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I find Malkiewicz oddly endearing. Hope this poor resigned corporate puppet makes it out of things ok (he won't) Looking forward to part 2 because this update sure was a whole extra dollop of people making extremely vague references to things happening elsewhere in the plot (I don't think I'd have been able to keep track of the politics at work here were it not for the commentary, but I guess that's nothing new for Arknights)
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Jul 4, 2022 06:40
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Einander posted:I feel like the emphasis isn't on people being pushed into the roles so much as that people are pushed into roles that don't suit them. Platinum hates her job, Malkiewicz has the confidence and charisma of a particularly large potato, and Maria has the heart of a knight but not the skill. Mlynar fits the pattern too, I think. And since the system replaces anyone who is no longer valuable to it, this creates a constant churn of enlistment and replacement with all its accompanying humanitarian cost. Oh yeah, I definitely didn't mean to downplay that: the fact that people end up in these positions more or less at random with no "qualifications" necessary. Maybe I cut out too much when I was editing down the paragraph.
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Jul 4, 2022 07:15
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Welcome back. Last time we ended on something of a cliffhanger, but lucky for us, we can get the continuation right away instead of waiting for an entire year like most players did. So without further ado, Maria Nearl 1.5: Pinus Sylvestris This is the Latin (Lateran?) name of the Scots Pine, or Scotch Pine. As well as the name of 'Flametail' Sona's Knightclub, as briefly mentioned in the previous event. I'm calling it Maria Nearl 1.5 instead of Maria Nearl 2.0 because it's not actually a full event with a mission map and a boss, it's just a vignette event with seven stories. Focusing on Pinus Sylvestris, obviously. For the record, in the Japanese dub they call both the Knightclub and the event "red pine" in English, but that's a completely different species of tree, and the name "Pinus Sylvestris" has been there since the Chinese version, so they probably just arbitrarily chose something easier for them to pronounce?  Home quote:A Zalak with a red tail walks about the Grand Knight Territory. An Infected with a red tail attempts to change lives. A Knight with a red tail—has become a leader.  Major Commentator: Fifteen knights, fifteen chances to take first prize! Who's the Knight tonight?! Who are you betting on?! And who's going to walk out of the bloodbath with a handful of gold? Who'll stride through the storm to win our admiration?! We're ten minutes away from the official start of the match! Don't miss this chance to get filthy rich overnight! You'd only end up kicking yourself! Now let's witness the birth of a rising star!   What's your name?  Do you need something?Sona's nameplate now just says Sona, while Ashley's says "an indifferent knight." C'mon, drop the act for a minute. It's not every day you see a Zalak knight around here, so I'm just popping over to say hi, that's all. ......  Nervous?Unlike last time, these two now have multiple expressions. I can't remember if I've mentioned this, but whenever someone's default expression has a big smile in it (like Maria or Sona) I feel obligated to give them multiple little portraits because otherwise you end up with the little portraits smiling like an idiot during dramatic scenes which feels off to me. But since all their other portraits are geared towards very specific emotions, I also feel obligated to give them 2-3 portraits. Such is my curse. Are you... Infected too? I mean, who wouldn't be? Only Infected would fight a match like this... our lives are a goddamned game here. ...... What'cha staring at me for? Spooky. It's just... you seem a little... familiar. Mmm? Trying to cozy up to me? No. Maybe you're right about Zalak knights... being pretty uncommon. Well, since life's bundled us together, how about we team up? Huh? Quit playing around. I'm in this to— To give the knight nobility a little hands-on knock-knock? ...How do you... Got it in your eyes. It's too obvious. There's disdain, there's anger, and they've been your bywords for a little too long—those couple of bigshot knights up in the stands, they're beginning to notice you, y'know? This place isn't worth that. Don't jump to conclusions, okay... take a look around. What are the different kinds of Infected knights around here? Some bought up by the big shots as a little gambling pastime. There's a share in it for them if they make it, and if they lose, hoo boy, let's not get into that. Of course, you've got some anonymous nobodies, thirsty for a real-rear end high-riding knight or some merchant to pick them out. Thirsty to become... a tool. They've got no other way. Infected never get any other way. What are you getting at? C'mon. Let's team up, okay? Your chances in a melee, see, they're always better with a little personal alliancing, y'know? So why do you want to win, then? For the prize money? No. Because I can't let anyone else win. —The hell. There's something going on behind this match. A couple Infected... I'm not too sure yet, but my worry's they've 'settled on it,' so to speak. They've decided to trample the others, haul themselves on up, for better odds of survival. The only real choice, right? Too real for plenty here to not be thinking it. —That's why I can't let them win. If someone wins, someone loses. Big whoop. But if someone's living, then... someone's dying. A vague sense of justice isn't gonna win you much trust. But—sure. Right now is make-or-break for Knights Association approval... I'm in. Zalak and Zalak. Beats teaming with some rando any day. Eh? For real? If you just came over to screw with me, then I'm gonna start with you. Whoa, whoa, whoa, no, I'm real. Let's take this melee together, Ashley. Greynuty Kaliska.The Polish name pronunciation guide makes an attempt at Greynuty, but I have it on good authority that's it's pronounced Grey-nutty. Because she's a grey squirrel. Nuts. Get it? I'm not joking, that's her name.  ...Kaliska...? Joke of a surname. Just pretend you don't know, even if you've heard it before.She walks off. Cheering. Major Commentator: Now! Let's welcome— You can call me Sona, Ashley.---- Music.  ...Sona. Mmm? What's up? Back then, at the end, you took my points out of nowhere, didn't you? ...Ahaha... Ashley, c'mon... that was, uh... C'mon, are you still not over that? Don't you think I might be a little stuck on it? Well... But not because you stole the crown from me. Uh... You said you couldn't let anyone else win... and I was just the same. Urgh! What are you overreacting for? We'd only just met then. It's normal not to trust. No, well... uh... actually, yeah... Look, weren't we going to see how the Infected ghetto was doing? Let's move. Allow me! To come up with an excuse! To restore our bonds of Knightclub trust—! Since when were we in a Knightclub?! ...Heh. Since sooner or later, Ashley. You mean... that Knightclub for Infected? Pinus Sylvestris. I came from around Victoria, if you're curious. Plenty of that sort of pine tree around, back when I was young. These days they're long gone, though. ...Pinus sylvestris? Pinus... sylvestris... You were one of those Zalaks who got hit by that Catastrophe?! You got left for dead by the knights too—the Kaliskas abandoned you... Let it go, Ashley. It's bygone stuff. But... then your infection was... my family's fault? Didn'tcha already break from your family? They don't count as family anymore, then. You're not feeling any guilt for me, not on my watch. Oh, right, weren't you just talking about how I stole your championship? We're even. ......Just to clarify, Greynuty is from a noble family whose mismanagement caused Sona's people to get hit by a Catastrophe, destroying their home and giving them Oripathy. This is all a weird reference to the real life Gray Squrrel, which is an invasive species from North America that is decimating the Red Squirrel population in Europe, both by outcompeting them and spreading disease. ----   So you're... 'Flametail' Sona? You know me, then. Haha, not many Infected around who win knight titles. I know them all. So Pinus Sylvestris is led by the one and only 'Flametail' Sona... that puts me at ease, then. You look after those kids? I do. Er, but I only took them in... and a couple of them aren't Infected, actually. I was gonna send them to an aid station somewhere. So I can't come along for the ride. Sorry, Flametail. Can I get your name, at least? ...Jamie. Call me Jamie. Jamie, then. You said you know a couple Infected knights? Every Infected keeping up the independent fight is an ally in waiting. I remember one making a big splash lately... a Liberi, a sniper. You're right, and there's a Kuranta... she's 'Leader' to a couple Infected knights, and to others, 'Wild Mane.'----   ...*Spit*. Yo, Iwona. Tired?Pronounced 'Ee-voh-na'  Hey there, Sona. You, uh... seem pretty smooth rolling, still. Strong stuff. Not really. Just... always gotta keep up some of the lax act. You tired too? Didn't know you felt it. Figured you were always like that, on the forward march. Ahaha... Hah. That proves you trust me, though. Looking that beat in front of me. So, this, uh... Armorless Union biz. How do we deal with 'em? Do everything we can to keep them from knowing where exactly the Infected are settled. So long as they hide in the city, an Infected's got nowhere to go. We'll get found sooner or later, Sona. This isn't gonna solve anything. You need to think of some way— Mmm. —Nah, maybe we oughtn'ta dump everything on your back. I'm sorry. Yeah, chewing over stuff like this isn't my style, but you oughtn'ta run your own load too heavy, Sona. We're here for you. ...... Mmm!---- Cheering.   ......Justyna! We finally meet! Last we saw... you were dead, maybe! This is a flashback though! Er... in case it's not clear, this vignette jumps around in time a lot, starting from way back when Sona and Greynuty first met and skipping forward to recruiting everyone one by one, etc.   She's an Infected, isn't she? How'd she get so many points...? Not just that, Night of Knights had a whole spread for her interview a few days ago! They either take underground fights for money, or uncompenasted battles just to get a title from the Association. How do Infected like her even survive? So that's Justyna? She looks frail as a twig. Where's the skill? You ever hear the one about books and covers? But the papers haven't, uh... been duly proper to her lately. How many times have they ever been proper to Infected? Actually, forget Infected. When have the media ever cared about being fair to anyone? Can we believe anything that Armorless goon said? It's something to go off. Beats having no ideas at all. What's our plan?Cheering. That's what I'm talking about—Justyna! Get that Feather Knight! To the left! Behind the stone bunker! Yeah! That's it—no, no! Don't peek out, you'll be clocked—nooo! She's pretty popular, huh. Might not wanna join us? If she keeps doing what she's doing, she'll be titled sooner or later. Make a killing riding the wave of popularity, and maybe she can go find somewhere quiet to live out her days. If she's that kind of Infected, can we really talk them into helping us? We can't talk anyone over. But this city forces Infected to make a choice in the end. Honestly, it might just force everyone. I hardly ever see you this pessimistic. You're the one who asked! I'm here hoping the Flametail Knight'll declare to me 'no problem, it's all under control.' ...Haha. No problem... it's all under control.---- Music.  The Adeptus Sprawiedliwi?! Shh— ...Still not certain. Besides, it's still ambiguous how the Adeptus treat Infected. How would any of those knight families give a thought for the Infected? We're just outsiders to them. They'd never let us get away. No matter how arrogant they are, I'd still take five hundred of them over the K.G.C.C. Dumb shameless assholes. You've got a soft spot for campaign knights.They got some kind of offer from the Adeptus, but they're not sure they can trust it.  Ha, they're the knights who fought Ursus off the grasslands! Tops clowns on stage winning points with the audience any day! ...Ursus. All I know of them is the news I saw when I was young... Ursus lost their war with Higashi. Of course the knights cranked up the publicity machine. You... know about the war between Ursus and Higashi too? Hey, they forced me to read a dead tree or two when I was young. It was all stuff on the modern history of the campaign knights. I can't imagine it. Iwona sitting at a table, holding a book. It's too farfetched. Inconceivable.Honestly I am not a huge fan of the character designs by NoriZC, who did all of Pinus Sylvestris as well as most of Rhine Labs. Their clothes just look weird and busy to me, and there's something off about their faces in my opinion. But they certainly are expressive. And I guess there's something to be said for the peculiar "plastic knight" aethestic for Pinus Sylvestris in particular. What? You're from a campaign knight family, I think? Studying's not... outta the question... for you, I guess, haha... Keh! Is this how you all see me?! Ten years after the Tenth Kazimierz-Ursus War, the Emperor of Ursus got seriously sick, and everything annexed from Kazimierz fell into the nobles' hands. The crown prince picked up on the corruption inside the military even before succession, goading two Armies to rise up, as a distraction. No way the Ursus nobles could ever agree on one plan, but they were all born and raised in that nation of chaos. They sent their own forces out against Higashi without any argument, so they could cover up their own crimes... Which led to Higashi launching an attack of their own on Ursus far beyond what anyone expected, and in the end, the decisive battle took place inside Ursus territory.Ah, the Russo-Japanese War. More or less.  Jeez. Didn't know you had straight history lectures in you, Iwona. No clarification on those bits that obviously got mixed in. At that point in Kazimierz, a good deal of the knights thought they should strike while Ursus was up to their ears in it, and in all the unrest, they'd take back the cities they lost ten years ago... Iwona? ...and that was 1072. 25 years ago.And we have a date, people! A real, actual, concrete date! Canon timeline established, here and now! My grandparents were there with the scouts who resisted Ursus, only to get strangled by the Army before they could really rise up. I wish I got to know them. ...... Hey, don't take it so hard. That's the past. I'm not a campaign knight anymore, so I jump when you say jump, Sona. Enough about me. Let's talk your plans now. This morning, Jamie got three, maybe four new Infected in on his end. Miners, infected in a small industrial accident, but the contractor declined to reimburse their medical fees, so with nowhere to go, they ended up with the police out for them. And that's not the end... we've had over ten normal Infected join us this month already, right? They live in the darkest, dankest corners of the Grand Knight Territory... we've got no way to settle them. ...Sona. We've still got time. We've got power. We'll find a way. But... I won't... let any innocent Infected end up risking themselves with us. If the Adeptus really will let us all have legal identities again, live on in Kazimierz, then— We have no other choice. ----   —Man, this is some party.  