#part 1.5

[peachyswirls]

They eventually made it back to the Spire and bundled around a fire : )

Judgement AU- Knowledge and Feathers Part 1.5

[specific-dreamer]

socmed au is back ! introducing darry’s thumb infamous thumbs up

[patchwork-crow-writes]

More Thoughts on Kris x Ralsei

This is a continuation of my prior post on the subject, inventively titled "Thoughts on Kris x Ralsei". This is Part 1.5, because it adds on to Part 1, but isn't really substantial enough to be its own standalone thing.

If you wish to read any of the other parts in this series, here's a handy TOC linking to all the parts written so far!

Part 1: And They Lived Happily Ever After Part 1.5: I Believe Your Choices DO Matter <- (You Are Here!) Part 2: A Pair of Star-Cross'd Lovers Part 2.5: In Another World, We Could Have Been (Just) Friends (Future parts to be added as they are written)

Part 1.5: I Believe Your Choices DO Matter

I wanted to add a bit onto my previous ramble about Kralsei, on the nature of how Deltarune heavily encourages you to invest in the pairing. On that post, I did receive some feedback saying that many of the options to "flirt" with Ralsei are largely optional. And that's entirely correct! Most of the interactions ARE entirely within your choice to accept or refuse.

...but take another look at some of these choices we're offered, and you'll start to see something interesting. Let me show you what I mean.

So, we have the tutorial battle. During this battle, Ralsei will instruct you to hug the dummy (which looks just like Ralsei, a fact that will become important in a moment), so that you can practice ACTing. You hug the dummy, lesson's over. But then you see another option: Hug Ralsei. You choose it, Kris hugs Ralsei, who lights up like a fluffy christmas tree. That was cute, wasn't it? And hey, guess what? You can do it again! And again! And again! In fact, I'm pretty sure that hugging Ralsei is the only action you can perform repeatedly that won't force him to end the tutorial. (feel free to correct me if this is wrong!)

Here the game is teaching you some things, quite separate from the battle mechanics: One: Ralsei is huggable. Two: he really, REALLY likes being hugged. Three: there will be situations specifically tailored to allowing the player to positively interact with Ralsei. The game (and perhaps Ralsei himself) is priming you to expect more of these little interactions, and if you're receptive to that, you'll start looking for them.

And you won't have to wait long, either, because the next example I want to talk about is the ribbon. Picking up the ribbon in the treasure box will prompt Ralsei to give a tutorial on armour and equipping. He'll suggest you equip it to Kris, but you can choose instead to equip it to Ralsei, who will make a comment about looking cute.

There are many ways to avoid this dialogue - don't open the treasure chest, equip the ribbon to Kris, don't equip the ribbon at all. But here's the thing: the game assumes the player is familiar with the conventions of RPGs. You always open treasure chests. You always equip better armour as soon as you get it... and you will usually equip your strongest armour onto your most frail party member. And who would that be in this scenario...?

Why, if it isn't Ralsei... what are the odds of that?

Deltarune does something rather sneaky here: it uses player habits from other RPGs to ensure that a dialogue option that is ostensibly "optional" is in fact much more likely to be seen by a large number of players. And if you're trying to avoid that dialogue, it's because you're aware the dialogue exists and are going out of your way to ensure it doesn't happen... which more than likely means you already triggered it on a prior playthrough.

(This then primes a receptive player further, by saying "look, Ralsei says cute things sometimes when you try equipping him with stuff!" Which is probably how a lot of people stumble onto the Snow Ring interaction: "Are... are you proposing?")

Not enough for you? Okay then, to Chapter 2, and the return of the Dummy!

There's an option to return to the dummy at the beginning of the chapter - specifically, after Ralsei asks you to return to the abandoned classroom, but before you actually go there to orbify the room's contents. Interacting with the dummy prompts a yes/no choice on whether to hug it. And here, you can choose no, and "walk the path of fluffiness no longer".

