#I hope you like it umbral!! :3

[kirby-birby-blog]

Part 3

Previously, Birby had to go through all the mess from the past adventure when he had to save King Dedede from the Queen named Sectonia.

But now it's different...

Now, Birby and Aijo defeated some enemies and talked about what was Ranz up to.

They get closer to a tree boss named Flowery Woods, is what Birby thinks is going to happen.

And the fight begins...

Leaf Doomer by @umbralknight1344

[msommers]

AN EYE FOR AN EYE i don't fucking care if you go blind

mc for @vendetta-if, but cranked all the way up to the level of a comic book villain because i could not shake the vibe after her initial creation and katerina wouldn't let go of my creative ability until this set was complete.

[unionizedwizard]

hi i hope this is ok can i hear your tinfoil hat aeneid theory? <3

HI HELLO yes. so. i have this theory that g'raha is extremely aeneas-coded. where to begin.........

aeneas was raised on mt ida by nymphs for his own protection (keeping his demigod identity secret). notably, g'raha was taken to sharlayan (It Is A Mountain And They Do Revere The Nymphs There) when garlemald threatened to invade corvos, on account of the allagan eye, which would have put him and the entire tribe in danger if the empire had realized what it meant

selina (the allagan princess who bestowed the "blessing" (or curse) of the allagan eye to his ancestors) does fulfill a similar role as venus. both aeneas' fate (venus literally named him "bringer of suffering and misfortune" because she slept with a mortal man, while selina was allagan royalty and the miqo'te were their slaves) come as the consequence of a transgression, both come with a specific duty to carry, and a mixed heritage which is difficult to navigate. both aeneas and g'raha are put in a very precarious and isolated situation, which sometimes works to their advantage and sometimes burdens them further

also g'raha receives the full extent of The Curse specifically so that he can deal with The Horrors. he is frustrated and upset with unei and doga and their lies and the burden they force upon him in the same way as aeneas is towards venus when she appears to him disguised as a mortal woman

there are direct parallels between the fall of troy and what we know/see of the 8th umbral calamity (well. it's what calamities are like after all). though we don't know what became of sharlayan, we can assume it fell like the rest of the world's countless civilizations

notably, vergil describes himself as a historian; he is a poet who writes about ancient heroes and the epic of his city's founding. g'raha's first appearance during ARR is as a disembodied voice, taunting the wol and introducing himself as a historian who longs to write a hero's epic, and we learn a little while later that he's an authority on allagan history (eorzea's roman empire). g'raha is like if vergil had been forced to become and play the part of his own character. actually. so you can imagine the kind of stress (and impostor's syndrome) that he's under

the aeneid is very interesting to compare to homeric epics, because while it's the direct sequel to the iliad (what happened after the fall of troy, focusing on the opposite side) and therefore works as a foil to the odyssey, it was written approximately 3 centuries after the iliad was written, and it shows. this mirrors the centuries of slumber and then timetraveling that g'raha went through; at the time the wol arrives to the crystarium, their own epic fresh in their mind, as their present and immediate past, the exarch has the same temporal distance to The WoL Epic(tm) as vergil to the iliad. there is this monumental 3 centuries timeskip in both cases here, present vs history, lived experience vs epic poem, that's just very interesting to examine imo

aeneas is not your typical epic hero. he's a great warrior, but he fights sparingly. he remains very mysterious, and visibly suffers a great deal. he is driven by pietas, the absolute necessity to fulfill his duty, to accomplish his fate, and wants to protect his people; he doesn't even truly know what he is doing, or why, but the gods force him to keep going relentlessly. his main strengths are his willpower and dedication to his duty (he WILL do what he is meant to do), which can make him callous, ruthless, even manipulative (see: his secret departure from carthage leading to dido's suicide). he is also a very gentle soul, extremely diplomacy-inclined, who loves his people dearly, only fighting when necessary; he's burdened by his years and the trauma of the fall of troy and is visibly traumatized. founding rome after crossing the mediterranean (symbolically echoeing with g'raha crossing the rift to the first: there is no going back) is the only way to keep troy alive - he travels with his ancestor's gods. rome is not troy, nor does he consider it as such, but it was an inspiration, and ultimately it's the only thing that remains of troy, the only future for his people. see g'raha's observation that he took inspiration from sharlayan when the crystarium was founded;

is that not the exarch's entire character. for real.

aeneas very often compares himself (unfavorably) to Proper HeroesTM too, regretting he was tasked with this undertaking even though he is unworthy compared to them (even tho he DID manage to make it in the end), because he has a different approach and different qualities. this is extra interesting to point out considering the wol themselves is quite strongly odysseus-coded imo, on top of being The Ultimate Epic Hero In General

cities!! the aeneid is all about cities. troy as a ghost, a painful memory, every-present to aeneas' mind; rome as a promised future, also a ghost, but a tangible reality to vergil and his readers; carthage, where most of the memorable action happens, the only actual, living, prosperous, present city in the entire epic. in a similar way, shadowbringers as a narrative is built around three cities: the crystarium, eulmore, and amaurot. i have already talked about it before but since sharlayan was, thanks to hydaelyn, directly influenced by the ancient world (and thus amaurot), and the crystarium was inspired from sharlayan, we have a similar fallen-city-inspiration ratio between troy and rome and amaurot and the crystarium. (that emet-selch failed to identify this similarity on account of his own ideology directly caused his own demise. isnt that lovely). (oh and also emet-selch threw in his lot with eulmore, in the same way that juno threw in her lot with carthage. we know how it ended for the both of them) (okay, this is not a 1:1 parallel, but work with me here. i did say it was a tinfoil hat theory)

in both cases, the story is about history, looking up to the future in the wake of tragedy, preserving your memories and identity but not at the cost of having life run its natural course, trying to understand what the gods want you to do, and, of course, The Horrors(tm)

i also talked about this before but venus, as the pateon deity of rome, does share a few traits with venat (including having a similar name). i uhhhhh need to reread Lucretius' De rerum natura to make sure i'm not spouting nonsense here, but the general idea is that Lucretius (roman philosopher and poet) described the first (?) complete atomic theory, which i strongly suspect was an inspiration for aetherology - what Lucretius describes when he talks about the atoms is very similar to what we know about aether. AND the most influential part of De rerum natura is an Hymn to Venus, in which he describes her as the very embodiment of nature's flow (cough) and the very precept of life (once again. don't take my word for it because i havent read it since 2017). #hydaelyncore

full disclosure: i got the idea for this theory when i realized that the shadowbringers red mage artefact weapon was called Aeneas. i hadnt read the Aeneid before going through shadowbringers

tl;dr: "the future is where my destiny awaits (and i have to found a diverse city-state in a foreign land about it.)": g'raha "crystal exarch" tia 🤝 aeneas from my roman epics

also i am MOST LIKELY forgetting crucial elements here because i constantly think about it but have never formally written The Theory(tm) anywhere so forgive me if i keep rambling in the reblogs at some point

[xxcrystalinerose]

EA Patch 2 dropped!! I'm so happy we finally get more UI icons, every visual update makes the game feel a bit more complete. I hope we get new portraits soon!

Some thoughts about the patch:

1. When I first downloaded the patch I immediately went on an Underworld run on Persephone aspect (Skull) and Surface run on Moros (Flames). Glory gain only on Omega cast feels like a major nerf to me and makes the aspect clunkier, while the Moros aspect is straight up cracked now after the basic update to Flames in general. I was clearing entire rooms with 60% extra mobs settings in under 20 seconds lmao

2. Flames in general are doing much better! The attack speed majorly helps to incentivize me picking any other Attack-oriented hammer upgrade than the one that adds channelling speed and attack speed. Moving while firing is also MUCH easier and now I'm no longer an Umbral Flames hater. Even with the nerf to special base damage, the Flames are still good!

