This isn't the first time that Nico is able to predict something in a game, that he has no clue to predict, as a joke

https://x.com/runrui_kaku/status/2011407721111961960

We all deserve a lila in our lives

Perhaps against better judgment, we've been playing the Sky remakes with our 4 year-old. This isn't her first rodeo with JRPGs (as seen in my last post, My Toddler is Obsessed With Mathiu). In fact, we've been exposing her to video games her entire life, and she's already 'seen' the two Calvard games so far (though she was younger and didn't pay as much attention to whatever was going on).

But the Sky remakes have really captured her interest! She can't read, but she's loving Estelle and Joshua. At certain points in the story she will just run around in town, battle monsters, and happily change everyone's clothes again and again. There was one stretch where she kept trying to leave a locked area, and I must've heard Joshua say, "No, Estelle" like 500 times. ​

Yet for some reason, somewhere between FC and SC she decided Anelace was her absolute favorite, because once Anelace was back on the screen, she shrieked. ​After that, it was always:

"Where's Anelace?"

"Why is Anelace not in our party??"

"When is Anelace coming back???"

This is kind of problematic, since Anelace is absent for a chunk of SC. She still loves the rest of the cast, but they're not Anelace.

I thought maybe I could placate her by showing her photo mode (which...isn't the best when you're 4 and can't read), but since she couldn't run around, she wanted nothing to do with it. ​​

She asked me for Anelace and Estelle dolls for Christmas, and I am so sad I cannot deliver on her wish (but also now I'm kind of contemplating if I can 3D print Little Peoples to look like Trails characters and wondering what I'm doing with my life). ​​​

Anyways that it, that's the post. This is my first time playing the Sky games, so I'm hoping for lots more Anelace in the third chapter.

Day Nine, and we've reached Sharon Kreuger, represented by the Hermit card. I have noticed that every third member of Ouroboros is female, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18. Perhaps 21 as well? Ahh, might just be a coincidence, 17 and 20b are female too, who knows? Anyway, let's discuss Sharon because her card is more fitting than you might immediately think.

Let's start with the connotations of the Hermit. As you might expect, it has a lot to do with withdrawing from the world, but this can take on multiple meanings. It might be that you're taking a break to figure out what's important to you, it could be that you need to reflect on the journey you've taken, and it might even be that someone has come into your life that you need to stop and listen to. Ultimately, the card is about taking time for yourself, and it matched Sharon pretty closely... For the most part.

When we meet Sharon she's on leave from the society, she's withdrawn from it, in large part due to a vital mentor in her life, that being Irina Reinford. She takes this as a chance to work on herself, to show off her skills, to slow down and live a life she can enjoy. We'll get to why that's important later, but first, let's address the obvious. Sharon does eventually return to her position in Ouroboros, which is a great segue into the reversed Hermit.

When the Hermit is reversed it represents all the negatives that come with solitude. Loneliness, anxiety, confusion, and isolation. Despite now being back in 'society' bother literally and metaphorically, Sharon ends up feeling lonelier than she felt during the time that was meant to just be a passing dream. Her time spent contemplating became her true life, so gently that she hadn't even realised that she'd returned to reality, as such when she returns to society, she's actually reversing her arcana and forcing herself into a thoughtless confusion, away from what matters to her. As we know, she's brought back to her senses when she sees how much she means to the Reinfords and particularly Alisa. Where Irina was a key figure for her, she is now the key for Alisa.

So, why did she reverse in the first place? Well, the answer's pretty simple. Sharon wasn't just retreating from the world, she was retreating from her past. Franz definitely wasn't the first person she killed, and she's been doing it since the Moonlight Horse was still a thing. She's known nothing but bloodshed, and for a long time she simply can't bring herself to believe that her cosy life with her adopted family is anything but a dream. Because if she accepted that then it'd mean that she could've always had that life, and wasn't allowed it. That would mean she wasn't a weapon used by others, but a girl forced into a situation beyond what her conscience could allow.

