#alma beoulve

[kingofreddragons]

Athena, but Alma Beoulve instead

[riftimp]

[autopotion]

Something I noticed about this scene during my current replay: The song playing here isn't Alma's theme (which played in the scene immediately prior to the fight with Zalmo), it's the first half of Ovelia's theme (the allegro section in F sharp). We don't learn that the Virgo stone arrived at Orbonne with Ovelia until a little bit later, so the song choice is a nice bit of foreshadowing for how Alma would even know this, i.e. through their friendship.

But now I also like to read this scene in parallel to the one where Ovelia laments her role as a princess.

Ovelia's theme plays in that one as well—specifically the andante second half in B flat. B flat major is an open and bright key, but also a contemplative one; that particular arrangement of Ovelia's theme, with its slower tempo and low woodwind carrying the melody, accentuates the latter trait. Ovelia misses the only friend she's ever had, and one of the rare few that she could be certain had pure intentions towards her. Her nostalgic reminiscence of Alma is tinged with longing for the past and anxiety for the future.

In this scene, on the other hand, where Alma reveals to Ramza that she's seen Virgo at Orbonne, Ovelia's theme in F sharp major is at its brightest and most optimistic. (In classical music, F sharp major is also considered a "triumphant" key.) The music selection is a good choice in general, because it characterizes Alma well—she's humorously teasing her much more solemn brother; she's manipulating the situation so she can stop feeling useless and actually do something, and her gambit works; the higher woodwind brings to mind Alma's chirping flute from her own theme—but when you consider to whom this theme belongs, it implies that Alma isn't just conveying a fact she knows. She's actively reminiscing about Ovelia.

The use of this half of the theme suggests to me that Alma's memories of their friendship are, on their surface, more straightforwardly affectionate. I think that's partially because Alma seems to take more things in stride than Ovelia does, but also, Ovelia isn't Alma's only friend. Tietra's friendship casts a much larger shadow over Alma. For obvious reasons, sure, but as to the framing, the immediate preceding scene had Alma inquire about Tietra by name, and express fresh dismay upon learning that she did not make the same miraculous recovery Delita did, and the music used in that scene was Alma's theme, placing Tietra much closer to Alma's heart (notably, the last scene Alma's theme was used was during Tietra's introduction, at Alma's side). Alma's friendship with Ovelia must seem so uncomplicated compared to what came after, it's almost a relief to get away from all this and revisit the monastery where she grew up.

You could also say, given the arrangement's faster tempo and the surrounding story context, that thoughts of Ovelia are what drive Alma into action. Ramza and Delita have both compared Ovelia to Tietra; it's not a stretch to consider that Alma might be doing the same.

However... as Ovelia is the loneliest character in the game, I don't think you can use her theme, even the lightest part of it, without invoking loneliness. At this point in the story, Alma has been dragged to Lesalia by her brothers, the ones she's not particularly close to, while they wage a war against her childhood friend. That would feel incredibly alienating, I think.

There are so few relationships between women in FFT, and while Alma is central to most of them, she never gets a moment to talk about a really important one. Alma's the invisible connective tissue between Ovelia and Ramza, and Ovelia and Tietra. It's nice to get these little musical hints to remind us of Alma and Ovelia's importance to each other—and also of Alma's thoughts and feelings, elaborations on which are frustratingly few.

[eggdrawings]

Finalist piece from 2019(? I don't remember anymore) FFXIV fanfest art contest! Themed after the 'Return To Ivalice' alliance raid series

[sandieblueart]

Virgo.

[adalheidis]

This 20.06 marks the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy Tactics!

[maiabomb]

Tactics sketches I did when I was watching a playthrough

[fuckthispost-andhappybirthday]

July 24: Happy Birthday Alma Beoulve (Final Fantasy)!!!!

[corpsebrigadier]

Swallow (601 words) by CorpseBrigadier Fandom: Final Fantasy Tactics Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Ovelia Atkascha, Alma Beoulve, Simon Penn-Lachish Additional Tags: Animal Death Series: Part 6 of Drinking For Days Gone By Summary: Ovelia encounters a vagrant.

[aki888]

ffxiv Image dump: 58

[ramza-beoulverit]

Dearly Beloved WOL (it's just Ramza)

[hythemet]

i have to say the weirdest thing about the ffxiv ivalice raids wasnt even delita being wildly OOC for me it was the absolutely random matchup between orran and alma

[officecyborg]

further in the poking-at-old-fanfic department, there was a Cole and Maryden piece we did some time ago, but I discovered rereading it that at the time I made the classic fanon mistake of saying that Cole doesn’t age.* F. unfortunately the line is in iambic pentameter so good luck on me replacing it without breaking the scansion -_-

*you could theorize Cole stops aging when he realizes he’s a spirit, in the same way he stops needing to eat, but Real Cole was 12 and Spirit Cole is ~20. clearly he grew up. this line was explicitly that he didn’t grow up and had always been his current age. whoops.

