#and while it's not been seen since the stormblood patches....it is always there

[the-rogue-mockingjay]

[Aymeric, O'ravi, and Artoirel discussing the vision O'ravi had of Profane Fafnir's origin]

Aymeric: The Heavens' Ward took up arms against us and Ishgard. By their hand were we robbed of one of our finest knights and a dear friend. Even so, I would not wish such a terrible fate upon them.

O'ravi, without missing a beat: I would.

Aymeric:

Artoirel:

O'ravi:

Aymeric and Artoirel, exchanging glances:

O'ravi: [clears throat] My apologies- Continue.

[autumnslance]

Heya

I always like your analysis/view of characters and the Story so I would like to ask you something.

Yesterday I talked with a friend about how I kinda miss Lyse, and than I got the idea that she and Wuk Lamat would probably get along quite well.

Lyse wasn't prepared to step up on the role she has now while. Wuk Lamat is young and "lively" as Lyse, but she had a chance to grow and learn about her upcoming role as a leader of the nation during our journey with her. So I think these two would have some interesting conversations and might learn from another.

I hope, that in future patches, we get a meeting of all the Leaders interacting with another now that we have Thavnaier, Tuliyolal and Garlemald new to the table.

Do you have an opinion on this? Especially since your understanding of SB and it's characters is deeper than mine.

Oh heck you got me rambling about Lyse and Wuk Lamat, so this is going under a cut. Spoilers for Dawntrail 7.0 MSQ and everything leading to it.

I've seen a lot of comparisons between Lyse and Wuk Lamat, being young, energetic women whose stories involved a lot of growth into leaders. How they get there is different, and I do think the writers learned from how they framed Lyse's story, and how Wuk Lamat's needed to be different even if there are ways they are similar.

Lyse spent years hiding from herself and her grief, happy to let Papalymo be "in charge" for the most part (though I noted he deferred to her when it came to actually interacting with and understanding the Sylphs and Moogles, and probably other people in the Twelveswood, as "patient" and "personable" weren't exactly his best traits). Lyse was also the person who noticed things weren't quite right with Thancred in ARR, that he was working himself to the bone, but she didn't seem to know how to approach him about it, regretting it later when they realized he'd been possessed.

And in Stormblood, Lyse spends a lot of time trying to understand her countrymen's reticence, their fears, their lack of hope. She worked with Conrad's Resistance cell all through Heavensward, but it seems like the first time she really interacts closely with civilians is Ala Ghanna. In the Far East, Lyse spends time talking to the Domans, and the Mol--her scene with the children is a major one, determining what is "home" and what that means, why Hien (and Lyse) fight for a place.

She feels she isn't a leader, she's just one of the team, and as she gets pushed toward leadership, she feels it's based more on who her father and sister were, the weight of her family legacy. And part of that is that lingering grief, that literal imposter syndrome, that knowledge she isn't the woman Yda was.

Because of course she isn't. She's Lyse. Not an Archon, but a Scion of the Seventh Dawn. Probably still better educated than many, having grown up in Sharlayan, despite book smarts not being her forte. She's very good at punching things. And she has a heart and more optimism and stubbornness than most.

She grows into it, with the help of her friends (which she does, repeatedly, acknowledge the WoL as the hero who defeated Zenos and made it all possible, don't fall into the trap of memeified rewrites of the actual canon). She is only the leader of Conrad's cell (a failing of Stormblood and it's split storyline was talking about multiple cells, but only having us interact with 1 ever before it all became 1 military). And she happily lets Raubahn take command of the army when it forms, calling herself simply the commander of Rhalgr's Reach--but given her role in the war, as a former Scion, and her connections, still acts pretty much as Raubahn's Marshall in all but name.

Lyse was not raised for leadership, not raised to take command, and had to rise to the occasion. And without losing her determination, her caring, her optimism.

Wuk Lamat was born to rule; the Xbr'aal initially, but when circumstances put her life in danger, Gulool Ja Ja adopted her as his Third Promise. Wuk Lamat is a cheerful, optimistic, loving girl who wants to understand and learn about people. She's a "people's princess" we see almost from the instant we arrive in Tuluyollal, friends with nearly everyone. But it's also not hard to see, even in 6.55 and the adventures in Sharlayan, that she's young and green. She has few supporters, and no great deeds or expectations from most of the people. She struggles in the shadow of her older accomplished brothers, wondering a few times what her strength is, what she has gained from their father.

She has not been raised to rule, necessarily; while the Dawnservant has expectations for all his children, and recognizes all of their strengths, he also sees their weaknesses and where they lack. Some of that, perhaps, is on him as a parent, but he knows their potential and possibilities, if they seek the chance to grow and learn. He can only guide them, not do it all for them, if they are to reach those potentials.

And Wuk Lamat does seek, with a zest not seen since Lyse was central, and beyond her, even. Wuk Lamat is not bound by the grief of familial loss and the disconnect of diaspora; she was too young to remember the tragedy that led her to leave Yak T'el as a toddler, and her life since has been a kind and happy one. She's been educated and trained well.

But there are limits to what a girl can learn in a single city, with only one or two visits to other villages now and then. And Wuk Lamat, like Lyse, takes the time to try to learn and understand. She picks up faster than Koana the point of the contest--while Zoraal Ja ignores it entirely, and Bakool Ja Ja has other pressures he's dealing with.

There's another comparison; Lyse's determination to understand Fordola, to change her mind, making her a symbol of all the collaborators. Lyse's determination that all Ala Mhighans must be free and begin anew, to rebuild their society together. To acknowledge the pain but not let it bind them into cycles of violence (which continues in the Endwalker healer role quests, as Raganfrid and Arenvald take up the specific task of reintegrating the collaborators).

Wuk Lamat, meanwhile, struggles to understand the bandits of Kozama'uka, the Chirwagur Yok Huy of Urqopacha, and the Mamook of Yak T'el. She changes Bakool Ja Ja and earns his respect, by perhaps being the first person to demand to know what he wants--and then following through on the promise to find a way to make that wish happen. To find a way all Turali can be free and happy, including the Mamool Ja (who may have tried to kill her as a toddler).

Lyse spends all of Stormblood fighting to free her people from a decades-old foe, forcing her to become a leader. Wuk Lamat's fight comes after she has grown into the kind of leader that can defend Tuliyollal from the threat of Alexandria and Zoraal Ja's betrayal. And even though Sphene can't change her mind thanks to her programmed nature, Wuk Lamat never stops trying to reach the caring personality encoded within.

Because the other person Wuk Lamat compares to is the Assumed Default Warrior of Light. She's a determinator in a similar way; she doesn't easily give up or give in, despite her doubts and the difficulties along the way. She makes friends wherever she goes, forming bonds and connections that come back to help, time and again. She goes from novice adventurer to epic hero, as WoL had to do in ARR; the entirety of Dawntrail seems a compressed version of that story for her, with adventure and events happening in the first half, and then the other shoe drops. For WoL, it was the Waking Sands massacre. For her, the first assault on Tuliyollal. WoL didn't have the benefit of a mentor--with Louisoix long gone and most of the Scions captured--but WoL could be there for Lamaty'i.

How often has that been a fear and regret of the Scions and other friends? How happy they were with the warding scales letting them help with those burdens! How at the edge of existence, the only thing that kept the WoL walking to the end was the memories of their friends and the hopes they had, and in the final battle, the Scions were still with the WoL regardless of distance.

(And Zenos was there. Still the most hilarious entrance ever.)

We stand with Wuk Lamat to the end--and she breaks through to find WoL and Sphene, because Lamaty'i won't give up on her friends. And Sphene could have been, if she had still been alive.

Anyroad. I DO think Lyse and Wuk Lamat would have a lot to talk about, in how they grew to be leaders, in similarities and differences, in their relationship with the Scions and the WoL, about the adventures they've had. I loved seeing Vrtra and Azdaja in Tuliyollal, and that Koana formed a treaty with them, which may indeed mean more interaction with Thavnair in the future. For that matter, the Leveilleur twins' quest to help Garlemald rebuild and reintegrate with the global community may bring some familiar faces from there around...though from the Island Sanctuary quests, we also know those people have never taken vacations and don't know what do to outside of "survive" and "duty." But there's a lot to learn, and seeing how diverse people can live together in peace, after most of a century under Ascian propaganda, would be good for them. Sharlayan tends to have diplomatic relations with various foreign powers, and Tural's no exception, and the use of Labyrinthos research to aid Mamook could become more of a thing to bring some of those characters in for cameos (for that matter, helping the Alexandrians integrate, and studying that phenomenon, as if those scholars could resist!).

I'm a little wary of having all the leaders in a single space; generally that's a plot point reserved for some terrible world wide event or circumstance arising! But it would be nice to have the opportunity to visit with old friends on some kind of tour, to see Tuliyollal make other allies and diplomatic connections, and give such characters those chances to interact.

But if the game doesn't take those opportunities on screen (people often forget that a lot happens out of WoL's POV, too), we've always got fanfiction to make it happen in!

[pangurbanthewhite]

(Dawntrail spoilers for up until the Yok Huy's area)

I'd guesstimate that I'm a little over 25% of the way through the plot at this point and if they keep going like they have been, Dawntrail might be right up there with Heavensward and Shadowbringers for my top expansions. And I think part of the reason it's getting there is because it's keeping a very light touch on the plot in favor of worldbuilding and characterization.

I think the writing in this series has always been at its worst when it's trying to do grand strokes of high concept plot and always been at its best when it's just about characters you intimately understand and feel intensely for. And I think FFXIV has managed to make some genuinely innovative fantasy settings and societies before, and are really carrying on that trend successfully with Tulliyolal.

