#Zephirin knows he's tempered

[cinnabun-faerie]

FFXIV: They're asked to dress up as Santa to visit the Firmament's Orphanage

A/N: Aha so I am starting off my 25 days advent calendar with this!

Note: I'm just kinda writing Zephirin how I'd imagine he's like outside of the tempering

Characters: Aymeric, Estinien, Haurchefant, Zephirin

He already dresses as the Azure Elephant

but no one knows its him right?

so he wouldn't mind dressing up in a Santa suit for the kids of the orphanage

it also gave him the chance to check to make sure everything is in order

it needed to be safe for the children there

he could sneak away so he wouldn't have to sit at his desk and do any paperwork for a change

his costume would be in good shape with minimal patches in different areas that needed fixed

he would be asked simply because he'd been a reliable Santa in previous years

not even Aymeric knew

oh yes he did

the costume would be a bit worse for wear

the color would be fading

if Tataru ever caught wind of the costume's condition, I'm sure she would strangle him fix it for him

he would take a big sac of toys for all of the kids

unsurprisingly, the children would flock to him

and he would be

When the opportunity arises, he would agree to it whole-heartedly

a knight helps others

and knowing that so many children are alone and forgotten about on Christmas, he'd make it his duty to give them a little holiday cheer and hope and care

he would even spend a portion of his Christmas at the orphanage giving gifts to them

and just spending time with them so they have someone

he'd make it a yearly habit to dress up as Santa

He is a Knight of the Heaven's Ward, he will do what is asked of him

personally I think he would make it a habit of going every year

he was the nicer of the Heaven's Ward and was respectable

if anything, he'd be the example for the rest of the Heaven's Ward

his costume would be pristine and in good shape

chances are he had a few extras just in case of a rip or tear

and despite him dressing up as Santa, he had no intention of ruining the magic for these kids

[sjofn-lofnsdottr]

NPC ASK: Heavens' Ward (are they unredeemable villains? mislead zealots? men who deserved a second chance?)

I love that the first ask I get for this is one of the most complicated ones for Dusk. <3

So he was born in Ishgard, but his parents deserted had taken him and his sister outside of Ishgard when whoops, the Gates were closed, when he was around ten or so, and so he spent the bulk of his life in Gridania. He grew up knowing a fair amount about Ishgardian life and its culture, but didn't experience a ton of it personally. As such, he initially felt the Heavens' Ward and the temple knights were good men and women dedicated to protecting Ishgard.

Then he actually went to Ishgard.

He really doesn't know what to think of the Heavens' Ward, truth be told. When he's trying to be charitable, he thinks of them as very flawed men who were driven to protect Ishgard at any cost. It was obviously the wrong path, but he can see how they got there (and he feels this way about Thordan too, btw). At the same time, the ones he personally encountered before his final confrontation with Thordan were a bit too into trying to hurt or kill him. It didn't seem like a Grim But Necessary Duty for any of them, they seemed very enthusiastic. So when he's not feeling charitable, he's pretty bitter these knights who were supposed to be Ishgard's most righteous were corrupt, murderous thugs for an archbishop too blinded by his own hubris to actually make Ishgard a better, safer place for everyone. And Ser Zephirin in particular can go fuck himself, of course.

Bitterness like that is not a feeling he likes feeling at all, and he's slowly working on letting it go. He has no idea they were tempered, I think he'd still feel conflicted about it, but much less bitter overall if he did.

Thank you for the ask!

[knightstwelve]

wip dynamics

zephirin

both believe in doing the right thing but struggle with taking the actions they believe would fulfill that

she's more confident where he's more comforting and vice versa - the former when they're discussing papicide and the latter when she's in her feelios

he understands that even in a non-romantic context he could take advantage of her -- not necessarily through the typical means of abusing his power, but she has a blindspot where she trusts him too much in part because he holds the position of archimandrite

grinnaux

rich bastards who both think might makes right, understands noble's power plays and a keen eye for socio-political issues

grinnaux just doesn't care about it while diana does

grinn likes his bodyrippers slightly more vanilla than diana likes hers. this isn't hard.

adelphel

cute, cherubic features, blonde enough, blue eyed enough

uses their good looks to their advantage, understands it won't last forever but doesn't quite get it. where adelphel doesn't fear it, diana does.

paulecrain

crimelord's daughter and crimelord's typical lackey. she knows his sort, and while she tries to present herself as purely ladylike, he knows where to look (mostly.)

haumeric

social justice homies, if they were the same age in the same college campus i'd bet they'd cross paths fairly often

both have a barely hidden temper, both dislike charibert

hermenost

merchant's child, understands the merits of a transaction

guerrique

big fun! diana adores his good vibes, and is well used to drunkards being buffoons.

[vixlenxe]

God knowing that The Heaven's Ward was most likely tempered now makes the headcanoned stuff me & Aries made about Zephirin hurt a little bit. Cause it's like a strand of what's left of his will showing, but it's all coming out in this creepy way, that probably normally wouldn't in normal circumstances.

It's also given me a lot of thoughts about The Ward... more then I already had anyway.

I mean, they probably weren't full on tempered, you can tell when you look at other tempered enemies/people. The Heaven's Ward still maintained a good amount of personality, where other tempered people don't & are straight up slaves to the wills of those that tempered them(usually a primal of some kind). But given that all of The Heaven's Ward were naturally devoted to the Archbishop, the Church & Halone, they likely didn't need such a strong tempering. So it does make me wonder just what kind of tempering Thordan could inflict on them, especially given he was not a primal through out all of this(save for the very end).

I think it's possible an the Ascian could have taught Thordan a minor form of tempering, one that can be used by mortals, so long as said mortal have some type of vast following that holds them in god-like favor(*looks at 80% of Ishgard*). Perhaps this minor tempering didn't fully devote the subject to Thordan, but aggravated the most promoted & worst parts of their personalities, which in the current Heaven's Ward would be their straightforward & whole hearted devotion to the Archbishop. Cause remember, Thordan didn't care about having good or kind men as members of his Ward, he wanted warriors & people that would obey him, so he wanted people that he could easily manipulate.

[amememightywarrior]

Mom's Adventures in Eorzea, Part 2

OH MY GOD THE DRAFT DIDN'T SAVE i have to do this AGAIN anyway here we go

Dec 26, 2021

Off we go! Heavensward!! (mom winced at the singer in the trailer)

But first we tested my rez macro She promptly used it before I could use self-destruct so I ended up having to explain swiftcast belatedly to her. HOWEVER! it works!!

:D

Mom looking at Artoirel and Emmanellain: "...and other son and daughter?" me: "...they're both sons" Damn you MSQ, why don't you have more female elezen

All righty just told her the manservant was gonna show her around so I'm not going to take her anywhere XD She thinks Tataru is extra excited about visiting the clothes market so she can find more things to dye pink

on Elaisse: "She's the first one who actually looks old!" (She doesn't think Edmont looks his age)

She thought the jester hat she got sounded cool! But then she put it on! and now her head piece is once again hidden. In selecting which brother to help first: "Which one is the jerk? I wanna smack him." So she's going with Artoirel XD

*sarcastically* "I bet he's very popular"

"I don't need a chocobo! I have a SNOWMAN!"

Me: Oh yeah you can't fly in these zones, you have to collect aether currents now Mom: D:<

if you're on goblin and you see two snowmen bouncing across coerthas that's probably us

on Deepeyes: "That red thing is its eye?!"

"All this nice peaceful music when you're killing things is jarring..."

"This duty is all about getting lost in a blizzard" "Oh great"

*gets ambushed in the house basement* "WHOA!"

Iceheart says "We can do naught else, for we are as one" So...does she think herself tempered by Shiva? Hmm

Artoirel: Pity Iceheart escaped but blah blah Mom: She didn't escape though? We just let her walk away... Me: ...yeeeeup.

After Artoirel admits his fault I asked my mom if that was good for smacking him and she said yes

All righty, Emmanellain's task will have to wait til tomorrow!

The casting robe she got was black and grey so we ended up going to the inn room and messing with her glam before we stopped for the day XD

Dec 27, 2021

Mom: "Okay I'm out of bed (in game), all rested up! Let's kill some stuff!"

*reading Emmanellain talking about being trueborn* "They're both assholes."

Chew time

as we run past a lalafell's chocobo: "It's like a giant chicken!"

My mom is carefully running around the chocobo because she doesn't want to step on it

The struggle of targeting a quest spot with controller when you're in the middle of a FATE with lots of targets

just a couple of snowmen bouncing around sea of clouds

*After waking Emmanellain* "Oh...well, that backfired on her."

She's very invested in how the gear looks

Honoroit: Lord Emmanellain has been gone an awfully long time. Mom: He's probably drowned in two inches of water.

she asked me if his rock was gonna be bad and if we were gonna see a temper tantrum just before this

Emmanellain: NORTHOTA I'M OVER HERE Mom: Thanks for ruining my sneak attack

Mom: How does Haurchefant know this is happening? He wasn't even here... Me: You'll find out

*Bismarck appears* "........all righty then."

She's pleased to see Cid XD

*Haurchefant leaps aboard the airship* "Showoff!"

*after the umpteenth attack by a gaelicat* "Seriously, everything attacks you here!!"

*After Laniaitte shoots Emmanellain down yet again* "Hah! She's mean :D"

she's disappointed we missed edmont smacking emmanellain

THE FURY HAS SPOKEN HW members slapped down by a couple of book-wielding nerds

yaaaay HW flying unlocked

"I didn't realize my blue was the same as their blue, I'm gonna have to change!" (She used Royal Blue for her chest piece)

I forgot how deep Zephirin's voice was, goddamn

Me: Now we get to go to Limsa! Mom: So I can teleport? Me: Yep, and you won't get arrested on sight! Mom: *dryly* That's good to know.

Sleeping during gaming time is just so exhausting

"Who's Lolorito?" "Mask, white moustache, shows up in ominous cutscenes with lightning flashing in the background as he appears to be the mastermind..." "Oh."

Had to stop and stare at someone with the Adamantoise mount as it spun wildly midair with fire coming out

Picking a different color for her robe so we avoid fashion faux pas for the rest of Heavensward Aaaand we're done til her next weekend!

