Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Hanes]

40 minutes ago, Sidereal Wraith said:

Children should be seen and not heard.

I think a minor just putting something on their page is fine. You don't have to build around them, obviously, but also the complete disregard for them and sometimes just upright vile hate I see on the internet is insane.

Like, they are like half your age, come on chill.

Also I care about this because I've been on the internet a lot as a minor, and it's not like I had to do anything wrong to get harassed for it. I recognize some silly things I did, other times though it's like god damn I'm 17 chill (I am not 17)

Also, this comes with the unfortunate problem that there aren't child-zones on the internet anymore, obviously they'd have to be regulated to keep predators away, but children have been forced into social media where they can easily engage with adults. And no, I don't think kids should have unrestricted internet access, but it's still important for, as an example, children in abusive households, to get a place to escape to.

35 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

You talked about minors and loli content and i said they shouldn't even be allowed near that stuff. That's not irrelevant lol.

Yeah, but you responded to me by making up a scenario, when it wasn't what I brought up.

35 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

However if they harass others over it (and that they do) that's when i have a problem

Yeah lol, both things happen. Just because I didn't say one case (the one where minors go and be little shits), doesn't mean I think it's ok or not.

35 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

yeah, and even if it disgusts me, aslong as it's appropiately tagged, no one should get harassed over this. It's all fictional content. No one should be harassed over it. "don't like, don't read" an age old fantiquette that current generation fails to grasp. Not to mention you are wrongly assuming that content is only to satisfy x group, when it's usually more than that. Fantasies are a thing for a reason - everyone has them and they are not a problem aslong as no one acts on them/hurts others well, roleplay is a thing, but let's not kinktalk. Saying fantasies are wrong are akin to thought crime. 

And you are acting like people don't get triggered over problematic stuff that actually shows how bad it is. They do, all the damn time. 

You know, I agree in parts what you said and others not, but it'd be too complicated to voice that so I'll just point to the bolded parts.

I don't think fantasies are wrong, but I think trying to satisfy them is definitely cause for suspicion. Even if nothing is acted upon, man, you will never get me to not think it's weird someone is jacking off to animated children. 

And the second bolded part. Yeah, I know. Those people lack media literacy, they're also super dumb. However I'm not like them, and I will defend (and have in the past mind you) the inclusion of things critically for that purpose.

35 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

You should've seen me writing paragraphs on Rean a few years ago. I hate him too and the whole harem bs sorrounding him - not due to moral reason however, but because the writing, in my opinion, is complete and utter shit. Going and harassing people who like Rean x anyone should not be a thing you do you should harass them for being Rean fans *cough* ANYWAY.  

Well, I guess that's fine. I mean I do find it disgusting on top of all the dogshit writing.

Bolded part: SEE NOW YOU GET IT (and no I don't harass people for liking Rean x anyone, btw. I actually don't harass people for anything, I just voice my dislike of these things because I don't like it.)

35 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

Harassing people over it and calling them criminal apologists and names and stuff - that i have a very big problem with. And if anyone does that, i will, to put it plainly, call them out on their bs.

Again I don't harass people

I mean, I think the culture it breeds necessarily is terrible. Like the laughing at SA jokes, finding lolicon or incest "cute", etc. like, even if you are not a fan of it, it does lighten your opinion of these topics positively. I think that's the worst part about it when it gets depicted so much uncritically, and usually to very blatantly appeal to that stuff.

I don't think I'm wrong for calling it apologism when it is. I mean, people defend it so much to include SA, lolicon, and incest, when the natural response should be that none of that should have any space in anime as jokes or funny gags or anything anymore. That's being an apologist, they're also usually crimes. You get 1+1 and get 2.

And yeah you are doing this apologism too. You really want it to stay (or rather, you don't want it removed, but that's just different wording). Why? "Because freedom of speech" yeah but why? Look at the effects it has. It'd be better if it wasn't there at all. Sure maybe it doesn't literally correlate to real crime, but it has affected lots of people into thinking it's more ok than it is.

