#;;about urianger: archon

[elizabethrobertajones]

If your WoL got an archon mark, where would it be but more importantly what was their thesis that earned it.

[scionshtola]

thinking about that shtola cul leve and i have always thought since she travels so much she has developed really good taste and isn’t picky but v appreciative of good food. so i think its extra satisfying to cori when they cook a meal that shtola really loves 😌

[minarcana]

i think my favourite thing about urianger in arr and early hvw is the writers have no goddamn idea what to do with him except for have him give u bad news so he regularly gets put in the "idk he is off screen" corner with tataru during major battle events and the like. and then later on he starts dropping random like "yeah btw i know spells from sharlayan archmages" "i can cast spell of kill u instantly if i feel like it tbh" "i can mask and glamour an entire goddamn building" which means in arr the scions rly did have a weirdly capable wizard standing around and he was just like "idk ill just go escort tataru to the city to hang out. have fun fighting bahamut or ultima or whatever. you want me to help? goodness no ive got books to translate."

[keicordelle]

I feel like Urianger is the kind of person who doesn't really think about food. Like, he gets so busy with his nose in his books that he'll look up at midnight and realize it's been a day and a half since last he ate something. Can't be bothered to cook for himself, so long as it's got easy to eat and doesn't have a despicable texture, he's content to stuff it in his mouth without really thinking beyond that. Archon bread, my beloved.

Thancred, though. I think he knows food. He can get by on rations and stale bread, because of course he can, but that's all the more reason why he Does Not Understand why Urianger wouldn't go out of his way to make actually good food for himself when he's got ample opportunity? Like, he's got a fully furnished (but probably poorly stocked) kitchen 20 yalms away and he can't even be bothered to make himself a sandwich. He just eats the bread and the meat separately and goes back to his books.

So when they're staying together, Thancred takes charge of the cooking. Urianger just finds when he looks up from his study that there's a plate of veggies laid next to him. The table is set with curry and rice, and the smell is enough to drag even him from his hyperfixation. He wakes to the smell of bacon and pancakes every morning.

And slowly, instead of being a boring necessity, food becomes something... more. A thing of love.

[anneapocalypse]

I have now found one place Urianger's family is mentioned, Encyclopedia Eorzea vol. 3, and only because the fandom wiki references it:

When he was young, Urianger's parents were deeply engrossed in their research into the occult, leaving Urianger often unattended. His neighbor, Bloewyda Uwilsyngwyn, couldn't bear the sight of the young child being alone, and so offered to raise him in his parents' stead. Urianger's parents thanked Boewyda profusely before leaving for parts unknown, and so it was that Urianger was welcomed into the family of Bloewyda, her husband Wilfsunn, and their daughter Moenbryda.

(Quote is from the wiki, not the book, and it might be a paraphrase, but that's what I've got at the moment.)

And Jesus Christ, this is just... heartbreaking to me. You would think that a pair of scholars would be thrilled to raise a kid like Urianger and share their knowledge with him and encourage him in his own education. The fact that vol. 1 references Moenbryda as helping him enter the Studium always needled me because like? Knowing who Urianger is today and extrapolating backwards, I would have needed exactly zero explanation for why and how he entered the Studium and became an archon. If there's any character who doesn't require an explanation for that, it's Urianger! "Scholar" is his entire character concept. You could tell us he was born an archon and we'd probably half believe it. So Moenbryda being mentioned in that way always seemed Significant, for that reason and for the unspoken question, Where were his parents in this? Did they not care about their kid's education? Like I was on the verge of concluding that his parents were gleaners or laborers or otherwise not scholars themselves, and that's why they were so absent from his life.

But nope. They were apparently just so wrapped up in their own research that they functionally abandoned him with the neighbors. "...before leaving for parts unknown." The fuck. I wonder if he even knows where they are, or if they're completely estranged at this point. I wonder if he's ever angry at them, or if he's just so deeply internalized the idea that there was always something legitimately more important than him and his happiness... which he has maybe carried into his adult worldview in a big way. I can't imagine this not having massive implications for why his self-image is... the way it is. Certainly he had love and care in his childhood thanks to Moenbryda's family, but still... you don't forget something like that.

[haunted-xander]

Finished the 6.55 MSQ so here's my (very positive) thoughts:

‌Love love LOVE Wuk Lamat she's so fun and her dynamic with Erenville is hilarious. Very excited to see more of her in Dawntrail.

‌Krile is already getting some nice scenes and I'm very happy she's finally gonna get the spotlight in dt. My girls been side-lined for 4 expacs it's about damn time she gets to shine.

‌The inventor of Pictomancy is literally Relm. Like they name drop her. Obv not the same Relm as in VI but still! Relm is real! And she was an Archon! tbh them naming an important character related to this type of magic after her isn't surprising- I just expected it to be something in the job quests rather than the MSQ.

‌Zero made super-spicy dishes popular in Thavnair lol. Wuk Lamat trying to toughen it out was hilarious. God I love her.

‌Wuk Lamat & Erenville being childhood friends was not something I expected! Very fun.

‌The catboy from the dawntrail promotional artwork is probably Wuk Lamat's brother, Koana(Was that his name? tbh I forgot. But she has a Miqo brother that's what's important). He looks smart, and it's possible he's gonna be another candidate claiming for the throne.

‌Based on the artwork, I had figured our main group was gonna be WoL, Krile, Thancred and Urianger, as they are the only Scions featured, but based on the quest it'll probably be Wol, Krile, Alphinaud and Alisaie. G'raha is allegedly staying behind, but since he's shown in Tural in the trailer I think he'll find an excuse to come along anyway lol.

‌Thancred and Urianger are going to be competing against us, which will be interesting. I think it'll be fun to see some of the Scions take on a more rival-y role, if only for a bit. It looks like they were petitioned by someone else participating in the Rite of Succession, so maybe they're working for Miqo boy? They're on his side of the artwork after all 🤔

‌(Also I think the writers know how popular those two have gotten together lol they're like making it a point to have them with each other at all times)

‌Estinien is going to Tural just for the hell of it which I think is hilariously in character. Literally going there at the same time as us purely by coincidence. He really can't escape us can he.

‌Y'shtola is neither seen nor heard of which tbh I think is fair given how much screentime and focus she got during the whole Zero arc. I do wonder why she's going to Tural tho, she's in the trailer too so I'm certain she will be there.

‌(Also, since G'raha, Estinien and Y'shtola aren't aligned with any particular side as of now, I think they'll be a neutral third party in the Succession rivalries going on. That, or they'll end up siding with the 3rd sibling that isn't the Obvious Villain (based on Wuk Lamat and Erenville's accounts) somehow. Will be fun to see in any case.)

‌The little memory dialogue from Emet was nice :) just a reminder of the adventures yet to be had. Also he's finally in the unending codex which I think is nice (ngl I kinda forgot about the codex until he got added to it)

ALSO I almost forgot to include it BUT we have a nice heart-to-heart scene with G'raha alone on a bridge and if the writers weren't COWARDS (and/or worried about romance ambiguity, at least for those relating to the WoL) he could've proposed to us then and there. You know he wants you. Do not hold him back writers let him do what he wants. (I'd have said yes ofc)

‌Backpack :)

[gunbun]

FFXIVWrite2024 Day 2: Horizon

Master Post (Note: direct sequel to "Steer" from yesterday)

"So I assembled all of you here today," Nero Scaeva said several sennights later, this time on a Firesday, "for two reasons. Number one: I've been given an opportunity to work on something that Cid Garlond will never touch and two: in order to ensure Cid Garlond never touches it, we must resume working as the Azem F-1 team."

