#FFXIV: ARR

[doingvideogameswrong]

[eorzea80]

"There's something wrong with this dog's face..." "If you're going to stare at me like that, I'm going to stare at you right back!" "Oh great, my ex-boyfriend is a bird."

[eorzea80]

Pryne would probably head straight to an inn to sleep for at least a day while her stomach catches up with her. Aether sickness is rough, but the sea is rougher. Next up; writing a couple of quick letters to Mom to let her know she's arrived safely and to watch the bar for her while she's away, and to G'raha, asking him to check in on her father when he can. Quick trip to port to make sure the letters make it on the next ship back. After that?

STREET FOOD O'CLOCK BAYYBBEEE.

Possibly followed by another letter to G'raha urging him to get his twitchy tail overseas. You like the Archon Burger? You're gonna love the taco, cat!

FORGET WHAT MSQ SAYS

What is the first thing your WoL does when they get to Tural?

[shalpilot]

ARR elidibus is funny 2 me

[tiniest-hands-in-all-the-land]

Been playing FFXIV recently desperately searching for my cunty lil man :)

I love my tiny little friend who insists I come with him for all of his political negotiations where I just sit and nod and occasionally smack a dude senseless

[deathflare]

little thought abt them meeting younger (no logic needed)

[xpiester333x]

Alphinaud's character development is wild. He rolls into Eorzea so fucking cocky. He's the grandson of the great Louisoix. He's 16 and he's a prodigy and he's going to fix the world. He has all these lofty ambitions and he knows exactly how to make the world better. He's playing chess with the city states in his mind. He's the main character in his own mind. He's the hero.

And rides this high of being this brilliant hero, savior of the realm, right up until it all blows up in his face. The blade of the sword he was brandishing points right back at him and all of his friends. Everything he worked so hard for becomes his downfall, and sets all his dreams back.

And now he's so mild. He's learned his lesson the hard way and he's probably terrified of every making that mistake again. He fully relies on his friends, consulting every decision with them. He still wants the best for the world, but he no longer sees himself as the main character. He is still smart, still a prodigy, but he's not the cocky brat he was when he first came to town.

[deathkoala]

That gif of Louisoix Leveilleur getting obliterated by Bahamut looks like hot garbage, so I remade it and the "minor spelling mistake" version

[anneapocalypse]

Not gonna lie, analysis of Minfilia that rests on a reading of her as some kind of hiring manager at a company really doesn't sit right with me, not just because it lends itself to some particularly uncharitable readings of Minfilia, but because it seems to me like a pretty inaccurate reading of what the Scions actually are in ARR.

The Scions of the Seventh Dawn are the union of the Circle of Knowing, a group of activist academics who accurately predicted the apocalypse but failed to prevent it and lost their beloved mentor in the process, and the Path of the Twelve, a group for Echo-bearers to help them better understand and make use of their gift--all doing their best to pick up the pieces and protect the realm in the wake of said apocalypse. Minfilia, formerly the leader of the Path of the Twelve, has now been thrust into the position of leadership over both at the late Louisoix's behest. The Scions in ARR aren't a company, they're an activist group, and in ARR still a very small one without the massive web of political connections they fall into later. They don't have a lot of financial resources. They're largely working quietly and behind the scenes. They have a secret code phrase to identify friends of the organization. Being recruited into this group in ARR is closer to being recruited into a resistance cell than being interviewed for a formal job.

Minfilia's role prior to the Calamity was as the leader of a support group for people experiencing a frightening, isolating, and as-yet poorly-understood phenomenon, a group where they could find others like them, understand what's happening to them, and learn how to use their gift for good. And to some extent, this is still a part of her role. The Warrior of Light is brought in because they were witnessed experiencing the Echo, and Minfilia is reaching out to them as a fellow Echo-bearer. I think it's a mistake to interpret her words and actions without that context, particularly her expressed hope that this most recent Echo-bearer she's invited into her group will find something like family there. I mean, listen to the joy with which she says, "I too possess the Echo." She's telling the WoL that they're not alone, that there is a name and an explanation for what they've been experiencing, that they can find others like themselves here. Yes, she's also asking for their help. But this is a pretty far cry from a job interview. However flawed the Scions may be as an organization, I can only see Minfilia's overtures here as offered in the spirit of friendship and camaraderie. And framing that as her trying to build loyalty she can exploit in a corporate manner feels extremely ungenerous given what we know of her character.

