#and ESPECIALLY of it happening to alphinaud

[lunadivino]

Putting Alphinaud and Giorno or perhaps Fugo in the same room would be funny as hell

What I would give to put Alisaie and Trish in a room together

[astrophelsblog]

FFXIV Characters React to Young!WoL

Characters: Scions

Warnings: Mentions of depression, implied suicidal thoughts

Weird things always happen around the Wol. This time magical hijinks have turned their hero into a child. While looking for a cure, they have to look after a younger version of their friend but it's nothing from what they expect. Was this really the Wol?

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WoL was known for their steadfast attitude. Carrying themselves with quiet confidence, reassuring everyone they were up to the job. Allies and friends are very acquainted with being responded with stoic nods, maybe even a few words. Other times Wol would encourage others to say something inspiring when the time called for it. More often, they would let others speak for them, usually Alphinaud or anyone from the adventuring party. Of course, this is just one side to them. Wol's closest friends knew they were mostly putting on a brave face. Something they had to learn over time.

But their younger selves were completely different. Quiet, but the kind where their unsure what to say. They were awkward, anxious and insecure. Instead of their back kept straight, head held aloft, confident but relaxed posed this version was hunched down, trying to make themselves look smaller. They tailed behind their friends in public and carried themselves as if the world was judging them. Everyone, except their found family, especially the scions couldn't believe this was the Wol. How could someone so larger than life have been like this?

Alisaie

Blue screens for a minute before she's yelling at whoever is responsible to change them back

If she's not off to help find a way to reverse this, she's sticking to them for protection...and curiosity. As someone she strives to be an equal to and look up to, she wants to know what their younger selves were like.

It didn't help if the Warrior of Light was generally tight-lipped about their past and growing up.

Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't this. They looked like a younger, softer version of the Wol but how they acted stunned her. Unable to make eye-contact, zero fighting abilities or confidence, and constantly unsure of themselves.

From fighting valiantly by their side, now they're cowering behind her. She's unsure what to feel until they look at her with a shine in their eye and state they wished they were more like her.

It seems as if the roles were reversed. Her mind crashes and she's unable to respond, flustered.

While she can't say it doesn't feel good to see the younger version of her friend (hero) look to her like she always has them, she wonders how this person could be them. What happened to make them so insecure at this age?

Tries to reassure them about the things their future self, things they were going to do, were true but they could not believe it. Young!Wol keeps pressing they were nobody, which made her angry at whoever made them think that.

Spends the rest of the experience building up the Wol's confidence and shooting down any self-deprecation.

Alphinaud

Another one who demands whoever is responsible to turn them back but less aggressive and more concerned.

Sticks to them like glue to protect and guide them, they were obviously confused having no memories of the past years. Very gentle with them and answers all their questions.

Scolds his twin for prying into their past selves but can't deny he's curious too. He prefers to observe them and ask subtle questions.

What he finds was a surprise. Its safe to say he knows them better than most, having known them for years.

They bonded during HW. Leaning on each other after the bloody banquet and even more during their journey to end the Dragonsong war. While the wol was still stoic, they were much more expressive around him.

Still, he's never pictured them as anything less than the courageous adventurer they were. But he also understands, he was very different a few years ago.

His younger self was arrogant and always tried to be in control before he was given a reality check. Now he's a better person who's learned from their mistakes.

This younger version of his friend was a contrast to his journey. They went from a lost and unsure soul to building up their confidence to be the capable person they all knew.

Is the first to re-tell any of their victories and good deeds. Never fails to mention how much of an impact they left and lives changed.

Feels nice knowing they had been a confused kid once before becoming who they were now.

Estinien

Just stares. Smol Wol.

Lowkey wanted to pick you up. How were you this short? You always towered over everyone.

Thought nothing could get weirder since going to space. 'Should have known better being around you'.

While he can't wrap his head around this magical incident, once he saw wol's younger counterpart's scared expression, vowed not to leave their side.

As someone with a lot of enemies, it was unsafe to be alone in their current state. Barely able to hold a weapon properly. Just seeing young wol hold that tiny dagger one of the scions gave for safety measure told him everything. This version of them hadn't seen violence.

It made him quite soft to see this less guarded WoL. Not that they were never the empathetic type. But it was almost a sad reminder how the world had changed their warrior.

Spending time around them like this came with frequent surprises. Wol, him and Alphinaud had all gone on this life changing journey yet there's still a lot he didn't know about them.

As a dragoon, the two of you had a competitive rivalry going on, he was used to your confident strides and remarks about being stronger. You backed it up with actual strength and skill but it was still annoying being bested. He didn't realize you must have been building up that self-esteem for years. Finally being comfortable in yourself to claim pride.

Also kinda stings that he'd been training for years and you hadn't touched a lance until a few years ago.

Underneath all that he could see you were still the kind and hopeful soul that had pulled him out of his rage. Always wanting to help. To explore the world. It was another thing to admire about you. Holding steadfast to your principles after everything that had happened. And you've suffered more than most as the WoL.

G'raha

Shocked still. Jaw on the ground. Mind blown

Forgive him. But he immediately goes starry-eyed. His ears perk up and his tail wiggles. He gets to see a young Warrior of Light!? Absolutely adorable

He would have never seen this side of you so he can't help but be amazed and get distracted from finding a cure

This version of you was so...so... soft and small. Shorter than him too! They were always twice his height. Pls give him some time. He's experiencing some cuteness aggression

Having looked up to the Wol so much, he's constantly encouraging them. Whatever low self-esteem they had is no match for his praises

Tells the best stories of their adventures and does his best to describe how their older self was

Also someone who watches over them, reveling in being the one protecting the other

When young Wol looked at him with stars in their eyes and said they wanted to be more like him when they were older, he's a goner. How the turnstable

After some time, they confided in him how they had always wanted to be an adventurer, a hero but it felt like a childish wish

Now he understood they were once like him. Wanting to imitate the heroes of old but feeling as if they weren't good enough. Is so patient and adoring when he tells them that it was hardly a childish dream. They were an amazing person who would grow to change the world for the better

It's another reminder how human they were. When they return to normal, he keeps the experience as a core memory

Thancred

Dad mode activated.

Another one who will not leave your side. This felt familiar. You were just like Ryne. Completely sheltered and unsure of yourself. A lot.

The feelings only amplified seeing how small and young looking your were.

His neck finally has a break from looking at you.

Had to teach you how to defend yourself. While he knew how to mentor, it still felt strange doing so with an old comrade. The strongest of their allies. The champion. Reduced to figuring out how to hold a dagger properly. It was a stark difference to your present self. A master of many weapons and counting.

It amazed him just how far you've come. As someone with his past he's happy you've grown up to be so confident in yourself.

Will bring you to your regular jaunts and stomping grounds. Sees the wonder in your eyes and the spark of wanderlust, begging for adventure. Some things just don't change. You just lacked the courage to face the world.

Was young Wol always this sensitive? He never expected their resident stoic-nodder to be so easy to cry and pout about things. Suppose that would be something you had practiced over the years.

Will definitely tease your old self when everything was sorted out. Who knew you used to be such a crybaby.

Urianger

Also in dad-mode sort of

Will mostly be pre-occupied looking for a cure. He knows the others, like Thancred will keep you safe

But will still mull over the situation. The difference between young!wol and present!wol was significant

Patient with them when he notices his way of speech confuses them. Adult you was used to his words but obviously this younger version was struggling

Is always there to speak of their exploits. The small ones at least. Errands and favors you've done for the common folk. Much easier to swallow than all the grand epics you've no doubt heard

He understood that they must be having hard tie reconciling the hero they keep hearing about to themselves

Whenever kid Wol needed some time to wind down, just curl up somewhere with a book, he'll be happy to provide one

They were desperately curious of this new world. Reading every book they could get their hands on

He was pleasantly surprised to find out you had been a bookworm before becoming an adventurer. Even confided in him that they missed their shelves of books. They were rather awkward in social situations and having few friends the pages had been their source of comfort

It was then he realized that both of you had more in common than he thought. Both of them had been youth who preferred the company of books and they had a harder time bc of it

When wol returns to normal, he would talk to them abt this, maybe even recommend some books after their younger self revealed their favorite genres

Y'shtola

Once her shock was over, is immediately ready to study this

Pokes and prods kid wol, asking a lot of questions

With her eyes she can see their aether. It was fainter and not as bright but still the same color. Not the same blazing beacon, bright and warm as the sun but still warm like a campfire

Isn't one to pry into their past but will be happy to see this side to them

Of course you weren't always so strong and level-headed. Everyone was a kid at some point. Even her

Outside of the whole magic side to this, she observes your quiet and skittish nature. Kind of fond of this version of them. Their presence was like an intimidating predator sometimes, now they were like a young foal. All wobbly feet and wary of everything

Can't help but tease this version of them. They were much more expressive. Their reactions were priceless

Almost everything about them was different. The way they moved, talked, and went about things. Would wonder of the journey they had to become the person they knew and loved

When she finally gets them back to normal, like the rest of the scions, will make sure wol never lives this down

[galactickohipot]

Hmm so I've seen a lot of ppl say there's no stakes in FFXIV anymore because the WoL is too strong anyway. Like sure, making the WoL a godslayer isn't making things easy, but that's not truly where the issue is imo. Spoilers for DT's msq!!!

