Second Anniversary & Suikobabble
May. 25th, 2006 01:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sub_dividedToday's the two-year anniversary of this livejournal *busts out the cheap wine*.
Let's try this again!
Leave a comment here of anything you want to see in my house, room, on me etc.; anything you can think of and I'll take a picture and post them.
This week it is finally, finally, finally not raining, so I can take outdoor pictures without them being ruined by an ugly gray sky. (EDIT: GUESS WHAT THE WEATHER IS LIKE RIGHT NOW.)
In other non-news, my COMPLETE OBSESSION with Suikoden V continues unabated. My roomates are disappointed in me, they didn't think I was that kind of geek. (But it's not like I was hiding it? These days I am pretty upfront about my geekitude. It's really hard to explain the appeal of RPGs to people who don't even know what those letters mean, by the way.)
I've been keeping notes and the notes have been piling up, so here is a very long reaction post.
New Game screen. You get to name your character: I was Cael pronounced "Kyle" until I met an in-game Kyle; then I became Cael pronounced "Kale". You also get to choose between a marginally masculine voice (for grunts, hah!s, hi-yahs, etc) and a little girl one. I felt bad for the hero because he looks enough like a girl already, so I picked the sort-of masculine one.
This guy is totally pwned by all the strong women he hangs out with. Even most of your early recruits are women! There's an in-game joke about this (actually there are a couple, but here's one: when you have your palm read by the fortuneteller in Yashuna Inn, he tells you that "you are surrounded by strong women who will fight for your affections, although none of them will fall in love with you. Their fiercely selfish regard will drive away all possible suitors and you will die alone, unless you are forced into a loveless political marriage." XD).
The whipped nature of your character is explained by the fact that he is an Imperial Prince in a country where only the female members of the ruling family have any power. The men are largely decorative (though they can also be callously married off ahaha). When the game starts, you're on a mission to inspect the devastated town of Lordlake. In Lordlake, everyone is poor, everyone is thirsty, everyone is sick, and everyone hates you. Eventually you and your party give up and return to the palace, where your mother has the first of many semi-psychotic I-am-God episodes -- which, you-the-player later learn, are not characteristic.
My love for this game started here.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bluedelirium put it way better than I could:
The silent hero thing is finally working again, because the developers realized something insanely important after the mishaps of IV, which is that a silent hero only works when his relationships with other people are clear, convincing, and emotionally meaningful. The Prince has no direct development outside of your own choices, but he has good friends, parents who are proud of him, a sister who adores him; you can develop him within those confines. The point is that the hero has a personality, you just get to decide what exactly that personality is. In IV, that feeling was absent.
YES YES EXACTLY. And it's not just the Prince -- all of the characters are defined by their relationships with other characters. Your little sister seems bratty and overly demanding, until you see the way her bodyguard is always making fun of her and the -- not grace, but comfortable resignation with which she accepts this. ♥ ♥ ♥.
At this point my only real beef was with the names, which are completely ridiculous (yes, worse than Cael). They're like every bad fantasy cliche ever, lots of random ys and js and zs because that's exotic. Even worse, they sound like the characters: the serene priestess-type is named "Arshat" (like arhat, get it?), the big guy in the mohawk is named "Boz Wildes". Your sister is "Lymsleia". There's no pattern to it. SO BAD. (I also sort of hate the scroll speed, even "fast" is way too slow.)
But back to things that matter: you're a decorative Prince in a Queendom modeled after Fanatsy Imperial China XD. In the greatest touch ever, your smart, cynical aunt and the man who'll eventually become the main game villain are PERFECTLY matched. I could watch them snark at each other all day. Pressure from the nobility forces your mother call for the gladiatorial combat tournament that traditionally decides the husband of the future Queen, even though "Lyms" (SO BAD) is twelve at most. The two noble houses that traditionally win the tournament (what about inbreeding, I wonder) cheat like mad, which is probably also traditional. Eventually Gizel Godwin, WHO I LOVE, wins, marries your sister, hires assassins for the wedding party, kills your parents, blames Georg Prime, and basically takes over the government. You and your aunt and your bodyguard and the supposed killer escape into exile.
bluedelirium thinks Gizel is a sociopath, but I disagree. Yes, he enjoys setting up cruel ("interesting") scenarios and watching them play out. But the sense I get is that the reason he's so enamored of complicated plots even above their actual results is that he is passive-aggressively hoping to fail. Sort of like, in a just universe some twist of fate would allow his enemies to take advantage of the flaws he deliberately allows to remain in his plans -- but he's just too good at plotting, so in this universe his plans succeed. I don't get the sense that he believes what he's doing is right or for the good of the nation, though several other characters do believe it.