3. Fucking finally they adjusted that real annoying vulnerable window between the Axe's block ending and the Omega Special landing. More incentive to use the Charon aspect and specials in general! Slightly-but-noticeably faster Omega Attack channel speed + basic tuning to crit buff proc makes Thanatos aspect EVEN BETTER too.

4. Momus aspect got reworked, so goodbye 1k Omega Specials lmao. Haven't had the chance to test it though.

5. As of currently imo the weakest weapon overall (playstyle, aspects, base damage, etc.) is the Argent Skull, while the strongest is the Moonstone Axe. My favorite is still Sister Blades though.

6. No wonder I haven't finished Original Sins yet, because apparently the Barren Chaos curse is really rare.

7. Reworked chance to encounter Boon rooms helps in steering my builds better. Now I don't have to use the same keepsake across 2 different regions just to rarify too!

8. Wolf Howl's reduced Hex cost makes it EVEN MORE SPAMMABLE. Pro tip: always pick up the Path that lets you use it twice in a row and the one that makes you Impervious for 2 seconds after using it. Easy.

9. Gatling lasers from Moneybags are less annoying; conversely Mourners are even more annoying. Balanced as all things should be. Queen Lamia is no longer a pushover.

10. Funniest patch note of all time. Nuff said.

[thefreelanceangel]

Tagged: Five Character Associations

Emotions:

Rage Hunger Impatience Boredom Lust

Colors:

Blood red Jet black Oxygen-starved blue Ash grey Poisonous green

Scents:

Formaldehyde Coffee Burnt flesh Freshly spilled blood Mint

Objects:

A scalpel Black rubber gloves Silk rope Wine glasses Her ostentatious wedding ring

Body Language:

Narrowed eyes Pursed lips Impatiently tapping nails One slight, downward glance over one shoulder A grin pulling the lips back to expose all of the teeth

Aesthetics:

Various levels of decomposition (see how all things end) A clinical laboratory in chrome and white (not within my reach) Scorched earth, still smoking (only I choose what ends) Blood splattered on grey stone (or whom) Old libraries with unsettling corners (the world's secrets are mine)

Emotions:

Wistfulness Weariness Loneliness Hope Contentment

Colors:

Soot black Ashy white Blood red Pine green Cherry blossom pink

Scents:

Ink Acrid herbs Pine Hot, steamy water Dust

Objects:

A tattoo artist's inking needle A stack of ofuda A pair of long, thick cotton gloves A broad-brimmed straw hat A tattered, patched stuffed toy

Body Language:

Slow, cautious hand movements A scaled tail curling and uncurling Tense motionlessness Head angled slightly downward Hands knitted together

Aesthetics:

A long-abandoned shrine (you were holy, once) A city's dark back alley (now you live at the edges) An overgrown cemetery (listen to the dead) Temples no longer attended (they know your name) A family shrine with blacked out images (you belong to them)

Emotions:

Nostalgia Fearful anticipation Simmering anger Loyalty Sickening lust

Colors:

Wet blood red Dry bone white Steel grey Ink black Rich jade green

Scents:

Jasmine Dragon's blood incense Linseed oil Cedar Burning silk

Objects:

A highly polished skull, grey with age A half-drawn katana A scattering of ofuda A broken red porcelain vase A single tiny jade ring, worn smooth

Body Language:

Defensive shoulders Narrow, watchful eyes Clenched hands Averted faces Tense, militant posture

Aesthetics:

A worn mountainside path (every generation, you knew this) Battered fusuma panels letting in rain (mercy will not come for yours) Half-finished minimalist floral arrangements (she calls to you) A dusty set of samurai armor on a stand (the drink must be made) Clusters of faded family photographs (grind down the henbane)

Tagged by: @sealrock, @gatheredfates, @shroudkeeper Tagging: @luck-and-larceny; @dumb-hat; @mymistymornings; @otherworldseekers; @chainsofaether; @viiioca; @sundered-souls; @blessed-by-umbral ...and I think since this took me like NEARLY TWO WEEKS everyone's been tagged...? OH WELL DO IT ANYWAY <3

[crowskullart]

• Wisteria's Garden •

Aunt Wisteria... Oleander hadn't known he had an aunt. Though again, he hadn't known of any family other than his brothers, and parents. So her presence was a shock, especially since she'd arrived in the nick of time to save him and his friends.

Learning that Mother had a sister... Now that was surprising. She looked a lot like her, sounded like her too. But she acted nothing like her. She was... Warm. Kind. Gentle. Loving.

She loved him.

And she said so too. She didn't shy away from that fact, or make him wonder for even a second that he was worth her praise and attention. She held him, told him all of the wonderful things he wished Mother would say to him. She wiped his tears away and assured that despite them, he was so, so brave.

Of course someone this wonderful, this kind to him couldn't still be living.

Wisteria was dead. She had been for many years by now, she would explain to him. But death wasn't always so black and white, especially for those with unfinished matters. The Ferryman has granted her this favor, to speak to her nephew. To guide him, to protect him. To give him hope that his fight wasn't one of vain.

And to give him hope that perhaps somewhere, deep down, his mother did love him. She sparked the hope in him that perhaps the dark entity Vyshta hadn't consumed all there was of Belladonna Umbral. Perhaps, at her core, she was still there. She could be saved.

And that hope was what Oleander needed. Hope that things could be different. That all of the pain and horror he'd experienced could lead to something more. Something better.

Their time together was short. Oleander wished he could stay with Aunt Wisteria, he had so much he wanted to tell her, so much to know of the life she'd led. But the living can't stay with the dead forever. And there was still so much he needed to do.

They parted ways, though not without Wisteria's promise that Oleander would see her again, and a brooch imbued with her energy gifted to him.

And even as Oleander stood back in the material plane, back in the graveyard he'd met with The Ferryman in, clutching her gift in his talons, what stuck with him the most were the words she'd spoken:

"You are so very loved, and cared for."

-----

I don't write very often, but I love this piece and I love Oleander and Wisteria. And I spent like 3 months on and off working on this, so wanted to say a little more than my usual "yaaaay art!" captions I write lol

Anyways. Hope you guys enjoyed! I posted speedpaints of this too! Which you can see on my Instagram here, or my TikTok here :>

[miqo-tales]

Jobs at 100 - CASTING

RDM

Dunno if I like Grand Impact. Feels awkward? It is pretty high potency though, so I just need to force myself to use it when it's up.

Manafication giving a free use instead of gauge is nice. Once again I'm confused that some jobs get that and some don't.

...not much else to say, really.

LVL100 AF thoughts: Very swashbuckler/pirate-y. The gloves are kinda boring and I'm not sure about the hat, but overall it's really nice.

************************************************

SMN

Third verse, same as the first.

So, it's been more than 10 years with Big Red, Big Yellow, and Big Green. It is long past time for the other three to show up.

So I really hope that by lvl 120 or something, SMN alternates between access to Ifrit/Titan/Garuda and Ramuh/Shiva/Leviathan.

So Bahamut, I/T/G, Phoenix, R/S/L, YugiOh Bahamut, I/T/G, and so on.

Alternatively, SMN could get something like PCT's Subtractive Palette that swaps Ruby, Topaz, and Emerald Arcanums for Amethyst, Diamond, and Sapphire Arcanums (or whatever gemstones might fit).

