This shall be my last one of these posts for a while; I’ll put them on hold for the month of October so as not to distract from the ‘A Night in the Lonesome October’ Read-Along. Which also means I’ll probably have quite a bit to say once we get back. Especially since I’m going through Legend of Nayuta alongside Cold Steel I, for twice the goodness (even if it isn’t exactly Trails, it counts enough for me). With all that being said:
…
Rean. I mean, yes, Emma talking on the phone is more believable than a talking cat, but Emma’s so bad at hiding it. How can you not notice?
‘She’s my supervisor.’
So. Bad. At hiding it.
Why are they all so mean to Instructor Thomas? He’s great!
…
Rean. My dude. You fell for ‘Alisa’s over there in a swimsuit’? Why?! How?! You must be smarter than this!
Gaius: ‘I need to find something important to me to draw.’
Sees Rean.
You know… I thought Neithardt was going to be the one serious teacher. I guess I was wrong. Why do you care so much about the dudes swimming worse than the girls?
Also, notable that Gaius can sense Higher Elements. I mean, Emma makes sense since she has straight up magic, I think. But Gaius? The only other people we’ve seen sense them are trained by the Septian Church or on Gnosis. So.
Ha! Basically all of Class VII was just standing there listening to the family drama unfold and neither Schwarzer sibling noticed. And not even the likes of Gaius or Elliot thought to say ‘let’s not eavesdrop’.
Elise. You cannot possibly be that dumb. Why, why, why would you keep exploring after the weird elevator took you four floors down? I’d say it runs in the family, but I guess this is nurture, not nature.
Also. Rean. My dude. You had plenty of time while running to the Old Schoolhouse to call your friends. You knew it was possible she went inside the monster den. Call for help!
‘Group B: Alisa, Emma, Gaius, (and Jusis).’
Why must you directly target me like this, game? Why must you take literally my entire main party from me, game?
Ho bo, I get why it happens, but I am really not thrilled that Emma’s entire orbment got unequipped because she’s in the other group. Thanks game. That’s really helpful. I didn’t plan on ever using her again anyway.
Not sure how I feel that Patrick is suddenly not the absolute worst. Still a jerk, but, like, a jerk that seems to be actually analyzing his behavior. Check back later.
I am however sure how I feel about the fact that he apparently has a thing for Elise. It’s hilarious. I love it. I like angry brother Rean.
Wait. Hold up. ‘Amber Amour’? Isn’t that…? Olivier released a record of that song?
Huh. A waitress named Agnes? I’m sure it’s coincidence, but wasn’t Sunshine Agnes a waitress too? [Footnote 1].
Ah. Never mind. Olivier just stole the title. Fair enough.
Oh my goodness! So many cats in Ost street! I love it!
Stole the title and the tune. I’m not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I thought it was more fun when Olivier apparently put a ballad together on the spot, music and lyrics. On the other hand, him spoofing a tune seems in character.
‘Not even the legendary Phantom Thief B could slip by our security system!’
Sigh. Look, man. I already knew he was gonna show up and steal it. I’m fairly certain he’s Andre, since it would be in character for Bleublanc to steal Olivier’s wandering minstrel of love bit. But did you have to lay it on so thick?
Guys! There are nine of you! If you hate someone, you don’t have to stand next to them! Why does this keep happening?
Also, why are Rean and Alisa both wearing weird fingerless gloves on one hand? I’d get it if it were just Alisa, because archer, or just Rean, because angsty anime-esque protag, but both seems odd. And they’re the only two.
Ooh! The underground passage uses the, I believe, Tetracylcic Tower theme. Neat!
Oh! hey! Bond’s here. And he mentions Sunita and Creil. That’s a nice little nod.
‘Burglary at the jewelry store’.
Here it comes. The time is nigh.
Also… For a little bit, I was wondering if the story of Machias’ cousin was going to end up tying into Bleublanc’s identity. I mean, I know that he told us it wasn’t that one, but…
Gotta say, I’m getting real sick of the Active Voice clips. Almost without fail, they come up when I’d rather be talking to an NPC, opening a chest, going fishing, or fighting a monster. In other words, basically anything. And they’re hardly ever relevant too. They just slow down gameplay.
Bleublanc! So brazen! Love it.
That… That is not how I expected Reise to be pronounced. I don’t know that it’s wrong, per se, but it feels like the first and second syllables are using different vowel rules.
‘[Can I think of you as a brother like Elise does]?’
Alfin. Alfin. You already have two brothers.
Ah, Olivier. Still as good as ever [Footnote 2].
And I gotta say, kinda sick of these games’ tendency to stick a way too long chapter in the middle. I don’t love have the story grind to a halt around a significantclimatic event like this, or the Anniversary Festival, or the West Zemuria Trade Conference. It’s a little frustrating.
Hmm. I think the Summer Festival / Alfin theme might be my favorite song in the game so far. It has a nice, peaceful charm to it. And there’s that bit of some instrument… accordion maybe? I can never quite place it, but I really like it in more than just this.
