#thancred can't even USE one

[haunted-xander]

Do you ever think about how Alisaie's biggest fear is losing the people she cares about? How the very first conversation you have with her alone, a deeply personal one, is about her confiding in you about those fears? Telling you that she hated the state of the world Louisoix died for because, to her, it wasn't worth the sacrifice? She tells you about all the allies she made and lost, who she watched die and could do nothing to save them.

Do you ever think about how Alisaie was consistently one of the first to act, to recklessly throw herself at danger throughout stb? She didn't care (as much) about herself getting hurt, but she'd be damned if she let her friends suffer without doing anything. She has to be fast and proactive, because if she can't protect them even when striking first, how would she be able to when acting after the fact?

Do you ever think about how every time her loved ones are in peril/are in risk of being in peril her heart just breaks? How whenever someone's safety is unsure she panics and immediately tries to contact them/rush to their aid? When Castrum Abania's cannon shot the tower that, for all she knew, Alphinaud was still in, she immediately stops what she's doing and runs to it in panic because her brother was in there and he might be dead.

Do you ever think about how when the Scions start getting their souls yanked to the First, Alisaie reacts the strongest? How, when Urianger and Y'shtola got taken, she fell to her knees shaking Uriangers body, screaming for him to wake up? And when Gaius appears with Alphinaud in the Burn, she immediately goes to fight him (before being stopped by Hien) because this man, who has been her enemy, is holding her brother's lifeless body. She doesn't care that she can't possibily beat him, he has her brother and she's already lost so much in such a short amount of time. She's lost Thancred, Y'shtola and Urianger already, she can't lose Alphinaud too.

Do you ever think about how you are the only one she can fully rely on at that time, but who is also at risk of being taken away? Of how she's so desperate for you to stay, to not be taken away, that Alisaie, who, for all her bluntness, prefers to rely on herself first and foremost, begs you not to leave her? She begs you. Alisaie does not beg. She yells at you to not do something, and she'll scold you to hell and back if you do it anyway, but she does not beg. But this time she did.

And then she ends up being taken away right in front of you. She cries out for help and uses her very last energy to reach out for you. And then she falls limp.

Do you ever think about how, when Alphinaud turns to tell her his plans at the end of Ultima Thule, she immediately rejects it without even letting him say it? She's lost so much and experienced so much grief, not only overall but also just in Ultima Thule. And she loathes to bring that grief onto another. Especially to one who has already lost so much, like you. She hates it. She ends up doing it, yes, but she hates it still.

DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT-

[unionizedwizard]

"for real i love that their relationship to water is a really well-defined part of each scion's characterization"

can you... can you pretty please explain?

gladly!!

first, thancred: water is pretty obviously a common motif in his character arc. he grew up as a street urchin in limsa, meaning that he pretty much grew around water and possibly (? is that canon from one of the short stories, or was this a headcanon? i can't say) had to learn how to hide underwater from his angered targets as a fledgling thief, hence his uncommon stamina. that's also where he tried to rob louisoix (at the harbor) when he arrived to limsa from sharlayan, and how louisoix subsequentially "adopted" him and gave him the surname of "waters", (as a reference to sharlayan's patron deity & beliefs, if i'm not mistaken). we also know thancred is a particularly good swimmer and can hold his breath underwater for up to 10 minutes (!), which is coherent with his characterization: highly adaptable and always ready for anything, an exceptionally versatile spy, can hold his own against the warrior of light and other similarly aetherically-skilled characters in his own way, not using magic but relying on his own (extensively trained) skills, which also is an integral part of his impostor syndrome. see: the quest in amh araeng where he technically saves the day by having nightvision eyedrops which allow us to find the missing gold coin, but for which he refuses to accept any praise because he's "just trying to come up with ways to compensate for his weaknesses with various gadgets and baubles"

urianger. we know urianger is afraid of water and could never learn how to swim - possibly, he never managed to overcome his fear and distrust of deep water; possibly, he tried but it went wrong and he never could develop the necessary motor skills; possibly, he always refused to even try, because learning to swim is a pretty revealing and vulnerable activity (<- as a fellow trans autistic nerd i understand the fear). which would also be coherent with his own personal arc wrt The Dysphoria Hoodie, but that's a detail. now, he knew that this was a weakness and a failing of his, and was afraid it would make him a burden to the scions, which is a major fear of his. so, he managed to find a way to compensate for this weakness of his by making use of his specific talent: namely, striking a bargain with the fuath (something even the pixies discouraged him from; he seems to be the only mortal who managed the feat!) for them to teach him how to walk on water. he doesn't want to be a burden and so does everything by himself, even if it endangers him more. just like thancred, he makes the most of his (perceived) shortcomings

y'shtola. well, pretty much everything we know about y'shtola is related to water: all we know about her childhood and the only vulnerable part of herself we were allowed to glimpse (much to her dismay) was her water familiar-summoning incantation. she still retains a special fondness for the nixies to this day (see how kindly she talks to the ones she summoned during the Thirteenth arc) even though she could easily have created another familiar design; she only changed the incantation to make it sound more badass and less childish. ....... not that we knew what the previous iteration was, of course. (sidenote: of course, the aetherial sea is not a literal sea, but the spell is called Flow, so...)

alphinaud: that alphinaud dislikes water is common knowledge at this point. he expresses great relief and gratitude when urianger declares his own shortcomings in that regard, procrastinates taking a shower (who among us hasn't been there, king), is generally afraid of water and, in alisaie's words, "somehow, the boy has never been really... buoyant". it's too physical, too involved, too vulnerable an activity for him, who always was the Strategy Genius, the Diplomacy Guy, and General Nerd. alisaie never misses any opportunity to tease him on the matter (see the amphibious talos fight with the twins in duty support). still, he's been practicing, and is now more than able to hold his own if needed... but he'd much rather take a boat. (🎶he's so brave. he's well-behaved. he is not afraid!🎶)

alisaie: one of the first things we learn about her, and that she uses to establish herself as The Cooler Twin, is that she loves swimming and loves water in general. i don't remember, once again, if it was canon or just a very compelling headcanon i made (?) but i'm pretty sure she learned how to swim in sharlayan despite the water being Extra Super Cold (? don't quote me on that) because she is nothing if not fueled by willpower and, possibly, spite and the desire to outshine her brother, for once. anyway, she's made extremely good use of the kojin blessing, and was the first one to go dive into the lake in il mheg to try and save the warrior of light after the fuath tried to abduct them. very clearly, being good at swimming and not in the least scared of water (or acting as such) was one of the defining traits of her own personality against alphinaud's, growing up - possibly one of the only domains where she outperformed him, so it's understandable that she put a great deal of effort into it and still considers it one of her best skills to this day. furthermore, swimming demands stamina, constant movement and drive, but also economy of movement and grace, which are the things she's most skilled at!

krile: ❓. We Simply Don't Know. same goes for tataru.

estinien: well he likes hot springs. uh i'm afraid this is all i have. sorry estinien i don't really care about you that much

g'raha: actually, i'm not sure we have any info about his relationship to water?? that's a good question anyway. DOES he like to swim??? CAN he??? a mystery.

i probably missed a few things but here we are :)

[tsunael]

Despite all their efforts, the Light had returned. The Exarch was gone, and once again she was the one left standing when the dust settled. She was tired. So very tired.

The days went on.

There was a stiffness growing inside that went well past her bones; it seized the sinew and locked her joints, causing an ache in every move. With each morning that she still drew breath, she found someone new in the mirror: that morning's iteration showed a woman whose skin had turned a sickly pallor, whilst her dark hair had begun to bleach itself to unnatural blonde.

When it all becomes too much to bear, seek me out at my abode, in the dark depths of the Tempest.

Emet-Selch had invited her to retain her dignity, and a part of her would have gone without a second thought if she only had the means to do so. As if her stiff legs could carry her to wherever The Tempest even was in this alien land. As she was now, she lived the paradoxical existence of hurry up and wait while her comrades scrambled for a cure for something that they all knew could not be undone.

--

Thancred moved from towering over her to gently sit upon her bed. The weight of him pulled her in, though she made great effort to keep the distance.

"You look well," he lied through his teeth. "Just when I thought you could not be more radiant-- All that beauty rest has done much and more." Had he not sounded so sincere, she would have mistaken it for dry wit.

