Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱

#SussexSquad #BLM Pretty woke. Antifa as fcuk. English Advocate, A-level and EPQ Senior Moderator, telemark ski-god, birder, hagiographer, post-box spotter.

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

Tabloids: writing about Prince Harry.
Every person and their dog on social media: writing about Prince Harry.
Prince Harry: "I'm writing a memoir."
Tabloids and Hate-Spacers and their dog on social media: "How very dare he!"
#SussexSquad #TsunamiOfHate #Mayhem #TsunamiOfFear

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

@QueenWithTheTea Larry agrees.

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

@LolMartin97 Thank you, my thoughts exactly. (I’ve played 7.9 now on 5 different characters, and starting on my sixth, characters both loyalists and saboteurs.) Why do my choices no longer matter? Whether I let Malgus or Jadus continue or try to stop them, the result is the same. @SWTOR

[Martiin @LolMartin97]

So, after multiple playthroughs, I'm honestly a bit underwhelmed by 7.9, and the more I replayed it, the more certain things started bothering me. Not because the update is completely terrible, because it isn't, and not because there aren't moments that genuinely work, because there absolutely are, but because by the time the credits rolled I was left with a feeling I've been getting more and more often from SWTOR lately.

It feels like the game keeps telling me my character matters while simultaneously treating them like they don't.

My first run was on my Sith Inquisitor. Darth Nox. A character that rejoined the Empire, worked alongside Acina, built the Alliance, survived everything from the Emperor to the Nathema Conspiracy, and has basically spent the last decade proving why they deserve to be taken seriously. Yet the second this whole Jadus, Malgus, and Heta storyline kicks into gear, it's almost like the game forgets all of that. I found myself standing in front of Acina thinking, "Have we met before?" because the way the story treats the relationship feels strangely disconnected from everything that came before it. Rejoining the Empire was supposed to mean something. The game made a big deal out of it. Choosing where your character stood after everything with Zakuul was one of the biggest decisions SWTOR ever gave us, yet nowadays it increasingly feels like those choices only matter when the story remembers they happened.

The Odessen ambush is probably the first moment where I started noticing it again. We get grounded, we get restricted, and our character just kind of accepts it. No real pushback. No real challenge. Just acceptance. Then later the holocron gets taken and we ignite our lightsaber, deliver what is supposed to sound like a threat, tell them they're making a very unfortunate mistake, and then immediately switch it off and let them leave. And I just sat there wondering what the point of that scene even was. If we're not going to do anything, why pretend we are? Why give us the moment only to immediately take it away? This isn't some newly arrived Sith trying to find their place in the galaxy. This is Darth Nox. This is somebody who has survived things most Sith couldn't even imagine surviving. The scene almost feels like it belongs to an entirely different character.

That's kind of where my issues with player choice come in as well. At this point I honestly don't know why SWTOR still pretends some decisions matter when the outcome is clearly locked in from the start. I understand that an MMO can't have a thousand branching paths. Nobody expects that. But when almost every choice eventually loops back to the exact same result, and sometimes companions literally step in to redirect your decision anyway, the illusion starts falling apart. There were several moments where I found myself thinking, "Then why even ask me?" because if Lana, Theron, or whoever else is just going to correct my decision a few seconds later, what exactly was the purpose of giving me the option? It's gotten to the point where sometimes I already know the outcome before I've even clicked the dialogue wheel. The choice isn't really changing the situation anymore. It's just changing how we arrive at the exact same destination.

The space battle didn't really help either. I did it once on both factions and honestly that was enough. I know what they were trying to achieve, and I appreciate the effort to do something different, but for me it wasn't exciting. It was kinda just disorienting. More than once I found myself focusing on trying not to get dizzy instead of focusing on what was actually happening in the story, which is probably not the reaction they were hoping for.

Then we get planetside, and something else started standing out to me. We spend time as Lana. We spend time as Theron. We spend time as Malgus. We spend time as our own character. Yet somehow I walked away feeling like some of the companions had more presence in the story than the player character did. Maybe that wasn't the intention, but that was definitely the impression I was left with. SWTOR has always been strongest when the story revolves around your character and the people around them. Here it sometimes felt like I was watching everybody else's story unfold while my own character was simply present for it.

I was also pretty disappointed with how the Heta situation ended. Not because I necessarily needed to be the one delivering the final blow, but because after years of buildup I walked away feeling like the player character barely mattered during one of the biggest moments of the entire Mandalorian storyline. We've been dealing with Heta for years at this point. She's been one of the central antagonists of this entire arc. We've chased her across multiple updates, dealt with the fallout of her actions, watched the Mandalorians tear themselves apart because of the conflict she helped create, and then when we finally reach the climax, the payoff just feels strange.