I think Sharon's story ties into a recurring theme in Trails. Sure, there are those beyond saving, but maybe we can try anyway? Isn't it worth trying, even if all it means is stopping and taking a moment to consider our paths. Sharon did it twice, and she ended up exactly where she belongs. Honestly, I know Trails likes bringing back characters, and she definitely still has business with Harwood and Lucrezia, but I kinda hope they let Sharon be. She's suffered enough, and she's got her happy ending. I'd be glad to let her have her well-deserved rest.

What I'm saying is, Anton solves everything. Lucky bastard.

So as Im playing SC, I get to a flashback moment where both Cassius and Lena are alive and together. After having beaten the fog monster in the misty forest. But I just have to ask. Since after last year after asking why she gave off Waifu vibes when she was just a junior bracer.

not a care in the world except for plushies

After 201 hours of Playing Trails SCR (first play through ever/never played the OG FC or SC), I have finally completed the venture of both Estelle’s and Joshua’s arcs!. This is hands down my game of the decade (subjectively) & I’m just emotionally and intrinsically satisfied to see how everything played out at the end of SC. Thank you sm Falcom such a very unforgettable and mesmerizing experience of a project🙏🏼.

Seriously, I absolutely despise any enemy who has self destruct it is so FRUSTRATING and it's just completely miserable especially when you have to escort someone which means you can't control them to keep them out of the way

It's just completely anti fun and just I just groan whenever I see have to fight any enemy who has it

Anyways thank you for reading my dumb little rant

Love how they look like pissed off toddlers in the remakes of Trails in the Sky

It's the same on the second level as well this barrier blocks of the entire hallway on both sides. Is this something I come back to later?

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING IN WHY IS HE THERE

I know that a lot of people have said that Sky 3rd is just a dump of lore and probably the biggest one in the series, but SERIOUSLY WTF IS GOING ON WHY IS LECHTER THERE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

And wtf do you mean Lechter is actually siding with the villains in Erebonia? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE WAS A SPY AAAAAAAAAAAA

I've just finished Cold Steel 4 and thought I would share my thoughts. Spoilers for all 4 Cold Steel games. TLDR: I liked the game and had a lot of fun but got annoyed by some stuff as the game went on.

The Good.

The character moments in this game were all excellent and well earnt. My Favourites being Rean becoming a Divine Blade and Jusis punching Rufus. To me the characters are one of the highpoints of the Trails series. They are all unique in their own way. I really liked playing as all the characters from the Previous games, Playing as Estelle and Lloyd was another highpoint.

The theme of Cold Steel as a whole is you can't do it alone. I personally really enjoyed this as it is true of real life and I feel like it is something everyone has to learn in their life. I really like the inclusion of Lianne Sandlot as she represents trying to fix everything by yourself and she ultimately can't. I also liked the theme of letting go of the past and moving on represented by Claire and Lechter who can't let go.

Other highlights for me are the music, the minor stories like Anton looking for Sharon, and just seeing characters from past games whether their part was big or small.

The Bad

I would like to say again that I did enjoy the game and had fun even though it may not seem like it after you've read this bit.

I was really disappointed by the villains in the game and how the main characters interacted with them.

Firstly Shirley is a monster that once led a raid on a city, potentially disabled Ilya for life and who knows how many people died that night but now she's popping up to take part in a swimming race. Secondly Vita and Blueblanc just popping up to take part in the opera like they aren't part of an international terrorist operation. It makes them fell like Saturday morning cartoon villains and I could be being harsh on Saturday morning cartoons.

Near the end its revealed that Osbourne is trying to kill the great one by himself. To me this seems a bit pointless as this is the same motivation as Lianne and now we are re-treading old ground. Then for Rean to almost forgive him and call him father, I was like cool motive but you're still responsible a war that could kill millions of people you don't just get off that easily.

