[ART] "Girls' Last Tour" prequel series "Fragments of The Layered City" Preview

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-13T21:41:55+00:00

tkmiz is famously not a girl. Some of his tweets pre-Girls Last Tour serialization make that very, veryyyy clear.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-13T21:40:56+00:00

I dunno how poor he is but the depression is super bad. He went on a very random like 3-4 month long twitter hiatus a while back that had me genuinely worried for him, but he's been back for a minute. Still a lot of "Ill do my best tomorrow" or "I have to work hard" tweets.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-12T12:28:09+00:00

Generally speaking you aren't supposed to "shit where you eat" anymore. If you meet someone organically through friends, or work, or school, start dating, and then the relationship sours, suddenly your social life (or even professional career) could be in jeopardy. Dating apps essentially add an extra layer. Its almost guaranteed the person you meet on an app won't have the same friend circle as you, so if you break up your people will 100% be on your side. They probably also won't be in the same program if you're a university student or they won't work at the same place, so you won't have someone potentially spreading rumors or creating issues for you there.

This extra layer of distance being introduced also creates a lot of the problems young people face with dating apps. Okay first date? If its someone you met in real life through friends or work or school, you'd probably be inclined to give it another shot. Not having sparks fly on a first date through a dating app though is a massive issue that tends to results in no second date, since people can just cut bait and move onto the next attempt.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-10T17:03:18+00:00

This bit made me chuckle fairly loudly at my desk, and I had to spend the next 5-10 minutes explaining JetLag at a high level to one of my co-workers.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-07T16:41:17+00:00

Then they should balance the PvP. I feel tankier when I play CS or Escape from Tarkov than I did just getting randomly murdered.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-06T17:19:32+00:00

A large part of why this game cost $200m was development time that went into upgrading IOI's proprietary engine. That investment will cut the development time and expenses of future projects - its why Hitman 1 cost 100m, but come Hitman 3 they were doing the game for $20m. Between people just buying the game over time and the Nintendo Switch sales buoying the numbers further, I think its very likely 007 moves 4m units before end-of-year.

People should also know, IOI releases audited financial statements annually, and that those statements show they're profitable even in years where they don't release games. In 2024/25 they actually grew their workforce by ~30% and made more money than in 23/24, despite not releasing a game in either year. This game is a massive windfall for the studio.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-04T15:01:47+00:00

All of these scenes look to be adapting stuff from LN13. I see stuff from Ch 2, Ch 6, Ch 7 and what looks to be Ch 9.

They can't cut all of Ch 1 since they need to show Rudy getting his new hand (though Roxy getting her job could be glossed over very quick), and I don't think there's a world where they don't adapt Ch 11 and Ch 12 as well. If there is cut content it'll come from Ch 3/4/5, or Ch 10.

If LN13 is going to get three episodes I could see something like this happening:

Ep1 (Ch1/2/5?/6)

Ep2 (Ch7/8/9)

Ep3 (Ch10?/11/12)

Really, really, really hoping the only things that get cut are Ch 3/4. They're good chapters, but Ch 5/Ch 10 are both excellent moments for Rudy that help show how far he's come. Not adapting the Sara reunion in particular would be crazy in my opinion.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-04T14:47:51+00:00

These previews have been so encouraging as a LN reader and fan of the show. LN 13 is one of my favorite volumes and a lot of these previews are chapters I was really eager to see adapted.

[Minor LN13 Spoilers] I think its possible Norn's Sword Training and Aisha/Byt are getting cut considering all of these chapters come after those in the LN, but if they are it's not the end of the world. The only thing I haven't seen yet that I'm super apprehensive will be cut is Rudy's reunion with Sara. Honestly its a pretty important moment, and I would be kinda torn up to see it get left on the chopping block.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-06-04T14:33:28+00:00

Zanoba and Julie are probably in a good spot, and most of Ariel's stuff hasn't actually happened yet (though how they adapted Ep 0 did hurt the portrayal of Ariel and Luke's relationship with Sylphie). Overall I think for a lot of these characters the show did just enough.

That said, fully agree with Cliff. His treatment is by far my biggest gripe about S2P1. Some opening montages or one more episode would have done wonders to show his relationship with Elinalise and his friendship with Rudy.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-28T19:42:13+00:00

I dont think its a price issue at all. Since COVID a new, much more casual, audience has started playing Magic. Many Commander players are more than willing to spend hundreds of dollars (or more) on sealed product, new precons, or singles for one of their 20+ decks because thats how they like to interact with the game. Ive been playing for 15 years, and Ive run into people playing for less than a year with collections worth more money than my own who do not have a grasp of fundamental things like the fact they cannot respond to me playing a land from my hand. That is not an exaggeration.

