#mysidia

[superthatguy62]

Final Fantasy IV was the first Final Fantasy game to give each region (as well as Baron's Red Wings unit) its own personal coat of arms/crest (left). These appeared in supplementary materials, such as the Japanese manual for the Famicom version.

When Final Fantasy IV was remade for the Nintendo DS, all of the regions had their CoAs/crests redesigned. Unlike in the original, these were incorporated into the regions themselves, usually in their castles.

(Images are from the FFwiki)

[classicanalyzer]

Final Fantasy XVI - The Rising Tide Thoughts and Reflection

"Come follow me! Come follow me! Follow your destiny!" Awakening trailer and the last of Cascade's lyrics

It is now summer, and it's only fitting to finally talk about a story around the Eikon of Water thought to be lost from Valisthea.

This final DLC takes us to the land of Mysidia, the last bastion of the Motes of Water, the tribe of Leviathan, and of the Northern Territories' former glory. The Glamour, a region-wide spell by Dusk Crystals, keeps the skies blue and keeps the tribe safe from the Imperials who want them to relinquish their religion or face death as "heretics". Clive, Joshua, Jill, and Torgal are invited by the Tributary Shula to save Waljas, the baby Dominant of Leviathan, from his ice prison. To right the wrongs of Waljas' ancestors, Clive must free Waljas and face the wrath of Leviathan the Lost to prevent the child's anger from consigning a repentant community to the seas.

Mysidia is a remnant of the Northern Territory beauty long lost to the Blight. The Motes of Water also serve as the last remnant of the people of Ash after they lost their Mothercrystal in Southern Ash. It's also really refreshing to see non-Primogenesis skies which allows you to fully absorb and admire the beauty of Mysidia. The environments truly are an embodiment of the seas (which is also a notable sight) despite Mysidia being far from the Motes of Waters' original homeland. Also present are the abandoned remnants of the Northern Territories' temples, structures, and culture such things Jill is reminded of and comments on what once was here.

In many ways, the Motes of Water serve as what could've been and can be for Valisthea, similar to the Hideaway, a world where Bearers and non-Bearers can live alongside equally. Mysidia also serves as a relic of a world untouched by the Blight. However, by the actions of their ancestors (there were many dissenting voices but it was the Waljas' father that drowned them out), they committed the ultimate sin of all...they attempted to exploit the powers of their Dominant who was a baby. They wanted to use the baby as the heart of their attempt to create a Mothercrystal, much like the Fallen's Mothercrystal. When the rightfully angry Eikon emerged, the ancestors froze Leviathan in time (Also creating the Surge, a massive frozen tidal wave), which means Waljas is forever trapped. It suddenly puts this entire community as one built on that ultimate sin making it frustrating to witness. On their part, the current generation realizes this horrific sin and wants to find some way to free Waljas to make this right.

Despite the Empire of Sanbreque's fall, their legacy continues to be felt in Mysidia. A forbidden love between a villager of Mysidia and a citizen of Sanbreque occurs, an old victim of Sanbreque wants revenge, and the community is still afraid of what would happen if the Glamour is undone.

Shula, the strong, dutiful Tributary of Mysidia, is our guest companion in this DLC. Shula is also a Bearer with no mark which makes it heartwarming to see how Bearers are treated as equals among the Motes of Water. You feel her desire to right the wrongs and sins of her ancestors to save Waljas, who is a part of the same bloodline as hers. She's a formidable fighter and a responsible leader in her community as she also struggles with how to best lead the Motes of Water with the world changing figuratively and literally.

Our final dungeon is the Aire of Hours, the ancient Northern Temple now abandoned to the Tonberries (who return in this DLC as native Beastmen of the Northern Territories, pure evil but adorable goobers) who stake it for themselves alongside other creatures. The mysterious spell created a bubble that froze time who was around the spell when it was cast, the Timeless Stones. It truly is an awe-striking location that sells on the beauty of Northern Territories' architecture.

"The temple that time forgot." Shula

The "Witch of the North" is revealed to be Ysay (who looks like Jill), the previous Dominant of Shiva. Her story furthers the narrative of the abuse of Dominants and the cycle continues. The Northern thegns wanted to use her powers to preserve their Mothercrystal eternally and once she failed to get the spell in on time, they exiled her. It again proves Cid's point about how Dominants are used and discarded if their value runs out. This also serves as a parallel to Ysay's descendent, Jill, when Jill was used as a slave by the Iron Kingdom and expected to be discarded if she couldn't be useful. The Motes of Water however gave her kindness in her final days that her own people didn't give her, and for that, she gave them the spell she labored so hard to save her own people. The Timekeeper guardian guarding her spell is later revealed to be Ysay's assigned knight who reunited with his lady as the Guardian of the spell and in death. Ysay's Knight must've been really good at his job since I had to use up all of my potions during the fight. May the two find a more peaceful life than the one they lived.