She looked over her shoulder at him, twisted as she was, and wrinkled her nose. "Surely you didn't come just to be cruel."

His amiable expression fell, and she felt a pang of guilt for for her lashing.

"Apologies," he frowned. "That was... not my intent," he added, his voice flat. He politely moved his hands to clasp firmly between his knees.

She believed him that time. Tsuna pinched her arm to keep from throwing herself at him in a desperate need for comfort. They both sorely needed it. She wouldn't give into something so base-- not again.

"You shouldn't be in here," she whispered.

It had been a few days-- from what she could tell-- since then he had become more sunkissed. His boots were ruddy with Amh Araeng's dusty sands-- a far, and queer destination for one who could not ride the Aether.

"I didn't mean to bother. I simply wished to see how you were getting on," he said, twisting to better take her in, his hand brushed her curled tail. "Would you rather I leave?"

He was kind-- much too kind. She much preferred when they were trading blows, at least she could take them.

"That's not what I meant..." she sighed, winded. "You shouldn't be near me. It's not safe."

He gave pause, then chuffed at her proposal. "Y'shtola gave no such warning about your... condition."

"Y'shtola does not know everything," she snapped.

"Ryne has contained it," he countered, and she half-expected a 'for now' to be tacked on to the end of it. It was silent, but it was there. She knew.

Tsuna huffed. Frustration was causing her voice to grow thick with emotion. "She's just a girl, Thancred."

"And I trust her with my life. As should you." His tone had raised in defense before softening. "...She would never lead us astray."

Gently, he reached out to touch her exposed shoulder, and she stiffened, jolting away from the touch.

"Gods--" she swore. "You can't-- Don't-- Don't touch me."

She had brought the Light back to Norvrandt simply by being alive. The swell of it was strong enough to be felt knocking against her seams in her weaker moments. Who was to say she could not corrupt him-- or anyone else-- simply by being.

He grabbed her outstretched hand that had pushed him away, and reeled her back in against her will. His fingers intertwined with her own, and for a moment she thought something may just burst from her. Not the Light, no, but equally as unstable. It was something far more devastating.

The bird in her chest beat its wings against its cage and she wanted so badly to let it free.

"You see?" he asked, soft. "Everything's all right."

She could only stare at their intwined hands, marveling at the difference of size, how his own dwarfed her in comparison. His smooth, Hyuran skin compared to her own scales was fascinating, but with enough callouses on his palms to pen a story.

He had never touched her quite like that. The word intimate danced on her tongue and her breath fell shallow. Intimate. She gripped him back, rooting her fingers between his own, and to her surprise, he did not let go.

When he lowered his lips to her shoulder, she didn't notice, still transfixed where they joined, growing concerned that she could not feel the warmth of his hand. The breath dancing against her collarbone brought her back to where she belonged, though she felt no heat.

He kissed her as if it were his only solution to placating a grieving woman. Of course, it would be. Of course, it was all he ever knew. She didn't know what to feel. She wanted him to continue. She wanted to know where the trail would lead him; higher, or lower?

She also very much wanted to kiss him back, if only she could. Would she even be able to feel it?

Oh, Gods. What was wrong with her?

Your friends are now your foes. If you do not kill them, they will kill you.

"I think you should go," she whispered.

With a short pause, he lifted himself from her, and thus slackened his grip. Their connection broke, and she immediately missed the loss.

Thancred finally pulled away to give her space without complaint, though his honey-dark eyes lingered to study, to see where he had erred. His jaw worked for a moment before beginning to speak, then deciding against it. He stood from her bed.

"Keep the faith," was all he said. It was all he could say.

[last-flight-of-fancy]

I would love to hear your trans alphinaud and lesbian alisaie headcanons or more about the subtext you see! Especially alisaie.

AHHH oh gosh i would love to answer!! Though I must admit that these are built from many (MANY) small moments across the whole game more than a few easily pointed at examples, which means its.. kind of difficult to pull up (and remember) all the evidence.

That being said, i do still have Many Thoughts about it :DDD

First off trans Alphinaud was set into my mind very early on by one simple fact: identical twins are almost always born the same sex. like almost invariably, with the very rare exceptions needing some wild extenuating circumstances. and you cannot tell me those two are fraternal.

now ofc this is fiction, and a fantasy world besides. who's to say the writers knew that particular fact? well good news! alphinaud presents a *lot* of other common trans experiances, which are scattered throughout the msq and optional side dialogue.

(shoutout to me for having the exact same thought four years apart before and after playing the game myself. i have absolutely no memory of the first post at all because i also have no memory of watching my partner play shadowbringers even though i definitely did. rare adhd memory loss win! i got to experiance my favourite thing for the first time twice!)

post 1: dated 2019, talking about how alphinaud is extremely trans coded, being an identical twin of a different gender to his twin, cannot swim, is body shy and *extremely* hesitant about using public showers, and having interests that are traditionally coded as feminine in fiction.

post 2: dated 2023, the same thing but this time talking about how wonderfully alphinaud and alisaie are made to complement each other in opposite ways.

he cant swim: related to the body-shyness and hesitance around the showers, its VERY common for trans people to experiance these things due to dysphoria and societal perceptions. i myself started experiancing this (even though i LOVE swimming) when pubescence started to hit. (it sucks!) alphinaud was probably one of those ones who realised VERY early what he was (logic boy who is too dang smart for his own good) so he just.. never learned to swim at all. kept his nose buried in books instead.

traditionally feminine interests/abilities: sure it could be trope subversion, but personally i think theyre also things he just enjoyed before transitioning and thus continued to do.

and one more that i can remember off the top of my head: alisaie's reaction to estinian mistaking her for alphinaud.

"but alphinaud has no problem with being mistaken for-" let me explain, i swear it makes sense.

see, alphinaud is a little logic boy at heart, we know this. he knows he and alisaie share their features, that is simply a fact. alisaie though? alisaie is ruled by feeling, and reacts accordinly. most notably the Incident when she first meets estinian.

what i find especially interesting about this is that prior to that moment with estinian, neither of them appear to have much issue with their similarities. it's only after shadowbringers that alisaie reacts with such contempt

(probably not helped by her not liking estinian much in general lol)

what this says to me is that some time before or during ShB, alphinaud told alisaie that the way people mistake him for her does bother him, but he can't blame them for the mistake considering the circumstances, so he just doesn't mention it.

alisaie however can and will blame them and thus the next time someone mixes them up (rip estinian) she EXPLODES. because it's not about her. if it was about her i honestly dont think she would care nearly as much. but it's about her brother, and how dare you hurt her brother's hidden feelings by not being able to tell them apart.

(completely seperate headcanon but i do think that estinian is faceblind as fuck, which means he never stood a chance on this one, poor guy)

okay now for lesbian alisaie <3

what WAS it that thancred said about battle scars and maidens? and whyfor are you thinking about this alisaie? :3

also: Tesleen.

also also: Emery (A Malm in her Shoes short story)

fr tho alisaie pays attention to and talks about girls a lot. in a way she never does about boys. bringing up my complementary opposites wrt the twins thought from before, it honestly could've been another way the writers COULD have done that, having alisaie attempting to impress boys with her athletic skills the same way alphinaud tried to impress girls with his artistic ones (something he is teased about repeatedly). like the absence of this potential parallel is almost suspicious tbh...

once again, any one of these things in isolation is probably simply a choice in writing, but all these things together spell out to me one thing: alisaie likes girls. exclusively.

(im sorry you wanted lesbian alisaie thoughts more and i have less of that than the trans alphinaud ones, but if you come back in 3-5 years when i've finished my second msq run i will have compiled a far more complete list of evidence for both complete with screenshots, probably lol)

[aotopmha]

Being too exhausted to play has made me think about the Dawntrail story again.

I wanted to take a break, but it occupies my brain too much, turns out and I engaged with takes on the internet again.

(Some of it is really dumb and a negativity void with zero substance, which is, in fact, unfun and exhausting, as it is designed to be, so it probably is better to not engage with, but I also do very much enjoy discussing what I love and it offers fantastic springboards for that.)

Spoilers for the Dawntrail story!

You know the complaint that it's "not as good as Shadowbringers or Endwalker"?