Flametail Knight, Sona. You are suspected of illegally harboring Infected, publicly violating the Knights Association's code of conduct. Put an end to your resistance. Hand over the illegal Infected, and we will report your case to the Knights Association. Musta missed this. Armorless have authority to help settle biz for the police and knights now? ...... Let's all be honest. Don't you guys feel ashamed when you use the law as this big pompous excuse? Your provocations will get you nowhere, Flametail Knight. You have already overstepped the mark. Here in the Grand Knight Territory, drawing the Chamber's gaze is tantamount to death. Death? That's some scary stuff there. A biological death is not death's only sense, Flametail Knight. The more chances for survival Kazimierz accords us, the more deaths it creates for us down the line.Weirdly philosophical for a rando assassin, but sure. All hands, take aim!Boom. —Shelling from the rear?! Sona! I'm here! It's backup from Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub! Surround them! Justyna! Roger. Laying cover fire. Sorry, Sona, I'm going in!Smack. An assassin collapses. ----   Do Infected cry? What? Infected. I don't mean the knights who had the guts to resist the Chamber. I mean all the normal Infected. They just got Oripathy, right? Er... yes? They're not monsters. And they're not scum of the earth either. I'm not all that into this assignment. Don't ever let the Lazurites hear you say that! But still, have you found some sort of compassion for them, Platinum? Huh. Compassion... not really, I guess. I don't even get the time for myself, after all. Compassion's a luxury kinda deal these days. ...Ha. I've got other assignments. Dealing with the Infected is pretty small-time. You guys have it. It doesn't matter what tantrums Adeptus throws at the K.G.C.C., neither's gonna wanna keep Infected in the Grand Knight Territory. The nobles aren't gonna care whether Infected live or die, are they?----  ...How the... Flametail! It's the Armorless... the Armorless suddenly attacked us! Stay calm. What went down? They sealed off the street nearby two hours ago. We were busted long ago. And then they... used gas to force us out of the houses...! — A few knights picked up on it. They used their own bodies to block the Armorless's shots, but some still... ...... Where...? Where do we go next? If the Armorless Union got us the first time, they'll get us the second, the third... we... Save the eulogies. First, we need to... move the rest of the Infected. Should we get out of the Grand Knight Territory? Go somewhere in the countryside... At least! At least get the Infected civilians out of here—Greynuty walks up.  We've been leaning on our knighthood so hard to give them some kind of cover. When there's no knighthood involved, when they're out of the Grand Knight Territory, it's only gonna get worse for them... So we just... take it?! We give up and accept this?! Hypergryph uses the latest in visual novel technology to have the background fade out behind her. ...The Adeptus. We still have... that on the table, don't we.So they're pushed into a corner and forced to accept a deal they don't fully trust. ----  Sona! I'm back. How was it? I was dealing with an old knight... Definitely one of the Adeptus higher-ups, no doubt about it. Best we don't trust the Grand Knight Territory nobles too hard, Sona. It was Demian... vice-president of the Knights Association. ......! Ha, there's a big guy for you. VP Demian, the renowned campaign knight. I remember him. Huge ruckus for the news when he was discharged and came back to the Territory to do boring old civil service. A descendant of the heroes, like that Maria girl. And the conditions...? If you're back here, that means there's been actual headway, correct? What conditions did the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi set? A separation. A Great Separation. He wants to borrow our efforts... to put this city... to sleep. ...... ...... ...Uh. What's that mean?I believe the Great Separation was briefly mentioned in one of the newspapers before. They're still vague on what it means though. ----  That's how the plan goes, roughly. We can do this... right? Are you asking me? Maybe. I'm not giving up until I see those dumb knight nobles bowing to me. You guys? Real simple plan. We fail if we're not strong enough. We get even stronger next time, we're good. Long as we don't die, yeah? ...Relax. Uncoil, don't get nervous. Pinus Sylvestris just needs to stay Pinus Sylvestris... and we'll be fine. Whether or not we succeed, we only have one way open to us. There's no difference, really. ...Difference, huh. ...... Sona! Hm? You've been zoning out a lot lately. What's wrong? Nah... nothing, really. Let's go. We've gotta find a place for the Infected, still.---- Music stops.  ...... ...... Run away... hurry! Away from the sawdust... fire everywhere... chokes your sinuses... the soil's too hot to touch... Ore... Originium... gashing... The Kaliskas abandoned their subjects— ---- Music.  —! (Did I... fall asleep? On a bench?) Ashley'd be on my case again if she was sitting here. Phew... Lot of people... out on the street. (Infected under the Knights Association's supervision aren't allowed to walk around freely. If all these pedestrians... knew there was an Infected out in broad moonlight here, I wonder what they'd think?) ......Without knowing why, a thought flits through Sona's mind. 'They wouldn't think much.' Pedestrians bustle, coming and going as life demands, melting together under the rainbow lights. The Zalak called 'Flametail' silently watches the city before her. Her phone buzzes.  Hm? Oh, hey, it's Ashley. What's up— Trouble! Sona, they found the underground shelter! We're not gonna make it in time to move everyone! Whoever we save, we save! Hurry, get back—It cuts off.  This is an Infected... Right here!She runs off. The end. Overall this story is kind of disjointed, but it mostly serves as a general survey before we dive deep into each individual character more. I suppose it also lays out the plot in the sense that they will be undertaking a dangerous mission on behalf of the Adeptus as part of a deal for more legal rights.
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Jul 7, 2022 02:53
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Guessing the Great Separation would somehow prevent the cities from joining up so the tourney could be hosted. The only way I could see a small group of infected accomplishing that is if one or more of the cities was damaged so badly that it could no longer join with the others. Did the Adeptus just turn Pinus Sylvestrus into a terrorist group?
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Jul 7, 2022 04:45
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I think you already know the answer to that.
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Jul 7, 2022 06:10
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Usually I do strongly prefer designs that are clean and easily readable, but I think Pinus Sylvestris makes their extremely busy designs work. It looks like they basically just hobbled together their armor and equipment from a bunch of separate parts, which fits their whole underdog narrative... Except Justyna, as the one who found actual conventional success, who has a more visually cohesive design. Unfortunately, she has a really weird face in exchange. Her mouth and eyes just aren't in the right positions! (Clearly we've found yet another possible symptom of Oripathy.)
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Jul 7, 2022 16:53
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For the record, it's the same character designer as Magallan and Saria, who I also think have weird-looking outfits: 
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Jul 7, 2022 23:53
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I think Fartooth's little :> smile is cute.
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Jul 8, 2022 03:40
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Magallan looks perfectly fine but something seems off about Saria's skirt. Well, no, Magallan's thing is supposed to be her clothing for dealing with polar storms, considering her story vignette earlier, and while I'm sure she has three layers of hoods and scarves and face masks around (and we can even see several), I can't help but be concerned about her ankles, but I suppose that's just me.
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Jul 8, 2022 03:44
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I've used Saria's prison guard outfit for too long. I forgot what she normally looks like.
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Jul 8, 2022 12:32
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I'm okay with most of their designs but there's something about Fartooth's design that's distracting me in a way that I can't articulate.
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Jul 8, 2022 17:50
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Welcome back. Last time we started the Pinus Sylvestris event with what was technically Sona's vignette. Next is Greynuty. Dropping Grey quote:'Ashlock' Greynuty's competitor in this match is the infamous heel, 'Brassrust' Ingra. A sturdy cannon versus a sharp axe. An Infected knight versus a noble knight. Future versus past. Just which one will claim victory?  Young Girl: Where are we going, Granny? Dignified Grandmother: It's not the right time for you to ask. These two will be talking a lot, so I'll give them fake portraits, but keep in mind that they're still the Young Girl and Dignified Grandmother.  Hold tight to your pouch, and stay close to me. Yes, Granny. We're almost there.  What's that there? An arena. Built by bastards from the Grand Knight Territory. Humph. Are we going to see a match? A match? No. I'm taking you for training.---- Do you still remember the things I taught you? Yes, Granny, I haven't forgotten any! It's shield up, cannon up, and bombard! Eyes on the enemy, watch your ammunition, don't let your cannon go! And, um... When the cannon fire rings through the air, victory is already within sight! Very good. You're a lot more dependable than your father. At least someone else will remember these before I close my eyes for good. Please don't be so gloomy, Granny... Heh. A tree may be a century old, but its roots will all be rotten. Better to be fertilizer for the new buds than to wither away like this. *cough* *cough*... Granny! It's all right, it was just a little cough. Nothing to worry about. Your father's generation. Even my few brothers. They've all long forgotten how the Kaliskas came to prosper. Forestry? That forest was given back to us upon our high deeds, upon our cannon fire! 'When the cannon fire rings through the air, victory is already within sight'... All those bastards, with all their money, can't even remember the saying! Granny, please don't get angry... Hmph... Greynuty, you're a good sprout. Don't grow twisted. Yes, Granny, I won't disappoint you!---- Cheering and quick footsteps.   The Bloodboil Knightclub's—Butcher of the Field—back after nursing those injuries—as ruthless as ever!!Quick footsteps.  And on—the other—side—Quick footsteps.  *cough*, *cough* *cough*... Once the foresting magnate of the south—a name out of the Kaliska Group—Quick footsteps.  But now an Infected—part of the Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub—Slower, heavier footsteps.  Let's give a big warm welcome to— Granny? (Huff... relax. Granny already taught me. I can do this. I'm ready!) The Ashlock Knight, Greynuty Kaliska!Cheering. Music.  To be honest, I'm not sure I did this scene justice, it's very cinematic, for lack of a better word. A montage in the classical film theory sense, where we juxtapose the imagery of her childhood with the sound of the announcer and her own footsteps representing her running through her life and/or walking up to the arena. And finally her opening her eyes to the cheers. It's a very "her entire life has led up to this exact moment" kind of scene that I hope was at least a little conveyed in pure text. It's a sad fact of life that my transcription necessarily gets worse the better in the presentation is in-game. Man, oh, man, Ashley finally takes the field. She's never in a hurry. Never gives the audience the time of day, either. Reveling just isn't Greynuty. That's her selling point. Some people are suckers for that. Look over there.Excited Fan: Greynuty! Greynuty, look at me!!! Eh... yeah, it works. There's no faking cheers. And that posture, the hunker with the cannon, it's got noble written between the lines. Course I'm still most excited for her to fire off, though. Well, you're gonna get that. The crowd's gone wild hearing the rumbles. Just wish there was more to get a kick out of. What, you want her bashing with the barrel? Haha. Man, I hope I see it, if it ever happens.  Humongous hatchet meets sturdy shield! Who'll come out on top? We'll just have to wait and see! Switch your terminals on, make your choice, and give your competitor your support! And before we forget, the most important part—grab that chance to stuff your wallet full! Let the match—begiiiiiinnnnnnnn—!  You'd best hope that hunk of plastic holds out. Oripathic filth.In case you forgot, Brassrust is the sadistic knight who likes to cripple his opponents. Ashlock vs Brassrust actually did happen offscreen in the middle of Maria Nearl though, which places this in the timeline.  Thunk. ......A whistling followed by a boom, like mortar. Or fireworks.  Baah, that's dull. She's not even saying anything. This isn't your first time watching Ashley compete. It's called being serious. D'ja know what being serious is? But this is mad boring... if you don't vent your feelings, how're you gonna keep momentum against your opponent? Knight competitions aren't yelling contests, jeez. The important thing is to look good standing off.Whistle, boom + cheering. See, just like that. Brassrust's getting forced back, and everyone's on cloud nine, right? You don't think this match is too calm, though? Barely any active attacks. You've gotta pick your opponents. With knights like Brassrust who go all in on offense, you wanna put together a good defense to be optimal. And Ashley can use her favorite move now. Block with a shield bash, get a shot in. Tried and tested. (Ashley doesn't seem that hungry to attack this match. What's on her mind, huh?) It's a shocker! The Butcher's cleaver has nowhere to go before the Ashlock Knight! Each time he attacks! Each blast he takes! Ingra gives, but he gets nothing! The Ashlock Knight's defense is perfect, and she's making every step forward hers, squeezing down the space the Butcher has to move! Without a doubt, this is a battle of back and forth! We won't know who'll wear the victory laurel until the final moment! Get your terminals out and lay your bets on your knight of choice! Or buy a water bottle with your contestant's logo straight away, specially provided by the Major, and let the crowd around you know just who you support! Order now! We're ready to hook you up, right there in your seats! That's something they do now? They do, but, uh... These prices... why don't I just step out of the arena and come back with ten bottles? Haha... You wouldn't order one, right...? Just one. Just to try, heheh.