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Pahrak Model ZX

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  1. Pahrak Model ZX
    Okay, if I’m going to rework Divine Strength, the backstory’s probably a good place to start.
     
    Now, the idea had always been that the Queens didn’t always exist. I mean, their goddess forms more or less always did, but they lived in an ethereal realm separate from the material one, and humans knew about them through occasional visions and such. At some point the two realms started to merge, bringing magic to the material realm. Eventually, this process resulted in the goddesses appearing in the material realm, but since they had no material bodies they would have dissipated and died if not for being placed within the Crowns. This is where the age of the Queens began.
     
    I was also going with the idea that the Queens initially waged frequent wars with each other, leaving the land in a very chaotic state and possibly leaving much of the landscape devastated. At some point, they came together and established a truce which has persisted up to the time the story is set to start. But, I guess I never really put much thought into why they made such a huge change…so, combining this with a desire to try out some other non-Queen related magical creatures, I have an idea.
     
    What seems most logical is that there was something so dangerous that the Queens knew they had to work together to defeat it, and the age of peace arose in the wake of that. So, some sort of magical creature was unleashed! The idea right now is that four terrible creatures appeared: one from the north, one from the south, one from the west, and one from the east. (Not entirely sure what kind of creature…my first thought was serpents, but that might be a bit too obvious. Now I’m tossing together weird hybrids and seeing how that goes.) These creatures thrived on the chaos the Queens were engulfing the world in, and so they advanced upon this land and turned chaos into utter ruin. Now, this could range from just destroying things to literally consuming reality as they advanced, I haven’t decided yet. The Queens are unable to stop the creatures on their own, and so decide the only way they can prevail is by working together. Luring the four monsters to one spot at the center of the region ruled by Queens, the monarchs combined their powers in a fateful battle, eventually slaying the creatures!
     
    …But, for a little more intrigue, maybe the Queens weren’t able to totally kill the creatures, probably because they were born from the primal force of destruction that can never be truly destroyed or something. (“You cannot destroy me, for I am nothing” and all that.) So the Queens dragged the fallen creatures back to the four edges of their region and sealed them away—the Queen of the Sea trapped the western creature at the bottom of the ocean; the Queen of Fire plunged the creature from the east into a massive volcano; the Queen of Ice froze the northern creature in a mountain cave so cold that only those born of magic could endure it; and the fourth creature was lost to the southern forests, its location known only by the Queen of Nature. The Queens agreed that they must cease their senseless violence, knowing it would only give new life to the four wretched creatures. (They need a group name…The Ruinous?) A truce was called, symbolized by a neutral meeting place being built on the grounds where the creatures were slain—the Hall of Ether, a place filled with magic that made violence within its walls totally impossible. The Queens began to rebuild the world, and the creatures passed into legend.
     
    Now, a concern of mine here is that, if these super evil creatures are around, I feel like there will be an expectation that they’ll all be revived or something for the plot/climax. And, I don’t want them to totally override the plot, though they’ll probably become relevant somehow. Plus the abomination-sounding names I’m coming up with at the moment might be a little too silly. (Norsklantal, Sojethalat, Esvayila, Wezgyan…it’s hard coming up with something that has few/no Google results…)
     
    I am starting to like the sound of “The Ruinous”, though…
  2. Pahrak Model ZX
    Now that the English dub of Dragon Ball Super is getting into the Tournament of Power arc I can’t help but feel it’s only a matter of time before people renew their complaints about new characters Caulifla and Kale. These two are new Saiyans introduced to serve as opponents in said tournament, and are the first female Super Saiyans shown in the series main canon. (Prior there were a handful of games that offered female Saiyan player avatars who could achieve the form, but that’s it.) They quickly became somewhat divisive additions, and of course, many of those who despise them go around calling them Mary Sues. This is something that annoys me.
     
    Dragon Ball has never and will never be a literary masterpiece—there’s plenty of bad writing and I won’t try to tell you otherwise. And though I like these characters, I can see (and in some cases maybe even agree with) some of the issues people have with them. Criticism is healthy. But calling a character a Mary Sue isn’t criticism, it’s just dismissive, and always inconsistent. What one person considers a Mary Sue is different from what the next person considers a Mary Sue, and more than that, the same person can point out a “Mary Sue trait” in one character and totally ignore its presence in another. People rattling off reasons why Caulifla’s a Sue don’t seem to realize she actually has a lot in common with the main character, Goku, and saying that Kale is only ever written poorly when she has one of the most realistic character arcs in the franchise (unlike her predecessor Broly, who is now infamous for his stupidly petty motivations) just isn’t true. But okay, if we’re going to use reasons x, y, and z to define a character as a Mary Sue, do you know what Dragon Ball character fits the ever-changing mold surprisingly well?
     
    Future Trunks.
     
