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Also, weren't we talking a lot about that Valorization of the world poo poo? Does this have any connection to that whatsoever?
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Sep 15, 2018 03:11
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Ratoslov posted:Also, weren't we talking a lot about that Valorization of the world poo poo? Does this have any connection to that whatsoever? quote:
The DGI and RDGI seem to be subsets of Valorization, which appears to be dubiously-chosen fancy talk for "summon Gozer, blow poo poo up." Tallgeese posted:Actually, that's why it's confusing. If I recall, Zhuzhen has already said that Ben Hyuga had to absorb the thing summoned by the Demon's Gate Invocation, and died as a result. It sounds like they do the same thing. quote:
It summons a bigger Gozer. I dunno what else you want; more adjectives = more better, that's just science.
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Sep 15, 2018 05:40
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.jpg)
Fifteen years ago, huh… So, this Valorization didn’t work?
Correct. This magic is far more complex than the simple Invocation used to summon an Earth spirit!
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Tallgeese posted:Actually, that's why it's confusing. If I recall, Zhuzhen has already said that Ben Hyuga had to absorb the thing summoned by the Demon's Gate Invocation, and died as a result. It sounds like they do the same thing. Well, this time Yuri had to absorb it, but it killed everyone else.
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Sep 15, 2018 05:49
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Omobono posted:Basically, what Yuri tried to do and failed at? Fusing with the demon to control it? That was also Dehaui's plan, give or take a fusion since he's not an Harmonixer. Considering his track record, I'm not sure he would have thought that far ahead if the team hadn't shown up 
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Sep 15, 2018 09:26
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I reckon Yuri successfully fused with that angel/god thing, but the problem is his mental default is "punch stuff" and, well, Shanghai got Punched.
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Sep 15, 2018 09:37
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Neddy Seagoon posted:I reckon Yuri successfully fused with that angel/god thing, but the problem is his mental default is "punch stuff" and, well, Shanghai got Punched.
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Sep 15, 2018 09:54
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It will be established later on but anybody powerful enough can make a fusion contract with a cosmic horror, but you're limited to just one at a time. What makes Harmonixers like Yuri and Ben special is that they can fuse with multiple demons/horrors and maintain them all.
Accordion Man fucked around with this message at 10:21 on Sep 15, 2018 |
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Sep 15, 2018 10:18
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Tallgeese posted:I just don't see what the difference is between it and the non-Reverse one. He accidentally had his spell book upside down this time and decided to roll with it
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Sep 15, 2018 13:05
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McDragon posted:He accidentally had his spell book upside down this time and decided to roll with it I mean... what could possibly go wrong?.. I was also recently looking at the Drakengard IMBD page and spend a few minutes laught at someone’s summary of the game. “A tragic story about Caim blah blah”. I don’t think Caim felt any of it was tragic. Except maybe Angelus.
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Sep 17, 2018 00:35
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CountryMatters posted:Considering his track record, I'm not sure he would have thought that far ahead if the team hadn't shown up Considering his track record I think he would have just been immediately annihilated the second he even tried anyway. Also that comic is amazing.
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Sep 17, 2018 01:19
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Malachite_Dragon posted:"gently caress yeah! Wait poo poo I didn't mean to-... Oh man I am in so much trouble..." Yuri actually came out of the debacle with barely a scratch. But he's not eager to admit his part in it. He knows his friends will never let him live it down, especially Margarete.
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Sep 17, 2018 01:24
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CountryMatters posted:Considering his track record, I'm not sure he would have thought that far ahead if the team hadn't shown up Since when has anyone deliberately invoking ancient evils bothered to have a plan more substantial than "point it at things I don't like"?
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Sep 17, 2018 17:39
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Geostomp posted:Since when has anyone deliberately invoking ancient evils bothered to have a plan more substantial than "point it at things I don't like"? Look, I know demons have been uncontrollable and lied to everyone for centuries and always corrupt the deal and destroy everything, but this time I drew a REALLY SWEET PENTAGRAM so it will HAVE to listen to me! This guy who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and whose laboratory burned down in some kind of hellfire accident, said it's a really great Pentagram design, okay? We'll be fine.
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Sep 17, 2018 19:42
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Oi. I've been busy doing hurricane relief work junk back in North Carolina and will probably continue to be doing so at least through the weekend. LP updates should resume after that.
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Sep 19, 2018 19:57
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That great news, well done for helping out! Patience is always important, I'm fine with waiting.
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Sep 19, 2018 20:04
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The Dark Id posted:Oi. I've been busy doing hurricane relief work junk back in North Carolina and will probably continue to be doing so at least through the weekend. LP updates should resume after that.
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Sep 19, 2018 20:08
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Silly Yuri, he should've stuck with literally punching out the god, rather than metaphorically doing so; then he might've had a kickass fusion to utterly stomp whatever is thrown his way. I guess we'll never know. That aside, good on you, Id. I'm pretty sure most of us can wait a week or more.
