In FF14 news I finally, finally started Heavensward and the sharp uptick in the writing and voice acting is noteable. Like the post base-game ARR stuff was already an improvement, but this is a sharp improvement.

Also, while the music has been really good throughout, the music in Heavensward obviously leans more heavily into pipe organ which, while not objectively better than the very good music that came before, is subjectively more up my specific alley. Like I’ve enjoyed all the stuff in ARR, but the first time I went and looked up music on youtube was when I got to Ishgard because whoa. 

Lastly, I started the quest chain to unlock Machinist, but after Samurai and Gunbreaker starting me off right at 50 and 60 respectively, the thought of being dunked down to 30 is somewhat disheartening. 

Also, without getting too spoilery, Varian is now a single dad with his two adopted children seeking shelter in Ice-Age Catholic-Elf Gothic-London

Alphinaud put on this coat or you’ll catch a cold. Tataru, you can be all “I’m a grown lalafell!” all you want but sorry, you are smol baby who lives on my shoulders now.

1 and 5 for both atrum and mitr'a please? 👁👁

yes boss

1. What is the character’s go-to drink order? (this one gets into how do they like to be publicly perceived, because there is always some level of theatricality to ordering drinks at a bar/resturant)

atrum in his hometown the closest thing to a bar was his parent’s bakery and they only served beer (strongly bread flavoured). after the Incident he looked like a sick(?) 15 years old and, more importantly, had like 3 coins to his name, and now it is currently a post apocalyptic world where he can only enter one of the surviving cities under like 2 glamours and 3 hiding spells, just in case. poor man WISHES he had a go-to drink order. would probably like an irish coffee, if it existed

mitr’a by now he doesn’t drink stuff he hasn’t made himself. before ishgard he was trying to find an eorzean beer he didn’t hate, but after that he decided it obviously wasn’t to be found outside of his home forest. would have liked something like a mojito as long as it wasn’t too sweet, if he had gotten around to actually staying in costa del sol longer than it took to hatefully deliver whatever gegeruju or the titan lot wanted. perhaps he’ll make one himself now that he’s on vacation. maybe zero will like it

5. What was the last time they cried, and under what circumstances? (Good way to get some *emotional* backstory in.) 

atrum well, he’s now a npc in my gm’s hands, so i don’t quite know, BUT. last (and first) time he cried ‘on camera’ was at the very end of the campaign, after we catastrophically failed our quest, the secondary bad guy got the magic city, the apocalypse started, and half the party died in front of him. so he just, sat where he was after escaping and started crying

mitr’a hmmmmmm there were probably some wet eyes at many points, like after the fight against hydaelyn, but crying, crying, probably after the talk with venat, the moment he managed to get out of her sight for a second. that moment when you suddenly intuit the shape of the story and how it was and how it will turn, you know how it is. the circle of it all

bonus: mitr’a’s fight or flight sense is so firmly stuck on fight that if something terrible happens DURING a fight or tense situation he will not react with tears or even sadness. if you want to make him cry you have to get him while he’s not fighting, like SOMEONE in ULTIMA THULE asking about TREES. they get the honorary mention. only reason he didn’t cry outright is that he knew it was Necessary, even if he hated it. after that he just got The Foulest Mood, like after the summonings at the end of sb

A (Not) Brief Retrospective on the 3.4-3.5 MSQ, Since I Just Finished Replaying it

This is a (not) brief retrospective on the “setup” arcs of the Heavensward MSQ, patches 3.4 through 3.5. 

In my view, the story structure for the MSQs in Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers work like this:

The X.0 story (initial expansion MSQ): the main story of the expansion.

The X.1 through X.3 story: the clean up arcs which develop and tie up any loose plot threads from the X.0 MSQ.

The X.4 through X.5 story: setup arcs preparing the way for the next expansion and beyond.

For this retrospective, I’ll be talking about the events that take place between the final death of Nidhogg at the Steps of Faith (plus the immediately following cutscenes, such as the establishment of Ishgard’s new political system), and ending with the scene where Yda reveals herself to be Lyse plus the scenes featuring Ala Mhigo’s mysterious new Viceroy.

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The “setup” arcs in an expansion pack’s MSQ have a tough challenge lying ahead for them. They don’t have as much space as the X.0 expansion to develop plots and characters, and they can’t take advantage of as many already-set up plot threads like the cleanup arcs in X.1 through X.3 can. Instead, they only have 2 patches’ worth of content to work with while also having to set up the next expansion pack (and beyond), without boring the audience with a bunch of story arcs that have no real payoffs.

In this article, I’ll try and explain how, in my view, Heavensward’s setup arcs overcome the structural obstacles inherent in an expansion’s setup arc.

If, somehow, you find my retrospectives interesting, you can find the 2.0 retrospective here: https://www.tumblr.com/serengeral-alaan/719337913881657344/a-brief-retrospective-on-the-ff14-20-storyline?source=share

2.1-2.55 here: https://www.tumblr.com/serengeral-alaan/719620374219849728/a-brief-retrospective-on-the-seventh-astral-era?source=share

3.0 here: https://www.tumblr.com/serengeral-alaan/720425547634802688/a-less-brief-retrospective-on-the-30-msq-since?source=share

3.1-3.3 here: https://www.tumblr.com/blue-flame13/720965476614914048/a-not-particularly-brief-retrospective-on-the?source=share

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While Heavensward 3.0 through 3.3 relied heavily on political elements to help drive the story, its setup arcs in 3.4 and 3.5 step back and look more to classical fantasy roots, relying on the human element, spectacle, and revelations to keep the story interesting where it can’t rely on culminating long-running plot threads. By using these elements to change our understanding of the story, either by expanding our knowledge and assumptions about the game’s setting, or by altering our expectations on who lives and who dies, Heavensward 3.4 and 3.5 keeps us players interested despite the writing challenges it faces.

