#Phoenix born: Joshua

[gottamusethemall]

@flamesofrebirths

There's something that has been bothering for a moment now, and of course Jote noticed. She always makes sure Joshua's doing alright, and he appreciates it. He wishes she hadn't, though. He's not sure he wants to know the truth. That's why he had remained silent since they left Dalimil. He wishes he hadn't been sick, so he could have seen by himself.

He hesitates before asking the question; he's still not sure he wants to do it. Jote is his protector, but she's also the only friend he has. "I think I felt my brother's presence in Dalimil. Why did you want us to leave ?" he asks calmly. He's not mad at her; he just wishes to understand.

Jote wasn’t going to take any chances after Lostwing. Travelling as part of a large group had blown up in their faces and had almost cost Jote her life in one way or another and possibly Joshua’s freedom by being forced to serve Waloed. As long as they didn’t stay in one place too long, they wouldn’t draw too much attention on themselves so they can travel through the rest of Ash. 

Seeing the commotion going on downstairs, Jote felt it was best not to get involved as it would put them in the spotlight. That was something that the Undying wanted to avoid as the group operated from the shadows as much as possible and the ruckus downstairs would be bad publicity should they have to return at a later date. 

“My apologies my lord. There was a fight going on downstairs. Someone was fighting members of the Waloedian army. Didn’t want to risk you being targeted after Lostwing and Caer Norvent.” She admitted. She didn’t know what the transgressors want and didn’t want to possibly risk another encounter. 

Hearing that he had felt his brother caused Jote to stop in her tracks for a while. She doubted that Joshua would make up a story for no reason, but that begged the question of what Clive would possibly be doing out this far. “Do you think that it might have been your brother that was fighting the soldiers?” Part of her contemplated having the two of them go back, but that was going to be at Joshua’s discretion if they go back into Dalimil or not. 

[ignitedshield]

If you had been the Phoenix, your brother would have been spared. It's your fault.

[aethersflood]

FINAL FANTASY 16 EIKONS RANKED BY TUMBLR (x) #2 - PHOENIX, THE WARDEN OF FIRE

"The Warden of Fire, whose strength resides within Joshua Rosfield, heir to the Rosarian throne. The Phoenix is always born in the ducal line, and is worshipped by the populace—not least because its flames of both destruction and regeneration have delivered the duchy from disaster many times over."

[ffxiii-et-al]

Joshua Rosfield is a true shield of Rosaria, and I wish that he'd gotten that acknowledgement at the end of FF16.

I want that man to know that he is everything that he looked up to in Clive when he was a little boy. He is brave, he is smart, he is a leader, and despite his frailty, he is not weak.

I want him to know that his brother needed him, that all of his suffering was worth it and appreciated, and that Clive wouldn't have made it very far without him. That he is ultimately Clive's protector and hero, as evidenced when he appeared in Ultima's trap and reminded Clive of who he was.

He even gave Phoenix to Clive in the end, which was a massive sacrifice. Not only was Phoenix keeping him alive, but his Eikon seemed to be the only reason he'd ever felt 'special' or powerful in his life. Sacrificing that to protect his brother was beautiful, considering how against it he was while they were in Ash.

As his English voice actor, Jonathan Case, described, he is "always an Angel, never a God" in a world of gods that made him feel like he wasn't strong enough.

And yet, he never waivers in his resolve, jumping into the fray to help his brother and his friends. He wants to leave them a better world when he departs, since he assumes he's on borrowed time, being born who and how he was.

And yet, he is a defier of fate, and forged his own path in order to love, protect, and ultimately save his brother.

Joshua Rosfield, you are the greatest shield of all.

[shitpostingkats]

Pinning Down Every Shinjuku Reapers Hanafuda Suit

In The World Ends With You, there are a total of twelve (named) reapers, each corresponding to a member of the chinese zodiac. They continue this design philosophy in NEO, with all of the Shinjuku reapers being based off a different suit of Hanafuda.

Let's start with the ones we know.

(post does contain spoilers)

Tsugumi - January, Crane

Conveniently, most of the reaper's birth months point to their suit, as well as their noise forms, for the ones that have them. Tsugumi is a new years baby, and Grus Cantus is from the hikari card. (Each suit is divided into four cards, with higher point cards being marked with an animal or object, and I'm gonna be honest, this is about all I know. This post is not a comprehensive guide for how to play hanafuda.)

Ayano - May, Iris

Skipping forward a few months, we have Ayano, born May 18th, and using the iris. Every suit, along with having a month associated with it, also has a plant, which is used on every card in the suit. Ayano is pretty much the only reaper who uses her suits flower, rather than an image from a hikari or tane card.

