Lia's BK tweets archive - 2021-09-19: School of Magic, more electoral fraud, Holoholo Jungle, Opu

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:35 PM · Sep 18, 2021 Permalink

Today was getting the landmark stone and getting to Opu, except we got sidetracked aplenty, of course.
Let’s try and sum this up?

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:52 PM · Sep 18, 2021 Permalink

The head teacher wants us to get educated before we can get the landmark stone. FINE.
We can insult her about her age (“shrimp”) or be nice, but she doesn’t care either way.
She emphasizes that this is THE LAST STONE until a new headmaster is picked. I’m sure that won’t matter.

Sagi: “Excuse me, but I’d like to ask to borrow that [blue text] landmark stone [end blue text] if you don’t mind...”

Head Teacher: “But I can’t give it to an outsider. Come back when you’ve earned credits in [red text] Classics, Magic, and [...]”

Head Teacher: “[... red text cont] Chemistry [end red text].”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:56 PM · Sep 18, 2021 Permalink

For Classics, we need to bring a whole bunch of Fun Times Magnus so the teacher improves and stop putting the entire class to sleep. Each Magnus adds more students...

Boring Classics Professor: “If I want people to have [red text] fun [end red text] in class, I need to make class [red text] fun [end red text]. But how?”

Textbox: “Class is finally a little bit [red text] fun [end red text].”

Student: “All right, I see. This class isn’t boring, but it’s not exactly riveting, either.

Student: “Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh! I finally get it! This class is so useful.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:59 PM · Sep 18, 2021 Permalink

Note the changes to the name tag! I love that they play with those.
Eventually the entire class turns to a standing ovation and we get our credit.
Cash in those wholesomeness points because this game is about to need a LOT of them to make up for an upcoming crime.

Pretty Good Classics Professor: “I’m kind of amazing, huh? I can feel the intent stares of students while I’m lecturing.”

Student: “Mind blowing! Amazing! What artful teaching!!”

Capable Classic Professor: “Yes! You are all exactly correct! See what you can do when you try? I’m so proud of you all!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:03 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Chemistry is as simple as basic bribing. There’s a merchant in town that just... gives out rotten food for free, so this is just an errand.
Anuénué: Rainbow nation, rhymes with corruption

Chemistry Professor: “Oh, be quiet! Class is self-guides study! Always! What?! You want a Chemistry credit?”

Chemistry Professor: “Just because you want one, doesn’t mean I can just... I mean, I have my position to think of...”

Chemistry Professor: “Wonderful idea! Very well. If you bring me some [blue text] rotten food [end blue text], I’ll give you credit.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:05 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Remember Magic credit? Well, this time we get to play the minigame and answer a few more questions than we saw last time...

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:32 AM · Sep 14, 2021 Go

The School of Magic this time has an actual Magic class, except it’s... asking students lore questions that they have to answer in their heart otherwise they get teleported out and fail the class? What?
The battle music plays during this, too.

Magic Professor: “It’s time to begin our class. Will your answer to me in your heart. Get one wrong, and you’re out.”

Magic Professor: “You’re worse than a koa monkey if you give up your curiosity! Only those who survive will get credit!”

Magic Professor: “[red text] Question 4 [end red text] Who were the clan that sealed away the wicked god?”

Three students disappearing in a burst of light.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:07 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

They’re not exactly difficult questions, if you’ve talked to everyone.

Magic Professor, ending a previous sentence: “[...] ago?”
Dialog choice: “Shalmercipo”, “Malpensharo”, “Malpercio”

Magic Professor: “Congratulations. You made it through the test. You’ve earned credit for the class!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:09 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Back to the head teach- er sorry can you repeat that real quick

Head Teacher: “And concordantly, according to the testimony of people temporarily sent back in time to the age of the [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:11 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Oh well, nevermind, canonical known time travel isn’t a big deal after all.
We got our landmark stone and WE NEED TO BE REALLY CAREFUL.

Head Teacher: “Goodness! You’ve managed to acquire all three credits? I was mostly joking... What a surprise.”

Head Teacher: “Very well, a promise is a promise. You may have this [blue text] landmark stone [end blue text].”