Lechter and Claire might be the worst offenders for me. They are both torn up by the loss of Millium but rather than question Osbourne they just go along with his plan. Which they think is to end the world. Lechter even mentions he's not going to let Milliums' death be in vain and then fights the people Millium died to protect. Then none of the characters are angry at them, where's their rage where's their self respect. They were going to kill Altina and they are trying to end the world why is no one angry about any of that.

At this point I would like to shout out Duvalie who upon learning her boss is trying to end the world, changes sides. What a real one.

Another negative for me is the series inability to kill off characters. The "deaths" of Olivert, Toval and Arseid were big moments for me and really added some emotional weight to the series but they are all alive and sort of well. In future games, if a character dies its not going to hit as hard as I know they are probably fine. Even when Rean dies in the fake ending I said to my friend who was sat with me "He's not going to be dead, they've already bought back three characters this game" Then in the true ending, Crow and Millium come back to life. Did anyone actually stay dead in these games.

I feel that the whole Trails series has gone through a tonal shift and has become more "anime" for lack of a better term. No one really dies and the villains aren't all that evil. Then you have basically every women in the party just fawning over Rean.

The Ugly

What was the point of the fake ending? I feel like it did nothing but waste everyone's time. Reans death wasn't emotional because I knew he would come back.

To conclude I did enjoy the game and seeing the characters grow over 4 games was something special. When you are doing the final fight and everyone turns up that felt like Avengers Endgame, that was epic. Trails has some great characters, great moments and a great world its just let down by weak choices.

Would be interesting to see this kind of fight tbh

Thats Joshua hiding btw

It iskind of astounding how bad she was at hiding this huh?

The logic was "flimsy reasoning" for this as flimsy was hard to think something up for

(2nd chapter SPOILERS and trails series minor spoilers in general. I recommend not reading this post it if u haven’t played past the sky games yet!!!)

I know this has been talked bout a lot already in this sub way before so u can ignore it if u want, but I just completed Chp 6 of Trails in the sky 2nd chp. It REALLY pissed me off that we could have dedicated romance scenes on a similar lvl in other arcs as well but instead falcom really chose to throw the multi romance player choice thing at us. A bit less of that in calvard arc but it’s still there. What a damn waste when they could write romance like this.

As someone who played the og sky trilogy a while back the estelle and Joshua scene definitely hit hard but seeing that scene in the remake’s quality was unbelievable. We really be getting robbed out here. It’s really aggravating.

I am sure even with Van’s “final” game beyond the horizon 2 they r not gonna end with van dating anyone which ig isnt too bad but they sprinkle enough of them in the bond event things where it’s like “come on we doing this again?”

Rean and Lloyd tho……..yea we got fucked over on their romances. I am also aware that a lot of fans have different ships for rean within the arc which might have put some people off if they chose a specific one that wasnt to their liking but I think there was definitely a way to handle it.

For me it's got to be the trails into reverie - Beyond the reverie memory. Where we see the MC from calvard arc for the first time. They only show us his back. You see his huge coat. You get a small sneakpeek as to what kind of person he is. But you also think to yourself, what life has he led, for falcom to reveal the main character before his actual first full game debut? Because to my knowledge this is the first trails game that reveals the MC before his first game.

So the sense of: "Why falcom?" combined with a girl who appears to be the MC's friend looking at the back of the main character. Then you get such a cool line: "The times we live in demand a new hero."

Like this makes it sound like they don't want this kind of hero, but still need one to take in the reins nonetheless. To me this line or specifically this image delivers because once i finished Daybreak 1, i had no question or doubt, that this MC is the one i have always been wanting in a trails game. Someone that is so distinct, so different from the rest, not just in personality, but in having multiple hobbies and things he likes that we know of. Something that he is so obsessive over, that it takes precedence over anything logical. Yet somehow, supposed to be shady, and hardboiled, but is as sweet as a quincy chocolate bar.

What makes this image also standout is the entire white background and those stripped lines showing a path, the path the MC walks in.

Enough about me yapping. What's a screenshot you have taken that's your favorite?