----  Can you do anything besides shrink behind that plastic board, hmm? ...... Hah. You'll have time to scream once I shatter it, rock-festered mouse. A petty firm like the Kaliskas would never collect your corpse. (Pulls trigger)Whistle, boom.  Whoa, Ashley's pissed now! Ingra's being too cruel, though. What's he keep yanking her sore spots for? Kaliska Forestry used to be pretty well-known, but you don't hear much about it in the news lately. Can't be anything to do with Greynuty. If they had her doing things, they might still be as big as ever. Doing piss-poor management yourself, taking it out on the others. Not a recipe for company success. I heard it was at the table she got expelled from the family. Facing her uncles and aunts. Voted out by all. Unanimous... So her mom and dad... Yeah, I hear blackmail had them throwing their own daughter out. Had the funds for Ashley to head Grand Knight Territory-ways later, though. But'cha probably figure, y'know. There's your parents, and everything sensible says they oughta be with you. And they put their hands up too... That's just gotta hurt. Good thing Ashley's strong enough stuff. Especially strong.Whistle, boom.  Uh... she can't be pissed for REAL real. Lemme look— We're good, we're good. It's normal enough to be mad at a time like this, right? For sure, I'd ream a hole straight through Brassrust before thinking about the rest. Ashley takes fights too cerebral, and ammo runs out. If she fires a round throwing a fit, she might just be boned. Still oughta be the phase where she makes Brassrust THINK she's angry. After all, misleading your opponent's important too. Look.Whistle, boom.  I'm floored, and I bet you are too! Ingra's shoulder plates have been blasted to smithereens! The Ashlock Knight is still pressing forward step by step! Could victory be at hand? Is the proclamation coming?!Whistle, boom, cheering. Another crack of shellfire! It looks like the Ashlock Knight's got her own personal victory salute covered!Whistle, slash, boom.  What's this?! Did you see that, everyone?! Brassrust just cleaved a shell apart with his hatchet! We'd be remiss not to thank our two contestants! You only get spectacles like this on the soaps! That's right, I'm talking about the classic scene from the Słoma-funded suspense-in-the-city production, 24 Nights in the G.K.T.! Anyone in the audience interested, you can put an order in for the discs straight away! The first thirty to buy'll get a poster signed by the two leads! First come, first served! Don't miss out! Glug, glug—phew. Man, this is basically the same as convenience store water. Didn't I warn you already...For the record, convenience store water is literally just tap water anyway, so unless you live in a place with undrinkable tap water you're probably better off just buying a reusable bottle anyway? Heehee. Whatever, let's just say I bought it for her. Forget that. Mob never misses a chance to shill, huh. Really gets on your nerves... That's his job, isn't it? What else would he do? Who thought Brassrust could cut a shell clean through, though? Really forced an ad spot right into Mob's lap. If only Ashley didn't go soft for a moment. Wanted to knock Brassrust down, didn't aim for his head... Match would've been over by now. Her magazine's gotta be drying up. Mmm.Whistle, boom. Only one shot left, I think. Time to swap mags. Here's hoping Ingra doesn't give our Ashley any trouble then. (One round left. Gotta push him off, hop back on the recoil, and that should give me enough time. With Ingra's competition style, he shouldn't have any out. This is the moment.)Whistle, boom. Is that all you can do? (He sped up? poo poo!) Is that a—thruster on Brassrust's shoes? There's a wrench in the plan... You've got this, Ashley! *cough*... You're out of shells. What else can you do? ......----  D'ya still have ammo, Ashley? None. I just used the reserve to block the bolts. What now, then? Gonna bash with the barrel? If you need it, I can make a distraction for you. And then ride the opportunity to take my points like last time? C'mon, let that go already... We'd only just met then. Be a problem not having your guard up. I won't do it again. We agreed on that. I can trust you not to sacrifice other Infected for your own benefit, Greynuty. So you can trust Sona here not to stab you in the back. Right? Hmph. I suppose. So how are you gonna face down these knights now? I can definitely make you a little space. Shout if you need me. I won't. I've got my methods.----  Fresh from the advantage, the Ashlock Knight has been caught out reloading! Brassrust begins his revenge! Could the Butcher's cleaver taste blood when all's said and done?! Just how is the Ashlock Knight gonna counter? There she goes—she's thrown her empty magazine at Brassrust, but it's had no— Oh, wait a moment, sister, she's thrown her cannon down too and is charging Brassrust! What is she up to?!Smack. Ingra's got his weapon up, and the Ashlock Knight only has a shield to her name! Ashlock—Ashlock has blocked the battleaxe, and—ooh!! She's clocked him straight in the head! I heard that all the way from here! Ooh! Back-to-back and hand-to-hand! It's a barrage! Ingra's on the retreat! Greynuty's rolled right back to her weapon, swapped and loaded! Not a beat missed! Is Ingra in for another artillery lockdown?!People have complained about all the action scenes in pure text, but this one you can perfectly imagine through the commentary and it's just cool. I'm sorry, but Greynuty's just cool. ...Couldn't hurt to be an anime though. Whistle, boom. Ah-ha! We're once again treated to the sound of cannon fire! The Ashlock Knight has the situation back under control! Might be a little ugly, but... that's a pretty practical way to disengage. Never dreamt she'd go so fast once she dropped that cannon, though. Ashley's a Zalak too, y'know. A little agility's par for our course. So why won't she use a light weapon like yours? Personal preference, I guess. I suggested she could switch to a more arena-friendly long-ranger—javelins, crossbows, slings, stuff like that. She's not a fan of any of them. Just likes using that old family cannon. She can't even put it to full use sometimes, and the maintenance is a pain. That's stubborn, alright. You get used to it, y'know. I think she's down to her last eight rounds. If she runs clean out, what happens?Whistle, boom. I've got no idea. What DOES happen? I've never seen Ashley use up all her reserve ammo before. ...*pant*, *pant*—Are you toying with me, Ashlock?! ...... Say something—you damned—rock! (Pulls trigger)Whistle, boom. Brassrust sidesteps.  How long do you plan on playing the mute?!Whistle, boom. He sidesteps the other way.  I've had enough—enough of this! Hrreaaagh!!Whistle, boom. Man, Ashley really is another level of horrible. There's no way she was planning a tug of war with Ingra from the start. Was she? She doesn't respond, she doesn't go down. She'd get me mad too. Why? Oh, Justyna, you made it. Why is Ashlock bent on humiliating Brassrust? Thaaat's a long story. When I ran into Ashley, she was stoked on anger, wrath for all the old knight lords at the top of the stands. The other Infected knights thought she just resented the old guard, pure and simple. But if— If she wasn't an Infected, she'd be a knight noble too. I've heard. Post-infection, no-one her generation or above in her knight family showed her any sympathy. Everyone put the blame for the family's slow fall on her. Normal people would know that's nothing to do with getting ill. But that's what they did. Her family, every Kaliska Zalak agreed to strip Ashley of her position and boot her out of the lineage. She used to trust all the family, so much. She loved sharing fun stories with them. Comparing techniques with them. But in the end, no one she thought a friend reached out a hand to help. I heard some were looking to have her disappeared altogether— It—can't be that bad. One day, I was there. Helped keep them off Ashley.Friends help friends fight off assassins. ...... ...... So you can guess why Ashley has such a bitter hatred for the old knight lords. As for Brassrust Ingra... very single thing he does is a deep sting on Ashley's heart. That's what's going on. I'm guessing it's why she was ready to stand off in a close contest until the end. To bring a lofty, high-ranking knight straight into the ground. And to... keep her own anger in check. ...... Hey, Justyna, can you tell how many shells Ashley has left in her mag for me? Four.Literally eagle-eyed, I suppose. Ooh. Nearly closing time. A fierce offensive has not toppled the Ashlock Knight! And Brassrust is beginning to wear out! He's readying for his final charge! This marathon back-and-forth is about to pay off! Ladies and gentlemen, knights and dames, keep an eye on your betting numbers, please! Who knows if you're suddenly in for a prize when the results come in! This post-match lottery is sponsored by Roar Guards Co., and the rates will boggle your mind! An astonishing zero point FIVE percent! If you still haven't placed your bets, you have one last chance now! Ingra has lifted his hatchet, the blade of the abattoir! Greynuty assumes a defensive position! We're about to see who wins and who loses! Jeez, Louise! When'd Ashley make off with my moves?! Brassrust is charging, he's still charging, Ashlock has her shield up, but she's pointed the barrel backwards! Could she be taking Brassrust for a head-on impact?! Both are coming in hot, red-yellow-white-hot!Whistle, boom. What?! Ashlock's accelerated with her shelling and has sailed right by Brassrust's hatchet! Too fast, way too fast!!Whistle, boom. She's ditched her shield, the barrel's against Ingra's back, she's pulled the trigger!!Cheering. The Brassrust Knight is down! The Ashlock Knight has taken the win!!! Hold on, now Ashlock is aiming the barrel at Brassrust again! Could it be? The day the tyrannical Ingra is humiliated himself?! ...Rgh. A Zalak shrunken in a shell. Ashlock... Greynuty... I'll remember... you. When I'm healed... you... you Infected—will not live to tell one tale! —You! (Squeezes the trigger) Kgh... ...... (Aims barrel at the sky)Whistle, boom. This shell is an offering to the spectators. You don't deserve it. ! You... urgh...He collapses and Greynuty walks off. The Ashlock Knight has not dealt a closing blow to Ingra! With a final blast of a shell, she's left alone for the exit!Excited Fan: Greynuty! Greynuty—! This match's—lottery—prize—Music stops.  Girl's Father: How did you feel on that run? Grown Girl: Not that good, Father. My hand still gets tremors holding the cannonlance for too long. Again I will be cheating with fake portraits, but it's still just Girl's Father and Grown Girl.  Do you want to switch to a lighter weapon? No. The cannonlance suits me. Its might makes up for what I lack in flexibility. And besides, someday, I might not be fighting in the arena, but somewhere much vaster. Just like Grandmother. When that time comes, this weapon will surely be much more practical. Alright... as you wish. My little nut. Father, I'm not a child anymore. You don't need to call me that... Fair. ...Greynuty. You did well in training. If Grandma could see the strides you've made, I'm sure she'd be delighted. Grandmother... Before Grandma left, she made an agreement with some of the uncles. As long as you're willing to learn, they'll continue to pay your fees. So you don't need to worry about money. Whether or not you become a knight in the end, or inherit the family business. Keep practicing, and there'll be a day you become a famed cannonlancer of Kazimierz. Ah, how many generations it's been since the Kaliskas last had a true cannonlancer. All your ancestors would be proud of you. Don't let them down. ...Yes, Father. I won't.---- Music.  Hey, Ashley. Ashley? Um—muh? What's the matter? What were you daydreaming about? Nothing. Just thinking. Poor-rear end Ingra. Just came out of the hospital and you send him right back. He deserves it. And you still fired your last round in the air? The match was already over. Even if I can't stand the sight of Ingra, I won't do anything else to him. Otherwise, what would separate me and him? Shame, I was looking forward to a 'Butcher Suffers Slaughter'-type headline in the papers... Chances are the Ingra family wouldn't let that news onto the papers at all. Sona, I've actually been meaning to ask you for a little bit now... Hm? What's up, Ashley? What are you—holding there? An Ashlock water bottle. Why would you buy something so useless? It worked out. I was thirsty, I couldn't be bothered to go out to buy water. Yoo. Our knight returns triumphant. I'll have to learn from you too, Ashlock, and become stronger. Justyna, how'd 'that' go? It's done. Alrighty. Good work, nice. Once the reward hits, I'll wire it over to 'that account.' Word is the bank there's already watching frequent transfers. Can we still use personal expenses for the ruse? What do you think? Yeah, fair... We don't have much time left. ...... But we don't need to think about it just yet. First, let's go celebrate!The end. Pretty straightforward, but I thought the very different style of battle compared to Maria made it interesting enough, not to mention how her backstory was mixed into it (although perhaps they went a little overboard on direct exposition from Sona). The main takeaway though is that Greynuty is cool, and I think it succeeded in that.
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Jul 9, 2022 01:22
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Apparently it's been exactly a year since I created the LP account because I just got an achievement for it. Yay?
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Jul 9, 2022 12:09
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Clarste posted:Apparently it's been exactly a year since I created the LP account because I just got an achievement for it. Yay? Congrats! The LP is really useful for helping me keep up with the story stuff that I forgot to read after rushing through levels during a work meeting or whatever. Thanks for all the work!
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Jul 10, 2022 03:44
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Congrats on one year!
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Jul 10, 2022 05:41
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Congratulations on the 1 year. I came into the game late so had been nice seeing the plot from those events.
