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unparalleledfocus · 3 months

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In Pursuit of Legends... and Growth

When pursuing the future we all look for different things – stability, companionship, happiness and so much more. Some may chase a particular goal, others go with the flow, while others simply drift, unsure of where to go and what to do. We also all have, at one point or another, experienced some form of hardship, perhaps even times where we felt as if we were engulfed by a dark abyss. But we continue onwards, as tomorrow shall always come and the night will pass, giving you the opportunity to climb out of the abyss and fight for your dawn in whichever way you can. Octopath Traveler II echoes these sentiments throughout its entirety.

This shall (hopefully) be the first part a series of analyses of the 8 Travelers of Octopath Traveler II, as a way to express my love for the game, for its (upcoming) first anniversary.

This time, I shall analyse Ochette, the Hunter.

(Contains spoilers for all of Ochette’s Chapters)

Your name is Ochette, and you are a hunter.

Your tale begins on the isle of Toto'haha alongside your fellow beastlings.

Despite your troubles with the human islanders, you live a carefree life. That is, until you learn of an encroaching calamity known as the Night of the Scarlet Moon.

“All right, Master Juvah. I'll do it. I'll find those Creatures of Legend and bring them back.”

Desperate to save your home, you set sail in search of those who can help…

Ochette’s journey is a coming-of-age story. It had begun on the day she had to choose her companion in order to start the next stage of her life – that of a Hunter, a Guardian of Toto’haha. Right at the start we are shown her immense compassion – after choosing one companion over the other, the other seemingly falls to despair, goes into a frenzy and then disappear… and after all of that, Ochette could only be heartbroken. Could there have truly been no way to save them that day? To still find a way to be friends? Even after 10 years this day haunts her, and she tries to shower her companion with as much love as she can „for both of them”.

Ten years later and Ochette has now grown – she is now a talented Hunter, looking after Toto’haha and its inhabitants. She adores her home – yet she also doesn’t feel like becoming the Guardian of Toto’haha. She wants a simple life – simply enjoying meals together with her loved ones is enough for her. This idea – that your dream can be just living a simple life with your loved ones and that it is also a lovely dream – is alluded to not only during the campfire in the Final Chapter, but in the stories of the other Travelers too, those being the ones who had experienced some of the worst the world had to offer to them – Hikari, Throné and even Osvald. In the end, the message carried here is that though it may seem trivial at first, a simple life, where you can live peacefully and enjoy meals with your friends and family, is a truly worthy thing to fight for.

Returning to Ochette growing to become a Guardian, though she is hesitant to the idea of becoming a guardian of her home, she still proves herself through her actions not only as a Guardian of Toto’haha, but a guardian of nature and life as well. No matter what, she stood her ground against whatever or whomever she faced. During her journey throughout Solistia, she’s heard of, witnessed and experienced many tragic and horrific events, yet she still pressed on to not only find the Creatures of Legend who could save her home, but help others out in need too.

Tera was harmed by the Dark Hunter, falling into slumber in order heal right after. Though Ochette had to give him a literal rude awakening, after the battle Tera shook off his drowsiness and quickly and eagerly joined Ochette’s cause to protect Toto’haha. Before this Ochette also managed to befriend a human, Pom, who was once saved by Tera. She ended up helping Pom, both with a favor and, especially after allying with Tera – inspiring him and his future.

Cateracta, despite being protected by humans, was outright murdered by the Dark Hunter due to being weakened after protecting Conning Creek from a great wave. In the end, before perishing, Cateracta left behind an egg to Alpione, the only human who survived the encounter with the Dark Hunter. Years went by and humans had greedily begun looting Cateracta’s corpse. Cateracta had protected the town for so long and alas, people forgot, leaving behind only weeping bones of a once mighty god of the ocean. And yet hope remained – Alpione guarded both Cateracta’s final resting place and the egg, and eventually Ochette and her companion arrived. Though their first encounter ended in Ochette’s beast companions knocking Alpione out, Ochette’s kind heart had won Alpione over in the end. And once Ochette embraced the lonely egg, it hatched right in front of her – a young Acta who wished to travel by Ochette’s side, who Ochette hopes to help grow, who could someday, perhaps, even fulfill the role Cateracta once had – a new symbol of hope for the seas and land.

Glacis’ fate was, alas, the opposite. Though Glacis survived, the egg of this legendary being did not. The Dark Hunter, alongside prideful humans, destroyed the egg during an attempt to hunt Glacis, destroying a fragment of Stormhail’s hope. Glacis was both heartbroken and enraged, and so was the hunter who lost their friends and family to Glacis, being the only survivor after that day. It became a cycle of hate with seemingly no end in sight. And so, someone had to find a way to break that cycle – this duty falling to Ochette. To stop the neverending snowstorm she once again extended her kindness to others, while also making sure to stay strong. Though they fought, she made sure to not only comfort Glacis’ broken heart (Legendary Creature or average traveler, everyone deserves love, hope and peace), but to help Glacis find a new resolve.

“You can’t get back what you lost. But it wasn’t the only thing that mattered to you.”

”I will never forget this sorrow… But you reminded me… that there is something else I must protect. […] Thank you, Ochette.”

“No, thank you, Glacis!”

After helping Glacis, Ochette then helped the surviving hunter, Heig, stand back up and move forward in his life too – telling him to leave behind spite and hate, and to also “respect life more. Both [his] own life, and the lives of others,” as she put it.

Finally we reach the end of her story, where she must confront the Darkling – the companion she didn’t choose that day, now a broken servant of the Shadow. She could feel how deep its pain and sorrow was, mourning what had happened to the poor animal after years of suffering and loneliness.

A bit earlier, through her and the beastlings’ kindness and determination they are able to prove the humans of Toto’haha wrong, and then work together in order to save their home from the Night of the Scarlet Moon, after which the humans and beastlings proceed to live peacefully together, forging a brighter future for all of Toto'haha.

Ochette proceeds to then receive the help of Tera and Glacis, aiding her in the fight against the otherworldly beings. She continues to rush forward.

This is where we get to see how much she’s grown over the course of her journey. In a desperate moment, she realized the reason she fights – she loves Toto’haha and those that live there, and wants to help in any way she can. And though she and her companion almost perish after being sent into the sea by the Darkling, the Sacred Flame itself acknowledges her warm heart and her deeds, saving them and lending them new strength, too. After returning to the surface, the two go back to fight the Darkling, and it seems that Ochette’s growth and kindness unlocked not only her companion’s potential, but little Acta’s as well, both of which assist her in the battle. In the distance, Ochette's teacher, Juvah, admires how strong her heart is, while the two Legends prepare to continue protecting Toto'haha once more.

But in the end, though there was a great struggle between them, she chooses to help the Darkling – to give it at least one last moment of peace and love. Ochette, after offering the Darkling the same Friendship Jerky she once gave to her companion all those years ago, proceeds to comfort it in its last moments.

“It’s alright. All the scary things are gone now. There, there. If you’re reborn into this world… let’s… eat something real tasty together.”

“...Good night.”

In the end, it is Ochette’s kindness that prevails, rather than brute force. Though a strong Hunter, her true strength lies in her earnestness and ability to extend her compassion to others. Her coming-of-age story ends with her deciding to become the Guardian of Toto’haha – she had seen so much of the world during her travels, both the good and the bad, and intends to use her experiences to guide her in protecting her home. She had grown into a great Hunter – the one who had gathered the Legends, a protector of life and the ‘dawn’ itself… and a wonderful friend.

“I love Toto’haha, and the people who call it home. […] And that means… I’m going to fight!”

Additional Notes/Interesting Things

The names of the two animal companions, Akalā and Mahina, are connected to the Hawaiian words for sun (lā) and moon (mahina). Sun and moon symbology is very heavy in Octopath II, connecting to the metaphor of „the dawn filled with light after a period of darkness”. The moon is also used in two different ways: as a source of light in the dark alongside the stars, and as an omen of the impending cold and darkness.

I feel like Ochette and Hikari parallel each other a bit. Both are pursuing someone specific to aid their homes from a disaster, and the greatest strength of both is their compassion rather than their battle prowess. I just find it interesting to think about, especially since Ochette’s O is the first letter and Hikari’s H is the last letter of OCTOPATH. Another parallel she has is to Castti though I'll leave that for Castti's analysis. Glacis' situation also seems to parallel Osvald's and, to an extent, Temenos' situations as well. Another possible parallel is Acta to Agnea – someone young who lost their parent yet remains a symbol of hope.

Ochette’s stained glass represents 4 things: the circle has a design representing the (Scarlet) Moon, while the rest of the design features Glacis’ wing, a wave representing Cateracta and finally - Tera’s domain (the earth) and/or possibly its head (it’s hard for me to make out the specific symbol for Tera).

Personal: Lost to her final boss a few times. On my successful attempt I somehow bypassed its final phase and thus never got to hear The Journey for Legends Ends in the game. I did, however, get the final blow with the beastling Hired Help so that was pretty neat.

#octopath traveler 2 #octopath 2 #ochette #character analysis #I love Octopath 2's characters #And the game's message especially lives rent free in my head and heart #Please let me know on what to improve on!

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floopers · 1 year

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Heavy Hands

Series: Octopath Traveler II Pairing: Throné/Castti Word count: 2073 Rating: T Summary: "… you're just too kind for your own good, Castti. I don't want to see it lead you to an early grave."

[AO3]

SPOILERS FOR BOTH THRONÉ AND CASTTI'S CHAPTER 4

The forests of Timberain are quiet as Throné moves through them. The air's thick though, a feeling she knows that signals of upcoming rain. She's never liked the rain unless she's been able to use it to her advantage... and for this time, it's the deciding factor between whether they'll lose or win. Not very good odds, if Throné wants to be honest.

Throné continues to move through the forest, keeping her steps light and silent. The last thing she needs is to have a creature sneak up on her. It takes a while but finally, Throné comes upon her target, sitting atop a log in the middle of a clearing.

"Hey," Throné calls out.

Castti doesn't seem to hear her, and Throné calls out to her again, louder. "Hey! Castti!"

No response again.

It really isn't like Castti to be this inattentive... which tells Throné how bad it's getting. Even when she moves into the clearing, Castti doesn't look up at her, still staring into her satchel. Throné can see her lips moving but there aren't any sounds coming out of her. She's doing that thing that Osvald had mentioned to her before, talking to herself. To him, he had thought it as Castti bouncing ideas in her own mind but Throné doesn't think it's that simple, not with that haunted look in her eyes.

Castti blinks suddenly, seeming to come out of her stupor and looks up. "O-oh? Throné? What are you doing here?"

"You took a while to come back so I went out to look for you," Throné answers.

"Ah... my apologies then, I'll be back soon. I just wanted to gather some extra herbs around the area before we head into Timberain." Castti smiles, apologetic. Normally, Throné would leave it at that and head back to camp but right now...

They've all noticed it, the hint of bags starting to show underneath Castti's eyes. How much sleep has she gotten ever since regaining her memories? It certainly must not be a lot and yet she continues, doggedly pushing ahead to Timberain. Throné understands the urgency, they all do, but the more she pushes herself in this state, the more mistakes she'll make. Even she knows the importance of getting rest before a big mission; any misstep, even the littlest one, can often prove to be the most fatal.

"Mind some company right now?" Throné asks. She doesn't trust Castti to head back anytime soon... although she's not of why she's offering her own company. Agnea or Ochette, and even Temenos, would make for better ones. Maybe it's the way Castti looks lost... the way Throné had looked after she had gotten her key from Father.

Castti hesitates, peering up at her before nodding. "If you don't mind."

"That's why I'm offering," Throné says, moving to take a seat next to Castti.

There's nothing but silence afterward between them. Throné's never been good at this sort of thing and she knows she'll never be. It had always been Pirro or someone else to lead the small talk. What can she say? What should she say? Even trying to do that feels... useless.

Never mind that though, Castti's starting muttering to herself again, too low for Throné to make out. She starts frantically rummaging through her satchel again, even taking out one of her journals and quickly flipping through the pages. It doesn't look as if her eyes are reading though, that haunted expression back on her face.

When Castti had regained her memories, she was pale, paler than Throné had ever seen her. She stared out toward the ocean for a long time, but the tears that she looked like she wanted to make never came. Instead, when she finally tore her eyes away from the sea, she looked over at them, an unexpected hardness in her eyes. "We have to go to Timberain right now. Everyone there is in danger," she'd said, and she spoke so firmly and assertively that everyone was already heading toward their ship without any other explanation.

"Castti," Throné starts, "what are your plans when we get to Timberain?"

Castti doesn't seem to hear her again, and Throné is about to repeat herself before she suddenly shakes her head. "To be frank... the only thing I can think of is that I must find Trousseau before he starts the fire."

"That's... not a good plan, if you want me to be honest." Throné's never set foot in Timberain, and she doubts any of the others have either, but she knows it's going to be a far bigger city than most of them have been to. At least if he'd been in New Delsta, Throné knows that city like the back of her hand and she'd be able to figure out the best places to start a fire for smoke. But they don't have that advantage in Timberain. There's also that coronation happening too, which means there'll be even more people traveling in... which means larger crowds for them to have to push through, and easy for someone like Trousseau to slip in undetected.

"In case you can't find him, what will you do?" Throné asks. "You said that the poison goes quickly through the air. How are you going to guard yourself against that? It's almost killed you before, and I can't imagine you'd be able to build a resistance so fast to something so deadly in a short amount of time."

"I..." Castti looks away, smiling sheepishly, "I'll admit that I still don't know what to do about that yet. The snowdrops can hold back the effects but not all of it. Perhaps if I'm able to cover my mouth and nose, but it affects even the skin. I'll need to have specialized garments to deal with that sort of poison but we don't have that time... so I'm hoping that I'll be able to stop him before he can get the poison..." her voice trails off.

It'll take a miracle to do that. They'll have to figure out where he's even going to start the fire, and if they guess wrong, everyone's dead... and that's just it. No second chances. Throné's no stranger to missions with stakes like that... but at least if she messes up, it'll be only her own life she'll be throwing away. If they mess up here, it's countless more innocent people in danger that'll die.