LVL100 AF thoughts: Looking back, SMN has had a weird mix of styles for AF. And none of them have really been any good, have they? Whereas this is another of the "wow it's an actual outfit" ones for this expansion. I mean it's just so startlingly practical; I wish every job got this look. I don't like the head piece that much though? It's the one thing in SMN AF that shouldn't be understated.

************************************************

PCT

Really don't like this job sub-60. Not having subtractive palette kinda sucks.

Can we all agree Hammer Stamp is the best thing ever? Yea whatever cute moogles, I just wanna go all Akane on mobs all the time with my interdimensional cartoon hammer.

As big as the AoE for Starry Muse is, you'd think I wouldn't have trouble staying inside it for 5 casts and yet, somehow...

The animations for this job are so good. As much as Viper is the poster-job for Dawntrail, I think Picto is arguably a better one. This job could not have been released before now. This job is your character having fun.

Also, yeesh, the damage this job can do sometimes, particularly in lower level content. "Hits like a truck" is not descriptive enough. This job reincarnates mobs to different worlds. Every time you kill something, a new light novel is created.

I dunno what this job's optimal rotation is, and I'm not sure I wanna go find out. I suspect playing it optimally will ruin it for me.

LVL100 AF thoughts: Kinda wish we'd gotten Relm's mantle/cape instead of the jacket, but not a big deal. In any case, it's cute and I like how it dyes. However, I gotta say, I'm not impressed with any of the in-game brushes.

************************************************

BLM

As I thought, the change to how you regain MP is a major bonus for me. I could never get a handle on the old way it worked.

I can actually play BLM now, which is nice. Though I'd only qualify as "okay" in most content, so not like I'm gonna use it a lot all of a sudden.

I wish the Thunder spells were genuinely oGCD (meaning they didn't reset all other ability timers). Also kinda wish Flare got upgraded to Despair instead of it being a separate ability.

3 polyglot charges is kinda disgusting.

The revamp to Manafont is pretty cool, but damn, the updates to Umbral Soul are maybe the best thing ever. Just straight up stopping the Enochian counter? Full umbral hearts outside of combat? Yes thank you.

Flare Star is pretty cool.

LVL100 AF thoughts: Like so many others, it's an actual outfit! Easily the best looking AF so far. It's not even close.

************************************************

[thewolfno11-blog-blog]

Ender Magnolia, Trailer Analysis Part 3

This time I wanted to talk about the spirits and combat. Might be spoilers so don't read if you don't want to.

Edit: found some more pictures so I added them.

So what exactly is a Homunculi? Well, the classic depiction of Homunculi is an artificial human. That also seems to be the case in Ender Magnolia, but the Homunculi fused with machinery. In my opinion, it might be more appropriate to call them androids.

Like I said in a previous post, Lilac can use the powers of those she purified. While not explicitly stated in the released information, Lilac might be able to purify people and machines. This time around, there are 30 spirits to add to our arsenal. I found quite a handful of them and even some names.

First up, the first spirit/homunculi we/Lilac will meet this swords lady.

She's super cool looking and a nice change from starting with the male Umbral knight to this female swordswoman. Interesting to note is that in the trailer, she does not only wield a sword but also seen wielding a scythe.

Because the homunculi are part machines, it's possible we can change what they wield as a weapon through the blacksmith that gives us upgrades. It might also be a different homunculi with a scythe.

Then we have most likely our first boss: the Remaining experiment. Based solely on her name, I suspect she might be this kingdom's first attempt at creating homunculi, but was discarded when they found a better method of creating/producing them. Based on that last image, which I believe to be this Homunculi memory, I know I will feel super sad.

Probably after that, we have our second boss fight: Caladrius. This dark angel will assist us by wielding a gun. He will likely give us a run for our money if the last two images are his final phase.

I also found another image with this owl. I did not see a spirit slot for this owl, so it might be an upgrade for Caladrius.

Next, I believe we have this wolf. AND I FREAKING LOVE THIS THING. A WOLF SO BIG WE CAN RIDE IT, I LOVE IT.

Next, we have this guy from the trailer, but I was able to find a better picture of him.

And I also found a picture of this guy.

And finally, we have these icons that I could not link with any Homunculi that have been revealed. Although I theorize the fist on the X-button might be a Remaining Experiment upgrade.

The enemies revealed in the trailer might have spirit counterparts, but I couldn't tell you which will and which won't.

I noticed five differences this time around in terms of combat. First, we can use up to four spirits around at all times. I like this as it gives me more battle options without switching my spirit set. At the same time, the R-button that we used to switch between our two sets is now a spirit slot. While this switch function might have become a different button, it could mean we have decreased from using six spirits at all times to four.

The third thing I wanted to mention is that we also have this ZL button. My guess is that this is the Last Rites function. Interestingly, we have a separate button for it this time around. At the same time, I am curious if this is another function entirely.

The third thing is that we no longer have a limited use on which spirits we can use. This might change along the line, but I hope it stays. Lastly, there’s no distinct difference in Sub and Main skills. Maybe they got rid of it, but they could also add it later.

[mnemosyne-xiv]

Gifts of Gratitude

“This really isn’t necessary.”

The hrothgar knelt before her paid her words no mind as he continued to carefully fit the eyepatch to her tiny features. “But it is,” came his murmured reply. “You not only rescued me, but protected all of my comrades until reinforcements were able to make it to our camp. If it wasn’t for you, none of my unit would have made it back alive. We owe you far more than a simple piece of clothing.” He sighed. “Alas, you refuse our gifts of gratitude so at the very least, allow me to give you this, Lady Remia.”

While he continued to adjust the tightness of her new eyepatch, Remia’s uncovered eye flicked off to the side, taking in the altered perspective. With her so-called "good eye" now covered, the world had lost much of its color only to be replaced by a subtle shifting of faded hues. As though she were seeing through the rainbow light reflected in fractured glass. Translucent veils of aether flowed all around like wisps on the wind. She could follow them with ease now that her sight wasn’t clouded by her normal eye that lacked Gremory’s magick touch. Everything was so clear and blinding to the point she was half tempted to ask Yaromir to switch the eyepatch to her right eye. But, in the long run she knows being able to see the world through Gremory’s magick will inevitably give her an edge in battle. It’s best to learn to use it now so when Hien next calls upon her to fight, she’ll be ready to catch everyone off-guard with her new tricks.

Yaromir pulled back slowly after double checking the tie under her hair wouldn’t come loose. “Is that alright?” He asked, his deep voice nearly a purr rumbling from within his chest.

Remia reached up to feel the heated leather now covering her normal eye. Her nail tapped the golden metal design inlaid in its center, tracing its outline. “What is this symbol?”

“It’s for protection previously used by shamans long before the Fourth Umbral Calamity.” Yaromir explained. “I know when you and your sister are done here, you will return to Doma and I doubt you’ll visit. So, I pray for your safety in the years to come. Know that you will always have allies in Bozja should you have need of us.”

Her hand fell away from the eyepatch as he stood. Remia could do little more than slowly nod, perplexed by such a sincere, heartfelt gift. The first she had ever received from someone. This display of unwarranted kindness rendered her speechless. Entirely at a loss on how to respond…

Knowing this was as far as their interaction would go, Yaromir politely excused himself to return to his work. Remia waited until he was out of sight before once again reaching to lightly brush her fingers over her eyepatch. And if someone were to look at her in that quiet moment, they’d find the smallest of smiles ghosting across her feline features.

is yaromir going to end up being another future fully fleshed-out oc because i'm a sucker for hrothgars? yes, yes he is. do i regret this? only a smidge but i'm committing to him :3 i just, yeah, hrothgars. need i say more? Thank you for reading ya cuties and I hope you have a lovely day/night!

