Made in Japan instead of America: Carrie, Taro, and why Star Awards 2023 was related to post-Shadowbringers

Clearly, I'm a henjin. While not on the 2B backside incident level, I'm still a henjin. While I've wanted to do another FF14 post involving the likes of Vauthry, Emet Selch, and Elidibus, I decided to put my plan on the back burner. This is where the henjin part comes in:

I'm not a fan of local shows, but I did know at least a thing or two about this year's Star Awards. During this year's Easter, I was weirdly inspired by Carrie "not Stephen King's muse" Wong. Not her dress but her speech. I'm 100% convinced Miss Wong knows nothing about FF14, let alone Shadowbringers. But having completed the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse alliance raids and The Sorrow of Werlyt storyline, the part on regret and self-hate triggered a desire to write this post.

Before I begin, allow me to point out the obvious. YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse was a crossover storyline done by Yoko "he's another kind of Ultraman" Taro. This guy is a sadist. Let me tell you why: If you want to reach the good ending of NieR: Automata, you must torture yourself by getting Ending A to Ending D. Anything done by Ultraman Taro is bound to be terribly dark. I can only give Miss Wong (not that she'd notice anyway) this advice: Do NOT touch anything created by Ultraman Taro. Drakengard will scar you and NieR will traumatise you.

YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse-Could it be better?

I wouldn't be surprised if this has always been the number one question FF14 fans ask themselves. There's clearly a special relationship between Ultraman Taro and Square Enix. This extended to FF14 since the NieR crossover is now a permanent fixture. Whether you want to torture yourself by learning the mechanics of the YoRHa alliance raids is optional, in case you're wondering. Personally, playing this game on PC actually gave me a massive handicap. I've seen gameplay videos on YouTube. Playing the game on PS4/5 would give the gamer a tactical advantage via a higher camera zoom. Playing FF14 on PC means I benefit from faster execution, but that's all. That's actually worth nothing unless I know and memorise the mechanics. In terms of learning, playing on a console has a clear advantage. As a result, my focus has to cover both my group mates' positioning and the mechanics. Playing Tower at Paradigm's Breach for the first time was particularly draining. I had to overload my brain at certain moments to the point where it just blanked out. As a result, I could only follow my alliance's movements while functioning at 30% efficiency during those times. I really have to respect the Japanese players. Every one of them knew what had to be done. And they did so flawlessly. This is not to say that Japanese people are more intelligent than the rest of the world. Instead, it's the product of a pro-collective society compared to the pro-individual values in the West. Oh, and one more thing: Do NOT play this raid if you have epilepsy or any similar condition.

On the storyline, I'm now on my way to finishing it. It will take a few more weeks due to the weeklies needed. The good thing about reading up on other people's constructive criticism is that it gives me a better understanding of what I'm dealing with. The internet is full of bashing and self-righteous intellectuals, so it's down to knowing where to look. The difference between a fan and a stan lies in objectivity. A true fan is capable of being objective. Stans are not. Fans care about the series, but stans only care about worshipping the series. It's like getting a girlfriend or boyfriend. You'd want someone who cares, not the overly-attached girlfriend meme.

The YoRHa alliance raid storyline does offer a plot involving significant stakes. This isn't a case of Russia invading Ukraine but rather an otherwordly force out to destroy the First. Sadly, however, there were notable plotholes unaccounted for. There are two ways to explain this:

1. The developers were rushing the job so badly that it ended up worse than Lyse's character development in Stormblood.

2. This might be Ultraman Taro planning the next NieR game. Knowing how much of a henjin he is, it could be tomorrow or 35 years later.

Before I continue, please be warned: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO START THE STORYLINE OR FINISH IT.

 

There are actually two prominent plotholes left unresolved. The first is the role of the Seed of Resurrection/Destruction, otherwise known as a Bone Casket. While also a plot device in the first Drakengard game, its role in Ending E resulted in the cold hard truth: Death to Mankind. When you think about it, this actually made YoRHa's lie of "Glory to Mankind" a twisted joke. In fact, the storyline of NieR: Replicant/Gestalt was about humanity's chances of revival instead of whether it's still around.

 

In the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse storyline, however, the Bone Casket doubled up as a gateway between different worlds. It's weird because that's not what we saw in Drakengard's Ending E. Due to the revelation happening during the Tower at Paradigm's Breach raid, there's little to no time to explain what was happening with that giant white ball. We only knew that the worlds of FF14 and NieR were implied to be part of a massive universe. Then we come to the second plothole.

 

Anogg, what can I say about her apart from the fact that the real deal was already dead? Like the Bone Casket responsible for her existence, she's a total enigma. Before 2P's revealed betrayal, there was a moment of disturbing glee from her. But after the events in the Puppets' Bunker, she returned as someone sincerely wishing to help. How are we going to make sense of two contradicting details? This reminds me of a scene in Stormblood where Yotsuyu taunted Gosetesu during his imprisonment at Isari by stating his guilt in killing his fellow Domans. Gosetsu admitted to it. So how should we view this first moment of storytelling paradox? This was likely Yotsuyu using figures of speech to guilt-trip Gosetsu because he had a hand in the failed Doman rebellion (i.e. he fought against the Garleans instead of for them). As a result, many Domans died. The word traitor was just that: A figure of speech.

 

In Anogg's case, there's no figure of speech. A contradictory display is a contradictory display. But what if there was a conflict between two personalities? Remember that this wasn't the real Anogg. She's merely a product of a plot device responsible for monsters and monstrosities. However, the Anogg clone likely inherited the memories of the real one. If so, then a conflict between two personalities would be possible. More than that, however, this would be what one would call the duality of good and evil. There's an excellent reason behind my ability to make fun of myself by calling myself an incel. When I saw the likes of Elliot Rodger, I was reminded of what I could have been. But yet, his path was never to be mine.

For Anogg, was it likely the good that was the original's memories triumphed over the evil from the Seed of Destruction? If so, then when was the tipping point? The only conjecture I can come up with is the aftermath of Komra's destruction, where her overbearing sense of guilt fueled what was good to overcome what was evil. At the risk of sounding like a logical jerk, Anogg did play a crucial part in 2P's act of mass destruction. However, it was also clear that 2P was manipulating the chess pieces leaving others none the wiser. Why did Anogg feel guilty? Because she cared. Why did she care? Because the deceased Anogg's memories were the foundation of the current Anogg's life. Guilt is not a bad thing per se. It allows the sinner to be humane and proves beyond a doubt that we care for what is right and those around us. In fact, the absence of guilt caused atrocities like the Holocaust and Pol Pot's killing fields.