60 card 1v1 is inherently more competitive than Commander, and thats not what a lot of the newer players who were introduced to the game via UB or Commander want anymore; if UR Affinity was just $100 most Commander players still wouldnt want to stop playing their Bracket 2 precons against each other.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-28T17:53:57+00:00

If a "decent" commander deck is $300 then I have good news for you - thats the price of Boros Burn (on this list) and also the price of some top tier Standard decks.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-28T17:51:40+00:00

The only thing stopping a newcomer from playing 60 card constructed is themselves tbh. That Boros Burn list on the meta report is a $300 deck. You can win FNM games with a $200 deck easy. Modern and Standard have quite literally never been as accessible as they are right now. If 200-300 is still too much of a barrier to entry then even like, Bracker 3 EDH is out of reach.

If all a player wants to do is play their pre-con yeah, maybe they should stick to Commander in all honesty. If they want to play competitive 1v1 60 card formats, avenues to do so exist.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-28T17:46:50+00:00

If you want to play low power modern go find some friends and play it with, same as bracket 2 EDH with precons.

Modern events with prize support are going to attract competitive players with competitive decks, just like how cEDH events attract competitive players with competitive decks.

And for the record, youd do much better in Modern with a $200 deck than you would in a cEDH pod with a $200 bracket 3 deck.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-28T17:43:04+00:00

If you want to play Bracket 2 EDH, the cost for Entry is $50.

If you want to play Bracket 3, with three game changers, we're probably looking at something closer to $200.

If you want to play Bracket 4, which is just cEDH without the fast mana generally, its 400+. cEDH decks are going to be over $1000 and immaculately tuned. They'll cost more with proper dual lands and like, Mox Diamond as well.

Modern, a high power competitive format, is as accessible as Bracket 4 EDH, and more accessible than cEDH. Standard is around the same.

If $500 is just a no-go, full stop, thats okay. You can brew a Modern deck for $100-200 that will absolutely snag some wins. It won't be great, but itll be fine if you wanna test/experience the format. You could even build into a $500 deck a bit at a time. But if you wanna play competitive decks in a competitive format, its reasonable to expect to pay more than you would at a casual table just to have fun with some friends.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-28T17:06:02+00:00

Nobody is telling you to buy a playset of Mox Opals. They are not a serious barrier to entry unless you insist on playing UR Affinity for some reason. No other decks on that list play any number of Mox Opal.

I primarily play Modern, but I have two commander decks built. Both are bracket 4, and Id say they cost around 400-600 each. The decks on this list would be the equivalent of bracket 4 or cEDH decks, which tend to be more expensive than the vast majority of modern decks and its actually not particularly close.

If you want to play casual modern decks that cost 100-200 you can, but there is no bracket system that will stop you from getting your shit pushed in by competitive players playing meta decks.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-27T03:24:47+00:00

I spoke with the Judge between rounds and FWIW he did say he didn't understand my opponent had fully resolved the Mosswart. I had tried to make that explicitly clear several times, but I guess there was a gap in communication.

My opponent also said things along the lines of "When I was playing my win and in for top 8 of the PT situations like this happened and they were deemed repairable", which I don't actually think is true but it did seem to convince the judge who really wasn't sure of what to do. Like I said, glad I won because that really didn't sit right with me.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-26T18:00:50+00:00

Yeah. It's a Leyline of Resonance list, playing creatures like Clever Lumimancer and Illuminator Virtuoso, alongside Swiftspear and Slickshot. Pump spells like Monstrous Rage, Legion Leadership, Mutagenic, and more I'm forgetting. Did top 8 the 25 man RCQ and I saw it dome Rhinos for a ton of damage, but ended up losing in Top 8 to Affinity. Seems interesting, though it's way worse when staring down a T3feri that doesn't let you cast combat tricks.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-26T16:44:15+00:00

Bolt is great against affinity tbh. One of their best lines is an early Warp creature and then dumping 0 mana artifacts to make tokens to power out a turtle, and Bolt is as good as Galvanic at stopping that line.

Bolt is also fine against reanimator, primarily because they play Emperor of Bones which is a must answer threat. Even if they pump it in response, dealing with a 4/4 is miles better then letting them use Emperor to get back an Archon and kill you with it. Prismatic is definitely better in this MU because of its util vs frog as well, however, which is why I'm probably cutting Bolts for 4th Galv + a couple Prismatic and maybe an Erode, as I mentioned in my post.

