[metaphor] i yap too much about this game i need a containment plurk
fun fact i decided to rp strohl on exactly this very specific frame and line because oh my god 
it catapulted "strohl has so much hidden rage" from headcanon indulgence to oh god they really went there
(louis voice) avenge the wine
granted the game never expands on that angle but THIS IS WHERE I STEP IN!!!
ALSDKJASLDKJA DNOT THE WINE
LMFAOOO fr tho i'll let you yap, pulls up a chair
yes do get comfy i never expected to have so much strohl thoughts but here we are
AYO that's my boy
still thinking about how strohl has so much anxious energy in general in the game where "anxiety breeds the world's cruelest monsters" and "magic is borne from anxiety"
IM SO READY FOR THE JUICY DRAMA
my secret is that i also have a lot of louis thoughts in which a lot of it stems from "meritocracy poster boy"
but yeah. back to strohl. i do find it fascinating that he's both an overthinker and a very emotional person because you'd think those are contradictory but it makes sense
i was looking at awakening scenes for uh, reasons, and one thing that i noticed is that strohl doesn't gets the "thy long-stagnant stance hath been broken" line and i feel like one reason for it is because he doesn't really have a path of his own prior to this point
in his own words he wants to fight, die, and live as a noble, but at the start it feels like he's just trying so hard to follow his parents' footsteps, without actually understanding why they believe being nobility is to protect the weak
so it actually stands out to me that his awakening scene is caused by him essentially going i'm tired of being nice, i'm gonna go apeshit
"if this is the real world then it can die alongside you" is such a line man
and i think i have been appreciating narratives recently where rage isn't portrayed as something negative, because i do like that the story never goes "strohl's quest for revenge is bad, actually"
granted he lucked out that a) louis kinda deserves to die for a plethora of reasons and b) he found ideals to trust to in will who is genuinely a good person, but
his character development stems from finding his own understanding of how to live up as a noble and how to live up to his name as well as to develop empathy for others, even towards the enemy, but they never criticize him for being angry
which yeah i do appreciate
ngl a part of me still thinks that my interpretation of strohl is different from what others might pick up on him but that's okay because i always like putting my own flavor into my characters anyway
me with Louis tbh
felt that in my soul
his empathy also feels like a natural progression to that overthinker+emotional mix, like some kind of balance between the two
also back at the screenshot the fact that strohl was the only person in the party who didn't immediately check that will was okay...the flavor. chef's kiss
which is such a sharp contrast considering how his generic "add back to party" dialogue is LIKE THIS 
oh man yeah, it's extra juicy because strohl is the one who was with will from the start, acts as his mouthpiece and the plan guy, so it makes his doubts way more impactful compared to if it was a later party member
will, crying: what happened to our 'at least we die together' meme
the halia trauma runs deep man
also thinking how he flat out freezes at one of the vistas, the one with another village wrecked by humans
moonsilver: 'at least we die together' via mutual kill, obviously (crying)
noooooooooooooooooo
metaphor is a solid video game but i do like that there's enough blanks in characterization there that i can explore in rp
(i have this thing that i usually prefer media that have inherent flaws in them so i can tinker around via transformative work, metaphor has been the first exception in that i think it's very solid all around)
first exception in a long while that is
trying to sift through my noted from the bajillion messages i have with jin
the funny thing is that since i decided to overanalyze strohl so late in the game i am actually overdue for a review already for the earlier scenes
one thing that stuck out to me for example is in martira where he's the last person to stop doubting heismay's credibility, but he's also the first person willing to doubt the church once it came to light that he's innocent of the kidnappings
man remember when i said i'll just be voice testing him this month because i'm not sure if i could rp him
you're great w him so i'm glad you committed 🙏
Me watching you play waiting for you to hit that exact frame
moonsilver: WAH THANK YOU.... i respect your takes so this is a great ego boost to me
like this
Yeah because it scrambled MY brain cells too...