Look for instance all the incest porn, and I mean porn not hentai. Incest is gross and terrible, yet that medium has convinced a lot of people it's less bad than it is. And even to non porn consumers, they see the memes and lighthearted ways it's thrown about and think of it slightly more positively. I don't say this out of puritanism or whatever, I have a friend who had a traumatic experience with incest, and no this and the "jokes" don't relieve it. It's a thing that should have stayed taboo and shunned, it has no benefits.

And again, this is about when it's romanticized and fetishized. I have no qualms when it's explored, especially as a way to bring closure to victims.

The only thing I think is good is that wanting to get help for these issues should be less shunned. So that it can be treated. (And yes treatment has some level of exposure to it, but not by making light of it)

32 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

That's cheating. And besides, could you pull off those killer rolls?

No but I can pull some sick bangs. I can have the manliest long hair on earth or the cutest long hair on earth. (I like my hair btw)

32 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Ruben jumpscare

Also I love that I remember that running gag. While the "generic that keeps returning" equivalents never did reach the heights of the Royal Historian, I was seriously inspired with some of the other running gags, if I do say so myself. I went way too hard on the Valery lore lol

Ruben Jumpscare!

Who was the Royal Historian?

Edited August 13, 2023 by Hanes

[Codename Shrimp]

22 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

Man, I'm late to the party like always

You started the fire then left, my friend

 

22 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

this post was just a jab at things Reddit forbids or allows

reddit gonna reddit

But until the communities move from it we gotta play by it's rules

22 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

Do you remember Titanfolk after Chapter 123 came out where you were called a Nazi for supporting the Rumbling? Same shit again and again

 

not even 123, you got called racist for not supporting Eremika, man.

Wild stuff.

22 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

I will need another two or three days to finish this route at least. Can you wait for that?

take your time. Workweek is starting anyway so we will wait at the checkpoint, if we even arrive there

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

complete disregard for them and sometimes just upright vile hate I see on the internet is insane.

insane, but i can honestly understand it - they want the internet to cater to them and many oldies don't like that, especially thus of us who grew with "curate your own experience"

Even when i was a minor back then i had to do that...then again before going online i also visited internet courses and safety classes...Nobody does that anymore.

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

children have been forced into social media where they can easily engage with adults.

and it sucks. Children should've never been allowed on social media.

 

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

by making up a scenario

i didn't make stuff up, that's something that's to my knowledge, happened.

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

it does lighten your opinion of these topics positively.

[citation needed]

We already know from shooters and games that's not the case. We already went through this for decades and turns out - no correlation. We would've much more murderers if that was the case, and irl crime apologists. Most people are able to differentiate and enjoy problematic content responsibly. 

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

I don't think I'm wrong for calling it apologism when it is. I

no. It is when it happens in reality and people go victim blaming and act like it's nothing. That's apologism

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

"Because freedom of speech" yeah but why?

expression, not speech

Because fiction and stories shouldn't be limited by morals. Or anything. The only limits should be one's imagination.

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

Look at the effects it has. It'd be better if it wasn't there at all. Sure maybe it doesn't literally correlate to real crime, but it has affected lots of people into thinking it's more ok than it is.

[citation needed]

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

ook for instance all the incest porn, and I mean porn not hentai. Incest is gross and terrible, yet that medium has convinced a lot of people it's less bad than it is. And even to non porn consumers, they see the memes and lighthearted ways it's thrown about and think of it slightly more positively.

[citation neeed]

You are making alot of stuff up here.

If any of what you said was true, my country would be filled with stepmomfuckers considering our porn statistics 😛 

Most people can differentiate pretty easily - it's the ones who can't who come up with arguement with no basis in reality.

You are literally using the same arguement as "Games make murderers" which was pretty much disproven as complete and utter bs.

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

I have a friend who had a traumatic experience with incest, and no this and the "jokes" don't relieve it.

And i know people who use it to cope. Each person is different.