Heavensward’s setup arcs primarily focus on three interweaving plotlines:

1: Fleshing out the Beast Tribes. The Sylphs, Amalj’aa, Kobolds, Sahaugin, and Ixal are introduced in A Realm Reborn, but Heavensward’s setup arcs are probably the first time where the Main Story Quest truly humanizes them and acknowledges their rights, concerns, and feelings–particularly the Tribes that are at war with the Eorzean Alliance (so all of them minus the Sylphs). This plotline culminates in Shadowbringers 5.4 and 5.5, when the Eorzean city states finally and truly commit to a lasting peace with their Tribal neighbors.

2: The Rejoining, the Source, and the Reflections. This plotline indirectly focuses on the Ascians by looking at the wider picture of their goals. It goes into detail about the Source, the Reflections, and the Rejoining. These are elements more deeply explored in Shadowbringers and Endwalker, obviously, and they were touched upon in the MSQ at least as far back as A Realm Reborn (if not even earlier in 1.0), but the story really begins homing in on the Rejoining and the Reflections starting from here.

3: Setting up the major players and conflicts in Stormblood, fleshing out the Ala Mhigan Resistance, finishing Ilberd’s story, and developing “Yda”/Lyse as a character. These elements, of course, are the main focus of the Stormblood X.0 Main Story Quest.

Let’s explore how 3.4 and 3.5 handles each of these three plotlines.

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-Fleshing out the Beast Tribes-

For most of A Realm Reborn, the Beast Tribes are mostly enemies who plague the Eorzean city states and serve as a punching bag for the player. The Amalj’aa raid Ul’dah and the U Tribe for tempered slaves and loot; the Sahagin and Kobolds gnaw away at Limsa Lominsa; the Ixal launch daring attacks into Gridania; and the Sylphs annoy the player with irritating verbal tics and pranks. Y’shtola mentions in 2.X that the Kobolds and Sahagin are not unjustified in their struggles against Limsa Lominsa, and Merlwyb acknowledges the complex political situation with said Tribes, but the Main Story Quest doesn’t deal with the Tribes much more than that. If you never did the Tribal quests for the ARR Tribes, you might not think of the Tribes very much at all.

Heavensward 3.4 kills two birds with one stone with its Beast Tribes plotline. First, by having Alisaie be a primary perspective character in 3.4’s Beast Tribe plotline, we get to explore who Alisaie is as a person–this is important, since Alisaie becomes a Scion and gets some of the most screentime out of all the Scions from here on out, while also being a late introduction to story if you didn’t play the Binding Coils of Bahamut storyline. Second, through Alisaie’s emotional bond with the young Kobold Ga Bu, we have an avenue through which we treat the Kobolds–and by extension the other Tribes of Eorzea–as people rather than monsters to slay. By exploring this plotline through the eyes of two characters we come to know and love, Heavensward 3.4 makes the exploration of the Beast Tribes an emotionally compelling tale.

It’s through Ga Bu and Alisaie that we truly delve into the fact that Kobolds have loved ones and concerns, every bit as much as the Spoken Races. We learn through Ga Bu that the Kobolds of O’Ghomoro are not only receiving shipments of aether crystals from the Ascians’ minions, but also that the Kobolds are willing to murder their own to summon ever-more powerful Primals. We learn that the Kobolds engage in this desperate sacrifice because the Eorzean city states constantly invade their lands, kill their people, seize their resources, and subject them to bad-faith treaties that are broken at the city-states’ convenience. In turn, we care about these events in part because Ga Bu cares about them, and we care about Ga Bu not just because he’s a cute lil’ guy but also because Alisaie cares about him a whole lot. 

Meanwhile, this plotline tells us a fundamentally important thing about Alisaie’s personality that carries on into Shadowbringers and beyond: Alisaie cares for the little people, and she likes getting her hands dirty. While Alphinaud likes to focus on politics, diplomacy, and the big picture, Alisaie slays beasts and lends a helping hand to the downtrodden. If the Leveilleur twins existed in real life, Alphinaud is the guy who organizes big charity balls to funnel millions to good causes, while Alisaie is the girl who runs a humble soup kitchen to make sure the local homeless are well fed. Alisaie, out of all the Scions, is the one who first stops and makes sure a little Kobold boy is going to be okay. We see this side of her again in Shadowbringers, where she spends a year in Amh Araeng helping the locals by slaying Sin Eaters and doing odd jobs for the Inn at Journey’s Head. (Compare this to Alphinaud who spends the same amount of time on trying to change Eulmore from top down.)

By emotionally connecting us to Alisaie and Ga Bu, we, the players, start to feel something for the previously ill-explored Kobolds. Thus, when we see the tragic climax of this particular plotline–Ga Bu emotionally shattering upon seeing his dead parents, the Kobold Patriarch furiously explaining why the Overdwellers are lying murderers, the summoned Titan echoing Ga Bu’s pain and anguish–we feel something too. Our heart goes out to Ga Bu when he becomes yet another victim of the horrible war between O’Ghomoro and Limsa Lominsa, as it does to Alisaie when she begs local Maelstrom troops to spare the tempered Ga Bu and to keep him safe.

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-Hydaelyn, the Rejoining, the Source, and the Reflections-

Another way Heavensward 3.4 and 3.5 overcome their structural challenges is by greatly expanding the world of Final Fantasy 14.

Although the Rejoining and its relationship to the Umbral Calamities takes the spotlight in Shadowbringers and much of Endwalker, this plotline basically starts here in 3.4 and 3.5. In ARR, the Ascians talk about resurrecting their dark god Zodiark, but very little is mentioned about what this entails and why they’re doing it: one gets the impression that the Ascians are just generic fantasy villains, seeking to bring back their dread god in order to…rule the world? Torment mortals? Lahabrea later mentions the Rejoining near the culmination of 3.0 in Azys Lla, right before his boss fight, but we basically know nothing about the Rejoining until 3.4.

The revelations made in 3.4 and 3.5 hugely broaden the scope of the story and the stakes at hand. This is the first time in the Main Story Quest that we learn that the world not only has parallel universes, they were also split apart from our own world and have people living on them. Furthermore, one of these Reflections, the Thirteenth, is now the Void–the state of which we learned about in the Crystal Tower storyline. And not only *that*, these Reflections can be fused back together to our Source…and each time this happens, the people living on that Reflection are annihilated, and a Calamity ensues on the Source.

