Lurker > Strife2

Dalvin Cook killing it. If he wasn't injury prone...holy crap this team would actually win more...maybe.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I mean, the most Vikings thing ever would be losing to the Falcons, usurping their suck and the Jets to draft Lawrence somehow.

$30-40 mil cap tied to Cousins, whether they keep or ditch him, whether he succeeds or fails. GAH!

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I just want the Packers imminent rampage over the Vikings is swift and comically offensive. 50 points, 60 points. Don't care. The season is a waste, and just want to see how everything burns going forward.

1-5 already, season ending injuries, etc...good god. This could be a rough end season to beat them all.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I don't think it matters really. They have two franchises that work well. I personally like Ys more, but if Trails succeeds, then good for them.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I root for the Vikings. I'm WELL adjusted to failure.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I don't care about the Falcons though.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

0-3 Vikings, where they play out of their minds offensively and still lose.

Not a great look.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Uh oh. That turned the Titans way quickly

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Justin Jefferson making a statement. Almost 200 yards receiving in his third game...

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Laxia is great too. She is "tsundere: Ys Edition.." But that works.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Who was it that said playing scrubs would HELP the Vikings today? I owe them a beer.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Karna was good in Celceta, but I can never remember if she was canon waifu or "she's best girl in the party, but not main" waifu material. It's been years. She's the only character I tend to remember, so I'm probably forgetting many other people too.


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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Oh god, those Adol and game waifu timelines.

Dana best girl, fight me.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

It really hurts, because, they were already thin thanks to free agency.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Ryback just comes off eternally butthurt. It's been like five years, and he can't just move on. Even Moxley and Punk have a sort of sheepish dissonance these days.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

And Punk was just as much an asshole for saying it. He just ended up benefitting with a career home run BECAUSE of it being a hell of a promo, instead of a tweet.

Still disgusting.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Dude...just say, "he steps down or something." Wishing death on a person (regardless of personal gripes or that person's leadership style) is just disgusting. If he ends up being one of those types (musicians are sometimes like this) who don't retire and just pass on while working, fine. But don't just up and wish death on Vince because you think he's a fucking dick.

The most we can figure out is we will be in uncharted terrtory when it happens. It will be an unheard of, kind of eerie time.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

The whole, "We never saw this scrub on tape, oh shit he's kicking our ass," syndrome.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Yeah...that'll show him. The Chewbacca Defense of Twitter.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

So, why is T-Bar on twitter so fucking much? I get that it is an outlet of exposure compared to being on TV once a week, but this is pretty excessive.

Just start a fucking Youtube or Twitch channel if you're that bored. No one buys he's this "rioter of justice anyway. We probably would if he wasn't forcing it every hour.

Maybe this is just how life works now.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Three corners to be exact, including the starters

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

The Vikings are a dumpster fire. Even more defensive players out this week.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

https://twitter.com/IsThisWrestling/status/1309655556106444807

The Table won, and everyone else lost.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

So, here's the thing no one is mentioning in all this: if the fans like it, and it's over, who cares? The point is to connect with the fans in some way. Russian Rusev did, and WWE fed him to Cena. Rusev Day did and WWE squandered it. If AEW responds to Miro in "whatever" way, he's done his job.

I like Cornette thinking as much as the next guy, but some fans don't give a shit if he's a "big ass kicking machine." Maybe the allure would be better, but you can put anyone at the top of the card if peple like them enough. Because they sure as shit will buy his merchandise as a sign that says, "WE LIKE THIS GUY!" Zack Ryder isn't who I'd call an amazing in ring worker, but the fans wanted him to be more than WWE thought he was. That's on them for not capitalizing on his strengths.

They just have to be able to perform up to a "main event" standard. Rusev might be able to, he just was never allowed to.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Oh dammit. Animal was awesome. Got to get a signed copy of the Road Warrior biography too, and it was an awesome read. I remember they were staples of that LJN Super Wrestlemania game, and then that Chicago Street Fight. Wasn't the greatest match ever (I mean, Ahmed was in it), but it was just chaos personified. I remember it was one of those smoke extinguisher types and everyone just got COVERED in shit.


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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Yeah, it's like they use up all their good storytelling (if any) on Roman, Bayley/Sasha, and anything Orton does. Everyone else gets Z-team shit.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Deathstrike? Then where the fuck is Wolverine?

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Somehow I wonder if Retribution is even nearly as effective as these idiots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ER99iFj0c

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Yeah. The main thing is "don't watch the game directly when busy," but the Wild are VERY lax and accommodating with their schedule and work ethic. I'm sure COVID is gonna make things weird, but outside of the last games of season, the "work rush" isn't so bad it doesn't overshoot the allure of the arena vibe.


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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

davidponte posted...

I used to work at the Rogers Centre (Jays) and our employee locker room was right in between the visiting clubhouse and the bullpen/weight room area, so I would walk by the opposing players every day, and even the bullpen guys were massive.

Everybody knows Giancarlo Stanton is a large human being, but you don't realize just how big he is until you're a foot away from him. Same goes with A-Rod, he was massive as well.

