Tiz / They-them / 20+ / INFJ / bi / cancer / slytherin. Addicted to anime, comics, music, video games and sweets. Also a fickle writer and image editor who tends to cry over fictional characters a lot.
Hello! I have been looking for Sarufei fanfics for a long time, and really, of all the ones I read, I adore the story of Lost Mirror, you are a wonderful writer, and honestly I have never felt so fascinated with knowing what will happen as the story continues, including the development of the characters is impressive! I was wondering if you could continue with that wonderful story, however if you can't I will understand. I hope you can continue with it book and good luck. You're the best.
Thanks so much for this, it's honestly so kind of you to say. The fact that I can stir feelings with my writing is the reason I love it so much. 💕
I had that fic planned out more or less, and I do want to go back to it someday. But I'm a very fickle writer with so many other stories I'm always writing in my head. I can't promise when, but I appreciate your passion all the same.
This post details several matters in FFXVI that remained unsolved or obscure, and therefore could play into DLC that does not simply add details to the past, but carries the story forward. This is *not* meant to serve in any way as a critique of so-called "missed opportunities"--just an exercise in curiosity and anticipation. Feel free to reblog with anything I might have missed, but please keep it positive.
And of course, be mindful of the load of spoilers below the cut if you haven't made it through the story.
>Behold, Leviathan the Lost! Or rather, this seems to be the fandom consensus about what the odd figure off the coast of Sanbreque is supposed to be. The supposed Eikon of Water appears as though frozen in time, and is notably named similarly to Titan Lost--the form Kupka took as a giant tentacled mountain. I think it's important to remember what exactly Eikons are, so I've included the late-game lore entry here. My theory is that, since Ultima is the only one we truly see exercise an extensive amount of space/time magic, they might have been responsible for freezing Leviathan, and that their passing might release it from that hold, making it a problem. That said--this might serve as a last ditch preservation mechanism for Ultima themselves.
>Are we truly done with Mothercrystals? Based on the 8 elements and 8 Mothercrystals known in game, the answer would seem to be yes, but if you speak with Jill when she's seated at the Tub and Crown prior to heading for Origin, she wonders if there could indeed be more. If there are more, then we need to start talking about unaspected magic such as Flare and Ultima (the spell). If they're not a subset of Dark aspected magic, space/ time/ gravity magic is another set that might prove worthy of their own Mothercrystal. Holy is another one, if it's not counted as part of Light aspected magic. Again, it should be noted that if these are magic types used most heavily--or in some cases, exclusively--by Ultima themselves. If there are hidden Mothers out there, he/ they are not likely as finished as advertised, and the existing lore does seem to suggest he's fond of having quite a number of failsafes to fall back on.
>Reverie II, or Ultima's Rosarian Penthouse. It has no formal name, but this towering structure appears to be a conspicuous twin to Reverie in Waloed, and possibly in better external shape besides. Early on in the game, on the way to Phoenix Gate, Clive questions what appears to be the entrance, found in a Blighted area called The Dim. Later on, if you hang out around this door, Torgal becomes agitated and begins to growl. I tested just hanging out in other random places in Storm with Torgal, and it did not produce quite the same effect. Torgal really, really does not like this door. However, as it stands, we never get to take a peek inside--a prime opportunity for a DLC environment. What horrors and wonders might lurk inside?
>"True Freedom? Or something else entirely...? Once Origin has appeared, if you talk to the defected Waloeder Intelligencer referred to simply as a "Suspicious Character", he says what's depicted below. (He's confirmed to be an Intelligencer if you talk to the Gaoler at the right point early in the game, while still working out of Cid's Hideaway.) This guy keeps on top of everything going on, tends to joke or comment rather darkly on it, and admits at one point that old habits die hard--that in essence, he's been continuing to spy on you for his own entertainment. By this late point in the game, it's well understood that Waloed has been under Ultima's clandestine control for many years, so it's rather glaring that this particular character would say something like this. What does he know? What does await after Origin? I personally am of the opinion that Clive made a huge mistake in absorbing Ultima like he would any other Eikon, and that he may in fact turn out to be possessed. That would certainly rank as "something else entirely", and make for quite the compelling trip as far as a DLC plot goes. Clive is always saving everyone else--mayhap it's time he needs someone to save him from 'himself'.
On a related note, I think it's significant that Clive is shown at the end of the game to have developed the Crystal's Curse in spite of supposedly having eradicated Ultima's legacy. This may be a more complicated matter than he expected, as one might even argue that humanity itself is part of Ultima's legacy. Potential future DLC may involve cleaning up/ managing the complications of Clive having used a power he didn't fully comprehend.
