#which is like your wol HAS to have this connection with him and if you don’t like it you’re not doing it right

[scionshtola]

i am not really a zenos enjoyer in the sense i think most ppl think of it but i do appreciate what his role does for cori. like i do think it’s neat he looked at them and saw their power and then made up everything about their personality in order to see connection. it’s cool to me that cori gets to be like no, he’s wrong about me. that cori gets to have all this power and still be kind, still not be bloodthirsty in any way, still not want to engage with him. idk i just think it adds a lot!

[picaroroboto]

For the past couple days, I've been unfortunately cursed with thinking about Zenos yae Galvus. I don't even particularly like him - not that I dislike him either, Zenosfuckers you can put your scythes down - but it seems to me like a lot of the fandom either greatly misunderstands him, or doesn't even care to try to understand him, which from an objective standpoint as someone who cares deeply about writing in video games kind of pisses me off. But I'm more pissed about the fact that I'm apparently going to keep thinking about this issue until I actually write a character analysis of him.

Q: "But, what even is there to analyze with him? Isn't he all about wanting to fight the WoL and nothing else?"

Well, you wouldn't be wrong with saying that. That motivation is at the forefront of his character, and even if you look closer, everything about him comes back to either "violence" or "lack of understanding of others". But there are more meaningful sides to his deceptively simple character. That question of meaning is what I really want to look into - what does his character mean, what symbolic or thematic role does he play in this story?

Q: "Better question: why are you posting this on your art blog/Fate meta sideblog?"

Good question, with a stupid answer: I have all of 6 followers on my FF14 sideblog, and around 150 here. Let's go under the cut so they don't have to read a wall of text, unless they want to.

When you look at and compare FF14's villains, you can see a very clear change, no doubts thanks to the change in main writers. ARR Gaius and Thordan are more or less two-bit villains - Gaius's memeable iconic Praetorium speech gives us insight into how fascists try to justify themselves but little into Gaius's actual personality, while all Thordan gets as far as depth of character is an NPC in a sidequest remarking that he wasn't always a bad person and was probably doing what he thought best for his nation. Nidhogg is a little more understandable, since revenge is a relatable motivation to anyone who's been hurt by others. In Stormblood, Zenos and Yotsuyu are both presented as deserving of pity even as they do terrible things. Come Shadowbringers and Endwalker though, the story takes a greater interest on why villains like Emet-Selch and Elidibus do the things they do, and the player is allowed more options to try to understand them and see how similar they are to the WoL. Hell, Hermes and the Endsinger are barely "villains" at all, with the level of sympathy the story shows them.

What I'm getting to here is that Zenos, with half his arc in Stormblood and the rest in Endwalker, is sort of caught in the middle of this shift. He played the role of the rival character in Stormblood really well, but come Endwalker, he's standing on a stage full of heroes and villains with grand causes and deep motivations, as the guy whose sole motivation is fighting for pleasure.

It seems he's not unaware of this contrast himself - when Jullus confronts him for ruining Garlemald for no good reason, he retorts with "Would you be happier had I a good reason?" Zenos makes no attempt to justify his own actions and doesn't care that his reason seems incomprehensible and unforgivable to others. Yet in that same cutscene Alisaie hits him with the fact that if he keeps living solely for pleasure, he'll die alone. When next we see Zenos, he's alone at the Royal Menagerie waxing philosophical about what he really sought in the battle with the WoL.

See, what really motivates Zenos isn't just the thrill of battle - this guy has gotten Battle High and the joy of human connection confused. Really.

Even before he gets so perturbed by the idea of dying alone, there's other suggestions, like his proposal of friendship to the WoL when they fought in Stormblood, and then later his dying words in which he explains that he never understood others - at his core, he's just lonely. I know there's an official side story that tells it, but you don't need to know the exact details to glean that he had some sort of tragic backstory. Sad, but not a surprise, considering he's the prince of the Garlean Empire, raised to take the throne and continue the Empire's legacy of violence.

At his core, he's a very lonely person, but also a thing of violence, raised using violent methods for the purpose of causing more violence. Violence is how he lives and breathes - the only way he gets any sort of connection with others in a world of hurting and being hurt is the brief connection warriors dueling as equals can sometimes find. Don't deny that this sort of connection exists - FF14 is great at making fights that are both fun and tell a story. Hence, why he goes crazy for the WoL, but also refers to them as "friend". In their fights, he senses (or thinks he senses) similarity between him and them. Beneath all the madness is a pure, genuine joy in seeing the self reflected in the other...but he also instantly gets on the train to projection-town, population Zenos, and assumes the WoL is exactly like him, ignoring or failing to notice that they also fight for deeper meanings. The worst part is, he doesn't even notice that what he's actually seeking in fighting them is connection until Alisaie's aforementioned callout.

So he goes and angsts for a while, then turns into a dragon again and flies across the universe to help us kick the Endsinger's tail feathers, then issues his challenge for that duel he'd been longing for. But what's changed is that he starts with a question - "Such pleasures you sought for their own sake, and for no other reason, is that not so?". Dying after the duel, he's full of questions too: "Was your life a gift or a burden? Did you find fulfillment?" Alisaie's suggestion that he'd die alone actually spurred him to realize what he actually sought in the WoL, and now he's asking all these questions in an attempt to, for the first time in his life, genuinely connect with another human being.

The questions aren't important just because they're a sign of how Zenos has changed in Endwalker - they're actually the thematic heart of Endwalker! ARR may have had "Answers" as it's theme, but EW is the expac of questions. Namely the biggest question of all: What is the meaning of life? Different characters have different answers to that, leading to the grand-scale symbolic conflict being the Endsinger's despair - her belief that there is no meaning in life - versus whatever reasons the WoL chooses to live for, left, as always, up to player interpretation.

When you look deeper, Zenos isn't actually as out-of-place in the symbolic conflict as he first seems. His depressed worldview - that metaphor about drowning in a swamp again - seems to align with the Endsinger's view about life being meaningless. But he aids the WoL in defeating her. In that way he serves as part of the answer to her question about the meaning of life. He may have resented life at times, but he still found meaning in chasing pleasure. Not the strongest or most beautiful reason to deny oblivion, perhaps, but it did enable him to help the WoL triumph. I think of Zenos's philosophy as being connected to the concept of "Amor Fati"...largely because this quote explaining it sounds like something he'd say, or at least agree with on some level:

"and if our soul has trembled with happiness and sounded like a harp string just once, all eternity was needed to produce this one event—and in this single moment of affirmation all eternity was called good, redeemed, justified, and affirmed."

So he does have a meaningful role in Endwalker, as the "Amor Fati" against the Endsinger's "Memento Mori". I think that in this the story shows that his reason for living, while somewhat shallow, is not necessarily a morally wrong thing in and of itself (setting aside for a second all the people he hurt in his pursuit of that). It's just that, since it is a lonely pursuit that denies everything except for his target, it still feels empty. The core of the counterargument against the Endsinger's despair is that both pleasure and fulfillment are necessary to live a meaningful life in a meaningless universe, and that's why Zenos is here in Endwalker. Why he even exists in the story in the first place.

Even if you're one of the people who deeply hates Zenos...well, you probably wouldn't have read this whole thing if you did, but I still think it's important to read into characters you dislike, because every character in a story is written for a reason. Plus, trying to understand even their worst enemies is one of the WoL's key traits as of ShB and EW. With his last breaths, Zenos was trying to understand the WoL too - carrying this understanding of him with you as we move into our next adventures is the least you can do for your "friend".

[autumnslance]

Heya

I always like your analysis/view of characters and the Story so I would like to ask you something.

Yesterday I talked with a friend about how I kinda miss Lyse, and than I got the idea that she and Wuk Lamat would probably get along quite well.

Lyse wasn't prepared to step up on the role she has now while. Wuk Lamat is young and "lively" as Lyse, but she had a chance to grow and learn about her upcoming role as a leader of the nation during our journey with her. So I think these two would have some interesting conversations and might learn from another.

