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Introduction
I keep looking at the threads about FF charas that might be in KH3 and thinking, “Why no FFXI?â€. Seriously. This has got to stop and right now. FFXI is just as much a FF game..and a possible place to pull a few charas from..as any other FF game. Is it that it is a messy MMORPG and no one but me has played the thing? Or that you're like MonCapitan2002 from RPGamer and swore you wouldn't touch that “bloody MMO†until it went free to play? (which I doubt it ever will unless the new director goes nuts and some new mounts/stuff that could be put in a cash shop go into the game, tho there will be a phone version that might make the MonCappies out there happy, but I bet he'll be a sourpuss and say “I hate phone games, grrr!â€) Or if you did, bet you never got though Valkurm Dunes, geez..
And yes, an explanation as it pertains to me is in order. Back when I got out of college, I played the last few days of the PC/PS2 US/English beta of FFXI and enjoyed it.(Shadowneko, my brother had gotten into both betas somehow, forget how he managed it.) A few months later, since PS2 beta players got this, a free PS2 HDD ended up on our doorstep. (PC beta players were pretty hot under the collar about that, as I recall. They wanted a free copy of the game too.)
Me and Neko (mostly me near the end..) played FFXI off and on for 10-11 years, buying every expansion that came out and beating it. With me, it got me though some really rough times; me having trouble finding work even tho I was putting in application after application, ending up in a situation I'm still in and still am not happy with (don't ask) Dad dying of a really stupid accident, Mom dying of chemo complications (Really nasty way to die)..you get the idea. Me and the friends mentioned in this fic, even tho Kadian is the only one that's playing FFXI now (I did reactivate for a month to get an updated copy of the game for various reasons; I went ahead and beat Rhapsodies of Vana'diel with the help of some old friends since that's the end of the story pretty much. Have seen the end though a Youtube video beforehand, made me cry.) basically stuck together for a very long time; CurseTheYagudo was my second linkshell ever and I met most of them there.
After Seekers, me and most of the crew retired and went to XIV; Only Cydori's playing XIV now. But we still keep in touch. That's the power of a MMO, I guess. ^^
Just so you know, I think the “companion†charas of FFXI have the most chance of showing up in KH3/future KH games, with Shantotto being the exception since she is considered the “first lady†of FFXI. What I mean: with every expansion, there was a girl/lady that was your companion/helper though the story. (Wierd, I know.) I wrote a little page on what I thought of them, ya can find that here.
If once I finish this fic, this gets you intrigued; FAIR WARNING. Server populations on all servers are extremely low now. You might be better off waiting for the phone version. Also (and I know this won't make the German people on here happy) they pulled German support about 3-4 months before I hung up my whm hat, so you'd have to play in English. Sorry. Since the phone version will only be going to the second expansion at first(Chains of Promithia, which many consider the best story in all the FFXI expansions), you'd have to get the PC version if you want to go though the whole story NOW. (the console versions were dropped not too long ago); I'd suggest checking Amazon since the Steam version has been known to have bugs. Also, before you dip your toe in, I suggest you see if you can scare up 3-5 friends to come with you to the same server. I ain't kidding about the server populations. You may need those friends to get anywhere. Also be aware, this game was based on Everquest originally, which means it's pretty darned grindy, so make sure you got plenty of time to grind for exp/gear/etc. You'll thank me later for the warning. ^^
Anyway, the way I understand it; Without Final Fantasy XI, there would not be a FFXV or a KH3 waiting for us in the future; very likely to the mismanagement/crud over FFXIV and other things. The way I understand it, if FFXI hadn't existed, those misturns could of killed Square Enix all together. That 12.95 a month fee that was paid by thousands of players, along with some mobile games, kept Square afloat and their doors open. (FFXI is the most profitable FF ever made, after all.) Well, the way I understand it anyway. That's why I hope it gets honored in KH3, for heaven's sake. That wasn't the only thing it did; it had the first vocal song in a MMORPG that I know of (this story's namesake), was the first to have simultaneous releases in all regions (Mind, it started with patches all going though the same day, and then went to expansions later; It actually took about 1-2 years for the main game to show up in the US originally, so didn't start that way), the only MMO to have the same servers for all regions..the list goes on. Oh and would you believe I've only seen two really really obvious translation/localization flubs in the whole game? Bet you wish KH got that kinda love. All this..with a development staff that has always been shrinking.
