#elidibus: what in the world happened?

[asleepinawell]

Azem delegates Hyth to do their job and gives him their mask and is just like go nuts babe. Emet-Selch is weeping

somehow I missed the first time that themis was like I left azem in charge of the convocation which is hilarious for a lot of reasons one of them being that emet-selch is about to have a really bad week

[plounce]

what people misunderstand about the hvw patch urianger plotline is that urianger's greatest sin in that arc is not sending minfilia to the first. he didn't actually do that. what he did is set up a confrontation between the wol and ardbert's party without elidibus' knowledge so all the crystals of light from the wol and from ardbert's party would allow them to talk to hydaelyn and minfilia. that is what he did. then he presented his solution to the first and source's dual problem, and minfilia AGREED and so did hydaelyn and so minfilia chose to go over. minfilia was already lost in the sauce. the wol and the scions knew that, they saw her in the antitower as the vessel of hydaelyn as The Word Of The Mother. she was already in there and it wasn't going to be as easy to get her out like they did y'shtola and thancred - or maybe even possible. what he arranged is a meeting that had the ability to conclude in the way he wanted - which was a way for the first to survive, and for no calamity to happen on the source. and in that, he allowed everyone to see minfilia again and speak with her. so he could ask her if she was willing to do that. he didn't punt her over there! because even when he's taking action, he is still a really passive person lmao. but he gave minfilia the option to save two entire worlds, which she was happy to choose to do.

urianger's ACTUAL greatest sin in that arc is alisaie's poisoning by renda-rae's arrow. i don't know if urianger was with the warriors of darkness for that incident or if he was at the waking sands, and i KNOW he was probably horrified to hear about the incident and intensely regretfull and ashamed he wasn't there to stop it (like he stopped ardbert's party in the cutscene after xelphatol later on) but regardless, i don't think their relationship was ever the same after that. which makes me miserable, because right before this is the bahamut coils plot, where alisaie trusts urianger as her scion contact (not alphinaud!) because he's a close family friend, and he obviously respects her so incredibly much (he uses "you" for her!) and is so distressed when he sees her (and alphinaud) all beat up after the final coil. they never act very close after 3.4, aside from urianger presenting her with a custom-made rapier and a prophecy before she sets sail to kugane in stormblood. i think that is in part meant as an apology (and also so alisaie has an easier time casting), but they never really team up again like they did in the coils plot. this probably isn't intentional on the part of the writers, but it's an absence that feels conspicuous to me. when your childhood babysitter almost gets you killed.

[seffyriath]

okay here is my weird take about what emet-selch might have done regarding zenos and whatever "experiment" was going on

Joke answer: he's a dragon stuffed into a human body

serious answer: it's the same as the joke answer but longer and explained in an incoherent way.

i think we've been given hints about what the fuck was going on with Varis's Large Adult Son even after endwalker, but i need to reference other things to do that, so let's break it down:

-We have been given more insight into how Memories and Souls work and interact in this setting, especially after Dawntrail. We know that it's possible to implant memories onto a soul that didn't originally have them, and it works fine if you have the technology to do this

-Emet-Selch's whole job involved souls and the lifestream

-We've seen Athena also bring back ancients, in a temporary way, by reconstituting soul stuff and grabbing the memories for those ancients, since souls and memories are essentially different kinds of aether. if you've played FFVII at all, you already know this. one would assume that Emet-Selch would manage reconstituting souls a lot better

-there are some memories that are so powerful that they are blasted or etched into your soul, which is why some faded memories can stick around from past lives

-We know that Emet-Selch was seriously thinking of a way to bring the ancients back without rejoinings, and this was probably attempted via his literal large adult sons and their descendants.

-dragon's souls, as far as we know, are unsundered.

-fitting with the Sephiroth and Jenvoa parallel, they are also canonically aliens

about Zenos:

-the devs have said that he was "born wrong" and that's why he's like that. this seems different than "born evil" because Lyse assumes that this wasn't the case, and that's not the normal philosophy for the game. characters have been wrong before, but if he was experimented on, this is likely referencing Sephiroth, who was also born wrong on purpose, as a joke, via tampering in the womb

-people in the world still have vague, ephemeral memories of the ancients, but Zenos is different. Zenos has upsettingly visceral memories of the final days but he also views the world like the ancients do, particularly regarding accomplishing your life's purpose and then dying right after as a positive thing. this is why his actions at the end of stormblood do not read as suicidal to not just me, but the characters. they're really confused about why he does this! Zenos acting the way he does seems to be the answer to why the ancients tried to emphasize a more communal existence, because what happens when the most powerful motherfucker on earth is also a prince in an extremely hierarchical society? you get Zenos

-However, Zenos also follows the rule of beasts and is much more beastlike, similar to dragons. Dragons aren't evil, but they have extremely different cultures and views than humans, because they're functionally immortal and don't need to reproduce. they are power manifest, and can easily take over an ecosystem. Midgardsomr's covenant with Hydaelyn most likely prevents this, but the point is that dragons are pure power, and that's what they respect the most. like Zenos, although being raised as he was probably made this even worse

-Zenos seems pretty dysphoric, but it doesn't seem to be directed at any gender. he's stated that he doesn't care about his name one way or the other, and that he only wants his body back from Elidibus because of how powerful it is. he otherwise doesn't seem to care about normal human experiences, like human food or sex, or just companionship in general with other humans. as far as food goes, he's the only villain to do this, as the writers tend to get into what foods the characters like in the lore books, even the villains. you can't really say that this is just the product of being a royal or someone in power. even Thordan has a favorite food, and even Varis had a childhood friend, who we've actually met.

