Tales from the Shadows

[YianKutku]

So the new tales is out... I wont post anything about it yet since its early morning here in FL... but I will say this.... OMG!!!!

First I smiled at your reaction, then I read the story, and now I'm actually laughing at how fitting that reaction is.

OMG indeed.

[Iscah]

OMG. I called it.

Yay for confirmed theories!

[Alleo]

This tale was really beautiful (in a sad way). To learn abit about the fate if we would not have changed the future, to learn about the suffering, the deaths and at the same time the hope that our character gave people. Just to read that it was not them giving the past people a better future that created the help but them wanting to save the WoL that brought people together. To have the Namazu and all the other races just come together because of our deeds and wanting to save us. It really was beautiful and shows that we do touch the hearts of many many people.

I guess this also confirms that we were there. They do talk about the scions being at the battle, which probably was the reason for Eorzea winning (even if Omega does not believe in that) and it also kinda confirms that Eorzea had seemingly not planned to conquer Garlemald, that they just wanted to secure and be ready for another attack but it never came to that because Garlemald used the weapon which in turn does destroy more than just lifes and reached Garlemald regions too.

[Mieck]

I think it might be my favourite from all the Tales they have ever posted.


One thing I did think about during reading (and, I suppose, while playing 5.0) was that the Eighth Umbral Era lasted a significant period of time - enough for several generations. I've had a quick glance through the EE again, but we only get vague ideas about how long it takes to recover. It's mentioned that the first 400 years of the 6AE were called the Age of Restoration, but that'd the only clear picture we get. At just 5 years, the Seventh seems to be a significant outlier to this pattern?


Would the Source have recovered again, if left alone? Or was the act of a Light-aspected Calamity after the other seven, enough to start the full Rejoining? But what of the other Shards - surely they all need to be Rejoined for Zodiark to free himself, which again opens the question of the Void...


It all seems a little unclear - deliberately so, I think.


Oh, and I was happy to see Nero stuck by Cid until the very end.

[Alleo]

The 7th calamity seems to be different because Bahamut was stopped before he could do too much damage and phoenix released the aether back to the world. (I do wonder how the Ascians would have stopped Bahamut from destroying the whole world otherwise...I mean they still need people and the planet to still be there to have their future..)

The ones before took some time to recover because they often destroyed the civilizations with it but I also wonder if the source would have ever gotten over that. 200 years in the future the people still thought it would be better to kill themselves by changing the future than continuing to exists. We knew already that it would turn the soil bad but seemingly it even went after other ressources and destroyed that too...so maybe this would have been another mistake by the Ascians (since they too did not know 100% what the weapon would do in combination with a rejoining) because even if some survived and rebuilt, more and more parts of the planet would be uninhabitable and thus bad for the Ascians too.

And no I think this future has shown that there would need to be more rejoinings to happen before Zodiark is free.

[FaerieAura]

Well, first of all, I had just put on my mascara, so thanks for ruining my makeup, Square. “Sorry, but no one will ever compare to her...” God.

And for another, all of the peoples of the world coming together because of everything the Warrior of Light has done to try to make the world a better place - even Radlia's daughter showing up because we saved her mom from her own greed. It was such an amazing story, an amazing tribute to everything we did in this world making a difference, and everyone coming together to make sure we had a chance to save not only the Source, but the First as well. All of those little acts of kindness paying off in such a real way.

This one made me tear up. So I guess I'll go clean up my face now.

[Enkidoh]

Indeed, if there was anything in FFXIV that showed the enormous impact the Warrior of Light has had on not just Eorzea but Hydaelyn itself, then that was it. The WoL's death might not have caused the Eighth Calamity in the original timeline (their death instead was a result of it), but it only compounded the problem and added to the misery suffered by those who survived - it wasn't just life that was extinguished by Black Rose but hope itself, and by trying to change the past to save our life, everything else could be saved.

As Heroes might have put it: "Save the Adventurer, save the worlds..."

Another touching thing about the latest story is Cid and Nero's relationship seemed to have greatly softened as the years and decades rolled by and they both commited themselves to their project, Nero seemed to stop dismissing Cid as his rival and actually accept him as a friend, and Cid... well, he still seemed to regard Nero as insufferable, but he was at least now accepting him as himself, flaws and all, as they both dedicated themselves to their research into making the Crystal TARDIS and committed all that knowledge to the future, knowing full well that they would never see it bear fruit. It was touching, and poignant at the same time. *sniffle*

Yes I've been shipping Cid and Nero for a long time now and that story merely gave more fuel to that particular fire.

[Rannie]

So more people have read it, I will say the POV was not something I had expected, when I first started reading it I kinda knew but at that one part where he talks about his traveling companion, (mind you I read this while at work) I gave a gasp and quickly covered my mouth, grabbed a cigarette and told my one of my coworkers that I had to go have a cigarette. Took my cell outside and read more. Oh it was soo sad, I almost cried (sorry the last time i cried was after my mother passed last year) but it did get me in the feels. Though i wonder if his companion was "perturbed" due to our Character's death. But I loved the story a lot.

[Gula]

Oh jeez. *sniff* Sure is a lot of rain indoors today isn't it?

Gosh. Are we getting the Yoko Taro treatment early? That was amazing. Though knowing how their plan works makes it a hell of a lot more sad.

[Crushnight]

This was truly a great story, and given the perspective we read it from, bravo i could tell the sort of emotions these characters would be feeling as everything transpires. XD

Also seems Alpha and OMG have a timeline to their wandering which ends in Outer La Nosca (currently) wonder how their sightseeing goes before/will be after that.