The main problem to me, is that the writers now consider that a victory through fighiting is a victory in the story. It kinda boggles my mind that there aren't negative repercutions for using violence anymore... It's especially true in DT: when you fight it's always the right thing to do and all fights have a positive influence on the story. It's pretty much "right is might and might is right" all around. The characters never doubts their fight is a righteous one for a second, and we are never given an ambiguous win either. Wuk Lamat is only able to influence the story because she becomes strong and she becomes strong because she is right and good. It is ironic for a character that is so focused on peace and love. Yet the story will still consistantly reward the characters for crushing their opponents. Storywise it doesn't make sense. It only cheapens your victories, so of course you would need to amp up the stakes. (also please note: these issues were already present when Ishikawa was at the helm, but there were other things to balance it out in ShB though.)

In contrast, in ARR and HW, there usually was a downside to the WoL's victory. It wasn't the entire story!

For example, a part I particularly like in 3.0 is the first time you slay Nidhogg. Not only is this done by Estinien after you've weakened the dragon; but it actually feels like a defeat. The entire game up to this point had your group try to mend the relationship between ishgardians and dragons. Estinien warms up to your group and Ysayle, and you can feel he is slowly begining to hope for lasting peace. However, with Hraesvelgr's revelations, Ysayle's dellusions are exposed and all the progress made towards reconcilliation is reduced to nothing. Worse, Estinien's violent and vengeful ways are proven to be the only solution. Truly, a terrible setback for the characters, and it results in an empty victory over Nidhogg. Sure you beat the baddie, but it's devastating for Alphinaud and Ysayle. It even comes back to bite Estinien in the butt when he gets possessed. There was more to the story than just finally beating a very strong foe, and it is made apparent at that moment. Even though the wol won every fight, it didn't mean that the main characters would be victorious. It could either be a diplomatic defeat, your beliefs could be challenged, or one of your allies could die. Unforeseen consequences were right around the corner. Plus, your character is only one person. Things could still happen outside of their reach, like at the end of ARR. Regardless of your WoL's strength, there are many ways you can create tension for a story!

In earlier expacs, there used to be a feeling that your battles wouldn't necessarily win the war. No need for a world ending threat then, to have stakes.

[anneapocalypse]

As I've been putting together a timeline for fic purposes I have been going back over dialogue and cutscenes for a LOT of old quests--all of ARR especially kind of blurs together in my head so I've needed a refresher to remember the order things happened in, and something jumps out at me

and that's that Urianger getting drawn in by Elidibus and deciding to act alone without telling any of the Scions what he's doing, in addition to coming not long after Moenbryda's death, also corresponds pretty directly to Minfilia not being around to check in with him anymore.

I think it's evident in ARR how much Urianger looks to Minfilia, how much he respects her and how much trust he places in her as a leader. As the Antecedent she is in many ways Louisoix's successor; she's the glue that's holding together these two groups with aligned goals but pretty different reasons for being there, Louisoix's archon book club and Minfilia's echo support group. After the Scions move to the Rising Stones and Urianger stays at the Waking Sands as its caretaker, more than ever it's probably Minfilia who is keeping him in the loop.

And then one day she's just gone. And Urianger is still in touch with the Warrior of Light and Alphinaud and Tataru as he aids in the search for the missing Scions... but his anchor is missing. The one person he might have turned to is now beyond his reach. And in a way, he still does turn to her; it is Minfilia on whom his plan ultimately hinges, once he knows she has been chosen as Hydaelyn's intermediary. But any chance to consult with her before he undertakes all his shadowy maneuvering is denied him.

I just wonder how differently things would have gone for him, had he not lost her too.

[fisherrprince]

I wonder how much of Alphinaud's ARR attitude not only comes from the teenage "I know better" mindset, but also from him seemingly not having any actual friends growing up. He certainly seemed to *impress* people, but did he ever befriend anyone? No one talks about him having any kind of proper camaraderie back at the Studium...

im like, nearly certain you’re right. almost everything about his upbringing would lead to having no friends, and nothing that we know about vis a vis the twins as kids points to them having friends that aren’t adults? alisaie mentions shes happy hes hanging out with arenvald bc that Never happened before and ALSO she mentions not bringing anyone over to hang out. n despite alphy having people over they were all like... this 13 year old invites you a college student to his estate how are you. like look the twins are rich and go to private schools around their house. setup one. everyone mentioned to come over and hang out in the short stories or their memory is like, krile. urianger. grandpa's friends. theyre close with much older people. theyre INCREDIBLY smart as kids, and jump at least four grades. also, kids aren't often that fond of their-age kids who are way smarter, especially if they KNOW they're smarter than everyone. they absolutely thought they were better bc of it. they know better because they're smarter. 11 year olds in college are very cute, very impressive, but their brains literally haven't grown in yet so they cant be like, friends. they can be cool and rich and smart (whoa a 14 year old with a subversive understanding of politics!) but not friends. YKNOW? they were totally friendless kids who thought they were above most people if not just their age group. and they did not care at the time at ALL ghsdk

[myreia]

wip wednesday

tagging @fourteenthz @lilas @lilbittymonster @galadae @anneapocalypse! 💖 working on an Alisaie POV one-shot set after Holminster Switch. It's sad hours. 😭👍

“Your brother’s worried about you, you know,” Aureia continues.

Alisaie rolls her eye. “Alphinaud is always worried about me. It’s his default state of being.”

“He cares.”

“I know, I just…” She blows out a breath. Raising her head, she turns and across the wrecked grounds and ruined boulevard to the violet woods and the endless sea of purple fields to the Crystal Tower rising high above it all. It glints in the fading sunlight, its delicate blue haze washed out by the vibrant pinks and oranges and golds. “Some days I need him to care a little less. Or… stick his nose in someone else’s business for once.”

She bites her tongue, regretting the words as soon as they leave her mouth. It’s petulant, she knows. Childish to complain, especially to someone like Aureia who has not been as fortunate with family as her. Her brother loves her unconditionally. Aureia cannot say the same.

But Alphinaud has a unique ability to be suffocating with his intentions. Too much all at once—his desperate desire to fix what’s wrong overshadowing the actual hurt on his good days, and making it all about him on the bad. Maybe he’s learned a thing or two in Eulmore, but she will always be a blind spot where he’s concerned. A reason to return to his former habits, either because it’s easy or because it’s all he knows.

“He doesn’t understand,” Alisaie says finally, whispering the words to the wind. Wind that carries flower petals and leaves, tumbling, tumbling, tumbling down the boulevard to the square. That damn square that sends a chill down her spine every time she thinks about what happened there. “He doesn’t understand why I can’t… why I don’t want to…”

The sob escapes her and she presses a hand to her mouth, cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. Gods, why does Aureia have to see her like this? No one should see her like this. Especially not the Warrior of Light.

Aureia does not say a word. She sits in silence, hands folded in her lap, ruby eyes observing her with a gentle patience.

“I don’t know,” Alisaie murmurs, lowering her hand. “I think… I want…”

Tears pang in the corners of her eyes, the sting somehow both familiar and unfamiliar all at once. She hasn’t cried like this since her grandfather died. Does that make her heartless? It’s not that she hasn’t suffered loss since Dalamud fell and his sacrifice took him from them all. She has lost others, watched as they passed on while she was unable to do anything about it. You can’t save everyone, she knows this to be true. She accepted it a long time ago.

But she didn’t cry for them the way she cries for Tesleen.

She closes her eyes, tears falling freely now. “I just want to see her again.”

[xenodile]

On the one hand, I definitely get the perspective some people take of "the actual adults involved let Alphinaud down" in regards to the Crystal Braves, but I don't like it because it feels like it's trying to minimize Alphinaud's wrongdoing or absolve him of responsibility, and it's kind of insulting to treat him like he's well, a stupid kid that was in over his head.

Like don't get me wrong, he was up to his ears in the politics of Ul'dah and that's definitely a lot to put on anyone, especially someone as young and inexperienced as him, but the reason he was able to get into that situation at all is because, for the purposes of the story, Alphinaud is an adult. Like I see all the time the sentiment "why is this teenager allowed to do all this" and the answer is that in the setting, that's old enough to have independence and make important decisions! As far as everyone else in the setting is concerned, Alphinaud's a grown man that is just as qualified as anyone else to be doing the things he does! If he was just a loud mouthed kid, he wouldn't have the ear of Eorzea's military leaders or the Scions.

