Guild Wars 2

I was just re-watching the drill scene again to make sure I had my details right. Kasmeer’s hiccups seem to stop after Scarlet is sent to the Great Compost Heap in the Sky. She runs to Marjory and realizes she’s okay; no more hiccups. So if she has changed as a character, become stronger and more confident, we’ll know whenever we see them adventuring again. Is Kasmeer gonna hiccup her way through LS Season Two, or is she gonna summon five clones and kitten? We’ll have to wait and see.

(By the way, my mesmer wants to know what weapon she has to equip to get five clones.)

As for Rox and Braham…well, I’m with Tobias. I get the sense they are close friends made even closer by their experiences, but nothing more than that. Remember, they were both lonely when they met. Rox had no warband and Braham had conflict with his mother as well as…his hairstyle.

(Honestly, Anet, Braham’s hair is just…godawful. LS Season Two should somehow have him shaving his head at some point.)

But I don’t get the sense of any romantic subtext between them. Why are some of us so determined to see it?

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

For the record, I don’t think Jory and Kasmeer stand for anything. They are just a couple. Two characters that happen to be in love, and who are drawn into this conflict with Scarlet. In Tyria, this is not a strange thing. If only the real world was more like Tyria (but without the dragons and mesmers).

(playfully points an accusing finger)

Aha, I see how it is, you’re prejudiced against mesmers!

bullyrook.2165:

I mean: give us a character in the main party that disagrees with what Jory and Kas stand for but is willing to work with them because they are his *friends. In other words: show both sides of the argument in the game.

Um, no. Because the argument really has no place in the game. The overarching message of GW2 is the different races setting aside their differences to fight a common enemy, which is an excellent message. Even within the races you see the differing elements working together…the Charr legions, the Asura colleges…even the three orders. Everybody. Works. Together.

What Jory and Kas “stand for” has no impact on this, therefore it doesn’t belong.

Sousuke.7268:

The simple fact that mods have not locked this hatefilled charade of homophobia is disturbing to say the least.

Actually, as we know, the mods are closely watching the thread and are leaving it (mostly) untouched because are are exchanging our ideas and opinions in a mature and respectful manner. Offhand I can’t think of another gaming forum where a topic like this would go on for so long without being locked. And that says something pretty awesome about us, I think

However, I’m with CharrGirl. There’s a dragon on the loose, and it’s time we turned our attention to it. You can bet Marjory and Kasmeer aren’t letting any grass grow!

Erukk.1408:

I always wonder why he didn’t do this before the attack. The players and Anet like to portray him as a cunning businessman, but he spend months saying that Scarlet is going to attack LA, yet he didn’t do anything to prepare for it. He should have been moving his base of operations, or at least his goods, out of LA. He had more than enough money to have had bought and build warehouses and to hired security to protect the place.

How do we know he didn’t?

I’m glad he’s being punished, and I’m glad I didn’t vote for him. To judge from the dialogue around that Asura gate he slammed shut in everyone’s faces, he wasn’t supposed to know how to do that. Who knows what else the big hairy weasel is capable of?

HumaCarrionEater.8254:

No personal offense meant, but I don’t think some of you realize how hurtful it is for people to assume LGBT inclusion is some soulless political ploy, or that if there’s even a hint that there might be more than one gay relationship in a story, it’s “shoving it down [your] throat.” I realize that gay rights is a political issue, but gay lives and relationships are not. They’re real and have all the same complexities and intricacies as straight relationships, and they’re as valid. The assumption that their only reason for existing within a popular medium is for the devs to get some kind of social justice points is painful.

Why does it bother you to see gay relationships? Does it make you feel alienated? Now imagine how I feel, as an avid gamer, where almost every single game asks me to accept and empathize with a hetero relationship. I have nothing against hetero relationships and there have been many that I have loved and supported. But to then turn around, when it’s a gay person’s turn to see themselves reflected, and say now don’t get any ideas that is going to be the norm…well I find that very discouraging. Why shouldn’t there be a game, for once, where LGBT people are common and front and center? Would that really be so offensive?

It’s like an authority figure waving a finger in your face like, don’t you dare think this (in this case Kas and Jory and arguably Caithe and Fao) means you matter.

