#Born in Blood (Stormblood)

[witchofthescions]

@creepy-crowleys

Did it not go well?

Ah, well... kinda got interrupted, haha. Someone came to me for the kinda help only an adventurer can provide and then got pissy when his stuff came back bloody. Like seriously, what was he expecting to happen when he asked someone to go kill some bandits and get his stuff back?

[maids-of-stardust]

LYSE WIR GALVUS

This is a likeable headcanon, if you consider it for a moment with us.(Spoilers for like... everything story-wise? In Stormblood??? Also, this is not Lyse hate, this is Lyse appreciation and character flavor.)

Lyse's complexion is notoriously non-congruent to the typical features of Ala Mhigans, despite being born and raised Ala Mhigan herself... for this, we deliberated with @feycircles that she, hilariously, looks more similar to Zenos, than to her own people. Which, really got us thinking... We know a few things about Curtis Hext, Yda and Lyse's father; that he was in King Thedoric's royal guard, and later fled with his daughters when the King's rule became too oppressive. But, we know nothing about Yda and Lyse's mother.

It makes sense for some intermingling to occur right at the beginning of, or even prior to the Garlean occupation of Ala Mhigo. It's not impossible for Varis, possibly a Legatus at that point, to have visited at such a time, to have came into contact with Thedoric and his guards, and possibly even the wife of one of these guards...

Well, you get the idea. Regardless of the details, it comes to be feasible that Lyse is Varis' bastard daughter- with Varis likely never knowing, and most definitely never finding out. It's equally feasible for her to be half Garlean by any other sire, but let's be real this is cooler and in some ways more relevant to the following themes in Stormblood...

One must imagine Lyse and Zenos as half-siblings, as fate would chance it.

If you told me these two were related, I would believe you.

Amazing things this does for the narritive:

Expands on Lyse's out-of-place position in Gyr Abania. She wasn't there to experience the fighting that broke it's spirit, true, and after spending all the time and effort to gain back their trust, girly finds out she is of the same blood as their colonizers. Not just one of them, but even related to the Viceroy actively oppressing them. The guilt and turmoil that goes into paying back an unpayable debt, one that even victimized Lyse herself, is intense.

Becoming a leader of the resistance, and actively vying for change and liberty that defies her heritage is an ICONIC contrast to Zenos, who has perpetuated the cycle of violence and invasion by their father and his father before. Just sibling dichotomy things✨

On a grander scale, this is representative of the empire having occupied Ala Mhigo for so long, the picturesque liberty they dream of is no longer something that can exist. The nations have integrated, and been changed forever, for better or worse. Their children are the greatest example of this- even up to being equal parts Ala Mhigan, and Garlean. The best they can do is often the most realistic side effect of war- try to heal, and bear the scars of the conflict.

In conclusion, do we think this is based in reality? NOT REALLY. However, if this WERE true, it would change next to nothing about the plot (especially if nobody uncovered this information), and it also explains/resolves a lot of the common issues with Lyse as a character. If you can suspend your disbelief and BE DELUSIONAL for that crucial moment then this is a VERY enjoyable hc to spice up your Stormblood experience.

[lightparty-fullparty]

Can't possibly be me Zenosposting again - what is this a day ending in Y?

Anyway, I've been thinking about the murder boy again. This has mostly spawned from my replaying of the Stormblood patches and seeing Amnesiac Yotsuyu, which sparked a bit of a Nature vs Nuture debate between me and my friends.

Basically, my question for this post is "How much of Zenos' whole deal is Nature (aka He was just born like that) and how much of it is Nuture (aka the enviornment he grew up). Some of you might content to say Nature and leave it at that, which is a completely valid outlook to have. But for me there's just one... teeny... tiny... little detail that has sent me on a wild consipriacy theory of a ride that's resulted in this post. Emet-FUCKING-Selch.

Listen to me, listen okay? I cannot, CANNOT ignore the fact that this absoulete motherfucker (affectionate) is Zenos's cannonical Great Grandfather. Who was very much alive and kicking during his childhood. Emet-Selch or Solus zos Galvus whatever moniker you wanna give the man, is an Ascian. One of THE Ascians. Not only that, he's 'The Architect" the guy who's job it is to design and engineer the calamities meant to rejoin the Shards of the World back together again. What does he do to achieve this? He builds empires, he starts wars, manipulates people and situations to result in untold elemental chaos. Iirc correctly he's responsible for causing all eight calamities that have occured so far in FFXIV. (Eight got undone but I'm still counting it).

Now for this post I'm going to be focusing mainly on the Seventh, Eighth, and Fourth Umbral Calamities. (Which are the ones coincidentally we're told the most about in game). This Calamities all involved Empires. The Allagan and the Garlean, both of which Emet-Selch was responsible for creating. From the Allagans we have the creation of Dalamud, Cyrus Tower, and the Ultima Weapon. As well as an extensive history of biological research. Cloning, Gene Splicing, Mutation and so on. (A sundered mortal's attempts at creation magjicks perhaps?) The Garleans too, have a notible history of biological research, they draw a lot of their modern technology from Allagan design. No coincidence there given Emet-Selch's involvement. But we've seen them use genetic mutation, cyber augmentation, and cloning (Emet-Selch's shadow the hedgehog ass clone bodies because he refuses to look like anyone other than his unsundered self). The also so a lot of research into the Echo. Hydalyn's mark for her champions, and soul maipulation. (Ala Mihgo Dungeon and In From the Cold Duty both points of note for examples of the Soul being manipulated here - physically torn out of the body).

"Now Gengar " - I hear you ask - "What does this have to do with Nature vs Nuture or Zenos?" Well, I tell you, everything really. Hear me out. Emet-Selch designed the Garlean Empire to be the perfect chaos causing conquest force. They have no ability to use either, making them initially vulnerable as a people to the rest of the races. Building up a tasty, tasty resentment and need to feel superior. He sent them marching to 'reclaim their home' and then to 'unify the three contents under their superior peaceful, organised leadership'. The 'Savage Races' summon evil primals and weild evil distructive magjiks. He gave them a perfect cause and reason to hate everyone else. He gave them magitech to level the field and make them supieror at combat. Garlemald as a nation is the perfect war machine. Allagan 2.0 if you would. And Zenos is the perfect 'Champion' to lead that nation into battle. To spark that next Calamity. Look at the guy. Garleans might be on the taller side (depending on the character. Cid is a shorty), but Varis and Zenos are HUGE. Emet-Selch isn't nearly as tall as either of them despite being a blood relation. Which makes me think there was some of that Allagan/Garlean/Ancient playing with genetics and form at work. Make them bigger, more durable, stronger, more intelligent.

It's like Captian America. You want the perfect solider. And a perfect solider for Emet-Selch would also need to be cold, ruthless, manipulative.

