Ultimately we're looking more about a story that's worth reading, not a photographic record of every time I or someone else tripped and fell on their face, or failed to understand that it's all right to not like a thing and just leave. I know, that might be a bit of a bitter thing to open this on, but it's more of a bittersweet thing--the product of the logging this time around, at least in my mind, has created something a little bit more coherent than usual. And that I think, is worth the bitterness being analyzed and then removed.
Plot Summary
(Moved to separate page)Plot Analysis
Well, having done this on the cuff of doing the REVELATION one, we get to answer some questions I asked in that one. Could I do plots better than that one? Yup, definitely, as this one shows. Could I keep out the irrelevant stuff? Mostly, though I did have to delete a case where a player lost interest 15 seconds after they joined, akin to the cat who wants in but actually doesn't. And another player who had basically a running commentary about what they didn't like, which is great for them, but nobody wants to read that in the logs years after the fact. Plus I can provide everything I didn't like here and it can be over with in one sitting instead of constantly spray-painted on every little thing you read in the logs.Most importantly, was this a more coherent plot? I'd say unfortunately I'll never get over my 'generic vague plot-itis' in the very beginning phase, since I'm not terribly great at those. That said, it got much more cohesive before even the mid-point this time. So there's incremental progress, and it's definitely a tighter plot than the REVELATION one I logged. So, what were the main themes?
Primarily, the battle against the Time Cops. The Time Cops were omni-present. Whether it be the Old or New Time Cops. The Old Time Cops, run by Autumnus, had already won. But the remnant of the 'New' ones, namely Mad Molly, continued to wreak havoc. Even the presence of Alt-Nonna and the 'Outliers', or Thanatos the murderous dragon, were ultimately due to Autumnus casually allowing them to attack. That's right, even a Season 5 enemy like Kales Brando ultimately still lived within lines drawn by Autumnus! That was the tyranny of it all, and implicitly led to both the events of this Wave and the future ones as well.
To feel like you are stuck under the thumb of this implacable dictator who cares little about your life or death. A crazed person who controls information, as well as people. Lunatics like the Sloan Remnants being allowed to live just because 'it causes problems for The New Questers.' And even though The New Questers try to be independent, they're forced to defeat the Erastian Central Authority instead. Why? Even with the upgraded Sword of Light (which it appears Autumnus was also trying to prevent) they just didn't have the resources yet to deal with the grand conspiracy the Old Time Cops were running.
In that way, the theming in this Wave is far more omni-present. No matter when or where the Questers go, the thumb of Autumnus is pressed firmly on the scales. Even the past isn't free of him. Even events that formerly were seen as unrelated were actually manipulated indirectly by him! What an awful fate, to be haunted by a humorless monstrosity. It does mean even the individual Questers took a back-seat, too -- unlike REVELATION, a lot of things are not themed around any one Quester. Sure, Xavier needs the Sword of Light, but that's more due to the fact it's one of the few things feared by Autumnus. And Nonna works a lot to protect her family and fight Alt-Nonna--but yet again, the 'Outliers' as that group is called are presumably the result of too many worlds pruned by Autumnus.
Even the main villain, the Erastian Central Authority, is still imprinted with the tyrannical work of Autumnus. The Erastian Dictatorship constructed them as a hasty reaction to realizing Time Cops ruled their dimension. In a Mad Molly-esque mistake, they made their machines sentient, and their machines got out of hand. Their ECA accidentally would have become the next Autumnus, had they slain him. A warning to the New Questers, indeed: Do not be hasty lest ye become the very enemy you wish to defeat. Not to mention, the Erastian Central Authority behaved much like the authoritarian Season 4 Questers did. Psychotically murdering anyone who gets in the way? Check. Disregarding all consequences? Check. Sidelining or killing any members who disagree? Check.
So in retrospect, this all does line up a lot more strongly than past stories I've read here. I think all it truly would require to be a Novelization would be editorial discretion. Tighten up the plots, rearrange it so that it goes from Strong Beat to Strong Beat instead of including meandering side bits that are still relevant, but ultimately less so. The resonance is there, but the main missing piece is that it took too long to figure out what the conclusion would be. So there isn't too much foreshadowing about the ECA, and a lot of foreshadowing of other things that don't offer as much contribution in the end.
