#{ felt like a Post-Heavensward patch }

[voidsentprinces]

Shadowbringers took Emet-Selch from ARR Lahabrea levels of mustache twirling, Saturday Morning Cartoon villain. All monologue and evil laughter while his evil boobs malevolently boobed down the Post-Stormblood's darker breast boobily and changed him into an actual character. And the first Ascian who actually spent time with us in a more meaningful way. Flipping them from one note, evil that must be defeated. To one we came to understand and a group that connected to our character's literal past reincarnation that we do not recall.

Additionally, atmospherically, Shadowbringers brought us to Post-Apocalypse that wasn't 28 Days Later, Mad Max or Rapture-esque. While pulling from all those series. Its a world 100 years after the Apocalypse was averted but still causes the world to live in its shadow.

This expansion seems to be the beloved darling of the community. Even topping Heavensward in most regards. But, also, personally, I feel like Shadowbringers is only good Shadowbringers for the last three levels of it. And rest is just so much set dressing and putting together the A-Team. For lack of a better comparison, 70 - 79 is our Avengers Infinity War. We get the band back together, fight off the big bad and actually almost win. But then we lose and we lose HARD and we spend a handful of quests somewhat wandering aimlessly until we resolve to go after the one who took victory away from us. That lead up, to me, is alright but the story didn't really HIT, outside of my long winded story analysis reasons, until we reach Amaurot.

Even its Post-Patches seemed to struggle to figure out what to do. Having Elidibus bounce hither and thither without the Scions really trying to stop him because, "We don't know what he is up to." which was counterproductively frustrating to me. You are literally not stopping and banishing the villain so the plot can happen. Alisaie literally kept tabs on the Warriors of Darkness because we were focusing on dealing with Nidhogg. Why the hell couldn't they have kept tracked and harassed Elidibus at least? But no, the sky starts to shower stars and then it is go time. And while To the Edge and the Seat of Sacrifice are awesome. My suspense of disbelief that our Scions would just shrug and only off screen keep tags on lesser Ascians and then just be like, "I dunno fellas, this here Elidibus is tricky." strikes me as dense. Like, this is denser than a dead star. They let things happen for the sake of it happening.

Bottomline, there is some wiggle room here. Shadowbringers may be the community's darling. But I wonder if, its just because we remember the super highs of Amaurot to Seat of Sacrifice. And kind of brush things like; the Ran'jit fights, the Supernatural problem of Lucifer's Cousin's Roommate being the big bad in Lunar Primals, Thancred's treatment of Ryne and Speedrunning him some redemption in the Amh Araeng second half.

I'm rambling now, as a whole. Did you enjoy Shadowbringers? If not why? Vote your answer and leave your opinion in the tags if you'd like.

Note: I am aware that the Post-Patch production was stunted by the COVID Pandemic. Still, I'd like your opinion about anything you felt lacking. Even with that dead whale hanging over the entire thing.

[nihilnovisubsole]

phew! finally a weekend where i can set aside enough time to type up The Promised Endwalker Stream-of-Consciousness Post. i finished the base story... a month ago? but work has been busy, and i think tumblr benefits from me being quiet sometimes. anyway, what a ride. when you've been building up to the end of your arc for a decade, you want to hit it like an earthquake, and that's exactly what they did.

i think people love endwalker because it fires on all cylinders. it returns - in both story and vision - to the eorzea we love, and the dev team gets to show off everything they've learned. the dungeons and boss fights are dynamic and imaginative and colorful and bring the game's epic sense of scope to bear. the story callbacks are juicy. the music is orchestral again. we're back home, and we're saving the galaxy. what's better than this?

i love that we go to garlemald. i don't - i mean, you know, i don't like garlemald. i shouldn't have to qualify that. but it's hugely narratively satisfying to see the face of the enemy we've been fighting since the first few hours of ARR. you don't think about them when you're beating them up in castrum centri or ala mhigo. they're star wars bad guys. then you meet them on their own turf. you observe firsthand how they starve and cannibalize their own people to feed their obsession with state power and military strength. the wintry environment makes it seem all the more barren and desperate. my favorite part by far. i wish we'd spent more time there.

actually, on that note:

there is an argument that endwalker should've been two expacs. i've heard similar about stormblood - ala mhigo should've been the whole thing, and doma should've been either patch content or an expac of its own. the prevailing theory is that, after ARR, the devs are afraid of letting arcs run long. i can't speak to that, but i wouldn't have minded, that's for sure!

i won't pretend not to be biased. i've noted in many xiv posts that it hurries through its political plots to get to the magic stuff. i felt more conscious of it in heavensward and especially in stormblood. i made peace with it in endwalker. with dessert this good, who am i to complain? i can do small character drama on my own time. for now, the game wants royce to be a big damn shonen hero, and that can be fun, too.

speaking of characters, urianger and estinien have grown on me. this is the arc where, for me at least, the scions have congealed. they're all good, but with any large cast and custom player character, you tend to form the meatiest bonds with a few specific ones. i think royce appreciates urianger's cooler, more mature head. they're both so formal. he realizes she's someone he can confide in. i think she sees estinien as a gifted, but hotheaded whelp, which i find very funny. patience, child. stop sulking. do your breathing drills.

i love thancred's MGS sequence and in from the cold too. they're stressful, but i love that the team tried, you know what i mean? the fact that you can fight enemies in a pinch makes those duties way more bearable than some other games that experiment with stealth.

in from the cold as a whole, honestly. If You Know, You Know

all right, i can't avoid referencing spoilers anymore, sorry. there's a sense of classical tragedy to the whole elpis sequence. it's like watching macbeth or hamlet. you know how it's going to end, and you know you're powerless to stop it, but if they'd just made that different choice! but we had to leave eden. the warrior of light had to end up where they are to finish what elpis started. i don't do fate/destiny plots, but this? i'll take it.

i also knew what would happen going into ultima thule and still came away from it moved. it's strong writing. that's all there is to it. sure, the visuals are haunting, but the dialogue has to sell a gauntlet of difficult character moments, and it pulls it off. on the design side, there's some interesting intentional friction that forces you to linger in the zone and sit with its sense of despair. that part where you have to search the empty park for signs of life? oof

with the majority of the MSQ under my belt, i started sniffing around for what else there is to do ingame. i tried ninja. did terribly. i tried sage. did terribly too, but at least that gave me access to the healer role quests, which, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). the nier raids are gorgeous. i even did the controversial werlyt quests, and terncliff is so cute. i kind of wish we could have another story there!

what's next? i dunno! right now i'm burning through the hildibrand quests before i continue on with endwalker's patch story. the field operation stuff seems interesting to do after the MSQ, in a "hey, you saved the world, but we have more missions for you" way. i've also contracted Triple Triad Collector Disease, so that'll keep me busy for a long time.

all right. one last thing. Real Gamer Moments: i was in a mount-farming party recently, and i said that i sort of collected mounts, but only used the ishgardian chocobo. it's a roleplay thing - it's the chocobo royce took when she ran away from ishgard. one of the party members said "haurchefant would be proud of you." AUGH

[finishing-touch]

Top 5 favorite zones across all expansions of acclaimed MMORPG FFXIV!

[ Ask me my top 5 anything ]

My Limsa bias is about to show. In no discerning order:

Sea of Clouds: I was in post ARR patch hell for what felt like forever when first going through the game. So finally getting to Heavensward and the first proper zone was a very memorable moment in my eyes. This zone also just that particular old school FF vibe in terms of aesthetic and music. It’s got great lighting for your screenshots, an airship to gpose on for all your sky pirate needs, and hunting Squonk is always an adventure.

The Fringes: Solid music. Multiple varied biomes. The memory of running out from the starting camp and being immediately attacked by a treant and hearing Stormblood’s combat music for the first time is something I recall very fondly.

