#alus final fantasy 3

[lucemferto]

Just finished FINAL FANTASY III 3D today, and I liked it. In a world where Square Enix had infinite ressources at their disposal, I would love for them to give this the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE treatment.

Not in the sense that they bloat it up into three parts, but modern cutscenes, storytelling, make Arc and Alus kiss, you know, get all out of this story that you can.

[emmamamam]

smh they don't even know they're about to die multiple times to the bird man.

[superthatguy62]

Things Final Fantasy III does not tell you about Final Fantasy III.

When it comes to RPGs, information that the player has is far from a guarantee. Some games will tell players practically everything about their systems and leave it to the player to use that information. Others will leave some mechanics in the background, quietly applying them without the player's knowledge. The Final Fantasy III remake falls into the latter category, as there are some mechanics that the player may not realize even exist unless they look outside of the game. Here are seven of them.

This is based on the Future Press Official Strategy Guide. As far as SGs go, it seems pretty close to the Japanese SE guide (baring at least one case).

Party Member Levels (Life of the Party)

While temporary party aren't directly controllable, they seem to have their own levels and stats. Interestingly the Future Press strategy guide states that they also have stats. Though I should clarify: At this time, I have yet to find these in the Japanese strategy guide, so I am not entirely sure that these are accurate. However, the FP guide in general is close to the Japanese guide in terms of technical information, so I am willing to accept that risk.

These are:

Sara: Lv 5 (Str/Vit/Agi/Min: 6, Int: 7)

Cid: Lv 3 (Str/Agi: 5, Vit/Int/Min: 8)

Desch: Lv 10 (Str: 15, Vit: 10, Agi: 14, Int: 7, Min: 6

Aria: Lv 25 (All: 25)

Alus: Lv 30 (All: 35)

Doga/Unei: Lv 50 (All: 45)

Some observations:

The guide notes that the characters stats are usually significantly higher than the main characters' at the same levels. This is especially noticeable with Alus (The party's base stats, by compare, will be: Str/Agi: 24, Vit/Min/Int: 20)

Cid is the only party member to be weaker than the character before him (Sara), presumably due to how little time the party spends with him. He does have an impressively strong hammer, though.

Despite being portrayed as a White Mage, Sara's Int (7) is slightly higher than her Min (6).

It seems that after Desch, the devs kinda gave up with making varied stats, so Aria, Alus, Doga and Unei have the same number for all their stats.

Coincidence or otherwise, Aria's stat number also matches her level.

Doga and Unei share the same levels and stats as each other, a distinction no other party member has. For extra fun, Xande is also level 50, although his actual stats are unfortunately but understandably different.

Alus, a 10 year old boy is somehow twice as strong as Desch, a grown man.

Mognet Details (Stampin' N Stompin')

Most of Mognet's discussion usually begins and ends with it being connected to the sidequests. Because of this, there are a few features of Mognet that go undernoticed.

One particular aspect is the cards: For meeting the Legendary Smith with a mastered job and defeating the Iron Giant, the party can get cards signifying their mastery.

(I have yet to defeat the Iron Giant. I apologize for being a fraud).

In the PSP and Steam versions, these cards are mostly just rewards. In the DS version, however, they can be used as stamps for Mognet. And while the Iron Giant is purely to flaunt your superiority over the beast, the job mastery cards actually allow players to help out other players: If a player holding a signed letter runs into the Legendary Smith, she will give the player the respective job mastery item without having a level 99 job. While it doesn't break the game, due to how late it is before you can encounter the Smith, it does cut down on the grind you'd need if you wanted those items.

Encounter Frequency (Fights in the A.M. P.M. F.M.)

In Octopath Traveler, a later game by Team Asano, entering a new location will usually show you a danger level, giving you a general idea of how strong the enemies in that area are. While the mechanic is visible in OT, it was actually deployed discreetly in Final Fantasy III: Each area has a level that the guides recommend the player be at. However, the game itself uses a more subtle method: If your party is below the recommended level, the encounter rate will be higher than usual. By contrast, the further above the recommended level that the party is (up to six levels), the lower the encounter rate will be.

For example: The Nepto Shrine has a Danger Level of 10. If the party made it to the Shrine at level 7, then they will likely encounter more enemies than they would at level 10. By contrast, at level 16, they will have a chance at encountering the least amount of enemies.

Attack Types (SMASH! SLASH! STAB!)

In Final Fantasy III, elemental weaknesses are clear and easily implied by the fact that Mages have themed spells. However, the game also has a second, subtle weakness system: Attack Types, the physical counterpart.

The four attack types are

Unhanded: Despite the name, Claws are also included

Blow: Weapons that focus on slamming or bludgeoning the foe

Cut: Weapons that actually cut the foe, like Swords

Stab: Weapons that stab or have a stab-like effect, like Arrows

Interestingly, some weapons aren't mutually exclusive: Axes count for both blows and cuts, Knives count for both stabs and cuts and Unarmed counts for both Unhanded and Blow.

Hands (The Hands of Fate)

The Hand stat is a secret stat that the game silently keeps track of for each character. The hand stat represents how many times a physical attack has been made with a particular hand, the hand getting 3 XP for each use. Much like job levels only one hand level can be gained per battle, regardless of how many points are racked up. Theoretically, if you can have hands of different levels, although given how much III encourages dual-wielding, it's unlikely.

The FP guide recommends using the Ranger's barrage if you want to build up the hand stat, as that is a multi-hit attack that nonetheless counts each hit for the hand.

Weight (The Weight of the World)

Weight is not a new mechanic to Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy V, in particular has the stat help to determine who quickly a character acts (i.e. how fast the ATB bar fills up). However, V is the rare game where the game will actively inform the player of its existence. Other games in the series have it, including III (at least, in the remake).

Weight, along with Agility, determines how soon a character will act during the turn, as well as how many hits a character does (alongside the aforementioned Hand stat). This is why a Warrior with an axe will generally hit less than a Warrior with a sword, despite having higher attack. Interestingly magic also has weight to it with spells having a specific weight/cast time to it.

Boss Scripts (Script Write)

Bosses changing strategy mid-fight has been a Final Fantasy staple since at least Final Fantasy IV (Zeromus, for example, only starts to spam Meteo when he's close to dying), so the FF3 remake isn't particularly new or original for using this. Still, it's something to be aware of in case you make a particular fight harder than it needs to be.

A likely candidate for this is actually the final boss: While the Cloud of Darkness uses Particle Beam (and spams it during the last phase), it actually doesn't use the move until it's down to 80% of its HP, using the less threatening standard attack instead. This means that a player willing to take some turns to lower the danger can focus on the tentacles, which are the more immediate threat.

[key-to-the-truth]

i was originally just messing around but i actually do not hate how this turned out!! so it gets to go here

[always-a-doughnut]

Since my friend is going crazy over ff16, I decided to dig into my past and draw some final fantasy 3 fanart of my original obviously cannon otp of Arc and Prince Alus.

I had to replay their cute cutscene like 30 times my first playthrough to get to a boss that kept killing my party, but these two are just adorable together I can't help it.

[poupeesdecirque]

Travel Blog: Leipziger Buchmesse Friday

Timcampy's Adventures, meeting Friends & Religious Gold

Day two of the Bookfair. Today I was about to wear the new variant of the Runaway Outfit again, which I had made for the Polaris back last year AND the new Innocence I just made one week before the con.

Day two started very early for me ... I woke up at 3 in the morning and with a cat using me as trampoline and the overstimulation from the day before I was alerted by everything.

But I wanted to cosplay still. And even work with Make up again. I am super unskilled with Make up for Cosplay because aside the curse I haven't used any since my teens and just started doing it in ... October. I have learned quite a bit since then like switching to a different type of make up that doesn't need 5 days to be scrubbed off, that's better for my already sensitive eyes.

I also snapped off one of the nails from the Innocence and learned I need ... assisstance when visiting the bathroom while wearing it. oof.

I'm thankful I was not the driver for this day and just was able to chill for once after being stuck in traffic the evening before.

This time we actually started with taking different photos before the hall got too full, we even made a small video.

For the fair itself the section for comics/manga had started as a part of the fantasy and children's section ages ago and 10 years ago it got its own hall and even was expanded last year to 1 1/2 halls. Hall 1 was mainly artists this time with a HUGE department for artists and several rows of an artists alley along with some merchants. The half of Hall 3 was different publishers like Crunchyroll, Tokyopop, Nintendo and bigger merchants or even other conventions.

I have to say my feeling of hunger was not existent that day but I felt my eyes were getting worse, I even had to put on my glasses for a while, hoping it would be better. Was truly motivated me was that the german DVD/Blu Ray Publisher of D.Gray-man still recognized me and asked me to return with the 1st Uniform to take Photos for promoting the series on their Instagram and I was just .. wow. Still can't believe they asked me.

