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Final Fantasy I: Warrior's Journey

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Final Fantasy I: Warrior's Journey is a Final Fantasy fanfic by Draconai, published on FanFiction.Net in 2022. Like a previous work by the same author, Pokémon Eternal Colosseum, it tell its intended story as the plot of an envisioned video game, filling the author's notes with points of hypothetical gameplay.

The story opens up with the ending of the PSP Dissidia Final Fantasy; the surviving champions of Cosmos have arrived in World A after Chaos' defeat in World B. After his allies are returned to their own worlds, the nameless Warrior of Light sets out in the world he's found himself in - and in so doing, finds himself embroiled in a journey that will both shape this world, and reveal some things about himself.

He is accompanied by five allies on his journey: Morgan the Black Mage, who would help avert the world's end rather than wait for death to come; Lova The Red Mage, who would aid the others as a Jack of All Trades after past experiences have taught her the ills of specialization; Jeanne the White Mage, who has always sought to go where her healing can do the most good; Silva the Thief, who would make right the wrongs that she has wrought; and Charon the Monk, who would face mighty foes to strengthen his body and mind.

Though allegedly begun before the release of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, the hypothetical game that Warrior's Journey represents is something of a Spiritual Antithesis thereto. While Stranger of Paradise actively subverts FFI's story to produce a Darker and Edgier game that borders on Dark Parody, Warrior's Journey changes very little about FFI's story except to produce some Anti-Frustration Features, instead using the tale as a backdrop to explore the Warrior's character.


Final Fantasy I: Warrior's Journey provides examples of:

  • Adaptation Expansion: Surprisingly downplayed, for a story based on the original Final Fantasy. The other five nameless generics of FFI are made into full-fledged characters like the Warrior, and there are a few points where vaguely-related events have their connections spelled out more explicitly, but for the most part Warrior's Journey leaves the original plot untouched. The only real additions to the story are those that were already provided by the Dissidia games' Reports.
  • Adapted Out: Dr. Unne makes no mentioned appearance; the author admits to some dissatisfaction with the party's learning of the Lufenian language in the original, and the Warrior's own Lufenian origins provide the source of the translation.
  • And the Adventure Continues: The Warrior ends up pulled back into World B for the events of Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, and the last chapter before the Bonus Dungeon ends on the opening cutscene showing him and Lightning greeting Noctis' arrival to the second conflict.
  • Apocalypse Cult: Cornelia, some three thousand years ago, became this upon seeing the monster Onrac created during the war. Hailing it as an embodiment of destruction, their prayers are the entire reason why Garland becomes empowered as Chaos.
  • Appropriated Appellation: The morning after the Warrior shares his story from World B, Silva mockingly calls him "Godslayer" for his claim of defeating Chaos. After seeing Garland disappear and be sent to the conflict, it stops being a mocking title, and the Warrior uses it for himself after the battle with Chaos.
  • Bonus Dungeon: The Labyrinth of Time is given a whole revision and included as a bonus dungeon. Further details provided at the bottom of the page.
  • Boss in Mook Clothing: Warmech is intended to return in the game that the fanfic is envisioning. He's relocated to the fourth floor of the Flying Fortress and is described to be the only possible encounter there, as an Anti-Frustration Feature to make sure that the people who want to fight him can make sure they're going in fully-cocked.
  • Brick Joke: The Warrior's not knowing what a chocobo is gets a bunch of baffled stares from his comrades when he admits to it near the start of the story. Later, when the sages of Crescent Lake mention moogles, the Warrior admits to having met the creatures in person, and gets the exact same reaction from his companions.
  • Can't Drop the Hero: Downplayed in the hypothetical game the fic represents. The Warrior is required to be part of the party... right up until halfway through the fight with Garland. Then he has to be dropped when Garland smashes his Braveheart and Lustrous Shield, with another melee-capable party member taking his slot, and the party's composition is up to the player's choice thereafter.
  • Contrived Coincidence: The Warrior's memories of forgotten past cycles return to him when he sees or hears something in World A that resonates with what he sees in World B. More often than not, it's a very similar turn of phrase, coming from someone very similar to those of his forgotten allies.
    • Matoya laughing provokes a memory of Shantotto.
    • Bikke has a statuette of a left-handed spearman, which reminds him of Kain.
    • One of the town guards in Elfheim is a monk, and makes a comment about travelers who are "a different story" from the norm, which reminds him of Prishe.
    • Matoya again reminds him of Shantotto when she makes a comment about taking away his "strong arms" if he screws up delivering the jolt tonic.
    • Prince Khela of Elfheim swearing at his retainer reminds the Warrior of Prishe.
    • A random guard from Cornelia makes a comment about things "not be[ing] easy to believe", which reminds him of Kain's revelation regarding the cycle of conflict.
    • Lova asks the vampire "who died and made you sage", which reminds the Warrior of Lightning.
    • The Warrior does it to himself when they get back to Melmond after defeating the vampire, refusing to back down in the face of seeming hopelessness and insisting that he'll "scour all the world for hope, if that's what it takes to find some", evoking Lightning's words.
    • Lukahn makes a comment about "even[ing] your odds" when discussing the Cavern of Ice and the weapons therein, which reminds the Warrior of Laguna.
    • Finally, Tiamat soaring around the Flying Fortress purges the last of the fog by reminding the Warrior of Shinryu.
  • Cuteness Proximity: In true mooglish fashion, the moogles of World A have apparently suffered this many times before. They're primarily assumed to be a myth or extinct because they hide away to avoid this trope.
  • Desperation Attack: All six party members are given unique attacks as the intended game's Limit Break system. The author makes a point to have each party member use theirs at least once during the story.
    • Charon's Ruination is a one-two punch that is said to blast like Ruinga. He decks Bikke with it after fighting off the pirate crew in Pravoka, and also uses it to finish off Chronodia in the Bonus Dungeon.
    • Jeanne's Ultima is the recurring Fantastic Nuke magic in bright blue. It's used as the finishing blow against the Lich.
    • Silva's Bladestorm is a Flechette Storm of throwing knives (or shuriken, as a Ninja). She uses it at the tail end of Marilith's boss fight to soften her up for a finisher.
    • Lova's Vermillion is a Yin-Yang Bomb spell combo consisting of Diaga and Thundaga (or Holy and Flare, as a Red Wizard), cast through weapons. She uses the promoted version as a finisher against the Kraken.
    • Morgan's Meteor is the classic Colony Drop spell thrown out of a rift. It's used as the finishing blow against Tiamat.
    • The Warrior's Oversoul, a Light 'em Up Blade Spam, returns from Dissidia, and deals the final blow to Garland-as-Chaos.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: FFI's suffering from this trope is called out in the author's note at the start of the fic, and the story takes some joy in averting and lampshading it. In particular, the Warrior not knowing what a chocobo is makes for a minor Running Gag.
  • Exposition Beam: The Lufenian art of memory succession is brought up when the Warrior and company visit the nation of Lufenia, serving as a convient explanation as to why the Warrior can speak Lufenian when the rest of the party is left baffled.
  • Funny Background Event: Attempted, when the party arrives in Gaia. While the guard is describing the origin behind the moniker "the Eye of the Hawk", Morgan and Jeanne check their map to confirm her claims about the continent's shape. The author notes that this trope doesn't really work in text the way it does in images.
  • Gender-Equal Ensemble: Subverted. It initially seems this way, until it turns out that Morgan is a woman, making it an inverted Two Girls to a Team instead.
  • Great Offscreen War: Only just offscreen, at that. The war mentioned in the Reports of Dissidia, takes place at the same time as the Warrior and party use the Portal to the Past - it is literally waging outside while they make their way downstairs. Duregar has created Omega, Elfheim has created summonstones, and Onrac has created a creature that Cornelia is worshipping as an "embodiment of destruction".
  • Humanoid Abomination: When the Warrior removes Garland's helmet during their first battle at the Chaos Shrine, he's revealed to have the face of his "Discord Incarnate" alt from the PSP Dissidia games (which itself was inspired by the "Cloudsea Djinn" artwork for FFI). He's sporting the whole look when they find him again in the Chaos Shrine, complete with a fire-and-brimstone Chaosbringer sitting next to the blackcrystal throne.
