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  1. - Top - End - #121
    Miniature Giant Space Hamster in the Playground Administrator
     
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    EPISODE 9

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    And that's the episode! My thoughts? I don't know if it's because of a slowly lowering bar of quality, or I'm still happy about how good last episode is (and no one's posted a discussion to help make me forget it ) but this episode was pretty good. It's not as good as last episode, but this one has some nice tricks to it, and had some pretty good/bad jokes.
    You're mellowing in your old age.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...once again, it feels like the order of episodes are misplaced
    You have no idea.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile with Lena and Dahlia, Dahlia is teaching Lena how to throw rocks. I...okay, there is such a thing as throwing theory, so knowing how to BEST throw a rock so it hits something makes sense, but this is silly because she's a Seijun, if she's been reduced to throwing rocks something has gone very wrong. Also they are throwing rocks at what looks like old machinery on a super small Block nearby.
    It's actually a baseball, btw.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    I think the voice acting might be slowly getting better. Lena's throwing arm is not...or so we're told. I can't even see the rock she threw, and according to Dahlia it's "not even close" so presumably she threw it pretty badly. Once again I'd like to note that as a Seijun I don't entirely think this matters.
    It made it about halfway.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...haha, okay, that was good. Mahad asks if Cortez is joking, and Cortez says "I must be, if I have no sense of humour" referencing a line Mahad said during their argument. The animation for the line isn't very good, but the line itself is decently funny truth be told.
    I think you mean, Mahad asks Cortez if he's serious, because otherwise the line makes little sense.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Ironically as this is happening, Mahad making fun of Cortez for sending out such a large signal, Diwan's ship flies by...a single block with a single telephone booth on it, which they've made into a scanner to pick up Sphere ships. Clever. Also, sorry folks, it's not a blue one
    You have no idea.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Well, I mean, because of how the models are made, everyone's clothes have to be fully encompassing, so we get an outfit that looks like this, without it being revealing.
    These things actually exist, they are called chaps and are PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). They're based on a design originally for horse riding.

    Quote Originally Posted by Durkoala View Post
    As it's made by a french studio (IIRC), was it first dubbed in french, and this is the translation? When was this made/aired? That might give an idea of the expected quality.
    It was made jointly by French and Canadian studios. I get the impression that both French and English versions were made at the same time.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Durkoala View Post
    Yes, it is a good idea. I'm a bit distracted by realisation that the night makes no sense. If the planet's shattered, there should be light coming up through the clouds as there's no earth to block the sun.
    Well there is a giant sphere in the "middle" of the earth. Weather it's man made or not we don't know yet, and for all I know it might be the earth's core. Point is, that presumably blocks the sun enough for night.
    This. Something, either solid, liquid, or gaseous, is blocking the light.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    Cortez was being way too merciful though, Mahad would really have something to whine about if he was having to pedal like a hamster as punishment for a few months to make up for the lost power. XD
    Wasn't Mahad's fault. It was overhead and fell right above where the three of them were standing.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    Celia's just breaking your heart. Even with your begging her please to come home. XD





    EPISODE 10

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad then...I don't...he runs into a stone wall to knock a rock off of it so Lena can grab with her powers so she can...do something with it, don't know. Mahad orders the Symbionte to attack the Brigs and it SLAUGHTERS them, tearing them into pieces. Lena then uses a tiny blast to knock the cube out of Oslo's reach and off the side of the block, forever lost. She's still sort of holding onto the rock with her powers for some reason.
    Knocking it off was accidental, Lena grabs it to save him, thus distracting Lena from the tug of war, thus allowing Oslo to grab the cube.




    P.S. The place is actually called Puerto Angel.

    "My Hobby: Replacing your soap with gravy" by rtg0922, Doll and Clint "Rawhide" Eastwood by Sneak

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    EPISODE 9

    You're mellowing in your old age.
    WAT D:<

    Just teasing

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    You have no idea.
    I'm excited to see what, if anything, this means

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    It's actually a baseball, btw.
    Could of sworn she said it was a rock and that it looked like a rock

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    I think you mean, Mahad asks Cortez if he's serious, because otherwise the line makes little sense.
    Yes, error on my part

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    These things actually exist, they are called chaps and are PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). They're based on a design originally for horse riding.
    I know about those, the issue is that the chaps go UP TO HER CHEST. I don't think they're supposed to do that. Also Wyatt's got a pair as well.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    This. Something, either solid, liquid, or gaseous, is blocking the light.
    Theory: It's Kharzem Prison. What better place to hide the prison with no sunlight but in a place where it will create a day night cycle? Although it's PROBABLY just the core of the planet.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    Knocking it off was accidental, Lena grabs it to save him, thus distracting Lena from the tug of war, thus allowing Oslo to grab the cube.
    Okay, I wasn't too clear on that.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    P.S. The place is actually called Puerto Angel.
    And what does Puerto mean

    In all seriousness I just didn't know how to spell Puerto but knew it meant Port so I knew it'd be alright.

  3. - Top - End - #123
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor
    Ah, so you're following along and he hasn't displayed any positive qualities at all? He's just a wastrel through-and-through? xD
    Sorry to disappoint you, but no. I've been thinking of following it to see if it's as bad as LaZodiac claims, but it really does have bad voicing and there isn't enough plot to interest me enough to start.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor
    Maybe, though they might have more Seijuns if they didn't keep eating the filler and one-off characters. I still doubt it was for combatting other Seijuns... At most I suspect it was for times when she might want to do something, such as to cause a distraction, but doesn't want to give away that she's a Seijun just yet.
    I was thinking more along the lines of not being defenceless when deprived of sunlight, or breaking a deadlock duel, but your ideas are also good. I would like to see her bean Oslo in the face during a duel, though. (A bit like Eragon's fight with Galby: He uses magic in a way that the overlord was never taught, as part of a... well, I hesitate to say "tantrum". It might be accurate but it devalues Galbatorix's epic 'Aaarghnononostoppitdiediestopchopchoppychopchopdi ediestopitstopitraarghNUCLEAREXPLOSION' ) Yes, the whole last two sentences were written out just so I could type that phrase. I regret nothing.

    Spoiler: Episode 10
    Show
    Hmmm, there were a few things in this episode that could have lead to things getting interesting, but it sounds like it was all just dropped. If this has taught me anything, it's that a save-the-world premise and an unchanging status quo are a bad combination. (I don't like enforced status quo much anyway, but I want to know who thought it was a good idea in a classic rebellion against the empire plot. And if there's some sort of asylum we can send them to )

    My next nitpick is: why is the monster called a symbiont? It seems to be its own organism, with no desire or ability to bond/merge with anybody. I was hoping it would fuse with Mahad, then he might be useful (going by your verdict that he's useless, which (with all respect ) I don't entirely trust.)
    Why did they leave it? It definitely would have been a good adition to the team (and we could have a job for Mahad: Official Monster Keeper.) and its one of the best monsters I've heard of. If you've read my full Edge Chronicles post (coughbestsettingevercough), you'll know that's not an easy achievement. I think I'll have to watch this episode just so I can see it.
    Was it shown how Mahad managed to control the Symbiont? It sounds like he was facing certain death, then turned up to kill Brigs with no explanation.

    The Mahad = not Hero material could be (now into pure speculation, I'm afraid) an interesting path to follow: Lena has to guide him into being a real hero (or sidekick). Part of his development could be swallowing his ego (and possible envy, as she does have superpowers) and accepting that his little sister knows more about being a hero than he does. If he did gain the Symbiot as a permanent upgrade (with a fusion option if I was on the writing staff), that could alleviate some of the power envy, as well as drawing attention to the differences between Lena and himself (i.e. his failings, though addressing any flaws that Lena has would be nice) now they both have the resources to demolish armies.

    Is the 'Oslo has cancer' bit confirmed in-show or is it your own theory? Either way, beaning him with a rock (so his powers cut out to heal him) is now a valid strategy.
    Spoiler: Pixel avatar and Raincloud Durkoala were made by me. The others are the work of Cuthalion.
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    Cuteness and Magic and Phone Moogles, oh my! Let's Watch Card Captor Sakura!Sadly on a small hiatus.

    Durkoala reads a book! It's about VR and the nineties!

  4. - Top - End - #124
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    No idea why it's called that. My assumption is that since it's an electrical program powered by Seijun power, it's...a lot less nice a thing then it appears. But we don't know, and they didn't bring it because "Cortez wouldn't get along with it" and that's it. Also, good luck seeing it as it IS invisible (though as I said it shimmers a bit so that you can at least make out what it would theoretically look like. It seems like a giant lizardman Predator hybrid)

    As for Mahad's usefulness, I'll note that it depends on the episode. Some episodes he's able to dodge bullets and behead Brig's with ease with his boomerang, but as we saw a few episodes ago a Brig can if willing throw him to the ground like a punk. Additionally, he is 100% incapable of fighting a Seijun due to being a normal. I'd of liked him to keep the Symbiont, or fuse with it, but alas, it is not to be. It was not shown how he controlled it but it's implied that the control switch is on it's head since it was charging head first into him and he put up his hands.

    It's not confirmed in show but I'd like to note that he is a sick, grey looking dude with big shadowy bags under his eyes, and he...BASICALLY looks like someone who's been subjected to chemotherapy for so long that they've become a shriveled husk of sadness and pain. No offense to anyone who has to experience this. So it's a good theory, and we know over abundance of sun in real life CAN cause skin cancer, so there's that.

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    Miniature Giant Space Hamster in the Playground Administrator
     
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    I'm excited to see what, if anything, this means
    You'll know what you need to know I mean when you need to know it.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    And what does Puerto mean

    In all seriousness I just didn't know how to spell Puerto but knew it meant Port so I knew it'd be alright.
    "the port"

    I was mostly including this for others. It's not Port Angel, like it's a port, it's Puerto Angel like Puerto Rico.

    "My Hobby: Replacing your soap with gravy" by rtg0922, Doll and Clint "Rawhide" Eastwood by Sneak

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    I was mostly including this for others. It's not Port Angel, like it's a port, it's Puerto Angel like Puerto Rico.
    Please educate me at this doesn't seem different to me at all.

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    The symbiont was created to guard the base, and likely cannot be removed from the area. Saying that Cortez wouldn't get along with it was just an attempt at humorously dismissing their inability to take it.

    Yeah, Mahad held out his hand. It's assumed that he somehow lucked out and got the sensor.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Please educate me at this doesn't seem different to me at all.
    Puerto Rico is the name of a territory (like a state, only not granted the full rights of a state... well, you know, you live in one, this bit was for the others). It consists of one big island and several smaller surrounding islands (an archipelago). It's name is based on the fact that there was a port there, but the entire territory is not a port and, in fact, likely contains several ports. The word port specifically refers to the harbour, and sometimes the city surrounding the harbour.

    The difference, and this is largely inconsequential, is that they are not saying they are going to the port of Angel, they are going to a place actually called Puerto Angel, which would have been named after the port it contained. It's appropriation of foreign words to name something officially. Like Los Angeles, which literally means The Angels in the original language.

    "My Hobby: Replacing your soap with gravy" by rtg0922, Doll and Clint "Rawhide" Eastwood by Sneak

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    Puerto Rico is the name of a territory (like a state, only not granted the full rights of a state... well, you know, you live in one, this bit was for the others). It consists of one big island and several smaller surrounding islands (an archipelago). It's name is based on the fact that there was a port there, but the entire territory is not a port and, in fact, likely contains several ports. The word port specifically refers to the harbour, and sometimes the city surrounding the harbour.

    The difference, and this is largely inconsequential, is that they are not saying they are going to the port of Angel, they are going to a place actually called Puerto Angel, which would have been named after the port it contained. It's appropriation of foreign words to name something officially. Like Los Angeles, which literally means The Angels.
    Aaaah, okay. Thanks

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Aaaah, okay. Thanks
    Interesting... I just looked up the etymology of Puerto Rico. It seems that originally, the capital city was called Ciudad de Puerto Rico (meaning Rich Port City in English), but over time, Puerto Rico eventually came to mean the whole territory.

    "My Hobby: Replacing your soap with gravy" by rtg0922, Doll and Clint "Rawhide" Eastwood by Sneak

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    When's the next episode! I want to watch the next one and I'm getting impatient!!!

    P.S. Does this theme look somewhat familiar?

    "My Hobby: Replacing your soap with gravy" by rtg0922, Doll and Clint "Rawhide" Eastwood by Sneak

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    When's the next episode! I want to watch the next one and I'm getting impatient!!!

    P.S. Does this theme look somewhat familiar?
    Jeez Rawhide, it's TODAY. Keep your pants on

    This is why I encourage discussions guys. Look at this poor guy, he's starved for stuff to do

    It kind of does, yeah. Looks interesting, I'm just not any good at those games

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    This is why I encourage discussions guys.
    just let me get caught up to where you are (i've been busy playing pokemon since i got it back )
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by chaotic stupid View Post
    just let me get caught up to where you are (i've been busy playing pokemon since i got it back )
    A valid reason! Pokeymans is the best!

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Spoiler: taken from your commentary
    Show
    Also meanwhile, Mahad tries, and fails (poorly) to hit on the pilot of the pirate ship while they're flying at high speed through fog. So yeah, I don't like Mahad that much. He then falls into her arms as the ship makes a hard turn...in the sky, and he "smoothly" asks her name. It's Dahlia.


    i got to here, and i just nope

    nopenopenopenope
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by chaotic stupid View Post
    Spoiler: taken from your commentary
    Show
    Also meanwhile, Mahad tries, and fails (poorly) to hit on the pilot of the pirate ship while they're flying at high speed through fog. So yeah, I don't like Mahad that much. He then falls into her arms as the ship makes a hard turn...in the sky, and he "smoothly" asks her name. It's Dahlia.


    i got to here, and i just nope

    nopenopenopenope
    It gets worse and then it gets worser to the point of getting hilarious. Trust me, Skyland has a weird sort of flow where it does start to get progressively better, even if some characters get worse (but to the point of being hilarious).

    Also, fun fact guys. Only three episodes left until the end of Season 1! Which means we've got another full season of this

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Okay guys, it's time for some Landsky!

    Episode 11: Babylonia


    Spoiler
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    Gonna be honest, wasn't sure we'd see Babylonia again. Interesting, wonder what this episode will bring.

    We open with a relatively nice opening pan shot of Angel, then a close up view of it's city before slowly moving over to where the Hyperion is hidden, docked. Inside the area near it, which I...suppose is Mahad and Lena's house from a few episodes ago, we see Lena packing up some stuff. She trips by stepping on a squishy ball which causes her to trip, dropping the box and it's contents everywhere in a pretty exaggerated mess.

    One of the things in the box was a picture of their Mom. She picks it up and strokes it gently, and says that she misses her Mom. This is sweet. Not the best framing or acting, but it's pretty good. Suddenly, she hears Mom through telepathy! What? How is this happening? And...nothing, not even a response when Lena tries reaching out.

    Outside with Mahad, he's loading up the Hyperion, or unloading it (not entirely sure). An announcement says all air travel is being closed today due to a heat wave. Mahad thinks Cortez is a wimp for doing this, continuing to prove that he is Mahad and he does not learn. Mahad tries to open up the hatch to the Hyperion and burns his hands. Good.

    Then Lena shows up, shouting about the telepathy we heard! If it were not for the fact that we heard the "this is the music that plays when Seijun's are doing stuff" music, I'd consider this telepathy to be a hallucination. I do think it's a trap but WE HAVE SEEN HOW THAT'S WORKED OUT. Five episodes in a row, baby!

    Lena says that she thinks the reason she was able to telepathicly connect with Mom was because of holding her picture. Since it has a connection to her, it allowed them to connect mentally. I...no, I don't think that's how that works. And besides she's in Kharzem she can't use her Seijun powers anyway. Mahad says that they don't really have much of her here, so this is fruitless.

    Lena says we have to go back.

    Mahad agrees, so it's time to get going. However, before they can, Dahlia is there, knocking on their windshield. For once, Mahad actually does something smart, and Mahad's about how "Lena complained about how I get to have all the fun, and I'm taking her out for a spin to make her stop whining". This isn't in character for Lena, but SAYING this certainly is for Mahad. So good plan all around.

    Except Dahlia is so used to Mahad's bull**** that she see's through it immediately. Good job Mahad, you can't even be yourself correct . Lena just comes clean with what they're doing. Dahlia at first goes hard on them, saying that if Cortez found out she let them leave, Cortez'd kill her. However, if she went with him...so Mahad lets her in so they can leave.