I genuinely think that a lot of who strohl is in canon is shaped up by his faith in will's ideals and capability to do the good thing so that sudden thorn of doubt is sooooo
How do you think I felt. No one to yap to about the moment. So alone. :/
you being ahead of the curve for once....but at what cost
Jin's turn to be burdened with knowledge
Where is your other Strohl meta. Well let's hear it...
which one i have like fifty of them
Then start with number 1...
okay hang on let me just make sure i'm not repeating myself
If you want to repeat yourself that is ok too
髁髹 (@Kexiu_) on Xleaves this here
CANON
TRUE
max strength will is so real
speaking of overthinker tendencies in the strowill musings i have with jin he's often the one who tends to overcomplicate things because he's a wuss and considers stuff like proper courting etiquette. which he's bad with
strohl is a funny noble in that in his heart he's a true noblesse oblige but when it comes to the mundane parts of his title he never really got to practice those
that being said he is a bit of a meticulous nerd. i can't believe he has an entire laundry routine and his cooking advice is very precise as well
maya's about to hit 9/24 which means i am sipping my tea with great interest
oh the remix of wings of freedom on the cutscene when you arrive at gran trad...fire
"this should be our last battle against louis" lol.
like to see the start of the fervor starting out already though. makes you wonder if the party would have been affected if they didn't know any better
working on rella icons while i watch and who gave her four animation frames instead of the usual 3
can you talk about strohls sense of humour bc dude is one of the funniest characters in the game honestly
HELP
tbh i don't even know if he's joking or if he's just naturally hilarious. the burden of being the refuge in audacity of the party
which is saying much because while he's the most "normal guy" of the party he's not actually. dude's a noble who had to spend his youth living as not a noble
that one time he made a 'bugger' pun when the party fought bugs 😭
thinking about this again. the fact that he says "GASP" out loud. 
I FEEL LIKE HE DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT it was just the natural thing to say there. same with his uh. attempts of dissing one of their bounty targets. the gobold king i think?
that being said while strohl is a fine jokester i think he needs work on his dissing. basilio can beat him in the throwing shade department any day
oh yeah i guess i can talk about laby plans here too? i already have thoughts but i was refraining just in case i don't get in or someone else wants to strohl (who am i kidding i am gonna set up an alarm clock for reserves)
trying to make maya think that this is the final battle but i can't. she's lacking in too many follower levels so far for me to convince her
Metaphor has so many "final" bosses
"so many" and it's just fighting louis like five times
I love when video games try to fake you out with the final boss but its usually super obvious they arent
tbf though metaphor is kinda unique in that they never gave us a surprise godlike final boss out of nowhere
I LOVE that there's no twist villain
lines that make me miss kingohger
They tell you Louis is the villain and he sure is
tbh i'd go as far as to say that louis is the face of metaphor, even moreso than will
it would have been crappy in a story about politics to introduce a god of control tier boss and strongarm it into the lore at the 11th hour so i'm glad they didnt, whew
he's the first guy you see when you boot up the game, tells you what he plans to do, and sticks to his guns up to his last breath
also i love how his first battle theme is literally just named "You Face Louis Guiabern" wow i wonder when does this track happen
fire name though
moonsilver: "it would have been crappy in a story about politics to introduce a god of control tier boss and strongarm it into the lore at the 11th hour" this happened to persona punches the ground
*persona 5
maya: i forgot what the intel said again
me: so he can read your weaknesses and do these attacks
maya: yolo
also maya, several minutes later:
me: so he can read your weaknesses and do these attacks
maya: yolo
also maya, several minutes later:
rip
tbh i never had a problem with this particular fight because i spammed debilitate like a madman and essentially reduced louis into a flopping koifish
HE KEEPS BULLYING STROHL I FEEL PERSONALLY ATTACKED
buzzing it's time
MAYA GETS IT LET'S GO
The way I said give us more food then had to leave
smh now the dinner's cold
still tasty
yay
rella 🥺
rella!!! one more icon set before i post the next batch...