Whether you agree or not with the narrative decision to have 16 be the age of adulthood aside, the point is that Alphinaud should have known better. He is genuinely very smart, he knows politics and strategy, he SHOULD have anticipated his enemies trying to sabotage his plans. The Crystal Braves happened not because Alphinaud was ignorant, but because Alphinaud was arrogant. There WERE people telling him something was fishy, Riol was looking into it, the Monetarists' investments were brought to his attention, but Alphinaud didn't do anything about it because he was convinced he was invincible. He believed that if anyone tried anything, his troops were fanatically loyal to him and his enemies couldn't touch him. He had it in his head that he had solved the Primal Problem and created the weapon that would enforce Eorzea's peace forever, and he convinced himself that the Warrior of Light was his personal attack dog that would be there to kill anyone that got in his way. And worst of all is that no one could dispute this! His agents found a Garlean spy in the Immortal Flames, his personal action found Cid, saved the Scions, and turned the tide against the XIVth Legion. It would not have mattered if everyone around him was warning him about the coup, he wouldn't have believed it. The reason it hits him so hard is that he was so deep in his own ego as the savior of Eorzea that he started ignoring the corruption around him, and forgetting that his decisions affected the lives of dozens if not hundreds of people.

Taking that responsibility away from him to blame Thancred or Y'shtola or Minfilia or whoever just because they're older than him does a disservice to his character and the story of XIV as a whole.

[medi-melancholy]

hindsight is. painful.

but also it's very endearing to me how the two of them talk about one another. kinda resigned, kinda appreciative, kinda fed up, but very Knowing. they've each got their own way of doing stuff, and alisaie's is direct action

TITLE DROP SHE SAID THE THING

....horrific! thanks! ouch!

no wonder he is historically, hmm, absolutely fucking pissed

lmao it's funny when people get got by them

mmm i do see your point. she's kind of living for someone who isn't even alive themselves anymore, doubly rough because, again, i really truly doubt he's actually alive, what we were seeing surely is just a ghost or echo. let's get you some personal goals, girl

the nature of alphinaud at this point is that he'll be kind of an annoying and lightly snobby lil shit one moment and then the next he'll turn around and say something that causes a pang in your heart and makes you go oh. oh that's my boy

we shall. and if we get caught in rain miles beneath the surface of the world deep in the ruins of dalamud then willow brought an umbrella

halfway through! which means...

big sis fox's turn to carry! hello tajna my beloved!!!!!!

whomst the fuck. and how are YOU here. another ghost???

wouldn't that be a downgrade in garlemald conventions? lmao

also uh. gorl! with zero explanation given!

SAVAGE

sadly this whole thing was a bit messily done :< really cool concept and got me interested in nael + eula, just sucks that it isn't actually laid out, especially in english

makes for this funny moment though

"he's very good at making things happen simply by existing. if you want more things to happen you should take him with you. put him in your inventory. equip him. it would likely increase your stats"

also i just really love uncle urianger... he cares about her so fucking much!!!!

"the majestic plural", a phrase i am hereby claiming for us DID and system folk,

good god this is fucked, and all in such upsettingly well-preserved condition

Oh.

we're two for two for evil fucked up empires by now, anyone else wanna step up to the ring??

man. man!!!!! this is all just miserable

anyways. LET'S GO GAMBLINGGGGG

my first ever time at the cactpot drawing! what a hell of a crowd

there was a fresh sprout who was contemplating the nature of viera

pixel and i, at a table nearby, playing as our buns who we regularly put in scanty outfits, trying not to crack up laughing,

very brief hildi detour!

i make absolutely zero promises

assigned smart by briardien. it is official

he in fact likes anjyu enough to finally ask him his name! woah!!

blessed sentence for anjyu.

[sealer-of-wenkamui]

I happened to check the EN more this time which inevitably meant I had more to say cause this really is one of the shittiest localizations I’ve ever seen!

First off, I guess in part because they changed the crystals in the whole previous segment to begin with, Cid is simply explaining here how the 3 crystals will work together to covert the wind wall into fire. Like the crystal you got in La Noscea will convert Garuda’s wind wall to water, then the black shroud will convert that to earth and so on. (Also he doesn’t bring up any risk, he knows what he’s doing)

Next up, the original script places a lot more emphasis on Cid and his father, not only did he want to prove that technology is meant to give us freedom, he wanted to make his dad recognize this, and wanted to save him.

Even if you don’t know any JP, if you’re playing with JP voices you probably heard this one, but after regaining his memories, Cid proudly and confidently states who he is- Cid Garlond, representative of Garlond Ironworks!

There’s none of that “landwalkers” stuff with Garuda, she almost exclusively calls you an insect or worm. Also pictured here, Alph is saying it will be the final fight against the primals (doubt.jpg) and Garuda actually lists the body parts she’s gonna tear off 💕

Ultima Weapon’s name is openly stated in the cutscene with Gaius using it, but more importantly, Gaius uses the term the “have-nots” (The have-nots will all vanish like trash)

In the next quest, Alphinaud brings up that Gaius saw you, and used that specific term, implying that the Empire, or at least Gaius himself, knows about those with special powers- the transcending power. Which is how he reasons that’s why he likely wanted Minfilia… it sounds very out of nowhere in English lol

THIS however is the one that pisses me off the most (and I’m told this isn’t even a one time thing with M-C! :)))) )

So all the stuff about them being put in a camp and his mother and sister “forced to do far worse”? All added in. The JP only states the part about them being caught by the empire, and ended up throwing themselves off a cliff in front of him, and that it was at the time Ala Mhigo fell.

FURTHERMORE, the reason he refuses the offer to directly help is because his body doesn’t move like he wants it because before his mother died, she slashed him across the back to attempt a full family suicide. Which is absent entirely in EN despite them adding all that shit in.

And then, even though they decided to add some random abuse to that guy’s mother and sister, they removed the much more rape-y sounding lines Livia has towards Minfilia??? They’re good shit too, especially this one about how she’ll have her body thoroughly examined….(the earlier one is telling her she can confess and die here or else undergo unbearable humiliation and die in agony)

I didn’t grab a screenshot of the comparison, but a baffling change is the name of the plan to fight the Empire. The Japanese one is written in perfectly good English, no bad grammar or false equivalents, it’s the March of Archons (written in katakana) and yet they changed that to Operation Archon for some reason….???????

[avirael]

Contemplation

With a mixture of amazement and disbelief A’viloh followed the ceremony that welcomed Ishgard into the alliance of the Eorzean City States. He could not quite believe this was truly happening. If only Haurchefant could see this.

In a way it still felt like yesterday when they had arrived at Camp Dragonhead. Back then it had taken Haurchefant weeks, even months, to convince the right people and make the preparations for them to be allowed into the highly secluded city Ishgard had still been back then.

Since then so many things had happened in a comparably short time. A’viloh barely had processed all of it yet even after his short “time-out”. Immediately he had jumped right back into this crazy journey in an attempt to live up to the example set by the people who had secured his survival and payed the price for it. Haurchefant above all else but so many more by now.

Before his return, A’viloh had admitted to himself that his good resolution to become a better person had mostly ended up just being that. Resolution, good intentions, barely acted on. And good intentions were not enough. They had paved a path for him as well as so many people dear to him that he still highly regretted.

But Haurchefant‘s death or maybe rather Rael’s blunt words about it had made a difference. He had realised how sad Haurchefant would have been, they all would have been, to see him use the chance he had been given for nothing but lament. The thought that all this pain and death would be in vain finally made him want to take back control over his own life again and do something to pay all the kindness and sacrifice back instead of just passively waiting out what would happen next and then cry about how cruel fate treated him. It would not be easy probably but he counted on Rael to have his back and keep his heart from giving up on himself again.

He was not sure how successful he had been with this attempt to let actions follow words so far though. The most recent events alone had almost been too much to comprehend. Every time he thought back to this day at Azyl Lla and how the events had unfolded there he felt like all of it had happened to a different person altogether. In the end the battle had been won of course but everything that had occurred until then gave him food for thoughts.

First of all, Haurchefant had not remained the last victim in this battle.

Ysayle.

A’viloh could still not believe she was truly dead.

As fast as she had appeared, as soon she had already been lost to them. Not without saving their lifes first, of course. Another person he promised not to let down.

She had been a difficult person but A’viloh had liked her. In a way he found her similar to Rael. She had a harshness about herself and also a strong determination but behind all that she had been surprisingly kind and caring. A’viloh especially remembered the time they had spent at Moghome. Ysaile had seemed like an entirely different person there. Carefree and excited in an almost childlike manner. Suddenly he had realised that she could not be much older than him and yet she had always acted so much more mature and brave.

It was impossible to believe that she was truly gone.

As he felt the sadness creep up on him again he closed his eyes for second. He focused on his breathing and averted his gaze from the ceremony. He had long stopped paying attention to the speeches the state leaders were giving. To his left stood Rael and Y’shtola, to his right Alphinaud and Tataru. They all looked focused on what was happening in front of the crowd.

