#The Undying

[asha-mage]

I think one of the most fascinating aspects of Joshua's character is that he was raised by a cult that worships him and it shows.

The game is very unsubtle in depicting the Undying as a cult, if a benign one whose goals are largely aligned with Clive's: the way it recruits from the disenfranchised dredges of society, the way it isolates it's members from the outside world, and associates devotion to their deity with worth as a person, even glorifying self sacrifice even past the point of reason- something Clive and Cyril butt heads on repeatedly.

And you can see the way that both being raised by them and being their messiah has impacted Joshua: the way Joshua feels that he can and should be able to do everything on his own (rebuffing Jote's efforts to help him even with small matters, avoiding Clive in order to 'protect' him), the way he's feels a right to order the lives of others around his own wishes (his meddling in the politics of each Kingdom, especially Sanbreque), even the subtle hint that he's given up on trying to persuade the Undying not to sacrifice their lives for his gain (and the even more subtle implication that he's maybe accepted that self sacrifice is a good thing, given his own self-sacrificial tendencies for Clive).

Their's this big gap after the reveal Joshua is alive where you wonder: how did he get from where he was Phoenix Gate (the shy innocent boy who wanted to do his duty more to make his brother proud then for it's own sake) to where he is at Drake's Spine (confident, mysterious, cold blooded in his pursuit of his goals), and the game answers that so effectively in the introduction of the Undying. This is where he learned it, this is what shaped him after everything fell apart and he went into hiding: a cult that all at once was trying to parent and worship and aid a 10 year old messiah whose only real desire was to save his brother from the monster that tore them apart.

#FFXVI #Final Fantasy XVI #FF16 #Final Fantasy 16 #FFXVI Spoilers #FF16 spoilers #joshua rosfield #The Undying #cyril #jote #clive rosfield

[kingofreddragons]

The Undying if they were cooler

#ffxvi #ff16 #jote #Cyril #ffxvi jote #ffxvi Cyril #my art #digital art #the undying

[mothonice0]

#final fantasy 16 #ffxvi #ff16 #final fantasy 16 spoilers #final fantasy xvi #joshua rosfield #jote #ff16 jote #ff16 joshua #the undying #the most beautiful meows meows #final fantasy gifs

[cosmic-metanoia]

Being Raised in Cults - Jill & Joshua

***Warning - Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI***

I realized something really interesting after finishing FFXVI. After the events of Phoenix Gate, Clive, Joshua, and Jill were all separated and lived very different lives. We all know what happened to Clive during those 13 years. Long story short - his life was a living hell. But what was particularly fascinating was the contrasting lives of Joshua and Jill. They both had the same yet completely opposite lives. They were both taken in by religious cults – Jill with the Ironbloods and Joshua with the Undying. Anabella practically sold Jill to the Ironbloods as a political venture. Joshua was rescued from certain death by the Undying. Jill was physically and psychologically harmed and forced to become the Ironblood’s Eikon slave on the battlefield. Joshua was greatly cared for during his convalescence. He was taught swordsmanship and given unlimited access to the best knowledge and resources the Undying had to offer. Jill was taught that her mere existence was an abomination because she was an Eikon and Eikons drew upon the power of the crystals which were deemed sacred. In contrast, Joshua was viewed by the Undying as their messiah and he was protected by them. They even wanted to kill Clive upon discovering he was Ifrit but Joshua stopped them.

Despite how Jill was raised, she did not allow her traumatic experiences to harden her heart and make her unsympathetic towards others. Joshua could have been the most arrogant and self-centered person in the world. But he chose humility, grace, and self-sacrifice. Just like Clive, Jill and Joshua are glorious examples of how to live your life to the fullest despite the setbacks of your past.

ALSO SQUARE ENIX - PLEASE GIVE US DLCS FOR EACH OF THEM!!!!!!