While we wandered the glass hall several times for finding my DGM Mutuals we decided to give the other sections a visit as Alu had a mission and as we walked through the religious section one vendor gave us a little bible book and ... "real gold" ... uhm.. Mister you know I'm running away from the church yes? :'D

After that we went to one of the big book shops and of course I had to look up some cook books. My guilty pleasure. But this time I didn't end up buying a ton, I only got one.

Back in the glass hall I was finally able to locate my DGM Mutuals and we made a pile of Tims as you can see. Haha. I'm so glad I am brave enough to talk to people again, it was an issue in the past that I just shyly crossed their ways and wished they would notice me, but nope, not this time. I also walked to other cosplayers and told them I love their costumes. Just to brighten up their day.

A few more impressions from the location itself. If you look closely you can spot the D.Gray-man Nendos of Allen, Kanda and Lavi. Oh and I finally got a pocket watch again! Mainly for my past!Allen Cosplay if I will wear it again, the owl reminds me of the bookshop emblem we see in chapter 249.

As we later sat down in the glass hall, we got myself a snack for photos and put aside our stuff and I didn't notice but a friend of a friend took Timcampy and played around with him. Until they complained that parts weren't made to their liking and that was the point I was close to snapping. I can tell my was over everything already with the little sleep I had, my eyes acting up, running around all day long already.

I tried to get lost while we went on another window shopping trip and actually bought a Ramen and an Udon bowl. Just to drop the bag 2 minutes after buying. Then I only had a Ramen bowl and a pile of shards. All went downhill then I didn't want to talk, I didn't want a hug, I sat down and tried not to have a panic-mental-breakdown-whatever. I even went out into the rain just to RUN to get the steam off. I went to my friend Julia who luckily involved me into small talk that calmed me down. But the day was ruined. I returned to my friends but some of theirs popped up and started a conversation, usually they are very lovely and I like them but I just couldn't listen to someone talking anymore. I left them to just walk around.

It was late already and it had started pouring, for now I decided just to stare at the rain running down the glass.

My friends wanted to calm me down, hug me, but I declined. I didn't want to talk. We went back to Schu's place, I had dinner and went to bed, rolling myself into a blanket like a burrito.

[thebeauregardbros]

hi i made an alt called Beautiful Fighter and im in love w her

[miphasinori]

Doga and Unei have shared their souls with you... You have been resurrected!

[five-foot-a-bitch]

Arc - Final Fantasy III

“I’m not a coward... But I know I have to be stronger...”

Whoops what is this obsession with moodboards

[jettingtothemoon]

Save You; chapter 8

➳ pairing: hector x witch|reader ➳ genre: fantasy, angst, fluff ➳ warnings: violence, swearing, smut, mentions of rape, past slavery, spoilers for seasons 1 thorough 3. ➳ word count: 2572 ➳ rating: 18+ ➳ summary: In which y/n and Hector continue to flee from the council of sisters, finding refuge among an unlikely acquaintance with fresh scars and a cold personality. ➳ Part two of, ’Rescue You’. ➳ tags: @afierayeehaww​

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09,

Feeling Things

When Alucard awoke, he went into a panic. Feeling the two bodies lying either side of him dug something up that he had been trying to bury for quite some time now and, as he looked at you and Hector, all he saw were the bodies of Sumi and Taka.

Then, those faces changed back to your own, only blood was gushing from your necks as you lied there with your eyes open, completely unmoving. It had happened again. He was alone again. Or so he thought as he began to hyperventilate, clutching his heaving chest and feeling as though he were about to die.

Then, there was the feeling of a gentle hand on his back, pulling him back to reality.

"Alucard? Look at me, calm down. Please." You begged, trying to keep your voice calm in hopes of calming him.

When his eyes finally focused and his erratic breathing began to slow down, you let out a sigh of relief. His shaky eyes flitted to you, the icy fear within them melting the moment they saw you. You were okay. Then, his head snapped to Hector who was sitting to the other side of him, looking just as worried as you.

"What happened?" He asked, bringing a hand up to delicately brush stray strands of hair away from Alucard's face.

Alucard looked forwards once again, catching his breath as he calmed himself down only to feel tears building up all over again. As they began to roll down his cheeks, he lied back down and covered his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He mumbled.

You and Hector exchanged a glance and lied back down beside him, both facing him from only inches away.

"It's alright." Hector soothed, placing a hand over Alucard's arm.

Then, it was your turn to reassure him, "You don't have anything you need to apologise for."

After a moment, Alucard moved his hands away from his face but still couldn't seem to bring himself to look either of you in the eye.

"If you're not ready to tell us then you don't have to, but know that we are here to listen when you are." Hector sighed, this thumb gently rubbing over the skin of Alucard's arm.

A silent moment passed while you all lied there until Alucard finally spoke, "It happened a few months before the two of you arrived."

You and Hector focused your full attention on him, ready to hear what he had to say but he paused again. He looked up at the ceiling, face looking somehow both full of sorrow but also void of emotion. Then, he took in a deep breath and continued.

"Their names were Sumi and Taka. They came here hoping to learn to hunt and kill the vampires who took their home... They were kind and full of hope. Their passion to take back their lives was admirable... but they grew impatient and had their trust in me faltered."

He went quiet again, his voice breaking ever so slightly as yet another tear dripped down the side of his face.

"They came to my bed and, when I was at my most vulnerable, they tried to kill me."

Silence yet again as you and Hector took in the trauma he spoke of, finally understanding why he found it so difficult to trust you when you first arrived. You just wanted to hug him again, to hold him and tell him everything was alright but, instead, you reached out and wiped his tears away with your thumb.

"Is that how you got the scars on your arm? From them? I- I'm sorry, I saw them before but I didn't want to ask in case you didn't want to talk about it." Your voice was careful, hesitant, you were unsure of whether you should have asked about them or even brought them up.

He turned his head to you, his golden hair bunching on the pillow beside you as he nodded, "They're not just on my arms. They're everywhere. My arms, legs, chest, back. The scars that haunt me are on every inch of my body just reminding me what they did... and what I did to them."

Hector tenderly turned Alucard's face towards him and tried to offer him a reassuring smile, "It wasn't your fault. None of it was. They hurt you, they tried to kill you. You did what you had to Alucard. You're not the one to blame."

"I- I just wish it could have turned out differently. Maybe if I hadn't tried to delay their teaching then they might have believed me and returned to their home safely. I... I just didn't want to be alone anymore..." He broke down all over again, his hands once again coming up to catch his tears.

"You're not alone, Alucard. You never will be again, I promise you." With your words, he turned back to you with a sad smile.

Hector wrapped an arm around him and hugged him tight, "We're not going anywhere."

You too leaned closer, resting your head on Alucard's shoulder. The three of you sat in silence for a moment until Alucard's tears stopped falling. Then, Hector decided it was his turn.

"I went through something similar... when I was being held prisoner at Carmilla's castle. There was a woman, a vampire. Lenore. She tricked me, manipulated me into thinking she cared about me when all she wanted was my loyalty."

It surprised you to hear Hector speak her name, especially when you knew the sheer mention of her made him feel sick to his stomach. Alucard too seemed surprised that Hector was sharing his experience with him. He didn't know what exactly had happened before you wound up at his castle but he knew it was bad, he could see the pain reflecting in both of your eyes, especially Hector's. A pain that mirrored his own. It was one of the reasons he let you stay and the main reason he gave Hector a chance in the first place.

"She tricked me into sleeping with her and turned me into a slave. A pet." Hector spat and you could hear the bitterness in his voice.

"I'm sorry." Alucard sighed but nonetheless sounded grateful that Hector also trusted him enough to confide in him as he had just moments before.

Hector shook his head and sat up, climbing out of the bed, "It doesn't matter now. What happened, happened. What matters right now is that we're safe and we're away from there. No to mention, we have each other and Alexander. None of us are alone, not anymore."

You climbed out of the bed just after, following Hector in getting dressed. Alucard smiled, knowing that you were not like Sumi and Taka but more like Trevor and Sypha. You were his friends, his companions, and you weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Adrian."

When he spoke, both you and Hector turned to him looking confused and so, he explained, "It's my name. My birth name. I think- I think I want to use it again."

You both smiled and nodded before going back to getting dressed. Adrian left to give you some privacy, although neither of you minded his presence there. When you were done, he was already dressed and making breakfast for everyone, including a little bowl for Cezar.

By the time Alexander and Cezar came down to the kitchen, seemingly following the smell of a deliciously cooked breakfast, everything was neatly laid out on the table just waiting for you to eat it. The boy smiled and sat down at the table, noticing the brighter atmosphere surrounding the rest of you.

Once you had all eaten, Adrian went fishing for dinner. He took Alexander with him as the boy seemed eager to lend a hand and go on an outing. Not that you could blame him, being cooped up inside this castle, no matter how large it is, can be a bit much. He will surely enjoy the trip and you had no doubt that they'd come home with enough fish for dinner.

When they left, you and Hector went to the study. Cezar followed at Hector's heels, happy to follow his master around once again after looking after Alexander for so long.

Hector used the magic you had taught him to light the fire, warming away the draft that had crept in over the night, while you browsed the shelves for a good book to read.