Like I know they made a big thing early on about how this would be a "political" story and on the one hand it has been, but I don't think it's been a political story in the way that FFXIV has tried to tackle political stories in the past, which is absolutely to its benefit. I think FFXIV has historically been at its weakest when it's tried to write about political machinations in the past (huge swathes of Stormblood and Endwalker).

But Dawntrail so far is shaping up to be a story about politics through the lens of people, as told by the Dawnfather and his children, and I am fucking ravenous to see what happens next. I am intensely invested in the hopes that this family has for this country and how you can easily see where all of them are coming from.

(Shoutout to this catboy for hitting me right in the feels with a pinpoint precision not seen since Patch 5.3)

And Tuliyollal is just a really cool setting to traverse through while that little drama plays out. So I'm enjoying myself a lot, is what I'm getting at here.

[sootcloak]

Crow’s Shadow: Repair Required

The first part of a short, serial-style work I’ve been cranking away at for far too long. This is part one of a (planned) three-part series. You can find the second part, Carrion Circle [Here]. I’ll add another link to the third part once it’s up. Beware of some major spoilers for Stormblood if you’ve not gotten through it yet, and some general spoilers for the MCH quest kinda. Lastly, if you’re a purist when it comes to in-game lore, you should be warned that I take some creative liberties in regards to the character around whom this blog is centered. Also I hate this hellsite’s text post coding, it makes the formatting look so goddamned wrong.

3064 words, featuring Hilda the Mongrel, Rostnthal the Reborn. Centered around a wounded OC, a tense cross-country trip, and the looming specter of a dangerous foe.

    Hilda stares with a rare, dumbfounded expression on her face. Curled in a ball on her old, ratty armchair is a familiar, Lalafellin woman. Her sickly, pale skin, greying blonde hair, and scarred face were unmistakable. Vavara had become a common sight around Foundation ever since the gates were opened after the Dragonsong war. Her work alongside the Manufactory and Lord Stephanivian was shrouded in some level of discretion, but it was no secret that she was an expert in Garlean-style magitek.

    But the whispered words which surrounded the woman seemed an understatement, if her eyes were to be believed. It was rare to find Vavara out of her usual Company-style overcoats. The few times she was caught out of uniform, she was in battle-ready armor instead. Now Hilda understood why. Her body, small and compact as it is, is almost entirely mechanical. Covered in intricate layers of dull, grey plates and brassy webbings of cogs, she looks not unlike the tools and machines of Idyllshire. Like clockwork muscles and cable tendons, her body is simultaneously relaxed and completely rigid. Here and there, where the metal fades, she can still see skin. Sickly, near-grey, and oddly textured like a doll’s porcelain, but still skin. Tangled in a blanket, eyes shut, and body snoring in strange, buzzing whirrs, it takes a few moments of shock to realize two more things.

    First, Hilda hadn’t ever told Vavara where she lives. Nor had she given permission for the huntress to remain with her.

Second, one of Vara’s arms is missing. Just gone. A bare, brass socket lies exposed to the air where it would meet her left shoulder. Hilda glances around, but the limb is nowhere to be seen. There is, however, a note on the end table besides the table. The messy, big letters on the page are of an immediately recognizable hand.

        Hilda,

    Vavara was out testing one of Stephanivian’s new gizmos last night. Something went wrong, it’s all a bit fuzzy until we can look at the damned equipment, but it blew up in her arms. She soldiered on as well as you’d expect from her, but when we caught up to check on her we found her in shambles. We were all as surprised as you probably are - what with all the metal bits and all. Save for Stephanivian, that is. Seems he was already aware of her illness condition state whatever you call that. She was adamant that she not be seen like this, so we needed a place to keep her where untrusted eyes wouldn’t find her.

    So I borrowed a key from Joye and let her in. She should be asleep until tomorrow morning, or at least that’s what Stephanivian says. He’s making replacement parts for her damaged bits, but he couldn’t give me an exact time to give you as to when they’ll be done. I’ll have Joye run over as soon as he has an estimate.

    I know it’s a good bit to ask of you, but we all owe her and hers a solid turn. This is a good chance to make good on that. Please look after her for a bit, and don’t let her run off and do anything dangerous, no matter how angry she may look. She’s too busted up, at least based on how we found her, to really argue with you.    

    Keep her safe for now,

    Rostnthal

    Hilda’s hands crease the paper, her eyes drifting back and forth between it and the sleeping woman. 

    “Well shite. There went my plans.”

    Vavara’s eyes open to the dim, flickering light of a nearby hearth. Her body hums with angry, buzzing pain. As she takes in a ragged, grinding breath her eyes scan around the unfamiliar room. She can feel the damage all throughout her body. She can feel the way her breathing hitches every three-and-a-half seconds. The way her right arm can’t rotate exactly as it should. The way her eyes won’t focus. Her ears are ringing, ever so slightly. 

    There’s dust in the air, quite a lot of it. The furniture strewn about the stone room is old, patched, and covered in a thick layer of dust. The armchair she’s nested in leans to one side, one of the legs having been replaced by a few stacked stone bricks. The wood floor is rough, coarse, and looks like the kind which would give splinters just for standing on it. The hearth, a simple stone fireplace built into one wall, is surprisingly clean. The ashes are swept, the firewood is fresh. The fire is painfully bright. The heavy rugs thrown beneath some of the seating in the cramped, dusty living space are all torn and resewn. Her eyes trail to the bare walls, where a series of hangers stand.

    Through blurred sight, she can see a leather jacket and a rimfire hanging in it’s harness. From color alone, it’s clear they’re neither Vavara’s old service overcoat or her custom revolver. A wave of cold anxiety washes through her, her feet finding the floor and stumbling towards the door. 

    She only makes it a few feet. One of her legs crumples at the knee with a disheartening, metallic crunch. She bites her lip, forcing back a whimpering cry before it can rise in her chest. Instead, she takes a few gasping breaths, each huff sounding like a music box turning through broken cogs. Finally, she gets up the strength to push herself up to her feet again.

    She dully registers quick, urgent footsteps coming from behind her. A steady, insistent hand finds its way just beneath her arm. The tense springs fused with half-dead, ceruleum-greyed skin have a sickening texture, like that of a corpse held together by staples and rope.

    “You’re too hurt to be runnin’ about. Ye’d best come along.” Hilda says, hiding the way her throat closed in a queasy, silent gag. Vavara’s remaining arm twists back, trying to grasp at Hilda’s arm. It clicks and creaks, something inside the joint protesting with quiet, metallic groans.

    “Hey.” Hilda pulls and twists her around. Their eyes lock for a brief moment. Vavara’s dull, foggy eyes sparking with a quick moment of recognition.

    “Hilda?” Her voice is a surprisingly deep rasp. The  grasping hand goes still, it’s steel claw-tipped fingers relax. “Is that you?”

    “Who else? Let’s get you back to the chair.” They shuffle back to where Vavara woke. After grabbing an old crate and dragging it in front of the worn armchair, the two sit next to each other. Hilda sucks in a breath, and breaks the brief, momentary silence.

    “I imagine things feel a bit rough. Been on the bad end of an explosion once or twice myself. Here, read this. It’ll do some of the explainin’ for me..” She hands the crumpled letter from Rostnthal to her, waiting quietly as it’s opened back up. Vavara’s eyes slowly, carefully track across each messy line of text. When she looks up to Hilda again, the other woman is already speaking.

    “Joye came by earlier today, while you were still out. Said parts were being manufactured, but some things needed to be brought in from out the Holy See. It’ll have to get cleared by the Temple Knights, checked for contraband and the like. All said and done, it’ll take about three weeks for them to get all your uh… Parts?” She looks to Vavara for confirmation. There’s a single, quiet nod.

    “Yeah, it’ll take about three weeks for them to get all your parts made. Till then, you’re gonna need someone to watch your back, I’d imagine. I know one of your friends has an arrangement with Count Fortemps, so if you’d prefer-”

    “No. I’ve no intent on relying upon his charity. I have not earned it.” Vavara’s voice is a steady, rasping hiss. No malice or ill-will is born in the words, just a stubborn, quiet kind of pride.

    “It’s not always about whether or not you’ve earned it, just-” The glare Hilda gets before she can finish is petrifying.

    “Fine, fine. You can stay here, then. Can’t promise I’ll be here all day, but you’re resourceful, and so long as I get you a cane you could even get around by the looks of it.”

    “No.” Vavara shakes her head.

    “What? Then where will you stay?” Hilda says, eyeing her up with concern. Vavara’s face is a knitted, frustrated mess barely concealed by her usual stoicism. Her narrowed eyes, knitted brow, and curled lip speak volumes. It was rare for her to emote at all, let alone so clearly.

    “I was only meant to be in Ishgard for two days, at most.” A strange, tense note rides in Vavara’s voice. Concern, or outright fear? Hilda hadn’t seen her like this since she’d returned from Ghimlyt, spending days on end beside the Warrior of Light’s bedside, waiting for him to awaken. Guilt-racked and uncertain. When her voice picks back up, it’s a mess of anxiety and fear. Each word comes out faster, not raising in volume but in intensity.

    “I cannot stay here. I have to return. I need to-” She stops herself, coming to a sudden and abrupt halt. With a clenched jaw, squinted eyes and a tense neck. she pulls a breath in. The tension does not leave her, resting on her shoulders and in her jaw.

    “Thank you for watching over me.” Vavara says, opening her eyes to match Hilda. “I will need that cane. I have a journey to make. Please tell Stephanivian I will return to collect the parts when I am able.”

    “Now hold on.” Hilda squares her shoulders. Her eyes unwaveringly stare into Vavara’s. 

