Revelations from Patch 5.5 (Part 2)

[manamoppet]

On Sharlayan knowing:

Since "they would know" if the Final Days are upon us, does this mean that Sharlayan Astrologians will become part of the MSQ or will they ignore them? I guess our Sharlayan AST trainer in Ishgard will be totally ignored and we can't ask her for help due to MSQ/side story time bubble shenanigans? An easy way in for those that haven't started doing AST could be a rumour from one of the Houses of a Sharlayan petitioning their teachings to other Astrologians maybe?

Also, that sudden disowning shocked me, and I hope the twins' mother give him an earful when she learns of this.

On the Dreamer and Garlemald tower:

As others have said, I think it may be a reference to the Dream of the Fayth from FFX, and Anima?

The gate of the gods is most likely a portal to the moon and reside in the tower in Garlemald I think.

The gun-scythe looked cool.

The establishment of a new alliance:

That table and room seem to grow each time they have a meeting, or does the palace just have many rooms filled with tables of convenient sizes? Also, it kind of bothered me that all the non-Beast Tribe people were sitting, and none of the Beast Tribe representatives had a place to sit, even on some pillows, but I guess there were animation reasons.

[JeanneOrnitier]

Had a thought about the Gridania scene

What if Fourchenault had ulterior motives for disowning the twins? Like doing it so they wouldn't get caught up in something Sharlayan is going to do, or wouldn't be restrained by family role and expectations, or something like that. Because he seemed genuinely happy to meet them at first, and the pivot to disowning them happened really fast. But if he was doing it for their own sakes, that'd be interesting.

If that is the case though, dude's an ass for not just telling them straight up why he was cutting them off. Don't put on such a show about it.

[EaraGrace]

I was thinking about this a bit, as well. My darksteel-foil-hat-insane-brain wanted to sprint in the direction of

combining several technological feats we've seen before where the tempered are locked in torpor to maintain a primal's continued manifestation Allagan-style; tower draws in aether, combines with the torpid faith, maintains a spiritual entity, projects tempering through the tower. On the deepest levels of crazy theory: involving left-over Solus clones and/or Anima as the shared dream of a unified Garlemald and/or Dark future.

Also spending time attacking my own position of "I don't understand how we can possibly start anywhere other than 'Fandaniel wants to be Zodiark's BFF' because there have been no flags that he is not tempered as Emet-Selch said."

In the same line as Emet-Selch breathed that absolute faith in Zodiark's is etched into the very souls of his summoners, he talks about how unrelated individuals can be raised to the offices, but that they tend not to be as trustworthy.

That's the real way to attack my starting point, I think: Fandaniel has no first-hand memories of the Final Days not just because he's a sundered risen with an archive of the Originals' memories instead of his own, but because he's not part of the real Fandaniel at all.

I'm still starting on "Why wouldn't Fandaniel be trying to be Zodiark's BFF?" for now. That domino must be toppled for me to let the other paranoias I have flow, lol.

Would it not be possible

that Emet and the rest of the unsundered mistakenly believed their ascended sundered brethren were more permanently tempered than they were? Both Fandaniel and Gaia appear in the 5.x patches, both represent sundered Ascians with, to put it lightly, disagreements with the unsundered, and both have rebelled against unsundered/Zodiark. While obvious differences abound, Gaia’s memories seem to pull her dangerously close to siding against Ryne and WoL, while Fandaniel with seemingly all his memories is still going full throttle, the principle, however, seems similar to me.

The sundered Ascians have a complex interplay between the desires of their sundered selves and the desires of the former ancient who originally held their soul, an interplay that can bring conflict or just in general lead to unexpected developments. Perhaps either the original Fandaniel experienced something that would justify this course of action, or perhaps the sundered soul is not swayed by the tempering in the way he might have been initially. Or they raised a random and made a huge mistake. That is also a distinct possibility!

[Vyrerus]

MSQ Sidenotes for inbetween dialogue

At the very beginning when Urianger and Estinien stay behind, Urianger says, "Being Elezens of a like age perhaps we share interests. Perhaps I shall share a copy of one of my finest treatises with him." Oh Urianger, you sweet summer child.

MSQ about Sharlayan

Hear me out. I know I've made my bias clear, but uhh, no Fourchenault is not doing any sort of advanced play to protect the children he readily disowned. He doesn't even care or know what they've been through, and was happy to let them wander and risk their lives in what he considers savage lands. That hash piped, pointy-eared son of a gun doesn't give one single damn about the twins. I bet you 500 gil that he didn't even want them to be born. Another 500 that he doesn't have a good relationship with his wife. He's garbage.

