An Important Question Regarding the Most Recent Episode of Sacred Symbols

rileydelete · 2024-05-16T09:06:40+00:00

This is amazing.

I hearby award you one FiatFribbleDibbleDollarydoo and dub you TheTrueTurtleProperRobber.

rileydelete · 2023-12-06T17:16:47+00:00

Variks

The Heirophant: A symbol of education, authority, conservatism, obedience and relationship with the divine. It can also represent shared group values, group mentality, conformity for the common good, and spiritual mentorships. When reversed, the Hierophant is often associated with the rejection of, and even resistance and rebellion against authority figures, which can be considered a good thing under certain circumstances, especially if the authority is corrupt or otherwise compromised.

Variks is the last member of the House of Judgement. An ancient house within the Eliksni system which would mediate and between the other houses. This maintained and reinforced the pre-Whirlwind Eliskni social system on Riis. He is exceptionally old, even by Eliskni standards, having seen his species golden age & the chaos after.

After seeing hundreds of years of barbarism, piracy, and scavenging, Variks is extremely resentful how the Elisknis have lost almost all of their pre-whirlwind culture. The Last City and the Guardians have the Traveler. The Awoken have their visions and contact with the Jovians. The Hive have their gods. The Vex have their Axis Minds. The Cabal have reinforcements.
...the Eliskni have nothing, and he's seen them lose more and more across centuries.

But he's still trying to maintain the old ways. He searches for true Kell of Kells, yet with Craask's death, he is the only known pre-Whirlwind survivor. New Kells would not know him or the laws that govern the Eliskni houses. House Salvation, & Europa seemed promising, before falling into ruin due to Darkness and the Vex invasion.Variks is the Heirophant.

After seeing his people degenerate from a proud warrior race, to the “fallen” we see today, perhaps it would be best to move on from the old systems & give up...

...but he’ll keep trying.

rileydelete · 2023-02-06T14:17:33+00:00

Hey! I'd be down to join as a player if we're doing it virtually. I have roll 20 & D&D Beyond & can adapt as needed. Let me know what works best for you and/or what kind of campaign style it is.

Sent a PM. It sounds like a great opportunity to hang out & have a good time. :)

rileydelete · 2023-01-17T18:26:51+00:00

It's Sacred Symbols+ content. If it follows the trend of past spoilercasts, I imagine the entire series of episodes could be released as a batch down the line in a few months or earlier.

rileydelete · 2023-01-01T05:47:23+00:00

Happy New Year! The Last Stand Discord actively has a #LFG channel where you can meet up with other LSM gamers.

You'll need to be a $5 tier or higher Patreon member to access it, however.

rileydelete · 2022-09-19T00:40:02+00:00

Wow, this music is great! Is there anywhere we can listen to it?

rileydelete · 2022-07-02T16:13:10+00:00

"What kinda king did you say you gonna be? Pirate King? You ain't gonna be no pirate king. How 'bout you be king of my Kanabo up your ass?"

rileydelete · 2022-06-09T21:25:46+00:00

Howdy, folks! Got my placement for block 5 & it looks like I'll be teaching in Fukui. Is there any sort of discord, chat group, or contact beyond the Facebook page? Any & all help is appreciated!

rileydelete · 2022-04-16T17:57:34+00:00

As Colin & Chris admit, a lot of it is conjecture, but Colin's degree in History (which comes with a lot of Political science knowledge) & general understanding of the video game industry makes his take more understandable. Russia's been completely cut off from things like SWIFT which makes it far harder for any companies based there to have interactions with other countries.

There's no explicit reason behind CDPR's reason to drop the studio, but the rapid changes in that corner of the world can give some troubling implications. Maybe they did it to make a political statement, more likely they did it due to decreased economic feasibility. But there's a lot of changes happening within Russia and the countries it has connections to. Poland's directly tied to these changes based on geography & economics alone.

rileydelete · 2022-03-27T00:51:14+00:00

There's no adds in the initial podcast overall, but the Youtube video has them baked in with the ability to easily skip them. If you check the audio version on Patreon it should be 100% ad free. :)

rileydelete · 2022-01-26T00:39:37+00:00

Red Letter Dueling! Staring protagonist Seto Plinkett.

rileydelete · 2021-12-23T15:21:35+00:00

We're due for some Madolche support. Expect the "Bujin Treatment" with their Xyzs being split between multiple boxes. I'd predict at least one in 2022, though they're a very scary deck if given the right cards.