Southern Thanalan: it’s got sand. Giant crystalline structures in the background. Corpse brigade camps. Little Ala Mhigo. More sand. Overall this zone has a lot of wonderful opportunities for gpose especially.

Western La Noscea: there’s something to be said about the geography in this zone. I love the lone road stretching from the southern tip that takes you to Swiftperch and then to Aleport. I love that you can see Pharos Sirius always looming ominously in southern distance. The flower fields being marauded by wild dodos who’ve developed a taste for freedom, the patches of wildflowers littering the cliffs of the coast, the uphill road leading to Satasha, the Maelstrom outpost barricading sahagin territory- I can wax romance about this place forever.

Middle La Noscea: I think zones with a prominent landmark you can always discern from any spot is peak design, and here it’s Limsa beckoning you with its grand salt swept alabaster buildings and construction. I love everything about this area and it’s my go-to zone for all my La Noscea gpose needs.

A hot or not-so-hot take but by comparison the none of the expansion zones capture the same quality of personality as ARR zones do. The former feel so much barren ( FF16 has a similar issue).

[likemosaic]

general chiyo headcanon dump regarding ARR + the post patch. tw for emetophobia mention. mild arr spoilers!

chiyo was resistant to joining the scions at first, especially due to thancred and her fear of men (which presented more as "leave me alone", resenting his persistent efforts to recruit her). he convinced her by having her meet minfilia (who encouraged chiyo to join and explained the echo), but chiyo had lingering "annoyance" (read: a big crush) towards thancred. until he was possessed, at which point she felt awful and repentant, and sincerely apologized for misjudging his character. they have a good relationship after that, depending on verse. with @windcovet's verse, they start dating after he's rescued and are currently still together, though in an open relationship that can be...turbulent, to say the very least. they still argue and can't agree on anything, but when shit gets real, they're there for one another.

during her time as a mercenary, chiyo acted as a shinobi and a bard to kill her marks, but not as a samurai, despite being trained as one as a child. she viewed what she was doing (taking contracts to kill less than reputable men) as unclean and not worthy of using her samurai blade for. after she completes the ARR quests for samurai going into heavensward, however, chiyo's childhood love for her blade is returned, and she gives up mercenary work to become a part-time samurai again with the scions.

though she was tasked with killing lord lolorito by teledji adeleji, chiyo chose to give up being a mercenary and to "go straight" just before the praetorium, having been positively influenced by the other scions. unfortunately, this meant that yugiri and the doman refugees suffered the consequences of that, when lolorito refused to accept them into ul'dah. though it was a blessing in disguise as they were able to go to revenant's toll instead. still, chiyo resents lolorito for it and blames herself, as always.

the sylphs were very impressed by chiyo's dancing (her having been a performer for many years) and call her "dancing one" as a result. they also tried to marry her to ramuh (read: temper her). she politely but firmly declined.

chiyo loves moogles and was mostly busy fawning over king moggle mog during the trial. useless bard.

chiyo taught yugiri and the other doman au'ra how to apply a linkpearl behind the horn properly, as when she arrived to the west, she had no one to teach her.

chiyo is obsessed with nanamo: she thinks she's incredibly cute and idolizes the sultana. she actually sleeps with a plushie of nanamo, though she keeps it a secret. her idolization is no secret, though, given her very evident fangirling everytime they interact.

chiyo was shocked that doma had rebelled and been crushed in her absence, as she had left doma years before; she blames herself and feels that if she had been there, she could've helped, though it's more likely she would've just died. during the rebellion, chiyo's ex-boyfriend was killed by a particular garlean, and it comes up again in stormblood. chiyo receives an echo of the event upon meeting yugiri but doesn't know how to decipher it until stormblood.

chiyo is terrified of water and threw up over the railing multiple times during the leviathan trial.

[wildstar25]

Friendship charts \o/

Originals (x,x)

I feel like Arsay's is pretty self explanatory if you've been following her story/reading my texts posts about her. The scions are her family, even the ones listed as "close friends", I just didn't want to give everyone blue lol.

- Urianger is Arsay's most complicated relationship. Mostly due to the fact that she didn't really get what he was saying most of the time. She was distrusting of him due to what he did in the heavensward patches; even if it was for a good cause, Alisaie and the others could have been seriously hurt due the conflict Urianger forced upon the group. He regained her trust by the time of stormblood patches, but immediately lost it again in Shadowbringers. She was already upset he didn't fully inform her of the potential consequences of the light poisoning (not that knowing would have changed her mind or anything. she still would have taken down the wardens.). Then, after Mt.Gulg, Arsay would have probably launched herself at him claws out if she wasn't feeling so physically unwell. She felt completely manipulated. Like specifically in my canon of events, it's Urianger who pushes Arsay to confess to Y'shtola. Kind as it was at the time, it was hard not to feel like it was a ploy in hindsight. If she and Y'shtola were together, then G'raha's sacrifice would be easier for Arsay to swallow. Urianger coming at this from a place of genuine caring for his friend's feelings, per-emtively easing her from a broken heart. But instread of that, Arsay now has to deal with something even worse: confronting the fact she has feelings for both Y'shtola and G'raha and not being sure what to do about that. Not really something you want to be thinking about while also barely holding on to your humanity and trying to save the world.

Anyways, it's not until after they talk on the moon in endwalker that she feels like she can fully forgive Urianger and move forward as friends. She knows him and Thancred are together, so that kinda makes him like an older brother in law.

As an aside since it's on the arrow, Alisaie did have a crush on Arsay. Very much a normal teen crush where admiration quickly turns to infatuation. It started in coils, got worse by stormblood, and finally fizzed out by shadowbringers patches. Arsay being in an active relationship let Alisaie get over it fairly quickly, though she did give g'raha a hard time for a while. Now Alisaie is incredibly embarrassed by that crush and it's a "secret" she will take to the grave.

-

Lethe is just... not good at being close with people. So those friends on the list are pretty much her only friends, minus a convocation member or two. It doesn't really matter because by the final days she feels betrayed by all of them. But for a quick explanation:

She grew up with Hith and Hades. Hades eventually fell in love with her, but she could never return those kinds of feelings. They did travel together for a time after concluding their studies, and they did get intimate but Lethe approached it from a friends with benefits lens, while Hades could never properly express the depths of his feelings and just took what he could get. They parted ways when Lethe met Venat and was taken under her wing.

Venat was a great mentor to Lethe, which says a lot given how difficult of a person she was. Not just to teach but to be around with in general. Regardless Venat believed in Lethe and knew she could be a great Azem, she just also very much hoped that after some years of being in the position would give Lethe a wider perspective on life. After Venat met Arsay, she did not contact Lethe once and she placed a magic on herself that made her immune to the Azem summoning spell. It was a hard choice, but she had to do it.

The complications for meteion is more so that Lethe just happen to run into Hermes while he was still planning out his dynamis creation. Lethe spouted some really cryptic nonsense at him and made some "suggestions" on meteion's design. Mostly that it should be blue, instead of the dreary grey that Hermes was working with. I have a comic in the works for the interaction but I'd need to get back to it.

[myreia]

Divergence of the Heart

CHAPTER TWO: THE NATURE OF THE BEAST

Chapter Rating: Mature (full story rating is Explicit) Characters: Aureia Malathar (WoL), Aymeric de Borel, Thancred Waters, Hilda Ware Pairings: Aureia/Aymeric, Aureia/Thancred, Thancred/Hilda Chapter Words: 4,788 Notes: Set during the Heavensward patches. Summary: Aureia Malathar may have made a name for herself in Ishgard, but her deeds come with a hefty personal toll. Despite her victories at the Grand Melee she has never felt more unsure of herself. Her relationship with Thancred—the person she thought knew her the best—is strained, yet she cannot abandon him. Aymeric is falling for her harder with each passing day, yet she cannot bring herself to accept it. All may be fair in love and war, but at least war is predictable. Love on the other hand… Chapters: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 Read on AO3 Avi’li Sostomi belongs to my dear friend @lilas!

