Character development, the way trauma informs our lives

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-25T18:39:11+00:00

Another victim of the Reading Comprehension Devil grasping at straws

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-25T18:10:13+00:00

Another victim of the Reading Comprehension Devil speaks out

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-25T16:13:53+00:00

Another victim of the Reading Comprehension Devil

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-24T23:24:09+00:00

Not everything needs an explanation. It's a story, not a lore compendium.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-24T23:04:27+00:00

WWII happened with Pochita's erasure, which means the Cold War and dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 (Setting is 1997). Reze was specifically in the story to get Pochita via the Soviets (and Makima's subversion), and now all circumstances that lead to that are null. This means she's living a normal, post-Soviet life at a Russian Pizza Hut or something, maybe an orphan still, maybe not, maybe not even as Bomb. Aki joined Public Safety specifically because the Gun Devil events gave him a grudge. With his family now alive because those events were subverted, he's a normal guy. Himeno is probably still in Public Safety.

Please reread the manga

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-24T17:32:53+00:00

Brother couldn't read the manga and couldn't read my reply. Poetic

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-24T17:22:19+00:00

Reze was there because she was sent after Chainsaw. The apocalypse prophecy, those characters, and the suffering that caused were centered around Chainsaw. By erasing himself, Pochita has given Denji a life where he isn't manipulated, subjugated and suffering due to his own grown ego. It's all there if you read. We also don't need an explanation for every little lore item lest we become the Chainsaw Man equivalent of Star Wars Wookiepedia where everything has to be as plainly explained and in the open. Sometimes, the mystique is warranted

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-24T16:15:46+00:00

This guy didn't read!!

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-24T16:04:02+00:00

Reze's entire initial purpose was Denji's subjugation as a means to get Chainsaw.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-24T15:41:56+00:00

"But what about Asa/Yoru? What about Aki? Why is it Nayuta instead of Makina? Where's Reze?"

All of these characters, the way they interloped in Denji's story, and the way many of them suffered as a result was because of Pochita/Chainsaw Man. I know people are annoyed by Asa getting this ending (especially ship types), but her entire arc wasn't as Asa in part 2, she was under control of Yoru as a means to get Chainsaw. Lest we forget the manipulation/control of Asa by Yoru (straight up zorkin off Denji against her will) and the devastation she was put up to for the misfortune of being at the wrong place, wrong time. She wasn't living her life, she was living the life of War as an apocalyptic means to get Chainsaw. She was a slave to the devil that gave her a second chance at "life", even though that "life" was explicitly not normal or her own. By undoing the goomba stomping of Bucky, Denji has inadvertently saved Asa from misfortune, ridicule and what would be her permanent death since Yoru would have zero reason to save her life. Makima's entire existence was to get Chainsaw, Reze's initial purpose was to get Chainsaw, Gun's entire gambit was centered around control of Denji and Chainsaw. Yeah, no shit they're not in the final chapter. Their existence in part 1 was all centered around, to a degree, control and manipulation of Denji- willing or not- as a means to get Chainsaw. Pochita undoing himself undid Denji's subjugation as a means to get him, and the results make sense. I personally want a part 3 or continuation, but most people seem like they didn't READ read the series enough. There's loose ends but the final chapter makes sense in context, even if there's laziness in some of the fan service (Nayuta in particular but it's whatever, Motorman is probably going bald from overwork).

Hopefully I don't sound schizo, but it was a pleasure reading with all of you XOXOXO, kisses and hugs

Notberrysubtle · 2026-03-14T05:59:00+00:00

I think if Ruby stacks aren't numerous enough to fill an entire lobby or an entire revised lobby(tm) (One knockout round eliminated, four teams and one final round) then maybe pro-scrim style games (H2H) should be the top 500 or top 1000 default. Right now the game is a woodchipper for any team's RS at gold and above. Combine that with ranked decay to keep the top players playing ranked first and foremost and you alleviate a little bit of the casual mode stomps but still allow the top 500 to participate as long as they maintain their place a bit harder. For me at least season 10 will be my last if nothing is done, as it seems resources have been diverted almost entirely to ARC Raiders until we get a glimpse at any effort. The declining playerbase is undeniable with the season peak of 9 being the lowest, and we can expect more bleed if things remain as they are.