“You’re barely able to see straight. It took you near a full minute to read through a half-page letter. You had to ask if it was me. I don’t remember looking much like another half-breed.” A potent frustration rises in Vavara’s body, but before it can exit in a shout, Hilda continues, Brume accent kicking into her words as she grows more insistent.

    “I’ll be coming with ye. I’ve deputies with the Hounds for this exact kind of situation. And before you try and tell me I’m not, I’d remind ye that I’ve already seen why yer always either in battle-gear or a great-coat. Whatever secrets yer keeping still, ye can keep them. None of my business. But yer health? All the Hounds’ve had their skins saved by ye at least once, meself included. I owe you this much, at least.” Hilda stands as she finishes speaking, walking across the room to wear her jacket and rimfire are hung. She snags them in one hand, turns and gives a confident smirk.

    “So let me just run and get that cane.”

    She’s out the door before Vara can muster a reply.

    Later that evening, the pair stand outside the Gates of Judgement. Vara’s shrouded in her overcoat, her usual brimmed cap pulled tight over her head, greying blonde hair spilling out of it in messy tangles. Beside her, Hilda holds the reins of two birds as they’re hooked up to a small wagon. Some traveling supplies, a small smattering of goods, and some specialized supplies Stephanivian rushed to prepare all sit in nondescript, covered bundles.

    “You shouldn’t come with me. You have work here.” Vavara says. For perhaps the first time, Hilda notes how her breath doesn’t make mist in the cold air. She can’t help but wonder if her instinct was right, if the woman she’s known for years now, who’s saved her time and time again, is just a corpse pulled by metal marionette strings.

    She casts the thought from her mind.

    “And I’ve pressin’ debts to settle with you. It took no small amount of talking to convince Joye not to tell Rostnthal we were goin’. Else you’d have two peepin’ nannies.” Hilda’s forces a grim laugh.

    “It’s dangerous.” The statement hits like a sack of bricks. There was little anyone within the Warrior of Light’s circle deemed worthy of such a warning. Least of all the woman who frequently gives him a run for his money. 

    “Always is.” Is all Hilda can muster in response.

    “You should stay. I don’t want you hurt.” The words come out slow, still rasping with that metallic hiss under the wind. Barely audible.

    “I can’t protect you.” Vavara’s hand goes to the empty sleeve on her left. She looks up with foggy, dull eyes. Were they always so dim? She’s one of the Dunesfolk, aren’t their eyes supposed to be like glossy gems? Again, she casts the thought away.

    “Please. Stay.” Vavara’s words sound pleading.

    “Eh- ‘Ilda?” A deep, rumbling voice smashes the growing anxiety in Hilda’s chest. Heavy, crunching footfalls grow louder from behind. Both she and Vavara turn to look at a familiar, salt-stained face.

    “An’ it is!” Rostnthal reaches them in no more than three strides, his excitement plain on his face.

    “An’ Vavara’s ‘ere too, I see.” He briefly glances to the cart, still being loaded.

    “Ye headin’ somewhere?” It’s not really a question. His eyes fall onto Vavara’s. “Ye sure yer fine to be travelin’?”

    She nods.

    “Good!” He guffaws, a single loud bark of a laugh. “If yer good enough to be out-n’-about, then so am I! I’ll keep with ye. After all, it was cuz I was too drunk to test the prototype cannon that you ‘ad to. I get hurt like that, chirugeons patch me up over a couple nights. You?” He gives an awkward, knowing shrug.

    “So, it’s my fault yer in this mess. I’m comin’.”

    It isn’t really negotiable. Even as Vavara’s takes a rattled breath to retort, he’s already stepped up into the cart proper. 

    The chocobo-hand stands up from besides the cart,

    “All good to go!” He shouts over the wind.

    The three step up, and Hilda spurs the birds on towards Gyr Abania.

    “Ye packed some booze, yeah?”

    Vavara shakes her head. The groan he makes can be heard from the Gates.

    Rostnthal’s voice echoes along the snowy paths of Coerthas, oft-untrodden paths suddenly as lively as a back-alley bar. He’s taken mindful, measured swigs of his flask. He snagged some few supplies from Dragonhead at a painful price, but he had very little considering the length of the journey. Sensing the growing tension, Rostnthal had sung every diddy he knew at least twice from his spot lying in the back of the cart. He’d sung the one about the slaver at least four times, and the one about the Admiral more than eight.

    “So what’s all the urgency about?” Hilda’s question breaks through the bars of off-key song. 

    “I left someone in the wild mountains, where I take my rests between work. He is unskilled, though his training has shown promise. An old enemy of mine resurfaced during the Ala Mhigan Rebellion, and has since been hunting me, and I him. Should I leave my student in one place too long, he’ll be found. And he’ll be killed.” Her words are clipped. Rostnthal’s singing stops.

    “Y’took an apprentice? So the ever-cold Lady Ashenheart does have some warmth left in ‘er.” He sounds genuinely perplexed. “An’ here I thought ye were all business and bad blood with the Empire. Rumors’d’ve me believe ye’d never have time for teachin’.”

    Her gaze towards him could curdle milk. He just laughs his guffawing laugh, gently slapping her good shoulder with one hand.

    “My strength comes at a cost, unlike that of my peers. It requires that I rest for long periods of time after difficult excursions. In recent times of repose, I took to training three such students in total. Two of whom have long passed beyond a need for my guidance, if they ever truly did need me at all.We have not spoken in some time, I have no fear for them. The man who hunts me will not seek them. My current student, though, is untrained, reckless, young, and a danger to himself more than his opponents.” Her voice lapses in and out of nostalgia and strict concern as she speaks, eyes shutting as she speaks.

    “Sounds like a handful of a kid. An’ this ‘unter. Ye think he might meet us there?” Rostnthal’s voice dips into a grim resolve.

    “I do.”

    “Care to share, or are we just going in blind as newborns?” Hilda says, eyes locked on the road and her surroundings. The sun is low, and shadows stretch across the road cast by trees and stones and looming mountains. It will be dark soon.

    “His name is Llain. He and I were once… Compatriots. He is possessed of a strength similar to mine. I will admit freely, he is better suited to it than I have ever been. He took to steel, ceruleum, and magitek as a bird does to flight. He has done so more safely, and more efficiently, than I have. We have not crossed blades directly for too long, to make any assumption on his methods now as opposed to the man he once was would be dangerous. All I can say is this: A direct confrontation is something we will not win. He is a worthy and cunning foe for even the mightiest among us.” Vavara says. Each word is slow, methodical.

    “So we just grab the kid an’ make dust?” Rostnthal thumbs at the cap on his flask, glancing up at Vara with his good eye. She just nods. It’s enough.

    Vara’s hand rests uneasily on the grip of her revolver. In her nostrils she can smell smoke and oil and flame. In her eyes, though snow and tree and stone race past her, all she can see is a burning Castrum and a vengeful shadow in the fire.

    How simple her escape felt then. How powerful those first, few, small implants made her feel. Her clockwork muscles tense. Perhaps if she’d been more careful. If she hadn’t allowed herself to become so gravely wounded so frequently, she would still-

    A tap on the shoulder shakes her out of the old memory. She looks up at Hilda, whose eyes are still locked forward.

    “We need to go through the night, or should we rest?” She asks, tone all business.

    “You rest. I’ll drive.” Vavara answers. Hilda just groans, before stepping awkwardly, carefully into the back next to Rostnthal and snagging a fur blanket from one of the many bundles.

    Rostnthal waits a while, and then starts to sing again. Fewer lively, old tavern diddies, and more of the songs skalds would sing when night came to call.

[alvaar-aldaviir]

Wondrous Tails: Patching Up Wounds

Time Frame: Post-Stormblood. Major spoilers for 4.4

(Unnecessary) Notes: It was somewhere around in here when I was playing that something awful happened to me and Alvaar both. After absolutely adoring Alphinaud for the bulk of the game (and being you know… worried about how hard Squenix was going to misstep on fleshing out Alisaie’s character like they’d pretty much done for almost every female up to now,) Alisaie kicked the door in like, ‘YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD HAVE FEELINGS TO YOURSELF?’ It made later events and the shitty ‘not even a major decision but I stood there contemplating it for literally 5 minutes, you know, THAT questline split…’ in Shadowbringers give me a terrible gut punch. The rest as they say, is history.

    …. I picked Alisaie first btw. I’m still not over this betrayal.

  Alvaar’s fingers are light and gentle as they thread through her hair, patient and unhurried as her head rests on a throw pillow in his lap. In a way she can almost tell his thoughts on whatever he’s reading based on the pauses and movements. The stillness of a long thought or light tousle when something amused him. Only the rustle of a turned page interrupting the ticking of the chronometer on the wall before the warm weight of his hand settles back against her hair.

On some level Alisaie’s appalled with herself, being this close and indulging in something so... childish and weak, with the Warrior of Light of all people!

But as much as she wished to be out there doing something, anything, that might reveal her brother’s whereabouts or find a solution to whatever had laid their friends low...

The truth was there was little else she could do but wait. Wait and feel her stomach twist in anxious knots as she grit her teeth and tried not to think of how terribly this could go. That there might not be an answer or that her brother might never return or...

A thoughtful noise leaves Alvaar’s throat before he ruffles her hair with a bit more force, calloused fingers massaging at her scalp carefully. An unspoken reminder she’d learned to read in the last month.

‘Relax. I’m with you. As soon as we have any form of word or direction, we’ll both be out the door.’

The Bard had a patient calm that was infectious, and if he hadn’t been around so much, she was almost certain she would have done something foolish before anyone could have stopped her. More than once in the passing weeks she’d felt his hand on her shoulder quietly urging her to tolerance when she’d almost snapped at messengers or their fellow junior Scions.