    I don't actually understand. What does Dahlia mean by this, specifically? The "However, if I went with you..." line doesn't...doesn't really make SENSE here. I don't know. This episode is weird.

    Anyway, we fly back to Babylonia. We get a reuse of the shot from episode 1 with the seagulls and stuff, only a little faster and with different music. Normally I'd be a little annoyed by reused animation, but considering that it'd save on costs and they do change it up, I am okay with it. Lena and Mahad reflect on how the place hasn't changed a bit, and we cut to Hanako! Another character I sort of wish would show up more if only because she's actually kind of interesting, if only because she LIKES Mahad. It seems her and some dude in a cowboy hat are working on a farm, but they're being worked pretty hard. She cuts out early claiming that "we're employee's, not slaves."

    True, but the implication seems to be that you aren't actually finished with your work today, so...well, just be careful, kind of cute side character who doesn't show up much. She flies off on Mahad's old jet motorcycle (I guess she just sort of stole it after they left. Makes sense to me.)

    Meanwhile with the slowly docking Hyperion, Dahlia mentions she's worried they're too out in the open. Mahad just insists she worries to much. He tells her to just relax, and go to that hill over there so she can see a great view of Babylonia. Lena then teases Mahad about him always taking Hanako to that hill to "be alone with her."

    Mahad says "No I didn't!" which makes sense considering he's clearly got eyes for Dahlia now, though I'm actually surprised as Mahad seems the type of guy to brag about this sort of thing.

    Once they disembark, Dahlia orders Mahad to stay put with the ship while she and Lena go to get the item of personal interest that will assist in telepathically communicating with Mom. Lena insists that everything will be fine, she should cool her jets a little, and this is true. Dahlia's clearly worried about this whole situation. Mahad sighs, accepts this and then once they're out of ear shoot says he'll take a run up the old hill, just for old times sake.

    Meanwhile, with...the blue guy from Episode 1! He's working with a Brig...though he's wearing a shirt that has the pirate logo on it. Huh. Maybe it's just some sort of generic cat ship logo or something. No idea. Point is, he's repairing a Brig, but the parts they need are missing. This individual Brig is unhappy with this, cause he wants his arm to work again. I don't want to get into the horrors of these horrible ****ty robots having actual sentient AI. However, it accepts the two days the blue guy says it'll take for the replacement part to fix. And it's revealed this was actually a lie, and blue guy is going to, apparently, take this Sphere shuttle for a joy ride. That won't go poorly at all.

    Meanwhile, Mahad gets to the top of the hill and...oh man, Hanako is there! They have a nice reunion hug, and it's actually really sweet, with nice music and actually fairly good voice acting. I even like Hanako's voice actress, as shrill as it is. Mahad says he'll tell her where they disappeared to, just that it's a looong complicated story. And I suppose this makes sense, no one really knows what all happened. Then the blue guy shows up (not in the Sphere ship as I supposed), though it's clear some time has passed since Mahad's finished his explanation of what all has happened.

    Haha, okay, that's funny. Hanako says that's incredible, and that she can't wait until Shumday hears about it. Shumday being the blue guy. Mahad starts to wonder where Shumday is, right as Shumday ****ing FOOTBALL TACKLES Mahad off the edge of the hill. And considering how close they are (and how close they FALL) to the edge, this was a DISASTRIOUSLY bad idea, and VERY good luck.

    Shumday explains that he thought Mahad was just some random drifter giving Hanako a hard time. Nice effort Shumday, though...seriously, be careful around edges. Also of note, just realized that Shumday's shirt is basically a Superman shirt with the catpirate logo on it instead of the S. Weird.

    Meanwhile, back at the Ferral household (I suppose at any rate), Lena and Dahlia arrive. It looks pretty good for a house that's been abandoned for at least a month. Lena starts feeling something as they look around, lightning running up her arms as a vision of their Mom appears. I'm starting to think Mom just set up special Seijun powered triggers around the place, like audio recordings only someone like them could hear it.

    ...oh dear, Dahlia spies a Sphere shuttle. This can't be good. Or it's Shumday...which also can't be good for other reasons. Lena meanwhile hears the vision say "LENA! BRIGADIERS!" but in a really stilted way that supports my "this is all sort of audio recorded" theory. Like imposing her will on the location. The vision then fades and Lena falls down. Dahlia tries to quickly get her up but...a Brig arrives, saying they're under arrest for going to this restricted area. Oh dear. Kinda wish Dahlia brought a gun to this.

    Meanwhile with Mahad, he's gushing about the Hyperion. Shumday says that if he takes a look at it, he could probably improve this. I'm...tempted to say NO because it's a prototype. But then he also mentions he gained his skilsl fixing Sphere shuttles, so maybe he could since Hyperion is Sphere tech. Also, Mahad is...surprisingly alright with Shumday's job. He gets a little upset, but Shumday says that hey, it's a good job (which basically means "it's a living") and Mahad just sorta rolls with it.

    Back with Mahad and Dahlia, they're on the shuttle that has the Brig with a busted up arm. Lena's scared and wants to get out, but she's still weakened by that vision so she can't fight back yet. I imagine if she could this would be over quickly. Dahlia says it "shouldn't take much" to finish off the Brig with the busted arm and...I've gotta be honest. This bugs me. Brig's have been constantly shown to be super weak losers who can be killed by a boomerang. The fact that now like three of them are a threat to a Seijun, and of those three one has a broken arm and thus is "easier to take out now" seems really inconsistent.

    Lena then...uses her powers to cause the broken Brig's gun arm (the damaged arm) to fall off, and Dahlia jumps forward, grabs the arm, and destroys the Brig's all in quick succession using the arm cannon. I...don't quite know how she fired it since it's just an arm cannon, and we never really see the blasts from this gun, so...maybe this is just a budget episode. Dahlia then commandeers the shuttle by killing the Brig pirate. Hooray I guess!

    Dahlia then says it's time to gtfo. They'll pick up Mahad and the Hyperion, and then they're gone. But Lena insists they have to go back home, she still needs to talk to Mom. Dahlia says they really, really shouldn't because it won't be long until the Sphere notices something is wrong and sends a veritable army of reinforcements to deal with it.

    ...now that's weird. Dahlia comes to where Mahad is, but she can't see him anywhere, even though he's clearly on the hill near the Hyperion. Or at least I thought so, because the tree near the Hyperion looks IDENTICAL to the tree at the hill Mahad went to. This is some really bad framing, jeez.

    Anyway, Dahlia lands nearby with the Sphere Patroller, and Dahlia sighs at the fact that Mahad left to go find them even though they arrived to find him, which is kind of funny. She says she'll take Shumday's jetbike to fine Mahad, but he's like, no way lady it's my bike, and only I can catch him anyway! Dahlia begrudgingly allows him to do it himself, if only because she "doesn't have time to argue."

    We...okay, I get it, it's resource management, and this episode is clearly meant to be a sort of "not as good episode so we can save the budget for the season finale" but...wow this is blatent. They reuse the race footage, only with the models swapped so that it's Shumday and Dahlia instead of Mahad and Hanako on a blue bike, while Mahad is by himself on the red one. That aside this is just a sped up version of that opening race, completely and utterly, with the audio hastily dubbed over.

    After the crash, Mahad goes over to see if Dahlia is Shumday are okay. After...after saying "Dahlia, are you okay!" he closes his eyes and purses his lips and SLOWLY GOES DOWN TO TRY AND KISS DAHLIA TO 'wake her up' PRESUMABLY.

    ...MAHAD WHAT THE ****.

    ...ANYWAY, that bit of uncomfortability done with, we cut to Hanako through radio. Lena's gone, she went back home to listen to Mom again. This episode is kind of a cluster ****, when it really could of, and should of, just been Mahad reuniting with old friends and Lena learning about Mom stuff.

    We...we then get another reused shot, of Lena playin' basketball and getting the ball stuck in that exact same position and doing the "tilt the head causing the ball to tilt" trick.

    ...only this time it's a twist! Lena's just holding the ball and seeing a flashback, and we cut to present day where we see her holding it, watching the Seijun thought impressions going through the same conversation they had back in episode 1. See, THAT is a good use of reusing clips. Hanako shows up after the scene is done, and Lena reveals that yes, it wasn't telepathy, it was just a memory. A memory of a Seijun, so strong it imprinted itself in the world. That's actually kind of cool.

    Hanako tries to comfort Lena, talking about the importance of memories and stuff. This gets to me for personal reasons, and I think this is a good scene because of it.

    Back with Shumday, we see five other Sphere shuttles flying by. Oh dear. We cut to the others, and we get an actually really nice scene where Mahad actually shows some humility, and Hanako says things haven't really been the same since he left. It's kind of touching. And then Hanako kisses his cheek. Unfortunately, the circling Sphere shuttles show up to spoil the mood! Also I've noticed that...I think the models have been upgraded slightly. Not in appearance, but in terms of how the lighting effects them and stuff, and maybe in terms of just quality, since the Brig's seem shinier now.

    Anyway, Shumday saves the day, blowing some of the shuttles out of the sky! He leads them on a chase, dropping a package off with our heroes as he passes by. Dahlia insists it's time to go, and Mahad delies, trying to think of what to say. He finally settles on stammering out "Tell Shumday...tell him...just tell him I'm still the best pilot!" before running off.

    He also told Hanako to hide inside the house which...is a restricted zone. Good job Mahad. And...unfortunately, Shumday's shuttle gets hit and he starts going down. Everyone else in the Hyperion sees this going down. Thankfully, Shumday is okay. So now it's time to get out of here. Lena then...uses her memories of Mom to help them, by summoning up a giant construct of her doing the Kamehameha pose, and uses the energy created by this construct to destroy a ship, and the shuttles that fly through it are just strait up destroyed! Good job Lena! Not sarcastic!

    While flying off, Dahlia opens up the package and...holy ****. It's a thing! It's a Shuttle strategic planner, and if they can break the encryption, they might be able to find the location of Kharzem prison! This...this is actually an advancement of the plot! Holy crap!

    Lena then theorizes that, maybe Mom DID contact them, so they'd come to Babylonia to get this gift. We do know that Shumday was getting it for...basically no reason. Maybe he's working deeper with Sphere then we know, as a double agent? I think it's just a coincidence personally.

    Meanwhile at Kharsem, we see Mom. She's in her jail, and the light dims. I...I think the implication it's trying to give us is that Oslo set it up so that she gets sunlight sometimes...for whatever reason. I don't actually know, it's kind of weird. Point is, I still think it's a coincidence.


    And that's the episode. My thoughts? It was alight. The reusing of footage got a little excessive at times, but over all this was a decent episode. It was nice to see Babylonia again, and REALLY nice to get some plot advancement (at least towards "lets save mom" plot.) We still haven't seen them actually fight against the Sphere that Mahad claims they do, which seems like the more important plot thread overall. But we'll see.

    Two episodes left for Season 1 folks. Where do you think it'll go?

  17. - Top - End - #137
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGuy

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Spoiler: Ep 10
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    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Okay folks, it's time for episode ten! Lets do it!

    Episode 10: Red Rock People

    Please don't be racist please don't be racist please don't be racists *cross fingers*
    Well, they're French, so there's still a fair bit of chance, I suppose, though less than compared with if it were actually an Anime, I think? No idea what it'd be if they were actually French-Canadians though.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    We open with Lena using her Seijun powers to...put together a jigsaw puzzle that is in the shape of a penguin? Alright. Gotta flex that Seijun brain somehow. I approve. Her concentration is broken by Cortez shouting at Mahad, who is nearby. Turns out Mahad, with the Hyperion, with Lena on board, attacked an entire squad of Brig's by himself. Cortez is understandably upset because by some random chance they could totally hit him enough to destroy the Hyperion, while Mahad is all "Who cares, did you see how they blew to pieces!" and such.
    Penguins, they're quite importantly associated with the sun. And we have to remember them somehow, now that they're all extinct. Because there's no way Penguins are still around outside of some kind of deliciously decadent zoo.

    ...Mahad took his little sister out to go dogfighting? ...That's just dumb even if she is probably able to easily survive the ship getting blown up once she's properly trained.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Good ole dipstick Mahad. Cortez says a Spy Patroller could of followed him back here and doomed them all, and forbids him from leaving without his permission (second time it's happened in the series, if curious).
    That Mahad, disobeying direct orders not to do things. xD Boy needs some punishment detail. SCRUB ALL OF THE STREETS OF PUERTO RICO CLEAN WITH A TOOTHBRUSH, MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    However, this time, Mahad's had enough and shouts "you're not my father!" which...doesn't really seem appropriate in this situation but Mahad is mad so I suppose it makes sense he'd just lash out like that.
    In a shocking twist it turns out Cortez is actually Mahad's father, but not Lena's. Or the other way around. XD It's a fairly standard "I'm a dumb punk kid angry at my surrogate father figure" sort of thing to say.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...this is immediately countered by Cortez shouting in what is...a really well acted line "AND NEITHER ARE YOU!" and you can hear his voice kind of break apart at the end of it. He says that Mahad's Dad was a badass, a born leader. Not some kid who wanted to show off. This is a good scene. Mahad whines about how he's sick of being treated like a kid after Cortez leaves. At this moment, however, the Hyperion picks up a mayday distress call!
    In a surprise twist, Mahad's Dad was just as much of a twit as a teenager as Mahad, just like James Potter.

    Woo! Distress signals!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    It's from their Dad
    Woo, obvious traps!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad tries to contact him, but to no avail. However, he does have the coordinates of where the transmission came from. I'm...I've got a feeling this is a REALLY obvious trap just waiting to happen. But then this is like the third or fourth episode where I've said that and been wrong so...there you go. I'd rather be right in this case though, for sure. There is a lot to be said about using dead parents as a character trait, and I do think that it's cheap to bring them back. UNLESS something interesting is done with them. Maybe this time, assuming it's real, something interesting will be done with it.
    Nah, see, if it was actually their father, they wouldn't *know* until after they had already met him. That's how these sorts of things are supposed to work. That's just... narrative causality! A bard could explain it better, even Elan.

    Well, it was an accidental trap with the two Seijun Not-So-Elites.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Lena suggested telling Cortez this news. Mahad says that no, they're doing it themselves. He'll show Cortez he's not a kid, once and for all! By breaking the rule Cortez put over him to follow a possibly fake signal to a random location in a setting where the locations are always moving and thus possibly making it so that you're lost forever in the sky.
    "I'll show Cortez I'm not a kid, I'll jump into a trap without even telling anyone what I'm doing so they'll actually come looking for me when I die! Maybe!"

    I like how the twelve year old is the voice of reason, too.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Good ole dipstick Mahad. Never change also I'm lying please change.
    Maybe if he survives enough stupidity-induced badtimes he'll realize to stop doing it?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile on the Monolith, Oslo is talking with a Sphere agent and Diwan via holotransmission, and they're listening to the same distress call. Diwan says it's impossible, it can't be Marcus, he's been dead for years. Oslo tells Diwan to get his personal Patroller ready so he can go to the location of the signal. It should tell you something when both the antagonist and protagonist have the exact same mind set towards a given subject.
    It's obvious shenanigans and we should go towards it anyway since it's serious enough shenanigans to blow up regardless of whether it's true shenanigans?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...OH MAHAD *Facepalms*. As they fly out to where the signal is coming from, he mentions that he's super excited that their Dad is alive. Then expresses confusion because Vector's maps don't show any Blocks here. Mahad! MAHAD! STAHP IT! You are one of the least endearing, most willfully stupid, protagonists I've ever encountered. And don't bully your sister, she's just practicing her super powers that are no doubt going to save your stupid ass from the horrible rock monsters that the episode title technically implies.
    So how is he bullying the girl with super powers by being excited then incredulous when he should've been incredulous the entire time, but not about there being a block where there should be no block because they didn't establish that blocks worked in such a way as to make his statement make sense.

    Oh 12 gods... no... they're actively making him even dumber, aren't they!?

    Silly Zodi, though. There's nothing your laser light shows can do against Goron rock hard old man nipples.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...Lena says she's practicing using her powers without looking, which is a super important skill. Mahad says "What good will that do" and further proves that he is a very, very dense person. Meanwhile OSlo is flying his shuttle and their scanners pic up the Hyperion, which he finds quite convienant (sic) for him, so he goes to intercept. Mahad's scanner picks up Oslo's ship, and Lena says they should go home, cause if Cortez was here that's what he'd order them to do.
    It means she can kill people while killing other people, Mahad. Silly. Probably other things.

    Ahh, having a distinctively unique ship that's easily recognized on scanners rather than at least being somewhat stealthy.