Well, I think a lot of people have actually echoed this, but I really like that Dawntrail is not trying to one-up them.

It's really good that it's not only pulling back the scale, but also lightening up the tone.

In particular, there was a complaint I saw that said HW, ShB and EW were these "deep and dark" stories and had issues with DT not being that kind of narrative and I think a story being Endwalker all of the time would become boring in its own right.

If all you see is positivity, eventually it means nothing, but this is also true in the opposite sense.

If all you see is misery all of the time, at one point, it doesn't mean anything anymore.

Eventhough I myself mostly enjoyed it, I can see the argument that it went too far in the other direction and handled some ideas too simplistically, but I think the general idea to do this is a really good, refreshing move.

It's similar thematically (which is actually my biggest issue), but I really like that it mostly focused on new stories with new characters.

I also like that the Scions are taking a backseat.

I saw an opinion that "you can't have your cake and eat it, too" in regards of the Scions being minor roles and you should either write them out completely or entirely focus the story on them, but personally I don't see any issue with this.

They were set up to be support and behaved as such. I don't understand the take that they were "teased" too much when the setup was that it was not their story to begin with.

Now, I do think the friendly rivalry aspect was underutilised. I feel like getting to fight Thancred and Urianger in good fun would've been great, for example.

I love the vibe of adventure we haven't really had for such a long time, and I really think the mystery of the City of Gold might be one of the best ones in the entire narrative because many of the mysteries so far at least have some aspect of retconning to them.

The gate and everything with it is entirely new and didn't need any retconning to fit within the current concepts of the story, whereas you could always tell they had to slightly tweak everything with the Ascians once in a while.

I think the fact that most of the characters that people do like from this expansion are entirely new or characters we knew fairly little about before Dawntrail says it all.

People actually do want new stuff. I think the mostly positive response towards the actual gameplay content says this, too.

So I hope they don't give up on what they've built here despite some of the really loud negative voices.

Don't start trying to do Endwalker or Shadowbringers again before building a new bigger picture.

We've talked about legacy and memory and loss a bunch of times already; evolve from this and do something *entirely* new with new characters and ALSO entirely new theming.

Don't give up on making content just a little more engaging.

That's my worry in light of these very loud complaints.

And the thing is, during the Endwalker patch cycle and even before, these are things so many people wanted.

People wanted a break from the Scions. People wanted the story to reset and relax after Endwalker because it had been within that dark tone for so long.

People wanted us to go back to being an adventurer.

People were tired of the increasingly same-y encounter design (and lack of stuff to do during patch downtime, which you can also see improved in terms of certain rewards; thing is what I've seen is people loving the new content so much they just like playing it and I feel the same way, so it isn't always even more grinds or rewards people actually want).

And that's exactly what they gave us.

Again, I don't know the overlap between audience groups here, but in terms of sentiment, that's the craziest part to me.

They kind of gave us exactly what we asked for.

And I really hope they stick to their guns and get braver from here because new is fun and even if it doesn't always succeed, you can look at what people like and don't like and go from there in a more nuanced way, rather than leaning on overcorrective decisions as they have in terms of certain aspects of the game. It just stops the game from stagnating and getting boring in all aspects.

[ishgard]

— B A S I C S

Name: Ahru Hiraeth Nicknames: Not a lot of nicknames actually, occasionally "Ru" Age: Early-Mid Thirties Nameday: 21st Sun of the 4th Astral Moon Race: Seeker/Keeper Gender: Female Orientation: Bisexual / Biromantic Profession: Adventurer, Warrior of Light

— P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S

Hair: Naturally blond, light corruption left it bleached white. Eyes: Blue with a gold ring around the pupils Skin: Pale with warm undertones, tans easily Tattoos/scars: No tattoos, but many superficial scars and several less. A thin scar on the side of her face from sahagins when she was child. An 'overlapped' scar from Zenos and Elidibus across the chest. Lichtenberg scars along her left arm, old burns down her right leg, hip-to-knee.

— F A M I L Y

Parents: Both living. Ahnia Hiraeth, mir'amna ('mother') of the Hiraeth. X'rehn Tia, ex-Garlean assassin. Siblings: Nia'to Hiraeth (twin brother), Fianah Hiraeth (younger half-sister) Grandparents: Amazingly I haven't thought about them too much. In-laws and Other: X'rhun Tia (uncle), X'yehnia Rehl (cousin), X'vehl Tia (cousin, retainer) Pets: Arrow (chocobo), Grani (…Grani), Caesar (wolf 'pup'), Mochi (fat cat - King of the Rising Stones), Ardbert (black hayate - lives with Ryne and Gaia now), Baby (baby opo opo - not a pet this is her son)

— S K I L L S

Abilities: BRD/RDM main, MNK is always one broken weapon away from showing you why it's a bad idea to disarm her. Omniclasses p much everything but is worst at SMN/SCH. Her music weaves aether in such a way that it enhances her magical abilities, so even when utilizing her healing or destructive magics, she often weaves her bardwork into it. Hobbies: Traveling, making music, journaling, reading (in the past study of the Void has been her speciality and passion - but she's always had a soft spot for epics, romances, and such), knitting, cooking.

— T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: She's got way more love to give than you might expect, she just sometimes has a hard time showing it. Open-minded/flexible, she's not often put-off or caught off guard and is very accepting (at times forgiving, to a fault). Most Negative Trait: Still getting over the trauma of 'people who get close to me tend to suffer terribly', which leads her to distancing herself. Really prone to wanderlust and violence (as in, loves a good fight). Good luck slowing her down and good luck getting her out of it if you got her in 'fight mode'.

— L I K E S

Colors: Red and Black (omg she's a gamer) Smells: Campfire smoke, cloves, leather, amber/incense, rarer but often enough the frosty fresh air of colder climes. Textures: Broken-in leather, furs (silky, soft and the more coarse), the smooth and sharp edges of a crystal. Drinks: Water, tea (specifically mulled tea), wine, ale. Partial to mint lassi's.

— O T H E R D E T A I L S

Smokes: Very occasional, with growing rarety. Drinks: Historically was your pretty average social drinker, swore off the stuff for a long period after being drugged multiple times, but more recently has started enjoying the occasional drink - her tolerance has dropped significantly to fun/humorous effect. Drugs: No; somnus in particular is a touchy subject. Mount Issuance: Arrow (chocobo) was a gift from Thancred welcoming her to the Scions. Grani was a gift from Emet-Selch, and is her primary mount esp. in places where Arrow can't go. Been Arrested: Amazingly not.

Tagged by: @ardberts, @gatheredfates, @sealrock, @myreia, @shroudkeeper - thank you all so much!!! I might honestly do more and use the tags as an excuse 😌 Tagging: @twelveswood, @thewitchofelpis, @eorzeanflowers, @thefrostflower, @allyennah, @mrlarkstin, @koijikido, @ubejamjar, @ungrateful-cyborg - and anyone else! (if you've already done it or don't want to ignore me <3<3<3)

[morgana96]

My Oddly Specific FFXIV Cooking Headcanons

Morgana (my WoL): A master culinarian and hardcore gourmet. Her father is also an accomplished chef from whom she gained most of her experience. People have literally had "Ratatouille moments" while eating her food.

Haurchefant: A decent cook who's been improving recently thanks to tips he got from Morgana. But honestly, his real specialty is beverages — he makes the best hot cocoa in Coerthas, as well as several other drinks and cocktails.

Alphinaud: A reformed rich kid™ who can't cook to save his life. He's quite embarrassed to have gone this long without knowing how to even make simple meals. But recently, he's started taking occasional lessons from Morgana in an attempt to improve.

Alisaie: Another reformed rich kid™ who can't cook to save her life. She's also very embarrassed about it and is now taking lessons with Morgana, but she's managed to turn it into a race with Alphinaud to see who's first to make something edible.

Thancred: Technically a better cook than Alphinaud and Alisaie. He mainly knows bare minimum recipes from growing up on Limsa's streets, and he's not very good at seasoning food. He actually got motivated to improve a little while taking care of Ryne.

Urianger: Actually alright at cooking, but his tastes can be EXTREMELY weird. He'll make a perfectly normal meal one day, but then the next day he'll make one of those unhinged recipes you'd find in a vintage 70's cookbook.