-both in The Hunt Begins and in general, Zenos actively wants to be able to use and manipulate aether. this is odd, since Garleans are constantly told that magic is evil and bad, but Zenos goes out of his way to try to do this, including piercing himself with a crystal where the aether exchange could kill him. this could be because his great grandfather is a sorcerer of eld. it could be because dragons not being able to use magic would feel extremely unnatural to him. why not both?

-He seems. REALLY excited when he transforms into Shinryu. like, weirdly excited. i get it, it would probably own being a dragon, and you could say that he was just really excited about fighting the wol the first time, but this has happened twice now, and every time he almost sounds like Susano with how excited he is. it's a total fucking mood shift. also in his last fight he still keeps the Shinryu attacks. since it's in a place that's ruled by emotions, one has to assume that he's attached to them

-He literally has a horde (of weapons)? i know we don't see a lot of FFXIV dragons do this, but Vrtra has a horde that he uses as a bank. what's up with that.

-He doesn't really have a coda yet, and while i don't think he's going to be brought back, or that he NEEDS to be brought back, the wol seems like they're just starting to be comfortable with thinking about what Zenos's deal is with enough time and distance

-how d. how did he know that dragons can just lay eggs like that. yeah he could have READ about it but like. how did he figure out how to do that in the fight. and why. why did he just doooo thaaaat.

IN CONCLUSION i think that in a bid to try to bring ancients back into the world through unnatural means, Emet-Selch took the closest recently dead unsundered soul he could find at the time (a dragon's), imprinted some of his memories onto it (as one would do when making the convocation crystals) and put that shit in a baby. thanks.

[voidsentprinces]

Endwalker, the one that had to wrap everything up. The war with Garlemald, the repercussions of Lahabrea, Emet-Selch, and Elidibus now gone from the world leaving the Ascians in the hands of Fandaniel. And Garlemald to burn in the ambition of Zenos returned. To tell what was happening with Hydaelyn and what has been going on with Sharlayan. The last step to face off against Zodiark as the Final Days from the time of Amaurot returns to our world. Would we live to see the end? And what secrets would we uncover? And in the post, the secrets of the Twelve, of Lahabrea's past, of Hildibrand and Godbert returned, of the Thirteenth Shard and Zero and of the future ahead with Wuk Lamat.

Did you find joy in it? Was your adventure worth it all? Here at the fall of the first curtain. Its ups, its downs. For better or for worst. Did you enjoy Endwalker? Yes and no are very limited. So at the end of this poll series. Let me know at the end of this story now closed with 6.55. What you think of it. Reflect...and listen.

[feralkwe]

today ours is a rare feast. fr fr.

oughgh the vanilla themis minion compared to the old modded one (which was literally just a retrofitted venat). they hit him with the bishie-ification beam....

the mask and robes actually look SO much better though holy shit. elidibus likers MAY actually be winning for once

[feralkwe]

Ask and ye shall recieve- anyway, I'm thinking these might be fun prompts for you! Especially the "How am I supposed to sleep next to ypu knowing what you did?" Ish one

https://www.tumblr.com/forbodium/751308726972104704/the-person-watching-their-partner-become-a-villain?source=share

(On phone, so I'm approximating that prompt)

“how do you expect me to sleep next to you at night knowing what you did?”

oh you. oh you.

i had to do some bending to make this work. i'm not precisely sure that time exists for this to play out as it does here. also, i had to put kit in a pretty bad place at this point of shb. not a far leap, but definitely a darker, most self-loathing one. i'm also not sure this question she asks would ever be a consideration, but that's the beauty of an au, you can do almost anything if you try hard enough.

under a cut because... i suppose some of it is dodgy, considering their respective mental states and the fact that this is ardbert's stolen body. nothing is nsfw, but it's implied.

if you want more context, i did write an au fic i reference.

~*~

Kit stared across the room, bedding pulled around her. The chill of the floor beneath her feet was the only thing grounding her to the reality of the moment. To the gravity of what she’d done. No, not done, past tense. Of what she was doing. Present tense. Again.

The first time had been… a fluke. An indiscretion. Perhaps even a moment of weakness rooted in morbid curiosity. A poor decision born of loneliness and isolation. Elidibus’ confession at the lookout over Lakeland had sounded confused, irrational, and impossible. The words of a man who was no longer engaging with reality, mistaking her for another. But then he’d used her name—not a title bestowed upon her, but her actual name—and he was no longer the only one confused. What he claimed was impossible, and yet she needed to believe it so desperately that she indulged it.

