#lazodiac

[lazodiac]

A long-ish time ago, I saw someone stream a video game. This is not an uncommon occurrence I watch a number of videos game streamers. It is an enjoyable activity that I do. But this time, I saw a game that immediately hit me as like, incredibly quite good. A game good enough that I bought it for basically everyone I knew so they could play it. No one did, tragically, so I must take it into my own hands to show everyone…

JENNY LECLUE - DETECTIVU!

Video Length: 4:33:28

We are the titular Jenny LeClue, a young teenage detective genius, and she has a problem; she is getting tired of not having real actual mysteries to solve. Jenny LeClue also has another problem; it is a long-running young teenage detective genius genre mystery novel series, which has slumped in popularity due to formulaic writing and lack of any stakes or progression. The latter problem forces the hand of the author, and in doing so begins to solve the former problem… but in doing so, what new issues will occur? Arthur, the author, is conflicted about the direction the story honestly needs to take for his book series to continue- he loves his characters, his world, and the static comfort of it all. But at this point, now that the brakes are off, even Jenny seems to be fighting against him…

Jenny LeClue is a point and click adventure game, in the mystery genre. Those of you who know me may recognize that I… generally don't like that sort of game. Phoenix Wright is fantastic of course, but things like Monkey Island or Grim Fandango are games that bounce off me like one of those high-tension spring mattresses. So when I say this is one of my favorite games of all time, that's gotta mean something. As Jenny you must search your environment for scraps of post cards, concept art, and of course actual clues to help progress the story, solve the mysteries you encounter, and get to the bottom of the odd things going down in Arthurton.

This game also has a (relatively light) choose-your-own-adventure style to the dialogue, ala games like Mass Effect and the like. Your choosiness will influence the characters and the story somewhat here and there, but is ultimately not the be-all end-all deciding factor of things, which makes it a bit easier to work with. Generally, Jenny is a pretty rude and sassy girl (befitting a child detective sort) so even if you're trying to be nice, it might take a bit before she figures out how. And when you have her be mean… well, she doesn't pull punches.

In this episode, we get all the way to the actual major mystery; the death of a beloved local figure and fan-favorite character. Oh no! We're also introduced to a number of folk who'll be important in the future; Jenny's Mom, the concept of her Dad, her friend Keith, her "local older guy who she hangs out with due to genre conventions" CJ the Conspiracy Jheorist, Dean Strausberry, and of course her cousin Susan Quincy Glatz. The voice work in this game is incredible, perfectly capturing the feel of one of these child detective novels, and I love it.

Next time, join us as we escape our current predicament (trying not to spoil things TOO much in the write-up, this is a mystery after all) and begin our pursuit of the case in earnest…

[itsclydebitches]

What's a meta? You've used it a couple times and I'm not sure I 100% get it. I'm not really someone in The Know about this stuff.

Happy to explain! It’s a fandom term that, at its broadest, really just means any non-fiction discussion of the canon, its authors, and/or the rest of the fandom. So if you post an analysis of your favorite character, that’s a meta. If you post a theory about what’s going to happen on the show next week, that’s a meta. If you write a fic where the characters are self-aware and commenting on things like the tropes they adhere to, that might be a metafic. My recaps are metas because rather than simply summarizing what happened in the episode, I attempt to offer insight into its meaning. Not just “Then Vine puts his hand on Elm’s shoulder and she pulls away” but also “Elm rejecting his comfort ties into this ongoing theme of the Ace Ops not being friends.” 

Years ago it was actually a pretty loaded term. Basically, during the mailing list days when “meta” first started cropping up, many people wanted to know why general fandom discussion suddenly needed this new, academic sounding term. But the problem was that casually chatting about a canon with friends online isn’t quite the same thing as crafting an essay with a more pointed goal like exploring a theme, positing a theory, arguing that a ship is endgame, or just offering up a particular interpretation of the text. “Meta” came about because it’s more formal than slinging thoughts around on a discord server, but it’s not necessarily a rant either. It’s a more measured, analytical look at the text that’s working to make a point and (usually) convince others in the fandom of this idea/interpretation. 