When she reaches the Forgotten Knight, Aureia shoves the doors open and clatters down the stairs. Though the sound causes some heads to turn, the tavern quickly reverts to its drunken murmurings and clandestine conversations. She has always had an affection for Gibrillont’s establishment. The lighting is dark, the hearths warm, the food and drink good. She is rarely identified as the Warrior of Light here, blending in with crowds too drunk to recognize her. Here, everyone’s business is their own. Here, she is just another patron stepping in from the cold.

“Ah, Aureia!” Gibrillont nods in welcome, his hands occupied by cleaning out tankards with a worn rag. “I hear congratulations are in order—”

She rests her arms on the counter and leans into it. “No. Not in order. As far as I’m concerned, nothing of significance happened today.”

He pauses, regarding her with a knowing smile on his face. “Very well,” he says. “‘Tis but an ordinary day, with ordinary struggles.”

“And ordinary drinks,” she adds pointedly.

Gibrillont chuckles and stoops, resurfacing a moment later with a bottle. “Then perhaps this miraculous brew will serve you well, Mistress Malathar,” he says and slides it across the counter to her waiting hand.

Aureia eyes him—the honorific has not gone unnoticed—and hefts the bottle. Wine. Likely cheap, likely strong, and likely to give her a phenomenal hangover the next morning. “Thanks,” she grunts. The dark glass slips against her fingerless glove and she reacts quickly, tightening her grip before she drops it.

His eyes narrow. “I apologize if this is not my place,” he says carefully, picking up the rag and returning to cleaning tankards. “But I suspect this is not a celebratory drink.”

The nape of her neck prickles. Thoughts of Thancred race through her mind, jagged and raw. No matter how hard she tries to banish him, he lingers. Making a face, she yanks the cork out and downs a mouthful of wine. She coughs, the tart, heady scent clogging her nostrils, the fragrant flavour lingering on her tongue.

“There’s nothing to celebrate tonight, Gibrillont,” she says and slams a handful of gil on the counter. “I’m here to get drunk.”

Bottle in hand, Aureia forces her way through the crowd, searching for a table. The cacophony of a dozen conversations fills her ears. From the merchants to the off-duty Temple Knights to minor scions of lesser nobility, all are focused on one thing: the Grand Melee, the Alliance, and the Warrior of Light’s thrilling duel with General Raubahn.

Notably—at least to her—Sidurgu is absent from his usual post. He must have not wanted Rielle caught in the midst of all this revelry, not when there are so many Temple Knights around. The day they dispatched Ystride de Caulignot together is still raw in her mind. Though the church has changed, any number of her former allies or supporters could be among the knights’ numbers.

Aureia pauses in the centre, twisting left and right as she scans the room. “Seven hells,” she mutters, taking another swig. She is glad for their success, truly, she is. Aymeric was correct, this was the only way to incorporate Ishgard into the Alliance without upsetting the Holy See’s delicate internal politics. She hates to give it to him, but Thancred was right—Ishgardian pride has been the source too many of their difficulties. The whole nation is too arrogant for its own good.

And the last thing she needs now is a recount of her heroics on refrain.

Pushing her way through a cluster of loud-mouthed knights, she rounds the corner and flies down the stairs, disappearing into the lower level.

Aureia feels the change as she descends. Though Aymeric is doing his best to pave a way for a new future, dismantling a thousand years of tradition is not a feat accomplished overnight. The highborn and the lowborn still separate instinctively, and that divide could not be more palpable than in the Forgotten Knight. The hearths are dark, the rooms cramped, the floors and tables scratched. The air is mustier here, thick with the scents of the Brume. But the alcohol is strong, the patrons lively, and there is a sense of fierce, fearless freedom about this place that she has never found upstairs.

“Aw, c’mon, Avi, I had it that time!”

A familiar voice cuts through the din. Aureia pauses on the third step and scans the room, searching. Hilda sits slung in a chair, boots on the table, cards in her hand. A wrought iron lamp lies off to the side, its candle casting a warm glow over a collection of discarded plates and half-finished tankards. Her carbine rests against the wall behind her, its polished finishings glinting in the dim light.

A white-haired Miqo’te perches across from her, his tail curled casually around one of his stool’s legs. He holds his cards close to his face, eyes alight with an impish grin. “Looks like fortune says otherwise,” he says. “I win.”

Hilda harumphs and tosses her cards. “Cheater,” she snorts, grabbing her tankard. “You’re never this good.”

His ear twitches. “Or perhaps the sun has finally risen, understanding has dawned, and I am finally decent at Triple Triad,” he replies, rolling a card between his fingers. “Play enough and even the worst of us get better eventually.”

She eyes him over her tankard and takes a drink. “Or you cheated.”

“I did not.”

“Keep telling yourself that—”

The Miqo’te chortles and throws down his cards, forearms pressed against the table as he dissolves into a fit of laughter. Hilda coughs and lowers her tankard. Spotting Aureia from across the room, she balances it on her knee and raises a hand in greeting.

“I was just beginning to think I wouldn’t see you tonight,” she says casually, adjusting her feet as Aureia draws close. She gestures to her companion. “Avi’li, Aureia—Aureia, Avi’li. Don’t trust him, he cheats at Triple Triad.”

Avi’li’s mouth drops open. “I don’t cheat—” 

“Mhm. You’ll have to be more convincing than that.”

Avi’li flashes her a grin as she pulls up a chair. “Always good to meet a friend of Hilda’s,” he says, eyes flicking curiously from her to Hilda and back again. They narrow with that distinct inquisitiveness that comes over anyone who spots the two women together. “Pardon the intrusion, but you two aren’t—”

“No,” Aureia and Hilda say together.

It’s become a habit—if six separate incidents so far can be called a habit. From their similar colouring, heritage, and builds, it is easy for the indiscriminate eye to assume they are sisters. After all, how many ruby-eyed, black-haired women of mixed Hyur and Elezen parentage find their way to Ishgard? The truth of the matter is that their origins couldn’t be more different. But despite it, they are connected—if not by mutual experience, then by respect and solidarity. Hilda has been one of the few in Ishgard unafraid of her reputation and status. Her keen awareness and blunt honesty are a breath of fresh air in a nation who has alternatively seen her as a hero to be worshipped or a threat to be put down.

Aureia is forever grateful for it.

“I see you came prepared,” Hilda continues, eyeing the wine bottle as Aureia places her staff against the wall and throws herself into her chair. “You made a memorable display in the Grand Melee today. Tired of all the lordlings fawning over you, I reckon?”  

“Didn’t stay around for that,” Aureia replies, slouching down.

She regards her with an amused smile. “Abandoning Aymeric to field them for you? Now I feel sorry for the poor sod. I wonder how many propositions of marriage have landed on his desk in the past half-day.”

“None, if I have anything to say about it,” Aureia replies, raising the bottle to her lips. The wine is just as sour the second time as it was the first.

Hilda chuckles and shakes her head, her long, dark ponytail rippling down her back. “Don’t think you have a choice there, Aur,” she says grimly. “If you hadn’t won over the blue bloods yet, you’ve certainly done so today. More eyes are on you now than ever before.”  

She grimaces.

“If you wanted to avoid this mess entirely, you could have… I dunno… thrown the fight with that general bloke. But that would have led to quite an upset. Best not think on it now, eh?”

She grunts noncommittally into her bottle and takes another drink.

Hilda presses her lips together, eyes narrowed, and slowly unfurls. “Give us a moment here, huh, Avi?” she says, removing her feet from the table.

Avi’li glances at Aureia, his tail flicking quietly behind him. “Good to meet you, Aureia,” he says with a graceful bow. “See you around sometime, yeah?” Swiping his tankard from the table, he turns and threads his way through the crowd.

