#FFXII deserves more love

[tarnishedxknight]

{out of dalmasca} Come with me down a rabbit hole I fell into a few days ago regarding Caelen and Munoh. It's been fermenting in my brain and has resulted in a rather odd ball of headcanons that I felt like sharing with you all, heh.

Did you ever just look at a picture and get suddenly inspired with the craziest ideas about your muses? I was watching a short about people's idea of what Satan looks like vs. the biblical descriptions of him, of all random things, and suddenly I see this one picture, and I think... omg that looks like Caelen. But Caelen... if he were like... an archangel. Or a god. But not of a real-life religion, it'd have to be FFXII-related, like Faram or...

...or the Occuria. 🤔

Which then got me like... but the Occuria don't have bodies and they certainly don't look like humans/humes. So instead of stopping there like any normal person would, my brain was like well what if an Occurian decided to merge with a human being? And I'm like... under what circumstances would they do that? They don't seem to care enough about humans beyond just kindof manipulating them into doing things they thing benefit their own agenda.

Again, this was a good point to stop the madness, but no, my brain was determined. What if their favorite human was killed, or was about to die? A gentle and kind human who meant no harm? Due to some injustice or something else that really pissed the Occurian off? And that's when my brain exploded and now all I can think about is somebody being utterly cruel to Caelen and injuring him to the brink of death and it pisses Munoh off so much that they decide... to merge with him to keep him alive. Almost like kindof salvaging Caelen's soul at the point of death, or taking it into safety and saving it from the abyss or afterplane of death before it can leave for them. Caelen's soul, his energy, would become assimilated by Munoh's, and they would become one.

Visually speaking, I imagine some of the wisps and radiations of light and scintillating energy of Munoh's form would manifest into massive wings, a very celestial/godlike sort of visual representation of freedom and power. They are a force to be reckoned with, and now, because their kindness was taken advantage of and not respected, to be feared. From Caelen's side of the energy, the rest would manifest into elaborate and regal armor, golden like sun's rays. Armor... so that no one could ever hurt him again, but also because... his desire to not kill and to live his life as he wishes makes him no less a Prince of the Sun, no less royal, no less deserving of respect. The blending of their energies would result in a form to bear these wings and to wear this armor that looks very reminiscent of Caelen, but taller, more muscular, and with otherworldly golden eyes.

Sadly, my idea of him from that point onward would be that he would be a rather angry and vengeful being, pushed too far by the cruelty of the world. But that's not to say that he couldn't be... calmed down, as it were, heh, or that he couldn't be reasoned with. But at this point, I get the feeling like Munoh's take-no-shit mentality combined with how angry they had to be to result in this odd, unprecedented merger would result in an extremely powerful being that is now fed up with the cruelty of humes. It would be a more hardened, omniscient version of Caelen and a more human, emotional Munoh, melded together.

Perhaps Munoh's mentality would sour Caelen's as well, into sort of an "I've been a doormat for people for far too long" sort of sense. The being would be both and neither of them at the same time, a true blending of both beings. The first hume to have the knowledge and power of the Occuria, combined with the first Occurian to love humes so much they decide to become one of them. At any rate, they'd need to be talked down from enacting vengeance on whoever harmed Caelen, I think.

And I think perhaps their alignment would change as well. Caelen and Munoh are both Good, with Caelen being slightly more Lawful than Munoh. I think after this merger, given the reasons for it, they would skew more toward True Neutral, becoming almost like a hand of justice sort of figure. Objective fairness and hard justice would matter more to them than extending themselves to do good things anymore, because it would be like a souring of their spirits that would occur. A hardening of their previously kind hearts. Well, philosophical hearts, I realize Munoh never had one to begin with, haha.

And now, without further ado, I present to you... Caelen and Munoh, merged into one being, becoming some a sort of magically devastating, immensely powerful, Solar-like demigod, bathed in blinding light that looks much like sunlight:

Lol, side note: you can tell the armor is Dalmascan-inspired because there are huge gaps in vital areas, hahaha...😅

Now... for one final, admittedly rather extreme headcanon... What if, the ancient method of choosing a hume champion and thereby conveying their power on a mortal to change the course of history was actually to meld with said champion? What if that's the reason there are so few Occuria left by the time of the game's events? Imagine throughout history, if their method was that one of their kind would essentially sacrifice themselves to bring about the merging of Occurian power and knowledge with the passion, drive, emotion, dedication, etc. of a hume, with the idea that the only way for a hume to truly understand what the Occuria wanted and why it was important... was to become on themselves? What if this method resulted in a being that was very difficult to control, and one that, after serving its purpose, had to be eliminated?

Maybe the act of merging two beings like humes and Occuria together resulted in the combination three things that the Occuria could not abide forever... free will, emotion, and nearly absolute power. The resulting being would lack some of the restraint and and detachment necessary to not become too emotionally involved in mortal life, having the passions and scale of morality of a hume, but also would possess the extreme, "game-breaking" power of an Occuria. As long as such a being is under their control, or at least buying their bullshit for as long as it takes to complete their agenda, they allow it to live. But as soon as that being demands its own life, breaks from the hive mind, and dissents with regard to what the Occuria order it to do, it's destroyed by the others.

