Overthinking the apocalypse

Assorted mysteries that passed my mind while writing the analysis of lesbian themes in Asellus' plot. Heavy spoilers for everything in SF1.

White Rose: Look, Lady Asellus! It's the new T-shirt for Asellus' chapter! Isn't it cute? Asellus (internally): Dammit, right on her squishies… Red Turnip: Girl you look great in this! Very fresh! Asellus (internally): Red Turniiiipppp…!! (Fan comic: Sugiyama Daria (Dah) on Pixiv.)

1. Where do Yōma (Mystics) come from?

I assume yōma are not fertile because otherwise Orlouge wouldn't need to go all the way to transform Asellus to get a daughter—he has after all an entire harem to breed, if they could breed. We never meet yōma characters who are parents, siblings or otherwise related by virtue of reproduction.

Asellus is transformed by a blood infusion, but that turns her into a half-yōma, and the plot is clear that this is unprecedented. So how were all the other yōma created? In the canon storyline, Orlouge ends up arrested for kidnapping human girls (thanks to Rastaban’s secret schemes to snitch on him to the human cops). Presumably this is how he got the yōma Princesses of his harem. But what exactly does he do to them to turn human girls into yōma? It cannot be a blood transfusion because otherwise they'd all be half-yōma. The Essence of SaGa concept seem to imply it's a consequence of his vampire-like bite. If that's still the case in the final game, shouldn't Nashira's research have a trivial answer?

Or is this why most Princesses are kept in stasis? They're still being transformed and the process takes many years? Asellus' 12-year sleep is remarked as unusually fast—compared to what? Does that imply that most of the glass coffins have incomplete princesses? But Essence says that the coffins were created only recently, in order to prevent another Rei incident. Since only high-class yōma are able to suck one another's powers, does that imply that every single one of Orlouge's 99 mistresses is a high-class bloodsucking yōma and a potential contender to the throne? (No wonder he keeps them all in stasis, then.)

Keeping in mind that not all of the Essence character concepts made it to the final story, originally White Rose assimilated the bloodsucking roses on her coffin and was “able to break free”—but not escape Orlouge's charm powers like Rei, so she just wanders around the castle. (In the game she's asleep like the others and is woken up for Asellus' sake, which obscures the background of her rose-growing hair). Presumably Orlouge just lets her roam the castle. Are the coffins secretly something like a test, a miniature version of what Orlouge did to Asellus—he wants his girls to show some spunk, because he's so bored? (Canonically, that's the reason he's attached to Rei, Zozma and Asellus—getting everyone to magically submit to your every whim for centuries eventually gets old, he needs to spice things up, he needs brats.)

2. What did Evil Queen Asellus do to Gina?

Besides hot lesbian sex every night, I mean.

I can't imagine Asellus would dress up a human Gina as a Princess, she must have been turned in some way. Can she bite human girls into immortality like concept-Orlouge? If Princess Gina is a full yōma, does that mean she could pull a Rei, suck Asellus' blood and become royal-level? Or if Asellus gave her her own blood like Orlouge did to herself, does that mean Gina the half-yōma has inherited Asellus power, and Rastaban will eventually start an anti-Asellus coup around Gina, who will face Asellus in a tragic battle of lovers…?

3. Asellus' nominative determinism.

Rastaban, Ildon (=Yildun), Mesarthim, Ciato (=Scheat) and Zozma are all named after stars. To my knowledge, nobody else in SaGa Frontier's multiple Regions takes names after stars. This seems to be a custom among the yōma. Essence says that the names of the Princesses are granted upon their rebirth, to fully sever the connection with their previous, human lives.

But “Asellus” is also a star name (either δ Cancri or γ Cancri; the north little ass, and the south little ass). The disastrous meeting with her aunt makes it clear that this was her birth name as a human. Is it a coincidence that this random human girl who gets miraculously turned into a (half-)yōma just so happened to follow yōma name conventions?