#joshua rosfield #jill warrick #final fantasy xvi #final fantasy 16 #ff16 #ffxvi #the undying

[iirulancorrino]

Just as no one is born outside of history, no one dies a natural death. Death never quits, is both universal and not. It is distributed in disproportion, arrives by drone strikes and husbands' hands, is carried on the backs of tiny hospital-bred microbes, circulated in the storms raised by the new capitalist weather, arrives through a whisper of radiation instructing the mutation of a cell. It both cares who we are, and it doesn't. A squirrel has died, unmarred, of no apparent reason and is cradled at the root of a tree near my apartment. Like any mortal creature, I should not get too attached to being alive. I'd written in my journal: In the clash of civilizations — the living versus the dead — I know whose side I'm on, never saying which.

Anne Boyer, The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer and Care

#anne boyer #the undying #cancer #what I'm reading #this book is just phenomenally good

[swtorpadawan]

Misplaced

Author’s Notes: The following story is Part III of my Shadow Games series and takes place at Vaiken Spacedock in my Halcyon Legacy a few weeks before the Forged Alliances story arc.

“What do you mean you’ve lost an experimental dreadnaught?”

Darth Arkous glared across his desk towards his chief advisor, Lana Beniko. The younger Sith was standing before him, having just delivered a report that had made his blood boil.

Beniko cooly maintained eye contact, impassively holding her ground. Despite her lack of a formal title – apparently by her own choice – she was unflappable as usual.

“With all due respect, my lord, I played no role in maintaining the security of the Undying.” The human female’s voice was clearly unphased by Arkous’ rising anger. He found himself simultaneously impressed and infuriated by her poise. Most of his underlings would have been cowering by this point, some of them on their knees.

Arkous finally turned away in dark contemplation. The implications of this news would impact his plans on multiple fronts.

Taking his motion as assent, Lana continued her report.

“The Sphere of Military Offense only just received this report - as a courtesy from our counterparts in Military Defense - that the ship had gone missing from where it had been posted stationed.”

She paused.

“As it was nominally considered a defensive asset, that placed it under Darth Marr’s purview.”

Despite his dark mood, Arkous had to bite back a smirk at the mention of his fellow Councilor. Nominally, Arkous was a fully-fledged member of the Sith Empire’s feared Dark Council as the Councilor of the Sphere of Military Offense, a position that should have made him the better or equal to any other Sith Lord in the galaxy save for the Emperor himself. Further, he was now well entrenched in his position, having held this role since shortly after the death of his predecessor, Darth Arho, on Ilum nearly two years ago.

In practice, Darth Marr, his counterpart as Councilor of the Sphere of Military Defense and one of the longest serving Sith on the Council, had taken advantage of the Emperor’s absence and the Empire’s many internal conflicts over the last few years, consolidating a significant power base for himself. Arkous, along with many of the other Councilors, were finding it increasingly difficult to act on their own authority without consulting him.

Indeed, some had even dared to whisper that Marr would eventually attempt to lay claim to the dark throne of the Sith Emperor for himself.

He is a symbol of everything wrong with the Dark Council. Arkous privately reflected.

He could only hope that the loss of such an infamous weapon under Darth Marr’s watch would take his esteemed colleague down a peg or two. When a new Empire eventually emerged from the fires to come, Sith like Marr would be tossed aside.

Beniko might well have been sensing – or perhaps anticipating – his thoughts.

“I am told that Lord Marr is… less than pleased.” The Sith advisor, the face of professionalism, confirmed dryly. Arkous fully understood the implied understatement.

Heads would no doubt be rolling at the Sphere of Military Defense over such a catastrophic failure. Quite literally.

Reluctantly putting aside his personal satisfaction at Marr’s plight, Arkous decided to press on.

“Fine. Fine.” The Pureblooded Sith Lord waved his hand dismissively. “What else do we know?”

Beniko turned back to her datapad.