In the first ten hours of game play, the Prince escapes via secret passages five times. XD Favorite plot device much? While on the run, your bright orange princely robes are deemed too obvious, so you disguise yourself in bright red ones instead. This doesn't work, everyone recognizes you anyway. It's only after you are safely in the hands of your crazy priestess aunt (different aunt, your mother's cousin) that you allow yourself to cry for Mom and Dad, when no one else is watching ;___; this scene is SO SAD.
My basic feeling at this point was I'LL BELIEVE THEY'RE DEAD WHEN I SEE THE CORPSES, but the longer the game went on, and the more scenes like this there were, the most I hoped they really were dead. Otherwise it would be way too cheap.
SECRET PASSAGE SIX: ELVEN PATH THROUGH FOREST.
You (and aunt and bodyguard etc.) eventually end up with the other noble house that traditionally cheats in the Sacred Games. If the Godwins are defined by their authoritarian militarism and sneakiness, the Barrows are defined by their corrupt mercantilism and sneakiness. This being Suikoden, your first goal is to find a top-rate strategist who'll help win your battles for you.
SECRET PASSAGE SEVEN: DWARVEN TUNNEL TO AGATE PRISON
Lucretia is the sort of person who, when thrown into prison, inspires such fanatical devotion in her guards that they call her "my lady" and wait on her hand and foot and desert their posts for her. XDXD actually, she's kind of scary, she was imprisoned for betraying her last boss and frankly admits she'll betray you too, the instant she feel's you've strayed from her personal sense of justice. I have to imagine that this is NOT standard operating procedure for strategists; unshakeable confidence in their continued and undivided loyalty seems like it should be a basic job requirement.
Because there are often betrayals, multi-layered schemes, etc, this game has made me very, very paranoid. The feather fan doesn't help, I associate it with schemers.
The hero picks up a rare rune (the Dawn rune, the disappearance of which lead to Lordlake being smacked down before the game started). Speaking of smackdowns, there is a hilarious BARROWS SMACKDOWN scene after the Dawn Rune is discovered in their warehouse: first you, then your party, then the (very serious) daughter of the family, then the servants, then the guy who was guarding the warehouse all take turns denouncing the Barrows. I wouldn't have been surprised if the dog hated them too.
Hm, what next...going back to Lordlake, you have already forgotten the name of the boy you rescued from wild pigs mere days ago. XD stupid royals. When given the choice of what to name my army, I chose "Royal Army" -- with the result that every time any character refers to it, they say "The Royal Army Army" ahahaha. Also, what the hell kind of name is "Fuwalufuwalu"? And here I thought "Taylgeyl" was bad.
SECRET PASSAGE EIGHT: CERAS LAKE RUINS.
Mysterious Dawn Rune powers, activate! It seems that Lorelei is the last surviving member of the ancient Sindar race. I FIND THIS INTRIGUING AND WISH TO KNOW MORE (Doesn't it seem like she and Zweig should have a cooperative attack together? One that doesn't actually do any damage).
And water was restored to Lordlake and there was much rejoicing.
Boy rescued from wild pigs (Toma): I used to believe that bad things only happened to Lordlake, but now I see that lots of bad things happened to the Prince, too! But he never complains! He just keeps fighting, and helping other people, too!
Afternoon Special, go! It's good to know that the suffering peasants have not suffered so much that they can't also appreciate imperial suffering. But forget all that, the most important thing about this part is that there is an
OUTFIT CHANGE. To this. o_O I was fond of the bright orange tunic, even fonder of the bright red one, but apparently the only real way to inspire a nation to follow you is to bare your slender girly shoulders and tie a sweater around your waist.
The ancient Sindar ruins are to be my base of operations, I took this opportunity to look for optional sidequests -- without a guide, a decision that can only end in tears when I finally break down and look, only to see that I have lost FOR EVER the chance to recruit the best characters (this is what always happens to me).