Anyway enough with the ranty ranty. To be honest, this didn't start because I was getting annoyed that FFXI has been ignored so badly. This started because I saw the Re: Coded movie, then played Dream Drop Distance, then thought; “Why the flippin' fudge didn't they tell him what was up?†Well, maybe they didn't know everything, but if they forget AGAIN to tell the real Sora what to do about the pain/hurt..Why not have a new friend explain/help, since I'm sure that'd cause a LOT less trouble than yet another heart inside him or somethin'? Prishe is kinda the Queen of Hurt in a way and would know how to handle it, you'll see why in this story. Data-Sora couldn't, he no longer remembers, sad to say...Also this is a little side story to KH3, something that'd fit in game. I don't feel comfortable trying to tell my own version, I don't have all the pieces yet (Heck, the English version of Chi: Unchained isn't that far into the story yet!) so to quote Rita Repulsa: “This whole thing is giving me a HEADACHE!â€. Also I'm actually bringing the FFXI charas to the KHverse with a little..FFXI lore trick, so you'll be seeing pretty much their original versions here, even tho I will have a teensy bit of my own spin on them, but not enough to matter. I'm aware this is usually Not Done with KH, but since FFXI seems to be the blackest sheep of the FF family, I felt this was the best way to introduce 'em and let people see the original versions.
On cussing; if I didn't see a chara cuss in the game(s), he/she won't cuss here. But that doesn't mean say, Sora won't know what dirty words mean. You can't go to normal school and not learn what dirty words mean, even if you choose not to use them; so he won't bat an eye at any cussing. Prishe will be pretty much uncensored tho (she's got a mild potty mouth) tho if she shows up in KH3 for reals, they will very likely cut out her damns and hells.
Also; in these introductions, I will try to explain any FFXI/MMORPG related stuff that pops up that people might go HUH? at. I've been trying to write this to avoid that, even tho this is tech a KH/FFXI crossover (tho not calling it that; KH is already a crossover) but the occasional one will slip though, I just know it. Excuuuuse me, Princess, in advance! And don't be afraid to ask if I do have a Freudian slip there!
Also just so you know; FFXI has enough time travel hokey pokey to give ANYONE a headache. I'm ignoring the heck out of that for the most part (there may be a mention late in the story tho); but it also has some dimensional shenanigans. I'm sticking to the dimensional shenanigans for this story, since that isn't quite as headache-y, especially the way I'm planning to use them.
Also reference before I start introducing characters you don't know: Someone on BlueGartr has made a thread that compiles all the cutscenes from the whole game that are on Youtube. If you don't care to pay for a few months to get though the game, and still want to know what the fudge FFXI is about, here's the thread: https://www.bluegartr.com/threads/50364-Complete-Mission-Cutscenes . I highly recommend that instead of buying the game. Be aware, FFXI is massive.
Also if you STILL want to play, PM me and let me know. I can get you in touch with Kadian and some friends that I know that still play who can help. The server is Quetzalcoatl btw.
Anyway here's the chara list of people you haven't met yet:
NPCs:
Gilgamesh-- No, this isn't the one you're thinking of. This Gilgy isn't even REMOTELY funny or silly; he's the head of the Tenshido, a pirate, and Lion's adopted father.
Lion(Thief)– I really can't say much about her (and she only has a bit part in this story because of this) other than she is brave, a little spunky, very nice, and speaks her mind. Not to mention she sacrifices her existence for the player chara a while in game. Unfortunately she's a pretty flat/fanservice-y chara. Nomura reportedly WANTED to put her in Dissidia btw (Saw that on the FF Wiki, so take that with a heavy grain of salt), so I think she has a decent chance for KH3 if Nomura really loves her.
Prishe -- (Monk/White Mage)Hoo boy. I can tell you a lot of NA players love her, and it's not hard to see why. She's spunky, cheerful, a little reckless, and a little badass brawler at first glance. But..her chara goes deeper than that. She's actually a lot older than she appears and has quite a bit of pain in her past..Well, you'll see. Anyway she's known to have a dirty mouth and will really speak her mind when she needs to, which if you don't know her past can make her a tad annoying at first. She's also known as “that detestable childâ€, “The Abhorrent Oneâ€, “a demon child†and some think her to be wild and uncontrollable. Oh and this version has the Dissidia moves for the most part, but is closer to FFXI than Dissidia, personality wise. This version won't mention food unless someone's obviously hungry (Food is a part of FFXI, but at least for mages, it isn't as important anymore. If what I read on wiki is right, she REALLY went overboard with talking about food in Dissidia), something sounds like food (Like in Rhapsodies she asks if you can eat an Astral Candescence, lol! All I'll say is that is not food) or she's in the mood for a snack, and I've expanded her mental powers a touch. It's known she can hear thoughts, but as you'll see; it goes a little further than that...at least in this story.
