Board 8 > SaveEstelle & LeonhartFour in New Houses: Playoff Edition [SELF]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Episode 51 complete!

Oh hey, new OP and ED for the home stretch. Also, a lot of gruesome deaths in this episode.

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Rain is an A+ OP.

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yeah it's pretty great both with the song and the visuals

I was hooked right away

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I prefer Period and Again, but FMA just has almost all great theme songs.
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Time for some more Cold Steel IV!

Next up is the wanted monster, and there's nothing special about this one, so it goes down in no time. In Milsante, I get a report of a new guardian fish and snag that baby up with no problems. The final sidequest is in Parm, where a man is trying to locate his family. He said he wrote them a letter telling them to meet him at the inn with the delicious pies in their favorite town to relax in. Why didn't you just tell them specifically where to meet? Everyone seems to think the same thing and that they wound up going to a different place. Turns out the wife went to Milsante and the daughter and maid went to Edel's lodge.

With that out of the way, we can get back to the bond events. I decide to try Elise's first to see if it gives me a new profile page. Turns out Elise wants to try to send a message to their parents by trying to find a gap in the empire's interference waves. This actually turns out to be a pretty touching family reunion moment. See, if this is what Rean and Elise could be all the time, this would be good. They did have to turn it to romance right at the very end, but at least it wasn't an overt love confession. Why is even their mom trying to get them to hook up? This is beyond bizarre. And it does add a profile page, so I guess I'm keeping it!

Let's go ahead and try Elliot's to see what it gives us. He's trying to tune in to a music show in Heimdallr on the radio. He warns Rean not to get too lost in it, whatever that means. The first song has an odd impact on Rean, and after it's over, we learn that Elliot's mom originally wrote it. Turns out the performers are Elliot's old orchestra pals, and the music is designed to induce aggression in its listeners. I guess they can blame it on the curse, but music really can have that sort of effect on people! As luck would have it, the duo is performing in Raquel, so we go to check out the live show. Elliot manages to talk (or play) some sense into his friends. And that added a page in Elliot's profile, too! Uh oh, so now it's down to Musse and Jusis.

Let's try Musse first and hope for the best. She got her tea ceremony garb from Ada before we left Leeves, so she was looking for an excuse to wear it again. They gather all the branch campus students (along with Elise and Alfin) together to partake in the occasion. Afterwards, Rean and Musse share a moment alone with a really good song I don't remember hearing before. Rean confronts her about the custom-made orbal pistol from before. He noticed that it was loaded, but the caliber is so small that it could really only be lethal at point blank range. In other words, she could really only plan to use it to kill herself. Musse explains that she really had no choice to organize Operation Mille Mirage so that it could continue without her if need be. Rean lets her have the gun back, but he also states that he has no intention of letting her ever use it. Musse has had two really good bond events, but I don't think I'll have kept either of them at this rate since it doesn't add a profile page (although we do get her kimono as a costume).

Let's see what Jusis has to offer before we make our final choice. We make a trip to Bareahard to help Arnauld, the family butler, attend to official matters of the household. One of the kids glomps Jusis and he can't help but think of Millium. He reminisces about the times she came to visit him at the mansion after he became the acting duke. Afterwards, the butler brings in the Holy Sword of Elvars, which has been in his family for generations, along with a sister sword Rufus possesses. It looks very similar to the Sword of the End, fittingly enough. Oh nice, I can actually change the appearance of his weapons to look like this now, and it adds a profile page, so whew, it all worked out! I guess that means no Towa or Musse romances this time around, and I'm okay with that!

Now we can finally move on with the story. When we reach the meeting place, a bunch of other airships join us, including one labeled "a certain country's latest model." I mean, I feel like there's no need to be so secretive here! The ships are from Remiferia, Liberl, and Calvard. Does this mean we can get a Kloe cameo? I can hope against hope. Bardias Wallace is there to greet us when we dock with the Pantagruel. Ah, this is a blast from the past from the Intermission in Cold Steel II. Altina even brings up Rean's "misconduct" from back then, which I had totally forgotten about until she mentioned it. Everyone mocks Rean about it, and his reactions are great. "Can you guys just...not?" "Requesting permission to burst into tears."