Highlights of sidequests and city-at-a-time liberation campaigns:
• just like Lordlake, you can only recruit the Beavers after a great calamity has befallen them, which you have played savior of.
• MATHIAS' SWORD IS NAMED ISABEL WTF.
• Huh, and I was sure he was only half and elf.
• ahahaha Euram you dork.
• Lu calls me... a n00b. With zeros and everything!
• "I'm not speaking to someone who looks like those dirty grassies dressed him."
I also like how when you are infiltrating Lelcar with Kyle, who grew up there, you get -
Kyle: In these clothes, no one will recognize me!
Wasil: Kyle!
Kyle: >_>
Wasil: How could anyone, anywhere, ever forget your face!
Sialeeds (the aunt) and Dolph (one of the assassins working for Gizel Godwin) have a cryptic scene together. Once again I thought, I really hope the Queen and her husband are dead -- and lo, I got my wish. ;_______; SO SAD.
At this point, I thought I was almost at the end. LITTLE DID I KNOW...the plan to abduct Lymsleia from the battle field fails, because of Sialeed's betrayal. That'll teach me to take for granted the loyalty of anyone who has not officially joined the 108 stars (thankfully, Georg has since officially joined).
I have mixed feelings about Sialeed's betrayal. On the one hand, I really wanted another scene between her and Gizel. They're so...so alike. On the other hand, I wasn't happy to see it happen this way. I wonder at her reasons, especially as it appears Gizel doesn't know them either.
And now for some light-hearted gay retardedness courtesy of the Dragon Cavalry:
Rahal's the blue one with the blue dragon, and water-based sword rune. Roog's the red with the red dragon and a fire-based sword rune. Rahal's refined, Roog is straightforward, every scene they are in together I laugh and laugh and laugh.
Miakis: (to Rahal) Handsome and smart. Remind me, why aren't you taken yet?
Rahal: I, er...a certain partner's shortcomings leave no room for the ladies.
Roog: Hey wait man, you aren't going to push your ISSUES on me.
Rahal: We need not go into that now!
Roog likes Miakis though. It's such a shame. Also when Roog finally speaks (I mean, when he finally has a voiced cutscene) you find out that he has this awful redneck accent.
Other highlight of the Dragon Calvalry campaign:
• cute baby dragon awwwwww.
• the two Godwin guards who were, ahem, "distracted" by Rahal had been having a total Red vs. Blue moment ("I'm just not feeling this assignment").
• Nick and Yoran are cute, but Yoran is only a stableboy so there is no way they can grow up to be a matching set like Roog and Rahal...OR SO I THOUGHT. Actually it seems Yoran can play Nick's flute and get a response from Nick's parter-dragon Ax, obviously they are OT3 meant 2 b.
• Georg Prime shows up to save the day. Can this man be any cooler?
Shula Vayle is so cool. He has his own theme music! "I wish I could say Armes was on better terms with the Island Nations, but we're not." (Obligatory Suikoden crossover moment: this game takes place ~200 years after and directly north of the events of Suikoden IV, it seems that Rune Canons have become a lost technology which are these days only used for bluffs.)
Regaining the territory lost in a major Godwin offensive, I am allowed to choose whether I want to personally lead the attack at Sable or at Doraat. I chose Doraat so I could give that psychopath Childerich what-for -- but sadly, Bahram's stupid suicidal distraction ploy worked, and he got away. BAH.
(I like how, prior to this point in the game, when Lucretia asked "Shall we begin the battle now?", I allowed to say "No, I want to save/switch my active party/level up/play minigames first!" but in these scenes, I can only choose "Let's go into battle!" Way to give me a choice, Konami.)
I leave you with one final scene.
Gizel: Perhaps you’d be so kind as to do me a favor?
Sialeeds: (with an uncharacteristically alert expression) Depends on the favor.
Gizel: *smiles*
Sialeeds: ...what is it?
I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH OMG. There is an underlying stupidity to Gizel's scheming, however, in that if he had only been slightly less eager to alienate every non-human group in the country (and many of the human ones), there would have been far fewer people willing to join my cause. This is what I meant by "passive-agressive attempts at destruction" -- it's like these plans are designed to get people to hate him and thus, re-overthrow the government. Or maybe I'm wrong and he's just buying time for the scientists to figure out that rune, hmmm.
