The Great Log Posting: Arc II

[Halbarad]

Re: Minako's guilt.

I hate this in an OOC sense. Something about this mindset always annoys me, but I can't say what. Sometimes you miss, shit happens. Mina did have bad luck with hitting some of the big baddies, but she also never got seriously hurt, so eh.

This is another 'sign that Minako is seriously fucked up now', FYI. This one's at least trying to cope, but it doesn't feel remotely healthy or normal.

Yeah, she seems.... I dunno, detached somehow in this scene. Like she's shoving her mind off onto other things, so she doesn't really have to think about what's actually bothering her - like the death and destruction that the battle the day before had actually caused.

It's nowhere near as blatant as Rei's poor TV was, but it still points to a mind on the verge of or already cracked.

Couple that with the paranoia that she's been showing for several posts now - distrusting Pluto, Ami, Usagi, even Usagi's mom here... yeah.

Re: Serenity's unprincess like yell.

Another snicker worthy scene. Nice touch.

Wish I'd played up this aspect more - stately Queen Serenity doing some very unroyal things. Would have been good comedically, but comedy isn't one of my stronger points, really. Not with Usagi, anyway - my usual flavor of dry wit doesn't mesh well with the rabbit.

Re: Starfire and Setsuna being close.

They were friends before the entire Crystal Prison gig. I also toyed around with the idea of them being more than that on the side, purely out of lonliness. Never really got into it, but the idea is understandable for both of them. Setsuna may be a sincerely straight Sailor, but she's still human and a chance to get close to anyone after millenia, male or feamle, is too good to pass up.

She got herself an Earth prince in the end, so everyone was happy!

Except maybe Starfire. Whatever happened to her after this, anyway? We never heard from her again.

Re: Minako's guilt and paranoia.

This is just sigh worthy. No matter what, you don't distance yourself like that from your friends. It's a mistake OOC and a painful thing to see IC; I really feel bad for Corwin here as well as the other girls. This is exactly what they don't need now.

If you're referring to the section I think you are (talking about Rei needing space) this was one of those black and white issues. Either Minako had to spend ALL her free time with Rei, or she couldn't be around Rei AT ALL. No middle ground. -_-

Re: Orestes.

Oh, here we go. He was marginally stable as long as he had Makoto. With her gone? It's time to cue the fireballs and meltdowns straight ahead. I love this scene in pure style - lighting crackling Orestes on TV as the Sailor Senshi watch on is pure gold. Now that the veneer of sanity is demolished, he can really cut loose into the horror that stole part of Makoto's soul.

He vaguely reminds of Kefka for no real reason.

I would have liked a little more groundwork for who he was, personally, as the way he turned out wasn't much more than a 'big baddie who really fucked up Makoto' type of deal.

That said, I got the same Kefka vibe from him, too. Weird.

Re: Channel 5

I ran the entry and exploration of the station like a Doom level. It only felt fitting, really. The whole' through the underpassages into hell proper' is such a Doom level theme.

I liked hacking our way through the keyed doors. IDKFA THAT, punk.

Re: Usagi and burning attacks.

She still can't avoid them. Poor rabbit!

Hey, at least this was acid! I think...

[Anastasia]

Fits what I recall, yes. We'd laid some basic plans to that effect before we went in, and as far as they went, they worked brilliantly - Herb did manage to get in and get Makoto out without a hitch. Just that the actual fighting Oxyite part went horribly wrong.

Basically. The best laid plans are sometimes inferior to circumstances, really. Oxyite gave you a good fight each time, pushing you way past any sane planning.

She did not have a fun time of things during this arc. The poor miko got pretty badly abused throughout this arc. Still took her lumps later on, but she never really seemed like the primary target again the way she did here.

This was entirely a mix of luck and circumstances. Poor Rei-chan! She really did get the holy piss knocked out of her. This didn't help Minako in the least.

Yeah, in light of the last events of the arc this seemed a bit out there. Not the last of these, though.

It wasn't a bad idea in the least, just one of those that never made it off the drawing board. Oh well, you got a peaceful New Year's after all!

She got herself an Earth prince in the end, so everyone was happy!

Except maybe Starfire. Whatever happened to her after this, anyway? We never heard from her again.

