#I NEED TO FIGURE OUT HIS LIFE IN FFXIV I NEED TO

[sezja]

And just like that I'm back on my bullshit*

*thinking too much about Neirin

[birb--birb]

I am physically incapable of packing my room up at normal hours it's always 1-3am that I'm most productive I swear

[graha-stan-account]

Things I learned from Encyclopedia Eorzea III

Do with this what you will, ffxiv fandom.

G'raha and the tower appeared about 15 years after the Flood of Light. Ardbert and team were all already dead. "Our" Minfilia had already dissipated.

At the time, he looked like his normal self. He is described as a Mystel dressed as a mage, so we can assume people knew he was a "Mystel" at the time, vs. later when his appearance is only speculative.

A bunch of refugees clamored to the Crystal Tower when it appeared. He said yeah you can hang out here, the tower defenses will keep you safe.

And then fucked off for 4 years to survey the damage of the Flood of Light.

When he got back he knew shit was really fucked and ASAP started trying to figure out how the hell to get the WoL over for pizza

At some point he figures out he needed to address the WoL verbally for some reason for the summoning to work properly???

It doesn't.

He decides this shit is gonna take 5ever and I'm already having a quarter life crisis. I'm going to bind my aether to the tower. It's the one secret anti-aging trick that has doctors PISSED

It'll be great, like, he'll almost never age.

Downside, his body slowly becomes necrotic with crystal.

More time lost because he has to use aether to discretely animate his crystallized limbs and digits to keep their use.

At some point, early Crystarium dwellers get tired of asking him for his name (he won't give it) and him rejecting the crown they offer him so they start calling him the Crystal Exarch.

Exarch says OK and wheels out some Allagan nodes to help build what would become the Crystarium. Go ham, guys.

Since no one really recalls what the Exarch looks like in present day, G'raha likely began wearing a cowl after returning from traveling Norvrandt, or when his body begins to change. Those who remember are likely dead (age or sineaters) or sworn to secrecy.

The developing crystal, which he did his best to hide, prevented him from truly connecting with the others.

Sometime after this, an infant Lyna falls into his care.

Well technically the Settlement Council (because he was like hey let's have a representative government [not because I grew up in one or anything!]! I'll just be over here.)

But he was very involved in her upbringing.

Probably because he was close friends with her parents.

Who die tragically while serving in the Crystarium guard (Meaning that the guard is at least 30 years old, likely more, as her parents were known to have served in the guard since inception basically and Lyna is 33 in SHB)

G'raha was probably in his mid-eighties at this point, judging by Lyna's age in SHB (33) and that we know G'raha had the Crystal Exarch title for 9 decades + the 24 years he had lived before he entered the tower. (He is likely slightly older due to the intervening time between being awakened in the Bad Timeline and heading to the First.)

He FINALLY gets summoning to work something like 90 years later!!!!! Except it still doesn't! Five years before he could nab the WoL, he nabbed Thancred instead (oops). It took another 2 years for it to successfully transport a soul again.

[gatheredfates]

Hi all, happy weekend! ✨ I know it's been a HOT minute since I've sat down and done a Compendium update. Unfortunately, work and general burnout has been kind of kicking my ass in that regard, but I'm hoping I have turned a corner in the last couple of weeks.

But enough about me; that's not why you look at this update, you're here for the new places/resources—so! Without further delay.

LARGE SCALE

FFXIV Fan Merch Network—An ever-growing collection of small businesses that sell fan merch of the Critically Acclaimed MMORPG FFXIV.

Raphael | FFXIV Crafting Solver—Raphael is a crafting rotation solver for the online game Final Fantasy XIV.

COMMUNITY FOCUSED / EVENT SERVERS

Club Wysteria—Wysteria is a RP Heavy Speakeasy with a fully staffed bar and exotic dancing. We deal with mature themes and criminal elements, as well as RP that delves into the NSFW realm.

MISC

BSKY Feeds—Kinda self-explanatory. If you use bsky, these are some feeds you can subscribe to!

CHANGELOG

The Bel Canto—has been removed due to its impending closure. I wish the team there all the best!

I know I've probably missed some things over the last little bit, but I figured an update was better than no update.

Have you thought about joining our Tumblr Community? You can find it here!

Want to submit? You can either fill out the google form here or send me an ask with the relevant information!

Is my space suitable for the Compendium? Most of the time, yes! Below the read more is some more information/stipulations. This is all publicly available on the document. 🪸

Below are the following things I do not accept on the Compendium:

Personal/Single-Character LFC ads. (Though these get posted to the SEAFLOOR Tumblr Community when I find them!)

Content intended for or can be used for bullying, harassment and OOC gossip. E.g. ‘Secrets’ blogs, receipts, callout posts, etc. This does not include IC tabloid blogs or other ventures used to generate roleplay.

Communities that do not have an RP/writing element (large-scale exempt).

Modding outside of general how-to guides and compendiums of a similar spirit to this. This is for no other reason other than I do not want the document to be drowned in mod-related links.

Anything I find personally distasteful or goes against the spirit of this project.

Common-sense rule applies.

I want to put my community on the Compendium but we have an application process. Is this okay?

Yes! Just note somewhere in your application that's a requirement. The only thing that is mandatory for the Compendium is that you must be open to new members or have a public-facing/accessible facet. There's no point advertising a community if no one can join it in some way!

I want to put my Community on the compendium but I only have x number of members —

Also totally okay! People don't start with large communities. Activity is a must but, whether your server has two or two thousand members, if you're looking for new people to join, I'd love to help you find people.

I want to put my community/resource on the Compendium but I worry its too niche?

Okay, and? If your Eorzean Fishing Alliance has four members but you roleplay every second weekend, I still want to know about it. The same goes for resources; if it's relevant to the game, it'll be useful to someone.

How active does a community need to be?

If you find a community has not been active in about two/three months, send me a message and I'll take a look at it. Communities have ebbs and flows, especially event spaces that may take hiatuses depending on member interest/life events. I'm not strict in my implementation provided a space isn't dead. If a link or anything is broken, contact me asap!

I have [insert a question not stated here]?

No drama! Send me an ask or use the #Compendium channel in my Discord!

[inkblot22]

(PS I don’t actually know the source material for idia I just stumbled upon one of your fics while looking at FFXIV Yandere fics so sorry if this sounds OOC)

I’m not super creative but what do you think might actually be Idia’ routine with his darling? Does he fall into any routine, does it change a lot?

Have a wonderful day (and happy late bunny day!) 🫶

I actually am of the opinion that this is a very creative thought! You should give yourself more credit. I like to idealize the day to day life, but it never occurred to me that writing it down might be a good idea. On that sentiment, I think maybe Vil or even Leona would have a better day to day routine. Dividers by @/cafekitsune

Also, wow, what a pipeline, FFXIV to twst?? You've got good taste lmao welcome to my blog.

I'll put this under the cut, and I'm also not promising that this will be very good. I use the 24 hour clock. I am constantly getting told irl that American people don't do that, but I'm evil, so I'm putting the times in 24 hour clock format.

TW for mentions of noncon, coercion, captivity, someone keeping someone else awake, a hint of Idia being an asshole

+ Idia doesn't really seem like he has much of a set schedule, but Ortho absolutely does and Ortho is lowkey kind of bossy, so...

+ Yeah uh, Idia's partner is absolutely out of luck. Idia likes night gaming a lot, and he gets loud, so good luck sleeping. Idia himself goes to bed late and wakes up whenever the heck he wakes up. He could go to bed at 0300 in the morning and wake up again at 0700.

+ As his kept partner, the schedule is a little more normal, like I said. Ortho doesn't really need to sleep from what I understand, (I haven't read all of book 6, no spoilers or else I WILL temporarily block you) but it's silly to imagine that he doesn't wake up or attempt to wake up everyone else around him as early as 0600.

+ After waking up, Idia will eat breakfast. I think it'd be delivered usually since Idia and his partner are basement dwellers, one by nature and the other by force. After breakfast begins work...

