LogFAQs > #976628541

Lots happened tonight.

We pick off with Snow and Hope, when Snow makes a comment about grownups being "dummies" who fight and needing to protect the kid. He's not happy that PSICOM are terrorizing the populace - and that's really all they do. They're nothing but a bunch of well-equipped terrorists who put fear into the hearts of civilians and aren't afraid of innocent people becoming collateral damage - and this is something even the Guardian Corps is noticing. More on that in a bit, because Snow gets an angry call from his wife asking where the hell he is. OKAY, OKAY, Fang isn't his wife, but that's my immediate take from it. It's hilarious, but it's interrupted by cellular static because we are led to believe for no good reason that Hope drove the knife into Snow's back. He was hiding it behind his, after all.

Then Fang FINALLY gets to fight alongside Light, and these two are great together. They honestly talk like old friends and it's a lot of fun to have them hanging out. Once they're clear of the goon squad, it's very apparent that they're not even acquaintances, because Light asks "Who are you?" Fang admits she's from Pulse - Gran Pulse, specifically - and that she had just awakened from a crystal stasis not too long ago alongside her "partner" who is none other than Vanille. Yes, I kind of figured that given how their names are listed in SMFFFC. Didn't know the whole story. What's interesting is that Fang doesn't have much of any spellcasting, which is a surprise for her given her character design, and I like surprises like this.

Back to Snow, he says he wants to save everyone and Hope doesn't buy this. Snow knows that the terrorists won't hesitate to open fire in the middle of a bunch of civilians if it means that he'd be "brought to justice" - whose justice? Terrorist justice, that's it. He recognizes that the only way to save 'em is to scare 'em, so that's exactly what he does. He fires a bunch of bullets into the air with a discarded goon's rifle, and says he's gonna kill them all. After clearing the thugs who swoop in, we move forward and are suddenly cornered by those very civilians who have formed a mob with torches, pitchforks, and the like, who are asking the guys to "leave alone" this little girl and her well-loved stuffed animal that the game keeps focusing on. She runs back to her mother, who is glad she's safe, and Snow decides to cut the mob off by blowing up an aerial beam with a sign on it. It falls on none of them, and Hope props up the stuffed animal onto the rubble so the girl can get it back. The townspeople, afraid of l'Cie magic, are all left wondering why none of them are dead. Maybe the government isn't telling them the truth? Or are they such lemmings that they were never taught critical thinking skills? They really need to think for a minute. If Snow wanted to kill them all, why didn't he kill any with the rifle? And why would he only use magic to separate himself from them?

After rigging up a discarded jetpack, we take a ride away from the incoming goons who don't hesitate to fire through the crowd. This takes us to the rafters, and up here I actually can grind a little by going back and forth. I do that, mainly to get a little extra gil from incentive chips, but also to get a little bit ahead on the Crystarium since I've had a few close calls of fights, including with that hoverbike. Another such device blows up an advertising balloon for no reason other than to show power... yeah, and people think these are the good guys? At the end of this there's a blatant boss arena, and Hope finally has the cojones to confront Snow... but it's neither good nor down because a weak DARGON - weaker than the hoverbikes - interrupts it. We send the thing scurrying away and then Hope returns to confrontation. Snow quickly figures it out and exhibits huge amounts of regret and responsibility. But he can't dwell on the past. He can't change it. He has to go forward. This is admirable. Hope doesn't fully buy it and awakens to his Persona... which then blows us off the building. Snow actually saves Hope's life here letting go of the handhold - the one that Hope was about to stab him from - and grabbing the kid, shielding him from harm. He remembered the promise he made to Hope's mother, even if Hope is being a complete tool thinking that murdering Snow is the right thing to do. Hope, you do realize that's going to get a lot of people to hate you just the same, yes? Including people playing this game?

After the boys crash land, we're back with the girls. Fang confirms that Vanille was already a l'Cie when everyone else got branded, and her tattoo is evolving rapidly - you can tell how close you are to DOOM by how the branding looks. The moment the "eye" at the center opens, you're fucked. Fang explains that she and Vanille had been in crystal statis for a couple hundred years and only just woken up, which alerted the Sanctum Fallacy into creating a l'Cie of its own, Dajh, and opened the doors of the Pulse Fallacy, which branded Serah. She hid Vanille in a container and fought some PSICOM goons but by the time they were all dead, Vanille had already left. She was then met by more Sanctum troops, but these guys worked for Cid Raines, who doesn't like how Sanctum is puppeted by the Fallacies. He wants people and l'Cie to coexist, to have Fallacies augment their lives but not control them. And this is why he protects the l'Cie - that and they can help him. This had happened on Day 5, and Fang quickly proved herself useful to him. And her brand is washed away so it's not like she's in any imminent danger of turning into a Cieth.

Fang also brings up that Light is just like Snow, and that's probably why they don't get along. Both are stubborn alpha personalities who want to be in charge of a situation, and they clash because neither wants to back down. There's also that Light is annoyed by Snow insisting on calling her "Sis" and how he's considered an enemy of Cocoon, just like Pulse. Fang says that Pulse isn't too different in that regard, what with people being afraid of "the vipers from up above." The two countries are the same and nobody's ever thought to try to make peace. They'd rather fearmonger up some covfefe and control people that way. But I'm much more fond of the Huxley approach vs. the Orwellian, seeing as trying to control people through fear will always result in someone rising up against the status quo and turning the tables, but controlling them by placating them through pleasure will work wonders since they won't question a life they enjoy living. Yes, this means a lot of drinking and fucking, but hey, it works.

It's unclear to me what Fang and Vanille's relationship is like. Are they sisters? Lovers? Just friends? The datalog just says friends but since Fang says she'd "tear down the sky" for Vanille, I think there's more to it than that. Fang says it's her purpose to prevent Vanille from turning into a monster, and asks Light what hers is. Light doesn't know anymore. She lacks something to look forward to, something to survive for. Fang poses an idea of being there when her sister wakes up. Hey, that's something. Even if it's just looking forward to next week's Survivor since yesterday's was awesome, that will keep you trucking through. Light needs that. So maybe the plan to blow up Eden was the right call. Watching Sanctum fall is something to look forward to. They deserve it.

I end with a little more grinding - this courtyard area is quite beautiful but enemies respawn, and I manage to get like three incentive chips and three credit chips here. I bought another W-Bangle for Fang and found another in the corner. Leveled up a few things. Should be good... well, Sazh and Vanille will need some more upgrades, but I'll get there when I get back to them, which is probably next time. See ya then.