It's also a Wave that leaves with a chilling question: What is the point of free will when patterns keep repeating? Are we really in charge of our place, or do we fit slots based on where we are? Even as early as this Wave, we have to wonder. Is Xavier truly going to defeat Autumnus, or just become him? Are the New Questers becoming Time Cops in their methods? And are the Time Cops really people who intentionally set out to be as awful as they became, or did they become warped by the power they wielded?
Some answers have been determined. The Questers are much slower to kill, and only appear to do so in reaction to enemies who prevent them from potentially imprisoning or disarming them. And most of said enemies want to die -- so it becomes hard to prevent that from happening. The Questers don't revise history so much as observe it, and have a wish to try and figure out a nonviolent resolution. They are often forced to violence, and are still somewhat liable to it, though. It is a better answer than the Time Cops or the Erastian Dictatorship or (fill in the blank past SSQ faction) but it leaves some questions for later Waves to be determined.
Another note of relevance is that I don't have the regrets I had with REVELATION. It doesn't feel like a wasted opportunity. The issues are at the edges. It's about as good as I can get it, given the interactive nature of the medium. It reaffirms why I feel mostly complete as far as 'the true SSQ' -- these Waves and the nearby Gaiden / etc are basically as good as it needs to be for my purposes. Unless someone else comes along and wants to GM SSQ, thus, I continue work on my new RPG "Scavenger" in order to have something actually new to do.
That said, I do have certain thoughts about it. As of this plot, I feel like the 'Alsan Questers' as well as the 'Beginning of the Questers' and 'Tie-ins to The SSS Stadium' and also even the 'Time Cop' plots have run their course. When this series is over with being logged, it is my wish to probably leave many of these stories behind. Not because there's anything particularly wrong with them, but mostly... I notice a pacing issue, one which would have to be corrected for the Novelization. Namely, every time we encounter a new or old concept not yet explained, all action freezes to a halt while 10,000 lines of description flood the screen.
It would be better if things could be explained more succinctly, and leave the paragraphs for optional lore nerdery after the session.
Wordle (The image kind, not that meme puzzle game)
Well, in an unexpected thing, the concept of what is a 'Wordle' has changed to a new unrelated puzzle game, and the website this device is from is now dead. As a result, I begin this wordle breakdown with a thank you to the original Wordle and the original person who made it, rather than allowing it to be erased from history by the fact some new thing has a name collision. It's ridiculous, and reminds me further of how SSQ has outlasted everything around it, to the point even Wordle itself has now been changed meaning-wise as a noun and now I have to note this is Wordle (old word art application) and not Wordle (puzzle game)!
So, what do we see here. People is one of the largest ones, plus 'think' as another huge word. Amazing. In the past, killing, death, and destruction would be almost alone, but now we have a story where thinking actually has to do with it. Not to mention concepts of good and time, and cops. A question of what is good and what is not, good vs. hell, thinking vs. killing, and trying to figure out things with regards to deals, chances, and stopping or blocking things.
It is a story that has the Wing Fortress in it, the Sword of Light, Xavier (Ridgecrest), Vetrek, Questers, (King) Demon, Autumnus, Illian, Louisoix, Borne, Marley, Time Cops, Nonna, Valron, Kumiko, Kit (Redgrave), Mad Molly, Omnus, Nintendus, Anthon, Sloan... Alsa... Thanatos... a weird universe. It contains a battle for control. Even long gone people like Garrick are mentioned in passing. Death and destruction still exists in the background, and also... nothing itself? Strange. Treaties, the frameworks of deals are also here. A lot of reasoning and thought occurs, as well as help and... old. Ah, there's the ECA out there in the distance too.
So what do I think? It's a very different kind of world, this Revolution. It's one where thinking is similar or possibly even more important than power or destruction. Death and destruction is secondary. Then, like taxes and death, there are also robots, because this is still SSQ. Oh, and magic, naturally. So, not much else for me to say, really? It speaks for itself with how bold it places all the words in it. Some day though, I might want to make it more interactive. Also because with Wordle's source gone, it may stop working to use the old saved copy I have, so having some degree of a version I can tweak might help ensure we have more of these to come / when I update my list of words to highlight or remove from it, I don't have to manually render a new image every time.