 

This comes to the question of whether the second Anogg could be seen as the real one. I believe the answer is yes. Her birth might be artificial, but there's nothing fake about the life she had and the identity she carried. It's like being an adopted child where your adoptive mother named you after an unborn life lost to miscarriage. Would this make your identity fake? If I were to realise that's how I ended up in my current family, my answer would be a resounding no.

A/N: No, I do not know Carrie Wong and Yoko Taro. The only reason I name-dropped them is that I'm a certified henjin. That's all to it.

Made in Japan instead of America (finally at Shadowbringers)

Finally, I'm here. Shadowbringers, aka the penultimate chapter to the Finale of Light and Darkness arc (I made that up myself). Before I continue, I'm going to up a few videos.

So why am I upping the ending song for Crazy Rich Asians and the theme song for Shadowbringers? The reason is straightforward: When it comes to great storytelling, is Crazy Rich Asians your highest bar? The hype was undeniably real. From Kevin "unrelated to Guan Yu unless proven by science" Kwan being part of ACS to criticism of factuality about the Singaporean society, CRA indeed propelled Singapore to the international stage. I'm willing to acknowledge Kevin's success, ACS or no ACS. But objectively speaking, it'd take an idiot to believe anything from Hollywood or any other fictional work elsewhere.

I still remember going to the cinema to watch CRA with some churchmates. In fact, it was Thory Doridori who suggested it. Frontline Bro was also there, along with Ryan and my cousin KJ. While I was caught up in the hype, being emotionally defective meant I couldn't connect with the plot and characters. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and Shadowbringers did what CRA could never do: Triggering the feelings of this emotionally defective person. To set the record straight, it's not that CRA needs to be better. It's just that Shadowbringers is way too good.

Progress thus far

I've cleared Holminster Switch, Dohn Mheg, The Dancing Plague, The Qitana Ravel, and Malikah's Well. At the same time, I've finished the physical DPS role questline (thanks, Road to 80). I can only say history had never been so wonderfully taught in the classroom. Holminster Switch was a culture shock, but it was easy once I knew how specific mechanics functioned. There's only this much I can zoom the camera height, so the trial-and-error aspect was there. For The Dancing Plague, the only tricky part was the Frost Runes mechanic. Dohn Mheg was the easiest, while The Qitana Ravel was effectively another Dun Scaith where the first boss was concerned. Malikah's Well? Let's say it's a fun dungeon to run on Duty Support.

As a DPS specialist (unless proven otherwise by the Dark Knight and Astrologian jobs), Duty Support greatly helps the learning process. If there's anything I've learnt via Duty Support and had to relearn no thanks to zero Duty Support in Stormblood MSQ dungeons, tracking the NPC allies' movements is the best way to learn. I'd pick the latter if forced to choose between attacking from the rear alone and forming a double-flanking team with Alisaie. Failure to do just that cost me extra time in clearing Holminster. Running any of the Shadowbringers dungeons as a tank would surely cost a few #respawnlol moments due to a lack of experience and an abundance of nerves.

On a side note, I prefer Urianger as my Duty Support healer over Alphinaud due to Astrologian bias.

Going close to the ground

There's something about the storytelling in Shadowbringers. This differs from your grandfather's Mediacorp story because people tend to die or lose something. The positivity movement of today can only be justified by the knowledge that the world is anything but positive. Of course, whether proponents of positive thought are willing to acknowledge the truth is another matter altogether. The plot hit me harder, starting from the aftermath of When It Rains. People always say it's better to save a few than none. While this is the truth, we must understand there are two sides to a coin. People die when you're unable to save them. That's the cold hard truth in Shadowbringers. Eventually, the only way to remain sane is to either become numb or not forget these words, "For those we have lost. For those we can yet save". This was also why there's significance behind dialogue option 2 when Fordola questioned why the WoL could still stand firm despite loss and betrayal. It's not just a textbook answer but, more importantly, a reminder to self. Suppose anything grants the Warrior of Light/Darkness a mental resilience no Singaporean can ever have. In that case, it's never qualifications but rather a conviction.

Going through the events in Twine was an incredibly emotional ride. This was due to Magnus' backstory and Minfilia's struggles. In Magnus' case, I felt for him despite not having the same experience. It might be easy for others to judge him for being emo. That's until we realised that we didn't have the manner of his loss. As for Minfilia, her view that she's an unwanted life struck me. The reason is that this was how I spent my life during my schooling years. Seeing Urainger being there for her made me realise two things:

1. I didn't have an Urianger by my side back then.

2. This meant being able to pull through in life was nothing less than a miracle.

The irony of light and darkness

FF14 does have a clear humanist message, and it doesn't get any clearer in Shadowbringers. As an evangelical, there are things that I'm afraid I have to disagree with. However, there are also things resonating deeply with me. As someone who is no stranger to dealing with works like Berserk, Attack on Titans, Hellsing, and Tokyo Ghoul in one way or another, I've learnt to understand that storytelling is a product of human beings and dealing with it is no different from dealing with fellow human beings. Idealism dictates it's possible to have a human relationship where things are 100% agreeable. Unfortunately, this brand of idealism doesn't exist. Period. In one sense, I'm a realist. At the same time, one could call me a libertarian. However, I believe in personal responsibility and that people aren't a race of saints.

 

This part isn't about what I disagree with (and trust me when I say dealing with disagreements is a significant part of living life as a human being). Instead, it's about my view on the symbolism of Light and Darkness in Shadowbringers.

 

It's effortless to say Light is evil and Darkness is good. But if we're to see things objectively, the problem was down to the scales of balance tipped towards Light instead of Darkness. Hypothetically, the exact extent of disaster would have happened had Darkness prevailed over Light. We have to know this before embarking on some modern-day Crusade.

Irony. Why did I say the Light and Darkness concept in Shadowbringers is ironic? This goes back to how the Flood of Light happened in the First. Remember the Ascians who made it possible? They're symbolised by Darkness, and not even once were they associated with Light. Secondly, it wasn't an Oracle of Darkness who protected Novrandt from the Light but rather an Oracle of Light. Seeing multiple versions of Minfilia battling sin-eaters wasn't a case of fighting fire with fire. It's irony.

 

So how do I see Ardbert's role as a Warrior of Darkness in this? Before I continue, let me point out that the WoL in Shadowbringers is effectively another Ardbert. Like Ardbert was the WoD in the Source, the WoL is the WoD in the First. The only difference is what they're doing in their respective WoD roles. Interestingly, Ardbert first appeared in a shroud of Darkness. It was only in Crystarium that he was covered in Light. The tragedy of Ardbert and his fellow Warriors of Light was never about what they did wrong. Instead, it was what Ardbert said in post-Heavensward: We did everything right. The cause of the tragedy befalling the First was this: They did everything right. While one could argue it was because of the Ascians, it's still a terrible irony in a certain way. You tried to do the right thing, you did the right thing, and that's how and why the world was screwed a million times over.

