|
Junpei posted:For those who don't know, Ozma is from Wizard of Oz's sequel, the second book in the series, The Marvelous Land of Oz, where she's Oz's princess from the previous king before the Wizard took over. In particular, she was stolen away from the family as a child, transformed, and raised as a boy named Tip with no knowledge of her true identity. Hence the whole loss-of-self theme for this Abnormality. And also why it's a popular book with trans people.
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2023 17:40
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 8, 2024 03:07 |
|
|
 The thread has spoken! It's time for Chesed's Realization battle. Hopefully I have less trouble than I did with Gebura's. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2023 12:35
|
|
|
For all that it got cleaned quickly, this was a really neat Abno fight! I like the idea of being disabled to a degree but being handed the tools to fix it, leaving that Librarian in charge of their own potential return. I do wish the indicator you were hitting the right Jack wasn't so easily missable though. Evil Kit's hairstyle change is a tragic loss but then again, it fits their vibe to just mess things up for everybody for what was demonstrably no reason at all (apart from their own self-satisfcation). Moving into the Realization for Chesed... Yeah I'll put my money on the final fight either being the Wizard gender-swapped into a Witch themselves, or a kind of hybrid Witchzard character with big Emerald City cosmopolitan flair either way. We've already got a hint of the crushed-by-a-building energy from the Road Home fight, so there's got to be a reference to the City for the finale, right? This story, after all, takes place in The City! Seyser was a favorite of mine among the less-talkative nuggets in LC so I am glad to see them back. :3
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2023 15:34
|
|
|
oblivion, also known as "bad ever-repeating performance", but erp is really good so oblivion is still useful to grab if you've got someone valuable missing a lot of health. Power of the Past is better than it looks, due to the woodsman's cost reduction pages. The extra power means more clash wins and more damage, which means more cost reduction, offsetting the downside of power of the past.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2023 16:24
|
|
|
We're off to see the Wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz!
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2023 16:26
|
|
|
Ariamaki posted:For all that it got cleaned quickly, this was a really neat Abno fight! I like the idea of being disabled to a degree but being handed the tools to fix it, leaving that Librarian in charge of their own potential return. I do wish the indicator you were hitting the right Jack wasn't so easily missable though. Evil Kit's hairstyle change is a tragic loss but then again, it fits their vibe to just mess things up for everybody for what was demonstrably no reason at all (apart from their own self-satisfcation). He (I forgot their pronoun, my bad) are kinda drippy so it's really nice to see it
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2023 19:50
|
|
|
Junpei posted:For those who don't know, Ozma is from Wizard of Oz's sequel, the second book in the series, The Marvelous Land of Oz, where she's Oz's princess from the previous king before the Wizard took over. She appears in Return to Oz, though she is a much more minor character and the Tip aspect was dropped as Jack is given much more prominence in the story.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2023 20:00
|
|
|
Meanwhile, Seyser needs to get caught up on the team dynamic.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2023 23:52
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 04:50
|
|
|
Floor of Yuri Sciences. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 08:21
|
|
|
mercurially posted:Floor of Yuri Sciences. Literal coffee shop AU
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 11:16
|
|
|
Yeah that seems correct! And extremely well-executed art-wise. :3
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 11:25
|
|
|
Concerto 3: Chesed—Sonata Music: Lobby    …Hm. Not to your liking? Despite my progress towards becoming a human, it appears I still lack the ability to taste anything. Ah… that's a shame. Roland. Describe the taste for me. The… taste? Oh, well, I mean… it's… Deep. You feel the bitterness right off, but then there's an unexpected nuttiness underneath..? Honestly, there's so much dancing on my tongue here I can't even put it into words. This… what'd you call it? Cafe noir? It's not bad. Lately we have a greater number of options for grounds to select from. It's let me make quite a number of good blends~ Yes… the Library is quite powerful these days. It has grown splendidly due to our efforts.  