Head Teacher: “Until the next headmaster is elected, this is the last one in existence. Take good care of it.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:14 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

In parallel, we accidentally join the Lefties by handing in a quest magnus when asked. The phrasing is so acutely cynical!

Staff Chief Razor: “All right! I knew you were an ally! Here’s a symbol of our bond!”

Textbox: “Obtained the valuable item [blue text] Traditional Cookie Pin [end blue text]!”

Staff Chief Razor: “Allies are friends, friends are staff. From today on, that makes you staff. Friends are forever, now get [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:17 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Go find the stray candidate who has EATEN THE WRONG COOKIES, how dares, and go lie to him.
This is alas not the last instance of boring heteronormative bullshit this session

Staff Chief Razor: “First things first, will you go find the Lefty candidate? If he doesn’t get that speech ready...”

Staff Chief Razor: “He’ll recognize the other staff members, though. He won’t suspect you. I guarantee it!”

Staff Chief Razor: “You just need to tell him we got a really good-looking woman to join the staff. I’m counting on you!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:21 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

The trick works but maybe it’d have been better to throw that candidate in the nearby river

Sagi: “Uhh... The election staff just recruited a really hot girl to help.”

Lefty Secretary: “I-I see... What a coincidence! I was just about to head back, myself.”

Lefty Secretary: “Ugh... And I don’t see any pretty girls. The old geezer got me again!”

Staff Chief Razor: “You gave the message to the Lefty candidate, right? Thank you, he came running back here.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:22 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

After that is the actual election task, which is gathering ballots for the party to use since anonymous proxies are allowed.
Definitely no corruption or abuse of the system no Ma’am The Queen.

Staff Chief Razor: “Well, now that you’re staff, I’ve got a job for you. Go gather as many [blue text] election ballots [end blue text] as you can.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:25 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

If we go see the Righties with the Lefty pin on, we get blocked off (image 1). Otherwise we get the same offer: show loyalty with a cookie, get a pin and a job (images 2-3).

Righty Staff Advisor: “Hey, that pin... you’re a Lefty! I’ve got nothing to say to you!”

Righty Staff Advisor: “Hmm? Haven’t see you around. You here to join the staff? If so, go eat some [blue text] original cookies [end blue text]”!

Righty Staff Advisor: “I thought so! Eager to join the Righties, huh? We do have the better benefits plan, after all.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:28 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

After some vaguely menacing words about friendship, we get the same mission: go gather election ballots.
Since this can’t resolve immediately, I’ll run with my save helping the Lefties and run experiments later.

Righty Staff Advisor: “Here, take this pin. Once it’s on, it stays on forever as an indelible symbol of friendship.”

Righty Staff Advisor: “Now that you’re one of us, you’ve got to get cracking! That’s what friends do, right?”

Righty Staff Advisor: “You know about [blue text] election ballots [end blue text], right? You may already have some, but we need as many as possible.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:34 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Back in the jungle, the water has receded and we can now pass. The Sifda attendant still has pointers for us if we get wayled...

Sagi standing on the right side of a pond after jumping on some rocks.

Sfida Attendant: “A gadgeteer? Well, Opu is famous for its mechanical gizmos fashioned out of wood.”

Sfida Attendant: “That said, Opu is on the far side of this jungle. I don’t think you could make it without a [blue text] landmark stone [end blue text]...”

Sfida Attendant: “[red text] One if the School of Magic faculty’s higher-ups [end red text] might have a [blue text] landmark stone [end blue text] you could borrow.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:35 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

We go up and immediately get attacked by a monkey.

Sagi, sprawled face-first on the floor: “Agh!”

Sagi: “Owww... What’s with the psychotic monkey?”

Milly: “Holoholo koa monkeys are natural pranksters. You have to watch your back.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:39 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

In a SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS, the monkey stole a thing from us. Who could have seen this coming.

Sagi: “That little... The landmark stone—it’s gone.”

Milly: “What do you mean, “gone”! What are we supposed to do?”

Sagi: “Well, um... I guess we’ll have to go back to the School of Magic and get another one.”