I mean probably yes, it must have been a decision outside from the game world—just an aesthetic choice for Shōda's chapter in the game. But suppose it's motivated in-plot, just for fun. Could Asellus have been marked since before birth as Orlouge's successor? Canonically, Orlouge is bored, and he set up Asellus on a quest of rebellion because he wanted to test the mettle of his chosen daughter. Since he can't breed, did he pay a couple humans to generate a baby to become his successor? Is this why Asellus' parents died when she was little? They were killed for going back on their deal and trying to run away with her? Because Orlouge had planned the horse carriage “accident” all along?! Is this why Asellus is named after the donkey star?!? (Certainly not, but feel free to write a fanfic with this idea.)

4. The other nominative determinism

Wait no I just remembered a single other human who has a star name: γ Capricorni is called… Nashira. As in, the biologist who wanted to duplicate yōma immortality, only to give up and dedicate herself to magical rose cultivation instead—and whose research Orlouge, known rose appreciator, is graciously supporting. mind=blown.

5. Who was the beautiful woman who killed Asellus?

According to Essence, the reason Asellus got ran over by the carriage is that (true to her tendencies) she got distracted by a beautiful woman. Who was this woman from out of town, pretty enough to distract Asellus in the middle of the street, and what was she doing at the scene of the Yōma Hunt?

6. How did Asellus survive being stabbed?

It is one of the most memorable scenes of the game: A freshly turned Asellus is panicking about all these monster people when Ildon stabs her dramatically on the field of white vampire-roses, which eagerly tinge purple with her blood, the beautiful stain spreading fast like the realisation of her inhumanity… (Because the yōma wouldn't just tell her “hey you're half-yōma now btw”, they have to be drama queens about everything, obvs.) And then she gets up to her horror to find out the stabbing fully healed, as additional proof of her inhumanity.

Except the yōma don't have regenerative powers of any kind, nor are they more resistant in battle than humans or monsters. They don't have any sort of immunity or defence or resistance either, and their immortality refers only to eternal youth.

I'm guessing this is a plot hole left over from earlier conceptions of yōma. This is shown by the original Kurenai escape route, which would involve their bodies being destroyed and fully regenerated in the incinerator fire, and also in Fuse's Crazy Journal, where Asellus regenerates supernaturally from a stab in the back. (Since the yōma are underpowered relative to humans in the final game, one could solve both the plot hole and the game imbalance by giving them inherent regeneration in battle, or maybe infinite LP or something.)

7. Asellus' sucking on White Rose

The original concept for the yōma was even more vampire-like: blue blood causes a thirst that can only be sated with human blood. Asellus would distract herself from vampiric urges by sucking on the spirits of flowers. Any flowers would do, or is it the blood roses specifically? The latter makes sense symbolically, but where would she procure blood roses from, after escaping Facinatoru?

Oh yes, how convenient—due to her assimilation of the parasitic roses on her coffin, Princess White Rose literally grows blood roses out of her hair.

What an eerily sensual, decadent imagery we never got, to be addicted to suckling on the delicate, lush blossoms that grow out of your girl's locks…

8. White Rose sucking on Asellus

Orlouge seems pretty fine after his blood donation. Rastaban, too, after baiting Cialis to go down on him. And Princess Rei escaped by sucking on Orlouge's blood, thereby acquiring Asellus-like powers—she can resist Orlouge's charm, too, and it's stated she could become a Queen if she wanted, she's just not interested.

Doesn't that imply that Asellus could give White Rose immunity against Orlouge by feeding her her own blood? For that matter, couldn't Asellus—and Rei—share Orlougian blood with every single yōma in their rebellion? Orlouge vaccination campaign? Wake up all of his 99 Princesses and feed blood to each and every one, ending up with history's prettiest army? If the blood is diluted in Asellus and Rei, it should still be enough to at least increase their resistance somewhat? What about empowering the lower-class yōma—apparently they can't suck powers through blood like the nobles, but if even a human girl can get Orlouge-level powers through a transfusion, surely Mesarthim and the others would get at least a power up with the same process?

Yōma Queen Asellus: Dang I'm so bored. Princess White Rose: Lady Asellus! Look! The yōma transformation of White Rose!! Asellus: You were already yōma to begin with… (Fan comic: Hanaimo on Pixiv)

For that matter, how come Nashira doesn't immediately obsess with Asellus' yōmafication process as soon as she hears her story? Her entire point is she sacrificed everything in the pursuit of immortal bodies like the yōma, right? And in the end she gave up upon the inevitability of death, and changed to recreational rose breeding instead? Shouldn't the existence of Asellus prove to her that humans can become immortal after all, and rekindle the flame of the old research?

