#yeah this is all surkie

[shivasdarknight]

I got tagged by @disciple-of-frost for this meme and this is a doozy but also it's extremely interesting

Spell out your URL using song titles that can describe your muse, then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL.

Aight so uh. shivasdarknight. let's see.

S - Shrike by Hozier

H - Howl by Florence + The Machine

I - It's All So Incredibly Loud by Glass Animals

V - ngl, i have No songs that start with V that fit 💀 or frankly know many songs that begin w it

A - As It Was by Hozier

S - Sick of Losing Soulmates by dodie

D - Despite What You've Been Told by Two Gallants

A - Any Way the Wind Blows from Hadestown

R - Remember to Breathe by Sturgill Simpson

K - King by Florence + The Machine

N - No Light, No Light by Florence + The Machine

I - It's Alright by Mother Mother

G - Granite by Sleep Token

H - Hello My Old Heart by The Oh Hellos

T - True North by Vocal Line

I'm gonna tag @mxkelsifer @mxkokopuff @hyllhund @starstrider @starswornoaths and @lordguru, and anyone who wants to take a crack at it! no pressure, ofc!

[shivasdarknight]

well this is gonna make me bawl like a little bitch

[shivasdarknight]

#wolqotd #wolquestion more like ancient question but how does venat get to meet your azem/ancient? and if it's the case, how does she (and/or remaining convocation peers) eventually appoint them as the next azem in line?

THIS IS A FUN QUESTION especially since this ties in with Charon and their relationships - ex and otherwise.

So, quick establishing info: Charon was the younger sibling of Hermes. They looked a lot like him, they were trans masc + genderfluid, Exclusively went by they/them, and a...very opinionated person. They were briefly seeing Emet-Selch and Hythlodeus, at some point. Briefly. They're exes.

When Venat met Charon, they were still with those two. So, one of the partners of her coworker. At this time, they were very much so like their brother: quiet, kinda depressive, spitting image of him with the dark, dull blue hair and startling green eyes. Venat - the very outgoing woman that she is - was quick to try and interact with them since I mean...she figures it's just polite to do so since they were the partner of her coworker.

She could also quickly tell that they weren't happy in that relationship. Mostly out of curiosity, she offered to take Charon on as an apprentice since it was a job that would allow Charon the freedom of travel that they didn't have. I still haven't figured out what it was, but let's be honest it was probably something lower ranking to do with experimental magic.

Once away from Amaurot and allowed space to breathe, the conflict became very clear: they were exactly like their brother in that they were deeply uncomfortable with the structure of their society and how it impacted those who were less fortunate - except unlike Hermes, this was mostly aimed at folks who weren't a good fit. Like those with lesser aether, or with issues with magic, or I don't know - someone disabled like them.

The ancient society screams ableism and I'm dying on this hill.

Anyways, once they're not as suffocated by that they start to really flourish under Venat? They talk a lot about their discomfort with their partners and how complacent they are with the state of things, how they just don't seem to care and all. Those two can't put themselves in someone else's shoes and see that there's something fundamentally wrong. Venat is one of the few people who sits down with them to walk them through their issues. So is it really any surprise that not only does Charon really begin to enjoy their travels with her, but really start to admire her?

This is around the time that Charon starts bleaching their hair, because they want to match with Venat - which yeah, Venat finds that really endearing. Charon grows more and more distant with their partners until it gets to where they dump them altogether. As Charon begins to grow more into themself, they get a hell of a lot more bold and outspoken and it brings out this petty streak of theirs.

Deeply petty.

Venat's choice to retire is both so she can be of help to a greater freedom than Azem would be, but also because she wanted to spend time with her partner, Khione. The two were hoping to have children, but unfortunately Khione was infertile.

Charon partly takes on the title of Azem to allow Venat that free time since they deeply disagreed with the whole. Dying when your job is finished thing, because they thought that was fucking dreary and disturbing. But also it's fucking funny being Azem because now they have to work with Emet, which.

I mean they hated it. They were constantly coming back home to Hermes to vent about how it felt like things were being undermined because of the fact that they were exes - yet he was the senior Convocation Member thus they couldn't say shit!

Their wanderlust was part of what made them a good choice for Azem, but their bullheadedness and their habit to take matters into their own hands resulted in them constantly getting in trouble with the Convocation. Lahabrea, especially, could not stand them. About the only one they got along with was Themis, and that's because he's Venat's younger brother in this.

The Convocation also didn't take too kindly to Charon hooking up with Venat and Khione. Partly because they thought Venat was kind of being selfish by not passing on, but also because they were just very hypercritical of anything Charon did. The further they got into the Convocation, the more obnoxious they got. And this continued into the Final Days.

About their only supporter was Hermes when he joined, and they actually advocated his appointment so that they'd have back up. They just weren't anticipating that he'd join on with the Zodiark project, and that resulted in them abandoning the Convocation to help Venat and her allies with the Hydaelyn project. They were to be the Heart of Hydaelyn, but they died before they could do so.

So yeah, it went from "partner of a coworker" to "apprentice" to "successor" to "lover" to "accomplice". Venat and Charon have a really interesting relationship, and this extends into Hydaelyn and all of Charon's incarnations - especially now that they've reincarnated into Surkukteni.

[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.

[shivasdarknight]

So I need to write this down anyways, so I might as well throw this out here, but these are Surkie and her partners' kids (at least the ones thus far). For clarification's sake: Surkukteni is engaged (and later married) to Ysayle, Estinien and Aymeric (so engaged quad/married quad). Surkukteni and Ysayle are dating Venat, and Surkukteni and Venat are seeing Gwendoline (oc; she also has her own partners on top of this). So as usual, all is below the cut.

(CW for child endangerment/infant endangerment but nothing bad comes of it (passing reference, kid is unharmed) in Yukiko's section, pregnancy mentions + trans masc pregnancy discussion in Orianne's section and a few others after that)

The oldest child is Allie, as in Allie from the Werlyt questline. Instead of staying in Werlyt with Gaius, Allie is taken in by Surkie and her then-partners Estinien and Ysayle (as she was taken in before Aymeric joined the relationship) to live with them. They figured it'd be good for her to get away from the major source of her trauma so she could recover. The offer was mostly to give her a space to recover and figure herself out and where she'd go from there. Even if Surkie and her partners had considered potentially adopting her, they didn't want to overstep and let her decide what she needed from them - be it just a temporary home before she went back to live with her sister (as Milisandia survives in this rewrite), or stay with them. She stayed with them in their apartment in Shirogane and bounced between there and the Rising Stones while she slowly worked through her trauma-induced despondency, slowly breaking out of her shell more and more with each individual - especially Ysayle and Estinien.

Allie moves with them to Ishgard while Surkukteni is pregnant with the twins, and it's a sort of unsaid change of relationship to her seeming to just...adopt herself into the family to a degree? She spends a lot of time with the quad, she seems to really look up to Ysayle, Fenrir (Surkie and Ysayle's big murder puppy that hates men) takes a liking to her, and she ends up taking engineering and machinist lessons from Stephanivien with Ysayle. So by the time that the twins are born, she's basically their daughter at that point - to where she's accidentally called everyone but Surkie a parental title (Ysayle, "mother"; Aymeric, "father"; Estinien, "dad"). Surkie really isn't too bugged by that since she deeply understands the issue at hand: even if Estinien was involved with the Weapons, he wasn't the one directly in battle with them.

But Allie does still care about Surkie and sees her as a maternal figure. She ends up inheriting Surkie's ARR jacket (seen above), she trusts her a great deal to ask her for advice and training, drags her off to show her the projects she's working on, and eventually decides to voice her feelings in a sheisty way in Endwalker when she decides she wants to join them on the Scion trips. While in Thavnair, Surkie runs into her Captain (basically father) and stops to talk to him in Yedlihmad, and Allie wanders over. When Kitase asks who this brat is, Surkie can't answer in time because Allie says, "Her daughter", before running off to avoid the fallout.

She does a lot of work with the Scions when she feels comfortable and goes to Mare Lamentorum, finding herself obsessed with the Loporrits, and further works on the project to create an automaton host for the Alfonse combat data they salvaged from the Diamond Weapon (so kinda Alfonse, kinda not? She understands this but still cares and keeps him around as a sort of robo dragon that can shift form).

She still sends Milisandia tons of letters and visits Werlyt when she feels she can. But mostly, she lives with the engaged quad and has really taken a liking to not being the youngest for once. Sure, it was an adjustment to go from living with these people she vaguely considered as guardians to suddenly becoming an older sister. She was never obligated by the engaged quad to help take care of the twins and following children, but she's been helping regardless since she views them as family now and partly wants to pull her weight (but also she adores her new baby siblings).

