#and Foulques too

[somakaigo]

My #FFXIVSwap Gift for @theworldwalkerswols !!! (camera template by pillowboat on twt!!!) i had loads of fun reading the lore for your wols/oc's!!!

[bakuzen-xiv]

The Foulques legacy continues

[wisteriaphyte]

she knows all my secrets, except one: that i'm in love with her

[wyrmwinds]

Absolutely me twisting the meaning of the lyrics to fit my fave (and also my wealth of headcanons about him) but wolfism is a foulques song to me.

[voidsentprinces]

I know its kind of...my AU my choice. But, because of who Durmad and Fray are, I just have to make them Hyurs. But I am going to try and incorporate more of the races to become protagonists as the story goes on. But at least I can change one cause the basis of their character wasn’t actually ever official.

[lunarosewood23]

FFXVIWrite2024 Prompt 1: Steer

Crossover hell (XIV -> XVI) ft @inkblood-mistrieu’s girl Mingxia and her polycule. Set at some point between 868 and 873 (their arrival and the start of the game). Raven meets with her oath siblings to swap intel and figure out just how they’re supposed to navigate the Valisthean political scene.

Word Count: 1869

~~~

“Your Majesty, the dignitaries have arrived.” A guard alerted her.

Raven sighed as she settled herself upon her makeshift throne. “Very well, send them in.”

The guard nodded as Haurchefant rubbed her shoulder in assurance.

“Everything will be fine Améthyste.”

“I know, but I'm still concerned. We still have yet to find Bahamut and his Dominant, and our little kingdom is still not strong enough to stand on its own. If Sanbreque comes-”

“Won't that make our job easier then? After all Ratatoskr did say that the Empire used him in war...”

“Even still-”

“Your Majesty! May I present to you the Four Lords of the Ruby Chain.”

Raven’s head shot up. The Four Lords?? Does that mean...?

She had to stop herself from shrieking when she saw them as four familiar people strode into her throne room. Two Elezen men, an Au Ra woman and a Hyuran woman, all dressed in garb that reminded her of the auspices whose name they shared.

She rose from her throne with a grin as the Hyuran woman almost ran forward and jumped up to hug her around her neck.

“Thank the gods across the stars!! It's so good to see you Mingxia!” Raven exclaimed as she swung Mingxia in her arms and ran her taloned fingers through her long black and blue hair. She set her down only to hug the rest of them. “And all of you too!”

“Good to see you too Princess.” The Elezen with white hair laughed as she hugged him, lightly whacking him upside the head.

“Foulques be nice.” The Au Ra laughed as she squeezed Raven tightly, her tail reaching over to swat Foulques’s butt.

“Were you not told that it’d be us?” The Elezen with black hair inquired.

“I freaking wish Floriano.” Raven grumbled. “But I can’t fault them for assuming it was Sanbreque, since they are the nation next to us, even as they seem unaware of our presence so far.”

“Curious I will admit.” The Au Ra mused as she ran her scaled fingers through her short black hair and away from her horns. “But good for you I think? We seem to have caught at least a little attention of the Crystalline Dominion and the Dhalmekian Republic.”

“The Dominion is the one with the Wind crystal and the Republic is the one with the earth crystal, right?” Raven asked.

“Right. Though I know I was careful in my slip through of both places...”

“It’s probably my fault Rukia.” Mingxia stated as she rubbed the back of her head. “We had been playing with our magic a bit lately.”

“I don’t think so, but we can figure that out later.” Foulques stated. “Right now we need to figure out how to best navigate the Valisthean political structures here. What have you two found?”

Raven sighed as she waved her hand for them to follow her. “Come on, we’re going to the parlor to talk.”

They nodded and followed, thankful that Raven’s estate is easier to navigate than the castles they had seen in Dhalmekia and the Dominion. The room she led them to was spacious but comfortable, with a table holding tea and light finger foods.

They all settled in and Raven sighed.

“Based on what the locals of my kingdom have told me, Sanbreque is basically Ishgard. A theocracy, though it seems that not only do they worship the dragons, seeing as their Eikon is Bahamut, but the Emperor is one greedy son of a bitch. The vibe I get from him is Thordan, even though I’ve yet to meet the man. Though the second I can,  I’m snatching Bahamut’s Dominant out of there.”

“According to my journal, Bahamut is the one who called us here to this world.” Mingxia explained as she flipped open her quest log. “Though I still struggle to understand how he got here.”

“Ratatoskr recognized his song mixed in with the melodies of this world, so we can confirm it’s the Bahamut from the Source, though as for how he got here...we can only suspect Ascian involvement. When we get back I’m gonna have one very long conversation with Hades about all this.”

“Good idea.” Rukia nodded. “What do we know of the other nations?”

Haurchefant pulled out a map of Valisthea and spread it out. “According to some of our men, until about eight years ago there were six kingdoms. The Holy Empire of Sanbreque, The Grand Dutchy of Rosaria, The Dhalmekian Republic, The Iron Kingdom, The Crystalline Dominion, and the Kingdom of Waloed.”

“If I recall correctly, there was a civil war in Rosaria, though the details escape me, but the current state is that Rosaria became an imperial province of Sanbreque. The dutchy’s Eikon, the Phoenix, hasn’t resurfaced since their Dominant had died in the civil war.” Raven explained, frowning as she remembered the  Echo she had when she had transformed back from being Ratatoskr. “That poor boy. When I first saw the Echo I thought I was looking at a boy that was maybe a little older than Annalise, but I found out he was maybe ten years old at the time of the disaster. It’s heartbreaking, that child must’ve been so scared...”

“How cruel this world is to make a child fight when he should not even be near a battlefield.” Floriano growled.

Mingxia had a curious look in her eyes. “Do you know if they ever discovered a body?”

“Based on the Echo, no. All the invaders discovered was the boy’s older brother, who seemed to be sold off into the army.” Raven answered before she growled. “If I ever see the blonde bitch that orchestrated that mess it’s on sight...”

“Much as I would love to watch you rip that vile woman apart, must I remind you that that blonde bitch is currently the vicerine of Sanbreque.” Haurchefant warned gently.

Raven groaned. “Don’t remind me...”

“I would be careful.” Mingxia warned. “Because there is not a body, things might be more complicated. The Phoenix’s Dominant might not be dead.”