Nowadays it’s a common enough term that its definition is pretty loose. A headcanon could simultaneously be a meta, a joke post might have a meta-quality if it makes a good point about the canon (the humor aside), or, as said, even fic can come across as very meta-y if the author is trying to say something about the text through more fiction. So each individual will have thoughts about whether they are or are not creating meta, but “non-fiction examination of the canon and/or fandom” is a decent place to start. 

[jacebeleren]

Regarding Jace and how good a boy he is, characterization aside I do still like his sassy sarcastic jerk blue mage flavor text. Because he's so very much NOT that, but is playing it up to throw his enemies off his game so he can mind bork them better.

he doesnt do that anymore and his new flavor text accurately reflects his character now!! he hasnt had jerk flavor text like that in a long time

[hazoret]

Character design commission for @lazodiac ! I’m really proud of how this one came out.

Commission info here!

[itsclydebitches]

RE Anime Slushie and their thoughts on Salem: As someone who has watched all their stuff, their comment on Salem is that "they have literally seen her backstory", but also that it's fucked up the WRITERS made Yang say that. It's less a statement on Yang and more the writers.

Back-and-forths are fine! But I’m slamming these together because I should really get to bed at some point 😅

I definitely have to listen for myself sometime to form concrete opinions on Slushie’s take —  I do want to be clear that I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with them because I don’t like taking secondhand arguments at face value. No offense to you all, but we know how much exact quotes/context/tone matters in discussions like these — but just regarding where I’m personally at now... I don’t think it’s inherently bad that the writers had Yang say this. Yang saw Salem’s backstory, yes, but that doesn’t mean she owes Salem compassion right now (or at all, frankly, given the level of horror Salem has committed). It’s a well-worn meme, but it really is a case of “Cool motive, still murder.” Personally, I would have liked some compassion in the snow, or at the farm, or in Argus. Compassion for Ozpin’s situation, who Salem used to be, the version of humanity who was lost, the crimes the gods enacted, etc. That is where I think we needed to address the complexity of the villain’s origin  —  including, as Anon #1 says, the continued threat the gods may pose to the heroes —  when the characters were (relatively) safe and in a place to process that emotionally. That “frankly” aside, the heroes should be at least a little compassionate for what Salem has been through based on the themes of the story (forgiving Hazel, Emerald, trying to get Raven back on their side, etc. We have a long history now of offering understanding), but that doesn’t mean that scene was the right time to do it. Yang was currently kidnapped, currently trying to rescue a tortured friend, currently a part of a kingdom under fire, currently about to be killed. She doesn’t owe Salem any kindness there and, as such, the writers weren’t wrong to have her withhold it, or wrong to have her simplify Salem’s tragedies in her anger. So I suppose my own criticism is more that the writers failed to acknowledge that complexity in the two and a half volumes before this scene. That should have been a part of Volume Six, in the same way that healing with Ozpin should have started in Volume Six. Those parts of the story are, obviously, interconnected. The problem is not that the writers had Yang minimize the villain’s suffering while she was in her clutches, the problem is the writers introduced this complexity, then refused to engage with it, so when even the tinniest reference comes up the fandom jumps at the chance for that acknowledgment, no matter how poor the timing. It’s a bit like the Blake/Yang situation. It’s been dragging so long now that at this point most fans don’t care when the hell they kiss, just that they do, but from a writing standpoint that doesn’t mean having them share their first kiss in [insert random scene here] is a good idea. RWBY made the right call with Yang imo, but it’s hard to lean into that justified character reaction when the show has otherwise ignored this complexity 100%. That’s... not a good thing and leaves my praise of “This is a logical, justified character moment for Yang” rather wanting in the grand scheme of things. Simply put, RWBY is broken all around lol. 