“The Undying was stationed at the far end of the Dromund system outside of standard sensor range.” Beniko continued. “It was hoped that it would serve as the Empire’s ultimate fallback weapon if the Republic ever attempted another strike against the capital. With its advanced capabilities and the advantage of surprise, it could have devastated an opposing fleet…”

“I am well aware of its tactical potential.” Arkous interrupted, irritably. The Republic’s raid on Dromund Kaas two years prior, an attack that had led to the destruction of the ancient Dark Temple, had been a blight on the reputation of the entire Empire. It had made the Sith appear weak to the galaxy, encouraging dissent and rebellion throughout the Empire’s own ‘sphere of influence’. Revolts had arisen on several planets in light of the setbacks they had suffered during the Second Galactic War, and even the supply of Isotope-5 that Marr had claimed from Makeb prior to that planet’s destruction had not been enough to completely reverse that momentum. Indeed, Arkous recalled that it had been that these events had set him on the path of reconsidering his own loyalties…

He stopped himself. Beniko was perceptive. It would not do for him to dwell too long on those considerations in her presence.

“And I understand why it was there.” He stated firmly. “Pray, continue, Lana.”

Arkous had researched the specifications of the prototype vessel extensively after coming into power. Knowledge of the superweapon – much less details of its full capabilities – had been severely restricted. It had been an impressive ship, indeed.

“As you say, my lord.” The advisor moved on, apparently unrattled by his interruption as she looked down again.

“Every effort was taken to conceal the ship’s presence, including maintaining only a carefully selected skeleton crew and employing a communications embargo. Space traffic in that zone was restricted, and supply runs were carried out by droid-controlled transport ships.”

Beniko looked up.

“This is why it took them nearly a week to realize it had gone missing.” Lana was clearly allowing some of her dry contempt at the oversight by her counterparts at Military Defense to bleed into her report, even while maintaining her professional detachment.

“And thus we’ve managed to lose the last of Mekhis’ toys.” Arkous sighed in aggravation, sitting back in his chair.

Darth Mekhis, the late Councilor of the Empire’s Sphere of Technology, had been an engineering genius without peer. But she had also been a decrepit and insane crone; far too obsessed with the artistry of her own creations to effectively deploy them properly. Some rumors even claimed that she’d come to regard her weapons as her ‘children’. Arkous had no doubt those distractions had helped lead to her demise, along with the destruction of the Sun Razer some years ago.

Since then, both the Gauntlet and the Ascendant Spear, arguably the two most promising of Mekhis’ creations, had both been destroyed during ill-considered operations against the Republic.

The Silencer, a mega-laser that could be attached to a capital ship with the capability of destroying entire fleets, had shown great potential initially under the direction of Darth Nox. But the Republic had proven to be incredibly resourceful in refitting their capital ships to defend against the weapon. What’s more, it was terribly power-restrictive. Already there had been at least one incident where an Imperial dreadnaught had crippled itself in a failed attack on the Republic, leading to its capture. Without Mekhis to make corrective alterations, her mega-laser was now obsolete.

Finally, the Emperor’s Shadow, with its advanced cloaking capabilities, had been lost during Darth Malgus’ coupe attempt, its incredible technologies squandered on another Sith’s delusions of grandeur.

The Undying was now the only remaining superweapon from Sun Razer project, and now it had apparently been lost as well.

Arkous drummed his fingertips along the surface of his desk.

“Could the Republic be responsible?” he finally offered.

Beniko paused at length.

“Our intelligence apparatus has been somewhat… disorganized since the dissolution of Imperial Intelligence, my lord.” Her disapproval of the present state of affairs was obvious. Academically, Arkous was forced to agree. Whatever its faults might have been, the absence of the Empire’s Intelligence service had left a major gap in their capabilities, forcing them to rely more and more on the private networks of individual Sith.

Then again, that same ‘gap’ had allowed an opportunistic Sith Lord like Arkous to engage in his own machinations unimpeded.

“But our current analysis is that direct Republic involvement seems unlikely.” Beniko continued. “Such an operation would require the involvement of too many assets to have gone completely unnoticed. I believe our remaining operatives would have reported on such a bold plan.”