“After everything, you do have a point Ming...” Raven mumbled before shaking her head. “Let’s steer back to the original discussion. What of the other nations?”

Rukia nodded and pointed to the nation near the south. “It seems every nation has a Dominant, with Sanbreque having Bahamut and Rosaria having Phoenix. Dhalmekia has Titan, and it seems he has a high spot in their society seeing as he’s the economics advisor. It reminds me of Ul’dah. It’s a bit of a merchant city-state. Which is Xiaoming’s field of expertise~”

Mingxia giggled as Foulques shook his head. “We still don’t know much about the Iron Kingdom, other than they fought against Rosaria for the giant fire crystal for years. They ransacked Rosaria’s capital soon after Sanbreque’s takeover according to a woman who escaped from there.”

“That sounds like what some of our men who were from there said.” Haurchefant stated before sighing. “What a mess this place is...”

“You’re telling me.” Raven grumbled before she pointed to the nation whose standard seemed to have a horse  on it. “What of this nation across the ocean that seems to span over the continent?”

“We still don’t know much about Waloed, other than the fact that Odin is their Eikon, if what I understand from the Waloeders that fled to our isles told us.” Floriano explained. “The only thing we do know is that the king is collecting Dominants for some reason. We still don’t know why.”

“That’s...worrying. Do we know who he has among his guard?” Haurchefant questioned with a frown.

“Not yet, but we’ll find out.” Rukia assured. “And I guarantee you’ll be the first to know.”

Raven smiled as she pulled Rukia into a hug. “Thanks Rukia...”

“There’s still one more nation we haven’t discussed.” Floriano pointed out as he tapped his finger on the island that seemed to connect the two continents. “The Crystalline Dominion.”

“It seems to sit at the center of the world like Mor Dhona or Lakeland.” Raven noted. “Who is their Eikon?”

“It doesn’t seem to have one. It looks like it’s ruled by a representative council of people from Rosaria, Sanbreque, Dhalmekia and Waloed. It almost seems like it’s being permitted to remain neutral. It definitely feels like a shaky peace, but if Sanbreque’s emperor is getting greedy, who knows how long that will last...” Rukia explained.

“Oh boy...” Raven let out a breath. “Yeah Valisthea is a mess, but I’m still trying to think what the best course of action is, or what political game we need to play with the other nations.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Rukia questioned. At Raven’s confused head tilt she sighed. “You haven’t been paying attention to what some of the people have been saying have you?”

At that Raven groaned as she thumped her head on the table. “I don’t wanna think about it...I’m not Sanbreque’s goddess made flesh, even if I have been spending time in Her chapels in an attempt to understand Her nature. She feels so much like Halone but Her depictions and her devout priests make Her more akin to Menphina.” She grumbled as she waved her hand.

“And yet based on the reports...” Mingxia replied. “There are whispers in Sanbreque that something has occurred. A goddess has appeared in the pristine wilderness near northern Sanbreque. A woman of otherworldly beauty, whose words echo with power in the tongue of dragons. There are whispers that Greagor has appeared on Valisthea, both woman and dragon, whose scales are red as rubies. At her side is her loyal knight, who has a mirror-bright shield, and in his other hand is a blade of moonlight. They whisper that change is coming, for a goddess has appeared.”

“I’ve also heard some stories sister.” Rukia adds. “Of a sweet little bard singing to dying bearers and trying to ease their pain in those final moments before death claims them. Some devout bearers think they've seen the Goddess as they die in their delirium, others beg her to take their pain away so they can die in peace. Some just ask her to hold their hand because they are afraid of dying. Simply because she is kind and sees Bearers for the people they are and not the tools they are forced to be.”

“It is NOT my fault that compassion is a rarity in this hellscape!” Raven yelped as she buried her face in her hands.

Everyone laughed as Haurchefant hugged her from behind and kissed her temple. “Your compassion knows no bounds my heart.”

Raven sighed. "Let it be said that I have never once claimed to be the goddess Sanbreque worships. Despite that the tenants are similar to Halone's back home, I would never claim such. Though apparently showing kindness is so rare here that it's earned me at least a portion of these rumors..."

[sasslett]

FFXIV Write 2024 Day 16: Third-Rate

Jess glared at the man standing across from her, his lance raised threatening as he wore a goading smile. He’d been a thorn in her side - in all of their sides - for far, far too long - but no longer. No longer would she play his games and bow to his whims. No longer would she be forced to give in to his demands. 

“Stand down, Foulques,” she called, raising her lance to meet his. “You don’t have to do this.”

The Duskwight scoffed. “You think your words mean anything to me? You think I fear you? A third-rate lancer from a fourth-rate guild? I fear no one. Nothing!”

Perhaps, from someone else, his insult would have stung - but she knew better than to put any stock into the crazed man’s words. 

“Maybe you don’t fear me,” the woman grunted, steeling herself for the battle that was to come, “but after this, you ought to.”

[nihilnovisubsole]

how are you finding ffxiv btw? curious to hear what you think of it so far if youre open to sharing!

i wrote up some early impressions here! tl;dr, it's got me good. the people who said i'd like it were absolutely right. i'm enjoying talking about it, so have some more

it's funny to see how many of the game's incidental quests follow the "you look like an adventurer" format. "you look like an adventurer, go save my cat from that tree," "you look like an adventurer, bring me a blue flower with red thorns," etc. it's a format i've been banned from using at my job - our narrative policy is that it feels gamey, and questgivers should always have a deeper reason to solicit the player specifically. that said, even the starting cities have a dizzying amount of sidequests, and you can't afford to be precious when you're writing at that scale. hat tip to the writers for having to come up with it all!

i mean, really, it blows my mind how much there is to do. i worried that i was chewing through the ARR story too quickly, but my friends keep saying this is only the beginning? omg