... oh. Maybe Throné can understand the urgency Castti feels now. Still, with the way Castti is pushing herself, it's not going to do anyone good. She doubts Trousseau will simply stand there as Castti attempts to stop him. If only they could have more clues... Throné would be able to clean him up before anyone could dirty their hands.

"As the rain gets closer though, we should be able to tell which direction the wind is blowing from and figure out where Trousseau should be," Castti says. Despite everything, she still sounds optimistic. And... somehow, Throné believes in that too. She wants to. They have to because otherwise, the alternative is...

"I suppose that'll be our best bet," Throné says. If only there were a way to figure out all that information right now. Throné would give up anything for it. Anything to have an advantage. She hates walking into a mission blind.

"I wish we also had a better way too but this is all I can figure out right now." Castti looks over at her, a smile on her face, both tired and apologetic. "I'm sorry to worry you though, Throné."

... why is Castti the one apologizing? Why is Throné worrying so much? She pushes her lips together, stopping herself from snapping something in her frustration.

There's no telling what dangers their journeys bring but Castti seems to run headfirst into them, especially the moment she hears someone in need of aid. Even in Sai, she had run out in the middle of a war with no hesitation, and she had raced off in Winterbloom when she heard that little girl was in danger. And now, even after just regaining her memories, she's already dashing off toward Timberain. She's pushing herself far too hard, looking far more haggard and tired than even Osvald.

"... you're just too kind for your own good, Castti. I don't want to see it lead you to an early grave," Throné mutters. People like Castti are one in a million. Doing kindness out of the good of their heart, when's the last time Throné's ever met anyone like that in New Delsta before Castti had come?

"Throné..." Castti looks down at her hands, folding them together. "I will not mince my words. That poison Trousseau is using... it will kill." She rolls up one of her sleeves, and even Throné can't help but grimace at the awful scars. She's seen them before but kept her questions to herself. With those blackened spots, it's almost as if the flesh itself is dead. The ones on her own body are faded and blemished skin, at least. She can't even imagine how that feels. "And these scars will be left on any who survive," she swallows before continuing, "if having these will cause any long term effects, I don't know."

Castti trails off again but she looks at Throné, almost pleadingly. "We're still close to the borders of Timberain, I think you and the others should get yourself to safety instead. Once the rain starts, there will be no shelter in Timberain or the surrounding areas. The poison will spread no matter what, but the rain shouldn't travel as far as the desert... so the best bet is to head as far as Hinoeuma or Crackridge."

If Castti had been anyone else, Throné would have reconsidered. The thought doesn't even cross her mind right now though, scowling at her. "Leave you here by yourself? Do you think me so selfish to do that?" Not even Throné can do that.

"That isn't what I meant, Throné. Trousseau had been part of my group so he is my responsibility to bear. I cannot guarantee your safety, you shouldn't have to be here with me on such a dangerous task."

Throné scoffs. "And I could say the same for you, following me into Lostseed."

The edges of Castti's lips curl upward and Throné finds herself doing the same as well despite everything. But Castti casts her gaze downward, at her hands twisting together again.

"I just..." Castti squeezes her eyes shut. "I remember that town, how the villagers had laid there, dead in the blink of an eye. That we managed to get up to the mountain to find Trousseau, that Malaya managed to have enough strength to save me and even send me off... it must have been the work of the gods. When I remember those villagers, my colleagues, I just... I cannot... that absolutely must not happen again, and I will do everything in my power to stop Trousseau."

She opens her eyes, steely resolve setting in, that familiar look Throné knows her for. She's never known someone else so firm in their convictions, so insistent and... so stubborn. But perhaps, that is exactly why someone like Castti can be the apothecary of such a mismatched group like theirs.

"Will you still not leave, though? You have no obligations now." Castti's eyes flick down to Throné's bare neck.

"I'm free to do what I want. If it means following you into one of the riskiest missions I've ever heard... then I'm free to do that too." Throné smirks.

Castti laughs at that. "You're truly a stalwart ally, Throné."

Throné only gives a low hum, looking away. It's... it's a little embarrassing, being called that, but Castti says it so earnestly that Throné doesn't know what to say back. She's dealt with so many lies and second meanings that to find someone who speaks so sincerely like Castti is... difficult to deal with, sometimes. When she's not teasing, at least. That's also difficult to deal with, too.

Despite their banter though, Throné still feels uneasy about it. There's no way around it; their mission is... difficult. Throné has worked through near impossible odds, has had to deal with marks gone awry, but... poison is the one thing she can't cut through. With barely any knowledge of medical herbs, she can't help Castti find a cure either.

It's going to be a challenge then... one that she can't fail. Neither of them can afford to. She rises to her feet then, turning to Castti. They've spent long enough out here though, and Castti still needs her rest for what's to come. "We should be heading back to camp now. Are you good?"

"Ah..." Castti blinks before smiling apologetically, "I still need to gather some herbs."

"I'll help you, then."

They search through the area, gathering the herbs Castti had wanted. It's a bit hard though, trying to find them in the dark and with herself unfamiliar with the area, Throné finds herself pricked and scratched a few times reaching out for what she thinks are the herbs Castti needs. She hardly felt them in the first place but hopes there aren't any sort of poison in them but when she doesn't feel anything after a few minutes, then she shrugs it off. They manage to finish, and Castti seals her satchel shut, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much for your help. That would have taken me longer if I had been by myself."

"No problem," Throné murmurs. Castti smiles up at her, and Throné blinks, reaching out before she realizes what she's doing. "Ah, hold on." There's a piece of a leaf stuck in Castti's hair, one that Throné plucks away now, dropping it and letting fall to the ground.

"Oh?" Castti brings her hand up at the same moment though, surprised. Castti's fingers brush against the back of her hand—Throné flinches, her hand shooting back. Castti blinks.

"... sorry about that," she says, now the one wringing her hands together. Castti's healed her so many times but Throné still reacts instinctively, not used to people touching her.

"It's... it's no worry," Castti murmurs, a strange look on her face. "Did you hurt yourself gathering the herbs? I thought I felt..." her eyes quickly dart downward before Throné can hide them. Her face hardens and her voice is full of authority as she speaks. "Show me your hand."

When she's like that, who is Throné to disobey? Reluctantly, she lifts her hand and despite the expression on her face, Castti's grip is gentle when she takes her hand and inspects it. She reaches into her satchel, and rubs some ointment over the light cuts. Throné had barely even felt them in the first place but Castti looks as if she's been slashed in battle.

"There," Castti says, smiling. "Infection is one of the worst things that can happen to a wound, no matter how light it might seem."

"... all right," Throné only says. Castti's still holding onto her hand though, and Throné wonders if she's checking for something else. She waits, suppressing the urge to withdraw her hand back. But all Castti does is continue to stare at it, silent. Throné can't quite see her face right now, not with the way it's turned down toward their hands. "Castti? Something else the matter?"

And she thinks Castti will startle and apologize and they'll make their way back to camp... but she feels Castti's hands trembling instead.

"I... I have to stop Trousseau," she's murmuring, "I have to stop him or else... everyone..."

Throné wants to say something but no words come to her. "If we find him, I'll kill him for you before he causes any trouble," she finds herself saying. That's all she's good for, cleaning up the filth. Better her than someone like Castti.

"No!" Castti's voice is so forceful that even Throné is taken aback. "I have said it before, he is my responsibility. That burden will be mine to bear."

But Throné still sees it, how her hands continue to shake, how drawn her face suddenly looks, the slump of her shoulders. Throné doesn't know of their exact relationship but he'd had been a part of her apothecary group... it still won't be an easy decision to make, raising a hand against someone who once stood by you. Throné knows that... all too well. If there is to be blood on Castti's hands, it should come from saving life, not taking it.

"... but I'll be there with you if you need me," Throné murmurs.

Castti looks up now, a small smile on her face. "Your support will be what pushes me ahead."

Throné swallows, all too aware of a knot forming inside of her. She still thinks it strange, that Castti can smile at her like that, smile at someone who she knows to take life at the flip of a coin. Castti's hand is still in hers and it is warm, warmer than anything else... but it is heavy to Throné. The both of know exactly where a body can be pierced for death, but the ways they use that knowledge couldn't be further apart.

Throné... likes her traveling companions, might even call them friends too if asked. But it scares her, how much she finds herself caring. And Castti... there's something about her that gives her pause out of everyone. Is it the way that extends that helping hand of hers to whoever needs help? Is it the way that when her memories plague her and give her reason to doubt herself, she still chooses to push forward?

Or is it the way she still willingly holds Throné's hands even when Throné can so easily take away the very lives Castti's try to save?

Throné isn't sure she'll ever understand... but she'll have to make sure to use her hands to keep Castti alive for her to find out.

#octopath traveler 2 #octopath traveler ii #castti/throné #castti florenz #throné anguis #octopath 2 spoilers #writing floops #never figuring out a ship name at this point

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broomballkraken · 9 months

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Title: C'est la vie Chapter 1: Come What May

Fandom: Octopath Traveler 2

Pairing: Papp/Roque

Word count: 1308

Warnings: None

Fic Summary: C'est la vie is not only used as a descriptor for a pessimistic situation, but it can also be used to express something vital, essential, beautiful. Thus, it makes for a perfect descriptor for the tumultuous relationship between Papp Yellowil and Roque Brilliante.

Chapter Summary: Papp is devastated by the sudden passing of his wife, but he bottles up his feelings in order to be strong for Partitio. As the pain starts to become too much to handle, Papp luckily finds out that he has someone to be strong for him as well.

Even though he made sure to shut it as quietly as possible, the sound of Partitio’s door closing seemed deafening to Papp. It was well-past midnight, and after a long night of crying for his mom, Partitio had finally exhausted himself enough to fall asleep. Letting out a deep, weary sigh, Papp pressed his back against the door and slid down it slightly, cradling his head in his hands.

He was still trying to process that she was gone. His Maria, his starling, his beloved wife … It had all happened so fast. Only a week had passed between her collapsing out of nowhere due to an unknown illness that quickly rendered her bedridden, and using her last breath to tell Papp that she loved him and to take good care of their little chickadee. He didn’t understand why this had happened.

Papp felt tears start to prick at the corners of his eyes, but he clenched his jaw so hard that it popped and managed to blink them away. No, he couldn’t show how much he was hurting; he needed to be strong for Partitio. That was easier said than done, because every breath that he took was like razor sharp glass in his lungs, his heart hurt so much that he thought it might burst, and the perpetual nausea that festered in his gut had prevented him from having a proper meal in days.

“Papp.”

Jerking his head up, he swallowed thickly when he saw Roque standing before him. He had been a godsend during this horrific time, having taken over Papp’s share of their work to keep their business running, as well as bringing over hot meals for him and Partitio, and helping to keep the house clean. He truly could not have asked for a better business partner and friend.

“R-Roque…It’s late…” Papp said, trying and failing to keep his voice from cracking. Roque averted his gaze and worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

“I am aware, but…I’m worried about you, Papp.” Roque stepped closer to him and examined his face. “You look…pale. Have you been eating? Sleeping?”

“I-It doesn’t matter, I need to be strong for Partitio, above all else-” Papp was cut off when Roque took both of his hands and held them between his own. A lump had formed in Papp’s throat and he averted his gaze as his composure started to waver, causing him to tremble with the effort of keeping himself from breaking down.

“Papp, listen to me. Look at me.” Roque paused until Papp slowly lifted his head and their eyes locked. “You must be strong for Partitio, yes…but please, let me be strong for you .”

Papp felt his composure crumble even more, and his eyes welled up with tears when Roque gave his hands a gentle squeeze. “If you keep those feelings bottled up, they will eat you away from the inside out.”

“I lost a good friend in Maria, but Partitio lost a mother, and you lost the love of your life.” Roque lifted a hand to cup Papp’s face as the tears he tried so hard to hold back finally broke free. “I cannot fathom the pain that you are feeling right now, but even so, I want to help you in any way that I can. So let me do so, please . I…don’t want to lose you too.”

Something seemed to snap deep within Papp, and his legs gave out under him as he let out an anguished cry. Roque caught him by the arms before he could fall, and he slowly lowered them both to the floor as Papp clung to him and sobbed against his chest. He cried and cried and cried, and continued to cry, even when Roque helped him to his feet and led him safely downstairs.

Papp felt numb to his surroundings, and he barely noticed when Roque sat him down on the couch and draped a blanket over his shoulders. He cried into his hands as a few minutes ticked by, until he felt Roque’s arms wrap around him again, and Papp was pulled back into his comforting embrace. He didn’t know how long they sat there like that, but by the time Papp had stopped crying, his throat was raw and a dull pain had settled behind his eyes.

Taking in a deep breath, Papp let it out slowly, before rubbing at his red, swollen eyes. The smell of tea had filled his nose, and he looked at Roque, who was holding a steaming mug towards him.

“Here, drink it. I also have some stew heating up for you,” Roque said, and Papp gave him a slight nod in response as he took the mug from him. However, he couldn’t stop trembling, and Papp was grateful when Roque’s hands covered his and helped him to take a drink without spilling the hot liquid all over himself.

“...T-Thank you, Roque…” Papp managed to finally speak, and he winced at how hoarse his voice sounded. Roque nodded in response and helped Papp drink the rest of his tea. Taking the empty cup, he moved it to the end table and placed his hand on Papp’s back, rubbing it in a gentle, circular motion.

“...Better?” he asked, and Papp sighed and leaned over to lay his head against Roque’s shoulder.

“Eh…”

“Right, a foolish question on my part.” Roque hummed as he rest his head against Papp’s, and they sat in a comfortable silence for a while.

“I should never have let it get this bad,” Papp finally said, and Roque shook his head.

“Grief manifests itself differently for everyone, and it is hard to keep going as if your whole world wasn’t cruelly taken from you.”

Papp’s chest tightened painfully, and he bit his lip hard. “You’ve got that right…I miss her so much , Roque.”

“She was an incredible woman.” Roque turned to Papp and offered him a small, sad smile. “And I know that she loved you and Partitio more than anything.”

“Partitio…” Papp sighed and rubbed at his temples. “My poor chickadee’s cried himself to sleep every night since the funeral. Wish I could take his pain away…”

“You will help him get through this. The bond that you have is stronger than steel.” Roque’s smile grew as he placed a hand on Papp’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “And I will also be here, whenever and wherever you need me, come what may.”