And really GW2 is already pushing the envelope in other ways. It’s a VERY atheistic game. The internet kind of skews how common atheism is in the U.S.; it is still FAR more common to have faith and religion than it is to go without. Yet the major races in the game either have no gods (asura, sylvari) have absent gods (humans) interact with spirits (norn) or actively punish members with deity or faith based ideas (charr). And yet there is little to no uproar over that because the vast majority of people on the internet espouse atheist ideals.

I’m just saying, please think of the people and their feelings behind the issue. When you say inclusion is just for politics, it’s all so politically correct, it’s a smoke screen for real issues etc it invalidates a whole group of people who are already struggling.

Now if you just don’t like romance in games at all, that’s a different issue and worth debating. I love romance in games and I think it’s a natural part of an epic story, but there’s certainly lots of room for disagreement. I feel it breathes life in to the game and makes me care about what happens to the people in the relationship.

Eloquently worded.

I admit I’m not a fan of romance, but that’s just me. I forget whether it was this thread or the other, but someone brought up the appalling example of the Star Wars prequels for romance done badly. We may not all agree on the nature of GW2’s romances, but I think we can all agree that Anet at least is handling theirs much better.

I think the question of atheism you raise is an interesting one, but in GW2 it’s best summed up in the history of the Charr. Way back in EotN, Pyre Fierceshot recognized that “gods” were being misused by those in power, to remain in power. And to this day, the Charr are still saying “there are no gods!”

I always liked Pyre.

Neilos Tyrhanos.5427:

It’s never regarded as pushing a “social agenda” when it’s a straight romance.

No, then it’s simply called “shipper agenda”. I imagine gaming studios are pressured by them as well, though they may not be as aggressive. I’ve seen the impact they can have on other forms of entertainment, and it’s never good.

However, for the time being I’m content to simply sit back and enjoy the game, and see what happens next. We know that Anet is quietly monitoring this thread and the others like it, so hopefully they’ll make some awesome choices (like the one that gave us Taimi) with character and storytelling going forward.

Lord Krall, for many of us it’s not the homosexuality that’s objectionable, but the way it’s being worked into the game’s storyline. It feels very much like a social agenda that’s being shoehorned into a work of entertainment it doesn’t truly belong in. My ideas about the reasons this material is being introduced is not something I’m going to get into…it would take too long, and they’re suspicions only with no evidence to back ’em up. I believe Anet should stop right here while the characters in question are still likable (Marjory is awesome, not argument here!) and relevant to the storyline.

As I said earlier, there are bigger things to concern ourselves with in the story.

EDIT: I think your post I was responding to got zapped, but you’ll understand.

Lankybird.8149:

Sweet baby jesus it is ROSTER not rooster…

Ah say, ah say, we are aware of that, son! We’re just having some gentle fun with the OP’s typo, dadrattit! Did you get your sense of humor shot off in the Battle of LA or something?

Actually, Darc, now that you mention Gandalf I think it may be due to the ratings given to games (maybe someone from Anet can clarify?). I was also a LOTRO player and yes, you can “smoke” in that game and even grow your own pipe tobacco. But it seems I read somewhere that having such material in a game affected the ratings.

Like I said, maybe someone familiar with all this can clarify.

My guild rooster crows every time someone comes online.

Sorry, couldn’t help myself. But on topic…I guess it wasn’t possible to include everything in the guild panel. I do like that it tracks everything that is done in the guild stash, for example.

DarcShriek.5829:

Have you ever wondered why there seems to be no smoking in Tyria?

With tonics that turn you into chairs, homicidal holograms, Thundercats from hell wielding chainsaws and an exploded “magic” reactor that warps creatures in and out of its vicinity all day…why would anyone need to smoke anything?

Shiren.9532:

Heraldusluminare.2946:

I think if ANet created another same-sex relationship and put it in the spotlight too soon, it’d probably spark a riot on the forums.

I personally think a well written love story is fantastic, regardless of gender. That said, I felt the slow development of Jory and Kas’ relationship was adorable. When they started holding hands, I immediately smiled inwardly and thought: “I knew something was up between those two.”

If ANet were to include a guy-guy relationship, I’d probably suggest they subtly add some side-quest implying such for players to stumble over.

Anything less than the treatment Kasmeer and Marjory got is not going to be enough to fulfil a request like this. To get the same treatment and prominence would mean we have to sit through a second relationship that has no relevance to the plot and it makes Tyria feel less like a place where you go on epic adventures and more like an episode of Glee, where inclusion and subversion are the driving forces behind the story, or at least the characters.

