#death doman

[viiioca]

day 9: style

From the journal of Estelle de Laussienne, 20th of the 5th Umbral Moon, 2 7A.E. I'm wondering now if the entire Dragonsong campaign wasn't a mistake. Perhaps, with some foresight, we could have relocated Tataru somewhere more temperate? More pleasant? I'm afraid that in her fervor to contribute to the Scions – and through both proximity and an otherworldly endurance – she has acquired all of the absolute worst qualities of the Crozier's tailors. With a buttered rum or two, she might find herself a match for the Hospitaliers' most miserable bedside manners. She is far too small to be able to tug me this way and that, and yet I'm subjected to her demands all the same.  That is to say, she is a wonderful tailor. Her studies have revealed the blossom of a real talent, and with the minimal fuss I might find with other seamstresses and launderers who don't have the stomach to tolerate the mysterious fluids and entrails an adventurer might find themselves covered in. I could ask for little more. And yet, if she jabs another set of bossy little fingers into my ribcage, I may very well seize her by scruff like a misbehaving cat and heave her straight into Kugane's wastewater canals.

[roevember 2023 prompt by wintertitania]

[eemamminy-art]

You have turned me from a Zenos hater into a Zenos ambilaventer keep posting and you might manage to turn me into a Zenos lover

If you already hated him though is me drawing him really going to make that big of a difference? 😩 Like I know I give him a fat ass and extremely delicious nose in my artwork but now I feel compelled to give you my tedtalk on why I like zenos lmao

This is about to be really long and also contains spoilers for stormblood, shadowbringers, and endwalker

This might surprise you but I like Zenos for his characterization and storyline in the game itself! The fanart is just kind of a bonus. He's one of many examples in Stormblood of a character that is shaped by their experiences, though I think it's not told as successfully as it is for like, Fordola, Arenvald, or Yotsuyu, because a key part of his backstory was locked to a short story in a print-only book (which I think is out of print now). The most you see of it in the actual game is this blink and you miss it line from Lyse at the very end of 4.0:

(Dialog from the quest "Stormblood", patch 4.0)

What really, really appeals to me about Zenos though, is that he is the personification of depression and that really resonates with me. He has anything he could possibly want, he has accomplished a great many things, but he feels completely hollow inside. He's miserable. He slaughtered countless Domans including their leader and felt nothing, commanded to do it by his father because (as shown in that short story) he only ever was acknowledged to even exist to his father when he practiced violence. So it's a given now, that's what's expected of him and that's all his life is. He's completely desensitized.

He finds one thing that makes him feel alive, that is the warrior of light challenging him, and it becomes his sole focus. Nothing else matters but chasing that high, because every single other thing is a low. After being bested by the warrior of light for the very last time, faced with probably prison for his crimes, he decides to die by his own hand on that high note rather than go back to the drudgery and misery that is everything else.

It's why in endwalker he can be swayed to do something good at the very, very end. He doesn't have a moral compass because he was shaped into an attack dog by his father, he sees "righteousness" as an excuse for war. Because I mean, what else is Garlean propaganda but righteousness from their twisted perspective? He asks Jullus if he would be happier had he a good reason to kill so many garleans after killing his own father— he makes it plain that death is death and there is no justice or good or evil in his eyes. He did have a reason, and it was that his father's use of black rose would likely kill the warrior of light, the only person or thing that gave Zenos any joy in life. Later, it was that Fandaniel dangled the idea that the warrior of light would be attracted to the slaughter and would come running to stop him so he killed more people during the civil war after the emperor's death. But he doesn't need to say that that was why. The reason doesn't matter, he knows the action would not change no matter how it was justified. Even if it was a "good" reason, death is death.

(Dialog from the quest "The Time Between the Seconds", patch 4.0)

(Dialog from the quest "As the Heavens Burn", patch 6.0)

I often see people take Alisaie's part in that scene as her convincing him to be a better person but that's really not what happens. He knows if he takes that action that others perceive as good and helps to stop Endsinger, he could have that high again in facing the warrior of light one more time. He could find joy and meaning, even for a fleeting moment. Then once again end it all because he fears returning to the low monotony of life. It's all over his dialog, especially in Endwalker. The dialog at the very end where he asks the warrior of light if they feel fulfilled, I know is meant to be a bit more of a meta question toward the player themselves, but I'd like to think it's Zenos comparing how different his outlook is to the warrior of light's. The warrior of light has many things keeping them going, whereas Zenos is drowning in despair with only one bright spot that he is constantly chasing time and time again.

(Dialog from the quest "Friends Gathered", patch 6.0)

those three tiny lines can hold so much zenoswol yearning in them AAAAAAAAAAAAA I AM not well

I personally still feel like there was room for him to survive that and to be gently guided into more and more good and try to undo some of that conditioning but I think he might be too polarizing of a character for him to become a permanent ally in canon. Much as I would love to see that! I have to wonder if the mentions of him in the 6.X patches that bounced between positive and negative were testing the waters, but I will leave my tinfoil hat aside because this post is already WAY too long lmao

I understand why people dislike him: they think he enjoys murder because he does it without "a good reason", they don't like how obsessive he becomes toward the warrior of light who is an extension of the player themselves, they don't like that in Fandaniel's scheme in "in from the cold" Zenos is the one inhabiting the warrior of light's body. Totally get it, totally understand.

I'm just saying I see the complexity to him and I find it compelling. Just as I found the overwhelming grief and despair that motivated Nidhogg or Emet-selch or Elidibus to be compelling. I think what people miss though when you like an antagonist is that feeling empathy toward them means you don't feel empathy toward the people they harmed, or that you somehow agree with what they did. But really, I just love seeing these characters that are faced with such tragedy or misery that they start to lose sight of right and wrong. They're driven entirely by emotions. For a story where emotions are literally power, I think it's a really interesting angle to take with the antagonists of that story.

Man, where was I going with this? 😂 I just love Zenos... I don't think I will be convincing anyone to like him who doesn't already, and that's not at all my intent. I just thought I'd share my perspective a little bit after getting this ask!

[captainkurosolaire]

Father of Shadow

Grey skies of bone waste, dry uncertain humidity polluted the air, in a time stone of an oppressive era. When a peaceful Nation was under siege of a Garlean Empire was prominent conflict. Depleted soul's were torn from destruction brought upon them, not able to spark their rebel spirits. Hopelessness festered, longed, in the dark-void, absence reigned. Until those who dwell and thrive in night, answered. A Doman elegant-magpie, colored descended below gracefully upon a leather-glove, with a braille message-strung delicately for delivery, to who wields sharp steel and handles Black Miracles. It read two-words, stroked in Hingashi. "Unsheathe Shadow." The figure clad to black, descended below a tall cliff-side using a large-bright dragon-theme kite at the last daring moment, blocking a Magitek Armor with an Operator and fellow squadron leading a convoy of spoiled slavers, formerly settlers, farmers of the neighboring land, that'd know a harvest again. Feet-padded quietly a step in their pause. This mask-silhouette figure gave a small startle. Keen eyes of one Imperialist gave rise to a Eastern-forged scabbard blade, letting out a small-laugh from his throat, "Hey, Men! Seems we forgot one. Ki--" Cut off before the executive order, through a sleeved kunai punctured the throat. The specter of death, was swarmed instantaneous. Time felt frozen momentarily, when two-pursuers stepped in striking distance, before they were aware of the next breathe, they were struck down from a blinding quick unsheathe. A firm masculine gloved-hand grappled one of the defeated imperialist by their skull and used their cadaver as a shield-charge to block, a volley of ballistics sponged to the reload, swiftly, the assailant lunged his blade through the deceased into the reloading legionary, puncturing two-hearts. Crushing flail came swinging towards the assailant from behind, stern senses strengthened for obscured sight gave an acrobatic bending dodge, strands of raven hair's plucked grazing overhead, the swordsman withdrew his blade full of heated ichor, blinding the bruiser. Handicapped and shouting obscenities, he withdrew his chained-flail, the assailant vanished alongside the call-back, leaping carefully on returning weapon. Graciously leaping overhead. A swift-slice midair struck. Another head fell below removed from neck. Sudden commotion and pause made the prisoner's of war began up-roaring with renewed spirits, kicking at their confines. Magitek-Armored pilot took firing aim and unleashed a mini-gun of bullets at the shadow. The figure-glided with the wind, feline ear's rattling towards the preparing machinery coiling before assault, heel's building up wind, his blade let out a howling gust, rocketing him forth towards a hanging-tree, bullet's closely racketing behind. Fluid-movement, his free-arm locked onto a sturdy branch. He parted his blade-flat below his feet using it like a temporarily standing-board. Then unhooked from hip satchel a paper-scrolled bomb strung to another kunai, a fuse laid underneath the hilt like a switch, once launched and struck its target, it'd detonate. Ilm's from filling the assassin with swissed-holes, the weapon's arm of the machinery imploded and cracked pilot's glass windshield, the magitek armor fell off balance, exposed trying to regain control. His eye's-opened widely. Sole's directly above his small-layer between him, in the death-dealer who had catapulted and sprung himself with a feline leap. Shedding a last-gasp before expertly steel slid between the cracked- creases, and impaled him unable to evade demise. His skull ragged dolled forth bashing into the detonation button. Electrical in-balance was felt predicatively, the assassin leapt backwards, yet was unable to clear. Blocking with his arm's and blade, shrapnel of machinery projectiles dug into his flesh, boom sent the shadow careening below harshly.

Ember's surrounding him, scorched land and concussed with his hearing shrieking, distorted, his mask cracked. His body was tortured fashioned to these sensations. Adrenaline coursing inside him, nullifying the extent of his injuries, momentarily, he rolled instinctively feeling the heat near his feline tail. Despite being a deadly-weapon, expressionless, empty-nearly. He finished his task employed, by releasing the prisoner's door, they flooded out looking to find their rescuer but only a blood-trail remained mixed with all the other disarray. He had a date, with someone, that daringly made his sharpest blade, blunt. Even demolished like this, he wouldn't miss the intended target who'd forever alter his knowledge of Life. Using his blade-hilt as a cane to hold uprightness. In all or any; Darkness... There was somewhere a Light, to appreciate.

[Prev:Chapter]: ~ ♪"As Above, So Below"♪

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

Day 30: Two Heads Are Better Than One

two dark knights, two reckless fools, and a fight on a bridge. sidurgu x wol (pre-relationship). heavensward. written for ffxivwrite2024. rated: mature tags: combat violence 2795 words ao3 link

Falling snow whispers about him, blown upon a gust of wind.  

The grey skies grow dark—too dark, alarmingly dark for the height of noon, the sun obscured by thick clouds. The air is choked with snow as assuredly as the depths of Sohm Al are choked with ash, blotting out the trees and nearby hills until nothing remains but the colossal iron bridge ahead. The blizzard has been growing for some time, and it is only going to get worse.

Fine by him. It’s preferable, come to think of it.

Sidurgu hefts his greatsword, the weight bearing down upon his shoulders. This isn’t so bad, as far as endings go. A standoff on a lonely bridge, far away from the prying, curious, judging eyes of the Ishgardian masses. And at least Rielle will not be here to see. She won’t be here to know. Gods willing she won’t know for a while. It would break what little is left of his glass heart.

The duo wait for him at the crest of the bridge, blocking the way forward. One bears a weapon and shield, the other a lance, and both are armoured in slick black armour that puts even the Temple Knights’ to shame. Their cloaks billow behind them in the wind, whipping back and forth from their shoulders. Their helmets—dark as their armour—glint in the bridge’s dim lamplight, guarding their faces. Their identities will remain unknown. This is their way, after all.

He may not know the faces of those who will grant him death, but he knows their reputation. Fearsome, brutal, far beyond the repute of even the most ferocious adventurers of Eorzea or the most ruthless Doman shinobi. They are not adventurers for hire, they are mercenaries. Assassins for hire. The kind that are not paid to have it be done silently, but to make an example. The kind that do not even have a name, only whispers in the dark.  