So A’viloh let his eyes wander further over the rows of people when he noticed something at the side of the crowd. On the head of an old stone statue perched something A’viloh had at first glance taken for a bird. But as the creature turned it’s head and looked right at him, A’viloh realised it was Midgardsormr in his small fledgeling appearance.

A’viloh doubted anyone else could see him but his presence here showed that he was keeping an eye on the mortals and their willingness to uphold their promises of a peaceful future for dragons and men together. It may have worked before but in the end it had always failed, and always by the fault of men. And yet they dared to try again. A’viloh involuntarily had to think back to their conversation with Tiamat.

He had not expected to find one of the great dragons at Azys Lla, yet alone one like Tiamat. Her tale had shaken A’viloh, he had always seen Bahamut as this monstrosity that had tried to end them all. It had never occurred to him how the dragon had ended up like this, a shadow of his true self entrapped in his moon-shaped prison for thousands of years, fueled by all the despair and rage of his former kin.

Before all of that he had just been a normal dragon peacefully living together with mankind. With his own dreams probably and his own family. Until all of that had been taken away and only Tiamat remained, alone in her despair.

She could have turned her wrath towards humankind but instead she mostly blamed herself for what had happened. Especially how she had summoned Bahamut back to life but only as a cruel shadow of what he once had been. And while A’viloh could understand both the blame and the regret, he found that the fault lay with the Ascians. Tiamat was not to blame for this catastrophe. She could not have known. A’viloh would have done the same in her stead without hesitation.

Her ongoing suffering greatly moved him. He had wished for nothing more than to free her, help her in some way but she refused. For a second he had wanted to argue but then he had remembered about how dragons perception of time. What were a few thousand years to one of them? A pain like this, it would still feel like yesterday to them and A’viloh would not be surprised if it would never fade to memory at all.

He did not dare to compare himself with Tiamat’s fate. It had been almost three years now and sometimes he still found himself overwhelmed by the memories. But Tiamat? For her these memories always remained as if they were the present, reliving the pain over and over again. It was a wonder that not all the dragons had gone insane yet, consumed by pain and rage, like their brother Nidhogg had been.

Given so many horrible deeds, an amount A’viloh couldn’t even start to imagine, maybe rage would be the only adequate reaction. And yet rage was not in his nature. When he thought about these horrible events that befell dragonkind all he felt was sadness and regret about the fact that everything good in this world, every hard earned bit of peace and harmony, had been so recklessly destroyed over and over again by a few horrible men.

By Thordan and his predecessors, by the Allagan Empire, and by the Ascians. It eluded him what drove men like them to such horrible actions…

Especially the Ascian were still a mystery to him.

Wherever they appeared chaos was destined to follow and so far their dark motives refused to make sense to him. Whatever it was, they needed to be stopped from hurting more people.

Maybe in that sense it was good that there were two less of them now. Even A’viloh, otherwise entirely unable to wish bad on anyone, could not help but think so.

One of them had been Lahabrea after all. Killed by Thordan, as they already had used up their auracite for the other one. At least in this regard the Archbishop had stayed true to his word.

A’viloh wished Thancred would have been there to see it. He hoped that this knowledge might give him some peace. A’viloh did not assume that Thancred himself still remembered it but A’viloh had not forgotten the conversation that night after Moenbryda’s death, when he had drunkenly admitted that he was still afraid of the Ascian. A’viloh wished he would be able to tell him right now, to let him know that he was free of this shadow and that he would not need to be scared about the Ascian’s return ever again.

As if it would be that easy…

A’viloh sighed.

Of course that caught Rael’s attention, he should have expected that. Quizzically the viera glimpsed at him as if they wanted to ask “Is this ceremony not important enough for your taste?”. A’viloh had no idea what had just been said on stage and if his reaction had in some way looked strange. To cover that he smiled friendly and inconspicuously pointed towards the spot where Midgardsormr sat.

For a second there was surprise in Rael’s eyes. Then the dragon voice echoed in their minds.

“Forgive me, I did not mean to disturb thee. I wanted to see for myself how the children of Thordan are doing.”

The small dragon stretched himself and took flight. With a few swift flaps of his winds he flew over to them. “But while I am already here it is only appropriate that I warn thee. Nidhogg is stirring and his wrath reaches out to his brood. I cannot say when he will strike but be warned that he is planning something.”

It was not really a surprise. And yet this reminder made A’viloh’s heart heavy, because it made him remember what had happened to Estinien. Right before their eyes in what should have been their moment of victory the Azure Dragoon had been overwhelmed by the power of the Nidhogg’s eyes and turned into the great dragon himself.

What a horrible fate. Especially with the knowledge that it had been Nidhogg who had killed Estonians family. And now he had become the dragon himself. It was so cruel.

A’viloh had come to think of Estinien as a friend. Of course he was not the nicest person one could imagine but they often had trained together during their journey and to A’viloh’s surprise his skills had actually improved. Estinien had believed in him and that was something his old teachers had never done.

To helplessly watch as Nidhogg took him over had been horrible. More horrible had it been to tell the news to the other’s. Especially Alphinaud had looked so distraught. He too had gotten close to Estinien during their journey. The young Elezen had looked up to Estinien and Estinien in return had begun to thread him more friendly which by his standards seemed special.

“There has to be something we can do…”, A’viloh had muttered as he watched Alphinaud’s pained face back in Ishgard when they told the news of Estinien’s fate to Aymeric and Lucia. And since then Rael had been going through whatever books and reports they could get their hands on, anything that would help them better understand the power of the eyes and Nidhogg himself.

A’viloh tried to help where he could. Sometimes Rael invited him to help going through some notes, though he was not much help with that, as Rael probably quickly learned. In the end they often just ended up talking about all kinds of things on their minds instead of actually making progress.

Since their return they had developed a bit of a habit to sit together and contemplate what had happened or to figure out their next steps together.

Sometimes they spent the evening in a corner at the Forgotten Knight speaking in hushed voices or with books and tea in the Fortemps library. Often though they just spent some time in either of their rooms, that were more like small apartments to be honest and a much more private setting to talk. A’viloh was grateful for the company even if occasionally he still struggled to voice what was on his mind.

But at least that seemed to be mutual. Rael was not a person to speak freely about their feelings and A’viloh’s resolution to be of use in figuring out how to help Rael with that prophecy proved difficult too. But whenever he began to doubt his usefulness again he just reminded himself of his resolution. He would try to do something good with his life, even if right now it was just supporting Rael as best as he could. He hoped spending time together would be a good start and this thought alone felt calming to him.

At some point the conversation had circled back to the happenings at Azys Lla. He still was not sure how he had mustered up the bravery to face Thordan and his knights, especially after Rael’s vision. Somehow he just had known that there was no other way, that he could not run away from this and let Rael fight alone. Their harshest battles so far they had only won together after all. He just had hoped that Rael’s vision was not going to come true, as naive as that may have been, and somehow it had not.

Or had it? What had happened after all was not too unsimiliar from what Rael had seen. Just that it had not cost him his life. But maybe that had only been Rael interpretation in the first place?

The only thing he had known with a certainty was that Rael had been in danger and that he needed to do something. He remembered the barrier and how it cracked much to his panic. He remembered the burst and how he was thrown backwards by it. Then a sharp pain as he was slammed into the floor. After that only darkness.

When he awoke again, everything had been dizzy and silent apart from Rael’s voice. At least Rael was okay, he had thought as he tried to move and registered a flash of pain. The viera’s healing magic only had made it worse for a second but so far their skills never had disappointed with the results. No matter what cuts and bruises he had endured so far during their journey Rael had always healed them within moments and without a trace.

With the magic doing its job, his wounds quickly healed and the fog in his mind cleared, he had sat up. Only to find that the fight had already been won and Thordan lay dead a few yalms away. It had equally confused and shocked him. How was this possible? Rael claimed they had finished the fight alone and killed them all. A’viloh had known that there likely would be no redemption for them but still he did not understand how Rael had been able to win this fight. One second they had been hopelessly outnumbered and the next Rael had defeated them all on their own?

They said they were not sure themself how it had happened. But the expression on their face as they had said that made A’viloh feel even more uneasy. His mind kept jumping back to Rael’s vision before the fight. That skill alone, to glimpse the future, was strange enough, although maybe not too different from his echo visions. But how Rael had looked when that vision had overcome them. Their warm amber eyes changed to a glowing milky white. Somewhat similar to Y’shtola’s eyes but still more unsettling. More cold and lifeless, almost frightening.

“That vision back at Azys Lla… It looked painful… and also a bit scary I admit. Is it always like that?”, he asked carefully one evening.

