It's interesting how some of the criticisms I've seen over on r/runefactory concerning RF4's writing--specifically those surrounding Act 3--are serving as inspiration for a potential AU to explore in fanart (and maybe fanfiction as well, if I ever get around to it.)

So, you know, even as someone who adores Rune Factory 4's cast of characters and the individual character arcs everyone goes through, I am not without my criticisms of the writing. One thing I am definitely not a fan of is the fact that all three acts of the main story are essentially "save Ventuswill: Parts 1, 2, and 3." It's not that "save the Divine Dragon" is a bad plot to have, but that it never really switches up the formula enough to keep it consistently interesting across the length of RF4's story. You can easily describe the three acts of RF4's story as "Ventuswill is secretly dying! You must save her! Oh, now she's dying again! Get the Rune Spheres back from Ethelberd and save her! Surprise! She's not actually dead! Let's save her for real this time!" And because of that lack of variation, the most interesting aspects of Act 2 and Act 3, at least for me, are not saving Ventuswill, but the stuff that happens with the other characters who are involved in the plot. Arthur, who cites frequently in his dialogue how much he dislikes having been born a prince, utilizes the resources he has at his disposal to get Selphia the support it needs from the capital because as much as he may complain about his position, he knows he has a responsibility as a member of Norad's royal family and the true prince who was supposed to run Selphia. Doug, who was revealed earlier in Act 1 to actually be a spy for the Sechs with a personal vendetta against Ventuswill, feels immense guilt for having believed in a lie that ultimately hurt the people he cares about, and he actively seeks to redeem himself to the point of getting injured multiple times across Act 2. And during Act 3, we finally learn that Frey/Lest is a surviving descendant of the Earthmates who have spent literal centuries trying to find a solution to the runes in the land dying out so that Ventuswill will no longer have to rely on the sacrifices of the Guardians in order to live.

However, a post by u/KamenRiderSekai, who I believe goes by @avenger-concerto here, highlights that Act 3 does, to an extent, potentially ruin the narrative themes of Rune Factory 4's story. Even as someone who generally prefers happy endings to sad or bittersweet ones (hell, the whole reason I originally bought Rune Factory 4 Special was because I needed a more lighthearted game after the literal rain of depression that was Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights), Act 3 does feel very... out of place. A lot of RF4's themes revolve around those of loss, grief, loneliness, and self-isolation, and how you need to make the most of the time you have with those you love instead of shoving them away because life is so short. Although it was upsetting to see Ventuswill die at the end of the Act 2 despite all the crap Lest/Frey went through trying to save her, it feels... fitting, especially since Frey/Lest's ending narration solidifies that although they and the rest of the town were in mourning for some time, they resolved to move forward with their lives because all Ventuswill wanted was a bright future for her friends and for Selphia, and she was absolutely tired of people sacrificing themselves for her sake.

But Act 3 comes along and you learn that Oh, not only was Ventuswill not ready to go just yet, but we still have a chance to save Ventuswill despite the fact that she's literally dead. I get that although it has its "dark" moments, Rune Factory is overall a fairly lighthearted series, but it just seems very shoehorned in for the sake of giving players a happy ending where Ventuswill is alive and well. And when you do complete Rune Prana and save Ventuswill, there is so very little fanfare to the point that there isn't even a credits roll like the first two acts; all you get is a commemorative illustration featuring Ventuswill in her human form down in the trophy room. It makes Act 3 almost feel like one big afterthought despite the important lore it contains, especially in regards to Frey/Lest.

With all that said, KamenRiderSekai did briefly bring up an interesting, alternate concept for Act 3, one that has been gnawing at my brain off and on again since I originally first read it. Taken directly from the original reddit thread:

"A more apt arc would have been maybe the birth or succession of a new "Ventuswill", which is something I've always thought of as an alternative for years on end."