    Wouldn't going home just lead Oslo to Puerto Rico Angeles?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    I don't even need to tell you what Mahad says, do I?
    Something Stupid!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oslo orders the Brig escort shuttles that are with him not to hurt her...which severely limits their battle capabilities but alright. And the theoretical dog fight commences! I say theoretical because Mahad spends most of the battle doing aerial tricks for fun, because he's still on that kick of "everything should be fun" I guess. One of these aerial tricks involves basically slamming the bottom of the Hyperion into the tip of one of the shuttles, causing it to lose balance and slam into a nearby rock outcropping. Mahad's really lucky he didn't destroy the Hyperion doing that.
    Mahad, so cocky he really just needs to die off already to show the actual protagonist not to be a cocky idiot. So... uh... Cheng, I guess? Since Lena doesn't seem to need to learn that lesson, so she can't be the protagonist if Mahad needs to die to teach the protagonist that lesson...

    Hmm... Tricky...

    Mahad, that's not how you do ramming Speed... Nor is a fast, light craft supposed to be doing ramming as an attack, generally speaking... @_@

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    There's a brief sight gag of the Brig's literally flying in a circle around a giant rock structure trying to "chase after the Hyperion" which has dipped out of sight. I don't find it that funny, but I'll note that it's, once again, more proof that these are the worst robots ever. Oh my god, whoever is in charge of Sphere, build better robots please.
    Dumb robutts are dumb. Sadly, not funny.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    You know, it occurs to me. Who IS in charge of Sphere? Oslo implied he wanted to turn against Sphere as well when talking with Mom, but he also seems like he's...really the highest ranking member of Sphere in general. Who does Oslo answer to, if anyone? And if he doesn't like Sphere's methods while also being the boss of Sphere, why doesn't he just change them? Is he just too cancerous?
    Yeah, they sorta dropped the ball on that one. We have no idea who Oslo's boss is supposed to be or the government or anything, so it just sorta becomes him wanting to rebel against... himself...

    Hmm... maybe he's controlled by Sun Ghosts and needs an exorcism?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Anyway, the persuing Brig's destroyed, Mahad resumes course and starts bragging, taking his hands off the steering wheel and looking away from the "road", not noticing they're flying into a cloud. Meanwhile with Oslo, he's just flying into a cloud on his way to his destination because he can at least trust the Brig's to distract them. Cut back to Lena who is not impressed by Mahad, but mid way through Mahad continuing to boast, she shouts "Look out!" and it's shown oh god Oslo and Mahad crash into each other. Good job hero/villain. As a result, both crash land, though not near each other.
    Mahad is dumb. This will not be the last time this is said. XD

    I'm glad Lena's at least not impressed with Mahad's BS. Too bad she didn't call him on it in time to prevent them crashing into one another like morons.

    Silly Norwegian City.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    The Hyperion is...basically WRECKED, not even the radio is working. Not that Mahad calling for help from Cortez would of mattered much, especially after the fight they had. Thankfully, according to Mahad, the massive, massive damage the Hyperion is under is something he can fix. It'll just take awhile. Also, this block just happens to be the one where Marcus (Dad) had sent his message from. Here's just hoping nothing goes wrong.
    Oh dear, they already lost their birthright from daddy? That bodes poorly for the narrative.

    Yeah, like we can trust Mahad's judgment about fixing a wrecked space-ship-thing.

    They're going to get eaten by cannibal goron monsters, I just know it.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Things immediately go wrong, as the first thing they actually encounter in this desolate hunk of rock is Oslo's ship, equally wrecked. They enter the ship to see that Oslo is inside, stuck, his leg trapped under some debris. They proceed to taunt him mercilessly, which isn't entirely the MOST heroic thing they could be doing right now, but I'll give them that hey, they have a grudge.
    ...Well that's weird. I mean, I know Oslo has their mom locked up, but taunting him while he's ... wait, he can use his seijun powers no matter where he is. How is he *stuck* that... that doesn't make sense.

    They're taunting him while he's laid a cunning trap for them using himself as bait.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    And here is where the episode is starting to slip. Lena uses her powers to sense that Oslo used all of his stored up power to prevent himself from dying in the crash. Ignoring that he spends so much time bathing in sunlight that he can use his powers perfectly in any condition entirely. Now, who knows. Maybe he just has a very LARGE reserve, not infinite, and the amount of power needed to save yourself from an immediate death is far more vast then simply knocking some fool over, but it would of been nice to have some deeper explanation into Oslo's power so this could make more sense.
    Oh, ok, that explains one thing but just raises like 5 more questions. And, yes, the magic system really needs to get more coherent.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oslo asks them to help him get out from the wreckage, and assuming that they'd help him is PROBABLY to much of an assumption, even for him, but I can guess the crash probably rattled his big ole head around a bit, so he's under the impression that heroes should be heroic. Mahad says that Oslo should learn his manners, not demanding to be helped out. However, Oslo counters, saying that their Mom wouldn't of left him to die like this, and that they NEED him since he's the only one that can take them to her.
    Ah, but he's a bargaining chip, if they had half a brain. His problem is that he assumed Mahad had *any* brains. And, well, Lena's like 12. So he probably made the mistake of addressing the older one rather than trying to reason with the actual brains of the operation.

    Norway does know how to push some buttons though, with playing the mom card though.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad gets mad and runs into the ship, telling him to never talk about his Mother like that. The way this is framed, with the setting sun just outside the door of the ship, casting a pretty dark shadow on Lena and Mahad, it's...actually pretty effective. This is, for lack of a better term, our heroes in the dark. They could let their greatest enemy, their main foe, die here, stuck under machinery, drained of power and forever just inches away from a ever lowering sun that he cannot reach.

    Mahad fails the test of "The hero in the dark" but Lena succeeds, and says they have to help him. This is why I personally consider Lena the protagonist, despite Mahad getting more focus. Lena says that their Mom would never let anyone die, without at least trying to help. And we've actually got some support for this, because Mom mentioned to Oslo that he's endangering himself by bathing in sunlight so much. She absolutely despised him at that point, and would rather spit on him then accept his partnership, but she'd still point out he's slowly killing himself.
    I'm... I'm not sure that's actually a formal hero test. Definitely not the narrative place to off the BBEG though.

    And, yeah, despite all of Mahad being a horrible waste of time and screen, Lena makes much more sense as the protagonist from everything you've said.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Lena uses her power to free him, and Oslo gets up, limping fairly badly. I'm going to be keeping watch to see that he keeps this limp up, cause I like consistency like that. Mahad barges in and tells Oslo to just keep in mind that, if it where up to him, he'd still be stuck. Oslo gets half way through a "if I still had my powers" threat before Lena cuts them both off. They're STUCK here, this isn't time to ****ing argue. Oslo for his part agrees, saying Mahad would be better off listening to her. Though he pronounces it Ma-had instead of Mah-hawd. Flubbed lines~
    Obviously only Norway has proper pronunciation powers.

    Also, good decision to watch his limp, though who's to say it being inconsistent wouldn't just be an animation goof?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad also agrees, and says that he and Lena should get going, the signal is ten kilometers from here. But Oslo stops them, saying that it's a waste of him. Marcus Ferrel is dead. Mahad counters by asking that, if he REALLY thought he was dead, why is he out here? Oslo says nothing, and gets a bit of a surprised expression. Mahad takes his silence as all the answer he needs, which...to be fair, it is. Lena then says it's time to go.
    Ah, yes, walking someone with a bad leg 10 km...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    However, Oslo can't go. He'd never make the ten kilometer's on his busted up leg. But Mahad is cruelly, but correctly, saying he HAS to come with, to insure he won't radio in his fleet to trap them. This...this is going to hurt, a lot. Oslo takes this moment to get back at Mahad a little, by saying "Fine, but I'll need help walking" and extending his hand to him. Mahad is frustrated by this lose lose situation.
    Um, they have a working radio and don't radio Cortez, still? XD

    Oh dear. Oslo's gonna be groping Mahad. D:

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    For their credit, Oslo's still got his limp going on, even while being helped by Mahad. And this place looks rough. This is the exact worst place to be crash landed with your enemy. It's barren and lifeless, and the sun is still there but covered by clouds so they can't get power maybe. It's rough.
    No light, no food, no water, no plants... Obviously it's a molepeople place with a subterranean cloud>water machine.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oh, okay, the sun CAN power them up, that's good. Oslo explains that since his injuries are just THAT bad, he won't get his powers back for a pretty long time. So, confirmation, sunlight DOES give them a healing factor, and the healing factor takes precedence over charging up their powers. Therefor it's the stronger effect, and thus Oslo's bathing in sunlight 24/7 would cause an overgrowth of healing, which in other words would REALLY mean he gets cancer, cause that's what cancer is, cells that overgrow or overcompensate and become bad. Oslo has managed to take a healing factor and make it hurt him.
    Surrrrre. Believe the BBEG Sky Wizard... It's obviously a trick. Though I suppose that's one way to insert that badly needed exposition of their sky magic system...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    They then find what looks to be stonehenge, but with strange arcane markings on everything. Mahad technically makes a real life reference joke by asking how people got the stones like this, and walks into the middle of the henge, onto the big magic circle. The area starts shaking subtly and Oslo leaps into action as quickly as a crippled bald man can, shouting at Mahad to not go into the circle. But it's too late. Lightning starts crackling, and Oslo tells them to go to the airlock of their ship. Suddenly we see.....what looks like the Predator from the movie of the same name, only more monstrous and completely invisible save for the occasional flicker of invisibility field (I mean you can see it's invisibility. If that makes sense. TRUST ME THIS MAKES SENSE. We can't see it, but we can make out what it looks like). Oslo says it's The Symbiote, and they have to run.
    Never go into magic circles. It's just a bad idea. Though it's good on Oslo for not having told them that there was a horrible eldritch abomination sealed away there on the block int he first place though. Great way to try to get Mahad killed.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oh, when Oslo said Airlock, he ment...something in the sand, which he points out to them. I not only wonder what this means, but how Oslo knows about it. This is quite interesting...
    Are you sure he didn't just mean an airlock between outside and the interior of the block?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    The Symbiote just sorta floats there menacingly, while Mahad and Lena struggle to get the air lock open. Eventually they do, and the three of them descend under ground, into Stonehenge...apparently. It then closes above them, thus ensuring the invisible lightning monster won't get them. Though now they're stuck in an underground ruin.
    Because that's what it sounds like...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    After exploring a bit, Mahad gets mad and demands to know how Oslo knew about this place. Oslo says he's destroyed countless Rebel safe houses, so he actually knows all their secrets. I guess that explains why the only rebels left remaining are the pirates, and why they don't have a force like we'd expect. Mahad and Lena descend deeper into the ruins, which gives Oslo time to try and use his handheld communicator. It doesn't work, though it's unclear if it doesn't work because it's broken or because Diwan just doesn't answer.
    And yet somehow he never found Puerto Angeles. Either that or he intentionally left it there... for reasons...

    It's Diwan's day off, give her a break.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Finally, after all this searching, Mahad and Lena finally hear the signal again! They rush in and...find that it's just a recorded broadcast that was being set on loop. He really is gone. Maybe. Mahad thinks more hopefully, that maybe if they recover the entirety of the somewhat garbled message, they can find out where Marcus went after leaving this place. To his credit he does fix the message, and gets...quite a lot. Somewhere in this area is a data cube with the location of his next hideout. The base has been compromised so they made a secret weapon. A Symbiote, a charge of Seijun power mixed with an electronic program. It's...it's basically literally just a monster made out of technobabble, but it's still cool. It's apparently coded with dna for Marcus's friend (I think it's Meela, so their Mom, but I can't be sure), Mahad, and Lena, so only they can control it. This spells trouble for Oslo.
    But who set the loop? Dun Dun Dun! Woo, info dump and data cubes.

    ...Technobabble monster made out of the symbiosis of sky wizard magic and technological abominations, eh? Intriguing. And it's their half-sibling. Sorta. And been here for godsknowshow long being crazy and alone. Fun fun.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Although, Oslo knows what it is. The way this message is structured it feels like this is the FIRST Symbiote they made. Which means that it's likely Marcus really is dead. Also unfortunately, the part of the message saying how to control the Symbiote is too garbled. So that's bad.
    Eh, it's probably too craycray anyway.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...ooh, that's nice. Oslo was watching basically the entire thing, but kept quiet. He even heard Lena and Mahad say they can't let Oslo hear this. He THEN announces his presence, announcing he has water as well, and asking them what they're up to. Good play, Oslo.
    Evil shadowy palpatine as he should've been stuff.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Because Mahad is a jerk he doesn't take the water, and Lena doesn't either because she doesn't want to cause everyone to fight. I kind of wish they hid that Oslo was still secretly going to betray them during this better, so that we can feel like Oslo is actually putting aside their issues with each other. But who knows, maybe he actually is. We don't know exactly why he tried to call Diwan.
    Wouldn't he deny Oslo any after making sure he didn't poison it if he were really jerkfacing though?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Later that night, Oslo takes some time to **** with Mahad, asking if he's SURE he doesn't want any water. Mahad says no, based on the idea that he might of put something in it. Oslo laughs and asks, rather sarcastically, if he REALLY thinks Oslo would of poisoned his own water. He then follows that by asking if he's, "HRRRM, perhaps a bit....paranoooid?" in that delicious evil somewhat Norwegian way Oslo has. Mahad says that yes, they'll never trust him. Not here, and not anywhere.
    If Norway was resistant to the poison he put into the water, sure. It'd just be like Le Princess Bride. Considering his personality he probably has made himself resistant to poisons by dosing himself with 'em. If that's even possible given Seijun Healing Magick...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oslo then starts laying it on thick. He says they're right, never trust anyone. Their mother taught him that years ago. He talks about how they were the best of friends in Guardian school. She was so different back them, "she understood me." He slams his water bottle on the table they're sitting at, saying she betrayed him to join up with Marcus Ferral. Lena asks how Mom and Marcus met, because she wants to know. Oslo obliges.
    At least he didn't go into "I ****ed yer mom" territory, I suppose...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    It was during their last year at the academy. By then Marcus was a wanted pirate, hunted for stealing Sphere territory water in broad daylight. He was around Mahad's age at the time too. Oslo and Mom where assigned to capture him, their first mission as Guardians. It was Meela that got to him first, and we've seen how that went. Oslo lets his angry bubble up and throws his empty water bottle aside, saying he wishes it could of been him.
    Oh dear, all of the not-living-up-to-his-old-man's-example for Mahad. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad gets FURIOUS and gets up, the lights of the room once again shadowing him. Once again, our hero in the dark. He takes out his boomerang, and says that Oslo doesn't know anything about their family. That he should end him, right here and now. Oslo tells them he does not want to do that, especially if they want to see their mother again. It's at this point we start hearing rumbling and roars. The Symbiote is doin' stuff! Oslo adds that they might need his help to get out of here alive.
    Wooo! Finally some Enemy Mine action up in this.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Later (after the comercial break point) Oslo has finally managed to contact Diwan. She says a Rebel scrambler was preventing messages from getting through. And given how scrambled Marcus' message was, it's entirely possible that it's Mahad's fault Oslo can contact her now. Nice job hero.
    Oh my, mysterious rebel scramblers. Maybe there's more pirates than we thought? Or Cortez went looking for Mahad's dumb ass. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oh right I forgot to mention it but the data cube Marcus mentioned in his message also has the coordinates of every Free Block in Skyland. That's...kind of important. Oslo brings this up to Diwan, which is how I'm reminded of it. He then explains his plan off screen. Once again, although I like this scene, I would of prefered if we could of thought that Oslo really was putting aside their differences so they can survive. I like the idea of a villain who, when experiancing they're "In the shadows" test, acts like a hero. Especially when the hero counters it by acting like a villain.
    Oh my. Oslo wants dat. And villains have two options, they can either go through and cooperate until the first opportunity to actually backstab or they can go until they're out of it and either start fighting again or go their separate ways to fight again the next day after they've all had a nap.