Honestly, the fact that the party forgot about the secret passage into Mater Park is a bit too boneheaded for me to forgive. You were there two days ago. You saw evidence people were sneaking through one of the other underground passages. Get it together guys.
Ok. But actually this time: where’s Mueller? Are we only going to get a token reference to him and nothing more?
Sara: ‘Hey, guys. I need you to make sure nothing happens to Princess Alfin. Got it?’
The party, five minutes (hyperbolically) later: ‘Well. Looks like security has it under control. Let’s leave and go to the opposite side of the city.’ Really guys? Really? You had one job.
No, no, no. I can’t possibly be actually growing to like Patrick. He’s the worst!
‘Oh no! A bone dragon! There’s no way we can win because this is way too strong!’
If by that you mean ‘barely an inconvenience’, then yes.
Holy crap guys. That’s, like, the third time you’ve just stood and watched while Gideon pulls shenanigans you should have stopped. You’re five feet away! Restrain him for pity’s sake!
Well. That was the most underwhelming end to a fight ever. Like, I appreciate you ending the hopeless fight before too long, but did you have to end it the turn after Rean ate some fried fish? Maybe after one of C’s turns, huh?
‘Who were Lianne Sandlot’s companions’?
Why you gotta do me like this game? I really, really want to pick Stahlritter since there’s no reason Rean should know the name and Gralsritter would just be funny.
Noi! Love that! Such a great little reference to have (especially since I get it now that I’ve started Nayuta).
Did I seriously just get a Zeram Capsule for helping the girls with their swimming lesson? What the heck Sara? How much do you hate Neithardt?
Oh, Millium and Crow. You guys suffer hard from showing up too late. I just don’t really care now that my party’s mostly formed.
And upon further review… I think I actually kind of don’t like Force? Like, it makes it too easy to S-Craft spam. What’s even the point of Wild Rage when you can effectively get there off one large enough mob?
I swear… If it doesn’t become relevant somehow that Vita smells like lavender, so help me…
A~nd, nevermind. They hit us with that plot point immediately. Guess Vita and Emma are associated somehow. Heaven forfend we– you know, nevermind. Let’s be positive.
Oh. O~h. And that seals it. I’d thought she meant Machias and Elliot when she said ‘those two’, y’know, since they’re fans? But Rean’s confusion means it can’t be that obvious and it has to be Emma and Celine.
Wait. Does this mean Gideon is one of the terrorists that gets merced by Red Constellation? Oh man.
Glad to know that Neithardt probably isn’t going to be evil… He just hates Sara.
‘Do bananas count as snacks?’
‘Let’s go, go, goooooo~!’
So. Turns out I do like Millium, I just have no incentive to actually use her in a fight.
You know, Thomas? Sometimes I wish you were Class VII’s homeroom teacher too.
Hey. Celine is sneaking onto this field study. Neat.
‘The Arseid school teaches swords, bows, and spears.’
Laughs in Stahlritter.
Legram! Knights! Bracer Guild! Toval!
[Footnote 3]. So I do find the whole thing with the Animist cross incredibly curious. In the first place, I went in with the expectation that Animism would be presented with vague Shinto overtones, much like how the Septian Church is vaguely Christian [Footnote 4].But the way they talk about their ‘spirits’ comes across to me as somewhat more reminiscent of Celtic myth, when framed with the general culture of Legram as a whole. When considering Western Zemuria, the games are fairly consistent about presenting them as mostly European inspired in their cultures. There are a few oddities here and there that slip through, but it’s pretty thorough. And Legram is no exception. The buildings are very similar to the classic ‘medieval European town’ aesthetic, especially with the Arseid Manor presiding over it all and Lohengrin Castle in the distance. And then there’s the spirits. They talk more than once about how the environment has a certain fey quality to it and the relationship the people of Legram hold towards their spirits comes across as one of mutual respect more than abject worship. Kinda has a ‘Good Neighbors’ vibe to me. Granted, all of this could be my personal biases slipping through, but… The point being, I find the cross at the center of it all fascinating particular because they go out of their way to mention ‘no one knows what the symbol actually means, it’s just been used as long as anyone can remember’ or something to that effect. Which is interesting because much of the historical connotations of a haloed cross like that are very much Chrisitian. At least from a European perspective, which seems to fit more closely with the rest of Legram. There is the older, pre-Christian sunwheel, but that is a somewhat simpler symbol that certainly doesn’t have the same image as the smaller, table-set icons which are out and out Celtic crosses. And so maybe the importance of the line is just kind of shrugging off why a fairly Christian symbol is in a setting with no Christian context. I’m certainly not trying to say that Zemuria is secretly some far-future Earth [Footnote 5], but I just find it interesting.
Wait. Hold up. I don’t actually even get to fight the training bout? That’s kinda lame.
Huh. So Erebonia has demon summoning bells too. Neat.
Oh good. Thors Academy also teaches the ‘Ace Detective’ lesson of taking civilians into danger zones. Glad to know it. Though admittedly I kinda agree with them here. There isn’t any egress and there’s no safe zone, so with the combatants probably is the safest place.