15 minutes ago, Hanes said:

It's a thing that should have stayed taboo and shunned, it has no benefits.

Incest stories are as old as humanity, what exactly are you on?

The taboo is always wanted - and aslong as it stays in stories, that's fine.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Shrimpy -Limited Edition-

[Codename Shrimp]

And again, atleast in the anime communities, the ones who speak up the loudest against problematic stuff are the ones who turn out to be criminals.

Feels like a big ass projection is going on, if you ask me.

(No, i am not calling you a criminal, i am speaking from experience with how it is in anime communities.)

Edited August 13, 2023 by Shrimpy -Limited Edition-

[Hanes]

4 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

And again, atleast in the anime communities, the ones who speak up the loudest against problematic stuff are the ones who turn out to be criminals.

Feels like a big ass projection is going on, if you ask me.

Same as with conservative politicians and being gay, I guess. They feel what they are doing is wrong, and thinking violently being public against it is a way for them to atone (erroneously so in the case of gay politicians, and better so for criminals who I guess repent their actions). It doesn't mean that those who don't speak up about it aren't also into it.

Like using the gay example again, most gay people don't loudly speak up against being gay, but they are. Therefore I think it stands to reason that there's way more people who silently take in the problematic stuff and are criminals, but we don't hear about it because they're not loud and screaming about it and putting an easy target on their back.

12 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

Incest stories are as old as humanity, what exactly are you on?

Replying to just this because I don't care about the rest to write 5 paragraphs and get two sentences, even though I could.

What I am on is that it should be taboo and shunned. I have no clue how them being as old as humanity changes my opinion of that.

[Codename Shrimp]

Just now, Hanes said:

but we don't hear about it because they're not loud and screaming about it and putting an easy target on their back.

or: because they don't act on it. Then they aren'T even criminals.

1 minute ago, Hanes said:

What I am on is that it should be taboo and shunned.

incest itself? Yes

Stories? Nah.

Porn? Both me and you and everyone knows that will never happen 😛 

[Venger_06]

21 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

You started the fire then left, my friend

I didn't expect the flames to rise so high. At most some passive-aggressive comment from Ruben

22 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

But until the communities move from it we gotta play by it's rules

Hard to happen tbh. It has a lot of information that is easy to find thanks to the simple organization of the communities

25 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

not even 123, you got called racist for not supporting Eremika, man.

Wild stuff.

Ah yes, you were considered racist for criticizing her since she was Asian in lore

[Codename Shrimp]

5 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

80s Mecha Ephraim x Eirika?

 

6 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

Hard to happen tbh.

yeah, as sad as it is.

And the discords are even worse - not only are big discords cancer, the discord mods are magnitudes worse than reddit mods

[Hanes]

We are not going to agree, so whatever. I'll think about it, I do change my mind sometimes way after the fact, but I haven't on this topic the several times I've discussed about it.
I'm not gonna hold you accountable to do the same lol I could care less.

My endgame Heath kicks ass


Wish I got him that 12 exp...

Oh and this was no Afa's Drops, as I neglected to make a tactician lol... this was also the failed ranked run 💔 

[Codename Shrimp]

Yeah let's talk Fire Emblem instead, that's why we are here!

Now do you want to know my opinion about ElibeFE so we can start our next fight? 

/jk xD

Have a nice night, and hey, apologies if it got to heated there. Really should've just played Engage instead of responding.

Anyway, time for me to pass out so i can start my depresso expresso until friday

Edited August 13, 2023 by Shrimpy -Limited Edition-

[Lightchao42]

Heihachi moment

9 hours ago, Lightcosmo said:

If your still on the Switch version, i want to know if this bug still exists or if it's been addressed there, too. XD

Yeah, it was fixed a few weeks ago.

7 hours ago, Armagon said:

Pacific Rim got a sequel?

It did, Luigi was the main villain... oh wait, you're ignoring it on purpose. I'm glad I got to make that Luigi joke, however.