But interact with it again, and you're given the same choice again. Say no again, say no ten times, or a hundred, but you'll always be given the choice again... UNTIL you say yes and hug the dummy. Then a text box will appear proclaiming "you're all hugged out." The choice only becomes closed when you accept hugging the dummy; until then, the choice remains open.

Of course, once you do hug the dummy, if you go back to Ralsei, he'll make a comment about not needing the dummy anymore, and how he'd rather you "practice on the real thing..." Which is a pretty unambiguous statement to unpick.

So what's the point I'm making here, exactly? Only this: You DO technically have the choice to not initiate these interactions, but the choices you ARE given are weighted towards initiating them, in one way or another. And for some of these options, it doesn't even matter what you choose... but we'll get to that in Part 2 proper.

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next one :)

[brucewaynehomeforangrychildren]

wink wink

[bryan360]

Part 1.5 - ProCase Tablet Case Pen

11th and 12th Images

Before continuing my new ProCase Tablet Case stuff, I'll showing off my bonus item for the pen that surprise it includes from the package as well. This one be this version before opening up, but looking through it was the exact normal black pen with the tip on top.

13th and 14th Images

Opening it right away, I find this pen looking good when I'll twist the top to come out the drawing ink tip from the bottom. Definitely a normal pen to me that I will do the comparison post with my Blackweb pen soon.

It was a good part 1.5 for my ProCase Pen to show, despite being short that I would consider making some small review about the pen on my next post on another time. I'm not done for my new tablet case though. For part 2 I can deliver the details of what inside of my new tablet case; especially testing out of placing the angle that which fits better for my Samsung Tab E.

[thefishermansfavour]

Part 1.5

first | previous | next 

[brassikarts]

History Repeats, 1.5

Present - Teldrassil

The mage and the elf didn’t see the Teldrassil until they’d come out of the makeshift hospital in Lor’danel’s former inn and helped evacuate the patients, running interference as they sprinted and limped into the woods, fleeing the marauding Horde forces.  A lone priestess had stayed behind to do her duty - even with arguments and reason, she had merely smiled, pushed the remainder of the medical supplies onto Val, and asked for a single promise.  They were to meet the surviving patients in the Moonglade with the remainder of the supplies, and see to it that they made the journey safely.

Stumbling out gravely to start their own journey, their view of the world tree was unobstructed.  The sight of the catapults and the flames made the elf come to a full stop stop and stare, his eyes widening with shock, fear and sorrow.  “Th’ tree - they-” he stuttered, pointing ahead with a trembling forefinger.  “Val, they burning Teldrassil, they’re -” For a change, he was utterly devoid of words, choked silent by Sylvanas’ declaration of war.

Val’s hands were clapped over her mouth, and her dark eyes were saucerlike at the same sight, glassy and brimmed with tears that threatened to fall anytime.  She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe -

Stratholme - Year 20

Variya couldn’t breathe - the smoke from the burning city choked the inside of the Cathedral, filling up corridors and rooms.  It seeped through the cracks of the supply closet, and the blanket could only do so much to keep the noxious fumes out.  The young woman gathered her strength and slammed against the edge of it, which served only to make her sore and gulp in a lungful of the foul air.  She tried again, with the same result, and it was then that the panic gave way to an icy cold in the pit of her stomach.

She was going to die in that closet.  Locked away, forgotten - they hadn’t come back.

The priestess coughed hard against her blanket, hard enough to make her dizzy.  She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe -

Present - Teldrassil

 Val couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak save to choke out the following words to the man who had been at her side for the last year: “I’m sorry - I’m - I’m so, so sorry...”

There were no words in any language to make this better. 

[lovelylittlegrim]

Liam: hey, so, weird question: You don’t have the urge to eat my brains right?

Theo: Liam what the fuck

Liam: I’m just asking…for science…

Theo: you’d have to have brains, Liam for me to want to eat them.

Liam: oh, good, that’s-

Liam: …

Liam: you dick.