I also sort of had the idea that this merging of a hume and an Occurian needs to be permanent, for attempts to separate the two after the fact resulted in the obliteration of the hume's soul and the irreversible madness of the Occurian. The magic is simply too devastating, too destructive, for the hume's soul to survive it, and the separation leaves the Occurian missing things like emotion, freedom, and earthly pleasures while being left with no more mental capacity to engage in them anymore. The result is a dead hume and an Occurian that will be erratic, insane, violent, and frustrated beyond control.

As the ages changed and the Occuria dwindled, they decided to rely on pressure, manipulation, and coercion to get their champions to agree to do what they wanted, and on nethicite to get the job done. They needed a way to confer enough power to carry out their orders, but not so much as to permit a significant challenge to them. What if.... nethicite was created by the Occuria... so that they would no longer have to meld with humans and could save themselves? What if it was created to be a vessel or a vector for their power that could quite literally be handed to a hume, instead of that power having to come from a hume actually bonding spiritually with an Occurian? And now what if... Munoh merging with Caelen... was the first time this had happened in eons?

Part of me is like wow, my brain came up with all of that from just a few seconds of a single animated picture, that's pretty cool. The rest of me is like..... what the hell even was all this and wtf just happened? XD But uh... yep. I have absolutely no point to this rant other than that I thought it interesting and wacky enough to share, so... enjoy. I'd love to know your thoughts on this too, if anyone has any comments! =)

[semi-imaginary-place]

https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/1codebo/comment/l3dlqpn/

The Diofield Chronicle. I wouldn't call it a good game but it does deserve more love, oddball conceptually interesting mess that it is. 

 Nier Replicant. The original release of the Gestalt version got terrible views back in 2010. The new version got updated graphics, a new side quest, and battle speed 1.2x and that's all, it's the same game and the new one got better reviews but neither of them are as well known as they should be.

FFXII one of the best most cohesive stories in Final Fantasy but everyone hates it. The gameplay is like a single player mmo so I have the sneaking suspicion most people complaining never actually finished the game.

[disillusionedjudge]

Is Gylfie open about her sexuality or no?

((not even in the slightest. I actually talk about the reason why here, but I'm going to talk about it a bit more!

Had it just been her father who reacted the way he did, Gylfie would've been cautious around him, but... still fairly open about it. While she normally took no issue with, essentially, antagonizing her father in small ways (such as bringing to light their relations when he tried to disown her/distance himself from her), this was... a far more personal issue that she wasn't willing to test the limits of. His aggressive homophobia scared her, and she wasn't willing to see how far he would take it.

However, because of how her mother reacted, that... hurt worse, and was really the tipping point for her in keeping her mouth shut on the matter and repressing herself. Alsga wasn't aggressive like her father, and she actually seemed supportive, but Gylfie realized that... her mother wasn't actually supportive, she just wanted her to keep her sexuality/romantic attraction private. Something made abundantly clear when her mother brought up Telina, and how she didn't want Telina to be exposed to such a lifestyle. That devastated her, not just because of what her mother said, but because it was her mother. Gylfie loves her mother and wants to make her proud, so to hear that broke her heart, and solidified in her mind that, while her mother loves her, she doesn't exactly like her. Which, in itself, was the driving point in Gylfie dropping all contact with her mother and sister when she helped them escape Archades, because she thought they would be happier/better off without her in their lives.

That all aside, with Gylie it's... not necessarily any internal homophobia she feels. It was just how her parents reacted, particularly her mother, that made her go quiet. When she was a child, she was more interested in having adventures than having a family, and as she grew older and really started to develop crushes on other girls, she'd sometimes dream about getting married one day. Her primary focus was becoming Judge Magister one day like her father and forefathers, but it was still there in the back of her mind. Something that, honestly, made her happy to think about. And, while she hated her father, it was obvious how much Takrin loved Alsga and Alsga loved him in turn, and... she wanted something like that, just with someone who was far better a person than her father ever could be.

But after that, she decided it was safer to repress her sexuality to keep herself from getting hurt like that again. I imagine that happening before she becomes Judge, so when she's 16 or 17, so she wouldn't have a different support system to rely on. And because she was hellbent on making it as a Judge Magister, she had already thrown herself into focusing entirely on her career more than anything else, so there... wasn't exactly a huge change in her behavior that would've been noticed.

Now, maybe when she's older, so post-ffxii and maybe going into fortress timeline, she might start allowing herself to acknowledge her sexuality again, but I think she'd still be more career-driven, especially since she still needs to make sure Larsa is safe. However, I also think her view of herself might keep her reluctant to court anyone, just because... Gylfie doesn't see herself as a good person. I've touched on this before, and one of these days I will write out a post talking about it lol, but anyway, while she doesn't see herself as a good person, she also doesn't necessarily see herself as bad, either. Just... heavily grey, but not really someone who deserves that sort of happiness marriage could bring.