Her impatience was why she had never fancied herself a leader. The art of long-winded exposition and careful political maneuvering had solely been the talents of her twin, but with their key members missing or unconscious it had fallen to her instead. Alvaar had enough on his plate managing Primals, an increasingly more ludicrous sounding venture in Doma, and an equally fantastical excursion with the Garlond Ironworks tracking down Omega. He hefted enough weight on their behalf so the least she could do was act as a Scion proper and field what she could from the Rising Stones.

In a way it had almost made her bitter and angry to see him around all the time. Alvaar had seldom been away from the Rising Stones since Urianger and Y’shtola had collapsed, something she had a hunch lay with Tataru’s hushed words to him in the following days as they waited for news. And though the thought of him staying around out of some sense of obliged pity infuriated her, deep down she knew better. The Bard was there because he wanted to be, and as the days had passed by with them in increasingly close space, she had discovered something else.

She wasn’t the only one worried and needing a distraction. Under the stoic calm there was an equal amount of worry and fear.

And an overwhelming amount of anger.

    She’d heard a little about it from Alphinaud, the murderous and single-minded rage Alvaar had shown against Ilberd when they had journeyed to rescue Raubahn in Halatali. When he’d brushed with death and dragged himself after their retreating adversaries half bleeding out and choking on poison gas until he’d finally collapsed.

The Burn was the first place she had seen any semblance of it for herself, following the trail of slaughtered monsters and blood once the sandstorm had cleared to find Alvaar huffing in air like a winded beast, the blade point of the Halonic bow embedded in a dragon’s skull, and eyes half wild when she’d healed him. They’d never spoke of it though the silent shame on his expression after had said enough.

But that moment of seeing the cracks in the armor had said she wasn’t alone in her grief and feelings of helplessness. That the hand that gripped hers in those tense moments of silence was offering comfort but also seeking it at the same time, whether the Bard knew it or not.

So... she indulged in his time because he let her. Took a moment of respite with her head resting on a pillow in the Bards lap.

It had been an accident at first of course. She’d only meant to perhaps use him as a bit of a shoulder rest as he’d been reading in the study of the Rising Stones. It was something she had done often with her twin growing up, studying side by side until one or both of them fell asleep. And while a part of her was worried it would be like trying to replace Alphinaud, like admitting in some way he wouldn’t come back, the other and louder part of her had wanted the familiar reassurance now more than ever. But waking up with her cheek pressed against his thigh and his Twin Adder jacket draped over her shoulders had not been anywhere in that plan.

She probably would have startled herself upright if not for how slowly and comfortably she’d woken up, safe and warm and thoughts oddly clear of her recent worries. A glance at the black Choral Chapeau that rested on the coffee table where dark booted feet were propped up had confirmed Alvaar’s presence even if she’d doubted her instincts. Nowhere else in Sharlayan or Eorzea had she encountered another person with that same palpable aura, a quiet and calm feeling of certainty and strength. The brush of fingers over her hair intimate and distantly familiar...

Her family had never been one prone to frequent contact. There had always been a weight of dignified properness and personal distance, something expected from a highly esteemed house of scholars. The sole exception had been her Grandfather, who had often ruffled their hair or scooped them up in his arms as they’d listen to his stories or he indulged in answering a million excited questions.

But touch came with an easy deliberateness to Alvaar, sensitive and observant as he was if still cautious of boundaries. Ruffling her hair and telling her she’d done well after distracting the Red Kojin or pulling her against his side comfortingly when she’d lamented being unable to protect others from Lakshmi as he could. Or how he’d carried her off before she broke down in grief after watching Y’shtola and Urianger lay still and unresponsive in the medical beds for an hour after they’d fallen in the Rising Stones. Spirited her off into his loaned room where she could break down and no one else would see, face buried into his jacket and the Bard holding her patiently and stroking her hair and back comfortingly even long after she’d fallen silent.

    She hates feeling weak around him. Hates the idea he feels obliged to stay at her side when all the world begs his attention. That he pesters her to learn to cook properly or fumbles his way through red magic at her instruction to keep her distracted from grief. How much she’s grown to rely on his presence as the days pass.

But for as observant as he is, so is she. There’s a tightness in his expression that eases in those moments they share; the way he laughs as she grumbles over learning baking or honest surprise when he finally manages to land a spell. The tension like a coiled spring that finally releases in moments like now, stroking her hair patiently and relaxing until he almost falls asleep himself.

They’re patching each other’s wounds in these moments, mending cuts and bruises and breaks that are deeper than any white magic or tonic could hope to touch. Readying themselves for the next battle that lingers on the horizon. And she prays more than anything that she can hold fast at his side until they are victorious and things return to normal.

[maximumpenetration]

Looking Back at the 2.0 Planning Doc

Since around the beginning of the year, I’ve been coming back to this old planning document (link) posted at the time of FFXIV Version 2.0′s announcement. I’ve intended to go through it and take a close examination at each item, seeing what hasn’t made it through, or what was planned for 2.0 and made it in late. I’ve kept putting it off, partially out of laziness and partially because I wanted to see if Stormblood would plug up any holes. I’ve waited long enough, and while we’re not exactly at the four year anniversary of ARR’s launch, we’re close enough that I think it’s a good time to take a look.

Note: At the very top of the document, it’s stated that “Details may change between now [October 14, 2011] and the time of release.” These were not promises made by the developers, simply plans they had for the game at the time.

Characters

Complete redesign of character creation screens and process.

Addition of Miqo'te males, Highland Hyur and Roegadyn females for version 2.0.

Creation of more character customization options (e.g. , hairstyle).

Ability to walk and view character in game environments and use emotes as part of creation process. 

For the most part, the character creation process made it into the game as planned. You can compare the current version of character creation to the old one here, where you can see how few options there were compared to today, as well as how... text heavy(?) the character creation process was. If there was one sticking point I had to make, it’s that while the current character creator lets you view your character in different environments and use emotes, you aren’t able to run around in those fields.

Expansion of Armoury, focused on classes and jobs, prior to version 2.0.

Jobs to progress by clearing quests rather than gaining EXP.

Job-related quests, abilities, and job-specific gear planned for patch 1.21. 

There’s not much to go into here. I’m not entirely sure what “expansion of armoury” means, but it might relate to the Armoury Chest - in the old version of the game, all your gear was stored in the same inventory as your general items (although you had 200 item slots to help ease the burden). Jobs were added towards the tail end of 1.0′s lifespan, and worked similarly to how they did at ARR launch, requiring a main class at level 30 and a sub class at level 15 to unlock.

User Interface

Complete redesign of user interface for version 2.0 currently underway.

Customization of both gamepad/keyboard and mouse/keyboard configurations.

Global standard for MMO UI when using mouse/keyboard to navigate in-game windows. Will not require a manual for explanation.

Drag and drop functionality, item name/icon display toggle to be added to gear interface. 

It’s funny, and a little bit sad, to think about how these items made it into the planning document. The user interface for the original version of the game was notoriously awful, being cumbersome to navigate with a mouse and keyboard, and requiring server confirmation to operate. 

Release of a "mannequin" system for one-touch changing of gear sets.

Gear equipped to mannequins will not take up inventory space.

Mannequins available can be increased via certain quests and battle content. 

This is the first bit of content that isn’t in the game, and also a complete justification for my laziness. Had I made this post near the beginning of the year like I planned, I wouldn’t have been able to mention this question at the dev’s PAX East panel, where we learned that we will definitely see mannequins added to the game at some point in the 4.X series of patches. At the moment, we do know that the function exists in some fashion, as there are mannequins that are used to display gear in early Disciple of Hand quests, but it’ll be interesting to see if they stick to the “increased via certain content” bit.

Markets

Improvement of search function, release of auction house features, measures to stimulate in-game economy after patch 1.20.

Complete redesign of markets into a system incorporating retainers and auction house elements. Planned for version 2.0. 

Not much to say here, either. The old Market Ward system, which required a player to physically go to a certain ward and examine retainers for the item they were looking for, was slowly improved over 1.0′s lifespan, and eventually replaced with the current Market Board system.

Enemies

Enemy leader and group systems to be removed before version 2.0.

Enemy "call for help" system released in patch 1.19, causing nearby enemies to link when called.

Release of a system to calculate enemy strength based on party size and member levels. Enemy "call for help" system to be adjusted in patch 1.20 so only appropriate enemy types link. 

You’ve probably seen the current “call for help” system if you’ve ever gone stomping into a low level area on a max level job, or running around in a small party of friends - suddenly, you’re getting swarmed by five or six mobs after you give one a little love tap! This system probably mattered more when the overworld was more dangerous, but right now it’s just a mild inconvenience to higher leveled players.

New summoning ability available to certain jobs and classes after version 2.0.

New taming ability available to certain jobs and classes after version 2.0.

Release timing of the above abilities is to coincide with addition of new jobs and classes.

Summoned and tamed pets will not count as party members, and will develop over time. Release of a "companion" system for these pet NPCs to fight alongside PCs. 

Obviously, we’ve had our hands on Arcanist, Summoner, and Scholar for a few years now, but it’s interesting to see that they were also considering a tamer-type class/job at some point early in ARR’s development. This is also the first time in the doc I noticed the “after version 2.0″ wording, which seems to imply that it was content planned to be implemented after the main 2.0 game released. Who knows what kind of development happenings shuffled Arcanist to the forefront while leaving the tamer behind, but hopefully we’ll see that tamer job return in some point in the future... as long as they fix a lot of the big issues with Pet AI first. It looks like they also walked back the idea of summons developing over time, settling on them learning new skills as the player character leveled up.

Incapacitation of body parts for boss fights, encouraging party members to focus on single targets for more engaging battles. 