[uten4]

3 and 9 with Chaos'w'

Thank you! 💖

3) Least favorite canon thing about this character?

I hate his line about wanting to use Umbral on an idol's gravure photos. Because I'm not sure anymore if he actually attempted it or not. It makes me sad to think that maybe he attempted it, and a character I like tried to violate a woman's privacy like that. By using her appearance to create a helpless manifestion that's under his power... It's also just weird and pathetic to actually try and do that.

But I still believe it didn't work even if he tried. I don't know if it's bad for me to ignore that this line happened, but most of the time I do... I hope it never becomes relevant.

9) Could you be roommates with this character?

Yes but I wouldn't want to be... 😭... I'm sure he's polite, neat, punctual, and considerate. But I'm also sure that he wouldn't want to hang out with me. He would probably want to stay in his own room as much as possible whenever he's home, and he's really busy too.

And even though I love him as a game character, I probably wouldn't even want to hang out with him, because he's so arrogant. But I would still be annoyed that we're not friends, even though I don't want to be friends. This answer doesn't make sense 💙 LOL.

[fresa-schnee]

So I figured I should make a pinned post finally- So here we go! I am Zax, I'm just a writer who posts whatever they're working on. Also talking about games occassionally. I reblog stuff that catches my interest too! Biggest fixations are my FFXIV characters, and the world I've been putting them in. Their story is radically different from the canon game, so feel free to ask questions ^^ Below the line is some information on them!

I will say this: If you are looking for my works, I would suggest checking the #Fall of Dalamud tag on my blog. I tend to put most of my pictures, writings, or whatever involving my WoLs there! An index will also be placed under the cut! Hope you enjoy your stay, and like what you see!

Levai Qestir, my first blorbo.. An Au Ra/Viera mix. Originally just Au Ra, but due to the ritual used to bring them to the First going wrong, they gained Viera traits alongside their Au Ra ones. Parents forced them to flee from Othard due to their proximity to Doma, and didn't want Levai or their sisters to be caught in the war. A streetrat turned Warrior of Light, and main protagonist of the story.

Taken in by the Roegadyn Viansa Takei, and taught basic thaumaturge Levai was around to help save the realm before the Seventh Umbral Calamity. Eventually, over the course of stopping the XIV Legion's schemes, became a black mage of repute.

Levai is also a system, but I think I want to delve into that at a later point. They use they/them, and identify as agender!

Niandra Takei, a Garlean Roegadyn with the third eye of Garlemald. Born in Garlemald, but raised in Limsa Lominsa. Her mother, Viansa Takei, was a former Legatus. She fled with a baby Niandra after losing faith in the Garlean Empire.

Niandra's relationship with her mother is strained, and before either could try to patch it Viansa lost her life saving the realm by Nael van Darnus. Niandra took up her mother's bow, and became a Scion of the Seventh Dawn upon their creation.

As a Garlean, Niandra has no way to control aether. So she makes up for this weakness via magitek to draw in aether, and dispell it in the same manner of spellcraft. She is another Warrior of Light, and has a sister-brother like relationship with Levai.

There are two other Warriors of Light to this story, but they belong to my partner, @shard628!

Fall of Dalamud Index: Chapter 1, The Bard Chapter 2, The Samurai Chapter 3, A Short Lived Reunion Chapter 4, Missing Spices Chapter 5: The Thaumaturge

Enjoy your stay!

[theshadowsong]

So I just decided to start a completely new character. I was not happy for a while now in which direction this blog goes. Also with my situation ingame, where my fc broke up and left me a little lost and lonely.

This blog will mainly focus on ffxiv now and sometimes with my own world building project „Winds of Illdur“ which I will give the tag #Illdur, if you are interested in that.

I also have a side blog for World of Warcraft and Diablo so check it out if you want. @iny-jays

Now I will introduce my new WoL (& hopefully a new good journey through out the game):

Rem Amber

He was an Allegan experiment as part of a project called the "Amber Project".

The Allegan Empire used various life forms to experiment with elemental aspects that would make them stronger enemies against the dragons. Rem was instilled with the element of lightning, with a tendency toward Umbral. At some point, the experiment failed, as the subjects began to mutate and develop massively destructive attitude towards everything. Some of them also developed a somewhat vampiristic behavior. The scientists froze them, they didn't want to destroy the projects and resume all the work later. But they never got to do that for the calamity was to come.

Years later, a very confused Rem awakens in a world not his own. He is not used to think for himself and needs to learn how to control his anger. When not completely overwhelmed by his feelings, he is usually really shy and socially awkward. Scared of not being accepted, he also hides his tail and sometimes his horns with glamor, he also always wears gloves and closed shoes to hide his claws. He is a sweet boy, who is bad in controlling his feelings.

He has a pale skin, looking somewhat unhealthy with a lots of scars. He does have a huge scar in form of a lightning bolt on his back. He has small horns between his ears who also sense vibration (like a bad) which lets him „see“ in the dark very good. Claws in both hand and feet and a tail. He is very skinny, you can actually see his rips and spine through the skin. Also fangs. Beware if he his hungry. He does not look like it, but Rem is strong.

Be patient with him, he tries <3

I hope to interact more with you people in the future 🧡

[halonicheart]

What're your favourite headcanons that you've come up with? Ones that you love but you never really get to talk about? (For any character.)

There’s… there’s a few but I’ll be as brief with them as possible cause I do plan to make proper posts for these. Also cause I’d feel weird writing a documentaries worth of info for an ask ooouuough… and I’ll just narrow it down to two all time favorites cause yeah

Number 1 on the list would most definitely be the HC I have for Lovette’s voidsent as a reaper. I’ve only mentioned it maybe… twice? Lovette theoretically has two voidsent. One she made an actual typical contract with, as does any reaper, and the other well… just kind of showed up. If you’re familiar with persona 3 , it’s akin to Thanatos coming out of the mouth of Orpheus- the protag’s persona. This second voidsent is actually her shard the 13th, Amara Lovelace and she’s hell bent on simply taking over Lovette’s body for no true reason other than she’s twisted and bored. This makes her reluctant to actually call upon her voidsent since Amara appearing is sporadic.

It’s a tense relationship between the two but Amara comes to be fiercely protective of Lovette when she regains her memories via a series of events I will make a seperate post on cause it’s a l o t.

Second is less to do with a character and more to do with black mage stones. Cause it… it bugs me the quests established “yeah don’t do black mage shit without a stone or you die via self immolation” but then you see characters doing just that. Just cause. So which is it? Am I missing details in the game? Probably but I’ll deal with that as I get there.

Point is it got me to thinking, does the severity of the consequences depend on the moves down and how they’re cast? If I wasn’t at work I could break down the whole thing but another time another post.

But as a few examples of my line of thought-

A mage needs to find balance between Astral Fire and Umbral Ice. Which to me translates to bodily consequences such as-

•over usage of ice moves can cause frost bite, slow down blood flow resulting in excessive exhaustion and at worst cause the mage to freeze to death

• over usage of fire moves can cause burns, heat exhaustion, and at worst self immolation

•moves meant strictly for black mages will take heavier tolls on the body or immediate death. Think of moves like Foul, Despair or Xenoglossy. Should a thaumaturge attempt to cast it, if they can finish the cast, it will result in their death.

•moves that upgrade from thaumaturge to black mage being casted by the former won’t kill the caster but will have heavy consequences on the body. Otherwise they could theoretically live.

