TYFP

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Introduction

I have decided to start a new little series of sorts, and for now I’m calling it Nostalgia, History, & Real Lore. I don’t think that’s a great title, so I will probably change it later, but I really just needed to focus on things I enjoy. I’ve spent a decent amount of time trying to make videos or articles trying to make guides or instructional shit but that just doesn’t really interest me. I fuck with history and nostalgia big time though, so thats what we’re gonna do. 

For now most of the topics will be Final Fantasy 11 or 14 related, since they are my two favorite video games of all time, but I also have a soft spot in my heart for other MMOs and games in general. I really enjoy learning and talking about the history of development, stories from players, and the context of the game or story in the real world. So with that introduction out of the way, the first topic I wanted to cover is fit for the season: 

Lore

All Saints Wake. The time of year we all know now as a celebration of the dead, rekindled by the Continental Circus after the calamity and the release of A Realm Reborn. The celebration has its roots in ancient tradition, where the Twelve honor the souls of heroes dead to a feast in the firmament. The long passed saints who grace the crystal Leves, Dannifen, Randolfe, and Llafymae. With the saints gone, the land is left unprotected from creatures of darkness, and the mortal inhabitants of the realm find various traditions to cope with the paranormal activity. Cities are guarded with Warding Lanterns, travelers dressed as demons in disguise, and adventurers with their arms and might. As the years passed on, the horror gave way to celebration in honor of the saints and the adventurers who protect the celebrants, as well as some devious fun in celebrating horrors and monsters. 

History and Origins

Using the internet wayback machine, you can still see announcements and the results of the ZAM network’s 2010 Jack-o-lantern contest held in honor of FFXI’s Harvest Festival and the recent release of FFXIV. Although there would be no in-game event, the contest was announced on the official Lodestone site at the time.

All Saints Wake was first celebrated in game in 2011, a year and a month after the official release of 1.0. Players received some minor quests from imps and ran around the city states surrounded by jack-o-lantern masks and costumed NPCs. 

Gamer escape still has their walkthrough from the 2011 event up and you can still see the original screenshots from the event, as well as instructions on how to complete it. All Saints Wake is very obviously an analogue to the real world celebration of Halloween, which has its own awesome and unique history and legends. But in its execution it is heavily informed by The Harvest Festival from Final Fantasy XI, especially in the way that it plays. The quests usually involve delivering treats to NPCs disguised as monsters for eventual rewards. The earliest  online records of the Harvest Festival are from 2003, where we get the mildest of back stories. 

The Festival exists to celebrate the Harvest time, and they don’t even have it differentiated from real Halloween, calling it Vana’diel Halloween several times.

Regardless, for a decade the major autumn in-game event for Final Fantasy XI and XIV revolved around costumed NPCs and handing them treats to earn costumes of our own.

I am working on a possible video focusing on the changes of the Harvest Festival from FFXI for the future, but for now it’s time to focus on All Saints Wake.

All Saints Wake

Breaking the mold, a few months after the release of ARR, All Saints Wake 2013 introduced the Continental Circus; a troupe of performers whose costumes look all too real and who appear without a plausible reason. In this first event, people barely a month into ARR were treated to an entertaining story revolving around the Continental Circus, and a nation hopping questline. There are concerned citizens wary of their visitors intentions, and no one is quite sure where they came from, in fact local governments and the adventurers guilds assume it was each other that brought the troupe into Eorzea. The adventurers agree to help keep an eye on the circus, and indeed, it is revealed that the Impresario, the leader of the troupe, is in fact a demonic imp. The adventurers agree to keep the imps secret, as he assures us all that he means no harm and only wants to delight and entertain the good citizens. 

Following the design of the Harvest Festival before it, All Saints Wake uses traditional real world Halloween and autumn inspired imagery, combined with elements from inside the game world that mesh with the aesthetic. In the beginning years the use of imps alongside jack-o-lanterns and candelabras completed the decor. However as the years have progressed, the Continental Circus has adopted its own unique style alongside traditional elements and game elements added over the years. The Impresario takes on a Jack Skellington look, while after the introduction of the lupine wolfmen in Stormblood werewolves were added to the overall aesthetic.

Traditional vampires, werewolves, and ghosts have intermingled with imps, ahrimans, and Void Ark elements to decorate the Eorzean city-states; and the Haukke Manor as a haunted house event have grown the celebration into a fan favorite among events.

In recent years the addition of temporary costumes to glamour your character into popular NPC characters in-game models, complete with control over emotes, was a big moment for RPers and content creators across the internet.

Since this event, every year except for 2020 (due to Corona virus outbreak), adventurers and Warriors of Light have joined in various events like parades and haunted houses while keeping a watchful eye over the demonic Continental Circus, always making sure that both their tricks and treats remain safe and sweet. 

The Future

Unfortunately, as in 2020, All Saints Wake does not appear to be coming in 2021, as we prepare for the arrival of Endwalker instead. The event was skipped over in 2012 as 1.0 was being shuttered that year, and now that it has been left out two years in a row, the future of this seasonal event remains unclear, however it is unlikely to disappear forever.