A ghost of a smile crossed Papp’s lips, and he pulled Roque into a tight hug. “Thank you, Roque, for everything. I was a fool to keep my pain all bottled up like that. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

“Likewise, Papp. I will always be here for you both.”

“I’ll hold you to that, partner.”

Roque let out a chuckle and stood up, holding a hand out to Papp. “Come, the stew should be hot by now, and I don’t want you withering away to nothing on me. That’s bad for business.”

Papp finally managed to smile, and he placed his hand in Roque’s and let himself be pulled to his feet. “Hells, I doubt that would be enough to put a damper on your mercantile prowess, Mr. Rainbow Tongue.”

“Hmm, perhaps, but then who will do all of that pesky paperwork that I hate so much?”

“You ass.”

Papp delivered a playful swat to Roque’s chest as they made for the kitchen, hand-in-hand, to get a much needed meal in him. Papp knew that there were more downs than ups waiting for him as he navigated his own grief, and Partitio’s on top of that. With Roque by his side, however, Papp didn’t have to worry about stumbling, because he knew that he had someone to pick him up again should he fall.

#octopath traveler 2 #papp yellowil #roque brilliante #papp x roque #hello rare pair hell my old friend #fanfiction #jade writes fanfiction

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pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer · 1 year

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Games in 2023: Octopath Traveler II

The first Octopath Traveler was a game I closely followed the development of, and its first demo was one of the very first things I played on my Switch. It wasn’t exactly what I initially thought it would be, but I thoroughly enjoyed my 80+ hours with it. The announcement of Octopath II was just kind of dropped on us out of nowhere last year, and while I wasn’t following it quite as closely, I was confident right away that it would be a good time. The demo only reinforced that feeling, accomplishing the impossible and making February seem very long. Now that I’ve spent 73 hours or so on the game itself, I think I’m ready to say that I enjoyed Octopath II even more than the first.

Long post full of unmarked spoilers ahead.

Like the first game, Octopath II features eight playable Travelers each with their own unique abilities and storylines, and you can choose to start the game as any one of them. From there, you can collect as many of the others as you want in any order you want. After sampling everyone in the demo, I started with Hikari the Warrior, then made a beeline for Partitio the Merchant and Throné the Thief. (I made sure to grab everyone before moving anyone’s plot forward, these three were just my early favorites.) Mechanically the game is also very similar to its predecessor, but the effort to build upon the established foundation pervades it: Jobs are all rebalanced, each character now has two Path Actions that let them interact with NPCs in the overworld, there’s a basic day/night system, and your characters now have a Latent Power that essentially functions as a Limit Break. It’s familiar enough to be comforting, but iterates enough to create an experience that still feels fresh.

I already enjoyed the Job System in the first game, and I think the changes made here are to its benefit. It did strike me as a bit odd that you would just waltz into a hidden cave and unlock a new sub-Job; now you need to find each of the base 8 Jobs’ guilds to be given a license. You get one just for finding the place, but interestingly, you can then complete certain tasks for the guildmasters to receive a second and third license so that multiple party members can equip the same sub-Job. This means that, if you want, you can have a full party who all share a particular Job! (Not sure I fully understand why you’d do that, but I’m sure there’s some crazy build that takes advantage of it.) The guildmasters also each mention a legendary weapon (though one is armor and one is an accessory) associated with their Job, with a hint or two on where to find them, providing some tantalizing mysteries for you to chase if you feel so inclined. On top of that, though, those hidden caves still exist, and visiting them with the right Traveler in your party will grant them an EX Skill: powerful techniques that are entirely unique to each character! This and Latent Powers make the individual characters stand out more, whereas in the first game the only thing differentiating characters was their Talent (which is still a thing here), and those only had so much impact on their own; the discovery didn’t feel quite as odd either, though maybe that’s just because I somehow never had the right Traveler on me when I first found them and had to make special trips. (Barring my starter, of course, since they’re locked in your party until you clear their story.) Each character also has a second EX Skill earned by completing their storyline, several of which are integral to that story’s climax, giving you a nice tangible gameplay reward for your narrative accomplishments.

Before finding any of the guilds, however, very early on I came across someone who gave me the new Inventor Job. I’m all for seeing the Job roster expand, and Inventor works quite differently from the norm: for one, its skills don’t cost SP. You can use each for free once, but after that, you need to take one or more turns to repair the invention used in the skill before you can use it again. Additionally, Inventor does not use JP at all. Instead, completing various fetch quests for the Inventor NPC lets him build new gadgets which you then gain as skills, and getting several of these unlock Support Skills (for everybody at once!) as with normal Job progression. It’s a very experimental Job, and I like that…though, it was some time before I went back to check what the actual fetch quests were. The total number of Jobs in this game is still 12, but the 4 secret Jobs from the first game are gone (though you can still feel their influence), replaced with Inventor and 3 new secret Jobs. Armsmaster is this game’s Warmaster, letting you equip every type of weapon, but it works similarly to Inventor in that it does not utilize JP to unlock new skills. There are six “rusty” weapons hidden around Solistia, and by bringing them to a certain NPC they will be reforged and unlock a new Armsmaster skill…though said skill can only be used when equipped with that specific once-rusty weapon. That may sound restrictive, but even an incomplete Armsmaster is a force to be reckoned with, so something had to be done to balance it. There’s also the Conjurer Job, which is the only one that requires you to fight a secret boss to earn the old-fashioned way. It’s an interesting mix of Runelord and Starseer, with only four elemental runes (fire, ice, lightning, wind), but applying them to the entire party with a single application of the spell, no Transfer Rune required. I love me some element-imbued weaponry, but I would still personally prefer if attacks were made dual-type rather than adding a single elemental hit. (Though this does feel a bit moot since Octopath II gives you a surprising number of ways to reduce shield points regardless of weakness.) Finally, there’s Arcanist, which is…interesting. What immediately drew my attention are its AoE Darkness and Light skills that restore HP or SP (respectively) to the entire party. The rest of its skills seem to mainly deal with buffs and debuffs, like it’s the other half of the Starseer Job. I think I need more time with this one.

Overworld travel is largely unchanged, with the significant addition of travel by water. This comes in two forms, the first being a handy canoe characters will board anytime you step off the small docks found in many (most?) maps in the game. For the second…after completing a certain sidequest, you get your very own ship to sail the sea between Solistia’s two continents! Various treasure chests float here and there (including one with a remarkably powerful axe), and there are a handful of islands that can only be accessed this way. It makes you feel…I dunno, more a master of the world around you, I guess? A feeling like a mix of freedom and control. It’s a simple addition when you get down to it, but something about it just feels so, so good. There are also two optional sea monster bosses guarding yet more treasures and islands, including a relatively large chunk of ocean in the southeast of the map with some very special locales to explore…just, be prepared for anything. Also may be worth noting that the ship is required to finish Partitio’s story: his chapter 4 is on one of those exclusive islands, though I would recommend getting it before his chapter 3. You’ll see why.

The day/night cycle is an interesting new system. After clearing your starting character’s chapter 1, you gain the ability to switch between day and night pretty much any time you want by pressing a button. The shift is immediate and smooth—you don’t even have to stop in place to do it (though the Switch may hiccup if you change it while moving). Some NPCs will move around, some only being available during a specific time of day, forcing you to carefully consider the Path Actions you’re able to use on them. You see, a character’s Path Action now depends on whether it’s day or night. Hikari can Challenge people during the day, but at night, he can instead Bribe them to acquire information at the cost of some money. Paritio can Purchase their items during the day, but at night, he can Hire them to get an ally he can summon in battle. These mostly fall into the familiar categories of getting either a fight, an ally, an item, or some information, but there’s decent enough variety in how you can approach getting those things. Some actions even give you two at once! More uniquely, Throné and Castti’s night Path Actions just knock NPCs out; this can move people who are blocking doors and such, usually achieved through Challenge or Provoke, though I suppose the advantage here is not needing to take the time to do a battle. Options! I think this does a fine job of expanding upon the Path Action mechanic, and it can be fun to see how a town changes between day and night. Oh, and stronger monsters come out at night—this can be handy for grinding, especially combined with Throné and Temenos’s passive Talents which only activate at night, buffing the entire party and debuffing all enemies respectively. I think my favorite implementation is one particular dungeon built so that half of the layout is totally obscured during the day, and the other half is totally obscured during the night, forcing you to switch back and forth several times to fully explore it. It’s creative, and something that truly can only be done with the mechanic’s quick swapping of the two time periods.

The story structure has been changed up a bit as well. In the first Octopath, each character has 4 chapters. In Octopath II, certain characters will have multiple “chapter 2” or “chapter 3” scenarios, and others have a chapter 5. In the case of Throné, she has a ch2 and ch3 where she hunts down Mother, and a ch2 and ch3 where she hunts down Father. Ochette has three ch2 scenarios in which she seeks out the three Creatures of Legend, then ends her story with a ch3 scenario. Technically, this means you can do the scenarios with the same chapter number in whichever order you want…buuut, each scenario still has its own recommended level, and they can be wildly different. Like, you could take Ochette north to find Glacis right away, but that’s intended for a character leveled into the thirties, as opposed to the more accessible Cateracta scenario that only expects you to be in the teens. Kind of a bummer, though I don’t personally feel it impacted my approach all that much. It certainly keeps things interesting, and can make it feel like each character gets more content this time around, which is nice. Still, it’s odd that they level-scale the overworld areas as you progress through the game yet not the actual story scenarios, so I imagine this will be changed if we get an Octopath III. Also some chapters don’t have bosses and are more or less just there for story, which…you know, I put a lot of value on narrative, I can get behind this sort of thing. But when they still have high recommended levels and I make preparations only to meet little resistance if any, it makes me wish I knew ahead of time which scenarios had this distinction. Well, they tend to be narratively fulfilling, at least, though I’m still kinda baffled by just how short Osvald’s ch2 is.

Aside from main stories, side stories return in much the same capacity. Additionally, once you get Partitio in the party, a few more waypoints will pop up across the map where he’ll find someone to assist, invest in, and/or buy from—they feel a little different from your standard side-quest due to actually focusing on Partitio, and I will always take more Partitio content. (Plus these all unlock neat extra features, like that ship!) The most anticipated extra stories, however, are the “Crossed Paths” that involve two of the Travelers working together to achieve a goal with fully-voiced interactions. You need to clear a few chapters with the relevant characters first, but then you’ll get a pop-up that you’ve unlocked one of them, and you can find it added to your map. These remind me just a bit of those multi-part sidequests in the first game, where one NPC in each region of Orsterra went on their own journey that required your help every now and then. Crossed Paths are a bit limited, four paths that each have two parts, but are fully fleshed out scenarios with voice acting and relevance to the True Final Scenario, and the dynamics they build between the featured pairs are fun to watch unfold. They have real weight and purpose, making this approach far superior.

Brief impressions of each Traveler/storyline: -Ochette: Big Tressa vibes. They sure do emphasize how much she loves food, but I guess I’m neutral on that. She brings a lot of fun changes to the Hunter story: choosing your animal companion, tracking down legendary creatures, being able to turn your unwanted captures into food, and auto-capture made me actually change up my roster. I’m only half-joking when I say this is the Pokemon spinoff we need. (Fuck that final boss though, using a move that brings a character to 1 HP and then immediately getting another turn, fuck that noise.) -Castti: Kind and helpful in a matter-of-fact sort of way I can appreciate. Also has battle cries like “No mercy, only pain!” and there’s a travel banter where she tells Paritio they fucked after getting blackout drunk. She has range is what I’m saying. I also appreciate that they didn’t lean too hard on her amnesia, letting her early chapters tell their own worthwhile stories. Her story’s villain is…not the most enthralling take on a nihilist, but he’s functional. And the ending has some fantastic utilization of her Path Action and even her in-battle Talent! -Temenos: He’s hard to read, but entertaining to watch. There’s something implicitly uncomfortable with one of his Path Actions being “church inquisitor beats information out of people”, though. I think his character development was well-paced, gradually revealing more insight into who he is and why he does what he does, and I ended up rather fond of the guy. As for his plot, while there is some focus on corruption in the church and that’s interesting to see, the path’s villain being a secret heretic trying to summon a dark god greatly undercuts it, and feels notably familiar to Ophilia’s story. -Osvald: Also difficult to form a solid opinion of, though for different reasons. In travel banter and other low-stakes scenes, Osvald is comically stoic and blunt, but when it comes to his story, he radiates sheer dread and is prone to loud shouting. It feels like there’s a weird split in his character, though this is somewhat bridged by his reaction to a certain plot twist late in his story. I think how balanced he feels as a whole is going to depend on the player’s own interpretation. Story-wise, his motivation is clear and easy to get behind, has a very unique start, and hooks you quickly with some interesting worldbuilding…though, I do feel his villain may be just a touch too over the top, and what I was expecting from something called “the One True Magic” is far removed from what I expect from something called “the Seventh Source”. So I guess I’m a bit mixed overall? -Partitio: My guy! He kicks the shit outta landlords, he wants to eliminate poverty from the world, and his style is phenomenal! Partitio’s incredibly lovable, and his story and philosophy are extremely cathartic at times. Also he fights a train! That has a gun! Could only be better if he was able to supplex it. -Agnea: Something about her is just adorable in a way I wasn’t entirely prepared for. While Ochette definitely inherited the vibes of Tressa, Agnea’s the one who has the most similar story to her. It’s a fun, low-stakes romp around the map with the added emotional layer of Agnea’s dancing making her feel closer to her departed mother (and her learning a bit more about her along the way). I, uh…never could bring myself to sell her purse full of savings. -Throné: Feels like Primrose 2.0 in a lot of ways, though that’s not a bad thing. I will say it’s more effective to let us see her make her initial vow of revenge during ch1. I like her, and I like a good chunk of her story…until the plot twists begin to pile up near the end. The scene after fighting Father is far less nuanced than it was trying to be, and while I can understand wanting to have a single final chapter, I’m not convinced “you have to go find your REAL father” is the best way to do it. Then her ch4 scenario takes it in a way that’s unprecedentedly bizarre for Throné’s story, and we’re left being asked to feel bittersweet at the end. It just…it didn’t land for me. -Hikari: This boy is an anime protag (affectionate). His story was very straight-forward but that wasn’t a problem for me. (Though I do wonder if every Octopath Warrior is going to have a tournament arc for their ch2 scenario, like they’re both good but…) If you want a classic JRPG story, Hikari’s your man.