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Sep 19, 2018 20:11
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It is hard to complain about a lack of updates when not only you are told why they are happening, but it is for an extremely good cause as well.
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Sep 19, 2018 20:17
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I don’t know what you’re talking about because we got light rain here in Asheville. (Seriously that’s awesome and I’d be there too but work denied my request to use my vacation days to help)
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Sep 19, 2018 21:30
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The Dark Id posted:Oi. I've been busy doing hurricane relief work junk back in North Carolina and will probably continue to be doing so at least through the weekend. LP updates should resume after that. Even the gooniest recognize that natural disasters override our giggling at a video game. Take as long as you need.
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Sep 19, 2018 21:51
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The Dark Id posted:Oi. I've been busy doing hurricane relief work junk back in North Carolina and will probably continue to be doing so at least through the weekend. LP updates should resume after that. Good on you for helping, just be careful of fire ant rafts.
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Sep 19, 2018 22:38
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Hunt11 posted:It is hard to complain about a lack of updates when not only you are told why they are happening, but it is for an extremely good cause as well. Pretty much this. Good luck and stay safe.
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Sep 20, 2018 01:55
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The Dark Id posted:Oi. I've been busy doing hurricane relief work junk back in North Carolina and will probably continue to be doing so at least through the weekend. LP updates should resume after that. More important. You're a mensch.
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Sep 20, 2018 03:02
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The Dark Id posted:Oi. I've been busy doing hurricane relief work junk back in North Carolina and will probably continue to be doing so at least through the weekend. LP updates should resume after that. An excellent reason.
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Sep 20, 2018 22:54
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Thank you for helping the community.
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Sep 21, 2018 01:40
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 Episode XXXVIII: Red Fog  Music: Atmosphere - Blow Up .jpg) Our journey through Europe continues. Current quickest time from introduction to death champion Terry's dying pleas to save his cursed village takes us to the lonely hamlet of Bistritz. Bistritz is the German name for Bistrița, a small city in northern part of the Transylvania region of Romania. Bistritz is briefly mentioned in the first chapter of Bram Stoker's Dracula novel as a location Jonathan Harker stops overnight on his route to meet Count Dracula. Now I'm not gonna confirm vampires are going to show up in this chapter, but... there is a rather large glut of evidence vampires might show up in this chapter... As a side note: it's a 1064 km trek from Prague to Bistrița. By all accounts, it seemed Alice and Zhuzhen just walked there. Though it's an amusing image to think that shlub Terry was just screaming and in a low-speed chase with a pair of dopey Birdmen non-stop for like 660 miles straight. New Music: Dirty Nails (Some proper Survival Horror sounding mood music.) .jpg)  It’s been a while since I’ve felt such a strong ghostly presence! This is exciting! Don’t be overconfident. First, we should look for Terry’s shop. Yeah, let’s do that. I just wish we weren’t the ones who had to break such bad news about Terry. Did we even find out his surname? The guards checked his body, but all the papers on his person just said “TERRY” and nothing else. Don't you think that is a little odd? <shrug> Dehuai was my arch rival for decades and I have no idea if “Dehuai” was his given or surname. It happens. Huh....jpg) Welcome to scenic Bistritz! Other than the ominous music, the only sound coming from the town is the squeaking of that weather vane. Before we begin our investigation and give the bad news to Terry's family, let's double back to the gates and find... .jpg) ...a Lottery Ticket, of course! Gotta collect 'em all! Well... I mean, not really. But it can't hurt. .jpg) .jpg) Trying any of the doors or the gate to the northeast are all met with locks barring our passage. No choice but to stalk further into town to the east and bang on any doors we find until .jpg) .jpg) Still, no luck in the first couple of houses here and there is another locked gate to the east. We'll keep that gate's existence in mind for later. In order to progress, we need to knock on the door to the south of the square here. Here we find someone who actually answers... .jpg) I’m a friend of your father.  <sucks teeth> Assuming your father has been away for a few days and you may be worried about him... Dad! Is that you? Come inside! ...Well, that isn't a “no.”Music: ALICE .jpg) We’re the exorcists from Prague. Terry asked us to investigate this village. Exorcists…? Where is my husband? Terry is… You see, the thing is... It is awfully late. Maybe your daughter should be getting to bed...? Behind a solid door. Perhaps with a few pillows over her head. Just a friendly suggestion... ...Oh. <looks to little girl> Nina, why don’t you go play over there? Mom…? …Nina walks into the backroom as the screen fades to black. Sometime later... .jpg) <sigh> To be honest, I'm just glad he made it all the way to Prague. I half expected him to be devoured by wolves within spitting distance of the village.Nina wanders back out. .jpg) I-I’m afraid not, Nina. Daddy went to call these people to come save the village. <looks to the floor> H-he… I’m so sorry… I wish we’d realized sooner… Maybe we could’ve saved your father. It all just happened so fast... <shakes head> That's an understatement. … No, that’s all right. The important thing is that you came… We will do everything we can. I’m sure we’ll be able to send the monsters packing. Thanks, mister.The door to the shop opens. Oh, mayor!A man in a suit wanders into the shop. .jpg)  That’d be you folks, I suppose? I’m the mayor of this village. The name’s Kevin. We’re exorcists from Prague. The master of this shop asked for our services. Ah-hah, so that’s what’s going on! Most reassuring! And where’s Terry, then? He’s not with you? After Terry gave us this assignment, he was attacked by monsters. Hurra--<cough> I mean... horrible... I see… I’m so sorry to hear that. I don’t know what to say. <turns to Michelle> You have my deepest condolences. It’s such a shame, just when you’d made arrangements to move to America. So you'll be staying in town... Great to hear! Erm... America, such a grotesque, dangerous place, you see... You'd be much better off here. … But you needn’t worry. I will make sure you are taken care of! Please try to cheer up! Kevin, you don’t have to worry about us. Nina and I have each other. Now, we’re not strangers, so don’t hesitate to call on me any time, whatever concerns you might have. Especially, Friday night over dinner. My place at around 8:00 PM is always open. That is nice but... we're fine... <turns to leave> Whew… Well, I guess I’ll be going. Curse enveloping the town and all that, you know how it is. <stops at door and turns to Alice and Zhuzhen> I should warn our two exorcists that the monsters appear when the fog turns red. Please be careful.Mayor Kevin leaves the shop. .jpg) Were you all planning on going to America? Yes. A good friend of my husband is in New York. He sent us a lot of gifts and took good care of us. Lord knows, Terry wasn't handling it... From this fall, he was going to help us with work over there. But now… He’s a famous professor at a New York University who grows flowers. I see… Well, let’s you and me go take a look around outside. We need to explore the village a little more. Ma’am, what can you tell me about the castle where the lord of this domain used to live? Your husband briefly mentioned it but... the details were sketchy. Due to the death within minutes of meeting him and whatnot. The nobleman’s castle? Yes… the people of Bistritz call it “Blue Castle.” It’s an ancient castle past the forest east of the village. It was deserted 300 years ago… No one goes near it. Are the monsters coming from the castle? No! There’s no monsters in the castle! Nina!! You promised not to tell that silly story anymore!! But… Mom. <exchange a knowing look they'll have to come back and hear this girl's story when she's alone>Nina walks away and pouts. .jpg) We have to rest. Ah, of course. Don't offer us a place to stay the night after walking all the way here from Prague. We'll just get to work straight away. Oh... I didn't realize... <punches Zhuzhen in the arm> It's fine! We need to get to work.  We’ll be leaving, then. Sorry to have brought you such bad news. If you think of anything else we should know, please be sure to tell us. I’m so sorry. We won’t let your father’s death go to waste.Alice and Zhuzhen depart the shop. Music: Dirty Nails .jpg) So it’s time for the monsters to show up. Heh heh heh… I can’t remember the last time I was this excited. You had a similar level of excitement from that free pasta bowl we got on top of our payment for that job a month back. <shrug> What can I say? I love Italian food. You couldn't get that kind of stuff in China..jpg) Music: NDE - Near Death Experience (We've heard this track a few battles before, but it fully replaces Brain Hopper as the random battle theme in the Europe half of the game.) .jpg) Random battles are now present in Bistritz. Those Birdmen that killed Terry and some random guard whose generic name I cannot be bothered to look up are stalking the streets of the humble burg now. There is no difference between their inclusion now and when we first saw them. .jpg) .jpg) What is new are these ridiculous dogs with human arms growing out of their muzzles. The brown varieties are Water elemental enemies known as Police Dogs (or Reversal in Japanese) and they can cast Confusion as well as kick our exorcist adventures. No biting though. You know, due to the arm where their mouth should be. .jpg) .jpg) The white dogs are known as Mailman (or just Arm Dog in Japanese) and are capable of spreading their canine taint to summon a Rock Shower to hit the party for a meager 30-35 HP of damage. Neither enemy type is particularly threatening. Like back during the trials with the split parties, the game puts on kiddie gloves for a party consisting only of Zhuzhen and Alice. A single use of Ogre Flamedance and maybe a follow-up hit or two from Alice is more than enough to take out all the enemies present in Bistritz. Music: Dirty