#Stormblood rules

[anneapocalypse]

Hildibrand and Alphinaud should meet because they are both big-hearted, well-intentioned, ambitious young men from privileged families who do possess genuine talents but are prone to grandiosity and overconfidence in their abilities, and I think it would blow Alphinaud's mind to see that all you have to do to exist in that state unscathed by consequence is to cloak yourself in the thickest layer of comedic plot armor imaginable.

#what I'm saying is that the Crystal Braves only failed because Alphinaud was too serious for Rule of Funny to apply #to be clear this is a love post #i love them both with all my heart #ariane's messy little brother and ex-fuckbuddy himbo pal #no really. they should be friends #ffxiv spoilers #arr spoilers #alphinaud leveilleur #hildibrand manderville #qualifier: i am only in post-stormblood #if they meet later i don't know about it #but they should. #anne plays ffxiv #afk by the aetheryte

[cappurrccino]

hancock: it would behoove you to behave yourselves

lemon, immediately sending aymeric a fantasy text: they're torturing me :( pls send 100 dragons :(

aymeric, having gotten at least 200 of these messages before: no <3 play nice

#//juri speaks #juri's ffxiv #oc: lemon #she doesn't WANT to behave esp when no one has told her the rules yet #she wants to do criminal crimes and also weave #what was my fuckin tag for stormblood... #ffxiv: sb #?

[astrxealis]

thinkin about how zenos is our ENEMY. but he wanted us to live

#⋯ ꒰ა starry thoughts ໒꒱ *·˚ #⋯ ꒰ა ffxiv ໒꒱ *·˚ #i'm thinking about zenos again. god. i think his character is just so good #him in stormblood was absolutely AMAZING. and i think everywhere else too #i like him the way i like sh/uake i think. zenos is our opposite. our mirror. #out of everyone in the game i think he's the important character who sees us most as an adventurer #and he's the only 'human' that can challenge us. not even shtola or raha or anyone in the scions or out of it. only zenos. #tbh idrk if he's really our Opposite or Mirror but at the very least he's some sort of foil #zenos wants us to live bcs we're the only one who can fight him on his level #and. at the end of everything ;;;;;; in THAT place where emotions rule over everything ;;;;;;;;;;;;; if you know you know #i think zenos has so many crimes it'd be a crime in itself to allow him to. yeah. same w tsuyu #both however truly are victims at the very core and it doesn't excuse all they did but. they deserved better. they really did. #zenos i really empathize w bcs my childhood was better thank god but i understand his motives and how he is the way he is #and it makes me sad that wol is the first person he considers a friend. i think him being royalty fucked up his capacity #to make friends too. and even then he calls us his friend despite NOTHING screaming 'friendship' #it is only long after. way too late. that he realizes how to be a proper friend. in the only way he knows how. and it is then #we accept him properly. though i already accepted him a long time ago :')

[impossible-rat-babies]

if I had a nickel for every time I got a dancer in HoH that doesn’t know what standard step is I would have like five nickels. I am numb to the sound of nickels

#loading into the area and immediately hearing the sound of step finishing like #Alrighty There Chief #I am numb at this point like you do you #yes dance partner me the tank i hope this is fun for you #im stuck between not caring and wondering if some people don’t know the job #and not wanting to look like an ass saying anything so I just sit there and do my thing #I shooty me arrows or fire me spells #or be amazed at doing a thing w dragoon correctly sjdjdjd #my friend and I have hit the part in stormblood of getting past doma #and realizing that was our favorite part of the expansion #and we’re back to hey let’s skirt the rules of this cultural tradition to rally these people #to go to war for a country they have no stake in #and not at all question the morality of that course of action #i figured out another part of my disappointment with how the game treats Lyse #and it’s at least in the azim steppe she treated lesser for the sake of explaining something to the player #she’s like wow there sure are a lot of xaela here! #so the game can explain what is going on in the steppe #rather than explaining things differently #yes strangers in a new land don’t know what is going on but there’s better ways #they do it with other characters too I just think it’s not the best way of giving exposition #owen plays ffxiv

[lagiacrus]

dude... heavensward music really does hit different. idk what soken was on when he did this. but it was good.

#stormblood was an active downgrade #like the ost rules... but its all remasters #i can remember like maybe 10 original compositions off the top of my head #vs like heavensward with 30 fucking bangers at any given second #keep in mind sb is like. probably my favorite expac btw #so i am definitely not biased in this LOL

[voidsentprinces]

Explanation and reiteration, my dear Nashu! The other blue bird of despair site has been humbugging upon Dawntrail. Comparing it to Stormblood under, from what I gather to be, negative implications. Which lead me to hijack this whiplash response to the yet to be released new expansion. And see how everyone feels about each chunk of the story. Firstly, there was A Realm Reborn. Which...the general consensus is, its enjoyable and important its basically the foundation laid upon the ground to build Heavensward, Stormblood, and much more upon. Without it, we would be nothing but with it we are everything.

Then I asked about Heavensward which seems, overwhelming positive but not without a few addendums hither and tither.

But now, we reach Stormblood. An expansion that chose to split its focus between the freeing of both Ala Mhigo AND Doma from the Garlean Empire. Introducing the home lands of the Au Ra who had been around since Heavensward at that point in the form of the underwater city of Sui-no-Sato for the Raen and the Azim Steppe for the Xaela Tribes. As well as pulling the rug up from under us with the change of Yda suddenly to Lyse.

