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Post by Ambrienne on Oct 1, 2009 0:07:31 GMT -5
Cream cheese iced brownies are decent. I'm not too fond of chocolate icing on them, though. Most of the time, that comes off as Overkill to me. Maybe it's because it doesn't provide enough of a contrast in taste to be worth the extra calories. Love Potion #31 is also a raspberry type ice cream, like your favorite. However, instead of white chocolate, it uses dark chocolate. So, you've got your raspberry ice cream with mini dark chocolate hearts with even more raspberry in the filling. Sure, it's a Mir coincidence that no firearms becomes no weapons. I mean there's no need to Reid too much into everything you see. Of course, they never said anything about armor, did they? Unless you used a Tower Shield though, I don't see that any other defensive items would be long enough to reach the ground and provide any support. Not that it doesn't have its own problems. Like being too freaking heavy, bulky, and otherwise unsuitable for crowded areas. Then again, you might not have any trouble with the crowds. They might instictively move away from you, mistaking you for a member of the riot police. (Extra damage mode in Eternal Poison, character in the Ar Tonelico series, lead character in Tales of Eternia if I didn't botch the spelling, item in many different games)
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Post by Solana on Oct 1, 2009 20:16:34 GMT -5
Ooh, why not Mix the two desserts together? Put a little bit of the ice cream onto a freshly baked brownie and let it melt just a bit? That might make it worth the extra calories. (That two for the price of one concept is why I love Dutch apple pie. ) I did try looking for a neat Wizard's Staff at RenFaire, but didn't have any luck. There was a place where I could have acquired a ninja bo, but that would probably fall under the same 'weaponry' category and it'd be better to find something Tamir. I wonder if foldable armor would work, where it's thinner but would still provide support when straightened out? Probably a lot of armorers wouldn't go for that, as it would defeat the main purpose, (laughs) but you never know. Hmmm, dressing up as a member of the Riot Police to get through crowds- that might come in handy for Christmas shopping in the next few months. Especially where places are having sales. (Rikku's limit break in FFX, Aeris' weapon in FFVII, world in KQIV.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Oct 4, 2009 22:03:45 GMT -5
Which two desserts? The ice cream cake with LP #31 or the brownie with LP #31 on top? Or... Your white chocolate raspberry ice cream with the LP #31? Not that it matters. All three would probably work. Just not all at the same time. That would be too big of a Sweet Trap to escape from. I seem to remember seeing a weapons shop in my local mall that had several types of staves to choose from, including a replica of the one wielded by Gandalf. They probably still have them... if they're still there. The store, that is. Lousy economy n' all, you know. As for myself, I have four items that fall under the walking stick/staff category. Two of them are only about in the knee high range (on me anyway), while the other two are more full sized. The shorter ones probably wouldn't pose any danger to the average human being... unless they got a splinter from it trying to twirl it like a baton. I'd imagine that there's got to be some way of making a foldable item feasible for support. Or at least a telescoping one similar to certain types of umbrellas. I'm not sure that making armor foldable defeats the purpose entirely. You just... um... might want to watch out for opponents targeting the weakpoints (aka the hinges). Really, it's not all that different from the vulnerabilities that traditional armor possessed. Plate mail being vulnerable at the joints, certain types of helmets leading either to decreased visibility or leaving sensitive parts of your face wide open, that type of thing. You could be charged with impersonating a police officer if you went for the full riot outfit. Maybe if you invested in some kind spray can that you could discreetly take out and spritz your surroundings with that happened to smell like a skunk, it would be a bit safer. Or would that be considered chemical warfare and bioterrorism? ...Drat. You just can't get away with anything these days. (Persona 1 skill found on Jack Frost/Pyro Jack among others, there was at least a few different LotR games)
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Post by Solana on Oct 4, 2009 23:21:16 GMT -5