i find myself chasing a kind of roleplay that i haven't before: one that revolves around the game's time-of-day system. since cutscenes [in general - i guess some are forced] match the current weather and light, i've been scheduling cutscenes around what seems most cinematic or plot-appropriate. i waited until nightfall to do the greenbliss festival and hear the grand company speeches to make them more solemn. by coincidence, i fought foulques during a downpour, and it felt so much more dramatic. so did crossing thanalan at nigh noon. you know that bad thing that happens at the waking sands? i trudged all the way to the church alone in the dead of midnight afterward. now that's kino!!

oh yeah, those veteran friends i mentioned earlier? they're obsessed with which eligible bachelor i'll attach my character to. i'm so flattered. how can you not be. getting ubereats deliveries of "yeah, this one is a miserable bastard, you might like him." i'm told that the game implicitly encourages this sort of thing by stressing how much your player means to the major characters. no wonder you've all been having so much fun over here

i made some rookie mistakes in the character creator, so no screenshots yet ): thank goodness you get a free fantasia eventually

i have more details cooking, though. i see her as a fallen dragoon who thought she'd failed at being a hero and has been given a second chance. starting in gridania was less a "newbie lancer" thing and more a kurosawa "stranger comes to town and solves its problems by the sword" thing. she's also been forged-in-battle friends with raubahn for many years, and i've heard he gets a lot of story, so i'm looking forward to that.

don't worry, i've been forearmed about what happens-

[the vaudeville cane drags me offstage]

[morgana96]

What Went Wrong with the Lancer Quests?

(Warning: Lancer Class Quests, Rogue Class Quests, and other Minor ARR Spoilers Under the Cut)

When I first started Final Fantasy XIV, I already knew I’d be maining Dragoon. Estinien is my favorite character and the one who drew me to the game in the first place, so my interest in the job was well cemented before I even picked it up. And while I like to play all the other jobs as well, Dragoon has remained my favorite to this day, and the one I play on the most often.

Which is why it’s quite ironic that I think the Lancer quests are some of the worst in the entire game.

It didn’t really hit me how bad the questline was back when I did it as a sprout, especially since it was my first one. But several years and many job quests later, Lancer stands out as tragically inadequate, even compared to some of the other class quests from A Realm Reborn.

Based on what I've seen from other players, I'm hardly alone in this opinion. But rather than just complain about it, I want to take a close look at the questline. It’s a good opportunity discuss the story’s key issues, as well as suggest new ideas for a potential rewrite.

To prepare for this, I’ve recently replayed the questline so that I can give an accurate and proper review. I doubt anyone who actually writes for this game will ever see this. But I'd still like to put my thoughts out there, especially since it can lead to good discussion about how the game could be improved overall.

Problem #1: The Plot Puts Too Much Focus on the Wrong Things

Writing a good story requires an understanding of balance. Characters, plots, and themes need to work together in order to create a strong narrative, because when even one of these elements is lacking, the entire story gets dragged down. This is exactly the situation I think is plaguing the Lancer quests; instead of a balanced narrative, it throws way too much focus on its attempted theme, neglecting the characters, pacing, and plot and leading to an ineffective story overall.

The main theme the story tries to convey is the idea of courage vs recklessness; in their training, lancers are encouraged to harness their sense of courage in order to face dangerous foes, while not slipping into reckless behavior that could end up getting themselves or others hurt/killed.

Now this in itself isn't a terrible lesson or anything. The problem is that the Lancer quests put way too much of the narrative focus on it. Everything the characters do and say feels like it revolves around this attempted theme, leaving them feeling like broken records instead of engaging and enjoyable characters. The WoL also spends most of the storyline having to complete various “tests of courage”, both those assigned by Ywain and those that Foulques forces them to join him in. It starts to feel repetitive rather quickly, especially when that’s all that’s being offered in terms of “plot”. And because the plot and characters are so underdeveloped, the theme being pushed so desperately just comes off as an annoying hindrance by the end.

The finale only emphasizes the problem, as the truth behind Foulques’ actions is revealed with barely six minutes left in the story. Many years ago, he was a lancer in the guild, and participated in robbing the guild with several friends and compatriots. But when he felt guilty and tried own up to it, the other accomplices framed him as the sole criminal, resulting in Foulques being subjected to anti-Duskwight prejudice and eventually imprisoned, while the others faced no consequences.

This sudden revelation leaves the player with unanswered questions and unresolved issues. Who and where are Foulques' ex-friends and co-conspirators? Are they still out there continuing to profit from their clear corruption/prejudice? Why isn’t there a more significant reaction from the guild to the truth behind this scandal being revealed? Why was such a significant plot point introduced with barely any time left in the story? And why did Foulques spend six quests throwing the Warrior of Light and others into random peril instead of, you know, actually trying to get revenge on those who horribly wronged him?

In my opinion, the story needs less repetitive theme pushing and more focus on the past guild robbery and those involved. Instead of random lancers-in-training, Foulques’ main targets should have been his former co-conspirators (perhaps going as far as to kill them one by one), and the WoL would have had to work with Ywain to discover the motive behind the attacks. This would be a much more engaging plot to watch unfold throughout several quests, and it would add some much needed intrigue and character growth in a nearly lifeless narrative.

The theme of “courage vs recklessness” can also still fit into a rewrite. Foulques would probably still judge the entire guild as “cowards” due to the cowardly actions of his former friends. He might also consider his recklessly vengeful actions “true courage”, regardless of whether innocents were caught in the crossfire or not. Meanwhile, Ywain could take the satisfying step of righting the Lancer’s Guild’s past failures; by finally holding the other conspirators accountable - and acknowledging that the guild must do better from now on - it would drive home that having the courage to admit to mistakes is just as important as courage in battle.

