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brick-van-dyke · 1 year ago

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Sort of a tangent, but I was thinking of this while writing stuff for Yoru and how similar he is to Riku's journey of self discovery and acceptance, while also having the issue of self hatred. So! I have some thoughts about the canon KH cast that I wanna write down as well.

// Spoilers for pretty much the whole series below.

Riku learnt to accept himself, but he's moved backwards (imo) since DDD and gone back to that same self rejection. Esmeralda actually called him out on this big time and so did Young Xehanort, which is gonna be a huge thing going forward imo. He's started to learn from the ideology of "light=better and good", "darkness=something to be fixed and changed because it's bad" which is constantly reinforced to him by his own jealously of Sora ("he is better than me for being light and me being dark is bad") and causes him to bottle up his feelings and try to suppress his emotions. I think overall Riku has had amazing character development, but I want to see how this also changes with the next arc and, I suspect, how he'll have to address that self denial and hatred of his own feelings. This will also be a huge thing for Sora as well with his most recent development of feeling like he has to be stronger and not allow others to see his weaknesses and faults. Overall, I'm excited as hell for Quadratum and the idea that Sora and Riku will literally have to fight the walking personification of "darkness is bad and needs to change" by realising they can't hurt darkness without hurting themselves and those they love. This setup has me excited af.

Meanwhile Kairi and Ventus will likely also go on the same but different journey of realising their own fears and repression of darkness has led to them being where they are now; frozen in fear. I'll explain what I mean by that in a moment.

I think Ventus is the closest to realising that, hence his talk with Vanitas and saying they ought to choose for themselves, but he's still holding onto what Eraqus, Xehanort and the Foretellers have all taught him: darkness is evil, light is good. It's something he's started to untangle as he realises Vanitas is also a victim just like himself, but he hasn't figured out why Vanitas is the way he is and is still demanding him to change. I think even fans of the series get this confused and I think this is very purposeful on the writer's part; to view darkness as evil to be fixed, not a wound to be loved and cared for; and going even further than that; why darkness exist to begin with. We, as the audience, are also supposed to feel the same way as the protagonists at this point. We are supposed to be scared and hate the cruelties that people are capable of because of their flaws. We're supposed to think a redemption arc is someone changing from light to dark. Because that's what the protagonists believe right now. But is that really accurate to how said antagonist are supposed to heal? Is that really for the best? Looking at Riku, Sora, Kairi, Ventus and Aqua, I'm inclined to think they're all suffering under the weight of repressing their feelings and trying to be something they aren't able to; perfect instead of human.

This is more my own theory here, so I might be running off a bit beyond canon and more pure interpretation, but imo "darkness exists to protect the light" is very likely it's true purpose, in my own opinion anyway. We've had so many hints of that since Kingdom Hearts 1 and throughout the series, but Ventus himself is an embodiment of that exact thing. Why do you think his heart began to fade but Vanitas' didn't? He didn't have the tools needed to handle the trauma of what he experienced. The pain was too much and he didn't have the darkness to protect the light from fading away from that pain. Vanitas is darkness itself, Ventus' to be exact, so he had those tools. You could even say that him being born from a cocoon/ egg was also a good hint to what darkness is; a shell; protection; a form of coping.

Kairi on the other hand doesn't have any of these. From day one, we've seen that she's afraid of change. "Sora don't ever change", her joke to take the raft for just the two of them, her fear of the unknown and her ending up in Neverland of all places (Peter Pan is literally a story about fearing change and aging). Kairi is terrified of being left behind, but she's even more scared of change and moving behind the safety she's known. By not confronting herself on this, she's constantly ended up as the damsel, the one left behind, the one who always waited. Kingdom Hearts 2 did wonderfully (imo) in showing how Kairi has this fatal flaw of wishing to move and be by the side of Sora and Riku, but never allowing herself to. She realises that "waiting isn't good enough". But it's still never enough, she's still terrified. The entire paopu fruit scene In Kingdom Hearts 3 has me very much convinced she's still scared. She wants everything to stay the way they are; for Sora, Riku and herself to go back to the islands and to stay together, nothing ever happening, nothing changing. It's one of the most fascinating aspects of her character and why she's such a great opposite to Riku; the rejection to curiosity and the fear of the unknown. That's the very thing she's going to have to confront if she wants to ever get stronger; she has to realise to risk and to change is to be human. And I think we're gonna see that moving forward once her and Ventus go through their own arcs alongside Terra and Aqua who also will inevitably have to learn that they aren't weak for being human. They're the two sides of how the idea of "light is superior and darkness is bad" result in harm. And I personally can't wait to see more of how that develops.

