u/GigaRoman

It's pretty well known that Toby LOVES deconstructing tropes and subverting expectations. However this makes it so that when the writing is actually (or at least looks) bad, you can't tell whether he intended for it to be so or if it was an actual blunder. Am I against deconstructing and/or subverting tropes? Absolutely not. I don't want to see the same thing over and over again. I love when a traditional trope gets subverted or when it gets deconstructed to show the realistic consequences. However, Toby does this to such a degree that it becomes confusing. Is Toby cooking here or is the writing just... Bad?

Take Susie in CH5, for example. We already know how weird her mood reset is, but Susie's escapism is pretty obvious. So is she just suppressing her worries a lot? Then again, she doesn't seem to show any sign of distress that would hint to it being the case before the chapter's end. She made a big deal about how she dislikes people who don't tell her the whole deal and literally told Ralsei to be more honest with them, yet when Ralsei pulls out a fire spell that would have been VERY USEFUL ESPECIALLY IN THE KNIGHT FIGHT, THANKS RALSEI, her entire reaction is just "woah, cool!" She doesn't grumble, she doesn't get annoyed or angry in any way, she just compliments him. She also tells Kris that they can't treat the dark worlds as a joke anymore and have to take this seriously since people are ACTUALLY getting hurt, before immediately saying that they should bring along her girlfriend who, as far as Susie knows, is as defenceless as a child in the dark worlds (and plus, look at her. She doesn't exactly scream "can hold their own" or "is pretty strong" or "she can keep her cool when stuff goes BAD" to me). So this begs the question again, is she just suppressing her worries and nervousness a LOT, or is the mood reset a genuine blunder on Toby's part?

Then there's the whole Suselle debacle which we also all know how shallow the ship seems. Is Toby setting up a falling out between Susie and Noelle where their relationship (at least temporarily) crashes and burns, or is the ship just badly written?

I quickly entered the council room. Vina followed me and shut the door behind us. The councillors all stood to attention as I entered, an air of gravity on their faces.

Hugo Toras: "Your Majesty. I assume you have already learned of the news."

You: "I have."

Me and Vina approached the table and sat down on our seats

Laurento Esquibel: "Rumburg has just declared war on the Republic of Sordland. Both their armies are already mobilizing."

You: "That's not too surprising. Between Beatrice's irredentist rhetoric and the rising tensions in the past four years, war was likely."

Vina sighed. She looked troubled

Vina Toras: "I just don't understand. Sordland and Rumburg never had the friendliest history, but to resort to war? Why would she do this?"

Hugo Toras: "Because president Rayne has been provoking her to do so."

He shot a look at Laurento, who nodded.

Laurento Esquibel: "The election of Anton Rayne was a stark change of direction for the republic. Rayne's presidency has been characterized by surging ethnic tensions, democratic backsliding, a notable increase of presidential powers and a hardline nationalist social and foreign policy"

You: "Wait, isn't Rayne from the same party as Alphonso? Why such a drastic political change?"

Laurento Esquibel: "You've done your research on Sordish politics, I see. Yes, Rayne is in the same party as Alphonso and, before him, colonel Soll. The United Sordland Party is a big-tent party, consisting of statist conservatives like Soll, free-market reformists like Alphonso and ultranationalists like Rayne."

You: "So Rayne is an isolationist? That would explain why he refused to let us invest in Gasom"

Laurento Esquibel: "Actually, no. To combat the recession, Rayne has reached out to other countries and has stipulated trade deals and even alliances. Specifically, Agnolia and Wehlen."

You: "Ah, yes. I remember reading it on the newspapers."

Laurento Esquibel: "In exchange for a favourable trade deal, Rayne has agreed to recognize Helijland as Agnolian. This shouldn't be too surprising, given his fierce anti-communism. Not only this, but they have also formed an alliance."

You: "It seems Van Hoorten doesn't care so much about democracy, considering he allied with a dictator"

Laurento Esquibel: "Then again, his only other two neighbors are a monarchy and a socialist republic, both of which are hostile. He was obviously pretty desperate. And speaking of allying with dictators... Rayne also signed a very favourable trade deal with Wehlen, in exchange for participation in Operation Bear Trap, which has earned both of them international condemnation."

You: "Bloodthirsty tyrants stick together, it seems."

Hugo Toras: "Indubitably."

Laurento Esquibel: "As for the rising tensions with Rumburg... At the start of Rayne's term, both him and Rumburg have closed a consulate in each other's territory. Since then, Queen Beatrice has ramped up anti-Sordish irredentist rhetoric of a 'Grand Awakening'. Then a few months ago, both have shot down a plane of the other, claiming it was in foreign territory. In Kyrute, the queen has denounced Sordish & Wehzek atrocities in Operation Bear Trap. In turn, Smolak and Rayne have brought forward evidence of Rumburg arming and backing the Bludish Freedom Front. Of course, you know the biggest piece of evidence Rayne has brought forward."

You: "Rumburg's nuclear weapons..."

Vina Toras: "I still don't understand. Why would aunt Bea build nuclear weapons?"

She sighed

Vina Toras: "Wouldn't it be better to devote those resources to the people instead?"

You: "Well, it's been pretty clear for a while now that Rumburg had ambitions of creating a third bloc in the cold war."

Laurento Esquibel: "Exactly."

You: "So, the war will also include Agnolia. Well, it seems to me like Rumburg has a very good chance at winning."

Laurento Esquibel: "Actually, Wehlen has a good chance of entering the war as well, given their hostile relations with Rumburg and deepened ties with Sordland."

Lucita Azaro: "Your Majesty, the war is actually much closer than you think."

You: "What? But Rumburg is a great power, Sordland has just exited a recession and Agnolia and Wehlen can't stand up to Rumburg."

Lucita Azaro: "That may be true, but Sordland's military has undergone a significant modernization program under Rayne. I saw their air force in action during Operation Bear Trap and their recent military parade. It's more modern than anything Rumburg has."

Hugo Toras: "Their generals are also quite brilliant, or so I've heard

Laurento Esquibel: "Regardless, both Rumburg and Sordland have failed to garner international sympathy, so no one will receive substantial international backing, aside from GRACE, of course."

Lucita Azaro: "Your Majesty, I will be blunt. The outcome of the war is very uncertain. Rumburg hasn't requested any help from us, but we can still aid them. Our forces might be the tipping point that will turn the outcome of the war in Rumburg's favour. On the other hand, if they still lose, we will have wasted resources for nothing."

Hugo Toras: 'Your orders?"

1. "We will send men and guns to Rumburg." [- 2 authority, -1000 manpower, -750 equipment]

2. "We will deploy an infantry division as volunteers in the war." [-2, -1 infantry division]

3. "Rayne wants to fight the war in the air? Very well. We'll fight the war in the air. Send airplanes to support Rumburg and deploy a paratrooper division." [-2 authority, +1 air support cooldown, -1 paratrooper division]

4. "We will send financial aid to Rumburg." [-2 authority, -4 budget]

5. "We will help Rumburg by giving them some of our energy." [-2 authority, -4 energy]

6. "We shall have to see how the war unfolds. Until then, we will simply offer diplomatic support to Rumburg."

u/torporgames I'm genuinely beginning you. Rizia is already hard enough and a headache, PLEASE don't make the new DLCs even harder. I don't want to deal with a political sim that has the difficulty of Cuphead and Hollow Knight combined. Please just keep the difficulty at the level of Rizia

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