This means the Ascians are not just creepy, manipulative weirdos in robes, they’re genocidal maniacs with godlike powers. We are no longer dealing with shadowy figures who want to resurrect a dead god, help an imperialistic nation conquer the world, and sow chaos in their wake; instead, we are dealing with sinister beings who want to repeatedly cause nearly world-ending calamities and exterminate all life on thirteen different worlds. Our mission as the Warrior of Light grows from not just protecting our own world, but all others.

Meanwhile, the Warriors of Darkness serve as the face of all the Reflections. They technically weren’t introduced in 3.4, but 3.4 is where we really get to know who they are beyond being evil versions of our Warrior of Light and the Scions. As characters with deeply personal stakes in the well-being of their home Reflection, they serve as a very human face to represent the stakes at play in what could otherwise have been a fairly dry explanation of FF14’s multiverse system. We get to learn why they run around destroying Primals–to provoke the Beast Tribes, make them summon more powerful Primals, and throw Eorzea into chaos. We get to learn why they work with the Ascians–to try and cause the Rejoining in a desperate attempt to lay the souls of their world to rest, instead of being consumed in an eternal stasis of Light. We get to hear the desperation and impotent rage in their voices as they explain all these things to us.

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-Setting up Stormblood-

Finally, 3.4 and 3.5, of course, set up the next expansion pack–Stormblood. To keep the players’ interest here, the writers chose to emphasize spectacle and shock.

The basis of this plotline, fundamentally speaking, could have been rather dry. Technically, all the writers had to do here to set up Stormblood was 1) showcase how Yda becomes a major figure in the Ala Mhigan Resistance, 2) have the Ala Mhigan Resistance attack Baelsar’s Wall to force the Eorzean Alliance into war with Garlemald, and 3) have the Ala Mhigan Resistance summon Shinryu somehow. If that’s all the writers had done, this part of Heavensward honestly wouldn’t have been very exciting. 

In fact, we’ve already seen the writers fumble this sort of setup arc before, back in 2.1 through 2.5. There, the story tried to set up a lot of future plot elements that eventually paid off, but at the time weren’t terribly interesting. It tried to explore more about the Primals, but running around defeating them didn’t feel emotionally cathartic; it set up Ishgard’s conflict with the Dragons, but aside from a cool instance at the Steps of Faith it was fairly dry.

To spice things up in 3.4 and 3.5, however, the writers throw two major curveballs and a bit of spectacle at us: the death of Papalymo, the culmination of Ilberd as a character, and Omega vs Shinryuu.

This isn’t the first time a major Scion has been killed–Moenbryda died in the Seventh Astral Era storyline back in 2.X–but I’d wager that most players didn’t see Papalymo’s death coming, especially given how unforeseeable Ilberd’s scheme was. It’s also a pretty shocking death: we’ve known Papalymo for some time, and we know how much he means to Yda, given how the two of them seem joined at the hip. As a result, I suspect most players were at least taken aback during his sacrifice scene, even if his death might not have made players cry quite as much as, say, Ysayle or Haurchefant’s deaths. 

I also think killing off Papalymo was a solid decision for his character. Given that Papalymo didn’t have much more to develop for his character, and given that there honestly wasn’t very much room for him in future storylines, killing him off here to kickstart Yda’s growth into Lyse was a good call. Losing Papalymo makes retaking Ala Mhigo deeply personal for Lyse, on top of her Ala Mhigan heritage and the family she’d lost years ago to Imperial occupation, and forces her to approach the problem in a solemn way in sharp contrast to the almost childishly exuberant attitude she had prior to Papalymo’s death.

Ilberd, meanwhile, has been a fascinating villain who’s been with us since the Seventh Astral Era questline. We’ve seen him go from a cool-headed, dependable ally as the Captain of the Crystal Braves, to a wretched traitor who participated in Lolorito’s plot to undermine the Braves, to a raving madman who’d gleefully massacre his own soldiers and sacrifice himself to spite Garlemald one last time. Like with Papalymo’s death, Ilberd’s death is shocking–we all probably thought he’d meet his end at our hands somehow, but jumping to his death while using Nidhogg’s eyes to summon a Primal, fueled by the vengeful cries of his soldiers? Horrifying stuff. Ilberd’s death scene, combined with Papalymo’s sacrifice, is a great one-two punch that puts a horrific twist on the trajectory of 3.5’s story arc. The climax of Baelsar’s Wall is Heavensward’s answer to the infamous Ul’dah banquet scene back in A Realm Reborn, and while Baelsar’s Wall might not be as fondly remembered as the Ul’dah banquet, it’s still a great way to shake things up for the characters and for us players.

And last but not least, there’s Omega’s showdown with the newly-awakened Shinryuu. The devteam really feel like they pushed the engine to the limit here to create a visually-believable fight between a giant elemental dragon and a hyper-advanced spiderbot. I don’t think FF14’s engine was exactly designed for this sort of spectacle, but the devteam’s clever use of camera angles, camera cuts, and sweeping orchestral soundtrack really helped finish off the Heavensward storyline with a flourish 

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So that’s how Heavensward 3.4 and 3.5 keep things interesting for the players, despite the structural elements working against it. While an expansion’s setup arcs have a lot of obstacles to overcome in keeping players entertained and invested, Heavensward succeeds by focusing on the human element, expanding the scope of the story, and keeping things exciting with judicious use of story swerves and spectacle. While 3.4 and 3.5 might not be the arc that everyone members, the devteam show their skill by making Heavensward’s setup arcs work.

Doomed by the song lyrics

I am going to have Footsteps in Snow stuck in my head all day. Spoilers ahead.

Ysayle is a fantastic character. And in a lot of ways, she's the precursor to Emet-Selch. The unambiguous enemy who joins us on our journey and turns out, in the end, to have been just like us. But that's getting ahead of things.

