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tenshinoakuma) wrote2012-01-02 11:25 am
tenshinoakuma) wrote2012-01-02 11:25 am
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[DDS] Serph Analysis [Part 1 of 2]
LET'S BEGIN 2012 WITH CHARACTER ANALYSIS, YEAH? YEAH. Because this is what I do; write tl;dr posts about fictional characters.
I'M. ALMOST DONE WITH THE GAME but apparently I couldn't wait that long to do this. Of course, SPOILERS abound.
Okay I'm going to break this down by game, because while they're two halves of a whole (like a question and an answer), I don't think I can brain both games at once so here goes.
Digital Devil Saga 1
Reflecting on this game is actually pretty interesting while I'm playing DDS2; it really underlines how little they understand of themselves, of the world, of life. Of the people in the Junkyard, Serph stands out because of the people who survived Ground Zero, he was the only one to awaken immediately. I assume most of the NPCs didn't awaken when they were shot with the light, since all of the NPCs you speak to in Muladhara are clearly not awakened.
What causes people to awaken? Judging from the awakenings we get to see, it's some kind of strong emotion. Harley's intense fear of being devoured, Argilla's denial of the events, Heat's confusion and rage, Varin's rage upon seeing Serph, Mick's sadistic glee, Jinana's happiness at being a comrade as she died, Cielo's desire to fix his mistake, Gale's mix of honour and rage, etc. etc. All of these awakenings were connected to strong emotion. So then, what strong emotion caused Serph to awaken? Especially given that he didn't even remember what happened, and apparently forgot a whole plethora of other things in the process. This also ties into how it's clear how everyone changes from their unawakened state to their awakened selves, but it's unclear with Serph. And he should have changed, because Gale states that Serph, too, has changed. I like to think that after he awakened, Serph became a little... 'softer', that with these new plethora of memories and emotions that he hasn't quite adjusted to yet, his leadership abilities takes a hit, at least, initially.
It's actually really interesting looking over the various dialogue choices Serph gets over the course of the first game; he's really formal in the beginning. He doesn't use contractions at all. But after Jinana's death, his dialogue changes to something more informal; he starts flip flipping between using contractions and not. It's not until after Coordinate 136 that Serph fully embraces using contractions. I think, even though Serph shows very little outward sign of it, he really was deeply affected by Jinana's death, as well as the Tribe's conversation after they rescued Sera. I think, as a leader, he sort of held himself separate from everyone else because that's what Tribe leaders do, but I think seeing Argilla and Jinana while the latter was dying, I guess it was a feeling of not being so different after all. Jinana was the one who gave them the word comrade, and I think he really didn't understand what it meant until after Coordinate 136. He's really loved by his Tribe (as was Jinana, and Lupa, too), and I think that may be because he starts taking the time to listen to all of them. Well, that, and his Tribe is pretty small and the fact he fights alongside them and wholly trusts them...
To me, it's really apparent that Serph cares. I think... he wanted everyone to go to Nirvana, but after Bat's various betrayals, and the way Mick treated his Tribe, it became apparent to him that doing so just wouldn't be possible. I do think Serph has a bit of an us vs them kind of mentality, though, because of his dedication to his Tribe, so if he has to choose between his Tribe and others, it's always his Tribe that comes first. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about the people who aren't part of his Tribe; DDS2 has some NPC dialogue where the NPCs express incredulity over Serph wanting to help (even though he was really >:| at Roland/the Lokapala at the time) despite being 'just an AI'. If you think about it, Serph just keeps on losing people all the time. While Argilla (and Cielo?) are clearly torn up about losing their comrades when the Junkyard was being deleted while they were at the top of the Karma Temple, I don't think they felt it as keenly as Serph, because as the leader of everyone, it's like he's losing a part of him.