I hope, that in future patches, we get a meeting of all the Leaders interacting with another now that we have Thavnaier, Tuliyolal and Garlemald new to the table.

Do you have an opinion on this? Especially since your understanding of SB and it's characters is deeper than mine.

Oh heck you got me rambling about Lyse and Wuk Lamat, so this is going under a cut. Spoilers for Dawntrail 7.0 MSQ and everything leading to it.

I've seen a lot of comparisons between Lyse and Wuk Lamat, being young, energetic women whose stories involved a lot of growth into leaders. How they get there is different, and I do think the writers learned from how they framed Lyse's story, and how Wuk Lamat's needed to be different even if there are ways they are similar.

Lyse spent years hiding from herself and her grief, happy to let Papalymo be "in charge" for the most part (though I noted he deferred to her when it came to actually interacting with and understanding the Sylphs and Moogles, and probably other people in the Twelveswood, as "patient" and "personable" weren't exactly his best traits). Lyse was also the person who noticed things weren't quite right with Thancred in ARR, that he was working himself to the bone, but she didn't seem to know how to approach him about it, regretting it later when they realized he'd been possessed.

And in Stormblood, Lyse spends a lot of time trying to understand her countrymen's reticence, their fears, their lack of hope. She worked with Conrad's Resistance cell all through Heavensward, but it seems like the first time she really interacts closely with civilians is Ala Ghanna. In the Far East, Lyse spends time talking to the Domans, and the Mol--her scene with the children is a major one, determining what is "home" and what that means, why Hien (and Lyse) fight for a place.

She feels she isn't a leader, she's just one of the team, and as she gets pushed toward leadership, she feels it's based more on who her father and sister were, the weight of her family legacy. And part of that is that lingering grief, that literal imposter syndrome, that knowledge she isn't the woman Yda was.

Because of course she isn't. She's Lyse. Not an Archon, but a Scion of the Seventh Dawn. Probably still better educated than many, having grown up in Sharlayan, despite book smarts not being her forte. She's very good at punching things. And she has a heart and more optimism and stubbornness than most.

She grows into it, with the help of her friends (which she does, repeatedly, acknowledge the WoL as the hero who defeated Zenos and made it all possible, don't fall into the trap of memeified rewrites of the actual canon). She is only the leader of Conrad's cell (a failing of Stormblood and it's split storyline was talking about multiple cells, but only having us interact with 1 ever before it all became 1 military). And she happily lets Raubahn take command of the army when it forms, calling herself simply the commander of Rhalgr's Reach--but given her role in the war, as a former Scion, and her connections, still acts pretty much as Raubahn's Marshall in all but name.

Lyse was not raised for leadership, not raised to take command, and had to rise to the occasion. And without losing her determination, her caring, her optimism.

Wuk Lamat was born to rule; the Xbr'aal initially, but when circumstances put her life in danger, Gulool Ja Ja adopted her as his Third Promise. Wuk Lamat is a cheerful, optimistic, loving girl who wants to understand and learn about people. She's a "people's princess" we see almost from the instant we arrive in Tuluyollal, friends with nearly everyone. But it's also not hard to see, even in 6.55 and the adventures in Sharlayan, that she's young and green. She has few supporters, and no great deeds or expectations from most of the people. She struggles in the shadow of her older accomplished brothers, wondering a few times what her strength is, what she has gained from their father.

She has not been raised to rule, necessarily; while the Dawnservant has expectations for all his children, and recognizes all of their strengths, he also sees their weaknesses and where they lack. Some of that, perhaps, is on him as a parent, but he knows their potential and possibilities, if they seek the chance to grow and learn. He can only guide them, not do it all for them, if they are to reach those potentials.

And Wuk Lamat does seek, with a zest not seen since Lyse was central, and beyond her, even. Wuk Lamat is not bound by the grief of familial loss and the disconnect of diaspora; she was too young to remember the tragedy that led her to leave Yak T'el as a toddler, and her life since has been a kind and happy one. She's been educated and trained well.

But there are limits to what a girl can learn in a single city, with only one or two visits to other villages now and then. And Wuk Lamat, like Lyse, takes the time to try to learn and understand. She picks up faster than Koana the point of the contest--while Zoraal Ja ignores it entirely, and Bakool Ja Ja has other pressures he's dealing with.

There's another comparison; Lyse's determination to understand Fordola, to change her mind, making her a symbol of all the collaborators. Lyse's determination that all Ala Mhighans must be free and begin anew, to rebuild their society together. To acknowledge the pain but not let it bind them into cycles of violence (which continues in the Endwalker healer role quests, as Raganfrid and Arenvald take up the specific task of reintegrating the collaborators).

Wuk Lamat, meanwhile, struggles to understand the bandits of Kozama'uka, the Chirwagur Yok Huy of Urqopacha, and the Mamook of Yak T'el. She changes Bakool Ja Ja and earns his respect, by perhaps being the first person to demand to know what he wants--and then following through on the promise to find a way to make that wish happen. To find a way all Turali can be free and happy, including the Mamool Ja (who may have tried to kill her as a toddler).

Lyse spends all of Stormblood fighting to free her people from a decades-old foe, forcing her to become a leader. Wuk Lamat's fight comes after she has grown into the kind of leader that can defend Tuliyollal from the threat of Alexandria and Zoraal Ja's betrayal. And even though Sphene can't change her mind thanks to her programmed nature, Wuk Lamat never stops trying to reach the caring personality encoded within.

Because the other person Wuk Lamat compares to is the Assumed Default Warrior of Light. She's a determinator in a similar way; she doesn't easily give up or give in, despite her doubts and the difficulties along the way. She makes friends wherever she goes, forming bonds and connections that come back to help, time and again. She goes from novice adventurer to epic hero, as WoL had to do in ARR; the entirety of Dawntrail seems a compressed version of that story for her, with adventure and events happening in the first half, and then the other shoe drops. For WoL, it was the Waking Sands massacre. For her, the first assault on Tuliyollal. WoL didn't have the benefit of a mentor--with Louisoix long gone and most of the Scions captured--but WoL could be there for Lamaty'i.

How often has that been a fear and regret of the Scions and other friends? How happy they were with the warding scales letting them help with those burdens! How at the edge of existence, the only thing that kept the WoL walking to the end was the memories of their friends and the hopes they had, and in the final battle, the Scions were still with the WoL regardless of distance.

(And Zenos was there. Still the most hilarious entrance ever.)

We stand with Wuk Lamat to the end--and she breaks through to find WoL and Sphene, because Lamaty'i won't give up on her friends. And Sphene could have been, if she had still been alive.

Anyroad. I DO think Lyse and Wuk Lamat would have a lot to talk about, in how they grew to be leaders, in similarities and differences, in their relationship with the Scions and the WoL, about the adventures they've had. I loved seeing Vrtra and Azdaja in Tuliyollal, and that Koana formed a treaty with them, which may indeed mean more interaction with Thavnair in the future. For that matter, the Leveilleur twins' quest to help Garlemald rebuild and reintegrate with the global community may bring some familiar faces from there around...though from the Island Sanctuary quests, we also know those people have never taken vacations and don't know what do to outside of "survive" and "duty." But there's a lot to learn, and seeing how diverse people can live together in peace, after most of a century under Ascian propaganda, would be good for them. Sharlayan tends to have diplomatic relations with various foreign powers, and Tural's no exception, and the use of Labyrinthos research to aid Mamook could become more of a thing to bring some of those characters in for cameos (for that matter, helping the Alexandrians integrate, and studying that phenomenon, as if those scholars could resist!).

I'm a little wary of having all the leaders in a single space; generally that's a plot point reserved for some terrible world wide event or circumstance arising! But it would be nice to have the opportunity to visit with old friends on some kind of tour, to see Tuliyollal make other allies and diplomatic connections, and give such characters those chances to interact.

But if the game doesn't take those opportunities on screen (people often forget that a lot happens out of WoL's POV, too), we've always got fanfiction to make it happen in!