 

So what must Ardbert do to set things right? Yep, you guessed it. Doing the right thing. This comes to a question I believe the likes of Ryan, Frontline Bro, Ms Tang, and Ms Leong wouldn't ask: Is life full of ironies? I didn't say life is ironic, but this question is interesting.

 

Before I end this post, allow me to share this awesome song.

Made in Japan instead of America: Things happened (not at my end)

Here's a bit of what's happening either recently or not recently. Firstly, the Andrew Tate incident got me thinking. The reason is that my smartphone (i.e. not a pseudo-smartphone without internet access) has Google. That thing would always tell me what is trending currently. As weird as it sounds, Andrew Tate happened to be one of those moments with search terms like Paige Spiranac and SG road rage.

Recently, I finished the level 50 quest for Dark Knight. It gave me a real taste of what is coming from level 50 onwards. While I'm not going to play the judge and jury on the Andrew Tate trial, Slavic girl or no Slavic girl, seeing the reactions from his supporters made me ask a rhetorical question: What is a man? It's interesting to see in the quest Our Answer how accepting the dark side of the self doesn't equate to a moral compromise. Like the WoL, we all have a dark side. An inner Fray, if I want to put it this way. Denying its existence is like a sinner calling him/herself a saint without proof. But if we accept it, would that challenge how we see ourselves? Everyone likes to be called a hero, the protagonist of a story. No one wants to be called a villain, but there's bound to be one for a reason. Are we more of a hero or more of a villain? In a real sense, the level 50 quest felt more Tolkien than Miura despite Berserk's influences on the Dark Knight class. This I've said on Facebook, but I don't mind repeating it.

Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for this WoL having a name as Slavic as Vlad.

Too often, we're so obsessed with how we see ourselves that we ignore the things we should do and those we failed to do. We mistake calling ourselves morally good for actual moral resolve. Thus, we risk becoming monsters fighting against those not so different from us. It's not my truth. It is the truth. If there is a lesson the WoL can teach us, it would be this: There's nothing wrong in accepting that every person has a dark side. What is truly important is having the moral resolve to do what is good. We are born sinners, but the choice between good and evil remains.

Thou shalt not use add-ons (or so commanded Yoshida)

FF14 players would have known this by now. For me, the information came about it much later. Thanks to my Samsung A31, I learned about Kugaon's vid.

 

To put things in an overview context, it's worse than a bunch of players getting the stick for using the mods. It's like three unwanted events in one letter, with two of the three possibly linked. To put things in a clearer perspective, here's the producer's letter.

It's yet to be determined for sure what's happening. But the fact that we have two instances of intentional leaking isn't a good thing. One is bad enough. Two would be ten times worse. Yoshida was careful with his words on the post-clear cutscene leak but pulled no punches for the illicit footage leak. As a person with a job, this is playing with fire. If you have a problem with the work environment, you either try to solve it or quit. There are two ways to leave your job: You walk away before things escalate, or you can escalate things before walking away. I hope things don't get worse, but I'll pay attention to this for the next few days.

And now, let's go onto the Omegagate scandal. It isn't good. At the same time, it's a pity to see people disappearing from the internet over this. The punishment was clearly severe enough. Unfortunately, Japan is still stuck in a sakoku state. Not physically but attitude-wise. Honour remains a significant issue. And it shows in Japanese libel laws where you don't need to be the Prime Minister to sue the person until his pants drop.

 Disclaimer: Above scene didn't happen in the National Diet Building.

As you can imagine, what happens in real Japan is bound to spill over into online Japan. But what about accusations of harassment against non-Japanese players where Japanese raiders are concerned? Naturally, we're bound to get counter-accusations that the Japanese first started it. This is never about who started what or who harassed who. It's about the fact that people need to be responsible for their own actions. Unfortunately, we're living in an era where nihilism is pervasive. Let's see things this way: If your purpose in life is to make miserable wretches out of others, what does it say about the meaning of your existence? Let's be honest: Suppose we believe it's our human right to dehumanise a fellow human being. Would letting go of the said human right make us less human?

 

The stupidity in the whole tit-for-tat is the hypocrisy that if others do it, they're wrong, but if we're the ones doing it, there's nothing wrong. Basic common sense, however, would point out it's a matter of whether you're guilty of using add-ons. That's all. Making things sound sophisticated may be cool, but all show and no substance isn't the intelligent thing to do.

It'd be terrible if I can't find players to run the Pandemonium raids if my fellow Asians are harassed out of the game. I won't hate the non-Asian players responsible, but I'll say it's their fault.

Throwing the (G)Shade

As if the Omegagate scandal wasn't enough, we have news of an add-on infected with malware. The catch? It's the developer's doing. Let me say that I don't use add-ons in FF14. Yes, I did use them in ESO, but that's because stuff like Bandits UI and Raid Notifier are certified legal.

So why did the G cause such a stir on the internet? Was it because it's an add-on? Was it because people now know their G can be infected by malware? If this was done by a random programmer working for Facebook Japan, I doubt the news would be that infamous. Unfortunately, it was done by none other than the add-on developer. There's a difference in the extent of the impact. It's like comparing a random Colin in Singapore committing voyeurism with the Andrew Tate incident. Both are serious, but one has more impact than the other.

I will not create a moral mountain out of this molehill blog of mine by calling myself an Asian saint. But we're all responsible for our own decisions. In the ideal (i.e. this is sarcasm) situation, we don't have to care. Yet, the world can and will burn if everyone sees responsibility as another person's truth. If you use add-ons, I'm not going to ask, regardless of whether you're Japanese. But if something happens, you have to understand this is what accountability looks like, be it getting banned or affected by malware. It's that simple. There's nothing else for me to say.

You take umbrage, I take umbrage, everyone takes umbrage

You know the thing about taking umbrage? Everyone is taking it. It's only a matter of why instead of fanciful words before the press from Nikkei Asia. I'm using the fanciful u-word because of what Josh "even he knows how to take umbrage" Strife Hayes said in what I'd call a good video.

Recently, Square Enix announced that FF14 won't be giving us a new expansion in 2023. This created some awkwardness where Yoshida was concerned. Just a few days back, he teased a level 100 cap. Much earlier, preparations were already underway. For such a statement to be fired straight from the hip, the boardroom did something unilaterally. To put things in proper perspective, however, FF14 expansions were always released within the June-July period. Endwalker was the sole exception since it was released in December 2021. The next expansion could either be released in the November-December or December-January period. In this case, the next expansion may be released in February or March next year, if not January. So what does this mean for the players beyond the stated intent of retaining players?