Hilda folds her arms across her chest. “Right,” she says as he disappears. “Now tell me what’s really going on. I ain’t seen you like this since Haurchefant passed.”

“Nothing,” Aureia replies, sipping on her bottle. “What’s wrong with wanting a drink?”

“Because you shouldn’t be drinking on your own after that display today!” Hilda grips her chair by the seat and drags it forward. The legs scrape horrifically as she shuffles it across the floor. “You should be celebrating. With your fellow Scions, the Ul’dahn delegation, or hells… why not Aymeric? You should have seen the look on his face when you disappeared. So, tell me—” She prods a finger into Aureia’s shoulder. “What in the seven hells are you doing down here with a bottle of Gibrillont’s worst wine, looking like the world just ended?”

Aureia lowers her bottle, chewing her lip as she stares absently at the flickering candle. “It’s nothing,” she says. “I’m tired. And someone who I thought was my friend may no longer…”

She trails off, the words catching painfully in her throat. Saying it now is as good as admitting it. She isn’t prepared for that—not yet. As furious as she is with Thancred, she sees too much of herself in him. He is struggling with something he refuses to voice, something she knows all too well. She should have seen it the moment he ran off after the cyclops on his own. It wasn’t that long ago that she was going through the same motions, taking off across Coerthas on her own, battling whatever monsters she could find alone and unprepared.

But Aureia had help when her luck ran out. Estinien tirelessly shadowed her as she stupidly threw herself into fight after fight, pulling her out when she encountered a foe she could not handle alone. Sid watched her back, his initial resentment and mistrust bleeding into hope and faith as they stood their ground against Rielle’s pursuers. Hells, she thought she foolishly thought she was alone when she came to Ishgard, but she was wrong. So impossibly wrong. Alphinaud and Tataru never gave up on her, even when she pushed them away. Even Ysayle—wonderful, relentless Ysayle who had risked so much and sacrificed all—came for her at the eleventh bell.

But Thancred has no one. He was fortunate today, scraping by with only a handful of minor wounds. If Y’shtola’s theory is correct and his aether is disrupted… How long will it be before he puts himself in a situation he cannot overcome?

Bastard, she thinks. Wherever you’re going, don’t you dare get yourself killed for this. I’ll never forgive you if you do. 

Hilda sighs irritably and plucks the bottle from her hand.

Aureia opens her mouth in protest. “Hey—”

Hilda sets it on the table and firmly pushes it out of the way. Twisting around, she grips her by the forearms and pulls her in. “Listen to me, Aur,” she says, staring her in the eye. “That friend of yours? Fuck them. If they’re making you feel this miserable, tell them to bugger off. You’re the bloody Warrior of Light, you don’t have many chances to catch a break. Good days are priceless where you’re concerned. Don’t let anyone ruin that for you.”

Aureia swallows hard. If only it were that easy… “I’m trying,” she says.

Hilda raises an eyebrow.

“I am,” she insists. “Give me my wine back.”

Hilda smirks. Swiping the bottle off the table, she digs her heels into the floor and pushes herself backwards, sending her chair scooting across the floor and out of reach. She leans back, one leg crossed casually over the other, and eyeing Aureia as she raises the bottle to her mouth and takes a long drink. Grimacing, she lowers the bottle and coughs into the back of her hand. “Yeah…” she says hoarsely, holding the bottle out. “That’s, uh… bad. Extremely bad. I’m gonna have to have a word with Gibrillont over how bad that is, aren’t I.”

Aureia snorts with laughter and retrieves the bottle, taking another swig. The tartness has begun to fade—or perhaps it’s turned her tongue numb. Looping a lock of hair behind her ear, she lounges in her chair and casts an eye around the tavern. The cacophony washes over her, the noise and commotion strangely soothing after the icy silence on the bridge.

Hilda retrieves her own drink. “If you want my advice, Aur—”

“Hmm… not particularly, no.”

She chuckles. “Too bad. I’m gonna give it to you anyway.”

Aureia makes a face.

Hilda shifts in her seat, her foot bouncing on her knee. “If I were you, I’d find someone to enjoy myself with,” she says. “Take the edge off, eh? Have a little fun. Don’t say it hasn’t occurred to you. Someone like you, with your standing and fame? You must have more than one suitor calling—”

Aureia flushes. “Not interested in that,” she says firmly.

“No?” She raises an eyebrow. “Not once? Not in all this time you’ve been in Ishgard? Surely someone here has caught your eye—”

“Not interested.”

“Not even that Auri fellow? The one upstairs with the girl following him around like a lost puppy?”

The description twists sharply on her gut. “Rielle isn’t a lost puppy. And Sid and I—”

“Oh ho?” Hilda raises an eyebrow, her smirk barely contained. “Never realized you were on first-name basis with those two. Is there something you ain’t telling me, or am I to figure it out for myself?”

Aureia rolls her eyes. “It’s not what you think.”

“No? He’s a handsome enough bloke, if you ask me—”

“Well, I’m not—”

“The only time I see that scowl wiped off his face is when you’re around.”

“Sidurgu and I are friends, that’s it. Besides, I said I wasn’t interested in all that and I meant it.”

Hilda shuts her mouth and raises her hands, silently indicating that the point has been made and understood.

Aureia sighs, rapping her fingers against the bottle. This is not an easy discussion to have—and certainly not now, certainly not here, certainly not with Hilda.

This isn’t about Sid. It’s not.  

She flushes at the thought and shoves it away, annoyed at her friend for making assumptions. There’s no point belabouring where she and Sid stand, they aren’t anything more than war comrades. Though there have been times when she has wondered differently. A casual touch here, a look there… She flushes remembering the scolding of the century he gave her after she threw herself in front of him and Rielle and took a temple knight’s blade to the gut. Bleeding out in the ass-end of Coerthas, turning bright snow to red sludge, while he cursed and swore and made her promise to never do anything so foolish again.

But even if it were different, would she even want to act on it? There’s a queasiness in her stomach whenever a subject like this is raised, a sense that something isn’t right with her. She envies how damn easy it is for others. It’s not about love—she knows what that feels like, and how intensely it can strike—but intimacy. It has always been a barricade, growing larger and more insurmountable with every passing year, not helped by her utter lack of interest in sex.

Sometimes she wonders if it’s too late for her. Even if her feelings on the matter have shifted in recent years, it’s easier to ignore it entirely than admit this humiliating truth.

“Point taken,” Hilda says finally. “I see why you like to drink now.”

Aureia grimaces, bristling at the tone. She shoves a hand into her seat and pushes herself upright. “I—”

A hand brushes her shoulder.

She reacts on instinct. Ripping free of its grasp, she throws herself out of her chair and falls into a defensive stance, hands raised, fingers curled. A messenger in silver and blue stares at her, mouth agape, fear in his eyes.

“Mistress Malathar?” he stammers. “I meant no offense—”

“Announce yourself properly next time,” she snaps, dropping her stance and folding her arms. “What do you want? Which House do you represent?”

“I… uh…” The messenger flushes and stares at his feet, still shaken. The Elezen must be relatively young. Though he is much taller than her, he is gangly and nervous. Oddly, he reminds her of Emmanellain. “May we speak upstairs? The message I bear is not for… well… certain ears.”

Aureia exchanges looks with Hilda. Despite recent advances, some things never change.

“Us lowborn, you mean?” Hilda offers, a dark look in her eye. “Are you that scared of the Brume, boy? You’re gonna have to work on that if you intend to remain a messenger for the Lord Commander.”

Aureia curses inwardly, taking in the messenger’s colours once again. Of course. Temple Knights… The messenger is from Aymeric. She’s had more to drink than she thought and she’s falling into foolishness.

“Seven hells,” Aureia mutters and ushers the boy forward. “Let’s talk upstairs.”