Nails .jpg) Since Shadow Hearts makes darn well sure it gets the most out of its assets (I mean other than the occasional entire detailed region hidden behind an extremely easy to miss side quest with a very brief window of opportunity) we need to march over to the other side of town and investigate a building across from the church. You'd think that church would be an important local given the gothic trappings of the town but... nope. We never set foot in there. .jpg) This is the mayor’s house, right? Hmmm… Did you notice how Michelle and Nina were kind of cold to the mayor? The mayor's vibe was... what's a good term... Hmm... “gross creeper,” maybe? <nods> Anyone with a pencil thin mustache innately emanates an acute aura of a total dirtbag. <concerned nod> Something’s fishy here. Let’s ask the people here.Now suddenly everyone will come to the door and chat with the exorcists. So let's hit up the locals. We'll skip the building adjacent to the Mayor's creepy home. That's a shop and we'll come to that a bit later. .jpg)  He's been doing strange research for a long time, but I heard he's having some money problems now. <sigh> Strange research, huh? <frown> That's never a good sign. Nope!.jpg)  Gold!? Bistritz has always had frozen ground, never able to produce more'n a hare's droppings! So do you think we'll have to fight the mayor as some manner of cursed beast behind everything when we get back from the castle? Or has he unwittingly unleashed some sinister spirit that has cursed the town? I am putting my money on the former. <nods> That seems the safe bet..jpg) To actually progress, we need to return to Michelle and Nina's shop/house. Ten minutes is enough time leaving them to grieve to get over it and be forthcoming with more information. Music: ALICE .jpg) That seems highly irresponsible. It's OK. Mom took a whole bottle full of rum medicine before going to bed. She'll definitely be OK by the morning! <concerned look exchange> Nina, can I ask you something? The mayor… What kind of person is he? Could you tell me anything?Nina walks away and looks at the floor. .jpg) I don’t like him. He keeps bothering my mom. He also keeps asking to see all the gifts my dad gave me. From your dad? He gave you lots of gifts? <turns back and nods> Yeah! One of them is a letter from my dad’s friend in America. My dad once said his friend works for something called a “mafia” and has “connections” but I'm not sure what that means. His friend got me this gift...Nina walks back to the duo. .jpg) Do you still have it? Yeah, I hid it in a secret place. Hmm, so perhaps the mayor is just an oddball who doesn’t seem to be very well liked…? My friend's dad said he was an “old money fuckboi.” Do you know what that means? ...... Maybe… Does that mean the monsters are coming from Blue Castle?  The master of the castle would never be friends with monsters! <steps forward> You know the master of the castle?! There are no monsters in that castle. That blond-haired master of the castle saved me from the wolves. He did? Really? Yeah. A month ago, a person with big wings flew toward the castle! I ran after this person, but I got lost in the forest. Soon, the wolves came after me. Then... the master ran out of the castle to save me! He could shadow step and instant parry the wolves. It was awesome! Then what did the master of the castle do? The master of the castle took me back to the village and went home. My mom keeps saying that the master is a vampire. She tells me that if people find out about this, they’d think I’m a vampire, too. She said they'd burn my steak. That's gross. Only bad people like well-done steaks! Did he suck your blood? No! The master was very nice. We joined hands and sang together. Oh, really? That's kinda weird, kid...Zhuzhen and Alice huddle up and discuss the matter. .jpg) But if what Nina said is true, then I wouldn’t think the master and the monsters are related. But he might know something more about the red fog and the monsters. I am mildly concerned about him being a vampire... <shakes head> I told you, vampires aren't real. Ghosts, zombies and all sorts of demons are real. Why not vampires? The undead hopping around with their arms outstretched trying to suck blood. It's just too ridiculous for me to accept as fact and I've been doing this a long time and never seen one on the road. You know we have different vampires in Europe, right?  ...What now? Alice, are you going to see the master? Then take this key with you. You can open the east gate with it.Nina walks up to Alice and hands her a key. .jpg) Maybe the town is known for its sun-baked garlic bread...? .jpg) We’ll be right back. Wait here with your mother, okay? <nods> OK..jpg) Actually, we have some business to attend to before we depart for the castle. Most pressingly, we need to rummage behind a table in the shop to locate... .jpg) ...Another discount card! This allows us to potentially get up to a 30% discount and 15% price raise on all goods in the shops. Assuming we can complete three increasingly swiftly moving Judgment Ring attempts. This is the reason we've been neglecting to buy anything yet in Europe. .jpg) Also behind a crate just below the table, we can steal a new consumable. This one just makes the entire party gain critical attacks for a round. No Judgment Ring fuckery involved. Hey, that might actually prove useful. .jpg) We can also speak with Nina again. She's running the Do Re Mi Shop which offers general items and accessories. .jpg) Of particular note is the next level of the Belt accessories we've been