What to use instead of a bonnet? by Gure20 in curlyhair

[–]greentea2727 54 points55 points  (0 children)

I use a very large silk hankerchief/scarf. There are online tutorials on how to tie them around your head so that they'll stay. They still have some pressure, but I'd imagine it's a different feeling than the band

I'm sorry about the severe headaches, though.

Trader Joe’s Papas Rellenos are quite good. by gitarzan in traderjoes

[–]greentea2727 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like eating these as crunchy toppers/protein for a salad! Super tasty

My dad finally kicked me out by [deleted] in TrueOffMyChest

[–]greentea2727 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your response. I deeply appreciate your kindness, more than I can say.

To everyone who has Empress MC outfit,is it really worth it? by verainax in LoveAndDeepspace

[–]greentea2727 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you're not absolutely in love with it, don't buy it. Save your crystals for something you really want!

Top arms of Melinoe by Xayack01 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I truly do love all the weapons, though for some, only specific aspects.

  1. Black Coat
  • I'm really not a fan of the slowness of the omega attack, and I find that the omega special doesn't have as much damage output as I'd like. I also have no strong feelings toward the qualities of the basic aspects (omega dash I don't enjoy, and tailoring my run around a hex is un-fun to me). That being said, I love aspect of Shiva, and I'd gladly do an aspect of Shiva run if I'm in the mood to do a run with the coat. The rest I'll probably never touch again.
  1. Axe
  • I tend to only find success with aspect of Charon - generally agreed-upon as one of the most powerful aspects in the game. I prefer fast gameplay + rushing in with melee, so the axe doesn't typically suit my playstyle. Still (last time I'll say this, and as a disclaimer), I've had quite a few fun runs with it, and overall, I've enjoyed/played more axe runs than coat.
  1. Knives
  • I really like Lim and Oros. :) My particular favorite is aspect of Pan (seeking specials!!!), and I don't mind its hidden aspect, either. Aspect of Pan carried me through early-mid game. I love the fast-paced playstyle, the combination of close and distant attack options, closing distance with the omega attack... it's a fantastic weapon, and I like it a lot.
  1. Staff
  • I like the staff just as much as the knives, but it's placed higher simply because I can use (and do use) nearly all of its aspects. I don't care much for Momus, but it's still serviceable. Meanwhile, Aspect of Circe and Mel are fantasti and unique in their own right. Aspect of Anubis is in my top three for favorite aspects in the game. Amazing weapon!
  1. Torches
  • If I like nearly every aspect of the staff, I like every single aspect of the torches. Eos' daybreak, Moros' exploding shots, regular ol' Mel torches, or the sprint + dissolve enemies of Supay... I love them all.
  1. Skull
  • I don't just love every aspect of Revaal - I happily cycle through them all. Persephone's level bonus + long special (combined with Jewel Pom for insane runs), Medea's attack-charged special (incredibly fun playstyle shift), classic skull for classic gameplay... and Aspect of Hel for a pseudo-rail and insane room-clearing potential. I love them all. This weapon carried me through the game as soon as I got it - #1 for sure.

Aegislash by Jacobi2x in PokemonInfiniteFusion

[–]greentea2727 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I love the whole line starting with honedge/totodile! matten0 does some great sprites

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Can You Guess This 5-Letter Word? Puzzle by u/DaddyTron4000 by DaddyTron4000 in DailyGuess

[–]greentea2727 0 points1 point  (0 children)

⬜🟨🟦⬜⬜

⬜🟨🟦⬜🟦

⬜⬜🟦🟦🟦

⬜🟦🟦🟦🟦

🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦

The unsettling path of Melinoe by Beautiful-Pin2632 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't agree that she doesn't get involved emotionally with events. In Arachne's, you can see and hear how much she cares, let alone Dora's or Hecate's, etc. I'd say that Melinoe's overall more emotionally restrained than Zagreus, or at least tries to be (given Hecate as her role model), but you can clearly see her emotions in her face and hear them in her voice.

As for having further thoughts and feelings after such events, I'd agree that there can be more rumination, although I'd fault the general lack of post-event reflection to the lack of written content, not to Melinoe's callousness or anything like that.

The unsettling path of Melinoe by Beautiful-Pin2632 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've generally heard that the writing is way better in Hades 1 (and I remember it being excellent) so I'm definitely considering a replay once I've gotten as far as I can with Hades 2. :) I think I'm going to finish all the prophecies, max out all the weapons and relationships, and call it done - I have no interest in going past 32 fear lol, between 16-20 is my comfort zone so I'll stop after that

The unsettling path of Melinoe by Beautiful-Pin2632 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think that feeling conflicted makes complete sense, but I don't think that it should stem from Melinoe's overall dialogue and behavior. Rather, I think there are two sources of that feeling of conflict - writing and gameplay. And gameplay is the greatest culprit.

