A misconception I see weirdly often is people thinking JP didn't gender Nael in 1.0, and that's why EN screwed up coils? But Gaius actually DOES call her a "man" in 1.0, its just then in Coils she's revealed to be a woman cause she uses the word "girl" to describe herself when hinting at her past.
Which the first encyclopedia goes on to explain that she's taken on her brother's identity, so of course Gaius would think that, that's what she wantsā¦ So its pretty malicious of EN to change that in coils when its clear JP had a plan for her story thereā¦ (and EN is so insulting towards her too)
The frustrating thing is I DO think Nael has gender stuff going on!! But that has nothing to do with Bahamut (cause the whole brought back in the wrong body bs is 100% made up by the loc lol) and everything to do with living as her brother for over half her life.
(Translation of the Japanese lines in question in alt text)
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I play in Japanese, and checking the English, a lot of the lines were screwed up for Ruby Weapon as usual with how bad the loc is. And I love Nael so itās personal this time, so Iām retranslating them here.
My main issue is in addition to not mentioning her brother first thing (the one line where she does in EN is missableā¦) they make it sound like tempered Nael, when this is all about her own feelings not Bahamutās, so it muddles the message. Her appearance is that of when she was āNael deus Darnusā but she introduces herself as āNael van Darnusā, uses her usual first person pronoun ä½ (she switches to ę as deus Darnus), and furthermore, sheās talking about how meteor is to bring glory to her brotherās name, not because of Bahamut. Untempered Nael would not be calling herself a servant and in JP she doesnāt. (Also JP lines more clearly indicate which attack she's using)
(Screenshots are the OG Japanese text+official EN loc, text underneath is my retranslation. Translations under the cut.)
I am Nael van Darnus...!
2. The mastermind behind the Meteor Projectā¦!
3. I shall make the Meteor Project a reality with the wisdom of the great Allagan Empire!
4. The grief of losing my brother and my fury at my incompetent fatherā¦ they shall become my armor and protect meā¦!
5. Taste my frozen sorrow and burning rage, you beasts! <-the word in quotes in JP is ākedamonoā (beast), Nael uses it a LOT, in 1.0 as well, to the point I associate it with her.
6. How can this be, my beautiful malevolent star should have fallen! My project failed?!
7. No, I will not relentā¦! Iāll begin the Meteor Project anew!
8. O stardust, fall like rain! Death to those who would impede the Projectā¦!
9. O demonic meteor, destroy those who would oppose me!
10. Fall, O meteors! Stop them if you can, you beasts! (Yep, itās kedamono again)
11. Iām sureā¦.clack clackā¦. The malevolent star fellā¦.. clack clack ā¦. I wonāt accept thisā¦. Iāll never accept failureā¦! (JP has a mechanical sound effect here! Same one they use for Omega and terminals)
12. I shall complete the final Meteor Project! clack clack clackā¦.to bring glory to my brotherāsā¦ to my brother Naelās nameā¦.!
13. Ahā¦ myā¦ our red moonā¦ myā¦ my brotherās powerā¦. How dazzlingā¦... (EN really missed the point here, the JP mirrors her dying line from coils, but with added parts that almost sound as if sheās speaking as āEulaā.
I love that Nael and Zenos do so many similar things, both being the type to kill their own people (which is apparently NOT normal even in the empire), and are terrifying commanders that have powerful legions held together by fear, with both of them fighting on the front lines themselves but they have practically opposite motivations
Zenos being an empty shell of a man desperate to feel anything at all, which drives his extreme actions, while Nael feels so deeply for her brother that she would do anything to bring glory to his name which drives hers. He doesnāt give a fuck about the empire, while sheās desperate to be seen as someone great within it. They both grew up within the same sort of harsh military family, but he was all alone, while she had her brother as support so I do wonder if that contributes to why theyāre like thatā¦.
I finished the Werlyt questline last night, and wow, that was hands down some of the best stuff ffxiv has done. Great writing all the way through, and I was sobbing by the endā¦ I figured it would be a favorite just because there was Nael in it (and also cause I love the empire as a whole), but it somehow exceeded my expectations!! Including the Nael part, getting explicit mention of her brother (+Bradamante and her father) and finding a way to have a fight that explores her rage and grief? Itās perfectā¦.