After clearing all 8 main paths, and both parts of every Crossed Paths, you then unlock this game’s True Final Scenario. And this time…it’s an actual scenario, with voices and everything! All 8 Travelers in one place, talking to each other about their goals and shit and going on one final journey together. It has way more heft than the comparatively barebones approach taken with Kit’s story. Everything actually builds towards this resolution, and I enjoyed spotting the various connections along the way, wondering what it all meant. Overall, it was a fantastic way to cap off the game’s narrative! However, I do have some points of critique. Firstly, some of the individual paths noticeably withhold certain information so that it can be revealed during this segment—this can make the endings of those paths feel a bit incomplete. The one that stands out to me is that the only way to find out what exactly made Castti’s main villain become a villain is by picking up and reading a journal during the final scenario. When the event that triggered a massive shift in a character is only vaguely alluded to in the confines of that story path, you have a problem. Secondly, since this story involves a secret order pulling the strings behind everything, it perhaps necessarily involves multiple twist villain reveals, which can be contentious. From what I’ve seen there are two in particular who players feel blindsided by, and I do agree with one of them; with the other, the first time I met her I noticed a very small hint that made me suspicious of her, so I was pleased to see I was right (in part). And thirdly…one of the members of this secret order, one who is talked up a bunch and is a major driving force behind one of the main paths, only ever actually appears in one flashback. That’s it. They even withhold her real name until then like it’s some kind of reveal, and I don’t understand why. It feels like such a HUGE missed opportunity.

But, again: taken as a whole, I really, really like the final scenario. You can change your party from the main menu once you start it! The icon on the loading screen subtly changes as you get closer to unlocking it! The key members of the evil secret order also have initials that spell out OCTOPATH! The True Final Boss involves your entire party, and in a different way than Galdera did! And there’s an epilogue segment that brings back, like, EVERYONE you’ve met on your travels, and…man, it’s so good. I cried a little.

Anyways yeah, play Octopath Traveler II! Now to do those other sidequests…

Miscellaneous things: -Caits are back, but they also added a similar monster which is a dapper-looking octopus fellow named “Octopuff Traveler” and that is just self-referential enough to be hilarious to me -The random occurrence of maps being blanketed by shadow with ominous music until you fight a warped variant of an enemy and things inexplicably go back to normal was something that scared the absolute shit out of me the first time I saw it. I fucking love it. -The first Octopath teased us by only having a single boss where he and the corresponding Traveler had voiced dialogue in the middle of the fight. Seems they realized this was rad as hell because there’s a BUNCH more of it here! -You remember Mikk and Makk? Tressa’s ch1 bosses, came back in her ch3 scenario? They’re here as lackeys for one of Castti’s bosses now. (They even have in-battle voiced lines!) So I guess this means these mooks are gonna be recurring should the series continue! Can’t say I feel strongly about it, but I did laugh when they were introduced. (wait does that mean we get a Gilgamesh equivalent too when do we get our Gilga—) -I feel like I had to grind a lot more this time. Is that just me? -They successfully faked me out making me think Al was tied to the True Final Scenario, I appreciate the misdirect. I’m…I guess a little mixed on the way he sort of forces a connection to the first game, but it being purely optional makes it far more agreeable. -Partitio is Best Boy. As for Best Girl…it’s close, very close, but I think I’m gonna go with Castti.

#Octopath Traveler #Games in 2023 #Game Night

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teefa85 · 1 year

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So, my thoughts about the Octopath II demo now that I’ve played it. Note I’ve only played with Ochette and Castti, since I wanted to really complete exploration and stuff in the area rather than push to start a third character.

Cut for length and minor spoilers...

Can we just all gush about how the fact that not only did Yasunori Nishiki continue to write character pre-boss themes that seamlessly blend into the boss fights, but he made it so if you change Day to Night the theme seamlessly changes for that, too? It helps with immersion since the music shifts aren’t so jarring between these moments.

Atmosphere is one of the things I love about the original Octopath Traveler. HD 2D is such a wonderful style, allowing for the beauty of pixel graphics I loved in my childhood games but with modern touches to give it more depth. Just the details in its environments...lush jungles, crumbling ruins, sandy beaches, haunting caves. And while I only experienced two of the eight characters’ prologues, I have seen people’s videos and the official trailers to know there are more great environments to come (Thronè’s slums look fittingly dark and dreary, while I adore the snowy winds Osvald’s introductory area shows).

The battles are definitely even better than before. Having Latent Powers linked to Breaking and taking damage (two things that’ll happen easily) is amazing. Special attacks like Ochette or Hikari (from what I’ve seen). Agnea and Osvald’s look to be based on the Divine Skills of their OG Counterparts, both very useful (I mean Sealticge’s Sedation saved my ASS in Ophilia’s final boss). And while Castti’s use of Concoct ingredients without using them up seems like little, it’s definitely a good time to pull out some big attack or to get the party back on their feet. So a variety of different things with great effects.

Adding to this, some skills are different between games, though that is easy to see if you noticed two of the Latent Powers are based on Divine Skills. Ochette doesn’t have Rain of Arrows or Arrow Storm. I didn’t see Last Stand in Castti’s skillset. I mean, the locked skills might be missing things from the first, but still, it lets the jobs you know and love play slightly differently while keeping their themes. I’ve also already seen a video on getting an inventor based class that can be accessed from Thronè’s starting area, so there will be new ways to play as well.

Do enjoy some of the QoL changes to the jobs I’ve played with. Like having Castti’s ingredients each have an affect but you use two at a time (I healed both HP and SP while fighting her boss, for example). Or Ochette having a chance to autocatch a defeated monster and turn captured ones into food (that can be used with her Befriend Path Action at night, Trade with her town since they don’t use money, and possibly other things down the line such as Quests...but we don’t know that for sure).

Additional Path Actions...nuff said! More ways to knock out rent-a-guards to get to loot or blocked areas. Another method of getting extra NPCs in the party. More ways to filch items, something I did A LOT of if anyone remembers my Octopath liveblogs from 2018. Even when you change up party comp to do other chapters, or level people up for said other chapters, you have more options at your disposal.

From what I’ve also seen, some characters in their intro areas have NPCs in the party that they can control. Nice! There were definitely moments in the original I wished characters could have come with me and helped but the plot wouldn’t let me take them even if they were helping (like Earhardt in Olberic’s final chapter). Dunno if NPCs joining and helping for a chapter will continue on later, but it does give some depth to the early chapter of some characters before they set out on their own. Of course, neither Ochette or Castti had a companion as I spent all my meat on new armor so I couldn’t Befriend outside of the scared kid and Malaya was busy treating the town...

#octopath traveler ii #commentary #two weeks to go hype!

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kyndaris · 3 years

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Braving Tried and True JRPG Tropes

When Bravely Default II was released, one of the first reviews I stumbled upon spoke about the person’s disappointment. Some of it came down to personal taste: the art style. Others were a bit more valid: the weak narrative and carbon copies of protagonists from other games. While the fan in me wanted to contest many of their claims, the more I played of the latest Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) from Square-Enix, I could not deny that there was a lot of tropes being used to prop up the strong gameplay loop and to give players the chance to try out the different jobs on offer. Still, many of these grips failed to deter me too much from my playing of the game. After sinking a hefty amount of time into it, I was able to push my way through the multiple endings and give Seth, Gloria, Elvis and Adelle the happy ending that they deserved.

As the faithful readers of my blog, you should know that I bought Bravely Default II while on a road trip with family. Though I should have been luxuriating in the February sun, I was much too engrossed in my Nintendo Switch to pay much mind to my surroundings. And even if Zac Efron or Chris Hemsworth had walked past, I’d probably barely bat an eyelid.

The first few hours of Bravely Default II had me busy reengaging with the mechanics that I knew from the first two games on the Nintendo DS and Octopath Traveler. Considering my familiarity with old-school JRPGs, it came as no surprise that I quickly managed to level up Freelancer as I cut a swathe through the grass surrounding the starting city of Halyconia. In fact, I realised quite quickly that the best way to get good items without paying a cent for them was to play the game like Link, eager to find rupees in the bushes. By the time I fought Dag and Selene and Horten, they went down like flies even though I hadn’t even bothered to change from my default jobs.

Truth be told, when I read about the difficulties many people supposedly had with these earlier battles, I was scratching my head. Perhaps it was simply the method I play the games - grinding out each job to my satisfaction that had simplified what should have been difficult. On a side note, I thought that the job levelling was much better balanced than Yakuza: Like a Dragon and an infinitely more fun experience because of it. It allowed me to experiment with my team and find the best balance for taking on the various mobs in a given area.

The only time I actually prepared properly for a fight was when I took down Adam and the last few bosses. But even they were a considerable breeze when one had access to so many abilities. Paralysing everyone that stood in my way, inflicting poison and contagion, then having a maxed out Freelancer with Thief skills using Godspeed Strike? Child’s play.

Now, onto the weaker elements of Bravely Default II. The various plot-holes and unexplored characterisation of the heroes and villains. While Elvis and Lonsdale stood out to me, many of the others could have been interchanged with someone else and I would have barely been able to tell the difference were it not for their individual Asterisk attire.

Let’s start with Seth, shall we? Our main protagonist despite the ensemble set-up could have been ripped from any Japanese role-playing game. The ones he reminded me strongly of were Tidus and Vaan. Tidus, because he was a fish-out-of-water that had fallen in love with the woman that would have to sacrifice her life to bring peace back to the world. Vaan due to the fact that he never truly stood out and was simply part of the story just because of Wind Crystal shenanigans. Later on, he was made a bit more special due to his status as someone that had come from the Outer Seas.

In a way, it was a clever voice direction for Seth to be the only character with an American accent. This helped paint the fact that he was different from the others. Still, it would have been much better if we could have seen what his life had been like prior to the events that brought him to waking up on a beach in Halyconia. And while there are scenes in several sidequests that explore a little of Seth’s backstory, there’s little to sink one’s teeth into.

Gloria, on the other hand, is very much a stereotypical princess of a mystical kingdom. Though the voice actress is very good at expressing the pain she has gone through as one of the sole survivors of Musa’s destruction, I feel like it would have connected better with players to have seen the invasion and perhaps played a small part in controlling her escape. Though these things are just little nitpicks, it adds to the characters and allows people to emotionally invest in the happenings of the world.

That, in and of itself, is probably Bravely Default II’s key problem. The fact that it tells rather than shows.

Elvis, of course, is the star of the show. His quirky traits, affable nature make him a clear favourite and much more human than his other counterparts. The narrative around Wiswald was also great example of fleshing out his past and the people he knows. It is much more personal, pulling on our heartstrings to learn about the death of a young child, and thus carries more weight than the water shortage in Savalon or the fairy hunting in Rimedhal, which was clearly meant to mirror witch trials.

While Folie, the main antagonist behind the happenings in Wiswald, could have been better written and with a more tangible tie to the people of Wiswald, the fact that she manipulated Roddy, Lily and poor Galahad with visions of the dead Mona meant that a bit of pathos was achieved when she was finally brought down.

Adelle, a little cliche, was still an intriguing character that rounded out the team (I still can’t place her accent). The reveal that she was actually a fairy was a delight. It was also nice that her goals also aligned with the main narrative of stopping the Night’s Nexus, instead of being as superfluous as Elvis trying to solve the riddle of a book he had in his possession or Seth just tagging along for the ride.

As for the foes that we faced? Most of them seemed like excuses to dress up how players obtained their Asterisks. Many of them seemed like caricatures. And honestly, Martha’s excuse to fight the Heroes of Light was abysmal. But, of course, the developers needed a way for players to experience what it might be like fighting a foe that had the Dragoon Asterisk before they could use it for their own.

I will admit, the story just felt like a vehicle to pick up each Asterisk along the way. Oft times, I had to wonder why so many of these people felt compelled to stand in the way of the Heroes of Light. And while it would have been much better to have a more personal reason for why we fought these enemies besides the fact that ‘Oh, they have an Asterisk and something, something Crystal!’ I still managed to push my way through.

Still, the fact that Dag and Selene managed to snag more character development in the sidequests was great. Gladys’s attempt at atonement and her brother’s grief was also good ways to delve into topics that might have been a little too dark for a title that had such gorgeous backdrops and adorable character models.

Now, to the meat of the matter. The plot holes and the things that were never truly explained. Edna’s descent into madness though Adelle often insisted her sister had always loved humans. How and where Lady Emma found the book that actually contained the memories of the Night’s Nexus? Where does Seth actually come from? How did he die? Why was he chosen by the Wind Crystal? Why was Adam so invested in trying to conquer the world? Did he experience something bad in his past that informed his current need to stop war by starting it? Where did Folie come from? Who is she and why did she feel the need to torment the people of Wiswald for her art?

So many mysteries. So little explanation.

Overall, Bravely Default II has quite a few flaws and missteps. Yet, despite that, it’s a sum greater than its parts. The narrative might not have been captivating, but it managed to keep pulling me through until I saw the true ending. Anticlimactic as the final boss battle might have been, I still felt a certain satisfaction in seeing Gloria tackle Seth to the ground. And honestly, who doesn’t want to Godspeed Strike their way to victory?

P.S. I will say that after witnessing Adelle save Martha, I had hoped for a blossoming romance, but the dialogue between her and Elvis during the second bad ending got to me. It may not be my one true pairing, but Elvis x Adelle was an arrow to my heart. My only question is: how old is Adelle? She looks like a child and yet, because she’s a fairy, she could be like a century older. Maybe better not to think too hard, eh? After all, why sweat the details?

#bravely default II #video games

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pinof · 6 years

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9/5/18 Rize Liveshow Notes

- Started off arguing.

- “Dip and Pip.”

- Phil is having quiff issues.

- They literally just woke up for this liveshow. Phil set an alarm.