Allie doesn't move out as soon as she's an adult. Partly because she doesn't know what she's doing, partly because she still does work with the Scions so she might as well hang around, partly because of her work with the Skysteel Manufactory; but also she's just glad she has a safe, steady home for once and feels like she's making up for lost time even if she could legally head out on her own. She feels no pressure (and they would never pressure her) to move out, as honestly she's just happy to have living family.

Then of course, the twins. These two are the oldest of Surkie's biological kids and their sire is Estinien. Yukiko is their daughter, and Toskr is their son - they were born right before Endwalker. Yukiko (written as 雪子) was named after Ysayle, as her name means "snow child", is 6 letters long and starts with a Y. Yes, Surkie was being cheeky about it. Yes, Ysayle is really touched by the gesture and has cried about it several times. Toskr was named by Estinien and it's a shortening of Ratatoskr, which also made Ysayle bawl. So their names are extremely targeted but were both supposed to honor one person they'd thought they lost and someone who should've been more properly honored.

Toskr is the older of the two and also the healthier one. He's a quiet, bookish kid with a rancid attitude and no filter when it concerns his opinions. He goes out a lot on jobs with his parents or uncles and aunts and has thus learned how to be a gunbreaker (from his aunt, Altan), a monk (from his aunt, W'khittri - she and Altan are married at this point), and how to be a sage from Alphinaud whenever he visits. Also means he hangs out with Allie a fair bit since he got into engineering through Altan, and is forever fidgeting with different things he's tinkered with. He's also the one that gets constantly coerced by Orianne into doing her hair for her, so they often just spend the time debating shit since they're just Like That. He's the kind of guy that'd be a programmer if it existed, but it doesn't so he's got his sights on joining either the Skystell Manufactory or the Garlond Ironwroks. Keeps to himself, but honestly was a really clingy kid who was easily freaked out by his parents' allies (Vrtra especially). He and Orianne are the "helpful" siblings, in that when they begin to enter combat situations they'll do whatever role is most helpful and are usually the first to let their parents handle something that's out of their depth.

Yukiko is the younger twin and the underdeveloped one. Her parents were genuinely terrified that she wouldn't survive past her infancy, but she wound up too stubborn for that. She developed a fair number of chronic issues as she got older (genetic unfortunately on Surkie's side), and as a result hasn't had as many opportunities as her twin. Drives her crazy since she's forever wanting to prove herself as capable like her mother. If her parents were considered some of the most stubborn assholes on the star, their daughter inherited this tenfold. It's hard to tell her to not do something, harder to get her to acknowledge fault, and yet she keeps trying regardless. She's very close with Orn Khai to where they grew up together and allowed him to metamorphose into a mostly-forgotten morph more intended for dragon-dragoon rider pairs, and she downright refused to learn how to use a spear from her parents and instead frequently turned to Heustienne instead. She's a natural with black magic (scarily competent, actually), and ends up wearing Surkie down enough to be taught how to be a dark knight. Teodore helps her rein in her extremely powerful and extremely dark aether, Heustienne helps her with the lance (and she's somewhat allowed her parents to give pointers), and she really enjoys being allowed to train with her mother and Sidurgu. She frequently runs away from home as she also inherited both of her parents' wanderlust and its a common sight to see her dragged back home by one of her parents (usually Surkukteni or Estinien), or one of their allies (like Teodore). A few times it's Orianne, but she more uses it as an opportunity to lure Orianne out of the city so she has backup in her stupid antics. She's one of the "selfish dps" kids, in that it takes a lot to get her to be cooperative and she's heavy into preferring DPS.

It's not all fun and games with Yukiko, however. She does feel as if she's somewhat being held back by her parents, but part of their caution with her was that she was almost killed by Fandaniel when she was an infant. Instead of the canon 83 instance, Fandaniel instead drops Surkie in the Garlemald ruins with a single challenge: can she find her dear snow child in this frigid tundra before the infant freezes to death? Were it not for Hydaelyn interfering to keep her safe and warm, she'd not be alive to this day. Of course, it's an entirely disorienting thing to learn as a teenager but it does give her a bit of perspective to her parents' concerns.

Toskr definitely hangs out mostly with his aunts, Altan and W'khittri, but he's definitely a momma's boy and just silently seeks physical affection from Surkie and will just randomly lean against her, fall asleep at her side, hug her from behind everything - not for words, but very much for action and that whole "if i smother my parent maybe i can drown shit out".

Yukiko got really endeared to Ysayle as a toddler and followed her around everywhere. Same with Venat. Yeah, she likes her fathers and all and goes with Estinien on jobs around Dravania and Thavnair since she's become very endeared to the dragons thanks to Ysayle (unlike Toskr, she was really fascinated by Vrtra when they met him as infants), but she's slightly biased and thinks Venat is more fun most of the time.

Toskr is into woodcarving (something he picked up from Estinien), and Yukiko's gotten into gardening and metalworking (under Surkukteni's guidance on both). Toskr's a bookworm, Yukiko's very much so a jock. Also he's definitely going to end up as bi and she's gonna end up a lesbian - specifically a baby butch.

Orianne is the fourth kid. She was born during 6.X and is Surkukteni's child with Aymeric - though, unlike the twins it wasn't Surkukteni who carried her; she sired Orianne and Aymeric carried her (reminder: Surkie is intersex, and I write Aymeric as trans). Like both of her parents, she's intersex and trans. She was raised neutrally and named "Nergui" (a taboo named that means "no name") until she began to want to define who she was and picked her name. "Orianne" means golden and was a character from a book she liked as a little girl, and it's a name that's stuck. Also, clarification for Nergui and taboo names: they intended it as a placeholder from the start and just because it sounds bad doesn't mean what that would here. The practice is to give an ill-fitting or "bad" name to a child after a previous child died as a sort of hope that this one survives, and considering the scares with Yukiko? It was Surkie damn near praying to whoever would listen that they didn't take this child - Nergui at the time - from them too. So yes, it's a placeholder that means no name so Orianne could decide for herself (since Surkie never had that choice, raised as if she were afab), but it's also a wish that she survives and nothing bad happens to her. So yes, she's trans fem + intersex.

Orianne was born in Thavnair, which resulted in Zero being made her godmother (long story short: Zero was very confused by everything that preceded Orianne being born and wound up helping them out through and after mostly out of curiosity) and Vrtra and Nidhana looking after her quite frequently. She even still has her first baby blanket, which was Nidhana's doing because she kept hounding Surkukteni to pick a silk color based on the Sisters as that was the practice there (yes, the quest says the father picks but Nidhana wasn't about to have Aymeric do it considering how far along he was; and Surkie's the sire so) - and she's being born in Thavnair, so there's no reason why she shouldn't. So she still has the green silk blanket somewhere in her room, as it was a wish for a prosperous life and a wish that she'd not want for companionship. Yeah, it's also riches but she knew there wouldn't be a concern considering Aymeric's station. She just wanted her child to be loved and live a successful life.

Orianne's the Eorzean equivalent of a horse girl. She's obsessed with chocobos and basically took over the care of Prompto (Surkie's huge percheron) and was even gifted her own chick once she was old enough and proved responsible enough. She loves animals, she's basically her father's shadow as she made a habit of following Aymeric everywhere when she was a baby - forcing him to take her with him to meetings, which ended up fostering an early interest in civic work. ...Of course, it's not her passion as honestly she kinda wants to just work with chocobos, but she enjoys it because it means working with her family (namely Aymeric, Ysayle, and oftentimes Surkukteni on an Alliance level). ...However, this tie to family often means that she's easily tricked into doing stupid stuff like running away by Yukiko, mostly out of concern for her sister. So she gets roped into these dumb adventures very frequently.

Orianne learns three martial skills: Paladin, Red Mage, and Astrologian. One would think that she thought to become a paladin because of Aymeric, but it was actually from watching Fordola train with Surkukteni and her allies. She was so in awe of her that she wanted to learn how to do it immediately, and it took Fordola aback when she was asked to be Orianne's mentor. She agreed eventually, but no one - especially not Surkukteni, Lyse, and Arenvald - will ever forget how she looked like a deer caught in magelight when Orianne enthusiastically begged to be taught. Red magic was learned from X'rhun and Seraphin, as the two had done a fair amount of work in restoring the art; practice with Surkukteni and Ysayle very commonplace. And of course, astromancy from Leveva - rather, "Lord Rufin" - and Jannequinard. She knows both forms of astromancy - the predictive Ishgardian kind, and the restorative Sharlayan kind - and excels in the school of magic. So yes, she's one of the Helpful children since she's flexible in her role and listens to her parents' expertise.