[carnage-scissors]

You ever see someone mischaracterize a character so badly it actually makes you a bit too angry? Because-

[mintyhootax]

Lucavi King Dycedarg AU

Idk who is going to read this, but I want to get it out of my head.

Adremmelech now has Dycedarg's plotting tendencies. During the fight with Ramza, he realizes that he is very likely going to lose and be destroyed. So he teleports tf out of there and zaps back to the hell dimension.

He is now present to tell Vormav to f-off when Vormav wants to use Zalbag to mentally screw with Ramza. Adrammelech doesn't want to give up his newest toy and decides to brainwash Zalbag and fill him with Lucavi energy so that he is unquestioningly loyal to Dycedarg (for now).

Dycedarg decides to lay low after his near-defeat at Igros. He wants to see how things are going to play out with Ramza going strong. Dycedarg actually tries to tell the rest of the Lucavi that using Alma as a vessel for Ajora isn't going to work because she is unwilling. But the other Lucavi support Hashmal too much atm to pay attention to Adrammelech.

Ramza defeats Hashmal and Ajora. With the Lucavi leadership weakened, Adrammelech basically tells the others "I told you so. Why not follow me? I have an idea."

Just as Ramza and Alma are about to leave Ivalice, Dycedarg secretly tells the church (because they are still around, as canon in the game, but under different management) where to find them. Ramza is taken into custody and imprisoned, due to be on trial. Alma is also taken into custody, but is not imprisoned as she is being portrayed as a victim of Ramza by the church.

Here is where Dycedarg re-emerges into the public eye to challenge Delita and Ovelia ascending to the throne. Dycedarg actually intends to bring down the church of Glabados and the reign of St. Ajora (don't forget, Ajora was only ever a vessel that Ultima used in order to try and establish a power center that resulted in the church). Dycedarg reveals to the people of Ivalice that the church and the templars planned to use the War of the Lions to overthrow the crown and turn the land over to the control of demons.

He also reveals the plot with the stones and the zodiac braves, but is careful to frame it as the braves being the good guys while Ajora was a demon that the church wanted everyone to worship. And Dycedarg uses the Scriptures of Germanique that Ramza recovered as proof of their plot (with some things changed in the scriptures to establish that the auracites and the braves are not the same as the demons).

Since Delita was known to work for the church, he is framed as the church's hand in its bid for power and complete control. Ovelia is revealed to be a false princess, which would make Dycedarg and the Beoulve family to be the closest to having a claim for the throne with Larg and Goltana dead and the baby prince Orinus too young to get the throne (he will likely be killed later anyway).

The Ivalician people are swayed to favor Dycedarg, and just to emphasize how evil the church is, Dycedarg makes a show of freeing Ramza from his prison in the templar's cellars. Ramza is the true hero of the War of the Lions, Dycedarg says. Ramza was the only one trying to reveal the truth of the church's evils.

Ramza tries to resist, of course, because he knows that Dycedarg is one of the Lucavi now, but Ramza has also been tortured and starved by the templars for weeks. So when Dycedarg suddenly frees him and takes him back to Igros all the while giving him food and rehabilitating his injuries, Ramza can't do much but go along. Besides, Adrammelech has the rest of the Lucavi behind him now. Dycedarg gives the stones of the Lucavi who support him out and together they pick off anyone who opposes them. Ramza won't be able to defeat all of them.

Also, Dycedarg gives Alma to Ramza as a show of his goodwill. In return for Ramza's cooperation, their family will remain together and happy. Also Dycedarg is using a brainwashed/possessed Zalbag to further his point.

And so, Dycedarg presents Ramza as a hero and the Beoulve family are revered as the ones to free Ivalice from the clutches of the evil church of Glabados. Dycedarg himself is crowned King of Ivalice, promising to weed out corruption (oh, the irony) and restore Ivalice to its former glory, going so far as to plan to avenge Ivalice against Ordallia, who screwed them over after the 50 Year War anyway. What would Ordallia be able to do against the power of the Zodiac Braves, after all...

[sandieblueart]

Something about caring about your socially secluded little brother/sister.

Matsuno really likes to make messed up situations for them. I want them to be happy.