    Easily one of the most popular characters in the franchise, yes, but let’s review:
    -Showed up literally out of nowhere after the Frieza Saga
    -Immediately and effortlessly transforms into a Super Saiyan, mere chapters after the form had been introduced, and that was after immense build-up, thinking there could only be one (and that it was main character Goku), and seeing Goku go through a lot of anguish to achieve it
    -Kills Frieza, the biggest, baddest villain in the series at that point, who main character Goku took forever to beat, by either one-shotting him (in the manga) or toying with him in a curb-stomp battle (in the anime)
    -Then proceeds to effortlessly kill Frieza’s father, who was stated to be somewhere near Frieza’s level
    -Gets to spar with main character Goku for a bit
    -Reveals he is the son of Vegeta, another exceptionally popular character, and Bulma, a long-time staple who at this point has little interaction with and no visible interest in Vegeta
    -He came from the future, because only time travel makes that parentage work
    -In the future he was trained by the son of main character Goku
    -Said future is basically an apocalyptic wasteland
    -Later on he gets a unique transformation that makes him exceptionally more powerful (even if it does turn out to be functionally useless)
    -Gets temporarily killed in the final battle with Cell to spark very sudden character development in popular character Vegeta, and then is immediately revived
    -Gets an entire episode at the end of the Cell Saga dedicated to going back to the future and effortlessly defeating his timeline’s incarnation of the saga’s three major villains
    -Also he carries a sword he rarely uses in a series that typically doesn’t use weapons (swords are cool)
     
    Now if you were reading a fanfic and saw a character like that, what would you think? And that’s all just in Z: Trunks is made a main character in GT and Future Trunks is brought back in Super solely because of this character’s popularity, and that’s not even scratching the surface of how central he is to dedicated fanservice games like Xenoverse and Heroes. He’s so popular he can be shoehorned into anything and people rarely complain. He ticks so many boxes common on Mary Sue trait lists, and…nobody notices? How weird is that?
     
    And just to be a complete hypocrite: I also like Future Trunks. It’s almost like even a character with tons of “Mary Sue traits” can still be entertaining depending on how they’re handled, and that calling a character a Mary Sue means nothing other than “I don’t like this character and choose to blame the writer and insult anyone who thinks differently.” Imagine that.
     
    I still can’t really figure out why people are perfectly fine with Future Trunks but have such huge problems with Caulifla and Kale. Huh, though now that I think about, out of those three Trunks is the only one that’s a guy…nah, that couldn’t possibly be it, right?
  3. Pahrak Model ZX
    You thought RoboRiders Mafia was a bad idea, get a load of this.
     
    Glinch Festival
     
    Every player gets assigned one of four species from Galidor, and then each round they target another player and say which of their limbs they want to swap. So Player A can target Player B’s Left Arm, and boom, they switch Left Arms. The goal is to end up with one limb from every species.
     
    Plus maybe one or two Royals inserted who are wild cards, one of their limbs can be counted as any other species you need.
     
    Not sure if the game would end when one player does this or each player “wins” when they do or if we have a deadline and see how many players can achieve this by the end of the game (or how many times/how long it lasts).
     
    Probably no point in doing this. Though if what I glimpse in the BZP Tweets sidebar is any indication, ironically liking Galidor might be cool right now.
  5. Pahrak Model ZX
    You know, when the strict rule-following kid says they did something not all that bad like it was the thrill of their life? WELL
     
    I work in a grocery store, in the deli department. We need two carts each night to complete our closing procedures and store everything in the freezer so it doesn’t go bad and stuff, but the workers in the store’s restaurant likes to steal our carts from us and leave us stacking chickens on tinier carts and hoping they don’t topple off. I didn’t close tonight, but I was there late enough that my co-workers were starting closing procedures; we had one cart up front at the counter, and the other I had cleaned and left along the wall near the hallway. We got a little busy, and by the time we turned around the cart I had cleaned was gone. Meaning, someone from the restaurant came to the deli counter, saw a cart with a bright pink label that reads “Deli”, and thought the deli didn’t need it and they would just take it.
     
    HMMMM.
     
    Well, one of my co-workers decided she’d had enough. She borrowed a (semi-grimy) cart from our neighbors in the produce department (who had already gone home for the night), and she and I went back to the freezer and transferred all the stuff they’d put on our cart onto the produce cart. I re-cleaned our cart, handed it off to a co-worker, and she stocked it with our olives and put it back in the cooler before anyone even noticed.
     
    The joke alluded to in the title is that I have honestly never felt so ALIVE. I should have stolen stuff years ago!
     
    Now to take my skills to the next level…I’m going to steal a fork! No one can stop me now!!
  6. Pahrak Model ZX
    I'm probably getting booed off stage for that title huh
     
    Bravely Second is releasing in Japan this winter! I haven’t really said anything about the information we’ve gotten thus far, so this seems like a good time to catch up. Oh, yeah, this probably will have Bravely Default spoilers.
     
    World! So we’ll be back in Luxendarc, but there will be new areas. Sounds good—should provide a nice blend between familiar and new. It’ll be interesting to see how all the countries have progressed. Ancheim did have its king killed, so I’m wondering if they got a new one, or if they reworked their government, or…what. I’m also hoping that all that lava around Hartschild got cleared out so that we’ll be able to walk into the Fire Temple without trekking through mines and secret tunnels every single time. As for new areas, since Magnolia is apparently from the moon, I should hope we get to visit and see rabbits everywhere, though I guess we’ll have to wait to hear about that.
     
