EVA01's Unitversal Idea and Concept Posting Bin

[EvaUnit01]

[X] The one where you educate us, unrelated people, about what is Bleach actually about, and what exactly is so good about it. Other then protagonist's power levels being higher than everyone else's, and his uniqueness more unique than everybody's combined.

Click to shrink...

More seriously though, out of the original Big Three, one thing that Bleach always had going for it IMO - especially in comparison to Naruto and One Piece - is that at least in the early arcs, Bleach's characters felt more grounded/realistic than was typical, and even today (to the extent that I don't consume animanga quite like I used to) is a little bit of a breath of fresh air.

Like, Naruto and Luffy both take pretty obvious inspiration from Goku (although early Naruto is as much of a trickster archetype as he is an idiot hero, so that may be slightly disingenuous), and that's partly exacerbated by their fantastic settings (Pirate World and Ninja World respectively). But Ichigo Kurosaki, again in tune with Bleach taking place in then-modern Japan, is a dude you could conceivably pass by on the street some random day of the week. He doesn't go around looking for heroic responsibilities, jumping at calls to adventure, or waxing about his Shonen Dream 2BA Master like many other popular shonen heroes (Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates, Yoh sorta wants to be King of the Shamans, Naruto wants to be King of the Ninjas, Ash wants to be a Pokémon Master, Izuku wants to be the Greatest Hero Who Ever Lived, etc). But (in more-or-less his own words) he's not the kind of jackass who can just sit back and ignore someone in danger if he's able to help them.

How do I put this..... not counting his ability to see ghosts and related bullshithax spiritual powers, Ichigo is (to me) a better-than-average example of an Everyman anime protagonist, without the blandness/boring-ness that you usually get in anime Everymen (especially with the advent of harem and isekai genres, and doubly especially once they started combining).

And where most animanga have their casts stick in just one or two iconic outfits (or they may change into a new outfit with a new story arc or as a result of character development), Bleach is AFAIK a rare modern example of an anime where the (human) characters actually appear to have a decently expansive wardrobe instead of wearing the exact same set of clothes every single day for years of publication (or multiple perfectly identical sets of the same outfit, w/e).

Now, I never really did finish Bleach properly myself and I missed significant swathes of it (hence my current reread), but apparently it did get super-weird and badly rushed later on, and I'm led to understand that at least some of that was a result of Kubo trying to keep his series off of WSJ's chopping block by whatever means necessary.

So yeah, after a while it starts having issues that get progressively worse as time goes on and it does have things somewhat worthy of mocking (like Ichigo apparently being made of Legos for how he's supposed fits into nearly every power category under the sun), but overall I still like it as a shonen-genre series and would recommend it.

EDIT: As for what it's about..... call it an action/comedy-turned-action/drama series about a teenage guy who can see ghosts getting shanghai'd by a combination psychopomp/exorcist into taking over her job part-time.

 

[King Arthur]

I will say, episode 1 of Bleach till the end of the Soul Society Arc is an awesome anime. Basically the moment the Soul Society Arc finishes though it starts to get worse, at some point during the Hueco Muendo arc I had to stop reading it.

I did like Nel though. She's a good kid.

 

[EvaUnit01]

Yeah, after a while it breaks down and you can tell Kubo's basically writing by the seat of his pants. It more or less comes down to how much you like the characters as to whether you stay with it or not.

 

[Not in Person]

Basically the moment the Soul Society Arc finishes though it starts to get worse, at some point during the Hueco Muendo arc I had to stop reading it.

Click to shrink...

Which one is with the Aizen? Also, I've been told that after Ichigo lost his Shinigami powers, the story really had no reason to continue.

EDIT: As for what it's about..... call it an action/comedy-turned-action/drama series about a teenage guy who can see ghosts getting shanghai'd by a combination psychopomp/exorcist into taking over her job part-time.

Click to shrink...

This, and the rest of the explanation, actually sounds interesting. From which part is this Nel person? I mean, relative to the "It turned real bad after that" point?

 

[King Arthur]

Which one is with the Aizen?

Click to shrink...

Aizen is in multiple arcs. He first shows up during the Soul Society Arc but he's not a character the story is focused on at that point, the main characters only learn the guy even exists after like 90% of the arc is over with.

