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Pahrak Model ZX

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Blog Entries posted by Pahrak Model ZX

  1. Pahrak Model ZX
    So, I bought Pokemon Sword.  Due to having some open time in my schedule and the game ultimately being a bit short, I’ve already beaten the main story and the postgame episode.  I actually had a lot of fun.  The game may be riddled with problems, not the least of which being the cut of National Dex, but what it gets right it gets so right—heck, some of what it gets wrong manages to feel right, which appeals to my shounen battle anime heart.  I’m not here to spoil, just want to say I’d recommend giving SwSh a try if you’re on the fence.  Also, while I may not have Switch Online or an SD card to transfer screen shots, I fell in love with League Card customization and desperately wanted to share mine in some capacity, so:


    Pupil of Gym Leader Bea and new Champion of the Galar Region, Liam! (You can’t see it but I’m wearing the Champion shirt, plus my hair looks much cooler in-game I dunno why it looks weird here.)
    Team:
    -Spike the Coalossal
    -Steg the Rillaboom
    -Murun the Runerigus
    -Beat the Corviknight
    -The Smogington Brothers the Galarian Weezing (character limit made it Smogingtons but)
    -Zacian (in the post-game…)
    Between this and my recent replays I think I want to revise my old region ranking.  Stay tuned for that!
  2. Pahrak Model ZX
    So, Dragon Ball Super. They’re about to head into a new arc where 10 fighters from each of the 12 universes are brought together for a massive tournament, and the losers’ universes will be destroyed. I’ve been unsure what to think of this since the beginning: multiversal tournament sounds great, but the survival aspect…I mean I guess it adds stakes, but I love that we found out there are 12 universes, it opened up so much potential and if they’re going to throw all that away…
     
    *sigh*
     
    I guess we’ll have to see. Anyway, a new trailer for the arc was released today, giving brief glimpse of the gods of destruction and angels of some of the universes. Several of them have animal motifs like Beerus, though others are more humanoid, one is a clown…for some reason. There are also clips of some other fighters, including ol’ Cabba and Frost, and someone who…
     
    Uh…well, it’s early, but we see what appears to be a female character quickly transforming into a female Broly.
     
    I don’t think anyone was expecting this, but let’s think for a second. Broly is, well, “legendary” for being so powerful. If we’re getting a female version of that character, then that means we might actually be getting a female Super character…who can hold her own against relevant opponents?!
     
    We’ve already seen that Android 18 is going to be involved in this arc (finally getting back in the action after a long wait), so that could be cool, and Vados and any other female angels (or goddesses of destruction?) are definitely sitting at a high power level, but this feels a little different. Probably because:
    -CANON FEMALE SUPER SAIYAN
    -Being a Super Saiyan phenomenally increases one’s chances of being/staying relevant
    -Saiyan, so definitely going to be actually doing some fighting
    -A female Broly. That’s, like…something new!
     
    I mean we’ll have to wait and see how exactly this plays out, but…I’m extremely interested in seeing how it does.
  3. Pahrak Model ZX
    November already? Here’s something to give thanks for. (Because Thanksgiving? I know it’s not my best one, but none of you laughed at my Earth Wind and Fire joke in September so I’m not breaking my back trying to find a better one.)
     
    Genesect is available at GameStop! I’m not sure why it wasn’t saved for December, being the last Pokémon in Gen V National Dex order, but hey, Genesect is cool! Go get one if you don’t already have one!
     
    Come to think of it, Genesect was the first (and thus far only) Bug-type Legendary! Right now Poison is the only type without a Legendary. Or…could that be about to change?!
     
    GEN VII HERE WE GO!
  4. Pahrak Model ZX
    Reflection Part 2 is up, and that completes my bit of Distortion!
     
    It was great getting to work alongside these talented authors, and an honor to be part of this series! I hope you’ll enjoy what my colleagues have waiting for you as the anthology continues!
  5. Pahrak Model ZX

    The Relic Song

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    Wow, it’s December. 2016 is virtually over, we’re in Gen VII…but there’s one last Pokémon being distributed for XYORAS!
     
