He's doing the thing, Sky's doing the thing, Sky's doing the thing he does before every dungeon
*cue cutscene music*
It's! It's the same thing! In the comic! He's doing it now- that crucial moment that makes a cutscene every time he enters a dungeon in game. With a set face he's steels himself and walks in.
It generally shows a lot about how he's feeling in that journey. It's where he readies himself for the challenge ahead- even if not going to fight something immediately, he centers himself before starting a dungeon.
some examples-
In the Skyview temple he's new to this, but determined. Heading into the Ancient cistern he's mad and ready to fight. As for the Fire sanctuary, he's so very tired. Going into the Sky keep he's literally praying.
The progression of the dungeon entrances through Skyward Sword have always blown my mind. Sky is expressive, and it's pretty indicative of his mental state throughout- how he approaches a dungeon matters. And as for this one coming up?
I'd say he's determined. ...and also a little angry.. He's mad and determined.
But this stands out in every way from the ones in his game. In his original journey, he was always so worried, facing it with turmoil and emotion. But in Lu it's different.
I was reading the little prince earlier how did I end up drawing BARI
Anyways, so I've been thinking about Bari today - an offshoot from thinking about Demian's Division - and isn't she like. Really weird? This'll be rather messy, so bare with me.
First off, her weapons, and I'd like to shout out this reddit post as that is where I shall be taking the names for them from. Henceforth I'll call them such: the longsword - the Moonlight Sword, the bow - the Thousand-Pound Bow, and the dual swords - Dragon's Spring and Autumn Lotus, or DSAL.
She very notably has three swords, only one of which was seen in her first appearance in a LoR ending - Angela's bad end if memory serves - and that one being the Moonlight Sword, which she may either had before or gotten during her tenure as a bookhunter in those 13 years. There is little of note regarding the sword itself, though its sheath is rather baggy-looking as well as having a silver ring of a kind connected to it. 'Tis rather classical, bari-ng that, which clashes rather notably with the rest of her outfit - style wise. Indeed as well, the pale gold on that sword matches that of the qliphoth-embroidered cloak in her bad-end version is not on any other part of her newer design.
Her other waist-bound sword is one of the DSAL duo, and seems more baton-like than anything to my personal eye but idk. It notably matches her bow and quiver that are on [floating behind?] her back and her shoes. From all this I conclude that first she gained her Moonlight Sword somewhere, then gained the rest of her weapons around same place or around the same time in some different location. Which brings me onto another reason she reminds me of Iori; she just kinda is places. Generally Iori's abilities are understood as some sort of 'world hopping', if that makes sense, and that to me reminds me of Bari due to her generally seeming out of place, temporally.
The scene where she talks to Sir Don Quixote is presumably long before the City as we know it came to be, or at least the spiral had not advanced to where current P Corp lies, and yet she both talks of amusement parks - things that I doubt would've existed back then - and has a seemingly upgraded armoury, a Child mentions she has all manner of fantastical weapons when she first comes to the gates of Sir Don Quixote's mansion, even. Her outfit and weapons - especially the shoes, goodness - is much more techwear styled than anything, especially standing out given the outfits the other bloodfiends and the peasantry the Sinners act as wear much more generically mediaeval styled clothes, heightening her sense of 'otherness'. As well, her mention of the war against the Nebulae - a word mentioned three times in the canto to my knowledge, with the only other one saying it being Sansón who is can of worms #2 for today - is an implication that she knows more about the future than expected.
And isn't it fun that the other river pointed out by Bari - played then by Sinclair - is that which shows someone the future?
As well, for the long time Don stayed in that lighthouse, Bari gave her items and wrote responses to her letters - implying then some sort of inhuman lifespan. A lifespan possibly extended through a River of some sort, though I have little idea of what this hypothetical river could be. Or indeed, this Bari is the self-same one as the one from Angela's bad end, and she went back in time after gaining some fancy new weapons. But I think staying away from wibbly wobbly timey wimey nonsense is the best call for now - hell, there might just be like 70 Baris or something, and her paper cuttout fight directly mentions the damage types of lobcorp, giving her a connection to the past and thus Time Generally if ya stretch some.
