Wandersong Chapter 5 Reactions
Jun. 5th, 2019 05:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flamebyrdThis chapter was Very Long, but also Very Good. But also long. Which means... this post is also long.
Spoilers. All the spoilers.
My intention was to do these notes by topic, instead of sequentially, but I once I reached Mohabumi that that really wasn't going to work, so instead these are mostly-sequential reactions with topic headings.
Miriam
This chapter has really been fleshing out the Miriam backstory, and I appreciate it a lot. It is a little weird that Miriam is opening up about how she feels about her parents and her grandmother, and Bard just... doesn't share any thoughts they might have about their own absent father. (They say their Mom is awesome if you recommend the tourist visit Chismest though, that's super cute.) And then the whole time you're in Mohabumi, Miriam is musing about whether her grandmother ever lived there and feeling sad that she doesn't know anything about her grandmother's life, it's really sweet.
And of course, Miriam has thought about the fact that if they fail, she won't get to see her grandmother again and act on any of these regrets. (But the Bard hasn't.)
Bard
Me, entering Mohabumi: It's kinda weird how people keep saying that the Bard has no magic when a lot of the puzzles we've solved in this game so far seem pretty magical
Candra: BTW magic is just advanced music, you can do basic magic with music
Me: OK then, never mind. Carry on, game.
Actually I really liked the entire exchange with Miriam, I felt like it was the first time I saw that the Bard actually is passionate about music and understands it deeply. ("Music is sounds, and vibrations... it's the way the whole universe moves!") And meanwhile Miriam is being Peak Miriam.
For that matter, the Bard boring a dress shop owner with the extended story of how they and their friend from Langtree made their costume was a nice touch of characterisation.
Worldbuilding
I'm really not comfortable with picking up Earth-cultures wholesale and dropping them in fantasy worlds with different names taken from their inspiration. This chapter didn't quite do that, I don't think the culture of either nation has come directly from an Earth culture, nor is the war an allegory, but it did take the names from Earth languages, so... Not quite crossing the line for me, but getting a little too close to it for my taste.
The Band from Delphi
Some more background plot here, and it is Extremely Ominous. I really hope we're not saving the world only for it to become overrun with monsters.What if Audrey is right... (No, I have faith that this game isn't going to do that to me.)
But it was nice to see the band again! Even if their new singer is a jerk. And they had to leave Delphi because of the monsters. Um.
The Bard and Miriam in the dance club
This really laid on the feelings, and it was SO GOOD.
- Bard saying they don't get over things, they just stop thinking about them (that... doesn't sound healthy, kid)
- That line I've seen quoted a lot in game promo/review stuff, "I keep trying, but I'm scared... that no matter how hard I try, I'll never change anything." ;_;
- And Miriam admiring the Bard for their persistence
- Miriam hoping that being in a city of witches would make her feel like she belonged, but it just made her homesick, and then Miriam connecting with music from her hometown more
In seriousness, it was so important to me to see behind the veil a bit more on both characters. Miriam isn't as grumpy and heartless as she appears. The Bard isn't as happy and confident as they appear.
The heartwarming tale of how a witch who is bad at positive emotions and a Bard who is bad at negative emotions become the best of friends!
The Bard again... (An Aside)
So if the Baron from Chismest is the Bard's father... And the Happy Kid toy is the Baron's invention... and the Bard makes a conscious effort to always be happy... What does that mean?
The Princess of Chaandesh
Ferrying the Princess's ghost around to talk to each of her sisters, each of whom has reacted differently to her death, was really heart-breaking. Particularly the final sister, who was in the "angry" stage of grief. ;_;
And then her mom, who naturally completely broke narrative expectation. (If she wouldn't listen to her daughter while she was alive, would she listen to her dead? Apparently not!)
The Bard and Miriam on their way to the Nexus Point
How many Bard and Miriam feelings can we pack into one chapter? I don't know, but I'm very into it.
It was really important to me to learn that the Bard isn't just walking through this world oblivious: they know that people think they're weird and that they don't fit in, but the Bard is willing to talk to people and befriend them anyway.
Also, they love Miriam. I mean, like a friend. ♥
Spirit World: Moonscape
The music here was so good! I recognise it from the launch trailer. And the graphics were super pretty! And the puzzle mechanics were so much fun this time around (unlike the previous spirit world, ughhh)!
Spirit World: Solarscape
This, on the other hand, was REALLY CREEPY.
Sun/Moon Earthsong
MIRIAM, NO
;_;
AUDREY, HOW DARE YOU
So the spirit world collapsing is why the monsters are appearing in the world... But I'm not quite sure why Audrey claimed she was hoping to have them all killed by this point, since it gets smaller whenever she kills an Overseer so surely it would reach this point inevitably anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But I'm glad the Bard ended the war. By... being possessed by the voices of everyone in the kingdom...? This feels like foreshadowing.
And I'm glad Miriam gets to see her grandmother again, but I'm going to miss herrr. Also, the revelation that part of the reason the Bard was just laid out in bed for 3 days was because getting hit by Audrey's lightning attack hurts probably should have occurred to me earlier.
Nice to see Vivian and Sandra again, I guess. SPELL SQUAD! *boom*
And now the Bard is on their own.
