#technically lyse

[asteraegis]

long time no post so you know what that means. blorbo shitposts.

[tritoch]

funniest writing call ffxiv ever made is when papalymo sacrifices himself in the stormblood run-up and lyse has to be hauled away bodily by thancred to keep her from dying alongside him. then thancred gives her that whole speech about how it was just like when louisoix sacrificed himself and if lyse (yda at the time) must blame someone, she should blame thancred, and she's like honestly don't even talk to me rn dude and it's like oh, okay, i see what they're doing here, each of the scions who was in a "older guy who was louisoix's direct pupil helps mentor and protect a younger orphaned woman for whom he feels personally responsible" duo, having seen their original partner die, is going to get to work through their repressed feelings using the other as a proxy on-screen. what an interesting decision, how fitting for a game so textually obsessed with grief.

except that given how game dev works they already knew by that point that thancred was about to promptly fuck off for spy shit and that he and lyse would not speak again for the entire rest of the expansion and patch series before she goes "welp anyways i'm leaving the team, peace". instead they turn to a strategy i could never have foreseen: giving thancred a THIRD orphan in shadowbringers.

[storms-path]

"What? Upset I stole your hairstyle for a while, mini Lyse?"

… "Or are you just jealous that I wear it better?"

…! "WAIT WAIT WAIT NOT THE KNEES"

[thefandomexpert]

completely new opinions being posted about lyse stormblood in my view and i’m keeping my mouth shut someone give me a sticker

[stxrmnight]

Back Home, Gains and Loses

Back in Ala Mhigo, the tension cause by the loss of an Ananta caused a significant delay in operations. The whole affair could have been prevented. Just what was the Empire thinking putting people as young Fordola in charge of such operations? And for the Ananta to know the rites, they were likely taught at the same time Wilred and the other Little Ala Mhigo youth were almost coaxed into it. This tragedy was a guarantee from the way the occupation was run.

It was not surprising though. The Empire cared only about resources and imposition. She did not believe Gaius' claims of a noble "Eikon elimination" were in the slightest the true end goal. Otherwise, you would point a viceroy that made better decisions in keeping the conquered region more stable than dejectedly resignaated.

I wish we got more of their friendship... did they get so close during Lyse's time after the Bloody Banquet? Where did they contest cooking? I feel this could have gotten more time

Ah, she hadn't been here long to connect to Conrad more emotionally.

His decision to chose Lyse as the leader... had it been her extensive report on her deeds and her handling of the capture Domans that made him see potential of diplomacy in her? Nemi found the prospect daunting, but Lyse was not the same aloof girl she knew before, and she herself had tempered her

With Lyse's prior support before this death, Nemi was in a mental place to check on everyone and lead the troops to clear the rubble with pauses for comfort and insistence of rest that leveraged the way she knew people would not allow themselves to process the grief. Once it was all done a funeral service was held in Rhalgr's Reach, and Nemi walked on the side to assist one of the medics in a program she'd formulated along with the Ishgardians: Bunk buddy programs of, Gaelicats to accompany the soldiers that even now bore night terrors from fighting.

All this makes this screenshot more confusing. What was up here? Why are you smiling? I guess you finished distributing the gaelikittens

Ah, I think this is the end of a blue quest. I wonder if some of the quests in this area would have made a stronger msq if not for the space taken over by the Doma portion. How would it be? To see one city be in better conditions than the others because a person in power acted against his brainwashing and used his position to make everyone's lives better, forbidding his underlings from carrying out abuse and making governance be for well being at least locally. And so, in return those same citizens bargain to protect that person. I think this shows that authoritarianism is fated to collapse under basic decency and the natural bonding that comes from being with your fellow man. I really wish this nuance carried on in writing of matters related to the garlean empire after 5.4

Wish I took more screenshots here... it's such a key part that doesn't get to be recalled despite its symbolism. I think Nemi would have sat in front of the fire, asking Raubahn more about Ala Mhigo of the old days. She would turn tell of her villages' strategies and traditions, which would rouse some smiles with how much of the homeland they carried out with their way of living, even with more limited circumstances.

[onwesterlywinds]

I've been thinking a lot again about the implications of the title of "viator" translating to "traveler" (prompted by Writing Things), and while there's been a lot of discussion about its relation/parallels to Azem, I feel like I've seen a lot less, if anything, on how "viator" plays into the overarching narrative of Garlean imperialism as well. For a relatively small detail, it's honestly one of the things I really think Endwalker did really well in its portrayal of Garlemald and Zenos.

Throughout XIV's history, we've been shown countless perspectives for why the Garleans invade and occupy other nations, whether it's [insert Nael's Bahamut tempering], Gaius' claims that peace can only come from a strong leader, the racism we see entrenched in Garlemald's colonial rule in Stormblood, etc. Endwalker, however, doubles down on the role of Corvos in Garlemald's history and elevates it to a founding narrative: the idea that the Garleans are justified in invading other nations because they themselves were driven from their own ancestral land thousands of years ago.* This is by no means the full scope of Garlean history (as just one example, Return to Ivalice posited that many other Garleans are likely descended from the technically-minded people of Goug), but it's still very consistent lore-wise and thematically for Endwalker to present the Garlean people's expulsion from Corvos as a creation myth for their empire, and the way this plays out in 6.0 MSQ lets us see the extent of the damage that that myth has done to those who have made it their worldview.

And introducing the term "viator" at the end of that arc as the name for the Empire's most loathed, reviled, and shunned class - the exile - ties into this idea so well: the greatest punishment the Garleans can give for one of their own is to make them a wanderer - to ensure that person is forever denied the home that they prize so highly in their society. This is a classic example of scapegoating, which has deep connections to empire throughout history and Western literature.

