#Raubahn probably knows

[fisherrprince]

i could not care less about yotsuyu right now I liked her awful messy end ……

[anneapocalypse]

On the Former Scions and Leadership

Something that's kind of interesting to me about the Warrior of Light, which has always been there but which Dawntrail has me thinking about in a new way, is that the WoL really isn't a leader.

(Disclaimer: Obviously everyone has their own version of the Warrior of Light and is free to headcanon over and rewrite parts of the story to suit their character, and so what I'm saying here may not apply to everyone's character! For our purposes here, I'm just talking about The Warrior of Light as written.)

(Further note: I understand that there are a variety of feelings out there about the new characters and everyone is entitled to their own opinions about that; however this post is not an invitation to trash those characters in the notes so please refrain from that here; thank you.)

The Warrior of Light is a hero, but not a leader. Thanks to the linear nature of FFXIV's storyline, the game can't really offer us the conceit of making real choices, and so pretty much everything the WoL does is a result of someone else asking them to do it. So many of our major relationships with NPCs are with leaders: Minfilia, Nanamo, Kan-E-Senna, Merlwyb, Aymeric, Raubahn, Hien, the Exarch, Vrtra, Fourchenault, Wuk Lamat and Koana, every guild leader in our job quests. The WoL is someone called upon by leaders rather than being a leader themselves.

The Scions themselves have an interesting relationship to leadership in general. I've written before about how much the Scions feel like they're living in the shadow of Louisoix, especially in ARR, and how this affects their actions. As the leader of the former Circle of Knowing, Minfilia steps into the leadership position in his absence. I love Minfilia dearly; I think she has a true gift for bringing people together, making people feel welcomed and not alone, and helping them find purpose. I think all those skills probably availed her well as the leader of her Echo support group. It's when the Scions suddenly find themselves in the spotlight on an international scale following the defeat of the Ultima Weapon that I think the cracks start to show. I think that, very understandably, Minfilia is not prepared for the weight of that situation, and that's part of the reason she allows Alphinaud to step into such a leadership role himself (and also, and I say this with all the love in the world for both Alphinaud and Minfilia, why she even kind of lets him push her around at times). For Alphinaud himself, his experience of leadership with the Scions is disastrous, for which I think some responsibility also has to be laid upon the adults around him, who might have seen the red flags but didn't stop that train.

When Minfilia disappears, I think it's so telling that no one else steps up to fill the role of the Antecedent. Alphinaud is no longer so eager to take on that burden, and no one else is jumping at it either. Certainly the Warrior of Light isn't going to do it. (They're the boots on the ground, and the Antecedent is largely an administrative job.) The Scions instead just kind of agree to keep carrying on doing what they each do best, without an official leader. If anything, the glue holding the Scions together at this point is Tataru, who keeps the books and manages the budget and does her damnedest to keep certain people from putting overpriced purchases on the company card.

And that's not to say that none of the others have leadership skills! But it's interesting how, for those who do take on leadership positions, it's generally away from the Scions. After years of hiding under her sister's identity and "Papalymo's little shadow," Lyse takes an active role in the Ala Mhigan resistance, and helps to lead her people to freedom--a journey which ultimately takes her out of the Scions as she decides to stay in Ala Mhigo.

I'm counting G'raha as a Scion here since he does become one eventually, though not until after his hundred-year stint as the Exarch. It's clear both from the community that has grown up around the Crystal Tower, and from some really great G'raha moments in Endwalker, that he has real skills both at bringing people together for a common cause, and at taking charge in a crisis to protect the vulnerable. For the most part, though, he seems quite happy to take on a sidekick role after he returns to the Source. After a hundred years, I imagine anyone might be ready for a break from being in charge.

Y'shtola is harder to analyze because she's gotten less direct character development than most of the surviving Scions, and has remained largely in a supporting role thus far (though she remains a very interesting character to me, and I am hoping for a bit more of her in the Dawntrail patches given the setup for a cross-rift-travel solution). Y'shtola has always seemed reserved and a bit of a loner, and never seemed particularly interested in leadership until she threw in her lot with the Night's Blessed in the First. By the time we meet her again, she's become a trusted figure among the Blessed and the others clearly look to her for guidance and leadership. (It's also kind of interesting to me how both of the characters who wind up in leadership positions in the First are Seeker Miqo'te, and it probably was just a coincidence, but it'd be interesting to analyze how Seeker culture might prime a capable person to be willing to rise to the occasion where they see a group of people need.) Yet Y'shtola too seems perfectly content to settle back into a support role when she returns to the Source.

Endwalker is all about standing together, working together, the necessity of hope to overcome despair not merely individually but as a collective effort. The Scions all rally, each bringing what they have to offer, and they do so without ever appointing a new leader. They go where they see a need, like Urianger choosing to stay on the moon, or Thancred watching over the Warrior of Light and the twins when things go south on the relief mission to Garlemald, or the twins later taking a personal interest in the rebuilding efforts there. They also defer to leaders within the Eorzean Alliance where appropriate, happy at this point to work alongside the nations' armies rather than attempting to command one.

And the more I look at the Scions' history this way, the more their disbanding at the end of Endwalker seems inevitable and the logical end to the organization. In a very real sense they have completed the work that Louisoix and Minfilia set out to do. They've been leaderless for some time now already and it has not stopped them from doing good where needed. They are not leaders. Their goal was never to steer the course of world events indefinitely. They've all learned a lot about applying their individual talents for the greater good and having faith in one another to do the same, without having to be directed by one charismatic leader every step of the way--a major point of growth from where they were in ARR.

And all of this makes our role in Dawntrail really interesting to me, because it's all about leadership! And the Warrior of Light and their companions are, as characters, perfectly primed to take a supporting role and take initiative in that role where needed (see: Thancred and Urianger doing what needs to be done behind the scenes during the second act crisis). What the former Scions aren't, as a whole, at this point in their story, is people inclined to step up and take over. And this is a good thing for this story. Both Wuk Lamat and Koana need to learn and grow on their own, and in the context of their own cultures. The former Scions can help, they can support, and they do, but they aren't going to take over. Sure, they have opinions! At various points, we see characters on both teams (including the Warrior of Light) make some pointed faces at one another indicating that they have some doubts about the direction in which their candidates are taking things. But they withhold direct judgment or criticism for the most part and I think that makes sense both for their characters, and for the nature of the story.

I also think it was probably intentional that the former Scion with the most extensive leadership experience, G'raha, is not one of the characters hired by the claimants and doesn't come back to the plot until later. While I love G'raha and I did miss him, I understand story-wise why he couldn't be here; his unique circumstances mean that he has had more leadership experience than most people could ever have in a single lifetime, and it's probably for the best that that doesn't overpower the experiences of our young claimants who need to learn their own lessons on their own terms.

The support role of the former Scions also makes sense in other ways, I think, in terms of allowing the Turali characters and especially Wuk Lamat, as the main character, to shine in their own right and to avoid what could otherwise have been some problematic tropes. But I also think it works pretty well as a natural outgrowth of who these characters are and have grown into over multiple expansions, the Warrior of Light included.

[autumnslance]

Heya

I always like your analysis/view of characters and the Story so I would like to ask you something.

Yesterday I talked with a friend about how I kinda miss Lyse, and than I got the idea that she and Wuk Lamat would probably get along quite well.

Lyse wasn't prepared to step up on the role she has now while. Wuk Lamat is young and "lively" as Lyse, but she had a chance to grow and learn about her upcoming role as a leader of the nation during our journey with her. So I think these two would have some interesting conversations and might learn from another.

I hope, that in future patches, we get a meeting of all the Leaders interacting with another now that we have Thavnaier, Tuliyolal and Garlemald new to the table.