She had no excuses after that first time. Or the second. Or the third. It was past time to admit that she was actively participating in something that she should not have been with someone she should not have. Someone who one moment was buried deep inside her, proclaiming how much he missed her, loved her, and the next reassuring her that he fully intended to end her very existence all the same. Angry at himself for weakness in the face of all which was at stake, and angry at her for… causing it. Apparently.

After she realized she could accidentally summon him to her, she quickly learned how to do it on purpose. And she did. She called him to her to see what would happen. To see how far his obsession went. And, were she honest, to see where her own ended.

He paced behind her. He always paced after, sinking into his rage and determination once more as their pulses settled and he focused on redressing. Though, anger wasn’t exactly what she would call it. It had morphed over the short time they repeated this mistake into what felt more akin to self-loathing. A feeling she knew too well, as it turned out. What froze her in place and trapped her in her thoughts compelled him to rail about her Pendants room for the duration of the brief time he ever remained.

“This changes nothing,” he repeated. Another familiar refrain, the reminder that for all his proclamations of love, she was still his enemy. The one with who fault for all his woes lie. The one whose death was the only path to his victory. His duty. The obstacle to, as he put it, saving the world. Both heroes from their perspectives, their purposes at an impasse, even this bizarre, mutual allure of what was forbidden could not resolve it. In fact, Kit was fairly certain it only worsened everything.

“I know.” She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t need to. He would still be naked, moving about the room in a stolen body and avoiding looking at her.

“Yet you continue to call me forth.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “You continue to answer.”

Silence, apart from the forced breath through his nose.

She closed her eyes again, waiting. Why he just did not carry out his plan when she was like this—unarmed, confused, and vulnerable—she could not say. Certainly it would be faster than whatever mutual misery they inflicted upon one another. Did he not want his vengeance? For what reason did he prolong the inevitable? In a few minutes he would roughly gather her to him again, crushing her against Ardbert’s chest and inhaling into her hair. Then he would grind out between his teeth a lament for what he could not remember. And she would welcome it.

Kit swallowed. “Next time—”

“There will be no next time,” he said. Cold. Defiant.

“Next time, maybe you could not… use that body.”

He spun about, a cruel smile touching the mouth. “I would be a fool to surrender my greatest weapon.”

“He was my friend,” she murmured. Another thing that did not exist in the past tense, yet something she could not be bothered to explain. “And you violated him. His memory. His legacy.”

He sniffed. “How the Warrior of Darkness spouts hypocrisy.”

She looked up at him, a useless feeling of longing continuing to spur her forward into foolishness. “How do you expect me to sleep next to you at night knowing what you did?” As close as she could come to an invitation. One she could not decide if she wanted him to accept or not.

“That,” he said, cold blue eyes boring into her even as grief hung over him, “will never be something about which you need worry.”

“Elidibus.” She stood, feeling small before him despite her height over him. “We could… stop this. All of it and—”

“No!” he shot. “No. This cannot be stopped. Do you not—” He clenched a hand into a fist. “Of course you do not. You could not understand. How could you ever understand?” He frowned, a conflict waging across his face. His mouth moved as if he would say more, then the more familiar vacancy took over his eyes, and it was lost. The air shifted, a rift opened, and he strode forward toward it. “Do not summon me again. I will not answer.”

“I won’t,” she growled.

They both knew it for a lie.

[blucifer08]

Who would / do they believe without question?

Hmmmmmmmmmm naru ends up getting a lot of her faith CONSTANTLY shaken throughout her story but i think she can without a doubt say that the rejoining would have ended in more doom, which is a bit surprising to think considering she was Incredibly sympathetic to the ascians' cause for a long time, thanks to her relationship with Elidibus.

She believed him at first though she wouldn't admit it-- that the world /COULD/ go back to how it was, she just questioned whether it SHOULD.

But I think after her journey, she's seen what happens when you cling to what is gone enough times. Life is moving forward. She will continue to move forward, to survive.

I think at this point she believes wholeheartedly that clinging to what is lost will bring ruin

[starrysnowdrop]

Why Hermes?

So, some of you might have wondered why I decided to ship Hali’s Azem, Urania, with Hermes instead of your usual Emet, Hyth, or even Elidibus. As I have been asked this particular question before, I decided to write out my answer here for all that are curious to know. And what better opportunity to do so while celebrating #AppleSyrcus Week! This was supposed to be the entry for the Free Day, but I’m a bit late for that, so I apologize for the delay.

See below the cut for the full details.

