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  • Locked thread
Rigged Death Trap
Feb 13, 2012

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP


"Lenneth, what did we say about mortals getting too much screen time?"

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ApplesandOranges
Jun 22, 2012

Thankee kindly.
The Prologue is available from the menu during Disc 1 (so up to the end of Chapter 4), or if you wait around on the title screen long enough (which must have been a surprise to at least one person who just left their game alone when going off to eat lunch or something).

Aside from transcribing the prologue, audio links and gifs are in there, but for anyone who wants it, the full scene is also available here. It clocks in at 9:39, and the whole scene is fully voiced.

---







Listen: Prologue 1



Megan Hollingshead voices Platina. While I personally really like her as Lenneth and think she did an alright job with Lorenta. her voice as Platina, personally, is just... no.

---





Listen: Prologue 2







Mother, who were those men?



---









Listen: Prologue 3

Platina... we've got to run! Come now, hurry!

What are you talking about, Lucian?

Listen to me. Your mother and father, they...









---



---



Listen: Prologue 4

How can you say that?

I haven't heard anything from Mother about this...



She must be so worried about me right now...

Lucian?



They came to my house, too!

And the next day, my little sister was gone... My mom and dad didn't tell me anything.

Wha? But everyone said she was stricken by a disease...



Anyway, our family has no money for doctors!

.....



Lucian...



I'll go anywhere with you, Lucian...



---





I don't know... What will become of us now?

.....



---







Listen: Prologue 5







It's bad luck to say such things!

Tee hee. I'm sorry.









Weeping... Lilies?

That's right! If we stay here, their poison will kill us!

Platina?



---





Listen: Prologue 6



If you care about me so much, Lucian. Do you think...



.....

I'm so glad to have known you, Lucian.









"PLATINAAAAAAAAAAA!"



---

And that concludes the Prologue. No, no indication as to why Lucian didn't get affected by the Weeping Lily Pollen. It's a sad backstory, alright?

If we go to Coriander Village, we can find Platina's mother:



While there are quite a few supporting clues in the story, quite a few of them come from an rather unlikely source: Badrach's story.





As mentioned before, the background in this part is Coriander Village, which is also located close to Villnore (and the Weeping Lily Meadow).





It's strongly suggested that, of course, the little girl Badrach saved was Lucian's sister. In fact, if you look at the Handwoven Bandanna's description (which is given to Badrach by the girl when you go back to Camille), it reads:



Obviously enough, Badrach doesn't have a sister. So it's possible that the Handwoven Bandanna was meant to be given to Lucian instead and they never changed the description to fit it. And no, Lucian doesn't get a scene if you bring him there.

We'll take a moment to go over the timeline. In the Gerabellum optional scene, Lucian mentions Platina was 14 when she died. Lenneth's apparent age is 23, Lucian is 19. Badrach mentions he rescued the girl about three or four years ago. Assuming Platina's death and Badrach picking up Lucian's sister happens around the same time, Lucian would have been around 15 or 16, which would be close enough to Platina's age of death for them to likely be close childhood friends.

So what of the disparity between Lenneth's age and Platina's if she were still alive (17 or 18)? Well, Lenneth is Lenneth. Platina is Platina.





Platina character art.

ApplesandOranges fucked around with this message at 06:26 on Jul 15, 2014

Derek Barona
Dec 8, 2009

WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?!
You just can't have nice things in this world. Like, ever. Especially if you're Lucian.

Cute girl you obviously love? Suicide by poison flowers. Town and family and semi-stable lifestyle? Nobles burn it all to the ground out of spite. Romance with a goddess? Loki kills you a second time.

Dammit, Lucian. :smith:

vibratingsheep
Nov 2, 2013

Fudou, Gunzou. The Face of the Franchise Killer. 2004.

Glazius posted:

Wait, why is the seal even necessary again? I suppose she might use that time spent as human to power up, much as Odin has.



It's because the gods grant her request to forget her time as a human, since it was too painful to bear.

Fister Roboto
Feb 21, 2008

Anyone find it odd that the slavers in Midgard are all dressed like JC Denton?

Alopex
May 31, 2012

This is the sleeve I have chosen.
I assume Lucian didn't get poisoned by lilies because he wasn't directly frolicking around stirring up the pollen and sniffing them. Platina, on the other hand, sounded like she was deliberately killing herself and may have also wanted it to be a double suicide. Platina had some problems.