[ferrocyan]

ask game bound and secret, for tart? either wol!tart or nonwol!tart, you pick

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

tart is dyslexic, has pretty low reading comprehension and is slow at it. bc of her father's connections she got to attend school in ishgard as a kid but it was a baaad time bc of this. she's really scared of other people finding out as in her experience it's only gonna get her bullied or berated or worse.

bound: Has your OC ever been imprisoned or captured? What happened? How did they get out? Did the experience leave any scars?

ohh my god how have i never made this happen for tart before dawntrail. wait no there's omega. okay so tart (and the ironworks crew) were trapped by omega in the dimensional rift and made to fight otherworldly abominations from other final fantasies yeah okay we know the drill (gunk you HAVE to play the omega raids when you finish stormblood IT'S PEAKKKK) the important part is when omega is done w the games and locks tart in a vacuum chamber to kill her and get it over with. she got out bc midgardsormr smashed it w his teeth, which was rly lucky bc she would've just suffocated in there otherwise. tart doesn't realize this herself but the incident actually left her w lingering claustrophobia. it hasn't been triggered in a major way yet but when she like goes into the elevator in limsa she gets a bit panicked and is confused by that reaction www i don't think she ever reflects to remember where that fear came from though

now for the dawntrail thing. so in my canon after the 99 trial when sphene fucks off to living memory w the dimension key, she also uses the gun from the soldierbot body she was using to take tart's soul and memory with her. lmao. he's not dead per se, it's like the scions when they got soulnapped. sphene uses his soul to run a "it would be sooo good if you join me btw i can bring your parents back and you can live forever as an endless i'm just saying" simulation but tbh she doesn't even fully trap him in there, he can wander to the other living memory areas lol and even talks to cahciua on occasion. a very chill and nontraumatic kidnapping, all in all. in the end tart gets out of it by

sorry what was that. oh yeah by asking her out on a date. of course. and then sphene gives him amnesia for the hell of it. it's all good though ;3

[elizabethrobertajones]

A Dragoon's Work Is Never Done part... three? four? I did not caption the first in this series with that and so I can't even find it now.

Anyway the important thing is this seemingly completely normal diplomatic mission from Radz-at-Han where the Satrap has brought his sister for Fete Day over to visit the dragons in the other city state perched on a rock with a long history of dragon relations for good or ill. Estinien is refusing to dress up as a diplomat, which he is now when it comes to dragon things, whether he likes it or not. He claims he's just here for the Fete food. G'raha is here because he's glued to Frog and likes witnessing history happening in nice ways.

Day 6: Celebrations | Holidays

Oh, wait the above images were a spot the difference

#I'm so interested in Estinien's and Frog's relationship (platonic) and how he fits into the puzzle now that she and Aymeric are A Thing @lilbittymonster

OKAY this will be unnecessary long to explain why Aymeric is getting so smirky.

So way way way back I did actually ship Estinien and Frog a bit, because I'd done dragoon 50 before HW and was therefore Completely Normal about the Estinien/WoL relationship. But I couldn't quite make it stick in my heart, and for whatever reason despite Estinien actually being, I personally think, the character with the closest bond to the WoL on the deepest levels bar the characters who are literally part of the WoL (you know, like, the 3-5 of them we cram in there), it ended up feeling more like just an unbreakable platonic friend bond. *shrugs* sometimes your heart just decrees stuff.

In Frog Canon this translates to the Stormblood 70 Dragoon quest being a moment where after sharing the dragoon eyeball tether for the first time, Frog and Estinien are riding an absolute high of connection and feeling really good about accomplishing Good Dragoon Things (and the reason I keep captioning Estinien and Frog doing dragon stuff as "work never being done" is them chasing that high again by tying up loose ends like taking Vrtra to visit Hraesvelgr or Middy, or taking Azdaja and Middy out for curry together).

That night on the steppe, they camped out together and shared a drink and the spoils of a hunt, Orn Khai was asleep by the fire. And completely unprompted Frog and Estinien both decided at the same moment to swoop in for a kiss, which lasted roughly 3 seconds and they broke apart like "woah, no, that was weird. We don't need to do that again. Nope. Sorry." and they instead solemnly vowed their friendship, and then laughed about it and decided to take that incident to their graves.

(At this point Frog had no idea Estinien had literally ever had a relationship in his life, never mind having been with Haurchefant as well and technically at the same time as her since Haurche had only nebulously mentioned "other partners"; Estinien did know she had been madly in love with Haurchefant, and Aymeric, who in turn Estinien had his suspicions was madly in love with Frog since like, seeing them interact once even in early HW. So it was a bit of a shock to her but he'd been idly contemplating her place in all this now for a while. But since he, Frog and Aymeric were all technically single or on a break or whatever Estinien thought he was doing while ghosting Aymeric for his own mental health SB > ShB patches, there weren't any of those connections to actually like. Build anything on.)

Fast forward to Endwalker, and I'm fully on the "Ysayle needs to know she won and Estinien has gone full dragonfucker" train, because he and Vrtra are an incredible power couple and it really represents to me a sort of final stop on Estinien needing to come to terms with everything that happened to him ever in his life and having accepted all sides of both the grand scope of history and also his own relationship to dragons, Nidhogg, and relations with dragons. He returns to R-a-H post-EW very very intrigued by what Vrtra wants with him, and they pretty much immediately get together.

I think by this point he's also encountered Aymeric enough times to have started to realise they never really broke up so much as stopped seeing each other, and Aymeric is exactly as devoted to him as he was last time they met, and Estinien only actually feels guilty about avoiding him so long, and mostly because Ishgard itself gives him the heebie jeebies immediately after HW and nothing to do with what Aymeric has done or not. So he's completely ready to resume that and just needs an excuse.

Which of course is Vrtra suggesting gently that there's a valuable connection there for Estinien and for the future of the two cities. AND Frog is on his case about seeing if Vrtra wants to meet the Dravanian dragons. Which he does. And then it only belatedly occurs to him when standing in Ishgard with Aymeric that maybe Frog also was manoeuvring. (I actually credit more G'raha machinations that Frog enacted, if you dig deeper :P)

Aymeric sort of ends up the orbiting twin star to the centre of the Frogicule, since he's the connection to all that and brings this whole side in, and considering all the pining on Frog's side to others, he's really got the more stable side of it all somehow...

She's glad of it because most of why she broke Aymeric's heart in the first place post-HW is because she thought it was cruelly unfair how little time she could spare for him and that he would only be mistreated by her coming in and out of his life at random.

The solution? A SECOND partner who comes in and out of his life at random and has very little tolerance for being in Ishgard! \o/ Between the two of them, maybe they add up to one full time partner?

(cue both of them getting on ships to Tural without consulting each other)

I don't think she goes out of her way to avoid seeing Estinien and Aymeric at the same time or finds it at all uncomfortable (low boundaries between them after all), but also she and Estinien are mutually uninterested in each other romantically and only passingly physically so aren't really interested in anything more than perhaps sharing a bed for platonic sleeping with a nice comfy buffer of Aymeric. It's easier just to enjoy spending time with them doing fun things like hanging out in the Firmament chatting to dragons and eating fair food, then take her catboy and leave. To the catboy's eternal disappointment. (Sorry G'raha, now this post isn't about you and we're talking Estinien today!)

Aymeric is here at this party realising he'd bed literally anyone there including Big!Varshahn (jury out on how he'd take to actual dragonfucking but it's like. A Catholic guilt loophole meeting a dragon who looks like a guy.) I don't think Vrtra and Aymeric are quite ready for anything but the simple fact of his existence is like an accessory that's making Estinien 1000x hotter in Aymeric's eyes I guess. Ser, that's a fellow head of state, please stop objectifying him.

Aymeric can not believe his luck that in a matter of months he's gone from staring forlornly out of a window alone to glancing between his hot girlfriend and his hot boyfriend, and is suddenly thrilled to go down in history as Ishgard's most eligible bachelor (never married, so many close friendships, all his letters and diaries spontaneously combusted on his death, how sad).