She's a very proud girl with a strong moral compass, which honestly kind of makes some of her parents - Aymeric and Estinien especially - wish that she'd gotten the chance to get to know Haurchefant. At the very least, she is familiar with the Fortemps family from doing work with her father - so mostly Artoirel, though she avoids Emmanelain like the plague.

So yeah, really sweet kid but also a bit gullible who just really loves animals - but especially chocobos. Also like her bio parents: she's gonna end up bi.

Tseren is another 6.X baby, but this time is between Surkukteni (sire) and Ysayle. He's conceived during 6.2 by accident and they find out that Ysayle is pregnant at the end of 6.3 when Rubicante refuses to fight a woman with child, which sure was a hell of a way to find that out.

Ysayle spends the rest of 6.X in Thavnair, so she ends up spending most of her pregnancy there (iunno what's going on in 7.0 and I need to figure out when Aymeric feels comfortable going back to Ishgard since he's in Thavnair to remain stealth about the fact he's trans; no one gives a shit in Thavnair and if anything support him through it). Maybe Tseren is born in Ishgard, but I gotta decide that once we get more timeline information about 6.X. But it does mean a fun little thing with Zero having to view Ysayle in a very different light - as she thought she was just some warrior and eidolon summoner, but now...she's in a very domestic situation and it feels like tonal whiplash. I'm tangenting a bit here, but the last bit is there's also just this really cute thing with Ysayle and Venat building a relationship further while Ysayle's pregnant with Tseren which includes talking about having kids of their own at some point since motherhood for Venat is a very particular subject (as she's trans too).

But back to Tseren.

He's the first child conceived after Surkukteni fused with Diarmuid at the end of Endwalker to save her life. Thus he's the first child of hers after she became part Voidsent. ...And while it was bad enough that her aether is heavily aspected towards dark aether when she was pregnant with the twins, she's now part voidsent on top of that. So while she didn't carry him, she still sired him.

He's a creepy kid. Tseren winds up looking a lot like Myste when he's a kid and it does freak Surkukteni out. Tseren ends up cutting his hair at one point when he's a kid because he figured it out quickly (hard not to when Myste sometimes manifests to fuck with Surkie when the grief of...well a lot of things gets particularly bad), and so he has his parents keep his hair short until he's old enough to not have that passing resemblance anymore. He's very quiet and solemn, more preferring to listen than talk. He can talk, he's just...awkward. And with the rbf he got from Surkie along with the ND death stare, he comes off as a lot more intimidating than he actually is.

Don't get me wrong, he's still an edgy motherfucker. But he's the one who actually is learning to be a chirurgeon through Gwendoline. He spends a lot of time with her and learned conjury and white magic through her (and...honestly bits of necromancy). His natural affinity for umbral aether played into this. One would think that he would be good at black magic as an extension, but that's not where his talents lie. Tseren - instead - is the other selfish dps kid. He may be a white mage, but he's a green dps. He did learn lancework from Estinien and could technically become a dragoon, but that's not his preferred polearm: it's a scythe. He's a natural with communing with voidsent and has had a familiar (as he calls it) for quite some time now. Brigit is a bizarre voidsent, something similar to a kelpie if it'd stepped out of a lava lake instead. Her form is fairly fluid (ha) and has hung around Tseren for years before their actual pact. She's a voidsent that's held a lot of respect for Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Surkukteni's voidsent), got curious about the kid and ended up being his only friend growing up. He learns how to better engage with the voidsent as he gets older from his mother and from his uncle Katsuro, and it results in him leaning super hard into reaper.

He's really close with Yukiko, and hilariously in a parallel to her as well: he's Ysayle's son, but he was really attached to Estinien while growing up. It's part of why he does train with Estinien in this rework of dragoon into something more akin to how it was pre-dragonsong war. While that's more Yukiko's forte considering Orn Khai, he finds that plenty of the skills transfer to how he works with Brigit. He likes alchemy and studies under Gwendoline and Nidhana, and won't stop following Zero around since he thinks she's really really cool. He might also hang out with G'raha a lot and has quietly started parroting a lot of his habits - because yeah, this kid may have inherited Surkie's autism. It's cute tho.

He draws, paints, and is really artistic on top of everything (they had a really hard time getting him to use canvas or parchment, the walls of the house would frequently be covered in paint...), and really enjoys studying old forms of art when doing work with G'raha and Krile. So yeah, of course he's an anthropology and art history type. This kid's going to grow up and is gonna be a disaster gay, just like his uncle Katsuro.

The last ones I have designed are Bolorsarnai (left) and Sarangerel (right), and these two are the most recent (as in just the last few days). I don't have a lot on them yet, but they're Surkie and Gwen's kids (Surkie is the sire again). They were planned, but they'd planned to have one kid; not identical twins. Needless to say, Gwen was a bit exasperated as she very clearly remembers the hassle Surkukteni went through with the oldest twins. So, she wound up staying with Surkie for the duration of that for the additional help (from her, from their girlfriend Venat, as well as Surkie's then-spouses). So yup, more aurezen, though they're the only ones that aren't Ishgardian elezen.

All I got for them right now is that Bolorsarnai is an extremely shy kid who wants to be a teacher and is really into linguistics, while Sarangerel is following Surkie's footsteps in becoming a botanist. She's constantly out in the Dravanian wilds or the Black Shroud studying the floral and arboreal life there and basically creating her own botanical guide with her own sketches and all. She does enjoy the more typical idea of gardening and wouldn't really be that interested in combat. She's also into carpentry and probably...one of the most normal kids, which is hilarious because one of her mothers is a necromancer, while the other is a demon summoner.

Bolorsarnai is absolutely gonna end up asexual, with a very strong sapphic leaning. Sarangerel, on the other hand, is a baby butch. And since Gwen is a femme, she ends up getting a lot of advice from her aunt, Altan. So yeah, they basically took Gwen's identities and distilled them: Bolorsarnai is a sapphic asexual (Gwen is demi), while Sarangerel looked at Gwendoline and went "nah I wanna be a different kind of lesbian" and goes running to Altan's camp. So yes, Surkie has two butch daughters and she loves them a lot.

There are other kids that I'm workshopping rn and have some ideas for, but I don't really have anything on them besides who their parents are. Rn I'm thinking

Surkie and Estinien second attempt, this time planned.

Ysayle and Venat have a kid together, though they don't realize that Ysayle was already pregnant prior to them trying and winds up pregnant with Venat's kid and Surkukteni's (because yeah, that's actually possible)

these two happen simultaneously because they kinda forgot to coordinate.

probably an estimeric baby, but after that Aymeric is checking out on further kids unless they can figure out how he can sire kids (which is research he's been actively funding); and honestly this is something I Am going to write, and Surkie has already promised that she'd be willing to carry in the event the procedure gets worked out as a way to make things even with them

Gwen and Venat definitely have one because they were planning two kids (one Surkie, one Venat) but y'know. Identical twins happened.

Venat and Surkie are another but I'm torn between accident vs planned

And an estiysayle one after the Surkie and Venat kids but idk when im still trying to figure this out

yeah yeah ik that's a lot of kids. but also consider that 1) medieval era, this really isn't that weird. 2) they're a polaym group, there's like 6 adults in the mix (~2.5 kids to every adult) so they're more okay with it than if they were any combination of monogamous - plus, with all their friends, allies and family? more than enough adults to give them the care and attention they need. 3) both Aymeric and Gwendoline have the money to support them, like that's really not an issue.

also designing fankids is fun and theres a lotta feasible combos here so leave me alone lmAO

Anyways I got pics of them in game since I did my best to recreate em, and I'll probably come back to this and update it when I get more of the kiddos designed. In the meantime, I'm gonna be scheming :3c

[shivasdarknight]

top 5 glams (for any of ur lil guys)

I'm logged into Surkie rn, so that's all I'm posting lmAO

u h.

1.

This outfit's fun because in in-game terms, it was originally supposed to be a dragoon glam that I didn't really vibe with but it wound up being an AMAZING paladin glam and just casual tanking thing that became part of Surkie's canon wardrobe. Basically it was her first dark knight look, it became her main look during stb and for anything that didn't involve heavy combat in post stb-post shb (that's where the behemoth king set comes in), and it remains her traveling and often casual clothes. I just really like how the Holy Rainbow shirts look <3

2.

