clean text version below the cut!
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSLATION. THIS WAS TRANSLATED BY THE GRACE AND FREE TIME OF ONE Yasushi+Alexina SO GO DM HIM ON MABI AND TELL HIM THANKS OR LEAVE SOME THANKS IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST.
THIS HAS BEEN PROOFREAD BY THE ORACION GUILD.
D1 (in white) = 이봄 Yi Bom
D2 (in black) = 이수빈 Yi Soo Bin
L: "Another popular Nexon villain character is a more recent addition: Mabinogi's Vayne, a character that reveals to the player that the mainstreams are a time loop."
D1: "Vayne is the only person fated to remember the events of every loop, so he's a very lonely person, even his character design is this cool loner type. And these are not my words but the words of a friend I know when I asked them what they thought about Vayne (first impressions) and they said 'seems like a very affectionate person'. I think a lonely character has the capacity for affection and becomes this lonely affectionate villain."
L: "He's got a very unique characterization."
D2: "Vayne wasn't like this at first. He started very dignified and imposing and heavy, like an old war hardened general type villain, but the character designer was like 'nonono he must be good looking and overwhelmingly strong that's the kind of villain we need'. That’s how we got this version of Vayne."
L: "When there's a disagreement like this, who usually wins?"
D1: "The stronger...(loudest voice)."
L: "So like WE HAVE TO DO THIS."
D1: "That designer usually doesn't speak up but on this issue they insisted soooo…"
L: "So they couldn't give up on this. Lonely and affectionate, not dignified and imposing."
L: "Perhaps due to his good looks, Vayne has quite the fandom."
D2: "Even if they have the looks, I believe a character must have a certain appeal to them that they can show off. Otherwise they're nothing but a pretty shell. Vayne did that especially well. While other NPCS call you the Milletian, he calls you by your name and says you're special. He piques your curiosity and even follows you around. So whether you like it or not he builds a rapport and a relationship with you and uses that very well for his plans."
L: "This seems to have worked well within the lore of Mabinogi. The Milletian is the only one who can both give him salvation and end his existence, so he asks the Milletian to kill him."
D1: "I did some experiments on this some time ago. The initial premise was 'players prefer their choices to have a large impact on the story' but I got many responses for the opposite. Rather, there were players that found it burdensome because the thought of an earlier choice affecting the story's outcome later down the line, to varying degrees, made players not want to make those choices and refer to guides to make the 'correct' choice. Having the sword in their hands made a lot of players more hesitant than expected."
L: "Players preferred to choose options that caused the least ripples down the line then."
D1: "But this last choice is clearly one with a large ripple effect that players can see. ‘Do I kill Vayne who has been with me through this entire chapter or not?’ as he hands you the sword. Some players won't be able to bring themselves to do it as they've developed a bond with the character and decide 'no I won't kill you by my hand' so it makes for a very interesting moment."
D2: "When looking at the Milletian's history, they bring salvation by actually saving people in danger, not by killing. So in that last scene with Vayne you've saved the world but to do so you kill someone which leaves a bitter aftertaste, as everything you've done up to that point can seem to boil down to solely killing Vayne. And that relationship Vayne builds over the story is why many people choose not to kill Vayne. Although... I actually did kill Vayne..."
L: "Ah, you did? That's a plot twist considering the buildup."
D1: "Why...did you kill him?"
L: "Can you tell us the reason?"
D2: "OK, I chose to be the savior so fine I'll see it through. You want to die? OK!"
L: "You were fully immersed in the story! Was it a difficult decision emotionally?"
L: "So very difficult then."
D2: "It was 4am when I finished. I couldn't sleep after that."
L: "It was bad enough you couldn't sleep?"
D2: "I got a drink and went to sleep after that.”
L: "As a regular gamer I thought people would prefer having more choices. That's my preference."
D1: "When it will clearly have a big impact like 'this is clearly a turning point' sort of choice, it makes players want to reach for a guide or think about their last save point.”