She guides him through the crowd to the foot of the stairs, then clambers up them two at a time. He follows, his armour clinking in her ears, and breathes an audible sigh of relief when they surface on the upper floor.

Leading him into a far corner, she takes up position with her back to the wall and crosses her arms. “Now, then,” she says brusquely. “What is this about?”

The messenger quickly salutes. “Mistress Malathar, I bear a message from Ser Aymeric.”

“Yes. I gathered that. What is it?”

“I… I don’t know. It is here.”

He proffers a letter, stamped and sealed with the insignia of House Borel.

Aureia takes it from his shaking hand, brow furrowed, and flips it over. Aymeric has written her many times, but always in an official capacity as Lord Commander of the Temple Knights. But now he’s using the insignia of his own house… This isn’t official. This is personal.

Her heart clenches. “Is that all?” she asks.

The messenger nods, bowing, and retreats. Aureia watches him go, rubbing the envelope’s luxurious parchment between her fingers, her mind racing. Though part of her wants nothing more than to race down the stairs and return to Hilda’s company and the comfort of her wine, curiosity has set her aflame.

Why the personal message? What does Aymeric want?

Chewing her lower lip, she tears the envelope open and unfolds the letter.

Aureia,    I am loathe to begin with “congratulations are in order” as I am certain you have heard that phrase far too much today. Nevertheless, it is true. This victory was more than a simple triumph in the heat of friendly combat. We have secured Ishgard’s position within the Alliance and safeguarded the course to her future. I cannot say how grateful I am for your involvement. Nor would I have wanted to be the one opposing you on the field of battle! Livia assures me that General Raubahn holds no grievance over the thrashing you gave him. I am told he was beaming with pride at his defeat and has requested a rematch the next time your travels bring you to Ul’dah.    I must apologize for conveying this within a letter. This conversation is ill-suited to the pen—one-sided even, as it leaves no opportunity for your immediate reply—but circumstances allowed us no time for proper conversation once the melee had concluded. Or perhaps I am merely accustomed to writing to you now, given how far your travels now take you from Ishgard.   You recall my somewhat mortifying request for a drink some nights ago? I would ask again. Perhaps more legitimately, this time, and with more grace and sincerity. I did not intend to put you on the spot with my words the last time, and yet I did. I do not begrudge the silence you gave me in return, I was, to put it quite frankly, a fool.    And so I ask again. Please, my dearest friend. Join me for an evening. It would be a delight to spend the night in your company.  

Aureia exhales slowly, staring blankly at the elegant script. A lump forms in her throat, her heart beating rapidly. Aymeric, as always, is far too kind to her. Too thoughtful, too genuine, too damn polite. She doesn’t know why he thinks so highly of her when she is prickly and disagreeable, no charm, no patience, all sharp edges. But their friendship has been tried and tested through more ordeals than she count this past year. He has been the one consistency through it all.

Once she thought it was Thancred who kept her grounded, but then the bloody banquet fractured the Scions and the man he was then is now gone forever. After her flight to Ishgard, Haurchefant was a shining beacon, as dear to her as the brother she never had—and now he is gone, cut down before her very eyes. Estinien was her source of strength in the dark days that followed, their rivalry softening to friendship over the course of their trials. He, too, is now gone, lost to Nidhogg’s rage.  

But Aymeric has remained a firm, resolute presence in her life.

She remembers that day in his office, when he blurted out his initial invitation. She was so shocked, she couldn’t even garble a reply, staring at him with her eyes wide, like a deer facing a hunter. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks not long after and she excused herself, passing through his door with her back perfectly straight, praying that he did not see the colour on her cheeks.

It was only after that she realized he intended it as a friend. A friend. Somehow, that only made her response all the more humiliating…

At least she knows he was as mortified as she was. She can take solace in the fact that they can be fools in equal measure.

Aureia folds the letter and stuffs it in her pocket. She needs to return to her room, write a reply… Or perhaps it would be faster to go to him herself? Then again, there is wine on her breath and she is still sweat stained from the melee. Better to write him. He doesn’t need to see her like this.

She is halfway to her room in the inn when she remembers her staff is on the lower levels. Cursing inwardly, she wheels around and hurries through the tavern, weaving in and out of the crowd. Clattering down the stairs, she makes beeline for her table—

Her staff is there, but Hilda is gone.

Aureia pauses, frowning in confusion as she retrieves her staff and straps it to her back. The messy collection of plates and tankards remain. Even her bottle of wine is there, now emptied. In the centre of the table, the lamp’s candle flickers from a pool of wax, burning down to the stub. Its light glints off Hilda’s carbine, left unattended against the wall. She must be here, somewhere… It’s not like her to forget her weapon.

Grabbing the carbine, she withdraws from the table and casts an eye around the premises. The floor is emptier than before, many of the patrons having found their way outside one way or another. Aureia rounds the tables, searching, but Hilda is nowhere to be found. And she wasn’t upstairs, either… Either she exited to the Brume or she’s elsewhere in the tavern. The Forgotten Knight is filled with pockets of odd space—knotted hallways leading nowhere, oddly-shaped rooms tucked away in the corners or beneath the stairs. There are plenty of places she could have gone. Patrons find their way to them for one reason or another.

Slipping through a door, Aureia paces down a tight, dark hallway, cradling the heavy carbine against her chest. Her throat is dry, her head is aching—she forgot to drink water and now the side-effects of Gibrillont’s miraculous brew raising their ugly heads. She blinks, ignoring her body’s complaints, and pushes on. She can’t leave now. She needs to find Hilda.

“…so you admit it, then?”

“Admit what?”

Voices echo through an open door. Droll and heady, drunk on too much wine and spirits.

“…and here I thought it would take more than that for you to say you felt some affection for me.”

“Affection? Please. Far too strong a word.”

Auriea’s heart leaps into her throat. She freezes in the shadows of the hall, floorboards creaking underfoot. Hilda and Thancred stand together in the adjoining room, their profiles illuminated by the dusty moonlight filtering through the narrow window. His arms are locked around her, pulling her into him. She tilts her chin, a playful smile on her lips, red eyes dancing wickedly. 

“You wound me, my lady,” he says, his lips brushing her cheek.

She smirks. “Not a lady.”

“To me you are.”

“Oh, please. Is that what you tell all the women in your life or did you truly expect a line like that to work on me?”

He kisses her, fierce and desperate. She melts into it, her fingers scraping the sides of his face, his jaw, pulling him into her. His fingers brush her ear, tentatively cupping the point, and thread through her hair. He releases it from its tail and the dark waves fall free, flowing over her shoulders and shadowing her face like a curtain. She chuckles huskily and shoves him back against the wall. He grunts and seizes her, lifting her up. She wraps her legs around him and allows him to spin them around.

Hilda pulls back from his kiss, face flushed and eyes wild, and scrapes her fingers through his hair. “You sure about this?” she asks huskily, lips pressed against his ear. “Don’t mistake me for her. Because I’m not.”

He freezes, his arms going stiff. “I am here for you. Only you.”

“Good. Just wanted to be clear—”

He kisses her, pinning her to the wall, his mouth on hers, still kissing, always kissing. She presses against him, her hands wandering, reaching, urgent, desperate—

Aureia tears her eyes away, cheeks flushed with the heat of anger and humiliation. She stoops, setting the carbine against the doorframe, and stalks down the hall. She doesn’t care if the floor creaks, if they hear her footsteps, if they know she was there. Chances are they never noticed. Chances are they will never know.

Bitter tears pang in the corners of her eyes. Seven hells, why is she crying? Why does she care so much? They are her friends. She should be happy if they’ve managed to find some solace in each other, gods know they’ve needed it. It’s not like she could give it to them herself, what with the way she is. Even if she wanted to, it’s too much.

Too much.

She kicks the hallway door open and storms through the tavern, scattering the remaining patrons in front of her. Gibrillont catches her eye when she storms up the stairs and quickly retreats. He knows better than to interfere. He know he must leave her be.

