Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Interdimensional Observer]

Any chance I can trade PCSX2 for a Zohar Emulator™️?

It took me a moment to realize this was a technical error, which persisted into the next room. Thankfully it didn't persist beyond that.

Spoiler

Finally, T-elos, big important revelations! The weird flashback with The Dude. JesusxMary Magdelene is found in Christian apocryphal texts, however I can also see Christian Gnostic influence slipping in here. The Aeons of Gnosticism that emanated from the benevolent spiritual god the Monad, were commonly grouped into male-female pairings, the consort of the last Aeon, Sophia, wasn't an Aeon, it was Christ. Like Elhaym before her and Mayneth (rather weakly so) thereafter, KOS-MOS is a XenoSophia.

And now I realize Exceed's time point for warping in KOS-MOS flat out doesn't exist.😛 Soul-talk/revelations are immediately followed by battle and an end to Telly. The only moment of possible ripping can be counted in minutes, or even seconds depending on your interpretation. Or, maybe the KOS-MOS of the Crossovers comes from another universe, where the Mary revelation happened perhaps several dungeons before the "sisters" merged together, for in this conjectured world, Xenosaga went on for five or six episodes instead of three. The Ideal Imaginary Xenosaga, which is where Real Canaan & Real Voyager, Real Gaignun & Real Yuriev (who gets purged from all realities), all ended up, and Ideal Ziggy gets to punch Real Voyager d-e-a-d, along with his Ideal Voyager. 

*Cough Cough* Enough with the fantasies! T-elos put her personality on display, and the cinematic action was excellent. Yet, it is obvious she was meant for greater things, which she simply did not get, being crammed in like this. Her battle was the first on-foot boss battle in a while, and she was actually rather easy. She died faster than I thought she would, and by properly guarding every time, U-TENERITAS killed nobody ever.

Oh, and chaos still didn't say who he is outright, despite being flashed in the past, literally saving it for the final (or maybe penultimate if Red goes down separately) boss confrontation are you? He might as well have a butterfly or a cat or a pigeon on Shion's shoulder and not a playable hero if he was going to be so secretive and subdued this entire saga. Sorry chaos, I don't dislike you, but the writing does your playable existence no favors whatsoever. If I turned you into a frog, able to tap into those powers you've used once or twice, the plot would have been perfectly fine.

...And this randomly dawned on me about chaos. His ultimate weapon is called "God Breath", chaos uses gloves. *Checks the Internet to recheck memories* Grahf- "My fist is the divine breath." Perfect Works translates this as "the breath of God". Not-so-blatant Xenogears reference yay!😄 Take a few coolness points for association with Grahf's memey goodness, chaos!

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by Interdimensional Observer

[Saint Rubenio]

1 hour ago, Acacia Sgt said:

You're making a ROM hack?

Yeah, though not quite on the same scope as the previous one. Here's a small teaser of what is to come.

[Acacia Sgt]

2 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Yeah, though not quite on the same scope as the previous one. Here's a small teaser of what is to come.

Hmm...

Spoiler

Zephiel Lord
Murdock Jeigan?
Mage Brunya?
Manakete Yahn?
Shaman Idunn?
... beats me on the male Shaman... unless it's a surprise unpromoted Pereth.

 

[Saint Rubenio]

1 minute ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Hmm...

  Hide contents

Zephiel Lord
Murdock Jeigan?
Mage Brunya?
Manakete Yahn?
Shaman Idunn?
... beats me on the male Shaman... unless it's a surprise unpromoted Pereth.

 

 

Spoiler

Got it in one! In the same vein as this FE5 hack, I'm doing a reverse boss recruitment for FE6, so that is indeed a male Pereth/Peres/Perez/whateveryoupreferez. I am also going the extra mile and writing a bit of text for it, because writing is fun.

I'll have to get creative in the later stages, since there aren't enough bosses or NPCs to fill out the FE6 roster. Even if I included all the Mulagir clones it wouldn't be enough, and I certainly don't want to include all the Mulagir clones lol

 

[Acacia Sgt]

3 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

 

  Hide contents

Got it in one! In the same vein as this FE5 hack, I'm doing a reverse boss recruitment for FE6, so that is indeed a male Pereth/Peres/Perez/whateveryoupreferez. I am also going the extra mile and writing a bit of text for it, because writing is fun.