EDIT Who knows Spanish? What the heck is this?
Let's try this again!
Leave a comment here of anything you want to see in my house, room, on me etc.; anything you can think of and I'll take a picture and post them.
This week it is finally, finally, finally not raining, so I can take outdoor pictures without them being ruined by an ugly gray sky. (EDIT: GUESS WHAT THE WEATHER IS LIKE RIGHT NOW.)
In other non-news, my COMPLETE OBSESSION with Suikoden V continues unabated. My roomates are disappointed in me, they didn't think I was that kind of geek. (But it's not like I was hiding it? These days I am pretty upfront about my geekitude. It's really hard to explain the appeal of RPGs to people who don't even know what those letters mean, by the way.)
I've been keeping notes and the notes have been piling up, so here is a very long reaction post.
New Game screen. You get to name your character: I was Cael pronounced "Kyle" until I met an in-game Kyle; then I became Cael pronounced "Kale". You also get to choose between a marginally masculine voice (for grunts, hah!s, hi-yahs, etc) and a little girl one. I felt bad for the hero because he looks enough like a girl already, so I picked the sort-of masculine one.
This guy is totally pwned by all the strong women he hangs out with. Even most of your early recruits are women! There's an in-game joke about this (actually there are a couple, but here's one: when you have your palm read by the fortuneteller in Yashuna Inn, he tells you that "you are surrounded by strong women who will fight for your affections, although none of them will fall in love with you. Their fiercely selfish regard will drive away all possible suitors and you will die alone, unless you are forced into a loveless political marriage." XD).
The whipped nature of your character is explained by the fact that he is an Imperial Prince in a country where only the female members of the ruling family have any power. The men are largely decorative (though they can also be callously married off ahaha). When the game starts, you're on a mission to inspect the devastated town of Lordlake. In Lordlake, everyone is poor, everyone is thirsty, everyone is sick, and everyone hates you. Eventually you and your party give up and return to the palace, where your mother has the first of many semi-psychotic I-am-God episodes -- which, you-the-player later learn, are not characteristic.
My love for this game started here.
bluedelirium put it way better than I could:The silent hero thing is finally working again, because the developers realized something insanely important after the mishaps of IV, which is that a silent hero only works when his relationships with other people are clear, convincing, and emotionally meaningful. The Prince has no direct development outside of your own choices, but he has good friends, parents who are proud of him, a sister who adores him; you can develop him within those confines. The point is that the hero has a personality, you just get to decide what exactly that personality is. In IV, that feeling was absent.
YES YES EXACTLY. And it's not just the Prince -- all of the characters are defined by their relationships with other characters. Your little sister seems bratty and overly demanding, until you see the way her bodyguard is always making fun of her and the -- not grace, but comfortable resignation with which she accepts this. ♥ ♥ ♥.
At this point my only real beef was with the names, which are completely ridiculous (yes, worse than Cael). They're like every bad fantasy cliche ever, lots of random ys and js and zs because that's exotic. Even worse, they sound like the characters: the serene priestess-type is named "Arshat" (like arhat, get it?), the big guy in the mohawk is named "Boz Wildes". Your sister is "Lymsleia". There's no pattern to it. SO BAD. (I also sort of hate the scroll speed, even "fast" is way too slow.)
But back to things that matter: you're a decorative Prince in a Queendom modeled after Fanatsy Imperial China XD. In the greatest touch ever, your smart, cynical aunt and the man who'll eventually become the main game villain are PERFECTLY matched. I could watch them snark at each other all day. Pressure from the nobility forces your mother call for the gladiatorial combat tournament that traditionally decides the husband of the future Queen, even though "Lyms" (SO BAD) is twelve at most. The two noble houses that traditionally win the tournament (what about inbreeding, I wonder) cheat like mad, which is probably also traditional. Eventually Gizel Godwin, WHO I LOVE, wins, marries your sister, hires assassins for the wedding party, kills your parents, blames Georg Prime, and basically takes over the government. You and your aunt and your bodyguard and the supposed killer escape into exile.