This goes back to Josh's 100-hour video. While I agree with him in terms of taking umbrage at people saying you need 100 hours to decide whether a game is good, the challenge faced by FF14 lies in what to do after clearing the MSQ. I only took a few hours or so of free play to purchase FF14. That's how good it is. But what am I to do once I manage to clear the MSQ? This is what Square Enix was talking about here. As someone playing in the Kujata server, Japanese gamers are outstanding in group instance content. That may explain why there's only one raid server (i.e. Chocobo) in Japan compared to North America and Europe, where raid servers exist on a per-data centre basis. As a result, I'm willing to give standard Pandemonium raids a go once the time comes. At the same time, a one-year delay means I have more time to clear the MSQ content.

But not every player is willing to try raids as their end-game option. Beast tribe quests alone wouldn't be able to cut it for them. So what can we expect for the remainder of 2023? Content-wise, additional criterion and variant dungeons is a possibility. But what else is around the corner? An article in Game Rant may give us a hint.

Class identity has always been a significant part of FF14's appeal. This is also why streamlining, while having its merits, does have its challenges and criticism. This is not to say the developers will definitely work on addressing the class identity issue, but it's possible. Will it be tricky? The answer is yes. But considering we're talking about a few months before a likely 2024 expansion release, anything is possible.

Something about a Requiem (i.e. just me rambling)

It's often said in Singapore that you have the right to chase your rainbow. From the late ex-PM Lee Kuan Yew to the current DPM Lawrence "not the actor" Wong, this has been the motto of every Singaporean. So why am I bringing this up?

Burn it down like a henjin

Clearly, it's an exaggeration since I'm not emulating 2005. However, a recent reassessment of my writing dictated the need to burn at least half of the building. The thing about writing A Requiem From Winter Past is that there were signs of my inner fire gone slumbering instead of dead. Unlike my Twitter account, which I'm more than willing to abandon for good, there's always a chance that the flames will be fanned again.

 

Video gaming had a significant role in this, as the more I focus on gaming, the less I'd want to focus on writing. The reason was that visible results can be gratifying. After all, being pragmatic would mean you go for the seeable instead of the unseeable. This is where FF14 comes in.

 

For some unknown reason, playing FF14 reignited the writer in me. At first glance, it's due to playing FF14. After all, it does have a great story despite its flaws (e.g. Lyse's lack of development). But when I looked inside myself, it didn't feel this way. The connection wasn't there to back up the assumption. It's weird to see things developing in this way.

 

Recently, I decided to subscribe to Grammarly Premium. The reason why is that I realised I need it if I want to improve my story writing. There is a difference between doing blog posts and writing a story. One is synonymous with Xiaxue, and the other is about Neil "the Guy" Gaiman. For the latter, it's a shock for me. For the former, the standard of language isn't an issue. Without using the Premium version, I can minimise the technical errors (i.e. those underlined in yellow) via my own command in the English language.

 

Grammarly's standard of editing has improved by leaps and bounds. In the past, what I wrote for A Requiem From Winter Past would be worth 90+ marks. In this version, it's only slightly over 80. The shock was good for me. As a storyteller, I believe in improving myself. This comes to a staggering number of errors I had never noticed before. I couldn't even bear to scroll down. If there's anything worse than failing my exams during school (and I did), it'd be this. I'm no Kevin "unrelated to Guan Yu unless proven by science" Kwan, nor am I a genius. But storytelling is the one thing I'm confident of. That is apart from gaming on a low mid-core level. I have to thank the fact I'm playing an Astrologian in FF14.

 

Attempting to rectify the errors in the same way I tried doing for my blog posts was a massive mistake. Not only is this the gap between Xiaxue and Gaiman, but it's also the difference between blind positivity and Soken "he doesn't own SoftBank" Masayoshi's understanding of reality below.

As a result, I had to choose: Do I want to subscribe to Grammarly Premium. If the answer is no, it'd mean the end of my path as a storyteller. But if the answer is yes, then it means I'm still standing firm, circumstances and self-righteous criticism be damned.

Progress so far

Currently, I'm at one-third of the rewrite for chapter one. It's good to stretch my writing muscles after prolonged inactivity. The great thing about spending an annual 144 USD fee is that I don't have to fight a losing battle. At the same time, there's this issue of finding ways and alternatives to correct the mistakes. There are times when Grammarly's corrections are helpful. However, there are also moments when I need to utilise my own command of English to preserve my style of writing. Namely, one of a poetic flow instead of the typical prose. Looking back, it's an insane choice. It's one thing to chase your dream, quite another to be a henjin. I wasn't making this choice deliberately. It just flows naturally within me. Maybe I wasn't joking when I called myself a henjin.

I appreciate that Grammarly Premium doesn't give you corrections on a silver platter 100% of the time. Finding ways and alternatives are two different things. The latter means Grammarly can give you an edit, but the former means you have to correct it yourself. In Singaporean speak, we call this meritocracy. Whenever I saw the need to fix my words due to passive word usage, my approach was to tinker until it worked. It's actually more manageable than it initially seemed. But I'm not going to speculate why I can do it despite a blue-collar job and lack of paper qualifications.

A major issue I'm having now is that I'm only at the end of the Stormblood MSQ in FF14. Story content is hefty in this game. As a result, time management will be an issue as I want to at least finish Endwalker 6.0. Playing FF14 MSQ feels less like watching a Hollywood movie and more like reading a novel. In fact, a book full of blank pages waiting to be written instead of a portrayal of my inner self is how I view my Warrior of Light.

 

 

Any changes?

Right now, I'm implementing specific changes in the first chapter. Without spoiling anything, I need to cut away certain things. What I used to see as meat, I now see as pointless fat. I'm not a fan of pork barrel politics, but here I was doing my pork barrelling in chapter one. Beyond that, I will not change my way of doing things. If there's racism, you'll see racism. If there's violence and sex, I will not shy away from them. I'm not going to spend paragraphs or pages describing the unspeakable. I know many writers do that, but I want to do things my way. Just like a certain Miyazaki "not from Miyazaki" Hayao. The good thing about being a henjin is not about being different but rather because you know why.

I wouldn't be surprised if certain things I write will set people off. I will try my best to maintain a certain standard, but I don't need moral crusaders to tell me what I should and shouldn't do. I have to point this out because the world of liberal arts is now under attack from people who think they know better than others. This is also why I can't trust Western publishing firms. Twenty years ago, that wouldn't be the case.

To end this, I decide to share this. The reason why I know about how obsessed Japanese are with blood type is due to me being a henjin. Otherwise, I wouldn't know about stuff many of my fellow Singaporeans don't (e.g. the Ainu people, the Sack of Rome, and the Yue-Wu Conflict). Clearly, I don't believe in blood type personalities. Can you imagine being a blood type B daughter-in-law in Japan? You're probably going to be discriminated especially if your children would end up being AB type. So why am I sharing the information? Because I'm blood type A. And (Japanese) people say blood type A individuals are as stubborn as a certain ex-PM.