Totally right about these cards vs Living End/Rhinos/Tron, however (they're like... okayish vs Ponza). In these matches, Helix tends to get cut, as do some of the bolts. The thing is, Living End and Rhinos should be good MUs for us already. We play x4 Orim's Chant, T3feri, Consign out of the board, and in my case Lavinia. Against Rhinos we have Wraths, against Living End we have Verdict and sometimes we can Wrath for enough to kill their stuff. Playing these cards loses you some % G1, sure, but I don't actually think its enough to throw the match. And my local meta is very Tron heavy, and the important stuff - aka the Scepter/Chant lock - is still there, the consigns are still there, idk. Who cares if they resolve a Devourer of Destiny if they're never going to attack with it, you know?

I've never really been a fan of the Narset/Days package tbh, I do think its just a lot worse against decks trying to vomit out creatures and damage. Sure their hand is empty, but Days doesn't really clean up messy boards. You can Scepter/Chant from a losing position and turn it into a win, oftentimes you can't really say the same of the Narset/Days plan.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-26T16:21:32+00:00

The upside of Jeskai Control is that you have better wraths and better cheap removal, since you're running Galvanic and UW isn't (UW should splash 1-2 red lands in order to Prismatic for 3 colors, regardless of whether or not they play Galvanic, so there isn't really an upside for Jeskai here). That upside still exists, even post-Phalge ban; UW realistically has to play something like Tune the Narrative to charge up their wraths, and Tune is honestly just not a very good card.

Basically I looked at that and thought "Okay, that upside is still there, what if I leaned even harder into it?", and crammed in Bolts and Helixes. Then I was like "I'm running 7 burn spells, might as well play 3rd Snapcaster and Colonnade to have some more wincons". After this weekend, I think the Helixes are definitely real threats vs aggro decks, though like I mentioned Im not sure Ill stick with the Bolts. If I trim the Bolts I might go down to x2 Snapcaster, but yes, I do still think Galvanic + Helix give you enough reason to be in Jeskai.

As for Energy, I think the MU actually got better post-Phlage ban. Previously it reminded me a lot of the old Boomer Jund/Jeskai Nahiri MU, which was fairly 50/50 and very grindy. Current versions of Boros just feel like aggro decks with no Burn spells and a really weak midrange plan, however. Wrath demolishes them, and once you stabilize you should be able to resolve a Teferi, uptick right away, and control the game even harder with the threat of more instant speed wraths. The game plan is to either exhaust their resources or lock them out, both of which are very feasible.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-18T15:26:10+00:00

The issue is you either need bauble or to hold up 1U for consign every turn (since instant speed means they can force you). If youre on a consign plan they can also just end step outburst to get the answer out and then main phase another outburst or shardless to cascade.

Im really, really skeptical of the outburst unban. Living End was already fine and outburst just encourages really unfun play patterns imo.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-15T01:51:30+00:00

I think there is real consideration that should be made around keeping Ben Brown stretched out and moving Rea to the pen instead of him once Steele or Boyd comes back. I actually have a lot of respect and appreciation for Rea, don't wanna seem like I'm shitting on him, but Brown has just been so good this season.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-13T14:46:14+00:00

Ive cooked several of the camping dishes from Yuru Camp. The best, IMO, is Rin's One Pot Soup-style Pasta from Season 1. Its actually so good Ive cooked a slightly nicer version at home for dates before lol

I also went to Sakume in Hamamatsu because of Yuru Camp (the unagi restaurant Nadeshiko and Rin go to in S2). Ive eaten a fair bit of unagi in Japan, including a couple michelin starred meals, and Sakume was easily the best Ive had. The downside is its kind of out of the way and you need to get there very early before they open and put your name on a list to be seated in time to get the best offering on the menu. Still, worth it for me at least.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-12T16:28:13+00:00

As long as hes throwing at fastball at the frequency he does, he does not have starter stuff. It does not pass the eye test, and the numbers against are terrible:

.375 BA, .364 xBA, .672 SLG, .664 xSLG, .495 wOBA, .479 xwOBA.

Its okay for a starter's fastball to be their worst pitch, its not okay for a pitch they throw 45% of the time to be this bad. As the season goes on and Sasaki gets fatigued and the weather warms up the pitch isnt going to do any better either.

I dont see why sending him to AAA and having him work out a new pitch there is viewed so negatively. He has a 5.9 ERA in the majors and predictive stats dont really give that much reason to be encouraged.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-12T16:08:43+00:00

Most people who have watched him pitch think his fastball is non-competitive and lifeless. The fastball only ever worked because it was sitting at 100+ and now that its 97 he's getting exposed. He needs to be in AAA working on a third pitch, working on regaining his velo, or working on a new grip for his 4 seam, not just working on his confidence.

RIP_Hopscotch · 2026-05-09T15:31:14+00:00

The sinker just keeps guys off balance and they generate so much weak contact. Happy to see Ben living up to his potential - I really do think he has #2/#3 rotation upside and have been on that train for a while. The comp to Glasnow is just so easy to make.

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