    Norway's choosing the backstab option, as befits his type, I suppose.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile, while Mahad and Lena sleep, Oslo is flexing his muscles a bit. Seems I was in some way right, Oslo wasn't really drained, per say, he just had his powers locked for a moment while his body healed. That's just my assumption on how this works anyway. He's rotating the water bottles around his head menacingly, like a psionic juggler.
    Dun, Dun, SLOOOSH!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    He taunts Mahad as he wakes up, saying "good morning" and levitating the water bottle over to his face, inches from hitting it, before pulling it back. Mahad, for his credit, doesn't allow Oslo's passive aggressive taunts get to him. I'm going to be honest, this is actually kind of creepy, especially give what we know about Oslo and what he...intends, for Lena. And then Mahad just sorta leaves Oslo with her sleeping body and like I know he doesn't KNOW what Oslo wants but WE do so it's SUPER ****in' creepy. Could Mahad not endanger his sister please?
    *shudder* At least Mahad has never had the thought cross his mind that anyone would want to **** a 12 year old, I guess.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...meanwhile while Mahad explores to check up on some things...oh. OH. Okay. Apparently it seems Oslo opened the airlock to get a quick boost. And also to let the Symbiote in, which blasts lightning at Mahad. He's able to run off, but it's chasing him. And just as he gets to the safe room they were in, Oslo closes the door, making Mahad essentially trapped between a door he can't open, and an invisible psychic construct that spits lightning. Today is a bad day to be Mahad (technically that can be said everyday). Also, Oslo's got Lena capture. Oh dear.
    Woo! Attempted pseudo-fratricide! And backstabbery! And Mahad being a dummy leading to problems!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Jeez, Oslo works fast. He takes Lena into a room and reveals that he knows where the datacube is! It's right in this room he just took Lena into. Oslo tells Lena that if she wants to save her brother, she better cooperate. Seeing as how the Data Cube is surrounded by laser bars, I'm guessing only specific people will be able to get at it. Thus one of the many reasons why he needs Lena.
    Well, that at least makes some sense...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile with the Symbionte, Mahad barely dodges it's attack which shatters the glass of the door he was pushed up against. This...this definitely is NOT a Brig, and therefor not something Mahad has even a remote chance of defeating. Back with the cube, LEna says she's got no idea how to get at the cube. Oslo simply says "you're a smart girl. If you want to see your brother again, figure it out." which comes off REALLY creepy knowing what Oslo wants from her.
    Finally, something that's a threat that's not Norwegian!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Anyway, Lena obtains the data cube for Oslo, who grabs her by her wrist and drags her along as he goes to escape. Lena telepath's over to Mahad to tell him to look for some kind of control pad like the Airlock and the security grid had, cause that must be how they control the Symboite. Seeing as how this horrific invisible monster of lightning and claws is...invisible and lightning, it might be a bit tough for Mahad to do this. Mahad cowers in a corner and begs for it to stop as it charges in for the kill, and we cut away before seeing the gruesome end, also ensuring that Mahad actually lives.
    Hmm, well that's weird. I wonder how cowering and peeing his pants in terror will get him out of this one...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile, outside, Oslo and his group of brigs meet up. Lena asks to be let go, which Oslo refuses because she's as important to him as this cube. Again, reeeeal creepy. However, before he can escape properly, Mahad appears! We know where this is going. Oslo orders the Brigs to destroy him (fun fact, Oslo ACTUALLY calls them Brigs for this entire episode. I totally called that nickname!) but then the Symbiote appears (as much as an invisible creature can) and...stands there menacingly as they pump bullets into it. Oslo continues to run off with Lena, but she body blows him with a energy blast and as they all fall to the ground she grabs the data cube with her powers. Oslo does the same and they start a tug of war.
    Wait, he had a group of brigs that survived the crash? XD He really was laying a trap with himself as bait.

    Woo, tug of war for something which can only have a crappy grip on it anyway!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad then...I don't...he runs into a stone wall to knock a rock off of it so Lena can grab with her powers so she can...do something with it, don't know. Mahad orders the Symbionte to attack the Brigs and it SLAUGHTERS them, tearing them into pieces. Lena then uses a tiny blast to knock the cube out of Oslo's reach and off the side of the block, forever lost. She's still sort of holding onto the rock with her powers for some reason.
    Woo, no more maguffin!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad sics the Symbionte on Oslo and it...walks towards him very slowly and menacingly, and allows Oslo to just escape onto his shuttle and escape. I...alright! Our heroes fix the Hyperion and then leave the Symbionte on the block, mentioning that Cortez probably wouldn't get along with it. As if to support this, Cortez radios in and shouts in a concerned voice "MAhad! Where are you?!"

    Mahad uses this as support, saying "see, Cortez doesn't get along with anyone."

    Roll credits.
    I... What? They have a tame crazy-half-sibling and they just leave it on an empty block rather than at least make a note to grab it for when they need a crazy killing machine?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    And that's the episode! My thoughts? I...okay. This episode started a little weak, and ENDS...terribly. But the middle portion of it was beautifully done. I don't know if it's just a coincidence because of how their program worked or what, but the framing of the shadows, the music, the acting, it was all VERY strong. And...and then it just ends with the plot randomly resolving itself in an episodic manner so that no real consiquences happen. What was a really good episode ends on a flat foot note. It makes me sad.

    The Symbionte joins Celia in the "characters I wish we learned more about and showed up beyond their one episode" category. See you guys on Monday.
    Yeep. Also, where were the rock-people?



    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    Wasn't Mahad's fault. It was overhead and fell right above where the three of them were standing.
    That... really doesn't make sense then. If it's going to fall while Mahad is being irresponsible, it should be his fault. Or of an NPC to provide an object lesson not to be careless by being an expendable example...
    Last edited by Coidzor; 2014-08-11 at 06:40 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Keld Denar View Post
    +3 Girlfriend is totally unoptimized. You are better off with a +1 Keen Witty girlfriend and then appling Greater Magic Make-up to increase her enhancement bonus.
    Homebrew
    To Do: Reboot and finish Riptide

  18. - Top - End - #138
    Colossus in the Playground
     
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    That... really doesn't make sense then. If it's going to fall while Mahad is being irresponsible, it should be his fault. Or of an NPC to provide an object lesson not to be careless by being an expendable example...
    THEY WHERE THE ROCK PEOPLE ALL ALONG DUN DUN DUUUUUN

    #Lying

  19. - Top - End - #139
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    THEY WHERE THE ROCK PEOPLE ALL ALONG DUN DUN DUUUUUN

    #Lying
    I mean, if the Symbiote had turned a bunch of mooks into statues and they found their rock corpses in the dwarf kingdom, that'd have satisfied things, I think. XD

    Spoiler: Knights of Babylonia: 11
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    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Okay guys, it's time for some Landsky!

    Episode 11: Babylonia


    Gonna be honest, wasn't sure we'd see Babylonia again. Interesting, wonder what this episode will bring.
    Probably not explanation as to how Mahad had managed to acquire a girlfriend-like thing or shoulder-floozy despite being an uncharismatic lout and maroon.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    We open with a relatively nice opening pan shot of Angel, then a close up view of it's city before slowly moving over to where the Hyperion is hidden, docked. Inside the area near it, which I...suppose is Mahad and Lena's house from a few episodes ago, we see Lena packing up some stuff. She trips by stepping on a squishy ball which causes her to trip, dropping the box and it's contents everywhere in a pretty exaggerated mess.
    ... What, they have a dog or a smaller child than Lena now? Also, exaggerated mess when tripping for comedy is silly.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    One of the things in the box was a picture of their Mom. She picks it up and strokes it gently, and says that she misses her Mom. This is sweet. Not the best framing or acting, but it's pretty good. Suddenly, she hears Mom through telepathy! What? How is this happening? And...nothing, not even a response when Lena tries reaching out.
    Either something weird or little girl with super powers is hallucinating... Whee! When did they have the time to grab old family photos though?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Outside with Mahad, he's loading up the Hyperion, or unloading it (not entirely sure). An announcement says all air travel is being closed today due to a heat wave. Mahad thinks Cortez is a wimp for doing this, continuing to prove that he is Mahad and he does not learn. Mahad tries to open up the hatch to the Hyperion and burns his hands. Good.
    I have to wonder what a heat wave has to do with not being able to fly though.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Then Lena shows up, shouting about the telepathy we heard! If it were not for the fact that we heard the "this is the music that plays when Seijun's are doing stuff" music, I'd consider this telepathy to be a hallucination. I do think it's a trap but WE HAVE SEEN HOW THAT'S WORKED OUT. Five episodes in a row, baby!
    Ahh, so that's why you didn't think it was hallucinamation... So many traps. Just so many. Eventually we'll stop suspecting they are traps and then the traps'll get us!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Lena says that she thinks the reason she was able to telepathicly connect with Mom was because of holding her picture. Since it has a connection to her, it allowed them to connect mentally. I...no, I don't think that's how that works. And besides she's in Kharzem she can't use her Seijun powers anyway. Mahad says that they don't really have much of her here, so this is fruitless.

    Lena says we have to go back.
    Oh dear...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad agrees, so it's time to get going. However, before they can, Dahlia is there, knocking on their windshield. For once, Mahad actually does something smart, and Mahad's about how "Lena complained about how I get to have all the fun, and I'm taking her out for a spin to make her stop whining". This isn't in character for Lena, but SAYING this certainly is for Mahad. So good plan all around.
    ...So what did he do that was smart?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Except Dahlia is so used to Mahad's bull**** that she see's through it immediately. Good job Mahad, you can't even be yourself correct . Lena just comes clean with what they're doing. Dahlia at first goes hard on them, saying that if Cortez found out she let them leave, Cortez'd kill her. However, if she went with him...so Mahad lets her in so they can leave.
    Well, Mahad's gotta fail at being a failure sometime, right? Makes perfect sense. And in doing so, he fails. XD

    Dahlia just wanted to get out of the house. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    I don't actually understand. What does Dahlia mean by this, specifically? The "However, if I went with you..." line doesn't...doesn't really make SENSE here. I don't know. This episode is weird.
    Obviously she can leave and is just using them as an excuse to do so. Or something butchered.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Anyway, we fly back to Babylonia. We get a reuse of the shot from episode 1 with the seagulls and stuff, only a little faster and with different music. Normally I'd be a little annoyed by reused animation, but considering that it'd save on costs and they do change it up, I am okay with it. Lena and Mahad reflect on how the place hasn't changed a bit, and we cut to Hanako! Another character I sort of wish would show up more if only because she's actually kind of interesting, if only because she LIKES Mahad. It seems her and some dude in a cowboy hat are working on a farm, but they're being worked pretty hard. She cuts out early claiming that "we're employee's, not slaves."
    Oh dear. It's that weirdo who was either Mahad's shoulder floozy or girlfriend-like-thing. I predict assumptions that Mahad dumped her for Dahlia and catfighting to ensue.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    True, but the implication seems to be that you aren't actually finished with your work today, so...well, just be careful, kind of cute side character who doesn't show up much. She flies off on Mahad's old jet motorcycle (I guess she just sort of stole it after they left. Makes sense to me.)
    Ahh, skiving off work. XD Well, it's not like he was going to use it. And why let the brigs eat it when they were ransacking the place after all of that kerfluffle?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile with the slowly docking Hyperion, Dahlia mentions she's worried they're too out in the open. Mahad just insists she worries to much. He tells her to just relax, and go to that hill over there so she can see a great view of Babylonia. Lena then teases Mahad about him always taking Hanako to that hill to "be alone with her."

    Mahad says "No I didn't!" which makes sense considering he's clearly got eyes for Dahlia now, though I'm actually surprised as Mahad seems the type of guy to brag about this sort of thing.
    Honestly I'm not sure which is worse, Mahad not being a virgin or Mahad not being a virgin and claiming he is one to a woman who hates him half the time anyway for... some reason...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Once they disembark, Dahlia orders Mahad to stay put with the ship while she and Lena go to get the item of personal interest that will assist in telepathically communicating with Mom. Lena insists that everything will be fine, she should cool her jets a little, and this is true. Dahlia's clearly worried about this whole situation. Mahad sighs, accepts this and then once they're out of ear shoot says he'll take a run up the old hill, just for old times sake.
    Heh. Getting stuck on the ship so no one can drag him off. And then he runs off. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile, with...the blue guy from Episode 1! He's working with a Brig...though he's wearing a shirt that has the pirate logo on it. Huh. Maybe it's just some sort of generic cat ship logo or something. No idea. Point is, he's repairing a Brig, but the parts they need are missing. This individual Brig is unhappy with this, cause he wants his arm to work again. I don't want to get into the horrors of these horrible ****ty robots having actual sentient AI. However, it accepts the two days the blue guy says it'll take for the replacement part to fix. And it's revealed this was actually a lie, and blue guy is going to, apparently, take this Sphere shuttle for a joy ride. That won't go poorly at all.
    Uh... What... ...I don't even.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile, Mahad gets to the top of the hill and...oh man, Hanako is there! They have a nice reunion hug, and it's actually really sweet, with nice music and actually fairly good voice acting. I even like Hanako's voice actress, as shrill as it is. Mahad says he'll tell her where they disappeared to, just that it's a looong complicated story. And I suppose this makes sense, no one really knows what all happened. Then the blue guy shows up (not in the Sphere ship as I supposed), though it's clear some time has passed since Mahad's finished his explanation of what all has happened.
    Hugs? Instead of chewing him out for being the worst boyfriend/guy for a shoulder floozy to latch onto ever?

    Blue Boy...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Haha, okay, that's funny. Hanako says that's incredible, and that she can't wait until Shumday hears about it. Shumday being the blue guy. Mahad starts to wonder where Shumday is, right as Shumday ****ing FOOTBALL TACKLES Mahad off the edge of the hill. And considering how close they are (and how close they FALL) to the edge, this was a DISASTRIOUSLY bad idea, and VERY good luck.
    Well that's silly. Mahad has no peripheral vision or awareness, I guess.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Shumday explains that he thought Mahad was just some random drifter giving Hanako a hard time. Nice effort Shumday, though...seriously, be careful around edges. Also of note, just realized that Shumday's shirt is basically a Superman shirt with the catpirate logo on it instead of the S. Weird.
    Oh, I thought that was just the standard greeting everyone gave to Mahad. Or that Shumday was now the one giving it to Hanako now that Mahad was out of the picture. XD There's no way someone could not recognize Mahad though, with all them red clotheses and such.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile, back at the Ferral household (I suppose at any rate), Lena and Dahlia arrive. It looks pretty good for a house that's been abandoned for at least a month. Lena starts feeling something as they look around, lightning running up her arms as a vision of their Mom appears. I'm starting to think Mom just set up special Seijun powered triggers around the place, like audio recordings only someone like them could hear it.
    It doesn't look completely ransacked and looted? Curious. Interesting that Mama Bear decided to go to all of that trouble, but handy, I suppose.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...oh dear, Dahlia spies a Sphere shuttle. This can't be good. Or it's Shumday...which also can't be good for other reasons. Lena meanwhile hears the vision say "LENA! BRIGADIERS!" but in a really stilted way that supports my "this is all sort of audio recorded" theory. Like imposing her will on the location. The vision then fades and Lena falls down. Dahlia tries to quickly get her up but...a Brig arrives, saying they're under arrest for going to this restricted area. Oh dear. Kinda wish Dahlia brought a gun to this.
    And the Brig doesn't even recognize the highly wanted person associated with the location.