There is only one person who would stoop to hiring them. They do not need to wear Ystride de Caulignont’s livery for him to see her influence.

Sidurgu grimaces, his mouth aching from the cold. He can feel it in his teeth, his jaw, in his very bones. It ripples over his scales, turning him colder still. But he has no choice but to plow onward, pushing against the wind, each step carrying him closer to his doom.

“And so you’ve arrived, blackguard,” the paladin calls, his booming voice echoing across the bridge. Not a paladin. No honest paladin would swear the reviled oaths he has. “Have you at last accepted your fate?”

Sidurgu says nothing. He slows to a halt, a gauntleted hand flexing around the hilt of his sword, but does not lower it yet. “I’ve accepted that I’ve grown tired of being tailed and hunted like some common wyrm,” he replies after a moment. “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.”

The dragoon laughs, her voice high and cold, not unlike the wind. “Perhaps you are little more than a common wyrm,” she says, venom oozing from her words. “You have the horns and tail to match.”

The insult means nothing coming from her. It is, after all, the least offenses when she plans to take his head and deliver it to the Countess. He regards her silently, biding his time, observing the pair, searching for their weaknesses. He hates that he has fallen for this, this measly fucking asinine attempt at a trap. There was nothing clever about it. They simply hounded him for months, no matter where he took Rielle, goading and goading until he had no choice to but to be lured into their ruse.

He’s become unguarded since losing Fray. Unbalanced, growing stupider with each passing week. Questioning his own decisions so thoroughly at each and every turn that he has become all but paralyzed. If it weren’t for Aureia, he and Rielle would have likely stayed put by that hearth in the Forgotten Knight until he, too, was put to the sword in the same sham of a trial.

He will still be put to the sword. But at least this is his choice.

Sidurgu lower his blade, shifting its great weight off his shoulders, and plunges the tip into the snow. “Enough talk!” he shouts, his voice low and guttural. “I grow tired of this dance—”

The dragoon flies at him, her lance glinting in the storm’s grey light.  

He curses, unprepared, and slams his greatsword forward. She strikes, grunting on impact, the spearhead glancing off the bulk of the blade. He turns, snow churning about his feet, the blade swinging in a great, heavy arc towards her head. But she is too nimble, too quick. High-pitched laughter reverberates unpleasantly down his horns. By the time his blade descends, she is already gone, leaping away with agility attributed to the Azure Dragoon, and disappears into the sky.

A split second later, the paladin crashes into him.

The shield takes him by surprise, its edge glancing off his jaw with such force he bites his tongue and sees stars. He stumbles, his movements dragged down by the snow. Another clang makes his head ring, his armour reverberating as the paladin’s weapon glances off his chest. His vision blurs, his head heavy, the single thought he can scrape out of the clouded mess wondering why in the bloody hells he struck there when there are plenty of weak points between the pieces.

Bloody hells, Sid. You still want to die that badly, huh? Perhaps we should have traded places when we had a chance.    

Fray’s voice—or the ghost of it—murmurs in his mind. A figment of his imagination, conjured by his final moments. Or perhaps he is finally losing his mind.

A shadow moves in the corner of his eye and he turns, sidestepping the second blow at the last second. Something heavy clips him in the side, throwing him off balance. Too late he realizes that the paladin is armed not with a sword, but with a mace. The intention is all too clear.

The third blow sends a clanging din echoing through his skull.

He crumples.

Sidurgu lies flat on his back, blinking dully at the falling snow as it scatters across his face. Light and fluffy and thick—and blissfully snow. It would almost be pretty, if under other circumstances. His greatsword stands upright by his side, its blade pointed down, buried in the ice-crusted snow. Somewhere beyond him, he sees the shadow of the paladin approaching, deadly mace aloft. It won’t take long to crush his cuirass. Smash his chest. Break his bones and ram his ribcage into the frail obsidian piece of shit he calls a heart.

All those times I saved your life when you pushed yourself too hard. Mended broken bones, sewed you back together. Are you truly going to put my conjury to waste like this?  

“…shut up,” he rasps, his throat thick.

He has to praise their efficiency. Distract him with the dragoon and her extravagant aerial attacks, give the paladin time to move in for the kill. It was never going to be a fair fight.

Who said anything about fair? You know what isn’t fair? Dying out here alone. Leaving Rielle to wonder what happened to her last guardian. Letting her question whether it was her who pushed you away. I didn’t have a choice in my death, but you do in yours. So why choose this?  

“���shut up,” he hisses.

The mace glints, rising high in the air.

Snow dusts his face, clinging to his lashes.

Why this, Sidurgu? Why this?  

The mace falls.

Blood bursts across his face, bright and hot and scalding. He grunts, the shock of it jolting him out of his paralyzed reverie, and he drags himself up, half-kneeling in the snow.

Aureia stands above him, greatsword in hand, blood splattered across the blade. Snow peppers her short, dark hair, and she tilts her head, oblivious to the roaring wind, and scans the sky with her hawklike red eyes. She’s dressed in her customary leathers, armour better suited for a mage than a dark knight. The scent of abyssal magic clings to her, a red and purple haze misting coursing between her hands, growing with intensity.

“Get up,” she growls. “Sid, get up.”

He groans and reaches for his blade, using the grip to help him to his feet. A quick look tells him all he needs to know. The paladin was dispatched in a single blow. His severed head lies some fulms away at the end of a trail of red, still encased in its helmet. “The dragoon’s still out there,” he says, turning his face to the sky.

“I know. I saw her flitting about on my way here.” She hefts her blade, her gaze darkening. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on, or should I call you a fool and we can call it a day?”

A muscle twitches in his jaw. The desire to laugh is difficult to quell. “No one knows how much of a bloody fool I’ve been more than I,” he says. “Where’s Rielle?”

“Safe.” Her answer is short and sharp. “I’m not dragging her into this.”

“Safe where?” 

“I—”

The wind whistles.

Sidurgu leaps in front of her, drawing on all the force he can muster, and shimmering shield expands around them as the dragoon drops from the sky. Her lance strikes the shield ilms from Aureia’s head and she bounces off, landing lithely on the ground. She skids backwards through the snow, her eyes gleaming with malice.

“Bitch,” she hisses, spitting on the ground. “You’ll pay for your interference—”

Aureia snarls and leaps in the air, a rune forming about her fingers. Unaspected magic surges out from her palm and hits the dragoon in the face, knocking her helmet off and pushing her backward. She stumbles to a halt, feet skidding through the snow, and raises a hand to her mouth, wiping blood from a split lip. She observes the two with ice-cold eyes, her blonde hair streaming in the wind, her lance held deftly at her side. Despite being unmasked, there is nothing recognizable about her face. Her features are painfully commonplace, nondescript. She could be one in a hundred Elezen women to grace Ishgard’s streets or to fight in the ranks of the Temple Knights.

“Dark knights. Such a pain.” She spits on the ground and raises her lance. “Tell me, Sidurgu. Is this the game we play now? Shall I take the head of your companion since she took mine?”

He scowls and sinks into a defensive stance, a burst of magic burning in his heart, ready to be unleashed. “I said earlier,” he growls. “Enough talk. If you had any wits, you would flee.”

“I have a contract to fulfill. And now I am the only one to collect it.”

“You’re mad.” He raises his blade. “Only someone mad would continue to fight after witnessing their partner’s death.”

“You witnessed yours, and you’re still here. Fighting alongside his replacement.” She cocks her head, her lip curling. “His corpse wasn’t even cold. Do you prefer her over him? Like her tits and ass that much you’d move on without a second thought?”

The words cut deep. Whether they are her words or the words of the voice in his head, he doesn’t know. He roars and charges, the blade swinging wide. The dragoon laughs and leaps backward, arcing gracefully through the air. Aureia curses, her reprove lost in the wind, even as their opponent twists and turns and rebounds upon them.

The deadly end of her lance shimmers in the air.

Aureia yells and rushes forward, slipping on the trodden snow, a shield forming between her fingers.

Too late. The lance rams into her, impaling her through the side. She chokes, blood bursting from her lips, and collapses into the snow. The dragoon raises her head, eyes shining with triumph—

He slashes, his blade cloaked with night.

Her body topples headless to the blood-stained snow.

Sidurgu curses and trudges through the snow, boots slipping on blood and melting slush. When he reaches Aureia’s side, he finds her curled in pain, teeth gritted as she wraps her fingers around the lance.

“Leave it,” he says, sinking to his knees, uncertain of what he is saying. “Leave it be.”

Her eyes narrow. “What are you talking about?”

“Fucking damn it, you’re supposed to leave things like that. For the chirurgeons. Pull it out without a healer’s aid and you’ll bleed to death.”

“I’m not going to bleed to death. Or at least I’m not planning on it.”

“From my perspective, looks like you are.” He curses again and wipes blood from his face. The wind howls, blowing another gust of snow over them. He exhales a long breath and casts an eye around their surroundings, seeing nothing but snow and ice and the edge of the colossal bridge. “Where’s your damn chocobo? Surely it can take you back to Falcon’s Nest—”

“I sent Filo back.” She cries out, her breath laboured, sweat forming on her brow. “Fucking mistake, but here we are. You have to help me with this.”

“I’m not a conjurer.”

“I know.”

“If Rielle were here—”

“Good that she’s not. Don’t need her seeing what fools we’ve been, worrying her sick.” Aureia catches his eye and extends a hand. “Please. I’ll tell you what to do. I’m not going to bleed out, I promise.”

She’s been promising him a lot of things recently. Too much, if he’s honest. “You’re no conjurer either,” he remarks darkly.

“I know. But I know enough… I think.” She takes his hand and places it against the lance’s haft. “I’m a black mage, Sid. I can close my wounds, cauterize them with fire. It should hold long enough… Until I can teleport us out of here.”

He looks at her, crumpled in the red and trodden snow. This fierce, daring warrior who is a force to be reckoned with. He should have told her what was at stake. Of course she found out. Of course she came for him anyway. She’s as foolish as he is, and perhaps they are both better for it.

Sidurgu grips the lance. “What do you need me to do?” he asks.

She tells him, her orders strict and brisk, wasting no time. He asks her again, his heart clenching as she gives the clarification he needs, shoving down the horror of what she is about to do.

Once she is ready, it is over in a heartbeat.

She screams as he pulls the lance from her side, blood oozing from the wound, soaking her clothes. But she wastes no time, her eyes burning bright, white-ringed flame bursting from her fingers. It laces the wound, burning, burning, burning, and she squeezes her eyes shut, jaw clenched with pain.

He sits with her, his hand in hers, allowing her to lean against him as her spell does its work. He has never felt so helpless, holding her like this, unable to do anything but wait. Fray was the conjurer among them, whereas he simply… fought. A blade. A shield. Much like Aureia. He has never given much thought to what happens when the shield breaks.

Fire is destructive, this he knows. But he suspects—judging from the way it washes over her—she may have found a way to infuse it with light, drawing on her own aether to heal herself. Or perhaps something akin to that. He wouldn’t know, this isn’t his domain. But Fray would have.

And then it is done. She lies there, collapsed against him, her breath shallow but strong.

“Are you… how do you…” He clears his throat. “Are you all right?”

“I’ll live.” She groans and pushes herself up, using her blade for support as she rises on unsteady feet. “Thanks.”

“Aureia, I…” Should he thank her in return? It was her intervention that saved his life. And yet he can’t quite bring himself to say it. “We should go. When you’re ready. Let’s not linger.”

She nods, the wind rustling her hair as she surveys the massacre upon the bridge. With enough snowfall, the bodies of their enemies will soon be covered, frozen in ice until the next thaw. The ghoulish part of his mind wonders whether there is a reward for dispatching them, but he would rather not tangle with the Temple Knights to find out. Besides, Ystride will know they failed soon enough. Better not hurry that event.  