(Laughs) Oh, the God of Candy could probably handle all three, but I'd take either a Bolo your ice cream on the brownie or try mixing the two together. (Sugar-free versions, of course.) After all, mixing different pops can bring out subtle flavors from each, or things like adding Hawaiian Punch to cider can lessen its kick, so why wouldn't that apply to desserts as well? I wonder if they'd even LET a person walk around with a giant staff supporting them. Azure would get funny looks and some comments here and there, (which would be no biggie after doing purple hair and the way I dress), but it could still be fun. (Sorry for the horrible grammar, but even those rules bow down to puns. ) It'd be even better to speak 'RenFaire talk' all day, call everyone 'my lord' or 'my lady' and give little bows of thanks. Umbrellas work pretty well for support- I used one the day my bro and I went door to door for his work. And hey- it's been a weapon in a few games; Lilka in Wild Arms 2, for one. Get one with a pointy tip and that could hurt in the right areas. Probably shock sticks like the ones used in Dragnet, ("You have to admire their techniques in crowd control."), wouldn't be allowed, either. Maybe just try that trick in the Princess Bride, and yelling, "EVERYBODY, MOVE!" would work. One would just have to bring along someone big enough to make it stick. (Character in Road Rash 3, character in KQVI.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Oct 5, 2009 23:50:39 GMT -5
Would they stop you with a long staff? Well, no one stopped me in the Meramec Caverns. But then, it was their own fault for having staves for sale in the gift shop. ;D Of course, that was a gentler time. A long time ago, in a Rogue Galaxy far away... when people expected crime syndicates to take them out instead of an Innocent Sinner. As far as bows go, I used to do this kind of bow at the waist with a triple hand flourish whenever I got to French class in college. Nowhere else... just there. No one asked why or even what it was about (not that I would have had an answer anyway). And I've never seen anyone do the hand flourish more than once. So, I have no idea where I got that from. I believe the Penguin of Batman fame also had an umbrella weapon. There may have been one in the Get Smart series, too. If there was, I think it was a gun in disguise. But then, a lot of things there were guns in disguise. Except for the gun that was a phone in disguise. Yes, they do frown on electricity when used as a weapon. Though maybe you could bring your own rug with you instead, do a little shuffle, and then Zio they like that. (Gasp! An embedded pun! Star Wars fused with a certain PS2 game, that is. Followed by the subtitle to the Persona 2 game that didn't make it over here. Followed by a low level lightning spell from the entire SMT/Persona franchise. Pst. Quick quiz. When does Star Wars take place anyway? A. The past. B. The present. C. The future. ...If you can't get this right, my embedded pun was wasted.)
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Post by Solana on Oct 6, 2009 19:03:06 GMT -5
Oh, not to worry, your embedded pun was from from wasted. In fact, those double ones can pack quite the Atomic Burn and I'm still reeling from it. The correct answer is A. Well, if the giant staff idea doesn't work out due to a Quagmire of red tape on what does or does not constitute a weapon, I could always use a dancer's cane on those bad days. (Yes, everyone on here knows that they're dangerous in my hands, but the general public does not!) They're supposed to be lighter to be twirled more easily, so it might be a better idea to go with a heavier one used in men's dances. Those ones are made to be slapped against the ground or other staffs, so should be all right for my purposes. Actually, have you ever played through any of the Space Quest games? There's a part where you take down a rug, do a shuffle, and use the static electricity to zap and short out one of the cyborgs (?) that kidnap you. Incidentally, the other one runs on specific programs, and the trick is to swap the 'meanie' one for a 'burlesque' one and make him do a little dance. (Not anything out of Moulin Rouge, just funny.) I highly recommend giving that series a try, if only to play the ingame game of Stooge Fighter 3. (Incidentally, Sierra also likes advertising its other games within one. During a little piano concert, there's a song played that should be very familiar to KQ fans...) (One of Lucia's spells, spell in Dragon Force.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Oct 6, 2009 20:10:39 GMT -5
Ruby Party's got a fondness for hawking their other games, too. Well, actually, it's Koei that usually does it with their previews, however... in La Corda d'Oro (and possibly in its sequels, which I haven't played) Ruby Party did it on their own by having a theme from Angelique (which I call the 'Love Confession' theme since I don't remember the title) and the opening theme to the Haruka games playable if you found the right fairies. Four versions of each, if I'm remembering properly. ...I think it's kind of funny that some of the versions of those themes have higher skill requirements than almost all the rest of the music, whether it be Ave Maria, the Promenade, or any of the others. Are they trying to tell us something, maybe? Heh. So much for humility. I've never played through any of the Space Quest games, and I only saw a bit of a Police Quest game. I didn't actually get to play it, because the guys at school were getting kicks out of how the game responded to questions/statements put to a female traffic offender. Heaven forbid that you actually play it with an intent at, you know, completing the game. Not that I'm immune to the goof off thing. After all, I did that whole 'pick nose' thing in Quest for Glory only to discover that it was a legitimate way of practicing your lockpicking skills... as well as an interesting way to die if you weren't skilled enough. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I triggered what looked like a disco move once instead of the normal actions that occur when you dance with the fairies. Maybe there was some kind of agility based requirement or something. Another incident of the Sierra cross promotion is in one of the QfG games, I can't remember which one, but there's this live guardian thing that won't let you in until you answer a few questions like 'Who are you?' You have the option to smart off and answer 'King Graham Cracker.' I never really thought about it, but it is feasible that the QfG and King's Quest games could take place on the same world, because you never really explore the complete limits of Civilization like you do in most console RPGs. Not that it would be necessary to make the Sierra-isms work. I just thought it was interesting to note. (Kind of obvious from context, the ever popular Sid Meier creation)
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Post by Solana on Oct 6, 2009 23:54:10 GMT -5
So Sierra has a Heavy Rain of self-promotion, it seems. I like the idea of those two being in the same world, and actually a crossover would be quite interesting. Maybe even with one of Graham's grandchildren wanting to keep up the family tradition. Of course, combining these two great series into one would make it a masterpiece of Unlabored Flawlessness. ;D If you like absurd games that make fun of the protagonist, Space Quest is awesome. There's also a narrator that has great commentary, kind of like the one in George of the Jungle. One of the openings provides a great example. Announcer- Roger Wilco, do you have anything to say in your defense? RW- Uh, can't you guys take a joke? A- Do you have anything INTELLIGENT to say in your defense? RW- Uh, nope. (Cheesy grin.) Apparently, there's one game involving the Sequel Police and time traveling that actually goes through the various Space Quest games, (some actually made, others to fill in gaps) that looks quite entertaining. But then again, Sierra isn't the only one guilty of this. I remember seeing that Obi Wan reference in 'Indiana Jones'. Our stories also let us pay homage to games and anime and everything else under the sun that we love, though at least those are referencing other creations. (Game title, doppelganger boss in Ninja Gaiden Black.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Oct 11, 2009 0:11:15 GMT -5
The Sequel Police... They really do exist? Do you think they'd, you know, hire out for search and destroy missions against later additions to different games and/or books that contradict their predecessors? I could think of a couple that I'd like to get rid of. I don't know what I would pay them with, though. Gunnar Points maybe? Disgaea's between episode segments are another place where a lot of fun is poked at certain main characters. In the first game, they're so ridiculous/not rooted to reality that, by the time there is one that does tell the truth, Vyers flat out says to Etna that no one's listening or believes her. No 2's equivalent news broadcasts are a little more rooted in reality but not always relevant to the story at hand. Though one of them did make me suspect that no. 3 was going to take place at a school long before it was ever announced. It kind of makes you wonder if there are any forward hints to future projects in other games, too, that we just don't notice. Well, other than Ar Tonelico 2. That's got a pretty blatant 'hint' that one of the characters in your party should be returning in the third game... whenever that comes out. (That worthless 'reward' you get after completing one challenge in Mana Khemia 2.)
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Post by Solana on Oct 11, 2009 13:35:28 GMT -5
Maybe they would see the missions as getting rid of Corruption and then doing it for free? I could see it now, books with massive notes scrawled into the sides proclaiming the mistakes or inconsistencies, or rereleased versions of videogames. Authors and storytellers would live in fear of one misstep, one visit by the police at the stroke of midnight.
....
Maybe we should leave things as they are. It's easy enough to feel like we're Walking On the Edge when working on a project.
(Laughs at the Disgaea comments.) Sometime I'm just going to have to pick up a copy of those games and try them. The manga comes in every so often, and those are pretty priceless. The fact that no one believes them anymore can actually come in handy, when one wants to plant clues that don't appear to be so.
Actually, Suikoden is famous for planting things. In the second game, Shu throws a coin from the Island Nations and that's where the fourth one takes place. The info for Georg in that one spells out a huge plot-twist for the fifth one, and there's more backstory for the chef's storyline in the fifth one, since it takes place before it. Since it's the same world, a lot of times with characters things that are hinted at or introduced are fleshed out in the later ones. There are plenty of other countries and hints to be followed for later installments, so I HOPE I HOPE I HOPE that they're not done yet!!