Moenbryda: Not the best chef in the realm, but way better than Thancred and the twins. If she practices a recipe enough, she'll eventually get the hang of it — much like when she taught herself how to make cockatrice meatballs for Urianger.

Y'shtola: Got banned from Matoya's kitchen as a child and hasn't been seen cooking since. She also refuses to elaborate on what exactly she did to get herself banned.

G'raha: Has specific dishes he's good at making, but is well aware that he can't bake for shit. Ask him for a sandwich and he'll make you one with just the right amount of each ingredient. Ask him for a cake or a batch of cookies and the kitchen's at risk of going up in flames.

Tataru: A very talented culinarian. She and Morgana love to make food together — especially baked goods and sweets to share with their friends and Scion colleagues.

Krile: Doesn't cook much, but she's not too bad at it. She's memorized a handful of good recipes that she used to enjoy with her grandfather and other Students of Baldesion.

Estinien: People who don't know him well jump to the conclusion that he can't cook at all. But he's actually quite competent, especially compared to several other Scions. He learned from childhood how to build a fire and cook over an open flame, and while his skills in the kitchen aren't perfect, he can follow a recipe and make something at least decent.

Ysayle: Thinks she's not a very good cook, but actually isn't that bad. She was genuinely surprised when her soup was complimented during the journey to speak with Hraesvelgr, and once she gets a new start with the Scions, she asks Morgana to help her recreate some recipes her family used to make before the Calamity.

[amoebaforce]

You're doing the Twelve's work over here. How would you like the Scions (plus Emet 🫣) with a restless WoL who copes with the stress and loses of their trade by doing even more work?

aw thank you, friend!

here's the main Scions + Emet, but let me know if you'd like a part two with the rest of the crew. enjoy! :D

characters featured: Thancred Waters, Y'shtola Rhul, Urianger Augerelt, Alphinaud + Alisaie Leveilleur, Emet-Selch tags: very light angst, WoL is stressed, gn!WoL

Thancred stands in the doorway of the WoL's room, arms crossed, watching them scribble away at a stack of paperwork. It's after midnight, and the Rising Stones is dead quiet.

"You're doing it again," he says. The noise startles the Warrior; they whirl around, knocking pens and parchment all over the floor. They start to deny his claim, but it's no use. They've been caught red-handed, working after saying they were headed to bed. Again. But Thancred isn't angry. His expression is gentle, his eyes betraying the empathy within.

"Can't sleep?" he asks. The Warrior shakes their head, sheepish. Thancred sighs. "Me neither."

The gunbreaker steps inside and closes the door behind him. He stalks to a chair, picking up a half-done field report on the way. Thancred sits. He hands the paper back to the WoL, careful not to smudge the still-wet ink.

"Pass me a quill," he says. "We can get more done if we work together."

***

Y'shtola finds the WoL in the common room long after dark. They're so buried in their research, they don't even hear her come in. She takes advantage of the moment to examine her friend. Their brow is furrowed, neck bent, bottom lip caught between their teeth as they focus on the page in front of them. A look of pure, unyielding dedication.

Y'shtola's lips curl into a half-smile. She's spent uncounted hours in the same position. She knows precisely how stiff their neck will be as soon as they lift their head. Knows precisely what will help.

The mage breezes toward the kitchenette, where a kettle full of water sits ready to be boiled. It isn't until the steam begins to hiss that the WoL realizes they aren't alone. Their ears perk up; when their eyes meet Y'shtola's, they give her a grimace that's half-apology, half-commiseration. She just chuckles, knowing and gentle. With a mug in each hand, she settles into the couch beside them.

"Here," she says. "You'll need tea."

***

Urianger walks past the meeting room door and stops dead in his tracks. The Scions' discussion of battle tactics ended hours ago, but the Warrior of Light still sits in their chair, hunched over the plans. He studies them for a moment, noting the knit of their brow, before he clears his throat. The Warrior snaps their head up, spell of concentration broken.

"I'm sorry," they begin, hurrying to gather their things. "If you need the room, I can-"

"I have no need of it," Urianger says. "I was merely surprised to find it occupied." A pause stretches between them. The words he wants to say clang through his head, but he swallows them. Instead, he smiles. "Say, Mistress Taru has just returned from her visit with Master Hancock. Would it trouble you to accompany me to the airship dock? I believe she promised everyone a souvenir ere she departed, and t'would be a shame if you did not get first pick."

The Warrior laughs, shoulders going lax as they close the folder before them. Urianger laughs, too, having perfectly executed his rouse. The souvenirs are real enough -- but the sunshine and fresh air they will get on the walk to retrieve them was the real goal.

***

Alphinaud and Alisaie may have their differences, but at the end of the day, they're still twins. Their minds work very similarly at times -- especially when it comes to their friends. They've both noticed the WoL's habit of overworking themselves, and they've decided to combat it together. Strength in numbers and all that.

Alphinaud takes point. He's the one who interrupts the Warrior at work, usually under the guise of needing a favor from them. "I hate to ask when you're busy... But can you please deliver this note to someone?" or "Will you please check in on this order we placed?"

Of course, the WoL never says no to him. That's where Alisaie comes in. She's lying in wait, hiding somewhere along the path the WoL will need to take to complete their task, and when the moment is right, the ambush is enacted. "Oh, fancy seeing you here!" she calls. They exchange greetings. Pleasantries. Alisaie asks what the WoL is up to, and, upon hearing it's some boring, menial favor for her brother, convinces the WoL to hang out with her instead.

"That note can wait an hour or two," she insists. "Why don't we explore these ruins on the way? Why don't we stop for tea, or pastries, or candy? Alphinaud will never know! And besides, you look like you could use some fun!"

The WoL figured out the game after the second time it happened. They'll never admit that, though. It's much more fun to play along.

***

Emet-Selch can't stand it. The way the Warrior promises to take a break from work, to prioritize their health and sanity, only to break their word. Every. Time. And tonight, he's had enough. The Ascian storms into the WoL's study, ignoring their cry of surprise as he takes them by the shoulders and lifts them from their chair.

"If you won't listen to reason," Emet tells them through his teeth, "then you will have to be forced."

He drags the Warrior to the kitchen table, plants them at its head. The look in Emet's eyes is terrifying enough to glue them in place, heart thudding as they watch the Ascian stomp about the room. He gathers quite a random assortment of foods: two kinds of fruit, half a head of cabbage, mystery-meat jerky, a pint of dhalmel milk, a slice of someone's leftover pie (which he'd have to apologize for tomorrow). Emet shoves the pile toward them.

"Do you have any idea how long it's been since you've eaten?" he seethes. The WoL doesn't get the chance to answer. "Seventeen hours. You're not even supposed to be awake that long, let alone hungry!"

"Emet-" the Warrior tries, but it's no use.

"Spare me your apologies! I am not interested in the slightest. You have plenty of options before you -- choose one and occupy your mouth with it, instead."

They stare at him dumbfounded. Defeated. A growl of their stomach punctuates the silence. With a sigh, the Warrior resigns themselves to their fate and pulls the pie-slice toward them.

"I'll need a fork," they say. Emet scoffs, but the utensil manifests, anyway.