When we meet Ysayle for the first time, there's no doubt she's a villain. The Warrior of Light has no inside perspective on what the heretics are about. The only one we've actually, really met up until now was Inquisitor Guillaime, and he was a serial killer. He didn't have any redeeming values whatsoever. So, Ysayle can make whatever speeches she wants about our blind faith, we literally have no idea what she's talking about. We're not breaking into Snowcloak because she's a heretic. We're breaking into Snowcloak because we already know they're going to summon a primal. They've murdered people in order to steal crystals. It's not really open to interpretation.

We risk our lives chasing her to the primal fight, and I think it's really important to Ysayle's character to note how the fight starts.

She begins with a prayer.

We whom gods and men have forsaken shall be the instruments of our own deliverance. Partake of my flesh--fill this vessel with your light! Walk amongst your brothers and sisters once more.

Oh, Saint Shiva, still the hatred within our hearts and bless us with eternal grace.

The quest takes its title from the first line. The Instruments of Our Deliverance. And this is the fundamental problem the story keeps coming back to. Where does salvation come from? Does it come from the gods? From the stars? When your life lacks meaning, when you want change, where do you get it?

Ysayle, despite stating that the gods--at least Halone--have forsaken her, decides the answer is still to place her hopes in a higher power. Shiva is a saint and a hero to the heretics. And even though Ysayle knows on some level that Shiva was an entirely ordinary elezen woman, part of her still believes that she was divine. That ending the Dragonsong War isn't something a mortal person could do. Or even something a group of people could do. Ysayle's vision of the truth behind the war doesn't motivate her to take her followers and try to change Ishgard. That's impossible, so far as she believes. A goddess can deliver salvation and redemption from on high.

People can only create suffering and tragedy.

And it's hinted at there in the prayer, but it's even more clearly written in the lyrics of her theme song: Ysayle doesn't think she's going to survive the summoning. She's inviting Shiva to replace her. The song, Oblivion, is about facing down death, and then unexpectedly finding you're still alive and forced to carry on fighting. That's... that's the plot here. Ysayle's hero figure, her saint, was a martyr. Of course her ideals of peace hinge on sacrifice.

That's the only role an ordinary person can play.

But the battle ends, and she lives. Now what?

Ysayle and Estinien are, arguably, the two most obviously doomed characters in the game from the moment you meet them. Estinien's fate is painfully obvious if you've played the dragoon quests before starting Heavensward. We don't know a lot about Shiva before we get to Ishgard, but there's plenty here in Akh Afah to hint at it, and then we get a bigger hint as soon as Ysayle tells us who Shiva actually was. That her sainthood, her legend as a mediator between dragon and man, was entirely because of her death.

Ysayle's struggle sets up the recurring problem of the plot. Faced with an unsolvable, terrible fate, salvation, for the greater good, must be paid for with sacrifice. That's the solution that has always been chosen. By the Convocation, and Amaurot. By Venat and her followers creating Hydaelyn. By the sundering. By Moenbryda, to slay Nabriales. And Haurchefaunt catching the death blow from Zephirin. And Ardbert and his friends. And eventually, all the Scions in Ultima Thule. Only through great sacrifice can salvation be attained.

Heavensward is, in a way, a build-up to rejecting that idea.

You start by losing everyone. All that's left of the Scions is Alphinaud and Tataru. And Alphinaud is a shell of his former self for a good chunk of the expansion. Then the story promptly gives you the most obviously doomed characters in existence and sends you on an impossible mission, cheerfully asking, "What are you prepared to sacrifice for victory?"

The story up to the Singularity Reactor is full of losses you are powerless to prevent. Most notably Haurchefaunt. They're not choices you make. They're there to remind you this will cost you something. Ardbert literally says that to you in Shadowbringers on more than one occasion. I wonder what this will cost you. There has to be a price, doesn't there? Miracles don't come cheap.

Maybe the price is never being the same again.

When Ysayle arrives during the battle with the Gration, it's kind of important to note that she has no idea what's going on. She wasn't privvy to what happened with Thordan at the Vault. She doesn't know about the key, and the island full of Allagan doomsday devices floating overhead.

It's important to take note of this, because without it, her decision seems like a failure to move forward. She started out in this story intending from the first to sacrifice herself for the greater good. And then she does it at the end. No lesson learned.

Except that's not what she's doing.

All she knows, heading to that battle, is that Estinien, who is definitely an idiot, just used way too much of the Eye's power. She persuades Hraesvelgr to take her to wherever that was, not to save the world, or for the greater good, or to stop Thordan.

Much blood has been spilled in my name. And for what? For a false cause that I created for want of the warmth of companionship.

She's there for her asshole friends.

But even now, I cannot let go of my dream--my dream of a tomorrow in which no child need freeze alone in the snow.

She has come to the battle to save her stupid, idiot friends, whom she nonetheless believes are capable of changing the world. Redemption is not beyond us. Not because it will be delivered from on high by a divine power, but because we can attain it ourselves.

She recites the prayer to Shiva again, knowing she's going to her death because she sure as all seven hells can't take a Garlean battleship by herself. She couldn't even beat Ravana. But she can buy a little more time for the people she cared about.

Stupid Gaius. "Tell me, for whom do you fight? And do you believe in Eorzea?" is the central question of Heavensward, and he's not even in this expansion.

Right so I'm like pretty high on account of the amount of pain I am in today, so bear with me but I'm going to talk about FFXIV in a very silly way okay rad

I miss when lifejournal let me put little titles for my cutaway link instead of 'just read more nerd~' and yeah dreamwidth still lets you but

oh my god I should crosspost this to the FFXIV dreamwidth (link)

Okay right okay so moral compulsion upheld let's chat

When I write my WOL characters (which it's a different wol per fic because I do NPCships) I find myself subconsciously emphasizing that the ones who are casters are are Openly Weird and the ones who are "physical" are Stoic (TM)

This is a fairly identifiable trend across major NPCs too, so that's likely what I am mimicking.

Casters are just very Openly Conspicuous (And Kind Of Weird). In comparison the melees are more reticent and try not to reveal their whole Deal.

Alphinaud and Alisaie are conspicuously rich, foreign twins. They sound like they learned English solely to imitate private school students on news casts. Or whatever, Eorzean.

