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Book 9: Streetlight Office 1—Chapter 2 Music: GuestBattle01  Yet again, there's no warmup set of enemies. Streetlight Office is just these three. Their pages aren't particularly remarkable right now, so let's take a closer look at their stats.  San and Lulu are unremarkable for where we're at right now, though Lulu is something of a Burn specialist. Mars, however, has one very important feature: he has no weaknesses, and a strength to Slash damage. Because of this, he's much tankier than his cohorts.  D.A.D. gets Pierre's page, and I set them up with a bunch of Blunt attacks. It's important to have at least one character on Yesod's floor primarily using Blunt attacks since Forsaken Murderer's pages reward it so heavily.  Music: YesodBattle01   So it's just the three of you. This is something of an... exploratory mission. Nothing personal, but we need to find out how your Library works. That's a very questionable decision, kiddo. Says you! Unfortunately, you're outnumbered! As is so often the case lately, we have to just accept one guest getting one-sided attacks on our librarians for now.  This scene, that guest is San. His Silent Night page will only do two 1-3 damage strikes. This page also grants Endurance, which does for defensive dice what Strength does for offensive ones—they get 1 Power for each stack of Endurance a character has.  D.A.D. clashes with Mars's attack instead. That second die gives Paralysis, and our 3-4 is all but guaranteed to come out even at worst against it.  Yesod, meanwhile, uses E-endure on Lulu. It's really the best 1 cost we have right now by a huge margin, there's little reason not to spam it.   What are you guys, anyways? A monster? A human? Something else? I'm D.A.D. I see. Hello, D.A.D. I'm San, and I'd prefer you didn't bully my Office.  Quick, aren't you? Darn right! And you move like a geezer! … D.A.D, these people have gotten under my skin. I'm feeling it too. Do you want to borrow its power? You do it. I have no intention of owing an Abnormality anything. Roger.Music: GuestBattle01   I'm a little amazed that someone as cold-hearted as that guy can get riled up at all. Cold-hearted, huh? Is that how you see him? ...yes? Obviously? You should ask your partner about that sometime.There's nothing we can do to stop D.A.D. from taking the brunt of these attacks. Luckily, none of them are particularly powerful.  We clash with Lulu, in order to stop the Burn from getting through.  Yesod takes a chance to get a cheap shot in on San, because his page doesn't have any defensive dice.  Are you sure you can afford to ignore me? Khh—Yes.  Because the little missy's set her bat on fire. Damnit, that was supposed to crack you right on the jaw! Don't worry about it, Lulu. You left them open for Mars and I, that's enough. Y'think so, kiddo? I'm used to taking the hits to make the openings. Well done, D.A.D. Ugh..! Team, heads up! We can't afford to ignore either of them.  Right!  So… what's your take of the situation? Things are still relatively even. If it was you and I, I'd recommend a combination attack to try and take one of them out quickly. Though that wouldn't be worth as many books, it'd keep our allies intact. That's the wisdom of a Grade 7 Fixer, eh? Not all of us can dance around the guests all day like you and Zaida can. It's best to end things quickly. ...We'll give it a try. D.A.D! I heard! They're planning something… stay sharp. Since San and Mars are both using Fleet Footsteps again, I opt to go all in on clearing San off the board, leading with a Commandeering from D.A.D.  Yesod follows up with a second attack, just to make sure. Pop quiz: can you spot the misplay I've made here?  This… is bad.Let's talk numbers. San had 17 HP, 7 Stagger Resist, and Bleed 2. His first die was Offensive, meaning his HP would be reduced to 15. Additionally, Commandeering's result had a 100% chance of hitting with at least a 4. San's Blunt resist is a Fatal in both categories, meaning at minimum he'd take 8 HP and 8 Stagger Resist. This attack could not possibly fail to Stagger him.  