He's in, and is a major focus, of the next few arcs .... but everything past Soul Society is of at best questionable quality if not just flat out bad.

Also, I've been told that after Ichigo lost his Shinigami powers, the story really had no reason to continue.

Click to shrink...

Wouldn't know, never made it that far.

This, and the rest of the explanation, actually sounds interesting. From which part is this Nel person? I mean, relative to the "It turned real bad after that" point?

Click to shrink...

Nel was from the Hueco Muendo arc, which occurred almost immediately after Soul Society. While I have said that the quality goes down after Soul Society, it's not by any means an immediate thing, it's a gradual decline in quality, so large parts of the Hueco Muendo Arc, particularly Nel, is actually pretty good. You can read up to the point where you learn Nel's entire story and get to know her fairly well and it's still an enjoyable series, just not as good as it used to be.

Edit:

Honestly, there's a part of me that want's to say that Nel's story is the last good thing about the series before the series just stops being good. I usually mark the Soul Society Arc as the cut off because that's a complete arc and a complete story, while Nel's thing is smack dab in the middle of an arc, but there's a case to be made that Nel is the last moment of the series where the series is still good.

 

[EvaUnit01]

I've heard others say that the Fullbring arc can work as an epilogue of sorts, but then it still kept going after that....

 

[EvaUnit01]

.....even if it goddamn kills me. I am going to make a damn video game of my own. Preferably a good three or four. I've got the ideas, some of them are probably even decent. I just need the equipment -- both the software, and before that the hardware.

Suppose it takes me a year, maybe a year and a half to afford the tech. Then, if I want to use Unreal 4, from what little poking around I've done so far assume potentially two years or better of learning how to use it, and then potentially add another year or more to learn C++ if I need to (since that's apparently the industry standard).

And then, once I have the tools, actually putting them to use....

.....

......for literally the first time in my life, I'm going to answer the much-reviled "10 years from now" question with a positive declarative statement: even if I can't make it my full-time job, unless I literally die/become crippled/get cancer or some other stupid similar bullshit first, within ten years I intend to have developed, published, and sold at least one video game born of my own mind.

...............but in the meantime, I'm working on the next R+J update, and will have more on the "KH2 rewrite" concept by the end of the week, possibly.

 

[EvaUnit01]

.....will have more on the "KH2 rewrite" concept by the end of the week, possibly.

Click to shrink...

Okay, so apparently I'm doing a half-competent job at this so far; let's see how long it takes me to fuck this up.

Olympus Coliseum 1

Canon: Okay, so of all the Disney Movie worlds, Olympus Coliseum is probably the busiest of them all, plotwise, in vanilla KH2. SDG come enter the Underworld to find Meg being chased by Heartless, and are told that Herc's exhausted from fighting the arena day in and day out without a break. They go decide to talk with Hades on her behalf to try and get Herc a rest, and find a Black Coat first running deeper into the Underworld, before the same guy then runs for his life right past them back to the exit. This, we know, is Demyx, and from the first line or two of dialogue between Hades and Pete, he appears to have just stolen the Olympus Stone. Pete mouths off to Hades about the way Herc's been going through literally everything Hades can come up with, inadvertently inspiring the God of the Dead to call up Auron from the depths and try to sic 'im on Hercules. Auron tells Hades to fuck off, SDG come in and help fight only to realize that they can't, and the party nopes off to the Overworld, with Sora and Auron having to fight Cerberus just before the exit. SDG escape, Pete and Hades scheme about unlocking the Underdrome. SDG meet and chat with Herc, revealing to them the Olympus Stone and offering to go get it. SDG train under Phil, Herc comes back and reveals the Stone has been stolen by a Black Coat assisted by Nobodies. SDG are allowed to borrow the Stone if they can retrieve it, then Hades shows up and says he's got Meg hostage in the Underworld, and that the Hydra will be attacking the Coliseum if Herc isn't around to stop it. SDG go back into the Underworld and are more properly introduced to Demyx and his mind games, before saving Meg and in so doing unwittingly unlocking the Underdrome. Pete tries to off them all with a swarm of Heartless only to be beaten back with help from a Big Damn Herc, before it then turns out that Hades' monster of the day is a lot harder to kill than most, prompting Sora to GET UP ON THE HYDRA'S BACK!