- They’re in a Rainforest in Australia in a house for a few days before they fly out of Australia.

- They’re sharing this house with Martyn and Cornelia.

- Dan is annoyed by all the bugs.

- TBC dates are still TBC.

- They have plans up their sleeves still.

- Dan forgot that they had already planned a truth bomb last week.

- The truth bomb for this week is “What is Dan’s spirit animal?” and next week’s will be Dan’s - “If Dan and Phil were a superhero duo, what would their power be?”

- Phil bought some new flavored Tim Tams.

- They informed us that the biggest supermarket in Australia is Woolworths and said UK people would be super confused by that.

- There was an isle in the supermarket called “Manchester” and they were confused.

- Phil said cried inside seeing Hobbiton and Dan really did cry twice.

- “Okay, bitch.”

- Dan said “This is the tea.”

- “Backin’ it up for Bilbo.”

- Dan turned the camera off of Phil after he was talking about phalic things and said he needed to cool the hell down for about thirty seconds.

- The tour guide told them that the glow worms in the cave they went in was just mucus from huge maggots and they were horrified.

- They had the best ice cream of their life in New Zealand.

- They thought it was insane that someone buttered Phil’s toast for him.

- Their hotel bathroom in Sydney was on the 13th floor and it had a huge window in it.

- “I like it when the windows steam up. You can draw on it.” Hmmm that’s definitely why ;)

- They had an awkward encounter with guys trying to take pictures close to the edge of a skyscaper.

- Phil said he is a mixture of Phoebe and Ross from Friends. Dan agreed.

- Dan is Chandler and a slight bit of Monica.

- They watched Final Space.

- They’re super excited for American Horror Story.

- Phil’s mum demanded he watched The Bodyguard on BBC.

- While in Sydney in the bath, housekeeping came and Phil told them they could come to put clean towels away Dan was in the bathroom.

- Dan was waiting for Phil to try to stop her but he was too engrossed in Hollow Knight.

- Phil was on the bed in the room.

- They apologized for what happened in Manila.

- Someone said they should get a cat and they both said no.

- Information about the II movie coming soon.

- There will be a preview for the movie.

- Tour merch will be available on Dan and Phil Shop on Friday.

- Dan said Phil wears a blue jacket way too much.

- Truth bombs time.

- Someone said Dan’s spirit animal is Big Bird from Sesame Street because he’s tall and awkward.

- Phil had nightmares about Big Bird as a child.

- Someone said Dan and Phil’s spirit animals are Timone and Pumba.

- Someone said “I didn’t expect this to happen.” and Dan said “That’s me with my entire career.”

- Dan complimented a fan’s pride flag.

- Someone said Dan is a Howler Monkey.

- Reminder that next week’s truth bomb is “If Dan and Phil were a superhero duo, what would their power be?”

- A giant gecko was on their ceiling and they chatted with it because they like it.

- Phil tried Ice Coffee Flavored Gelato Tim Tams on camera.

- Dan argued that it was too early to try one, but he shared one with Phil.

- They said it was a mukbang.

- Phil has been playing Hollow Knight and Dan has been playing Octopath Traveler.

- Dan hasn’t listened to Bloom yet. He wants to listen to it on his own and disgest it.

- There’s another video coming in the next few days.

- “Have a nice guy!”

- Phil will let us know when the next liveshow is.

#dan howell #daniel howell #danisnotonfire #amazingphil #phil lester #dan and phil #phan #phandom #rize #taylor talks

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biscuitreviews · 5 years

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Biscuit’s Hopes and Fears For Kingdom Hearts III

We are one month away from the release of Kingdom Hearts III. Like many other fans I am excited to see the new entry in Sora’s story in his battle against Xehanort and Organization XIII. Although there are many things that I hope we get to see, I also have some fears regarding the new entry. So let’s go over what some of them are:

Hope #1: Enhancing combat:

If you played Kingdom Hearts 0.2, there may have been one thing you noticed in terms of its combat and that’s simply attacking enemies and using abilities does not always get the job done. There are moments where you will have to cast spells to either exploit a weakness or cause a status effect for you to easily dispatch them. Having spells be more necessary for fights is something that I hope does remain from 0.2 and into Kingdom Hearts III.

Fear #1: That the series recap packaged within Kingdom Hearts III may not be enough:

Square Enix has done an amazing job re-releasing all of the Kingdom Hearts titles to one platform. Doing so has almost destroyed the stigma of Kingdom Hearts being a “complicated and convoluted” series. Is it still poorly written and full of retcons? Yes it is, but a lot of the major plot points are now much easier for players to digest now that everything is on one platform.

However, I know that there will still be many newcomers to the series that will start with Kingdom Hearts III and not play any of the past titles. Although Square has stated that they will include something in Kingdom Hearts III to bring new players up to speed, my fear is that it will not be enough. I’m afraid that it could potentially leave out some important details that this new fan may need to know to understand certain events, which will in turn them off from the game completely.

Hope #2: More Representation From Other Square Enix Properties:

Dream Drop Distance opened the possibility that Kingdom Hearts does not have to just be tied down to representing Final Fantasy, but other Square Enix series as well. Dream Drop Distance featured characters from “The World Ends With You” and it got many players that did not play that series, more curious about it and wanting to play it themselves. With this I think it can open some other Square properties to also make an appearance such as Nier or even the new Octopath Traveler.

Fear #2: No Final Fantasy Representation:

On the flip side of my hope, my fear is that the Final Fantasy representation of this series, which is one of the main points that Kingdom Hearts was known for will be extremely minimal or not present at all. Birth By Sleep had extremely little representation from Final Fantasy and 358/2 Days and Dream Drop Distance only had Moogles representing Final Fantasy. My fear is that Kingdom Hearts III, might take the full plunge of having no Final Fantasy representation, which would also mean no optional Sephiroth boss battle, which was a major highlight for Final Fantasy fans in Kingdom Hearts I and II.

So having one of the main selling points of Kingdom Hearts that brought so many people to this series in the first place, could be a slightly upsetting subtraction.

Hope #3: Party Members are more competent:

We all know that setting priorities for party members has always been more of a suggestion rather than a priority. My hope is that when you set priorities for certain situations that they’ll be more likely to follow those prompts.

Fear #3: The Impact of Kingdom Hearts: Chi, Kingdom Hearts: Chi Backcover, and Kingdom Hearts: Union Cross to the story of Kingdom Hearts III:

This is perhaps my biggest fear for the entire game.

Kingdom Hearts: Chi and Kingdom Hearts: Union Cross are two mobile titles that Square released that told the story of the Keyblade War and the aftermath, an event only briefly mentioned during Birth By Sleep. Now, although Square and Tetsuya Nomura have gone on record to say that the Kingdom Hearts: Chi Backcover movie on the 2.8 collection will be all you need to know from those titles for Kingdom Hearts III, my fear is that it won’t actually be enough.

The movie only covers part of the mobile games events and it shows them in the perspective of a group of Keyblade Masters known as the Foretellers. It doesn’t show the perspective of your player character and more importantly, the events that happen after the movie which introduces a lot more elements and characters to the story.

To further show that these games are connected, we have already seen elements from the Chi story in some of the Kingdom Hearts III trailers, with Chirithy’s making an appearance as well as Daybreak Town where the mobile games and the Backcover movie take place.

There’s many other things that happen during the events of the movie that are only covered in the game so I would highly recommended reading the events that happen in these two games before going into Kingdom Hearts III. Nomura has gone record saying that when writing the story for Kingdom Hearts III, that the story for Kingdom Hearts: Chi and Union Cross were also being worked on at the same time, so you can bet that those three games will be very closely connected.

If you want to know the details of what has been going on in these games I highly recommend watching this link here. This video breaks down all the major events that have occured in the mobile titles.

Hope #4: This is the end of Sora’s Journey:

Square has stated that even though this game is the conclusion of the Dark Seeker saga, I also hope that it also brings an end to Sora’s story as well. When Square does advance to Kingdom Hearts 4 or the next Kingdom Hearts title, my hope is that it will follow a new cast completely, perhaps the apprentices of Sora and Riku or a cast that has no connection to them at all.

Fear #4: This Is Not The True End of the Dark Seeker Saga:

Although it’s possible Kingdom Hearts III will end with the defeat of Xehanort, my fear is that this will not really end the saga like Square Enix claims. I fear that there might be another Kingdom Hearts side title that gets released after Kingdom Hearts III that will have something that was left unfinished. For example, Nomura might have an idea that Xehanort left some small remnant of himself somewhere and that Sora and friends will have to journey to find this last remnant. I also fear that with time travel now a thing in the Kingdom Hearts series, that we still might encounter a past version of Xehanort that will try to put things back into motion. I’m aware that Kingdom Hearts has clearly stated rules for time travel and for those that would like a reminder of said laws, here is what the law states as stated by Xehanort.

“In order for one to travel to a certain point in time, there must be another version of them waiting at said destination. In addition, rewriting the events that are destined to happen is forbidden in the laws of time; what is set in stone cannot be changed. Upon return to one's original point in time, the traveler loses all memory of the experience gained traveling. In spite of this, the memories of these experiences are etched into the traveler's heart, which can potentially have an effect on their perspectives and decisions.”

Now, why could this open up a door of some form of Xehanort returning? Because the Kingdom Hearts series is known for not following the rules it has established. It’s already retconned events and rewrote already stated rules to better suit the story Nomura wants to tell at that specific moment, so what’s stopping Nomura and Square from bending the rules of time travel as well.

Those are my major hopes and fears for Kingdom Hearts III. I do have others, but I didn’t feel it was significant enough to include them as either the trailers have confirmed or refuted them. I’m looking forward to playing Kingdom Hearts III and sharing my thoughts with all of you!

Now for a shameless tail-end blog update because:

As a heads-up for how my blog will operate on January 29, I will be going on a hiatus to solely focus on Kingdom Hearts III. I’m going to be taking my time with this game. I want to really give it my full attention without having to worry about any other projects in the pipeline. I’ll make a post when I’ll be going into that hiatus and another post when I’m getting out of it. When I make the second post that shows I’m back in operation, the Kingdom Hearts III review will follow shortly after, most likely a week from the return post.

As for the month of January itself, it’s going to be a bit of a strange month content wise. I have three reviews planned for the month. I’m going to be doing my reviews for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Revelations which will then end the first sprint of the Assassin’s Creed review series. It’s a bit of a weird stopping point but in some ways it makes sense to stop it there as Revelations closed out Altair and Ezio’s story. I will also be doing my Yakuza 2 review at that time as well. I just recently cleared the main campaign for it and am getting ready to go through the Majima Saga.

Usually I stick to a weekend posting schedule, but for January I’m going to experiment with a couple of things. With Tumblr making a lot of changes themselves with the “female presenting nipple” bot running around going crazy, I’m going to take time to evaluate and try out different posting times again.

Thank you all for following, reading, and liking! I look forward to ending the Xehanort Saga with you all!

#Kingdom Hearts #Kingdom Hearts III #PS4 #Xbox One #Square Enix #video games #gaming #games #video game review #gaming review #game review #biscuit review #biscuits opinion #Xehanort #Dark Seeker Saga #Kingdom Hearts: Union Cross #Kingdom Hearts: Chi

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illusivegore · 5 years

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Eight to Consider: Games of E3 2019

It’s June and that can mean only one thing in the world of video games – E3 is upon us. It pains me to say it, but I can’t lie, E3 isn’t nearly as exciting as it was a decade ago when I got back into video games. That said, I’m not a completely jaded asshole (yet), so there were still plenty of titles that caught my attention. As I’ve done in years past, I thought I’d run down a handful of them.

Before I get to the games from this year, I thought it might be kind of interesting to see how the games from my 2018 list have come along. I’ll make this quick with just a few bullet points, so let’s take a look.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 – Still not released and no new information to speak of.

Cyberpunk 2077 – Still not released, but we now have a release date of April 16, 2020 and I’m still looking forward to this one.

Octopath Traveler – Held its release date and was great. It even ended up being one of my favorite games from last year.

Strange Brigade – Held its release date, but didn’t make much of a splash and I never ended up playing it.

Days Gone – Got pushed back a bit, but released earlier this year to mediocre reviews and I’ve decided to skip it for the time being.

Spider-Man – Held its release date and was well received, but I still haven’t had a chance to play it yet.

Concrete Genie – Didn’t make its 2018 release and is now scheduled for a fall 2019 release, but has sort of fallen off the radar.

The Last of Us Part II – Still not released and with Sony skipping E3 this year, there isn’t much new information to pass on. Here’s hoping Sony sticks to its word that it will still be a PS4 game and not pushed to its new console.

Resident Evil 2 – Held its release date and was amazing. I reviewed it earlier this year and it will certainly be in the running for game of the year.

I don’t know about you, but I like looking back and seeing how these things play out and how expectations and excitement can change over time. With all that out of the way, let’s move on to my list of games for 2019. Oh and while I’m still interested in Cyberpunk 2077, since we didn’t get much new in the way of gameplay (at least not for us plebeians of the public) I’m leaving it off this year’s list.

I’m also not really a Zelda or Final Fantasy fan, so while Link’s Awakening, the Breath of the Wild sequel, and Final Fantasy VII all look good, I wouldn’t say I’m excited to play them. I also decided to keep any games without gameplay off my list, so while I’m intrigued by something like GhostWire: Tokyo, you also won’t find it here. Now then, let’s actually get to my top 8 games of E3 2019, for real this time.

Super Mario Maker 2

Platforms: Nintendo Switch Release Date: June 28, 2019

I never owned a Wii U so I never had the chance to play the original Super Mario Maker. Well I guess that’s not completely true. I made the mistake of buying the stripped down 3DS version of the game and almost immediately regretted that decision, but let’s not talk about that. Super Mario Maker 2 looks like it’s evolving everything that made the original a great game with a larger assortment of level creation tools and even an expanded story mode. I’m not much of a level creator, but I look forward to seeing what more talented people are able to create. The wait for Super Mario Maker 2 is nearly over as, at the time of this writing, it will launch in just a few days.

