Lia's BK tweets archive - 2021-04-28: Sheratan, Sedna, Mintaka

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:06 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

So, er. The Empire’s invaded Sheratan, a big laser’s broken a quarter of Hassaleh, and we’re currently in god-knows-where having murdered an innocent caterpillar that just wanted to nap in peace.
Onwards?

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:09 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Me, yesterday: “I bet Sagi’s gonna wake up before we get to that village and get some answers”
Me, today: CALLED IT

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:15 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Guillo with what feels like a somewhat self-aware comment on the plot so far

Milly: “What was that all about? It was far too vivid to have been just a dream.”

Guillo: “Consider it just one of a slew of mysteries we’re not likely to solve.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:42 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Valara’s ran out of batteries by, again, ZAPPING OFF A QUARTER OFF THE ISLAND, goes “my people need me”, and so ends the Imperial invasion. K.
Sagi goes splat again.

Valara: “Huh, I must’ve drained all the power.”

The mecha hovering straight up and off the screen.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:45 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Turns out everyone’s okay, and Milly stayed by Sagi’s side while he was out cold, yielding more snark from Guillo and yet another round of Girlfriend Jokes...

Gena: “The other villagers are fine, too. You had it worse than any of us.”

Guillo: “Mmm... Maybe there’s a shred of kindness somewhere in that black heart after all.”

Gena: “It’s a load off my mind to know that Sagi has such a strong young lady at his side.”

Milly: “W-wait a minute! It’s not like that! Really...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:46 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Speaking of girlfriend jokes: NO

Young child: “You’re sooo cool! Promise you’ll marry me when I get bigger!”

Sagi: “Sure. If you grow up to be my type.”

Milly: “Ha ha ha... Catching ‘em while they’re young?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:48 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

We go poke around the village. Overall people are fine but a bit shaken, which again is understandable when A QUARTER OF YOUR ISLAND JUST GOT BLOWN UP.

Villager 1: “Just what does the Empire plan to do with those awful weapons, blow the whole world up?”

Villager 2: “Seeing a chunk of the island lopped off like that has got to be the scariest moment of my life.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:50 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

As for the Imperial guest, he was nowhere to be found. Wonder if that’ll get resolved at some point, we didn’t find a corpse either.
Or... the dialog about a list of Malpercio’s afterlings mentioned people, soldiers. Did he turn into the lake monster, maybe?
DO NOT ANSWER THAT

Villager: “All of the villagers were found safe. None of the survivors were wearing imperial garb, though.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:54 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

This is genuinely interesting worldbuilding if you’re a dye nerd, because dyes from flowers are mostly fugitive, meaning they don’t take well and fade fast.
Indigo and woad, the most used natural blue dyes, are from leaves, never flowers. And getting a deep shade IS difficult.

Inspection text: “Sheets dyed with thornflowers cover this bed. They say it’s difficult to get this deep a color.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:07 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

After checking everything once more, it’s plan time. Sure, let’s go back to Alfard where we’re extremely wanted.
Second occurence of “prissy”, still gonna keep an eye out because sigh

Sagi: “I think we should go back to Alfard. We should see that Verus person.”

Guillo: “Verus knows more about what happened that night, if we’re to believe that prissy Geldoblame [...]”

Sagi: “Right. And then there’s that strange dream.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:09 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Another solid entry for Captain Obvious of the month from Sagi.
Milly’s also mostly cool with going back, conveniently.

Sagi: “There has to be some connection between the monsters we saw at Olgan’s place and the lake.”

Sagi: “Milly, would you be OK with going back?”

Milly: “Now that I’m finally free to see the outside world, I can’t say I’m exactly thrilled.”

Milly: “But that dream bothers me as much as it does you. I think we should go with your suggestion.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:12 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Seems that the Emperor’s funeral will be cover enough.
I have no idea what Guillo is trying to say here, wonder if that’s the loc dropping some meaning or if it’s just supposed to sound rude and mean nothing.

Guillo: “But how? They’ll be watching for us.”

Milly: “We don’t have to worry about that. Emperor Olgan’s funeral should already be in full swing.”

Milly: “It’s a major event open to the entire world. They won’t have time to worry about us with all the fuss.”