Suspicions of treachery creeped into the Sith Lords mind.

“Could the crew have mutinied?”

Beniko paused at that, gathering her thoughts.

“Not impossible, but both the officers and the crew were carefully selected for their loyalty to the Empire. Collective treason without warning signs seems implausible in the extreme.”

Arkous turned away in consideration.

“So we have nothing.” He concluded.  

“I’m told that Lord Marr has already asked the former Cipher Nine to investigate.” Beniko quickly responded. “Despite their… semi-independence, they have the most impressive track record of our surviving field agents.”

Arkous imagined that Marr hadn’t quite phrased it in the form of a ‘request’, independent agent or not. He also knew he could not allow anything to interfere in the Order’s goals. Not when they were so close to finally putting their plans in motion.

I’ll have to make certain that this Cipher agent finds no compromising breadcrumb trails leading back to me. He mused.

Not for the first time, he considered revealing his true allegiances to Beniko; her talents and acumen could be a great asset to the Master.

No. Not yet. Too many variables at this point. Beniko was a pragmatist. She might certainly come to recognize the danger that Vitiate represented, both to the Empire and to the galaxy as a whole. But it would be unwise to overplay that hand just yet. Perhaps later, she would be ready to see the situation clearly as he did and be ready to understand the desperate measures necessary to stop him.

With that decision made it became vital that he continue to keep her in the dark to his dealings, at least for the present.

“Very well.” He finally assented. “Keep me informed and order a full audit of our own Sphere’s assets in case other vessels or equipment are targeted. It would not do for us to repeat Marr’s mistake.”

He steepled his fingers together.

“You alone are capable of overseeing such efficiency, Lana.” The Dark Councilor then regarded his fellow Sith, their yellow eyes meeting. “I do hope my confidence in you has not been… misplaced.”

He allowed the unspoken threat to linger in the hope that it would convey enough urgency that she’d be distracted from his true intentions.

If she were at all intimidated by the warning, Beniko didn’t give it away.

“No, my lord.” She answered with a deference he strongly suspected his advisor didn’t feel. “I assure you I remain fully capable of carrying out your instructions.”

Crisp. Professional. Dedicated. Confident.

Were the situation otherwise, Arkous would have been enormously pleased with such a servant.

“Good.” He nodded, feigning satisfaction.

As he started to reconsider the webs of his plans, a stray strand caught his attention.

“One last thing. Inform Lord Goh to get that report to me as soon as possible. He’ll know the one.”

Beniko nodded in assent.

“Of course, my lord.”

“Then that will be all, Lana.” He said in dismissal, his chair rotating until he had turned away from his advisor.

“My lord.” She bowed and turned away, heading for the exit. He heard the door seal itself shut behind her a moment later.

Finally alone, Arkous fumed at the lost opportunity of the Undying. He had planned to steal the ship himself with the assistance of the Order, and now he had to consider the possibility of yet another player on the board, putting the Master’s plans at risk.

There was still time to revise his plans around this setback. Perhaps he would even have the opportunity to see Darok again.

For now, he would have to watch his back – and his chief advisor – carefully.

 Author’s Notes: The Undying makes its sole appearance in the Star Wars: The Old Republic - The Lost Suns limited series and graphic novel. Its one of several superweapon prototypes Theron Shan discovers before the destruction of the Sun Razer. The Gauntlet and the Silencer both later appear in the SWTOR class stories, while the Ascendant Spear is featured in the Annihilation novel. The Emperor’s Shadow and the Undying are not mentioned outside of the comic, and those absences are loose ends in my mind. I try to tie those off here.

The connection to the previous two chapters may not be obvious at this point, but I hope it becomes clear in time.

Makeb was destroyed in my storyline’s canon; more on that another time.

Lord Goh appears in the Forged Alliances story and is the end-boss in the Republic-sided Assault on Tython flashpoint. He’s most notable for almost never talking in the cutscenes.