"I'm glad Alu- Adrian is doing better. Last night and this morning seemed to help." Hector stated, pulling his shoes off to warm his feet by the fire.

You smiled, "Me too. I'm glad we could provide at least some comfort to him."

When you found a book that piqued your interest, you walked over and sat on the floor by Hector. Cezar was already in his lap, tail wagging happily as Hector scratched behind his ears.

"y/n."

Sensing the seriousness in Hector's voice when he said your name, you closed the book you had only just opened and turned to him. Your eyes alone beckoned him to continue and so, with a sigh, he did.

"I think... I think I'm feeling things I shouldn't be."

Your brows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

He looked away from you, almost as if he was afraid to look you in the eyes, "I love you, you know that but-"

Another pause as he sucked in a breath.

"Nothing is going to make me think you love me any less, nor will anything you're about to say change how I feel about you." You reassured and, although his tense muscles relaxed a little, he still seemed somewhat uneasy.

He hung his head, curtains of silver hair covering his honeyed face, "I think I'm feeling things- something- for Alucard... I know it's completely wrong and I shouldn't be. I mean, he's a man and a vampire and- and just a friend but-"

"I know what you mean." You sighed, leaning your head onto his shoulder.

He looked down at you, somewhat startled, "Y- You do?"

You nodded and reached for his hand, entwining your fingers with his as you continued, "He's charming and broken... just like us. Handsome, we're both jealous of his hair, not to mention he's the sweetest little vampire I've ever met."

"S- So you feel it too?"

Hector seemed to feel less guilty about his straying thoughts and feelings when you admitted to being in the same boat as him. Even going as far as to listing the reasons you too were feeling something for the vampire.

"I don't love him. Not like I do you, not yet. But... I won't deny that even I've noticed this thing between the three of us."

Hector breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God. I thought you were going to think I was going insane."

You chuckled and reached for your book, turning your body so that you were sitting with your back against Hector, "It's not insane to care about someone, Hector."

The two of you sat quietly for a while. You just read your book, enjoying the tales about dragons and knights. Hector seemed more at ease but it was clear he still had a lot to think about. He wasn't, it seemed, as open to these things he was feeling. It was clear he wanted to at least try and make sense of things or perhaps he was simply allowing his thoughts a rest as he watched the crackling fire.

Not long after lunch, Adrian and the boy had returned with plenty of fish for dinner.

"You should have seen him, Alexander is a natural." Adrian beamed, ruffling the boy's hair as he placed the fish down on the table.

Of course, Alexander just grinned and, unexpectedly ran over to hug you. It wasn't so strange for him to hug you but it was strange for him to hug you seemingly without reason. Perhaps it was his new way of greeting you upon his return as he couldn't do it verbally. Whatever the reason, he soon also eagerly hugged Hector and then ran off to play with Cezar.

"He seems happy." Hector stated with a smile as he pulled out a chair to sit down.

You took the fish and put them into the sink in order to wash them before you would prepare them for dinner.

"He liked it. Going out, doing something new. It's good for him." Adrian stated, wiping down the table with a cloth to clean up the mess he had made by initially putting the fish there.

Once you finished cleaning the fish, you decided to leave them in the sink for a moment to talk to the two men who sat chatting around the table. You pulled out a chair and sat with them, turning to Adrian with your arms resting on the table.

He just looked at you for a moment, seemingly questioning what you were looking at him for but, before he could ask, you turned to Hector.

"I have a proposal." You declared, looking back at Adrian and then from him to Hector once more.

They both looked confused, looking at each other to see if the other knew what you were going on about but, when clearly neither of them had a clue, they looked back at you.

"Um... What is it?" Adrian asked, tilting his head curiously towards you.

"Well, a proposal and a confession." You admitted, although they both simply looked at you with the same blank expressions as before whilst waiting for you to elaborate.

You sighed and turned to Hector, "You know what we talked about earlier? In the study?"

He nodded slowly, eyes almost worriedly snapping to Adrian and then back to you.

"I have an idea," Your head then turned to Adrian, "How do you feel about sharing our bed again tonight?"

He furrowed his brows but answered nonetheless, "Well, I wouldn't hate it. Sleeping beside the two of you last night was probably the best sleep I've had in months. It was... comforting."

"I'm glad it was nice for you," You smiled sincerely, "But this time I was thinking maybe we could... make things more intimate?"

It seemed to take him a moment to catch on to what you were implying, the cogs turning in his brain until finally, something clicked.

"O- Of course, if you don't want to then we don't have to. I know you probably don't have anything good to associate with that kind of thing after what you went through and- God, maybe it was a terrible idea to suggest it. It's just that Hector and I like you, we really like you, and we want to understand just how far those feelings go." You rambled, suddenly worried that it was not a good idea to bring this idea up. You didn't want to make Adrian or Hector uncomfortable but you wanted to at least explore this, especially after hearing Hector's own feelings earlier on.

Adrian's hands settled on your shoulders, thumbs rubbing gently against you as if to soothe you, "It's alright."

Then, he looked at Hector, their eyes met for a moment before he lifted his hands from you and looked back into yours, "I- I trust you. Both of you. So, if this is something you both want, then I won't reject the offer. Anyway, I also have some things I want to confirm."

The two of you turned to Hector, waiting for his input on the matter with expecting eyes.

He breathed in, then out, before smiling softly at the two of you with a slight nod of his head, "I want to as well."

Just like that, the three of you had made your decision. Whether you would go through with it or not was another matter.

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09,

[canmom]

Final Fantasy: counting gends

The newest Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XV, is somewhat infamous for portraying an all-male party, for rather dubious and even openly misogynist reasons. My friend @carrion-river​ got curious about how much you can play female characters across the rest of the series; I thought her results were interesting enough to expand on and post (with her blessing!)

I’m also going to list the percentage non-male characters for direct comparison.

This is not a detailed critical analysis of portrayal of gender in Final Fantasy - that would take a whole lot more time. Instead, we’re just looking up characters on the wiki and adding them up.

First of all, here’s a chart:

We’re counting playable characters, except for briefly present ‘guest’ characters (though we’ll count those too below, separately).

Below the cut: a listing of every. single. Final Fantasy game (as best as I can manage), complete with a listing of all the relevant characters, percentage nonmale characters, precise counts, and any complexities.

Roxy wrote her results as a signature such as 1:2|3 + 1:5. That is to be read as [female playable characters]:[male playable characters]:[nonbinary or unspecified gender playable characters]|[number available at one time]. If two numbers are listed, the first usually corresponds to the core, mandatory cast, and the second to optional characters.

So, for example, imagine a game that has two fixed characters, one male one female, and a choice for two other slots in the party chosen from, say, three female, one male and two nonbinary. That would get a signature like 1:1:0|2 + 3:1:2|2

Final Fantasy (1987) - 17-33%

depending how you count, 0:0:6|4 or 0:5:1|4 or 2:4:0|4 or 1:4:1|4

The original Final Fantasy is ambiguous, since there is very little story material that would explicitly gender the characters; generally players concluded based on sprites, assuming most characters except the White Mage to be male, and arguing about the White Mage. Later materials gave identities to the characters. In the official novelisation, the White Mage was a woman, and the manga featured a female protag based on the Red Mage.

Female PCs: White Mage (per novelisation), Red Mage (in manga) Male PCs: Fighter, Thief, Monk, Black Mage (all per fandom consensus) NB or unspecified: All (original game), White Mage (initial fandom consensus), Red Mage (assumed male by fandom, female in manga)

Final Fantasy II (1988) - 20%

1:2:0|3 + 1:5:0|1

The core party of three is fixed throughout the game, but you have a choice for the fourth member.

Core Female PCs: Maria Core Male PCs: Firion, Guy Optional Female PCs: Leila Optional Male PCs: Leon, Minwu, Josef, Gordon, Ricard, Scott

Final Fantasy III (1990 or 2006) - N/A or 25%

originally 0:0:4|4, in remake 1:3:0|4 + 2:3:0|0

The initial version of the game did not assign genders or even names to its four interchangeable characters, but it received a 3D remake released in 2006 for the 3DS that gave its characters names and dialogue. The 3D remake also introduced five supporting characters who are not members of the party, but can help out at times.

Unspecified (original): all 4 Warriors of Light Female PCs (3D remake): Refia Male PCs (3D remake): Luneth, Arc, Ingus Female supporting characters (3D remake): Sara, Aria Male supporting characters (3D remake): Cid, Desch, Alus

Final Fantasy IV (1991) - 25%

0:1:0|1 + 3:8:0|4

You have a fixed protagonist, Cecil, and other four party members you can choose. The characters did not change in the 3D remake in 2007.

Male protagonist: Cecil Female PCs: Rosa, Porom, Rydia Male PCs: Kain, Cid, Palom, Yang, Tellah, Edward, Fusoya, Edge

Final Fantasy Adventure (1991) - 0%

0:1:0|1 plus guests 2:4:2, total 2:5:2 (44%)

Male protagonist: Sumo Female Guest PCs: Fuji, Amanda Male Guest PCs: Mysterious Man, Watts, Bogard, Lester Nonbinary/Ambiguous Guest PCs: Marcie, Chocobo(t)

Final Fantasy IV: Interlude (2011) - 33%

3:6:0|?

