for lost children.

Roge Ranger: Excellent.

(Scene ends and the boat is moved)

 

No really, who thinks telling the popo of this place that you escaped a prison island on a terrorist ship when suddenly you are warped and crash into an island randomly is a good idea? You'd be lucky if you aren't sent to the loon house. I don't know why this was added honestly as it's just more filler when it's absolutely not needed and really doesn't add anything. As for the Melia analysis, I'm going to hold off for a minute as I'm actually interested in studying how this as it does show some value as she could have been a well executed character but that's out the window. Still a lot to study an analyze before I can give a decent analysis of her...even if I still don't like her.

 

 

[Filthy Casual]

I have been looking forward to this part for a long time. When I first played this game, I thought the Terajuma arc was really cool. Then, however, I played it a second time. Now, it's easily my least favorite and most nonsensical part in the game.

 

I'll give more thoughts down the line when you hit certain parts, but this is going to be nothing short of a treat.

[Youmu9]

I wouldn't say it gets explained in detail or anything yet. But you can put two and two together later on. So, yes.

[Hycrox]

late but

Spoiler

NOPE. actually you can think somewhat normally but lose the ability to speak and sometimes the ability to move (this last one is only at really convenient/inconvenient times)

[DemICE]

7 hours ago, Commander said:

(I....I swear we were told that at some point in the game before Blacksteeple even. Well at least human souls played a key part in this or something. So yeah, you learned nothing)

I'm pretty sure  Neved said it to Melia so  technically the player only learns it just now...  
I think the game could work without showing stuff outside of the player's PoV  tbh

7 hours ago, Commander said:

So please when you write a story, don't think about killing people.

Deaths  is one of the  things that spice up stories for me.  If a story has not deaths i find it a bit boring...

15 hours ago, Commander said:

(I tired with Loewe)

Aw   Is he falling so much off?  Just give it some time until he learns swords dance...

Also this was a fun rant marathon  xD   good start of the day.

[Dex]

Oh boy this is back, I read through this in a day and I wanted to comment but this was back during the hiatus and I didn't want to necro the thread. 

 

I follow Derogatory's Nuzlocke of this and I followed Shofu's playthrough, but it's interesting getting a look at Rejuvenation through different eyes. Heck, I'm even playing it myself, but I'm much farther behind just about to start the stuff with Marriannette. 

 

It's funny how your views and their views overlap at certain points, yet differ in others. Particularly Ren, I was kinda surprised you defended him, but your argument for his actions was pretty well done. I'm still not the biggest fan of the guy but I get why he does what he does. All things considered there's bigger fish to fry (Melia mostly, which you and Derogatory said pretty much everything I could possibly say). 

 

All I can say is good luck because the game is about to throw quite a bit of. . . . stuff at you to put it kindly.

[Commander]

19 hours ago, Filthy Casual said:

I have been looking forward to this part for a long time. When I first played this game, I thought the Terajuma arc was really cool. Then, however, I played it a second time. Now, it's easily my least favorite and most nonsensical part in the game.

 

I'll give more thoughts down the line when you hit certain parts, but this is going to be nothing short of a treat.

So it was you who said that. I couldn't honestly remember off the top of my head. This section is honestly probably not going to be that bad. At least we won't hit almost 2k pics to go through and decide. All the previous parts hit under 1k. I really hope we don't have to do this all again or it at least be a bit more interesting.

17 hours ago, Youmu9 said:

I wouldn't say it gets explained in detail or anything yet. But you can put two and two together later on. So, yes.

That works for me. It's just that when I see a writing level like this most things go left unexplained with little to no hints on how it works.

 

3 hours ago, DemICE said:

I'm pretty sure  Neved said it to Melia so  technically the player only learns it just now...  
I think the game could work without showing stuff outside of the player's PoV  tbh

Deaths  is one of the  things that spice up stories for me.  If a story has not deaths i find it a bit boring...

Aw   Is he falling so much off?  Just give it some time until he learns swords dance...

Also this was a fun rant marathon  xD   good start of the day.

I should correct myself on the discussion of death. You shouldn't include a character getting killed for the sake of adding emotional impact or tension. Death is a good way to do that, but it's not the best way so these things should actually be thought about well before doing them. I'm mostly talking about planning a story and going "this character should die and this shouldn't" unless the story is centered around that of course. I usually think of the character deaths near the end. I've pulled a few characters off the chopping block before not because their death scenes wouldn't be great, but because they actually improve every other character and really complete the story. So basically, don't kill off a character just because they'd make a great death scene. Actions have consequences unlike what every superhero comic or movie believes.

 

Gotta give me a minute to think of a game where a character doesn't die in it. I don't believe Atelier Rorona or the Atelier series has any death and honestly it's such a charming game with its story. Most game stories I play the deaths happened before the game started or near the end. Good ole Paper Mario is one of those games with a solid story and nobody actually died. I prefer games that throw the unexpected over an overused element like death as a motivation. I loved it in Xenoblade where a certain character you thought was going to die didn't. Actually made me happy.

 

Also tried and not tired. Loewe isn't leaving the party as I pretty much think I'm going to stick with Gaius, Loewe, Walter, Pancha, and SEC/Agate. I'm not sure on the whole JESUS! replacement yet since that is just my get out of jail free card. Given the next three leaders, I should be relatively fine with this team.

3 hours ago, Dex said:

Oh boy this is back, I read through this in a day and I wanted to comment but this was back during the hiatus and I didn't want to necro the thread. 

 

I follow Derogatory's Nuzlocke of this and I followed Shofu's playthrough, but it's interesting getting a look at Rejuvenation through different eyes. Heck, I'm even playing it myself, but I'm much farther behind just about to start the stuff with Marriannette. 

 

It's funny how your views and their views overlap at certain points, yet differ in others. Particularly Ren, I was kinda surprised you defended him, but your argument for his actions was pretty well done. I'm still not the biggest fan of the guy but I get why he does what he does. All things considered there's bigger fish to fry (Melia mostly, which you and Derogatory said pretty much everything I could possibly say). 

 

All I can say is good luck because the game is about to throw quite a bit of. . . . stuff at you to put it kindly.

I've seen some of Derog's playthrough so I know somewhat of what to expect but I only skim not to spoil too much. It's why I'm kind of interested in breaking down Melia's character and revealing how she may actually have turned out into a good one if certain things happened. It really is a common trope that one character ends up getting jealous and isolates themselves from the group. There's also the unlikable protag such as the famed Cloud Strife from FFVII. It really is hard to provide examples to a Pokemon community as I'm sure some readers haven't even played FFVII, Chrono Trigger, or Xenogears. Gonna stop before I go on a tangent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Chapter 37: I Owe Jan an Apology on Something

 

So before we get into the chapter, I was going to get a video up and recorded for the V10 fight but...we have a story in which I'll get to later. I don't have a video for various reasons which I feel is better when discussing the fight. While it may sound like I'm being a bit whiny, I might actually make you drop your mouth on how much people really underestimate me in team designing and my knowledge of a "normal" mode. I'm going to need to find my E18 base PB...oh wait I always keep a spare copy silly me. Back to the story:

 

(Such engaging and insightful dialogue. It truly displays the core of such an important character)

 

(I...always though Natalia...Natima...Glasses Mcduff had a ponytail)

 

(Those trees must be awfully nice to look at)

 

(Oh joy we get to meet a new character. I hope they are more competent and interesting than anyone else here)

 

(Nevermind, I hate him already)

 

(I think it would have been cooler if the traitor was like Saki or Braxien. Seriously, nobody would expect the fox)

 

(It's Takumi. That guy just never knows when to quit)

 

(If Nastasia pushed Madame X off the cliff, she'd be the new leader)

 

(Oh hi Ren. I'm more surprised you didn't join then sooner)

 

We all know how this story goes. The protagonist gets in the rivals way to the point it drives them to the darkside even to the point of the willingness to throw away logic or reason all because they can't win. Even if he didn't join to help them, he'd be nothing more than Crescent's plaything. It's pretty much just random and not really built up. Venam I'd believe more as we had more buildup with her slowly losing it. Ren just kind of threw a temper tantrum and...now is evil apparently. We're supposedly still supposed to care about him, but we really don't have enough time to build up that feeling.