4 hours ago, Sooks said:

How far we’ve come…

Now they can eat ice cream without trauma. If I had a nickel for every time Estelle tried to get Joshua to feed her, I'd have two nickels.

[Acacia Sgt]

Is it finally safe to return?

[Hanes]

16/18 Heath, btw.

[Codename Shrimp]

The war should be over.

Let's hope no one revives it

[Hanes]

3 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

Yeah let's talk Fire Emblem instead, that's why we are here!

Now do you want to know my opinion about ElibeFE so we can start our next fight? 

/jk xD

Have a nice night, and hey, apologies if it got to heated there. Really should've just played Engage instead of responding.

Anyway, time for me to pass out so i can start my depresso expresso until friday

It's all good 👍

At least we both hate CS, fuck CS.

[Codename Shrimp]

1 minute ago, Hanes said:

At least we both hate CS, fuck CS.

Something from my old Falcom days

There's another version of this meme i made as well with a more risqu image lol

[Saint Rubenio]

22 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

I didn't expect the flames to rise so high. At most some passive-aggressive comment from Ruben

And you did get it.

Hijinxes then ensued.

10 minutes ago, Lightchao42 said:

It did, Luigi was the main villain...

Whoa what is this? Context?

[Hanes]

23 minutes ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

Something from my old Falcom days

There's another version of this meme i made as well with a more risqu image lol

Seriously fuck the loli shit in CS.

Fuck CS actually. It is boring, it sucks, it brings nothing of worth to the trails world.

EDIT: Ok it probably brought one thing, but it's not enough for the amount of time it wastes.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Hanes

[Acacia Sgt]

Okay, I've decided. Not like it garnered much attention anyway, but I feel I'll just stop talking about my writing activities. Anyone curious can just check out my uploading places if needed.

[Interdimensional Observer]

4 hours ago, Hanes said:

Damn, that actually sounds really freaking interesting! Old recipes sound fun, but I am a terrible cook at anything so I wouldn't try it I think haha.

Here's the vid.:

The guy -no academic background in food nor history- started this channel rather timidly before the pandemic. In the time since then his abilities at making these delicious (and sometimes not so delicious- "Black Banquet" jellyfish and 1950s fish pudding🤢) history lessons has greatly improved, got married, and he quit his job at Disney (voice acting I think?) to make this channel full-time.

Puts out a video once a week on Tuesday, plus a second for a beverage on Friday once in a while. Mostly European/American cuisine from Ancient Greece to the 1950s at the very latest (see Queen Elizabeth II's "Coronation Chicken") b/c he doesn't have so much access to non-Western sources for the history part of things. Occasionally gets a little food or history detail wrong (comments on this particular video criticized his criticism of birch sap b/c all tree sap tastes watery, you need to reduce it to a syrup to make it sweet, the comments say you need 110 units (gallons, liters, whatever) of birch sap to make 1 unit of birch syrup (maple sap converts to maple syrup at a much better 40:1 ratio)), but by the low standards of the free non-academic Internet, it's good.

I don't spend any time randomly looking up stuff on YouTube really, I just typed in "garum" once, and he was at the top of the list for the ancient Roman fish sauce. Coincidentally, that's the video where his channel started taking off, and now -b/c the original video only covered "quick garum", he current has some fish guts fermenting in his backyard for months (don't do this yourself if concerned neighbors might complain of the rotting fishy smell) to make a true jar of Rome's favorite condiment that they put on pretty much everything.

Nerd with a degree in history that I'm not using ATM, so ofc I like.😄

4 hours ago, Hanes said:

(I like your ways of using emoticons lmao)

I remember hearing years ago of some "research" on TV that said people who use more 😀 have more 🍆💞🍑. I don't know if it's true, but it can't hurt to try!😁

6 hours ago, Hanes said:

Have fun playing FE! I'm going to be reading Metamorphosis right now.

As in the Franz Kafka novel? I had to read that back in high school. Huge hideous insect on the cover of the book and difficult to grasp existentialist-absurdist themes made it not exactly my favorite.