Problem #2: Foulques is a Poorly Written Character

I’ve actually seen a lot of players talk about Foulques over the years. For a minor character introduced so early on, he has quite the cult following, and I think it’s safe to say that I’m not alone in thinking this character deserved better.

To be honest, I don’t really like canon Foulques. But the reason I dislike him is mainly because whoever wrote him did a pretty horrendous job. He had potential to be an interesting and complex villain, as his justifiable anger about the wrongs committed against him could have warped and twisted his moral code. But instead, he spends the quests acting like a presumptuous jerk who thinks hazing lancer recruits will prove he’s the pinnacle of “true courage”.

The backstory they created for Foulques is honestly one of the most sympathetic in the game. But again, it isn’t even revealed until the back end of the final level 30 quest. Until that moment, you get ZERO explanation as to why Foulques is doing what he’s doing. No clues, no subtext, no steady and satisfying reveal - only a rushed exposition dump that feels disconnected from the character’s personality up until then.

You can’t just drop a complex and nuanced backstory at the last second and call that good writing. The upbringing and backstory of a character is integral to the character’s overall personality, much like how it is for real people who grow up and experience different circumstances. Yet somehow, Foulques’ backstory feels like an afterthought, dropped at the last second instead of integrated naturally.

Again, the best way to remedy this is to refocus Foulques’ motivations and actions. Adding the other co-conspirators as secondary antagonists would allow them to become the main targets of Foulques’ rage. Meanwhile, the background characters in the lancer’s guild could be collateral caught in the crossfire of his goals.

Furthermore, featuring these false friends as characters would be a good chance to show the consequences of not punishing them. Based on how they treated Foulques, there’s a good chance several - if not all of them - went on to continue their corruption in other ways, especially if they felt confident that they could keep getting away with it. If these further misdeeds were to be revealed, it would further show that the Lancer’s Guild’s actions failed not only Foulques, but the later victims of the co-conspirators.

Problem #3: Ywain is Underutilized

Ywain’s probably not someone brought up often when it comes to people’s favorite NPCs. In fact, I’ve seen certain players actively hate him because they consider him complacent in what happened to Foulques.

But honestly, I think Ywain is as much a victim of the story's bad writing as Foulques is. It’s not like he knew about all of this and was conspiring to hide the truth from the WoL/others or something. He finds out about Foulques' history in the literal final moments of the story, and because that history was thrown in so haphazardly late, his reaction is haphazardly rushed and poorly written in turn.

Overall, I think the biggest problem with Ywain is that he feels like he’s hardly participating in the story at all. Technically, he is the other main character in the WoL’s journey to become a lancer, and should be an important part of the plot. But instead, Ywain is a largely inactive presence; he spends most of the questline standing in a single spot of the guild and telling the WoL to go off on their own somewhere. He’s stationary both physically and in terms of development, which I think was a huge error in judgement on the part of the original writer.

I can’t help but compare this characterization issue with one of my favorite class quests: Rogue. Jacke, V’kebbe, and Perimu don’t have the issue Ywain does. They join you on various Rogue’s Guild missions, fight with you through several instances, and regularly banter with you and each other so you get a good idea of who they each are. Hell, these three even continue to help the WoL long after they graduate from Rogue, becoming allies with the Doman Ninjas and providing them with intel and extra manpower when needed.

The Rogue Quests did a much better job of utilizing their NPCs than what we see here. It’s practically impossible to become invested in a character that feels so removed from the plot itself. It’s no wonder Ywain gets forgotten - and even hated - when the lancer story gives him literally nothing to grow on. Instead of letting him be an actual character, the narrative regulates him to a one-dimensional mouthpiece used to assign the next set of tasks.

My frustration with the in-game writing only grew when I learned Ywain’s backstory from the lore book. Back when he was still a Wood Wailer, he and Landenel (the Wailer Captain at Camp Tranquil who was in Company of Heroes) were very close friends. At some point, a lack of judgement led to Landenel making a serious mistake - one that would have gotten him in a lot of trouble, and would have been exacerbated by the undeserved disdain Landenel often faced as the son of a known criminal. But wanting to protect his friend from unfair treatment, Ywain took the blame for everything and was kicked out of the Wood Wailers, though his name was later cleared and he was given the guildmaster position.

Ywain essentially did for Landenel what the co-conspirators refused to do for Foulques. This could have been an excellent way to give the two a comparable history, and if anyone would be insulted by the betrayal Foulques faced, you’d think it would be Ywain. But once again, this all goes to waste because the Lancer Quests never bring up Ywain’s history. I can’t understand how such relevant information ended up being ignored and left out, especially since it could have helped flesh Ywain out and allowed him to understand Foulques a little bit better.

In an improved version of the Lancer Quests, Ywain needs the narrative room to develop. He needs to be more involved in the plot and the tasks set for the WoL, so that the player can actually get to know him instead of just going to him briefly for their next assignment. He and the WoL should learn about Foulques history at an earlier point in the questline, and given his history with Landenel, it would make sense for him to be sympathetic. Ywain doesn’t necessarily need to agree with Foulques’ methods or means of revenge. But creating a common ground between them would greatly improve the nuance of both characters.