As a side note, because I don't think I've mentioned it here, but after she left Archades, Alsga realized just how damaging her words were to Gylfie. She did a lot of changing herself upon leaving Archades and Takrin (although she did still love him despite no longer being with him - she'd continue to wear her wedding ring), and felt horrified when she realized what she had done. She loves both of her daughters fully, and realized just how much she had failed Gylfie on so many fronts. She does her best to be a far better mother to Telina, and... she holds onto the hope that Gylfie will one day visit them, so she can sit down and apologize to her for everything. She knows that her apologizing doesn't mean Gylfie would forgive her, nor would she expect her to, but she at least wants to get that out there and let Gylfie do what she pleases with it. Ideally, she wants to be close to her eldest daughter again and repair their relationship, but... hasn't been able to successfully reach out to her, and doesn't want to push her if Gylfie wants nothing to do with them.

[cloakedsparrow]

Me thinking about playing Final Fantasy XII all weekend.

This was Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age's week to shine. Square-Enix has gifted us with a terrific remake of one of the series' most overlooked and under-appreciated titles. Read Kat's review of the game, listen to Kat and I talk about the game on Axe of the Blood God this week, and stroke your chin as Kat points out how the original game marked the start of a tough decade for Final Fantasy.

[thechocobros]

fave non canon ships from ffvii through ffxv

I just have non canon ships basically. Because i love rare ships.

FFVII --> Aerith/Reno or Tifa/Rude

FFVIII --> I don't ship a lot from FFVIII, but Quistis deserved more, so Squall/Quistis

FFIX --> Blank with whoever the hell he wanted, that boy deserves it

FFX --> too perfect to be touched. Only canon counts here for me. (Auron and Lulu were interesting tho ahahhaha)

FFX-2 --> Rikku/Gippal!! (Weren't they kinda canon tho?)

FFXII --> Ashe/Balthier. Hands down one of my favorite ships in general. The princess and the pirate >>>

FFXIII and FFXIV (never actually played them)

FFXV --> LUNYX . Omg yes, Luna and Nyx. I used to be so much into them. The princess and the guardian, my other favorite trope. But here again. Weren't they basically more canon than the actual canon? 😏🤷‍♀️

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

Cricket!!!!!!!!

Questions for the wisest and amazing OC creator here!!!

Who was the very first OC that you can remember? Which Fandom remained closer to you till today? Which OC you wish to develop more but left it in the way back in your mind for years? The OC you wish can become real? The fandom you want to get into recently? The best OC and the OC you could change a bit more in developing?

*Sigh* you got one handful of questions here, dearest. But I just love your skills.

*Tackle Hugs*

Hi there, MY DARLING GIULIETTA!!

Thank you SO MUCH for barging into my inbox, it's always SUCH A JOY to see you here!! <3

so, without further ado, let me just dive down into all the questions you have asked me!

BRACE YOURSELF, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG ONE!

1) So, the first oc that I created that I can remember was Elwen Anariel, the Elven lady of Rivendell, daughter of Elrond Peredhel and Celebrian, and youngest sister to Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir. I remember creating her around the year 2001-2002, when The Lord of The Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring came out in cinemas, and I was literally STARSTRUCK by it. I was SO IN LOVE with the scenery, the story, the characters (Eomer my beloved), that I was immediately enraptured by it! Needless to say, it became my obsession for the subsequent five years.

Here, allow me to share a relic of a bygone era, an old artwork of Arwen, Aldea and E(l)wen, the first original character I have ever created!

(i know it looks like crap, but I am still so super proud of 13yo me for just drawing this!! <3)

2)As for OCs I would like to develop more that I have left in the backburner of my mind, I'd probably say my Arkady Armstrong, the oc I created for FullMetal Alchemist when I was in high school. The way FMA as a manga and anime has somewhat shaped my way of storytelling and development of characters and character arcs (along with my INSANE love for the manga per se -like, ALEX AND OLIVIA ARMSTRONG, MY BELOVEDS) can't truly be explained, and when I created Arkady, it was the first time I truly felt motivated and compelled to do a crapton of research in order to create a multifaceted character that could ACTUALLY be considered almost canonical inside the universe of FMA. Unfortunately, due to all the studying and the IRL problem I had during that time of my life I never truly had the chance to fully develop Arkady as she deserved and as I wanted, but I don't discard the possibility that I might pick her up again and revise her!

Here, allow me to share an old artwork of her that I took directly from my old DA page:

3)The OC I wish can become real?? this one is truly AN AMAZING QUESTION!!

mmmmm.... I cannot answer with only one, tbh, I am truly unable to, but if I could make some of my ocs real, they would be without a doubt my Colette and Dorothea, because they are my most recent ocs and among my most beloved. I would also love that my JJ from "Pirates of The Caribbean" were real, because she was lots of fun and I honestly have some of the best memories connected to her! <3

4)As for the fandom I would want to get into recently, I have to be honest, I don't truly have one! I am quite content to stay into the AC fandom and don't move from there for the time being! If anything, I would love to revisit some of the old fandoms I have been into!!😂😂

5) As for the best oc, I don't truly have one and I am afraid I am not the best judge when it comes to which is my best oc and which one is the worst, because I love them all equally! 😅However, I can say which one I think I developed the most and the best, and they are, without doubt, my Dorothea Starrick from AC: Syndicate, my Nabyrie Leia Ondore from FFXII and my twin girls Grace and Veronica Caruso from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These characters are, without doubt, the one I wrote the most about, both privately and publicly, and the one I can definitely say I did the biggest amount of research for AND the one I wrote for the most. Just for the Caruso twins I have 3-4 notebooks filled with notes, drabbles, sketches and whatnot, and don't let me start on Nabyrie and Dorothea! 😂😂😂

Since I am here, allow me to share an old picture of the Caruso twins that I did almost 5 years ago

And also allow me to share a couple of picture of Nabyrie, one that I did in 2006, when I still drew on paper and one that instead I did more recently in 2018.

