long lived the queen

newbie and HGR were planning to watch anime after raid today. “Or even during raid,” said HGR, “considering who we’re fighting.”

We beat Sphene EX today, which is good, because we don’t have to come back to it after Thanksgiving. Another good thing: For the ice tethers, I only got front positions. (I get how those work. You go to the front of the arena, and don’t cross the streams—if your tether crosses the other person’s tether then you swap spots. Still not sure on the back positions, but, hey, EX fights.) I got a 24% parse, which is solid by my standards (so close to green…).

I wish Sphene were more likable, considering how things shook out plotwise, but I lowkey hated her from her first appearance. Her voice, her outfit, her mannerisms, her prissy way of putting her hands together—all of it put me off. Very saccharine, very punchable. All along I was rooting for her to have a mega heel turn. Then WE were the ones with the mega heel turn. Admittedly, I did not see that one coming. And, like I said, Mecha-Sphene is aesthetically pro, so you see, I can say good things about Dawntrail.

You know what, let’s go whole hog as an end of patch exercise. Ten good things about Dawntrail:

1. Wuk Lamat was a good protag until Living Memory. Yeah, I said it. She wasn’t deep or anything but she was likable and earnest and fighting for what she believed in and I was down with it.
2. Koana is basically Achaius with glasses. Every time he appears I imagine us doing the Spiderman meme (but with real guns instead of finger guns)
3. Zoraal Ja looked sweet in his charoite armor. I actually went out and bought a whole set of charoite armor after the Zoraal Ja fight because I thought “you know what, I need this”
4. Solution Nine is obviously peak aesthetic.
5. The cursed Mamool forest is also peak aesthetic.
6. The Vanguard streetpunk gear is excellent and I’ll have to get and glamour it at some point.
7. Zone 4 (the Wild West zone) was filler, but it was good filler. sheriffs! cowboys! outlaws!
8. The intro to the Zone 5 content (invasion of Tuliyollal, “Dawntrail enters the MCU”) was bangin.
9. The whole scene with the train busting through the barrier was 10/10.
10. Wicked Thunder’s phase transition scene is super cool (egads!)