Do you have an opinion on this? Especially since your understanding of SB and it's characters is deeper than mine.

Oh heck you got me rambling about Lyse and Wuk Lamat, so this is going under a cut. Spoilers for Dawntrail 7.0 MSQ and everything leading to it.

I've seen a lot of comparisons between Lyse and Wuk Lamat, being young, energetic women whose stories involved a lot of growth into leaders. How they get there is different, and I do think the writers learned from how they framed Lyse's story, and how Wuk Lamat's needed to be different even if there are ways they are similar.

Lyse spent years hiding from herself and her grief, happy to let Papalymo be "in charge" for the most part (though I noted he deferred to her when it came to actually interacting with and understanding the Sylphs and Moogles, and probably other people in the Twelveswood, as "patient" and "personable" weren't exactly his best traits). Lyse was also the person who noticed things weren't quite right with Thancred in ARR, that he was working himself to the bone, but she didn't seem to know how to approach him about it, regretting it later when they realized he'd been possessed.

And in Stormblood, Lyse spends a lot of time trying to understand her countrymen's reticence, their fears, their lack of hope. She worked with Conrad's Resistance cell all through Heavensward, but it seems like the first time she really interacts closely with civilians is Ala Ghanna. In the Far East, Lyse spends time talking to the Domans, and the Mol--her scene with the children is a major one, determining what is "home" and what that means, why Hien (and Lyse) fight for a place.

She feels she isn't a leader, she's just one of the team, and as she gets pushed toward leadership, she feels it's based more on who her father and sister were, the weight of her family legacy. And part of that is that lingering grief, that literal imposter syndrome, that knowledge she isn't the woman Yda was.

Because of course she isn't. She's Lyse. Not an Archon, but a Scion of the Seventh Dawn. Probably still better educated than many, having grown up in Sharlayan, despite book smarts not being her forte. She's very good at punching things. And she has a heart and more optimism and stubbornness than most.

She grows into it, with the help of her friends (which she does, repeatedly, acknowledge the WoL as the hero who defeated Zenos and made it all possible, don't fall into the trap of memeified rewrites of the actual canon). She is only the leader of Conrad's cell (a failing of Stormblood and it's split storyline was talking about multiple cells, but only having us interact with 1 ever before it all became 1 military). And she happily lets Raubahn take command of the army when it forms, calling herself simply the commander of Rhalgr's Reach--but given her role in the war, as a former Scion, and her connections, still acts pretty much as Raubahn's Marshall in all but name.

Lyse was not raised for leadership, not raised to take command, and had to rise to the occasion. And without losing her determination, her caring, her optimism.

Wuk Lamat was born to rule; the Xbr'aal initially, but when circumstances put her life in danger, Gulool Ja Ja adopted her as his Third Promise. Wuk Lamat is a cheerful, optimistic, loving girl who wants to understand and learn about people. She's a "people's princess" we see almost from the instant we arrive in Tuluyollal, friends with nearly everyone. But it's also not hard to see, even in 6.55 and the adventures in Sharlayan, that she's young and green. She has few supporters, and no great deeds or expectations from most of the people. She struggles in the shadow of her older accomplished brothers, wondering a few times what her strength is, what she has gained from their father.

She has not been raised to rule, necessarily; while the Dawnservant has expectations for all his children, and recognizes all of their strengths, he also sees their weaknesses and where they lack. Some of that, perhaps, is on him as a parent, but he knows their potential and possibilities, if they seek the chance to grow and learn. He can only guide them, not do it all for them, if they are to reach those potentials.

And Wuk Lamat does seek, with a zest not seen since Lyse was central, and beyond her, even. Wuk Lamat is not bound by the grief of familial loss and the disconnect of diaspora; she was too young to remember the tragedy that led her to leave Yak T'el as a toddler, and her life since has been a kind and happy one. She's been educated and trained well.

But there are limits to what a girl can learn in a single city, with only one or two visits to other villages now and then. And Wuk Lamat, like Lyse, takes the time to try to learn and understand. She picks up faster than Koana the point of the contest--while Zoraal Ja ignores it entirely, and Bakool Ja Ja has other pressures he's dealing with.

There's another comparison; Lyse's determination to understand Fordola, to change her mind, making her a symbol of all the collaborators. Lyse's determination that all Ala Mhighans must be free and begin anew, to rebuild their society together. To acknowledge the pain but not let it bind them into cycles of violence (which continues in the Endwalker healer role quests, as Raganfrid and Arenvald take up the specific task of reintegrating the collaborators).

Wuk Lamat, meanwhile, struggles to understand the bandits of Kozama'uka, the Chirwagur Yok Huy of Urqopacha, and the Mamook of Yak T'el. She changes Bakool Ja Ja and earns his respect, by perhaps being the first person to demand to know what he wants--and then following through on the promise to find a way to make that wish happen. To find a way all Turali can be free and happy, including the Mamool Ja (who may have tried to kill her as a toddler).

Lyse spends all of Stormblood fighting to free her people from a decades-old foe, forcing her to become a leader. Wuk Lamat's fight comes after she has grown into the kind of leader that can defend Tuliyollal from the threat of Alexandria and Zoraal Ja's betrayal. And even though Sphene can't change her mind thanks to her programmed nature, Wuk Lamat never stops trying to reach the caring personality encoded within.

Because the other person Wuk Lamat compares to is the Assumed Default Warrior of Light. She's a determinator in a similar way; she doesn't easily give up or give in, despite her doubts and the difficulties along the way. She makes friends wherever she goes, forming bonds and connections that come back to help, time and again. She goes from novice adventurer to epic hero, as WoL had to do in ARR; the entirety of Dawntrail seems a compressed version of that story for her, with adventure and events happening in the first half, and then the other shoe drops. For WoL, it was the Waking Sands massacre. For her, the first assault on Tuliyollal. WoL didn't have the benefit of a mentor--with Louisoix long gone and most of the Scions captured--but WoL could be there for Lamaty'i.

How often has that been a fear and regret of the Scions and other friends? How happy they were with the warding scales letting them help with those burdens! How at the edge of existence, the only thing that kept the WoL walking to the end was the memories of their friends and the hopes they had, and in the final battle, the Scions were still with the WoL regardless of distance.

(And Zenos was there. Still the most hilarious entrance ever.)

We stand with Wuk Lamat to the end--and she breaks through to find WoL and Sphene, because Lamaty'i won't give up on her friends. And Sphene could have been, if she had still been alive.

Anyroad. I DO think Lyse and Wuk Lamat would have a lot to talk about, in how they grew to be leaders, in similarities and differences, in their relationship with the Scions and the WoL, about the adventures they've had. I loved seeing Vrtra and Azdaja in Tuliyollal, and that Koana formed a treaty with them, which may indeed mean more interaction with Thavnair in the future. For that matter, the Leveilleur twins' quest to help Garlemald rebuild and reintegrate with the global community may bring some familiar faces from there around...though from the Island Sanctuary quests, we also know those people have never taken vacations and don't know what do to outside of "survive" and "duty." But there's a lot to learn, and seeing how diverse people can live together in peace, after most of a century under Ascian propaganda, would be good for them. Sharlayan tends to have diplomatic relations with various foreign powers, and Tural's no exception, and the use of Labyrinthos research to aid Mamook could become more of a thing to bring some of those characters in for cameos (for that matter, helping the Alexandrians integrate, and studying that phenomenon, as if those scholars could resist!).

I'm a little wary of having all the leaders in a single space; generally that's a plot point reserved for some terrible world wide event or circumstance arising! But it would be nice to have the opportunity to visit with old friends on some kind of tour, to see Tuliyollal make other allies and diplomatic connections, and give such characters those chances to interact.

But if the game doesn't take those opportunities on screen (people often forget that a lot happens out of WoL's POV, too), we've always got fanfiction to make it happen in!