TLDR: I genuinely believe that the next arc is setting up for darkness being a form of light/ that the two are just expeirences and not that different, and that it was created from light to protect the heart from pain and trials. Much like how in irl, anger, fear, etc are all ways our brains try to protect us (fight or flight) from pain; darkness is just a coping mechanism for the heart to not break and to slowly heal, I think darkness itself will be shown in the same light (bad pun intended) as light was previously in the series as as more realistic and morally grey. As in, as something good and to be protected, not destroyed like the new villain intends. Because destroying darkness means destroying light (literally, with this setup).

Stuck on prompt 5 for (a very late and overdue) khoc week; not because I don't know what to do, but because there's so many things I want to do.

Sort of a ramble about this below: 👇

Also some sliiight spoilers for themes (couldn't help myself) with my fic, but it helps explain why I'm struggling to get something out for this specifically.

Each of my main OCs is an embodiment of the complexities of experiences that can't be defined by light or darkness, especially Zorya who literally is a being of darkness that is trying a third way of handling it; not controlling to destroy it (Xehanort and Eraqus' ideals, or rather the "teachings of light") or even embracing it and accepting it (first step that Riku found), but believing in it; seeing your flaws as a wound to heal, a possibility to be realised, just like how you love people and believe in them, she wants to believe in herself and love herself in ways she hasn't been able to. To kit hate your flaws or see them as something to be "fixed" but loved and cared for. I think Kingdom Hearts is leaning into that in the next arc, but it's not quite there yet.

Meanwhile the other two are also examples of this but in different ways. Yoru is more like Riku and delves into that "first step", but like Riku he still hates and fears his own flaws. He hasn't really fully embraced the fact he's just a person and is allowed to have those flaws yet, same as Riku (which is partly why I'm excited for the aspect of him being in Quadratum since I think both he and Sora will realise that while fighting the personification of that fear and hate towards darkness). Yoru still thinks that he's a bad person for being too curious, too scared, too angry, too this or that. But he also wants to embrace it and change. Which is all great and all when it comes to wanting to be a better person, but he's still healing. And pushing a wound that's still open won't heal it, it'll just worsen it. I want to show that, but it can't really be summed up with just light or darkness; it's both.

And Taiyo is probably the most interesting of all when it comes to the question. He believes he's strictly light, he wants to uphold his teachings and be what he was taught to be. He's exactly like Eraqus and any other Keyblade Master before that, but the thing is he doesn't have a Keyblade and he is forced to realise how human he is. He's a lot like Aqua in that regard, forced to face his limits and understand his own humanity and inadequacy when compared to the perfectionism pushed by his teachers and peers. He has to unlearn all of the toxicity and realise a heart is more than just a means of good or evil, it's also an identity; a means of love and happiness, it's also about caring for oneself as a person, not a tool. So he would say light absolutely, but like every other person, he has his flaws. Even if he himself doesn't acknowledge them.

I want to explain this all in a way that isn't just a long monologue, but by instead showing it. Yet, I also don't want to spoil the full character arcs I have planned in my fic itself or its story and every single theme in it.

Also, darkness and light are treated very delicately in my fic and with my OCs, so I tend to put a lot of thought in whenever I want to show their connections to light or darkness, because it's always very much related to mental health and self discovery and self care. It's about realising that light and darkness are subjective; mailable and unclear. But with that, there's so many ways to show it. I get so excited by that too, which in turn has me writing various drafts and having so many different ideas that it's hard to settle on just one to go with.

TLDR: This will probably be the longest and most thoughtfully written out of all the prompts. The reason I stopped with the last one is because I'm so excited to really make something that makes fans of the series think about what light and darkness really are in regards to this universe. I know it's just a little fun prompt and I don't have to. But I want to. It's fascinating and I think it's a great way to introduce people to the themes of my fic and the ideas these characters all embody.