Just when it seems like Waljas will be freed without Leviathan awakening…a certain God shows up and fittingly in the same manner when Clive first took Garuda’s powers (black and white palette of "stopping time"). We hear one of the most chilling versions of his theme.

“Free once more. Leviathan. Our most profaned fragment. Its divinity defiled by the hand of man. Its spirit shackled by his hubris. Till Mythos came, bringing release. Now……let the sins of man be redeemed……by the hand of the servant of God.” Ultima

Clive knew immediately what the hell was going to happen (Ultima used similar methods to drive himself, Hugo, and Dion insane). As Waljas once again turns into Leviathan, the entirety of Mysidia is under threat of submerging in its waters. However, unlike last time, there's another Dominant here to calm the Dominant of Water.

"As for the rest... The rest Ifrit will handle." Clive Rosefield

"After eighty years of imprisonment, I'd be angry too. But I can't let it end like this, Waljas." Clive Rosefield

Leviathan's (the largest Eikon aside from Titan in its Titan Lost form) fight is awe-striking and mesmerizing like all Eikon fights as we move from a massive waterspout to the bright blue sky of oceans. Just like Leviathan's Eikon abilities, Leviathan relies more on long-ranged water attacks with few physical attacks. The devs did not lie that this would be the hardest Eikon fight with Leviathan hitting like a tsunami (quite literally a lot lol), especially the third phase with Leviathan's shield. It took me possibly 30 minutes to defeat Leviathan's third phase. Clive even mused that Gardua would be proud in its final phase when it summoned a massive waterspout. When Leviathan tries to do the one-shot Tsunami from the third phase, Clive has none of it by burning the tsunami away. The fight ends with one last (and our final) Hellfire from Ifrit as Leviathan tries to use a concentrated frontal shield...but fails to account for Ifrit taking advantage of a blind spot. With a smaller Hellfire breaking Leviathan's concentration, the larger Hellfire hits Leviathan as the fight ends with the familiar last music notes we heard in the first trailer.

"You've had your fun, Leviathan. It's time you went back to sleep!" Clive Rosefield

"Leviathan Tamed" Victory Text

The theme of Leviathan, Cascade (the possible lyrics are from other interpretations we will not know the full lyrics until the official CD is out), gets a calm and peaceful variant in Haven, appropriately called Safe Haven, with acoustics and flutes mixed in. As we explore Mysidia, an even more relaxed and soothing variant of Cascade plays, Writ in Water. When we approach Waljas and the Aire of Hours, a dramatic and tragic variant of Cascade plays, Bide Time Return, which also serves as the battle variant of Writ in Water. Another variant also plays inside The Timeless Stones which shares some similarities to Heavensbound - Reverie. This time it's a more soothing electronic, synth, and haunting music as Clive and his allies approach the spell that froze both the Surge and Waljas. A theme similar to the Timeless Stones track plays as Clive approaches Leviathan in Cape Nepto, having a more electronic introduction and even more foreboding of the fight to come.

Now onto the actual theme itself, Cascade is the last major theme Soken made for FF16...but it was also the first music he made for the game. It first debuted in the Awakening trailer (the FF16 teaser trailer) and was supposed to be just a trailer-only track. Until the official CD releases, we won't know the full names of the first two phases of the fight. The intense, fast-paced music reflects the raging tides of Leviathan. The first phase is a chaotic remix of Cascade as Ifrit is transported to a seemingly another plane of existence (it turns out to be still in Myidia's waters but it felt like another plane of existence) inhabited by the seas themselves. The second phase is a remix of FF14's Leviathan theme (Through the Maelstrom) and it sounds just as epic as in FF14. The second phase of music splashes an urgent vibe. The third phase is Cascade itself, a fully expanded music theme of the trailer original track in Awakening. It's a grand, God-like theme which emphasizes the presence of Leviathan. There's a small intermission where soft music plays in an almost tragic and longing tone and vibe reflecting the child, the Dominant of this scared, angry beast. Cascade ends with the familiar notes at the end of the trailer and the iconic three sentences (shown in the first quote above the first image) with Prelude ending Soken's final dominant theme.