I’d rather we get characters that sell the conflicts in Tyria, who are plot relevant, not character’s who’s primary role in the story (beyond their initial appearance) was a romance between each other. There are so many characters in Tyria that obviously have relationships (the world reproduces after all) yet we never hear about them. It’s going to be very jarring if suddenly we spend all this time with the lesbian couple and around the corner we have the gay couple.

I’d be happy if future romances were treated the same as they were before – primarily only mentioned when they were plot relevant or minor inclusions in a character’s presence in the story. Tyria isn’t a soap opera, relationships are part of people’s lives but they don’t define the world of Tyria or why I’m interested in spending time there. Less melodrama and more story.

This, this, a thousand times this. Let’s get back to the reason all these characters are standing together in the first place…there’s a bigger menace that hangs over all of them.

Neek.9531:

Though I agree completely, I personally feel it would be kinda redundant. We have two major gay relations ships and they just happen to both be females. Adding yet another gay relationship but this time male and male (as great as that would be) would feel like cramming it down our throats, especially since Kas and Jory are pretty new to the overall story. Let’s just wait a while and let the current stories characters progress and develop first then add more relationships of this matter to present themselves.

Agree with this. I understand why it’s being done, but too much of it is going to start seeming like it is a social agenda being aggressively pushed. I don’t recall anything while GW2 was being developed where the devs wanted it to become a vehicle for political correctness.

However, I would like to see the character of Taimi developed next. As we’ve all seen, she is popular with…well, everybody with a heart, and now that Scarlet has gone to the Great Compost Heap in the Sky I’m curious to see what she does next.

Noticed this in Metrica Province just now, so beautiful!

Well, since Rox and Braham are nice enough to run over and rez us when we’re downed, I consider them “friends”. It’s a little hard for me to look at Marjory or Kasmeer without rolling my eyes, however.

I understand why they left Taimi out of this chapter, though I’m hoping she’ll get to be more involved in upcoming ones.

Konrad Knox.5162:

And no, I’m not saying it’s necessarily bad for everyone. Some people may like it. I just find it annoying. I can only imagine what it’s like for a girl to play male-dominant games. And i feel sorry for that too.

Don’t be sorry.

As a woman who wandered into the gaming scene more or less by accident, I can say that as long as a character is well-drawn, things like gender and sexual orientation don’t matter a bit to me. I just get annoyed when people become fixated on such things to the exclusion of everything else, such as is happening now…again. A number of very unsettling plot points have been revealed, but the majority of GW2 posts I’m seeing on Twitter are all “Jory and Kas kissed OMG SQUEEEE!!!”

Ya see those teeth on that newly awakened dragon, folks? He doesn’t care who’s kissing, he’s not happy. Let’s move on, shall we?

Konig Des Todes.2086:

The first good deed Scarlet has done.

Time to diminish the quaggan population some more. Finish the job Jormag and Bubbles started!

Oh Konig, are you one of those quaggan haters too? Say it ain’t so!

(shakes fist)

kitten you, Scarlet! kitten you to HELL!!!

I’m surprised we haven’t started playing “Caption This!” with that pic.

Chrispy.5641:

I bet that Scarlet is probably not going to die, and we have to deal with her in season 2.

I’m starting to get that vibe as well. I figure she’ll slip away while we battle her “Assault Knight”. But I’m all right with that; she’s actually starting to become better as a villain in my eyes. I don’t anticipate a fight with any ED’s until expansion time, but that drill of hers may very well annoy one into action.

Dragonhero.1852:

You mean like Tybalt? Though he was an Engi

He was, just as Taimi is. However, the wiki states that the explosion only “mangled” his right hand; apparently he was still able to wield firearms as we have seen.

Slightly OT…does anyone recognize Taimi’s armor? My own Asura engineer likes it.

Rizalee.4593:

Zaxares.5419:

At least now we know the name of Mr “Squooshed Face”. Thank you for your service, Private Drax Tinderstrike. /salute

I don’t think Drax is him.. Drax was on Harbor Detail, So he would not have been posted near the bank

Oh, that’s a detail I missed! I hope you’re right!

“Taimi is going to be the grit the pearl forms around”.

