#in her shadowbringers and endwalkers appearances respectively

[fell-court]

new header and icon screenshots ^-^

[aotopmha]

I thought about talking about Dawntrail in detail only once I'm done with it, but I just finished the level 91 dungeon and the corresponding cutscenes some of the vitriol I've seen for the story is so bizzare.

Spoilers for up to the end of the level 91 dungeon!

I absolutely love that Wuk is having such a gradual arc.

The very first encounter of the level 91 quests was great and it was just a conversation where she gains some self-awareness about her own feelings via someone else going through the same. And before then, in the previous areas, she just learned about her limits. About her lack of knowledge and skill.

I saw so much vitriol thrown at the other candidates, as well, where all I see is just a gradual pushing of the curtain.

Every appearance they have is just a little bit more of hinting at their relationship with Wuk and relationships and principles of their own.

I don't know if it is paid off, but to me it comes off as neat set-up and mystery; there are some pretty interesting nuggets with Zoraal Ja in particular to me because his demeanor and his goal contrasting.

It's the contrast and juxtaposition of all of these perspectives I'm interested in the most.

I also love that the Warrior of Light is taking on a mentor role. I didn't even fully think about it, but that's a pretty perfect role for them at this point.

And I like the friendly rivalry angle with the other Scions because I was thinking it would be odd for Urianger in particular to suddenly start being secretive again when his entire arc was about not being secretive anymore. I like that they approach the other group while still having their own principles at play.

And I'm so happy they pulled back the stakes after Shadowbringers and Endwalker, rather than trying to one-up them, since they did want to continue the story and all.

It's so rare to see this kind of restraint with longer stories especially.

Lower-stakes conflicts and character arcs can exist and I like how they are doing it here.

Learning to not fear Alpacas because of a bad experience or learning about the customs of a culture is just as much of a valid moment of growth as coming to terms with the death of a loved one.

It still makes the point about learning to respect and understand what you don't.

The Azim Steppe was about this in spirit, too, and I still think it is the best part of Stormblood. And these two lil stories are good examples of it.

In terms of true issues I have with the story so far, I think the Pelupelu area dragged on just a smidge too long, but that's it.

Do I think this is some mindblowing, revolutionary character writing?

No.

Do I see how it all could come together into something really good in the bigger picture?

Yes, very much. Especially with the tone shift in the second half.

And a lot of these characters are PoC-coded (with PoC English VAs), too.

That's a really cool bonus in my eyes!

The really strong hatred, I do not get at all.

I'm willing to bet Wuk's journey is going to be full of failure and that's where the true vitriol comes from.

(Her voice actress is also a trans woman with a "non-traditional" accent.)

She will not immediately get herself together and will be sad and self-depricating and will get seasick again and people will be mad about it because she said she won't be anymore after she got some worries off her chest.

You do not suddenly start doing better when you just say it. That's not how people work. It's a process and I am expecting one. Because getting rid of preconceptions, prejudices and a unhealthy need for validation because of messy family matters is a process.

So, I don't agree with the super extreme takes at all. It's so funny that I spent like 5 hours playing the game and having fun and then I go on social media and some act like this innocous adventure story about learning to understand and respect other cultures that drags a lil is the worst thing to ever exist.

I mean I hope everyone who hates it will get a better story in the patches or next expac or outside of FF14.

But I've seen so many and much worse stories than this so far.

[dainesanddaffodils]

Y’all uh. holy fucking shit I’ve finished Endwalker! So here we have the last (pre-Dawntrial) breakdown of Cimorene’s feelings on her friends and comrades!

Thoughts post-ARR | Thoughts post-Heavensward | Thoughts post-Stormblood | Thoughts post-Shadowbringers

And now, without further ado, Cimorene Greystone’s post-Endwalker relationship vibes!!