She got her fondest wish - out of the Crystal Prison and getting back to her life far after the Moon Kingdom is gone. Getting to quietly watch Earth's most interesting times is merely a bonus. She liked the Sailor Senshi well enough, but she had matters far removed from them to attend to so she never had reason to come back herself.

I would have liked a little more groundwork for who he was, personally, as the way he turned out wasn't much more than a 'big baddie who really fucked up Makoto' type of deal.

That said, I got the same Kefka vibe from him, too. Weird.

Go fig. But anyway, yeah, I went with a few very stylish scenes to tell a slightly more complex tale. I think it worked purely on dramatic impact.

[Anastasia]

Post 17 comments.

Re: Cynthia's chants.

I had an unusually high amount of fun making those up. Shades of VP stylistics in them as well - for all it's faults, Valkyrie Profile has style up the 'nads.

Re: First round initiative.

Yee. That was as bad as I remembered; shitty dice luck for the good guys there.

Re: Orestes' big thunder attack.

Ye gods. I knew there was a reason we nerfed Senshi attacks in general, this reminds me of several of them. A three digit damage attack was sickenly overpowered, too, I'm glad I didn't just insta frag poor Rei-chan. Think I overdid it just a bit!

Re: Minako's berserker.

I wince at this - why did I allow it on so many levels? Not only is it overpowered in the extreme, it only fed into her fanaticism. D'oh.

Re: Battle in general.

This is a lot shorter than I remember. It only lasted two rounds for all serious intents and purposes, really. I suppose what happened here mattered a lot more than a few rounds, eh?

Re: Cynthia's fatal wounding.

To be fair, I think it was mentioned that Corwin tried to stop this OOC. Still painful to watch, as it's little more than an execution after a battle, nearly the same as killing a bound hostage. You can argue that Minako wasn't in her right mind and I'd agree, but she still lead herself there. A tragedy.

I also gave Usagi some time there if she thought of trying plot power, but it didn't happen. To be honest I really didn't want Cynthia to die like that. Worst case scenario - it was one thing if she died tragically or in battle, but this was simply an execution.

Re: Ikkuko

If nothing else, Usagi's so lucky that she had her to come home to. Rei and Minako weren't so lucky, most painfully.

Re: Ikkuko 2

Yep, she knew when to leave the scene. Ikkuko wasn't a damn fool by any stretch of the imagination. Out, out, run!

Re: Minako's denial of reality.

This was the last straw in so many ways. I recall this being bloody painful to read and it's even worse in retrospect. So utterly disconnected, so lost, so unwilling. I can't say anything else, it stands on it's own. This is the problem again - Minako's breakdowns isolated her, while the others drew them closer. It's a pretty clear distinction.

I don't remember of amnesia was a trait of Berserk or not.

Re: Minako quitting.

There she goes again. See above. The bomb it dropped with Rei and Usagi saw it was just icing.

Re: Usagi's dream.

Damn! Missing logs.

Re: Soul surgery.

Not much to say here but it worked!

[Halbarad]

Post 17 comments.

Re: Cynthia's chants.

I had an unusually high amount of fun making those up. Shades of VP stylistics in them as well - for all it's faults, Valkyrie Profile has style up the 'nads.

Yeah, I definitely noted the VP-esque styling here. Not hard to distinguish at all.

"And lo! Ye shall look upon the calamities of heresy with beclouded eyes!"

Re: First round initiative.

Yee. That was as bad as I remembered; shitty dice luck for the good guys there.

For all that they got good rolls, they weren't that high overall - blame Minako's and Usagi's good init mods there. Rei, of course, Rei'd it here.

Re: Orestes' big thunder attack.

Ye gods. I knew there was a reason we nerfed Senshi attacks in general, this reminds me of several of them. A three digit damage attack was sickenly overpowered, too, I'm glad I didn't just insta frag poor Rei-chan. Think I overdid it just a bit!

Mmm, except that it wasn't damage that got nerfed - it was DCV mods. That said, I think the nerfing was definitely necessary, as a lot of the early senshi deathmatches showed. Usagi was nearly unbeatable due to the +4 on her Moon Princess Hallations.

On a side note, I do recall you saying in an OOC log somewhere (forget where specifically) that you did nerf the damage on this down from 129.

Re: Minako's berserker.

