#i do believe that ffxiv's story is something i wish for those i love to try out :'O hehe it made me genuinely overjoyed when my irls started

[illegiblewords]

Almost current in Dawntrail, I make some references to plot stuff under the cut but this post isn't mainly about Dawntrail. This is an analytical rant. There are people who disagree with me that I adore/respect to bits who have done brilliant stuff from angles I wouldn't take. People shouldn’t stop doing what they’re inspired to do according to whether I like or dislike something. This post qualifies less with 'I think' and 'I believe' statements/is a little harsher because I'm venting though. Proceed at your discretion.

Features critical/darker discussions of Venat and Hermes with brief mentions of Zenos.

I really, genuinely think a lot of people are only getting pieces of what's going on in FFXIV.

The story still isn't black and white. Characters very, very often are not what they advertise themselves to be. Neither the cast nor fans are immune to misjudging.

Hermes is not as compassionate as he presents himself. There is an enormous discrepancy between what he professes and the choices he consistently makes, both with regard to other ancients and creations. I do believe he was genuinely miserable but he is basically Satan from Paradise Lost, who wonders why he alone was made unsatisfied with obedience and perfection. Who recognizes there is difference in himself compared to others but is conflicted about whether this is a defect or higher calling. Satan sees himself as inherently 'other' above all else and Hermes is just the same. The shared snake imagery isn't a coincidence either.

Everything I've seen points to Hermes being a narcissist who does not have instinctive empathy in a society where empathy is the most valuable quality a person can have. He strives to have more empathy than all other people without truly understanding what that means. It's why he projects his anger and hatred onto the wolf creation as it dies instead of offering it any kind of comfort. It's why he sends Meteion into space to suffer pain, death, and despair as a high empathy being who challenges all concepts of what it means to be alive… instead of presenting her to the Bureau of the Architect, where her very existence might instigate star-wide reform for how all other creations are handled. For his ego, he needed to be the only one with extensive knowledge of dynamis. He needed to be the only one with answers from on high regarding the nature of life. That was far more important than Meteion's wishes or well-being, and the creations he claims to love are expendable for this purpose. He frequently oscillates between seeing himself as beneath all other ancients and the sole, divinely powerful judge/jury/executioner of all living things. Like Satan from Paradise Lost he can't be grouped with those around him. He can't be just one of many ancients dealing with fears, doubts, despairs. He MUST be exceptional above all else. I'd argue the main reason he accepts the Warrior of Light at all is because we do not appear as a fellow ancient to him--he sees us as a familiar, and therefore inherently without equal authority and agency compared to him. When we are useful to his worldview he uses us and when we aren't we're disposable.

I've seen people claim that Hermes is just anxious and that's why he didn't submit Meteion. You don't opt for genocide and decree all of humanity as immoral and unworthy of mercy without even allowing your targets a voice to answer out of anxiety. You certainly don't do that while having specifically gone out of your way to avoid any steps that might have given room for more charitable judgments. Hermes opted to destroy everyone because it was what he wanted to do, but it didn't fit his self-image as a benevolent and empathetic person to do so. That's why he made a loophole via memory erasure.

Venat, further, is not a hero. She's gray at best and in all likelihood a pretty dark shade of it. Light motifs and crystal mommy themes do not change this. She not only decided, independently, that Hermes' genocide was an appropriate course without allowing anyone else room to discuss or address the issue--she actively denied everyone else knowledge of what happened or even basic information about dynamis (LET ALONE METEION'S LOCATION) so they could deal with the issue effectively. She passed judgment on the entire Convocation because of Hermes' appointment without once judging herself for withholding information on his true character. There is a reason Emet-Selch called her out for being immediately ready to see herself as a morally correct messiah of the star. He wasn't wrong to do so. And especially after Endwalker I think Venat grossly misunderstood not only what led to worlds self-destructing on a philosophical level (never mind Meteion's emotion amplification powers), I think she misread her own star and its people. Pursuit of purity and certainty was what led to the destruction of worlds. The total absence of pain is just one form that can take, but it isn't necessary for a world to be in perpetual agony to avoid that. Venat dismissed the despairs and struggles of her own fellow ancients because there was no room for them in the view she had of herself and her world. If she didn't see them they didn't exist, but even when she did see them they didn't count enough to sway her judgment. Venat had to be the most correct person and she didn't allow even as Hydaelyn the possibility of making mistakes or unwarranted cruelty to others. She is 1000% guilty of 'ancient hubris'.

Venat might be a more middling gray, in my view, depending on whether she'd been trying to shield as many people as possible from tempering with the traveler's ward only for most of the star to become tempered by Zodiark post-summoning. There are a lot of repeating phrases between Elidibus, post-Final Days ancients, and the lunar shades that I think point to mass tempering. Venat would have grounds for assuming people had homogenized views, prayers, and voices if the star was largely tempered. If they weren't, I think she becomes pretty sinister for how she deals with people's post-Final Days trauma. Her injustice toward the ancients in that case would just happen to be in a way that benefits the shards.

The Zodiark plan prevented life from going extinct. It was necessary. Zodiark's tempering and the subsequent sacrifice spiral were not deliberate I suspect, seeing as Zodirk was the first primal EVER. People have been consistently misreading the loporrit quote on this to try and argue that Zodiark didn't temper the Unsundered.

The line states that Venat used a different summoning technique to the one utilized by Ascians. Venat's technique specifically does not temper people. The Ascian method does. If Venat's technique was used to summon an entity of Zodiark's magnitude (whose power could not be resisted according to Emet-Selch) there might be a slight tug toward tempering despite the technique being much safer.

This is not saying Zodiark didn't temper anyone. It's specifically saying that despite Venat having a safe technique, Zodiark's summoning was on such a monumental scale that even Venat's technique would carry some risk.

Meanwhile, Lahabrea has been getting set up for years as someone who has been dehumanized, judged, isolated, and misunderstood. This has continued to increasing degrees through Dawntrail. It has been going on since A Realm Reborn. The sheer consistency of it is insane at this point. There is a HUGE gap between how Lahabrea emotes and what he's actually feeling. His choices reflect this and it is demonstrated firsthand in Pandaemonium.

No one seemed to think it was weird that Lahabrea was ready to commit a pseudo-suicide by killing Hephaistos. No one seemed to catch that the 'pseudo-suicide' in the lyrics to Scream referenced Lahabrea, as did the 'shadow left far behind' line. People contorted themselves into pretzels trying to say that Scream was not about him. Nevermind that Pandaemonium is the Lahabrea raid, in which all other characters were supporting cast to flesh out Lahabrea. It must be mainly about Hegemone and Agdistis! If not them, it must be mainly about Erichthonios!

The man's entire story is about being dehumanized, dismissed, invalidated, and excluded while suffering severe mental illness. It's kind of horrendous that fans are continuing to do this to him on a meta level.

Lahabrea has a long history of Abrahamic imagery. If the Warring Triad mirror the Unsundered, Sephirot as the Tree of Life maps to the Kabbalistic process of creation. The game explicitly and correctly references this in the attacks used. The lyrics to Fiend track for Lahabrea as does the association with Id issues, and there's symbolically significant overlap between muscular/multi-armed Sephirot (where multiple arms reference the boddisatva Guanyin, who uses those many arms to help those in need) to muscular/multi-armed Zodiark as Lahabrea's creation. And Zodiark being Lahabrea's creation is indicated in Akademia Anyder. People have been trying to attribute Zodiark to Hermes because Hermes hijacked him in EW and it drives me nuts.

Meanhwile, what did Pandaemonium do?

Paired the Tree of Life to The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There's a ton of snake, fruit, and mouth imagery in Pandaemonium. Athena is Eve offering Lahabrea as Adam knowledge of good and evil via the soul bonding. Lahabrea has been afraid of himself as an extremely powerful ancient (which I've analyzed before, tying to Emet-Selch too), particularly given he's in a position of power. He reflects the societal idea that someone with his aetherial strength and authority cannot afford to be selfish or he risks causing immeasurable harm to others. Result is that Lahabrea is absolutely terrified of being selfish in any capacity, even on a basic healthy level. Athena meanwhile is a purely selfish being. Like I believe is the case with Hermes (and am positive is the case with Zenos)--she does not have instinctive empathy. Athena deliberately psychologically violated her husband by forcing him to acknowledge understanding selfish desire through her perspective, then compounded it by exploiting his lack of self-confidence to say he was bound to be just like her for understanding such selfishness. She's not an authority on that, but Lahabrea sees himself as personally less than Athena and is not at that point equipped to argue on his own behalf.

Anyway. Abrahamic connections, Hegemone has the snake imagery. Agdistis has the tree and the fruit. Athena is Eve. The soul bonding is the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. Hephaistos uses a ton of snake imagery too. Lahabrea is covered in symbolism both on a personal psychological level and tied to traditional symbolism via the hand of god acting upon the world, the eye of god watching the world. For savage, one arm is covered in eyes. This is his role as Lahabrea employing power for his people. The other arm, his personal desires/needs, is long and thin and malformed/not really functional. He covers his heart with a pair of wings for protection and reduces himself, weeping, to DNA because that's the only value he sees in himself. He'd rather be that than himself as a person because at least as DNA he's wanted for something. Lahabrea doesn't think anyone would ever give a shit about him on a personal level.

When Hephaistos is defeated, there's a reason Lahabrea is shaken when he states that Hephaistos' goal was never to raise himself high. That was what Athena wanted and what she told him he'd want. All Hephaistos wanted was his family back and to be loved. That was the moment Lahabrea had to introspect and realized Athena wasn't correct about his motives. Her declaring something about him didn't make it true.

Erichthonios is convinced he has a cruel and indifferent father for much of the raid. We see him twist neutral-to-kind gestures as malicious in front of us, as with Lahabrea allowing him to go to Pandaemonium as a child but insisting he know spells to protect himself. Erichthonios takes Lahabrea's insistence as believing he's not good enough instead of wanting him to be safe. We also see Erichthonios construe something that actually points to Lahabrea being depressed (giving himself no credit for completing the phoenix and advertising nothing only to be surprised by coworkers throwing him a celebration anyway) as him scorning Pandaemonium for not sharing the achievement with them. Erichthonios was taught to do this by Athena, and Athena likewise twists Lahabrea's self-image as a form of psychological abuse from the moment he approaches her in the soul bonding scene. She cites his status and accuses Lahabrea of thinking himself morally above others for descending to Pandaemonium and judging her. It never occurs to Athena that Lahabrea would try to stop her because he loves and wants to protect his son.

People are projecting their own personal beef with parents behaving poorly to assume Lahabrea is an uncaring father. He's not. He's extremely mentally ill and Erichthonios was groomed by an abusive mother while having no concept of what Lahabrea's mental illness would even look like... let alone how to deal with it.

Lahabrea explicitly thinks Erichthonios is better off with the false memory of a mother who abused him than having him present as a father because he considers himself so personally worthless. He can only see his presence as a detriment in his son's life. He is a short step from the kind of suicide people commit when they think other people would be happier and less burdened if they were dead. 'They might be sad for a while, but ultimately they'll be better off.'

I'm not even bringing out my citations right now. This isn't an Archon Thesis because I want my evidence properly assembled for that. But I recently saw someone try to frame the Convocation and Zodiark plan as uniformly awful, when the reality is doing nothing would have resulted in life going extinct. And if we're talking about zodiac signs mapping to Convocation members, there are more layers to it than 'Ascians = bad versions of the zodiac'.

Ex. The duality (two fish) and creativity associated with Pisces both apply to Lahabrea, but the emotionality does too. It isn't obvious at first but when you look it's there. Lahabrea has hidden strong emotions consistently through a variety of methods across the game. Sometimes it's reserve, sometimes it's aggression, sometimes it's hysteria. But when you look at the surrounding circumstances from his perspective, it makes perfect sense how and why he'd emote that way. It has never been safe for him to be emotionally vulnerable.

One of the earliest moments of 'villain laughter' from him we see is at Carteneau. His assistant waits quietly for him to finish. At that point Bahamut had been unleashed in yet another action that goes directly against Lahabrea's own morals, but is necessary to the Ardor. The sundered respond by invoking Lahabrea's phoenix as protection for humanity against a primal Lahabrea helped orchestrate. On some level people instinctively believe Lahabrea can and will protect them despite his failures, their own reincarnations, and thousands of years passing. It's ironic and horrible but this kind of irony has been happening to Lahabrea over and over again. If he doesn't laugh the dude's going to cry and (again) it isn't safe for him to do that.