Stormblood! The expansion which spent its Post-MSQ bouncing between both and then seeking out brand new areas on each country. Some beneath the Ala Mhigan Castle in the form of Skalla. Others far, far, far out into the Burn west of Yanxia. Still further, we explored Ivalice, Dalmasca, and other provinces similarly seeking freedom from Garlean rule at the time. Both suddenly taking a sharp left with "The Call" as friends drop comatose before our eyes and we set the stage for Shadowbringers.

It introduced Zenos, under water diving, and a variety of elements and stylings to the MSQ. But what did you think of it? Either at the time before any aether current changes, QoL shifts, or the dungeons being able to be run with trusts or as it is today?

[eorzeanflowers]

10 Fandoms, 10 Characters, 10 tags

Basic rules: choose 10 fandoms that you are part of/support, and choose a favorite character from each of those. Then, tag ten folks!

Tagged by: @miqojak Ty for the tag!!! Sorry it took a hot minute.

Tagging: Uhhhhh, @terminuspride, @fair-fae, @alannah-corvaine, @voidsentprinces, @healerstail, @ahollowgrave, @alicelufenia, @starrysnowdrop, @briar-ffxiv, @driftward

Now to the list! In no real particular order cause I really just drift from thing to thing.

Penny Polendina (RWBY)

I love my quirky little robot girl. She's the absolute best, a brilliant fighter and very emotionally intelligent. She is such a cheerful ideal, someone who tries to see the best in people. She knows when they've gone too far and isn't afraid to stand up for what she wants! Which is the whole core of her little arc. Being a weapon given a soul and all. It is a beautiful story of a little girl who cares so much and wishes to be able to just... be that cheerful little girl without the weight of the world. Its just so sweet.

Honorable mentions: Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Oscar, Neo

2. Kafka (Star Rail)

In all honesty she's the reason I'm even playing Star Rail. She is such a mysterious character, with a voice to die for. Yes, Hoyoverse characters tend to be rather shallow (that's a gacha game for ya), but Kafka just hits everything I love in a character. Her character short when she was fully released is... *chef's kiss* just amazing. I will admit, every time she does her ult in game I join her in saying "Boom." ^_^;

Honorable Mentions: March 7th, Stelle (Trailblazer F), Seele, Bronya, Jingliu

3. Lyse (FFXIV)

Shocker, the leading lady of Stormblood is still my favorite? Honestly, all three of the ladies from Stormblood are the trifecta of favorites. (Lyse, Fordola and Yotsuyu) The various storylines that cause them to interact is such a delight. I wasn't too bothered by the whole "Yda was my sister" thing, cause well, Yda was barely in the game post ARR... And like, it was always Yda and Papalymo. Never just one or the other. So when Lyse got the chance to shine and actually take center stage, I was smitten. She's tough, gentle, sassy, collected, brilliant, a bit silly, and more. Such a well written character. I'm still upset she left the scions tbh. Could've added a little hair color diversity by a little bit. :P

Honorable mentions: Aymeric, Hilda, Erenville, Zero, Y'shtola, Thancred, Ryne, Gaia, Minfillia

4. Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

Ok, seriously, this series grabbed me by the throat and would not let me go. Gideon is such a lovely first viewpoint (and I adore all the viewpoint characters). She takes no shit, talks a lotta shit, and can fight a whole heck more shit. The way she interacts with Harrow at first, then the other Necromancers and their Cavaliers is such a delight. Sure you hate Harrowhark so much Gideon, why are you obeying her command to not speak a single word to literally anyone else, hmmmmmmmmmmm?????? Also the gay panic that Gideon seems to have on the regular is just. Great. I don't want to speak too much more on Gideon, cause this series is just great and you should read it.

Honorable mentions: Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Nona, Camilla Hect, Ianthe Tridentarius, Coronabeth Tridentarius.

5. Raiden Ei (Genshin Impact)

Last time it was Eula, now it is Raiden Ei. It is always a toss up between them, if I'm being honest. Ei is just... such a sad puppy? XD Its the best way to describe her. So trapped in her own past and trying to do what would best preserve her sister's memory... She's just SAD guys. Yeah, she may not be the best governing force for her nation, and she indirectly killed a lotta people with her retreating away and leaving a puppet behind, but we the Traveler showed up and fixed things! Also she gets two amazing boss fights, I honestly wish I could do the story one again but I ain't working through Mondstat and Liyue again. >.>;

Honorable mentions: Eula, Alhaithem, Deya, Kamisato Ayaka, Zhongli, Nahida, Navia, the Wanderer, Wriothsley

6. Karlach (Baldur's Gate 3)

KARLACH IS THE BEST AND SHE IS SO SWEET AND LOVELY AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TO GO BACK TO HELL OR DIE OR [redacted]. She is such a lovely goofball that even shows platonic love if you don't romance her and I really think that is great! Her arc tying into Gortash was delightful, bringing her much more into the story instead of just a bystander like a couple of them. (Like out of all the origin companions Astarion barely has any connection to any of the major players in the story, he's pretty self contained tbh.) Her sweetness, the way she says she's gonna eat dirt if you leave her camp, and her cheerful demeanor are just.... Amazing. I'm really running out of words for Karlach cause she is my favorite. I'm gonna have to start BG3 up again and actually play my romance run of her soon.

