my past is not today

First things first, we need to address inconsistencies in FFXIV’s lorebook, the Encyclopedia Eorzea. Of its four mentions of Dalmasca, two of them (two of the more visible mentions, in fact) are inconsistent with literally everything else the game has told us of Dalmasca from as early as 2.0 to 4.3′s Ridorana Lighthouse.

Encyclopedia Eorzea - A Chronology of the Sixth Astral Era:1517 - “The Republic [of Garlemald] first employs airships in its military conquests, easily conquering the small nation of Dalmasca in a display of terrifying power. Over the coming years, the Garleans seize control over the majority of the northern territories.”

Encyclopedia Eorzea - Unifying the North: “As triumph followed triumph, the Garleans’ respect for Galvus grew, eventually transforming into worship. In 1517, he was granted control of Garlemald as dictator by overwhelming popular support. The same year, the republic attacked Dalmasca, a small country nestled in the central mountains, and rained down fire upon it with their new airships. Thus, the Garlean army turned to conquer the south of Ilsabard. In 1522, this campaign ended in victory. Having unified the continent through force for the first time in history, Galvus proclaimed himself Emperor, and thus created the Garlean Empire.”

FORTUNATELY, the recently released Encyclopedia Eorzea II has corrected the incorrect texts above. Where the above two quotes cite “Dalmasca”, they should say “Nhalmasque.”

Lore on the Kingdom of Dalmasca, the Royal City of Rabanastre, and the Ridorana Lighthouse is located below the Read More. Obviously, there are some spoilers.

Considering we’re learning more and more about Dalmasca as the Return to Ivalice storyline progresses, I’ll update this with any new lore that comes in the eventual Patch 4.5 continuation of the 24-man raid storyline. Check back then!

you lived, now what? is i think one of the more interesting questions we can pose with fiction, and i think it's maybe one of the most powerful vehicles for conveying the notion that there is no point at which you stop being a person. the most unforgivable irreparable harms are caused by people making choices. and we will make bad ones and keep making them. you're not immune. no one you love is immune.

and crucially, we don't necessarily build a better world by defining criterion for forgiveness, redemption, punishment, penance. forgiveness is relational and as much about the person who has been harmed as it is about the culprit. punishment's effect is rarely improvement. societally, our ideas of redemption and penance are firmly rooted in legalistic notions of judgement — whether based on human morals or divine — where personhood and worthiness are contingent on ticking off boxes that we could argue endlessly about redefining and relitigating.

if you move the story out of that frame, though, it's not a story about "making it up." its a story about living. it's a story about making choices. it's about reflecting on the ones you've made. it's about their impact on your relationships, your sense of self. and i think that inherently has value.

It's something that always bugged me about the show, that even after we meet Terry Ives and we know what name she gave her daughter, the show and its characters continue to refer to her as El/Eleven with her real name—Jane—being forgotten about

Even in the fourth season, she only goes by Jane when she's around her classmates, but to the party she remains El, the name Jane is just an alias and El is supposed to be who she really is

It felt like one more thing Brenner stole from her—not just her mother, and her childhood, and personhood, it's not enough that he marked her with a number, but that that number now becomes her identity, so even when she's supposed to be free of him she still can't escape him, he continues to dehumanize her long after he stops being in control of her

And the fact that, in his final moments, when he thought he was going to die, Hopper gives her a speech on how proud he is of the person she's become, and he wanted his finals words to be 'I love you, Jane', not El, not Eleven, not even 'my daughter', but Jane, because that is the person El has grown into, and that is how he wants her to remember him

Why the fuck are we arguing about this bullshit bro.. yes there's a difference between cnc/bsdm and reading about romanticised abuse

That's it. Those are your options. Homelessness doesn't go away based on "crime crackdowns." You will imprison the unhoused, and when they are free, they will be unhoused again. Or they will die in prison.

When you burn encampments or force people out without their stuff, they remain unhoused or freeze to death.

After working with the unhoused, it's become abundantly clear that those who don't want to support them instead want them dead.