I say this, and my estinaud heart compels me, to talk about why Estinien calls Alphinaud "little lord."

I know US audiences aren't great at picking up on this stuff, but Alphinaud specifically acts like he is a peer in standing with the highest house of Ishgard despite being a weird foreign child (16 is underage in Ishgard because of catholicism as confirmed in the AST job quests where this is pointed out as being kinda like weird according to Civilized Peoples [Eorzea, Sharlayan, Garlemald, the irony abounds] but anyway the point is Estinien would probably think under 21 is a child).

Little Lord Alphinaud is on that Yes, Master Wayne shit like 'okay little man I will do what you say but you are baby' okay I love it.

Back to other major casters: Y'shtola literally wears a Weird Scientist Outfit in ARR; like she goes around with those ridiculous goggles asking random people intense science questions (magic is a science).

Then she gets a costume change to something a little more iLVL 170, and in exchange she gets aether poisoning in her eyes that make them glow. She just walks around with glowing eyes okay. We as the player just see them as a weird white, but that's because we have different eyesight, that filter means they literally glow (see: dunesfolk lalafell eyes, wood and fibercraft 90 role quest).

So obviously her next step in being the most Visibly Magical Bitch On Hydaelyn is to fall into a coma and then start dressing like the Wicked Witch Of The First.

So yes that's a pretty conspicuous Vibe.

Though at least Black is arguably a reasonable camo colour in the deep woods.

Unlike Alisaie, who goes out in a bright red tailored coat on the battlefield and then stabs people with roses made of firelight this fucking Utena acting ass nonsense.

You see my point, I am sure. Conspicuous.

I didn't play a Gridanian starter I do not know how Papalymo fits into this because I never met him (I understand that you meet him in ARR, but he's not exactly a major character after Heavensward let alone after Stormblood).

Forchenault kind of almost makes a play for stoicism when you first meet him in his diplomatic robes and his sneering, but like actually he just dresses like that. Imagine if you just saw some guy in like full Judges Robes with Wig And Shit in regular daily life that's Forchenault he wears them everywhere he goes to fucking tromp around in the Garlean (Siberian) tundra wearing his judge outfit okay.

And then you've got Urianger (Urianger).

I was just going to leave it at that because like... how do you capture whatever the fuck Urianger has going on. The gender of this bitch is unfathomable. I am constantly callign him a he/him lesbian but since he marries Thancred there's some degree of bi at play there too but on the other hand how do you describe his decision to go become a tarot reading goth GF in the land of rainbows and fairies than "he learned what a they/them is and immediately became a he/him lesbian, like a pokemon evolving".

Anyway he has a tattoo of his university on his fucking face and speaks like he got kicked out of the Society for Creative Anachronism for not taking his period grammar seriously.

Conspicuous. Not just super visible, but super visibly themselves. A poison dart frog honesty.

Compare these Extremely Visible Acting Bitches to our Melee types.

Thancred is so fucking... IDEK man he's on that PTSD repression shit and has been since before we met him, with both his Stoic War Dad vibes in Shadowbringers and his Extreme Slut vibes preceding it being equally unhealthy coping mechanisms for his constant self worth issues. Like, someone resurrect Louisoix, I have my own phoenix summon I'm immune and I just want to talk about why your children are all so insane Louisoix because Thancred and Fourchenault show similar signs of juvenile abuse. It's fine Louisoix I just want to talk.

Lyse makes an argument just by virtue of her name not being Yda.

But also there's the fact that she convinced immigration that she was a white girl at 3 different naturalization systems for different countries and then the absolute MOMENT the fucking SECOND she heard the war was turning immediately became the most hardcore violent liberationist conceivable? (Fortunately, with a strong focus on rebuilding and stability).

Even ranged pDPS fall into this, tending to be very visibly and loudly Something Else to disguise their intentions. G'raha's bardic braggadocio did a far better job hiding his intentions (gap year) and nature (nerd) than the Exarch's ~I AM KEEPING A SECRET; PLEASE DO NOT LOOK FOR MY SECRET; THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPLIANCE~ nonsense.

Anyway literally hiding who they are etc.

Aymeric is the pope's son and boy howdy did he throw himself into being a paladin (dark knight but that's a different fight for a different day) to make sure no one ever questioned his made up heritage with some non-Pope parents that For Sure Gave Birth To Him It's Fine Really.

Ryne also uses the Yda defense by not being named Minfilia, and takes her transformation one step further to have a completely different hair and eyes (and implicitly other features).

Hien much like Aymeric was also trying to hide his parentage hmmmmmmmmm lotta daddy issues in this game.

Wait... Gaius... Ranjit... Louisoix...

Actually wait.

Okay I'm updating my hypothesis.

Casters=demandant; Melee=avoidant is OUT

Melee=Daddy issues is IN.

Anyway I wanted to talk about the types of stereotypes people would have of casters vs melee in the setting because of this difference in personalities but actually instead I just reminded myself that the fundamental truth of FFXIV is that Dads Cause A Lot Of Trauma

In conclusion: I miss Homestuck.

[Disclaimer]

I know it’s waaay past V-Day, but after recently finishing Shadowbringers, I couldn’t help but think about Alisaie’s slightly noticble hints of affection. I wanted to make this just because I love her interactions, and trust me, there is more to come! Also, this is my first attempt at fanfics, so if there’s anything wrong or possibly missing, go ahead and say, and I’ll try to fix it!

PART 1

Alisaie x WoL

It’s Valentiones Day in Eorzea, and it truly shows. Cherry blossoms blooming in New Gridania, the Songbirds performing in Ul’dah, and the overwhelming smell of roses in Limsa Lominsa. Being the Warrior of Light/Darkness, things like this you don’t typically have time for, but this times an exception.

After so many years of adventures, times have been a bit smoother for you and the scions, giving you more time to spend with the others, more so with the Leveilleur twins. Though you can’t help but feel like something will happen, for now you try to push it to the back of your mind, and let yourself try to relax.