•A CRACKED JOB STONE COULD SPELL EVEN THE MOST CAPABLE OF BLACK MAGES DEATH

•a thaumaturge could theoretically be as strong as a black mage. The vital difference is the consequences of casting and the later having access to more potent spells with less worry of it killing them. Chances are low but never zero. A caster must be as cunning as they are fierce.

That’s the gist of it. I have a list I’m working on breaking down a thaumaturge casting versus a black mage casting and the consequences of either. It’s… it getting long ooouoough but I’m hoping to have it up one of these days

[inscrutable-shadow]

69 votes haha nice

thought i might as well tell you which one is which, eh? reverse sorted for the lulz, bonus some sneeps

Beach Feelings Time Part 2 - a second chapter of take my hand on the shore of my suffering in which thanatos actually talks about his trauma for once. the lack of interest will not stop me from writing it most likely

There's a Harpy in my Garage (And She's Hot) - Ivy & Jean, wlw urban fantasy romance that remains stubbornly unpublished and mostly unwritten. will i finish it? maybe. probably not. ivy doesn't talk to me the way she used to but i still love her <3

Therapist Somehow Still Manages to have an Attitude After Weeks of Starvation - Trials of Thanatos. my plans for chapter 3 fell through so i just kinda have to figure out where i'm going again. i've been really wanting to write it lately so we'll see

Arranged Marriage Fiance Actually Kinda Hot - prized possession au, in particular Chosen to be His Trinket? My Life as the Prince's Prized Possession which is unpublished. i write this when i feel like it and lately anchors has been taking up a lot of space but i've been vibing with it again the last couple of days. have a thingy.

His father was silent for a while before he spoke again. "It's a request for your hand in marriage." "Oh." Thanatos was nineteen now, and the other lords smelled blood in the water. It was well known that the son of House Iuventae was a bookish, timid lad only barely fit to rule, and he'd already had offers, usually accompanied by visits and gifts, from many with ambitious daughters ready to rule through him. He didn't begrudge the practice. If anything, he hoped that his sister Della would find a husband like that, she had much more of a head for politics than he. It was just that the idea of marriage filled him with such concentrated, unadulterated dread he thought he might dissolve into a pool of bituminous slime.

If You Feed a Vamp Your Magic - the next segment in the anchors series, we've a lot of starving faithful. it is. nsfw. than has a monumental, delusional crush and doesn't know what to do about it. there is blood drinking. there is oral. it's got it all. idk what to tell you.

It wasn't as if he'd really been getting any in the latter part of the war when being recognized had been a death sentence. Months when he touched nothing but door handles and dirty floors, years when the only skin contact he got left bruises. Spending nights crammed into coat closets, holding his own face in his hands just for some fleeting facsimile of comfort, how pathetic. It was no wonder that the instant he was treated with some semblance of human decency that his hormones and neurotransmitters went wild. It meant nothing. It would all go away in time.

Death Game? What Could Go Wrong? - An Umbral Arena, upcoming scifi vampire bloodsports novel. currently stalled due to plot issues though i do have over 30k worth of manuscript for it. will probably post sometime this year but i should stop making promises

“Really? You don’t think it improper?” “Of course not. You’re my sire. Sure, we’re basically peers now, but it’s not unprecedented for me to want to protect you with my body, especially given the stakes of the mission. Just come here, will you?” I settle myself against her body, and she wraps her arm around my chest. “Comfy, yeah?” It is. I feel incredibly safe, probably the effects of an arch-class aura in such close proximity. Fatigue crashes down on me now that it’s not being held at bay by anxiety, and my eyes flutter. Avrae laughs again. Her laugh is like a warm river over rocks. “Good night, Bea.” “Good night, Avrae.”

Turns Out Sleep Deprivation is Bad for My Latent Mental Illness - Is It You or Is It Me? a three-chapter whumptober fill I have in progress for the doc. they have a nasty habit of staying up for 60+ hours and expecting not to have manic episodes or psychosis. there's also an old febuwhump fill with vaguely the same premise that i might also finish some day

"What is it?" she asked as she prepared the dosage. The Doctor knew they didn't have time for this. "Amnestic agent. Should take care of the last hour and the next two. Will you hand me the suction, at least? This bleeding will not resolve itself." "The post-traumatic stress—" "Will be less unpleasant than death! I informed you at the outset that my intention was to commit medical malpractice. If you had wanted to recuse yourself, the ideal time to do it would have been then. Now either administer the dosage or give me the damn suction! All you are at this moment is an obstruction, and if they die on the table this really will all have been for naught."

Hitting on a God is Somehow Working - In the Hall of Reality, Thanatos and the Archfey's love at first sight story. thought this one was gonna win for a bit lol. i will probably finish this. someday. a bit of chapter three for you

He stretched languorously and pushed himself to a sitting position. "Pleasure to have been of service. I've had an amazing night myself, but I suppose I ought to be going." Sorting out his clothes from the floor was going to be a chore. "No." "No?" "I still have need of you. You have more knowledge of this sexual pleasure, do you not? I sense I have barely scratched the surface. You shall not depart until you have exhausted your knowledge on the subject." 

and, last but not least (you guys really liked this one lol)

I Think BDSM Would Fix Me - command me to be well, another installment in the anchors series. the archfey returns from aer long absence, but thanatos doesn't feel worthy of aer anymore. they... change their dynamic a bit to compensate.

"What is it, child? Make your supplication." There. That was what he needed. A cold shiver ran through him at the authority in the Divine Reality's voice. "I want to be yours." "You are mine." "I want to serve you. Need to- be useful to you, I can't just take without giving. I've taken so much and given nothing back I can't- Divine Reality, I beseech you. Use me. Command your most faithful servant, I'll fulfill any-" "Oh?" The cold wind that swept through the room wasn't his imagination. He heard the various latches, fastenings, and shutters on the doors and windows slam into place, creating a private sanctum and plunging the room into darkness save for the flickering candlelight and Reality's internal glow. Ae didn't move from in front of him, and yet he felt a presence behind him, ghosting over his shoulders, murmuring in his ear. "You are a creature of contracts, vampire, I am sure you understand the severity of the pact you propose to forge now." Magic crackled in the air behind him, but he didn't dare to turn around.

i hope people like these they took a long time to pick out and even longer to write XD yes ao3 links and not tumblr links cause it's just so hard to find things on my own damn blog

if you want to hear about my work or add requests to my slush pile send me an ask!

Badly Summarized WIPs Poll!

i am. incredibly late aha

tagged by @crash-bump-bring-the-whump, a significant percentage of these are from anchors so i hope you're happy XD no clue what i'm doing fr let's gooooooo

Rules: Pick a bunch of your WIPs and summarize them as badly as possible, then ask your followers to vote on which one they’d be most likely to read. Multiple/all/none options are completely optional.

i feel like this vastly overestimates the amount of porn i write. or maybe it doesn't. you decide.

tagging... fuck it uh... @speculative-scintillation, @albatris (idr if you've done it already???) @liminalpsych, @noveldivergence, anddddd @coffeewritesfiction no pressure just trying to remember who's active on my dash and who's done this already XD

[ruki--mukami]

Dress your Livestock game:

Since you have so many livestock to take care of, I am going to give you some outfits and you are to choose for whom they would fit best:

(1) a little black dress (revealing)

(2) a gothic dress (of your choice)

(3) formal channel suit (pinkish or blueish; specify)

(4) Anne Boleyn dress

(5) male suit (like you have for a female livestock)

(6) Lolita dress

(7) formal kimono

One outfit, one livestock.

Because I am very curious!!!

