Suikoden Tierkreis, Part 10
Howdy, and welcome back to "Let's Play Suikoden Tierkreis!" with Lady Nighteyes. Last time, the game got preachy, the Order got nonsensical, and I got rambly and overanalytical. This time, we are, thankfully, getting back to scenes that actually have a reason to be there. Yay!
Me three. The sheer lack of logic here makes my brain hurt.
Marica: Grayridge was pretty bad, but this place! These people don't even seem like they're from the same world!
Presumably, in that world everyone breathes plot holes instead of oxygen.
Erin: I'm starting to think maybe I don't even need to go to Headquarters. I can judge pretty well from this city what kind of place Order Headquarters would be.
One that makes no sense?
Hotupa: In any case, the library and Order Headquarters are in the same building, so we might as well go.
One transition later, we're at the library.
How the hell do they reach the top shelves?
Quite.
That question is too stupid to be worthy of an answer.
Erin: This place is bigger than all of the rooms in the Grayridge chapter hall put together.
Hotupa: I guess they weren't kidding when they said this was the best library in the world.
Um. YOU were the one who said that, Hotupa.
Everybody, meet my favorite character in the game. She has a strange outfit and quite possibly the most evil smirk in existence.
Sieg: I heard ya know everything there is to know about books.
...Crap.
Jale: Huh?!
Being inconvenient.
Archivist: Where did you get this?
Sieg: Huh? Oh, well... In some ruins that popped up near Citro Village.
Marica: No, no! Never mind about that. Can you tell us anything about this book?
Archivist: Well, let's see... we'd have to look it over carefully before we could really say anything about it. Would you mind leaving it with us for a while?
I think her smile is enough reason not to leave it here. As are the jerks in the back.
Sieg: No thanks. I wanna hold onto it.
Archivist: We can check to see if we have any record of that kind of book. If you come back again, we'll let you know.
Sieg: I'd appreciate that!
As soon as the gang are all out of the room...
When voice-acted, this is pronounced like the real name "Deirdre." See my earlier theory about the VAs getting handed different Romanizations.
Diadora: Calm down, both of you. One of the Lord Chancellor's regular addresses is about to begin. Do you want to cause a disturbance and spoil it?
Sneer: There wouldn't BE any disturbance! They're just kids. It'd be over before it began.
Sneer has a name!
Conon: Those brats must've grabbed it before we even went looking for it! No wonder we couldn't find it!
Diadora: No, not that. They said these ruins "popped up" near their village.
He has a name too! Yay!
Conon: N-no way! I can't even read False Chronicles!
That's because you suck.
Fergus: If that's true, then perhaps the mark of the stars...
Oooh, they know about that?
Diadora: Exactly. If you make light of them just because they're children, you could get seriously hurt.
Because "darn" is totally what someone like him would say in a situation like this.
Diadora: This matter goes to the very heart of what the Order stands for. In the name of the archivists, be sure to deal with this carefully and thoroughly.
That sounds... worrying.
Fergus: We certainly will.
Conon: Yeah, don't worry.
Meanwhile...
Sieg: What else could I do?! Those two guys were there!
Hotupa: Those two in the back, you mean?
Erin: Do you think they're connected to the library in some way?
Jale: I dunno... They were looking at us like they could've easily killed us for that book.
This does not preclude being associated with the library, dude. They could just be really, REALLY dedicated to improving their collection.
Sieg: They want these books. I bet they know exactly what they are. But they ain't gonna get 'em!
Jale: We'd better get outta here.
Sieg: Yeah. They might come after us. Sorry, Erin. Looks like we can't take ya to Order Headquarters after all.
Erin: That's all right. I know all I need to know about the Order now. Besides, I don't want them to get these books, either.
Marica: I agree. I don't know why they want them, but I have a feeling it's not a reason we'd care for.
Should I even bother screencapping these anymore? 'cause I'm thinking no.
Standing around, looks like.
Sieg: Huh?
Soldier: Lord Chancellor Valfred is about to share words of wisdom with us! Get going!
Erin: Chancellor Valfred...?
Hotupa: Words of wisdom?
He has a point.
The guy just told you, idiot.
His name is in blue TWICE? They must be really insistent about making sure you remember it.
Marica: Look! The second floor of the tower!
There's "crowd cheering" sound effects through most of this speech.
Valfred: It is unfortunate but true that many cannot yet comprehend the Way. This leads them astray in unknowable tomorrows, subject them to unforeseen misfortune.