Made in Japan instead of America: From Stormblood to some kind of Irish

Well, it's been a very long time since I blogged something. As someone with a tunnel focus, it's easy for me to get sucked into the momentum of things. Right now, I'm at the final stretch of the Stormblood MSQ where below is the place this music is played.

 

Without a doubt, FF14 has some very great tracks. For the Lochs daytime theme, it drives home the fact that I'm at the final stretch. At the same time, it also brought forth the emotional aspect of the Ala Mhigan dream. So how do I rate Stormblood in terms of storytelling?

A storm of emotions compared to the heavens' scales

The above title would be how I rate Stormblood's storytelling. I don't fault players for saying HW has the better plot. In Ishgard, we're dealing with something more character-driven. As a result, the darkness of human nature saw the light of day. Be they Dravanians or Ishgardians, no one was immune to bitterness and hate. In a real sense, Estinien was the symbolic character of the expansion. He represented an Ishgard consumed by hatred and an Ishgard never beyond redemption. As for the Dravanians, they became the mirror image of their enemies. In this sense, they were in Nidhogg's image. If there happened to be a real-life person associated with Heavensward, it would be Friedrich Nietzsche.

Heavensward was a story where the line separating humanity from monstrosity was blurred. But more than a tale of human darkness, it's also a story of redemption. Redemption not just for Ishgard but also for the Dravanians. So the next time you think a person is nothing short of an irredeemable monster, go play Heavensward.

For Stormblood, the plot was a straightforward epic story. Heavensward can be compared to the likes of G.R.R. "not J.R.R." Martin and Isayama "Hametsu no Hajime" Hajime. Stormblood would be likened to J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis. If you expect another HW, be prepared to be disappointed. But if you're okay with the old-school approach, then SB should do well enough. That being said, modern Japanese storytelling is known to be very character-driven. As for what manner of a song is to be sung after SB, we know it was composed by the late Miura Kentaro. Well, sorta...

 

 

Copy and paste

Per the title, I've copied and pasted my posts about Lyse and the Dragoon job questline in SB.

 

 

 

 Dun Scaith and Emiya Kiritsugu

Wouldn't it be great if you were Emiya Kiritsugu? In the epic fight between him and Kayneth, he unleashed the full glory of time manipulation. In real life, I find my brain can process time slower than in reality. Ever wondered why time seemed to slow down, that a thirty-second GCD felt like 60 seconds instead? Science has the answer in the form of neurology.

Something didn't seem normal since I shifted my hotbars to the right. In my recent Dun Scaith run, I didn't feel I was contributing since my brain was processing things with the speed of a Lonesome George. Imagine my surprise when I got a player commendation. While I did have player commendations for both Void Ark and the Weeping City of Mhach, Dun Scaith was another monster. Then I adjusted the camera zoom distance to 100.

It's funny when I think about it. Like how it took a player 6500 gaming hours to discover you can rent your own bird, I needed 500+ gaming hours to know how to adjust the camera zoom distance. With one problem solved, another said hi: The hotbars obstructed part of my character view. As a result, I had to shift the hotbars to the right. And this was how I got my first commendation for Dun Scaith.

Dun Scaith was an interesting raid to run with 23 other mina-sans. The good thing about playing on a Japanese server is that many Japanese players enjoy running group content. And that includes Alliance raids. The learning curve has been much better than I expected since the key is to read my teammates' movements. In my first two Dun Scaith raids, I had to be resurrected by a healer at least twice against the first boss. A massive flaw in my raiding game was a short camera distance due to the default setting. Once I stretched it to the max, my movement game became much better. In fact, I didn't die against the first boss and the only moment when I needed a rez was against the second boss (something happened, but I can't recall the cause). However, my rotation felt much slower. I thought I screwed it up, but getting a commendation as a DPS made me question my original stance. And this was how I obtained the relevant information.

 

Throughout the raid, my focus felt stretched. However, I recalled the same under the same situation in running the easy stuff via MSQ roulette. The only difference lies in the extent. Previously, I was more of a berserker. Now, I'm more of a tactician. This made me wonder how my brain functioned during those moments. Will I feel less stretched once I get used to my self-imposed change?

Speaking of slowing down...

It's good to have a job (gauge)

If there's an annoying thing about playing a Dragoon, it'd be getting the job gauge only at level 70. Before that, I was used to intensifying the pace of my focus. With the job gauge, however, I have to slow down for a reason: I need to visually process the hotkeys to pull off the Jump>Mirage Dive rotation twice in 30 seconds. The thing about Life of the Dragon isn't about whether Emilia "she's probably as tall as the Dragon of Oshu" Clarke should be playing the most British FF14 job. I can't use it for crowd clearing since 30 seconds are needed to trigger it. Without LotD, Geirskogul would have a cooldown of 30 seconds. Not cool. With LotD, Nastrond only has a 10-second cooldown. This makes it surprisingly good as a bridge between my DoT damage chain and the direct damage chain. Dragoons are easy to use for single-target. Two sets of rotations consisting of five GCDs each. I probably won't get envious looks for dealing damage. But Dragoons are good tactical DPS where a combination of consistent DoT damage and Battle Litany can make one a valuable member in any Alliance raid. Well, at least if you're playing on a Japanese server. Not as tactical as Dancers, but decent enough. Once I finish a rotation, I can straightaway pull off Nastrond since it's an OGCD.

This comes to the level 90 question: How will Wyrmwind Thrust figure in my build strategy? Possibly as another single-target rotation bridge with Nastrond/Geirskogul plus AoE rotation usage. Double usage instead of single.

P.S.: I need to thank Frontline Bro for playing this song in his car. It helped a lot in maintaining my focus.

Made in Japan instead of America: Some thoughts about Heavensward 3.3

So last night, I finished Heavensward 3.3. In other words, I took down an angry Nidhogg, cleared the Firmament questline, helped Consulting Inspector Briardien de Manseauguel to restore order, and bought myself an apartment in the Empyreum. All in all an eventful Saturday.

[Note: This part was done on 23rd Oct]

The Japanese insist it's okay not to be okay

Japanese storytelling can be intriguing. Its society isn't the sharpest tool in the global shed in dealing with mental health. But in terms of fictional characters dealing with mental issues, chances are that no one does it like the Japanese. If there's a story that says it's okay not to be okay, Bungo Stray Dogs would be it.

 

Recently, my henjin self decided to act up again. I downloaded Bungo Stray Dogs: Tales of the Lost mobile game. And I have to say I'm impressed by what I'm dealing with. The gameplay is about thinking out of the box where you try to smash as many orbs as possible with a marble. It works like a pinball game minus the flippers for lack of a better way of putting it.