+ Or procrastination. Idia flip flops between extreme focus on what he should be doing and what he should not be doing. He manages to get his schoolwork done, but more often than not, he's asking his partner to cuddle up and watch a movie, drama, or his fingers flying across the keyboard. Idia will not ask them to cuddle if he is doing schoolwork or virtually attending classes.

+ I like to think that he smells smoky, on account of the flaming hair, and he runs hot, so prepare to SWEAT. In the case his partner doesn't really want to hang out with him, he will usually sulk and only occasionally get upset to the point of doing something about it.

+ I don't think he showers every day. I think he's an every other day type of showerer, based solely on him not being particularly active. This means that his partner doesn't have to run on his showering schedule and gets extra hot water on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

+ By the way, in the case that Idia's darling ever gets peckish, Idia has a snack stash that he proudly pulled out and showed them as soon as they were allowed to wander a bit. I figure they get hungry some time around 1400, especially if Idia is also eating at that time.

+ I think his metabolism is fast, but also a bit odd. He is a young person, and therefore he strikes me as the type to get randomly hungry. If asked very nicely (and with the promise of physical affection in some form) he'd be incredibly willing to make his partner something to munch on when he makes his own.

+ Despite Idia's partner being literally held captive in his room, with all his suspicious items and, worst of all, himself, Idia is about as respectful as a kidnapper can be about demanding sex. He doesn't like to be physically forceful about it, and he often will just jerk off in the bathroom.

+ The reason for this is very simple: If Ortho ever saw Idia having sex with ANYONE, Idia would spontaneously combust. Well, obviously he doesn't know that for certain, but it's a theory that he is not willing to test. He won't even talk about his preferences around his little brother.

+ As far as I'm aware, most people in captive situations do not tend to ask their kidnapper to fuck them unless they're being threatened in some way, but Idia's partner isn't typically being threatened (ignore the shock collar,) so they never ask Idia to have sex.

+ This does not stop Idia from being a whiny bitch about not having sex enough as soon as Ortho is gone for a few hours. The close quarters and sudden advent of a human being who he doesn't mind touching him is a big thing for Idia.

+ Ortho goes on "walks" in a sort of unusual schedule. That is to say that he doesn't have a schedule. If something needs to be picked up, he's tired of Idia not listening to him, he has his own stuff to do, or he just feels like it, Ortho will go out, sharing his location with Idia. From there, Idia will typically calculate how long it'd take Ortho to get back paired with whatever Ortho said he was going to do before he left, and see if he can squeeze in some coerced touching.

+ So. Good luck, Idia's partner. Idia will make a big stink until he gets bored or his partner gives in. His partner usually gives in, based on fear of what he might do alone.

+ Bedtime is somewhat randomized. If Ortho was out, when he comes back and it's any time after 2000, he will very subtly try to get Idia and his partner to start winding down. If both or one ignores him, he'll start getting upset.

+ Like I said, Ortho is kinda bossy. He will nag someone, and the worst part is that he's usually got their best interest in mind.

+On the off chance that Idia decides to go to bed at a decent time, he curls up behind his partner. He runs hot and smells smoky, and at some times it's not the worst thing. Some times.

+ By the way, a lot of this flies out the window in the event that Idia decides to attend classes in person. This is rare, so don't expect it to happen often, but it's not as good as it could be. Ortho goes with him and he locks up any way to reach the outside world, so all his partner has to entertain themselves is his manga collection, or the fun pastime of destruction of property. (This is a very bad idea, and I can expand on punishments later.)

+ In Idia's partner's case, every day is much of the same but just a little different, which makes it hard to keep track of time. The fact that Idia prefers low lighting and no natural light doesn't help this whatsoever.

[katarh-mest]

us election in ffxiv terms

I've seen a few people trying to paint Kamala Harris as Wuk Lamat, and I think that's an incorrect assessment. Wuk Lamat would have been closer to AOC running for election the first time - qualified, but had to prove herself by winning.... and she did.

No, the current US election is the choice between Lord Vauthry and Admiral Merlwyb.

Lord Vauthry

Nepo Baby. Daddy was rich and powerful so he inherited rule automatically. Elections? There is no such thing. Who needs democracy when you have stability?

Authoritarian. Follow his rules and obey, and be safe. Defy him, and get fed to the fishes.

Sometimes articulate. Sometimes descends into toddler temper tantrums.... considering he still has the husk of his infant toddler human self lodged in his armpit, that's not surprising.

Has no real vision for the future, just wants to stay in power because he believes the world is ending, and so do his people.

Also wants to stay in power to protect himself above all.

Doesn't understand what is wrong with him his entire life.

Let the poor eat meol.

if you're not part of the 1%, you're a slave and he doesn't care about you.

He loves the poorly educated. They will never question him.

Picked his right hand man because there wasn't anyone else really good for the job. He's not actually scared of Ranjit Vance but Ranjit is now just as enthralled as anyone else and can't say no to him even if he wanted to.

Admiral Merlwyb

Pirate's daughter professor's daughter but climbed into politics under her own merits

Looks younger than she is

Experienced, veteran politician now with 20 years of service

Will be the first to admit she's made some mistakes, but has grown and learned her lessons from them

Wants to protect her nation's interests, but will rise to the needs of global problems when required

Allows dissent among the citizens and open criticism of her rule without fear of retaliation

Figured out a solution to keep the pirate crews in check by making them official privateers and giving them free reign to loot the Empire. Tricky problems require tricky solutions. Are they perfect? No. But they're better than anarchy.

Surrunds herself with genuinely good advisors, instead of sycophants. Picked former pirate Eynzahr Slafyrsyn Governor Tim Walz as her right hand man because she knew she needed someone to help her come up with creative solutions to those tricky problems.

Certified badass. Kamala Harris can crack an egg one handed, Admiral Merlwyb can shoot a gun one handed.

Anyway, the choice is pretty clear to me. I know which badass lady pirate I'd rather have in charge of my ship for the next four years.

[sjofn-lofnsdottr]

for mercuriel: What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

My word, a Mercuriel ask! Thank you for that, I always feel like I don't talk about him much, but I do really like him too.

But ... brace yourself, because I suspect I'm going to wind up saying a lot more about him than I probably need to. This is going to primarily talk about Mercuriel in his WoL timeline, rather than his existence in the Dusk timeline (partly because I only have the barest of ideas as far as that goes).

Okay, so, when I was transplanting the post-apocalypse crew into Eorzea, while I was willing to completely jettison their backgrounds to fit better into FFXIV's lore, if there were ways for me to give little nods to their backgrounds that were lore friendly, I'd do them.

Mercuriel grew up in a cult before escaping and starting over, in the post-apcalypse. The Lambs of Dalamud were a thing in FFXIV. SO. Part of FFXIV Merc's secret background is that he was in the Lambs, fully on board with their "let's speed up the end of the world" agenda during the end of 1.0. Mercuriel was not in a good place in his life then.

Mercuriel had grown up a poor orphan in Ul'dah, fully immersed in the teachings of Nald'thal, where your wealth reflects how good a person you are and all that garbage. He could never quite crawl out of the hole that beginning put him in, so by the time the Lambs were recruiting, he was a pretty easy mark, for all the reasons people usually fall into cults. That it was eventually revealed to him that the goal was to accelerate the end of the world was a bonus, really, since he was ready to watch the whole thing burn by then anyway.

When Dalamud fell and it turned out the cult was wrong about everything, Mercuriel did a lot of soul searching about it. And around the time ARR begins, he returned to Ul'dah, having decided to give finding wealth and purpose and fame one more try. Because what else was he going to do? Just lay down and die without it at least being a blaze of glory? No thank you.

And also maybe he can do enough to make up for all the shit he did during the whole cult membership period of his life. Not that he cares.

So! I think of Mercuriel's arc as a sort of redemption arc for him, although he would never say he's looking for that. It more or less follows the WoL's arc, but certain things hit differently when viewed through the lens of someone who was so disillusioned with the world he was willing to try and help end it, who is now struggling his way towards a different, more hopeful mindset. All while being really annoyed it's so much work.

But of course it is, you know?

I've joked with friends that some expansions feel like they're specifically for one of my characters. Heavensward was for Dusk. Shadowbringers was for Errol. Stormblood had more for Bjalla than the rest of my guys. And Endwalker was when it was finally for Mercuriel.