This makes so much more sense to me on so many levels. First off: Ventuswill does state during Act 1 that, when she expires, the runes her body gives off will be enough to sustain the land for another 1000 years, during which a new Native Wind Dragon will be born to play their role as she did. A new "Ventuswill" being born, possibly as a result of the influences of the Rune Spheres as well as whatever efforts the protagonist and the Guardians put in, would 100% make sense from a lore standpoint. However, it also makes sense from a thematic standpoint in regards to the franchise as a whole.

A major theme prevalent in the Rune Factory series is the cycle of life, death and rebirth. In almost every game, the protagonist loses their memories, resulting in the "death" of their past self. They wake up in a new town that takes them in, where they create a new life for themselves; eventually, they fall in love with someone, get married, and start a family with their spouse. This lines up so well with the idea that even though the old Ventuswill is gone, she is not forgotten and her spirit will live on in the new Wind Dragon who will one day guide and protect the land like their predecessor.

If I were to make this into a full blown AU, there are other things I would like to explore as well. I highlighted in a post from August about how Arthur's Another Episode reveals that Selphia's relationship with the royal family is complicated because it is not actually ruled by the king, but by Ventuswill herself, and that her death should have had more implications in terms of Selphia's political status as well as in regards to Frey/Lest and Arthur's switch... which it doesn't because a major point of RF4's gameplay is that you're in charge of Selphia and even Arthur returning to his position briefly during Act 2 doesn't affect your ability to manage the town through the Order Symbol.

There is also the matter of the Guardians; although they willingly allowed themselves to have the Etherlink spell cast on them because they wanted to save Ventuswill, all four of them had lives prior to their centuries-long slumber and with her death, it seemingly renders the sacrifices they made pointless. So, you know, there is an incredibly great potential for angst as well as character development if this becomes a "Okay, we failed to save Ventuswill, but we can speedrun the birth of the new Ventuswill" plot.

I'm sorry for the massive ramble. It is just strangely satisfying knowing that some genuinely valid criticisms of a game I adore have the potential to result in some incredibly tasty fanwork scenarios.

Oh my goodness I just realized something.

Venti the bard, anemo archon, green color palette…. Rune Factory 4 Ventuswill, nickname Venti, wind dragon, green color palette

what does this mean? Absolutely nothing, but I got some amusement out of it.

Me and my friends each picked 3 (and I drew them all)

So anyway I randomly made myself sad again thinking about an immortal dragon god who knows they’re going to outlive their mortal friends, and makes peace with it, but likewise makes peace with the idea that, when the time comes and the land needs rejuvenating, they’ll die and eventually a new dragon god will be born in their place.

Only then their best friend says “No. You’re not dying,” and agrees to be used as a component for a spell that will bind them to the land instead and, essentially, die. (Sure, there’s a chance someone in the future will figure out how to provide runes without this, and there’s a chance that the spell can be reversed and they’ll be awakened. Sure. This spell almost certainly was not tested, especially since it’s implied that part of what makes it work IS the Guardian’s friendship with Venti so you couldn’t just run a test case and then un-monster them to prove awakening is possible.)

This happens four times. Centuries apart. Time enough to grieve, and distance yourself from mortals, and be lured into the idea again because people are just so interesting, until inevitably your best friend disappears again, probably forever, and you know it was your fault.

Eight hundred years is such a long time, and that’s the LOWER estimate for Leon.

It’s really no wonder that dragon’s depressed.

Rune Factory 4 ~ Special ~ Guardians 😇

Ventuswill, Pancake Dragon

Slowly but surely I'm remembering every Rune Factory 4 character's favorite meal. Clorica loves apple pie, Arthur likes golden turnips, etc.

Venti loves pancakes. This is the cutest thing in the world to me.

How did she find out she loves them? Who made that dragon her first stack of pancakes?

Did all of the Guardians make her breakfast at some point? Does she use her big scary voice to order them? Who has the best recipe? (my guess is Dylas)

You know she can smell them cooking from across the castle - does she wag her tail when she hears you breaking out the mixing bowls?

Every morning, I crawl barefaced through a barn full of demon bees just to feed this dragon her holy flapjacks, and I'd crawl through miles more to get her seconds. Recipe for Pancakes in Rune Factory 4 Special:

Flour

Honey

Milk

Egg

Non-hydrogenated love

Also tumblr often censors things from tags that include links and I think mine was as well. So look, here’s my ventuswill pin!