Jan 1, 2021

Snack time as we work through heavensward

"Oh yeah you can use the left side (of the cross hotbar) so you can hit as many as possible" "GOOD"

And now it is belly rub time

After getting the quest to question various convictors: "And now I get to talk to all these people who won't tell me anything useful AGAIN."

"Ah yes we finish celebrating year of the ox and now we get to go kill one." *after seeing a woolly yak* "...bighorn sheep...?"

Ysayle: *prepares to monologue* Mom: *turns to me* "Are we about to find out we're helping MORE bad guys?"

can't wait to reveal to my mom that hraesvelgr is just a depressing old fart

Estinien whips out the eye and my mom goes: "That's really small, considering the dragons we've seen..."

All right, she elected to do all the aether current quests to unlock flying first since we're here XD Which means DUSK VIGIL

Freebird: Coerthas Western Highlands obtained!

my favorite part of SMN is when ifrit just hares off to parts unknown and unsummons itself

Mom: "Holy rainbow!" Me: "Yep. Throw it on and see what it looks like!" Mom: "OH MY GOD I LOOK LIKE A PIRATE I LOVE IT"

Estinien: WATCH YOURSELF DRAGON OR I'LL GOUGE OUT ONE OF YOURS Mom: Oh that's helpful

Vidofnir: THOU ART IMAGINE THYSELF EQUAL TO THE TASK Mom: Oh please! Primals are just another notch on my belt!

She discovered her wind-up Onion Knight, declared she wanted it, saw it run with its crazy little legs going...it's her new favorite. And just now she saw its little sword hacking motion and cackled.

Jan 2, 2021

we're back on our nonsense again

Mom: *puts on holy rainbow pants and studies her toon* I can live with that. Me: *laughing* Mom: There's NO TELLING what it could've looked like!! The jester skirt still haunts me!

Estinien: *talks* Mom: He just needs to be slapped.

Mom: "I've really got a swagger with this outfit!"

as the gnath summon ravana: Is it like a giant bug? as ravana appears: Good heavens.

on Ravana: "He's being very polite, he could've just chopped her up while she was summoning Shiva"

when the song kicks in on second part of ravana fight: "HE SINGS???" Apparently she found it very distracting XD

dps in sohm al giving us smn tips...thank you very much XD

She loves her wind-up Onion Knight and stopped doing MSQ to watch him wave his little sword

All righty, we stopped just before the churning mists moogles got to start annoying us but she already views Moglin's 'Trials of Trustworthiness' with much dubiousness.

Jan 3, 2021

I made the Trials of Trustworthiness easier by flying my mom everywhere because FUCK MOOGLES

Estinien is now 'The person most likely to get me in trouble', according to her

I discovered the zurvan weapons and showed them to her and now both of us want zurvan weapons because SHINY LIGHT TRAILS

Me: Kan-E-Senna is just explaining that Estinien is very angsty and will probably be a problem Mom: ... Me: ...like he wasn't a problem already. Mom: I was gonna say

a wild hraesvelgr appears

mom after the big reveal about the nature of primals and Ysayle collapses: uh oh

after hraesvelgr flaps away: well that was productive (the revelations have blown her mind)

Estinien: I shall be surprised if my armor is not stained crimson ere this conflict is ended Mom, dramatically: "My armor cleaning bill is going to be through the roof!"

a brief pitstop to touch up the glam and we are on our way once more

Mom: There she is. *to Meriel's back* You are in SUCH deep doo-doo.

Sultana awakened and Braves disbanded...that's all til next weekend.

Jan 9, 2021

It's the weekend, you know what time it is... SHENANIGANS WITH MOM

The Aery unlocked~

Hey, there are Allagan ruins in here...

@nofearsnolimits requesting explanation

"Now he's all covered in blood!" "So if Nidhogg is dead, what use are the eyes?" "Ooo I got 3 crystals back now"

me: HE'S GOT TWO EYES mom: ...did he give one back or something??

"I'd be afraid to make any sudden movements in that outfit" *referring to Haldrath's dragoon armor*

*After getting the other eyeball* "Where am I supposed to put this? I have no pouches!" me: "You have plenty of pouches, just none big enough." Mom: "NEITHER DOES [Estinien]! HE HAS TO PUT THEM UP HIS BUTT!"

after estinien yells at ysayle: "he deserved to be doused in dragon blood...just saying."

As Ysayle is stopping the heretics: "She's yelling at like 6 people." Me: "Yeah, well...budget."

suggestions along the lines of hosing Estinien down have been made

I like Edmont looking away to the floor when Lucia says "Even the holiest among us are not immune to temptation"

Dawn in the Brume as we once again run to rescue Tataru

All righty, stopped just before we get into the fight with Charibert, that'll all be tomorrow... the Vault is coming...

Jan 10, 2021

Will my mom get to the vault today? stay tuned to this thread and find out

*Charibert arrives* "Who's he??" "One of the Heavens' Ward, twelve knights who protect the archbishop." "Ohh so he was one of the ones around that table." she remembers :O

Lucia: "ENOUGH!" Mom: "Too little too late."

She just started A Knight's Calling ;_;

she's excited to be going above ground instead of through someone's basement torture chamber

just reviewed how to rez on SMN while we wait for a friend to get out of a dungeon

she managed to rez someone but then I let both dps die RIP she called Charibert a bad penny XD

here it is. the cutscene.

"That's too bad... :( they don't resurrect him or anything?" "no" "I'm sorry you had to watch that again, then"

One of her observations as Edmont is clearly grieving: "In contrast to the bastard archbishop and his son" (in terms of emotion/relationship)

update: she is willing to throw the archbishop in the garbage where he belongs

Now she's trying to figure out what he's up to... XD

PRIMALSSSSSS anyway we're pausing MSQ to do our job quests because we're both missing some skills cough cough

"Why is this person standing on the rock with a red dress and bunny ears" "some people wanna be admired" *later* "okay go to drybone..." "I wanna stand on the rock with bunny girl here!" *the player changes glams and waves* "some people play this game for very different reasons"

"DOG YOU SMELL SO BAD" the time for Brie to be bathed approaches...

we've been doing our job quests separately, my mom has gotten much better at navigating on her own :D

Aaaand done for the day~

Got some new skills that I do not know how to use but tool tips say they're all AoEs so I put them in the right spot on her hotbar...

Jan 16, 2021

Been playing with my mom but nothing too exciting other than Bismarck eating an island and me figuring out how dreadwyrm trance works so my mom can beat up the striking dummy

"So the whale...just ate the key." "Yep."

Brie started wagging her tail in her sleep

limitless blue...

queued up and ready to gooooo

Bismarck down! Mom: "Soooo where's the key" Me: "You'll find out"

Archbishop: "I see you have what we want" *looks at key* Mom: "QUICK, SWALLOW IT"

"Now I'm gonna spend a ton of time getting it back, aren't I."

Mom: So where is MY team...Cid and everyone and the ship Me: They're towing the island Mom: UGH

"With my outfit Alphinaud looks like a mini-me!"

This is what she's currently in, btw

upon seeing the airship: "...that's big. Is that gonna get us to Azys Lla?" Me: "Nope"

Done for the day, tomorrow...more HW!

Jan 17, 2021

mom and i back on our bullshit again

She said the sea of clouds makes her palms sweat because she's afraid she'll fall off, so I had her try to run off an edge to reassure her

Edmont says Tataru is super excited, mom says, "I can't even imagine Tataru more excited than she usually is, squeaking like a mouse..."

mom deeply confused by Urianger putting goggles over his goggles

me: *starts doing moonlift dance* mom: you're very distracting me: THAT'S THE POINT

Mom about Y'shtola in the lifestream: So she's broken up in little particles like Willy Wonka?

"Wrapped her up like an egg roll" "We call that a purrito" "A phhh--hahaha"

"Were her eyes always that color...?" "Nope." "Ah, okay."

Mom, about the Idyllshire goblins: Have we seen these before...

"They all look the same under those masks don't they" "we don't know" *later* "And now he (brayflox) is taking all the credit" "she" "...she. You can't tell!" "Sure you can!" "..." and so I explained goblin naming conventions to her

I think my mom likes Matoya

Gubal unlocked, gonna save that for tomorrow!

"You were right, it does get a lot more interesting! It just takes a while to get there."

Jan 18, 2021

Hey. Guess what time it is. That's RIGHT it's GAME TIME WITH MOM

Review of Gubal: Sliding around on ice was lots of fun! the orbs exploding and stopping the summoning was NOT fun XD

"So if I jump off the bridge I would die?" "Yes (when something's chasing you" "Ugggghhh so many ruuuules"

Me as Matoya translates the tome: That's what you call google translate...GUBAL translate! HAHAHAHA Mom: hah. hah. hah. *eyeroll*

Alphinaud: THE EYE!! Mom: Yeah you gotta wrestle it from whatshisname Me: I think we can just ask him

Matoya: Shtola, when did the light fade from your eyes? Mom: I was waiting for someone to notice her eyes were all weird.

Brie cam

Verdict on Estinien after he bitches at Y'shtola: "He's still a jerk."

Ysayle just appeared! "Oh, how fortuitous!"

She kinda jerked back when Ysayle died, I don't think she expected that. No comment otherwise. Anyway, we're in Azys Lla!

We're trying out Titan-egi but I guess it likes desummoning itself???

Estinien: Wait...something's afoot. *garlean theme starts playing* Mom: Garleans are everywhere!

I wonder if the garleans are confused by the snowmen bouncing past

We're at the 2 hour mark but this is a really exciting part of the story so we're trying to make it to the dungeon before we stop

All righty, stopped just before the final HW dungeon~

Jan 23, 2021

THE END OF HEAVENSWARD (base), AS DESCRIBED BY MY MOM: a thread

I showed her the shoebill minion and she was entertained

I got some volunteers but while we wait my mom decided to start chatting up the nodes and accidentally picked up a quest so she's off getting lost in Azys Lla

*while getting into the black hole for universal manipulation*: this doesn't seem great...? me: it protects you from worse

*suspiciously* "...who's in the box?" (it's haldrath)

Thordan attains primalhood: "...we didn't want that to happen, right?" Me: "Nope" Mom: "Welp"

me: wait time, 9 minutes mom: D:<

Mom: Do we have to kill him multiple times? Me: Nope. Mom: Good. ...I'll take that eyeball, thanks.

