jadedreveries | [Tales of the Abyss] Fonic Artes: Thoughts and Realizations

FACT/CANON

(Taken from the TOA Perfect Guide, game script)

How it works:

The fonist gathers the fonons into their body through their fonslots.
They diddle with it, then release it through their fonslots
TL;DR: Absorb, then release

Note: First to Sixth Fonons can be used to cast artes with enough training, for the Seventh, you have to be born with the ability.
Sub-Note: Apparently fonists like Jade can "sense" fonic artes being used (or maybe a general state of the fonons around them), also need to double-check hyperresonance training subquest for more details on Seventh Fonon usage and the like

Fonists vs Fon Machines

They technically just do the same thing, i.e. diddle with fonons
Except that one is human, and the other is, well, a machine
Kimlasca's fontech is more advanced, while Malkuth is more advanced with fonic artes
Also of note, Malkuth's military is mostly composed of fonists

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OPINION/REALIZATIONS

Fon machines were necessary in developing fomicry due to the rarity of Seventh Fonists and the fact that Jade and Dist aren't Seventh Fonists themselves
- Replicas developed using the Seventh Fonon were more stable than those made through their fonic arte (other fonon?) counterparts, hence the necessity
- I wonder if it soured Jade, maybe, that his Seventh Fonon technique/theories are on point, but he can't execute them himself because he wasn't born with the ability (given how driven he was with the research and would be more concerned about getting stuff done, probably not, but it's interesting to think about)
- I think Jade still needs Dist since fon machines can be trusted to be more precise than fonists, probably.
- I don't think Jasper was really /that/ needed or essential to the project as a result. Like, he'd be useful to have around for cross-checking purposes, maybe, but I still feel the core players in the project are Jade and Dist. It's HC territory as to what the other scientists are up to, but I'd put Jasper around the same level as them in terms of importance.
A working knowledge of fonic artes is needed to build fon machines. You don't have to be able to cast them I think, but you got to have a solid background on the theory (like Dist does, IIRC Jade mentioned in SnA that Saphir had good grades in Fonic Studies class)
Thought: If you are a fonist, you don't really need fon machines. Similarly, if you can build fon machines, you don't really need to be a fonist.
- Perhaps the reason why kid Jade didn't really pay much attention to Dist--he didn't really need fon machines to mess around with fonons at the time
Re: affinity, given canon text, I think it's reasonable to assume that people can be born with the affinity for fonic artes (i.e. I think for Anise, that was the case for her?), but I'm not too sure about affinity for a particular fonon. But it's fact that people can get good at casting fonic artes through practice, so I think a comparison can be made with regard to regular school subjects and the like, or maybe even creative stuff like writing. There are people with the knack for it, but if they don't hone their skills in that regard, someone with the diligence to study and practice will outdo them in due time. But if they were to practice side by side with someone who didn't have the affinity for it, it's obvious who will get better and fast, I feel.
- Might be the reason why kid Jade's so gungho about him being able to use the Seventh Fonon, though the key here is "adults say kids can't use high level fonic artes, but I can"

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OTHER USEFUL STUFF, TO-DO:

Using fonic artes

Inside the next cabin over from the one Luke and Tear were in, a soldier is
trying to light a fire with his hand.


	 Anise: Gah! Recruit Tony! Did you do it again?!
	  Tony: I-I'm sorry!
	  Luke: What were you doing?
	  Tony: I want to become a fonist, so I was practicing fonic artes.
		Fonic artes are big in our country, so a soldier who cannot use
		them is an embarrassment...
	  Luke: How do you use fonic artes, anyway? Can I use it, too?
	  Tony: You take fonons from the fon belt into your body and then
		collide your fonon frequency with their own, generating special
		power.
	  Luke: (?)
	  Tear: The fon belt is a layer of fonons that surrounds the planet.
		There are six fonon elements in all. By opening your body's fon
		slots, you draw in fonons and then join them together using a
		fon verse...
	  Luke: Huh? I have no idea what the hell you're talking about!