(Also as the only Ascian to ever refer to Zodiark as 'master', Lahabrea is A) very tempered B) continuing a pattern of thought/behavior/worldbuilding where he puts his people first and himself dead last C) not talking about Athena. Lahabrea says in-game he had no earthly idea Athena was in the Heart of Sabik. I do think Heart of Sabik effected him by magnifying his desire to save his people and redeem himself in the face of survivor's guilt. It might have influenced his phrasing too. I have theories about what Lahabrea did at Praetorium but blowing it up was not 'the ultimate magic' by any means. I'm pretty sure he used it as a Themis and/or Zodiark backup drive, which Athena's presence at Anabaseios proves is possible anyway. He doesn't need to know about her to figure it out.

People have tried to say Athena is Lahabrea's god instead of Zodiark. Especially given the history of abuse and Lahabrea's own repeatedly shown priorities/actions, that take is pretty appalling imo. Completely dismisses how devoted he has always been to his people to destroy his will and identity altogether on a meta level.)

Even if we strip shit down to the most bare bones narrative form and ignore evidence--where motives and arcs are concerned 'oh Lahabrea has always been evil/uncaring/sociopathic/self-absorbed and stayed that way forever after' is bad storytelling. That would require a 'failure to change' arc as literal or spiritual death. That arc form ties to death because life requires accounting for/adapting to new experiences. If a character fails to do that (for better or worse) that character is stagnant and effectively not living. Such arcs require meticulously showing the process of rejecting experiences though. Zoraal Ja actually approaches the form a bit when we see him repeatedly taking nothing from the trials he undergoes, but his trajectory becomes 'change for the worse' after losing to his father's shade. None of the Unsundered are set up with that arc form, Lahabrea included. It wouldn't offer any insight, fit with what we know of the ancients and their values/society, or carry any emotional impact. Trying to go that route without setup is just bad storytelling and makes characters less believable. But yeah. Tl;dr I really, really wish people paid more attention and examined words vs actions vs surrounding circumstances vs motives.

[koorinokujira]

The Warrior of Light's Burden (FFXIV)

He seemed to appear out of nowhere. Just another bright, wide-eyed adventurer among countless others. Perhaps he went into it for wealth or fame. Maybe out of selflesness and a kind heart that wished to help others. Whatever it may have been, he never refused to help, from the very beginning, whether it was delivering letters between lovers or slaying wild beasts.

Dependable, that's what he was. So much so that they started calling him what they used to call them.

The brave souls that were lost during the Calamity. Silhouettes lost to the blinding light that covers our memories in a haze. The Warriors of Light.

But this one... this one wasn't like them.

It started out slowly, inconspicuously. His enemies seemed to get stronger, but his victories were still believable. A few Garleans here and there, some bandits and wrong-doers, and all that coupled with some particularly dangerous creatures. An adventurer of great skill, one worthy of a mention, to be sure.

And then he slew a Primal.

The people celebrated, showered him with praise and flattering words that seemed to never cease. After all, it was a miracle that he survived, much less defeated his adversary. And all this time, he simply watched with a polite smile on his face.

"I am but a humble adventurer," he insisted to those who praised the Warrior of Light, "surely you would have done the same things if you were in my shoes. I'm just a man. I just tried to help, to survive, like you."

Most believed him, and were willing to leave it at that.

But a miraculous victory turned into something terrifyingly ordinary. Primal fell after Primal, enemy after enemy, there were even rumors of him fighting beings that could not die by usual means. Blood flowed across the trail of destruction left behind by the one who yearned for peace and tranquility.

No, he was nothing like us.

Tales and songs of his deeds became reverent whispers. No longer was he greeted as a friend, but something much greater. Excitement was replaced by elation, wariness by terror. Only the ones closest to him dared to speak to him as casually as they did, though he insisted the common man should do so as well. Those that tried to use him for their own goals could only do so by playing on his worry for the people he sacrificed so much for already.

And oh, would he sacrifice more.

Everyone loves him and fears him in equal measure. They adore seeing him yet avert their gaze. They listen to his voice but not his words. Every single day, he bleeds for them and they say it's right. Every single night, he howls in agony out of his restless sleep and they call it holy.

And the others, they call him a monster. They fear his wrath, and it makes sense- who says he won't decide to slay them too, in the name of righteousness? Who can stand against their caring, horrifying shield made of flesh and bones? Who will save them from their savior?

Who will save him?

"I'm just a man. With feelings like you. Let me rest," he says over and over, but no one hears him anymore. "I beg you."

"I beg you. Forget the Warrior of Light. Remember me."

---✧

I know I haven't posted anything about FFXIV on this blog yet, despite playing it and adoring it for a few years now. But this has been on my mind for a while, and I've also been seeing some very tasty posts about the dehumanization of the WoL lately. So I decided to write this little story thingy from the POV of an unknown observer, also focusing a bit more on how some could actually be pretty terrified of him!

Also, big thanks to @shinkimarbles who rambled on and on about this concept with me and inspired me to write this!

[starlit-seadragon]

Day 9 - lend an ear

Yume visits an old friend.

Spoilers for up to mid-Dawntrail.

My FFXIV Write Masterpost here.

"Hello, Haurchefant."

Yume laid a fresh bouquet of Nymeian lilies in the snow.

"'Tis good to see you again, my friend. Pray forgive the length of my absence. I've been... well, I've been quite a few places recently."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a cloth and a stoppered glass bottle containing an amber liquid.

"Where to start..." she said, reaching for the shield leaned against the grey headstone. "Do you recall my stories about the First, a shard of a star entwined with ours? Recently, I have been to another."

With deliberate care, she began to polish the shield.

"The Thirteenth. Though doubtless you know it by another name: the Void. Yes... all those sinister creatures wreaking havoc in our midst were people, once... " She paused a moment, gazing into the distance, before renewing her efforts with vigor. "I hope never to forget that. That those we view as monstrous often began much the same as we did. That our world can change us against our will into something unrecognizable. That even the most twisted are just trying to survive."

She smiled ruefully.

"But on to less grim tidings, perhaps. I fought the gods," she said lightly, running her fingers over the jagged, gaping hole in the shield. "I know you'd say I fight gods on a regular basis, which is perhaps not untrue, but... I mean *the* gods. The Twelve. I fought the Twelve."

The wind blew through the petals of the lilies. Yume set the shield carefully back against the headstone.

"I wonder... Aymeric told me it took a half dozen men to restrain you when you heard I was to fight Shiva." The memory brought a true smile to her lips. "How many might it have taken if you'd known I was to fight against Halone? You would have loved her, Haurchefant. She was as fierce and beautiful as a storm. A proud and powerful warrior, with equal love for battle and her people. She was... everything you've ever heard her to be."

She stilled, looking out again, worrying her lip. Suddenly, she gasped.

"Pray do not mistake my meaning -- she was no primal. None of them were. The Twelve are... well... were... it's a long story. But I was hoping for less grim tidings, as I said. I brought you a gift."

Yume reached into her bag once more and drew out a small stone carving. She held it up in her palm before the grave and then set it down in the flowers, nestling it into the snow.

"It's a unicorn. At least, it's supposed to be. I have been across the Indigo Deep, to Tural. There is a people there, a race of giant-like beings, the Yok Huy, and they believe that those we lose are still living so long as we remember them. They build elaborate monuments and carve them with the deeds of a person's life, so that they may always be remembered, and so live forever. I spoke with them at length and told them there was someone I wished to honor. So I made this. The first of your great deeds, immortalized in stone. I hope to add more soon."

A light snow began. When the flakes hit her cheeks, they melted, dripping like tears. For a moment, Yume tilted her head towards the sky, eyes closed, and let the snow touch her as it willed.

"I miss you, too, my friend," she whispered.

"Shirayume?" a familiar voice called aloud.

Yume started, turning -- and then smiled. "Artoirel."

He stood, flowers in hand. His smile was bittersweet.

"It is good to see you again, sister."

Yume rose to her feet. "Likewise, brother."

"I came to place fresh flowers on Haurchefant's grave and to tidy the site. I see you have already attended to it."

"'Twas the least I could do."

Artoirel shifted. He stepped forward, placed the flowers next to Yume's, and smiled.

"I see you've been in good company, brother. I shan't waste your time with inane tidings of home when you have such tales as Shirayume's to fascinate you."

He rose and took Yume's hand in his. "Are you here long, Shirayume?"

"I am," she said, placing her hand atop his. "I just arrived."

"Then might I welcome you home for dinner tonight?"

Yume smiled.

"I would be glad to join you."

[absyyynth]

⚠️ !! word vomit incoming! be warned !! ⚠️

okay time to follow up on my dt thoughts now that it's not midnight and ive slept on it. i didn't get into the details before bc i didn't have the energy but now i wanna. let's start with my biggest problem- sphene.

sphene! (or rather, "the queen eternal") where to start with sphene? by all accounts i should love her; she's cute, she's creepy, she's kinda sinister, and she wants to kill me. she's got all the ingredients for a top tier villainess! but despite it all she fell flat. let's break it down

so first off. her status as a construct born from the memories of the living sphene and imbued with the unquenchable desire to protect her people. that's interesting! it puts me in mind of glados from portal (construct imbued with the essence of caroline and given a compulsion to endlessly 'test') and i love glados! what sets them apart and what makes glados work and sphene not for me is that without caroline glados is still a fun character, but the queen eternal is just nothing without sphene. there is no character there beyond the desire to "protect her people." and like, okay, that's clearly intentional. the choice of making the queen eternal nothing but a hollow wish of those who created her is very much an intentional one. but it's a choice that makes it very difficult for me to care and connect with her actions at the end of the game. deleting the memories of sphene so she can better perform her duty and not get bogged down by sentiment? makes perfect sense. i just don't care. there's nothing left for me to connect to.

which leaves me with only the resolution to the queen eternal/sphene's story, which uhh also did not land for me. wuk lamat breaking in during the trial (which is it's own thing that honestly i'm fine with for the most part) and connecting with the vestigial memories of sphene could have worked if we'd gotten to learn more of who sphene was as a person, but in the end all wuk lamat could do was appeal to sphene's sentiment for the alexandrians with wuk lamat's own sentiment for the turali. it ultimately doesn't work for me because sphene and the queen eternal are too closely aligned in desire; if there had been more tension between what sphene's memories wanted and what she was compelled to do as the queen eternal, with wuk lamat pushing and straining that tension to a breaking point, i think i would feel very differently about the ending. it can be argued that that is what happened, but sentiment alone cannot carry a story dealing in themes as heavy as the themes of the final two zones. there needed to be just a little something more.

speaking of the final two zones, i'd also like to dive into those for a little bit, because i have some complaints there as well

so. heritage found. there's a lot to like here honestly. the interdimensionally fused setting is cool. the way souls are treated as a commodity is cool, especially in the context of how souls and reincarnation has already been established in the world of ffxiv. it's unsettling on a very fundamental level both for me and the characters which i like! that being said, i wish there was more tension there. for as horrifying as it should be to the characters (and they are horrified) it's also undercut by the constant refrain of "oh we must learn and respect their culture even if it is gross". which is a genuinely good message that i agree with! but it comes too easily! the struggle to accept what is going on should have been given more weight; it's certainly not ignored but it also does not go far enough to satisfy me. and then. there is the Big Issue. the one i have a much harder time ignoring. which is: why the fuck is solution nine there in the first place?

here's what we know (and perhaps i missed a crucial detail but i don't believe i did): the world alexandria is from was ravaged by a calamity of lightning. embroiled in a war over electrope during said calamity, they erected the everkeep to preserve the memories of those they had lost and recycle their souls to keep the living alive longer. they also at some point sealed themselves inside a dome of lightning (unclear to me where the energy for said lightning was coming from but whatever) to protect themselves from the calamity and the war. what's unclear to me is exactly when the everkeep was interdimensionally fused with other realities. we know it got fused with the source for 30 years but it seems to me that it must have been somewhere else before then, because otherwise the 'top floor' actually being on alexandria's reflection of origin doesn't make sense- memories were being sent across the rift directly into living memory for a LONG time, or at least that's how it seems? if the everkeep was on the "unlost world" as the game calls it, where on that reflection was it?? surely it could not have been too far from living memory, right? my first thought is that it was just chilling on the reflected version of the northern continent but that's SO far away from the gate in the skydeep cenote. anyways after zoraal ja travels through the gate he must have spent a little time on the unlost world before convincing sphene to fuse the everkeep with tural, and from that point on things make a bit more sense to me. bleghh. sorry this line of thought got away from me.

