#meanwhile in norvrandt

[hermits-hovel]

Randolph couldn't have anticipated how crucial Eilonwy was going to be to his nighttime routine. she might take up 99% of the bed, but she keeps the nightmares at bay.

[capriccio-ffxiv]

On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

Illyria, as of Endwalker-ish: snacks, lint, and seeds. Lots of seeds. She collects interesting seeds from everywhere she visits, promptly forgets to label them, then pesters Fufucha and her botanist friends with "lmao I forgot where I got these. Here's the last 20 places I've been uhhh let's consult the seed catalog". Also honestly any small object she finds neat -- pretty rocks, bird feathers, interesting seashells. The Three People in Illyria's Trenchcoat, post Endwalker:

Silver (the Anima): still tries to collect seeds. He has no idea what any of them are, but he remembers that she liked seeds. He tends to focus on "I saw the plant and it looked like something she'd like!" and "The shape of this seed is very interesting!" He also collects chocobo feathers, though he's not sure why he likes to collect chocobo feathers.

The Maenad (Esteem): snacks & a waterskin. gotta stay hydrated and fed, damn it. someday, she'll wake up, and then she'll be hungry.

Grimalkin (Reaper Avatar; though they'd call themselves an "advocate"): How dare you suggest they require anything in their pockets, or that they would do something so sentimental as to keep something for Illyria? Their relationship with her is a business transaction, nothing more. They are not keeping trinkets and mementos whenever they think of her -- pressed flowers. Small sketches. Shiny stones. Pretty shells. Don't even suggest it. Anything in their pockets is obviously the fault of Silver or the Maenad. Obviously.

Ryuu, currently post Mt. Gulg in Shadowbringers (assuming "average Shadowbringers day"): Lots of scrap paper with shorthand notes about the culture & history of Norvrandt, along with some sketches of things like landscapes, & many of her friends. most of the sketches are of Y'shtola. She might have drawn hearts around the Y'shtola sketches. Additionally, a pencil, a few pieces of chalk, assorted crystals, and the occasional attempt at a pressed flower that has gotten mercilessly crumpled. CURRENTLY: several unfinished letters to Lyse (she hasn't had a moment to finish a letter since they left Il Mheg).

[vermanaward]

dawntrail msq, 90-91

on its own i quite dig the jazz theme in tuliyolal but like. jazz? rly?

also. the only other place in this game with jazz is. amnesis anyder. just saying.

'so the north continent was dad's, and the south one was mom's, and the gap between is when mom slammed dad through the floor during a spat' 'hey that sounds like OUR mom and dad' man. you know what in this sort of fantasy work i would like Just Once for the protagonist to Not hail from not just the one culture/geographical region where the not-actually-gods came from but the subset of people who are Annoying At Every Possible Juncture about how They Know The Real Version Of This Story granted that wouldn't improve it any (imagine going to a remote country and they were like. 'oh yeah your mom and dad sound a lot like ours. so here's what Really happened'.) but it'd at least be a change of pace

anyway im calling it now. first promise was grown in a tube or something. where is this kid's mother anyway, huh.

(actually i'm getting. z-nos parallels from him. heir to a foreign throne, possibly grown in a tube, hankering for violence, conspicuously absent mother. pls let this be some standard issue appo overthinking)

hanu

if there's not an obscure sidequest at some point where i can do the moonlift dance for the hanu i'm going to be. unsurprised but also sad

oh. their fertility deity is an amaurotine Creation. (is it supposed to be calling back to quetzacoatl?? iirc neither the irl one nor the ff version have ever been associated much with fertility, but.) cool cool

oh cool we're teaching them about their own traditions cool cool

wuk lamat is getting hard carried by alphinaud's braincell and that's just sad

we're going to solve all our problems by having a party. and somehow it worked. okay.png

"nightworld silver piece" wasn't tha.t aren't those from norvrandt? huh???

pelupelu

oh, okay. so even disregarding what i know from plls: the golden city is up the tallest mountain, and valigarmanda is what's waiting for us behind the seal that lamat's dad put in place. that's where this is going right?

everyone pointedly looking at alphinaud when the warnings about canny traders comes up. never gets old

even erenville gets in on it and surely nobody told him that story. after all, people never talk off camera. he just Knows alphy is that Oblivious Rich Kid

why is it though that every time we run into 'traders' that aren't actively hostile the game contorts itself to be all like yeah they're Honest And Shit they're just Really Enthusiastic About Profit

i mean i know why but

erenville for dawn servant. tbh

..hm. you know it's. very {hmm} that like. of the four candidates, the two of them who are mamool ja are both 1. dicks 2. who choose the path of violence. meanwhile the catboy chooses the path of being a weird nerd, and the catgirl chooses the power of friendship.

back to tuliyolal

why are we suddenly problem solving for- oh its the deliery questlines okay. time to ignore those until i unlock the 100 scrip vendor

oh okay we're speedrunning this idiot's character arc. thank god

'do you ever feel bad compared to your peers' [looks at parses] [says nothing]

ah fuck this means we infected tural with the house of splendors. pack it up kids

koana really did come down to the docks just for some drama. i bet urianger put him up to this

dungeon 1: ihuykatumu

wait hold up can i force alphinaud to tank please say yes

oh never mind he only has dps or green dps options. boooo

3/4 casual static (2x flex,pct) lf @/tank @/healer @/dps for river journey that will definitely just be a chill float down the water

oh god they're using This Gimmick again it sucked in akademi anyder it still sucks now pls Stop

drowsie is cute. even if its a reskinned goobue

...okay the gear is reskinned pag. i guess? let me dye it already >:(

the colour scheme is nice at least

also the dungeon itself is gorgeous. i have to hand it to the art team

this is just thancred getting back at me for all that time i spend bullying him while levelling trusts huh

[minnowtes]

Okay first of all: Ow ;w;

We know G'raha was really lonely, but you do a really good job of showing just how much. He can't go far from the Crystarium and oftentimes tends to be in the Ocular for most of the duration of our time in Norvrandt and the mirror really is his only connection to the rest of the world and the people in it. It's really sad, and cold and the lighting demonstrates perfectly the vibe. Also sadness being associated with the cold makes this extra ough yk ;w;

Seeing G'raha get progressively more sad as he watches on bc Vivi is smiling and seems genuinely happy and carefree and just by his words alone, he truly believes he doesn't deserve any of it. Look at how tired he is, how the posture just melts out of his body, how his shoulders sink from the weight of not only two world but his own traumas and his loneliness and everything, you can tell he doesn't have a single good thought abt himself here. Want to give him hugs ;w;