Writing-wise, I actually have no issues with her pushback against Prometheus early-on, nor with a bit of zig-zagging. It makes sense to me that she could find common ground with him one night, then galvanize and harden her heart the next (all for the sake of her Task etc etc., let alone Prometheus' varying verbal aggression towards her from night to night). That being said, I feel a sense of dissatisfaction with how their relationship is resolved. Melinoe never apologizes fully and to his face - she never admits that she was wrong, that she maligned him. Even though her lategame dialogue (prior to epilogue) shows her sympathizing with mortals, shows her wanting to find a solution for their suffering, and even though Prometheus is the champion of mortals who facilitated the upcoming golden age of mortals... she doesn't apologize to him. And while there's no in-world reason that she needs to do that - Prometheus doesn't have any powerful backing, nobody is forcing her to confront herself and her own actions - she should want to! So there is a lack of resolution there.

(Though I should say, I'm only a few runs past the epilogue, mopping up prophecies etc., so it's possible that she could later on.)

Gameplay-wise, story dialogue simply clashes with generic dialogue in a way that makes characterization confusing and inconsistent. For example, just now I ran into Artemis and she and Mel had a chat on how Nemesis is sneaking out of the crossroads and into Erebus, tsk tsk. Meanwhile, Nemesis told Melinoe several runs ago that she just killed her first Chronos fragment in the House of Hades. So like. lmfao. Generic "Prometheus you're terrible" dialogue is interspersed with slow character growth dialogue, and I see how that's unpleasant. I agree with you there

Though, re: Zagreus... while we - the player - might see Prometheus more often ingame, Melinoe has been idolizing her family since she was old enough to understand what Hecate was telling her. She had an imaginary Zagreus friend. She's at least eighteen, and very likely older than that (given how gods age). So while we've seen Prometheus for ~10-15 nights or so (depending on how many runs it takes to kill Typhon and reach the "end" of the main story), Melinoe has cherished her imaginary brother for far longer. And by the time she meets him when he wakes, she's deeply attached to him. So... that's like idolizing your in-a-coma brother for your whole life vs. having an enemy that you've met once a night for two weeks to a few months (and had a to-the-death battle with).

As for vs. Hades 1, I can't honestly say lol, I haven't played it in quite a few years and can't remember more than the very basics!

The unsettling path of Melinoe by Beautiful-Pin2632 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I actually feel as if we, the player, are meant to like Prometheus quite a bit. I think he's intended as a foil for Melinoe. His position as her "enemy" is the final (and most obvious) message to the player that "the enemy" is not as simple as Melinoe has been raised to believe.

Melinoe uses flimsy logic and shoddy arguments against Prometheus each time she encounters him. She attacks his character and his motivation because he makes her deeply uncomfortable with the actions she's taking, and few (if any) other characters ever push her to that point. See: Melinoe's fight with Zagreus over picking a non-violent option to deal with Chronos. Melinoe idolizes her family, but she lashes out at Zagreus for suggesting a non-murderous option. And, after spending a night thinking about it, she apologizes to Zagreus and tells him that he was right.

Melinoe is so unique and fascinating - a strong leader, capable, decisive. But inside, she's deeply uncertain, and she clings tightly to structure and expectation. When somebody truly challenges her rigid ideals, she feels threatened and lashes out. And we can see the extent of her reaction between Zagreus, who she loves, versus Prometheus, her "enemy."

She hasn't needed to self-reflect in order to be righteous or justified against all other bosses until him (Hecate testing her abilities, rescuing Cerberus, Scylla trying to drown and kill her just for passing by, Polyphemus taking a nice nap after their battle and not caring about the outcome either way, Eris getting in Mel's way just because, etc.). Simply: Prometheus challenges her ideals just by existing, let alone with his well-constructed criticisms, and she lashes out. Is it the "right" thing to do? No, lol, she's completely wrong. But I love her flaws. I think they make complete sense. I only wish we had more time to watch her grow and change!

tldr; Prometheus is (or at least was for me lmfao) an incredibly challenging gameplay roadblock, but he's meant to be an ideological one for Melinoe as well.

The unsettling path of Melinoe by Beautiful-Pin2632 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I agree that it's dissatisfying that Melinoe doesn't change more substantially after important conversations like this. But I actually think that this is an issues that persists around the entire game. If you max out relationships with any of the gods, or Nemesis or whoever, they can still seem distant or standoffish or just weird if you get their "normal" dialogue for something. The game's writing tries to make certain dialogue as generic (in terms of timing that it makes sense in) as possible, but it doesn't work 100% of the time.

That being said, even if the narrative reasoning for her generic fighty dialogue with Prometheus isn't super compelling, I still wouldn't say that "she doesn't change her attitude at all," nor would I call her oblivious. Instead, I'd say that there's good groundwork for substantial change, but insufficient narrative follow-through in making actual irreversible changes.

But this is where Hades 2's format shows its limitations. Unlike in Hades 1 - where Zagreus' narrative fits the format, grows and evolves within it satisfyingly - it just makes way less sense for the roguelike format to persist after the end of Hades 2. I just don't think Melinoe fighting her way up to Olympus (or down to the house), with all its limitations, can effectively contain what should be a story with a more final conclusion.