    Characters! Well, we don’t really know a whole lot about Magnolia yet, so I don’t know if I can really form an opinion. She seems like she’ll be an interesting character, though. Speaking of which, if we’re bringing Tiz back, I seriously hope he gets some more development. I can kind of understand why he’s presented in such a generic fashion after making sense of the ending, but it’s still sort of disappointing. (Course, since Bravely Default has the same writer as Steins;Gate I’m probably comparing him to Kyouma and that’s not even fair.) Agnes! Agnes is the pope! Pope Agnes, everybody! She’s reformed the Orthodoxy and led the world and…got…captured…? What? What about the 24 Jobs she mastered and used to defeat the ultimate evil and save every world? With that much power, shouldn’t she be able to beat up anyone who tries to capture her?? This makes me nervous about what else this new writer might put in, but eh, we’ll see…hopefully she’ll join the party again and kick some more butt. They’re the only ones who are confirmed, I guess; I really hope we get to see Edea again, and that she’s in charge of Eternia and is even more awesome and everything. As for Ringabel…well, I’m curious to know what exactly happens to him, since the ending didn’t make it clear, but unless he gets those annoying traits under control I don’t exactly want him to be major. Party of Magnolia, Agnes, Edea, and (more interesting) Tiz, please!
     
    Jobs! We’ve been told the game will have both new and returning Jobs, and we’ve seen some of Magnolia’s outfits. What have we got confirmed…Red Mage, Time Mage, Performer, and Valkyrie. If Red Mage is here, I can only imagine that White and Black Mage will come back as well, and obviously Freelancer will be here. I believe somebody counted the number of dots on the Job Select screen in the trailer and said we’ll have 30 Jobs? Assuming all of the old Jobs are returning (which they might not), that means we’ll be getting at least 6 new Jobs! Maybe more, if some of the old Jobs are removed. I got sort of attached to most if not all of the old Jobs, so I sort of want to see them all back. Probably too soon to start guessing new Jobs, but I did see Magnolia using guns in one of the trailers, and apparently Gunner is a Job in the (Japan-exclusive) Bravely Default social game…hmhmhmhm. Turns out that social game also has Mystic and Sage (and Warrior, but that’s too basic to really pay attention to IMO); I don’t really know what to say about Mystic, but if Sage is the same as it is in most Final Fantasy titles, I definitely want that in Bravely Second. It could very easily be used as a Red Mage-augmenting Job, similar to how Spiritmaster and Arcanist work for White Mage and Black Mage. Then again…that means we’ll have to fight a Sage…oh. Which reminds me, I think it was said that the Asterisk holders would be returning? But…most of them died? So unless there’s some new kind of time-wimey nonsense or we’re pulling characters from other worlds, they probably mean we’ll be getting new Asterisk holders, just that the idea of fighting the holders to get Jobs will be returning, right? Because there are several of those original Asterisk holders who I was very glad to kill off. I mean, some were cool, yeah, but some of those fiends need to just stay dead. Oh, and Summons! Will the old Summons return? If so, will they have different animations/effects? Will there be new Summons?! I really like the style of Bravely Default’s Summons, so I’d like to see them make some new cool ones too.
     
    I wonder if we’ll get something similar to Rebuilding Norende? Or if Airy’s sister will be explained? Or if Bravely Second (the gameplay mechanic, that is) will be better explained/more related to the plot since this game is named after it? There’s a lot we won’t know until it’s released, I guess. Must resist spoilers and await the NA release…!! Maybe late 2015? Dang, it’s not even September and the Games to Buy in 2015 (and Beyond) list is already starting. (Well, if “Beyond” is included, then I guess that already started last summer…)
     
    Well, here’s hoping it’s good. While dropping Bravely from my Series to Buy list would certainly free up some more cash, it’d be very sad after how much I enjoyed Bravely Default…
  8. Pahrak Model ZX
    "Huh, you made it past the Elite Four after all? That's actually rather impressive. But your challenge ends here. As Champion of the Akihabara Region, I, Makise Kurisu, shall show you what true power is!"
     

     
    ...I don't know, I just wanted to take a picture of some of my new Pokemon figs (plus some old ones) and still like the idea of Pokemon Trainer Christina.
     
    BTW the Elite Four would totally be Kyouma, Suzuha, Ruka, and Mayushii, feel free to give them whatever Pokemon you like.
  9. Pahrak Model ZX
    Figured I may as well round up and share all the new Pokémon info that has been revealed. Again, source may not be allowed on BZP. I’ll do my best to list everything, though I may miss a few details. Let’s see now…
     
    -You can now move diagonally. I REPEAT: YOU CAN MOVE DIAGONALLY IN POKÉMON X AND Y. Need I say more?
     
    -Also you can sit on benches! The camera will then shift to show a better view of the area, with the trailer showcasing a nice little fountain.
     
    -It appears that every trainer you encounter will now have VS artwork. Shown is artwork for the “Lass” Trainer Class, saying “You are challenged by Lass Anna!”
     
    -There will be a limited level of character customization! It appears there are three sets of hair color and skin tone combinations that you can select, and we have been promised that new clothing and accessories will be made available as you progress through the game.
     
    -The new region, which is confirmed to be inspired by France, is named “Kalos”. At the dead center of the region is Lumiose City, which, of course, has an Eiffel Tower duplicate. The official region map was revealed, so I’d recommend searching for it—can’t be too hard to find. Like Gen V, routes begin back at Route 1.
     
    - The Pokedex, which resembles a tablet, is divided into three areas: Coastal Kalos, Central Kalos, and Mountain Kalos. They are respectively color-coded blue, white, and red so that the mini-diagram of the region resembles the French flag. It looks like Marill and Zigzagoon will be in the Kalos Pokedex.
     