I want to start by saying that it’s been difficult at times for me to talk about Hermes, for multiple reasons, but possibly the biggest reason is that so many in the fandom seem to hate him. I mean he is the one that is easy to point to and say that he caused the final days in the first place and that he’s to blame for literally everything that happened afterwards. I won’t get into a debate here about how much of it was Hermes to blame, or the Ancients’ society at large, but there’s no denying of his role in the Final Days, being the creator of the Meteia and letting Meteion escape after knowing what the Meteia planned to do. So I get it, I really do. But it also means that it makes me really anxious about even talking about him, let alone gpose or write about him. Over time it’s gotten easier, so I’m okay with writing this out now.

Here’s the thing. From the beginning, I was in the “love to hate him” camp about Fandaniel. I was intrigued with his character and wanted to know more, but I wasn’t exactly excited about his total nihilism, especially in the Pre-EW patches when we first got a taste of him. He got a bit more interesting after the Amon reveal right before Tower of Zot. As a fan of Allag stuff, I liked the reveal and all, but I still didn’t know at all what to expect next. When we got to Fandaniel’s death when he became the heart of Zodiark, I felt like he was an interesting villain, but not my favorite in FFXIV, and I thought that was that. I actually didn’t think we’d get anything more about Fandaniel, let alone his Unsundered self.

Then came Elpis, and the more I heard and saw, the more I realized that I was going to fall in love with this character, or should I say the Unsundered Fandaniel anyway. The reveal that his name was Hermes got me so damn giddy already because I have always loved Hermes from Greek Mythology. Then when Hermes first spoke in Elpis, I recognized Jeremy Ang Jones’ voice, as he was clearly Amon/Fandaniel, but he spoke so softly and it just hit me with the feels instantly. I have no idea why, but I find a great voice to be a huge turn on, and Hermes just did it for me. His beautiful green eyes also greatly help in the sexiness department for me.

Seriously though, the more I learned of Hermes, the more I felt for him. His caring nature and compassion for all of the creations that entered his care, his devotion and fatherly love for Meteion, and his kindness towards the WoL, who was just a particularly odd familiar to his knowledge, just made me love him so deeply. And he was so unique amongst the Ancients, with his love for all creatures, not just his fellow people.

Another major reason why I got attached to Hermes was that I saw a lot of myself in him with his depression, as I myself have chronic depression, anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, and I am also neurodivergent. Hermes spoke to me in a way that not many of the other characters had before. Though he was this all powerful Ancient, an immortal being who had the power of creation, and held an important position in his world, he still was not happy, and he was disillusioned with Ancient society. Hermes feels so real to me, and I couldn't shake how much I felt for him.

Even way after I had finished 6.0, I still couldn’t shake him from my mind. Though I had no intention on shipping my Azem with him for the longest time, since it took me nearly 2 years to do so, he had stolen my heart, just as Aymeric, G’raha, Cid, etc. had done before. When I created and developed Hali, I actually got some inspiration to flesh out her Azem, as I didn't do anything with Yume's, but I soon created Urania. And when I was writing out my ideas, my heart knew what the right choice was. I knew that Urania would love Hermes, but it ultimately is a tragic love story since it doesnt work out, as they are broken up before the summonings of Zodiark and Hydaelyn and the Sundering. Unlike how I had written Yume, Hali's Unsundered self would be the kind-hearted, compassionate, and understanding person that would be perfect to see Hermes for who he is and fall in love with him, even though Hermes will ultimately sabotage the relationship and push Urania away over and over again.

Lastly, I wanted to point out that my love is very much for Hermes, and not as much for Fandaniel as the sundered ascian. I very much see Hermes, Amon, and Ascian Fandaniel as all separate characters, even though they all share the same soul whose trauma can be first attributed to the suffering that Hermes experienced. Though I still sympathize with Fandaniel to a point, I certainly do not ship Hali with Fandaniel, nor Hermes even. This is because Hali's heart belongs to Aymeric, and although she recognizes that she has some feelings for Hermes when she meets him in Elpis, Hali ultimately attributes that to Urania's feelings and not her own.

As of right now, I am still figuring out not only a canon timeline, especially with the newest short story coming in and wrecking a few things that I had planned, but I also have a few headcanons for the Modern AU with Urania x Hermes. So for now, I’ll give you a handful of headcanons for the Modern AU.

Hermes is a single father who adopted Meteion when she was a few months old, and she is obviously not a familiar in this modern setting but a little girl who wants her papa to find love. He is in graduate school working towards his master’s and eventually his PhD in Astronomy, but he still doesn’t earn enough to support himself and his daughter, so he is a barista at the local coffee shop. It is at the coffee shop where he meets Urania, who is a regular customer. They then bump into each other at the university and realize that they are in the same Astronomy graduate program. Some other hobbies that Hermes has include cooking, bird watching, and stargazing, along with spending his free time with Meteion as much as he can. I’m still figuring out how I want the romance to develop, but I’m very excited about this AU because it can just be a sweet love story and no big bad stuff happening like the Final Days.

That's about it for why I love Hermes as a character, and ultimately why I decided to ship my Azem with him. Please feel free to send me an ask or a message if you have any further questions or comments.

[aotopmha]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I think therefore I am and all.