“So many livestock to take care of…? What on earth are you talking about? Oi, don’t just leave all these resplendent garments on my doorstep. I have no use for—“

Before he could finish speaking, Ruki found himself alone with one scanty yet silky smooth little black dress, two midnight onyx gothic dresses, three tweed Chanel suits (two in pale pink, one in baby blue), four Anne Boleyn dresses that spilled onto the floor when removed from the packaging, five extravagant suits of a masculine style, six pastel-colored lolita dresses, and seven unisex formal kimonos, all adorned with ornate patterns and shapes. 

“Good grief… I don’t have the time, space, nor patience for this. Though I already have ideas of who to assign each outfit to. Yes, these shall suit them quite nicely… If they are so willing to don such unusual attire, that is. I suppose a master must reward his livestock every now and then.” 

First, the Vampire examined the little black dress, stunningly beautiful despite not leaving much to the imagination. 

“Ah, this dress doesn’t reveal the stomach at least. In that case, it’s perfect for Irina ( @iricathel ). While it’s not modest in the chest area, it would suit her hourglass figure to a T.”

Second came the two gothic dresses, the color of umbral shadow much like the previous garment. 

“Hm… I always see him crossdressing. In fact, this seems to be right up Lukas’ ( @princesscrownprince ) alley. It wouldn’t be his first choice, sure, but something tells me he won’t ever quiet down over receiving an unsolicited gift from me. Well, no matter. I’ll gladly give this to him.”

A redheaded Ghoul who often wore Victorian style clothing came to mind with the other gothic dress. 

“It’s rare for me to gift anything to Scarlett ( @kindan-no-kanojo ), but I get the feeling she would not only appreciate this dress, but also look marvelous in it as well. The lack of hue contrasts immaculately with her vivid red hair.” 

Third came the formal Chanel suits. A stubborn yet resolute girl bearing the mark of a crown and his benefactor’s initial came to mind for the blue one in particular. 

“How appropriate for a student council president. I ought to give this to Caria ( @cursed--requiem ). Surely she can’t refuse such sophisticated garb.”

After remembering a ball with the half-Vibora half-Founder, it became clear to Ruki who should don one of the pink suits. 

“Ah, Aleksi ( @besnella )… This pink suit would complement her auburn locks perfectly. She seems like a very determined woman despite our short time acquainting ourselves with one another, but I’d certainly like to see her wear this.”

One pink suit remained. A diligent Vampire who refused to prey on innocence surfaced in his thoughts. 

“Somehow this outfit looks like it belongs in Maria’s ( @veiledsagacity ) wardrobe. It undoubtedly gives off an educated and reserved vibe. Come to think of it, I haven’t asked her for her date of birth, yet she gifted me presents for my own birthday. I hope she will appreciate the gesture in return.” 

Next, Ruki took out the Anne Boleyn dresses, pondering to himself who should accept such intricately designed clothing reminiscent of eras past. A lavender-haired Witch immediately came to mind.

“Josephine ( @thatonefrenchwitch ) would look utterly remarkable in this dress. I can already picture her long hair cascading over such lustrous fabric. Heh, she’d truly look like a Witch wearing this. I truly can’t wait to see it.” 

Then a certain blonde came to mind, one with a penchant for fashion. 

“Ah, it may not be her style per se, but Serena ( @serenaleblanc ) would look absolutely breathtaking if she were to don this dress. Perhaps she can even appraise the worth of such mysterious clothing as well, given her talents.”

Visions of a cheeky bandaged girl wearing one of the Anne Boleyn dresses swirled in his imagination. 

“Indeed, Shoma ( @komori--shoma ) might not be opposed to wearing this. I’m certain she’d appear bewitching, wearing such vibrant colors against her alabaster hair and complexion.”

Last but not least, Ruki considered his benefactor’s very own daughter.

“There is no dress out of this selection more appropriate for the daughter of Karlheinz-sama. Yes, Yuuko ( @sakamaki--yuuko ) wouldn’t oppose to wearing this, especially when she’d look like a princess straight from a fable.” 

Drastically different from the other selections, the Vampire then averted his gaze to the five suits. He set aside three for his brothers, leaving two left for a generous gift. The taciturn yet intellectual classmate and companion from the academy could use formal attire, or so Ruki surmised. 

“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Virek ( @crimson-mayhem ) wear anything quite as dignified as this. I do look forward to his reaction when I give this suit to him… Perhaps he’ll utter a word or two and nothing more, but what matters is that he wears it in the end.” 

Then his much adored bounty hunter came to mind. Indeed, Ruki looked forward to seeing the half-Founder wear extravagant attire as if they were attending a grand event under cover together. 

“Ah, Mystic ( @mino-diabolik )… You would look even more ravishing than you already do in this suit. It’s not often that I give him any sort of tangible gift, but I do hope he appreciates it nonetheless.” 

Nearing the bottom of the abundance of clothes, Ruki directed his attention towards the delicately adorned lolita dresses. The girl who supposedly respected his benefactor just as much, if not more than he did very clearly had a penchant for this type of garb. A smile rose on his lips after realizing the heaven-made match. 

“Nunnally ( @lured-into-wonderland ) is wearing this—no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It’s an order she cannot refuse, not that I believe she would anyway. It would appear wondrous on her.” 

The elven maid surfaced in his thoughts as well. A promising reward for one so steadfast. 

“This would compliment Estella’s ( @yourlocaltea ) silver hair with the utmost pulchritude. It may be a bit childish for her but regardless I believe she should wear other clothes aside from her servant attire.”

Next, an ostensibly cheerful sacrifice came to mind. 

“Honestly, it’s difficult for me to imagine Sunny ( @sunny-flower-spot ) wearing such an elaborate dress, but it’s equally as bright and light-hearted as her. I’m sure it’s in her nature to try new things every now and then.”

And how could he forget the obnoxious pink-haired shapeshifter?

“Ah, Metsu ( @metsu-san )… This lolita dress looks a bit fancy for her liking, and knowing her she might ruin it somehow, but it’s better to give her this than any of the other options.”

Furthermore, the aspiring dance instructor also looked like a suitable fit for the lolita attire. 

“Fiona ( @misslittlefounder ) should wear this. The many ruffles and bows are a tad feminine but nonetheless I can see her donning the dress with aplomb.” 

Unlike the previous girls, a woman with a more dark and defiant aesthetic to her arose in his vision. 

“How ironic would it be to give such a pastel dress to Kira ( @yourlocaltea ), of all people? I’d be humored to see that.” 

Finally, only the fancy kimonos required recipients at this point. The Vampire rummaged through the deluxe clothing and textiles, vacillating between options on the fortune person who would wear the spectacular garb, impressive enough to strike inspiration in all who laid eyes upon it. Specifically a deft and beloved painter. 

“I’m certainly no artist, but not even the most skilled in the world could capture Ellen’s ( @ana-darkcloud ) beauty if they were to wear this kimono. I should give it to them posthaste.” 

Idols would often model these traditional outfits in spirit of the festivals that took place in Japan, however, knowing that Kuron took on both the role of idol and teacher, Ruki surmised a summer festival would be just what he needed to reserve a day of respite to himself. 

“This kimono would suit Kuron ( @mukami-kuron-mrsadisticcat ) splendidly indeed. I know he most likely already has his own, but I’m hoping he will at least accept this as a token of my gratitude.” 

Speaking of which, students would frequent such events as well. Including a particular girl from the academy, or so the Vampire thought. 

“Angelica ( @dialovers-angelica ) might not have a proper kimono for this summer after all. Last time I checked, her family isn’t exactly affluent and the garments tend to be expensive. Therefore, she ought to be impressed with this formal wear. I wonder if she has ever worn one so elegant.”

