Speaking of simpler evil plots...

[amielleon]

I think it's reasonable that Sephiran chose to go with the world war route instead of the galdr route, since at the time he went a bit mad, he thought the apostle was dead.

What's strange is that he decided to enable a distant relative of the throne in Daein to do so before taking power in Begnion. And, after having power in an angrier, bigger country, he decides to use his country to keep the peace while setting the stage for a bigger uprising in the continent several years later.

Um.

Considering how close he was to Sanaki's heart, and how racist the senators were, it would've been a hell of a lot easier to just make Begnion start shit. After all, someone in PoR says that if Begnion sided with Daein, then all the laguz countries would quickly dogpile onto Crimea's side and bam, world war! (I think this was suggested in the laguz cutscene? I think it was mentioned somewhere else, too.) Really, a country with Begnion's prominence would have a lot more resources to embroil the world in war, and I don't think the senators would be against that idea.

My personal conclusion here is that Sephiran is a softie and couldn't (and never did) use Sanaki like he did Ashnard.

Aside from the senators' removal of Sanaki from the political scene, which I think was out of Sephiran's control anyway, and Sanaki's endorsement of Crimea's cause in the first war, I can't think of any way Sanaki played a role in Sephiran's plots. (And Sanaki likely would have reacted the same in both situations with or without Sephiran's direct advisory.) If he manipulated her in any way, he manipulated her by raising her to be as strong-willed and righteous as she is, which isn't ... genuinely manipulative.

Did Sephiran originally intercede in Begnion to gain political influence there for his schemes? Did he change his mind upon getting to know Sanaki? Was that arc never part of his grand plan at all?

In any case, his lack of exploitation of Begnion seems to me to be further support for the genuineness of his relationship with Sanaki.

Comments

[raphiael]

I definitely think of that as just a case of Squishy Feelings, on Sephiran's part. Maybe it's because she's his great-great-times-forever granddaughter. Maybe it's because she reminds him of Altina. Or Misaha. Or both. But even though the plan involved eventually turning Sanaki into a not-so-squishy statue, I can see that being considered less hurtful than the manipulation and deception he levels with other characters.

[amielleon]

Yeah, there are several ways/reasons that Sephiran could have developed said Squishy Feelings, but whatever the case I think it's touching that he apparently made his plan more complicated to spare manipulating her. There's definitely something less direct (and therefore easier) about having her cease to exist painlessly in Stonemageddon than using her as a tool.

Of course, one must wonder what to make of Zelgius, then.

[raphiael]

If anything, I think it could honestly speak to Zelgius not being especially precious to him, as harsh as that sounds. Yes, Sephiran shows him kindness, takes him under his wing (er, lack thereof?), all that. But he's 100% okay with utilizing Zelgius as a pawn - and honestly, a somewhat disposable one, at that.

[amielleon]

He has wings. He just hides them. (Attested to in both the scene where he flips out on a Begnion street and people are like "YOU'RE A LAGUZZ!!!!!" and the epilogue's end with Ashunera.)

Yeah, the inequity between Zelgius and Sephiran is really quite heart-wrenching. Zelgius dies with Sephiran on the brain, but after that you don't hear Sephiran talking about Zelgius even once.

[myaru.livejournal.com]

Contemplating this is part of what led me to the point of no return.

Sephiran seems perfectly capable of manipulating things from afar, manipulating people he doesn't like (Lekain - at least you can imagine he hates the guy, even if he never says so), and people from countries who do things he doesn't like (Ashnard), but plant him right next to someone who's dying, and he's all sympathy. He'll heal them. He'll comfort them. He'll erase Ike's memory when he has no pressing reason to do so aside from how freaked out the poor kid is. He's a great example of someone who is really pissed off about the state of the world and willing to act on his feelings, but when made to pause and think, he realizes somewhere deep down that he's wrong. I don't think he has the conviction in his "everyone needs to die" idea to let someone suffer right in front of him.

He makes it pretty clear, also, that he's not willing to hurt anyone descended from himself or Altina. It could just be Sanaki's bloodline protecting her, but then... just look at how he is in their battle conversation. However - Begnion was also Altina's, in a sense. He helped build the country. I can see him not wanting to sink it as soon as he gets there.

Actually, I was thinking Sephiran establishing himself in Begnion with Sanaki was more of a contingency plan. If his Daein plan didn't work, Sanaki would eventually get old enough to have some kids, and bam, direct access to an Apostle who can sing the galdrar - preferably when young, so she doesn't realize what she's doing! :D That seems a bit too cold for him, but it might've occurred to him, and maybe played a part in his decision to enter Begnion. I still think getting to know and love Sanaki destroyed any intention of his to use her (or her family) for his big plan.

Heh, if you look at how he raised her, it's like he just couldn't help himself - he had to encourage her to do all the right things, make her feel loved, and that's all it took to create an unstoppable force of an empress with balls of steel.

[amielleon]

Awesome comment and some very good points. I like the idea of Sanaki's babies as a contingency (if apostlehood can transfer "horizontally" like that... in theory it probably should be able to).