Revelations from Patch 5.3

[Saix027]

Some random thoughts I suddenly had in the wake of the 5.3 MSQ.

In light of the revelation that the unsundered Ascians were using crystals to bequeath memories onto the replacement Convocation members, it makes me wonder if perhaps Emet-Selch tried to pass someone else's memories onto Zenos on a whim after seeing that he had inherited the soul of someone dear to him; particularly because of Fandaniel's little remark upon first hearing the mention of the dreams and the fact that he made a crystal for Azem despite them not even being a part of the Convocation at that point.

It was mentioned in his short story that the ability to perceive the "color" of souls was very rare, yet Zenos has this judging from his reaction to meeting Fandaniel for the first time. His reaction is also strange considering that he really doesn't care about anyone other then us, which makes me wonder if maybe it was actually his soul's memories that were prodding him there.

Lastly, considering that the only other one who was specifically mentioned/seen to have this trait was Hythlodaeus, it would be rather ironic if the reincarnations of Emet-Selch's two closest friends ended up fighting over the fate of the world and also would make his tendency to refer to us as "his friend" appropriate in a different context.

I think the potential reactions from people on the steppe would be the funniest if we could definitively prove it to them.

The fact that they bothered updating both Temulun and Cirina's dialogue post ShB MSQ does kind of make me wonder if they intend to have us return there yet again for one reason or another, though.

Speaking of Dialog, i am suprised Unukalhai not goten new Dialog after this Story.

[Draginhikari]

Speaking of Dialog, i am suprised Unukalhai not goten new Dialog after this Story.

He did, it wasn't very much but it was just an acknowledgement of what happened and how he felt about it.

[Saix027]

He did, it wasn't very much but it was just an acknowledgement of what happened and how he felt about it.

There was? Talked to him but not seen it, unsure if it was forgtten in german or so, can someone link that dialog or so? And i am sure i not skipped any on him.

[Yuella]

It's the same dialog option but he said something new at the end

[Kuroka]

There was? Talked to him but not seen it, unsure if it was forgtten in german or so, can someone link that dialog or so? And i am sure i not skipped any on him.

Nein am ende sagte er irdendwas dass sein meister nun besiegt sei, ist wirklich leicht zu übersehen weil 98% gleicher dialog is >_>

-Its at the "tell more about you" Dialoge^^

[Iscah]

The view of the Crystal Tower from Lakeland feels just a bit sadder than it used to, knowing that the Exarch is there frozen forever at the top. I know they played it for "a symbol of hope" and he's not really dead, but... if anything that makes it harder to know what to feel about it. At very least it's still a strange and solemn thing.

[Cilia]

Just picking up a bit, on the nature of souls:

The important thing to remember is that all souls are aether.

By Elidibus' measure, all souls that bore witness to the Final Days had the traumatic memory of it engraved into their aether so as to recall it aeons later with a (literal) trigger. Even if a soul is broken down and melded with pieces of other souls to "create" new ones, the Final Days will forever be a part of everyone's soul memory. Souls are just aether, after all.

What sets Echo users apart, then, would be whether or not the integrity of their original soul has held up through 12,500 years of history.

Remember in IX, where everyone had ancestral memories going back to the origin of life itself due to how the metaphysics of souls worked? Kind of like that.

[Saix027]

The view of the Crystal Tower from Lakeland feels just a bit sadder than it used to, knowing that the Exarch is there frozen forever at the top. I know they played it for "a symbol of hope" and he's not really dead, but... if anything that makes it harder to know what to feel about it. At very least it's still a strange and solemn thing.

It feels actually questionable, we basically made a clone with his memorys, merged it with his old self, deleting or at least changing what he was to that point, while the one in the crystal could be still alive, just merged with the tower itself, only able to watch.

Dead or not it feels a bit out of place and, could just be me but feels also cheap, i mean the whole addon kind of seemed to tried to force some love relationship between us and him and now also forcing a happy end? Kind of? Even that it won't matter in the future anymore probably.

The whole dramatic seemed off if you just resolve it afterwards, it is like with Gosetsu, all that drama about his sacrifice and death, only to see him fine later. It feelsl ike it not goes anywhere, and jsut exist to have drama for the sake of drama, like Y'shtola cheating death twice already yet Square has forgotten the consequences they talked about.

I like this addon very much, don't get me wrong, but certain things feel way to forced into such but without real consequences.

[Iscah]

It feels actually questionable, we basically made a clone with his memorys, merged it with his old self, deleting or at least changing what he was to that point, while the one in the crystal could be still alive, just merged with the tower itself, only able to watch.

Actually we can be certain his soul left that body, because from the scene where the other Scions transfer themselves into the crystals, we can see that the white part of the crystal only starts to glow once their souls are inside it. This is exactly what we see in the last moments before the Exarch crystallises, so it seems clear that his soul "got away" and isn't trapped there. (I wrote earlier - I think this is the reason for having his soul transfer instead of just giving him a well-earned death at that point. It would be hard to be clear that his soul was free and not trapped forever.)

Further proof that his soul transferred over is that G'raha says his soul is similarly dense to ours, which would be accounted for by each of us holding a ninth fragment: ours from Ardbert, G'raha's from the additional rejoining that only the Exarch lived through.

As for the ethics of it? I agree I'm surprised they went that route, but given that they did, I have to assume it can be justified in this unique circumstance because the Exarch isn't making this decision on behalf of "someone else" or even a diverged version of himself on another timeline. He was the same person up until G'raha's last waking moment to date, and thus would be able to judge on behalf of his younger self that he would be happy to accept that soul transfer.

So anyway, on that assumption that all is well and it's only the Exarch's body that is there in the tower... it's a strange thing. He died and there's a body but at the same time he's not dead, so should it be mourned or not? His departure from the First might as well be death in some ways, and yet the people know he's alive but beyond their reach.

All of a sudden I am reminded of The Little Prince... there are shades of that story's ending here, I think, though of course it's not the same thing. But a bit of that mixed joy and sorrow.

[Saix027]

snip

True, tho, in his case he only transfered his memorys also, while the Scions had to transfer there memories AND soul/body in the shard. Maybe it just is explained poorly and got lost in translation also, for me it seemed it is just his memory we carry over so he can continue his own legacy. Feels awkard still, since i mean Ardbert not just merged or overwritten our memories after all as well.

One thing tho i need to mention here is, how awkward it feels that the Scions tooked there new jobs with honestly, esepcially in Y'shtola's case considering her aether should be weak already but *shrugs*, character development, even if done poorly in my eyes, especially Alisaie complaining they not evolved or so, i rolled my eyes at that and her anime jump from the balcony.

This patch had alot of Anime influence anyway is it? Eldibidus posing with the WoL like some photoshooting for his wipe attack, which was cool i admit, also goddamn gundam/evangelios, whatever, fight in Saphir Weapon. Normally i not like Anime cliches but i admit, those were kinda amazing and hilarious. Alisaie tho, was cringy as always. I honestly not can stand her, she became Lyse 2.0 since Stormblood.