Shiba - June, Butterflies

Born June 21, his noise form is butterflies. Not much to say. I guess I could point out how he's the only of three reapers who wears a symbol of his suit inspiration on his non-noise-form person (necklace). The other two are:

Susukichi - October, Deer

The deer skull is on his tshirt, as well as being able to see a little of his tattoos, which we see later is also a stylized skull and antlers. Birthday matches; October 13th.

Hazuki - December, Phoenix

Ah, the mysterious Haz. The first of our reapers to have a birth month that does not match his hanafuda inspiration. (According to the official guidebook, his birthday is May 5th)While the Phoenix Cantus isn't his noise form, it is mentioned in the secret reports that he is the one responsible for shaping the soul pulvis into that form. Also, like our previous two reapers, he wears his motif on his civilian clothes, in the little phoenix symbols on his jacket. Him being a phoenix is also likely to make him a further foil to Joshua, as they both are the only mythological animals in their respective groups.

Now lets get into the less clear cut ones.

Minamimoto - July, Boar

I know what you're thinking! "Minamimoto isn't a Shinjuku reaper! Also, he isn't a boar, he's a catboy." Undoubtedly true. But he is used caught up in their scheme, purposefully absorbing the soul pulvis and afterwards Leo Cantus manifests with tusks and a snout. What even more interesting is it's very likely his original noise form was a boar as well. But a boar from the chinese zodiac. While he is a lion in the original game, a lion kinda clashes with the Shibuya hierarchy. And between Sho being process-of-elimination the pig, as well as setting up during week two in Pork City. Which could imply that Leo Cantus Armo is a regression to a more berserk and less enlightened state, literally sending Minamimoto back to his roots, before he radicalized and broke away from the Shibuya Reapers.

Kubo - August, Geese

Like Haz, Kubo doesn't have a noise form, but he does have strong narrative ties to the Soul Pulvis, which manifest as a flock of aggressive birds that fly in a V formation. Also, his birthday is August 14.

According to Nomura, Kubo was added late in the writing process. Initially, Nomura wanted to add two characters, but the writer gave him a concerned look, so he settled for just Kubo. Not only is this incredibly funny, we'll be looping back to this.

Hishima - September, Sake Cup

His surname, Sakazuki, is actually the name of the specific sake cup pictured in the September suit. It's the one you see in used in cermonial exchanging of sake, like weddings or yazuka deals. Considering his subplot with Shiba, themes like "brotherhood" and "marriage" are pretty fitting. Once again, the birth month matches: September 7th.

Shoka - November, Swallow

Asterisk. Once again, the cat themed characters of Shibuya have it complicated.

Shoka's birthday is March 30, which is the suit of the cherry blossom. This is further supported by her surname being Sakurane, which was originally made for the protagonist of NEO, to go with Neku's surname being Sakuraba. However the name was given to Shoka as they thought it fit her better. Internally, she is sort of a dual protagonist, being labelled in the data as ch002 and getting billing right after Rindo's actor in the credits.

But her online alias of Swallow points pretty directly to the November suit, and its tane card which features a Swallow. As mentioned earlier, Nomura initially wanted one more Shinjuku reaper character than we end up seeing in the game, so its possible Shoka got some design elements merged together from two different suits so as to not waste any creative material. Or she's just meant to be both and I'm overthinking it.

Kaie - Febuary, Plum Blossom, Warbling White-Eye

We've got ten out of twelve suits catagorized! This, unfortunately, means we are gonna have to start making some guesses.

Kaie's birth month is no help, being November, where Shoka is already using the Swallow symbolism. If we're continuing the tradition of using animal cards, Kaie is either the warbler or the cuckoo. I'm gonna be honest folks, I'm partial to the warbler just because of Kaie's eyebags.

Anyone else see it?

Also, "warbling" could be a a reference to Kaie's preference to not speak, because while he communicates mostly through text, he does have a few voicelines near the end of the game, which shows us his voice is quiet and with a little bit of a stutter. Also, it leaves the last suit open for:

Tsugumi's brother - April, Wisteria, Cuckoo

I bet you thought I forgot about him! Yes, our last suit is the April suit, represented by hanging wisteria and the cuckoo.

Cuckoo's are, for better or for worse, famous for their brood parasitism: a cuckoo will lay its eggs in another birds nest, and when it hatches, the young cuckoo chick will attempt to push all the other eggs out, so it can have the parents sole attention. Tsugumi and her brothers' relationship does not seem anything like that, but it is worth noting that they are only reapers who are related. I think the cuckoo's parasitism is more likely a reference to how her brother was a high-ranking Shinjuku reaper who nonetheless "betrayed" the hierarchy and tried to defy Haz's schemes.

Wisteria is a symbol of love, longevity, and endurance. His final act in death was to protect his sister, ensuring she would survive.

[brainrotandbarnacles]

I gotta wonder how old Clive was when they found out he wasn't the Phoenix. And what things were like for the Rosfields then.