*Estinien gets the other eyeball* Mom: Is he going to turn evil?

she has just dubbed him Zombie Estinien

"Ohh so there's a warrior of darkness to my warrior of lightness..." *camera zooms out* "I was being facetious when I said he was on the moon!"

Heavensward base complete~

we had a nice lengthy bike ride before this and now we're both starting to feel sleepy so I'm telling my mom to wake up during cutscenes XD then Aymeric closed his eyes and she said "See? Now HE'S falling asleep!" and I said "He's being SOMBER"

Got all the overworld aether currents in the forelands and will get the quests so she can fly there tomorrow. Also got her some boots from Hismena. Slowly but surely...!!

we both got up and groaned at our stiff legs RIP

Jan 24, 2021

Okay mom is doing forelands aether current quests and then we'll be back to MSQ

*watches her get lost around the Forelands*

it's just her yelling "Up! Up!" while trying to climb a cliff with her snowman

me: *flies past* mom: I SEE YOU >:( taunting me

just two snowmen bouncing across the forelands

:D

Krile: Looks like someone grew an ilm or two in my absence...or are those lifts in your boots? Mom: ouch

*watches mom get lost in the hinterlands* this is very relaxing

Krile just said she has the Blessing of Light as well as the Echo...?? hmm I forgot that..

She laughed at Y'shtola going "IS IT NOW" when Alphinaud started talking about her showing up naked from the Lifestream

she's dying at the nutkin hiding thancred's nether region

'Good thing it's got a big fluffy tail'

mom: Did Thancred lose an eye? me: we're not sure honestly, most think he had an injury but then later he was using it to attract the ladies mom: oh...

Mom, about Alphinaud: Does his sister ever show up? Me: Oh yeah. You'll like her. Mom: Is she snarky? Me: Yeeeeup, she knows just how to get to Alphinaud. Mom: Well, twins, right? Me: Yep Mom: *nods*

me as they find the guy setting fires: They've located the criminal!! mom: Yep. Northota, sit on him! That'll teach 'em.

mom said all this stuff about people trying to preserve the old order sounded aaaawwwwfffully familiar, btw can't wait to get her into SHB, vauthry will make her blow a gasket

hah at aymeric at 0/100 vitality just curing himself furiously, refusing to die

as priest pushes maelie off the vault wall: well, *he's* evil.

Mom after Aymeric and co arrive downstairs: Wait, what did they do with the nutjob? Me: Oh they arrested him Mom: They should've just pushed him off the railing. Told the dragon 'let this one fall'.

you can tell where my vindictive streak comes from

Okay, that's it for this play session! Once we get to the end of post-HW we'll be going back to finish off Hildibrand and other optional/side content XD

Jan 30, 2021

It's THE WEEKEND time for MORE MOM PLAYS FFXIV

"I forgot what we were doing??" the crazy catholic dude shoved a kid off a bridge and now we're working on a peace conference

hearing honoroit speak is gonna make me sad though :( RIP Archie

Emmanellain stalks out of the manor in silence, mom says, "What was THAT all about?"

Urianger speaks to Elidibus, mom says "...I thought he was a good guy?? No? Clearly not."

Yda and Papalymo show up! Me: Hey, we found them! Mom: Yep Me: She lost her mask somewhere so they aren't showing her face... Mom: ...because we're not supposed to know what she looks like? Me: NOPE. They'll zoom in on her boobs instead! Mom: I noticed that, yes.

The big reveal with Yda/Lyse would've been way better if they'd incorporated Yda's real face into like...flashbacks or something.

Mom, about Hoary Boulder: I'm sorry, he's just weird. Me: gasp Mom: *imitates his roegadyn psych emote* Me: He's flexing! Mom: Ohh, right. You just can't see it under all that armor.

We exhausted Brie with a 3.7 mile bike ride before this and I made her dig a bit so she is extra tired today

walking into the Seventh Heaven: ah the bar with the Peanuts music me: it's the bar music from FF7! mom: I'm telling you this sounds just like the Peanuts music!

*looking at the rewards for this quest* Me: fish or cookie? mom: cookie, steamed fish sounds gross... me: it's a steamed staff mom: that's worse me: ...which is also a fish mom: ...

Oh boy my favorite HW dungeon the Antitower is coming up...

She enjoyed the dungeon XD Calcabrina reaction: Oh THEY aren't creepy at all, jeez me: You can get them as a minion-- Mom: NO I don't want that following me

for those wondering, she wasn't into David Bowie so she did not recognize the Ziggy Stardust reference, RIP

Mom: Looks like we're not getting Minfilia back? Me: Nope, looks like she's been turned into a MEAT PUPPET Mom: Ah

She summoned the poro roggo minion and was overjoyed to see that it hops XD

Aymeric: A drink! Mom: Is he asking me on a date? Me: Maybe Mom: What happens with the male WoL? Me: Same thing. Everyone wants in the WoL's pants, doesn't matter their gender! Mom: That's awesome.

heavy sighs at emmanellain, 'looks like I'm babysitting again'

"Yeeeeah I've just been poisoned, pretty sure."

Northota started passing out and my mom just turned and gave me a knowing look. "First time I've ever eaten or drunk anything in this place, of COURSE"

she's just skipping past the barmaid's tirade ahahaha

Emmanellain: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE Mom: You told him to do it

Mom just referred to the punch Thancred laid on Emmanellain as 'The Consequences'

Got the Hinterlands world aether currents and quit for the day, time to stretch

Jan 31, 2021

AND NOW for game time with mom fun fact about my mom she is one of the few cool boomers

Mom: Soooo they're trying to...fight another enemy now? Me: They're trying to unite via a common enemy...so yes, more fighting, for that is the Ishgard way Aymeric: HOW ABOUT A GRAND MELEE Mom: Oh good, pretend fighting is just as good as real fighting.

on Emmanellain: "He started out as a brat, still a brat."

"Maybe his tiny manservant will help him change--" *cue me explaining some of their backstory and elezen puberty*

Aymeric: *starts talking about WoL for grand melee* me: WHO could he could be talking about mom: I don't know, the tall broad in front of him?

they should've had the grand melee take place in the lightfeather proving grounds, just sayin

I think she is enjoying being a caster in chainmail SE ALL CLASS FORTEMPS GLAMOUR WHEN

"Um, I have the tether...what does that mean" *fade to black* "DID WE FAIL"

aymeric just got fuckin yeeted by raubahn, never gets old

me: have fun, be ready to dodge mom: oh god

mom: is that the end of the duty? me: yep mom: *immediately has peanut m&ms to celebrate*

Nidstinien: NEVERRRRR Mom: there's always one...

mom's just like O_O at nidstinien right now

Mom: So we gotta kill Nidhogg? Me: Yep...again. Mom: Only he's bigger and badder than before? Me: Yeah he's got TWO eyeballs now! Mom: Oh boy

Mom on Vidofnir: Oh good that dragon's not dead!

Alphinaud plops drinks on table mom: The LAST time I drank out of a cup.......

Mom: The voice acting has really gotten a lot better Me: You enjoy the performances? Mom: Yes, especially Aymeric. His voice isn't pretty but just the phrasing Me: *eyebrow waggle* Ohhhh?? You thought he was snooty when you first heard him Mom: he WAS snooty...he's gotten better.

being a left-handed person, my mom is delighted to see SMN is also left-handed (via victory stance)

vidofnir is like '?'

CAN MY MOM FIGURE OUT THE MOOGLE'S NAME STAY TUNED

she picked the correct answer

yay we have conquered sohr kai

Fighting Nidhogg will have to happen next weekend. There will be chaos >:D

Feb 6, 2021

TIME FOR MOM SHENANIGANS

Alphinaud: if only we knew when nidhogg would strike me: IF ONLY THERE WERE A SIGN *screeching in the distance* mom: is that not a good enough sign

final steps of faith death awaits us, friends are all busy...sorry to my cohealer in advance, whoever you are

mom: Eugh! When did he give away his eye?!

waits for future cohealer to queue up...

that was 3 vets and 5 newbies who all ran away with the stack marker

Alphinaud: Estinien!! Mom: Estinien! Someone take that eyeball away from him!

Mom: *as Estinien starts resisting* is that Estinien Estinien: THIS IS NOT YOUR HAND, WYRM Mom: the ultimate dual personality disorder WoL and Alphinaud: *go for the eyes* Mom: That's right! Go for those eyeballs!

Mom: And that's Nidhogg...going...? Me: To dragon heaven! They come from space, after all

Mom: So those eyeballs are just dead balls now right Me: nah they're still full of aether Aymeric: CAST THEM INTO THE ABYSS Mom: *watches them plummet* ...only for them to return later?

we have concluded that Estinien probably weighs about 250-300 lbs with all his armor

Mom: Give Hraesvelgr his eyeball back! Hraesvelgr: *flies off* Mom: He's leaving without it?!

mom just shaking her head at emmanellain and laughing as honoroit explains what actually happened

she thinks estinien is very pretty

Brie check (this was a video of Brie staring fixedly at mom's hand as she picked up popcorn)

Mom: So he just took flowers and walked off into the sunset? Me: That's what he does, yup

on the PLD of darkness: "pretty evil grin there"

Me: Recognize that outfit? Mom: Yep! Alphinaud! Me: No! Mom: WHAT Me: That's his twin sister! Mom: Oh. Well, at least I recognize the outfit!

on the dinner: *dryly* "That's not stiff at all."

*WoL stares at manservant pouring* mom: is he gonna try to poison him??

Aymeric: So what do you want for yourself Mom: ...to not be poisoned. Manservant: PRAY FORGIVE THE INTERRUPTION Mom: We'll never find out what I want.

WoL and Aymeric leave Mom: So...I wasn't poisoned? Me: Nope Mom: suspicious.

Xelphatol cleared!

Tataru: Try on the new outfit I made you! Mom: *suspicious and hostile* WHO IS SHE TALKING TO Me: Alisaie! Mom: *relaxes* oh okay

That's all for today - that was a lot of cutscenes XD One more dungeon before we hit the end of the free trial and go back to Hildibrand. Yay!