    I suppose that explains the lack of looting, though not the lack of Sphere-based ransacking for things to potentially use against them. At least they were watching the place, I guess.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile with Mahad, he's gushing about the Hyperion. Shumday says that if he takes a look at it, he could probably improve this. I'm...tempted to say NO because it's a prototype. But then he also mentions he gained his skilsl fixing Sphere shuttles, so maybe he could since Hyperion is Sphere tech. Also, Mahad is...surprisingly alright with Shumday's job. He gets a little upset, but Shumday says that hey, it's a good job (which basically means "it's a living") and Mahad just sorta rolls with it.
    Pfft. He's probably just wanting to nick something off of it.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Back with Mahad and Dahlia, they're on the shuttle that has the Brig with a busted up arm. Lena's scared and wants to get out, but she's still weakened by that vision so she can't fight back yet. I imagine if she could this would be over quickly. Dahlia says it "shouldn't take much" to finish off the Brig with the busted arm and...I've gotta be honest. This bugs me. Brig's have been constantly shown to be super weak losers who can be killed by a boomerang. The fact that now like three of them are a threat to a Seijun, and of those three one has a broken arm and thus is "easier to take out now" seems really inconsistent.
    Obviously it's a Magic Boomerang, like what Link has. XD And those were Magic Pipes! XD

    Though, yeah, I mean, Lena started out able to ignore Brigs with her Sky Wizard Fightan Magic.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Lena then...uses her powers to cause the broken Brig's gun arm (the damaged arm) to fall off, and Dahlia jumps forward, grabs the arm, and destroys the Brig's all in quick succession using the arm cannon. I...don't quite know how she fired it since it's just an arm cannon, and we never really see the blasts from this gun, so...maybe this is just a budget episode. Dahlia then commandeers the shuttle by killing the Brig pirate. Hooray I guess!
    Oh my, she megamans! Wait. Brig Pirate?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Dahlia then says it's time to gtfo. They'll pick up Mahad and the Hyperion, and then they're gone. But Lena insists they have to go back home, she still needs to talk to Mom. Dahlia says they really, really shouldn't because it won't be long until the Sphere notices something is wrong and sends a veritable army of reinforcements to deal with it.
    Well, obviously, they just stole a shuttle and got arrested and stuff. They need to leave before they get even more attention.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...now that's weird. Dahlia comes to where Mahad is, but she can't see him anywhere, even though he's clearly on the hill near the Hyperion. Or at least I thought so, because the tree near the Hyperion looks IDENTICAL to the tree at the hill Mahad went to. This is some really bad framing, jeez.
    Maybe Mahad went off somewhere else other than the hill?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Anyway, Dahlia lands nearby with the Sphere Patroller, and Dahlia sighs at the fact that Mahad left to go find them even though they arrived to find him, which is kind of funny. She says she'll take Shumday's jetbike to fine Mahad, but he's like, no way lady it's my bike, and only I can catch him anyway! Dahlia begrudgingly allows him to do it himself, if only because she "doesn't have time to argue."
    ...Mahad left somewhere and left Shumday by the ship? ...wat...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    We...okay, I get it, it's resource management, and this episode is clearly meant to be a sort of "not as good episode so we can save the budget for the season finale" but...wow this is blatent. They reuse the race footage, only with the models swapped so that it's Shumday and Dahlia instead of Mahad and Hanako on a blue bike, while Mahad is by himself on the red one. That aside this is just a sped up version of that opening race, completely and utterly, with the audio hastily dubbed over.
    Better than a Clip Show, I guess? Even if it sorta is...

    Except why Mahad is running away from them is... kinda weird in itself, too.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    After the crash, Mahad goes over to see if Dahlia is Shumday are okay. After...after saying "Dahlia, are you okay!" he closes his eyes and purses his lips and SLOWLY GOES DOWN TO TRY AND KISS DAHLIA TO 'wake her up' PRESUMABLY.
    Well, that's freaking creepy. And weird. And creepy.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...ANYWAY, that bit of uncomfortability done with, we cut to Hanako through radio. Lena's gone, she went back home to listen to Mom again. This episode is kind of a cluster ****, when it really could of, and should of, just been Mahad reuniting with old friends and Lena learning about Mom stuff.
    When, really, this should probably be about where Hanako decks him for kissing Dahlia and then Dahlia wakes up and starts kicking the snot out of him for being a creeper too...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    We...we then get another reused shot, of Lena playin' basketball and getting the ball stuck in that exact same position and doing the "tilt the head causing the ball to tilt" trick.

    ...only this time it's a twist! Lena's just holding the ball and seeing a flashback, and we cut to present day where we see her holding it, watching the Seijun thought impressions going through the same conversation they had back in episode 1. See, THAT is a good use of reusing clips. Hanako shows up after the scene is done, and Lena reveals that yes, it wasn't telepathy, it was just a memory. A memory of a Seijun, so strong it imprinted itself in the world. That's actually kind of cool.
    Well, at least there's that instead of her actually doing that.

    Seijun Memory Illusion Magics!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Back with Shumday, we see five other Sphere shuttles flying by. Oh dear. We cut to the others, and we get an actually really nice scene where Mahad actually shows some humility, and Hanako says things haven't really been the same since he left. It's kind of touching. And then Hanako kisses his cheek. Unfortunately, the circling Sphere shuttles show up to spoil the mood! Also I've noticed that...I think the models have been upgraded slightly. Not in appearance, but in terms of how the lighting effects them and stuff, and maybe in terms of just quality, since the Brig's seem shinier now.
    And that's why they needed to leave earlier. And then Hanako kisses his cheek for some reason despite him being the worst boyfriend-thing ever. XD

    Shiny is good though!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Anyway, Shumday saves the day, blowing some of the shuttles out of the sky! He leads them on a chase, dropping a package off with our heroes as he passes by. Dahlia insists it's time to go, and Mahad delies, trying to think of what to say. He finally settles on stammering out "Tell Shumday...tell him...just tell him I'm still the best pilot!" before running off.
    Delays. Silly Mahad, finally getting tongue-tied.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    He also told Hanako to hide inside the house which...is a restricted zone. Good job Mahad. And...unfortunately, Shumday's shuttle gets hit and he starts going down. Everyone else in the Hyperion sees this going down. Thankfully, Shumday is okay. So now it's time to get out of here. Lena then...uses her memories of Mom to help them, by summoning up a giant construct of her doing the Kamehameha pose, and uses the energy created by this construct to destroy a ship, and the shuttles that fly through it are just strait up destroyed! Good job Lena! Not sarcastic!
    She can now remotely shoot energy waves from illusory duplicates? Oh dear.

    And yes, awkward place to tell someone to hide...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    While flying off, Dahlia opens up the package and...holy ****. It's a thing! It's a Shuttle strategic planner, and if they can break the encryption, they might be able to find the location of Kharzem prison! This...this is actually an advancement of the plot! Holy crap!
    Woo!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Lena then theorizes that, maybe Mom DID contact them, so they'd come to Babylonia to get this gift. We do know that Shumday was getting it for...basically no reason. Maybe he's working deeper with Sphere then we know, as a double agent? I think it's just a coincidence personally.
    That or he's a troll or rebel sympathizer. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile at Kharsem, we see Mom. She's in her jail, and the light dims. I...I think the implication it's trying to give us is that Oslo set it up so that she gets sunlight sometimes...for whatever reason. I don't actually know, it's kind of weird. Point is, I still think it's a coincidence.
    Just enough sunlight to make her aware of her need for more of it?
    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Two episodes left for Season 1 folks. Where do you think it'll go?
    To the moon? I dunno. I don't really see anything coherent as far as an arc, really.
    Quote Originally Posted by Keld Denar View Post
    +3 Girlfriend is totally unoptimized. You are better off with a +1 Keen Witty girlfriend and then appling Greater Magic Make-up to increase her enhancement bonus.
    Homebrew
    To Do: Reboot and finish Riptide

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post

    ...So what did he do that was smart?
    Basically, he used the stereotypical "Mahad is an idiot braggart" strategy to try and play off the real reason they were leaving.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    Honestly I'm not sure which is worse, Mahad not being a virgin or Mahad not being a virgin and claiming he is one to a woman who hates him half the time anyway for... some reason...
    I don't think they've gone THAT far. Hanako was just a long time mutual crush.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    And the Brig doesn't even recognize the highly wanted person associated with the location.

    I suppose that explains the lack of looting, though not the lack of Sphere-based ransacking for things to potentially use against them. At least they were watching the place, I guess.
    Marvel at our robots who are sentient enough to complain about having a broken arm, but not enough to tell faces apart!

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    Oh my, she megamans! Wait. Brig Pirate?
    Pilot. I am the god of poorly placed typos.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    That... really doesn't make sense then. If it's going to fall while Mahad is being irresponsible, it should be his fault. Or of an NPC to provide an object lesson not to be careless by being an expendable example...
    Well, he wasn't actually being irresponsible at that point, he was just giving a lame excuse as to why he wasn't around to help earlier.

    ---

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Lena says that she thinks the reason she was able to telepathicly connect with Mom was because of holding her picture. Since it has a connection to her, it allowed them to connect mentally. I...no, I don't think that's how that works.
    I have no idea how telepathy works either, considering the fact that it doesn't, but this is a common theme for helping someone to focus on the recipient and make contact.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    I don't actually understand. What does Dahlia mean by this, specifically? The "However, if I went with you..." line doesn't...doesn't really make SENSE here. I don't know. This episode is weird.
    Cortes (yes, that's how you actually spell it) sees her as responsible. If she went with him, then they'd have an excuse of her being able to tell Cortes that "it really was that important that we just up and left during a no flight restriction without even telling anyone". No, I don't know how that works either.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    ... What, they have a dog or a smaller child than Lena now? Also, exaggerated mess when tripping for comedy is silly.
    Nah, it was a toy or something. Not living.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    I have to wonder what a heat wave has to do with not being able to fly though.
    http://www.businessinsider.com.au/wh...me-heat-2013-7

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Pilot. I am the god of poorly placed typos.
    I giggled.

    "My Hobby: Replacing your soap with gravy" by rtg0922, Doll and Clint "Rawhide" Eastwood by Sneak

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    Cortes (yes, that's how you actually spell it) sees her as responsible. If she went with him, then they'd have an excuse of her being able to tell Cortes that "it really was that important that we just up and left during a no flight restriction without even telling anyone". No, I don't know how that works either.
    I know I just always forget to spell it that way. Hard not to spell it the way it sounds, you know

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    I giggled.
    Then I've done my job here

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    Ooos almost forgot to do Skyland because I was busy making another cake!

    Episode 12: Bloodties

    Spoiler
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    Oh, that's an interesting title. Lets see where this leads us!

    This opens on, of all people, Cheng! We don't know much about him. He's 12, same age as Lena, and is basically the pirate crew's techie. Today he looks really sad actually. We pan out a bit to see Lena and Mahad playing checkers at a table nearby at the water bar.

    Lena is not impressed with how long it's taking Mahad to take his turn, and when he turns his back to ask a waitress for some more water (this causes the water jugs to change colour for some reason) Lena uses her powers to rearrange the board to be more in her favor (I do say more, she was winning, now she's just super winning)

    Mahad, to his credit, notices the changes! To his lack of credit he only notices one piece moved and doesn't understand that Lena's comment of just moving his "man" for him only set him up for a cool move later is a lie. This is because Mahad is not very smart. Mahad calls Cheng over to "teach Lena how to play this game" but Cortez shows up before he can do so, apparently he's been looking for Cheng.

    Cortez is a little upset, because the Hyperion's radio was broken and Cheng hadn't fixed it. Cheng says he was GONNA fix it, buuut...and then he trails off. Cortez is a little concerned about Cheng being overly distracted lately, and basically tells him to focus. He then says "It's not like I ask too much of you, is it?" to him, which...I don't know. On the one hand he's like 12, but he's also a really good mechanic and techie and stuff and he does clearly enjoy working on that stuff the time we've seen him do it. I wonder what's wrong.

    Suddenly, Wyatt radios into...the water bar's TV, to report that a Sphere patroller is header strait for Port Angel! Oh dear

    Cortez orders him to open fire, but Wyatt says he's been trying to, it's flight pattern is too erratic. Interesting, must not be a Brig piloting then. We see some footage of him firing and...someone messed up because we only actually see a single shot fired, and it misses wildly, despite him shooting a whole bunch. Wyatt then notes that it's not counter attacking. Wonder what it could be.

    It manages to escape Wyatt in the mosquito, and it starts heading towards Vector's lighthouse. Cortez radios into his other men that exist and order them to scramble, and orders Mahad and Lena to get into the Hyperion to engage it in battle as well.

    Oh, it appears Cortez didn't mean for his men to get in Mosquito's to go shoot it down, but to away at a place where the shuttle just sort of parks and point guns at it. A...alright. So the shuttle parks near a landing platform near the lighthouse.

    The shuttle opens it's loading door and...no one is there. Suddenly a very faint hologram appears and says it is "Tibalt Hee" and that he seeks his grandson...Cheng! Oh man this would be more suspenseful if we actually knew anything about Cheng or his family! We don't though. It's still pretty interesting though, regardless.

    For some reason Cheng doesn't seem surprised by this. I think someone just...forgot to play the animation for shock on his face. Also, calling this a trap for like...the seventh time in a row. At this point I think I might give up trying to predict what is and isn't a trap.

    A few minutes later, they're analyzing the hologram. Cheng thinks it might be his grandpa, but Cortez honestly thinks this is a trap. See, Cortez is like me, constantly seeing traps that are totally traps and probably won't turn out to be traps because **** our luck. Vector shows up now, and says that the shuttle has stealth technology. Now, I WANT to get mad at this because to me, stealth tech would be going invisible. However, they do explain that in this case they meant it's ability to evade the Mosquito's lock on and the warning radars that usually tip them off to Sphere activity. Here's hoping this ship is a random prototype and not the new design for CHRON shuttles

    Everyone surmizes, due to the lack of Brig's on board, that it's mission really was to find Cheng. Therefor, not a trap. Cortez, however, insists that no, Cheng, your grandfather is dead. I'm you're family now, we all are. I can tell Cortez is TRYING to be like a father to Cheng here, in contrast to his trying to treat Mahad like an adult. I like the difference, and it shows that Cortez knows how to treat people in the right ways. The problem is that Cheng...Cheng really wants to see his blood family. He says that if Cortez was his real family, he wouldn't be so mean to him.

    On the one hand this is a childish outburst that's just predicated by Cheng happening to be deep in thought lately, thus straining his relationship with Cortez and the others. On the other hand CHENG IS LITERALLY A CHILD so this makes TOTAL sense. Cheng runs off, and Cortez gets shadowed over a bit, looking...pretty rough.

    Vector asks Cortez why he didn't tell Cheng the truth. Mahad asks what this means and Cortez tells them. Tibalt is his grandfather, and Cheng's parents where part of the resistance...and they died. Mahad can't read between the lines and asks why this is important. Cortez says that he knew Cheng's mother more, and that Cheng's father was a great scientist. Tibalt was also a great scientist, and after the Earth split up...he went to work for the Sphere. Before Cheng's Mom died, Cortez promised to look after Cheng. While this is happening, Cheng is making his way to that Sphere shuttle, and getting ready to fly off to the coordinates the shuttle came from.

    This is a really good scene, and it mixes world building quite well with character development and learning the history of a character we don't really know. They haven't stated how Cheng's parents died but seeing as how he works with the Sphere, and worked with them from the very beginning, we can have a pretty easy idea of WHAT happened. The implication is honestly better then just strait up hearing it.

    Meanwhile, Cheng activates auto pilot, and the shuttle begins to take off, presumably to take him to where Tibalt is. This can only be good for our heroes...and also technically since Tibalt works for the Sphere this means IT IS IN FACT A TRAP! Finally called it...technically. We don't even know for sure if I did or not. We'll see.

    Thankfully, everyone hears the shuttle take off, and Cortez radios Wyatt to intercept the shuttle at all costs. I'm worried that Cortez didn't specify "don't shoot it Cheng's on board" but...it'd make sense for him not to specify that. Cortez would and in fact could tear his ship to pieces with his bare hands if it meant stopping the Sphere, I don't think a single life, even one close to his own, would make him stay his hand.

    ...OH. Yeah um no one actually knew Cheng was in the shuttle. Lena shouts wait, and says she senses Cheng is inside the shuttle. This causes Cortez to, as quickly as possible, radio Wyatt back and tell him to not fire, at all, what so ever, because Cheng is on board. Wyatt's then ordered to keep following the shuttle, though he says it'll be hard. You know, I like that we're getting a bit more of Wyatt, even if he is still technically the blandest character, by virtue of just not being touched upon at all aside from being "the black dude who pilots stuff."

    Mahad and Lena leave to get the Hyperion to also give chase, while Cortez regrets how harsh he'd been on Cheng, and how he really, really needs to get Cheng back so he doesn't fall into Sphere hands like his Grandfather. Vector agrees and says that they need to tell him the truth.

    Meanwhile, Wyatt is talking with Cheng over the radio, telling him to go home. Cheng tells him that no, he's not going to, and for the first time in this entire series called Wyatt by his actual name, Wayan. I'm...honestly just going to call him Wyatt because I've never heard it said correctly by anyone other then Cheng in this one instance, and I don't think even the credits call him Wayan. But yeah, Cheng don't wanna go home.

    Oh **** son Mahad called him Wayan this time too. I feel like EVERYONE on staff up to this point just assumed he was called Wyatt because Cortez is the only one who really says the dude's name and his accent is just that thick, so Cheng's voice actor was all "...hey you guys do realize his names Wayan right?"

    At any rate, Cheng's ship shuttles off at super speed the Hyperion going super fast as well. Left in the proverbial dust, Wayan radios in his return.

    Cutting to a large Sphere facility, and we see...Tibalt! He's arguing with Diwan about how his new Missile Defense System isn't being finished as quickly as it should. Tibalt says that he's running into some problems, that he can't quite deal with. Diwan says that SHE heard that the system is 100% working right now, and Tibalt BURNS her by saying "well when you rely on spies, you should expect inaccurate information". Also, Tibalt's voice actor is REALLY good.