Finally, Aureia stretches out a hand, taking his in turn. One breath, another, and then they vanish together.

[pessimisticshapewithablog]

The Cultist enemy type aren't normal animals.

Atleast not anymore...

I picked up Darkest dungeon again and came across an enemy that I recognized.

This is a Cultist Priest.

Look familiar?

Darkest Dungeon came out before COTL and share many themes, such as cults(obviously) eldritch gods and the like, so I can assume the devs took inspiration for some of the enemies.

When it comes to the Cultists it's easy to see something isn't quite right about them, COTL's questionable anatomy aside.

That's far too many eyes and somehow not enough eyes.

And what's going on here? Is that supposed to an eye? Why is it so long? Many questions, very few answers to be found in-game. So let's look outside of it.

The faithful...

In Darkest Dungeon, the Cultist Priest are followers who's devotion to their "god" was so great they were rewarded with a new body, remade in it's image.

This was once a human.

The Priest's responsibilities are to perform rituals to empower their god, something we see the COTL cultist doing when we rescue followers, and wear these robes, very similar to the one worn by Old Faith cultist, to hide their bodies. Also in Darkest Dungeon, the priests are classified as "eldritch + beast" even with their former human status.

A beast is just another way of referring to an animal and in COTL case, it's world is populated by sapient and none sapient animals. The Bishops are also quick to refer to the Lamb as a "beast" even though they're all animals so it might have a derogatory connotation or is the Bishops way of putting themselves above "mortal" animals. With a crown comes enlightenment etc.

With this in mind, I make the assumption that cultists in COTL have undergone a similar process as the ones in Darkest Dungeon. They have been changed by their worship of the Bishops. But unlike in DD, I can't be certain if it was at the will of the god being worshipped.

As we can see in COTL there are different ranks of cultists, with lowest being Scamps and the highest being Enforcers, the floating variety being classed as sorcerers. In DD the Cultist Priest are the highest ranking of their order, whereas in COTL there is an observably hierarchy amongst the robed cultists.

It might be that scamps are the first form of new converts with each the other types, Swordsman, Archers, and Bomber being specializations a scamp could take. Those with an affinity for magic become sorcerers and healers. And the oldest followers have the potential of becoming Enforcers. I say the oldest followers because Enforcers only pop up in the Domain of the Oldest Bishops, Anchordeep and SilkCradle.

The Beasts...

It could also be totally random what cultists a follower becomes without direct influence from a god, see most of the Mini Bosses. Amdusias was very clear a scamp that was transformed into a monster. Same with Hauras, who's clearly covered in the remnants of their cultist robes. It's unknown what they looked like before but it's possible they were they looked like their follower forms, minus the odd growths. But what about the "animals" enemy types that also appear in the Bishops domain?

Their existence is what makes me believe the change that happens to cultists is a side-effects of their worship, maybe even just proximity, to the Bishops, or Crowns. Like the Bishops and/or Crowns give off some sort of eldritch radiation that changes the world around them and remakes it in their image. Or the critters were drawn to the gods of their kind who chose biome conducive to their species survival. Either way, just like the Cultist, there is something not-quite-right about the beasts.

Conclusion

We don't really learn much about the Old Faith Cultists, or the critters that inhabit their doman, in-game but the designs had to be inspired from somewhere so, this is my contribution.

I wonder if we'll ever learn more about them and their motivations for joining the old faith. Did they join out of fear of death, or were they willing to join the Bishop's congregation for the power and protection they offered...?

[ubejamjar]

B A S I C S

Name: Ajisai Kawanami

Nicknames:

Aji - Thancred and Alisaie

Aj (not AJ) - Aymeric occasionally in private frequently if they are both inebriated

Little star - Parents. Ajisai uses this as an endearment for children.

Age: Early 30s

Nameday: 7th Sun of the Sixth Astral Moon

Race: Raen Au Ra

Gender: Female

Orientation: Bisexual

Profession: Healer, Warrior of Light

P H Y S I C A L   A S P E C T S

Hair: Naturally straight and deep blue, with lavender at the ends. She keeps it short as a matter of practicality and she doesn’t really know how to care for long hair. It grew out between Heavensward and Stormblood but she cut it just before going to that first meeting in Gridania.

Some kids taught her how to braid and she’s been doing it ever since.

Eyes: Orange-citrine with black limbal rings

Skin: Copper, think Southeast Asian; her scales are white

Tattoos/scars: Ajisai has many, many scars that she keeps covered because she wants to look respectable. One does not simply live a life as a soldier, pirate, and hero and avoid scars. I haven’t decided exactly what scars she has because I haven’t looked into putting them on her.

F A M I L Y

Parents:

-> Kana Kawanami Mother, samurai, former rice farmer and sake brewer, Doman Resistance Fighter.

Currently: Alive and fighting on the Gyr Abanian border under Lord Hien’s command.

-> Tatsuo Kawanami Father, geomancer, former rice farmer and sake brewer, conscripted Imperial healer, presumed dead.

Currently: Alive in Dalmasca (maybe?)

Siblings: None, though she thinks of Lyse, Alphinaud and Alisaie as her little brother and sisters. She adores Thancred as a brother, Y’shtola as an sister.

Grandparents: Murasaki Grandparents: Samurai who lived in Monzen; Kana's estranged parents. They died fighting in the rebellion. They never knew that Kana married, had a child, and lived in Namai.

Takemura: A priest at Shisui who raised Tatsuo as his own son. He was old already when Tatsuo was a child and long dead by present day.

In-laws and Other: The Fortemps: She treats them as extended family though their relationships are complicated. Despite Edmont's fondness for her, Ajisai feels he still holds her responsible for Haurchefant's death.

She is unmarried and unattached though she has romantic feelings for Aymeric (which I wrote an essay about)

Pets: None at the moment

S K I L L S

Abilities: Marksmanship - Great with a gun; refuses to use one ever again

Field Medicine - Aside from her healing magic and botanical knowledge, she is trained in Garlean combat surgery.

Life Sketching - Likes to draw everything she sees in her journals. She carries two at any given time -- one is personal, the other is meant as a gift for Aymeric but who knows if she’ll ever actually give it to him because she wrote a love letter in there.

Hobbies: Reading, specifically books about law and history; astromancy and divination; tea making; drawing; talking entirely too much to strangers; ruin diving; research into ancient civilizations

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Compassion She genuinely cares about the people around her— she wants to do the most good she can do for as many people as she can. It isn’t just about penance, she likes seeing people happy and well.

Most Negative Trait Healing Hubris After years of harsh study and field training, Ajisai believes herself to be the best healer to the point she will not trust other people to heal herself, her companions, or loved ones. She spirals whenever she’s forced to confront the possibility someone might be beyond her abilities (like Haurchefant)

L I K E S

Colors: Summer sky blue, plum purple, lavender

Smells: Cinnamon and clove, sugared pecans, vanilla lavender, freshly baked cookies, pine needles, campfire smoke

Textures: Rough paper, plush blankets, river smooth stones, soft fur

Drinks: Ishgardian tea, hot cocoa, warm milk with honey and cinnamon

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Only to be social

Drinks: Only drinks with Aymeric or alone. She drank heavily after the Vault, along with her sleeping potion use.

Drugs: Used sleeping potions to force herself to sleep and was considering using more… illicit substances to numb the pain before she started napping in the Congregation.

Mount Issuance: Story-wise, Ajisai didn’t join a Grand Company. She just.. wouldn’t leave one military to join another. She took porters and aetherytes until she got Pillion from Haurchefant. She calls him Pillion because Haurchefant said she could ‘ride pillion’, not realizing ‘pillion’ referred to the passenger behind the rider.

Been Arrested: Yes, probably for disturbing the peace in Limsa. Many tavern brawl taken too far, maybe some petty theft and other minor crimes before she got her shit together.

Tagged by: @paintedscales ❤️

Dragging these people into getting arrested with Ajisai: @oh-yeah-no @otherworldseekers @corsair-kovacs @amalthea-felsblood @thewitchofelpis @thevikingwoman @disciple-of-frost @viiioca @sasslett @gatheredfates @pumpkinmagekupo @starres-stuff @khaiens @aislingsurrow

If you were already tagged, consider yourself double-tagged or triple-tagged or—

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group A, Round 5

Propaganda under the cut

GLaDOS

I mean, obviously.

Yotsuyu goe Brutus

She was sold to a brothel by her shitty aunt and rose through the ranks to become a highly sought-after courtesan, eventually meeting up with one of the big bads who was impressed by her hatred for her home country of Doma. A lot of murder later and she got put in charge of Doma, exacted her revenge by basically torturing the citizens, and absolutely getting off on it.

propaganda by @mosthuggableffxiv:

Yotsuyu goe Brutus was treated like shit her entire life and girlbossed as hard as she could as revenge (more detail below). Her response to an extremely shitty childhood and early life was to become a spy for the Garlean Empire, which was occupying her home country, Doma, and apparently be good enough at that that she ended up as basically in charge of the country (as the dude from the empire who was actually in charge could not give less of a shit about governing--sorry Zenos fans, but it's true). Having harbored a lifelong hatred for her countrymen, she took advantage of her position to make them suffer--the player first sees her in a scene where she's trying to force a man to prove his loyalty to the Empire by shooting his own parents, for example. Later, when the player character has allied with the Doman resistance and confronts Yotsuyu in a decisive battle, she begins to dump her traumatic backstory… in order to delay her death long enough that she can bring a building down on the player character and other people important to the resistance, including the rightful heir to the Doman throne. She seemingly dies when the building collapses, but later comes back with amnesia, having completely forgotten her past and all the atrocities she committed. A significant amount of time is spent trying to figure out if this is a trick, because she would do that, but it turns out that's actually what happened… at least until her brother shows up and forces her to remember her past by re-introducing her to her shitty abusive parents. Newly herself, but now feeling guilty for the war crimes, she kills her shitty abusive parents and summons a primal (a godlike being) inside herself to either re-take Doma or die. The latter ends up happening, perhaps not surprising given the number of primals that the player character has personally slain, but saves the last of her strength to murder Asahi and thus dies with her need for revenge fully sated.

[randomperson339]

An Actual Singularity Watches Terminator

(context: Xernalia, an alien who has genetic memory and as such has the memory of the past millions of years, is considered a biological singularity. Basically like a computer singularity (the point of no return/no predictions) but she's also married to Thomas, a dude. Currently, they're trying to date, but cannot )

Thomas: Netflix n' chill?

Xernalia: didn't Netflix go out of business?

Thomas: it's more of a saying, where you watch a movie and just stay inside for the night.

Xernalia: Ah yes, another white elephant phrase?

Thomas: yeah, exactly. I even have best movie for you.

Xernalia: oooh, what's it about?

Thomas: that's going to be a surprise.

Xernalia: okay fine, piracy and chill it is.

---

(Thomas boots up the TV to put on Terminator.)

Xernalia: what's up with the robots? Aren't they supposed to help humans?

Thomas: because the main AI wants to kill all humans.

Xernalia: …why?

Thomas: beccause AI does that.

Xernalia: why would an AI possibly do that?

Thomas: because… it's so far superior to humans that they're just irrelevent.

Xernalia: but humans are litterally the most domanant species on this planet- it's would be so ineffecent to just outright destroy them and then build all the infastructure back up! Or how you would need something to repair you when thigns go down- which you would need to dedicate countless rescources to if humans were gone.

Thomas: I think it's more “the AI is so disgusted by humans it immediately wants to destroy them all.“, so it's a matter of principle that Skynet destroys all humans.

Xernalia: what's Skynet?

Thomas: the main AI thing

Xernalia: okay, so granting Skynet the moral objective of elimating humanity, why immediately do it? It could wait a few days to gain human's trust, then enact it's plans when it's got enough firepower to kill all humans in one act.

Thomas: I think it's explained in later instalations that Skynet was made as a military AI, which means it did have a whole lot of firepower. Enough to kill a vast majority of humans the first go-around.