5) The OC I could change a bit more in developing??? mmmmm it would probably be my Elwen Anariel, because when I created her and developed her, I was only 12, so I wasn't as thorough or as precise as I am now (and I am still learning a great deal, which is the best part of gaining wrinkles and grey hair *cries in crone* ), so, if I had the chance, I would probably change her more, and make her a more well rounded character!!

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THESE QUESTIONS! THEY WERE A DELIGHT!! <3

--Nemo

[oneshortdamnfuse]

my favorite videogame blorbos and why you should love them:

balthier (ffxii): big gender envy. i headcanon as bi and trans. perfect voice. perfect body. perfect everything. loads of trauma. he was kinda groomed to be perfect but he decided to leave the imperial world he was raised in to become an outlaw. we love to see it. 10/10 absolute king

fenris (da ii): again. big gender envy. i headcanon as trans too, but they’re canonically queer. perfect voice. perfect body. perfect everything. literally the same voice actor as balthier. loads of trauma. can rip a man’s heart out of his chest and i appreciate that skill.

ignis scientia (ffxv): he’s just lovely all around. he is the designated mom friend. he makes you feel loved and appreciated. he’s incredibly tough and super skilled at everything. he deserves the world. loads of trauma. suffers big loses but still believes in good. most definitely autistic. probably aroace too but also gladio is his husband and my blorbo-in-law

solas (dai): this should be no one’s favorite blorbo. i am just a clown. also loads of trauma, but he’s goofy about it. solas’ narrative and design and everything isn’t even subtle in its inspiration taken from loki and fenris from norse mythology and that’s why i care lmao

atreus (gow4): boy of dad. actually canonically baby loki. loads of trauma and more to come haha he is my son tho i am raising him

eivor wolfkissed (ac valhalla): i like strong muscly women I cannot change this about myself. i realize the word bimbo exists for women, but listen eivor is a himbo. literally so smart but also dumb as shit. really she is just impulsive and has loads of trauma to grapple with. canonically queer.

alloy (horizon zero dawn): again w/ the strong muscly women omg her muscles. assigned trauma at birth. literally doesn’t understand people and she’s probably aroace. also canonically an aries so...

billie lurke (dishonored): my favorite anti-hero in the series. talks to rats. of course loads of trauma but she’s being so brave about it. canonically queer. billie has never done anything wrong in her life i know this and i love her.

dimitri blaiddyd (fe3h): poor little meow meow who is also like 6 ft tall. canonically mentally ill and suffers from ptsd and parosmia. kinda loses it but has a good ‘redemption’ arc in the blue lions route. gets a lot of hate but i will defend him til i die.

jesse faden (control): loads of trauma but quick to adapt to weird situations probably b/c she’s got an entity living in her brain and most of the people in this game are obsessive compulsive to a degree including her so super relatable tbh!

[mistdrinkersblade]

Not to talk about Syla’s Endwalker journey yet again, but I think I just need to ramble about the full journey of his last name. His family name. And his old title of Mistdrinker

The long story short is that Syla abandoned his family name at the time of loss of his home. I’m personally still deciding his old family name, and it might have been Eryut or Paharo. But either way, when he ran from home he abandoned that name.

The name “Mistdrinker” came from his warrior training and his time resistance fighting in Dalmasca. For anyone who doesn’t know, tl;dr back in ol’ FFXII, viera referred to the aether/magics of the world as Mist and were incredibly sensitive to it. So much that Fran, the party’s viera, flew into a berserker rage. Which is where Syla’s Mistdrinking stance comes from. Opening himself to aether and becoming overwhelmed, throwing himself into an empowered fighting style.

It became his nickname amongst the resistance. The Mistdrinker, scourge of the IVth Legion. And he was proud of it. This was his new identity. This was him.

So coming to Eorzea was a bit of a culture shock after getting removed. The rest of his journey, following the scions as a Warrior of Light or not, he came to accept more of himself. That he didn’t have to throw himself into danger to protect others, and that he deserved protecting as well. Which caused him to drop the reckless path of the warrior and pick up the gunblade.

So by the time of Endwalker, Syla finally accepted that Eorzea is his new home. He doesn’t need some silly title like Mistdrinker to  prove himself. His loved ones show that he’s more than enough, and they’re his family.

And by the end of it, he casts off his title and old name, and accepts his place amongst his loved ones here. He takes on the last name of whomever he’s in love with, and with his canon partners it’s now Syla Rhul-Sato. He’s happy, and at peace with himself.

I just have a lot of feelings about him.