Call more boring, but my favorite book from that year was Shakespeare's Hamlet, a good teacher made it great. As did me personally interpreting the play's main lesson as "procrastinate and everyone dies" which was so relatable, Hamlet's shout of "my dull revenge!" captures perfectly what I'd like to say whenever I have something I need to do and feel it, but I incomprehensibly haven't like I am right now.

Catch-22 was another book from that year of high school. It was okay, though the 1961 humor mostly failed. The best part was when the teacher explained the dead friend's Italian prostitute angrily chasing the main character with a steak knife anywhere anytime no matter how he got rid of her, was in fact a metaphor for his conscience and her appearance meant he was in danger of betraying his morals, the one time he got caught and stabbed was right after he betrayed himself. Not sure if all literary scholars agree about this interpretation, but I like it.

4 hours ago, Hanes said:

Honestly I see you play a lot of interesting jrpg stuff. Keep us posted!

Oh I don't play anything too crazy.

I decided to tip my toes in the pool of the Atelier franchise, and historical curiosity + easement into those crafting-heavy waters led me to pick first the Atelier Iris trilogy and then the first half of the Mana Khemia duology, all PS2-era. A few fans might think of these as Atelier spinoffs, but it is outright stated at the start of each of those games that they're "Project A*insert number*", "Project A" being used by Gust to designate all official mainline Atelier games.

The Atelier Iris trilogy tried turning the franchise into a more typical JRPG series by cutting down on the crafting side of things and adding more normal JRPG tropes and plot. The Mana Khemia duology began by asking the question- "What if Atelier took place at school and went all-in on the schoolness?". (Disclaimer, I do not love "high school hijinks", but I am willing to tolerate them in my JRPGs from time to time.) The Arland Restoration I'm inventing this phrase to sound smart and authoritative brought the Atelier franchise back to its Salburg-Gramnad roots and transmuted Iris & MK into frogs drowned in formaldehyde misplaced in the storage room of a science museum.

Although these games do seem to have a few residual, aging fans in the Atelier fanbase. I found two or three comments wishing for a Mana Khemia 3 when the new disappointingly gatcha mobile game was announced.

-And yes, I will occasionally post about it.😀 Armagon might be interested, being the Atelier fan here who just satisfyingly completed his dive into the new Atelier Marie (the very first game from 1997) remake.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Interdimensional Observer

[Armagon]

7 hours ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

can agree with shows, but movies have been really really really sucky in the last few years.

Like the only ones i liked recenty were Mario and Oppie

Responding to this because i want to list off the movies i've seen so far this year that came out this year that i keep forgetting to update my Letterboxd with

• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: Peak kino fiction. Technically last year movie but i saw it in January so....
• Cocaine Bear: Saw it as a joke, probably better than Ant-Man
• Mario movie: fun time
• Guardians of the Galaxy 3: Kino, James Gunn incapable of missing
• Across the Spider-Verse: best movie of the year tbh
• The Flash: lmaoooooooooo only saw it cause of free tickets
• Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: Fun time
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: solid movie

Want to see:

• Oppenhimer (3 hours tho Jesus Christ)
• Barbie
• Ninja Turtles
• Godzilla: Minus One (this one's Japan tho)

7 hours ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

tbf, that's like

everything in existence

That's true but Western shows do not come out anywhere nearly as often. Japan puts out like 50 anime every three months.

7 hours ago, Hanes said:

nor Spider-Verse, and I'm fed up with the latter. Lol.

Smh

7 hours ago, Sidereal Wraith said:

Spooder-Verse was actually pretty good.

Wraith.....based?

7 hours ago, Shrimpy -Limited Edition- said:

what???

It definetly does, and the quality ratio is about the same.

I mean Marvel shitting out another Disney+ show is one thing but generally speaking, things did not come out that frequent. And even the Disney+ shows still come out at a slower rate than anime.

6 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I'd say they would tend towards that. The more outright fantastical something gets, the more Super it tends to be, to treat things as a spectrum rather than hard categorizations.

