FFXIV's Writing- Why I Hated Alphinaud Leveilleur

I mostly just wanted to tell everyone about the Discord I made, but I didn't want to waste everyone's time with a simply update video, so he's an update AND some writing nuance to enjoy while waiting for next lore video this week. I hope you all enjoy!

Music: Zodiac Structures by NoMBe

Disclaimer: The MMORPG known as FinalFantasy XIV Online as well as all its related publications and merchandise are owned by Square Enix. I have no claims to it.

Primary Sources:
Video Games-
FinalFantasy XIV Online

Publications-
Encyclopedia Eorzea Volume I
Encyclopedia Eorzea Volume II

Alternative Sources:
FinalFantasyXIV, The Lodestone/Sidestory
FFXIV, Letter from the Producer
Published FFXIV Brand Art Books
#ffxiv #lore #alphinaud

[vikkran]

Alphinaud in Heavensward: *Doesn't know how to gather firewood*

Alphinaud in Endwalker: *Gathers firewood and saves countless lives*

10/10 Character development right there.

[Armphid]

The boy really does have an incredible story arc. He was such a smarmy little know-it-all early on but he really came along and grew up. I think in Endwalker we're going to see a lot of those negative character traits he had initially are the result of his father's attitudes. It's also important to remember how young he is, no matter how much he's grown up over the course of the game.

[AlphaDormante]

There is a moment that I never see ANYBODY talk about that I feel like was a big step in Alphinaud's character development. It's understandable because it was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, and during a cutscene that you can't even re-watch at an inn to make it worse.

(minor HW/ShB spoilers)
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During HW, when one of the primals gets summoned and Alphinaud casually ponders sending us off to fight it the way we usually do, he is stopped in his tracks when Estinien suddenly calls him out for how mindlessly he's throwing us into danger. The interesting thing is that upon being made aware of his callousness for the first time, Alphinaud's response isn't flippancy or defensiveness - he actually seems completely taken aback, almost horrified. The moment is short and the characters move on quickly, but from that moment on Alphinaud never falls back into that particular habit again. In fact, he only ever expresses extreme worry and relief when WoL returns from their escapades unharmed. There is even a moment in ShB where Alphinaud explicitly tells WoL that their life has more meaning than their duty, which I can't elaborate on without seriously spoiling, but the deliberateness of that line makes me think that Alphinaud never forgot how he used to treat people and is always trying to show us that he's changed.

It really cements down that although arrogant and careless, Alphinaud has never been outright malicious or willingly gambling lives away; he simply lacked the maturity to do what he thought he was doing correctly. I also like that it showed Alphinaud's character development as less of a sudden heel-turn and more of a process, as even after being humbled by the Crystal Braves incident, he was still falling back on bad habits without realizing it. Estinien was an excellent catalyst for his growth and it was a joy to see how Alphinaud took those lessons with him through the remaining expansions.

[GambeTama]

There is one guy in my FC who came to really like Alphinaud over the course of Heavensward, thanks in no small part to the humbling he received that took a lot of the air out of him, and let him actually breath and present himself properly.

That being said, one of the funniest moments I ever had with that friend was when they met a character in a later expansion, and when I asked them their opinion on this new character, they only responded "I don't trust anyone who sounds like ARR Alphinaud." Priceless.

[margotrosendorn]

I think the greatest example of how much Alphinaud has grown over the expansions is when you meet Fourchenault, who is 100% the snobby jerk his son used to be. In fact the difference is so stark that Fourchenault thinks the twins are crazy and the warrior of light has been a corrupting influence!

[DoodleBug]

I DISPISED Alphinaud in ARR. He was exactly as you described. Self righteous, holier than thou, and condescending. . . Without really TRYING to be that. It was just who he was. . . How he was raised. Having gotten a look at Sharlayan now with Endwalker, and his father. . . The "mask" you speak of was absolutely not him pretending to try to live up to his pedigree's expectations. . . He truly BELIEVED in himself more than others, because as he was growing up, those people would have worshipped the ground the lad walked upon. Everything he said and did would have been gilded and lauded as wonderful. . .

Queue him coming to Eorzea where the people are VASTLY different. No longer did they see his grand intelligence as the be-all-end-all of personality viability, but they would see him as a very intelligent. . . Very gullible, sheltered, and painfully naive young man. He can't see the way others look at him, the way the PLAYER looks at him. . . And I spent MUCH of my playthrough of ARR saying "Shut up, Alphinaud." and skipping his cutscenes. (I had done them all once before years prior, so I needed only the smallest refresher.) His personality grated on me so badly. (And that of Minfilia, but that's a whole 'nother bag of worms.) I couldn't stand interacting with him. . .