[paparitoffxiv]

Finally got around to drawing Dewlala. Thinking early on about other characters that Lolorito and Papashan would interact with and, given Lolorito’s position (an asshole with a ton of money and power, probably surrounded by ass kissers daily), I thought that Dewlala could be a good fit for a “friend”.

More thoughts under the cut.

Though if you would ask either of them they would NEVER call each other that. Colleagues or co-workers, AT BEST! But the fact is that they are two (I believe) pretty smart people in positions of power who don’t have many other people in the same situation who they can just relax and shoot the shit with.

And given that they probably also have pretty different ideologies and opinions on everything (a capitalist and a nun, I mean cmon), they would also be able to have engaging conversations with and even, maybe, have some pretty personal talks that they wouldn’t be able to have with anyone else (under threat of death to each other if any of it is used against them).

I like that Lolorito would have someone who can call his shit out on him when needed. And someone with whom he can be allowed to show more than just a veneer of smugness and pride.

They wouldn’t exactly be nice to each other; in private, he would call her hag and she would call him a dick fart and they would bicker and talk shit about the rest of the Syndicate over a drink and pastries until they were tired of each other’s faces and then do it again next Tuesday.

He probably donates to the Order. She probably gives it straight to ala mhigo refugees to fuck with him.

He makes fun of her taste in hats; she makes fun of his taste in men. You know, friends!

And of course, from the scene where Lolorito comes clean with Raubahn about the whole Nanamo plot, beforehand Dewlala was nagging his ear off to get it done once she figured things out and so HELP HER she will drag him by the ear if she has to!

[xiv-wolfram]

WolfBahn Ship Summary - Part 2

A Realm Reborn

Part 1 - Prequel I realized the comics are... a lot. So I decided to make a short summary of my Wolfram x Raubahn ship. As I started to write I realized it was also... a lot. So clearly WolfBahn is simply... a lot. Eh, this is still way less to read than the comics, enjoy.

13 years after Wolfram and Raubahn had broken up, Wolf knew full well that he was still in love and would never move on. Frequently hearing news about the famous Flame General of Ul'dah probably hadn't helped matters. He'd made a sort of peace with it and was living as an adventurer in Limsa Lominsa, helping others in order to atone for his past. He and his friend X’Rhun Tia, trained red mages on the rare occasion they had an apprentice. Otherwise, Wolfram's time was usually spent working for the guild or doing odd jobs for the Admiral to pay the bills while Rhun traveled.

During one such job, Wolf stumbled upon a plot by the Serpent Reaver pirates to kidnap people and have them enthralled by the Sahagain god Leviathan. After saving the day, Admiral Merlwyb threw a banquet with the adventurer as her honored guest. It was here that Wolf revealed a crystal he had found to the city leader and his new acquaintance Y’Shtola. They talked about the Warriors of Light that had helped during the Calamity. He was told he held a Crystal of Light and was the vessel of a higher power. Once getting some clarification Wolfram burst out laughing. Obviously, someone tainted like him wouldn't be chosen by a powerful and benevolent goddess. Despite his skepticism, Y'Shtola invited him to meet with the leader of her organization.

After meeting Minfillia, he was relieved to learn about the Echo - it meant the voidsent hadn't been getting stronger as it had claimed. Wolfram joined the Scions to study his mysterious power and help people on a larger scale. However, he couldn't deny that another motivation for joining the was to potentially see his ex-partner again (without the threat of jail, given the Scions' political standing). Having an Echo vision of Carteneau was honestly a bit too much Raubahn for Wolfram to shake off.

Wolf spent some time getting to know his new allies whilst aiding Limsa Lominsa and Gridania. Then he found himself in Thanalan face to face with the primal Ifrit and only had a brief moment to question why he wasn't being tempered before having to fight for his life. He made it out but many of the Immortal Flames weren't so lucky. He lamented not being strong enough to protect them. While thrilled and terrified at the idea - he would apologize to their leader in person.

Wolfram entered Ul'dah for the first time in over a decade. He attended a speech Flame General Aldynn was giving. Instead of the fear he assumed would invade his thoughts - Wolf felt nothing but pride in how far the gladiator had come. His cheers were the loudest.

Raubahn noticed Wolfram in the crowd and hardly believed his eyes. He had spent years lamenting his actions, trying to move on but plagued with regrets and wondering if his former love had survived the Calamity. Even if he’d betrayed his trust, the gladiator didn’t want him dead. Finally, he knew - Wolfram was alive and well! After he was done addressing the Ul'dahn citizens he walked up to Wolf, doing his best to hide a smile, and asked if the adventurer would like a private meeting.

The General had a busy schedule but they had a few moments to speak before his next obligation. Neither could hide their happiness to see each other again. Wolf even teased Rau a bit for being surprised that Wolf hadn’t wondered about him, forgetting that he was famous. Raubahn didn't blame Wolfram for his soldiers Ifrit had taken and was impressed that the man he used to know as a simple cook had defeated a primal. He extended an invitation to join his Grand Company and Wolfram said he would be happy to join the Immortal Flames. The gladiator was relieved to know the mage was alive and well after so long wondering. Their reunion felt wonderfully strange to both of them - any awkwardness was overshadowed by their pure joy. 

After returning to the Waking Sands to give Minfilia his report, Wolf went back to Ul'dah the next day to formally join the Grand Company. Raubahn had the day off but wanted to give Wolfram a tour of the headquarters. A new recruit receiving a tour from the General himself drew notice, but most assumed it was because he'd bested Ifrit. However, those who knew him best noted an odd change in their leader’s demeanor. Wolfram and Raubahn did some proper catching up, with Rau asking the mage what he’d been up to since he’d left Ul’dah. After hearing his journey of self-improvement, Raubahn told Wolf that he would have been happy to see him earlier and that his threat had been an empty one born from anger. Wolfram told the gladiator about his new life devoted to aiding others and was surprised to receive praise for the efforts he'd made to become a better person. Unfortunately due to some miscommunication and false assumptions about the other's preference, they ended up agreeing to keep things professional and not let anyone know about their past, despite them each secretly wishing to be friends. 

For most of the events of ARR they were coworkers who occasionally fell out of formality accidentally - like when Livia raided the Waking Sands and everyone thought the Scions were dead. Raubahn couldn't hide his relief when Wolf walked into the Alliance’s meeting to discuss the Black Wolf’s ultimatum. Merlwyb even teased Raubahn in private later for the most she'd ever seen him smile in a single sitting. Whenever someone caught on to their familiarity they admitted only that they had been friends years ago but asked that the information not be spread. The Monetarists were enough of a problem already and would absolutely use it to accuse the Scions of favoring the Royalists.

Things started to change between them the night before their attack on Castrum Meridianum. Raubahn took Wolfram aside to speak privately. He hesitantly asked if the mage had enough control over the voidsent to go into a building full of Garleans. Wolf was offended, assuming Rau was worried he would hurt the other Flames. He swore he would end his own life if he felt his control slipping rather than endanger anyone else. The General explained that's not what he meant - he didn't want Wolfram to risk himself and ordered him to flee the battle if he became panicked as he had occasionally in the past. The mage was furious at the suggestion and repeated back word for word something cruel that Raubahn had said to him when they broke up. The gladiator was horrified that those hateful words said in anger had stayed with Wolf all those years and started apologizing in an uncharacteristic panic, stating that if anything he said made Wolf not value his own life he was sorry and didn't mean any of it. Wolfram calmed down and explained that he was just bothered by the hypocrisy of suggesting he take such cowardly action by someone who’d called him selfish. He told the General that his harsh words were the catalyst that had set him on the path of atonement. If he was the hero people claimed him to be - it was because of Raubahn. While tense, that night helped resolve a bit of the pain from their past they were holding onto, helping them move forward and finally become more casual with each other.