I think another reason the Heta fight didn't really work for me is because of how SWTOR keeps handling power scaling. Heta is dangerous, She's a capable fighter, a capable leader, and she's spent years causing problems for both the Mandalorians and everybody around them. But at some point the game starts asking me to ignore everything my character has accomplished. This isn't some newly created character. This is Darth Nox. This is the Hero of Tython. This is the Commander. Depending on who you're playing, we've defeated enemies that make Heta look insignificant by comparison. we took down Arcann, we killed Vaylin, We've beaten the Emperor. we 'destroyed' the superweapon on iokath, We've beaten the Nathema Conspiracy, . We've survived things that should have killed us multiple times over. We've faced threats that put entire star systems at risk.

Then suddenly I'm supposed to believe that Heta Kol is capable of outmatching not only my character, but Shae, Rass, and Jekiah at the same time?

That's where the scene lost me.

Because it stopped feeling like Heta was winning through skill.

It started feeling like Heta was winning because the story needed her to survive until the next cutscene.

And those are two very different things.

A villain should feel dangerous because they've earned that reputation, not because everyone around them suddenly becomes less capable whenever they're on screen.

Then right when Heta is about to land the final blow, Shae kills Heta and Heta kills Shae.

And that's it.

Years of buildup.

Years of conflict.

Years of tension.

And the player character is basically sitting there watching the conclusion happen.

Again.

That's probably what disappointed me the most. Not that Heta died. Not that Shae got the moment. Heta was Shae's enemy long before she became ours, so from a story perspective I understand it. The problem is that after years of buildup, another major storyline reaches its conclusion and the player once again feels more like a witness than a participant.

Which brings me to the orbital bombardment, because honestly this is where the story completely lost me.

Acina or Vowrawn orders a bombardment on the exact location where both Malgus and the player character are standing. Not some random soldier. Not some expendable operative. The player character. The same person who has repeatedly saved the Empire, repeatedly solved problems nobody else could solve, repeatedly proven their loyalty. Lana warns them. Theron warns them. The possibility of losing us is acknowledged right there in the scene, and yet the response is basically "do it anyway."

And I just don't buy it.

Not because leaders can't make ruthless decisions.

Not because sacrifices can't happen.

But because the story never really addresses the implications of it.

If you're a loyalist, especially a loyalist who's spent years supporting the Empire, that scene feels incredibly strange. We're not talking about some disposable asset. We're talking about somebody who has spent years protecting Imperial interests. Somebody who willingly returned. Somebody who repeatedly chose the Empire when they didn't have to. So when Acina or Vowrawn effectively decides we're acceptable collateral damage, my first reaction wasn't shock.

It was confusion.

It felt less like a difficult decision and more like the story needing a certain outcome to happen regardless of how much sense it made for the characters involved.

Instead Malgus gets exactly what he wanted, gives his "BREAK FREE!" speech, and suddenly we're back on Odessen staring at credits.

No debrief.
No aftermath.
No explanation.
No escape.

Nothing.

Just credits.

And that's honestly my biggest issue with the ending. Not the cliffhanger itself, but how abrupt it feels. A cliffhanger is supposed to make me excited for what's next. This one mostly left me wondering if I accidentally skipped a cutscene somewhere. At the very least I wanted to see us escape. I wanted a conversation on Odessen. I wanted some kind of aftermath before moving into 8.0. Instead the story feels like it stops halfway through the final chapter.

The weird thing is I don't even think it would've taken much. A short debrief. A conversation with Lana or Theron. A chance to process what just happened. Anything. Something that makes the ending feel complete before asking us to wait for the next expansion. Because right now it feels like the story ends right when the aftermath should be starting.

And speaking of the ending, I think that's another reason the Malgus situation didn't really land for me. I don't necessarily have a problem with Malgus winning. SWTOR has always been at its best when villains are allowed to be dangerous. The problem is that after all this buildup, after all this chasing, after all these confrontations, it increasingly felt like Malgus was going to succeed no matter what anybody did. Whether we support him or oppose him, the destination barely changes. Which again circles back to the same problem I've had throughout this update. The feeling that events are happening around the player rather than because of the player.

The Jedi Knight run gave me many of the same feelings, just from the Republic side. The Chancellor increasingly feels like Saresh 2.0, which is already concerning enough, and then we have Rava, who spends a surprising amount of time talking down to a character that has quite literally saved the Republic multiple times. If it wasn't for us, Manaan would've been lost. Yet somehow he walks onto Odessen acting like he controls the room. The holocron scene plays out almost exactly the same way, and once again I found myself wondering why my character was simply standing there accepting everything that was happening. It's basically the same problem as the Imperial side, just wearing different colors.