.....sorry, I had to meme after that freaking wall of text up there.

Rewritten version: So one of the annoying things here is that by the standards of the first half of the game, and especially among Disney worlds, Olympus Coliseum is already incredibly plot-heavy when looked at next to its peers (seriously, just look at that wall of text up there, and then compare it to Land of Dragons Beast's Castle!). It also, other than Timeless River, is pretty much the only time Pete actually matters much as a villain. Sure, he does show up again later in Port Royal and the Pride Lands, but I don't think he actually does anything of remote significance there. ....wait, he shows up in Agrabah too and at least provides a Heartless boss duo there, IIRC. Anyway, there's just one thing that really bugs me about this section of this world, and that's the Olympus Stone. Or more specifically: if the Gods of Olympus use it when they go to the Underworld, why the hell was it apparently already IN the Underworld for Demyx to steal it from there? I mean, it makes sense why Organization XIII would want it: a) resource denial to the heroes, b) it's a potential lead-in on getting Hercules to turn into a Heartless.

Here's how I'd tweak it: introduce a scene of Riku Unaffiliated Black Coat fighting Demyx in the Underworld, who summons a crew of Nobodies. Unaffiliated Black Coat makes work of them in fairly short order, only for Demyx to "YOINK!" the Olympus Stone off of him. Demyx laughs for a moment or two before realizing how pissed UBC is and immediately proceeds to GTFO. When SDG find Demyx running for his life and screaming, they also find UBC in pursuit. Remembering how UBC picked a fight with him in Land of Dragons and not knowing if he might be working with Organization XIII or not, Sora readies his Keyblade.... only for UBC to shake his head and disappear into a Corridor of Darkness, ever-silent but still seeming quite annoyed.

SDG are confused, but decide that Herc's welfare is the more pressing concern, and the rest of the episode is busy enough that it can more-or-less follow canon up until the end. After the Hydra's defeated and SDG are about to leave, DiZ makes his presence felt again, and informs the trio that the Unaffiliated Black Coat was the one who stole the Olympus Stone from the Gods, only to lose it to Organization XIII in the Underworld. "While you were recovering in my manor, he worked with me to protect your sleeping body from Organization XIII. However, I have recently seen him in Namine's presence, and I fear that he may be falling under her influence."

Translation: Riku's scenario is diverging ever-more-obviously from Ansem's, so DiZ goes back to driving the wedge. By continuing to implicate Namine as a corrupting (if not villainous) force, DiZ is trying to sow more distrust of her in Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Meanwhile, he's pulling his best David Xanatos impression as far as covering his own ass with whatever Riku proceeds to do going forward -- if Riku continues to work with Namine in a way that doesn't gel with Ansem's plans, then he can play it off to Sora as an ally who's unfortunately being brainwashed and can't be trusted. But if Ansem can convince Riku to work with him again, then he "was brainwashed, but came to his senses". And if Riku's actions regarding Sora remain seemingly inconsistent like they have been, then he's "fighting for control; he's in his right mind when he helps you, and under Namine's control when he attacks you". In other words, DiZ has at least three different ways he can spin Riku's coming actions to fit his own narrative, and about the only way for it to really come undone is if Riku or Namine walk up to Sora and actually talk with him. Which, for their own respective hangups, is not likely.

So naturally, that's exactly what will happen somewhere in the last quarter of the game.

.....to those wondering why Riku would have stolen the Olympus Stone, the implication (and possibly something Namine might have brought up/explained later) is that he intended on doing the same thing Meg and SDG were: go down into the Underworld, and [talk with] kick the ass of Hades until he consented to give Hercules a vacation. Riku knows that Sora draws strength from his bonds with others, so the stronger/healthier Sora's friends are, the stronger Sora will be. DiZ isn't in a frame of mind to really get that, and he'd prefer that Sora lose a few of his friends in order to get angrier and more aggressive. Organization XIII isn't of too dissimilar an opinion on that, with the added caveat that they'd very much like to see what happens when a demigod like Hercules becomes a Heartless + Nobody. With that in mind, you can bet we'll probably be seeing a lot more of Demyx in the revisit.

A~ny~way, after Olympus Coliseum 1 comes Disney Castle + Timeless River, which again is quite plot-heavy as-is, and is basically the height of Maleficent's villainous focus in the entire game. So we'll probably go ahead and leave it alone, with just a note that Maleficent is far from finished after it.