Feb 7, 2021

reminding my mom that urianger is a POTENTIAL EVIL DOER she just sighed heavily

me: Alisaie is INTIMIDATING Urianger! mom: yes, from his waist

Mom: Alphinaud NEVER glared like that! Me: Alisaie is VERY different

Oh we're at the part where we meet Ga Bu

brie trying to chew while on the couch, mom has vetoed this plan

it occurs to me that alisaie's teleporting ability is the most powerful because she just teleported the entire party while half of us had aggro

mom: titan...is he the one who kept shoving me off the edge me: yep mom: UHGHHGHGHG

report-- gravity: 3 WoL: 0 3 dps fell off XD one of which was my mom, another of which was a dps CERTAIN he was out, and a third of which was a RDM who backflipped off

Alisaie: Maybe you could tell me about some of your adventures in Ishgard Mom: But I only nod! *dialog choices pop up* Mom: oh, there I am

Mom: "Old friends"? me: who do you know who talks like that Mom: ..........the guy who the girl was suspicious of... me: Urianger. Mom: yes me: We've never seen him with his hood off though! Mom: Who knew he had grey hair...

Urianger: *DRAMATIC SPEECH* Mom: Is he feeling guilty? Me: Yep

Mom: Sooo he wants them to kill the WoL??? Me: He wants them to meet up Mom: So they can combine and become the warrior of grey...

my mom always makes resigned noises when told to gather information because it's usually bad info from idiot townspeople XD

Papalymo and Yda spotted!

she's in disguise

Mom: A trap! Of course.

Alphi: CARBUNCLE DEFEND ME Mom: OH Carbuncle: *catches arrow in mouth* Mom: Nice catch!

Urianger tears off mask Me: Oh no he's pretty--but with questionable taste in facial hair Mom: yeah that's terrible...he looks like wolfman or something...

trying to target alisaie's blade of light when literally everyone decides to stand around her fighting while you're on controller is a new hell, my mom has found

Urianger: Quickly! Invoke the power of your crystal! Mom: ...and what will that do...? Me: :)

Minfilia: *gives WoL Tupsimati* Mom: I'll put it in my pocket with everything else

and now with my mom left in a haze of confusion over yda's reaction to gundobald, we leave the rest of the story for next weekend

Feb 13, 2021

MOM GAME TIME MOM GAME TIME We parked her outside the Rising Stones last time for fear of being caught in another long cutscene. Turns out we were right XD

Mom: "WHAT BATTLE???" (as fake griffin talks to real griffin)

Mom: Are those the dragon eyeballs? Yes, they are. Me: What a surprise! Mom: Quite the gift. Good luck controlling them!

Brie being absolutely incorrigible about the popcorn moving past her nose

Mom, when Tataru corners her with some other people: new characters? Me: no, you're being AMBUSHED! YOU ALWAYS KNEW SHE WAS EVIL Mom: ...oh! She's got a new outfit for me, doesn't she!! Me: *cackling* Mom: They got the big guy to hold me down, huh.

tension in the scene where m'naago appears ruined by the fact that we're trying to order take out for dinner right now

ordering food never sounded so ominous, it's just the suspenseful BGM going on the entire time

PLOT TWIST you can choose which sauce you want!! DETERMINE YOUR FATE, BECOME WHAT YOU MUST

Mom: Who is this? Me: A new person!

Mom after hearing Papalymo's ominous narration: Is he about to become a traitor?? Me: *shrug* Mom: He's got that stick, too! Me: What's he gonna do!!

someone playing a polka in gridania right now

mom, seeing me on ixion mount: *sigh* I want ooooone...

Mom, about Yugiri hiding behind trees: Kinda creepy Me: Well, she's a ninja Mom: Ohhh, so force of habit...though she's not very good since [Aymeric] spotted her! Me: She wasn't TRYING D:

We are on Griffin, Griffin on the Wall for anyone wanting to see how close we are to SB 6 more quests before she gets blocked in MSQ!

Baelsar's Wall conquered Mom, after some careful explanation about the betrayal: Soooo the Griffin is just killing everyone.

Mom: THE EYES

Mom: That was a great splat noise

me: This is the song they played just before the calamity mom: it's very pretty considering what's going on me: yeeeeah after a while you start to associate it with ominous things...

told my mom to pick the second option...papalymo blasted her back onto the ship and she just said 'oh'

OMG our power just went out

Papalymo’s spell was too powerful. Also took our neighbor’s power

Welp we will continue our adventure tomorrow I guess. The whole area went down and it’s 2 degrees outside

Time to gather around the fire

The power has returned and i no longer feel like a pioneer

Was gonna make ashcakes or somethin oh well

me earlier: what if power went out at the restaurant we ordered from!!!! restaurant on our receipt when it arrived a few minutes late: our power went out!

Feb 14, 2021

Back to mom game time! Upon login, she was taken back into the cutscene the power outage interrupted...

If the power goes out again i will have to declare this cutscene cursed

Mom picked the option to try to stay again because she wants Papalymo to blast her back onto the ship

Mom: So that leaves a mystery as to what happened to Papalymo? Me: Well, if you've seen the previous time that was cast, Louisoix dies after casting it... Mom: Ahh, and that was apparent from the conversation... Me: Yep. Yda knew too, so that's why Thancred had to drag her off

achievement: School's Out Forever mom: =_=

Gosetsu: *appears* Mom: Okay, very Japanese... Gosetsu: *takes off hat* Mom: Whoa!

Gosetsu: *psychs up* Mom: Is that his way of overcoming his he-- Gosetsu: *falls over* Mom: Or not. Good thing no one was in front of him.

I forgot Nero did in fact have a voice actor XD

Me: So, got a good impression of Alisaie yet? Mom: Yeees...she's got claws. Big ones.

Mom's roegadame is taller than Nero by a head but she said "He should be more afraid of the little one (Alisaie) than me"

Gosetsu: BY YOUR LEAVE Mom: Ah, he's recovered.

Tataru gave my mom her outfit and she was like "D: OH! ...somebody stole my skirt!"

bit too difficult to ground target on controller for mom so I ended up doing the middle section of the solo duty for her with the red baron XD

Mom as they activate Omega: Releasing the Death Star!

Mom as they trade blows: Holy Harry Potter! (it reminds her of dumbledore and voldemort fighting in the ministry)

Mom as shinryu and omega blast off in different directions: That went well. Me: Would you say it was a tie Mom: Looked like it

Usually when something funny happens that they will immediately explain in the next two speech bubbles my mom will instantly stop in confusion and ask me what is going on and I have to be like 'You'll see'

ex: Yda's tattoo disappearing just now

We're on the Far Edge of Fate!! Last quest!!

Mom has passed judgment on Zenos. His helmet is creepy. His hair sticking out from under the armor is weird.

MOVING ON!!! to Hildibrand!!

I won't go into detail but suffice to say she laughs every time Hildy pops up on screen to pose XD

can't wait til she meets godbert

Me: We have to track down this dangerous goldsmith! Mom: ohhh I can see this is going to be silly

Hildy: I...I MUST DANCE! Mom: What?!

Mom: At least he has underwear on Me: Only because they have to preserve their rating.

Mom: OH he used his whole name!!

She believes Godbert explains Hildibrand a LOT

Mom: Hildibrand HAS figured out it's Greg, right? Me: Nope. Mom: ...oh my god.

Battle on the Big Bridge UNLOCKED time to queue and see if my mom gets turned into a toad

update: Me and my mom got turned into toads so it was just us screaming and running in circles

[francel]

Title: A Thousand Perfect Lies

Pairings: Zephirin/Francel, Aymeric/Francel, Artoirel/Francel

Characters: Stephanivien, Joye, Aurvael, Artoirel, Laniaitte, Francel, Zephirin, Aymeric, Alphinaud, Adelphel, Charibert, Grinnaux, Guerrique, Hermenost, Haumeric, Ignasse, Janlenoux, Paulecrain, Noudenet, Vellguine, Thordan VII

Tags: Bad Ending, Background Genocide, Ponzi Scheme, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Torture, Imprisonment, Period-Typical Sexism, Tempering (Final Fantasy XIV),  Additional Warnings Apply

Word Count: 24,000

Summary: Written August 4, 2016 — October 13, 2019; spoilers for 3.0; five chapters. The AU where Thordan wins, as told by each of the Haillenarte siblings in turn.

Chapter 1: The Vault comes with more demands, and Stephanivien must sate them.

Chapter 2: If there's one thing Aurvael is sure of, it's that his brothers are fools.

Chapter 3: When the inquisitors release Laniaitte, they do not leave her with scars.

Chapter 4: Francel does not protest when the knights come to claim him. They offer explanations, documentation, signed scrolls, and writs of seizure, but none of that is important. He knows this has been coming. He lets them take him. This time, he is guilty as charged.

Art by @shinjyu, commissioned in 2019.

[harrycollins]

tell me all about your ffxiv blorbos

Ty for everyone who asked for ffxiv as I forced them to because my brainrot is strong right now.

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most) Estinien! I love lots of characters but my man showed up at ARR Dragoon quests and my life hasn't known peace since then.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped) I am torn between Emm and Sanson but I will say Sanson.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave) Moenbryda. I still wish we could spend more time with her instead of her showing up at one or two patches and then... You know. She was such a great character.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week) Guydelot! I love him so much I love his design, his personality him being a bard etc. Also, he is extremely funny. He is my giraffe son.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave) Emmanellain naturally. He is miserable, everyone mocks him even his family can't stand him but I really love him. He is my poor meow meow I will take care of him now.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason) Charibert. Like this man is deranged and definitely doesn't have any redeeming qualities. He tortures people for fun also has hard boss fights. I would torment him for my own entertainment.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell) I really wanted to say Zephirin but thinking he was tempered I think I will say Thordan. His motives weren't evil yet his methods were. Tempering his Knights, torturing his son at a point that he barely stands, trying to manipulate and deceive people... I disliked him more than any other ffxiv villains, at least Gaius and Lahabrea were fun to watch. He goes to superhell.

[ritterblood]

though i can see the ward’s tempering as a big influence on why they did what they did and why they never questioned thordan, and yes, even for haurchefant’s death in case of zephirin, i’m not gonna sit here and claim that it somehow absolves them from everything they’ve done. like, no offense, but tempered or not, charibert is not gonna suddenly turn into a good person once he’s free from that influence. he didn’t turn into a sadist and bigot because of the tempering, he was that all on his own. same with grinnaux and some of the others we know probably only joined the ward for the prestige and power it brought. a lot of them were simply Not Good People whether tempered or not. 