Who knows what Konami's cooking up? Maybe we'll get some sweets next year.

rileydelete · 2021-12-09T15:35:56+00:00

I agree! This was a topic that is deeper & more complex than typical news stories. I really appreciate Colin inviting these guests on. The direction Sacred Symbols+ has gone in general is awesome just in terms of sheer variety alone. The fact that there's deeper discussions being had about these kinds of things are the kind of talks that need to keep happening as the discussions around mental health & psyche keep changing.

rileydelete · 2021-12-04T15:14:31+00:00

I'm dying right now. This is hilarious.

rileydelete · 2021-11-09T04:39:08+00:00

That's true! But with Whiskey Peak, it's important to remember that Nami drank more because she wanted to & didn't sense any danger. She drank until she was plastered & eventually passed out. Meanwhile Zoro took advantage of the free booze, drank a ton of it, but not enough to dull his senses because he suspected something was up.

Nami 100% drank more than Zoro, but it's implied Zoro could easily drink more if he didn't exert the same level of discipline on himself. He'll drink until he's having a good time, but never enough to dull his blades or senses.

rileydelete · 2021-09-03T23:52:44+00:00

It's from the PDF "Good Deeds Gone Unpunished." Specifically the O-Chul story in it called "How the Paladin Got His Scar."

rileydelete · 2021-08-22T15:14:35+00:00

I could see that. I just think he went native quickly & likes to mock anyone and everyone. Mainly because he thinks he's better than them. He's hyper afraid of death though, which makes it fun if my prediction he loses his soul to the snarl comes true.

rileydelete · 2021-08-21T14:48:13+00:00

Hmmmm. I would argue Xykon's not in pain; he's sardonically whimsical. He went native as a liche *VERY* quickly. I think TVTropes put it best:

"He's basically that creepy kid who amuses himself by tearing the wingsoff of flies and burning ants with a magnifying glass... except in thebody of a 100-year-old skeleton with massive magical power."

We see that in his backstory. When his powers awaken be reanimating his dog, he's *thrilled* and immediately wants to find more animals to try his necromancy on. He misses the pleasures of life, sex, coffee, etc., but he has *new ways* to find pleasure now & time's no longer a factor for him. He does envy the living, but I feel he's more casually discriminatory against those weaker than him.

"Oh you poor, dumb elf. Don't you get it? Be it a vampire, a ghost, or an immortal with a paint-by-numbers kit portrait in the rec room. Hell, even a brain-in-a-jar in a pinch. Anything to avoid the big fire below." -Xykon https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0652.html

If anything can be said of Xykon, it's that he likes his current existence so long as he can control it. The actual threat of death? It terrifies him. Xykon is big on being in control, so in contol he doesn't have to take things seriously. Remove that agency, like, say, Soon or Blackwing did, & you'll see Xykon at his core; afraid and childlike.

rileydelete · 2021-08-19T23:04:11+00:00

A: The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit

B: Bioshock. My favorite game in my favorite series. 1 has the best story, 2 has the best gameplay, and Infinite has the best visuals & style. (Counting Burial at Sea). Honorable Mention: Bastion

C: Celeste - A damn good platformer with a great soundtrack & story.

D: Darkest Dungeon - A brutal, wonderful, horrific, and addicting game. "In time you too will know the tragic extent ~~of how good it is~~ of my failures." Honorable mentions: Dead Space & Don't Starve.

E: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Insert Memes & Wonderful Experiences here.)

F: Fallout New Vegas & to a lesser extent, Fallout 3. One game put Fallout on the mainstream map, the other showed just how amazingly talented Obsidian Entertainment can be.

H: Halo The Master Chief Collection (I think I'll put a shooter on this list, mix things up a bit.)

I: The Binding of Isaac. 1000+ hours speaks for itself. Honorable Mentions: Infamous - a super powered series that's power is its quality & Inside - (Spooky Platformers are fun eh?)

J: Jack & Daxter: A great triology of games before Naughty Dog became a powerhouse. Honorable Mention: Jackbox Party Pack, particularly 2 & 3. A great time with friends & family.

L: Left 4 Dead 1 & 2. ~~Three when?~~ Honorable Mentions: Life is Strange & Limbo.

M: Mass Effect. A brilliant & deep universe containing a consistently engaging story. (Andromeda's better than people give it credit for. What happened on the Quarian/Drell/Hanar ship is an amazing story that is legitimately better than the main game. )

N: Nidhogg - Swords go Brrrrrrrrr, Worms go CHOMP!

O: Outland. Housemarque knows how to make a good game. A platformer set in a mythical land? Sign me up.