9. Is human route Asellus self-harming?

Another abandoned concept of the more vampiric conception of the Yōma was that Asellus would have sealed away her Faeblade/Mystic Sword with a cross talisman that burns yōma to the touch. However, plot reasons would keep calling on her to draw the sword anyway, to protect her girls. So her sword arm would be covered in burn scars, which she'd hide by wearing long gloves. (What a beautiful image for being in denial.)

What this makes me think of is how unequipping techs is called “sealing” them in SaGa. I wouldn't pay a lot of mind to that since applies to everyone, except—remember that the “Mystic equipment” count as “techs” in the version we got, they're inherent abilities not really objects; and none of the yōma can seal them away, even when you would really rather equip more spells, except Asellus.

Normal yōma are unable to seal their yōma tech, or unwilling? When Asellus seals away her absorption abilities, is this a painful process, like the original holy talisman? Is Asellus suppressing her yōma nature an act of metaphysical self-harm?

10. What's up with Princess Rei reincarnations?

They just throw this lore casually, refuse to elaborate, leave.

She was originally turned into a Princess at age 25, and she escaped Orlouge's surveillance by killing herself and reincarnating as a human. But her yōma powers come back gradually, getting stronger the closer she is to 25, so she keeps killing herself and being reborn as a human baby, again and again.

• So she has a human body when we meet her?? Her character class in the game is just “yōma” though?!
• How does she keep her memories between reincarnations?
• Is this something just anyone could do in this world?? If not, how does Rei specifically do it?
• Will any yōma, upon murder or suicide, be reborn into a human who recovers their yōma nature gradually? Is yōmafication an eternal condition that transcends death itself?!
• If the yōma don't get skills because their immortal bodies are static, but Rei has human bodies that grow and age (at least until 25), shouldn't she be able to spark skills and train stats like Asellus? Since she gradually transforms until hitting 25, shouldn't she start fully human and become full yōma only at adulthood?
• For that matter, her current body upon recruitment is 12, which is exactly halfway, so shouldn't she be a half-yōma just like Asellus?
• What colour is Rei's blood?!

Kirin: Princess Rei, what would you like to eat? Our orphan paradise has all sorts of tasty snacks! Princess Rei: Is that so…? I do enjoy rice crackers as an appetiser, and if indulging on pastries, I'm quite fond of azuki bean cakes, yes I am. Would go great with some roasted green tea, I daresay. Kirin [dejected]: I'm so sorry…! All we have is bags of candy and juice boxes and the like… (I thought that's the kind of thing human kids would enjoy…?) Princess Rei: Pardon me, Kirin! I'm actually an old woman… (Fan comic: Kouya on Pixiv)

11. What was Rastaban's plan with Cialis… I mean Ciato?

I understand that Rastaban had been planning a coup for a long time, and that he provoked Cialis into a duel and let him win, so that he'd suck on some… powers and get hyped enough to go fight Asellus. Apparently he doesn't think Asellus was ready to fight him either, since he sends his own boyfriend to go bodyguard her. But uh, why exactly is he doing all that? What's the point of making Cialis go fight Asellus, and how exactly does that advance the insurrection?

12. Who was Red Turnip's lover?

The Dark Labyrinth was designed to punish yōma whose love makes Orlouge jealous. Throw a couple in, and they can only exit after one of them leaves behind the person they care about the most.

Who loved Red Turnip so much that they had to leave them behind? Was Orlouge jealous of Red Turnip's lover, or of Red Turnip themself? I don't peg Orlouge for a monsterfucker, he's not cool enough for that, so—who was the turnipsexual Princess who cheated on Orlouge with a sentient vegetable??

13. Who was Zozma's lover?

Two people whose existences are important to Orlouge are Rei, who maintains her free will, and Zozma, who refused a position as head of the Black Knights and left.

By the way, Zozma broke the rules of the bloodsucking clan and already gained his freedom by conquering the Dark Labyrinth. It’s unknown who he left behind in the Labyrinth at the time. —translation

(Stares at question #12 above) oh my god