The lanky Garlean man was speaking to an odd assembly of persons: Tiona Eryut, the Warrior of Light with her Archon tattoos on her forearms, placed there because unlike many, she built the aforementioned Azem F-1 aetheroceruleum engine as her thesis; Urianger Augurelt, who despite his penchant for speaking like he grew up in the theatre had turned out to be a remarkably capable magitek programmer; Jude and Everilda, years past the Final Days and now scientists well-held in their own regard; and finally, Thrustingway, the grey-furred loporrit with one eye who wore a tiny welding apron as if it were her suit of armour.

Tiona grinned. "I wasn't gonna agree if Nero disagreed. So we had to get things in motion first before spreading the word. It came from the Forum. They want a vessel that goes to the stars as easily as ferries leave Limsa Lominsa. The Ragnarök is quantum-entangled with the dynamis field, so she can't really be used much anymore. Plus she's heavy as hells with her gravimetric counter systems."

Thrustingway gave a noncommittal grunt, shaking her puff-ball tail. "Finally. Dear Hydaelyn always wondered when you'd get the hint."

"Hint about what?" Tiona and Nero said it at the exact same time.

"About the horizon. About how far it really is. How far you need to go to get there."

A thoughtful silence befell the group, and then suddenly:

"If we're not going to utilize have a gravimetric counter like we did on the Ragnarök," Everilda said carefully, "there's going to be considerations we need to make."

"Forsooth," said Urianger. "Mine eyes already blur thinking of the compensatory factors for matters of attitude adjustment--"

"When we take out a gravimetric counter then we lose a frame of reference for navigation," Jude sounded highly skeptical.

"And Nero and I are going to have to redesign the fuel injection system!"

Thrustingway fished a carrot out of her apron pocket and took a big bite, chewing loudly. Urianger shuddered. "These are all good questions, and problems you all gotta solve, but maybe start with how're you gonna take a shite up there."

"Another horizon to cross, I guess," Tiona said sheepishly.

[autumnslance]

The Unsundered and Tempering

There's apparently some kinda post going around ruffling jimmies about the Ascians versus the Ancients, with extreme assumptions about a society we see precious little of ourselves in game and mostly get informed of by people still grieving it millennia later.

Most of them antagonists, that like many other antagonists and allies, folks seem to want to take at face value for a lot of what they say, while often ignoring what they do and how, while speaking.

This is something I have noticed among fandom and roleplayers for decades, so it's nothing new, but there's a lot of times the text of any situation is making it clear that even if a character isn't outright lying--even thinks they are being "honest"--that is not necessarily the case.

It also comes back to making sure one is using all the available information--goodness knows I've made a fool of myself before by missing scenes or text that did explain someone's position on lore and characters!

Regardless of how one feels about certain plot points, storylines, or characters, they all inform each other in canon. Different characters say different things at different times in different company. A scene from two expansions ago may inform a new patch cutscene. Actions may contradict words. It all works together.

For an example, since it's come up elsewhere, I've had doubts about how Tempered the Unsundered were from the moment Emet-Selch claimed it, due to one of the last scenes in ARR, cutscene #5 in "Before the Dawn" where we see Lahabrea and Elidibus speak just before Urianger arrives in response to the Emissary's request for a meeting:

Lahabrea: The earth is fertile, and the seeds well sown. By my will, they shall reap salvation unlike any the world has known. Elidibus: By His will. Lahabrea: …By His will.

The Ascians in ARR and HW spend a lot of time telling the WoL about their One True God. Here though, in a moment of privacy before the Archon's arrival, Elidibus has to remind Lahabrea to check his ego as his actions are for Zodiark, not himself.

This is an early indication, alongside Nabriales's actions in the previous patch quests, that not everyone's on the same page in regards to the Ascian agenda. Nor is Zodiark's hold on each red mask absolute--even the ones initially at His summoning.

EDIT: Not to mention Fandaniel's actions in their entirety in Shadowbringers and Endwalker; killing one's god to usher in the end of the world is not the act of a tempered man!

Further doubt is placed on Emet-Selch's claim by Tiamat. We get more of her situation in the Shadowbringers patches, in the "Righteous Indignation" cutscene:

Tiamat: Recall, mortals, that it was I who did first summon my beloved, praying with all my being to bring him forth. You who contend with eikons cannot well be ignorant of the consequence. Alphinaud: …You too were exposed to his influence. That you are yet in possession of your own will is testament to the indomitable strength of your soul. Alphinaud: But were you to meet with Bahamut again, you fear you might succumb. Tiamat: Indeed. Ask the dragonslayer, and he will tell thee the power we of the first brood wield. Were I to lose myself to the eikon's influence, all would pay the price. Tiamat: But it is of little matter. For even had I the strength to resist, I yet lack the strength to break my shackles. This prison shall be my tomb. Alisaie: On the matter of Bahamut's influence, at least, I believe we can be of some assistance. Alisaie: If you're afraid of being enthralled, don't be─we have a cure. And while we've never tried it on one such as you, its basic principles are universal. Tiamat: Speakest thou in earnest? Alphinaud: There is no future for those bound to the past. Alphinaud: That you committed a terrible sin, I do not dispute. But if you feel remorse, you may yet make amends. We offer you that chance. Take it, or you will forever remain a prisoner, not of these cruel shackles, but of your own guilt. Tiamat: A chance to make amends… To lay Bahamut's memory to rest… Tiamat: When our own star faced annihilation, Hydaelyn granted us sanctuary. And now your foes would bring about Her destruction. This I cannot allow. For the debt I owe to Hydaelyn, and to all who have suffered for my sins…I shall fight with you, children of man.

Tiamat is a victim of the purposefully corrupted summoning magic the Ascians distributed. Yet she is not entirely enthralled by the Bahamut she summoned; she fears she would be if she were exposed further to a primal. Tiamat, as a Great Wyrm of the First Brood, is more akin in her aetheric composition to the Unsundered than most others on Hydaelyn. She knows she is influenced by the primal she summoned, and part of her remaining bound is to protect herself and the world from that consequence.

And then she chooses the cure and to move forward with her life, when given the option. As do other enthralled figures among the tribes when granted the option.

While there wasn't yet a cure when still fighting the Unsundered, entreaties to end their crusade and move forward fell on deaf ears--but I doubt very much it was due to Zodiark's influence entirely, and more their own stubborness after having clung to this course for ages.

The first cutscene of "Unto the Heavens" in Endwalker presents finally the intersection of original creation magic and modern summoning, as preparations are made to board the Ragnarok:

Livingway: You've done a fine job of readying the Ragnarok, but for it to take flight, we'll of course need the power of the Mothercrystal. Livingway: Given its immense size, however, transporting it would be an absolute logistical nightmare. Not to mention we'd need to shatter it into tiny shards for feeding to the engines. Livingway: But a brilliant idea came to me: we convert the crystal's energy into forms that can transport themselves! Urianger: Thou wouldst employ summoning…or should I say its precursor─creation magicks. Thancred: Care to explain for our benefit? Urianger: As you may have witnessed at Bestways Burrow, the Loporrits are capable of creation magicks, which they use to shape the moon's environment. Urianger: Yet simple though they make it seem, 'tis a highly advanced and exacting art. To perform it correctly requireth that the wielder holdeth the object in his mind's eye in clearest detail. Alphinaud: Hence the ancients' meticulous management of concepts. Urianger: Drawing upon this art, the Ascians conceived of summoning as we know it. Urianger: A derivative that replaceth the complexity of concepts with the simplicity of zealotry to make manifest a creation. Y'shtola: I see… By combining the Loporrits' magicks and the tribes' faith, we convert the Mothercrystal into primals of purer form and greater obedience. Y'shtola: Summoning as it was intended, one might say. Livingway: Indeed, indeed! Livingway: While Hydaelyn gave us the ability to use creation magicks, She forbade us from using it to make anything possessed of a soul─or similar. Livingway: She didn't say anything about fulfilling the desires of others, though. So! Borrowing our friends' faith, we'll create deities using the Mothercrystal's power, and send them to the Ragnarok! Alisaie: Am I the only one here concerned about the risk of being turned into a tempered minion? Livingway: Oh, right, I was getting to that… From what I've read in Sharlayan tomes, it appears the Ascians incorporated an additional nasty element into their summoning method: the fervent desire to assimilate others into one's belief. Livingway: Beings thus created are instilled with the selfsame desire, and use their powers to enthrall people─starting with the summoner. Livingway: In contrast, our creation magicks─the original and the best, accept no substitutes─don't incorporate any of that rubbish, so there's no risk of tempering. I mean, if the being was on the scale of Zodiark, you might feel a little “tug”…but I think we'll be safe enough.

