#goodshipgaming

[goodshipskypirate]

So V ( @smaller-comfort )and I were talking about this scene and it dawned on me that even after Aephorul gave Resh'an a birthday gift, the latter gave something back. Iceline is basically an automatic cooler every time you take a sip of liquid. If you think about it, this would probably have been unnecessary for the both of them at this point.

They've already achieved immortality (you can see they're already in the stages of decaying.) And we know the both of them are hard to kill. I imagine this means they don't need to worry about basic human needs; hunger, sleep, or the effects of severe weather condition would be trivia to them. They probably aren't sweating in the desert or anywhere close to dying from the heat.

And yet Resh'an still gave Aephorul a drink because he cared about his partner and wants him to get enough water. And he cared so much that he made sure it was perpetually cool so he wouldn't suffer heatstroke. It's a small, kind gesture to his boyfriend. On his birthday. You don't give gifts to others on your birthday, but Resh'an was so in love, so concerned for the well-being of his partner, how could he not?

V noted how Resh'an is all about small, subtle gestures while Aephorul prefer bigger and grander displays and this checks out. The eagle transformation is Big and Bold, and so are the giant statues he leaves in his wake, or the infamous BDSM Slab that is hard to avoid.

Resh'an, meanwhile, handles his tasks in quieter, inconspicuous methods. Which is why while Aephorul has giant Dwellers simmering before being unleashed in all its glory (mind, Aephy can be sneaky, such as the Dweller he snuck in the DLC), Resh'an subtly manipulates time/space so Zale and Valere can save their fallen friend.

These gestures, these gifts they give to each other, explains so much of their planning as well as how they shower their loved ones with affection.

[goodshipskypirate]

Who is your favourite Mother 3 character? :0 (as someone who has played the entire Mother series before, multiple times)

I... genuinely had to think and sit down for a moment, because as much as I adore Mother 3, I don't think I ever had a firm favorite.

But I think, I think it might be Flint. Because it's very easy to write a negligent father who doesn't step up for their kids, regardless of any justified reasoning, because it's a staple of so many media that I'm not always fond of them doing it (usually with a dead mother, which this series also has, though her ghost being ever-present is a welcome dynamic), but also...

Having Flint as the first playable character changes the perspective and the approach we feel for him immensely. We're in his shoes, we see how the tragedy unfolds while guiding him through our controller. It invited you to understand his emotions better by stepping into his shoes and I think it was an effective decision.

So you have a man who is absent for, like, 95% of the game, but ends up memorable and sympathetic by making him the central figure at the very start. You get why he made mistakes, why he wasn't there for Lucas because he was obsessively trying to find his other son. You see him kneeling and physically exhausted at the last stage of the game. And once you talk to him, the first thing he tells Lucas is not n "how are you" or "are you okay", but that he has found Claus.

He's a very broken man who, like the rest of his family, was torn apart and beaten down by Porky, as much a victim as anyone. And even then, he did genuinely help in the end by shielding Lucas from Claus' attack (which I found particularly heartwarming because it's both him and Hinawa's ghost working together as parents for the final boss by doing do what they used to do: watch over their children.)

Also, if anything, I think he might be my favorite because he has one of the best scene in ANY video game depicting pure, undulated rage:

[goodshipskypirate]

A very interesting thing about the cultists who worship Aephorul is that they're peaceful. They declare themselves as such and not a single one of them attacks you.

Obviously, they're perfectly fine with wanton acts of murder and skin-flaying that's going around, but the fact that they chose a path of pacifism brings up an interesting look at Aephorul or themselves. Did Aephorul create the cult and indoctrinated them into this path..... or was the cult created by them when they realized Aephorul was to destined to be worshiped and deliberately chose a path of peace, confident their God is the righteous path?

Do they, after Aephorul successfully conquers a multiverse, go around spreading the message of their God with youth group guitar sessions and Sunday school mass in the Church of Aephorul? Do they carry their Aephorul cult bible and go around trying to convert other non-Aephy religious folks on the true path of their Lord? XD

All jokes aside, there is something genuinely fucked up that the cultists chose non-violence. It makes Aephorul and his minions' actions look even worse, because we have a bunch of people who genuinely believes that their God can do no wrong and in doing so, they act by being both kind and charitable. Like they genuinely offer inventory and a rest area for the main characters. How fucked up is that?

[goodshipskypirate]

Shout-out to Valere's physical strength if she can handstand that long for a very long time. The artwork may not show it, but I like to think she has GUNS. FOR. DAYS.

Also Popcorn Zale is the cutest thing ever. Idle animation? Campfire idle animation?

[goodshipskypirate]

These two fucked. They were having hot, nasty sex before they did all these time/space/reality games and probably during. I bet if I go on A03 right now, it'll be FILLED with Resh 'an/Aephorul fics. Because come one.

COME ON.

These two were just pegging in-between unethical experimentation. You will not convince me otherwise: they were ex-lovers and their forever game is them flirting with each other. Their love language is the total risk of alternate universes during games of Monopoly.

[goodshipskypirate]

Oh M y GOD.

SHE WASN'T KIDDING. THOSE ARE ALL HER MIDDLE NAMES JESUS FUCK.

[goodshipskypirate]

I've been avoiding any social media stuff with Sea of Stars (bar the merch I recently bought) to avoid spoilers, so I'm placing my bet right now that the fan favorite is probably Resh 'an.

He checks off a decent amount off of the Internet Darling list:

Face cloaked in so he is only vaguely human at best, but could conceivably be any other creature. Candidate to be ultra attractive to many folks as a result.

Generally straightforward, somewhat dignified manner in contrast to some of the more wackier, over-the-top personalities that in turn reduces him to a bit of an awkward, dorky state (ex. Teaks circling him while he clumsily endures her curiosity.)

Oodles upon oodles of a mysterious past with his hands having dipped itself into the greater lore. Probably caused a lot of untold damage that is a shoo-in for angst fic.

Wearing a mask and possessing a flowing robe, which is almost always a guarantee win. I'm vastly curious how close or far off the mark I am once I finish the game and look through the "Sea of Stars" tag.

[goodshipskypirate]

So there's a moment when the team is picking out a sea shell so they can breathe underwater where Garl specifically asks Serai, out of everyone, what she thinks about the shell he picked out.

There's another moment during the Golden Pelican dinner where he praises Serai very highly, though that may not mean much since he's toasting/praising everyone.

And finally, we got his thoughts while he's relaxing in the spa, where he considers telling Serai... something.

So, I gotta ask: does Garl have a crush on Serai? Because if so, that's cute as fuck. It's obvious this is a one-sided admiration (Serai has far too much on her plate to deal with romance right now, I bet), one that clearly isn't going anywhere, but I like his attraction is rather subtle for a guy like him.

Garl's never shy about his true feelings and opinions, but it's quite cute that he keeps his possible crush on Serai on the down low. Like any young adult who's probably not well-versed in the ways of love, he keeps this feeling largely to himself, and by the time he even considers telling her, she's likely gone home already.

I can see this as a fading crush, one that disappears as quickly as it came; Garl will always see Serai as a true companion first before a potential romantic partner, but for a time, it was nice that his heart was all a-fluttered.