man i love 9/24. what a bonkers kind of day
(maya freaking out in the background) another will player has hit the sanctum
so fun fact maya's scottish and she's losing it over the post-prince voice because will's va is attempting a british accent and failing at it
(i dont know accents so this didn't catch my ear before)
"Another Will player has hit the Sanctum" is a mood
don't mind me taking notes for reasons
yeah more and will randomly trying to be british out of nowhere is SUPER funny
at least with will it only happens for one line thank god
this guy is my favorite in the council of assholes, he's so self aware
man i love batlin. he figures out the entire deception because louis had to be dramatic
Throwback when you didn't trust him
LOOK HE WAS TOO SMART.....
louis taking off his clemar horns headband is still so funny
how are we supposed to have horn on horn action if you're racefaking bro
I KNOW
TRAGIC
doing my best to convince maya that batdilf is a banger un actually
FLMSDKFMSDLKF
drafting stuff for my app and oooh the number of ways i can go with the wish option. i think if it was made consciously strohl's answer would have been different but since this is set in the verge of dreaming/death his real wish would have been slightly more selfish
also i love how my quick notes for his weaknesses are like. can be emotionally intense. overthinks too much. prone to motion sickness
One of these is not like the others
you're right his physical weakness should be his legs are too long
looong long man
positively enlongated, even. idk how he manages to fit in the gauntlet runner beds
"what is your genuine self" is such a delicious question for someone who loves to delve in the psyche of these things. on one hand i do think what we see of strohl is what we get but he's also very much colored by the company he keeps. but this is also just part of the novas flavor
"oh thou who art seared with bitterness" implies a lot though
Looking forward to the meal of this app
HONESTLY kinda torn if i want his app to be public or not. leaning towards the former because i have no shame
laby's app is so fascinating to me though it's been ages since i last did an interview style one
and even this is different because the last interview style apps i did have been written in character
Spectrums... Gossamer...
asplodes
UNDERSTANDABLE but also I hunger
I looove interview style apps in so glad laby has it
Also curious what power he's getting... chimps
Chomps*
i'm still thinking about it tbh!! kinda leaning on red because he does have bot in his initial kit
but also...strohl being able to heal people....
I don't actually I only remember staff having to add an extra post for apps because of you
GOD. MY LEGACY
i yap too much
You really do but it's ok. We are yapper and listener
perfect combination
OHHH THOSE ARE BOTH GOOD
i guess one thing i'm excited about rping strohl is that compared to my other game characters he feels like someone who would be actively involved in the site plot. i'd have to keep track of how things are going but obviously he's not happy with an overseer having full control of people
wait. glass shattering sfx. what if he goes the healer route because of his canon point and he hopes he can do something for will if he ever turns into a monster again
IM EXCITED FOR HIM!!!
THANK U IM GLAD...so ready to throw him at everyone tbh. give him a bit of a psychological breakdown as atreat
i'm refraining from a replay considering how my first playthrough had me disappear off the face of the earth but also i am collecting all these strohl screencaps...my notes to place under the microscope
haha butthole 
Haha butthole
one thing i definitely need practice on is his sense of humor (i am not good with humor)
but also he's just effortlessly funny i could never
he's very dry and sardonic
but not in a mean cynical way, its more like observational humour??