Further, even if we rolled minimum damage on both dice, he would have taken 8+6=14 damage, leaving him a 1 HP unit that's Staggered on his next turn. I just pointlessly wasted Yesod's entire turn. When something like this happens and a Librarian's target is defeated before they can attack, the page they played is returned to their hand and the Light cost is refunded. Effectively, it's like they didn't play anything for that attack. We still want this to happen as little as possible so we can make the most out of our actions. This is… my limit. You did what you could. Just accept it. Yes… Lulu! Mars! I'll leave it in your hands! Did… he… just…  run?! You can just… leave?! There was never any stated rule against it. Ma'am, we won't be able to farm the books we need if our dear guests run for their lives when they see they can't win, ma'am. There's no need to worry. These red invitations will deliver the books we require to us without fail. D.A.D! Don't let him esca— Like I'll let you! I'm pinned down, can you?! Like hell you will! Kh—it's a failure. The guest made a clean escape.Music: GuestBattle02  Lulu, it's time to get serious. Don't hold me back, alright? Like hell I would! How about you don't hold ME back!!!!  I line up two clashes and go for it. Streetlight Office can whip out some nasty pages, and Nonstop Assault in particular it's hard to have an answer for that isn't named Commandeering—even it will likely only win the first die.  Aaaaand ONE!!! Now… I ain't exactly a Fixer, but I know a thing or two about fireworks. No reason in particular, I just like 'em. What the hell does that matter?! Well, you, you're definitely a firecracker. And that just means once I weather the explosion, you're wide open, kiddo. Owww..! You okay over there, boss? I'm… fine… Sure you don't want to start running?Yesod gets his face pushed in, because Nonstop Assault is a really strong page.  D.A.D. Sir? Show no mercy. Roger that. Hey, Lulu. What is it?! The purple haired one, I think I've got him on his last legs. If we team up, I think we can knock these two down a peg. You're asking me for help? Of course. I think we can take him out if we work together. Fine. I guess I can help you out this once. But don't get used to it! I won't. Promise. This turn, I focus down Lulu's die. She's only playing the 0-cost 2-6, so I figure a pair of Rampages should be enough to take her out of the equation. Because our Speed Dice are higher, we'll both be able to resolve our attacks before Mars gets his hit in on Yesod.  I also decide to have D.A.D. do the clash here, since 1-7 has a better chance of blocking a 2-6 die than a 2-4 would. This is entirely because I forgot she was Paralyzed and the range we're looking at is a 2-3.  Predictably, I pay for my oversight.  Eat that! I'd rather return it to the chef! Boss, she's open! I'm following up. This is too much, I've gotta pull back! Sorry… but your luck's run out. My attack isn't finished just ye—  I think it's done for now, thanks. Mars?! Get out of here. I'll watch your back. What about you?! I've still got some fight left in me. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you. You'd better! Don't do anything stupid, you moron!! Yeah, yeah. Get out of here. Your boss is out of the way. Everyone else is gone, too. It's just you and me now. The ol' viper there will be fine in a couple seconds. Sure you're not gonna' try and run, too? They got away because someone could cover for them. If I ran, it'd just be a paring knife going through my back, wouldn't it? Don't be silly. Paring knives are for fruit. This here's a carving knife.Music: YesodBattle02  I do appreciate that you're facing me down, instead of looking for a cheap shot. If I take my eye off of you, then it's over. Truth be told, I'm not doing so hot… but I can't afford to stop. Not while the people I care about are behind me. Giving up your life for the people you care about to run away, eh? I don't intend to be a sacrifice. I can accept those feelings, kid. But ultimately… I don't want the boss to die, either… and we don't get to run. Damnit… Lulu…  While the Streetlight Office is tough and some of their pages are powerful, our HP advantage still gives us a lot of wiggle room to play around with, and they ultimately waste too many actions to Gather Intel to be able to have a realistic chance of winning.  Music: Result  In the end, we only got books from one of them. Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Angela said these invitations'd get us the books we needed, right? You're correct. If there are any issues with what we've accomplished, they're the fault of her methodology. VIDEO Music: Lobby  It’s not a good idea for Fixers to form such tight bonds with each other. Well, I guess this’ll be a lesson for them. You talk as if you’re used to all this. … Oh, I’ve already grown past that phase, and some more too. Forming bonds aren’t bad per se, but there’s just too much risk associated with it. The real deal Fixers know when to cut things off. You mean to keep enough distance from people, so that you won’t feel hurt from their losses? Yep. It’s just ironic that people who aren’t even mentally prepared to face death are applying for a job that involves killing in the first place. I see… Well, if that will