[owlespresso]

Tremble, Duck & Weave . V

At last. Also on my ao3, which can be found here. If you’re interested in supporting my work or ordering your own, my commission terms can be found here and my ko-fi is here. Before we begin, please make sure all cellular devices are off. Thank you, and enjoy the show.

If Aymeric were to afford his late father one compliment, it would be his impeccable organizational skills. The perfection of each neat, abet packed drawer and cabinet makes it much easier to toss out items and documents he has no use for. He disposes of letters and paperwork and gauche items that only serve to take up space, skimming through texts and wrinkling his nose at every lie he sees. If nothing else, the archbishop kept his story straight, consistently assuring local leaders of his virtue and desires for a simple peace.

Never does he betray his wretched greed, nor does he betray earthly desires, nor does he disclose the truth of his earthly relationships.

“Never would I forsake my sacred oath for the sake of such petty indulgences,” one letter insists. Aymeric, without even processing it, reads it in his fathers voice and hears every lofty intonation, feels the faux passion oozing from every word. “The Scion of the de Borel family is not my flesh and blood.”

Aymeric’s lips curl into a deep frown, cold fingers tensed on the parchment. Another fruitless attempt to deny him of his true heritage, another desperate attempt for the archbishop to preserve his saintly image. Aymeric doesn’t know what’s more pitiful, the ceaselessness of his father’s denial or the fact that he had to interact with this man every day.

A loveless man, Aymeric thinks, crinkling the paper. There’s no reason to linger on a man long dead, not when he’s already resolved to be different, to be better.

His brows pinch into a firm scowl, lips pursed in a deep frown. His tumultuous thoughts near split his head, every letter and possession an unfortunate reminder—

A knock breaks the stifling quiet and forces his spine rigid. As with every spontaneous visit he receives, he schools his demeanor into something friendly and relaxed, something unemotional and civil.

“Come in,” he calls mere moments later.

The tall, dark doors open. Zephirin’s form, adorned in rich blues and gleaming white, stands out stark against the darkened shadows of the hall. He cuts across the tiled floor, greaves clanking with each long step.

“Pardon the interruption, my lord,” Zephirin regards him with trademark impassiveness. “I have information of the utmost importance to share with you.”

The prompts Aymeric to raise a brow. Long has he worked aside the men of the Heavensward, but never has he grown confident in his abilities to read Zephirin. However, he has always been sure that his father kept an array of secrets, any of which could pose a threat to himself or Ishgard. Due to the recency of his ascension, he made the bold choice to not yet question any of the ward. He would attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. Giving them time to adjust, know and trust him would bear richer fruits than pressuring them to spill his father’s precious secrets. Perhaps that patience is finally paying off.

“You may speak,” Aymeric nods, fingers pressing the papers on the desk flat to the polished wood.

“My lord, I assume you are privy to the existence of the Ascians?” Zephirin’s inquiry nearly makes his brows raise, yet he keeps firm hold of his expression, a face of practiced, steady neutrality.

“I am.” Immortal creatures who were a source of strife to every nation and settlement, known for inflaming local beast tribes into summoning deadly primals. “Why, pray tell?” He wouldn’t put it past his father to break bread with some of the world’s most notorious troublemakers, and he knows better than to hope otherwise.

The migraine blossoming behind his forehead thuds into the foreground. The very last thing Ishgard needs is pressure from another faction. Not whilst they’re in the middle of a transitional period. He knows that change must be introduced slowly for the people to accept it. He already has the Dravanians clawing at the wall every chance they get, and the alliance still knocks on the city’s gates semi-regularly. Aymeric is not an easily agitated man, yet there is only so much he can take before his hinges rust and his temper runs out.

“Before the Archbishop’s untimely death, they approached him offering an alliance,” Zephirin is watching him carefully, closely, measured in his words and demeanor. The timbre of his voice is neutral and passive. “He accepted with the intent of ascertaining their true goal and betraying them when his plans reached fruition. It is my full belief that he never intended to truly ally with them.”

Of course, Aymeric says to himself, Thordan would keep such a crucial secret from him. He wonders if the wretch he barely called a father is laughing at him from the hells below, for now he will surely be expected to continue this trite charade with the Ascians. It is likely that they will approach him openly, expect him to break bread with them despite their transgressions against the star as a whole.

He fancies himself a man with a long fuse, but the sudden revelation makes his fingers curl. He leans forward with the weight of sudden news, flattening his hands against the desk.

“It is a pity he did not disclose the details of something so completely crucial to the future of our nation,” Aymeric takes in a deep breath and sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “The Ascians are not to be easily trifled with. Regardless of his ability to to predict and handle them, I should have been informed much, much earlier.”

“My sincerest apologies, my lord,” Zephirin begins, the barest hint of apology seeping into his otherwise blank expression. “The Knights of the Round—”

“No. I am not in the mood to entertain trite excuses,” Aymeric replies, tone clipped as he restrains himself. There’s much he wants to say, but Zephirin needs not to be the target of his misplaced aggression. “Go. There is much that still has to be done before the day’s end. I will see to the Ascians this evening. Go about your normal duties until you are needed.” A newfound tension sweeps over his entire body and mind as he returns to the long road ahead. Perhaps some of his father’s files will shed some light on the situation.

- - -

The morning descends upon you with firm vengeance. Though your wounds have for the most part aided by Ishgard’s finest astrologian, the aches and phantom pains still wrack you. The plush blankets that curl around your body make up a warm nest you never hope to leave. The mattress is soft and gentle on your back. Still, it is a comfort most difficult to enjoy whilst there is so much work to be done.

Thus, you tumble out of your nest and barely catch yourself on your feet. Your morning routine is scarcely different from the one you had before your ejection from Ul’dah, yet the pain slows you. The cold claws settled within your muscles and bones make it difficult to move with your former swiftness. Climbing out of the shower is pure agony. Even though you’re inside, Ishgard’s vicious climate thwarts you at every turn. Only when you’re clothed are you at last at ease.

The Ishgardian garb is made of lush cottons that loosely swaddle you, easy on the body and meant to avoid aggravating your skin. Your hands duck into your sleeves, absentmindedly playing with the fabric as you descend the stairs.

Artoirel awaits you at the bottom, leaning casually against the banister. He sweeps out from his resting position with a smile at the sight of you, expression warm and welcoming.

“Good morning,” he says. His posture is casual, but his gaze is searching as it rolls you up and down. Curious, explorative. “How are you?”

“Good morning.” You withdraw into yourself ever so slightly, doing your best not to wilt underneath his gaze. “I’m well.”

“Haurchefant is tending to his duties today, but I do hope I can measure up to him in the realm of being pleasant company. Would you grace me with your presence for today’s breakfast?”

And to that, you have no objections. Artoirel cuts an intimidating figure, physically, but his gentlemanly attitude softens his sharp features. He’s something you’d expect from a wealthy prospective suitor in a romance novel.

Breakfast is a wide array of Ishgard’s finest dishes—foods hearty and rich in nature. It’s a struggle to not scarf down your portions, but easy conversation with Artoirel helps you space out your bites.

It’s all pleasantries at first. He attempts to dive beneath who you are outside of your status as the Warrior of Light, asks about your skills and your hobbies, what you enjoy doing outside of slaying gods and monsters alike. He’s picture perfect. Even the bites he takes of his foot are petite and polite, not a crumb to be seen on the corners of his lips. His expression flexes, the space between his eyebrows wrinkling. He looks like he’s grasping for words, lips pursing as he stares down his remaining food.

“Have any of the nobility made a bad impression on you?” he asks out of the blue, a piece of bacon perched atop his fork.

“No. Not yet, at least,” you look down at your potatoes, eyeing the way the chandelier light bounces off the silverware. It’s a surprising line of conversation to go down, but his concern touches you.

“Full glad am I to hear that. I would hate for any of my more… judgmental peers to sully your experience,” his voice is soft and delicate, a type of gentility that makes your heart squeeze. “However, I must encourage you to be cautious. Ishgardian high society can be… especially brutal to the few foreign guests we receive. Should you encounter any hostility, do not hesitate to inform me. I cannot guarantee any consequences for those in rival houses, but be assured that we at House Fortemps do not share the same sentiments.”

It’s reassuring to hear him so concerned with your reputation and well-being. You’re a new stranger to Ishgard, and there’s no doubt that everyone from the high borne to the lowly of the Brume can tell. Being thrust into such a foreign environment after what you endured has made you feel lost and overly dependent on your connections here. And… perhaps you are. But Artoirel’s devoted sentiments soothe you against your better judgment.

You don’t think much of it now, nor do you think much of it when you’re called down for lunch. Or dinner. It’s only right for the count to call all the residents and guests in his home for meals.

Emmanellain joins you for dinner that night. His eyes glint cleverly, his very presence incessant in its curiosity.

“To think, the champion of the ixal could be felled so succinctly!” he crows after you recount your deadly battle with Garuda. “Ah, I remember Haurchefant arriving home with stars in his eyes, that night. Word of your grand exploit was all he wished to speak of—well, besides your form… and the lovely curves that adorn said form.”

Ah. Long have you been aware of Haurchefant’s growing… intrigue in you, but never has it been so plainly observed by another. How much had he said about you? Your cheeks warmed as you thought over the possibilities, distracted from the raise of Artoirel’s voice as he reprimands his brother.

Haurchefant doesn’t return. Artoirel helpfully informs you that he’s seeing to his very last post at Camp Dragonhead before he returns to fully join the Heavensward. His absence leaves you feeling emptier than usual.

And when you cannot sleep, you occupy yourself with studying Ishgardian history. Much to your frustration, you can’t lift more than four of the tomes at once without your arms and shoulders screaming in protest, so you begrudgingly settle for three. You read throughout the night and find that the founding of the city state alone is enough to cover two-hundred or so pages.

A few hours before dawn, you dim the light and settle back against the pillows, filtering in and out of consciousness until you need to use the bathroom.

You eat breakfast with Artoirel again that morning, and promptly decide you need to take a walk for your own sanity. Manor Fortemps is a splendous place to live, but you can only stand being cooped up for so long before you lose your mind. You make sure to throw on a scarf and some knitted gloves that had been fetched for you, all bundled up and equipped as diligently as possible against the merciless cold.

