Sundering stuff established in the Q&A

[Tehmon]

Yes, Emet most certainly did find Hermes talented enough to fulfill the seat of Fandaniel, but I do still think the timing and the body language showcased by Emet during his '' you do not belong here '' does signal that his invitation wasn't just for him to fill the seat, but also to get him away from Elpis because it wasn't the right place for him. Two birds with one stone and all that jazz.

[RyuDragnier]

i know its a jrpg thing but to me this doesn't really mesh well with ffxiv.

It meshes perfectly with FFXIV actually, due to it combining things from every FF game. Memories of past events you have never encountered in this lifetime actually comes up in FF9, and I think is even a plot point? Don't quote me on that one, since I actually do not like FF9 that much and haven't replayed it in years (but I remember certain scenes and concepts quite well).

[sidurgu-12]

It meshes perfectly with FFXIV actually, due to it combining things from every FF game. Memories of past events you have never encountered in this lifetime actually comes up in FF9, and I think is even a plot point? Don't quote me on that one, since I actually do not like FF9 that much and haven't replayed it in years (but I remember certain scenes and concepts quite well).

for me its because whenever you meet a new culture in game they usually give a cliff note about their belief and way of life. for a few this includes their gods and afterlife. so to come out and detail what happens makes that aspect feel kinda..... pointless(? currently cant think of a better word sorry). plus a few final fantasies do have a defined afterlife rather than reincarnation.
edit: honestly i wouldve been fine if they kept it vague.

[Skyborne]

This reminds me that there's still some specifics about the Ascians that were not really elaborated on, like where the black-masked ones fall in the scheme of things, or how they adopted their body-snatching practices and gained immortality of the soul.

And what exactly does "mastering the gift" entail, as both Elidibus and Zenos put it? As strong as we are, the things our Echo is capable of doing still remain extremely limited compared to that of many we've bested, even the sundered Ascians.

I get the feeling we may get an answer to the former with Pandaemonium... at least with the limited material that I can speculate with. It's also a bit odd how Elidibus and Zenos spoke at length about the Echo and how amazing it is, though our WoL didn't really seem too interested. But after that whole bodyjacking thing, who knows...

[Lyth]

The Underworld is functionally an 'afterlife' of sorts. Much like FF7's lifestream, it's where souls go to be reconstituted after their corporeal forms die. What happens to those memories that are cleansed from the souls hasn't really been addressed. It could result in something akin to FF9's Memoria with a 'planetary' memory, as was previously suggested, or they could simply disappear altogether. In fairness, the revelation on Elpis that the aetheric signature of a past event can sometimes be read from the land itself does seem to suggest the concept of a 'planetary memory'.

A running philosophical point in this story is the idea that 'who you are' is very much linked to your memories. That was very much central to Elidibus, Gaia, and Amon's stories. It essentially underpins the job system as well. The soul crystals carry the memories of the myriad deeds of previous practitioners of the art. As an example, when you pick up the Dark Knight soul crystal, in a way, you inherit Fray as well.

[KageTokage]

It would be rather interesting if the Ancients viewing souls as drops of Etheriys' lifeblood ends up being more literal then we think and that the cycle of life/death perpetuated by the Lifestream is somehow essential to some manner of primordial entity's existence. Crystal Chronicles already played with the concept of memories being a source of sustenance for higher entities, so the notion of the cleansed memory aether being used in like manner doesn't sound outlandish to me.

The Echo being a gift limited strictly to the Ancients and heritors of their souls could also be a result of them being the only lifeforms that were born directly from the world itself.

I do feel like someone attempting to seize control of the Lifestream could be an intriguing meta plot going into the next story arc, especially since the ominous prophecy brought up in Studium quests was noted as being from a book detailing attempts at manipulating it through magicks.

[sidurgu-12]

The Underworld is functionally an 'afterlife' of sorts. Much like FF7's lifestream, it's where souls go to be reconstituted after their corporeal forms die. What happens to those memories that are cleansed from the souls hasn't really been addressed. It could result in something akin to FF9's Memoria with a 'planetary' memory, as was previously suggested, or they could simply disappear altogether. In fairness, the revelation on Elpis that the aetheric signature of a past event can sometimes be read from the land itself does seem to suggest the concept of a 'planetary memory'.

A running philosophical point in this story is the idea that 'who you are' is very much linked to your memories. That was very much central to Elidibus, Gaia, and Amon's stories. It essentially underpins the job system as well. The soul crystals carry the memories of the myriad deeds of previous practitioners of the art. As an example, when you pick up the Dark Knight soul crystal, in a way, you inherit Fray as well.

i do understand what the games going for its just hard for me to se it the same way since im christian. srry for starting this random tangent.

[Lucida3b]

The afterlife stuff is interesting since it seems that one gets washed away within maybe a few years at most, yet Amon was able to revive xande presumably centuries after his death.

[Jojoya]

The afterlife stuff is interesting since it seems that one gets washed away within maybe a few years at most, yet Amon was able to revive xande presumably centuries after his death.

Are we even certain that Xande was reincarnated and not a Primal?

Considering what we now know about summoning and Hermes/Fandaniel/Amon's state of mind, I have to wonder.

[MikkoAkure]

Are we even certain that Xande was reincarnated and not a Primal?

Considering what we now know about summoning and Hermes/Fandaniel/Amon's state of mind, I have to wonder.

It was something to do with souped-up clones if I remember correctly. The Amon we fight in Crystal Tower is a clone of himself and there’s half a dozen bad Doga and Unei’s running around.

I think we’re just dealing with the standard sci-fi trope of clones having the originals’ memories rather than his spirit being brought from the Farplane/Lifestream/Underworld. Though even if it is the latter, they said in the story that strong wills keep their identities from being washed away for longer and that would explain Xande’s feelings regarding death and his disturbed mental state after being “brought back”.