SPOILERS - I have questions about calamities and the order of events from DT

[EinherjarLucian]

When an aetheric flood/Calamity occurs, it shifts the polarity of the other shards. The known example that we have of this is the Flood of Darkness on the Thirteenth, which altered the polarity of the First.

'In an age past, the world you know as the Thirteenth was flooded by Darkness. Like ripples of water, the repercussions were felt in the other shards, none more so than here on the First. It became perilously imbalanced and susceptible to the influence of the light.' (Mitron, Shadows of the Past, Lv.80).

We know that the Second Umbral Calamity (of Lightning) rejoined the Twelfth. I'd be interested if anyone has actually confirmed which shard Living Memory is from, but I think that it makes more sense if it's a world that isn't yet rejoined (i.e. Fourth, Eighth, Ninth, or Eleventh). It's interesting to note that the Sixth Umbral Calamity (of Water), which is tied to the War of the Magi and Nym, is associated with the Tenth, because they have similar spacing to the Light/Darkness pair. If that's the case, then it could be that there was a second lightning-aspected world in the Eighth resulting from the water calamity. That's my guess for the location of Sphene's world.

This makes the most sense, honestly, and absolutely fits with the timing involved. Great catch!

[Cleretic]

I'd be interested if anyone has actually confirmed which shard Living Memory is from,

I would argue that more important and compelling than any argument for what shard Living Memory is or isn't in is Y'shtola's point that we can't tell. The only people that could tell (and the only people that probably care) are the Ascians, and it's not exactly worthwhile to ask. Like, what value does this number truly have, to anybody? It's not important what some abstract third party of planet-smashing shadow wizards call it, what's important is that it's where Alexandria was, and where Living Memory is; all the number would do is confirm if the shard's there or not, and I think it's very obvious that it is, given the sun rises on Living Memory in the credits.

It's also a clever way to circumvent this being the core of the story. It refuses to be a 'visit another shard' story in any of the ways people anyone would want it to be, and that's right to do, because it isn't one.

It's a South Sea Isles story with extra steps.

[Sylvain]

I would argue that more important and compelling than any argument for what shard Living Memory is or isn't in is Y'shtola's point that we can't tell. The only people that could tell (and the only people that probably care) are the Ascians, and it's not exactly worthwhile to ask. Like, what value does this number truly have, to anybody? It's not important what some abstract third party of planet-smashing shadow wizards call it, what's important is that it's where Alexandria was, and where Living Memory is; all the number would do is confirm if the shard's there or not, and I think it's very obvious that it is, given the sun rises on Living Memory in the credits.

It's also a clever way to circumvent this being the core of the story. It refuses to be a 'visit another shard' story in any of the ways people anyone would want it to be, and that's right to do, because it isn't one.

It's a South Sea Isles story with extra steps.

Well no, it can matter as apparently the relative proximity can have an influence, like the 13th flood impacting the 1st greatly.

[Lium]

This explains it for me.

"Maybe it's worth underlining what Y'shtola said, that nobody outside of the Ascians could possibly know what reflection we went to? I feel like some people might be leading themselves down a wrong path by deciding they do know which one it was, and then getting tangled up in the presumptions afterward."

I thought it was 12th but forgot Y'shtola said this. They are on some unknown shard. The 12th was likely already rejoined.

[Lyth]

I know that Daichi Hiroi handwaved the answer here, but there are only a few viable, unexplored worlds left (four, in fact). His answer through Y'shtola sounds rather odd, coming from the perspective of a fellow shard nerd, given that we should eventually have enough clues to map out which remaining worlds are which. Not knowing the answer now doesn't negate the curiosity and desire to discover the answer.

One thing that bothers me is that while partially destroyed shards make for more convenient short story arcs (like Hiroi's grand attempt at an Ultima Thule style finale), you permanently discard the storytelling potential that an intact shard might offer (both in terms of landmass and in terms of accessing inaccessible areas through dimensional travel between two intact shards.) I hope they leave at least a couple fully intact to build future storylines off of.

[Alenore]

One thing that bothers me is that while partially destroyed shards make for more convenient short story arcs (like Hiroi's grand attempt at an Ultima Thule style finale), you permanently discard the storytelling potential that an intact shard might offer (both in terms of landmass and in terms of accessing inaccessible areas through dimensional travel between two intact shards.) I hope they leave at least a couple fully intact to build future storylines off of.

Is that shard done, though? Alexandria seemed to have no means out of the dome until Vanguard was built. It also seems like the shard is no longer so aspected to lightning, since we have that nice sun rise at the end. While Lindblum's weapon might have ravaged the continent, some other people might have survived, and other continents were probably relatively safer, just like Bahamut affected mostly Eorzea, other continents left unscathed.

[Cleretic]

Well no, it can matter as apparently the relative proximity can have an influence, like the 13th flood impacting the 1st greatly.

And does that matter to any story that could possibly be told about the shard? Because it sure doesn't matter for the one they actually did tell.

Hell, Y'shtola would be the person that'd be most invested in the subject, as someone who wants to figure out shard travel. And she doesn't seem all that bothered by not knowing.

[jadeharley]

I actually did briefly suspect Alexandria is a "calamity'd" shard, but the fact that its issues with lightning occurred *after* the source's calamity of ice pretty much confirm it's more like the first or thirteenth, where it's prepared for a calamity but not yet destroyed.