While Ruki still didn’t know Nami Arisu all that well yet, he hoped to close the distance between them and use an opportune moment where they could both go outdoors in their kimono to better acquaint themselves with one another. 

“Hm… That girl from the academy would look charming in a formal kimono. She seemed interested in my cooking and the books I’ve read, so perhaps Nami ( @sunturbogel ) might appreciate this gift from me as well.”

Although she was far from mortal, Ruki considered giving a kimono to his coveted acquaintance who also attended the academy. Cyra Abbas, a woman who, unbeknownst to the Vampire, lived on this earth far longer than he could’ve imagined. 

“I realize that Cyra ( @cyra-abbas ) usually sticks to her white and gold aesthetic, but I do think that a formal kimono such as this would bring out her beauty so effortlessly. Perhaps her and I can explore the festivities in Japan and indulge in all the local cuisine.”

Daughter of Beatrix and Karlheinz, he determined Ayame Sakamaki would radiate an unforeseen glory donning such a cultural symbol. 

“Ayame ( @sakamakiayame ) most likely hasn’t experienced too many opportunities to wear this exquisite garb. It’s time we change that.”

Once again, last but not least, his dear fallen seraph sprung to mind. Perhaps incisions could be made in the fabric to accommodate for their wings, but Ruki longed to see his beloved Azazel don an extravagant look, perhaps one that might temporarily distract them from the recent inner turmoil of a shattering halo and contemplations of the afterlife. 

“This array of rich patterns and honored craftsmanship looks like the type of attire Azazel ( @ana-darkcloud ) might adore. I’d love to see my dear angel wear it.”

After deciding who would obtain which clothing, the Vampire sighed in exhaustion, preparing the garments for their proper imparting.  Just observing all the various textiles in their lavish details down to every delicate thread encouraged Ruki to wear a sumptuous ensemble of his own. A suit as dark as his own cinereous black strands and a tie ivory as his fangs. 

“With this, everything is ready.”

🧩 DISCLAIMER: THE AU’S ARE STILL SEPARATE. I JUST COULDN’T THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO DISCUSS ALL OF THEM IN ONE GO WITH EVERYTHING STILL MAKING SENSE 😭 but I promise there is no infidelity happening here. This isn’t a harem Rooks scenario. Anyway, I apologize for any unwanted tags but I also wanted to find a loophole that would allow me to include more than just seven OCs. Feel free to reply if you want but omg I might end up typing starters for each person mentioned with the outfit they are receiving… Who knows. We’ll see if my motivation permits me to do so, ahaha. In any event, I thought this was such a cute idea. I’d love more asks like this in the future honestly. 🏃‍♀️ 🧩

[crystalelemental]

Unit Viability Speculation - December 2022

Boy, I sure hate Greninja.  If there’s one Pokemon I can’t stand even more than Charizard, it’s Greninja.  I sure hope there are no Greninjas in this update.

*checks Twitter*

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I can’t believe they made two of them.  At the same time!  And they’re both Master Fair, are you serious?  Ugh.  Barf.  I hate them.  Which is a pity, because Serena’s outfit is one of the best in the game.  She’s so pretty, I’d kill for that, but...Greninja.

I will say outright, I had reservations.  These are the first master fair units since 5/5 grids dropped.  But you will be delighted or disappointed to know, Master Fairs do not get 5/5 grids.  Yet.  So Serena and Calem only need 3/5 for max performance.

Champion Serena Serena is a Water and/or Dark Tech, specializing in multi-hit Water Shuriken and defense debuffs.  She seems honestly fine?  The only benefit she has over other Water-type damage dealers is a Rebuff, but so does Hilbert, so I guess they just really want Water content dead.  The big draw, at least on my end, is Dark.  Dark is a fairly rare offensive typing in my book, and this does cover that option fairly nicely.  But to be frank, Serena feels like a problem.  Her self-setup caps crit, but does not cap either offense.  She needs offensive support, and is a Master Fair, meaning you ideally want that to come from your own region.  Which means Calem, since she also kinda wants both offenses so her Buddy move works well.  The big money is just in debuffs.  Unfortunate Strike 9 means she hits a target for -5 in one Water Shuriken, does it again for -10, then gets -2 to both defenses on Buddy move and another -1, for -15 in one cycle.  That’s pretty good.  Her Dark form also has Staggering and Discombobulate, which...sure.  It’s worth noting, transformation occurs prior to damage being dealt, so you’re always with the preferred passives in either type.

That said, her grid seems like shit.  I can’t find too much that’s exciting about it.  Double Power Play, and Furious Brain, are about the only useful tiles.  Everything else feels like fluff.  I think Champion Serena will be good, because Master Fair with tremendous 1/5 debuffing kit, but I feel like this is a notable step down from the third year anniversary power level.  Thank god.  I hated the rats.  But Serena’s great.  It feels like just the right level of power.  Shame about Greninja.

Champion Calem Calem gets hit with the Support bat, welcome to Aura Cynthia status my dude.  Look at this dude trying to push into SS Kris’ territory.  His Buddy move can set Dark Zone or Rain, depending on its own type, and gives 2 stacks of physical (Dark) or special (Water) moves up next.  Calem’s similarly focused on Water Shuriken, but instead of max hits every time, he gets a 30% chance to restore some of his own HP per hit.  His trainer move is 1 use, and doesn’t cap anything.  Calem doesn’t seem so good at base.

Grid slaps.  Umbral Healing 9 is great.  Giving the entire team Endure on entry is bonkers.  Guaranteed Triple is at least getting decent consistency from his multistrike move.  Group Fortification seems fun, if you get evasion running.  Crit Squad at least caps crit.  There are legitimately great things here.

But.  Master Fairs tend to differ from PokeFairs in their 1/5 sufficiency.  They tend to have everything they need in their base performance.  SS Kris does this.  While speed can be a concern, her main role of Rain and capping special attack/crit for a team is all there in the base 1/5 kit.  Calem does not do this.  Calem feels hard required to take 3/5.  His consistent healing is 3/5.  His useful buffing is 3/5.  Capping any stat is 3/5.  He’s a Master Fair that’s demanding of move levels, and that feels...not ideal to me.  Of the two, I think Calem has overall more utility because of the field effect setting, but Serena’s more budget friendly given all of her best tools, barring one multiplier, exist at 1/5.

Lodge Serena Serena’s also our lodge unit!  Yay?  She comes with Fletchling.  Cute.  It’s a Flying Tech.  Sure.  Peck, Dire Hit+, Flame Charge, Trainer move gives +2 attack, +1 evasion, and Reflect for some reason.  Neato.  What’s really, endlessly funny to me is Overwhelm 9 and Trip Up 9.  She’s a debuffer.  Okay.  Oh I’m sorry, a debuffer with Staggering 2.  Sure.  Okay.

Grid got Unfortuitous 4, Slippery 1, 50% burn when she hits a foe for Gauntlet shenanigans, Fast Track 9 on Flame Charge, and...Cakewalk.  Ugh.  UGH.

She’s fine.  Like every other offensive Lodge unit, needs offensive support, but I think in this case, optimal play is something like Hop.  Just get rid of the trainer moves, and spam Flame Charge.  Guaranteed max speed and -3 speed on the foe for sync purposes.  Seems easy enough.  Though admittedly, I kinda like this less than Kahili and Winona.

Winter Whitney Good lord, what is happening over there?