Top 10% Logs of this Season
Once again, we choose the top 2 logs. What shall they be? It's actually kind of hard to figure out, so I went through each of them and sampled them, then saw which one left a lasting impression, and ranked those. Then I picked thinking of what would be a more diverse result, because it came down to one chapter that really only appealed to me due to my interest in lore of SSQ, then two logs from the same plot arc. Then you get those top 2 that caught my fancy.Number 1: Chapter 25: Radioactively Violent
This was a difficult Wave/Season/whatever to rank logs in, but this came in first hands down. It had the amazing line where the Erastian Central Authority glibly said it 'believed in itself' when asked why it believed in God. There was Xavier roller blading in to attack said machine. Also a mixture of more classic dungeon crawling. In a season beset by bad pacing, this was one of about 4-5 sessions that had any decent pacing at all. It can be hard, because the overall plot is definitely all my thing, but several other logs could have learned from this one when it came to combining pacing, glib rejoinders, and advancing the plot into one place. And so it is Number 1.
Number 2: Chapter 13: The Cave of Warriors
Another difficult choice awaited me. There were two different chapters, this one and 11, which harkened back to the old days. However, this one did it better. Why? It took the past and put a twist on it. Not only do we see the return of an old villain, but now the relationship between said villain and the Questers is altered: they aren't the emo teenagers of Season 5 and they don't have Illian as their primary thing-doer. So things become much more complicated and new twists occur in otherwise old content, and connect the dots to expand the story of the present day in the process. This marks this chapter as a better choice, rather than yet another retread of "Oh it's Nintendus and it's old and here's some weird old stuff replayed over again." The difference between reheating in the microwave an old meal, or taking pieces of it and using it to create a reinterpretation using fresh ingredients and changing conceptions of something that seemed otherwise set in stone.
Cast (In order of Appearance)
Chapter 1Nova - New Quester Ally - "My dedication to user safety decreases unnecessary post-mission illness by 25%."
Xavier Ridgecrest - New Quester Leader - "THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE MAN OF STEEL!"
Courtier - Erastian Kingdom Courtier - "I thought you always traveled with demons."
King Demon - New Quester - "Yeah! We did this whole thing and I didn't get ejected!" *Suddenly accidentally hits the button, causing the seat to send him flying into the ceiling again* "... Dammit!"
Kumiko - New Quester - "This kind of stuff reminds me of a short story that felt like it was written by someone who may or may not have been on drugs... Hrm... Is it relevant to what we're about to handle?"
Courtier 1 - Erastian Kingdom Courtier - *Gestures at the other Courtier* "Krav Sla gounesh! Frod blad dubchik bandit!"
Courtier 2 - Erastian Kingdom Courtier - "Sla dunouv venevav fladek? Banuva dan sylvis rednek..."
Gel - New Quester - :D
Valron - New Quester - "We don't need you, you psychotic radioactive fascist load of guff."
Nonna - New Quester - "Knowing what we do now, is there some way to analyze the madness energy she uses and create a temporary counter to it?"
KitRedgrave - New Quester - "Later." :P "Last time I got smashed on the job, I don't even know where I ended up."
Ivan - New Quester Ally - "My name is not Robotnik anymore, but... yes. These clothes are some of the most prevalent in the entire galaxy, due to how prolific their creators are. I will warp in a full set."
Illian MacGregor - New Old Quester Leader Ally Solarian McMystery - "He sliced the black hole in half."
Commander Borne - Ex-Alsan Rogue Mad Man - "I have been working on another Anti-Reality Gun and a gravity well... which should I try to have ready to use in case we need it?"
Chapter 2
Louisoix - New Quester - "Alright, if its another corn cob, we can use the popcorn kernels to get some stuck in his teeth, I'm sure that will annoy him."
