Part 56: Bonus Update - Stuff the Party Says, Part VII
We've just slogged through a major subquest, so naturally the party dialogue has changed again. There's a lot of it this time, particularly from Sten, and it's a pretty interesting read.--
Bosch
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Yeah, Sten actually has a lot of hidden depths for an early jRPG character. The whole 'goofball' thing is really just a coping mechanism so he doesn't have to think about the terrible things he's witnessed.
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I dunno about that - she spent most of the subquest as a captive.
Aspara
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This is a nice little reference to Obelisk and Agua from the original Breath of Fire. Clearly there were others hanging around somewhere.
Rand
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A lot of goons would disagree with you there, Rand.
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Pretty much confirming what we already knew.
Lin
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Don't worry, Lin. Sten is one of those sorts of guys. Although considering what he's been through a fear of commitment is somewhat understandable.
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What's more surprising is that the flying fortress actually doesn't get activated. It's nice to actually stop the villain's plots stone cold for once.
Sten
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This is some really heavy stuff and it neatly explains why Sten does what he does - he essentially fought in this world's equivalent of the Somme. We never really find out the details of Gufheim but it's clear that it was a horrendous meatgrinder that mentally broke everyone who fought in it. The whole 'silly monkey' persona is mostly a means of coping with the horrible things he's seen and done, and it's more than you'd expect in terms of characterization from such an early jRPG.
Tapeta
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Tapeta knows what's up.
Nina
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Probably true, although I'm not sure how that would work. Sten's both a war hero and a deserter, though I guess only Turvoe really twigged about the latter.
--
Deis has nothing to say again. She actually does start getting dialogue in these scenes later on, though.
We've finished Highfort, but sadly there's still one more subplot to take care of before we go rooting around in the Elder Tree's mind. Thankfully it won't be nearly as long as Highfort.