He understood the type of despair and hopelessness they were dealing with far better than any of my other characters. And it was a big struggle for him to try and figure out how to articulate why he changed and why he thought that change was so worth it, as he is still unsentimental and cynical much of the time. But one thing he didn't struggle with was the question of wanting to save the world. He wanted that more than anything, and it was no longer just to make up for what he'd done when he was younger. He thought it really was worth saving, now, that life was worth protecting in spite of the less than stellar aspects of existing. And good for him, I say.

So, I think his ending in Endwalker was a good one, since he managed it! He's always going to have to fight against his more cynical instincts, but I think he's proven to himself that he can. Even better: he wants to.

Who knows how whatever post-Dawntrail stories will shake out for him. Dawntrail itself is hard to slot him into, to be honest, because there are so few points where it feels like the Warrior of Light absolutely needs to be there ... and even after everything, if Mercuriel doesn't need to be there, he's going to be off fishing or something instead.

[deathsmaidens]

jotting down some thoughts for the madame's ffxvi verse

lowkey wanna start this off with the idea of a ffxiv x ffxvi crossover au with milou being hydaelyn's dominant but that's about it

while i'm aware that xvi goes with the idea of having their eikons be associated with elements more than anything else, as well as each eikon only having one dominant at any given time (or well, supposed to, at least) i'm going to take the creative liberty of milou being tsukuyomi's dominant ⸺ goddess of the moon & night (associated elements would be ice & thunder bc i said so!)

but then again ... if you've been here for a while, then you know that i use canon as a loose guideline rather than strict set of rules anyway sdfkgl

milou has never been branded as a bearer on the accounts of being groomed as a weapon of war. similar to house rosfield & the phoenix dominant, the mingate family has gone to painstaking lengths in order to preserve the dominant in their bloodline.

the mingates are a house of war ⸺ not quite nobility, though recognized by it & employed for their services. house mingate does not swear fealty to another, mainly due to the fact that it is built upon a foundation of illicit practices. while the name is familiar and handled with care among the upper echelon, it's not a publicly recognized name.

the family didn't treat bearers as any less than others, but that doesn't mean that cruelty was amiss in their ranks. the mingates have a standard that one of theirs must rise to ⸺ those that fail to meet the requirements are treated akin to how the rest of the world treats their bearers.

anyway. speedrunning to the point of where milou pulls her classic "i fucking hate my family" and brings down the roof above their heads, thus instigating the fall of her family and seizing the opportunity to strike out on her own

her skillset permits her to get by without having to rely on wielding aether ⸺ a blade is really all she needs. doesn't really stay in one place for too long & prefers to work on her own. she's crossed paths with cid multiple times already prior to clive making his acquaintance, declining his invitation to join him every single time. until the inevitable slip up, after which milou finally agrees to join cid's cause as thanks for saving her life. it's not like she had anything better to do tho bc she's just wandering around aimlessly otherwise

though what i plot with the muns who muse these characters always take priority, my personal hc is that the dynamic between cid and milou eventually becomes one of father-daughter figures respectively.

due to specializing in espionage & assassination while being in her family's care, she also takes on various scouting tasks for the hideaway alongside gav.

as for a general role, i want to go with the idea of milou essentially becoming cid's lady lord commander as well as clive's later on. but again, plotting always takes priority & these are my headcanons that could work as a starting point for plotting if nothing else

[echodrops]

The Promises I’m Making (2025)

After the absolute garbage fire that was my life in 2024, I'm kind of just sitting here like... "What do?" What do I even try to focus on for 2025? Will the promises I make right now even be relevant in two months' time, given how many plot twists my life has become prone to?

There's also definitely a correlation between not having money and struggling to come up with resolutions. Why does everything in life cost so much?

Please 2025... let me live in uninteresting times...

2025 Promises

1) Ensure the plumbing repairs in the Utah house are completely finished and the ceiling/floors are restored.

2) Pay back as much of the loan I had to take out as quickly as possible to reduce the monthly payments.

3) Have the AC unit in the Texas house replaced and paint the ceiling where there are water spots from the leaks.

4) Clean up the kitchen area of my Texas house; there is a bunch of kitsch accumulating on the far edge of the counters that I just don't need in a kitchen.

5) Get all the bookshelves/books organized in my Texas house.

6) Clean off my back patio/car port area in the Texas house so I can park my car there again.

7) Call a handyman and have the Texas house bathroom faucets replaced.

8) Clean out the Texas house closets and figure out what to do with all the old boxes like my old computer boxes that I've been cramming in there.

9) Put up a shelf in my room for my figures so that they're not completing clogging up the top of the dresser.

10) Fix the damaged spot on the backyard fence of the Texas house.

11) Clean out all the drawers in my desk/side tables/etc. What is even in there???

12) Take better care of the Texas house lawn, like fighting weeds and trimming the hedge more often.

13) Assemble my new display case and actually successfully organize/display all my plushies. I have... too many plushies...

14) Change the burned-out lightbulbs in the recessed lighting in the Texas house ceiling. It’s like twelve feet high and the lightbulb changer stick I bought didn’t work, so I’m going to have to find someone with a ladder. Save me, handyman. Save me.

15) Help my brother reorganize his furniture in the room he's staying currently; dude has never heard of the concept of maximizing space and it shows.

16) Help my parents tear out the carpet in my old childhood bedroom.

17) Actually use the yoga mat I bought forever and a day ago. This year... for sure...

18) Walk the dog more. Even if the dog herself doesn't like walking when it's hot out lol.

19) Lose at least twenty pounds.

20) Do a complete re-read of Noragami and post some of my closing thoughts on the series.

21) This is super nerdy, but my bro got me the FFXIV cookbook and made me promise to actually use it, so I guess I’d better at least try to make something from it. (Years later, I'm still... trying... lol)

22) Take at least one decent picture of a wild sea turtle.

23) Reach the new level cap with all jobs in FFXIV. I'm late, whoops.

24) Spend less on gacha games and Starbucks. Gotta save money…

25) Close out my old credit union account and call to check in on closing any old credit cards I might still have.

26) Fully deep clean and vacuum/detail my own car at home. No more of the “It doesn’t make sense to clean it out now; the dog is just going to go back in it.” The dog is always going to go back in it. Clean it, Echo.

27) Complete my follow up medical appointments and handle all medical situations in a timely manner.

28) See at least three new species of birds. Doesn’t matter where, just three new ones!

29) Get a new battery in my watch so I can go back to wearing it.

30) Waste less food; I buy things all the time and then don't get to them before they go bad. It's the worst.

31) Make use of the Sam's Club membership my parents bought me for Christmas.

32) Repair the lovely one-of-kind ceramic plate that my dog broke with kintsugi. I want to try it at least once!

33) Block more people. I know this sounds odd but I have a terrible habit of getting into debates when I see bad takes on social media and honestly there's no point in wasting so much time. I gotta block and move on a lot more lol.

34) Put all the small prints, postcards, and stickers I have collected in my new mini-print books. I can even use up washi tape to decorate too. (Finally, a purpose for the washi tape…)

35) Get the situation with the IT systems at work resolved so that all data can be correctly submitted.

36) Apply for online adjunct positions to help make extra money on the side.

37) Make sure my classes are ready to go before each semester, including properly scheduling the announcements and everything.

38) Buy birthday cards in advance for everyone so I have them available to send when birthdays come around.

39) Draw more this year. Maybe I won't have time to fully line and color artworks digitally, but I should at least not let my tiny amount of art ability wither into nothingness...

40) Write and post something... Anything at this rate, please.

41) Build the pretty koi paper lantern my brother got me, or the Korean temple model my coworker gave me after his trip to Korea.

42) Visit the beach more often... Need relaxation...

43) Take better care of my kitty. It's not like I don't take decent care of her, but I definitely put more effort into doing things with the dog than the cat and I think she is big jealous.

44) Go see at least one play. Live theater is good for the soul.

45) See about removing the PMI from at least one of my house loans to try to save money. I’ve been paying on these loans long enough I shouldn’t need PMI anymore.

46) Take a day trip to Santa Cruz Island with Kacchan.