It’s unclear from the wiki description which members of your party are fixed/optional, or how big your party is. Party composition appears to be controlled by the game.

Female PCs: Rosa, Porom, “Rydia?” Male PCs: Cecil, Cid, Palom, Yang, Edge, nameless monk

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (2008) - 41%

9:13:0|5 plus guests 1:10:1 to get 10:23:1 (29-32%)

The game is an anthology of stories, so party composition is fixed in different ways as the game goes on. There are also some ‘guest’ characters who briefly fill gaps in the party. I’m relying on the wiki to tell me who’s a ‘real’ player character and who’s a ‘guest’.

Female PCs: Rosa, Rydia, Luca, Ursula, Porom, Leonara, Izayoi, Harley, Brina Male PCs: Ceodore, Cecil, Cid, Yang, Palom, Edge, Gekkou, Tsukinowa, Zangetsu, Edward, Kain, Golbez, Calca Female Guest PCs: White Mage Male Guest PCs: Biggs, Wedge, Monk A, Monk B, Elder, Guard A, Guard B, Guard C, Fusoya, Dark Kain Unspecified Guest PCs: Black Mage

Final Fantasy V (1992) - 40-60%

depending how you count, 3:2:0|4, 2:3:0|4 or 2:2:1|4

No party members are optional. You start it with an initial party of four, and eventually one of them, Galuf, is replaced by his granddaughter Krile.

The character Faris is read in different ways by different readers. In the game, Faris is CAFAB but raised as a boy by pirates. I’ve seen interpretations that Faris is nonbinary, or a trans man. I’m not familiar enough with the game to comment on the controversy.

Female PCs: Lenna, Faris?, Krile Male PCs: Bartz, Galuf, Faris? NB PCs: Faris?

Final Fantasy VI (1994) - 29%

3:10:1|4 plus 0:5:2 guests and another 0:10:0 if you count the moogles, which overall adds up to 3:25:3 or 19%

The large cast is apparently for the most part freely chosen, except at certain story points.

The character Gogo is a mime with a concealed appearance and their gender is explicitly called ambiguous by the game description.

Some characters - Mog and Umaro - are nonhuman and I’m not actually sure if they express a gender in the game. The wiki uses ‘he’ pronouns, so I’ll go with that somewhat hesitantly.

There are two ghosts who can temporarily join the party, whose gender is initially unspecified, but they’re referred to as male in the GBA version onwards. There are also ten moogles who stand in for various party members. The wiki uses ‘he’ pronouns for all of them, but I’m not sure if that has a basis in the game.

Female PCs: Terra, Cele, Relm Male PCs: Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Shadow, Cyan, Gau, Setzer, Mog, Strago, Umaro Unspecified PCs: Gogo Male Guest PCs: Biggs, Wedge, Banon, Leo, Maduin Unspecified Guest PCs: two nameless ghosts Moogles: Molulu, Moghan, Moguel, Moglin, Mogret, Moggie, Mogsy, Mogwin, Mugmug, Cosmog

Final Fantasy VII (1997) - 38%

0:1:0|1 + 3:4|2

Protagonist Cloud is mandatory; the other two members of the party may be chosen.

Male Protagonist: Cloud Female PCs: Tifa, Aeris, Yuffie Male PCs: Barret, Red XIII, Cid, Vincent

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- (2004) - 45%

5:6:0|1

A sidescrolling action game, the player controls only one character, selected from a list of 11 recruited throughout the game. The characters do not have default names ingame, and are identified only by their weapon with naming left up to the player, though some of them do have names on production sketches an OVA featuring the characters called Last Order.

Female PCs: Gun/Emma, Shotgun/Freyra, Martial Arts/Juget/Judet, Shuriken, Knife Male PCs: Rod/Alvis, Two Guns/Ruluf, Martial Arts/Maur, Katana/Balto, Nunchaku, Legend

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- (2006) - 0%

0:2:0|1

A third-person shooter; you play as Vincent for most of the game.

Male PCs: Vincent, Cait Sith

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- (2007) - 0%

0:1:0|1

An action game; you play as Zack throughout.

Male PCs: Zack

Final Fantasy Tactics (1997) - 53%

5:7:3/5

Deep breath...

(two of these characters are introduced in the 2007 War of the Lions rerelease. there are also ‘generic’ characters, not listed.)

Female PCs: Agrias, Meliadoul, Lavian, Alicia, Reis Male PCs: Ramza, Mustadio, Rapha, Marach, Cidolfus, Ladd, Beowulf, Cloud, Luso, Balthier Nonbinary or ambiguous PCs: Construct 8, Byblos, Boco Female Guest PCs: Alma, Ovelia Male Guest PCs: Orran, Goffard, Delita, Argath

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (2003) - 29%

2:5:0/6 including secret PCs, 4:9:0/6 or 31%

There are seven characters acquired automatically over the story, and six ‘secret characters’ who can be randomly recruited under certain conditions.

Female PCs: Ritz, Shara Female Secret PCs: Eldena, Littlevili Male PCs: Marche, Montblanc, Ezel, Babus, Cid Male Secret PCs: Lini, Cheney, Pallanza, Quin

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (2007) - 33%

3:6/6

Female PCs: Adelle, Penelo, Frimelde Male PCs: Luso, Hurdy, Cid, Vaan, Al-Cid, Montblanc

Final Fantasy VIII (1999) - 50%

0:1:0|1 + 3:2:0|2 (main party) plus 0:3:0|3 (interlude party) and 1:1:0 guests, overall 4:7:0 36%

There is a main party; you must use Squall, and you can pick two of five other characters to fill the remaining slots. There is also a second fixed party used at occasional interludes, and two characters who briefly appear as guests.

Male protagonist: Squall Female PCs: Rinoa, Quistis, Selphie Male PCs: Zell, Irvine Male Interlude PCs: Laguna, Kiros, Ward Female Guest PCs: Edea Male Guest PCs: Seifer

Final Fantasy IX (2000) - 50%

0:1:0|1 + 3:3:1|3 plus 1:4:0 guests, total 4:8:1 or 38%

You always have Zidane in the party, and can pick the other three slots. Quina is ambiguously gendered, though it’s not clear if this is an intentional depiction of an ambiguous or nonbinary character; rather, they are apparently referred to inconsistently in different material.

Male protagonist: Zidane Female PCs: Dagger, Freya, Eiko Male PCs: Vivi, Steiner, Amarant Ungendered PCs: Quina Female Guest PCs: Beatrix Male Guest PCs: Marcus, Blank, Cinna, Cid

Final Fantasy X (2001) - 43%

3:4:0|3

Tidus always appears on the overworld, but you are free to switch him out to other characters in battle.

Male protagonist: Tidus Female PCs: Yuna, Lulu, Rikku Male PCs: Auron, Kimahri, Wakka Male Guest PCs: Seymour

Final Fantasy X-2 (2003) - 100%

3:0:0|3

Party remains the same throughout. The first Final Fantasy where you do not have to play any men at all, but it’s kind of infamous for being super male-gazey.

Female PCs: Yuna, Rikku, Paine

Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission (2003) - 100%

3:0:0|3

Female PCs: Yuna, Rikku, Paine

Final Fantasy XI (2002) - N/A

An MMORPG, with complete character customisation.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (2003) - N/A

A game with complete character customisation.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (2007) - 25%

1:3:0|4

Female PCs: Meeth Male PCs: Yuri, Alhanalem, Gnash

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (2009) - 25%

4:4:1|?

Mercenaries can be recruited, but it’s not clear how many can accompany you. The player character is customisable.

Customisable Protagonist Female PCs: Aline, Elen Dok, Koo El, Uruha Male PCs: Amenhart, Del Dee, Gerald, Rid Dek

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (2008) - 0%

0:1:0|1

Male Protagonist: Leo

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord (2009) - 100%

1:0:0|1

Female Protagonist: Mira

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (2009) - 0%

0:1:0|1

Male Protagonist: Layle

Final Fantasy XII (2006) - 50%

3:3:0|3 plus guests 0:4:0 for total 3:7:0 or 30%

No main character. I assume that means you have free choice of your party.

Female PCs: Penelo, Fran, Ashe Male PCs: Vaan, Balthier, Basch Male Guest PCs: Reks, Larsa, Vossler, Reddas

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (2007) - 56%

4:5:0|5

Female PCs: Penelo, Fran, Kytes, Fylo, Ashe Male PCs: Vaan, Llyud, Balthier, Basch Male Guest PCs: Ba’Gamman

Final Fantasy XIII (2009) - 50%

3:3:0|3 plus guests 1:1:0 for total 4:4:0 or 50%

Although party-based, you only control one character. For a portion of the game, this character and your allies are not up for choice. Although Lightning is the protagonist, you are not required to have her in the party.