There was a post I saw a while again about Mecha Pilots. And OP pondered on the idea of physcially having your brain and body contiditoned to love battle. To love destruction and killing and fighting.

Do you see where I am going with this?

You want someone bloodthirsty enough to cause a Calamity for you, you need them to feel nothing for their fellow man. (Insects all of them. Disappointing. Found Wanting.) You need them to find such overwhelming joy in battle that no other earthely pleasure can compare to it. (Brilliant. Blinding. Trandsenant Moment.)

No attatchments. No emotions, Just violence. I offer to you dear readers, that Emet-Selch carefully modified Zenos' litterally brain chemistry. Making him predisposed to a lack of empathy and his brain releasing those pesky joyous chemicals during battle. Inflicitng and feeling pain. I offer the theory that Zenos has literally been built for combat. If you cut him open, his bones and muscles and organs would be so alienly perfect. Denser, perfectly optimised. Exceedingly perfect. His brain remapped for pattern recognistion and quick skill building, Easy to train in the art of slaughter and tactics. Unable to forge the emotional connections that would only serve to hinder him. (To isolate him from family).

What evidence to I have? Outside of Emet-Selch's known history of building Empires? Easy. I already know he's done this kind of thing before.

Vauthry. The baby Emet-Selch mutated into half a Lightwarden. Able to command the Sin Eaters and ensured would be raised into a tyranically, childish, king. To keep the First from Uniting. To ensure the Eighth Umbral Calamity would continue along it's march to completion.

Why wouldn't Emet-Selch have done as much to Zenos too?

[autumnslance]

hi! random question for you because i stumbled upon your blog and have a lot of ffxiv character stuff in my head. what do you think about a WoL who is half dragon - do you think this could work? i'm not fully through the story so not sure on all the lore. but i was thinking of making an OC who is half dragon as an AuRa, who ik are NOT half dragon but what if the WoL was an actual half dragon? thanks for any input! have a nice day!

OK, this is one of those "here is the official lore, do with it, or not, what you will" answers. Cuz it's sorta kinda possible, in a way, just not how many other fantasy settings would do it.

Now, you say you're not all the way through story, but I don't know how far that means. So I may be vague about some things and spoil some others. Lore first, and then some options to play with it...

Number 1: FF14 dragons are aliens. It seems hinted at in some ways, but we do learn that for certain in an optional raid quest in Stormblood. They are extraterrestrial, do not originate on the same planet. Hence the strangeness and strength of their abilities, especially among Midgardsormr and his First Brood, from whom all other True Dragons descend.

Number 2: Dragons reproduce asexually. Their mating is more a meeting of the mind and heart (which is why dedicated sibling pairs, like Tiamat and Bahamut, are not a problem). Their development is highly mutable, and dependent on personality and environment. Which is why there are so many kinds of dragons, and why this form of procreation isn't a problem for them.

(They also don't really care about gender, we find out in later game; they use pronouns and gendered language, but it's more like they pick it out of a hat and also I think it's in part how mortals parse their draconic language and identification of each other.)

In the ARR patches, the Ishgardian church's story about the ancient Saint Shiva is "she lay with dragons" and...sorta? Again, not necessarily sex as we primates manage it, but there was a romantic relationship that's one of the central elements of Heavensward's story.

Number 3: Dragons do not turn into people. Not natural born True Dragons, anyway. There is one who uses a simulacrum/homunculus that he controls in order to walk among people, but it's an artificial puppet body created via certain methods.

Heretics can sometimes turn into dragons--sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently (not always their intent). They manage this by drinking dragons' blood (willingly given or not, depending on situation). There's also some plot points in HW where we learn some people in the past partook of a dragon's internal source of power and now it's spread through uncountable descendants--the reason for Dragoon abilities and heretics able to tap into that and become draconic.

Certain characters in certain questlines have noticeable powerful aetheric abilities and dragons can sense the connection--because one of their parents had imbibed dragon blood. There's also a quest where a Dragoon, who by training already has an "inner dragon" awoken and tapped into, is forced to drink dragon's blood and nearly loses her sanity and self, the attempt to transform her into a mindless beast (and the source of some of the Horde's shock troops, the characters realize) an element of the story, and can she overcome it.

(these side quests were part of my inspiration for Aeryn's unexpected backstory "Bearing Sins of the Past")

Number 4: There are dragon legends in the East, but only some have to do with True Dragons descended from the First Brood. We eventually learn Seiryu of the Four Lords is not a dragon, though often is mistaken for or described as one.

There are also throughout the world large flying lizards, dinosaurs, and other big reptilian creatures native to Hydaelyn, but not related to the First Brood. They're usually common animals with no intellect.

(This is because world lore writer Banri Oda just loves dinosaurs)

SO! All that said, what's this mean for making a half-dragon OC? Well, there's options!

To be lore compliant, someone of Coerthan descent and involved with, or from a family involved with, heresy (per the Ishgardian definition) can have draconic features, maybe try to pass themselves off as Au Ra, and/or have the ability to transform, either with a catalyst (blood, alchemy, a spell tapping into their inner dragon/draconic heritage, whatever) or because it's become an inherent part of them. Think draconic-blooded sorcerers from Dungeons & Dragons. They get their inherent magic due to draconic ancestry/influence somewhere in their lineage.

There's also always the mistaken/lying element; maybe the character thinks they are, or something has to do between their family and legends of the auspices and Four Lords. One of the things about FF14's lore is a lot of it is given in world and in characters; some of it is known to be wrong or misrepresented or incomplete etc., to give the devs wiggle room--as well as us as players.

One can partially ignore canon and say yeah, a humanoid parent boffed a draconic parent, in whatever form, and now this unlikely one in a million chance (or not, if we're already throwing away some lore) offspring is around and grown into an adventurer.

I've also seen folks portal in their OC from another fantasy setting where such things are more plausible, such as D&D (Baldur's Gate 3 is the current new hotness) or Warcraft (where it's honestly more assumed, as I can't recall an actual canon half-dragon but that's always a popular RP concept).

So while on the surface, some may say "no, that's not canon because--" there are ways to make it work within lore, if not how one usually thinks of "half-dragon" or "dragon-blooded" (tho kinda in the D&D sorcerer sense, IMO).

Or you throw out canon, and tell folks "I know the lore is X, but for my character's story I'm headcanoning Y instead." And then block any fussy attempts at lore policing.

Or just use the power of crossovers and portal stories/isekai to make it work, and again tell lore police to screw off.

Hope this helps, and happy OC writing!

[velnica]

So I made this poll after seeing a few people's HC about his age and I thought I'd make my own! Mostly so I can keep my timeline straight but also I don't think I've done this before. Buckle up this is going to get LONG. The bulk of it is under the cut.