... as stated before, I am such a fan of Aymeric being a messy bitch who lives for drama and also is full of Secret Yearning and Weird Thoughts and would do wildly unstable things while projecting an aura of control and calm. Literally who knows if five to ten actual years down the line he and Vrtra end up publically married to unite their countries forever or something, but for now, this is where we're at.

Frog is just happy everyone is happy, and lacking the Ishgardian upbringing had given zero thought to Vrtra as a sex object and actively restricts herself from patting big!Varshahn on the head like he is still tiny. Little-brother-gender dragon snares another big sister. Estinien's love life remains a blissful mystery to her except for occasionally comparing calendars with Aymeric and swerving around the weekends he's blocked off for Estinien.

[ffxivaltaholic]

LFRP: Diarmune Rhet-Khas

Character Name: Diarmune Rhet-Khas

The Basics ––– –

Age: 55

Birthday: End of Summer

Race: Viera

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Pansexual

Marital Status: Single

Physical Appearance ––– –

Hair: Quite long and silvery white. It is almost always pulled up in a ponytail. When down it is long enough to sit on (Hence why it is always up)

Eyes: Pale Green

Height: 6"1'

Build: Athletic and fit

Distinguishing Marks: Minimal scars from years of working with dangerous plants and animals. Two sleeves tattooed in a vine and floral pattern with a flower on his shoulder.

Common Accessories: His Gleaner gear, a journal, some kind of plant or flower probably...

Personal ––– –

Profession: Gleaner

Hobbies: Botany and Horticulture

Languages: Common (With a Thavnarian accent)

Residence: Thavnair/Sharlayan

Birthplace: Thavnair

Religion: The Twelve

Relationships ––– -

Spouse: None

Children: None

Parents: Father: Elías- Alive/Silk Maker | Mother: Myra - Alive/Tailoress

Siblings: Sister (Older Twin): Sofina - Alive/Student | Sister (Younger Twin): Helina - Alive/Student

Other Relatives: None that he knows of.

Pets: Korpokkur (Named Plum), Great Morbol (Named Dahlia)

Traits ––– -

* Bold your character’s answer.

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal 

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Additional information ––– –

Smoking Habit:  Nope Drugs: None Alcohol: Very rarely, he is quite a light weight and suffers terrible hangovers.

RP Hooks ––– –

SHARLAYAN: While much of the Viera's time is spent away, he does return to his Sharlayan home from time to time, whether it's to bring in a specimen or to simply visit with old friends, he is not to difficult to find there, particularly as his clothing tends to standout against the more conservative and neutral tones of his Sharlayan counterparts. As a significant contributor in his field of study to the vast library over his three decades of work, Dia is most likely found there, but also will peruse the market and visit Labyrinthos from time to time. Especially if any of his projects are flourishing.

THAVNAIR: Born and raised in Thavnair, Dia spent his entire youth there with his family. They are prominent silk makers and tailors, specializing in ornate and delicate garments. He's very familiar with the locals and after the panic of the End of Days subsided, Dia visits far more frequently. He's often found in the Radz-at-han market, out by Palaka's Stand, or in the silk factory pitching in to help his parents. A Thavnarian born, he has an identifiable accent and tends to wear garments that connect him to his home.

GLEANERS: Are you a Gleaner too? Then there is a good chance you have crossed paths with him at some point in time, especially over the years of intense gathering in preparation for the End of Days. Due to the nature of his work (Specifically in regards to dangerous plants and plant-like creatures, IE: Morbols) it's very likely your Character might work side by side with him, or at least in the same vicinity.

TRAVELS/IN PASSING: There are very few places on this grand shard that Dia has not been, which means his availability to meet people is vast and ever expanding! Perhaps you came across him at an Inn, or aboard a ship? Maybe you met him in one of the main cities, or out in the boonies of the continents... Regardless, Dia can be basically anywhere necessary to meet your character. (Note: Not the First however, I'm fairly lore strict on this point since only the WoL can freely travel back and forth at this point in the story and he is not a WoLPC.)

Contact Information  ––– –

I would prefer to be contacted via Tumblr first before giving out my Discord.

In game and Discord RP works for me, though I prefer in game.

His Carrd: https://diarmune.carrd.co/

[candycryptids]

17.out of all the scions, which one is the one your wol gets along with the best? what about the one they get along with the least? why?

20.what is your wol's best quality? what's the thing that they do that really gets stuff done of makes people like them? hard mode: their own perception vs. a friend or partner's perception.

both for Chuu!

Of the Scions….. 🤔 that’s toughies ! I think she tolerates Estinien’s presence the most since he lets her alone. But I don’t know if he counts- by EW he’s on payroll, but the second choice I have is Thancred for similar reasons- she’s not super sociable for crowds of people and they’re the most likely to break off from the crowd for similar reasons so it’s easy to just be people-watchers on the fringes. (Though I imagine Thancred is just taking ‘breathers’ and gets back in there after a few minutes).

In the Universe where she is THE warrior o light her favorite is Y’shtola though. There’s something really satisfying about her trust in you to back up her batshit plans that coincides with Chuu’s own batshit plans. Hack it until it works and failing that? blow it up so it’s not a problem anymore. EZ. (She also actually gets on quite well with Tataru, a friendly and smiling face she can count on to be there when she comes back from whatever armpit mission and pour her some tea while she bitches about the heat, the fight, the petty politics.)

She has the most trouble getting on with Alphinaud. In the Chuu Is The Wol-iverse she carries a sore spot for the Crystal Braves and using pocket change to partially fund a personal army- but she recognizes that it’s largely a case of. Being a child with too much accolades and praise and expectations heaped on his shoulders to the point where he keeps rising to it without so much the experience to match? It reminds her of somebody. …. In non-WoL usual canon though she has trouble getting on with Tataru PURELY because she knows how to find her and WILL call her if they need her help. She’s one of four people trusted with her linkpearl connection and it took some heavy convincing for that much.

FOR THE SECOND QUESTION, THOUGH,

Chuu sees herself as The Guy you see when a technical thing is giving you trouble, or if you want to rig your manacutter to go far and beyond the safe speed because you and your Miqo’te traveling companion want to recreate pod racing through Azys La. Her assistance was crucial in the building of that weird machine to go through all of that Allagan Research. Not that she makes it terribly easy to get in touch… but she believes her best quality is being The Expert™ that you call in when you’ve exhausted all your other options and she gets to step into the scene and Fix It. And then vanish again, crucially, she does not want to keep the spotlight.

My wrist is acting all kinds of unkind so writing a bunch more is giving me trouble but I’ll tell you Nero’s perception of her is that she’s a One-Upping, Show-Offing Arrogant Pain In His Ass, who is specifically showing up whenever he’s trying to look like a competent authority on whatever they’re dealing with just to dump a milkshake in his lap and make him look stupid.

Because she is. It is her passion in life to make Nero look stupid as hell.

[Pre-DT ?’s prompt!]

[sjofn-lofnsdottr]

6. Who was their Azem? What were they like, and were they different from your WoL? Who were their family, friends? Or, if you don't care for the Azem angle or went in your own direction for their past self, how so? How does your WoL feel about their Ancient identity?

Boy, is Azem something I haven't really ... firmed up much about, as you could probably tell, given I've been sitting on this ask for longer than I normally would. It's a great big space to fill in, which is fun, but as a result, I change my mind about it all the time. But! I can answer for this moment in time, with the understanding it's not carved in stone!

I change my mind on Dusk!Azem's name all the time, but I come back to Apollo a lot. He's got stuff vaguely in common with the Apollo, enough to give him the name maybe. He has an artist's soul, he has a twin sister (yes I know about canon Artemis, shush), and Themis sort of implies Azem has some sort of prophetic nonsense going on. There's also the actual sun connection the game itself makes, and even before we found any of that out, I associated Dusk with the sun.

Personality-wise I think they're pretty close. Extremely powerful busybodies who have a lot of love for everyone they meet and the world around them, who are very stubborn in their belief they can Fix Everything. I like to think Azem sleeps better than Dusk ever has, though.