 

This is kind of where Fern really shined becoming part of Team Meteor. You always were built to hate the guy to the point you never cared about his story nor his feelings. His was an ass to you every step of the way in which is a form of irritation. So when you see Fern across that wall, you don't think about the reasons, you are pissed that asshole is making fun of you and you can't even touch. Pretty sure he rubbed salts in both you and Hardy's wounds. That's why he works as a member of Team Meteor because he was built up to be an ass it was a natural switch to escalate his position. More natural then Cain joining or Saphira. The deed is done and not much can change to improve this scene so I'll simply just let it go and we shall continue.

 

(Wait...we're friends? I really need to be pickier about my friendships)

 

(Man, I actually wish this was Fern just to see how it'd turn out)

 

(Because nobody was willing to give me directions unless I turned a crazy village good apparently)

 

(One is dead, the other almost died, and the last one was just lost. Yeah, we totally betrayed you)

 

(*Gasp* There's no space between the X. Adam also was nowhere to be seen...Could my best friend be my worst enemy?)

 

(Says the woman who let a bunch of her prisoners escape)

 

(He's gonna die. Calling it now)

 

(Oh good another Shadow Lab. I wonder if there's any more)

 

(The castle?)

 

(Either that is a city made for hope or pretty much a nightmarish place. I'm going with the soul crushing option)

 

(I wonder if I'll actually ever reach that part)

 

Hey, did you know we are still on the V5 segment? This is also the segment that burned me out the first time.

 

(Oh good we're going to have a nice and easy day)

 

(Shit. We picked up two more worthless party members.)

 

(...Well screw you. You just jinxed us)

 

(There are worse ways to die.)

 

(Still better than being eaten alive by a chicken army)

 

(Braixen has really started to grow on me as a character)

 

(Braixen, Adam, and I guess Valerie, you three can stay in my posse. The rest of you gtfo)

 

(I mean I'd totally do that if someone offered. This grown man has no shame)

 

(So Braixen has a pretty decent character full of sass. This supports my clothes theorem)

 

(Those rangers have hats...no wonder why I don't like them)

 

(That...doesn't make much sense)

 

From my 4 years of experience in all kinds of weather in marching band, humidity doesn't randomly give you a headache unless you can't handle it too well. Given what Akuwa Town was like, I highly doubt this would be phasing Valerie. In other words, it's her excuse to shut them up. Well played.

 

(Given what's going to come up, please do)

 

(Remember when I was relevant? Neither do I)

 

(Well at least somebody didn't ignore me. Sigh...I miss Ren)

 

(If we formed a trio that deviated from the normal group, I'd actually be okay with this)

 

(If this was real life, it'd be stomach aches but this isn't real life so she's obviously not fine)

 

(Aww...my crazy idioms and similes have rubbed off on her)

 

(...Was she always like this? Did we maybe switch brains?)

 

(Why...didn't you just teleport back to land then? Nevermind that's unexplained logic)

 

(I also miss ponytail Aelita. I don't like this change. I don't like it at all)

 

(Wait for it...)

 

(Braxien is like the me of this world. I would crack that kind of joke at a time like that)

 

(You know, I kind of miss the old version of this segment. We would have had a badge by now)

 

(I too like to wake up to the smell of fresh vine in the morning)

 

(I would do a rewrite of this section but this part wouldn't even exist)

 

(Who wants to be I could cut all this dialogue and make it into a single line?)

 

Sam: What in the...these weren't here when we headed to our post.

 

Getting real tired of this. Real tired.

 

(And you didn't warn us because...)

 

(THERE'S WARP PADS YOU DIDN'T TELL US ABOUT)

 

It's official: these new characters are worthless. Braxien, Adam, and Nim, you guys are with me as we find a way through this place. Rest of you are on your own.

 

(It's a dimensional Weezing, isn't it?)

 

(Oh good we get to hear life stories again. No wonder the vines aren't letting these guys through)

 

(Some kid wanting to revive dead memes?)

 

[Insert joke about skipping dialogue here]

 

(Oh boy a lame Pokemon nobody cares about)

 

(I don't think my mother jumped in front of that sword to protect me)

 

(We are going backwards. Seriously, who authorized all of these changes?)

 

(I don't think any punishment she could put forth is more brutal than this)

 

(Did we honestly go backwards in progression? I didn't think it was possible)

 

(And...we are going to end it there)

 

Well I did find something interesting to at least post

 

(Finally someone smart)

 

(I love how they are just ignoring the fact that the water expert is with them)

 

(I'd actually like to see that happen)

 

(This is so stupid it's great. I wish there was a fire bear now)

 

(You know it'd be easier if you used a Pokemon)

 

(That had to hurt)

 

(Please do)

 

While Adam and Braixen are kind of charming in this scene, there's just no point to it. The original was pretty much "we need surf to traverse so Player should fight Valerie to gain access to explore. Perfectly fine explanation as we really don't need to be dropped into a...exposition. First off, show, don't tell which this isn't doing. It shows us the situation we're in but Jan feels like he has to tell us. And Angie's introduction in the previous version was pretty much perfect. She was mysterious and eerie conjuring posters. I mean honestly, who gives a damn how this Carnivine came about since it merely is a roadblock. We also were just in a very plot heavy segment and we want to continue that. The Valerie could have been implemented as Valerie simply wanting to take some stress out and challenge the player to a battle. There doesn't have to be...whatever you call this. You could then have Melia or Adam let them know there's a vine block and the group went on ahead to try and find a way around. And the rangers really shouldn't be here. It kind of ruins the good parts of this segment bloody hell.

 

(Oh god I'm going to have to teach Loewe Surf. He's going to be happy about about that)

 

(I'd like to claim that free back riding now)

 

(.............Remind me why Valerie isn't saying that)

 

(Because a piece of medal forces a Pokemon to obey your every command)

 

(Then how the hell is everyone else going to cross? Nobody here other than Valerie has a water type Pokemon)

 

(So amount of badges controls the ability to use HMs...good to know)

 

I'd love it for a game to make badges optional until you need them to progress like Gen I did. Gen II was the coolest with 3 gyms being able to be fought in any order but had a recommended order of Chuck, Jasmine, and uhhh...Pryce. Reminds of that one hack that came out. Crystal link or something. Crystal Clear.

 

(Just enough to not be able to surf)

 

(So I'll say my thoughts here in just a minute)

 

(I kind of wish we were able to challenge him at least)

 

(So Adam is the muscles of the group. Good to know.)

 

(And we're skipping dialogue again)

 

And we'll resume here:

 

(She did this to make our lives more hell. I hate you again)

 

(Best line of the chapter so far)

 

So let me explain: Braixen knew Val would pretty much be swept here so she did what she could to give Valerie a bigger advantage: convince her to fight in a pond of water. Yeah, that's a nice little detail for a dirty little fox to play. No idea why she wants the player to constantly lose considering we can't progress until I win but whatever. I remember using a boat to row out for a good spot to challenge but that's not allowed anymore for some reason.

 

(I'm starting to see who wears the pants in this group)

 

(What we should have been able to do like 2 hours ago)

 

(Oh good, rain. You wouldn't want to make it too easy now, would you?)

 

(I don't even remember really doing anything...no really)

 

(THANK YOU! Somebody who actually shows a sign of regret and caring)

 

Seriously, Melia should be a little bit more like this or at least her actions be explained a bit more. So this is just a little nudge that Valerie is aware she's the weakest of the pack and in a way, the least useful. She needs this big of a handy cap to even stand toe-to-toe with the player. Rain and a field that boosts her Pokemon. It really says something yet we find out very little beyond this since the game focuses more on being bigger and grander then sweat the little things.