47) Read the book that has been on my "To read" list for the longest time. I don't know which one that is off the top of my head, but I will finally finish one that has been on the list!

48) Try to go to bed earlier more consistently than last year; I really punished myself with terrible sleep over the last few months and its not helping the health situation.

49) Go through my bookshelves to find books to donate, then donate the books to people's little free libraries.

50) I will keep my promises! 

Good luck, 2025’s me!

[become-mop]

Wait, you're into FFXIV? I've heard lots of good about it (including its Catholic themes!) Do you wanna infodump on it?

Hi! Thank you, @blade-liger-4ever !

This is one of the most exciting questions I've ever been asked in my life. Infodumping is so rare for me to be able to do, and even more so about this game. Sincerely, thank you so much! 😃

Infodump time:

I need to make some disclaimers for anyone potentially interested in learning more before I begin:

If anyone is potentially interested in playing this game, be VERY CAREFUL looking anything up. Spoilers are so easily crossed, and algorithms will push it on you... This game is an MMORPG, primarily built around its story, which takes a few hundred hours to get through. Yes, it's a lot. There's no issue with taking breaks, and is even recommended by the devs. If you find someone that's played through the game to help get you set up/carefully answer questions, that is often ideal. 👋

Play on the very generous free trial, and make zero purchases if you do. At least to start. It's on a separate page on steam. You don't need to make a new character when it's done. It lasts for 3/6 expansions of the game, has no time restrictions, and basically only limits a few social/market/cosmetic aspects. Well... and creating parties to adventure with friends. You can join a paying character's invites no problem; play through the game with random people; or even solo it with npcs. It's up to personal preference of course, but there is a significant amount of money that can be saved (in subscription costs) by playing half of the game for free. (I was not aware of this when I first started playing.)

Take as much time in character creation as you'd like. You'll get one(?) option to change things in the free trial (if I remember correctly). So personalize and choose carefully, lol.

I love this game so much. It's left a huge impact on me. I think on it in some form or another daily, despite it approaching nearly a year since I've last logged on.

Part of that love is from the amount of time/familiarity I've spent in game. Another is from my nostalgia growing up with the FF series (though none of that knowledge is needed to enjoy XIV). Lastly, it was helpful for me in healing some depression I had a couple years ago. So, I might be a little biased towards it, lol.

Curse: It is SO tricky to begin to info-dump about the love I have for this story (that has been built up over 10+ years...) There's so much! Not only that, but if someone is curious to learn about it (and figure out if they want to play or not), that only adds to the pressure of figuring out what to reveal... If they learn too much about the story, then they might not feel an incentive to play... It's an extremely fine (and frustrating, lol) line to walk...

This game has been such a blessing and a curse in my life, lol.

Blessing: The amount of love, care, and impact it has personally had for me, and so many other players. The overarching story is very well done... It does a phenomenal job in creating personal investment for you into the story. The characters are awesome, the cutscenes are cool, the voice acting is great... So on and so forth.

Which is the main reason there's so little FFXIV content on my blog. If I wasn't worried about that, it'd take up like half of my page, lol.

While it's not an explicitly "catholic" game (it's fantasy), it does indeed have Catholic themes present. (Which are explored very well, imo.) Love your enemies, forgiveness, compassion, sacrificial virtue, taking care of those in need, working to build peace, life holding inherent value, honesty, mercy... Some of my absolute favorite jaw-dropping moments in the game involved these virtues.

I'd share more about the story, but again, I don't want to spoil things...

Without saying much, the characters and lore are all pretty interesting. The worldbuilding is phenomenal. It's genuinely so cool...

I will warn that there's a couple instances of nonsexual "nudity" in the game (for a couple seconds in two cutscenes), but it's covered up by light/convenience. Doesn't last long, and can't really see much. A couple of npcs' fashion can be a little strange, too... Though that's part and parcel for jrpgs.

The design of (some) of the bosses (and like a handful of weak monsters) can be a little risqué with some partial nudity/showing human form. Some people might not care for it, but it depends on one's own comfort level, I guess. I'd say the designs aren't too far off from what you'd find in a comic book character/villain.

The combat in this game starts out slow, with only a few buttons. The higher the level you progress, the number (and rotation) of buttons needing to be pressed will rise. It looks intense at high levels, but it'll feel more like a choreography than anything else. Positioning is important to reduce damage and keep your team of 4 or 8 people alive. Staying out of the orange puddles (damage) is half of the combat.

Expect to die in combat, especially in difficult fights. The healers will get to you eventually. If everyone dies, the vast majority of people playing are pretty chill and will try the fight with you until completion. In my two years of playtime, I've had a grand total of 3 people that were toxic. That's it.

The way ffxiv is designed rewards cooperation pretty cleverly. They have a commendation system, in which each player can commend someone in the group at the end of the run. It doesn't matter why they choose to commend, as there's no way to share reasoning; they can do it for whatever reason they want. The number of commendations shows on their profile and provides some nice serotonin.

There are many types of "jobs" (the type of combat style/weapon you wish to use) in the game. You don't need to make new characters to try them out; just need to equip the right weapon and you're all set. It's much more convenient than other MMOs/games I've seen.

The music is one of my favorite aspects of this game. (I might be wrong on this, but if I remember correctly), I think the guinness world record for number of genres of music in a single video game was given to ffxiv. The music in zones, battles, dungeons, dialogue, side content, is all great. I listen to a LOT of ffxiv music regularly. (There are spoilers in the music/lyrics in a number of songs, so I'd be cautious of listening if the game interests you.)

The first expansion of the game (A Realm Reborn) is where new players start. There is some interesting irl (and in game) backstory behind that name... but, I think I've gone on long enough for the time being... Maybe another time... 😅

[wilanserulia]

FFXIV Write 2024 - Prompt 28 - Deleterious

Just a heads-up, this one deals with early stages of depression, among other things, and gets a little dark in places. Intrusive thoughts, mostly. I blame the prompt.

The door to that quiet house opened all of a sudden. And the first thing Wilan saw from its threshold was Delen, the auri refugee from Terncliff that he was letting stay at his place, lounging around in his living room, sprawled on his couch, reading a book in not much else than her smallclothes. They noticed each other, and locked gazes for what felt like a couple of centuries of awkwardness. And then, at the same time, he slammed the door close while she jumped off the couch. From behind the door’s solid wood he could hear heels stomping on the floor as she hurried to run up the stairs, feeling his cheeks grow warmer.

A minute or so later the door’s handle clicked again, opened now by the auri woman wearing a hastily worn tunic. “H-hi.” She stammered, catching her breath from the unexpected sprint. “Hi.” he greeted back, awkwardly. He cleared his voice before speaking again. “Sorry I, uh, I should have let you know I was coming home.” She shook her head and hurried to say. “No no no, I mean, this is your house after all you don’t have to... ask permission to me or anything I was just...” Her cheeks as red as his, she looked away “I mean, you don’t really come back all that often, so I wasn’t...” “Well” he chuckled nervously “that was kind of our deal, no? We agreed I can let you stay here until you get back on your feet because I’m hardly ever home anyway.” he said, and they both chuckled awkwardly. “Look I didn’t think to let you know I was on my way back to La Noscea, and that was on me. I’ll be sure to write you a letter, next time.” She nodded. He nodded to her nodding. And then it occurred to both of them that they were still standing on the threshold.

“Uh, can I brew you a tea?” Delen asked, still not really sure of what to do with herself now that the owner of the house, the Warrior of Light himself, was back home. Wilan had just carried in a crate containing his armor, the one with the white plates and the bright blue surcoat. “Oh, no no there’s no need. I don’t really like tea, actually.” “Oh. That explains why I hadn’t found any in the pantry when I moved in.” she considered, as he joined her in the kitchen. “I figured you had just run out.”

“Speaking of which, oh man... I’m back from a journey and I have a full pantry!” Wilan instead observed, amazed by such a relatively mundane event. “Perishable food and everything. Never mind the tea, I’ll be happy to just be able to make myself a sandwich that doesn’t only have dried meat in it!”

