TW: Discussion and imagery of suicide.
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The Euride Incident
-By all laws of gaming, I shouldn’t worry about Vanille. She’s a main character. She even has the Tidus narrative voiceover. But it’s at least possible we’re about to go into a mid-game shock death.
-Sazh heads alone into the Fiendlord’s Keep. Tourists talked about this place like a haunted house.
-Perspective shift back to Vanille. She’s at the end of her rope.
-A hologram of Sazh appears before her.
“You are cold-blooded. Lying, so people would trust you. Using them as shields. How many you gotta drag down with you? A coward and a killer. The people you used don’t get to live – why should you?”
It’s BRUTAL. Too brutal to be real. The real Sazh would be more emotional, more lost in his own pain. This version of Sazh seems laser-focused on hammering at Vanille’s guilt and insecurity.
-“Sazh” fires his guns, but they’re holographic too. Vanille seems to wish they were real.
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Sugar and Rainbows
-The real Sazh arrives. Maybe the holographic one was a projection from Nabaat to spur confrontation.
-Vanille turns to him. “My name is Oerba dia Vanille.”
[Later edit: Fang’s name is Oerba Yun Fang. I don’t know Pulsian name conventions. Could mean that they’re sisters, in which case my ship ends. I hope that’s not the case. Could just mean that they’re from the same region or caste. We’ll see.]
She declares herself an agent of Gran Pulse, evil to Cocoon. This is all one big cry for death.
-Sazh won’t let her off that easily. Her death won’t solve anything. He doesn’t even know what he wants from her, and she doesn’t know how to rectify things.
SAZH: “It’s over. There’s nothing to do. Shooting you won’t help. Neither will living.”
-He falls to his knees, defeated. His brand starts to glow. Smells like Eidolons.
-A red orb appears above him and an Eidolon jumps out. Fire aside, I don’t think that’s Ifrit.
-Sazh doesn’t want to fight, when Vanille jumps in front of him. Sazh slowly rises and joins her.
I love both these characters deeply. Both as individuals and in this tragic relationship.
-The Eidolon’s wearing some brutal heels. Brynhildr. A new one! She looks super cool.
-“Yields to those who strengthen their allies.” Synergist time.
-Dead. Didn’t quite fill the gestalt bar. Maybe I should solely buff, no attacking.
-That’s not quite working… what about a mix? Fully buff up, then attack/heal as best I can.
-VICTORY! That was it. Building their chain gauge seemed to build the gestalt gauge even though I didn’t fully complete it.
I LOVE THIS TRANSFORMATION! SHE’S LIKE A SPORTS CAR OR GO CART OR SOMETHING! LET’S RIDE! [Later edit: I know absolutely nothing about cars, is this meant to resemble a specific car.]
-I also love that Sazh’s task in this dark moment wasn’t to kill Brynhildr. It was to support his friend. Perhaps even begin to forgive.
-Even so, after, he pulls his gun on Vanille.
She’s afraid but doesn’t fight back. She still believes this is what she deserves.
SAZH: “Lots of things can be excused. Shooting kids ain’t one.” He lowers his weapon. She’s so young.
Now Vanille falls to her knees. Overwhelmed by EVERYTHING.
VANILLE VOICEOVER: “Kindness like his you don’t forget.”
OH FUCK NO – It’s raining and thundering, and in one of the lightning flashes we see a shadow of Sazh putting the gun to his own head.
SAZH: “Enough is enough.” HE FIRES< NO NO NO
There’s no chance he did it, right? This has got to be a fake out, I’m pretty sure.
-We pan outside the Fiendlord’s Keep. Soldiers line the walkway, Nabaat waits at the end in a ship.
-Vanille and Sazh are coming out of the building as prisoners.
-SAZH IS IN A COFFIN, DON’T DO THIS TO ME
DON’T LIE TO ME GAME , HE JUST GOT A NEW ATB GAUGE, HE DID NOT FUCKING KILL HIMSELF, YOU’RE NOT KILLING OFF SAZH
-Nabaat just looks pleased with herself.
“For every task, there’s a perfect tool.”
NO, YOU’RE A PERFECT TOOL
[Later edit: look I was angry, my insult game was not on point]
-Vanille voiceover. That all Cocoon was against them, and now that they’re “dead,” things were supposed to return to normal.
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The Sanctum Skyfleet
-A news report talks of the Palamecia, “pride of the Sanctum skyfleet.”
I’m sure there’s some crew member aboard who just finished playing FFII, thinking: “Are we the baddies?”
-The Palamecia is carrying Vanille (AND THE DISGUISED-AS-DEAD SAZH PLZ??? I’LL BE LEGIT MAD IF THEY ACTUALLY KILLED HIM OFF) to the capital.
-Perspective switch to the rest of our party aboard the Lindblum.
-The primarch will judge the l’Cie and likely sentence them to death.
-This is all theater to cement Sanctum/fal’Cie power, and to bait us into a rescue operation.
-lol of course Snow and Fang are like “yeah, definitely a trap, don’t care.”
I don’t ship them, but I do friend-ship them.
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Datalog/Shopping
-Painkillers and mallets are now in the shops, implying that Fog and Pain are about to become a thing.
-Lots of new accessories on sale. Tempting, but I really want to save my gil for weapon upgrades unless it’s a huge accessory upgrade.
-The Palamecia is the ship that dropped the Pulse Vestige near the Hanging Edge during the Purge.
-Lightning’s entry highlights her forgiveness of Snow and her new focus on helping Serah. Thanks, Fang.
-The Cavalry is protecting Bartholomew. Good.
-There are four 840g components now available at Lenora’s Garage: Passive Detector, Ring Joint, Crank Shaft, Turbojet. I bought five of each to test out on an x3 modifier Level 6 Power Circle.
Passive Detectors: 2.820 xp, drops modifier to x1.75
Ring Joint: 3,120 xp, drops modifier to x2
Crank Shaft: 3,225 xp, drops modifier to x2
Turbojet: 3,180 xp, drops modifier to x2
Still hard to tell the differences between the latter three, but I’ll switch from Passive Detectors to Crank Shafts for my primary xp upgraders.
-Next time I get some gil to burn, I’ll conduct a similar test with the 80g modifier upgrade components.
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Next time: attacking the Palamecia.
