Need information on types of crystals for my fanfiction.

[Naraku_Diabolos]

I am doing research on crystals writing for my Final Fantasy / Pokémon fanfiction. Crystals are involved in the story, and like Final Fantasy, they are the centerpiece of the story, as well as the "Trainers" having jobs and fighting alongside their Pokémon. Example would be that crystals, when melded, make the famous TMs and HMs. However the crystals are in the 18 Pokémon types.

But enough of that. What I need to know for information is more on corrupted crystals, over-aspected, and un-aspected because I want to include them in my story. I do remember what it says in-game in FFXIV about over-aspected and un-aspected, but I'm having a hard time remembering what corrupted crystals are. I've tried looking it up online but to no avail.

Isn't over-aspected for crystals meaning that they are over-flowing with elemental aether in one sole element? And un-aspected is when there is no known element for the crystal, or is it an unknown element for the aether?

[Anonymoose]

corrupted crystals, over-aspected, and un-aspected

Over-Aspected and Corrupted crystals are the same thing: aether that has been pulled so far from "white light" towards a single elemental aspect that it is an extreme charge - completely unstable. They may all look orange, but some are wind, some are lightning, etc. etc.

We work upon the element itself! Using the power of a corrupted crystal, we could clear a path through the storm, and spare the Enterprise a battering!

Though mayhap not to you, [FORENAME]. We speak of the manifestations of over-aspected aether that can be found throughout Eorzea. Since the Calamity disrupted the land's aetheric currents, such crystals have become comparatively commonplace. ...Which has been a cause of great woe, as they are known to warp aetheric energies, including those of living organisms.

...and the coup de grâce...

Since the Calamity, there has been much imbalance in the elements. Founts of over-aspected aether erupt from the soil and manifest into corrupted crystals. These crystals, in turn, attract the most unsavory of creatures, the most common of all being elemental sprites who, upon absorbing the crystals, become corrupted themselves. The Brass Blades are seeking adventurers to comb the desert and find the crystals, slaying any corrupted sprites encountered.

The confusing one, in my opinion, is whether there's a difference between unaspected, deaspected, and empty crystals.

All of them share the same icon; all dull gray. Moreover, there's inter-language overlap between items - for example, French uses "neutral" for deaspected whereas German uses "neutral" for unaspected. "Faded" also comes up in both empty and unaspected depending on language. "Aspect" and "charge" seem to be interchangeable. Here's the gist of the semantics:

Empty (aka Greyish, Dull Gray)
A transparent (faded / discolored) crystal which is almost completely devoid (free from) elemental aspect (charge / energy).

Unaspected (aka Neutral, Faded, Without Attribute)
For reasons unknown to you, this crystal has completely lost its elemental charge.

Deaspected (aka lost-asepect / Neutral (FR) / Lost Attribute)
This translucent crystal seems to have been completely drained of its elemental aspect.

Warning: I don't have proof for this part - it is purely informed inference and Moose Theory (of the not-darksteelfoil-hatted persuasion).

They seem similar, right? I used to be pretty sure that one was "full of energy but with no element" and another was "emptied of energy, but had an element." But what about unaspected damage? That's not devoid of energy. Moreover, unaspected crystals were said to be "useless to crafters" but still used in beastmen rituals because they are considered "purer", so they're not the "dark, dead" crystals, clearly.

I now believe that if there's a crystal at all, it must contain trapped aether, but physically-harnessable energy might come from its imbalance to begin with (explaining why Over-Aspected ones are practically radioactive). Unaspected and Deaspected might be the same thing, but with the game specifically saying the Deaspected ones were drained by something (Dalamud). The empty ones may be crystals that still have aetheric content but no imbalanced energy to harness, or they might be the "dark, dead" crystals that are almost-not-crystals.

I'm still not really 100% on it, lol.

[Ashkendor]

I now believe that if there's a crystal at all, it must contain trapped aether, but physically-harnessable energy might come from its imbalance to begin with (explaining why Over-Aspected ones are practically radioactive).