It's also such a fitting conclusion to Zenos' relationship with the Garlean Empire, too! One of the reasons I've loved Zenos as an antagonist since 4.0 is that despite treating the workings of imperialism as beneath him and irrelevant to his true desires ("Ala Mhigo and Doma and Garlemald be damned!"), he has a sense of entitlement to the peoples and lands of Ala Mhigo and Doma - and to you, the Warrior of Light! - that is extremely Garlean. The fact that (to paraphrase Lyse) he did all that just so he could feel something is what makes him such a perfect antagonist for Stormblood in my book. But to the Garlean people, that lack of care for his homeland - be it because (their own) people were tempered/killed from his actions, or the very sexy patricide/regicide, or that he caused the Empire itself to fall into ruin when he "should have" succeeded Varis - was to them the greatest crime he could commit. To put it another way, he probably would not have been named Zenos viator Galvus if he had first been Zenos zos Galvus.

And despite me forever lamenting the fact that the 5.X-era plot thread of Zenos having dreams about Amaurot never actually went anywhere, even that ties into his eventual role as viator: the only place with which he has ever had any real connection is gone forever.

Which makes a grave at the end of the known universe feel almost fitting in its tragedy.

(*On a serious note: While I do think the writers were intentional - and, mostly, thoughtful - around leveraging imperialist rhetoric, the fact that this particular framing is often used to justify an ongoing genocide is one of many reasons why I would be very happy for future Garlemald stories to stay on pause for the next few years.)

[emcapi-gaming]

so i heard we were doing job competency tier lists? :D

Ardwin (left) and Arkose (right), long ass explanations under cut (bit of 7.2 spoilers for Arkose)

Ardwin:

Grandmaster tier:

THE Warrior of Light and Darkness. She exclusively mained WAR from ARR-Endwalker, and combined with the Ardbert boost upgrading her to WAR^2, she's stupidly overpowered. As a side effect, her out-of-combat healing factor is way higher than normal. No longer technically needs the warrior stone - it's picking new things up from her at this point, instead of the other way around.

Let The Fish Who Thinks He Knows No Fear Look Well Upon Her Face.

Master tier:

Picked up Dark Knight and Reaper in her "emo phase" post-Endwalker, and got really good with both of them. ('Master' status slightly boosted by the fact that both have very few living practitioners.) Still needs the job stones for these, and not quite on par with WAR, but she's comfortable in serious fights with either of them if necessary.

"Picked up" Blacksmith/Armorer and Culinarian during post-ARR. (Quotations because she's fairly sure she had experience from before her amnesia based on how fast she got good at them.) Easily good enough that she could open her own business and make a very solid living on any of these if she was so inclined, though she's happier sticking with adventuring as her day job and keeping these as hobbies.

Skilled:

Viper: More or less went through the canon questline a little bit before Dawntrail. Considers it her 'relaxing vacation' combat job. Likely to swap back to WAR if she expects a very difficult fight, though, as she's not as confident with it yet.

Botanist: Gathers a lot of her own cooking ingredients. Pre-existing axe/scythe combat experience makes her very efficient. Can also whip out her war axe and take down a full-grown tree in a couple of swings.

Leatherworker: Mostly complementary to her BSM/ARM work, plus keeping a lot of her own leather gear in excellent condition.

Carpenter: Initially learned only the basics to complement BSM, but got some additional knowledge as part of a trade with Beatin. She wanted to commission him for some "weapons-grade furniture" (after her and Ardbert accidentally broke two couches and a bedframe and she got sick of trying to find replacements). He accepted in exchange for the crafting materials, a few unrelated rare materials, and - because he had heard of her skills from H'naanza and Brithael - with an additional condition: Ardwin would dedicate a number of hours to the carpenter's guild, to be split between A. giving lessons to the junior guild members on the basics of metalworking, to help them better understand the metal components they dealt with, and B. learning carpentry from the guild under Beatin, because he wanted to see what she would do with it.

Competent:

Monk/pugilist: Picked up the basics from Lyse in Stormblood. Not very high in technical skill, but makes up for it by being big and strong enough to send most people flying with a solid punch.

Red Mage and Sage: The twins taught her the basics, as she figured having at least a bit of magical experience might come in handy, and they were the most tolerable of the caster/healer classes. Still prefers hitting things with big ass blades.

Miner: Not an expert, but it comes in handy for being able to nab rare materials if someone points her to them.

Goldsmith, Weaver: Not interesting enough to her to pursue for their own sake. Only knows enough to supplement BSM/ARM. Also she hates embroidery with a passion, and if you try to make her do it, she will stab you with the needle. (Tiny detail work with very slow progress and no functional purpose that you have to sit completely still for, plus she has a hard time not snapping the thread or bending the needle on accident. Horrible. Evil. The worst. Given the choice between doing embroidery for five hours and eating another Lightwarden, she would seriously consider the Lightwarden.)

Untrained: nothing especially interesting here

Uninterested: Dislikes most casting/healing classes because she hates standing still and not getting to hit things. Dancer, Pictomancer, and Scholar in particular are also just strongly Not Her Style.

Incapable: White Mage: Technically more of a psychological block than a physical block, but after ShB, she would not be comfortable trying to channel that level of light-based magic, to a degree that attempting to do so would likely fail. She might be able to tolerate basic conjury if she was so inclined (which she's not) but not much past that. (Red Mage gets a bit of a pass since it's more self-contained and balanced.)

Arkose

Grandmaster: Nothing yet, mostly because they've been out of Everkeep/Heritage Found for less than a year.