Female Protagonist: Lightning Female PCs: Vanille, Fang Male PCs: Snow, Sazh, Hope Female Guest PCs: Lebrot Male Guest PCs: Gadot

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (2011) - 50%

1:1:0|2 plus guest 1:0:0 and DLC character 0:1:0 for total 2:2:0 or 50%

Female Protagonist: Serah Male Deuteragonist: Noel Female Guest PC: Lightning Male DLC PC: Sazh

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (2013) - 100%

1:0:0|1

Lightning is the only playable character.

Female Protagonist: Lightning

Final Fantasy Type-0 (2011) - 50%

7:7:0/3

Loosely in continuity with the XIII series.

Female PCs: Deuce, Cater, Cinque, Sice, Seven, Queen, Rem Male PCs: Ace, Trey, Eight, Nine, Jack, King, Machina

Final Fantasy Agito (2014) - N/A

Multiplayer game with full character customisation. Loosely in continuity with the XIII series.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (2009) - 50%

2:2:0|4

Fixed party.

Female PCs: Yunita, Aire Male PCs: Brandt, Jusqua

Bravely Default (2012) - 50%

2:2:0|4

Although not titled Final Fantasy, this is a sequel to FF:T4HoL and apparently FF enough to go on the FF wiki.

Female PCs: Agnès, Edea Male PCs: Tiz, Ringabel

Bravely Second: End Layer (2015) - 50%

2:2:0|4

The sequel to Bravely Default.

Female PCs: Magnolia, Edea Male PCs: Yew, Tiz

Final Fantasy XIV (2010) - N/A

An MMO with full character customisation.

Final Fantasy Dimensions (2010) - 38%

1:3:0|4 + 2:2:0|4 plus guests 4:7:0 for total 7:12:0 or 37%

There are two parties, the Warriors of Light and Warriors of Darkness.

Female PCs (light): Sarah Male PCs (light): Sol, Aigis, Dusk Female PCs (darkness): Diana, Alba Male PCs (darkness): Nacht, Glaive Female Guest PCs: Barbara, Argy, Matoya, Sophia Male Guest PCs: Elgo, Gramps, Eduardo, Graham, Gawain, Jinnai, The Mask

Final Fantasy Dimensions II (2016) - 56%

5:5:1|3

The wiki information is somewhat unclear as to which of these characters are available throughout the game, and which (if any) are guests. Some characters also lack articles.

Female PCs: Aemo, Maina, Jornee, Chronos, Mist Male PCs: Morrow, Wrieg, Mootie, Parai, the Deathlord Nonbinary PCs: Atomos

Final Fantasy Explorers (2014) - N/A

Multiplayer game with full character customisation.

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (2015) - 33%

3:6:0|5

Female PCs: Fina, Lid, Sakura Male PCs: Rain, Lasswell, Nichol, Jake, Veritas, Raegen

Final Fantasy XV (2016) - 0%

0:4:0|4 plus guests 2:1:0 for a total 2:5:0 or 29%

It’s all boys! Initially, the three other party members couldn’t be controlled, but character switching was patched in as of December 2017.

Male Protagonist: Noctis Male PCs: Ignis, Gladiolus, Prompto Female Guest PCs: Aranea, Iris Male Guest PCs: Cor

A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy XV (2016) - 0%

0:1:0|1

Side-scrolling brawler. One playable protagonist.

Male Protagonist: Regis

Mobius Final Fantasy (2016) - 66%

2:1:0|1

Female PCs: Meia, Sarah Male PCs: Wol

World of Final Fantasy (2016) - 50%

1:1:0|2

Numerous summonable characters from other games that I’m not going to count because this is silly already.

Female PCs: Reynn Male PCs: Lann

Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire (2017) - N/A

Multiplayer game with full character customisation.

[superthatguy62]

Desch & Alus Restor: Amano | 3D Remake/Yoshida | Manga

[strechanadi]

Paris Opéra ballet Swan lake - when it’s not about Odette

So I assume you were all too shy to ask, but you actually desperately want to read my review on POB Swan lake, right?

So ... Here it is!

(And as always - I’m sorry for that English grammar I murdered once again. I truly am.)

(Yes, they pay me for this.)

Paris Opéra ballet Swan lake - when it’s not about Odette

It’s December. And for almost every ballet company in the world it means annual Nutcracker madness. Not for Paris Opera. French most prestigious scene chooses for every christmas season another big classic and this year it was time of the most iconic piece - Swan lake, returning on stage of Opéra Bastille after just year and a half, and being broadcast live on December 8th in various cinemas in France, Germany, Austria or Belgium. Czech spectators could watch the record in local cinemas on 17/12 and 18/12.

Big classics in ballet world mean ballets by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. And for Paris Opera pieces by these two masters mean choreographies by Rudolf Nureyev, who was also director of the company between 1983 - 1989. He made his first version of Swan lake in 1964 for Viena Staatsballet, where he danced the premiere himself with Margot Fonteyn and after the performace they recieved record 89 curtain calls. Paris version was born 20 years later in 1984 and its psychological aspect follows Swan lakes by John Cranko (1967) or John Neumeier (1976).

Distinctive storytelling

Nureyev was not just extraordinary and non conventional dancer, he was equally exceptional as choreographer and storyteller. He brought the prince into focus and made him true main character of the ballet. He added two solo variations for him in Act 1 (first on music of pas d’action, the second, slow one on andante sostenuto, which is in the original Tchaikovsky score situated right before Pas de trois, and which has been commonly cut out) and also returned his variation into Act 2 (right after Big swans pas de quatre). But more importantly he intensified prince’s character.

Siegfried in Nureyev’s concept is not an ordinary dreamer, his absent-mindeness and daydreaming are significant, almost symptomatic for him. The real world with its obligations, responsibilities and conventions, he could learn but never truly understand, is unfriendly place for a young man like him - in short Nureyev made his prince suffer with one of the autistic spectrum disorder.

Such prince needs tutor or mentor more than ever to help him better understand the complexity of court’s life. The tutor is Wolfgang, mysterious, enigmatic man, whose relationship with Siegfried is strange, a bit unclear, but unquestionably strong with as many interpretations of it as casts. Second act gives another perspective on said character, changing Wolfgang into Rothbart, magical creature who has unlimited power over Odette. Considering prince’s personality, the idea of all swans’ acts taking place solely in Siegfried’s fantasies and dreams basically suggest itself (as even Nureyev indicates). The white swan then represents not only the idea of pure love, but she is also reflecting prince alone, for her existence depends on Rothbart just as Siegfried’s depends on Wolfgang.

Act 3 is the most ambiguous. Reality with Siegfried on his own engagement party blends in with prince’s own inner world, where he is trying to hide, and where’s Odile - embodiment of sensuality and attraction (so she’s more like an addition to romantic Odette than her opposite). However even in his own dreams Siegfried is not left alone with object of his desires. The famous so called black pas de deux becomes a masterly pas de trois thanks to constantly present Rothbart.

There are two decisive moments in last Act. The first one is Odette and Siegfried’s duet (music for pas de six formerly from Act 3) with lots of synchronal dance passages and repeated steps, that are danced by both dancers who are constantly changing their place in pair (sorry, this sounds really stupid, but this is what I was talking about and couldn’t translate to English…), so Odette and Siegfried are blending in with each other even more. And then there is final Siegfried’s confrontation with Rothbart, that is referring to Siegfried’s duet with Wolfgang from the end of Act 1. At the very end they even literally repeat some parts of it, which could be an explanation and answer to some of spectators’ questions or on the contrary it could provoke new speculations on the true nature of Wolfgang/Rothbart and his relationship with Siegfried.

The dreamy, kind of blurred atmosphere is supported by faded pastel or light earthy colour costumes (Franca Squarciapino) and very minimalistic, yet expressive decors and stage design (Ezio Frigerio), that mainly in Act 1 complete the picture of stern, hostile world in which Siegfried feels like a prisoner.

Artistic approaches

From what was written is clear, that this Swan lake depends even more than any other on its interprets.

One of the most emblematic princes of Paris Opera is Mathieu Ganio, étoile of the company. And watching him on stage you fully understand why. If there should be just two words describing his performance, it would be honesty and genuineness, because the way he more lives than acts his part is simply disarming. He portrays his prince with remarkable nuances. He is able to act as an aristocrat, to play his part in social interactions, if it’s needed. But then there are moments he could be his true self (and it is not just by coincidence there is always Wolfgang with him) and his immense fragility, mental confusion and insecurity are evident. His ineffable tenderness and open fascination with white swan is almost touching and makes sharp contrast to his confidence and dominance in Act 3 where he would like and tries to catch up with Odile, who arouses his desires, but by her constant escaping and refusing him, also provokes his resentment and anger, very unique emotions in Siegfried’s character. The end of Act 3, while he’s trying to deal with the discovered truth about Odile, almost matches Giselle’s mad scene from the first act of said ballet in its unaffected harshness. Speaking of his dancing - Ganio could demonstrate his unquestionable talent for dreamy adagio variations full of emotions, his refined arabesques as well as soft and at the same time French precise pas de chats  and especially his extraordinary sense of music and Nureyev’s choreography. His Siegfried’s variation from the end of Act 1 is one one of the most poetic moments not just of this particular Swan lake.