    -Four new Pokémon were revealed: Pancham, a Fighting type panda; Fletchling, a Normal/Flying type Japanese robin (and likely the Pidgey of this Generation); Helioptile, an Electric-type lizard; and Gogoat, a Grass type goat.
     
    -Pancham displays a new move named “Parting Shot,” which lowers the opponent’s stats and lets Pancham switch out. Helioptile uses “Parabolic Charge,” which does damage and heals the user. Also, it appears that you can actually ride Gogoat, although this may be limited to Lumiose City.
     
    -The character limit on names seems to be extended.
     
    -Boxart was also revealed—it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.
     
    -There are also screenshots showing the movesets of the three starters at Level 5 (Chespin and Fennekin), Level 8 (Chespin and Froakie), and Level 11 (Fennekin).
     
    -This may not be new, but it looks like rollerblades will be available in the game.
     
    -Also, official artwork was released for the two player characters. They both have some sort of black cuff on their wrist, which may be this Generation’s equivalent to Pokegear/Xtranceiver/etc.
     
    -A little off-topic, but another Pokémon-themed 3DS LL has been announced for Japan, this one featuring an Eevee color scheme. Personally, I don’t care for it, since it’s just an awkward striped pattern, although there is an image of Eevee on the back of the console.
  10. Pahrak Model ZX
    So Technic Tournament 3 & Knuckles should be good to go, and I guess I'm just about ready to host it.
     
    I'll make another post with the official date once I pick it, but for now, does first week of February sound like a good time to shoot for?
  11. Pahrak Model ZX

    I'll Cry Kongroo

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    Recently a reshowing of the Steins;Gate anime has been streaming online as a lead-up to Steins;Gate 0, and included as part of that was a new version of Episode 23 with an alternate ending! The episode is mostly the same, but when Kyouma and Suzuha come back after their attempt to save Kurisu, it diverges and shows what occurred on the beta worldline that Steins;Gate 0 will take place in, and after the credits there's a brief teaser for the 0 anime! English subs are now available, so, of course, I had to watch it.
     
    Given what we already know about 0, what happens isn't really a shock, but I'll put in spoilers just in case.
     
     
     
     
    The visual novel releases in Japan really soon, and there hasn't been any word yet on when the anime adaptation will air. If they're airing this episode, though, I hope it means they'll start it soon. The next anime season starts in January, right?
     
    I'm excited and kind of destroyed right now. Later I'll probably rewatch the whole of Episode 23 but switch over to this ending and see if I can survive that,
  12. Pahrak Model ZX
    So in case you didn't know, 2016 is Pokemon's 20th anniversary.
     
    Turns out one of the things they're doing to celebrate is, throughout the year, have official distributions for every Mythical Pokemon from Gens I through V.
     
    That's Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Keldeo, Genesect, and Meloetta.
     
    (And of course Volcanion's probably going to be distributed this year too.)
     
    So yeah. Get your Pokedexes ready.
     
    721 HERE WE COME!
  13. Pahrak Model ZX

    Ask a Bohrok

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    I like to join in popular trends sometimes
     
    So feel free to ask me questions if you want
     
    That also applies to after this entry falls onto that mythical second page no one’s ever read, feel free to ask me weird stuff using whatever channels you like, I can make myself approachable probably
     
    But don’t ask me to choose between things because I’m super indecisive okay
  14. Pahrak Model ZX
    This is a wierd idea I thought of the other night. For this “challenge,” you must decide on a set team of six Pokemon to use through the game with types corresponding to the Bohrok, with the Bohrok names being used as the Pokemon’s nicknames.
     
    Tahnok: Fire
    Pahrak: Rock
    Nuhvok: Ground
    Kohrak: Ice
    Lehvak: Poison
    Gahlok: Water
     
    The Pokemon can have secondary types, but their secondary types cannot be the primary type of another Bohrok Pokemon. Secondary types can overlap. You may catch other Pokemon for Pokdex, trading, HM Slave, or catching purposes, but you cannot use them for any major battles. Bohrok Pokemon can have moves of any type, but must have at least one move of their primary type. If a Pokemon evolves into a Pokemon with a primary type, or if it currently has the primary type of another Bohrok but loses that type through evolution, you can use it as a Bohrok so long as you evolve it.
     
    Other possible additions could be:
    -using a female player character named after one of the Bahrag
    -catching one or two Dragon Pokemon and naming them after the Bahrag; these Pokemon can be used in major battles so long as you keep the levels of all Bohrok Pokemon from falling behind
    -naming non-Bohrok Pokemon (such as HM Slaves) after Krana or Bohrok Va
    -not missing a single trainer (“Clean it all.”)
    -anything else you may want to throw in
  15. Pahrak Model ZX
    At the dawn of time, the mortal world was brought into being, shaped by the Eight Gods of the Elements—the Slizers. Scuba, the Water Slizer, covered the planet in water to soothe and sustain all mortal life. Granite, the Rock Slizer, created the land for mortals to live safely on. Torch, the Fire Slizer, gave mortals fire to keep themselves warm and to destroy that which stood in their way. Ski, the Ice Slizer, provided ice to keep Torch’s flame in check, bringing the world into greater balance. Turbo, the Metal Slizer, filled the earth with valuable ore and taught mortals how to forge it into weapons, armor, and building material. Amazon, the Jungle Slizer, gave mortals plants they could use for food, shelter, and healing. Electro, the Lightning Slizer, taught mortals to harness the raw power of electricity. And Jet, the Sun Slizer, hung the sun, moon, and stars to help all life in the mortal world to grow.
     