THE ZONURESKIN LOOK okay so technically i made this in post shadowbringers, but it kind of backdated itself and became her Look through post-stormblood and shadowbringers if she dared to do stuff with dragoon, and tbh even into endwalker and now dawntrail. Obviously given the look's inspiration since it's a reprint of the Ala Mhigan set (fending but swapped to maiming), it's definitely something she got in Ala Mhigo and honestly probably something Lyse helped her get to better reinforce her side after the numerous injuries that threatened her ability to be a dragoon. Weapon for this is Dreizack Recollection, which was restored by her sister, Altan, and given to her and she Will Not abandon that spear because of that sentimentality. It continues the trend of maiming being white for her since it started as dragoon so it was just better for muddying up her silhouette when in the air (but also white to her is more the Death Color than black is because of her upbringing) but it's just become her Thing as the "Azure Dragoon Cloaked in Ivory".

3.

The Troian set >:3c This is Surkie's new heavy combat look as of post-endwalker when UT completely destroyed her old armor (not pictured at all). Admittedly, this has been in rotation the shortest but I got super attached to it. It's still on my WAR glam, but it just feels more in place with "active excursion in the void" versus "low stakes jaunt around Tural", hence the swap to the Edenmorn gear (also not pictured). I'm pvp pilled, so ofc the archfiend gauntlets are actually on the glamour plate. Love Cylva, so ofc we have the Deepshadow axe (modded somewhat), and it's just...a really fun look that I'm obsessed with since I could never wear something like this in other MMOs as a fem player. Lots of gender euphoria, you see.

4.

Ala Mhigan Striking my beloved. YEAH I love the Ala Mhigan/Zonure/Ovim set A LOT and I've used it quite a bit, and frankly the Ala Mhigan striking is SUCH a good piece for this. Also really love the Crystarium knuckles for this (the sam side is fine, just not as good without the knuckles but at least you can see the gloves), and the Moonward boots. Sorry, Edge, Surkie just wears your boots better 🤷 Also love how her arm and scars appear through the one sleeve, just TASTY. (yes the sword is modded, leave me be). Another thing Surkie likely got in Ala Mhigo that I'm probably gonna canonize, this time through W'khittri. It also continues maiming's trend of white relating to death, but it's got that balance of white And black (which she's always seen as more noble and benevolent due to Nhaaman influence)

5.

Deepshadow and Troian just the other way around now. Hat's modded, leave me alone, but yeah so uh. This is a modified form of one of Lillith's glams, it just wound up working better for Surkie. You could argue it's still the black = Nhaama stuff, but this honestly leans more into the conscious edginess she picked up from Eorzean influence around the colors. Also the most brown I use in any glam. IDC if the Shiva gun conflicts, it took me Way Too Fucking Long to get the damn thing (before enw came out and the coffers eased that process Considerably). Also she summons it, so it's not like she has it visible at all times. ...Yeah, anyways it's like an Amano cowboy and I'm here for it.

Also a sprout called the vanilla form of the outfit (which isn't too different) cool so I Win.

[shivasdarknight]

Top 5 glam pieces?

OUGH uuuhhhh

Nezha Lady Gloves, I always dye those jet black because they're perfect biker gloves

Shire Custodian bottoms + the variations on that piece, scalemail pants that are just really fun to pair with more casual glams so you still have an armored look

Eastern Lady Errant's gloves are in a lot of Surkie's glams because I really love how they work with would-be poofy sleeves, I also really like the bandages up one arm (for this reason, I also love the Wayfarer's gloves, just don't use them as often because forearm vs upperarm coverage)

Crystarium Coat of Scouting is an ALL TIME FAV

also last but tbh my top pick is the Holy Rainbow Shirt of (X) series, which I usually pair with 2 other pieces on this list. It's just such a good piece and I love that it's practically identical across all gearsets

Example A (featuring pieces 2, 3 and 5):

OH YEAH AND TROIAN FENDING IS MY LIFE <3 IK THAT'S SIX BUT I JUST CAN'T IGNORE IT

[shivasdarknight]

Actually, speaking of how I draw Surkie

Bunch of old doodles that are more in the accurate range for her! I'm still trying to figure out exactly how it's gonna look (also my wrist is still on the recovery and that 2nd image is all I've managed recently 🥹 progress!!), but yeah!

lizard bitch! 💖💜💙

[shivasdarknight]

I can put them together!!!! \O/

Euodia, Charikleia, and Uyanga! I have NO idea where they are timeline wise, but whatever it is, is after Tseren.

They're referred to as the triplets but that's just simplifying the fact that they were born on the same day. Euodia and Charikleia are the actual twins, and it's that fun situation of how fraternal twins can have entirely different sires. Meaning there's overlap between these three and who they're related to. Euodia is a surkysayle kid, Charikleia is an ysaylevenat kid, and Uyanga is a surkiestinien kid.

More in depth stuff below, because yeah discussion around pregnancy (planned and unplanned) and infertility but it's - at its core - more relationship dynamic stuff + relevant info about the kids

The actual twins are Ysayle's, and the plan was to have a child with Venat. The black hair is a thing because that's Ysayle's original hair color (hc) which ties back to her ancient self, Khione. This is also why she wanted to have a child with Venat because of how Venat wasn't able to have kids with her original partners due to Charon's dysphoria and Khione's infertility. So the plan was A child, but they weren't against the idea of twins; Ysayle just found the news a bit exhausting since Tseren wiped her out and she remembers how Surkie was with Yukiko and Toskr.

Same time as this, Surkie and Estinien talk about having another kid together since the first time they did was unplanned and right before an apocalyptic event, and having a second try at it when shit isn't falling apart and having it not be so damn stressful is something they would both like - especially since it gives Surkie an excuse to slow down and just not have to do WoL stuff for a year or so, which means more time with what kids they already have.

Obvs both groups talk it out and they're thinking that it's going to be staggered since they're now actively trying, but both Surkie and Ysayle are pregnant and very early on when this happens. Surkie's got the one kid, Ysayle turns out to have twins. They assume they're both Venat's, so seeing horns and scales confuses everyone and really deeply embarrasses Surkie for. Reasons. But that's part of why Euodia's name is Greek - Surkie refused to claim any naming rights to her. Venat literally doesn't care though, she thinks it's both funny and sweet - like why would she be against something that effectively encapsulated their triad?

All three were born on the same day so they're triplets for simplicity's sake. The fact that Venat can have kids in this vessel is something she's deeply grateful for and very emotional over - especially since said child looks so much like if she and Khione had managed to have a child. Because hi, I really like exploring that motherhood theme in Venat through her being a trans woman.

Euodia is likely to have similar weird stuff going on like Tseren, but it's Uyanga they're concerned about. They don't think there'll be much weird stuff wirh Charikleia, all things considered, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Uyanga, though, was carried by a parent who fused with a Voidsent and is a very terrifying dark knight, and sired by a coerthan elezen who's still got the whole nidhogg's aether going on. Hence the eyes, and hence concerns similar to Yukiko; except Yukiko was born before the Voidsent stuff. Uyanga is a major wildcard.

but ye im rambly

i just think they're neat

[shivasdarknight]

ask 3 of 3

16. What does your WoL do to relax? What sorts of distractions do they seek? Do they foster any bad habits as a result?

{original question collection post - curious about anything else?}

Another long one! So under the cut this goes:

Surkie has the most on-hand distractions and bad habits out of the group; she seeks these out the most, and winds up with a large variety of things to try and decompress with. When she was still just an adventurer, she was dragged off of the streets of Gridania by Fufucha because that woman could see the fact that this was going to be yet another adventurer caught up in the nonsense of war and whatnot and she had a very good feeling that Surkie would - in all likelihood - die in combat and wanted to give her an outlet to not so heavily rely on adventuring. And It Worked. Surkie got really heavily involved in botany and botanical research, and as a result she started documenting what stuff she could find on her adventures and that led into keeping an apartment full of plants every which way you look. Many of them are experiments to see if she could keep them indoors, and then it led to the greenhouse project with Aymeric - so yeah, she really enjoys keeping plants now. She also picked up Triple Triad when she was traveling and is an avid collector, she really likes playing mock matches by herself since none of the others really like it (Sera humors her, but he's not good) but it ends up being a competitive thing between her and Estinien. She's also a very voracious reader when it concerns anthropology textbooks, especially about Mhach and the original Coerthan cultures prior to Halonic mandates, and she has as much of a book collecting problem as she has a plant collecting problem. She does metalwork (blacksmithing and such), she knows how to tailor her own clothing and finds some relief in that as a distraction due to the repetitive motions, she doodles from time to time but these are all fairly decent things to be distraction. The bad habits that she picked up as distractions were her tendency to fall into flings to try and fill that void post-Ysayle's "death", and how early msq Surkie would frequently pick fights. It's something she grew out of as she got older, especially as the desire to fight like that just kind of...died?, but she used to put herself in situations where a fight could break out and help initiate it mostly to burn off energy and shit feelings. Cute side note though: that sewing habit - as taught to her by her captain so she could be self sufficient - has turned into her making clothing for her kids. She made a fair amount of stuff for the twins during her forced downtime which means they have a fair amount of clothes meant for infants (especially tailed infants); she has also tried her hands at stuff like blankets and small toys (she's trying wrt toys, it's v hard for her); and she's made Allie stuff which ends up as more a more involved activity between them. Part of it is that whole attitude from her captain coming in and helping Allie become self sufficient, but there's a part of it where it's the two of them working together on projects as a bonding activity - like Allie's new formal clothing, traveling clothes, etc.