be all, ma'am~ You haven't been dismissed yet. A new floor has appeared. Again? They just pop up one after the other, don't they? It's because the work is proceeding smoothly. The newest floor's topic is Literature. Got it, got it. I'll get moving, ma'am~VIDEO Music: HodStory   Hey. I’m Roland, helper of Angela in several ways. …I see. Don’t tell me, do you also happen to hold some sort of grudge against Angela? …I’m not at all friendly toward her, that’s for certain. But we made a deal with her, so we’re obliged to help her without complaint. Oh boy, future ain’t looking too bright. Everyone’s got a problem with Angela. What the heck did she do to deserve this reputation? I still don’t know a whole lot about this place, but I can see one thing: Something’s terribly messed up with the Library and its staff. Can all of this even be resolved at some point? I can’t answer that for sure, but you’ll get to see the result. After all, there is a clear end to this deal. If you follow Angela along her journey to the end, you will find out. I have guests to receive, and librarians to take care of… Can’t we all be good friends in the Library, at least? …… Among the books you bring, I will be sorting those about the literature of the City. As we collect more books, you might be able to find answers to your questions, whether you like it or not. Gahhhh!! Alright, fine. I’m gonna dig into the bottom of this mystery now that I’ve gotten into this mess! Good luck, Mister Roland. Why, thanks for your supportive words, Miss Hod~Music: Lobby  With that, Hod's finally awake again—and we have more work to do.  Not a lot of work, but… more work. Anyways, while I normally don't talk about books, Mars's book is a bit special.  It's actually the first book that can drop an Objet d'Art rarity page, this one being his Key Page. We want this very badly, so I burn all four of the books we have on getting it. Because there are 33 items exactly and we get 32 rolls, we should pick it up without trouble.  Hod's book burning color, by the way.  Oh for gently caress's sake. Objet Key Page drop rates are fairly low, and this can mean lots of situations like this one—even after multiple patches to boost their drop rate, this still happens often enough that there's an achievement that references it.Not pictured: me redoing the reception to pick up the Key Page.  We'll talk about why it's so good when we use it, but as a general rule we want to grab any Key Page that's an Objet d'Art.Next time, on Library of Ruina  Drama. Also cake.Videos Streetlight Office 2 Hod 1 New Key Pages  New Combat Pages     
TeeQueue fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Oct 5, 2021 |
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Oct 5, 2021 11:12
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That's stone loving cold, D.A.D. Today, we've got a smattering of mostly bad pages with a really good (for this stage in the game) keypage. Easily the best keypage we have available to us at this point of the game, and the first keypage in the game to have Speed, letting us take multiple actions per turn. We're finally getting to the real meat of the game, and the action and light economy are starting to really matter.    1-costs that are not better than E-Endure. Footsteps has the potential to recover quite a bit of HP if played right, but it's probably not worth taking over E-Endure.   Pretty good, but Rampage is probably better. GilliamYaeger fucked around with this message at 12:03 on Oct 5, 2021 |
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Oct 5, 2021 11:26
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TeeQueue posted:
 SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE  
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Oct 5, 2021 11:29
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GilliamYaeger posted:
Appetite exists, thank you very much  I look forward to giving my thoughts on Speed, though, because they'll probably surprise at least a couple of people. 
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Oct 5, 2021 11:32
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And now Hod's here. Every time I see a new librarian, I wonder who the first helper they get will be.
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Oct 5, 2021 11:53
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Oct 5, 2021 11:54
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TeeQueue posted:Appetite exists, thank you very much ShyGuy1231 posted:And now Hod's here. Every time I see a new librarian, I wonder who the first helper they get will be.  ) but with Hod, I legitimately am not sure who it'll be! It's a cointoss between two people.
