#i saw someone take the base storyline and it’s a case of their WoL being disgusted/appalled with how

[impossible-rat-babies]

i wanna take 14’s paladin and stick it ishgard and make them weird about halone

[autumnslance]

I'd like to think Hydaelyn has been weakening for some time, so while WoL has her blessing they aren't going full blown cultist like behavior associated with the Tempered. At no point the MSQ are we so fixated on bringing Hydaelyn incarnate to Eorzea like the Ascians are so obsessed with reviving Zodiark. Not to mention even if we were tempered since the beginning however subtly, Midgardsormr severed our blessing to the Mother which we worked to get back later of our own accord throughout HW.

I feel like a lot of folks forget Midgardsormr works for Hydaelyn, and his severing (or suppressing) the Blessing was a planned test as he was charged with guiding Her Chosen. He gave up his original existence to guard Silvertear until Her Champion came in exchange for a safe place for his brood. If anyone would be tempered by Hydaelyn, it’d be Middy in that case—but he doesn’t seem to be, as he also doesn’t care for strengthening Her, or otherwise promoting Her agenda, and is his usual caustic old self about the matter. He made a deal for his family and sees it through, keeping the world safe for their sakes (and becomes fond of the WoL and mortals in general along the way).

I personally think Hydaelyn’s weakening does have more to it than just multiple Rejoinings; I wonder if Her summoners, so horrified by the repeated sacrifices to Zodiark (willing or otherwise), prevent Hydaelyn from accepting aether the same way, if their conscious or unconscious desire to have Her be so opposite of Him resulted in Her functioning a bit differently than primals normally would (all the others being based on the original summoning of Zodiark by the Convocation and taught that way to mortals by the Ascians) so She only takes what is freely given, along with the ambient aether of reverence for Her as the world’s Mothercrystal. I assume that given what Venat’s group saw happen to their beloved Convocation and the rest of their people there would have been a reaction, and Hydaelyn is the embodiment of that.

Now, someone tempered by Hydaelyn wouldn’t necessarily have to be obsessed with Her embodiment, because She’s already active and present. But strengthening and serving the primal is also something we’ve seen from the tempered, as well as forced conversion, and that’s nothing anyone’s done for Hydaelyn, either. Meanwhile the Ascians are out here recruiting more for their work (though again; are they getting tempered, or just indoctrinated into worship for Zodiark? Did Elidibus have that power, or is Zodiark too fractured as He is now? Hence the issues with Fandaniel, and even in Eden with the pursuit of personal agenda over the Grand Plan—if anything abandoning it due to being abandoned by the Unsundered).

I also wonder if She won’t be willing to sacrifice Herself, or at least end Her existence, if Zodiark is gone, as Her entire purpose is to counter Him and protect the worlds from Him and His minions. Will there be a fight with Hydaelyn, or will She give us Her all to end this war of Light and Dark? Or will Zenos get to Her first and Cause Problems, since that’s that boy’s MO?

Either way, it won’t surprise me if Endwalker sees the WoL “brought down to badass” by the end of both Crystals and their struggles; still experienced and powerful and having the Echo, but no longer with the extra Oomf of the Crystal’s Blessing. It will allow the devs to scale back a bit to less grandiose storylines, as it’s difficult to keep escalating threats where the universe is at stake constantly.

[ever-searching]

Companion piece to FFXIVWrite #30

Since my writing for the FFXIVWrite prompt #30: Splinter (which can be found here) included a lot of different AUs which I’ve never talked about, I thought that I could write a companion piece which tells a bit more about them. I decided to also add short descriptions of each character's “main universe” versions for clarity.

Short summaries can be found below. Be warned that the text may contain minor story spoilers for the FFXIV main scenario story line until the early bits of Shadowbringers, though.

(MU = "main universe" (roleplay-verse), WoL = Warrior of Light (canon storyline), First = Norvrandt version)

Cain

MU Cain: An adventurer/odd-jobs from Thanalan who is trying to make his mark and struggles with impostor syndrome a bit. Lived on the streets from Calamity until roughly 7th Astral Era. Somewhat snarky at times, but at his core an awkward nerd. Thaumaturge with basic knife-fighting skills.