Speaking of the Library… I had a thought recently.VIDEO Music: ChesedStory  Looking at the power the Library has gathered so far, we could easily… To get refined books in our hands, we need the emotions of our guests to be heightened above a certain level. To draw out their emotional tension, the guests are pitted against librarians in a battle of life and death with something precious on the line. Refined books, huh… What do you think is considered precious by all people? Their own lives, I guess. Exactly. Being alive is the prerequisite to achieving anything. We’re picking out people for their books at the cost of one’s life. We still disagree with each other, I see.  How could I ever forget~? I drove employees to death for the sake of energy refinement even though we were more than capable of saving them. Sigh… Chesed, that was all part of the script. It was devised to provoke your so caring and delicate heart. And I simply followed it as per obligation. You know now who to blame for all that, don’t you? It’s true. It was all part of the script. Then what’s our excuse now? This is not the same as back then. Individual choice meant nothing in that corporation. But here, the guests that enter the Library and meet their demise were all notified of possible risks and agreed to take all responsibility for whatever happens in this place.  That was tense, huh? You sure are good at rubbing things in others’ faces. …And brewing coffee. Mhm. Thanks to you, I realized how all the coffee I’ve drunk in my life was hot garbage… I don’t think I’ll ever bear to drink ordinary coffee again. That’s good to hear~~ I never imagined there could be such subtle differences in sourness and sweetness, or how that could bring out a deep taste. See? You can savor the taste when you know more about it~ Maybe the same goes for this world we live in? Perhaps we’re just led to believe that the path ahead of us is all there is to it, because there’s so little that we can see or learn. Just like the Index obsessing over Prescripts, and the Fixers hanging on requests. Speaking of, does the Index really not know where their Prescripts come from? Like, completely oblivious? Mm, yeah, I don’t think they have any idea. Following orders without even knowing who gave them or for what reason, that’s just… bitter.  One can’t even be sure if the values they’re pursuing are their own anymore. Are you okay with the City staying this way forever? It’s not a matter of being okay with it. It’s a matter of survival. This is just how the world is, and we’ve got to live in it somehow. There’s nothing we can do about giant streams created from people tangling with each other. Sometimes, I’m stricken with sorrow looking at the stories taking place in this City. Things that happened to my past self and his colleagues, and the things we’ve done afterwards… I joined the effort to change the City because I didn’t want to witness any more of that. And how did that go? As you know, the City did not change as we’d hoped. …One can say that we caused even more trouble with the Distortion. Think we got what we deserved? Nah. That’s just an obvious outcome, that’s all. There’s no way the City can change. Really? Even if we learned why all the pain is perpetuated in the City?  No Fixers would be driven to death solely to fill out contractual obligations; no feathers would be spent like expendables by the Wings. As if knowing why could actually prompt changes. Point is, knowing does jack to change things. I told you, the stream is just too big for individuals to do anything about it. I’m not saying we’re looking for immediate change. I know that we can’t change things instantly. What do you know about it, then? What makes you think you can talk like it’s so easy? Everyone just bears with it! They can’t afford to do otherwise! When will you stop running away? I’m not running from anything… Aren’t you and Angela just lying to yourselves about it, though? That it can’t be helped, that there’s nothing you could do. That’s the truth, what else am I supposed to do? This is the City… There is NO other option!Music: Dark ambiance  It’s a privilege that only those with power can make. … What the hell was that contract about, then! You know breaking contracts and dropping your reputation means a death sentence for a Fixer like you, right? Read it again, carefully. … Sneaky bastards, pulling filthy tricks with words… So why did you try to smuggle Enkephalin in the first place? We wouldn’t have gotten into this if you hadn’t done that. I swear, I had no idea… I didn’t know it was Enkephalin, and I didn’t know it was meant to be delivered to O Corp! Let’s see how long you can act so high and mighty! Just you wait… The City’s gonna screw you over in the exact same way!!! That’s then, and this is now.  