which leaves. the unlost world, living memory. i found this zone to be so tonally strange. i personally really don't like the ideas being presented and i felt pretty uncomfortable the entire time, which i do think was intentional. the desire to see departed loved ones again is one i can very much understand but the actually doing so? no fucking thank you. i don't want to bring anyone back. i would much rather she had kept living. taking a dead soul's memories and storing them in a server forever and occasionally letting them wander around a holographic paradise disgusts me on a fundamental level, i guess. the only real emotions the zone evoked were lots of disquietude, some sadness, and frustration. frustration because it seemed like none of the characters you were there with were on the same page as me. i wanted to shut down those terminals as fast as i could and each one was a relief. yes i felt sad for evenville and krile but not sad enough, i was more angry that this was a situation those characters had to deal with at all. i understand what the developers were trying to achieve with living memory and far many it seems to have worked but it really really didn't for me. one of my favorite things about ffxiv is exploring new zones and i think living memory might be the only one where i actively wanted to spend as little time there as possible. it ended up being a very upsetting zone and not in a good way like ultima thule (my by far and away favorite zone in the game) was.

i'm also a little confused about the state of the rest of the reflection that living memory resides upon. where is everyone? surely the entire world wasn't destroyed in the calamity because that doesn't line up with what we know about calamities, and like. living memory is a giant glowing cityscape that's been just sitting there for multiple centuries. did none of the native inhabitants of the unlost world ever wonder what the hell is going on there? i guess sphene could've kept them out with robots but now that she's gone and the cityscape is barren are they just gonna leave it be? in fairness i expect this stuff to be elaborated upon in the future so it's not as big an issue for me as everything else but it does bother me at the moment.

ending this post here bc i don't wanna keep rambling but uh yeah. the entire alexandria plotline fell flat for me and as a result the latter half of dawntrail ended up being pretty lackluster. i know i'm gonna be in the minority with this opinion but i vastly preferred the rite of succession and exploring tural and kind of wish the entire expansion had just been that. perhaps alexandria could've been the post-dawntrail msq or something and it would've worked better for me. i dunno. i'm hopeful for the future because there's some interesting stuff they can do with the key and all but i'm not nearly as hopeful as i was before dawntrail released. really wish i could have liked it more :(

[astrxealis]

it has been a while since i have advertised any of my favorite games and so hello ... !! i implore you to play final fantasy xiv (fourteen) it is my favorite game and it is so good for so many reasons i love it so much (unlimited free trial btw)

[sidorlss]

A really under-appreciated character in ffxiv is Wilred Glasse. If you remember him, he’s the ringleader of the young folks in Little Ala Mhigo. He learns how to turns crystal into a primal from an Ascian; in a desperate attempt to summon Rhalgr and save the homeland he’d never seen, many of his companions died. However, he learns from the experience and finds himself moving forward to do better by both his homeland and his community. He eventually becomes a Crystal Brave, and is killed for trying to speak up about what he sees there.

I think he’s one of the first in a line of characters that speaks to a general theme of the msq - you might never go home, you might never reach your goal, you might do something misguided in the name of reaching it - but sacrifice will not be forgotten. It will not be in vain.

After finishing Stormblood, you can unlock a quest called Dreaming of Home. As part of the questline, you accompany people from Little Ala Mhigo as they make their way to Ala Mhigo - some returning after many years, others coming for the first time. The leader of the band, however, is a woman named Bertliana; she had been Wilred’s best friend. She has one wish: to bring Wilred’s short sword to the Tomb of the Errant Sword - a place for those who died outside of Ala Mhigo to rest within its borders.

In the last quest, For Those we Hold Dear, she says this:

“Wilred, can you see this view as well? It is truly stunning.

Crimson mountains, a sea of clouds, and a mighty fortress. It is just as Gundobald said. I just can't believe you're not here to see it too...

I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure future generations are able to live here in peace. Just like you wanted to.

So please wait for me, wherever you are, just a bit longer. I cannot wait to tell you all about our wonderful homeland.

Thank you. I will not take my new life in Ala Mhigo for granted. It is a gift that Wilred never got to receive. Do take care and I hope to see you here again someday.”

Despite dying at the hands of those less scrupulous than he, despite never getting to see a free Ala Mhigo with his own eyes, Wilred (at least in the spiritual sense) is brought to rest here. He’s talked about as if he’s alive, alongside the others who have finally made it to the home they’ve always heard about. And though he has little significance to the overall story, his tale of sacrifice and the love he so clearly held for around him (and they held in return) is something worth noting.

[noxtivagus]

"but even if this is our end, it won't change what we had; i love you more than you'll ever know. be well."

i really should replay the ffxiv drk quests again

[cerastes]

Hello, these are for the "FFXIV WoL questions"

2. Does your WoL have a recurring nightmare (or more)? What is it?

3. Who do they worry about the most?

5. What is the first impression most people have of them? Is it different when they get to know them?

13. What are their speech patterns like? more formal or informal?

I hope you are having a good day btw!

Heeey hope you're having a great day too! Also thanks for copying the questions for me @zero-intoner

2. Does your WoL have a recurring nightmare (or more)? What is it?

Alkelda is not particularly afraid of anything as her innate curiosity tends to overpower any sense of dread, and as an avid archivist and treasure hunter both, the prospect of dangerous places translates to her as "interesting data AND possibly profit!".

What does concern her, however, and it is not a far fetched concern, is that she'll start to forget the weight of life. As a scholar and researcher who dabbles in history and aether, as well as someone bound for a long life due to her little accident more or less freezing time for her, Alkelda is afraid of just becoming desensitized to the loss of life as something "natural" and to Interesting Times as "things that are bound to happen". Someone with her outlook on life, plus the events she's gone through, let's say they've not twisted or traumatized her necessarily, but they have given her an askew view of life that tends to prioritize the long term rather than the short term. In addition, since she loves a good story, both telling them and being told them, she's concerned she'll act towards making a potential future story more interesting rather than try to find a solution to any given problem. In the worst of scenarios, Alkelda would be, thus, someone that can't really be defined as "good" or "bad" and sides with whatever makes for a more intense and interesting story for the future instead, regardless of whether that means finding a swift, epic solution to something, or make it ten times worse.

3. Who do they worry about the most?

Miyu for being too cringe.

L'zumi for being a sour sour dark knight and cringe.

Humu for falling for crypto.

Alkelda tends to worry to some degree for the Steppes in general in the way someone worries about their homeland, but not to a terrible degree. She tends, however, to be a worrywart for her beast companions, namely her mounts and chocobo.

5. What is the first impression most people have of them? Is it different when they get to know them?

Most people's first impression of Alkelda is likely "wow that is an arrogant woman" due to her jovial, rough manners of endearment. She's blunt in her assessment of others, but not out of rudeness or arrogance, rather, Alkelda simply has high standards for herself, and tends to expect as much from others, particularly when it comes pointing out mistakes. If people don't like that, then they have but two options: Improve, or leave her presence. What most people definitely don't expect from Alkelda, jovial and rough as she is, is likely her passion for research and academia, let alone the fact that she's a scholar herself. She'll likely be mistaken for someone standoffish, since she likes to operate solo for the most part, but that's merely a personal preference, choosing to share her time with trusted, closer associates frequently enough.

Once you get to know her, you likely realize Alkelda's brusque demeanor is reserved, in fact, for those she likes, and it's a way she expresses appreciation, taking care not to cross the line and keeping it simply fun and boisterous, never actually intending to insult (if she wishes to insult, she'll do so directly and with no ambiguity). Although her treasure hunting and field work attires, such as when exploring ruins or working as a bodyguard, tend to be practical and ragged from use, her taste in 'civilian' garments is high class dresses and expensive clothing. Alkelda does in fact believe that beauty is a pursuit that must not be taken for granted, and has an active interest in beauty and fashion. She favors the Ishgardian flavor of clothing. One last thing that might be surprising is that she loves losing herself in books and the stories of others, but doesn't particularly care for small talk and other liminal interactions, when people tend to think she's the other way around. She doesn't showcase it directly most of the time, but she does harbor love for her friends, she merely believes it goes without saying.

Something you'll never get wrong about Alkelda, however, is her love for gil and a good scientific breakthrough.

13. What are their speech patterns like? more formal or informal?

I've answered this before, she normally employs a flowery, even cheeky, informal. What I wish to add, however, is that she uses the same tone when writing. Her theses tend to be, perhaps, not as formal as a Sharlayan scholar would like. The contents are rock solid nonetheless, however.

[vin-thepacifier-diesel]

PLEASE DO A READ MORE W ALL OF THE FFXIV WOL QUESTIONS I WANNA KNOW !!

hehehe thank u for indulging me. the server is down at work so i finally had time to answer these >:)

Some pictures of the WoL in question, Meuloix!

Why did they pick their first class/job? What about the job they main now? Meuloix was NOT adept with the kinds of fighting that were available for teaching in Gridania. After the Calamity, he wanted to strengthen himself and took up boxing on his own in the forest until he heard word from passersby about the pugilists' guild in Ul'dah. It didn't take long for him to decide to up and leave! (I picked pugilist to start out because I liked the idea of defeating everything with my fists)

Does your WoL have a recurring nightmare? What is it? Large creatures in the depths overpowering him, pulling him under, and drowning him

Who do they worry about the most? Alphinaud and Alisaie! They are just like little siblings to him

What’s their alcohol tolerance? (if they drink) He can drink quite a bit, but it hits him all at once rather than him get progressively drunker. It's hard for him to determine what his stopping point is because of that, so he does not drink

What is the first impression most people have of them? Is it different when they get to know them? I think he initially comes across as kinda severe if he doesn't say anything, but once he opens his mouth it's pretty clear he's a goofball

Is that their natural hair color? YES, because he is a WARRIOR OF LIGHT, okay

How have they dealt with losing people? He shuts down. He needs to process it on his own away from others so he can react however he needs without worrying about what impression he's giving off to those around him

How do they feel about the fame/infamy that comes with being a Warrior of Light/Darkness? Does NOT enjoy it! It's actually quite embarrassing to him

What does the way they’ve decorated their home say about them as a person? His apartment is full of wooden furniture and plants! He loves nature!

Do they misuse any of their abilities? Not really, he's pretty honest for the most part

What location do they dislike most? THE RUBY SEA

Does anyone call them by a nickname? What do they think about it? Mew! He doesn't mind it! (I named him Meuloix specifically because my friend who got me to start playing calls me Mew, so I wanted her to be able to call me that in-game LOL)

What are their speech patterns like? formal or informal? Informal

If they were not an adventurer, what would they be doing? Running his mom's flower shop

Which NPC are they the most similar to? Lyse! She can be a bit silly, but she tries very hard to do what she believes she has to and always rises to the plate when she can. Plus she loves to punch as well (NARNIA, DON'T READ LYSE'S WIKI PAGE IF YOU LOOK HER UP! SPOILERS!)

What kinds of weather do they like and dislike? Do they handle heat or cold better? Definitely handles the heat better, but his favorite weather is kinda muggy. He loves a good summer rain!

Any allergies? Nope, none he's discovered anyway!

What is something they would never tell anyone? As the WoL, he doesn't feel he can tell anyone just how much he questions his role and wishes he WASN'T considered anything special. He's just a silly guy who only recently learned how to throw a decent punch

What level of education do they have? He can read and write, but doesn't really know much about history or anything…

When in the story was their highest point? When were they at their lowest? Gonna be vague about this cause they're all so spoilery, but if you know, you know. Highest point was probably when he and SPOILERS fought 'as one' against SPOILERS in Shadowbringers, I fucking loved that so much. Lowest points have been any time he hasn't been able to save someone, but primarily SPOILERS, of course, because that death was from trying to protect Meuloix. He visits the grave whenever he is in the area (even though this was spoiled for me I still cried LMAO)

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write Day 2

Aberrant - departing from an accepted standard OR diverging from the normal type.

CONTENT WARNING: asshole parents denigrating their child with sexually charged language

"Master? A letter arrived for you."

Ahldblaet Fyrilberksyn looked up from the stack of documents with an irritated expression at the servant who'd interrupted him, a hyuran male of fair skin and hair.  "Well, boy? Who is it from then? Twelve save you if this isn't worth interrupting my very important work!"

The man went even paler. "I....I don't know, master. The envelope was not signed. The post markings indicate that it originated in Eorzea, but otherwise the only marking is that of a small green axe. I don't know..."

Ahldblaet's eyes, normally perpetually narrowed due to being deep set in his face, widened in shock. "Give that here!" he shouted. "And be gone with you!"

