So this is a combination of three connected theories that I've had rattling around in my head since 7.0, and so far nothing we've learned since has really contradicted them. In fact, the Azem Crystal reacting to Ethos seems to corroborate the theory, though obviously doesn't prove it. The first theory has been suggested before, but I want to go into it because I think it provides the foundation for the second, which then leads into the third.
The Relic
Going back to 7.0, we're introduced to the relic we now call Ethos. During the final confrontation with Zoraal Ja, he undergoes a transformation into the boss I shall personally call The Headless King. Now I do want to clarify, while Zoraal Ja was carrying Ethos at this point, importantly, we aren't actually shown Ethos directly causing the transformation. This distinction is important, because I don't want to claim something the game hasn't explicitly established. However, I do think there are some interesting circumstances surrounding the transformation that make me suspect Ethos may have been involved.
By this point, Zoraal Ja is already holding an extreme amount of aether, far beyond what a mortal body should be capable of containing. Normally, you'd expect that much aether to cause the body to erode or otherwise lose control, morphing into a monstrosity of some kind. Instead, Zoraal Ja undergoes a remarkably specific transformation that is very closely aligned with his personal desires. He's already been consumed by his desire to surpass his father, Galool Ja Ja, the resulting form reflects that relationship. Galool Ja Ja was a two-headed Mamool Ja, while Zoraal Ja is naturally one-headed, and Zoraal Ja's transformation recreates his father's form while leaving one head missing, perhaps symbolic of his need to be like his father, but also be his own person.
There's also the strange sequence of hallucinations during the fight. Zoraal Ja sees his siblings, his father, and his son, and cuts them down one by one while proclaiming his wish to surpass his father, the need to be better than his adopted siblings, and his refusal to be a father. Rather than looking like a chaotic transformation caused simply by having too much aether, the whole thing feels disturbingly deliberate: almost as though something is taking Zoraal Ja's desires and shaping his transformation around them. And that makes me wonder if there was something more insidious happening here. What if the transformation wasn't simply Zoraal Ja losing control of an excessive amount of aether, but the result of some form of pact with the relic?
The timing is particularly interesting because the Everkeep arena itself is already under the effects of Ethos, having been partially transported to the Source. Zoraal Ja is physically holding the relic, while simultaneously undergoing an aether-induced transformation that appears to be unusually controlled and specifically tailored to his deepest desires.
Again, this isn't proof that Ethos caused his transformation. But I think it gives us a reason to question exactly what Ethos is capable of.
So far, we've primarily seen Ethos used as a means of travelling between shards. It responds to the Crystal of Azem, allowing us to cross shards; the Milalla used it to travel from the Source to the Ninth, while Preservation used it to create a gate to the Source from the Ninth and partially transport Alexandria to Northern Shaaloani.
So why are we assuming that shard travel is its primary, or even original, function?
The obvious answer, to me at least, is that we've simply assumed the relic's primary function is shard travel because that's what we've seen it used for. The Milalla and Preservation both believed it to be a tool for travelling between worlds, but that information ultimately comes from their own histories and interpretations of the relic. We don't necessarily know what the relic was originally created to do, or what its full capabilities are.
And I think we've actually seen something like this before.
I think Ethos is Auracite.
Specifically, I think it may be Auracite potentially created by the original Ultima, the same one who gifted Athena the Heart of Sabik. We've already seen how Auracite can respond to the desires and ambitions of those who use it. If Ethos is Auracite, then crossing the rift isn't necessarily its inherent purpose. It may simply be responding to the desires of the people using it. The Milalla wanted to escape the destruction of their world and reach another shard. Preservation wanted to create a route to the Source. And Zoraal Ja wanted to surpass his father and become the greatest king. So the relic gave each of them what they desired.
Which also means that during the Zoraal Ja trial, we're potentially not simply fighting an aether created monstrosity. What if we're fighting a Lucavi? Consider the design of the Lucavi we have fought to this day. Lucavi have a very distinctive baroque design language, blending flesh, armour, weapons and ornamentation into elaborate, unnatural forms. Their elongated anatomy and excessive, almost grotesque detailing make them look more like supernatural constructs than conventional creatures. Now compare that to The Headless King. His tech armour has become a part of his body, showing the same baroque fusion of anatomy, weaponry, armour and ornamentation, details such as the halo that floats above his head. His limbs are elongated with elaborate protrusions, very much appearing more like a deliberate construct than some haphazard aether mutation, such as the sailors in Sastasha (hard).