getting along the way. We've got enough unique accessories at this point to fill most slots without relying on this kind of generic item. But hey, here it is anyway. It raises Physical Attack +8 which... ain't going to do much for the two weakest physical attackers in the game. Anyway, if we head back into town once again the two neighbors to the Do Re Mi Shop have some new dialogue. Music: Dirty Nails .jpg) There's a vampire living there. No one ever came back alive. There are also wolves, a treacherous bog, poisonous bats and several sheer cliff drops. It's a bad tract of land all around. But, those vampires are still a threat!.jpg) But I see sumpin'! Just the other day! Some sorta light or sumpin' shinin' from the castle window. Now I ain'ts sayin' it couldn'ta been jus' the moonlight reflectin' on th' glass but I reckon it a vampire! No doubts in m' 'ind!.jpg)  We deal in weapons and armor here. Go on, take a look around..jpg) .jpg) The house next to the Mayor's residence is home to the Chicken Heart Shop. They're offering a new set of male and female armor as well as a new Tome for Alice. There's also a Rapier class weapon present here but we don't have anyone that knows how to use a sword in our party. Which thinking about it now, is really weird for an RPG. We can, of course, use our new Moon Card to get a 30% discount on all the good here. .jpg) Ah yes, it can redeem an entire nation or give an unsuspecting monster a mild concussion. It's a very thick tome. This book grants 30 Physical and 39 Special Attack (up from the previous 17/23 of the Tome of the Moon.) .jpg) I'm telling you it's a light blue shirt! It's not white! Are you daft!?  It also grants 34 P-Defense and 36 S-Defense. .jpg) Seems like it'd chafe. Definitely wear an undershirt before putting this on. Your nipples will thank you later. Also 36 P-Defense and 34 S-Defense. .jpg) In any event, that's all there is to do in Bistritz at the moment. All that is left is to unlock that shabby gate to the east and head on toward the Blue Castle. Tune in next time as we literally just go to Castlevania as Shadow Hearts continues!    Video: Episode 38 Highlight Reel (Get a load of that dog!)   Nina and Michelle Portraits - Also confused why their father got a character portrait and unique model. The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Sep 27, 2018 |
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Sep 21, 2018 20:09
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Yes, because when I think about old-fashioned Transylvanian dudes, I always think of the name 'Kevin' straight away!
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Sep 21, 2018 20:53
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This place never disappoints. Between the creepy rear end music and the dog monsters that could give the dick demons from China a run for their money, it's always lots of fun. I also forgot that line about the vampire playing and singing with Nina. That IS pretty weird.The Dark Id posted:
Did you mean to have Michelle's portrait for the first one? This feels more in character for her to say as the owner of the house.
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Sep 21, 2018 21:08
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Yay! Vampire castle interludes are the best! The Cainhursts agree!
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Sep 22, 2018 00:00
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Picayune posted:Yes, because when I think about old-fashioned Transylvanian dudes, I always think of the name 'Kevin' straight away! Ah yes; The Dark Lord of the Night, Drinker of Souls and Terror of Men known as.... Kevin! *~thunderclap~*
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Sep 22, 2018 04:38
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Kevin sure as hell wasn't subtle about trying to get his dick wet with a recent widow - and it was pretty obvious even without Dark Id's add on elaborating on the point.
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Sep 22, 2018 06:58
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 Those guys really let themselves go over the years.
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Sep 22, 2018 17:41
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Terry and Kevin, the most genuine "East European" names ever.
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Sep 23, 2018 02:21
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Terry and Kevin would fit in well with Simon and Trevor Belmont.
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Sep 23, 2018 02:37
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recall that Trevor is 'Ralph Belmont' in Japan
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Sep 23, 2018 03:00
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This only gets worse. It's like pets with extravagant names or dnd characters named Bob
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Sep 23, 2018 03:06
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Robindaybird posted:recall that Trevor is 'Ralph Belmont' in Japan You mean Ralph C. Belmondo.
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Sep 23, 2018 03:44
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I wonder if the hand-face dogs are the wolves Nina mentioned or if they're just also around in the local deadly ecosystem.The Dark Id posted:My friend's dad said he was an “old money fuckboi.” The first one works, but there was a bunch of "my dad's friend" before that, so figured I'd check.