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Jul 10, 2022 16:45
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Welcome back. Moving right along: Let Us Ring a Ding Ding quote:'Flametail' and 'Ashlock' want to recruit capable hands for the Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub, and the 'Wild Mane' Knight, who's been thrown behind bars, is a fine choice. After Wild Mane carefully observes Pinus Sylvestris, she realizes they possess ideals entirely unlike the other Knightclubs...  Voice on the Television: A breakout from the underground arena, two stages advanced in the preliminaries... a challenger with outstanding skill, Infected knight, 'Wild Mane' Iwona Krukowska...  'Wild Mane?' What is it, Sona?Voice on the Television: ...however, caused an improper altercation with other knights in the rest quarters, and was violent in the confrontation... may face a 'suspension'... Here it goes again. Another report on the dark side of Infected knights. 'Improper altercation.' Hah, do you have to imagine? It can't have been anything but losers hooting at the winner. When it's Infected knights competing, they'll say poo poo as bad they want to say. You saw that clip of the match just now, Ashley. This Kuranta's... got some skills. Her style's pretty distinct from those flower-show nobles, yeah, but she's still a ways off from the top tiers. Mmm... You wanna recruit her? I've heard about her before... some of the knightclub knows her. What are we still looking for? 'The team leader needs real skill and overpowering force.' Your words, Ashley. I wanna test our luck. Every independent knight is getting scouted by knightclub agents. If we invite her as an Infected knightclub, that oughta catch her interest. I've got a feeling she's the one we're looking for. Are you interested in her skill, or do you think she shares our agenda? That's what'cha find out in a little chat. Firstly, you need a chance to meet and talk at all. You heard it on the news. The K.G.C.C. is considering handing her a 'suspension'. That's not something you settle with a flick of the wrist. The prelims just started, she's an Infected, and she's green for an independent knight. No one's going to be able to help her. And what if we actually could, this time? You need to think this through properly, Sona. It's a risky gamble. If she's already firm on riding this down to the end, we're going to be rivals. But... if you need to talk to her, it's going to be worth all our strength trying. Where Pinus Sylvestris is right now, every new ally is crucial. We oughta try and see. If we can get our point across... then things being what they are, I'm pretty sure she'll want to do a little something for the Infected.---- Music. Some days later... Doors open and shut, like someone leaving a building.  Tch. Nobody in the K.G.C.C. wants to hear the facts. If you don't want a fair ruling in the first place, why get all sanctimonious blabbing at me? Hff... drat, it hurts. Police batons got way more oomph than all that third-rate noble crap. Way I see it, they might as well put those guards up to fight a round or two. Lords in the audiences would love to see that...People gather around. She's out, she's out! Huh?News Reporter: Wild Mane Knight, does leaving the General Chamber of Commerce mean the government's already made their ruling? News Reporter: What are your thoughts on the dispute you had with the knights in the lounge? Was it an act of provocation? News Reporter: Is it fair to the other knights to have you, an Infected knight, using the same facilities? Get out of my face! All of you!News Reporter: You need to answer our questions, Wild Mane Knight! Also, just what pretext did you use for the General Chamber of Commerce to let you slip out... Aaarrrrghhh, who the hell d'you think you are?!She runs off. ----  Oh, here she is. Hah, hah... huh? Were you... waiting for me? I saw that scene at the entrance coming a mile away. You only had a few choices, and one of them was here. Unless... you wanted to bust your way out. Looks like you've got it now though. The further you are from the camera, the better. Let me introduce myself... No need, I know you. Big cannon-toter, and there's the other one with the sword. You two Zalaks are partners, and you're good enough in a fight. I'll take that as a compliment. Ashlock, right? Are you here to pick a fight? Or just make fun of me? We knew you were walking into a mess. So we came to offer help, in case you need. Ohh. Such as? Take those reporters, not to mention some of the agents around with ulterior motives. We can help you turn them all down. Who are you guys? I'll take that one. If you already know us and what we do, then this'll go a lot easier. We keep a keen eye on the Infected knights. So when we saw on TV the kind of trouble you were getting into, we came up with a little plan... Could you just come out and say it already? Complicated talk is just gonna hurt my head. What do you want out of me? To put it straight, we're in charge of the Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub. If you believe in the same things we do, then I want you to join us. Pinus Sylvestris? Never heard of it. We're a new knightclub, mostly Infected knights... ...Infected? Yep. You think you'll make more money with a club full of Infected knights barely clinging to life? Ha, must be paradise and a half in your head. No! We're not like the clubs who use Infected as a moneymaking sideshow. We're all about mutual aid between Infected. And how's that gonna work? The first part... we'll improve the treatment of Infected knights in the Major. That's the idea. We all know how the Infected in the other clubs end up. All the money they promise is a scam, and their minimum bet is your life. Ha. I bet all the Infected who fought their way through the arena want to ask: when's a single day go by without betting your life? When those noble knight families lose, at least they've still got a home to trot back to with their tails between their legs... Infected? If you want status, you head into that nightmare of an underground arena with everyone else and lose your mind scrambling for a knight title. And just suppose you live through it. How long's your career, how far do you go? That's all for the moneybags to decide. They just wanna see you bleed. Beat you half to death? Not enough for 'em. What those lunatic scumbags want to see in their heart of hearts is— Wild Mane, let's not. Ugh. I know. Just venting. No point talking about all this, anyway. What I need is someplace I can fix my weapon. I can do better than this beat-up hunk of junk shelled lance. Uh, we may not have a real certified weapon specialist yet, but we could always hire a professional... In other words, if I join, I get some basic benefits? Right, salary... we can just about pay you like another knightclub. But, you know, our aim's always been... Then I'm joining. Oh? I said, I'm joining.That was easy. I don't know what your Infected knightclub's gonna be like, but it's gotta beat any other choice. I've seen the eyes of the uninfected knights staring at us and I'm through with it. I'm not associating with any of those chuckleheads. Before I became a knight, survival was top priority, and everything was for getting fed. Ever since becoming a knight... that hasn't changed much. I don't wanna put up with all that just to eat. If your thing can keep my stomach from running empty, and there's no old noble knightheads to make me throw up, then I'm with you for now. In that case, you want to get paid how much...? Uhh... (Holds out three fingers) Three? Money for three days' food, and the funds to fix my weapon. I'm taking that match the day after tomorrow, and when I get that prize money, I'll pay you back, and then I'm officially splitting the rest with you.Super easy. The K.G.C.C. wanted bail before they'd let me out. Their stupid fine was so precise, it was my bank balance straight up— If anyone could get the number, it'd be them.Extremely rude. Although I guess it's kinder than putting her in debt? So, right now, I'm penniless, and I'm starving. No objections there? None at all. I can give you an advance here, and when you're done with that pressing stuff, come see us at the knightclub. Now we're talking. Tell me the address. I'm gonna need your base tomorrow so I can practice how I'm gonna bust clean through the armor of that jackass who had words for me— Alright, I'll spar with you. Deal, see you there. If you renege on me, I'm coming to find you and you'd better believe I'll settle the score!She walks off.  What's up, Ashley? You've been eyeing me this whole time. You seriously... just gave her cash, had her join, and let her go? My guess is she doesn't even get why the K.G.C.C. let her walk out of that building in the first place. Haha, fixing your weapon's gotta be number one when you're a battle maniac! She's been slammed up for days, and there's no way she's talking serious business first thing. And besides, we've got no time to explain things to her right now, we just came by with a few words. We've got other stuff going on. So you're saying you don't think there's a way to wrap this up quick, and you'll be in a better place to chat her up tomorrow? All we can do is stay on guard. It depends on if they leave the neighborhood Infected alone tonight... Wishful thinking. I know. That's exactly why this is something we have to do right now. I'll sort out the stuff with Wild Mane later, trust me. Fine, whatever. I mean, your instinct wasn't wrong. Wild Mane sure is interesting.Tiny Greynuty smile. Oh? Where's this coming from? The way she sees things... is kind of like how I used to. She might be more blunt... but she's got none of that excess baggage. Pffhaha. That's just what I need, you two finding common ground.---- The next day... An abandoned office building entrance  ...... ...This is the place, right? This dump... is this seriously a knightclub? Whatever, just in case. I might as well go in and ask...----  Hey, are the Flametail or Ashlock Knights in here— Looking for the leader? Yeah, I'm here to check in. I'm surprised someone actually came knocking... Unfortunately, they just left on business... Why are you carrying luggage? I'm surprised myself. What's got this place so strapped for cash? You don't even have a sofa?I guess she was expecting to crash on their couch? Award money's ample for knights, true... but Sona and her crew use most of it to settle Infected. Oh, I see. Thing is, I just got kicked out by my landlord, so I've only got my knightclub for shelter.Man, her life really sucks, huh? Put your luggage down for now, and we can work out what to do once the leader's back. Speaking of, are they this busy all the time? Where do they drill? There's a lot of work-related communication that needs handling. Audits against Knightclubs for Infected knights are getting stricter. The Flametail and Ashlock Knights are constantly talking with the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi and the Grand Knight Territory. *yawn* That's bureaucrats for you, all image. I thought at least there'd be proper eats for my initiation ceremony. Ashlock sure seemed like she could handle her drink. Speaking of Ashlock, where's she put her cannon? I've been wanting to check it out. With a 'baaang' like that, and that truckload of destructive power... Er, her weapon's... probably at home. You're duping me. Huh? Nuh-uh... I can tell. You're hiding something from me. What, scared to tell me where Flametail and Ashlock are right now? They're up to something outside of the Major for sure. Sensed as much during our conversation last night. The leader did warn me someone might be coming, but the rest isn't... for me to tell you. If she doesn't want you telling me, why wouldn't they wait until I came before they left? They... Something's definitely pressing on 'em, and that's what's keeping 'em away from here. It can't be anything good. ...... Ha, I was right! I knew it. It couldn't have been that simple when they came looking for me. You're up to some risky business, aren't you? If Flametail and Ashlock made the right call... then they—no, we—want you to lend us your power. Oh, and there's the other thing... they put up some extra money to rescue you. ...Can you repeat that? They wouldn't have wanted you to know. Not every member agrees with how our leader's going about things. She saw the news report about you, and decided to try getting you out. Since the deal even got made, there must have been conditions attached...IE: They bribed someone to get her released from jail.  Stop. I don't wanna owe 'em favors. If that's really how it's going down, I'm mad as hell, because I've got some responsibility for this too. Where'd they go? They went to a neighborhood with an Infected settlement, to scatter them before they're taken away. Wait, Wild Mane! What now? Flametail and Ashlock, they're both exceptionally kind, honest knights. I'm certain they want to recruit you because they know you're like us... They're not just Infected knights, they're people who want to change the lot of the Infected in Kazimierz. And what does that mean? When you... see their efforts, you'll understand.---- Music stops.  Over there—over there— Don't worry, just get behind me...Running footsteps.   Come out, Infected! You can't run!Infected Child: *whimper*... I'm sorry... I... I'm not bad... don't take me... Calm down, I'll keep them away. Are you all hidden, kid?Infected Child: Yeah... Miss, I—I'm scared... where's... mom and dad... I'll protect you, just like your mom and dad did. Trust me, okay? Once I call for you to come out, we'll find somewhere new to live, together.Infected Child: Miss... I want to go home... Keep quiet a sec.More footsteps as the man looks around. Infected Child: Mmm... The man runs off. Music.  Right then. Phew. C'mere— Yo. Huh?! You— ...Wild Mane? Found you this fast and all I had was a wisp of a clue, and I got here quicker than that gray Zalak did. No slouch, am I? You really did track us down. You're protecting this kid? He's Infected? Yep. What, you're gonna hide a kid here? That's a whole five hunters. If just one of 'em succeeds, then he's lost before you even try to get him back. We... we're too short-handed right now. This is the most we can do. Mm-hm. So, this is what you're really up to? Yeah. That's about the size of it. You're not just in for Infected knights. You guys are helping out more Infected besides, aren't you? That's the deal. Ha... and that's why you only recruit Infected knights. Because only the Infected would sympathize with Infected. Everyone keeps the same secret, has the same wish, even though it seems... totally head-on with those competition knights, yeah? Yeah. Wild Mane, I don't have time to give you the whole story right now, so if you want out... Why? I think this is majorly cool.Still easy, although for different reasons. Oh? Yeah, no time. But before anything else, Flametail, I want you to seriously, truly invite me one more time. You mean... you've decided to do this with us? Ha. What, am I not just like you? Alright... I get it. Wild Mane, are you willing to become a member of the Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub, to aid and be aided as an Infected knight, and to give your all, as we all do, for the sake of the Infected? ...... Wild Mane? Sorry, I messed that up, didn't I. I never feel like that speech quite works for me... Call me Iwona. I'm the Wild Mane Knight, Iwona Krukowska. Ha. Alright, you're calling me Sona then. Sure, Sona. I, Iwona, as a new inductee to the Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub, will serve as a knight to seize glory, and to achieve our ideals. And my ideals—Sona, if Pinus Sylvestris can change the lot of the Infected, and protect the people... then together with you, I'm going for broke. Going for broke... yeah, that's exactly the right choice of words here. But it's not time to stake our lives just yet. We can't leave this kid alone. You're the leader, and it'll be too risky if anyone sees you in an alley doing this stuff. Just get the kid out of here for now, and I'll handle things here. Watch close, see what I'm really capable of—wait, no, you oughta go first. Watch another time, then! Get out of here! By the time you've got the kid dropped off safe, I'll probably be on my way back to find you. Got it. Don't make this a scene though. Settle it slick, and we'll be waiting for you at the real Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub camp! No sweat.---- Music.  Phew... kept'cha waiting, huh, Ashley... Good going, Sona. All done? For the time being. Say, where's Iwona... uh, Wild Mane? Seems she went off reminiscing with Jamie... Here you were, I got back forever ago. Wanted to ask Jamie for a drink, but there's no good booze anywhere around here. How's this, then. You get the prize money, and I'll treat you to a round. Ha, done.I wonder how old these characters are. I mean, not that I thought they were kids or anything but the Kazimierz cast in particular seems to spend a lot of time hanging out in bars. I'll join too then. Nah. 'Scuse me? Why won'tcha let me in on this?! What, you guys already have stuff to talk behind my back? Do you even have time? There's a mountain of paperwork from the Knights Association... Agh... don't remind me. We'll just be belly-aching the whole time, and you hate that stuff. Besides, you're not that good with liquor, and you don't like staying at bars all night.Just gonna spend all night complaining about nobles, checks out. Ugh... no lie. If that's what you're planning, you're your own. Right, Iwona, if you're not busy, there's a few things I need to tell you about, regarding a few projects Pinus Sylvestris has going... Those, yeah? Greynuty just told me about 'em. Rescuing Infected, and Infected knights, and using prize money to help more Infected get legal identities... Huh, you're all wised up already... so, what'cha think? All the prize money I earn can go to you guys. I was training to become a campaign knight. Never thought about doing this to earn big bucks. If it wasn't for... ugh. Whatever. But in terms of the, uh, more detailed plans, I didn't actually get any of it. ...... Greynuty said, what Pinus Sylvestris is gonna do for the Infected, how we should do it... you do all that planning. So I get it now. You can think this stuff through and put it into practice. That's mad mighty. Mmm—it's not all that mighty, heh... I've been thinking about doing something for the Infected forever... just like the Blood Knight! He does some good, fine stuff.In case you forgot, the Blood Knight gave Infected the right to participate in knight sports.  The Blood Knight reformed the Major's regulations, but us... Pinus Sylvestris looks to bring together a big group, form an even greater bloc, and do even more for the Infected. Then I'm definitely part of it. So it's settled, I'll follow you all the way. I believe you're what's right, and whatever bigger challenges come, I'll be there to help you deal with 'em. But, if you can help me sort out a few problems of my own first, I'll worship you all the more. Heheh. If it'll win more trust, of course I'm happy to do it. What'cha need helping with? Uh... what's this? My pet. Peeehhh... pet? ...... A pet, huh... that's... it's pretty cute! Iwona, how'd you come across it? Ha, just saw it in a dump by the roadside, felt like I could get some use. They say you know a reliable engineer or some sort? Engineer? I don't know what kind you're talking about... Oh, I think there are a few in the neighborhood who know their machine stuff. Just a bit ago you were having hell finding a weapons repair guy, but now you've got people who understand these machines? What's the deal? Haha... well, he might take an interest in your weapon too. Should I take you? Whatever, I'll take it over myself. You and Greynuty have other stuff to talk about, so go get chattering. Where's that engineer live?----  ...I see now. This fine outer hull and internal design... How is it? Good stuff, right? This weapon's been with me for years now. But something I don't get... if you really are that strong, why was your major lance's hull so broken when you were coming out of the K.G.C.C.? You wanna know? So long as you don't blow up the story too big, I'll hear you out. I wanna know how you use it, principally. Ha. Where should I start, then— Back when I was still readying to be a campaign knight, this lance was drawn up for the real battlefield, designed to open the way for the forces behind. My major lance takes a tremendous amount of force and impact, multiple times over. After the way's opened up, I'd switch over to a minor lance. But, ever since I started in the arena, I've never let this big thing break. In other words... you haven't used your full strength, because you don't actually want to take anyone's life? In those grimy underground arenas... Whether it's orders blaring at top volume or captions on the screen, it's all pushing me to do vicious work on someone, and they don't call it a win until they see every other Infected on the ground... I never once seriously injured 'em before. But when I finally clawed my way to being a competition knight, I heard what those old nobleheads were saying about me in the lounge... Well, I hadn't treaded the ground in a long, long time. Took out my minor lance, aimed it right at the armor over those acid-spitters' hearts— You understand? I was really, actually hoping to run them straight through. Cheers to that. Would've been feel-good!Yay for murdering nobles! Which in retrospect makes it REALLY funny that they bribed the officials to let out her out of jail. Feel-good nothing. Just give my pet a look already! Oh, right...----  Examination's done. This is an old Raythean model... and it shouldn't be too complicated to reboot it. But it's got fairly limited capability. It probably won't understand your commands too well. I'm good as long as it knows its own name. Name? What will you name it? I decided a long time ago—I'm calling it Justice Knight. Here's hoping it's a little doer of a pet. Its original function was cover fire, it seems. Well, isn't that peachy? It'll clean up nobodies for me. More boring than I'd like for a function, though. Can you make it more useful? Depends whether there's any other compatible modules it can make use of... You need to find other parts to fit? Leave it for later, then. Let's see if we can get to light up first? Taking a look now... (Sound of machine activating) Ooh, there it goes.