The Darth Arkous / Colonel Darok ‘ship is one that’s been going through the fandom for a while, now. I touch on it here.

Thanks for reading, and may the Force be with you.

Tagging interested parties - @a-master-procrastinator​ @anchanted-one​ @grandninjamasterren​ @kartaylirsden​ @kemendin​ @kgoblin​ @magicallulu7​ @mysterious-cuchulainn-x​ @space-unicorn-dot​ @the-raven-of-highever​ @thefrostflower​ @tishinada​ 

#swtor fanfiction #swtor #swtorpadawan writes #misplaced #my writing #writeblr #forged alliances #vaiken spacedock #darth arkous #lana beniko #the undying #undying #darth mekhis #star wars the old republic: annihilation #star wars the old republic #star wars the old republic: revan #star wars the old republic: the lost suns #darth marr #lord goh #makeb #assault on tython #sun razer #oc: gahraath vaiken #shadow games

[the-cato-sicarius]

How would the Imperium of Man react to finding out someone is a new Perpetual? Along with other factions.

The first thing you must understand is that there is no such thing as true immortality.

A lot of people and beings might call themself that out of arrogance. I myself killed the Necron who called himself “The Undying”. He was difficult to kill. Like a weed he kept coming back until every trace of him was destroyed. It just required enough killing power and precision.

I have lived a long life, but I have also seen enough death to assure you; that the only garantied thing in this galaxy is death. And it will come for you the moment your opponent's will is stronger than yours.

#40k #cato sicarius #warhammer 40k #ultramarines #roleplay #asks #perpetual #the undying

[the-sanctified-doctor]

Not a Martyr

Scriptures - Interactions

Blessings - Asks

Allegorical - Lore

The Undying - The Saint speaks

The Leviathan - The Cat speaks

oh em gee mewos here?? - ooc weith me mewo!!

rei rambles - ooc except with me, rei!!!!!!

#scriptures #blessings #allegorical #the undying #the leviathan #oh em gee mewos here?? #rei rambles

[uroboros-if]

Can you explain what the undying and the universal eye do in game? The descriptions really confuse me and make it hard to pick between the two.

Hi genraly! Sorry that you are confused by the descriptions!

I can see that the Eternal Gaurdian, the Enduring Word and the Everlasting are pretty easy to figure out, considering they are quite "traditional" as far as skills. The Undying and the Universal Eye, on the other hand, are more specific to Uroboros.

They both have to do with having a kind of "sixth sense." However, to simplify it even further, the Universal Eye gives you supernatural intuition, and the Undying gives you a sixth sense in sensing other people's life and aura.

To elaborate—due to your deeper connection to the Universe as the Universal Eye, it gives you some power that the Seer has in knowing things innately, whether it's about the future or things you'd normally never know.

Whereas for the Undying, the Undying can just... feel the life of others around them. It may or may not also translate other people's feelings, aka empathy to some extent, because of the MC being able to sense people's physical reactions to emotions.

These two things can be powerful in their own ways, but not quite to the extent of other gods. At least, they are not powerful enough to be classified as a power in the other deities' eyes.

What they actually do in terms of gameplay, I think it would be much more interesting to give it a go yourself! You will know when they come into play with the skill icon visuals.

I hope that clears it up! I'm not fond explaining things these way as they don't fully encompass what they mean. On some level, the Undying and the Universal Eye are meant to be esoteric and vague. However, I hope you grasp it better this way!

Thanks so much for asking 💕💕

#uroboros-if #uroboros #asks #genraly #lore #titles #the undying #the universal eye

[dickarsonsdesktop]

#undyne #the undying #undertale #deltarune #my art #art

[randomassperson-09artz]

The Undying

#undyne #undertale #undertale fanart #the undying

[fallenrazziel]

#FFXVI #final fantasy XVI #the undying

[kingofreddragons]

Cyril in the Dream of the Changeling Pet and the Assassin’s Light

#cyril #ffxvi #ff16 #the undying #king’s dreams #my art #digital art

[mothonice0]

Jote’s mom?