Lucavi
The Headless King
I don't think the relic's appearance, being that of previously seen Auracite, is simply reused assets either. I think there's a reason it looks the way it does.
White Auracite
Ethos
Azem
During the fight with Sphene, we get the scene where the sigil of Azem appears on the relic, and the relic also responds to Azem's stone. Already we believe Ethos actually dates all the way back to the Ancient world, given it's Amaurotian details. What if it was originally gifted to, or discovered by, Azem?
We know Azem had an almost compulsive desire to travel, explore, and help people. If Ethos responds to the desires of its user, it would make perfect sense for Azem to use it as a means of travelling further than anyone else could. But there's another trait of Azem that I think has been mostly swept under the rug: Azem appears to have knowledge of future events.
They knew that we, their future reincarnation, existed and that we would travel back to Elpis. In perhaps the most Azem way imaginable, when telling Elidibus that "help" would arrive to deal with Pandaemonium, they even instructed him to stand in a very specific location. We then proceed to travel back to Elpis, fall through the sky, and land directly on top of Elidibus (I choose to believe Azem was somewhere nearby watching this happen through binoculars and laughing their ass off.)
But how did Azem know where we would appear, let alone that we would exist in the first place? The former could potentially be explained by Venat telling them about us, but the latter is a little harder to explain. This leads me to my second theory about Ethos: What if it doesn't just cross between shards? What if it can cross time as well?
During the Zoraal Ja trial, there are sections where the arena becomes suspended within a "corridor" of spinning rings. And for those unfortunate enough to have played FFXIII-2, you might recognise some similarities to the Historia Crux, a space that allows travel between different locations and points in time.
Historia Crux
Everkeep Arena
Obviously, visual similarities aren't proof of anything. But combined with everything else surrounding Ethos, I think it's an interesting possibility. What if Azem used Ethos to travel through time as well as between shards, and that's how they came to know what was going to happen?
Perhaps Azem travelled into the future and explored the different shards, seeing the consequences of the Sundering and the histories that would eventually develop. That could also explain why Azem didn't side with either Venat or the Convocation: perhaps they already knew the outcome. FF14 time travel laws already establish that once seen, the future cannot be changed. They knew the Sundering was going to happen, they knew the Ancients' fate couldn't be changed, and had already seen what came afterwards.
The Great Serpent
The most important theory, of course, relating to our favourite Scree-ing friend.
Both Ronka and Tural have ancient murals recording a great disaster, followed by the arrival of a mysterious saviour known as "the Great Serpent". Two different worlds, two different civilisations, and two different histories, yet both have ancient stories of a Great Serpent appearing to save their people from disaster.
Now think about how Azem's sigil presents itself on Ethos. When the sigil forms, it shows two dots on either side before rotating clockwise with "tails" forming the circle. Before this we'd naturally assumed that the sigil represents Sol, but what if it doesn't? What if Azem's symbol is actually Ouroboros, the serpent eating its own tail?
The Sigil of Azem
If Azem had travelled through the shards and potentially through time, they could have encountered ancient civilisations on multiple worlds, intervening whenever they encountered a catastrophe, under the name "The Great Serpent". Over thousands of years, stories of this mysterious traveller could become distorted. The people who encountered Azem might not remember them as an Ancient, or even as a person. They might simply remember that the Great Serpent came and saved them, eventually becoming a literal serpent in the mythology.
So my third theory is that the Great Serpent of Ronka and the Great Serpent of Tural are both legends originating from encounters with Azem. Azem travelled through the shards and potentially through time, helping civilisations wherever they went. The relic allowed them to do this, their sigil represents Ouroboros rather than the sun, and the "Great Serpent" is simply how those ancient cultures came to remember Azem.
Is this correct? Absolutely no idea!