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

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

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

You can empathize without excusing.

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

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

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

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

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

[yzeltia]

petunia - your presence soothes me

“Censured! Again! Why even have the fourteenth seat if my voice is to be silenced!”

Elidubus flinched as Azem threw his mask off into the wall, breaking it. Seeing his dear friend angered tested his neutrality. He wished he had the freedom to act on his first impulse so assuredly, but it was his cautious nature that earned him his seat, to foil his love. 

And in that love he was only able to watch as Azem let his temper flare. There were no words to comfort him, the decision was made. Watching Azem’s shoulders as they heaved, Themis delicately ran his hand up the other's neck then circled his arms around his waist to hug onto him. “I cannot speak for Loghrif’s actions, but in truth you only have me to be angry with. I am the Emissary, it is more fitting that I become His heart.” 

Azem tensed up under Elidubus’s embrace, fist balling tight as he was clung. His head shook, as if having some sort of internal argument with himself. “I know well why Loghrif has abdicated her role. Mitron.”

“What do you mean?”

Azem turned, grabbing Elidibus by the shoulders, expression pained. “Are you so blinded by our roles you cannot see the people under them anymore? They are like us. Mitron loves Loghrif. They cannot bare to be separated, even if it is for the good of our Star,” he stressed, taking the other's hand and forcing through his robes and onto his chest before letting his lip quiver as he continued, “To become His heart is to take away my own as you are my heart. I do not love anything more than you, even our Star. This sacrifice asks too much. We should all find a third way or take our punishment together rather than gambling with peoples’ lives.”

Elidubus stared quietly up into Azem’s fiery eyes as he felt the other's heart pound beneath his chest. Gingerly he moved to touch his cheek, offering a small smile. “There is no other way. This will happen. No more can you stand to be in a world without me, I cannot conceive of a world without you in it. I might become the heart of our God, but mine will remain here. With you.”

Azem put his hand over Elidubus’s, grunting in frustration before taking his head into his hands to hold as he delivered a rough kiss. The Emissary leaned forward, returning the kiss as best as he could before gently pushing the other back.

“Bind our aether together,” Azem ordered, wiping his mouth with his wrist.

“Azem-”

“NO! Do not call me that. Not anymore…”

Elidubus paused, then pulled off his mask, “Gelos. I am uncertain if that is a good idea given what I am to become. To tie ourselves to one another when I'm to become-”

“I don't care what happens to me. If I am not enough to keep you here then let us always have a piece of one another wherever our roads end up taking us. Themis…please.”

The silver-haired male felt himself given, hand idly reaching out to tug lightly at the string of his love’s robes. Gelos soon was upon him, pulling away his white clothing as they fell to the floor. Themis found himself barely able to keep a thought together as he was kissed and swiftly united with his ever eager lover. Once used to the fullness, clarity finally hit, allowing him to focus on their aether, finding Gelos’s to be nearly overwhelming as always. Still, with their bodies and hearts as one, binding their souls seemed almost trivial. He couldn't help but wonder why he had any hesitation to begin with…there was no other presence he was more fond of. 

Even when at odds. Even with their union being as heart wrenchingly painful as it was physically pleasurable. Even if tomorrow Gelos would be gone and the Convocation made to be only thirteen…Even if tomorrow did not come…they'd be bound forever.

[hythlodaeus-mynewoldfriend]

Mayncient Day 31: Farewell

"And among these uncountable stars, it was yours that crossed my path. For that I shall be forever grateful." -Themis

more screens below the cut and links to their inspiration

With all the souls returned to the atherial sea, Anthea and Hythlodaeus were granted another life in the forms of Ellen and Laelius. Neither knew the other in this lifetime until their assistance was needed to help the Warrior of Light and the few memories etched onto their souls awakened. Since then the two helped to build a new life for those that were living in Ultima Thule, using the power that took so much from their past selves to create a future for all those to come after. Inspired by this commission

What once were fragmented memories became whole once more and Elidibus found himself greeted by Conner who was lost when the Final Days hit Amaurot. While witness to all that happened in the initial days to follow and the times he was not living a new life on the star, it didn't make the feelings he had wane and so he waited. Waited until the day Elidibus would come back and they could rest living the life they denied themselves, now that desire could supersede duty. Inspired by one of the first screens I did of them

Having made a promise Deimos and Phobos' soul could never forget they would be reincarnated a thousand lifetimes to see it fulfilled. The two weren't always brought together but when fate allowed them too they were a force to be reckoned with, and none as much as their promise fulfilled Demos and Siberite. With the star now saved the their souls can now continue exploring the world and Shepherding a path for others to follow in an ever changing world. Inspired by this sketch commission and this colored one

[azems-familiar]

🌀 - anything you want to write

I chose the prompt "underneath" for this one! Have some unpolished phone fic written on the plane.

Beneath the waters of the Tempest, off the coast of Kholusia, there is a city.