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Jul 12, 2022 23:51
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The best character has arrived.
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Jul 13, 2022 00:55
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Di-di!
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Jul 13, 2022 02:04
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Welcome back. Last time we met Iwona who seems cool, but also dumb. At least her heart's in the right place. A Lone Soul quote:After rescuing the Plastic Knight from the Armorless Union, 'Fartooth' Justyna recalls the fate that befell her and the home she can't return to.  Climbing the haystack again, Justyna? You're looking that way again? At the Grand Knight Territory? I know the Grand Knight Territory. That's where the powerful knight lords compete against each other, right? You never stop talking about it, of course I know! ......Hey, Justyna, you're really planning to go there? I know you've been practicing whenever you don't have farm work. Everybody in the village knows you want to be a knight. You can fight off the bandits who come looking for trouble, they're no match for you. But the Grand Knight Territory is pretty far... If you go, will you ever come back? You will? Really? After you become a knight? It's a promise then. We'll wait for you to come home, showered in glory, and then we'll spread the word that our town is the home of the Justyna, the knight! Music.  No footprints, no tracks at all... They didn't go this way. The hospital team lost the target, they're bound to pass through here if they're trying to escape. Stay alert. I want regular reports.I am testing the incredible new tech of flipping portraits when two generics with the same face talk to each other. Roger.One of them leaves. ...... Hm?Thwip. A crossbow. Guh... agh...He collapses.  ...... Go. They're going to know something's wrong. Come with me while there's still time.  I don't take orders from Infected.Hey, it's the guy! Last we heard of Szewczyk was in the newspaper, where it said he got poisoned at his son's birthday party and ended up in the hospital. Presumably because he was plotting to rally the nobles to rise up against the corporations or whatever. Though I admit you have some skill, able to handle those lowlifes from that distance. But don't think that means I'm here to listen to you. ...The Armorless have this whole place surrounded. You're not getting out of here alone. They're not going to give up the chase. So what? I'll make them pay for it. That's not going to be easy. Your wounds haven't healed, how can you hide from them like this? Ugh... damned Armorless. I'll go along with you for now, but only because we share a common enemy. I'll make those murderers pay for what they did! We'll talk about that later, we're still in danger here. Don't think I have anything else to say to you later. Listen girly, you've got a certain champion to thank for the fact that you're standing here, speaking to me in that armor. ...You're not wrong. There was a time when I had bottomless gratitude for the Blood Knight. Hm? ...... Why so quiet? Competition. I watched you go up against Maria Nearl—'Plastic' Szewczyk. I don't like you. You're slightly less obnoxious out on the field. Your feelings don't matter, but watch the attitude. You should never have taken me out of the hospital. It was Sona's idea. And anyway— And anyway nothing. Sona is your leader's name? Hmph, sounds like another little girl. She's a friend. I'll take you back to the base. Sona and my other friends are all waiting for us. Make no mistake, I may have agreed to work with you for now, but I'm not part of your group, infected knight. No, I'm very clear, you're not at all like us.Burn. But, 'Plastic' Szewczyk, you must know, you have no hope of resisting the Armorless Union alone. ...Heh... Sure, you're right about that. It's funny, Kazimierz as it is today. An Infected can be a knight, and a gang of thugs like the Armorless can roam about freely. Funny... Let's meet up with the others first. We won't get anything done by ourselves.---- Ten days earlier... Music.  Thwip thwip. They both collapse.  Just who the hell are you people?! There's no end to them...  ...... Hiding in the crowd, are you?! Don't think I won't— Wait! Don't do it! Ah... looks like I'm a little late? How did this turn into such a warzone? Not good. Not good at all. Anyway, let's pick up the pace. Start evacuating people first. That's all we can do. It's you... Hey there, 'Fartooth' Knight, I still haven't had a chance to congratulate you on your title. Nice job there. I saw a piece on you. Popularity's through the roof, huh? Announcing a new knightclub, getting real controversial, pushing that popularity up, hm? Hmph, looks like you've kicked a hornet's nest to me. Infected knights... That's enough of that.Smack. He collapses. Ugh... Alright, anyway, the fight's fought, what's done is done. *Sigh*. Flametail, and Ashlock... What are you doing here? Do you know who these people are? Like the back of my hand. But this isn't a good place for a chat... these guys are looking to make a scene, and the media will be here before long. That wouldn't end well for you.This is the presumably the "street fight" that Justyna went missing after, as the explanation for why she couldn't show up as Maria's partner in her final fight. And anyway, you're probably hurt, right? Just come with us, all nice and quiet-like, and we'll explain nice and slow what's going on. What do you say? ...... Do you have to say it like you're kidnapping her? Huh? Did I? A little. I'll go. I trust you. Sorry, what? Just take me along, wherever you're going. I trust you. I feel like... We're the same. I can trust you.----  Where are we...? Oh! That was fast. Your wounds all better? Yes. Are all these people here Infected? Sure are. Everyone who lives here is. Most got unlucky, got sick in an accident or something, lost their jobs and homes, ended up with nowhere to go. Granted, the room and board here is a little rough, but... it's better than nothing, right? ......Greynuty walks up.  Sona, Iwona's in trouble, I'll go see what I can do. The Armorless Union is probably still active. I'll tell the others to be careful too. Alright. Don't worry, I'm on it. ...... ...Right. You've got it.She leaves.  She... Hm? Oh, you mean Ashley? She's a good girl. The way she talks is just a little too straight up sometimes. She hasn't said a word to me since we first met. Ahaha! Ashley's a little shy with strangers too. ...... ...... *Sigh*. Well, alright... Ashley just thinks you're too different from us, like you've walked a different path. I mean, you're a star of the Major, with a shiny new knight title, so hot right now! No matter which way you look at it, you've got a bright future!Don't you have a shiny knight title too? I'm not sure how much that matters, although I suppose she might be more popular than 'Flametail' or 'Ashlock' ever were. No... I don't. An Infected... an Infected knight... has no future. That doesn't sound like something a big competition winner would say. I used to think that as long as I could be a knight, there was still hope. If I could win in the arena, maybe... Maybe you could even earn some respect, be seen as a true knight, and win back the life you used to have? Yes... That's what I thought. But that's not how it works. An Infected knight is still Infected. And that's all that matters. Yeah. That's pretty much what I've said to Ashley. And besides, so what if you're a knight? Just look what happened to you back there in that crowd. Those folks who jumped you didn't care if you're Infected or noble or whatever. You were saying they're with the Armorless Union? Knight-Assassins... the words feel gross in my mouth. Yeah, that's them. They sell themselves to the General Chamber of Commerce, bumping off knights who don't play ball... They call themselves experts in handling knights, and wear that with pride. And add on the rewards, in cheers and treasure, that the audience heaps upon the knights, proper or not, how much dignity is left in the title? That's before you even talk about us. ...So me getting attacked this time, that was the K.G.C.C.'s orders? Probably. You've got the spotlight on you, and you're turning down all the knightclub invitations, and talking like you do out there... sooner or later, you get a knock like that at your door. And if you won't be their goldmine, then they find you a 'dishonorable' exit, so you won't get in the way of their business. ...... So you know, not that crazy you'd get attacked.This was also their justification for killing Maria, of course, but I feel like Justyna would've been slightly more of an actual threat since she was talking about organizing. While Maria... kind of lives in her own little world? Given their extremely parallel paths (other than Justyna being Infected), it's kind of odd that they chose to focus on the less eventful one. Not that Maria didn't have her own stuff going on, but she never seemed to care about the big picture all that much? As she said, she fights only for herself. I just think that's an interesting choice given the entire rest of the game is about the Infected. Cynically, I guess you could say they just wanted to sell her to us as Nearl's sister, but either way it's interesting to me that they pushed Justyna's story to the background and the newspapers. Two three-week periods. Huh? On my way to the Grand Knight Territory, I got infected. And since I was Infected, they wouldn't let me register as a knight. So I wandered around for three weeks with nowhere to stay. Hmm... It was during the third week that the Blood Knight won the Major. Then, three weeks later, they opened the registration window for Infected knights. I didn't have any money left on me, so I went to the black market ring, working up enough money to pay the registration fees. That... couldn't have been easy. Underground knight sports for infected knights is pretty much the same as the black market. From the underground competitions to the Major, I've seen too many ridiculous things to be surprised anymore. Haha! Fair enough. There's definitely stuff going on in the underground fights that tops whatever the Armorless Union can come up with. We've all been through stuff like that, more or less, and that's how we end up here. There sure are a lot of Infected here. Right... how can I put it? You can make a lot in the knight competitions, at least enough to buy a place for these people who have nowhere else to go. So that means the money's still worth something, right? Right. Heh. Nice. ? You're easier to get along with than we might've thought. When I first bumped into you, I was worried you were all icy cold. ...... Oh? You got all quiet? I don't know... I just... I just don't know... I guess I don't know what to say at times like this. Ugh. Alright... I think I get it now. You and Ashley are both shy with strangers. And this habit of yours where you say half a thing up front, I think I'm getting used to it. Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just tricky to follow sometimes.'Two three-week periods' is pretty hard to understand out of nowhere, yeah.  Either way, thanks for helping me. Ah, it was nothing. Don't sweat it. So anyway, where are you gonna go? If you pop right back out, they're gonna go after you again. That scuffle back there is gonna get reported soon. What do you think we'll see on the news? No idea. Whatever they want. Honestly... I don't know where I'd go. I haven't had anywhere to go for a long time. Hmm... Well, you may think I'm just throwing it out there to hold it over you, but this is an honest offer, out of the kindness of my heart. There's me, and Ashley, and Iwona, you've seen her, with the big loud mouth? Yes, I know her. The truth is... we had the same idea as you, in your little statement about setting up an independent knightclub. I came up with the name already. Pinus Sylvestris. The Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub, a club of our very own. —! And since you've got nowhere to go, Justyna, wouldn't you consider maybe joining us? You're... inviting me? Are you sure? Sure as sure can be. Can I spell it out any clearer for you? ...Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub... Alright. I'm in. —Us... together.----  Justyna, are you going now? Play your flute again, won't you? Whatever you want. Everyone loves hearing you play. ...Beautiful. We won't get to hear that again for a long time. Everyone's gonna miss you. Aren't you worried about going so far all alone? We know you get lonely, you're just too shy to admit it. Always sitting quietly off to the side. You think the wind might carry your voice back home? You're going to be a knight. We all believe you're going to be an amazing one, like that Radiant Knight you're so fond of. Good luck, Justyna. Don't be a stranger now. ---- Music.  Now that we're here, we're safe. Someone will meet us out front. How are your wounds? Fine. Just a scratch, barely worth mentioning. But you Infected knights, you base yourselves here in the city? Not out in a village somewhere?Since Plastic is here, we're back to ten days after she joined PS. When she's rescuing him from assassins. No one would allow the Infected to live within the city limits. Just what are you up to? Nothing. When you've got money, you can do anything. Hah... money. True enough. So long as you have money, you can do anything here.I suppose having enough cash to break the law works both ways. But if word gets out, you'll be arrested. Anyone eager to open their mouth gets a word with my arrows first. I won't allow anyone to harm the Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub. Then lead the way. I can't stand the thought of the Armorless Union scum on the loose out there. I'm working against the General Chamber of Commerce now, so I need to move fast. Show me to your Infected knight leader, who forced one of your strength to drag me out of the hospital against your will. ...Not against my will. What? It wasn't Sona who sent me to rescue you. It was my own choice. Not at all against my will. But how? I understand we have a mutual distaste for one another. Or is this some kind of big picture play? No. It's just... you have a family. What are you talking about?! Those insects! They dare move against my boy?! Don't worry, Sona has eyes on him. The Armorless backed off. They didn't touch your son.Oh, good. Last we heard Czarny ordered Platinum to eliminate him as a witness. ...Then I must offer my thanks. You owe them to Sona. It was all her idea. As for me, my personal feelings towards you have nothing to do with whether or not I'll let you get hurt. I just... your son... Without you, he'd have nowhere to go.----  It's soliloquy time! Justyna the Knight has a home, with family and friends waiting for her. But Justyna the Infected doesn't. An Infected has nowhere to go. No, it's not just the Infected. Here, in this place, there are a lot more people with nowhere to go. It's too late for me. I can't go back. If the wind really can carry my voice home... ...Then I'll have to ask it not to. Don't carry anything but the sound of my flute. Let Justyna stay a simple, ordinary girl... dreaming of knighthood.Fin. Anyway, despite everything I said earlier about shoving Justyna's story into the background, I don't particularly mind that it was. It's not like seeing everything in great detail would make it more interesting, and all the hints in the newspapers and whatnot actually made it really cool when they finally revealed her and announced her as playable a year later. A sort of lowkey hype engine. That said, I think all of these vignettes that are just introductions to the members of Pinus Sylvestris are kind of... weak? Writing-wise. Not that every vignette needs to be a grand epic, but it feels to me like they're a little afraid of moving the plot forward at all (because that'll happen in the next part of the Nearl trilogy) so they get stuck at the 'introduction' part and fizzle out. They don't really have stories to tell, just a character to introduce, if that makes any sense? Compare the Children of Ursus vignettes which were similar about a single cast group but ended up way more interesting overall. In my opinion. Like I don't hate them or anything, and they sketch out the characters decently enough, they just feel a little wasted to me.