What? But you said veterans of the war will be given first priority over moving to the Nest! That’s what I was told before joining the war! Didn’t you receive the notice? The terms have long since changed. You’ve got to be joking… We aren’t talking about some cheap giveaway, it was a promise made by a Wing! You know all there is to know. Yelling won’t get you anywhere, I’m afraid. …Please. It was all to earn that migration permit… Is there really no way…? No means no, even for you. Tremendous amounts of money were involved in the agreement. What about all the others who fought to death for the permit, then! What did they die for?!! …I won’t forget this. K Corp. and I Corp… No, if any of the Wings dare reach out to me asking for help, why I’ll make you regret it. You still received payment, didn’t you? Well… I’m sure you’re already well aware of these precautions, right? Go gently caress yourself. No thank you. Have a nice day.   It’s rather… romantic to be living in the so-called streets of music, too. Still, the Nest could… And I honestly never really wanted to move to a Nest. We’ve both seen and done the dirty deeds going on in the Nest per request of the Wings. At least we wouldn’t have to worry about our lives walking around in the Nest! Life is more valuable there than in the Backstreets! And it’s not just us, what about our baby— There is a smack accompanying this line. Roland's wife was not above thwacking him, it seems. I’m telling you, it’s fine here. Who would ever want to touch our child when we’re the parents? Good point… C’mon… Again with that gloomy face of the past. You finally started socializing, too. But… Roland. It’s a miracle that we even have a decent house and a family. You know how the life of a Fixer usually goes. And I’m saying this just in case… No matter what happens, don’t blame yourself for all of it. You know it won’t be your fault. Don’t say stuff like that. You know I don’t make promises. Hss… Alright, fine! I promise! …Alright. I’m counting on you. Who was that just now? Remember my old friend, Olivier? Course I do. He used to work at the same Office as you. He’s asking me to lend a hand for a bit. …Don’t tell me, is it Fixer work? …Erm, yeah. Looks like he urgently needs a hand. Don’t worry, nothing dangerous. I just have to be there and fill the number. And the location? District 25. Whew… You’re going to a cold place. Remember the delicious pajeon we ate there? Buy some for me when you come back. But of course, your majesty. I’ll be back as soon as possible. …And thanks for letting me do this. Can’t have you lose one of your last few remaining friends. My family and I came first. I cursed those who turned away from my desperation. Everyone turns away from each other’s suffering and goes about their lives. Who could I dare blame in these circumstances? Each person spurs the suffering of the City trying to live, knowingly or not.Music: Ominous rumbling   I know! I know that I have to stand this ground and try to make a living like the rest… even if I loathe this cursed world and this City!!! I can’t do anything about it… I can’t change this damned City alone. It’s just how things work. Knowing the truth or making up my mind won’t allow me to go against the flow. The City won’t change. As long as humans exist, the City will never change… It’s become a part of everyone’s life to hurt others for themselves to live… We can only survive in this world with our sense of shame covered in scabs and calluses!!!Next time, on Library of Ruina: Roland tries to kill us because he's a human and this is the City. Videos Chesed 5
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 12:42
|
|
|
Tenebrais posted:Meanwhile, Seyser needs to get caught up on the team dynamic. Someday he'll learn to stop listening to someone literally named Evil Kit. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 12:52
|
|
|
TeeQueue posted:Someday he'll learn to stop listening to someone literally named Evil Kit. I don't see the problem, he's talking to Evil Kit, not Lying Kit.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 12:54
|
|
|
BisbyWorl posted:I don't see the problem, he's talking to Evil Kit, not Lying Kit. Oftentimes the most inconvenient thing is the truth.  Or just the incredibly likely truth that you've totally seen.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 17:37
|
|
|
Can't believe Roland didn't predict the rise of a new phenomena where people could Distort into superbeings and cause massive damage around them. Everyone knows such a thing could never happen in a Nest, because nobody is stressed or laboring under false pretenses in a Nest. What a loving failure of a husband and father, am I right? Which is to say, the bad thing that happened that ended up killing Angelica did happen close enough to where they lived that Angelica jumped in to help, and it did happen while Roland was so far away he couldn't jump in and have her back like he normally would have, and that exact set of circumstances may or may not have happened if they were able to move to a Nest, but the Pianist distorting was such a paradigm shift for everyone I don't really think anyone can rationally say Roland had any blame for Angelica's death, especially since she very clearly didn't want him to stay by her side 24/7 and was happy when he kept up social connections with other people who sometimes lived quite far away from them. Plus, like... the discrimination against Smoke War veterans is absurd and cruel, even by City standards. It's Wings using people to protect them and keep the Nests out of overly dirty business, and then throwing those people away like garbage after so they can pretend to be pure. Roland's flaw is in being cruel to other people facing unforeseen circumstances, that's all.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 20:38