Ulmia(Bard)– If there's such a thing as a girl-bromance, Prishe and Ulmia have it. Ulmia is Prishe's best friend and caretaker; she's polite and not as loud/obnoxious as Prishe. Oh and don't make fun of Prishe around her. She'll defend her friend pretty fiercely, and she defied her parents/grandfather to follow Prishe around; they are rarely apart. As for how she fights, I'm taking a cue from her Trust magic, with a few song additions to be more useful. The odd thing about her is she never uses a weapon other than a harp, I've taken care of that in fic as she never learned to use a dagger (a FFXI bard's traditional weapon when they're alone)..which is going to cause a problem or two...I don't think she'll show up in KH3, but I couldn't resist because of her status. Anyway she's known as a very good singer, and if you didn't guess; her trust magic is a bard, so she's one.
Shantotto– (Black Mage) Hoo. This tarutaru is selfish, thinks she's superior to everyone else, and is also a genius black mage. Not to mention she has a horrible temper. Talk about a recipe for ticking Sora off. Anyway, the good thing about her is if she finds out she's on the wrong side, she'll cut and run, also if she's sure she's on the right side, she stays loyal. Curiosity can either bring out the best or the worst in her, depending on the situation (In Rhapsodies she wanted to dissect a certain character, UGH!); not to mention she's an incredible staff wielder and researcher. Now that I've read a bit more about her, I find I like the voice actor in Dissidia doing a British accent for her more and more. (In America, if you're not british and do a british accent, you are considered a snob.) Also thanks to a localization decision that makes her talk in rhyme, she's not only a Pain in the Ass to write, but I missed the fact she's a terrible snob for a very long time. (I only thought she was a major major pain in the can for quite a while, tho in Rhapsodies she shows a bit more of an asshole side. I mean, dissect a person, REALLY?!) Oh and in the newest Dissidia; I noticed that staff! For those not in the know, I can tell you what it is. It's called a Chatoyant Staff; and the devs are just being smartlazy here. That staff is all the High Quality elemental staves fused into one (The normal quality would be called a Iridal Staff, but no black mage would be caught DEAD without the high quality version; it's just that much better)...I could go on and on about mechanics, but sufficeth to say they were trying to avoid making any animation of equip swaps, thereby saving money and dev time, at least that's what I think. In this fic, I'm going to have her use that simply speaking because I avoid equip swaps in any FFXI related fic because it's really hard to explain/describe and make it believable! Not to mention I think they will keep the chatoyant staff if Shantotto shows up in KH3 just to save time and money.Anyway, she's much beloved by the JP playerbase, so if there's anything FFXI related, she kinda HAS to show her face since she's become THE voice of FFXI. It's kinda unavoidable. Not to mention, in my case; She's the reason this mess starts...
The Star Sybil-- The religious and secular lead of Windhurst. She once had the ability to see the future; she'll be mentioned later.
Esha'ntarl/Cardinal Mildaurion – Prishe's mentor and teacher, and the last of the Zilart. Long story. Again, she won't actually show up but you'll see Prishe thinking that Mildaurion will kill her at certain points if she does some naughty stuff. This lady will stop at NOTHING to keep the status quo, by the way. She even fixed a way so she could read/change Prishe's thoughts though a brooch Prishe wears (which Mildaurion gave Prishe “to protect herâ€) at one point, prolly because she was afraid Prishe would turn into a villain..but her worries were obviously unfounded there.
Nag'molada – Again mentioned in fic but never seen, he was a fairly sneaky-ish villain in Chains of Promithia – and a Kuluu. Let's just say some…..mmm...bad guys...will remind Prishe of him…
Player Charas:
(Pic by the lovely DarkGreyHeroine, by the way. THANKS!)
Elizara – (White Mage/Black Mage/Thief/Summoner/Beastmaster/Geomancer) If someone's in pain, or hurting, or needs help, I'll be there! A short little mithra with a big heart. Tends to speak her mind and be as blunt as a board, sadly. Not to mention she has a bad tendency to put her foot in things sometimes. Is also a very high level Culinarian AKA. cook. Actually-- this is my chara, so you prolly know her already since your real self comes though in this kinda situation! Anyway she'll show up again later on; you'll see how. ^^
Cydori – (Dragoon) Went the wrong way again, why is this not a surprise? Decently skilled human dragoon who has a rather snarky sense of humor. She also is the kind that could get lost in her mog house, which is a joke among Elizara and her friends that she laughs along with. Elizara likes to feed Cydori's wyerven, Hien “dragon treats†also known as meat scraps from whatever meat dish she was cooking recently. As for the person behind it; Cy's actually married to a “humeboy†who never really played FFXI and has never lost that sense of humor, even out of the game. Case in point: she pulled a minor prank on me recently when she heard I was playing FF13 and my brother was teasing me about it; she made me some beeswax in FFXIV that was none of 'Neko's with a laugh before she logged off. If that gives you an idea of her sense of humor. Haha. And that's the power of a true friend. Even if you've never seen said friend in the flesh, which I haven't. ^^ Oh and I know Cydori's a KH fan as well; she hasn't finished DDD yet, but I hope she does before KH3 since she is pretty interested in the game because of Big Hero 6. ^^
Demandred – (Warrior/Black Mage/Blue Mage/Summoner/Monk/White Mage) Let's get going and get this done! Yeah! A human male friend who always has a smile, not to mention fights very hard and knows his jobs. Has a great sense of humor, too. He's a high level woodworker, crafter wise. Oh and with the real person; this is funny. He is actually a she in real life! This is common in mmos because some girls who play these games do not want to be hit on under any circumstances by stupid, horny teenagers who can't tell pixels from reality. (And even those like me who don't want to hide our sex have ways of dealing with said idiots.) She's married to Klaital in real life.