(I do think DDS2 is a breaking down of that us vs them mentality. I'll get into that later)
Which... brings me to the sidequests and revenge. Hurting comrades is a sure way to get Serph angry, so I have no doubt that news of the four heavenly beasts slaughtering his Tribe would have angered him. But the problem lies in the fact they are currently chasing after Sera. Or rather, climbing the Karma Temple to lead his Tribe to Nirvana. Would he have stopped their ascension upon receiving news that they have lost contact in Ajna, Svathi-- lost contact in places due to rookies slaughtering people? On the one hand, there is not much point reaching Nirvana if there is no Tribe left. On the other hand, it's very clear that something weird is going on, and that they may not reach Nirvana at all if the Temple is attempting to stop them from entering. So then the goal is then to recover Sera. I'm not sure they have the time to dick around in other territories, simply because of the travel time from the Temple to the other territories.
(If you do the sidequest, Heat says Serph cares too much.)
It very much becomes a question of who should he save first? His Tribe or Sera? Although I wonder... I don't think any of them felt Sera was in any immediate danger until they reached the top of Karma Temple; it becomes apparent from the moment Vasuki apprehends you that the Karma Temple bends to Sera's will. Hmm... So then the only real question is time. Is it more important to Serph to chase after Sera, or is it more important to save/avenge his fallen comrades? I know Sera is important to him. Sera is important to him in ways that he doesn't quite fully understand. But so is his Tribe. Serph needs to prioritise their time, so...
But... at the same time, the Karma Temple is a really long climb, and there's no Vendor. They'd need to hike it back to the various bases to resupply, so I don't really see why they couldn't do a little cleaning out of the trash while they were there... Logically they'd prepare themselves before climbing the Temple, but seriously that place is huge. And it's not like they'd have to climb back up to where they were before, since once they reach a large terminal, they can teleport up and down... the only issue is that you hear of the 4 heavenly beasts JUST BEFORE THE FINAL BOSS fha;dsfhaf maybe if they heard about it earlier this wouldn't be so bad...
King Frost, theoretically they could check out either after destroying the ship but before heading back to their new base, or after defeating Varin but before they enter the Karm-- wait no they can't; Sera's already gone by then. So just after destroying the ship; I guess the portrait of Sera would have bothered Serph, and what better time to check it out than when both Heat and Sera aren't around? And then he crushed King Frost because he's causing trouble when he should be following Serph.
Then there's the issue of Beelzebub. You have to be downright irresponsible to complete that sidequest, and I don't think Serph would be that irresponsible. He might bring down the Red Wall so that he can evacuate those trapped behind it, but he definitely wouldn't turn on the power after being warned by the ex-vanguards not to do so; it's their base, he trusts them to do what they must to stop a guy from escaping and causing more trouble. After all, Serph's a busy, busy man, what with a meeting from Lupa and all.
There's no logical reason for Serph to go to Anahata Waterways other than for exploration, but they just don't have time when they have other pressing matters. So that means no Orochi, no filching rings off dead women, and no fight with Metatron, which is a shame.
I... want the Demi-Fiend fight to have happened but seriously there's absolutely no reason to return to noxious mist. It makes me wonder how people found out about the Demi-Fiend fight in the first place because as far as I know, there's absolutely no game indication that he's even there; at least all the other optional bosses have some indication of their existence.
Okay wow this is getting incoherent and I've already forgotten what I've already said. UM.
Something interesting mentioned in DDS2 is that apparently Angel didn't realise that Serph, Argilla, Heat and Cielo were in the Junkyard. No one except Sera, since she hid them in the Junkyard. This might explain why, when Angel calls the meeting with all the Tribe leaders, when Serph finally speaks, she says, "YOU!" before her transmission flips out and gets all staticky. I guess that means she isn't able to see who's gathered there? Maybe she's seen the data from Asura project stage 1, but didn't pay much attention to the individuals? I mean, not many would know Serph, Argilla, Heat and Cielo would've been in there if it wasn't for the fact Serph is a Tribe leader.
In DDS2 it's mentioned that Angel wanted to trap them there to force Sera to do her bidding... but aren't they technically already trapped there even before Angel discovered they were there? Why did Sera come to the Junkyard anyway? She came there to help, but how? Why only after the demon virus infected the Junkyard? I think I need to come back and reexamine this when I've replayed and have the script in front of me.
(Also Lupa's necklaces are made from tag rings aaaaaaaaa)
WOW YOU KNOW WHAT I think I'm incapable of braining more so I'll end it here for now.