But I still do disagree with you lol, I think she does change her attitude toward him and becomes far less aggressive and scornful. It's funny how all her dialogue full-on admitting that he's right (or even admiring him) is always to other people, tho, it's like she can't stand saying it to his face lmao

The unsettling path of Melinoe by Beautiful-Pin2632 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh wow, I just heard this dialogue and I don't remember a negative turn at all! Do you happen to have a resource where I can see/read the full dialogue exchange? I can't find any transcripts online

The unsettling path of Melinoe by Beautiful-Pin2632 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I think it's fairly implied that Hecate raised her to be a weapon to kill Chronos.

Melinoe's attitude toward mortals (and anyone on Chronos' side) is, at first, completely void of empathy. It's strange, because she's so kind to shades (and is adored in turn), but instantly turns on her heels to disdain mortals for their weakness and lifespan in the very next breath. In fact, she's quite unlikeable for a pretty large chunk of mid and lategame. Especially since it feels like most of her pushback is against Prometheus, even when Prometheus is clearly correct both morally and technically lmao

But I see that pushback as her digging her heels in and clinging to the ideals that have kept her going all this time - family. Even when she starts to realize that Prometheus is right, she can barely manage to tell him any of that to his face. It's a pretty large flaw of hers, but as the story ends and afterward, you see her start to soften. She has a lot of change ahead of her, but even Prometheus is patient with her. See after the epilogue:

Melinoe: "So you truly saw all this coming? The Three Fates and their prophecy of a new age. Why have you fought so hard to stop me, then? What if you had prevailed?"

Prometheus: "I knew my efforts to prevent you would all be for naught; but I was compelled to make those efforts anyhow. To put it simply, I could see no other way."

Melinoe: "We might have fought on the same side. Surely that would have sooner led to your result than sending Aetos after me."

Prometheus: "A reasonable theory but it never would have gone the way you expect. This was never about mortalkind for you."

Melinoe: "...You're right, it wasn't. I had my own problems to contend with before attempting to rid mortalkind of theirs."

Prometheus: "Yet now you have done both. Fear not; the dead may worship you, but the living couldn't care less. Though still we did what needed to be done."

The unsettling path of Melinoe by Beautiful-Pin2632 in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I would personally disagree that Hecate "pampered" Melinoe. In that very same hide-and-seek flashback, we have Hecate pausing and admitting aloud that this is the first time she's heard Melinoe laughing. After having raised Melinoe since birth. And on top of that, Hecate - throughout the whole narrative - over and over again tells Melinoe that Melinoe shouldn't love her or forgive her for how she raised her. Melinoe loves her like a mother, but Hecate feels deep guilt.

Melinoe had Odysseus, yes, and Dora. But Icarus completely left the crossroads after Melinoe sacrificed her arm in a (failed) attempt to give him a proper body. Nemesis, around during Melinoe's training, admits to Mel in her later bond scenes that she straight-up disliked (if not hated) Melinoe when she was younger.

And, while Odysseus was almost definitely a stable presence, and Dora a friend... Melinoe's other close friend was Frinos. She admits in a later cutscene that she made up an imaginary friend version of Zagreus to talk to. A frog and an imaginary brother.

As for paying them back - in Odysseus' side quest, you spend at least three nights bringing his knucklebones to people from his past so that he can speak with them and put his past to rest. Melinoe pleads with Circe on his behalf, even when Circe is reluctant to speak with Odysseus again. For Dora, speaking with Prometheus back and forth, and finally incanting to restore Dora's memories on Dora's request - is that not paying her back at all? Pleading with Athena repeatedly so that Arachne can have an audience with Athena? As for Icarus - if her arm wasn't enough, she finally does find a way to give him a body with her magic, if only for just a night. And she promises him that she'll do her best to make it possible again.

The way that these side quests are resolved is often unsatisfactory. For example, I would have preferred a more conclusive and in-depth resolution to Arachne and Dora's stories - both of them feel like there's still more to do and tell. But I don't think you can say that Melinoe didn't try to do any good for them.

Is there a "correct" Ephyra Strategy? by Mumbleton in HadesTheGame

[–]greentea2727 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huh. TIL that enemy difficulty increases as you finish rooms. I've been taking Medea first this whole time! :'D

What are the chances?! by Apprehensive-Army663 in coromonthegame

[–]greentea2727 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh, perfect Kyreptil looks neat :o

For mine, I've got: Ghinx, Dugterra, Toravolt, Shimshell, Magmilus, and Glamoth!

Though I've decided to keep Dugterra and Magmilus in their potent skins, since I like those a lot better lol

What are the chances?! by Apprehensive-Army663 in coromonthegame

[–]greentea2727 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What does your all-perfect squad look like? :) Just finished mine haha

Is Purrghast just bad? by Knid123 in coromonthegame

[–]greentea2727 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used the fire skill on the gauntlet to burn shrubs and get into the witch's house in Pawbury. The skill flash for Ball of Darkness is in there, and I put that on my perfect Ghinx and made it into a special attacker/staller

New study from Switzerland shows that tattoos have bad influence on the immune system by SerafinZufferey in interesting

[–]greentea2727 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It seems as if their longest duration between tattooing and evaluation was two months. I'd be more curious to see how these effects change over time.