clonechild | More Mana Khemia blather

This post is filled with disjointed observations and opinions that will only be interesting to me, really.

So, what exactly is up with Roxis' guard animation, anyway? All the other characters shield themselves with their weapons while Roxis calls up some sort of glowing, circle-y shield? I mean, I'm not sure hiding behind a deck of cards is much better, but the shield is sort of weird. And unexplained.

Also, the scene where you get the recipe for the Magic Stone Collar sort of bothers me. I mean, it's funny and you can make bad jokes about it (collars and whips, come on) but it seems slightly out of character? Because Roxis gives off the feeling that he is very big on fair play, and taking away control like that would go against his principles. But then again, I highly doubt Roxis was thinking along my lines. And given the way his luck runs it'd probably be used on him instead.

Nikki is... I like Nikki, I really do: it's refreshing to see a woman being so casual about love and sex without being judged a slut and pretty much the only things her workshop says about it is that it might help to stop flirting with taken men and that her fanclub is scary.

I just really dislike her ending. You can see it coming and it goes with Nikki's wish for lots of kids, but that's the problem: Nikki's wishes. Not once in their interactions does Vayne show any more affection for her than as a friend. And all the other endings give a feeling of - is 'mutuality' a word? It should be.

Vayne and Roxis are beating the crap out of each other in Roxis' ending but then they do that during the main game anyway, and Vayne actually demands another spar. Similarly, he enjoys sparring with Anna. He enjoys being DEFENDERS OF ~~THE EARTH~~ JUSTICE with Flay even if he thinks it's embarrassing. Muppy is just weird and I'm not quite sure what I think of Pamela's yet. But Nikki's ending shows none of that. Sure he likes spending time with her, but it's the only explicitly romantic ending, and there was none of that during the main game. And Nikki shows several times that she might be interested in Vayne, but he is never shown returning that feeling, and I don't really see Nikki being in love with him. She likes him, sure, but I got the feeling that it was mostly convenient.

And I ship her with Jess anyway. Just, tails. That's all I have to say about it. The touching of tails and the trust that it means.