The dual role of Odette and Odile was danced by étoile Amandnine Albisson. There are some truly remarkable musical moments in her dancing, she intuitively follows all rythmical accents and reacts on any change of music. However, she’s no exceptional interpret otherwise, besides her artistic and acting choices aren’t always compatibile with Ganio. As an untouchable, unattainable Odette she maybe seems too reserved, too distant, but her lack of swan like arms and pliant, flexible back required are the biggest issues. Her Odile then is more winsome, enchanting than demonic and disdainful, however although the role of femme fatale suits Albisson better, there’s still some kind of spark and individuality lacking.

The real main couple

While Albisson/Ganio couple is not completely flawless, missing its magic and better chemistry between the two of them, the couple Ganio’s Siegfried makes with François Alu’s Wolfgang strongly stands out. Their relationship makes you shivers sometimes, but it’s their remarkable duets, full of meaningful gestures and looks, that can break your heart (wait a minute - this is something I wanted to delete before sending to editors! Well… shit.), that are the most intense. They are full of contrasts. Where Ganio is elegant and melancholic, Alu is energetic and forceful. While Ganio’s Siegfried is embodiment of artlessly innocent devotion and pure, almost childlike, naive gullibility, Alu’s Wolfgang is uncompromisingly dominant, darkly authoritative and very well aware of his power over young prince. And he doesn’t hesitate and just brazenly taking advantage of it. Francois Alu makes his Wolfgang not very layered character, even as prince’s tutor, he’s more like Rothbart, flamboyant villain, who hides his intentions behind fake joviality, that Siegfried is almost unable to expose. His mockery and self-satisfaction visible in his eyes every time prince looks at him with explicitly sincere devoutness, is completed by powerful dancing, that literally explodes in Rothbart’s variation in Act 3. But maybe he could slightly slow down and concentrate more on the duality of his character. Or characters?

The famous Act 1 Pas de trois was danced by three talented first soloist Leonore Baulac, Hannah O’Neill and Germain Louvet (AN Louvet and Baulac were named étoiles on 28th and 31st of December after their performance as Siegfried and Odette/Odile). Valentine Colasante and Arthus Raveau caught viewers’ attention in Act 3 as one of the two pairs in Spanish dance.

Endless inventiveness

Nureyev choreographies use the traditional classical steps, but are famous for its distinctive style and difficulty not for the soloists only, but for the whole ensemble. The corps de ballet is the fourth main role in this Swan lake. Act 1 is prove of Nureyev’s genius in corps de ballet dances and is crowned by masterly, all men polonaise (Dance with cups traditionally). In Act 2 he sticks with iconic Ivanov’s choreography (or with what we use to think is Ivanov’s choreography), but even here he is able to find his own way how to play with it. Dances of swans are full of nuances, full of different details, any two succesive steps are not completely the same, there’s always at least slight change in port de bras, in tilt of head, in the direction of look, and that makes the whole picture even more textured and vivid. In Act 4 he left typical swan port de bras behind and the dancers, moving across the stage in canon, are giving impression not so much of birds but more of slowly growing waves of heavy seas.  

People are use to watch Swan lakes because of the swan dual role and mainly the ballerinas dancing them. In case of Nureyev’s version, you should be interested in interprets of main male roles. Because they are the ones who truly matters. Don’t let yourself be confused by Odette/Odile on top of casting list.

[itsshaylablogs]

WEEK THREE

Exercise One: Reflect on first three topics of the course

Blog task 1

Group work, e.g

How well is your group working? Are you happy with your contribution to the group and what might you try to do more/less of with your group in the future.

 I think out group works and communicates well together as we all get alone well with one another. My contribution to the group could definitely be better in terms of being more involved within our group activities, I could try do more of sharing own personal opinions. 

Values, e.g

If you are re-imagining the future world through your creative work, what values will underpin your creative practice?  Do you feel you've identified these? Are they enough to guide your work?

One thing I value is a tidy environment, as earlier in my work I showed an image of the overflowing rubbish bins within the city, a clean and tidy environment is important. This also relates to the traffic, I value a clean surroundings and cars and rubbish both pollute the environment in their own way. Another thing I value is the art presented in wellington, all thought out the city you can see large murals and street up spanning across buildings. Continuing with valuing art, another thing supporting this is the cities artistic structure displays. The structures really show how creative the city is, which is something a really value. 

Ethics, e.g

Do you feel confident identifying ethical and unethical creative practices? Would you be able to undertake your own ethical investigation?

Yes because I have read the Kaupapa Maori and MU Principles, which has given me the understanding and confidence with identifying ethical and unethical creative practices, and would feel reasonably conformable to undertake my own ethical investigation. 

Exercise Two: How do we live creative work?

Blog Task 2 

1. Atmosphere: Reputation

The techno club Berghain gained a lot of attention from the media, it was labelled “the best techno club in the world” by many voices ranging from the New York Times to DJ Mag. Also grabbing attention from journalist, as one writes “Berghain is notorious for its countless stories of drugs, X-rated sexual encounters and mind-blowing industrial techno” And also how Berghain at night transforms into a mecca for ravers, the holy grail of electronic beats, the motherland of unconformity and a haven where outlandish sexual fantasies come true. DJ Mag writes about the club as the “most pure, epic and stripped- back rave environment you ever will encounter.” Hearing all the outrageous remarks about the Berghain has made people curious and grab their attention. The Berghain reputation is known to be very exclusive by having a strict dress code, not allowing everyone to enter (even turning away celebrities), and a policy of no photography taken inside the club.  This has caused a mysterious feel for those who have never been inside the techno club.

2. Atmosphere: Sound 

The sound of techno music first emerged from historic event within Germany “of the fall of the wall,” when empty spaces in the former death strip were used for illegal parties, driven by people’s euphoria. Not official speeches and political initiatives but rather techno music and the rave is said to have united the divided nation as the “sound of the family” when people from the East and West were dancing together without valuing each other’s appearance, background and socialization.  Techno music has been described by the Rolling Stone, “[Berlin] was politically aligned with the left; it had a very militant character, which expressed itself in a very aggressive, minimalist raw form of techno... It’s a fuck- off to the rigid capitalist version of time .... it’s the experience that matters.”

3. Atmosphere: Controlive

The Berghain can be found to have a controlling system from some stand points. The issue has been raised within the media, from the clubs unpredictable door policies, of rejecting people many people which is considered as a way of being controlive and mystification. It is believed by popular writers, discern in the policy a democratic idea that chimes with the Berlin spirit by not respecting any celebrities but turning them away. Which has lead to negative attention, as one writers says “Finally making it to the start of the line, I had the honour (or should I say displeasure) of Marquardt [the chief bouncer] giving me a millisecond of a glance and giving me a quick ‘nein’. Tonight wasn’t the night to grace Berghain with my presence, or perhaps it didn’t want a piece of me at all, ever.” However those allowed inside are required to observe style codes that often include dark casual clothes, boots and, in some cases, leather fetish outfits, which can be seen as another power/control issue with the Berghain.

4. Atmosphere: Architecture 

Berghian is structural built from traidition of a city with history from post-war depression, inflantation and poverty. They bring back that feeling or memory of the 1930s sulpture, portrayed by Christopher Isherwood as having the atmosphere of a bohe mian city in a world on the very brink of ruin. (shabby, dirty, crowned, comsuption of sex, alcohol and fulilment.) The internal room structure of Berghian has some small and intimate spaces, as well as these massive spaces which is described by architects as “architecture of enabling”. Other key elements to the interrior of the building is its raw industrial style of the 18-m-high turbine hallway. People will go up the stair case to be met with a massive dance floor and for which another staircase leads to Panoramabar.

[galacticsoupradio]

Galactic Soup Playlist for February 15, 2017.