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Oct 5, 2021 12:02
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From my experience, game does not expect you to have Mars page, and it makes it very easy to rush stuff next few fights. I want to note an obvious problem with this page: you start with 4 cards. You draw 1 card per scene. You can use 2 cards per scene. At scene 4 and beyond you will have 2 speed dice and only one card to use. About that time you will also run out of Light refills and card you get might be not the card you will be able to play. At moment I stopped playing there weren't any solutions to the 1st problem and only some solutions to 2nd. But this is not important. Hod is here. Do not bully. Can't wait for Netzach to appear.
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Oct 5, 2021 12:06
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Just noticed that all of the Ex-Sephira have a gemstone orb thing on their ties.
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Oct 5, 2021 12:16
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I never noticed that death line of Mars' so that hit me like a truck. And then there's D.A.D., doing what D.A.D. does. Hod is here! Baby girl! Protect her! I thought I knew who Hod's first helper would be but now I have Doubt.
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Oct 5, 2021 12:52
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On one hand it is nice to see Hod again. On the other hand the streetlight tragedy has truly started now.
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Oct 5, 2021 12:55
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Streetlight Office is weird. The leader are supposed to be the strongest combatant of the faction, yet San is the weakest among the three of them. Lulu has a purple rarity keypage (her passive background color tells you that) and Mars is a gold rarity despite being your run of the mill fixer. I guess having a high grade badass mom increase his credential. PM does increase the keypage drop rate for enemies starting from midgame. On the off chance you didn't get the keypage, you just need to rematch them once to obtain it. My favorite character is finally here. Hod just carries me throughout most of the game once I get her online. Her floor is my A team with Yesod as my B team.
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Oct 5, 2021 13:01
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In case anyone reading along is curious the art book states that San is a Grade 6 fixer, Lulu and Mars are both grade 7 fixers.
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Oct 5, 2021 13:30
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Your Everyday NEET posted:Streetlight Office is weird. The leader are supposed to be the strongest combatant of the faction, yet San is the weakest among the three of them. Lulu has a purple rarity keypage (her passive background color tells you that) and Mars is a gold rarity despite being your run of the mill fixer. I guess having a high grade badass mom increase his credential. Clearly Mars is the protagonist while San and Lulu are the mentor/love interest that die early on to give him an Edgy Backstory. Unfortunately, he lives in The City.
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Oct 5, 2021 13:45
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Much like the first game, I'm very happy to just read this as another game I'd be super bad at but like the story.
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Oct 5, 2021 14:27
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TeeQueue posted:
We're just not going to talk about this Uno Reverse card that San just pulled?
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Oct 5, 2021 15:29
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I don't think anybody else has said this yet, but the little exclamation bubbles you made really add a lot to the dialog. EDIT: is it always Mars who dies or is it the last person you defeat? Not The Wendigo fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Oct 5, 2021 |
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Oct 5, 2021 16:13
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Roland, you say "they shouldn't have bonds because their job involves killing" but Streetlight office is a security firm. Their job is to drive off syndicates and sweepers and the like who prey upon innocents. Admittedly, they charge money for this, but this is a hypercapitalist hellscape so of course they do.
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Oct 5, 2021 16:37
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StillFullyTerrible posted:Roland, you say "they shouldn't have bonds because their job involves killing" but Streetlight office is a security firm. Their job is to drive off syndicates and sweepers and the like who prey upon innocents. Admittedly, they charge money for this, but this is a hypercapitalist hellscape so of course they do. But only within a 2-block radius. Murders happening outside that range are A-OK, as shown by San's own combat cards. TeeQueue posted:
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Oct 5, 2021 17:53
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Oct 5, 2021 17:56
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golden bubble posted:But only within a 2-block radius. Murders happening outside that range are A-OK, as shown by San's own combat cards. Surely that makes it less likely for something to happen that would make getting close with his coworkers a risk?