Given that I'm always saying "I love their smiles" if sort of hurts extra much that G'raha says "you'll never grace me with this smile" like I wh ough ue ;w; Is he saying this bc he thinks that's how Vivi thinks of him, or is he saying this bc that's what he believes of himself? It could be both. And given what we know abt Vivi and what you've said before ("love him or hate him, just be honest with him") he might not even be entirely wrong even ;w;

Look at how he sinks to the floor, he's so burdened by so much and he didn't have anyone at all to shoulder that with him I'd literally simply perish. Does he ever feel warm anymore? Will he accept it if someone tries to help him? Does he believe he deserves it? I'm big sad rn

Meanwhile the duality of Vivi having fun running around Il Mheg, kicking up petals generally just having a good time, GIVE THE NU MOU HEAD PATS—

He's smiling so much. I mentioned before that he looks so carefree here and I wonder how long it's been since he was really able to do this for a prolonged period of time?

Love the Nu Mou in the shadows watching him interact with one of their own, they look almost at peace. It's been a while since they've been able to interact with someone from outside the faerie kingdom and it shows in their little hopeful smiles.

Hello Urianger my scrunkly archaic little man I love you o7

And now Vivi's smile is gone ;w; Pain agonidhogg

BUT FEO UL IS SLEEPING ON HIS SHOULDER I LOVE THEM

They're so ;;; eepies

I love how they're always at Vivi's side, it shows just how close they are ;w;

I love the gremlin energy of Vivi briefly interacting with Urianger before they get down to business, I love love love seeing his happy or his relaxed or generally just him having even a second of a good time. He deserves to be happy and to relax ;;

I wonder why G'raha trailed off at the end though. Does he see Vivi's tired expression or is he realising something? Or is it both? Vivi really looks so like.

Like when you do so much but people just keep asking more and more and it just weighs you down, like Vivi looks so. Tired. Like he looks Tired. It's going to be a while before he gets Rest but god he deserves it rn.

I love how you draw their expressions. It isn't a Jaye comment if I don't talk at least for one second about how much I love Vivi's smile. Love him being happy ;; Even love how G'raha's smile in the first page he looked briefly like how he used to when he was but a BRAT—

(I love you, G'raha)

For a moment he looked like that young man again. And then he just. Was brutally reminded that he isn't that young man anymore and.

I remember reading one of your notes that G'raha thought that he and Vivi had something but Vivi didn't think anything abt their kiss and idk how to connect it to this chapter but just know that I'm thinking heavily abt that.

I love them, they make me really sad and you did a wonderful job as always. Thank you so much for sharing!

✧✦✧ “Fragments” - episode 25 ✧✦✧

.....save the world .....pet the dogs ✔️

New reader? Start here: @ffxiv-fragments

[autumnslance]

Overall 5.4 Impressions

So I’ve said enough words about 1 story. The rest of the patch though I liked.

The VAs obviously had a rough time with alternate recording options and direction making many of them sound different, and it’s been so darn long since Cid’s gotten to speak--Heavensward patches!--and we’re all more familiar with his ARR voice out of Prae, that it really sounds off.

I’m neutral on catboy, so am fine with him running around doing Scion things with us. Honestly, if I start to feel fandom is negatively impacting me toward a character, I change up my social media consumption, who I interact more with for a time, and do my own things with the char. I’m also generally far more likely to go from negative on a character to positive thanks to fandom enthusiasm, though--I’d rather be neutral to positive on characters and their place in narrative than not.

(In any case, Aeryn keeps catboy at arm’s length; things are weird, but he means well, even his methods weren’t great, and she’s happily in a relationship so doesn’t even notice his crush/hero worship, which isn’t any different from a lot of other popular NPCs reactions to the WoL, anyway, so easy to wave off.)

I LOVE EDEN’S PROMISE. I’ve been through it twice now and the parallels with FFVIII killed me. I still wish Eden’s Verse got as much emotional resonance, but the usual end of the 8man raid story paid off well here. The reveal of the “Faerie”’s true identity works, tied back to MSQ and the main plot of the First well, and makes sense from a lore standpoint in every way. It’s bittersweet in how it validates a lot of headcanons concerning reincarnations and how it resolves on that angle. I am sad the daughters seem to be back behind the NPC Plotwall again, though. Gimme my girls, SE! I want to see them being cute around Norvrandt. Ryne’s little line about it’s unlikely she’ll ever see Thancred again did break my heart a little, please, I want our family to be together!! Also her calling him her knight in shining armor, and thinking how he would react to that, amuses me. I love how his gunblade was relevant, though, and again tied back to those FFVIII parallels.

YoRHa’s little story bit this patch I felt OK with taking care of Konogg, and like how the WoL spends a lot of time talking gently with him, and/or teasing him to try and cheer him up. The injured dwarves story is very sad, and their anger understandable, though Konogg is just a kid. I’ve got theories and ideas and talked things over with a friend who’s played more NieR and I am intrigued for the final wing of that quest. And creepy as it was in the end, I was less creeped out than by Werlyt. Maybe cuz I expected weirdness and some tragedy in NieR but also there wasn’t anything really overt going on here.

The Role Quest and following Void Quests were all I have ever wanted for the Virtue Hunters, for Cyella, and for Unukalhai. I love them all being friends and working together. I enjoyed getting yelled at by a rightfully exasperated Beq Lugg, especially when choosing the silly dialogue options. I want more of this plot and these characters going forward; it feels like it’s a setup for more coming, and I very much hope that’s the case.

Fandaniel’s nihilism is interesting, and I wonder if a cover for something else. A friend calls him “very Kuja” and it really is that vibe; learning you’re “not real” and deciding the world can burn for it. Zenos is just...there for me. I really don’t care one way or another. He mostly irritated me through Stormblood and I eye-rolled he came back (like everyone else in that expac) and am now like “guess we’ll see where this is going.” I’m interested in where the MSQ’s going next but with a .4 patch I am scared for characters again. A little salty they took the boys off to the Empire right away, and what could happen there; a “Meanwhile” might have been nice. Hopefully we get them back in 5.5 (if nothing else for tank and healer variety in MSQ trusts again). We just got the family home, and off they go! At least their shippers got some nice food, though.

Speaking of trusts, I love Matoya, and I love the dungeon. Took me a bit to get the second boss’ mechanic, but overall a lot of fun, neat design, cute music. I’m glad Alisiae finally got a win and has made frickin’ history. Everything with Limsa and Merlwyb was fantastic.