|
|
|
PetraCore posted:Can't believe Roland didn't predict the rise of a new phenomena where people could Distort into superbeings and cause massive damage around them. Everyone knows such a thing could never happen in a Nest, because nobody is stressed or laboring under false pretenses in a Nest. What a loving failure of a husband and father, am I right? I don't think anyone would say it's Roland's fault that Angelica died. Anyone except Roland. Survivor's guilt and all. As a side note, I was re-reading the Geburah realisation the other day and noticed in the lead-up cutscene we saw Roland wearing that same black face mask on duty. It's not just censoring his face for the sake of an audience that doesn't know it, because it's happy to show his face in home scenes. It looks like that's how he dressed himself as The Black Silence - and a very straightforward reason no one recognised him, I suppose. Tenebrais fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Oct 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 20:44
|
|
|
Tenebrais posted:I don't think anyone would say it's Roland's fault that Angelica died. And yeah, I know it's all survivor's guilt. It just sucks as a really unlucky circumstance, and I know Roland has to be blaming himself for not being close enough to give Angelica backup and thus either die with her or help her that bit more to actually get out alive.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 21:23
|
|
|
PetraCore posted:Plus, like... the discrimination against Smoke War veterans is absurd and cruel, even by City standards. It's Wings using people to protect them and keep the Nests out of overly dirty business, and then throwing those people away like garbage after so they can pretend to be pure. Roland's flaw is in being cruel to other people facing unforeseen circumstances, that's all. It is cruel but it is definitely not absurd. Veterans in general have been treated like complete poo poo by their governments for about as long as they have been a thing.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 21:29
|
|
|
PetraCore posted:Can't believe Roland didn't predict the rise of a new phenomena where people could Distort into superbeings and cause massive damage around them. Everyone knows such a thing could never happen in a Nest, because nobody is stressed or laboring under false pretenses in a Nest. The Crying Child would like to disagree. PetraCore posted:Plus, like... the discrimination against Smoke War veterans is absurd and cruel, even by City standards. It's Wings using people to protect them and keep the Nests out of overly dirty business, and then throwing those people away like garbage after so they can pretend to be pure. Roland's flaw is in being cruel to other people facing unforeseen circumstances, that's all. Pretty sure it wasn't discrimination as much as "We didn't want this one blorbo who tried to sneak in Enkephalin so we revoked the right to everyone lol" e: then again, the result is the same so yeah...
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 21:32
|
|
|
So is Roland going to do a one-man Wizard of Oz bit? I wonder who the one behind the curtain is going to be.
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 01:46
|
|
|
L.U.I.G.I posted:Pretty sure it wasn't discrimination as much as "We didn't want this one blorbo who tried to sneak in Enkephalin so we revoked the right to everyone lol" EDIT: Or at least the Wings that specifically hosed over veterans from the winning side. PetraCore fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Oct 30, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 04:05
|
|
|
Are we not going to talk about the fact that Roland lost a child, not just his wife?
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 04:07
|
|
|
PetraCore posted:It's a great way to ensure nobody particularly wants to fight to protect the Wings the next time a Wing War comes up if they're not already firmly settled in a Nest and needing to defend it. I mean, do you really have a choice when you live in the City? Even if it's not a Nest immigration pass, it'll be something else and/or people will just forget about it to try better their life condition. The cycle of the City has been present for quite a while so it continuing without question seem logical. Junpei posted:Are we not going to talk about the fact that Roland lost a child, not just his wife?
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 04:12
|
|
|
Junpei posted:Are we not going to talk about the fact that Roland lost a child, not just his wife?  The empty baby crib was visible in Roland's very first Realization.
