JJOCT7 R2M18 Jojolity

Judge Gregor Samsa (Logic)

Very funny to me that the character with the “beast” Jojolity used music from Bloodborne (where the main character is a hunter) and the character with the “hunter” Jojolity used music from Hellsing (where the main character is a beast). For all of you about to "but actually" me, 0 Jojolity and your discussion questions are due on Blackboard.

Steric doesn’t have a singular vision of what it means to be a hunter, he has many: a noble duel, integration with his environment, mastery over his arsenal, and more. While I would have liked to see more cohesion—something arising from the sum of these parts, likely on the relationship between Steric, Marcus, and Udon given its discussion at the beginning and the end—there are numerous mechanic decisions that consistently point back to those themes and motifs, to the tune of a [7].

To me, what raises flavor text to mechanical salience as Narrative is in the title; does the flavor text tell an actual story over the course of the strat. This need not be drastic story arcs or changes in character, but displaying some increased and robust understanding of the character themself is sufficient.

Embody Jojolities often prompt such flavor text which players push to the level of Narrative; I tend to include discussion of them under this category because “over the course of the strat” often translates to standards of robustness and integration. Marcus’s mental spiral is thus explored, section to section. This is sufficient to do well: the prose is considered and deliberate in both “flavor” and “tactical” sections.

Nonetheless as I’ve also often said pursuant of the “primarily mechanical integration” prong, what pushes these Narrative/Embody Jojolities is ludonarrative synergy, tactical decisions that are made to uniquely reflect the character writing and the Jojolity. While framing actions in the context of a thesis can help, such synergy can and should be more than mere Jojolity gloss over standard plays. Here Marcus’s decision to retreat to the bottom can be seen “framing” while blinding himself is more “unique to the Jojolity” given the mechanical drawbacks. However, higher ranking Embody Jojolity make ample use of both, and continue to reify the Jojolity through mechanical plays under the latter. I think Marcus could have pushed the tactical aspect of being a beast a bit more, especially in the final CQC section: beyond the individual blinding tactic, how does is the mental spiral mechanically expressed?

I walk through this analysis to give the player base a more robust understanding of Narrative (Quality) and Embody Jojolities, lest these details and specifics are elided over. While I would have loved further mechanical/ludonarrative reification, for plays given and the Narrative itself, Marcus has earned his flowers here: a solid [8].

Judge Takeshi Hongo (Alpha)

Moving onto JoJolity, I’ll start the second verse the same as I did for the first, with Pindrop!

Where the very beginning of the strat mentions the moniker, the ending sells it. Steric is a hunter, and he is here to hunt.

While I’ll admit that it doesn’t seem like he moved too far away from his ‘death of a thousand cuts’ baseline, I will also say that the focus on parrying until finding the perfect moment, the opening in a beast’s defenses, the moment that it believes it won… yes, I like it.

The strat also does a very good job of actually feeling [cramped], like you’re trapped inside the silo, watching Steric stare down a beast in low light and blast his way through it, pouring every ounce of himself on to get that one iota of trip-up over the beast before him.

Given I’ve only talked about the parts I liked and not the actual meat, I’ll assume that you get my point. This is a technical marvel laced with a useful voice hidden in a wall of text, and by my right as being an asshole in this seat, you get an **8**.

Let’s move on to Cause for Concern!

The quality of the writing aside, I’d be willing to give incredibly high marks for the writing here. I don’t want that to be lost behind the score I’m giving you here, so I decided to be forthcoming and admit it. What you put out is highly polished, incredibly easy to follow and read, and is a genuine gem of a read. Be proud of that.

Udon takes centerstage in the early portions of your writing, with Marcus being left to generate blood via, you guessed it, the gaping wound in his chest. He’s mostly hobbling around, looking for a place to sit that’s far enough away from all of what’s going on around him- which, if it’s overstimulation, I get it- so he can just be left alone.

I’ll be honest, I feel like leaving the actual beast to go get sopping wet and set up a little nest elsewhere is fine, but it lacks the meat of a confrontation, the pain and suffering that comes with defending one’s life and home- which I’ll admit, does come into play in the last act- but I feel like leaving it to the end might’ve been a minor misstep.

I’ll give you a solid **7** for effort!

Judge Seth Brundle (Extra)

Hi Marcus. Surprise: you get a **10.** To quote Dune, an animal caught in a trap will gnaw off its own leg to escape. The frenetic mania that is Marcus' mind during this match perfectly encapsulates the simplest instinct of a beast: survive. Getting disoriented by constant flashes? Gouge out your own eyes. Getting eaten by horseflies? Hack yourself to pieces and use the blood to turn your sweater into a glue trap. Pursued by a hunter? Retreat to your den. The constant use of smell and hearing only amplify the primal nature of Marcus throughout the strategy. Tracking Steric via his heartbeat emulates the way that sharks can smell blood from great distances. Despite being visually a wolf, Marcus takes the best of many different predators here and bundles them up into what can only be described as an apex. Let's not forget the "wretched and terrible" aspect, however, because undercutting all of this is a persistent sense of pity for the wolf. It's genuinely sad to see Marcus dismiss his own humanity and instead opt for the mindless fury of the hunt, finding contentment in becoming lesser. Suffice to say, you absolutely ate this Jojolity up.

Hi Steric. I'm feeling pretty generous today. Have a **10** yourself. Against an apex predator, only the most persistent and cognizant of hunters can survive. Fortunately for Steric, the one thing he can always count on is a good head on his shoulders. And also the tech machine that is Phantom, because holy hell you have so much incredible tech here. The litany of traps and options goes a long way to emulating a hunter - for as long as humans have existed, their great advantage over beasts has been endurance. Even if the beast can outrun us for a short while, humans always catch up. Weaving in and out of combat, using Marcus' overtuned senses against him, and making the most of your environment and your inventory, with tactics like the aspirin flashbang and swinging under the pipes with Phantom, show a resourcefulness that separates a hunter from a *hunter.* The appeal to Udon specifically, the tether to humanity that Marcus can't escape, also handles the "noble and honorable" part quite well - choosing to fight in a duel, refusing to disarm the Stand, and trying your best to make this quick and painless - aside from just being good strategy - is a perfect complement to Marcus' own beastliness, with Steric unilaterally rejecting that by choosing some form of mercy instead.

Both of these strategies are, in my opinion, gold standards for narrative integration. Dare I even say I think this is probably the best match of T7 so far.