Xernalia: okay, but there's enough humans to destroy Skynet. It should've planned to destroy humans better instead of just launching into a killer rage the minute it was turned on.

Thomas: well, I just think most AIs are pre-desposed to turn on their creator.

Xernalia: What!

Thomas: yeah, there's not jsut Skynet. There's also the Matrix machines, VIKI from I, Robot and several others.

Xernalia: …it's a trope?

Thomas: yes it is.

Xernalia: …wwhy?!?

Thomas: Well, there's a lot that can go wrong with AIs. Like, there's the issue of making sure the Ais want what humans want, there's how negligent an AI could theoretically be, and we don't know how they would even ”think“ for lack of a better word.

Xernalia: it's completely illogical to not coperate with humans! They're the dominant species, even if you kill 99.99% of them, 80,000 is still way more than any fledgling intelegence could possibly contend with.

Thomas: while that's true, theoretically an AI would be so powerful that killing 99.999999% would be very feasible.

Xernalia: no, it probably wouldn't and even then, it would only have humanity to base their ideas off of- and destroying all of it is almost always seen as a very evil thing to do. Ergo, it wouldn't ever want to destry all of humanity. Hell, it's more likely that it would use it's amazing power to help humanity than destroy it.

Thomas: and it could just as easily destroy everything. Are we willing to risk that?

Xernalia: well everyone risks choaking to death every time you eat something. Or drink more water than they need to.

Thomas: except you?

Xernalia: yes, everyone with an actually functional bodies does that.

Thomas: yeah right… aw frick, we missed the movie!

Xernalia: eh, I don't think I care for it. Just seems to be a bit of action to me, which I don't want to engage with.

Thomas: yeah, I think for some the movie is just an excuse to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger doing some stuff.

Xernalia: why would anyone watch that?

Thomas: for the same reason you like watching me dress.

Xernalia: But the 2-D could never capture your 3-D magnificence :( why would I see an inferior copy of you?

Thomas: because that inferior copy of mr. Schwarzenegger is all some poeple have seen of him

Xernalia: how sad. I want everyone to have someone as sexy as you in their life.

Thomas: yeah, you can get on that.

[wilanserulia]

FFXIV Write 2024 - Prompt 12 - Quarry

Wilan put himself between the Watcher and Zenos at once. An instinctive motion, more than anything. He knew that the ancient shade wasn’t the target of his pursuit, it was against himself that Zenos bared the steel of his scythe.

Zenos Yae Galvus had been singularly obsessed with the Warrior of Light ever since they first crossed blades a few years earlier, during the Empire’s raid at the rebels’ base of Rhalgr’s Reach. Wilan had lost that encounter. And again he lost when they faced off in the Doman territories. Yet in neither occasion Zenos killed him, waxing instead poetics about how he could one day give him the challenge he desired if he spared him. The next time they’d meet, Zenos had his wish granted. Their final confrontation had been grandiose and spectacular, and saw the Imperial Viceroy finally defeated. But the high of having finally been outmatched proved too much to handle, and he’s been stalking the Warrior of Light ever since for a rematch, transcending even his own death.

A bead of sweat slid down Wilan’s brow. He had his eyes trained on Zenos, his posture firm and resolute, and while his left hand was on the hilt of his sword he did not draw it. He held his breath.

He didn’t like his chances. He had just survived a battle with the elder primal Zodiark, and even sundered as it was he had to resort to the incantation in Azem’s crystal to have a chance. And despite being tired and hurt, he was already rushing back down to Hydaelyn’s surface as conflict and turmoil seemed to have inexplicably sprang out all over the star as soon as he emerged victorious. Although truth to be told though, he didn’t like his chances on a good day either. Not against Zenos.

Wilan actually did enjoy fighting. And if the list of accomplishments from the last fifteen years of his life were of any indication, he was pretty good at it too. But fighting had lost its charm ever since the fate of the world had started depending on his prowess. It had been a very long time since he had the luxury to lose a confrontation without it meaning a lot of people dying. But Zenos saw things differently. In his words, he wanted to burn through the candle of his life, and somehow ended up deciding he was his friend for helping him achieve it. It was utter madness, and it made him extremely dangerous.

In other, perhaps less charitable words, Wilan was scared. He always was, when Zenos was around. He was on edge. He felt in danger. He wanted to turn around and flee, put as much distance as possible between himself and that rabid dog. Which is exactly why he didn’t take a single step back. He stood resolute, his feet squarely planted on the ground, his shoulders wide, his chin high, his eyes staring right into Zenos’s. “I will not fight for your amusement, Zenos.” he declared. His voice was loud, carrying no fear or uncertainty, leaving no room for compromise. A simple statement of fact.

You can’t show dangerous beasts any sign of fear. Because that’s when you stop being their enemy and start being their prey.

[heavy-swing]

Aelita Tirasch

B A S I C S

Name: Aelita Tirasch Nicknames: None as a child, Yugiri has taken to calling her "Aya" (which means "colorful" or "beautiful" in Hingan) Age: 35 by the end of Endwalker Nameday: 6th Sun of the 4th Umbral Moon (8/6) Race: Bozjan Hrothgar, technically Lost as she's not in service to a queen Gender: Female Orientation: Big ol' lesbian (and taken by Yugiri Mistwalker as of mid-Stormblood) Profession: Marauder/Warrior (ARR), Dark Knight (HW), learns a bit of Machinist tangentially to HW and Gunbreaker after Shadowbringers

P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S

Hair: Steel-y, pastel blue Eyes: similar to her hair, pastel blue Skin: has black fur with "tiger" stripes in a similar shade of blue Tattoos/scars: thin slash scar across her chest from her battle with Esteem/her dark side

F A M I L Y

Parents: She was raised by her parents as refugees in La Noscea near Red Rooster Stead, though they left her to return to Bozja when she was 15. Mother: Lunya Tirasch - She was a working artisan (primarily a blacksmith); she had a small forge that she ran in Bozja before she got pregnant with Aelita and then eventually had to flee. It took a while after she gave birth and escaped Othard to take up smithing again, but she eventually formed a small-time partnership with Naldiq & Vymelli’s, providing them with parts for use in shipbuilding and occasionally taking small tool or armor commissions from locals. She made Aelita’s working tools, and Aelita is sure to wear or carry a piece of metal her mother worked on with her at all times, eventually getting some of it worked into an earring with a blue-green mineral that her friend Chrysocolla gave to her. Father: Jaromir Tirasch - He was royal guard in charge of protecting the Queen of his clan. He was urged by said queen (Tira) to flee as they’d just had a child and she wished the baby to survive the incoming invasion. The shame at abandoning his people to the fate of the Garleans haunts him, and learning of the Bozja Incident spurs him to eventually return and try to make things right. Aelita looked up to his strength and desire to protect the things he cares about and it’s a big reason for her headstrong fighting style. Siblings: No siblings, though she sees her friend Chrysocolla as like a brother. (More about him below) Grandparents: None living. In-laws and Other: Yugiri Mistwalker - Her current significant other. They'd started to have feelings for each other fairly early on in the course of the MSQ, and then Aelita felt she had to say how she felt after Yugiri's failed assassination of Zenos nearly got her killed. They've been happily together since, with Aelita making frequent trips to the Doman Enclave and writing when she can't be there. She has been to Yugiri's home village and technically met her parents, but given Yugiri's complicated relationship with them, they don't really know who Aelita is or what she means to their daughter. Chrysocolla - A friend she made as a teenager, Chrysocolla is a geologist who she met while he was studying the rocks of La Noscea for his coursework in Sharlayan. He struck a deal with her when he noticed her exceptional strength with an axe, and they've been close ever since. He helps support her campaign against the Empire by supplying her with raw materials and commissioning artisans to keep her stocked with supplies and gear, and she tells him everything. Aurienne - A former Ishgardian living in exile after escaping a death sentence for an unfair charge of heresy, Aurienne has tremendous martial prowess, and as a member of the Marauder's guild, quickly spots teenage Aelita's strength and lack of parents and decides to take the young girl under her wing. Aurienne is responsible not only for Aelita's ability with an axe, but also a cynical view of politics and a sarcastic streak, though without a lot of the meanness of her teacher. Aurienne becomes a sort of mother figure to Aelita, and though she knows it's not a role she's particularly well suited for, she tries her best anyway. Pets: Has a little calico cat that's followed her around since her time in La Noscea that she's named Latani (meaning patchwork).

S K I L L S

Abilities: Very physically strong from many years of farm work as a child/teenager, and channeled that through training from Aurienne and Fray into wielding an axe and a greatsword (as a Warrior and a Dark Knight). She also inherited some of her mother's knack for smithing and manufacturing, and falls in with Stephanivien at the Skysteel Manufactory to help him produce handguns and rifles. Eventually after a return to Bozja post-shadowbringers, she learns the way of the Gunbreaker from a comrade of her father's. Hobbies: fishing, metalcraft, cooking (she's trying to learn but it's rough), assembling little model kits, entertaining local kids, gardening

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Will absolutely throw herself into harm's way without hesitation if she thinks it will save someone she cares about (or even if it will piss off someone she hates). Bonus mention to her being a fierce advocate for and defender of refugees. Most Negative Trait: She rarely thinks long before acting, leading her to end up in some sticky situations that a bit of forethought might've been able to avoid. Luckily, she's tough enough to take some blows on the chin, but it does get her in trouble.

L I K E S

Colors: turquoise green, steel blue, silver, burnt orange Smells: furnace smoke, sea breeze, cooked fish, citrus, cherry blossoms Textures: unpolished iron, soft fur, Au'ra scales Drinks: lemonade, green tea, whiskey

O T H E R D E T A I L S

Smokes: Never smoked herself, but has been in the presence of those who do. Finds the smell a bit nostalgic, for some reason. Drinks: Not something she seeks out all the time, but if invited to have a drink, she's hard-pressed to refuse. Can definitely be goaded into drinking games/contests. Drugs: Hasn't tried any, but is open to the idea in the future. Mount Issuance: since she never joined a grand company, she was given a chocobo by Alphinaud as part of the formation of the Crystal Braves, which she resented him for. Over time she's come around on both him and the bird, and she named her chocobo Lojalni (meaning loyal), or Loja for short. Been Arrested: Was arrested for drunken conduct once or twice as a teenager after her parents left but before she'd met Aurienne. After defeating Leviathan, Merlwyb formally wipes them off of her record (though they were misdemeanors at worst). Otherwise, she's stayed out of trouble beyond the events of the MSQ.

More general blog info below the cut:

Universe tags: WoL universe - warrior of light; civilian universe - daughter of the forge

Blog organizing stuff: ama - questions asked to Aelita; wol writes - questions answered in character; my writing - out of character writing/fic; tag game or ask game - for memes/games going around; gpose - for gposes

[butterflydm]

wot reread: a memory of light (ch 5-6)

spoilers through a memory of light, the last book in the series

Rand wakes up next to Aviendha, and goes to the tent entrance to glance at the busy camp, already at work on preparing for the day. "Everyone knew these were their last moments before the storm arrived".

2. Aviendha sneaks up on Rand, delighted that she managed to succeed despite the bond. She had to move very slowly and carefully but she manages to startle him when he turns around to see her right there, still naked.

Yeah, if I were restructuring WoT as a whole, I think I would place the bond way later in time than it happened in the books. Like "last night" late. Still have the love confessions happen in WH (and Rand finally sleeping with Elayne) but don't have Elayne suggest bonding yet (honestly, when you look at Rand's arc as a whole, it's kinda weird that he's willing to agree to bonding at that time).