Though you still don’t have a handle on the city’s layout, you believe asking for directions will serve you just fine. The manor is practically a landmark. Any local worth their salt should be able to point you in its direction. You assure yourself as you make your way towards the grand double doors.

“Oh, are you taking a walk?” Artoirel’s voice pipes up, the lord’s head peeking out from behind a nearby corner.

“Yes. I just wanted to get some fresh air, is all,” you inform him with a small shrug. He steps fully into view, his gaze soft and his smile sweet as he regards you.

“Ah, I was just about to head to the astrologicum. Would you care to accompany me?” He tilts his head ever so slightly as he inquires, leaving you struggling for an answer. On one hand, you likely should visit. If you weren’t mistaken, the man who treated your wounds is an astrologian. On the other… your entire stay in Ishgard has been a procession of well-meaning individuals constantly fretting about and crowding you. Even a moment outside alone would help combat the ceaseless, crushing sense of helplessness it has left you with.

Before you can even answer, Artoirel glances past you, gaze sparking with recognition as he spots one of the housekeepers.

“Ah! Adrienne, the Warrior of Light and I are about to take a visit to the astrologicum. Should Emmanellain return before us, kindly to tell him that the tarte tatin is to be shared. I will not have a repeat incident of last week.” His voice carries a firm edge to it at the end of his sentence, exasperation barely kept from breaching the surface. He shakes his head the housekeeper says an affirmative and scurries off, turning back to you with a sheepish smile.

“My apologies. The last time our chef prepared tarte tatin, he sneaked in and pillaged the entire share before dinner even started,” Artoirel shook his head with a sigh. “At times, I can’t help but think Honoroit is more suited to his position than he is… but that’s nothing for you to worry about.” He dismisses the matter with a wave of his hand as he throws his coat over his shoulders. A shame. The nosier part of you wishes he had continued. It’s no secret that his younger brother is a divisive subject among the family due to his immaturity and habitual slacking off, but you’ve heard quite little of the boy who follows him around like a lost puppy.

“I have an acquaintance at the astrologicum who was hoping to meet you.” Artoirel, for the most part, seems genuinely oblivious to your internal monologue. He holds the door open like the truest of gentlemen and sticks close to your side as he swans elegantly down the street. Even his walk is refined, long legs sweeping nimbly over the concrete.

You try to keep your crestfallenness hidden as you follow, hoping Artoirel’s insistence is simply him overcompensating in an effort to be a good host. You’re in no shape to deny him at the moment—he’s the count, and he’s so graciously allowing you to stay in his home. Should he decide to shove you out the front gates, you’ll surely have nowhere to go.

You don’t know how you haven’t realized the potential danger in that until now.

- - -

You accompany him to the astrologicum to placate him.

You try to take your leave after dinner, hoping he’ll be too busy finishing off dessert to notice you slinking towards the living room. He does, of course. And he continues to do so. Every attempt you make to leave on your own winds up inevitably thwarted underneath his watchful gaze.

He accompanies you on walks, and you accompany him on small errands whenever he offers, figuring fresh air with him is better than none at all.

“Foot traffic is high this time of day, especially after the archbishop mandated a longer break time for the construction workers down at the lower Ishgard. I dearly hope the noise has not kept you from your sleep.” Artoirel sighs as he accompanies you through the crowd, a palm flat to your lower back.

“Forgive my intrusion, but I cannot help notice that you have been favoring your right leg. Perhaps it would be a better idea to remain inside and rest? I imagine Urianger will be quite cross with Haurchefant and I if your recovery is hampered in any way.” Artoirel says imploringly, his eyes sweet and his lashes long as he bats them.

“We have a gazebo in the gardens if you would like somewhere to enjoy a spot of fresh air,” he informs you passively over the dinner table. “Not much grows out there these days, but it has been swept down and cleaned up for your use.”

It doesn’t reassure you. The next two days are fraught with uncertainty as you await Haurchefant’s return. Conversations with Alphinaud and Tataru are a brief reprieve from the blossoming paranoia, but you deign to not tell them the truth. There’s no doubt that Alphinaud will march straight to wherever Artoirel happens to be and demand answers.

If this is all some massive understanding, you don’t want to risk jeopardizing your relationship with your host. You keep Artoirel’s suspicious insistence on keeping you cooped up a secret, even as the stress it invokes worsens your condition.

However, you are nothing if not resourceful. The balcony door to your room has remained unopened throughout your short stay. Exiting from the second level had been beyond your capabilities given your current status, but desperate times call for desperate measures. (And trapped creatures often make irrational decisions.)

Your muscles strain under the pressure of holding yourself up as you lower onto a conveniently close ledge, and then onto a trash can nestled against the brick wall. The loud rattle of the metal lid against the can makes you flinch, but the side street is blessedly empty.

Just like that, you’re free. The phantom pains grip you tight and dig into your ilms of muscle, causing you to buckle. One of your hands finds purchase against the textured brick wall, gasps rattling in and out of your lungs as you struggle to steady yourself. Spikes of frigid pain lash out at your head, the space above your eyes throbbing as you attempt to reign it all in. Your thick gloves keep your nails from grating along the brick, something you find yourself suddenly grateful for as the pain begins to clear.

You focus simply on pulling the breath in and out of your lungs, the cold air drying your throat. The rest of the world dims as you refuse to focus on it, the agony ebbing away into blissful nothingness. Only then are you able to straighten up, gaze clear as you look down the long alleyway. Ishgard’s steep spires and long roads suddenly seem to curl around you, the prospect of navigating them alone somehow intimidating.

Weeks ago, you would have been fine with exploring without a chaperone.

You’re only going on a short walk, you rationalize. Your body moves accordingly as you urge it forward, heading out of the alleyway and onto the streets proper. Each step forward is another to be proud of, you try and tell yourself, but the words ring feeble and hollow in the void of your consciousness.

- - -

Estinien, for better or for worse, has grown accustomed to traveling near exclusively via rooftop. The streets below are littered with strangers who are able to perceive him. It’s daunting in ways he refuses to admit to. The stench of raw Ishgard rubs foul against his nose when he mingles among the masses, an affront to his sharpened senses. At least the beast inside of him knows it does not belong.

Powdery snow drifts from the grey sky, dotting his hoarfrost lashes, threatening to blur his vision as they nearly melt on impact. Here, legs perched upon the thin ledge of a building’s high spire, he can comfortably separate and spectate the writhing populace. Idle people-watching has become a disturbingly frequent indulgence in between his missions and tasks.

It helps distract him from the red vines that curl around the tall buildings, from the patches of disembodied flesh that decorate the cobblestone ground. Features of Ishgard only he can see—the beast trying its hardest to convince him to leave.

Perhaps it is the human part of him that remains that enjoys this passtime, desperate for a vicarious taste of old normalcy. Of belonging. He despises it. He is no longer soft flesh and natural composition. He is hard edges and scales, branching horns and gnashing teeth all wrapped neatly under the illusion of humanity. If his glamor were to be dispelled, they would surely throw rocks and knives and weapons of every sort in his direction despite all he has done to protect them.

So he broods, and he is willing to admit that he broods. He consumes the crowd beneath him with wide sweeps of his piercing gaze.

An old woman hands over a coin purse in exchange for a pair of mittens. A child in the middle of a game of tag slips on a patch of ice, tumbling onto his knee. He hears the resulting yelp, despite his distance. The beginnings of warm, childhood nostalgia creep up on him. His jaw tightens as he prepares to beat it back—oh.

He notices someone decidedly different from the rest of the crowd. A figure that stands fulms and fulms apart, one he has seen before. The Warrior of Light. You look decidedly healthier than you had the last time he had laid eyes upon you, sheltered in the cloistered bookman’s keep. You had been crumpled by your injuries, a mess of an individual dragged in, hanging onto life by a mere thread.

You’re walking around, at the very least. Still a tad gaunt. The bags underneath your eyes are new, but he supposes you have plenty to lose sleep over after everything you have been through. He is no stranger to loss. He knows how it can rip a person’s core out, make them a shell of their former self. He sympathizes.

He dismounts his perch, climbs across roofs and spires as he follows you along, glued to the shadows. No one regards him, his armor stained deep grey with the intent of better camouflaging him.

There’s a noticeable stagger to your steps as you visit different merchants, not bothering to actually head inside any of the storefronts. Perhaps the cold is harsh on your injuries. Why, then, are you not inside? He imagines Haurchefant would be on you like a mother hen, though he recalls that the youngest Fortemps child has been sent to Camp Dragonhead for the next few days, overseeing the change of leadership.

A pity, then, that he is not able to stop you as you aimlessly float from stand to stand. With each moment your movements become more labored, more encumbered despite you having nothing on your person. It’s easy to follow you from his position so high above. Eventually, you split off from the crowd, your eyes wide and your arms drawn tightly to yourself. You stumble up the stone steps, across the street and into one of the thin alleyways, thoroughly closed off from the rest of the populace.

It is not sympathy or concern that makes him dismount his perch. The frozen air whips through his long locks and lashes at his eyes as he descends, body instinctively contorting to stick a perfect landing.

It is a curiosity that plants him so firmly before her, a need to know the woman so vaunted and pursued for himself. You, who have so immediately commanded the adoration of Ishgard’s most coveted and quiet astrologian.

You startle as he lands, the sound of the impact ricketing up and down the otherwise empty alley.

- - -

Fatigue jolts up and down your anguished limbs as you trudge through the crowd. Initially, it hadn’t been so bad. Sure, you had been a tad tired after your escape, but your condition quickly snowballed down the slope. Ishgard’s cold seeps into your body even though your thick, cushy clothes. Your capricious escape leaves you in a poor state by the time you reach the marketplace.

Hells, you wouldn’t be surprised if you managed to exacerbate your wounds in the process. Still, you flutter from stand to stand, half-heartedly looking over merchants’ wares until the whimsy to move on strikes you. It helps distract from your new, pounding headache.

One of the most appealing booths has little puppets that are hand-sewn. An array of cute, fuzzy characters is lined up atop the wooden table, alongside some plain stuffed animals. Had you actually brought your coin purse, you undoubtedly would have purchased something. One of the aforementioned plushes is a grey-pelted fox wearing a stone-faced expression, something about it reminding you of ser Aymeric.

Unfortunately, the pain grows too great. Its bitter grip ensnares you, making your breath shorten and your body tremble as you continue your trek. You’ve overstayed your welcome. You should return home. To Manor Fortemps.