[balfiere]

content creator appreciation: list five favorite sets you've made and send this ask to five other content creators! 💕💕💕💕

adsjlgbldv.;;;g;lf 🥺🥺🥺 thank u for sending me this ur gifs are literally thee prettiest omgggggg

1. noctis gifset: i love pale and minimalist sets but i always struggle going for that style esp when it comes to video games so i was rly happy w the way this one turned out!! i like how the colors and contrast turned out in particular except for the fact that i totally forgot to fix child noctis' skin oops esp for my king's birthday 😌

2. yk1 nishiki gifset: i think this was my first selective color gifset, i'm rly proud of the way the red vs. white color scheme turned out and how it reflected the scenes and themes i was trying to capture in this set. also i love the quote that i selected which is not even in kiwami nor is it said by nishiki lmaoooo but it's what inspired the set bc.... yakuza 0 and 1 parallels.... i see u rgg studios please stop hurting me

3. tanimura gifset: another selective color gifset, selecting for his bright blue jacket was a bit easier than the reds in the nishiki set once u fight off the Yakuza Green Filter™ but i was still proud of how it turned out. also turning the concrete bright yellow in the gif where he's tossing his badge...... my mind will never reach that level of iconicness again

4. fran gifset: it's fran.... self explanatory. ok lol but in all seriousness i find ffxii really hard to color for some reason which is why i don't make more gifs of it despite it being my favorite video game of all time for 10+ years so it took a truly embarrassing amount of work to 1. make the colors pleasant and to my taste 2. get the colors to match across each gif but i think it turned out nice !!

5. shinada gifset: look at this gif

what else do i need to say. also that quote is a banger even if the word yume makes me want to hit my head against a wall

honorable mention to this other nishiki gifset that took me a whole weekend to black out the background, it’s his last cigarette tho so...... deserved 💖

[rukanrin]

Theres always that one characters/things in games that dont get the love they deserve,and i know that i myself dont know all the games in the world so if you have any others that you want to add in feel free to do so in the comments or reblogs!anyhooooooow-

1) Alterra Tech PDA (Subnautica)

Oh we know how scary it can be surviving on a planet made most mostly of water,and how we all need a buddy to help us figure out what to do,find blueprints,and translate an alien language for us,but fear not,for the Alterra Tech PDA is there to do all of those, showing you data,what things do and what materials you need to make them,how much oxygen you have left,the area you are in,all of it

2) Nicoletta Goldstein (DMC5)

Everyone loves having someone who can supply you with weaponry,and technically the only person who can do that is nico herself,being the granddaughter of the woman who made Ebony and Ivory for Dante,she comes up with all types of weapons and ideas

3) Pritchard (Deus Ex)

Aye, everyone needs a co worker who is able to fix them,give them tips on missions,and help with emotions,Pritchard helps you through most of the missions, giving you feedback and over info,such as if there are two different ways to enter a building or what you must do after a tragic event

4) Sarah (FFXII 2)

Sarah,younger sister of lightning,is suddenly awoken when a strange meteor falls nearby her home, introducing teleporting, fighting,and upgrading into her life, although she may seem like a useless protagonist,she is key to the events in the 12th games

5) Desmond (Assassins Creed Series)

As we know,Desmond led us through the first games in the series,being the luckily-unlucky descendant of the assassins such as Altaïr, and being forced to cooperate with a group who long to find out the truth hidden behind the past, experiencing horrible side effects afterwards

I might add some more in the future,but for now,Adios! -Leon

[halchron]

* ask me about my muses // accepting // @theirwarmth​

the template for axel tgrefsgdf

reno isn’t his real name but I don’t have a hc for what it is yet, but that’s fine

grew up in the same orphanage as cissnei ( another turk, also my shared hc with mary,, uwu )

kinda indifferent towards his job and all the stuff that comes from a company’s secret spy agency, bc he’s been doing it for so long

would leave but can’t bc they’d actually kill him so he couldn’t snitch or anything

despite what lies advent children spreads he’s extremely good at his job and capable of holding his own in a fight and then some. he’s not second in command for nothing !

he is humorous and likes to be lighthearted at times, but not to the extent in advent children

no one takes him seriously half the time but he’s very shady and suspicious, but does have a good heart deep down

his weapon of choice is a baton with a laser on the end of it, but I’ve decided it can extend into a full staff bc that’s cooler

THE BESTEST BOY

everyone hates on him, but that’s bc they don’t understand his character

literally saw his mom die right in front of him and couldn’t do anything to stop it, and he’s 14 so of course he’s not going to cope in the best way and literally had his entire world flipped on it’s head so of course he reacts poorly

tries to kill snow bc he kinda left his mom to die ( tho he couldn’t really do anything to save her, and he even tells hope he deserves it ). but he doesn’t bc snow saves him from an explosion

lightning actually gave him the knife that he was gonna stab him with, but she knew he wasn’t actually going to do it so yeah

goes from being hopeless to hopeful and really I think that’s beautiful

his line where he’s like “it’s my name, not who I am” is iconic af

extremely extremely smart, and after ffxii he becomes the director to some science academy at the age of 19

a lot more confident in xiii-2, and by the second half of xiii he’s much more open and friendly, and also the king of sarcasm

we don’t talk about xiii-3, we ignore it bc it was such a clusterfuck and I hate it grfdsgfd