Rabbi Raccoon
Mar 31, 2009

I stabbed you dude!

vibratingsheep posted:



It's because the gods grant her request to forget her time as a human, since it was too painful to bear.

That's a nice way of putting it. But the Gods are anything but nice.

Think of it this way. You need to hire a guy to fix your roof. But the only guy in town has a tendency to go out with his friends and drink about halfway through the job. Do you:

A) Let him do his thing and probably not get the job done that you hired him to do?

Or

B) Seal his memories of his friends so he has nothing but the job on his mind?

Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer

Rabbi Raccoon posted:

That's a nice way of putting it. But the Gods are anything but nice.

Think of it this way. You need to hire a guy to fix your roof. But the only guy in town has a tendency to go out with his friends and drink about halfway through the job. Do you:

A) Let him do his thing and probably not get the job done that you hired him to do?

Or

B) Seal his memories of his friends so he has nothing but the job on his mind?

Depends, do I have morals or am I a corporationgod?

a cartoon duck
Sep 5, 2011

Out of curiosity, what made you decide to show the prologue now rather than at the start of the second playthrough?

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!

a cartoon duck posted:

Out of curiosity, what made you decide to show the prologue now rather than at the start of the second playthrough?

The "big reveal" becomes laughably obvious if you watch the prologue first.

Rabbi Raccoon
Mar 31, 2009

I stabbed you dude!

Mehuyael posted:

Depends, do I have morals or am I a corporationgod?

In this scenario you are Freya of the Bitchin' Hat or Odin of the Massive Jackassness.

Rabbi Raccoon fucked around with this message at 15:06 on Jul 15, 2014

a cartoon duck
Sep 5, 2011

The fact that you put big reveal in quotation mark already says it all. Lucian's entire shtick is talking about how Lenneth reminds him of his dead childhood friend, and this game is set more on personal drama than plot twists and reveals. Nobody is surprised by this reveal, rather what makes you curious is how Lucian will get through to Lenneth, and how Lenneth will deal regaining her human memories.

Personally I just think the whole Lenneth/Platina thing works much better as a Chekhov's Gun of sorts set up in the prologue rather than as a twist it was never meant to be.

Derek Barona
Dec 8, 2009

WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?!

Alopex posted:

I assume Lucian didn't get poisoned by lilies because he wasn't directly frolicking around stirring up the pollen and sniffing them. Platina, on the other hand, sounded like she was deliberately killing herself and may have also wanted it to be a double suicide. Platina had some problems.

Pretty much. It's obvious that her parents hated her and treated her like dirt, and while most games/anime that would've been enough for a tragic backstory and a cold or sad girl who eventually brightens up with the help of the childhood friend, Valkyrie Profile kicks in instead. Finding out that everything she tried to do to be a good daughter just flat out wasn't enough and they actually sold her is the last straw and she snaps and kills herself at literally the first opportunity.

I also want to point this out, we're only seeing it now because of the plot portions of it, but this plays at the start of a new game. A girl killing herself is literally the first thing on this game's list of poo poo to do.

Because Valkyrie Profile.

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

but at least I don't have
a MLP or MSPA avatar.
I am my own man.

Derek Barona posted:

I also want to point this out, we're only seeing it now because of the plot portions of it, but this plays at the start of a new game. A girl killing herself is literally the first thing on this game's list of poo poo to do.

Because Valkyrie Profile.

Technically, it's the game's attract mode. It's what plays when you don't start the game fast enough.

I think that makes it worse than if we just started the game with a cold open of suicide.

Omobono
Feb 19, 2013

That's it! No more hiding in tomato crates! It's time to show that idiota Germany how a real nation fights!

For pasta~! CHARGE!

KataraniSword posted:

Technically, it's the game's attract mode. It's what plays when you don't start the game fast enough.

I think that makes it worse than if we just started the game with a cold open of suicide.

"This is how this world work, here's a snippet from the life and death of random* village girl #2437."
*disclaimer: girl may actually be relevant to the plot.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
And Badrach gets the actual plot tie-in!

I forgot about that. Holy poo poo he is the best worst best character.