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Sep 23, 2018 04:39
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Episode XXXIX: The Bored Vampire Music: Atmosphere - Blow Up .jpg) Normally when we make it back to the World Map it means the start of a new chapter. At least it did back in Asia. Europe plays by its own rules, so we're still within the realm of Cursed Bistritz. Either way, we're now moving on to the nearby Blue Castle. This, again, is just... New Music: Coffin Fetish (Going for a more low-key atmospheric vibe.) .jpg) ...Straight-up Castlevania. Well, maybe sans the clock tower, Dracula, Death roommate, monster mash and optional Metroid-esque map traversing elements. But still, it's an evil rear end looking, quite possibly vampire occupied castle on a hill with the moon so close to it the tides must by turbo jacked at this point. It is decidedly not very blue though, isn't it? .jpg) My father told me that most location names are based on legends or superstition. I think that’s nice. It’s more evocative. You’re a real romantic, aren’t you? If I said anything like that, stones would come flying. <frown> Yuri probably would have made fun of me saying that. Mhm..jpg) Music: NDE - Near Death Experience .jpg) It's barely worth mentioning, but there is one single enemy hanging out in the woods outside the Blue Castle -- a Paralysis inflicting hell wolf known as Garm. All it does is bite folk and possibly inflict Paralysis. It's a fairly decent enemy to grind since it gives decent EXP and Cash for a relatively short battle. But we're good for now.  Garm or Garmr has a Norse mythological origin. It's the guard dog/wolf of Hel (the location) owned by Hel (the dude.) He's basically Fenrir's much less popular cousin or Norse mythology's equivalent of Cerberus. In Ragnarök, it's destined to have a Double-KO with Týr, the Norse god of war. Kratos will probably murder it in a God of War sequel.  Music: Coffin Fetish .jpg) Anyway, let's head on into the Blue Castle proper and get our investigation underway. .jpg) I hope whatever ghoul or imp has the thankless task of lighting all the drat torches in all these evil castles and dusty old tombs in every video game and movie, those unseen diligent roadies of gothic flair, gets paid well. Seems like a really thankless job. Anyway, that giant iron gate seems worth investigating. But, let's ignore that for now and check out the small yard to the right of the stairs. .jpg) .jpg) Hidden behind a fence we find the companion piece to the Moon Swallow we found back in Nina and Michelle's shop in Bistritz. Unless I'm crazy, this... just does the exact same thing as the previous item. Just with a different flavor text and item art. Maybe one is more potent than the other? I tried testing them both in a random battle and they seemed to be functionally identical but Zhuzhen and Alice aren't exactly the best test cases for inflicting critical attacks in battle. .jpg) Wanderer Meiyuan has also made his way from Prague to Transylvania in search of that seasonal Vampire D but isn't having any luck. You keep on being a weird creep, guy. Try not to molest a bat or anything. I think there are laws against that in this neck of the woods... .jpg) Getting back on track, a mysterious force is barring entry to the Blue Castle. If this were Koudelka, we'd undoubtedly need to go track down a nearby load-bearing boss encounter to progress. But somehow, I don't think we'll get anywhere by shanking Meiyuan. Instead, if we just walk away from the gate, then... .jpg) "A fine howdy-do"? <shrug> I've been living here a few months. I'm trying out some western idioms. No good...? ...No good. Noted. Anyway... Do you suppose that’s supposed to be an invitation?Zhuzhen and Alice enter the castle gates. .jpg) This is already some M.C. Escher rear end poo poo. That looks like it'll be annoying to traverse when we get to the Inverted Blue Castle. .jpg) But we'll worry about that later. As soon as the party takes a few steps into the castle proper, they're interrupted by a man in stealth camouflage walking through the foreground. Alice immediately senses the anomaly and is startled enough to pop Zhuzhen out to investigate further. .jpg) I felt someone pass behind us… <looks around> You felt someone…? But there’s no one there. … Probably just the wind. Zhuzhen, we're ghost busting exorcists. You know darn well it wasn't just the wind! We agreed I would be the eternally skeptical one in this partnership despite the overwhelming evidence of all manners of supernatural phenomenon week after week. I never understood why you insisted on taking that stance. Tsk-tsk. It's a tradition! I swear, young folks these days....jpg) Continuing further into the rather dodgy constructed castle (was there crude rear end game of Tetris used to fit these blocks into place) we come upon a save point and a locked door that needs something other than a key to open. I'm sure we'll come across the solution in due time. More pressingly, this area is home to a new set of random battle baddies. .jpg) Music: NDE - Near Death Experience .jpg) .jpg) First up, we've got these bizarre ghosts/floating corpse fencers known as a Hollow. It's difficult to see, but they're a helmet with a floating set of eyeballs, a ribcage and spine with rotting flesh still attached, a couple of floating pauldrons and one rotting arm holding a rapier. The European section of Shadow Hearts leans less and less into broad interpretations of mythology and folklore and more into the Koudelka pioneered style of just weird poo poo for monster designs as the game progresses. And that's OK. .jpg) .jpg) Hollows are a Light elemental enemy that can cast a new Light elemental attack in the form of Nova. It's not very powerful and just kind of a waste of everyone's time. But at least the trash mobs have learned something besides Exorcist Arrow for their generic light magic. Additionally, Hollow can poke Alice or Zhuzhen with their rapier to inflict Silence -- which is really irritating given our magic oriented party at the moment. That said, Zhuzhen can quickly sort these boys out with some of Ogre Flamedance or the Corpse Arm technique he acquired a while back. .jpg) Other than the Hollows, there's also Gremlins. These are just Wind elemental bats that seem to only spam Tiny Ring as an attack. That's kind of it. Thanks, now I need to squint at my monitor to kill you lot in a single turn. Gremlins have absolutely nothing to do with bats and I have no idea why they went with that name. It's the same in both the localization and Japanese. Other than that, you might not be aware, but Gremlins are a fairly recent folklore creature. Their origin was from the early days of aviation to explain why parts of airplanes would randomly bust and break down. Wikipedia on Gremlins posted:
