#and maybe my sechs prince lest au

[thunderberryart]

It's interesting how some of the criticisms I've seen over on r/runefactory concerning RF4's writing--specifically those surrounding Act 3--are serving as inspiration for a potential AU to explore in fanart (and maybe fanfiction as well, if I ever get around to it.)

So, you know, even as someone who adores Rune Factory 4's cast of characters and the individual character arcs everyone goes through, I am not without my criticisms of the writing. One thing I am definitely not a fan of is the fact that all three acts of the main story are essentially "save Ventuswill: Parts 1, 2, and 3." It's not that "save the Divine Dragon" is a bad plot to have, but that it never really switches up the formula enough to keep it consistently interesting across the length of RF4's story. You can easily describe the three acts of RF4's story as "Ventuswill is secretly dying! You must save her! Oh, now she's dying again! Get the Rune Spheres back from Ethelberd and save her! Surprise! She's not actually dead! Let's save her for real this time!" And because of that lack of variation, the most interesting aspects of Act 2 and Act 3, at least for me, are not saving Ventuswill, but the stuff that happens with the other characters who are involved in the plot. Arthur, who cites frequently in his dialogue how much he dislikes having been born a prince, utilizes the resources he has at his disposal to get Selphia the support it needs from the capital because as much as he may complain about his position, he knows he has a responsibility as a member of Norad's royal family and the true prince who was supposed to run Selphia. Doug, who was revealed earlier in Act 1 to actually be a spy for the Sechs with a personal vendetta against Ventuswill, feels immense guilt for having believed in a lie that ultimately hurt the people he cares about, and he actively seeks to redeem himself to the point of getting injured multiple times across Act 2. And during Act 3, we finally learn that Frey/Lest is a surviving descendant of the Earthmates who have spent literal centuries trying to find a solution to the runes in the land dying out so that Ventuswill will no longer have to rely on the sacrifices of the Guardians in order to live.

However, a post by u/KamenRiderSekai, who I believe goes by @avenger-concerto here, highlights that Act 3 does, to an extent, potentially ruin the narrative themes of Rune Factory 4's story. Even as someone who generally prefers happy endings to sad or bittersweet ones (hell, the whole reason I originally bought Rune Factory 4 Special was because I needed a more lighthearted game after the literal rain of depression that was Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights), Act 3 does feel very... out of place. A lot of RF4's themes revolve around those of loss, grief, loneliness, and self-isolation, and how you need to make the most of the time you have with those you love instead of shoving them away because life is so short. Although it was upsetting to see Ventuswill die at the end of the Act 2 despite all the crap Lest/Frey went through trying to save her, it feels... fitting, especially since Frey/Lest's ending narration solidifies that although they and the rest of the town were in mourning for some time, they resolved to move forward with their lives because all Ventuswill wanted was a bright future for her friends and for Selphia, and she was absolutely tired of people sacrificing themselves for her sake.

But Act 3 comes along and you learn that Oh, not only was Ventuswill not ready to go just yet, but we still have a chance to save Ventuswill despite the fact that she's literally dead. I get that although it has its "dark" moments, Rune Factory is overall a fairly lighthearted series, but it just seems very shoehorned in for the sake of giving players a happy ending where Ventuswill is alive and well. And when you do complete Rune Prana and save Ventuswill, there is so very little fanfare to the point that there isn't even a credits roll like the first two acts; all you get is a commemorative illustration featuring Ventuswill in her human form down in the trophy room. It makes Act 3 almost feel like one big afterthought despite the important lore it contains, especially in regards to Frey/Lest.

With all that said, KamenRiderSekai did briefly bring up an interesting, alternate concept for Act 3, one that has been gnawing at my brain off and on again since I originally first read it. Taken directly from the original reddit thread:

"A more apt arc would have been maybe the birth or succession of a new "Ventuswill", which is something I've always thought of as an alternative for years on end."

This makes so much more sense to me on so many levels. First off: Ventuswill does state during Act 1 that, when she expires, the runes her body gives off will be enough to sustain the land for another 1000 years, during which a new Native Wind Dragon will be born to play their role as she did. A new "Ventuswill" being born, possibly as a result of the influences of the Rune Spheres as well as whatever efforts the protagonist and the Guardians put in, would 100% make sense from a lore standpoint. However, it also makes sense from a thematic standpoint in regards to the franchise as a whole.