[plounce]

ryne as the personification of the first

emet-selch goes on about how the source is the only shard that really matters, that the other shards are dimmer and of less value, that the shards are meant to be sacrificed for the sake of being rejoined to the source, blah blah blah (with the source and its current peoples eventually being de facto sacrificed to bring the ancient world back to an unsundered state) (all of this to foil hydaelyn, whose major aetherial aspect is light)

ryne is one in a century-long line of little girls who were valued only for their ability to channel the source's minfilia, being subsumed by her soul and then dying horribly in a neverending war against the light. minfilia explicitly compares herself to an ascian when explaining the situation to thancred (one of the most underrated bonkers lines in shb, imo)! the sacrifice of one person's individuality is worth the contribution to the larger crusade... but also because those with more power in the situation want the person THEY loved to return to them (see also: gaia).

but despite being told she's weak and would be better off giving in to her fate (either directly by ran'jit, or indirectly via neglect by thancred's bad parenting), ryne values the free, colorful, unique life she has lived and the love she has created with the people around her. even though all of it is difficult! even if it hurts! even if she has to struggle against sin eaters, even if she is pursued by an entire nation-state, even if her guardian hadn't gotten to the end of his character arc yet! it sucks, but she isn't going to go gently into that good light, even if it would be the more "practical" and "effective" path to take (see: the ancients summoning zodiark). she struggles forward, because she wants to keep living and keep struggling and keep growing. she started out never knowing a room beyond her cell, barely knowing anything except that she was doomed. but she worked and she learned and she struggled and in the end she chose to survive. ryne chooses to fight for her own right to live.

the first already had their apocalypse. 90% of the entire planet was destroyed. they are confined by giant walls of light. light is the aspect of stagnancy. eulmore has given up - to quote gaia, the past and future don't matter, it's only the present. giant monsters ravage the countryside! you have to watch your loved ones mutate into those monsters before your eyes, and often have to put them down yourself! the old world and its nation-states have been wiped away, leaving often fragmented and murky histories behind. the ecology got all fucked up, and i can't imagine the world being euled by stagnation is great for the birthrate. it's bleak as hell! but people keep living and adapting. we arrive on a first that has created new cultures and communities. it is not by clinging to the past and trying to restore the kingdoms of voeburt and nabaath araeng that the first survived: the first survived because it journeyed on into the future. "where one world ends does a new begin", etc

the exarch brought the scions to the first for a reason. only by saving the first can we save the source. but that isn't the only reason we fight to help the first, and honestly not even the primary reason: we help the first because we meet the people there and we care about them (see: the 5.3 dungeon, with all the npcs we met coming to help us). we help ryne not because we want access to her powers: we help her because she is a vulnerable child who needs our help. if ryne did not choose to live, if she chose to die to give us access to full oracle powers, shadowbringers would have veered into a gutting pyrrhic victory rather than the bittersweet one that it already is. ryne is the future. live for the future, even if it doesn't seem as "good" as what you idealize the past as, and struggle onward.

thancred gets to live past his fight with ran'jit because he has to welcome ryne back and tell her he loves her and that he's glad she's herself. that's his character arc. that's the narrative. he defeats the poison of nostalgia, he and ryne both live and get the chance to improve their relationship, and they work together to defeat the ultimate nostalgia-driven, grief-ruled monster, emet-selch.

(side note: fascism as an ideology is hugely driven by the belief that society should "return" to its "purest" "best" form. emet-selch invented fascism in garlemald. he uses a lot of fascist rhetoric to justify his actions. ffxiv's insistence that you must move past nostalgia and move on into the future goes hand in hand with its antifascist themes)

and in the end, ryne has to stay on the first while her family has to leave her. it's a bittersweet end to her coming of age story, but she uses the tools giving to her by her predecessors and loved ones to fight for her and her loved ones' futures (see: end of eden). it will be hard for her moving forward, but she has already conquered the excruciatingly struggle of choosing to want to live when it seemed like the whole world was telling her she's better off doomed. it'll be sad, and it'll be hard, but she'll be okay.

[95jezzica]

Additional Scion Jobs

Long title: Additional Classes & Jobs I think would suit/have suited the Scions. 👀 (And no, I'm not gonna cheat and put Scholar on all of them, although in some case it would actually fit).

[Sorry in advance, the European FFXIV servers went down and they didn't bother to get them up again before the planned maintenance in a few hours, SO this accidentally became a long one post of thoughts, so I'm putting it below 'Read More']. 😂

So. Additional Classes & Jobs I think would have suited the Scions.

Minfilia Warde: White Mage. 🌟 I always wished for her to get something more to fight back with - and White Mage would fit her with the themes of seeking peace, harmony and wanting to support her friends. Seeing as Minfillia spends most of ARR stuck back in the HQ overseeing their operations it'd also make sense to make her a Healer who can take care of her returning comrades once they come back from their missions. Minor spoilers for HW/Shadowbringers, but her being White Mage could also further explain her connections and deeds later on in the game. Though there's a lot of memes about White Mage being a "green DPS" I think she'd be more focused on the healing part.

Tataru Taru: I was about to jokingly say Machinist to give her a gun, but jokes aside I'd give her the class/job Botanist. 🌼 Tataru not being a fighter but still wanting to help is kind of a plot-point within the game, and so I shall abide by the rules. (Though I suppose her being an Arcanist can still be considered canon considering the blue quests in Stormblood?). At any rate I think she'd fit well as a Botanist. Not only would it give her a way to Sneak around, but it'd also help her Gather the resources she or her friends need. As her only listed canon class is Weaver on the wiki, I'm also tempted to add Leatherworker and Culinarian into the list, seeing as we do have some moments where she already works on these even if they're not listed as canon classes (yet?).

Y'shtola "Master of Destruction" Rhul: Summoner. 🔥 No one can deny Y'Shtola is a master of magic. With Conjurer & Black Mage already under her belt it should come to no surprise I think she would continue with a similar line of study, and because of this I think she'd be perfect as Summoner. We COULD technically argue Arcanist/Summoner is semi-canon considering her past studies, but since it's not listed as one of her canon classes/jobs I shall not count it as one either, because the job is too perfect for her to ignore. Additionally I could see her pick up Blue Mage for the challenge it'd give her, even if it wouldn't be a main-job she'd use in world-deciding battles.

Lyse Hext: Dancer (and/or Monk?). 💃🏽 I was admittedly surprised Lyse's only canon listed class/job on the Wiki is Pugilist, and I honestly can't remember if Lyse ever got to upgrade to Monk, but I could have sworn she got the Dancer? Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but either way I think she'd fit well with the Dancer job. She has always been light on her feet and being Dancer would also give her a ranged class to complement Pugilist/Monk, which is very close-ranged.

Papalymo Totolymo: I'd say Sage, after much consideration. 🛡 He was a difficult one to decide on though, but in the end I think it's the one who would make the most sense for him given the lore of Sage being a Sharlayan job difficult to master. It's also canon Papalymo studied the arcane for most of his life, so it'd make sense to give him something related to magic outside of him being a Thaumaturge. That, and I don't feel like he'd fit as a Scholar (the job), Astrologian, Summoner, Red Mage or Pictomancer. I could give a maybe to White Mage, but that's a MAYbe.

Thancred Waters: 🔫 Machinist was obviously my first thought, because hey, canon Gunbreaker already - but given his past as both Gladiator & Rogue he also has a lot of potential as Dark Knight and/or Viper, all which I feel would fit him well. Since he's already a tank with Gunbreaker I'd say Thancred getting Machinist and Viper would be the most useful for him though, and would let him use his experience at the same time as giving him better DPS stats. 🔪

Urianger Augurelt: Scholar, to the surprise of absolutely no one. 😂 xD Listen, if any of the scions deserves the Scholar job, it's him - and it'd be especially fitting for Shadowbringers and give additional reason(s) as to how and why he was able to get along so well with the fae. 🍄 Perhaps a little more surprising is instead that I think he'd also do well as a Reaper. Urianger has proven again and again he does what's necessary to save those he cares about, even at the risk of earning their scorn, and since he's already a canon Astrologian with Scholar added to the list from me Reaper is a good way to balance him out a bit to not only be focused on the healing jobs. 👻 Especially since there's already so many Scions who are Thaumaturge and/or Black Mages and I can't really imagine him taking on a job as a tank. Even with his character development I wouldn't say he enjoys being the center of attention.

Alphinaud Leveilleur: I so badly want to give him a DPS job, but tbh I don't think he'd really fit as any of them? As previous Arcanist and nowadays Scholar/Sage I could simply give him Summoner and be done with it, but it'd be kind of ironic to see him running around summoning a mini-Bahamut. If hard-pressed I'd give him Pictomancer instead, which would be a fun nod to Shadowbringers/Endwalkers as well, but it doesn't feel like a perfect fit either. 🖌 Tbh the perfect job for him would be a tank focused on magic with magical shields and the likes, and to this day I badly wish FFXIV will introduce one in the future. Sadly I think it might be difficult for them to make it different enough from Sage, so Idk if I'll ever get my wish come true.

