Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

[Mwynn]

I've been seeing a lot of comments regarding how the logo looks very similar to Etro's throne and now I can't unsee. Good thing I was able to find edited renders in Deviantart. Just look at the shape of the crystal throne:

 

[Kuja9001]

Here's the pic without the clouds(you can see mountains)

 

[Glaurung]

So, Light wakes up and finds that the Chaos energy hasn't killed people, but granted eternal youth, so they keep on living.

If the following is true:

Serah?

If they bring Serah back from the dead, they better do the same with Raines and Rosch!!!! >.<

 

[Mwynn]

I hope noone goes back from the dead. In this game, life and death's topics are crucial. Resurrecting someone would degrade the value/meaning of life and that shouldn't be the moral of LR's story.

 

[Fangu]

The whole idea of "dead" is a bit wishwashy in these games though. Lightning turned herself to crystal, so obv she didn't die. Serah's memory is crystallized, whatever that means. I don't think she's really dead as some of the other characters are. Maybe dead characters even are alive as long as time isn't moving forward - Jihl Nabaat was alive in the Coliseum Void, explaining it as [quote needed]

If this whole thing doesn't end with a wedding I'm gonna be pissed. After all they did say Lightning would finally be happy, and to me that says seeing Serah happy. (But again, whatever 'seeing Serah happy' means... Serah seemed to be quite happy about saving the world and shit)

 

[Mwynn]

Serah's memory being crystallized is just referring how it would live inside Lightning during her crystallization. She died right before Chaos emerged to the Visible World, so the halting-aging effects of Chaos can't really apply to her anymore. Also, Jihl Nabaat is good as dead. That was just her soul bounded to the Coliseum.

I want them to realistically approach Lightning and the others' happiness in the end. To me their happiness should be achieved by finding peace in themselves and free of the guilt they have burdened from Serah's death and finally moving on from it, treasuring her memories etc.

 

[Glaurung]

(But again, whatever 'seeing Serah happy' means... Serah seemed to be quite happy about saving the world and shit)

They promised that XIII-2 would have an ending that "would make Lightning happy"... I don't know, but crying over your little sister's corpse is not my idea of being happy.

Didn't they say that the Unseen World was the land of the dead? If Chaos entered into Pulse, merging both the Seen and the Unseen, doesn't that mean that the dead are not... dead? yesIdesperatelywantthosetwoback

But that would collide with the video they shown on that non-recording session where people could see Lightning chasing a man acused of murder.

Ow, my brain hurts...

 

[Fangu]

Didn't they say that the Unseen World was the land of the dead? If Chaos entered into Pulse, merging both the Seen and the Unseen, doesn't that mean that the dead are not... dead?

MOM!

Nah, they can't possibly do that, can they? It would be like taking away everything human about their world.

 

[Mwynn]

And there's the fact that Valhalla is not really the Unseen World, it's a "border" between the Unseen and the Visible world.

 

[Leaferian]

Also, it should be mentioned that it's NOT Nabaat's soul in the Coliseum. The warriors in the Coliseum that are from the FF13 world are soulless copies, with the exceptions of Noel, Serah, and Snow. This is mentioned in-game, I believe.

 

[Mwynn]

Ah right, I forgot about that. 8/

 

[Glaurung]

And there's the fact that Valhalla is not really the Unseen World, it's a "border" between the Unseen and the Visible world.

*sigh* There went my hopes...

 

[Fangu]

Another article on Dec 22nd trailer release

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

And there's the fact that Valhalla is not really the Unseen World, it's a "border" between the Unseen and the Visible world.

Doesn't that contradict the Datalog?:

The Goddess Etro
In the ancient annals of Gran Pulse, Etro appears as the goddess of death and chaos. She is said to reside in the world where the souls of the dead find their rest—Valhalla.

Valhalla
Valhalla is an otherworldly dimension, also known as the Unseen Realm. According to Pulse legend, it is the final resting place of the souls of the dead, and the chaotic world where the goddess Etro makes her home.

Unseen Chaos
The chaos of the Unseen Realm is a malevolent energy that seep through into the world of mortals. The existence-defying darkness witnessed by Lightning is an immense and inexorable force, a creeping doom that she is not even certain acts with a unified purpose or will.

Where the chaos of Valhalla leaks into the mortal realm, the laws of the physical world are undone. This paradoxical energy seeks to return all existence to the Unseen Realm, but at times it seems to show an almost affection for those who share an affinity with chaos.

