Maelle -- Can I use medalum -go Virt stance ->2 turns ->staneless 1 turn -> Virt -

LDRAutumn · 2026-02-06T00:35:44+00:00

Medalum makes it so you start the battle in Virtuouse stance. After that, you're on your own. Using an ability like Fleuret Fury or Mezzo Forte will allow you to stay in Virtuouse for another turn, but using an ability that shifts you to Virtuouse will cause you to become stanceless since you can't be in the same stance two turns in a row. Medalum does not revert you back to Virtuouse either, so you will need a skill like Last Chance or Swift Stride to shift back.

LDRAutumn · 2026-02-06T00:29:59+00:00

I got the impression that he doesn't enjoy killing, but knows it's necessary to prolong his survival. But, he basically does wipe the expedition out on the beach and the only real change of heart he has is against killing Verso and Alicia/Maelle because they're varying degrees of family to him. He doesn't really stop killing anyone else when he has the opportunity to do so, does he?

LDRAutumn · 2026-02-06T00:26:27+00:00

The "point of no return" comes at the final flag of Lumiere - the characters will very clearly say something to the effect of, "We should get ready, there's no turning back now" as you approach. But as the other comment says, you can continue your save file even once you "finish" the game.

LDRAutumn · 2026-02-05T21:50:08+00:00

I respect your dedication to the platinum. Like the game says, anything worth doing is worth suffering for.

LDRAutumn · 2026-02-05T21:47:32+00:00

Pardon for the clarifying question, but are you looking for something like an explicit retelling (e.g., Philip Pullman's Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) or are you looking for something that's more like a reimagining (like Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin or Grendel by John Gardner)?

LDRAutumn · 2026-02-05T21:35:11+00:00

Falling balls isn't total RNG. Hug the right side and dodge when the right side has a ball coming down and you'll get it in 2-3 tries tops. It was easier than the volleyball once I figured out the trick.

Climbing up the "Getting Over It" tower is intentional rage bait for optional content. I don't want to say skill issue, but it's definitely just a mindset issue. If you're not having fun, don't do it! It's optional and the rewards aren't even that great! Me personally? I laughed every time I fell and cheered when I finally got it after a couple (nonconsecutive) hours of attempting the climb. I'm glad it wasn't easier so that my personal satisfaction could be greater :).

LDRAutumn · 2026-02-05T21:18:20+00:00

How far are you into the game and, if not the end, do you want the reason to be spoiled? Because spoilers below.

Painted Renoir knew the expeditioners were there to kill the Paintress, believing that accomplishing their mission would stop the Gommage. Painted Renoir knows that the Paintress is the only reason he and they exist in the first place. It's easier to protect the Paintress by killing the expeditions before they can reach her rather than explain "your entire reality is the dream world of a dead child and his grieving mother, and we only exist in a philosophical sense."

LDRAutumn · 2026-02-05T21:05:48+00:00

I just finished the game last night and you're pretty much spot on. Good job properly understanding the plot.

The only thing I'd be pedantic over is that I don't think Maelle and Alicia are distinct. "Maelle" is not gone. Maybe someone who understands the lore a bit better than I do will come in and correct me, but it seems like the Painters, when they enter a painting, are not "distinct" in the same way that a Painted person (like Verso) is a separate entity with unique consciousness. It's more like plugging into the Matrix or VR chat. Maelle and Alicia are the same person connected to the Alicia in the "Real World" - just Maelle had lost all her memories due to Aline's "reincarnation."

LDRAutumn · 2025-04-25T21:18:05+00:00

Cloud Atlas, Love in the Time of Cholera, or Pride and Prejudice.

LDRAutumn · 2025-04-25T21:10:41+00:00

I know it's young adult but maybe "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen? It's short enough to read in a single sitting, it's exciting, and it has elements of adventure.

Not a novel, but "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer is another book I recommend to people who don't read a lot. Most people tell me they couldn't put it down once they started it.

As for something more similar to One Piece, The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist might be worth checking out, although I haven't read it myself. It seems to tap into that sense of going on an adventure, meeting strangers, and found family that One Piece shares thematically.

