#ffxiv sphene

[verrottweil]

the vibes between zoraal ja and sphene must've been so rancid over the course of 30 years. square enix casually drops the info that they shared the in-game equivalent of a penthouse suite and i just want to be a fly on the wall.

[celestefox13]

So..... can we talk about how Sphene is a foil to Shadowbringers G'raha?

Like, under slightly different circumstances, or if he started to doubt his plan having a chance at success, he could've distressingly easily become like Sphene.

He admits to how he tried everything he could think of to save the WoL on the gondola ride. And the unspoken part, that perhaps even he doesn't consciously realize or want to acknowledge, is that he did everything he could think of without violating his morals. He held onto lines he wouldn't cross.

But what if he hadn't? What if his poor heart finally broke and he decided the means were justified if it meant saving the one person he wanted to save?

Or what if Emet got to him and figured him out sooner and managed to get the idea in his head that an umbral calamity would be a small price to pay if it meant saving the WoL?

The scale is arguably smaller, and much more intimate and close to the heart, than Sphene, but the steps to lead to that alternate timeline where our precious G'raha Tia burns the world and beyond if it means saving us was probably a lot closer than we ever dare consider.

The fact that he managed to endure and save everything that he did while going through all of the research about what leads up to the WoL's death in the world he woke up to, and didn't lose his morals in the pursuit of saving the WoL is an impressive display of mental and emotional fortitude.

But his poor heart. All those years of stress and frustration whenever a wall was hit, or an idea didn't work out when applied even in theory.

Their desperation levels even reach similar points. Because on every try to pull the WoL to the First, there IS desperation in his voice, increasingly so with each attempt. The try that finally works, he rushes to where they land because he has to be sure. He has to see with his own eyes to confirm that this plan that he finally landed on after YEARS of hard work and research is at least working on step 1. That he's finally gained a foothold on his goal.

And what a blessing that that plan didn't end up like Sphene's. That he never hit a point where the thought of "by any means necessary" truly meant by ANY means necessary. But now I wonder and worry about how close he may have been to that edge.

"This tragedy, even greater than the Seventh Umbral Calamity, must be undone. If history must be unwritten, let it be unwritten." - G'raha Tia about his goal to save the WoL

"For them I will do anything. If bloodshed will save my subjects, I will become history's most brutal Queen." - Sphene about her goal to save the Endless

[mageintime]

[DT MSQ] You ever get so tilted about a character's terrible dress that you take matters into your own hands?

[trashasaurusrex]

A mysterious woman

[picaroroboto]

If it will make you happy, I will run the EXECUTION though we are trapped, we are trapped, in this strange strange simulation world.execute(me);

[dxhn]

gummy dawntrailers ☀️

[funscaith]

Q̵̡̢̧̢̢̡̡͖̞͉̙͔̖̹̠̝̋̂͋̈͗̄́́̇͒̏́̕͝ͅU̸͚̰̽̓̓͆͒̊̿̿̉͝Ë̶̢̗̘͎̬͎̣̖́̀̑̓͂̋̽̈́̈́̔̍͂͘͝͝Ę̸̠̯̠̺̫͚͖̣̮̌́̄̈́̓̔̌̈̚͠Ń̵̢͔̮̮͉̮̻̟̞͓̝̼̣̘͕̌̊̄͒̎̚̕͘͠ ̶̫̉̑́͆̍͌͌̈́͗̕E̵̢̢͇̯̮̩̤̬͒͋̐̑͝T̸̨̩̝̯̭̬̱̼̬̮̫̞̮̉̎̐͂̑̏̈͋̌̈́̿̇͐̕͝͝ͅE̶͎̳͓̫̎̅̒͜R̸̢̢͎͎̰̒̓̈́̅͑͆͌̚N̴͍̭͑̊́͗̇͒̿̅͆̊̂͝A̷̢̖̱̺̪͈͒̊̈̂̾̊̅́̎͋͘̚L̵̡̛͙͈̈́͋̽̄̎̈́͑͂͠͝ͅ

[arsonway]

[capriccio-ffxiv]

Sphene: /says basically anything

Ryuu: you do realize you're not the first girl-construct created by some idiot who was so undone by existential dread they went mad, right? Not the first one so literally bound to her mission that she'll kill billions to see it out?

Ryuu: The last one decided to kill the entire universe about it. And to be honest, you're slowly headed down the same road, you just have yet to realize it. Glad we can catch you first. And we will catch you. We are the Maker's Ruin. Do you comprehend this? Or are you so bound to your programming that you can do aught else but continue?

Ryuu: The point is, if I had a pel for every time... you understand. I have two pel now.

[lilacs-and-lavenders]

I like her. She's cute. Plus my WoL's eyes match her dress kinda lol

[verrottweil]

thinking about zoraal ja and sphene attending a match in the arcadion in their early days together. they must've shared a private booth, as royalty. claustrophobic. sphene's polite chatter dying away after the umpteenth dismissal. was he callous when he pointed out the alexandrians could use feral souls? or was he pensive instead? zoraal ja pioneered the technique in the arena, so he must've interacted with the management there. he must've watched some matches at least. maybe even participated? did it kindle a spark of hope in sphene that this was the moment he recognized the alexandrians as his subjects proper, showed genuine interest?

and how much disappointment did sphene already swallow before zoraal ja eventually took all that away again?

[sappho-knight]

ff14 dawntrail criticism on wuk lamat barging in on our fight with sphene. god forbid women do anything

[mageintime]

[DT MSQ] You've let the reaper in through your front door

[starburst-bussin-bussy]

I finished Dawntrail last night, & I know it hasn't been out long, so I wanted to get these thoughts out now. Spoilers under the cut.

The entire time that I was playing through Alexandria, I was thinking about Myste, our darling little boy that wanted to help people. I was thinking about how similar the situation with Myste & Sphene were, of course what Sphene is doing is on a much MUCH larger scale, but still. Both of them wanted a world where people don't have to suffer loss, or pain, or grief, they love people so much. They also both use memories to bring the dead back, though Sphene does so by holding the person's memories of life, while Myste uses the memories of their loved ones.

I personally couldn't get my character to become emotionally attached to most of the endless, not completely. He wanted to help them let go, to finally sleep & rest, but he did not grieve for them, he did not feel guilty about their erasure. Because he's done this, maybe not with his own hands, but a part of him has done this process before, he knows how this goes, that it isn't more than a dream, unrealistic. He snapped at Sphene in one scene due to this headspace, as I imagine he's upset she didn't realize how pointless this endeavor is like he had. Though, then maybe she didn't have anyone left close to her to stop her anymore, how lonely she must have been, trying to protect everyone.

[picaroroboto]

do digital constructs dream of electric peace?

[rene-elric]

Could you have held fast to that which is dear without sacrifice