bluedelirium thinks Gizel is a sociopath, but I disagree. Yes, he enjoys setting up cruel ("interesting") scenarios and watching them play out. But the sense I get is that the reason he's so enamored of complicated plots even above their actual results is that he is passive-aggressively hoping to fail. Sort of like, in a just universe some twist of fate would allow his enemies to take advantage of the flaws he deliberately allows to remain in his plans -- but he's just too good at plotting, so in this universe his plans succeed. I don't get the sense that he believes what he's doing is right or for the good of the nation, though several other characters do believe it. In the first ten hours of game play, the Prince escapes via secret passages five times. XD Favorite plot device much? While on the run, your bright orange princely robes are deemed too obvious, so you disguise yourself in bright red ones instead. This doesn't work, everyone recognizes you anyway. It's only after you are safely in the hands of your crazy priestess aunt (different aunt, your mother's cousin) that you allow yourself to cry for Mom and Dad, when no one else is watching ;___; this scene is SO SAD.
My basic feeling at this point was I'LL BELIEVE THEY'RE DEAD WHEN I SEE THE CORPSES, but the longer the game went on, and the more scenes like this there were, the most I hoped they really were dead. Otherwise it would be way too cheap.
SECRET PASSAGE SIX: ELVEN PATH THROUGH FOREST.
You (and aunt and bodyguard etc.) eventually end up with the other noble house that traditionally cheats in the Sacred Games. If the Godwins are defined by their authoritarian militarism and sneakiness, the Barrows are defined by their corrupt mercantilism and sneakiness. This being Suikoden, your first goal is to find a top-rate strategist who'll help win your battles for you.
SECRET PASSAGE SEVEN: DWARVEN TUNNEL TO AGATE PRISON
Lucretia is the sort of person who, when thrown into prison, inspires such fanatical devotion in her guards that they call her "my lady" and wait on her hand and foot and desert their posts for her. XDXD actually, she's kind of scary, she was imprisoned for betraying her last boss and frankly admits she'll betray you too, the instant she feel's you've strayed from her personal sense of justice. I have to imagine that this is NOT standard operating procedure for strategists; unshakeable confidence in their continued and undivided loyalty seems like it should be a basic job requirement.
Because there are often betrayals, multi-layered schemes, etc, this game has made me very, very paranoid. The feather fan doesn't help, I associate it with schemers.
The hero picks up a rare rune (the Dawn rune, the disappearance of which lead to Lordlake being smacked down before the game started). Speaking of smackdowns, there is a hilarious BARROWS SMACKDOWN scene after the Dawn Rune is discovered in their warehouse: first you, then your party, then the (very serious) daughter of the family, then the servants, then the guy who was guarding the warehouse all take turns denouncing the Barrows. I wouldn't have been surprised if the dog hated them too.
Hm, what next...going back to Lordlake, you have already forgotten the name of the boy you rescued from wild pigs mere days ago. XD stupid royals. When given the choice of what to name my army, I chose "Royal Army" -- with the result that every time any character refers to it, they say "The Royal Army Army" ahahaha. Also, what the hell kind of name is "Fuwalufuwalu"? And here I thought "Taylgeyl" was bad.
SECRET PASSAGE EIGHT: CERAS LAKE RUINS.
Mysterious Dawn Rune powers, activate! It seems that Lorelei is the last surviving member of the ancient Sindar race. I FIND THIS INTRIGUING AND WISH TO KNOW MORE (Doesn't it seem like she and Zweig should have a cooperative attack together? One that doesn't actually do any damage).
And water was restored to Lordlake and there was much rejoicing.
Boy rescued from wild pigs (Toma): I used to believe that bad things only happened to Lordlake, but now I see that lots of bad things happened to the Prince, too! But he never complains! He just keeps fighting, and helping other people, too!
Afternoon Special, go! It's good to know that the suffering peasants have not suffered so much that they can't also appreciate imperial suffering. But forget all that, the most important thing about this part is that there is an
OUTFIT CHANGE. To this. o_O I was fond of the bright orange tunic, even fonder of the bright red one, but apparently the only real way to inspire a nation to follow you is to bare your slender girly shoulders and tie a sweater around your waist.
The ancient Sindar ruins are to be my base of operations, I took this opportunity to look for optional sidequests -- without a guide, a decision that can only end in tears when I finally break down and look, only to see that I have lost FOR EVER the chance to recruit the best characters (this is what always happens to me).