The city was not always there; for millennia it was nothing more than brine-soaked ruins steadfastly refusing to decay, a salt-stained memory of the perfect world ripped away from those too feeble to even comprehend what they had lost. Even when Emet-Selch first came to the First to oversee its Rejoining, he had left the ruins alone, too pained by the haunted blue-lit emptiness of them and the horrors the shattered buildings evoked to spend much time on their broad streets. He can already see the burning skies and endless beasts when he closes his eyes to sleep - he hadn't needed another reminder in his unfortunate waking hours.

But.

A hundred years passes as slowly for him as for any mortal, when he is denied the respite of dreaming, and Elidibus had been very clear that they could afford no more mistakes such as the one that felled Lahabrea. Forbidden from sleep, bound to the First by necessity lest an unexpected threat rise and undo even a fraction of what his order has so carefully wrought (and between the Oracle of Light and the Crystal Exarch, ensconced in his tower, the odds of that happening are not as slim as he wishes they were), the aching hollowness of the loss in his chest and the emptiness of his loneliness - an agony he hates to acknowledge, but cannot escape, especially in the quiet moments where this shattered shard breathes softly around him and he can do nothing but stare at the orange crystal in his palm and yearn - eventually drive him to seek a comfort greater than the distraction his enemy brings him.

And thus he retreats to the depths, where the biting pain of the eternal Light recedes to a more manageable irritation, like pinpricks across his skin instead of a searing burn without relief.

Recreating the city is a complicated endeavor, and one he spends nearly an entire week focused exclusively on - he starts from the Capitol and works his way out, weaving spell after spell through the fabric of reality until crumbling edifices twist themselves into the glittering buildings he remembers from his home, towering spirals adorned with crystal, the residential and academic and government districts and beyond spinning into being under the unbending pressure of his will, as heavy and immutable as the seas above. Another spell holds the waters back, allowing him to easily drag his mortal body down these reconstructed streets paved in white and blue. He brings the flora he remembers from his happiest days to life next, trees with soft lavender leaves and thick grasses and blossoming wildflowers, scattering them across the parks and planters and gardens, and he tries very hard not to let his mind wander to memories of Hythlodaeus braiding wide-petaled golden blossoms into Seleukos's hair as he watches those same flowers sprout up to carpet a field at his feet.

Amaurot is as beautiful as it was at its height, when he has finished, spreading for malms and malms into the depths, a jewel more stunning than any star or stone could ever be - beautiful, and empty. Emet-Selch paces from the Capitol to the resurrected memory of the downtown apartment he and his family had lived in and listens to his simulated breeze rustle the leaves of his carefully-constructed trees, little different in appearance to the sprawling forests of Lakeland above, and the loneliness cuts through his ribs like a knife, sharper than shattered glass.

Thirteen thousand years of duty and the lives of every single one of his people are a leaden weight on his shoulders, crushing him as easily as a fallen leaf in his palm, and the silence of his city is nothing but another burden to bear in the face of his memories.

He is tired.

The realization that he could create arcane entities in the form of those he has lost - bringing to life his memories in truth - is a slow and not entirely comfortable one. Such an act would be the height of disrespect - to populate a city with those that have returned to the star or given themselves in sacrifice, to assuage his own loneliness with soulless constructs of people - but for all that he knows he would have rejected it out of hand several millennia ago, now he cannot banish the thought so easily. It takes root in the back of his mind like a particularly persistent weed, and every time he retreats from the wasted world above, it gnaws at him, the temptation digging into his resolve with barbed thorns.

Doesn't he want to see his people again, even if only in faded facsimile?

He is Emet-Selch, keeper of the Underworld and the dead. It would be a simple matter, really, in truth, and surely if the truth of his actions ever reach the Convocation, or his people once Amaurot has been restored in truth, they will understand. He just- he needs a reminder of what all this endless toil and sorrow is for, a reminder of why he cannot simply lie down and sleep regardless of what Elidibus has said. A reminder of the tangible side to the duty he bears, the conviction he must not let waver. He cannot, will not falter now, no matter the weariness that claws at his bones.

And thus- he will make these no-longer-ruins a monument to the past only he can recall, a snapshot of a star whole and at peace and untouched by grief and calamity. He will bring his memories to life, here in this place he would give anything to save, and by Zodiark’s grace, he will find the strength to continue on, step after exhausting, inevitable step.

(Beneath the waters of the Tempest, off the coast of Kholusia, there is a city.

It is not alive, merely a ghost of eons past with a faded heartbeat that is naught but a mimicry of a half-torn memory bleeding longing and nostalgia. But if one squints just right and does not look for souls, one can pretend the bustle through its streets is true, that the melancholic glow of Light through deep waves is twilight.

And for Emet-Selch, that is enough.)

[chysgoda]

Alexandria, the 9th - 12th Calamities, and Ancient Messes

So I’ve seen a couple of comments on time travel between Alexandria and the source since Alexandria is very obviously prepared for a lightning calamity, but I don’t think it’s the one that happened in the past.