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phoenix-downer · 2 years ago

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Where I Belong Chapter 4

Styx and Stones: ~2685 words. Kairi, Donald, and Goofy descend to the Underworld to search for Hades in the hopes he’ll know how to find Sora.

Story Info: Sora/Kairi. Starts during the end of KH3/during ReMind and moves into KH4. Kairi POV. Angst, Romance, Fluff.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

The descent into the Underworld was a series of jagged, zig-zagging steps leading lower and lower into the depths of darkness. Kairi followed behind Donald and Goofy as they carefully wound their way down, and she kept glancing behind them. The light was getting dimmer and dimmer, and she was beginning to wonder if it was such a good idea coming here after all.

This place was wrong. There was so much pain and suffering and regret here, she could sense it in her bones. The souls of the dead who resided here were not happy, and she hoped they would soon escape their prison.

At long last they reached the final stair and passed through a tall gray door. Her legs were tired and she desperately wanted to rest, like this place was sapping her strength and energy. Before them yawned an enormous cavern hewn out of blue-black stones. The shape of the stones made Kairi sick—they looked like giant twisted mushrooms mixed with swollen boils ready to burst.

Death, rot, disease, decay. This entire place was opposed to everything she stood for. Up ahead was a dark, spooky river undulating with otherworldly light. Kairi gasped and put a hand over her mouth when she realized the strange light was coming from the souls of the dead. They floated along with the current and wore vacant, glassy expressions on their faces.

Goofy gulped and raised his shield, and Donald took his staff out, shaking all over. If they were this spooked when they’d already been here before…

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Things feel different from last time,” Goofy explained. “Gawrsh, I don’t know what it is, but it’s like somethin’ wrong’s in the air.”

“Yeah,” Donald said. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“That’s because all of you should be dead,” said a voice from behind them, and the three of them whirled around. A man with ashy skin and flaming blue hair towered above them. His eyes were yellow, and he was dressed in gray and black robes with a pin in the shape of a skull holding his chiton in place. Black smoke emanated off of the hem of his robes, and his mouth full of pointy, sharp teeth was twisted into a hideous smile.

“Hades?” Kairi guessed, and she felt Donald and Goofy flanking her.

“Ding ding ding we have a winner! What’ll it be, Door #1 or Door #2?” he said, dramatically gesturing to two large, sealed circular doors behind him. “Here’s a spoiler: they both lead to your timely demise.”

“None of us will be dying today,” Kairi said through gritted teeth. “We’re looking for someone who’s already dead.”

“Yeah, where’s Sora?” Donald quacked.

“You mean the runt? Little shorty? That brat with the Keyblade? Spike? The little half-pint punk himself?”

The three of them nodded. Hades was not fond of Sora given the slew of derogatory nicknames about his height, that much was clear.

“You’re right, he’s dead as a doornail,” Hades said. “Gave up the ghost. Cashed in his chips, bit the dust, kicked the bucket, shuffled off this mortal coil, took his final bow, crossed the River Styx, yada yada yada. What’s it matter to you, huh?”

Kairi glared at him. It was so tacky to talk about Sora’s death like that. But something about his words stirred a faint memory in her mind. The River Styx, the River Styx…where had she heard about that before?

An unsettling smirk spread across Hades’ face. “Oh, I see how it is. The little pipsqueak had a pipsqueeze, and that would be you.”

She bristled. Hades was right, but his fast-talking, slick salesman manner was really starting to get on her nerves.

“Let me guess: you want to bring your little boyfriend back from the dead.”

She hesitated, then nodded. That was what they wanted to do, right?

“Not gonna happen unless you give me something in return,” he said, then started counting off different options on his long, pointy fingers. “My favorite brand of souvlaki, Wonderboy’s head on a platter, your freedom for all eternity, your soul for the runt’s, front row seats to the sporting event of my choice for the rest of all time, you know, the usual stuff.”

“Kairi, don’t,” Donald said, shaking his head.

“Remember what Herc and Meg said,” Goofy said. “You can’t trust him.”

“Hello, standing right here,” Hades said with a chuckle. “Look, do you want my help or not?”

“What’s it going to cost me?”

“Geez Louise, are you deaf or are you dumb? A soul for a soul, do you think I’m running a charity here?” Hades made a small, smokey version of Sora and herself appear. Sora was clearly dead, and then Hades snapped his fingers and Sora revived while she collapsed to the ground. “Say the word, and the deal’s as good as yours.”