You split from the crowd, heading in the direction you believe is right. It’s difficult to keep your full mental faculties whilst so distracted, so you stumble down the alley and hope for the best. The dark brick walls make the path thin and constricting.

It’s by pure chance that you manage to see a flash of red above you before it lands. It’s a fluid blur of motion, a figure descending from the heavens that you don’t quite comprehend until it lands.

Brilliant plates of red armor wrap the broad figure’s body tight. The odd pikes that extend from its form and the angular nature of the sculpt let you know this is a dragoon, albeit unlike anyone you’ve ever seen before. The helmet is absent, allowing you to fully view the individual’s face.

He possesses hardened, sharp features. A cut jawline and a nose with a high bridge. His eyes are narrow, irises a shade of icy blue. It’s the whites of his eyes that take you off guard—stained a deep crimson. Long strands of snowy hair frame his face and brush against his jawline. All things that catch your attention for a fraction of the moment, but what draws your alarm are the two, blackened horns that arch from his skull, curling backwards slightly, raised to the sky. His cheekbones are adorned with glimmering, black scales. They gleam red where the light catches off them.

Sickly, red lines akin to veins scatter across either cheek from his eyes. It’s nothing you’ve ever seen before.

You don’t see it as much as you feel it, waves of inky black void that roll off him like fog or flame. He is the picture of everything Ishgard fears all at once, the corruption of their own people by the dragons who have kept them in stalemate for hundreds of years.

Your breath stalls in your lungs, every muscle in your body seeming to tense as you struggle to comprehend his visage. Upon closer inspection, his form is absent of the gauntlets most dragoons wear. Another thick layer of scaling coats his arms from the elbows down, the tips of his fingers curling into sharp claws.

“The Warrior of Light,” he addresses you contemplatively, but his expression belies disappointment. “I had not expected to see you out of your sickbed so soon—though it looks like you’ve flown the nest before you were ready.”

“Who—what are you?” you stammer, coherency returning to you in staggered stages. You hunch against the cold, brick wall, eyes near the size of saucers as you stare him down. You don’t dare shift your gaze away from him.

The droll disappointment that colors his features vanishes, giving way into momentary surprise. One side of his mouth quirks into a crooked, shark-like smile. Even his teeth are refined into sharp points, better for ripping into flesh and chewing bone. He barks a cold, humorless laugh.

“So you can see me,” he remarks idly. The edges of your consciousness begin to burn and fray. The inky splotches that swim at the edges of your vision threaten the view you have of him. “You have truesight yet the first thing you see with it is this wretched form. I almost feel sorry for you. Aymeric was correct in his assumptions about you, though that’s for better or for worse,” he remarks as you feel yourself start to sway. Your hands grow numb. A slow tingle takes your fingertips and strokes down to your palms, sweeping to the rest of your arms.

Any panic that you might feel is swept under the growing void, too exhausted to muster even a drop of emotion.

The last thing you hear before you take the plunge is the clanking of his greaves against the stone ground.

[the-righteous-heart]

FFXIV: EndWalker  Magical Ranged Role Quest

I've heard a lot about this quest. A Friend told me the storyline of the quest at the beginning of endwalker. I've played the MSQ and saw the cutscene related to the caster role quest. After finishing the MSQ (as dark knight) I've started with a caster dps to see the role quest for myself. today i'm done with the quest and I am rdy to talk about it. For the start, this quest was so dissapointing, it makes me angry and sad at the same time to see how the devs are thinking about the Heavens' Ward. All of the known lore at this point was ignored and replaced and so many points are making no sense to me.

1. No one knows Zephirin. He is a nobody and is said to not even look like a knight. Even the WoL dosen’t remember the "murderer of haurchefant", WoL says nothing about the person they saw in their vision.

2.The dragon known as Fafnir does absolutely nothing and the ishgardians fall in misery and fear with no reson. We are friends with the dragons after HW, not?

3. The knights of the Heavens’ Ward weren’t tempered, so they did everything at free will.  

4. Zephirin has no personality, his only porpuse was to serve the pope, nothing more.

5. Aymeric is a bad ruler. After the reform of the church, he did absolutely nothing for his own people which lead some of Thordan's followers to re-summon King Thordan and his knights. He left Thordan's followers for themselves with their fears.

6. I think it's the worst punishment for the Knights of the Heavens’ Ward (most of them WERE decent people) to become a dragon like a heretic.

[rothalion]

@virtuti | Survival Starter

  Moons had passed since it happened. Even so, Rothalion had certainly caught glimpses of the man in the later months taking walks about the city - and completely left him be. Though he knew what he did was something he had to, it didn’t change that fact that much of his retaliation that day had been rage and not duty. The moment his feet touched Azys Lla that night, there was only rage. White hot anger, eyes blazing and body moving on its own if only to find them. Zephirin was just as much of a target as the Archbishop, one he was bound to slaughter in cold blood in revenge.

  Just like Nidhogg.

  It is this fact that settles a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt guilt for how he lashed out at a man who was only doing what he thought was right, tempered or not, just as Rothalion acted on his own moral compass. Even so, he felt sick thinking of what happened for so very long, his heart aching and throat closing in the wake of memories bittersweet. Rothalion didn’t cry, but he had back then. He still wanted to. Even with what weight he carried on shoulders did he come to realize, as matters grew more tense - abruptly breaking just days before into full scale slaughter all over again - that he couldn’t simply leave loose ends anymore. There were too many, ends long lost in the past that forever touched his mind at inopportune times and made pushing forward difficult. He knew his friend would be unhappy knowing he had carried such darkness within himself for long, how bitterly he had once looked upon Zephirin and allowed a grudge to settle towards the man who, of all people, survived.

  So he visited. Rothalion stepped quietly into the room he had been directed to, where he was told Zephirin would oft reside. He knew not the man’s health or what he did since the reformation and the peace formed between Ishgard and the Dravanians; at the time it hadn’t mattered to him. He didn’t care. At least now he would make an effort... his heart had finally settled, and now all he felt was hollow, sadness.

  “It has been a while, yes...?” He spoke finally to break the silence, though any tension within the room was not his own he suspected Zephirin would have many reasons to feel disdain in his presence. He frowned, gaze dropping to the floor and arms limp at his sides. “... The tension finally broke. I wished, before I leave in but a moon’s time, to make peace with you. To apologize, for what I did to your brethren and for taking so long to reach out. I... never wanted it to end the way it did. I only wish I had known, and that I could have said something. Maybe...” Maybe they’d still be alive. Maybe his friend, both of his friends, would still be alive - but they weren’t. He glanced to the side, slumping his shoulders.

  “You need not forgive me so soon - or at all. I only... I wish for you to know I’m sorry, and to attempt at least to move forward on better ground.”

[ladyramora]

Okay, but what about an AU where Zephirin knew about Frey, Rielle and Sidguru because he trained in Darkness with them... So first Sid loses Frey, then he finds out Zephirin's been tempered...

“Zephirin was tempered?!” Sid’s expression twists, face falling. “How could this happen….?” He shakes his head. “Say what you will about certain members of the Heavens’ Ward, but Zephirin was different. He was worthy of wielding the sword, of training at our side.” Sid pauses, swallowing hard and raking a hand through his hair. “Fray… he tried to dissuade Zephirin from joining. Said that he didn’t trust it. More than one bad apple in that bunch. But Zephirin had it in his head that if he couldn’t do good as Lord Commander, he could do so as a member of the Heavens’ Ward.” 

Sid stares down at the flickering candle on the table. “I don’t think those two ever did reconcile. And now what?” Sid laughs humorlessly. “Fray gone, Zephirin tempered. It’s just Rielle and I now.” He looks up, sheepish at the look on your face. “Sorry, and you too, of course. I just…” Sid sighs, expression somber. “…Thank you for telling me.” 

Sid offers you a strained smile. “What do you know? Fray was right. But he always was, the bastard.”  

[broken-synchronicity]

Shadowbringers Theorycrafting of a slightly different kind

*Spoilers of both current and possible variety ahead*

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So, with the revelation of Primal Zodiarc and Hydaelyn and the implication of our "Blessing" actually being Tempering, I'd like to direct everyone to one particular instance of Tempering that was something of an outlier in what we know about Tempering;

Thordin and the Heaven's Ward.

It is stated that Thordin's Tempering was somewhat atypical of regular Primals. First, Thordin was a living important person with delusions and an agenda, he needed to keep up a certain appearance so that no one would suspect anything.

This included how his personal soldiers (The Heaven's Ward) acted. If they acted at all out of the norm right up until the climax of his scheme, he would alert the very huge threat that House Fortempts was keeping as a ward.

So he either could not Temper them immediately,

Or he controlled the amount he had tempered them.

If full tempering = Mindless husk (the beastkin and such)

Then does partial tempering = untemperable, but still holding enough personality and free will to be one's self? (Not just Us, but literally everyone who has the Echo?)

Are we tempered in the same manner as the Heaven's Ward? Did Hydaelyn temper us enough that we're untemperable by lesser Primals, but not tempered enough to lose our personality, so that no one suspects anything?

Zephirin had asked us about tempering and if it were possible to break it, and we, as far as we knew, only were aware of death being the way to free a tempered person.

But what about when Midgardsormr stripped us of our Blessing? Could a powerful enough creature Aware of such Magic and how it functions in accordance to how that other being casts it or, as with Middy, by way of a pact with the other being, reverse a tempering?

Was no one on Eorzea able to undo a Tempering because they were 1) not powerful enough and 2) could not understand the magic in place?

Or was Middy only able to do so because Hydaelyn's influence on us was weaker than any other Warrior because of what happened at the end of 2.0, according to Lahabrea?

Hydaelyn has put a huge amount into keeping us specifically alive. Especially if you consider Legacy characters; Hydaelyn would have plucked Legacy characters right off the battle field of Carteneau and kept them in some kind of space-time bubble for five years before dropping them back into the world.

(Would Hydaelyn have intervened in the Vault? Or was the stripping of the Blessing keeping her from doing so? Was the Vault the first instance where we really would have died, Hydaelyn's blessing or no?)

In the words of Jukemaid; "God won't let us die" has taken a very different meaning now if we think about it this way.