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Oct 5, 2021 18:05
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I know release Finn was a monster, but I find it weird enemies are still using nerfed pages.
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Oct 5, 2021 18:18
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golden bubble posted:But only within a 2-block radius. Murders happening outside that range are A-OK, as shown by San's own combat cards. Huh, I never noticed the mini-comic in San's cards because I couldn't tell what was going on in the silent night card until pointed this out. I'm assuming this is the order since the costs are 0 light 1 light 2 light, although gather intel could be placed at the beginning or the end.   
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Oct 5, 2021 18:24
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I really do love the name art combo of silent night.
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Oct 5, 2021 18:27
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StillFullyTerrible posted:Roland, you say "they shouldn't have bonds because their job involves killing" but Streetlight office is a security firm. Their job is to drive off syndicates and sweepers and the like who prey upon innocents. Admittedly, they charge money for this, but this is a hypercapitalist hellscape so of course they do. I think what Roland meant was that 'you shouldn't have bonds because your job involves getting killed'.
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Oct 5, 2021 18:39
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Yeah, it’s essentially that any fixer could die tomorrow, so don’t get attached to other fixers.
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Oct 5, 2021 18:46
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Y'know, TQ, as a skeptic regarding the whole thing with adding dialogue and characters for fear of drowning out the actual cast, and who thought you ended up doing so at times in Lob Corp, I think you're doing an absolutely fantastic job in Ruina of mixing in your own additions to the in-game dialogue.
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Oct 5, 2021 19:06
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Am I missing something? Why wouldn't the first Hod librarian be Medea? The only other option I can think of is Paul and while I won't deny that I'd love for it to be Paul, bringing him back would confirm that dead characters are fair game (
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Oct 5, 2021 19:14
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That may be what Roland meant, but it's not what he said.
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Oct 5, 2021 19:23
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Mr. Stizblee posted:Am I missing something? Why wouldn't the first Hod librarian be Medea?
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Oct 5, 2021 19:34
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Rogue AI Goddess posted:As long as it's not Tiffany.
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Oct 5, 2021 20:02
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Very happy to see Hod again, even if I was expecting it. Also hoo boy, we are indeed back on track of being the baddies. And thank you for this as well!
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Oct 5, 2021 20:10
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Mars' keypage rules for this early in the game. Two speed dice is tremendous at this point and his resistances are endgame quality. His stagger passive isn't that great thoughMinutePirateBug posted:Huh, I never noticed the mini-comic in San's cards because I couldn't tell what was going on in the silent night card until pointed this out. I'm assuming this is the order since the costs are 0 light 1 light 2 light, although gather intel could be placed at the beginning or the end. Oooh, that's a cool detail I didn't see either. Works well with the name of the office too: a streetlight does keep darkness away, but only in a small area.
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Oct 5, 2021 20:13
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Ah yes. Worst Girl appears
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Oct 5, 2021 20:36
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Hey TeeQueue, I forget if this came up earlier in the thread, but did you have any plans regarding showcasing any interesting Custom Receptions that catch your eye?
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Oct 5, 2021 20:41
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Rogue AI Goddess posted:As long as it's not Tiffany. Just wait until you see the new abnormality, Breakfast of Tiffanies.
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Oct 5, 2021 20:49
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I think at this point there’s only one custom reception actually possible - the one with the generic District 23 butchers. E: like, I never found a combination at this point in the game that gave a different result.
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Oct 5, 2021 21:02
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Theantero posted:Ah yes. Is this about the treason thing? It's about the treason thing, isn't it? Look, she made a bad call once, and yes it had some unfortunate consequences. But it also led to good things too! For example, we never would have met Binah if Hod hadn't snitched to the Head, and I think we can all agree that all of our lives would be a little emptier for it.
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Oct 5, 2021 21:13
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Oct 5, 2021 21:30
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Anyone else find Hod's voice kind of strange? Like she raises and lowers pitch a hell of a lot in between syllables and keeps those syllables very distinct? I don't speak Korean but it sounds almost vocaloid.
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Oct 5, 2021 21:32
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