You also don't need robots to have anyone inside them, neither human nor intelligence of another kind. SRWZ2 featured the 1980s version of Tetsujin No. 28, which has its titular giant robot remote-controlled by a young boy.

(Tetsujin No. 28's 1956 manga is arguably the origin point of all mecha. -Although it wouldn't be until 1972 with Mazinger Z that the genre (specifically Super) exploded in popularity and took on many of its archetypes; a separation of the roles of originator and popularizer. Also, glancing at Wikipedia, the original reason behind the construction of the Tetsujin No. 28 was to fight the Americans during WWII, but the war was finished before the robot could be. Sound familiar at all?)

Gundam (1979) the originator of the Real has the almost-unbroken intrafranchise rule of "human vs. human conflicts only". Although this only applies to Gundam. To cite other examples from SRW, The Majestic Prince is humans vs. humanoid very homo sapiens-like (in both appearance and thinking) aliens, Heavy Metal L-Gaim is basically human aliens vs. basically human aliens. 

You might also say Real = more serious, Super = more child-friendly/cartoony + bigger BOOMS!. Yet these only tendencies, generalizations with exceptions. It's entirely possible to have plain old good vs. evil in a Real series and for it to be totally happy. It's also entirely possible for a Super series to be dark. Hades Project Zeorymer had h-scenes in its manga version I'm told, and very contrary to its outward appearances Acacia has informed me Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 is loaded with graphic children-included slaughter.

Where Transformers falls exactly may require some carefully-made measurements.⚖️🤓

Then it could depend where exactly they pull Transformers from. If they're pulling from the cartoons, which they likely would, Gen 1 is the most recognizable, then that's a fairly easy Super. Pulling from the live-action films or the War for Cybertron games could maybe head it in a more....Real classification. The designs of the Bayverse in particular were supposed to be realistic, as they were in part gritty war films before they completely lost the shit with Age of Extinction.

The reboot films are way more lighthearted but still take clear inspiration from Bayformers, with how you can see how each part goes where and whatnot. The cartoons aren't too interested in showing the transforming. You're not seeing this

in the cartoons.

5 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I'm honestly not sure what to play now with 13S done. Etrian Odyssey IV is old and very familiar, I enjoy it and I can make progress in my sleep, but it's a little boring (maybe because I've yet to do any linking with my link-oriented team b/c that's useful only for bosses/FOES and it wasn't available during the first fifth of the game). I should get back to TriStrat at last or perhaps RF5, but I don't know what I'm really feeling. (No, not XC3, not until next month at least I'm thinking.)

Mana Khemia 1 burned me out on crafting stuff for a while, but I'd like to get my Project A Black Sheep Era Trip done this year, so why not MK2? I'm not eager to play it, but it is coming to the forefront of my mind.

The last game before Modern Atelier. Curious to see how you like it.

4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

It's like Hanes said - if someone consumes porn of a specific variety, it's most likely that they get off on it. There's a reason "I read it for the articles" is a long-standing joke, and I really can't blame someone for drawing the conclusion that they like the stuff they consume (especially when they start defending themselves by going "it's ackshually not sexualized" and "no u", which again, happens far too often).

It is worth noting that a lot of sexual fetishes simply end at the fantasy line. I read somewhere (and idk the validity of it) that some women out there fantasize about getting raped. They don't want to get raped obviously but the scenario arouses them or something. If they have a partner with a similar kink, safe words are used. Consensual non consent i think it's called.

Loli porn is actually sus tho imo because the drawings are designed to look like kids. Generally i'm in "drawings don't have an age" camp cause like most of the time age really is just a number but when the character is explicitly drawn as a kid, then it's like hol up.

But since there's nothing about loli porn on the law books (yet because AI is being seen as an issue now), there's nothing to be done. If a pedophile gets arrested, it's because they had actual cp.

 

[Sidereal Wraith]

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

Wraith.....based?

Where have you been all these long years?

[Lightcosmo]

Just now, Sidereal Wraith said:

Where have you been all these long years?