Nobuo Uematsu- Opening “Bombing Mission” - Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack

 Kuroma – Lucky Man [3] – The Dark Horse Rides Again***

Smokey Brights – In Demand [1]- Hot Candy***

The Oh Sees – You Will Find It Here [1] – An Odd Entrances***

Honus Honus – Midnight Caller [4] – Use Your Delusion***

My Sister’s Gramophone – Are You Alright [1] – Lust x Heartbrake2***

Mozes And The first Born – Crybaby [3] – Great Pile Of Nothing***

Pixies – Head Carrier [1] -  Head Carrier

Behave! – Behave! [4] – Like A Fool***

Shonen Knife – Shopping [5] – Overdrive

Feral Ohms – Teenage God Born To Die [3] – Live In San Francisco***

Useless Eaters – Addicted To The Blade [3] – Hypertension

Alu - Mrs. Hypochondriac [ 2]-  Mrs. Hypochondriac***

Once & Future Band – How Does It Make You Feel [1] - Once & Future Band***

Honeyblood – Ready For The Magic [3] – Babes Never Die***

Shana Falana – Cool Kids [2] – Here Comes The Wave***

Saro – Flora [3] – In loving Memory***

Pop ETC. – Please, Don’t Forget Me [1] – Souvenir

Rooney – My Heart Beats 4 U –

Maren Parusel – I’m ready [11]– Tightrope Walker

Persephone’s Bees -  City Of Love [3] – Notes From The Underworld

The Januaries – Love Has Flown  [6] – The Januaries

Clap Your hands Say Yeah! – Coming Down [3] – Only Run

Beyond The wizards Sleeve – Creation [3] – The Soft Bounce

[superthatguy62]

Final Fantasy III Perfect Guide Volume 1 - Locations Part 3: Amur - Falgabard

This is part 3 of a series looking at the Final Fantasy III Perfect Guide, specifically the location descriptions in the guide, via Google Lens and Google Translate/DeepL.

This covers all of the Surface World towns including the Invincible.

水に囲まれた美しい村は水のクリスタルを守る村

アムルは水のクリスタルの神殿近くに あり、近代的な下水道が発達している街 である。かつて近海を荒し回ったバイキ ングが、クリスタルの啓示を受け、水の けいじ クリスタルを守るために造ったといわれ ている。陸に上がった彼らは、陸での戦 闘のため、素早さを鍛えシーフへ、体力 を蓄え空手家へと変ぼうしていった。

A beautiful village surrounded by water, a village that protects the Water Crystal

Amuru is located near the Temple of the Water Crystal, and is a town with a modern sewer system. It is said that the Vikings, who once ravaged the nearby seas, received a revelation from the crystal and built it to protect the Water Crystal. After coming onto land, they trained their speed to become thieves and their stamina to become karate masters in order to fight on land.

Very interesting: Amur was settled by Vikings and both Thieves and Monks/Masters are derived from Vikings. The mention of a "revelation" from the Water Crystal is also interesting.

But if Amur was specifically designed to protect the Water Crystal, does that mean that, even if they don't actually live there, Aria and the Maidens of Water...

サロニアの4つ目の街を築いた竜騎士一族

ちょう しょう 世界最大の都市サロニアは、文化の象 徴の図書館がある街、ナイト系民族の 街、魔剣士系民族の街の、3つに分かれ ていた。しかし、年々魔剣士一族は追放 により減少し、ナイト系の人だけが住み つくようになった。その中の1つ、 その中の1つ、南西 の街は工業都市。工場で働く人々のため に、酒場も経営されている。

The Dragon Knight Clan that built the fourth city of Saronia

Saronia, the largest city in the world, was divided into three parts: a city with a library of cultural symbols, a city of the knightly race, and a city of the mage race. However, over the years, the number of mage clans has dwindled due to exile, and only those of knightly descent have settled in the city. One of them, the city in the southwest, is an industrial city. A tavern is also operated for the factory workers.

So, the Southwestern city of Saronia was intended to be an industrial city.

The mention of the cities is a nod to the recurring mentions throughout the book that the Dark Knights ("mages" as DeepL calls them) initially served the Saronia royal family before being banished out of paranoia.

サロニア戦争の時、この国を救った竜 。その中の12年 騎士一族が館を建て、もう1つの街を築 工場で働く人がきあげた。それがここ、サロニア南東の 街で、この時に現在の4つの街になった。

この街の建物は、サロニアの人々の住宅 がほとんどで、お店は「軒もない。また、 街の中心には竜騎士の塔があるが、今は モンスターが出るため誰も近付かない。

During the Saronia War, the dragon saved this country. During the 12th year of that war, the knight clan built a mansion, and another town was built by factory workers. This is the town in southeast Saronia, and at that time it became the current four towns.

Most of the buildings in this town are residences of the Salonian people, and there are "no stores. There is also a tower of the dragon knight in the center of the town, but no one goes near it now because of the monsters that appear there.

(I may need to go back and make sure Lens caught this one correctly)

Some background on the fourth city of Saronia. The "Knight Clan" mentioned may be referring to the Dragoons rather than the Knights that served opposite the Dark Knights. That's my assertion given the title of this section + the Knights already having a town prior to the Dragoons/Dragon Knights' arrival.

The mention of a "mansion" (RD notes that it's "kan", which can mean "house; hall; building") calls to mind how the Dragon Spire used the standard Saronia building tiles in the Famicom version.

サロニア文化の象徴の図書館と商業都市

サロニアの北西の街には、古代人の遺 産で文化の象徴である図書館がある。こ の図書館にはたくさんの本があり、各国 の歴史が記されたもの、古代人のことが 記されたものなど、その種類は膨大。 の人も、この大きな図書館を経営す。 とで生活しているが、現在は、王の よりここの図書館は閉鎖されている。

A library and commercial city, a symbol of Saronia culture

In the northwestern city of Saronia, there is a library, a legacy of the ancients and a symbol of their culture. The library has a large number of books, some on the history of different countries, some on ancient peoples, and many others on the history of other countries. The people of the Northwest also manage this large library. The library is now closed by the king.

Not much to say. The Northwestern city was known for its library.

ニア北東の街は、川が流れる美し ある。ここは北東の街の商業都市 西の街とともにサロニア経済の中 なっいてる。街にはいろいろな店 のきが軒を連らね、人々の生活に必要なもの は、すべてこの街で調達できるといわれ ているほどである。人々は活気にあふれ、 その生活も潤っていたのだが･･･。

The northeastern city of Saronia is a beautiful place with a river flowing through it. This is the commercial center of the northeastern city, and together with the city to the west, it is the center of the Salonian economy. The city is lined with a variety of stores, and it is said that everything people need for their daily lives can be found here. The people were vibrant and their lives were prosperous…

広大なけにニア大陸を治める王家ゴーンの城

最も歴史の古い王家ゴーンの居城とし て有名なサロニア城。サロニア大陸とい う、広大な領土の中心部として栄えてい る。古代遺跡の発掘に熱心に取りくみ、 数多くの調査隊を派遣。遺跡から発担 れたものはサロニア城で研究をしてい エンジニアたちによって修復され、再 用されている。

The castle of the royal family Gorn, who rule over the vast continent of Saronia

Saronian Castle is famous for being the residence of the oldest royal family, the Gorn. It flourished as the center of the vast territory of Saronia. The city has been enthusiastically engaged in the excavation of ancient ruins and has dispatched numerous research teams to the site. The remains have been restored and reused by the engineers working at the Saronian Castle.

Nope, that's not an error or anything: I looked at Romajidesu and it seems that the royal family of Saronia is named "Gorn".

I guess "Restor" was Alus' mother's name? I dunno.

世界最速の飛空艇ノーチラスの技術スタッフ

サロニアでは、古代遺跡の発掘に力を入れて おり、数多くの調査隊を現地に派遣している。 その遺跡で発見された空飛ぶ船、ノーチラスは、 サロニアの優秀なエンジニアたちの手によって 修復された。飛行を前提として設計された、流 線型のフォルムで、圧倒的なスピードを誇る。

いわば、古代のオーバーテクノロジーと、サロ ニアの技術との結晶なのだ。

Technical Staff of the Nautilus, the World's Fastest Airship

Salonia is focusing on excavating ancient ruins, and has sent numerous research teams to the site. The Nautilus, a flying ship discovered in the ruins, was restored by Salonia's excellent engineers. Designed for flight, it has a streamlined form and boasts overwhelming speed.

It is, so to speak, the culmination of ancient over-technology and Salonia's technology.

Self-explanatory. It should be noted that the 3D remake has a translation error regarding the Nautilus, as the translator didn't seem to catch that the ancient ruins were an actual location.

「サロニアの若き王・アルス

サロニアはこの世界で最も長く1つの王家に よって継続的に統治されている国家だ。その��� 曲は圧倒的な強さを誇るサロニアの王宮直属の 軍隊の力にもよるだろうが、それ以上に王家で あるゴーン家の歴代の王の人柄によるところが 大きい。サロニアの若き王、アルスも実の父 である前国王の教えを忠実に守り、平和な国家 いそ 作りに日々勤しんでいる。

"Ars, the Young King of Saronia

Saronia is the longest-running nation in the world that has been continuously ruled by a single royal family. This is due in part to the overwhelming strength of the military directly under the royal palace of Saronia, but even more so to the personalities of the successive kings of the royal Gorn family. Saronia's young king, Ars, also faithfully follows the teachings of his real father, the previous king, and works hard every day to build a peaceful nation.

The remake would make illusions to Saronia's military past in-game.