Gwendoline and Surkie share habits in reading and gardening, but Gwen is often reading medical texts and her garden is less for experiments and more for reagents. So even her destressors are still feeding back into what she does as a white mage, an alchemist, and as a necromancer. She's married to her work and that's as good of a bad habit as any, as she's constantly getting bugged to find a hobby that doesn't have anything to do with the stuff that brings her stress. She argues that necromancy is that, but the others won't take it. She'll go "Oh, I sew" but even Surkie calls her out because 1) medical stitching doesn't count 2) STITCHING CORPSES TOGETHER DOES NOT COUNT. They'll let her have embroidery because she does have an interest in it, but they're still suspicious of it because it's just more things to give her hand cramps and not actually destress (they're suspicious because they care and she's a workaholic). I'll say this: even if it's kind of morbid, she actually collects bones and has a full collection of various things she can preserve because she thinks they're Neat. She views flower pressing in the same category, so you'll see her with her pressed flowers in glass cases next to. Skulls and vertebrae and phalanges and shed skins, and the like. She finds something relaxing about cleaning off bones she's found - like processing off flesh, boiling off stuff etc - just for the sake of keeping it around. She doesn't know if she wants to do anything with it, but it's nothing she uses for her necromancy. It just exists as a catalogue of things that once were, and she does enjoy adding to it.

Seraphin is into woodcarving and is the one who convinced Surkie to pick up some creative outlet (which turned into mechanical drawings (illustrating journals and whatnot) and blacksmithing). He makes stuff for friends and family and is actually responsible for a few of the hilts that he and his adoptive siblings use since a fair amount are made out of wood. He has both practical and for the hell of it skills with it, and he just likes sitting down with a knife and messing around with a small chunk. He doesn't think of it as anything grand, but he finds the carving to be cathartic since he can work slowly and meticulously. Tons of scars from it, but he doesn't particularly care - it's just funny that he has worse scars on his hands from carving mishaps than anything from combat. He genuinely enjoys sparring because he sees it as a good way to connect with allies, and he knows too well that it's a good way to vent out frustrations and often coerces allies into fighting him so they can get something off of their chest. He doesn't have many bad habits compared to the two above, but he's neglectful about his own stress and has to be sat down and reminded of the stuff he preaches.

Teodore is really into puzzles, like really into them. Mostly things he can take with him - so like 3D puzzles or things where you try to separate two items to the best of your ability - and tons of like. Mental stuff. He sometimes will read off something he's working on and the whole group just kind of stares at him like he's crazy and it's a toss up of who guesses it right based on the logic of the puzzle (eg surkie doesn't fall for that math thing that leads you on and then asks the name of the conductor, he tried to get her with it and she just gave him the stink eye lmfAO). He'd do jigsaw puzzles more often if they weren't constantly on the road, but he would love a rubiks cube if it existed in lore. He does have some trouble because these things weren't made with hrothgar claws in mind, but it doesn't really bother him. Worst habit is that he often gets lost in these distractions and has chronic insomnia, but who in the group doesn't? ...Well, Seraphin, but of course it's Seraphin.

[shivasdarknight]

For gwendoline

4. Does your OC have a failed friendship or relationship they still think about? What happened? Is it an unresolved regret or is there a chance for reconciliation?

So I had to sit on this one for a long while because I was trying to think about if Gwen had any because honestly, it's really only up until mid-ARR that she really starts building stuff outside of herself. She's not super interested in relationships or friendships initially, as she's more concerned about her work. Sure, her work does involve helping others - she starts off as a chirurgeon for a sort of medical underground in Gridania that helps out people the Conjurer's Guild refuses (like Ala Mhigans, or Seeker clans) - but she doesn't get attached for her own safety and the safety of her patients.

But in all honesty, there is something in there that I realized as I got thinking about her. Her family doesn't have an issue with the fact that she's a chirurgeon - they all are, to some degree, be it conjury or alchemy - and that's not the issue here. The issue is her grandfather, who is still alive.

Gwendoline's grandfather is a patriarch type that maintains the Lacroix name. Gwen's parents were a marriage of business, and he expects of her the same thing of her (which yeah gl, she's a demi-lesbian). I do write that Gridania isn't the most open? It's not as bad as Ishgard, but nowhere as good as Ala Mhigo or Limsa Lominsa, so Gwen is closeted with her family (save her mother, actually). She's 29 in ARR and still not engaged, which drives her grandfather fucking mad because she's an only child. In part this is because she is a daughter and the Lacroix name wouldn't carry on through her unless they got someone who was willing to join the family than the other way around, but also she's doing nothing to further the interests for the family. Again: not a problem that she's a chirurgeon, just a problem she's married to her work and not some lord.

The broken relationship comes in as she prioritizes her chirurgeon work and Warrior of Light work above that of the family. She used to visit her family more often during her adventures in ARR, but that peters off especially after Post Stormblood. That was a long gap of not seeing them and her coming back having helped the Ala Mhigans really pissed her grandfather off given the Autumn War.

But the worst of it was her doing, as a parallel to Surkie's story because yeah I'm being fun here.

The reason why Gwendoline cuts her grandfather off and devotes herself more to The Great Work in Thavnair than any further work with official Gridanian channels (she still does the under the table stuff tho), is because she was made aware that she had an uncle she was never introduced to - because that uncle was disowned. And for what horrific crime was he disowned for?

He married a Duskwight woman.

That's literally it. It's the bullshit Wildwood stuff that no one in her family told her about as that incident got her aunts and uncles significantly tighter knit so that disowning didn't sting as much.

And Gwendoline found out about this through talks with her mother, who told her that Seraphin was a spitting image of Gwen's disowned uncle's lover.

Because that's their kid.

Seraphin is Gwendoline's cousin. They don't realize this until they're in their 30s because Gwen's uncle was disowned and scratched from family records, while that same uncle has been dead for two decades now thanks to the Garlean occupation of Ala Mhigo - one of the victims of the Velodyna clan massacre, of which Seraphin was one of the few survivors at age 4 thanks to the Eldridge family. So while it's not the "oh god suddenly siblings" stuff that Surkie and Katsu have to reconcile, Gwen now has to reconcile that she spent the last few years driving a further wedge between those two sides of her family unknowingly since she and Seraphin did not get along at first, and that was entirely due to the fact that she is a noblewoman and he's the son of war refugees. It caused an ideological clash that took them years to work out. This information just makes it sting all that worse, and understandably so for Seraphin since. I dunno, her side of the family could have had a bit of empathy and thought to reach out, reconnect, and help? But no, the Velodyna clan is now nearly extinct thanks to the Garleans.

So when all of this comes to light, Gwendoline - a very loyal woman to family - refuses to engage with her grandfather. It causes issues with her parents; she's nearly cut out of the family, as well, but this is part of why she pours her focus into Thavnair to help Nidhana as a way of saying to them "You've lost me and I refuse to play a part in this any longer".

So unless her grandfather makes some substantial change, there will be no reconciliation. And hilariously? In that regard, it makes her a lot like her late uncle.

[shivasdarknight]

#wolqotd So I haven't really made a decision on a ship for my Wol/NPC. How did you guys decide on who you wanted your Wols to be with? Was it a certain moment? Or just something that made too much sense?