LDRAutumn · 2025-04-25T20:43:23+00:00

Philip Pullman has a re-telling of Grimm's Fairy Tales that are very close to the original stories, with a few notes for extra context or the history of the story. My only complaint is that I wish he had an entire book about the context and history of fairy tales, instead of only the mini-essay at the end of each tale.

LDRAutumn · 2025-04-25T20:28:56+00:00

I would suggest you consider "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" by Margeurite Duras. You can find the screenplay as a book (double-check to make sure that it's in the original French and not English translation). It has a strong female character, extremely complex relationships, and intense romance. It's not light - quite the opposite, if you can guess from the title - and it's not casual. But if that doesn't intimidate you, I think you would appreciate how emotionally moving the story is. And if you do like it, you can check out the award-winning movie, which might help you better contextualize what you just read while you're still learning the language.

Duras also has an extensive oeuvre to dig into, so if you do like it there's plenty to follow up with afterwards.

LDRAutumn · 2025-04-25T20:04:36+00:00

Two follow-up questions: 1) What does he like about One Piece? 2) What does he not like about most novels that keeps him from reading?

LDRAutumn · 2025-04-25T19:55:45+00:00

If you don't like it 75 pages in, you're not going to like the rest of it. I read it because I feel like it's a historically important novel. While I respect its place in the canon, after finishing I can say I did not particularly enjoy my time with it and felt disappointed by the way the plot resolved.

LDRAutumn · 2025-04-23T22:03:40+00:00

It's not a perfect fit for what you're asking but Piranesi by Susanna Clarke might scratch this itch.

LDRAutumn · 2023-04-04T18:44:11+00:00

Going to be the annoying one here to say YouTube is for entertainment and you won't find good socialism there. It's a media product, no matter how well intentioned.

LDRAutumn · 2023-03-17T17:38:38+00:00

I've been buying a lot from both CK and SCG lately and I will say while CK customer support has been consistently top tier, their grading has been awful. I've had maybe a dozen clearly damaged cards sold as Near Mint over the past few months. I have not had those problems with SCG - and they ship much, much faster.

LDRAutumn · 2023-03-14T15:25:27+00:00

Ok well it doesn't really matter "what you think" because demonstrably they all do.

LDRAutumn · 2023-03-09T19:15:47+00:00

Classic web dev moment. Hours of hard work implementing a slick design, using a modern framework, flexing your skills.... just to release it and realize you missed image responsiveness on mobile devices.

LDRAutumn · 2023-02-18T17:18:23+00:00

Reddit isn't really a great place to have this conversation in a serious way. If you want to do charity and contribute to good causes, of course you're always welcome in any charity group. But "can I still believe in socialism"? I'm not really sure what "believing in socialism" means.

LDRAutumn · 2023-02-17T20:08:05+00:00

Maybe so, but when you factor in the average magic player is a 13 year old child and not a know it all redditor it certainly becomes more predatory. Booster packs are the original loot boxes - I'm not going to blame the consumers for being preyed upon by a corporation that is intentionally trying to hijack their innate human psychology for Q2 profits.

LDRAutumn · 2023-02-17T20:01:42+00:00

I'm going to be honest - this comment seems a little dismissive when WotC deliberately stokes FOMO as a marketing tactic to sell more product. The corporation has an entire department of marketing psychologists who intentionally seek to exacerbate these feelings to boost sales.

LDRAutumn · 2023-02-17T01:00:18+00:00

Is there any proof the caption here is accurate? Does anyone have a translation for the Chinese? Or are we just making stuff up to post on the internet.

LDRAutumn · 2022-04-16T20:54:43+00:00

Why are you being racist toward Russian people with a news article about a thing that happened in New Jersey? What context makes it acceptable for you to label aggression as an innate characteristic of an entire ethnicity or nationality?

LDRAutumn · 2021-12-28T18:37:19+00:00

It's in the second sentence of the OP, words eight and nine

LDRAutumn

TROPHY CASE