I wince at this - why did I allow it on so many levels? Not only is it overpowered in the extreme, it only fed into her fanaticism. D'oh.

It was one of the many oddities with Minako's sheet for this arc - the number of defects she had was staggering, including this berserker form - which really probably shouldn't have been a defect, even if it turned out to be one. >_>

In fairness, I can't say all those defects weren't RPed, but... that's a big part of what led Minako to where she ended up, too.

Re: Battle in general.

This is a lot shorter than I remember. It only lasted two rounds for all serious intents and purposes, really. I suppose what happened here mattered a lot more than a few rounds, eh?

Well, both Minako and Usagi pounded Orestes pretty hard in the first round, and Rei's ofuda took Cynthia and her demons out of the fight entirely - Cynthia herself took the demons out of the fight on the second round, and by then it was mostly berserker Minako going to town.

Re: Cynthia's fatal wounding.

To be fair, I think it was mentioned that Corwin tried to stop this OOC. Still painful to watch, as it's little more than an execution after a battle, nearly the same as killing a bound hostage. You can argue that Minako wasn't in her right mind and I'd agree, but she still lead herself there. A tragedy.

I do remember in the OOC room that Corwin was looking for anyone to be looking in Minako's direction, looking for someone that could stop her - but everyone else was occupied. Usagi was watching Makoto's soul energy, making sure Jadeite didn't try anything else with it, and Herb and Ami were also tracking it. Rei was busy dealing with Cynthia herself, and so Minako ended up with no minders here. And boom.

I also gave Usagi some time there if she thought of trying plot power, but it didn't happen. To be honest I really didn't want Cynthia to die like that. Worst case scenario - it was one thing if she died tragically or in battle, but this was simply an execution.

In all honesty, Usagi would have been more likely to try something like that with her little deus ex stunt if Cynthia HAD died in a pitched battle. As it was, Usagi's reaction was more of shocked horror than 'oh my god she just took too much I've got to save her now'. If I'd had healing magic at this point, though, it definitely would have come into play - although the Lunarian magic stuff didn't really come into play until the downtime from this arc.

Re: Ikkuko

If nothing else, Usagi's so lucky that she had her to come home to. Rei and Minako weren't so lucky, most painfully.

Eh, if anything Ikkuko was kind of a surrogate mother figure to several of the senshi that didn't have one. While not as close to Rei or Makoto, I did get that vibe from her in relation to both of them - at least until the L word came around with Rei.

Re: Ikkuko 2

Yep, she knew when to leave the scene. Ikkuko wasn't a damn fool by any stretch of the imagination. Out, out, run!

I specifically remember a comment in OOC about how she was leaving the scene to save her own hide.

Re: Minako's denial of reality.

This was the last straw in so many ways. I recall this being bloody painful to read and it's even worse in retrospect. So utterly disconnected, so lost, so unwilling. I can't say anything else, it stands on it's own. This is the problem again - Minako's breakdowns isolated her, while the others drew them closer. It's a pretty clear distinction.

I don't remember of amnesia was a trait of Berserk or not.

So many facets of how this went wrong - amnesia to start with, the sudden shift from Rei to Usagi, the desperate searching for the 'answer that Rei wanted'. Minako's panic here is pretty evident, and it didn't help matters for her at all. And I don't remember if amnesia was specific to the berserker state at all, it's just been too long.

Re: Minako quitting.

There she goes again. See above. The bomb it dropped with Rei and Usagi saw it was just icing.

Not at all unexpected OOC, just very -_-worthy. What was more of significance to Usagi through this was Minako's absolute refusal to even talk to her - with the mental link, it would have been easy. Usagi certainly didn't hate Minako, but with her walling herself off that way it just really did more to drive that wedge deeper.

Re: Usagi's dream.

Damn! Missing logs.

Yeah. It was a fairly short scene as I recall - the bell earrings appeared inside a rose, and Cynthia's voice repeating her last words to Serenity - to be a good queen.

And then Usagi woke up with her own built-in flashlight, which was a bit of a shock. I'd tossed the idea of getting the marking permanently at Dune a couple of times through the arc, but I wasn't expecting it to hit quite as suddenly as it did. Not complaining at all, it was just something of a surprise.

Re: Soul surgery.

Not much to say here but it worked!

Partially. >_> Had to have a second go at it with Rei in the 2-3 downtime. But at least it woke her back up!