So, as a forward: I did not go into this with any ships in mind. When I first started to think about Surkukteni as a character, some of that came to mind but I was already midway through Stormblood. Misaki was barely a character, and I'd only just started to play around with ideas for Katsuro - the others were just...not there or just hollow shells (Sera and Teo weren't, Gwen was on Crystal, and V'ahnie is. non existent).

Surkie was always meant to be sapphic. When I first started writing her, I knew I wanted to lean into sapphic stuff but I wasn't set on her identity just yet. This all came with developing her character because I found that it was easier for me to figure out romantic stuff once her character was actually concrete. This is also how I ruled people out.

Yugiri was a first consideration mostly because I personally thought she was cute, but the Steppe Arc made that difficult to stomach so she was no longer a consideration. This was also when I was lamenting the fact that Ysayle's canonically dead because she would've been perfect.

I go off of chemistry and narrative similarities, so the first thing that actually clicked was one I didn't want to click: Surkie/Estinien. I was still pissed at this douchebag for Heavensward and how he treated Ysayle, and again I was really hoping for something sapphic but was getting frustrated that out of the entire cast that was still alive, it was him that actually worked really well with Surkie. Similar narrative points, similar drives, easy rivals and competitive dumbasses. They embodied a lot of the stuff that I enjoyed in ships - especially m/f shit like Ashitaka/San - and I kinda compensated for a long time with them being FWB but not officially together.

Aymeric was thrown in there as a why not, but that developed into a very different kind of relationship that I was off and on with until I settled on their coworkers dynamic and working through shared issues - it also clicked more when I finally said Fuck It and made Aymeric trans. The deciding factor on keeping him in her relationship was the fact that they began to have chemistry once I stepped out of the usual modes people take with Aymeric and focused on coworkers, queerness, and frankly politics.

It's also for this same reason as to why I kept G'raha out when he used to initially be in there. At first I thought it was fun that they had parallel desires - she was an adventurer wanting to get into archaeology, he's an anthropologist (archaeology is under anthropology) who wanted to be an adventurer - but the more I developed them the less they worked out? Like yeah, similar desires and all and he's a political figure but they only really work as friends. Them being romantic felt like I was acting out the usual tropes and I couldn't really feel out any chemistry between them. Friends, absolutely. Romantic partners? ...Eh.

AND THEN I GOT OVER MYSELF ABOUT STICKING STRICLY TO CANON LMAO

So anyways, Ysayle.

I had a lot of hangups about what to do with her because I only got more attached the further I got away from Heavensward. Everything that she stood for resonated greatly with Surkie and the lack of her in MSQ - especially when it was relevant - was deeply apparent. So eventually I just got kind of sick of writing her as a was and began my rewrite. Shipping her with Surkie just kind of came naturally as that way into sapphic stuff I'd wanted initially, but I didn't want her entire thing to be based around being in a wolnpc ship, yeah? Like. She's still Ysayle, she's still got her own stuff.

The decision to have Surkie have feelings for her is yet again chemistry, but the deeper relationship and narrative emphasis - such as perpetually reincarnating soulmates - came later on as I built Ysayle up and even made her an ancient self in Khione. I made Cylva her shard, and that got elaborated in Surkie's fling with Cylva. Philomène is her Fourth shard that interacts with Saoirse. Macchi is her immediate past life and ties her to both Bahamut and Tiamat.

The more I fleshed this out, the more the relationship became entwined with narrative nonsense about cyclical relationships that end in tragedy except this one with Surkie and Ysayle because Surkie fought against the script. This became the core ship because of how intrinsically tied it is to the story even though both can stand on their own. So much revolves around these two - trauma or otherwise - and yeah it's the most important thing in the story.

Venat comes attached to that as the lover of Charon (Surkie) and Khione (Ysayle). I'd seen some people do stuff with Venat/Ysayle (which I Adore) and thought it could be fun to include Venat in the stuff with surkysayle. Venat and Surkie had some nice similarities and chemistry, and I wound up really liking the idea that Surkie and Ysayle have Venat's traveler's mark because that connection back to Charon and Khione. So beyond just chemistry, it ended up deeply affecting the wider story. It's another core ship that comes into play much later on.

Heustienne is new and it's mostly because I wanna give her more spotlight. Also, Ysayle/Heustienne is cute. I still don't know how she fits in with the Engaged Quad (Surkie, Estinien, Ysayle, Aymeric - Aymeric proposed right as they left for Sharlayan), but I do know that she's at least with Surkie and Ysayle. It's definitely also fun as she stands as one of the three folks affected by the Dragonsong War with ties to the Knights Dragoon that all got aetherically fucked somehow - Estinien obviously, but also Melisande who's an oc of mine. Having her with Surkie and Ysayle fits a lot thematically, especially since I'm making her a Scion and engaging with ENW.

Yotsuyu was originally in Surkie's relationships due to how similar they are (and also because I like Yotsuyu/Ysayle), but that similarity wound up being what made me reconsider. Seeing as Surkie's captain/father is Doman, I don't think she could look past what she did even if she feels for Yotsuyu. She's sympathetic, keeps her alive, and helps her start a new life elsewhere but I don't think she could find herself romantically involved whatsoever.

That's where Melisande comes in. Melisande is a bastard of Ishgard who loathes her homeland and has no desires on ever going back - she'd rather see them burn. In this way, she and Yotsuyu are Fucking Perfect, especially in terms of Yotsuyu post-everything as they try and negotiate what to even do without necessarily redeeming Yotsuyu? Like, she's hurt but she's also horrible. And who better to love her than a horrible woman like Melisande?

I think I just liked the idea of Katsuro inbetween thanuri, especially with how his weirdness is actually understood by Urianger, and Thancred is very patient with him too. The schemes, the secrecy - it just kinda works? I like their ups and downs too. G'raha is a thought, but I'm still working on that. It's not really a "fuck it we ball" situation because I think they look good together, I tend to sit on this stuff for a while before making it a serious ship. So I'm bouncing around ideas of how Katsuro would interact with the Exarch, the fact that I've got G'raha having a huge crush on Katsuro (which will be there regardless of if they're together or not), trying to like...ig feel out if they've got chemistry or not? Scenarios, conversations, trying to see if there's any conflicting shit. Katsu's stint with Emet sure would count, but that also affects thanuri anyways and that was a case of Katsu being horribly manipulated. So we'll see where that goes for G'raha.

Gwendoline is with Y'shtola, Nidhana, and Zero. I didn't have her with anyone for a long time because originally it was an oc named Skuld, but that felt hollow? Like just trying to pair people together who weren't with anyone yet. Especially when Surkie and Gwen have great chemistry and history, but that's oc / oc. The more that I began to develop Gwen and have her more involved in things, the more I began to like her having this long relationship with Y'shtola as practitioners of forbidden magicks and deeply curious individuals who both enable each other but also hold the other accountable. Y'shtola has turned into a really nice partner for Gwen mostly because they're able to deal with the other's bullshit and can see right through the other. They've been together since Y'shtola's return in Heavensward, which has been fun considering the immediate challenges and then Stormblood, but regardless she's a very loving partner and I enjoy their banter (which is what sold me on it). She's also perfectly fine with Y'shtola having a partner in Runar, even if they have to discuss it after they reunite. So yeah, Runar is a metamour and there's nothing there between Gwen and him (also she's like. a lesbian.). He's just a nice guy who helped take care of her girlfriend.

NIDHANA WAS ME BEING A TINY BIT PETTY LMAO I ADORE Nidhana and was getting tired of people just constantly picking the most random ass men to ship with, so I just scooped Nidhana up and threw her between Gwen and Y'shtola. Again: eccentric researcher who meshes well with both of their interests. She would be SO into Gwen's necromantic research and just a good fit for these two. Yeah, it does result in 3 people who can't take care of themselves or sleep at reasonable hours, but they're fun and that's what counts!

Zero is a recent addition for Gwen and Y'shtola. This one's mostly built on them helping her acclimate to the Source. This one only works because Gwen has taken a long time to get where she's at presently. If this were ARR, it wouldn't work. Gwen and Zero are built on Gwen's other relationships, notably with Surkukteni. This one is one that I've recently started fleshing out mostly because I like the idea of Zero building something new with Gwen and Y'shtola. I just think they're cute together. Chemistry is tougher with this one as Zero's slowly growing into her own character, but I like the idea of her working through internalized issues and trauma with two people who are extremely patient with her.

basically it's just a lot of chemistry and weighing the benefits of how it would impact the narration and characters or not. G'raha didn't bring much to Surkie but seems to be better fit with Katsuro. Ysayle adds a lot of dimension to Surkie and her interactions, while Yotsuyu is better suited with Melisande.