Highlights of sidequests and city-at-a-time liberation campaigns:
• just like Lordlake, you can only recruit the Beavers after a great calamity has befallen them, which you have played savior of.
• MATHIAS' SWORD IS NAMED ISABEL WTF.
• Huh, and I was sure he was only half and elf.
• ahahaha Euram you dork.
• Lu calls me... a n00b. With zeros and everything!
• "I'm not speaking to someone who looks like those dirty grassies dressed him."
I also like how when you are infiltrating Lelcar with Kyle, who grew up there, you get -
Kyle: In these clothes, no one will recognize me!
Wasil: Kyle!
Kyle: >_>
Wasil: How could anyone, anywhere, ever forget your face!
Sialeeds (the aunt) and Dolph (one of the assassins working for Gizel Godwin) have a cryptic scene together. Once again I thought, I really hope the Queen and her husband are dead -- and lo, I got my wish. ;_______; SO SAD.
At this point, I thought I was almost at the end. LITTLE DID I KNOW...the plan to abduct Lymsleia from the battle field fails, because of Sialeed's betrayal. That'll teach me to take for granted the loyalty of anyone who has not officially joined the 108 stars (thankfully, Georg has since officially joined).
I have mixed feelings about Sialeed's betrayal. On the one hand, I really wanted another scene between her and Gizel. They're so...so alike. On the other hand, I wasn't happy to see it happen this way. I wonder at her reasons, especially as it appears Gizel doesn't know them either.
And now for some light-hearted gay retardedness courtesy of the Dragon Cavalry:
Rahal's the blue one with the blue dragon, and water-based sword rune. Roog's the red with the red dragon and a fire-based sword rune. Rahal's refined, Roog is straightforward, every scene they are in together I laugh and laugh and laugh.
Miakis: (to Rahal) Handsome and smart. Remind me, why aren't you taken yet?
Rahal: I, er...a certain partner's shortcomings leave no room for the ladies.
Roog: Hey wait man, you aren't going to push your ISSUES on me.
Rahal: We need not go into that now!
Roog likes Miakis though. It's such a shame. Also when Roog finally speaks (I mean, when he finally has a voiced cutscene) you find out that he has this awful redneck accent.
Other highlight of the Dragon Calvalry campaign:
• cute baby dragon awwwwww.
• the two Godwin guards who were, ahem, "distracted" by Rahal had been having a total Red vs. Blue moment ("I'm just not feeling this assignment").
• Nick and Yoran are cute, but Yoran is only a stableboy so there is no way they can grow up to be a matching set like Roog and Rahal...OR SO I THOUGHT. Actually it seems Yoran can play Nick's flute and get a response from Nick's parter-dragon Ax, obviously they are OT3 meant 2 b.
• Georg Prime shows up to save the day. Can this man be any cooler?
Shula Vayle is so cool. He has his own theme music! "I wish I could say Armes was on better terms with the Island Nations, but we're not." (Obligatory Suikoden crossover moment: this game takes place ~200 years after and directly north of the events of Suikoden IV, it seems that Rune Canons have become a lost technology which are these days only used for bluffs.)
Regaining the territory lost in a major Godwin offensive, I am allowed to choose whether I want to personally lead the attack at Sable or at Doraat. I chose Doraat so I could give that psychopath Childerich what-for -- but sadly, Bahram's stupid suicidal distraction ploy worked, and he got away. BAH.
(I like how, prior to this point in the game, when Lucretia asked "Shall we begin the battle now?", I allowed to say "No, I want to save/switch my active party/level up/play minigames first!" but in these scenes, I can only choose "Let's go into battle!" Way to give me a choice, Konami.)
I leave you with one final scene.
Gizel: Perhaps you’d be so kind as to do me a favor?
Sialeeds: (with an uncharacteristically alert expression) Depends on the favor.
Gizel: *smiles*
Sialeeds: ...what is it?
I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH OMG. There is an underlying stupidity to Gizel's scheming, however, in that if he had only been slightly less eager to alienate every non-human group in the country (and many of the human ones), there would have been far fewer people willing to join my cause. This is what I meant by "passive-agressive attempts at destruction" -- it's like these plans are designed to get people to hate him and thus, re-overthrow the government. Or maybe I'm wrong and he's just buying time for the scientists to figure out that rune, hmmm.
EDIT Who knows Spanish? What the heck is this?