From what we get here, summoning is quite obviously an offshoot of the original creation energies of the Ancients, but twisted by the thinness of the sundered mortals' aether and using faith and collected aether as a substitute. The tempering part was a later, intentional addition, possibly after the Unsundered had opportunity to examine the effect of Zodiark's summoning on themselves and extrapolating that.

Now, is some of this likely retconning to explain discrepancies in how characters acted and how tempering has been used? Probably! There was supposedly a rewrite of the main Ascian/Hydaelyn/Zodiark storyline, inherited from 1.0, which Stormblood allowed the time and consideration going forward on how they wanted to resolve this long arc. There's a lot in ARR and HW that has been recontextualized to fit, though some things still stand out a bit oddly; they did as good a job as they could, especially given the many years and writers involved.

But from the more recent writings, the intention is not to excuse the Unsundereds' actions with "they were tempered." And the final proof comes from Emet-Selch in Ultima Thule in cutscene #4 of "You Are Not Alone", having been through the preliminary wash cycle of the Lifestream long enough to have had various enchantments removed from him, while yet retaining his self before that too is washed out before reincarnation:

Alisaie: You're leaving!? Emet-Selch: Of course. The encore is finished, and I will not suffer myself to live again by Hydaelyn's magick. Emet-Selch: But more than that, the future you seek is not the past we loved. That is why we fought. And why I lost. Emet-Selch: But though you defeated me, my ideals are inviolate. Invincible. Emet-Selch: Spare me your pity. I have no use for it. If you would do something for me─save our star. Emet-Selch: See this tale to a triumphant conclusion, and with elation in your hearts, bid the final curtain fall. Emet-Selch: Only then may it rise again and a new tale begin─with new parts for all to play.

Through Shadowbringers, Emet-Selch claimed to want to cooperate with the Scions, while only giving bits and pieces of carefully considered information, and moving the goal posts whenever they did prove to him they were able to pass his tests and meet his expectations. It is not until this moment where, his duty to fight finished and the fate of his beloved world in any form at stake, that he is truly honest about what he did and why.

(I may also have an analysis WIP about comparing him and The Sandman's Morpheus and that stubborn refusal to change his mind and ideals, but it's slow going)

So while we mostly do have to go by what characters say, directly to WoL or to other characters in other scenes, each conversation cannot be taken in a vacuum; it is taken into account with their other conversations, with their actions, with other characters' input. And sometimes, the writers change direction, and new information will overwrite the old, even as it builds off of it.

The game is not consistent about Tempering and Summoning, though the double acts of Shadowbringers and Endwalker's story tries to clean that up. I just seriously doubt, from all the evidence, that the Unsundered were as entirely under Zodiark's thumb as say, one of Ifrit's over-hammered thralls and therefore not responsible for their choice and actions, the plans they made and came up with and clung to in stubborn guilt and grief and rage for so long they couldn't do anything else, even when presented proof of other options and chances to change or move forward.

Because another thing ShB and EW have shown us in both MSQ and in the Pandaemonium storyline, is who these men were, to become the Ascians we know, and how their own beliefs shaped them individually when faced with such loss--and how in each case, those past, pre-Zodiark selves would look at the eldritch beings they became by the Seventh era, and be horrified. Not because of any god's influence, but what they were capable of on their own.

...Well OK, Lahabrea already had a pretty good idea of what kind of monster he was capable of becoming. He also chose the worst way to handle it, and never seemed to learn from that. Elidibus and Emet-Selch though, while adamant in their beliefs, were also warped by what they chose to do and be, to where Elidibus even refused to remember his past to avoid the pain, tunneling into his duty with no wavering. Only Emet-Selch chose to remember, wallowing in it, acknowledging the monstrosity of his actions...and choosing to commit them anyway.

EDIT ADDITION: Relevant lore info directly from Banri Oda on Tempering and many other things.

[lilbittymonster]

Before I get back into the game I wanted to get down my first impressions of the first branch.

So I chose Kozama'uka for my first path, because I loved the Vanu and the Hanu seem like the same big friendly bird types. And they are! The village designs are very thoughtful about their environment and the worldbuilding with all the sidequests concerning reeds are great for my lore whore brain.

The MSQ is......kinda boring. Boring in that it feels like we, specifically, do not need to be there. Wuk Lamat does not need The Warrior Of Light, she needs someone who is significantly more worldly than her to lead by example. And the twins can do that just fine, Alisaie especially. It felt like half the time I was there just to have someone for Alphinaud to rubber duck off of. I can fully have Kitali not there and spending time with her husbands in the cabin and not miss a single thing.

The element of having locals gossiping nearby to give us more insight to the Turali view of the plot is interesting. Feels very organic as a way to reveal more information instead of just interrogating random locals.

I wonder how long it will be before we see Thancred and Urianger, since we the audience know they've been helping Koana, but our little group has only just been given the clue of "Archon allies". And what is the next weirdly coincidental appearance Estinien will make? Hello shiny husband nice to see you too. Our husband is currently relaxing and recovering from seasickness in our cabin, do you need a place to stay?

She's gonna pounce.

He's so fucking pretty. I wanna chew on his ears.

Once posing crimes come back I am just going to be living in these cabins. This is what I had in mind for what Kitali and Estinien had in Rads before we got the canon view of Estinien's bachelor pad lol.

Though, "comfy feather bed" my ass, these are solid planks of wood with a single layer of hide and a burlap pillow. I put her to sleep on the deck chair because that actually looks comfortable. The three of them will likely be sleeping on that gigantic couch until she can make a feather tick mattress topper or something.

Today's plan is to get Urqopacha tackled and possibly the first dungeon.

[starsandauras]

Entry 5: Stamp

FFXIV 30 Day Writing Challenge Prompt 5: Stamp

Urianger’s eyes fluttered shut, lashes pale against his skin, as Brigid reached out to trace along his archon mark, touch feather light. He had to resist the urge to lean into it, letting her do as she wished.

The edge of a nail trailed along the outline under his eye, and he shivered at it, from the roots of his hair down to the tips of his toes. “ ‘Tis sorry I am,” she murmured, and she turned her hand to trace with the pad of her finger instead.

“Thou needs not apologize,” he replied, as quietly as she was. Something about the moment felt fragile, like the slightest rise in their voices could shatter it. She hummed in response, and dropped a kiss to his forehead before continuing her explorations.

They were both quiet for several minutes, and Urianger continued to relax under her touch, sinking into the bed. “How much was it hurtin’?” she eventually whispered, as her finger drifted along the curve nearest his beard.

She had her own tattoos, he knew. Oh, how well he knew them, having down his own explorations of the splashes of color darted around her body, from the rose on her thigh, to the dagger down her spine. He had asked similar questions then, pulling the answers from her between pleasured gasps.