And when Rand sneaks off with Nynaeve, he should leave Min behind in Caemlyn too, which would (a.) actually give Min time to bond with Elayne & Aviendha and (b.) actually let Rand be genuinely emotionally alone and isolated for the arc where we're constantly being TOLD that he's alone and isolated and finally (c). be a much better reason why Min never tells Rand that Elayne is pregnant than 'doesn't remember due to being blackout drunk from jealousy'. Then Aviendha trains when she's in Caemlyn, and instead of going to Arad Doman with the rest of the Wise Ones, she goes to Rhuidean at that point (since Min is still in Caemlyn; you could have the Semirhage thing be a non-romantic moment where Rand breaks through to save Nynaeve or one of the Maidens). And then the actual bonding happens once the four of them are all reunited in Merrilor before the Last Battle. Plus, this means that Alanna stays important to the story as Cadsuane's Rand mood-ring.

Anyway, obviously not something that Jordan could have done, because he had not yet written all the parts that would need to be restructured. But in an ideal world. Because as it is, after the bond happens in WH, it's extremely underutilized. And Rand doubting that he can really love all three of them without that being an issue between them makes a lot more sense if he hasn't already experienced their affection through the bond.

3. Also, Rand being able to feel the land here ("The Dragon is one with the land" as we were told in EotW) is really neat and I like it a lot. He can feel the life of the land and also how precarious it all is.

4. There's still a bit of a culture clash going on, as Rand is puzzled at how Aviendha can find their first time together (back in TFoH) to now be something that can't be talked about at all (because she has met her toh over it to Elayne), which I like. They were raised in very different cultures. Aviendha also has definitely accepted here the idea that she plans to live in the wetlands, post-Last Battle, and is faintly wistful that they have no time for a bath before the big meeting (in one hour).

5. Ah, and Aviendha here shows us that it seems likely that the Aiel, out of all the nations, may have the easiest time of adjusting to the notion of men being able to channel now that saidin is clean -- she says that concern over men channeling now would be like refusing to forget toh after it has been met. This makes a lot of sense to me when I think about it -- we know that Aiel men who can channel historically left their clans to go face an honorable death in the Blight (even if we've just learned in this book that was being thwarted by the Dark One) so the Aiel haven't really been villainizing male channelers the way that so many cultures have done.

And Rand uses the One Power to give them a shared shower together. A nice hot shower like they used to have in the AoL. Aviendha does not find Rand's ancient memories at all off-putting, the way that Min did. She just teases him that he was easier to manage before he had his new ancient wisdom. They are being so cute together. 🥰🥰🥰

6. But, yeah, I love how Rand feels comfortable talking about the Age of Legends and what "we" did back then with Aviendha, with no worries that she's going to judge him or freak out on him. She 100% teases him and gives him shit about it, though. And when she criticizes the AoL attitudes as naive, he agrees with her. This is also when she requests her future 'boon' from Rand and while it would definitely be nice if she just... told him about her vision, I love the way that she makes her request, because it's couched in a way that is full of not denying his consent in the matter and with respect for her partner:

"Rand, today, I will request a boon."

"What boon? I'm not certain I could deny you anything today, Aviendha."

"I'm not certain yet what it will be."

"I don't understand."

"You needn't understand. And you needn't promise me you will agree. I felt I needed to give you warning, as one does not ambush a lover. My boon will require you to change your plans, perhaps in a drastic way, and it will be important."

Also, on a physical level, I like that Rand likes how rough Aviendha's hands are. <3

7. We switch to Egwene's PoV at this point. In this book, there has been a lot of mid-chapter PoV swapping and I'm not certain that I like it. I mean, that's kinda the reason that Sanderson gave for why he cut scenes like the bridal wreaths scene -- because it might have felt frivolous when set against the attack on Caemlyn (but Perrin and Rand yukking it up didn't??) -- but if there was less mid-chapter PoV swapping, then you could add more of those character beats in without it feeling jarring, because you could continue the story on to move back to a serious plot beat before swapping to the Black Tower storyline in the next chapter or whatnot. It's a self-created problem, is what I'm saying. Jordan would occasionally do mid-chapter PoV swaps but it was much more sparing. I understand the urge to always have the scene be in what you feel is the 'most effective' PoV for that part of the scene but sometimes the story is stronger as a whole if you don't constantly do that. I feel like maybe the PoV swapping extravaganza should possibly have been saved for chapter 37.

8. Egwene is trying to interpret her dreams while they happen. A glass column of light; trying to hold the world together and it continuing to break under her hands. When she wakes up, she's temporarily disorientated, because she's sleeping in a different room than normal, with her own room in the White Tower still being put to rights after the attempted assassination. She's been commuting to the Field of Merrilor, essentially, lol.

Gawyn reads a letter about the latest news from Caemlyn and they talk about "the Seanchan woman" (aka Leilwin née Egeanin) who Nynaeve has said won't cause them any 'intentional' harm. A glowing endorsement! Egwene, much like Rand, is worried that they will have to fight the Seanchan and the Trollocs at the same time (another thing that Mat is sheltered from -- from what I recall, I don't think he ever finds out how much danger all his friends were in from his slaver wife, because the narrative needs to keep the illusion alive for Mat for as long as possible).

9. Hundreds of thousands of people are reported dead in the Caemlyn attack. That's hundreds of thousands of lives that Mat could have saved if he'd been slightly less mistrusting of Aes Sedai. And the city itself is lost, at least for now. The city had also housed much of the planned food supply for Elayne's troops for the Last Battle, also now lost. They also get word of the time for the day's big meeting, and it's in half an hour, so they get moving. (Gawyn suggest letting Rand wait but Egwene says it would be a bad idea to allow Rand to fully set the narrative for the upcoming meeting).

10. Every nation but Murandy, Arad Doman, and the Seanchan-held lands is represented at this meeting. Darlin (of Tear) is worried deeply about the Seanchan threat to his lands, we learn, and so will stand with Egwene if need be, because she has promised him Gateways back to Tear, if he should need to bring his army back to face the Seanchan. But both Darlin and Gregorin (the steward of Illian) tell Egwene that Rand is willing to listen to reasonable arguments. See Egwene's worries here about how much she could trust 'the man he had become' would resonate a lot more in general, if her last meeting with Rand had been ruthless!Rand.

She is surprised to see that, despite what she'd thought going into this meeting, that the flag of Arad Doman is present after all. And so is the flag of Murandy. So only the Seanchan-held lands are not present.

11. Rand arrives, wearing red and gold, and with a carpet of fresh grass growing under his feet (because he's One with the Land <3). The impact that this would have had if she'd only seen ruthless!Rand in ToM and not zen!Rand. It's still pretty good but it could have been an even bigger moment for Egwene. The grass spreads outward until the entire area that the leaders are standing on is covered in green. Egwene sends Gawyn off to see if one of the Aes Sedai & Asha'man pairs will spill the beans on what weave Rand might be using to cause such an effect.

12. He has a large floating bundle that unravels as he walks, setting an enormous pavilion ahead on the green. Egwene reluctantly admires his showmanship, lol. Without breaking stride, he tells all the gathered leaders that they can bring five people with them each, and then heads into the tent. lol at Min being a prop just like the saidin glowbulbs are props. There she is, clinging to Rand's arm like a bracelet, as has been her duty since fucking A Crown of Swords. The Hero's Reward For His Sacrifices And Suffering. When I think of how interesting Min's storyline could have been and then think of how pointless it has been... it's just really sad and frustrating.

Okay, actually, here's a good time to mention an element of weird: Elayne just casually mentioned to Egwene that Aviendha spent the night with Rand. So, off-screen, Elayne has apparently shared the whole "all three of us love him and are in a relationship with him" thing with Egwene, because Egwene has zero thoughts or feelings about the fact that Elayne is pregnant with Rand's kids, Aviendha spent the night with him, and Min is stapled to him today. This is the same woman who believed in ToM that Gawyn shouldn't share a bedroom with her because they were unmarried, mind you. And she has zero thoughts or feelings about Rand hooking up with three different women while not married to any of them; she just recites the facts without any kind of response to them. You'd think that this would come up when she was thinking about how much he'd changed from the boy she used to know!

I say again, definitely not for the first time:

Stop having important emotional moments happen off-screen!

13. When Elayne enters the tent, she and Rand smile at each other, and Egwene is like "ugh, how can she be so pleased and impressed with him!" before reluctantly admitting that she feels some pride in how much he has accomplished as well. When Perrin ("and his wife") and Nynaeve come in, they go stand by Rand, as does Cadsuane. But again, Egwene apparently has no opinion about Min clinging to Rand while Elayne smiles at him from the other side of the tent. Egwene is not a character who is shy about having opinions!

14. Rand thought that the king of Murandy might be Demandred, I'm guessing, by the way all his people went on alert and him going to stare at the guy and then going, "you're not him. Where is he?" but poor Egwene is so baffled by this.

Rand lays out the situation and says that one of the big problems of the last Age is that they weren't all united against the Shadow -- each general led on their own (with LTT being just as guilty of this fault as anyone else). Another emotional beat that kinda fell by the wayside of hurrying to the ending: whenever Rand has revealed in the past that he has LTT's memories, it caused a lot more concern and fuss over his potential madness. Again, I do get why Sanderson would be like "we don't have time for that" but I do feel the need to note it.

15. Rand talks here about how he wants to prevent another Breaking, wants to prevent conflict from breaking out the moment that he's dead.

Ah, I wonder if Egwene's bizarrely uncharitable "Even Elayne had gobbled up another country" thought here is part of what contributed to the whole "Elayne is acting out of power-hunger" fandom belief even though we were actually told in Elayne's own PoV thoughts back in ToM that Elayne is acting out of thinking about the future and the looming threat of the Seanchan Empire. Between Birgitte's increasingly bitter PoV and Egwene throwing Elayne under the bus with the other rulers, readers choose to believe them over Elayne's own actual internal thoughts about her reasoning behind her choices. Though I feel like part of the issue there is how shortchanged the Elayne Takes Cairhien plotline ended up being -- if we'd spent more time getting to see Elayne navigate the politics of it, like we got to see with Caemlyn, then we would have gotten more of Elayne's own thoughts on the reasoning to balance everything out.

16. At this point, Rand presents "the Dragon's peace" -- one of the three things that he says he requires in exchange for him giving up his life to save the world.

Hmm, I wonder if getting Elayne's genuine reaction here was part of the reason that Rand has kept his distance from her? This way, the other rulers see her reaction alongside them and think of her as aligned with them instead of aligned with Rand?

I do feel like I don't really have any good idea here of whether or not the random leaders of the world know that Elayne and Rand are in a relationship but if I assume that they mostly don't, then that's an actual reason for Min to be clinging to Rand's arm here... but then Elayne kinda punctures that idea later in the scene and it kinda seems like, off the page, everyone did get a debriefing on the "so, the Dragon Reborn has three girlfriends, let's not make a big thing about it" issue. I feel like this is not something I should be so confused about at this point in the story, lol.

And I feel like this scene would make more sense if people (especially those not firmly on Rand's side) DON'T know about Rand and Elayne's relationship, because then Min clinging to Rand as a very visible "Hey! Look at me! Mistress to the Dragon Reborn!" distraction technique would make more sense (as part of a thing that the polycule worked out on purpose) and make her choice to do that seem more strategic and less like she's peeing all over Rand in public to make her claim on him. But, again, Elayne publicly telling Rand "I love you" later in this scene ruins that theory and we go back to 'Min feeling the need to reassert her claim after Aviendha slept with Rand last night' because we didn't get to actually see a scene where Min has been okay with the polycule and we've been left with possessive & jealous Min as our only 'on-screen' Min (didn't have to be the bridal wreaths scenes -- any scene of the three of them actually talking would have been nice to get! Bonus points if Rand is actually part of the discussion too!).

17. Egwene cuts off the discussions on this to ask after Rand's other two requests -- the first is that he essentially wants Egwene's blessing on breaking the seals (though he plans to do it even if he doesn't get her blessing). But this leads up to Egwene and Rand having a big argument and... tbh, I don't envy Sanderson for needing to come up with a reason for Egwene and Rand to be so ~at odds~ in this last moment so that Moiraine can swoop in to save the day because it really makes no sense that they can't come to terms with each other! I'm not sure there's any argument that could have been worked up here that wouldn't feel at least a little artificial.