~~~

Thank you so much for taking the time to read! I plan to post my rewrite ideas sometime in the near future, but until then, I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts about this questline and its storytelling.

If you enjoyed my writing, please consider sharing and leaving feedback!

[kytri]

Since AO3 seems to be back up and I guess that commenting event is going on here's a post of FFXIV fics I'm writing/have written. Everything is either Stephanivien/Artoirel or WoL/Haurchefant

Prelude https://archiveofourown.org/works/33705373 WoL/Haurchefant, complete 2900 words A little backstory/pre canon thing about my WoL, at the time I thought it would be the only thing I wrote about him. Sad but not for the reason you might think.

Like a Clear Night Sky https://archiveofourown.org/works/39709836 WoL/Haurchefant, complete 900 words Sort of a Haurche POV companion to the previous one. Should be fine to read alone but I think they work best as a pair. The Long Way Around https://archiveofourown.org/works/38033020 WoL/Haurchefant, on hiatus 48k words so far The Big WoLship fic, featuring a time loop and a rough MSQ follow along. "Confusing" "Boring" I hope to come back to it if I can convince myself it's not too shit to bother with.

Machina https://archiveofourown.org/works/41183763 Stephanivien/Artoirel, ongoing 42k words so far Propaganda to get people interested in this ship. I also spend a lot of time focusing on Artoirel's relationships with his family. It's set in my WoL's personal timeline and he features in it a bit but you don't need to read the fics about him to follow this one.

Rarepair Week https://archiveofourown.org/works/47847226 Stephanivien/Artoirel, complete 7k words total, chapters vary from about 500 to 1500 words Seven little themed vignettes about these two. Sort of in the Machina timeline but fine to read separately.

Bonus??? I have unpublished WiPs for an Aymeric/Artoirel oneshot about being sad and then fucking your friend and the very start of a Chlodebaimt/Foulques crackship but take it serious fic mostly about PTSD so far. So? Look forward to that I guess?

[sealrock]

I meant to post this a few weeks ago whoops

a companion piece to my foulques and paris misadventures post, here's foulques' family and brief backstories for all (set before 1.0):

bohort 'bors' carhaix: an elezen of seventy winters, bors is the father of tristeux and grandfather to the carhaix brood. a miner for most of his life, bors lost his wife in a freak chocobo carriage accident when tristeux was nine years of age, something his youngest son blames him for to this day. their relationship is distant at best, and estranged at worst, but the wizened elder doesn't hold it against his son. he feels guilty for his son's pain and does his best to stay out of his way whenever possible. bors lives with tristeux and his family after he grew too old to take care of his tiny homestead. he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, especially the youngest as he always has stories to tell.

tristeux carhaix: having just seen his fifty-second nameday, tristeux works tirelessly mining in the west shroud's ore-rich caverns and teaches his young sons the family tradition that spans back generations. the youngest of nine children, tristeux lost his elder brothers in various mining accidents, and the death of his mother is a sore spot for him. for years, he blamed his father despite him having no hand in the tragedy. resentful and unable to move on, tristeux focuses his energy in keeping his family fed and sheltered, but he's frequently spotted in the hamlet tavern after a hard day's work in the mines.

isaut (née lejelle) carhaix: tristeux's wife of twenty-odd summers, this fourty-six year old elezen is the matriarch and owner of the hamlet's only bed-and-breakfast, having inherited the business from her late grandmother. a no-nonsense woman, isaut strives to be a good wife and mother while also acting as a buffer between her husband and father-in-law. she doles out chores equally amongst her children, but some might say she spoils her youngest as she tends to call him her 'surprise baby' and lets him stay close by her. she views paris as one of her own, and she became a mother figure for the young hyur.

gavain carhaix: the eldest child of the brood, gavain is a reserved young man of twenty-four summers. having worked in the mines since the age of five, his father holds gavain in high esteem as the firstborn son. but when gavain announced his plans to join the gridanian lancer's guild and become a soldier, tristeux was taken aback, but nonetheless filled with pride. wanting to give back to his community beyond chipping away for gold and silver, gavain wanted to make a difference in showing others the good qualities of duskwights. he left home at seventeen, and through blood, sweat, and tears, gavain achieved the position of a serpent officer of the twin adders. he writes back to his family often and tends to drop by every now and then if duty allows it.