ALSO, I MISS THE FIRST GAME'S MANTRA GRID ; A;
On a completely different note, I did an Art Improvement Meme. Now you can see what a terrible artist I was in 2003! I can only thank/blameradio_aspen for the quantity I draw now.
I'M. ALMOST DONE WITH THE GAME but apparently I couldn't wait that long to do this. Of course, SPOILERS abound.
Okay I'm going to break this down by game, because while they're two halves of a whole (like a question and an answer), I don't think I can brain both games at once so here goes.
Digital Devil Saga 1
Reflecting on this game is actually pretty interesting while I'm playing DDS2; it really underlines how little they understand of themselves, of the world, of life. Of the people in the Junkyard, Serph stands out because of the people who survived Ground Zero, he was the only one to awaken immediately. I assume most of the NPCs didn't awaken when they were shot with the light, since all of the NPCs you speak to in Muladhara are clearly not awakened.
What causes people to awaken? Judging from the awakenings we get to see, it's some kind of strong emotion. Harley's intense fear of being devoured, Argilla's denial of the events, Heat's confusion and rage, Varin's rage upon seeing Serph, Mick's sadistic glee, Jinana's happiness at being a comrade as she died, Cielo's desire to fix his mistake, Gale's mix of honour and rage, etc. etc. All of these awakenings were connected to strong emotion. So then, what strong emotion caused Serph to awaken? Especially given that he didn't even remember what happened, and apparently forgot a whole plethora of other things in the process. This also ties into how it's clear how everyone changes from their unawakened state to their awakened selves, but it's unclear with Serph. And he should have changed, because Gale states that Serph, too, has changed. I like to think that after he awakened, Serph became a little... 'softer', that with these new plethora of memories and emotions that he hasn't quite adjusted to yet, his leadership abilities takes a hit, at least, initially.
It's actually really interesting looking over the various dialogue choices Serph gets over the course of the first game; he's really formal in the beginning. He doesn't use contractions at all. But after Jinana's death, his dialogue changes to something more informal; he starts flip flipping between using contractions and not. It's not until after Coordinate 136 that Serph fully embraces using contractions. I think, even though Serph shows very little outward sign of it, he really was deeply affected by Jinana's death, as well as the Tribe's conversation after they rescued Sera. I think, as a leader, he sort of held himself separate from everyone else because that's what Tribe leaders do, but I think seeing Argilla and Jinana while the latter was dying, I guess it was a feeling of not being so different after all. Jinana was the one who gave them the word comrade, and I think he really didn't understand what it meant until after Coordinate 136. He's really loved by his Tribe (as was Jinana, and Lupa, too), and I think that may be because he starts taking the time to listen to all of them. Well, that, and his Tribe is pretty small and the fact he fights alongside them and wholly trusts them...
To me, it's really apparent that Serph cares. I think... he wanted everyone to go to Nirvana, but after Bat's various betrayals, and the way Mick treated his Tribe, it became apparent to him that doing so just wouldn't be possible. I do think Serph has a bit of an us vs them kind of mentality, though, because of his dedication to his Tribe, so if he has to choose between his Tribe and others, it's always his Tribe that comes first. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about the people who aren't part of his Tribe; DDS2 has some NPC dialogue where the NPCs express incredulity over Serph wanting to help (even though he was really >:| at Roland/the Lokapala at the time) despite being 'just an AI'. If you think about it, Serph just keeps on losing people all the time. While Argilla (and Cielo?) are clearly torn up about losing their comrades when the Junkyard was being deleted while they were at the top of the Karma Temple, I don't think they felt it as keenly as Serph, because as the leader of everyone, it's like he's losing a part of him.
(I do think DDS2 is a breaking down of that us vs them mentality. I'll get into that later)
Which... brings me to the sidequests and revenge. Hurting comrades is a sure way to get Serph angry, so I have no doubt that news of the four heavenly beasts slaughtering his Tribe would have angered him. But the problem lies in the fact they are currently chasing after Sera. Or rather, climbing the Karma Temple to lead his Tribe to Nirvana. Would he have stopped their ascension upon receiving news that they have lost contact in Ajna, Svathi-- lost contact in places due to rookies slaughtering people? On the one hand, there is not much point reaching Nirvana if there is no Tribe left. On the other hand, it's very clear that something weird is going on, and that they may not reach Nirvana at all if the Temple is attempting to stop them from entering. So then the goal is then to recover Sera. I'm not sure they have the time to dick around in other territories, simply because of the travel time from the Temple to the other territories.