I'll have to get creative in the later stages, since there aren't enough bosses or NPCs to fill out the FE6 roster. Even if I included all the Mulagir clones it wouldn't be enough, and I certainly don't want to include all the Mulagir clones lol

 

Spoiler

I see. Well, good luck with that.

Hmm, you can always include some of the PC's still. The ones who would've otherwise turncoat but here they wouldn't I suppose. And other PC's that could've gone either way.

So is this a full reversal or only partial AU?

 

[Saint Rubenio]

7 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

  Hide contents

I see. Well, good luck with that.

Hmm, you can always include some of the PC's still. The ones who would've otherwise turncoat but here they wouldn't I suppose. And other PC's that could've gone either way.

So is this a full reversal or only partial AU?

 

 

Spoiler

I would rather avoid PCs entirely. The only exception I'm willing to make is Bors, because he's the boss of the tutorial. I may dip into FE7 or other games for more bosses.

Partial, since I'm not editing the maps. Basically, Zephiel is blitzkrieging through Lycia and beating Roy to every one of his destinations. Not quite a "this is what happened before FE6" deal - you murder Dieck and Eliwood on chapter 1 lol I guess you could say it's the eeeeevil timeline lmaolmao

 

[Ace_]

So I still don't have FE Engage. 😮 I really need a job so I could buy it and some other stuff

[Interdimensional Observer]

More ruminating on the Xenosaga end of game events I witnessed earlier today.:

Spoiler

On Shion’s desire to join Kevin yet again, Monolith Soft once more feinted. The first time around, Shion’s friends saved her, this time, that failed. I felt like there was a trope subversion with Allen here, usually, a confession of love uttered from a heart so hesitant to do so saves their beloved. Here, Allen utterly failed to save Shion, he didn’t even have the guts to finish the confession, Jin anticlimactically did that. However, the Magdalene flashback at the last possible moment brings Shion back to sanity. Shion never actually betrays the heroes, she is twice stopped at “I am going to”, which is not the same as actual betrayal. There are no real consequences from her saying she was going to do it.

It did feel somewhat strange. Love exists elsewhere in the storyline of Xenosaga, Ziggy for his deceased wife and stepson, Junior towards Sakura, the underbaked talk of Jin with Pellegri. MOMO’s familial love towards her father and mother, Jr.’s familial love towards Gaignun and Albedo (who really needed to get over his brother possibly having a girlfriend, that happens, grow up). For it to be love and a sharing of the feelings of loss over one’s beloved- Red & Christ, that makes Shion realize she and KOS-MARY truly understand each other, that was still peculiar. Romance does not come to the forefront of my thoughts with Xenosaga.

Also, while Shion is special, in the flaw I speak of, she isn’t that special. Her insistence on having power and dissing Allen as having none echoes what Young Kevin said much earlier. Given Voyager, Yuriev, that guy who went crazy and turned into a Gnosis in Episode I, U-DO contamination simply seems to be able to drive one into loneliness, madness, and a craving for power (or the opposite into a catatonic state as in the case of Shion's mother). Shion it appears isn’t much different.

Oh yeah, I forgot to comment on U-DO before. The game seems to be insinuating that all along, this great evil everyone fears, is in fact a benign entity? It ponders about humanity, finds comfort in the Song of Nephilim, but it doesn’t actually seek anything malevolent? That the fear one feels at U-DO, like the madness the Realians underwent when they heard the Song, is wholly an unfortunate natural reaction that U-DO cannot stop? Like how fire does not will the things it touches be burned? Not an Evil Wave Existence, but a misunderstood one?

Universal Gnosis-ification didn’t trigger a strong reaction in me. Gnosis = humans has been thing since Exceed Episode I. And this isn’t the first time I’ve played a sci-fi game of a literal macro-cosmic scope to have a last-minute great annihilation event. Xenogears for its part had the little Goetia Key scene (the drama of which was undermined by XG Disc 2 being XG Disc 2), and light comparison to a certain moment in the ‘blades spring to mind too.