Indeed, upon reflection I can more easily see where that expectation might stem from (outside of the general “When is RT going to acknowledge these important plot points??” frustration and, frankly, the fandom’s tendency to insta-forgive all the villainous women). Meaning, Oscar. We just had multiple scenes where Oscar was kidnapped, magically tortured, then physically tortured, yet his Good Hero reaction to all this was, “I should be very kind to my torturer, assume the best about him, and risk everything  —  including this magical object that helps keep the world safe! — by giving him a level of trust he has in no way earned” ... and then the narrative rewarded him for that behavior by making Hazel one of the good guys. To be clear, I think that’s dumb. I think that scene makes Oscar look naive and idiotic, but not in a way where the takeaway is supposed to be that he’s acting naive and idiotic. I think it’s bad writing. But it does set a strong precedent. If Oscar can put aside every horrible thing Hazel has done/is currently doing to him, why can’t Yang with Salem? If Oscar can see the good in the guy beating him up, why can’t Yang see the good in the woman trying to kill her? Again, I still think that’s a very bad take, but if anyone consciously or unconsciously drew that comparison... I can’t blame them. When a story sets that precedent, no matter how ridiculous, the audience isn’t wrong to hope and expect that the precedent will continue into the rest of the volume. So when Yang suddenly refuses to compromise on Salem’s horrors  — which is the logical and more emotionally compelling choice here!  — she comes across as unnecessarily unforgiving compared to someone like Oscar, who just extended compassion to another villain last episode. When you very seriously present the scene “Hero feels intense compassion for the villain currently torturing a child,” it’s not a reach to expect, “Hero then feels intense compassion for the villain whose sad backstory she witnessed.” But the flaw, imo, rests in making Oscar that trusting and forgiving, rather than making Yang that dismissive and angry while in Salem’s clutches. If we’re discussing how to make RWBY better, the focus should be on addressing Salem’s complexity at appropriate times in the narrative, not during a scene where a character has every reason under the sun to say “Screw you.” Let the group acknowledge their villains’ humanity not while they’re being tortured/kidnapped/killed by them. The justification of saying “Screw you” to Big Bad Salem aside, Anon #2 is right that the last person to try and extend that compassion ended up burned to a crisp... which the group also saw in Jinn’s vision. As said, there’s a lot of complexity here. One takeaway might be, “Damn, Salem really went through it and the gods are horrible. It doesn’t excuse her actions, but she didn’t deserve to end up like this” while another takeaway might be, “It literally doesn’t matter how sympathetic I might find Salem’s backstory because she magically kills anyone standing in her way! I am currently standing in her way!! She’s going to kill me anyway and, frankly, a lot of that sympathy dissipates when I am in that position :)” 

[lazodiac]

The Wanderer, The Hunter, and The Painter - P2

*Author note: Forgot to say, this is part 2 of 3 of a short fanfic using primarly characters from Bace-Jeleren. Eisi is mine.

The Hunter

Grii hated this plane. Half the time it was far too bright, as though the sun never set. There was a glistening, warm quality to Lorwyn that threatened to scrape away at the edges of her mind. And the other half … the shadowy allure of Shadowmoor, was still sickeningly sweet in its darkness. It threatened to sour her, to sour her abilities, and if not for the little rabbit she was hunting across the Blind Eternities she would never come here.

But she had, and so Grii had followed. It had been an immediate mistake. The plane was alive, more alive than most, and while its dark half had pulled her prey towards it, the light had other plans.

Whatever those plans were, the burning village she left behind was a sign that she would not be toyed with.

As skilled as she was, the machinations of an entire— truthfully half, plane was enough to slow her. As luck would have it she’d met someone in that village that seemed more than willing to help. A like-minded individual who seemed far more in tune with Lorwyn than she ever could be, and thus far more able to make his way through it. A useful tool.

A tool that had finally shown his use; a magic signal flared up in her mind like nails on a chalkboard. He had found her.

Grii burst through the treeline and into clearing, bloodlust blazing in her eye. A sudden movement, a smattering of blue against green, and with a wild swing the target, whatever it was, was split in twain. She took just a moment to admire the bloo—

Blue. Her massive sword was stained not with crimson blood, but an acrylic blue gunk.

“Oh, Miss Grii. You didn’t have to kill the dog. What a cruelty you’ve visited upon me.”