Borderlands 3

Platforms: Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 Release Date: September 13, 2019

It’s a bit counter intuitive to say I’m not that excited for Borderlands 3 but still put it on this list. It doesn’t look all that much different from the previous entries in the series and that’s kind of a bummer. That being said, I love the Borderlands games and with new characters, abilities, and environments to explore, I know I’ll enjoy the familiar formula of shooting and looting.

RAD

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC Release Date: August 20, 2019

I’ve found my enjoyment of Double Fine games has been rather hit or miss. With their new game, RAD, they are delving into one of my favorite genres, the Rogue-like, so I’m willing to give them a shot with this one. In RAD, each run will have you exploring a post-post-apocalyptic world (that’s right, the world has ended twice) with nothing but your trusty baseball bat, that is until you start mutating. With each journey into the wasteland, you’ll acquire random mutations that will add a variety of combat options, making each run unique. RAD is a $20 downloadable title, and for that price, I’m looking forward to trying it out this summer.

Watch Dogs Legion

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 Release Date: March 6, 2020

The fact that a Watch Dogs game made this list was a complete surprise to me. The original Watch Dogs was one of my most anticipated games when it was first announced at E3 2012, but with multiple delays and a somewhat mediocre reception upon release, I quickly lost interest and still haven’t played it. I also didn’t have much interest in the sequel after missing out on the first game, so when Legion was announced I never imagined it would have caught my attention like it did. The main gimmick of Legion is that you can recruit and play as almost any character you encounter in the new London setting. Maybe I’m a sucker, but once I saw an elderly woman beating ass, I was ready to throw down the cash to play this. We’ll see how it looks as it gets closer to release, but right now I’m interested and it might even get me to go back and try out the other games in the series.

The Outer Worlds

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 Release Date: October 25, 2019

I’m a big fan of the Fallout games and The Outer Worlds is being made by guys that worked on the original PC releases and the studio that developed New Vegas. So I’m hoping for some of that Fallout writing charm and similar gameplay and elements from the more modern Fallout games. The Outer Worlds is a sci-fi shooter set in outer space, so there should be plenty of unique directions to go to differentiate it from the Fallout series. With the debacle that was Fallout 76, I’m more than willing to give a game in the same vein as a series I love a shot since Bethesda apparently doesn’t want to do the series right.

Pokémon Sword/Shield

Platforms: Nintendo Switch Release Date: November 15, 2019

Last year I slept on the Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! Pokémon games. I actually had no intention of playing either of them, but my love for Pokémon took over and I gave them a shot. Much to my surprise, Let’s Go, Eevee! became one of my favorite games of 2018. Moral of the story, I will never again sleep on a Pokémon title, so Sword and Shield make this list by default.

Remnant: From the Ashes

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Release Date: August 20, 2019

This was by far the biggest surprise of this year’s E3 for me. I didn’t even know this game existed before I saw it on some E3 coverage and I was instantly impressed with what I saw. Remnant: From the Ashes is inspired by From Software’s Souls games and normally that would be enough to turn me off because those games just never clicked with me. However, Remnant focuses heavily on ranged, shooter combat, and it just looks so satisfying. There are a variety of classes you can play as, dungeons to explore, and at least 20 bosses to fight, so it’s looking like a substantial game. I’m not sure if I have the skills to get through a game like this, but it just looks so good that I’m looking forward to at least giving it a try.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Platforms: Nintendo Switch Release Date: March 20, 2020

I’m not even sure what to say about Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This is one of the main reasons I needed to get a Switch and with what they showed off at E3, I’m psyched now more than ever for it. There’s something about Animal Crossing that just does it for me. I’ve been playing them since the GameCube game, spent hundreds of hours with New Leaf, and have recently been addicted to Pocket Camp. The more Animal Crossing I can get in my life, the happier I will be. Most of all, I’m looking forward to hanging out with my main man, Hamlet, in a new environment.

#Nintendo #Switch #Pokemon #Animal Crossing #PS4 #PlayStation #Games #Video Games #Xbox #Xbox One #Watch Dogs #Remnant from the Ashes #Remnant #Rad #Mario #Super Mario Maker 2 #The Outer Worlds #Borderlands #Borderlands 3

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filligan-universe · 5 years

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TOP 5 Games of 2018

5. Octopath Traveler

Despite all of its shortcomings and lack of depth, I was entranced by this jewel. I wrote a full review here.

4. Spider-Man

Another one that took a lot of my time this year -- to the point where I platinumed it. But I haven’t returned for any DLC. I wrote a full review of this one as well, and it touches on why I probably won’t be back to web-slinging until a proper sequel.

3. Red Dead Redemption II

I still haven’t finished RDR II, but it really is the most polished game I’ve played all year. And maybe it’s unfair to judge this game before I’m done with it, but that’s part of why it’s both so high and so low on my list. The previous game sank claws into me that I couldn’t escape for the better part of a year. This game wants to be more cinematic. Rockstar wants to push the art in the art form, and while that’s admirable and we should have A-list games striving for the very best the medium can produce, it also seems to have come in the progression of gameplay. I’m in the absolute minority on this so I won’t say much on it -- at least not until I’ve completed the main story. And the game still plays well. Quite well. But I dunno. The last game was still a game. This sometimes feels like the most boring parts of a film.

2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I don't know if I need to recalculate my score for Smash Wii U after this, because for all intents and purposes, Ultimate IS the better game. It's like the Mario Kart 8 of the franchise: refined to the point where improvement is impossible. The roster is madness, the single-player modes are grindy but better, and it feels like there's nowhere left to go. But I'm sort of okay with that. I'm ready for this franchise to retire. And maybe my score reflects that more than anything.

1. Into the Breach

Into the Breach is deceptively crystal in its presentation and gameplay. Every possibility, option, and strategy is communicated to the player at all times, and failure to exercise the best method is always your own fault. The amount of abuse I allowed this game to inflict on me is lunacy, but I felt like I gained new knowledge and motivation with each failure, and if I started over then I could finally win. I am no battle chess player, but this sucker is so simply addictive.

Something different:

I’ve been making personal GOTY choices for a very long time now and I got curious about the stack of them -- what possible stats or preferences I could glean from seeing them all together. They’ll also fluctuate more commonly than my favorite films of the year because games are expensive, I often wait for them to go down in price to try them, and by then we’re in the next year and my list has already been made. So, I wanted to look back through my choices, make any appropriate changes if I’d played anything else since those lists had been made, and see what I’ve chosen. Here’s what I found:

1998: StarCraft 1999: Super Smash Bros. 2000: Paper Mario 2001: Super Smash Bros. Melee 2002: Super Mario Sunshine 2003: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2004: Halo 2 2005: Mario Kart DS 2006: Gears of War 2007: Halo 3 2008: Grand Theft Auto IV 2009: Batman: Arkham Asylum 2010: Red Dead Redemption 2011: Portal 2 2012: Journey 2013: Grand Theft Auto V 2014: Mario Kart 8 2015: Super Mario Maker 2016: ABZÛ 2017: Super Mario Odyssey 2018: Into the Breach

Obviously, some of these I reviewed in retrospect. I wasn’t makin’ GOTY lists way back in 1998, I can tell ya that much! No sir! What a lame hobby for a child! Ha ha!

Wins by exclusives: Nintendo - 8 Microsoft - 3 Sony - 1

Wins by franchise: Super Smash Bros. - 2 Mario Kart - 2 Halo - 2 Grand Theft Auto - 2

Wins by genre: Action - 4 Shooter - 4 Platformer - 4 (5 with Mario Maker) Strategy - 4 Racer - 2

I feel pretty well-rounded. More so than I used to consider my tastes to be, anyway.

Personal surprises: I thought I chose Nintendo far more often, but 8/20 isn’t too dominating. True enough, there was a near ten year gap where I barely played much Nintendo had to offer. The Wii U might have been a financial crater, but the Wii was a creative one, and even when Nintendo cracked it (Super Mario Galaxy), there were still better games on the market.

2001 is a funky year. I flip back and forth between Melee and Combat Evolved all the time, but I think I’m happy to leave it here. I can’t fathom how much time I spent on either of them. And speaking of time spent, that appears to be my number one criterium for determining what’s worthy for top spot. Other things can factor in when it’s close (this year, for example, I had spent far more time on Octopath and Spider-Man, but neither of them had moved me to sit down and play them like Breach -- they felt more like personal obligations I’d given myself). But it’s a fair, I think: my strongest memories of games are going to become stronger with more game time. The only reason I stopped playing Halo 2 (at 2800 matches) was because Halo 3 released, and I left that game at almost 2950 matches. Compare that to Reach, which struggled to reach 1000, or even the MCC (914), and there’s an argument for playtime = GOTY. Also, we’re not gonna talk about the INSANE stat my Xbox says about my Halo Wars 2 playtime: 233 hours. What a load! Ha ha!

My affection for Nintendo is no surprise, and neither is my love of certain franchises, but I’m surprised to see the pattern shaken up with regularity. I’ll be shocked if my GOTY for this year isn’t Mario Maker’s sequel, and thus the Nintendo/franchise love will continue, but you never know. Little gems like Journey, ABZÛ, and Breach keep popping up these days. I know my tastes are very mainstream, but I love to be surprised by excellent indie ventures. I consider Journey to be the best game of the previous generation, so we’ll see how my tastes continue.

#GOTY 2018 #GOTY #spiderman ps4 #red dead redemption 2 #smash bros ultimate #octopath traveler #into the breach

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floopers · 11 months

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Sharp Problems

Series: Octopath Traveler II Pairing: Throné/Castti Word count: 2614 Rating: M Summary: How can one dress hide so much?

[AO3]

wanted to write something dumb but this is still suggestive

——

A few drinks could make anyone find their courage hidden underneath, and Castti was no exception to that rule. As much as she often practiced alcohol in moderation and usually only partook in a few sips to a glass of wine at the most, there were times where even she allowed herself to indulge. One of these rare moments came when Partitio, after being battered by a giant metal contraption that spewed steam at them and singed the tip of Ochette's tail, finally sealed his deal with Roque.

Alrond had invited them back to Wellgrove to celebrate the momentous deal that would no doubt shake the rest of the century. Everyone got onto the very ship he had arrived in, trawled through the Wildlands to the Leaflands, and made it all to Wellgrove all in one piece, somehow. And now, there they were in the tavern, with drink after drink to celebrate the harrowing experience they all nearly had.

Not even Castti was immune to the joyous merrymaking happening, spurred on by Partitio's rowdy laughter and how he seemed to always come around to help everyone refill their tankards. One turned into two, then a few, and it wasn't long before Castti found herself swaying slightly in her seat. She looked around the table and found everyone else in similar states, if not worse; even Temenos and Osvald had joined in the drinks as well and Agnea was in front of the counter dancing away to everyone's hollering and clapping.

There was one person missing though...

Castti stood up, and grabbed the table to steady herself. She was slightly unsteady but not so much she'd fall to the floor unlike the way Partitio seemed ready to, if he weren't being held up by Floyd and Alrond on both of his sides. His smile spread from ear to ear though so maybe it wouldn't have bothered him if he collapsed.

After making sure she was steady enough, she made her way outside. It was getting hot in the tavern with everyone inside... she fanned herself but that seemed to barely do anything. Her other hand came up to the button on her cloak, running her fingers over it as she contemplated unbuttoning it.

The air outside the tavern was chilly, refreshingly so. The slight breeze that brushed her cooled her down and blew away some the fog in her mind. Still, she continued to fan herself with her hand. If only she could just—

"Getting some air?"

Castti turned her head to find who she was looking for. Throné leaned against the wall of the tavern near the entrance, her arms crossed.

"Yes... it was getting rather warm inside," Castti said, looking down at herself, unknowing of the sudden look of alarm that crossed Throné's expression. "And I noticed you weren't inside so..."

"... you went looking for me?" Throné sounded surprised for some reason.

"Yes, I wanted to check up on you," Castti said, looking at her. "Although, if you rather be left alone right now, then pay me no heed. I just need a few minutes and I'll head back inside."

"... it's fine, I don't mind," Throné said. Well... if Throné was fine with it, then Castti was going to stay. Too rambunctious inside for her now, anyway.

Though the night air was nice and chilly, it was starting to feel too warm for her again. Castti fanned herself again before shaking her head. This wasn't doing anything for her, she needed to get rid of her layers; her hands were already unbuttoning her cloak and it slipped off her shoulders. She'd pick that up after. First, she needed to get rid of some more buttons, loosening up the ones near her neck. That helped, but she still felt too hot. Then, more, opening more—

"Hey!" Throné grabbed one of her wrists just as she managed to release the one in the middle of her torso. Castti peered up at her, blinking. Oh, Throné had caught her cloak before it had fallen too. She should thank her but some reason, Throné couldn't look her in the eyes.

"You really need to be more careful about where you're doing that," Throné said, her voice low.

"Why?" Castti blinked at her. She knew what Throné meant, but all she cared about in that moment was cooling herself down, and it was only Throné here. She trusted her; there wasn't anything to worry about when Throné was around.

Throné finally looked at her, incredulous, and before she could speak, her eyes slid downward, roaming down the expanse of skin now exposed to the air. She quickly looked away and it had all happened so fast—but Castti had caught it all, and there was no mistaking the color spreading across Throné's face now.

Oh... oh.

Perhaps it was all the drinks she had already but rather than allowing herself to stew in this knowledge, Castti found herself stepping closer instead. Throné's eyes snapped back to her, and Castti heard her inhale sharply. Throné's hand still held her wrist but her grip seemed to have tightened once she stepped closer, but she didn't move away.

There was something growing between them that was getting harder and harder to ignore. At first, Castti had thought it simple intrigue from both sides; she an apothecary that had lost her memories and rumored to deal in death and Throné, a member of the Blacksnakes that specialized in thievery and assassination fighting to be freed from that cycle. Both opposites and yet... underneath her tough exterior and all the hardships she had gone through, there was a kindness to Throné that drew her in. She had been willing to lend Castti her aid even though most people had brushed off her story of amnesia. Perhaps it had been practicality in the beginning but Throné continued to remain even after losing the collar to her neck. There was no reason for her to stay... and yet, she did.

But all their journeys were beginning to wind down to an end. All that was left was to head to Merry Hills, to watch Agnea perform her heart out against Dolcinaea. If neither of them were going to do anything about it now, then...