While all I really want to play right now is Xenosaga, I don't feel like finishing the game tonight. Tomorrow, or maybe Wednesday, I'll conclude it hopefully no later.😄

Edited June 5, 2023 by Interdimensional Observer

[Armagon]

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

More ruminating on the Xenosaga end of game events I witnessed earlier today.:

  Reveal hidden contents

On Shion’s desire to join Kevin yet again, Monolith Soft once more feinted. The first time around, Shion’s friends saved her, this time, that failed. I felt like there was a trope subversion with Allen here, usually, a confession of love uttered from a heart so hesitant to do so saves their beloved. Here, Allen utterly failed to save Shion, he didn’t even have the guts to finish the confession, Jin anticlimactically did that. However, the Magdalene flashback at the last possible moment brings Shion back to sanity. Shion never actually betrays the heroes, she is twice stopped at “I am going to”, which is not the same as actual betrayal. There are no real consequences from her saying she was going to do it.

It did feel somewhat strange. Love exists elsewhere in the storyline of Xenosaga, Ziggy for his deceased wife and stepson, Junior towards Sakura, the underbaked talk of Jin with Pellegri. MOMO’s familial love towards her father and mother, Jr.’s familial love towards Gaignun and Albedo (who really needed to get over his brother possibly having a girlfriend, that happens, grow up). For it to be love and a sharing of the feelings of loss over one’s beloved- Red & Christ, that makes Shion realize she and KOS-MARY truly understand each other, that was still peculiar. Romance does not come to the forefront of my thoughts with Xenosaga.

Also, while Shion is special, in the flaw I speak of, she isn’t that special. Her insistence on having power and dissing Allen as having none echoes what Young Kevin said much earlier. Given Voyager, Yuriev, that guy who went crazy and turned into a Gnosis in Episode I, U-DO contamination simply seems to be able to drive one into loneliness, madness, and a craving for power (or the opposite into a catatonic state as in the case of Shion's mother). Shion it appears isn’t much different.

Oh yeah, I forgot to comment on U-DO before. The game seems to be insinuating that all along, this great evil everyone fears, is in fact a benign entity? It ponders about humanity, finds comfort in the Song of Nephilim, but it doesn’t actually seek anything malevolent? That the fear one feels at U-DO, like the madness the Realians underwent when they heard the Song, is wholly an unfortunate natural reaction that U-DO cannot stop? Like how fire does not will the things it touches be burned? Not an Evil Wave Existence, but a misunderstood one?

Universal Gnosis-ification didn’t trigger a strong reaction in me. Gnosis = humans has been thing since Exceed Episode I. And this isn’t the first time I’ve played a sci-fi game of a literal macro-cosmic scope to have a last-minute great annihilation event. Xenogears for its part had the little Goetia Key scene (the drama of which was undermined by XG Disc 2 being XG Disc 2), and light comparison to a certain moment in the ‘blades spring to mind too.

While all I really want to play right now is Xenosaga, I don't feel like finishing the game tonight. Tomorrow, or maybe Wednesday, I'll conclude it hopefully no later.😄

Spoiler

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

On Shion’s desire to join Kevin yet again, Monolith Soft once more feinted. The first time around, Shion’s friends saved her, this time, that failed. I felt like there was a trope subversion with Allen here, usually, a confession of love uttered from a heart so hesitant to do so saves their beloved. Here, Allen utterly failed to save Shion, he didn’t even have the guts to finish the confession, Jin anticlimactically did that. However, the Magdalene flashback at the last possible moment brings Shion back to sanity. Shion never actually betrays the heroes, she is twice stopped at “I am going to”, which is not the same as actual betrayal. There are no real consequences from her saying she was going to do it.

