all you fuckers who actually got something out of the feng yaolin jerk sesh in niks route are so lucky. i try to be proud of my asexuality but some days i am just mad and thats probably problematic but fuck man i'm so mad they gave us feng yaolin jerk sesh and that i can imagine the reality in which i could appreciate feng yaolin jerk sesh and how i'm not in that reality and will never be in that reality and I Know the me in that reality is loving himself
Been looking at the two flowcharts that were posted in the Echocord that detail all of the possible tarot card combinations that Sam can get in Nikolai's route depending on his choices (Flowchart 1 and Flowchart 2).
The biggest thing I'm taking away from the tarot readings is that I think that a lot of the choices and a lot of the characters that said choices pertain aren't gonna be as relevant and impactful as the cards make it seem. Choosing to sell the names of any of the secondary miner boys (Dimitri, Felipe, Paul, even Ben), remembering the locker combination, escaping 8883 first try or not, etc. All that probably won't matter that much in the grand scheme of things and honestly, I don't think they should.
Not saying this cause I believe a lot of choice based interactive media that tries to determine how the story goes based on players choosing how the story goes tend to ultimately stifle their story due to getting caught up in trying to account for every little alterable detail (cough mass effect cough) but that's just me.
Even Nikolai doesn't seem to hold much sway in how the cards shape out as the only path where Nik based choices hold influence is if you give his name to Porter during which the final card you get in the spread (and the one that determines Sam's future) is Judgment rather than Tower which you get by naming literally anyone else.
But Feng Yaolin, holy shit, Feng Yaolin. He has so much power in the card readings that it's terrifying. It isn't surprising considering that the initial choice that starts the tarot chain and necessitated the making of two tarot flowcharts was a Yao choice. But every time I look at the flowcharts more carefuly I find another Yao related ripple effect that catches me off guard.
Considering how the cards are meant to give Sam insight into his past actions, his present situation, and how all that might impact his future, I feel that his relationship with Yao is the ultimate crux of what the tarot readings are getting at.
Trust Yao or Don't Trust Yao. That's a question that Sam is gonna have to ask himself repeatedly. But there's also a flipside question to it that Sam also needs to ask.
Should Yao trust Sam or not?
I feel that the upcoming choices in the upcoming latter half of Nik's route will affect not just Sam's trust in Yao, but Yao's trust in Sam. Learning to trust again is one of Sam's biggest arcs in TSR. But that also means that Sam has to prove himself to be someone worthy of trust.
It was inevitable I would draw Feng Yaolin from the Smoke Room VN, he's a 1900s Chinese Immigrant to America who is also gay and a Tiger man he hits all of my areas of interest~
Mmhh Yao is a bit tough, but I'm going to say The Hierophant. He acts as Sam and Nik's guiding force. He makes calculated and daring plans and actions for the Union, as well as provide comfort and security to the trio's plan.
Yao is definitely an inverse Hierophant, rallying against the status quo and legal limitations of the time period and setting. The union he's a part of, it's values, goals, and methods as well as how his sexuality and interpersonal relations with others in the Union are shining examples of individualism, freedom, and challenging the status quo.
Yao guides Sam's tiny puma brain towards collective effort and community collectives that challenge Sam's intense isolationism and 'capitalist' mindset.
It's Friday again! Today I bring you another clip from one the The Smoke Room animatics I made! Now we're with Nik's route. Drawing so many distinct looking characters for the same scene was really hard but I'm happy on how they came out!