I've been wrong about my theories more times than I've been right, but that has never stopped me before. I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks, though. Or do you have your own theories? Perhaps advancements or adjustments to this one?
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Scree!
submitted by /u/LordKoumori
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...
The Relic
Going back to 7.0, we're introduced to the relic we now call Ethos. During the final confrontation with Zoraal Ja, he undergoes a transformation into the boss I shall personally call The Headless King. Now I do want to clarify, while Zoraal Ja was carrying Ethos at this point, importantly, we aren't actually shown Ethos directly causing the transformation. This distinction is important, because I don't want to claim something the game hasn't explicitly established. However, I do think there are some interesting circumstances surrounding the transformation that make me suspect Ethos may have been involved.
By this point, Zoraal Ja is already holding an extreme amount of aether, far beyond what a mortal body should be capable of containing. Normally, you'd expect that much aether to cause the body to erode or otherwise lose control, morphing into a monstrosity of some kind. Instead, Zoraal Ja undergoes a remarkably specific transformation that is very closely aligned with his personal desires. He's already been consumed by his desire to surpass his father, Galool Ja Ja, the resulting form reflects that relationship. Galool Ja Ja was a two-headed Mamool Ja, while Zoraal Ja is naturally one-headed, and Zoraal Ja's transformation recreates his father's form while leaving one head missing, perhaps symbolic of his need to be like his father, but also be his own person.
There's also the strange sequence of hallucinations during the fight. Zoraal Ja sees his siblings, his father, and his son, and cuts them down one by one while proclaiming his wish to surpass his father, the need to be better than his adopted siblings, and his refusal to be a father. Rather than looking like a chaotic transformation caused simply by having too much aether, the whole thing feels disturbingly deliberate: almost as though something is taking Zoraal Ja's desires and shaping his transformation around them. And that makes me wonder if there was something more insidious happening here. What if the transformation wasn't simply Zoraal Ja losing control of an excessive amount of aether, but the result of some form of pact with the relic?
The timing is particularly interesting because the Everkeep arena itself is already under the effects of Ethos, having been partially transported to the Source. Zoraal Ja is physically holding the relic, while simultaneously undergoing an aether-induced transformation that appears to be unusually controlled and specifically tailored to his deepest desires.
Again, this isn't proof that Ethos caused his transformation. But I think it gives us a reason to question exactly what Ethos is capable of.
So far, we've primarily seen Ethos used as a means of travelling between shards. It responds to the Crystal of Azem, allowing us to cross shards; the Milalla used it to travel from the Source to the Ninth, while Preservation used it to create a gate to the Source from the Ninth and partially transport Alexandria to Northern Shaaloani.
So why are we assuming that shard travel is its primary, or even original, function?
The obvious answer, to me at least, is that we've simply assumed the relic's primary function is shard travel because that's what we've seen it used for. The Milalla and Preservation both believed it to be a tool for travelling between worlds, but that information ultimately comes from their own histories and interpretations of the relic. We don't necessarily know what the relic was originally created to do, or what its full capabilities are.
And I think we've actually seen something like this before.
I think Ethos is Auracite.
Specifically, I think it may be Auracite potentially created by the original Ultima, the same one who gifted Athena the Heart of Sabik. We've already seen how Auracite can respond to the desires and ambitions of those who use it. If Ethos is Auracite, then crossing the rift isn't necessarily its inherent purpose. It may simply be responding to the desires of the people using it. The Milalla wanted to escape the destruction of their world and reach another shard. Preservation wanted to create a route to the Source. And Zoraal Ja wanted to surpass his father and become the greatest king. So the relic gave each of them what they desired.
Which also means that during the Zoraal Ja trial, we're potentially not simply fighting an aether created monstrosity. What if we're fighting a Lucavi? Consider the design of the Lucavi we have fought to this day. Lucavi have a very distinctive baroque design language, blending flesh, armour, weapons and ornamentation into elaborate, unnatural forms. Their elongated anatomy and excessive, almost grotesque detailing make them look more like supernatural constructs than conventional creatures. Now compare that to The Headless King. His tech armour has become a part of his body, showing the same baroque fusion of anatomy, weaponry, armour and ornamentation, details such as the halo that floats above his head. His limbs are elongated with elaborate protrusions, very much appearing more like a deliberate construct than some haphazard aether mutation, such as the sailors in Sastasha (hard).
