hello agents georg. your mission if you choose to accept it is to tell me about the correlation between your agents and james bond (as you implied somewhere in a post i can't find)
HELLO. I'm sorry I teased this and then didn't actually drop it immediately. The list 'readily available' is only in my mind and some distant dm and life lifed a lot and trying to translate it from my brain into words was hardeded.
Mkay. So. This is... I guess I should largely say who I do have readily figured out is more specifically Tyr and Alucren, which makes sense because I made them to foil each other, essentially. Fun aside, Alucren was my answer to examining some of Tyr's core traits since Hunter, as-written and as he appears in game, misses the mark on drawing that out of Tyr. Which is not to say anything against as-written; but simply that I wanted to explore common themes that occur in the fanon around Nine and Hunter, and as they were, that wasn't working.
So along came Alucren. And the Bond comparisons specifically probably clicked... one day when I was rewatching Quantum of Solace, in particular.
So, buckle in besties. This will largely focus on the Craig-era Bond portrayal in film, as he's the primary Bond I grew up with, but my understanding of the character is also sprinkled with some of Pierce Brosnan's portrayals as well, and an honorary mention will probably be made to approximately the first hour or two of IO Interactive's 007: First Light, yes because that's all I made it through so far. Oops. >.>
The kind of short and sweet version is that a lot - I mean, a lot - of Tyr's overarching story is heavily influenced from Bond and M's dynamic as seen through Casino Royale through about Skyfall. Bond and M, again, are one of the primary influences on how I read Tyr's relationship with the old man, formerly Keeper turned the late Minister of Imperial Intelligence.
If I had to say one movie and one movie only for someone to watch a Bond film and understand Tyr, I'd... probably end up in a pickle between Casino Royale and Skyfall. My personal bias leans me towards Skyfall.
Because Skyfall takes a long look; Skyfall is a heavy-handed influence and inspiration for my interpretation of Tyr's perspective and who he is not only in ImpIntel, but after the agency has collapsed. One of the best scenes in that movie for this purpose, is the poem M recites in a scene towards the end:
Another short way I could say this is... one could say, not wholly incorrectly, that Tyr is Bond at his most refined moments, and Alucren is a lot more towards the impulsive end. Which is... fine. In that it's not wholly incorrect.
But it's important to Bond's characterization that he's not only one or the other. And it's equally important to Tyr and Alucren that they are equally not wholly one or the other end of the spectrum.
Casino Royale has successfully colored at least one mutual's understanding of Tyr and you know who you are /lh. It's important that Tyr is someone who operates on trusting his own judgement, regardless of what his orders are. It's important that he cooperates with the authority in his role (Keeper to him, or M to Bond, if you will), but he goes off the script. And has a track record of doing so in a way that characterizes his successes. It's an important element of the kind of trust and respect that Tyr holds for Keeper that they have an unspoken understanding of these boundaries.
And it's important to not discount the capacity for recklessness in Tyr. He's someone I know to be very charismatic. Disarming in how readily he adapts to a situation that makes you nearly believe it's all to plan. That it was always going to turn out okay. But he runs a lot more on intuition than maybe the textbook would like him to. And that's exactly why he's a valuable operative to Keeper - and thus the kind of intuition Tyr values heavily in his own work, and when he looks for talent in others.
Quantum, then, heavily characterizes Alucren for the most part. Alucren does not have the same level of refinement on those talents, the same level of polish. His intuition does not operate the same as Tyr's. He misjudges. His entitlements make him misstep. He's hotheaded. It's a lot she'll half chide herself for later in life. Her younger self was a real righteous prick, wasn't he?
There is also one scene in Quantum, the small discussion before the final confrontation, where Bond asks Camille if she's ever killed someone. Oh good, there is my dm yapping about this because I can't find the damn scene. I can find the score for that sequence but not the scene. Okay you're getting the copy and paste bc I already put in the work lmao.
[inhales] okay. somehow the internet is failing me and there's not. a direct clip of the precursor to this scene which is. bond asks camille, have you ever killed someone? and then when she doesn't really respond, his explanation for what she needs to do is like. training will tell you that, when the adrenaline kicks in, you should compensate. but part of you is not going to believe that training because this kill is personal. take a deep breath. you only need one shot.
Sorry I'm just. I'm copying and pasting scenes again and then you'll get words.
So. The ones I have scenes for are... I think I harp a lot sometimes on the emotional element of Tyr, I gotta be honest lol. I'm so interested in that guy's psyche. Pulling the scenes with Camille is another instance of that.
It's the connection. It's the emotional grounding. It's the having a reason to push past your limits. Tyr's reckless. Bond's capable of being reckless. They wager against the house when they think they've got a sure bet. It does not always work.
A lot of the times, it does.
Alucren is... Tyr could kick her ass. Full stop. And they have slightly different specialties when it comes to armament. Alucren will never be as comfortable at long range or really, really up close as Tyr is. And she has a much harder time regulating, controlling her own emotions... than Tyr does, when it comes to the job.