Out of all of them, Throné was the one Castti secretly worried about. Not because she couldn't take care of herself but because out of all of them, she had the highest possibility of simply... losing contact with. Throné seemed like the kind of person who would disappear without contact, and it would be by a miracle of the gods if she ever decided to resurface.

It seemed like a silly thought to worry about. The collar on Throné's neck had finally been unlocked; she had all the freedom in the world now to do what she wanted, and Castti knew that she wanted to explore, to see everything this world had to offer. Despite how cool and reserved she had always seemed, there was always adventure in her eyes, new challenges for her to seek out, new thrills for her to discover.

The possibility of never seeing Throné after parting ways with her... the thought made something coil inside of her. Whatever was happening between right now, Castti knew it would disappear once they parted their ways from each other... and as much as she enjoyed teasing Throné at times, she didn't want fleeting moments and what-ifs to make up her memories of Throné either. The time spent with someone was a precious commodity that could never be replaced.

So Castti allowed herself to step closer again and she waited, allowing Throné to pull back and away if she wanted, but Throné continued to stare at her; perhaps she was more frozen and unsure of what to even do... but when her eyes flitted down to her lips for a moment, Castti knew she had to do something. She had thought her interest had only been on her end but now... she knew otherwise. She hoped otherwise.

Castti leaned up then, pushing herself up on the tips of her toes to brush her lips against Throné's. She felt Throné tense for a moment before responding, kissing back. And now Castti felt emboldened, her hand coming up to pull Throné down to her.

The feeling of Throné's lips on hers was far more intoxicating than any of the drinks Castti had that night. Months of simmering feelings had built up and it all boiled over now. When Throné pulled back to catch her breath, Castti followed after her. Throné's hand on her wrist had slipped away and Castti used her newly freed hand to slide into the back of Throné's head and pull her closer. She heard Throné gasp against her lips, swallowing it down as she kissed her.

The coil that Castti had felt earlier changed to one of heat, a fire coiling within her. She let one of her hands drag down Throné's body, fingertips teasing along the top of Throné's thigh, more than glad it was exposed. Throné hissed into her mouth, Castti slid her hand to touch wet—

The tavern door slammed open and the both of them froze, breaking away to whip their heads toward the entrance. Strangely, no one came out but all the noise was too hard to ignore now, not when they could hear Partitio's voice shouting above everyone else's, Ochette's hollering alongside with him.

It was one thing to hear Partitio, it was another to hear Ochette. Castti reluctantly pulled away from Throné, who looked just as quietly mortified.

"... inn?" Throné suggested, rubbing the back of her neck nervously as she looked away from Castti.

"A good idea," Castti said, slightly breathless. She took her cloak from Throné, murmuring a thanks. They stood around awkwardly for a little longer before making their way toward the inn, hopefully for... less interruptions. Maybe it was a good thing that had happened though; if Temenos had come out and seen them, or even possibly Ochette—Castti didn't want to think about it.

It felt a little silly, the way they shuffled toward the inn like scolded children. Castti glanced over at Throné and Throné adamantly kept her eyes in front, not even sneaking a peek over at Castti, but the blush on her face still hadn't left. It made Castti almost giggle; she had teased Throné before but seeing her so flustered like this was cute. Castti wanted to see more of this, the sides she tried to keep hidden underneath her always cool demeanor.

Unfortunately... it was hot again, but for a different reason now, and Castti found it nearly unbearable, walking so close to Throné, wanting to reach out and pull her back, hear the gasp of surprise she'd make against her lips. It was tempting—was this what Throné felt when she had the urge to take?

They arrived inside their inn room without much fanfare, other than Castti trying to fan herself again, not that it helped much. Once she heard Throné's footsteps behind her, Castti spun around, pulling Throné to her and capturing her lips. As she expected, Throné gasped but she responded quicker, pressing back against her, arms wrapping around. She pushed Throné toward the wall and kissed down her jaw. She wanted to kiss her neck but... she leaned further down instead, kissing along her collarbone, enjoying the shiver Throné made. It was there again, that intoxication overtaking her but this time, she wanted to drink more of it, drink all of it. A haze had settled in her mind and all she could think about was Throné. Castti moved her hand to Throné's leg again, touching silk underneath her fingertips, dragging them up until she felt a sharp point and a hilt—

Throné broke away suddenly, looking down as she quickly placed her hand over her dagger. "Ah, sorry, hold on..." She unhooked the sheathed dagger from her leg and looked around them. They weren't near any surface she could put them on and she couldn't exactly leave it on the floor either; Castti didn't want her to leave a weapon like that on the floor.

"The table?" Castti suggested, gesturing over to it further in the room.

"... right." Throné followed her suggestion and Castti followed behind because it felt a little silly staying there. Throné carefully set her knife down on the table and turned around. She looked at Castti questioningly and... well, though the heat had faded slightly with that interruption, Castti felt it pooling again inside as she looked at Throné, now bathed in the moonlight from the window behind her, the ephemeral sight more than beautiful to her right now.

Castti stepped forward, the same time as Throné reached out and pulled her back, their lips meeting again. Castti pushed her back against the table and rested her hands on the surface, arms trapping Throné in. She moved one of her hands, dragging it up against Throné's leg again, now free from that dagger. As she teased the top of Throné's thigh again, she heard a sound of impatience coming from Throné that it nearly made her laugh. And instead of moving her hand to where Throné clearly wanted, she slid her hand higher up, slipping inside the dress to her hip—

There was another knife. Castti broke away as she pulled it free, looking down at it. Where had this even come from? Even Throné looked bewildered. She took the knife from Castti, setting it aside the other knife she had already put away. They looked at each other, shrugged, and leaned in again. She allowed herself to slide her hand up Throné's other leg, the one normally hidden by her dress—Castti pulled away again, holding yet another knife.

"... hm," was all Throné could say, looking down at Castti's hand.

"Throné, maybe you should just get rid of all of it right now," Castti said and though she was breathless, there was a twinge of annoyance in her voice that even she couldn't keep away.

"... yeah, that... that might be better." And Throné began to search through her person, pulling out various knives. Three knives quickly became five, then six, then eight, and still the pile was growing, becoming a mound that Castti lost track of. Castti could only watch, baffled, because how did Throné even keep these on her?

Several minutes passed by and still, Throné wasn't done... or looked as if she was anywhere close to done.

"So... how many is that now?" Castti asked just as Throné reached behind herself and pulled out what looked to be close to the thin precision knives Castti used to open up her patients. She didn't want to think what sort of use Throné needed for that one.

"Good question," Throné only answered as she pulled free another knife from... Castti lost track of where she hadn't taken a knife out of at this point. Knives weren't even the only things being added to the pile now, as Castti caught other small objects being added to the pile though the majority were still knives.

And now, as Throné patted herself all over, it finally seemed over. Castti didn't know what was more impressive, that Throné managed to hide such a massive number of items on her without injuring herself for so long... or that she could even hide that many things within her dress in the first place.

"Can I ask something, Throné?"

"Hm?"

"I can be a patient woman but... will you have to do this every time?"

Throné made a choked sound. "I'll, uh, get rid of some of them."

#octopath traveler 2 #octopath traveler ii #castthrone #castti florenz #throné anguis #writing floops

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floopers · 1 year

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Bask

Series: Octopath Traveler II Pairing: Throné/Castti Word count: 1515 Rating: G Summary: Throné wonders why she still thinks to keep denying herself this.

[AO3]

takes place after the game

———

It's well into the early hours of morning by the time Throné arrives back at the inn. Luckily for her, the inn is still unlocked as she steals into the building though there's no one in sight at the counter. In a quiet village like this, she had been worried of that possibility and thought she might have to come back in through the window again. Not a very fun time nor an experience she'd like to relive, especially when buildings like these aren't the sort of ones Throné is used to sneaking into like New Delsta's apartments.

As she creeps down the hallway, she can hear Ochette snoring in the room next to theirs. It makes her pause and shake her head slightly, the corners of her lips twitching upward. With that kind of noise, she doesn't even need to try to mask her footsteps but she hopes the noise isn't keeping Castti up.

Which it isn't, because when Throné slips into the room, Castti is already asleep, hunched over her journal at the table. It's exactly as Throné had thought she would find, given how late it is. Castti doesn't stir but she's mumbling to herself. Still working even in her dreams, it looks like. At least, Throné would hope she dreams of work rather than the specters buried within her still fragmented memories.

As quiet and carefully as she can, she takes off the satchel she's carrying, slowly setting it down on the floor. Won't make a noise but can't hurt to be safe. The warding leaves she sneaked out to pick are safe inside. Castti had mentioned that there was an abundance in the area and that she would need to forage for some to restock but she's since dealt with two villagers today with strange fevers, and an emergency with a man who pulled his back just mere hours ago.

The last Throné had seen of her before leaving, she'd been scribbling away in her patient records, detailing their care. Where and how is Castti even going to find the time to forage for these herbs she's using for her patients? And now, she's asleep, pen in one hand while the other holds up her head. Won't even let herself rest until she finishes her work.

But now comes the hard part for Throné, getting Castti to bed without waking her up... and also get rid of some of her layers. Won't be comfortable sleeping with all she's got on. She crouches down, working on Castti's boots. Of course though, it's just Throné's luck that she starts to stir just as Throné manages to get one of them off.

"Throné?" Castti looks down at her, the pen dropping from her hand as she rubs at her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"... getting you ready for bed." Throné pulls free the laces on the other boot but Castti moves away, removing it by herself instead.

"Thank you for that," Castti says as she shakes her head and slaps her cheeks abruptly. As she looks over Throné, her gaze sharpens.

"... what is it?" Throné tries not to fidget on the spot. It's as if she's walked into an impromptu check-up for some reason.

"You were gone for so long I wasn't sure if you gotten yourself mixed up in something unsavory."

"So you waited for me?" Throné feels guilty now. If she had known this, she should've waited for Castti to fall asleep first. Throné's no stranger to waiting for someone to sleep before making her move. "Didn't get into a fight, if that's what you're wondering."

"I just wanted to make sure." Castti smiles before hiding a yawn behind her hand. "I'm glad to see that you're in one piece this time."

"Of course I am." Throné huffs. She gets stabbed once and she'll never live down the experience. Throné should point out that the one who had done the stabbing was a master assassin—but that's beside the point. Castti has tended and treated her after every mishap and wound no matter the reason for it... and Throné has to imagine what it must be like in Castti's shoes, waiting at the inn and seeing Throné come into the room with her clothes stained and blood on her.

"Yes, you are now," Castti says softly, reaching out to lay a hand on her face. Throné blinks up at her before looking away, uncomfortable. She still has to get used to this, get used to the way Castti can so easily show her affection.

"You should get some rest," Throné says, rising to her feet.

"Ah..." Even as she's hiding a yawn behind her hand, Castti still turns to look over at her patient logs but Throné pushes them away. "Throné!"

"That'll be for after." Throné pushes them away and gestures for Castti to the bed. "Come on, don't make me carry you now."

"Oh? Will you now?" Even when tired, there's still that twinkle of mischief in Castti's eyes. And despite how tired Throné is herself, even she finds the urge to play along.

Without warning, she reaches forward and grabs Castti's arms, pulling her to her feet. Castti's eyes widen, her legs unsteady from the sudden force, and Throné takes advantage, quickly gathering her up into her arms. Castti instinctively wraps her arms around Throné's neck, holding tight for a second as she gasps from surprise into THrone's neck.

"You—you really did it," Castti says, awed. Throné shrugs—or she tries to, but it's bit hard when Castti's holding onto her so tight. The bed isn't far away though so when Throné turns around and takes about three steps to lower Castti onto it, she does feel a little silly. It looks as if Castti's in the same mood because she's trying not to laugh... but she's still keeping her arms wrapped around Throné so she can't quite completely pull away.

They watch each other, the sounds of their breaths filling the air between them. Then, Castti gives her one of her soft smiles and lays a hand on her face again, her thumb stroking her cheek. "You should get some rest too," she murmurs.

Throné feels it again, that urge to pull away in the face of such open fondness. It makes her want to hide away, slink back to the shadows where no one will see her, where she can blend in and be gone—but Castti's hand on her face is warm, so warm, and snakes always seek to bask in warmth.

She drops her gaze though, unable to take the weight of such a tender look. Castti makes some sort of noise and tugs her to sit down on the bed instead. She moves behind Throné and with practiced hands, starts to undo her corset. It takes a quick moment for Throné to realize what's happening but once she does, she lets out a small breath, finishing taking off the rest of her corset once Castti is done with her back. She looks over her shoulder at Castti now, a question in her eyes.

"Just returning the favor," Castti says with a small smile, "since you helped me with my boots."

Throné nods, turning back around and busying herself with getting her own boots off. She hears the sheets rustling and when she takes a glance over her shoulder, Castti is moving over to the pillows and lays face down on them. Perhaps she might fall asleep before Throné's done.

After setting aside her boots and knives (but keeping one on the bedside table just in case), Throné settles down on the other side of the bed. There's no movement at all from Castti so Throné thinks she's asleep but once she lays down, Castti turns toward her, eyes half open as she tries to keep awake. She scoots over before pausing, watching her. Throné feels it again, that compulsion to pull back and hide herself away but she pushes down that feeling instead, allowing herself to spread her arm out in invitation. Castti takes it, settling against her side.

It's warm—she's warm, and Throné wonders why she still thinks to keep denying herself this when Castti is offering.

"You went out to get the herbs for me, didn't you?" Castti murmurs suddenly.

"You knew?"

"A small hunch, since you've come back unhurt." Castti smiles against her shoulder. "Thank you."

"... you're welcome." Throné almost wants to laugh; so much for trying to sneak away into the night for them. Castti would've found out the next morning but Throné would have still preferred the idea of slipping them into her satchel instead.

Drowsiness tugs at her consciousness but Throné forces herself to wait. She waits until she hears the subtle shift of Castti's breathing, even and quiet now against her shoulder. Throné waits a little longer, just to make sure Castti won't try to sneak off and work on her patient logs again. When nothing else happens, Throne finally allows her eyes to close, allows herself to bask in that warmth by her side.

