#is it time for Shadowbringers feelings? It is always time for Shadowbringers feelings

[fheythfully]

FFXIV Write 2023 - Day 7: Noisome

She wakes up to someone slapping her face.

“Wakes up” is too nice of a term. It's more like she comes to abruptly, unconscious one moment and suddenly awake the next. For a brief, sleep-addled second she thinks it's because of the slapping, but the touch of these hands is so faint that they don't register as more than a sting. Something in her stomach is rolling, a violent wave of sickness trying to tear her body in pieces and she lurches up and over the side of her bed as whatever it is makes its way out. 

Her throat is burning when she's done and she's left to stare at a mess of unrecognizable solids, all bathed in viscous, glowing white liquid.

“Well,” she rasps out. “There's definitely at least half an organ in there.” Groaning, she heaves her heavy, aching body back into the bed. The ceiling of her Pendants room blurs at the edges but she stares at it, stubborn, until it comes into better focus. Good enough, she decides and glances around for Ardbert.

He’s still staring at the Light-blighted mess that came out of her stomach with a look of immense disgust on his face. He turns to her when he senses her gaze, the disgust melting into a look of concern. “You’ll get lines if you keep frowning like that,” she mutters to him. Her attempt at lightening the mood falls flat when the twist of his mouth deepens, the now-familiar jut of his jawline appearing.

“You were screaming in your sleep,” he tells her. Satella takes a moment to absorb his words, but, well–

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise,” she says. “I’m fairly certain that whatever battle is taking place within me, I am currently losing.”

Ardbert’s face is ever so expressive, she thinks not for the first time. It’s like holding up a mirror to her emotions and seeing everything she feels but does not let herself show reflected back at her. She tracks the disbelief which appears first, then the anger, then the reluctant acceptance. 

Her gaze trails back up to the ceiling when he doesn’t respond. Several moments of silence pass slowly between them, full of words that both of them wish to say but, as has become the norm with them, do not always need to be voiced.

Satella holds up one arm above her, watching the way the Light from within makes her veins glitter like precious gemstones. “I hope I make a good monster,” she says, quieter now. “One who puts up a good fight before being inevitably cut down.”

“You can’t seriously be considering Emet-Selch’s offer!” Ardbert bursts out. She watches him pace the foot of the bed from the corners of her eyes, the ghostly strands of his hair fluttering with the movement. She doesn’t think this used to be the case when she first came to the First, but somewhere along the way her presence beside him has altered his state of being enough that he has once again begun interacting with the world.

“Those were some impressive slaps,” she replies instead. “I could actually feel them, not by much mind you, but enough that I knew you were touching me. Granted I would have preferred something less violent, but–”

“Amelia!” He yells out. The sound of her true name makes her flinch, and she drops her attempt at diversion. Her teeth had begun buzzing with levin-like sensations sometime during his pacing, and she consciously tries to relax the clench of her jaw.

It doesn’t help. The Light writhes within her like eager maggots come upon a fresh feast, and she watches the ceiling and thinks about her gemstone veins.

“Of course I am,” she admits at last. “How am I to face them all, when I feel as if I am moments away from turning? Am I meant to sacrifice their safety for a fool’s chance at being saved?” She sighs and brings up her hands to press into eye sockets. The world explodes in white lines. Even here, she cannot escape it.

“Let’s be real here, Ardbert,” she whispers after a terse moment. “It has always been me who does the saving. Who can be out there to save me?”

She doesn’t need to see to know that Ardbert is grinding his teeth. Ever so expressive, this ghostly hero of hers.

“You,” he grits out. “You will do the saving. When no one’s left out there who can help you, you will get up from your bloody knees and save yourself, you gods-damned woman. When have you ever been happy to leave your fate in the hands of others?”

It does sound nice, she admits. But the girl he speaks of is years behind them, still fighting somewhere in The Smoldering Wastes and screaming at the strangers wielding crystals, that they are responsible for their own lives, that she refuses to die for their cause. The girl that she is now has primordial Light seeping through her veins and bleeding into her heart, poisoning her body and soul both.

Amelia exhales. “Maybe it’s finally not enough,” she says. “Maybe this time, it’s finally how things end.”

[lavampira]

I saw you in a dream, then it came to an end I wonder if you’ll come and visit me again

[snow-system-wol]

Huevember 2023

Day 4 - #EDB200

[astrxealis]

sorry to ffxivlovepost always anyway Man the way the devs & game did so good in making an mc that is Basically a blank-slate for the players, and there's so many opportunities to make your oc However you like but. the game itself adds so much story and character to that blank-slate guy. amazing

[warlordfelwinter]

fiver, internally: *desperately trying to remember the last time he took a bath*

[oathofpromises]

Where I was raised, there was no street lights Just pitch black and passing headlights And where we met, there must have been dark signs Omens in your skies

Most days you reach for safety Remain calm, forget that you know me And when we met I could see dark signs Alarm bells in your eyes

And I miss the man I was the moment we left off (I might break and bend to my basic need to be loved and close to somebody) (I might break and bend to my basic need to be loved and close to somebody) And I hate who I have become (I might break and bend to my basic need to be loved and close to somebody) Every time I wake up (I might break and bend to my basic need to be loved and close to somebody)

[noxtivagus]

the whole world of ffxiv is very dear to me

[haunted-xander]

I think one of the (several) reason for why Shadowbringers is so good is because the narrative is more about the individual characters than it is the Greater Conflict.

Like, the Greater Conflict is definitely there, obviously, it's what keeps the story going, but the focus is always on the people, much more so than the other expacs. HW and STB also have some level of character focus ofc, but it's very selective and even then the focus is based on them in the specific context of the current conflict.

But in SHB, the story bends around the characters' narratives, rather than the other way around. The story forms to put them in situations that challenges their flaws and limitations, by forcing them to confront it and actually deal with it. Even just at the very beginning, you see the twins being dealt a terrible hand that very neatly clashes against their faults.

Alisaie is confronted with a situation that she can and could never do anything about. She has no means to help the patients (at the time at least). The only way for her to help them is by eradicating the source of the affliction itself: the Light. But the Light isn't just some Big Bad she can kill and be done with. Even when all the lightwardens are down the Light is still there, it's just more manageable. Alisaie learns to not only see the bigger picture, but to care for it for her own reasons. For all that she has participated in Big Operations, it has always been because that's what others were doing, what others cared for to be done. She feels for the people of Doma and Ala Mhigo, but she didn't set out to liberate their homelands because she has any personal investment in it. But other people do, and she cares about what other people- be they strangers or friends- care about.

Caring about other peoples feelings and opinions isn't a flaw by itself of course, but doing things without any sense of personal purpose, is. This is what SHB helps her fix and confront, because it is personal now, she does it because she cares.

Alphinaud is forced into a situation where diplomacy and negotiations does and would never work. He can't talk himself into Eulemore, and he sure as hell can't convince Vauthry or the free citizens to let go of their life of ignorant luxury. The problem here also isn't as straightforward as a corrupt ruler, because even after Vauthry is revealed for the bastard he is, it takes considerable effort and convincing to get them to get off their asses and get to work. It's one thing to change the minds of people who wanted the same outcome just in a different way (like Ishgard- they rejected unity with the dragons, but they still wanted an end to the war), but it's another thing entirely to convince people that another way of life is even worth it.

And this is what SHB teaches Alphinaud, that words and deeds can achieve much, but that there is much more to diplomacy than appealing to their wants and/or sensibilities to convince them of an alternative outcome. His development may not be as immediately noticable as some of the others (largely bc he had a lot of it already from HW), but it is still very much there.

Urianger's development had already been build up and sort-of started already, but we don't really get to see it until it near explodes in his face after we kill Vauthry. Even after he swore off secrecy, he's forced to confront his morals when the Exarch bids his assistance. Urianger has always been looking at the greater picture, to the point he'd almost lose himself in it if it wasn't for the overwhelming guilt he feels. He works with the Exarch, because he knows he's the only one capable of it, and he hates the very fact that he is. When the climax of the plan is about to be executed, he is pained to the point that even he can't mask it anymore. He has betrayed their trust once more and once more it will result in the death of a friend.

But it doesn't, and that's what's needed for him to confront himself. As terrible and unexpected as the circumstances around it was, it did show him that there are other ways. There is no one way to solve a problem, the first choice doesn't need to be the only one. And he would find those other ones of he had just talked to the others.

The pay-off doesn't quite come until EW, where we see him actively make the choice to go against his first instinct of acquiesing to the Loporrits' plans, and instead chooses to consult us, but that scene wouldn't have made sense or even happened had it not been for his development in SHB.

Now, Y'shtola is a bit of an odd one because while she does get her due focus, she doesn't quite get the same amount of development as the others. Rather, it shows how she thrives when not held back by others interests and (often somewhat needless) bounderies. Her intelligence and charisma have the chance to shine, her independence and confidence now rewarded rather than punished. In ARR, she is constantly annoyed by the Maelstroms way of dealing with things, and how no one bothers to actually listen to her. Her advice and reprimands are almost entirely ignored until the problem blows up in their faces and they have no choice but to concede that she was right.

Being independent and confident aren't flaws by themselves, but her sometimes aggressive approaches to telling others off does her few favors. In SHB, she has the Night's Blessed who actually heed her word and respect her, they listen to her and actually take what she says- be it advise or reprimand- to heart.

She does also, however, have to deal with Thancred who, much like the Maelstrom, ignores her reprimands and doesn't listen to her. The difference here is that her bluntness actually serves a purpose. In ARR, her bluntness lacks tact and meaning, simply a result of frustration. The Maelstrom won't listen to someone who doesn't come up with fleshed-out arguments and solutions, but Y'shtola doesn't bother giving them any until she knows they'll listen. But with Thancred, she does give him the solution. It's just that the solution is him. His words, to be precise, and his acceptance. And he needs to be reminded of that, and she does. It doesn't automatically solve anything, but that's simply how it is with complicated situations like that.

Speaking of Thancred, his narrative is probably the most important of all for SHB. He's always been shown as a capable, but ultimately self-destructive man who genuinely does not know how to deal with himself in a healthy manner. Theoretically speaking he knows, he recognizes that he is self-destructive, but he still has no idea how to actually fix it. It's been shown as early as ARR when it results in him getting possessed, but it's not really made a point of until it almost ruins his relationship with Ryne. Up until now he could just ignore his problems, but with Ryne he can't because now The Problem(s) aren't just his anymore. Anything that would hurt him now would also hurt her, meaning that if he wants to continue doing the one thing he actually cares about (protecting his loved ones) then he needs to get his shit together.

But Thancred doesn't know how to. And for all that his friends try and try to help him, he doesn't know how to. He's paralyzed. Thancred is so deep into his self-destructive habits that it takes the threat of both his and the person(s) he loves the most in the worlds deaths to get him into action. He doesn't know if it's Minfilia or Ryne who will return, and I'm not sure he expected to survive Ran'jit. He only has this chance, and if he wants to die without (as many) regrets he has to do something now.

And he does. He does and what it is he does is tell Ryne that whatever happens, it has to be her own choice. That he will accept any outcome, that he will still care about her no matter what, that as long as she lives or dies as she wants to, that he still loves her. He still loves her. And it works, because that's what he's needed to do all this time, to be able to just tell her that she matters. That he cares.

He tells her to live her own life, and he learns to live his own too.

[warriorofyapping]

Talking to everyone during the Shadowbringers quest killed me so I must talk about it

Alisaie

Seeing the way Alisaie has come to depend on the Warrior of Light compared to how she was in the beginning genuinely makes me so emotional. She was so closed off, so cold, but as time passed, she began to open up more to them, to rely on them and hope for them to rely on her as well. Over their time together, they have formed such a strong bond, she depends on the WoL and wants nothing more than to be there for them, to save them, to stay with them. Whether you view their bond as parent & child or siblings, there is no doubt that they have formed a strong familial bond over their time together.

Alphinaud

This fucking kid...oh my god, man. I've talked about it before, his character development and such, but I love how often we get to see evidence of it through the story. His admiration for the WoL, the way he looks up to them for being able to do what he had tried to do, is sweet in a way. He trusts them so much, he's so confident in their abilities, he believes without a doubt that they can achieve the goals he had wanted to do himself, and he wants to experience it all at their side. He wants to stay with them, to travel with them, to watch them change the world for the better and reach even greater heights. Just like I said with his sister, whether you view their bond as parent & child or siblings, there is no doubt that they have formed a strong familial bond over their time together. It's nice to see how close they've gotten, how much he admires them.

Urianger

God, Urianger. It makes sense for the first thing for him to bring up being how they need to defeat Emet-Selch, that's just the kind of person he is. He then brings up the Exarch, G'raha, and speaks of how, even though he asked him to make the auracite, he had planned to make it no matter what, and that's telling in and of itself. Because of course he believe the Warrior of Light will win, he always has, he always will. He doesn't even have to second guess anything because he knows in his heart that they will succeed. They're strong enough, they will not fall, and he wants to experience their success at their side. No matter how many times he "messes up", he only wants to be able to stay by their side. He uses the fact that he wants to attain the Exarch's goal of the WoL achieving happiness as an excuse, but they both know he doesn't need an excuse. No matter what, the WoL always welcomes him by their side, and he is ever grateful for this, and I think that's fucking beautiful. (I genuinely think he's kinda in love with the WoL but that's not what this is about)

Y'shtola

Oh Y'shtola, how I love you. Maybe I'm just oblivious to it, but it never really seems like she's as open with her feelings and such as Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Urianger can be. She's not as bad as Thancred can be, but she still doesn't really open up despite the opportunities being there, so this felt like such a big thing to me. She admits to the WoL that they helped her stay true to herself despite all that has happened. She wants to help them do the same, to help them stay true to themself, to not allow anyone to skew them from their path, not even their fellow Scions. It's sweet, in a way, and it makes me happy to see. She doesn't want to influence their decision making, so she simply tells them to stay true to their heart, and then she just walks away. Sweet and funny, maybe.

Thancred

God I love this fucking dork and his jokes. It's only one, but it's so....him. And then, in a turn of events, he takes the initiative to be vulnerable with the WoL, to be "sentimental" as he puts it, something he almost never does. He always tries to be the cheerful one and when he doesn't have the energy for it, he's 'stoic' and quiet, so him taking the initiative like this is a big deal for him. Of course, he's still Thancred and so expressing his thanks for everything the WoL has done for him is hard, but that doesn't mean he doesn't still voice how grateful he is, even if it isn't in a lot of words. Instead, he promises to show his thanks by staying by their side, guarding their back and going with them wherever they go, protecting him as well as he possibly can. He's always been big on protecting the people around him, but he wants to do more for the WoL, to be right there by their side, and it's such a nice thing to see compared to how he would be in the past.

I'm reblogging for Ryne's portion of this post.

[lookbluesoup]

Thinking about G'raha and Emet at the climax of Shadowbringers, mmm there’s too many words, let’s see...

Emet freaks out the way he does and reverts back into mask-up genocidal self-righteous rage-monster mode because he thinks you’re going to die. Become a sin eater consumed by Light. You were his friend in the world unsundered, even though you don’t remember him now, and your soul is just going to be obliterated, there will be no saving it. He accepts this as inevitable, he’s too hurt to hope for anything else. You’re already gone in his mind. He’s going to do what he has to do, to end this broken world and save the rest of his people, even though it means losing you. The angst of that gets me every time.

And then there’s G'raha. Who was also your friend in disguise, working alongside you to save the world. Just like Emet, G'raha's a dear companion from another life who’s true face you weren’t able to see, who’s name they would not tell you, but who loves you still and hopes you might save the world.

The moment Emet-Selch gives in to grief and decides you can’t be saved is the same moment Graha commits to sacrificing himself to save you.

Emet prevents G'raha from doing that. And takes him captive. And the days that follow where the rest of your friends are desperately trying to preserve your life, G'raha does not know if you are ok.

But he does not give up.

He knows you are doomed, just as much as Emet does. But unlike Emet, Graha does not give up.

He fights for you, for the world, for a future, against Emet in the Tempest with no certainty that you are even still alive, and no reason to believe anyone will rescue him, and no second chance for any of it if you are gone.

But you come for him. You come for him bleeding Light and barely able to stand but you also did not give up. Both of you are defiant in the face of Emet’s despair. Graha is bloody and beaten from days of abuse, far from his tower, and still finds it in himself to summon aid for you when you make your final stand against Emet for the fate of a dying world.

And ultimately you triumph over the Light, you defeat Emet, you give hope back to the entire broken world and most importantly... you are not going to die. And neither is Graha.

And I just... cannot imagine how hard that realization is going to hit G'raha. After days in basically hell, not knowing, not giving in, you showed up like the hero he always believed you to be but even more, and you brought him home again, and you’re alive.

When the adrenaline and exhaustion fades... It must hit hard enough to be its own wound. He must break down sobbing. You cannot feel so much relief and stay on your feet. All that he hoped against hope for came to pass, and he loves you and you’re still alive.

[headcanons-n-shit]

Hello

Your newest post reminded me i had an idea. The bois comforting wol who is having a nervous brakedown from all the stress. Bonus Ardbert.

I really like your stories. Especially the angsty ones.

(TAZ The Breakdown plays in the background)

(Mild shadowbringers spoilers)

Thancred literally (accidentally but still) disassociated so hard from the stress that he gave up his body to the bad guy for a bit. If anyone gets what youre going through, its probably going to be him. Hes not going to waste his time on empty platitudes: hes going to get you a glass of water, a warm blanket, and a hot meal, and let you cry it out on his shoulder for as long as you need to.

(And if that still doesnt help, well. Sex is still on the table. Its rarely a good idea, but hes all out of those.)

Urianger is probably breaking down with you lets be real. Every future my mans has ever read has included world-ending catastrophe, and, sure, youve thwarted it every time (usually with his help) but. What if this time you dont? What if this time you fail???? Its an unreasonable amount of stress for one man to be carrying. He probably does a fantastic amount of fantasy weed to cope and still all it takes is seeing you break down for him to also start blubber-crying.

Graha seems kind of detached and distant at first. "Shower water food" he commands you, in the voice of Lynas grandfather the Crystal Exarch, firm and uncompromising and impossible to disobey, and you might miss the way his voice and smile are strained. The way his hands clench and unclench at his sides. Hes never regretted turning back time to help you save two worlds, but. Its times like this that he wonders if he shouldnt try again to give you a happier ending.

Estinien is a firm hand on your shoulder, a steady shoulder to lean on, because he gets it. The feeling of being trapped in your own body, puppetted by powers so much greater than you can imagine, almost greater than you can comprehend... Youre breaking down for the both of you, honestly, because hes spent so long training the iron discipline to resist nidhoggs influence that he doesnt know how to anymore. This is. Cathartic. For the both of you tbh.

Aymeric wishes in this moment, more than anything, that he could just. Just be with you. Out on your journeys, giving you support by your side instead of from a distance. And he knows, he knows, that the support he gives you is important, that his ability to move nations in your favor has helped far more than any single sword at your side ever would. But he bears the weight of a nation while you bear the weight of a star, and that just. Doesnt seem fair to him.

Haurchefant knows that theres some things that hot chocolate cant fix but. Its a good starting place if nothing else. Something warm and sweet right now couldnt hurt, neither would a soft blanket and a roaring fire. He'll sit with you, bundled up together, and just listen if thats what you need. Or he can talk-- he has plenty of embarrassing stories about Artoirel that he hasnt shared yet. Either way, he'll happily help you wipe your tears away when youre done, and then drop a delicate kiss on your forehead.

Stand tall, he says. A smile better suits a hero.

Sidurgu is surprisingly good at this. Or, maybe not so surprising? Rielle is very mature for her age, but shes still a child. He probably does this whole song and dance every other week. And you feel a little bit like a child, the way he bullies you into the shower and then bundles you up in blankets and pushes food at you, but. Beneath the gruff words and scowl you can tell hes worried. Frustrated. This is exactly the kind of injustice that as a dark knight he swore he would fight, but hes just one man, there isnt much he can do about the desolation of the star. But he also needs you to know that he'll always be in your corner. Whether in this little way or if you need him to help you kill a god, he'll always come when you call.

BONUS

Ardbert has never felt so helpless in his life. He cant touch you, cant be a shoulder you can cry on. He cant even fetch you a glass of water. All he can do is stand there and watch as you break apart in your bed in the Pendants, and its. Its torture, worse than anything any ascian could ever conceive.

Still. He does what he can. And if all he can do is sit at your bedside, his hand hovering half-through yours in a mockery of touch while he tells you stories of his adventures, or friendship and triumph and happier times, well. Its the least he can do.

[terramythos]

Anyway here's my breakdown of the ffxiv jobs, my opinions on playing each, and the tier rank of how good their story was

TANKS

WARRIOR - warrior is so fucking funny why did they make it able to solo heal itself and the entire party in 90% of the content in the game. Raw Intuition/Bloodwhetting is so broken in dungeons its hilarious. And then they have like 3 additional healing skills on top of that. And they kept buffing it throughout Endwalker. So it is currently the easiest to play, does the most damage (i think...?), and has the best healing of any of the Tank jobs. 2nd fave probably.

Story Tier: C, it's ok, Curious Gorge is a good name. i have like nothing to say about it it's a generic AF story

PALADIN - I used to hate PLD but I think the partial rework they got halfway through Endwalker helped it a lot. It's much less clunky now. Probably still my least favorite Tank though Hallowed Ground is fun and it's pretty close to Gunbreaker for me.

Story Tier: F, this is the worst class storyline in the entire game. It's so stupid. The writing is so bad the writers acknowledge it makes no sense at all and I'm like. Yeah, thanks, I am experiencing this shit. Perhaps write a story that makes sense next time instead of pointing that out.

DARK KNIGHT - Unfortunately this is my favorite Tank 🫡 which is rough since it has the worst survivability out of any of them. But I love how you use MP and the silly number of OGCDs. The Blackest Night is such a fun ability and it's a crime that it's not a baseline skill you get from the start. Why do they have so many DRs that only cover magic damage. I must ask.

Story Tier: S, there's a reason it's the most popular and well regarded class storyline. It's really good, also the only questline I know of that uses the quest log text as part of the narrative. Outside maybe a few of the very late Endwalker quests. And, well... same writer lmao

GUNBREAKER: I think GNB looks cool as fuck and I like that it has 2 DPS rotations. The Gnashing Fang combo is so fun. Superbolide memes are always fun. My main issue with it is a skill issue because I am just constantly misaligning its burst windows.

Story Tier: C. It has some interesting lore but I found it pretty forgettable as a story.

HEALERS

WHITE MAGE: I hated White Mage for a while but something clicked and now I totally get it. I find it fun in dungeons cause you get to Holy spam and stun lock everything. As uh. The healer. That's fun. Once you get Afflatus heals (and then Afflatus Misery) it clicks. It's fun maximizing damage and playing chicken with the tank's HP.

Story Tier: B, you get a lot of lore around the Padjal, and I think the Stormblood story where you find a padjal living in hiding with her mother is pretty good! Also it's not technically the job storyline but there's a WHM side quest to get a unicorn mount? i guess it's technically a CNJ quest but same diff. no one else gets that shit. so that's cool

SCHOLAR: probably my least favorite of the healers... it just feels super clunky. You can tell a bunch of different design philosophies went into it over the years and none of them mesh very well. They've made it so the Fairy Gauge controls literally one spell. Why have the gauge at all? It's also a huge missed opportunity that there's no tie in or interaction with the fae in Shadowbringers. I love the idea of a battle tactician healer but I think it needs a rework.

Story Tier: B+, I liked the characters and its the main way to get backstory and lore on what happened with Nym.

ASTROLOGIAN: While I think AST has a similar issue to SCH (lots of different design philosophies over the years) I find it way more fun to play. I like the card mechanic and how it interacts with the rest of the party. AST is basically the only job that has its own like. Minigame? As part of its rotation. And I know a lot of people don't like the RNG for it but personally I find it fun. I know AST is getting a redesign in Dawntrail so hope it's good.

Story Tier: C? I think? I'll be honest I don't remember it super well but I didn't find anything objectionable about it. And I like the tarot aesthetic and lore and how it's healing based on manipulating luck.

SAGE: I think SGE is tons of fun, I'm not sure if I like it or WHM more. I love all the skills SGE has for preventing damage and the gimmick where your DPS heals someone in the party. Visually the hi-tech laser shooting healer is a lot of fun. IT HAS A GAP CLOSER. The only thing i wish was it wasn't so MP negative and that it did more damage. It's a little sad its DPS output is so low compared to the other healers (even AST when you factor in how it buffs the party). Since SGE is supposed to be a healer that heals through damage it's silly its damage kinda sucks.

Story Tier: A, I loved this storyline. Both the Endwalker job stories are very self contained and interesting. While the twist is pretty obvious it's still an interesting exploration of uh. Scientific ethics. Yeah

PHYSICAL MELEE DPS

MONK: I've probably played MNK the least of the phys melee but I like the whole adaptable combo thing. Not much else to say since I have played it so little. Might bring it back out and try again. It DID have the funniest guide in the Balance discord for a while.

Story Tier: D. I think? I remember thinking it was dumb, lmao. Sorry.

DRAGOON: MAN I wished I liked DRG more. It looks so fucking cool and I like how it interacts with the dragon lore. But I find it very punishing to play. To do good damage you have to align so many different cooldowns... and snapshot your DOT correctly... and screwing one thing up just fucks your DPS output forever. Like AST I believe this is being reworked in Dawntrail so I hope it feels better to play.

Story Tier: C+. I think it starts strong since you get to meet Estinien pre-Heavensward and it melds nicely with that story. But I found it pretty directionless post-HW which is a shame.

NINJA: I remember finding this one fun. I like that there are different combos you do that have varied finishers depending on the situation. I am just... bad at remembering which combo to use to get which finisher, lol. So I haven't played it as much. NIN gets a lot of flavor other jobs don't get with their unique run and jump animations. And you get a Bunny of Shame on your head if you fuck up a combo, which is incredible.

Story Tier: A. The Rogue story is probably the most memorable of the basic class quests. Ninja just has great characters and a fun story. What is with that one guy. Karasu? If you know you know. I also like how the Rogue characters show up later in the Ninja story. That's fun.

SAMURAI: I had a similar experience to WHM here because I initially hated it then really came around once it clicked. SAM seems very complex, it has a ton of buttons and different combos. But it is actually quite intuitive once you figure out the general pattern. And it does INSANE damage. I think it's the highest DPS output in the game? I love building the combos and then doing a huge finisher for a bajillion damage. The guaranteed crits and constant OGCD weaves make me feel unstoppable. I think this is tied with RPR for me.

Story Tier: B+. I found the exiled samurai character and his journey toward redemption very compelling. I won't spoil beyond that. However it does fall apart a little in the second half. Still fun but not as good.

REAPER: I love RPR, the teleportation is a lot of fun, and I love finally unleashing the demon form and going ham on the enemy. The weapons are the coolest looking in the game. Every scythe design hits. I probably played this the most in Endwalker. My main critique is the Death's Design mechanic. I hate having to keep a stupid debuff on the target to do damage. It's like a dot but without the optimized snapshotting. If they want to keep this idea i think it would feel better to change it into something like SGE's Kardia where you apply it to one enemy to do increased damage to it without having to worry about reapplying it. not sure how they would balance this for aoe but that's not my job. But even with that caveat I still really enjoy the job.

Story Tier: A+. While it doesn't reach the highs of DRK's story it comes close. I love the badass old lady main character. Her hunting a voidsent that possessed her grandfather would be cool enough but making her a Garlean exile in hiding who grudgingly agrees to train you just adds an extra cool factor. I really enjoyed this story. As a bonus theres a lot of incidental dialogue in the post-6.0 Endwalker story if you completed the RPR story because it ties in a lot.

PHYSICAL RANGED DPS

BARD: It's a bit clunky, its got some outdated design elements, it has one of the lowest damage outputs in the game... and i LOVE IT. this was technically the first job I ever played? totally different character like 8 years ago. and i was so so bad. I think i am actually pretty good at current BRD. the animations look cool. i like that it's a class you really need to work for and optimize to eke out that last bit of damage. and boosting everyone else's damage by existing is kinda neat.

Story Tier: B. I'll be real I barely remember this but I do remember it was gay as fuck so immediately gets an extra tier for that.

MACHINIST: MCH is really funny right now because like. It's phys ranged, right. The design behind phys ranged is you have 100% uptime cause you can freely move around and not have to worry about cast timers or melee range or anything. So the trade off is that they do less damage than other classes. Endwalker MCH did not get the memo and does insane damage anyway. My controversial opinion is that it has similar burst DPS to RPR. No i will not elaborate. I'm also bad at doing good damage on MCH which is impressive since it is easy.

Story Tier: B+. Some Ishgard noble's gay son wants to build machines instead of killing dragons the good old fashioned way and has to prove himself to get taken seriously. A tale as old as time. See I haven't done this quest in like years but I still remember it. He is a memorable character. It's just not like. knockout wowza compared to the A tier stories.

DANCER: Dancer is the second easiest DPS job in the game behind SMN. So if i am sleepy it's the one I like playing. You play simon says. you do a lot of damage when you play simon says then do almost no fucking damage otherwise. I think it's the lowest direct damage in the game? for a dps i mean. You have high stakes sexual tension with a DPS of your choice via Dance Partner. I wish other DNC players knew how Dance Partner works. YOU CAN DANCE PARTNER ANOTHER DANCER. THE BUFF STACKS. BUT YOU CANNOT DANCE PARTNER THE SAME PLAYER AS ANOTHER DANCER. THOSE BUFFS DO NOT STACK. ok i'm good. anyway

Story Tier: C. there's some shit about negative emotions and purging them? in theory i think this has some interesting implications with Endwalker lore considering Dynamis and its role in the story. Very similar mechanically to what's going on with the DNC story. but i really don't think the writers made the connection so it's like pure speculation and not the actual story. It's meh. fine i guess. i did like all the flashy dancing sequences.

MAGICAL RANGED DPS

BLACK MAGE: I am so so so so so so so bad at BLM. i pull up the guide. i read the guide. it all makes perfect sense. i go into a dungeon or trial or something. somehow i always get like Zeromus or some shit. and i drop Enochian or something and everything goes to shit and i'm yelling and i'm not even like slide casting or teleporting or anything i just run around crying. then i remember i have like 10 more buttons i haven't been pressing and oh god the dot fell off. people play this? for fun? i admire it. apparently they do a ton of damage if you can play it. could not be me.

Story Tier: B? There's some voidsent and Thirteenth lore. all the black mage characters are Lalafell because it's funny i guess. OH YEAH it has like the one named male Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te NPC in the entire game and he's fun. look at this twink:

sorry i don't have anything to say about BLM i am bad at it

SUMMONER: easiest DPS job in the entire game. they redesigned it for Endwalker so it is practically a new job. i have no idea how it played before. but it is super streamlined. maybe too streamlined? it's another one to play if you want to turn your brain off. i like that at 90 you summon The Actual Primals instead of little representations of them. and i like the way your burst phase switches between Bahamut and Phoenix. it all looks very cool. they should add Leviathan as a summon in Dawntrail.

Story Tier: C.. i don't remember a single thing about this questline except you interact with Y'shtola's half sister. i think you go to Cartenau at some point. idk

RED MAGE: RDM is one of those jobs that looks really complicated when you start then you actually play it and it is just super super easy. that being said i think it's really fun. I like balancing the white and black magic gauges. Dualcast is a great gimmick and it feels cool to lob two big spells in a row at something. Dualcast Verraising a chain of dead players is so fucking funny. it's a shame that the existence of Verraise means RDM does shit damage to compensate for its utility. It and DNC just sit at the bottom with BRD barely scratching ahead of them. i think? i don't remember LOL

Story Tier: A, I really like the story and characters. I like that you have a middle-age world weary catboy (catman) as your mentor. and i like that he canonically trained Alisaie too and you chat a little about that. it's a fun story!

BLUE MAGE: what the fuck is a blue mage

Story Tier: ???

[yasuosexual]

hello! i may have been binging your posts they're so good-- i was wondering if you could write how the elezen men and thancred would react to finding out the wol is pregnant?

anon you have read my mind! 😳 this was next on my list to post!!! i had another request about naming the baby after them, so that is coming next!

warnings: pregnancy, established relationship, HW spoilers, SHWB spoilers (is that even the shadowbringers acronym…)

THANCRED:

- when you tell him, he is shocked at first— this definitely wasn’t planned. it doesn’t take him long to be overwhelmed with joy, though.

- brings you into a tight hug, but releases his grip as soon as he remembers that his child is inside of you. he doesn’t want to accidentally hurt either of his babies!

- “i’m going to be a dad!” sir you already are

- the first person he tells is ryne, who is elated to hear of the news. the rest of the scions are just as happy to hear that a new baby scion will be joining the league!

- the happiest of all, though, is thancred. he is over the moon with the idea that he will get to have a miniature version of himself. he kisses your tummy every single night and makes sure to talk to his baby. he loves to tell people that his child will be handsome like his father, but inside he hopes it looks just like you.

AYMERIC:

- with all that life has brought for aymeric, a bit of joy was in order. and he was filled to the brim with joy when you told him you were pregnant.

- you hadn’t seen his eyes shine with such intensity since the day you got married. his hands instantly wrapped around your sides as he looked you up and down. you noticed tears forming at the corners of his eyes which you promptly wiped.

- the two of you shared an emotional hug. both crying, for the same yet different reasons. you were both delighted with the thought of becoming parents, but aymeric had more on his mind than that.

- it didn’t matter that his child was yet to be born— aymeric made a promise to himself to always love his child for whoever they are and whoever they want to be. his child would forever be of house de borel. no shame, no guilt, no nothing, because his child is loved, and will forever be loved. and this day, aymeric swore to be the father he never had, and to protect his child no matter what comes his way.

HAURCHEFANT:

- he cried when you told him he was going to be a dad. salty tears of joy streamed down his face as he picked you up into his arms, very careful around your abdomen.

- haurchefant was overjoyed to become a father! he couldn’t wait to welcome the littlest knight of ishgard to his family.

- he didn’t take much time to relish in the thought— he ran right to house foretemps to tell his dad all about it. edmond, emmanellain, and artoriel were all excited to hear the news! emmanellain made sure to ask as many embarassing questions as possible, earning disdainful looks from his father and older brother.

- you didn’t mind the questions, though, and found it quite cute how the brothers fawned over you and their unborn nephew. despite haurchefant being his illegitimate son, edmond was happy to be given his first grandchild. and you were even more happy that your child would have the most loving family.

ESTINIEN:

- estinien is a bit puzzled at first… he coulda sworn that pull out game was strong …

- estinien is a bit puzzled at first… he is going to be a dad… he’s going to be a dad?!!

- after your words sink into his head, estinien cups your face with his hands. he’s smiling, like a complete idiot, and it’s a little scary! but you can feel the intense warmth radiating off of him.

- he pulls you into a hug and spins you around in the air. when he sets you down, he kneels to meet your abdomen. placing one of his hands on your hip and the other on your tummy, he rests his ear flat against you to listen.

- you can’t help but giggle at his gesture as it seems a bit goofy, but he’s actually obsessed with the fact that you’re going to have his child! he jokes that his child will become a great dragon-slaying warrior as he is, and you can’t help but smile and agree.

celly

aymeric’s story makes me so freaking emotional and i could write an entire book all about having a family with him like 😭 i relate to him in so many ways… comfort character moment

also i get that haurchefant’s isn’t exactly lore accurate… personally i’d like to think that if he didn’t die that the relationships between his dad and half-brothers was created/mended … one big happy family 🥺

[starlightinitiative]

The Starlight Initiative Presents: A Weekend of Gift Giving!

Hello there, and happy holidays to you and yours!

The Starlight Initiative is here, and we would like to invite you to join us in Mateus on the Crystal Data Center from December 8th thru the 10th! On that particular weekend from 6 PM - 11 PM Central time each night, you are invited to come over and ask us and our wonderful Little Helpers for something you'd like this Starlight Celebration! The main events will be taking place at the Starry Garden in Empyreum, Ward 9, Plot 42!

More information as well as a Discord link under the cut!

No worries if you can't make those specific times! Feel free to inform us of any time concerns you have, and we'll make a personal delivery at a time that is good for you!

If you would like to join our Discord for more information, or even to volunteer your own time and efforts, you can find the link here! Note that raffles for our high-value items (5 mil gil+ items) will be held here so that we can coordinate how best to get winners their prizes! Otherwise, we are willing to answer any and all questions you may have through the Ask system, in-game if you see us, or through Messages!

We have crafters, gatherers, people who are eager to run content, and more who have all generously donated their time for those that would like something they've been looking forward to this year. We also have a great many things stockpiled ready to distribute for those that are looking for such things.

This is our very first year holding such an event, and we're all very excited to fulfil just about any wishes that you might have! Due to this being our first year, we do have some requests for people to please bear in mind:

Keep your wishes limited to three per person if you could, please!

Make sure that what you're asking for is tradable or can be farmed! We do have people willing to help farm for some stuff up to a point. We're not confident enough this year to say we have dedicated raiders to help with Endwalker and most Shadowbringer farms, but we can certainly do our best to have a space where you can coordinate these efforts with the help of those that we have that are confident enough to do so!

Be sure not to ask for things that may cost more than 5 million gil -- much as we would love to gift you something that is that price and more, we don't want to stretch our funds immediately across everyone who has been willing to donate gil. Hopefully next year, we can truly be able to gift anything at any time!

We are always looking for volunteers or donors that are willing to contribute to the event in any capacity if you're feeling generous! ^_^

We look very forward to seeing you, and answering any questions or concerns!

-Admin Prim

[last-flight-of-fancy]

I would love to hear your trans alphinaud and lesbian alisaie headcanons or more about the subtext you see! Especially alisaie.

AHHH oh gosh i would love to answer!! Though I must admit that these are built from many (MANY) small moments across the whole game more than a few easily pointed at examples, which means its.. kind of difficult to pull up (and remember) all the evidence.

That being said, i do still have Many Thoughts about it :DDD

First off trans Alphinaud was set into my mind very early on by one simple fact: identical twins are almost always born the same sex. like almost invariably, with the very rare exceptions needing some wild extenuating circumstances. and you cannot tell me those two are fraternal.

now ofc this is fiction, and a fantasy world besides. who's to say the writers knew that particular fact? well good news! alphinaud presents a *lot* of other common trans experiances, which are scattered throughout the msq and optional side dialogue.

(shoutout to me for having the exact same thought four years apart before and after playing the game myself. i have absolutely no memory of the first post at all because i also have no memory of watching my partner play shadowbringers even though i definitely did. rare adhd memory loss win! i got to experiance my favourite thing for the first time twice!)

post 1: dated 2019, talking about how alphinaud is extremely trans coded, being an identical twin of a different gender to his twin, cannot swim, is body shy and *extremely* hesitant about using public showers, and having interests that are traditionally coded as feminine in fiction.

post 2: dated 2023, the same thing but this time talking about how wonderfully alphinaud and alisaie are made to complement each other in opposite ways.

he cant swim: related to the body-shyness and hesitance around the showers, its VERY common for trans people to experiance these things due to dysphoria and societal perceptions. i myself started experiancing this (even though i LOVE swimming) when pubescence started to hit. (it sucks!) alphinaud was probably one of those ones who realised VERY early what he was (logic boy who is too dang smart for his own good) so he just.. never learned to swim at all. kept his nose buried in books instead.

traditionally feminine interests/abilities: sure it could be trope subversion, but personally i think theyre also things he just enjoyed before transitioning and thus continued to do.

and one more that i can remember off the top of my head: alisaie's reaction to estinian mistaking her for alphinaud.

"but alphinaud has no problem with being mistaken for-" let me explain, i swear it makes sense.

see, alphinaud is a little logic boy at heart, we know this. he knows he and alisaie share their features, that is simply a fact. alisaie though? alisaie is ruled by feeling, and reacts accordinly. most notably the Incident when she first meets estinian.

what i find especially interesting about this is that prior to that moment with estinian, neither of them appear to have much issue with their similarities. it's only after shadowbringers that alisaie reacts with such contempt

(probably not helped by her not liking estinian much in general lol)

what this says to me is that some time before or during ShB, alphinaud told alisaie that the way people mistake him for her does bother him, but he can't blame them for the mistake considering the circumstances, so he just doesn't mention it.

alisaie however can and will blame them and thus the next time someone mixes them up (rip estinian) she EXPLODES. because it's not about her. if it was about her i honestly dont think she would care nearly as much. but it's about her brother, and how dare you hurt her brother's hidden feelings by not being able to tell them apart.

(completely seperate headcanon but i do think that estinian is faceblind as fuck, which means he never stood a chance on this one, poor guy)

okay now for lesbian alisaie <3

what WAS it that thancred said about battle scars and maidens? and whyfor are you thinking about this alisaie? :3

also: Tesleen.

also also: Emery (A Malm in her Shoes short story)

fr tho alisaie pays attention to and talks about girls a lot. in a way she never does about boys. bringing up my complementary opposites wrt the twins thought from before, it honestly could've been another way the writers COULD have done that, having alisaie attempting to impress boys with her athletic skills the same way alphinaud tried to impress girls with his artistic ones (something he is teased about repeatedly). like the absence of this potential parallel is almost suspicious tbh...

once again, any one of these things in isolation is probably simply a choice in writing, but all these things together spell out to me one thing: alisaie likes girls. exclusively.

(im sorry you wanted lesbian alisaie thoughts more and i have less of that than the trans alphinaud ones, but if you come back in 3-5 years when i've finished my second msq run i will have compiled a far more complete list of evidence for both complete with screenshots, probably lol)

[nihilnovisubsole]

i think i followed you Back In The Day, seven years and seven blogs ago, for something related to mass effect (zaeed? maybe? who could say) and it's wild to come back to this site years later and find you thriving, surviving, growing-- playing ffxiv! love that game. curious how you'll feel about some side characters in shadowbringers, but i won't spoil which ones.

i do have real questions, though; writing tools. not pens or software, but personal structure tools and/or guidance. what does a beat sheet look like, for you? do you have a favored way of outlining or note-taking on your own thoughts when putting a story together?

and... i'm really curious how you hold a big story together in your head while you work on it in pieces, especially for something like dangerous crowns. there's this larger story i've been chasing around for a while, and I can't quite wrap my head around how to write the political/espionage plot for it without feeling like i've actually written a children's pantomime. the best i've got so far is "research real life events and use those as my outline" but after a point it becomes hard to keep track of all the variables of who knows what about whom, who is planning x when y, etc, etc. the characters don't need to know all that-- and may never know some things-- but i feel like /I/ need to understand what's happening on the macro level so i can move the world around them appropriately.

short version: how do YOU wrap your head around writing complex plots?

hey, anon! i started endwalker this week after a long... uh... glamour detour, so don't worry about spoiling things. i spoil myself for a lot of stories on purpose anyway. let's just say i've been attached to one too many characters who got killed.

anyway. writing. i've always handled plots the same way: clear documentation. if i don't note it down, i'm not going to remember it. i've used the same table outline since around 2014. it varies in detail for different projects, but the core format stays. i know it's kicking around in my blog archive somewhere, but it's worth reposting once in a while because people like to ask about it. here's what it looks like, featuring plot points cribbed from an endeavour episode:

i used this format for an outline at work a while back, and the team found it easy to follow, which was a big day for my ego. keeping track of plot structure is even more chaotic at work because we have multiple writers who all need to stay on the same page. we have very meticulous notes on what the player should know at which point, when we're introducing new information, and what we know, but shouldn't tell. we're also not above leaving notes like "this character has to convey X," "this character has to learn Y here," or "this is a clue that they're planning Z." it can be super on-the-nose. all that matters is that it makes sense to you. because you're right - if you get too lost, you can write yourself into logic holes of tremendous proportions. ask me how i know!

[as a sidenote, researching real-life events as a starting point has really grown on me in the past few years. my lead on coh3 had me do it. he said we were dealing with real people's history, so we couldn't be cheap or play fastball - we had to be accurate to pay it respect. even if you're not writing historical fiction, it just gives you insight into how people behave.]

i would argue that the plot of dangerous crowns is actually not that complicated, maybe to its detriment. there's kind of a genre struggle going on. at voltage, we were taught romance fans came for the relationship beats and valued them above all else. in fact, leadership told us players got irritated - which meant less sales - when the plot was too complex and took time away from the making out. political thriller fans, by contrast, expect relentless twists, high stakes, and harsh consequences, and sometimes see the relationships as superfluous.

but whatever. the point is, when you look at dangerous crowns' structure, it's a pearl necklace: a chain of anchoring events. the "pearl" scenes are where Big Plot happens. they're the reason you want to write the story, and probably the ones you have the most vivid daydreams about. the scenes in between are the string. not flashy, but important because they connect the pearls. they build tension and add logic, cohesion, and context. take the opera and hector's failed assassination. those are pearl scenes. that's a burst of drama i really wanted the story to build up to. i also had other flashbulb visions. livia by the fountain questioning herself, marcus' macbeth moment, the temple riot, things like that. so the question was, how could i believably travel between these pearl scenes? how could i make these big showcase moments connect smoothly?

if you're having trouble holding the story together in your head, i would ask, "what are your pearls?" what are the anchor points? outline those. it might not look like a necklace yet, but you'll sort of see it taking shape. and then, once you can see where your heart's-desire milestones are, you'll have a clearer idea of what can't fire until you set it up first. two other neat things can happen here. you could find the rhythm of your pacing, or realize you have a lot more plot meat than you thought you did. even if you don't, you have some road. and if you can't think of the string, sometimes you just have to start writing the pearls and see what comes to you.

good luck!!