ENERGY ENERGY ENERGY

his animal motif is a sea otter and that’s really cute

he pounds on his chest like otters do,,, he’s baby

he’s got the sports anime age illusion going on where he’s 15/16 always even tho the main characters age up, but we ignore that too

very talkative, can and will talk your ear off

likes collecting bugs, especially stag beetles

the youngest of 3 siblings, all of which are swimmers as well

wants to be recognized for his own skills, not for his siblings, so he always strives to beat all the times he can

is goofy and silly most of the time, but can be serious too

might actually be sunshine,,, the sweetest boy ever

is extra as hell, but well meaning

has spectacular fashion style, I love his style so much

probably surprisingly respectful

[cydonianotmalus]

Just started FF Type-0. It’s so good! I know it was relased late outside Japan, but just as the FFXII, I think it deserves more love!

[bolina]

Final Fantasy of course 💖

Thank you! I’ll name more than one on this one lol. FF got so many good characters it’s hard to pick only one

The first character I first fell in love with:

Aerith (FFVII)!!

The character Characters I never expected to love as much as I do now:

Red XIII (FFVII) and Noctis (FFXV)

The character everyone else loves that I don’t:

Sephiroth (FFVII)

The character I love that everyone else hates:

Lucrecia (FFVII) lmao

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

I guess Terra (FFVI)? I still like her though.

The character Characters I would totally smooch:

Cloud (FFVII), Zack (FFVII), Noctis (FFXV), Balthier (FFXII)

The character Characters I’d want to be like:

Aerith (FFVII), Tifa (FFVII), Yuna (FFX) and Fang (FFXIII)

The character I’d slap:

Snow (FFXIII) Hojo (FFVII) deserves a slap

A pairing Pairings that I love:

Cloud/Tifa (FFVII), Cloud/Aerith (FFVII), Zack/Tifa (FFVII), Tidus/Yuna (FFX), Zidane/Dagger (FFIX), Balthier/Fran (FFXII), Locke/Celes (FFVI), Cecil/Rosa (FFIV)

A pairing that I despise:

I don’t despise any of them really.

[cloakedsparrow]

A possibly apocryphal story has it that when Final Fantasy XII first came out in Japan, the first fan in line bowed to the president of Square Enix and said, "Please remake Final Fantasy VII."

That's been the unfortunate legacy of Final Fantasy XII through the years. Squeezed between the more popular PlayStation games and the more infamous follow-up on the PS3, Final Fantasy XII has mostly been known for its troubled development and quirky battle system. It hasn't helped that it's only been available on the PS2 until this point, making it one of the only games in the series to not be re-released across multiple platforms.

Now shorn of its original context, where all anyone could do was complain about how different it was from the rest of the series, it's much easier to judge it on its own merits. It helps that Square Enix has once again put together a first-class HD remaster, featuring all of the content from the heretofore never released International Zodiac Edition, as well as a number of new features. Regardless of how the game itself holds up, this is easily the best and most complete version of Final Fantasy XII to date.

But of course there's also that burning question: Does Final Fantasy XII deserve its black sheep status? Or is it time to give it a second look?

The Remaster

Well, let's talk a bit about what the actual package contains first.

Square Enix has put a tremendous amount of work into updating Final Fantasy XII's visuals, and it shows. While there are still plenty of artifacts from the PS2 era—blocky architecture, the awkward scampering run motion—the improved characters models, lighting, and particle effects all represent a massive step forward from the original.

The result is that Zodiac Age looks really great, particularly once you leave Rabanastre and step into some of Ivalice's more exotic locales. I was constantly struck by how lush each environment felt—the burning desert, the dark jungle, the deep mines. About the only time I was disappointed was when I was stuck exploring an indoor dungeon, where the drab PS2 era textures were a bit more apparent. Everywhere else it looked magnificent.

But what really impressed me is how far Square Enix has gone to make this the truly definitive version of Final Fantasy XII. The soundtrack has received a full orchestral remaster, and it's night and day from the synthier PS2 version (which is available for purists). In a nice touch by the localization team, the original Japanese audio is also available, though you owe it to yourself to hear the high-quality English voice track at least once. Basically Square Enix has thrown the kitchen sink into this version—if it can be included, it's in there.

Of special note is the Zodiac Job System, which was introduced in the aforementioned International Zodiac Edition, and can now be enjoyed by Americans for the first time (you can also play with the original board if you want). [Correction: Upon checking back to confirm, the original license board is not available as I had thought.] In essence, it takes the original license board and refocuses it around 12 discrete classes, forcing you to give some thought as to how they fit with your party members. It's the still the same, slightly messy format in which you use License Points earned by killing enemies to unlock weapons, armor, and abilities, but  it benefits from the increased structure offered by the classes.

One quick thing: Zodiac Age also includes the ability to unlock a second license board, giving you access to a second class. It's a well-intentioned addition, but it feels like it kind of negates the original point of the classes in removing some of the limits. Sometimes it's good to have to make hard decisions.