#octopath traveler ii #octopath traveler 2 #castthrone #throné anguis #castti florenz #writing floops #just doing some fluff this time

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broomballkraken · 10 months

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Title: Wrapped In Your Arms

Fandom: Octopath Traveler 2

Pairing: Castti/Edmund

Word count: 1311

Warnings: Castti story spoilers

Summary: Even after she had regained her memories and put an end to Trousseau, Castti’s nightmares still persisted from time to time. Waking up wrapped in Edmund’s secure embrace wasn’t a cure-all, but it sure did wonders to alleviate her pain.

Castti’s eyes opened to a familiar scene before her, one that caused her blood to turn to ice and a pit of dread to form in her gut. Purple rain, tainting everything it touched with a deadly poison, and faceless people screaming as they collapsed to the ground, their lives cut painfully short. Some familiar faces stood out among the nameless, those of her long-dead friends, and they looked at her with disdain as their skin turned purple and blotchy and warped.

‘Why didn’t you save us, Castti? Why, why, why?’

Trembling as she clutched at her head, Castti tried to scream, but no sound came out, and her throat burned as she gasped for air. She fell to her knees and watched as her arms started turning purple. Despair washed over her as she pulled her knees to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, but that was not enough to prevent a river of tears from falling down her face.

‘Castti…Castti…Castti…’ The voices of her friends taunted her, and she thought she was going to suffocate under the cold weight of their malice. She wrapped her arms around herself and pressed her face against her legs, desperately wanting this pain to end.

‘Castti! Castti!’

A gentle warmth suddenly engulfed her as a new voice joined the chanting of her name, but this one was different. It was comforting, familiar, and filled with so much love…

“Castti! Wake up!”

Castti awoke screaming, and every nerve in her body was telling her to flee. However, she found that she couldn’t move her arms, and when her eyes finally shot open, she found that she was sitting in Edmund’s lap, cradled in his secure, but gentle, embrace. It…had been a nightmare all along…

“I’m here, love. I’ve got you.” Edmund’s voice was soft as he slowly rocked back and forth, keeping a firm hold on Castti’s trembling body. Fresh tears fell down her face as she buried her face against his chest and clung to his back, her nails digging into his skin as she sobbed.

Every breath that she took felt like fire in her lungs and her heart was beating so fast that Castti thought it might burst from her chest. However, as Edmund rubbed her back and ran his fingers through her hair while whispering words of comfort in her ear, she slowly - agonizingly so - managed to regain her composure.

Castti’s trembling had subsided and her tears had run dry, and she let out a deep, shaky sigh and collapsed against Edmund as the tension receded from her. He held her close and placed a chaste kiss onto her forehead.

“...Better?” he asked, and Castti sniffed, nodding slowly as she let him wipe away the lingering tears from her cheeks. His hands were callused from years and years of wielding a sword, but when they touched her skin, it was with a soft tenderness of someone who had never seen a day of combat in their entire life.

“E-Edmund, I’m sor-”

“Castti, we’ve talked about this.” He frowned as he caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “You don’t need to apologize for this, ever. You’ve been through a kind of hell that very few others have, and I know that’s been incredibly hard on you.” Castti’s chest tightened as her mouth snapped shut, and she leaned into his touch as he cupped her cheek and brushed the hair from her face.

When they had first confessed their mutual feelings for one another, Castti had been quick to tell Edmund the details of everything that she had gone through in regard to the demise of Eir’s Apothecaries, of Trousseau’s ultimate betrayal, and the impact of her memory loss. He had patiently listened to her, and when she had finished, she had been nervous about what his response would be; would he be able to accept her with that kind of baggage, or was it too much for him to handle?

Luckily for Castti, Edmund’s first response was that he was pissed that he didn’t get the chance to kick that bastard Trousseau’s ass himself. His second response was that no matter what she had gone through and how it impacted her, he still loved her just the same, and would continue to do so until he was six feet under. With that, Edmund had joined the resurrected Eir’s Apothecaries as a bodyguard, and they had been together ever since.

“...Thank you, Edmund…” Castti let her head drop against his chest and she let out a weary sigh. “I was starting to think that my nightmares had ended, since the last one was a few months ago.”

Edmund grunted as he gently tightened his arms around her. “Given the kind of hell you’ve been through, I doubt you’ll ever truly see the end of them.”

“Oh?” Castti raised an eyebrow and smirked, pulling away from him and placing her hands on his shoulders. “You seem so sure of that; do you fancy yourself a bonemender now?” She giggled when Edmund’s cheeks flushed pink, and he rubbed at the back of his neck.

“C’mon, you know I’m not.”

“Ah, that’s right, you’re my strong and handsome heartmender.”

“...Yeah, yeah.”

Edmund chuckled and gazed into her eyes, and the amount of love and admiration that Castti saw in them gave her pause. He took her hand in his and lifted it to his face, placing a tender kiss to the back of it.

“Y’know, that nickname kinda irritated me when you first gave it to me, but now…I’d do anything to mend that kind, selfless, beautiful heart of yours, and I’m gonna make damn sure that no one ever, ever hurts you like that again. I swear on my life, Castti.”

“Edmund…Thank you, my love.” Tears welled up in Castti’s eyes again, but these were born not from fear and despair, but instead from the happiness of getting to call this wonderful man hers. Reaching up to cup his face, she leaned up to place a tender kiss on his lips, and she giggled when his mustache tickled her nose. She felt him smile against her lips as his hand moved to the back of her head, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

When they finally pulled away, Edmund stole a glance at the window and frowned. “It’s still dark, we might want to get some more sleep.”

“Well…” A mischievous grin crossed Castti’s face as she ran a languid finger down Edmund’s hairy chest. “I’m afraid I’m not tired in the slightest…What to do, what to do…”

Edmund hummed and turned her on his lap so that she was straddling him. “That’s quite a problem you’ve got there, my dear.” Castti shivered and let out an airy gasp when Edmund ran his hands down her sides before settling on her hips. “But, if you’re looking for something - or someone - to do, I think I’ve got a few places on this rugged body of mine that could use a good, thorough check up.”

“Hmm…” Castti tapped her chin as she shifted on his lap; she could clearly feel one of those places, already stiff and pressing against her thigh. “I do believe that you’re do for a full physical exam very soon. I suppose I could…get a head start now.”

Edmund pulled her flush against him, coaxing a moan from her and causing a fire to erupt deep within her core. “I’m all yours, my beloved bonemender.”

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Castti pulled him into a tender kiss, which quickly dissolved into something much more passionate. As they made love well into the night, Castti knew that no matter what difficulties came about stemming from her past, as long as she woke up wrapped in Edmund’s arms, everything would be okay.

#octopath traveler 2 #octopath traveler 2 spoilers #castti florenz #edmund octopath #castti x edmund #fanfiction #jade writes fanfiction

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illusivegore · 5 years

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Gore’s Games of 2018

I’m sure you all know the drill at this point. Everyone and their mother seems to post a list about all of their favorites from the year, so I’ll spare you the build up and just get into some of the games I enjoyed in 2018.

Games Crossed Off the Backlog

This year I’m going to kick things off with some of the great games I finally got around to playing from my backlog. A good amount of these games are ones that I mentioned last year as ones I wasn’t able get to. All of these games were great and a couple would have easily made my Game of the Year list under normal circumstances.

2018 Games I Missed Out On

Next up, I’m going to highlight the games from 2018 that ended up on my backlog or that I still haven’t purchased yet. These are all games that I’d love to play at some point, and this is the reason why you won’t see them on my main list.

Honorable Mentions

This final section (before I get to my actual picks) highlights some of the games I played and enjoyed but not enough to feel comfortable writing about them or including them on my GOTY list. I look forward to digging into all of these more in the coming months.

Celeste | Dead Cells | Into the Breach | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Yoku’s Island Express

Top 5 Games of 2018

NBA 2K Playgrounds 2

I’m going to kick this off with a game that I can’t imagine will be anywhere near most people’s game of the year lists. NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 continues to be a divisive game due to its microtransactions and player unlock system, but at its core, it really is a fun arcade-style basketball game.

The gameplay harkens back to the NBA JAM games and it’s over the top and kind of absurd at times. With every game played, you’ll be leveling up players and earning currency that will allow you to unlock new players. So while the game does offer microtransactions, they aren’t necessary if you’re okay with a bit of a grind. It’s not exactly ideal, but that kind of gameplay is right up my alley. I feel like I’m making progress each time I play and it ensures I will keep coming back for more. If you’re an NBA fan and know what you’re getting into, there is a lot of fun to be had here.

Magic: The Gathering Arena

Arena was actually first available to play in 2017, but only entered into its open beta phase in 2018, so for that reason, it makes my list. Hell, when it officially releases it will probably make a future GOTY list again.

I was very skeptical about Arena because it looked like Wizards of the Coast was just trying to ripoff Hearthstone‘s aesthetic (and they kind of are), but this is actually a good game and once I played my first match I was hooked. It’s a great place for both newcomers and veterans of Magic to play. Arena is much more user-friendly and intuitive than Magic Online while also offering a far more authentic Magic experience than previous Duels games have.

The game is free-to-play, and I know that term gets a bad wrap nowadays, but Arena does it right. You can buy booster packs with real money or you can earn gold (and even single cards or packs on occasion) naturally through playing. I was able to build one of the most competitive decks in the format in a few weeks time and that was just by playing a few matches each day. Even in the early stages you’ll quickly earn a number of “starter decks” which will supply you with a decent selection of cards. So you’ll never be short on new things to try while you work towards building your card collection.

Arena is fantastic, and if you’ve ever even been curious about Magic: the Gathering, you should give it a shot.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!

Over that past few years I’ve played a lot of Pokémon. Between revisiting Blue, Silver, SoulSilver, Pearl, White, White 2, X, Y, Alpha Sapphire, Omega Ruby and playing through the new releases of Sun, Moon, and Ultra Moon, as well as shiny hunting in a few of those games, I’ve spent nearly 1,000 hours with the series in the last three years. Needless to say, I was starting to feel a bit of Pokémon fatigue (which is why I still haven’t played Ultra Sun). If that wasn’t enough, I was also never a big fan of Pokémon Go!. So when the Pokémon: Let’s Go! games were announced I had zero interest and pushed them completely off of my radar. Then the games finally released and my love for Pokémon got the best of me. I started reading reviews, watching videos, and talking to friends about them. Eventually I looked past my skepticism and decided to give it a try and I’m so glad I did.

Pokémon Let’s Go! was a breath of fresh air for me. It was a laid back experience that I didn’t even know I needed. It’s far more streamlined than other games in the series as you can choose when to encounter wild Pokémon and you no longer need to battle in order to catch them (in most cases). This aspect was one of the biggest reasons I was skeptical of the game. While catching Pokémon is probably my favorite part, I do enjoy the battles as well. I was afraid I wouldn’t get the battle itch scratched, but that wasn’t the case at all. There are more than enough trainers to battle throughout, so it was almost the perfect blend of catching and battling for me.

I went with the Eevee version and oh boy, Eevee is a little badass. That little dude is completely overpowered in Let’s Go! and makes it a breeze if you choose to play that way. It’s definitely the easiest Pokémon game I’ve ever played, which is saying a lot because they’ve never been known for their difficulty, but that didn’t stop it from being the most enjoyable time I had playing a game in 2018.

Octopath Traveler

Another game that surprised me in 2018 was Octopath Traveler. I’ve never been the biggest fan of JRPGs, but I was immediately drawn in by Octopath Traveler‘s charming art. When I finally got my Nintendo Switch last year it was the first game I really dug into. As it turns out, by the end of my 80 hours with it, the characters and combat system became something I loved even more than the art style that initially caught my attention.

Octopath Traveler‘s combat is turned-based and revolves around a “break” system. Each enemy has certain weaknesses to specific weapon types or elemental attacks. If you hit them with one of those attacks enough times their defenses will break and they will be stunned the following turn, allowing you to deal increased damage. There is also a boost system that allows you to hit with multiple attacks each turn. Without delving too deep into the mechanics, I’ll just say all of this offers a ton of strategic options and makes combat a joy.

If the title wasn’t telling enough, Octopath Traveler‘s story focuses on eight different characters. Each character has their own set of chapters you can complete, a variety of traits and combat options, and a unique personality and story to tell. You don’t have to finish every character’s storyline, but I exhausted all story options because I found myself wanting to know more about each one of them. I’d even go so far as to say that there hasn’t been a collective group of characters I liked this much since the original Mass Effect trilogy.

I feel like Octopath Traveler got overlooked by a lot of people, so if you’re a fan JRPGs or just looking for a quality experience you should seek this one out.

God of War

Continuing with the trend of games that surprised me last year, next up is God of War. I’ve dabbled a bit in the God of War franchise, but the 2018 release was the first game in the series I’ve ever seen through to completion. It is nothing like its predecessors as it trades in the linear gameplay and shallow, over-the-top brutality for an engaging and robust world, as well as a far more rewarding combat system.

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of God of War is that it made Kratos into a character with depth and one that I was able to invest in. It also introduced his son, Atreus, and their relationship was something I loved watching evolve over the course of the game. Kratos is still a no nonsense badass, but his humanity is allowed to shine through in his interactions with Atreus.

As I mentioned, the combat in God of War is so much more rewarding than it was in previous entries. While you might still be able to mindlessly hack-and-slash your way through on easier difficulties, if you truly want to master combat you’ll need to develop more in-depth strategies. Kratos wields the Leviathan axe this time around, which you can use for melee attacks or as a projectile. The most ingenious part is that you can recall the axe with the press of a button which not only adds to your strategic options, but also creates a very satisfying ebb and flow to combat. You’ll also have to incorporate blocking and parrying, as well as guiding Atreus to use his bow. Once I was able to start stringing together all of these moves and tactics, God of War‘s combat system quickly became one of my all-time favorites.

God of War also offers up tons of side content to keep you busy for hours. With the recent release of a New Game+ mode, I’m looking forward to running through it again. It was quite the experience and one I’m happy to call my favorite of 2018.

Most Anticipated Games

It’s always fun to look to the future, so I’m going to wrap things up with my most anticipated games. Some of these games have 2019 release dates and others I’m keeping my fingers crossed for.

#games #video games #best of

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