I don't get why people like the Arcadion's story (Spoilers)

... And i'm legitimately curious as to why people *do* like it. Convince me. Share with me the reasons that it resonates with you.

Because despite the fights being amazing, and the music being astonishingly good (Duh, it's Soken), the plot suffers from everything wrong with the original Dawntrail story, and even falls into pitfalls of its own that continue to pull me out of moments it clearly wants to have land or feel meaningful.

* A bunch of people, Brute Bomber included, refuse to believe they have a disease that is killing them when they are obviously presented with debilitating symptoms. Howling Blade, when presented with the fact that this thing is killing his friends and lover, decides that he wants to push forward anyway? Explaining that the President gave him purpose in life doesn't handwave away all the other relationships the story has been trying to build. It only makes his motives feel cheap.
* Characters have no real sense of self preservation, and they act for shallow reasons. Hell, they will flip on a dime when the story suits it too. Howling Blade will go from "I don't have any purpose so i'll die in the arena" to "I don't care if you lose, i'll continue fighting anyway" to "suddenly, I care about my reputation" to, after you beat him, smiling and saying "I guess i'll retire" like it never meant anything to him.
* Our big bad, the President, supposedly doesn't care that you're wanting to cure Psychonecrosis, but he tries to undermine you at every step from doing so? He has two opposing motivations at once, and they don't go together. Yes, I get that he's trying to preserve his fighters, but curing the condition would allow him to have his cake and eat it too.
* The solution to the problem is literally pulled out of thin air by a child at the most opportune moment. Then, conveniently, she's spirited away before she can do anything about it.

It all just seems.. sloppy. Juvenile. Honestly, you can have a tournament arc with a threadbare plot, but (and the reason it reminds me of Dawntrail's 7.0 plot), the writers clearly have larger aspirations behind it, and none of them really are landing with me.

So please. Explain it to me. Explain why this arc is great. Explain why it's the light that Dawntrail needed, because i'm not seeing it. I'm legitimately curious. I know that these forums are often full of negativity and people wanting to bash on things, but I only present my observations to try to explain my own point of view.

Now I turn it over to others. Is it because of the spectacle? Is it a "turn your brain off and have fun" storyline that you just don't care if things make sense so long as it's got spectacle, good music, and cool fighters? Or are there other reasons?

Enlighten me.

To me, the story makes a lot more sense when you remember that most of them are still teens. Teens are sort of known for acting rashly.

Hell, Retsarra gave me some of the same vibes as Zenos - he only ever felt like he was really alive in battle.

Anyway, to your original question: Most of the people who like it seem to be wrestling fans. If you are into wrestling, the kayfabe is part of the magic of it. The participants know it's fake. The audience knows its fake. But everyone agrees to pretend otherwise. That seems to be the core moral issue the story is discussing, and it's a discussion that usually doesn't happen within the broadcast bits of wrestling fandom itself, outside of documentaries.

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Originally Posted by ZJyn

Brute Bomber included, refuse to believe they have a disease that is killing them when they are obviously presented with debilitating symptoms.

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He suffered from anxiety and lack of self-esteem in the past. Becoming the Brute Bomber installed a confidence in him. Without it, he loses everything and becomes the anxious person he once was. He cannot, will not, go back to that. I think that is why he was really in denial.

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Howling Blade, when presented with the fact that this thing is killing his friends and lover, decides that he wants to push forward anyway? Explaining that the President gave him purpose in life doesn't handwave away all the other relationships the story has been trying to build.

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I could compare this to people who continue being friends with people who get "cancelled". That sort of loyalty is a real thing.

The dilemma of doing something that is your purpose even though it is harmful, is also a real thing - for example, as this is based on wrestling, usually wrestlers injure themselves in numerous ways (how about concussions and steroids too?), but they continue doing it knowing they will never feel good ever again and potentially have shortened their life. Wrestlers put on a show, but they get injured and hurt doing it over time.

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Our big bad, the President, supposedly doesn't care that you're wanting to cure Psychonecrosis

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I noticed that too. It was a huge shock that the President didn't care that we wanted to release all the souls or all the other things. In fact, his goals align perfectly with ours, to the point that kidnapping people has no actual purpose.

You would think the President would want to run future tournaments after this one. But no. He only cares about finishing this one, like the WoL does. So our goals align and there's not really an overarching villain after all.