Rael slightly shook their head. “No, it could be anything.”, they said. “Sometimes it’s dreams, sometimes just apparitions, sometimes it’s more like the way you described your echo visions. As uncomfortable as it was then, it is only rarely like that. And what I saw then did not help make it any better…”

“And that prophecy you mentioned…”, he hesitated and waited for Rael to react. When they just curiously looked up from their book he dared to continue. “What had that been like?”

Rael closed their book and thought for a moment. “That’s difficult to explain.”, they started but tried anyway. “At first I though my head was going to burst, it hurt so badly that I think I blacked out for a bit. Or maybe that was just part of the vision. I remember hearing myself scream but not quite like you usually hear your own voice, more like you would hear someone else’s voice. And I also heard the voices around me. Alarmed caws of a raven and my mother crying for the oracle to help me. I remembered the oracle warning me beforehand that if I was not truly the right person the procedure would kill me and when everything went dark and silent for a moment I suddenly was terrified that I may have made a mistake after all. But then the vision hit me. With so much force… I don’t think there is a way to describe it in a way you would understand. So many different noises, so many pictures that I could barely make out anything of it at all. All that lingered in the end like etched into my mind was Golmore on fire, fire raining down onto the treetops of my home and tearing gaping holes into the green…”

Rael paused and looked at A’viloh who stared at them transfixed, waiting for Rael to continue. “That’s really all I could make out at first… it was the oracle that helped me make sense of some of the rest. They saw the vision too and explained to me that the world was going to end and that I had to stop it…”

“Quite a task for just one person…”, A’viloh sighed. When Rael had told him their story for the first time it all had been too much to grasp. Then at some point the meaning of Rael’s words had become clear to him. The end of the world. He tried not to think to much about it, although or maybe especially because of how scary that thought was. And Rael had carried that knowledge on their own for so long. “Terrifying I imagine…”

Rael nodded. “Can you believe that when Dalamud fell I at first though this was it? That I failed already?”

Surprised A’viloh ears went up. He tried to remember the map which Rael had shown to him a few days ago to explain around where their homeland was located. “You saw Dalamud fall from as far away as Dalmasca?”

“No.”, Rael corrected. “At that time I already was traveling to Eorzea, because I had thought maybe I could help stop the Garleans plan somehow. I was too late of course…”

Rael decided to omit the exact circumstances of from where they watched the Calamity, assuming that the story about a ship almost being hit by meteor fragments and barely making it to Gyr Abania without sinking in the storms that followed was not a story that would help A’viloh sleep peacefully.

Instead remembering this day brought another detail back to their mind. “Wait!”, they exclaimed and grabbed a loose piece of parchement from their grimoire as well as a coal-pen. With quick strokes they began to sketch and continued speaking while doing so. “I had another vision then. First a voice, now I think that might have been Hydaelyn, and I saw some places hit by the Calamity.”

“Oh, I heard a voice too!”, A’viloh exclaimed and suddenly it seemed to make sense to him. “Back then I thought it might be Azeyma but now that you mention it… it was really distorted but it kind of sounded similar to Hydaelyn… I had no vision then though…”

“Look!” Rael said urgently and handed him the parchment. “That’s what I saw more or less. Back then it did not mean anything to me but looking back at it now… Don’t you think these places look familiar?”

It was a hasty sketch, not especially clean but there were details in it that were hard not to recognise.

“That’s Ul’dah!”, he said pointing at the sketch in the middle.

“And this was a city with bridges and white rocks overflood by water. The drawing is bad but -“

“Could be Limsa!”, A’viloh gasped.

“Exactly!” Rael said. “And this especially tall tree here. I thought it was Golmore but it could have been the Guardian Tree! Where we rescued Y’shtola!”

A’viloh nodded. “But you had never seen these places before then?”

“No…”, Rael agreed. “And until now I entirely had forgotten about it…”

“What else?”, the Miqo’te asked urgently, as if he felt like there had to be more.

“Nothing else.”, Rael admitted. “That’s all I saw then…”

Nonetheless A’viloh seemed excited. “But before that vision!”, he insisted, “…or after that? Maybe if we write down everything you remember we can make sense of things that you did not know how to interpret before!”

Rael had to admit that it was not a bad idea. A journal about every vision they had seen. To A’viloh it sounded sort of exciting, like a riddle they needed to solve. He did not think he was particularly good at riddles but still. Even if he only could help a tiny bit it would be enough.

***

After the ceremony to celebrate the Eorzean Alliance was done, Y’shtola had excused herself to return to her research. Something strange had appeared in the Dravanian Hinterlands and now Y’shtola and Cid were trying to find out what was going on.

After another short conversation Alphinaud and Tataru decided to go back to their work too, when to Rael’s surprise it had been A’viloh who had suggested they’d go visit Haurchefant’s grave together.

As far as Rael knew the Miqo’te had not been there before. He had been in no state to do so after Haurchefant’s death. And in the meantime the opportunity just had not been there. Still Rael was surprised he suggested this. But if he wanted to there was no reason not to let him.

As they made their way up the hill not even a bell later, the snow crunched beneath their feet. It had snowed again and again the last few days but now the shy was clear and blue and the perfect blanket of white sparkled in the sun.

As the gravestone came into view Rael saw A’viloh hesitate. This must be difficult for him, they thought, and carefully reached out to take his hand.

Surprised he looked up to find Rael looking back at him. They put on a reassuring smile and lightly squeezed his hand. The tears in the corners of his eyes were hard to miss as he returned a small smile and nodded. Slowly they stepped closer to the grave and for a while neither of them made a sound as they watched Alphinaud brush the snow off of the stone and Tataru lay down a bouquet of flowers.

Finally A’viloh raised his gaze from the letters engraved on the stone to the scenery ahead. The foggy depth of the Holy Sea below in the distance clear against the bright blue sky stood Ishgard. The sun felt warm against his skin and even warmer was Rael’s hand still holding his.

“What a wonderful spot.”, he whispered. “He would have liked it, I think.”

Tataru nodded in agreement.

“From here, Lord Haurchefant can watch over all of Ishgard…”

“He will need this…”, A’viloh said and knelt down, placing Haurchefant’s shield next to the gravestone. “…and our help too.”

[nshi-ao3]

I know it's a sentiment I've shared before but I have to reiterate that I love your fic!

It's single-handedly forced me to look into Persona 5's story, heh. At first I figured I'd just pick up on context clues and the spoilery stuff I generally knew about the game from the internet, but that isn't enough. Especially since I have a feeling that the stuff that happened there with the Phantom Thieves and the Metaverse will eventually catch up to Joker's no good, really awful time in Eorzea. Though it's not all horrible, since Ren's got a second family now.

I wonder if Joker will open up Alphinaud or Alisiae to talk more about his past life on Earth. Though he doesn't sound like the type to talk about physics unless Y'shtola presses him on it, I imagine he'd enjoy talking about how the world he's from works. Cid would definitely enjoy talking about the technology, Alisaie the injustice and the attempts to make the world a better place, Alphinaud the politics (maybe more contemporary stuff), and G'raha the history (or really, all of the above). I get that all that slice of life stuff will likely take a back seat until Ren's Heavensward trauma express stops and allows him respite. And his reunion with G'raha's will be a while yet.

Another silly thought just came to mind, btw. Imagine if he comes back to Tokyo with the Scions but with time having accelerated relative to the Source/Etheirys. Left in 2016 or 2017, came back in 2025 (oh no).

"What's a Jonkler?" -- Joker, 2025

In all seriousness, I doubt he'd want to get himself and the Scions entangled in Earth's myriad problems and injustices. He will, though, because that's what the Scions do. A whole hypothetical expansion, also involving Ascians and time travelers (of course). No aetherytes, though, so they'll just have to book flights and fabricate passports lol

Anyway, with my rambling done with I hope your week goes well! :)

Thank you very much!! <3

I imagine the fic's a tougher read without Persona 5 knowledge since it's from the perspective of the MC from that game and set after it + a spin off and all... At least you seem to have caught up alright, given the rest of the ask! :P

Joker has talked a little about home at this point! He went over quite a lot of stuff with G'raha (those boys were yappin'!) and spoke with Cid about the basics of Earth technology. And then went a little mad trying to figure out how Allagan Tomestones work haha! He's... reticent to bring anything up right now given the circumstances, but he'll have more opportunities later. :> In fact, at one point in the future Alphinaud will make a very nice gift for him. But at the moment the HW main story's being a big downer. :< Sorry Joker!

Imagining Joker, in some scenario where he has the tote the Scions around Japan: ...Okay, I think we're going to need a second camper...

Someday I will sit down and write up a bunch of scenarios for the Scions individually reacting to Earth stuff... Estinien would be in hell in Shibuya lol

(Joker missing multiple years of memes on Earth?! How awful!! Say it isn't so!)

[aotopmha]

Oh hey, the second good scene with Zenos in Endwalker.

Exaggerations aside, I was so grateful for this scene because I'm one of those of the opinion that he should've stayed dead in Stormblood and all we've gotten out of Zenos within Endwalker up to this point is him wanting to fight you.