Honorable mentions: Shadowheart, Wyll, Astarion, Lae'zel, Dammon, Orin, Jaheira, Minthara, Isobel, Aylin

7. The Doctor (Doctor Who)

Ok, a bit of a cop out since, you know, they are the star of the show. BUT COME ON. The Doctor in their various iterations have been so enjoyable. My personal favorite is Tennet's 10, but Capaldi's 12 is a strong second. Its just a good show to binge at times. There are a lottta good episodes, a few really bad ones, but overall its a good time. The scene at the end of the special where they rescue Gallifrey is still one of my favorite scenes in the whole franchise. And hell, the Archeologist is based (loosely) on them, so how can I not include them?

Honorable mentions: DONNA NOBLE, Rose Tyler, Clara Oswald, Bill Potts, Me, Strax

8. Xion (Kingdom Hearts)

Have I mentioned I love tragic characters? Xion is literally the definition of tragedy, with all the problems with her just existing lol. Her presence in 358/2 Days really made the game for me. Roxas was kinda bland and having someone that was similar in age (like Sora, Riku and Kairi were) to interact with made it all that much better. AND SHE GETS THE HAPPY ENDING. Eventually. Boy is it a long road, but that's Kingdom Hearts for ya.

Honorable Mentions: Kairi, Namine, Riku, Sora, Aqua, Terra, Master Xehanort, Isa, Lea

8. Lucina (Fire Emblem)

I really wanna pick someone else in all honesty, but Fire Emblem has a worse problem than Hoyoverse games in their bit characters. :/ Lucina is a strong character that really delighted me when I played Awakening. She's such a surprise that it really helps make that Fire Emblem my favorite. She's got a good supporting cast too, with Robin and her dad Chrom, but Awakening was really her game. Chrom was kinda there just to be her dad lol

Honorable mentions: Robin, Chrom, Ike, Mist, Soren, Sumia, Erika, Marisa, Lyon, Elincia

9. Trevor Belmont (Castlevania)

Full disclosure, I have not played his game, in fact the only two castlevania's I have played both feature non Belmont's as the lead players (Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclasia). But the way Trevor is in the show, OH BOY. He is rough, he is blunt, he is smart, he is SOOOO dumb, he is loyal, he is a fighter, he never gives up, HE IS JUST GREAT. He's also one of my biggest Bi panics when he shows how much of a badass he is in episode, I think, 4 or 5 or later? Its been a hot minute since I watched that series. When he first uses the flail weapon that I forget the name of.

Honorable mentions: Shanoa, Jonathan Morris, Charlotte Aulin, Sypha Belnades, Alucard, Dracula

10. Aigis (Persona)

Aigis is a super cutie and I love her interactions with the female protagonist. I really wish P3 wasn't such a long game and Aigis actually showed up a little earlier. She's just a doll! I do need to try and find a copy (or emulate) FES to play the storyline with her as the lead singer. Its just so rough to get thru P3 I just lose motivation. T.T I've made it to the vacation part with the female lead, like, three times and no further cause my motivation tanks. WHICH IS WEIRD CAUSE THAT'S WHEN YOU MEET AIGIS. Its just too long for me I guess. XD

Honorable mentions: Teddie, Female lead P3, Male lead P4, Yukari Takeba, Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada, Fuuka Yamagishi, Shinji Aragaki, Junpei Iori, Chidori Yoshino, Elizabeth, Theodore

Not gonna lie, kinda struggled to find a full 10 franchises to pull a character from. My mind just goes blank when asked my favorite character from X place. Names escape me and everything. XD But as you can see, I love robot girls, strong girls, mysterious girls, tragic girls, a fail man, and traveling weirdo.

#the rare leigh #oooooooof #this took like..... 2 hours lol #joking it was only like 1. #but still lol #ty for the tag Jak <3 #ty for the tag Mimble <3

[kicktwine]

So how was stormblood? I know it's very hit or miss for people, so what're your thoughts?

I understand why it’s hit or miss! It — to get to the point i would be straight up lying if I said I was an unbiased consumer because I’m not, I’m a coastal American mid 20s rando with a Lot of very current cultural baggage around concepts like patriotism and freedom. And Hamilton references. It all has a sweet and strong and very anti-occupation message (along with themes I very much enjoy dissecting like the constant assertion that it Doesn’t Have To Be This Way, or the expansion into You may not understand this person but you must be able to accept them,) but when combined with Stormblood’s shakier coherence in writing and dialogue and pacing, it comes off as A Bit Off. to me. And I think it missed ever so slightly just due to how it was all structured and set up with the characters we have and motivations we have because the stuff OUTSIDE or Adjacent to the main story, despite how out of place it could feel, was structured great!! Like the Kojin and the Ananta trial and the Kugane mishaps and trying to murder Zenos twice and the ghost ship. Could the main structure have come across very well yes absolutely! It does it on and off it succeeds in there often! But sometimes it doesn’t. I can see a lot of where concepts were promised and not fully delivered, pacing was a bit off, things just happened without really belonging there (despite how much I loved Susano, he could have been better structured. same with many instances and also I feel like the unethical science should have been MORE IMPORTANT THAN IT — maybe it comes back. Who is that scientist.), sometimes dialogue felt somewhat canned. I feel like in a consequences-heavy expansion, many things just didn’t have important consequences, which was very strange

