Tales from the Dawn #4: "A Question of Death" (Jullus)

[Denishia]

So let me reword it with clarity: a right to feel resentful. And the Eorzean Alliance is sitting in Garlemald itself protecting the Garleans, citizens and soldiers alike. Whether we go into any of the other freed provinces to aid any Garleans in there instead of the non-Garleans (which is what parts of Stormblood, Werlyt, and Bozja we’re about - and even in SB we had that side quest where we helped the townsfolk in Ala Ganni irrc protect a Garlean ex-soldier. And in the patches the Doman prisoner exchange was returning Garlean soldiers). Right now we don’t know what the situation is in these other places still covered by map clouds. If we use the former British Empire- well, there’s enough former colonies, some still symbolically tied via the Commonwealth while others decidedly not. And Japan’s history and how it colors diplomatic feelings in Korea, Taiwan, China, and the Philippines is the Real Life example that I have a feeling the writers are more leery of. This is well-tread ground, story-wise, for XIV because of ….well, all of Stormblood and even patch content of ShB. Honestly my biggest question is if when they get to exploring the rest of Ilsabard what new story beats will be explored. Maybe the 6.3 patch content will turn out to be ‘protect the Garleans in Garlemald from an Ilsabardic former colony coming for revenge’. It’d fit the story beat in the 6.0 MSQ and be that cheesy but feel-good breaking the cycle of abuse. The Garlean Empire was the Garleans becoming their oppressors writ large on a global scale. I want a restored stable Republic for them, not wiped out but not a new expansionist colonizer a generation later trying to redo Solus. *shrug*

[RyuDragnier]

Honestly my biggest question is if when they get to exploring the rest of Ilsabard what new story beats will be explored. Maybe the 6.3 patch content will turn out to be ‘protect the Garleans in Garlemald from an Ilsabardic former colony coming for revenge’. *shrug*

At best we'll get a full expansion about it. At worst nothing is done with it. I'm hoping for the middle ground at the least, where we get a long drawn out story segment about it that is side content. Perhaps an entire series of zone stuff with it written by Matsuno (since seriously, that kind of political conflict is what he LOVES to write about).

[Denishia]

I want it, because I want the map filled out, I desperately want to see that homeland of skilled Hellsguard mages, I want to know if the neighbor nations the longest conquered by Garlemald are the ones who thanks to that full generation and a half under Garlean rule are most assimilated and maybe will have an amicable tie to New Garlemald or if they’re especially eager to throw off the colonial rule and assert their independence. It’s been especially relevant in the news with Ukraine and the British Commonwealth/former members like Ireland. But as it is something that has been covered so much in the game already, and with the mixed reception that Bozja had…..I’m curious if my questions will ever be answered. And what they could do to make it feel fresh gameplay-wise.

[SentioftheHoukai]

I want it, because I want the map filled out, I desperately want to see that homeland of skilled Hellsguard mages, I want to know if the neighbor nations the longest conquered by Garlemald are the ones who thanks to that full generation and a half under Garlean rule are most assimilated and maybe will have an amicable tie to New Garlemald or if they’re especially eager to throw off the colonial rule and assert their independence. It’s been especially relevant in the news with Ukraine and the British Commonwealth/former members like Ireland. But as it is something that has been covered so much in the game already, and with the mixed reception that Bozja had…..I’m curious if my questions will ever be answered. And what they could do to make it feel fresh gameplay-wise.

Knew this one would come up sooner or later. What an utter bore.

You DO realize that a writer is not obligated to fetishize and glorify tyrannical regimes to reveal that the people native to that regime's locale are also suffering, right? The two are as far from mutually exclusive as the core of the Earth and the planet Pluto.

Nobody was blaming the Garleans for what happened to her. If you paid any attention to that section that had more to do with doman culture being the issue that created her. That section is a rather scathing critique on a few real world cultures.

Missing the point, my dude.

[SentioftheHoukai]

So let me reword it with clarity: a right to feel resentful. And the Eorzean Alliance is sitting in Garlemald itself protecting the Garleans, citizens and soldiers alike. Whether we go into any of the other freed provinces to aid any Garleans in there instead of the non-Garleans (which is what parts of Stormblood, Werlyt, and Bozja we’re about - and even in SB we had that side quest where we helped the townsfolk in Ala Ganni irrc protect a Garlean ex-soldier. And in the patches the Doman prisoner exchange was returning Garlean soldiers). Right now we don’t know what the situation is in these other places still covered by map clouds. If we use the former British Empire- well, there’s enough former colonies, some still symbolically tied via the Commonwealth while others decidedly not. And Japan’s history and how it colors diplomatic feelings in Korea, Taiwan, China, and the Philippines is the Real Life example that I have a feeling the writers are more leery of. This is well-tread ground, story-wise, for XIV because of ….well, all of Stormblood and even patch content of ShB. Honestly my biggest question is if when they get to exploring the rest of Ilsabard what new story beats will be explored. Maybe the 6.3 patch content will turn out to be ‘protect the Garleans in Garlemald from an Ilsabardic former colony coming for revenge’. It’d fit the story beat in the 6.0 MSQ and be that cheesy but feel-good breaking the cycle of abuse. The Garlean Empire was the Garleans becoming their oppressors writ large on a global scale. I want a restored stable Republic for them, not wiped out but not a new expansionist colonizer a generation later trying to redo Solus. *shrug*

The devs aren't leery of real-world parallels, they just see things through rather black-and-white lenses lately which is ultimately a detriment to their storytelling. You'll notice (or perhaps you will refuse to) that I mentioned Yotsuyu, who is a textbook example of a woman mistreated by pseudo-Imperialist Japan (Doma). Can't blame Garlemald for that one~

For as bad as Stormblood may have been, nuance in its storytelling was most certainly NOT one of its primary flaws.

Might wanna read those quest again. I know you have trouble with that and I see you still haven't managed it but I shall implore you to read it again. Nobody in game said what you said. They did say the opposite though, considering the contingent's primary purpose was providing aid to the Garleans.

As for the story itself it was good. I'm more interested in the state and affairs of all the former occupied nations and how they will get on but it is nice to know that the Garleans have some hope.

Nice work being a pretentious one, little Sylph. Your information is still yet inaccurate, however. I do believe it would be in your best interest to go back and watch those cutscenes, since you'd realize that Lyse mentions that the formation of the Ilsabard contingent was initially hamstrung by the necessity of the onerous process of weeding out those who merely wanted to go take bloody revenge on what they saw as their oppressors and those who genuinely wanted to help those who would be ultimately revealed as ailing, freezing, close-to-death victims of Zenos' and Fandaniel's monstrous villainy.

For as bad as Endwalker was with nuance, ironically the criminally short Garlemald segment was one of the few points in the storyline that lacked that absent nuance.

[thegreatonemal]

The devs aren't leery of real-world parallels, they just see things through rather black-and-white lenses lately which is ultimately a detriment to their storytelling. You'll notice (or perhaps you will refuse to) that I mentioned Yotsuyu, who is a textbook example of a woman mistreated by pseudo-Imperialist Japan (Doma). Can't blame Garlemald for that one~

For as bad as Stormblood may have been, nuance in its storytelling was most certainly NOT one of its main flaws.

Nobody was blaming the Garleans for what happened to her. If you paid any attention to that section that had more to do with doman culture being the issue that created her. That section is a rather scathing critique on a few real world cultures.