As the au ra drank her tea and the hyur ate his morsel, he filled her in on his adventures thus far. His tales seemed to include his achievements and victories almost as an afterthought, and instead mostly focused on the places he had seen, the marvels he had witnessed, the secrets he had uncovered. So passionate was his tale that it took him a while to find the time to chew his food. “Well, what have you been up to instead?” he finally asked, friendly. His sandwich almost gone by now. “How have you been finding your new life here in Vylbrand?” “Oh, me? Uh...” Delen looked around, as if looking for something somehow equally as interesting to say. Truth was she had barely left the house, save to buy groceries. “You know, I, uh... I kept busy. I took care of the housekeeping. I read some of your books.” she said, trying to make a list out of the precious few things that occupied her time. “And, uh, I guess sometimes I go take a walk near the cliffs.”

“The cliffs?” Wilan asked, suddenly concerned, putting the remains of his sandwich down. “Yeah, uh, there’s a cliffside by the sea, I found out, to the north. You know, next to where the windmills are.” “Why, uh...” he didn’t know how to best ask this, trying to contain his alarm “Why by the cliffs?” She parted her lips, not quite catching onto his concern. She hadn’t really given it much conscious thought. “They... remind me of home.” she said finally. “Oh!” Wilan commented, a bit relieved. “Right. Terncliff. It’s built on a clifftop, isn’t it? I mean, it’s right there in the name.” She murmured in affirmative. “Even back there, I spent a lot of time there, looking out at the sea.” Wilan regarded her for a long moment. That young woman, sitting at his table in front of him, looking away, lost in thoughts. He had known that giving her a place to sleep and to call home, however temporarily, wasn’t magically solve all her problems. But he figured maybe he probably ought to try a little harder to spend more time with her. Granted, he had other worries on his mind, but... he couldn’t ignore this one, either. “Say, uh... do you want to show me these cliffs? Maybe we can go on a walk together?”

A gentle breeze blew from the sea to the east. The windmills turned lazily, in the distance. They had walked for a while in a not quite comfortable silence. He had wanted to talk to talk to her, let her know she had a friend, but he realized he realized he had no idea how to approach a serious conversation with her. He was no stranger to helping people, but he mostly dealt with immediate dangers. Getting innocents out of harm’s way, deal with what wants to hurt them, that kind of thing. That was easy. How do you even begin to tackle this... deep-seated melancholy he felt every time he looked at her?

They were mostly just enjoying the scenery. Which, he had to admit, was beautiful no matter how used he was to it. Especially at this hour, with the clouds over the sea tinting of a warm golden color. So, just to at least get a conversation started, he decided to point it out. “You know, living here, you start to give a lot of things for granted. Traveling halfway across the Realm when there’s such beauty even right next to home.” She listened to him talk, and sighed. A moment later she stopped, all of a sudden, and walked dangerously close to the cliffside, staring wistfully at the horizon. “Home...” she all but whispered.

Wilan noticed she had stopped walking a few paces later, and turned around. He looked at her for a long moment. “Delen...?” he called out in a low, carefully calm voice. “Hey... Isn’t that a little dangerous?” A few moments later she seemed to register he was talking to her. She glanced in his direction, and then at the cliff below, somehow a bit uninterested, as if distantly taking notice of how high up she was. “Mh. I suppose.” she commented, a bit drily. Carefully he stepped up to her and offered her his hand to step away safely from the edge. She turned to consider it, somewhat distantly, and then she took it. “Yes.” she said, stepping back toward the path, a bit disjointedly from the rest of the conversation.

After a moment of silence that seemed to stretch unnaturally, she talked again, in a more lucid voice. “In the city, back home, there were railings and balustrades everywhere.” she explained, not quite meeting his eyes. “It wasn’t really dangerous unless you did something stupid.” “I... see.” “I didn’t think about that, that’s all.” she said, her lips curling into a rapid smile as she resumed walking. Wilan looked at her go, and then hurried up to catch up with her, taking place between the girl and the cliff.

“Wilan?” she asked, as soon as they were back side to side. She hadn’t quite turned to look at him, but her voice sounded entirely like her own again now. “I’ve been thinking... Me staying at your place, isn’t it...” she seemed to chew on the words for a moment. “Isn’t it making things awkward for you and your... I don’t know, girlfriend? Boyfriend? Partner?” She exhaled through her nose, likely annoyed that the wording of that simple question was getting away from her. “I don’t want to cause any troubles in your sentimental life, is what I’m trying to say.” Wilan smiled warmly at her concern. “Nah, there’s no danger of anything like the sort.” he said. The smile still on his lips, but a little sadder. He, too, now glanced out to the sea, lost in a gnawing thought he had been trying to ignore until now, before continuing. “Somebody with, uh... with my lifestyle, with my responsibilities, well... I don’t really think I can afford the luxury of something so normal as being in a relationship.”

The words were a little stilted. It was the first time, he realized, that he had put that feeling into a sentence, but the recent events had made it very clear to him. Delen tilted her head, now looking at his face. “What do you mean?” “Well it... It would probably be kind of selfish.” he said. “And unfair. To anybody who had the misfortune of being in a relationship with me, I mean.” She looked intently at him as they walked, her eyes asking him to elaborate. “The thing is, uh...” he sighed, and looked out at the sea again “To put it plainly, I live a dangerous life. Ever since a few years ago, I’ve been traveling all the time, risking life and limb on every corner of Eorzea.” he said, the words finally flowing out of him, his eyes growing a little bright as he says them out loud. “How do you commit to a relationship, that way? How do you go out and risk your life knowing somebody’s back at home waiting for your safe return?”

She considered his words in silence. Granted, his logic seemed sound. Granted he was making a lot of sense. But... That sounded so lonely. Wilan breathed in in the silence that stretched, as if he wanted to say something else, his gaze still turned toward the sea. She stayed quiet, and listened. “There’s, uh... Speaking of which, I mean, there’s...” he stumbled a little, but she listened. “There’s another reason why I’m back in Vylbrand.” “Mh?” she asked, encouraging him to keep going. “Well...” he tried to find the right words for a few moments and, failing that, he decided to just say it like it was. “Leviathan has been summoned. And... I’ve been asked to slay it. The operation will start tomorrow.” “Leviathan?” “A... kind of deity figure to the Sahagin. It takes the shape of an enormous sea serpent.” He glanced at the thick clouds over the horizon. “That storm brewing over there, that’s probably his doing.” “An Eikon? I learned about those in school. The summoning rites of the savages.” she commented, thinking back to the Garlean-mandated education she received. “And they want you to...” “...kill it. Yeah.”

She scoffed. “Excuse me?” But one glance at his face and she instantly knew she hadn’t misheard him. “...oh.” she said, quietly, stopping in her tracks. “But... But how do they expect you to... what... How!?” He stopped as well and gave her a sad smile. “I’m, uh... a bit of a veteran when it comes to slaying Primals. You see, I’m among a very small group of people who are immune to their―” “Yes I get that but how are they expecting you to fight a sea serpent!?” Wilan’s heart sank. He had no good answers to give her. “They’re, uh... they’re coming up with this plan.” he said. “Basically load this boat up with crystals, and use them to charge an... experimental magitek shielding device, and...” “Wait, so they want to send soldiers out in the sea in a storm to... what, stab a sea serpent with a sword?” A bitter chuckle came from Wilan’s lips. “Well, no. Not quite, no.” he said. “They just want to send me.” “Are then insane!?” Delen all but shouted in outrage. She couldn’t believe her horns. “I’m probably as insane as they are for agreeing to it.” “You did what!?” she looked at him in shock. “Why!?” Wilan pursed his lips, looking away from her worried eyes. “To, uh... Well, to ignore the plights of those you can conceivably save, it’s, uh...” he stammered, clinging onto the teachings of his mentor, but his heart wasn’t in it. “well it’s... indolence. I suppose.” “Conceivably what!?” the auri girl said, growing more agitated that he had seen her since the day they had met. “Wilan there’s heroism and then there’s madness!”

Wilan listened to her protestations. He couldn’t really deny any of it. Mostly because he shared all of them. Yet, as his shoulders sagged and his chest felt heavy, a sad bitter smile appeared on his lips. He looked out at the oncoming storm once again, feeling like he had no control over his own life. “Yeah but... somebody’s got to do it, I guess.”