    Mortals lived happily in their world, while the Slizers watched from the City of Legends where the gods reside. But soon, violence broke out amongst mortals, and the mortal world sank into anarchy. To restore order, the Slizers selected leaders for each Tribe, granting them a piece of their Elemental Power and naming them Coronets. The Coronets brought peace to the world, and impressed the Slizers with their ability to control the Elements. To further observe this, and to teach mortals greater respect for the Elements, they created Riders to live in symbiosis with mortals, governing the Elements and granting their power to those they deemed worthy—transforming villager into Toa. The Riders were also given the task of gathering up the souls of mortals who had died and bringing them to the City of Legends, either to work under the oversight of the gods, or to be turned over to Karzahni for punishment for their wicked deeds.
     
    This is the world of Olkir.
     
    The Water Tribe does not have an island to call home, for the endless ocean that covers the world is their domain. As such, they handle a great deal of trade and transport for the Islands, and are well-liked everywhere for how honorably they uphold these duties. Some of their most famed ships are the Gali, home of the Water Coronet, and the Lhikan II, named in honor of a Toa of Fire who helped the Water Tribe slay the Shark Demon Pridak long ago. However, there are a few crews who have broken off from the Tribe and roam the sea as pirates; the worst among these is the Irnakk, an ancient vessel whose crew has harnessed dark magic to torment the people of the world with nightmares from the relative safety of their decrepit barge. Toa of Water are the most common of all Toa, valued highly for their ability to insure safe passage for vessels with important cargo and passengers.
     
    The Island of Fire is somewhat isolated from other islands, and purely by choice. The Fire Tribe is an arrogant bunch who believe they have little if anything to gain from fraternizing with the other Tribes, trading only when necessary, and traveling only when they go in search of challenge. They were the first Tribe to discover minerals infused with Elemental Power, and after learning how to forge weapons made from volcanore, they began to slowly refine a martial arts style now renowned worldwide as the School of the Blazing Soul, or Kardata. Most Fire Tribe villagers seen in other parts of the world are practitioners of this style who are seeking to test their skills against foreign warriors. While hotheaded and drawn to violence, students of the School are taught astounding discipline and have learned to control these volatile emotions remarkably well, so they are well tolerated in most places. There are rumors of a Kardata Master who once tried to overthrow the Fire Coronet, but the Tribe refuses to verify them. At best, they have assured that if such a thing did happen, they would have been sure to purge that dishonor before it spread to the outside world.
     
    Those of the Island of Ice can be equally abrasive as their fiery kin, thinking themselves the pinnacle of mortal wisdom, but they are open enough to share that wisdom with nearly anyone. Due to the culture’s obsession with knowledge and understanding, Ice villagers are quite frequently selected to fulfill the role of the Priest of Time. Despite the Island’s harsh climate and the reclusiveness of the Ice Tribe, this land does see quite a bit of traffic, with people from all Islands coming to investigate the Great Library in which the Ice Coronet lives. The laboratories on the Island of Ice have produced a great deal of technology that has helped many people, though lately they have taken on some more controversial projects such as attempting to synthesize the same living metal that villagers’ bodies are made of. After enough people bothered them about it, the scientists have mostly backed off of these projects in order to earn more peace and quiet. Though, there is talk that even worse projects still continue quietly, and that the Ice Tribe is seeking some sort of forbidden knowledge that the public eye would most certainly disapprove of. The Ice Tribe firmly insists this is not the case.
     
    The Island of Metal was once the most feared Island of all. As of late, it has become the most loved. Since all villagers are made of metal, the idea of Toa who could control the substance was a source of great horror to many, leading to a general sense of wariness when dealing with this Island. Eventually, pressure was put on them to sign an agreement stating that the Metal Coronet would at no time prompt the creation of nor tolerate the existence of any Toa of Metal, and from that point on the wariness began to slowly subside. The Rider of Metal, deprived of their connection to the people, has grown weaker as time has gone on, and a great number of ghosts now roam the Island of Metal—whether these are the result of the Rider’s power waning or a spiteful refusal of their duty is a topic that is debated intensely. Recently, however, a villager named Makuro presented something spectacular: wanting to give the Island protectors to replace the absent Toa, he had devised the most ingenious artificial robot design the world had ever seen, automata who could think for themselves and fight off anything that could threaten the peace of the Metal Tribe. These automata, Hagah, were so good at what they did that other Islands began to request units. As production increased, Makuro built a great factory to better accommodate the process, and watched over his business with great care until his eventual passing. Now, two generations later, the Hagah have become a commonplace sight on every Island, greatly reducing the need for Toa. It is perhaps no coincidence that now, ghosts are also a much more common sight on every Island.
     