 

While I have information on the series and its characters via the fandom site, seeing the real deal resonated with me in a way no counsellor could. The good thing about this game is that you get to unlock vital scenes at various points of game progression. Because I couldn't jump all over the place like a Dragoon high on weed, I decided to focus on the main story. Before that, I already knew about Nakajima Atsushi's trauma. While it's a reflection of what I had to endure, going through the scenes made the impact very real.

 

In Atsushi, I saw myself. In the cruel words of the orphanage director, I saw the standard uttered by a toxic educational environment. Hence, I find Atsushi inspiring even though I disagreed with how he gauged his self-worth. Despite having gone through hell, he did not come back a demon. There are always two ways to live your life if you're a social reject demonised by others. You can be a supreme gentleman like Elliot Rodger or someone like Nakajima Atsushi. I looked at the former and knew this was what I could have been. I looked at the latter and knew where I now stand today.

 

On a side note, my main team consists of SSR Yosano Akiko, SSR Mori Ogai, and SR Nakajima Atsushi.

The Final Steps of Faith: Have faith in your healer if you went down like Hraesvelgr

Final Steps of Faith was the most intensive trial I've done currently. Considering I've yet to reach Shadowbringers, it's not saying much. The fight was an eye-opener as in I got myself two one-shots. On the flip side, I got two commendations for that. Okay, it's probably a lie because respect beyond the basic level is something to be earned, loldrg or no loldrg.

As someone being a schoolyard meme from Henderson Primary School to Gan Eng Seng (Secondary) School and all the way to ITE Dover, I'm blessed with the ability to laugh at myself. If I got no issues in calling myself an incel and a henjin, laughing at Dragoon memes as a player maining a Dragoon is nothing.

 

My first attempt to swing the Balmung (i.e. the sword, not the server) threatened to become a trainwreck. The reason was that I got one-shotted despite no AoE warnings. The same went for the second time I got one-shotted. I thought there were invisible mechanics afoot. Then I realised that was not the case. It's weird because this was my first time getting the invisible treatment. I've already done a clean reinstallation of my NVIDIA driver, so let's see whether it works.

 

[Note: It's easy to do a clean install of your driver via Geforce Experience. Just click the lower three-dotted column. Then again, what ntall1 said in the Lodestone forum was likely what happened to me.]

 

Below is the video of the actual fight. No, this wasn't done by me because I wasn't there N years ago.

I had to go through the guide to see which attacks one-shotted me. I wasn't the only one at the receiving end of a healer's act of resuscitation. The first one-shot was Cauterise in phase 1. As for the second one-shot, it was Hot Wings during phase 3. The fight wasn't frantic since the remaining six members were good enough to hold their ground. But the pace was clearly so because it took the healers quite some time to revive the fallen. Personally, my only problem was these two moments. Phase 2 wasn't that hard because it was all about knowing where to move. Geirskogul happened to be the easiest to dodge. After getting this far (?), I already got used to the momentum.

 

At the same time, a vital tip for new players is this: When in doubt, please follow where your group is moving. Isolated movement isn't the best way to make your healer revive you. Just don't do it when everyone is marked individually. It's not going to work 100% of the time, but you get the drift.

If there's a reason behind getting two commendations even though most of those I got came from dungeons, it's likely due to phase 2. I believe half of phases 1 and 3 each were waiting for the healer to pull me up from the ground. Thankfully, my group members likely had an inkling of what was happening. Otherwise, I wouldn't get a single commendation, let alone 2.

Further proof that Heavensward is a parable to our current era (?)

I like the Briarden sidequest. I really do. It's the plot-driven counterpart to Hildibrand's questline. This is not to say Hildibrand's story wasn't good. It's interesting in its own way. More specifically, a combination of the inane and heartwarming since we're talking about Hildibrand Manderville. Briarden's questline was clearly darker. In this sense, it mirrored the nature of the Heavensward storyline stretching to Litany of Peace.

 

When I think about it, there's not much difference between Nidhogg and the Ishgardians. In today's world of identity politics, we always insist we're not like them. Needless to say, those on the other side would also insist they're not like us. But what if we're all wrong? Nidhogg believed himself to be different from the Ishgardians. The same went for vice versa. But Estinien knew otherwise when it came to himself. If someone like him wasn't that different from the monster he swore to kill, what did it say about the Ishgardians? This is why I see plenty of our world in Heavensward. Granted, it wasn't Yoshi-P's intent (after all, he's Japanese). But the parallels were too close to be dismissed.

 

Like Dravanians and Ishgardians demonising each other without realising the dark truth about themselves, the commoners vented their wrath on seminary students. Their only crime? Religion. Sounds like the Dravanian animosity towards the Ishgardians and vice versa? Definitely and literally.

 

Yet, there's something heartwarming about the Briarden questline. Instead of demonising others, it drew a clear line between right makes might and might makes right. Needless to say, right triumphed over might. All in all, it's a heartwarming experience I'd never have if I remained within the bubble defined by Mediacorp and Hollywood. It's a good questline and one I didn't regret doing even if it's to unwind from that frantic nuclear fight with an equally nuclear Nidhogg.

I finally got my apartment (i.e. not a private property costing at least 3 million)

Not so recently, I came across an article on Bloomberg. FF14 is so famous, even a Bloomberg journalist was playing it. Now I'm not going to doubt what the person said about obtaining private property. At the same time, I acknowledged the kind of notoriety FF14 has on the housing system. Out of all the MMOs I played, Everquest 2 had the best housing system since furnishing was easily accessible. You could buy a decent range of furniture without stressing yourself out in the crafting aspect. Events are a good source of crafting recipes, so you don't have to worry. For me, furnishing tier 2 New Halas housing wasn't hard despite New Halas' reputation for huge houses. For ESO, it's way harder on the furnishing end. But getting a house was easy. The Greymoor event gave players free housing in the form of the Antiquarian's Alpine Gallery. Upon a certain point in the Elsweyr storyline, you would get a Hall of the Lunar Champion. You can also purchase additional housing from the game store. Some of them look awesome (e.g. Forgemaster Falls and Hunter's Glade).

 

For FF14, there were issues. But we need to credit the developers for trying to address them. Unfortunately, it's like dealing with the British economy, PM Sunak or no PM Sunak. It's not about reversing the damage but mitigating it. In this aspect, FF14 and the British economy are in the same HMS. Yes, it's easier to get your dream private property. But how easier? The lottery system may be something Yoshi-P learnt from the HDB, but I doubt it unless he's friends with the PAP government. However, it merely gives players a higher chance of getting houses under a specific condition. And that is if there's an empty house up for sale. That's a very big IF because players have to either give it up or not logged in for 45 days in a row. If and when the developers decide to increase housing plots, you can be very sure of a land grab scenario. The circumstances still made it difficult for gamers to get their dream home. And this is not to mention that you need at least 3 million gil to qualify for the lottery. That being said, I prefer to use the term balloting because you don't lose your gil if you can't get a house.