Ey! Arianrhod! At the Sandlot castle too.
Also, was it just a graphical thing, or was Gaius the only one not surrounded by spooky glowy energy?
— Breakpoint for Nayuta updates —
Nayuta: Trails Game.
Moons: Two.
Constellations: Apparently Earth-based by mention of the Summer Triangle.
Oh boy, it’s all comin’ together now.
And there’s that whole boundary thing with the ‘End of the World’, since I know that’s true of Zemuria as well (even if I probably am not supposed to yet). Wonder what the implications of that will be.
Seriously? Eartha? Is that really a name?
Septluxian Scope… Hmm… I mean, aside from the obvious ROYGBIV, it does call to mind Septium, especially with its relation to Star Fragments.
Oh! There is a roll button! Thank goodness. That’s the only way I’m going to move now.
Also, with all the underwater buildings, I can’t help but wonder if Remnant Island is a Remnant of the Eldeen Continent in the Atlas Sea after it was flooded by the Ark of Napishtim.
Hmm. Mysterious cloaked bad guy gives me some Dark Fact vibes.
The overwhelming gear aesthetic also reminds somewhat of orbments, since I think it’s established they work by something something clockwork something something orbal energy.
Oh no. Blue-haired mystery lady. Don’t fall for her Nayuta, because she’ll definitely ascend to godhood and or Eldeen spooky voice heaven by the time the game’s over.
Terra… Hmm…
And I’m sure it’s nothing, but I do find it curious we have another Herschel.
‘Humans can’t handle warps. Why are you fine Cygna?’
Gee. I wonder. Can it be called foreshadowing when it’s transparent?
Caelum and Volans seem super sketchy.
‘Great Flood’?! Depth Napisthim Depth Napishtim Depth Napishtim.
Getting minor Loewe vibes from mask man. Or maybe Schwarzritter, but six of one.
…
Speaking of, remember when Loewe’s name was actually Leonhardt and nobody refers to him as that? That was weird.
So I was already thinking there’s a 0 percent chance this is actually Cygna, just because of how he rejoined the scene, but did he always have gold eyes? Is that the clue that’s supposed to tell us it’s actually Schwarzritter?
‘The sea and sky are black and you can’t see the sun. That’s the End of the World.’
Oh. Space. So the Sea of Ciencia is a plane floating in space. Got it.
Eartha’s coughing? Oh no! She caught anime mom disease even though she’s a sister.
Ok, so the Astrolabe is just the Ark of Napishtim with more gears, right?
‘The Astrolabe is the most important machine the People of Mythos made.’
Ark. Of. Napishtim. And I mean, ‘with more gears’ just reads as running off of Orbal Energy instead of Emelas, right?
‘Reminds me the idea of atoms that I read about in an old book.’
Ok. And we’re back to post-Earth setting. But I’m all the more convinced ‘Star Energy’ is just Orbal Energy from the whole ‘it flows through all things including earth, wind, fire, and water’ [Footnote 6].
‘[There’s an old myth about how there used to be one moon when humans and gods walked together]’.
Right. So the People of Mythos are the Eldeen and they built the second moon as some sort of space station whose climate was controlled by the Astrolabe as the Ark of Napishtim. I know the whole ruins falling from the sky thing doesn’t exactly fit in with this line of thought, but… I mean… Also, given the Sea of Ciencia seems to be planar, I’m not sure how that fits in with it having two moons. I actually think this just means the End of the World is a smokescreen, especially since Nayuta did mention that there is still a curvature of the Earth observable on the horizon. Hmm… Either way, I think more with each little plot point that passes that the People of Mythos are just the Eldeen, but probably in a world that diverged in form of magic; Orbal Energy instead of magic via Emelas.
Footnote 1: Check back later for my theory on why Grace is one of the Hexen Clan (I know I’m not supposed to know about them yet. Shush) and Coppe was her familiar all along! It’s dumb enough that I feel comfortable sharing it despite my feelings on theorizing!
Footnote 2: Yes, yes. ‘Olivert’. But he’ll always be Olivier to me.
Footnote 3: Take all of the following with a grain of salt. I am not a historian, anthropologist, or theologian. I’m just some guy doing the best he can.
Footnote 4: Ish. It’s actually probably closer to an odd combination of Christianity and Judaism, since the general forms of the faith come across as Christian, but the fundamental theology focuses solely on Aidios with no Trinitarian aspect to it, which is intrinsic to Christianity since, well, I mean ‘Christ’ is in the name. It’s fairly important to the doctrine. But I digress.
Footnote 5: At least not because of this. We’ll check back in on what I think about that idea later.
Footnote 6: Which also worth note, doesn’t actually follow that closely to atomic theory since fire outright isn’t matter. I think. It’s just energy, right? Is there some weird quantum thing about how fire is still matter because of something something photons something something kinetic energy? Remember that part about how I’m just some guy? Let’s keep that in mind and go with fire isn’t matter.
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