“Kairi, no!” Donald and Goofy said in unison.

She shook her head. “I can’t. Sora wouldn’t want me to be your prisoner for all eternity.”

Hades waved his hand irritably. “Then find some other hapless god to pester. Your little boyfriend broke a nature taboo, and I would really be sticking a cork in things by resurrecting him. Not saying that I couldn’t do it, but it had better be worth my while, if you catch my drift.”

“I’m a Princess of Heart, what if I gave you my abilities?”

Hades scratched his chin. “Princess of Heart, now that’s a phrase I haven’t heard in a Peloponnesian Minute. If I recall, I’d need your six other pals as well for it to do me any good.” He looked at her with a gleam in his eye. “Not saying it’s a bad deal, just that it might not be quite enough to bring back Mr. Knight-in-Squeaky Armor. Not unless you rounded up all your little princess friends.”

Kairi shook her head. “I can’t do that either.” It was one thing to risk her safety and security; it was another to ask the other members of the New Seven Hearts to—

“Then quit wasting my time!” Hades shouted, the blue flame on his head turning yellow as his entire face transformed into a brilliant red. Kairi winced and stumbled back, and Donald and Goofy clung to her on either side and shook like autumn leaves about to fall off a tree.

If Hades wouldn’t help them, then what could they do? His terms just weren’t acceptable, no matter how badly the three of them wanted to see Sora again. Surely there was another way, something, anything—

She glanced at the river behind Hades. What was it about that river…Earlier, he’d said something about how Sora had crossed the River Styx…was that this river?

“I’m cool, I’m fine,” Hades muttered as he smoothed a hand over his head, pacing back and forth.

“Lord Hades?” she asked, trying a different tactic. “That river behind you, is it the Styx?”

“Hmmm, let’s see,” he said, making a big show of pretending to think. “A river full of dead people, and Little Miss Princess isn’t sure what it is.” He sneered at her. “Of course it’s the Styx, what else would it be?”

“So once you cross the river, you move from the realm of the living to the realm of the dead?”

“Yes! Geez Louise, are they teaching the mortals anything about the afterlife these days?” Hades complained as he gave them all a disappointed look, and the tips of his hair were looking a little orange again.

“We’ve forgotten our roots,” Kairi said, putting on a serious expression. She looked at Donald and Goofy, and they followed her lead.

“People really don’t respect you or this here Underworld like they should,” Goofy said, taking off his hat and placing it over his heart. “It’s a cryin’ shame, Your Majesty.”

“They really don’t,” Donald agreed. “I didn’t even know there was a…Sticks River till I came down here.”

“Yeah, yeah, butter me up why don’t ya,” Hades said, but he seemed calmer now. The flames on his hair were completely back to blue. Kairi’s gaze flickered to the Styx. Its waters were dark and murky, the only light coming from the souls of the dead. Strange objects floated by—an abandoned toy horse, a broken amphora, the haunted, bloodless face of a dead man silently wailing for help. He didn’t look any older than about eighteen. Their eyes met, and Kairi got the sense that this was a trick, that if she tried to help, she’d get pulled in and trapped forever.

He continued his slow, creepy float past them, staring at her the entire time and wordlessly calling for help. Shivers went down her spine, but she refused to look away until at last he’d disappeared downstream. She couldn’t get his face out of her head. Maybe it wasn’t a trap and she’d just let an innocent man get dragged down to the depths of the Underworld.

“They’re not a very lively crowd, are they?” Hades said, breaking through her thoughts. “But you’ll be a good little girlfriend and save Keyboy’s soul, right?”

Of course saving Sora was the right thing to do. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. Worrying and wondering about where he was. His face, did it look like the dead man’s face now? Was his skin ashy, his eyes dull, his hair a reddish color instead of rich brown? Were his hands cracked, his lips blue, his nails brittle, his joints cold and stiff? He’d been gone for a year and a half. Was he no better than a walking corpse at this point?

Tears burned in her eyes at the thought. She sensed his heart still existed somewhere, otherwise he wouldn’t have come to her rescue in that dream, but his poor body—what had happened to it?