... :::/// This line makes no freaking sense. Now that I think about it, I can't help but wonder if maybe in an earlier draft this section might have been written more in line with what I was complaining that they should have done in this comment- Sieg being shocked at how militant Valfred's rhetoric is would make way more sense if the Order hadn't been so over-the-top with their oppressive evilness up to this point.
Valfred: As proof that that day will come, the Order is permitted glimpses of the One True Way.
...Jale, you're the one with the lightning spell, so I'm blaming you.
Hotupa: L-lightning?! Right in the middle of all these people?!
See? Totally his fault.
Sieg, you're just ASKING to be the target of that random lightning bolt.
This barely even counts as a cutscene, but 3:49-3:53.
Sieg: N-no way...
Valfred: Behold.
[Rambling redacted]Now see, this? I think this part works. It shows the way the Order is using the principle of predestination as a tool to control the populace, how frighteningly devoted its followers are, and how little the organization cares for human life, and it does it while also revealing important plot information (we meet Valfred and we learn that the Order unquestionably can predict some events). It's creepy, it doesn't raise a ton of massive plot holes or reveal glaringly obvious contradictions in their philosophy, and if the game hadn't spent so long last update trying to convince us that the Order is the evilest thing that every eviled to the detriment of the story's internal logic, it'd be surprising. It's like someone had this decent storyline where this group who initially seem weird but harmless are gradually shown to be dangerous, militaristic zealots, but then some nine-year-old came along and scribbled in all these eeevil things these people would do because they're eeevil and believe in predestination. And somehow it made it into the final script, resulting in the rather baffling stuff last week.
Valfred: Not so that we can struggle to rewrite its ending, but so that we can accept it with peace and grace!
Sieg: Huh?!
Valfred: You remained calm when I warned you of the lightning's approach. I commend you. You understand the principles well. It proves that you are worthy.
Valfred: However, not everyone is willing to open their eyes to the truth. Many obstinate people remain in this world. The Magedom of Janam is the prime example. They are not worthy. This goes without saying. They cannot move on to the new world with us. But does this mean we should turn a blind eye to their misfortune? No! We should not!
Well, I guess I should just be glad that at least this time the crazy religious dictator guy isn't advocating wholesale genocide.
Valfred: That is our duty as members of the Order of the One True Way!
Hotupa: D-Don't they care... that a person has just died...?!
Marica: I can't believe this... are these people all crazy?!
Jale: One world?! They want the whole world to be like THEM?!
Erin: This...? This is the Order of the One True Way...?
Sieg: .........
Jale: Hold on, Sieg! Look!
Sorry, this was a short pan, so I couldn't get a good shot of Conon before it faded back.
Marica: So they're coming after us?!
Sounds like a plan.
Well, crap.
Marica: What?! How did they get ahead of us?!
Conon: Tsk tsk. You forget. This is our turf.
Fergus: What's this? Your face looks familiar... have we met somewhere before?
Hotupa: You don't remember?
Fergus: Oh well. It's of no consequence.
Sorry, dude, but you've got a long way to go before you can evil-smile as well as Diadora.
Jale: False Chronicles? You mean these books?
Sieg: What do ya want these books so bad for?
Maybe they're seriously overdue?
Fergus: Yes, but we are a special kind of archivist, shall we say. We deal only with False Chronicles.
Conon: So don't waste our time. Just hand them over.
Sieg: Never!
Jale: The answer's still no.
I missed the boss intro pan, unfortunately. But yeah, Fergus and Conon.
And right off the bat, we have an obvious problem: despite having the best equipment available and still being slightly overleveled, we're doing single-digit damage.
And magic is working just as badly.
And, quite unfairly, they can also use magic.
And theirs does way more damage. If it wasn't obvious, this isn't a fight you can win, and it ends automatically after three rounds. There are a lot of those in this game.
And he has a unicorn horn. I think that's also worthy of note.
Marica: What Folk?
Hotupa: The Auster Folk! A tribe of giants who live in the northeast mountains! I've never actually seen one!
Sieg: Oh, man! Another Order member!
...We're doomed.
Hotupa: Aaagh! We're caught in the middle!
Erin: Uh-oh...
Sieg: Huh?
Conon: Wh-what?!
Conon: But we're telling the truth!
This is not the time to be quibbling about phrasing, but if you insist, "Young women and young men and also Hotupa."
Conon: You've gotta be kidding me!
Well, that looks like a good place to stop for the moment. Next time, things actually start moving. Nighteyes out.
P.S. Still not a lot of suggestions for army/castle names. Failing further comments, it's going to be Zodiac Company/Castle Starlight. Because ~*stars*~.
