Talk:Rachel/@comment-28627855-20160602115507/@comment-28627855-20160606005610

Athanos, since you have replied to me twice I hope you don’t mind if I defend my points against you; if you do mind just ignore me or tell me I’m in the wrong place for debate.

             The first definition of a light bearer we see is along the lines of gathering, analysing and distributing information (and bearing light) and a wave controller controls Shinsoo; in these terms who would benefit from the augments of the Thorn and who would benefit from a terminal that gathers and distributes masses of information. When I wrote Emile is Rachel’s Thorn, I was speaking metaphorically and trying to imply the previous sentence. I concede that Zarhard’s crew arbitrarily decided the positions when they climbed; meaning that anyone in the tower can field any, all or none of the positions and benefit from the Thorn’s augments in similar ways.

             In searching for the quote that gave me the impression that Rachel plus Emile were a unique combination (“She[Rachel] is a being not even the Guides can foresee.”)   I found that the official translation’s words don’t imply anything of the sort, just that she is an irregular same as Baam. Even if Emile alone is what tricks guides and anyone with a terminal can do this, Rachel is the only one who has done this. Rachel was even able to extend her own uncanny recruitment ability through Emile as in the case of Ha Yura. Finally, do you really want to argue that a weapon has no value because it could be taken away; Baam’s Thorn allows FUG the pretence to hunt him down, quite the handicap. Rachel views her entire team as an extension of herself (they are her power) and replaceable (if they get wise, broken, or stolen); they are all augments, weapons and tools to her (“If I break my legs, I’ll find the one who’ll walk for me” and later she thinks of Hoaqin as her sword). Rachel’s way may not be the most honourable (or fair) way to climb the tower but it is effective, and even if she becomes the weakest Ranker ever (still a laudable feat), her goal is the actual top and the outside beyond the range of the “shackle” that is Shinsoo where she will be as weak as she was before entering the Tower. If Rachel’s goal is still to see the stars (literally), then she is genuinely monomaniacal (I would like this) and only needs to be personally strong enough to achieve this one goal. Who is closer to their goal’s required level of power, Koon (win a duel with his father) or Rachel (this sentence is rhetorical and a deliberately bad comparison, sorry).

             As to Baam being exposed to Shinsoo in his cave, it allows for the feral child origin, I like it. I get the sense that as Baam’s origin becomes increasingly special (son of, manifestation of, true identity is, etc.) and as Rachel’s origin becomes more humble, the story will follow the path of chosen one Baam and the big bad Rachel. In the final confrontation, before Baam delivers the coup de grâce (symbolizing his growth from a clingy child by beating his former loved one [this is a joke]) we will receive a flashback detailing how Rachel got the way she is in an attempt to make the readers sympathize with her (or is it empathize). Anyway, for a story with so much world building, it would be poor form if the characters were stuck on such fixed routes, not that I wouldn’t still enjoy the story.