Solarian - Solarian Bazaar Proprietor - "Ah... it is you. No, do not worry, I am not the enemy. Your boss, he has bought from me before. A very valuable thing he bought. I have a gift for you, see. ...It is a very powerful gift that should not be seen in public, though. When you are in... a less public place, I can deliver it to you. I can understand you may be surprised, or even struck speechless by my... giving-ness of it all. Here is the key that summons it."
Ninza - Zinyo AI Hologram - "I'm sorry, the hierarchy chart of our organization is proprietary information. However, CEO and Chairman Duke Larozza is open to any and all requests, if there is a true business case to be had."
Suitman - Zinyo Enforcer - "They help the upkeep of the defenses that keep the Norms in line, if you know what I mean. Watches them, sells things to them... Norms are stupid and don't notice. It's very lucrative but... there is something else a bit unusual here. Obviously you aren't full time type of people--your history says otherwise. Is there any other business you might have with the Zinyo corporation? I mean. I am trying to get my commission upped this year, and you seem like you'd have a lot more of interest to us than just ensuring the signs don't break."
Smash Dex - New Quester Tool - "Solarian summoning device. Summons a mechanism of some sort. Appears to be registered to work for you or the Questers."
Chapter 3
Strange Man - Sketchy Bystander - "Ah... well that fence is gonna shock ya, man. I've always wanted to be in there but you know, the rubes will get you if you get in there."
Guard 1 - Securitech Ltd. Co Employee - "Whoa, what the hell... a fireball? Ground Lurkers can't toss fire!"
Guard 2 - Securitech Ltd. Co Employee - "We have a spotless record so far, we shouldn't risk it over... a freak occurrence."
Repairman - Mercenary Contractor Repairman - "Connecting splice string to---"
Attendant - Elias Standard Hotel Attendant - "The man with the card even said he was a mage. Then he shouted 'rejoin' and vanished in a strange plume of smoke."
Barbo - Onta'visian Olympics Commentator - "Here we are with the Women's Aquatic Backflip Competition. In the lead appears to be Susie Chou, and in second place is Eleza Red. It's been a strong performance so far, but we're about to see Leless Federico go up next, and there have been rumors that she as representative of the Reformed Vhallan Empire may take the trophy this year."
Ned - Onta'visian Olympics Commentator - "Yes, Barbo, it's another unusual thing, to see Vhallans here again. There was a huge war recently and it was rumored the Time Cops literally destroyed all of them. But apparently that was just a myth. In any case, here comes the dive."
Sir Thomas Dunry - First Lord of the Xega Corporation - "What do you MEAN that man drank an entire yacht's worth of champagne in six seconds?"
Serving Robot - Elias Standard Serving Robot - It looks at Sir Thomas, then Lou. Then crashes.
Bartender - Elias Standard Bartender - "Blimey... this thing really did see double! I hope it didn't break into the scotch..."
Marley - New Quester Ally - "Their stupid pipes and rocks don't really phase me. It's weird how criminals on other planets are so afraid of death. Almost like they don't revive at the touch of some magic, you know? Couldn't imagine what it must be like... Partially why I had second thoughts, and took to just taking th' whiskey."
Security Officer - Elias Standard Security Officer - "Zekto Klazmat Potato Vernicular Fume. Rikto Zozma Mat Dedzone. Sed. Sed Non. Es Picuis. Daz."
Chapter 4
Diamond Joe - Onta'visian Criminal - "S@#t, it's... those people! Uh... we never met... ...don't warp in and kill our leader when he least expects it, we uh... we don't do anything that bad! ... ...Do keep that bum away from us though. He's a goddamn thief. Made out of... ...I don't know. I broke my fist on him."
Gangster 2 - Onta'visian Criminal - "Oh... s@#t. Let's get out of here."