「異変のナンを知る2人の魔道師

サロニア城には、いくつかの部屋があり、そ このひとつには2人の魔道師がいる。この2人 「は非常な高齢で、しかもかなりレベルの高い魔 「顔。それだけに世界の異変の謎の糸口も知っ 「ている。それはダルグ大陸にあると彼らはいう。 「ダルグ大陸はサロニアの南南西。世界最速の飛 「瀬ノーチラスならば、アッという間の距離だ。 「また、新たなる冒険が始まる。

Two magicians who know what's happening in the world

There are several rooms in Saronia Castle, and in one of them there are two magicians. These two are very old and have a high level of magic. That's why they know the clue to the mystery of the strange happenings in the world. They say it's on the continent of Darg. The continent of Darg is south-southwest of Saronia. If you fly the Nautilus, the fastest plane in the world, it's a quick distance. And a new adventure begins.

This is referring to the two mages who inform the party of Doga's manor. They're some of the few NPCs to actually directly reference Noah's apprentices, so it's not a surprise they got spotlighted here.

サロニア大陸北部に位置する、召喚魔法の村

しょうかん サロニア大陸北部に、ひっそりとたた ずむ村、レプリト。ここは召喚魔法を操 る人々が暮らす、最北の地だ。村の西部 を流れるリバイア川では年1回召喚祭が にぎ 行われ、かなりの賑わいをみせて 今では受け継ぐ者もなく、中止さ る。ちなみに、レプリトは湿地農 の地でもあり、農作物が豊富であ

A village of summoning magic in the northern part of the continent of Saronia. Replito is a quiet village located in the northern part of the continent of Saronia. This is the northernmost place where people who use summoning magic live. A summoning festival is held once a year on the Levia River that flows in the western part of the village. It was a very lively festival, but now there is no one to take over and it has been canceled. By the way, Replito is also a land of wetland agriculture, and agricultural products are abundant.

The "river" mentioned isn't in the village map itself, but can clearly be seen on the world map.

吟遊詩人と風水師の住む、小さな孤島ダスター

ぎんゆうしじん ここダスターは、吟遊詩人と風水師の 住む街。サロニア南南東に位置する、小 さな小さな孤島である。召喚魔法の村レ プリトとは姉妹都市で、固い友好関係で しょうかん うた 結ばれていることでも有名。毎年こ 開かれる詩のコンテストには、多く 光客が集まり、吟遊詩人の奏でる読 に人気が高い。 ぎんゆうしじんかな う

Duster, a small isolated island where bards and geomancers live

Duster is a town where bards and geomancers live. It is a small isolated island located south-southeast of Saronia. It is also famous for being sister cities of Leprito, a village of summoning magic, and having a strong friendship with it. A poetry contest is held every year, attracting many visitors, and the bards' recitations are very popular.

Duster gave similar vibes as Replito, so them being sister-cities isn't too farfetched. Unlike the Replito festivals, the poetry contests seem to still be going.

ょこまかと歩いている。 にコウモリの翼をつけたように見える。この ガと8匹のモーグリたちが住んでいて、 C、中に 施設がある。そこで、モーグリたちは仕えて 大なる大魔道師、ドーガのために―――。

モーグリは草食性の哺乳類。背中の翼は、浮 遊中に方向を変えるためのものだ。空を飛ぶ時 は、多量の空気を吸い込み、体をふくらませて 浮かぶ。洞窟を好み、コウモリと仲よしだ。

Walking around, it looks like it has bat wings on its body. This Moogle and eight other Moogles live in a facility inside. There, the Moogles serve the great archmage, Doga. Moogles are herbivorous mammals. The wings on their backs are for changing direction while floating. When flying, they take in a lot of air and inflate their bodies to float. They like caves and are good friends with bats.

Doga's Manor didn't have too much of interest, but it has a section on Moogles, which is fun.

だいまどうし 大魔道師ドーガが作り上げた古代魔法の村

だいまどうし 大魔道師ドーガの村。ドーガが古代よ り呼び起こした魔法を売っている、いわ ゆる魔法のノミ市的存在。売っている者 たちは皆、ドーガのもとで修行した弟子 たちで、それぞれが修得した魔法を個人 販売している。ここでは時はゆるやかに 流れ、まるで何者かが訪れるのを待ち続 けているようにも思える。

Daimadoshi: A village of ancient magic created by the great mage Doga

Daimadoshi: The village of the great mage Doga. It is like a magic flea market, selling magic that Doga has summoned from ancient times. All the sellers are apprentices who trained under Doga, and each sells the magic they have mastered. Time flows slowly here, as if they are waiting for someone to visit.

To explain/remind about magic: According to the guide, Magic from level 5 onwards (implicitly Level 6 for the remake) was the result of refinement during the Sasune-Saronia War, which resulted in the polarization of magic. Doga and his apprentices appear to have been studying the magic and have set up a sort of market to sell the spells they no longer need.

はるか古代の秘宝が眠る世界最大の大遺跡

サロニア大陸の西南西、険しい谷の中 腹にある古代遺跡。ここには古代より受 け継がれた多くの秘密が眠るといわれて いる。そのためサロニア城から派遣され はけん た学者たちは、日夜調査に明けくれ、中 継所まで設置するほどの入れ込みよう一 ある。また、ここには古代文明が生みに した最大の発明ともいわれる物も･･･。

The world's largest ruins where ancient treasures lie

An ancient ruin located in the middle of a steep valley in the southwest of the Saronia continent. It is said that many secrets inherited from ancient times lie here. For this reason, scholars dispatched from Saronia Castle are investigating day and night, and are so enthusiastic that they even set up a relay station. What is also said to be the greatest invention of the ancient civilization is here…

Yes, that mini camp with the Scholars got a description. Not too much here, but it's still neat.

サロニアから移り住んだ、暗黒剣を使う一族の村

魔剣士の隠れ里、ファルガバード。サ ロニアから移り住んだ、暗黒剣を使う一 族の村である。しかし、負の力を使いこ なせる者は少なく、特に魔剣士と呼ばれ る者は、わずか数名しか存在していない。 しかも、そのうちの大部分が高齢である ため、その使い手として後を継ぐことが できる者をひたすら待ち続けている。

A village of dark sword wielders who migrated from Saronia

Falgabard, a hidden village of magic sword wielders. A village of dark sword wielders who migrated from Saronia. However, there are few who can use negative powers, and there are only a few people who are called magic sword wielders. Moreover, most of them are elderly, so they are waiting for someone who can succeed them as wielders.

Interesting. It's worth noting that the Falgabard wonder in Final Fantasy Tactics describes the village as practically abandoned, although there it was implied to be due to the power of the dark blades themselves rather than the population being too aged.

ファルガバードには、その昔、 サロニアから移り住んだ暗黒剣 を使う一族が住んでいる。暗黒 剣は、暗闇の持つ恐怖を克服し た者だけが扱える剣で、魔剣士 にしか使いこなせない。ここで は、暗黒剣を極めようとするも のが修業をしているわけだが、 魔剣士と呼ばれる者は今ではご 〈少数しか存在しない。

Long ago, a clan that used the Dark Sword lived in Falgabard, who had migrated from Saronia. The Dark Sword is a sword that can only be used by those who have overcome the fear of darkness, and only magic swordsmen can use it. Those who wish to master the Dark Sword train here, but there are now very few people who can be called magic swordsmen.

Not much to say here.

古代文明のオーバーテクノロジーの頂点インビンシブル

古代文明が築き上げたオーバーテクノ ロジーの頂点である、インビンシブル。 最大にして最古、そして飛空艇の中では 唯一攻撃能力を持つ巨大戦艦である。し かも、極めて高性能の動力源を搭載して いるので、数秒間に限り通常の最大出力 の2倍近い力を発揮することが可能。こ の動力によって、山をも超えることがで きるようになった。

きぼ 々の機能が設置され ており、その規模はひとつの街なみ。魔 法屋、武器屋、防具屋、道具屋などが、 自動販売機のように、いつでも利用でき る。宿屋がわりのベッドも設備されてお り、艇内のかたすみでは、デブチョコボ まで飼われている。しかし、このような 立派な戦艦も、今では利用する者もなく、サールの どこかの地中深く眠っているらしい･･･。

Invincible, the pinnacle of overtechnology of ancient civilizations

Invincible is the pinnacle of overtechnology built by ancient civilizations. It is the largest and oldest, and the only giant battleship with offensive capabilities among airships. Moreover, it is equipped with an extremely high-performance power source, so it can exert nearly twice the normal maximum output for a few seconds. This power has made it possible to cross mountains.

It is equipped with various functions, and its scale is the same as a city. Magic shops, weapon shops, armor shops, tool shops, etc. are available at any time like vending machines. There are also beds that serve as inns, and a fat chocobo is even kept in a corner of the boat. However, such a magnificent battleship is now unused, and it seems to be sleeping deep underground somewhere in Saar…

We're not given much of a scale for the Invincible, but here it seems to be compared to a city. That could just be in terms of amenities, but the Dreadnaught from 2 (which the Invincible closely resembled initially) was pretty big and the 3D model from the Extra Collection certainly makes it out to be massive.

And that is the end of the locations. There were a few I skipped, that I'll have to go back and add and obviously I'll need to add scans, but this is at the very least a start.

Next time: Magic. This is an especially interesting topic.