It would also explain why each crafting class has a primary and secondary type of shard/crystal assigned to them (aside from the whole meta/gameplay mechanics side of things, that is). Different types of energy = different applications.

[Anonymoose]

It would also explain why each crafting class has a primary and secondary type of shard/crystal assigned to them (aside from the whole meta/gameplay mechanics side of things, that is). Different types of energy = different applications.

Correct! Fire melts, burns or heats. Ice congeals, cools, or freezes. Earth bonds and strengthens. Water dilutes, hydrates, dissolves, or liquifies. Wind cuts, grinds, or carves. Lightning transmutes, disintegrates, or charges. If you look at ALC, it tends to dissolve/dilute/transmute potions and powders and medicines; water and lightning. BSM melts metals and bonds them to woods to create strong tools; fire and earth. ARM starts with molten metals but cools them into shape and makes them strong; ice and earth.

The aforementioned change in perspective to accommodate un/deaspected/empty clusters is very subtle, simply making room for stored aetheric energy to not necessarily be directly tied to aspected elemental energy - a "neutral" inclusive of the former, but not much of the latter, hypothetically.

For instance, an unaspected crystal can still be used to summon a primal (according to 1.0), so it's clearly not lacking in aetheric energy. However, if you returned the crystal to aetheric mist, it might not expel any energy you can physically do anything with (burn, freeze, cut), whereas a crystal that had both aetheric energy and imbalanced elements might carry with the aetheric mist the attributes of the imbalance it collected, manifesting as an elemental nature. The strength would be determined by two things - the amount of aether (size of the crystal, maybe) and the distance from "neutral" (brightness of the crystal, maybe). I would be interested to know what happened to the crystals we used on the Whorleater. When Leviathan brought water-aspected aetheric mist for his attacks, and we neutralized it with aetheric crystals offset towards lightning, did it deaspect them and leave us with large-but-gray crystals?

Like I said, it's a very subtle change in my perspective, but it changes a lot of how I envision the aetherophysics working.

Of course, I could just be completely wrong. That's known to happen.

[Naraku_Diabolos]

Thanks a lot for the info, Moose! I appreciate it! I see you on the game sometimes and I wave, but your character is mostly on Away. Look for me on Excalibur; I play Hayley Westenra mostly, but my other characters are Naraku Diabolos (1.0 main), Rowena Taheny, Inuyasha Diabolos, Sakura Blossom, and Pearl Moonlight.

[Enkidoh]

One thing worth mentioning (although possibly retconned), was in 1.0 the landscape of Mor Dhona was stated as having the peculiar ability of actually draining an elemental crystal's aspect if they were left there long enough (naturally, the 1.0 main scenario had the player doing exactly that - leaving a stack of crystals buried in a particular spot and waiting several real time hours for the elemental aspect to be drained and gaining 'deaspected crystals' in return).

Of course given the development in Revenant's Toll and the like post Calamity with no one (read: Rowena and her underlings) seeming to complain about their crystals being mysteriously deaspected it seems this is just another aspect (see what I did there? ) of 1.0 that has sadly been abandoned, but it was an interesting idea anyway.

[Morningstar1337]

Sort of off topic, but you aid this was for a Pokemon crossover fanfic? I'm wondering how you're gonna blend the two plots (Seeing Titan or Ravana throwing Pokeballs would be an amusing image) and if you're planing on incorporating the elements form the Orre games?

[TinyRedLeaf]

This seems to be a good place to talk about the extra special "crystals of light" as well. They look like regular crystals, but they seem to manifest only for Echo users, and even then, just for a handful of them like the WoL and Ysayle.

What makes these crystals so special?

[Naraku_Diabolos]

Sort of off topic, but you aid this was for a Pokemon crossover fanfic? I'm wondering how you're gonna blend the two plots (Seeing Titan or Ravana throwing Pokeballs would be an amusing image) and if you're planing on incorporating the elements form the Orre games?