Aureia is certain she will become a snivelling mess when she finds privacy. But when she reaches her room, the tears refuse to fall. The best she can do is lay on her bed, staring numbly into the silver of moonlight dancing across her floor, and let her symptoms take her. She will welcome the hangover tomorrow. No matter how bad it is, it is nothing compared to the pain and isolation she feels tonight.

Aymeric’s letter remains folded in her pocket, all but forgotten.

[fisherrprince]

Oh hey! Welcome to stormblood :D! So, how are your overall opinions of Heavensward now that you're one the cusp of new expansion?

Hello hello! /bow

I liked it!! I liked it quite a lot I think, but I definitely think the best parts were about the dragons (the first half of base expansion with Ysayle and then 3.2-3 with Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr and Estinien) (I got sad when we left Ysayle :( ) — which, admittedly, is probably because I really love dragons. But it’s also I think structured more engagingly, I was really interested in what everyone had to say and react to. I think I stopped to talk to almost everyone anytime I could, and I really want to remember to look at item descriptions because they have TEXT in them and sometimes they’re FUNNY.. The dungeons got progressively cooler too :D

I wasn’t quite as interested in the allagans this time (or the pope I kept forgetting about him— to be honest the ishgardian half of the story was really interesting as it contributed to the whole of the story, I love how the writers are handling the complexity of human conflict and rage thus far, but I found that chasing down the pope at the end took quite a while because we also had the scions stuff in there too, which was more interesting, and I think the amount of interest just conflicted with the pacing. If I look at Heavensward without the post patch quests it has very odd pacing but with them it’s perfectly fine.) (but also the — what’sit the whale primal trial — I’ve heard is disliked but I found it really really fascinating when I did it for the first time! Maybe because it’s novel) (and also while I LOVE the hand that gives the rose, I cannot get behind unbending steel. I can’t tell if people are joking when they say it’s one of the best songs. I don’t… like it, it sounds goofy to me), but that’s also just because Azys Lla is, all offense to allag, butt ugly?? The Crystal Tower is so pretty how did you create this narsty place. Bring me back to G’raha. I also think the interjections with the Ul’dahn syndicate early on were hit or miss entirely, sometimes very satisfying and investing and sometimes I just… I don’t like the wizard lady or her wizard hat.

anyways, Hilda is my new friend, I like her. I, um, don’t think I got as attached to haurchefant as many others did, but I appreciate how well-written a good death scene is, I do. And I really felt like we got to see way more (and deeper and better-articulated) character personality and interaction than we did in arr! I liked that!!! We had little flavor text jokes everywhere! I like my friends tataru and alphinaud and although I will have to decline Aymeric’s request for a date, I would love to hang out. I will be going on a date with Vidofnir. I want to see more of where dragons actually, like, live.

also both the “final battles” were very very cool. Like immensely cool I think I legit cackled to myself a couple times (hraesvelgr’s eye being one of them) thank u dragons everyone say thank you dragons. Also everyone say thank you to soken and uematsu. And the cinematic animators. And the fight designers. And

and — I’m not sure where post-heavensward stops and pre-stormblood begins, but I assume it ends with nidhogg and starts with the warriors of darkness? in that case I’ll hold my opinions of pre-stormblood since I’m not done. bless it for having alisaie leveilleur. goodnight

[alannah-corvaine]

Hello! In regards to the shipping meme you just posted, can you answer 32 please? And maybe 6?

Ship and OC Relationship Creative Process Asks

6. How easy do you find it to write (or otherwise portray) non-sexual affection between characters? This might include terms of endearment, “pet-names”, descriptions of cuddling or stroking the other’s head in their lap etc.

In some ways it's much easier to write general affection (physical, verbal, or otherwise) than anything sexual because I don't have to try to think of flowery metaphors or euphemisms for what's going on when I don't feel like being explicit or crude (which is more often than not). I mean, I'll still use plenty of purple prose for it, but it feels less like I'm trying to put a mask on it and more like just trying to find ways to amplify the emotion of the moment.

32. If you ship your OC with a particular canon character, then what was it about that character that drew you to them? Is it that you have a certain “type” when it comes to shipping? Or did you surprise yourself with who you felt drawn towards? If your OC is in a relationship with another OC then did you change any aspects of either of their backstories or personalities to make this work?

So I didn't really actively start to ship Alannah with Ardbert until Shadowbringers was announced and it was revealed that we'd be seeing the Warriors of Darkness again. With that said, the confrontation at the Bowl of Embers in patch 3.4 is my favorite scene in the game, and Ardbert's "We Did Everything Right" monologue was 100% my oh it's you moment and still lives rent free in my head, but at the time I was shipping Alannah with another OC and so the idea of putting her together with Ardbert kind of stayed in the back of my head as just an AU for several years.

I love Ardbert as a character and Joe Dempsie did a phenomenal job putting so much emotion into his performance, even as far back as Heavensward. But what I love about the ship is that Ardbert feels like the one person who is on equal footing with the Warrior of Light in terms of both power and the emotional weight of the pressures they carry. That combination is absolute catnip to me, but also like...mage x warrior battle couple.

I might try to fight it at times, but jocky sad warrior men with emotional intelligence is for sure one of my two primary types.

@reassambled-dragoon thank you for the ask!!

[quinn-borel]

Who felt romantic feelings first?

Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

What would their lives be like if they had never met?

Who felt romantic feelings first?

Scholars (myself) still are perplexed to this day which Borel caught feelings first.  When did Quinn’s lustful pining turn into genuine romantic feelings?  When did Aymeric’s manipulative use of people turn into genuine thoughts of wanting to spend his life with that person?  It’s hard to tell.  There were little pips of romantic feelings on Aymeric’s end that he brushed off during the main events of Heavensward, while Quinn’s romantic feelings for Aymeric as she watched over him post-Vault (fic to come soon) in the infirmary could be argued as her trying to push Haurchefant’s death out of her mind.  We (myself) simply are perplexed and need to replay Heavensward to really pinpoint where the true romantic feelings really hit!

Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Oh, Y E S.  Very much so.  When Aymeric did feel those romantic feelings for Quinn he did all that he could to push them back because of his station and the fact that he felt unworthy of the Warrior of Light’s companionship.  He toiled about it for months during the main events of HW and even patch-HW. 

Quinn, on the other hand, hadn’t felt romantic feelings for someone since ARR with Thancred (early ARR, right before his Laha possession).  (To put it into perspective for my canon timeline, that’s like 4 years.)  When she thought about genuinely spending time with Aymeric and had that inner calling to stay by his side, she was torn and confused.  His ascension to a city-state leader also didn’t help her and she tried to resist as best as she could because of his station. 

What would their lives be like if they had never met?

If Aymeric was delegated to only speaking with, say, Alphinaud during the events of Post-ARR/HW and Quinn stayed off to the side, then I could see events themselves playing out as normal but Quinn never growing out of her ARR antics.  She would continue to sleep around, drink, and be merry but never really finding happiness.  Even with Thancred coming back in patch-HW content, he’s a different person and she could never see them being an item again. 

Further down the timeline, come Shadowbringers, she would have probably succumbed to the light without having much to ground her to fight for.  And even if she survived that, Endwalker she would have surely turned into a blasphemy for the same reason.

Her love for Aymeric ties further into her love for the star.  He opens her eyes to the beauty of the world and the people who are worth fighting for. 

Maybe, maybe, Thancred could fill that role, but he has his own baggage and his own wobbly sense of hope.

On Aymeric’s end, we know from EW Caster Role Quests he would have turned into a Blasphemy had it not been for the WoL, so there’s that 😊

[dainesanddaffodils]

Was so exciting to finish a new expansion with everybody! lizard had so many new characters to Feel Things about! So here's another post of her character feelings!!