I haven't really fleshed out Azem's family at all, save for thinking he had a twin too. I haven't decided if his twin was Dawn's Ancient, or someone else. Both ideas kind of appeal to me. I don't think his twin was Artemis, though. That doesn't ... feel correct, to me.

I think Azem, friend-wise, was similar to Dusk: loads of people who consider him a friend, and he is happy to consider them friends right back, but close friends, there are only a handful.

Dusk thinks of Azem as his own separate person, just like he thinks of Ardbert as his own person. Hell, he thinks of Fray as a separate person from him. As a result, he occasionally wonders what he was like, but it doesn't usually give him any sort of identity crisis. It's more a piece of interesting trivia to him. The only time it bothers him is when he thinks back to how furious Emet-Selch seemed that Dusk couldn't handle all the light on the First ... it makes sense to him in retrospect. Emet-Selch was hoping Dusk was Azem, and he just ... wasn't. And could never be. He doesn't think that's a failing on his part, but he does think it's sad.

[warlordfelwinter]

15, 18, 24, 27, 47, 52! For Fiver

[wol asks]

round two!

15. What is your OC/WoL's love-life like? Who were they in relationships with? Describe their relations.

Before leaving for Eorzea, he had the standard love life of a rava male which is to say going back home to procreate every few years. He's a regulation hottie imo so I like to think he was occasionally fought over. He probably also had some fun with other wood-warders, but nothing romantic. It's my hc that romantic relationships are kind of rare/weird for the males given how solitary their lives are. Fiver is definitely demi-romantic, so he just never really had that connection with anyone. In Eorzea, he was too confused by all the rituals these people seem to have around sex that he never pursued anyone he was attracted to. He had some romantic feelings for Aymeric, but didn't realize what they were. By the time he was around the Exarch, he had observed and learned enough about romance that he was sort of able to eventually puzzle out what he was feeling. So G'raha is really his first relationship.

18. What is your OC/WoL's go-to karaoke song?

Hmhmhm... uh... idk what makes a good karaoke song so I'm just gonna go with something I think fits him: Courage by Nostraightanswer and CircusP

24. How does your OC/WoL express affection? (Platonic & Romantic)

He's pretty reserved, even with his friends, so his shows of affection are definitely not showy or overt. Platonic, I think he just shows in being himself around you. He's more talkative with people he's comfortable with and cares about, he'll make jokes, etc. Rib-cracking hugs for special occasions. Romantic, he's more physically affectionate. He likes holding hands, likes hugs and kisses and nuzzles. For both, he's definitely an 'acts of service' type person. He shows his affection in being helpful or being protective, often to a detrimental degree.

27. Your OC/WoL switches body with their significant other. What would occur?

He's really irritated at not being able to get into the high cupboards.

47. Does your OC/WoL keep anything that their NPC significant other gave to them?

He has kept literally everything G'raha has ever given him. If he can't carry it on him, he keeps it in his apartment. Just to come up with something to put here, I'm going to say G'raha gave him a pair of earrings (probably crystal) that he has not taken off since.

52. What does your OC/WoL's family think about their significant others?

Most of Fiver's family knows nothing of his s/o. Since leaving Golmore equates to exiling yourself from viera society, he hasn't seen most of them in over a year (the entirety of the game). I did somewhat decide that one of his sisters also left, joining the Dalmascan resistance, and is one of those viera ladies in that scene with all the Alliance people meeting up before going to the Empire in Endwalker. Elva, who he was the closest with growing up (both in age and in terms of being friends), who has heard all of his adventures like 16th hand after leaving the jungle and halfway didn't believe everyone was talking about the same Fiver she knew until he walked into that room. So he was able to catch up with her and she's met all the Scions, including G'raha. She was surprised Fiver had found a relationship like that, but she's pleased for him cause G'raha makes him happy. She may have lightly threatened G'raha about ever upsetting her little brother, but in a friendly way (for a viera).

[tritoch]

Deciding that my wol does not deviate from canon as presented in the game makes every point where I would have deviated so enjoyably juicy. I thought Wolund might be a WAR in Dawntrail after everything with Zenos and tapping back into his love for adventure! I was extremely wrong.

Musings on character class and Dawntrail. Spoilers through the end of 7.0 below.

I don't think the WoL in Dawntrail can be a Warrior, really: rather than tapping into their love of combat, they've clearly learned to take their foot off the gas. All your most interesting moments in 7.0 are when you don't fight someone, or when you are slow to violence. WAR just doesn't fit, to me.

In fact, no tank fits for me: tanking in duty support means pushing Wuk Lamat out of the tank role, or at least the main tank role for the 99 trial, and that just seems wrong to me from a story and vibes standpoint. Similarly, playing a DPS means making Alisaie heal the 93 dungeon and trial, which is insane to me. I don't think it should be legal to staff-chick Alisaie, as it were. I've also never liked healer G'raha, who shows up in the 97, 99, and 100 dungeons if you're DPS; we see him use PLD and BLM (well, their equivalents) a lot in the story, but only rarely, if ever, WHM.

SMN has always been so canon to me: it's FF's special-est magical girl class, it involves claiming your enemies' power for your own, it gives a lot of weight to you as "the savior of the savages" in the eyes of the empire, Y'mhitra shows up in MSQ, Fordola and Arenvald show up in SMN quests. You get the Hydaelyn&Azem-esque Solar Bahamut this time out! Very main character stuff.

Of course, playing healer means DPS Alphinaud in the 91 dungeon. That means an ideal "everyone stays in their ideal roles" job means being able to flex DPS or healing. And that leaves me right back where I started the game, withl CBU3's Blessed Siblings: SMN/SCH.

And SCH! Dawntrail is, to me, such a healer expansion. Only once, at the very end, do you really bring your own might to bear, and then in the form of the classic Azem trick, Instant Queue Duty Finder. You spend a lot of the MSQ and every role quest mostly playing the role of support, backing people up and rarely taking point. Serving as Wuk Lamat's emotional support is most of the expansion, and MSQ is pretty pointedly about how you're not really the main hero this time out.

So the idea of a WoL who mostly doesn't fight (okay he's spamming Art of War II. It's a gain on 2, Wuk Lamat), but calls directions, warns of incoming attacks, throws up shields, pulls people out of AOEs, that's very good to me. And healer can be the only role you need to pull you over the finish line, as myself and a cohealer learned today when I burned everything to heal him through repeated AOEs (thanks Dissipation and Seraphism) so he could pull off a healer LB3 (double mhroth scholar team, to boot) in the final trial. And wouldn't it make sense for Azem to play that role of battlefield tactician, coordinating their disparate friends? It's also the only role Emet and Hythlodaeus lack between them...

We're not taking center stage and holding aggro this time out, and that's a fun change! Curious to see how it plays out in patches. But rather than having his blood up and pumping again, Wolund seems very much at peace, and I'm excited to see how that plays out.

also biolysis-swiftcast-recitation-adlo-deployment tactics into a raidwide hits so fucking good. that shit's like candy to me.

miscellaneous related thoughts:

- SCH and SMN are also connected to arcanima and the South Seas Isle Lalafells, who seem like they might suddenly be somewhat more important than expected

- I feel bad for many scholars because I know Seraphism doesn't fit your class fantasy. But if you're playing SCH as "this is just the WoL class this time" it hits so good. You're a secretive mentor figure with a secret special ANGEL form that maybe is due to the time your soul was almost permanently warped by light aether or maybe is a fusion with your summon, both of which are basically boss phase concepts to me tbh.

- also looking on Twitter it looks like Seraphism functions normally for most people but uh it removes Wolund's hrothgar coeurlstache. I choose to believe it's light aether fucking him up and if you could see under the hood he basically looks like Forgiven Reticence its NOT his real face

- his pets are ruby (SMN) and emerald (SCH) carbuncle, to avoid scaring people and to keep a low profile.

[wisismydumpstat]

Tell us everything you feel about Ascians and Shadowbringers, do! You only get to do this for the first time once after all, and we're all dying to know what you think is going on, what you are pretty sure is going on, what you are positive is NOT going on and every speculation and heart palpitation you got so we can all bask in the confusion and hand flapping by proxy.