Estinien - after some awkward dancing around it - that everyone picked up on - they’re finally officially lovers (after he came to her room. you know the moment.) Cimorene truly loves everything about this ridiculous man, trusts and understands and respects him and knows he feels the same - but also neither is really used to a Conventional Courtship so currently things are a little touch-and-go as they figure out where they want to go moving forward

Alphinaud - her dearest and most beloved baby brother now and always. There is nothing more to say; he means everything to her.

Alisaie - her dearest and darlingest baby sister now and always. Deserves the fucking world and also A Break.

Thancred - the work friend to real friend pipeline kicked into high gear this expansion, though admittedly for a minute it was much more on his side than hers (and took her off guard when she realized how close he considered them). Now he’s a bestie and she cares deeply for him.

Urianger - you did it buddy! you got Cimorene to care about you! Maybe if, as you yourself point out, you’d talked to her before now it would have been sooner! Nonetheless better late than never and she looks upon you - and your relationship with Thancred - with fondness.

Y'shtola - bestie now and always. Cimorene loved getting to spend more time with her while dealing with the Thirteenth. She thinks her world-hopping ambitions are a bit Insane, but like, affectionately - and also if anyone could pull it off, it's her. She can't wait to see where she goes, figuratively and literally.

Krile - That's! Cimorene's! mom! She loves her very much and she is thrilled beyond words that she's going to be on their next adventure, properly. It's what she fucking deserves! (but also nothing is allowed to hurt her or Cimorene will riot)

G'raha - is a lot more chill with him now that he, himself, is a little more chill around her. I'd still say she considers him like a close work friend, but like, she's open to that growing down the line

Tataru - absolute fucking queen who 100% deserves her own trade empire. Cimorene has her back for anything she needs going forward

Vrtra - Cimorene loves him so so so much. Her strong attachment to Midgardsormr means that she met Vrtra and felt immediately protective of him (and he, in turn, of her). Conversely, however, she never feels… at ease around Varshahn because he constantly gives her Uncanny Valley Heebie-Jeebies, even though she knows it’s Vrtra. In spite of this she still cares deeply and would do anything for him.

Matsya - BEST BOYYYYYYYY full stop lmao

Nidhana - Cimorene is like, ever so slightly intimidated by her and her scientific enthusiasm but like, also not in a bad way. Cimorene's just not science-minded at all so half of the things she says go very much over her head. But she's so sweet that it doesn't really matter in the end

Hythlodaeus - i the player love him. Cimorene loves him. Cimorene’s Azem loved him. Most beloved of characters of all time methinks

Hades - Cimorene’s Azem’s relationship with him is that one post that’s like “ships that appear unhealthy but when you consider the two people involved this is actually the healthiest thing for them” and that colors a lot of how Cimorene interacts with him. Like this constant “fuck you” said with unbearable levels of affection.

Venat - Cimorene never, uh, fully trusted Hydaelyn and she feels really bad about that now lmao Venat is so good and Cimorene now holds her in such high esteem like. This woman is Everything.

Hermes - She feels bad for him... like, she does, really. But also. Your hubris, man. Your hubris. She watches him unintentionally orchestrate his and his world's downfall with such precision and is helpless to stop him and so it's never hate. it's not even pity. It's just a sad, tired resignation.

Meteion - baby girl you never asked for this. you just wanted flowers and candy apples and were instead given this man's depression and existential dread and an insane amount of unstable untested power. this wasn't your fault. like... it was, but Cimorene never blames her.

Themis - *DISTRESSED SOBBING*

Zenos - no amount of philosophical posturing is going to convince Cimorene that you have anything whatsoever in common - or even make you interesting to her. she does not think about you at all. leave her alone.

Zero - took all of 5 seconds for Cimorene to say 'this is my sibling now.' She's very protective of her but also is always worried she'll say the wrong thing while teaching her the World - and is glad others have also hopped in to help in that regard. Is so proud of her growth and her heart. Wants only good things for her now and always

… and that’s all she wrote!! This is kinda insane to think about really

See you all in Dawntrail!!