Consequently then, the next post will cover Port Royal.

 

[khfan21]

Did they say that the stone was in the Underworld already? Because I just looked at the scene where they talk about it's theft and all they say is that it's stolen and the they were in a black coat and were accompanied by white creatures.

 

[EvaUnit01]

No, but an earlier scene implies it. Hades has a line to effect of "Where do we get these weirdoes?"

 

[EvaUnit01]

So over the last day or so, I've been mulling over a crossover concept for Gundam SEED and Digimon Frontier.

The setup, in the prototype of an idea that currently exists in my mind, is something like this:

Somewhere in the first third or so of Gundam SEED (probably after Artemis but either before or soon after making it to Earth), Kira and/or one or more of his Heliopolis friends are contacted by a mysterious woman (Ophanimon) promising a way to end the war peacefully.

Finding the situation shady but warranting investigation, after reporting it to Captain Ramius, an Archangel team follows up on the mysterious woman's directions and find themselves transported into the Digital World. But contrary to what readers might expect, the Digiworld already looks as if it's been through an apocalyptic war or two of its own; vast patches of land, sea and sky alike have ceased to exist, replaced only with electronic static.

Before long, the Archangel away team make contact with Ophanimon, a Digimon of such power and reverence that she's a de facto goddess of the Digital World.

At the same time, however, they are not the only ones -- Nicol and a handful of ZAFT operatives arrive as well, and a firefight seems inevitable until Ophanimon puts her foot down, healing everyone present of any injuries or fatigue they may have suffered on the way to meet her... but also disarming them, and making it clear that hers is a voice to be listened to, and her words heeded.

Between Kira and Mu on the EA side and Athrun and Nicol on the ZAFT side, nobody's really willing to argue. Seeing that a ceasefire has been agreed to, Ophanimon explains that -- as she's just demonstrated with everyone involved -- when enough power is involved, it's possible to cross between Earth and Digiworld.

Her proposal is a plan to help save both the Earth Sphere and the Digital World from their respective perils. When ZAFT mass-deployed Neutron Jammers into the Earth' crust, disabling nuclear power plants (and most wireless communications) and plunging the Earth into an unprecedented energy crisis, the destruction and disabling of information infrastructure around the world caused critical damage to the very fabric of the Digital World. Unless those N-Jammers start getting destroyed or otherwise neutralized, its expected remaining lifespan can be measured in weeks -- and there are evil Digimon who'd love nothing more than to take advantage of the situation for their own ends. If the representatives of humanity can save Digiworld both from its own threats and by taking out N-Jammers, then Ophanimon will be able to recover enough of her power to intervene more directly into the Earth Sphere, by granting resources or power to help Earth rebuild from its losses and/or allowing Coordinators a safe harbor from Blue Cosmos or their allies.

The reason Ophanimon can't do any of that stuff now is because she's busy using the vast bulk of her power trying to stabilize the Digital World and keep it from imploding, and she's only recently gotten things coherent enough that she can start opening portals to and from the Real World.

Meanwhile in the shadows, a certain "evil Digimon" of just the sort Ophanimon described is beginning a plot of his own, involving his own human agents -- including a man in a mask and a wealthy EA donor who prides himself on never losing....

And just in case anyone was wondering, yes there will inevitably be Mobile Suit-vs-Digimon slugfests, and I'm reasonably sure I can do a decent job of balancing most of the players involved.

 

[Not in Person]

a crossover concept for Gundam SEED and

Click to shrink...

I recognize that combination of words!

Since Digimon are data entities, and Mobile Suits have on-board computers, what are your thoughts on:
1. Using the Mobile Suit as a pokeball, or sorts;
2. Teaching a Digimon to pilot a Mobile Suit, possession-style;
or
3. Teaching a Mobile Suit a Digimon attack or an ability. Or even outright Digi/Suit fusion?

 

[EvaUnit01]

I recognize that combination of words!

Since Digimon are data entities, and Mobile Suits have on-board computers,

Click to shrink...

Admittedly not a line of thought I'd come to yet.

That said, remember that in seemingly every continuity, Digimon can enter the Real World on their own if they're powerful enough or have a special gateway or something.