Part 3 - A Ream Reborn Patches

[nihilnovisubsole]

oh, right, shadowbringers! i'm overdue for another ffxiv bullet point vibe check. i actually finished it a couple of weeks ago, and then my sink exploded [long story] and i wanted to chew on it for a while. it's clear that this expac is an overwhelming fan favorite, so i figured i should formulate some more intelligent thoughts about it.

part of me worries that my shadowbringers experience was colored by how badly i missed the people and places on the source. more than the aether and gods and soul transference and all that stuff, what i really took away was a sense of loneliness. the first isn't my world. its citizens are strangers to me, though i recognize on a philosophical level that i should help them. even the scions - in theory, my closest comrades - have lived for years in the blink of my eye and become very different people. when did thancred become responsible? when did the twins grow up? i wondered what other NPCs were doing without me. all i wanted was to go home.

on the other hand, i read a theory that this is the point. the story wants you to feel cut loose from everything you know. are you still a hero in an emotional vacuum? will you still put yourself on the line to do the right thing? sure, your world will be doomed if theirs falls, but that possibility seems so huge and far-off that it doesn't register in your gut. i don't think that's the writing failing to connect with me or anything. if that's the intent, it's an interesting feeling for a game to evoke.

i may have also exacerbated that feeling by keeping my actual avatar isolated on norvrandt for so long. i mentioned earlier that i play around the game's day-night cycle, running missions based on when they'll feel most immersive. that extends to maps, too: if the story says i'm stuck in a place, i stay around that place until the story carries me elsewhere. i mean, i'll dip out for wondrous tails and daily cactpot and stuff, but i don't take big story vacations to jet around eorzea. i didn't "come back" from the far east in stormblood until doma was free. that's a lot of MSQ to just spend alone with your thoughts.

there's a storytelling paradox at work: the first's problems are so large and so bad that it's smaller and more personal when you become invested in someone's plight. i expected to care a lot about liberating ala mhigo because i'm so fond of raubahn as a character, and i did. i didn't expect to feel the pity that i felt for, say, kai-shirr, or runar's unrequited crush on y'shtola. it comes on slowly and quietly.

i don't know. it's a curious story. it's a melancholy story. it's a lot more experimental than the expacs that came before it. it'd probably be worth it to new-game-plus it at some point to pay closer attention to the individual character arcs.

same goes for emet-selch. he's a curious villain. i don't sympathize with his methods, and i obviously have no romantic interest in him. but i keep mulling him over. he keeps lurking in the back of my mind, which means that his writing succeeds by virtue of being memorable.

to my mind, everything around amaurot contributes to that success. amaurot is where it all starts to come together for me. it's a beautiful, odd place - art deco in final fantasy? who knew? - and the pinnacle of the arc's surreal "this is a dream, but tangible" tone. you can tell the team wanted to go all out with the ascian reveals they'd been building up to for years. i wonder if they had fun designing it.

even if it is. i. hm. no i shan't say it

all right, i'll say it

I AM EMET-SELCH AND I AM HERE TO ASK YOU A QUESTION

there, it's out of my system. on a less ridiculous note, i finally got royce's canon armor! now i can gpose freely. i wish there were an in-engine way to pose with NPCs, but them's the breaks. who knows? maybe we'll get it eventually. it is a live service game.

[dainesanddaffodils]

So i whipped through Stormblood at concerning speeds and am full of thoughts! so here again are my WoL's feelings on the many characters she knows/met.

Thoughts post-ARR | Thoughts post-Heavensward

Without further ado - Cimorene Greystone's Post-Stormblood Relationship Vibes

Lyse - a little similar to Cimorene's feelings toward Alphinaud in A Realm Reborn (though definitely not as bad). Cares about her very much, agrees with her cause VERY MUCH, but also. she is a lot sometimes and Cimorene isn't always sure how to interact with her. Will always have her back though and is very proud of her.

Alphinaud - that remains her baby brother, don't fucking touch him. still feels closest to him of all of her companions, new and old.

Alisaie - that remains her baby sister, don't fucking touch her. Cimorene worries about her a lot and has resolved to never abandon her.

Hancock - Tangy, the player, thinks he's hilarious and also my friend has a wolship with him (started as a joke, became Not A Joke) so that kinda colored Cimorene's interactions with him. I think she likes him in spite of herself, honestly.

Yugiri - lizard solidarity. Definitely feels a sisterhood with her and cares about her very much. Feels very protective of her, feeling the need to be a tempering force in her life to balance out her passion and idealism re: Doma - and if that didn't work, at least guard her from those ideals getting her killed.

Gosetsu - Cimorene adores him, there isn't much more she can say than that. He’s a good man and she is genuinely surprised he survived and had, while not a happy end to his story, at least a peaceful one - it’s more than most good men in her life get.

Hien - Reminds her of her late husband so much. She's not into him that way, but still is very fond of him because of those similarities. Worries about him the same way she worries about Yugiri and feels a fierce determination to not lose him.

Cirina - That's Cimorene's cousin! Distant cousin but still, they're related on her dad's side and Cimorene immediately notes the similarities when she meets her and the Mol.

(Her father never told her what clan he'd been from, just that he, like most Xaela, was from the Steppe. She didn't have a lot of strong feelings towards the other people she met within the clans because she was kind of assaulted with A LOT OF INFO about who she is and where she came from at this point lmao)

Raubahn - 10/10 man of all time. if Cimorene was in the market for a replacement father it would be him, unquestionably

Zenos - not only hates him but hates him a distinctly uninteresting way. He died and she stopped thinking about him immediately (and when any mention of him maybe surviving comes up she is like, well, I guess I gotta kill him again end of thoughts)

Fordola - her feelings are what could graciously be called complicated and moreover she understands it isn't her place to pass judgement on her one way or another. Is gonna keep her distance from her, though; if she comes around to her one day it will be because she is giving that relationship space now.

Yotsuyu/Tsuyu - similarly complicated feelings; understands that she was horribly mistreated and is very pro-kill your abusers but to say Yotsuyu took it too far is an understatement. She did, however, fully believe that Tsuyu was safe and really wanted her to have that fresh, clean beginning and was heartbroken when that was shattered.

Asahi - GET A JOB. STAY AWAY FROM HER (Tsuyu). truly genuinely hated him more than she has hated anyone she has faced thus far. Absolute garbage rest in piss.

Krile - That's her mom - dont! fucking! touch! her! Cimorene is very glad that she didn't get the scion summoning disease as that probably would have snapped the fragile thread she was hanging on by at the end of the patches

Thancred - genuinely was finally kind of coming around to like, a friendship with him just as he got struck with scion summoning disease so. RIP that budding relationship, I guess. We'll see where Shadowbringers takes that I'm sure only good places

Y'Shtola - Cimorene always forgets how much comfort she gets from being around Y'Shtola until she's gone and then she's like 'wait that's my emotional support archon please give her back'

Estinien - impulsively kissed him after the lvl 70 dragoon quest and immediately fled the scene, later learned that he saved her life and immediately fled the scene, and NOW she’s a literal world away so like… that tension isn’t getting resolved anytime soon

Crystal Exarch (yeah they don't call him that in game yet but I know whomst he is) - get better cell service if you're gonna keep calling my girl in the middle of a fucking war! she would be more willing to open the gates if you didn't keep yoinking the souls out of her beloved friends - again in the middle of a fucking war! yes I know this is probably beyond your control but Cimorene doesn't and she is very very very upset with you!

[pumpkinmagekupo]

Unbridled emotions

Aymeric looked around Camp Broken Glass. "You look lost." Hien stated, joining Aymeric near the aetheryte. "I was looking for Mizuki. I hoping to see her before I returned to Ishgard." his shoulders slumped "probably already on her way again.." he sighed.