[fromtheladiesoflight]

Ladies' Profile: Euphemia Ebenae

(Euphemia's very nature is very much Shadowbringers and Endwalker spoiler territory, so I'm doing the spoiler cut early.)

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Name: Euphemia Ebenae (Euphie to her close friends; the surname is not her original one.)

Pronouns: she/her (cis woman)

Age: 37 (by physical appearance), approximately 37,214 (on strict chronology) (as of Patch 6.55, The Coming Dawn, born December 13/13th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon)

Origin: Ancient (appears as an Ala Mhigan Highlander)

Family members: Andronikos (father, deceased), Sophia (mother, deceased), Venat (adoptive mother), Mirita, Khorijin, Rija, Khoride, Ystride (adopted daughters)

Height: 193.2cm/6’4”

Preferred professions: Yes. (Functionally, whatever professions any of the Ladies learns, she knows as well.)

Aetheric alignment: Astral earth

In a time long ago--something akin to a thousand thousand lifetimes, if not longer--a young Ancient whose parents did research on Elpis were returned to the star by pure happenstance, an accident. But 'twas this happenstance that led a woman by the name of Venat to take the child under her wing some years later, whilst said child was in the middle of what you might call a youthful rebellion. With this direction, Euphemia grew into strength and skill both, falling in with two other young Ancients who would rise to the Convocational seats of Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus and eventually proving herself worthy as Venat's successor as Azem.

After the recruitment of the new Fandaniel following an incident at Elpis, however, things... changed. The Final Days howled and raged across Etheirys, and with it, the ruin of the star followed, along with the desperate summoning of Zodiark. And--even more tellingly--Venat's final gambit to stop the star from being completely destroyed. A gambit that Euphemia could not abide by, no matter how deeply she loved her second mother. So, she walked away, searching for her own answer, but did not find it before Venat assumed the mantle of Hydaelyn and split the star into fourteen.

Through a fluke--or mayhap, simply, the imperfect nature of all things--Euphemia herself was not sundered evenly across all reflections. The Source in particular had three of her, and though they never rejoined in one body, they eventually did as a family of choice--that of Mirita Ebenae, Khorijin Borlaaq, and Rija Muscadet.

Eventually, these three, alongside Khoride and Ystride, stumbled across a memory crystal made by Emet-Selch in memory of Euphemia. Its magic served them well from there on, but it was Hydaelyn's final blessing upon it at the Mothercrystal that awoke Euphemia's shade--their stray thoughts of just *who* they were in the time before gave form to her formlessness, drawing what remained of her from the memory crystal, the lingering memories in their souls, and the aetherial sea around them. Revived in an initially immaterial state, she remained a passive watcher, hidden from sight, until the Ladies arrived at the very edge of the universe, at which point she finally manifested herself in full, gave a final farewell to her dear friends Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch, and served as final witness to the end of the Endsinger and Zenos before choosing a new journey alongside her "shards"--or, as she would soon come to regard them, her precious and beloved daughters.

Aspects of who Euphemia is, not just in appearance but also in personality, can be seen in Mirita, Khorijin, and Rija in different ways; she appears as an Ala Mhigan Highlander because of Mirita, but has Khorijin's eyes and has Rija's highlights, all physical features she had before reviving. However, other aspects of the traits she shares with all of her daughters becomes apparent the longer one comes to know her--she has Mirita and Rija's respectively cheerful and alluring playfulness, as demonstrated by her tendency to pretend to know less than she does in service of a jest, and shares both Khorijin and Ystride's quiet reserve as well as their cool heads, and while she rarely makes use of it, Khoride's imposing sense of authority and power easily shrouds her even when it seems it shouldn't. She is, however, Ancient, and while she does not share Hades's fixation on the past--she has long accepted that their own pride and hubris is what ended their time as the star's stewards, especially given the role society played in Hermes' isolation--she tends to reminisce from time to time about what she has lost in less cheerful moments, though her daughters always draw her from her funk.