So with that said --

1. Using the Mobile Suit as a pokeball, or sorts;

Click to shrink...

Probably "aircraft carrier" would be the more appropriate analogy for what I think you're trying to say.

2. Teaching a Digimon to pilot a Mobile Suit, possession-style;

Click to shrink...

Or you could just get a bunch of Mechanorimon, which basically ARE Mobile Suits.

3. Teaching a Mobile Suit a Digimon attack or an ability.

Click to shrink...

Not sure how the hell that would even work, because a Mobile Suit would still need applicable hardware to execute it.

Or even outright Digi/Suit fusion?

Click to shrink...

Well, it's not like there aren't precedents for Digimon fusing with humans, so it isn't totally inconceivable that it might be able to do so with an MS.

It's worth thinking about further.

 

[Not in Person]

Probably "aircraft carrier" would be the more appropriate analogy for what I think you're trying to say.

Click to shrink...

Yes, you're right.

Not sure how the hell that would even work, because a Mobile Suit would still need applicable hardware to execute it.

Click to shrink...

Well, I was imagining a beam-shaped sword to execute a "sword attack", or some such. But since my knowledge of Digimon is, perhaps, even lower than my knowledge of Gundam SEED, that's probably just idle speculation.

It's worth thinking about further.

Click to shrink...

Glad I could help.

 

[EvaUnit01]

Had an idea earlier for an FFXV peggy sue (protag mental time travels back to the start), just because a lot of the second half or so of the story frustrated me and it'd be nice to see if a happier ending could be gotten with some narrative sequence breaking or something.

 

[Not in Person]

What did happen in that second half, though? Did the MCs' efforts to save the Crystals put the villain in position to absorb the power of those Crystals? Or did their overuse of the Elemental Powers weaken the world so much that it shattered into pieces?

The highest-numbered FF game I played was V, by the way.

 

[EvaUnit01]

What did happen in that second half, though? Did the MCs' efforts to save the Crystals put the villain in position to absorb the power of those Crystals? Or did their overuse of the Elemental Powers weaken the world so much that it shattered into pieces?

Click to shrink...

The short version is that Asshole killed Wifey, and after 20~ subsequent years of the world being engulfed in apocalyptic hell/darkness the Hero had to sacrifice himself to restore Light to the world.

"All sacrifice themselves for the King; now the King must sacrifice himself for All."

The highest-numbered FF game I played was V, by the way.

Click to shrink...

0.o

You're missing out, dude.

 

[Not in Person]

0.o

You're missing out, dude.

Click to shrink...

I have also played the three Tactics FF games: Advance, A2, and War of the Lions. So, if you could recommend anything for GBA, NDS, PS(P), and/or PC, that isn't more graphycally heavy than, say, Oblivion, I'd be glad to check it out.

 

[King Arthur]

I have also played the three Tactics FF games: Advance, A2, and War of the Lions. So, if you could recommend anything for GBA, NDS, PS(P), and/or PC, that isn't more graphycally heavy than, say, Oblivion, I'd be glad to check it out.

Click to shrink...

Aside from Final Fantasy games obviously, all of the Disgaea games are amazing and are available on a number of different consoles.

 

[EvaUnit01]

I have also played the three Tactics FF games: Advance, A2, and War of the Lions. So, if you could recommend anything for GBA, NDS, PS(P), and/or PC, that isn't more graphycally heavy than, say, Oblivion, I'd be glad to check it out.

Click to shrink...

There are PC ports of FF7, 8, and 9, the first and last of which at least are on Steam and were used as a basis for the PS4 digital-only port. It's also possible to play them on PSP, if you get them on the PS store (might also included the Vita? Don't know). Naturally, they were all on the original Playstation.

6 has a GBA remake (as do 4 and 5, but you probably already knew that).

Don't know about PC options for the FF games released since then.

 

[Not in Person]

Aside from Final Fantasy games obviously, all of the Disgaea games are amazing and are available on a number of different consoles.

Click to shrink...

I tried them, and I liked them, but then decided that I'm never again going to touch any Disgaea game.

There are PC ports of FF7, 8, and 9, the first and last of which at least are on Steam and were used as a basis for the PS4 digital-only port. It's also possible to play them on PSP

Click to shrink...