    Access Mystery Gift for Meloetta, the last of the anniversary Mythical distributions! You probably forgot about this one, since they were in the anime instead of a movie, and people don’t really watch the anime anymore. Well, except for those folks who got super into the XY series and immediately started whining when we got one look at the Sun and Moon series. They should get over it.
     
    CATCHY SIGN-OFF!
  6. Pahrak Model ZX
    October doesn’t have to be scary, you’ve got Mythical Pokémon beside you!
     
    Keldeo’s available over Mystery Gift. It’s a great Water Pokémon in a Generation that isn’t really good with those, even if its form change is purely cosmetic. Also it probably knows alchemy judging by its voice in the movie.
     
    But EVEN BETTER, if you go to GameStop between the 10th and the 31st and get a serial code, you can download Volcanion, the 721st Pokemon, last in Gen VI National Dex order! Gen VII is right around the corner, so grab this quick so that you can have a totally complete Dex for about a month!
     
    721 HERE WE ARE!
  7. Pahrak Model ZX
    I was hoping to get Chapter 9 of Shooting Star Sonia done within a month of 8's posting, and thank God, I was able to do just that! ...Cutting it close, of course. But the chapter is up!
     
    The thing is, um...it's long. Like, even longer than Chapter 2 long. Hopefully it turned out better than Chapter 2, though--that one feels like a bit of a mess, with a bit too much crammed in for so early, and me still trying to feel out how I was going to adapt each scenario. There's a lot going on in 9, but by this point there kind of has to be, and I think each thing happening feels more important and tied together than the things in 2.
     
    So, let's see, this one adapts the Ophiuca scenario, with Wolfe briefly involved to cut down on NPCs and another character here to space their arc out just a little more. Things happen a little differently here than in other chapters, and it ends with one of those ominous scenes that reveals what one or two shady figures are up to. It took me a while to feel like I had a grip on Ophiuca's character (*insert snake joke*), but I think I like how she came out in the end.
     
    Now if I can just get Chapter 10 done this month, I'll have 10 chapters in month 10...it sounds weird but that's something that I've been shooting for, don't judge me I'm gonna try to make it work to my advantage. I might even get to 13 in month 12, then I'll be ahead of the game!!
  8. Pahrak Model ZX
    Chapter 17 of Shooting Star Sonia has been posted, meaning the story is now complete!
     
    Not that the story’s gotten a whole lot of attention (though it is doing surprisingly well over on FanFiction.net), but it’s so rare that I actually finish a story, especially one this long! This is a victory.
     
    Despite taking long and frequent breaks, I enjoyed writing this story—I’ve known these characters for, what, almost nine years now, and it was fun to get to know them a little better and play around with their world a bit. It wasn’t always smooth, of course, so hopefully I’ve learned enough that I’ll do better in the future.
     
    I do want to continue the series, but I might need some time to rework Star Force 2 to a point where it feels…less bad. I make no promises. Stay tuned I guess!
  9. Pahrak Model ZX
    Would I July to you about this?
     
    Shaymin is available over Mystery Gift right now! And I’m sure there’s some way of getting the item to change its forms in XY and ORAS, but I don’t really care enough to look up what it is right now.
     
    This is especially momentous for me because Shaymin was, aside from Volcanion (and then there’s Sun and Moon but y’know), the only Pokémon my Living Dex was missing. So I now have 720 Pokémon, and can achieve that same number in any Gen VI game simply through transferring! If I just get a chance at Volcanion, I’ll have a totally complete Pokedex for maybe a few days! (Depends on exactly when the US gets it, I guess…)
     
    721 HERE WE COME!
  11. Pahrak Model ZX
    You’ve played Pokémon Sun and Moon, you know who Lillie is, she doesn’t need much introduction. It surely comes as little to no surprise that I love Lillie, and while it is due to the main reasons anyone loves her (she’s Totally Adorable and a Well-Developed Character), I’ve recently come to feel that she’s actually rather fascinating when you look at her as a writing technique.
     