The double-agent route might actually be the strangest example of all of this because the reveal comes completely out of nowhere. No warning. No buildup. No message from Lana. No message from Theron. No indication that we're about to be exposed. It just happens. One minute everything is normal, the next everybody knows. And instead of creating tension, it mostly left me feeling like there were several scenes missing from the story. A double-agent storyline should be filled with paranoia. It should make you wonder when everything is finally going to fall apart. Instead the reveal arrives so suddenly that I spent more time wondering how we got there than reacting to it.

At the end of the day, I don't hate 7.9. I really don't. There are things I enjoyed. There are moments I thought were genuinely cool. There are ideas in this update that I want to see explored further. Darth Jadus being back is interesting. Some of the cinematics are genuinely fantastic. There are moments where you can see the potential of where the story wants to go next. That's honestly why the disappointment hits as hard as it does. Because I don't think the foundations are bad. I think the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

For an update that revolves around some of SWTOR's biggest characters and some of its biggest story developments, I never stopped feeling like my own character was strangely disconnected from everything happening around them. Whether I was Darth Nox, the Hero of Tython, or a double agent caught between two factions, I constantly felt like I was being carried through the story instead of driving it.

And for a game that built its reputation on player identity and player choice, that's probably the most disappointing thing I can say about it.

I still HOPE that before 8.0 drops we at least get a 15 min debrief, instead of this.. underwhelming cliffhanger.

@SWTOR @GeekyFriedRice #SWTOR #LegacyReborn

[Larry the Cat @Number10cat]

I miss the old door.

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

We know the rules, #SussexSquad!

[Muluye @Mulugold]

You know what to do, when you see this!!
Happy Father's Day Prince Harry ❤️

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

@Qiyyah18 @susanmaclean41 Double standards are Qwhite telling…

[Qiyyah @Qiyyah18]

Eugenie & Beatrice post pictures of August, Ernest, Sienna & Athena’s obscuring their faces…not a cricket can be heard.
Meghan posts Harry, Archie & Lilibet & this deranged individual suggests their DNA be collected to prove they’re Meghan & Harry’s children.
It’s psychotic.

[Stormborn @pjtStormborn]

“ And then Meghan arrived. An accomplished, intelligent, successful, beautiful woman who looked at him and saw him. Not his role, not his rank, not a spare part … Harry. The man. Someone worthy of love, respect, and protection.” https://t.co/CABCMO0aI5

[Glow Lee @GlowanneLee]

Polite reminder that King Charles with provocation TRASHED his mother The Queen and his Father Prince Philip via his Dimbleby written biography. He authorised his biography to call her a cold emotionally absent mother and his father a bully.

It’s worth noting that this was not in response to briefings by his parents against him and therefore to defend himself. This was unprovoked by Charles.

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

@UnJourSansMoi Word!

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

More double standards...

How Lilibet’s ‘Sinister’ Soft Toy Became Palace‑Approved Whimsy https://t.co/yfB63Ba5Yg

[Gloria Sussex Arsenal @GloGoonerette]

Still awake at night with that much hatred for Meghan? Wishing a woman public humiliation and cruelty because you dislike her is not criticism, it’s obsession. The level of bitterness is truly disturbing. 🙄 sorrow sorrow

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

@diasporahighsch @LynneCa23233875 @TudorChick1501 Qwhite. Thank you.

[Brazen Hussy Chris Hawkes🇮🇱 @Livefats]

@LynneCa23233875 @TudorChick1501 Please tell us when either Harry or Meghan said "one set of Grandparents, family & a country are Racists". I should hope that you are not trying to disguise your prejudice behind lies...

[ᗰᗩƳᖇᗩ @LePapillonBlu2]

He knows the entire world is laughing at him, that’s his legacy.

[Benjamin Eley Cannell Parody (Fake/Parody) @benjic_parody]

I got blocked by @according2_taz betstie Amber Glossop. I guess she didn't like me calling out her hypocrisy. You can't be upset about protestors "booing children" when your besties has spent the past 7 years of their lives spreading vile hate about children online.

[Lily Revin @LuckyRevin]

Rembr whn #CamillaTomineyIsaLiar claimd her sources wr impeccable & alluded 2 the info comin straight frm the source?

Now she reveals she’s always had Kate’s no:& talks 2 her directly

So do we need any more proof of who the source of that lie was? 😑😏

[Anne Boleyn (“Royal Expert") @TudorChick1501]

You don’t get to criticize the hair, skin color, and legitimacy of Harry and Meghan’s children, and then act like you care about protecting children.