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 04:14
|
|
|
Junpei posted:Are we not going to talk about the fact that Roland lost a child, not just his wife? As much as I sort of lightly poke fun over him being overprotective of Angelica, there's nothing really funny about it at all. He's never downplaying her own capabilities, but his franticness to move into a Nest seems to be because of the baby, who wasn't going to come out of the womb as a highly skilled combatant with combat mods regardless of how tough their parents are. Nests still have problems, but they are less prone to acts of random explosive violence out of nowhere, and presumably getting Nest citizenship for their kid would have ensured some level of care if something were to happen to Roland and Angelica. And, of course, Roland would want his kid to have more chances than he had to not fight and to do something else with their life, whatever else they chose. Of course, Roland and Angelica would have done whatever they could to protect their child, and their reputations could provide protection in the Backstreets, but Roland knows well enough that they have dangerous jobs and live dangerous lives, and might not always be there to protect their kid. And... he was right. That dangerous job with dangerous obligations ended up killing their unborn child along with his wife. It's no wonder he's such a fatalist, but also really loving angry about it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 04:18
|
|
|
PetraCore posted:Plus, like... the discrimination against Smoke War veterans is absurd and cruel, even by City standards. It's Wings using people to protect them and keep the Nests out of overly dirty business, and then throwing those people away like garbage after so they can pretend to be pure. Roland's flaw is in being cruel to other people facing unforeseen circumstances, that's all. Junpei posted:Are we not going to talk about the fact that Roland lost a child, not just his wife? TeeQueue posted:
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 05:14
|
|
|
RandomReader posted:Lot of assumptions about why the Wings hired Fixers and then told them to get bent. Mercenaries don't exist solely to do black ops, sometimes you have cash and need fighters. The representatives line "Tremendous amounts of money were involved in the agreement," makes it sound like the issue was purely about the profitability of keeping their word, either because it would cost a lot to let the vets in, or someone paid them a lot to tell the vets to gently caress off. I don't think this change specifically has anything to do with Roland busting someone's balls for unwittingly smuggling Enkephalin and turning on them in a way fully supported by the unfair contract he'd written up beforehand that had an escape clause for Roland, but rather it's the juxtaposition of that's that and this is this, where Roland thought it was fine and dandy for him to screw someone over but when the discussion he had a long time ago with a Wing isn't an airtight contract but something that shifted over time, he's the one screwed over. Maybe he was even being extra hard on the dude because he was trying to save money for a Nest immigration permit, who knows? That'd be a harsh bit of irony. EDIT: And of course I could be entirely wrong about the timing of all of this. It could be Roland was hired for jobs by that Wing and someone there said he could even be fast-tracked for immigration due to his status as a veteran, and those regulations about veterans changed in the period of the job, not that Roland's following up on a vague promise from over a decade ago. I think the important thematic part is the juxtaposition of screwing other people over if you're the one on top, vs how it feels to be the one screwed over, and Roland feeling like that's an inescapable cycle in the City. The only way he can deal with it is to go that's that and this is this, but when he finds himself in a position where that starts to break down, he lashes out. PetraCore fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Oct 30, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 05:33
|
|
|
Yeah, the guy smuggling Enkephalin is unrelated to him being barred from moving into a Nest. It's just showing how the City works, the guy even said it himself to compare the two, "Just you wait… The City’s gonna screw you over in the exact same way!!!"
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 14:24
|
|
|
Roland sowing:  Roland reaping: "This is this, and that is that."
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 14:44
|
|
|
breaking my hiatus to present without comment.
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 18:27
|
|
|
Junpei posted:Are we not going to talk about the fact that Roland lost a child, not just his wife? PetraCore posted:His franticness to move into a Nest seems to be because of the baby ...Wasn't one of this floors Abnormality fights about killing a child before she can reach Home? To neuter her otherwise unkillable protector no less?
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2023 21:38
|
|
|
so nice of Roland to get in the spirit of the season even in the throes of his supernaturally-amplified emotional breakdown
|
|
#
?
Oct 31, 2023 19:32
|
|
|
Alright, that's... too adorable. Bad NullBlack, BAD!
|
|
#
?
Oct 31, 2023 22:50
|
|
|
NullBlack posted:so nice of Roland to get in the spirit of the season even in the throes of his supernaturally-amplified emotional breakdown Everything about Kali here is perfect
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2023 00:32
|
|
|
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH SO CUTE
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2023 00:38
|
|
|
Meta and Null both handing out some delicious art candy this time of year!  ...Where did Lil Kali get her initial sucker from, I wonder? Did she just spawn with it out of the Light as a parallel to a cig, or did somebody else hand out lollipops on another Floor?
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2023 01:45
|
|
|
Awww... some of the art on the front page has already disappeared into the Internet.
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2023 01:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 8, 2024 03:07 |
|
|
From image hosts to image ghosts. Can't have poo poo in the City.
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2023 02:09
|
|