The Brights and the SSS are already here, too. Also, Joshua pronounces rege as "reeg" and I've been saying it as "rej," so oh well. We get some fun reunions with the casts here. The banter is really good. "This has definitely been a long time coming" indeed. Even Rean realizes he's no match for Lloyd in the cheesy speeches department. Aurelia shows up, and even Estelle and Joshua are in awe of her, rightfully so. We finally get to meet the special guests, Albert von Bartholomeus, the Grand Prince of Remiferia, and President Samuel Rocksmith of Calvard. The two women from earlier in the game formally introduce themselves as Kaela, a second lieutenant in the Calvard Intelligence Department, and Lucy Seiland, the private secretary to the Grand Prince.

Oh heck yes, it's Kloe and Cassius Bright. My day has been made. At this point in the series, is Cassius still considered the baddest dude in Zemuria? I feel like I need Trails power tiers! Oh man, this feels like a fanservice fiesta like the party in Cold Steel III!

Unfortunately, it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

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Aurelia probably gives Cassius a run for his money but that's not a choice I feel comfortable making

hype

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So even the Trails subseries still connect with each other? I thought it was more like multi-part FF or Tales games.

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Yeah, they're all connected. Each subseries takes place in a different country but they're all in the same world and not very far apart timewise so parts of the cast of one can and often will show up in another. And there's bigger picture plotlines that run through them all.

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Sekiro beated. Excellent game. Of the Soulsborne games (minus Demon Souls which I'll play whenever I get a PS5 so like two years from now) I think it might be second place behind Bloodborne. Though I definitely understand why some say it doesn't really fit that group since the playstyle is considerably different.

Will probably mess around with NG+ for a bit and see if I can get the platinum but depending on NG+ difficulty scaling I might just call it and move on to... Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception? God, I never meant for it to be so long after I played Prelude to the Fallen but 2020 scheduling kinda... wasn't ideal. I think that'll be next on my backlog list though.

As for Sekiro, maybe I've just gotten better at these games after Bloodborne and all 3 Dark Souls, but after all the "hardest game From has made/hardest game EVAR" talk I... don't really think it was. It could get tough at times, yes, but it was pretty much always fair about it. There are definitely some things I wish it did better in terms of telegraphing certain types of attacks that call for specific counters (I understand it actually kinda does this but idk maybe this is my failing but it's not attention-grabbing/distinct enough imo) but that's mostly me quibbling.

Favorite boss was Owl (Father) followed by Lady Butterfly, I think. Hirata Estate bosses too good. Tearing through the early game on NG+ is super satisfying too. Sure, my stats are up from NG+ but it's basically 98% me just knowing the mechanics to a much better level after a full playthrough and just obliterating enemies that caused me grief when I was still learning the basics.

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Cold Steel 3 Chapter 3 Day 3. Look at Angelica being inserted into these cutscenes and contributing nothing.

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WandaVision Episode 1 complete!

I'm definitely intrigued to see where this leads. It's a fun homage to old television that manages to be oddly unsettling at times, too

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WandaVision Episode 2 complete!

Man, this show is wild. Trying to figure out what's going on is going to be a trip.

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Chapter 3 beated. Oh come on. How can George be relevant at all

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BK_Sheikah00 posted...

Chapter 3 beated. Oh come on. How can George be relevant at all

His name is G. Nome!

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He isn't! Deleting him and Angelica would improve the games and fix a little of the bloat.
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Let's get back to Cold Steel IV Act 2!

It's time to mingle! First up, it's Rosine, Celine, and Duvalie, which is an odd combo. Duvalie is clearly acting oddly, and Celine thinks it's because of Cassius. Wonder what that's about. Is it because of his power level? Rosine heard a report of Ouroboros activity, but they haven't been sighted yet. Then Duvalie starts ranking the power levels of Class VII, and she puts Sara, Laura, and Rean at the top. Yeah, that's probably right. They also talk about Anelace without mentioning her by name, and Duvalie immediately makes her a rival as she is wont to do.