 

(It's okay. You're handling this better than Melia)

 

(And reality sets back in. It's battle time. Let's go!)

 

(Says the woman with everything literally on her side)

 

Did I mention 3 of my Pokemon are weak to water, one can easily get one shot, and there's Loewe he won't be able to do much?

 

(At least one person is on my side. You're on my "dislike but okay person" list now, Aelita)

 

(LMAO! I'm starting to really like Braixen. It's like a Saki that's actually funny)

 

(...I guess Walter has to sit this one out then...even though that's like how I get through half this game)

 

(I wonder who Saki would root for...place your bets)

 

(No, no we should not)

 

(Spoiler Alert: Valerie destroyed me...a lot)

 

Before I go into how I won, let's just be clear I was at a huge disadvantage. Gaius the Leavanny is the only Pokemon I have that can even handle a Tidal Wave without being one shot (lives with 20 HP or so). Everyone else it's just up to RNG at that point whether they lived or died. So if hax happened, I reset. I think she got 4 paralyzes, 2 crits, 8 burns, and 5 freezes and one miss before I finally won. So I'm going to go in detail exactly what happened Pokemon by Pokemon:

 

(I remember this monster)

 

So Lanturn before the nerf was a nightmare who pretty much one shot my whole team until I grinded an Abomasnow, Raichu, and Medicham all to finally beat her somehow. This thing hits ridiculously hard at this level, but with the speed reduction removed it's actually reasonable to handle. Usually went for Ice beam and Gaius 2KOs it with Leaf Blade. Most of the hax happened here making the resets not that bad.

 

(Welcome to what caused most of my resets)

 

This is in my honest opinion her most dangerous Pokemon as at this level something is going to feel pain since it's near impossible to OHKO it. I pretty much just used Jesus to both knock it into the red with Endeavor but to also get rid of Valerie's Hyper Potion. Also a good time to heal Gaius back up with he gets KO'd. The sheer number of burn and freeze hax that caused me to reset was a pain.

 

(Walter does what Walter does best)

 

I mostly used Accelrock for the 100% accuracy to make sure Milotic was KO'd. This is the only thing super threatening to me.

 

(Also gotta love dealing with this thing)

 

Ludicolo at this point will one shot anything that doesn't resist water. It's a really good Pokemon but far from invincible. I know this pic was from a loss but Gaius pretty much OHKOs this thing with Xscissor iirc. It might be a 2KO now that I think about it. Usually I have Pancha do chip damage before sending Gauis out.

 

(Meet the least threatening thing on her team)

 

Slowbro is not very scary but not something to use as a breather either as it can actually take 3 leaf blades. 2 Xscissors usually is enough to stop it and rarely causes any issue.

 

(This is how much damage an Ice Beam does)

 

(Walter still serves his role quite well here)

 

So Lapras also was something I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to deal with as Loewe dies to it basically (and got frozen by a freeze dry) so pretty much I use Walter to Rock Slide it to KO range for Gaius to finish off. This happens a lot if you couldn't tell.

 

(And now here's where I kept losing)

 

So at this point I really only have Gauis, Loewe, and SEC to do damage. I'm not sure if SEC can do any damage and Loewe won't do much so it's basically down to Gaius who I just hope and pray for the best. And...

 

(I got a crit to win)

 

It felt so good to get a victory by hax after all the hax she gave me. I actually have a strat that has like an 80% chance of winning but RNG was just not on my side. It did take me a few attempts to figure out how to deal with all the very dangerous waters which thankfully Milotic is the only real scary Pokemon even outspeeding Gaius. Also thankful the AI isn't smart to figure out Tidal Wave does more damage to Gaius then Ice Beam does. I'm not kidding. And that kind of explains the problem. Water type moves just hit WAYYYY too hard. Other than that this fight was actually perfectly fine. We're rather restricted so it being on the easy side is a good thing. I did have a pretty weak team that crippled me but if the crit hax didn't happen...

 

(I still would have won)

 

What happened was I accidentally forgot to save so I had to go through that song and dance again. Thankfully this isn't V10. I'm going to finish the scene before going into that fight since we're almost done.

 

(Also really like how the updated sprite looks...but where's her hat?)

 

(Yeah, totally did it first try)

 

(And nobody is here to spoil the mood...or capture me and send me to jail for spending time with a little girl)

 

(Now I get to use one of the most useful and annoying moves in the game...who likes seeing all those Wingull pop up?)

 

(You'd think we'd get the Marine badge from her)

 

(...I'm pretty sure Aelita is my number one fan...and my only fan)

 

(...You aren't a people person anymore, are you?)

 

(Can I ask a question: how are you not cold?)

 

(Are you implying something is hidden there?)

 

(And now we get to talk about that)

 

So when I first fought this battle, I thought it was a little bit of way too hard, but when I looked back my team is kind of not optimized at all for this team and it makes sense why I kept getting destroyed. I think Milotic is a bit too much but everything else is a pretty good selection though I wish there was a bit more variety of the choices and not expected stuff. I mean something like Luvdisc or Gorebyss. Even Blastoise, Samurott, or Empoleon. There's a big selection and you shouldn't limit yourself to dual types to make a team work. Rain is also completely unnecessary and I'd say drop it but...we're in V9. I went into V10 and I pretty much dropped it after a single attempt. I looked at the files and thought this would be a much better discussion. Jan did a much better job designing this fight to be fun even if it's on the easy side over V10's. Remember, we're trapped on a small segment with a limited selection. And for those who don't understand I'm going to just show you some comparisons:

 

Spoiler

This is the battle I fought in this version of the game:

 

MARINEBIOLOGIST
Valarie
6,HYPERPOTION
LANTURN,42,RINDOBERRY,THUNDER,ICEBEAM,HIDDENPOWERGRA,THUNDERWAVE,1,F,,,MODEST,31
SLOWBRO,43,LIGHTCLAY,REFLECT,LIGHTSCREEN,PSYCHIC,CALMMIND,2,,,,BOLD,31
LUDICOLO,43,,TIDALWAVE,RAINDANCE,GIGADRAIN,ICEBEAM,2,,,,TIMID,31
LAPRAS,43,LEFTOVERS,TIDALWAVE,FREEZEDRY,THUNDER,RAINDANCE,2,,,,MODEST,31
WISHIWASHI,43,MYSTICWATER,TEARFULLOOK,WATERFALL,ICEBEAM,REST,0,,2,,QUIET,31
MILOTIC,44,LEFTOVERS,SCALD,ICEBEAM,DRAGONTAIL,RECOVER,1,,,,BOLD,31

 

It is deceptively too difficulty but in practice it works. The mid levels and overall speed help balance this out. Now let's look at the V10 version:

 

LEADER_VALARIE
Valarie
6,HYPERPOTION
QWILFISH,37,POISONBARB,WATERFALL,POISONJAB,SWORDSDANCE,AQUAJET,1,,,,ADAMANT,31
LANTURN,38,RINDOBERRY,DISCHARGE,ICEBEAM,THUNDER,TIDALWAVE,0,F,,,MODEST,31
SEISMITOAD,37,ASSAULTVEST,TIDALWAVE,SLUDGEBOMB,DRAINPUNCH,GRASSKNOT,2,,,,MODEST,31
FLOATZEL,39,MUSCLEBAND,BRICKBREAK,AQUAJET,ICEPUNCH,WATERFALL,0,,,,ADAMANT,31
MILOTIC,39,ELEMENTALSEED,TOXIC,ICEBEAM,TIDALWAVE,RECOVER,0,,,,BOLD,31
PRIMARINA,40,WACANBERRY,TIDALWAVE,ICEBEAM,MOONBLAST,PSYCHIC,0,,,,MODEST,31

 

Now before you say anything let's look at the challenge mode of this fight just for a comparison:

 

LEADER_VALARIE
Valarie,200
6,HYPERPOTION,HYPERPOTION,HYPERPOTION,WATERIUMZ
QWILFISH,38,MUSCLEBAND,WATERFALL,POISONJAB,SWORDSDANCE,AQUAJET,1,,,,ADAMANT,31
LANTURN,39,RINDOBERRY,DISCHARGE,ICEBEAM,THUNDER,TIDALWAVE,0,F,,,MODEST,31
SEISMITOAD,39,ASSAULTVEST,TIDALWAVE,SLUDGEBOMB,DRAINPUNCH,GRASSKNOT,2,,,,MODEST,31
FLOATZEL,41,LIFEORB,BRICKBREAK,LIQUIDATION,ICEPUNCH,WATERFALL,0,,,,ADAMANT,31
MILOTIC,41,ELEMENTALSEED,TOXIC,ICEBEAM,TIDALWAVE,RECOVER,0,,,,BOLD,31
PRIMARINA,42,WATERIUMZ2,TIDALWAVE,ICEBEAM,MOONBLAST,PSYCHIC,0,,,,MODEST,31

 

This is not good battle design because the two fights are the exact same. While there are differences, they are so minimal that they really are the same more or less leading to an issue: if they are the same, why are there two difficulty modes? I'm not going to jump in what's wrong with that fight just yet as I actually want to jump back into Reborn and Redux to show a little bit of a comparison:

 

Let's look at Reborn's Shade who is on the same level:

 

Leader_103
Shade
6,HYPERPOTION,HYPERPOTION
GENGAR,35,WIDELENS,HYPNOSIS,DREAMEATER,SHADOWBALL,THUNDERBOLT,0,M,0,false,HARDY,31,0,Corey,false,,12,
DHELMISE,34,LUMBERRY,BRICKBREAK,GIGADRAIN,ANCHORSHOT,SHADOWCLAW,0,M,0,false,BRAVE,10,70,,false
ROTOM,37,LEFTOVERS,PAINSPLIT,CONFUSERAY,SHADOWBALL,DISCHARGE,,,0,false,BOLD,25,70,,false
BANETTE,36,,SHADOWCLAW,KNOCKOFF,DAZZLINGGLEAM,DESTINYBOND,2,F,0,false,HARDY,31,70,,false
DOUBLADE,37,SYNTHETICSEED,GYROBALL,SHADOWCLAW,BRICKBREAK,SWORDSDANCE,0,M,0,false,BRAVE,31,70,,false
MIMIKYU,38,SITRUSBERRY,THUNDERBOLT,SWORDSDANCE,SHADOWCLAW,PLAYROUGH,0,F,0,true,JOLLY,31,70,,false,,12,

 

And now for the Redux variant:

 

Leader_103
Shade
6,ULTRAPOTION,ULTRAPOTION
CHANDELURE,42,WISEGLASSES,HIDDENPOWERELE,FLAMETHROWER,SHADOWBALL,ENERGYBALL,0,,0,false,MODEST,31,70,,false
ROTOM,40,LEFTOVERS,DISCHARGE,SHADOWBALL,THUNDERWAVE,CONFUSERAY,0,,0,false,MODEST,31,70,,false,,,100,0,100,100,100,100
GOLURK,39,MUSCLEBAND,EARTHQUAKE,DRAINPUNCH,SHADOWPUNCH,THUNDERPUNCH,0,0,0,false,ADAMANT,25,0,,false,,,80,60,100,60,0,80
GENGAR,38,GENGARITE,DAZZLINGGLEAM,CONFUSERAY,SHADOWBALL,THUNDERBOLT,0,0,0,false,MODEST,0,0,Corey,false
DUSKNOIR,39,LEFTOVERS,SHADOWCLAW,BRICKBREAK,EARTHQUAKE,WILLOWISP,0,,0,false,ADAMANT,31,70,,false,,,100,60,80,60,0,120
MIMIKYU,41,FOCUSSASH,SWORDSDANCE,SHADOWSNEAK,PLAYROUGH,LEECHLIFE,0,,0,false,IMPISH,31,70,,false,,,128,128,128,0,0,124

 

Looking at this I probably should give Gengar better IVs and give it an Adamant Nature. That's for a different time. I just wanted to display a perfect example of differences in difficulty when it gets more interesting and fun. I see why people were pushing for me to go to Intense mode now since it more or less is the exact same just with slightly more difficulty. Also I'm not telling the designers to design it the same way I do, but since there are multiple people dedicated to one job, I'd hope to at least see a better balance job than someone like me who does more with less. We're not here to talk about disappointment but what exactly is wrong here. So let's go back to the V10 Normal version and talk that:

 

So I was that Qwilfish destroy me in a second and basically decided I'll just continue on with V9 until I need to update. I really don't want to deal with doubles Crawli and my team is pretty set to go up through Amber. So for those wondering what I'd do for Valerie let's see for normal mode I'd probably do this:

 

LEADER_VALARIE
Valarie
6,HYPERPOTION
LANTURN,38,RINDOBERRY,DISCHARGE,ICEBEAM,THUNDER,TIDALWAVE,0,F,,,MODEST,25

EMPOLEON,37,SHARPBEAK,DRILLPECK,STEELWING,WATERFALL,AQUAJET,1,,,,ADAMANT,25
SEISMITOAD,37,ASSAULTVEST,TIDALWAVE,SLUDGEBOMB,DRAINPUNCH,GRASSKNOT,2,,,,MODEST,25
GOREBYSS,39,WACANBERRY,PSYCHIC,TIDALWAVE,ICEBEAM,SHADOWBALL,0,,,,TIMID,31
BIBAREL,39,ASSAULTVEST,LIQUIDATION,RETURN,THUNDER,QUICKATTACK,2,,0,false,BRAVE,31,255,,false,,,100,100,100,60,100,60
PRIMARINA,40,WACANBERRY,TIDALWAVE,ICEBEAM,MOONBLAST,PSYCHIC,0,,,,MODEST,31

 

If Bibarel doesn't work at all, I'd probably bring back Ludicolo then to use. I think that's a little on the too hard side still but it can easily be weakened or altered for a normal mode. I'm not sure if this fight was even assessed to see if it'd be fine or not for the average player on normal mode and if it was then not much effort was put into the challenge mode. I wouldn't criticize Jan so much on this as new people are dedicated to pretty much just that. Honestly, I prefer the way Jan was doing it which is probably why I think I'll stick with V9 for a while even if it invalidates some of my criticism. Because hell no to being forced to grind in order to deal with a competitive Qwilfish.

 

[YinYang9705]

Speaking of the Lapras segment, if Lapras carrying capacity was an issue why didn't they just take multiple trips? Its not like they're in a rush to go anywhere, the most pressing matter at hand is finding Saki who can take care of herself.

 

Yes I'm aware its an excuse to have a gym leader battle since its been awhile since the last one, but it could have been slightly less contrived. 

[DemICE]

.... I really like the v10 fight more than v9.... it  feels different and fresh.  And i appreciated that.  Just because you happened to have a team that couldn't handle qwilfish though, it's understandable you'd want to go to the more favorable matchup of v9 since you had that convenience.

V10 did increase the difficulty of the game in general a notch, which is one of its main selling points anyway so i actually support it. Also to be honest i didn't even know the difference between normal and intense (i have never tried normal)  sets when i was pushing you for intense.  It  seems the differences start to be more apparent from Angie and onwards.

Aside from increasing difficulty though, it also solved grinding issues. You are pretty much ready to fight the next major fight by the time it comes, and  you even have the leisure to level up a new pokemon on the way. It is very healthy because that new pokemon could be a choice to help you with the next leader.  At this point, with this new system people who just want to remain with 6 pokemon for the whole playthrough are just stubborn because they are used to play like that in easier games.