    The Island of Jungle is a land of paradox, more colloquially referred to as “the Island of Life and Death”. Nature reigns supreme on this Island, making it home to countless species of flora that exist nowhere else in the world, and the Jungle Tribe has learned all there is to know about each and every one of them. One of the outcomes of this is that the Island of Jungle is home to the greatest of all physicians, unparalleled healers who utilize herbal medicines that work what most consider miracles, thus granting the Island its claim to Life. Its claim to Death, however, comes from its other industry: many of the plants found here can also be made into lethal poisons, and those who have learned how to concoct these brews have trained to use them and other techniques to become expert assassins feared across the globe as the Umarak Clan. Those who seek to hire the assassins of the Jungle Tribe are usually able to find them, but those who wish them harm—including even the Jungle Coronet—have rarely had any success. Luckily, this shadow has done nothing to impact the use of the Island’s healers, and the Water Tribe has gifted them a special ship named the Ignika to make it easier for doctors and patients to be ferried back and forth.
     
    The Lightning Tribe is generally a friendly bunch, even if their impulsive natures can make them difficult to predict. Thankfully, the Lightning Coronets have consistently been those who have grown out of that wild nature, preventing the Island from doing anything too out of the ordinary. The Island of Lightning is also famed for its Morcian Swords, named after the town of Morcia where they are forged from ionalloy to grant their signature ability of hurling lightning bolts from their tips. Throughout all of recorded history, terrible storms have plagued the Island and caused great devastation. To their credit, this has done little to discourage the Lightning Tribe, and they have taken on a very defiant attitude when it comes to facing the will of nature, though this attitude is thought to have a hand in the relative rarity of Lightning Toa. Recently the Tribe has begun developing weather control technology (with some assistance from other Tribes), and the results are beginning to show real promise.
     
    Though the Rock Tribe is blessed with great physical prowess, they are some of the kindest souls in this world, and have long enjoyed favorable relations with all Tribes. Matching their pacifistic nature, the weapon they are most known for are their Skrall Shields—they prioritize defense and will always seek to solve things peacefully, fighting back only when absolutely necessary. Since no one has any quarrels with them, seeing them actually fight is quite rare. The only notable time the Island of Rock came under attack was during the rampage of Shark Demon Pridak, when the monster bit a chunk out of the Island’s coastline. While this wound, now named the Shark Gulf, went mostly ignored for some time, recently the Rock Coronet has posted guards in the hopes of catching a deranged cult who uses it to pay tribute to the slain demon. While there has been some concern over this development, the people of the world still love the Rock Tribe and welcome them with open arms…or at least, they would if the Rock Tribe wasn’t terrified of crossing the ocean.
     
    Finally, there is the Island of Sun, a seat of great power that has now inherited the fear shed by the Metal Tribe. The Element of Sun naturally gives those who wield it power over sunlight, but they are not left defenseless at night: they also possess the ability to bend moonlight and starlight, which are less powerful but have more versatile uses. Because of this, the Sun Tribe has always been considered one of the strongest powers in the world, and was treated with great respect for wielding such a tremendous Element. This all changed a decade ago, during the last Day of Foresight. When Krakua appeared to tell of the future, he spoke of a time when an endless eclipse would darken the sky, and of a Sun Coronet who would use it to amplify their power and rain devastation upon the world. No longer was the Island of Sun held in such high regard. While the Sun Coronet assured all that the prophecy would not come to pass, the other Islands could only distrust them, building up their militaries to prepare for this prophesied eclipse. Some Tribes have even taken aggressive action against the Island of Sun, including a Kardata user killing the only Sun Toa and threatening that worse would happen were they to create more. Even the Island of Metal has become hesitant to send Hagah to the Island. The Sun Coronet has done all they can to remain non-threatening, but the atmosphere has grown very tense on their Island. The Ice Tribe has studied the sky and predicted when the next eclipse will occur, and the world waits anxiously to see if it will pass without incident.
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    I made it through Chapter 3 in Bravely Default. It wasn't easy. Still, quite an interesting piece of the story--don't want to reveal too much, but between Tiz's mental state showing signs of deterioration and Edea coming face-to-face with her former master, needless to say it drew me in quite effectively. I'm starting Chapter 4 now, but I'm still doing terribly, so I've resorted to grinding to gain levels and Job Levels. Also, something interesting that struck me, but it's spoilers for Chapters 3 and 4!
     
     
     
     
    This isn't really a spoiler, but I actually sat down and read through the Enigmatic Writings in D's Journal finally. I think I have a theory of who wrote it, and possibly who Ringabel may actually be...
     
    Also I finally got the pun in Edea's name after seeing that both her parents have pun names. I like her even more now!
     
    So, Job Report:
    -Agnes: Currently White Mage Lv 10 with Singing; other Jobs include Freelancer Lv 5, Time Mage Lv 9, Summoner Lv 9, Salve-Maker Lv 9, Performer Lv 9
    -Tiz: Currently Salve-Maker Lv 6 with Summoning; other Jobs include Freelancer Lv 2, Monk Lv 2, Black Mage Lv 9, Thief Lv 9, Merchant Lv 9, Time Mage Lv 9, Summoner Lv 9, Red Mage Lv 9
    -Ringabel: Currently Spell Fencer Lv 3 with Hunting; other Jobs include Monk Lv 9, Knight Lv 9, Thief Lv 9, Ranger Lv 9, Valkyrie Lv 9, Pirate Lv 3, Ninja Lv 9
    -Edea: Currently White Mage Lv 7 with Sword Magic; other Jobs include Freelancer Lv 2, Knight Lv 9, Spell Fencer Lv 9, Valkyrie Lv 9, Red Mage Lv 9, Pirate Lv 9, Swordmaster Lv 9
     
    I think I may keep grinding until Agnes learns White Magic Lv 5, since I kinda really need that...but that could take awhile. Everyone is Level 51 (except for Ringabel, who dies the most and is stuck at 50), but I'm not sure if that's good or bad at this point in the game.
     
