Some stuff about laguz story mechanics.

[amielleon]

So I finished that long-held-out no-resets FE9 Hard run, and wondered for the umpteenth time what "narisokonai" (all hiragana) was supposed to mean. So it occurred to me that I could check the RD glossary in Japanese.

What it says is quite interesting.

なりそこない(ナリソコナイ)

旧デイン国王の生物実験によって本来の性質を歪められたラグズを指す。 「化身」するとずっと元に戻らず常に高い戦闘力を維持できる。 しかしその代償として短命になる他精神が破壊されて凶暴化する。 特別な薬を用いることで使役できる。 実験途中に生まれた失敗作であることから、この名称で呼ばれる。

Coming from a biological experiment of the former Daein king, this term refers to laguz whose original nature has been warped. When they "transform"*, they can constantly maintain a high level of battle performance without returning to their original state. However, as compensation, they become short-lived, and their hearts are destroyed and changed to be brutal. They can be enslaved by the use of a special drug. Because of the fact that they were failures born from the middle of an experiment, they are named thusly.

So I'm guessing narisokonai is broken up something like, nari from become (noun form) and sokonai from to fail in doing (as in an experiment; noun form).


*Transform = "Keshin" - This is a term in itself in the glossary, which is explained further in its entry:

化身(ケシン)

ラグズ特有の能力。 一定の間"気"を高めることによって姿を変えること。 "化身"中は戦闘に関係するあらゆる能力が上昇する。

The characteristic ability of the laguz. It refers to how, after a fixed time, coming forth from raising their "ki," they change their shape. While "transformed," every ability related to battle is improved.

And yeah, "ki" here is the same as chi/qi/whatever, mystical Asian energy force thing.

It's interesting that laguz transformation is apparently done and maintained by powering up DBZ-style, instead of the "flipping a switch" style of transformation I had assumed. It makes more sense with why they have to morph back, too.

Comments

[raphiael]

So then I guess the idea of the average laguz just chillaxing in animal form doesn't really hold up, does it? I mean, maybe for the royals, but it'd be a waste for most, I think.

[raphiael]

also Volug is an exception, I guess.

[amielleon]

He halfshifts.

[amielleon]

Maybe it feels good, like running in the early morning with a nice breeze? It's an exertion of energy, but that doesn't necessarily make it unpleasant.

Specifically "chillaxing" would maybe not be a good idea though.

[mark_asphodel]

OK. So even without the feral potion, we seem to have an echo here of the degenerate dragons who refused to take human form as found in FE3. The key to a long life and sanity seems to be a bipedal humanoid form.

[amielleon]

Oh, no, I'm pretty sure the enslavement via a certain drug refers to how you can get the feral laguz under control, enough to use them in battle. There's a reference to that in Ch 28 in PoR.


Izuka
Release the Feral Ones.

Daein Soldier
Th-those monsters? But...

Izuka
No need to worry. I have just given them their medication. They've all been trained not to attack any Daein soldiers.

Today is the day of doubleposts.

[amielleon]

Good catch on the reference, though. I'd never suspected the Feral Ones were a reference to anything.