Anyway, the real game-changer for me has been the ability to play at 2x or 4x speed and just rip through dungeons. It's admittedly a little weird to basically hit fast-forward and watch the game play itself, but it does much to resolve Final Fantasy XII's inherent pacing issues. Let's face it: Vaan is kind of slow, the dungeons are really long, and sometimes it's nice to be able to just fast-forward through it all. It's thoughtful additions like these that make The Zodiac Age such a smart, well-rounded package.

Taken together, it feels like a tribute to the original game—an attempt to give Final Fantasy XII the spotlight that it was denied the first time around. Regardless of how you feel about everything else, it's a thoughtfully constructed, high-quality remaster that is better-looking than many of the JRPGs available today.

But Does Final Fantasy XII Hold Up?

Alright, with that out of the way, let's talk a bit about whether Final Fantasy XII actually holds up.

I'm of the opinion that it does. There's certainly room for criticism, but it feels like a more cohesive package than either of its successors (Final Fantasy XIV is its own thing), with both a more interesting setting and a stronger cast. Epic was a word that repeatedly sprang to mind while playing Final Fantasy XII this last time—it was a big world that kept me invested in the big events that defined its story. Take note, Valkyria Revolution.

It opens with a brilliant succession of scenes in which we see a prince and a princess happily married; followed by the invasion that takes the prince's life, followed by the events leading up to the core of the story. We're introduced in relatively short order to some of the major players, including Basch—a scarred warrior who brings a notably different energy to the usual Final Fantasy melodrama. A little later we also meet Balthier, a sky pirate whose snarky comments make him the Han Solo to Vaan's Luke Skywalker.

Vaan, for his part, is ostensibly the main hero, though he winds up largely taking a backseat in his own story. He mostly exists as an audience surrogate, there to comment on what's happening and provide a little dramatic tension with Basch. Vaan tends to get a bad rap, but I like that he provides a ground level perspective of life under the Empire, particularly in the very beginning when you're still getting acquainted with the setting.

Once Vaan meets the main group, the story progresses at a good clip from setpiece to setpiece before losing some of its momentum in the desert, at which point it starts to feel a little directionless. You get a basic sense of what's happening above you through conversations between the Emperor, the Senate, and his son Vayne, but the middle portion of the story in particular spends too much time wandering from location to location without a real sense of anything significant happening. More than a few areas, particularly one where you venture into a mine to battle a handful of experiments gone wrong, feel like pure filler.

It ultimately winds up being sustained by its cast, particularly Balthier, and the wheels-within-wheels politicking of the Empire, which makes you want to continue just to gain a better understanding of what the heck is going on. And if you ever start to get bored with the story, you can always take on more Hunts, which eventually become an involved series of optional boss fights that yield some outstanding loot.

As is the case with any good battle system, it's during the Hunts—and boss fights in general—that Final Fantasy XII's peculiar Gambit System starts comes into focus. The Gambit System has long been one of Final Fantasy XII's most polarizing features, dividing the fanbase between those willing to embrace change and those longing for a return to the series' classic turn-based combat. As a fan back in 2006, Gambits mostly left me feeling bewildered and unhappy; but with The Zodiac Age, I've come around to them somewhat.

In essence, the Gambit System revolves around a series of scripted commands that allow you to automate lower-level encounters. As you advance, you gain access to more and more Gambit slots and commands, which in turn lets you craft more sophisticated instructions. You can take over in a pinch, but it's usually better to let the computer do its thing.

Whether you like the Gambit System is mostly down to how you feel about it comparative lack of interactivity. It can be really satisfying to see your carefully crafted instructions play out in complex encounters, but it's hard to disguise the fact that most dungeons consist of you pushing the control stick forward while your party members hack, slash, and heal their way through enemy mobs. It's only when you battle bosses, where circumstances tend to change rapidly, that things start to get really interesting.

This doesn't make Final Fantasy XII that different from traditional turn-based games, by the way. Persona 5 is a perfect example of an RPG where you basically loop through the same commands in every encounter. But I do think that the mere act of pressing a button can do a lot to break up the boredom of repetitive action. Final Fantasy XII doesn't have that, which can make it feel like a monotonous churn.

I suppose what keeps it interesting for me is that status effects play a much greater role than in other game in the series, which forces you to give some thought to your equipment setups, Gambits, and the rest. It also has the familiar loot treadmill that drives the greater MMORPG genre (and many other games, like Diablo), with enemies dropping parts that can be sold for tons of money and the occasional special item. It's never entirely brainless, and there's enough of an interesting loop that it always keeps you engaged.

As always, the greatest satisfaction in Final Fantasy XII is derived from leveling up, unlocking new abilities, and earning new equipment—the bread and butter of every RPG. Final Fantasy XII has that, and when combined with the Zodiac Job System, it's deeper and more interesting than most of its peers. In that, Final Fantasy XII is hardly the game that "plays itself" that detractors make it out to be. There are a lot of interesting decisions to be made before you ever set foot into battle.

In that light, Final Fantasy XII still feels good, and even holds up better than many of its peers. Indeed, the only real element that feels "dated" to me is the fact you have to use hard-to-find Teleport Stones to fast travel, making some hunts more annoying to pursue than they otherwise should be. But then again, with so many people extolling the virtues of walking across the entirety of Hyrule and Skyrim, some might see it as a feature rather than a bug.