HOWEVER! I cannot give the new gameplay features abd dungeons any crap they are all SO GOOD. And so PRETTYYYYY. And there were so many solo duties that ruled! Every dungeon in this expansion was like whoa this is a PLACE im in you know what I mean??? I’m in a place that’s big and there’s people and there’s NEW MECHANICS and active time maneuvers (??!!!!!!!) and unique fights! I can jump on the roofs in Kugane! And, mind you, when the dialogue was good, it was good. Lyse has a fantastic voice actor. Alisaie is my favorite girl elf creature in thw world. Estinien is like the best p- the guy ever. also m’naago is my new friend. The tower was a great part of sb to me despite my singular gripe. I think Zenos’— I know it’s controversial to some people because he does assume your wol to be a bit more murderous than some people would prefer their characters be and doesn’t take no for an answer, but his um speech did something to my brain a little bit

ON that note the ending was very fast?????? Or like — not FAST, but I wasn’t expecting Zenos or Shinryu to go down in one fight. Two co-op fights, right next to each other. I kind of wanted to beat him up myself. And when Zenos was so impossible to beat before. I was expecting both of them to be WAY harder. Though Shinryu is a COOL fight I’d do the royal menagerie again in a second. I was kind of expecting a three stage trial? Like Nidhogg? I love going into space hiiii big dragon where were you this whole time… u were shafted… but u could not be suffered to live so. Maybe if we’d gotten an instance of fighting the dragon alone after beating the trial?? Could have been Themes. I don’t know

anyways no I can’t quite pin it down, but I’ve said it before I think they had the outline for the story and then built it and went oh this is too much and not enough at the same time and got stuck writing the whole thing after getting stuck in the story they already had. A COMMENDABLE job for getting turned around like that, way better than a lot of video games stories out there, good gameplay and areas that didn’t feel too empty. glances at coerthas falcons nest area. I think the ways they did the exploration thing was good, having us venture further into occupied territory etc, but so much exploration stuff felt oneoff and not there to do much for someone who has been skipping almost all of the side content except stuff I’ve been told is good. It almost felt like they were Trying New Stuff a lot, and some of it succeeded some of it failed. Such is trying stuff!! Such is trying to imitate what you had while making something new and exciting! And I can’t fault them for that

so like — putting aside the fact that I haven’t done post-sb which is like missing 40% of the Thing according to past expansions and my thoughts very well might change, i would 100% do the fights again, maybe watch some cutscenes, but I don’t think I’d NG+ this one. where is that lady selling buuz it is a CRIME i did not get to have any buuz let me buy one yoshi p

#hi Zenos I’m not going to go get tea with you but would you like to drown in a swamp with our antlers locked until someone’s head gets #ripped off and the other guy has to carry it staring at him for the rest of his miserable existence #play game #I can’t stand you as a horrible person or cancerous political presence. I bet you want to rip my throat out about it #u want me to fight you so bad it makes you look stupid #stormblood spoilers #maaah I don’t want to put my thoughts in main tags I’m writing a 30 minute high school English essay. Just grabbing thoughts and going #the more I think about it the more I think shinryu NEEDED a second one player fight #every other final fight has been multiple tri- wait well. Hm. Nidhogg was a patch quest. #no I stand by it the final HW fight was a cliffhanger so u knew a bigger fight was coming. Shinryu needed a second stage you had to fight #alone with your teeth and claws. Kill the eikon yourself; eikon-slayer. what else could you do. Nothing #nothing but kill it #This was always meant for you #maybe with Zenos inside losing control of it? maybe with him snarling at us the whole time. idk idk #I am starting to feel embarrassed for typing so much and having raw unrefined thoughts so that means I have to hit post #AND SHINRYU WAS SUPPOSED TO BE STRONGER THAN BAHAMUT I don’t know

[starshucker]

calling all steppe xaelas! collab with my pal prince_of_fight on twidder :^]

ffxiv art party info under the readmore

we're hosting an art party this weekend! at 7pm EST on 12/10/23, come to the dusk throne (Azim Steppe X: 19, Y: 33) on aether adamantoise to socialize, draw, gpose, win raffle prizes (we have minions, orchestrions, and a couple of mounts!), and at the end of the night, go on Dataqwatch until the best fate chain in the game spawns so we can look at some horses together

the usual rules apply: be respectful to others, no graphic discussions in /say chat, no loud emote or log message emote spam, no /shout or /yell, and dismiss minions/familiars/chocobos to reduce lag if it gets super busy. also, since we're in the overworld and not out of the way in a housing area, no spoilers for 4.0 stormblood and beyond in /say chat please!

the party is welcome to non-xaelas too of course, and if you're looking for a glam, xaelapedia on tumblr has a very nice documentation of basically everything that steppe npcs wear

if you have art or screenshots to post from the party, use the #duskthroneap tag on here or twitter so people can find it!

#ffxiv #art party #ffxiv art party #xaela #au ra #duskthroneap #jabbermikey #art tag #oc: muge kha

[brineffxiv]

Back in Garlemald, we have quite the story to tell.

While we've been away, many of the tempered have been moved, with the assistance of our fellow Scions, to various allied nations for treatment, as we have neither the resources no ability to treat them all here.