Even if he was alive and well somewhere in that unreality place, would he be dead if he came back here? Hades hadn’t said anything about his body, just his soul. Maybe Hades could only bring his soul back but his body would either be forever stuck in Quadratum or rot the moment he set foot back here.

She wiped her eyes. Well, if he couldn’t come back here, then she would go to him. If he was dead in their universe, then she would die to be with him. And together they’d figure out a way to make it home, she was sure of it.

“Life isn’t fair, is it?” Hades said, putting an arm around her shoulder. She flinched but pasted a smile on her face, and Donald and Goofy scowled at Hades’ complete lack of regard for her personal space. “The little runt is gone before his sixteenth birthday, leaving you, his little chickie-poo, his precious Kairi-cakes, to pick up the pieces. Your story’s a real Greek tragedy, you know that? But it doesn’t have to be if you make a deal with me.”

She thought about his words. Considered them carefully. There was a lot about life and fate she couldn’t control, but this, this she could. “You’re right,” she finally replied. “My story doesn’t have to end in tragedy, and neither does Sora’s. I won’t let that happen.”

Hades perked up and offered his hand, and she reached towards him as if to shake it. But at the last second, she summoned her Keyblade and cast a powerful Waterga spell that sent him shrieking backwards. His hair was completely doused and his clothes were soaking wet as he ranted and cursed and raged at her.

“Sorry Donald, Goofy,” she called, “but this is the only way to save Sora. Thank you, for everything.” She smiled sadly at them, then took off running.

“Kairi, no!” they shouted, but she had a head start on them. She sprinted to the river with them right at her tail, then took a flying leap. Time seemed to slow down as the waters of the Styx loomed closer and closer. The souls of the dead stared emptily up at her, and she closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact.

She expected the water to be cold and clammy. She expected the river to make her shiver and freeze the longer she was in it. Instead, the moment she made contact with the water, her entire body felt like it was on fire. A muffled scream escaped her throat, but that just made the burning so much worse. Gasping, she struggled to the surface, but just as she was about to break through, she felt something grab onto her leg. She screamed again and kicked, hard. Panicking, she kicked some more. She couldn’t die here, she couldn’t, she had to make it across.

Her head broke above the surface, and she gasped for breath, her lungs burning.

“Guess you’re not the brightest lamp in the Agora after all,” Hades called. “You’ll be dead before you can make it to the other side.”

“Kairi, no!” Donald cried.

“Hang on,” came Goofy’s voice, “we’ll—”

The souls of the dead grabbed her and dragged her down with them once more. She thrashed and screamed as they pulled her deeper and deeper. Hades was right. She was gonna die here before she got anywhere close to the opposite shore.

No. She couldn’t die here. She just couldn’t. She summoned her Keyblade and called on the light deep within her heart. She thought of Sora, thought of his smiling face as they sat on the paopu tree together just moments before he’d disappeared. The light burst forth from her so powerfully that it pushed back the poor dead souls trying to cling to her. Only one remained, and she made one more strong, firm kick downward to shake it. Free at last, she swam towards the opposite bank like her life depended on it, and indeed her death to save Sora’s life did.

But a strange thing was happening. The more she swam, the foggier her thoughts became. Her memories floated aimlessly through her mind, disjointed, the people important to her flickering. Panicking, she swam faster, but that just made it worse.

“Kairi, the chains of your memories are coming undone!” came Naminé’s worried voice in her mind.

I know, Kairi wanted to say. I know, but Sora’s worth it—

A girl with dark hair and blue eyes that looked like Kairi appeared too. “Your connection to us is fading, Kairi, we’re losing you!”

I’m losing you too, she thought to herself, her throat tightening. But to find Sora she had to lose it all. She kept swimming with strong, firm strokes.

“Careful, Red, you can’t carry on like this much longer!” a man with fiery red hair cried. But she had to.

“Kairi, come back and finish your training,” a woman with short blue hair and stern but caring eyes commanded, and for a moment Kairi almost listened. But reaching Sora was more important.

“Kairi! Kairi!” she faintly heard two voices call from the shore she’d jumped off of.