Chapter 5
Thanatos - Charkian Anti-'Outlier' Conspiracy Theorist - "--And another thing, you pathetic hard-light being! The Time Cops--oh. You are trying to show what I'm saying. Well it's all the same. You got in the middle of my own plans to stop the Time Cops and then decided to stop me as well. Vetrek was their puppet, I was going to kill him and then eat his corpse to ensure nobody could puppet him. Then I would rule Onta'vis and be able to kill all the Time Cops once I--well that part is secret now isn't it? It's still valuable information. But as you already know what I've told you. You're going to lose to the Time Cops. They can go back in time and kill all of your families before you're born. They just can't do the same to me because... another thing I won't tell you, naturally. I don't know what you plan to do with me, but even killing me won't stop me. I have so many aces you are nothing more than a bunch of jokers. Virtual beings... you aren't even real. You don't know what a real existence is. You came from beyond to infest the world with morals that were programmed into you by outsiders. The Time Cops allowed your world to exist for reasons I don't know. Then they screwed up and you escaped! And now you're everywhere, trying to be good guys. Well those of us who know the truth know you're no different from Time Cops--and in fact will seamlessly replace them if you somehow defeat them. I have nothing more to say, however. I don't need to have anyone come and bail me out. No matter where you place me I will return to Chark. This field is obviously stolen, magic you don't even properly know how to wield. That hard-light being you have is also stolen, and also something you don't know how to wield. It's all stolen! You have no true artistry of your own! And so you have no hope against those who actually build their own. Say what you want, but you cannot intimidate me. I do not have anything to lose because if I did, I would have already lost."
Announcer - Onta'visian Olympics Commentator - "We have noted the positions of the runners and moved them to safe positions. Please go to your anti-disaster bunkers until Thanatos has stopped reaping his foes."
TC Guard - Time Cop Guard - "ATTENTION THANATOS. WE HAVE OUR GUNS POINTED AT YOU. LET US KILL THE GIRL INSTEAD. IT WILL BE MUCH CHEAPER THAT WAY."
TC Guard 2 - Time Cop Guard - "Pay attention! That woman deflected a black hole into some bystanders! She's probably trying to do something!"
Chapter 6
Hotelier - Elias Standard Hotelier - "Of course, sir. We already know that you are a very private client."
Vetrek - Future CEO of Zinyo Corporation - "Look, look, whatever is going on, it's not related to ME. Don't cause a scene. We will go through this. Together."
Zinyo Guard - Zinyo Guard - "Are you so certain about that?"
Time Cop Guard - Time Cop Guard? - "They're just helpful civilians." *Unhooks him from the chain* "Look, I'll take care of this."
Time Cop Guard 2 - Time Cop Guard - "Hey, try training new people in a field where being killed by you people is an occupational hazard. 'Why Yes, Mrs. So-and-so, your husband was murdered by a lunatic with a golf club.'"
Zalman - Time Cop - "Questers. We meet again. You have something very important to me. ...Well, Questers and... new freakshow members..."
Visor Man - Thanatos Guard - "Thanatos, we have executed the Time Cop mole. We're looking for his handler now."
Chapter 7
Guard 4 - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "Oh no! My card collection is in flames! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!"
Guard 3 - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "Wait, what? What are you seeing? Who would give you a comms channel of that?"
Guard 7 - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "Ah... that's better... ...what the hell happened to our visors?"
Guard 8 - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "Somebody radio HQ. Something is seriously wrong with our visors."
Guard 5 - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "Just arrest them already!"
Guard 6 - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "...How do we get in there while it's electrified, again?"
Defensor - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "You won't throw me anywhere, freak!"
Chapter 8
Corlaxus Guard - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "Surely Zinyo ransoming you off of us would be better than certain death? ...No? Whatever you want then!"
Corlaxus Guard 2 - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "Defensor Class Armaments online. Destroy the enemy!"
Corlaxus Guard 3 - Corlaxus Inc. Ltd Guard - "Opening fire on the enemy!"
Shopbot - Onta'visian Rogue Shopbot - "Greetings cust-om-er. You appear to be suffering from defects. Customer rebooting process must be followed."
Bassist - New Quester Staff - "The entire universe is at risk. We figure it's best to help provide you a mellow environment to plan in... rather than go hide when there's no safe place to hide anyway."
Enemy Ship Commander - Onta'visian Four Corporations Leader - "If you want us to back off, return Vetrek to us. Nothing else will suffice."