Captain Bravo
Feb 16, 2011

An Emergency Shitpost
has been deployed...

...but experts warn it is
just a drop in the ocean.

Rabbi Raccoon posted:

That's a nice way of putting it. But the Gods are anything but nice.

Think of it this way. You need to hire a guy to fix your roof. But the only guy in town has a tendency to go out with his friends and drink about halfway through the job. Do you:

A) Let him do his thing and probably not get the job done that you hired him to do?

Or

B) Seal his memories of his friends so he has nothing but the job on his mind?

It's kind of funny you phrase it this way, since the norse gods once hired a dude to build a fuckoff huge wall, and didn't give him near enough time to do it.

When it looked like he would succeed anyway, and they didn't want to pay him, they made Loki turn into a horse and seduce the dude's workhorse to try and sabotage him.

The gods are assholes, and it sucks to be one of their contractors. :v:

FredMSloniker
Jan 2, 2008

Why, yes, I do like Kirby games.
The thing that gets me about Norse mythology is the whole roadmap of the future thing. I mean, someone earlier in the thread described Odin as having looked into the future to see what would happen, only to realize that he had to act like he didn't have any of that knowledge or immediately render it useless. But... if we as mortals know anything about the future, why don't the gods know it too? Is there some weird barrier that prevents gods from attaining this information? Do you forget how Ragnarok's going to turn out when you become an einherjar?

FeyerbrandX
Oct 9, 2012

Captain Bravo posted:

they made Loki turn into a horse and seduce the dude's workhorse to try and sabotage him.

Tried? He succeeded on both counts. Not to mention his horse was a stallion. Loki and the horse ran away for a few months. Loki came back later and gave Odin Slepnir.

I think that's the only one of Loki's children that doesn't murder him some Gods on Ragnarok.

cdyoung
Mar 2, 2012

FeyerbrandX posted:

Tried? He succeeded on both counts. Not to mention his horse was a stallion. Loki and the horse ran away for a few months. Loki came back later and gave Odin Slepnir.

I think that's the only one of Loki's children that doesn't murder him some Gods on Ragnarok.

Hel also doesn't take part in Ragnarok, she just collects all the souls from the aftermath.

ApplesandOranges
Jun 22, 2012

Thankee kindly.








Mystina... who is that?



You've got to be kidding me... I don't... I don't even know who you are!

Ha ha ha! I'm disappointed, Arngrim.



What!?

Our long battle with Brahms... it is not yet over.



The battle which now rages between Aesir and Vanir. Once you and I fought it as a battle against the Undead...

Stay away from me! The real Valkyrie... what did you do with her!!

Do you not hear me? Do not make me tell you a third time.



...Lenneth? That's the Valkyrie's... Real name?

That's right. I am one of the 3 Goddesses of Destiny. My sisters and I control the transmigration of souls. It was my sister, Lenneth, that Odin chose to handle this realm... But now he has judged her to be unfit for the task.

No... this can't be...

I can't accept that...

And, what do you intend to do?



Me too! If you had been the one to ask, I would never have joined you! Obey you?! You have GOT to be kidding!

I see.



An earring? I have no need of foolish trinkets.



Lenneth... so you are not yet fully asleep?



After all, there really is nowhere for you to go if you die anyway.





What is it? What are those lights?

They're fragments of Lenneth's soul! But they're starting to dissipate!!

What? Can't we do something?!



That voice...!







Lezard! What do you want? Show yourself! Let's get this over with!



These teleportation spells take such a ridiculously long time to cast. There we go... Now, I assume you'll agree to a truce?



...Bastard!

But... If you know a way to save her...?

Of course I do.



...Fine. But... now that I see you... What happened to you?

Ah, do you like my spirit form? My physical body was getting in the way, so I rid myself of it. Just like you.



---



That, of course.



Hold on, that's insane! You want to put Valkyrie in that tiny little homunculus?

The soul has suffered too much degradation. There is no other way.

Lezard... This sounds a bit too convenient. Are you sure you aren't just doing this to serve your own goals?







Best portrait of the game? Possibly.



Her memories, her personality... I simply can't guarantee what will become of them. In fact, the soul is so incomplete, I fear we must act immediately.

It's clear that she needs immediate attention. He does have a point...

...Fine. I understand.



My, my. I never thought that I would invoke the lost magick of soul transfusion in a place such as this...