Excitingly, our defeat of Anima seems to have caused the other towers to disappear. The rescued captives are now in the care of their own peoples, who have been taught the magics necessary to cure the tempered! I am very pleased with this development, as it empowers the people of the tribes to act on their own, and not need to be trapped in a perpetual relationship of needing to turn to us for charity.

Some of the Ilsabard contingent have been given leave to return home, though Lucia and Maxima will remain along with a smaller force to continue offering aid to those who still call Garlemald home.

Oh boy, Lucia, you are not ready for what we have to tell you. I apologize in advance. This is about to get both very weird and very bad.

Lucia is taking this much better than I did. Props to her. She is willing to pass on the information to the Alliance leaders (that's a yikes task if ever there was one, "Just wanted to let you know, the apocalypse has begun") and even has the presence of mind to release the rest of the Scions from their duties so that we can all confer in Sharlayan and get to work saving everyone's bacon.

Before we leave, Maxima wants to talk to me about my bestie, Zenos. He has an idea to send scouts out looking for him, seeing that it's likely Zenos returned to Garlemald after leaving the moon. I think that's a terrible idea, because while Zenos doesn't delight in bloodshed, he'd have no qualms with killing anyone who stood in his way.

That second option would also have been a good one, because, yeah, I don't expect Zenos to be randomly wrecking havoc throughout the countryside. He's too... introspective. Too bored. None of that wanton destruction stuff would hold his interest. Honestly, I don't think Zenos is a realistic danger to the common citizen of Garlemald at this point; so long as anyone who sees him stays away from him, he's more likely to leave them alone.

Ahhh... Finally. I wondered when that name would pop up. Been waiting for that since Stormblood when I first saw it as a tag suggestion.

Back in Sharlayan, we fill in the rest of our friends on all that has transpired. Estinien says what we're all thinking.

Once we rule out pursuing the ancients' solution - sacrificing half the star's population to re-summon Zodiark - we're left with trying to find the root cause of the Final Days. A daunting task.

...Y'shtola gives quite a bit of shade to the ancients for having made the choice they did, but I've always gotten the impression that it was a last resort type of deal. That by the time they got to the place where they had to realistically consider it, the catastrophe had reached the point where it was either lose half their number or lose everyone. We have the benefit of knowing it's coming and taking action before our entire star is engulfed in a world-ending cataclysm. By comparison, we're in a rather lofty position. And, thanks to the Convocation, we both know a major symptom (stagnation of aether currents) and a method that solved it (having a primal regulate the star's currents) and continued to solve it for thousands of years. We just have to figure out what was causing those currents to stagnate in the first place. We are leagues ahead of where the ancients were at this point, and thanks to their knowledge can potentially find a better solution. It's not right to judge the ancients for the choices they made, in a situation we will never be in, when we are the beneficiaries of those choices.

Too bad we murdered everybody with firsthand knowledge of it, eh? Ironically, the Ascians would probably have made good allies in solving this problem. Though, their being tempered might have forced them down the path of re-summoning Zodiark... Maybe it's for the best they're not here.

That is a good point. I haven't the slightest clue. But, I am sure it will be horrifying!

Y'shtola suggests asking the Forum, now that we know what they're up to. But, before we can do more than contemplate this course of action Tataru interrupts with news: the Forum is holding a public assembly!

I wonder... Have they suddenly gotten a message that the time is nigh to evacuate?

That appears to be exactly what has happened. Prompted by a message from the moon, the Forum has unanimously voted to release the enchantment upon themselves and inform the public of their great duty and the imminent exodus.

I can't fail to notice that this entire scene is backed by the peppy "bad guys doing stuff" music (I really must learn the proper name of that track, lol.) makes me highly suspicious of the Forum, it does.

Fourchenault, of course, has been chosen to supervise this great endeavor. Yay...

I am uneasy that, at no point in these grand speeches does anyone broach the topic of, say, informing any of the other nations what is about to happen. Or of evacuating their people. It's Sharlayan, Sharlayan, Sharlayan. Much as I suspected, Sharlayan is only concerned with saving and preserving their own. All else will be left to burn in the Final Days.

It's difficult not to contrst what Sharlayan has chosen to do with what the ancients did. I remember Emet-Selch claiming that half our number would never voluntarily give up their lives to save the rest... At the time, I agreed with him, and I am unsurprised... And yet, still gravely disappointed, to find that he was right.

The twins have words for their father before we retire to the Baldesion Annex. They are good words, well worth saying. But I find I am distracted by Fourchenault's complete non-reaction to finding out we have no only been to the moon, but that Urianger is still up there and working with their collaborators. The man doesn't even blink. I can't say whether he already knew via the message they received, or whether he thinks we're full of shit! Ah... if only we'd been able to confront them before they'd opted to tell everyone. I'd have loved to see the looks on their faces.

You are so close, Thancred. Say it. Say that Zodiark wasn't evil. All along he'd been our protection against the Final Days. Hydaelyn lied to us. Lied to Minfilia, who gave her life to serve a God that wasn't one. Under false pretenses. Aren't you angry? Aren't you tired of being manipulated?

...Maybe you're right, maybe I do need some sleep.

Back at the Annex, in my room, I am hallucinating the Final Days again.

Suddenly there comes a knock on my door!