Chapter 9
Erastian Central Authority Drone - Erastian Central Authority Soldier - "ENEMIES OF THE ERASTIAN CENTRAL AUTHORITY DETECTED. TERMINATE WITH MAXIMUM PREJUDICE. ULTIMATE EYELASERS ENGAGING."
Autumnus - Leader of the Time Cops - "Horrible, terrible... awful... I've been called all of it. But the alternative to me is total chaos and annihilation. I'm sure we can agree that's a bad thing."
John Q. Tread - Remnant of Sloan's Faction - "I am John Tread. You are forces of the people who killed Sloan. Since you recently laid off your old security, I figured I'd use my pension to hire them to kill you. Then I can become the head of 4/5th of this planet and revenge Sloan. Only then will I avenge the time my parents were killed by a freak bowling ball plant explosion. Only then will I prove myself, last of the Placerville Gardening Club, the ultimate planter!"
Time Cop Guard - Time Cop Guard - "Shut up. Just shut up already. I'm paid to kill, not hear you talk. In fact I recall the deal being you'd stop rambling insanely."
Chapter 10
Space Pirate Commander - Space Pirate Leader - "Attention flying scrap-ship. We are the Space Pirates. Allow us to take all of your useless scrap metal and you will be spared. Otherwise you will be shot full of laser-holes."
Chapter 11
Omnus Hologram - - "You would use one of my ships against me... this will not do. Death before dishonor by filthy Questers."
Ganondorf - Nintendus Villain / Ex-Smasher - "Well... I have to admit. It's weird seeing you not act as Wolfman's weapons of war. I get flashbacks whenever I see the likes of you or hear those doors open on the Stadium. To think we were at eachother's throats... when in reality both of us would hate Link the same."
Toad Town News - Nintendus TV Station - "Toads everywhere evacuated Toad Town 2 after a confirmed Quester Sighting! Fears of death by sudden explosions up 10,000%! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"
Chapter 12
Anthon Tark - Rendar Leader / Ex-Alsan GUN Leader - "All right, the passphrase can be, 'Beware the towering unknown beyond our reality.'"
Rendarian Guard - Rendar Guard - "Hey! Nonna! Are these wanted criminals with you?"
Shopkeep - Rendar Shopkeep - "100% Authentic Rendarian gloves! Handmade in the shop! Only 350 RD!"
Shopkeep 2 - Rendar Shopkeep - "Elastic sponges plucked from the sea! Only 250 RD for a dozen!"
Shopkeep 3 - Rendar Shopkeep - "Get your hand-made plaques here, all created one at a time!"
Shopkeep 4 - Rendar Shopkeep - "Magic rock! Has magic powers! Only 10,000 RD!"
Tourist - Rendar Tourist - "So... you must be the entertainment Anthon released here to help increase tourism. Tell me, how do you get your hair to look like the real Nonna Tark's hairdo?"
Chapter 13
Kales Brando - Outlier Leader / Evil Turion Warlord - "Sloan... I have heard of such. But he did not overcome Death itself and steal his powers. I have twice escaped from Hell itself. Do you think he has that power?"
Soldier - Rendar Soldier - "Nonna! It's not safe for you here. You have to get to safety. We've received word of an unnatural presence having invaded..."
Chapter 14
The Void - Sentient Plot Hole - "Why didn't you violently get angry at eachother for not agreeing earlier? Where's all the people who curse violently at eachother? Where... why..."
Evil Wolfman - Barely Alive SSQ:I Reference - *Adjusts sunglasses* "I'm going back into my tube, I don't want to explode."
Borne Hologram - Failsafe of the Mad Man - "If you are using this, I am likely dead. Let it be known that insane people calling themselves 'Questers' have invaded this fair land. I must warn you--" *Cuts out.*
Chapter 15
Bank Teller - Onta'vis Bank Teller - "Ah... issued on planet, no fees then. 30,000 Cronikos, 30 gold bars. Will that be all, or do you need anything else?"
Schatze's Luger - Quester Tool - "As Vetrek said, In life, compromises are necessary, especially if they save you money."