Alucren becomes capable of the same brand of recklessness Tyr is when she has something really personal to fight for. Because she learns that from Tyr. She learns from Tyr that... staking something on your own values, sticking to your own beliefs... that's the kind of person she wants to be. That was the kind of man she was not, in her youth.
Which is the emotional element of it. This range of... not only a very successful agent on the mission outcomes end. On the skillset capabilities. But of the nuance in between. The moments of reactivity. Learning from the times they got the best of you.
Sticking to it even if it's steered you on an unexpected course. When everyone else has told you that's what makes you a liability risk.
There is also, inescapably, a very crucial part of who Bond is that I could simplify as... the fucking audacity.
IO nailed this so well for me in First Light - what I did play of it. I remember the from the first time Bond meets M, they have him sitting with the secretary or whatever. And it's not all scripted, but in the silence of being left to wait, they throw you several series of 2 dialogue prompts. Needling for information, you could call it. But what had me in stitches was, You're very talkative, aren't you? Man cannot sit there and shut up. To save his fucking life. And... I had already felt so pleased with everything before that, right, but god... God was it ever another moment where I had that game in my hands and knew they nailed it. They nailed Bond. The snappy commentary. Not always smoothly charismatic, as liable to get him into a little extra trouble as it is actually land another lead.
This is not an absent quality in Tyr. He just might be a little quicker at concealing it. He's very good at that job, including against himself sometimes. And it sure as hell isn't wrong to say Alucren will not shut the fuck up. Alucren will wear three inch heels and get every goddamn centimeter jammed in her maw for not knowing when to fucking shut up.
So... yes, in short. It's about the action. It's the competency that arises from improvisation and thinking on the feet and the training. It's also in the blunders. And the refusal to take no for an answer. It's in the charisma and the irritating stubbornness.
Some of the particulars are influential on Tyr as well. The story of him being an orphan comes right out of my memories of Skyfall, I have to admit.
I strongly believe that movie is good enough to stand on its own even if you hadn't watched Casino Royale, but it is a treat to watch it from the start. Admittedly, a great deal of my fondness for the Craig-era films is from the fact that it is sort of one looped, growing narrative. It wasn't so inflated and self-referential on a Marvel scale, where it's hard to keep track and know where to pick up from. But if you knew where things started, it added another layer to the anticipation.
And it's still some of my favorite cinematography.
OH. OH and title themes. God, I couldn't talk about Bond and forget title sequences jesus okay. So. The one that I really, really have paired is Alucren and Quantum's title sequence song, really. That's an integral part of her playlist for me. Load bearing inclusion. Fuck it, yes give me the one with the title sequence. Little bit of a flashing lights warning for this though.
A good Bond title sequence to me has references to what you're about to learn and watch unfold in the title sequence itself. To me. Inescapably good quality of any Craig-era Bond film I can think of readily.
With how heavily I favor these damn films, there's probably a touch of something in about every agent I have. Or I could find something, if I dug long enough. But these two are my primary culprits - in hindsight, the most "intentional," if you will, if you can call realizing it several years later intentional, lol.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
guys you know what that means. tyr replay number... uhhh ... uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....
okay joke cancelled bc i also just realized venture is not particularly the way i had in mind for them to do class story more readily replayable as a thing but you know what i'll take it.
[ ask me a ‘top five’ anything(+ i said bonus points for xiv, but i’ll also consider it for swtor related lol) ]
ooohhh cozy... in no particular order, just as they came to me.
A freshly laundered fuzzy blanket, fresh from the dryer.
The velvety muzzle of a horse.
A furry cat with a healthy soft coat.
Flower petals, when they're still on the growing, healthy plant. They can feel so fragile, but it's like... a unique touch experience to carefully hold one.
(kool aid man bursting thru the wall) did someone say xiv? /lh uhhh top five jobs :3
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
[ ask me a 'top five' anything (+ i said bonus points for xiv, but i'll also consider it for swtor related lol) ]
I'm gonna decide to do this loosely for 'five favorite jobs' which may or may not wind up in some particular order I have not pre-determined.
But if I'm going to think about how they play to me, then we're gonna start with the big guns:
01 - Machinist
Machinist I can pick up at nearly any level, from any amount of time away from the game, and have a classifiable pretty good time. It's also the primary job which I feel comfortable playing in PvP - the singular that I feel any level of layman's competency in succeeding at playing. It has one of the coolest animation aesthetic sets, one of the coolest fashion aesthetics of the jobs, and the latter benefits even more so from the glamour unlock because it can now be Peaked (tm) by stealing items from the Gunbreaker line.
Stephanivien is also fantastic and beautiful and I adore him. Has a great /vpose and /battlestance to gpose with. Has a variety in its weapons that caters to a broad range of aesthetics within the job itself. Overall, a very, very good time. Gun in a fantasy game, still insisting there's just a little bit of fantasy to why this gun works like it does.
02 - Red Mage
Let the baddest bitches in the room please stand up, decked in velvet, most often of the red persuasion. The other baddest bitch of them all on fashion, overall aesthetic, and ease of pick up play imo - both in PvE and PvP. Though one of the jobs that is easier to pick up and play than it is to truly master, to my understanding, and I would not say I have ever achieved the latter.