During these times, thanks to G’raha Tia, Y’shtola, and Urianger’s combined knowledge, they were successful in making it possible to return to the First with mind, body, and soul together, much like you can with no issue. It’ll be common to see Thancred, Y’shtola, and G’raha return for the day to see Ryne, Runar, and Lyna respectively.

Thancred would tell Ryne about Eorzea and all its vastly different normalities compared to Norvrandt, and would occasionally bring food or special drinks with him for her to try. Ryne one day dreams to see Eorzea, though knowing that may take a while longer to happen.

Y’shtola would immediately return to slitherborough and re-converse with everyone, while Runar continually tries to keep her to stay. She always has shown a soft side to Runar, and can’t help but consider staying, but overall knows it’s best to stay in the Source. Runar will tend to give her unique flowers to bring back to the Source, to always remember him in rough times, knowing the Nights Blessed will always await her return with open arms.

G’raha on the other hand would take Lyna to special places only he knew about, being that they were his time of peace when he wasn’t at the Crystal Tower as acting Exarch, and would always surprise her with something only he knew she’d love, such as new dancer arms sold from Ishgard, or a small nic-nac from Kugane. Honestly, she doesn’t mind all these little gifts, but what Lyna values more is the time she can spend with the Miqo’te, even if it would be a short time.

Alphinaud and Alisaie would check in for a few minutes on Halric and the other patients in Amh Araeng, then make a quick stop to check up on Chai-Nuzz and the other Inhabitants of Kholusia.

Urianger would stay behind back in Mor Dhona to help Krile and Tataru with anything they needed, leaving you to keep close eyes on any strange activities in Eorzea.

This time was different though, as Alisaie stayed behind with you and Urianger, leaving Alphinaud to do the routine check-ups. Normally you wouldn’t think different of it, but you begin to notice Alisaie acting stranger and stranger around you, as if she was afraid of being close to your persons. You consult Urianger about the strange going-on with her, and he simply smiles.

“Think my friend, does thou not know the times of days recent?”

You excuse yourself from any further interactions to explore the different items being sold in Mor Dhona. You begin thinking about what he says while you browse the shops, and notice Alisaie looking at what looks like jewelry. As she picks up a exquisite looking ring, you call out to her.

“Hey, Alisaie!”

Her head shoots up from the ring and looks your way. Her face begins to turn red, and she begins to panic, quickly puts the ring back before you stand directly in front of her.

“O-Oh, WoL, I wasn’t expecting to see you here! W-What’s up? Whatcha doin’? Lookin’ for anything special?”

You notice she begins to sweat profusely, and face reddening more and more.

“Are you ok, Alisaie? Your’re turning red.” You ask with a great deal of concern.

“Y-Yeah, d-definitely! 100%! Perfectly fine! Just fine!” She immediately replies. Alisaie then begins to slowly move backwards. “Listen, I’ve got this.....thing I gotta do....over there.....far that way. See you later!”

She sprints off in a hurry without any hesitation, leaving nothing but dust in her wake. You tilt your head in both confusion and concern, eventually moving on to look at the remaining shops. Not long later, you return to the Rising Stones, to see the others returned from the First.

“Ah, WoL! Glad to see you haven’t gone off on another quest”, G’raha says with a hint of playfulness in his words. “Anything to report?”

You shake your head in disagreement, and proceed to continue thinking about Alisaie.

Y’shtola notices your concerned look, and converses with you.

“What’s wrong, WoL? Is something bothering you? You seem lost in thought”.

With a bit of worry, you begin to tell the others about your recent interactions with Alisaie, and everyone begins to slightly chuckle.

“Well my friend”, Alphinaud begins, struggling to hold back a laugh, “I believe I may know about your situation”.

Alphinaud begins to explain to you about how some Valetione works, and continues with how people act differently around others, more so than other days. He then explains that Alisaie is in the same situation, with you being the person in question.

As if timing couldn’t be better, you suddenly hear the door open and turn to see Alisaie coming through it.

“Sorry I’m late. I had a bit of a run-in with Wa.....”

She stops and looks to everyone all looking back at her, including you. Her face begins to turn as red as a tomato. “I just remembered, I-Ive got somewhere to be!” and quickly slams the door shut behind her.

“See? My point have been proven yet again.” Alphinaud says triumphantly. You turn to see everyone else nodding.

Without thinking, you ask

“Does Alisaie have feelings....for me?”

“I’m most surprised thou dids not suspect of this earlier”, Urianger says. “‘Tis not surprising to us, but thou must not be oblivious to such notable changes of mistress Alisaie’s usual demeanour”.

You shrug with a somewhat unknowing look, slightly blushing, but not enough to be noticed.

“Well, now the cats outta the bag. What are you goin’ todo ‘bout it?” Thancred asks without hesitation.

You begin to think about a way to return her feelings. “I might have a suggestion, if you don’t mind” G’raha begins, with a hint of confidence in his voice.

He turns to the female scion. “Y’shtola, do you remember if Alisaie have ever been to Costa del Sol?”

Y’shtola thinks for a moment, then realizes where G’raha is getting too.

“As a matter of fact, I believe she’s only been there roughly once or twice. As I recall, is the Valentiones festival not happening there this year?”

G’raha Tia then nods his head in agreement.

“Why yes, it is. I believe that may be our perfect opportunity to get both WoL and Alisaie in the same place, hopefully without another “awkward” situation.”

You start to have a more noticeable blush in your face, but you whole-heartedly agree with G’raha Tia’s plan.

“Excellent”, he happily chirps. “Tataru, would it be possible to make some reservations for a few days stay at the resort?”

“Nothin’ I can’t handle! Leave it to me!”

Tataru happily walks off, with a small hop and skip in her movement. Krile follows shortly behind, hoping to give a bit of help to her fellow Lalafell.

“Now that that’s done”, G’raha turns to Y’shtola and Urianger once more. “Would it be possible for you two to keep miss Alisaie occupied for a while? I believe it’s time to put some cooking skills Lyna helped me with to the test.”

Y’shtola and Urianger nod and head off to find Alisaie. Thancred decides to tag along, just to see what happens.

“Alphinaud, I have a special request for you.”