[starres-stuff]

Day 3- Tempest FFXIV Write 2024

Tempest: to raise a tempest in or around

CW/TW: Dark Themes, Mature Themes, Hints at Abusive Upbringing.

Long before Vi and Dimitri another story existed, the story of their Mother; Saphelle Jienuex. 

“What will you do to suffer no more? Will you plead with the Dragons to eat them? Will you hire thugs to kill them in the streets or will you submit to me, girl?” Hers was always a cruel and scathing voice when she spoke. The distant specter of the void hungered for another of the Jienuex line to pay her price and step into her trap. Saphelle had noted that she had tripled her visits in recent weeks, her whispers far more tangible than normal. 

“Are you done yet?” the young Elezen asked from the shadows she brooded in, lavender eyes lingering on what appeared to be the shapely figure of a woman cast upon her wall. “We have gone through this nightly Numeria Ichatan” 

A low hiss was her reply and long; needle-like claws moved towards her across her wall, their intention to siphon some of her Aether to remind her of her place but they never did reach her, trying as she might. The girl seemed to be shielded by a powerful ward that a simple voidsent could not break through. 

“My name is not yours to use, girl.” The voice called back, a screeching sound coming from the wall, always dramatic this one was; hells bent on getting her own way. 

“I will use whatever I please.” Saphelle was in no mood for parlor tricks or over-dramatic theatrics. She had sought her darkness to tend to the wounds left behind by a drunken Father who did not know how to keep his hands to himself and needed them broken finger by finger to learn a lesson. He was not the only one either, the cruel gaze of her Mother as she watched him dish out his punishment. “He is sick Saphelle” the spineless creature would whisper later when they were alone, trying to make up for the things that had happened. This was her every night, some macabre play she had been birthed into one moonless night.

“Say yes and it will all be over.” The whisper teased again, there was nothing she wanted more than for it to be over. Soon to be twenty-one and not promised for marriage as any other Ishgardian noble daughter her age would have been. There had been other unfortunate things like this in her young life. No debutante ball, no sweet sixteen, and certainly no entertaining suitors come to ask for her hand.

“And what will you take from me in return to solve my problems Numeria Ichatan?” her, own, cruel smile appeared as she said the name again, a name she had found scrawled into the journal of her ancestors Neophinne the Scholar, her Mhachi ancestors who had been summoner, handler, and lover to the creature that followed her. 

“Nothing now, only after your death. I would claim your name and body as my own. I would live out your days as I lived our Neophinne’s, as I saw fit. In return, I will leave them as empty husk devoid of Aether, a fitting end for what they have offered you.”

Ah, the feelings that rose in Saphelle as she listened, the cold smile devoid or emotion that curled on her lips, as lost herself in the thoughts of all of this being hers. Oh, the sweet notes of revenge that hummed in her ears now. As much as she hated to admit it, the Voidsents price was small for something that would put her plan into motion. 

“You win. I will take your bargain.” Saphelle returned her attention to the wounds on her arms and stomach, a cotton ball dabbing at the lash marks from her Father's whip with a very sterile astringent that her Mother made to care for things such as this. 

“We have an oath then? Do you consent to the pact? Their death and your freedom for the right to claim your body when your soul goes on to the Sea?” The shadows moved and the form of a succubus emerged from them, gliding across the floor without her feet touching as if she was some twisted angel here to be the benevolent savior of the young woman. 

“I agree to your terms.” A slim hand rose, garnets glittering across her pale skin on golden bands “I would like it to be my Birthday present, we will be attending the theater as we always do to celebrate. When it is over we will emerge in the right alleyway from our private box. I expect them not to emerge from the alley.” 

The succubus took her hand turning it over and taking one of her claws to etch a symbol into the skin when completed the symbol glowed with the power of the void and a pair of grotesque lips touched hers, they felt like old parchment dry and ready to decay. 

“An exchange of Aether to seal the pact.” Saphelle's eyes grew wide as she felt her breath sucked out of her lungs, leaving her to gasp for air and then seconds later the voidsent breathed into her an old air that tasted like decay, causing the young woman to shudder in disgust. 

“Three days count them and I will be at your side” Her presence faded then leaving Saphelle alone in the darkness, her empty eyes filled with a vivid ruby light and her emotionless smile became a beacon of hope in the dismal gray. 

 “Happy Birthday to me.”  A short laugh burst forth from her lips into the room, the echo of it ominous and foreboding. She knew well the tempest that she had released that night, the creeping death that would set right all she had endured to this point. It would be a chaotic storm, but she would see the other side. 

[redsplash1]

Children do not belong on the battlefield.

Tatake always held this belief. Tonight’s events made this painfully clear.

Or, a mother steps up and comforts the children she has come to love.

AN: I wrote this right after Death Unto Dawn LMFAOOOO, imma post it here first since I’m not at my pc rn. I’ll post to ao3 after. Didn’t even edit, just take it as it is <3 As stated this is right after the battle at Carteneau, I also attached a pic of Tatake’s current look

Although a few things:

Tatake’s real name is Talia Dragonseer. As of now only the twins know about it, and call her Talia when nobody else is around

I’m still trying to figure out the backstory, but what I’m thinking so far is that Tatake is part of a long living species of Lalafell that are basically like the Laguz/Manaketes from Fire Emblem; They look human, but actually aren’t and can transform into whatever animal/dragon/fish/literally anything

The main thing is that Tatake and her people were initially like Sharlayan where they stayed out of everything and kept to themselves, until mankind found them and started hunting them down. This is why Tatake hides her power until she couldn’t anymore, as she refused to get involved with mankind after they ruined her life along with everyone else’s

Dragonseer technically isn’t her last name, it’s just the title she had as part of the High Council. But for the sake of keeping things simple, she considers it a last name if she has to, which is almost never since she uses Tatake Take for everything

Anyways imma stfu now, sorry in advance if the twins r ooc, I’ve never written for ffxiv before until now. Enjoy! <3

��Sit with me for a spell,” Tatake spoke into the air, breaking her gaze away from the moon, an everlasting witness to tonight’s horrors.

Alphinaud looked down at her with a frown. “There is still much to do, I’m afraid. We must-“

“Rest, yes.” The Lalafell met his eyes in challenge. The others had already broken off, tending to the wounded and going over battle logistics. Alisaie moved to do the same, but one sharp look from Tatake made her pause.

“You two will not help anyone if you collapse here in exhaustion,” she continued. “Leave the others to shoulder the burden for now…you need not carry it alone.”

“But-“ Alisaie started in protest.

“Come along.” With no room for argument, Tatake took the twins’ hands, dragging them along to a quieter corner. Alphinaud sputtered in surprise, while Alisaie was grumbling about wasting time.

Neither of them fought against her pull.

After motioning the twins to sit down, Tatake took her place between them, backs against the wall.

They exchanged no words for a time. The sounds of healing magic, along with the many voices of orders being given and carried served as their ambience.

Tatake was not oblivious to the clear slump of the twins once they sat down, both leaning against her. Without a word, she quietly linked her arms with theirs and took their hands in the process. She squeezed in reassurance, as a reminder, that she was still here. They squeezed back, and held on tight.

Tatake quietly exhaled through her nose. Being with the twins always reminded her of how young they were in comparison to the countless years she has. As she observed the wounded, the dead, the dying, she couldn’t help but think. This wasn’t fair.

Truly. It wasn’t. Not to them.

Why must Alphinaud and Alisaie exist in a world where the adults failed so badly they had no choice but to pick up the pieces?

“Was I naive?” Alphinaud’s quiet and unsure voice broke their silence. “Did Fordola have the right of it after all…? There’s so many I couldn’t save.”

“You did everything you could,” Tatake gently cut in. “The ones who made it past this night are still with us thanks to your efforts.

“Along with the Tempered,” she added, turning her head to Alisaie. The Elezen grimaced at the praise.

“I wasn’t fast enough. And I couldn’t supply enough Aether for everyone. I’ll be quicker and stronger next time.”

Tatake gently flicked her forehead in response.

