Install

An Install is the act of inserting an item into the Install Port of a Reyvateil, which is generally done with the intent of increasing the strength of her Song Magic.
==History==
The history of Installs is as ancient as the existence of the Reyvateils themselves, although originally it was not done with the aim of serving as Song Magic enhancements, but rather it was used as a method of installing new software into them through the usage of Grathnode and Parameno crystals, both of which react when put in contact with an Install Port. This is the way in which the first Reyvateil Origin, Shurelia was installed with all the software she needed to function as the Administrator of the First Tower of Ar tonelico.
However, this usage fell into obscurity and was subsequently forgotten with the passage of time and the catastrophes that devastated Ar Ciel, so nowadays Installs only accomplish functions related to Song Magic strengthening and in the case of the Third Generation Reyvateils, is used as the method to administrate the Diquility life extending to them to prevent the development of the Tattolist syndrome.
==Usage==
As mentioned previously, Installs were used for software installation and updates back in the First Era, but as that usage has basically disappeared from the current world, they are just used for the following purposes nowadays:
*Install Grathnode Crystals into the Reyvateils to increase the power of their Song Magic (only in Sol Ciel).
*Install the Diquility and Tranquility life extending agents into the Third Generation Reyvateils, the former with the purpose of extending their lives and the latter with the purpose of giving them a brief relief from the fatigue resulting from the Singing of Song Magic.
*Perform the succession of Maidens (only in Metafalss).
*Install the Sphere Keys needed to unlock Points in the Infelsphere (only in Metafalss, and only for the Maidens).
==What Happens During an Install==
Reyvateils of all kinds have Parameno and Grathnode compounds in their bodies, of which the latter has an expression that connects the Reyvateil's Soulspace with the outside world in the form of a tattoo-like mark called the Install Port, which also corresponds to the Stonehenge existing in their Cosmospheres.Ar Portal - Toukousphere Issue #77: Technical Service Center (dead)
The Install Port is a generic I/O interface designed for connecting to the Reyvateil's Soulspace that performs D-Wave to H-Wave and vice versa conversions, and as the part of the Grathnode compound of her body that appears on her skin, it is the point in which both Parameno and Grathnode crystals can make contact to then be absorbed by the Reyvateil. When this happens, the Grathnode layer in the Reyvateil's body forces the crystal in question to be dissolved into its constituent waves and then these waves force their way into the Reyvateil's Soulspace.Toukousphere Issue #55: Technical Service Center (dead)
Needless to say, this foreign spiritual layer wave invasion coupled with the process of the crystal being dissolved over the skin is what causes the tremendous pain that always accompanies Installs, and due to its nature, the pain cannot be mitigated in any way and its intensity remains the same regardless of the size of the crystal.
Additionally, Installing crystals for the purpose of strengthening Song Magic is considered akin to doping using poison, as each crystal Installed increases the GD (Grathnode Damage) value that measures how taxing it is for the Reyvateil to focus herself into Singing a Song, making it more powerful at the cost of not being able to concentrate for as long due to deceiving the checksum that regulates the power the Cosmosphere transmits to the Song Magic Server, forcing the Reyvateil to use more power than she can handle.Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia Setting Encyclopedia: Page 116 - Installs and Grathnode Crystals
Due to the above, generally Reyvateils will not consent to undergo Installs except at the hands of people they trust or love due to the fact the Grathnode band expressed in their Install Ports allow people who look at them to read the Reyvateil's emotions, and there is also that the Install of some Grathnode crystals could cause severe damage to the Reyvateil's psyche, not to mention the great risk a Third Generation Reyvateil exposes herself to when she leaves her hands in the hand of someone else for Diquility Installs.Ar Portal - Firefly Alley Citizen's BBS Issue #16 (dead) These are the reasons why only a trusted partner may perform Installs on a Reyvateil, or in exceptional cases, their close relatives, superiors, or even the Reyvateil herself provided she can withstand the pain of doing it herself.
The only known way to remove Grathnodes, or any other sort of Installed item from a Reyvateil is through an Uninstall, which aside from generally requiring the same level of trust as a normal Install, it also requires the knowledge of a specific Hymmnos Spell to be done, which is used to access the Soulspace Address of the Reyvateil, capture the waveforms of the specific crystal and then force it to assume physical form once again.