TL;DR in my HC, Sanson is 20 going on 21 because he shouldn't be at Carteneau. If he was he would have been more jaded and not as green as he carried himself in the questlines.

Owing to the time bubble (5 years) and my personal timeline (6.5 years) between the Calamity and the start of Heavensward, this would put him at 14 (time bubble: 16) when the call for Carteneau came. Sanson, being the stickler for righteousness that he is, would absolutely have volunteered for it if he could. If he was only 14 he would have been far too young for conscription. I believe this war was the turning point that either made him join the Lancer's Guild after the Calamity, or to focus himself on joining the Adders ranks if he was already there (as opposed to the Wood Wailers).

Why is him not being at Carteneau important? Simple: Sanson's story is one of ushering Gridania to a new future; from reviving the bards, uncovering a century old conspiracy (and holding the military to their words for it), to representing a more cooperative Gridania at Ghimlyt and Garlemald (with Guydelot explicitly saying he'd love to learn Garlean songs, even). If Sanson was at Carteneau, he would have been a changed man with much more cynicism in his blood than the one that we saw. Being young, he could very well be cannon fodders who were drafted just to pad Alliance numbers. He could have even, well, died.

No, to me it's important that both Sanson and Guydelot can look to the future with boundless optimism, instead of one that was born from personal brush with bloodshed a long time ago. There is also a line in the game where Sanson confessed he'd never seen a battle as bloody as Ghimlyt. If he was at Carteneau, I don't think anything would beat a literal meteor/dragon dropping from the sky in terms of sheer scale of violence.

But how could an inexperienced 20 year old be a Captain already? Consider this: in the wake of the Calamity, the Adders ranks (and all the other GCs) would have been thinned by a lot. There might have even been a vacuum in the military and so they all took keen interests in filling these decimated roles up as quick as possible. They were looking outward and inward as Vorsaile himself was a decorated mercenary before he was offered the Commander role. Sanson, with his workaholic tendency, was probably seen as a loyal and diligent soldier.

He probably also took to leadership training very quickly, with very good results (I HC that he is actually a stellar leader, just that he was in denial of this). This made him a very good candidate to be promoted to the Captain role. And this is also IMO why he was so invested in the Ballad of Oblivion. He would have seen his promotion as a great opportunity to prove himself worthy of the role, and being so young, this was probably his first official assignment, all the more reason to throw one's all into it.

But of course he learns very quickly that he's got a lot to learn still. I think the fact that the Adders were so ready to discard him in Stormblood probably shook him to the core—this is why I thought that the military was promoting a lot of people in fairly short time: the new generation were still just numbers to the brass, they were untested beyond Ixal skirmishes; not until Ala Mhigo and Ghimlyt. For Sanson this marks another turning point, that he was staying in the Adders not only as a career but to steer the future of Gridania somewhere better. This is why I go hard on the Grand Serpent Marshal timeline: with Sanson's righteousness, dedication and loyalty, if there is ever a need to fill that role in the future, you have the literal perfect person to fill it.

There is a secondary reason why I thought Sanson was only 20 and it has to do with Guydelot. They're both foils of each other: the (slightly) older person with no ambition, and the younger one with ALL the ambitions. They're meant to contrast each other with how stiff Sanson was, and how lackadaisical Guydelot was.

Sanson probably wished to NOT be like Guydelot when he hits that age, and Guydelot probably thought Sanson was on his way to waste his prime being a stuck up prat for the military. If Sanson was older, he might have been more set in his ways, and might have been less inclined to meet Guydelot halfway. And Guydelot might have thought Sanson be a lost cause because look at him; Guydelot was not in the business of changing anyone who were past his own station in life.

This is very apparent to me in the cutscene in SB where Guydelot praised Sanson for standing his ground. To me that is played almost in a 'senpai proud of his kouhai' kinda way lol. Look at Sanson! He's all grown up! Maybe he could be as good as Guydelot at this sticking to his own conviction thing.

Anyway this is getting *extremely* long, but this is how I see Sanson: a very green young man with ambition in his heart and stars in his eyes, and this could only work if he was not at Carteneau before we met him.

Disclaimer that I am NOT trying to disprove anyone else's HC; in fact I have talked at length to some people about this and still firm in my choice of making him 20yo. Remember that this is all personal preferences! I do confess initially I had him at 24-25 before Alpal and dianna convinced me that he's too innocent to have been a Carteneau survivor.

[azems-familiar]

okay, okay, under the cut: a loose conglomeration of lore about my Warrior of Light. aka my best attempt at summarizing the key emotional beats of five expansions, which is not a summary at all, and also giving a brief overview of my Azem

Warrior of Light

(art by outheros)

(art by mythlorn)

Name: Lelesu Lesu

Age: 27 during Endwalker, 22 at the start of ARR

Pronouns: she/her

Classes: red mage, sage (dabbled in marauder and white mage before drifting away from them for various reasons)

Relationships: Haurchefant (briefly), Aymeric; queerplatonic with Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus

some lore about her:

Lelesu was born in Ul'dah and grew up as part of the wealthy merchant-noble class that makes up its high society. She absolutely despised the neat box of a life her parents tried to keep her in, and ended up sort-of running away from home to join the Adventurers' Guild in Limsa Lominsa, cutting all ties with her blood family and picking up adventuring and an axe to strike out on her own, in search of the freedom to define her own life. She joins up with the Scions willingly, happy to help make a difference, especially when it becomes obvious that she's one of a handful of people capable of facing primals, but it doesn't become really personal until the massacre at the Waking Sands, where she loses most of the first people she genuinely called friends.

She gets pretty close with Haurchefant while they're in Coerthas the first time, and in the aftermath of becoming the Warrior of Light she treasures that connection because it's one of the few places she doesn't feel like she has to be the responsible, duty-bound Hero version of herself the WoL is. Even with, maybe especially with tbh, the other Scions there's that sort of distance between them, because they're her friends and her coworkers but they also expect the same sort of miracles out of her as the rest of Eorzea, through no fault of their own.

She's actually furious with Midgardsormr when he removes the blessing of Light. Has no interest in proving herself to him at first, because she blames him for Nabriales breaching the Rising Stones, which of course led to Moenbryda's death. Eventually the blame shifts to herself instead - she feels like if she'd been stronger, she wouldn't have lost the blessing to begin with. This is a theme that comes back during Heavensward, too - she was a white mage before she picked up red mage, and so when Haurchefant (who she was very much in love with) throws himself in front of that spear for her, she's the one who tries to heal him, and she fails. In some ways, she blames the loss of the blessing of Light and her own weakness for his death. If she'd just been stronger, been a better Warrior of Light, etc, then he wouldn't have died. And he should've known better than to try to protect her, Hydaelyn wouldn't have let her die. Etc.