He smiled, and felt her finger shift with his face. “Not as much as one would expect,” he answered, “though I must confess, I had availed myself of such draughts as were made available.” There was a questioning sound, and his smile grew wider. “Numbing agents, my desert rose.”

He could hear her nod against the pillow, and her finger continued its path along the mark. “I dinnae think I was usin’ any for me own, dinnae ‘member now.” She laughed briefly, finger shifting. Now it was curled against his jaw, the side stroking downwards, towards his lips.

Before she could speak again he shifted, leaning in to capture her own, both of them smiling as they kissed. Brigid melted into the bed, exhaling a pleased sigh as she did. “You’re distractin’ me~” she teased, easily rolling onto her back as Urianger moved to brace himself over her.

His eyes opened, soft gold meeting shining emerald, and they both laughed again, like besotted teenagers.

[risualto]

"I just thought you'd like some company" for Inky and Thancred, please!

I don't honestly remember where the prompt list this came from even is on my blog at this point because it's been so long...and at the time you sent this, I thought it was going to be an Inky @ Thancred line of dialogue, or possibly a very early Thancred flirting with Inky before either of them were actually really friends and therefore being uncomfortable...

And then DT happened. And now we have this. It's short, but I think important.

It wasn't all that unusual for Thancred to wake up to find one or both of his lovers missing from their bed. Urianger was often called away at the strangest of times--either by a Lopporit needing support, or by their own impulses, to read, to clean, to perhaps attempt making breakfast once again in the hopes it would be edible this time. And Inky was the type who, once awake, could not get back to sleep for anything short of being knocked out. If she happened to open her eyes as the sun was rising, then that was when her day began, simply.

But the thing was, Thancred couldn't remember a day since they returned from the Golden City where Inky had been abed when he awoke to greet the morning. And even on nights where they managed to fall asleep together--in the same city, in the same place--his arms and the sheets greeted him with dead cold.

He sat up, gooseflesh rising on his arms and shoulders, and listened. There was a distant rattle of carriage wheels, and the ever-present whisper of the sea against Sharlayan's harbor. Someone lodging above them was walking about, floorboards creaking considerately as if the person knew enough to be light of foot and not quite enough to avoid the creaks entirely.

Thancred's chest felt so cold that he forgot about his own shivers until the arm across his thighs shifted enough for him to miss its warmth. He winced. Urianger hadn't been with them when they fell asleep, which meant he'd likely stolen precious few hours already. Thancred held very still, save for his slow breaths, and waited. A second, two. Several. Until Urianger relaxed once more, long fingers curling naturally around the swell of Thancred's hip, but not truly holding on. He resisted the urge to whisper to Urianger, or kiss his forehead, as he slunk from the bed, lest it undo his work and disturb his love, but the impulse remained. He hoped--prayed, almost, despite knowing there were no gods left to hear--that he'd have the opportunity to redirect those affections to Inky. That she hadn't vanished into thin air. Again.

It took longer than Thancred would have liked to climb to the roof, but having failed to find Inky on the balcony (or on the streets within sight of it), it was the best option. Her penchant for heights, at least, hadn't been dimmed since their return the way...

Well.

From behind, Thancred could see that she had stolen one of Urianger's cloaks to ward off the morning chill. Despite it being as dull in color as he feared she herself was becoming, the sight gave Thancred hope. That she was keeping at least one of them close to her had to whisper something good. Even if her utter lack of sound and the way her hair was swept into a single, haphazard knot, so that not even it moved in the sea breeze, cried very much the opposite.

He walked closer, taking care not to dampen his footsteps, and she did not look away from the horizon.

"A bit early to be freezing by yourself, isn't it?" he asked. His voice was low enough that he hoped it wouldn't startle her, since she was sitting quite close to an edge of the building which Thancred knew had no eaves on the way down.

Inky, still, flinched. She looked up and over her shoulder with dry, matte eyes, before blinking as if needing to remember herself. Thancred crouched, to spare her neck at least. "Perhaps I could persuade you to come back in and join us for breakfast? I promise it will be the finest room service, and not an onze of Archon loaf."

Inky's lips parted, then closed. Her face fell slack with a sigh, and even that was so quiet that Thancred strained to pick it out from the wind. "I'm not hungry," she said. He tried not to let his gaze flick to her cheekbones. "What are you doing up?"

"I just thought you'd like some company," said Thancred. "I can't imagine what's brought you up here rather than warm in bed with us, but isn't it true that the sunrise is sweeter if you've someone to share it with?" It was the type of line that never failed to make her blush. Straightforward and perhaps a cliche, but if spun from the thread of an honest wish to simply be close, that was enough to draw a smile. Perhaps a kiss, sometimes.

The twitch of her lips, now, looked more like she was fighting back tears. "I fear I came too early, then. Seems we've missed it," she said. "I'm sorry, but I must--"

Thancred looked away so sharply his neck cracked in protest. If Inky heard it, she pressed on as if she hadn't.

"--go. I have..." She waved a hand.

Carefully, as if trying to scoop a leaf from the fountains without it riding away or slipping through his fingers, Thancred reached out and caught her hand in his own. Her fingers were ice in the hollow of his palm. And despite the magnitude of feelings trapped inside her small body, powerful enough to dampen the spark that had faced despair with love and won handily time and again, she did not tremble. Fingers, palm, wrist, were still as a corpse's in his grasp.

"My love," he said. She pulled, so suddenly that Thancred almost lost her despite how weak it was. His fingers tightened, just the smallest bit. Never enough to hurt, but enough that she must know he wasn't giving up. "Inky. Come back to bed. The world isn't ending today. Whatever--whoever--it is can and will wait."

Her skin was beginning to warm under his touch as she sat there, like a statue. Long enough that Thancred felt his knees begin to ache, but he had endured far worse pain for far longer. A hitch of breath told him, eventually, that Inky was crying, and he begged her, silently, to finally let the storm out. To let them weather it where he and Urianger and their friends could anchor her to safety, as she had done so many times for them.

And then there was a rush of aether, like someone had blown pure peppermint oil right into Thancred's face. He watched as a current of icy blue picked up around Inky, and felt an acute nothing as she did not try to pull him with her wherever she was bound. The aether did give her body a jolt of warmth, but it was soon fading as she began to slip into the Lifestream.

"I'm sorry," he thought she whispered.

With the crushing silence gone, he could still hear the waves and the wind, and something that sounded like metal against metal, in the distance. And there was a rustle of fabric--

Thancred lowered his hand to catch Urianger's cloak before it could slip from the roof and into the streets below. It settled across his aching knees, and he sat there until his own fingers grew stiff with the cold before burying them, too, in the thick fabric. They would grow warm soon, if he stayed. Sooner, if he went back to the room and laid down beside the cloak's owner.

But the cold in his chest, he feared, would remain, with half his heart scattered and guttering in the winds.

[myreia]

Desiderium

CHAPTER TWO: PROMENADE

Chapter Rating: Mature (full story Explicit) Characters: Aureia Malathar (WoL), Thancred Waters Pairings: Aureia/Thancred Chapter Words: 2,426 Notes: Set during early Endwalker, spoilers for the start of the expac. Summary: After arriving in Old Sharlayan, Aureia wants to see Thancred’s old haunts. He could not be happier to oblige, but his thoughts are occupied by something else entirely. Prompt: ii. hands | blush Chapters: one • two • three • four • five Read on AO3

The snow falls in earnest as they wind their way through the streets, the tall, marbled domes and columns white against the darkened sky. The more she sees, the more confused she is. It doesn’t feel right, this place—a city built of angles and symmetry and mathematical precision, as if it were from a different era, a different age. Its wide plazas and elegant fountains are more suited for a land of temperate weather like Terncliff, not the cold of the far north.

“Did you enjoy your sightseeing today?” he asks. “I’m sure Krile and G���raha were ecstatic to show you the sights.”

“I think I have found my bearings, yes,” she replies. “I didn’t expect to enjoy visiting the Studium, but it was worth it to see Alphinaud get swarmed. Quite the little celebrity, that one.”

“You shouldn’t tease the boy.”

“But he makes it so easy—”

“I think he has become the butt of a joke too many.”

“Alisaie agrees with me.”

“Alisaie is his sister. Of course she agrees with you.”

She blows out a puff of air in mock irritation and takes stock of their surroundings. They’ve climbed higher now and the city stretches out below them, the harbour transitioning into the Agora with precise fluidity. She squints, wondering if she can pick out Urianger’s familiar form walking about somewhere below. “It was good,” she says after a moment. “Hearing the stories, learning about everyone’s favourite haunts… I’d love to see more of them.”

She trails off, her tone more somber than intended. It used to bother her—years ago, when she first joined the Scions of the Seventh Dawn—that her companions were all united not only by their common goals, but by virtue of being Sharlayan. The one thing she couldn’t share in. Now she is here, of course she is reminded of that.

He squeezes her hand.

“It’s nice, I suppose,” she continues. “How recognizable everyone is. I’m glad they’ve been able to reconnect, truly.”

“Aye. But…?”

She shrugs. “It’s not important. I was wondering… Y’shtola and G’raha and even Urianger have been recognized right away. But you haven’t.”

“Ah. But I have.”

“When?”

“You haven’t been paying attention—”

She makes a face.

“—or you haven’t known what to look for. You do recall what I am an Archon of?”

“Even if I happened to forget—an impossibility at this point—you would remind me.”

“My master’s pupils will have no doubt spotted me immediately, even if they have not made their presence known. I am sure I will hear from them when they are ready. Or if I choose to seek them out myself.”

“Your master?”

“The man who taught me everything I know. Louisoix left me in his care.”

“I see.” This is the first she is hearing of it. Alphinaud and Alisaie’s grandfather was a great man, of that she has no doubt, but even great men have their flaws. Thancred still considers him his mentor, but to know that he was plucked from Limsa Lominsa, taken to another city and unloaded onto another… She isn’t sure how she feels about it. The topic of Louisoix is already difficult to broach, and a part of Thancred still idolizes him. They may never be ready to discuss him honestly. “Do you… want to see him?”

He throws his head back and laughs. “Of course! Whyever would I not?”

“I don’t know, you’ve never spoken of him. I was imagining someone like Matoya.”

“Seven hells, no. No one is like Matoya save Matoya herself—though I imagine Y’shtola may give her a run for her gil when she reaches the appropriate age. No, my master… He’s reclusive. Never been one to express himself well in person, especially when it comes to heartfelt sentiments. No doubt he knows I am here, but should I wish to see him I will have to solve a manner of riddles or some other nonsense to uncover a letter before he vanishes into the night. Though you should know he’s been known to disguise himself as everything from a gleaner to a painter to mysterious maidens. Any person we pass could be him and we would never know it.”

She sighs heavily. “…why am I not surprised?”

They press on, wandering higher and higher. The crowds fade the further they walk, the paths emptying until they are well and truly alone. It seems at this time of evening the city finds itself either down by the harbour, in their homes, or at the Studium.

“I did a pass through the city while you were occupied,” Thancred says, his tone turning grim. “Strange to see it abuzz with news that is not what newfound artefacts of interest the gleaners have brought back or what research is being pioneered or what debates are fresh in the Rostra. I suppose it’s human nature for curiosity to be piqued by idle gossip, but there is far too much focus on the twins’ disownment for my liking.”

“You knew people would talk.”

“That is not what concerns me. It is the focus on this and only this. It shines too bright of a light on the twins, and with the twins in our company it will make our movements all the more challenging…” He lets out an irritated sigh. “Do not ask me to understand the mind of a man like Fourchenault—gods know I never have and I never will—but Twelve damn him for this. Damn the Forum and damn their absurdity.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

“I appreciate your optimism. One of us needs it.”

“And if we don’t, I’m sure I can come up with a few alternatives. How good are you at hiding bodies?”

He gives her a look. “Though I am inclined to agree with you, I certainly hope you are joking. You… are joking, yes?”

She pats his arm. “Don’t worry. I’m not contemplating murder. The assassination of a high-ranking member of a neutral nation is firmly off the table. Though I wouldn’t say no to punching that man in the face.”

“I assure you he deserves it. I’ve been itching to do the same since I was eight years old. Had a beautiful chance once but did not take it on account of not wanting to explain to Louisoix why the scrappy former street urchin was brawling with his delicate son.” He pauses, his lower lip curling. “What Ameliance sees in him I will never understand.”

Ameliance… The twins’ mother. She should have remembered that. Fourchenault mentioned her by name during their meeting in Gridania, but to Alphinaud and Alisaie she is simply called “Mother”. Admittedly, she is curious about her. The affection with which the twins discuss her rubs oddly against the way their father has treated them.

“What is she like?” she asks.

He raises an eyebrow. “Ameliance? A delight, if I’m quite honest. Bright and witty and fearlessly clever. I would caution getting on the wrong side of her.”

“Seems you admire her quite a bit.”

“I did. And I still do, I suppose.”

She chews her lower lip, admonishing herself for reading too much into the implications of that statement. Her mind is going places she would rather not think about. “I’ll look forward to an introduction—so long as Fourchenault doesn’t get in the way.”

“I doubt he will. Ameliance always was one to march to the beat of her own drum. If she wants to meet you, then meet you shall.”

They round a long walkway and cross a bridge, pausing at the apex. The river rushes below, its waters babbling in earnest as they flow out to sea.

“I forgot how long you’ve known him,” Aureia says after a moment. “Fourchenault, I mean.”

He chuckles. “Aye, most of my life, I suppose. I have never met a man so unlike his father. Then again, I am not the best candidate to judge, on account of never knowing mine.” His brow furrows, lost in thought. “Sharlayan will regard us in good favour while Krile’s ruse holds, but it may not last forever. Perhaps it is paranoid on my behalf, but until matters with the Forum are resolved, we are in enemy territory. Not everyone here is a friend, no matter how pleasant they are. And Sharlayan makes for a dangerous foe to have, even to its own kind.”

“I know.” She recalls Leveva Byrde and her grandfather, Mace, all too well—and how the latter was thrown in prison for departing the nation illegally.

“If this goes poorly… Y’shtola, Urianger, G’raha and I may be afforded some protection by virtue of our standing as Archons, but it will not extend to you and Estinien. Even if I declare you as my wife, you are not native here.”

“I can look after myself. And I would hardly worry about Estinien, do you really think Sharlayan can keep him grounded for more than a minute? The man can leap backwards out a window and land on his feet.”

“I am aware of that.” He exhales a sharp breath, disgruntled at her attempt at a joke. “Please understand I have cause for concern. G’raha and Y’shtola may be blinded by their invitations to browse the Noumenon once again, and Alphinaud and Alisaie are happy to be home despite the familial issues, but I am not so easily distracted. This may be home, but we cannot let down our guard. Do not underestimate how vicious the Sharlayans can be when given the chance. Stopping the Telophoroi is all that matters. We cannot allow politics and policy and godsdamned pride to interfere with that.”

He meets her eyes. There’s something boiling there—frustration borne from the fatiguing voyage, irritation with Sharlayan politics, his overprotective concern for her that has become second nature since she almost died of light-poisoning on the First. He has been so grounded since their marriage, casting off the shadow of the man he was before, that it has been a long time since she has sense the fury and bitterness that once encompassed him. But she sees it now—a flicker of it, simmering beneath the surface. His need to act now at odds with his orders to stay put and wait.

No wonder he wandered off to do reconnaissance in the city he knows inside and out. For the others, this is a homecoming. For him, this is just another job.

Aureia rests a hand against his cheek, refusing to look away. His frustration doesn’t intimidate her, she’s well-accustomed to it by now. And he is right, of course. She spent two moons preparing mentally for their arrival, only to have everything deflate the moment they stepped ashore and her first day here became a giddy sightseeing trip.

It wasn’t so long ago that the dark towers sprang up and they were fighting Lunar primals. To sit and wait, only to sit and wait some more is agonizing.

There is nothing she can say to soothe him, no words of wisdom she can offer. And so she kisses him, running her hands through his hair and hooking them around his neck as she pulls him into her. At the very least it can be a nice distraction, a way of diverting this anxious, pent-up energy from the voyage neither of them have been able to excise.

A hand presses against the small of her back. His lips part, hot and hungry, his kiss far fiercer than she would normally allow in public. Her breath hitches as his teeth scrape her lower lip, his tongue slipping into her mouth—he tastes of black tea, strong and bitter—and his hand moves further down her back, urgent and eager, as if he hasn’t kissed her in moons and he is desperate for relief. Which is true, in a way. The shared quarters on the ship meant they set aside certain activities for later.

Not a concern for her. If anything, she hardly gave it any thought, absorbed as she was in Alphinaud’s books and studying arcane theories. Some would consider their trip a dry spell, but such things have never bothered her. Sex is nice, but not a necessity. She could theoretically go through the rest of her life without it and be content.

But for him…  

The longing, the yearning, the frustration of certain needs not being met. For too long it has had nowhere to go. And now it needs to go somewhere.

She draws back, breathless and overwhelmed, and he presses a kiss to the corner of her mouth, her jaw, the hollow of her throat. “Thancred…”

He kisses her in answer, sucking roughly at her skin. She winces, a blush blooming on her cheeks, the kiss pleasantly hard—the kind that may leave a mark if he’s not careful.

She’ll find out in the morning.

A low growl rumbles in the back of his throat. “Gods, Aur,” he murmurs. “I…”

His hand brushes her ass and her eyes fly open. She blinks, taking stock of where they are standing—here, out in the open, on this empty bridge, just out of the haze of the lamplight—and moves his hand away.

“Save this for later, yes?” she murmurs. “When we’re not so public…”

He holds her close, gently kissing her forehead. “Aye. My apologies, I forgot myself for a moment.”

She catches his eye and clears her throat. “You know,” she begins, slipping her hand into his. “I’m more than open to the idea of you forgetting yourself from time to time.”

“Is that so?”

“Two moons aboard a ship have done no one any favours. I for one am glad to no longer be sharing a cabin with Y’shtola and Urianger.”

“Aureia—”

“There’s time before we reconvene. I suppose we could even be late, if we wanted to. Y’shtola and G’raha certainly will be, though I suspect a date with dusty tomes is not as satisfying as a date with—”

He gives her a flat look, cutting her off. “You’re incorrigible when you want to be, you do know that, yes?”

She smirks. “I know.”

Thancred presses a hand to her face, his fingers trailing gently along her jaw to cup her chin. He tilts her head up, his gaze trained on hers, any irritation or frustration melted away at the promise of these new prospects.

“Come with me,” he says, his voice low. “You wanted to see our old haunts? Let me show you mine.”

A/N: Thancred’s ruminations on his Sharlayan mentor are inspired by an interesting little side quest you can pick up in Old Sharlayan. Following the right clues and figuring out the puzzle earns you a letter from his mentor and a couple other rewards. I didn’t know that messing with a random box on a bench was going to lead me to Thancred lore at the time, but I find it very funny that it did.

[bunsandstuff]

Lady Alsene Foutuveaux

Warrior of Light

OOC: Hello! My name is Val, some call me Bean too. Thank you for stopping by my blog. It started off as a place for my buns, but these days I've taken a liking to writing about my WoL. Thank you for having interest! Info on her is below! (Also MSQ spoilers ahead)

Alsene Foutuveaux 25 | 15th sun of the fifth umbral moon | Sharlayan | RDM

- Early Life

She was originally born Alsen Foutuveax to her parents: X'veilhena and Trennont Foutuveaux. Her mother X'veilhena was one of Sharlayan's many gleaners, and it was through her work that she met Alsene's father Trennont, a Sharlayan researcher and archon. It was after this an a few years after that the two were bonded and had a son who they named Alsen. The boy had a few years of memories with his doting parents, but there was always something on the horizon, something the two of them were working feverishly toward, much to Alsen's annoyance. And one day, that seeking would take the pair to shores beyond, and thus was Alsen entrusted to the care of the Wilfsunnwyns. As time progressed and the moons they were promised turned into a year, Alsen became a permanent ward of the Wilfsunnwyn household. In Alsen's youth, the shy miqo'te became close friends with Moenbryda to the depth of being near siblings. By this extension did he become acquainted to Urianger as well, though with both as aloof as they were, their interactions were few in between. It was also Moenbryda who encouraged Alsen to become who he was, and thus transitioned and given the name Alsene by the same Roegadyn lass.

- Warrior of Light

Becoming Hydaelyn's champion wasn't in the cards, nor was becoming the Warrior of Light. After she got old enough and saw the ever growing threat of Garlemald creeping up through Eorzea, Alsene became tired of the Forum's inaction. Following in her parents' footsteps, Alsene took up arms and set out to lend her hand in the fight to protect Eorzea and all nations against the Empire's threat. And after coming into the power of the Echo and meeting the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, Alene's long journey began.

- Relationships

Moenbryda Wilfsunnwyn

Found Sister After being taken in by the Roegadyn's parents, Alsene and Moenbryda became very close. The two were nearly inseparable in their youth, and basically family. Up until Moen's passing, Alsene and her were in regular contact, gossiping and spending their little free time catching up with one another. Alsene still regards her as the greatest older sister she could have had.

Urianger Augurelt

Main Ship Despite not having much time to bond in their time in Sharlayan, the two grew closer after Alsene's introduction into the Scions. After one shaky hello, the two of them have retouched on their estranged prior friendship. After Moenbryda's passing, Alsene became more protective over Urianger given how much she knew he meant to her late sister. And in turn, little did she know, the elezen held the same regard for her. Making sure that his dear friend's sister did not come to harm. Their relationship is still unfolding and doesn't have a proper tag yet, but I will update it when I have a name!

Artoirel de Fortemps

AU ship During the main events in Ishgard, Artoirel and Alsene grew quite close. She aided him in learning how to help Ser Aymeric with restoring Ishgard. Their relationship began playful, but both of them knew that there is more lying under the surface. Even so, the Warrior of Light has a hard time accepting these feelings as a beacon to the people placing a strain between them. Their story is unfolding under the tag #Of Hearts and Oaths

And that is all for now. I will update this as more comes, but I appreciate anyone who has read this far! Thank you!

[xiakha]

FFXIVWrite 2024 Prompt #1 - Steer

It was late afternoon when Urianger found his mentor settled in on the rocks overlooking the Thaliak River. The vista, though breathtaking, was otherwise quite dismal as it sat far too close to the falls that collected the Tipped Ewer into the Thaliak. The rising mist coated the overlook in constant dew, leaving nowhere dry to sit, and left robes and spirits unpleasantly sodden within half a bell, so it was hardly pleasant to enjoy a meal at. Paper warped and ink ran in the damp without constant wards, making any sort of scholarly work or even pleasure reading tedious at best. And then the bracing wind would pick up and rob the body of warmth and possibly a page or two. Urianger would have understood if Louisoix enjoyed fishing of any sort, there were quite a few Archons of his age who favored that sort of casting as well, but he never saw the sage wield a rod. So it was inexplicable as to why, when not attending to matters scholarly, familial, political, or a mixture of the three, Louisoix inevitably wandered back to this vista, often with a tome and the wooden folding stool one of his more crafty students had gifted him.

At the least, Urianger could understand why Louisoix visited more frequently of late.

“Master Louisoix, the bells grow short ere I take my leave of these shores.”

Louisoix didn’t quite look away from the roaring waters below, but he did acknowledge Urianger’s presence with a nod, “So soon? I suppose Bloewyda and Wilfsunn would have little reason to stay until the final dawn considering how much of their work has relocated to Sharlayan proper.”

“Verily, ‘twould have been but a half moon’s venture for them, had the evacuation not drawn so close.”

“Aye, might as well make the most of it then, I cannot fault their efficiency or pragmatism, the rest of us will join you soon by the end of the moon at any rate.” He chuckled, a little wearily, and turned to the young Elezen with a warm smile, “However, I’m quite surprised you came all the way out here, when I last saw you at lecture. Surely you haven’t been building up your nerve since this morning?”

Urianger looked down at his shuffling feet, “Thou hath seen through mine machinations, I hath indeed mine own agenda here.”

Louisoix adopted that knowing and slightly mischievous twinkle in his eye, “Come to finally ask about this vista, have you not?”

“‘Tis a miserable place.”

“It is! But think of the Ruling Quarter’s canals, how the rowdy waters below and that orderly flow to our west are not merely kin, but one and the same.”

“Archon Totolymo once said ‘twas the work of our forebears that tamed the river.”

“That they did. They had started the work when the Ruling Quarter was first planned, but it wasn’t until my grandsire was but a man grown that we finally received word that the flooding here was completely under control. A full hundred years after the establishment of the colony!”

“And thy reverence for such engineering bringeth thou henceforth?”

Louisoix chuckled again, “Mayhap in part. Nay, I look downriver and imagine what feats of engineering, daring, and aetherology would be required to tame the whole of the mighty Thaliak.”

For a moment, both scholars looked north, out at the swift current glowing orange with the setting sun.

“Would such a mastery ever be possible?”

“Unlikely in my lifetime, and possibly not even in yours or your children’s. But the diligent planners of the Ruling Quarter’s canals hadn’t expected to see the completion of their life’s work. Nor did those that they handed their tools and blueprints to as they passed. If we started the work today, we could expect much the same, and yet, with every generation, our mastery over the river would grow.”

Louisoix turned back to Urianger and carefully affixed his eyes to the boy’s, “This is the manner with which I view our interpretation of prophecy.”

Already, Urianger was a standout in prognostication and, given a few more years of tutelage, would become Louisoix’s equal, if not his better.

“...’Tis much to think about.”

“Come now, Master Augurelt, if we do not act upon the knowledge that we have, what use is it? We cannot stand idly by and let the future as seen by history come to pass while we still have initiative in the present.”

He gestured out to the river, “The factors that influence the waters are myriad, but they are finite. The current is unruly, swift, and strong, but it can be managed with time and diligence. Though the tools and techniques be different, to influence the future as we do these waters would not be insurmountable.”

Urianger looked long and hard at the river, “...And thus thy course of action.”

“My dear student, we have interpreted the same Divine Chronicles. You know about as well as I do the challenges that lie before us, before Eorzea. To condemn a continent of souls to their deaths… I made my respectful dissent clear five years ago, and my stance has not changed yet.”

“And thou wouldst confer these beliefs and goals unto the next generation, unto me and mine.”

“And with any luck, you shall do the same with the generation after yours, if it were to come to it, if the Calamity be delayed but not denied.”

A stiff breeze passed them both, and they shuddered in unison. 

“Come, let us quit this dreary overlook before we both catch our deaths.”

***

It was a full eighteen years later that Urianger found himself overlooking the Thaliak once again. This time from the other end of the falls from which the Tipped Ewer flowed into the river proper, outside the guarded walls and vaulted halls of the Great Gubal Library. Elidibus had a little more to confer with this Arbert character that Urianger was not to be privy to. However, with his soothsaying and basic reasoning skills, he could intuit what Elidibus had to say.

The Ascian was already looking to twist and pervert the heroic desires of Arbert and his party to his own ends. For Urianger to then twist these machinations to his own favor was too risky by half. Surely Elidibus would recognize duplicity from the duplicity with which he acted himself. 

And yet, Urianger had a strange reassurance: somehow he was sure the Emissary wasn’t all there. It was as if he were a mammet, motivated by the magicks that powered and instructed him, without forethought or real cunning. In some ways, it would seem he sought out balance seemingly for the sake of balance. Oh, of course there was this talk of Ardor and the Rejoining, but so little that was seemingly relevant to Elidibus’s current machinations, at least from Urianger’s perspective. 

But for this scheme, none could know of his true agenda. Arbert was willingly fooled by Elidibus, yes, but he had no such desperate credulity over Urianger’s words and deeds. Thus, Urianger’s betrayal of the Scions had to be absolute if Arbert were to believe it.

Besides, Urianger’s plans aligned shockingly close to Elidibus’s own. He would ride the current until it was too late for the Ascian to change the course, then, instead of blackmail, he would simply beseech Hydaelyn himself.

He took a stone, damp from the mist, and cast it into the thundering waters below. It was not simply the Scions that he was betraying, was it? He wondered what Louisoix would have to say of his current course of action. The sage had had but kindly smiles for Urianger, whether it was genuine affection or out of pity for the neglected boy he grown out of being. Perhaps this was what would cause Louisoix to finally knit his brows and thin his lips in concern. Of all the students he could have passed this obligation to, to shift the tides of fate, it had to be Urianger…

***

Hundreds of years later, G’raha Tia chuckled to himself hollowly. For a man of so many esoteric words, Urianger wrote but briefly and plainly of his internal conflict. There was much regret, but also much hope. The Seventh Umbral Calamity could not be denied, but its effects so blunted as to force the hand of the Ascians so soon after. It was a pity the soothsayer had not the advantage of two hundred years of hindsight. So sure that Urianger had failed Louisoix in his writing, that there would be no one to pick up the great work after he was gone, that the Eighth Umbral Calamity would come and go and naught could be done to prevent or avoid it.

Aye, Cid Garlond and Nero Scaeva were the technical knowhow, they were the ones that engineered and planted the seeds, but it was Urianger’s writings and musings that first alerted them to the possibility that such seeds could be sowed and could actually bear fruit. The mighty Thaliak River may have dried up in the stagnation that overtook all of Eorzea, but were it still flowing, G’raha was sure the Garlond Ironworks now had the tools and techniques to temper its currents.

Or at least reverse the flow of the waters completely.

[faythian]

Discourse on Lyse Hext

This screencap popped up for a background on my computer today, and it got me thinking about the discourse surrounding Lyse Hext. I do not think she deserves any of the hate/spite sent her way. My thoughts below (long post below cutoff):

Lyse comes from Ala Gannha. She was five years old when Curtis Hext, her father, bundled her and her sister, Yda, up and left. They went to Sharlayan, probably the colony in Dravania. Yda became an Archon; Lyse idolized her sister.

Papalymo was the one who had to tell a young Lyse that her sister and father were dead. To cope, she took on the identity of Yda. She lived as Yda for five or six years. She was always paired with Papalymo, who became a surrogate father for her. He is shown multiple times lecturing her, admonishing, and guiding her. While he knows it’s not a healthy coping mechanism, he still went along with her request to assume Yda’s identity and work. Or as much as she was able.