"You'll find Mizuki by the lake." Raubahn announced, patting Aymeric on the shoulder roughly "she looked quite upset."

Aymeric was worried and rushed over to the small lake and hidden behind a tree trunk was Mizuki. Her face buried into her knees.

She must have heard the crunch of snow and stood up to meet him. "Mizuki are you alright?" he asked. That was apparently not the correct question. Her gloved hands tapped at his chest, no force behind them but drive with painful emotions.

"No actually! I had to leave you behind!" she snapped, "alone! in that stupid tower! Facing those confounded creatures!" her voice was cracking. "ALONE!" she repeated.

"Do you know how much that hurt-" her lips quiver, breaking her furrowed brow. He knew it hurt her... the way she screamed his name as Raubahn physically carried her away, still filled his head.

"Mizuki, it had to be done-"

"NO!" she shouted, her hands falling against his chest "that isn't your job...that's my job..."

The tears began streaming down her cheeks. "It's my job..to keep you and everyone safe.... Recklessness is a heroes job...I -what would-" her voice struggled to finish her words. Choked cries was all she could muster. Aymeric went to hold her but she staggered back falling to her knees.

Mizuki hunched over into the snow sobbing loudly "I left you alone..I didn't know if you were safe or if I would ever see you again." she sobbed "I can't lose you...you're my everything.."

Aymeric sat down in front of her and pulled her into his arms. It took her a moment before she relinquished herself to his embrace "I'm sorry for being so selfish!" she cried "I love you so much."

Aymeric nuzzled her hair softly "My heart aches every time I see you leave. That I couldn't stand by your side in the final battle- I knew you would triumph but to sent you off like that, I hated it.." he squeezed her tightly "what a couple of worrywarts we are.." he smiled as he felt Mizuki chuckle against him. "Would that you have some free time so you could come home?" he asked hopefully.

He was setting himself up for the answer: no

"Actually..I have one trip to make to Radz-at-Han...and I should be able to come home."

Aymeric's heart skipped a beat and a bright smile washed over his face "wonderful!" he kissed her horn tenderly making her shiver "I will make sure your favourite cardigan is washed and ready for you."

Mizuki wiped her eyes "Sorry..I didn't mean to be so angry-" Aymeric dipped to kiss her tear-stained cheeks.

"Emotions are normal..before you wouldn't have told me anything." he smiled. They shared a passionate kiss before they finally made their way back to the camp, hand in hand.

-

Silly rambles. Pretend Aymeric is present. Still salty about the lack of Aymeric (ಥ﹏ಥ)

[voidsentprinces]

I read a translation and was like, Warrior of Light is both a terror and a savior. And Emet-Selch got to them in action in full form as Azem. While he continues to work for his great plan, he recalls back to times he witnessed Azem go full out. Striking awe, terror, and admiration in his heart just as if someone had seen the sun up close. Burning, radiate, but if it was coming right at you, fucking horrifying. Now the sun has set and the work moves on, "Azem" is gone but we, the Source's Warrior of Light is still out there. We strike terror in the hearts of many, Thordan and Lolorito but are also awe inspiring to Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Estinien while being a beacon of hope, bringing a new sun rise to lands we travel through. Our smartest enemies try and work around the Sun coming RIGHT at them by either trying to delay it or constructing a plan that demands we burn them away with it. Our dumbest enemies don't know what they've gotten themselves into, just like you probably wouldn't realize the Earth is flying towards the Sun until its suddenly REAAALY BIG in the sky, and those who fuck around, FIND OUT how big of a grave they dug themselves.

Gaius thinks we're just a stronger than usual adventurer, with Pandaemonium as context, Lahabrea first sends a powerful beast after us before understanding we are at the start of our journey and believes he can work around us and kill us (he does but Hydaelyn rezzes us and we become stronger and proceed to banish him for a time), Teledji is arrogant as well as blinded by greed and power that he is lucky that Raubahn bisected him, Lolorito understands the danger we pose and is smart enough to work with us and around us,

Thordan actively sends us off to distract us with various chores before he makes his move and then spends the rest of the narrative actively fleeing from us until he has the power of what he believes is a God and then is indifferent only to be defeat by us and horrified by our power, Nidhogg believes he too is too powerful to contend with and so consumed by vengeance doesn't realize the danger of fighting with us after we've been empowered by Hraevelgr's eye, Ilberd actively works around us, planning fifty steps ahead to achieve victory through his own failure, even fighting us to buy enough time to kill enough souls to summon Shinryu.

Zenos is also a force of nature, a storm of blood who initially has the power to drown the sun but we eventually over power him, Asahi also has to put us in a diplomatic head lock and is REALLY lucky Yotsuyu turned him into a kebab.

Vauthry is like Teledji, blindied by his power and majesty to not see the power headed his way until he too is defeated. Emet-Selch knows how dangerous we can be and plans around it in a way. But even then he just accepts that this is the end, setting up a fail safe for Elidibus to pass on quietly too. Elidibus is focused on his mission and doesn't recognize us and is convinced he can become the "Sun" and goes against us over and over until he's sealed away.

Fandaniel also just plans around us, knowing we'll literally burn through all his plans. So he makes us burning through things PART of his plan. And delays us as long as possible before letting us kill Zodiark and unleash the Final Days. Meteion is also a force of nature of Absolute Despair. So fighting her alone is literally a battle between trascendent light of hope and bottomless darkness of despair. And at the end, Zenos's Nihilism vs our Hope leaves us on the verge of collapse but that was AFTER a long battle with Meteion.

So yeah, I like to imagine the song is about Emet-Selch reminscing about the terror and glory that followed in Azem's wake, the memories of their being and their eventually "setting" and how the world continues to move on or worships WoL in the same manner, "she would not go down tonight, and the world counts aloud to ten".

[genderdotcom]

ffxivwrite2024 day 5: stamp

lyse attempts to send a letter. (shb)

From: Lyse Hext, Primary Alliance Outpost, Ghimlyt Dark

To: Fickle Slash, The First (somewhere)

Dear Fickle,

How’s it going in the First? We’re doing kind of bad here

Hope you’re doing well! I know you said time is a bit messed up between there and here but you haven’t come by in a while and I’m getting worried

Are the Scions alright? 

Are you alright?

“And you’re sure that you can get this to her?” “Absolutely, kupo! Probably. Most likely!”

“Just asking, ‘cause if you could take letters across you could probably also take-”

“Don’t push your luck, kupo.” 

Really, it was lucky enough for her to find a moogle here amid the fighting. If the letter didn’t arrive, it wouldn’t be any more or less communication than they’ve had for the past two weeks.

“Do I need to put a stamp on it, or…”

“Have you never sent a letter before? Just the payment will do!” The irritated moogle waved his little nubby hand in a threatening manner.  “I don’t like being out here any more than you, kupo, so hurry up!”

“Sorry, sorry.” Lyse looked back down at her crumpled paper. Lines upon lines crossed out with nothing to show for it, messing up half the page. Time for a new start.

Dear Fickle,

ughhhhhh bluhhhhh worgle borgle shmoogle womp

maybe if I hadn’t quit the scions i could have been there with you

i hate deciding that ala mhigo is worth more but i have to make that choice

the other day raubahn tried to take a bite of his bracer and strap a piece of bread onto his hand and nobody has brought it up because everyone’s still too starstruck to make fun of him but it was really really funny

love you. miss you. hope you’re alright

-lyse

[last-flight-of-fancy]

so, lore-wise, interspecies children almost always take after their mother, like Pipin being Raubahn's son but having entirely Lalafellin traits, cases where any traits of the father's race slip through are exceedingly rare which is why Hilda out in ishgard is kind of an anomaly in that case, her mother was a hyur but she has elezen traits such as the ears from her father.