And then the betrayal of the braves gutted him. . . Not just putting a crack in a mask, but completely shattering his belief in himself for a time. He doubts everything about himself and his abilities, and through HW, we see him (with copious help from Estinien, Ysayle, Horchefant, and the WoL) slowly putting himself back together. He looses none of his desire to help the world, but learns that the world is so much more varied and grand than his homeland ever could be. . . And that he isn't the perfect Sharlayan golden boy anymore. . . But is Alphinaud, an incredibly smart and caring young man who will do anything within his power to save Eorzea and the star as a whole. . . And beyond.

To say that he was pretending to be something he wasn't actually shallows just HOW MUCH development the boy went through. He didn't simply discard a broken mask, but completely reformed himself in light of irrefutable proof that. . . As smart as he is, he's still just one of many, varied, wonderful fish in the sea of life.

[Wanderingsage]

Given the lineage, I wonder if the twins were ever allowed to be kids. Given what little we see of the father... I'm going to assume not.

[gateauxq]

Alisaie is the OG FF fighter class and Alphie is the rules lawyer. Playing D&D with the Scions would be chaotic hell 😂

[kimaclaret]

Meeting his father was extremely telling.

[kazekamiha]

I sort of see him as the WoL's sidekick, really.

I never hated him in ARR, but I always wanted something to humble him... then he got humbled big time.

My fave character now.

[thecreative-blinis]

Something good in the later on expansions isn't the fact that alphinaud stopped to be a cocky smart-ass know-it-all person... But the fact that he accepted his arrogant side and evolved from it. If you pay close attention to him during endwalker, you'll see that alphinaud still maintain his pretentious quirks.

For example (endwalker SPOILERS) : when you arrive at Ultima Thule, and get off Ragnarok, you'll see how alphinaud is standing with a prideful and kinda arrogant way. It's not something bad actually, it's just a part of him that we all accepted. During that moment I was actually happy and touched by the devs still being true to their characters. They didn't erase that bad side of him, they just made him accept it. That is how a character development should be.


(and I can go on and on about how the devs did the same with other characters...)

[NyanPoptartCat]

Am I the only one who didn’t hate him? Of course he was going to have a reckoning. This is the classic story arc of a child by their very nature, and there’s absolutely no doubt the writers knew this. He wasn’t some moustache-twirling villain. What reason to dislike a young, naive kid, too smart for his own damn good, feet as yet much too small for the shoes he was trying to fill, especially when his intentions ultimately came from a good heart?

[Lionbladier]

Alphinaud really is an excellent example of just how skilled the FFXIV writing team is. I don't know of a single person who liked ARR Alphinaud - and I do believe that was intentional. But the growth that he as a character goes through during Heavensward - an expansion already heavy in emotional weight and meaning - is often underlooked, but should not be ignored. His is the sort of transformation that most writers DREAM of having in their own characters. And he is but another fine addition to a host of well-made and beloved characters.

Please, continue with these character study videos! I'd love to hear your thoughts on each of the Scions - and potentially beyond them, too. Keep up the great work!

[kat]

Alphie is one of my favorites, I could have smacked him a couple of dozen times in ARR though.

[wendykosak]

When I did ARR and first met the twins, he was such a snob that I was sure that they were going to be villians.

[TobiGame]

I loved who you explained his story arc, tbh I love how he talked now as he is more happier and more accepting

[HouseOfAlastrian]

Alphinaud is an absolute masterpiece of character development. Starting out as some arrogant, condescending, but also naïve little prick, and yet managing to learn all of the right lessons from his catastrophic failures in AAR and becoming a much more wholesome and loveable character... as a writer myself I feel like I need to be taking notes!

[TomTheOwl]

He has grown so much through the whole story into someone who is not only intelligent but compassionate and has empathy for others. He has learnt a lot. He is one of my favourite characters. He is the only wind up minion i use haha.

[unknowngirl]

Fantastic character breakdown. I just finished EW a few weeks ago and was looking for channels that covered the lore side of the game. So happy I found yours!

[luijofrost]

As Someone who got into FF14 about 6 months ago this is how i felt to. At the start when I met him I was captain of the "Damn it Alphy" hate brigade. Now I love the little guy. Feels like some people forget his start after being used to him currently.