For a while here she completely stops using white magic entirely, which is a problem - red mage is all about balance, using white and black magic equally, and without drawing on both kinds of power you can't perform certain abilities, plus it has a whole mechanic where the further off-balance you get the harder it is to cast in the opposite direction and fix yourself. So she's off-balance in her aether, and that makes her even more reckless and emotionally off-balance, and she's struggling to grieve and sort of stuck living in the moment of Haurchefant's death, which makes her quest against Thordan a kind of revenge quest. She isn't really able to start learning to move forward again and recovering from that loss until she spends a bunch of time helping Aymeric build the new peace in Ishgard and teach the people to move on from their broken past, and that slowly leads her to work through her pain and trauma over the months.

Stormblood is...not really very much in the way of character development, but it is where she kisses Aymeric for the first time, just before she leaves to go to Doma, so it gets an honorable mention.

On the other hand a lot of insanity happens in Shadowbringers. She gets a nice new facial scar courtesy of Elidibus-as-Zenos when G'raha summons her out of her body during that fight (Aymeric is Deeply Freaked Out). Once she's in the First, she's dealing with a whole lot of confusing emotions and instincts related to Emet-Selch - her first impression when they properly meet is both that it hurts to look at him, for some inexplicable reason, and also wariness, the kind you'd have for a rabid animal, because there's just something so Wrong to her about the way he acts. This goes along nicely with the instinct she has to trust him that also makes no sense, so she's running around trying to save two worlds from the same calamity while dealing with the most confusing emotional state ever. This doesn't get much better when she gives in and starts spending time asking him questions and just talking to him, in a way the rest of the Scions won't do, because he feels familiar to her, like she should recognize him but can't.

This gets a thousand times worse when she drags her shattering soul down to Amaurot-beneath-the-sea to rescue G'raha, feeling like an absolute failure of a Warrior of Darkness the whole time. Amaurot itself feels incredibly familiar to her and also makes her want to cry because of the immense feelings of loss it evokes, she's already attuned to the aetheryte in the depths (I do not care if this is lore-appropriate or not it's fun), she feels like she knows Hythlodaeus, by the time they confront Emet-Selch again she's half-demanding half-begging him for answers he won't give because he's deep in denial and also wants her to remember him herself. She breaks down crying when she's forced to kill him in the end and doesn't know why.

Endwalker is just....A Fucking Mess. She's so done with Zenos's shit, her duty keeps weighing her down, everything is horrible. The body-swap bit really messes with her for a while and it takes time to recover from. Plus the whole thing with Zodiark - she didn't want to kill Zodiark, just weaken Him so the Watcher could bind Him again. She didn't want to permanently kill all those souls! She recovers bits and pieces of memories whenever she uses Azem's crystal to summon people, enough to be able to tell Emet-Selch, Hythlodaeus, and Venat that she is a reincarnation of Azem, but she doesn't regain her memories in full until Ultima Thule, when she summons Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus to help her against Meteion at the end. With those memories regained she's able to convince the two of them to stay with her and give the future a try; moving on is something none of them knew how to do before but she's had to learn to live through grief and come to terms with it anyway and she wants desperately to show them both how as well.

She considers Ishgard her home, and the Fortemps family as her chosen family - she's actually sworn brotherhood with Artoirel. And she considers herself Azem still, in the terms of Azem is a duty to the people that she has believed in basically since she became the Warrior of Light, and she won't let go of it.

In the final fight with Zenos at Ultima Thule, she very nearly dies, and he breaks her glasses against her face, severely injuring her right eye, among other things. Though she doesn't lose the eye it ends up solid white from scar tissue and she's completely blind in it - but she does end up learning how to see the aether through that eye alone.

Azem

(art by mythlorn)

Name: Seleukos

Class: black mage, has training with a sword thanks to Venat

Pronouns: they/them

Age: ohhh man idk probably somewhere around a century by the Sundering? don't ask

Relationships: queerplatonic triad with Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch

if i get into my lore about them we'll be here all day so just read this fic I wrote full of the important flashbacks and whatnot instead

i also have a very fleshed-out AU where Lelesu is the WoL alongside @sunderedazem's Corrain, but this post will turn monstrous if i go into ANY details about that. so just know it exists and we'll both answer asks about it. lol

[styrmwb]

Favorite Final Fantasy Music (FFXIV - Stormblood)

I don't think the copypasta has reached Stormblood yet BUT ANYWAYS 2ND EXPANSION LET'S DO ITTTTTT! This is when I started playing XIV! Lots of fond memories of TP (0 fond memories of TP). Something Stormbloood does, very similar to XIII, is the main motif. That shit is EVERYWHERE. And luckily, it's Amazing, so I literally am not complaining about hearing it all the time (spot #1 on this list goes to the stormblood quest accepted tune).

Something I will preface with is a lot of the music I love here is in the Omegascape raids but it's all (mostly) remixes! I love all of those songs but it would be doing this soundtrack a disservice to put any of them in this list (That Dancing Mad version is fucking dope though)

5. Crimson Sunrise Easily my second favorite main city theme. I feel like I can't say much about the melody, cause it is The Stormblood Motif and I'm probably gonna say some more about it later down the list, but I will say I love the instruments used here. The flute and plucking (I think it's a shamisen) is really calming, and the slow tempo of the drums (taiko?) add to this, while also giving that grand nature befitting of a huge city.

4. Dangertek Completely different vibe from the last song. This was originally introduced in PvP, but I more commonly experience it in treasure maps. It's an absolutely banger techno remix of Hard to Kill, the FATE Boss theme, and it's my favorite version of the two. The melody is sick, the guitar playing it rocks, and that heavy beat is a bop. I also really love the interlude section that I can only describe with the BADADUNBADADUNBADADUN noise going back into the Hard to Kill riff again but from a distance, it's so coollllllll I love this song

3. Triumph Part 2 of The Stormblood Motif; but I think this version is the most stand out example. This also includes the Ala Mhigo anthem for an epic combination of both sides of the expansion, a lot of eastern instruments included. I love the start of this song with the japanese flute and the more middle eastern sounding guitar (I have learned that this is called an Oud!) again, showing that combination of two ends. The Ala Mhigo anthem played by the brass builds up the intensity of the song, and then The Stormblood Motif rockets it into pure hype. It's so hard not to sing along to it every time it plays! The finale of this song sounds like a spiral wind down while still keeping the energy. It's impossible to hate any dungeons in this expansion when you know you're gonna hear this at the end. (STORM OF BLOOD, BORN FROM BLOOD, OF OUR FALLEN BROTHERRRRRSSSS! BORN UPON OUR HANDS, CRADLED IN OUR ARMS, SWELLING IN OUR HEAAAAAARTS! RAISE YOUR WEARY HEAD, HEED THE CALL TO ARMS, RINGING IN YOUR HEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART!!!!)