Another thought; I saw another post talk about this in reference to the DRK quests, that if we were untempered enough in these instances to create these darker emotions in us, and they stayed with us (via the Class) after we got our "Blessing" back, then do we now have a measure of resistance to our second tempering? Or were we conditioned so much to trust Hydaelyn that even if we're stripped of our Blessing again, we will always seek to retrieve it, no matter what? Is that an influence of the Tempering? It does give us the inability to be tempered by any other Primal, and that is the number 1 thing we needed it for.

Also if we are that powerful without the blessing, could we relinquish the blessing ourself? Could we figure out how to keep our self from being Tempered without Hydaelyn's Blessing?

Could we be the first person to break free from a Primal, if it comes down to it? Or will we end up like the Heaven's Ward if we try to go against Hydaelyn?

[vixlenxe]

"Me at the time didn't see it that way, most Ishgardians just turn their noses up at me then, especially the highborns. You'd think he'd be the same." Of course, she knows better now. Some men just... want the things they can't have.

"It's possible your appearance clashed with Thordan's tempering of him too." Tiffanie tapped her cheek as she started voicing her thoughts. Tempering: in simplest terms, it was described as a form of brainwashing. The works of primals, eikons & other such beings, & the Archbishop & the Ward were able to chanel powers that made them primal-like. "I've been thinking about it. We know now that the Archbishop likely managed to temper his Heavens' Ward, even if in just a minor degree. Not enough to make it obvious like other victims' of tempering we've seen, but enough to make sure they would obey him. You appearing as this sort of 'forbidden fruit' likely made Zephirin's own wants clash with his tempered nature, so it manifested in these creepy ways & extreme ways."

"I'm not saying he wouldn't have still done these things, but I'd like to believe he wouldn't jump right to stalking instantly & used more common sense... or at least have the human decency to not send fucking Charibert to capture you."

"But it does... because suddenly you were forbidden fruit, and he was going to obsess over something he could've had for himself..." Just the knowledge of it made him sick to his stomach, grabbing a pillow and holding it to him almost as a shield.

"That sounds horrid... I don't understand it..."

[knights-of-ishgard]

To all people, who still hating on the Knights of the Heaven’s Ward and especially Zephirin, look at it from another angle.

The WoL came to Ishgard to help but WoL is a stranger to everyone except Haurchefant, Aymeric and Estinien. As we know, Ishgard was a very paranoid place back in Heavensward and at the beginning, remember, not even Artoirel liked you, for example.

Look at the trial by combat situation. The Knights of the Heavens’ Ward are an Elite group and the protectors of Thordan VII. and you, the WoL just go into that fight and beat the shit out of Grinnaux and Paulecrain. Of course, you are goddam strong and stuff but you could be also a danger to Ishgard in their eyes, the people and the Archbishop, what’s the case later because yes, Thordan IS the true villain here, not his knights.

Someone told a friend today:

“Thordan’s kind of tempering was different, because they (his knights) weren’t zombies like other temper victims. Thes kept their personalities and free will they  had.” (no temper victim ever acted as the definition of a zombie says, even Eula/Nael remembered everything she had done, she was fanatical but not zombie-like. For victims of primals nothing more important as the primal they serve.)

and

“...tempering brought out the real nastyness inside them when before they were shackled by the rules.” (I like that thought and it sounds interesting imho). Also Zephirin “took pleasure in the pain he caused the WoL” according to that person. (honest question here, when did they mention Zephirin took pleasure in the pain he caused the WoL?)

Also, according to the same person, killing WoL wasn’t an order. But it was! Protecting and to assess the situation correctly to avert danger IS Zephirins job. The WoL was dangerous in Zephirins opinion as a ´good soldier and bodyguard. So even there was no primal stuff at all, he still did his job! 

All that Zephirin might saw was WoL is allmighty, WoL, a stranger, brought nosy people to ishgard (Alphinaud, who made himself suspicious and therefore got the attention of Grinnaux and Paulecrain), WoL beat four of his elite(!) brothers in arms (Grinnaux twice, Paulecrain, Adelphel and even Charibert twice, the man who turned the old commander of the Heavens’ Ward into ashes), and also WoL brought Ysayle/Lady Icehart/Shiva aka THE heretic par excellance to ishgard!

The Knights of the Heavens’ Ward are an Elite that guarantees the protection of the Archbishop, who is kind of the eorzean equivalent to our rl Pope and obviously you can say the Heavens’ Ward is the Swiss Guard here.

Thordan the most important man in and for Ishgard and Zephirin, as the commander of the Heavens’ Ward has the job of protecting him all around the clock. If he does a mistake, the Archbishop is in danger and dies in the worst case szenario. officially, they were temperd and Thordan VII. was safe the whole time because of this.

After Thordan threw Aymeric in the prison Lucia mentions at some point (I believe it was before the fight with Charibert) that half of the Temple Knights following now Zephirins command. (because Zephirin should have been in Aymerics position as lord commander of the Temple Knights if Thordan would not have kinda forced him into the Heavens’ Ward. Remember, he gave Aymeric that rank, and if Thordan would not have gotten rid of the old Heavens’ Ward Commander, Vaindreau de Rouchemande, Zephirin wouldn’t also be Commander of the Heavens’ Ward.) And I truly doubt half of Ishgard military forces liked him better as the lord commander because he’s an asshole. 

And truly all the hate just is against Zephirin because he wanted to kill you because it was his order killed Haurchefant who jumped before WoL to “safe” him. Both just could have run farther and maybe nothing ever happened. (look at the cutscene and think about it) or you just had another way to safe your ass (because WoL is the fucking WoL who’s allways super overpowerd lol)

And here’s a little side note that also includes some of the lvl70 DRK quest:

You don’t even look at Zephirin while he’s apologizing for the trial of combat with Grinnaux and Paulecrain back in Heavensward.

Ingame we know nothing about that man, so the specters (yes, these are not the real Knights of the round we’ve met, for those who still think they ARE the true Heavens’ Ward) are very inaccurate to their true personalities. So are the lines they say during Thordan EX, because this whole fight is the dipiction of the Bard, not you, the WoL. WoL never met most of these guys but still has a bad image of them because of what happened especially at the Vault and during the last fight in Singularity Reactor.

Everything we really know about Zephirin and his brothers in arms is from the lorebook and from the interviews with Yoshi P. Where it’s stated, that Zephirin for example is a broken man with a broken heart who was forced to abandon his own principles. Therefore his Weapon has the name “Shattered Heart”. He’s also a dark knight or at least his character as stated in those interviews and the lore reminds at a dark knight. (He was trapped between duty and his own desires and principles and was forced to completely commit himself to his duty, a bit like Cecil from FFIV) and if you’re familiar with the dark knight quest lines, you know what that means.

[voidsentprinces]

The history of the Dragonsong War is so fucking weird. Like Humanity and Dragons make peace. Shiva is elevated to sainthood after she falls in love with a dragon...for “reasons”. A group of knights kill a dragon for its eyes, seeing no path to peace. Shiva straight up turns to Hraesvelgr and is invents vore by asking him to eat her out of love. He does so. Nidhogg is understandably pissed and launches a full on offensive. Haldrath and some knights manage to pop Nidhogg’s eyes out...somehow. Defeating him. Instead of going back to celebrate, Haldrath is like “We done fucked up, I am leaving the throne.” the remaining knights are basically like “This party will never stop...you can make a religion out of this!” and so they do.

Later Nidhogg is like “This is what we get for trusting humans, give me one of your eyes Hraesvelgr.” and he’s like “...sounds legit.” And does so, thousands of years past. Estinien becomes the Azure Dragoon after Nidhogg burns a place to the ground. Estinien then fucks up and becomes possessed by the Azure Dragoon’s power. He then decides after being smacked upside the head, that the best road to take to get his powers under control is to go on a vengeance fueled pilgrimage for peace to Hraesvelgr. During that time, he recruits Ysayle, Alphinaud, and the Warrior of Light. After many trials Ysayle finds out that Saint Shiva was vored. And goes catatonic for a while understandbly. Estinien then goes “Fuck this shit” and broods at the Aery for a long time. Until we ask Cid to build us a Treasure Planet Ship.

We fly to the Aery and kill Nidhogg. Estinien being the most dramatic person since Oscar Wilde. Decides to stab the dragon and cover his armor in blood for the EDGE factor. Meanwhile, the Archbishop listens to an Ascian knows he’s lying but goes “Sounds legit.” anyway. And with the power of Nidhogg’s eye and the corpse of King “I fucked this entire nation up” turns into a Primal. But not before slam dunking Lahabrea Tar Pits. WoL smacks him and his knights upside the head and throws Ser Zephirin off a balcony in particular.

The Archbishop is like “We dun fucked up!” and fades into aether cause he was a dumbass to who turned into a Primal and then decided to challenge one of the world’s only Primal Slayers at the time. Estinien is like “High Five!” but because its the first positive emotion that man has felt since the last birthday with his parents. He becomes possessed by Nidhogg. Who fucks off.

Deciding this is perfectly okay to just leave alone, the Warrior of Light flies Midgardsormr back to Ishgard. And is like “WE COOL!? We cool.” then spends the next three months or so not looking at the Aery and checking in on Nidstien Edgebleeder. We try to make peace with the dragon, but Emme Enchanted shoots a protestor. We try again and Nidhogg shows up, still not having clearned Estinien’s FUCKING ARMOR! And is like “YO! FORGET ABOUT ME!?”

WoL is like “Yeah actually.” and then goes to Hraesvelgr and we’re like “Yo, you said you’d never fight your bother Nidhogg...but, consider, could you fight your brother Nidhogg?” and after punching a Moogle, an ill tempered Pegasus, and Hraesvelgr into submission, he’s all like, “Yeah sure, sounds legit.”

Goes to fight Nidhogg, who then proceeds to fuck him up. Leaving us and 7 other people who don’t know how to FUCKING STACK! to kill Nidhogg instead. We succeed, pluck the eyes from his armor...WHICH STILL HASN’T BEEN CLEANED! And throw it off the bridge with the help of Haurchefaunt, Bruce Willis, Ysayle, Master Yoda and Patrick Swayze.

One last time, we try and make peace with dragons and since we have another expansion to get to, they’re like “Yeah, sounds legit.” thus ending Nidhogg’s justified tantrum.

And Estinien throws away that armor because he’d rather not wear it than clean it apparently.