The young Elezen turns to G’raha. “Of course, I can do anything in my power to help.”

“You’ve obviously been the closest to Alisaie for the longest time. Would you happen to know what kind of chocolate she likes?”

“Why of course” Alphinaud began with a full smile across his face, moving to the kitchen. “I used to make it for her whenever she felt down. It was a special mix of white chocolate and crushed cookie crumbs.”

G’raha Tia has a smile of his own now. “Then if it’s not too much trouble, would you please help WoL and myself make it? I personally would rather make them home made, than a special request. It would be more romantic if WoL made it, as well.”

“Do you even need to ask?” Alphinaud says, as he’s already putting on an apron and washing his hands. “Shall we?”

End of part 1

heavensward main quest done, for a second time!!! finally!!!

Wow! Yeah, still bad. The Heavens Ward was a terrible set of villains. they COULD have been good. We only really interact with like... 3 of them? And for just about a single scene each. Really coulda expanded on Ishgard’s religion and the inquisition and you know, the beliefs and conditions that led to the rise of literally the final boss of this expansion. Doesn’t even let me kill Zephirin directly. Still mad about that.

But anyways. I am going to complain again about this thing I’ve complained about while writing these I don’t even know how many times already. ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE WOL IS TOO POWERFUL! PLEEAAASSSSSSE!!! Make an issue of it! Spark some angst or something! More than just them absorbing too much light, take it further! Take issue with their OWN power! Thordan, who was momentarily the most powerful being in existence, was TERRIFIED of the WoL! And Hydaelyn wasn’t even at full strength backing them up or anything, they’re simply terrifying in how strong they are! Even Elidibus acknowledges it!

I’m gonna PUNCH something. This is why I have my own little story with Secret, just to play with this idea. The obvious endgame here is to create a world without the capacity to summon primals, and since the gods are primals, a world without the need for gods. That’s right baby, we’re playing Xenoblade Chronicles now! All that’s left is for the WoL to beat up both Hydaelyn and Zodiark, take on that mantle of power for themself, and... well, there isn’t an obvious answer. Secret’s, at present, is to destroy herself but there is in fact going to be more story after the Zodiark/Hydaelyn saga, so that’s a no-go unless they pull another reboot which I don’t think is even a possibility at this point.

God dammit man. I fucking love this game and this stupid story even for how incoherent it is. There are so many good ideas! I just wish so many of them weren’t left to rot!!! Alright. Okay. I have that out of my system now.

Anyways. I think it’s funny how different my reaction to Ardbert is now. He left my mind immediately after his introduction and I actively loathed him for the longest time. But man I just saw him for the first time in this playthrough and started giggling so much. Love this dude. Love his stupid default midlander hyur face. Even the title “Warrior of Darkness” didn’t make my skin crawl too much this time around. Just. God. I’m glad the writing gets better later on. I will say for the umpteenth time that I can’t understand why people like HW so much.

I think I touched on this before too, but it’s really just the individual characters that carry things for me. Haurchefant is obviously such a highlight and his death is incredibly emotional even for how plainly stupid the circumstances are. Or, like, I don’t really care whatever the hell Nidhogg’s doing, but I DO care about my guy Estinien losing it, again.

This entire bit with him fighting for control has actually been made 100x funnier by doing the DRG quests. “I can control the power, I’m the master, I won’t let it take control” Oh yeah, you absolute dambass? Then why’d I have to beat the sense back into you just a couple of moons ago? Huh? Oh, because you’ve already given into the power before? But it’s different this time, even though you’re clearly more agitated about getting your revenge? Extremely doubtful. And now this leadup to the second Nidhogg fight has turned into one big “I told you so”.

But! I’m done for now. Might write again later tonight still... actually no, it’s already 3am. But know that I am developing Thoughts about Doran. My precious little purple man. Love this dude.

8. How would each of them explain how they met?

hanami would tell you that she...wasn’t terribly impressed with aymeric when they met, whoops. she had already had it up to here--here being about horn-height--with alphinaud and his crystal braves, and she was just starting to get a very bad feeling about this whole enterprise, so when some upstart commander from racist dragon land comes calling asking for a favor in exchange for continued supplies vital to the survival of her countrymen who were living as refugees? she was not happy. she had a much better opinion of lucia, actually, and it was only her continued assurances that aymeric had good intentions that kept her from dismissing him outright.

like, don’t get her wrong. was he hot? yes. would she hit that? sure. did she trust him as far as she could throw him? ...she could probably throw him pretty far, considering elezen are just large assemblies of uncooked noodles shaped like dhalmels, so hells no. obviously her opinion of him turned around pretty quickly once she got to ishgard and saw the kind of bullshit aymeric was having to work around to get anything done, and by the time she went to the aery she’d pretty much decided that, yes, this one was good, and it snowballed from there.

aymeric actually saw her much earlier, although they didn’t properly meet until 2.x patch content. one of haurchefant’s dialogue lines (that i keep forgetting to screenshot) as well as one of the lodestone stories mention that aymeric wasn’t promoted to lord commander until shortly before we meet him for the first time, so in my happy little sandbox canon, he was sent with some temple knights to clean up the mess the fake inquisitor guillaime left in whitebrim and dragonhead. in between the corrupted crystal fetch quests hanami had been taking odd jobs in coerthas, since word had gotten to the adventurers’ guilds that she was on good terms with a few of the commanders stationed there, so he happened to see a very small, very pink, very grouchy adventurer stomping around in the snow and singlehandedly claiming bounties on marks that half a dozen of his best knights wouldn’t be able to take down. between that and the fact that drillemont spoke so highly of her, he was pretty smitten, and lucia teased him mercilessly.

hanami had no idea for several years, of course, because she had way better things to do than chat up random temple knights, but she was slightly mortified when she found out because that had been during the awkward stage of growing out her hair when she wore pigtails. it’s like being reminded of the horrible bowl cut you had in elementary school, but with no one to blame except your own bad style choices.