Was Anabella a decent mother to him then? Did she dote on him the way she did Joshua and Olivier? I think she favored her two youngest most because she saw them as an accomplishment she could take pride in, like a beloved trophy or collectible that she worked hard for. Had she seen the same in Clive when he was younger? If they didn't know right away when he was born, Clive must have been 4 at the oldest when they found out he wasn't the Phoenix. To be that little and having a loving and doting mother who all of a sudden hates you must have been devastating.

And what about Elwin? We all know his love for his firstborn never wavered, but if Ana had cared for Clive in those early days, it must have been a near perfect life. To have wealth, status, the promise of a throne, a loving beautiful wife and a darling baby boy would have been a dream come true in a world and time like that. And then they come to find out that Clive isn't the Phoenix, and Ana does a complete 180 and becomes a loathsome, hateful woman in Elwin's eyes. His happy family is shattered all because the mother of his precious child decided he wasn't good enough.

Lastly of course, what about Clive? As an adult he might not have many memories from when he was little, even before Joshua was born, but what about as a teen before the event at Phoenix Gate? Would he go to his little hideaway with Torgal and remember the times when his mother was actually nice to him? Acted like she loved him? Would he long for that Anabella, who would actually look at him with a mother's love and smile at him? Had she ever held him, kissed him, called him her "darling boy"?

I can't decide what would be worse, Clive having a mother who once loved him and then scorned him, or a mother that never loved him at all

[kiloude-city]

So, since it can take a while for dominant powers to manifest (Benna became Garuda at 15 and Barnabas at 18) does that mean that for the first five years of Clive's life, his parents thought he was Phoenix? That before Joshua was born and known to be Phoenix at a young age, Annabella actually "loved" Clive in assuming him to be special? And Clive never held their mothers hatred towards him on his brother, it wasn't either of their faults. It was just hers for being a shitty person.

[cosmic-metanoia]

A Potentially Interesting Friendship

*Spoilers for FFXV & FFXVI :)*

I couldn't help but notice that Noctis (FFXV) and Joshua (FFXVI), while different from each other in terms of motivations and personalities, have a lot in common in terms of their backstories:

*Both are the chosen ones in their respective kingdoms - Noctis as the One True King and Joshua as the future Archduke of Rosaria/the Phoenix's Dominant

*Both lose their fathers suddenly and tragically.

*Both have to deal with their own physical limits as children - Noctis with a knee/leg injury and Joshua with his overall health.

*Both live sheltered lives of royalty until their kingdoms are toppled over.

*Both of their fathers believe in them and their legacies push them to become the leaders that they were born to be.

*Both are gone for a period of time from the public eye - Noctis becomes dormant in the Crystal for 10 years while Joshua is away for 18 years while under the care of the Undying.

*Both emerge from their period of absence better than ever in their glow up era!

*Both sacrifice themselves in order to save humanity.

*Both hate carrots/vegetables (come on, you KNEW this was coming!)

*Both have dedicated retainers that take their own roles VERY seriously and would die for their masters. Ignis for Noctis and Jote for Joshua. (I have a HC where Jote and Ignis would get along and have a mutual understanding between each other regarding their duties. Maybe they'd even offer each other helpful advice on dealing with their stubborn masters, lol!)

It would be interesting to see Noctis and Joshua form a friendship based on the bonding of their mutual struggles and heavy burdens.

[luneariaa]

☀︎ 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 | 𝐣𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝

❥︎ - ; ɢɴ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

❥︎ - 𝐭𝐰 : ɴᴏɴᴇ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜱɪᴄᴋ ᴊᴏꜱʜᴜᴀ 🧡

❥︎ - 𝐚/𝐧 : ʀᴇqᴜᴇꜱᴛᴇᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ,, ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴏꜱᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇʟʟ 🧡

☾︎ - 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.

-✰-

"Joshua, you mustn't push yourself too hard. You should take a rest, as you are still sick as ever." You scolded the Dominant of Phoenix, shaking your head slightly in disapproval.

It's your task as his personal attendant, or a caregiver of some sort after all; ever since his childhood years.

Though this is like a normal occurrence for the both of you, you still couldn't help it-- always worried over his natural born sickly condition.

A soft sigh escapes from your lips as you put the leftover food and medicines away after you've made sure he has taken them.

Joshua merely smiles reassuringly at you. "You worry too much. If I were to rest almost all the time, I would never get anything done."

His tone clearly shows that he's gotten used to it, and is perfectly fine by this point.

"Besides, I got you here with me, don't I?" He lightly refers to you with no hint of anger or even annoyance whatsoever. "Even if I do push myself too hard, you'd be there to scold me back to reality."

His last sentence genuinely earned an amused look from you, at least a bit; smirking slightly with your head turned away.