Okay, let me start with some stuff.  Headbutt with Aggravation 1.  Great.  Already useful.  Horn Leech.  Chad Sycamore 2.0?  She has the speed and offensive stats to back it, but there’s more.  Move Gauge Boost.  Now, before you groan.  Hear me out.  Trainer move.  Crit Defense, Move Gauge Acceleration.  But.  Depending on the remaining PP on Move Gauge Boost?  Field Effect.  If 2, Grassy Terrain.  If 1, Psychic.  If 0, Electric.  Friends.  Whitney’s healing is through the roof.  Not only is this Chad Sycamore 2.0 with better offensive stats, it’s got inherent Terrain.  And blocks crits.  I...love this.  Oh but it gets funnier.  Her passives work with different terrain.  So in Grassy, it lowers the defense of all foes, then boosts the defense of all allies.  Yeah.  Defense debuffs and Terrain with a healing move.  I won’t even be mad if they don’t give her Master Healer, I don’t think she needs it.  Under Psychic Terrain, it’s special defense, so welcome another support to Giovanni.  And under Electric, it’s speed, so like...alright.  Sure.

Grid gets Mad Strength 9.  ...do...do I need to keep going?  She gets this shit at 2/5, man.  Empowering Overgrowth 3 for more damage under Grassy Terrain.  Sure girl.  Whatever you want.  Terrain Sync and Interference Sync 9.  That’s really good, but she is a Normal type, so...you know.  Flabbergast with Mind Boggler.  This is so unnecessary why are you like this?  Shock Recovery.  Can’t get your Grassy Terrain anymore?  How about another stack of passive recovery, on the house?  SYNC BURST?!  SHE GOT SYNC BURST ARE YOU SERIOUS?!  Okay, hold on.  ...okay.  Okay there’s the limitation.  She doesn’t get natural MPR on her trainer move.  Got it.  For a second, I thought she was the best unit in the game.

Whitney’s good.  Whitney might be real good.  A lot of this comes at 1/5.  The only thing 3/5 really does for her is her sync nuke, and Aggravation, which you’re probably not going for that often with Horn Leech around.  The core of her build?  The terrain and debuffs?  That’s natural.  She’s a sustain tank like Sycamore, but the offensive partner.  I kinda love it.  This is justice for Whitney.

Winter Jasmine I can’t believe they actually gave me the Jasmine I wanted.  She’s a support with Mega Ampharos.  No Electric Terrain, sadly, but like...it’s fine, I can flex with it.  Why?

Death to Classic Red.  About a year and a third ago, Classic Red came out, and people were mixed on the response.  On the one hand, Supereffective Up Next, applicable to a unit for sync nuking purposes.  That’s neat!  On the other, very little that he did was impressive outside of that.  We’ve since gotten to enjoy the concept of fast-ramping, so he’s still useful, but now there is another.  Jasmine can apply Supereffective Up Next.  Delightful.  She also has Potion, so that’s great.  Thundershock is the one-bar spam.  Trainer move...is Jasmine’s problem.  It buffs defenses of a target by 3.  A target.  Singular.  She does not buff the team all at once.  This...bugs me.  Her passives salvage a bit.  Endurance is nice, and she buffs team crit when she uses a trainer move, so that’s helpful.  She also buffs her own defenses by 1 when using a trainer move.  So that’s the plan.  She buffs an ally’s defenses to cap, then gets +1 to herself as well.  It’s not a terrible plan, except that her baseline defenses aren’t ideal until she mega evolves.  They’re not bad, but they’re kinda...Halloween Caitlin, if that helps categorize.  This is doubled to +2 per use when mega evolving, so in an odd twist, I kinda feel like Jasmine wants to save her buffing for after mega evolution.  Never thought I’d see the day.  It also replaces Endurance with gradual healing, so that’s nice.

Grid’s a mixed bag.  Thundershock gets Hostile Environment 2, but this is a fakeout because she has Static Cling 9 to paralyze regardless.  Team Shout 4 is big money.  When she takes hits, she can buff offenses for the team.  Unfortunately...SS Blue.  I don’t think I need to explain beyond that?  Like, if you want a defensive supporter that boosts offenses, SS Blue has Team Shout 9.  She gets Team Entry skills for attack or special attack, but it’s only +1, so not saving anything.  Double Potion MPR is great, and I like that her trainer move can also give stacks of physical or special moves up next.  That’s a niche.

On the whole...she’s fine.  I don’t think she’s exceptional.  I’m kinda bummed she’s not the Electric Terrain support we’ve been waiting for.  But she’s good and I like my defensive supports.  Just pair her with someone who can cap their offensive stats reliably, and you’ll be fine.

Fantina Grid Yes sir, I like it.  Mind Games 4, Smarty-Pants, Super Preparation 9, Sharp Entry to remove the need for MPR.  It’s good!  I like it a lot.  She does need help though.  Still not a self-sufficient buffer.  Still not a consistent debuffer.  But most importantly...she’s more consistent about her supereffective up next sync than Anni Lillie.  *sigh*

SS Leaf Grid Bad.  I’m sorry, it’s bad!  It’s bad.  Toxic Power 1?  On a PokeFair?  Seriously?  Toxic Freebie is something, I’ll definitely take it, but what is this Venomous 2 shit?  Just give me Venomous 4!  Make it guaranteed at base, then keep the 50% chance when mega evolved!  You don’t have to be like this!  Pinpoint Entry, Noxious Hit debuffing offensive stats, and Power Play are all solid.  Noxious Hit in particular is great for stall cores, effectively compressing the Toxic, offense debuffing, and healing into one role.  But, she got no additional support for healing.  And these nodes are full cost.  I’d have to see layout, but I’m willing to bet SS Leaf runs into energy problems out the ass.  I don’t like it.

Marnie Grid Solid.  Does what she wants.  High paralysis rate, buffs team speed per hit, buffs crit rate per hit, debuffs Atk/Def of a paralyzed foe per hit.  Very useful.

Common Grid War Act 13 Surge, Janine, and Agatha.  What’s good, you three?

Surge got Trip Up, Hostile Environment 3, Static Shock 3, Charging Infliction 1 on Eerie Impulse, Devastation, and Pep Rally on X Speed.  Oh, and Sharp Entry, for whatever that’s worth.  It’s fine?  Can’t complain.

Janine the stall queen, what is good girl?  Hostile Environment 5, and Hostile Environment 3, that is comedic.  Discombobulate is hilarious for a stall unit, just potentially dodge shit.  Venom Drench MGR4 is beautiful.  Safety Tether and Hit and Heal is hilarious.  Pep Rally is amazing.  But you may notice.  No sync multipliers.  Crit Strike 1, I guess, but come on.  Janine remains the stall queen.  Little else exists for her.  Which...is sad given how rough stall has been for the game lately.

Agatha does not have Troublemaker on grid.  I need to get that out of the way now.  She gets accuracy +10 and Pinpoint Entry, but don’t.  80% is too inconsistent.  Healthy Healing is fine.  On a Roll 1 and 2 is...sure a thing.  That’s like an 80% shot, right?  Into Brainteaser, not bad at all.  Lick Hostile Environment is nice.  Ramming Speed is nice given she instant caps.  First Aid 4 is cute, but HP Tradeoff 5 is hysterical.  Ramp Up on trainer move is something.  Rude Awakening 5, which you may as well given it’s the natural multiplier.  It’s solid!  I think she’s good, but I also think she’s a little bit of a mess?  Lick goes away on mega evolution, so sure hope you weren’t using her for damage purposes if she’s paralyzing.  They gave some decent move damage modifiers, and a great special defense debuffing rate, which I think is her new niche.  Sync doesn’t seem all that special, and is hard to set up with sleep.  But they didn’t perfectly lock in Hypnosis accuracy, which is funny because they did for Ramos’ Sleep Powder.  Not sure how much I love it yet, but she sure is interesting.