[Anastasia]

Post 18

Re: The feel of post battle Tokyo.

There is a distinctly muted, dystopian feel to the nights of the SC arc. I approve and like this muchly. It so fits when Rei goes to fight crime as SAILOR R!

Re: That poor grandmother.

I sincerely regret that line of hers with my entire body. That was painful to read, poor Rei-chan. Overkill, I have a burning desire to nuke that line from existance. Grawrgh.

Re: Sailor R scene in general.

Unlike Minako's side scene, this didn't flow at all, nor was it very interesting. No great loss for Sailor R to fade away. Kersplat.

Re: Minako/Ami scene.

This is another painful to read Minako scene. There's not a ton to add here, 'cept I'd forgotten all about Ooshige. She was Minako's agent, as I recall now. Wow, old flashbacks ahoy!

Re: Alien cats that can talk.

I'm glad that even in this Minako manages a few amusing lines. I snickered.

Re: Artemis' outburst.

That had been building for two good arcs now. Deserved or not, Minako really got laid into . I'd like to think that it had some good effect overall, since it was what Minako needed to hear at some point. I'm just not sure if that was when she needed to hear it, you know?

Re: Makoto's awakening.

Merc is back, yay!

A very nice scene - it's like some tension finally flowed off the girls. This was a long overdue release in so many ways, yah? She was a breath of fresh air, mostly untouched by the chaotic battles she missed. More on this after Hal's reply.

Re: Miss Suzuki!

^_^ ^_^ ^_^

I just love that old reference and the chuckles it brings. Another nice breath of air in this tense arc.

[Halbarad]

Post 18

Re: The feel of post battle Tokyo.

There is a distinctly muted, dystopian feel to the nights of the SC arc. I approve and like this muchly. It so fits when Rei goes to fight crime as SAILOR R!

I'm sure Eb will say this himself later, but Sailor R never existed. This scene is merely a figment of your imagination - move along, citizen.

Re: That poor grandmother.

I sincerely regret that line of hers with my entire body. That was painful to read, poor Rei-chan. Overkill, I have a burning desire to nuke that line from existance. Grawrgh.

But it was DRAHMATIC!

Re: Sailor R scene in general.

Unlike Minako's side scene, this didn't flow at all, nor was it very interesting. No great loss for Sailor R to fade away. Kersplat.

Agreed there. Rei's personality just isn't showy enough to pull off the 'superhero of the people' schtick that Minako had going - Sailor V was flashy, and that just wasn't something that Rei could really work with well at this point.

Re: Minako/Ami scene.

This is another painful to read Minako scene. There's not a ton to add here, 'cept I'd forgotten all about Ooshige. She was Minako's agent, as I recall now. Wow, old flashbacks ahoy!

She was turned inward here, still. Still sticking to her own perceptions of reality as the way she thought it was, rather than adjust to the way it ACTUALLY was.

Re: Alien cats that can talk.

I'm glad that even in this Minako manages a few amusing lines. I snickered.

Ditto.

Re: Artemis' outburst.

That had been building for two good arcs now. Deserved or not, Minako really got laid into . I'd like to think that it had some good effect overall, since it was what Minako needed to hear at some point. I'm just not sure if that was when she needed to hear it, you know?

I'd say it was a good time, myself. Minako aside for the moment, all I can say is 'go Arty'. He'd been the butt of abuse and blame from Minako for two full arcs at this point, and seeing him stand up for himself like that was awesome. I just wish Minako had really been able to hear and take in what he was saying there.

Re: Makoto's awakening.

Merc is back, yay!

A very nice scene - it's like some tension finally flowed off the girls. This was a long overdue release in so many ways, yah? She was a breath of fresh air, mostly untouched by the chaotic battles she missed. More on this after Hal's reply.

Having Merc back in the saddle was nice, yeah. This is really where the long-built tension of the whole arc finally started to break apart - there are a lot of scenes that lead towards that, but this is really the first sign of it. Just the idea that something's finally going RIGHT again.

Re: Miss Suzuki!

^_^ ^_^ ^_^

I just love that old reference and the chuckles it brings. Another nice breath of air in this tense arc.

You just know Makoto was laying around in a drugged-out stupor in some gang's crack house for a month, of course.