Off Topic Discussion Megathread

[Midareyukki]

I think that's how it is for a lot of people. Ajani has always been the one character you don't just touch, and is pretty much an Ensemble Darkhorse to the fandom. If it had been anybody but Ajani, people would have liked the story a lot more.

Really? xD I'm glad I'm not the only one who views it this way. I've seen some comments on youtube about how cool Sleeper Agent Ajani was, but overall most people don't really talk about the lore or the characters themselves. Sure, this goes for virtually every card game, but I don't think I've ever seen people discuss the lore much. Not outside of comments like "Gatewatch suuuuuck!!!" or "wow Forsaken was poorly written to hell and back"

It's not even the first time they kill major characters, nor the first time they kill Planeswalkers.
Gideon was a major planeswalker, Dack Fayden had an entire book series dedicated to him. And Domri Rade existed I guess '-'
Same for the Mending sacrificing all their cool Planeswalkers then to stop Dominaria from going haywire.

It's really just this one character that they've established as cool, who went through a character growth that really contrasts that of normal planeswalkers we've come to know, and has since grown into his own. He was the mentor of heroes, the one character who symbolized the absolute best a Planeswalker could aspire to be. Generous, kind, fatherly, meddled when he had to, but encouraged others to fight for themselves. As opposed to "We're here, we're the Gatewatch, we're going to bust some heads".
He deserved better than this. He deserved better than an off-screen compleation, murdering people for the sake of evil (through underhanded methods, by the way) and then flaying himself. Hell he wouldn't even use ridiculous speeches to break his opponent. As much of a pragmatic Phyrexian he may be now, his speeches are corny. Ajani wouldn't have needed bark-that-he-couldn't-back-up-with-bite, because every time this guy talks, he always gets his arse handed to him immediately after. If I were in charge, I'd keep the chivalrous Ajani who fought in the name of a family he now had. Still the same speech and patterns, but applied in to the wrong thing. And have him properly win fights and earn his kills, not... this.

I get people like the cool look and the edge. Nothing wrong with an edgy evil Ajani. I could have grown to like him a bit better. If I weren't so worried for his survival, and if I didn't feel like he came out of nowhere. AND if I didn't feel like his writing was shoddy.

And especially not when he's been used for kids associations -._.- like. That's low.

[Renalt]

I never got into Magic but my roommates love it. One of them has a Mermaid deck.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Holy hell this thing is pointy. It almost drew blood on me a couple of times.

Really nice kit, especially for about the same pricing as a Master Grade Gundam, but watch your fingers.

[Amenara]

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What would you recommend for tools someone who wants to get into model building should have and where a good starting point would be?

[TheMightyMollusk]

What would you recommend for tools someone who wants to get into model building should have and where a good starting point would be?

The only tool I'd say you really need to get started is a decent nipper for cutting parts off the runners. Maybe a file to help clean it up. A basic tool set like this one will do just fine. (You can probably find that one a bit cheaper elsewhere, I'm just using the link as an example.)

As for kits to start with, the Entry Grade line is designed for first-timers; they're quick builds with good color separation and surprisingly articulation for being so cheap. (At least, the EG Gundam kits; the other Entry Grades, like the DBZ kits, are statues.) If you're in the US, you can probably find one at Target. Most High Grade kits and the 30 Minute Missions line are also fine for beginners.

[Renalt]

The only tool I'd say you really need to get started is a decent nipper for cutting parts off the runners. Maybe a file to help clean it up. A basic tool set like this one will do just fine. (You can probably find that one a bit cheaper elsewhere, I'm just using the link as an example.)

As for kits to start with, the Entry Grade line is designed for first-timers; they're quick builds with good color separation and surprisingly articulation for being so cheap. (At least, the EG Gundam kits; the other Entry Grades, like the DBZ kits, are statues.) If you're in the US, you can probably find one at Target. Most High Grade kits and the 30 Minute Missions line are also fine for beginners.

Oh Hey we use to sell that exact kit in our store. Once we sold the last one we just kinda stopped cause people don't really come to our store for model kit tools.

[Kalania]

Looks awesome! I know those take a lot of work; would never want to do one myself!

[Renalt]

How many of those have you finished?

[TheMightyMollusk]

Gunpla in general? I have no idea. I've been in and out of the hobby since Gundam Wing hit Toonami way back in the day, but I fell back into it more during the pandemic lockdown.

If I remember tomorrow, when there's better light in the room where I keep most of them, I can take some pictures.

[RyuDragnier]

Getting really tired of P8S, and seriously contemplating the idea of quitting raid until the Echo comes because of how horrible the first half of the fight is. First half is essentially an ultimate. Anybody fails any mechanic, they've likely caused a wipe. Combine that with the DPS check, and you have absolute frustration. Which is sad because the 2nd half of P8S is genuinely fun with a puzzle mechanic you can't even target the boss during. But that first half...it's not fun, it's frustrating, it's draining, it makes me question my sanity, bad enough to where I start freaking out and have near breakdowns when it shows up in Normal Raid roulette.