Then she lost Papalymo.

She decided to reclaim her identity of Lyse, but she didn’t have much of an identity to reclaim at the time. She needed to untangle herself from Yda, but did not get the time (either because she was thrust into the push to liberate Ala Mhigo, or because she herself would not give time for such a delicate task).

She is understandably shocked by her reception in Ala Gannha. She grew up fairly sheltered after the trauma of the uprising against King Theodoric, leaving at a young age, being a refugee, and then settling in a foreign land. Lyse still saw Ala Mhigo as her home, despite growing up in Sharlayan and not truly understanding what was going on in Gyr Albania. She was blinded and made naive by her father’s legacy as a hero of the Resistance.

The Legacy of Curtis will haunt her for a while.

She tries desperately to understand what those who stayed behind have gone through, trying to draw on what she knew best: Yda’s personality. Lyse does not start to truly come into her own until she leaves for Doma. There, she has no legacy to live up to. She also finds a friend and mentor: Hien. Hien is the same age as her but was brought up knowing who and what he was meant to be. If one watches carefully, while in Doma, Lyse is watching and taking note of Hien’s moves politically. She is also watching Yuuguri. Yuuguri knows the villages and their people, unlike Lyse back in Gyr Albania.

While we get to see some fantastic character development of her, it’s all in the background, as the Doman part of Stormblood is focused on Hien, Yuuguri, and freeing Doma. Unfortunately, upon returning to Gyr Albania, Lyse is still trying tactics that aren’t her own and trying to live up to other people's expectations and identities. She is not using what she learned in the way Lyse would use them; she is trying to do what Hien or Yuuguri would do, or how she feels her father might have used these ideas. She still hasn’t truly found her own voice yet.

When Conrad dies, he named Lyse the new leader of the Resistance. M’naggo accepts this, seemingly readily. Most people see this as a nepotistic move, and it is, but it’s also more. M’naggo, I feel, accepts this because she sees what Lyse represents to the Resistance—Curtis’ dreams and ideals.

His legacy.

Lyse now has the added burden of not only living up to her father’s image, but now his ideals and goals. We do see some of her struggles as she tries to lead the Resistance, a lot of that being how heavily she leans on the Scions and the Warrior of Light for help.

The game does a disservice to Lyse by not letting us see this struggle fully. All we get are snippets from which we then must infer what she is going through. She is a legacy without understanding and being given very little support from those she is meant to inspire and lead.

There were golden opportunities for others to truly assist her in discovering her own voice:

Urianger, who understood intimately how the shadow of one’s betters can cloud a person’s path and self perception;

Y’shtola would have been a fantastic mentor due to her more pragmatic view of the whole situation;

Conrad should have been more of a presence for her as he had local knowledge as well as historical knowledge (i.e.: Curtis’ actual goals);

and even Raubahn should have been there (and behind the scenes might have been) as he also knew Curtis, the Resistance, and what they were all up against, in addition to what it means to be a leader of a nation.

Instead, she was allowed to become a symbol of something she didn’t fully understand and set out on the balcony to wave and smile.

By the end of the main plot, she is seen as a leader, and she does show many traits of a good leader just coming into her own. But we are not truly shown her journey to this point. Lyse is just suddenly Leader.

The writing for her was fairly terrible. The lack of attention paid to her character and character growth throughout Stormblood was, at best, disappointing, and at worst appalling. We get to see Alphinaud’s continued journey, we get to see Hien and Yuuguri’s journey, we even get to see Fordola’s journey, but not much of the trials and tribulations of the character SquareEnix seemed to call the Main Character (if the posters and official art are to be considered).

As I write my narration of a couple of my own characters going through the MSQ, I will be visiting Lyse a number of times during this expansion and putting in those scenes that I feel are needed. I will be giving her mentors.

[anneapocalypse]

Canon review for fic purposes is ever ongoing and rewatching the cutscenes where you first meet the Scions I am struck by how... simplified, I guess, Minfilia's introduction of the Archons is.

Tell me, does the name Sharlayan ring any bells? It used to be one of Eorzea's six city-states, and was situated in the northwest of Aldenard. The Sharlayans were the keepers of wisdom both old and new. Their mastery over magic and aether was unsurpassed, and even the Garleans knew to fear them. Among their number, there were a noble few who devoted their lives to safeguarding the future of Eorzea. When the realm began its descent into chaos, and their countrymen fled for the motherland, they alone chose to remain here. These noble men and women were called the Archons. Those same brave souls stand before you now.

Like it's not not true but it also really does not convey the lore that we get later or (to the best of my understanding) what actually happened in 1.0. When she says "When the realm began its descent into chaos, and their countrymen fled for the motherland," that sounds like she's talking about the Calamity, except the exodus from the Sharlayan colony actually happened in 1562 of the Sixth Umbral Era, 15 years before ARR (Twelve preserve me, the dating system gives me a headache).

For context Urianger is 29 in ARR, meaning that at the time of the exodus he was approximately 14 years of age. :P I think needless to say, he was not one of those who "chose to remain here" when his countrymen fled; he was still a kid at the time, and only joined Louisoix's Circle of Knowing as an adult (unless there's some absolutely buckwild Urianger lore I'm unaware of and Alphinaud wasn't actually the youngest kid to enter the Studium). Lyse is 25, and Thancred is 32. Y'shtola's age seems to be subject to some canon discrepancies according to the wiki, but she's at most no older than Thancred.

But Minfilia's intro really makes it sound like it's these Archons, in this room, who stayed in Eorzea when the exodus happened, and it's just really weird. I also don't know why they made it sound like "Archons" refers specifically to Louisoix's group (when it does not), and didn't just reference the Circle of Knowing. It's not like that was later backfill; I'm pretty sure that was in 1.0.

All of which led me to wonder: what about Moenbryda?

And this led me to her wiki page, upon which I realized I've apparently been laboring under a misconception this entire time. I had thought Moenbryda and Urianger grew up in Old Sharlayan. But this is straight from Encyclopedia Eorzea:

...eventually the two grew close, and were often found in the Great Gubal Library reading tomes and eating cockatrice meatballs (p. 191).

That's the colony, not Old Sharlayan! So, were they both born in the colony? It certainly seems like Moenbryda was, as her bio begins "Born in Sharlayan..." and in earlier canon that's always used to refer to the colony, and since they met as children, presumably they both were.

Both of them would have moved to Old Sharlayan at 14 when the exodus happened, and then they both went to the Studium, so that's all fine.

Here's where I have questions!

After striking a talent in aetheric research she became an Archon and was in the Circle of Knowing, however, Louisoix told her to stay in Sharlayan, an order she followed with great difficulty.

Which Sharlayan?

At this point I'm just not sure how literally to take Minfilia's introduction. So many other pieces of canon state that no one stayed in the colony after the exodus except Matoya, so by "chose to remain here" I assume that Minfilia doesn't mean the colony but Eorzea generally. By the time Moenbryda was an Archon and part of the Circle of Knowing, there was no more colony for her to stay in. But it also says "stay," not "go back."

So are we meant to understand that the Circle of Knowing were traveling back and forth between Old Sharlayan and Eorzea for some time in that decade before the Calamity? Or, given that Alphinaud has dialogue about Urianger being frequently present in their home when they were growing up, did Louisoix in fact go home with the Exodus, and only return to Eorzea years later? I feel like that must be it, even though it makes Minfilia's introduction a pretty drastic oversimplification.

It's early game exposition, so I can let it go, but I just have to remember not to really treat it as reliable canon.