Klaital – (Samurai/Paladin/Black Mage/White Mage/Blue Mage/Thief) Let's go. A quiet, determined human girl who is very loyal to Demandred; you usually don't see one without the other. She also has a good sense of humor. Not surprising on the loyalty to Dem here tho; in RL, she is really a he and is married to Dem. Oh and I remember mentioning a certain..village idiot who liked to hit on anything with a tail or was female to that couple (at the time I couldn't tell which) and Dem actually said that if said donk hit on Klai, she'd give a blow by blow (lol). I gather Klai would of trotted out what I'd like to call “The Lecture†which would have been quite amusing, I bet. ^^ Anyway, me and Klaital keep in touch though Steam now a days when he's not busy/at work.
Kadian – (Dark Knight) Hey pretty kitty, trouble brewing? Time to deal with it! A human Dark Knight who is enthusiastic, prefers greatswords over scythes, and knows her stuff. Not to mention really likes Elizara. Some find her just a taaad annoying, but she's a good person to have by your side when the chips are down. As for the real person: Kad is Canadian and has had a few RL jobs, some of them odd jobs; I have no idea what she does now a days though. I usually talk to her a lot over IM. Other than that, she's a major Gargoyles fan! (she was bummed when the news about why it's not in KH showed up)
Jahn – Demandred's mentor and a killer human monk. Actually..he's Scandiavian, known for multiboxing charas (that's when you run multiple characters at once; Doing it RIGHT takes third party tools and a LOT of skill if you don't want it to look really stupid/cause some major accidents that annoy other players) and is the reason Elizara finds out about what's going on..well, you'll see. You won't actually see him in the story, but because of an errand, his presence is felt!
Nimbex – A certain pointy headed tarutaru (and yes, his head is very pointy) white mage that was Elizara's mentor for white mage. Um, again this is one you won't see in the story, but he is mentioned because of a certain injoke. In real life, he works in IT btw.
Okay. Now for the wierdo terms/stuff I use in fic:
Booyah Tree – Um, this is a slangy term in FFXI for “The Boyhada Treeâ€; don't ask me how this started; people have been calling it that since English support began as far as I know. I think it's a pun/sounds cool?
Pie joke/tease – Hoo. This is a mother of one, and you'd better sit down. To explain this, this is a twisted-to-fit-FFXI-lore CurseTheYagudo injoke. The original was “putting pies in the carâ€; I think I'd better tell you the story of how it started.
My brother, Shadowneko was in a static experience points party with Nimbex (he was the white mage) and some members of CTY that have long since vanished. (He was a thief.) It was around Thanksgiving. Our mother always made homemade pies around thanksgiving. The trouble was..We had german cockroaches (We didn't get rid of them until a year or two ago, finally.) and mom didn't want them crawling on the pies. So, and also because she didn't believe FFXI can't be paused, grabbed Neko by the ear and had him haul pies out to the car, not even letting him say he was going away from the keyboard for a bits. She also asked me to do it, but I managed to get away for three seconds, long enough to get at the keyboard and type, “AFK! We gotta put pies in the car!â€
….I've never ever lived that down since. Bet you haven't heard a weirder away from keyboard story, lol.
And yes, there's a few more linkshell injokes, they would have been easier to use, but they were a bit..erm, dirtier. Not to mention they're not as fun without the people that started'em..If you're curious, PM me and I'll explain. XD.
D2 – This is one that ALWAYS slips out no matter how hard I try. It's an accepted shorthand for a Black Mage spell called Warp 2; in Japanese it's Dejyon 2/Degeon 2 ( デゲオン2 if you can read Japanese); basically it's to send other people home. So it got shortened to D2 long before us English players got there.