linette carhaix: at twenty-three, linette is the second child and only daughter. an avid reader and songstress, linette is a staple at the tavern as she sings old hymns and songs in her people's native tongue of high gelmorran, thus keeping the dying language alive a little bit longer. she often helps her mother with housework and upkeep of the boarding house, but she dreams of leaving the boundary of the west shroud like her elder brother and finding a partner to start a family of her own. for now, she keeps her younger brothers in line with the authority only an older sister can have, but she adores them both regardless. she had a slight crush on hector, though it seemed he was oblivious to this.

keux carhaix: the second son and third child, keux is a rebellious and mulish youth of seventeen summers. while he has experience in the mines, keux took on most of the responsibility and teachings of his father after gavain left, but keux would rather be tipping cows, playing footie, or betting his gil on a game of fivestones with his father's friends. while gavain attempts to set a good example for his brothers, keux follows the beat of his own drum at his parents' chagrin. keux takes advantage of his older age and tends to taunt his youngest sibling, and he sometimes shirks off his household chores to his brother to play hooky.

foulques galath carhaix: the fourth child and baby of the brood, galath is a boy of twelve summers and a bundle of mischievous energy. doted on by his mother, galath spends the less amount of time in the mines and instead follows his mother and sister around the hamlet, curious and bright. a little fearful of his father, galath loves spending time with his grandfather. he idolizes his eldest brother and tries to impress gavain with his fighting skills whenever he comes home. he's often teased by keux for being the youngest. the only other child in the hamlet is paris, and the two have been attached to the hip since they were very young.

[most-fuck-able-ff14]

Leaving Erenville off was a crime, poll's rigged smh.

We left him off because, at the time, Mod Fisher was not aware of most of the EndWalker cast and adding him unbalanced the bracket.

The bracket was also 150 characters that we narrowed down to 60 and then had to raise to 64 to balance out the expansions (fun fact: Erichthonios wasn't part of the original 60! neither was Guydelot!)

Other unfortunate souls who will not get the chance to be fuckable (unless we rerun this tournament, which we will if/when the next expansion drops) include but not limited to:

Hoary Boulder, Coultenet Dailebaure, Riol Forrest, Nabriales, Isildaure, A-Ruhn-Senna (Mod Sage begged that we not include him. He is 18 and therefore meets the qualifications but he felt too baby face and Mod Sage just doesn't like him lol), Buscarron Stacks, Foulques, Gerolt Blackthorn, Janremi blackheart, Jehantel, Brother Joacin, Landenel, Gilgamesh, Briardien de manseauguel, Travanchet, the knights 12 (yes Mod Fisher was going to put each individual knight), Carvallain de Gorgagne (ALSO A CRIME FOR NOT BEING INCLUDED), Arenvald Lentinus, Ansaulme de rougecarpe, Soroban, Rex, and Branden.

It eventually came down to the mod team's preferences and rather or not Mod Fisher (who struggles with choice paralysis and staying focused so hasn't done a whole lot of side content/jobs) could get screen shots of them for the later rounds.

Hope that helps! -Mod Fisher

[voidsentprinces]

Mylla: Another word out of your mouth, Aldis and I'll beat you to death. Solkzagyl: Nah, therapy would take too much time. Imma just create an entire gaslighting plot around my death to recreate batman for Ishgard. Wyrnzoen: We get into some mild shenanigans here. Curious Gorge: I could try to look inward and explore my emotions...or I could just keep hitting things. Fray: This is bullshit, this whole thing is bullshit, that's a scam, fuck the church, here's a dark soul crystal. Sophie: Walk, walk, fashion baby. Hamon: It isn't violence against the elderly, if I call it TRAINING and I AM the elderly. Widargelt: Going to have more royal drama than the Sultana. Foulques: Gridania is racist...they will never fix this. But I can! BECAUSE I AM THE BEST LANCER IN THE WOR--OH NO! Estinien: Ishgard is classist...they will never fix this. But I can! BECAUSE I AM THE BEST DRAGOON IN THE WOR--OH NO! Jacke: We can stab people AND stop acts of terrorism. Karasu: Just having a little giggle. Having a bit of a laugh. Master Musosai: DAME DA NE! DAME YO DAME NA NO YO! Drusilla: Grandad was mad that the Emperor trolled him and is now making it everyone's problem. Sylphie: You may not like it but this is what peak conjury looks like. Raya-O-Senna: Hello and welcome! A-Ruhn-Senna: Die in a forest fire. Alka: Is it me or is that tonberry kinda...cute? Leveva: I would say I am sorry for blacking out, beating you and then burying you up to your neck in the middle of Coerthas. But I am not. Jannequinard: It is QUITE fine, my dear Lady Leveva. You did only what the stars asked, as any astrologian worth their salt would do. Aries Rising and all that. Loifa: I could easily explain my motives and backstory but this quest line has to last 8 more levels. Silvairre: Gridania is racist and shall never change its wa--oh no something happened to me personally. I have seen the error of my ways! Sanson: I can still hear his voice. Guydelot: Gay, gay, homosexual, gay, gay Stephanivien: Gonne training requires a steady hand and a leveled head. So I shall send you to someone who will teach you these things. Rostnstahl: ...sorry what? That guy over there has been looking at me for a while. Joye: That's your reflection. Rostnstahl: Oh right...hey you, shoot that guy over there in the ass. Nashmeira: Therapy would take too much time, lets dance for people's enjoyment. Cocobuki: How do you feel about casting Fire I for 50 levels? Shatotto: An arrow may have your name on it. But a fire ball is addressed to whom it may concern. K'lyhia: If my calculations are correct, you are only in this to get God and Anime on your side. Y'mhrita: I hear you know my sister. Well good news, cause we're about to harnass the power of GOD AND ANIME TO OUR SIDE! X'rhun: Yeah, I don't know why people keep running past and yelling, "Would you care to fuck this catman". Martyn: I am helping cure the smallpox by putting on shows to raise awareness. Quickly, VOMIT A FISH AT ME!

