Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Crunkula]

I realized something when reviewing Full Metal Alchemist's finale for the umpteenth time. I haven't been giving Hohenheim enough credit.

spoilers:

Hohenheim secures his victory conditions three episodes before the final episode. I've always really loved Hohenheim's plan in Episode 61. Father intends to use the mystical effects of the sun's corona combined with a manually dug alchemy circle during a solar eclipse to activate his transmutation circle when the gates to the heavens open up so he can essentially absorb FMA's version of God as well as the souls of tens of millions of people of Amestris so he will have the power to trap and wield said entity. Hohenheim uses the moon's shadow in that very same eclipse to create his own equally-sized alchemy circle and partially negate Father's spell, forcing the return of the stolen souls to the people of Amestris. Without those souls, Father cannot continue to contain FMA God and is on the clock from then onwards. Father then desperately makes his way to the surface trying to consume as many souls as possible to salvage his plan. I didn't give enough Hohenheim credit for in this situation because: (a) He was still significantly below Father's power level and would have died pretty quickly if not for the other protagonists of the story progressing through Father's conspiracy wildly beyond any reasonable expectations. (b) Father would then have been free to recover enough souls to complete his plan anyway. But now I realize two other things: (a) Hohenheim had a deathwish for 99% of the series. He did set out on his journey with the objective of being able to grow old and die with his family, but after Trisha died and his boys grew up he didn't really care if he survived his plan; (b) It is exceedingly unlikely Father would have been able to secure enough souls quickly enough to salvage his plan. He had spent an incredible amount of time arranging events such that he could absorb about 50 million souls (according to Roy Mustang) at once over an incredibly large nation area. Without this circle, he could only hope to absorb souls one at a time in person while going on a rampage. People are not helpless and Father would have encountered considerable resistance from the now-aware military - most of them weren't in on the conspiracy and even those that were didn't sign up to get soul sucked (tricked with promises of immortality). Said resistance would force Father to use his philosopher's stone powers, further depleting reserves used to keep FMA God in check that much longer. After escaping to the surface, Father takes maybe 20 minutes of real-world time to die. Even with perhaps a less concerted resistance effort as one might reasonably expect without the heroics of people like the Elric brothers, Briggs soldiers and Roy Mustang's faction, Father was not going to make up 50 million souls before running out of juice. More people might have died before Father went down, but Father was almost-certainly going down. Hohenheim planned his counter around facts that would inevitably occur during Father's own plan. He spent years laying the meticulous groundwork for said counter-plan to work. By the time Hohenheim confronted Father and got his ass kicked in a toe to toe fight, he had already beaten Father, Father just didn't know it yet. Hohenheim really had a thought-through, big-brain plan.

end of spoilers

Holy ****!

I haven't seen you in over ten years since you had to do your military service.

How have you been?

[Len Ikari145]

SDS: KoA - spoilers:

So, Ironside was the one shadowing Guinevere and abducts her, but she sends a telepathic message to Lancelot explaining that this was a preordained event and that they'll meet up again in the near future. The Percival and Tristan Platoons get new outfits and armor to fit their new status and we get a nice mention about King. Meanwhile, Meliodas and Gawain have an interesting conversation and her resemblance to Merlin is heavily pronounced here. If it turns out that she's actually a clone created from Merlin and Escanor's blood or something, I won't be shocked. And Meliodas sadly still can't cook for ****.

end of spoilers

[Sharpandpointies]

In my experience wearing the clothing of one's significant other is not uncommon. XD

True.

It's been tumultuous but things are looking hopeful. I've had four trials and not lost any of them. Won cases in federal district court would normally be considered impossible to win, won a case in federal appellate court that's been adopted as the law nationwide. Partners at my firm fell out with each other, one of them died. Removed myself from the situation for a number of different reasons, those being just part of it. But I have my general work authorization card now and can work where I want. I've had a couple of very promising interviews to do with civil rights law and civil litigation, and am hoping one of them is a path to my new long-term job.

That's sounding great; glad to hear you're happy with how things are turning out for yourself! ^_^ Well done!

Krys married Death in a previous RPG? Jane feels conflicted

Well that's up to Sharp. Romantically entangled might also be the state of things. Who knows.

Married seems tricky, given their state of being at the time (is marriage a thing between a conceptual being and a person who has stepped outside of the universe and its rules?). 'Romantically entangled' seems likely, given how things were proceeding before we left the game.