"Josh, come on now," you merely chuckled, finally giving him your full attention.

"While your point is completely valid, that doesn't stop me from worrying about you."

A gentle smile adorns upon his handsome face, now holding onto the eye contact as well with a certain fondness being apparent.

And it's completely reasonable, since the both of you have basically stuck up with each other for uncountable years; ever since his childhood years alone.

While you are like, a year or two years younger than he is, you always do your tasks dutifully without a single complaint. Well, unless you needed to. But aside from that, you never did.

"You always tend to my needs even when I didn't really need them. You even brought me books to read with, or even when my Father was away."

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

His ocean-blue eyes wandered out and onto the bright afternoon sky as he spoke those words; reminiscing the old times that have surely passed.

Several birds have even landed on the windowsill of the currently open window-- their' heads tilted adorably for a few seconds, before flying away once again to join their group of friends someplace.

You turned your head to spare him a glance, now noticing that his previous smile was gone, yet still somehow distracted in his own cloud of thoughts.

You even took the opportunity to simply stare at his handsome side profile, though it only lasted for a few minutes or less as you didn't want to be seen as improper. Even more regarding to the clear difference in rankings between you both.

He did notice the stare that you've given him but decided not to say anything, or even choose to not mention anything. After all, it did not once make him feel uncomfortable in some way.

His beautiful, ocean-blue eyes found their way to your figure once more, seeing that you've now seated on one of the vacant chairs nearby while averting your gaze toward outside the window as well.

"You know," he grins a bit as he starts on. "I remember back then; when you stood inside the library, perhaps checking and dusting off some of the old books for Father, and you were so focused that you didn't notice my presence."

"It's quite funny that you screamed a little, even jumping in surprise when you finally noticed me."

An annoyed look became visible from the moment those words left his mouth. Baffled, even.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I didn't notice you that time-! Besides, I didn't even jump that high.." You muttered under your breath as your cheeks became pinkish in pure embarrassment at the old memory.

"It's adorable actually." He chuckles again, this time most likely directed at the current expression you're making.

With your cheeks being puffed out in response to his teasing, you grabbed the cushion that was settled on the sofa and threw one at him; still out of embarrassment.

The cushion did end up hitting him straight on the face, yet he only laughs it off at your actions alone.

"Just know that I could tease you all day if I could."

But you knew better-- you couldn't even stay annoyed at him no matter how hard you tried to be. And he's completely aware of it.

In the end, you've simply given up and decided to laugh along as well. All the while that it happened, Joshua just fell in love more deeply with you than he ever did in the process.

It's just a matter of time whether he admits his feelings for you or decides to go against it.

𝐞𝐧𝐝.

-✰-

@ 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚜.

[assassinshadowgirl]

Final Fantasy 16 AU Draft

Same as the Prologue; Annabelle the bitch betrayed her Nation, slewed her husband and offered Clive to the Holy Empire of Sanbreque.

Dion came to learn about what happened at the Phoenix Gate from his Dragoons and strongly despised Annabelle for her actions. He later became devastated when his Father announced his marriage to her and Annabelle will be Dion's stepmother from now on.

Dion refused to acknowledge her. Furthermore noticed that his Father Sylvestre Lesage, Emperor of the Holy Empire began to act distant towards him ever since that woman stepped into their homeland.

Feeling lonely and neglected, Dion wandered into the basement where he met Clive now a Branded, sitting alone at a fireplace. Both recognized each other. Soon they were sitting together, chatting.

With Clive's mother married to Dion's father, the young blonde Prince joked that they are considered half siblings. He then went ahead to tell Clive about his father's cold treatment and Annabelle's disdain towards him. Clive understands how Dion feels as he's also the same as him. They grew close immediately.

Dion visits Clive everyday. To protect his brother from mistreatment as a Branded, Dion proposed a plan; He asked if Clive is willing to be his bodyguard so both can watch each other's back. Clive agreed.

Thirteen years later, Clive served as Dion's bodyguard, and assisted the Prince in the war against Waloed Kingdom and its Dominant Odin.

During rest, Dion admitted honestly that he's growing weary of this war and much more concerned for his people's safety instead. Both Clive and Dion knew the Emperor was getting more cold hearted due to someone who was clearly being the one responsible for all these happenings. It got even worse ever since Olivier was born.

For the past years, Sylvestre had treated Dion more of a war weapon than a son. He only showed his affection towards Annabelle's child making Dion feel even more lonelier. However Clive was always by his side as a brother and only friend.

Suddenly a group of Imperial Soldiers under Annabelle's rule barged into the camp, issued an arrest warrant on Dion for his treachery against the Holy Empire. The Prince was utterly confused by this sudden accusation that he never committed. Before the guards could take him away, Clive attacked and with help from a few Dragoons, Clive and Dion escaped.