I never played too much of the original 1.0, but I do remember watching a friend play it and him talking a little bit about the incapacitation system in the game; using certain skills on certain enemies from certain directions would break parts of their body, changing skill usage, lowering damage dealt, and increasing certain drops. For example, striking a sheep-type enemy from the front with blunt attacks might break their horns. This always sounded like a cool system to me, but thinking about it it was probably very cumbersome to pull off. To my understanding, you were able to break Ifrit’s horns when they introduced his fight in the later 1.X patches, but aside from certain boss mechanics (Graffias’ tail in Toto-Rak, Amikiri’s legs in Shisui), this isn’t present in the current game, and may have just been reshaped into the boss phases we see in the game today.

Items

Examination of a system to introduce legacy FINAL FANTASY items.

Legacy items will have unique graphics and stats. Obtainable only by players fulfilling certain attribute requirements after first "applying" for them.

Requirements for obtaining classic items, as well as their graphics, to be altered in future updates. Appearance of items arlready obtained will change.

Planned for after version 2.0. Further details to be announced at a future date. 

There’s this whole section on “Legacy Final Fantasy Items”, and an apparently complex set of steps they had planned for you to obtain them. This was eventually reshaped into the current Veteran Subscription bonuses, as well as the new continuous subscription campaigns they’re rolling out.

In-game Areas

Redesign of all non-instanced areas for version 2.0.

Everyone’s seen the map of The Black Shroud. I don’t need to tell you why they did this.

Planning to convert all dungeons into instanced raids. Release of content finder (see below) to help players find groups quickly and easily.

Two new dungeons to be added in patch 1.21. More dungeons to follow after version 2.0. 

The conversion of dungeons mostly relates to the open-world dungeons that were in the game at the time - Shposhae, Copperbell, Tam-Tara, among others. The two 1.21 dungeons listed in the doc were Aurum Vale and Cutter’s Cry, two dungeons present in ARR that I know for a fact everyone loves to this day!

Release of treasure maps to be discoverable by Disciples of the Land. Planned for after version 2.0.

Maps to reveal location of chests and dungeons. Dungeons to be new content designed for a combination of classes from all Disciplines. Planned for after version 2.0.

Here’s some post-2.0 content that was actually implemented a bit down the line. Treasure Hunt was introduced in patch 2.1, but it wouldn’t be until well into Heavensward, in patch 3.3, that we’d see the planned dungeons to be added. While you can’t exactly contribute to Aquapolis as a Miner or Goldsmith (unless you count the crafting items as contribution?), the fact that they kept this content in mind for so long can ignite a bit of hope that other missing pieces will see their way into the game eventually.

Main Storyline

Release of a feature to replay cutscenes.

Planned for after version 2.0 due to cutscenes requiring retouching as part of overhauls to all in-game maps.

In-game voice in all four languages (Japanese, English, French, and German) after version 2.0.

Seventh Umbral Era storyline to give way to new storyline after version 2.0, and will not be replayable. 

This section is mostly made of concessions for then-current players of the game, especially those who dig the lore. It’s a bit of a shame they never got around to redoing the old 1.X cutscenes in the current game, but given how tight their development schedule was, they probably just didn’t have enough time. It’s also probably difficult to justify today, as the number of players who might’ve completed the original story can only go down, and it’d be developing content that only a relative handful of players would be able to enjoy. It is a shame that a lot of these cutscenes, and the lore they carry, are relegated to Youtube uploads of varying quality, but hopefully projects like the 1.X private server can pick up the slack for those who’d like to go through these on their own.

Battle System

Enemy claiming system done away with, and new system released that gives loot rights to first attacking party only.

Above system and new battle algorithms in-game as of patch 1.19. Future algorithm balancing to continue for version 2.0. 

Prior to this change, if someone claimed a monster, only they and their party could attack it, and could not receive any outside help. 

Balance and release of crowd control system with firm control of status timers (e.g., sleep, paralysis, blind) after stabilization of battle algorithms. 

If crowd control in 1.0 was anything like it was in FFXI, the duration and potency of effects was semi-random, based on your skill level and other factors like individual monster resistance. In the current system, crowd control has set durations and monsters can build resistance that reduces it’s effect time on multiple casts... in early game, anyway. By the time you get to any content that matters, you might as well take crowd control off your hotbar.

Two PvP venues, Coliseum and Frontlines, to be released after version 2.0. Unique zones to be created so as not to affect non-participating players.

Release of PvP-specific abilities, gear, and ranking. Support for multi-party alliances for large-scale content to be released together with the above. 

PvP is an experiment that continues to be worked on in the current game. PvP ranking didn’t really take off until the introduction of The Feast in patch 3.21, and attempts at battle balance eventually led us to the current system of an entirely separate PvP hotbar from the main game. I’d like to note the wording of “ Unique zones to be created so as not to affect non-participating players”, which I interpret as meaning the PvP zones were initially planned to be perpetual areas in the overworld, and not instances as they currently are.

Synthesis

Basis of new recipes released in patch 1.19. New additions to continue to be made prior to version 2.0.

New high-end recipes to have high levels of difficulty, not only in terms of recipe complexity, but also crafting location requirements (e.g., facilities within a kobold stronghold). 

I don’t believe that second bullet point was ever added to the game in any fashion. It’s neat to think about, but the developers probably realized that the sense of danger would evaporate as soon as players realized they could just raid the stronghold as a battle class, then switch to their crafting class once they were in the right place. Not something I’d expect to see in the game, although if you want to stretch the definition a bit the Ixal quests sending you to different crafting stations might qualify.

Materia released in patch 1.19, with future plans including release of additional materia slot items, materia to mitigate requirements to equip gear, further system expansions, and additional items. 

Nothing to mention here. Hey, did you know if you failed an overmeld in 1.X you lost the entire item? I thought that was interesting.

Release of an item notebook after version 2.0 to log all recipes and crafted items for consolidated, easy viewing.

Release of a "signature" feature for version 2.0 enabling players to put their names on items they craft. 

Again, that “after version 2.0″ wording makes it seem like they weren’t planning on adding the Crafting Log until after the main game came out. Can you imagine? 1.X players didn’t have to imagine - there was no easy resource in-game for viewing recipes, so you either scrounged what you could from NPCs or kept a resource open on your browser at all times.

Gathering

Disciple of the Land Stealth ability released in patch 1.19, enabling gatherers to remain concealed from enemies in the field.

Release of an item notebook after version 2.0 to log gathering level and item information for consolidated, easy viewing 

Another game system we take for granted of today, maybe not entirely expected this early in development? Yikes.

Release of treasure chests that may appear randomly at any gathering node.

Chests to yield treasure maps that may only be viewed by Disciples of the Land. 

You can see the beginnings of the current treasure map system beginning to form here. Since originally, gathering didn’t operate on selecting nodes like it does today, you wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint where the map is and try to gather it, so maps would be obtained from a randomly spawning chest at a node.

As a side note, if you want to know what gathering was like in 1.X, there’s a couple of minigames in the Gold Saucer that replicate the experience.

Company System

Release of in-game player communities known as Free Companies.

Planned for version 2.0. Free Companies can be formed by as few as 4 players by submitting an application to a Grand Company

 Free Company-specific content to earn points used to improve company rank, gain access to personal estates, perform cooperative synthesis. Planned for four-phase release after version 2.0. 

Again, more bits of content that were planned yet went unreleased until long after this document was revealed. Company workshops weren’t added to the game until 3.0!

Mounts

Chocobo mounts released in patch 1.19.

Future plans include chocobo gear, rearing, battle, mounted content, and shared chocobos, to be released sequentially after version 2.0.

Plans to release other forms of transportation. 

Everything seems to be in order here. “Mounted content” may mean some missing mounted combat... or just content like Chocobo Racing.

Communication

Release of a delivery system and mail system for version 2.0.

Delivery system to enable sending of items to safehouses and other players.

Items can be sent to other players regardless of their online status.

Mail system to enable sending of short in-game messages to other players.

Messages can be sent to other players regardless of their online status.

PC search function to be completely overhauled, and a search UI added with various functions (e.g., Free Company searches). 

Yet again, basic MMO features like sending and receiving messages was missing from the original game. I personally think the in-game player search function is wack even today, but the Lodestone search helps to pick up the slack if you really gotta stalk someone.

Release of a content finder system after version 2.0.

Content finder to allow input of information such as class, job, and level, to find other players across all worlds for groups for dungeons, instanced raids, primal battles, etc.

Further details to be released as they become available. 

The Duty Finder wasn’t planned to be in at release? I recall in one of the early beta phases, it was missing, and you were forced to gather outside of dungeon entrances and shout for party members, which wasn’t fun at all. I ended up healing most of the dungeons as Thaumaturge!

Achievements and Trophies

Achievement system to recognize and reward accomplishments in battle, synthesis, gathering, etc.

Release of additional achievements in future patches.

Various types of achievement rewards, such as titles and items.

Planned release of initial achievement system in patch 1.20, with over 300 achievements.

The only category I can say was added completely as planned.

New Content

New primal battles.

Summoning system that awards the ability to summon primals to Free Companies that defeat them. 

Aside from maybe mannequins and UI addons, this is the one feature request I see come up again and again. With how encounter gameplay is balanced, and how the lore explains the ramifications of primal summoning, I highly doubt this will ever be implemented in the game, but it’s fun to imagine summoning your bro Susano to fight at your side.

Campaign of battles against the dragon horde in the defense of Ishgard, with participation possible as any of the four Disciplines 

This seems to be similar to Hamlet Defense, which would crop up soon after this document hit in April 2012 (you can catch a quick overview of the content in this video). Hamlet Defense is a bit of content I’d like to see make a comeback in the current game, as a way for all classes to contribute towards a common goal. I’d secretly been hoping it’d sneak into some sort of FATE content for Stormblood, but alas...