    Diwan counters by saying that this is a daaangerous game he's playing, and that if he's not careful she'll tell Oslo his loyalty is...waning. Tibalt tells Diwan she can tell him whatever she wants, because he's got work today. SO, it seems this wasn't actually a trap after all. Good god Skyland can you maybe STOP blowing my expectations like this once or twice

    Diwan goes to leave, and Tibalt gets one last shot in, saying to keep her spies out of his lab, because they slow him down. He then goes back to work, and it's clear Diwan is NOT in a good mood. And even her good moods have her moody as heck. Just as she leaves, Tibalt's computer activates and says that hey, one of the scout ships he sent out is coming back, and the designated passenger is on board! Tibalt lets out a sigh of relief.

    Back with the Hyperion, flying over the Sphere settlement and...I've gotta say, I like the aesthetic here. Large white buildings with gardens on the roof tops, still on the ground but it's clear that they could probably detach and become flying homes if absolutely required. It really fits with the more high tech appearance the Sphere tries to have, steam bot Brig's aside. Contrasted nicely with the steampunk tech the pirates have, which is counterbalanced by Vector's quasi future tech styling. If the series was a little better this would show a lot better too.

    Brief aside Vector is wearing a SUPER snazzy lab coat in every promotional material I've found for Skyland but all he's ever worn in series is a dinky ass sweater. This disappoints me.

    Tibalt waits at the landing area for the ship, and after it parks Cheng comes out. Tibalt assures him he's safe, and introduces himself as Tibalt Yee. He assumes, based on Cheng's startling resemblance, that Cheng must be his grandson. This is a really nice scene, especially because Cheng realizes he DOES remember this guy, now that he's actually seeing him in the flesh. He runs over and gives him a hug and it's nice and touching.

    ...oh wow, Grandpa Tibalt dropping some truth bombs on Cheng. Mostly that Cortez and his mother where...very close. "Before she met your father, of course." So that explains in part why Cortez cares SO much. I've noticed this series has a pretty big obsession with "the one that got away" relationships. Everyone's a Captain Ahab who's love is a white whale, lost to some unending storm.

    The brig's guarding the place walk by as they leave the landing area and Cheng gets worried, but Tibalt says not to worry since they are harmless. This is the most accurate statement ever said about the Brig's this entire series.

    It's around this time that Wayan and Cortez have grouped up, and are flying the Saint Naziere around to find the Hyperion. Their radio is still busted so it's impossible to contact them. However! Mahad (though more likely Lena, since she's the one who suggested they find a way to contact Cortez a little while ago) thought to drop a distress signal beacon near the location of the Sphere facility, thus allowing the Saint Naziere to home in on their location! That's actually really clever.

    Meanwhile, Diwan's send a message to Oslo. He continues to look like the most intimidating cancer ward patient ever, due to him sitting in his solar bath. Apparently Tibalt is behind schedule by MONTHS, and they've gotten reports about unmanned shuttles leaving on unscheduled missions. As many as six in the past two days. Apparently Tibalt isn't too good at covering his tracks.

    Oslo tells Diwan to tell him that he's gonna come by in 24 hours to test out the missile defense system. He wants to see a demonstration. Diwan says it'll be her pleasure, and Oslo gets this sort of creepy grin and tells her to not enjoy herself TOO much, since Tibalt is vitally important. I'm hesitant to think about what this means, and am starting to think that red splotch on Diwan's head is a gang tattoo of some sort.

    Back with Cheng, and he's super excited to be in this lab! He's currently controlling a Brig like a puppet! Cheng asks the rather obvious question of why this super tech savvy guy didn't try to escape, when the only things stopping him from escaping are crap machines that he could easily reprogram. However, Tibalt seems...concerned, and is trying to tell Cheng something. He finally gets it out. He designed the Brig's. He's designed...basically all the Sphere tech, more or less.

    ...we then proceed to get what is a sorely needed, but better late then ever, scene. It's entirely hand drawn and much, much better for it. Tibalt explains the world directly after the Earth shattered. Block fought Block for resources like food, water, people. Some even did it just for the fun of it. The world was thrown into chaos, with mass starvation and dehydration. The picture we see here is a bunch of people in torn clothes ambushing a woman and her two children. The people in worn clothes are clearly bandits who are going to kill her. Holy ****.

    Tibalt says the Sphere was the only hope for order, and we get this awesome picture of an army of Brig's, standing triumphantly over generic rubble as Sphere shuttles fly in the background. The Brig's actually look kind of intimidating here, bulky and powerful. Tibalt finishes this flashback by saying that Commander Oslo asked Tibalt to work for the Sphere. This...kind of doesn't jell with what we know of these character's past, but maybe Tibalt didn't join Sphere as IMMEDIATELY as Cortez seems to imply. What I'm saying is that the time frame seems weird.

    Cheng says that he was told Oslo killed his parents, but Tibalt says he was told bandits did it! The shuttles he's been sending out have brought him nothing but horrifying news, so he isn't sure what to believe anymore.

    Cheng says to believe HIM. The Sphere would kill him if they found out he was here, as well as anyone who came to find him. Tibalt apologizes, and just then Diwan and some Brig's show up. Diwan gloats about finding out what was REALLY preventing him from working.

    Meanwhile, Mahad and Lena are on a sneaking mission, trying to get into the floating laboratory that everyone is apparently inside right now. Mahad proves that he is not very good at tactics by saying they need a plan to get past the two Brig's guarding the entrance, and that he's got one! Part 1, Lena goes out and distracts them. Part 2...is the assumption that he'll think of a part 2 by the time she's distracted the two brig's. As always and ever, I'm annoyed whenever any number of Brig's other then like ten or twenty is able to impede the progress of our heroes, giving how weak they are.

    Lena snark's at Mahad "don't rush on my account". Someone's been practicing with Dahlia, I see

    Speaking of which, Dahlia is here as well, flying the Saint Neziere. Since Wayan is in a Mosquito it's Dahlia's job to do Wayan's job. This makes sense because hey, they're the only two crew left.

    Fun fact Dahlia's voice actress also plays Claire Redfield in every appearance said character has made in Resident Evil. This also means that she was Loonette on Big Comfy Couch, and the person solely responsible for the translation of Megaman X5 being so weird. This is stuff I learn when IMDBing actors I'm forced to listen to at 12 in the morning.

    Back with Mahad and Lena, Lena continues to sneak about so she can get into a better vantage point to distract the Brig's. Did...they just forget she can mind crush these fools? Also, Mahad is totally open to behead the two of them with his boomerang, which is what he intends to do when she distracts them ANYWAY. See, this is kind of frustrating actually. We've seen Brig's be destroyed by a scottish punch to the face, I can't take them seriously as a threat anymore!

    Maybe the Brig's have been upgraded, or maybe they've scaled down the power of the ultra boomerang. Lena distracts them so Mahad throws his boomerang and...instead of beheading them both, it slams into the Brig and simply knocks it down, sparks flying from the wound, and Lena obliterates the other with a Seijun blast.

    ...hahaha, okay, that was kind of funny. Lena leads the way into the lab, saying it's time to get Chang and go home. Mahad gives a quick kick to the Brig he destroyed before following after her.

    Apparently we're supposed to believe all of that happened during the flashback, because Mahad and Lena show up right behind Diwan and her Brig's, right after SHE showed up to confront Tibalt and Cheng. Talk about a stroke of luck. Though it's clear that even though she's technically surrounded by enemies, Diwan has won this little ambush. She...proceeds to taunt the ever loving **** out of our heroes. "IF only I had some cake and ice cream. Then we'd have a real party!" she says.

    I've got you covered Diwan *I baked a chocolate cake today*

    Diwan lines everyone up against a window, and Tibalt says this is an outrage. He's to be allowed to do his research without any outside interference! After an awkward pause Diwan says that he lost that privilege when he was found harboring a known enemy of the Sphere. Valid point. Tibalt mentions that Cheng is just his grandson, an enemy to no one.

    Diwan says that she's sure that is relevent to people who are weak and let their sentimentality control them, but she doesn't care and uses her powers to drag Cheng closer to her. She then stops Lena from Seijun'ing everyone to death by basically threatening Cheng, and says to Tibalt that SHE is in charge now, and she'll "hold onto" Cheng until Tibalt's work is done. Looks like a relatively solid victory for Diwan. Good luck not messing it up lady.

    Oooh, sly. As the Brig start escorting everyone away Tibalt quickly snatches the little control pad Cheng had that let him control a Brig like a puppet. Everyone gets outside, but before they can get into Diwan's shuttle (talk about cramped) a Brig says "Enemy ship approaching!". Diwan shouts "WHERE!" and we get...an actually really funny answer. The ship surfaces from underneath the floating lab, RIGHT next to where everyone is standing. This is why I love sky based stuff.

    The Brig's open fire on the Saint Neziere, which gives Mahad and Lena ample time to each destroy a Brig. The Neziere opens up it's loading bay and CORTEZ COMES LEAPING OUT, SHOOTING A BRIG TO DEATH WITH A LASER PISTOL IN MID AIR! Sadly before he can fire again, this time on Diwan, Tibalt charges Cortez and knocks him to the ground! Diwan then hides behind Cheng's small child body for protection.

    Before I can react to Tibalt's betrayal (because I thought Diwan used her powers to throw Tibalt at Cortez) Tibalt reveals the control thing he took from the desk (not the control pad, my bad) to Cortez and whispers "hide this and follow my lead" and then the two start rolling around, fighting! Cortez gains the upperhand and captures Tibalt, Tibalt saying "Help! Diwan, help me!"

    ...oh. Oh dear. Cortez demands they let Cheng go, or they, quote "lose their genius". Cheng says no, but Tibalt starts laying it on thick, about how these horrible people tricked him into believing Cheng was his grandson. Cheng is...absolutely traumatize by this series of events. Diwan, since she's NOT smart, believes this is legit and says Cortez has a deal. Cortez whispers to Tibalt "you can still come with us" but Tibalt says that no, he must stay and try to repair some of the damage he's done.

    Just as everyone starts to leave, Diwan shouts "TO BAD DEALS MEAN NOTHING TO ME!" and she fires off a massive Seijun blast that Lena easily catches and reflects back. They play tennis for a brief while before...Diwan gets strait up knocked off the edge of the flying lab

    She lives, managing to hold onto the edge, and our heroes escape. Tibalt takes his glasses off in a rather solemn, sad scene, while Diwan rages at her anger at almost being killed because she never learned not to shout "SNEAK ATTACK" when sneak attacking.

    Cheng is super sad, but Cortez takes out the hidden thing, saying that "your grandfather left me something for you". I wonder what it could be. Probably a nice, touching message.

    And technically it is! It's...the new missile defense blueprints! Cheng is confused, and Cortez explains the middle of the battle, Tibalt gave this to him. He's on our side now. When this is all over, we can get him back.

    ...Cheng then lies a bit by saying that Tibalt told him that the design for the missile blue prints are rather complicated, but Cheng would easily be able to figure it out. I...SUPPOSE Tibalt could of said that while Diwan was thinking about the deal, but I'm not sure. Seems kind of sketchy...

    Cheng asked if he really said that. Cortez asks him if he knows what a *technobabble* is, and Cheng says "of course! I may be a kid but I'm not stupid you know" which is...far more affective a joke then it has any right to be. The two apologize to each other for the beginning of the episode, and everyone makes up. Happy end, roll credits.


    And that's it. My thoughts? That episode was pretty alright. The actual plot of it was a LITTLE weak, but...they managed to pull it together quite nicely at the end. We had some good scenes, a great guest actor for Tibalt, and we learnt a bit about the most prominent non main character aside from Dahlia. All in all, pretty good.

    What this episode excels at though is the world building. We only really see three pictures, but seeing how the world was directly after the Earth split was great. Hearing about how chaotic it was, hearing about how Sphere was started, it was just great. They honestly need more of this, but I'll take what I can get.

    So, guys. Monday is the last episode of season 1. Where do you think this is going to go, now that we've got some more plot items to work with after the last two episodes? Maybe somewhere good, hopefully? I'll admit, this seems like it's leading up to a somewhat...lack luster in scale season finale, but who knows maybe it'll be good! I've been wrong about a lot of my first impressions on Skyland after a few episodes.
    Last edited by LaZodiac; 2014-08-15 at 10:28 PM.

  24. - Top - End - #144
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    Spoiler: A Dozen Bloody Bones
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Episode 12: Bloodties

    Oh, that's an interesting title. Lets see where this leads us!
    To a bloody, unfortunate end.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    This opens on, of all people, Cheng! We don't know much about him. He's 12, same age as Lena, and is basically the pirate crew's techie. Today he looks really sad actually. We pan out a bit to see Lena and Mahad playing checkers at a table nearby at the water bar.
    And here I thought he was Cortes's trained monkey.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Lena is not impressed with how long it's taking Mahad to take his turn, and when he turns his back to ask a waitress for some more water (this causes the water jugs to change colour for some reason) Lena uses her powers to rearrange the board to be more in her favor (I do say more, she was winning, now she's just super winning)
    Bad Mahad, stop being a bad influence on your impressionable kid sister's moral development.

    Encouraging her to cheat when she's already easily winnning... Yeesh.

    Though it is amusing that even the water jugs hate Mahad, I suppose.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad, to his credit, notices the changes! To his lack of credit he only notices one piece moved and doesn't understand that Lena's comment of just moving his "man" for him only set him up for a cool move later is a lie. This is because Mahad is not very smart. Mahad calls Cheng over to "teach Lena how to play this game" but Cortez shows up before he can do so, apparently he's been looking for Cheng.
    Oh, Mahad, trying to get the two of them together just because they're the same age and opposite sexes. What a card.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Cortez is a little upset, because the Hyperion's radio was broken and Cheng hadn't fixed it. Cheng says he was GONNA fix it, buuut...and then he trails off. Cortez is a little concerned about Cheng being overly distracted lately, and basically tells him to focus. He then says "It's not like I ask too much of you, is it?" to him, which...I don't know. On the one hand he's like 12, but he's also a really good mechanic and techie and stuff and he does clearly enjoy working on that stuff the time we've seen him do it. I wonder what's wrong.
    Well, he's about due for puberty, I suppose. That's a tad distracting when it first sets in.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Suddenly, Wyatt radios into...the water bar's TV, to report that a Sphere patroller is header strait for Port Angel! Oh dear
    Oh noooo~

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Cortez orders him to open fire, but Wyatt says he's been trying to, it's flight pattern is too erratic. Interesting, must not be a Brig piloting then. We see some footage of him firing and...someone messed up because we only actually see a single shot fired, and it misses wildly, despite him shooting a whole bunch. Wyatt then notes that it's not counter attacking. Wonder what it could be.
    That or the Brig is, like, super drunk. Or sober, depending. Heh. Bender the Brig. Heh.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    It manages to escape Wyatt in the mosquito, and it starts heading towards Vector's lighthouse. Cortez radios into his other men that exist and order them to scramble, and orders Mahad and Lena to get into the Hyperion to engage it in battle as well.

    Oh, it appears Cortez didn't mean for his men to get in Mosquito's to go shoot it down, but to away at a place where the shuttle just sort of parks and point guns at it. A...alright. So the shuttle parks near a landing platform near the lighthouse.
    Good thing it didn't just try to kamikaze the lighthouse in order to take out the one scientist in all of Skyland, then..

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    The shuttle opens it's loading door and...no one is there. Suddenly a very faint hologram appears and says it is "Tibalt Hee" and that he seeks his grandson...Cheng! Oh man this would be more suspenseful if we actually knew anything about Cheng or his family! We don't though. It's still pretty interesting though, regardless.
    Tybalt!?

    Run Romeo, Run!

    No, wait, screw Romeo.

    Run Mercutio, Run!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    For some reason Cheng doesn't seem surprised by this. I think someone just...forgot to play the animation for shock on his face. Also, calling this a trap for like...the seventh time in a row. At this point I think I might give up trying to predict what is and isn't a trap.
    It's only a trap if you don't think it's a trap, apparently. Or it's only ever accidentally a trap. Trapccidents?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    A few minutes later, they're analyzing the hologram. Cheng thinks it might be his grandpa, but Cortez honestly thinks this is a trap. See, Cortez is like me, constantly seeing traps that are totally traps and probably won't turn out to be traps because **** our luck. Vector shows up now, and says that the shuttle has stealth technology. Now, I WANT to get mad at this because to me, stealth tech would be going invisible. However, they do explain that in this case they meant it's ability to evade the Mosquito's lock on and the warning radars that usually tip them off to Sphere activity. Here's hoping this ship is a random prototype and not the new design for CHRON shuttles
    Well, is one of Cheng's grandpas named "Tibalt Hee" or not? XD

    Stealth tech doesn't mean invisibility in this universe either, Lala.