(Level in Kagero: Deception II, soundtrack listing from Castlevania.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Oct 14, 2009 23:19:59 GMT -5
Funny that you should make the time for the SP visiting at midnight. That's when the Dark Hour of Persona 3 occurs, the time when all the shadows come out and all the normal people are blissfully unaware of what goes on. ...If it can be termed that when they're turned into coffins for the duration (actually, they're supposed to be 'sleeping' inside them, but you get the idea). You know, I just realized that I don't have a single soundtrack from the Suikoden series at all despite the size of my collection. ...How weird is that? And it certainly isn't because I found fault with the music either. It may have had something to do with one of the soundtracks being released in two distinct volumes (no. 2, I believe) and they never were in stock at the same time. I don't like having things in COMPlete. (Explained, device used in SMT: Devil Summoner)
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Post by Solana on Oct 16, 2009 21:38:04 GMT -5
Sorry I've been a little late- been fighting off a virus. I think it should be against some kind of cosmic law to get sick when you already have something, but I'm not quite sure who to complain to about that. But, it'll go away, and I'm Always Smiling when trying to figure out what to hit my favorite and worthy opponents back with. Question on the Persona thing- what if people are still awake? Say that they're still on the job at a hospital or something while Passing Into the Night? Do they see any of it, or is it just that good an idea to be asleep at that particular time? (Checks Suikoden soundtrack prices online and whistles.) HOLY COW!! I knew the games were going for ridiculous prices, but the soundtracks as well? And for one volume only? Yeesh.... Nah, for me that's the time to whip out my tape recorder and add the tracks to my videogame tapes. I started doing that in middle school, starting with Lunar, just taping whatever tracks I thought were cool. No other music helped half as much with studying, though I'd have to stop and listen to the Sega CD version of the Zophar battle a few times. There's a little from many of the Final Fantasy titles, much Lunar, some Wild Arms and Dragon Force and even some old school Megaman and Bionic Commando. It's worked well for games that don't even have soundtracks. (Song in DDR Mario Mix, track from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Oct 28, 2009 12:13:12 GMT -5
Just when I thought I couldn't possibly hate any computer (or computer product) more than my almost certainly deceased computer, I came into contact with one loaded with Windows 7... and the newest versions of Word, Wordpad, and a ad-littered version of Works. ;D And yes, that is not a smile of mirth, but of one approaching Chucky rampage level insanity. I could expand on this, but then you might mistake me for other people who rant and rave, except... you know, for the actual content of the rant. ::coughs:: Oh, yeah. This is the pun war, not the frustration thread. (Like I didn't know.) Back on topic. It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing when the Dark Hour hits. Unless you are a Persona user (one with the talent) or targetted directly by either shadows or Persona users, you're out like a light. Whether you're a passenger on a train, sitting at home, walking on the street, or whatever. There are a couple of exceptions to this, but those are kind of story spoilers/deviations from the norm. In Persona 4, though, the shadow realm is inside the TV pretty much, except a little towards the end. But, for most people, it's like a one way door. Once they're inside, there's no way out until they die... or get rescued by your group of heroes. What determines how long you have to rescue someone is the weather. The shadows won't attack a normal person/one unawakened to Persona power until the fog lifts in the real world. That kind of makes it even creepier in some ways, even with its much more upbeat/bouncier battle music. Just imagine... when has your life ever depended on the reports from the Weather Channel? Oh, wait. That happens whenever there's a Cyclone... or a Blizzard... or... Heh, you get the point. Not that normal people will fall into the TV all on their own. But that ventures into spoiler territory. After I've listened to a piece of music enough times (or sometimes even only a couple), I'm usually able to internalize it to the point that I can play it in my mind whenever I want. Still, it's not quite the same as actually hearing it and rocking or singing along with it. Not that I do much of the 'rocking', mostly the singing. Mostly. Ahem. (Type of rune in Suikoden, ice spell in several RPGs)