I don't want to sound like I'm here to defend the Scions in ARR against any and all criticism--I've discussed my own in the past, from their concerning tendency toward self-sacrifice to the attitude they develop toward the WoL (which is kind of up for interpretation based on your character's relationship to them but which can come across as a cavalier attitude toward the WoL's safety, taking advantage of their unique abilities, etc). In particular, the Scions' experience as a small activist organization, and Minfilia's particular experience as Echo support group leader, has ill-prepared any of them to be thrust into an international spotlight following the defeat of the Ultima Weapon. The attack on the Waking Sands has already revealed the weaknesses in their opsec, and certain scenes in the ARR patch quests reveal something of a power struggle between Minfilia and Alphinaud--one which Alphinaud ultimately wins, because Minfilia lacks the kind of confidence in her position to stand against the force of his personality, and she, like most of the other Scions, starts to fall into the trap of seeing Alphinaud as the second coming of Louisoix and lets him push her around accordingly. Minfilia is simply not equipped or prepared to lead the kind of organization the Scions are turning into. (Urianger, incidentally is one of the few who seems to notice this and remark on it, but also seems to feel that he can't directly object.) The cracks begin to show, and then it all falls apart, and when the Scions finally begin to put themselves back together post-Heavensward, I think they all understand that they can't go back, that what they rebuild will be something new. Over the next few expacs I think we see them developing a new group identity, recognizing that that old model no longer serves them and doing their best to adapt to constantly changing circumstances.

The Scions in ARR have plenty of problems, but they're not a for-profit company and they're also not the same organization as the Scions of later expacs. I think that context needs to be taken into account when interpreting their actions, especially those of their leader.

[eolairelycionffxiv]

bro you cant just steal my crystals and turn into a little guy and say foreboding things

[1driedpersimmon]

Doodles

[unsanctitude]

⭕⬅😨THE SQUEEMERRRRRRR

[eorzea80]

I FINALLY BEAT VENAT. It was so demoralizing that I couldn't pass this dps check. I thought I was getting better! I tried four times last weekend and I finally just put it down and resigned myself to purchasing another story skip come 7.0. But Not. This. Time. I wanted to just idle away in a costume party tonight, but the venue got overstuffed while I engaged in a haunted hayride and maze. So I went home, farfed around with my glamour, and said "why not take a crazy chance; why not do a crazy dance?" And so I challenged Venat again. And I got 3/4ths of the way through on normal and ate a one-shot. And I challenged her again on Playhouse Disney mode...and I won? I know this means absolutely NOTHING to actual players of the game, but this was a HUGE accomplishment and catharsis for me. You see, my Dad's back home after two stints in the hospital, but he's not doing well. His screenings are clear, but he is not himself. It is hard to wrap your life around someone who has totally checked out of theirs. In spite of the fact that we are in an ideal situation, all kids living in the neighborhood or only minutes away, it is difficult. I can't control my Dad and what he thinks. What he thinks cuts me raw. But I can control my experience in this game. I can have a little victory now and then. As a treat. So I am raising a glass to Venat, my work kiddos who amuse me to no end, to the THREE SEPARATE PODCASTS who posted on Alzheimers/Dementia/ACI even though I DIDN'T EVEN SAY THAT ON THE PHONE!, and to a game that lets me have my way. By the way, my glamour is called "Walkin' in Elpis." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUh1DSIsUOY

[crystallinekitties]

points at him. did you know?

[shalpilot]

this was gonna be an angst comic abt the night after the banquet but it went silly instead

[katriaarts]

who up finalling their fantasy fourteen