    Probably been illegally modified by some crazy or other.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Everyone surmizes, due to the lack of Brig's on board, that it's mission really was to find Cheng. Therefor, not a trap. Cortez, however, insists that no, Cheng, your grandfather is dead. I'm you're family now, we all are. I can tell Cortez is TRYING to be like a father to Cheng here, in contrast to his trying to treat Mahad like an adult. I like the difference, and it shows that Cortez knows how to treat people in the right ways. The problem is that Cheng...Cheng really wants to see his blood family. He says that if Cortez was his real family, he wouldn't be so mean to him.
    And here we see evidence that Cortes actually just stole Cheng as a chillen. Err. Smaller chillen. XD Cheng's just forgotten that he was stolen and has stockholm syndrome imprinted upon Cortes, though it seems to be weakening due to the effects of puberty.

    Well, yeah, Cheng's 12 and just now going through puberty. Mahad is an annoying whiny 17 year old who can't even figure out how to Protagonist half the time despite allegedly springing from the loins of a born Protagonist.

    And keeps trying to get into the panties of a twenty-something. So he'd have to treat Mahad like an adult. That or be completely skeeved out by Mahad. Or be kinda skeevy himself.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    On the one hand this is a childish outburst that's just predicated by Cheng happening to be deep in thought lately, thus straining his relationship with Cortez and the others. On the other hand CHENG IS LITERALLY A CHILD so this makes TOTAL sense. Cheng runs off, and Cortez gets shadowed over a bit, looking...pretty rough.
    Ahh, angsty pubescent preteens.

    Well, Cortes is a middle-aged Spanish Scotsman. Not exactly known for not having craggy features.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Vector asks Cortez why he didn't tell Cheng the truth. Mahad asks what this means and Cortez tells them. Tibalt is his grandfather, and Cheng's parents where part of the resistance...and they died. Mahad can't read between the lines and asks why this is important. Cortez says that he knew Cheng's mother more, and that Cheng's father was a great scientist. Tibalt was also a great scientist, and after the Earth split up...he went to work for the Sphere. Before Cheng's Mom died, Cortez promised to look after Cheng. While this is happening, Cheng is making his way to that Sphere shuttle, and getting ready to fly off to the coordinates the shuttle came from.
    Ahh, so here's the real reason he stole Cheng... he secretly knocked up Cheng's mom! XD And then kidnapped him.

    So apparently Earth fracturing is within living memory for old people. Interesting.

    Good to know that Cheng can do stupid pubescent preteen stuff, too. ...I shudder to think of what Seijun powers would be like with a child first going through puberty...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    This is a really good scene, and it mixes world building quite well with character development and learning the history of a character we don't really know. They haven't stated how Cheng's parents died but seeing as how he works with the Sphere, and worked with them from the very beginning, we can have a pretty easy idea of WHAT happened. The implication is honestly better then just strait up hearing it.
    That Cheng's parents and grandfather killed one another in a murder-suicide? Cortes revenge murdered Cheng's grandfather after he killed Cheng's mom?

    Sphere purged the world of all non-Vectorian scientists, including their own?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Thankfully, everyone hears the shuttle take off, and Cortez radios Wyatt to intercept the shuttle at all costs. I'm worried that Cortez didn't specify "don't shoot it Cheng's on board" but...it'd make sense for him not to specify that. Cortez would and in fact could tear his ship to pieces with his bare hands if it meant stopping the Sphere, I don't think a single life, even one close to his own, would make him stay his hand.
    It is kinda... Obvious... And it should've been being watched by someone. Granted, it should've been getting run over with a fine-toothed comb for transmitters and the like.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...OH. Yeah um no one actually knew Cheng was in the shuttle. Lena shouts wait, and says she senses Cheng is inside the shuttle. This causes Cortez to, as quickly as possible, radio Wyatt back and tell him to not fire, at all, what so ever, because Cheng is on board. Wyatt's then ordered to keep following the shuttle, though he says it'll be hard. You know, I like that we're getting a bit more of Wyatt, even if he is still technically the blandest character, by virtue of just not being touched upon at all aside from being "the black dude who pilots stuff."
    Despite it being an obvious conclusion, it'd still be jumping to conclusions to just assume that Cheng's the reason it started up.

    Thank goodness for SEIJUNOSITY! XD

    He does seem to appear rather infrequently and not interact with much of anything. Better than being actively, offensively racist, but being the token black guy AND never really doing anything to get characterization... Oy.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Mahad and Lena leave to get the Hyperion to also give chase, while Cortez regrets how harsh he'd been on Cheng, and how he really, really needs to get Cheng back so he doesn't fall into Sphere hands like his Grandfather. Vector agrees and says that they need to tell him the truth.
    "I knew I should've taken him to that Jonas Brothers concert! Oh, woe is me."

    "If only I had paid attention to the signs and talked to him about the strange feelings he was feeling from puberty!"

    Hmm... Maybe Sphere sucked out the brains of their scientists and made some kind of super-computer out of them. And then they'd feed Cheng's brain to it if they got him. Certainly would be pointlessly evil enough, I suppose. Probably a bit too macabre for the saturday morning cartoon villainy demonstrated so far.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile, Wyatt is talking with Cheng over the radio, telling him to go home. Cheng tells him that no, he's not going to, and for the first time in this entire series called Wyatt by his actual name, Wayan. I'm...honestly just going to call him Wyatt because I've never heard it said correctly by anyone other then Cheng in this one instance, and I don't think even the credits call him Wayan. But yeah, Cheng don't wanna go home.
    Oh dear. Cheng's having such a tantrum he's actually using the character's proper name. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oh **** son Mahad called him Wayan this time too. I feel like EVERYONE on staff up to this point just assumed he was called Wyatt because Cortez is the only one who really says the dude's name and his accent is just that thick, so Cheng's voice actor was all "...hey you guys do realize his names Wayan right?"
    Best explanation.

    [QUOTE=LaZodiac;17949362]At any rate, Cheng's ship shuttles off at super speed the Hyperion going super fast as well. Left in the proverbial dust, Wayan radios in his return.

    Hyperdrive engagedededed.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Cutting to a large Sphere facility, and we see...Tibalt! He's arguing with Diwan about how his new Missile Defense System isn't being finished as quickly as it should. Tibalt says that he's running into some problems, that he can't quite deal with. Diwan says that SHE heard that the system is 100% working right now, and Tibalt BURNS her by saying "well when you rely on spies, you should expect inaccurate information". Also, Tibalt's voice actor is REALLY good.
    Well, there goes my hopes of a brain-absorbing super-computer. Durn.

    Silly Diwan, your specialty is failing to capture twelve year old girls, not sending spies to spy on your own scientist monkeys.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Diwan counters by saying that this is a daaangerous game he's playing, and that if he's not careful she'll tell Oslo his loyalty is...waning. Tibalt tells Diwan she can tell him whatever she wants, because he's got work today. SO, it seems this wasn't actually a trap after all. Good god Skyland can you maybe STOP blowing my expectations like this once or twice
    Silly Diwan, what kind of silly game are you playing now? Not reporting that your missile defense scientist is plotting to betray you and leave after giving you a flawed missile defense system?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Diwan goes to leave, and Tibalt gets one last shot in, saying to keep her spies out of his lab, because they slow him down. He then goes back to work, and it's clear Diwan is NOT in a good mood. And even her good moods have her moody as heck. Just as she leaves, Tibalt's computer activates and says that hey, one of the scout ships he sent out is coming back, and the designated passenger is on board! Tibalt lets out a sigh of relief.
    You'd be moody too if your boss forced you to be Bald This Way with him.

    Amber Alert! Amber Alert! He's just sending out all kinds of ships to kidnap chillens.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Back with the Hyperion, flying over the Sphere settlement and...I've gotta say, I like the aesthetic here. Large white buildings with gardens on the roof tops, still on the ground but it's clear that they could probably detach and become flying homes if absolutely required. It really fits with the more high tech appearance the Sphere tries to have, steam bot Brig's aside. Contrasted nicely with the steampunk tech the pirates have, which is counterbalanced by Vector's quasi future tech styling. If the series was a little better this would show a lot better too.
    Sphere... Village? Not research compound? ...That just raises further questions if they rule most of the setting with only a few forgotten places and secret cells of resistance within their *ahem* Sphere of Influence.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Brief aside Vector is wearing a SUPER snazzy lab coat in every promotional material I've found for Skyland but all he's ever worn in series is a dinky ass sweater. This disappoints me.
    Understandable.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Tibalt waits at the landing area for the ship, and after it parks Cheng comes out. Tibalt assures him he's safe, and introduces himself as Tibalt Yee. He assumes, based on Cheng's startling resemblance, that Cheng must be his grandson. This is a really nice scene, especially because Cheng realizes he DOES remember this guy, now that he's actually seeing him in the flesh. He runs over and gives him a hug and it's nice and touching.
    Suspicious. Is he Tibalt Yee or Tibalt Hee? Introducing yourself with two different second names is just sketchy, old dude. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...oh wow, Grandpa Tibalt dropping some truth bombs on Cheng. Mostly that Cortez and his mother where...very close. "Before she met your father, of course." So that explains in part why Cortez cares SO much. I've noticed this series has a pretty big obsession with "the one that got away" relationships. Everyone's a Captain Ahab who's love is a white whale, lost to some unending storm.
    Called it. Cheng is actually Cortes' bastard son.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    The brig's guarding the place walk by as they leave the landing area and Cheng gets worried, but Tibalt says not to worry since they are harmless. This is the most accurate statement ever said about the Brig's this entire series.
    They're only dangerous to you if they're on your side and fighting a Seijunjin.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    It's around this time that Wayan and Cortez have grouped up, and are flying the Saint Naziere around to find the Hyperion. Their radio is still busted so it's impossible to contact them. However! Mahad (though more likely Lena, since she's the one who suggested they find a way to contact Cortez a little while ago) thought to drop a distress signal beacon near the location of the Sphere facility, thus allowing the Saint Naziere to home in on their location! That's actually really clever.
    Haha, inability to coordinate leading to hilarity because a distress signal is going to be a huge red flag to the Sphere too.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile, Diwan's send a message to Oslo. He continues to look like the most intimidating cancer ward patient ever, due to him sitting in his solar bath. Apparently Tibalt is behind schedule by MONTHS, and they've gotten reports about unmanned shuttles leaving on unscheduled missions. As many as six in the past two days. Apparently Tibalt isn't too good at covering his tracks.
    Evil Chemo Man.

    And it's... rather hard to hide that kind of activity. Even altering the flight logs won't be enough if you keep doing it in any real quantity.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oslo tells Diwan to tell him that he's gonna come by in 24 hours to test out the missile defense system. He wants to see a demonstration. Diwan says it'll be her pleasure, and Oslo gets this sort of creepy grin and tells her to not enjoy herself TOO much, since Tibalt is vitally important. I'm hesitant to think about what this means, and am starting to think that red splotch on Diwan's head is a gang tattoo of some sort.
    Rather than a liver spot?

    So she's going to try to beat an old man scientist who she already suspects of planning to betray them until he's ready to do a test with her boss. Either she's stupid or she's hoping he does something stupid that leads to Oslo getting taken out or being weakened enough for her to take him out in the confusion and pin the blame for it on Tibalt so she can have Oslo's job for herself.

    That's almost devious.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Back with Cheng, and he's super excited to be in this lab! He's currently controlling a Brig like a puppet! Cheng asks the rather obvious question of why this super tech savvy guy didn't try to escape, when the only things stopping him from escaping are crap machines that he could easily reprogram. However, Tibalt seems...concerned, and is trying to tell Cheng something. He finally gets it out. He designed the Brig's. He's designed...basically all the Sphere tech, more or less.
    Tibalt is E-VIIIIIIIIIIL Vector, eh?

    I guess it explains a lot about why Sphere is so crappy, since their AIs were designed by someone whose heart isn't in updating their OSseseses anymore. XD

    Maybe you shouldn't beat your only scientist, Diwan. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...we then proceed to get what is a sorely needed, but better late then ever, scene. It's entirely hand drawn and much, much better for it. Tibalt explains the world directly after the Earth shattered. Block fought Block for resources like food, water, people. Some even did it just for the fun of it. The world was thrown into chaos, with mass starvation and dehydration. The picture we see here is a bunch of people in torn clothes ambushing a woman and her two children. The people in worn clothes are clearly bandits who are going to kill her. Holy ****.
    Ahh, slave empires and mass death. Standard semi-survivable apocalypse fare, really.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Tibalt says the Sphere was the only hope for order, and we get this awesome picture of an army of Brig's, standing triumphantly over generic rubble as Sphere shuttles fly in the background. The Brig's actually look kind of intimidating here, bulky and powerful. Tibalt finishes this flashback by saying that Commander Oslo asked Tibalt to work for the Sphere. This...kind of doesn't jell with what we know of these character's past, but maybe Tibalt didn't join Sphere as IMMEDIATELY as Cortez seems to imply. What I'm saying is that the time frame seems weird.
    Well, he's got a point that in a place like Skyland you couldn't exactly get away without some level of organization and that someone is needed to stamp out the actual piracy that'd crop up naturally as a result of having endless space to hide in and the necessity of trade for any level of settlement to survive.

    Not much of an advantage, or even point, if they just kill everyone and destroy everything in trying to unify people, though.

    Hmm. Commander Oslo.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Cheng says that he was told Oslo killed his parents, but Tibalt says he was told bandits did it! The shuttles he's been sending out have brought him nothing but horrifying news, so he isn't sure what to believe anymore.
    Oh, I thought you said that Cortes said that Tibalt killed Cheng's parents. Wiggy.

    ...How were those shuttles able to bring back news? Were the holograms carrying on conversations with people?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Cheng says to believe HIM. The Sphere would kill him if they found out he was here, as well as anyone who came to find him. Tibalt apologizes, and just then Diwan and some Brig's show up. Diwan gloats about finding out what was REALLY preventing him from working.
    Oh, right, you weren't planning on betraying us, you just wanted your only surviving family member back as a pet. Gloat-gloat-gloat, now I have someone to threaten as leverage against you, muahahahahaha. I'm a compulsive villain.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Meanwhile, Mahad and Lena are on a sneaking mission, trying to get into the floating laboratory that everyone is apparently inside right now. Mahad proves that he is not very good at tactics by saying they need a plan to get past the two Brig's guarding the entrance, and that he's got one! Part 1, Lena goes out and distracts them. Part 2...is the assumption that he'll think of a part 2 by the time she's distracted the two brig's. As always and ever, I'm annoyed whenever any number of Brig's other then like ten or twenty is able to impede the progress of our heroes, giving how weak they are.
    Part 1, lure them away. Part 2, bonk them over the head. Part 3, go "boop, beep, boop, beep, I am a robot," while sneaking around disguised as Brigs.

    Bam, a better plan than Mahad's that still sounds dumb enough to be something he'd think up.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Lena snark's at Mahad "don't rush on my account". Someone's been practicing with Dahlia, I see
    This is a Sneaking Mission, after all.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Speaking of which, Dahlia is here as well, flying the Saint Neziere. Since Wayan is in a Mosquito it's Dahlia's job to do Wayan's job. This makes sense because hey, they're the only two crew left.
    Ahh the joys of a minuscule crew to draw upon for Bridge Bunny duty.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Fun fact Dahlia's voice actress also plays Claire Redfield in every appearance said character has made in Resident Evil. This also means that she was Loonette on Big Comfy Couch, and the person solely responsible for the translation of Megaman X5 being so weird. This is stuff I learn when IMDBing actors I'm forced to listen to at 12 in the morning.
    I'd make a Claire Redfield joke, but I honestly don't remember her having much in the way of memorable or memorably bad lines. She's no Jill Sandwich, after all.

    What's this about a voice actress being responsible for messing up Megaman X5's translation, though? I don't even remember the one female reploid in that game *getting* voiced lines...

    [QUOTE=LaZodiac;17949362]Back with Mahad and Lena, Lena continues to sneak about so she can get into a better vantage point to distract the Brig's. Did...they just forget she can mind crush these fools? Also, Mahad is totally open to behead the two of them with his boomerang, which is what he intends to do when she distracts them ANYWAY. See, this is kind of frustrating actually. We've seen Brig's be destroyed by a scottish punch to the face, I can't take them seriously as a threat anymore!