(If you do the sidequest, Heat says Serph cares too much.)
It very much becomes a question of who should he save first? His Tribe or Sera? Although I wonder... I don't think any of them felt Sera was in any immediate danger until they reached the top of Karma Temple; it becomes apparent from the moment Vasuki apprehends you that the Karma Temple bends to Sera's will. Hmm... So then the only real question is time. Is it more important to Serph to chase after Sera, or is it more important to save/avenge his fallen comrades? I know Sera is important to him. Sera is important to him in ways that he doesn't quite fully understand. But so is his Tribe. Serph needs to prioritise their time, so...
But... at the same time, the Karma Temple is a really long climb, and there's no Vendor. They'd need to hike it back to the various bases to resupply, so I don't really see why they couldn't do a little cleaning out of the trash while they were there... Logically they'd prepare themselves before climbing the Temple, but seriously that place is huge. And it's not like they'd have to climb back up to where they were before, since once they reach a large terminal, they can teleport up and down... the only issue is that you hear of the 4 heavenly beasts JUST BEFORE THE FINAL BOSS fha;dsfhaf maybe if they heard about it earlier this wouldn't be so bad...
King Frost, theoretically they could check out either after destroying the ship but before heading back to their new base, or after defeating Varin but before they enter the Karm-- wait no they can't; Sera's already gone by then. So just after destroying the ship; I guess the portrait of Sera would have bothered Serph, and what better time to check it out than when both Heat and Sera aren't around? And then he crushed King Frost because he's causing trouble when he should be following Serph.
Then there's the issue of Beelzebub. You have to be downright irresponsible to complete that sidequest, and I don't think Serph would be that irresponsible. He might bring down the Red Wall so that he can evacuate those trapped behind it, but he definitely wouldn't turn on the power after being warned by the ex-vanguards not to do so; it's their base, he trusts them to do what they must to stop a guy from escaping and causing more trouble. After all, Serph's a busy, busy man, what with a meeting from Lupa and all.
There's no logical reason for Serph to go to Anahata Waterways other than for exploration, but they just don't have time when they have other pressing matters. So that means no Orochi, no filching rings off dead women, and no fight with Metatron, which is a shame.
I... want the Demi-Fiend fight to have happened but seriously there's absolutely no reason to return to noxious mist. It makes me wonder how people found out about the Demi-Fiend fight in the first place because as far as I know, there's absolutely no game indication that he's even there; at least all the other optional bosses have some indication of their existence.
Okay wow this is getting incoherent and I've already forgotten what I've already said. UM.
Something interesting mentioned in DDS2 is that apparently Angel didn't realise that Serph, Argilla, Heat and Cielo were in the Junkyard. No one except Sera, since she hid them in the Junkyard. This might explain why, when Angel calls the meeting with all the Tribe leaders, when Serph finally speaks, she says, "YOU!" before her transmission flips out and gets all staticky. I guess that means she isn't able to see who's gathered there? Maybe she's seen the data from Asura project stage 1, but didn't pay much attention to the individuals? I mean, not many would know Serph, Argilla, Heat and Cielo would've been in there if it wasn't for the fact Serph is a Tribe leader.
In DDS2 it's mentioned that Angel wanted to trap them there to force Sera to do her bidding... but aren't they technically already trapped there even before Angel discovered they were there? Why did Sera come to the Junkyard anyway? She came there to help, but how? Why only after the demon virus infected the Junkyard? I think I need to come back and reexamine this when I've replayed and have the script in front of me.
(Also Lupa's necklaces are made from tag rings aaaaaaaaa)
WOW YOU KNOW WHAT I think I'm incapable of braining more so I'll end it here for now.
ALSO, I MISS THE FIRST GAME'S MANTRA GRID ; A;
On a completely different note, I did an Art Improvement Meme. Now you can see what a terrible artist I was in 2003! I can only thank/blame
radio_aspen for the quantity I draw now.