[Ryaz]

Bozja Southern Front so far:

Mikoto and Cid is kinda squick for me. He's like 60 years old and she's in her 20s. My WoL can't get laid to save his life, but Cid gets some young girl drooling over him? I also washed my hands of making a decision on Misilja. I didn't feel it was my place to determine her fate. That's what courts decide, not heroes.

MSQ:

Some interesting stuff. Definitely got me hyped for the next expac, but I'm so sick of seeing Asahidaniel's rubberbanding facial expressions. It just comes off as really corny. And Zenos, well, Zenos is as boring as ever.

YorHa:

I missed a week, but read about the ending. Definitely feels like Konogg just went crazy or something. Feels like a bad ending. Then again, it's Yoko Taro who isn't known for making anything remotely happy. Dude swims in a sea of despair and agony.

[Anonymoose]

Would it not be possible

that Emet and the rest of the unsundered mistakenly believed their ascended sundered brethren were more permanently tempered than they were? Both Fandaniel and Gaia appear in the 5.x patches, both represent sundered Ascians with, to put it lightly, disagreements with the unsundered, and both have rebelled against unsundered/Zodiark. While obvious differences abound, Gaia’s memories seem to pull her dangerously close to siding against Ryne and WoL, while Fandaniel with seemingly all his memories is still going full throttle, the principle, however, seems similar to me.

The sundered Ascians have a complex interplay between the desires of their sundered selves and the desires of the former ancient who originally held their soul, an interplay that can bring conflict or just in general lead to unexpected developments. Perhaps either the original Fandaniel experienced something that would justify this course of action, or perhaps the sundered soul is not swayed by the tempering in the way he might have been initially. Or they raised a random and made a huge mistake. That is also a distinct possibility!

To a degree, yes; there's some wiggle room to build the shadow of doubt. I can see a lot of ways to make it work, my trouble is that I don't see the writers actually building anything in those spaces which do make it work. (At least, not ones that are visible yet.)

Even in the Mitron / Gaia example, Mitron's first lines in that very story arc were "I am Mitron, servant of Zodiark." and as soon as Gaia remembers who she was she starts seething Darkness, gets a face-glyph, and has an (unused) recorded battle line in which she shrieks, "In Lord Zodiark's name!" so we know where some developer heads are at, lol.

[BlitzAceRush]

Had a thought about the Gridania scene

What if Fourchenault had ulterior motives for disowning the twins? Like doing it so they wouldn't get caught up in something Sharlayan is going to do, or wouldn't be restrained by family role and expectations, or something like that. Because he seemed genuinely happy to meet them at first, and the pivot to disowning them happened really fast. But if he was doing it for their own sakes, that'd be interesting.

If that is the case though, dude's an ass for not just telling them straight up why he was cutting them off. Don't put on such a show about it.

I had though it might be something like this too.

But my issue is the same, the only reason to make such a show of it, is for us (the players) because unless he thinks he's been followed all this way, which is possible but there're are places he could have gone to have private words with his kids, if he told them what was what, they'd have played ball and not felt like crap about the whole thing. Though if it does end up being the case it suffers from the usual end of expansion issue of nothing can reveal what's to be revealed come expansion. (I'm looking at you maybe Venat and your award for most vague warning to ever be warned).
If that isn't it though and he was just being a jerk and they do claim to "know when the end is coming" I wonder if that's wholly true or just their assumption, will it wind up as being some big reveal that they do in fact have some means of predicting the "End days"? and somehow everything going on doesn't qualify, or is this going to be a case of "We think we do, but we don't." I'm reminded of the Archbishop and how his foolproof plan of double crossing the Asciens and ruling the world fueled by "1000 years of prayer" couldn't fail, right up until it did.

[Ultimatecalibur]

Mikoto and Cid is kinda squick for me. He's like 60 years old and she's in her 20s. My WoL can't get laid to save his life, but Cid gets some young girl drooling over him? I also washed my hands of making a decision on Misilja. I didn't feel it was my place to determine her fate. That's what courts decide, not heroes.

10 characters

Cid is actually in his late 20s. The Beard and White hair makes him look a lot older than he actually is.

[Vyrerus]

10 characters

Cid is actually in his late 20s. The Beard and White hair makes him look a lot older than he actually is.

He's actually thirty-four.

[Jennah]

Daddy Leveilleur

The only good reason I could POSSIBLY think for him to do what he did to the Twins, is if someone is going around killing family members of the Forum. Possibly to force Sharlayan to sit on their hands for the Final Days? So he'd have been protecting the twins by disowning them so publicly? While at the same time going along with the blackmail? For now?

BUUUTTTT.... I'm pretty sure 4chan-ault is just a major jerk. And hopefully a 6.0 boss fight.