So yeah, I enjoyed it! It feels like I do more than some, but I try not to tie myself too tightly to specific characters or places, and tolerate chars I’m indifferent to all right. I’m glad a city-state and leader outside Ul’dah got some time finally. We checked in with a lot of folks, at least briefly, and so it really felt like “welcome home, immerse yourself in original Eorzea again” even as it’s threatened by a rogue Ascian.

So yeah, ready to see what we get in the next patch and how it leads us to 6.0!

I may make more posts about Eden’s Promise and the Role/Void Quests later, IDK yet.

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #27: Mothers and Daughters

Prompt: calculations (free write!) | Master Post | On AO3

Who wants some FEELINGS? :D As a timeline note, this takes place somewhere between 5.1 and 5.2.

--

While the Grand Dame’s Parlor was the Canopy’s premier location for food and drink, Eulmore’s upper levels still boasted numerous smaller cafés and restaurants to appease the rapacious appetites of the elite. With the return of night, however, and the radical shift in the Eulmorans’ attitudes about the exclusivity of their city, many of those businesses had begun welcoming former bonded servants, the residents of the Derelicts and Gatetown and Kholusia, and visitors from the Crystarium on the new airship circuit, altering their menus and décor to better suit the new clientele.

One of those locations was a cozy lounge overlooking Gatetown and the southern half of Kholusia, that served an excellent espresso con panna and almond biscotti. Both Alphinaud and Synnove had taken to ensconcing themselves in one of the booths along the large bay windows with their grimoires and carbuncles when they were in Eulmore, working in companionable silence. Despite their notoriety, the other patrons generally let them be—though the arcanist and the academician had both raised their eyebrows and exchanged looks when they discovered the lounge had renamed itself to The Carbuncle.

Today, however, Synnove was by herself and had shamelessly commandeered one of the circular booths, sitting cross-legged on the padded bench with a couple of grimoires spread out before her on the table. Amandina and Roksana were napping in a bundle of ears and tails in the space between her legs, the occasional squeaky snore escaping Roksana as she drooled on her sister’s ear. Synnove alternated gently rubbing each twin’s head with a finger as she worked on a programming issue.

She nearly jumped in surprise at someone clearing their throat, and she bolted upright, blinking rapidly.

“Oh, I’m so terribly sorry, Synnove, I didn’t mean to frighten you!” Dulia-Chai said, a hand over her heart and ears pinned flat. She had a folio and three thick ledgers cradled in one arm, and rather than her usual rich velvet robes, she wore a lovely, airy dress of light cotton dress, tied off with a deep violet sash, that back on the Source Synnove recognized as popular among the Ishgardian noblewomen for summer wear before the Calamity.

The arcanist shook her head to clear it of cobwebs, and warmly smiled at the woman. “Oh, no harm done, I always get lost in my head when I’m deeply involved in mathematicians,” she said, Dulia-Chai sighing in relief and her ears relaxing. Synnove tilted her head and grinned a little wider. “Would you like to join me?”

Dulia-Chai smiled in return. “I would like that very much, thank you. I have my own work to be doing today while Chai-Nuzz is at the old Stoneworks offices, and I find it easier to stay focused when I am with like-minded individuals.”

Synnove laughed and leaned over to shove aside her grimoires so they only covered half the table. “Far less likely to be bothered here than at the Parlor, too, I imagine,” she drawled.

The miqo’te rolled her eyes as she slid onto the bench, sitting down her things and beginning to spread out papers before her. “Heavens forfend that a woman enjoy some tea and biscuits in the sunshine while she balances the books!”

As Synnove laughed quietly, Amandina yawned, blinking awake and looking around curiously. The black pearl carbuncle spotted Dulia-Chai and peeped excitedly, wiggling out from under her sister and crawling over her mama’s knee to toddle across the bench to plop next to the miqo’te.

Dulia-Chai gasped in delight. “Well, hello, sweetheart,” she cooed to the carbuncle. “You’re Amandina, yes?”

Yeah! Amandina cheeped. And you’re Grammy Dulia!

Synnove felt a deep, fiery blush crawl up her face and she resolutely stared down at her equations. She had an inkling of how the babies came about their terms of address for everyone, and she was tempted to have A Talk with them about poking about emotional aether resonance responses.

Dulia-Chai, however, beamed with open joy. “Yes, I am,” she said, pleased, and carefully scooped the carbunclet into her hands and bringing her up to eye level. “Would you like to help me with these ledgers?”

Ooooooooo, Amandina said, her tails wagging in excitement, numbers! I like numbers!

“So do I!”

Quiet settled over the table shortly thereafter, one of the lounge staff delivering a fresh plate of biscotti for them plus a pot of tea for Dulia-Chai. Amandina was crouched on the miqo’te’s shoulder, avidly watching as the woman settled to the herculean task of reestablishing the Daedalus Stoneworks into a functional business. Synnove, meanwhile, eventually calmed, and quickly became engrossed in her theorems once more. The only sounds for some time were the scratching of quills and pencils on parchment, the sip of tea or coffee, the crunch of consumed biscotti, and the soft chime of a question followed by the low murmur of response.

After finishing the review of one set, Synnove rose back to proper awareness to a serious crick in her back, and she forced herself to sit upright, popping her joints and spine, and reaching her hands into the air to stretch. She rubbed her eyes, glancing over at Dulia-Chai, and raised her eyebrows.

Dulia-Chai was scowling ferociously at the parchment before her, tapping the end of her quill against the table. With her other hand, she was petting Amandina, curled up in her lap and quietly purring as she napped.

“Something wrong?” Synnove said quietly.

“Hmm?” Dulia-Chai looked up. “Oh! Well…no, I don’t think so.” She dropped her gaze back to the accounting, brow furrowing. “I believe I’ve run into the problem of staring too long at the same numbers, and now my results don’t look right. Would you mind reviewing these for me?”

“Not at all,” Synnove said, holding out her hand. Dulia-Chai passed the parchment over, and Synnove held it up, scanning the page quickly. After a moment she hummed, “Mmm, no, you’re fine.”

She glanced over to Dulia-Chai, who was staring at her in open astonishment. By sheer force of will, Synnove fought back the childhood-era urge to hunch her shoulders around her ears, but that didn’t stop her from squirming, and she only stopped when Roksana grumbled in her sleep.

“What an incredible ability!” Dulia-Chai gasped as she accepted the parchment back. “I like to think I’m quite good at mathematics, but to be able to do calculations at such a speed! How wonderful!”

Synnove grinned, a bit flustered under the praise, and shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve always been good at mathematics,” she said. “It was why I originally joined the Arcanists’ Guild back home; one of their departments focused much more on the mathematics and geometry portion of arcanima. But I ended up falling in love with the aetherophysics portion, and, well.” She gestured at the grimoires and carbuncles. “Here we are.”

Dulia-Chai looked at her slyly. “And was part of that love because it didn’t come so easily to you?”

“…Actually, yes.”

The miqo’te beamed. “How fortunate to be afforded such an opportunity. I can only hope one day that the children of Norvrandt will be able to make similar choices, to learn and study for learning and studying’s sake! Oh, your mother must be so proud.”

Despite her best effort, Synnove flinched. Roksana jolted awake, blinking blearily.

Dulia-Chai’s expression shifted to concern. “Synnove? I’m so sorry, my dear, what was it I said?”

Oh, the older woman was too perceptive by far, but as uncomfortable as it was, lying would be worse. Synnove took a breath and let it out again, slowly. “My mother,” she said quietly, “was, ah, actually quite displeased I wanted to study arcanima. My auntie, who was head of the family, always supported me, and she’s certainly proud and that’s what counts in the end, but I didn’t even tell Isolde before I went off to study, and when I returned home for winter break she was not pleased.”

The miqo’te’s jaw dropped open, disbelief on her usually kind face.

The words, normally firmly dammed away in a corner of her mind Synnove preferred to ignore, were pouring out before she could stop them. “Isolde was always a shite mother, honestly,” she said, “Auntie and Rereha’s ma had to shame her into getting me proper tutors, not just the etiquette ones, because Isolde’s plan was essentially to use me as a bargaining chip with other merchant families, not that she actually paid much attention to me. She didn’t even know what my favorite color was. We had a terrible row that break, near screamed the estate down around our ears, and then I stormed out and…I haven’t spoken to her since.”

Auntie Re says Isolde is a raging bi—

“Langauge, Roksana.”

The white pearl carbunclet grumbled. Not sorry…

Dulia-Chai seemed to regain some of her ability to talk, clearing her throat before saying faintly, “And how long ago was that?”

Synnove furrowed her brow. “Um…fifteen years ago.”

The look the miqo’te leveled on her was shrewd. “Would you say you’re happier with that state of affairs?” she said.

“…Yes. Yes, very much.”

“Good.” Dulia-Chai actually growled, her tail lashing on the bench next to her. “What a horrible fool of a woman. Fate hands her a kind, determined, intelligent daughter and she doesn’t even have the sense to be encouraging, to be proud? The loss is hers, to no longer have such a wonderful person in her life!”

Synnove flushed again, chest suddenly feeling tight, and picked up Roksana to cuddle her, ducking her head while the carbunclet papped her chin with a paw. “Thank you, Dulia,” she said. “That…that means quite a lot.”

“You’ve spoken highly of your aunt before, and I am more than glad to know you had a maternal figure to look to while growing up,” Dulia-Chai continued, “but it certainly was not fair to you to still have to deal with the frankly atrocious behavior of the woman who birthed you. I would certainly be proud of a daughter like you! Hell’s fire, I am proud of you!”

Synnove had absolutely no idea what to say to that, even as warmth flooded through her and her flush deepened. She squeaked in surprise when she felt arms wrap around her, but once she realized it was merely Dulia, she leaned into the embrace, burying her face in the older woman’s shoulder. Amandina crawled up between them to cuddle into her neck, her squeaky purrs joining Roksana’s.

“Thank you,” Synnove said, her voice muffled and watery, though she did her damnedest to not burst into overwhelmed tears in public. “I just…thank you.”

Dulia-Chai hummed soothingly and began to pet her hair. “You are, my dear, more than welcome.”

[cyborgpulsebooks]

Actually, this is really interesting, but I see Eulmore is much more of a representation of American evangelical/protestantism than Catholicism! Because I mean if you think about it, we already had a pretty direct Catholicism metaphor in the form of Ishgard and HW, not just because you kill the literal Pope, but because so much of Ishgard’s religion is built on the very Catholic idea of “you are nothing, and only through sacrifice and the grace of God do you become something.”

Eulmore, meanwhile, to tie it into the capitalism-egi you mentioned (spot fuckin on, by the way), resonates with me much more as a particularly Americanized version of evangelical christianity. First of all, you have the fucking deadset determination to convert people, often through use of military force and condescending paternalism - the scene where Vauthry’s fleet flies over Lakeland to make announcements springs to mind, and the fact that (besides *gestures to ranjit and minfilia*) pretty much the only reason Eulmore wants to take over All The Places is to “convert” the remaining nations of Norvrandt into worshipping the Sin Eaters/allowing them to roam free, which obviously serves both Vauthry and Emet-Selch.

The selling point of Eulmore, much like the particular way that American capitalism operates, is this mythologized idea that anyone can become someone. If you’re lucky enough, if you work hard enough and get your talents recognized, you can become a member of the elite! Or more accurately, a servant to the elite (see: gatetown). When you’re inside Eulmore, you mentioned the casino aesthetic - that sort of “new money” tacky bullshit is like, basically Trumpcore. Prosperity Gospel has a huge place here - if you’re rich you’re happy, and if you’re happy then you’re doing something right. You are on The Side of Right. Which is why when you go to rescue Minfilia initially, the whole “we’ll play the villains” motif really really fuckin resonates with me - because you’re literally saying fuck Eulmore’s purity culture.

And then there’s Minfilia...... so much to say about Minfilia, though a lot of it is sort of headcanon and speculation and trauma from growing up mormon, if you haven’t already guessed. The idea of a Pure Woman TM as a figurehead for the state/religion who doesn’t actually do anything is so fucking good. I feel like not much is explored about the Oracle’s place in Norvrandt, but it seems implied to me that she is definitely a recognizable figure in the whole continent, not just in Eulmore - she’s a symbol of hope and courage and why the Light can be Good, Actually. But the reality is that she’s a princess in a tower. She doesn’t have any real autonomy; she’s trotted out by Vauthry and Ran’jit after the former comes to power and makes it clear that her job isn’t to kill Sin Eaters anymore. She is, almost literally, an object. 

I mentioned Mormonism as a joke, but a huge part of Mormon culture (which is American Exceptionlist Propserity Gospel Evangelical bullshit to a T) is the idea that women are just soooo important because they keep the men pure and on track to righteousness - sort of paying lip service to the “power behind the throne” concept, except in Mormon hierarchy, women basically have 0 power. They’re wives and symbols. That’s pretty much it, and that reminds me of Minfilia(s) so, so much, and Eulmore as a whole.

actually to expand on that... what was interesting with eulmore as a concept is that it embodied the triad imperialism+capitalism+rapture culture (specifically catholicism). specifically, vauthry & the whole city/society being a direct creation of emet-selch, who introduces himself as "the architect of myriad imperialism-oriented nations", the two major examples being garlemald and allag. the city itself (its very architectural structure) is a transparent small-scale recreation of the capitalist model, alphinaud calling it "a paradise built on the bones of the poor". but what is truly interesting is the way catholic-like doctrine works in this mix, as a gamble... maybe as a take on pascal's gamble?? given the whole casino setting... anyway

- the ostensible charity (meol distribution). giving bread to the poor is about the #1 catholic metaphor

- obviously, the aesthetics of the whole place; specifically the emphasis put on the "generosity" of lord vauthry. who is about as perfect of a (false) prophet as it gets (unnatural "divine" powers, granting "succor" and "protection" and "redemption" to the masses, the fact meol is somewhere between manna and the multiplication of bread + the whole "body of christ" episodes)

- the emphasis on rapture/apotheosis, which is a very literal interpretation of "religion is the opium of the people", discouraging action on the actual, material conditions of living of the exploited bonded citizens (and also keeping the wealthy free citizens in check, passive and vulnerable to vauthry's mind control), promising a paradise after death & the cleansing of an individual's sins

and idk the way every ideology just... ties into another is very neat and clear and self-sustaining. a very neatly and efficiency woven net. it's like an equation. gonna refer to the ideologies as -egi because summoner main here and because it's pretty accurate i think but

- catholicism-egi working hand-in-hand with imperialism-egi to create a symbolic frame based on worship & personality cult (vauthry being at once prophet/demigod and military power (though the actual military part is played by ranjit)). result: morally broken and submissive masses, their faith and hope being corrupted and used against them;

- imperialism-egi and capitalism-egi isolating eulmore from the rest of the world, especially maintaining an aggressive policy towards the crystarium, their only opposing force; barring trade with them; declaring novrandt as a whole their god-given land to rule (reminiscent of the concept of manifest destiny), the idea being that vauthry is the only one able and deserving of ruling over the entire land; creating the sense of entitlement of the free citizens. the free citizens are stripped of their own power, both material and mental, but they happily ignore it to focus on exerting power over the bonded citizens, their wealth being a shield and a weapon both. also, fake promises of social elevation and general propaganda keep the bonded citizens/impoverished citizens of gatetown gambling for "freedom", which is why kai-shirr strongly rejects the offer to come to the crystarium (he'd rather be willingly enslaved while hoping to be set free one day rather than work at the crystarium)

- capitalism-egi and catholicism-egi working together to recreate what is essentially the nouveau riche aesthetic: conflating material wealth with spiritual worth, the fact vauthry's paradise (in the mt gulg dungeon) is eerily reminiscent of the mcmansion style of architecture (watered down and false neoclassical style..........). guilt and power and shame being tools of both ideologies to keep the masses in check. probably more elements that escape my notice atm

what these three ideologies have in common is the way they hold humanity in contempt, creating terrible material and spiritual conditions to live in. imperialism holds all other cultures in contempt, trying to assimilate them by force; capitalism holds humanity in contempt, trying to use people as machines to generate and confiscate material wealth; catholicism (this type, specifically) holds the earthly world in contempt, assuring that only after death we can find redemption and purity, that everything in the material world is impure.

at their core, these three ideologies consider that man is impure, lacking, selfish, cruel, and that he must be broken into submission to be worth anything; to be used for an abstract cause, serving the strong

which is why the exarch tells vauthry that he "underestimates mankind". because fundamentally, eulmore despises and hates humanity, the free and bonded citizens alike, and this is this arrogant, near-sighted mindset that ultimately causes its downfall..

ANYWAY

[voidsentprinces]

So...the Ascians were all tempered by Zodiark. And the ones who weren’t summoned Hydaelyn to metal chair Zodiark. When the Ascians were tempered they just sort of rolled with it. And I can only assume became mindless puppets like Beast Men are to Ifrit and Titan. But, then Zodiark was defeated and then sealed in the fucking moon. So, it stands to reason when this happened, they gained a fraction of their personality back as well as became obsessed and hellbent on resummoning Zodiark. Just as the Beast Tribes do, not because it might serve them better in the long run but because like Beast Tribes they seem addicted to their Primal.

Meanwhile, Warrior of Light is arguably tempered by Hydaelyn and granted the gift of the echo. But, we do not seem obsessed or even puppets to her will. We were just adventuring when we so happened to run into the first lesser Ascian. We then defeated some Pirates enthralled to fish men, stopped a void summoning ritual, and put down a giant mine rebellion. Like everything we’ve done seems like being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even when we started off with the Scions we were just investigating disappearing merchants and attacked caravans of supplies to Drybone when we stumbled upon Ifrit. Then after that people were just throwing us at Titan, Garuda, and so forth.

It feels like, while Warrior of Light is a victim of circumstance and just sort of wanders into world ending events. Through sure dumb luck or endearing sense of moral. We’re not exactly obsessed with Hydaelyn. We have our own free will and do whatever we want. Hell, the Warrior of Light didn’t even get told he needed to go the First. Hydaelyn’s avatar, Minfilia Prime even told us it was not out time to return to the aether. And we were summoned to the First.

She never even bothered to talk to us until we brought Ryne to her. In fact, Hydaelyn sort of just stayed out of everything that happened. Even in the fight with Hades, it was all the Light Warden’s light and Ardbert’s companionship that won in the end. Hydaelyn didn’t really do anything our entire trip.

While through happenstance Krile, Warrior, Minfilia have been sent against the Ascians. It has always been through free will and not from some guiding invisible hand. Where as the Ascians seem absolutely hellbent on summoning Zodiark. This tells me that maybe there was something different about Hydaelyn’s summoning than there was about Zodiark’s.

Actually, now that I am thinking about it. Zodiark’s summoning was all about protecting the Council of Fourteen, Now Thirteen from a great and terrible calamity. Outside their own control with invading forces much like Beast Tribes do their own Primals. Hydaelyn, however, was summoned to protect those unenthralled by Zodiark and to oppose him and in the end she won.

