If you’re a part of theFinal Fantasy XIVcommunity, you’ve likely heard of Maidy. If you don’t recognize that name immediately, then you’ll surely have heard of the Netflix series “Dad of Light.”
What started out as nothing more than a method to obtain a two-seater Chocobo from the Recruit a Friend Campaign soon became something so much more.Maidybegan documenting this journey in the form ofblog posts, detailing his experiences alongside his father.
In the end, Maidy’s Father of Light project became a heartwarming tale of connection and mending fractured familial bonds before it’s too late, with Eorzea serving as the backdrop to this father and son bonding experience. Those blog posts, read by millions, caught the attention ofNetflixand were turned into a docu-drama featuring both real-life acting and scenes brilliantly shot with nothing except vanilla gameplay footage.
Sadly, Maidypassed awayin December 2020 after a battle with bowel cancer, something which has evidently had alasting impacton producer and director ofFFXIVNaoki Yoshida, and his father more recently passed away in January 2024. As such, neither of these two incredible people got to see one of the latest NPCs added toFinal Fantasy XIVwithDawntrail.
Warning: spoilers for late-gameDawntrailbelow.
Gone, but never forgotten
If you’ve made it to Solution Nine, I urge you to go to (X:17.0, Y:13.5). Here, you’ll find a very familiar NPC sitting on a bench who can’t be interacted with or targeted. This character is modeled after Maidy’s own Miqo’te, albeit in updated clothing and graphically improved.
Now, while this NPC is heartwarming enough alone, it’s an absolute tearjerker when you take into account one of the core messages from theDawntrailMSQ. It’s a sentiment first mentioned by the Yok Huy in Urqopacha, then echoed later in the story by Sphene and her quest to protect the Endless from being erased – death is not the end, and as long as you’re remembered, you’re never truly gone.
Coupled with that, this NPC is wearing a Regulator, which, according to Lore, can revive anyone who has fallen to accidental death by imbuing them with a recycled soul cell. Sadly, even the lore details that these souls cannot be used to resurrect someone who has succumbed to illness or old age, but the sentiment is still touching nonetheless.
Maidy is now immortalized in the game which he loved so much and brought him, and his father, so much joy in their adventures. He will never be forgotten, and his legacy is now set in metaphorical stone. Truly, the epitome of Endless.