In the next group is Laura, Crow, Gaius, and Bardias. The Class VII members are gushing over his skill, and they make sure he's okay after his fight with McBurn. Not much to see here. Next up is Towa, Machias, and Angelica talking to the CID lady, Kaela. Apparently, President Smith lost his bid for re-election, so he'll have to step down soon.

and then I fell asleep because I'm tired whoops

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I started Ready Player Two, and the concept reminds me of the end of Trials in the Sky SC with the Aureole's power. I suppose the intent is to invoke The Matrix, but that was my first thought.

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Chapter 4 free day. I picked Rosine for the drama. Isn't Riese actually from 3rd?

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BK_Sheikah00 posted...

Chapter 4 free day. I picked Rosine for the drama. Isn't Riese actually from 3rd?

That is correct.

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Blue Streamer beated in Paper Mario: The Origami King! That second area was really good, and the boss was pretty fun. I enjoyed the theater bit at the end. Made it feel like I was playing TTYD for a minute with the theater crowd!

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Blue streamer is probably the best area in the game

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13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim beated. Pretty great game! I think I liked the first half a little better than the second half, but it solidly slots in as my third favorite game of 2020, after Ori 2 and Hades. 2020 ended up being a pretty great year for games - 13 Sentinels is my third favorite of the year, but I liked it more than any 2019 or 2018 game! Well, not counting Shadowbringers.
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go my bills

just need the browns to win tomorrow

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good luck

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Started reading the DB manga

Unless a lot of stuff flew way over my head the last time I watched it they censored quite a bit in the anime!

Also didnt realize that the origin of Toriyamas puff-puff joke was so early Im DB

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Finished 100%ing Hyrule Warriors today. It was not particularly worth the effort, even though the effort was pretty minimal.

Time to figure out what to play until the 3D World remaster comes out next month.

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The Mana Sword posted...

Finished 100%ing Hyrule Warriors today. It was not particularly worth the effort, even though the effort was pretty minimal.

Time to figure out what to play until the 3D World remaster comes out next month.

If 13 Sentinels is still on sale it's a great choice!
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Oh yeah, I should get Mario 3D World since I never got the chance to play that one.

The Kaiju Bowser expansion looks pretty good, too.

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Also the stranded cruise ship in Origami King was really cool, great atmosphere with some unexpected tension as you're trying to resolve everything in there.

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3D World is very good. It's not as unique a Mario game as Galaxy or Odyssey which it came in between and on top of that it got the Wii U, so it's largely overshadowed, but It's fantastic regardless, and I'm glad they ported that over too, it would've been a huge sin to put NSMBU on Switch and leave 3D World on the Wii U.

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My wife is getting nervous

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Browns losing and the possibility of Tom Brady in another super bowl.

Terrible day of football.

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The Mana Sword posted...

Browns losing and the possibility of Tom Brady in another super bowl.

Terrible day of football.

Packers/Bills Super Bowl let's do it

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One can only hope

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Packers/Chiefs tbqh but if the cost of getting that Packers win is the Bills so be it.

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I always enjoy seeing a team win the Super Bowl for the first time so I'd rather see the Bills take it

But I'd honestly be okay with anyone but the Bucs at this point

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Yeah I have a lot of friends who are Bills fans so Im rooting for them, but Im also very much team NotBucs.

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Eh, I've been in a funk the past week so I think I'll scrap my "try to get the Platinum in Sekiro" plans and just move on to Utawarerumono and hope the change of pace helps me break free of it.

Also should be coming up on the first of my 3 ~priority~ 2021 banners in F/GO sometime this week probably so that should be an "adventure."

Edit: Make that Wednesday.

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Dragon Ball Z Episode 47 complete!