It's always cool when shit like that happens. That's one of the reasons I'm kinda glad the Wild job still exists (even in this situation), When do you get a chance to represent a major sports franchise and be IN the thick of it? I know I am working the retail space rather than anything to do with the players, but still. It's a source of pride and fandom you can't get elsewhere.

*Also worked for the Vikings for half a season*

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I had to look up what a "tan suit controversy" is.

Now I question if I'm in back in school recess or at a fucking mall. This is when you know news has too much time on their hands staring at Twitter.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Reads Raw Results

*considers if MIB Neuralizer is a real thing*

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Plus side: More people for Asuka or Shayna/Nia (LOLWOMEN"S TAGLOL) to face.

Negative side: Main roster.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

My question is why they wore masks when they already had hoods?

YOu didn't see DDP rock up with a Deathmask after ripping off the hood.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Why are they wearing masks though? What the fuck is this, Borderlands?

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Cousins with 2 safeties, one per week. The fuck?

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Vikings playing meh second week in a row.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

...yes?


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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Why didn't the fire alarm go off? Those things are twitchy things.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

colliding posted...

I just mean the game itself, not necessarily the battle system

I mean, by the time Pulse happens, Hope has long since stopped being a whiny emotional bitchface, so there is that. I watched the scene between he and Snow on a stream the other day, and I thought, "Wow, this is WAY more effective a scene without seeing Hope sulk in a fetal position for 10 hours."

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I would love to know where this "it gets better at Pulse" thing started, because the stagger system exists the whole game. The fact they added stagger back into 7R made me want to hang myself.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I didn't mind the debris shimmy because...that was the first game I ever played to do it. Maybe that's a good thing, I dunno.


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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

How would they know it would alienate general audiences though? The only franchise that is going "back" to turn based is Yakuza. And they are a brawler/JRPG/open-world hybrid more than anything. If 7 (with all the recent acclaim the series has after 0) sinks like a fucking rock. Sure. Then you could say the battle system is itself at fault.

The main franchises that have been turn-based recently are either Dragon Quest, Persona, or things 5-6 rungs down the totem pole no one talks about like Atelier or something.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Also, Persona 5 selling 3 million copies isn't a fair assessment. Persona 5 is still a "visual novel anime based RPG" with a MUCH smaller budget than FF's left nipple.

Persona has a high profile now, but this is their biggest release to date. Atlus isn't still what I'd call a AAA publisher force feeding mainstream sensibilities down our throats (outside of microtransactions anyway). It is a heavily Japanese product focused heavily on the Japanese market, likely to appeal to...guess what Japanese people. The fact they blew up in the West recently is more due to critical acclaim and a more accepted "anime boom" in general the past 10-15 years more than anything.

I watched some streamers dump Persona despite all the praise, but not for the battle system. They dumped it because Persona relies on the dating sim/visual novel style. People either didn't want the revolving door of 'story/life sim story/life sim, story/life sim," or just wanted to get to the Palaces. Final Fantasy has almost NEVER been as reliant on the crazy long cutscenes in the same way Xenosaga, Metal Gear, or Persona were. At most, 10-15 minutes for a major scene, and then RIGHT back to combat.

Persona and FF are different things that share a genre, but afford themselves very different audiences. The difference is Atlus has had about 10-15 years of good press while FF can't seem to decide if it wants to be good one day or the next.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I'm gonna bet FF sales has more to do with their lack of focus until recently and inflated budgets, not the battle system they used.

To be fair, they always change "something". For better AND worse.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

What I'm saying is if you don't want FF to go back, fine. But SE just flat out assumes, as a rule, that no one in the world could ever like it, ever liked it, and can't believe they even make the genre work.

After Kingdom Hearts, they had all the ammunition they needed to go "See? People love this stuff now"

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I think the hilarious thing is Bravely Default came out and did everything the genre expected, sold well, yet SE was "surprised" by it.

Imagine a developer of turn based games making a turn based game selling a turn based game being weirded out by succeeding at THE THING THEY WERE GOOD AT!

I don't expect FF to ever do turn based again, which is why Bravely and Octopath exist, but to completely ignore a genre that still has a fanbase (on a lesser yet still profitable scale) is madness.

Note: DQXI tinkered with "free, action based movement" in battle and failed miserably in execution. Turn based works because it just DOES. No one has to question the concept.

Sometimes I think developers convince themselves of self-fulfilling prophecies, instead of thinking "we could make SOMETHING to appeal to everyone" It took them 15 years to go from 12's MMO style pseudo action turn based hybrid to 7Rs fully realized action turn based spectacle.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

I just want FFX's. It was the most organic and fleshed out turn based system they made, yet crazy simple to follow and fast in execution. But if Square hated turn based since FF4 (necessitating Secret of Mana), then I won't hold my breath.

Dragon Quest is what we have left I suppose. Well, that and SMT/Persona. If those go all action, well fml.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

He's drinking the koo-aid....GET AWAY.

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass

Bro...

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"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass