#ffxiv archer

[mosthuggableffxiv]

Most Punchable Class Trainer (levels 1-30)

Admittedly calling K'rhid Tia and Silvarre trainers is a bit of a stretch, but I had the space so I thought I'd give y'all the chance to punch them anyway.

[stormbabylore]

Glamtober | Day 14: Ranged

Aeryn's baby hair and gear (or close enough to)! \o/

Archer was Aeryn's starter class after she was (very rudely) turned away from the lancers' guild. Back then, I was just trying to figure out how to play the game and didn't really consider how it would have felt for her, not having a clue who or where she was, let alone how to use a bow and arrow, carefully watching everyone around her for signs of what to do and how to act because she could hardly speak up enough to ask and didn't know what else she was supposed to do.

I got a little emotional taking these... (╥﹏╥)

Overwhelmed, Aeryn huddled back in corners to observe during the day, then snuck in after hours to practice alone—until Luciane found her out. Rather than chastise her, the guildmaster praised her commitment and offered not only guidance but also much-needed encouragement.

[before-calamity]

Swiftsong

One of the criticisms with the job system is that some jobs build on unrelated classes. Take Rogue to Ninja. Why would a rogue class turn into ninjas? Well, that's a reference to Final Fantasy 1. The advanced class for Thief in that game was Ninja. Another one is Archer to Bard. Many people wanted a ranged DPS that was essentially a hunter or a ranger, and didn't like the songs or the music motif. What if I told you that Archer in 1.0 had a song? Presenting Swiftsong, a 1.0 Archer ability that was essentially Peloton in ARR. Increases movment speed of all party members within range. You can use it at lvl 26, and it actually cost MP (not sure if Peloton cost MP in the original days.) So, even in 1.0, the song motif is there in Archer. Unrelated note, 1.0 had jobs later on. I believe it was one of the things that Yoshi P added when he took over. I'm not sure what prevalence they actually had. The private server does have soul crystals, but I haven't messed around with it too much. Might be the next bit of thing I do, because the job system is a major thing in FFXIV.

[noanomi]

HER FIRST RUN

MY MOM GOT AMON'S HAT ON HER FIRST RUN

[aetherialsuffering]

Some shots of my WoL

(feat. Tomato, my Chocobo)

[candycryptids]

It was late and I spent more time trying to pick a good shader and angle than the actual pose which I also actually took a long time on but-

[novuit]

Everytime I join a guild and equip my new tool/weapon, Arthur becomes completely stripped off his clothes; it's so embarrassingggg.... And I have to very quickly dress him in unflattering clothing to save his dignity..

[zylphiacrowley]

Way of the Archer

<previous - next>

[avirael]

Welcome to the new boy! 🌙

Nhagi‘ra Molkoh, born and raised in the Black Shroud, talented hunter turned adventurer to start a new life somewhere other than Gridania.

[avaritia-ffxiv]

I'm not gonna stop, that's who I am I'll give it all I got, that is my plan Am I the type of gal who means what I say? Bet on it, bet on it!

[mosthuggableffxiv]

Most Huggable Class Trainer (Levels 1-30)

Featuring a couple of bonus characters corresponding to the punchability bonuses

[stormbabylore]

Job Transitions: Archer -> Bard

This will likely be my last post regarding my personal canon for the transition from Aeryn's starter class into her specialized role (unless I decide to tackle some of the AUs I have for her, too). Finishing off with her main: archer/bard! ♥

Spoilers for the ARR and Heavensward bard class quests below.

B A R D

Though they irritate me a lot now, I initially liked the ARR archer quests and do feel they are mostly canon to Aeryn's experience. I like the notion that she learned very little in the way of true, proper form as a result of Leih and Silvairre's constant bickering and had to rely more on a kind of self-guided regimen based on careful observation and Luciane's occasional nuggets of wisdom/guidance. I've mused before on the fact that Aeryn was not a natural-born archer and had to work really, really hard to hone her skills; and the fact that she had no stable mentor for this class and was largely self-taught lends itself to that headcanon.