2. Amatsu Kaze Bringing in that classic Primals rock to this list in my favorite way, Amatsu Kaze is a song I literally liked so much I learned to sing to it despite not knowing Japanese (I'm sure my pronunciation is horrible don't worry I keep it private). That fucking bass at the start is legendary, not to mention the electric strumming and the strange vibraphone like pongs creating a super unique sound. It's not a very high speed intense rush song, but that slower deliberate nature is perfect for Byakko being this massive brutal creature. To the main meat of the song, I love how it's the first lyrical song in XIV to be in Japanese! I mean, like, I don't see why they wouldn't cause it literally takes place in the Far East, but I still love it. The verse sounds like he's holding in his anger, the refrain getting more angry, and then finally screaming in the chorus (I looked up music words for this I hope I'm using them right). The very end of the song before the loop sounds like an absolutely mindless rage, looping and spiraling before calming down once more. What else is really cool about the lyrics is it's actually telling Byakko and Tenzen's story (also shoutouts to the XI reference let's goooo), which the next of the Four Lords' song also does. This song is addictive to listen to, only getting more hype as it continues. In the Primals version, it even has Yoshi-P singing it which is fucking outstanding. (KAZE TODOROKE KAZE TODOROKE KAZE TODOROKEEEEEEEEEE)

1. The Worm's Tail COME DON THE MASK OF BLIND BETRAYAL E'ER DOES THE HEAD DEVOUR ITS TAIL AS IRON BENDS TO STEEL O'ER MY RIVALS I PREVAIL! This song has a beginning so fucking epic, they use it twice in the game (granted the second time was a medley BUT UHH SHUT UP). The Worm's Tail is my favorite final boss theme out of all of the XIV expansions. As you can probably tell, I fucking love that intro. The massive choir setting the stage as you fly into the heavens on a giant fucking dragon that you're literally trying to kill, the drums slamming to raise the song further, I hate using this word so much, but it's fuckin epic! The final note brings tears to my eyes. When the song actually starts, it goes into this really really cool melody that's very bouncy and I THINK it's waltz like? please feel free to correct me on this I need to expand my words but I hope you get what I mean. It's a very unique rhythm. I love the middle part between it looping, continuing to raise the song even higher, almost like that audio illusion that keeps going up despite not actually going up? It gives that illusion of height as it should. The entire way through, the orchestra continues to sound heavy and grand even during the "calmer" parts, which for the size of this fight and Shinryu himself, I think is perfect. Finally, we reach The Stormblood Motif Part 3. The finale of this expansion HAS to fucking have it. The melody itself already sounds uplifting, it already stokes the fires in your heart. Combine it with the sound of this song and the context of the fight, and it brings it to the highest level it could possibly go. Last thoughts, cause I couldn't put them anywhere else, but while the base version is mainly gibberish vocals, the official orchestral version actually adds lyrics (same with Ultima and Heroes), and this song is essentially sung By Zenos. It talks of rising above, it talks about being the beginning and the end, and it's even partly sung in latin, befitting the Garlean Empire. The entire song is Zenos's victory chant against you, but you almost combat him equally with Storm of Blood overtaking the entire song. It's fuckin poetic, man.

Honorable mentions are: Prelude - Long March Home, Heroes of Stormblood, Gates of the Moon, Beauty's Wicked Wiles, Answer on High, Wayward Daughter, eScape, Sunset, Sunrise, and From the Dragon's Wake. (and again like every song in Omegascape and Return to Ivalice (those songs are just straight ports but tactics music fucks))

[tsckcyomi-archived]

Yotsuyu has two more blood relatives outside of her aunt, uncle and Asahi: a brother and her daughter.

Her brother is three years older than her, so he is 35 years old when Yotsuyu becomes viceroy of Doma. His name is Taiyō. Taiyō was given away to be trained as a Shinobi when he was five years old, and was seven years old when their parents were killed and Garlemald conquered Doma. Their aunt and uncle took in Yotsuyu begrudgingly while Taiyō stayed with his teacher. Yotsuyu's adoptive parents prohibited them from seeing each other and threatened to call the Garlean forces should they ever see him. However, Taiyō tried to visit his sister in secret every few months anyway. More often than not, he could only see her from a distance.

When Yotsuyu was married to Sashihai, Taiyō needed a few weeks to find her again as their aunt and uncle were unwilling to tell him where she was. It became increasingly difficult for him to see her from then on since Sashihai very rarely allowed Yotsuyu to leave their home. When the Doman resistance began organizing itself properly once again, Taiyō's visits ceased entirely although he never forgot about his sister. He swore to himself to free her from the pleasure house as soon as they had taken back Doma, or at least that's what he had planned.

When he learns that Yotsuyu was named viceroy of Doma by Zenos, he is incredibly shaken up but ultimately powerless to say or do anything.

Taiyō's feelings towards Yotsuyu are rather complicated, and only very few people know that they are siblings.

Yotsuyu's daughter is nine years old by the time the events of Stormblood happen, which means Yotsuyu gave birth to her when she was 23 years old. As she was working in the pleasure house at the time, Yotsuyu does not know who the father is nor does she care to think about who it might be. Her pregnancy remained undiscovered for a long time and as such, Yotsuyu had only little time to build any sort of bond with the unborn child, especially when she knew that she wouldn't be the one raising it, anyway. It's something that she grew quite bitter about since, even though Yotsuyu thinks that she cannot be a good mother, she had no say in what would happen to her child ─ another choice taken from her.

A few hours after she was born, Yotsuyu's daughter was given to a family in Namai and raised there. Yotsuyu is unaware of her whereabouts or even her name, Michiko. They look very much alike aside from Michiko's eyes being a tad darker than her mother's.

[meowww-ffxiv]

Meowdred got forcibly immigrated from Doma to Thanalan when he was a baby on account of being STOLEN by a merchant who "really wanted a child". Only for her to die when they got to Vesper Bay and the "best friend" she made promise to take care of him ran out of patience with a baby once they reached Ul'dah and put him in an orphanage.

He wasn't aware of how exactly a foreigner like him ended up across the ocean until much later in life, when he got big and famous with the last name "Surana" -- the name of the temple/orphanage he was left at, and the kidnapper's best friend who abandoned him put 2 and 2 together, because come on now how many Far Eastern person could have borne that name, then be around the age he dropped him at?

And the guy showed up to the Rising Stones asking for money.

Tataru kicked him out with incandescent fury because Mordred wasn't around at the time. He was in Doma post-Stormblood putting the Kienkan back together. So he came back like "Tataru!!! I got family!!! Did you know I have blood family in Doma?!?!?" and Tataru replied that she did know. And that he got kidnapped.

He never bothered looking for this guy again because he didn't know what the man looked like anyway, and if Tataru made him leave, the bastard was probably so frightened for his life he probably changed his name and left the country.