I'm constantly changing things because polyam fun, but like. Idk, I just think it's fun to play with chemistry and see how people grow with each other.

[shivasdarknight]

#wolqotd; how was your wolship’s first kiss? what triggered it and what happened after?

...Yeah, so I need to detail five of those?  Just going to put that under the cut.  This is all for Surkie, btw - I don’t really have a lot for the others, at the moment.

(Also yes I know I answered something similar to this but I have more details this time + Gwen is involved now)

Chronological is probably the best route to go with this, so Aymeric’s is first.  It’s also the most complicated one because it really wasn’t a nice kiss.  Even though Surkukteni had been planning on confessing to him that she’d wound up developing feelings for the guy (and she was sort of lowkey having a freak-out over it because she’d never developed feelings for a man before), the assassination attempt happened soon after she got the idea to.  It instantly reminded her of what happened to Ysayle - especially because she’d been planning on confessing and then Azys Lla happened! - and it solidified the fact for her that she was cursed, and anyone she dared to like would get dragged down with her.  So while Surkukteni was swearing she’d never get herself entangled with another relationship (as her ex, Misaki, was abusive, and she’d assumed Ysayle died), the dipshit Aymeric was planning to confess himself.  And he did, while still nursing that injury.  It led to a really tense conversation and a panic attack on Surkukteni’s end as she rejected him on the spot, but it was still a teary kiss that punctuated that rejection: she did like him, she just didn’t want to see him get killed because of her.  So even if they still did things together after that, that pretense of her being deeply traumatized colored everything - including their first kiss.  But like let’s also be fair to them: they did start off their relationship with a really sweet kiss in assurance that they were both serious about things this time around, and at least for Surkukteni it was upholding the promise she’d made back when he first confessed.

Estinien’s the next one and it’s a fucking mess, but what about their relationship isn’t?  During the trip to find the Borlaaq, their first kiss is simultaneously their first time: a slew of bad decisions, getting extremely emotionally vulnerable, drinking more than usual to where it led to things getting handsy - thus, the drunken fling that started this mess.  Surkukteni barely remembers it, just remembers the embarrassment and mortification during the morning after.  Estinien sure as hell remembers what happened and it’s hard to deny since he has faint scars from fumbling kisses and gouging his face on her horns (which admittedly is fairly common with him since they’re both reckless as all hell).  It’s still a really embarrassing subject, so they don’t really talk about it.  Even if they were to bring up the teary kiss after the nightmare instance in 5.3, that’d still be too vulnerable for their liking even if that’s when they solidified their relationship.  So it definitely happened; they just hate talking about it.

Ysayle’s is next, and I’ve written it in a fic!  There’s two instances that technically count: the 5.0 instance in a messed up dream, and then the 5.4 instance where they’re actually in person.  So lemme just-

5.0:

There was something new that caught her attention.  A figure sat at the edge of a ruined fountain, legs curled into themself and back turned towards Surkukteni.  They weren’t too far away, but the dream made it frustratingly difficult to discern who it was.  Curiosity getting the best of her, Surkukteni moved to investigate.

She really should’ve guessed who it was.  Barely illuminated, Ysayle’s hair glistened in the faint starlight as she stared out over the ruins of the Churning Mists, seemingly unaware of Surkukteni’s approach.  But why would she be?  Was this Ysayle really that different from the landscape the Warrior navigated — a figment of the dream she inhabited?  She remained despondent, head turned towards the spot where Ratatoskr apparently died, but Surkukteni couldn’t see her eyes to confirm if that was where her gaze was anchored or if it was to the raging void below.

But of course, Surkukteni was caught.

“Are we doomed to repeat the same outcomes?” was Ysayle’s pained voice, ringing clear from where she sat.  “I thought to make a substantial change, and yet you find me anyways.”

It was embarrassing to admit that Surkukteni flinched, hesitating and doubting herself and her plan.  Her hand retracted, fingers curling in on themselves as she took a half step back, suddenly unsure if this was a good idea.  The half of her mind influenced by the dream told her that Ysayle wouldn’t want to be near her, but the other half reminded her of where they stood and that it frankly didn’t matter — this was Surkukteni’s subconscious fucking with her yet again.

Eyes cast to the ground next to Ysayle, it marked her target as she quietly moved to join her, legs tucked up to her chest and horn resting against her knee to look at the distant face of her dead love.  Her eyes were — indeed — trained on the site of Ratatoskr’s death, red like she’d been crying as she wouldn’t look at Surkukteni.

“I think it’s on me,” she finally muttered, turning away and following Ysayle’s gaze.  “You don’t even know how much I’ve been denying myself — for the sake of others, to not get hurt again.”  It hurt to speak as her head hung low, looking down at her black sabattons.  “I never wanted to hurt you.”

When no response came, Surkukteni was convinced she’d messed up somehow.  That this would truly reveal itself to be the nightmare it was, to delve her further into despair when she was already in deep.  But she instead found herself surprised as Ysayle’s hand closed around hers, getting her to look over at the leader of the heretics.

“Is it that outlandish to believe that I harbor feelings for you?” was a light laugh from Ysayle, deeply self deprecating and sad.  “So outlandish it sets you into a panic that forces us to start over?”

Surkukteni squeezed her hand back, leaning over to rest her forehead against Ysayle’s shoulder.  “It’s more than that,” she muttered, but refused to elaborate on.  “And it’s not just you that I do this too, admittedly.”

“No, but I presume the others aren’t doomed to follow the same script every time you reject them.”

Those icy fingers found her jaw again.

Ysayle tilted Surkukteni’s head up, forcing them to meet the other’s eye.  That she was crying was just cruel on the dream’s part, or at least looked to have been crying at some point.  “But if my actions are what cause this to repeat, then I’ll stop.  If we’re required to follow this faithfully to its intended course, then so be it.”

In a twist of the script, Ysayle let go.

Pain twisted in Surkukteni’s chest, clutching her heart and threatening to crush it.  Ysayle turning away from her made it worse, scrambling to think of something — anything — to say as she cursed herself out for fucking up yet again.   Her mouth opened and closed to no avail as she sat up, grabbing Ysayle’s wrist in a frantic attempt to catch her attention.

“Wait.”

Ysayle stiffened, but looked back regardless.

“I meant it when I said it was on me.”  Surkukteni loosened her grip, shifting her gloved hand to mirror Ysayle’s pose and pull them closer together.  It was Ysayle’s turn to freeze, her eyes widening just the slightest as Surkukteni stopped them just before her horns might harm her.

“I’m a damned coward, and I can’t keep running away from this — from you.”  You, your memory, your death.  “And for that, I need to fix this.”

Surkukteni closed the distance between them.

Ysayle’s lips were impossibly cold — something she’d fantasized about during their trip, yet was something that simultaneously felt almost like kissing a corpse; frigid and stiff.  There was no reaction, just a still body underneath her as she tried to follow Ardbert’s advice.  But an unreciprocated kiss was never fun, leading to her pulling away soon after to find a look of shock in the other woman’s eyes.

Dread filled Surkukteni immediately.  Her hand faltered, falling off Ysayle’s face as she began to back up.  “I’m sorry.”  Her throat closed in on itself, panic filling her breast in a matter of moments.  “That was wrong of me.  I should’ve left well enough alone, and I’m sorry.”

There was still no response from Ysayle.  She sat perfectly still, a frigid statue in the ruins as her eyes seemed to unfocus.  Truly, this would be where things go to straight to the Seven Hells and leave Surkukteni scarred as it didn’t even appear that Ysayle was breathing.  Would she just wake up from this nightmare already?

But just as hope had begun to abandon Surkukteni, her face was seized once again as Ysayle crashed into her haphazardly and met her in a deep and desperate kiss.

The kiss stole Surkukteni’s breath away, but gods was she quick to reciprocate.  It didn’t seem like Ysayle had cut herself open on her horns — a perfect angle — as Surkukteni further deepened it, pushing Ysayle back as gloved hands slotted perfectly along the curve of her spine.  Ysayle’s own hands began to wander, sliding across her jaw and down her scaly neck.  They toyed with the seam of skin and scale and tucked underneath Surkukteni’s white coat, sliding over defined shoulders to try and shrug the damn thing off — only to meet resistance.