(I’ll also do this again post-patches but since I now have to do the waiting thing again I want to do this now lol)

Thoughts post-ARR | Thoughts post-Heavensward | Thoughts post-Stormblood | Thoughts post-Shadowbringers | Thoughts post-Endwalker

And now, without further ado, Cimorene Greystone’s post-Dawntrail relationship vibes!!

Wuk Lamat - Cimorene cares about her and wants nothing but good things for her. That said, she also kinda holds herself at arms length because she doesn’t want to become… essential to Tural’s leadership if that makes sense. It's how she is with all leaders in her life (see: Aymeric). With all the love in her heart, no, she won't be on your council.

Erenville - sad. I wish Cimorene could say more than that but truly, she just feels so much sadness for this bun. She hopes he finds peace and joy in adventuring because honestly no one deserves it more than him.

Krile - Cimorene has always loved her so much and considered her family but had never, like, felt comfortable enough to really tell her that. She sure did after this expansion and everything that went down there. Had a nice long talk and cry about it. Krile's now probably one of her closest friends.

Alphinaud - lowkey a little miffed that, even while on the same team, the two of them were usually pulled different directions and she didn’t get to have Heavensward Roadtrip pt. II with him. It was giving 'baby brother is all grown up' vibes and she's not ready for that lmao She's always glad to have him around when she can.

Alisaie - forgot that she’s so feisty when she doesn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders. Cimorene loves that for her and wound up bonding with her a lot more than expected. Was really glad that she and Wuk Lamat could bond, too, as she felt that kind of friendship was more what Wuk Lamat needed and she herself didn't think she could provide.

Urianger - genuinely the (albeit shortlived) friendly competition of the rite of succession put them on better terms than they ever were in earlier expansions. She actually considers him a good friend now. Wild.

Thancred - similar to the above. she had a better relationship with him going in than she did with Uriagner but it still has to be said that this is the closest she's ever felt to him. She's loved catching him grow more comfortable with being a mentor.

Estinien - while she would absolutely love traveling with him, don’t get her wrong, randomly encountering each other while on their own journeys was already where they intended to take the relationship so she’s quite happy with how it played out (though I will say they did spend more time together than canon says lmao - namely, they spent a night in Tuliyollal before he went wandering again and the rite fully kicked off)

(He... maybe also knocked her up then but she learns that very very late in game and they haven’t talked about it yet lmao)

G'raha - Still not her closest personal friend, per se, but she trusts and respects him a lot and so him showing up after the attack on Tuliyollal really put her mounting fears at (relative) ease. Similarly grateful for his presence during her time in Heritage Found and Living Memory. He helped ground her.

Y'shtola - was ALSO really glad to have Y'shtola around when shit started to really hit the fan. That's her emotional support archon now and always. hoping to chat more with her about weird shard fusion nonsense in the patches *crosses fingers*

Koana - He was so engimatic at first that it took a minute for Cimorene to trust him, even when he started opening up, but by the time he forfitted being a claiment to help his sister, she was won over. She's still not like, close friends with him by any means, but she thinks he's a good man and trusts him to be a good ruler.

Galool Ja Ja - speaking of good men and good rulers, Cimorene loved this man so much! Getting to have a friendly sparring match with him was an absolute fucking delight and losing him brought back very stong memories of losing her dad. It was. rough.

Zoraal Ja - we were rooting for you we were all rooting for you how dare you! she really did want to give him the benefit of the doubt during the rite, especially when he joined in the trial, but she also didn't spare a second before switching to Kill Mode after he murdered Galool Ja Ja. She does not take well to patricide.

Bakool Ja Ja - was also giving him the benefit of the doubt and was this time correct in doing so! she doesn't necessarily like him, and understands he reaaaalllly fucked up, but she also saw how messed up his whole... life is, and is glad to see he's being given a chance to make better choices - and seems to be taking them.

Otis - 10/10 robot-man of all time. Reminds Cimorene of her late husband so much (so much so that I the player hc that he's a shard of Haurchefant). Cares him and really wishes she could have gotten to know him better.

Sphene - not to, uh, sound like Mister Emet Selch but Cimorene never really considered Sphene to be... Alive necessarily (in so much as she was aware that there once was a Sphene and this Sphene was her memories but also Preservation's programming overriding much of who Real Sphene was and what she wanted) and so she focused mostly on making sure she couldn't harm anyone outside Alexandria. When that didn't - and seemingly couldn’t - work, she didn't really have qualms about ending her un-life.

[the-corner-window]

Endwalker: A Retrospective (1/2)

Final Fantasy XIV's most recent expansion "Endwalker" has been a big point of conversation within the community for some time since its release back on December 3rd, 2021. It released to high critical acclaim as the summation of a ten year long saga within one of the most popular MMORPGs available on the market today. I want to look back at the long walk to the end before we blaze a new trail unto the dawn. As someone who's logged several thousand hours over the course of my journey throughout Etheirys I've finished many quests, ran a majority of the content (excluding Ultimates, in due time...), and met a wide range of folks sinking time into one of my favorite games. First off, we dive right into the Main Scenario Questline, hereon referred to as the "MSQ". Most of anything the expansion entails requires you to have conquered the arduous journey the game lays out before you. The production quality of the MSQ is well above where it started, and the increase in quality of the cinematic direction, the voice acting, and the narrative intrigue have all played into making Endwalker truly feel like the culmination of all that came before it. The emotional beats hit hard in some spots, and there's a good mix of light-heartedness in between momentous crescendos that act as a sort of palate cleanser to keep things from becoming strenuous or overbearing for an expansion story the length of a standalone single player RPG. I want to refrain from going into much detail in consideration of those players that have yet to complete the MSQ, but there were a few scenes that actually choked me up, and I'm not typically one to get emotional consuming media. Though that can be said for the base Endwalker MSQ, or the "6.0" content, there was something lackluster about the narrative that followed the climax that felt weaker in comparison. The quality is still there, and in some ways they showcased more of what I hope we get to experience in Dawntrail, however nothing about the more isolated adventure really had me buzzing off the same high as some of the previous post-patch story content such as within Shadowbringers or Heavensward. I do hope that we see some payoff in content down the line, perhaps in the next expansion or even further out, but as of now it felt like getting a lukewarm brownie as a dessert after eating a perfectly seasoned steak. That may seem a bit harsh, but I did still enjoy the brownie. On the topic of the endgame however, I must admit I'm speaking in near isolation since I was a much more casual player before Endwalker released. The encounters ranging from Extreme Trials to Savage Raiding feel really solid, if a bit intense at times. Raiding has been my primary focus in the game for nearly 2 years at this point aside from MSQ completion and it's been fun, but frustrating. Having done some of the more mid-tier content in Stormblood and Shadowbringers such as Eureka, Bozja, and Ishgardian Restoration, the options available to me in the post-patches of Endwalker seemed to amount to either Savage Raiding or using a spreadsheet to upgrade my Island Sanctuary which isn't my favorite kind of content by any means. I had no real drive to push through the new Criterion Dungeons since there was nothing they offered that I felt worth the hassle of pursuing, and Deep Dungeons have never been my favorite content so I've gotten little time in with the new Eureka Orthos. In the end, here just weeks away from Dawntrail's release, my biggest drive to log in is getting my alternative Jobs I've neglected up to the current max level, meeting new people through the more social aspects of the game such as visiting player-run venues, and running PvP activities to finish off my Series.

[voidsentprinces]

Think I dislike Stormblood because it gets off on the wrong foot with me. My suspension of disbelief is ruined by Zenos particularly. We fought multiple power primals and wyrms of the First Brood but somehow this one dude waltzes in and is stronger than us. Plus the padding. We cannot save Ala Mhigo now or the story will be over lets go to Doma to save it now back to Ala Mhigo where we got full on movies of cutscenes between various dialogues until finally we reach the end of the weirdest utilized zone of the Lochs. And Doma who went to save so we could get aid with the liberation doesn't show up til the last minute. Then the post Stormblood dances between Gyr Albania and the Far East but feels like it doesn't know what its doing. Until the narrative throws its hand up and is like alright War at a stalemate, your friends are spirited away. Lets move onto Shadowbringers. To this day Stormblood feels like two half ideas glued together and is lesser for it somehow.