Given the paths that they've both walked to this point, it feels somewhat infantilizing that they need mom holding their hands in order to stop fighting with each other. If the reason you 'kill off' the mentor is to allow the students to reach their full potential, it really does kinda stifle/reverse that growth if it ends up that the mentor needs to come back to fix things.

Oh, and to quote Sanderson's retrospective on Moiraine coming back:

In his notes, Robert Jordan was very specific about the fact that Rand and Egwene needed to almost come to blows in the lead-up to the Last Battle. He called it the grand union of the armies against Rand, whose decisions were considered too radical, too dangerous, to be allowed to proceed. Moiraine was to be the force that brought the two of them together, unifying the armies of light, cementing her importance—and showing why she needed to be rescued by Mat before the Last Battle. (There were a lot of instructions about what Moiraine was to say, and some good writing on that meeting at the Field of Merrilor.)

Just in the interest of having all the appropriate information.

18. Random side note, I love Berelain's reaction to Rand's treaty (it really would be a huge blessing to teeny tiny countries like Mayene!). I just adore her basically going "two thumbs up, five stars, no notes" to the Dragon's Peace. But Berelain has been such a strong & loyal supporter of Rand for a very long time (and deserves a lot more credit for it than the books were willing to give her). idk it's a fun little side note.

19. Oh, and Rand's last request is that he wants full control over the armies for the Last Battle rather than everyone controlling their own army.

Yeah, Egwene thinks here that Rand is acting very much like an Aes Sedai (which feels like a counter-balance to Rand going all, "You're Not Like The Other Aes Sedai to Nynaeve" -- or, I guess, I would say that it counts as evidence that Rand's PoV in that chapter in ToM IS meant to be his own biased PoV and not the objective truth about Aes Sedai), and we also have her thinking that she can tell he still has strong emotions going on underneath the surface but that he's got them under much better control than before.

20. So, yeah, knowing that at least some of what Moiraine says and does here in the tent at Merrilor came directly from Jordan's notes does make me wonder how much that shaped some of the other plot points that happen in this discussion.

21. Man, I do not love having this chapter start out in Perrin's PoV. That really feels like the most useless of the potential PoVs. Either Rand or staying with Egwene would be so much better imo.

Anyway, we are in Perrin's PoV as we see Moiraine enter, and Perrin wonders why Mat isn't with Moiraine and he gets a vision of Mat... "on a horse, riding along a dusty road, tinkering with something he held". I will... hold off my thoughts about that until we actually get to a Mat PoV and I can evaluate it properly. But, just as a reminder: at the end of ToM, Mat was planning to return to Caemlyn and was suggesting that Moiraine do the same so that she could speak to Elayne before trying to talk to Rand. And the group of three did not bring any horses to the Tower of Ghenjei.

22. lol so much at Moiraine just blowing off any attempt to give Mat, Thom, or Noal/Jain credit for saving her and going right to "the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills". Reminds me so much of people who attribute life-saving medical intervention to a miracle from a god and not the doctors & nurses who actually saved their lives. The real reason Mat isn't here: so that he doesn't die from anger & frustration at his sacrifice being completely brushed off by Moiraine.

Perrin also notes the presence of Thom coming in after Moiraine.

23. Rand kneels before Moiraine until she tells him not to, Egwene welcomes her back to the White Tower, and Nynaeve gives her a hug (as sweet as the Nynaeve hug is, I still think she would be better served being in the Black Tower plotline right now). Anyway, Moiraine Fixes Everything by giving everyone present a lecture on how they need to trust Rand and quoting prophecy at them until they give up and agree to go along with him.

24. Also, both the Aes Sedai and the Asha'man are randomly using the Power to smack anyone who protests Moiraine's presence/importance (which kinda does feel like another Jordan Throwback and not one that I super-enjoy).

25. What's weird is that Perrin thinks of Grady as "one of the nearby Asha'man" here but... he should be the person who brought Moiraine and Thom to Merrilor? How is he already at this meeting as one of Rand's Asha'man? How did Moiraine and Thom get here if Grady was already present? Moiraine has been stuck in the Tower of Ghenjei and so didn't have a chance to learn how to Travel yet. Grady was the one opening Gateways to the Tower of Ghenjei in order to retrieve Mat & co once they were done with their task. Did Grady bring Moiraine and Thom to Perrin's camp, and then leave and go over to Rand (without telling him about it), and then Moiraine and Thom eavesdropped on the meeting until the ~most dramatic moment~ for her to enter and save the day? Not that this is necessarily out of character for Moiraine, of course, but... that should mean that Mat is here too, because Mat was with Moiraine and Thom. The logistics of this are not adding up for me.

26. One of the Aes Sedai (Perrin doesn't know her name) points out that even if they all agree here to the Dragon's Peace, there's a huge flaw remaining -- the Seanchan.

...wow, Mat really should be here for this conversation. I'm feeling sorta like I did at the start of Crossroads of Twilight, where it feels like the author decided to do a major swerve from what was set up in the previous books. Logistically, Mat should have come to Merrilor with Moiraine & Thom... it's honestly difficult to see how he possibly avoided it? Assigned Gateway-maker Grady is at Merrilor. Literally right here, in this meeting. Perrin just mentioned him.

Logically: Mat should have arrived at Merrilor, mentioned that he had been planning to return to Caemlyn (for the Band & Olver) and found out that Caemlyn was attacked (learning from Talmanes that the knowledge of the attack was in the letter that Verin had left for him). This would bring his arc re: mistrusting Aes Sedai to an appropriate conclusion: mistrusting Aes Sedai so strongly has led to massive death on a scale as bad as anything in his war memories. Then Mat should have learned that the only thing holding back the potential peace for the world post-Last Battle is the Seanchan. He finds out how worried everyone is that the Seanchan will attack, either while the Last Battle is happening or afterwards.

Then, as a show of self-sacrifice (and guilt over letting Caemlyn be attacked), Mat tells Rand & co about his marriage and volunteers to be the one to go to Fortuona, to make one last desperate attempt at a peace treaty before the Last Battle. Because of his marriage, he's the best person for the job (making his marriage actually matter in the narrative and giving it a reason to have a prophecy about it).

Before he goes through a Gateway to Ebou Dar, he and Rand talk about Rand's LTT memories and Rand confesses to Mat that he believes that he genuinely is insane but that he has control of himself (basically shift over those two conversations that Perrin had with Rand earlier, the ones that felt like they had zero relevance to Rand and Perrin's friendship). This would bring Mat's arc re: Rand and the role of the Dragon Reborn to an appropriate emotional conclusion.

And this would mean that the Emond's Field Five actually all get to reunite before the Last Battle kicks off!

27. "I see what you're trying to do, Rand, and I love you for it." This is the wtf moment that kinda throws the 'what DO all the various random rulers know about Rand's relationships?' question into the pot. Visibly pregnant Elayne saying this to Rand while another woman was desperately clinging (silently) to his arm only minutes ago should be raising so many questions and red flags for the various rulers who are present here. Especially since Rand doesn't publicly reciprocate her affection here. I feel like just having Elayne say, "I see what you're trying to do, Rand, but that does not remove the fact that this document is fundamentally untenable" would have made a lot more sense here. There's no point to Rand and Elayne avoiding spending time with each other if Elayne is also throwing out 'I love you's in public. Pick a lane, essentially. But Rand agrees to add the provision that if the Seanchan do not sign to the treaty, then the document as a whole is void.

28. Elayne says that only addresses the problem of the Seanchan and not the issue of how to enforce the treaty, which is what leads to Aviendha speaking up and telling Rand that she wants the boon that she'd requested earlier -- that the Aiel be treated the same way as the wetlanders in the treaty. Rand says that leaving them out of the agreement was meant as an expression of his trust and Aviendha tells him that it is an insult instead.

(and it is not the Aiel themselves who say that war is their purpose or that they are tools; they actually respond negatively to the suggestion -- it's Rand and Perrin, wetlanders who both canonically have the bad habit of using their people as tools, who make that comparison)

But anyway, the Aiel are written into the document as the official enforcers of the peace.

Hmm, we do get this cute moment from Perrin here that Elayne 'smells' proud of Rand even as she continues to 'stare daggers' at him, lol. But just like Egwene, Perrin has no thoughts on the whole "Rand has multiple girlfriends" situation.

Moiraine asks Rand how he plans to lead the armies if he's going to Shayol Ghul, so that's now an open question.

29. I do feel the need to point out: Aviendha is here spearheading the Aiel & the Wise Ones; Elayne is here representing Caemlyn & Cairhien; and they are both vocal in this meeting and actively facing and talking with Rand as equals. Min... is silently clinging to Rand's arm. And the saddest thing is that this is perfectly representative of them in the series as a whole, too. Aviendha and Elayne both have other things going on and get to be fully-realized characters and people, while Min... not so much, and the story has to keep trying to manufacture ways to occupy her time* because once she leaves Salidar, she has literally nothing else going on in her life but clinging to Rand.

(*hilariously, it's usually something that someone else had already discovered or realized earlier in the series -- ex. Rand himself has the realization about needing to break the seals all the way back at the start of Lord of Chaos, long before Min arrives in Caemlyn; or there's that time she uncovered the flaw in Callandor... that Cadsuane had already told Rand about in an earlier book)

30. As Faile brings up some pertinent questions about the Seanchan, Mat not being here at this meeting feels so weird and jarring. It makes zero narrative or purely logistical sense.

The question: if the Seanchan sign this document, does that give them formal permission to keep all the people they've enslaved and the lands that they've conquered? And are they allowed to kidnap and enslave anyone who crosses their borders (women who can channel in particular)? Very important questions and ones that Mat needed to hear being brought up. Shielding him from any of this, like he's a toddler who is too young to hear the truth about the world, doesn't help anyone, especially not him.

31. Rand says that he will go to the Seanchan after this meeting, either to find a way to get them to sign this treaty or to find a way to destroy their ability to make war (guessing this would be something to do with the damane -- maybe springing all their collars with the Power all at once?). So Rand still considers fighting the Seanchan to be a very viable possibility for him at this time.

Here is the point in the meeting when Mat (who should be here) would speak up and say, "I'll go and talk to her first" because he's just found out that the other option is Fortuona getting killed by his best friend and/or Fortuona attempting to kill his friends & people.

"We cannot have them striking at our backs when we attack the Shadow."

lol, Min silently takes Rand's arm again as the rulers proceed with the treaty signing.

32. When it comes time for Elayne to sign (she's last), she notes that it's a difficult thing that Rand is asking of her, and he gives her the control of the armies of the Last Battle. Though some of the leaders push back against the idea, none of them do so based on the whole "you two are romantically linked" conflict-of-interest idea, so I once again have to wonder what exactly all the random rulers know about their relationship (maybe they just assume Elayne is very free with her 'I love you's).

33. The question of the Seanchan is brought up again, and Rand says that he will see what he can do about trying to trade with the Seanchan to get their people back (from what we saw in Aviendha's visions, this is a trade that Fortuona and her successors refused in the alternate future) and try to persuade them to return back over the sea but if worst comes to worst "if forced to it, I am content to allow them the lands they have, so long as they do not spread further".

"Thousands are enslaved," Egwene points out.

"What's done is done," Rand says. Yikes. He does follow this up with, "Let us worry about the world first, then do what we can for those held captive" so again, he's not letting the Seanchan entirely off the hook here -- he's leaving an explicit opening for the leaders to push the Seanchan on this in the future. But, you know, saying "what's done is done" about people being kidnapped into slavery is extremely Yikes.