Master:

Reaper: Similarly to Ardwin, partly gets to be in this tier due to the very limited number of living reapers, but they're arguably better than Ardwin in some ways. They share the same voidsent with her since it's their 13th shard, and the two of them trade off the reaper job stone. What pushes Arkose into the Master tier is that they figured out early on how to hold an extended Enshroud with Other (their voidsent partner) to compensate for their neuropathy, which is something that's never been done successfully before (i.e. without the voidsent fully possessing and taking over the reaper; it would, objectively speaking, be a very stupid idea with pretty much any voidsent besides Other, who already has an exceptionally strong level of trust and rapport with Ardwin, and gets along just as well - if not better - with Arkose). The downside is that holding Enshroud for a long period of time tires out Arkose and Other very quickly. They both have to rest afterwards, and they have a hard limit of around 25-30 minutes before they can't keep it up any longer, which also results in Arkose falling asleep/passing out immediately once no longer Enshrouded (equivalently, Other gets pulled back into the job crystal and enters a dormant/resting state). The only reason that this alone doesn't promote them to Grandmaster status is that they originally couldn't do any non-enshrouded combat, and they're still catching up on that front.

Sage: First combat job they picked up, and typically their main one - as the one job that doesn't actually need to hold a weapon, it was the best option for them right out of Everkeep. Alphinaud taught them the basics, and they eventually went through the SGE questline during Ardwin's Super Deluxe Roadtrip/Powerleveling Extravaganza that she took them on. They've already gotten very good by being extremely dedicated, and having Ardwin being more than happy to act as the perfect healing practice dummy. At this point, they're about on par with Alphinaud (slightly lower on technical skill, but slightly higher on raw power output) and comfortable solo healing a light party through an unfamiliar dungeon.

Skilled:

Fisher: Used to love going out on ill-advised fishing trips in Heritage Found before their hands got bad enough to make it impractical. Is still determined to someday catch the fish that ate their fucking phone. Also determined to catch up to Ardwin now that they're able to get back into fishing. Currently busy having a great time being intensely competitive with her about moon fishing.

Competent:

Warrior: Only started learning post-porxie, as they couldn't reliably hang on to a heavy metal axe before then. Grip strength still isn't quite good enough to rely on outside of training, but they've convinced G'raha to show them how to make an aetherial weapon in the meantime so they can get some combat practice. Taking to it like a fish to water, or in this case, like an Arkadios shard to hitting things with an axe.

Pugilist: Got a bit of training as a kid because their mom wanted to make sure they knew some basic self-defense. Yaana has recently been giving them a refresher and teaching them some more.

Scholar: They're helping Sphene with her training since they have experience as a shield-based healer, and she's found teaching Arkose to be a very effective way to refresh her own knowledge, so they now know a couple of arcanist spells and can summon a carbuncle.

Untrained/uninterested: Lots of things they haven't learned at all yet. There's not really anything they are able to learn that they wouldn't be willing to give a fair try, at least.

Incapable:

Black Mage and Red Mage are out because those both have levin-based spells as a major component, and Arkose can't safely channel those without risking a levinsickness relapse and/or the spell going out of control.

Bard, Goldsmith, and Weaver: Fine motor skill issues. Between growing up in iPad Baby City and dealing with some degree of neuropathy for most of their life, Arkose never developed very strong fine motor skills, and likely never will without a lot of occupational therapy. They feel they're able to get by fine as-is, so it's not something they're planning to pursue, but it does rule out playing most musical instruments and goldsmith/weaver levels of fine detail work. (They also share Ardwin's hatred of embroidery. She told them how much it sucked, so naturally they wanted to try it to see if it was actually that bad, and it went about as well as expected.)

[otherworldseekers]

"A relatively new face, Severia Zetsuen has already been heralded as 'a refreshing breeze in the world of fashion' and 'just the shot of energy needed to wake up a stagnating industry'. She works almost exclusively for Tataru Taru of Tataru's Fashion Boutique, and since her arrival the Boutique's success has easily quadrupled. No doubt it won't take long for other designers to come clamoring at her door."

Introducing fashion model Severia. Technically a model on the side just to pay the bills, Severia is primarily a college student working for her Masters degree in Bard Studies. Tataru Taru is her best friend as well as her manager and primary employer. For the past two years before returning to her studies, she traveled the world with close companions Lyse Hext and Alisaie Leveilleur. Severia's goal was to gain real world experience with her Bard skills so the group found itself getting involved in many risky adventures and the occasional international incident or two. Severia was already a well known name among world leaders and influencers when she put an end to her feats in order to further her education. It came as an immense surprise to all when she also took up such a mundane profession as modeling.

Outfit by Vermillion

Photo Studio by ELIO

[voidsentprinces]

I think the reason FFXIV didn't click with me until Shadowbringers is because, before, even with Nidhogg. All of them. Every. Single. One. Was a Cartoon Morning Villain of the Week. Ifrit, Titan, Garuda, Gaius. All Villains of the Week. No real attachment to them. They're just doing bad things and need to be stopped. Nero has his own grudge and Livia is the only real one we want to kill cause of the massacre at the Waking Sands. After that we get Lahabrea, who just like Gaius van Kobra Kommander. Monologues at us and banish him from Thancred who, at that point in the story for me at least, was just a background extra. We had one side adventure which was just a stupid version of spy vs spy and then he's out after Ifrit and possessed after Titan. Livia invades our HQ and runs off with half of our allies and causes bodies we literally help bury. After her its just the weirdly naive commander of the Garleans trusting, the true super villain of the day. We already put the smack down on Nabriales before he even technically kills Moenbryda. So that's written off.

Heavensward has a similar problem. There is Nidhogg and Thordan who have to be stopped sure. But with Teledji Adeleji dead, Ilberd is our main concern and he keeps slipping the net and the main expansion MSQ just sort of brushes him under the rug. The only thing left to us is Zephirin who is a side villain at best in the Knights of the Round. Igeyohrm hasn't had the traction or the necessary means to be our main goal and Lahabrea coming back is just Team Rocket returning to try and capture our metaphorical pikachu. They're both there for the climax but not really the point of the episode. And between them and Elidibus being the only other living Ascian still around. Whose only real appeal is he can activate light mode on his robe. We have no real reason to care. Warriors of Darkness are out. And we only really care about Nidhogg cause he keeps interrupting our peace talks and is running around with our acrophilic brooding dragoon elf boy. Ysayle sacrifices herself to Garlemald. So we now have a reason to pick a fight with Varis in the future but thats far off. We push back Hydrus who proceeds to disappear off the face of Etheirys to die in a side quest series the MSQ doesn't point to.