WoL Cain: Starts off very enthusiastic but gradually gets tired of everyone expecting that he solves their problems and nobody giving him even a small break. Got off the streets a year or two earlier than the MU Cain but still inherited his self-negligent ascetic lifestyle. Possibly snarkier than the other versions. Black Mage / Dark Knight.

First Cain / “Kayneth”: Son of a miner couple from Twine who left to seek better life in Eulmore; he either wasn't taken along or didn’t manage to become a bonded citizen. Eventually, his path lead him to Crystarium, where he became an adventurer. Lost his eyesight at some point when something clawed him in the face but navigates using aether.

Narangelel

MU Narangelel: A wanderer/hunter from the Azim Steppe who came to Azeroth to sate her wanderlust and find something that would fill the emptiness she feels. Placid and polite but sometimes a bit apathetic, perhaps. Lancer, though also somewhat effective with knives.

WoL Narangelel: Leaves the Steppe a few years earlier than MU Nara. Still hasn't found what she is looking for, but although her work is hard, she feels oddly at peace with it. Possibly fascinated by dragons after acquiring a dragoon soulstone. Represents Kha tribe rather than Mol during the Naadam (possibly negotiating a temporary alliance between the two tribes beforehand) and turns down Magnai’s proposal, though politely (because he'd definitely make one). Dragoon / Rogue.

First Narangelel / “Naldia”: Adventurer who hunts monsters and sin eaters as her profession. Has traced her origins to the Kingdom of Voeburt but hasn’t yet managed to visit Il Mheg. A bit more world-weary than the other two versions.

Storm

MU Storm: Former magical murder machine / Garlean conscript from Gyr Abania, current book merchant / artisan living in Ul'dah. Nicknamed ‘Stoneface' for a reason. Aether sensitive. Has a fairly strict code of honour. Helps the downtrodden when he can, particularly if they are magically capable. Arcanist with elemental spells and no carbuncles.

WoL Storm: Ends up helping Momodi with something, and somehow that leads to Storm becoming the Warrior of Light. Has a lot of conflicted feelings for a very long time, particularly when the events take him to Gyr Abania; eventually, the Ala Mhigans (some of who might recognize him) forgive him for his past deeds. Possible dad figure for some Scions. Summoner / Gunbreaker; still rarely uses egis or healing spells.

First Storm / “Forgiven Remorse”: An unfortunate Hume who got turned into a sin eater. Might have been a powerful mage and/or a powerful soldier, but he is doomed to get struck down. (A short post about this version can be found here.)

G’ilas

MU G’ilas: A cheerful adventurer/treasure hunter from Abalathia’s Spine who served the Maelstrom as a field medic until Cartenau. Usually an optimist and even something of a joker, but dislikes being pressured and doesn’t take it well if he is unable to save someone. Conjurer, though he does carry a knife.

WoL G’ilas: As the MU one, except that his adventuring path lead him to meet with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. While he remains fairly cheerful and smiles often, the losses and failures he has suffered in the course of his journeys have given his optimism a slightly desperate edge at times: he might not have met any of his closest companions in this timeline, which gives him a shakier foundation. White Mage, and possibly a Samurai.

First G’ilas / “Gae-Satt”: A relaxed Mystel living a life of luxury in Eulmore. Still friendly and happy-go-lucky, but doesn’t seem to be interested in adventuring in the least.

Merces

MU Merces: Allagan bodyguard/soldier clone who slumbered in Azys Lla for millennia before getting freed by a band of adventurers (namely G‘ilas and his friends). Chose G’ilas as his new master, but is slowly learning to live without constantly serving someone. Still sometimes feel like a fish out of (temporal) water. Polite, somewhat curious and very serious-minded. Gladiator, but adequate with more or less all melee weapons.