And don't get me started on the OTHER warp spells, including deathwarping/bloodwarping (means you die, then go to your home point on purpose)...Lol. All of them are currently shortened this way. And since a certain warp spell that carries you to the past came into being, it's gotten to be confusing..Is deathwarp D3, or is it D4 and Retrace is D3? Argh
Asking the moogle for information – Actually this a ficcy way of explaining these two wikis: https://www.bg-wiki.com/ and FFXIclopedia - Wikia , unlike the wikis we all malign, these are kept dead. accurate. since they are actually quest/story walkthroughs and since there's no help in game for figuring out quests and stuff, they are a necessity. So they are VERY heavily policed by the community and by the mods to make sure no one edits anything in that is not accurate. This is also why I was shocked when I found out the KH wikis are not that accurate!
Friend pearl – This is basically an in universe fic friend list, ha. If you remember link pearls in FFXIV, I think this needs no more explanation than that. I'm actually having linkshells be on the right ear and friend pearl be on the left as a nod to FFXIV; I figure since the idea of linkshells came from FFXI, that it should not matter which game the linkshell is from, and if I remember right, the linkshell in the FFXIV story is on the right ear. ^^ They don't show a NPC run linkshell in FFXI unlike XIV, so I'm just using that for a reference.
“No matter how tough you get, there's always a rarab that'll kick your ass†– This is kinda a cliché that every FFXI player will warn you about. Every newbie finds out why firsthand; In all the newbie areas, there's a bunny type monster called a rarab. UNLESS you are leveled enough, it WILL tear you to shreds. There are tougher ones found in certain areas, and YES they will tear higher level players a new one if you are not careful. Heck, there even exists a rarab named monster that'll rip level 75 players a new one! (I've tried it, it's mean enough that it might even kick level 99 players's asses unless they're really well geared!) So yeah, this is basically a way of saying, “don't be cocky, if you're not careful something stupid will kick your assâ€; maybe Sora needs to hear this XD.
Anyway enough of that. Just so you know, this DOES start in Vana'diel but doesn't stay there...you'll see. Also this is a version of Vana'diel that's compatible with the KHverse in the first place; easier to match'em that way; this means there will be some very minor lore changes, I'll point them out as they come up. Also one more thing; there be spoilers to FFXI afoot here up to Rhapsodies of Vana'diel. Of course, there will be spoilers from KH DDD onward too but I assume for most of us, that isn't as big a deal.
Anyway, shall we see what's down this rabbit hole? Here we go!
I keep looking at the threads about FF charas that might be in KH3 and thinking, “Why no FFXI?â€. Seriously. This has got to stop and right now. FFXI is just as much a FF game..and a possible place to pull a few charas from..as any other FF game. Is it that it is a messy MMORPG and no one but me has played the thing? Or that you're like MonCapitan2002 from RPGamer and swore you wouldn't touch that “bloody MMO†until it went free to play? (which I doubt it ever will unless the new director goes nuts and some new mounts/stuff that could be put in a cash shop go into the game, tho there will be a phone version that might make the MonCappies out there happy, but I bet he'll be a sourpuss and say “I hate phone games, grrr!â€) Or if you did, bet you never got though Valkurm Dunes, geez..
And yes, an explanation as it pertains to me is in order. Back when I got out of college, I played the last few days of the PC/PS2 US/English beta of FFXI and enjoyed it.(Shadowneko, my brother had gotten into both betas somehow, forget how he managed it.) A few months later, since PS2 beta players got this, a free PS2 HDD ended up on our doorstep. (PC beta players were pretty hot under the collar about that, as I recall. They wanted a free copy of the game too.)
Me and Neko (mostly me near the end..) played FFXI off and on for 10-11 years, buying every expansion that came out and beating it. With me, it got me though some really rough times; me having trouble finding work even tho I was putting in application after application, ending up in a situation I'm still in and still am not happy with (don't ask) Dad dying of a really stupid accident, Mom dying of chemo complications (Really nasty way to die)..you get the idea. Me and the friends mentioned in this fic, even tho Kadian is the only one that's playing FFXI now (I did reactivate for a month to get an updated copy of the game for various reasons; I went ahead and beat Rhapsodies of Vana'diel with the help of some old friends since that's the end of the story pretty much. Have seen the end though a Youtube video beforehand, made me cry.) basically stuck together for a very long time; CurseTheYagudo was my second linkshell ever and I met most of them there.
After Seekers, me and most of the crew retired and went to XIV; Only Cydori's playing XIV now. But we still keep in touch. That's the power of a MMO, I guess. ^^
Just so you know, I think the “companion†charas of FFXI have the most chance of showing up in KH3/future KH games, with Shantotto being the exception since she is considered the “first lady†of FFXI. What I mean: with every expansion, there was a girl/lady that was your companion/helper though the story. (Wierd, I know.) I wrote a little page on what I thought of them, ya can find that here.