So, suspension of disbelief broken, rough pacing, ill use of well talked about lands, a very very weirdly placed last third, and the second third being called into question when we only see the results at literally the tail end. Meandering around for a Post-Patch before the narrative seems to want to wash its hands of the experience and take us to another world instead. Which feels exactly like entering Heavensward which felt like we were starting on a blank slate from the bloat and meandering of ARR. Its like I can FEEL the brick wall of writing being hit in Stormblood's various juggling narratives. While trying to string along uprising, revolution and the breaking the chains of tyranny. But it also feels like no even Garlemald wants to be in Ala Mhigo or Doma as much as both states people want them there.

And then Zenos pretty much sits around for the entire narrative. Until the...very quoteable but lackluster final instanced battle of Endwalker. After he's been dangled as a carrot in front of us for two whole expansions and like one in half post patch cycles.

A Realm Reborn and Stormblood feel ROUGH to me.

While Heavensward feels like gliding across a smooth bed. Shadowbringers has a couple bumps in its bed labeled "Ran'jit" but otherwise feels like a nice smooth experience too. Endwalker...I dunno. Over time I feel less and less enamored with it. It also feels like the first two thirds are meant to be climaxes to Post-Patches but like...form Elpis onward is the actual expansion somehow.

Wonder what Dawntrail will feel like.

[zeloinator]

What is the biggest challenge that your OC has had to overcome in a long-term relationship or friendship? What helped them get through this?

Ahhh I'm sorry this has taken me so so long to answer >.< this questions really like unlocked a floodgate in my brain and now all I can think about is Zee and Erenville bein cute! Thank you so so so much for this ask!! <3

When Zee and the Scions were betrayed back in ARR/Heavensward, alongside a heavy dose of past betrayal centric trauma, it stopped Zee from letting herself be truly vulnerable with others. Her only option, in her mind, is to create an impenetrable wall around her heart and never let anyone make her that weak again. And, well, Heavensward changed all of that. A loyal knight, always trying to show his loyalty, respect, care for her but never able to get through as Zee couldn't help but expect yet another betrayal. She found out much too late just how much he fully meant every word, and she gave her leg in attempts to prevent his kindness from going unanswered. Zee smiling for Haurchefant before he passed was all she could do.

After his death Zee really struggle, the first time she goes into a rage being directly after this. As a White Mage Zee was able to patch herself up just enough, fast enough to be able to confront the archbishop, what she was not expecting was to be driven into a bloodrage (Warrior skills bleeding into White Mage sort of deal~) and defeated him. This rage bled into her battles, and her friendships as she became easily frustrated and extremely focused on what others needed her to do. She became closer to the Scions during this, but it was obviously a struggle for Zee to learn to trust in friends again, an even harder to allow others to get closer to her and her to them in turn. Battling Zenos, exactly what she doesn't want to turn into, helped her loosen herself around her companions. The rage starting tore down that internal wall around her heart in a very destructive manner. Now Zee was forcing herself to not go down either the isolating or the destructive route. Zenos is a surprisingly big help in getting her to where she is now post Endwalker.

Skip a bit to Endwalker to Zee's embarrassing meeting of Erenville, his intrigue of Zee and impulsive asking her to talk with him more over a meal or drinks when she is able. And, most importantly, her impulsive yes. He didn't mean in an 'asking out' sense, he just knew he needed to talk with her more. Zee enjoyed how normal she felt around him in their initial meeting she couldn't help her own curiosity towards Erenville. Zee at this point had never been in any sort of relationship, she is the type of person that flirting goes directly over her head. She needs someone who will tell her directly. Erenville is exactly that type of person, and one who can ignore the weight of the Warrior of Light title she carries.

[motheatenscarf]

So, I'm definitely realizing I'm at a pretty significant shift in the status quo of the story here, which I'm grateful for.

I REALLY enjoyed Heavensward, but my biggest complaint was how quickly they undid the major shakeup in Ul'dah, and Stormblood so far has just felt like a retread of the goals from Heavensward. Yes, we freed Ala Mhigo and Doma from the Empire, but it was so they could join the Alliance so we could fight back against the Empire. Which was also the goal in pursuing Ishgard's favor, initially.

The Garleans had a whole ass civil war for the succession and it barely felt like a foot note, so I'm glad between that getting some actual screentime, Gaius being back, Solus being present, getting some CONCRETE LORE on Ascians and bodyhopping and most of the Scions being out of commission again, there's a lot happening very quickly, very suddenly in the narrative.

Between the patch of content between ARR and Heavensward being the best stuff of ARR, and then the Dragonsong war being somehow even better than Heavensward, and now post-Stormblood stuff being actually pretty fun and at least engaging, I'm definitely noticing a pattern of the best stuff being the stuff they uh... maybe have more time to work on, lol.

So I'll be tempering my expectations for actual expansions going forward, the best stuff will likely be at the end or when I hit patch content again.

But yeah, anyway.

A lot's happening, I feel like I don't even have time to post about it again, so that's actually a good thing, I'm once more engaged and not desperate for any crumb that can sustain me.

[demonio-fleurs]

Finished the Stormblood MSQ last night!

I have mixed emotions. I understand why people say that Stormblood isn’t necessarily bad, just one of the weaker expansions. People liken it to ARR, but honestly I think I felt more at the end of ARR than I did for Stormblood. There were a lot of really great moments at the end, seeing the Eorzean Alliance come together was really nice and showed a lot of progression since ARR. Plus, having Aymeric/Ishgard & Hien/Doma there really helps you feel the effect you’re having on the world.

But… At the end of the day, I felt more emotion towards Raubahn and Pipin’s part in the final assault than I did Lyse’s, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a reflection or criticism of her character, but more a reflection on how the story failed her. I really don’t think Lyse should have been revealed during the post-Heavensward MSQ’s, because there wasn’t as much build up in her desire to help the revolution in Gyr Abania. It just kinda happened, and while it might have felt much better paced as the patches were releasing, when you’re able to play it all within the span of only a few days it feels like it just comes out of nowhere. There was a lot that I think could have been done differently to make it feel more natural, and to also make us more invested.

I mean, hell, I felt more emotion finding out that Gosetsu was alive than I did when we finally got to the ending! Like hell yeah buddy I can’t wait to give you a big ol’ hug!

Overall, I did enjoy Stormblood, it just didn’t leave me with the same feeling that the end of Heavensward did. Excited to get through the post-Stormblood MSQ and finally sink my teeth into Shadowbringers (And therefore the NieR content!!!!!!!!)

[sylvyspritii]

I feel BIG FOMO from FFXIV not gonna lie

Listen i TRIED playing the game

It's just not that good guys???

Dare I say, garbage?

You can't even move while casting most spells (and yes i akready slidecast all the time), something which has been solved for years in games like Guild Wars 2

Most of Realm Reborn (which is what I had to endure for like a 100 hours) is garbage, and while there are some really cool moments in the post RR patch content, when I got to Heavensward, I just felt so burned out, i haven't finished Heavensward yet

But it annoys me when people around me are like "oooo Shadowbringers is so good it will change your life, trust me, I gets good 100 hours in"

WELL I'M 100 HOURS IN AND I FELT LIKE I JUST WASTED 100 HOURS OF MY LIFE BASICALLY

ALSO FUCK THE COMPANY OF HEROES IN PARTICULAR

(And also, Hildibrand Manderville is except from this criticism, as he is the light in the darknes and the ultimate lifeform, and also that elf guy is really cool too, Hauchifaunt or something?)