Usually that question is asked on the opposite end!

[Acacia Sgt]

He wasn't born yet.

[Lightcosmo]

18 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

He wasn't born yet.

No respect for the mature! Xd

[Interdimensional Observer]

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

The cartoons aren't too interested in showing the transforming. You're not seeing this

Because you aren't supposed think about it! Because the writers/animators likely didn't make it make physical sense.

Nice clean snappy gif BTW!😄

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

safe words are used.

Reading a sex/relationships advice column, I did hear that "red" is the safe word commonly used in the XXX industry. One writer I was reading said their fetish is being gagged, which means they have to use a nonverbal safe word, I think they said they'll tap the partner's thigh or somewhere around there.

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

The last game before Modern Atelier. Curious to see how you like it.

Let's find out! Onto the first little Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy log!

-Very short actually, eating and posting the big post above got in the way of playing anything of significance.😆

First, the opening trailer b/c it's the first thing anyone who waits a moment shall encounter.:

Doesn't tell me a whole lot, at all. I don't like it, Alchemists of Al-Revis's was better.

To jump into a spoiler (no actual spoilers ofc) pocket dimension to avoid cluttering this topic...

Spoiler

Now upon selecting "New Game"...

Well this is different, I have to choose one. In the name of His Empire, unholy be the magics granted by Him, I select Raze within two like minutes' thought.

Next, opening exposition.:

PAY THE TEACHERS GIVE 'EM TENURE AND STOP RELYING ON ADJUNCTS! YOUR'RE OVERWORKING THE EDUCATORS!

*Cough* Sorry!

...Well maybe better working conditions won't solve everything.

Literally the Fall of Alchemy.

So much for being an ivory tower literally inaccessible to anyone who wasn't an alchemist thanks to a giant Mana (the magical beings, not the magic substance) controlling the path up the giant tree.

...I thought the spinoff DS trilogy was the Atelier business sim? (I know Annie from that ancient magazine review I read of it involves economically renovating the island.)

The black backdrop means all fades after this, and...

...First returning character identified already!

Zeppel was the homeroom teacher for the majority of the heroes in Alchemists of Al-Revis. He was much younger back then, maybe 30s? And his face was entirely smooth. His personality... unremarkable, but he wasn't an overly strong/reliable person, his younger self could've said this in-character I think.

Ahahahahahahaha! He looks like a small woodland creature that shat itself b/c of a wolf RIGHT THERE!😂

(Although that metaphor reminds me of the time a dog of mine unexpectedly rushed over and fondled a chipmunk in its mouth for all of three seconds. -Thankfully we got them to let it go right away and it appeared to be unharmed, but the poor thing was shaking with fear.)

@Saint Rubenio Awaken (on your own time) and judge that face, if thou hath the desire to do so. Also, I shouldn't be laughing at the above, but your sense of stupid, stupid humor is rubbing off on me. For shame!😝

New lady, not exactly competently drawn.

"Restructuring?" Well, the word can be perfectly neutral, but here...😐

Also, the lady is the biggest donor Al-Revis has, and everyone knows money = leverage.

Okay...

I forgot to screenshot one important line here- they shrank the academia program from a three-year to a one-year. Which means this game shall be but a single year long, unlike Alchemists of Al-Revis. TBF, the weight of three years wasn't felt in AoAR.

Less important line also left out- all university costs are now paid for solely with student tuition. Not sure what that means.

Profit, college... not exactly words that should go together.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

Target Locked-On. *Fires X-Buster*

Then take out a gazillion fixed-interest rate loans spend all the money right away and then alchemize so much gold you create runaway inflation that lets you pay off the debt in a month! Who cares about the overall economy!

On the latter screenshot, Manas aren't absolutely necessary for alchemy in Mana Khemia the way they are in Iris 1 & 2. All the heroes in MK1 minus Muppy (the alien) got a Mana, but not everyone (Roxis for instance) started with one.