Eisi’s voice was almost as irritating as the signal. He radiated a smugness about him that almost drowned out the smell of paint. He was sitting on the forest floor, sketching away at some fool drawing, back pressed again a paint-made kavu laden with packs and tarps.

Grii growled. “Where is she?”

He gave her a disappointed look. “Unfortunately, Miss Grii, you’ve just missed her. I had only just managed to locate her when—”

Grii clenched her hand, muscles tightening, and focused her glare on him. Fear radiated out towards him, and he froze for a moment. His ears twitched and she saw a shiver roll up his spine.

“You told me you knew how to navigate this place, rabbit.”

She lessened the aura, just enough for him to respond.

“I— I can, believe me. This plane is just… hard to navigate, and I am no great hunter. Had you stayed by my side instead of torching those Kithkin to the ground, you may have yet found her.”

Grii snorted. As much as she wanted to wring his neck, he was correct. And he still had uses. She’d snap him in half later.

“If you couldn’t stop her from leaving, did you a least track her down, painter?”

Grii doubted she’d need help tracking her aether trail, but with how the day had been going what patience she had was stretched thin, and she’d rather not risk searching herself lest the plane muddle her thoughts.

“Oh, that I do know. I believe she’s off to Tarkir next. Do you know the place?”

Before Grii could answer, a sudden sharp whistle rang out from the forest. She turned to see three arrows flying toward her.

One slammed into her shoulder, a nuisance more than anything else, while another skimmed her cheek and thudded into a nearby tree. The third had been aimed directly for her eye, and that one she had caught.

“Eyeblight! There is an eyeblight with the defiler,” came a voice from the woods. It seemed to echo across the clearing, and only now could Grii hear the faint shuffling of people moving through the trees, the soft ‘clop’ of hooves against ground and wood.

The forest around them seemed to darken, brilliant eyes shining out through the dark. It almost reminded Grii of home. She gripped her sword hilt tighter.

“Well, this isn’t very good,” Eisi said, though Grii barely heard it. A quick glance around showed her just how surrounded they were. Fifteen elves at least, and keeping their distance; no doubt sensing the oppressive dread seeping out of her. A smart move, as horrifying as her aura of fear could be, this plane fouled her aura. Fifteen or more might be too much.

But what do they even have to fear? I can feel the nature of this world, so foreboding and twisted. Would it affect them? What do they fear?

The thoughts were not her own, but delivered in her voice. Grii hesitated for but an instant.

The arrow that had struck the nearby tree erupted into brambled vines that lashed around her left arm, digging in and trying to bind her. Then the elves attacked, five of them lunging from the woods with slender, leaf-blade lances. The swiftest of them thrust forward, towards her face.

Grii smiled as she shifted her head to the side, the spear missing by inches. Then she ripped her left hand free of the binding and slammed the elf in the face. His skull caved in and his horns scattered, shattered off in the blow. She did not need to flare out her aura of fear to make the other lancers hesitate.

With a war bellow she charged forward, swinging her blade in a giant arc. Two of the remaining lancers couldn’t resist, fear both magic and mundane leading them do a bloody end. The remaining two held their ground, both of their lances hitting home against her chest.

Pain, not enough to stop her, but enough to make her next swing only kill one of them, cleaving him in half as the last of the initial lancers leapt backwards.

A horn sounded, and the elves descended as one. Four other lancers, two of whom rushed to stand with the one she’d been left with, five archers, and a single old elf with a staff, who was glaring daggers at Grii. She could feel a twinge against the back of her mind.

“Painter! Prove your worth!” she bellowed.

Eisi sighed and rose to his feet, as the final two lancers and two of the archer’s neared him. Intent to capture him, and kill her.

“Oh, if you insist Miss Grii.”

Grii spared no real thought towards Eisi. If he died, he died. Her attention was focused purely on the mage, hiding behind so much chaff. She let out another war cry and focused every ounce of fear on her target, and charged.