“I will not sit here and listen to you downplay your efforts,” she chided over Alisaie’s sputters of offense.

Children do not belong on the battlefield.

Tatake always held on to this belief. Tonight’s events made this painfully clear.

She thought back to the many mortals she encountered over the years. In the wake of the calamities, it was impossible not to see a citizen haunted by the destruction, or a soldier fighting the monsters in their mind.

She thought back to Ishgard, to Alphinaud screaming himself awake haunted by dreams drenched in blood. She remembered holding him as he sobbed out broken apologies, towards her, towards the Scions, towards the bystanders who got caught up in the wrath of the Crystal Braves. She remembered his struggle to go about his life after, having to gently coax him to get out of bed nearly every day, if not all. She remembered bringing him food because he wouldn’t do it himself without a helping hand. She remembered wiping his tears as he shakily confided in her during the dead of night after a panic attack, holding her tightly as if he were afraid she would be gone if he let go.

She thought back to Ala Mhigo, to Alisaie gritting her teeth in agony as her wounds were addressed. She remembered creating a routine of checking up on her after every battle because she tried to patch herself up on her own without anybody knowing, leading to disastrous results. She remembered seeing her hands shake when she thought nobody was looking. She remembered the panic attacks she would suffer, having to gently but firmly guide her through them. She remembered the nightmares that she suffered just like her brother, unable to banish the sight of bloodied bodies and the smell of death from her mind. She remembered her and Lyse quietly holding her after a particularly violent night terror, the young Elezen unable to voice what happened but could guess at what it was. She remembered gently reassuring her everything would be alright, even as her brother was not with them, and wouldn’t be for a long time.

She thought back to the First, where the both of them had the same reaction of hugging her tight, refusing to let go for a while. She remembered hardly sleeping alone in her room in the Pendants, the twins joining her almost every night. She remembered holding Alisaie as she grieved for her lost love. She remembered gently reminding Alphinaud as Kai-Shirr ran off, that he was good, and he should never change that. She remembered futilely reassuring them that she would be alright, despite the Light eating her alive even with her draconic lineage. She remembered the endless tears they shed and the screams of despair they let out as Urianger and Thancred forcefully held them back from her painful transformation at Mt. Gulg.

This truly wasn’t fair.

She breathed in.

“You did good.” Tatake began, finishing her long contemplation. “You have done more than fully grown adults could ever hope to achieve. I’m sorry Fourchenault is a fool and will not say this, but I hope I will suffice.”

She breathed out.

“I’m proud of you.”

She knew her words had the intended effect when Alphinaud’s choked sobs and Alisaie’s stifled whimpers rang in the air. She let them hold her, let them cling onto the only consistent piece in their lives.

In a world like this, it’s okay to stick with the familiar.

In a world like this, it’s okay to cry.

“You’ve done much for Eorzea, and I will not ask you to turn your backs on her,” she continued. “But I ask that you do not carry the weight of the world on your own. We can share the burden with you.

“Like many of the hatchlings, pups, and many more I raised, they too have set off once they have come of age. I made sure they were ready for the world. But above all else, I made sure they had what you mortals call a childhood. I prioritized their youth. Your father failed you in this regard.

“Being a child is not lesser. You are still capable. But you are young. I’m sorry your elders have failed you. But for as long as I am able, let me preserve your youth, your innocence for as long as I can.”

At this point, Tatake felt just as much as heard their tears, their faces pressed against her soft hair. It’s alright. She didn’t mind.

“Okay?” Tatake softly asked.

“Okay.” Alphinaud hoarsely choked out, voice somewhat muffled by her hair and his tears.

“Mhm.” Alisaie couldn’t muster a word, eyes squeezed shut.

“Good. I love you both. Please, do not forget this.”

She paused. She had been thinking about it for a while, but after Fourchenault’s foolishness, she made up her mind.

“And if you so choose…you may no longer have the name of Leveilleur, but Dragonseer is yours, if you’d like. I always saw you as my hatchlings…no harm in making it official.”

In answer, Alphinaud moved his arms to hug them both, sobs renewed. Alisaie returned the gesture, tremors wracking her whole body. The twins had their foreheads pressed together, refusing to let go.

Even for all their bickering and teasing, they were there for one another without fail. Tatake was glad.

The Lalafell caught the eyes of the other Scions, who had busied themselves helping around the camp. Thancred gave them a sad smile. Y’shtola and Urianger nodded in understanding. Raha looked on, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. Estinien was a ways back, understanding their need for privacy. But his approval was clear.

Right now, the future may look bleak. Right now, death surrounds them all like a shroud, unable to be shrugged off.

But here in this moment, in their private little corner, it was just the three of them. A mother and her children, the former watching over them, and the latter growing into themselves so beautifully, day by day.

For now, here in this little spot against the wall, they were safe.

[ofcoffee-andletters]

FFXIV Write Day 25 - Perpetuity

Warnings: Lightwarden Bad End with mentions of violence and allusions to several important NPCs dying, a non-too descriptive killing scene. Notes: I never thought about a bad end for my Meteor...now I have. I am very sorry. Ardbert PoV ShB bad end

Perpetuity : ETERNITY : the quality or state of being perpetual

———————

Few things could be considered to last forever, to be truly eternal — after all, who could even be able to behold what eternity is like? What something being forever the same even means?

Are the Gods eternal? Mayhaps. One would never know — who would ever live long enough to see the Gods face to face until the end of all things…?

These type of questions have never been something that plagued his mind — that were even important or something to consider, time was always running short, life itself was never assured — eternity was something for divine beings, never to be within the grasp of mortal hands.

And yet he finds himself here, surrounded by crystal walls that are as tall as the mountains — if he even remembers what a mountain looked like — he kneels one more day — night, maybe, turn of the Sun that is forever out of his reach — before a golden throne, in front of an ethereal figure whose head is adorned by a crown from which chains come from, chains that keep that self-same figure forever chained to it’s throne and gaol.

…And no one can even get closer.

Those golden chains are the last scream of a soul who never wanted to hurt anyone, who wanted to help, who yearned for far too much and still came too short…the crown is nothing but the reflection of a burden he never allowed anyone else to carry — and the crystal walls the tears of someone who failed and in his sorrow hid his most precious treasure — and condemned everything to stagnation.

Eternity is something no mortal should be able to reach — and yet he is here, failing to fulfill the last plea of a broken soul who yearns for salvation…because he is unable to think about anyone who is worth of granting such a wish to this fallen Hero.

And he has lost that right long ago.

“People are still fighting…” A voice echoes, alone, in the middle of a room where no one can hear him — maybe. “Another attempt of a ‘Hero’ came today…” A whisper, words laced with sorrow despite of how much he seemed to be proud of those peoples, of his people. “…But I can’t.” He manages to say, cursing his own inability to end this — to stop this endless cycle. “…I won’t let them…get here…”

The figure stands up, turning back and then returning in front of the ethereal Lord of this Crystal Gaol, piling bodies — barely alive, barely breathing, bleeding out — as his offering. “…You need aether again, don’t you…?” The figure upon the throne stirs barely, but the marble-like features of it never change, or even acknowledge anything beyond the offering. “Eat.”

There’s a screech — it resounds far across the lands.

And then, tears of liquid marble flow upon the ground, until they reach the offering, it’s sustenance — drowning them and then consuming them from the inside out, leaving nothing behind but a few weapons made of marble that now lay upon the floor — and the Lightwarden returns to slumber.

The only other person present grabs those, and walks out of the chamber in shame and guilt — once upon a time he had wondered why had he been granted mercy when he deserved none. Now, he doesn’t ask this — he wonders if this will forever continue, if this is what it means for something to be eternal…

Eternal suffering.

Eternal punishment.

For when Meteor was succumbing to the Light he doubted for a second too long in that room at the Pendants and then had to see how what was once the last bastion of hope became and Accursed Palace…and yet…he was spared, he was given a plea.

‘Save…them.’

He knows he is nothing but a shade inhabiting a mockery of a body — a shield itself from the obvious outcome had Meteor transformed too fast before being able to save him.