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Jul 19, 2022 01:18
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In unrelated news: New Top Op recruitment. Which I guess are highlighted now so you don't accidently skim past them. This is the first time I've seen that since whenever they added them. Anyway, the relevant options is gives us are:  Either Option A for a 50-50 chance of getting Ifrit (Mostima dupe on failure), or Option B for one of three new characters, although technically one of them is just Skadi again.  Skadi is our favorite Abyssal Hunter/Seaborn from the Under Tides event. She's a Dreadnought, ie: a single-block guard, like Nearl the Radiant Knight. She's one of the older six stars and hasn't aged too well, but if you need to drop someone on an enemy's head to kill them you can do a lot worse. Her value also goes down because she's competing with her Bard version though.  Hellagur is a retired Ursus general, and an old friend of Patriot's. We first saw him when he was talking to Patriot after the battle of Chernobog. He's a Musha, ie: Enmity guard, like Utage, but frankly that's a really good thing to be.  Blaze is one of Rhode Island's elite ops, as seen in chapter 6 of the main story. She's a Centurion, ie: AOE guard, like Specter, and a really good one. Her main selling point is a permanent duration skill increasing her ATK and DEF enough to handle pretty much anything. Anyway, to reiterate, please vote for either Option A (Ifrit/Mostima) or Option B (Skadi/Hellagur/Blaze). You can't vote for individual characters. Clarste fucked around with this message at 11:58 on Jul 19, 2022 |
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Jul 19, 2022 07:53
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B let's go Guardi let's go
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Jul 19, 2022 11:51
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Option B because all three are fun.
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Jul 19, 2022 12:25
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Option B because Guardknights 
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Jul 19, 2022 14:10
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c'mon bird grandpa e: that's a vote for b of course, I know bird grandpa is not guaranteed
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Jul 19, 2022 14:20
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B I guess. I really like Ifrit but now’s not the time to gamble on a new character when we have a guaranteed one.
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Jul 19, 2022 15:14
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Leraika posted:c'mon bird grandpa  Your wish has been granted.
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Jul 19, 2022 18:55
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Welcome back. Last time we finished our introductions to each member of Pinus Sylvetris, so now it's time for... other stuff. Way of the Knights quote:Młynar arrives at a worrying conclusion, forcing the Nearl sisters into an even more difficult predicament. 'What does it mean to be a knight?' Maria ponders to herself.  On what will you shine your light? On what can you shine your light? To do your utmost. That is the glory that all knights should seek. Glory. Glory did not betray Kazimierz. It is the people that abandoned glory. That does not mean glory is meaningless. The word glory itself is far too intangible, Margaret. Wearing it on one's sleeve is foolish. That is why knights must prove themselves by their deeds alone. Suppose the cause to which you've dedicated your life turns to sneer at all that you are... Do your deeds still hold meaning? ---- Clang clang clang, ting!   —!Remember the end of Maria Nearl when they were about to fight a duel? This is that duel. Ngh...!Music.   Uncle! How many times I have told you? Never speak to your opponent in combat. Then why won't you use your Arts? I should ask you myself. Your Arts have improved. You must have realized the truth, then? About that... yes. However...! Uncle Młynar, right now, I would prefer it if you— Say no more. You sent my sword flying. That means you've won, Margaret. Even though... you never used your Arts at all? It was a match, nothing more, nothing less. All other factors are mere excuses. When have I ever taught you to be so indecisive? ...... If you've come to understand the price your grandfather paid for your naivety, then you must understand the meaning of your return.Hm. I'm not quite sure what they're talking about here, even though it feels like something the next event should have expounded on? So it's a price that her grandfather paid for keeping her safe through exile, that she should be able to notice because her skill with arts has improved? Did they, like, cripple his arts or something? That feels almost too literal, and of course it's also implied that he's just holding back. Maybe this is obvious to other people and it just went over my head somehow? Wouldn't be the first time. Margaret, you are trampling my father's will. For us to become cowards? ...... 'Fear neither hardship nor darkness.' Right. Fear neither hardship nor darkness... You won the battle. You won the chance to continue your mistakes. Do remember to say your prayers, and pray that your stubbornness won't drag too many souls into its wake. Uncle... Do you still believe those times are forever behind us? ......His phone buzzes. Margaret, how dare you ask me this question? I have a telephone meeting later. Everyone is busy with the Major. As for your little charade... Try not to do anything to distract me from my responsibilities. Face reality. See how others must live. See their needs. And stop imposing your fantasies on them for your own glory. You find yourself disappointed, sooner or later. But what if I don't end up like you? Like me...? You? ...Looks like those Sarkaz friends of yours took excellent care of you during your exile.He walks off. In case you forgot, her Sarkaz friends are Shining and Nightingale (Liz), who accompanied her to the arena last time.   Margaret! Margaret, are you okay...? Yes... I'm fine.  Okay, Maria. Stop squeezing her like that. Her arms must be going numb. Oh! S-Sorry... Does it hurt? *Sigh*. I never imagined I would find you two dueling today—Młynar hits hard, doesn't he? ...How has he been the past few years? Normal. He's been living a pretty normal, routine life. He heads out early for work and comes home late, always busy with meetings or dealing with difficult clients, and, once in a while, he gets into debates on account of the 'Nearl' name. But I'm sure this 'normal' feels enough like a punishment for him. I mean, he used to be so... Uh, never mind! Let's talk about something else! ...... Look at how you frown. You won, but it doesn't feel like it, does it? Seems that stubbornness runs in the family. At least Uncle Młynar's agreed to let Margaret compete in the Major, right? If she takes the crown again, I'm sure that'll be the end of his complaints. After, it's all for—Music stops.  For what?  For family. For myself. For... a knight's glory. To tell the truth, I know the bounty of the land of the knights today is a far cry from the glory of the past.  ......She's already harboring doubts about whatever it is she thinks she won last time around. Music restarts. Maria? Why so quiet all of a sudden? Ah... Are you hungry? A-Auntie! Let's give Margaret some time to rest.---- Music. Radio chirps.  ...Hello? My apologies. I just got home, and I had some family matters to deal with... Not a problem. The documents have been annotated. Sponsoring the Major...? Me? No, please, stop pulling my leg. You know I'm not suited to something like that... Right... Of course. It's work. I shouldn't be trying to bargain. My apologies. Yes, of course. I will be there right away.He hangs up.  The window's open, Toland. You're getting rusty. I could sense your presence. But, please, come in through the front door next time.Toland will not be appearing in this story. ----  Okay... Doesn't look like you're hurt. He held back. Yeah... He didn't use his Arts after all. And actually, it's been a long time since he had that look on his face... ...... —Alright! Get up. So what's your plan now? You need to report to the Knights Association, don't you? There is a complicated process, but it's not time yet. Margaret... We barged into that unfinished match... Is it really going to be alright? Alright? You're looking at an exiled Infected, Maria. She smashed through the arena walls and waltzed onto the field, remember? With all that she has done, what's interrupting a match or two?Yeah, breaking the match rules is slightly less important than violating her exile. But only slightly, because breaking match rules can get you executed by the authorites all the same. R-Right... You have a point... Trouble is an old friend. Be it then or now, so long as Kazimierz remains as it is, we will face all manner of obstacle in our path. So are you going to compete in the Major, Margaret? I am. ...... Is that... something that you absolutely have to do? ...Maria. It's just... you finally got to come home... I don't think the Association would make things difficult for Uncle and the family... But if the Chamber of Commerce have their eyes on you again like they did a few years ago, then we— ...... Maria has a point, Margaret. It doesn't matter how the Knights Association deals with this, or what the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi's decision is. To the masses and the knights, you are still the Radiant Knight. I have to admit... I don't get it either. I don't understand why you insist on competing again... I don't understand what you're thinking. But I'm sure you have it figured out. Stubbornness may run in the family, but that's not the same thing as recklessness. This is just the beginning... Whether I take the crown or not... it's just a beginning. Maria, Auntie Zofia. If all we do is cower on the sidelines and look on at society with indifference, if we only comfort ourselves, insisting that nothing can be done—then when will we truly regain our glory? Are the knights of Kazimierz destined to wallow forever in times long past? So you want to... Shining light on the tragedies of the world is not a permanent commitment to dispelling the darkness. Sometimes... Sometimes, it's just to illuminate the path forward, to help those who are lost see things from a new perspective. Even in today's Kazimierz, there is still meaning to keeping our faith.So you don't have to fight back the darkness yourself, you can just be a symbol that illuminates the path for others.  Margaret... Alright... Sounds like you've made up your mind. But you put on such a show as soon as you got back to Kazimierz. If there's a chance... Margaret. Don't forget you're home. You have family and memories here. You have Maria... and me. At the very least, give Maria some time to fawn on you. A-Auntie! What are you saying?! She's been working really hard lately, you know? I-I haven't... Yes, I know. I'm proud of you, Maria. You've really... really grown up. Maria Nearl, you will be an excellent knight.As a reminder, it's been almost six years since her exile, so Maria was probably a little girl back then? Oh... right. About that... Margaret. If you're thinking of joining the Major, you probably won't have time to rack up the points you need, right? It will be difficult, but not impossible. Right... Just like the Candle Knight who's been popular the past few years. I understand it didn't even take her a month to earn enough points. Even so, she racked up her points early in the preliminaries. Even if Margaret gains the Knights Association's approval right away, we'd still be cutting it close. What's your plan? The competition's rules have changed, but the basics are still the same. So long as I scrape together a win in the melees, I should still stand a chance. But... that's too risky! I drew a lot of attention when I stepped into the ring. If you take to the arena yourself, you're bound to attract even greater opponents...! Right, and we can't say for sure that the corporations won't pull their dirty tricks on you. Anyway, we need to come up with a plan as soon... I... I have an idea.I don't know why I'm even pointing this out, but she already had this idea a while ago and that's why she steered the conversation in this direction. Maria? Independent knights... like me and Margaret... aren't part of a knightclub, so we compete as part of a 'knight family,' right? That's true... You used the Nearl family coat of arms during your matches. And, if I remember correctly, it's not just knights of the same knightclub who are allowed to transfer their points, right? Those from the same knight family are allowed to do the same?Teams transferring points to the leader had been brought up before with like Left-hand and Sona. Honestly, that's the whole point of having teams since the finals are single-elimination.  —Maria?! No, I can't accept that. Maria, those points are proof of your gallantry as a knight. I can't— —I don't care! I... I chose to become a knight because I wanted our home to be ours. The Nearl family's ancestors... Grandfather... Father... and you. I didn't want to lose all that. I wanted to protect the Nearls' glory. ...... But... But then I realized... I was too naive about all this. If we followed them into the Major, if we became their knights just to uphold our knightly name... then... we wouldn't have changed anything. Margaret... I don't actually want to become a knight. Knights can't change the knighthood, Margaret.This is her giving up everything she fought for back then. Or rather, I think she still believes in those ideals—in the beauty of the knight declaring war on the waves—but has made the conscious and painful choice to put them aside. Well, that's my interpretation anyway.  Maria... If there is something only you can do, I beg you to do it. I... I just want this home to still be our home... ...I understand, but I still need some time to think. Alright now... Don't be so gloomy. We've got lots of ways to go about this. Why don't we go to Old Marcin's bar for a drink later? It's been such a long time. I'm sure he wants to talk to you. What about Uncle...? You should try not to bother him. I'll check up on him. There's one thing, Margaret. There are a lot more Infected in the city than before, and the Armorless Union is also much more active. Be careful.---- Music.  ...... Report. What's the situation? The Radiant Knight and Młynar Nearl just fought each other in a duel. I read their lips. Neither looked very happy. *Sigh*... I seriously hope she'll just stay home and spend some time with her family. They haven't seen each other in so long. Please don't get yourself mixed up in anything you shouldn't, Radiant Knight. I don't want any more trouble to deal with. Uh, Platinum, so what should we do...? Keep an eye on her. If she tries anything, let me know right away. Of course. What are the others up to? Mission-wise? Uh... Per the rules... I'm not allowed to know. Whatever. It's either something about the Infected or the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi. As long as we don't have to lift a finger, it's all fine by me.----  Młynar... ...... Młynar! ...Do you need something? Are you... okay? Margaret might've stopped herself in that last duel, but you weren't wearing your helmet... You needn't worry about me. She caught you by surprise... didn't she? She caught all of us by surprise. After all... she's become far stronger than any of us could've imagined. Is that all you have to say...? I'm worried about you, Młynar. I've fallen so far that it falls on you to worry about me. Right. I'm sure even you have realized. It's just a sprain, nothing more... Her swordsmanship has come a long way, but she's not yet at the point where I can't handle her. But... hmm. You're wondering what made Margaret like this? Of course, there are her Sarkaz friends. They are all... noble souls. Shockingly noble. It might just be that she's gone through more over these past few years than either of us could imagine. Maybe... you could swallow your pride just a little and talk to either of them? Confident enough to order me around now, are you? Did coaching Maria give you such a sense of fulfillment? —! Before Margaret became the center of attention, you and your brother were heroes to all of us.I can't remember if this is the first time it was mentioned that Młynar used to be a super knight too, but it's still funny. I know how you see the rest of us. Marcin does as well, and so do V and Kowal. Though... at the same time... I am just as disappointed in you. Let's leave it there. Have fun with work. ......----   Looks like someone used to live here...  Right, there are still traces of their lives... but... are they hiding? This is... the third settlement we've come across. In a glittering city, the Infected always run to cold, cramped corners like these. It's hard to believe... How could Kazimierz be this heartless...? Are these the Infected Amiya and the kind old knight talked about? Right... If even the knights knew about this, then things can't be that simple. Do you still have any strength left, Nightingale? It's getting late. We can head back for some rest, if you need. No, I can hang on for a little longer.Nightingale is kind of sickly for various reasons. *cough*Oripathy*cough*  Okay... In that case—A deep boom followed by a crumbling noise. Ah—What's the noise? A wrecking crew... They're tearing down the buildings... and the subterranean structures beneath. What if there are still Infected hiding below? Remember everything you see, Liz. Perhaps Nearl knows something about this.