*Technically* that's all he is in Stormblood, too, but at this point he's been dragged along with the story for almost another 2 expansions.

I kind of at least want *something* more out of him.

And, well, at least now his one-mindedness got just a little more depth.

He basically says, well, people are all self-righteous assholes, who want to change the world in their image and call themselves heroes for it, so I'm at least not going to pretend and be honest about what I want, which is a fight with the WoL because fighting is the only thing that makes me feel something.

Loss of life is loss of life and bad regardless of the reason it happens.

The issue with this is that you can say it about every single person ever trying to do any good in the world and even more so for flawed people trying to do good in the world.

So should we just stop trying to do any good because everyone might have a personal or imperfect reason for it?

Yes, self-awareness is absolutely a very good trait to have when you aren't perfect and have made mistakes before and so is self-reflection regarding your actions, especially if it involves doing bad to do good, which can be a slippery slope.

But this is the repeat of the Elidibus scene in terms of morality: despite him giving you a lecture on the morality of your actions, he is also a perpetrator of multiple genocides.

Fact is, sometimes bad things have to be done in the name of good because there is evil in the world that does not listen to reason and needs to be stopped.

A response to this would be the idea of good and evil being relative to someone's flawed perspective, but I like to stay grounded and say, maybe killing millions isn't much of a matter of perspective, especially if they are all equally sentient.

I think therefore I am and all.

I've seen people bring this up in response to the characters forgiving villains and the like, but to me the key here is that Zenos could... y'know choose to just not kill lots of people.

Gaius backs his words with action. Fordola backs her words with action. Nero goes under this, too. Redemption is earned, not given out arbitrarily. This story is incredibly consistent with that at least, but even if it wasn't, people will always be imperfect in some way, so even Alphinaud still qualifies under this considering his mistakes and attitude during A Realm Reborn.

No, a good reason is not "better". Emet, Hermes, Elidibus, all had "good reasons", but not once was what they ended up doing framed as (or said to be) "good, actually".

You can empathize without excusing.

Alisae's response is also really good; Zenos will probably never actually find "true fulfillment" with the principles he laid out, a path of violence is generally also a path of loneliness, and the truth is he, too, seeks some sort of connection via wanting to fight the WoL.

Violence is just the only way he can express this wish to connect with someone.

I also like this scene for Jullus getting to say his piece.

A solid scene before the hell that is 80% of the lvl 88 quests.

(Finished all of the lvl 88 quests today, so more posts are probably coming about them. I'm also probably Endwalking tomorrow, depending on how everything works out.)

[hazelkjt]

Lily of the Valley

"This is the poison of giving too much. You feel yourself emptying out, dizzying, discoloring-- until you fear you will fade entirely and wither away. You have always had to give. You never had a choice before. They pluck your flowers for their beauty, they trample your leaves carelessly, they pull out your roots by the fistful and berate you for daring to grow. And now that you have a grove to spread out in, your rhizomes tangle and curl in on themselves. When cruelty is all you've ever known, thriving seems impossible. But the answer is not to make yourself small and offer every lovely thing you are to the world in the hopes it will have mercy on you. The answer is to let yourself dare to thrive for thriving's sake, to grow in the wild ways you wish to-- and to do that for yourself for once."

tagged by: @selnyam and @cindernet-explorer, tyty!!!

gonna be tagging: @hinganskies, @sparrowsong-7, @ahollowgrave, @this-is-ris, and anyone I didn't tag but is reading this!

Quiz can be found here and a LONG write-up on this answer is under the read more

For both iterations of Hazel this is pretty spot on, minus the bits about cruelty and being "forced" to give. They both start out believing the value of their lives are determined by those around them, be it friends and especially any mentor or teaching figures. Her life is spent trying to appease and "make proud" the people in her life to fuel her sense of pride in herself. This is also the biggest source of WoL!Hazel's pressure and bottled up resentment of the Warrior of Light title, because each failure weighs heavily on her sense of self worth. Both eventually learn to let go of this behavior, to take value in their own life as something individually beautiful rather than always seeking the approval of others, though at completely different points in their lives. For Reg!Hazel, it was when she and her allies in Eorzea encounter and attempt to slay a Blasphemy following the events of the Final Days. It proved too much for the party and she was told to retreat. In her mind, doing so would be turning her back on all the people who praised her skills and the people who helped instill those skills in her. She tries to continue the fight and has her blade, a physical symbol of someone's trust in her, shattered into irreparable pieces. She felt lost and shattered herself after barely escaping with her life, and she never got closure on what happened to the monster that did this. Through much self reflection and a visit back home she eventually came to not rely on the approval of others and focused her idea of self worth coming from within, not others.

For WoL!Hazel...it was a long road. The title of Warrior of Light being thrust upon her took a long, long time to get over. Not until everything was all said and done, when the song at the end of existence changed from mourning to one of joy did she finally shed her paralyzing sense of burden regarding her role. But the cracks began to form way back after the Bloody Banquet when she first went off in a rage at Alphinaud, putting blame of everything that went wrong entirely on his shoulders. It was the first time she flat out said she never wanted to be a hero. From then on she fought with herself internally over continuing to be this hero for the world or to follow what Esteem had said: she doesn't owe anyone anything.

She bottled it all up until meeting Zenos, and coming to understand his sole desire was his own satisfaction. Everything he did, he did for himself. From then on Hazel contemplated on what she TRULY wanted in life, which eventually led her back to the same conclusion as to why she left the Azim Steppe in the first place. She wanted to see the world, its people, its lands. She wanted excitement, thrills, adventure, and saving people was icing on the cake. She's still good hearted and willing to help others, but now it's for her own personal satisfaction as much as it is to be the hero she is known to be. Ironically, despite hating Zenos for his actions he was the one to finally help Hazel first come to terms with herself, only to have this view strengthened by Zero later on.

[dualcastimpact]

dawntrail impressions pt. iv

In which we head to Urqopacha and Kozama'uka for the Feat of Gold and the Feat of Reeds, featuring t-posing Alphinaud!

Spoilers below the cut, as always:

First up: Urqopacha! There was no real reason for choosing to go to Urqopacha over Kozama'uka, I think. There doesn't seem to be any reason for the choice either; there's no advantage over choosing one over the other, and the story doesn't change regardless of which. I thought it was a relatively new addition to the game, the whole choose-your-path thing in the first level of the expansion, but then I realised it's been a thing since Heavensward — it was choosing between accompanying Artoirel or Emmanellain then, and in Stormblood it was choosing between M'naago and Meffrid. Then in Shadowbringers you had to choose between going to Amh Araeng to meet Alisaie or Kholusia to meet Alphinaud first, and in Endwalker it was either going to Labyrinthos in Sharlayan with Y'shtola and the twins or Thavnair with Estinien, Thancred and Urianger.

I'm a bit embarrassed it took me so long to notice, to be honest.

Alphinaud: "That one massive peak in particular has quite the presence. It puts me in mind of Sohm Al."

Alphinaud: "I feel the change in altitude most keenly. While mayhap not to the same degree as the Sea of Clouds, the air is decidedly thin here."

The writing tends to make fun of this but Alphinaud is nothing but genuine whenever he calls back to his past adventures. He especially tends to reminisce about his experiences during Heavensward; it's become sort of a running gag with Alisaie getting exasperated whenever he brings up firewood-gathering, but I think it's more poignant than anything. He brings up his experiences from Heavensward so often because they're important to him. It's in Heavensward that he really grew up and became a better person after the clusterfuck that was post-ARR, and the way he sincerely and somewhat innocently references his experiences in Heavensward every so often just shows how much of an impact they had on him.

———

Krile: "Wuk Lamat is lucky to have Erenville. Everyone—royalty especially—needs a friend unafraid to chide them when the need arises."

Raginmar canonically plays that role for three royals — well, not sure if Aymeric counts as royalty but I digress. He absolutely holds no punches with Aymeric and Hien; he regularly gives Hien shit (especially regarding his feelings about Cirina) whenever he drops by the Doman Enclave, and he's extremely blunt whenever Aymeric asks for his opinion over their dinners together. He wasn't as close with Nanamo, but their adventures together in the Sil'dihn Subterrane changed that a little bit — he's not so blunt with her like he is with Aymeric and Hien, but he does tend to be more open and honest with her.

I like how we're not really playing that role for Wuk Lamat this time. I think post-Endwalker somewhat prepped us for this — the main character for post-Endwalker was Zero, not the Warrior of Light, and it remains the case for Dawntrail as well. We're not the most important chess piece on the board anymore, and I like that.

———

Alphinaud: "Converting to gil, that comes to around a million or so. Mayhap if we all pitch in..."

This is absolutely a reference to his mishap with buying Gosetsu's katana back in Stormblood (laughs). He's become so conscientious about money now!

———

Krile: "You've seen markets and bazaars the world over, and surely have sage advice to share."