I take this to mean that either Mamool Ja can reproduce asexually, square changed their mind or forgot that bit of lore, or the Resilient Son has a Resilient Son of his own... or maybe there was a mamool ja woman I didn't notice. or maybe there's a very special queen sphene bot somewhere. it's either one of those or something else

OH PLEASE DONT TAKE MY WORD AS CANON!! THAT WAS ENTIRELY MY OWN HEADCANON AT WORK unlike kh i have not had multiple decades contact with this game in order to know all the Deep Lore jdksfjkfdskjsfd i'm just spitballing stuff and seeing what sticks for my own little WoL world

within my headcanon however yes! that is absolutely how i perceive these things! some species mix better (hyur and elezen for example mixing very well, with people like Hilda being more obvious in their heritage as a result) or worse (hrothgar and au ra very rarely get viable offspring, but it's not impossible, and the attributes of them can get pretty wild. opposite end of that, rogedayn and lallafells mix suprisingly well despite their obvious physical differences, but you'd never know it to look at the offspring, which take almost entirely after one parent aside from minor cosmetic factors like colouration)

(complete sidenote this is how i make my au ra boy having little sheepy ears hidden behind his horns work. there's a mi'quote somewhere in his family line and he's a little funky as a result)

i do like the idea of mamool ja having the ability to reproduce asexually tho tbh, and the more i think about it the more attached i become. it's probably something of a rarity, as it's better for the genetic diversity to have multiple parents, but having the backup option is a plus.

the extra layers of Pain that adds to gulool ja's Situation tho is. man. ;-;

[jakey-beefed-it]

Actual spoilers for Dawntrail so it goes under a cut despite mostly being a dumb joke

So I never played FF9 (the art style did not appeal to me) but I know enough about it through osmosis to recognize the kingdom of Alexandria, and the character who was royalty of it in that game was named 'Garnet'. So this is Queen Sphene (yes it rhymes), apparently. And she's got one of the worst cases of "I have no idea how old you're supposed to be but you look twelve, tops" anime faces I've seen in a long while, and all I could think was

Anyway I'm sure she'll be genuinely good and compassionate despite the horrible soul-burning magitech these guys seem to employ because this expansion has been rather timid about making anyone irredeemable but I'm with Alisaie on this one, the whole thing is suspicious as hell.

Somebody probably did a brain scan on Varian in the Vanguard dungeon, saw the twins and Ryne and Meteion (and hell, Raubahn and Nanamo as the parallel also stored in Varian's memories) and was like "here, send him a daughter figure to imprint on; it's worked before and he'll be signing adoption papers before the day's through" but I'm wise to 'em, I've got daughters, the position's been filled, move along, kid.

(we shall see if the game makes me eat those words or just sort of continues to be a bit bland this expansion and leaves me neutral, or if it surprises me and makes her some thousand year old soul-devouring monstrosity who needs to be put down)

[amoebaforce]

hi all c:

i follow a few Final Fantasy 14 tags and i've noticed that there seems to be a lack of fanfic/written art among all the beautiful visual content... so i suppose it's time to be the change, ya know?

in other words, i'm going to start taking FF14 writing requests!

characters i'll write for:

any of the Scions, past or present (Thancred, Urianger, Y'shtola, G'raha, Lyse, etc)

most Grand Company/city-state leaders (Ser Aymeric, Admiral Bloefhiswyn, Raubahn, etc)

Zenos

Zero

Emet-Selch/Hades, Hythlodaeus, and other Ancients

any of the side characters I'm familiar with! just ask and see, i've played this game so much that i probably know who you're talking about

things i'll write:

character x WoL reader OR character x character

headcanons, one-shots, blurbs... and anything else that piques my interest!

modern AUs (give me your WoL coffee shop scenarios people)

SFW or NSFW fics

spicy requests will be answered for ADULT CHARACTERS ONLY!

things i won't write:

extreme noncon and other kinks that make me uncomfy (just ask, i'm not a prude and the worst thing I'll do is say a polite 'no')

toxic relationships, actual abuse, stalking, anything like that

anything that promotes real-world hate or violence

my inbox is officially open! i look forward to hearing your requests and flexing my fanfic muscles on one of my favorite games!

[jazzpostsrandomthings]

Journey Retold: The First Dungeons and Trials

<< Previous Entry

Sorry for cutting the last entry a bit short, I ran out of time and space and then got busy with the next exam. But I have time now so let's pick up from where we left off!

After Pi took flight, the scene transitioned to a different airship flying through the air and landing in a fortress on a... space rock of some kindAt first I was very confused and thought for a second that it was the same ship my character had boarded… But it still was a nice transition.

From the airship came four figures dressed in metal garb, looking quite alien to the rest of the people we've seen so far. They also looked very "Star Wars" in addition to their own theme music, which is probably why I thought we were on a completely different planet now.

And who is that guy, Gaius van Baelsar? He sounds quite fami--

OH YOU--

I didn't check his voice immediately after hearing it for the first time (I did do it near the end of ARR), I had my doubts about it since I am known for confusing voice actors a lot, but man, I did manage to hear the guy's voice right and he still sounds incredible after so many years since Rockman X7 came out. But if someone didn't know, he is also the Japanese voice of Solid Snake and Big Boss. I am just more familiar with his role as Red.

Anyways, we have an evil Empire trying to conquer Eorzea and who are quite ruthless to others. Most definitely they are our antagonists, at least for this expansion. Note taken.

After that scene, Pi finally arrives to one of the city-states Admiral Merlwyb had sent him to, the liveliest and the largest settlement of The Black Shroud -- Gridania. It's the least confusing city to traverse through by far which is a plus, but I wasn't too interested in it because it was looking like a normal fantasy forest village, but I still don't think it's bad, don't get me wrong, I just think Limsa and the next city we'll visit after that were more memorable.

Here we meet up with the Elder Seedseer, the local governor of sorts -- Kan-E-Senna, who I, for a moment, thought was a weird kind of Au Ra lady because of the horns, but it's actually a really rare subrace of hyurs that only lives here which I found interesting. She signed some documents after reminising about the days prior ot Calamity and what happened after (mostly latter) and Pi moved on to the other city-state on the list, the richest city of Thanalan -- Ul'dah.

Now, I really liked the whole look of Ul'dah. Its West Asian aesthetic and the way it's structured like a big palace with rich-looking buildings and bazaars around it was just so memorable and unique to me, and I absolutely loved looking around Ul'dah for the first time… even though it was the worst city for me so far in terms of actually exploring it because of the amount of layers it had. I was getting lost even more than I did in Limsa...... ;w;

We go talk to the guy here who isn't the ruler of the city-state but instead is the leader of the local Grand Company called "Immortal Flames" -- Raubahn Aldynn. He didn't talk to me much because everything has already been explained to Pi by Kan-E, so he quickly signed the papers and let me go.

OK, what did I do next, I genuenly don't remember, let me look at the fold--

Oh. I went to unlock a few dances instead of MSQ. That's hilarious.

But after that, I unlocked the first dungeon! I made sure to tell my friends about it because they wanted to take me through it so I wouldn't be afraid to do the next ones. I had to wait for one of them to come back from a raid they happened to be doing at the time though.

It was... fun! Although the fact that my friend was a level 90 tank who knew how to pull enemies quickly made me sweat because I was falling behind and doing shit damage due to my equipment being very low-level in comparison. But I was told to ask others to slow down in the next dungeons if I happened to have troubles catching up. However, I wasn't afraid anymore. I wasn't playing as Tank or Healer so I didn't need to take note of everything at the same time, I just needed to maximize my damage output and stay alive -- simple enough.