Another side note - in some interview buried far away during early 2.0 promotion, Yoshida mentioned that both Ishard and Ala Mhigo would be accessible from the start of 2.0. They certainly had big plans for the game back then, even if they had to scale back to keep things realistic.

Two forms of PvP, the Coliseum and the Frontlines, to be released sequentially.

Large-scale instanced raids of the Crystal Tower and a vast labyrinth. Further expansions planned for future patches. 

So much for a “vast” labyrinth, huh? We might see this make a bit of a comeback in Eureka, but it remains to be seen if the development team learned from their mistakes in Diadem.

Wandering Odin primal, who grows in strength and drops greater treasures with each defeat. 

In early 2.0 beta datamining, there were placeholders for Odin fates in each zone in the game. They must’ve cut back on their plans at some point, as he only spawns in The Black Shroud now, and the concept of him growing stronger and dropping cool stuff was walked back in favor of the superFATE/token system we have now. 

And that’s it! I think it’s interesting to look back as some of the early plans for A Realm Reborn and compare them to what’s playable today, since we rarely get a look at planning documents like this for games in development. But the devs had to make sure they kept current players interested and future players excited for things to come, and even if not everything made it in or had to be changed during development, they stuck pretty closely to this document in the end.

Do you have any thoughts on this doc? Anything you think I got wrong? Feel free to let me know - feedback is always appreciated for long posts like this!

[dancingnlancing]

What Job should I pick for Stormblood?

Oh man oh man. I've been salivating over the newly announced gauges and abilities for almost every single job. I'm super pleased with the direction they seem to be moving in, although playing the game will be imperative for a true analysis of what's to come. Since I started playing at 2.x release, I've always played my own personal holy trinity: Black Mage, Warrior and Dragoon. Needless to say, I intend on maining one of these three again. However, there is another class that I played around with and did enjoy the concept of. Summoner. The addition of dreadwyrm trance added a level of engagement I felt was sorely needed from it's somewhat primitive 50 iteration. And while I had my fun with Summoner in heavensward from time to time, I never was quite good at the rotation so I stopped playing it. But now... Now they can summon MOTHER FUCKING BAHAMUT. HOLY FUCKING MOTHER MARRY JESUS CHRIST. I joked about it a lot, actually. Seeing them implement this is... A dream. I friggin' love dragons. Like... when I was a kid, I had Dragon everything. Dragon sheets, dragon clothes, dragon toys... if you've ever taken a trip to my art gallery on Deviant Art (Dekuinthelake if you are curious), you'll see it's just oozing with draconian love. Being able to HAVE A HUGE BAHAMUT MINION is soooo enticing. Anyone agree? On the other hand, the concept and attire of Black Mage's has been something I've loved for a very long time. Heck, I even have a bumper sticker on my car that's the Black Mage sprite from FFV, and at one point I was considering getting the same branded on my skin. BLM has traditionally been lost in design choices since the beginning of Heavensward. Enocian didn't last long enough, so they changed it. At first thunder was a useless DoT. As you level some spells become totally useless and clog up space on your bar. It's just a mess of not knowing which direction to go, in my opinion. There is no telling what it will play like now from what little I've seen. Teleporting back to lay lines will be nice. It's my hope that this teleporting ability won't be chained to players and lay lines, but you'll still have the option to choose. I was so disappointed the first time I leveled black mage to 60 at the launch of HW. It just didn't feel thematically like the black mage I expected. They are elementalist death wizards-- dark, hidden. Their power saps from the very world around them. Fucking radical. I was hoping for more spells revolving around those similar themes. At 70, it seems that they are getting more time mage esque abilities, and I'm not sure if, for me, that sells the job fantasy I loved so much in older games which 14 is trying so hard to exploit. (Speaking of final fantasy 5 they totally jacked the multiple worlds plot thread entirely from that game. I mean SHEESH.) Dragoon is tricky... I love the way it plays at the moment-- very reminiscent of Feral Druids from WoW which I adore. Likewise, I also Role-Play Dragoon and really like the story behind them. The new blood of the dragon gauge has me incredibly curious for how it will actually work. What triggers it to turn red? That eye opening animation is freaking beautiful. However, I do worry there will be too many abilities and this may bog down the natural rhythm it has currently. In my opinion, the rotation feels very natural and the ability weaving makes the long global cooldowns that tend to slow down other classes far more bearable. Elusive Jump is possibly my favorite ability in the game, however, I do hope they decrease its cooldown. A confirmed downside for me is the armor set they have opening patch. I'm of the opinion that those head wings look mighty stupid. It's still better than the HW artifact set which... Asswings. Dear god I hate asswings. Shifting to a more neutral topic, Warrior seems perfectly stable with its update. The rage bar adds some much needed visual fidelity to the abilities, and four fell cleaves makes me drool. Warrior has and likely always will be my favorite tank. I'm a hot head in actuality, and the idea of a super powers axe wielding angry dude is slick-- at least to my sensibilities. I am, however, cautious to be a tank first for many reasons. First of all, I do like to use long DPS queues to get stuff done. I like multi-tasking, and I feel more relaxed to have breaks in between instances on most days. Also, I'm probably an averagely skilled player, and raiders hold tanks to incredibly high standards I rarely meet. No one has ever been mean about it really, but I'm self conscious and insecure of doing anything I'm not good at. It's hard to really speculate at this point what jobs will truly feel like to play until they release notes, and eventually the game itself. For a number of reasons in HW, I lost steam for the game after leveling black mage, hating it, then having to relevel with horrible levequests and fates to play an enjoyable class, dragoon. FF14 isn't perfect, and the somewhat bare and unpolished launch it's first expansion really highlighted some failures on the development department. That being said, they were put under a lot of pressure, given a poor budget and over worked. This time around, it seems the team has had a lot better a time, which will probably end in a more refined product and launch for Stormblood. As someone who always maxes out all the classes, it's a pretty exciting prospect to possibly discover new styles of play I like, and in general the FF14 crew seems to gradually be becoming more competent in designing an MMO. Needless to say, I'm very eager to get my hands dirty and test out everything they've created. Until launch, though, I'm perplexed by the question: What Job to play first?

[linelpisffxiv]

Facts about A’lin

1. She was not born from the main Nunh. As mentioned in Stormblood (And apparently elsewhere) there can be more than one nunh for a tribe. A’Gra’eme was not in charge of the Antelope Tribe, just part of its territory, and he deferred to the other nunh.

2. A'lin is the third child of 15 of A’Gra’eme. Both her older siblings are male, making her the oldest female. Her older brothers’ names are A’odh Tia and A’lias Tia. Her younger siblings are a mix of male and female and don’t have names.

3. A’lin took the north path to Gridania, through Mor Dhona and Coerthas. While this has moved to a shitposting blog, one thing hinted at in the past when I wanted to do a plot was that she’s aware five years passed, but isn’t aware that she has five years of fake memories and is biologically younger than she thinks she is. She was not part of the battle at Carteneau, and the driver tried to talk her out of going that way, but she wanted to see Coerthas for reasons of her patron deity. While others may or may not have been caught in Louisoix’s blast, she somehow got caught as well, a pathetic level 1 archer who just wanted to train in Gridania

4. You’ve seen her take Halone’s name in vain, and as I said, Halone’s her patron deity. This is because the day she was born, the Antelope Tribe dealt with a semi-freak hailstorm. Back home, she was sometimes called “Lin of Snow.”

5. She’s related to A’aba. He’s a sibling to A’Gra’eme, I think. Or maybe a cousin of some kind. More likely her Uncle, given Seeker traditions.

6. A’aba, Haurchefant, Francel, and most of the Scions just call her “Lin.” After all, the A’ just marks her as part of the Antelope Tribe. She’s not fond of Y’shtola because she’s all “Formality, don’t call me Shtola. Even if we’ve known each other for years.”

7. Her Echo is much stronger than in canon. She can sometimes pick up deliberate lies. Also, she’s very prone to vivid dreams of the past. However, everything that isn’t explicitly based in canon, she chucks to also often dealing with aethersickness. And even many things that are canonically part of the echo she chucks to her aethersickness. She sometimes uses that belief to hide when she does have the echo. Because of this, there’s a weird tin-drum effect whenever someone calls Lyse “Yda.” It’s also why she deliberately changed Alberic’s words from “Has the power of the dragon” to “Is the power of a dragon” since even if he doesn’t know the whole story of the Dragonsong War, he probably does have some idea it’s actually Niddhogg’s eye, and that eyes are dragon’s powers.

8. She has issues with Ishgard in general specifically because of her patron diety. Even most of the good ones she thinks are kind of idiots (Francel, Alberic), and will be snappy about it. Her mood will soften mostly during the Dragonsong War. Estinien and Aymeric have to work hard to go from “Means well, but idiots” to “I trust them.” She’ll like Ysale from the moment they meet. “You hate Ishgard, but you’re from Ishgard. I like you already.” And yes, I’ll be doing the dark knight quest between Singularity Reactor and the beginning of the patches, if only because I hate jumping between jobs. It will be set during Heavensward, though, shortly after Haurchefant dies.