And we finally come face to face with Ilberd to chase the Bahamut equivalent Shinryu into Ala Mhigo. Then Zenos shows up as the narrative speed bump. Yda gets her legal name changed to Lyse for the most out of left field character decision ever but whatever. Papalymo is dead trying to stop Shinryu. So that's a little more reason to hunt it down in his memory. Fordola is back being our Gaius. All posturing and puffing up her chest while we floor her every meeting. Yotsuyu isn't really a fighter and her henchman is just a goon we trounce. Really the Red Kojin pose the biggest issue in the Doma Arc. Cause Zenos and everyone but Fordola pretty much sit around and do nothing while we progress. And then they stretch out the last half of Ala Mhigo for waaaay too long. To fight Zenos who aforementioned barely did anything this expansion but sit around and monologue at us. Really good monologues and fun to watch like a 6 year old with a katana and a 10-liter of Coca-Cola. And then he possesses Shinryu and its over. We then spin our wheels in place as the MSQ tries to figure out what to do with Fordola and an amnesiac Yotsuyu. Neither which conclude nicely. Then it meanders over here. Meanders over there. Can't do Varis becoming Emperor to raise the stakes again. So lets bring Solus back as THE FOUNDING EMPEROR. Who is also an Ascian just to push that boat out. Asahi is dead so any hate sink we had is meh. Varis is still safe behind locked doors and Elidibus is running around in aforemention 10-liter coca-cola kid's body. But not really investing.

But then...THEN Shadowbringers comes along and goes, "These Cartoon Villains, these tissue thin, monologuing, evil for the sake of evil? These schemers scheming as a C-Class Akatsuki and an F-Class Organization XIII? HERE IS THEIR STORY! THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD CARE!" And then Solus enters the scene and endears to us. Cause he isn't acting like Igeyohrm, Lahabrea, Elidibus, or Nabriales. He isn't running around going, "MWHAHAHA I AM EVIL! AND I WILL RESURRECT MY DARK GOD! MWHAHA" He is like, "Look a long time ago...my world...my home was destroyed. Hydaelyn and Zodiark were born from that destruction. And everything changed. Everything important changed to me and the only way I get to see my friends is to sacrifice you and yours on a pyre of my own making" and I am like, "Well we just stomped Vauthry as the villain of week, THIS IS FUCKING AWESOME" and Ardbert our stapled on companion for the expansion is like, "Man, back in my day. These places. Man you would not believe the trouble me and my friends went through here." And then the only way to progress the MSQ is to RELIVE one of his friends ADVENTURERS AND TRAGIDES to even get to Amaurot in the first place. And connect with Ardbert. Seeing his rag tag group of buds before they were the villains we knew them as in Heavensward. Share in their stories and struggles. Keep them in our hearts. And have them fresh in our memory as a reason to resist Emet-Selch. Who fights us and fights us and fights us. Until he entrusts us with the memories of his people. Then Elidibus hops down and pretends to be the villain of the week. Only to also grab us by the throat to be like, "I will never apologize. Though I did not remember why I do this. I must do this. For my brothers. For my friends. For Lahabrea, Igeyorhm, Nabriales, and Emet-Selch. They were your enemies. But they were my friends, my peers, my BROTHERS! I WILL GRANT YOU NO QUARTER! AND EXPECT NONE FROM YOU!" and when the dust clears, he succumbs and can only think of those he swore an oath to.

THAT is what Shadowbringers is all about. It took this, "Here's some bad guys." That every expansion had before and then after we defeat the bad guy of the week. It pulls the covers off like, "YOU FOOL! TIME TO SHANK YOU IN THE GUT! AND MAKE YOU FEEL FOR YOUR ENEMY! YES THESE CARDBOARD CUT OUTS ACTUALLY HAD FRIENDS AND FAMILY! AND YOU HAVE A REASON TO FIGHT! THIS ISNT SOMEONE ELSES WAR OR COUNTRY OR PEOPLE! THESE ARE ALL YOURS NOW! These are your people who call you the Warrior of Darkness, who you fight for, who you sacrifice you and your friends with and you've wandered their lands, fought for their people, dethroned their tyrants and mad kings. You are INVESTED in these bonds. AND the Ascians are here to pit that bond you've built from every other expansion here and before. To TEST you!"

And I love it. I really do. To me A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood were all. Just fights to the sake of fights. With the bare minimum to invest us. But Shadowbringers is like, no. No. We'll make you care by bringing your allies here. We will make you walk the Crystarium and learn of its functions and how they survive. We will show you the difference in their grief, our grief, Ardbert's grief. We will make you fight inch by inch to get to the top of Mt. Gulg only to collapse, fall, and become the source of their grief. And only then. ONLY THEN! Will you be able to truly face Emet-Selch. Walk through the shades of the past and know. Know in your heart of hearts what you do here matters to everyone. Not just back home, but here as well.

And I love it for it. I wasn't really invested in fighting for Eorzea. I was just a schmuck delving into dungeons and getting gold. I didn't really care for Ishgard. It was very prim and proper and I wanted to shove a spear up most their asses anyway. Outside of Haurchefant and Ysayle, I wasn't super invested. Warrior of Darkness felt like a "You but evil" story line. Ilberd was more an annoyance than anything else really and with Nanamo awakened. Raubahn had more beef with him than us at that point. Zenos was just annoying in suppose to lose fights and then sitting around doing nothing 95% of the entire expansion. 80% of which we spend in Doma. Who only show up at the last 0.001% of the expansion after we've basically taken Ala Mhigo by storm. And Conrad who I wasn't invested in or really cared about dies and ascends Lyse to leader of the Revolution which...wasn't well handles tbh. And Shadowbringers is like, "We've kidnapped your friends to force you to experience this alien world with them. And struggle along the way until you're ready for the bigger picture." And it was AWESOME and I LOVED it.