They were later rescued by Cid. Clive was reunited with his trusty hound, Torgal. And both were warmly welcomed into the hideaway.

From Cid, they learnt about the Ice Dominant Shiva being used by the Iron Kingdom for war and agreed to work together with Cid to rescue her.

Clive was later shocked to find out that Shiva was actually Jill, his long lost childhood friend whom he introduced her to Dion and they instantly got along with. Jill was grateful to Dion for taking care of Clive for 13 years.

Dion, now a fugitive as well as an exiled Prince, along with Clive, Jill and Torgal decided to work alongside with Cid as Outlaws to make a better world for the Branded and others.

The following will be them encountering Benedikta, Hugo, learning about Ultima's existence, Clive being the Mythos that possesses an unique ability to absorb other Eikons' abilities, reuniting with Joshua, fighting against Barbanas and Harbard etc.

During their journeys and hardships, they evaded Annabelle's Imperial guards who were tasked to hunt Dion and bring him back to Sanbrequec against his will while Clive was being hunted by Ultima to become his vessel.

Clive, Dion, Joshua, Jill and Torgal protect each other's back as they journeyed together.

That's that. If there are people out there who want to use this idea for their fanfics, are welcome to go ahead but pls do give credits lol. 😂

[potionwine]

Friend!!! Speaking of Anabella!!! I was always so curious about her relationship to Joshua!!! I mean it was always easy to hate Clive, but Joshua IS the Phoenix, but he is also sickly! She mentions later how hurt she was when people talked about that! How Clive must've been born out of wedlock and her real child is weak!

She contradicts herself when talking about Joshua! "He wasn't good enough!" "He was my everything!" She doesn't want to let Elwin drag her little boy to the frontlines but she also HATES that he cannot *perform*!

She kills herself not immediately when Olivier dies, but when JOSHUA comes towards her and offers a hand in sympathy! I WANT TO KNOW MOREEE

ugggghhhh this is my SPECIAL INTEREST.

I also found it really really fascinating that she seemed to harbour some lowkey, semi-conscious resentment towards Joshua for being weak and frail! Even in modern day, when a child turns out less than what people perceive to be "normal", whether that's physically or mentally, people still instinctively blame mothers for those "defects", and as someone who's actually responsible for carrying on noble lineage, I can only imagine the intense scrutiny over every child she produced.

Her hurts runs so deep that it makes me wonder if Elwin ever did anything about it or ever protected or defended her on that front. The game portrays Elwin as all sorts of good---and I've got an incredible rant in me somewhere about that but I shan't be a hater today---but I can easily believe an Elwin who doesn't truly realise and comprehend the level of insult that his wife feels and experiences about all of this. I mean, oooff, even in daily life, in the workplace and such, I encounter male colleagues who I would genuinely consider to be decent people, who every now and then say things to dismiss a thing that their wife/female partner is rather extremely hung up about? Like you've described this anecdote to me and even from my outsider perspective this thing sounds like it's really important to your wife and OKAY it sounds funny and illogical to you, or maybe you even do take it seriously but you just reassure her verbally in private instead of doing something about it? Then in my head I'm just thinking, no you don't understand, she needs you to defend her, she literally needs you to say the thing to your family/do the thing in front of your acquaintances so that she feels VALUED.

And that's why, there's a question mark about Elwin's conduct. Putting aside whether or not he actually did have affairs, since the game is silent on it, if we are starting from the premise that Elwin as head of state is busy with wars and governance and whatnot, hasn't got the time and effort and caring to spare for his wife's "paranoias" and insecurities about people laughing behind her back about rumours that directly concern his behaviour? Yea, that's a recipe for resentment and marital strife. Of course it is. It's practically the age-old story of marriage: one person thinks it's a big deal, the other person doesn't think it's a big deal, and the real indicator of love and respect is how partners choose to respond to each other.

However, I am open to the possibility that he may have done his absolute best to reassure her and appease her and be honourable and righteous and everything the game tells us to expect of Rosfield men as a baseline, so I am prepared to accept that Anabella's hangups are not something that he could ever have solved, even if he did defend her repeatedly and continuously with all the vigilance of a good husband. It may be that Anabella's definition of a good husband is one who simply accedes to her every wish, and that is not something Elwin would ever do, not on his characterisation, whereas it is something Sylvestre repeatedly does for her.