Sorry about the late reply, this week has been A Week!

I was kinda waiting until I was a bit closer to the end of 5.0 before doing this, but it sounds fun and I think it's funnier if I do this now and then I keep updating all the things I was wrong about as I get closer and closer to the reveals!

So! I am currently on quest Return to Eulmore, 24 quests left to reach the end of Patch 5.0, and those are my opinions and feels about... stuff!

Spoiler-filled text dump incoming!

Ascians Ascians are cool! :D I'm a sucker for immortals of any kind, I do like their possession gimmick, I like that they're way too intense no matter what they're saying. I don't particularly sympathize with their revealed backstory so far, and I'm glad the game brought up the whole "Cool motive, still murder" aspect of it. And that's just assuming I actually trust Emet-Selch, which would be a stretch.

An Emet-Stretch.

Please laugh.

2. Shadowbringers

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

I am really enjoying this expansion. I don't think it's a surprise to anyone at this point that I greatly enjoy drama and emotional pain, and this expansion is giving a lot of both in a very realistic way. I like the WoL's dialogue prompts getting angrier and snarkier as they get fed up with everything, I like people getting tired of all the secret-keeping and the moral ambiguity (Great for a plot, bad for a team), I like how hot Urianger is now, I love Alisaie having a well deserved turn on the spotlight, I like how hot Urianger is now, I like the whole "Ardbert and the WoL are friends now thanks to their mutual existential crisis" arc, I freaking love that Thancred is a dad now, and HAVE YOU SEEN URIANGER THIS EXPANSION??

3. Random speculation and thoughts!

I would like to punch Emet-Selch on the face. Amazing voice actor tho.

The whole absorbing-light-thingie is clearly bad. I would love to have something like an inner soul battle or something to destroy your corruption. Very Kingdom Hearts.

I... don't know what to think about the whole "Vauthry controls Sin Eaters" thing, but the way this expansion is going I fully expect to get into Eulmore and discover he has a disgusting one chained in a dungeon or something. Either that or Eulmore itself is a sin eater somehow. That'd be cool.

I don't trust the Crystal Exarch. At all. I would also like to punch him on the face, once I'm done with Emet-Selch. Which, admittedly, will take a while. This game has taught me that people with hoods and/or any way to cover their face are evil. Privacy bad.

Hydaelyn being a Primal makes So. Much. Sense. I was suspecting something was afoot since I realized every other deity and figure of legend was just a primal, but somehow I never made the connection.

Does that make the Echo just a very polite way of tempering?? Are the random flashbacks actually a "Go do my will" tactic instead of just a convenient plot artifact??

Someday I'll get Titania's theme out of my head.

It isn't gonna be today.

Help.

FALALALALALA

[tishinada]

So, last night @rainofaugustsith​ ran Kass through the Ghimlyt Dark (thank you!!)

I adore the way Raubahn physically interacts with a Lalafell (Haurchefant was also really good at this.) After the dungeon, when you’re reporting to him about Alisaie’s collapse and you get another vision from the Crystal Exarch trying to pull you to the First, he runs around the table and gets on one knee to talk to you and make sure you’re ok. Not really a surprise since, of course, a lot of his story arc has been as surrogate father to Nanamo and Pipin, and except for being a bit over-protective of Nanamo, he’s clearly treated them with respect for their abilities (you don’t get that sort of unreserved affection and loyalty in return if you haven’t.) But that moment really struck me. Even if he did the same with other races, I feel like it was included so he wasn’t towering over a Lala WoL in particular.

Also, Kass wakes up in a bed in Ishgard that’s big enough for about 8 Lalafells to sleep without touching lol.*

Then I stayed up way too late getting her through the opening quests of Shadowbringers, lol.

(SPOILERS FOR A DWARVEN PT OF SHADOWBRINGERS)

I’ve not only looked forward to this because Shadowbringers is so good, but because one of the first things I noticed on Zas was there were no Lalafells on the First. Anywhere. Which is eerie if you like Lalas like I do. But of course, you don’t find out where they are (or even that they are called dwarves) until you reach the level 78 quests just before Mt. Gulg. Even if dwarves are mentioned, there’s nothing to suggest a connection to Lalafells

And because we know the First’s dwarves are so reclusive, I wondered if people would react uniquely to a dwarf (especially an unhelmed dwarf because presumably at least some residents of the First would know what that culturally meant to the dwarves of the First.)

It turns out that yes, someone does. AND if you’re playing a Lalafell WoL, you are given enough information to know your race is called dwarves on the First before you even meet with the Crystal Exarch for the first time:

During the tour, Bragi, the manager of the marketplace says: Forgive my asking, but you are a dwarf, yes? We don't get many of your lot coming down from the mountain these days."

And I have the option to respond with "dwarf?" or "Actually I'm a Lalafell." (paraphrased, I didn’t think to type them out atm.)

Then he goes into his description of the peoples in the crystarium which obviously doesn't include dwarves. So Lalafell players find out their First equivalent are called dwarves long before anyone else. He also adds later if you click on him:

"Bragi: I didn't point them out earlier, but I'm sure you'll spot a Mystel, or another Ronso like me sooner rather than later. Even Viis like Captain Lyna aren't that unusual in this city.

Bragi: Aye, the Crystarium's long been a sanctuary for all manner of refugees─except maybe the dwarves. Your lot prefer to keep themselves to themselves, in my experience."

So, a Lalafell player gets this information way before anyone else. Which is only fair since it would be really eerie (and tragic) to be moving through an entire world where apparently your people didn’t exist.** Instead, you’re given just enough information that a player with a Lalafell WoL isn’t particularly bothered by their absence. And would realize when you’re sent to the dwarven village in the MSQ that you are about to meet the dwarves.

I’m looking forward to seeing what other unique dialogue Kass gets, particularly in Tomra, lol. And because I’m going to lean into this a lot, have Kass’s Shadowbringers glam for warrior:

My HC is that the Crystal Exarch brought the chest piece with him when he met her outside the city so she wouldn’t stick out any more than necessary since lalafell/dwarves are such an unusual sight on the First. And already thoughtfully dyed that shade of pink she loves (considering his hero worship for the WoL, I think it’s entirely likely he’d extracted details like that from one of the Scions who arrived earlier.) Either he dismissed the idea of the helm because he knew she’d reject it, or that would conflict with their story that she was from the Exarch’s homeland, meaning she wouldn’t have the right to wear the helm belonging to either dwarven village. Easier to have her be viewed as an exile.

I’ll post any more unique dialogue as I find it!

*I found the solo duty at the end of post-Stormblood with Zenos was a lot easier as a tank than it was for Zas as dps, lol, mostly because warriors really do soak up most damage with a shrug. It just takes longer than with dps like bard.

**I did check to see if Giott is in the bar at the beginning. She is not, so Kass is the only “dwarf” in the entire Crystarium.

[weirdspriggan]

7 12 24 25 for virion 👉👈

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

I think since I first made him, he's just become a lot softer? like I remember his original "canon" jobs were like mch, gnb, nin, and he really is just not that edgy. he's a culinarian/goldsmith/general craftsman who does archery sometimes. if he can talk his way out of combat, or otherwise avoid it, he will.

12. Is your OC self-destructive? In what ways?

I think he used to be but since meeting adrien, endwalker finishing off, etc, he's taken more time to focus on self-care. but especially up to his early adulthood, he really struggled with his confidence/self image due to growing up in gridania. while never like... blatantly self-destructive, he hid who he was (in almost every aspect) for the sake of not drawing attention to himself, and in turn, this caused a lot of negative thoughts to fester. so like ? self-destructive mentally, and i think this caused him to make some reckless decisions since he just didn't care too much for himself, but nothing really physical.