"War's upon us, oh guide us, until the fall,

From beneath a storm cloud that's inescapable (Not sure about this)

When we leave home, a blessing, to see us through the night

Revelation, your light shines through (or forth?)

(The first stanza repeats itself)

Come follow me, Come follow me, Follow your destiny!" One's interpretation of Cascade's lyrics (I'm not sure if this is correct myself)

As the battle concludes, we finally see Waljas, a crying baby longing for comfort. It's a heartwarming scene to see Waljas finally get to be with people who care about his well-being rather than what he can bring as the Dominant of Leviathan. It's much-needed light in an otherwise dark world and a history as dark and messed up as the Motes of Water's sin. Now all that is needed is for Clive to destroy Ultima to truly make Valisthea free and prevent situations like Leviathan the Lost's fate from happening again.

"Now...Now, we make things right." Shula

"How?" Jill Warrick

"By providing Waljas what he was denied. A place to learn and grow. A family to love and protect him. So that one day, when the wounds in his heart and mind have finally healed...he might decide for himself how he'd like to live the rest of his life. But until then, I'll stay by his side, come what may." Shula

"Then he's a lucky boy. And not only because he'll have the best warrior this side of the Belt to teach him the battleaxe." Clive Rosefield

"She'll do her best." Shula

A continuing theme I was right from the Echoes of the Fallen post is the connection between the Mothercrystals. The Motes of Water tried to emulate the Fallen's ambitions of a man-made Mothercrystal. In doing so, they committed the ultimate sin. Funny enough, Famiel and his two followers are a part of the same tribe with Famiel being Shula's younger brother.

Overall, the DLC is an amazing final addition to the FF16's universe. I also intend to make a retrospective series of the entire FF16 game with this and the EotF post as a preview of the style of those posts. Now Square Enix gives us a Cid prequel spin-off you cowards.

Rite of Immersion:

"Like the rain that falls on the mountains tall, are we born." Famiel

"Like the river that flows through the valleys below, do we live." Shula

"Like the boundless sea where the currents run free, do we die. And to the clouds then rise again." Clive Rosefield

"The circle of water is the circle of life. And today, from the heavens falls rain anew. This child, Waljas, now joins our stream, and he shall flow with us...from the mountains to the sea." Shula

[estinininininen]

okay ffiv has obvious themes like brotherhood and forgiveness but so so so many separate parts of ffiv suddenly snap together beautifully if you take the theme of parents and in loco parentis: adoption, guardianship, teachers. people taking responsibility for those younger or weaker. not fully as parents necessarily but what they need in that moment. and how they and the protectee address it when they fail at that duty.

the king, cecil, and kain. cecil remembering the bodies of pacifist mysidians and realizing that's not why he became a dark knight. cid has his own daughter but finds time to check in on cecil, unmoored from his royal foster dad. kain wanting to feel closer to his birth father. rydia's existence. tellah and anna. cecil and rydia, who have lost everything they can protect except rosa, not knowing how to help edward make this realization in his own grief, only how to hurt or belittle him. rosa mentoring rydia to learn fire is honestly rosa's strongest characterization moment outside of kain and cecil drama hours. yang looking over the bodies of the junior monks he was teaching. yang jumping in after rydia without hesitating. leviathan we learn later taking in rydia. cecil returning to mysidia. cecil looking down at palom and porom saying i'm sorry you want literal children to climb the holycursed zombie mountain?

i kinda like to think that was the first test and cecil didn't even realize. if he hadn't spoken up about how weird it seems sending kids well maybe he's just faking being contrite and following his own moral compass now because if you don't know palom and porom can nuke half the mountain on their own that would be extremely weird. ah yes, the elder says, moving his hand under the desk from the 'eject' button. don't worry about these two they'll be fine. :) cecil quickly realizing the two brats are all but carrying him up the mountain he thought he needed to protect them from.

that is all just the first act

except for kain's whole thing boiling over under the "brotherhood/jealousy" theme, moments that fall outside "guardianship" are i think generally less memorable, or if not set up well feel forced to me, like plain readings of the love triangle, yang and cid's sacrifices (versus palom and porom's, ouch), cecil not explaining adequately why rosa and rydia need to stay behind aside from not wanting the girlies on his implied suicide run. i'm sure i'm also forcing this interpretation a bit

[zottower]

Cecil and Beatrix : Crystal thieves

Just before they begin to express doubts about the orders that are given to them, there is a very similar part, where Cecil and Beatrix are ordered to steal a pacifist people's cristal. Cecil steals Mysidia's Water Crystal in the Tower of Prayers and Beatrix steals Cleyra's " desert star" in the cathedral of Cleyra, a magical stone set in a harp used for ceremonies.