Not at all. It's a really different story. I've been getting ideas for several years for writing it and implementing ideas.

Totally off-topic if anyone is interested.

About the Story…
*
There is a tale in the Gale Region of a boy by the name of Adam. He was living a normal and tranquil life nestled the city of Breezy-Grove with a mountainous region to the west and a bay to the east. Adam is a boy at the age of 18. Like his father, David, he is courageous and takes great responsibility for whatever tasks he does for the townsfolk in Breezy-Grove. His calm water-blue eyes show that he is responsible for any tasks that his neighbors ask him to do. He inherited dirty blonde hair from Judy, his mother and as well as David’s handsome charm. He recently graduated from Breezy-Grove High School.
*
There are many struggles and engagements with the military (which goes by the name of the Sentinel Guard) and criminal organizations over the continent. The Sentinel Guard is has the authority and duty to protect the whole Elemental Eve Continent on Earth and to establish safe living for its citizens from strife within each of the six regions. The regions that are within the continent are districts and granted with proper naming due to the environment and nature that thrived there. The Gale District (Capital: Cyclone City), the Pyro District (Capital: Inferno City), the Aqua District (Capital: Torrent City), the Gaia District (Capital: Terra City), the Sol District and the Luna District. Each of the six Districts holds an explanation to the Continents many secrets. The Elemental Eve is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Earth.
*
In the creation myth of the Elemental Eve, Pokémon first came about from the energy of Crystals that are found all over the continent. The Crystals' energy charged the land and gave it energy, but in doing so, the energy took on lifeforms of its own, creating the first Pokémon. Over the eons, Pokémon from around the world were mainly bred here, but newer ones are yet to be discovered on the Elemental Eve. The main District is Sol and the capital of the Republic is Aurora City, where President Courtney resides. She is the head of the Sentinel Guard and uptakes government and economical duties.
*
However, there is the District of Luna, in which another Republican city resided, along with a royal family. After the high-ranking General was let go from the Sentinel Guard, he fled to the Luna District. While there, he told the royal family residing there that the Republic's government and military force was wanting to overtake over the Elemental Eve, and then later on the world. By also corrupting the military outposts there in the Luna District as well as the government, he gained influence and led his own army. This is how the shady Mecha Organization was formed and became an imperial force. Twilight City is the capital of the Luna District. Mecha itself wants to spread throughout the whole Continent to gain power of the people and Pokémon. Mecha has already established a few bases within certain Districts but they are hidden from the untrained eyes of the military.

The general who was once a high-ranking officer of the Sentinel Guard was given a dishonorable discharge for crimes he committed. The crimes he committed such as planning a revolt against the Republic using his own military faction, he almost succeeded. Not only that, he stole Technical Machines that only the Sentinel Guard created and sold them illegally to crime organizations in order to gain wealth, plus using other militants for committing crimes, and abusing Pokémon belonging to the military.

The General was also interested in the mythology of how the Elemental Eve was created. He researched legends and folklore of the continent and was in search of obtaining ultimate power. After hiring scientists to do research, he found something quite unforgiving. In the legends of the Elemental Eve, the native religion worships the Goddess Altana, and people give thanks to the Goddess' Servants Ifrit, Leviathan, Shiva, Ramuh, Titan, Garuda, Carbuncle, and Fenrir. In the native religion, there is also the fallen God Promathia and his Servant, Diabolos. This interested the General in finding the hypothesized Protocrystals that the Servants resided in. He did find one of them, and inside the Protocrystal, a darker power resided inside of it and corrupted him even further. It changed his being, making him more vile, cold, and dark. Even its power changed him for the worse physically, and its power changed the people of the Luna District forever…
*
Using a Crystal drained of its elemental property and given to a Pokémon to consume, Mecha used power from the dark Protocrystal that could corrupt Pokémon. This would be known as the Shade Project. The Pokémon would become corrupted, but act more savagely and even its appearance changed. This is nothing like the Mega Evolution that occurs with Pokémon, in which a Pokémon is pushed to its limits and takes on a more advance and permanent form of their evolving status.