By nature of her existence, Euphemia is connected to the Ladies in the same way that Khoride and Ystride are to Khorijin--as a result, between her own experience as a combatant and her ability to draw upon their experiences in turn, Euphemia is a master of might and magic alike. A Samurai's blade, a Monk's fists, a Warrior's axe, and even the likes of Black, White, and Red Magic or any combat arts beyond her time--none are beyond her reach, if she so chooses. On the battlefield itself, she moves and strikes decisively, maneuvering with Mirita's casual power and speed, Khorijin's unerring precision, and Rija's agility, but to a degree that none of them can match individually, and while she cannot wield creation magic as casually as the likes of an Unsundered Ancient, her well of aether is equally a match to her daughters' collective own, and a little bit more.

[vierandancer]

Meiko's Relationships With the Other Scions/Former Crystal Braves

Up until Shadowbringers, Meiko very intently made sure she never did more than linger in the background when it came to the Scions. Her brother was the Warrior of Light and Hydaelyn's Chosen, even if she had somehow gained a Blessing of her own by the end of Heavensward.

For this reason, she did not socialize with the other Scions or Crystal Braves more than was necessary. She felt awkward and out of place, but it was easy for others to mistake this as her not liking them, or being intentionally distant. Really, she just didn't want to appear stupid or embarrass herself.

But when Meiko returned to the Rising Stones after the others and her brother had been Called to the First, she was taken aback by just how everyone she had rarely spoken with expressed genuine relief that she was alive and well. Although she could not spare much thought dwelling on it at the time, their reactions did warm her heart; she promised that when she returned, she would make an effort to forge proper relationships with them worthy of such a reaction.

The below developments primarily took place in the span of time between the end of post-Shadowbringers and the beginning of Endwalker, when the main cast departs for Sharlayan.

Hoary: She recognizes his genuine, kind-heart and appreciates what a gentle giant he can be. Seeing as he, too, is an older sibling, they have swapped stories over what nonsense their younger brothers have gotten into over drinks.

Ochre: Meiko places Ochre into a similar category as her brother, and yet also respects and identifies him as a sibling that joined the Scions for their family. Upon noticing that Meiko tends to get scraped up rather easily, Ochre asked if she would mind him practicing his healing spells on her whenever she needed. She agreed (so long as she isn't busy!) and will seek him out if she has any sustained or not fully healed injuries.

Aenor: Meiko thinks Aenor is hilarious. Perhaps a little crazy, but not in a way that's too worrying...yet. Upon learning of her obsession with the Boulder brothers, Mei is just content to see what happens. She was genuinely grateful to Aenor and the others for looking after the others' bodies while she was in the First.

Clemence: Amused by yet another pair of older/younger siblings, Meiko appreciates that Clemence is the level-headed of the two. She is also sure to voice her appreciation when Clemence learns the cure for tempering from Alisaie, as it helps reduce the Elezen's burden. Post-EW, Meiko has bumped into Clemence in Ishgard a few times and is happy to see her somewhat less stressed now that she isn't babysitting her older sister all the time. She has also introduced Clemence to Rielle, in the event that she requires an additional, trustworhty healer.

Coultenet: When word of Papalymo's Sacrifice was shared among the Scions, Meiko had noticed Coultenet looking particularly affected by the news. She later learned how much he admired the Archon, and upon meeting Papalymo's father in Sharlayan, offered to put the pair into contact. Coultenet was pleasantly surprised, but politely declined, saying that he did not wish to burden Papalymo's father with questions. Still, from that point on, he and Meiko tend to exchange hellos in passing.

Ephemie: Meiko was moved -- and a wee bit worried -- about Ephemie's motivation for joining the Braves/Scions being her admiration for A'kihiko. She feared her dreamt-up fantasies of who the famous Warrior of Light was would be dashed, or that her earnest ways would get her hurt or worse. However, despite her dreamy optimism, Ephemie has proven herself more savvy than her personality may appear. Meiko makes sure to check in on her in passing, however, whenever she sees her.