	 Anise: Okay. Basically, a fonic arte uses a spell--a "fon verse"--to
		control elemental powers call "fonons."
	  Tony: It's very difficult. Colonel Jade can do it as if it were
		nothing. He's a genius.

Yulia's Fonic Hymns

En route to Kaitzur...

	  Jade: If I may have a moment?
	  Luke: ...Oh, come on. We're almost to Kaitzur. What do you want here?
	   Ion: It's Tear's Fonic Hymns, isn't it?
	  Jade: Yes. I've wondered about them for a while. Her fonic hymns are
		different from the ones I know. And, Ion... You say those are
		Yulia's fonic hymns.
	  Luke: So what?
        Guy: Yulia's fonic hymns are special. Normally, fonic hymns are just
		the incantation used in a fonic arte, combined with a melody.
		They're not as strong as fonic artes.
	   Ion: But Yulia's hymns are different. They are said to hold the same
		power as fonic artes.
	  Tear: ...Yes, the fonic hymns I use are indeed those of Yulia.
	  Jade: I thought Yulia's hymns meant nothing with only the verses and
		melody...
	  Luke: Really? You can't just sing them?
	   Guy: When one who truly appreciates the symbolism and meaning sings a
		verse, it draws a map to hidden wisdom.
	  Luke: What's that supposed to mean?
	   Guy: ...Or so they say, anyway. Supposedly, they're handed down in
		secret from one generation to the next.
	  Tear: Y-yes. That's correct. You know a lot about them.
	   Guy: I heard about it once, way back.
	  Jade: (...)
	  Jade: How are you able to sing Yulia's hymns? Who did you learn them
		from?
	  Tear: I was told that it is because my family is descended from
		Yulia... I don't know whether that's true or not.
	  Jade: A descendant of Yulia... I see...
	  Luke: So that means Master Van's a descendant of Yulia, too?
	   Guy: ...Well, yeah. I guess so.
	  Luke: Whoa! Master Van's so cool!
	  Tear: (...)
	  Jade: Thank you, Tear. I would certainly like the chance to learn more
		about fonic hymns. Especially the Grand Fonic Hymn.
	  Luke: "Grand Fonic Hymn"? What's that?
	   Ion: The fonic hymn Yulia sang to use Lorelei's power. It is proof of
		their covenant.
	  Tear: ...Shall we get moving? I believe I've answered your question.

Luke is not a Seventh Fonist, also re: Seventh Fonon

Tear: So, you weren't actually a true Seventh Fonist after all.
	  Luke: I remember you talking about "Seventh Fonists" before. What does
		that mean, anyway?
	  Tear: Didn't your tutors teach you?
	  Luke: How should I know? I don't remember!
	  Tear: But you lost your memory seven years ago, right? Haven't you
		studied since then?
	  Luke: I had a lot of other things I had to learn. Like my parents'
		faces...
	  Tear: (...)
	  Tear: ...All matter contains fonons--basic particles of sound. Fonons
		are divided into six elements.
	  Luke: What, you decided to explain after all.
	  Tear: Combining fonons with memory particles from the planet's core
		yields an enormous amount of energy. A device was made to
		supply fuel to the world by passing those particles through the
		fon belt. That's what's known as the Planet Storm.
	  Luke: Sounds complicated. So...?
	  Tear: The Planet Storm caused a mutation in the six fonon elements and
		the memory particles. And that was the birth of the Seventh
		Fonon. Those who use it to perform fonic artes are called
		Seventh Fonists.
	  Luke: I don't know what to make out of that story. But I'm no fonist.

Luke sits down.

	  Tear: But you caused a hyperresonance with me. You're capable of using
		the Seventh Fonon. That's something you're born with.
	  Luke: Now that you mention it, Jade can't use the Seventh Fonon.
	  Tear: Right. There are very few Seventh Fonists. Scorers--those who
		read the Score--and healers are both Seventh Fonists.
	  Luke: So, basically, it means special fonists who use a special
		fonon.

(Put a section on types of fonic artes?)