Arenvald (spoilers)

Can we get this boy some magitek? He is a good fighter and while its good for character development to have him in a wheelchair learning diplomacy and politics... we have a freakin G-warrior mech, surely we can do better than a wooden wheelchair.

Speaking of... um when do we get wheelchair mounts?

But more seriously a Magitek chair , or an exosuit leg brace or something, get him combat ready for the next adventure!

As soon as Raubahn gets his gun-arm.

In seriousness, it could happen with Garlemald no longer being hostile. Not sure it will though, because Alphinaud character development.

Isn't he paralyzed though? Or was it so busted that it just won't work anymore? I'm just trying to think of what could work to help him out. As depending on where the paralysis starts it wouldn't do any good to give him a mech leg if the problem starts higher up. That is if it is paralysis. I just enjoy the thought of Fordola doing a wheelchair race via pushing him and he hanging on for dear life while secretly enjoying it.

I really think they should have made him look a bit more mauled afterwards. Nothing graphic, but a few more bandages at least. Make him actually look like he just got attacked by a monster and was considered to be at death's door a few days earlier.

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Originally Posted by SannaR

Isn't he paralyzed though? Or was it so busted that it just won't work anymore? I'm just trying to think of what could work to help him out. As depending on where the paralysis starts it wouldn't do any good to give him a mech leg if the problem starts higher up. That is if it is paralysis. I just enjoy the thought of Fordola doing a wheelchair race via pushing him and he hanging on for dear life while secretly enjoying it.

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I need this to happen with Fordola now. Has to happen.

What happened to Nero's iron man suit? Can Arenvald borrow it?

Giving Arenvald some magic or super-tech solution to being paralyzed would be a complete cop-out given it's an actual significant change and cause of growth for the character and others, as well as, from what I've heard from actually disabled players, insulting to those it's meant to represent and speak to. So... yeah, maybe don't look at him as a problem to fix.

And as someone with no medical expertise, but who's had to research this for a very similar character in her own writing, what we're probably looking at judging by what was said and the actual incident that caused it, Arenvald most likely has a severed spinal cord. In simplest terms, that is The Hard One in terms of 'reasons someone could become paraplegic', because it's not really medically fixable; the spinal cord doesn't heal, so there's no healing to facilitate like with, say, a broken leg (and one of the writers did confirm that FFXIV's healing magic works by facilitating the body's natural healing process, so no go there either), and only in recent years has modern medical science gotten even remotely close. And even if it gets fixed, you're looking at the mother of all physical therapy jobs, since they'd be coming off of complete and utter disuse of that part of the body.

...but yeah, absolutely give us the scene of Fordola pushing his chair at breakneck speeds, that's not even a question, of course we do that.

Dunno, by this point it would be kinda unreasonable if they can't find some better option than a wheel chair.

The scions have access to all of eorzea's best experts on magic / aether, magitec and with endwalker (vague to avoid spoiler) another very advanced source of technology.

If it's not possible to make the physical body give the 'signals' to the replacement legs (whichever form they would take), perhaps its possible through aether. Or worst case some little controller / remote attached to the hand or easily accessible to control the legs / replacement. With all we've seen so far, it would be odd not to be able to find a solution to make someone lacking legs more mobile than with a chair on wheels. Heck, it could even be a summoned clay golem in the shape of legs that has a mental bond with its owner so it knows when and how he wants to move. Could even go to the leftovers of the nier raids and find some discarded android and analyze their legs. There's so many possibilities.

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Originally Posted by Chyro

The scions have access to all of eorzea's best experts on magic / aether, magitec and with endwalker (vague to avoid spoiler) another very advanced source of technology.

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They literally did that. Arenvald was a high-priority patient with the Scions' support (given he, you know, was one), and this is still the best result he got.

People are also assuming that the wheelchair is sub-par, and... honestly, wheelchairs are pretty good. Sure, turning around's a right bastard and you have to sacrifice some autonomy to get up stairs and rough terrain, but even in 2022, there's nothing beating a wheelchair overall.

You've also gotta take into account that this is Arenvald we're talking about. As the healer role quest tells us, he's taken on a spokesman/advocate/diplomatic role with the Silver Griffins (a role he's quite happy with and good at, too). Not only does that not require a huge amount of movement and dexterity, it also means that pretty much all his work is in Ala Mhigo--a nation without a lot of access to or expertise in magitek, since the Empire took all that with them, and the Ala Mhigan recruits are all gone but Fordola. Ideally he wants something that's easy to repair in-country, so that if the thing breaks he doesn't have to either travel out of Ala Mhigo or get repairpeople in from outside to repair it. So something just made of locally-sourced wood, that someone can repair within the day, is the best option. Being cheap doesn't hurt, either.

How about we skip half-assing it and go find some Allagan augmentation and turn him into a cyborg? Wow, now he's powerful enough to be relevant. Politics are all well and good, but we've never really solved anything with politics, other than "let's team up to fight a common enemy".

It's a good thing Fordola likes being on top.

Maybe he'll get a Magitek death claw to pick him up by the scruff of the neck and carry him around.

I half jokingly guess pre Endwalker that Cid would eventually modify the G-Warrior for Arenvald's personal use as a new way for him to fight and I still stand by it as an idea.

Arenvald getting a custom mech suit to let him fight while still keeping his disability is the best of both worlds. And it would also be awesome.

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Originally Posted by Cleretic

Giving Arenvald some magic or super-tech solution to being paralyzed would be a complete cop-out given it's an actual significant change and cause of growth for the character and others, as well as, from what I've heard from actually disabled players, insulting to those it's meant to represent and speak to. So... yeah, maybe don't look at him as a problem to fix.

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Absolutely this. Could they magick (or technology) up some instant solution for him? Sure, but they shouldn't. That really would defeat the entire purpose of his getting injured, and the game already has a poor track record with lasting repercussions.

Its not fixing him if he stays paralyzed. Keeping the paralysis as an inconvenience/hinderance to his daily life keeps the thematic impact of his injury and offers opportunities to showcase him dealing with it. But Etheirys is a place with aether and magiteck and engineering geniuses in both fields. It kind of breaks your suspension of disbelief if they *can't* come up with a workaround to let him participate in combat again.

If he wants to, that is. Which might be the deciding factor. If Arenvald is content as a diplomat now, then he doesn't need a magiteck exoskeleton, even if one could be designed.

Just teach him Thaumaturgy.

He can be a weapon of immense destruction... while being wheeled around by Fordola :P

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Originally Posted by Sylve

Just teach him Thaumaturgy.

He can be a weapon of immense destruction... while being wheeled around by Fordola :P

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Wouldn't that just make him a rolling tankard?

Actually that's it we'll just give him OUR rolling tankard... I'm sure he could fit into it?

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Originally Posted by Alleluia

If he wants to, that is. Which might be the deciding factor. If Arenvald is content as a diplomat now, then he doesn't need a magiteck exoskeleton, even if one could be designed.

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Exactly, and that's largely my point in not wanting him to be "fixed." It's extremely plausible in the world of FF14 that there would be some way(s) to do it, but the arc of his character now is that he's coming to grips with not being a front line combatant. He's learning how to be a leader and not a warrior. If they did give him a rocket powered, gun equipped wheelchair then there would be no point in his current direction. Even if he chose not to use those functions of it, they'd still be there "just in case." I've no issue with him being offered the choice and I do think him actively turning it down could certainly be used to advance his situation.