This was a bit funny because I took this screenshot back when I'd still planned for Raginmar to be an uninvolved third party who just happened to be in Wachunpelo at the time, doing business buying mezcal and mate leaves and coffee beans and selling furs and heavy fabrics and prize crops and mead, and I thought Krile's comment was incredibly on the nose. "You've seen markets and bazaars the world over" exactly, he's here on business right now!

Of course that idea went out the window eventually but at the time I really had a good laugh at this.

———

Tobli: "Mablu hasn't given up, I see..."

Given up on what, my guy?

———

Ah, turns out Mablu has always wanted to become a merchant, but thought it'd be a betrayal of Tobli since he'd taken care of her like his own. In true shōnen manga hero form, Wuk Lamat inspires her to chase her own dreams, and she proves herself to be a promising aspiring merchant as she helps Wuk Lamat progress through the Feat of Gold.

I spent most of this sequence writing down notes so I could figure out how to fit Raginmar into the Feat — maybe Gobli had sold the premium three-year-old mezcal to him, and Wuk Lamat and Mablu would have to figure out a way to get it from him instead — so I didn't take a lot of screenshots, but it was a pretty fun sequence! The way it introduced the people and culture of Urqopacha to both Wuk Lamat and the audience felt organic; it felt like we were learning alongside Wuk Lamat and I loved that.

From the get-go, it was clear that the Feats were intended to connect the claimants to the peoples of Tuliyollal — to learn their history, their culture, what's important to them and what made them tick; all the things a ruler should know about their people. How the claimants respond to this is key to determining their worthiness to the throne.

It's a classic trope and it's not even remotely subtle, but I think it's fine. Sometimes I wonder if stories like this shouldn't be made even simpler considering how people nowadays find simple media literacy so challenging.

———

Alisaie: "Alphinaud was quick to lend a hand with dismantling the tent. Is this to be his new obsession now that he's mastered collecting firewood?"

I don't know if it's just me feeling maudlin right now, but at times Alisaie making fun of Alphinaud like this feels more aggravating than humourous. Like I said, I get that Alphinaud's earnest enthusiasm is a running gag throughout the game but making fun of something that genuine and sincere feels off-putting to me.

The way he keeps talking about how he's good at firewood-gathering is meant to demonstrate how despite his character growth, he still has moments that shows his naïveté — firewood-gathering isn't a particularly impressive skill, he only thinks that way because of his sheltered upbringing. He opens himself up to ridicule whenever he acts as if this is something incredible he's learned to master, because to him it was. He's genuine about this, and to make matters worse he genuinely wants to be helpful whenever he brings it up. That's how impactful his experiences in Heavensward was for him, and I think the way the game keeps treating it as a running gag feels tasteless sometimes.

He's not even talking about gathering firewood at this point! He's branching out, even! Why are you still giving him shit about it?!

———

Alphinaud: "So this is a Hanuhanu village! One can tell at a glance how very different their culture is to the Vanu's.

Sue me for being sentimental but it genuinely brings a tear to my eye how Alphinaud's so enthusiastic about learning about the world now, compared to the absolute self-absorbed shithead that he was in ARR. He's genuinely so excited about learning new things and having all these new experiences as he travels the world and it's such a great show of character development, even after so many expansions.

———

Bakool Ja Ja the Mighty: "These allies of hers, though... They might be a problem."

One thing I really like is how none of the claimants are so arrogant so as to be foolish when it comes to underestimating their opponents. In fact no one underestimates anybody, not even Bakool Ja Ja. He's arrogant and boastful and supremely full of himself, and he's dismissive of Wuk Lamat because he doesn't like her (and later on we'll see that he actually does respect her, he just feels that he has to act like he's better than everyone), but he knows perfectly well how much of a threat Raginmar is. He's not fool enough to dismiss that.

There's a lot of chatter on the birbsite about how much it sucks that the Warrior of Light is no longer the main character of the story, and how they've been relegated to this sidekick character who's not getting much focus. It's real baffling because sure Wuk Lamat is the main character of the story, but the game's narrative makes it damn clear how important the Warrior of Light is still. Everybody knows how skilled the Warrior of Light is, and how they're not to be underestimated. They're a threat. They're a gamechanger. While the Warrior of Light isn't the most important piece on the board right now, they're still pretty damn significant and it's acknowledged, unlike in previous expansions with characters like Artoirel very clearly looking down on the Warrior of Light. That's way better than being your stock shōnen manga-slash-JRPG protagonist.

———

Linuhanu: "Yes, it hurt to hear, but she was right. Though I must mourn, I cannot let my grief consume me."

Linuhanu: "Her words made me realize that the path to my recover—our recovery—is already laid out before me. And I will walk it. For myself, and for my friend."

Every time the game makes some overt reference to grieving and mourning those gone, I immediately think back to Haurchefant — and not in a good way. I think this is more to set up something later on regarding Wuk Lamat and Gulool Ja Ja (because that man is raising all the death flags) but at the same time, the game's been pushing the whole thing with Haurchefant so often and for so long that you can't really divorce any mention of grief from his death.

Even the PCT job questline had something similar — I think it was in Camp Dragonhead when Kupopo asks the Warrior of Light about their adventures there, and the Warrior answers that they'd lost someone important to them? The exact phrasing eludes me but it's still a reference to Haurchefant. At this point it's honestly doing the game more disservice than anything, I feel.

———

Koana: "A method I could not have devised without the education I received at the Studium and the cooperation of my Archon allies."

For context, the Feat of Reeds required the claimants to revitalise the dying paddy fields that the Hanuhanu rely on, while the Feat of Gold back in Urqopacha required the claimants to catch a wild alpaca. They serve to demonstrate how Zoraal Ja and Koana differ from Wuk Lamat; in the Feat of Gold, Zoraal Ja eschewed any advice and went and caught a rare golden alpaca all by himself, purely by threatening the alpaca into submission. In contrast, Wuk Lamat went through the motions of getting to know the Pelupelu's culture and getting herself a saddle to catch a wild alpaca the Pelupelu way.

Here in Kozama'uka, Koana brought the paddy fields back to life with an alchemical concoction to improve the aether flow in the fields. Wuk Lamat revived Ihih'hana, a traditional harvest festival that also served to amplify the arcane energies from the Hanuhanu's hopes and prayers to revitalise the land. In true shōnen manga-slash-JRPG hero form, Wuk Lamat's revival of Ihih'hana had no logical bearing whatsoever. She didn't know it'd do anything to help revitalise the fields until Alphinaud suggested it could and Wuk Evu confirmed it. The only reason it worked was because it just so happened to be the exact thing the Hanuhanu needed, not just to revive their fields but also to revive the Hanuhanu themselves. The only reason it worked was because the plot mandated it so.

Koana's method, on the other hand, was rooted in reason and science. It was the logical method, it was the reasonable solution, and by all accounts it's a more superior answer because it directly addressed the issue — but it's framed as lesser because it didn't take into account the Hanuhanu's culture and the real reason behind their dispiritedness, even though Wuk Lamat really only got lucky that her idea worked at all. In a way, it's a weaker aesop than the one about Zoraal Ja and Wuk Lamat in Urqopacha — that strength alone is not enough, and that one would not need to resort to brute strength when there's community. It's still an aesop about the value of community and culture, only here it's that technological advancements alone are not enough even though they get the job done, but if you think about it realistically, when the stakes are so high — when your people are actively starving and suffering from natural disasters and poor harvest seasons — is addressing the issue as quickly and efficiently as you can really the wrong way to go about it?

———

Koana: "Employed appropriately, they make light work of what would otherwise be arduous labor. There's no need to lug around heavy floats!"

This whole scene was designed to showcase how Koana is a foil to Wuk Lamat: Koana is rational, analytical and scientific-minded, but he's also dismissive of things he perceives as backwards or uncivilized like customs and traditions that other people would hold dear. Whether he intends it or not, his words come across as mocking; even in the JP dub where his tone is mild and his dialogue ends with a —ね?. We see later in the story how he's extremely fond of Wuk Lamat so he's not maliciously making fun of her, but it makes clear his derision for the Hanuhanu's traditional practices for how outdated and inefficient they are.

———

Erenville: "There is an alternative, but it requires preparation. Until it's ready, you could rest at the cabins or see more of the city. Whatever you prefer."

This is where I'd planned for Raginmar to officially join Wuk Lamat's entourage in that scrapped canon I'd mentioned before (you can read all about that here and why that canon didn't work here) because it'd seemed like the perfect opening, but then...

Fonjeantaine: "Then... you have experience with my predicament? Of being terribly inadequate compared to your undeniably superior peers?"

...Wuk Lamat just so happened to chip her axe and she just so happened to come across a soul in need of aid at the place she's getting her axe fixed and he just so happened to have the same insecurities that she has, that she has to confront within herself in order to both learn a lesson and console him. Of course.