24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

my instinct scenario was if he had never broken up with his abusive ex. I really haven't thought too much about them or their relationship (or even who said partner is really) (mostly because I don't have the experience or knowledge) but I think what probably would have happened is he would have just become secluded, probably would not talk to his family too much, etc... which would result in him probably becoming more self-destructive (connection to the previous question) in the ffxiv universe he probably would have just... never became the wol? I would like to think of something that isn't relationship-related, but this is what I have for now jfgdfklh

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

I think it's gotta be how much he's developed over the years. I don't know that I've had an oc that's stuck for so long or gotten past surface-level development, but I feel like while the process is slow, virion keeps becoming more realistic which idk I think is cool ?? also his green hair.

[shivasdarknight]

A random wolqotd from my train ride today- In your story, how did Thancred/Estinien feel during That Scene at the end of EW as the only ones that can’t use healing magicks?  Especially curious for ThanWoL and/or EstiniWoL but would love to hear from anyone (spoilers in answers)

YEAH FUN THING ABOUT THAT SCENE.  So it’s Surkukteni that’s the subject of that (specifying since I do write a multi wol story, but she is the Main Wol), which means both of them are In A Situation just differing situations. (more below the cut)

With Thancred, that’s one of her closest friends.  Of course he’s worried.  Of course he’s frustrated he can’t help.  He’s angry that she’s done so much to help him and he’s useless in this situation - more so because they’ve a second connection: her twin, Katsuro, is one of Thancred’s lovers.  Damn well might as well be a sister in law at this point and someone he’s known for seven years - that he’s useless?  It’s a terrible offense, he feels.

And as bad as the stuff with Thancred is, it’s ten time as worse for Estinien.  One of her fiances.  Leading up to her body being dropped off with them by her voidsent, he’d gotten into it with an absolutely irate Katsuro since - as usual - her brother was making himself the center of the issue.  Making it out like he had it the worst off due to his concerns about the soul connection bullshit (fair point, but the patches literally make you two independent people so shaddup).  And obviously this really pissed Estinien off since he had been sitting there dealing with a distraught Ysayle, knowing that they’d have to tell Aymeric about this, that they’d have to tell Allie - their newly adopted daughter - about this, and that their infant children would have to grow up without ever knowing Surkukteni.  He’s knowing he has to be the bearer of bad news and already thinking to how they’ll have to cope without her and how many more people this affects with her being gone.

Estinien is the one who intercepts Diarmuid to keep the Scions from immediately attacking the freaky voidsent out of habit.  Estinien’s the one who rushes Surkukteni into the Ragnarok, immediately confronted by the reality of her condition and how utterly useless he is there.  Why’s he not as close to her as he wanted to be?  To not get in the way and so that those who are capable can have full access to help her through it.  He’s not distant.  He’s not sure she’s coming back from this.  He’s giving people space to work while he’s trying his damndest to console Ysayle and keep her and frankly himself from acting rashly - talking her down is a distraction from his own feelings winning over.  And yeah, for once in his life he’s finding himself praying to whoever may listen - the Fury, Twelve, whoever is out there - that they don’t have to return with a lifeless body and they can uphold their promise to Aymeric.  So needless to say when Surkukteni does pull through, he’s not leaving her side for the rest of the trip as it’s...really all he can do.

And fun addition because I’m deranged: Ysayle’s there and in the same fucking boat as the other two.  She’s a thaumaturge and gladiator canonically; even if I have her hone those skills further and take up Red Magic, there’s nothing she can do in that situation and would be equally as much of a burden as Thancred and Estinien and it fucking ruins her.  She’s inconsolable, she’s despondent, she’s a fucking wreck.  She’s still not fully convinced that this isn’t all some elaborate torment from one of the Hells - considering the trauma of very nearly dying twice combined with the conscious dreams I put her and Surkukteni through - and there’s not a lot people can do to convince her otherwise as it’s a paralyzing fear.  She finally was beginning to feel as if things would go well, and then this?  Worse is that she’s feeling this all so much more intensely because she and Surkukteni are quite literally soulmates, which isn’t anything either of them are aware of.  A connection tying them together as far back as their ancient selves that fucking shatters them should something come of the other, be it separated by the rift or premature death - see Surkukteni’s STB-SHB depression; see Ammut’s violent reaction upon Macchi’s death that made the voidsent that then killed Ammut feel so guilty about it that he carried it with him three-thousand years later; see Philomene’s despondence when Zirnghota was ripped from the Fourth to the Source; see Saoirse’s vicious campaign of her trying to find those that were close to her; see Cylva’s request after the role quests (that thank god you can only outright deny) and own issues in combination with Saoirse’s “disappearance”, her brother’s “disappearance,” the destruction of the Thirteenth, etc. - and of course, see the rampage Charon went on when Khione died, leaving them a broken and vengeful mess that consumed them during the End Days.

So when Surkukteni pulled through, Ysayle was on her immediately.  There was no separating them, not that anyone had the heart to.  Even if it did physically hurt to be crushed in her suffocating embrace, Surkukteni couldn’t say anything about it to stop her and remained like that until they were moved somewhere private so the three of them - Surkukteni, Ysayle, and Estinien - could have some time alone after all of that chaos.

...Yeah needless to say, no one’s okay and there’s a lot of guilt, frustration and anguish.

[motheatenscarf]

Alright, lore bombs aside, man they are doing such a good job at making the Scions more likable and fun to interact with. Y'shtola and Urianger especially.

Urianger got a really sweet moment with Ryne by comforting her back when she was still Minfilia. Reminded me that he was literally the only one to express horror and concern at how traumatized the twins must be after the Bahamut Coils. It was played for laughs then, and his connection to them through the whole Warriors of Darkness thing was clumsily handled, so I kinda dismissed him as an emotionally driven character despite the crack in his mask after Moenbryda got fridged. He's still odd, but they're letting him a.) take ownership of how weird he is, which makes him fun, and b.) making sure to take the time to show him in quiet moments of empathy and connection so he comes across as sweet and particularly good with the kids. That is something this group has NEEDED. I'm really coming around on him, I'm legit glad he's here.

Y'shtola was always at her most likable when she was catty and acerbic, so I'm glad they're leaning into that and having people react accordingly. She really took Thancred to task for how he was behaving around Ryne, and she's even more sarcastic than ever and is the only one able to talk to Emet without giving in to his taunts. They're also letting her relax and have fun and tell more jokes now, though, like how she laughed at herself for how reckless she was in yeeting herself off a cliff to secure an antidote to save the Night's Blessed. We finally got back to the Crystarium, and she full on berated Talia telling her that she was FORBIDDEN from helping or lifting a damn finger and needed to rest. Talia got to be sassy with her and replied, "Yes, mother," before sulking off, but not before Y'shtola said something to the effect of, "Girl, try it, I will spank you," and I have never laughed harder at someone talking back to Talia before. There is a genuine fondness from the way she's catty and short with people, yes both puns were intended there.

I absolutely buy that both she and Urianger are fond of the WoL now.

Amazing what like... competency in humanizing your characters and giving them consistent and present personalities does for them! Not just using them as fonts of information when the story demands it! Letting them have feelings and react to things!! More of this!!!!!

[leporidaes]

FFXIV Write Day 29 [Fuse]

This one is obvious. Though it's written from the perspective of my specific WoL, I left everything vague except the fact that this WoL is female.

Ardbert/WoL is truly bittersweet, but maybe that's why I have a soft spot for it.

It’s strange. A few years ago, her first meeting with Ardbert was one of contention. She was prepared to cut him down, and vice versa. Her in self-defense, and him out of desperation for his dying world.

Now they’re alone in the figment of Amaurot. Everlasting evening down in the depths of the Tempest. Quiet melancholy along the streets as the shades of the Ancients loop their final moments, none the wiser to their circumstances of being.

And here she is, dreading the possibility of what’s to come. The proposed last resort neither one of them actually says aloud. But they’re fragments of the same soul—of she who once called Amaurot her home. How can they not come to the same conclusion?

He tells her not to cry, for any intense emotion risks tipping her over the precipice. They can’t afford for the light to consume her. Not now. Not when they’re so close to ridding the Source and its shards of a menace, once and for all. Him and his delusions of bygone days under halcyon skies. 