Arrows thudded into her shoulders and the ground before her, thick spiked branches jutting up suddenly like spike traps. She barreled through them, smashing them apart with her blade. The lancers met her advance, but the fear bleeding from her, even as it focused on one point, still caused them to shudder. One thrust missed, another taking her in the side, and the third struck home only to shatter, leaving half the spear in her.

Grii responded by simply stomped forward, sending them scattering. One of the lancers— she could not tell which in the frey— falling underneath her boots, his rib-cage crunching like dried leaves. She swung her blade down on another lancer, burying her blade in his flesh and the ground beneath it.

The slight hitch in pulling it from the ground left her open. Two of the archers she was engaged with fired a volley of arrows into the ground, roots and vines raising up to grip her blade in a death-grip. The other aimed straight for her.

But the third lancer was still within arm’s reach as well. Grii ignored the pain of the spear digging into her collar, oh so close to something even approaching danger, in order to grab the foolhardy elf and throw him in the path of the arrows intended for her. They hit him, and then he hit the archer, the two of them collapsing in a heap. Only a single groan escaped the pile.

Their mage, clearly their leader, watched it all while straining against her aura of fear. He looked like a vein in his forehead was about to burst as he did his best to assault her mind. Mental talons dug in, and with the disruption this plane had put in her, it almost hurt.

Grii let go of her sword and advanced towards the remaining archers, each of them reaching for fresh arrows to send her way, only to miss grab or drop them.

A single punch broke the neck of one, and Grii used his body to beat the other to death. The final archer, still struggling under the weight of his dead ally, had his skull crushed beneath her boot.

So … satisfying. She thought. This was what she needed today.

Grii grabbed the mage by the throat and squeezed, just hard enough to stop him from mentally assaulting her. She’d have fun with this one.

“Ah, Miss Grii. Hold that pose a moment.”

Grii turned toward Eisi. He was sitting down against his painted pack-beast once more, painting once more. Beside him, made of crystalline green paint, was a hunched over and warped elf. It looked far more twisted in form than even the ones she had brutalized.

The elves she had him fight lay in the grass, heads and limbs twisted in a garish display. Maybe he was useful as more than just a guide on this garbage plane.

She returned to the task at hand and growled at the elf, grip tightening. “What do you fear, elf?”

It wasn’t like her, normally, to linger like this. Maybe the darker half had taken a liking to her, and decided to have her indulge. Maybe she was just angry.

He answered by kicking at her with his spindly little hooves. It hurt only in that it brought about echoes of pain from her still bleeding wounds.

Grii grabbed him by one of his horns, and pulled until it broke off. Then she cut him across the face with it.

The response was immediate. Almost too much so. His eyes went white and he sobbed and screamed. Simply scaring his face had broken him. It felt like a cheap trick. Like the plane itself had fooled her into playing its rules, and then pulled the rug out from under her.

Grii felt nothing from this fear. She felt a guttural growl rise and die in her throat, and popped his head off like a child would behead a daisy.

Eisi let out a sigh of satisfaction. “Ah, wonderful Miss Grii. You really are as skilled as you said. Have you need of medical attention?”

“No,” was her response, and that was all she cared to say. She focused on the painter, hoping to draw at least some enjoyment from watching him squirm before leaving, to wash the taste from her mouth.

He kept on painting. He was afraid, clearly, she could see it in his body language. Could see his hair standing on end. But he kept on painting.

Killing him wasn’t even worth the effort.

“I’m going to Tarkir. Follow if you want, painter. I may yet have use for you.”

Grii concentrated on her spark, which demanded blood and death and screams, and left in pursuit of her prey.

======

[lazodiac]

Hey, what if we had more Control to talk about on today, the day I stream Control.

Video Length: 3:57:52

In this episode, Jesse makes her way through Maintenance to fix up all the problems Ahti and the head of Maintenance have asked her to help with, to ensure we don't explode horribly! Hooray! Dealing with that nasty Clog is a highlight not just because it is genuinely very gross, but also because it is just another Problem the Oldest House has, completely unrelated to the Hiss, that just serves to remind you that as big and threatening and world-ending as the Hiss seem to be, and are, that this is just a Tuesday for the FBC. A rather hectic Tuesday, with a higher employee turnover rate than most Tuesdays, but still just a Tuesday.