Also you have Walter.  Why are you afraid of doubles crawli that much? xd  Let the rocks slide  m' dude!  That's a nicely made fight. More creative than the  v9 one at least.

 

That aside, you are probably the first criticizer that has even remotely  liked Braixen

[Commander]

On 9/5/2018 at 10:36 PM, YinYang9705 said:

Speaking of the Lapras segment, if Lapras carrying capacity was an issue why didn't they just take multiple trips? Its not like they're in a rush to go anywhere, the most pressing matter at hand is finding Saki who can take care of herself.

 

Yes I'm aware its an excuse to have a gym leader battle since its been awhile since the last one, but it could have been slightly less contrived. 

If we're going to be theoretical here, the best moment to fight a gym leader was where we fought Melia. It makes sense and would be a good conclusion spot...until next time on Pokemon Rejuv Z...ahem but I'm more for "fight then explain later" fan as we can zone out of the explanations a bit then to progress.

 

On 9/6/2018 at 2:39 AM, DemICE said:

.... I really like the v10 fight more than v9.... it  feels different and fresh.  And i appreciated that.  Just because you happened to have a team that couldn't handle qwilfish though, it's understandable you'd want to go to the more favorable matchup of v9 since you had that convenience.

V10 did increase the difficulty of the game in general a notch, which is one of its main selling points anyway so i actually support it. Also to be honest i didn't even know the difference between normal and intense (i have never tried normal)  sets when i was pushing you for intense.  It  seems the differences start to be more apparent from Angie and onwards.

Aside from increasing difficulty though, it also solved grinding issues. You are pretty much ready to fight the next major fight by the time it comes, and  you even have the leisure to level up a new pokemon on the way. It is very healthy because that new pokemon could be a choice to help you with the next leader.  At this point, with this new system people who just want to remain with 6 pokemon for the whole playthrough are just stubborn because they are used to play like that in easier games.

Also you have Walter.  Why are you afraid of doubles crawli that much? xd  Let the rocks slide  m' dude!  That's a nicely made fight. More creative than the  v9 one at least.

 

That aside, you are probably the first criticizer that has even remotely  liked Braixen

First I jumped to V10 and I kind of wish I didn't. I'll explain that in a minute. As for the fight, I need to explain something in terms of mechanics. So for Pokemon 101 Speed is king. You outspeed the opponent then more or less you win as most Pokemon go down in two shots. Almost all those Pokemon are Swift Swimmers so there's very little chance you are going to outspeed. You can probably counter one but you have 2 others to deal with. Let's add this to the fact people might come in with very good water counters. I mean how the hell would you have guessed the water gym was next considering it's fought at the most random location in the game. So you pretty much will go into the fight what you had going up against Narcissa since there's basically a Point of No Return. So yeah, your options are rather limited.

 

I wish I was done. She already has a very big advantage even without a field effect but she has a field effect which is a double edged sword with Electric type moves getting boosted. With the field boost on some very, very powerful Pokemon at this point in the game (they can survive 3-4 hits unless they're super effective) you'd think that'd be overkill enough, but nope. It has to be raining as well pretty much guaranteeing most Pokemon will be one shot considering the Qwilfish alone has one of the most powerful water moves: Waterfall. And this is where I can pretty much explain it all: V9's Valerie mostly has slow Pokemon so it's based around taking things down fast and using speed to your advantage otherwise she'll wipe the floor. V10 takes care of the one exploit and makes it an HO team. Generally I found HO teams while strong, quite boring to battle since it's just "Hit hard, hit fast." The team looks original but once you look below the surface, you'll quickly learn it's really not. The irony here is that we went full circle from V9 where I didn't mind the fight to V10 where I probably would have stopped the run if I didn't have V9. I said before Valarie is the reason I dropped Rejuv and it's funny how nothing was learned.

 

I know people find it hard to believe, but I am a bad battler. I think people who aren't great at battling are actually some of the best suited for designing battles. It's mostly an awareness of the fact most people who play games aren't into competitive or maybe don't even know the full mechanics of Pokemon. We're still really early in the game so I'd advise to err on the easy side than for it to be too hard.

 

As for Braixen, I can see why people dislike her being a talking Pokemon and all, but considering how flat everyone else is, it's a good change. A bit of inconsistency in her character but at least she has one. And really I just didn't feel like dealing with doubles since doubles can be a pain in the butt for the team I'm running now. Anyways, back to Rejuv:

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Chapter 38: The Bring Back All the Characters We Like Episode

 

So here's an old joke I haven't used in a while:
 

(First we have wood, now we have woods. Next we'll have Woodstock)

 

Yeah after a few pain in the butt fixes I managed to get V10 working. And if you are worried the Commander sprite is missing:

 

(Have no fear, he's right here)

 

As for my thought on V10: it's meh. You'd think I'd be pro exp abundance but I feel like the levels shouldn't have been lowered from where they were (I mean I raised the levels by 5 from Reborn) but it's not that big of a deal. I also think the Exp amount is a little too abundant since I pretty much raised a full team and I haven't even reached Crawli. I guess I should tell you the team now as I was supposed to make a screenshot and forgot so we have lists. Everyone like lists, right?

 

Party:

Joker (Mr. Mime)

Albedo (Zangoose)

Wisp Bone (A. Marowak)

JESUS! (Donphan)

Gaius (Leavanny)*

Loewe (Samurott)*

 

*Rotated in and out constantly

 

Reserve:

Just a SEC (Salazzle)

Walter (Lycanroc)

Pancha aka I will rename soon (Pangoro)

Ratigan (A. Raticate)

 

Retired:

Unfortunat (Quagsire)

Lifesupport (Buizel)

Sirius Black (Seviper)

Boomdock (Voltorb)

 

So while working on the Donphan project I actually raised another Pokemon which is A. Marowak which honestly isn't as OP as I thought it'd be with thick club. Then again it is only about as strong as Walter. Also sucks I can't have Flame Charge on it so no fire move until post Crawli. Also be prepared for a few surprises later as some new members are coming and one is an oldie coming back. 

Now that we have Surf I can explore in the most fabu...

(Maybe I should have invested in a sprite)

 

Yeah, I only made a walking sprite so while it wouldn't be too hard to make a surfing one there's not much point since what it is supposed to be used for doesn't need to surf. Anyways, don't worry if you see sprites of the male protag as it's not a mistake or oopsie but more of I don't feel like making one. I mean the Commander sprite really is just for cosmetic purposes anyways.

Unless you make sprites of the missing ones. Totally would through a $20 or less steam game at you for the trouble.

(So am I not allowed to go north or east, east, or just north? Kind of hard to tell)

(Carnivine dangerous! I'll believe it when I see it)

(Oh god it's the two people I like less than Melia)

(Considering the Carnivine isn't dead, it won't be that simple)

(Or maybe it is that simple)

(Well that makes this nightmare of an adventure a whole lot easier)

(Isn't Akuwa Town just as hot...)

 

I kind of realized that Akuwa Town is actually near a colder climate which is probably why Valarie hates heat. That really makes Lapras one of the best suited Pokemon for her despite is also being Amaria's. Feels more natural over Primarina. That's water under the bridge now.

 

(Okay, I really like the sass going on)

 

This kind of dialogue was really lacking in Blacksteeple which made a very long segment drag on even more. I know there's only a finite amount of time that can be spent on editing and fixing stuff but it is what it is.

(When did Melia get elected the leader again?)

 

So Melia I'm going to hold off talking about a bit for the analysis. I'll obviously tell you my initial actions but I think people will actually really like that one. There's a reason why I want to hold off on it until we reach a certain segment and no, it's not the one you're thinking of. I already know that going to be a rant.

(Nim is like me on family vacations after the 10th hour of walking. The curse of the flat footedness)

(That's pretty rude. How would you like it if I yelled at you to move when you pass out?)

 

(Wait, how does the hut even stay in place if it's built around the tree?)

(Nim, I need you to be quiet. I am studying this physics defying treehouse. Has levitation been under our noses this whole time?)