    So: player characters in Pokémon. They aren’t characters, really. They’re consistently left totally and completely blank so that whoever’s playing the game can project themselves onto this avatar with as little friction as possible, taken to unnecessarily hilarious ends with Red’s silent reappearances in later games. Naturally, this approach has its fair share of pros and cons. On one hand, this aids immersion tremendously—you’re free to name this character whatever you want, command them to do whatever you want, interpret their behavior and thought processes however you want, and more recently even dress them however you want. Players turn that character into themselves, and are able to see themselves in the Pokémon world, albeit from a top-down perspective. It’s the ultimate extreme of role-playing, giving you a place in this world but then allowing you complete freedom to adjust to it however you like. But on the other hand, this might have some connection to the fact that Pokémon has never really been known for its story. It’s difficult to write a plot centered around an empty shell. The player does things to continue the story, but they’re very much watching it unfold before them, and only stepping in when given the opportunity as opposed to doing much to actively push it forward. Again, Pokémon’s pretty much always done it this way, and it seems to be working for them, so it may not be something you see a lot of people clambering for. But since there’s a boatload of Pokémon media that does feature main characters who are actually characters, I don’t know that we can say people are totally averse to the thought.
     
    It seems to me that Lillie is GameFreak’s attempt to have it both ways. The player character of Sun and Moon remains a void who can be anyone the person holding the 3DS wants them to be, but they have a very close friend who has her own desires and faults, is heavily-entwined in the overarching plot, and develops greatly as a character. Granted, she doesn’t do very much herself in terms of actively driving the plot forward—she spends a lot of time reacting, and not as much time decision-making—but her character is written in a way that that’s actually part of her development. Which is…kind of ingenious, really. Is she meant to be a metaphor for the Pokémon main series games learning to be more active in their storytelling, as opposed to just being an observer? Well, maybe at that point I’m reading a bit too much into it.
     
    For the sake of argument, let’s accept my premise as true: Lillie is an attempt to have a “main character” the plot centers on while still having a totally blank “player character” for absolute immersion. Then the only question becomes: Does it work?
     
    I’d say yes.
     
    People love Lillie. If you looked at a discussion of Sun and Moon prior to their release, you’d see people saying “This Lillie girl is off, we all agree she’s a Nihilego in disguise right?” Check them after its release, and you’ll see dozens of fans shouting about how wonderful she is. Like, I’m sure there are some people who don’t like her, no character can be universally-loved, but…I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone bashing her, and Sun and Moon have been out for close to a year now. When you have to go out of your way to find people who hate a character but get bombarded by people who like them without trying, it’s safe to say they’re pretty darn popular. Has the series had a breakout character like this before? Maybe with N? Certain Hoenn characters certainly had a resurgence when ORAS came out, but even then it seemed to typically be antagonists, plus Steven who just sort of pops in and out on occasion. Even when N does become an ally in B2W2, he’s only in, what…one scene that’s actually plot-relevant?
     
    What I’m getting at is that there’s a novelty to Lillie’s role in Sun and Moon’s story. How big a factor that novelty is in her appeal is something we can only know if this becomes more regular. I do hope to see this technique or something similar employed in future Pokémon games, because while I do like feeling like I’m my own trainer, I enjoy stories as well, and Lillie’s story is one I really enjoyed. I’ve gone on record as saying there are aspects of Alola and its cast I wish we’d seen more of, and perhaps the focus on Lillie has a hand in that, but still: she’s very unique in this franchise, and very interesting. Hopefully, she’s a good sign of what’s to come.
  12. Pahrak Model ZX
    As I said previously, Karios has been working on some art for the story that started my Okoto 579 series, and it's now ready!
     
    The work has been linked in the first post of the review topic for The Time of the Mask Makers! Included are a few versions of a cover for the story and artwork of Makuta and Ekimu as they appeared during their days growing up in the Region of Earth. It's some great stuff, so please take a look at it!
  13. Pahrak Model ZX
    A month ago I said I wanted to use this blog more, but I've been almost exclusively doing Right of Law adverts since then. Huh. At least it means I'm making good progress on Right of Law!
     