9. The whole deal about how I headcanon her relationship with Haurchefant: During the time they’re in Dragonhead. There’s a lot of flirting, and a couple moments alone. That said, neither have it as anything serious. There is a “Hey, if you’re ever here, you can always stop by, and we can clear the war room” bit, but it’s more FWB/FB than love. The whole love thing happens because I’m a dork who likes to randomly visit dragonhead. Right now, half the Lancer HL is in Coerthas, so she’s spending time there between 2.0 and 2.X quests. That’s when things start getting serious, especially with all the stuff that goes on in Coerthas in late 2.X (Ysale, Steps of Faith, fleeing after the bloody banquet)

[grimmwolfgaming]

A Realm Reborn (Base Game) Release on PS3, PS4 and PC: August 27, 2013

Heavensward (First Expansion) Release on PS4 and PC: June 23, 2015

Stormblood (Second Expansion) Release on PS4 and PC: June 20, 2017

Developer and Publisher: Square Enix

Genre: MMORPG

The teams at Square Enix have always been some of the best storytellers in video games. That passion for narrative unsurprisingly reappeared in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and continued into the games two expansions: Heavensward and Stormblood. Many players would agree that FFXIV is one of the best, if not the best, MMO on the market, and its narrative focus is one of the biggest reasons for that.

The problem with being the best is a tendency to make a mold and stick to it. Stormblood is a wonderful addition the FFXIV universe, but it isn’t that much different from past expansions. When it rolled out in June, the only “new” feature it boasted was the ability to swim in select zones. Everything else was simply a new version of things players had seen before. The biggest example is the new primals (bosses). Every expansion has its primals and there is no denying how fun, or sometimes infuriating in a good way, those fights can be.

Susano

Lakshmi

These fights are something players have  come to expect and will no doubt be in every expansion to come. The issue with the primals this time around is that they were poorly worked into the story. The main story focus of liberating Ala Mhigo and Doma felt like it took a short commercial break while the Warrior of Light was made to deal yet another primal threat…twice. Lakshmi especially felt like the developers said, “Oh shoot we forgot to write in a second primal fight, lets throw one in randomly right before the end where it makes the least amount of sense.” At this point the Warrior of Light receives a crash course on the beast tribe called the Ananta before being thrown in head first to fight their “Lady of Bliss”.

The new zones of the Expansion are Gyr Abania and Othard. Othard is wonderfully rendered and contains areas that are clearly inspired by places like Japan, China, and Mongolia. The new main city, Kugane, while the most beautifully done thus far, is also the most loosely tied into the story. It is not part of Doma, the area of focus in the region, and it is not controlled by the games villains.  Hopefully this issue with go away as the patches introduce more story into the game. Right now it feels like it was put into the game simply because the expansion needed a main city, even though all the necessary vendors for end game gearing and content are in Rhalgr’s Reach.

Rhalgr’s Reach

Kugane

While Othard was new and well done, Gyr Abania was not. The graphic detail and size of the zone were breathtaking, however, the scenery and aesthetic were far too similar to things the game has already done with Thanalan, a base game zone. It gave players another desert climate area with a lot of snake and bug themed monsters. It didn’t feel new or inspired.

The new classes, Red Mage and Samurai, were some of the best thus far. I personally have played mainly as a Bard thus far and am now considering switching my focus to the Red Mage class. Red mages are a hybrid mage class using both White and Black magics. They can be devastating attackers while also being excellent healers despite being classified as DPS. Samurai are a pure DPS class that truly pack a punch with their devastating combos.

Red Mage

Samurai

Both classes were well done and deserving of applause. The only issue they present is the fact that they are both DPS classes. Heavesward introduced a Tank, Healer, and DPS class while Stormblood only added to the already long list of DPS classes. This makes the long dungeon queue time for DPS even longer.

The developers made the decision to make Class Armor a class quest reward as they did in A Realm Reborn. In Heavensward it was changed to make the armor obtainable by purchase with hard to get tomestones (in game currency obtained through finishing dungeons). It is good to see that the team can admit a mistake and correct it.

For the most part class ability additions and changes were good, except the the removal of the Summoner ability Sustain, which allowed players to heal their pet. As a Summoner, I found my tank pet was constantly dying and once re-summoned would have a hard time regaining aggro. I worry that changes like this are going to become common as the class ability pools get too large and the devs have to start stripping away old abilities that may have been crucial to the way a class is played.

Finally, the expansion introduced a new mentor system that allowed long time players to help coach and mentor returning or new players. This system sounds wonderful in theory but was not in reality. Personally I have been in numerous dungeons with player who have the mentor icon but don’t know any of the mechanics and don’t speak at all in chat. They aren’t willing to communicate and isn’t that what being a mentor is? The selection process for mentors needs to be much more rigorous.

Mostly what I want from the next expansion is a break from the norm. Take risks, introduce things that are completely new. For example World of Warcraft introduced Garrisons in Warlord of Draenor and Artifact Weapons in Legion. Garrisons weren’t very successful but at least they took the risk. So my main feedback points are as follows:

Put the Warrior of Light back in the spotlight. Side characters are more than welcome to share it, but Lyse just took it away completely.

Stop relying so heavily on post-expansion patches for the bulk of new content and story. If that isn’t possible, the patches need to be closer together. Its almost October and we are still waiting on the first major patch.

Stay true to the base classes, find a different way to add new things to them without taking the abilities away completely. Maybe try the subclass route the World of Warcraft took.

Summoners need more egis! Or at the very least a much wider array of skins to choose from. Where is my Shiva, Rhamu, Leviathan, Ravana, Bismark, Sophia, Sephirot, Zurvan, Susano, and Lakshmi skins!

Continue to be a great game that I will never get tired of.

This game is still the best MMO on the internet. I struggled to find fault with it, and that is a good thing. It has a rich story full of unique characters and I have been in love with it since day one. If this were a review of the entire game it would easily be ranked 4.8 or 4.9. But since this is just a rank for Stormblood, and the expansion itself didn’t introduce any game changers or break the mold in any way I give it the rank:

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood – Review A Realm Reborn (Base Game) Release on PS3, PS4 and PC: August 27, 2013 Heavensward (First Expansion) Release on PS4 and PC: 

[autumnslance]

For the character breakdown thing: Yuigiri Mistwalker

These were from awhile ago but I did recently reblog some of those posts...

Give me a character and I’ll break them down:

How I feel about this character: I've always liked Yugiri. She's a calm, steady rock of dedication; to her Lord, to her people, to her friends, to her own convictions. She calms the refugee Doman children with games that also serve practical purposes of teaching them to hide and get away, so in a time of crisis they can be guided and have a chance. She's extremely perceptive, extremely sneaky, and when you consider all of her ace shinobi skills with the added benefit of her native Kojin Blessing, extremely scary when she needs to be.

She is the type of woman to see her satisfaction in serving others, helping others, protecting others. Selfless, in some ways similar to WoL themselves--including taking it to a stubborn fault.

And like WoL there are some times of mischief, though suppressed under propriety and duty and discipline as it is. But she is the one who used to sneak out of Sui-no-Sato to brave the surface to learn of the world, and then get into all sorts of trouble with her buddy Shun.

Sometimes that impulsive side mixes with a long-simmering temper that leads to a rare but disastrous decision. Made the worse, perhaps, because she is normally so level-headed and reasonable, on top of her own charisma, that it seems like it could be a decent plan, maybe...

After reading Chronicles of Light, I also maintain that while she worries about what proper or improper things may or may not have happened while Hien lived with the Mol, after hearing the story of how they found and cared for him, and seeing Cirina's reactions, Yugiri ships it. If only because she wants to see her brother Lord happy and to relax for once.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: No one, actually; Yugiri strikes me as so dedicated to her duty that even if she has such thoughts and feelings, she has locked and buried them away in favor of her role at Hien's side.

There aren't a lot of wolships out there with her that I've seen, but it's always nice to find them. There's a lot of room for both sweetness and tension there.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: With both Hien and Gosetsu. Her and Hien have been friends since childhood, getting into all sorts of mischief together--that Gosetsu bailed them out of. There's a lifelong camaraderie and familial feelings there, beyond the fealty owed to the Lord of Doma or respect owed to an elder.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I dunno what opinions there are of her; I don't see many takes these days on Yugiri, nor remember that many from earlier times (or I blessedly missed them). She's kinda perfect the way she is, so I don't want her to change. But I do wish...

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: That she wasn't sidelined so hard in Stormblood. There's only so much space for so many characters, and there needed to be some focus on Hien and Gosetsu since we've known Yugiri since the ARR patches, but it still felt bad to see her out of focus when she was who we met first out of the Doman crew.

I was happy she gets a chance to go home, even if briefly and in disguise, in Endwalker's Aiming Role Quests, and the careful convo with her parents is nice (pretty sure Mom knew Exactly what was up), but what I'd really like, especially with WoL's relationship with the Ruby Princess (yeah OK it's all side content BUT), is for Yugiri to be pardoned and allowed to return home, to come and go freely and see her family, as she likes. After everything, she deserves it.

[autumnslance]

FFXIV Write 2020 #9: Lush

((CW: discussion of body weight in the beginning. Late Stormblood patches))

Aeryn woke surrounded by thick blankets and heavy pillows, on a bed far larger than any she had ever slept in before. She was warm and it felt indulgent to just stay among the downy comfort—especially since she wasn’t sure she could get out of the feather bed without aid.

In the next room she heard voices, and tried to focus on what they were saying.

“You’ve said many things about the Warrior of Light,” Singing Willow was saying. “None of that included the girl being naught more than skin and bones.”

“She’s a midlander, Mother,” Dark Autumn evenly replied, her smoky voice almost too low to hear. “They don’t grow as broad as we do to begin with.”

“I’ve seen more meat on the refugees that stumble through,” the older woman countered. The sound of the oven banging closed punctuated her words. “At the very least while she’s a guest in my house, she’ll eat properly.”

“As you say, Mother,” Dark said in resigned amusement.