 

This comes to another article arguing for the merits of getting an apartment. If you really want the private property, you have to decide whether to settle for an apartment first. Assuming you don't want the hassle, getting an apartment is a no-brainer. That is unless you're perfectly okay with an inn room. But there's a perk housing has but not an inn room: The option to port straight into your home. If you're to stick with an inn room, it's travelling back to the major city in question and moving accordingly. So far, Gridania has the best accessibility route between the inn and Grand Company base as the main aetheryte is between the two. Ul'dah comes second. Limsa Lominsa is at a distant third, but the flip side is that it has the best accessibility to the market boards.

 

For me, I chose Empyreum. The reason why is that Ishgard has grown on me. It's interesting because when I first arrived, I only saw the contrast between light and darkness in a city-state closest to the medieval setting. It could be due to going through the MSQ, but I grew to like Ishgard despite its flaws. Ever imagine what it is like to enter a relationship? My pastor once said that entering a relationship has to be done with the premise of marriage. Conservative, yes. But is that the relationship I'll like to commit myself to? Again, the answer is yes. Such is the analogy I'd give to Ishgard. One thing I realised only after coming to Ishgard was that there's actually an aesthetic in a city of stone and winter. My love affair with this manner of beauty started not from G.R.R "not J.R.R" Martin where Winterfell was concerned. It was Orsinium during my days in ESO. Ishgard isn't Orsinium, but it's closer to the city of the Orsimer rather than its more refined counterparts like Eastmarch and Solitude.

 

Now that I've gotten my apartment in the Empyreum, all that's left is furnishing it. By my estimation, the hard part lies in farming the materials to craft the furnishing. Thank the Twelve and Light alike for Mor Dhona due to the clusters. My top priority is the armoire, followed by the summoning bell. As for the chandelier, I'm gunning for a glade design. As for the interior wall, it's alpine. The bed would be the riveria canopy type, while the flooring is the manor design. Then there's the orchestrion as well. I'll need to get the crafter scrips ready. As for the glamour dresser, we're all waiting for news of the developers getting the relevant programming code right. After all, it'd be unfair to expect government intervention from Kono "not Jiro" Taro.

 

Before I end this, I'm going to up the titular source of my WoL's current title.

Made in Japan instead of America (yes, I know this is fast)

As stated above, it's quite fast that I'm doing a new post. The liberating thing about blogging but not being an influencer is that you're under no stress to do things in a certain way and within time constraints. Because I'm neither a streamer nor a social influencer, I'm able to enjoy playing FF14 while still having a job and an actual life at least once every Sunday.

Asmongold quits FF14(?)

If there's one bad thing about being a henjin, it'd be that I don't feel I belong to my country. But if there's one good thing about being a henjin, it'd be that I get to know things which my fellow Singaporeans wouldn't since my brain functions differently. Are these things frivolous? Yes. But the good part about knowing frivolous things is that they played a role in preventing me from entering despair. Not that I expect people to understand me though.

 

Let me point out the only reason why I know Asmongold exists is because YouTube has a list of recommended videos on its home page. The accuracy can be laughably inaccurate, but that didn't prevent me from clicking one of his videos dealing with Blizzard's woke culture. Then from Blizzard, he went to FF14. From FF14, he went back to Blizzard. Whether Blizzard has gone less woke, however, is a matter not of my interest. I can only handle this much cynicism before I quit like a French.

 

Because of my henjin curiosity, I decided to search Asmongold FF14 on Google. Long story short, there's acrimony involved. I'm not going to take sides here, but I'm going to say something (and hopefully not come across as scolding people).

 

Firstly, I went through the FF14 Reddit and the responses were understandably negative. There were exceptions where the statement would be more neutral. There's a post stating that purists do exist among the FF14 fanbase. I'm not going to dissect the dark side of FF14 fanbase psychology here. A major reason is that those who comment on the official Reddit channel are probably gamers outside Japan. As for me, I'm currently at Kujata and I've got no plans to migrate beyond the ocean, Balmung or no Balmung. My impression of Japanese gamers is that they tend to mind their own businesses. Interestingly, they often leave a greeting before any dungeon/raid/trial and say "Good Game" at the end. It's a very different culture from what I've experienced in other MMOs. While gamers do say, "gg tyfg" in ESO after dungeons and trials, the frequency isn't at the Japanese level. For your info, there are three Japanese servers catering to non-Japanese gamers (Tonberry and Kujata are excluded because they're more like a melting pot of Japanese and English-speaking non-Japanese gamers). Ramuh for Taeyeon's fellow South Koreans, Typhon for Tzuyu's fellow Taiwanese, and Masamune for Dita's fellow Indonesians.

 

Back to Asmongold's FF14ドラマ starring Yoshioka "confirmed unrelated to Seijuro" Riho as a Miqo'te. The way I see it is that it's a reaction versus reaction kind of thing. I've gone through the Reddit posts and I have a good idea of the situation minus the b-word. Of course, it's been months since the incident and I'm very sure it's not even 10% as severe as a certain kyodai kujira jiken way before I started playing FF14 (don't ask me what kind of kyodai kujira jiken because I can assure you it's not some kind of sexual innuendo).

 

My knowledge of streamers is a combination of random curiosity and the close relationship between ZOS and ESO streamers. The former is the reason why I know names like Pokimane and Josh Strife Hayes while the latter enabled me to know names ranging from Alcast to Niniskya. But if I say I knew Pokimane's latest stream, you all can call me a liar.

 

Hopefully, history won't repeat itself. But if so, then I say it's better for us to pay little heed and carry on with what we're doing. As a gamer, I do recognise the need to have a life from work to church. I don't have to be Dr Carl Jung Shin-ri to understand that when you move on from a certain episode, not turning back is 100% therapeutic. Easier said than done, but at least we can try. The drama wasn't for great watching. Hence, I'm not upping any links. But will I up a meme?

(Solo) Duty インポシブル?

Currently, I only manage to reach the end of the Ishgardian civil war involving Ser Aymeric and those from the south end of Ishgard if you get what I mean. It felt absurd to see my Dragoon hitting level 80 despite not even halfway through the post-Heavensward MSQ. Without the Road to 80 XP buff, things would probably be very different. It's an OP boon, but it's probably going to give me some shock once I reach Shadowbringers. That feels like a longshot distance to me, so my goal in FF14 has changed from getting my Temasek island to just enjoying the ride. It's possibly an attitude cultivated from my time playing ESO. So yeah, it works both ways. I'll have an easier time until the end of Stormblood. Then my brain will have to start sweating from Shadowbringers onward.