A frustrated sound escaped Ysayle, breaking Surkukteni’s focus as a laugh bubbled out of her.  It was a dream, she’d figure things go smoothly and yet this apparition was struggling to remove her coat.  She pulled back to a noise of protest, a word of assurance slipping from her as she began to undo the buckles of her gloves — deceptive things that reached the middle of her upper arm, thick white fabric obscuring the true heavy chainmail beneath that hit the ground loudly as each one was removed.  She’d not the chance to deal with her coat — the long white, black and gold thing that had been so thoroughly tied to her image as the Warrior of Light back then — as Ysayle’s exploratory hands found themselves under it again.  They traced the curve of her biceps, sliding the coat off slowly as she explored the toned and muscular length of Surkukteni’s arms and exposed them in the process.  She did this all with bated breath, color rising in her face as she stared intently once the long overcoat was finally discarded in a pile near them.

The charismatic leader of the heretics was left speechless.  Her hands trembled as she moved to recapture Surkukteni’s face, not meeting her in a kiss yet but instead taking the opportunity to explore her further — the hard lines of the tendons that defined the column of her throat down to her sharp collarbone; further down still, following the line of her sternum to where her breast band was dangerously tied in the front.  Icy eyes were trained to where her fingers hovered, blinking up for confirmation but still unable to say anything.

5.4:

“I thought for sure I’d only see you again if I died,” Surkukteni admitted suddenly, gripping Ysayle’s hand tighter as her eyes screwed shut, banishing the gold that haunted Ysayle’s thoughts.  “And yet...And yet, here you are.”

A weak laugh escaped Ysayle, realizing the gaelicat would have to come out of the bag soon.  She took one of Surkukteni’s hands in both of hers as she traced new scars and calluses, picking at the marred skin with a heavy sigh.  “I tried to tell you.  To hold out a bit longer, but you didn’t seem to take it well.”

The longest, most painful pause of them all was drawn between the two.  Surkukteni’s snapped wide open, mouth agape as her fangs easily caught the dim light and made them stand out all that much more.  “No godsdamned way.”  Her hands retracted, covering her face as she sat silent, and when Ysayle moved to catch her hand again she could distinctly feel heat radiating from Surkukteni’s face — getting a loud groan in response.  “Oh, don’t you get into the habit of that, too.”

A confusing statement if there ever was one, but it didn’t deter her from cupping Surkukteni’s face as she laughed an awkward laugh, feeling her own face similarly heat up.  “Your remark aside, yes.  If we both mean the odd dreams we were stuck in — a shared memory of the Churning Mists—” Surkukteni’s eyes only grew wider; her face, even hotter, “—then yes.  ...I can only apologize for my inability to clarify within the confines of the dream.  I’d not intended on causing you to spiral.”

Even though she relished in the heat that coursed underneath her palms, Ysayle still dropped her hands with a sigh.  “But the dreams were mostly just that.  I’d thought it wish fulfillment at first, but you seemed too aware of the circumstances.  I only want to apologize for my actions then, as I should have assumed you’d moved on after—”

In a rush of movement, Ysayle found herself silenced.  Her words were smothered in a frantic kiss, pain shooting through her cheek as warm blood dripped down and off her jaw.  A sharp gasp escaped her, eyes blown wide as before she could reciprocate, Surkukteni pulled back — frantic and startled.

“Shit.”  A rough hand dragged over the wound on Ysayle’s face, and it was then that she caught the blood that faintly glistened on one of Surkukteni’s black horns.  “I didn’t mean—I’m sorry, I should’ve—”  She paused, swallowing hard.  “I should’ve been more careful, hurting you is—”

Surkukteni was silenced, much the same as Ysayle had been.  She felt the other side of her face scraped in turn, but it wasn’t nearly as deep as the gouge that still bled freely.  Besides, it was worth the risk, was it not?  Why say with words when actions could surely suffice?  Surkukteni startled beneath her at the kiss, but returned the affection in no time.  ‘Twas only after they parted did Ysayle feel that delightful heat return to Surkukteni’s face tenfold.

“Gods, let me fix that,” Surkukteni muttered, shame of all things welling up in her voice.  “Please.”

“That’s not my foremost concern,” Ysayle said through a laugh, brushing the blood from her face and wiping it on her frilly, blue dress.

Yeah I’m.  A tiny bit obsessed with them.  Again, here’s the fic.  I swear I’m normal.

Gwendoline was during 6.0.  And I’m awful, because even this hurts me.  The kiss happens during Ultima Thule, right after most of the group had been sacrificed and it was down to Surkukteni, Gwendoline, and the twins.  Which means Estinien and Ysayle did that bullshit in Reah Tahra, Y’sthola (Gwendoline’s girlfriend) was gone with Urianger and Katsuro, so needless to say both Surkie and Gwen were stressed and distraught!  Especially because Gwendoline didn’t buy that they could come back.  ...So get to the part where the twins sacrifice themselves, and Gwen goes with them.  Surkukteni obviously protests this - it’d leave her alone, she didn’t want to see the twins end up like this after promising Ameliance that she’d keep them safe, the fact that two people she considers family and her best friend were about to all sacrifice themselves - but that’s when Gwendoline stops and apologizes.  Visibly confused and starting to shut down and go non-verbal, Gwendoline continues through Surkukteni’s silence to apologize for not being braver and saying something sooner; something at a better time for when she could’ve actually done something about it and they could’ve had something.  A secret she’d kept to herself for years, but only now choosing to act on it when all else was gone: kissing Surkukteni good-bye, and wishing her the best in overcoming the Endsinger.  And it all hits Surkie like a load of bricks as she watches her best friend disappear like that; admitting something she hadn’t even realized was a thing and immediately having her heart break for the third time that day and nearly paralyzing her with guilt and grief.  Because all the feelings she’d once had for Gwen suddenly came rushing back and reminding her that yes, she did like her best friend and now her best friend was gone.  It very nearly kills her, and it takes Surkie’s everything to keep going. ....And y’know, everyone does come back.  Which is something not a lot of them thought would happen, which included Gwendoline.  So after the (REWRITTEN) scene of the Scions coming back and them preparing for the Dead Ends, Surkukteni goes to confront Gwen about that kiss.  And without explaining herself, she just grabs the front of Gwen’s dress (since Gwen is a fair amount taller than her) and meets her in a passionate, reciprocating kiss.  Admitting that yeah, the feelings were mutual and she wants to see things through so they can actually act on this for once. AND THEN THE ENDSINGER FIGHT SHIT HAPPENS.  AND THE FINAL FIGHT. So yeah, they’re even on “scaring the other to death at the end of Endwalker” thing.  And yes, they’re finally together - after seven fucking years.

For Venat, it was during 6.2.  They’d started to somewhat see each other - and Venat was also seeing Ysayle? - but nothing had really happened except dragging Venat across the realm so she could experience the place for herself.  Get to 6.2 and the group is headed off to the Void, and Venat goes to see them off and present Surkukteni with a present: a conjured scythe she’d created from leftover Hydaelyn nonsense so that she might better protect herself in the Void.  Completely taken aback by the gesture, Surkukteni was at a loss for words and just kissed her in thanks instead.  ...In front of everyone.  Y’shtola and Estinien don’t let her live this down.

Bonus for Gwen and Venat: during the gap between 6.1 and 6.2, Gwen spends a lot of time around Venat as she helps her get on her feet and actually recover a bit better.  The two spend a lot of time together just talking about how much things had changed; about how Venat had truly picked the worst people for the job considering Gwendoline’s necromantic studies.  And it’s while they’re talking about Gwendoline’s seeming ill-fittedness among the Warriors of Light - and her acknowledging that Hydaelyn was more of an answering machine than anything conscious - Venat admits that at some points there was a bit more deliberation, especially when it concerned those close to Charon’s reincarnation.  And she admits that she knew what Gwendoline was doing and knew that it wasn’t malicious - just a pure curious streak with all intention of reviving magicks that could potentially help people.  And it’s under the starry night sky in the streets of Radz-at-Han that Venat admits that it was more about the strength of Gwendoline’s character that she’d shown back in Elpis; knowing the person she’d become, and wanting to help nurture that growth and that curiosity even if it didn’t seem reasonable at the time Gwen’s Echo awakened.  Gwen tries to dodge around the topic suddenly, but it gets brought up that she stupidly caught feelings for Venat immediately upon seeing her - the second person for that ever to happen for her - and muttering about how hard this was, and how she didn’t understand how people functioned like this normally.  And Venat just takes her by the chin and asks her if - if allowed - they could get to know each other better so that the feelings can make sense to Gwen.  Whiiiicchhh leads to their first kiss.

theres a lot here,