Alianne: Meiko is very fond of Alianne, both because of her competence and the endearing bond she has with her grandfather. After learning everything she went through and how she had been first to be suspect around Wilred's death, Meiko made a point to check in on her and Isildaure often -- especially due to the latter's old age. She was thrilled to see how he had bonded with Homei.

Riol: Meiko likes to think of Riol as the 'next generation's Thancred', although she has witnessed him making faces at being compared to Thancred in this way. Regardless, this familiarity made it easier for her to befriend him; upon learning that he tends to cheat at gambling games, she asked him to explain how he does it. They bump into each other at the Gold Saucer sometimes.

Aergmhus & Bluomwyda: As they were often out of the Rising Stones and away on missions, Meiko did not have a chance to get to know these two for a very long time. Only by chance did she happen to be invited out for drinks by them and a few others, to which she naturally accepted; she chatted idly with Bluomwyda, who commented that she kept an eye on Aergmhus's alcocholic intake. This led to the three of them talking about Limsa Lominsa. Every time they're all in the same place (an admittedly rare occurrence), Meiko tries to invite them out for drinks again. She is planning to maybe introduce them to Grymwaen ( @illwinded) because he needs more friends, in her opinion.

[haellen-o]

alrighty. time for a wall of text. and some light shadowbringers and endwalker spoilers i guess

so haellen is the most disconnected from the azem shards (she exhibits the least residual charictaristics. she's more herself than a shard of azem) so she never unlocked any memories. just feelings towards people and locations. concepts and idea's felt familiar to her in a nostalgic way even though she had never seen or heard of the things before. when she first entered elpis a huge wave of being home washed over her, and seeing emet (both as solus and as his ancient self) she felt happy, like seeing a close friend you haven't been able to meet for a long time

this only fuelled ascian emets hatred ofc because this thing walking around with the soul colour of the woman he loved is nothing like her at all and doesn't even seem to remember anything like the other shards can be prompted to do (least i feel like that's something that can be done)

its a little ironic because haellen is the furthest from azem but also cares more about the memory of azem and the ancients (see: "Memoirs of Elpis: a story of the ancients. written by Haellen") knowing who azem was and what she stood for made strive to uphold the values she felt the WoL stood for even more, that kinda respect for what she felt was the first warrior of light. albeit in actions and intent alone.

haellen, due to the differences between her and azem. feels like its more of an inheritence of duty than her being a shard/fragment of azem, from all she learned she is nothing even remotely like halycon (my azem) so her personal opinion is that she inheretid azems duty, rather than any fragment of azems personality or psyche

ophelia on the other hand is closer to azem in terms of the shards. and going to elpis did unlock some memories, and regaining the azem stone also did the same. but it unlocked memories and feelings more towards the charictaristic she inheretid (that being the violent and hateful side) something something every light no matter how bright still casts shadows. ophelia rejected those however, which caused a small crack to appear from the centre.

where as haellen accepted the link between azem and herself, ophelia vehemontly denies it and only uses the azem stone for its power. she refuses to believe every action she's ever taken even down to her becoming the WoL was because of this ancient entity that lived in a time long before even her furthest ancestors. her actions are all of her own volition (which they are) and nothing will influence or change that

ophelia learned the least about halcyon despite being the closest to her in terms of shards/fragments and any mention of the link between the two is a quick way to piss her off. which leads to some fun HC stuff and a lot of ascian emet-selch ending up at the tip of a sword

all in all. ophelia has the closest of the shards/fragments and cares for azem the least, where as haellen is almost entirely disconnected from azem but cares more about the memory/history

i really need to sit down and actually write that book for haellen

A WoL question for the day, since I'm home sick and feeling awful:

How much does your WoL know about their Azem (or their ancient if they weren't Azem)? Have they unlocked the memories in the memory shard? How do they feel about their past self? Gimme your lore.