its very funny anyway i love him
i have some experience with snark since i rp yuri but strohl to me is like. he's way less rude than that
dialogue i aspire to 
i need a funny strohl moments compilation
checking out the battle voice lines again and immediately getting hit with "i fight for my own justice" 
sorry everything i touch eventually becomes tokusatsu
adds this to your funny moments compilation
i looked at my caps from last night and found it lmfao
LMAAAAAAO
strohl is hulkenberg's biggest hater when it comes to her food choices
like him immediately thinking the eht ria fruits are weird just because hulkenberg is snacking on them. for shame
more reason for him and kabru to meet and commiserate
PLEASE they need to air out grievances
'the fuck is wrong with them'
kabru inevitably asking if strohl and their party do eat monsters and well. yeah some monster parts could be used as ingredients. but also pretty sure humans are inedible
THEIR FACES I'M SCREAMING
ldmsfks yeah
Fusion Accidents Everywhere
I think I saw a comment in JP where he does try his best to cover up his disgust in like. He doesn't flat out call the food bad or terrible. but you can tell he's Struggling
LFMSDLKFSMF
i can't believe what's stopping me from writing more of app is because i'm not happy with how word formats it
maybe i should start with a blank canvas and copy paste
OH MOOD i know i always put mine in a private entry on my journal so i can see te formatting
^ same
Also same
shaking my hands with everyone
i usually do my replies on notion because i like how the typography but the spacing is kinda bad for single lined stuff
....actually i should put it on a private entry first i realized, because of the html
also me, always in need of a graphics job to procrastinate with: i should make a strohl nav portal
i really should finish star's first though
realizing that i would be out of town during new years: copies reserve code to my phone
when you're an ex-isola player and used to snipes
I know strohl is full of anxious energy by now but reviewing his follower bond scenes and god this man really is full of troubled thoughts 
restless is an understatement...
it's kinda interesting because a lot of people speak highly of his character and how proud his parents would be of him but I don't think strohl believes in any of that, at least not until the end
looking through screencaps for icons and oh my god. maybe he'd be a great dad because of dad jokes 
hey buddy we good
Sending Strohl to therapy
my man has too low of an opinion about himself
i do think a good portion of it is because of the survivor's guilt. no wonder he's practically throwing his life for nothing at the beginning of the game
yeah, agreed, will gives him a reason to fight 🥺
We need to put Strohl in Persona 3
it's okay he got the next best thing (fantasy minato arisato)
Me watching all my bankita fanartists become strowill likers: I understand
i swear batlin is the most powerful character in this entire game. the amount of deductions he got right just from working on his own
batlin lowkey based
i love when he guesses how louis did the human thing and when the party confirms it he's like "oh fuck really? i was just guessing. haha fuck"
he really is! can you imagine how op he would be as a party member...
i found it. his stupid bugger joke
who named this village ligno. i could never take it seriously.
Ligno balls
THE BUGGER PUN!!
oh bugger it's ligno balls
mtling a japanese article that analyzes strohl from a strategist perspective and yeah i love how this ties in to how you need to level the commander archetype tree to unlock his royal archetype 
he gets away with this so many times
That's true he does seem to come up with his ideas mostly on the spot vs meticulous planning
"i'm gonna wing it" me every time I have to do a work call
honestly his improv is pretty good considering all the adjustments they had to do in altaburry
the article also makes a good point on how his plans are usually risky, but tend to make the impossible possible even though there's a slim chance of it succeeding
thanks mtl 
you find crumbs in the most unlikely of places
another for the comedy compilation
HE LOOKS SO SMUG ON THIS ONE TOO
also when he distracts the guards by talking booze with them.....
me: i bet i know which one hes going to talk about
MY GOD
halia's grapes is the best and worst headcanon i could ask for
truly the gift that keeps on giving
gonna name my next stardew save over halia and make sure to have a dedicated vineyard space
LFMSDKLFMS
strohl will brag to everyone aboard the charadrius about it
it was a beautiful quaint village. lovely mountain view. shame it was razed to the ground
all of the guards agape when they witness strohl confront louis about it at the soiree
okay i'm done with my icons....have some left for allowance just in case
I DON'T WANT TO GO OVER 150 THAT IS CURSD
You know what you must do...