What had some people upset is that you physically fight Shion in this. She was not in a sound state of mind but (probably because woman) she gets accused of being "irrational" and whatnot. Not unlike several FE female Lords.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Oh yeah, I forgot to comment on U-DO before. The game seems to be insinuating that all along, this great evil everyone fears, is in fact a benign entity? It ponders about humanity, finds comfort in the Song of Nephilim, but it doesn’t actually seek anything malevolent? That the fear one feels at U-DO, like the madness the Realians underwent when they heard the Song, is wholly an unfortunate natural reaction that U-DO cannot stop? Like how fire does not will the things it touches be burned? Not an Evil Wave Existence, but a misunderstood one?

Yeah U-Do is benign or at least simply existing. But it's like meeting a Lovecraftian horror, your mind simply can't comprehend it. For some, they go mad or fearful.

 

 

[Armagon]

This is how i handled it.

I am approaching 100 hours in this game btw.

[Saint Rubenio]

3 hours ago, Wartortle94 said:

So I still don't have FE Engage. 😮 I really need a job so I could buy it and some other stuff

Good luck getting a job, and more importantly, a good job! The work market can be a gamble. Use Lindon when you get the game.

5 minutes ago, Armagon said:

I like his name. That's like if I made a game in Spanish and called a guy Mastr.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Saint Rubenio

[Acacia Sgt]

6 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I like his name. That's like if I made a game in Spanish and called a guy Mastr.

You take out another vowel?

[Ace_]

21 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Good luck getting a job, and more importantly, a good job! The work market can be a gamble. Use Lindon when you get the game.

Thanks 🦊 and okay I'll use him when I get it. I just looked him up and he looks pretty cool

[Interdimensional Observer]

18 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Not unlike

I can see that...

Spoiler

Back at the start of XS Episode III Disc 2, it seemed like what compelled Shion to join the rest of the heroes in stopping Yuriev, was being told Kevin was going after Omega. She never brought it up afterwards, but the chance to see him again initially sounded like her motivation. I did not rule out the possibility of her wanting to join him once more, she did not seem firmly against it.

Shion doesn't seem very cliched, unlike a fine deal of the heroines in Japanese popular entertainment. She isn't a cutesy loli. She isn't perky or silly (perfected in the form of Xiaomu). She isn't elegant, demur, damseled, or motherly. She isn't a heroine who gets relegated to second place and undermined -despite nominal parity or greater importance- by a male lead (Elly). Neither is Shion a strong, cool, independent solo lady lead like say Samus or Bayonetta or Elma. She has a bikini, but her normal clothing is fanservice-free. She is a researcher who lovingly sees KOS-MOS like a child and shows a certain joy and empathy in working with Realians in Episode I's opening, but she isn't exaggeratedly nerdy. And Shion's desire to betray isn't her only flaw, her day-to-day behavior towards Allen and Miyuki could at times be described as unjustifiably "bossy" when they only meant her well. -Although she isn't totally not a people's person who should live her entire life surrounded only but manufactured beings either. She has a minor personality flaw that is a blemish, but not an exaggerated one e.g. the tsundere trope.

Do I like Shion? Sure I guess? She is fine, my feelings towards her on the whole aren't strong. I'm more understanding of want to betray than others. I'm not wondrously drawn into Shion's storyline, especially since Kevin as shown in Episode III's past visit seems to have been unlikable outside back then (outside of his one philosophizing moment) and still is in the Disc 1 present when disguised. Being the creator of the Asuras, working for U-TIC without the reservations/regrets of Suou and Joachim, another two strikes against him. Girl, you deserved better than a steaming pile of 💩. I'm not saying your love was blind, but you never saw what an a-🕳️ he was. (Will he do anything to change my opinion of him? In the last five minutes? Doubtful, but I'm receptive.) Though the final scenes of Disc 1 are a quite compelling aspect of Shion. And realizing the "past" wasn't actually the past removed from her outbursts against her father the "You're threatening to rewrite history, think of the dangers!" criticism against her. Her flawed relationship with Jin... rooted in her daddy-issues (her virulent mistaken judgements certainly bit her at the end of Disc 1), and he never tried telling her the truth.

I dunno, if there is someone in XS that elicits feelings of poignancy in me...