The story is contrived as hell, but at this point you really just have to accept it. Also I KNEW he was going to play a role in the plot when he was the only named character in that talk-to-the-other-passengers sequence at the beginning of the expansion.

———

Fonjeantaine: "But what of you? Have you ever measured your work against that of your colleagues and found yourself wanting...?"

Asking the wrong guy, buddy. That said, Raginmar doesn't waste time comparing himself to others and worrying that he's lacking. He'll be as skilled as he wants to be, and he doesn't need anyone to be his benchmark. If there are other people more skilled than him, it's not his problem.

———

Koana: "I'd heard much of the incomparable Archons during my time at the Studium. As soon as the contest was confirmed, I thought who better to recruit to my cause? I contacted the scholarch, who arranged an introduction to these two gentlemen."

Urianger: "The Second Promise had specific requirements: they who would be his assistants must boast both proven survival skills and mastery of the arcane arts."

It's a little funny that if Raginmar had agreed to become an Archon — which he absolutely could have, thanks to his skill in arcanima and engineering — he would have fulfilled both those requirements all by himself.

I also think it's kinda funny there's basically a PhD-equivalent for having survival skills. It's like Bear Grylls getting a PhD from Cambridge for being a survival expert.

———

Thancred: "We did our due diligence, of course, and made sure of who were working with before agreeing to this endeavor. He's even more opaque than Urianger at times, but is surprisingly—"

Surprisingly what, Thancred?! Tell us!

———

Wuk Lamat: "I don't have Koana's education or Zoraal Ja's strength. I'm all bluff and bravado, not fit to bear my title..."

Krile: "To hear the voices of others, empathize with how they feel, and think how best to serve... In so doing, you'll come ever closer to being the person you wish to be."

I'm not going to touch on the whole crisis of confidence and Wuk Lamat's character development arc in growing out of her insecurity and all that, because this story is essentially your typical shōnen manga-slash-JRPG tropes condensed into half an expansion, but I do want to point out the whole "hear, feel, think" thing — you'd think they'd retire the reference altogether after Hydaelyn's passing. I know it's been this game's arc words for basically forever, but now I'm wondering if they'll ever retire it or if it'll be another Haurchefant situation.

Because honestly speaking...

Thancred: "I imagine your experiences on this journey—all the things you'll hear, feel, and think—will help you refine that approach."

...was there any real need for the arc words to be repeated in this different-yet-parallel scene with Koana, just to hammer it home?

———

Koana: "But what of you two? Wuk Lamat's allies are your comrades, it must feel strange to be rivals."

Thancred: "Helping you has made us rivals, aye, but we're not about to break into fisticuffs over it."

Thancred: "Unless of course it is a matter of winning or losing the contest. Then I'll have no qualms about putting Alisaie on her rear."

Real interesting you chose to talk about kicking Alisaie's ass instead of someone like, say, Raginmar.

Urianger: "Despite our long history, never have I been given the chance to test myself against our companions. The thought stirreth within a most unexpected sense of competition."

Contemplating this bit because I had a headcanon about a Grand Melee 2.0 after the Final Days have been averted or something. Maybe what's remaining of the Garleans joined, maybe it's just the Grand Company of Eorzea and their allies (including the now-disbanded Scions, who join as independent combatants) having a melee for funsies or something, but essentially it's Raginmar and his old squadron facing off against everyone else after he thoughtlessly made a comment about how not even the combined might of the Grand Company could defeat his former subordinates, and Hien and Pipin took offense.

There's more to the story, obviously, but basically if this is canon to Raginmar's lore, then that negates everything Urianger just said because then he'd absolutely have had the chance to test himself against his companions, and gotten his ass kicked for it (laughs).

———

Koana: "Lamaty'i has surrounded herself with distinguished figures indeed. One of the Studium's finest graduates. The head of the Students of Baldesion..."

Koana: "And then there's Eorzea's vaunted champion. If he's half the hero you say, then the odds are stacked against us."

It's a real pretty way of saying you're screwed and have no chance whatsoever, truth be told.

———

Next up: the Feat of Pots!

[anneapocalypse]

WIP Wednesday!

Thank you @chocochipbiscuit, @myreia, and @lilbittymonster for tagging me recently! The past couple of weeks have been [static noises] and writing this week has been like pulling teeth, but here's some teeth.

Tagging: @farfromdaylight @orime-stories @plounce @ostentenacity @queenaeducan and anyone else who would like to share!

***

Tataru had already heard the news from Riol himself, as it happened. "But thank you for calling, Urianger! Still haven't a clue as to where they went… but I must believe they escaped… No word yet of Thancred or Minfilia, I take it."

How he wished he could say otherwise. "Nay, yet I too abide in hope, Mistress Tataru."

"But I've good news to share as well! You remember Krile, of the Students of Baldesion, yes?"

"Aye—though ne'er have I had the pleasure of meeting her face to face. Yet full many a time hath Lady Minfilia sought her counsel, and we have had occasion to speak by linkpearl. She was, as I recall, one of few survivors of that strange cataclysm which befell the Isle of Val? Lady Minfilia was quite concerned for her wellbeing."

"Indeed! I'm pleased to report that Krile's made a full recovery—and she'll be joining us soon! When she heard that Minfilia was missing, she insisted upon coming at once. Y'shtola and I are meet her ship when she docks in Limsa Lominsa on the morrow—after which they'll rendezvous with Alphinaud and Ariane in Dravania!"

"Dravania, thou sayest?"

"Oh, yes, perhaps I forgot to mention it! They've gone north again, into the Forelands, on a diplomatic mission."

A mote of unease troubled Urianger at that. To the Forelands—just where he had directed the Warriors of Darkness to turn their attention. Still, there were at present no rumors of a summoning… if they meant only to keep watch…

Yet his unease lingered.

"Should they have need of me…" Wherefore did even this half-formed thought fill him with ambivalence? In sooth, a part of him should greatly have liked to be asked… He should have liked to see Master Alphinaud, and the Warrior of Light, and especially Y'shtola, whom he had not seen in the flesh since her return and recovery. Yet he had reason to believe his new acquaintances might call upon his aid again in the coming days. Reticent as he was with regard to their methods, he could hardly deny his eagerness to know more.

"You'll be the first to know! I understand Krile has some sort of novel idea for tracking down Thancred and Minfilia. She'll be meeting up with others in Idyllshire."

"In—I beg thy pardon?"

"Oh—I suppose you don't know! I gather it was quite a surprise to Alphinaud and Y'shtola as well. Sharlayan—the colony, that is—has been resettled! It's become quite a lively little place, from what I'm told—adventurers, treasure hunters, goblins, all abiding together quite happily. 'Idyllshire' is its new name. It's there our friends are bound, once they've concluded their business at Anyx Trine."

"I see." Urianger's mind was rather awhirl at this. The colony… resettled? Treasure hunters and… goblins? He could scarce imagine it. The thought of strangers residing in his childhood home gave him a rather peculiar feeling in his stomach, foolish though it might be—as though that house, both those houses, had not lain abandoned for well over a decade. Or so he had thought. When had this resettlement occurred? In sooth, he had many more questions, but mayhap now was not the time.

"I'll be sure to let you know of anything they discover," Tataru went on. "Hopefully I'll have more news soon!"

"And I shall likewise apprise thee of any word of Yda and Papalymo." As though he could claim any credit for the recent findings… as though he had made any contributions at all of late to the search for their missing comrades, instead of consorting with Ascians, and visitors from another world.

[birues]

for tuana 💚

What personality trait(s) or habit(s) is your OC insecure about?

Have there been any horrible consequences to well-intentioned choices your OC made? How did they cope with that?

Ugly OC asks

Heheheheh excellent questions tysm bestie 💜

- I think one personality trait Tuana is kinda insecure about is just how intense she can be. She has too much baggage and that affects how she's interacting with people, especially if she's going through a bad time. She's afraid of being too much of a mess to handle. At the same time she's afraid she's not enough to give the people what they need and ask of her.

- Heheheheh this gives me an excellent opportunity to talk abt her relationship with Ilberd and the clusterfuck it led to. She knew Ilberd before ARR as they did some merc work across Eorzea for some time. And after they reconnected in ARR patches, she trusts him implicitly, and looks up to him and sees him as a mentor/older brother figure. He's one of the reasons why he was on board with Crystal Braves idea. With Illberd on helm, nothing bad would happen. This led her to willfully ignore the clues that point to his betrayal because it couldn't possibly have been him.

When the Bloody Banquet happened and she lost so many people because of him, especially Minfilia, it was a huge blow to her. She didn't have time to cope with it in a meaningful way other than throwing herself at work and trying her best to keep Alphinaud alive. Though if it wasn't for Haurchefant she would be in a much much worse state. He did much to restore her faith in people. But after this, she became less trusting and more observant and careful as a person. I don't think she'll ever forget about Ilberd and the lessons he taught her.