CAN OF WORMS NO.2 - A BREIF AND HALF-REMEMBRED INTERMISSION
Ok so like - when Sansón takes the role of a narrator for some measure, he talks of the knight talking of stories that are reminiscent of prior cantos, right? This implies that Bari knew them which is another link she has to the future but also how did he know that Bari knew that? I cant remember if this was implied anywhere in Canto proper, unfortunately. But Dante did indeed compare his play-antics to Golden Bough Resonance, saying that it was slightly different - which then makes sense as to how he knows that because the Boughs can dig out someone's like past right. And then I got bored and got some sprites + CGs with boughs and inverted them and uh
Hey can someone remind me what faction is represented by bright blue again? Btw? For no reason or anything.
Though this is probably a wild goose chase, it is fun. So on the post it goes.
But uh, I digress to half the reason I'm typing this, is due to her odd halos, the ones she gains during her bow attacks, as shown here:
These are, to my knowledge, the first time these kinds of halos have been shown in this universe, but correct me if otherwise, and they are tied to her Bow attacks and presumably her lightsaber [I do not know what else to call it], with the second one and part of her bow filling in as the arrow is drawn, as shown:
The most obvious point of comparison, especially post Canto 8, is that this is somehow related to Shin and Mang - though an inverted version, given the inverted colours, and to that I must disagree to some extent. For one, I've no memory of Mang rings filling around a person's head in such an instance, especially in the position it is in with Bari, in a halo-like fashion. For two, one of her swords [that I have no idea where she puts, does she store it in her pocket or is it also in the quiver or does she just summon it???] and the material of her arrow and bowstring seem to be of the same material - or at least look it - and I have no recollection of anyone directly weaponing Shin or Mang on its own, even Demian seemed to use a small gust of wind for his seven rings.
And I would like to bring this back to the reddit post I mentioned prior and the myth her bow is seemingly named after, which both mention a huge amount of weight, enough to sink a sun and moon, and indeed the post in question translates one of her skills to mention a gravity field whilst also speaking of the bow, it comes together for one to believe that this particular set of weapons is connected to gravity or requires gravity manipulation for proper use. Which reminds me of current[?] G Corp, as I believe that their Singularity regards gravity manipulation - though the keypage that mentions that says that they're spheres of gravity manipulation, yet I don't believe we've been given an answer as to if they are legit like actual spheres or spheres of influence. Like a bubble of where the singularity works. None of her DSAL attacks bring out the halos however, implying that it's disconnected, and thus how Sancho has her own lightsabers.
Speaking of gravity - if she has some sort of like. Dominion, control over it, than that explains how her bow and quiver just flat out float behind her as they do. Though I'll hold on messing with the idea that it is an ability of hers like Demians abilities or something Singularity related - yet the door she pulls Sancho through could be considered one of them. Though, astrologically, singularities are a result of gravitational forces....
Anyways, she's blue and idk what the segue was gonna be it's star time now.
Most obviously about them is her line about the war with the nebulae and her relation to the Rivers, which very notably:
[this bg art is one of my faves I've had it as my desktop for a bit and its sooooo good. anyways]
Look as if they are reflecting the night sky, and as per Sansón are only inhabited by the nebulae, by stars.
And the relation does not end there, not only because she fells a Star of the City in her Ruina debut, but Princess Bari of myth is supposedly sometimes considered the goddess of the Big Dipper constellation - or in other words, the sovereign of it. Not every blue character is related to whatever it is Demian's Division has going on, especially as she seems to have rather different methods for her way of using her influence - much more quick to use her strength proper than the more out of the way prodding and less in your face tactics used by Demian, Sansón and Rim - to get or at least try and get her prefered outcome. We've little ideas as to her motives, or much info on how she is generally, so it's hard to tell.
Though - I can't help but find her being inspired by a myth quite interesting. Indeed, one could count many of the references to, say, Christian myth via the inspiration taken from the Divine Comedy and parallels to many characters, or use of Jewish mysticism via the Kabbalah and Tree of Life and the use of Greek myth in Outis' upcomeing Canto but to have a character being based on a mythological figure not due to featuring in some literary work is rather standout.
Perchance in the way in which the many forms of myth are told and retold, there is a parallel to how we seem to have two different Baris which could be called contradictory. Perchance this role as 'myth' is similar to how I believe Yi Sang and Dante being based upon authors [anz Dante snagging the protagonist role of two different works] somewhat effects them - though i amdit that this may just be the workings of mine tired mind.
*sees deeply out of character hypersexualized fanart of a comfort character* who did this to you (said while softly stroking their hair like they're in the back of an ambulance wearing a shock blanket)