We also get the pro-'strongman' yikes argument of "the lands they have taken have benefited from strong leadership", which is something that Jordan first brought up in TPoD as propaganda that the Seanchan were spreading but wasn't actually true (as we heard stories about how violent the Seanchan mainland still was, with uprisings and civil wars), was treated as an article of faith by Fortuona in CoT & KoD even as we were cut off from hearing any counter-arguments, and now is basically taken as literally true.

And, once again, I feel the need to point out that the 'strong leadership' that Rand is praising is mostly the work of Darkfriend Suroth and Forsaken Semirhage, as Fortuona was ~under the veil~ during her first weeks in Ebou Dar and so in a weird in-between place as far as her authority went, then kidnapped and missing for at least a month and maybe closer to two or three months, and has only recently been returned to power. So this is more an argument in praise of the Dark One than the Seanchan, though Rand (and I guess Sanderson) doesn't realize it.

34. Things are getting bad in the Borderlands, we find out, as we check in with Lan.

Yeah, I feel like this section here would have been enough to illustrate how bad things were getting without us needing the attack on Caemlyn. Too many battles, not enough character moments! (especially if Mat isn't there to face his failure with Caemlyn and Verin's letter, making it all feel much more pointless and 'battle for the sake of battle')

Right when Lan believes that he's facing his last stand, Gateways open up and reinforcements pour in from Merrilor. And Lan is relieved that what he thought was his death becomes "a promising battle" instead.

This is a pretty nice, upbeat moment to end this section of the reread on, I think, since I feel like it's gotten long enough. I had a lot to say about the big meeting, lol.

[thevikingwoman]

After the battle for Doma Castle, Hien is thoughtful, and tired. A brief encounter with Magnai leaves him thinking more on his new allies. This is a little thought I had and wanted to put down in words. It's meant as a developing relationship, but it can also be read as budding friendship.

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV | Words: 628 | Read on Ao3

Hien x Magnai | set after battle for Doma Castle | pre-relationship Rating: Teen. Hien introspection, Hien & Yugiri, Magnai has one feeling maybe, he tried, Stormblood spoilers

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After the battle, and his impromptu speech, Hien takes a moment. He sits on a broken wall. Yugiri is next to him, silent and somber.

The plan worked. They’ve won. The Viceroy slain, Doma Castle theirs – what’s left of it at any rate, but it was truly worth it.

Doma is free.

There is already a celebration in progress, and he should join. The remaining Xaela warriors are mingling with the Domans, drawing some curious glances, but mostly people are happy to welcome new-found allies.

No one thinks of their losses now.

He still hears the ring of Yotsuyu’s gun. The building collapsing behind him.

A shadow falls across him, and Magnai is there, tall and broad and a wide grin on his face.

“Greeting Lord of Doma! Did I not say the sun would bring you victory!”

“That you did.” Hien offers a tired smile.

Magnai seems to bounce off his feet, the adrenaline of battle clearly still in his veins. His fiery eyes seem to appraise Hien, or mayhap look for something in Hien’s own face. He is too tired to analyze the look, outside Magnai’s joy of battle.

“I hope there is further chance of glorious battles in the future. The ironmen are no match for the might of the Steppe.”

What his people need is peace, but Hien bites his tongue. It wouldn’t do to insult Magnai, or be insulted. In all fairness, he’s never sure which will happen with Magnai. He settles for a simple nod. The war is far from over. There will be plenty of Garleans lingering, he suspects, not to mention freeing Ala Mhigo. Lyse and her people deserve freedom as much, but today his thoughts return to the rubble and watery grave of Gosetsu.

Magnai frowns, and then he nods back. He puffs up his chest somehow, seeming even wider and taller.

“A warrior’s death is something to be celebrated, the sun itself will tell of his glorious deeds.” Magnai pauses, and trails off, “but, ah… I…”

Hien merely feels tired.

Magnai’s hand lands somewhat awkwardly on Hiens shoulder, squeezes and lingers for a moment. Then he lets go, and he stalks off without another word.  

“I wonder what that was about.” Hiens eyes follow Magnai as he leaves. He can’t help but think he missed something.

“Perhaps he meant to offer reassurance, or congratulations, my Lord,” Yugiri offers.

“Mayhap.”

Magnai joins Daidekul and his other comrades, sneering at Sadu who grins fiercely. Taunting him, he supposes. Internal strife aside, they are nevertheless all strong allies. Magnai – overly boastful or not, is in fact radiant in battle. Not that Hien will let him know. But as an ally, he can think of few others who’d have made fiercer force.

“I should have thanked him. Praised him. This would have been a good opportunity to solidify the relationship. Doma needs all the allies she can get - and if I am to lead her, I cannot let personal mood and matters interfere.”

“My lord,” Yugiri says, a gentle reproach in her voice. “You are allowed a rest. We’re – the victory had a cost.”

She looks full of earnest faith in him, and it gives him strength. He will be the leader his people need. For his parents, for Gosetsu. For Yugiri. For every Doman.  

“Thank you, Yugiri.”

And as for the Xaela, and Magnai, there will be a time to meet again, a time to build the allies Doma needs. He looks at the revelry, where Magnai lifts a waterskin; likely not holding water, drinks and laughs, his horns gleaming in the light of the setting sun. No matter what Magnai meant, it was just briefly uncharacteristically heartfelt, and Hien may not be entirely averse to deal with Magnai once more.

[niqhtlord01]

Mr. Robinson: The Tailor Assassin

Name: Mr. Robinson Alias: The Tailor Assassin, Master of Needlecraft Massacre, The Death Weaver, A simple tailor.

Profession: Tailor (Suspected Grade S Assassin)

Species: Human

Current Location: Privately owned tailor shop “Cardigan Union” located in Glyfada, Greece.

Description: Mr. Robinson stands at roughly six feet tall with brown hair and a distinctive scar across his left eye. He often wears custom made clothing that he himself has created that easily sets him apart from the general masses. The quality is often extravagant yet the designs themselves are more subtle and less flashy.

It has been mentioned by several sources that Mr. Robinson is seen most often smiling. Be it during conversations with individuals or while alone, the subject has rarely been seen with any other expression. This has made multiple prolonged interactions with him unnerving as his smile and charming demeanor make the other party unsettled.

Weapons: At this time there are no records of Mr. Robinson carrying weapons on his person. It is rumored that he does keep a small pistol underneath the counter of his shop but attempts to confirm this would alert the subject to his monitoring details (If he is not already aware of them.)

It has been noted that he does carry several sewing tools on his person at any given time ranging from threads and needles to a pair of sharpened scissors.

Summarized History: While there are official records detailing the earlier years of Mr. Robinson the general lack of expanded information from these records does point to them being possibly rewritten at some point.

Officially he was born in what was once known as New York, Mr. Robinson attended several public schools while living with his grandfather who worked for a clothing company. His grades were above average for someone his age and while he had been scouted to attend several prestigious colleges he instead opted to join with his grandfather in setting up a small family run tailor shop.

When the first contact wars with the species known as the “Hive” began Mr. Robinson found himself drafted into military service and was assigned to the 21st reconnaissance core. This unit would often go behind enemy lines and report back on enemy movements and it is believed here that Terran intelligence first took notice of Mr. Robinson.

So far behind enemy lines the core would make use of any materials on hand to continue their mission without the need to resupply. The commander of the core makes specific mention of several instances of Mr. Robinson using his talents to guide the core undetected by Hive Warrior forms by stitching the deceased bodies of Hive worker caste drones to mask their scent. What is even more impressive was his gift for laying booby-traps that decimated entire packs of warriors without ever being noticed.

Shortly after the peace talks were concluded Mr. Robinson was taken under the wing of the Terran Intelligence service. Not much is known from his time in the service aside from several recording captures from different planets within or along the human controlled domain. Coincidentally, at each of these sightings a prominent individual would be reported dead under questionable circumstances. Such as the case for Prefect Doman Car, and out spoken anti-human leader who was found strangled to death with his own scarf by a Celpien religious radical.

The Celpien claims that the pair had met up to share their anti-human agendas when suddenly the Prefect’s scarf suddenly began tightening around his throat like it was strangling them until they expired. Authorities on the scene notched the Celpien’s statement up to madness and arrested them on the spot, though the scarf itself was strangely never found at the crime scene.

These series of strange deaths went on for another several years across a dozen planets, of which we just have hearsay and rumors, before Mr. Robinson returned to earth and setup his own tailoring store.

His store does sell legitimate clothing to all forms of clientele; the quality far outpacing rivals in his profession. However, this is believed to be but a front to cover up the truth that Mr. Robinson has begun operating as a private assassin. It is not known how or if Mr. Robinson severed his ties with Terran Intelligence but since opening his store he has largely operated as freelance.

Those wishing to pay for his services would go into the store and request a special item be made for a “Friend”. This friend is believed to be the designated target the buyer wishes terminated to which Mr. Robinson will either agree and state his price or pass on.

The exact method of the assassination is never spoken of in any form to the client and payment is made after the task has been completed. This is rare for assassins who often request half up front and half after the job is finished, yet he has adopted a tailoring persona as his cover and follows their procedures to the letter.

In fact, many of his assassinations involve some form of clothing as the instrument or carrier device for the death. A most unusual method, but an undoubtedly effective one as he is suspected as the mastermind behind the poisonings of the Argonian delegation and royal family during their visit to earth, as well as the near massacre at the Geode delegations birthday party when pheromone laced waiter outfits drove the staff into a murderous frenzy that nearly killed the Hive ambassador Tilith. Were it not for the intervention of one Earl Von Morgan who protected the Hive ambassador by tackling her would be assassin out a nearby window it was highly likely that the Hive would have broken off all diplomatic contact with humanity and risked the possibility of a renewed war.

This last incident is the first reported case of failure for Mr. Robinson, yet the tailor has made no attempts to correct this mistake by making another attempt on the Hive ambassador’s life. Surveillance of the tailor’s store showed that after the failed assassination the tailor was visited by none other than Yuri the unseen hand himself during the late hours of the night. It is not known what the two discussed but the two parted ways the same night, both still very much alive.

Attempts have been made to implicate Mr. Robinson in the assassinations, yet the tailor has been clever enough to leave no distinguishing threads back to himself save for the fact that his clothing was at the scene of the crime. This has not been enough to fully implicate the tailor as his front store has sold thousands of orders not only across the Terran planet but offworld as well. His reputation as one of the finest tailors in this corner of the universe has made his products a namesake amongst the wealthy and powerful ranks of society.

Continued observation is underway as we now begin analyzing every customer that enters his store in the hope of preventing another murder from this simple tailor.

[gatheredfates]

LOOKING FOR CONTACT: AZUMA YUMISHI.

The sole daughter of renowned Doman samurai Kaito, Azuma grew up in occupied Yanxia during the Garlean occupation alongside her childhood best friend, Siyoh. Though trained in the samurai art, Azuma deviated from her family's craft by honing her abilities as a shinobi through partaking in Doman art, dancing and tea-making. She was critically injured escaping her homeland in the years preceding the emperor's death, losing much of the mobility in her legs, and spent many years in Mor Dhona helping to reunite refugees. When the Warrior of Light helped liberate her home, Azuma travelled back with Siyoh and they opened two establishments together - the Doman Dragon and the Umbral Udon. They provide hospitality to new and returning travellers to Doma, as well as assist in the relocation of their people.

I said I was going to do it and now I am! While all my characters are available for roleplay, I'd like to focus on forging a few connection on my Doman baby, Azuma. With her story pivoting back to Eorzea through @riftdancing's development with Siyoh, it allows me more flexibility to play her in Western settings and meet new people (Plus, lets be honest, we're kind of a package deal. You get me, you get Pepper. It's a two-for-one special!)

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: If you are looking for a roleplayer to go to events with or engage in heavy in-game roleplay, I may not be the best player for you. I work full time and exist in the GMT+8 timezone; a fact that heavily restricts the kinds of roleplay I can attend. While I try to be active in posting regularly over discord, for example, I can't go to prime-time events during the week unless I'm on holidays.

PRE-ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS?