Entangled being rather amusing given Krys' current quantum elements. ^_^

Also, this picture reminded me of Garon, Miburo's character from a different RPG (that admittedly does not use spell slots in its system):

Attachment 126999

That's pretty solid right down to the smile, which would fit Garon to a 'T'. ^_^

[Tami]

In my experience wearing the clothing of one's significant other is not uncommon. XD



It's been tumultuous but things are looking hopeful. I've had four trials and not lost any of them. Won cases in federal district court would normally be considered impossible to win, won a case in federal appellate court that's been adopted as the law nationwide. Partners at my firm fell out with each other, one of them died. Removed myself from the situation for a number of different reasons, those being just part of it. But I have my general work authorization card now and can work where I want. I've had a couple of very promising interviews to do with civil rights law and civil litigation, and am hoping one of them is a path to my new long-term job.

Good luck with the job search. It's good to see that your legal carer is taking off, though that Law firm sounds outright toxic. The small law firm I work for is trying to avoid Federal court and stay at the State level, though some of the cases we take are turning out to be bigger than expected. We did recently settle a case for nearly $500k. A case I had been working on alongside the Attorneys, since 2019. We also have several appeals going on at the same time, which is something of a record.

[Dark Soul # 7]

SDS: KoA - spoilers:

So, Ironside was the one shadowing Guinevere and abducts her, but she sends a telepathic message to Lancelot explaining that this was a preordained event and that they'll meet up again in the near future. The Percival and Tristan Platoons get new outfits and armor to fit their new status and we get a nice mention about King. Meanwhile, Meliodas and Gawain have an interesting conversation and her resemblance to Merlin is heavily pronounced here. If it turns out that she's actually a clone created from Merlin and Escanor's blood or something, I won't be shocked. And Meliodas sadly still can't cook for ****.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

King spoiling his nephew with fancy clothes is something I'd love to see. And whoever handed out all the new outfits clearly knows something about Gawain's connection to Merlin, whatever that may be. I wonder what punshiment Guinevere would suffer if she doesn't go along with the preordained events she sees. It must be an annoying limitation, even if she seems ok with it. Meliodas being a bad cook is always a fun gag.

end of spoilers

Edens Zero: spoilers:

So we're going to universe 0 a whole lot sooner than expected. With the whole cast possibly being split up all over the place. Not a great start all things considered.

end of spoilers

[Sharpandpointies]

I cannot believe that Kengan Omega

spoilers:

actually did the thing of 'kicking sand into your opponent's eyes'.

end of spoilers

I'm still reading it, but I feel Omega really isn't on the same level as Ashura.

[Len Ikari145]

Dark Gathering: Y'know, I never truly advocate for revenge, but this is truly and honestly fucked. spoilers:

So, the source of the curse is a man who was cheated on by his wife throughout the duration of their relationship. As in, she was already screwing another man long before they were ever married and they been continuing the affair for at least 30 years. What's worse, the child that he raised and believed was his, actually belonged to his wife's lover. And this is a deliberate act of malice because the lover and wife enjoy the idea of the man laboring, nurturing and emotionally investing in a family that was never truly his and cares nothing for him, because it is the ultimate cuckold play, according to the lover. And the icing of the **** cake is the daughter. She was aware of her true parentage since she was 5 and told her father - a couple days away from her wedding ceremony - that she always preferred her biological *rich* dad over him, despite the fact that he loved and raised her for her entire life, and that she didn't want him to attend her wedding. And this is at the same time that he was told that his wife has been cheating on him. So, on the day of the wedding, he enters the reception hall with a chainsaw, murders the employees, the attendees, the lover (whom he split in half, crotch-first), and cut off his ex-wife and daughter's heads before he kills himself.

end of spoilers

Just...damn.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

I cannot believe that Kengan Omega

spoilers:

actually did the thing of 'kicking sand into your opponent's eyes'.

end of spoilers

I'm still reading it, but I feel Omega really isn't on the same level as Ashura.

A viable tactic.

[Sharpandpointies]

A viable tactic.

...gundam pic, where's the...

[Hiromi]

[Postmania]

I like the tech and the concept and Adam Driver well enough but I don't know if that's quite enough to keep me for the entire runtime of the movie. Still will check it out

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

...gundam pic, where's the...

Can't see it cuz of the pocket sand, can you?

[Sharpandpointies]

Can't see it cuz of the pocket sand, can you?

Clever.

^_^

[Guy1]

I cannot believe that Kengan Omega

spoilers:

actually did the thing of 'kicking sand into your opponent's eyes'.

end of spoilers

I'm still reading it, but I feel Omega really isn't on the same level as Ashura.

Pfft, that's nothing. The Brave Captain Usopp's shot people in the face with Rotten Eggs!

[bruceleegreyhulk]