The meta structure of the world really likes repeated numbers and rhyming themes. We have the Source and thirteen reflections/shards (pick your favorite terminology) so that means we have thirteen rejoinings to get through before the world is back to its former aetheric density.

We see that number pop up again in Myths of the Realm where we have the Twelve plus the Watcher. Venat/Hydaelyn explicitly created the Twelve to maintain aetheric balance on the source with the Watcher acting as a combination Mission Control, hard drive back up, and prison warden. What would happen that would need GODS to shore up the balance? Massive amounts of specifically aspected aether crash landing on the source during a calamity.

So we have two gods for each element (plus the Watcher) and thus far one calamity for each element (plus a Bahamut).

I don’t think Alexandria was the shard that was rejoined during the second calamity. I think it’s a shard that was supposed to be the 9th - 12th rejoinings as the second calamity of lightning, and second elemental helpings for all of the remaining rejoinings.

What I think is being set up (and has been hinted at obtusely before) is that the Sundering and the Rejoinings were extremely messy and nothing really happened in as straightforward a way as any of the previous narrators of the story (the Ascians and Venat/Hydaelyn) wanted to admit. Elidibus and Emet-Selch give information that directly contradicts. (Ardbert saying that light and dark weren’t evenly distributed through the shards, presumably information obtained from Elidibus vs Emet-Selch describing the sundering as a clean and equal division) Venat/Hydaelyn doesn’t actually say anything about the nature of the Sundering itself or the makeup of the shards. We do get to see Lahabrea effectively sunder himself in Pandaemonium, and if the look of his glyph is anything to go by that was NOT a crisp clean division.

On top of that we have whatever remnant of Azem shenanigans are going on. But also the people of the source and shards aren’t dumb and do have agency. Y’shtola describes the gate to Living Memory as “neatly hemmed” , something that the Ascians or mages from the Source were never able to achieve. There’s a whole population of lalafel that looked at the encroaching ice and went NOPE and fucked off to a completely different shard. (I will cling to the mental image of one of Lahabrea’s interns going to check on things in the south seas and losing a whole ass country)

So tl;dr none of the ancients knew what they were doing and we get to clean up their messes.

[picaroroboto]

by the way when I say "Shadowbringers is a ghost story" I don't mean that just because Ardbert, who is literally a ghost, is there. I mean think about the themes and concepts of ghosts for a second - death, grief, memory, the past. ShB's got guys who are ghosts in that they should have died a long time ago but are forced to hang around because of unfinished business (Ardbert, Emet-Selch, and Elidibus). Ghosts are what happens when the past and present can't let go of one another, and Emet-Selch is someone who refuses to let go of the past so badly that he's strangling the present. Freaking ghost city in the middle of the ocean just to help him remember what he's fighting for.

Not to mention the strange sort of double haunting situation where the Crystal Exarch is a figure from the WoL's distant past, but also trying to bring them back from the dead because he fell in love with the stories they left behind in the dark timeline.

The WoL, who's had to bury dozens of friends, but who's also learned to carry their dead with them because their destiny simply won't allow them the time to stop in one place and cry, versus Emet-Selch, who has all the time in the world to build a city to house his dead friends.

[nyxvaledoeswriting]

FFXIV Write, Day 19: Taken

Rated T

Ship: Emet-Selch/Azem

Azem finds out what happened while she was away during the Final Days.

The silence in the conclave was deafening, suffocating. Persephone swore she could hear the heartbeats of the other convocation members that stood around her with heads bowed. They encased her, bearing down on her like disappointed parents.

At the center she stood along with Hades… no, not Hades. Not her Hades. This was Emet-Selch, the Redeemer, in all his glory. Harsh and calculating and cruel.

How could the purpose of Emet-Selch twist her lover so that she couldn’t even recognize him anymore? They stood with much space between them, almost if Emet-Selch was afraid to be near her.

“What have you done?” Persephone questioned in a low voice, eyes trained on Emet-Selch alone.

“Only what was necessary. The Final Days were upon us, we couldn’t-” Elidibus’ words were panicked yet somehow calm in the face of one of his friends. The betrayal on her face must’ve been evident.

“What have you done??” Persephone demanded in a louder voice, her question blatantly meant for Emet-Selch rather than the other members. Her hands were trembling at her sides and nausea threatened to overtake her.

“Only what was necessary,” Emet-Selch repeated Elidibus’ words plainly. His flat, matter-of-fact tone chilled her blood and left her reeling. But she couldn’t let him see how much he was already affecting her. She had to be strong.

What had become of Amaurot while she was away? Her beloved home, devoid of light and life.

“We are the convocation of the fourteen! We are supposed to guide and protect our people! This is a path we will not, nay, can not stray from! How many have perished for this would-be god that promises unshakeable protection from that which we brought upon ourselves? How many more must be taken? What if this ‘Zodiark’ can never be satisfied with the stolen aether of our citizens? How many more will be sacrificed?!” Her voice rose with her fury, her incredulousness.