Which means, that when a Primal is summoned with the intent to conquer. The tempering is one of conquest. But, when the Primal is summoned with the intent to actually protect from enthralling. Its tempering still grants free will to its “children”. Outside of giving us flashbacks for exposition sake, all Hydaelyn has done is protect us from other tempering and Ultima’s power.

This is interesting. This would mean she is the first Primal the player encounters as well as the first one not to impose her will on the player like other Primals do. And actively chooses to stay out of our way unless we need some major protecting. We grow stronger and stronger through out journey and after defeating Elidinos before blacking out. Zelidibus remakes on how Hydaelyn chose her champion well. But, we’re not using any of her power, we’ve become as tough as Zenos with less tact and training pretty much.

Which is why Ran’jit wipes the floor with us and Emet-Selch is disgusted by our lack of control over the light. We stand on our own with only Ryne to aid us in stifling the Lightwarden change over us. Hydaelyn doesn’t need to shield us anymore and just in time since she is too weak to do it anymore outside of the odd Primal encounter.

Hell us being her champion and our fragments being her champion across all shards. Might just mean we were her first tempered child, who made the sacrifice to divide Zodiark’s power across the reflections and source. Wandering the land in a daze only becoming conscious when we take the ferry to Ul’dah, Gridania, and Limsa. We have slowly become more and more aware of who we were and what we have done. And even though we are three expansions deep, we only just NOW fused with one our long lost fragments. Who Minfilia took pains to perserve the spirit of, even if he would meet and fuse with us for over 100 Norvrandt Year.

I like how I started this post posturing about Ascians and us but ended it with another fucking revelation. Excuse me while I go scream in an empty field for a minute.

“Lord Zodiark tempered us as is his want to do.”

“Holy the fuck up, time out Emet-Selch. You don’t just casually say someone tempered you like you’re talking about the selection of cheerios you had this morning. Are you okay? Are you being held hostage? Blink twice if you need help.”

[tea-and-conspiracy]

Meanwhile, in the First...

(( In response to @endangered-liaison ))

Elle gasped as she splashed to the surface, water blinding her vision. Her heavy garments threatened to drag her back down into the deeps, and even now it felt as though tiny fingers were grasping at them. A few arrows rained from above, skipping over the surface, until the Eaters snatched their source. Voeburt was burning.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Lakeland was poised to crush its rivals once and for all – they’d even had the Warriors of Light on their side. Elle had remained steadfast in her observatory, making careful recordings of every movement of every star, poised to advise her people if even the tiniest thread in their fate had frayed. In return for her loyalty, they’d sent her to aid the Shadowbringer’s forces in bringing Voeburt to its knees. Though she could provide naught but medical aid to the troops, it was more than enough for her.

And now here they were fleeing as the world went mad around them – Galdjent and Drahn, Humes and Elves, with those damn Warriors nowhere to be seen. The majority swift became Eater fodder, but somehow they hadn’t spotted her in the lake yet.

And then Elle realized that something was pulling at her skirts. She scrambled to find purchase, only for her fingers to rake in futility through the sand. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed a few froglike creatures cackling as they reeled her in.

“Curse you!” she shrieked, to no avail. Her body was hollow, bereft of all aether. Attempting to cast now would kill her; letting these moppets have their way would kill her anyway.

And then a tiny burst of sunlight split the air. Something divebombed the frog-creatures with the ferocity of an eagle. “Back!” it cried. “Back! This one’s too pretty for you! I claim her! She’s mine!”

The creatures beat a reluctant retreat, seemingly becoming water themselves. Elle scrambled for the shore again, and fell gasping into the grass.

“Oh my dear, dear, dear. You are a sodding mess aren’t you?” The sundrop flittered over, and Elle blinked her eyes open to find a little yellow pixie floating ilms from her face.

“I died,” she said.

“No, but you gave it a great effort!” the pixie replied. “But I do so hate the Fuath. They wouldn’t know fun if it exploded in their faces. I simply couldn’t let them have you.”

“Then you have my gratitude,” Elle coughed.

“That you do! And so you owe me a favor. But not to fear, I don’t mind keeping a tab. Let’s get you out of here first, hm?”

And before Elle could respond, the world around her turned green.

The world had changed when the pixie returned. Voeburt’s meadows were now carpeted in the most vibrant wildflowers Elle had ever seen, colors that almost seemed impossible. The keep sparkled as a Faberge ornament up above, but the remaining city, so far as she could tell, was now drowned in a lake. There was no sound but for the birds and the breeze; the Sin Eaters were gone, but the sky now burned relentlessly up above.

“Ohhh, there she is! Did I not tell you she was beautiful? We get so few elves up here,” came the pixie’s voice. Elle blinked and realized she’d brought two green sisters with her.

“Oh, she’s lovely!” one agreed.

“I like her very much!” the other said.

“I realize I never introduced myself properly,” the yellow pixie said. “I am Sigun Sul! And YOU owe me a favor!”

“I…do,” Elle conceded. “But pray tell me – what has happened?”

“Oh! I turned you into a shrubbery.” Sigun Sul was exceedingly pleased with herself. “Not too big, but not too little. The Sin Eaters ignore them. But then I admit I forgot about you for a while. Things have been dreadfully busy here of late, you see.”

“They have,” the green pixies agreed. “We had to make sure most of the land was ours.”

“What do you mean?” Elle asked. “Is Voeburt…gone?”

“Oh yes, quite,” said Sigun Sul. “So we now declare this place Il Mheg, kingdom of the faefolk! Isn’t it delightful?”

“It’s much improved!” the green pixies chimed.

“Wh-what of Lakeland then? What of my home?” Elle asked.

Sigun Sul waved dismissively. “Also dead! But then some fancy-pants mage summoned a big tower in the middle of it, and everyone wants to live there now. I think he’s boring, personally. Too goodie-two-shoes to have any fun with.”

Elle shook her head, feeling as though she were being dragged into the lake once more. “Dead? But…but does that mean…Did the Warriors fail? The Shadowbringer…?”

Sigun Sul shrugged. “We don’t know. All we know is the Light has consumed all but Norvrandt, and then it stopped. The Warriors are dead. Most are dead. And you, my dear, might also be dead. It depends.”

Elle blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you do owe me a favor, after all!” Sigun Sul beamed. “So I propose this! It’s been so dreadfully boring around here lately, we could use a new sister to spice things up. Join us and I will grant you eternal life! Refuse and you can return to being a lovely topiary. What do you say?”