  • I Am What I Am: As the Warrior starts to remember more about his past - and, in a way, his lack thereof - this is ultimately the conclusion he draws. He asserts to both Bahamut and the inheritor of Cid's wife's memories that "my nature matters not, only my will", and his lack of memories prior to the conflict no longer bother him; he is the Warrior of Light, and honestly, he's happy with that.
  • Inexplicable Language Fluency: Initially played straight, then subverted. The Warrior's ability to read and speak Lufenian initially goes unexplained, until they actually visit Lufenia. The locals observe that he has inherited memory via the Lufenian art, and despite his being a Protagonist Without a Past, they suspect this is the source of his knowledge.
  • Infinity -1 Sword: Because the Labyrinth of Time Bonus Dungeon is maintained as an Infinity +1 Sword cache, the original game's +1 gear (Excalibur and Masamune being the first and foremost) are delegated to -1 equipment in the hypothetical game of this fic. Additionally, defeating the Fiends and Chaos in the Chaos Shrine of the past is described as granting five unique equipment pieces for a full Infinity -1 ensemble - Marilith's Bangles, Lich's Robe, Kraken's Cape, Tiamat's Crown, and the Chaosbringer - that can be equipped by anyone.
  • Internal Reveal: Cleverly subverted. The Warrior's nature as a "perfected" manikin similar to Chaos and Cosmos is revealed to him during the visit to Lufenia, but not in those terms. Though he does accept that he is a creation of Cid of the Lufaine rather than a natural person, it's left unclear if he fully understands his connection to the manikins.
  • Interquel: When you get right down to it, the story ends up being an interquel between the end of the PSP Dissidia games and the opening of Dissidia NT.
  • MacGuffin: The Warrior's crystal, a piece of Cosmos' power in Dissidia, is treated as a sign of Lukahn's prophecy. When he reaches the tainted crystals, it turns out to be capable of purifying them, while simultaneously partaking of their power. The Warrior later uses this power on Garland's Dark Crystal, opening the door to the past.
  • Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Noticeably averted. The four-armed Chaos who was the God of Discord in Dissidia is treated as a wholly distinct entity from the Chaos that Garland becomes in FFI, and Garland's transformation is the two-armed entity seen in the latter.
  • Named by the Adaptation: A few minor characters who went unnamed in FFI are given names here.
    • Aside from Princess Sarah and Queen Jayne, names are given to the King of Cornelia (Arya) and Sarah's younger sister (Carol).
    • The prince of Elfheim is given the name Khela, and something of a foul mouth to go with it.
  • Phrase Catcher: "Hail, the Warrior of Light shines!"
  • Positive Friend Influence: Much like Prishe before them, the Warrior's allies do a lot to help him stop thinking of himself as someone who can do nothing but fight. It definitely pays off by the end, as the Warrior comes to think of World A as his home. The full ramifications of this are explored in one of the Labyrinth of Time chapters.
  • Prestige Class: As per the original, meeting Bahamut and partaking in his trial gets the party promoted, which would have gameplay ramifications in the hypothetical game. Unlike the original, the party's weapon and spell availability is claimed to be unchanging before and after, with "Bahamut's Boon" instead being a unique improvement per party member.
    • The Warrior's "Knighthood" lets him create Shields of Light before his allies when he defends.
    • Silva's "Ninjutsu" lets her perform Dual Wielding when equipping a katana or dagger.
    • Charon's "Mastery" allows him to perform a Counter-Attack when he deflects attacks using nunchaku or an armlet.
    • Lova's "Red Wizardry" is a Dualcasting mechanic that lets her perform a spell immediately following an attack or another spell.
    • Jeanne's "White Wizardry" grants a defensive buff to allies when she casts healing magic on them.
    • Morgan's "Black Wizardry" causes spell victims to be enfeebled to physical attacks.
  • Ragnarök-Proofing: Courtesy of A Moogle Did It. When the Warrior's party meets moogles in the Mirage Tower, they insist that "moogle magic" is responsible for making sure the various moogle-placed weapon caches around the world are still in fine condition when adventuers happen across them.
  • Real After All: Moogles, at least in World A. Stories go that moogle smiths have forged all sorts of weapons and hidden them in caches around the world for brave adventurers to find, but no one's ever seen a moogle in person. The caches turn out to be real, and when they visit the Mirage Tower, the moogles turn out to be real, too.
  • Repeat After Me: A minor gag when the moogles help the Warrior use the warp pad in the Mirage Tower.
    Moogle: Now just say 'take us to the Flying Fortress', kupo!
    Warrior: (without thinking) Take us to the Flying Fortress, kupo.
    (everyone stares at the Warrior until the warp hits)
  • Samus Is a Girl: Morgan the Black Mage turns out to be female, despite the Warrior's initial assumption. He takes it in stride, and the rest of the party seems to accept it without comment.
  • Sdrawkcab Speech: Matoya's broom, of course, provides the spell "Nottub Sunim - Dnomaid Fo Mottob" that lets the caster pinpoint their location on a map. The author admits that the spell is a dead giveaway as to what console the game is envisioned as being for.note 
  • Shield Bash/Throwing Your Shield Always Works: The Warrior's tendency towards these tropes remains intact, opening his combos with a toss of his shield before moving in with his sword.
  • Shout-Out:
    • The members of the royal family have their middle names taken from Pokémon League Champions - King Arya Alder Cornelia and Princess Sarah Cynthia Cornelia.
    • When Lova describes the Crystals of World A to the Warrior, her line is pulled more-or-less straight out of Bravely Default.
      Lova: Wind, Water, Fire, Earth. Four Crystals, four pillars of the world.
  • Spell Blade: Bare-Fisted Monk edition. Some of Charon's attacks - specifically his Desperation Attack and his promoted Counter-Attack - are described as having visual effects like Ruin magic.
  • Stable Time Loop: As ever, Garland's entire plan hinges on one of this. The realization that he's been orchestrating a time loop, rather than just being a victim of the cycle of the divine conflict, leaves the Warrior absolutely pissed.
  • Tomato in the Mirror: The Warrior takes the knowledge that he is an imitation of Cid of the Lufaine in stride, insisting that "my nature matters not, only my will".
  • Translation Punctuation: The author's preferred method is underlining, which sees extensive use during the party's time in Lufenia.
  • We Will Meet Again: After Chaos' defeat breaks the Stable Time Loop, the party starts to wonder what might happen without Garland's machinations to keep them in and around Cornelia and cause them to meet each other. The Warrior insists that their loss of memory should be something they can overcome, just as his memory of the divine conflict returned with the right spark, and sure enough the end of the chapter - intended as a post-credits scene - shows Lova and Charon running into each other in Cornelia and remembering.
  • Wrap Around: Subverted in the game that this fic is envisioning, as the author questions whether a wraparound world map would work in a proper modern Final Fantasy game the way it works in the NES era. At least one "discussion about the Warrior's memory" conversation happens during travel between point A and point B on the assumption that the player is not following the wraparound, so it looks like he decided on "no".