----  ......The Radiant Knight walks down the hallway in silence. The portraits of past champions line the hallway like fences on the side of the road, filling her entire path with their glory. Incidentally, her portrait has been restored to its place. Last time we saw this place it looked like this:  Maria... Hm?Footsteps approach.   You... Are you... the Radiant Knight?Hey, it's the guy!  My apologies. Is this place not open yet? Oh, uh... No... More accurately, it's not open to the public yet, though I am not sure you count as the public... Right, sorry about this. Uh... Forgive me, I haven't yet introduced myself. Please, call me Malkiewicz. I am the spokes—I am the staff member in charge of maintaining the wall of champions. Forgive me for asking, Radiant Knight, but what are your plans right now? Radiant Knight, huh? It wasn't until today that I finally regained that title. So the Association gave their approval... Congratulations.Malkiewicz comes back to his senses. The two of them turn their heads forward, to a portrait of the Radiant Knight herself. Though she stands right next to him—or perhaps precisely because she's right next to him, a strange feeling washes over Malkiewicz. The stubbornness is finally starting to loosen, and those things that are locked in place will soon be shattered. You look much more gallant in person. It's been a few years, after all.Again, six years. She must have aged a lot herself. I understand that you... have your differences with the Knights Association and many others. Perhaps this isn't something someone the likes of me should say... But... I still would like to tell you. I say this not in a professional capacity... But... Rather, as a regular enthusiast of the knighthood and a citizen of the Grand Knight Territory... Please, go on. You needn't be so reserved. Welcome back to Kazimierz, Radiant Knight. I truly believe this is the beginning of something great.---- Music.  Huh? Margaret, where have you been? I took a walk around the Grand Knight Territory. Where is Uncle Młynar? He got summoned to a meeting just as I got home. Good thinking, taking a look around town since you just got back. What do you think? Not much seems to have changed. Really? I kind of remember there have been a bunch of new fast food joints opening up at the mall the last couple years, though. But it feels a lot emptier in here... We had to sell off a lot of the furniture... Uncle Młynar is working for the corps, and I've been helping out at Master Kowal's workshop too. We don't have any troubles with our day-to-day expenses, actually, though Uncle Młynar doesn't tell me a whole lot... But Old Marcin told me there are a lot of knight families and merchants who don't look too kindly on the Nearl family these days. Uncle Młynar might be facing a lot more pressure than we know. So... Do you think we'll ever patch things up with Uncle? It'll be difficult, but I'm sure we can. I had a few arguments with him before I left Kazimierz. It was Auntie Zofia who told me that Uncle Młynar's been depressed about a lot of things, ever since our parents went missing.Wait, they're missing? Good to know, I'd kind of assumed they were dead until this line. But now... I can't bring myself to agree with what she said, not completely. I... I've seen a lot of people, and a lot of things on my journeys, and now... to face Uncle Młynar again... Remember the story Grandpa used to tell us when we were kids? How, on their very first trip together, Uncle sorted out a lowly noble who hiked up the tax rates and made life hard on the countryside commoners? I remember. We just couldn't imagine he used to be a brave young man like that. It's not always the magnificent things that change a person's mind, Maria. I've come across many of those cases. Maybe... he's been disillusioned ever since. ...... So how does it feel to be a knight now? Actually... It's not quite how I imagined it. Yeah... I know what you mean. That's why I will compete in the Major. Even if nobody understands me. Margaret... No... You have people in your corner too, right? Really impassioned supporters! Do I? Of course! I'm talking about Shining and Nightingale.And... not yourself or Zofia? I only met them briefly, but when I saw all of you standing on the stage for such a highly anticipated match, I couldn't help but feel I could trust them with my back. I've been meaning to ask, what have you been through these past few years? I will tell you soon enough. It will be a very long story, though, and it doesn't have a happy ending, not like those novels about knights I used to read to you. Well, we're sisters. We are.---- Music stops.   Take everything you see and kill everyone! Get the food! A knight? What's a Kazimierz knight doing here?! All the people here are dead, and you'll still get in our way?! The Radiant Knight...? What do knights stand for?  No! Nearl! It's too dangerous to run into the storm. You need somebody else—No, I'll come with you!  ...Faust. I want her shot through the mouth.This is a quote from chapter 1.   ...The knights never helped us guerillas. Our leaders waited years, but in the end, help never came. We fought to the last, alone, until we were devoured by Ursus. Not many of us are still around to tell the tale.And this is from chapter 7. Cheering. Music.  The Radiant Knight is back in the arena! What amazing spectacle does she have in store for us today? Will we bear witness to a once-in-decades legend?! Is she an Infected or a knight?! Will she reign victorious or will her opponent best her?! With all the dreams weighing on her blade, is it still sharp enough for battle?! Keep your eyes peeled!! Please welcome—The Radiant Knight—Maaaaargareeeeeeet Neeeeaaaaaaarl—! ...... After a long journey, the knight finally made it home. Just as always, the Radiant Knight steps forward. She is about to face her greatest challenge. Fin. This story is basically the actual epilogue of Maria Nearl and could probably have fit comfortably in there if they'd wanted to. It also represents both a narrative and in-story passing of the torch from Maria to Margaret. For better or worse, Maria has decided to sit back and let her sister be the knight from here on out.
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Jul 24, 2022 00:41
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Incidentally, we can afford to buy Nightingale now: She's an AOE medic with a couple rather powerful perks. First, with her S3 she can massively increase everyone's RES, allowing you to trivialize certain big boss attacks like Talulah's fire waves in the final battle. Second, she can summon decoys with taunt that eat ranged attacks. Please vote Yes/No
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Jul 24, 2022 00:47
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Yes
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Jul 24, 2022 03:58
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Yeah, sure, why not? Just at the right moment too.
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Jul 24, 2022 11:22
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I can't make sense of Młynar holding back his arts and the reference to his father paying a price together either, so I assume it's meant to be parsed separately. He's avoiding the question about the first by bringing up the second instead. If I had to guess, he's not injured. I think he's too depressed. There's plenty of comments about his depression, how he used to be better, how his work is grinding him down, and I know (from personal experience!) that even anger doesn't give enough of a kick to commit sometimes. I can see having Margaret back and knowing everything is going to get worse again sapping his will to put actual effort into anything, even this fight, because it won't matter. Even if he wins, what would really change? He probably figured swordplay was the most he had the actual fire for, and if that wasn't enough then he always had words to fall back on. Words are easy, after all. Whether he's honest enough with himself on what amounts to a thrown match is something I can't determine, but either way it doesn't pay to have Margaret keep digging at it (further pity would sting worse) so he deflected her. I can't figure out what he means by the price his father paid and the meaning of her return even as a separate statement though. The best I can figure is the fracturing of their family (in exchange for its survival) as the price his father paid, and that her return as the head of it will place it in the exact same situation again. This time, his father isn't around to save the family, so in Młynar's eyes it spells doom for the family. It seems like a really easy thing to talk past Margaret about though given how vague he's being and how long Margaret has been away. Does he really think she's the person he's pictured in his head after all these years? Is he really that ignorant on what an Infec- scratch that, on second thought him having no idea on how being Infected changes your perception would track for the average person in-setting. Maybe they really are blindly charging past each other on their separate worldviews, tilting verbal lances over just a bit and hoping to hit something important on the other person. To tie this update slightly to a comment you made on the previous one, you commented that the CoC seemed to treat Maria as the bigger threat than Justyna even though the latter was actively organizing. I suspect they were afraid of is what you commented in this one about Margaret becoming a symbol to others. They probably treat Infected who are organizing as something to be put down as a matter of course, and don't view it as something worth special concern. I think that's a little arrogant of them (oh, the Infected wouldn't really be able to cause any real damage even if they had a rallying figure), but they do realize that Maria could become a symbol for the knights even if she doesn't intend to. What's more, the fact that they're reacting to her means it's likely a reasonable concern, as in there are enough sympathetic knights out there that the CoC believes it would lose control if a movement builds among them. And now Margaret is back, who one-ups Maria's symbol of "related to the Radiant Knight and doing the same things as her" with "literally the Radiant Knight".  I mostly agree on your reasoning for why Maria gave up her points, but given how much she struggled on her reason for fighting in her story I'm not fully convinced she's articulating her reasons correctly here either. Saying she did this for the family is what makes me think that, she didn't do this primarily for the Nearl name from what we already learned. If I had to substitute a reason in on the assumption she can't properly explain it still, I'd say she passed along the points because she believes Margaret will do a better job with them. Maria just wants to fight as a knight for the dumb romantic reasons, not be a leader or symbol. If someone is going to be the visionary/mover that shakes up Kazimierz, she's trusting her sister to do the better job. I'm sure she feels guilty about pushing that responsibility on her, but also relieved since Margaret is clearly here to shake things up anyway. All told, it generally ends up in the same place as her stated reason. The knighthood can't be fixed by being a knight, it needs a shock from something more. The Radiant Knight is probably the best person for the job. To tie off this wall of words, Yes. The more characters, the easier it is to suggest themed teams!
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Jul 25, 2022 04:44
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OneWingedDevil posted:I can't make sense of Młynar holding back his arts and the reference to his father paying a price together either, so I assume it's meant to be parsed separately. He's avoiding the question about the first by bringing up the second instead. The part that confuses me most is the whole "you're more skilled with arts now, so you can tell, right?" bit. Which implies that it's something she might not be able to tell if she weren't skilled, and it's not like the Nearl family's arts are subtle. So it's hard for me to read that as referring solely to him holding back his arts. OneWingedDevil posted:I can't figure out what he means by the price his father paid and the meaning of her return even as a separate statement though. The best I can figure is the fracturing of their family (in exchange for its survival) as the price his father paid, and that her return as the head of it will place it in the exact same situation again. This time, his father isn't around to save the family, so in Młynar's eyes it spells doom for the family. Maybe I'm mixing this up with something that gets mentioned later, but it's implied that Grandpa Nearl gave up something very specific in order to protect Margaret by exiling her. Like, this was the best deal he could arrange for her and the alternative was that she'd get executed or something. But he paid a literal and specific price in exchange for that, even if that price was something intangible like using up all his political capital. Anyway, given that her exile her grandfather's idea, it's even easier to see how Młynar think her coming back is metaphorically spitting on his grave, rejecting his final "gift" to her and putting herself and the family in danger again for nothing. OneWingedDevil posted:To tie this update slightly to a comment you made on the previous one, you commented that the CoC seemed to treat Maria as the bigger threat than Justyna even though the latter was actively organizing. I suspect they were afraid of is what you commented in this one about Margaret becoming a symbol to others. They probably treat Infected who are organizing as something to be put down as a matter of course, and don't view it as something worth special concern. I think that's a little arrogant of them (oh, the Infected wouldn't really be able to cause any real damage even if they had a rallying figure), but they do realize that Maria could become a symbol for the knights even if she doesn't intend to. What's more, the fact that they're reacting to her means it's likely a reasonable concern, as in there are enough sympathetic knights out there that the CoC believes it would lose control if a movement builds among them. And now Margaret is back, who one-ups Maria's symbol of "related to the Radiant Knight and doing the same things as her" with "literally the Radiant Knight". True, even Szewczyk was kinda-sorta rallying around her by accident. There are definitely a lot of knights who aren't satisfied with being a commodity. BTW, they abbreviate the General Chamber of Commerce as GCC so your use of 'CoC' confused me for a second or two. OneWingedDevil posted:I mostly agree on your reasoning for why Maria gave up her points, but given how much she struggled on her reason for fighting in her story I'm not fully convinced she's articulating her reasons correctly here either. Saying she did this for the family is what makes me think that, she didn't do this primarily for the Nearl name from what we already learned. If I had to substitute a reason in on the assumption she can't properly explain it still, I'd say she passed along the points because she believes Margaret will do a better job with them. Maria just wants to fight as a knight for the dumb romantic reasons, not be a leader or symbol. If someone is going to be the visionary/mover that shakes up Kazimierz, she's trusting her sister to do the better job. I'm sure she feels guilty about pushing that responsibility on her, but also relieved since Margaret is clearly here to shake things up anyway. All told, it generally ends up in the same place as her stated reason. The knighthood can't be fixed by being a knight, it needs a shock from something more. The Radiant Knight is probably the best person for the job. Oh, Maria is absolutely not honest about her reasons. She's just parroting back the reasons everyone's already told her. Which, like, she recognizes as convincing, but probably aren't her own thoughts at all. I'm sure she feels both guilt and relief for the reasons you say, but also this is ultimately just her giving up on her dream. It's a retreat, a loss. I don't think she's too emotionally concerned about the big picture of shaking up Kazimierz, even if she recognizes it as something she should be concerned about. I guess the simple way to put it is that she loves her family more than Kazimierz, which is not necessarily true for Margaret. That said, it's probably not too much of a spoiler to say that she gets her happy ending by joining Rhodes Island's engineering department. Clarste fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Jul 26, 2022 |
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Jul 25, 2022 07:30
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Clarste posted:He hangs up.
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Jul 25, 2022 08:03
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Ah, perhaps that's the implication without any other context, but unfortunately I know ahead of time that Toland is another character who we'll meet later.