>What's Out There? A great deal of factors influencing Valisthea occur outside the Twins' shores. Context clues from early conversations with Harpocrates suggest a land not as steeped in magic, but at the same time, later lore on the Children of Dzemekys reveals that the outer continent plays host to the Circle of Malius. (Ultima's faithful.) During the side quest "Trading Places II", when Eloise is trying to buy and free Bearers from the Silverpeak Consortium, she is outbid by a trader from the outer continent. One of the Consortium members notes that continentals are notorious for treating Bearers very well in comparison to Valisthea. This becomes even more interesting in light of some additional detail shared online from the FFXVI artbook, which suggests that Ultima's intended world order ranks Bearers as superior to normal humans--meaning a Circle of Malius adherent from the outer continent would want them treated considerably better. (Which in turn suggests that the persecution of Bearers is 100% mankind's home-brewed BS, despite how badly it transpires in Waloed.) But if the more distant Circle of Malius adherents have been buying up Bearers, what exactly is their end game? What plots and machinations could there be cooking across the sea, and might DLC delve into them?
Joshua: I am the Phoenix. I am fire and life incarnate. I am power. I am Ultima's worst nightmare. I am-
Clive: A precious baby.
Jill: A cinnamon roll.
Dion: An absolute sweetheart.
Joshua: …Stop it. *whines*
JILL IS STRONGER THAN WE THINK: No I'm serious, here's why (all the spoilers)
When I finished FFXVI my feelings about Jill were… ok she's fine. We got her in the party after her time in the Iron Kingdom so she was physically weak. Even her powers were not as strong as Titan or Bahamut. She shone bright when killing Imreann, but then seemed relegated to the background for the rest of the game. She's even captured twice and requiring her boyfriend to save her. In 2023 that's so tropey it hurts.
However after too much overthinking, I think she's pretty great. She's well thought out. The problem is that sometimes the storytelling is too subtle and as an overtired and always stressed modern gamer I missed a few things about Jill.
Thinking back, how was Ultima defeated? Why couldn't Ultima posess Clive? Not because of Clive's physical strength or his massive pecs, but because of his Will. In the end, Clive's Will did not break or falter. Ultima fights with physical strength sure, but he usually gets what he wants throughout the story by breaking people's Will.
Jill's Will never breaks. Not once. Even when facing death from Kupka. She lives through torture and abuse but always remains in control of her Eikon. A broken Will is an Eikon out of control.
Ultima causes Clive's Will to break at Phoenix Gate. He also loses control with Garuda.
Joshua's Will breaks after seeing his father killed.
Benedikta's Will breaks after losing Garuda. Garuda gave her a sense of power and control, especially over men (who had hurt her in the past).
Kupka's Will breaks by eating the mothercrystal to gain more power. He did this at the suggestion of Harbard, who worked for Barnabas, who, well…
Dion's Will breaks after constant frustrations with his family, and Ultima manipulating him into killing his father. It should be noted that Ultima had to work pretty hard for this one.
Barnabas had no Will the entire story. He volunteered it to Ultima. Arguably the most physically powerful Eikon was the weakest when it came to Ultima's machinations. He genuinely thought Ultima would let him be reborn.
Obviously this leads to Cid, who also has an unshakeable Will and maintains control during his short time in the game. Both Cid and Jill influence Clive to strengthen his own Will. So why did it seem to me the Cid was a strong dominant, but Jill was just kind of meh?
I feel like this is an area the writing could have used some tweaks. Cid showed his strong Will by defying everything Valisthea stood on and creating an entire movement about it. This was a huge part of the plot. There are scenes where Jill could have primed out of control to save herself (Kupka and Barnabas's abductions for example, a yellow-eyed eikon could probably break crystal fetters) but the game doesn't really put that idea into the player's head. "Oooh is she gonna go crazy before this big dude cuts off her head and destroy Rosaria?" like they could have shown her struggling, or her eyes turning slightly yellow before regaining control of herself.
Or since Barnabas was Ultima's puppet, the scene on the ship could have been used as a way for Ultima to try to break her Will, but she resisted. In both cases, her resolve didn't seem tested and she seemed more like a plot point. I don't think this is intentionally how her character was written, but a side effect of making Clive the entire focus.
Our human monkey brains tend to lean into a Might Makes Right mindset, but physical strength was not what Valisthea needed. It needed the strongest Wills to save itself.
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