Next day, I did a few sidequests before proceeding to the next dungeon, this time in The Black Shroud... and I actually couldn't find the entrance to it for a while because I somehow missed the fact it was under the ground.

I also asked my friend how to do a character portrait (and by extension the Adventure Plate) and it took me nearly an hour to make, if not more, but this was the result:

The variation of this portrait is still on my Adventure Plate to this day actually. I think it just shows the character of Pi quite nicely (at least when he isn't out exploring the world).

After I came back from university (and I remember that because I actually wrote to my friend about finishing the portrait as I was going outside to catch a bus), I actually went to the second dungeon. And then to the third one. None of them gave me troubles fortunately.

At this point, according to the screenshots at least, I seemed to have drifted off into Arcanist questline for some reason. Either because I wanted to unlock Scholar and Summoner (and hitting a brick wall because of Sylth-management quest) or because its story was just more interesting than MSQ itself to me at the moment, or maybe even both. So yeah, I ended up picking the MSQ back only a few days after, on September 7th.

And also have a funny excerpt from a conversation we had in Discord before that point:

Me: Probably we won't be able to play together until Saturday, my University classes are held until 8PM for four days straight. The player of the self-proclaimed Emo Catboy: Das fine... miss 20 hours in THREE DAYS.

Me: You two are so fun to play with though... but do you have a problem with my progress?

The player of the self-proclaimed Emo Catboy: YOU ARE ALREADY LIKE A SIXTH OF THE WAY THROUGH THE FREE TRIAL. At the pace you are going, you'll outrun me when we hit StormBlood. Me: :D Skill issue.

(You are allowed to give me shit for this, Emo Catboy :) )

But I did have a problem of playing too much Final Fantasy XIV in a span of three days at that time, I won't deny that. I too had (and still have) a bit of a skill issue in this regard if you can say so.

OK, let's continue. So, some thugs attacked a defenseless woman because they thought she was stealing food, my little baby defeated them, and then Y'shtola showed up again and told Pi that it must be fate that they have been bumping into each other so often and that he does actually have a gift that her good friend also has. This gift is called "Echo" and it's the reason why we can look into other people's memories, along with a few other powers we will learn of later. The miqo'te woman also invited us to visit her organisation's headquarters in Waking Sands at the Vesper Bay. But before I actually visited the Scions of the Seventh Dawn (that's what the group was called), I made sure to unlock Glamour, which also allowed me to obtain a beret, which I dyed blue and proudly put on Pi's head. Now he could finally have his most recognizable design feature and stop wearing ugly wizard hats and mismatched robes. After that, his appearance remained largely unchanged until the start of the next expansion.

But let's go back to the story.

This is the receptionist at the Waking Sands. And I think I was more buffled with her unironically singing "Trololo" than her standing on a chair because she was too short to reach the table. But yeah, her name is Tataru. She lets my lalafell boy in after finding his name on the list and here we are finally introduced to the full cast of main protagonists.

(Sorry I actually never made a screenshot with them all in one frame...)

Their leader, a young woman by the name of Minfilia (voiced by Milla Maxwell of all people lmao) who also had Echo, told us that they have been working on protecting the peace on Eorzea after the Seventh Umbral Calamity (hence "Scions of the Seventh Dawn") and how they are searching for people that too have the gift of Echo because it helps with resisting the tempering of the primals, gods summoned by the beast tribes, which can brainwash people without such gift into serving them for the rest of their lives so there could be even more bloodshed. Minfilia politely asks if the lalafell boy of mine even wants to join the team, but of course he wants to save the world and be as cool as them so he answers with a nod. Now Pi too is a scion!

At this point, I had already formed a group of friends to get to the first trial as quickly as possible. And then something absolutely hilarious happened, which I unfortunately did not capture in a screenshot. So I was in a cutscene and all, and when I finished it, I saw a giant fucking level 50 lizard thing that my friends were fighting. I panicked, tried to run away while I heard one of my friends scream, and then this thing killed me in one hit, scoring me my first death in the game. Even though I was swearing and typing in caps in the part chat at that moment (couldn't use the mic), I was actually laughing my ass off. I don't think I could have had a moment like that in any single player game, or even if I was playing FFXIV alone because I think my friends accidentally got the monster too close to me, so it was another moment that made this game worth it for me.

But just a few cutscenes after that, Pi got taken into some cave with other people by the lizard beastfolk tribe, Amalj'aa, that wanted to summon their god -- Ifrit. This was the first trial, the first actual boss fight, and--

The player of the stern-looking Auri man: Jazz? Where are you? The player of the self-proclaimed Emo Catboy: ...Actually, yeah, where ARE you?

I opened the map, saw that the location was called "???" and that there was no way out of it, and then I was told that you can actually start duties through a menu -- no need to approach the entry points to dungeons or trials once you unlock them. That was a relief because I was afraid my party leader won't be able to register for this duty and I would have to do it with a bunch of randoms.

I am sorry, I didn't screenshot Ifrit either. But the cutscene that showed how summons happen, with the whole demon-ass flame monster emerging while this musical theme of approaching disaster played, it all was quite great! As for Ifrit himself, though... he didn't stay alive for long, all because of my friend's equipment again, I am pretty sure.

We stopped the primal, sending the lizard folk running, and, oh! Ifrit left a crystal behind! Great, now its ours and we are 2/6th of the way to... whatever would actually happen once we collect all 6 crystals.

Damn, I do write quite a lot here, don't I? And I didn't even mention all the things that happened along the way, I had to skip a few (such as Golden Saucer and Aesthetician guy) since the post was too big already and I was diverding attention from MSQ a bit too much. But I assure you, once we get over the middle part of ARR, my writing will end up being more focused on MSQ itself, just bear with me here :'D

[avirael]

FFxivWrite 2023

Day 27 - Sole

If A'viloh had know all the upsides and privileges that came with joining a Grand Company, he definitely would have filed his request with the Immortal Flames long ago.

For decency’s sake he had listened to all three of their offers but there had not been any discussion at all about which company to join on his part. The Maelstrom was in Limsa Lominsa after all and regarding the Adders A'viloh still wasn’t sure what to make of the reserved attitude of the Gridanians. So all that remained were the Immortal Flames.

Anyway if you asked him, everybody who had ever so much as glimpsed at Flame General Raubahn Aldynn, would need to be mad or blind to not instantly forget there ever were any other options than the Immortal Flames.

Well, as a matter of fact A'viloh knew Rael was neither mad nor blind - or he at least was pretty sure about that - but it had still required him a great deal of reasoning to keep the Viera from bailing on him and running straight to the Adders. But then again A'viloh shouldn’t have been surprised about that, because after all it was Rael we are talking about and often enough very little of what the Viera said or did made any sense to him.

In the end only the reason that it would be best to stay close to the Waking Sands, should the Scions suddenly need their help, and a lot of whining about Rael not leaving him alone had done the trick.

Right after they signed all the papers at the Hall of Flames a soldier approached them, "Excuse me? You’re the new recruits, right? Rael Hyskris and A'viloh Tia?"

Rael nodded. "Yes, that’s us."

"I am Flame Commander Swift. Pleased to meet you. May I have a moment of your time please?", the man introduced himself.

"Sure.", A'vi said and Rael nodded.

Swift handed them another stack of papers. "You will probably be very busy from now on so I think it’s best if I explain to you how to request your own chocobos."

"A chocobo?!", A'viloh asked excitedly.

"Yes, as members of the Immortals Flames you have the right to get your own chocobo.", the man explained. "And you should probably make use of this offer or your shoe soles will be worn down in no time from all the traveling you will be doing."

Then Swift proceeded to explain to them in detail what they needed to do to get their own chocobos and only a short while later they waited in front of the stables for the stablemaster to return with their birds.