Guillo: “But... wasn’t ours the last stone?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:41 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

At least that explains this weirdly winding map with no enemies. You have to find the monkey like 5 or 6 times, until it goes to a dead-end.
This is really uninteresting busywork filler at this point.

Milly: “Great. We’ll just have to hunt down that koa monkey, then. We have to get the stone back no matter what.”

Sagi: “Ugh, we lost it! It should still be hiding somewhere close by, though.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:47 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

If we go back to the school to beg instead of chasing the monkey, Sagi does not say anything about our problem and we just get dunked on some more.
Though since Sagi is FIFTEEN it seems really unfair. As are tuition fees at large TBH

Head Teacher: “You have quite a bit of free time. Apparently more than a child like me. Why not enroll and put it to [...]”

Head Teacher: “...That said, as an adult, you wouldn’t be exempt from tuition fees. Being a grown-up isn’t easy,”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:54 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Opu! Still (already) pretty. We get pointed to the first house past the bridge for Lolo and told VERY STERNLY that she has a waterwheel to make and we shouldn’t sidetrack her.

A small village built around bridges across a waterfall with a rainbow. Title card: “The Waterfall Village of Opu”.

Villager: “She’s pretty famous in the city, but I can’t see why, if she can’t even put together a waterwheel...”

Sagi: “This is the place. Hope she’s home.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:56 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Poor Lolo seems to be very stressed about this waterwheel thing, and is very happy to chat since we’re not there about that.

Young Woman: “I’m really, really sorry, but the waterwheel’s not quite done yet. Just give me a little more time!”

Milly: “Waterwheel? What are you talking about?”

Young Woman: “Huh? You mean you’re not here to hound me about that?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:01 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

The convo is very friendly and runs long.
She’s not afraid of unfamiliar tech, but she’s concerned about durability of materials. Wood against metal is probably not great, yes.
I do like that this is not using a crisis of confidence or insecurity about skills as the foil!

Lolo: “So... you want help repairing your airship, correct?”

Sagi: “It’s an Empire ship. It uses machina—do you think you could fix it?”

Lolo: “But I mostly work with wood. It’s all I know how to handle—I don’t think I could do much with machina.”

Lolo: “Well, you see, it’s a problem with durability. Wood parts just don’t hold up as well as machina parts.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:05 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

(I’m cutting out a bunch of funny Guillo grumpiness and Lolo’s tendency to talk to herself when thinking)
Conveniently, the huge magical tree can provide material sturdy enough! But there’s no way we’ll convince the Queen to let us. Milly’s on “catch up for new players” duty.

Lolo: “Oh! What about the Celestial Tree?”

Milly: “Celestial Tree? You mean that great big braidtree that blossoms once every thirty years, right?”

Lolo: “That’s the one. The Celestial Tree could be used to make parts just as sturdy as the machina kind.”

Lolo: “But there’s no way Queen Corellia would give us permission to use the tree for parts.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:10 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Sagi proceeds to make a promise we have no idea how to keep. Out of sheer optimism, I guess.

Sagi: “What if we got you wood from the Celestial Tree?”

Sagi: “Yeah, we’ll try to work something out. It would help you with the waterwheel, too, wouldn’t it?”

Lolo: “Yeah. They want something that they can make into a symbol of the village.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:14 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Lolo’s so thankful (again I am eliding a LOT, she’s the one talking most) she jumps on Sagi for a hug, to Guillo’s surprise and Milly’s clear displeasure.
He proceeds to spit out THE ABSOLUTE WORST PUN IN THE GAME SO FAR. Oh my god BKO this kid is 15 please CHILL

Guillo: “Wh-What the devil?! Release him, wench!”

Sagi: “A-Anyway... I’ll get wood. Uh, at the tree! Tree wood!”

Sagi: “Then we’ll bring it back and you can fix the Sfida, OK?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:15 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

And I’m just going to let this sit here and go sleep. Last bits tomorrow.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:24 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Sagi was for sure not being especially bright, but Milly is “subtly” hinting at being extremely jealous due to the hug more than having rational objections.
Which is annoying to me, because that first complaint is very legitimate! It IS a super-long shot!

Milly: “Sagi! Shouldn’t you think a bit before you make wild promises like that? Don’t come crying to me later.”