Alisaie Leveilleur: Gunbreaker. 🔫 / "Jezzica, WHY!???" / Okay, so admittedly part of it is because it'd be hilarious to see her run around with a big gun, but given her personality a job as a tank would actually suit her very well and make her tanky enough to actually continue to stand in the aoe without moving. 🔫 Alisaie is not the healer in a battle, but doesn't mind helping out with healing outside of it. She's loud, honest, and loves being in the middle of it all. Additionally Alisaie has always been the most outspoken about how everyone is relying too much on you (the WoL). Her being a tank fits her personality really well, and quite frankly I think she would quickly become a Dark Knight if you (the WoL) ever died within the game. Given the fact Alisaie is already a Red Mage she also has potential as a Viper, but at the current time I still think Gunbreaker would fit her the best as an additional class/job.

Krile Baldesion: Another difficult one, but I'd probably give her Dancer based on vibes alone from the DT-trailer(s) and her already being a canon healer and Pictomancer. 💃🏽 She's a difficult one though, because I haven't spent as much time with her in the game yet.

Estinien "Wyrmblood" Varlineau: Defeating dragons was his entire life for so long that I think he'd struggle to be anything but a Dragoon even if he has another purpose now. 🐲 The fact that he was basically raised by the former Azure Dragoon after being orphaned wouldn't have made it easier to introduce Estinien to another job either. 🐉 Part of me wanted to put Estinien's additional job as a Dark Knight ⚔ , but tbh he's more of a "attack is the best defense" kind of guy, and he's more driven by attacking the problem than defending those behind him. 🪓 He could potentially fit well as a Warrior, but then he'd probably be a "one-man army" kind of Warrior who forgets to turn on his stance. 😂 Anyway, in all likelyhood I think Estinien would aim for another DPS if he had to add another job, and amongst those I think Reaper might actually be the best fit. Purely physically he could do a good job as Pugilist as well, but I have a hard time imagining him go around unlocking chakra(s) and/or later upgrading to Monk. x)

G'Raha Tia: 🐱 Jack of All Trades, Master of None, is yet always better than Master of One. With that said I think we can all agree that adding Summoner to his list of already many jobs is too perfect to ignore. 😂 With Archer/Black Mage/Paladin/White Mage already under his belt we probably shouldn't add more to his big list after that though. 😂 xD

[thescions]

LIGHT THE WAY.

It was likely due to how high emotions ran throughout Ultima Thule, but nearly all of them had completely forgotten about the teleportation devices. The Warrior of Light, however, had not.

"What -- what happened?" G'raha Tia's voice was bewildered and groggy. One moment, they had all been lifted off their feet and hurled into the abyss -- the next, they were on the bridge of Ragnarok, surrounded by all manner of equally bewildered Lopporits.

"The teleportation devices!" Livingway exclaimed. "I can't believe you really had to use them! Although, where is --?"

"They threw it away!" Alisaie sobbed. She had only just managed to push herself up into a sitting position, her eyes red. "I saw them -- they hit the button and, and --!! "

"And made sure we were safe," Alphinaud finished. His tone was bittersweet: shame at being unable to stay with the Warrior of Light to the end, but acceptance of their gesture. After all, hadn't they all made similar sacrifices while in Ultima Thule?

He wanted to stand. He wanted to return to his friend's side, but there was an unspoken truth that all of them knew: the path to the Endsinger's nest was likely no longer accessible. Even if they did make it all the way back there, it would need to be done at a full, constant sprint. None of them were in condition to do any of that.

"Well," Livingway said after a moment, noticing the heavy atmosphere. "It's good to know that the devices worked at all. And... well, our friend is known for felling gods of all kinds already, aren't they? There's not quite any reason to assume the worst. Yet." She glanced at the monitors as if to double-check. Nope. No catasrophe just yet!

Although, as if on cue, the Ragnarok and all of Ultima Thule seemed to tremble and shake. The monitors blared red and alarms went off -- but only for a moment. Still, something had changed, and the Lopporits were suddenly very preoccupied with the ship's systems.

Alisaie bit back a sob, a balled fist slamming into the floor in frustration. Thancred was silent, calculating just how pointless it might be to try and make their way back towards the nest. Estinien was forcing himself to stand, driven by the discomfort of feeling so helpless. G'raha Tia was torn between his faith in the Warrior of Light and his own dreadful anxieties. Urianger was alarmed but trying to place his focus elsewhere, glancing at the others to see if they needed healing themselves. And when Alphinaud looked to Y'shtola, he found the sorceress' brow furrowed in thought, as if trying to rapidly solve yet another riddle of the universe.

Suddenly, she turned to Thancred and Urianger.

"This domain is ruled by dynamis, is it not?" she confirmed.

Thancred perked up, his own mental wheels spinning. Urianger affirmed, "That is correct."

"Louisiox." Thancred leapt ahead in logic, catching up to Y'shtola's conclusion.

"What?" Alisaie looked up. Estinien waited, because he was equally confused. "What about grandfather?"

"Of course!" G'raha Tia leapt in, ready to fill in the gaps for the others. "In a place so where reality is dictated by emotions, our prayers could help them! Like the prayers that helped deliver Eorzea from Bahamut!"

"Well, why didn't you just say that?!" Alisaie demanded. Shaking her head, she sat upright and clapsed her hands together. "If this is all we can do...!"

"Aye," Alphinaud curled his fist and closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his ears as his comrades did the same. "We'll do everything in our power."

LIGHT THE WAY!

-- After what felt like an agonizing couple of minutes, the silence so tense one could slice through it, there was a shift in the world around them. And then, a voice:

"They felt your words. And so did I."

Thancred reacted first, gunblade drawn despite how he stood on somewhat shaky legs. Meteion, looking apologetic and lighter and brighter in hues of sky blue, did not flinch.

"There is nothing I can do or say to make up for the horrors that my sisters and I have brought upon the world, nor any of you. But take heart in knowing that the Warrior of Light has won, and our song has ended. I have walked a path for them to follow back to you."

Before anyone else could react, she was gone, fading with a soft gigle and wave goodbye.

G'raha Tia reacted first, relief rushing through him as he just barely caught himself from collapsing onto the floor.

"They're safe," he sighed, arms trembling. "Oh thank the Twelve."

"Yes...if Meteion is to be trusted," Y'shtola commented, although she, too, was smiling.

"My thoughts exactly." Estinien had pushed himself up to lean against the wall. "That girl appeared out of thin air. I see no path upon which our friend could walk."

"But they won," Alisaie insisted, relief also drowning her features. "They won -- I can feel it. Can't you?" She looked to Alphinaud, who nodded slowly.

"I do feel a certain weight off my chest has been lifted," he agreed. "For now, let's operate under the information given to us until we have reason to prove otherwise."

Urianger rose.

"If that be the case, then our friend will like want for healing," he stated. "I shall head to the Lopporits' infirmary to retrieve any additional medical supplies that may be needed."

"I'll help," Thancred offered, finally putting his gunblade away. A quick glance exchanged with Estinien communicated his faith in the Dragoon to assist if Meteion suddenly decided to have a change of heart while he was gone.

Y'shtola, in the meantime, was looking around -- trying to seek out what path Meteion may have conjured up for their friend to take. She couldn't see anything, but the world outside of the ship did seem to feel less oppressive...

--

A few minutes passed. Thancred and Urianger returned with the supplies. Livingway and a few other Lopporits excused themselves to check on the rest of the ship, as they presumed they would be returning to Eitheryis regardless. Alphinaud lingered by the windows, trying to discern a difference between Ultima Thule now and how it had been an hour ago.

Nobody spoke for a long time, until finally, Alisaie burst:

"Where are they? Didn't Meteion say they'd be right behind her?" She stood up, hands clenching and unclenching as anxiety wracked her petite form.

"Alisaie..." Alphinaud frowned, trying to reach for her. She shrugged him off.

"I don't want to hear it, Alphinaud! We're all worried! And we're allowed to be!" she snapped. Her anger quickly gave way to tears, which she rubbed away in frustration. "After everything -- after all we did, after all they've done -- why aren't they here?!"

Urianger spoke up. "Mayhap the journey requires one to traverse the length of Ultima Thule," he suggested, although his doubts were clear in his tone. "If that be the case, it may yet be awhile…"

He looked to Y'shtola, as if she could confirm. She merely shook her head. Out of all of them, she appeared to be the most content to wait. Estinien, too, remained quiet and withdrawn. Although, that was more due to his feeling the least included in the Scions, who had been together for far longer than he.