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Post by Solana on Oct 29, 2009 20:37:51 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with a rant or two appearing on this. (You've been good enough to listen to some of mine. ). Besides, it's good to get the frustration out into something creative instead of deciding to !Store it up. So, expand if you wanna. I'm guessing from the delightfully insane smile that Windows 7 doesn't live up to the hype? I would've thought they'd have worked out the bugs after the disaster that was the first Windows Vista. Go figure. Boy, if people could get hit no matter what they were doing, that could cause some real havoc in RL. Say you were in a hospital and in the middle of giving an X-ray or even in General Surgery. When a person is freed, does it go back to the time when they entered or does real time pass? Say, this would be a great opportunity to put one of the fibro quirks to use. I can usually tell if it's going to rain or snow that day, depending on what I feel like. (It's far more accurate than the Weather Channel.) I wonder if I could train that to tell how many minutes are left until it would clear, by some kind of scale. If so, I could serve as a human barometer instead of checking out the window continuously. One day I'm hoping to use it to get a gig on a ship of fellow marine biologists, or use it on a cruise to detect storms. If so, I'll need full access to the spa so that I know the pangs are from a coming storm and not other conditions. That's a great talent with the music, being able to hold onto the rhythm that well. If memory serves, did you say you wrote lyrics for the Lunar 'Dungeon' music and sang them for a friend of yours? Would you ever want to post them sometime? ;D (Monk skill in FFV, options from Code Blue: The Interactive ER Game.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Nov 2, 2009 13:01:22 GMT -5
You got it a little mixed there. I sang the Japanese version of the Boat Song, I think. Or was it the PS J-version opening? One of those two. I did write lyrics to the theme they use in the Meribian Sewers (SSSC version), Reza (SSSC version), and Althena's Song (i.e. The one you only hear as La Las in the actual game, though there is a vocal version of it on one of the Lunar Songs CDs. What I wrote is not a translation, but is surprisingly similar in some themes considering that I'd not seen the translation at the time I wrote it.) All three of these are somewhere in the incomplete Lunar fics that you should still be able to access in the Shrine Library. One of them in Leon's story (Althena's Song), the other two in the Alicia/Laticia story (Two Are Better Than One). I can't remember the exact chapters at the moment. I can look them up for you sometime this week, though, if you don't want to dig them out yourself. They were fun writing, though. Ah, Nostalgia. Psst... Do you think Rune will come out of hiding if I restart work on those and send in more chapters? Or is that wishful thinking? While we're still on the subject of the songs, I was thinking of working on lyrics for either the Jessica (played during her bromides in the Japanese version of the remakes) or Mia (the same, but may have an instrumental version in game also that I'm forgetting about) songs next. Or possibly something to go with the theme that shows during Jean's dancing bromide in EBC. Though that last one would be largely made up melody wise as I have yet to ever hear a full version of that. Other tracks I have in mind for later lyric writing: Mystere's theme, the Destiny theme (yes, I know Mystere's theme is arranged from this, but it would have different lyrics just the same), the Airship theme from SSSC, an overworld theme from TSS, and one of the overworld themes from EB/EBC. Not those exclusively, but those are the ones I can remember wanting to do off the top of my head. The order they get done depends mostly on whether I have a purpose for it in story. For instance, Mia's song, when it's finished, will probably be sung by one of the twins in Two Are Better Than One. Probably Laticia. If there's a piece of music from one of them you'd like me to work on first, though, I wouldn't mind. As long as I can figure out which one it is (have a good memory for) or have something that plays it. Outside the Lunar arena, I've got an almost complete version of lyrics to the full length version of Tsumi na Bara (Sinful Rose) theme from Disgaea 2 that I'll be using for Legacy of Darkness' opening theme. I thought it was complete, but I miscounted the number of times the one theme was repeated. Oops. ^^; I also have a short version of Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology's opening for use as the episode closings in LoD. I should do a full version of that, too, I suppose. Wild Arms: XF's opening will also get this lyrics treatment once I remember to sit down and do it. As far as the Persona Dark hour positioning. Time does not generally pass for the people in the coffins. They don't even perceive it. They are safe unless something one of the Shadows does affects it. One of the early P3 missions makes this clear. It involves a monorail, so you can probably guess what nearly happens without me telling you. (DS game. Sorry I didn't put more effort into the pun, but I'm in a time crunch.)
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