(She'll be fine. Now Braixen, what is you theory behind this conundrum)

(Huh. The rooftop could support it but I don't think the materials are enough to keep everything in place. We'll have to look at it from down under...)

(I haven't been feeling well SINCE MY MOM died. Thanks for asking)

(Uhhh....she teleported to an island very far away and levitated two people at once. I don't know how she isn't in a coma)

(Oh boy foreshadowing. How unexpected)

(...Gee we totally aren't under a lot of stress. Nope, no crazy masked lady who could swoop in and kill us at any moment. Not at all. Very peaceful times ahead)

(When Nim is the voice of reason, that just spells doom)

(Finally, imagine if we had to file taxes with these people)

(Let me guess: because you talked too long, the warp pad malfunctioned. Guess that's Karma for you)

(Either it broke on it's own like the others or somebody is pulling our strings/trolling us to make our journey even more painful)

(Never send a girl to do a woman's job)

(Of course one Harry Potter reference had to stay)

(Gearen City! Try Gearen City!)

(If it were easy, it wouldn't be in this game)

(On the bright side, we got rid of the two worst members of the group)

(So that's why this is enjoyable. I forgot Saki was missing. We should just leave her to die. That'd be nice)

(Me too, Adam. Me too.)

(At least it isn't Route 11...and you forgot to bring a certain Pokemon. That's always fun)

(The game is aware of the awful mechanic. Good to know)

 

So let's talk about the weather for a moment. Why does it have to rain? I get the whole rainforest idea but does it really have to rain like at all? Oh well I hear V11 Valerie is losing the rain which kind of was one of the two issues with her fight. I mean Normal and Intense are more or less the exact same. Anyways, I'm never going to do that fight so why bother worrying about it.

(My thoughts doing every chapter of Blacksteeple)

 

I am going to ride the Blacksteeple joke for a long time because boy it sure was exciting reading and captioning 100s of pics where nothing happened. I don't even remember what most of the dialogue is other than my dumb jokes like Snoop Dogg and the rappers. Also, I don't think anything is really going to surprise me given I did all the quests and stuff up until Angie.

(I stand corrected)

(Uhhh...)

(Well I guess it likes treasure)

(Am I getting a time flute. That would actually be a super cool reference)

(...well that was disappointing)

(That also is disappointing)

(The disappointment train doesn't stop for no one)

(You'd think there'd be a nice secret here but nope. Actually, I found something! It's my disappointment)

(I don't know what's more disappointing, the fact I missed that item there or the need to make every tile activate the event)

(Where are these people? All the ones I met wanted to battle)

 

So I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not but apparently all trainers have evolved Pokemon. There was even a Roserade of all things. I'd have to look at the PBS more closely but it was fine. Still a little bit mad I'm stuck on this island for a while before I can even get the Exp All Share. Which honestly makes bulk training super nice. That + Audino trainers saves so much time. Probably could train a whole box in an hour.

(You should've seen the old version)

 

I actually kind of liked the old version even with how confusing and convoluted it was. It made that one shortcut quest so worth it. It's too late to go back to that now so I guess super small map is fine as well.

(Do I look like the kind of person who'd look for someone I'd hate?)

(Doubt it. She probably drowned somewhere and now I only have to collect 17 badges. Saki's death would solve so many problems \o/)

(There's these things called GPS. They are life savers)

(At least Braixen is proving her worth now...unlike most people here)

(Great we learned nothing from the teleporter. The bridge is probably going to go out if we stand long enough here)

 

(What are Adam and Aelita doing down there? Whatever it is, I support it)

(........And here it comes)

 

So something that has been kind of going on for a while is a lack of a sense of urgency when it's needed. One of my favorite examples is fire emblem conquest where Silas enters and gives a very long monologue about how he searches to find you when most previous games pretty much gave them a line or two then had then explain after the battle is over. All this stuff is dragging the dialogue on making nothing feel urgent despite Nim's critical condition because people keep talking instead of being brief. It's not an easy element to master because being too vague is also a bad thing. I don't know if it's a pattern later but it kind of is pretty noticeable especially at times like this. Oh god...I just remembered what's about to come. Help me.

(I think she was apologizing to me what she's about to put me through)

(Me trying to explain concepts nobody has ever heard of)

(I don't care what they're going to say. Let the storm rage OOOOOOOONNNN!)

 

(The writing never bothered me anyways)

(Well at least the bridge stayed intact)

(Melia, did you look her in the eyes or something?)

(I am so glad I'm not one of those Garufa people if that's what not using your powers does)

(Sigh...here we go. Stop ze chatting of no gain at onze)

(It must be national bring back all the forgotten characters arc. All we need is Venam and Crescent and the gain will be all here)

(Ze name ez Geara Donna Ef-Zu. Za happy meeting brinze pains of awkwardnezz)

(Ze joke zat is happening ez NO MOAR! Ez zeriouz zime)

(Yez. Zis ez ze profezzor of Zen. Not zu be mistaken zor profezzor of zere zupidity)

(Zat cannot be ze girl zwei want. Zhe haz za features of womenhood)

(Ze Geara zall not be fooled by dizguize of clevernezz)

(Zhe also ez a bizz. Zi don't want any part in zis zupid zory. Zeems like za pain)

(Zho! Zi get zit now. Zhe bizz zaz fallen into ze time of aging inconzintenzies and haz reached ze period of ze teenager or something. Zi don't know. Zis zory makez little zenze az ez)

(Zya! Zese zoo haz ze iszoos of bratzy girl and zis zing we call ze daddy neglect. Ez quite painful to watch)

(Zwei are ze biggies of zone team Zen...Zi think. Zit haz been a year zho maybe zwei finally replaced uz. Zi would mind none if zwei replaced ze Geara with ze girl zof Poke Zweiden)

(Zi zoo not know of zese Cattle of Black. Zetza, would zu explain?)

(Believe me, zu babbies are ze lazt people zi would like zeeing right now)

 

Gee let's see how many throwbacks I can inset into a single chapter.

(For onze, I agree. Ze haz ze zupids)

(Zhy do zi zave to ezplain. Zhu are ze zlow one zo zhu zould ezplain)

(Don't worry. Even I don't understand what he is saying half ze time)

(Zee movement of ze unquick lady ez not ezused. Zee inzulted ze Geara's accent of zupenzanous)

(Or az zee white haired baby would zay: zee zar looking for ze collectiblez a many zu get zonger)

 

How many are left? Coming up with Frenchera was a mistake. Well I guess it's better than complain so whatevs. Back to ze zory.

(Zwei were trapped in ze dimenzion of ze notzingness. Zit zwas not zee time of ze pleazures. Zwei waz stuck in ze fezival of ze zauzeges and zwei zarted za band called ze Gearacopagals)

(Zwei uzed zis zatzhu zat waz zirl in ze time of past zhort)

(What are zhu zaying. Zese are lieze. I zee a baby, a biss, and ze zupid girl. Zhu zurely don't count ze rock and ze fox az zor power of ze friendzip.)

(Conzidering it haz been a year, zwei would hope zho. Zwei haz training of nothingess zince our band zarted)

(In ze country zat I waz raized in. Zwei called it ze booty of ze brat.)

(Wait. Ze Geara think zwei haz been underzood by zone. Zwei have no interest in ze booty of babby. Ze only booty Zi need is of ze chicken warrior god in zhy pants)

(Wait! Zhi haz ze confuzzles. Wazn't zee za one zat ran away? Zo wouldn't it be zat zee abondoned zhu? What do zhu mean zi am not helping ze zituazon)

(Zho no! Zwei do not act cool. Zhu zwo zar za birdz zof fun a none. Zee only cool bird ez ze Geara)

 

(While zwei would like ze venzenze on ze baby, zi know zwei haz chanze zof none. Zu are boy of bignezz. Zu figure it out zow zwei get zout of here alive)

(Well we haven't seen one of these in a while)

(Yez zu poopz zof ze income. Zwat do zu zinc zi waz talking about. Running ze zene like babbies?)