But that's just me.

Endwalker then was like, "Alright here's a victory lap for the awesomeness of Shadowbringers winning at everything" and Dawntrail is like, "NEW ARC" so I am sitting here like, "Alright lets see where the fuck we're going this time cause if we end up with another Shadowbringers scenario in 3 expansions, I am going to be fist pumping the air."

[95jezzica]

Additional Scion Jobs

Long title: Additional Classes & Jobs I think would suit/have suited the Scions. 👀 (And no, I'm not gonna cheat and put Scholar on all of them, although in some case it would actually fit).

[Sorry in advance, the European FFXIV servers went down and they didn't bother to get them up again before the planned maintenance in a few hours, SO this accidentally became a long one post of thoughts, so I'm putting it below 'Read More']. 😂

So. Additional Classes & Jobs I think would have suited the Scions.

Minfilia Warde: White Mage. 🌟 I always wished for her to get something more to fight back with - and White Mage would fit her with the themes of seeking peace, harmony and wanting to support her friends. Seeing as Minfillia spends most of ARR stuck back in the HQ overseeing their operations it'd also make sense to make her a Healer who can take care of her returning comrades once they come back from their missions. Minor spoilers for HW/Shadowbringers, but her being White Mage could also further explain her connections and deeds later on in the game. Though there's a lot of memes about White Mage being a "green DPS" I think she'd be more focused on the healing part.

Tataru Taru: I was about to jokingly say Machinist to give her a gun, but jokes aside I'd give her the class/job Botanist. 🌼 Tataru not being a fighter but still wanting to help is kind of a plot-point within the game, and so I shall abide by the rules. (Though I suppose her being an Arcanist can still be considered canon considering the blue quests in Stormblood?). At any rate I think she'd fit well as a Botanist. Not only would it give her a way to Sneak around, but it'd also help her Gather the resources she or her friends need. As her only listed canon class is Weaver on the wiki, I'm also tempted to add Leatherworker and Culinarian into the list, seeing as we do have some moments where she already works on these even if they're not listed as canon classes (yet?).

Y'shtola "Master of Destruction" Rhul: Summoner. 🔥 No one can deny Y'Shtola is a master of magic. With Conjurer & Black Mage already under her belt it should come to no surprise I think she would continue with a similar line of study, and because of this I think she'd be perfect as Summoner. We COULD technically argue Arcanist/Summoner is semi-canon considering her past studies, but since it's not listed as one of her canon classes/jobs I shall not count it as one either, because the job is too perfect for her to ignore. Additionally I could see her pick up Blue Mage for the challenge it'd give her, even if it wouldn't be a main-job she'd use in world-deciding battles.

Lyse Hext: Dancer (and/or Monk?). 💃🏽 I was admittedly surprised Lyse's only canon listed class/job on the Wiki is Pugilist, and I honestly can't remember if Lyse ever got to upgrade to Monk, but I could have sworn she got the Dancer? Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but either way I think she'd fit well with the Dancer job. She has always been light on her feet and being Dancer would also give her a ranged class to complement Pugilist/Monk, which is very close-ranged.

Papalymo Totolymo: I'd say Sage, after much consideration. 🛡 He was a difficult one to decide on though, but in the end I think it's the one who would make the most sense for him given the lore of Sage being a Sharlayan job difficult to master. It's also canon Papalymo studied the arcane for most of his life, so it'd make sense to give him something related to magic outside of him being a Thaumaturge. That, and I don't feel like he'd fit as a Scholar (the job), Astrologian, Summoner, Red Mage or Pictomancer. I could give a maybe to White Mage, but that's a MAYbe.

Thancred Waters: 🔫 Machinist was obviously my first thought, because hey, canon Gunbreaker already - but given his past as both Gladiator & Rogue he also has a lot of potential as Dark Knight and/or Viper, all which I feel would fit him well. Since he's already a tank with Gunbreaker I'd say Thancred getting Machinist and Viper would be the most useful for him though, and would let him use his experience at the same time as giving him better DPS stats. 🔪

Urianger Augurelt: Scholar, to the surprise of absolutely no one. 😂 xD Listen, if any of the scions deserves the Scholar job, it's him - and it'd be especially fitting for Shadowbringers and give additional reason(s) as to how and why he was able to get along so well with the fae. 🍄 Perhaps a little more surprising is instead that I think he'd also do well as a Reaper. Urianger has proven again and again he does what's necessary to save those he cares about, even at the risk of earning their scorn, and since he's already a canon Astrologian with Scholar added to the list from me Reaper is a good way to balance him out a bit to not only be focused on the healing jobs. 👻 Especially since there's already so many Scions who are Thaumaturge and/or Black Mages and I can't really imagine him taking on a job as a tank. Even with his character development I wouldn't say he enjoys being the center of attention.

Alphinaud Leveilleur: I so badly want to give him a DPS job, but tbh I don't think he'd really fit as any of them? As previous Arcanist and nowadays Scholar/Sage I could simply give him Summoner and be done with it, but it'd be kind of ironic to see him running around summoning a mini-Bahamut. If hard-pressed I'd give him Pictomancer instead, which would be a fun nod to Shadowbringers/Endwalkers as well, but it doesn't feel like a perfect fit either. 🖌 Tbh the perfect job for him would be a tank focused on magic with magical shields and the likes, and to this day I badly wish FFXIV will introduce one in the future. Sadly I think it might be difficult for them to make it different enough from Sage, so Idk if I'll ever get my wish come true.