Well, this is going to suck...
Spoilers. All the spoilers.
My intention was to do these notes by topic, instead of sequentially, but I once I reached Mohabumi that that really wasn't going to work, so instead these are mostly-sequential reactions with topic headings.
Miriam
This chapter has really been fleshing out the Miriam backstory, and I appreciate it a lot. It is a little weird that Miriam is opening up about how she feels about her parents and her grandmother, and Bard just... doesn't share any thoughts they might have about their own absent father. (They say their Mom is awesome if you recommend the tourist visit Chismest though, that's super cute.) And then the whole time you're in Mohabumi, Miriam is musing about whether her grandmother ever lived there and feeling sad that she doesn't know anything about her grandmother's life, it's really sweet.
And of course, Miriam has thought about the fact that if they fail, she won't get to see her grandmother again and act on any of these regrets. (But the Bard hasn't.)
Bard
Me, entering Mohabumi: It's kinda weird how people keep saying that the Bard has no magic when a lot of the puzzles we've solved in this game so far seem pretty magical
Candra: BTW magic is just advanced music, you can do basic magic with music
Me: OK then, never mind. Carry on, game.
Bard: Singing can do magic! And not just, like, the magic of friendship. But real magic, like spells that do things!The most Bard of lines. In fact, this basically sums up the entire game.
Actually I really liked the entire exchange with Miriam, I felt like it was the first time I saw that the Bard actually is passionate about music and understands it deeply. ("Music is sounds, and vibrations... it's the way the whole universe moves!") And meanwhile Miriam is being Peak Miriam.
For that matter, the Bard boring a dress shop owner with the extended story of how they and their friend from Langtree made their costume was a nice touch of characterisation.
Worldbuilding
I'm really not comfortable with picking up Earth-cultures wholesale and dropping them in fantasy worlds with different names taken from their inspiration. This chapter didn't quite do that, I don't think the culture of either nation has come directly from an Earth culture, nor is the war an allegory, but it did take the names from Earth languages, so... Not quite crossing the line for me, but getting a little too close to it for my taste.
The Band from Delphi
Some more background plot here, and it is Extremely Ominous. I really hope we're not saving the world only for it to become overrun with monsters.
But it was nice to see the band again! Even if their new singer is a jerk. And they had to leave Delphi because of the monsters. Um.
The Bard and Miriam in the dance club
This really laid on the feelings, and it was SO GOOD.
- Bard saying they don't get over things, they just stop thinking about them (that... doesn't sound healthy, kid)
- That line I've seen quoted a lot in game promo/review stuff, "I keep trying, but I'm scared... that no matter how hard I try, I'll never change anything." ;_;
- And Miriam admiring the Bard for their persistence
- Miriam hoping that being in a city of witches would make her feel like she belonged, but it just made her homesick, and then Miriam connecting with music from her hometown more
In seriousness, it was so important to me to see behind the veil a bit more on both characters. Miriam isn't as grumpy and heartless as she appears. The Bard isn't as happy and confident as they appear.
The heartwarming tale of how a witch who is bad at positive emotions and a Bard who is bad at negative emotions become the best of friends!
The Bard again... (An Aside)
So if the Baron from Chismest is the Bard's father... And the Happy Kid toy is the Baron's invention... and the Bard makes a conscious effort to always be happy... What does that mean?
The Princess of Chaandesh
Ferrying the Princess's ghost around to talk to each of her sisters, each of whom has reacted differently to her death, was really heart-breaking. Particularly the final sister, who was in the "angry" stage of grief. ;_;
And then her mom, who naturally completely broke narrative expectation. (If she wouldn't listen to her daughter while she was alive, would she listen to her dead? Apparently not!)
The Bard and Miriam on their way to the Nexus Point
How many Bard and Miriam feelings can we pack into one chapter? I don't know, but I'm very into it.
It was really important to me to learn that the Bard isn't just walking through this world oblivious: they know that people think they're weird and that they don't fit in, but the Bard is willing to talk to people and befriend them anyway.
Also, they love Miriam. I mean, like a friend. ♥
Spirit World: Moonscape
The music here was so good! I recognise it from the launch trailer. And the graphics were super pretty! And the puzzle mechanics were so much fun this time around (unlike the previous spirit world, ughhh)!
Spirit World: Solarscape
This, on the other hand, was REALLY CREEPY.
Sun/Moon Earthsong
MIRIAM, NO
;_;
AUDREY, HOW DARE YOU
So the spirit world collapsing is why the monsters are appearing in the world... But I'm not quite sure why Audrey claimed she was hoping to have them all killed by this point, since it gets smaller whenever she kills an Overseer so surely it would reach this point inevitably anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But I'm glad the Bard ended the war. By... being possessed by the voices of everyone in the kingdom...? This feels like foreshadowing.
And I'm glad Miriam gets to see her grandmother again, but I'm going to miss herrr. Also, the revelation that part of the reason the Bard was just laid out in bed for 3 days was because getting hit by Audrey's lightning attack hurts probably should have occurred to me earlier.
Nice to see Vivian and Sandra again, I guess. SPELL SQUAD! *boom*
And now the Bard is on their own.
Well, this is going to suck...