Etro's gate
The instant Etro's Gate opened, a world-devouring darkness slipped through from Valhalla. The goddess turned back the river of time and that terrible darkness—the Unseen chaos—was sealed away.

Her power exhausted, Etro fell into a sleep from which she would never awaken. It was Lightning who sensed that someone meant to exploit that weakness and destroy the goddess for good. She learned of the man named Caius Ballad.

If the goddess is destroyed, the chaos of the Unseen Realm would be unleashed, and the mortal realm devoured by Valhalla. Lightning decided to stand and fight, to protect Etro and see her benevolent will upheld.

Valhalla may be where one first enters into the Unseen Realm after crossing Etro's Gate, and is, thus, the border in that sense -- but it's definitely in the Unseen Realm, if not synonymous with it.

 

[Arianna]

Valhalla may be where one first enters into the Unseen Realm after crossing Etro's Gate, and is, thus, the border in that sense -- but it's definitely in the Unseen Realm, if not synonymous with it.

It has to be a translation error.

I always figured that Valhalla is in another realm, unknown except by name to a few, and never seen (or hardly seen). It is a land closest to the unseen realm, where the dead finally vanish away or through some other gate they travel to their last stop on the transition between the physical and the spiritual.

Then again, I could be wrong...

 

[Splintered]

I always felt the game was entirely too inconsistent about Valhalla was. I'm sitting on the idea that it's a world between as well,

Daisuke Watanabe, the lead scenario writer for Final Fantasy XIII-2, has explained Valhalla as thus: "Valhalla exists on a different reality plane, one that lies between the real world and nothingness. Time doesn't flow in Valhalla because it is a timeless, lifeless place. With Etro fading from the real world, Valhalla is her only refuge: it is a "middle world" where she waits until she dissolves completely".[2]

So it's the unseen realm, but not really the unseen realm because it's a gap between the unseen realm and the real world, but because it's not the real world it may as well be an unseen realm full of chaos either way.

get it?

Or not.

I've changed my mind a dozen times about Valhalla tbh, because of all the contradictory info coming out. I guess, that leaves me to fill in the blanks with bad theorizing so, I guess I sort of view Valhalla as a buffer zone between the real world and complete non existence.

And because of that nature of existing in neither a place with life (real world) or death (the world of nothing), it has all those wacky rules. I think final word has it that the dead to hang out there, but they definitely pass through it.

Chaos is a weird thing of itself, as its portrayed as both malevolent and destructive, but also the keys to free will in the larger mythos.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

It has to be a translation error.

I always figured that Valhalla is in another realm, unknown except by name to a few, and never seen (or hardly seen). It is a land closest to the unseen realm, where the dead finally vanish away or through some other gate they travel to their last stop on the transition between the physical and the spiritual.

Then again, I could be wrong...

While XIII-2 does have some translation blunders that have lead to plot confusion ("I was the very last child to be born" and "the latest in a line of eternal servants," I'm looking at you), this isn't one. Here is the Japanese version of the line, "Valhalla is an otherworldly dimension, also known as the Unseen Realm," as found under the "Valhalla" entry in the Datalog:

&#12300;&#19981;&#21487;&#35222;&#19990;&#30028;&#12301;&#12398;&#30064;&#21517;&#12434;&#25345;&#12388;&#30064;&#30028;&#12290;

That is: "Another world, with the alternate name of 'the Unseen Realm.'"

So, yeah, the official translation is correct.

I always felt the game was entirely too inconsistent about Valhalla was. I'm sitting on the idea that it's a world between as well,

Daisuke Watanabe, the lead scenario writer for Final Fantasy XIII-2, has explained Valhalla as thus: "Valhalla exists on a different reality plane, one that lies between the real world and nothingness. Time doesn't flow in Valhalla because it is a timeless, lifeless place. With Etro fading from the real world, Valhalla is her only refuge: it is a "middle world" where she waits until she dissolves completely".[2]

So it's the unseen realm, but not really the unseen realm because it's a gap between the unseen realm and the real world, but because it's not the real world it may as well be an unseen realm full of chaos either way.

get it?

Or not.

I've changed my mind a dozen times about Valhalla tbh, because of all the contradictory info coming out. I guess, that leaves me to fill in the blanks with bad theorizing so, I guess I sort of view Valhalla as a buffer zone between the real world and complete non existence.

And because of that nature of existing in neither a place with life (real world) or death (the world of nothing), it has all those wacky rules. I think final word has it that the dead to hang out there, but they definitely pass through it.

I think I'm seeing where this confusion is coming from now. I think that quote from Watanabe has been misunderstood.