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Originally Posted by Catwho

Anyway, to your original question: Most of the people who like it seem to be wrestling fans. If you are into wrestling, the kayfabe is part of the magic of it. The participants know it's fake. The audience knows its fake. But everyone agrees to pretend otherwise.

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This but also it feels like I'm playing a Kinnikuman(Ultimate Muscle) RPG and I love it. I was sold on this when you get a peek behind the curtain and see the real Brute Bomber or the little family spat in East Yyasulani. You got a glimpse of it in the first part with the intro of the disease and in this patch you got to see and experience the outcome of the disease. Its like Kayfabe in reverse where the outcome is fake and what the audience think is fake and they are blissfully unaware but what the wrestlers are going through in real and dangerous. For a story that has a short time to tell what they are going to tell they do a good job in conveying emotions.

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Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

You would think the President would want to run future tournaments after this one. But no. He only cares about finishing this one, like the WoL does. So our goals align and there's not really an overarching villain after all.

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I think this a ploy by the president to legitimise what he is doing. There is no if and or buts about it but the president tried to silence us in AM7 and as soon as the result didn't go his way he cut the feed. I think the president does want to continue these tournaments and he's going to use the WoL and there eventual demise as advertisement for others to come in and fight in the Arcadion. I wouldn't be surprise that in AM10 or M11 we get ordered to take a dive to save the hostages.

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Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

I noticed that too. It was a huge shock that the President didn't care that we wanted to release all the souls or all the other things. In fact, his goals align perfectly with ours, to the point that kidnapping people has no actual purpose.

You would think the President would want to run future tournaments after this one. But no. He only cares about finishing this one, like the WoL does. So our goals align and there's not really an overarching villain after all.

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I'm guessing he may have a motive we don't know about yet. Maybe he's holding Eutrope and Neyuni hostage because he's afraid we might expose that he's been kidnapping terminally ill fighters and leaving them to die.

I've been enjoying the questline overall, but I think Retsarra was unintentionally written as really unsympathetic. He allows his best friend to die because he doesn't want to quit a job that's literally killing him, all because he thinks other jobs are too boring. I feel like that fact got moved on from too quickly.

It's a silly fantasy wrestling B-plot. Just manage your expectations accordingly. I wanted fun costumes, over-the-top wrestling personas, a banger soundtrack, and an excuse plot to tie it together, and that's what I'm getting. A+ in my book

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Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

I noticed that too. It was a huge shock that the President didn't care that we wanted to release all the souls or all the other things. In fact, his goals align perfectly with ours, to the point that kidnapping people has no actual purpose.

You would think the President would want to run future tournaments after this one. But no. He only cares about finishing this one, like the WoL does. So our goals align and there's not really an overarching villain after all.

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I just took that as them having a different goal, like trying to get the WoL's soul. I'd guess the arcadion's being used to find the perfect soul for the president to use for themselves.

I'd really like an explanation on why Alisaie's porxie method isn't an option though, or why the WoL isn't getting in touch with the Scions to look into it in general, especially since Neyuni even got in contact with Oblivion. I'm at least glad they actually went there for the paralyzed in the MSQ but really disappointed it didn't cross the WoL's mind when we were first introduced to the problem. Dawntrail's WoL suffers from having some serious dissonance with the player.

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Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

I noticed that too. It was a huge shock that the President didn't care that we wanted to release all the souls or all the other things. In fact, his goals align perfectly with ours, to the point that kidnapping people has no actual purpose.

You would think the President would want to run future tournaments after this one. But no. He only cares about finishing this one, like the WoL does. So our goals align and there's not really an overarching villain after all.

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Could be that he's confident in his abilities to control us and prevent it from happening
Since he has captives, he can essentially force us to throw a fight if it comes down to it and play more into the whole wrestling angle for drama and suspense to get more viewers

wrestling isnt really my thing and yet i enjoyed it. mostly because the fights are fun. and i liked the three miqote. especially yaana. small miqote are always cute anyway and eutrope seemed alright.

the moment eutrope used her youngest sister as bait and at the same time baited her, a small child, to such a dangerous place just doesnt feel right though.

and then she's also attacking yaana, her other sister, the moment yaana steps between eutrope and the wol. and eutrope didnt even hesitate when yaana transformed despite knowing what that can do to people... nice big sister, really



and also... since we havent seen the presidents face im kinda wondering if we know him already.