 

So far, it seems that I have my own fair share of solo Duties terribly hard to complete without a combination of Very Easy difficulty level and Echo activation. The Echo system is quite interesting as the developers are probably out to strike a balance between hardcore and casual for instanced solo fights. Most of them are doable from a casual perspective. Then you have a few that felt quite hardcore. I finished the level 40 Astrologian job quest involving an instanced duty synced at level 44. It wasn't pretty because the final phase was a literal brawl where I couldn't target the Ishgardian gentleman (not to be confused with a supreme gentleman) since everyone was jumping on him. Using Benefic and Aspected Benefic wasn't an option because my brain has a tendency to shut down once it has to process too many things (so much for being a Singaporean). The only Plan B was using Helios while keeping my fingers crossed (figuratively) that the Sharlayan lady can single-target heal the Ishgardian gentleman. The brawl was a disaster the first time around. The only reason I could think of was gear level. Running an instanced duty synced at level 44 was never a good idea if the gear level is around 30.

 

Of course, I didn't wait to craft better gear. Instead, I just chose Very Easy. With the Echo activated, it's weird to see my Astrologian downing the AI with two shots of Malefic. The brawling part was nerve-wracking in the sense that it's really as chaotic as a real-life free-for-all. Even if I was running with gear ranging from 39-41, I wouldn't be confident of keeping the Ishgardian gentleman alive in normal difficulty mode. That's how nutty the brawl was.

 

It's not just the level 44 Astrologian fight that murmured インポシブル. There were two more solo duties which made me feel the same way. The first was the second jailbreak since saving General Raubahn. The failure part was the inability to save the second last refugee (you save the last one only after helping Aymeric to take care of his fellow ser). The trick in getting this done lies in getting the direction right straightaway. If you have to waste precious seconds navigating the Vault, it's a certified duty failure because you wouldn't be able to reach the poor fellow in time. If you're running as a ranged DPS, you'd have an advantage due to Peloton. If you're running a melee class, I wouldn't be surprised if you have to deal with a major strategic handicap. Even running it with Very Easy and Echo switched on, I counted the fellow lucky to be saved. If I remember correctly, his HP was down by more than half. If I had to be honest with myself, I should have targeted the enemy behind instead of spamming AoE attacks.

 

The other one was the siege duty in the post-ARR MSQ where I had to take down a dragon before it took down an entire city. This was a DPS check against a flying Minas Tirith. Instead of seven layers of defence, however, I was dealing with a single layer of nigh-invulnerability. You can damage the boss. But that reptile can take so much damage, it's easier to take down Rome itself. This is the kind of fight you probably wouldn't win without food (I'd use HQ Apkallu Omelette) and potion buff. Apart from the insane durability, there wasn't anything of much worry since mechanics were effectively non-existent. At the same time, the duty is synced at item level 110. Even if you're geared with a full Augmented Ironworks set, you're still on the back foot. I'm not sure how well Potent Poisoning Potion would work, but I wouldn't be surprised if using Mega-Potion of Strength whenever engaging that flying Sauronsaurus would work better.

 

WARNING!

The second part of this post involves events spanning from Heavensward to post-Heavensward. Unless you've progressed to Stormblood or don't mind having your curiosity nuked, please stop here.

 

Don't look at me, look at Thordan

Recently, a fellow Singaporean got himself into trouble and possibly accolades from human rights activists. Long story short, his name was Ken "not Lim" Kwek of the Sex.Violence.FamilyValues fame and his latest work happened to be #LookAtMe starring Adrian "not The Hunter" Pang as Pastor Josiah Long Island Iced Tee. Again long story short, it got banned. Truth to be spoken, I'm not going to watch it. The reason why is that I've already learnt how to appreciate works like Vinland Saga and Tokyo Ghoul. Then we have Heavensward.

The interesting thing about the Heavensward storyline is that it may well be the most misunderstood plot in FF14. Why I say this is due to the darkness of the storytelling having nothing to do with religion. Because I'm more into Japanese dark fiction than its Hollywood counterpart, I'm actually likelier to be sympathetic towards the villains. Two good examples of this are Askeladd of Vinland Saga and Washuu Kichimura of Tokyo Ghoul. Then we have Elidibus.

 Moral of the story: There are clearly things the Japanese are good at and I'm not referring to the oppai.

Was Thordan a sympathetic villain? It depends on which one we're talking about. Thordan VII was a man with the noble goal of establishing a utopia for his people. But there's a problem: His methodology was nothing short of cynical. This is why I see him as a sympathetic villain. His actions were not driven by religion but by a faithless heart beneath the facade of faith. As for Thordan I, I hold no love for him. Imagine Teledji Adeledji as a crown-wearing Elezen and you'd get the picture.

Based on a true story in FF14.

 

The evils of the Ishgardian theocracy beg forth two questions:

1. Is religion a product of humanity?

2. If so, then does that mean the evils of religion came from humanity instead of religious faith?

We must understand that FF14 is made in Japan. This includes storytelling and the Japanese are known for their no-holds-barred approach. If you expect political preaching, you're really going to be sorely disappointed. While the nationalist lobby does command a strong influence in the political circle, the folks on the ground don't care for games of musical thrones. There are things they're capable of being angry at. Then there are things they couldn't be bothered with. As a result, you don't get to see woke themes in their works. This gives the Japanese brand of creativity a unique identity which the Cool Japan initiative failed to utilise.

Hence, it'd make more sense to see the darkness of Heavensward as the darkness of human nature. The cause of the Dragonsong War was never religion. It's down to one thing both clergy and atheists are capable of. That is greed. What Thordan I and his followers coveted was that which the Garleans would have sought as well. One side was religious while the other was atheistic, but both were nevertheless a pack of power-hungry dogs. The lies Aymeric was out to expose were never caused by religion but by human greed. But what if you realised your righteousness was defined by liars instead of the truth? It's never about "them" but "us". Frame it from an objective perspective and you realise not everyone on both sides has the courage to ask the same damning question. There's something harrowing about the priest's visage when he decided to murder a child (if you're pro-life, be glad that Vidofnir was around to save the day). It wasn't the face of religion but the dark side of human nature.

So why is Heavensward happened to be such a misunderstood story? I believe the reason is that we're so indoctrinated by the us-versus-them narrative that we failed to see Heavensward for what it is: A story told by the Japanese instead of Hollywood. Hence, we shouldn't see it as anti-religion or pro-left because that's never the intention of the developers.

If you need definite proof of what I've said, refer to what Matoya said in response to Alphinaud's anguish concerning justice after you finished The Antitower dungeon in the post-Heavensward MSQ. So what did she say?

 

"There's no such thing as cosmic justice." 

 

If you're an atheistic romanticist, you're going to be sorely disappointed by the context of her words. As a Christian, I chose to view the gravity of her words not as a form of blasphemy but something else.