Wondering about how DRK’s true power source works (spoilers)

[Tensaihime]

Like my boy Sidurgu, I wasn’t in the mood to hear a cheesy love song right after getting jumped, so I muted the sound, clicked through the cutscene as fast as I could, and teleported back to Ishgard as soon as it let me.

But sillier things have happened in this game. I don’t think the moogles would lie about this. Still, I want to see their work, so to speak. How did they of all people arrive at this conclusion? Or did somebody else arrive at this conclusion and then share it with the moogles? Is there supplemental info somewhere that can make this love —> vigilante thing make more sense?

[Anonymoose]

Moogles are just ... kinda ... the most entertaining combination of childlike and insightful possible. Their aetherial talents are beyond us and yet they just take it for granted (see: Ascian / John Cena invisibility-on-tap). Combine that with the themes of the DRK story and how mad people were at moogles after the sidequest rampage of 3.0, it was just a funny dynamic to see him want to punch them.

But the moogles aren't wrong! Sid is trying to live up to his master in the wrong ways for the wrong reasons. This is the running theme of Dark Knights all the way back to FFIV: raw power alone is like a glass blade, sharp, but brittle and unreliable. It will never be enough to protect anything, and for all their edgelord-i-ness, dark knights are knights. If they didn't have something at their core that wanted to protect others, they would be in another line of work.

Ergo, the Dark Knights strength comes from bad feelz and less-than-benevolent action, but righteousness nonetheless. The "darkside" is the bad feelings, rage, and indignation of seeing people who wrap themselves in a cloak of benevolence (religion, law, order, proper behavior, decorum) while being abusing and taking advantage of others. The Dark Knight fights malice with malice for the right reasons: to protect those who cannot protect themselves. They just happen to not deny themselves taking joy in abusing the abusers sometimes, lol.

The moogles are teasing him, goading him, rubbing his face in the truth (and accusing him of being too stubborn or dim to listen to them deliver the message in any less-blunt way): the flame in the abyss - the light at the core of all that rage and darkness - is love. It's why the dark knight so so angry at seeing others violated in the first place: they're sensitive people who care about others.

[Vyrerus]

This thread got me thinkin'

Hmm. So we know who Sid loves and strives to protect, but what about the WoL?

The first arc of DRK up to 50 is about our Dark Side tempting us to leave the hero's life behind, since so many of the people we help are ultimately ungrateful.

In the 50 quest, we reject the Dark Side while also embracing it. I suppose this means that the WoL loves being a hero? Or loves charity? Loves love? Heh.

On up to 60 we merely help Sid protect and resolve Junior Mint's situation.

Past that, we deal with the manifestation of our guilt. Our self loathing side whose innocence reminds me of Vash the Stampede (Anyone who kills is a murderer; I want to save them all). After all is said and done, "A heart bleeds, a man weeps, a soul burns. Thence comes the darkness, to consume. And few hearts have bled as much as his(hers)..."

So I guess perhaps it is charity for the WoL. The WoL loves the land and its people with so much of his heart that there's almost no love for he, himself. That is what lights the flame in our abyss.

The ultimate self sacrifice, willing to bear any burden, any sin, and any judgment. Power from this resolve.

It's so poignant, it's enough to make me sick, not too mention bleary eyed.

[Tensaihime]

Ergo, the Dark Knights strength comes from bad feelz and less-than-benevolent action, but righteousness nonetheless. The "darkside" is the bad feelings, rage, and indignation of seeing people who wrap themselves in a cloak of benevolence (religion, law, order, proper behavior, decorum) while being abusing and taking advantage of others. The Dark Knight fights malice with malice for the right reasons: to protect those who cannot protect themselves. They just happen to not deny themselves taking joy in abusing the abusers sometimes, lol.

The moogles are teasing him, goading him, rubbing his face in the truth (and accusing him of being too stubborn or dim to listen to them deliver the message in any less-blunt way): the flame in the abyss - the light at the core of all that rage and darkness - is love. It's why the dark knight so so angry at seeing others violated in the first place: they're sensitive people who care about others.

I admit that at the very start of Heavensward, when I picked up DRK, the way the MSQ had treated me had me instantly on board with the “stab scumbags who think they’re untouchable” angle (even though the scumbags I most wanted to stab were far away). But two minutes later I was on board with the “holy hell, I don’t want this girl to get treated like that” angle. So the love they’re singing about is more of a universal sort of love where you just don’t want innocent civilians to be hurt or killed? I guess I can get behind the moogle song after all.

(Me and my friend the one valid Dzemael are still going to smack a few, though. Can’t help it.)

[Tensaihime]

So I guess perhaps it is charity for the WoL. The WoL loves the land and its people with so much of his heart that there's almost no love for he, himself. That is what lights the flame in our abyss.

The ultimate self sacrifice, willing to bear any burden, any sin, and any judgment. Power from this resolve.

I did not think of it this way! I always thought it was wanting to protect their friends, but if you aren’t attached to the Fortemps and you see the Scions as irritating taskmasters instead of found family, that might not work, plus there’s the period of time when most of the latter are supposed to be dead... And the WoL being like you-know-who, traveling to lots of places and learning about them, you would get to the point where it would be hard to not care. (Example: I am gonna be PISSED if Fandaniel nukes the Steppe)

I came here from Mass Effect, where I was caring and respectful with my crew/allies/civilians, but everyone who was a jerk got that treatment right back. But I guess if you care about a big enough percentage of the people who live in the continent/world/galaxy you want to save, that’s pretty much the same thing as just wanting to save the whole thing. Maybe it’s not so strange to me after all.

[Anhra]

In the German Version of the Game, during the lvl50 jobquest where you fight Fray/your other half, he straight up says that the WoL already had what it took to be a Dark Knight, all he needed was a teacher to guide him, so he created one from his own Power subconciously (probably with the Job Crystal as some sort of catalyst, which is the reason why your other self took the appearance of Fray, since his memories are within said Crystal).