[storytellers-and-co]

Introductions!

Hellos! This is a sideblog for all my Final Fantasy XIV content - for my mainblog also doubles as art blog, and I know not everyone is really into all of the fandoms I'm in. I'm mostly posting art and mini-stories about my OC's / WOL's and their current adventures, with occasional guest appearance from my friends characters. If you want to yeet asks at 'em, you can - but I'd rather get the introductory posts done first before I start answering!

All art in this blog is drawn by me unless otherwise stated in the tags!

NOTE! I am currently in Shadowbringers!

----

Main tags/storylines in this blog are; Storytellers - Currently in Post-Heavensward, but will post mostly ARR content until RP catches up. Character tag: Jason Windsaga || Character Page, under construction! - Storytellers is a group of adventurers going through the story together, while also making one massive RP out of it. It doesn't fully follow the canon as we are way too creative for our own good, but I hope people enjoy the changes we're tossing in. I am mainly focusing on my WOL Jason Windsaga, but will also toss in others from the crew.

Tansui's Adventures - Currently in A Realm Reborn Character tag: Tansui Ginsuke || Character Page, under construction! - Tansui is a young, tiny Au Ra thaumaturge, and this is how their story is going so far. Will feature as many cameos as I can reasonably have, as well as some funny memes. Updates at least once a week! Crisis Stick - Currently in A Realm Reborn Character tag: Jydirot Deresnels || Character Page - Crisis Stick consist of three characters, Jydirot Deresnels, Va'ea Locla and Foulques of the Mist (no last name, apparently). It is mostly RP between me and a friend, but I also stream Jydirot's playthrough on Tuesdays.

Isekaid Bunny- Currently in ??? Character tag: Ruo Hikko || Character Page, under construction! - This is just series of quick oneshot mini-things of a viera named Ruo, who got hit by the Truck-kun and sent to Eorzea. Unfortunately, he is not the main character, but rather a sidecharacter who knows too much and yet not enough about the world, as his knowledge comes from the osmosis and memes from friends. Soft-canon to Storytellers!

[corgibardballads]

Foulques, man. He was my first taste of what FF14 was going to do to me.

Foulques. Holy shit. Foulques really changed my outlook of Final Fantasy 14. MMO stories usually play it pretty safe when it comes to characters. For story longevity you don’t really want to have to hard commit to big character decisions. So I was pretty shocked when, at only level 30, they committed to killing a character that felt like was being set up as a much bigger story. Really? At level 30? I guess the game is really gonna fuck around and find out with my emotions then. It set the tone of the story for me, I started going into every quest with the thought that no character other than my WoL was safe. But I’ll backup. I think most people can agree that the story quests for the initial classes are… uh… well they exist. I can hardly even remember most of them. Generally I only see people actively remembering two: Rogue and Lancer. The rogues’ guild was quirky, but I honestly didn’t think the actual story was great. It was more the theme and dialogue that made it memorable. The Lancers guild story was unique in that it felt more connected to real world problems than other guilds. Right outside the darn guild you see how Gridanians treat Duskwight elezen of darker skintones. Gelmorra is so destitute that Duskwights resort to thievery. Too proud to ask for help from those they feel abandoned by and too poor to try and turn it all around on their own. A stereotype. A bad reputation. And Foulques just embodies the result of that hatred. Now this is all just wild speculation and me replaying it 20 times and being sad. Foulques doesn't even seem to really know what he wants. He claims he wants control of the Lancer's Guild but he doesn't really have any endgame. He boasts and berates all to hide his fear. But you? You immediately embody what he wants to be. That fearlessness. A mere novice but even Ywain is starting to respect you. So he takes you as his most promising "student". It seemed like it had no purpose. So it always made me wonder if really he was begging you without asking to help him. Frantically trying to prove to you that Ywain and the guild were wrong and bad. The more he failed to do so the more he panicked. And in the end he failed you too, as a mentor. He froze in fear at the Lord of the Bramble Patch while you stood bravely in front of him. It seemed like something in him just broke. He had nothing to offer you and no way forward to convince you to his side. He just snaps. Getting a bunch of novices seriously injured is just the last straw. By the time you find him he's just mad with fear. Broken and humiliated. He's barely even making sense. But in between it all he tells you story of being poor and destitute in the Lancer's Guild. That when he and his mates stole and got caught they just turned on him. It's the Duskwight. It's always the Duskwight. He's abandoned and thrown away, no one cares about Foulques. So he nearly kills himself to be stronger and it wasn't enough.

I was upset by the ending. It just seemed so wrong. Even in his last moments, he's reaching out to you. You may just be the only person who ever just listened to him. And it just sours your whole experience with the guild. Ywain may not literally be a bad guy but his dismissal of Foulques' issues then and now directly contributed to everything. A decent person can make shit decisions.  I remember thinking if the both of us had reached out to Foulques, just tried, it could have made all the difference. It just seemed to unfair. And that made it a great story and easily one of my favorite class/job quests. Of course it doesn't help that Foulques was one the few darker skinned Duskwights we even interact with. Considering what happens in the following Dragoon quests, I always secretly hold out hope he will one day come back.