Music: Coffin Fetish .jpg) Getting back on track, to the west of the castle we find yet another locked door. This one is sealed by an unseen force, not some contraption other than a key. We'll just keep in mind this door exists for now and continue along the path. Upon making it to the same set of stairs where the invisible man walked past early, Alice once more gets startled and stops. .jpg) It happened again. Who’s here? I know you’re watching! Show yourself! Really?! I don’t feel a thing. Where is it?! If I could SEE it, we wouldn't be having this discussion! If you say so...The invisible man wanders off. <shakes head> He's gone again... <shakes head> I still say it's just the wind. Zhuzhen, we've already slain multiple ghosts getting up to these stairs. None of which were invisible, mind you. ...Vampires can turn invisible. I think. Western vampires can turn invisible!? I... think...? Look, the rules and abilities of vampires are exceptionally vague and seem to change every time I read about them. Some burst into flames in sunlight. Some just sparkle when they do that... Sometimes they hate garlic. Other times water is really bad for them. Sometimes it's not. It's very confusing. I'm not an expert. Hmph. If you say so....jpg) The less than efficient path through the first floor of the castle eventually leads to a set of stairs down to the basement. Let's roll on in and investigate. .jpg) ...Well, that is certainly ominous. We'll poke around with those coffins in a minute. Let's just keep on truckin' past 'em and up the stairs ahead to find... .jpg) I guess it means this really is a vampire castle, just like that lady Michelle was saying. Or there's a corpse up there and we're off the mark. I can't see a thing from down at this angle. I don't smell a cadaver, though. I don't know how you can smell anything with all this dust. But… I don’t feel any evil here like I did in Bistritz. Instead… I feel eternal silence here, as if this place has been cut off from the rest of the world. Only eternity exists here… no sadness or hate. Sure, if you discount those ghouls with the rapiers that tried to stab us upstairs. That doesn't count and you know it. The invisible figure wanders onto the scene. .jpg) There's clearly a shadow right there. I told you so! Yeah, yeah... Don't let it go to your head, kid. Hellooo there!! Are you the prince of the castle Nina was talking about? You should stop singing and dancing with random little girls in the woods, if so. That's a weird thing to do.The invisible figure walks away. Please, wait!.jpg) You can't chase down an invisible man, everyone knows that. The same is not true of an invisible Lottery Ticket, one of which just happens to be hidden on a small path above the coffin puzzle below. Oh yes, there's a puzzle in this room involving the coffins. Let's go check out that skeleton against the wall near the entrance to learn more. .jpg) So long as the eight flames remain unlit, the door to the throne will not open! Offer up thy prayers! .jpg) .jpg) That isn't a terribly clear hint. So let's elaborate. There are eight coffins in this room. Clicking on 'em will reveal each has a name etched on the side. Praying to the coffin in question will light up a flame behind it. We need to light these flames in a specific order. .jpg) Here are the, aside from Abel, shockingly mundane names of the occupants of all the coffins. The trick to the puzzle is... just praying to them in alphabetical order. Which means:
.jpg) .jpg) Those are the first things that popped into my head seeing those names. Make of that what you will. Either way, one of those doors upstairs unlocked. So let's double back and see what we've opened up and maybe find that invisible lad trotting about the castle. .jpg) For all its splendor, it’s an awfully bleak room, isn’t it? I'd change a thing or two about this tacky wallpaper and carpet. <looks around> It seems so empty, but someone definitely lives here…The pair goes to leave the room. .jpg) The invisible man struts into the room and approaches the throne. Alice and Zhuzhen quickly dart out of the way. Invisible dude snaps his fingers and the torches all light up the room. .jpg) The exorcists approach the invisible man. .jpg) Are you the master of this castle? Yes, I am the master of this castle. Are you... Count Dracula? ...No. I am not Dracula. You want the castle on the cliff edge overlooking the lake about thirty kilometers to the east. No, we don't want Dracula. We wanted the master of this castle. In that case, you have found him..jpg) The man waves his arm and gains a corporeal form, spooking the poo poo out of Alice and Zhuzhen in the process. He looks like he stole his outfit from Prince. .jpg)  <starts walking to the other side of the room> <leaps back out of the way>.jpg) Not the respectable sort of monsters, mind you. Flea Men and Medusa Heads used to proudly serve the Blue Castles walls. Not like this current riff-raff. Bats calling themselves Gremlins...? Honestly... Absurd. <shakes head> And a pesky demon had found its way into the tower as well. <turns to Alice> Now, then, Alice, what brings the two of you to my humble abode? We’re here to find out who is causing the monster attacks in Bistritz. Did you wake up around the same time monsters began attacking the village? Ahh, so that’s it. You suspected me of setting the monsters upon the village. So, you came to question me about it… and kill me if your suspicions proved true.The Bored Vampire walks to the throne. .jpg) Bingo. Glad we’ve reached an understanding so quickly, Mr. See-Through Man. <enters fighting