Sagi: “Wild promises? But we might be able to fix the Sfida if we get wood from the Celestial Tree!”

Milly: “We should just have waited for Quaestor Verus to call. Instead you... you let HER wear the pants!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:29 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

It’s really not subtle.
It’s probably in-character tho? She’s been shown to be impulsive and petty. I’m just really not a fan of the Mandatory Romance Between Main Characters Involves Making The Girl Look Like An Idiot. Xelha gets less of that at a micro level.

Guillo: “Milliarde—that’s the complete opposite of what you told us before.”

Guillo: “I believe you said there’s “no stinking way” you would wait around for Verus.”

Milly: “I-I just mean I didn’t want to wait in the jungle. I never said anything about waiting in general!”

Milly: “I know! Let’s go back to Komo Mai. We could wait there, over tea.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:31 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Sagi doubles down on the mission, gets a tremendously caustic answer, Milly pokes her tongue out and stomps her way out of the village.

Sagi: “Nope, sorry. I made a promise to Lolo. Let’s head for the Celestial Tree.”

Milly: “My, aren’t we a trooper all of a sudden?”

Milly: “All right, I see how it is. Your wish is my command.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:33 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

I appreciate that while Guillo’s answer is very... stereotypical-boy-talk-coded, it’s not an explicit “Haha, girls amarite?”.
Off goes Guillo, Sagi runs after, SCENE.

Sagi: “What was that for? What did I do?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:37 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

We’ve got mail! It’s Gena reminding us to do Guillo’s regular maintenance and oh no I don’t like the implications here this is WEIRD

Letter: “How are you doing? Are you making sure Guillo gets proper maintenance?”

Letter: “Guillo refuses to bother with those kinds of things, so you need to be on the lookout.”

Letter: “Remember that incident with the cottoncap fruit getting stuck back there? Once was enough.”

Letter: “It’s important to wash inside the armor as well as out. All right, mister?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:42 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

This villager lets slip that Queen Corellia’s beauty is thanks to the Tree, goes “woops!”, then changes dialog to credit negative ions instead.
I seem to recall this is A Thing in Japanese beauty marketing, so nice touch there.

Villager: “I’ll bet the reason Queen Corellia looks so young and beautiful is from this waterfall’s negative-ion [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:44 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Well if that isn’t the consequence of our own actions coming back to haunt us (by requiring snacks)

Villager: “I bet you were surprised to see an olifant in a place like this, huh?”

Villager: “I was pretty shocked when I first saw it, too. It floated down over the waterfall!”

Sagi: “Hey, is this the olifant from the Holoholo Jungle?”

Sagi: “It really does look down. Now I feel bad for chasing it off...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:46 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Food and bed facts!

Inspection text: “This bed is made of lumber from the plentiful trees of the jungle, whose suppleness makes them quite [...]”

Inspection text: “Flowers from the jungle are being pickled with fish from the waterfall to make Opu’s famous Holoholo [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:49 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

What is later Savyna’s house is the stage to messy divorce negotiations...

Villager 1: “You’re right. Let’s rent this house out and both get half of the money that comes in.”

Villager 1: “And I’ll take our child. Do we have an agreement?”

Villager 2: “What? I’m raising that kid!”

Villager 1: “It’s not like you’re rolling in money either, you know!! And you’re paying child support!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:51 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

... to the point that the kid runs off to live alone and find a job. Er.
The parents don’t notice and keep arguing.

Child: “I can find work on my own, and support myself from here on.”

Child: “Mom, Dad, thank you both. And goodbye.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:52 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

Finally, we got more tourism spam. Every island except Alfard and Hassaleh seem to have a hard-working tourism office.

Letter: “FEATURE: Verdure and Rainbows! Enjoy six days touring Anuenue, the “Rainbow Nation.””

Lia @liareplaysbk · 08:54 AM · Sep 19, 2021 Permalink

The Opu shop allows upgrading, but most of the required resources aren’t available on this island. Same with the half-dozen new mix recipes I’ve gotten.
So next is probably going back to Komo Mai see if anything’s changed, then the Celestial Tree?