If once I finish this fic, this gets you intrigued; FAIR WARNING. Server populations on all servers are extremely low now. You might be better off waiting for the phone version. Also (and I know this won't make the German people on here happy) they pulled German support about 3-4 months before I hung up my whm hat, so you'd have to play in English. Sorry. Since the phone version will only be going to the second expansion at first(Chains of Promithia, which many consider the best story in all the FFXI expansions), you'd have to get the PC version if you want to go though the whole story NOW. (the console versions were dropped not too long ago); I'd suggest checking Amazon since the Steam version has been known to have bugs. Also, before you dip your toe in, I suggest you see if you can scare up 3-5 friends to come with you to the same server. I ain't kidding about the server populations. You may need those friends to get anywhere. Also be aware, this game was based on Everquest originally, which means it's pretty darned grindy, so make sure you got plenty of time to grind for exp/gear/etc. You'll thank me later for the warning. ^^
Anyway, the way I understand it; Without Final Fantasy XI, there would not be a FFXV or a KH3 waiting for us in the future; very likely to the mismanagement/crud over FFXIV and other things. The way I understand it, if FFXI hadn't existed, those misturns could of killed Square Enix all together. That 12.95 a month fee that was paid by thousands of players, along with some mobile games, kept Square afloat and their doors open. (FFXI is the most profitable FF ever made, after all.) Well, the way I understand it anyway. That's why I hope it gets honored in KH3, for heaven's sake. That wasn't the only thing it did; it had the first vocal song in a MMORPG that I know of (this story's namesake), was the first to have simultaneous releases in all regions (Mind, it started with patches all going though the same day, and then went to expansions later; It actually took about 1-2 years for the main game to show up in the US originally, so didn't start that way), the only MMO to have the same servers for all regions..the list goes on. Oh and would you believe I've only seen two really really obvious translation/localization flubs in the whole game? Bet you wish KH got that kinda love. All this..with a development staff that has always been shrinking.
Anyway enough with the ranty ranty. To be honest, this didn't start because I was getting annoyed that FFXI has been ignored so badly. This started because I saw the Re: Coded movie, then played Dream Drop Distance, then thought; “Why the flippin' fudge didn't they tell him what was up?†Well, maybe they didn't know everything, but if they forget AGAIN to tell the real Sora what to do about the pain/hurt..Why not have a new friend explain/help, since I'm sure that'd cause a LOT less trouble than yet another heart inside him or somethin'? Prishe is kinda the Queen of Hurt in a way and would know how to handle it, you'll see why in this story. Data-Sora couldn't, he no longer remembers, sad to say...Also this is a little side story to KH3, something that'd fit in game. I don't feel comfortable trying to tell my own version, I don't have all the pieces yet (Heck, the English version of Chi: Unchained isn't that far into the story yet!) so to quote Rita Repulsa: “This whole thing is giving me a HEADACHE!â€. Also I'm actually bringing the FFXI charas to the KHverse with a little..FFXI lore trick, so you'll be seeing pretty much their original versions here, even tho I will have a teensy bit of my own spin on them, but not enough to matter. I'm aware this is usually Not Done with KH, but since FFXI seems to be the blackest sheep of the FF family, I felt this was the best way to introduce 'em and let people see the original versions.
On cussing; if I didn't see a chara cuss in the game(s), he/she won't cuss here. But that doesn't mean say, Sora won't know what dirty words mean. You can't go to normal school and not learn what dirty words mean, even if you choose not to use them; so he won't bat an eye at any cussing. Prishe will be pretty much uncensored tho (she's got a mild potty mouth) tho if she shows up in KH3 for reals, they will very likely cut out her damns and hells.
Also; in these introductions, I will try to explain any FFXI/MMORPG related stuff that pops up that people might go HUH? at. I've been trying to write this to avoid that, even tho this is tech a KH/FFXI crossover (tho not calling it that; KH is already a crossover) but the occasional one will slip though, I just know it. Excuuuuse me, Princess, in advance! And don't be afraid to ask if I do have a Freudian slip there!
Also just so you know; FFXI has enough time travel hokey pokey to give ANYONE a headache. I'm ignoring the heck out of that for the most part (there may be a mention late in the story tho); but it also has some dimensional shenanigans. I'm sticking to the dimensional shenanigans for this story, since that isn't quite as headache-y, especially the way I'm planning to use them.
Also reference before I start introducing characters you don't know: Someone on BlueGartr has made a thread that compiles all the cutscenes from the whole game that are on Youtube. If you don't care to pay for a few months to get though the game, and still want to know what the fudge FFXI is about, here's the thread: https://www.bluegartr.com/threads/50364-Complete-Mission-Cutscenes . I highly recommend that instead of buying the game. Be aware, FFXI is massive.