Him and his stubborn perspective that their lives, and all of sundered existence, are and were always worth less than his memories.

Memories are all she will have of Ardbert should worse come to worst. He is her friend, and a companion. Someone she never thought would be as dear to her as he became.

He is already dead, is what a rational mind would think. He deserves peace.

But is it truly peace should he simply become a part of her? Potentially lose his consciousness in the process of fusing with her? Is her life truly above his even if they are of the same foundational essence?

The latter is likely what assists her in the aetheric manipulation. Something she experimented once with him after they realized there was a physical connection when they attempted to fist bump. He was solid for but a moment, yet it was enough for her to practice making more of him whole.

Perhaps it’s a mercy now for what’s to come later. A consolation prize that she can make him tangible entirely in this very moment. Only to her, she’s sure, for it takes a lot of her focus to keep him from fading back into his spectral state. But his weight supports her nonetheless as he holds her close. She neither knows the reason, nor asks for it, when he embraces her. She simply trembles in his arms, her hands gripping his back, slipping underneath the shaft of the ax strapped there.

“Not about to let you succumb to this,” he tells her. “You’ve endured too much to let it all be for naught.”

She breathes, and sniffs snot away as she keeps him close. “You have also endured—”

“That I have. ‘Tis why I can’t let you end up like me. Or worse. My time is long over; won’t waste this chance to make sure yours continues.”

She tries excuses. How unfair it’ll be should it come to that. But she knows he makes sense, and being the Warrior of Light has taught her time and time again that the path she’s chosen to walk is paved with sacrifice. Of which caliber greatly varies.

She’s afraid that it will inevitably come to that, for as much as she’s tried to stand on her own two legs, the light within her makes it difficult to tread forward, or to even see clearly. She can’t let down the Scions. Not when they’ve worked so hard for her survival.

Not when the Crystal Exarch—G’raha, actually—spent over a century doing his best to ensure she doesn’t meet a premature end like she did back in his timeline.

Though her tears cease, she still doesn’t let Ardbert go. She jests that her comfort in his presence can be attributed to the fact he’s her literal soulmate. He groans, which makes her smile, for she knows he finds it cheesy and even told her not to say it since they found out a while ago from the shade of an Ancient by the name of Hythlodaeus.

But it isn’t until now that she understands why it bothered him so. 

His embrace alone would’ve been indication enough, though it’s made all the more apparent when the intensity of his gaze and the beating of her heart clouds the realization of their lips meeting until a moment has passed. She refuses to let him go, instead deepening their shared affection. She holds back her sobs, but a tear rolls down her cheek nonetheless.

It truly is cruel for fate to do this to her. To believe she would never find love again after the death of her precious Haurchefant, only to ‘save’ her the repeated sorrow by giving her another who has already long passed. 

She wonders which one is worse. They both break her heart, albeit in different ways.

“In another life—,”she tries to say when they part, “perhaps we could have—”

“Don’t,” he says quietly, holding her face between his hands. His forehead rests against hers. “Not now. Far too late for either of us to lament on ‘maybes’ or ‘what ifs’. It’s—and we’re even the same—we were the same person. Once. How would that even—no, just don’t ponder on it.”

There’s bitterness laced in his smile. His eyes are closed as he shakes his head. “This would happen to us. To… figure out the connection goes beyond quite literally being a fraction of another.”

“Ardbert, I—”

“Please don’t say it,” he says, looking at her.

She swallows hard, a little frustrated with his adamant ignorance. “No, I will, because if things are going to end the way we know they might—that… that they will, at the very least, let me say it so you know that—”

“You don’t need to say it. I know. I know.” He cradles her face again in his hands. “And you know that I know, right? And I hope you know that… that I feel much the same. But it’ll be worse if we speak aloud of it. Moreso for you who will have to live with the memory of what I say were I to do so. No, no I won’t do that to you after the sorrow of your previous loss lingered so long in your heart.”

There’s a part of her that hates how much she agrees with him. But like him, she’s stubborn. He sighs in mild frustration when she opens her mouth to speak, and she wants to smack him for shushing her with yet another kiss. Her anger dissipates quickly, for the last thing they should be doing is arguing over three simple words. They don’t need to be said. Actions always spoke louder. So she kisses him back, and hopes through that, he can hear her heart clearly.

Though Ardbert’s no longer beats, his hold on her and the softness of his lips is enough of an adequate translation.

She grows weary, and her companion once again fades to his spectral state. The palm of their hands face the other, hovering a sliver apart. He smiles at her, and she manages a sad one in return.

“Can’t keep your friends waiting now, can you?”

“No. They’ve been patient long enough.”

“Then let us be about it, hero.”

—

If there is one thing she finds oddly comforting about her experiences on the First, it’s that she can, in fact, die. As formidable as she is, the Warrior of Light is still just a mortal. The illuminated aether she’s absorbed from Wardens overwhelms her after navigating the frightfully hazardous recreation of the Final Days in Amaurot. She only vaguely recollects the valiant last stand of the Scions. Everything is growing white, and all she can hear at this point is the cracking of glass.

Her legs give out, and she falls.

When she comes to, it’s a blank void. Bright and enduring. She is alone until she notices the other figure in her peripheral vision.

Ardbert is there staring ahead. His posture is impeccable, and his fists are rigid at his sides. Looking at him from profile, she can see why Lamitt was once so taken with him by appearance alone. She wishes to cup his cheek, perhaps feel the prickle of the coarse hair on his chin. But he speaks before her thoughts betray her further.

“If you had the strength to take another step, could you do it?”

He still focuses forward, brow furrowed in what she can only describe as determination. The same as when he was prepared to cut her down, believing the farce the Ascians fed to a guilt-ridden man. There is retribution to be had, and she will gladly help him achieve it.

“Could you save our worlds?”

“What,” she tries lightly with a smile, “all by myself?”

Ardbert looks at her way and huffs out half a laugh.

Her smile falls when he offers his ax to her. Its blade is dulled and crusted with blood along the edge, but it still glimmers in the everlasting light.

“Take it,” he says. “We fight as one.”

She stares at the weapon, and then up at him. The last resort has come to pass. In hindsight, it was inevitable, yet it saddens her all the same.

“I’m going to miss you,” comes her soft admittance.

His gentle smile is a kindness. “I’ll always be with you.” Ardbert lightly taps the left side of his chest with his other fist. “Right here.”

“That is true,” she says, reaching out for the weapon. “You are, after all, my soulmate.”

“Aye,” he agrees with a shake of his head, though there’s a fondness upon his visage, “that I am.”

It’s a small comfort hearing those words. She takes the ax and the light around her dissolves. Though Ardbert goes with it, she’s able to stand on her own two feet once more. Yet it’s almost as if she’s being lifted by a second pair of arms, a hand along the small of her back and an encouraging squeeze on her shoulder.

A voice not her own speaks. But the warmth in her heart is familiar.

“This world is not yours to end,” they say. “This is our future. Our story.”

She can’t quite hear what Emet-Selch says after the burst of light is gone, but his frustrated shout at seeing the Exarch come to her aid in the eleventh hour is unapologetically satisfying.

There’s a vitality she’s never felt before as she glides through the ensuing final battle. Lighter on her feet, and more force behind her blows. Hades’ large and imposing monstrous form fails in coercing fear and hesitation. Perhaps that is why, upon his defeat, he shrouds their surroundings in darkness, no matter how hard the Scions tried to banish him via auracite.

Bring this chapter to a close, she thinks. Or is it Ardbert speaking to her? Many more adventures lie ahead, but this one is long overdue for a conclusion.

An ax of light forms in her hand and she tosses it forward. When everything grows completely dark, she wonders if it was enough. The sole light from her armament manifestation bursts and narrows, piercing through the weaker will between them.

A promise is made under the dawn sky, atop a decaying memory of that which is no more. To remember that they once lived.

On the edge of the platform, lit by the waking sun, is the ax of light. Firmly planted into the ground, its glittering specks are carried along the breeze until it is no more.

She places a hand over her heart. The gentle beat is steady, and she smiles.