• Maybe MOMO or Ziggy (reading the Piped Piper transcript is the last XS thing I did before I began Episode III last year).
• Jr. would probably fall with Shion into a second tier, Jr.'s reactions in his struggles feels more typical of a lead protagonist than Shion's (even though he isn't a lead).
• I generally like Jin, perhaps the most actually of the heroes as a person. But not owing to the events that happen to him, which are next to nil, being the most ordinary teammate, whose major moments in Episode III have been spent mostly as a pillar trying to prop up Shion.
• KOS-MOS had her uncanny behavior (and outright flashback murder spree) in her Episode I, but once that wore off, she isn't exactly compelling, despite being a cool android, you know this.😏 ...Actually, did Kevin die at Miltia and had been a Testament not dressed in the Testament clothing when he seduced Shion and developed KOS-MOS? Didn't he give her the very important pendant? His "death" then would merely an escape from the public stage at the proper moment, so he could then go into the shadows as a Testament. I'll find out tomorrow but it ain't too late to place a bet.
• And as I said above, chaos, nice boy, but sooooooooooooo late to reveal his relevance, which is unfortunate for him. It would've been nice to better understand whatever he has been grappling with for the past 6000(?) years. Getting it all at the end won't completely compensate for not having been shadow-drip-fed more about him along as the way as others occupied the center stage.

I have given too much commentary? Too wordy? Too crazy? Too harsh (keep in mind I'm intentionally exaggerating my brutality here, a pinch of Guillo-inspired attitude)? Too... something, anything?😅

Memories and impressions fade, this is a way of trying to record these thoughts of mine (yet as they change even as I type as I formulate and refine them before jotting them down, it is an imperfect method) for the rest of my existence. And to not have my brain mistaken about what it has long thought, when/if my opinions change.

[Shadow Mir]

On 5/29/2023 at 8:29 PM, Lightcosmo said:

Uhm... Considering there are those that consider The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel difficult, I cant say im surprised. Xd

I can't say anything on how hard Cold Steel is or isn't, but... I cannot for the life of me rationalize someone who apparently cleared Engage maddening then proceeding to get a game over in the prologue of Sacred Stones... Twice... IN A ROW. Oh, and this same dude made worse financial decisions than Zhongli. Like buying a freaking slim sword, which there is no reason to buy, like, ever. And forgetting that gems are meant to be sold until like near chapter 14's end.

Also, Last Respects is now banned, and Marshadow has been dethroned. It's no longer the fastest QB from OU. Regieleki is.

 

[Armagon]

Oh Marie Remake comes out in July, not June. That's good.

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Spoiler

...Actually, did Kevin die at Miltia and had been a Testament not dressed in the Testament clothing when he seduced Shion and developed KOS-MOS? Didn't he give her the very important pendant? His "death" then would merely an escape from the public stage at the proper moment, so he could then go into the shadows as a Testament. I'll find out tomorrow but it ain't too late to place a bet.

 

Spoiler

Kevin died originally when proto-KOS-MOS punched his ticket to the afterlife.

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And as I said above, chaos, nice boy, but sooooooooooooo late to reveal his relevance, which is unfortunate for him. It would've been nice to better understand whatever he has been grappling with for the past 6000(?) years. Getting it all at the end won't completely compensate for not having been shadow-drip-fed more about him along as the way as others occupied the center stage.

Consequences of corporate fuckery.

 

[Lightcosmo]

1 hour ago, Shadow Mir said:

I can't say anything on how hard Cold Steel is or isn't,

imagine playing a tactical turn based game, except only one character gets to go turns because of a spell that allows you two free turns. Xd

[Acacia Sgt]

Maybe I should play an Atelier game once I'm done with Trails FC.

[Lightcosmo]

46 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Maybe I should play an Atelier game once I'm done with Trails FC.

I recommend it highly!

[Interdimensional Observer]

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

ticket

My overactive mind is overthinking the simple things then.😅 Though my speculation sounded clever, didn't it?

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

Consequences of corporate fuckery.