The servant scurried over to Ahldblaet's massive desk and practically dropped the envelope on the nearest corner before fleeing with all haste, as though for his life. Ahldblaet immediately snatched it from the stack of parchment it had fallen on and inspected the markings that the servant had mentioned.

"Husband?" a voice called from the side door that led from his office further into the home.  Said door opened and a shorter Roegadyn woman stepped through, her ash-colored skin in marked contrast to the sea-blue dress she wore. Her dark grey hair framed a face that wore an annoyed expression. "What is all this bellowing about? You are disturbing my guests. It is...unseemly."

Ahldblaet turned his severe gaze upon the new entrant. He was tall and exceptionally broad, a picture of strength in his youth, but his body had taken on a measure of fat in his older age and more sedentary work. Despite this, and his balding head of hair, his steely eyed expression still cowed many of the people he dealt with on a day to day basis. "It would seem, wife, that the enormous investment we have paid into those mercenaries we dispatched to Eorzea may have finally borne fruit. This is a missive their leader sent me. After our last communication I told him, in no uncertain terms, not to contact me until he had something of note to report. Unless he has foolishly ignored my orders, this would mean he has something."

The woman was not cowed, having long becoming immune to her husband's glares. Impatiently she gestured to the envelope. "Well, open it then, you great oaf!  Maybe we will finally learn where our daughter vanished to!"

Ahldblaet tore the envelope and removed the missive inside. He began to read aloud, knowing from prior experience if he did not, his wife would snatch the paper from his hands mid-sentence. She was not a patient one.

"Masters Ahldblaet Fyrilberksyn and Lady Usynwyda Holaszirnwyn,

I am please to report that after much time and hard work on the part of the Emerald Marauders, we have located your wayward daughter. Furthermore, we have determined the reasoning as to why she evaded both us and every previous mercenary company your lordship sent to retrieve her

First, your daughter is no longer using her given name of Syhrwyda Ahldblaetwyn. Asking after that name yielded no results, aside from the merchants who recognized it only as pertaining to you. By sheer luck, we eventually stumbled across a Roegadyn language scholar who knew the translation of her first name and directed us to an adventurer known as 'Fearless Willow', one of the Warriors of Light.

I am hoping the story of the Warriors of Light does not require an explanation for your lordship, but I will remind you that these people are slayers of godlike beings who regularly enslave the minds of mortals around them, have engaged massive numbers of Garlean soldiers and magitek armor, defeated Imperial Legatuses in single combat (including the Crown Prince), and decisively ended a thousand-year war between a dragon horde and the nation of Ishgard.

From there, we set out to determine if this woman and your daughter are one and the same. It is well known that one of the Warriors of Light is in fact a Roegadyn woman, but we needed to be certain. Adventurers are often well traveled and thanks to the Aetheryte network, difficult to track. Your descriptions were also primarily of the physical sort, which did not help, as appearances are easy enough to change.

We caught a break in speaking to one of the mercenary crews you'd previously hired. Many of them had been either entirely wiped or or reduced in numbers to the degree that they'd disbanded. What few remained refused to speak with us once it became clear who we were tracking. One particular mercenary of an Ala Mhigan band (known as the Graybear Den, which if you recall abruptly returned your payment and refused the contract) however, let slip some valuable information after our agents plied him with enough drink. Once he realized who we were speaking of, he grew agitated and swore he would never help us find 'the Warrior o' Light". It would seem the Graybears believe they owed a measure of loyalty to the Warriors of LIght for their instrumental parts in liberating their homeland.

It was, however, enough. Once we determined that your daughter and this Warrior of Light were in fact one and the same, we began looking for ways to isolate her and take her prisoner. Unfortunately this has proven extremely difficult. As they are involved in affairs that affect the entirety of the star, the Warriors of Light are often on the move, moreso than normal adventurers. Furthermore, as I have mentioned, they are peerless warriors, often in each other's company or those of their fellow Scions of the Seventh Dawn. If you don't know the order, suffice to say they are Warriors and Scholars both who labor on behalf of all peoples to defend the world against tyranny and false gods. They are exceptionally successful in this regard. The Scions often meet and collaborate with the leaders of various powers on this continent, who are often accompanied by their own soldiers or bodyguards.

We have remained patient however, and managed to catch a glimpse of her. As I mentioned was likely, she has extensively changed her appearance. Her hair is now of a longer cut and nearly all black, with only highlights of the teal you had mentioned remaining. She has also taken to wearing dark makeup.

We have also determined that unlike her fellow Warriors of Light, she does not dwell in the Scion's headquarters. Instead, she has taken to living in the Hingashi port city of Kugane, where she has a modest home in the district of the city reserved for foreigners.

Finally, and you may wish to brace her ladyship for this part, she does not live there alone. Our spies have reported that her home is occupied by two other women, and their observations of them interacting within the city indicates that the three of them are lovers

We believe that this is our best shot at capturing her, but the price for her return to you has just doubled.

You are doubtless shaking with rage, but you hired us to retrieve a woman that you led us to believe would provide minimal resistance. Even isolated from the other Scions in Kugane, we believe we will face extreme resistance in this job. For starters, your daughter has mastered several forms of combat, including the ways of the Hingashi samurai, the axe-masters of Abalathia's Spine, and the art of thaumaturgy. She is also known to wield the Sharlayan art of Astrology, and has mastered a form of dance from Radz-at-Han that wields circular blades with deadly precision.

Furthermore, Fearless Willow is a known and loved name within the borders of Kugane, despite being a foreigner in a city that remains neutral to all concerns beyond their borders. She was instrumental in aiding their geomancers in repelling an attack from a fox-like beast known as 'Kinko' and she also trained alongside the Sekiseigumi (the samurai order that enforces the laws of the city, brutally so) and helped them put down a rebellion from within their own ranks. One of her lovers is a high ranking member of the Sekiseigumi. The other is a member of her dance troupe who is on an extended tour in the city. She is every bit as deadly in the art as Fearless is.

The point is that, even isolated from the other Scions, many people will rush to her aid. We expect heavy resistance and significant losses. The original reward will not suffice to cover this.

We will not move forward with this operation until we have your confirmation of acceptance of the new price. And we suggest you hurry, as events brewing suggest your daughter will soon be called back to the fight, at which point it is impossible to tell when we will have another opportunity

Cmdr Guji Pokiji Chief Executive, Emerald Marauders  

Ahldblaet set the letter on his desk, shaking with rage as he looked to his wife."How DARE that miniscule INSECT think to extort us?? A Warrior of Light, indeed. As if our useless fool of a daughter has the brains to take on even one sort of combat discipline, much less five! How gullible does he THINK us to be?"

Usynwyda nodded, a disgusted sneer on her face. "The NERVE of her, to merely toss aside the name we chose for her, only to refer to herself in the....ugh...common tongue! Still, the name cannot be a coincidence. Whatever other lies that little gnat undoubtedly told, this is the best lead we have had on Syhrwyda since she ran away."

"It is. And if they are not all lies, then it is all the more imperative we retrieve her before word of any of this gets out among our enemies. The very idea that she would toss aside the husband we painstakingly chose for her after careful selection and delicate negotiation in favor of laying with another woman, much less two! I worried she would do stupid things, but this level of degeneracy, of abberance? It is unconscionable!"

Usynwyda shuddered. "We cannot let this get out. I can never face any of the ladies if they should learn my daughter has become no better than some...common whore. We must marry her off to the Greinmyrgan boy with all haste before she does any further damage to us, to the company."

Ahldblaet scribbled furiously. "I am already writing orders to have our ship made ready and for our elite guards to prepare for a journey. We will find her and we end this nonsense."

Far away, in Kugane, the Warrior of Light known as Fearless Willow shuddered as she prepared to fall asleep. She had no ping from the Echo, no signal from her finely honed danger sense to explain it, but she definitely felt as if trouble was heading her way, and no idea what it might be.

[osakasshitpit]

I love Final Fantasy XIV

So I’ve been playing Final Fantasy XIV, and after playing for around 180 hours, I haven’t even finished A Realm Reborn. Normally, 180 hours is an insane time frame for a game to manage and hold my attention. Persona 5 Royal was 180 hours of game time, and that was slowly outstaying its welcome. FFXIV must be doing something right, because just recently I went to a convention and bought a Y’shtola Keychain in a heartbeat. I haven’t had time to play XIV a lot prior to this, since I was stupidly grinding Praetorium for days and got burned out. I haven’t played much in 2 months, and Y’shtola only really has a minor role during A Realm Reborn’s Storyline. Despite that, I started in Limsa and Y’shtola stuck with me since then. I just had to buy that keychain. My girlfriend asked me about it and despite me staying away from the game after being burned out, I explained to her in great enthusiasm why I loved Y’shtola and why I loved the game so much. I think that’s the first time I really realized how attached I was to this world, these characters, this game.

I came to FFXIV after having played WoW from Vanilla through WotLK, after having barely ever touched a MMO since quitting WoW. Honestly, I was very skeptical of XIV but holy fucking shit did it ever win me over. They are completely different games, mind you, but that is a good thing in my opinion.

So here is the longest tumblr rant post I have written so far, I think.

To be fair, the first 20 levels or so were kinda slow. You get thrown into the deep end and get bombarded with lore and characters, terms and phrases that you don't understand. For fucks sake, the opening cutscene shows Louisoix fighting Bahamut front and center. Its this big, epic moment of sacrifice, but to someone who has not played 1.0 and who doesn't know anything about the lore, this just zips right past you. During the main story of ARR, they keep talking about Louisoix and how important he is, but you haven't even seen the guy because he died before the game even started. I only really realized this today, it took me 180 hours and a look at the wiki to connect the dots. It really is a slow burn, but that slow burn was okay because everything else was so fantastic.

While the world can arguably be more subdued than Azeroth in parts, there is still this distinctive style that I quickly fell in love with. It’s fantastical, but it still feels grounded. Part of that has to do with how the game introduces you to the world, and how the main story quests explain to you the lore bit by bit. I feel like much of the world design of WoW was down to “the rule of cool”. Now, I’m not saying XIV doesn’t have that, but I feel like XIV always goes the extra mile to explain why this cool shit is here. Everything you see out there in the world feels like it has a purpose, a reason to be there and an explanation on how it works. The factions make sense, the political conflicts you get entangled in are believable. I feel like I am kind of biased to be honest. What got me to play FFXIV in the first place was seeing that Viera are a playable race. I’m a sucker for Final Fantasy, not in short part to my memories of Playing Final Fantasy Tactics and XII. XII is still my favorite game in the series, and much of that has to do with the world, Ivalice. Viera were always my favorite race of the ones seen in Ivalice. Seeing as you can play a Viera in XIV, I just had to try. Thinking about it, XII and XIV have a lot in common when it comes to world building.

One of the weirdest things to acclimate for me was how FFXIV handles story. I was used to WoW, where story was basically non-existent and you did what you did to see numbers rise and to unlock now content you could do. You are basically never involved in the story of WoW, you are just kind of there for the ride. In FFXIV, you are the main character. You are involved in what happens at all times, and that is kinda strange coming from WoW. At first I thought I wouldn’t like it, but the game made it work in my opinion. I also didn’t expect there to be so much of story to begin with. Kind of ironically the moment I realized just how much there was to experience was when I went through Ul’dah and saw a blue quest. Now, blue quest markers mean there is some content you can unlock by doing this quest. A lot of these are kinda short, with a bit of dialogue and some bits of lore for you to enjoy and I thought this one would be no difference. After all, the hook is basically just to help this lady mourn for the death of a friend. What I got was a fabulous detective adventure that spanned over the entire continent, where in I had to help the worlds most manly detective uncover the secret behind a mysterious phantom thief. To say the least, this 21 quest long quest line brought be hours upon hours of joy and had me in stitches throughout. And it was completely optional. I don’t think I even remember a single moment from any quest in WoW that made me this excited for it, optional or otherwise.

Ultimately these are very different games that try very different things.

Dungeons and Raids were a different thing. I remember when I rolled a new character for WotLK and wanted to do karazhan because I used to like doing that raid with my guild back in TBC. I could not for the live of me find a group willing to do it, because everyone was way more focused on the new content, so they could get better gear. Regardless, it just wouldn’t have been the same experience anyways I fear, because the new gear from the new Dungeons outclassed the raid gear from TBC, so karazhan would be way easier and a much different experience. In FFXIV, every dungeon is level synced by default, meaning if a higher level character joins, they get basically downgraded to the level the dungeon was designed for. Couple that with the Duty Roulette feature and suddenly, there was always someone to do any given dungeon with. I remember when I had to do the crystal tower raids and thought “why would they tie main story progression to a raid, I will never find a group to do that properly” but low and behold, I found a group within 30 minutes or less and raided through the entire set of raids within a day. Dungeons and Raids are generally a very pick up and play thing in FFXIV. To be fair, dungeons got easier and more pick up and play in WoW too, but Raids were always the endgame thing where you had to gear up and learn to play. In FFXIV, much more lenient. No corpse walking required. I say this, but I have yet to do the Coils of Bahamut or any Savage Raids. I have only heard that there is plenty of hardcore raid content for those who want that.

That’s nothing to say about the actual gameplay. FFXIV is a tab-target MMO, like so many others, but it manages to keep this kind of gameplay fresh by introducing a lot of mechanics that make the game more active than the typical “I stand here and hit my rotation a lot”. For starters, most enemies have special abilities that you can actually dodge by moving out of the way. There will a area marker on the floor and everyone within that area will be hit. It starts out easy, but later dungeons really start kicking your ass with this mechanic. You really need to say on your toes. In addition, every class is extremely different. They all have special mechanics unique to them, special meters and resources they will have to manage during combat and so on. For example, a Red Mage (the class I’m playing currently), has two meters that fill up as you cast spells. They generally have two types of spells, white and black magic. Each type fills its respective bar. Once they are both full enough, you can go in and do a more powerful melee rotation. However, if one bar is fuller than the other, the other bar will fill up slower. Since you need to fill both, you want to balance that out. You get instant casts for spells after performing a damaging spell, and you have some spells with a short cast time and good damage output that you want to cast and then use the instant cast of to cast a more damaging spell that has a long cast time. But these short cast, good damage spells require a you get from casting a spell of the respective type. So, in essence, you want to balance your use of black and white magic, but you also want to use the proc you get from casting your white and black magic, which means you cast more of the type which inherently unbalances your gauges. It becomes this micromanagement game you play with your procs and instant casts, so you can go in and do the big, flashy sword combo. And that’s just the red mage at around 50. Every class has something like this, and it’s all unique to them. Learning a class is not just learning the rotation and spells you have anymore, it’s really learning how to effectively play your class. Also, positioning. Some abilities do more damage from certain positions, so you will have to dance around an enemy to hit all the sweet spots with classes like monks. These complexities get introduced slowly as you level up, so you have plenty of time to learn the mechanics. My favorite feature might be the class system itself, though. In FFXIV, you aren’t limited to one class for the entire duration of your characters career. You can, from a certain point forwards, choose any class you wish and level that up instead. You can freely switch between classes outside of combat, too. If you are dedicated enough, you can level them all up to max, even. This means if you don’t like a class or the direction a class is going in, you can switch. I for my part started as an arcanist, so I unlocked Summoner at 30. I played Summoner up to 50 but I was just not meshing as well with the direction the summorer went in. So, I switched to Red Mage and after some getting used to, Its now my new favorite. Arcanists are special, because you actually unlock two classes at 30, so I also unlocked Scholars. Scholars are healers and that became my main dungeon class, since queue times are way shorter for healers. This would be unthinkable in WoW, and love the fact this is a thing here.

If I had to describe it, WoW is an MMO with RPG Elements, while FFXIV is a JRPG with MMO elements. I didn’t know I needed that, but in retrospect, it makes sense. The thing that really killed my progress in WoW was that I didn’t have anyone to play with anymore. My friends all dropped from the game and while I generally like doing solo content from time to time, I’m pretty introverted, after all... MMORPGs are usually most fun with friends. Final Fantasy XIV is a JRPG first, an MMO second. There is so much to keep your attention as a solo player, its nuts. All my friends who play this game, play on a different data center, so I can’t even visit them. Despite that, I had a lot of fun in my time with the game.

My experience with the game was incredibly positive, and I don’t think it will get worse from here. Everyone keeps telling me how great Heavensward is. I just have to finish 16 more quests and I’ll be able to see for myself what the fuss is about.

Honestly, if I had to say anything negative, it would be how longwinded ARR is. I mean, its not bad by any means, but I can see how someone could be turned off by this huge storyblock. Worst of all is, after you hit 50 and reach the end of ARR’s story line, there are 80 quests before you can even start with Heavensward. Since everyone keeps going on about how great it is, it’s kind of annoying how long you have to work to even get to it. In retrospect, it kinda makes sense though. These quests are meant to be played over months and months throughout a update cycle and bridge the narrative gap between one storyblock and the next, but holy fucking shit why did it have to be THAT long. They even cut like 20 of the quests from this already insanely long quest line. What the fuck. This is supposed to be an epilogue to ARR and it feels like I played a whole fucking JRPG in between ARR and Heavensward. Oh well. Thankfully, they learned from this and made the post-story blocks shorter.

I will just say that I can recommend this game. You should give it a try. Just... try not to drop the game before it gets really, really good.

[the-dragons-knight]

FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #18 - Perspectives

Devil’s Advocate - ‘a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause for the sake of argument’

————————————————————

“Katsum, you must remember. These men have lived far longer in a world where every dragon they crossed tried to kill them and everyone around them,” Aymeric chided, gently setting down the cup of tea on the table in front of her, “I too came from the same outlook though not as long as most of these men have lived, and we simply did not have the same upbringing with the truths and stories as you did.”

Katsum sighed, shaking her head as she lifted her tea cup and looked down with a scowl at the dark drink that had a little heat still steaming off of it, “I know that, I do…or I try to,” She meet Aymeric’s gaze as he sat in the chair beside her, “It’s just after all that’s happened since the end of the war…and even during like Vidolnir saving Maelie and Raihogg threatening Nidhogg’s shade when he attacked the peace conference! Surely they should be able to see. You do!”

Aymeric sighed gently, “You must look at it from their perspective, Kat. To you, you could see their intentions. You could understand their motives. To the others gathered, it was a beast they were taught to fear being far closer than they believed they ever should be.”

“Then why not just hear what I have to say and try and see through my eyes as well?”

“Because they are old men stuck in their ways and incredibly stubborn.”

“I am stubborn as well—”

“Yes, my love, trust me I know,” She frowned at this and he quickly retracted, “I-I mean that in the best way, kat. You know that right?”

“I think so…,” She looked down at her hands again, “Sorry, yes, I’m just…frustrated.”

Her ears perked as she watched his hand move to rest on hers, softly caressing it with his thumb, “If only it were that easy, Kat, yet you yourself have seen how they are. Indeed, those actions helped them see that the dragons were not of the mind to fight, yes, they still needed time to see the full truth within their hearts. While many have come to see it, others still need time to. And while I agree that yes they should just listen to us, especially with your loving heart only hoping for peace and the harmony you’ve heard of all your life, they are just far more headstrong and unwilling to compromise than you could ever be.”

The miqo'te blinked before she huffed and shrugged, “I don’t know about all of that but…I’ll try to not be so quick to snap, ok?” She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye as she took a long sip of her tea. She knew he was right, yet her patience was always tested when one of said stuffy nobles tried to talk down to her about her dragons and the ‘blight it brought their proud history’. How she wished she could freely control and share the echo so that she could show them the real truth, just to silence their petty rambling.

Aymeric’s chuckle broke her from her trance as she looked up at him, blushing slightly at the intensity of his smiling eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing really. Just admiring you,” He lifted his own tea cup to his lips without taking his eyes off of her as he grinned and added, “And whether you believe it or not, your kind and caring heart is beautiful, and a shining ray of hope.”

Her blush darkened as her ears fell again, “T-Thank you, Aymeric.”

“Of course, my Kat.”

She smiled sweetly at him and they took another sip of tea together, soon finishing their first cups. Aymeric moved to pour himself another and filled Katsum’s again as well as she set it on the table.

Katsum chuckled pitifully as she dropped another cube of sugar in her cup, “If only I was better at politics and speaking with them lik you are.”

“By the Fury, do not wish for that,” Aymeric laughed tiredly as he sitrred his tea, “It is utterly draining, always speaking with them about the same matters every few days, and they are hardly ever up lifting their decisions. Oftentimes, we do not settle a matter, but rather postpone it before it comes to blows. It was worse in our first few discussions, but the slight issue of it is still present,” He raised his cup to her, “Thank the heavens I have your loving arms to come home to and rest my soul within.”

The knightess smiled, “Happy to be of service, my lord.” She raised her cup to tae another happy sip of the delicious tea.

“You’ll still accompany me on this last meeting, yes?” He asked softly, an apologetic tone to his voice and a pleading look in his eyes.

Katsum nearly spit out her tea, “Another meeting? I thought we just finished the last one!”

“We did, yes…and there is one more.”

Katsum groaned, “Aymeric, I cannot handle another meeting today…I don’t know how you can stand so many!”

“I can because I give myself something to look forward to after it is over. For example, I often just remind myself I shall be home and spend time with you as soon as it is over. So, I offer this,” He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, “We will spend the rest of the day laying in bed and cuddling. What say you to that?”

She grinned and looked up at him, “We would have done that anyway, Aymeric.”

“Yes, but now you are looking forward to that more, yes?”

“…Touche.”

“So?”

“Alright, very well, you have convinced,” She leaned her head on his shoulder, “Can’t have my knight suffering alone after all.”

He smiled warmly and leaned in to peck her lips sweetly, “You have my deepest gratitude, my love.”

[storm-driver]

*jumps into here* Alright, uhhhhh "Number 3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)" I am curious and want to give you one of those questions. PS. I love you 💙

(ilu2 fluffles <3)

oh god there’s plenty of these, but because this is a fandom blog, ill stick to KH ones

I want to recapture that entire sequence where Sora goes to save Aqua and Ventus in KH3. ‘Cause I had ideas for the structure of that whole sequence that might help that emotional impact and pacing feel way better. 

Below the cut because I got a “little” extensive about it 

First of all, the beginning of KH3 is so fuckin’ misleading when it says someone that’s close to Aqua would have to be the one to take the dive and save her. Because that ends up not happening at all, and Sora just does it himself when the plot calls for it. You can argue that it was Ventus’ heart inside Sora that made that possible, but there was zero indication that Ventus had next to any impact on that whole sequence. If he did anything, he was the one that was initially pushing Sora to go to the Realm of Darkness in the first place. But that’s the extent of Ventus’ intervention in Aqua’s situation. 

I initially thought that Sora was going to take the Master’s Defender (Eraqus’ Keyblade) to Castle Oblivion and get Ventus out himself. At least, that’s what I believed when I started playing and remembered the scene from the first ever KH3 trailer where Sora found that old Keyblade on the beach. But that Keyblade was instead used to find Aqua (don’t know...how or why he needed that Keyblade to get to Aqua when all he was missing was a way to get to the Realm of Darkness, but whatever). 

I think towards the end of development, when the writers were done with the Disney worlds and were ready to finalize all the end-game stuff, they might’ve been rushing it. Because the amount of padding out there is in the Disney worlds compared to how little padding there is at the end of KH3 is an EXTREME difference. It’s a mistake that happens often in video game development, especially with big, hyped up titles like this one that have undergone delays and various system changes over the years. 

(In case anyone didn’t know, KH3 was more than likely being developed on Square Enix’s Crystal Tool engine back during 2010-2013, which was proved to be a poor choice when FFXIV crashed and burned using that engine. Which is more than likely why the game was switched to a new engine and development seemed to slog on. This is also the reason FFv13 got so heavily delayed and then switched to a new engine, as well.) 

But getting into the actual writing portion, I’ll put a disclaimer saying I don’t consider myself to be a better writer than KH’s team. I write for self-indulgence and entertainment purposes, and definitely not for continuity or even logical reasons. 

So while I disagree with the writing team’s decision to backend all of the story into the final quarter of KH3′s playtime, I’m not gonna change that in this situation. For instance, I feel the story would’ve flowed better if Aqua was saved sooner, between Disney worlds. And then Ventus was saved just a little sooner than canon, before the final Disney worlds. And then they all went to war after the completion of the final Disney worlds. 

BUT, I’m not changing that. Consider everything that’s happened up to the end of San Fransokyo to be the same in this scenario. 

So how would I have tackled it? Oh, so you’re approaching me?

Sora finds the Master’s Defender on the beach, where Aqua left it a year ago when she fell back into the Realm of Darkness. Something snaps in him and he recognizes it to be Master Eraqus’ Keyblade, despite never meeting the guy. 

He takes it back to Yen Sid’s tower and asks what that could all mean. Yen Sid informs Sora that it is indeed Eraqus’ Keyblade. Theorizing that if it didn’t disappear along with Eraqus, it may mean that it was in Aqua’s possession after he was struck down. And so it could very well be a means to save her and Ventus. 

Sora isn’t really sure what to do after that, but he has this Keyblade now. And he feels a very strong connection towards it and the possibility of saving Aqua and Ventus. It’s almost like his heart is tugging on his sleeve and telling him to go somewhere. Like there’s a voice, muffled and distant, screaming at him to get up and get moving. Aqua’s in danger without something to defend herself. We have to go save her now. 

He stands up after a moment of silent contemplation, on the steps outside Yen Sid’s tower. Just like the sleeping boy did over a decade ago, he raises the Keyblade and opens a gateway to another world. Donald and Goofy ask Sora what he’s doing and how he even managed that. But Sora doesn’t respond and bolts inside, leaving them to chase after him. 

He finds Castle Oblivion on the other side, but doesn’t recognize it. He laments that this place doesn’t look like it used to, before Donald and Goofy drag him out of his daze and ask what this place is. Sora says he doesn’t really know, but he feels something important dragged him here. That muffled voice in the back of his head starts to get a little more clear. But he still can’t tell who it is.

As he walks in the castle doors, the voice gets louder and he starts to see things that never happened to him. Much like Roxas had experienced when he first stepped into Castle Oblivion, one of the hearts inside Sora is starting to react. He sees memories of Terra and Aqua. Of Vanitas and Xehanort. People he’s seen before but long before he ever met them. At first, Donald and Goofy try to get him out of the castle. But Sora stubbornly refuses to leave and starts plowing towards the doors at the end of the hall. He’s about to shove the doors open when that voice is finally clear enough to hear. And it’s asking him to use the Keyblade. 

The memories start to subside and he realizes that they’re Ventus’ memories. He raises the Master’s Defender to the doors in front of him, unlocking the castle’s hidden door and revealing what Axel had been searching for: the Chamber of Waking.

(Side note, this was another minor disappointment I had, with the Chamber of Repose and Chamber of Waking hardly mattering in the final stretch of KH3 and post-game story. I really wished it have been more relevant rather than just a storage room for a body and some broken armor+Keyblade).

He paces around the throne, staring at Ventus’ sleeping body and the strange design of the room. He comments that Ventus looks exactly like Roxas, maybe Donald and Goofy can ask about that, too. But before he can openly query about it all any longer, the Keyhole on the back of the throne begins to light up. And Sora raises the Master’s Defender to the lock. 

The white walls of Castle Oblivion have vanished and now the Land of Departure stands where it once stood, broken windows and crumbling pillars, dilapidated walls and rusted chains strewn across the environment. But it’s a castle that Sora feels he can recognize. That Ventus must be able to recognize. 

Sora stares at Ventus’ sleeping body and wonders what he could even do to help, not yet realizing that he never lost his Power of Waking. But taking him back to Yen Sid would be better than leaving him in the castle, now exposed for other people to find him. Sora starts to pick up Ventus’ body, pulling him over his shoulder with Donald and Goofy’s help to get him to safety. 

They don’t even get past the stairs of the thrones before someone waltzes in the front door and openly remarks that this is where Ventus had been hiding the whole time. Vanitas takes advantage of the unfavorable predicament and immediately starts attacking. Sora, carrying Ven’s limp body, is completely unable to defend himself and the two are sent sprawling across the throne room. Before Vanitas can go in for another strike, Donald and Goofy jump to Sora’s defense and start yelling at him to get up. 

Sora, as he was in Monstropolis, is crippled by Vanitas’ presence and how Ventus’ heart is reacting to him. He still tries to get up and fight, but is significantly weaker than expected. He rushes past Donald and Goofy, Keyblade dragging across the floor in his hands, and haphazardly swings it out at Vanitas. But Vanitas easily backsteps and strikes Sora again, putting him on defense and leaving him helpless. 

He’s still desperately trying to attack Vanitas, feeling some anguish and anger towards the boy, despite these feelings not originating from Sora himself. But he’s still too weak, too encapsulated by this utter rage, to put forth a real fight and gets knocked back again. He’s struck hard enough to send his body hurtling across the room and crashing back down into the floors, sliding to a stop in front of the thrones. 

Sora can’t get back up. He’s too weak, but he’s desperately trying to grab his Keyblade again. All he can see through blurry eyes is Donald and Goofy trying to fend off Vanitas. He reaches out for them, telling them to run. But the image of Vanitas hurting them, hurting his friends, is too much. Combined with the severe pain from Ventus’ heart, Sora passes out with a loud thump from his heart.

He can hear a voice talking to him, saying that they have to wake up. Sora asks what he can do, to which the voice responds to use the Power of Waking. Sora laments that he never got it back, but the voice, Ventus, reassures him that he never lost it. He remarks that Sora never lost his power, it just needed some time to find its way back to him. Bolstered by this vote of confidence, Sora appears above his own Station of Awakening, finding Ventus’ heart hidden beneath it. And he uses his Keyblade to awaken Ventus’ heart. 

Vanitas has easily beaten Donald and Goofy, and he’s standing over Sora’s exhausted body. Ventus’ heart resting inside, ready for Vanitas to take back. Vanitas, all too eager to reclaim what he knows is his, prepares to stab Sora with the Keyblade. 

But something feels different. He looks down at Sora, realizing he can’t feel that light inside him. There’s traces of it, but Ventus isn’t there anymore. He’s staring at Sora, confused. Ventus was just there, what could’ve-

There’s hardly a second to react before someone is screeching Sora’s name. Vanitas whips his head around to catch sight of Keyblade hurtling towards him, barely managing to guard the hit from Ventus’ weapon, the child holding it staring at him drenched in rage. The powerful burst of energy from both halves of Ventus’ heart clashing sends shock-waves across the throne room. Donald and Goofy, both tossed to the side by Vanitas, marvel at the sight. 

Ventus skids back across the floor, still on his feet, standing in front of Sora’s body. Vanitas is still standing as well, the two staring at each other. It’s a long, uncomfortable moment, neither daring to move lest the other react and punish for it. But then Vanitas breaks away and starts running towards the entrance to the castle. 

Ventus yells at him to get back here, ready to chase after, before he’s pulled away by the sounds of Sora stirring on the ground behind him. The anger melts away completely and Ventus turns back to Sora, watching him slowly sit up. Donald and Goofy rush past Ventus to help their friend and heal him. Ventus stares at Sora, recognizing his face.

Sora looks up at makes eye contact with Ventus. They’re caught staring at each other, each wondering why the other looks the way they do. But Ventus breaks the silence and asks if Sora is okay. Sora says yes. Ventus feels relieved and holds out a hand to pull Sora back up, and the two greet each other for the first time. 

They can hear the doors to the castle opening, remembering who they’re letting get away. The four run after Vanitas out into the broken courtyard, finding the world mauled from the dark storm and a dark corridor that Vanitas must’ve escaped through. Ventus is distraught to find that his home was destroyed, only fueling his anger more towards Vanitas and Xehanort. In further blind anger, he rushes through the dark portal to follow Vanitas. Sora panics and runs after him, but the corridor closes before Donald and Goofy can follow. 

The portal leads them to the Dark Margin, where Vanitas finds himself unprepared to find another Guardian of Light, Riku, fighting a mass of Heartless. Sora and Ventus follow just after, both single-track targeting Vanitas.

Riku is still fending off the Heartless and Aqua’s dark form, but finds himself staring at Ventus, recognizing “Roxas” and wondering how Sora managed to get him back.

Sora manages to get one good swing against Vanitas, cracking the helmet’s glass and threatening to reveal his face. But they’re caught unawares when Vanitas baits the Heartless swarm to attack them, too. 

Vanitas takes the moment of panic to slip away through another dark corridor, leaving Ventus, Sora and Riku to fight off the swarm of Heartless. Ventus is only strong enough to provide support, still weak from his decade of sleep. After enough fighting, Riku and Sora use their Keyblades’ strength that they discovered in the Sleeping Realm to destroy the Demon Tower.

Riku is left exhausted from the fight. Ventus goes to his aid, asking if he’s alright, which leaves Riku confused why “Roxas” of all people would care about his well-being. They’re both caught off guard when Aqua, tainted in darkness, appears and starts charging at them both. Ventus is stunted by the image of Aqua alone, completely unable to react aside from muttering her name. 

Sora dashes between them both, holding back Aqua’s Keyblade from striking. Ventus is paralyzed by the image of his friend having fallen to darkness, and the sound of her voice in such pain and despair. Sora fends her off, putting her on guard and buying Riku some time to go save Mickey. Ventus tries reaching out to Aqua, but she only says Ventus shouldn’t get involved. 

Sora and Ventus start to fight her, Ventus mostly providing minimal support, not wanting to hurt Aqua. He’s calling out to her the whole time, slowly drawing Aqua out and urging her to remember himself and Terra. Mickey and Master Eraqus. She’s slowly letting her guard down more and more, muttering things when Ventus keeps telling her about their past. Reminding her of their training sessions, of the Mark of Mastery, how she protected Ventus from Braig and freed him from Vanitas, kept him safe in the castle for over a decade. And she’s finally knocked out of it. 

The darkness lets go of her and she starts sinking into the waters. Without thinking for his own safety, Ventus dives after her, yelling her name and reaching for her hand. She recognizes Ventus and reaches up to meet him, both falling farther into the darkness. But before they can fall any farther, Sora has followed them down as well, and is pulling them both back up to the surface. 

Aqua wakes up on the shores of Destiny Islands, recognizing Sora and Riku. They’re both thankful that she’s okay, and Sora turns around and calls Ventus over. Aqua follows his gaze and sees Ventus running towards her at break-neck speed, practically tackling Aqua in a hug. He’s crying and smiling, clinging to her body and sputtering out how happy he is to see her safe. Aqua’s hugging him back, but she asks how and why the islands are in the Realm of Darkness. Everyone tells her that she’s in the Realm of Light, and she’s free from the darkness. Aqua starts to tear up as well, hugging Ventus tighter and saying thank you to everyone that saved her. 

YOU CAN PROBABLY TELL THIS IS INSANELY AMBITIOUS and very different from what actually happened in KH3. But god, I wanted Aqua and Ventus’ reunion to be so much more than it was. Over a decade apart from each other, I expected so much more emotion and especially some crying. I get that it kinda got saved for when they saved Terra. And the good morning scene was absolutely adorable with Aqua petting Ven’s head. But I just wanted more, y’know?

[daanny2772]

FFXIV Dark Knight Level 35 Job Quest Fan Translation

Due to the differences between Fray Myste portrayed in the Japanese and English versions, I have decided to translate a number of the Dark Knight story quests from Japanese. I am by no means proficient in the language and ask that you forgive me for any incorrect translations. Please do let me know so that I am able to fix the mistakes. That being said, there are liberties I have taken due to the structure of the two languages being significantly different. Thank you for keeping this in mind.

Tumblr user haillenarte has also translated the level 45 and 50 quests along time ago. Go check it out if you haven't yet! https://haillenarte.tumblr.com/tagged/fray

I have recorded and subbed a video of my WOL going through the DRK quests below. I’m sorry that the lvl 35 one had to be split into two, but the future ones I’m working on subbing should not have that problem (hopefully...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnP6yVSIHpE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG0IBvqNdIg 

I’ve taken the Japanese lines from https://alnoumin.exblog.jp/24252515/ and have left the name of their WOL in the Japanese lines.

Guided by a Shriek 

Fray seems to be waiting in the Brume for the adventurer to visit.

***

Fray: We meet again, Nyxahk.  Well then, I will be teaching you everything within the extent of my memories about the Dark Knight.

...But before that, is there anything you’re still curious regarding what happened before the conflict involving the young lady?

The mystery that remains is …?

I wonder how that grandmother is doing?

...Huh? Ah, um… That’s right… I think she’ll be alright as long as she’s with that Miss.

But-- there should be something more puzzling than that! Jeez, you’re truly-- (*unbelievable) 

Fray’s charges

フレイ：あれ……言いませんでしたっけ、無実の罪だって。えっ？　もっと詳しく？う、ううん……思い出すので、ちょっと待ってくださいね。

Huh… Now that I think about it, I didn’t say that I was falsely accused. Eh? You want more details? Hm… please wait a little as I try to recall the events.

...Right, right. An innocent woman was being chased by the Templar Knights. As I was protecting her, I was charged with a made up crime. Really, it’s all because I trying to be nice...

But more importantly, isn’t there anything about yourself that you’re curious about?

About the Voice I heard at the beginning

Yes, that’s exactly it. When you first touched my Soul Stone, you heard someone’s Voice in anguish, correct?

You were intrigued by what that voice could have been… It’s possible it was the voice of “a certain someone you must protect” somewhere in this world.

The Dark Knights of the past have believed in protecting the weak, in the way that you should be bonded with this certain someone. ...Were you to turn a blind eye to this person, you would be a failure as a Dark Knight.

In order for you to become a Dark Knight for this certain person, lets confirm the true intents of their Voice. If you can come to wield even stronger Darkness, you may be able to hear that voice again.

In order to obtain even stronger Darkness, a special rite (communion) is required. I have yet to choose a location for the rite… but with the conflict from the other day still fresh, we may get interrupted if we were to remain in Ishgard.

 Let’s head out on a trip. I’ll be waiting for you at Little Ala Mhigo in South Thanalan.

***

Fray: Ah, it’s great we were able to meet up. Without further ado, I’ll explain the details of this rite to obtain further powers of Darkness.

As long as you have my power, we may begin this rite at any time. However, to receive the power of Darkness is the same as awakening the repressed negative emotions within you.

Therefore, if someone who is not strong enough took on the rite, they would be overcome with those repressed emotions and be killed by the power.

In order to avoid that, you must show me the extents of your ability as a Dark Knight before the rite is to happen.

The best way for me to see your true strength is for you to defeat a strong enemy… Let’s go ask the leader of the village to see if there is a suitable opponent or not.

***

Gundobald: Oh, it’s the adventurer. Though we were unable to prepare a reception, we welcome your return. What business do you have here today?

...I see. You require a strong enemy to test the bounds of your strength.

There is one thing on my mind. Just the north of here at the Red Labyrinth, there have been appearances of ferocious Crag Bite Peistes. 

Their strike is strong, and have even injured many fellow beasts raised in this dangerous region.

Fray: That does seem to be a suitable opponent. The main point of fighting as a Dark Knight is to endure the enemy’s powerful attacks while continuing to attack. ...How will we be able to meet this enemy?

Gundobald: That thing seems to be attracted to the smell of goat breast meat brought by the merchants from Minotaur Malm. In order to draw it out, here is the meat I spoke of.

Though this land is poor, I would like to repay what you’ve done for us, even if it’s just a little.

But still, I  am glad to see this. You’ve brought a friend along, and you’re even relying on us...Hm… You say you’ve only just met this person?

For some reason, you two give off the impression of partners having travelled together for a long time, or that of friends bond strongly to one another… Was it just my imagination?

Fray: ...Nyxakh, it’s about time we get going.

***

Fray: Please show me the true extents of your power as a Dark Knight here. Please defeat the Crag Bite Peistes lured by the goat breast meat we placed. 

It seems the attacks from your enemies will be strong. While keeping your injuries to the least amount possible, attacking when you see the gaps in their defenses should lead you to your victory.

…Then without further ado, commence the battle!

***

Fray: Well done Nyxakh. It seems you have improved your skills from last time.

Though the duty of a Dark Knight is to protect, it does not mean thoughtlessly taking on attacks, nor that defeat means losing everything you have.

If you truly wish to protect that which is important to you, determining the movements of your enemy and keeping your injuries within limits are both essential. And how to use the powers of Darkness is also a part of it, right?

There should be no problems for us to carry out the ritual like this. For now, let’s return to the outskirts of Little Ala Mhigo. We wouldn’t want to be distrubed by any beasts attracted by the leftover meat. 

***

Fray: Without further ado, for you to obtain further powers of Darkness, I will carry out the ritual.

Even though it’s called a ritual, it’s nothing difficult. Simply hold your hand out to mine and close your eyes to concentrate. Your emotions will naturally overflow, and the power should well up alongside it.

It would be good if you can hear that certain someone’s voice again… Anyway, if your heart is ready, then please go ahead and give it a shot.

 ***

As you are thinking that your chest feels like it’s on fire, the Voice rings through your head...

???: ...It hurts… It’s painful… Everything… is hopeless...

How many more challenges must I go through to see hope? It’s as if I’m fighting a battle without end...

For what reason do I continue to stand up…? For what reason do I continue to fight? It hurts, it hurts, it’s getting harder to breathe.... Ah, someone....

***

Fray: ...How was it, Nyxahk? It seems that the rite was a success… Were you able to hear the Voice?

Though you were able to hear it, you still do not know their identity…?

But at the very least, it seems that my conjecture was correct. Somewhere in the world, there is a weak person you must protect, their voice connected to you by the powers of the Darkness.

I don’t know how much of the power of Darkness we will need in order to find out the identity of that Voice. But even so, there exists someone only you can protect.

If the voice you heard was able to reach your heart even a little, I think that’s the path you should continue down. Am I wrong, Nyxakh Nemophila?

What a relief… As I expected, you’re kind as well as strong. That certain person to be protected by a Dark Knight like you will surely be blessed with happiness.

To be honest, I travelled with someone similar to you a long time ago. Without any reason, we stepped out into the vast world, our hearts trembling at everything and anything… it was that kind of journey, you see.

But… yes, it was around this place, they defeated a terrible threat and became a hero.

...But being a hero isn’t all that great, you know? Being manipulated by all sorts of things, only saving up a pile of injuries, eventually even becoming unable to see yourself...

And like that, they drifted away from me, until not even my voice was able to reach them.

I don’t want you to lose sight of what’s important to you. If you decide to protect that certain someone, listen carefully to their voice, and please don’t ever avert your eyes from them. 

Then, when you become even stronger, you’ll take on the rite of Darkness again. ...We definitely have to meet up again at the place we first met.

***

t/n:

- Crag Bite Peistes - the english only had it listed as peistes, but the crag bite part is so funny to me because I had and still have no idea what the katakana is referring to so I stuck it in Google Translate. That's what came out and it makes me laugh so I've left it in 

- Jeez, you’re truly-- (*unbelievable) - What Fray says would be close to "People like you--", the unbelievable part is implied. He's pretty much just really exasperated at WOL and it's cute. i love him

- Regarding the person that Fray talks about having gone on an adventure with, their pronouns will change depending on the gender of the character. I've used they for my translations as my WOL uses they.

- the rite Fray talks about is called a communion in Eng which works better imo in the overall scheme of things but i left it as rite here

[astrxealis]

it is so weird being a mentor now ... ;O

( tags got really sentimental at the end WHEEZE beware if you check T___T )

[chaotic-undying-loki]

Foulques’ Fall

// just because i want to share, and you know, Foulques got dealt a shit end of the story stick. FFXIV content because i’m newly playing, albeit Free Trial, and loving it and Foulques is my man, k. Feel free to ignore, given this isn’t Loki or any of my usual content XD //

SCENE UNDER THE CUT

The duel as fierce, and hard won, and in reality wholly unnecessary. And yet the Duskwight Elezen was possessed of chaotic emotions that so bitterly reflected the scars and pain of the world at large. Akericon had been witness in his travels at behest of the companies and the scions, and their needs, as well as the needs of the people, o'er and o'er.

The Adventurer had been wound tightly to the duty of his heart of honor as of late, but even all that while, his hearts fondness had wondered a night and another of he state of Foulques. Their last meeting did not end on reassuring terms after facing the wild boar (and his failed attempt to talk to Foulques afterwards), and had urgent matters not called upon him again, mayhaps he would have searched for the Elezen.

But the needs of the many had yet called upon him, and so he committed his heart to them through quarrel and quest. Until his short reprieve whilst working towards trust and good will with the Sylphs had led to word of Ywain calling for audience. His Guildmaster had heard word of his lengthy return, and wished to see him, and Akericon did not deny him such. And so the trial turned to his last dealing with what many seemed to see as one of the adventurers surely eventually plentiful foes...but Akericon did not see him that way. No, truly, he was sure he was perhaps the only one to see the real Foulques.

Beyond the hate, beyond the foolish lengths, the false or misconstrued and mishandled strength, and harmful beliefs that led him to be a talented, powerful, and enduring lancer with some clear view....but led him too far to false beliefs and empty courage.

During their battle, Akericon begged warning, urged sense to Foulques, but he was beyond listening. All he knew was all he was, and to him that was the greatest lancer of them all, powerful and undeniable, with Akericon as his greatest equal, and he seemed to believe he'd finally rise above his pain if he rode above him.

But he fell to Akericons steel, denial and pain sweeping over him.

Catching his breath, Akericon barely stood straight as he struggled to find his voice again, after the strained grunting. "Enough of this, Foulques! Enough of the cruel hand, enough of the pain! This is not all there is...!" He started stepping forward.

But Foulques stepped back, shaking his head and brandishing spear madly. "S-stay back!! Don't come near me!!"

The edge was too near, and in that moment, Akericon felt a flash of pain. He saw Foulques’ wavering step, the loss of balance, and time, for a moment, slowed as he saw him tip back over the edge of the chasm.

Pain. A pain like one being sucked dry of joy and desire and strength hit him, and he choked on this, before his feet brought him running without his conscious choice. "FOULQUES!!!"

He reached him as he fell, diving and making reach for his hand as he watched the panic in the Elezens face. But he caught his hand, and speared the chasm cliff wall, catching them. Foulques hung below Akericon, gasping and looking delirious, unable to find words. In that moment, seeing his state, Akericon felt surer than ever that, on top of his long festering pain of betrayal, some darkness must have taken advantage of his mental state (for had Akericon not seen the shadowy hands affecting others before, in his quest and missions against threats to the realm?).

And so Akericon used a surge of strength, lifted and vaulted the duskwight Elezen back up to safety, comforted by the sound of the impact and the groan. He made his way back up, carefully, feeling his strength waning, though persisting.

He crawled to Foulques' side, on hands and knees while the other lay on his back, pained and eyes half shut but he could do nothing but gasp, huff in pain, and hold his gaze on Akericon.

"You....you could have....die-agh..!" Foulques clutched his side. He was fairly wounded, though nothing that would kill him. But his mind held more harm than his body, Akericon could feel, and that's what would wound him now.

"I could have...but you... shouldn't..." Akericon responded to the unfinished statement.

Foulques shut his eyes, pained, but whether by body or mind, Akericon could not decipher clearly. He took a shuddering breath, then let it out. "....I was....right... You are far greater....than any who have met...those traitorous halls... Far greater..."

Unconscious took him with those words, a single tear slipping from the edge of the Elezens eye. Akericon sighed, sitting to catch his breath. "Dancing one bested the hateful dusk one!! This one saw it sure!"

He looked up, to see one of the Sylphs he had been working on befriending yesterday, flittering over. Confused, he huffed, "Gelionox?"

"But dancing one saved dusk one, but why? Your ways are strange to this one, but curious this one is!!" Gelionox squeaked, fluttering over to them, and looking over the duskwight Elezen. The sylph floated, looking thoughtful, before he looked as if he understood. "Dancing one looks into dusk one, does he? What does he see?"

".... Pain...loss... loneliness... Betrayal. None of this deserves more pain, nor does it deserve death..." He answered. Gelionox looked between them, then fluttered and bobbed with an air of amusement. "This one thinks dancing one sees much more! But walking ones are slow and silly in their ways of mating. These ones do mating better, with more fun! But dancing one can have his way."

Akericons cheeks only faintly flushed, as it was the first time it was put into words, but he wouldn't deny the feelings there. From the moment they met, he had seen something in him that couldn't be ignored. They both did.

But that was a concern for later. For now, rest and healing was important. He stood, and took out his whistle, calling for Aure'Rasmus. The 'kweh!' from the distance was all reassurance the Au Ra needed. He knelt by Foulques then, placing a hand on the others. Then he glanced to Gelionox. "Strange we are...but it is what we are nonetheless...but, Gelionox... I must find somewhere for him to rest and get better. The people round him, they do not see to who he is like we can. I must return to my guild, and tell them of his fall. So he might have a chance, to begin anew."

"Dancing one seeks to change dusk one like the change of green to gold!! Dancing one is silly...but dancing one is serious, too..." The sylph fluttered around them both, then flitted about.

Finally, the Sylph stopped before Akericon, as Aure'Rasmus padded his way to a stop a few feet behind his master. And the Sylph hummed, then squeaked, then nodded. "This one has decided!! Dusk one will stay in this ones tree, the one dancing one fought off nasty gnats from!! Is a safe, comfortable home, and this one can rest dusk one and heal him.... Only if dancing one promises the angry pain is done. This one will not suffer the chaos of walking ones, this one won't allow these ones to suffer! But this one sees you, dancing one. Dancing one believes? Truly?"

Akericon nodded. "I do. I will be there, until he has recovered and can leave your camp. He will need to be guided, and though I know there is plenty aid I must give, to many needs of many souls, I...feel he is among them, and needs it now. So... you'll help me?"

"This one will.... For locks of hair, and wonderful root you gave to the other one!!"

Akericon made a look, both at the strangeness of the locks of hair request, and disgust at the idea of dealing with that root again, but it was simple enough. He nodded. "You will have both."

Gelionox made a pleased squeak, then swiped a small chunk of Foulques' hair, then Akericons, and then fluttered off back for camp.

And so, Akericon carried Foulques astride his steed, collected the root along the way to the camp, and found the tree. There, he settled the resting and pained Elezen into the makeshift bed, while Gelionox collected potions to use when necessary.

And so, with a promise of returning before Foulques awoke, Akericon set off to relay the mostly truthful but somewhat falsified events to Ywain, finding an end to his trials and training at the guild. It felt like overcoming a hill. He hoped one day he could confess the truth to Ywain, preferably with a reformed Foulques in tow and with open minds awaiting them at the guild when they might find themselves there. But he knew this was best. And so he returned to the edge of the camp, knowing Yda and Papalymo would be awaiting him. But they would continue, until he could face Foulques for who he truly was.

                         TIMESKIP

It was the second day, and though Foulques had been in and out, enough for a potion, some water here and s tiny bit if food there, he'd yet to wake to full consciousness. But Akericon stayed near, eventually falling unconscious at the trees edge himself. The rest was much needed, of course, and Gelionox didn't mind. When Akericon woke, though, the Sylph was gone....and Foulques lay awake, watching him with a strange expression. Fond yet questioning, concerned, perhaps annoyed. There was no understanding to be found unless they finally spoke, though. So Akericon stared back at him, took a breath, and sighed. "I'm going to save the lecture, for it may be long. How are you feeling....?"

Foulques took a breath through his nose and sighed. Akericon wondered if he'd end up staying silent, ever stubborn. But he started sitting up, grunting but seeming less pained than before.

"Bruised....in all ways imaginable...." His voice was tense, and he lifted his gaze with accusations yet confused yearning. "I could've fell... Died.... Ywain's blight on the guilds name would be gone, your master pleased and singing you praise...and yet you saved me, putting yourself at risk in the process. Why would you do such a thing, risk wasting both of us...?"

Akericon rolled his eyes. "I will push aside the last part of that question, as well as admit I told Ywain I bested you. To his knowledge, and the guilds, you're dead."

Foulques scoffed, an annoyed sound. "Enjoyed that, did you...?"

"No. Not in the slightest. But after your confession, it's clear wounds fester too deep for you to rejoin their ranks now, if ever. And though I believe Ywain and his teachings to be good, they do hold failure in that...they may never grow beyond the mistakes of the past and accept you. Instead, who you were in their eyes....must die."

"Who I was...? What in seven hells does that mean?" The Elezen questioned. "It means this is your second chance. A turning of the leaf. You can either fall, or learn to thrive anew. Your choice." Akericon offered patiently, leaning back against the inner wall of the tree.

Foulques eyed him ever deeper. "You...." He sighed, shaking his head. "You think I am some coward you can break and mold? I will never be that."

"See it how you want, Foulques. I'm not leaving you, though. That...I will promise you." The Au Ra vowed, and left Foulques speechless for a while longer.

The minutes spanned longer and longer, stubbornness and a sort of lost nature falling over the duskwight Elezen, and Akericon held the patience. If he spoke again, he felt he would be testing Foulques' own patience. Though surely he must know, he had few options now, after his assault upon the guild men and guards. He had garnered a reputation that would leave him unwelcome, and Akericon felt that despite his stubbornness, Foulques would not let idiocy lead the elezen away from the only friend he had left.

The Au Ra sighed, taking up a sylph made potion, and offering it to Foulques. The latter ignored it for a moment, but when Akericon did not lower his hand, he finally grabbed it with a sigh, downing the potion. He let the soothing power of it wash over him, feeling more of his pains ease, though it could do nothing for the emotional pain. He sat up fully then, the blanket that had been on him slipping to his lap, and he seemed to finally register that, save for a waist garment and his pants and hand wraps, he was bare across his torso. He looked to Akericon then, raising a brow. "...Your idea to undress me...?"

Akericon smirked faintly, to hear the somewhat teasing tone in Foulques words, then answered. "Yes. Your armor needs mending, and your wounds needed checking before we applied any salve or prepared any potions."

Foulques huffed a laugh, leaning an arm on one knee that he brought up. He didn't seem to mind his currently state of half-dress. He did stretch a bit, seeming somewhat aware of Akericon's gaze, as he tested his body's aches and weak spots, and what was healed. His gaze became lowered again, which Akericon had learned was his stubborn refusal to have their locked gazes show clear what the elezen was feeling. But he did speak.

"You spoke of a lecture...?"

Akericon raised a crimson brow, and quirked his head. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

Foulques finally looked back at him, gaze steely and somewhat blank. "I don't seem to be going anywhere, so you might as well get it over with."

Akericon shrugged and nodded. "As you wish. I'll begin in confessing, I heard you and saw you for what you provided from the moment we met. Spear tip in my face, I simply saw someone worth knowing and following, to see what I might learn and experience. When our paths began to cross, I welcomed it."

Foulques straightened up, and that steely gaze began to faltered, before he forced a blankness to cover the reaction his features urged to show--but his eyes could not hide the soaring of his spirit over these words, as it was clear that his belief in Akericon was not simply projecting pride, he did truly admire him in such a way that had led him to desire they work together in some fashion, and to know that there truly had been some mutual equality there left a gratifying sensation in his chest. But he prepared for what was to come, as this was not the lecture. He felt a sort of bitterness for what he assumed might be said, swelling.

"You had your points; there is a fierce courage and steel a lancer must acquire, and it does come from enduring great and hefty trials, and many times, a lancer may face such alone, which you clearly knew well. More than Ywain and his crew. But...he was right, as we both saw, that your courage at times was performative. It was not bred to fruition in your heart due to what was done to you and how it led you to be something more, and so it faltered at the worst of times and left your way of the lancer to falter, too." Akericon spoke, calmly, carefully.

Foulques, as expected, shook his head and seemed to be slowly boiling with his deep-seeded rage and pride, twisting around each other.

"Such a falter should not be your end, though. Your past led you to allow it all to consume you, Foulques. You let your past turn you, into everything those bastards believed you to be. And THAT is where my pride in you faltered."

Foulques looked to Akericon, brows furrowed, looking ready to speak, to argue, to question. But Akericon would not allow such. Instead, he continued before Foulques could manage to speak.

"You are not a villain, a cruel beast for them to snuff out. I will not allow you to be such, and that is why I saved you. The lancer....the man, the duskwight elezen who had pride and honor but made a mistake amidst difficult times and found himself betrayed by those who would profess them better...when they surely were not... I would not stand by and let him die. That is why I risked this life of mine, which is of need to many, because in that moment, you were in need of it more. But now, you will repay my risk and my effort of saving you, by stopping....the cruel idiocy."

Foulques glared, but didn't question what he meant, and didn't seem yet inclined to deny such demands.

"The traitors that ruined you deserve to have paid similar a price, but those in Ywain's teaching are not them. They do not deserve your wrath, nor your condescension. And though your way of the lancer benefits you, and has taught me as well, it is not the way for all Lancers." he reasoned to him. "Learn, now.... that your pain and trials are not meant to be pushed upon all others. Were you to continue your ways, I will promise you I will do what I must to prevent you from harming more innocents. For that is what you did. You made victims similar to yourself, in your mad thrashing of pain. I have the fortunate chance to see into who you truly are, but not all will, nor should they... You hurt others, wounded them deeply, terrorized them, Foulques. And that has brought shame upon who you are, a shame that can and will be mended."

"And how may that happen then? You spoke it yourself--I will never join that guild again, whether by my will or theirs." He spat.

"Well... By your words and Ywain's, I'm clearly quite the lancer, of great renown myself." he retorted, smirking slightly and he could see the faintest amusement pass over Foulques face before he contained it. But he continued.

"You may never be a part of a guild again, only time will tell. But you need not a guild in these times. What you need....is me." Akericon stated, and stood, moving over to Foulques, before getting on his knees to sit beside him. "I have made allies and near friends, in adventurers and those serving their people, along my journey which you know not of as you have been on a journey of pain yourself... But yet have a found a companion to stand by me, to fight by me through every step. And I imagine, you yourself have not had such for some time now as well."

Foulques just stared at the Au Ra with bittersweet awe, and some amount of pain in his eyes. He did not deny or confirm. He swallowed hard.

"Together, you can help me fight to better this world, to mend it, to aid those in need and make use of the strength and courage we instill our pride in. It's not enough, to simply be a master lancer. Why did you begin down this path to start with, Foulques? Why did you choose to become a Lancer, before the betrayal infected and tainted it all....?" He looked into the elezen's eyes, and through the Echo, he could send a kindred yearning that a younger Foulques had been driven by, that Akericon too had felt. But he needed Foulques to speak it.

He still stared, shaking his head.

"Tell me."

"I... I saw the adventurers...heroes...protectors, passing through my home town. All of them wildwood elezen. They protected my community, with heart, but with condescension. We were...their lesser counterparts, that needed protection and guidance, lest we fall deeper into darkness and brigand ways. But I had hope that a Duskwight Hero would join them... I saw few, and chose to join the numbers myself. I was drawn to the lance, and I struggled...but I overcame, and found...I found..."

"Purpose." Akericon offered.

Foulques sighed, and nodded. "In fighting for others, in giving my strength and talent, I found purpose, yes. But for what... It would never change the Duskwight I was born to be..."

"You are duskwight." Akericon echoed, and Foulques hissed under his breath. "And I am Au Ra of the dusk, of the Dusk Mother. That is what we are, but that is not ALL we are. What we are, does not define what we can be. Or else I would find myself bound to the peaks of Gyr Abania still with my tribe, working for a select corner of land and awaiting the battle upon Steppe for Khagan. But that was not my fate, I knew it when I was but a youngling. And you are not meant for the misconceptions of your people either. We have a greater path, and I will not stand to let this world shove you from that path any more than it has."

"Why?" Foulques suddenly muttered, throat thick with suddenly clear emotion. He looked to Akericon, face twisted with anger, but something more pained as well. His eyes were shining, though nothing fell from them. "You have a greater path than I, you have proven you are stronger, why waste time like this...?!"

"Because you are meant for my path, just as much as anything else. Whether you hate it or welcome it, Foulques, I care.... I care for you in a way that will not allow me to leave you behind. In such a way that I see you clearly and will strive to stand by you and help you thrive and grow, as you did me. I care....simply because...I just do... And so it is no waste of time to me." He sat back then. "Am I to assume your belief in our standing as equals was false? Or did you believe it...?"

"I did." Foulques confirmed swiftly. "...I do."

"Then what are equals for, if not to stand side by side?"

Foulques just stared in sudden awe, and shook his head. "....Where were you, when I made such a foolish mistake to let my life fall into such cruel hands?"

Akericon smiled faintly to him, but the smile faltered, as his memory still blurred over such a time, though emotions were a jumble of passion, pain, and some foreign loss he could not understand given what that time five years before had done to his memory. "...I was fighting my own battle. It matters not. This is where our paths were meant to cross, and where they stand now. So.... Where do you stand, Foulques? Do you take my offer, for a new day? Or would you be left to take your rest and continue upon a bitter path, continuing the cycle of pain and anguish...?" he asked.

The duskwight elezen took a few careful breaths, before shaking his head. "...I take it, Akericon..." he then carefully offered his arm, which Akericon took in a vowing grip, and they locked eyes. "I will try your path, and see it where it leads...whether your faith is admirable or wasted. I...stand by you."

Akericon grinned faintly, gripping his arm more firmly, and giving it a shake. "And I, by you." he moved, pressing their foreheads together, reaching to grip the back of Foulques head. The duskwight elezen took a shaky breath in and out at the movement, as Akericon expected (given amongst various cultures, for warriors, it was an intimate comfort for brothers in arms).

"Together, from this step on." "Together."

From that day on, though Foulques found himself in deep, bitter reflection over his actions and his past few years, he still stayed near the sylph camp to recover, as Akericon continued with his work, checking in with every free moment he was allowed. It was a strange shift, in both their lives, but already, the air had changed...become lighter, electric with expectation and chance.

A new day had begun.