LogFAQs > #961649519

NBIceman posted...

Want to let you know I'm still reading this - just been sick and busy the last few days and haven't felt much like typing up thoughts. Glad you're still enjoying the game!

Thanks, I was gonna ask if anyone was still reading this. I want to know people care, else why would I?

I am definitely still enjoying it. I like that Eleanor is a hypocritical asshole, which is refreshing for a waifu archetype. She seems irredeemable at this point, which is the perfect catalyst for her starting to accept her immorality and that the root cause is the Abbey. I played a LOT today jsyk... had to condense this but it's still two posts.

The reason I think Haria will be destroyed is how the story was presented. The way they have "old fashioned" beliefs will make them a target, and there was a certain ominous feel from the start that only exponentially increased when this malevolence thing happened. I'm still not quite sure what that is. The synopsis says: "The therions devour malevolence, which is then absorbed by Innominat to fuel his resurrection." So the reason the malevolence is breaking out is because we defeated the therion and all that's left is Kamoana, so she can't absorb the rest and return to therion form. The Abbey made Kamoana into that therion to sacrifice her for their nefarious purposes. Villains like Artorius, Teresa, Oscar, and Eleanor better be remembered as vile human beings by the time Zestiria comes around. Eleanor's acceptance of her hypocrisy is going to hinge on her recognizing it first. She's the most salvageable of the villains, but she kind of has to be. She's a party member.

I enter Haria and, unsurprisingly, the town is nothing like before. While it's not ablaze, the people are in a trance. The malevolence is too dense for Grim to keep reading... and the people start turning into daemons, unable to resist. The Abbey has once again brought about daemons, including the innkeeper's daughter. The energy spilling from their bodies causes daemonblight. We'll need to talk about what exactly daemonblight is, but we gotta run now. We leave town with the place intact but.... yeah. We ain't coming back.

I take out a Dire Foe after a chain battle and somehow get 195 grade AND master 17 pieces of equipment at once. Like WHAT HOLY SHIT MUCH WOW. Also wow: I reach the final area of the ship exploration! Am I ahead of schedule? I haven't been booting up the game just to play with that or anything. I've just been doing it when it gets back. Same as Xillia 2 with this mechanic (which was with Rollo). I also notice Eleanor isn't saying anything in the menus, a nice little detail.

Entering Yseult, I purge some weapons. This a good while. I had like 250 in there. That's like... 42 things per character or 10-ish per slot, yeesh! I look around... the people are clueless about what's going on, and we're not warning them because that's the Abbey's job. I also see the innkeeper's daughter here 4x... so they couldn't even use a unique model for her. Kamoana is missing her mom, and Eleanor and Laphicet manipulate her saying that her mom would be sad if she got eaten by a daemon. Eleanor still doesn't have the guts to admit that she's a heartless murderer, especially to the child of her innocent victim. There's more info about global cooling here - gotta wonder if this place is iced over in Zestiria or something. Would be... interesting.

At the harbor, Velvet grills Eizen about malevolence and Grim says it's "malak taboo" - and that they don't tell humans for their own protection. Eleanor wants to know the truth so she can stop lying to herself. The bombshell is that daemonblight isn't real - all humans are daemons, and if the malevolence in one's heart overflows, they transform. Not surprising, as I'd wondered what the heck caused it. Magilou knew this, and says it's the darkness, the sin inside one's soul. This sounds like reality: People are naturally evil and must learn to suppress that evil. If they don't, they become bullies who are as xenophobic and unaccepting as Eleanor. People like Eleanor generate malevolence. And this exposes people's true, rotten cores. The Abbey perpetuates the lie to control people, to get them to hold what little dignity they have. As expected, Eleanor thinks this is a lie. She may rival Anise for most awful person in a Tales party. The ability to see daemon forms (instead of hysterical people) and malakhim was caused by The Opening, which triggered greater resonance in all of humanity. Sounds about right.

Like I said before, therions eat the malevolence so the villagers can contain it; when Kamoana was removed, they all showed their true forms. Velvet doesn't seem to care about more daemons... if they're all trending that way regardless, what's the big deal? The plan is to defeat Innominat to end this whole "malevolence" thing... but more importantly, kill the wretched Artorius. Velvet doesn't care what she has to sacrifice. The bastard must die.

Eleanor starts crying, recognizing that she too is a daemon - the very thing she hates so. Unbelievably, Kamoana, a THERION, tells Eleanor her mommy's watching over her, too. This gets to her. It's awesome. Grim says malakhim don't produce malevolence, but external malevolence is a toxin that can make them daemons. This is why murdering a vessel makes malaks daemons, since the intent to kill is malevolence. And the prison had enough to begin with. Malevolence is produced by human emotions; in other words, the Seven Deadly Sins. This must be what the eight heads represent. The seven sins are each connected to Innominat itself. However, I don't see any plot justification for this. It would be a natural connection since that's what corrupts humanity as it is.

Next target: A return to the villa in Loegres. Interesting, since Henchwoman Eleanor was ordered to bring Laphicet there. Is she still working for her fellow assholes? After wiping the floor with a Class 4 island, I get a scene on the ship where Eleanor kills the mood with her introspection and subsequent sharing of her hand mirror with Kamoana. Poor thing can't bear to look at her new form. She wants her Mommy. This reminds Eleanor of herself when she lost her own mother. She is the same thing to Kamoana now. However, Eleanor handles this with maturity... and by partially disrobing to show a huge gash on her chest. Geez, you had to show Laphicet your bazongas!? Eleanor encourages her and says nobody will be scared. This, coming from a xenophobe...!? When Velvet interrupts, Laphicet and Eleanor deny anything happened. Velvet doubts it, but would never guess that Laphicet saw bazongas for the first time.

Grim says she thinks therions are forever reborn so long as one that can serve as a conduit for Innominat's power exists. But if we remove them from earthpulse spots and protect them from the Abbey, the Abbey can't get their way, and new ones won't be reborn. Since we have three therions and only one can defend themselves (Velvet), we need a hideout. The prison might be a good place - would the Abbey ever expect there? Tabatha may have a good idea.

(con't)