==In Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia==
Aside of Lyner having a scene in Aurica's route where he performs a Diquility Install for her after she starts developing the Tattolist syndrome, and the off-camera Uninstall and Install of Misha's D-CellophaneAr Portal - Toukousphere Issue #61: Technical Service Center (dead), Installs are a main gameplay element of Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia, which can be accessed by the player once they have reached Lv. 3 in the Cosmospheres of Misha and Aurica, and Lv. 2 in the Binary Field of Shurelia.
This system allows the player to Install three of the types of Grathnode Crystals that can be found in the game (Red: , Blue: , and Green: ) with the purpose of strengthening and adding customized effects to each Song Magic.
Each Song Magic the Reyvateils craft has a total of four slots that go from Lv. 1 to Lv. 4, and similarly to the equipment Enhancement system, these slots can only accept crystals of a level equal or lower than them. So for example, while a Lv. 4 slot may accept crystals of any level, a Lv. 2 slot can only accept Lv. 1 and Lv. 2 crystals. The level is given in the crystal's icon and on the crystal's item description.
Additionally, there are no limits to how many crystals can be Installed into a Reyvateil, the only limitation being that no crystals that offer the same exact effects can be installed simultaneously into the same Song Magic and provide their effects (only the crystal providing the greatest effect will be taken into account) unless they are GD reduction crystals. So for example, the crystals Song: 10% Bonus and Song: 20% Bonus cannot be Installed simultaneously into the same Song Magic.
And while this method allows to greatly increase the power and versatility of any Song Magic, it also increases greatly the GD value for each particular Song with every crystal Installed, meaning that it will greatly increase the MP consumption for the Song and the Reyvateil will be unable to continue increasing its Burst percentage for dealing more damage for much more time if using Red Songs, or maintaining the healing or buffing if using Blue Songs.
For a complete list of all the Grathnode crystals that can be found in the game, as well as their levels and effects, please check the following article: List of Grathnode Crystals in Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia
==In Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica==
Main article: Dualstall
Main article: Infelsphere
Metafalss originally existed over a plateau located above a hard bedrock, making it a poor fit to obtain Songstones, and nowadays, its remains exist over the Second Tower of Ar tonelico and the Rim, so Grathnode crystals are far rarer and harder to find than they are in Sol Ciel. This is the reason why Installs are mostly confined to Diquility Installs and the β-ER technique used in the Maiden succession ceremony that is carried out through the Install of Frelia's D-Cellophane into the successor Maiden, and it and consideration for the Reyvateils are the reasons why an alternative method called Dualstall was developed in replacement of traditional Installs. For more details on it, please check the Dualstall article linked above.
Another usage Installs have is the unlocking of additional Points in the Infelsphere through the insertion of the Sphere Keys into the Install Port. However, this type of Install is painless in contrast to that of the Grathnode and Parameno-based crystals, although no explanation has been given for why no pain is felt during their insertion.
==In Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel==
Although geologically the Tower of Harvestasha was built over the remains of the region of Syestine, which was bountiful in Songstone deposits, it is possible Grathnode crystals are difficult to find there as well due to the region being obliterated in the Seven Bloodstains Incident, reason why once again Installs are rare in Sol Cluster and are reserved generally for Diquility Installs.
However, there is a case of a Grathnode crystal being Uninstalled from Finnel during the story of the game: this crystal allows Soma to manifest against Finnel's will, and Yurisica advised Aoto to remove it, so she couldn't continue serving Clustania as an assassin.
==In Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star==
Main article: Install (Surge Concerto)
Installs performed in Colony Ship Soreil are of a different nature than those performed in Ar Ciel, which is why a separate article has been prepared for them.
However, this game is also the one that has Shurelia explain herself the fact that she was Installed with multiple Grathnode and Parameno crystals for her to serve as the Tower Administrator, as well as go into detail of how excruciatingly painful an experience it was for her.
==See Also==
*Preinstall
*Uninstall
==References==
Category:General Information
Category:General Terminology
Category:Gameplay Mechanics