It's bizarre if people truly assumed a strong child couldn't come from her? Was she herself weak and sickly in her childhood, I wonder? Or is it just that Joshua is so indisputably hers that Clive, in juxtaposition, seems so different that he must come from a different mother. The whole thing is senseless, but also, who's actually being nonsensical here: Anabella herself and her warped interpretations, since she was obviously unravelling, or was the Rosarian court filled with nasty rumours from malicious actors who wished to hurt her and/or the ruling family? Only because I would assume her births are literally matters of national importance, probably attended by a huge amount of physickers and with the entire population, nobles and commoners alike, waiting anxiously for every scrap of news. If Clive popped out from her truly, there would be eyewitnesses aplenty, surely? It's baffling how these rumours were allowed to fester and gain traction, if we assume they are more than a figment of her insecure imagination---and if so, she seems to have fallen completely in their trap too, by never checking her assumptions and stewing in the perceived injury to herself.

After all, in the prologue the onlookers said something like "imagine treating your own flesh and blood like this" after witnessing Her Grace's treatment of Clive---so even though she treats him like trash in public, that's corroboration that people do believe he is hers! They don't say "oh the Archduchess treats him like dirt because, you know, his father, nudge nudge wink wink".

She does contradict herself when talking about Joshua and it drives me crazy in the best way. There's this tinge of contempt when she talks about him huh, a degree of disappointment she can't fully bury in the loud insistence of her love. Even she wanted Clive to be the Phoenix. I think of the prologue, of the little scene where the young brothers talk beneath the moon, of Joshua's little fists shaking with the knowledge of his inadequacy when he said to his elder brother "it should have been you". It gives me the feeling that Joshua knew all along that not a single person ever thought he'd make a better Dominant than his brother.

Olivier... what did she get from Olivier that she did not already have better with her existing sons lol. She loved him like a doll-toy I suppose, which is the one thing her (real human boy~) sons could not become. Personally I think because the game had no sympathy for her, it could not allow her to have any meaningful interaction or confrontation with post-PG Joshua, because to truly see him would be the beginning of self-understanding---something something the tragedy of King Lear. But where works like King Lear are very sympathetic to the foibles and misguided pride of their central Tragic figure, the game doesn't want us to give a shit about Anabella because the creators themselves don't care about her, which is why she never has the opportunity to finish her Tragic arc. She is never allowed to realise exactly what blessings she gave up, never allowed to realise how wrong she was, never allowed the privilege of true insight or the possibility of repentance or even simple regret.

In that way she remains only a wretch, the object of disdain and hatred from the playing audience, instead of a realised Tragedy come full circle.

(Quietly, my little pet headcanon about Joshua being very like his mother in impulse and nature, but who consistently makes different choices and the sum of these choices make him the person she ought to have been as Archduchess? Yea I want her to see this more than anything else. But then Anabella might actually learn how to become a better person, and we can't have that.)

[gottamusethemall]

Headcanons about XVI (Lotta spoilers)

Personal headcanons about XVI will be below the cut cause of length and spoilers. 

The first person that Ultima used as a puppet was none other than Anabella. Despite all her concern for Joshua and relative lack of concern for Clive, Anabella didn’t bother to ensure whether or not Joshua was alive. Joshua’s body was probably buried underneath the rubble, and he was presumed dead. Clive was only noticed because he was out in the open. There was no shortage of ways to get Branded Soldiers, so there wasn’t a particular need for Anabella to let Clive live, but Ultima ensured that Mythos survived. 

The connection between Anabella and Ultima would also explain the Masked Man’s appearance at Phoenix Gate during Clive’s initial awakening. The Masked Man is assumed to be Sleipnir, someone that is capable of moving around swiftly without drawing suspicion to their absence elsewhere. Cid probably served with Waloed during this time. 

Ironically, there is a point of similarity between all the dominants. They are all beings of remarkably strong will, though their goals differ. Joshua and Clive have the strongest wills, which is why they are the two fires that are the cornerstone, but Clive’s time as Joshua’s first shield makes his will stronger, which is why he is Ifrti’s Dominant. 

Clive is able to absorb the eikon from the other dominants when their wills are weak enough. Normally, a dominant is fiercely opposed to surrending their Eikon. However, when a Dominant’s will is broken, normally associated with a feeling of weakness that can be impressed or generated, then the Eikon can be withdrawn from them. 

It is assumed that Ultima can decide who will become a dominant. This is because the Eikons are all seen looking at Ultima, so he is of a higher power than the Eikons. Knowing that he will want as many Eikons as possible to ensure that Mythos will have as much power as possible. Therefore, Leviathan’s dominant is somewhere. 

While Ultima can choose who will be a dominant, he cannot keep track of where those dominants all are. This is presented when the masked man says ‘We have found you.’ For Leviathan, it would make sense that a group that is mostly unknown could hold the Dominant of Leviathan and Ultima wouldn’t be any the wiser. 

While Jote is my initial decision of the last Dominant, Mid is actually my second choice. Both are strong-willed and are not in the place where they are thought to be. Expecting that Mid may have been sent to Kanver while Cid was with Waloed, would make Ultima aware through Barnabas, which is why I believe it’s Jote. 