We also start to get some of Jesse's more useful powers. Launch may be her bread-and-butter offensive move, but sometimes you need a Dash or a Shield to maneuver some of your more tricky problems. While I devalue Shield a fair bit sometimes, it IS quite good, I just need to make sure to use it more than once every blue moon. Dash is a lot more frequent to make use of, given the utility of Go Faster is always a relevant one. We also get our hands on the X-ray Light Box this episode, giving us the power of Seize, one of my favorite utility abilities… because sometimes aggressive hiring practices are required in an environment like this one.

Jesse also starts getting access to more of the Service Weapon this episode… I mean she did a little bit last time as well but this is a good time to bring up its various forms. The regular revolver-like Grip is a powerful mainstay- unsurprisingly from the folks who brought you Mad Max, the revolver is a Good Gun. Shatter is, reasonable- a classic video game short-range high-damage shot gun. It's likely better than I give it credit for, but given how fragile Jesse is and my particular tendencies as a player it is not my immediate go-to. Spin we haven't seen yet, but as you can gather based on the name it is a rapid-fire weapon suited for mid-range with lower accuracy at a distance. It's fine. Finally, (for now) we have Pierce… an incredibly high power charged sniper shot that can, as it says, Pierce armor. This was my favorite gun to use throughout the game, due to its high damage in a game with kinda chunky enemies, and due to its extreme long range safety abilities. Because yes, even someone as flailing and weird as me understands the power of a good snipers rifle.

Plot wise, Jesse starts to slowly unveil herself and her deal to her new employees- talking about her time in Ordinary, the friend she made and the brother she lost. Likewise, as she deepens her connection to the Old House, she starts to learn more about it in turn. The OOPs, the AWEs, the AIs, and of course her staff- many of whom have died, some of whom are still around. It speaks a lot to Marshal's skills that of Trench's old guard, she is seemingly the only one still in control. Tommasi is hissed up, Darling is MIA and clearly having a VERY normal day. I don't remember who else Trench mentioned was his inner circle. It's a lot of information, drip-fed slowly to Jesse and us, but each leg of this adventure is giving us more and more…

[lazodiac]

Oops got distracted writing comic and other stuff.

Video Length: 3:10:11

In this episode- after doing a quick check in on Luca's cosmosphere with a final meeting with Nenesha and Goro- we begin the grand climb up the Metafalls world tower, in pursuit of whoever has attacked and dethroned God, so WE can do that to THEM and put Frelia back on her fancy chair probably. In our way is a relatively lengthy series of dungeons- the main one we do in this video is the Tower of the Heavens itself. It, like our previous dungeon, has a weird barrier half-way through that you need to run into then back-track to undo… that was dummied out of the original release, and returned to full form by the fan translation. This one is less annoying than the previous, but also far less meaningful? It's odd.

Behind the barrier, we are once more ambushed by the least threatening "boss turned miniboss" enemies in the game, and after defeating them effortlessly are then "saved" by… the sudden appearance of Alfman, who has now has a rather meaningless heel-face turn. Ostensibly, it's not so much he's become good and more that our goals now align with his, mostly. Absolutely no statement on how he survived a pretty blatantly clear "oh he's dead" situation, beyond a "Do you really think me so pathetic to die like that?" and buddy you don't wanna know the answer to that.

However, at the end of the Tower of the Heavens, we get another character encounter that is… QUITE fun. Confronted with what seems to be Raki, the war-robot that the antagonistic force has been using to attack us, we charge in to attack… only to find that this is REKI, her sister from another transistor, one of many shrine maiden servant robots that look identical in form if not function (… alledgedly). She's in charge of the Hot Spot, the tower's lounge, spa, inn, and shopping market, and is just glad there are new customers about! This is rather delightful, and is really our last moment of rest before the grand finale ahead of us… next time, wish us luck, as we are likely to finish the game!

Or, at least, be stymied by a certain flaw in the official release of the game…