How could any member of the convocation believe this was truly the best solution? How many did they lose for a god they knew nothing about? Loved ones that could never return from the life stream.

“If you don’t understand our motives behind this plan, then perhaps you weren’t made for the seat of Azem. After seeing the world and how it has been marred in the face of the Final Days, you out of all of us should agree this was the only option.” Lahabrea spoke up in that neutral tone of his. Had he no empathy? Did he not understand the gravity of what has taken place?

“The only option?! If our only option is to murder those who look to us in times of need, then it is no option at all!”

“Azem, that is enough,” Emet-Selch barked out sharply. “You were not here during the talks, ergo you forfeited your right to speak up against this measure. As Lahabrea has reminded you, we had precious few options in the face of this calamity. During times of great catastrophe, the many outweigh the few.”

Persephone’s face heated up and she stepped forward to meet her lover face-to-face. She set her jaw as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She never thought she would ever have to face down the love of her life, but the world was different now. Things would never be the same after this. The moon in her night sky was gone, replaced with whoever this fraud was who wore his mask. The mask placed a barrier between them, unflinching and cold.

“You’ve taken everything from the people, our people. Their loved ones, their homes, their lives,” she tried to keep her voice even as she kept speaking. “You took Hythlodaeus from me, from us. I never got to say goodbye, his life snuffed out as if he were nothing more than smoldering ashes left by a waning fire. I will never get to see my sun again, nor my moon. Hyth is gone and I didn’t even have the chance to tell him how much I loved him.”

Azem lunged out to grip Emet-Selch’s robes as tears streamed down her face. The force knocked the mask from his own face, revealing an expression devoid of emotion. When she looked up into those pale yellow eyes, she saw nothing. Something was terribly wrong. Creators, what had they done?

“Hades,” she choked out, reaching towards his face before stopping short. “No, please, don’t do this to me. Don’t leave me after everything. I’ve already lost Hyth, I can’t lose you too,” she wept against him before she sank to her knees. “You’ve forsaken us all…” Persephone gripped the bottom of his robe to keep herself grounded.

“The conclave will endure, as we were destined to in the face of adversity.”

[voidsentprinces]

Shadowbringers took Emet-Selch from ARR Lahabrea levels of mustache twirling, Saturday Morning Cartoon villain. All monologue and evil laughter while his evil boobs malevolently boobed down the Post-Stormblood's darker breast boobily and changed him into an actual character. And the first Ascian who actually spent time with us in a more meaningful way. Flipping them from one note, evil that must be defeated. To one we came to understand and a group that connected to our character's literal past reincarnation that we do not recall.

Additionally, atmospherically, Shadowbringers brought us to Post-Apocalypse that wasn't 28 Days Later, Mad Max or Rapture-esque. While pulling from all those series. Its a world 100 years after the Apocalypse was averted but still causes the world to live in its shadow.

This expansion seems to be the beloved darling of the community. Even topping Heavensward in most regards. But, also, personally, I feel like Shadowbringers is only good Shadowbringers for the last three levels of it. And rest is just so much set dressing and putting together the A-Team. For lack of a better comparison, 70 - 79 is our Avengers Infinity War. We get the band back together, fight off the big bad and actually almost win. But then we lose and we lose HARD and we spend a handful of quests somewhat wandering aimlessly until we resolve to go after the one who took victory away from us. That lead up, to me, is alright but the story didn't really HIT, outside of my long winded story analysis reasons, until we reach Amaurot.

Even its Post-Patches seemed to struggle to figure out what to do. Having Elidibus bounce hither and thither without the Scions really trying to stop him because, "We don't know what he is up to." which was counterproductively frustrating to me. You are literally not stopping and banishing the villain so the plot can happen. Alisaie literally kept tabs on the Warriors of Darkness because we were focusing on dealing with Nidhogg. Why the hell couldn't they have kept tracked and harassed Elidibus at least? But no, the sky starts to shower stars and then it is go time. And while To the Edge and the Seat of Sacrifice are awesome. My suspense of disbelief that our Scions would just shrug and only off screen keep tags on lesser Ascians and then just be like, "I dunno fellas, this here Elidibus is tricky." strikes me as dense. Like, this is denser than a dead star. They let things happen for the sake of it happening.

Bottomline, there is some wiggle room here. Shadowbringers may be the community's darling. But I wonder if, its just because we remember the super highs of Amaurot to Seat of Sacrifice. And kind of brush things like; the Ran'jit fights, the Supernatural problem of Lucifer's Cousin's Roommate being the big bad in Lunar Primals, Thancred's treatment of Ryne and Speedrunning him some redemption in the Amh Araeng second half.

I'm rambling now, as a whole. Did you enjoy Shadowbringers? If not why? Vote your answer and leave your opinion in the tags if you'd like.

Note: I am aware that the Post-Patch production was stunted by the COVID Pandemic. Still, I'd like your opinion about anything you felt lacking. Even with that dead whale hanging over the entire thing.