[fire-branded]

4 AM, can't sleep? Ramble nonsense for a bit. Please bear in mind that, as always, this is just a headcanon, so please don't feel obligated to agree!

Anabella and Elwin's marriage. So we all know that only one Dominant of a particular Eikon can exist at one time; Elwin's father was the previous Dominant of Phoenix, and Joshua awakened as the next one. Elwin says in the game that the only reason he's Archduke is because his father died young, and Joshua will take the throne once the little boy is of age to rule. Now, it's also stated in the game that the Dominant of Phoenix, whoever he or she is, is intended to sit upon the ducal throne; we also know that House Rosfield is incredibly, incredibly careful to ensure that the Phoenix remains within their bloodline.

Anabella's first lore blurb talks about her having been chosen to marry Elwin because of her beauty, and because her branch of the Rosfield family has a history of producing the highest number of Dominants. Elwin, meanwhile, is the firstborn son of the previous Archduke and Archduchess -- and thus he is the direct descendant of the previous Dominant of Phoenix.

Anabella and Elwin are cousins, another detail that the game itself tells us. The Ultimania, meanwhile, elaborates that Elwin's father and Anabella's father were brothers. (My headcanon is that Elwin's mother was born into the Rosfield family's main branch, while his father married into it via marrying Elwin's mom when he took the throne and all that, because Dominant of Phoenix and all that. I'll elaborate on that in a moment.)

The Rosfields practice what is basically just selective breeding. They intermarry according to what children hold the highest probability to either conceive the next Dominant, or to have children that have the highest probability of having a child of their own that will awaken as the next Dominant.

Only one Dominant of an Eikon can exist at one time. Which means that, at the very best, there will always be at least one generation between Dominants. If the child of the current Dominant is arranged to marry someone from another branch of the family tree, that child themself cannot awaken as the next Dominant, because their parent would have had to still be alive when they were conceived, because... yeah, that's just how reproduction works. Likewise, no child born between the child of the Dominant and their spouse can be the next Dominant either until after the previous Dominant is dead, and even then, it isn't a 100% guarantee that those two will conceive the next Dominant at all. No matter how carefully and meticulously planned the arranged marriages are in order to build up the highest chance for it to happen, it happening is still based on probability -- not absolutes. So the worst case scenario is that more generations will pass before the next Dominant is born. However, the careful arrangements and relations ensure that the next Dominant WILL awaken at some point somewhere within the Rosfield family. That part is an absolute.

Anabella and Elwin's marriage was political, yes; I'll argue, however, that it's moreso meant to be political within the duchy itself, rather than intended with a focus on external politics. It's more about producing the next Dominant of Phoenix, ergo ensuring House Rosfield maintains its control over the throne -- and Rosaria as a whole, by extension. Again, Elwin and Anabella have, according to calculations, the highest chance of conceiving the next Dominant. Elwin is the son of the previous one, and Anabella's family line boasts the highest number of birthed Dominants. In short, they're an ideal match.

My Elwin always knew, from childhood onward, that he would one day take the throne. He had to, because someone has to rule until the next Dominant is born and is old enough to rule. He also knew, from childhood onward, that his purpose in life was to sire the next Dominant, and to guide the next Dominant -- whether it be his child or another Rosfield child -- into preparedness for their role as ruler. The bluntest way to put it is that yeah, like he himself says in the game, he's just a placeholder ruler until the next "true" ruler awakens and can take over. His actual purpose is, just like Anabella's, to reproduce. However, he opts to use the power given to him, even if only temporarily, to set Rosaria on a path towards internal change, and to build better relations with other nations across Storm. He also chooses to use his duty of guiding the next Dominant and Archduke/Archduchess to set them on that same path for change, as well as to instill within them the same compassion towards their people that he himself holds.

Or in other words, he chooses to use his temporary leadership to act as the new-age Founder, and guide his predecessor into following in his footsteps by continuing where he leaves off.

Pretend this was coherent. All of this said, my Elwin doesn't view the boys as obligations, tools, or just a product of his duty. He genuinely loves his children, and their births really were the happiest days of his life. That's one more reason, and perhaps the biggest reason, why he is so determined to use his temporary power to build a better Rosaria -- because he wants them to have a better life than what tradition would force upon them. He wants a better life, and a better future, for them; one where they aren't chained down to a predetermined -- and cruel, especially in Joshua's case -- fate that had already been dictated for them long before their births.

[dumbsmoothie]

Fun Fact: Eir's son actually has a "canon" name in From the Ashes! I treat the one-shots as alternate branches in One's Duty's story, but I try to keep some details more vague in case people prefer to only read them or treat them as a standalone, self-insert story.