But even now, Mordred was more Eorzean than he would ever be Doman. And the feeling was especially stark when he was in Doma, where outwardly he looked like a native but in language, behavior, philosophy, he was worse than a foreigner.

His blood-brother, half-brother, also resented his late yet transformative arrival to the stage. While it didn't last long and there were apologies because it wasn't rational, said brother did tell Mordred to his face, "You are a stranger to us. You are not Doman."

The whole Kienkan and Hien got mad with that brother over it who did later apologize because he realized he fucked up, but the damage was already sort of done.

To this day, Mordred would usually stay in the Ruby Sea area or Kugane rather than go to Doma unless he was visiting his adoptive dad, and spent more of his time in Ala Mhigo than anywhere else after the Kienkan was fixed up.

[witchofthescions]

@creepy-crowleys

If nothing else I can imagine you have a fair few fans who'd like to have a poster of you if they don't have one already.

Ha! Yeah, I imagine so!

...I hope no one's been creating portraits of us without us knowing and selling them or something. That would be kinda weird. Kinda flattering too, but weird.

[thedragonofdoma]

Introductions

So I realize that, in a setting where just about everyone has their own characters and stories they want to tell, it can get exhausting trying to figure out what each character's deal... is. And mine are no better, given my tendency to not elaborate much on their stories and personalities beyond the occasional wolqotd. So, to try and clear away some of the fog, here's an introduction to the characters I'll probably be posting about on here.

Fair warning, this is a LONG post.

The easiest place to start is with my primary character, Zaya Dalamiq. She is a Xaela Au'ra from Doma, whose parents immigrated from the Azim Steppe.

Zaya's story is one of connections and vulnerability, culminating in her replacing Gosetsu as one of Hien's trusted retainers and advisors, alongside Yugiri. Zaya is a (non)wol x Yugiri ship, and sees Hien as a non-blood related sibling. She also has close relations with Lyse Hext, Magnai Oronir, and Aymeric de Borel.

Zaya has two custom jobs called Demon King (DMK) and Sohei (SOH). Demon King mixes aspects of Dark Knight, Warrior, and Samurai; while Sohei is a very straightforward blend of Monk and Dragoon. She does not possess the echo, and was born with unnaturally thin aether, to the point she is unable to use magic of any sort without the use of crystal conduits. In exchange for this defecit -- and to explain her DRK capabilites -- Zaya has a natural affinity for Dynamis, to the point she is able to freely manipulate the energy as if it were aether.

Zaya is also a talented artisan, specializing in metalwork such as Armorcraft, weaponry, and goldsmithing. A lot of her spare time is spent around the Doman Enclave, training the guard and working to help Doma's reconstruction in the wake of Stormblood.

She's an extremely emotional woman with a measured and controlled exterior that she's developed to oppose her empathetic nature. She is strongly loyal to her friends and Doma both, and puts 110% into every single thing she does. Unfortunately, she does suffer from Impostor Syndrome, and always assumes herself at fault for problems or tragedies, so there's still some stuff that could be worked on.

================================================

Next on the list is Lernea, Zaya's Ancient counterpart. She's much less developed than Zaya, but still has a good bit of lore surrounding her place in the world and how her story goes.

Lernea is a researcher in Elpis, though 'researcher' is a lofty title for what she really does. Put as simply as possible, Lernea's job is to fight things. Despite lacking the level of aetheric control necessary to actually test and evaluate concepts, Lernea serves to test a being's combat capabilities and to determine whether a certain concept will be a threat to the outside world.

Compared to Zaya, Lernea is far more confident and headstrong, to the point of appearing arrogant and brash. She has a short temper, and lives for the thrill of battle, though this comes from an innate desire to protect -- one that, for the most part, could only be satisfied with testing -- which has persisted into her various shards, including Lyna, who I've picked to be Zaya's reflection in the First.

================================================

Moving on to the more... conceptual characters, we have Kanemi and Kawami Munakata, two Hingan Au'ra that come from a wealthy mercantile family near Kugane. Originally conceived to be foster siblings for Zaya, these two have ended up being their own characters with their own stories.

The older of the two, Munakata Kanemi, is usually depicted as a soft-spoken caretaker, leaning heavily into the stereotypical Healer Archetypes. Being the next head of the Munakata family, she doesn't get to do much in the way of combat, as her talents lie more in commerce and communication. Her job is a custom rendition of White Mage, meant to present a far more Eastern aesthetic than the normal job allows.

The younger, Munakata Kawami, is actually from a branch family of the Munakata clan. Despite that, she grew up in the same house as Kanemi, and the two are more like sisters than cousins. Kawami is much more rambunctious and mischievous, fitting well into the 'gremlin' caricature. While originally designed to be a Monk, I've recently changed Kawami to being a Samurai, having trained with the Sekiseigumi in Kugane before eventually swearing her sword as Kanemi's personal protector.

To that end, the two are never far from one another, and I struggle to picture them without the other.

================================================

Of course, I've some other characters that I may eventually explore, but for the time being these are the ones most likely to appear!

Thank you for taking the time to read through this! I've not been doing this sort of stuff for very long, but it means a lot to me to be able to share something I'm passionate about with others.

[kolak-magiya-a]

I was thinking about Ryce’s job as a Scion and his relationship with the rest of the Scions so here’s some headcanons of how he feels toward everyone in order of importance to him:

1. Alphinaud - He’s closest with Alphinaud and has been so since the beginning of their trip to Ishgard after being framed for the Sultana’s murder. He treats Alphinaud as he would a little brother, and would lay his life down for him without a second thought.

2. Alisaie - Like Alphinaud, Ryce sees Alisaie as a little sister. The twins are close in age to what his own blood sister would have been, which serves to make him even more protective of them in times of danger. Though he worries about Alisaie less than Alphinaud because he knows Alisaie is a whirlwind in battle and can hold her own.

3. Thancred (post HW) - Before Heavensward, Ryce was a little tense with Thancred, mostly because he had flirted with Minfilia a few too many times and Thancred didn’t like that. Since her death, though, especially after the events of Shadowbringers, they’ve formed a close friendship. Ryce is a source of comfort, knowing all too well how it feels to lose a loved one.

4. Yshtola - She has always been an enigma to Ryce. Her more serious nature shouldn’t match his more laid back personality, and yet they still maintain a strong friendship. Yshtola is one of the few people in his life that Ryce legitimately fears, second only to Tataru.

5. Lyse - While she’s no longer officially a Scion, Ryce remained at her side during the events of Stormblood. He respects her greatly, though agrees little with her means of leadership and resents her for agreeing to using the Steppe Au’Ra to their own ends, in order to gain an upper hand in a war that his people had no interest in fighting. (Canonically, they were close to becoming romantically involved until this point.)