I’m sorry…I’m sorry…

Green eyes and silver hair flashed through her head. “Kairi, what are you doing? You were supposed to stay safe at home, I promised you’d be okay! What’s Sora gonna say when he—”

But who was Sora? She couldn’t remember. Why was she in this river anyway? She was tired, she was so tired, everything hurt and her entire body burned and all she wanted to do was sink to the bottom and rest—

“KAIRI!”

Her eyes flew open. That voice, she knew that voice.

“Don’t you dare die on me, not again, please not again,” the voice begged. “I didn’t die so you would die, I want you to live, you have to live!”

She smiled faintly. Oh Sora, don’t you see? If I die, then we’ll both have a shot at living again.

At long last she felt the ground beneath her feet. The river was getting more and more shallow, she was almost free of it, she was almost to the other side—

With the last of her energy, she stepped onto dry ground and collapsed.

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A/N: Thank you to everyone who liked and reblogged the previous chapter, I really appreciate it! Writing Hades’ dialogue and interactions with the other characters was a lot of fun and provided some levity from the heavier moments in the chapter.

Aquafolia requested Kairi cross the River Styx to search for Sora to parallel his sacrifice for her, and I also drew on a previous story I’d written to describe Kairi’s experiences (but in that case it was Sora who took a plunge in the river), Lifeline. Shoutout to Liv as well for proofreading this chapter ❤️

Thank you for reading! Next week I’ll post the final chapter.

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semi-imaginary-place · 4 months ago

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ffxv episode ignis, ardyn, dawn of the future

episode ignis: what awkward placement. this explains why ravus turned against niflhiem and the ring deal but it's got so many endgame spoilers and assumes players have played the ending. see this is an argument for why dlc is a bad thing it reminds (ha!) me of kh3 where games now days are designed to be incomplete and dlc is story mandatory so one game for the price of 2 but worse i actually prefer smt digital devil saga and persona 2's duology format which are each complete story arcs instead of this 93% 7% dlc deal. ff15 in general isn't the best (or the worst) at explaining what is going on so it's hard to follow why things are happening without this extra material. ffxv isn't even that bad the story is coherent without the dlc mostly, but it still bothers me. dod3 goes so much in the opposite direction it's funny it's not even a videogame anymore it's a multimedia project gotta rake in the cash.

anyways ignis is the devs favorite isn't he. alternate end is well done and i loved the lore but im not sure it should exist. first choices i dont think ignis would give up if it was for noct. if chosen ignis pays his life to surpass his limit and draw from the ring's power why isn't he dead. look i get that the crystal is a giant magic plot breaking plot device but there's got to be narrative limits. deus ex lunafreya. things went a little too well sure they got some ardyn-less free time but he's shown by the throne so he's out againwhy hasn't he killed ravus or something. which btw wow ravus is the one thing holding the universe together and the darkness from taking over should have tried harder to keep him alive huh (also this isn't how genomics and inheritance works like if every generation has 2 kids that's exponential number of oracle descendants). and why is noctis still alive did they just not destroy ardyn? if they didn't permanently end ardyn great job kicking the can down the road and passing over the super special chosen king, who knows if any one else in the future can do it. the main problem though as with any alternate route in any story is the risk of cheapening or downgrading the main story. mostly it just comes off as the writers being indecisive.

it feels like the writers are relying on lunafreya and the crystal to just be miracle workers and move the plot however they want. it also cheapens making the player choose between not using the ring and losing to ardyn, using some of the power at the cost of eyesight but that not being enough, and trading your life for the power to take down ardyn like it's suppose to be a hard choice but the writers take the consequences away

episode ardyn: i get that they're trying to do a whole oracle king romance parallel but well actually ffxv already has no respect for how ancestry and genomics actually work so why do i bother. oh aera is the og oracle. flueret and the oracles are her descendants but she was betrothed to ardyn and died so did she have kids before marriage or what is going on. really with the whole absorbing and (kinda) neutralizing the starscourge and healing people of it ardyn should have been the oracle and the ancestor of the flueret line and if they wanted to avoid the incest undertones just make it them not brothers so that caelum and flueret were political rival families both trying to get the throne. (except isn't tenebrae on another continent... eh it doesn't matter tenebrae being 200 mi closer to insomnia wouldn't have made a difference to the story). maybe it's the insomnia (ha!) but im liking this idea more and more like maybe the original prophecy wasn't a savior/warrior king so much as just a savior/fighter of darkness and so ardyn almost became the oracle king