Not gonna lie, when this happened I tried to stop and post a little poll for you all to choose who should be at my door. I thought it would be fun XD. But the minimum time to hold a poll for is one day, and I didn't want to wait that long... sooo...

I mean, I couldn't not choose G'raha.

Oh G'raha, you remind me why I love you! You make my heart happy. Darling, stay the night, won't you?

Meanwhile, in the Ala Mhigan quarter, there is something bad happening...

There's also a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo by my DNC and RDM mentors! Omg omg! What are you two doing? Together??

Also meanwhile, in Ishgard, Erenville spots something ominous.

Don't say that, omg. Nothing good comes after people say that!

Oh no, oh no, Thavnair.

#ffxiv liveblog #rhesh'a tag #lucia junius #maxima quo priscus #alphinaud leveilleur #zenos viator galvus #zenos my friend my enemy #estinien varlineau #tataru taru #g'raha tia #fourchenault leveilleur #thancred waters #y'shtola rhul #erenville #I forgot to remove my stupid unicorn horn hat for every single cutscene here

[toskarin]

i've always been of the opinion that stormblood tells a much better and stronger story through its music that it does with its actual plot. hearing "the measure of our reach" at the start of stormblood, with its perfect choir and bastardized imperial lyrics echoing in zenos's throne room, only to get hit with the hoarse, but warm ensemble of "the measure of his reach" delivering comforting lyrics of finding your way to a new home when ala mhigo has finally been liberated from imperial rule after decades... that really made me feel something. stormblood music is so wonderful it makes me forget how bad they fumbled certain things that in concept were really good.

exactly!!

in a similar vein, it's like how you can hear the Wayward Daughter motif creeping into the Yanxia day and night themes, away from the melody of the rest of it

and the names of those themes?

A Father's Pride for the day, A Mother's Pride for the night

[captain-kraken]

6 & 11 for your worldbuilding questions? Are the gods real? What are the Godless Days?

Thanks for the ask!

6. Are the gods real?

Yes, they are very real. Though they're not exactly as powerful as people think they are and don't have much free will. They are shaped by what people believe them to be, which I talk about in more detail here.

They have their own lives and wishes and varying relationships with each other, but they're so constricted by their responsibilities that they don't actually get anything that they truly want. Things kinda started going downhill for them after the islands cracked apart.

Tura (the Sanpala god) is also real, but technically he's not an actual god like the others. He's just a really, really big lihero that lives within the abyssal zone of the sea. He's not the only one down there either...

-

11. Kalta’an: The Godless Days

Each of the months are believed to be ruled by one of the ten gods. Whatever month you are born under, you have a specific god that will "watch over you" throughout your life. Except for at the end of each year where there are 5 days (or 6 every four years) which are called Kalta'an.

It's said that these days are when the islands are hidden from the gods, making it the most powerful time of the year for the living. Any effects on heiros is amplified, for better or for worse.

The moon appears faintly green on these days, due to a shift in the rosshei (the invisible barriers of heiros that surround each of the islands). People believe that leaving things out to bathe in the moonlight during these days makes them more powerful (though this only works for things that have traces of heiros in them, such as plants).

There's a celebration throughout this week with different traditions for each day but going into detail about that would make this post even longer so I'm gonna reign myself in lol

Anyone born on a Kalta'an day is believed to be "godless" and is therefore cursed to be unseen by the gods for their whole lives, and perhaps even after death.

("Fun" Fact: Viter was born during Kalta'an, which explains a lot. Also, according to my Heitha calendar converter, so was I! lol

ALSO, a side note, according to my converter we are currently in the month ruled by Yavupa, the patron god of the stormbloods. Also considered to be the god of the creative arts and social events!)

#did i convert every single day from 1900 to 2024 to the Heitha calendar? yes. yes i did lol #thanks for the ask! #wip: blue blood #world: sonhara

[vixlenxe]

Dawntrail is more then just Tiffanie at her best & happiest, but also Ivy. The difference being that Tiff changes massively(in all kinds of ways cause she's piecing herself together again), but Ivy hardly changes at all. The older sister's changes are harder to notice if you don't really know her, she's still that super honest, blunt & flirty woman she's always been, but now she'll have that honesty & bluntness in all things.

The main parts, being upfront when she's not okay, & being more honest about her excitement in fighting. Because you know, being a hero doesn't really allow you time to be sad, you gotta put on that brave face for everyone & give them hope, because if the hero is in despair, others are bound to follow. And any thrill she got in fighting she absolutely hid away after Zenos, she was very much worried about becoming like him after how she was in Stormblood & that thought made her sick; so she told her to never seek enjoyment in or from a battle.

She's also doing stuff like, letting her hair grow out, she hasn't had long hair since she was 19 & still lived under her father's rule. It made her think of him, & tried so hard to distance herself by keeping it short. She's just finally letting it go. These are small things, but given Ivy's issue on grudges & playing into a prefect role, they're huge internally.

#musings [lore; ideas and aesthetics] #ivy quenderlain; headcanon [shouldering the weight of a blessing]

[ecosystem-administrator]

Envoy

Timeline: 4.2-4.3, Stormblood MSQ spoilers

A few journal entries from one Maxima quo Priscus, illuminating the course of an ill-fated diplomatic mission.

