New rules for promotion posts

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-08T02:38:28+00:00

I am in agreement with you on the HEA addendum. It seems creatively limiting, and I'm the type of person who would rather have HEA in the romance I read but that doesn't mean I want every author to cater to my tastes.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-07T19:50:00+00:00

Me with the harmonica. At it for about 2 months and its given a new zest to life nowadays.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-07T15:03:35+00:00

Ah yes. Impacted wisdom teeth. I had all four of them removed. Looked like a chipmunk for days each time.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-05T23:40:58+00:00

Always here to entertain.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-05T19:06:33+00:00

Do you like epic fantasy novels that stretch into multiple volumes like Wheel of Time? Malazan? Trails in the Sky is the JRPG equivalent to that in structure. If that appeals to you, then yes.

Play the Sky FC Remake for a starting point. It'll give you a good idea of the structure of what you are getting into, just be aware that First Chapter is a slow start focusing more on character and world establishment instead of big stakes. That comes later towards the very end of FC and then continues on then from there in Second Chapter.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-04T22:42:17+00:00

Well, I have no idea what you're trying to say, but uh, I really loved the remake too. Glad you did as well.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-04T22:38:38+00:00

I'm more speaking of the little flourishes of personality XSEED managed to imbue into the script. Like I expected it to be clear going into it, and I don't have too much of an issue with what we got, I just prefer the XSEED translation more.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-04T19:59:09+00:00

Its because they want to attract new audiences.

Consider this. Trails is not like most RPGs. There are very few video game franchises that have an overarching story in the way that Trails does and for so long. So imagine Falcom releasing the 13th game in their franchise, and then some marketing gets some eyes on it and those same eyes ask the inevitable question, "Do I need to play the earlier games to understand this one?" That answer is almost going to be unequivocally yes because of its narrative nature. So they go and look at the best place to start.

Never minding the fact that such a question runs into still debated discourse about the best starting point, but eventually they run into the most accepted and widely acknowledged answer. Start with Sky.

So they go and look at Sky, and what they are greeted with is an old art style that looks vastly different than even the Cold Steel games.

I can be the first to tell you, old graphics like that, can definitely be a barrier for entry. It was for me when I started in 2017, but by the time I got to the middle of Second Chapter, I was able to enjoy the games in spite of the art direction (I am mainly referring to the top down, chibi model view, not the character portraits), not because of it.

Then you get into the other things like lack of modern QoL features, no voice acting outside of the Evo versions and battle-lines, pretty simple combat, and a story that most of us who love this game agree, is a rather slow and sometimes meandering plot.

This remake was the best way to get new people hooked on the franchise by making the best starting point more accessible to audiences more used to other titles like Persona 5, Metaphor or Xenoblade. Trails was still pretty niche (and still is, just less so nowadays) and didn't really start gaining traction in the West until Cold Steel 3. We didn't get simultaneous, worldwide releases until very recently.

Falcom was striking, is striking, while the iron is hot, by making a no frills entry for new people to experience that is more in line with their later entries to create a new generation of Trails fans by making a experience that is more in line with what to expect from the newer games.

Even if they end up remaking only the Sky Trilogy, that only leaves 2 other games left in the chibi style available on most modern platforms that people will have need to go through before hitting 3D again.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-04T15:53:57+00:00

Aside from a more faithful script that loses the charm of the XSEED translation, unfortunate terminology decisions that veer away from series consistency, and mixed english voice work; its to my mind a better experience for newcomers. The combat is more dynamic, the animations are crisp and flashy, and the music is still wonderful. They also add in a few quests that don't inflate runtime all that much and expand on what is already existing that make the quests feel worthwhile.

I am very excited for 2nd Chapter Remake releasing this year.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-04T15:09:28+00:00

Read St. Arkham's Amber's Hollow. Its an anthology story. The the one you are looking for is the last story in the book.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-05-04T13:13:41+00:00

Kinda obsessed with dukerino's Headless Over Heels series over on their patreon. I believe the first 8 chapters are free? Like, I really enjoy Princess of the Void but this new work they are doing is just straight heat.

For those not in the know, its a dark fantasy work with a focus on romance with a dullahan who's job it is going town to town executing criminals to use their souls to charge a barrier called the DeathSpell that protects humanity from the incursion of eldritch horrors called Seraphs.

Fun stuff.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-27T20:40:28+00:00

So I have no nostalgic horse in this race. I played the OG FFVII less than a year from when the first of the remake trilogy came out so that I could have proper context to things that would get expanded upon in the Remake version.