Whew, feels like it's been a while since I've watched. Took me a minute to remember what was happening!

is it just me or are the Dragon Balls on Planet Namek really big

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Namek does have big balls

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so our star wars watch project just took us past episode 7

still love the fun energy of it and especially the lightsaber duel

but rewinding the plot to episode 4 complete with the genocide is really depressing, and kylo ren is ultra cringe still
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Oh right, AoT S4E2 watched. Okay, would really like to get back to the old cast now but that still doesn't seem to be in the cards. OP and ED still aces. Easily the best in the series so far, and the ED in particular I think is just fantastic on an all-anime level.

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wow that's high praise for someone who loves the season two ED

(although the second ED in season 3 was the best one)

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LeonhartFour posted...

wow that's high praise for someone who loves the season two ED

i stand by that being the previous best AoT ED tbqhhhhhhh

I think you'll like this one though. Dunno if you'll like it as much as I do, but yeah.

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SeabassDebeste posted...

so our star wars watch project just took us past episode 7

still love the fun energy of it and especially the lightsaber duel

but rewinding the plot to episode 4 complete with the genocide is really depressing, and kylo ren is ultra cringe still

I rawatched all 9 within the past year, and I actually found 7 to be the worst of them all, which surprised me.

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That would be surprising unless they've stricken I and II from the record in the last year.

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A rare day off, so let's knock out Cold Steel IV Act 2!

Back to mingling with the guests! Oh hey, Angelica and Kaela talk about Kilika for a bit. I forgot Angelica was a Taito practitioner like Zin, Kilika, and Walter. In our next group, we have Jusis, Lucy, Elliot, and Elise. They're all marveling over the custom of afternoon tea and cookies. I guess Remiferia is meant to be England? Oh right, I thought I recognized Lucy's last name. That doctor at St, Ursula was also named Seiland, and the company that bears their name produces medical equipment. Remiferia seems similar to Liberl in that they're tiny, so they need advanced technology to avoid getting overwhelmed by their neighbors. Elliot in particular seems interested in their culture because of this little thing called ballet.

Our next group features Lloyd, Randy, Juna, Altina, and KeA. They talk about how Lloyd's bulked up since he became a fugitive and how he favors his brother more now. This conversation has me nervous that they're going to spoil stuff about Guy in Azure, but thankfully, nothing I didn't already know comes up! They talk about Rixia for a bit, but they don't go into too much detail.

In the same room is a group with Elie, Tio, Emma, Alisa, and Grace (whom I don't remember showing up at all the introductions earlier!). Apparently, she was invited to observe and document what happens here, even if she's not able to publish it for the foreseeable future. They talk about how strange it is that Vita isn't here, which means she's probably plotting something elsewhere.

Moving on, we find a group with Estelle, Tita, Josette, Sara, and Fie. They all express their gratitude to Josette for all the help she's provided for them. She's come a long way since FC! I do kinda miss her tsundere ways though. Estelle says she's not sure why Kloe and Cassius are even here. She's got a bad feeling about this whole meeting, and I can't blame her! She does empathize with Musse a bit because something about her reminds her of Renne, although I don't know that I totally see it! I guess it's their intelligence and foresight. And Estelle gets compared to the sun for approximately the millionth time in the series!

Next up is Joshua, Renne, Agate, Kurt, and Ash. The others encourage Joshua and Ash to have that uncomfortable conversation about Hamel they've been avoiding. Joshua explains how he, Karin, and Loewe missed realizing that Ash had survived. Agate says that he's heard it before, but it gets him every time and I can relate. Hearing that story retold, especially with the chilling Hamel remix, gives me chills all over again. Joshua says he felt a bizarre mixture of guilt and joy when he learned Ash was still alive. Rean gives some context when he says the Hamel tragedy happened around the same time Osborne took him to Ymir, which makes sense.

And that's it for the first floor. More later!

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Chapter 4 Field Day 1. I audibly groaned when Blood and Iron walked in on the field exercise briefing. And can we please kill Lechter. Can anyone stay dead actually?

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The climax of this game better be super good because right now I'm feeling CS2 > 3 > 1

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Oh hey it's like having Kuribo's Shoe in Origami King

also R.I.P. Bobby, I guess this is the way they prevent giving you permanent partners

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