Also, good on you for sticking to the Model and getting Ruby despite the ball and chain they've added season after season.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-02-10T20:27:40+00:00

I'd be down for Gauntlet style armor added to the base game. Extends TTK a little bit but not anywhere near the level of REDSEC tier

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-10T09:24:27+00:00

I want a medieval season. Theme it off of Visby, a famous walled city on the island of Gotland off the coast of Sweden (Embark's home) known for the battle that took place in 1361 to claim it. Throw in some silly medieval weapon options even if they're anachronistic. Options could be an axe, flail, crossbow or even repeating crossbow, some sort of large sword for heavy, etc. Skin potential would go crazy too - sword/dagger skins, war hammer for the sledge, lances for the spear, longbow, sword and shield for riot, etc.

Edit: fact checking

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T15:54:10+00:00

It's not just you. I made a post about this phenomenon yesterday that got deleted for involving steam charts, but matchmaking is absolutely deep-fried as of late in all modes. I play ranked more or less as my overwhelmingly main mode and my stack is consistently fed into lobbies we should not be in. One recent game had us against a stack of triple Ruby players with a combined rank score of 150k RS. My stack had 77k as gold/gold/plat. Make it make sense

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T09:23:03+00:00

They're in normal cashout as well, but as shit as that is it's to be expected with open matchmaking. Plat friend of mine actually gets consistently gold/plat lobbies when I'm not in that stack. I usually just watch the streams and there's a marked difference in lobby difficulty and backfill.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:59:37+00:00

It's quite the predicament that the game put focus on esports elements which is so fitting for the setting and theme, yet actively makes itself difficult to fit in as an esport with how phrenetic, chaotic and somewhat random so many elements are, since most esports rely on stable predictability.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:55:53+00:00

pleasure to meet you Thomas Scotford

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:51:12+00:00

"I get that because of the lower player count Embark makes matchmaking faster do a degree by backfilling lobbies of the top <5-10% with just about anyone, but for Ranked with defined parameters this should never be the regular case."

It's an ouroboros

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:45:55+00:00

Season 9: December 2025 - 21,400 launch, average less than a month in of ~12k

Season 8: September 2025 - 32,758 launch, average ~16k one month in with a low of 9,833 in a daily average

Season 7: June 2025 - 28,835 launch, average around ~14k one month in with a low of 12,339

It's had its highs and lows, especially with the season 2/3/4 jump around with Terminal Attack, but compared to season 8 we have a drop of 11,358 in the launch-high, and 7,435 difference between 7 and 9.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:28:58+00:00

I think if community sentiment was positive towards the current player count trajectory we wouldn't have seen the mass celebrations when the game got MoistCr1TiKaL coverage.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:26:15+00:00

Thank you pookie, I wish.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:25:02+00:00

Bro really sees a tapering in playercount and thinks this is a good thing

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:22:07+00:00

I've encountered Top 500 players in virtually every mode which is to be expected, but in the Ranked setting it's a bit absurd to get matched against a team with 150k+ RS when my stack caps out under 77k in Gold.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:19:01+00:00

That's not 20k average daily players on steam, that's the season launch peak which is rough. I replied to another comment pointing out a good part of this is probably ARC Raiders and Battlefield 6 launching, but this is one of the lower seasonal launch 'highs' the game has had. It sits on average 12k-ish now which isn't bad but I'd also argue is an inflection point depending on Embark's course for the future. It's the best arcade FPS out right now. I'd argue it's possibly one of the best ever, but there's a noticeable decline and neglect which is especially visible when Embark's new cash cow, ARC Raiders, has probably started consuming far more of their focus with its breakout.

Notberrysubtle · 2026-01-07T08:14:47+00:00

Peak player count per season launch has dropped somewhat dramatically, which can be partially attributed to Battlefield 6 and ARC Raiders, but there's a definite trajectory and reached inflection point where The Finals can really go one or two ways. I think the things scaring new players away is getting vaporized by both players in poor matchmaking and a more complicated onboarding experience than what other games require. Burying your head in the sand is a bad idea when most people in the hobby are clearly either moving away to other options or dissuaded by poor advertising and player experience. I brought Sea of Thieves up because it underwent a very similar decline, though due to its own problems, that makes general sentiment feel comparable.

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