    Well, Seijuns can sense other Seijuns doing stuff like firing their lazors, right?

    Hey, Scottish punching isn't anything to be sneezed at, though it doesn't hold a candle to Scottish headbutting.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Maybe the Brig's have been upgraded, or maybe they've scaled down the power of the ultra boomerang. Lena distracts them so Mahad throws his boomerang and...instead of beheading them both, it slams into the Brig and simply knocks it down, sparks flying from the wound, and Lena obliterates the other with a Seijun blast.
    Woo, variable power boomerang! Woo, saying screw it, let's just attract Skywizard attention.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...hahaha, okay, that was kind of funny. Lena leads the way into the lab, saying it's time to get Chang and go home. Mahad gives a quick kick to the Brig he destroyed before following after her.
    Oh, Mahad, that doesn't mean anything when it's a dead robutt instead of a knocked out person who'll feel the broken/bruised rib the next day.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Apparently we're supposed to believe all of that happened during the flashback, because Mahad and Lena show up right behind Diwan and her Brig's, right after SHE showed up to confront Tibalt and Cheng. Talk about a stroke of luck. Though it's clear that even though she's technically surrounded by enemies, Diwan has won this little ambush. She...proceeds to taunt the ever loving **** out of our heroes. "IF only I had some cake and ice cream. Then we'd have a real party!" she says.
    That's... sorta weird timing, but, OK.

    How is Diwan ahead? She wasn't able to quite beat a little girl last time, and this time the little girl is stronger and actually partially trained.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Diwan lines everyone up against a window, and Tibalt says this is an outrage. He's to be allowed to do his research without any outside interference! After an awkward pause Diwan says that he lost that privilege when he was found harboring a known enemy of the Sphere. Valid point. Tibalt mentions that Cheng is just his grandson, an enemy to no one.
    ...How does Diwan even know about Cheng, anyway?

    I mean, she knows Mahad and Lena because of her eternal shame at not catching a 12 year old girl, sure.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Diwan says that she's sure that is relevent to people who are weak and let their sentimentality control them, but she doesn't care and uses her powers to drag Cheng closer to her. She then stops Lena from Seijun'ing everyone to death by basically threatening Cheng, and says to Tibalt that SHE is in charge now, and she'll "hold onto" Cheng until Tibalt's work is done. Looks like a relatively solid victory for Diwan. Good luck not messing it up lady.
    ...Dumb Lena is dumb. She didn't try to fight and then only tries *after* the badguy gets a hostage and then stops when the badguy reminds her that she has a hostage...

    Diwan's just begging for something insidious to be done to sabotage the missile defense system. I guess she really wants it set up in such a way that some target she wants gone is able to be taken out before they realize it's borked.

    But what target could she want blown up....?

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Oooh, sly. As the Brig start escorting everyone away Tibalt quickly snatches the little control pad Cheng had that let him control a Brig like a puppet. Everyone gets outside, but before they can get into Diwan's shuttle (talk about cramped) a Brig says "Enemy ship approaching!". Diwan shouts "WHERE!" and we get...an actually really funny answer. The ship surfaces from underneath the floating lab, RIGHT next to where everyone is standing. This is why I love sky based stuff.
    ...That's his big plan? Turn a single loserbot on a Seijun?

    Good entrance by the pirates, though.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    The Brig's open fire on the Saint Neziere, which gives Mahad and Lena ample time to each destroy a Brig. The Neziere opens up it's loading bay and CORTEZ COMES LEAPING OUT, SHOOTING A BRIG TO DEATH WITH A LASER PISTOL IN MID AIR! Sadly before he can fire again, this time on Diwan, Tibalt charges Cortez and knocks him to the ground! Diwan then hides behind Cheng's small child body for protection.
    Dumb Tibalt is dumb. Not sure why Cortes jumped out instead of, y'know, lowering the ramp and shooting from inside the bay, though. Unless he's just gone into Papa Wolf mode since his babby was taken from him.

    [QUOTE=LaZodiac;17949362]Before I can react to Tibalt's betrayal (because I thought Diwan used her powers to throw Tibalt at Cortez) Tibalt reveals the control thing he took from the desk (not the control pad, my bad) to Cortez and whispers "hide this and follow my lead" and then the two start rolling around, fighting! Cortez gains the upperhand and captures Tibalt, Tibalt saying "Help! Diwan, help me!"

    Oh. Not as dumb as I thought.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...oh. Oh dear. Cortez demands they let Cheng go, or they, quote "lose their genius". Cheng says no, but Tibalt starts laying it on thick, about how these horrible people tricked him into believing Cheng was his grandson. Cheng is...absolutely traumatize by this series of events. Diwan, since she's NOT smart, believes this is legit and says Cortez has a deal. Cortez whispers to Tibalt "you can still come with us" but Tibalt says that no, he must stay and try to repair some of the damage he's done.
    Dumb Cheng is dumb. Granted, dumb Cheng is a 12 year old in the throes of puberty and on the high of being conflicted about meeting his only known surviving family member since his daddy won't reveal himself to him.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Just as everyone starts to leave, Diwan shouts "TO BAD DEALS MEAN NOTHING TO ME!" and she fires off a massive Seijun blast that Lena easily catches and reflects back. They play tennis for a brief while before...Diwan gets strait up knocked off the edge of the flying lab
    Oh, Diwan. Trying so hard to score evil cred over the course of one episode instead of having it established over several. XD

    And here's more egg on her face about not being able to beat a 12 year old girl. Gonna end up with a complex at this rate.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    She lives, managing to hold onto the edge, and our heroes escape. Tibalt takes his glasses off in a rather solemn, sad scene, while Diwan rages at her anger at almost being killed because she never learned not to shout "SNEAK ATTACK" when sneak attacking.
    And also being weaker than a half-trained 12 year old. XD

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Cheng is super sad, but Cortez takes out the hidden thing, saying that "your grandfather left me something for you". I wonder what it could be. Probably a nice, touching message.

    And technically it is! It's...the new missile defense blueprints! Cheng is confused, and Cortez explains the middle of the battle, Tibalt gave this to him. He's on our side now. When this is all over, we can get him back.
    Apparently it's not the remote. Oh well. Woo, backdoors in defense systems!

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...Cheng then lies a bit by saying that Tibalt told him that the design for the missile blue prints are rather complicated, but Cheng would easily be able to figure it out. I...SUPPOSE Tibalt could of said that while Diwan was thinking about the deal, but I'm not sure. Seems kind of sketchy...
    Is nae lying, is... making up stuff to fill in the gaps between the truth.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Cheng asked if he really said that. Cortez asks him if he knows what a *technobabble* is, and Cheng says "of course! I may be a kid but I'm not stupid you know" which is...far more affective a joke then it has any right to be. The two apologize to each other for the beginning of the episode, and everyone makes up. Happy end, roll credits.
    Effective. Good to know that Cheng knows what technobabble is, though.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    What this episode excels at though is the world building. We only really see three pictures, but seeing how the world was directly after the Earth split was great. Hearing about how chaotic it was, hearing about how Sphere was started, it was just great. They honestly need more of this, but I'll take what I can get.
    IIRC that's the most worldbuilding done in any single episode so far as far as you've said.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    So, guys. Monday is the last episode of season 1. Where do you think this is going to go, now that we've got some more plot items to work with after the last two episodes? Maybe somewhere good, hopefully? I'll admit, this seems like it's leading up to a somewhat...lack luster in scale season finale, but who knows maybe it'll be good! I've been wrong about a lot of my first impressions on Skyland after a few episodes.
    Obviously it's going to be a combination season finale with something exciting as well as establishing something about Dahlia and Cortes and maybe even Wayan/Wyatt, since Cheng just had a spotlight episode.
    Quote Originally Posted by Keld Denar View Post
    +3 Girlfriend is totally unoptimized. You are better off with a +1 Keen Witty girlfriend and then appling Greater Magic Make-up to increase her enhancement bonus.
    Homebrew
    To Do: Reboot and finish Riptide

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    That Cheng's parents and grandfather killed one another in a murder-suicide? Cortes revenge murdered Cheng's grandfather after he killed Cheng's mom?

    Sphere... Village? Not research compound? ...That just raises further questions if they rule most of the setting with only a few forgotten places and secret cells of resistance within their *ahem* Sphere of Influence.

    What's this about a voice actress being responsible for messing up Megaman X5's translation, though? I don't even remember the one female reploid in that game *getting* voiced lines...

    Obviously it's going to be a combination season finale with something exciting as well as establishing something about Dahlia and Cortes and maybe even Wayan/Wyatt, since Cheng just had a spotlight episode.
    I was under the impression that what Cortez was talking about, concerning the death of Cheng's parents, was that Tibalt Yee (that's his real name, I misheard it the first time) was involved in their death.

    Yeah, it's the most world building we've had in an episode.

    Diwan REALLY wants to be seen as a threat. This is why I think Artemis and her blue partner should come back, they're understandably weaker then Lena.

    Cortez jumped from the ship's loading bay because of how the boat was positioned. Also because it was bad ass.

    Dahlia's voice actress was either dating or is married to the translator for Megaman X5, and she noticed all the musical and design cues that showed that Megaman X5's mavericks are literally all references to the Guns and Roses. So she influenced him to make their translated names more in line with that theme. Thus we got a boss named Duff McWhalen.

    I should note the village is more of a large compound that happens to be on or floating near blocks, which are growing farms and stuff. It's probably insidious in some way.

  26. - Top - End - #146
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Alright, world building! It reminds me of Trigun, with the rampant struggle in the face of an impossible disaster.

    I keep forgetting that there are characters other than Mahad, Lena, Cortes, Oslo and Diwan. I really should watch an episode or two, even if it's just to see the Symbiot. (why couldn't they have brought it with them? If it can't leave the block, get a few dozen ships and drag the block back home. If it scares off Oslo and can be controlled by an ally, then it's a valuble resource. And you could start a monster zoo: 'Pay to see the terrifing beastie! It funds our rebellion against the Sphere!' But I digress, before somebody starts making Symbiote/Durkoala fanart.)

    Well, I expect that next episode will be attacking somewhere important, like the prison, now that we have a hole in the sphere's defences. If it is the prison, Meela (?) will probably reveal something to drive the next series, but I don't know if she will be rescued or not. We might see some of the disappeared characters return to help out. There might even be an actual trap.

    Also, if Diwan's a Sejun, shouldn't she be able to fly when knocked over the edge?
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by Durkoala View Post
    Alright, world building! It reminds me of Trigun, with the rampant struggle in the face of an impossible disaster.

    I keep forgetting that there are characters other than Mahad, Lena, Cortes, Oslo and Diwan. I really should watch an episode or two, even if it's just to see the Symbiot. (why couldn't they have brought it with them? If it can't leave the block, get a few dozen ships and drag the block back home. If it scares off Oslo and can be controlled by an ally, then it's a valuble resource. And you could start a monster zoo: 'Pay to see the terrifing beastie! It funds our rebellion against the Sphere!' But I digress, before somebody starts making Symbiote/Durkoala fanart.)

    Well, I expect that next episode will be attacking somewhere important, like the prison, now that we have a hole in the sphere's defences. If it is the prison, Meela (?) will probably reveal something to drive the next series, but I don't know if she will be rescued or not. We might see some of the disappeared characters return to help out. There might even be an actual trap.

    Also, if Diwan's a Sejun, shouldn't she be able to fly when knocked over the edge?
    Understandable. Also, I can't help but imagine how that zoo would go. Pay to see the amazing Symbiont! And then they pay and go into a room and there is basically nothing in it because it's practically invisible.

    Here's hoping! Also it's spelt Mila according to the credits. Diwan's not the strongest Seijun, and we've yet to actually see someone fly freely with their Seijun powers. The most we've seen is a hover.

  28. - Top - End - #148
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Understandable. Also, I can't help but imagine how that zoo would go. Pay to see the amazing Symbiont! And then they pay and go into a room and there is basically nothing in it because it's practically invisible.

    Here's hoping! Also it's spelt Mila according to the credits. Diwan's not the strongest Seijun, and we've yet to actually see someone fly freely with their Seijun powers. The most we've seen is a hover.
    That was the general idea: set up some empty rooms, maybe with some guyMahad standing just out of sight with a leaf blower, and tell the public that the monster is invisible but if you look closely you might see it move.
    If anybody actually sees it wrecking invaders, they might even believe that, as they know it exists. If you want to be serious,put it in a dark room. The lightning monster will show up easily.

    So is Lena stronger than Diwan? I bet Oslo will do some flying when it's his turn to fight.
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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    A few minutes later, they're analyzing the hologram. Cheng thinks it might be his grandpa, but Cortez honestly thinks this is a trap. See, Cortez is like me, constantly seeing traps that are totally traps and probably won't turn out to be traps because **** our luck. Vector shows up now, and says that the shuttle has stealth technology. Now, I WANT to get mad at this because to me, stealth tech would be going invisible. However, they do explain that in this case they meant it's ability to evade the Mosquito's lock on and the warning radars that usually tip them off to Sphere activity. Here's hoping this ship is a random prototype and not the new design for CHRON shuttles
    This is a stealth fighter:
    Spoiler
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    This is a stealth bomber:
    Spoiler
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    Stealth doesn't mean invisible, stealth means hard to detect. Those craft have paint that absorb radar, are shaped to deflect radar unusually, and are painted the colour of the night sky (which is not black). They aren't completely invisible to radar or visual detection measures, but they are a lot harder to detect, hence stealth.

    Also, stealth missions in video games and stealth in real life means sneaking/not being seen, not invisibility. I'm really not sure how you got the impression that stealth = invisibility...

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    Vector asks Cortez why he didn't tell Cheng the truth. Mahad asks what this means and Cortez tells them. Tibalt is his grandfather, and Cheng's parents where part of the resistance...and they died. Mahad can't read between the lines and asks why this is important. Cortez says that he knew Cheng's mother more, and that Cheng's father was a great scientist. Tibalt was also a great scientist, and after the Earth split up...he went to work for the Sphere. Before Cheng's Mom died, Cortez promised to look after Cheng. While this is happening, Cheng is making his way to that Sphere shuttle, and getting ready to fly off to the coordinates the shuttle came from.
    So, we now know how recently the Earth splitting was, within three generations. So, people still knowing/associating with previous cultures and locations is not all that far fetched at all.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaZodiac View Post
    ...Cheng then lies a bit by saying that
    Cortes was the one doing the lying.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    Haha, inability to coordinate leading to hilarity because a distress signal is going to be a huge red flag to the Sphere too.
    Yeah, I thought of this too, but it is possible to tailor a distress signal so that only a select group recognises it as one.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coidzor View Post
    ...How does Diwan even know about Cheng, anyway?
    She's seen the crew on numerous occasions, and probably has profiles of them.

    Quote Originally Posted by Durkoala View Post
    But I digress, before somebody starts making Symbiote/Durkoala fanart.)
    Just a couple of notes here, and sorry for seeming like a pendant pedant, but I figure you'd appreciate the knowledge. I think you might have picked up a slightly incorrect use of digress. Digress means going off-topic, "I have digressed a little from the main topic" means that you've drifted away from the main point or discussion. The line "but I digress" is not technically 100% grammatically correct, but it has been used for so long that it is generally understood. It means "but I have digressed from the main topic". So, you have used that correctly, at least in so far as it has been used historically, it's just from the rest of the sentence it appears that you have used it to mean "but I must return to the original conversation", which leads me to think you may have misunderstood it.

    ---

    Also, it's probably worth mentioning to everyone that it's symbiont, as Symbiote is something different (actually, symbiote is sometimes used as well, it's just much rarer than the preferred term).

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    Default Re: Lets Watch: Skyland

    Quote Originally Posted by Durkoala View Post
    So is Lena stronger than Diwan? I bet Oslo will do some flying when it's his turn to fight.
    Yeah, Lena is much stronger then Diwan.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    This is a stealth fighter:
    Spoiler
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    This is a stealth bomber:
    Spoiler
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    I am aware I just...got distracted by cake and forgot to finish my thought to mention those


    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    So, we now know how recently the Earth splitting was, within three generations. So, people still knowing/associating with previous cultures and locations is not all that far fetched at all.
    100% true. This I'm totally okay with now. IT is also why some world building is needed for the beginning of the series

    [QUOTE=Rawhide;17951855]Cortes was the one doing the lying.

    I am become Typo, destroyer of writing projects.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rawhide View Post
    Also, it's probably worth mentioning to everyone that it's symbiont, as Symbiote is something different (actually, symbiote is sometimes used as well, it's just much rarer than the preferred term).
    Does Symbiont mean anything?

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