WoL Merces: Rather than having been forgotten or left in Azys Lla, this version of Merces was placed in the Crystal Tower and awakened after the beginning of the 7th Umbral Era. As he never found a master, he might feel and act even more detached from the world than the MU Merces. Gladiator / Lancer / Samurai.

First Merces: Doesn’t exist. Allagan Empire never existed in Norvrandt, and the person he was based on probably lived and died centuries earlier.

Sasameru

MU Sasameru: A Dunesfolk researcher with a passion for studying magic, though his own aetherial capabilities are almost non-existent. Amiable but a bit absent-minded at times. Runs a bookshop. May or may not do some shady business as an informant and a code cracker as a side-business, encouraged by his family.

WoL Sasameru: Doesn't exist. Would require Sasameru more capable in manipulating aether, and if that was the case, his backstory might have taken quite a different turn.

First Sasameru / "Samugg"?? "Samsard"??: A researcher working at the Cabinet of Curiosity in Crystarium. While I originally intended to keep his race the same, Lalafells/Dwarves are quite rare and reclusive, which made me reconsider... so it's also possible that First Sasameru would in fact be a Galdjent (as their naming scheme would work well with his name).

Lumien

MU Lumien: A soft-hearted, somewhat clumsy and insecure Elezen from Gridania who struggled and failed to become a Wood Wailer, then ran from home and tried to become a Gladiator in Ul'dah, and then became a retainer. Has some aptitude with conjury but doesn't (yet) know how to utilize his potential nor fully believe in it. Writes poems and likes cats. Gladiator / Conjurer, though both only on very basic levels.

WoL Lumien: Didn’t give up on Gladiator training before he encountered Thancred and so remained one. After he gets introduced to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, he doesn’t initially realize (or accept) that he is the Warrior of Light. Learns to control his nerves to a degree, which makes him less clumsy in battle, and that in turn helps him to become a bit more confident; still writes poetry and remains fairly shy. Knows that he can't save everyone but still tries, even though it hurts. Paladin / Conjurer.

First Lumien / "Lyriath": The son of bandits/poachers who has been dragged into the life of crime; hates what he is doing but doesn't think he can escape it. Insecure and downhearted, and has an occasional tendency to make a martyr of himself.

Haldswys

All three versions follow roughly the same theme of "boisterous bruiser", though the WoL version and particularly the First version have probably gained quite bit more scars than the MU version.

Chaz

MU Chaz: Self-proclaimed "wisdom hunter" who left Ishgard after he wasn't allowed to study in the Scholasticate. Loves books and does anything and everything to get them, including stealing. Somewhat bratty and arrogant, but still probably a jerk with a heart of gold. Rogue with some improvised Astrologian skills.

WoL Chaz: At some point, his paths crossed with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and one thing lead to another until he found himself being the saviour of Eorzea. Still sometimes puts an act of a know-it-all, speaks snarkily and/or refuses to do things that he doesn't like, but he is surprisingly dedicated to saving the world. Besides, being a hero has given him a way into some restricted libraries, so he can't really complain, can he? Astrologian / Ninja.

First Chaz / "Sawes": A guard defending Crystarium. While he doesn't exactly love fighting, has become somewhat nonchalant about fighting over the course of years, at least as long as he isn't in mortal danger. Visits the Cabinet of Curiosity on his days off and has probably read a large number of the books there.

Brenda

MU Brenda: A travelling minstrel who carries their father's Red Mage soulstone in the hopes that it will either react to them or that they will find someone worthy of it. A bit awkward but strives to look and act like a hero. Archer.

WoL Brenda: Runs into the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and accompanies them, thinking that one of them might be the worthy holder of the soulstone. In general, they probably spend a good while thinking that they're just accompanying the real heroes to record their story or being the replacement hero until the real one is found; they are convinced only when the soulstone ends up choosing them. Red Mage / Bard.

First Brenda / "Brinaette": A citizen of the Crystarium known to perform at the Wandering Stairs. Probably very knowledgeable or at least interested in the history of Norvrandt. Might also be an adventurer although singing and playing guitar are their biggest passions.