What emerges is a game with some really strong ideas that doesn't always make good on its lofty ambitions, but nevertheless manages to hang together thanks to its incredible art, entertaining cast, and interesting battle system. If nothing else it's unique, and the mere fact that you can skip cutscenes and speed up gameplay makes it feel far more playable than Final Fantasy X, which feels agonizingly slow these days.

After missing out on Final Fantasy XII the first time, I feel like a lot of people are wondering if they should finally tackle the Final Fantasy that time forgot. As something of a former skeptic myself, I can definitely say, "Yes." It may never have the mass appeal of some of its peers, but it's time Final Fantasy XII received some of the love and attention it deserves.

[alicin-art]

Final Fantasy XII : Penelo !!!

She was always my fav!! ... Okay so I have a very soft spot for orphan children... for children in general .. and I don’t care how old she is, she and Vaan where practically the children of the group, and damn were they entertaining ! ( at least in my head canon , where interactions out of the political main plot takes place Dx< )  .. yes its the ONE thing I would have wished there were more of...

Anyways ! Now with the Zodiac Age out the game will hopefully get the attention and love it deserved /deserves , Who’s your fav ffxii? 

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

@fuckinherondale Thank yo so much for the tag!! (and sorry if I am LATE AS HELL to answer this!! <3)

So, let’s get down to business (AND I WILL CHEAT. Because at some point I will be unable to choose, I KNOW MYSELF,).

1. ASSASSIN’S CREED: Jacob Frye. He wins hands down over all the other Assassins. He has the biggest place in my heart and lives rent free in my mind (lucky for him, because with all the time he spends there, the bill for the utilities would have been ASTRONOMICAL);

2. BLACK SAILS: Captain Flint. Toby Stephens’ portrayal is just chef’s kiss and I just adore him in general. He is such a complex character (and also my ginger angy son, but that’s another matter altogether);

3. THE THREE MUSKETEERS: Aramis. In any version their story has been told, Aramis has a grip on my heart that has never got lost during the years. I fell in love with him when I first watched “The Man in the Iron Mask” and even more so when I read the books.

4. MCU: Bucky Barnes and Tony Stark. I just love those two, both their stories and their characters in general. I just want to wrap them both in a blanket and give them a huge cup of hot cocoa. Those two deserves ONLY HAPPINESS.

5. FINAL FANTASY: Ffamran mied Bunansa aka Balthier from FFXII. He is a rascal of a skypirate with a freaking British accent that just makes me turn in a puddle. Brash and daring and an adventurer, the moment I saw him on the screen I was a goner (holy shit I think I freaking got a type)

6. STAR WARS: WEDGE.MOFO.ANTILLES. LOVED HIM IN THE MOVIES, LOVED HIM IN THE BOOKS, LOVED HIM IN THE COMICS. JUST GIVE ME WEDGE AND I SHALL BE A HAPPY WOMAN.

7. LOTR: Samwise Gamgee and Faramir and Eowyn (YES. IT’S 3. YES. I KNOW. YES. I DON’T CARE XD.) The three of them mean so much to me. Eowyn was the woman I wanted to become , Faramir the son (in my case daughter) that I unfortunately was for my father, and Sam the person that I wanted to be.

8. ARTHURIAN LEGENDS: LANCELOT AND GAWAIN. I cannot choose between the two fo them AND I ELECT NOT TO MAKE THE CHOICE. SO YOU GET BOTH OF THEM.

9. DRACULA. No need to explain this. In any version he has been portraited, HE IS MY MAN. WELL, VAMP. YOU GET WHAT I MEAN.

10.DC: Catwoman and Batman. They are absolutely my most favourite, and their relationship in general is something I truly adore to read (and sometimes even to write, to varied degrees of success).

TAGGING ALL MY GOOD BUDDIES: @lunavadash @datnovice @straight-into-the-animus @eclectic--eccentric @baddestchineseassassin @susann-noir @thatcrazycrowgirl @perawuat @servalans-flowers @deviousspleen @cimbaerly and whoever desires to participate!❤

Ten favorite characters from different fandoms (challenge)

Tagged by @eivoraddict

Thank you for tagging me and damn it won't be easy :/

1. Tomb Raider: Lara Croft

2. Assassin's Creed: Evie Frye

3. Teen Wolf: Isaac Lahey

4. Shadowhunters: Jace Herondale (that's where my nick comes from lol)

5. Marvel (mcu): Bucky Barnes and Wanda Maximoff, sorry but you can't make choose there lol

6. Criminal Minds: Spencer Reid and Emily Prentiss same here, can't choose lol

7. Uncharted: Chloe Frazer

8. Harry Potter (movies only, haven't read the books yet): Hermione Granger. I mean- who doesn't love her?

9. The Last Of Us: Joel forever and ever

10. Sherlock in every adaptation the novels got, whether it's movies, tv shows, videogames or theater plays

I felt like dying since I'm in a lot of fandoms (even if i only rb most of the times ac lol), so I'll tag a few people but everyone can do it: @itseivwhore @cavvaje @elizabethroestone @cheenault @the-colonialtemplars @nemo-my-name-forevermore @darkclassyroses @hysterialevi @basimsraven (don't know if any of you already got tagged lmao)