6. Estinien - While he and Ryce didn’t really get along early on (mostly due to the fact that Ryce was a bit jealous of how much Alphinaud looked up to Estinien), they’ve come to respect one another for their strengths. Their friendship is born on the battlefield, and Ryce appreciates that Estinien has been a positive figure in Alphinaud’s life.

7. Urianger - Ryce has a difficult time trusting Urianger after being so deceitful in the beginning. He still respects the man, for doing what he felt was right, but he doesn’t trust him, and will always assume that he would rather keep secrets than confide in his friends and allies. This sentiment holds true even into Endwalker.

8. G’raha - Ryce doesn’t dislike G’raha, however he doesn’t know G’raha as well as the others. Ryce is not canonically present during the crystal tower quests, and therefore doesn’t have as strong a bond with G’raha. This bond is growing, however, now that he’s more actively part of the group.

9. Krile - Like G’raha, Ryce doesn’t spend enough time with Krile to really have an opinion of her. He respects her, and believes she’s very smart. He has no idea what the ears on her hood are for but he thinks they’re charming. Respects her from a distance.

10. Tataru - Ryce doesn’t dislike Tataru. In fact, he adores her. However, she frightens him to no end and fully believes that she’s the only one in the group that could have him killed on a whim and get away with it from her cunning alone.

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

bc lestat @macarensesangles asked, here are all the dæmon headcanons i have for the ffxiv characters :)

Thancred - flying squirrel named Torthred. the nutkin that follows him around. Squirrels in medeival times represented industriousness, but also biting off more than you can chew. Thancred is also a spy, and a small, surreptitious dæmon capable of gliding is good for the job. He's warmer than Thancred, and generally has gotten over himself where Thancred hasn't.

Y'Shtola - a king eider named Virgil. She's a witch, and all witches have flying bird dæmons. Ducks are symbols of rejuvination, spring, and loyalty-- they were also associated with Penelope, Odysseus' wife and her namesake. He voices Y'shtola's more ruthless, straightforward side-- he's wont to measure things by occam's razor.

Urianger - a tawny owl named Pruneta. Owls are associated with Minerva of course, as a symbol of wisdom and strategy. Often plays translator for him, hilariously, putting Urianger's flowery language into plain (well, plainer) english.

Alphinaud - settles into a parrot during Heavensward. Her name is Angeleaux. Parrots represented wit and intelligence, but also a foolhardiness-- someone who likes to hear themself talk. Angeleaux was exactly as self-assured and pompous as Alphinaud was too. It was a bad sign that they were so often in agreement. After she settles, she becomes a lot less bossy, but still has an impulsive boyish streak to her.

Alisaie - settles into a wildcat during Stormblood. His name is Aloyscius. Wildcats represented ferocity and nobility, as well as witchcraft. He's a total spitfire and loves arguing with Alisaie. The two are frequently at odds, both desiring to leap into action but not agreeing on how. Through Dragonsong into Stormblood they learn to compromise more, and to look before they leap. He has a girlish sheepishness to him, like Alisaie gushing to Tesleen about the Warrior in The Inn at Journey's End.

Tataru - a cairn terrier, like Toto from the Wizard of Oz. Tataru is a servant of the story, making sure everything runs smoothly. He's a bit more of a warrior than Tataru is, standing up for her and others, and like Tataru he's an all-arounder, good at most things in a pinch.

G'raha - a charming hummingbird named Athanasius. Hummingbirds represent the nobility and warriors of the Aztec empire, as they were associated with Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war. This would allude to G'raha's princely lineage. As the Exarch, since his dæmon would be a dead giveaway as to his identity, Athanasius hides under his hood and the Exarch pretends he is not a person at all, merely a construct of the Crystal Tower. G'raha is already dorky and emotional and vulnerable, and Athanasius makes it all the more apparent. When G'raha wants to be responsible and focused, Athanasius darts around to anything that will interest him, desperate to sate his endless curiosity.

Ryne - A Honduran white bat named Godelieve. Bats are associated with witchcraft and scrying. Honduran white bats are very small with golden wings, giving an impression of a miniature sin eater.

Estinien - a salamander named Yves. They were thought to be born of fire and immune to its flames, perfect for someone tested by the hardships of life and associated with the blood of dragons. Originally I thought a horse would be good for Estinien, but I figured it'd be hard to do those flips with a horse dæmon.

Haurchefant - a turtledove, also known as a mourning dove. Perfect for a doomed romantic such as himself. A plain, common dove is also good for communicating someone locked out of nobility. 

Zenos - a Komodo dragon named Slibinas. The process that made Zenos a resonant severed her from him. :(

Varis - a grey wolf named Sallustia. She's a fucking piece of work.

Emet-Selch - an unsettled dæmon, as all the Unsundered have. Her name is Agesander. As Solus zos Galvus, she took the form of a lammergeier (bearded vulture) and still prefers this shape, though also is inclined towards snow leopard, ewe, the tamarin, and chimera. She also does not have any limit on distance of how far she can travel from him. Lammergeiers are associated with the mythical Huma bird, an immortal bird who was said to never land, and to watch humanity from afar. Agesander is Emet-Selch's shoulder-devil, essentially, taking devil's advocate positions whenever possible. She carries with her Emet's Tempering, and thus expresses priorities related to Zodiark. She's also just as fussy and bitchy, and enjoys a good argument.

CANON CHARACTER MIRANDA FOIGEL - unsettled at the start of ShB, his name is Mulciber. He's much more tender and optimistic, compromising Miranda's cagey and cynical disposition-- the sweet kid that they so desperately try to not be. He tends to take plain, practical forms, and eventually settles as a river otter or a porcupine. Haven't decided.

Venat - Also technically unsettled, it's just-- it's argos, man. You know argos. The only thing more unsettling about this dog was that if it could talk.

Hermes - Meteion is his dæmon :(

Aymeric - he gets the horse. A white stallion, Ishgard's pride and joy. Merlwyb - Bottlenose dolphin Kan-E-Senna - White elk Nanamo - Savannah hare Raunahn - Sable Antelope Ilberd - Barbary Lion Gaius - arctic wolf Nero - common jackal The Chais - lovebirds, the both of them.

[wolkotokazeishiku]

Lore Because Reasons

Kotokaze Ishiku was an Au Ra born to a Doman samurai in the service of lord Kaien. As the revolution against the Garlean Empire began to brew and take shape, her father sent her and her mother to Eorzea to avoid the worst of the conflict, and in the hopes that he would be able to bring them back home once the rebellion was complete.

The rebellion was crushed in short order, however, and she never heard from him afterward. There was no indication of whether he survived or perished, but given his devotion to his lord and his duty, she has assumed that he died on the same battlefield as Lord Kaien.

Landing in Vesper Bay, Koto and her mother struggled to adjust to their lives in this new land. Her mother managed to make some gil by selling some of her embroidery, and she worked largely as a sellsword using the skills with a katana her father taught her before her departure.