Alisaie Leveilleur: Gunbreaker. 🔫 / "Jezzica, WHY!???" / Okay, so admittedly part of it is because it'd be hilarious to see her run around with a big gun, but given her personality a job as a tank would actually suit her very well and make her tanky enough to actually continue to stand in the aoe without moving. 🔫 Alisaie is not the healer in a battle, but doesn't mind helping out with healing outside of it. She's loud, honest, and loves being in the middle of it all. Additionally Alisaie has always been the most outspoken about how everyone is relying too much on you (the WoL). Her being a tank fits her personality really well, and quite frankly I think she would quickly become a Dark Knight if you (the WoL) ever died within the game. Given the fact Alisaie is already a Red Mage she also has potential as a Viper, but at the current time I still think Gunbreaker would fit her the best as an additional class/job.

Krile Baldesion: Another difficult one, but I'd probably give her Dancer based on vibes alone from the DT-trailer(s) and her already being a canon healer and Pictomancer. 💃🏽 She's a difficult one though, because I haven't spent as much time with her in the game yet.

Estinien "Wyrmblood" Varlineau: Defeating dragons was his entire life for so long that I think he'd struggle to be anything but a Dragoon even if he has another purpose now. 🐲 The fact that he was basically raised by the former Azure Dragoon after being orphaned wouldn't have made it easier to introduce Estinien to another job either. 🐉 Part of me wanted to put Estinien's additional job as a Dark Knight ⚔ , but tbh he's more of a "attack is the best defense" kind of guy, and he's more driven by attacking the problem than defending those behind him. 🪓 He could potentially fit well as a Warrior, but then he'd probably be a "one-man army" kind of Warrior who forgets to turn on his stance. 😂 Anyway, in all likelyhood I think Estinien would aim for another DPS if he had to add another job, and amongst those I think Reaper might actually be the best fit. Purely physically he could do a good job as Pugilist as well, but I have a hard time imagining him go around unlocking chakra(s) and/or later upgrading to Monk. x)

G'Raha Tia: 🐱 Jack of All Trades, Master of None, is yet always better than Master of One. With that said I think we can all agree that adding Summoner to his list of already many jobs is too perfect to ignore. 😂 With Archer/Black Mage/Paladin/White Mage already under his belt we probably shouldn't add more to his big list after that though. 😂 xD

[nshi-ao3]

Continuing the drunk train:

If Ren gets flirty when drunk, then why is it him being drunk how I think he’d ask Alisaie to join a polycule.

Or just imagining like, Ren gets shit faced black out drunk, he wakes up in the morning, and suddenly like 60-70% of those in Ul’dah are smiling and waving at him in a flirtatious way

I wonder how the rest of the Scions would react to Ren drunkenly flirting with them?

Hah!! That's certainly something to think about. :V And I love the idea of him somehow managing to flirt with over half of the local population of whatever city he was in over the course of a single night... I imagine Y'shtola, depending on her mood (ie if she's also been drinking or not) would either shoot him down in a friendly / playful way or go full Magnai on his ass and shoot him down hard. Either way, he'll end up in tears.

Thancred would probably flirt back in a teasing way but ultimately let him down gently. Which would offend Ren greatly. Ren: What, you'll fuck a table but you won't fuck me?? I'm insulted!!

If he's already gone around flirting with everyone else then there'd be no preamble for G'raha, he'd just start nibbling the hell out of his ears.

To Estinien: What?! It's normal for dragons!! Nidhogg's already a sister-fucker, why would technically being part Bahamut and Hraesvelgr be a dealbreaker?? Estinien: Go to bed. Joker will, in a future scene, gush over how pretty Urianger is when he actually uncovers his face, so you bet he's just gonna keep going on about what a beautiful man he is while staring deeply into his eyes. The poor guy will likely shrivel up into a ball and die from embarrassment.

Lyse-- I actually already have a planned scene of them getting drunk together in Stormblood, and so I can say that it would involve a lot of mutual complimenting of each other's bodies, then devolve into stupid dares, probably involving chugging obscene amounts of milk.

Tataru and Krile are committing all of this to memory for future blackmailing, of course.

[alicesadventuresinffxiv]

In another time, another place

There’s just something about characters speculating how their lives could have gone differently that is pure catnip to me! Especially characters where, but for a few key choices, they might have wound up as a hero rather than a villain, or vice versa.

Now combine that with having an NPC cosplay alt, meaning that I spend a not-insignificant portion of my FFXIV playtime wondering what that character would think about lots of random stuff.

End result: an entire menagerie of Fordola-centric plot bunnies! This post will be an attempt to corral said bunnies into a form that’s at least somewhat organized. It will also grow over time as I add writeups for new AUs if and when they become relevant to what I’m posting on this sideblog!

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To Catch a Falling Star: Instead of leaving for Doma, Lyse spends Stormblood infiltrating the Skulls, with the ultimate goal of convincing Fordola to defect to the Resistance. When your army gets decimated, just steal the other guy’s one, you know?

Eventual Fordola/Lyse, with a complicated enemies-to-lovers arc.

Note that I'm writing scenes from this as they fit the FFxivWrite prompts, not in chronological order. So here's a second list, with the entries listed in the order they occur in the timeline (though there are still large gaps and lots of missing scenes I haven't done yet!)

Take our quarry alive!

Plans Hatched Behind Bars

Narrow Horizons

For a Morsel of Acceptance

Who wants to steer the Reaper?

Those Fleeting Halcyon Moments

A Telling Emotion

Deleterious Relations

Sally forth, to endings unwritten

Aftermath of a Duel

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WoL!Fordola AU: Not WoLFordola like the ship, WoL!Fordola as in the original Warrior of Light, the Meteor Survivor who fought at Carteneau, who destroyed the Ultima Weapon, who ended the Dragonsong War… he died to Zenos at the end of Stormblood. Oops!