Mysty, you understand, don't you? This incantation has the possibility of disjoining body and soul at any time...





---



Listen: Lezard

If to serve this purpose I shall be despised, my body scorched and blackened, so be it.

If to serve this purpose I must command forbidden magicks, so be it!!

Though my body may be tainted, though my soul may be tainted, I imbue thee with thought.

I swear as the gods swear, and breathe life into the void!



---



Ah, she's coming to. Look.



So this... is the magick of soul transfusion...

So, is Valkyrie going to be safe for the time being?



I cannot say what has actually become of her soul, this period is critical. For one thing, we must retrieve her true vessel as soon as possible.

Definitely. That Valkyrie called "Hrist"...

That's right! We've got to take her down! Come on...







Mystina and Arngrim character art.

Omobono
Feb 19, 2013

That's it! No more hiding in tomato crates! It's time to show that idiota Germany how a real nation fights!

For pasta~! CHARGE!

My interpretation is that Lezard killed Mystina just because he needed somebody here to catch Lenneth's soul in case he couldn't teleport in time. He really could not have cared less otherwise.


Smug level, maximum.

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe

ApplesandOranges posted:

Our long battle with Brahms... it is not yet over.



The battle which now rages between Aesir and Vanir. Once you and I fought it as a battle against the Undead...

From what I remember of Valkyrie Profile 2, this is a pretty :psyduck: interpretation of some of the events from that game (though we've already spoiled that Hrist is in it anyway). We probably shouldn't spoil that game too much, but if/when VP2 gets an LP, let's not forget about this little exchange...

Derek Barona
Dec 8, 2009

WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?!

Lezardtrollin.jpeg


That. Is. AMAZING.

vilkacis
Feb 16, 2011


So silly out of nowhere in the middle of the drama. I love this part. And there's still more amazing to come. :allears:

Rabbi Raccoon
Mar 31, 2009

I stabbed you dude!
I bet Hrist is simply a delight to have at parties

Bloodly
Nov 3, 2008

Not as strong as you'd expect.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

From what I remember of Valkyrie Profile 2, this is a pretty :psyduck: interpretation of some of the events from that game (though we've already spoiled that Hrist is in it anyway). We probably shouldn't spoil that game too much, but if/when VP2 gets an LP, let's not forget about this little exchange...

Even though I know little of VP2:

This is what you get when you retcon after the fact. Remember THIS game came FIRST.

All that's known at the time of this game: Valkyrie 'Silmeria' is in Brahms's hands for unknown causes. Arngrim and Mystina have served with Valkyrie 'Hrist' before via reincarnation(Notable exploits; apparently fighting Brahms, destroying Dipan for 'rising above their station'). Freya wants Brahms dead, Hrist does also. There have been multiple Valkyries at multiple times.

Don't consider the plot of Silmeria at this point, because it outright did not exist at this point.



That's asking for a special quote if you actually fought him.

"Oh, that explains all that."

"You know what she's on about?"

"A little. I think we met the guy. He beat us pretty badly/we beat him bloody. Then the castle vanished..."



Ah, the good old 'throw something sneak attack'. Never gets old. Somehow it strikes me as odd that they fell for it.

Bloodly fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Jul 17, 2014

Derek Barona
Dec 8, 2009

WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?!

Rabbi Raccoon posted:

I bet Hrist is simply a delight to have at parties

Oh, totally. Meaningless revelry this, obey my commands that. Throw in the occasional disembowlment when someone hits on her and she'd be a hit everywhere she goes.

So, really, this is about where anyone playing totally realizes what Surt was talking about when he called Odin out on his bullshit. Lenneth's basically had a killswitch in her this entire time in the form of Hrist, and judging from both this and the C Ending, Odin and Freya have pretty much spent this entire game so far expecting that at some point or another there was a decent chance that they were going to end up wiping Lenneth out and replacing her if she got uppity or did something they didn't like.

Loki suddenly has competition for the biggest douchebag in Asgard, IMO.

Wonderslug
Apr 3, 2011

You don't say.
Fallen Rib

Bloodly posted:

Ah, the good old 'throw something sneak attack'. Never gets old. Somehow it strikes me as odd that they fell for it.

Fell for what? I always read her as trying to destroy Lucian/Platina's earring.