You had it right when you said that Valhalla lays between the mortal world and non-existence. That place between is the Unseen Realm. The state of nothingness isn't the same as the Unseen Realm, where the dead wind up. Remember, Etro died in the mortal world before arriving in the Unseen Realm/Valhalla.

Non-existence appears to be destruction beyond simple death.

So, I don't think there are any contradictions at work here. Folk just got confused about what the Unseen Realm is supposed to be in terms of existence for those inhabiting it.

Chaos is a weird thing of itself, as its portrayed as both malevolent and destructive, but also the keys to free will in the larger mythos.

Yes, that is the true weirdness in all this.

 

[Kuja9001]

Again blame the localization team, in the original game, "God" was turned into "Maker"

 

[Shakarian]

http://www.novacrystallis.com/?p=3893

Motomu Toriyama promised that Lightning would be receiving a new look for her final outing in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The first details of that design are finally here.

Set to be revealed through Japanese magazines this week, a source who got an early look at the magazine has appeared online with some fresh details.

The outfit, designed by Tetsuya Nomura, is said to be a mixture of several styles. Similar to her outfit in FFXIII-2, her upper body is covered in a black armor, while the lower part features a body suit. Lightning is also wearing elements of a classic white mage&#8217;s outfit, including a white cape and red gloves. On her left arm is a shield that looks like something you might see in Mobile Suit Gundam. Her sword is also different, now a reddish and yellow color.

A fan has created their own impression of Lightning&#8217;s new look using LittleBigPlanet art. You can see it below.

With Lightning Returns set to resurface at Jump Festa, we should be seeing even more news shortly. Stay tuned.

http://www.dotup.org/uploda/www.dotup.org3742583.jpg

 

[Arianna]

While XIII-2 does have some translation blunders that have lead to plot confusion ("I was the very last child to be born" and "the latest in a line of eternal servants," I'm looking at you), this isn't one. Here is the Japanese version of the line, "Valhalla is an otherworldly dimension, also known as the Unseen Realm," as found under the "Valhalla" entry in the Datalog:

&#12300;&#19981;&#21487;&#35222;&#19990;&#30028;&#12301;&#12398;&#30064;&#21517;&#12434;&#25345;&#12388;&#30064;&#30028;&#12290;

That is: "Another world, with the alternate name of 'the Unseen Realm.'"

So, yeah, the official translation is correct.

Weird. Just weird, because then where is everyone who's ever died?! According to what's said regarding the FNC myth... Mwynn disappeared into yet another realm. Etro was - from what I understood - in between worlds. Hmmmmm... Did they mean two different places with Valhalla vs. where the spirits of the dead go, the place where Chaos originates? Or is SE pulling another retro with the story... again?! Thank you for correcting me.

I think I'm seeing where this confusion is coming from now. I think that quote from Watanabe has been misunderstood.

You had it right when you said that Valhalla lays between the mortal world and non-existence. That place between is the Unseen Realm. The state of nothingness isn't the same as the Unseen Realm, where the dead wind up. Remember, Etro died in the mortal world before arriving in the Unseen Realm/Valhalla.

Non-existence appears to be destruction beyond simple death.

So, I don't think there are any contradictions at work here. Folk just got confused about what the Unseen Realm is supposed to be in terms of existence for those inhabiting it.

So basically... There is nothing beyond Valhalla? You just disappear? Well, now I'm really bummed. You would think Bhunivelze and the others (maybe not Pulse and Lindzei and the other fal'Cie) would know this?!

The only thing that this makes me think of - that I can understand - is what was the death of the soul. The mortal shell dies, the soul is released (unseen sometimes even amongst the seen), the Otherworld, the West, the Astral, Heaven, etc. There are things in the unseen realm, and perhaps the seen realm too (speaking of our world here), that are powerful enough to destroy the soul. If the soul is destroyed, that being is gone for good.

For a FFXIII example, if there was something that would kill Yuel's soul, Yuel would be no more. No more incarnations, because the being that made the bodily Yuels is no more.

Is this what they mean in regards to XIII?

 

[Fangu]

I got these from this Facebook group

Lightnings new outfit - holymotherofgod I fucking love it, it's totally crazy

I am so gay for Lightning right now

 

[Shakarian]

Totally straight, but unfff i would

I have waited so long for this

 

[Lex]

Loving the new avatar

I also love it!

 

[ForceStealer]

I liked Lightning's original outfit...

 

[Tetsujin]

I think it looks weird.