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.