The Labyrinth of Time chapters provide examples of:

  • Adaptational Attractiveness: Chronodia goes from what the author describes as "an incarnation of Real Dreams are Weirder" to a mundane-looking woman wearing pieces of each of the four fiends and brandishing a sword.
  • Blood Knight: Discussed in the "Unwritten" chapter. As Esteem notes, the Warrior's life up to this point has been little more than fighting, whether in the divine conflict of World B or his journey to save World A, and he might not know what to do with himself in a time of peace. The Warrior, however, insists that he's willing to learn, and rejects Esteem's claim that he would rather another war begin with himself on the front lines than adjust to peacetime.note 
  • Continuity Cavalcade: One representative from every numbered Final Fantasy game at the time of the fic's writing, starting with XV and going backwards from there.
  • Clock King: In addition to being a Time Master, the notes on the hypothetical Superboss fight paint Chronodia as this script-wise. There's an ominous shell full of weapons, with a set of clock hands projected in it that move, which casts certain spells based on the "clock time", and Chronodia's own actions are described as happening in time with the clock as well.
  • Late-Arrival Spoiler: Gentiana's true nature as Shiva from XV is presented by the end of the first floor. The "Unwritten" chapter also pulls no punches in revealing that Fray Myste is Dead to Begin With when the Dark Knight quests start, and the "Fray" that the adventurer deals with is in fact their Esteem possessing Fray's corpse.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Sweet baby Nymeia, yes. Chronodia might as well come out and say "you spawned a franchise" for all the talk of legacy that's going on.
  • Heroic Mime: The XIV Warrior of Light's status as this trope is alluded to in the "Unwritten" chapter. Esteem mentions that Warriors of Light have occurred in multiple worlds, including his own, and gives a brief summary of the Level 30-50 Dark Knight quests from XIV. When the Dissidia Warrior insists that Esteem's "things the Warrior won't say" are things that should not be said, he asserts that a Warrior of Light in Fray's world must have done the same.
    Esteem: Not every Warrior of Light is as verbose as you, Godslayer.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Chronodia claims before her boss fight that she is using the power granted to the Warrior by his legacy to empower herself. The Warrior realizes at the end that that means it is his power to call upon, and calls upon other FF heroes to help strike her down.
  • Infinity +1 Sword: In the hypothetical game, defeating each boss for the first time rewards equipment from their source game. As the author spells out in the notes for the third Labyrinth chapter, a whole run will grant a full Infinity +1 ensemble for all six party members, complete with choices for the party members who can equip multiple weapon types.
  • Mrs. Exposition: Gentiana from XV greets the Warrior and party when they arrive at the first floor of the Labyrinth, giving them an explanation of the dungeon's purpose.
  • Superboss: The bosses are described as starting at "slightly tougher than Chaos" and getting progressively stronger. In order:
  • Take That!:
    • The notes on equipment prizes are specifically mentioned as a "frick you" towards the Pixel Remaster re-releases of the Nintendo-era Final Fantasy games - or, specifically, the fact that the PR versions got rid of all the added content included in the Video Game Remakes.
    • Chronodia's description of the FFI plot comes across as a bite at Stranger of Paradise.
      Chronodia: It is not a particularly elaborate story... but it is a meaningful story. One whose significance cannot be replaced.
  • Time Master: Chronodia describes herself as the "Lord of Time", and one who has "harnessed the flow of time itself". Her entire reason for inviting the Warrior and providing the Continuity Cavalcade is to "call upon the vastness of [his] legacy", thus providing power to the Warrior that she can then steal for herself.
  • The Unfought: Two of the chosen representatives - the Sapphire Weapon and the Shadow Dragon - are specifically picked because they were this trope in their own games.

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