Speaking of Anby's agent story: Hang on a second, Trigger is blind? That thing she's wearing isn't just one of those "optic that looks like blindfold" things like in NieR? In that case, how does that whole being-a-sniper thing work? Does she have Radar Sense™ like Daredevil? She never mentions it, if so. No explanation appears to be offered for the fact that she can operate ranged weapons.

I know the blind archer is kind of a trope in this style of fiction, but still.

That said, she's more likeable than I thought she'd be. This is a pretty common thing in this game, I've found.

--G.
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Apparently the ethereal attack that damaged/possibly destroyed her eyesight did enhance her other senses to Daredevil territory, yeah.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

oh my gods, it is going to take me an absolute fucking eternity to get all these agents to level 60

and I say that with all but the two I pulled tonight (hi Burnice! hi Koleda! do you two know each other? you share some interests) already level 50

--G.
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>oh my gods, it is going to take me an absolute fucking eternity to get
>all these agents to level 60

Every gacha game has that moment of existential dread, where you realize that 90%+ of the game is endless grinding for resources. That even if you clear out every event store, do all the daily missions religiously, and even buy a monthly bonus ticket, you're still going to be running the same levels on auto for hours or days to get the resources to get one operator/agent/doll/shipgirl/etc up to max level.

And about the time you accomplish that, the game developers lean in and go "Oh yeah, there's a new event/mechanic coming out next week. Better start stocking up."

>And about the time you accomplish that, the game developers lean in
>and go "Oh yeah, there's a new event/mechanic coming out next week.
>Better start stocking up."

Kay Yu even got in on this with HoloCure. "You might want to get your workers to max level before the 0.7 release."

LAST EDITED ON Apr-12-25 AT 04:34 AM (EDT)
 
So, we got Trigger's backstory. Obol Squad is all about the Trauma.

Also, got me a Zhu Yuan, (Giving me some good ether damage) so now I can try for Trigger.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

LAST EDITED ON May-02-25 AT 07:44 PM (EDT)
 
Well, I missed out on both Trigger and Zhu Yuan in the last round, but I did just get Vivian, so that's nice. Although she doesn't seem to be available for trust events yet, which is kind of a bummer. I enjoy the social aspects of games like this.

Then again, she'd probably be incredibly clingy.

--G.
velcro vampire
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LAST EDITED ON May-04-25 AT 04:47 AM (EDT)
 
>Well, I missed out on both Trigger and Zhu Yuan in the last
>round, but I did just get Vivian, so that's nice. Although she
>doesn't seem to be available for trust events yet, which is kind of a
>bummer. I enjoy the social aspects of games like this.
>
>Then again, she'd probably be incredibly clingy.

From some of her character moments in the story and text messages, clingy is an understatement. That, or spending a day with Belle just hanging out will kill her from sheer glee.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>Although [Vivian] doesn't seem to be available for trust events yet

Ah, turns out I just had to finish the questline first. Which makes sense, I suppose. And...

>Then again, she'd probably be incredibly clingy.

... called it.

She's like a stalker, except she employs exactly zero stealth or subtlety. It's just that Lord Phaethon is her oshi and she's beyond parasocial about it.

--G.
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Man, Miyabi is such a weirdo. I love her.

--G.
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>Man, Miyabi is such a weirdo. I love her.

She is also GLORIOUSLY broken as a playable character.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

LAST EDITED ON Jul-31-25 AT 04:05 AM (EDT)
 
And now that I have her, I can do her trust content... which involves her inventing a training method in her head that leaves her entirely unaware of the world outside, repeating the last thing people say to her... She nearly managed to accidentally seduce a fan before Belle intervened (Admittedly, the fan was doing a great job of convincing herself Miyabi wanted to marry her) and spent the day stopping people from talking to her until she came back to reality.

"When did you get here?"
"Do you not remember anything that happened?!"
"No. It happens occasionally."

Dork.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

Oh hey, another chance to try for Trigger is coming up. Excellent.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

LAST EDITED ON Sep-02-25 AT 11:53 PM (EDT)
 
>Oh hey, another chance to try for Trigger is coming up. Excellent.

<Bull Shannon> Say, that IS good news!

Looks like I'm not going to get Alice or Yanagi this time around (and that's after scoring BOTH Yuzuha and Miyabi in the last cycle, without buying any monos. RNG gonna R). :/

--G.
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>Looks like I'm not going to get Alice or Yanagi this time around (and
>that's after scoring BOTH Yuzuha and Miyabi in the last cycle, without
>buying any monos. RNG gonna R). :/

Just checking, you did remember the start of the month tapes in the store? That's gotten me five stars at the last second before.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>Just checking, you did remember the start of the month tapes in the
>store?

I did, but decided not to spend the money.

--G.
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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>Just checking, you did remember the start of the month tapes in the
>>store?
>
>I did, but decided not to spend the money.

Fair enough. I always grab the in-game currency ones. The other items in the store can usually be grabbed elsewhere.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>I know the blind archer is kind of a trope in this style of fiction,
>but still.

Yes, yes I am.

(Sorry, I had to do it.)

Man, Seed's agent story is messed up.