It has been unsolved for centuries, that when a Pokémon has died, their soul is reborn into an Egg. An Egg is a crystalline form, a sphere if you will, the Pokémon takes after being gravely injured or at the end of its life. After time has passed, the Pokémon reawakens from the Egg and becomes its first evolution form. It retains all past memories of its life. However if the crystalline Egg is damage or shattered, the Pokémon is dead forever with no hint of ever coming back to life. Trainers are strongly cautioned with withdraw their Pokémon in Egg form back into their Poke Balls in order for the Egg to "hatch" and their partner to come back to life. Pokémon left with breeders can use their energy to also create new life--by sharing their energy with a compatible Pokémon, a new offspring of the Pokémon can be created out of nothingness.
*
Adam recently became a Trainer a week ago and only has a pet Growlithe that belonged to his father, David. David was a high-ranking leader in the Sentinel Guard, but was in a battle against an unknown Mecha militant. No one knows just who this fighter was, but David was captured and taken to the Luna District. No one has heard from him since. 15 years have passed as Adam and Judy have gone about their own lives. Adam has a burning passion in trying to find his father and will try to gain power and comrades in order to find him. Growlithe was left with Adam after being recovered by the Sentinel Guard 15 years prior.
*
The professor named Herbert (Herb for short due to also being a great Culinarian outside his Pokémon studies), gave Adam a PokéDex and his official Trainer’s License as a high school graduation present. There are not any Gyms in the whole Elemental Eve Continent, but there are some Stadiums held by the Pokémon League (which also resides in the Sol District for trainers who want to compete in Pokémon competitions). If trainers are willing, they can become "free members" of the Sentinel Guard, in helping the military fight crime as well as members of the Mecha organization. Trainers are given a piece of advanced technology called an Exo-Suit to wear, which creates physical holograms of obtained armor and gear to wear. Weapons are physical holograms as well, and are obtained by delivery from the Sentinel Guard to Pokémon Centers for Trainers to receive as a small sphere that reacts to the Exo-Suit. The small sphere about the size of a candy gumball that takes the form of any number of weapons, and these spheres can have their weapon upgraded to become more powerful.

It is up to the trainers for whom they want to do with their lives. Adam's quest to find his father will take him all over the Elemental Eve, into enemy strongholds, and finally the confrontation with Mecha and the General. Comrades will be made along the way for Adam on his journey not only for saving his father, but unraveling the mysteries of the Elemental Eve and saving the continent from Mecha's influence.

_______________

Now, back to our discussion on this thread about crystals lol

I think that the Crystals of Light are over-aspected in a sense because they are overflowing with that one element. Garuda, despite her twisted and vile nature, had such an immense amount of wind-aspected aether that she could create her own weather to protect the area of Coerthas where she resided. Once us, as a Warrior of Light, had defeated her, we took out the Crystal of Light that was Wind from her chest. However she still had enough power afterwards to want to fight with us again! She was *that* powerful at the time due to the crystals and prayers the Ixal left her.

[TinyRedLeaf]

I think that the Crystals of Light are over-aspected in a sense because they are overflowing with that one element. Garuda, despite her twisted and vile nature, had such an immense amount of wind-aspected aether that she could create her own weather to protect the area of Coerthas where she resided. Once us, as a Warrior of Light, had defeated her, we took out the Crystal of Light that was Wind from her chest. However she still had enough power afterwards to want to fight with us again!

But it's not entirely clear to me if these "crystals" are physical things. Or, to put it more correctly, there seems to be a unique metaphysical link between the WoL and these crystals. They aren't "corrupt" in the sense of being "over-aspected". Rather, they seem to be the purest solid-state form of the particular element itself. And, more interestingly, there seems to be some kind of link between these crystals and Hydaelyn herself. Makes me wonder if they aren't "shards" of the Mothercrystal.