She’s up to buy on k*ckstart*r! Which you can find on my earlier post, along with a way to enter a give away for one of them for free! It will only happen if we sell 27 or more! Only 80 are available to purchase!

ROUND 1: PART 4

Propaganda under cut

Rong Minh Thanh Thuan (aka Thuan)

● Thuan is a dragon (of the sort native to Vietnam) from a dragon kingdom under the Seine River in Paris. As a member of the kingdom's royal family and a shapeshifter (who can fake being human as long as no one is particularly spiritually sensitive), he is sent as a spy to House Hawthorn, one of a number of houses ruled by fallen angels in a post-apocalyptic Paris. Hawthorn has been making overtures to the kingdom, you see, and Thuan's cousin was offered in a political marriage to Asmodeus, head of House Hawthorn. Also, someone is smuggling additive drugs into the kingdom, destabilizing things further, and it's one of the Houses or someone connected to them.

Thuan actually did a decent job of keeping his cover, doing his duty to House Hawthorn as a servant trying to learn full dependent status, and making sure his family knew what was up and what information he could find. Only shit hit the fan, and suddenly Thaun is the best remaining choice of the correct gender for the marriage, and the various crises for both the kingdom and House Hawthorn causes everyone to re-evaluate their plans. Especially Asmodeus, who had planned to use the marriage to screw over his consort to save House Hawthorn, but Thuan actually having been doing good-faith work (within what his prior allegiances allowed) made Asmodeus reconsider this as an actual alliance.

Which, surprisingly worked. It turned out that Thuan being bookish, compassionate and having strong convictions worked with Asmodeus, who was loyal to his people, had good people skills and the capability to be utterly terrifying, forming a functional partnership. They spun out into their own set of novellas (Dragons and Blades) dealing with the politics of the alliance, and cross-cultural factors. The two also seem to develop actual affection (and, even before that, sexual chemistry).

Ventuswill

● Ventuswill is a dragon who tries to hide her less serious side from the townspeople who revere her. As the protagonist is the only one who has seen her more casual demeanor, she becomes rather close to them — and while her dialogue is slightly different depending on selected player gender, either comes off as having a bit of romantic tension.

Also, the art book lists her gender as "???".

So I made a post a while back gushing about the simple yet excellent narrative of Arthur's Another Episode video and while I still love it, I'd like to highlight yet another instance of RF4 dropping some rather important pieces of plot/lore that it never does more with and/or expands on.

Selphia specifically requested an "overseer" for the castle. It isn't explained why, but it's worth noting they weren't requesting a member of the royal family specifically; just someone who could adequately fulfill the duties that Frey/Lest ultimately takes up during the game. (We learn in Arthur's marriage event he was chosen because his father hoped the position would help him overcome his trust issues, and if his narration here is anything to go by, he is blissfully unaware of that fact.)

Although considered a part of Norad, Ventuswill's status as Native Dragon of the Wind means that her word overrides that of the king and Selphia thus does not fall under the royal family's rule. At a glance this doesn't seem like a big thing, but when you take into account that Ventuswill basically dies at the end of Act 2, her disappearance should have caused a lot more problems, both politically and in terms of Frey/Lest and Arthur's switch, than it actually does. (And by that, I mean there are literally no problems other than the emotional damage from her apparent demise LOL.)

ROUND TWO

MISTY from POKEMON vs VENTUSWILL from RUNE FACTORY 4

PROPAGANDA

MISTY - "She was introduced in the show while fishing! She has handcrafted lures! Her dream is to be a water pokemon master! She's funny, smart, and an excellent friend and trainer!! Consistently kicks ass, takes name, and looks cute while doing it!!!"

VENTUSWILL - "Taught Dylas how to fish. She's probably just here to support her friend. Like a dragon cheerleader."

Spooktober - Day 7 - Zombie/Undead

That's right, Earthmate! I JUST WANT TO SEE YOU SUFFER