They are not really concious about the fact that taking the cristal from a city can condemn its existence. The player knows the crystals are important for the world to stay balanced, but Cecil and Beatrix don't really know about this. They know the power of the crystals are important for their kingdom, but they are troubled by the fact that they had to plunder a city (in Cleyra case, Beatrix regrets actually that her Queen destroyed the city, just as Cecil will be later horrified that his king wanted to exterminate the summoner village).

Actually, it is possible that stealing the crystal from mysidians wizards can compromise the future of their city, since crystals are the source of magic in ff4, and for sure, the city of Cleyra is dependant on the magic stone to create the tempest around the giant tree on which it is built, tempest that both protects the pacifist inhabitants (they are all priests and priestesses of the moon, stars and flowers, etc ...) and brings water supplies up thanks to windmills !

Is it a coincidence that the stealing of the magic stone has something to do is each case with water, a vital element for life ? Anyway, to steal these magical stones, Beatrix and Cecil turn their swords against innocents, and I would even say priests, which reinforces for the viewer the impression that they are committing sacrilege.

They steal the crystals from sacred places after all : the Cleyra Cathedral ... and the Tower of Prayers of Mysidia, which is the place where ironically, the last hope of the Blue Earth can be summoned in the end !

[dwarvenwarden]

The Surge // FFXVI The Rising Tide DLC

[blissfulalchemist]

Aria Dawson (uncharted) // Siberite Akagane (ffxiv) // Alma Pataki (ffxvi) Tia Caro (bloodlines/va) // Clio Zandra (twc) // Sahar Mahin (m*rv*l)

Got tagged by @rhettsabbott @shellibisshe and @adelaidedrubman to use this meiker to create some ladies so have this variety pack of them!

tagging: @belorage @florbelles @unholymilf @strafethesesinners @confidentandgood

@shallow-gravy @chyrstis @jackiesarch @leviiackrman @deputyash and anyone else that wants to!

opt in tags ver. 1 and ver. 2

[starduststarcrossed]

Retro-ish/summer-y designs for my favorite FFIV ladies (because what else am I gonna do with a plague of ads on Facebook featuring such?). C:

[r-yui]

The name of the tower is Baywatch in English but in Japanese it's called 'Mysidia Watchtower'.

Apparently Sanbreque knows Mysidia exist and they might build the watchtower to monitor it.

This gives me the impression that Mysidia is in Sanbreque rather than Northern Territories because if we stand at Northreach and if the solidified wave is at the coast near Drake's Head, then the wave should be located near Drake's Head, not the very west of Sanbreque's coast.

So Mysidia should be in the Empire, along the west coast.

Also did Dion know anything about the solidified wave? lmao it's literally in his nation in front of his castle.

[dayasan]

📷 Cliffside, Cloaktop, The Lost Cloak, Oillepheist Bay, Northerneastern Storm

[eeyes]

i bought a domain for my family to share i couldnt delibrareate what framework to use cuz im trying. to accommodate Pet Site on it. but i finilly decided on slim framework 4 + twig templates + doctrine. so im trying to figure out how that all waorks but i need to set up a homepage on my new domain

i will be honest neocities has SUCKED In recent years their server goes down constantly with no warning/maintenace logs. both your site frontend and the site editors. so visitors cant even access your site at random and its been happening more and more. like wtf is the issue. i used to pay for premium but like its not worth it at $5/mo..... just switch to a dedicated server host!!!!!! its actually cheaper unless you specifically want more than like 10 static sites. im using hostinger.

also hostinger used to have 000webhost which is ran my test site and they nuked it >:( so i switched my test site to infinityfree. which is running lovely. and support seems responsive there and helps you figure out how to work around free account limitations, like no domain e-mail.

anyway i was working off an old pet site framework called mysidia addoptables from like 2011 (last release was 2021) but recently i decided i cant work with it anymore it's too janky, dated, and just messed up 😅 i love the community that still hangs around it but the code is FUUUUUUCKED. so i'm starting from scratch...

this is also still my firsrt foray into php but mysidia has taught me BAD HABITS.... i literally have a folder of screenshots where i just screencap the code and soyjak at how bad it is. (why did you install smarty template and htmlpurifier and then... barely use them..........)