In that route, the Undying had been reeling from the loss of the Phoenix. For Jote, the feeling had hit twofold--not only had she lost the lord who she had pledged her life to since childhood but also a dear friend who she hadn’t completely been able to stop pining for. She had prioritized comforting Eir, because she cares deeply for her and knew that Joshua would have done his best to make her smile again. Jote managed her own sadness by speaking with the one who had also worked closely alongside Joshua for the majority of his life--Cyril.

"The Phoenix may be gone and perhaps never to return, but from the ashes that followed those final, brilliant flames will surely rise a world worthy of such sacrifice," he had recited as if he had told himself that many times over. "It shall now be our duty to do all that we can to ensure its survival in his stead." Jote had felt lost ever since Joshua had gently released her from servitude. Those words resonated with her, and so she shared them with Eir as well. Rather than continue to wallow in sadness and regret, Eir gradually began thinking of the future. When her son was born, she recalled those words once more and decided on the name Ashton. Jote had been curious and asked why she had chosen that name. Eir released a tired giggle and said that he had been a big bird that flung fire everywhere, so there would have been a ton of ash. Jote had felt surprisingly relieved to hear that her terrible naming sense hadn't changed at all; it was as if it were confirmation that she had returned to her previous self.

Despite Eir ultimately being unable to marry Joshua, both Byron and Clive immediately welcomed Ashton as a Rosfield. When Eir had accepted Byron's offer to live with him, he began referring to her as a Rosfield as well. "I am not enough of an old fool to have been blind to the signs that you would have become one in due time," Byron had said with a jolly laugh as he had patted her on the shoulder. Both Byron and Jote began fussing over her in confusion when Eir had started crying--after having lost so much throughout the years, being so openly accepted into Joshua's family had filled her with an immense sense of relief, happiness, and a sense of belonging.

[speargifted]

//i keep wondering about the phoenix awakening

Clive was only 5 when Joshua was born, I wonder if they already knew then that Clive wasn't the dominant. Dion woke as an infant, but Bena was 15 and the way Cid talks about his sounds like he was an adult by the time he found out he was Ramuh - so that is a span of time, from literal baby to potentially adulthood

I wonder if Anabella loved Clive when he was little. I wonder if that hatred comes from perceived betrayal, that the child she put effort into didn't wake into the Phoenix like she had hoped

And then the question of. It seems generally that a stressful enough experience can force an awakening. Wouldn't it be fucked up if Rosaria puts their infant heirs through terrifying trials

Potentially theres a way to determine if a child is a dominant, but its implied that even non dominants of a dominant bloodlines are unique from other people - and Clive is a dominant. Are they just taking babies to phoenix gate and seeing if they can open a door

[aesadraws]

please please please tell me abt tangled au 👀

WIP File Game

About: PFK Tangled AU

Oooooh boy. This one was born from rewatching Tangled awhile back and my brain making a connection between Eugene's persona of the criminal Flynn Rider and that popular idea of Joshua actively fighting back against the empire of Sanbreque under the moniker Margrace. Plus I found it so funny to imagine Terence chasing after Joshua the outlaw only to eventually come to care for him. It's not a shot-for-shot re-telling of the disney film but there are plenty of elements I'm planning to incorporate, mostly because they're fun.

Our cast:

Dion as our Rapunzel, granted the blessing of Bahamut as a child. After Sanbreque was "attacked" by Rosarian forces Sylvestre sought to protect his most valuable asset and had Dion locked away in a tower, to be tended to solely by his stepmother Anabella. He still takes to the battlefield as Bahamut (though I'm imaging just semi-primed for this fic) but he knows to return straight to the castle after just in case someone were to try and assassinate him.

Joshua as the aforementioned outlaw Margrace, his true identity unknown. Believed to have died when Sanbreque "righteously" attacked the ducal family at Phoenix Gate. Only the Undying he works with knows that he was also granted a blessing of one of the EIkons, saving him from being stillborn at birth.

Terence is essentially Maximus, but not a horse (he's no Sleipnir lmao). He's a loyal imperial soldier that has kept up a clandestine relationship with Dion, climbing the tower through its secret entrance. He also wholeheartedly believes in the imperial propaganda that Rosaria's insurgents need to be put down, at least until he eventually learns Joshua's side of the story.

There's not a whole lot of secondary cast beyond Sylvestre, Anabella, and Clive making key appearances. There's implications that Joshua is working with Cid as well as the Undying, which becomes helpful when Joshua tries to free his brother from having been stuck as a gladiator in Oriflamme.

I have the vast majority of this fic outlined except for the climax and ending, hence why it's still low down in my priorities until I get that banged out. But I know I'll enjoy a few scenes in particular when I get to it, including: fun banter between Joshua and Terence while the one chases after the other, Joshua being incredibly bitter upon seeing his mother again, and quite a few moments of heavy angst (with a happy ending, because c'mooon this is me we're talking about).