Now Fordola is the only one left who has the fighting skill needed to even have a chance of filling his shoes.

This is the timeline I’m basically writing as I take my alt through the MSQ. It starts out as a continuation of TCaFS (so technically TCaFS is one of my WoL’s backstories in a roundabout way haha). But it gets even weirder. Fordola might be the new WoL, for example, but it’s Krile who is the shard of Azem!

Fics in this AU:

A Nostalgic Adventure (end of Eureka)

Falling through memory, hand in hand (during 5.2)

Third-Rate Azem (after 5.3)

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WoL was out fishing, Fordola did the sidequests instead: Not an AU so much as a common premise I use. Fics in this series assume that everything is the same as in canon, including there being some non-specific WoL (maybe even your WoL!) who exists and follows the normal MSQ. However, while they’re busy offscreen somewhere, Fordola is forced to pick up the slack for them and do sidequests where she doesn't usually appear.

My first FFXIV fic (Sympathetic Resonance aka "why is Fordola in Eureka?") would be part of this series, as would my WIP Sorrows of Werlyt fic.

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8th Umbral Calamity: Shadowbringers never specifies whether Lyse and Fordola are killed by Black Rose in the bad timeline. What if they weren’t? Lots of fun (and by fun I mean tragic) ways that could play out!

Originally, this was going to be a kind of Apocalypse/Road Trip AU, with Lyse and Fordola traveling through a Black Rose-devastated Ala Mhigo and trying not to to kill each other before they reached Cid and the Ironworks.

Then I was writing an FFxivWrite entry and realized it would be interesting to combine it with another AU I had, where Fordola gets executed by the Resistance and winds up accidentally bodysharing with Lyse…

[xenodile]

man the more I think on it, the more the "Y'shtola got paler in ShB because she was indoors more often and she just had a tan" thing gets stupid because she's the ONLY character that happened to. Thancred and Lyse weren't tanned. Alisaie didn't get a tan from running around Eorzea since ARR. Not to mention, in ShB the Scions are all technically spirits in the First, which is why no one has aged despite spending multiple years there, so Y'shtola shouldn't have physically changed anyway.

like it was solely to avoid putting a dark skinned character in scenes with the bad lighting engine.

God come to think of it, that's probably why the twins aren't brown skinned like their dad and grandpa either.

[thefinalwitness]

saw this on twitter and discord and wanted to do it TOOOOOO :') two versions!!!! scions and ocs (includes mine and friends' <3)

scions

y'shtola: that's her WIFEYYYYYYYYYYY

lyse: they've been really close since ARR!!! as yda, lyse was one of the quickest to jump into a friendship with l'aiha, and she spent a lot of time trying to help l'aiha uncover her memories through various silly experiments, like trying foods from all over the world to see if anything tasted familiar.

estinien: l'aiha thinks he hates her, but he thinks they're friends. LMAO.

thancred: while they've bonded over the years regarding minfilia's ordeals, they got off to a horrible start due to The Ifrit Incident, and their relationship has never truly recovered. they feel IMMENSELY guilty about the other's suffering and Will Not Talk About It.

ryne: they're not QUITE familial, but the relationship is sort of like "you'd be my favorite auntie if you were my auntie".

minfilia: THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH IT'S STUPID!!!!!

g'raha: they're friends. they admire the shit out of each other. they're also scared of each other. FGJKDLGDHJD.

alisaie & alphinaud: they're VERY CLOSE, and due to a technicality in the way l'aiha was resurrected with louisoix's aether, they are 1/3rd related. :) those are Her Kids.

urianger: he and l'aiha get along really well, but they don't really feel like they're Close™ friends. they'd like to be!!! but they're both awkward lmao.

krile: she and l'aiha have the sort of friendship l'aiha and thancred COULD have had if not for their Inability To Talk To Each Other. they're extremely close, and bond a lot over the loss of minfilia, their shared sharlayan heritage and the complicated feelings they have about that, and so on!

tataru: THEY LOOOOOVE to talk about tailoring together! but their friendship actually first blossomed when l'aiha asked if she could take over the waking sands' taxes because she likes doing them LOL.

ocs

l'khilo tia: l'aiha's first and best friend, as well as her adoptive brother! they adore each other and would do absolutely anything for the other. they escaped a corrupt seeker clan together, and have been with each other through every awful thing thereafter.

raih'li tayuun: l'aiha doesn't know him especially well—much like her and urianger, they are amiable to one another but awkward.

aes'a tayuun: @daetur's warrior of light, and one of l'aiha's co-wols! l'aiha admires him a lot and thinks it's really amazing the sorts of skills he has, especially because so many of them are things she just cannot wrap her head around, like magitek. his bold sky pirate personality worries the SHIT out of her though. ARE YOU BRINGING WARM ENOUGH CLOTHES UP THERE YOUNG MAN.

io/atlas: venat's familiar, and now a sorta-kinda scion. l'aiha sees a lot of herself in them, and they in her, so they became fast friends and kinda trauma bonded through a lot of shared and similar experiences.

l'rhen vhanan: the daughter of the nunh who almost killed l'khilo, and who l'aiha in turn killed first. they were enemies until very late stormblood, and now are in sort of a rocky transitional period. unlike most former enemies, l'aiha isn't scared of her. she feels bad for her, if anything, and l'rhen kinda resents that.

nanamei kazarishi: @elvhenluca's warrior of light, and another of l'aiha's co-wols! l'aiha and nanamei were "the first" two wols, so to speak, and they have an INCREDIBLY tight bond as the once-believed only two survivors of the waking sands massacre. nanamei thinks of l'aiha a bit like a sister, and though l'aiha doesn't quite share the sentiment because of how much younger nanamei is, she still adores her as strongly as a big sister would.