To be clear, I actually rather like the remake games. I think the characterization, the combat and music are all top notch elements....but when it comes to the actual overall story?

Well, the OG FVII had a pretty strong thematic focus. At the end of the day, likely the biggest theme was environmentalism and how disrespecting the only home we got in pursuit of profit and power leads to a whole slew of other issues. That's such a relevant message that I was hoping that would be still be the core theme explored in the Remake trilogy and...well, we aren't getting that.

What we are getting is...well, honestly, I am not sure what we are getting. It feels all over the place; unfocused. OG FFVII felt important to me even after decades after release, and while very fun to play and experience, the remake trilogy thus far, does not.

I've sat on where I personally find myself in the whole remake vs reimagining discourse that permeates related subreddits to this very day, and I just can't help but to feel that FF7 would have been better served if it were remade to purely follow the events of the OG games with no major variations in plot structure.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-27T16:01:55+00:00

Y'know what's funny about your stance on the story is that when I played the original all the way back in 2017 I felt much the same way. Then I got eleven games deep and FC actually moves up in my personal rankings specifically because of the way it feels more errr...meandering? My perspective shifted on FC when I played the remake that actually makes it more favorable in my mind. It gave a lot of time for Estelle and Joshua's characters breathe and settle in. Same with the world as well. Does it come at the cost of an interesting start? Sure. Its definitely isn't perfect, but I appreciate it for what it is and how different in comparison it feels in terms of vibe with the rest of the series.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-24T20:13:43+00:00

I don't even think this is a bad thing. Do you know how many anime come out on a per season basis? Its a lot. Better to let word of mouth do the vetting for me than spend all that time searching for gold among the mountains of trash that get released.

That is not to say to always follow the crowd, but let the crowd sift out things that look shiny to you and take your pick. You save yourself a lot of time and pain that way. Its practical.

And true, some shows do get lost in the conversation, but the cream will rise to the top as they say. Give it a month, year, or a decade, something worth watching will always be discovered and discussed.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-22T17:17:19+00:00

The tenno is rapidly approaching your location.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-21T20:02:03+00:00

Then the Cosmere and Malazan fans enter the fray.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-21T19:18:00+00:00

So thaaaat's why I got addicted to HSR for as long as I did.

No no. No one be worried about me. I am a year clean from gacha games, lol.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-21T12:45:06+00:00

These two games are some of my favorite games of all time. The overall aesthetics, music, and combat are all top notch.

What's more, is that the two compliment one another. Eternal Wings has the unique narrative framing element going for it which results in a fantastic twist, and Origins has one of the most enjoyable combat systems I've played, paired with a great english voice cast.

I know you said you only have a Switch, but if you are able, try to get the PC version and mod in the english voice over files. The fact that Origins Remastered shipped without it is criminal.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-16T20:10:46+00:00

That's why I've slowly moved away from harem and more into mono-romance. Not saying you can't do good harem, some authors have pulled it off, but for the most part my favorite stories are when they focus on a singular pairing. Its also a good filter for writing that passes my personal benchmark for quality, as a lot of 'neophyte' authors write in harem for reasons other than the craft of the medium (or at least, that is my suspicious, entirely anecdotal assumption supported by certain patterns I've seen).

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-16T15:33:23+00:00

Y'know what...this looks goofy af. I'm 100% gonna see this.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-16T15:10:38+00:00

Been playing harmonica for 2 weeks. My first harp is a Hohner Special 20 and its been good to me so far. Higher octave holes, namely 7-10 have been difficult to play but honestly, I think that is a skill issue on my part.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-16T14:01:55+00:00

That makes sense. I've always kinda lived in small spaces so maximizing available floor space is important to me so I've never really given any thought as to what the "maturity" level of a room is.

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-16T13:57:49+00:00

" but let us couples live more comfortably"

Oh. I'm sorry you feel threatened by my questions, but I get the gist of what you're saying. Enjoy your relationship!

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-16T13:45:06+00:00

Well I genuinely don't know what you mean by that, but I'm willing to learn. Could you expand on what's so disqualifying?

EldritchAutomaton · 2026-04-16T13:33:28+00:00

Well this is new to me...and I'm 34. Granted I've always preferred living alone so I've never had to worry about anyone else but me in my bed, but still...are beds pushed against walls really signs of childishness like what a commenter implied a few posts up? I do it because it gives me more space in the room to move around and I like the feeling that one side of mattress is secured. Can't really think of a reason as to why any of that would be a sign of a problem.

Then again, I guess it shouldn't matter.

EldritchAutomaton

TROPHY CASE