--G.
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Even by Obol Squad standards.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>Even by Obol Squad standards.

Which is... saying something. Although I'll bet the biography of the member who was evidently once a person and is now just a raygun is a real duesy.

--G.
Meanwhile, poor 11 has no idea what the hell is going on, but she's determined to be a team player. So, situation normal...
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>Which is... saying something. Although I'll bet the biography of the
>member who was evidently once a person and is now just a raygun is a
>real duesy.

Orphie and Magus are no exception to the tragic backstory syndrome, no sir...

>Meanwhile, poor 11 has no idea what the hell is going
>on, but she's determined to be a team player. So, situation
>normal...

It's not her fault she forgot her tragic backstory!

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

LAST EDITED ON Sep-19-25 AT 11:53 PM (EDT)
 
Welcome to the crew, Trigger, and may I just say, you took your dang time.

I love that her first trust event/quality time is movie night with Phaethon, given that, you know... she can't see video images. She claims she's listening to the dialogue and whatnot, and that seems to be true at first, but let's face it, she really just wants to spend a few hours on the famous Random Play sofa. :)

Come to think of it, how does she use Knock Knock?

--G.
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>Welcome to the crew, Trigger, and may I just say, you took your dang
>time.

I am nearly to hard pity at this point...

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>>Welcome to the crew, Trigger, and may I just say, you took your dang
>>time.
>
>I am nearly to hard pity at this point...

:(

I'm running without buying monos, so I almost always run out of time before I can amass the resources necessary to get more than one of the two rate-up characters at any given time (and I never even pull for the S-class W-Engines), but compared to my apocalyptic luck in Umamusume I can't really complain about the gaps in my ZZZ roster too much. Kind of annoyed I didn't manage to get Alice or Yanagi, though.

--G.
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>I'm running without buying monos, so I almost always run out of time
>before I can amass the resources necessary to get more than one of the
>two rate-up characters at any given time (and I never even pull for
>the S-class W-Engines), but compared to my apocalyptic luck in
>Umamusume I can't really complain about the gaps in my ZZZ roster too
>much. Kind of annoyed I didn't manage to get Alice or Yanagi,
>though.

I did give into temptation regarding monochrome a few times, usually a month or two apart, but I've done some heavy grinding, mostly for Miyabi, where I also got her engine.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

And I lost the coin flip and got a dupe Rina.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>And I lost the coin flip and got a dupe Rina.

DANG it!

--G.
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>>And I lost the coin flip and got a dupe Rina.
>
>DANG it!

It's the second time it's happened with Trigger too, it's heartbreaking. Phaethons first client doesn't seem to want to come home...

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

When you ask Trigger to promote the video store for you, she says, and I quote:

"Leave it to me, I've already taken the time to watch all the tapes in the store... Well, except for the one under the sofa. I got halfway through and found out it couldn't be sold, so I didn't finish it."

Wise? Belle? Whose tape is that?

--G.
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>When you ask Trigger to promote the video store for you, she says, and
>I quote:
>
>"Leave it to me, I've already taken the time to watch all the tapes in
>the store... Well, except for the one under the sofa. I got halfway
>through and found out it couldn't be sold, so I didn't finish it."
>
>Wise? Belle? Whose tape is that?

*Gives Eous a look*

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

Put your sister to the test....

I don't really like to play "who is best girl" in games like this, but Caesar? I'm just throwin' it out there.

--G.
other strong contenders: Trigger, Lucy, Miyabi, everyone with white hair
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>I don't really like to play "who is best girl" in games like this, but
>Caesar? I'm just
>throwin' it out there.

And then Lucy decked her for making her cry. Because of course she did.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

Behold, a perfectly sane and rational Etheral researcher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT6FVNzD02E

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>Behold, a perfectly sane and rational Etheral researcher.
>
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT6FVNzD02E

Right at this very minute, somewhere in the world, someone is working on a doujin where she has sex with them. I guarantee it.

--G.
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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>Behold, a perfectly sane and rational Etheral researcher.
>>
>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT6FVNzD02E
>
>Right at this very minute, somewhere in the world, someone is working
>on a doujin where she has sex with them. I guarantee it.

I know Rule 34 is a thing, but the speed at which lewds / fanart in general get made is incredible these days

"This is probably a stupid question, but . . ."

>I know Rule 34 is a thing, but the speed at which lewds / fanart in
>general get made is incredible these days

Indeed. See also: for any vtuber costume reveal with a sufficiently large audience, there will be three to five fanarts of the new costume on danbooru before the stream is over.

--G.
two of them might even not be machine-generated
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I give the designers credit for having the balls to make Wise and Belle actual characters, rather than the standard "faceless commander POV" thing gacha games seem to do usually. It's a bold choice to break with the approved method of making the MC in this kind of game a cipher the players can project themselves into, and instead make them characters with a distinct personal style and story arc.

--G.
or, in more succinct terms, I really like Belle
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>or, in more succinct terms, I really like Belle

She totally is another character that would comfortably fit into UF, perhaps as a WDF alumni who (along with Wise) is running the Random Play on some "primitive" Earth colony like Pandora or Mojave.