P.P.S. Photobucket has been being really weird with this and causing pictures to come out blank at random, so if there's blank lines in the middle of this, that's what happened.
Me three. The sheer lack of logic here makes my brain hurt.
Marica: Grayridge was pretty bad, but this place! These people don't even seem like they're from the same world!
Presumably, in that world everyone breathes plot holes instead of oxygen.
Erin: I'm starting to think maybe I don't even need to go to Headquarters. I can judge pretty well from this city what kind of place Order Headquarters would be.
One that makes no sense?
Hotupa: In any case, the library and Order Headquarters are in the same building, so we might as well go.
One transition later, we're at the library.
How the hell do they reach the top shelves?
Quite.
That question is too stupid to be worthy of an answer.
Erin: This place is bigger than all of the rooms in the Grayridge chapter hall put together.
Hotupa: I guess they weren't kidding when they said this was the best library in the world.
Um. YOU were the one who said that, Hotupa.
Everybody, meet my favorite character in the game. She has a strange outfit and quite possibly the most evil smirk in existence.
Sieg: I heard ya know everything there is to know about books.
...Crap.
Jale: Huh?!
Being inconvenient.
Archivist: Where did you get this?
Sieg: Huh? Oh, well... In some ruins that popped up near Citro Village.
Marica: No, no! Never mind about that. Can you tell us anything about this book?
Archivist: Well, let's see... we'd have to look it over carefully before we could really say anything about it. Would you mind leaving it with us for a while?
I think her smile is enough reason not to leave it here. As are the jerks in the back.
Sieg: No thanks. I wanna hold onto it.
Archivist: We can check to see if we have any record of that kind of book. If you come back again, we'll let you know.
Sieg: I'd appreciate that!
As soon as the gang are all out of the room...
When voice-acted, this is pronounced like the real name "Deirdre." See my earlier theory about the VAs getting handed different Romanizations.
Diadora: Calm down, both of you. One of the Lord Chancellor's regular addresses is about to begin. Do you want to cause a disturbance and spoil it?
Sneer: There wouldn't BE any disturbance! They're just kids. It'd be over before it began.
Sneer has a name!
Conon: Those brats must've grabbed it before we even went looking for it! No wonder we couldn't find it!
Diadora: No, not that. They said these ruins "popped up" near their village.
He has a name too! Yay!
Conon: N-no way! I can't even read False Chronicles!
That's because you suck.
Fergus: If that's true, then perhaps the mark of the stars...
Oooh, they know about that?
Diadora: Exactly. If you make light of them just because they're children, you could get seriously hurt.
Because "darn" is totally what someone like him would say in a situation like this.
Diadora: This matter goes to the very heart of what the Order stands for. In the name of the archivists, be sure to deal with this carefully and thoroughly.
That sounds... worrying.
Fergus: We certainly will.
Conon: Yeah, don't worry.
Meanwhile...
Sieg: What else could I do?! Those two guys were there!
Hotupa: Those two in the back, you mean?
Erin: Do you think they're connected to the library in some way?
Jale: I dunno... They were looking at us like they could've easily killed us for that book.
This does not preclude being associated with the library, dude. They could just be really, REALLY dedicated to improving their collection.
Sieg: They want these books. I bet they know exactly what they are. But they ain't gonna get 'em!
Jale: We'd better get outta here.
Sieg: Yeah. They might come after us. Sorry, Erin. Looks like we can't take ya to Order Headquarters after all.
Erin: That's all right. I know all I need to know about the Order now. Besides, I don't want them to get these books, either.
Marica: I agree. I don't know why they want them, but I have a feeling it's not a reason we'd care for.
Should I even bother screencapping these anymore? 'cause I'm thinking no.
Standing around, looks like.
Sieg: Huh?
Soldier: Lord Chancellor Valfred is about to share words of wisdom with us! Get going!
Erin: Chancellor Valfred...?
Hotupa: Words of wisdom?
He has a point.
The guy just told you, idiot.
His name is in blue TWICE? They must be really insistent about making sure you remember it.
Marica: Look! The second floor of the tower!
There's "crowd cheering" sound effects through most of this speech.
Valfred: It is unfortunate but true that many cannot yet comprehend the Way. This leads them astray in unknowable tomorrows, subject them to unforeseen misfortune.
... :::/// This line makes no freaking sense. Now that I think about it, I can't help but wonder if maybe in an earlier draft this section might have been written more in line with what I was complaining that they should have done in this comment- Sieg being shocked at how militant Valfred's rhetoric is would make way more sense if the Order hadn't been so over-the-top with their oppressive evilness up to this point.
