Xenogears 08: The Ballad of Billy

Let us consider the unwavering faith of Billy Lee Black.

Like many of the people we have featured in these sermons, Billy had a difficult childhood. When Billy was barely ten, his father went out for a pack of smokes, and didn’t come back for a decade. Billy was left alone with his mother and little sister, but zombie-like Wels attacked his home soon thereafter. While Billy and his sister were able to survive thanks to the quick thinking of Bishop Stone, Billy’s mother was lost to the Wels. When Jesse Black came back, Billy and his sister, Primera, were already forever traumatized. Primera would not speak, and Billy had turned to God for help with his broken family. Billy joined the Ethos, and took up the guns his father gave him to exterminate the Wels creatures that had killed his mother.

So when Billy encounters a group of strangers that are trying to help their sick friend, Billy does everything he can to help. He escorts the injured Fei to a church of Ethos, hoping that the advanced medical technology of the order will help the wounded boy. Billy then leaves these new comrades, because he must go back to the orphanage he runs (with the support of Ethos, naturally), so there are less children alone in the world. And then, when a ship full of Wels floats near his home, Billy works together with his new companions to eliminate the threat. Why, it is almost like these strangers were a gift brought to Billy by God!

But it seems that God was not home when the Ethos Headquarters was attacked. Billy initially suspected his truant father of being a genocidal murderer, but soon discovered that Ethos was not all that it seemed. The technology and religion of Ethos was all a front to control people, and every Etoner in the place was a puppet of the Solaris government. And when Billy’s friend Verlaine reveals himself to be an assassin, it is unambiguously demonstrated that Billy’s entire religion is a lie. Oh, and then Bishop Stone revealed he was responsible for the death of Billy’s mother. Billy proves to be the only pious survivor of the Ethos massacre…

But does Billy lose his faith? Does Billy give in to his father who has always renounced religion? Does Billy give up on being a better man? No! Billy joins Fei’s friends, and continues to fight for the good of people everywhere. He still eliminates the perverse Wels. He defends the Thames from encroaching monsters. He infiltrates an Ethos dig site, and rebuffs the nefarious Bishop Stone. He still serves his faith, but rejects the philosophy of “only the chosen will be saved”. He will save everyone! And, through it all, he still prays after every battle. Even when faced with the seemingly invincible Id, Billy’s true faith never waivers.

No matter what happens, Billy Lee Black has faith.

… And we will see if he is still praying after he punches God.

Even Worse Streams presents Xenogears
Night 8

Original Stream Night: March 9, 2021
Night of the Silver Star Story

Random Notes on the Stream

• We’re back after taking a week off. I cannot for the life in me remember what we were doing that week. Oh, and I accidentally activated a stupid card game.
• Maybe we could just stop playing and listen to Xenogears Creid album?
• “Billy’s obviously a fucking nerd.”
• “I do appreciate that your characters are now two grown men lost in a church.”
• As we hit Billy’s orphanage, we discuss NFTs. My position on this matter is clear.
• Jessie doesn’t know how chairs work. This is canon.
• “I wrote an entire article about how that game is the worst.”
• “The Robin Hood movie is why we have furries.” Sure, but I blame Chip ‘n Dale.
• Enjoy hanging out with Bill Gunhaver.
• While raiding the boat, it is important to know how exploitative Dead or Alive 6 can be. 462 items on Steam, all at $2… so it only costs nearly a thousand dollars to completely own that game.
• What is your worst bathtub in all of gaming? I’m voting for Eternal Darkness.
• And then I die to the giant Wels. Whoops!
• Trynant stops by for the night while we make attempt number two on the boss.
• And then Kishi! Maybe they can help!
• The Giant Wels has been defeated… forever.
• “Oh, my dad committed genocide? Yeah, that makes sense.”
• World Heroes: it had a Goku in it.
• Billy: currently having a crisis of faith and looking smug doing it.
• There are apparently mass-produced Jesuses in Neon Genesis Evangelion. This should surprise no one.
• Over at the Thames we are asked to, “Just try to imagine an action sequence.”
• Deathscythe is not so much a thing as something that is fun to say.
• There are so many of the same monsters in this undersea dungeon that it gets kind of ridiculous. But the snail mutants are awesome!
• “It’s not Porygon’s fault.”
• The Elements have freckles? They sure don’t have enough fanart…
• I pronounce Id wrong. Also: here’s Id.
• And we close on one of our longest streams by talking about making Kishi sad through eggs.

Next time on Xenogears: It’s about the climb.

“The moll’s got a mole!”