"I can’t believe we‘re getting our own chocobos!", the Miqo'te exclaimed giddily.

Rael smirked: "You’re all excited like a little child."

"Of course!"!, A'viloh replied. "Aren’t you excited at all?"

They shrugged. "Maybe a little. I haven’t had a pet in a long time."

"I never had one…", A'viloh said and his ears dropped down for a moment.

"When I was… seven or eight I think.", Rael pondered. "...I found a red tabby cat just outside our village. It must have come from one of the Garlean outpost, who were meant to conquer the jungle. The poor thing was almost starved to death but also very shy and a little aggressive. It took me weeks until it let me touch it without biting and scratching me but after a while it followed me everywhere I went."

"Aww… I wish I could have seen that! I imagine that looked pretty cute. Broody little Rael and a tiny angry kitten…", A'viloh quipped.

"I’m not broody.", Rael retorted but smiled anyway.

Then a loud Kweh! sounded behind them. They turned around and saw the chocobo keeper return with two birds, a leash in each hand. One was a little bit bigger than the other but both had lovely yellow feathers and seemed excited to see their new owners.

The Lalafell handed the bigger bird to Rael and the smaller to A'viloh. Rael softly spoke to it and caressed it’s neck while A'viloh’s bird cackled happily and nudged the Miqo'te‘s face with it‘s beak.

A'viloh giggled and petted it’s head. "Hello you! Aren’t you a pretty one?"

The bird approvingly fluttered it’s wings and kwehed another time.

"What are you going to name it?", Rael asked.

"Mh…", A'vi thought for a moment. "What about yours?"

Rael tilted their head. "Do you think I could call it the same name as my cat?"

A'vi shrugged. "Why not?"

The Viera smiled and nodded before ruffling the slightly orange feathers on their chocobos head. "Rufus the Second, hm? How do you like that?"

"Sounds pretty Garlean...", the Miqo'te laughed.

Rael furrows their brow. "I was asking the bird not you. And I told you the cat was Garlean!"

"Alright, alright!"

"So what about your chocobo?", Rael asked.

A'viloh looked at the happy golden-yellow bird for a moment. Then he smiled.

"I think I’m going to call him Laqa."

[xiv-wolfram]

WolfBahn Ship Summary - Part 3

A Realm Reborn - Patches

Part 2 - A Realm Reborn I realized the comics are... a lot. So I decided to make a short summary of my Wolfram x Raubahn ship. As I started to write I realized it was also... a lot. So clearly WolfBahn is simply... a lot. Eh, this is still way less to read than the comics, enjoy.

After defeating Gaius van Baelsar and helping the Scions set up the Rising Stones, Wolf turned his focus to the conflict in Ul'dah. He often found himself worried about how Raubahn was handling everything given how awful his political opponents were. After a particularly upsetting Syndicate meeting about the Doman refugees, Wolfram decided to throw away professionalism and asked his former partner on a treasure hunt in the Cieldalaes in the hopes of lifting his spirits. The General was surprised by the invite almost as much as having someone express care for his emotional well-being. It was an increasingly rare occurrence to be treated as a person instead of a legend. 

Fighting together on Hullbreaker Isle without thought for alliances or politics Wolfram and Raubahn fell back into familiarity with ease. The thrill of adventure for its own sake was a treat for them both. Between battles they were able to talk openly and quickly felt themselves becoming confidants. The alliance continued after returning to the mainland - often discussing things that they probably shouldn't have like the Warrior of Light revealing everything the Scions were up to and the General discussing Ul’dahn political strategy. Wolf even tried to convince him to invade Gyr Abania, but was receptive to Raubahn’s concerns. Despite the disagreement, the gladiator enjoyed being around someone who reminded him of his younger self and helped re-ignite his passion to pursue his goal of freeing Ala Mhigo with more urgency. 

Their budding friendship wasn’t always easy. Wolf often had to keep his feelings in check, like the jealousy he felt when he learned Ilberd and Raubahn had grown up together but had never mentioned him and (after using his empathic abilities) that Raubahn still harbored complicated feelings about the Crystal Braves captain. He had to remind himself that his ex-partner’s past was none of his business. Nor was his present. Wolfram was lucky to be in his life at all.

The General was as unaware of Wolfram’s affection as much as his own growing romantic attachment. Intentionally unaware. Forgiveness was one thing but there was an amount of denial when it came to Raubahn acknowledging he cared deeply for someone who had lied to him. He paid little notice to just how often the Warrior of Light’s responsibilities seemed to take him to Thanalan over the other city-states. Still, Rau couldn’t deny the little spark of joy he felt on the occasions Wolf was in town - even if it was to simply share a meal while discussing their respective factions.

After The Ivy's betrayal was revealed, Wolfram stayed behind to talk with Raubahn, knowing he'd just lost one of his best friends and would be more upset than he appeared. The mage explained that he'd used his empathic echo on her before and while at the time he didn’t know why - she had been conflicted. Eline did truly care for Raubahn and the betrayal hadn't been personal. The General took comfort in knowing that their friendship at least had been real but asked in frustration if he was naive. If no one was who they claimed. This was hardly the first betrayal he’d faced. Wolfram felt horrible for being among that number and realized it was time to properly apologize for his own deception that had been a catalyst in the end of their relationship. Rau tried to stop him, stating that he meant in his career but the mage carried on. He assured Raubahn that he'd changed and could be trusted. Wolf promised Rau that he would never deceive him again. If he wanted - he had a friend in him. The gladiator was amused that Wolfram would question if they were friends. Raubahn laughed and gave the Warrior of Light a hug, pointing out that he'd trusted him enough to follow him into the countryside without armor. They were *officially* friends again!

That night, Raubahn thought about the fact that the Warrior of Light neglected his duties to comfort him and apologized for their past as well. Despite everything the Scions asked, Eorzea’s Champion had put the gladiator first. He thought back to their hug - how comfortable and… complete he’d felt in that moment. Raubahn finally acknowledged to himself that he still loved Wolfram. The General *of course* wouldn't tell him that. He was still struggling with his pride and assumed his affection was one-sided besides.

From then on they talked more frequently. Raubahn even made an excuse about joint training with the Crystal Braves in order to visit Wolf in Mor Dhona as he was recovering from fighting Nael van Darnus. The gladiator also aided in the fight with Bahamut since Midgarsormr had removed Wolfram's Blessing of Ligh. When they were in battle together they fell into sync perfectly. In those brief moments, they felt like true partners again.

ARR ends with the events of the Bloody Banquet. It was almost as traumatic for Wolfram as it was for Raubahn. He was stopped before he could heal the Sultana, bound, and drug to the banquet to be framed for her murder. All he could do was hope that everyone would trust him enough to not believe it... and then all hell broke loose. Wolf tried to get out of his bonds to help the General fight so he struggled until his wrists bled. Without the Blessing of Light he was helpless to do anything but watch as Raubahn was maimed. Wolfram cried out, begging Ilberd to spare his friend and promising that he would confess to any crime they wanted to pin on him, fully expecting to be executed. Fortunately, Raubahn came to his senses and freed him. He left on orders to help the Scions but promised he'd be back. Along the way, Wolf watched with horror as his newfound family forced him to continue on as they sacrificed themselves to aid in his escape.

Once Wolf reunited with Alphinaud he wanted to go back into the city to help whoever had been captured. He was in such an emotional state after everything that he would have likely died trying to fight all the Brass Blades himself. To stop him from returning to Ul’dah Pipin had to knock him out and throw him in the carriage. The mage woke up in Camp Dragonhead with aching wrists and the voidsent cruelly taunting him, quickly blaming himself for everything that had just happened. Wolfram vowed to kill Lolorito and Illberd at the first chance he had.