He was supposed to save them. To end Meteor’s suffering…

…How is he supposed to do that when he saw how a mighty Lightwarden was still Meteor deep down? When he saw those chains binding the very beast he was supposed to become? Keeping himself in check enough to keep casualties within the Crystarium…?

How can he be anything but the eternal guardian of another fallen Hero who gave everything for a world he didn’t had to save…and yet tried to…?

He can’t.

So they remain, like the two most sinful souls in existence they are — in perfect stagnation.

Ardbert as the blade, the guardian, the wall anyone has to overcome to prove they are worthy of bringing down the soul inside…

Meteor as the sin — as the solution and the victim.

Both of them encased in a Crystal Gaol that no longer looks like the Crystarium — just a prison without day or night, a tomb — and at the center where once life thrived and tried to stand against the end of the world…

A thousand weapons stand as a warning, for whoever that attempts to come in here, will die at the hands of the demon — the white knight who wields an axe with nothing but pain and sadness for being too coward to do anything else but play a role again.

…

Willingly.

[gatheredfates]

Hi all! 🐉 It's another small Compendium update this time around, but I figured something was better than nothing. If you know of a place that isn't featured here, feel free to submit it using the google form here!

However, without further adieu, the following communities have been added to Sea's Community Compendium for XIV Creatives.

LARGE SCALE

WTFDIG?—It's time to fix chaotic PF. This is WTFDIG (where the f do i go), created by shittyidiot on bsky.

MISC

Mod List for Black Characters—A document tracking black-centric mods for FFXIV, maintained by gothcartel on bsky.

CHANGELOG

I modified the wording around what the Compendium won't accept, especially in regards to mods. My personal stance has always been that I am happy to include Compendium-like resources around modding, but I don't want to include individual creators/mods/etc. I think there are enough places that already do that (xivmodarchive, for example) without me needing to bog myself down. If someone wants to make a resource like that, however, let me know and I'll include it here!

Have you thought about joining our Tumblr Community? You can find it here!

Want to submit? You can either fill out the google form here or send me an ask with the relevant information!

Is my space suitable for the Compendium? Most of the time, yes! Below the read more is some more information/stipulations. This is all publicly available on the document. 🪙

Below are the following things I do not accept on the Compendium:

Personal/Single-Character LFC ads. (Though these get posted to the SEAFLOOR Tumblr Community when I find them!)

Content intended for or can be used for bullying, harassment and OOC gossip. E.g. ‘Secrets’ blogs, receipts, callout posts, etc. This does not include IC tabloid blogs or other ventures used to generate roleplay.

Communities that do not have an RP/writing element (large-scale exempt).

Modding outside of general how-to guides and compendiums of a similar spirit to this. This is for no other reason other than I do not want the document to be drowned in mod-related links.

Anything I find personally distasteful or goes against the spirit of this project.

Common-sense rule applies.

I want to put my community on the Compendium but we have an application process. Is this okay?

Yes! Just note somewhere in your application that's a requirement. The only thing that is mandatory for the Compendium is that you must be open to new members or have a public-facing/accessible facet. There's no point advertising a community if no one can join it in some way!

I want to put my Community on the compendium but I only have x number of members —

Also totally okay! People don't start with large communities. Activity is a must but, whether your server has two or two thousand members, if you're looking for new people to join, I'd love to help you find people.

I want to put my community/resource on the Compendium but I worry its too niche?

Okay, and? If your Eorzean Fishing Alliance has four members but you roleplay every second weekend, I still want to know about it. The same goes for resources; if it's relevant to the game, it'll be useful to someone.

How active does a community need to be?

If you find a community has not been active in about two/three months, send me a message and I'll take a look at it. Communities have ebbs and flows, especially event spaces that may take hiatuses depending on member interest/life events. I'm not strict in my implementation provided a space isn't dead. If a link or anything is broken, contact me asap!

I have [insert a question not stated here]?

No drama! Send me an ask or use the #Compendium channel in my Discord!

[candycryptids]

Good morning (or good evening in your case I guess)! 🤭

Because you asked me about the theme songs: If you had to choose one for each of your OCs what would it be?

Goooood Morning! Or evening for you by now I think 🤔🥰 This’ll be easier for some than others B’3 (links will all be to YouTube videos hopefully!) thank you for the question this was a real thinker x3

So Levraut actually has a song we recently heard and went HOLY SHIT ITS LEV’S THEMESONG! Which would be [Creator, by Lena Raine] it has the mysterious suspense of the music box at the start, and then shifts into the cadence of something I associate with the Sea, which is something that sounds like Accordion ahaha (and then it further intensified with electric guitar, which isn’t usually in his soundscape, but it’s So Good)

[cut because… length again LOL]

For Tuesday I’d have to say my first choice is [Hello World, by Louie Zong] as far as songs that make me immediately associate with Tuesday lololol. The other song I have is [Waltz No. 2, Robot, by Hikaru Shirosu] it has, to me, the cadence of going shopping in a small market, but you’re still very ‘young’ in a sense, and small obstacles can feel like big obstacles 🫢 it’s also Piano, which is one of the instruments associated with Keathan! Who has a very heavy influence on Tuesday’s soundscape :3

For Chuusday…. Picking just one is rly hard… hm… it’s not on EITHER of her playlists I think, but [Home Beyond The Horizon by I think Masoyashi Soken and Daiki Ishikawa] Which is a song played on a crunchy, tinny radio. She’s not patriotic, but it was too large a part of her life for it to not have had some major impacts on her, lol. For a less/more serious song (???) I’d say [Hardware Store by Weird Al Yankovic]. It’s got. The vibe. LMAO.

Tangy is also hard to pin down, but I think [Fell In Love With A Girl, by White Stripes] does a pretty good job of suiting both the vibe and at least a Lil Bit the lyrics [because the first three lines remind me of Minfilia and Tangy :/ not that I ship them explicit romantic 100% of the time, but it coulda been. It coulda.]

🎤Fell in love with a girl

I fell in love once and almost completely

She's in love with the world🎵

Otherwise my other offering is When You Look At Her and it’s just playing [Cat Cafe by Tsundere Twintails] in her whole expression.

There’s not a particular song I can think of for Mochiie yet- I’ve been fighting that gorilla for a month or so now and I’m not much closer to victory yet, lmfao. However I do offer the song from [this post] because it reminds me Thavnair, so the real answer is I have a lot of music in Urdu I need to listen to and figure out his vibe LOL. I found the song in particular after scouring the notes though! Which is ->[Mehndi Laga Ke Rhakna, sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan] (I also need to figure out the influence the Azim Steppe had on him 🫢)

Ishi’li is… tricky. Cos I’m also still working on their playlist BDJDNFJDJFSK and the one song I’ve heard recently that made me think of him so so hard isn’t in the soundscape I’d set for them :T but. It’s rly Ishi.

[Like or Like Like by Miniature Tigers]

🎤I watched you get undressed

I must have turned bright red

'Cause I couldn't stand to face you

'Cause I liked what I saw

And maybe we should just be friends

Tell me how you feel about me

Do you like or like, like me?

Tell me what you really feel

Do you like me? Just say you do🎵

Swydghem actually has songs because I listened to a playlist on basically endless loop while writing so even though it’s Baldurs Gate [Down By The River composed by Borislav Slavov] always makes me think of her LOL… Solkmyna gets slightly more associated with [How The Tide Rushes In by Anne Dudley] Jojoha doesn’t have a particular soundscape yet because it overlaps with Levraut regularly😅 (at least in terms of; the Dreadnaughts, which is one of the bands I listen to for him lmao.)

Colette is my monster hunter/Ffxiv cross oc and while I haven’t really given her a whole lotta thought I think [I Want It All by Arctic Monkeys] could definitely fit her vibe, lol. She’s someone else on my to-do for music thoughts, just a little further down the line from Ishi and Mochi uvu;

Bonus!!! If you were wondering [Love Like You from Steven Universe] makes me think of Tuesday/Haurchefant. :’)

I hope you enjoy the music 🫶 lord knows there’s a bunch of it SHFJRJFEKCKSKXKA hopefully the color/bolding isn’t obnoxious, it makes it easier for my eyes to not glaze over if there’s variation lmao