Aeryn did later meet with Jehantel, as encouraged by Luciane, and she did accept the soulstone from him - but she did not canonically become a bard. Her inability to fully connect with the magic of the Source prevented her from fully attuning to the soulstone, and she could neither hear the songs of bards past nor learn to play her own. She was, however, able to develop certain unique skills from Jehantel's myriad spiritual excursions, and both those skills and his guidance did help her become a stronger natural archer. He was able to guide her form and physical technique in a way that had been lacking in her time under Luciane's guidance. She practiced what he taught her relentlessly.

Eventually, to her very great surprise, she stumbled by fluke upon an an unnatural means of mimicking the power of song, too. But rather than draw from the soulstone, Aeryn found she could instead fuel her bow with something inexplicable that she could sense and manifest from within. It was draining and highly difficult to achieve, at first - and she knew it was not the power Jehantel often sang of. But despite not knowing where the power came from, she managed to utilize it well enough in rare circumstances that Jehantel never seemed to notice her inability to evoke the power of song the way other bards might have. Aeryn suspected it was only Hydaelyn's blessing that enabled her to forge some mockery of a song's magic through her bow, and she spent much of her time training with Jehantel feeling like a fraud, undeserving of his liberal praise.

Nevertheless, she continued her training with him, because something of his self-inflicted suffering spoke to her - he, who had embraced his loneliness after an inconceivable loss, she thought, might actually comprehend the inexplicable loss she constantly felt within over the missing parts of herself she did not know. (Despite this, she never broached the subject with him, and in the end felt only grateful to have had the opportunity to help him work through his own grief.)

When Jehantel later roped her into the quest to help Sanson and Guydelot, Aeryn was apprehensive. Despite her growing prowess with the bow, she still felt like a fraud and feared she would ultimately cause more harm than good in Sanson's venture by falsely representing not only Jehantel but also his art. Yet neither Sanson nor Guydelot said anything about her silence in battle or her lack of song.

Sanson, in fact, could not tell the difference, having so little understanding of what it truly meant to be a bard. Guydelot, however, noticed from the start. He played little melodies and constantly invited Aeryn to join him, curious to know more about this strange non-bard who had garnered Jehantel's great praise. And each time she politely declined, he'd smile a cheshire sort of grin, shrug it off, and go back to poking at Sanson.

It was not until the aftermath of their battle with the siren and her Ballad of Oblivion that the truth emerged, when Mogta innocently asked why Aeryn did not call upon song the way Guydelot did. Aeryn slumped down into the grass, exhausted. She gazed up at the stars. And she told them everything. To her very great surprise, they none of them judged her for it. In fact, Sanson expressed awe that she should be so strong in spite of her limited control of bard magic. And Guydelot revealed to her that he had always known - that he could sense her use of song differed from his own. And then he sat beside her and told her it did not negate her skill with the bow, nor the power of her song.

From that moment on, Aeryn chose to accept herself as a true bard - because they did, and who was she to argue with them?

Though she may never quite understand the how or why of it, Aeryn actually fuels her bardic skills with the remnant star magic that still dwells within her - essentially fueling her bow with her own "aether," in a way, though the limitation of her ability to wield it prevents it from being hazardous to her. The silent "song" she evokes offers powerful bursts of heightened energy for a few short moments, but due to the mental and physical strain that follows, she rarely relies upon the skill except in the most dire of circumstances.

I do intend to write the above scene as fic, once of these days. I love how the bard quests ultimately pull together Aeryn's two canon-main classes in such a lovely way, and I'm a sucker for little found families like what I think she finds with Sanson, Guydelot, and Mogta and their unquestioning acceptance of her, magical limitations and all.

/beam

[coccineum-vocatorem]

[the-lustful-kojin]

As a follow up to my last picture of Cirina, I wanted to post a comparison with Sadu's back - with a reminder that Sadu is a caster.

[khepri-sunscale]

G'raha but Oschon! 🏹

[fqs]

me and the boyf... i'm just a short au ra