(Zoo better.)

(Zwei don't know. Zat ez zwat makes zit pleazures).

(Zar zwei going zoo uze ze plant of zee unmenzionables. Zat zeems like ze idea of ze zupids)

(Zes! Zank zhu for speaking zee facts zof zee known).

(Wait! Zi haz za idea of betterment. Zwei should zare zat plant zo zat it makez zee vinez so ze bridge ez NO MOAR!)

(Zetza, listen to ze words of ze Geara with ze attention zof za many)

(Dammit. Zwi doez ze people never listen to ze Geara)

(Zho ez all ze people zoo zand zere like zey haz ze zupids)

(Zi guess zo)

(Zi zould have brought ze corn of ze popping)

(Zar zwei going zo do zis again? Zis ez zee third one, izn't it. Just ask ze baby if ze zupids flee zu)

(Zow can zu even zee it if zu zar looking ze other way?)

(Zoh! I haz ze zupids. Zis ez ze fourth zwan. Zat just makes zit worze)

(Zis ez almost az bad az ze zientist of zere zupidity)

(Can zwei just battle? Zi am tired of producing ze pleazures for ze fans)

(Zat ez za plant of ze baddies. Zit couldn't even take out ze rock)

(Zhar zwei really going to do ze calling of names. Do zhu zee me telling zhu zhy name? NO! Because zi don't have ze zupids)

(Zwei zar gonna zo do zis.)

(Zhy ze hell do zhu all have ze dialogue of ze nothings)

(By ze time ze dialogue ez done. Ze plan zof ze zem zall be done)

(And zwei zall rule za world...or whatever ze Madame of Almost Last Letter plans)

(Zis girl. Zi like it better when ze waz actual baby)

(Zar zhu doing za speech of za herorics. Zis ez why za baby ez ze favorite of ze Geara)

 

No seriously, I totally could see Geara interrupting and commenting on that to get the show on the road.

(Zetza ez ze chef of ze awfuls. Za food ze made in ze world of za nothings waz of za digestion of ze dogs in quality. Thankfully ze profosser ez what zu would call ze chef of grumpiness in quality)

 

I like how Jenner hasn't really said anything and Geara also has been rather quiet. I think the heroes should follow their example.

(Zoh! Zere's moar. Zat ez ze lovelieze)

(Zi am ze adult here. Screwing with ze babbies ez not for ze Geara. Zat would send ze Geara to ze place az bad az ze world zof nothings)

(Oh za girl ez done. Zi am zo happy Zi could almost let ze babies run free, but ze zory demands zi fight)

(Zat is a joke. Ze blonde one ez za cat and...zwat do zu mean ez not of ze funnies)

(And zu try a funny and zey laugh. Zi call zu a cheater)

(Zi can do zat do. Baby! Zwat do zu mean zat's weird?)

(And now zwei fight. Unless ze heroics haz come again)

 

Honestly if it weren't for Frenchera, I would have cut that down a lot. Remember how I said a sense of urgency? Yeah, I think that sums up the point there. Funny how the heroes and by heroes I mean Melia talked more than the other three combined. Favoritism much? As for her reaction from Jenner, I initially thought it was forced but once I explain the analysis it will start making a lot more sense. Pretty much is the only real highlight of that scene anyways. Now for...

(WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!)

 

Seriously, why do the Dimensional Pokemon keep looking worse and worse over time? Is this like a meme or something?

(I guess it's been a while since we had one of these)

 

So for format I'm going to keep all the story battles in pic format and gym leaders in video format. I actually have the video uploaded and on my Youtube channel but...good luck finding and accessing it as I'll post it here when I finally reach that point. I'll leave that as a surprise.

(Well this is new)

 

Just take a guess what happened here. SEC pretty much had a field day.

(And is still having a field day)

(And SEC died)

(Just kidding)

 

Yeah, these things really have crappy output damage. Just saying.

(And this thing still refuses to die...killing SEC in the process)

(Well that backfired quickly...pun not intended)

 

Btw, Wisp Bone only has Shadow Bone, Thrash, Bonemerang, and Will-o-wisp as moves so...it'll be a while before it gets that sweet fire stab.

(And somehow this Tangrowth still refuses to die)

(Seriously, how is that thing still alive?)

(One of these two is about to die. Place your bets)

(If you guessed Loewe, you were right)

 

So Gaius...whose name is incorrectly spelled nearly one shot that Carnivine with Xscissor. Since that Tangrowth spammed Quash, this actually made things a lot simpler since I only have to deal with one Pokemon instead of two. Seriously, that is a terrible move and wonder why anyone would ever consider using it...ever.

(And yes, Gaius lived that Sludge Bomb like a boss)

(And finally that bloody Tangrowth goes down ending the...)

(Dammit there was another one)

 

And this one spamed quash as well. Free experience for Gaius...I guess.

(And that was it. No really, I didn't even try and I won)

 

Only thing that took me by surprise was the fact it was a full team instead of a single Pokemon. Wanted to fight the V9 version but...my backup save system is broken. It happens. Probably could have won it very easy but you never know. Never liked this fight so let's just move on and not talk about it.

(Zho great! Zee cat ez zeeking again. Zomeone zould zut zem up)

(Zar zu really gonna stand zere why ze people of badness zar right behind zu?)

(Zi underestimated za power of za rock)

(Didn't zey do zat in ze lab? Zhy zar zu zurprised?)

(Zey are za baby zat doesn't know when zo back ze down)

(I don't know about you, but standing there awkwardly between Nim and Melia looks and feels that awkward. Though If I had to say what was going on, I'm probably crying and latched onto Nim due to the fact she's gone and Melia's pulling me off. That's better than whatever hell this is.)

(THAT IS TOO DAMN SOON!)

 

I'd probably push her in the water if she said that to my face. Bloody hell. This is gonna be a nightmare to rant about in a minute.

(Ze battle ez a loss. However, ze Geara haz ze blood zat never stops ze thirsties. Zi will fight zon for whatever zis plan Zi do not know about ez. And zi will win in ze end. Ze Geara always wins.)

(Now zi will take ze statue zof ze favorites zof fans za many and make it ze perzon of payload)

(Zeeing az zis place waz remodled za few timez, Zi zay zwei are in ze jungle of Terajumbas. Zi hate zis plaze)

(Zho zwei zall wait in ze volcano of ze dangers for zu to come. Zat zeems like za idea of ze zupids)

(While Zhi really don't want ze cat, ze boss needs zer for za something. Zi don't care. Zi got ze zatue of ze awesomes zu entertain me until then)

(Zho ze Geara may zave fingers zof butter and drop ze zatue in zee lave. Zo zi would be hustling if zi were zu)

(Zi would)

(If ze cat doezn't ze shuts, zi will crush ze girl with ze chicken overlord right now)

(Zu would interupt ze great Geara)

(Does ze worm think zey need to be fed to ze chicken...Zi did not think zo. Zi suggest zu zut ze mouth immediately)

(Ze place zu should know before zu speak za mind zu have)

(Now let's flee from ze crazies with ze power zof ze warps)

 

Oh thank the distortion world that's over. Sadly we are still not done with this scene and have to deal with the worse side still.

(Take me instead...please?)

(I dunno. I thought it went pretty well considering. That's for all the support and help back there...oh wait you all are worthless)

(Tis the day in the life of an RPG protagonist. Though I could do without the whole Xen. Kind of tiring.)

(Go home and actually drop all the people off to where they belong? No? I mean it's not like they'd really be dumb enough to throw their hostage in a volcano, right?)

(This is the XYZ affair all over again)

(Yes, let's actually get to somewhere where it'd make sense to have this discussion)

(Oh. Yeah. Hey Xen, I'd trade Saki for Nim as a hostage. It's a win-win for both of us)

(And after this point I'm pretty sure everyone forgets about her)

 

No seriously, they completely do after a certain point.

