You know, Iceheart was right...

[TinyRedLeaf]

I also think it's no accident that the writers had Iceheart calling on the WoL "to see with eyes unclouded". I believe it to be a reference to the immensely popular Studio Ghibli movie, Mononoke Hime.

Those who have watched the movie will remember how creator Hayao Miyazaki portrayed the conflicting interests of different societies. The protagonist struggled to negotiate a compromise between the groups competing for the resources of the forest, but was ultimately forced to accept that their differences ran too deep.

Those who refused to accept the need for change chose to go into extinction with all guns blazing. As for the rest, no one emerged from the conflict unmarked.

It was a sober meditation on the need for power. Ideals are peaceful. History, unfortunately, is violent.

On this point alone, I'm reminded of Merlwyb's hard-headed realism with regard to Limsa Lominsa's disputes with the kobolds, as well as Alphinaud's belief that the Scions needed a standing army of its own. He understood that without hard power, no amount of negotiation would ever bring the peace the Scions sought to achieve.

But it isn't a lost cause, though. In Mononoke Hime, the disparate factions shared one crucial value: A stubborn will to survive. No matter how hard it would get, the survivors were determined to do their best with whatever they had.

This was echoed by Alphinaud during the MSQ for Patch2.3: He came to realise why his grandfather was so fond of the people of Eorzea, because they too were a people who refused to give up.

And as long as this determination exists, there is room for hope.

Just not a very bright, happy one.