ANYWAYS. all my pet site progress is no longer very easy to catalog cuz it's just boring code. but by god it's easier to figure out how to roadmap it now that i'm not working with the stupidiest base code. i guess you can look at these upcoming pets tho :^) (wont be released til i draw all their other painted forms)

[bluebudgie]

i don't know why but this sent me into a hysterical fit of laughter

bro was suffering throughout the entire video and just when he's finally (quote) "having fun"

source

[superthatguy62]

Mysidian Library text (Final Fantasy 2)

I noticed that the Mysidia Library’s text wasn’t collected in a convenient manner, so I fired up my PSP and copied down the descriptions.

My apologies if any are missing, but the keyword menu becomes a mess depending on when you do the Arcane Labyrinth.

Mythril: Mythril is a strong, easily processed metal. Highly responsive to magic, it forms the basis of magical armaments.

Sunfire: In a time before the world knew castles or kingdoms, a star fell to the land now called Kashuan. A man gathered flame from the star and built an altar to enshrine it.

Goddess Bell: Once, long ago, a king ordered the making of an indestructible lock and key. Three sets were fashioned. The first was forged from friendship, the second from love, and the third from wonder. The sets forged from friendship and love were soon broken. But the third was wrought from the wonder evoked by the ringing of a single pure note and it held fast. That key was the Goddess’s Bell. So pleased was the king, he hid the bell away in a cavern of snow, where it rests to this day.

Airship: Recent technological advances have produced the airship. Should these technical arts proliferate, they could one day drive magic from the world.

Dragoons: The island of Deist was the ancestral home of the wyverns. A knight named Haan visited the island, and over a period of thirty years, he cultivated a bond with the wyverns. Haan later became the first dragoon.

Wyverns: A close relative of the dragon, the wyvern is a beast trained to serve as the airborne mount of the dragoons. Though smaller than a dragon, a wyvern’s strength allows it to carry four to five people into the air.

Mysidia: Fearing that the tremendous power they wielded might lead the world to destruction, the mages of old founded a settlement in Mysidia and dwelt there in seclusion

Mask: Make of the White Mask an offering to the goddess beneath Mysidia. If thou art pure of heart, the doppelganger will cease to move. Fit then the Black Mask upon him and both he and his defiled heart shall fade.

Ultima Tome: In ages past, Pandaemonium, the palace of the lord of Hell, emerged unto our land. The mages of old wove a spell of fearsome power and banished Pandaemonium, averting the crisis. However, the mages feared that the spell was so powerful, it could throw the world into chaos. So they constructed a great tower and sealed within it the tome inscribed with the spell’s secrets.

Palamecia: The king of Palamecia was said to be a man of tremendous pride. Once, he decreed that he would give his daughter as a prize to any man who could penetrate his castle. Men who scaled cliffs, men who dug tunnels-all were humbled before the walls of the impenetrable castle. But finally there came a man who succeeded where others had failed. Filling a great bag with hot air, he floated up, alighted on the castle roof, and entered the castle. Enraged at being outwitted, the king attempted to seize the man. But with an airy confidence, the man, together with the princess, escaped into the sky.

Jade Passage: The Jade Passage is the path joining this world with Hell. The passage leads to Pandaemonium, the castle of Hell.

[magiskpets]

Rusoara Ruins is now on the map, and Chorunim Fossils have been reported there! with the right methodology, you might even be able to revive them into a living Chorunim pet!

shiny minipets have also been reported in Altrea... i wonder what else can be found as the map expands?

[estinininininen]

very pleased that ffiv fanworks near universally show kain is up on mt ordeals by his lonesome for no point other than his own guilt and bruised ego, and he is going to be the last person on the whole damn blue planet to realize it

kluya is gone, my dude. if you can't be in baron and see cecil/rosa schmoop, go help rebuild mist or fabul. y'know the places you actively helped fuck up??? no? okay fine well go stare into the distance then asshole

the mysidians wait until they see him leave for the mountain and on the count of three all roll their eyes at the same time

[mod-a-day]

Nobuo Uematsu, Chris Cole, Num17 "Mystic Mysidia" (IT conversion) Final Fantasy IV (1992, unknown year) Square Co, Ltd.

[heyanobody]

the mages of Mysidia when Cecil returns from Mount Ordeals