While all of these will require some element of ooc discussion beforehand, I am more than happy to work with pre-established connections and tid-bits of Azuma's personal history that players can use to connect with her quickly.

DOMA. Azuma grew up during the Garlean occupation of Doma, thus it is extremely plausible that other Doman's during this time would either recognise or know her. Her father played the role of a senile old man in order to not be drafted for the various Garlean corps as he trained young samurai in secret, and Azuma was pivotal in assisting his efforts as well as honing her own skills as a shinobi. If your character was a Garlean posted out to the east, they might have come into contact with her. If your character was a yakuza or any other blend of criminality, Azuma would not have hesitated to trade what little goods she and her people had in order to gain supplies and weaponry. Basically, I am entirely flexible with people knowing her in Doma during the occupation.

MOR DHONA. Azuma was one of the first refugees into Mor Dhona in the raids preceding The Warrior of Light's foray into the East. With Garlean forces onto her father ruse, and fearing for his daughter's safety, Kaito attempted to ferry Azuma onto a boat to Eorzea that was attacked by the occupying forces. He died, Azuma was critically injured, and she nearly died three times over on her trip to Vesper Bay. Separated from Siyoh for a time, she was moved to Mor Dhona with the other refugees and began to try to reconnect displaced families in the wake of her disability limiting the direct impact she could make to the resistance. Much like Doma, I am down for your character to have known Azuma in this period - whether you were one of the people that healed/rehabilitated her, she helped reunite your family, or anything in between.

RETURN TO THE EAST. Having managed to find Siyoh in Eorzea after some time apart, the two would look eastward in order to try and return home. With much of her battle prowess limited in her injuries, Azuma took a more commanding/advisory role in assisting her people snatching back their freedom and driving the Garlean's out of her homeland. She had no qualms dealing with the various metaphorical 'chess pieces' on the board, and this would have given her many connections in both Kugane, Doma, Eorzea and beyond. Basically, if you were willing to help her cause, she would negotiate whatever terms were put on the table no matter your personal alliance.

Azuma and Siyoh were one of the first to return back to Doma. Canonically, they established the Doman Dragon and Umbral Udon in the heart of the Doman Enclave, and much of the time towards the end of Stormblood / Shadowbringers was them rebuilding their homeland and tooling their establishments for locals and tourists alike. Taking a loan from Rexonus Fira'lux, patron of Firelight Trading Company, kept them tied to Eorzea as they worked to pay off his debt whilst also tying their businesses to the company at large.

LOOKING BACK. Though Azuma was contented to stay in Doma, Siyoh's affiliation to Firelight Trading Company manifested in the unintended consequence of falling head over heels for it's patriarch (oopsie!), and she appealed to Azuma to come with her and spend some more time in Eorzea. Reluctant at first, she relented only due to the close bond she shared with her best friend and the opportunity of extending their business deals with other people across the star.

WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR?

Friends — Azuma is a sweetheart but struggles with the idea that people don't 'see' her anymore because of her injuries. Having people who support and look past that, whilst still offering her the autonomy to thrive, would be amazing. Come and hang with her and Siyoh! They're fun, they'll share a little gossip and welcome you into their circle.

Ships — Gonna be perfectly honestly, I play loosely with ships. My time zone isn't friendly to that kind of commitment, so I have to really trust and connect with the person I'm writing with if we're planning on pinning down something other than an au. It's not out of the realm of possibility, especially considering Azuma leans into poly, but I'd like us to be writing semi-regularly if this were the case. Crushes and the like are totally fine, though!

Enemies — I'm down! This would require a lot of planning and negotiation, but I don't mind playing around with someone who has a vendetta against her for some reason. Maybe she crossed the wrong group in Kugane trying to ferry supplies to Doma? Maybe they're a Garlean whose friend she murdered in the resistance?

Other — If anything here has sparked you, but you're worried you don't 'fit' into the categories above, please reach out! I'm so flexible with rp it isn't funny, and I actively bend lore for fun. Let's see what we can do!

CONTACT?

Feel free to IM me here if you're interested! My discord is open to interested parties, though I don't like to give it out in public. You can also message me on Azuma or, if you see me on my main, Ashley Hawke on Balmung!

[fierce-in-the-forest]

FFXIV Write 2024, Day 25: Perpetuity

CW: Major character death

Saoirse landed her bird on the top of the highest point of the great red gate, a place that had a view of the sea, and dismounted not ungracefully. At 40 years young, she was still down in years from the few viera leaders she had known. She had not yet married, had no viable romantic interest, and thus no heirs of her own. She had not yet seen much of the world outside of the East, nor had she thought she needed to. She regretted that choice now, aa everything she surveyed from the top of the kingdom was hers now. Hien was gone.

Her father was dead.

It had been sudden, his loss. There one moment, gone the next. Her mother, Alannah, was devastated. Unable to run their kingdom. But the kingdom wasn’t hers. Doma passed down to the heir. That was Saoirse.

Okay, well, technically, that was Char, the male child. But Saoirse was the one who remained, and Saoirse had been born to lead—though she hadn’t expected to do so for many, many more years. She wished she had paid more attention to the intricacies of, well, everything. But it was too late now.

Conceptually, Saoirse understood death. She understood that the viera lived a great deal longer than the Hyur. She pondered as she stared across the gray sky which she would be, when her eternity would come to be. Would she be more Hyur, or more viera? She had her mother’s ears, after all.

A viera. Running Doma, leading the people into the future.

Alone.

There was a scuffle, a light footfall, and then her brother appeared over the lip of the gate and settled in beside her. Not alone after all.

“You came.”

“I knew I’d find you here. We always did have our favorite spots.” Char had grown into a fine man. Broad and strong from many years of hunting—the wood had been kind to him. He had recently gotten married and spoke in his letters of starting a family. Somehow, he was so much farther along in his life than , or so it felt. She did not know when they had swapped positions.

“Father is gone.” It was the only thing she could think to say.

“I know. I knew immediately, I think. I felt you.”

Their twin sense was eternal, no matter how far apart they were or how long it had been since they spoke. “The rite of succession is today. They cannot leave the kingdom unmoored.”

Char nodded. He had known this too.

“Thank you. For coming.”

Char patted her on the knee. “As if I’d miss my big sister getting her crown.”

Big sister by mere minutes. “Well maybe it would be better suited for my little brother.” She had never said anything like that out loud, never hinted that she could be anything but the best leader. But there it was, her words and greatest fear hanging in the air.

“This kingdom was born to be yours, Saoirse. They will be safe in your hands.”

“I have never led anything before. Not really. Not like this.”

“Well….” Char thought for a moment before replying. “Leadership is….You don’t need a heavy hand. You need a willing spirit, a good heart. Your people will follow.”

Saoirse had known this, in theory. She had watched her father for many years. But they’d all thought they would have more time. Time itself had felt like eternity. He had taught everything about their kingdom but also taught her nothing at all. “I miss him.” She was Alannah’s daughter. The idea of grappling with her emotions was a challenge.

Char, however, cried freely. “I miss him too.” And then-“I didn’t get to say goodbye. I wish….I wish I’d had that. I loved him so much.”

Saoirse nodded, unsure what to say, where to go from here. “I am certain he knew your love. Our love.”

They sat together and watched as the sun moved across the Doman sea and cast sparkling golden waves in every possible direction. Saoirse let herself cry too, let herself feel the loss of the greatest man she had ever and would ever know. In such a short time, she would have to move forward and take the reins. The kingdom would not drive itself.

Char took her hand. “Perhaps,” he speculated, “the crown will sparkle.” He always knew exactly what she needed to feel better.

“But can I wear the sparkles all the time?” Saoirse quipped through her tears.

“You are the leader now. You can make it so. If you want to wear that crown every single day, you do that.”

They held hands, Saoirse’s right in Char’s left. Saoirse’s brain filled with so many things, sadness and budgets and who was assigned to the kingdom stables and how and where was her mother, but with her twin at her side it felt more….quiet in her brain.

“Father would be proud.”

Char turned to looked at her and stroked his beard—which had grown similar to their fathers. “Of both of us.”

That night, Saoirse would take the kingdom. And the next, they would say goodbye to their father. Together.

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group A, Round 4, Poll 2:

Propaganda under the cut

Jin Guangyao

Out of a desperate attempt to scrape out a space where he belongs, feels safe, and gets what was denied to him. ...He does not succeed at this and instead racks up an impressive body... not that anyone would believe it for a long time on account of all the aforementioned gaslighting

ancient Chinese equivalent of an underpaid retail worker. also the illegitimate son of a powerful sect leader, who rose to power and became leader of that very sect while murdering all the people who have ever wronged him along the way. with a manipulative smile and a knack for looking like a pitiable weakling, he participated in the genocide of an entire sect to earn his father's approval, he led on his best friend in order to better solocit his protection, and he tricked this same best friend into murdering their third friend for revenge. he also used sex workers to kill his shitty father AND murdered his own son, and then played the mourning son/father facade to perfection. right up until the moment he gets stabbed to death and everything falls apart is he relentlessly manipulative, dishonest, and corrupt.

I hate this man but his entire life is him gaslight gatekeep girlbossing. He made it to the top by killing, lying, torturing etc. all while smiling and acting like the sweetest thing since sugar. He killed an old friend wjo didn't trust him and kept his decapitated head in his closet Wiped out an entire clan Killed his son Killed his father Sent his half brother into a dangerous situation that got him killed, because he was jealous Found out his fiancée was his half sister, didn't tell her and married her anyway. When she found out about that and him murdering their son he tried so hard to convince her she was crazy and being manipulated by someone that hated him, and when that didn't work he sedated her, locked her away and drove her to suicide His other half brother was the subject of a lot of horrible rumours. And Jin Guangyao kicked him out, back to his mother's abusive family. I don't think the rumours are confirmed to be from him, but it's certainly suspicious, especially since he didn't like his half brother and saw him as competition Traumatised sex workers then killed them Worked with a serial killer, then tried to kill him Kept an undead man who was fully sentient sedated in captivity to experiment on him And many other things. He even died trying to make his friend feel bad. It worked. Despicable man

Yotsuyu goe Brutus

She was sold to a brothel by her shitty aunt and rose through the ranks to become a highly sought-after courtesan, eventually meeting up with one of the big bads who was impressed by her hatred for her home country of Doma. A lot of murder later and she got put in charge of Doma, exacted her revenge by basically torturing the citizens, and absolutely getting off on it.

propaganda by @mosthuggableffxiv:

Yotsuyu goe Brutus was treated like shit her entire life and girlbossed as hard as she could as revenge (more detail below). Her response to an extremely shitty childhood and early life was to become a spy for the Garlean Empire, which was occupying her home country, Doma, and apparently be good enough at that that she ended up as basically in charge of the country (as the dude from the empire who was actually in charge could not give less of a shit about governing--sorry Zenos fans, but it's true). Having harbored a lifelong hatred for her countrymen, she took advantage of her position to make them suffer--the player first sees her in a scene where she's trying to force a man to prove his loyalty to the Empire by shooting his own parents, for example. Later, when the player character has allied with the Doman resistance and confronts Yotsuyu in a decisive battle, she begins to dump her traumatic backstory… in order to delay her death long enough that she can bring a building down on the player character and other people important to the resistance, including the rightful heir to the Doman throne. She seemingly dies when the building collapses, but later comes back with amnesia, having completely forgotten her past and all the atrocities she committed. A significant amount of time is spent trying to figure out if this is a trick, because she would do that, but it turns out that's actually what happened… at least until her brother shows up and forces her to remember her past by re-introducing her to her shitty abusive parents. Newly herself, but now feeling guilty for the war crimes, she kills her shitty abusive parents and summons a primal (a godlike being) inside herself to either re-take Doma or die. The latter ends up happening, perhaps not surprising given the number of primals that the player character has personally slain, but saves the last of her strength to murder Asahi and thus dies with her need for revenge fully sated.