Guillo: “Awfully smug, aren’t we? At least a fantail in a fountain would give a quack.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:13 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

I don’t know whether I like or hate how much heavier-handed this is compared to EW when it comes to namedropping in-universe things. There’s a woman talking of a “bunnycat-nap”, for example.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:15 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Anyhow let’s go save before we go- WAIT WHAT

Sagi: “......?! One of our magnus is reacting to the flower!”

Sagi: “I think it’s the magnus we got from the Sandfeeder!”

Sagi standing in an empty field of grass with orange paths, all looking like it’s made out of play dough.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:18 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Wooookay?
Don’t mind me just gonna check the release date of Dark Cloud real quick

Girl: “This is Sedna, a long-forgotten stretch of earth that drifts through the Outer Dimension near Mira.”

Girl: “Nowadays the town doesn’t have much going for it except for the wide-open spaces...”

Girl: “but once upon a time it was a cozy little town full of friendly people.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:21 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

(2000, and 2002 for the sequel. Hm.)
Anyway GAME-LONG SIDEQUEST AHOY

Girl: “That is, until that puffed-up pip-squeak jerkface with a bad attitude showed up...”

Girl: “and [red text] turned the entire town into magnus [end red text]!”

Girl: “Now [red text] the magnus pieces of Sedna lis scattered [end red text] across the world, whereabouts unknown.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:23 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Simple enough. The particle effects are EXTREMELY EXTRA, with ribbons and all, because Mira why are you like this.
I bet they actually built this background out of play dough.
There’s nothing else to see here for now, back through the flower we go.

Maia: “If you release a Sedna magnus, whatever’s trapped inside will return to its original form.”

A bridge appearing out of thin air, surrounded by a golden halo and cartoon star.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:25 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

UI NITPICK TIME: this has a tendency to do multi-level menus a lot even when there are so few options it’s not justified!
Both of those could be directly from the flower menu.
Unless it goes to like 4 or 5 locations eventually, it’s just adding clicks.

Flower warp dialog. Options are “The Endmost Bethel”, “The Magnus Town of Sedna”, and “Never mind”.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:29 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

We get a bit of dialog, subtext about disruption and trauma being yanked up to text via Sagi, and off to the port we go.

Milly: “The island! Did the arma’s ray do all this damage?!”

Guillo: “A machina that can shear continents... Were I human, I’d be trembling.”

Sagi: “All of a sudden something I’ve taken for granted my entire life... is gone.”

Sagi: “I don’t know how to describe what that feels like.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:30 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

I do not think we’ll make it to Alfard, we’ll see how my fortune-telling powers by way of narrative literacy hold up

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:39 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Goodbyes are made, complete with taking Milly aside...

Sagi: “Sorry, Mom. I hate to leave so soon after coming home. I know I wasn’t much help.”

Gena: “I’ll defend our home. That’s what mothers do. You just go after your dreams. Don’t you look back.”

Gena: “Hold on. Milliarde, can I borrow you for a moment?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:41 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

In case the player hadn’t figured out that Milly’s kinda suspicious, Gena makes that REALLY CLEAR. Then goes on about Sagi being a bit of a loner and it being good that he’s got a new friend. Yay.

Gena: “There’s something you’re hiding, isn’t there?”

Gena: “It’s all right, you don’t have to tell me what it is. I know you’re not a bad girl.”

Gena: “Milliarde... if it’s OK, would you look after him for a while?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:44 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

I was INCORRECT, we do make it back to Mintaka, and Guillo proceeds to keep being an ass. Consistency in insults is good writing

The shark-ship leaving dock in Hassaleh.

Guillo: “You’ve had your fill of the outside world. It’s time to go home to mommy and daddy’s bomb shelter.”

Milly, looking pissed: “Hey, just a darned minute! Since when do you call the shots? I’m going with you.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:46 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Except that Milly’s a smartass, and correct, so she gets to stay.

Milly: “You’re going to see Quaestor Verus, aren’t you? I can take you there.”

Milly, looking pleased: “Unless, of course, the can opener already knows how to get there?”

Guillo, arms crossed: “Pah! I don’t care anymore! Sagi, you decide.”

Milly: “That settles it, then! The quaestor’s residence is west of Mintaka. Let’s go, Sagi!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:47 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

We might need to uninstall that cannibalism feature before it causes trouble

Guillo: “Pompous little wench! I’ll eat you yet!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:48 PM · Apr 27, 2021 Permalink

Next time: we go find the quaestor and maybe start getting something resembling answers? I sure won’t be holding my breath!