    Section V is out now! Despite her companions' warnings, Antroz heads back to Xia and meets with Angonce, and the negotiations don't exactly go the way either hoped they would. Things won't be able to return to normal after this...
  14. Pahrak Model ZX
    Work on Divine Strength continues. I just finished chapter five, the bulk of which can be read here (be warned, it's rather long). This scene involves all twelve Queens coming together in neutral territory to discuss the main threat of the story and how they will each deal with it. The same general material was covered in the prototype story Conference of Divinity, which has been posted both here and on Tumblr if you want to compare them.
     
    And now I'm a little stuck. The next major event I have planned is the alliance moving into Roche, as in the prototype story Alignment, but I'm not sure if I should go straight to that or insert another event or two first. After that, I do have an idea of what happens next, but the further ahead I go the vaguer my plans get. Ah well, I guess I just need to keep at it and see what happens.
  15. Pahrak Model ZX
    I just finished unlocking every character, and I know it's not news but man what a roster.
     
    I really, really like World of Light. I get why so many people call it a grind, but as someone who has always only played Smash by himself trying to do most of anything in the games has always seemed a bit grindy, so the presentation of this one is more than enough for me. I opened the way to the true final boss and then went to clear out as much as I could--there are still a handful of tough Spirits left, but I think I'm going to go for the ending and come back for those later.
     
    Speaking of Spirits, while trophies might've been a bit more fun to look at, the fact that Spirits do something automatically makes them better as far as I'm concerned. More than that, each one being tied to a specific battle and so many appearing in World of Light makes them feel far less random, which has always been a complaint of mine. (I still don't have the Star Force Mega Man trophy in Smash 4.) I have a little over 700 Spirits right now, including all the Spirits from Mega Man spin-offs: they have at least one from each, 16 total across six series, and that makes me happier than it probably should. ZX is finally represented! Granted, the Model ZX Spirit isn't phenomenal, but it's pretty good for when you get it in WoL so that's something. It's crazy to think I'm not even halfway towards getting a complete collection!
     
    I've been pretty much exclusively playing Spirits mode thus far, but now that I've got everyone I want to try to take them all through Classic Mode next. Maybe I'll find a fighter who clicks somewhere along the way--I've been using Zero Suit Samus mostly, though the past few days I've been trying to get the hang of Greninja. I mean, I'm not especially good with either of them, but...eh.
     
    And I'm still really, really excited for Pirahna Plant. Really excited.
  16. Pahrak Model ZX
    Hey, remember that one comedy I started but then never got around to finishing?
     
    ...Well...one of the comedies I started but never got around to finishing? The most recent one?
     
    I finally wrote Chapter 8 of The Bionicle RPG You Never Wanted. Sorry it took so long. At least I was able to spin it into a joke! Anywho, this chapter takes the party through the last Citadel, so next chapter will start the final dungeon. I'm thinking the ending will run into chapter 10, and then I was considering doing an eleventh chapter with a bonus dungeon, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll try not to take so long for chapter 9!
  17. Pahrak Model ZX

    The Victory Star

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    Do you remember? It’s September. (The joke works great because this Pokemon is an Earth Wind & Fire type.)
     
    To ensure your success this month, you should access Mystery Gift to get a Victini! It’s a great Pokémon, I used one on my team back in Pokémon White. Because I use Legendaries on my teams and I refuse to let anyone make me feel bad about that.
     
    We’re really winding down on these Mythical distributions. Since the Gen V events were all much easier to access, I’m wondering if people will really need these new ones as much? Well, it’s still neat.
     
    721 HERE WE COME!
  18. Pahrak Model ZX
    Wow.
     
    So, I had managed to make it to the Indigo Plateau in Virtual Red, and I was unsure what to do at that point. I set it down for a few days, but on Sunday I finally buckled down to grind until everyone was Level 50 (because Scorch badly needed Flamethrower and an evolution), minus Articuno who was already 51. Knowing that those numbers were still too low, I nevertheless made the decision to challenge the Elite Four and see how far I could get.
     
    Somehow I ended up winning.
     