“The hell kind of a deal is that?!” Elle roared.

The pixies tittered.

“Ooh, I like her.”

“So fiery!”

“She’s like the Madbloom.”

“It’s so easy to make the Madbloom mad.”

“That’s the fun of it!”

Elle sighed.

“Well, my sweetling?” Sigun Sul reached out a tiny hand. “You have two minutes to decide. Is it a deal?”

“Eternal life.” Elle eyed her. “You mean I become one of you.”

“Oh yes. But really, it’s an improvement.” Sigun Sul preened.

What does it matter now…? Elle thought. Lakeland’s gone. Everyone’s gone. And if I don’t take it I’m dead anyway…

And she had to admit, immortality sounded nice.

“I will repay your debt, Sigun Sul,” she said.

The pixie beamed. “I knew you would, Eo Uin.”

[surlyalpaca]

Prompt #12: Fingers Crossed

Today would be the day.

Well, there were no guarantees of that. There never were. But the weather was right, she had splurged extra on high end bait in Eulmore, and the world was no longer in danger of being consumed by Primordial Light at any given second. Finally, there was time to go about properly acquainting herself with the fishing locales of Norvrandt.

As luck would have it, a little sand gecko had just taken a chomp out of her bait. In retaliation she hooked it back on her line. If the locals weren't lying then this was sure to attract the attention of something much more interestingly larger.

That was the hope, at any rate.

Somewhere behind her, close enough to hear but far away enough to not hear it well, came the gigantic thud of something heavy hitting the sand. Followed quickly by Alisaie swearing and that telltale twang in the air she felt whenever someone unleashed their aether in combat.

"No, no, not now," Reshene mumbles.

The sounds of combat intensify behind her. Something roars. Alphinaud's undignified yelp followed by Alisaie calling his name, the worry in her voice apparent. Meanwhile, her line remains slack.

Reshene sighs.

She plunges her fishing rod into the sand, thrusting it down deep enough that hopefully, hopefully, it won't get pulled in should that theoretical interestingly larger fish take the bait. And with that the Warrior of Light charges into battle once again, fingers crossed that it'll be over quick enough that she won't lose her new rod.

[hermits-hovel]

daylight's dying.

bonus shots of one Elezen man writhing in torment about being possibly a werewolf:

[xenodile]

In the First, Light is associated with stagnation and uniformity, whereas Darkness represents growth and variety, while the opposite is accepted in the Source. Thancred and Urianger suggest that the Source just got it wrong, but the climax of Shadowbringers illustrates that both perspectives are only half right.

Emet-Selch, and by extension all of Ascian society, were heavily steeped in Darkness, but had almost no individualality. Everyone wore identical masks and robes, individual expression was ostracized if not outright illegal because being different from others was viewed as instigating conflict, and their unlimited power of creative expression was only allowed to produce utilitarian works that were useful to the community and had ti be offered with no desire for reward or recognition. Emet-Selch embodies this ideaology believing that all life is abhorrent and worthless simply for being flawed and varied, and seeks to return the world to its original, rigidly uniform state.

Meanwhile, you, the Warrior of Light and champion of Eorzea and Norvrandt, embody growth and change. Emet-Selch is right, you are nobody and nothing, but that is what makes you special. You are one among countless multitude that has risen above on your virtues and effort, motivated by your desire to protect others, change the world for the better, and simply live your life however you choose to live it.

Light and Darkness are ultimately just energy with no inherent meaning, it is how it is used that gives it meaning.

The ultimate symbolism/meaning in this expansion being titled Shadowbringers is that despite taking up the moniker of Warrior of Darkness and fighting to quell the overflowing tide of Light, you are still at your core, the Warrior of Light, because it is only in the presence of light that shadows are cast.

[hermits-hovel]

prismatic visions

[autumnslance]

22 Salvation

He watched her sleep as they lay together, limbs tangled, skin cooling as the sounds of revelry continued outside under the sunless sea, the Light’s dominance over this world broken, finally.

Because of her.

Aeryn had saved the world, though Thancred’s throat still tightened with the thought of just how close they had come to failing, how close they had come to losing her entirely.

At least he had learned his lesson and said what he had needed to, before the final battle.

Norvrandt celebrated while its savior slept, exhausted and deserving of some quiet. It had been difficult to get away from the crowds, to stop responding to the heartfelt, teary thank yous. Away from everyone wanting a word or a touch or even just a glimpse of the woman who had returned the night.

Thancred understood, better than he liked, even as he did his best to shield and whisk her away from her admirers when she came too close to overwhelmed. Aeryn had saved him, too. More than once now, but the image of her shining form piercing through deepest shadows to wrench him back to himself after what Lahabrea had done was forever seared into his consciousness.

He had hesitated, in the moons following, to seem too eager in her presence, to even be in her presence. As if all she had done was the reason for his attention, and not who she was. And he certainly wasn’t the only one, after Castrum Meridianum and Ultima.

So, as he was wont to do, he had gone the opposite direction; he was not worthy, after all, and she deserved better. It was what he told himself; Thancred was merely her colleague, a comrade in arms, and a troublesome one at that. Perhaps a friend, if he were truly lucky. All else was fantasy, and he was too old to entertain such childish notions.

Though he held onto the faint hope that one day, he may save her, as she had saved him. Perhaps if the scales were balanced, he could be less...concerned with his role in her story.

Never quite managed it; she was rather good at extricating herself from most dangers. And the times she wasn’t…

His fingers ghosted over certain scars on her skin. Reminders of the times he had not been there for her, when she really did need him--or anyone. When she had been alone. He pulled her closer, reassured by her sleepy mumble as she snuggled against his chest.

She’d not been alone on the First, at least. Here, they had been given the chance to change their own future, to save themselves--and save her. They had averted a Calamity of Light, the world-breaking potency of Black Rose neutralized with the First’s salvation.

Thancred still wasn’t sure the scale was quite even, but that was all right. Maybe he actually had learned a few things over the years. When saving one another time and again, in large ways and small, it became difficult to see where the balance leaned. Until one may as well stop keeping tabs at all.

She was here, and so was he, for now. They had saved each other once more--and would again, as needed.

Meanwhile, he would be content that they could finally get some sleep; saving worlds was damned tiring.

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #30: The Sunless Sea

Prompt: darkness | Master Post | On Ao3

WARNING: Spoilers for Shadowbringers MSQ. This fill is also a spiritual sequel to Stargazing, from FFXIV Write 2018 (prompt sixteen), and to Tonk!, from this year’s challenge (first free write).