jkjk
evil
also there's an upcoming manga adaptation so if there's anything that's gonna be my folly it's that
The way I might have to hit you up for some of those >.>
as long as you feed me points i will (lol at your icon space)
Me in the billable mines so I can love and support my buddies
adds this to the compilation
HAHA
i found a video that compiles everyone's attack animations with different weapons and i love the differences
hulkenberg really be the only one poledancing
i also love how eupha's animations are pretty elegant, esp with swords and fists
OH MY GOD
THIS IS THE BEST STROHL COMEDY LINE ACTUALLY
the way will just stands there like 🧍♂️
Nice save!!
will doesn't know just how much chaos he started
. he's break dancing. i'm not sure if this is how nobles dance. 
generally hulkenberg is the most acrobatic though, even considering heismay's spinning
You need to incorporate this into a thread now
HCHDHDHJDSH YES
come here. I'm going to torment your girl
Fired from being a backup dancer
she's just concerned he's stealing the spotlight clearly
brewing coffee and i am still so flabbergasted at this. is this some sort of traditional clemar practice???? do halians breakdance to celebrate their grape harvesting festival?????
smh strohl whining about motion sickness but he was a breakdancer all along
the fates say it is app writing day so i am working on that but i refuse to put his breakdancing skills in
im referencing royal warrior requirements for his abilities and wow he really sure has it easy huh. both samurai and warlord don't need anything outside of their own trees
does anyone else open the game just to check the memorandum or is it just me
nah i do it too
puts this here for easy access
i always thought the microphone heart is always a neat part, and the self-indulgent part of myself kinda wants the transformation to be permanent
like your heart becoming steel makes you less imprevious to such attacks etc since you have dedicated your being into a symbol of your personal cause
yeah it would be super cool if it was permanent
WOULDVE BEEN SOOO COOL
like imagine getting used to having a different sort of heartbeat or a strange sensation on your chest...or just being able to rip it off your body whenever lol
i never realized strohl has increased crit rate against humans...damn ok
yeah, basilio has an increased dodge rate against them too
for both beasts and humans even!
i do like that strohl's passive is more offensive while bas' is more defensive
right, basilios is more of a general paripus beast instinct thing while strohls is directly tied to his backstory like hulkenbergs
(checking word count per app question) oh no 
i think i shouldn't exceed 2k words overall but as a yapper it is very possible
trying my best not to make this too shippy but what am i supposed to do in the face of canon
embrace it
"he's bonded with will the most and trusts him the most" "what does he look for in a significant other" BURIES MY FACE IN MY HANDS
look he's an atlus protag everyone's a bit in love with him
yeah that's fair
. i still have four questions left i am in danger 
putting strohl's age as 20 because him being 13 when the fall of halia happened just sounds right to me
he talks a lot about how his pre-halia life was very privileged and that he used to be a bit of an immature brat so he couldn't have been older than "boy" when it happened. also i feel like if strohl was like 16 or older he would have stayed to protect the village as well
yeah that makes sense to me
him being a couple years older than will feels right
yeah he's definitely older than will but not too old i feel? especially when he's very brash at times
i'd say that eupha is also younger than strohl and maaaaybe him, junah, and bas are around the same age range
hulkenberg then a bit older, and then heismay is Dad
YEAH
i feel like its will and eupha, then some order of strohl junah and bas, then fidelio and on....
yeah i agree! and del and hulkenberg and rella are probably around the same age
hulkenberg is a dad. despite everything
dad (hulkenberg) and Dad (heismay)
hulkenberg the dad that brings you along to watching hockey tournaments
yeah
will has so many dads, and yet
all better dads than his actual dad - (i am forcibly dragged off the stage)
yeah i put basilio's age at about 20 so that tracks!
1.6k words total we did it!!
in the end i made my app public on my profile page. to feed the masses. and maybe to get some feedback i guess
profile page i meant journal. smh
LOOKS GOOD strohl's wish got me emo weh
thank you I live to provide the feels
louis would be the kind of healer that would just parse and make the other healer solo heal