Also if you STILL want to play, PM me and let me know. I can get you in touch with Kadian and some friends that I know that still play who can help. The server is Quetzalcoatl btw.
Anyway here's the chara list of people you haven't met yet:
NPCs:
The Star Sybil-- The religious and secular lead of Windhurst. She once had the ability to see the future; she'll be mentioned later.
Esha'ntarl/Cardinal Mildaurion – Prishe's mentor and teacher, and the last of the Zilart. Long story. Again, she won't actually show up but you'll see Prishe thinking that Mildaurion will kill her at certain points if she does some naughty stuff. This lady will stop at NOTHING to keep the status quo, by the way. She even fixed a way so she could read/change Prishe's thoughts though a brooch Prishe wears (which Mildaurion gave Prishe “to protect herâ€) at one point, prolly because she was afraid Prishe would turn into a villain..but her worries were obviously unfounded there.
Nag'molada – Again mentioned in fic but never seen, he was a fairly sneaky-ish villain in Chains of Promithia – and a Kuluu. Let's just say some…..mmm...bad guys...will remind Prishe of him…
Player Charas:
(Pic by the lovely DarkGreyHeroine, by the way. THANKS!)
Elizara – (White Mage/Black Mage/Thief/Summoner/Beastmaster/Geomancer) If someone's in pain, or hurting, or needs help, I'll be there! A short little mithra with a big heart. Tends to speak her mind and be as blunt as a board, sadly. Not to mention she has a bad tendency to put her foot in things sometimes. Is also a very high level Culinarian AKA. cook. Actually-- this is my chara, so you prolly know her already since your real self comes though in this kinda situation! Anyway she'll show up again later on; you'll see how. ^^
Cydori – (Dragoon) Went the wrong way again, why is this not a surprise? Decently skilled human dragoon who has a rather snarky sense of humor. She also is the kind that could get lost in her mog house, which is a joke among Elizara and her friends that she laughs along with. Elizara likes to feed Cydori's wyerven, Hien “dragon treats†also known as meat scraps from whatever meat dish she was cooking recently. As for the person behind it; Cy's actually married to a “humeboy†who never really played FFXI and has never lost that sense of humor, even out of the game. Case in point: she pulled a minor prank on me recently when she heard I was playing FF13 and my brother was teasing me about it; she made me some beeswax in FFXIV that was none of 'Neko's with a laugh before she logged off. If that gives you an idea of her sense of humor. Haha. And that's the power of a true friend. Even if you've never seen said friend in the flesh, which I haven't. ^^ Oh and I know Cydori's a KH fan as well; she hasn't finished DDD yet, but I hope she does before KH3 since she is pretty interested in the game because of Big Hero 6. ^^
Demandred – (Warrior/Black Mage/Blue Mage/Summoner/Monk/White Mage) Let's get going and get this done! Yeah! A human male friend who always has a smile, not to mention fights very hard and knows his jobs. Has a great sense of humor, too. He's a high level woodworker, crafter wise. Oh and with the real person; this is funny. He is actually a she in real life! This is common in mmos because some girls who play these games do not want to be hit on under any circumstances by stupid, horny teenagers who can't tell pixels from reality. (And even those like me who don't want to hide our sex have ways of dealing with said idiots.) She's married to Klaital in real life.
Klaital – (Samurai/Paladin/Black Mage/White Mage/Blue Mage/Thief) Let's go. A quiet, determined human girl who is very loyal to Demandred; you usually don't see one without the other. She also has a good sense of humor. Not surprising on the loyalty to Dem here tho; in RL, she is really a he and is married to Dem. Oh and I remember mentioning a certain..village idiot who liked to hit on anything with a tail or was female to that couple (at the time I couldn't tell which) and Dem actually said that if said donk hit on Klai, she'd give a blow by blow (lol). I gather Klai would of trotted out what I'd like to call “The Lecture†which would have been quite amusing, I bet. ^^ Anyway, me and Klaital keep in touch though Steam now a days when he's not busy/at work.
Kadian – (Dark Knight) Hey pretty kitty, trouble brewing? Time to deal with it! A human Dark Knight who is enthusiastic, prefers greatswords over scythes, and knows her stuff. Not to mention really likes Elizara. Some find her just a taaad annoying, but she's a good person to have by your side when the chips are down. As for the real person: Kad is Canadian and has had a few RL jobs, some of them odd jobs; I have no idea what she does now a days though. I usually talk to her a lot over IM. Other than that, she's a major Gargoyles fan! (she was bummed when the news about why it's not in KH showed up)
Jahn – Demandred's mentor and a killer human monk. Actually..he's Scandiavian, known for multiboxing charas (that's when you run multiple characters at once; Doing it RIGHT takes third party tools and a LOT of skill if you don't want it to look really stupid/cause some major accidents that annoy other players) and is the reason Elizara finds out about what's going on..well, you'll see. You won't actually see him in the story, but because of an errand, his presence is felt!
