Rejuvenation's recurring narrative themes.

[Magus543]

Pinning down a consistent theme or aesop in Rejuvenation is pretty tricky because let's be real, the plot is a bunch of things that just happen. Certain things  pop up, like Crescent attempting to deconstruct the power of friendship after we die, or Spacea and Timeia trying to force Melia to consider the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few but like those are in their own sections of the plot so far.

 

If i had to guess what Rejuvenation is trying to say myself, perhaps it's the value of life? Finding value and worth in it despite hardships or maybe not just life but people and things in it. Now what is the first thing we see after downloading this game? Xerneas as the icon of the game on your desktop, the Pokemon of life.  Let's take a look at Nancy, throughout the game, she's called a doll or emotionless, yet she still manages to care for us despite it all, maybe not even being our real mother, but it can't be denied she loved us enough to give her life for us. This is hammered home by Madam X's shocked reaction to this.

 

We teach Maria the value of her life through our interactions with her in the mansion that she is able to stand against Indriad at the end, Sheridan starts the game in decline due to Kenneth's breakdown, yet Aelita sees value in it and it's people, Golden leaf turned racist due to a past tragedy but learn to find value in outsiders after we intervene and move on from the burning tower. Zetta tries to find value in his life as a clone of Melia by trying to bond with her in his own way as a Team Xen member and it's doomed to failure. And after black steeple, i'd say this theme takes a back seat, though there is a bit on Sharlene's attempt at suicide failing and Crescent and Venam's contrasting reactions, but comes back in GDC. Rune is missing and it eats up at Huey but he's still able to function and his friendship with Reina fills in the sisterly void in his heart, Melia is heartbroken at Venam turning to stone that it helps motivate her to try to stop Vivian's ritual without realizing the consequences,  Vivian's struggle with her friends over the value of her life over all of the world's, and then later on her reincarnation is able to live, the bad future in it's best ending is able to rebuild after Melanie's defeat, Erin finds a purpose to her life when meeting our group, and joining the adventure despite contemplating suicide which is hammered home by her speech at the ball.  Aelita finds value in her own existence even after realizing most of her life is a lie.

 

And speaking of Aelita and her life, we can't go this far without discussing Kenneth and Taelia. At the start of WLL, both are dissatisfied with their lot in life, Kenneth ran away from Kanto using the excuse to wanting to help people, but then gets suckered into being a glorified construction worker, Taelia is basically a prisoner kept from the outside world by Cella out of fear for her safety and others due to her little curse. Both meet each other and improve each other's lives, Kenneth has something to protect and a purpose, while Taelia has someone she can rely on and talk to on a level she can't with Cella.  But as we all know, it doesn't have a happy ending, but Taelia assures Kenneth that it was good while it lasted and that's what matters, Kenneth and his conflict with his brother does end with them reconciling despite Deagan dying, and despite Kenneth thinking Taelia hated him, still raised Aelita as his daughter despite the issues hammers home the theme of the value of life. So yeah, i'd say due to being a complete tale, WLL does a better job of conveying the themes of the value of life despite tragedy and certain issues getting in the way of but not destroying happiness. 

 

 

And besides the value of life, i do notice a recurring writing theme, the theme of motherhood is quite prominent in the game. The very beginning of the game is a mother reading a story to her child, the death of said mother and it's effects on the family, Nancy as our mother takes a more active role in the game compared to most mothers, Aelita's mother is gone but she considers the Eldest to be the closest thing she has to one, Ren and Reina's mother is depressed and alone because her children left her and she wonders if she went wrong, Narcy tries to care for Geara because she is his step/adopted mother despite Geara's refusal, Mosely and Maman's whole arc (Maman is even french for Mom) Nancy's sacrifice for us, Tesla's troubled relationship with her daughter despite being universally beloved, and even wanting to adopt us because we are now an orphan, Melia even calls Tesla the mother she never had, Venam reminiscing that her mother realized that she was mourning for Melia's supposed death and tried to comfort her, the bad future's concept that all females are children of Nymiera and that Melanie kidnapped Tesla to be her pretend mommy,  Ardrest and Veriya and the latters joy when Ardrest calls her mother. And that's not even getting into my theory that Crescent is our actual mother somehow.  Now i have no idea if this theme is intentional or not, but it's certainly something to think about. 

 

[Magus543]

Ignore this second post, accidentally quoted myself.