A major theme prevalent in the Rune Factory series is the cycle of life, death and rebirth. In almost every game, the protagonist loses their memories, resulting in the "death" of their past self. They wake up in a new town that takes them in, where they create a new life for themselves; eventually, they fall in love with someone, get married, and start a family with their spouse. This lines up so well with the idea that even though the old Ventuswill is gone, she is not forgotten and her spirit will live on in the new Wind Dragon who will one day guide and protect the land like their predecessor.

If I were to make this into a full blown AU, there are other things I would like to explore as well. I highlighted in a post from August about how Arthur's Another Episode reveals that Selphia's relationship with the royal family is complicated because it is not actually ruled by the king, but by Ventuswill herself, and that her death should have had more implications in terms of Selphia's political status as well as in regards to Frey/Lest and Arthur's switch... which it doesn't because a major point of RF4's gameplay is that you're in charge of Selphia and even Arthur returning to his position briefly during Act 2 doesn't affect your ability to manage the town through the Order Symbol.

There is also the matter of the Guardians; although they willingly allowed themselves to have the Etherlink spell cast on them because they wanted to save Ventuswill, all four of them had lives prior to their centuries-long slumber and with her death, it seemingly renders the sacrifices they made pointless. So, you know, there is an incredibly great potential for angst as well as character development if this becomes a "Okay, we failed to save Ventuswill, but we can speedrun the birth of the new Ventuswill" plot.

I'm sorry for the massive ramble. It is just strangely satisfying knowing that some genuinely valid criticisms of a game I adore have the potential to result in some incredibly tasty fanwork scenarios.

[dynastesdyke]

Rune Factory 4 redesign to do:

Redesign:

Lest

Frey

Arthur

Leon

Dylas

Vishnal

Clorica (?)

Dolce

Amber

Ventuswill

Refs and headcanons:

Frey

Lest

Arthur

Leon

Dolce

Amber

[lem-argentum]

the idea of an ff/xv rf4 au is really fun but i canNOT figure out which roles everyone’d have. because i think a lest-like role of “forced into acting-princehood and supposed to grow vegetables” when he hates them is really funny for noct, but also an arthur-like role of “yeah i was sent here on business but i really don’t care and i’m up for defying my dad so YOU, some stranger, can do all my princely duties instead” fits him too well to pass up. AND earthmate prom would be really cuute..

in general i think umm if prom wasn’t a protagonist he’d be like how elena is in tides of destiny, because she’s the only tinkerer-ish character i can think of? i don’t know if he’d be a blacksmith character specifically but something along those lines. i don’t THINK there are any photographer characters but i know photos DO exist so that would be a hobby of his <3 and he’d get along with monsters he’d befriend them all the time :) whether on purpose or on accident because he’s just like that <3 he comes back to town with a bunch of woolies following him n is like “uhh.. these lil guys kinda wouldn’t leave me alone, i think they’re hungry or something? so iggy if you wouldn’t mind cooking eight meals right now thennn-”

speaking of iggy i know he’d fit the butler role pretty well but i want him to do his own thing so he’d be a cook :) maybe he’d help out at the apothecary too sometimes (even though there’s not one in rf4.. apothecaries are more fun than clinics..) <3 gladio’d be a knight. simple. i.. can’t think of anything more fun for him but he’d probably be the character that teaches you about weapons n things <3

OH cindy would be a blacksmith!!! she’d be the type of character players would complain about not being romanceable but that’d actually be because she’s aroace and she’d have dialogue about it :) (your canon-game lines about being married to your work have not slipped past me cindy i know what you are.) luna would work at the flower shop (because sylleblossoms)!!! <3 maybe at a library too, since i associate her with books because of the lil pen pal book she has with noct.. maybe aranea’d be a sechs soldier who leaves after deciding she hates their goals & methods and then she’d join town and be one of the candidates and really cool an d pretty and

iris is too young to have any sort of job and gladio wouldn’t let her come on his knightly excursions but she’d hang around the restaurant with iggy a lot :> she’d totally be able to convince prom to go with her to the forests n things though, because he can’t say no to letting her explore and the way monsters ease up around him make him a safe person to be around. <3 noct would also join them sometimes and they’d both be happy about it :) <3