    As for Norende, using my previous tactics and adding in the fact that I spent today driving up to a small anime convention where I gained 20 more villagers, I actually completed reconstruction as I was typing this entry! I was kinda hoping I would get a special thing, or at the very least a message box telling me I'm done, but oh well. It's still neat.
     
    I'm beginning spring break now, so hopefully I can clear Bravely Default before the Steins;Gate visual novel releases at the end of the month. That's going to take most of my attention then. For now, I'm jut going to grind like heck until I get impatient and try moving on.
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    Do you ever wonder what it would be like to experience so-called “late arrival spoilers” for the first time?
     
    Like, how you might have felt if you had seen the Doctor’s first regeneration? Or the first time Goku went Super Saiyan, and when all the higher levels were discovered? Or how about finding out that Darth Vader was Luke’s father?
     
    They’re all presented with such shock and drama, but I know there’s no point in putting them in spoiler tags now because people know these things even if they don’t follow Doctor Who or DBZ or Star Wars. I mean, they’re still great and we can still enjoy them, but sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on a part of the experience.
     
    I can remember being surprised and excited pretty much whenever Bionicle made a new reveal, so I guess I want to recapture those feelings if I can. Unfortunately, I’ve become quite bad about getting spoilers for things beforehand, even aside from the ones that have filtered into pop culture. Still, when I am able to exert a little self-control, I do feel like I’m enjoying things more—I think that’s why I got so much enjoyment out of Kingdom Hearts 3D and Steins;Gate, since I only knew a few spoilers heading in and was surprised by a lot of what they did. Since those three series I mentioned at the start are still going on, I guess I have the potential to be surprised by new things they do, though there’s still that sense that I missed out. (Plus if how the forms revealed in the latest movies are anything to go by, Dragon Ball Super is going to spoil itself in magazines before getting to actually show its new stuff.)
     
    Oh well, I guess it’s sort of inevitable. Not to mention a lot of the things I follow come out in Japan first and I have to battle the urge to find out what happened for a few months if I want to get the full experience (barring quick subs). This is just a lingering thought I felt like typing up while watching DBZ Kai.
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    has been released for the next Pokemon movie. What we’ve seen previously implied this was a retelling of the first season, showing OG Ash and a Pikachu who doesn’t like him and Ho-Oh being there, but now *echoing voice* IN HD!! */echoing voice* 
    This trailer shows that it’s not that at all.
     
    It starts out the same, but apparently after seeing Ho-Oh, Ash meets up with some entirely new characters with Pokemon from other regions who also have Rainbow Wings from Ho-Oh, and in a surprisingly soon reveal, the 802nd Pokemon Marshadow appears to guide them to the mountain where Ho-Oh lives. Serebii’s translations mention becoming “Heroes of the Rainbow” and Ash and Pikachu learning to become partners to defeat some powerful opponent. Also there’s a shot of an old man with a hat that looks suspiciously similar to the one Red wears. Yes, that Red.
     
    So…huh.
     
    My first reaction was “How can you go for a nostalgia cash-in while taking away virtually all the stuff people are nostalgic for?” Then I remembered one of my initial complaints was that “Movies that retell arcs are boring” and realized I actually like this development. I probably shouldn’t get my hopes too high, but there’s a chance for a rather interesting story here, and I’m looking forward to seeing if it delivers.
     
    But since this is giving us the Pikachu with the hat and Marshadow, that means we’ve already hit the bottom of the Gen VII event Pokemon well…which has me…worried…
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    Hm, I have these projects that I should be working on, things people are actually waiting for me to make progress on.
     
    But what if, instead of doing those, I think up a completely new idea!
     
    …I swore I was going to get more writing done yesterday, and instead I get the bright idea to do a massive crossover story and fixate on the brainstorming process until 2 AM. So now I have to share what I’ve got, partially to see if anyone’s interested and partially to publicly shame myself for it.
     
    Okay, so there were a bunch of series I thought about mashing together to see what happened, but I’m not so good with lots of characters so I narrowed it down to seven universes, which is still a lot but I have an excuse reason. The ones I’ve settled on are The Legend of Korra, Bionicle, Dragon Ball Z/Super, Kingdom Hearts, Mega Man Star Force, Steven Universe, and The World Ends With You. My plot idea at the moment is that Cell and Xemnas cross paths and go to search out multidimensional Dragon Balls (one for each of the seven universes), and as this goes on, Neku, Steven, Korra, (G1) Pohatu, and Geo band together to stop them.
     
    Like I said, publicly shaming myself.
     
    It got worse when I started thinking about who Neku would have to form a pact with and who may or may not get a Keyblade, this is such a terrible idea and I am trash and I want it to happen.
     
    But now that that’s done, I’m going to try to shut up and do some actual work before leaving for work.
     
    …That sounds a little odd, doesn’t it?
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    As the end of the year approached I felt that dreadful question of "What have I accomplished in 2018?" hanging over my head. Not exactly unusual, but unexpectedly, when I thought a bit more about it I discovered that I've actually done a bit.
     