[sundered-souls]

WoL verse

The more I think about it, the more I think this blog will be strictly for my WoL verse.

The main reason for that being that my main RP verse is a canon-divergent AU with my friends and we advance the story rather slowly, and the other rp threads I have are in yet another verse. And, tbh, as far as rp goes, I don't care too much in the end if everything links nicely together or not.

But admittedly, my WoL verse has changed a lot between what I had in mind primarily with Aïcha and what I have in mind now and I'm thinking about putting it in fic form. Or—knowing myself because I have too few spoons and not enough hours in a day anyway between life, work and school—some sort of detailed plan for a fic that'd work as a first draft and... nothing following after that.

So why not just share what I have for now?

I'll start with the prelude in this post because this is important foundation for what's to come, and I'm not sure what people know (or don't) about how Inge and Aïcha started. Plus there are certain things I've never discussed in detail before.

Fair warning: while the plan is to follow the MSQ closely, there will be changes. But aside from one character mentioned below, I have no intention to bring back to life dead characters. And among those who do come back in the official story, two will remain dead no matter what the MSQ says.

Prior to ARR

Under the cut 'cause it's a bit long.

The prelude (Inge)

In the equivalent of 1.0 to the Calamity, Inge was one of the adventurers that ended up being dubbed as the "Warriors of Light" at Carteneau. Whether or not I'll follow strictly what I know of that part for the story, I'm not sure, but the point is that she's a forgotten hero that got teleported into the future by Louisoix and, upon arrival in the middle of the Shroud, realized that 1/ nobody knew her anymore, 2/ she had no fucking idea where the rest of her team was or even if they were still alive.

After some time looking for them, she opted for helping rebuilding since the world didn't seem to need any more heroes (and the trauma of losing everyone was, well, quite heavy). She ingrained herself in Gridania's life pretty fast and was tasked, two to three years before ARR, to accompany a small group of scientists to explore the Western Shroud and give upon return a detailed account of the state it was in.

Among those were:

Griveroix, a cartographer that hailed from La Noscea with his young and far more enthusiastic apprentice, A'idan;

Wolfe, who needs a name change, an agronomist from Sharlayan working on his Archon mark;

after some shenanigans, an actually alive Foulques because in this verse the lancer story happens before ARR and involves another character of mine. He's not a scientist but he'll serve as an adventurer for protection;

Inge herself, of course, healer and alchemist here to make sure everyone comes back in one piece.

There'll probably be a few more people, whether named or not, we'll see as the inspiration strikes.

The Foulques situation

While on their way to the Western part of the Shroud, they'll be attacked by a group of Duskwights who initially wants to bargain either their life or their (very expensive) instruments against Foulques' life, which they told them had been arrested by Gridanians.

Inge'll manage to convince them to let her go and bring him back peacefully, and she'll arrive just in time during his fight against Alakja (the OC mentioned above) to cast a levitation spell and save the Duskwight from a certain death. (Much to Alakja's and his wife's relief, as neither of them wanted him dead.)

Keeping her promise, she'll bring back Foulques to his family and manage to get the expedition back on track... only for him to join them, while refusing to state exactly why. Cue some drama because Griveroix is a coward, A'idan an enthusiastic puppy and Wolfe paranoid, but eventually they'll settle on letting him join the expedition unofficially.

And that's how it goes for Inge until she's back in Gridania at the beginning of ARR, and soon after learns by Mother Miounne that a promising adventurer needs help exploring the Tam-tara Deepcroft.

An adventurer that you might have recognized as Aïcha.

The Prelude (Aïcha)

Aïcha's mother was not cut to be a mother, and to her credit she realized it soon enough to not make Aïcha's life hell. Instead, she just... left. So Aïcha's early life is simply her father and her in Radz-at-Han, living in relative poverty despite her father securing an extremely sought after and expensive dancing tutelage for his talented daughter.

While she didn't grow up wondering where the money for this came—her father had always been a proud and hard-working man after all—she got the answer nonetheless as she reached her eighteen birthday, when the debts her father had contracted had become so big that he couldn't pay them back and loan sharks came to their house to make it clear that he didn't exactly have a choice.

Worried for his life more than for herself, Aïcha decided to sacrifice her bright artistic future to save the life of the only family she had, and thus joined The Guild. Think of it a bit like John Wick's Continental, except they pretended to be an adventurers guild.

As we know, dancing in FFXIV isn't just about artistry: it's also about kicking asses. And Aïcha, perhaps tragically, was both excellent and willing at this. Over the months, she only got deeper and deeper to take the most lucrative contracts, switching dancing for a gun to avoid sullying her art further, until she got in so far that she couldn't see any other path for herself than crime.

Eventually she killed a kid that had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time and saw too much, but that broke her. She sent her father to hide in Tural, turned against her old employer and faked her death before fucking off to Eorzea, where she attempted to start a new life as a gladiator.

She did always love the attention after all, and surely no one would look for her there.

It became apparent rather quickly how corrupt the whole system was, however, and while she could ill-afford to make a mess in her new home, she opted for becoming an actual adventurer this time. Which is how she finally joined the Adventurers Guild in Ul'dah and started this new chapter in her story: for money and redemption.

(In this order.)