Journal of Maxima quo Priscus, 18 medihiems, 57 IE

I can scarcely believe how swiftly our fortunes have shifted. The uprisings in the provinces have set the Optimates back immensely, all their rhetoric now ringing hollow in the face of our recent losses. As we have long warned, the policies of brutal repression have inspired backlash, not dutiful submission to their so-called betters. Though the majority opinion is still in favor of expansion and subjugation, reports from the soldiers who have returned from the field are vividly illustrating the need for a more nuanced and considerate approach to treating with other lands and nations.

The Crown Prince himself, Zenos yae Galvus, reached out to us a week or so past, still in recuperation from the injuries he took in Ala Mhigo, and to all accounts the near-death experience has seen his attitude quite altered. The rumors of his actions in the field carry a tone of shocking brutality, but when he met with us he seemed calm and erudite, if notably distant and calculating. After hearing out our priorities and planned initiatives, he agreed to offer his support, and told us he would speak with his father about making overtures of peace to the provinces which have so emphatically declined to remain under direct rule.

Today, the official word arrived that Emperor Varis himself has approved, tentatively, a mission to go to Doma. We will attempt to secure a treaty of mutual non-aggression, under the condition that they forswear the summoning of Eikons and do as much as they can to keep the local beastmen in line, to be sealed with an exchange of prisoners-of-war. Of course, the prince insisted on appointing an ambassador of his own choosing; Asahi sas Brutus, a young man of much ambition and wealth and little actual accomplishment, will be leading the negotiations.

I can’t say I’m deeply impressed with his character, but he seems competent enough to present our case, and we would be fools to reject such immense progress on a technicality of leadership. The young lord will be allowed to advance his career on the coattails of our cause; we have put in too many years of work not to seize this opportunity for everything it’s worth.

12 finis-hiems, 57 IE

By any standard, our mission is going well; and yet I cannot help but find myself ill at ease with our ambassador.

We approached Doma from the air, offering a signal of peace that Asahi assured us the locals would understand, and indeed after some delay they reciprocated our overture and allowed us to land. Lord Hien met us personally, and while he treated us with an entirely justifiable suspicion, he was cordial enough and open to negotiation. We remain his guests while the official treaty’s language is drafted and agreed upon.

Asahi sas Brutus… I knew, of course, that he was the brother of the former viceroy of Doma when we took up this mission. He speaks often of his sister; our spies in Kugane spotted her in the company of one of Lord Hien’s retainers months ago, and it’s understandable that he should be eager to have her returned. …But I can sense no true care or sentiment behind his words, about her or about our mission. I did not survive the long hard years of political repression and upheaval by being unable to interpret the intentions that underly a person’s speech. Asahi speaks well and offers all of the Populares’ arguments smoothly, without fault, and he believes not a word of what he’s saying. Why join us, then? He is not undermining us, save perhaps that our counterparts may espy his insincerity; but even so, there is nothing in his demeanor that they could seize upon to offer a concrete objection to.

It may well be that he witnessed Prince Zenos’ change of heart and decided to tie his political ambitions to whatever the Empire’s heir is currently supporting. That’s probably the most sensible explanation, as he certainly doesn’t lack for ambition generally, and this is a venue that offers one of his ilk little enough competition. And the way he speaks of the Crown Prince generally…well. If he were more pleasant personally, I might offer when we return home to show him the venues where a man of his proclivities can find like-minded company. So it’s unsurprising, on the whole, that he would simply chase at Prince Zenos’ heel without a care for what he needs to say in order to remain there.

Still, I can’t help but feel uneasily as if there’s something more at work. Something I’ve missed seeing. All I can do for now is stay on my guard, to intervene if the negotiations begin to turn.

23 finis-ver, 57 IE

Months, years of postulating and theorizing could not have allowed me to predict this end. This mission was a sham from the beginning, and I’m ashamed to have been so taken in. The Populares have been used, and it is only by the grace and prowess of those we have looked down on that the situation is remotely salvageable.

I should explain, if I can calm myself enough to find the words. Lay out what happened, what must have transpired outside of my view. Crown Prince Zenos devised this plan to undermine our faction, or…perhaps the being possessing him? I’m still not sure I believe it’s possible, but the Eorzeans are quite confident that Zenos yae Galvus died in Ala Mhigo and was buried there. The plan was devised, nonetheless, and brought to the Emperor for approval, which was then duly given. It was always the collapse of the Populares that they sought to support; they had not “seen reason” as I had dared to hope. They selected Asahi and gave him his orders, sent us with a plausible excuse of an overture, and set it all up to fail.

Asahi’s true mission was to trigger a summoning from the Domans or their allies, fueled by boxes of crystals he claimed were brought as trade goods. Such a summoning would of course cause the negotiations to collapse, and we who chose to sue for peace would be shown up as fools for attempting to treat with “savages” who could never give up their gods.

In hindsight, the manipulation is plain as day. I was a fool to think that our views would ever be taken up in good faith; but even saying so, I cannot bring myself to condemn the path that brought me here. It cannot be a crime to have hope, to believe that one’s own countrymen can act like the reasonable and upstanding citizens they claim to be. If only they would stop proving me wrong.

For what it may be worth, though, thanks to the Eorzeans and particularly their champion who was in attendance at the negotiations, we have gained something from this mission after all. Up to this point, they were largely unaware that any faction within the Empire would be willing to negotiate with them at all; even by setting us up to fall so dramatically, our enemies have given us the opportunity to be seen.