Mhm! Seven is the one where Aerith dies, isn't it? And one of the other two has a "gambit", or something, where the random fights could be fully automated. Or rather, what I want to ask is, how would you arrange those three in the order of "more interesting to less interesting"?

 

[King Arthur]

I tried them, and I liked them, but then decided that I'm never again going to touch any Disgaea game.

Click to shrink...

Any particular reason why? With no explanation that's a really strange sentence.

Mhm! Seven is the one where Aerith dies, isn't it? And one of the other two has a "gambit", or something, where the random fights could be fully automated. Or rather, what I want to ask is, how would you arrange those three in the order of "more interesting to less interesting"?

Click to shrink...

My favorite is Eight, but it's worth noting that a lot of people who have played all three of those games find 8 to be their least favorite, so take that with a grain of salt. I personally think it's amazing, but a lot of people find fault in it and, well, you are a person, so there's a chance that you might agree with their opinions.

Seven is probably the most famous and popular Final Fantasy game of all time, but from those who have played all three I tend to hear Nine praised the most. Also, seven is like real old.

I'd say start with Nine for the sole fact that it receives a lot less hate then Eight does, and it's not Seven which is great game but a game where you can literally count the polygons of the characters.

Although, first, before you buy any of them for PC, make sure you actually spend a quick minute on google checking that it's a good port. Some PC ports are terrible and I feel like I've heard something along those lines for one or two of these games? Can't guarantee that.

 

[Not in Person]

Thanks for the advice!

Any particular reason why? With no explanation that's a really strange sentence.

Click to shrink...

I know, that's why I worded it like that.

As for the explanation - let's start with the fact that I reaaaally don't like all the grinding. The stories are fun, and the gameplay is nice, so I would have played them even despite all the grinding. To get to the post-end-game stuff, see. And that would take way more time than I am willing to spend, and I would have forgotten the main story in the process, and stuff. So, I figured, if I'm never going to finish any Disgaea game, I might as well not start any. And, you know, write a fanfic instead, or something else equally silly.

And that's just one reason.

 

[EvaUnit01]

Mhm! Seven is the one where Aerith dies, isn't it?

Click to shrink...

Indeed.

And one of the other two has a "gambit", or something, where the random fights could be fully automated.

Click to shrink...

Actually, that's 12.

8's infamous love-it-or-hate-it mechanic is the Junction system.

Or rather, what I want to ask is, how would you arrange those three in the order of "more interesting to less interesting"?

Click to shrink...

I'd say to play the PS era games in order of release, that being 7-8-9.

Partly because -- as the King noted -- 7 is really, really old, and its graphics especially haven't aged well. I don't think it's a valid/relevant criticism of the game, but it's still a complaint I hear often. And when successive game after it on that console is several orders of magnitude better graphically.... (shrug)

If we're talking in order of how interesting they are, then in that case I'd say to flip a coin between 7/8, but then play 9 last. 9's absolutely worth playing, but parts of 7 and 8 are engraved upon my soul.

 

[Not in Person]

Partly because -- as the King noted -- 7 is really, really old, and its graphics especially haven't aged well. I don't think it's a valid/relevant criticism of the game, but it's still a complaint I hear often. And when successive game after it on that console is several orders of magnitude better graphically.... (shrug)

Click to shrink...

Speaking of "several orders of magnitude better graphically". I think, personally, that many sprite-based games look way better than some modern 3D efforts. Luckily, I found out that there's a "VII for PC", which is (or has been modded to be) prettier than those walking boxes on the original PlayStation.

But I think I'll start with 8, after all. Because I'm a rebel hipster like that. I mean, I had kinda-sorta put together the brief story of what 7 is about from all the parodies and references, and what not, but 8? If it's not good, I want to at least know why it isn't good.

As for 9, I found one for Android, and that's probably what I'm going to play, if/when I get to it. Speaking of Android, I've seen screenshots of FF XV for Android, and everyone is a chibi. I'm feeling conflicted over this.

And so, thanks again for the recommendations, and sorry for taking over the thread like that. You said you wanted to see the protagonist mentally time-travelling to the start of the story, and I'm assuming from the end of the game. Why not any of the Three Best Buddies, or the Sid's Daughter? Where would the protagonist begin to go his own way, in your story? Would he carry the full memories, or just get deja-vu's in the critical moments?