stance> What’s the scoop? Are you the master of the monsters?! <shakes head> I’m afraid not. Neither I nor my ancestors have ever brought any harm to the people of our domain. If I did that, my granddaddies would come flying out of those caskets you saw and chew me out all night. I do not want the ire of Grandfather Frank brought down upon me. You must be a vampire. Are you a good vampire, like Nina believes? <laughs> Hah hah hah, a good vampire? Yes, I am a vampire, and it is true that not all vampires are evil. It is the same among humans, is it not? There are good people and there are bad people. I did indeed save the girl. But I also had to kill several wolves in the process. Who is to say the morality of such an action? <relaxes from fighting stance> Huh. I was ready to kick some butt, but you just took the wind out of my sails. For the record, we saw those wolves on the way up here. Putting those puppies down is a civic service. <shakes head> Paralysis bites. Most rude behavior. In that case, who’s behind the monster attacks on Bistritz? I don’t know either, but if the village is under attack, you certainly can’t ignore it. As it happens, I’ve just been dying of boredom around here, so how about if I help you out? Y-you’d help us? <nods> Sure. And it’ll be nice to see my cute little friend in the village again. Shall we be going, then?The Bored Vampire walks to the door. .jpg) <looks up to the ceiling> My name? Oh my! How many years has it been since I gave anybody my name, I wonder? My name is....jpg) Boy, it's been a hell of a long time since we've gotten a new party member. Margarete joined in the frikkin' twelfth update around two and a half hours into the game. We're currently ten hours past that point in-game time wise. Anyway, meet our newest addition to the cast: Keith Valentine. His surname is a confirmed reference to the gothic protagonist of a certain terrible third person shooter in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII Universe. So there's that...  As a side note, all the core party members of the game do eventually get a voice acted scene. Particularly, in the endgame, everyone has a character loyalty mission type side quest to get their ultimate weapon or ability which concludes with a voice acted slideshow of art stating how they have grown over the journey. As it turns out, Keith sounds like the most stereotypical "I vant to suck your BLUD!" bad corny Transylvanian vampire accent. Fucker sounds like the Count from Sesame Street. So just keep that in mind while reading his dialogue. .jpg) Please, just call me Keith. Okay, Keith. Let’s get to work. Now, look. I understand vampires suck human blood. You’d better not chomp into our necks or anything. Ah hah hah hah… I guess the books say all sorts of curious and silly things about us. But true vampires aren’t like that. Daylight and crosses don’t bother me a bit. Nor garlic. My complexion does burn easily and I have no fondness for garlic in my food. It is simply disagreeable to my stomach, nothing to do with being a vampire. Heck, same. I like garlic bread. Meh. I can take it or leave it. We may be “undead” but that doesn’t mean we can’t be killed. We’re just tougher than humans. <nods> Hmmm. A most curious constitution you have. I wonder whether being that way is boon or bane. At any rate, it’s good to have you with us. The pleasure is mine..jpg) .jpg) And so Keith Valentine has joined the party. He's definitely far more durable than Zhuzhen or Alice and packs quite a bit more of a punch than either as far as physical damage goes. Indeed, Keith is runner-up to Yuri as the best physical fighter in the game. He also is our Earth elemental representative for the game. .jpg) Keith's weapon class is Swords, most of the rapier or general pokey type variety. Can't remember the last RPG with fantasy trappings I played where the guy who used stabbing instruments was the second to last person recruited. Oh... spoilers. There's still one more party member left to recruit.  Music: NDE - Near Death Experience  If nothing, Keith probably has the best attack animation in the game. Nothing like just shadow stepping into an enemy's face, stabbing it a hundred times before it can react and then teleporting back to your position like nothing even happened. .jpg) Keith's Special Attacks are Rituals. He's got three to begin with and will quickly pick up a fourth once we level him up once. Let's take a minute to roll down his move list before we continue our adventure. .jpg) <happily hums and doodles a pentagram with his sword and sheath>.jpg) .jpg) All of Keith's Rituals involve him etching a pentagram and summoning some manner of demon to do his bidding. Drain Touch will do deal a small to moderate amount of damage (around 50-100 HP) to an enemy and restore that amount of health to Keith. It's a pretty handy substitute for having Alice or someone else burn a turn curing Keith if he gets banged up. .jpg) .jpg) Earth Edge adds the Earth element to any ally's physical attacks. Always good if we're up against a Wind elemental foe. It would be better if Yuri or even Margarete were back in the party to take advantage of having decent physical attacks. But we can't have everything. .jpg) .jpg) Finally, Bat Dance naturally just summons a swarm of (Wind Elemental) bats to vex all enemies on the field. Batman does that to bad guys occasionally and that seems like a really hosed up thing to do to a man. You got PTSD from a swarm of bats when you were a kid, Bruce. What the hell?! Why would you do that to another guy? Music: Coffin Fetish .jpg) .jpg) In any event, that's all there is to do in Blue Castle at the moment. We might be back here later after we sort out  Video: Episode 39 Highlight Reel (You should watch Keith perform... the rituals.)  Keith Valentine Status Portrait - Very purple. The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Sep 25, 2018 |
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Sep 24, 2018 18:34
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Keith is an excellent name for a vampire. It's just so normal.
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Sep 24, 2018 19:02
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