Excessive capitalism in the education system (I forgot to mention before she is now Chairwoman of Al-Revis, she has power). The overarching evil and the last hope against it are thusly revealed.

Understatement dood.

This voice sorry you can't hear it, this language...

...out of all of them, it's him. The character who I found most insufferable, the one "Alchemist of Al-Revis" who literally dragged the others unnaturally together and I felt simply didn't make any sense as an alchemist, HE returns first thing! Is this the justice I face for badmouthing him?!🤣

Puni! And fairy. Last Atelier to have 'em I think, there was a Wood Mana in MK1 (Nicole's Mana), but I don't think there were any fairies.

This montage, I left out most of it, appears to show off various playable characters.

Yep, you're back. First playable character from the first game to show up again. I'm just gonna have to roll with it. But pls don't be the only one returning.

NPC who repeatedly fought (~3 times) and attempted to sabotage the first game's playable alchemists, returns in a teaching position this time. 

The two protagonists meet. They exist at the same time, not all games with selectable protagonists with fixed backstories do that, so I wasn't sure.

I'm gonna say this now, the sprite work is good, competent. Yet the portraits, as in Mana Khemia 1, are lacking to downright bad. They feel more like sketches, or perhaps something befitting a whimsical children's book of fairytales, they aren't polished profile pics worthy of a JRPG.

I post this because it it feels like there's a stylistic gap between these two. New Flay ain't bad visually, the line work is smoothed to a professional polish, Razeluxe (his full name) looks inferior -which he shouldn't as the main character!

But that's enough aesthetic critique. I won't waste my energy doing this all the time. 

Looks like the gameplay structure is going to be the same. Which if it is, means I shouldn't have to sweat any real deadlines.

Now, I did leave out some stuff. I got to the first save point in the workshop, and then returned to the title screen. Why? Because I was curious about picking Ulrika instead of Raze. Let's see...

Completely different backstories.

The game doesn't show anything else of Ulrika's past beyond this, but for Raze, it does jump to sprites and show him years later about to leave for Al-Revis. Apparently he works as a servant at the mansion his grandfather left him at? Not happy the bossy rich girl is coming along too, he wasn't expecting that.

Once at the school, things still differ. Raze listens to Flay's freshmen introduction speech, Ulrika arrives too late and the scene is barely a scene for her. Raze seems to get Flay as a homeroom teacher, Ulrika gets Tony.

Raze gets as fellow teammates...

.

Bossy Rich Girl.

Rich Girl's Maid Who Isn't Human?

While Ulrika gets Unexplained Friend Who *Sighs* Doesn't Want To Be Here And Seems Cynical. And nobody else for her from the get-go.

Not sure about...

...Girl Whose Full Name Sounds Masculine And Abridged Is Latin Meaning "and" And Is One Letter Short Of Being A Pegasus Knight.

The two main characters even get separate workshops. Ulrika's bears a greater passing resemblance to MK1's, but no outright asset-recycling, surprisingly for a company that makes yearly releases.

A guy called "Logos" aside, this is the last Atelier game with a male lead, yet Ulrika's backstory and lone companion seem better than Raze's. So assuming their stories end up being quite different, perhaps with separate teammates even, I'm sticking with her.

Her sprite moved up & down, the maid could hear her laughing -but not the cause of laughter being the thought of milking money from Rich Girl's family.

Is Ratatosk Mammon also the God of Anti-Alchemy? Because hating alchemy so much solely because of financial considerations is weird. She has to be a cultist, what else could explain this?

-This was from the homeroom scene for Ulrika, I forget why those girls were here, but Raze wasn't.

---

In conclusion? Different. Messy perhaps?

If Mana Khemia 1 had a formal, cliched school vibe, the sequel seems to be... wartier? Does any Fantasy School Story's first Season/book start with a degrading of school finances, quality standards, and the original mission of the educational institution? Now in the book two of Mana Khemia, did Gust choose to really shake it up?

And that's all I "played".

Edited August 14, 2023 by Interdimensional Observer