It’s been months and I still can’t seem to get this lady out of my head—

Especially after the Ultimania revealed Jote’s mom was one of the Rosalith Court’s ladies-in-waiting/courtiers. This woman looks so much like her? The mole under her left eye, the eyes shape (though, Jote’s are bigger), the lips, the cheeks and facial structure, the parted brown hair, she’s a short queen too ljfkhygu.

Main diffs are the skin tone and the fact her eyes look blue-ish? Plus Jote’s features are overall more cat-like and ‘dainty’ (that leaves us to wonder who’s Jote’s dad… inb4 —and it’s a big crack theory but— it’s Sir Wade 😭 his hair’s ashy brown too, and he’s got brown eyes and almost the same tone as Jote)

And like, those shots of Anabella and her are giving MILFs Joshua&Jote lmao (plus the duchess-archduke/servant dynamics), even the height gap is the same.

#ffxvi #final fantasy 16 #ff16 #final fantasy xvi #final fantasy 16 spoilers #ff16 jote #jote #anabella rosfield #ff16 wade #Sir wade #the undying #ff16 anabella #joshua rosfield #ultimania #final fantasy 16 theory

[cosmic-metanoia]

The Final Fantasy Book & Why It Was Written

**Warning - Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI***

There is something that is breaking my heart and I MUST post about it! Let me preface this by saying I adore Joshua and Clive and I want BOTH to be alive at the game’s ending. I saw someone posted on Reddit towards the earlier part of the game, “Joshua is strong in the spirit but weak in the flesh whereas Clive is strong in the flesh but weak in the spirit.” And that the brothers learn to strengthen themselves in both aspects as the story progresses. It was such a beautiful and PERFECT way to describe those too! With that in mind…

If Clive was the one who survived in the end and Joshua died…I can only imagine the intense joy, relief, and despair at the Hideaway reunion. I yearn to watch the scene of Clive reuniting with his beloved Jill and Torgal and all of the Hideaway family.

The reason why I said “despair” is because I’m thinking about a very specific person – Jote. She centered her life around Joshua as his Shield during the 18 years he was with the Undying. They spent so much time together and she had come to love him as a person, not because he was the revered and worshipped Phoenix. Even if Joshua returned alive from Origin as a normal human devoid of his former Eikon, Jote would still love him the same.

It really tears my heart apart imagining her breaking down upon hearing that Joshua did not make it. I imagine that Clive, being the empathetic soul he is, would be the one to tell her and he would embrace her as she sobbed.

Even if initially their first meeting was a little tense, I feel that Clive and Jote developed a mutual respect and understanding for each other – they both love Joshua and served as his Shield.

As for Clive…I can only imagine how depressed he would be and how agonizing it would be for him to cope over his brother’s death. He thought Joshua was dead for 18 years and joyfully reunited with him...only for their reunion to be cut short by Ultima.

Perhaps Clive wrote the Final Fantasy book as a means of coping with Joshua’s death and honoring his legacy. He would have the help of Harpocrates, Cyril, Jote, and his Wall of Memories to incorporate everything into the book. Joshua became Clive's Shield in so many senses of the word and the esoteric knowledge he garnered helped Clive defeat Ultima. That's why Clive wished for future generations to remember Joshua’s name and not his own. Ultimately, writing that book helped Clive to accept his brother’s death and heal.

#final fantasy 16 #final fantasy xvi #the undying #joshua jote #ff16 jote #joshuajote #shuate #joshua rosfield #ffxvi joshua #ff16 joshua #ffxvi jote #final fantasy xvi spoilers #clive rosfield #ffxvi clive #ff16 clive #ffxvi #ff16 spoilers #ff16 #undyingflame

[comparativetarot]

The Undying. Art by Dogbomber, from the UNDERTALE Tarot Cards.

#Dogbomber #UNDERTALE Tarot Cards #The Chariot #Major Arcana #Tarot #Undertale #The Undying