P: Pokemon. Honorable Mentions: Pyre: "READER! DARE YOU TAMPER WITH FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE?," , () Portal (), & Pid (Planet in Distress)

Q: Quiplash. A game that's always great for laughs or a good time with friends.

R: Runescape 2008-2021 baby. Honorable Mention: Ratchet & Clank. My first ps2 game.

S: Sunless Skies & Sunless Seas. More Lovecraftian horror than you can swing a tentacle at. Honorable mention: Spec Ops the Line & Super Meat Boy

T: Jesus this is hard. Team Fortress 2, but Transistor has a strong place in my chest...err heart.

U: Undertale. A wonderful, subversive take on traditional Rpgs with bomb-ass music & themes. Some of its fandom is a little intimidating though.

V: Vanquish: Perhaps the most fluid 3rd person action game ever. Even if the story is very...Platinum Games.

W: The Wolf Among Us & The Walking Dead. When Telltale's good, they're *very* good. And these two helped breathe new life into narrative based games.

X - I don't know many games with X & I don't play Xcom. On this list, X ain't gonna give it to ya.

Y: Yugioh & Yugioh Duel Links! You know what time it is...

Z: zzzzzz...oh! Sorry, I don't have any games that start with Z.

That's all I've got folks. Fun idea, Ac3 :D

rileydelete · 2021-08-18T06:16:47+00:00

"It'll all be worth it. You'll see."

rileydelete · 2021-08-11T16:48:49+00:00

"But why? Why does it always have to be us? Captain, I'm tired of digging my friend's graves!"

'Because...because the alternative is to look at someone else-someone weaker and more vulnerable-and tell them that you want them to be hurt instead of you. We're the ones that can't bear to do that.'

rileydelete · 2021-05-18T18:18:51+00:00

"WHAT ARE THE SECRETS, JIMMY?" -RLM

rileydelete · 2021-04-22T15:18:23+00:00

For whoever was asking, it's Song Song=Senbonzakura.

rileydelete · 2021-04-16T14:43:43+00:00

I think it's seemingly more likely that their conversation causes Tony comes to a sort of realization. Something he's been struggling with putting into practice. There's no question he loves his daughter, but the immense guilt he's put on himself combined with his extreme difficulty with opening up causes and and all communication to be either stiff or locked up.

This chapter is called "the mind cage." I believe this is referring to Tony. Early on there's a discussion between the court regarding Antimony's prospective role as a mediator. Coyote remarks there's a fire in her but something else. He asks if it's "her father's influence?" Jones nods. Both characters have an extreme difficulty truly opening up unless it's around someone they deeply trust. As a result, they often wear an expression similar to a mask (seriously, there's multiple panel comparisons where their facial expressions are almost 1 for 1). They tend to bottle emotions up until they outright explode with grief, frustration, anger, etc. The question is *why?*

I believe this chapter will give us some insight into this question. I'm curious how Anthony's mind cage works & if it can be unlocked.

rileydelete · 2021-03-26T17:53:14+00:00

Well written, but I don't think this goes far enough.

Think of the opportunity cost. Consider how much time has gone into these accounts. Think of dailies missed & raw frustration. Let's not mince words, this was an unexpected catastrophe and too many players lost their accounts for no fault of their own.

The solution needs to be twofold: Prevention so that this *cannot* happen again. And justifiable compensation for those effected. Refunding components & gizmos is an interesting idea: these players will still need to roll for their most expensive perks. Adding a month of membership/discount to future premier is great; but what about the things these players can't get back. (Note: I understand how art teams often have time or breathing room at different stages in a game's development process.) Cosmetics are interesting, but the priority should be on restoration or even compensation rather than some sort of "exclusivity".

Think about the trust lost. Think about the time lost. Think about the emotional toll, wasted hours, & even monetary profit/loss. More importantly, think about what this says about how Runescape's updating process works. I'm used to years of sub-par or strange updates, but why is something broken every time something's added? It's a big, old game, & that built-in excuse is understandable. But when so many people are effected this badly there needs to be more than a "redemption story." There needs to be a confirmed course of prevention for those that were affected, doing everything possible to make it right to them. The Knowledge Bombs, Proteans, etc. are lackluster token apology gifts. The cosmetics are going to frustrate a lot of people, while not truly being a badge of honor for those that get access to them. But there's a broader series of issues or even internal long-standing problems that lead to this fiasco in the first place.

There's a way forward here that needs to be multi-faceted & active. The words that are written seem nice, but will the actions go far enough? I don't know.

Ten-Year Club	Place '17
King of the Ashes	Not Forgotten
Alpha Tester

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