Chapter 16
Hologram Wolfman - Quester Tool - "...the... Questers... if you are seeing this message, I am dead. I have placed upon the Sword of Light... a..."
Dr. Light Hologram? - Enemy Tool - "Qwesters. Yew must defeet docta Wahwee! He is... ..." *Pauses for unnaturally long time* "Travewilng throu teem!"
Sigma - Original SSQ 1 Villain - "You question the will of Sigma? My will is the strongest there is--I control all the Mavericks!"
Wolfman - Original Quester Leader - "Yes. The World Creation Device will allow me to build, alongside a Web Site, a new place. A place not controlled by Rebel SuperPowers. And you promise not to interfere, for any reason? Good..."
Sword of Light - Quester Tool - "The final piece that I can give you is that there is no peace in this universe until you deal with my Creator. He helped set events into motion, and until he is defeated, events will never stop happening."
Chapter 17
Unknown Angry Voice - Anti-Sword of Light Upgrade - "YOU WILL SUFFER."
Jones - Borne's Deathguard - "They have staves and also powerful laser cannons, should they tire of us. I suggest we speak tactfully to them."
Deathguard - Deathguard Air Traffic Controller - "Halt. Who wishes to visit the Refuge of Guards?"
Deathguard 1 - Deathguard Door Guard - "We remember you, Demon. You worked with them. And especially the DEMON CHILD. ...So it is up to you to prove that. We won't presuppose you will do anything... but we won't be your buddy either."
Deathguard 2 - Deathguard Door Guard - "...We would kill you but we know that you would come back to life and make our lives hell."
Deathguard 3 - Deathguard Diplomat - "...We would actually prefer it if you took everything stolen from Nintendus off of this planet."
Sloan Rebel - Sloan Remnants Soldier - "Hey! You people in the ship! This is our ship now!"
Chapter 18
Cheriss - Vring Goddess of Alsa - "The time will come, and you will have your chance. This I foresee. Best of luck to you in your journey."
Sloan Lieutenant - Sloan Remnants Lieutenant - "Er... what assignment would that be, sir? Is there anything we can really do other than survive, now that the world has proven far more dangerous than Sloan said?"
Lord Rall? - Disguised Quester - "You're assigned to participate in Operation Sloanification!"
Lord John - Sloanster Leader - "You were just a coward to run away from unlimited power!"
Lieutenant Frederick - Sloan Remnants Lieutenant - "I'm Lieutenant Frederick. Unlike... 'lord' John there, I serve in the military side. The lords... well, Sloan promised them their own cities!"
Lerrod D'roux - Sloanster Soldier? - "I'd shake your hand but be careful, my other hand is a chainsaw. I only joined these losers because I knew eventually I'd encounter somebody, anybody, who actually wanted to fight Time Cops."
Riddick - Sloanster Soldier - "You dare lay your hands on Lord John? To hell with you! RAHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Dashell - Sloanster Soldier - *Metallic armor noises.*
Chapter 19
SIMBER - Ex-Quester Ex-Sloan Remnant Ex-Stadium Ex-Ex-Ex AI - "These are my borders. Distribute to would-be foolish organic organisms."
Chapter 20
Omnus - New Time Cop Leader (Captured) - "The sealed areas are labs where that forbidden technology was made. They are guarded by automatic systems capable of destroying entire galaxies."
Two Lives Tom (Recording) - Time Cop (Recorded) - "Omnus... doesn't care too much about us. And... information is more valuable than gold. The Questers... I have heard stories of one Quester who could kill people with shoes."
Mad Molly - Mad (Wo)Man - "You're funny. Autumnus would give you a medal if you could scrap those bunkers. But the hilarious joke? ...You have to get inside those bunkers to destroy them."
Chapter 21
Dr. Robotnik (Alsan) - Eggman Empire (Alsa) - "I am the only one who controls you, emeralds! Your energy shall control me... except it will not! No one shall know where I truly am!"
Oracle Statue - Avatar of Alsa - "You do not have the ability to interpret what you will learn. It will lead to your downfall."
Oracle Statues - Avatars of Alsa - "Holder of the Chaos, history is yours to shape. Let the knowledge of the ages shape your mind."