Dual cast makes for smooth play. They can raise. They can heal. The damage they can put out makes a good Red Mage a one-person army, all but. Gun to my head if I could only ever play one job ever for the rest of Final Fantasy XIV, I'd probably pick Red Mage.
I miss X'hrun and Arya so fucking bad, man. A really enjoyable job quest story-wise from start to finish. One of my absolute favorites. Nearly unparalleled weapon design. There is nearly no criteria upon which I could ever possibly want to judge a job that I could find Red Mage wanting for. The best of many worlds in one package.
03 - Viper
The second I got it in my hands, I was in love. Viper plays at a very enjoyable speed, and is an exciting preview of the streamlined play and ability progression they seem to be steering towards for Evercold. I still miss the DoT that it had at launch. There's a part of me that will always be missing that died when the nuked the DoT. Where's my satisfying little noise, Square? What have you done to her?
I understand why we only get one run of job quests right now and that's probably for the best long-term, but god do I miss 'em. Only 10 lvls with Keshkwa was heartbreaking.
Anyway. Fantasy TWO swords. Peak outing with its first job armor. Everything I wanted from a protag's outfit. Again, inescapably pleasurable to play. Also incredible /poses, and a great /draw pose to boot.
04 - Astrologian
I miss how she was in Shadowbringers, I'm not gonna lie. I really do. I briefly dropped to Sage on Endwalker launch because it was the new shiny thing, but she's my siren song. I must return to the cards. Still the most consistently entertaining healer for me to play. White Mage is as straight forward as it gets and just bores me to tears to play too consistently. At least I get a little something else to manage and entertain myself with here.
I not only miss Sects, but I miss SHB era card management style as well. There are some ways which the new system is easier and there are ways where I find it more clunky. Still, if I only get one, I'm only playing Astro. Easy.
Some really cool globe/orb designs. Peek for my 'pondering my orb' joke era. Velvety robes are a win. The stars and moons get to pop off. Has my favorite AOE attack vfx in Gravity. A little limited on the overall variety in its cast animations, however.
Also should get points for being an early insight into Sharlayan, the homeland, corruption. Jannequinard could afford to learn how to shut tf up sure, but there was that whole thing about not only Ishgardian suppression of the art, but Sharlayan aversion to sharing it beyond the borders as well. I don't remember the Stormblood arc well simply because it's been a while since I've done it, but I remember an exploration of Geomancy, which was a cool tie-in?
And since we've basically covered all categories but one, that leaves tanks...
05 - Paladin
I bitch a lot about Paladin, actually. From a story perspective, it's easily one of my least favorite outings. Gladiator was such a knock-out for me against the other class quests and even the job quests, and then picking up paladin through the Heavensward quests is such a catastrophic fumble of what this job arguably usually represents in fantasy broadly, and what we're told it's supposed to represent even in the text itself. I easily think the Heavensward arc in particular is one of, arguably, the worst series of writing this game has to offer. Jenlyns himself saying none of that much makes sense, but okay is... galling.
And yet, for all the shit I give it for it's writing, playing it's really grown on me. There's something about each of the 4 tanks that doesn't quite feel smooth to me in one way or another - Paladin's is the story. But none of the other tanks play like Paladin, to me. The only other I'd consider on a gameplay point is Gunbreaker, but for whatever reason, I've always struggled with Gunbreaker's mitigation, and that makes it a little more... uncomfy, if you will.
It's a job that gets better in the mid-ish levels. By the time its finished its HW kit, I'm pretty satisfied. I haven't really played it consistently enough when it has its magical components to have that part figured out, but it's an interesting standout in that it's the only tank so far to heavily play with that element. That may change when we get the Evercold jobs.
PLD has party utility that I haven't wholly mastered working with myself, but also gets huge boons for itself with Clemency. It's a job that should have a lot to say about the world the characters are in, and I think they missed the mark on really leveraging that and using it wholly, but it's interesting to think of nonetheless. All of the tank jobs have at least one artifact set that I've always wanted to steal for really cool vibes, and PLD is no exception, though it does benefit in its longevity being a starter class in having a really broad range of what you can make of it that still feels within the identity of the job. And it looks like it'll be even more fun for me, personally, in the new mode they're releasing in Evercold.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
what if i played a ds agent run for seren. says agents goerge but consider: the really, really compelling way his attitude of being the worst little rat ever would make problems out of everything <3
the problem with having multiple xiv ocs that are dearly beloved to me is that i am incredibly indecisive about who to lock in on and catch up for evercold bc i'm really really excited for that launch.
the benefit that is also an agony is that multiple wols gives me multiple different versions of conversations with the narrative and who the wol is meant to be, so the benefit is getting to baste in all the feels caused by that and the agony is i'm only one person and there's multiple of them and i can't play them all at the same time and my brain can only have so many thoughts before steam starts coming out of my ears aaaaaaauughghghghgghgh etc etc
anyway. i miss jax, i miss averitt, so on and so forth and everyone is really cool. augh.