Because Hrist is a dick.

Bloodly
Nov 3, 2008

Not as strong as you'd expect.
Watch where Lenneth blocks. Not the Earring, which is further forward(Watch where the glint is), but Arngrim and Mysty in the back. She's clearly protecting them.

quote:

Loki suddenly has competition for the biggest douchebag in Asgard, IMO.

Reminder that Loki's 'of the same kindred as Odin' as admitted by the man himself. In this cosmology, that(I think) means he's a half-elf. He has the ability to grow/change. Odin was weak, but went on a levelling spree and became All-Father. Anyone who has come anywhere remotely near to attaining similar power has been purged. All powerful Artifacts are sent to Lugburz and to Lugburz ONLYAsgard.

Bloodly fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Jul 17, 2014

Kaboom Dragoon
May 7, 2010

The greatest of feasts

She's going two-for-one: the earring is troublesome, so are Arngrim and Mysty. Destroy all three and everything goes back to the way it was before.

FeyerbrandX
Oct 9, 2012

ApplesandOranges posted:



Best portrait of the game? Possibly.

Absolutely, no doubt about it.

inthesto
May 12, 2010

Pro is an amazing name!

ApplesandOranges posted:



Mystina and Arngrim character art.

Hey now, don't forget about Llewellyn!

Here's a higher resolution version if anyone is interested:

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe

inthesto posted:

Hey now, don't forget about Llewellyn!

Demonstrating the fine tactical sense that got him into Valhalla in the first place, Llewellyn has decided that the best place for the squishy archer is on the front lines, directly below the giant lizardmen and their axes. Truly, Llewellyn strives to be an example to us all.

A bad example :v:

cheetah7071
Oct 20, 2010

honk honk
College Slice

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

From what I remember of Valkyrie Profile 2, this is a pretty :psyduck: interpretation of some of the events from that game (though we've already spoiled that Hrist is in it anyway). We probably shouldn't spoil that game too much, but if/when VP2 gets an LP, let's not forget about this little exchange...

It doesn't actually contradict VP2, but the reason it doesn't contradict it is spoilery.

a cartoon duck
Sep 5, 2011

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

From what I remember of Valkyrie Profile 2, this is a pretty :psyduck: interpretation of some of the events from that game (though we've already spoiled that Hrist is in it anyway). We probably shouldn't spoil that game too much, but if/when VP2 gets an LP, let's not forget about this little exchange...

Out of curiosity, have you played VP2 to completion?

FredMSloniker
Jan 2, 2008

Why, yes, I do like Kirby games.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Demonstrating the fine tactical sense that got him into Valhalla in the first place, Llewellyn has decided that the best place for the squishy archer is on the front lines, directly below the giant lizardmen and their axes. Truly, Llewellyn strives to be an example to us all.

A bad example :v:
That's pretty clearly an ambush. Llewellyn was in the back; that's just where the lizardmen came from.

Derek Barona
Dec 8, 2009

WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?!

FredMSloniker posted:

That's pretty clearly an ambush. Llewellyn was in the back; that's just where the lizardmen came from.

Dammit Llewellyn, you were supposed to be guarding the rear.

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe

a cartoon duck posted:

Out of curiosity, have you played VP2 to completion?

No, but it's really hard to describe the point I played it to without causing spoilers of some description.

Let's leave it at "I played a couple dungeons past the point where the heroine finally developed a backbone" (e.g. her finisher no longer has her complaining about how much her hands hurt from hitting enemies with her sword). This is more than enough to cover the stuff Hrist is retroactively referring to here, unless it somehow loops back around and becomes relevant again. Which I suppose I wouldn't put past Tri-Ace :psyduck:

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cheetah7071
Oct 20, 2010

honk honk
College Slice

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

No, but it's really hard to describe the point I played it to without causing spoilers of some description.

Let's leave it at "I played a couple dungeons past the point where the heroine finally developed a backbone" (e.g. her finisher no longer has her complaining about how much her hands hurt from hitting enemies with her sword). This is more than enough to cover the stuff Hrist is retroactively referring to here, unless it somehow loops back around and becomes relevant again. Which I suppose I wouldn't put past Tri-Ace :psyduck:

I suspect you misunderstood some of the key plotpoints of the game.

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