I've felt that with Episode III.☹️ I came in optimistic even knowing the fate of Xenosaga, and with every abridging, I've tried to look on the sunny side. Alas, Disc 2 has increasingly felt like Disc 2.🪑 

Monolith handled it better this time I think, they gave everyone a good sending off, they didn't forget anyone's storyline this time. However...

Xenogears was intended to be a single self-contained game, barring the mysterious XG Episode VI, its episodes are fine existing purely as segments of the backstory. Xenosaga from its inception was intended to be a single story told over multiple video games, a single episode in the XG sense broken down into multiple episodes in a different meaning of the word. Salvaging Xenogears Disc 2 would be far easier than fixing Xenosaga.

• With Gears, the fans could very reasonably add dungeons and flesh out events and elevate everything to where it should of been, and fit it all on single PS1 disc. There would have to be some guesswork with say Rico, but overall, Disc 2 provides enough clues to finish it as it was intended to be.
• With Saga, we cannot do this.
  • We can reasonably reason that Monolith Soft did not originally intend to immediately follow the past visit with the Merkabah, but what would've filled in the gap between the two? I have no idea, do you? How many dungeons? Would they've been in separate Episodes altogether?
  • Who knows? Only Takahashi-sama knows. -Well, him and Soraya Saga and perhaps some other higher ups at Monolith Soft from the time. We could never on our own reconstruct the True Xenosaga.

...In conclusion, Xenogears Disc 2 has worse execution, yet the total narrative damages of Disc 2 are smaller. Xenosaga Episode III has better execution, yet that cannot hide the reality that a much greater amount of narrative devastation lay behind Episode III.

-Or so I think.😅 Agree/disagree?

I don't understand how my brain went into overdrive to write the above comparison, but it sounds brilliantly insightful to me.

...Either way, I'm just happy this eternal recurrence was forever broken after Xenosaga.♾️⚰️ With a better corporate suzerain, Monolith Soft could choose to reincarnate the Van-name, slap the Zohar-shape in new places, and give Zeke those unexpected Bart & Sigurd recolors. The cyclical returns that Monolith wants, not the one that twice-ruined Xeno.😄

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

Oh Marie Remake comes out in July, not June. That's good.

To speak of something not Xenosaga for one moment, isn't this game only 10 hours for a playthrough? I thought I saw comments saying this. For $50 is that worth it? You sure you don't want to wait for a sale?

Edited June 6, 2023 by Interdimensional Observer

[GuardianSing]

So apparently, this specific Polish regiment when defeated decided to go all the way to uncolonized land in the Steppe to regroup

That's actually hilarious, imagine being in that regiment and being told that you have to go the several mile march across Russia just to set up camp in Siberia

 

[Armchair General]

Kinda debating on getting Diofield, cuz I'm bored and an RTS for the Switch kind of feels too good to be actually true.

 

But the fact that it came and went without anyone talking about it is kind of an red flag, in an way

Edited June 6, 2023 by Armchair General

[Kassie]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Armagon]

I have completed the big three side adventures in Tears of the Kingdom, the ones that span the entire game. I'm officially going into "let's wrap this up" mode now because i'm starting to get just a little bit burned out.

45 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

..In conclusion, Xenogears Disc 2 has worse execution, yet the total narrative damages of Disc 2 are smaller. Xenosaga Episode III has better execution, yet that cannot hide the reality that a much greater amount of narrative devastation lay behind Episode III.

-Or so I think.😅 Agree/disagree?

I 100% agree with this. It's impressive just how much Monolith was able to wrap up with Episode III.......but it shows just how much corporate fucked it over.

46 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

o speak of something not Xenosaga for one moment, isn't this game only 10 hours for a playthrough? I thought I saw comments saying this. For $50 is that worth it? You sure you don't want to wait for a sale?

The remake giving me the option to play without the time-limit means more time for me to see all the character events.

 

34 minutes ago, Armchair General said:

Kinda debating on getting Diofield, cuz I'm bored and an RTS for the Switch kind of feels too good to be actually true.

 

But the fact that it came and went without anyone talking about it is kind of an red flag, in an way

There's a lot of games that come and go.

Could be worse. Could be Forspoken (another Squeenix title for reference here).

[Armagon]