Revelations from Keynote II

[KageTokage]

It's absolutely time travel. I don't see how people can support a "we're going to the First!" interpretation with all the hints that Yoshida's been dropping. Specifically, we're going into an apocalyptic future, but also trying to avert it... this will probably mean splitting the timeline, which will justify us being able to go back to visit the alt-future zones even after we've prevented the calamity/flood of light.

The thing makes me doubt time travel is involved is the fact that we're inevitably going to have to return to all of the different expansion zones for the post-5.0 MSQ. What reason would we have to return to a bad future if things have been patched up?

On the flipside, if we're going to the First to curb the flood of light, there's all sorts of reasons we could have for going back over there once matters have been seemingly resolved.

[ShinShimon]

The thing makes me doubt time travel is involved is the fact that we're inevitably going to have to return to all of the different expansion zones for the post-5.0 MSQ. What reason would we have to return to a bad future if things have been patched up?

On the flipside, if we're going to the First to curb the flood of light, there's all sorts of reasons we could have for going back over there once matters have been seemingly resolved.

We'll probably end up forking the timelines, leaving the original hellhole future intact while we create a different one for ourselves. Whatever time machine BS we used to get to the hellhole future will stay intact, along with that timeline, even after we finish the SH main quest.

[KageTokage]

We'll probably end up forking the timelines, leaving the original hellhole future intact while we create a different one for ourselves. Whatever time machine BS we used to get to the hellhole future will stay intact, along with that timeline, even after we finish the SH main quest.

If we create a timeline where the future is fine, we would still have no logical reason to return to the bad timeline for future MSQ purposes.

It's things like this that make me really dubious about the inclusion of time travel. It usually works fine when the plot is completely written around it, such as in Chrono Trigger, but when it's suddenly introduced into a setting as a major plot point things can get messy. Not to mention that whole Alexander questline suggested that XIV operates under the "stable time loop" principle, meaning that an attempt to change the future will actually end up causing the future to happen...though that may explain why they keep going on about how fate cannot be changed (Such in the new year's message) or embracing fate (As Y'shtola/Matoya said in the trailer).

[Iscah]

If we create a timeline where the future is fine, we would still have no logical reason to return to the bad timeline for future MSQ purposes.

It's things like this that make me really dubious about the inclusion of time travel. It usually works fine when the plot is completely written around it, such as in Chrono Trigger, but when it's suddenly introduced into a setting as a major plot point things can get messy. Not to mention that whole Alexander questline suggested that XIV operates under the "stable time loop" principle, meaning that an attempt to change the future will actually end up causing the future to happen...though that may explain why they keep going on about how fate cannot be changed (Such in the new year's message) or embracing fate (As Y'shtola/Matoya said in the trailer).

Good point that "future-changing time travel" doesn't really fit with creating new stable locations in other time periods. On the other hand, it could definitely work with a stable time loop - whatever we do while we're there, was always going to happen.

Of course, what it is incompatible with, is Trailer Voice Guy telling us we need to unwrite history.

But then I said from the start, I'm not convinced that we're actually going to do that just because an as-yet-untrustworthy Voice claims that we need to - and I don't think it fits with the themes of the game so far. (And particularly with the Alexander quests, having replayed them recently.)



Inescapable prophecies fit with the unchangeable nature of a stable time loop, I think. Though a good question in that case is: how specific is this fortune or prophecy? Have their exact actions been dicatated to them, or is it vague enough that by 'accepting' their fate and acting in accordance with it, they can decide the exact circumstances and retain some control over the outcome?

For what it's worth, we have at least one solid example of a card reading - the Dawn Cross, according to the lorebook (Vol.1, p.244), is one of the two most common fortune-telling methods and is "believed to provide more detailed information regarding a subject's fate" compared to the three-card Trinity. (The book and quest dialogue have more detail on card placement but what's relevant here is the resulting format of the 'told fortune'.)

JANNEQUINARD (relaying Leveva's reading)
In the center of the Dawn Cross we have the Spear. To its left, the inverted Arrow. To its right, the inverted Balance. Beneath, we have the inverted Spire and the inverted Bole. And finally at the crown, is the Ewer.
“Though peace hath settled upon our great land, it will be along the path of coming destruction that friends new and old shall discover the bush that doth bear the fruit of knowledge and hope.”

If that's the level of detail Urianger is getting out of his cards, that's going to leave plenty of room to get a thoroughly ominous reading, accept that it's going to happen, and do their best to turn it around.



Vagueness is the key to running a stable time loop and still letting the heroes "defy fate". The climax of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is an excellent example - despite being present for both versions of the looped time, neither the reader nor the characters are aware of what really happened by the end of their "first time through", so they are still acting freely during their second time through.

They take action to prevent something that (they thought) happened the first time around, only to set up the circumstances that mean it never happened in the first place - while giving their past selves the impression that it did. And then ending up in the right place at the right time for Harry to save his past self, except that's not why he went there, and he doesn't work it out until the last moment.

It's really clever, it comes together perfectly, and it's a great example of how you can stage a stable time loop without giving the audience the entire story - even while they're in the middle of fulfilling the second half of the looped events.

What job was Yoshi-Ps character in that screenshot?
http://www.novacrystallis.com/wp-con...9_PARIS_13.png

That page isn't allowing hotlinked images.

Here's an alternate page with all the new images: https://twinfinite.net/2019/02/final...ingers-images/

Lastly, at the risk of stirring the pot, the robed figure on the right of the artwork, with the straps and ornate bangles on the wrist... well, it's a little like the original Bard AF hands, and Bard is all about performance, which is.... maybe a bit like... dancing?

That's quite a stretch.... but come to think of it, guess what class G'raha is?

Yeah, okay, archer rather than bard. But still.

[Fenral]

That's quite a stretch.... but come to think of it, guess what class G'raha is?

Yeah, okay, archer rather than bard. But still.

Well, Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1 retconned him into an archer who also sings the song of his people. Pretty sure there's a specific Job for that, but I'm drawing a blank...

(Still has nothing to do with Dancer, though he may end up in that gear anyway if I want to do a retainer respec...)