Aeryn let her attention drift again, the roegadyns’ voices fading into the background. She stuck her arms into the air overhead. She had been run a bit ragged lately, but she had plenty of lean muscle along her limbs and frame. She was, however, lacking a decent amount of body fat for extra energy and warmth.

She had always been a bit underweight, honestly; a problem since her childhood that she had never quite outgrown despite her family’s best efforts. Putting on muscle was just about the only way she had been able to achieve a healthy weight. Mayhap someday her overactive metabolism would settle in and she would put on a few ponzes.

It would probably help too if she wasn’t always bouncing hither and yon with too little sleep and what bites of food she could snag as adventures and duties took her across the realm to the Far East and back again.

Though now she had to stay as close to home as she could. Alisaie needed her.

Aeryn struggled to at least sit up in the midst of the thick bedding; Singing Willow and Iron Summer did not skimp on their guest accommodations. Apparently the room had belonged to one of their numerous children once, but with everyone grown and spread across the realm, many of the rooms in the rambling house had been granted other purposes, or only opened during holidays when relatives came to visit.

The sun was coming in, gold light filtered through leaves. The window was surrounded by a trellis, lush foliage framing the pane, pink and white flowers waving in the breeze from amidst the leaves. Beyond were the gardens taking up most of the yard, various vegetables and fruits grown in sections and rows that Dark said were rotated each year, one bed each season left fallow and covered in mulch. Past the gardens rows of fruit trees and bushes lined the property’s boundaries before merging with the forest.

It must have been a lovely place to grow up.

Breakfast scents were coming from the kitchen, and Iron’s bone-deep chuckles joined his wife and daughter’s voices. One of them was going to come to rouse her soon, but for the moment, Aeryn remained in the bed, arms wrapped around her drawn-up knees, and privately conceded that perhaps Dark had been right to drag her here after their last failed errand to find a cure for the archons’ mysterious condition.

Maybe they should have brought Alisaie, too. Perhaps next time. As it was, Aeryn mostly felt guilty for letting Dark bring her here while Aeryn was too exhausted to argue, to take advantage of Dark’s parents’ hospitality and make the Warrior of Light get a good night’s rest.

And apparently a roegadyn-sized breakfast, as Singing Willow knocked on the wall between the guest room and the kitchen, calling for Aeryn as if rousing one of her own children.

Aeryn stretched and in the end, rolled to the edge of the bed to get out and onto the floor. A moment’s rest to make Dark happy before returning to the increasingly fruitless search to find a cure for their friends’ condition--and maybe stop that voice Calling them for good.

But breakfast first.

[alvaar-aldaviir]

Movement: Affrettando

Time Frame: Stormblood, 4.4 patch. Spoilers accordingly.

Notes: No real warnings required. Just an introspective piece on Alvaar’s thoughts through the Burn in the search for Alphinaud. A companion to Patching Up Wounds, and part of that lovely segment in the SB post patch where Alvaar and Alisaie's friendship strengthens

Cross-posted to Ao3.

 -

It’s been some time since he’d last slipped the lease on his anger but there’s enough sand and wind and plenty enough teeth to warrant Alvaar’s rage in his solo flight through The Burn.

It’s not something that he’s proud of, but letting the rage consume him is far more preferable to the paralyzing fear that waits for him outside of it.

 -

  He remembers landing in the harsh sands with his yol, still hearing the faint echoes of Lord Hien on the winds calling them to seek shelter.

Shelter. Pah.

If they were afraid of a storm, then he would continue alone. He would scour all the Burn if he had to. He would march straight to Garlemald and rip this fake Zenos’ throat out a second time and torch his infernal body if he found so much as a hair on Alphinaud’s head had been damaged.

Like hell he was about to sit and wait when he was in danger…

Alisaie wasn’t here right now. He didn’t need to keep up the calm air of faith and be the steady rock between them. The level head else it would send them both weapons drawn straight to the Garlean border.

There were monsters. A few machines he thinks. A stretch of time running in metal corridors with the baleful cry of the sandstorm against the hull of a broken ship.

It was all cloaked in red, and he didn’t even try this time to reign it in with the single-minded purpose and anger coursing in his veins. Rage was preferable to the coiling knots of terror. Fighting better than an endless assault of potential death or capture or- His heart pounded a staccato as his bow creaked and hummed with every snap of the string. A lone lupine howl of his song wailing higher and more fearsome than the storm in his wake as he cut a bloody path through whatever moved to oppose him.

Alvaar was not afraid of wind and sands when they beckoned to his call. He was the eye of this storm and God’s be good and true if they did not find some sign Alphinaud was alright...

He would bury the empire under a mountain of fire and sand and ash. He’d ask penance from corpses and play a dirge even Nidhogg would envy.

There are white scales and teeth. A draconian form slipping through the fog and sands to harry him, slowing his frantic search. And its fire and snow and the bitter cold of Coerthas cutting against his skin as he settles into a familiar dance of death. Carving their path forward as he has always done for the youth that believed him capable of miracles. For the ally that had remained at his side and steadied him in his darkest moments…

The blade-point of the Halonic bow is sunk as far as it can reach behind the dragon’s skull. Severing nerves and tendons as Estinien had shown him while the white scaled beast shudders its last under his feet.

And the world is blue and bright and dazzling as he gasps for air in lungful’s that sting like sandpaper though the storm has since abated. And this white sandy hellscape is not Coerthas. There is no Estinien, no Alphinaud, no Ysayle trailing in his wake on their joint quest for peace...

There’s instead a firm hand at his wrist, someone that looks like his precious friend but who definitely is not. And it’s the part concern, part nervous look on Alisaie’s face that breaks through his fatigue and sends sound back through his ears. He can hear Y’shtola and Hien speaking in the background while Alisaie studies him worriedly, though he can’t yet comprehend what they’re saying through the fog of fatigue.

Her white magic doesn’t feel the same as her twins. It’s not calm and warm, but passionate and hot as it races through him sealing his wounds. It feels like a burn by comparison and the realities crash in around him in the wake of his last full rage since they’d rescued Rauhban as he puffs for air and notes he’s covered in splatters of blood. This is not a hundred previous battles with worried hands and voice at his side patching his wounds. The winding fluff of a carbuncle leaned against his shin while it’s master frets in that quiet but obvious way of his.

He’d thought he’d be done with feeling helpless. That after this bloody campaign and storm of steel, with a true turning point in the steady march of their enemy, maybe things could be different now. But no, he was seldom ever that lucky.

This world only ever saw fit to take what desperate things he struggled to hold on to…

Hands grip on his forearm carefully, a brief pause to pat firmly at his leather jacket and shake off some of the sand in a shower of white grit. He feels fingers threading with his own over the supple leather of his gloves, squeezing tight as his name sounds between them. Soft and gentle with concern.

His fingers hurt as he releases the white-knuckle grip on his bow to leave it standing blade down and unwavering where it’s still imbedded in flesh. The joints in his hand creaking as they’re finally allowed to move and flex a moment before he’s settling his hand over hers slowly.

He hurts. Inside and out. Muscles aching faintly from a berserker fury and pushing himself just a bit too hard. Heart clenched in a mute fear as the lack of news or evidence of Alphinaud’s presence cuts him up inside. Heavy with guilt that he’d let him go when all his instincts had screamed not to. That it was too dangerous no matter how right Alphinaud’s reasoning had been or how much Alvaar had seen the Arcanist had needed to stretch his wings and fly solo for his own dreams of peace.

He’d failed to protect him and the knowledge it might cost Alisaie her sibling hurt even more than the silent fear that the one person who probably knew him best was now well and truly missing and possibly even dead...

“Alvaar,” she tries again, shaking him just a bit and tone a little more forceful. Pulling his focus steadily from everything dark and haunted within him. Making his fingers twitch over hers as he starts to rouse back to the present.

“Alvaar.” Still quiet, but there’s a command in that tone and it breaks him free and has him meeting those too blue eyes again. Deep and vibrant as the midday sea.

“M’here,” he murmurs softly, voice dry and weak. “Still here... sorry. Sorry I didn’t... I couldn’t...” He looks about, unable to find better words before meeting her gaze again sadly.

The tight look of worry on her face holds for a moment before she dips her head and leans into his arm. Takes a moment to steady herself before lifting her gaze to his again, azure eyes burning with firm conviction. “We’ll find him. My brother may be foolish, but he knows better than to die on me. He’ll send word once he can. Come on, let’s go back and sort out a plan. ... You need a bath too; you look a wreck.”

It’s enough to make him blink, an ear flipping faintly in disbelief as she manages the faintest grin before pulling away and freeing the canteen from his belts. Taking off the cap she hands it to him with a no-nonsense air, pushing it at him again when he takes a second too long to claim it. “Come on. We’ll all be in trouble if you wear out your voice and can’t be your usual chatterbox self.”

It’s not the same as what he’s known. It’s not the dear friend he’s grown to rely on more than he wanted to admit, who’s seen him at his best and at his absolute worst.

But Alisaie doesn’t have to be. They’re different in many ways, but alike in more ways that matter. He’s no less committed to protecting her either, even as it seems she feels the same. So he rinses his teeth and takes a drink. Coughs and clears his throat before offering it back, staying put so she can cap it and hook it back to his belt while he yanks his bow free and shakes the dark blood off the spearhead. Clipping it onto his back, he settles a hand at the Red Mage’s shoulder and pulls her into his side for a brief one-armed hug.

“Whatever it takes. I’m with you,” he murmurs, lifting his head to meet Y’shtola’s thoughtful look while Hien politely studied the landscape instead. Neither miss the way Alisaie grips onto the hand still at her shoulder, but the Miqo’te doesn’t comment on it as she tilts her head.

“There’s naught left here for us. Let us away.”