Four Lightwardens were dead, their crackling glass Light contained in Synnove. Tomorrow, they’d march on Kholusia for the last of the Lightwardens of Norvrandt. But tonight, the Warriors of Darkness—and one Warrior of Light—fled out into the mountains of surrounding Lakeland. The Warriors of Darkness found a large, flat plateau, far to the northwest of the Crystarium, so far in fact that the Crystal Tower was a sliver of blue on the horizon. As they landed their chocobos on the plateau, Ardbert walked into existence, whistling cheerfully as he looked around.

“Desolate, isolated, little to no chance of untimely interruptions,” he said. “Very nice, ladies.”

Synnove slapped him on the shoulder and handed him Ivar, collecting Chantilly’s reins and walking after the others. Ardbert cuddled the ruby carbuncle closer, scratching under his chin, as he followed the Highlander; Ivar purred loudly in delight, one of his hindlegs kicking out. Ardbert chuckled at him.

They settled the chocobos down for the night first, the four of them creating a wind break for their riders. Each chocobo was unsaddled, feathers groomed into place, then fed and watered. Then as the chocobos laid on the ground in makeshift nests, legs and feet beneath themselves, blankets tucked around them to stave off chills—and Chantilly’s beloved flyer’s shaffron buckled under her beak to keep the mountain winds from blowing it away—the giant birds all settled down to sleep with content little kwehs. Meanwhile, their people and one ghost chattered.

“—oh, come on, a king behemoth? Synnove, I know you’re not precisely sane—”

“He was a sweetheart and just wanted a cuddle!”

“And you wonder why we drink, Ardbert.”

The discussion continued throughout the setup for dinner. Rereha and Alakhai set up the kindling they had packed, place a ring of stones around the makeshift firepit. Ardbert held Ivar forward, the carbuncle obliging belching out a lick of flame that ignited the logs and sticks, then gestured with Ivar still dangling from his hand as he argued axes versus swords and Synnove set up the pot for dinner.

“Now a good two-hander I could understand, that’s got a nice heft to it—Synnove, you’ll need the turmeric and cumin for that recipe—”

“Got it!”

“—and once you get your momentum going swinging around something that big, you’ve left yourself open for a reprisal. No, sir, I like keeping my feet firmly planted exactly where I like them.”

“Oh, come on, Heron—”

Ivar went back to sleep even as Ardbert kept gesticulating with him.

Dinner went as expected: as Synnove minded the stew, Ardbert peering over his shoulder and muttering about proper spice ratios—“Ardbert, I swear, you are worse than my aunt.” “And if you’re going to make a proper Nabaath stew you need to add more turmeric, do it right now.” “Alakhai, smack him for me, please.” WHACK! “Ow!” “Thank you. My pot, my stew, now back off, dead boy.”—and Heron and Rereha got into a heated discussion about the last game of Founders of Tanac they had played while Alakhai sharpened her knives and shook her head at all of them.

More banter over dinner—“Branden named himself Dark Heart, just how extra were you lot trying to be?” “You say it yourself all the time, Rere: go big or go home.” “There’s big and then there’s melodramatic.”—and yet more through cleanup. Then after banking the fire, the Warriors of Darkness crawled into their bedrolls, while Ardbert sat on one of the makeshift benches they’d set up using the larger rocks, Ivar curled up in his lap while his siblings burrowed in with their mama. They all stared heavenward, at the jet-black sky spangled with rivers of stars; it was a new moon, so only the stars lit the world.

“And now, Ardbert,” said Rereha with a great amount of satisfaction, “it’s time for that most time-honored tradition: Make Your Own Constellation.”

“Let me guess, that one’s a pair of breasts?”

“A man after my own heart!”

Ardbert stuck his tongue out at her, the spectral glow of his soul making it easy to see. Rereha cackled at him.

“How about this,” said Heron, the ever-exasperated peacekeeper and group mother, “we’ll point out the shapes we see—no genitalia, Rere—”

“You ruin all my fun, Heron!”

“—and you tell us about the constellations that were recognized back before the Flood and you can remember, Ardbert.”

He scratched his chin. “Sounds fair. Nyelbert could have named them all, and told you all the stories besides, but I’ll do my best.”

“Alakhai, you start,” said Heron.

The Xaela hummed thoughtfully, then pointed to a string of three stars next to a half loop of four more. “That looks like a bow to me,” she said.

Ardbert tilted his head thoughtfully, leaning back on one hand as he followed where her finger indicated. “Well, not bad, Alakhai,” he said. “Already nailed it. That’s actually one of the old ones, Chorra-Mai’s Bow. Legendary mystel huntress; Renda-Rae knew all the stories about her. If you follow the string a little further along,” he gestured with his finger, dragging it ‘up,’ “that big blue beauty? That’s Ronka’s Tear; same as your Navigator’s Jewel, that’s the one star you can always use to find your way home.”

“Synnove.”

Synnove took a bit longer than Alakhai, studying the sky intently. Finally, she pointed out a cluster roughly east of Chorra-Mai’s Bow. “Amaro,” she said. “There are the points for the head, the chest, the wings, and the tail.”

“Huh,” said Ardbert, blinking in surprise. “I can see it. Oddly enough, I don’t think any of the star charts had an amaro constellation. That’s a shame. But you’re not far off from a Norvrandt one, though: excluding the ‘head’ star, that’s the Manticore.”

“…That is not a manticore,” said Synnove.

“Maybe not an Eorzean manticore,” he said wryly. “But the ones of Nabaath legend? Head of a hume, body of a lion, tail of a scorpion.”

A very long moment of silence, broken by Rereha: “Respectfully: what the fuck.”

“Don’t look at me!”

They continued like that for another bell, maybe two, laughter and shouting echoing off the surrounding mountains, until the Warriors of Darkness finally began to drift off to sleep. When Ardbert was the only one left he awake, he carefully leaned back on his stone perch, dragging the sleeping Ivar up to his stomach, and crossed his arms behind his head. He felt a smile slowly stretch his lips as he gazed up at the glittering beauty of the sunless sea, basking in the welcoming embrace of a moonlight night.

He’d forgotten what hope had felt like over the past century of mad, lonely wandering. Now, here he was, as sane as any ghost could hope to be, with four more brilliant, ridiculous siblings of his heart, and the chance to finally see his mistakes righted once and for all. Even should they encounter setbacks, he knew Dancing Heron and Synnove and Rereha and Alakhai would find their way to victory.

Hope…hope felt rather wonderful.