    Hall of Fame:
    -Hana the Venusaur, Level 51
    -Scorch the Arcanine, Level 50
    -Gahlok the Vaporeon, Level 51
    -Sentinel the Marowak, Level 51
    -Aeroga the Aerodactyl, Level 50
    -Articuno, Level 52
     
    To celebrate I went and caught Zapdos, which was difficult because apparently Poke Balls can miss in Gen I, but I got it. Not sure if I want to do much else though. We’ll see.
     
    Now to replay either X or Y with the team I was planning to use for Pokemon Z.
  19. Pahrak Model ZX
    So, March. The month of celebrating green!
     
    Because Celebi is now available! I believe this is one you can download from the comfort of your own home, so just use the Mystery Gift option and you should be good.
     
    Unless it shows up in a special Poke Ball that no one can open, and then you take it to an expert and totally forget that it ever existed in the first place. That would sure suck, wouldn’t it?
     
    721 HERE WE COME!
  20. Pahrak Model ZX
    April is known for rain, I think?
     
    Well now stars will fall instead of water, because Jirachi is available from April 1 to 24! This is another one you can get from home, just use Mystery Gift.
     
    Of course, you might already have one if you’ve visited Japan, they get one like every single year for Tanabata, it’s totally unfair but once I get mine I’m going to be less angry about it.
     
    721 HERE WE COME!
  21. Pahrak Model ZX
    No this is not a Dragon Ball Z post
     
    Remember The World Ends With You?
     
    Remember the HD remake they put on iOS a while back with new secret artwork that hasn't amounted to anything yet?
     
    Well now it's on Android too.
     
    I really hope all these little things mean that Square Enix actually is planning on doing something big in the future...
     
    But anywho, now I know what I'm doing for the next year.
  23. Pahrak Model ZX
    Kingdom Hearts Unchained X (with the X pronounced as “chi”) has just had a major update, now renaming itself Kingdom Hearts Union X (with the X pronounced as “cross”). First and most importantly:
     

     
    Illustrated KHII Kairi is available in the new Epic Medal Carnival, guaranteed within 5 draws and coming with three dots! She’s a Curaga, all attribute buff, all attribute debuf, fixed damage to all enemies, and 10 gauge recovery all wrapped into one beautiful package! With Tier 5 Guilt! Get this, especially if you’re playing for free. And, if you make her your shared medal, the home menu music will change to Kairi’s theme!
     
    …Hm? Oh, yeah, and you can log in to get a bunch of free jewels and enough Sora & Roxas medals to Guilt it. Plus fusing Medals now gives them passive skills. And there’s a bunch of new story quests with a new Keyblade and they’ve added a proper multiplayer mode now (which is…eh). Oh, and some new Avatar Boards and new chances at old Avatar Boards, and…was there some other stuff? I don’t remember at the moment.
     
    Side note, the Japanese version recently gained a few new story quests that introduce a new character. A laid-back edgelord by the looks of it.
     
    But most importantly, we’ve got a great chance at a fantastic medal emblazoned with the image of KH’s best girl. Don’t miss this chance!
  25. Pahrak Model ZX
    Okay, so some of you probably know that I love The World Ends With You, I've mentioned it a few times before. It was an amazing DS game, and in August 2012 they released a remake for iOS devices (TWEWY Solo Remix) that carried with it a new piece of artwork heavily implying a sequel. Since then, while nothing really came of that implication, Square Enix was still doing a decent amount of stuff to keep TWEWY in our minds, so I remained hopeful.
     
    Well, Solo Remix has now been removed from the App Store.
     
    This saga has been playing out for a while, actually--apparently iOS 8 wouldn't run Solo Remix, someone emailed SE and they said they weren't gonna fix it, then someone said they would fix it, and, well...I guess the first person was right. If you have the game, you can still play it, but you can't download it anymore, and presumably the DLC function doesn't work anymore.
     
    Now, Solo Remix was also released on Android last year, and it seems you can still download it on your Android devices, but I would recommend doing that fast because this does not bode well. I guess the most hopeful way to spin this is that maybe they're taking it down to release an iOS 8 compatible version, but I don't know if that's actually a thing people do and just doesn't seem that likely to me at the moment.
     
    This is super disappointing. And things were looking so bright when they put TWEWY songs in Theatrhythm...
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