Jack Kingsley - GUN Soldier - "It can all seem like it's for nothing. But we all have somebody we care for, hopefully."
Chapter 22
Sergeant - GUN Sergeant - "Casualties reported: Jack Kingsley, Shaun Torrance, Deed Whitley... others in serious condition."
Judge Dredd - "Old" Time Cop Leader - "What are you doing in two places at once, Doom of Cheshire? You're not supposed to be able to do that!"
Chapter 23
Lyx - Rogue Time Cop Coordinator - "Eventually I do wish to be Xavier's greatest Rival. But, you know. In the positive sense. I have no interest in being Psycho Illian II."
Erastian Central Authority - Erastian Central Authority Leader - "Face it. My face is more durable than all of yours put together. You won't live to see me die!"
Erastian Authority Heavy Metal 1 (EAHM 1) - Erastian Central Authority Soldier - "Error detected. Please report to central control for error repair."
Chapter 24
Erastian Central Authority Unit 1 - Erastian Central Authority Soldier - "We live to serve. You die today. Your life is forfeit. Your possessions obsolete. You die for us. The everlasting fist. That smashes all that lives."
Erastian Central Authority Unit 2 - Erastian Central Authority Soldier - "You will be punished. This violence cannot stop us. The glorious union never ends. We will make everything one machine. It will salute the Erastian flag."
ECA Commander - Erastian Central Authority Commander - "We are the spear, we are the spine, we will hold the line."
Erastian Scientist - Erastian Dictatorship Scientist - "So, as you can see here. We have made the ultimate war machine. It has killed every Celian that dare attack us, even though they outnumber us 10 to 1 and use technology the Time Cops gave them to try to kill us."
Erastian General - Erastian Dictatorship General - "We need you to shut the AI down before it kills us all! We can't all die, if we do, only the AI and those idiots we lied and told were the real leaders of our society will be all that's left!"
Erastian Automated Commander - Erastian Central Authority Commander - "Your speaking interrupts my contemplation of time itself. This meeting is terminated."
Chapter 25
Erastian Central Authority Soldier 3 - Former Erastian Central Authority Soldier / Quester Ally - "Affirmative."
Chapter 26
Grand Illian - Outlier Leader - "IMPUDENCE!!!!"
Rendar Guard - Rendar Guard - "Hmmm... didn't expect you on such notice... you're cleared to go in, of course."
Rendarian Guard 2 - Rendar Guard - "Well, this is usually a secret, but yes, this place was founded back in time compared to the normal timeline. Mostly so it could be safe from certain people. We expected the attacks would increase once we rejoined with the present day."
Alt-Nonna - Outlier Leader - "Your opinion is noted, but sadly I have no need to hear it anymore."
Spear - Outlier... Leader? - "I'm a bit sad you have a literal demonic entity here. There's no way he would do anything I told him to do. He already has an evil master."
Chapter 27
Erastian Soldier - Erastian Kingdom Soldier - Those foul robots think they can replace us? They are no match for a true Erastian!"
Conclusion
As I finish this, I am pretty exhausted. It's like three or four Seasons worth of content in one place. I find that it can be way easier to commentate on something bad; all I have to do there is mostly yell WHAT IS THIS and act surprised when it breaks logic.That said, this has been quite an interesting thing to read, although I will probably loop back to 'old' content to help break it up. Doing all the new content, I see I got into a bit of a rut there, just a different one. In future things I make, I'll be certain to continue 'trimming the fat', because while this plot forms a more coherent setup, it also meanders enough to still create some confusion and slowdown. Most importantly, pacing. It is important to not lose one's attention by overloading the descriptions; those can be added on after the fact or as optional extras. Once the main idea is developed, the action should commence.
That, I think, above all, is what should be learned from this: the more concise and witty beats out the bloated and boring, every time. Oh, and also the slow and steady beats the fast and chaotic mess... as seen by how I'm delivering this to you almost 20 years after this game started... a game which once had many peers, but now, is almost entirely alone. Remember: Follow your dreams, and don't let others tell you what to do when it comes to artistic projects. Only then can you create something memorable.