That makes me look forward to learning even more of this sassy little Asura. She’s definitely a step in the right direction for the LS.

Zaxares.5419:

Uhhh… That’s not at the refugee camp though. I think that progeny was always there in Applenook.

I admit that I may have some bias towards thinking Raisin Face is dead since I never really liked the little twerp. I think it would be especially poignant if both Drax Tinderstrike and Rollan turned out to be the pair near the bank though.

It is the same character model, though, just as Drax’s character model is the same as that of the guard:

From watching the video I note that the guard’s voice is slightly deeper than that of Drax, but since Drax was suffering from the effects of the miasma that’s somewhat understandable.

Very much in support of this idea. Even being able to salvage leftover or unwanted items would be welcome.

Dang, no one and nothing is safe from the Aetherblade laser…

aspirine.6852:

Are you sure one opponent is enough?…
No I dont miss that one

I guess he’ll find out now!!!

Evidently there’s something to it, the squirrel in the tree over the garage joined right in…though he could only chitter. Thankfully no traffic was passing on the highway at the time.

Doggie.3184:

Screaming is very healthy for you. Go outside and try it. Scream as loud as you can.

Okay, sounds fun! C’mon, everybody!

(runs outside and shrieks)

You must wield some impressive powers indeed, if you can just walk up to Rytlock and remove him. But thank you for sharing that.

(glances at the smoke rising from Lion’s Arch)

I don’t think any of my characters are going to be strutting around in fancy clothes any time soon.

I guess I’m going to have to try rescuing citizens on something other than my two Asura. They just go, “HEYYYYY! YA! YA!!!”

Naus the Gobbo.5172:

Tanith.5264:

She’s trying to free UberQuaggan, of course. What do you think all these quaggan tonics are dropping for?

You mean this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHuw8W9sMCA

Yes. Like so many of us, Scarlet has a score to settle with the quaggan haters among us.

She’s trying to free UberQuaggan, of course. What do you think all these quaggan tonics are dropping for?

Specifically, the “Aetherblades invaded” note is placed just west of Helliot Mine. My mesmer eagerly ported out there, assuming some vital clue was to be had. But she only found the same thing she found when she mapped the area…a lot of Branded nasties.

To my engineer’s lasting annoyance, they also target healing turrets.

Well, it’s now 3 PM in Germany…I went to GW2.com and found this

Has that been there, or is it new?

Grevender.9235:

what about Remaining Light? (Kodan)

He’s at the Vigil camp, safe and sound. Doesn’t have anything to say, though.

Where’s the Asura mother again? I don’t think I’ve heard her dialogue and am curious.

As for Raisin Face…yes, it’s true that children die in real wars, but this particular NPC is probably near the top of the “Endearing NPC” list for LA, if such a list existed. For Anet to kill her off really would be cruel.

Here’s the original thread documenting this.

Hope that helps. I haven’t run into him yet either.

I’ve seen no indication of this, but I like to think Drax took a lethal dose of the gas making sure that Raisin Face and other kids got to safety.

IceBlink.4317:

And now you will think of a charr who burps and picks his teeth with a toothpick muttering “that kid’s head really was like a little raisin…”

I already posted this pic in another thread, but…that Charr doesn’t have much of an appetite now, unfortunately. I’m sure this is him.

Sea of Sorrows, hands down. Gives you a nice thorough history of Lion’s Arch and offers much better characterization.

As long as we’re discussing bodies, I have gotten into the habit of singing “Bodies” by Drowning Pool in map chat while rezzing the many players who don’t escape that last lethal spurt of miasma.

Kiel’s ship is parked directly over the OoW headquarters, in fact. However, neither she nor Magnus are there…or anywhere else, so they must be on board the ship itself.

Anybody besides me find that curious?

I think I found Squooshed ‘n Weird at the Vigil field hospital. His name is Drax Tinderstrike, and sadly I don’t think he’s going to make it. Still no sign of Raisin Face.

The only thing that frustrates me about them is that we can’t fight back. If my mesmer could cast Feedback on the kitten things, it would be so much more fun.

And let’s not forget the bank’s most endearing residents, Raisin Face and Squooshed ‘n Weird. I think S & W might be at the Vigil camp, but can’t confirm. I have yet to locate Raisin Face.

I’m all for it, as long as I get to look her in the face and say, “You are a horrible person.”