Nimbex – A certain pointy headed tarutaru (and yes, his head is very pointy) white mage that was Elizara's mentor for white mage. Um, again this is one you won't see in the story, but he is mentioned because of a certain injoke. In real life, he works in IT btw.
Okay. Now for the wierdo terms/stuff I use in fic:
Booyah Tree – Um, this is a slangy term in FFXI for “The Boyhada Treeâ€; don't ask me how this started; people have been calling it that since English support began as far as I know. I think it's a pun/sounds cool?
Pie joke/tease – Hoo. This is a mother of one, and you'd better sit down. To explain this, this is a twisted-to-fit-FFXI-lore CurseTheYagudo injoke. The original was “putting pies in the carâ€; I think I'd better tell you the story of how it started.
My brother, Shadowneko was in a static experience points party with Nimbex (he was the white mage) and some members of CTY that have long since vanished. (He was a thief.) It was around Thanksgiving. Our mother always made homemade pies around thanksgiving. The trouble was..We had german cockroaches (We didn't get rid of them until a year or two ago, finally.) and mom didn't want them crawling on the pies. So, and also because she didn't believe FFXI can't be paused, grabbed Neko by the ear and had him haul pies out to the car, not even letting him say he was going away from the keyboard for a bits. She also asked me to do it, but I managed to get away for three seconds, long enough to get at the keyboard and type, “AFK! We gotta put pies in the car!â€
….I've never ever lived that down since. Bet you haven't heard a weirder away from keyboard story, lol.
And yes, there's a few more linkshell injokes, they would have been easier to use, but they were a bit..erm, dirtier. Not to mention they're not as fun without the people that started'em..If you're curious, PM me and I'll explain. XD.
D2 – This is one that ALWAYS slips out no matter how hard I try. It's an accepted shorthand for a Black Mage spell called Warp 2; in Japanese it's Dejyon 2/Degeon 2 ( デゲオン2 if you can read Japanese); basically it's to send other people home. So it got shortened to D2 long before us English players got there.
And don't get me started on the OTHER warp spells, including deathwarping/bloodwarping (means you die, then go to your home point on purpose)...Lol. All of them are currently shortened this way. And since a certain warp spell that carries you to the past came into being, it's gotten to be confusing..Is deathwarp D3, or is it D4 and Retrace is D3? Argh
Asking the moogle for information – Actually this a ficcy way of explaining these two wikis: https://www.bg-wiki.com/ and FFXIclopedia - Wikia , unlike the wikis we all malign, these are kept dead. accurate. since they are actually quest/story walkthroughs and since there's no help in game for figuring out quests and stuff, they are a necessity. So they are VERY heavily policed by the community and by the mods to make sure no one edits anything in that is not accurate. This is also why I was shocked when I found out the KH wikis are not that accurate!
Friend pearl – This is basically an in universe fic friend list, ha. If you remember link pearls in FFXIV, I think this needs no more explanation than that. I'm actually having linkshells be on the right ear and friend pearl be on the left as a nod to FFXIV; I figure since the idea of linkshells came from FFXI, that it should not matter which game the linkshell is from, and if I remember right, the linkshell in the FFXIV story is on the right ear. ^^ They don't show a NPC run linkshell in FFXI unlike XIV, so I'm just using that for a reference.
“No matter how tough you get, there's always a rarab that'll kick your ass†– This is kinda a cliché that every FFXI player will warn you about. Every newbie finds out why firsthand; In all the newbie areas, there's a bunny type monster called a rarab. UNLESS you are leveled enough, it WILL tear you to shreds. There are tougher ones found in certain areas, and YES they will tear higher level players a new one if you are not careful. Heck, there even exists a rarab named monster that'll rip level 75 players a new one! (I've tried it, it's mean enough that it might even kick level 99 players's asses unless they're really well geared!) So yeah, this is basically a way of saying, “don't be cocky, if you're not careful something stupid will kick your assâ€; maybe Sora needs to hear this XD.
Anyway enough of that. Just so you know, this DOES start in Vana'diel but doesn't stay there...you'll see. Also this is a version of Vana'diel that's compatible with the KHverse in the first place; easier to match'em that way; this means there will be some very minor lore changes, I'll point them out as they come up. Also one more thing; there be spoilers to FFXI afoot here up to Rhapsodies of Vana'diel. Of course, there will be spoilers from KH DDD onward too but I assume for most of us, that isn't as big a deal.
Anyway, shall we see what's down this rabbit hole? Here we go!
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