j'lhana eiha: l'aiha's actual biological sister! they reunited-slash-learned of each other in endwalker, and have recently come to terms with the fact that l'aiha doesn't remember lhana NOR is l'aiha who lhana remembers. even so, they've grown increasingly close, and are only getting closer as they navigate this complicated new chapter in their lives.

hsea'li qhan: @lambylingames' oc! he and l'aiha met before ARR in thanalan, and though l'aiha has always found him a little creepy (she doesn't like how eerily quiet he can be. he sneaks up on her a lot, but not on purpose), they're pretty good friends who bonded over a shared sentiment about how mistreated the beast tribes are.

aeric tracke: @lambylingames' warrior of light, and the final of l'aiha's co-wols! they actually met at the arcanists' guild because they both worked there, and have always felt an inexplicable draw to one another—one that was finally explained when they discovered their ancients were the twin azems, apollo and artemis! it also explains their uncanny, twinnish likenesses.

eir-a-yan: a padjali hearer who has acted as sort of a mother figure to l'aiha on more than one occasion, though they would describe their relationship as friends. l'aiha has gained a lot of wisdom from eir-a, and they often write to one another—an agreement that gives l'aiha advice, and eir-a a taste of the adventures they're often too sickly to take part in.

esmerales: while l'aiha is the source shard of artemis, esmerales is the 13th. they have been enemies since the early days of 1.0, and while that hasn't changed, their feelings for each other have. they're two pieces of a shattered soul, desperate to be whole, but neither of them will bend to the other's ideals of how that rejoining should look.

artemis: one of the last holders of the seat of azem, a title she shared with her twin brother apollo. l'aiha is a shard of artemis, and after the confrontation with elidibus in 5.3, artemis' consciousness was awakened within l'aiha, and proceeded to haunt her until late 6.0. while they're no longer enemies, their relationship is somewhat strained, but they both want to understand the other better, and if possible, help them.

[shivasdarknight]

top 5 glams (for any of ur lil guys)

I'm logged into Surkie rn, so that's all I'm posting lmAO

u h.

1.

This outfit's fun because in in-game terms, it was originally supposed to be a dragoon glam that I didn't really vibe with but it wound up being an AMAZING paladin glam and just casual tanking thing that became part of Surkie's canon wardrobe. Basically it was her first dark knight look, it became her main look during stb and for anything that didn't involve heavy combat in post stb-post shb (that's where the behemoth king set comes in), and it remains her traveling and often casual clothes. I just really like how the Holy Rainbow shirts look <3

2.

THE ZONURESKIN LOOK okay so technically i made this in post shadowbringers, but it kind of backdated itself and became her Look through post-stormblood and shadowbringers if she dared to do stuff with dragoon, and tbh even into endwalker and now dawntrail. Obviously given the look's inspiration since it's a reprint of the Ala Mhigan set (fending but swapped to maiming), it's definitely something she got in Ala Mhigo and honestly probably something Lyse helped her get to better reinforce her side after the numerous injuries that threatened her ability to be a dragoon. Weapon for this is Dreizack Recollection, which was restored by her sister, Altan, and given to her and she Will Not abandon that spear because of that sentimentality. It continues the trend of maiming being white for her since it started as dragoon so it was just better for muddying up her silhouette when in the air (but also white to her is more the Death Color than black is because of her upbringing) but it's just become her Thing as the "Azure Dragoon Cloaked in Ivory".

3.

The Troian set >:3c This is Surkie's new heavy combat look as of post-endwalker when UT completely destroyed her old armor (not pictured at all). Admittedly, this has been in rotation the shortest but I got super attached to it. It's still on my WAR glam, but it just feels more in place with "active excursion in the void" versus "low stakes jaunt around Tural", hence the swap to the Edenmorn gear (also not pictured). I'm pvp pilled, so ofc the archfiend gauntlets are actually on the glamour plate. Love Cylva, so ofc we have the Deepshadow axe (modded somewhat), and it's just...a really fun look that I'm obsessed with since I could never wear something like this in other MMOs as a fem player. Lots of gender euphoria, you see.

4.

Ala Mhigan Striking my beloved. YEAH I love the Ala Mhigan/Zonure/Ovim set A LOT and I've used it quite a bit, and frankly the Ala Mhigan striking is SUCH a good piece for this. Also really love the Crystarium knuckles for this (the sam side is fine, just not as good without the knuckles but at least you can see the gloves), and the Moonward boots. Sorry, Edge, Surkie just wears your boots better 🤷 Also love how her arm and scars appear through the one sleeve, just TASTY. (yes the sword is modded, leave me be). Another thing Surkie likely got in Ala Mhigo that I'm probably gonna canonize, this time through W'khittri. It also continues maiming's trend of white relating to death, but it's got that balance of white And black (which she's always seen as more noble and benevolent due to Nhaaman influence)

5.

Deepshadow and Troian just the other way around now. Hat's modded, leave me alone, but yeah so uh. This is a modified form of one of Lillith's glams, it just wound up working better for Surkie. You could argue it's still the black = Nhaama stuff, but this honestly leans more into the conscious edginess she picked up from Eorzean influence around the colors. Also the most brown I use in any glam. IDC if the Shiva gun conflicts, it took me Way Too Fucking Long to get the damn thing (before enw came out and the coffers eased that process Considerably). Also she summons it, so it's not like she has it visible at all times. ...Yeah, anyways it's like an Amano cowboy and I'm here for it.

Also a sprout called the vanilla form of the outfit (which isn't too different) cool so I Win.

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

🖊 Riven and Lyse

Honestly...I'd have to say working relationship. They get along quite well, they're friendly, but personality-wise they didn't mesh back in Stormblood. Both were technically under major amounts of stress, and Riven was too academic while Lyse was too physical. (Not to mention the whole Yda thing)

Endwalker saw some changes. While they're still not bosom buddies, (and minus stress levels) Riven and Lyse did end up just a little bit more chummy.