And it would seem that they are as interested in peaceful negotiation as we are. One of their own, a young Elezen named Alphinaud, has volunteered to return to Garlemald with us, to bear personal witness and offer an outsider’s perspective. He seems quite politically insightful for a boy so young; I can hardly wait to introduce him to the core membership of the Populares and see what an actual Eorzean’s views can do to shape and reinforce our ideals. Despite the disaster that spurred it, this thin line of contact with the world outside the Empire’s borders may yet be of great benefit to our cause.

#ffxiv #maxima quo priscus #ffxivwrite2023 #stormblood spoilers #I put too much work into figuring out how Garleans would date journal entries #please enjoy bad latin for seasonal phases #IE is Imperial Era of course

[autumnslance]

More Garlemald

Between finishing off PVP series goals and the new Large house for the FC, C'oretta's journey through Endwalker has been neglected.

We're still in Garlemald, with the first follow quest and meeting Licinia and the other refugees at Victor's Spoils, and the ceruleum tappers through that. The tragedy of the sisters is one the Eorzeans had not anticipated, and even their Garlean allies had not thought about: the ambivalence of the Imperials toward the Eorzean humanitarian effort, and being especially suspicious of magic users.

Which makes sense; the story of Garlemald's history is their lack of magic made them shunned and bullied, victims of others who could wield arcane power. Only the magitek revolution put them on even footing, and then the call to "take back" their ancestral homeland--800 years later--was a siren song to people in a harsh and frozen land. Is it any wonder "Solus's" propaganda caught on over the past 80 years?

Lucia, Maxima, the Ironworks, are all used now to magic and their friends in the Alliance. But the ones who stayed behind and only heard the horror stories, the false news...

We saw some of this in Stormblood, among those in Gyr Abania who believed the Imperial tales of "savage" Eorzeans who would bully and execute anyone in their way, especially the few decent Garlean officers, like Baut, who had stayed behind to continue protecting the villages they had grown genuinely fond of. If Gyr Abanians could believe such of their Eorzean neighbors after only 20 years under Imperial rule and abuse, how much more the Garleans separated from all else, in the capital and its surrounds?

Anyroad. In the debriefing, as we move on and learn of the cured Populares and their reports:

Lucia: It brings to mind events at the Ghimlyt Dark, does it not? The Emperor's sudden withdrawal from the front lines, specifically.

Lucia: Nerva and his father, Titus─Varis's then political rival─took advantage of rumors that Crown Prince Zenos had been possessed by a demon.

Alisaie: Elidibus. What better way to disparage your enemies than with the truth─or a close enough approximation.

Lucia: Indeed. But before their accusations could be substantiated, many of Titus's followers were silenced.

Lucia: While some were merely stripped of their status, others died under curious circumstances. One after another, suddenly and suspiciously.

Y'shtola: Again, Elidibus. Like as not, he had a hand in it. No evidence was found to implicate Varis, certainly.

Y'shtola: Again, Elidibus. Like as not, he had a hand in it. No evidence was found to implicate Varis, certainly.

Y'shtola: Nevertheless, Titus, Nerva, and the IIIrd Legion would have judged it a brazen attempt by the Emperor to rid himself

Y'shtola: And then, in the midst of this growing turmoil, Varis zos Galvus is murdered...

Y'shtola: And Garlemald's own prodigal son, Gaius van Baelsar, is named the murderer.

Y'shtola: Shortly thereafter, Nerva claims the right of succession, and in response, the Ist Legion claims the assassination was part of a coup d'état orchestrated by Titus and Nerva.

This clarifies that Prince Titus survived the initial conflict with Varis for the throne after Solus's "death." That Titus then supported his son as the possible new emperor after his own failed claim and Varis's demise at Zenos's hands.

I've long thought the coffin Varis spat on in the scenes in earlier patches was actually Solus's, not his uncle's. His anger at the lack of clarity in succession and the chaos it caused the empire was always there. What he learns of his grandfather later only makes matters worse.

Then we're piecing together the reports of the Populares and the refugee survivors, and the importance of the radio, with the ore resembles the talismans that protects the Contingent. Which strikes me as a very nice alternate solution than scraping Vrtra's hide of all his scales.

The briefing is cut short, however, by the arrival of and meeting with our future friend Jullus...

#final fantasy xiv #endwalker #lyn replays ew #Garlemald #Titus yae Galvus #Nerva yae Galvus #Varis zos Galvus #Licinia bas Corculum

[voidsentprinces]

One day I am going to figure out how to impliment my ideal final Zenos fight. Which is mostly like the final battle but every time we beat him, a piece of his Stormblood armor breaks off. And we keep fighting him over and over and over and he just keeps standing up and fighting back. Until eventually he is down to just his bottom armor. The iconic armor that was the symbol of Garlemald's tyranny and its seemingly unstoppable rule over Ala Mhigo, Dalmasca, Doma and all territories inbetween torn off and scatted. Every weapon he drew; swords, spears, scythes, knives, gunblades, and forth all broken around him. We're both tired and bleeding out and collapse at the same time. Zenos finally content in his final battle with us and dying properly this time. Left behind at the cusp of the universe's end. The FInal Days can finally come to the close, all the players involved gone with the wind. And only we will remember them all.