Valfred: As proof that that day will come, the Order is permitted glimpses of the One True Way.
...Jale, you're the one with the lightning spell, so I'm blaming you.
Hotupa: L-lightning?! Right in the middle of all these people?!
See? Totally his fault.
Sieg, you're just ASKING to be the target of that random lightning bolt.
This barely even counts as a cutscene, but 3:49-3:53.
Sieg: N-no way...
Valfred: Behold.
[Rambling redacted]Now see, this? I think this part works. It shows the way the Order is using the principle of predestination as a tool to control the populace, how frighteningly devoted its followers are, and how little the organization cares for human life, and it does it while also revealing important plot information (we meet Valfred and we learn that the Order unquestionably can predict some events). It's creepy, it doesn't raise a ton of massive plot holes or reveal glaringly obvious contradictions in their philosophy, and if the game hadn't spent so long last update trying to convince us that the Order is the evilest thing that every eviled to the detriment of the story's internal logic, it'd be surprising. It's like someone had this decent storyline where this group who initially seem weird but harmless are gradually shown to be dangerous, militaristic zealots, but then some nine-year-old came along and scribbled in all these eeevil things these people would do because they're eeevil and believe in predestination. And somehow it made it into the final script, resulting in the rather baffling stuff last week.
Valfred: Not so that we can struggle to rewrite its ending, but so that we can accept it with peace and grace!
Sieg: Huh?!
Valfred: You remained calm when I warned you of the lightning's approach. I commend you. You understand the principles well. It proves that you are worthy.
Valfred: However, not everyone is willing to open their eyes to the truth. Many obstinate people remain in this world. The Magedom of Janam is the prime example. They are not worthy. This goes without saying. They cannot move on to the new world with us. But does this mean we should turn a blind eye to their misfortune? No! We should not!
Well, I guess I should just be glad that at least this time the crazy religious dictator guy isn't advocating wholesale genocide.
Valfred: That is our duty as members of the Order of the One True Way!
Hotupa: D-Don't they care... that a person has just died...?!
Marica: I can't believe this... are these people all crazy?!
Jale: One world?! They want the whole world to be like THEM?!
Erin: This...? This is the Order of the One True Way...?
Sieg: .........
Jale: Hold on, Sieg! Look!
Sorry, this was a short pan, so I couldn't get a good shot of Conon before it faded back.
Marica: So they're coming after us?!
Sounds like a plan.
Well, crap.
Marica: What?! How did they get ahead of us?!
Conon: Tsk tsk. You forget. This is our turf.
Fergus: What's this? Your face looks familiar... have we met somewhere before?
Hotupa: You don't remember?
Fergus: Oh well. It's of no consequence.
Sorry, dude, but you've got a long way to go before you can evil-smile as well as Diadora.
Jale: False Chronicles? You mean these books?
Sieg: What do ya want these books so bad for?
Maybe they're seriously overdue?
Fergus: Yes, but we are a special kind of archivist, shall we say. We deal only with False Chronicles.
Conon: So don't waste our time. Just hand them over.
Sieg: Never!
Jale: The answer's still no.
I missed the boss intro pan, unfortunately. But yeah, Fergus and Conon.
And right off the bat, we have an obvious problem: despite having the best equipment available and still being slightly overleveled, we're doing single-digit damage.
And magic is working just as badly.
And, quite unfairly, they can also use magic.
And theirs does way more damage. If it wasn't obvious, this isn't a fight you can win, and it ends automatically after three rounds. There are a lot of those in this game.
And he has a unicorn horn. I think that's also worthy of note.
Marica: What Folk?
Hotupa: The Auster Folk! A tribe of giants who live in the northeast mountains! I've never actually seen one!
Sieg: Oh, man! Another Order member!
...We're doomed.
Hotupa: Aaagh! We're caught in the middle!
Erin: Uh-oh...
Sieg: Huh?
Conon: Wh-what?!
Conon: But we're telling the truth!
This is not the time to be quibbling about phrasing, but if you insist, "Young women and young men and also Hotupa."
Conon: You've gotta be kidding me!
Well, that looks like a good place to stop for the moment. Next time, things actually start moving. Nighteyes out.
P.S. Still not a lot of suggestions for army/castle names. Failing further comments, it's going to be Zodiac Company/Castle Starlight. Because ~*stars*~.
P.P.S. Photobucket has been being really weird with this and causing pictures to come out blank at random, so if there's blank lines in the middle of this, that's what happened.