(Could you please move, Melia? As much as I like staring at blondes, I'd rather not)

 

Wait...we're done? Well that wasn't so bad. So this is going to sound strange but the problem with Melia in all of this which a lot of people hate isn't actually Melia. It really just comes off poor because of that and I'd rather explain in an analysis what exactly is going on over right now because we have to dive into quite a bit of material. The player, Valerie, Adam, and Aelita all are pretty much silent protags at this point with forced in lines. Braixen also isn't adding much. Remember how I said it takes two to build a character, that's what is going on and pretty much will for the remainder of this segment. You saw the villains kind of bounce off each other and end up fleshing the others out. It's not the best but better than basically like the last 10 or so chapters. The other issue is that this should be the Player's arc with Melia as the secondary character, however, that basically was scrapped leaving only Melia to take the spotlight because none of the others really have anything to fall back on. In other words, expect a lot of forced writing from here on out simply because the writer felt the other characters need to speak.

 

I said silent protagonists are very hard to write well and I wasn't kidding. A well written silent protagonist is able to clearly speak their thoughts and words without the help of other characters. You don't need choice boxes either nor do you need great art skills in animations. You need to understand that basis before submerging onto how to make them work. That's when you can work and build off of the show, don't tell. I hate that phrase since it sets people's minds that things have to be done one way. We saw one good example with Adam outside the player's room on the boat showing what the player was feeling. Funny enough Melia has the opposite problem since nobody really tells you what is going on with her character. Writing is hard as it's never decisive. It's why you need to grow a spine and keep persevering.

 

Since we are a little short...I guess I'll do that scene....even if I really don't want to. Don't you love pointless scenes:

 

(....R1. How creative? Is there an R34 around?)

(If she marries Docker 2, would we call it R2-D2?)

(Why is there a gate in the first place. Literally anyone could walk around that bush there to get in)

(I think Braixen should do that talking from now on. She's pretty cool without Saki around)

(And you're doing a very vine job. So vine, forest of us had to take care of it)

(Please tell me there's at least one competent ranger around here)

(We did what you couldn't do in months. Get over it and let us in)

(...everyone knows the source was a Carnivine. How hard could it be to find one single Pokemon? Seriously)

(I would've murder that thing regardless. It deserved nothing less for what could eventually cause a flood)

(I'd gladly let you join it if you don't us through)

(We have two...three gym leaders, a daughter of one gym leader, the pet of another gym leader, and me. How could they not bloody recognize at least one of them. Or someone could say we're gym leaders. Yeah. Not like they'd betray and join terrorists or anything. Nope, totally trustable)

(Why are we having this bloody conversation? I think this is the third time hearing this. Well it's not number 5 so we'll need to repeat it for people to remember)

(Never heard of her...oh wait she's that one mage that's pretty much the group buffer)

(......Can we please kill them?)

(.........What?)

 

How the hell are we supposed to exit considering all our paths our blocked. So they'd deny access to a dying person simply because they killed a Pokemon which was destroying the forest. Seems like they were kind of doing a favor. But if a sick Pokemon comes at the door even if it was a man-eating one they'd probably let it in no question. No wonder why they are guards to an easy to sneak by gate. Crawli probably couldn't find any other job suited for them. Speaking of...

(Oh look another important character. Bet he has about as much personality as Valerie)

(Well that was easy. Wait, I'm pretty sure I'm a Pokemon Ranger. How could I forget about that? Where's my shades?)

(Alright, which one of you cloned Bugsy?)

(She's been kind of dead. That was the good old days)

(I just realized Braixen has a stick in it's tail. I guess it really sticks to her.)

(Wait...does someone wanna explain this tome?)

 

So was Melia at Kakoriki Village shortly before the start of the game or did she come after when she faked her death? Actually, wouldn't it have technically been a couple years. Also why isn't Crawli surprised by the...nope. Not even gonna question it. Let's just get this chapter done and over.

(Maybe this is actually just a regular day. Considering Angie, this is probably tame.)

(...Did you really forget about me that soon? I even have your shades...)

(I'd be surprised if anybody didn't know the name of these guys due to how much their said. Like geeze. How much exposition do we have to go through?)

(HE REMEMBERED! I'm so happy!)

(Yeah with the Gyarados thing...which I caused. But I fixed it so we good)

(I was just saying. How could I forget about the place? It's where I met Walter)

(I'd say more of a minor thread actually)

(He also nearly beat me to death with his team)

(More like keeping others from screwing it up. Let's see...Venam nearly got herself killed, Ren went mad along with his town murdering children, and I fought a gang.)

(I wonder what his hair made out of? Is that gel or grass?)

(Considering how long one of these take, yes, I am tired)

(I don't have a lot more to say though)

(...I really have to get my head out of the gutter. Please get that image out of my head)

(Personally prefer when people say "the biggest building in the town" since well it usually is the most important. Except in Hearthome City)

(Next time, could you do a personal escort? Your the least annoying person I met on this island)

(Remember when dialogue was interesting...I don't either)

(Believe me, rushing is the opposite of what I do here. Hopefully this won't take a year like last time)

 

It really shouldn't since this segment is pretty much half that size WITH sidequests.

(Can we have a new leader? I elect Braixen. Literally the only one here who actually accomplished something. And she does puns. Automatically makes her a more suited leader.)

(It is pretty light compared to the old one. That was a 10/10 maze)

(Meh. I'd do it again)

(Probably nothing but houses. At least the last village had tutors and a nuzleaf)

(Wait a minute, I didn't realize Aelita had a brain. Why didn't anyone tell me the news sooner? The shocks must've turned it on)

(I would. It'd save you an earful of repeated dialogue)

(Hey Aelita, can I join you on this thinking? Seems more interesting than this)

(So I have. It's nothing like a remembered.)

(That's a good idea. Stay out of everyone's way)

(Is a month really considered soon now? How slow am I?)

 

........I don't get it. That was supposed to be torture. Mostly was meh and another repeat of the group thing. Writing for a group is actually really, really hard as it's so easy for one character to hog the spotlight. I've actually completely forgotten about characters on the group and even some of the best story writers have done the exact same. Though it is better to forget then to forcefully include in every conversation as not everyone is going to have thoughts on a situation. Guess that's also kind of why I like Adam. Only intervenes when he needs to but doesn't care otherwise. Also because he's my rock. I mean the rangers thing was stupid but it wasn't that impacting. Personally think it was a missed opportunity. Since I was asked to do a rewrite I guess. I'd keep it the same but actually extend it a little more:

 

R2: Please exit the way you came.

Valarie: So you're telling me that because we ended up being forced to kill the source of all your problems you want us to completely trek all the way back through that damn jungle.

R2: That is correct.

Adam: Oh no!

Braixen: I think she finally lost it.

Valarie: There are three damn gym leaders here and you can't even recognize a single one. It must be so nice just being able to stand here and not do a damn thing and deny people who really need it entry.

Melia: Valarie...

Valarie: I'm not finished. If you did even half the things I did to even get here, you'd let me in no question. I am not walking all the way back through that jungle and I demand to talk to your leader.

R1: Fine. Guess we'll open the gate so that you can talk to...wait a minute. I'm not falling for that.

Valarie: Can't say I didn't try.

???: What is all that racket?

R1: There's some questionable people. They say their gym leaders or something.

???: You nimwits. That was the group Sam and Alex was talking about. Open the gates immediately.

[DemICE]

1 hour ago, Commander said:

(...I really have to get my head out of the gutter. Please get that image out of my head)

How can I do that when you inserted the image in my head too?

Yknow a friend of mine  reached this segment with a bug mono and every day kept crying to me "this is boooooorinnnng"    and i was like  "it isn't that bad" .   He eventually hiatus'd  it before  even reaching Crawli's fight