    When it comes to writing:
    -Right of Law was started in March and already has 59k words
    -Red Joker has surpassed the length of its predecessor to reach 118k, with only roughly a third of that being knocked out in late 2017
    -I took a Mega Man ZX fic from one chapter to 29k words
    -I scribbled down two DBZ oneshots of 1-2k
    -I even attempted to start a novel, even if I only got 3-4k into it
     
    And while I wish I had more significant milestones and complete products to look at, I did the math and it turns out I wrote about 169,819 words this year. You know, give or take. Looking at that number, it seems kind of incredible that I was able to do that much.
     
    There are other things to consider, too: I tried a few new things, even though they didn't all work out, and I feel like I've been able to make some personal progress over the course of the last year. Sure I wish it could be more, but it is some. I also bought a Switch and a bunch of great games for it, meaning I enjoyed myself a bit more and making that word count look even more impressive knowing how much distraction was available to me.
     
    I've been pessimistic about holidays for a few years now, and when it comes to New Year's that means pointing out that it's an entirely arbitrary "endpoint" and that just buying a new calendar isn't really worth celebrating. I still think there's no reason to despair about not getting a certain amount done during a year or what have you. But I guess when you don't think about it in terms of quotas, and just reflect on what you've done and what you've learned and take what accomplishments you see for what they are...yeah. It isn't so hard to find something worth celebrating.
     
    Happy New Year.
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    HONOR

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    I’ve received a great one. Don’t tell Zuko.
     
    I have been promoted to Outstanding BZPower Citizen! I honestly never thought I’d earn this much proto, reclusive as I am, but it seems I’ve gotten a lot more mileage than I expected out of my Pokemon news blog posts and violent crossover games!
     
    Since I haven’t been keeping track of every increase I don’t know who each one came from, but I know Windrider’s given me at least two, so a big thank you to her! And thanks to everyone who participated in said blogging and games, I hope you all enjoyed the time you spent indulging me.
     
    Wait…does this make me a role model now? Yikes. Kids, let’s get one thing out of the way right now: do as I say, not as I do!
     
    Coincidentally, I recently realized that I’ve had this name since December 2014 and was thinking it was time to change it. And now I can abuse name changes more than ever. *rubs hands together in a vaguely sinister yet cheesy due to being cliché manner*
     
    Also for completion’s sake: I changed my blog title. Sinnoh forever.
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    I’ve been thinking on and off about a new concept for a game inspired by Steins;Gate. The idea was that the Great Beings have discovered a pocket dimension that is virtually identical to the main universe but is just starting out, and as time moves there they will send visions to certain individuals in an attempt to alter the sequence of events to see if they can accomplish a smoother reformation of Spherus Magna. My only idea for a title was “Crosswired;Gate”, but anyway.
     
    Figuring out how to set this up was difficult. What I’m thinking right now is that it’ll be a collaborative effort between players. There’ll be a “signup period” (48 hours?), but players will be able to join later if they want to. The player list will be necessary though—each round, a timeframe will be presented, and two players who are on the list will be randomly selected and asked to come up with a plan for what vision to send to whom in an attempt to alter how events proceed. The remaining players (including newcomers) will then vote on which plan they prefer, and these planners will be able to edit their plans using feedback from the other players, and when a certain amount of time has expired the voting will end and the winning plan will be implemented. I will then determine how the vision is received and how events proceed. Then we move on to the next round.
     
    At least a few fixed points will probably be necessary. The Great Spirit Robot will crash into Aqua Magna, the Kanohi Vahi will be forged, and Matoro will die—but the circumstances of these events could certainly be altered. Maybe more events should be fixed? I’m not sure.
     
    Well, really, I’m very unsure in general. The setup is still shaky, and this would be a tremendous workload. I’m also hesitant about a game which depends on my judgment to determine how it progresses. If someone disagrees with what consequences I think a vision will have, there won’t be much I can say in response, and I worry it could start to feel unfair to players. Maybe I could recruit a panel of judges? It would take longer to change rounds, though, since we’d all need to deliberate and then still write up the scene, plus I’m not sure it would be fair for the judges to actually participate in the game…
     
    I like the general idea enough to not just dismiss it, but I think it needs a lot of work before I consider building up the motivation to attempt it. So, if anyone has any thoughts, I would love to hear them!
  24. Pahrak Model ZX
    I finally posted a new chapter in Kako! Kako 45 is online--46 is written, and I meant to type it this week, but I got a little busy. I'll try to get it up soon.
     
    In related news, I also added a new Spirit to the Index who will become relevant in the coming chapters.
     
    Also, the Flash Fiction Marathon seems interesting! I'm going to try and enter as many as I can, though we'll have to see how that works out.
     
    Oh yeah, I need to pick new recruits for the Coliseum! Heading there now...
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    Technic Tournament 2: This Time It’s Personal! will open Thursday, November 12th!
     
    The reroll rule has been implemented, and I’ve also added an option for ending rounds early if all players can agree to do so. Last game it seemed players usually got their work done over the first few days of the round and the rest of the week we were dead, so I figured it might be best to have an option to speed up play. This won’t be available until round 2—again, players can join any time, but it gets harder and harder to catch up, so I at least want round 1 open for the full week.
     
    I've also decided that all Technic Tournament sequels will use bad sequel names rather than anything descriptive, because it's more fun that way.
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