"It won't do any of us good to get worked up," Thancred said in agreement after a moment, placing a comforting hand on Urianger's shoulder briefly. As if he wasn't contemplating grabbing Meteion if she returned once more. As if he wasn't also contemplating heading out into Ultima Thule again himself. "We'll wait. And see."

G'raha Tia, in the meantime, swayed on his feet. He could feel Y'shtola's gaze on his back, watching him -- or perhaps warning him against suddenly collapsing. He wasn't going to, although he did feel clammy and lightheaded. He couldn't possibly make this moment about him when they were all waiting for the Warrior of Light's return.

Still -- They had won. They had won the day, just as they had in the First, so why...?

Where were they?

"Um, Meteion?" he called out suddenly into the nothingness, drawing everyone's attention. "If you're still there, somewhere -- could you possibly tell us how far our friend is away right now?"

He was met with silence, of course. Meteion wasn't there anymore. She wasn't anywhere.

Alisaie let out a scream of frustration, "I can't take this anymore! I'm going out to look for them!"

Alphinaud winced. Part of him wanted to stop her, but then he wondered why. Why wouldn't they go searching? What would be so bad if they tried?

"I'll go with you," he started.

But then there was a flash -- a brief burst of light, and the sound of a body settling against the floor. The Warrior of Light had returned: bruised, bloody, and still. The next few moments erupted into emotional and physical chaos.

But they were back.

[autumnslance]

Search, Tags, and Tumblr

Tumblr's search functions are notoriously weird, but there's a few common things to know about how it works in conjunction with Tagging. First things first:

-Tags are for searching but also personal blog organization as desired. This is why some folks have weird/funny personal use tags. Tags can use dashes and spaces, but not regular double quote marks ("), though single marks are fine (').

-Tag for what's in the post; adding other, unrelated tags "for visibility" is against Tumblr's TOS and gets you reported for Spam!

Example: if you make a post for your new Clive Rosfield screenshots, make sure you're only tagging terms relevant to Final Fantasy XVI and Clive Rosfield (and any personal organizing tags like "screenshots"); don't add tags like "Star Wars" and "SpongeBob", as Clive has nothing to do with those!

-Tag without censoring words! We use filters/blacklists here to avoid things we don't want to see. Can also work for words in the body of a post. There's no rules here against using "kill" or "death" or other terms defining common human experiences determined "too negative/dangerous" on other sites (stay civil to each other).

-If you do alt-spell things, it's only in the body of a post and usually when it's dislike of a fandom thing as a courtesy to those enjoyers. If I make a shipping post and say, for example, "I can't stand R3y|o", that's when I want to use weird spelling and symbols--and no common tags for that fandom! If you do use tags for organizing, keep it to things like "#anti (thing) or "#(thing) critical", again spelled correctly for others' blacklisting purposes and to keep it out of the Reylo Search and Tags so those fans can enjoy their ship without seeing negativity. Because...

-General Search pulls from Tags and Also terms found in the body of a post. If I just put "Thancred" in the Search bar at the top of the page, it'll show me any and all posts with "Thancred" in them, including 1) if the name is in the body of the post, 2) if the name is in a tag that's a sentence/includes other words, and 3) even if not tagged for Thancred.

This caused some wank a couple years back for certain fans when someone tagged a lascivious picture set with what they knew was a triggery NOTP for many...but they also put the characters' names in the post body, not realizing simply searching for either of those characters would pull it up (They also, IMO, should have put the images under a Read More to be doubly safe, for themselves and for others they knew might be upset stumbling onto said images, but the crux was not realizing how Tumblr Search worked).

-Tag Search specifically pulls from the tags; per Tumblr's info pages, the first 20 tags (out of 30 total allowed) now will show up in search. Common, consistent tags first are good for visibility. You can also Follow tags you want to keep track of; there's even a tab on your Dash for it.

-Reblogs do not show up in the searches, even with additions and new notes. However, a blacklist filter will catch tags put on the original post, even if the reblogger doesn't add it when it ends up on your Dash.

-You can also blacklist blog names/URLs. Think of it like Twitter's muting rather than a full block (though one can do that too, and should as needed).

Example: someone following Seanan McGuire doesn't like frogs, but she reblogs a lot of frogs. The follower blocked and blacklisted the blogs she often reblogs frogs from to minimize the number of frogs they see while still following a favorite author for her book info.

-If people ask you to tag a thing cuz it's a squick or full-on trigger, you can just do it, or you can politely say no; that's valid. It's up to that person then to decide if they want to blacklist or unfollow or block or what. Just be civil either and both ways.

In summary: if you're talking about bunnies cuz you took pictures at the local farm show, just write "bunnies" normally in the body and/or tags of the post, so anyone with "bunnies" blacklisted can avoid it--and folks who want to see cute pics of bunnies can find it!

Even if you use proper tags, or no tags, or only use alternate spellings in the post body to keep things out of the tags/searches, consider still using a Read More as a last line of courtesy to any followers or random folks you don't want to catch in the crossfire. Also consider hiding your blog from Search results, and/or Private posts.

Tumblr's Help Center (On Desktop browser, go to the "About" link, and then the "Resources" menu; on Mobile App, go to Account settings, General settings, scroll down to "Help" under "Account") has further info about Searches and Tagging (and everything else!), and as that info changes, it's a good idea to keep track of those page updates, as well as the @changes blog to keep track of new updates, bugs, recent fixes, and upcoming info.

[trustinsighters]

Dungeon Dialogue: The Antitower

Pleroma #1 (X: 4.9, Y: 14.5) - Aetherial Path

Poroggo Rivertamer #1: Ribbit? Intruders!? Y’shtola: An aetherial path... No simple thing to create. 　↳ Thancred: ...Let's keep moving. Poroggo Rivertamer #2: None shall pass, ribbit!

Pleroma #2 (X: 3.9, Y: 10.0) - Antitower in sight

Alphinaud: By the Twelve, it's literally upside down! 　↳ Y’shtola: The aether is so dense as to be blinding. Poroggo Rivertamer #3: To arms, ribbit! To arms! Poroggo Rivertamer #3: At last, a challenge! <croak>

First Boss, Before engaging (X: 3.9, Y: 6.5) - Zuro Roggo

Alphinaud: Good gods, what an enormous poroggo! 　↳ Thancred: They must provide excellent board here.

First Boss, During the fight (X: 3.9, Y: 6.5) - Zuro Roggo

Zuro Roggo: Croaaak! Who dares approach the tower!? Ones with ears to listen!? How wonderful! Zuro Roggo: Me may mah mo, me mo ma me～♪ Zuro Roggo: Someday we'll find it, the─<croak>─connection～♪e may mah mo, me mo ma me～♪ Poroggo Choirtoad: The lovers～♪ Poroggo Choirtoad: The dreamers～♪ Zuro Roggo: And meeeeee!♪

First Boss, After defeating (X: 3.9, Y: 6.5) - Zuro Roggo

Zuro Roggo: It's...it's not easy being... <croak> Alphinaud: I pray I never hear that song again... 　↳ Thancred: Right, into the aether we go.

The Lowe Reaches #1 (X: 16.0, Y: 15.8) - Aetherial Sea Shore #1

Thancred: Is this it, then? The aetherial sea? 　↳ Y’shtola: This is the shore, you might say. Spriggan Doorkeeper #1: Open doooooors, kill you deaaaaaad! Spriggan Doorkeeper #1: Go away! Faaaaaar away!

The Lower Reaches #2 (X: 13.8, Y: 14.0) - Aetherial Sea Shore #2

Spriggan Doorkeeper #2: Not shiny! Not pretty! Do not want! Do not need! Alphinaud: More homunculi! 　↳ Thancred: We'll deal with them like the rest. Spriggan Doorkeeper #2: Pretty tower! Our tower! All for us! Not for you!

Second Boss, Before engaging (X: 14.5, Y: 13.9) - Ziggy

Alphinaud: All these spriggans here... 　↳ Y’shtola: I imagine they were drawn to the crystals.