Also Gaius is such a well written characterā¦ even back in 1.0 he feels like someone that did have the capacity to change his ways with how he opposes Nael and wishes to save Eorzea, but for him to actually make that change, accept that his previous way of thinking was wrong, and to own up to it, and not try and justify it. He canāt change the past, but he can at least help build the futureā¦ and I think living and facing the consequences of his actions is a far better punishment than just killing or jailing him, I mean hell, he watches all but one of his children get killed because of how he raised them, they joined the empire for *him*
Also, I don't think its a coincidence they began the Werlyt quests with Nael, and specifically a fight that gets into the grief and rage born from her love for her brother...with how important Allie's love for her siblings and especially her brother is... and how that lets their plan succeed. Naelās love led her to incredible acts of evil, but she too was humanā¦
ęćę±ććč ćć”/And love you shall findā¦..
Got told that the extreme version of ruby weapon has some additional dialogue and I couldnāt wait so I checked a JP video and itās DEVASTATINGā¦. (I legit do want to learn this fight as my first proper EX! Because oh my god they made a fight just for me I swear)
Anyway there are embodiments of Naelās rage and grief that show up as her head and float towards the phantoms of her, andā¦.
Grief: āBradamanteā¦.Why did you have to die?ā (Who she calls NEE-SAMA BTW)
āMy dear brotherā¦. Donāt leave meā¦.ā
Rage: āIāll never forgive my incompetent father..!ā
āYou damn beasts that stole my brother awayā¦!ā
Iām justā¦. So happy they made a fight that lets you peer more into Naelās heart in a way that would not be possible otherwiseā¦ itās stuff she would never reveal in life, could never reveal in life, she IS her brother to everyone elseā¦. So to find a way to explore who Nael was as a person is just! So cool!!! Iām glad it got to be in game instead of just in the encyclopedia!!! And what a beautifully done fight!!!!! 1.0 was the story of how terrifying Nael is, and now this shows you how she came to be that wayā¦ what Meteor meant to her and her desperation to make it succeed (oh also Iāll post retranslation of her in-battle lines too cause EN fucked them up lol. She does NOT sound tempered in Japanese in fact itās like a look into Naelās true feelings, so EN making her sound tempered muddles that point)
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OH MY GOD THEY DID THIS??? FOR ME???!!! ITS THE VIITH LEGION BEHIND THIS PROJECT TOO??? EVEN IF ITS IN NAME ONLY SINCE THEYRE ALL DEAD. AND FIRST THING IS NAEL HERSELF?!!!!! AND IT REALLY FEELS LIKE NAEL MOMENTARILY POSSESSED THAT GIRL (WHO IS ALSO A LITTLE SISTERā¦) BECAUSE UH NO ONE IN THE EMPIRE KNEW IT WAS EULA?! YOU CANT GET THAT FROM COMBAT DATA ALONE?!! AND SHE TALKED ABOUT HER BROTHER!!!!!! SHE CALLS HIM NII-SAMA AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! AND AN ARRANGEMENT OF HER SECOND THEME TOO?!! GOODBYE IM ALREADY IN HEAVEN
Its a shame the only scene with Nael and Gaius interacting is that one cutscene in Dance of the Wicked Bird I want to see the non-cutscene parts of that quest too but its a miracle i even finally found it in the first place cause their dynamic is very amusing to me. They do NOT like each other...
Reinforcements coming to help Gaius and oh god its that crazy extremist Nael.... and her plan seems to be to cause Bozja...2! And he even lost the favor of the emperor to her, annnd if that wasn't bad enough, she seems to be slowly losing her mind!
He tries to express concern for this and she's just like. Have you considered emptiness in the root of all creation? Can you picture the light glittering from the depths of hell? How sacred, how sublime! (she also accuses him of trying to lecture her cause he's upset he lost the emperor's favor lmaoooo)
I wonder if Eula would have still taken over as legatus even if she hadnāt taken her brotherās placeā¦? He was the older sibling so I figure thatās why it was planned to be him next after their father..? She is the only woman in that position that I know of (it was her grandfather before her father in charge of the VIIth too) but also Varisās personal guards, which has got to be a really high ranking position with the kind of things they hear are women, so surely itās not only sons allowed..??? Actually which title did they have, I know āvanā specifies the highest military rankingā¦.that note in Gubal about how itās indicative of the severity of social stratification in Garlemald is interestingā¦ Well I donāt think anyone can match how terrifying Nael was, but I hope there are other womenā¦