Lucavi
The Headless King
I don't think the relic's appearance, being that of previously seen Auracite, is simply reused assets either. I think there's a reason it looks the way it does.
White Auracite
Ethos
Azem
During the fight with Sphene, we get the scene where the sigil of Azem appears on the relic, and the relic also responds to Azem's stone. Already we believe Ethos actually dates all the way back to the Ancient world, given it's Amaurotian details. What if it was originally gifted to, or discovered by, Azem?
We know Azem had an almost compulsive desire to travel, explore, and help people. If Ethos responds to the desires of its user, it would make perfect sense for Azem to use it as a means of travelling further than anyone else could. But there's another trait of Azem that I think has been mostly swept under the rug: Azem appears to have knowledge of future events.
They knew that we, their future reincarnation, existed and that we would travel back to Elpis. In perhaps the most Azem way imaginable, when telling Elidibus that "help" would arrive to deal with Pandaemonium, they even instructed him to stand in a very specific location. We then proceed to travel back to Elpis, fall through the sky, and land directly on top of Elidibus (I choose to believe Azem was somewhere nearby watching this happen through binoculars and laughing their ass off.)
But how did Azem know where we would appear, let alone that we would exist in the first place? The former could potentially be explained by Venat telling them about us, but the latter is a little harder to explain. This leads me to my second theory about Ethos: What if it doesn't just cross between shards? What if it can cross time as well?
During the Zoraal Ja trial, there are sections where the arena becomes suspended within a "corridor" of spinning rings. And for those unfortunate enough to have played FFXIII-2, you might recognise some similarities to the Historia Crux, a space that allows travel between different locations and points in time.
Historia Crux
Everkeep Arena
Obviously, visual similarities aren't proof of anything. But combined with everything else surrounding Ethos, I think it's an interesting possibility. What if Azem used Ethos to travel through time as well as between shards, and that's how they came to know what was going to happen?
Perhaps Azem travelled into the future and explored the different shards, seeing the consequences of the Sundering and the histories that would eventually develop. That could also explain why Azem didn't side with either Venat or the Convocation: perhaps they already knew the outcome. FF14 time travel laws already establish that once seen, the future cannot be changed. They knew the Sundering was going to happen, they knew the Ancients' fate couldn't be changed, and had already seen what came afterwards.
The Great Serpent
The most important theory, of course, relating to our favourite Scree-ing friend.
Both Ronka and Tural have ancient murals recording a great disaster, followed by the arrival of a mysterious saviour known as "the Great Serpent". Two different worlds, two different civilisations, and two different histories, yet both have ancient stories of a Great Serpent appearing to save their people from disaster.
Now think about how Azem's sigil presents itself on Ethos. When the sigil forms, it shows two dots on either side before rotating clockwise with "tails" forming the circle. Before this we'd naturally assumed that the sigil represents Sol, but what if it doesn't? What if Azem's symbol is actually Ouroboros, the serpent eating its own tail?
The Sigil of Azem
If Azem had travelled through the shards and potentially through time, they could have encountered ancient civilisations on multiple worlds, intervening whenever they encountered a catastrophe, under the name "The Great Serpent". Over thousands of years, stories of this mysterious traveller could become distorted. The people who encountered Azem might not remember them as an Ancient, or even as a person. They might simply remember that the Great Serpent came and saved them, eventually becoming a literal serpent in the mythology.
So my third theory is that the Great Serpent of Ronka and the Great Serpent of Tural are both legends originating from encounters with Azem. Azem travelled through the shards and potentially through time, helping civilisations wherever they went. The relic allowed them to do this, their sigil represents Ouroboros rather than the sun, and the "Great Serpent" is simply how those ancient cultures came to remember Azem.
Is this correct? Absolutely no idea!
I've been wrong about my theories more times than I've been right, but that has never stopped me before. I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks, though. Or do you have your own theories? Perhaps advancements or adjustments to this one?
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Scree!
submitted by /u/LordKoumori
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...