Second Boss, During the fight (X: 14.5, Y: 13.9) - Ziggy

Ziggy: Ziggy save everyone! Ziggy heeeeeero! Ziggy: Ziggy boooooom! Ziggy: Ziggy zoooooom! Ziggy: Ziggy biggie pretties time! Ziggy Ziggy hey! Ziggy: Ziggy shoooooom! Ziggy: Ziggy super beam time! Ziggy Ziggy hey! Ziggy: Ziggy pshoooooom! Ziggy: Ziggy doooooom!

Second Boss, After defeating (X: 14.5, Y: 13.9) - Ziggy

Alphinaud: That was tougher than I expected... 　↳ Y’shtola: Come, the lowest level awaits.

The Upper Reaches #1 (X: 13.7, Y: 9.6) - Antitower Interior #1

Alphinaud: Even the candles burn upside down... 　↳ Y’shtola: How very Sharlayan to obsess over useless details.

The Upper Reaches #2 (X: 16.3, Y: 9.6) - Antitower Interior #2

Thancred: Defenses for the innermost sector, eh? 　↳ Alphinaud: Can't lower our guard even for a moment!

Third Boss, Before engaging (X: 16.2, Y: 7.6) - Calcabrina

Alphinaud: Those dolls are the guardians of the viewing chamber? 　↳ Y’shtola: Have care─I sense tremendous power from them!

Third Boss, During the fight (X: 16.2, Y: 7.6) - Calcabrina

Calca & Brina: We'll cut your strings! Calca & Brina: Charging into unknown halls! Calca & Brina: You are mindless cretins! Calca & Brina: Yip-ho-ho!

Third Boss, After defeating (X: 16.2, Y: 7.6) - Calcabrina

Thancred: We've come for you, Minfilia... Alphinaud: So this is the closest point to the aetherial sea...Y’shtola: The aether here is almost too much for my eyes.

The Antitower Dungeon Dialogue Infographic

[ahollowgrave]

Odette & Prudence Shadowbringers adventures: Il Mheg ramblings below! Mostly how the girls feel re the quests that bring us to Il Mheg and the residences of the kingdom!

No one is having a good time. At first.

Odette is still shaking off meeting 'Minfilia' who is but isn't the Minfilia. Her Minfilia. She already does not care for the vibes Thancred has brought - their relationship is very friendly with sibling vibes and they do have words about this. Odette isn't angry with Thancred, obvi, but something needs to change and he's the adult in this situation. I keep thinking I'll write that conversation but the 'he wouldn't fucking say that' of it all. Prudence was pleased to do something. It felt like they've been waiting and waiting and waiting! And to clash with stinky Eulmore?? delightful. When they enter Il Mheg proper her eyes are still shiny from the fight, her fingers still twitching with adrenaline. Sure, they all almost died or, worse, were captured but they weren't so it's fine. The only downside for Prudence is everyone is all in their feelings. Odette and Thancred haven't looked at each other and neither of them are looking at Minfilia, so Prudence spends those early days with her. They don't talk much but Prudence is really only good at being a quiet and steady presence for people. The one time Thancred says something about this duo is when Prudence tries to give Minfilia a cigarette. (It's a big "Do not." which is, frankly, boring and rude.) At first I think Odette finds the pixies and their leafmen a little horrifying. What do you mean they're people just stuck like that!? That can't be good for their souls. But then she takes a breath. She's from the Shroud, she understands non-mortal beings just Being Like That. It's not her job to make them bend to her morals, it wouldn't stick anyway and would only result in heartbreak. Besides that goes against her core purpose. She indulges the Pixies when she can. Prudence is freaked by the pixies, she is uncomfortable and that makes her angry and snappish. Boy. The pixies love to fuck with her. They do not care for her very-loud weapon and so please picture her sprinting through the flower fields of Il Mheg, harried by pixies, waving her gun around because Odette forbade her from firing at the pixies. The Fuath... man. Neither girl enjoys the near-drowning they go through, but thankfully both are blessed and live through it. Prudence is not a very strong swimmer and knowing how the Fuath come to exist makes her a little more fearful of water, especially while on the 1st. Odette is a stronger swimmer. The cutscene following Dohn Mheg, when the scions are searching for Odette and Prudence, Odette stumbles out of the water supporting a panicked Prudence as best she can. They don't talk about this act! Odette isn't gonna bring it up for fear that Prudence is embarrassed and Prudence isn't going to bring it up because she's Prudence. But she finds a way to express gratitude.

When it comes to the No Mou, Odette finds them delightful. They have a similar understanding of the world and what is important. They get along so well, she might as well be one herself! She delights in making sure the work they provide is compensated exactly fairly !! She loves their proxies! She understands the peace and happiness that can come from a life of servitude. Prudence thinks they're annoying and needy and she does NOT enjoy interacting with them but can and they're much better than those pixies, at least, even if they have too many rules for her liking. Of course, they both get along so well with the Amaro. Prudence will always have a soft spot for feathered companions, especially after talking to a few and seeing how well loved their fallen companions were and remain. Odette cannot resist creatures wrapped in grief, and man do I think Amaro cling to grief as an expression of love.

Oh man, and then Odette and Minfilia finally find themselves together. Minfilia tagging along on a mission, Odette realizing how close in age they are and how vast the space between them despite. She doesn't want to make Minfilia feel bad, she knows this girl will never replace her Minfilia. No one ever could. Odette is so familiar with this grief and I think has been better equipped to handle it than her friend Thancred.

It's all timid and awkward conversation until it isn't and then it's just... two girls, taken from their girlhood, turned into weapons. It's good timing for them to bond, because shortly they'll be thrown into the thick of things again. While Odette is battling the King of the Faeries, Prudence is with the other Scions keeping the Eulmore army busy. The one time she and the pixies get along, if only briefly.

[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!!

[wildstar25]

The scions hanging out in the Rising Stones post stormblood. Y'shtola is talking to Tataru and Thancred near the main desk when the door from the tavern creaks open. Before they can even see who it is, Arsay's voice rings out with a cheerful greeting. "Rising Stones ahoy~ Is everyone having a wonderful daaaaaaayAH, Y'shtola, you're up and about! There's something I wish to ask, if you have a moment."

Y'shtola turns to face the on coming Warrior of Light, ready to lend an ear and her expertise. Thancred smirks and leans over to Tataru.

"It appears someone's happy to see our friend." Y'shtola's ears flick back, picking up Thancred's teasing whisper. "I've not once witnessed her tail shoot up like that, have you?"

Tataru replies with a light chuckle, "Now that you mention it, I don't think I have."

Y'shtola shakes her head, "You two clearly need to bolster your observational skills." She glances back at them with a sneer. "Arsay’s tail could be used as veritable dowsing rod for any one of us. In my opinion, It's quite childish for someone in her posi-" Y'shtola cuts her statement short as she notices the very tip of her own tail from the corner of her eye. In an instant the dots connect. They were talking about her. Y'shtola's tail had risen at the sound of Arsay's voice reflexively. How completely and utterly unbecoming of her.

Reprimanding herself will have to come later; with Arsay only a few paces away resolving the current situation was far more important. Y'shtola's tail drops just as fast as it had risen as her sneer turned to glare. "One word... One word and you will both rue the day. Do I make myself clear?" She hisses under breath. Tataru and Thancred both nod furiously as they cover their mouths unable to contain their laughter. Y'shtola could feel her blood pressure rising.

"What's so funny, did I miss a good joke?" Stopping herself barely an ilm away from Y'shtola, Arsay chimes in with a curious smile.

"Yes, a very good one indeed." Thancred manages to spit out a reply between laughs.

"Uh huh!" Tataru wipes a tear from her eyes, "oh that really was something."

"Oooh, tell it again, won't you Y'shtola? I'd love to hear it too." Arsay raises her fists to her chest in anticipation. Which made her all the more confused when Y'shtola spun her around and began pushing her back to the Rising Stone's main door.

"Ignore them, Arsay, they forget themselves. Come, I'll take your question somewhere where the madness can't reach us." Y'shtola marches them away, doing her most to not allow even a hint of anger carry through in her tone.

"Aw c'mon, I wanna know what you said~" Arsay complains as she lets herself be walked out. "Tataru tell me later, okay?" Arsay calls back as they cross the threshold of the scion base.

"They'll do nothing of the sort!" Y'shtola slams the door closed behind them.