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Jul 25, 2022 08:31
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Clarste posted:The part that confuses me most is the whole "you're more skilled with arts now, so you can tell, right?" bit. While implies that it's something she might not be able to tell if she weren't skilled, and it's not like the Nearl family's arts are subtle. So it's hard for to read that as referring solely to him holding back his arts. On another read, maybe it has to do with the pegasian eyes that have been discussed in the event. I'm assuming now that's the real signature art of the Nearl bloodline. If so, both of them could use it and one of them withholding it would make it trivial for the other to win. It'd mean Młynar was a super knight in part thanks to that ability, and I'm sure he was better at it than she was back when she left. If Margaret can use it at-will then Młynar can probably recognize that and knows she's improved considerably. She'd also know that any fight between them has zero chance of being fair since even without the rest of the light show it's a boost to her martial ability no one can hope to match normally. In that case, the sacrifice her grandfather made was likely his eyesight, his ability to use pegasian eyes, or (I think most likely) a requirement to use it for the GCC's ends. The cost to his martial ability probably wouldn't be much, Młynar or Margaret would have been expected to take over anyway. It has to have additional benefits you can realize at the at-will level then. Perhaps he could use it in conversational settings to read a person or a crowd and really see how they're ticking. Are they acting differently from normal, are they lying or hiding something from you, how are they taking what you're saying? Someone who could use that could certainly claim (or have others claim it for them) that they understand people's hardships and pierce through the darkness others try to cloak them with! It'd make the loss (or corruption) of that ability all the more painful for someone who embodied the Nearl motto. Since Młynar commented on Margaret realizing something related to the arts and she agreed, I'm assuming his comment is a multi-layered vein of "You know the art lets you read and interpret people, you know that your grandfather would have agreed to the GCC's requirements with full knowledge they would abuse it and being unable to hide from the damage he's causing since the art can't allow it by definition, and I'm not using it and you won't make me." Maybe not the last part, it'd explain some frustration since she was asking him to do something she could tell he wouldn't do, but he's angry anyway so he doesn't need a reason to be mouthy to her. It'd make sense for her to pick up on it though. It'd still leave the question of why he won't use it. Even chance of either being unable to since it requires a mindset he can't slip into anymore, or he's decided to bury it so he doesn't have to confront other people's feelings in a way he can't filter out. Maybe there's something where if he uses it then he gets put on a hitlist, but I feel like that'd have gone for the whole family and not just Młynar.
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Jul 25, 2022 17:30
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OneWingedDevil posted:On another read, maybe it has to do with the pegasian eyes that have been discussed in the event. I'm assuming now that's the real signature art of the Nearl bloodline. If so, both of them could use it and one of them withholding it would make it trivial for the other to win. I'm going to cut this speculation off right now before you put too much more thought into it. Pegasian eyes have to do with Kuranta of the Pegasus line in general, not the Nearls specifically (though they are indeed Pegasi). This isn't a spoiler or anything, because there's another Kuranta of the Pegasus bloodline in the game that Clarste has shown off, with no relation to the Nearls, who literally has a skill called Pegasian Eyes. If you're wondering, it's Platinum.
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Jul 25, 2022 23:36
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Welcome back. Sorry for the irregular schedule these days. Last time we had the true epilogue to Maria Nearl, and this time we have... more of that. Somebody quote:A sudden change in social status after an overnight phone call has left Malkiewicz terrified. In the end, he realizes there is no way out of his newfound responsibilities.   Mr. Malkiewicz! Over here. Please, this way, Mr. Malkiewicz! Oh, so this is the right place.  Sorry. I'm not too familiar with the roads here, so it took me a while. Sorry to keep you waiting. And thank you for agreeing to come pick me up.Hm, who is this mysteriously well-dressed man? No need to thank me. It's the least I could do. Please, this way. The venue is in the district across the way. R-Right. ...Excuse me, but... Yes? No, never mind. It's nothing. Today's forum takes place right before the Major's main events... doesn't it?So the preliminaries are over and the main tournament is going to start shortly.  Yes, that's right. The General Chamber of Commerce organized this meeting, and while it is a forum, the format is somewhat relaxed. All spokespersons and corporate representatives will be in attendance. Hm... Just show the invitation letter and you'll be let in. Of course. Of course... I have it right here... ...... Um, excuse me... Y-Yes... I'm here. Yes, please, go ahead! Pardon me for asking, but do you need any assistance? Uhh... Excuse me? Frightfully sorry. I noticed you've been adjusting your coat... If you've run into any trouble, if there is anything I can assist you with at all, please don't hesitate to tell me. Oh, no... My coat is fine. I mean, no, it's not a huge deal. It's just... It's just... I'm not used to it yet... Sorry, this is a personal problem. Please don't worry about it. Is that so... You seem a little nervous? Yes, just a little. Sorry. It's my first time at one of these forums. I'm afraid I'm... still not quite used to this. ...You needn't be so nervous, Spokesman Malkiewicz. This forum is a meeting organized by the General Chamber of Commerce. The spokespersons who represent the Chamber are the most esteemed attendees... Please, try to calm down. But... I'm no big shot... certainly not esteemed. I... It was just a coincidence... Something's gone wrong somewhere. I shouldn't be here... You are too humble, sir... I—His phone buzzes. Sorry, I have a phone call. Please, go ahead.Malkeiwicz steps away.  Hello? This is Malkiewicz... Please go ahead. Y-Yes, not a problem... It fits very well. I don't need anything more. Thank you very much. Oh, no, I should be thanking you. For sending someone. N-No, not at all! He's very kind, and he didn't offend me in any way whatsoever. It only took us so long because I was slow to get ready. Please, don't make things hard for him... That was a joke...? Y-Yes... Of course... Yes, I will be there shortly. Okay, see you later...The other side hangs up.  Sorry to keep you waiting. Not at all, sir. About what we just discussed—Agghh! Please watch your step, Mr. Malkiewicz! We'll head upstairs via Corridor 4. Please follow me. Uh, y-yes. Sorry. ......----  ...... ...The venue is right ahead. Please make your way there and show the attendant at the door your invitation. Yes, yes... thanks. In that case, please excuse— W-Wait! Go ahead, Mr. Malkiewicz. Actually... I was going to say... I'm not one of those people you'd call esteemed... So you really needn't talk to me like this. What I'm trying to say is... just call me Malkiewicz. ...I'm afraid that... wouldn't be appropriate. You are the spokesman for the General Chamber of Commerce. As a staff member of the Chamber, I admire your work, and you have my utmost respect... If that's it, I really don't deserve your admiration. I haven't done anything of importance. Perhaps everyone will realize I'm not cut out for this job after this meeting today. And if I got a phone call right now, telling me I'm fired right this minute, I wouldn't be surprised at all. You're overthinking it. The General Chamber of Commerce must have appointed you spokesman after due consideration... Your abilities were recognized. My... what? ......----  In case you forgot, Malkiewicz was this guy from the previous event. It's probably easier to forget when there's a year between events. Deep Male Voice: I dialed the spokesman's number, and you answered. Therefore, you are the spokesman. ---- I... I don't quite think so. If I have to give a reason, all I can say is... perhaps it's just something Mr. Czarny came up with on a whim... And I was only picked because I happened to be there... I am sorry, but I beg your pardon? ...No, it's nothing... Don't worry about it... ......This conversation is like 30% awkward pauses by volume. Actually... Yes? I... I've met you before, Mr. Malkiewicz. I was fortunate enough to work on a project with you. Oh... It's only natural that you don't remember. It happened a long time ago, after all, and it was only a brief collaboration. Gerald, the team leader...? You remember my name? I'm honored. I knew you right away, actually... but, like you said, it was a long time ago. I wasn't sure if it was something I should bring up. If I remember correctly, we were reaching out to newcomers for the knightclubs... and we were assigned to the same list of names. Yes, that's correct. Do you remember the knights we were assigned to contact? I... I'm sorry, but I don't remember. It was a few infected knights... Right, right. Yes, the Infected. Please... don't call them that...They don't usually make a big deal of this, but calling them Infected is actually somewhat rude in this setting. The polite term is 'Oripathy Sufferer.' They were just knights, unfortunate enough to get infected. Yes... Truly unfortunate... However, they were fortunate enough to have met you. Thanks to you, they were able to join a proper knightclub. I am sure that was more than those Infected... I mean, the knights could ask for. About that... I think you might be mistaken. We didn't actually finish that job. What...? Hold on, if I recall correctly... Was it... the time we tried to recruit the Flametail Knight, the Fartooth Knight, those ones? Do you remember now? That's right. They had just won a few matches... You reminded them to review the contract the knightclub provided them. The knights were still young. We couldn't bring ourselves to lie to them.You know, uh, this has to be less than three years ago, right? Since that's when the Blood Knight won and changed the rules to let Infected participate. Maybe I'm just getting old, but three years ago doesn't seem like "it was a long time ago" or "they were still so young" to me. ...It's true that the knightclub's terms for the infected knights weren't very reasonable. I mean, they may seem fair at first glance. However, we normally wouldn't go into the fine print for the infected knights. Right... normally, we wouldn't have done that. Though this did have to do with the knights' future... No one can predict the future. Just like... Just like you. If I hadn't taken a look at your file beforehand, I wouldn't have recognized you. I looked in the mirror before I left home this morning. If the person in the mirror hadn't waved with me, I would not have recognized myself. ...In any case. Thank you for remembering who I am. ...... This is embarrassing to say, but I'm actually still wondering if this is all a dream. It's just too surreal... If this were a dream, I imagine it must be a pleasant dream. Y-You think so? Is it not? Well... I don't think it's necessarily one... To tell the truth, I think I might feel more terrified than anything else. Terrified? What are you terrified of? Many, many things. I hardly get any sleep, and regardless of whether all this is real or fake, nothing good will come of it... The only difference it makes is that things are bad in entirely different ways. The way you think is... peculiar. R-Really...? Yes. After all, you are experiencing quite the rags to riches story. From a lowly office worker, you rose to the top and joined the big leagues... I think most of us have dreamt of something similar. It's something that everyone has fantasized... Indeed... What's so bad about it? It's not often that dreams actually come true. Luck was on your side, Mr. Malkiewicz. But I didn't really... I... ...I understand. Do you really understand? There are many who envy you for what you have gone through. To tell the truth—At the very least, I envy you very much.I like the way this NPC's blank, neutral face also manages to look like a hateful glare without moving an inch. ...Maybe... this is why... I beg your pardon? Uhh, I mean, perhaps this is what's most terrifying. It's all going too well, too natural, and it's all too structured... It all happened way too quickly. ...... Just two days ago, I was worried I couldn't pay rent for the month. I wasn't able to convince Maria Nearl to join our knightclub, and I was most likely going to get a pay cut. That was when I ran into Mr. Czarny... He was very busy during the Major's preliminaries, and I helped run some errands. And then...? And then I took a phone call. A phone call? A phone call.----  Bold Female Voice: From now on, you no longer belong to the Słoma Food Company, nor the Mieszko Group——Please keep in mind at all times that you are representing the General Chamber of Commerce.  Wait...! I don't want to be...!Bold Female Voice: You have no right to ask questions. I-I don't think... ...No, I... I understand...Bold Female Voice: Very good. I wish you the best of luck. ----  There was no way I could possibly understand... Even though, from head to heels, this getup is specially tailored to make me a big deal, that doesn't mean I've really become one... Actually, I don't think this outfit suits me at all. Nonsense... It looks great on you. ...This may come off as rude... but I ask you to forgive me in light of us having worked together in the past. What is it? Please... A bit of advice, Mr. Malkiewicz. As someone whom fortune has smiled upon, you should try to refrain from sharing your feelings to those who, like me, are less fortunate. ...... I really wish to empathize with the way you feel, but alas... I can't. There are many who wish to be in your position, myself included, but we aren't so fortunate. Do you understand? I... I do... but still... Perhaps you do have your worries. You feel fear, anxiety, and hesitation... but no matter what you are feeling... You are well groomed and dressed to kill, you have the invitation in your hand, and you are walking inside this building as the spokesman for the General Chamber of Commerce. Regardless of what you think yourself, in the eyes of everyone else, you are very much a big deal. The venue is straight ahead, Mr. Malkiewicz. Please excuse me. Wait...! I wish you a pleasant day.Gerald walks off without looking back. ---- Music.   I heard you were once an entrepreneur, Mr. Malkiewicz? Y-Yes... I founded a company with a friend before. A very small one... It must have been a success? No, not at all. You flatter me.I'm pretty sure he said his business failed miserably and put him in debt or something. You're too humble! If we ever get the chance, please do share with us your stories of entrepreneurship. Your thoughts on the treatment of the independent knights was thought-provoking too... Thank you. Right, would you like a drink? Let me get you— Bump. Glass shatters. W-Watch out! M-My apologies... I am deeply sorry, Mr. Malkiewicz! No, it's okay. No big deal. Please don't mind it at all... My god, your clothes— Clothes...? Uhh... Oh, the wine... I-I'm terribly sorry! I-I'll fetch you some towels right away! No, no. It's okay. I'm fine. Uh, thanks... Please wait a moment. Don't move. I'll wipe it clean— Please, you don't have to...! I-I can do it myself! Please take your coat off. I'm afraid it will be difficult to get the stain out. I will arrange for someone to get it dry cleaned. Take my coat off...? Oh... and if you are not satisfied with that, I can pay you for the coat... ...... Mr. Malkiewicz? Are you alright, Mr. Malkiewicz? N-No, thank you... It's okay. This is good enough. Please don't pay me anything! Huh? But... It's no problem. I mean it... Thank you. This will do... I'm sorry, I was in a bit of a daze... It happens. I understand. You don't seem very well, though. Perhaps you are a little exhausted? Were you thinking about work just now? Uh... I suppose so... I was just thinking about some advice I got from a friend. I guess he was right. It turns out my own thoughts don't matter, a lot of the time... Uh, what do you mean...? Don't worry about it, please. I'm talking to myself, that's all. It's just... even if I don't think I'm a big deal... It looks like... I'm stuck wearing these suits for a while.---- Another day, another story of Kazimierz not caring who you are or what you're good at, only that you fulfill the role they've imposed on you.
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Aug 2, 2022 03:23
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It feels like it is heavily setting up the next arc/event compared to some of the other side stories covered.
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Aug 3, 2022 01:50
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Considering the event it's setting up came out like a week or so after it, I think that's a fair thing to say.
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Aug 3, 2022 01:58
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