Together they eked out a living, and they were happy, if not rich. After a few years, Koto's mother passed on due to illness, and she was left without much direction in her life. Deciding to test her fortune, she decided to travel to Ul'dah and see if her skills could give her a purpose, and hopefully some coin while she was at it.

It was there that she began her fated journey.

Through the events of ARR, she at first enjoyed the recognition and fame that being the Warrior of Light brought her, but gradually she began to feel uncomfortable with the adoration she received. She was being put on a pedestal that made her feel isolated and lonely, but she was able to do good, and that was enough for her.

So she soldiered on.

In Heavensward, she was greatly affected by the betrayal and framing of both her and her fellow Scions, and she felt responsible for the events that transpired at that banquet. Her friends and the people that knew her best were missing at best, dead at worst, and she couldn't even afford the time to mourn as Alphinaud needed her to be the unflappable rock she had been through the whole ordeal.

And so she soldiered on.

The Fortemps family became her own family as events unfolded, and she felt a kinship with Artoirel, both of them being the serious type that put duty before almost all else, but even Emmanelain won her over despite her better judgement. His ineptitude was almost as endearing as it was irritating. Almost.

The end of the Dragonsong War was an incredible acheivement, but it was bought with pain, blood, and the loss of her closest ally in Haurchefant de Fortemps, as well as Ysayle sacrificing herself to buy Kotokaze and company passage to Azys Lla. Haruchefant sacrificing himself to save her life only worsened her survivor's guilt and self-loathing, as she once again blamed herself and her lack of awareness for him having to jump in front of the javelin of light that took his life. But Eorzea needed her to be their champion and face the perils that they could not.

And she soldiered on.

Stormblood was an almost welcome relief to Koto, despite the ever-escalating tensions and stakes to the Ala Mhigans' bid for independence. There was no political subterfuge, no spies to worry about squirreled away in the shadows out of sight. Only an impossibly powerful opponent in Zenos yae Galvus, who was the first opponent to genuinely challenge Kotokaze in raw physical combat, and the one that bested her at first. Defeating him was a balm to soothe her wounds, but it was a fleeting one, as usual.

The Scions then began to fall victim to an unknown malady that locked them into a wakeless slumber. First Thancred, then Urianger and Y'shtola, and then Alphinaud was taken. Finally, after the battle of Ghimlyt Dark and a plea to not leave her alone, Alisaie was claimed as well. Koto could only hope that an answer was forthcoming, because she couldn't think of one.

Shadowbringers was a rollercoaster of emotions. Relief at seeing her friends and fellow Scions again, dismay at how some of them had changed and not always for the better. Above all, however, was a profound sense of sadness for the world that was almost washed away by light. Had she been unwittingly escorting the Source toward a similar fate? Was she actually doing the right thing? These questions and more ate away at her as time went on.

Defeating the lightwardens was a simple enough affair for the most part, though the revelation that Urianger had kept yet another piece of information from her infuriated her, especially after they had agreed to keep no more secrets. Her mental state continued to degrade over time, though no one could pinpoint why. The emotions she kept locked away or the strain of her soul with the primordial Light she was absorbing were the most likely culprits.

When Emet-Selch and Elidibus were both defeated and passage to the Source secured for the Scions, things came to a breaking point for Koto. She already felt akin to a weapon, being pointed at whatever threat was most pressing and unleashed to bring devastation to it, and being faced with her soul shattering was too much to bear. She had to escape, otherwise she would bring doom once again to those she cared most about. It had happened to the Scions multiple times, Ysayle, and above all, Haurchefant.

She could no longer soldier on.

She procured a vial of an Allagan concoction known as Fantasia, enlisted the help of the Church of Adama Landama to watch over her while the potion took effect, and drank it, not knowing if she would survive the process. Fantasia was a dangerous alchemical brew, and no one knew what the effects were aside from some scattered notes about becoming someone else.

When she awoke, she had no idea if anything had changed, how long had passed, or even if she was still alive. Looking in the mirror, she realized that the notes meant becoming someone else quite literally, as instead of the horns and ringed eyes that she had become accustomed to, she was greeted by long red hair and a flat nose common to Roegadyn. She also had to struggle with having to bend down to go through doors, but a few concussions and some expensive carpenter bills later she learned her lesson. She hopes so, at least.

And now, the events of Endwalker await her and her new body. Her mind may yet be healed, but it's fragile at best, and without the Scions' support, it isn't looking good.....

[dxvotionis]

Name | Asahi sas Brutus Formerly | Asahi Naeuri Occupation | Tribunus of the XIIth Legion, Ambassador plenipotentiary of Garlemald. Age | 27 Gender | Male; He/Him Species | Hyur Loyal to | Garlemald, Zenos yae Glavus, the Populares

Asahi Naeuri was born as the sole child and heir of House Naeuri; though his cousin Yotsuyu had been taken in by his parents before his birth and so he grew up seeing her as a sister. He was raised believing he was special; his parents' golden child. He spent his days training in combat and studying history. When he was seven, he was sold to the Empire and sent away for education. He still thought he was special. He learned quickly that he wasn't. Studying in Garlemald, he quickly came to realise that his parents opinions of him were not shared by others. Even after he had properly joined the military. He was nothing. He was just another Doman conscript not worth a second glance. Skill didn’t matter next to his blood. It seemed that his parents had actually believed that he would climb quickly through the ranks - believing whatever they had been told when he was but a child. They never told him that they were disappointed. But he knew it. And he did try, so hard, to be that perfect son he had always been. In joining the military properly, Asahi was sponsored by Vita mal Brutus, a doctor and the sole member of House Brutus. He took his name and dedicated himself completely to Garlemald. During Doma's fight for their independence, Asahi saw clearly what Domans thought of him. They had no qualms attempting to kill him, with utter hatred for him - even if he'd never had a choice in who he fought for. They almost succeeded in killing him; he was saved by Zenos yae Galvus and quickly became infatuated with him.

Verse | Main Stormblood, includes anything up until Asahi's death.

Verse | Survival While his wounds were not quite fatal, they would put him out of commission for quite a while. Things carry out the same as canon - with Asahi so severely injured, Maxima steps in to lead the rest of the mission and salvage the prisoner exchange. They intend to take Asahi back to Galemald with them but when they’re shot down, they realise they won’t be allowed back in the Empire. The realisation hits Asahi hard. Still incredibly weak, he had little choice but to follow the Shadowhunter. As soon as they reach civilisation, he separates from the rest of them. With the realisation that he can’t go home, he slowly returns to Yanxia. While Fandaniel does not have a body to take, he still recreates Asahi’s visage to steal his identity and ruin the Populares more completely. Asahi hates him.

[kukurubean]

“You could travel the world and never witness so lovely a sight.”