yeah the writers have lost me i've stopped caring. the whole ardyn thing always felt messy like the want this embodiment of darkness and evil but they also want him to be tragic but they also want him to be noctis' foil but also luna's foil and the writers don't juggle all this narrative weight well, something has to give. Like somnus sucks but the narrative treats him as having divine providence and ultimately doing the right thing when no that was neutral at best. ffxv is so stuck in this binary of good and bad unwilling to truly transgress the boundary they have drawn between good light divine, and evil darkness taint. and then bahamut comes down and tells ardyn that his role is to bring darkness. and like what this is such a major reveal either it shouldn't be here at all or it should be in the main game. because this proves that the 6 aren't on humanity's side like much of the cast believes, bahamut isn't acting for the sake of humanity or the world they're acting to bring forth this prewritten script. i think this is my least favorite dlc, it's very messy writing wise.

skimming through the cancelled dlc and dawn of the future, the dlc since episode ignis seemed to have been veering off in a new direction probably best that it was cancelled because this new thematic direction would have been better tackled in a sequel or side game. in main ffxv the gods are distant and fate is a reassurance a comfort that one has purpose in life. where as the dlc episode ignis and ardyn are about the flipside of that how destiny and fate can also be a shackle, it's about defying the gods.

Like they wanted ardyn to be this kind self sacrificial healer but then dropped that character trait with no continuity like they could have made it that he had a savior complex and ego but that didn't come through or they could have made it about how he felt the people owed him and now feels betrayed by everyone but i didn't get that either. btw quarantine and prevention and vaccination are scientifically better than curing individuals when it comes to infectious diseases irl. so ardyn's characterization is someone who cares about the small scale and individual even when it's to the detriment of the greater whole, and that characterization got dropped. there's also how ardyn's turning evil only happened in the last like 30 years so his turn towards revenge narratively feels rushed it would have been nice seeing the daemonification and memory reading eating at him in stages. or i mean there was 2000 years could have had him conscious the whole time and stewing in misery turning over the same thoughts over and over reliving aera's death and having that drive him insane. oh yeah and bahamut pops up out of no where. bahamut is so plot breaking it begs the question why he didn't intervene in main game more.

dawn of the future great lunafreya is alive again. see this is the problem of having plot breaking super gods you cheapen their original deaths by making death meaningless. now that can be an interesting story in of itself but it contradicts xv main game's themes. this is also the luna ardyn show where as in maingame these two are barely secondary characters. noctis, gladio, ingis, and prompto are the main characters of ffxv butt they aren't plot important so don't show up here at all. all this definitely should have been a separate game. yeah all of this dc should have been a separate story imagine if we got lunafreya as the main character. like hey remember what i said earlier about ardyn absorbing miasma as a parallel to lunafreya? also wasn't the oracle bloodline holding back the darkness aka the apocaylse happened when ravus died well since the writers brought luna back shouldn't that change. i think the writers didn't think through killing luna. she's so lore important but she does nothing in main game. see they flip the script of noctis being the chosen king instead he just happened to be the dude around when ardyn woke up which is interesting but again very very different thematically from main game. wow the writers really went wild with this, kinda cool really good concepts but this and maingame are separate stories.

see fiction needs rules that's how you build tension when you throw the rules out the window things just become a mess with no stakes. which can be interesting and also very post modern absurd but that's not what's happening here. like so much emphasis was put on the cost the ring of lucii and king powers have. that regis is aging faster than he should that it took noctis 10 years to absorb the ring's half of the power and then to throw it out or how ardyn was showed to have daemonified pernamently with no way to cleanse the miasma and then haha jk there's no consequences because gentianta healed them! that's such an asspull you build up all these stakes only to say last minute that they don't matter. which again can be done for a thematic point like the writers could have really leaned into how humanity are just playthings and the gods have absolute power and decide the facts of the world (like yeah get meta and absurd with it kill luna 45 times and bring her back, nothing has meaning nothing matters!) but the writers didn't succeed in this and also this type of story is very difficult to tell.

thinking about this more and totally could have been a side game or compilation of episodes. Persona 2 did it where Eternal Punishment overwrote the ending of Innocent Sin and the two are rather tonally and thematically different.

#ffxv

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