[FFXIV] Cast of Characters

I thought it’d be prudent to put up a list of characters that will crop up in my writing moving forward.  I obviously don’t RP much (since I’m not playing on Crystal at the moment), however feel free to message me if you’d like to interact with someone.  OR message me if you want to see a particular prompt/interaction between any of my OCs, definitely helps stave off writer’s block.  Strike through indicates dead, however I will undoubtedly be referencing them from time to time.

Shonkhor Angura /Akira Kurogawa - Xaela - Othard / (intro)Ishgard - DRK(prim) 

Khor comes from the northern mountains of Othard.  His upbringing was atypical even for a Xaela.  His dark horns and plating and light purple skin stem from his birth to the Angura clan.  Khor was an avid Kharaqiq player from a young age and frequently would challenge the clan’s elders and shaman when he was not out learning to hunt and fight with the majority of the clan.  Khor became a formidable force with a sword in his formative years, learning to battle both the environment as much as any person.  Upon reaching his 18th name day, Shonkhor was sent on a pilgrimage into the mountains.  The pilgrimage required him to spend a year apart from the clan before returning.  His travels took him west where he found the long lost Arulaq clan.  He spent the time honing his mind in seclusion, taking an observance of Qestir practices for much of the later half of that year.  Upon finally returning to the Angura after not 1 but 3 years, the 21 year old earned the blessing and respect of the elders.  Emboldened to travel more, he departed the mountains for Doma.

Within Doma, his skills as a sellsword earned him the reputation as a rhonin.  Eventually he was taken on retainer by the Kurogawa clan’s lord as a bodyguard.  The Kurogawas expanded his skill set further, teaching him the art of the shinobi in addition to further advancing his skills as a traditional fighter.  Following the Garleans invasion of Yanxia and Doma proper as well as the Calamity, Shonkhor fled to the west with a large portion of the Kurogawas. His travels led him into the familiar terrain of the larger domain of the Holy See of Ishgard.  Like other Au Ra, Khor was not warmly welcomed into Eorzean society, the young Au Ra being branded a heretic after only a few months in service to the See.  Disenfranchised, Shonkhor turned to darker powers to protect himself from the wrath of Ishgard’s zealots, amalgamating his martial upbringing with the teachings of a reclusive group of Dark Knights.  He is now perhaps the most deadly of the party’s members.

Nagate Kanekata - Raen - Doma / (intro)Ul’dah - NIN(prim) SAM/ACH(sec)

Kanekata no Nagate serves as a hatamoto samurai under the Hideyoshi daimyo in Doma.  Born into the higher social castes, Nagate was trained from a young age as a swordsman in the most traditional of meanings.  Besides studying classic swordplay toward becoming a samurai, Nagate also trained in ninja arts and with the long bow.  He served both as an estate guard and as a personal escort of the Tokugawa’s heiress.

Nagate’s arrival in Eorzea follows the Garlean occupation.  In order to ensure the long term survival of the Domans, several groups of commoners and nobles escaped as refugees.  Nagate now serves as a protector of the Hideyoshi refugees as well as the Tokugawa, Toyotomi, and Hayashi families, although with the refugees now fairly safely located in Mor Dhona for the time being, this has graced the hatamoto warrior with the liberty to adventure at large in Eorzea.

Landon Mercer - Midlander - Gridania - DRG(prim)

Landon Mercer is a Midlander who settled in Gridania.  He served actively in the Twin Adders, refining his skills with a lance.  After many years of service, the 27 year old is now ready to embark upon greater journeys.  His various undertakings across the Twelveswood have lended themselves to several encounters with dragoons from Ishgard present in Central Coerthas and the North Shroud.  He has adapted these tools evolving from a lancer into a fledgling dragoon himself as he sets out upon this next chapter.

Athala Blackewood - Highlander - Ul’dah - MNK(prim)

Athala is a headstrong Highlander.  Her father was an Ala Mhigan refugee and her mother a resident of Ul’dah.  Growing up, the girl learned to scrap with the other kids, giving her the reputation of being a bit of a tomboy.  She frequently found excuses to sneak away to train at the Pugilists’ Guild in the city and developed her skills more there as a result.  While not a particularly notable adventurer, she took tasks from the Adventurers’ Guild working around Thanalan to deliver packages or solve small problems.

Athala is often one of first to enter a fight and then last to leave.  She takes life at her pace and rarely lets anyone dictate it to her.

K’yiala Rhowa - Sun - Ul’dah - none(prim) SCH(sec)

K’yiala comes from the migratory Hipparian Tribe in the Sangolii desert.  Far more pacifistic than the majority of the tribe, K’yiala elected to leave the tribe and make her way to Ul’dah.  Not unattuned with the preferences of Eorzeans as a whole, the girl took to street dancing to make her living in a more peaceful way.

Generally quite friendly, K’yiala is rather timid though when presented with conflict and will seek to pacify rather than engage.

Deveraux Vollault Pavane - Wildwood - Ishgard / (intro)Gridania - PLD(prim) LNC (sec)

Deveraux is a Knight of House Fortemps under the Holy See of Ishgard.  His duties frequently take him south of the Gates of Judgement into Coerthas and sometimes the Northern Shroud.

Reserved, patient, and well tempered, Deveraux is ever the picture of a noble knight.  When occasion calls for it, it is also not unheard of for Pavane to set aside his shield in favor of the trappings of a dragoon if the situation calls for it.

Sasaraji Seseraji - Dunesfolk - Ul’dah - WAR

A Lalafel with the spirit of a Roegadyn, Sasaraji makes up for his height with his personality.  Only middle height for a Lalafel, he is none the less particularly prickly about his height around other races, never backing down from starting a fight over a short joke.

Sasaraji is the least active member of the party often working independently in the various city states getting information, leads on new quests, and supplies for everyone.  He shares a close friendship both with K’yiala and Shonkhor

Toyotomi no Misume - Raen - Doma / (intro)Limsa Lominsa - CNJ(prim)

Misume is the heiress to the Toyotomi house of Doma.  She was evacuated from the country in the wake of Garlemald’s invasion by her father.  While quiet and obedient to her duties to the house, Misume also nurtures a rambunctious side that wants to explore and adventure, not being content with simply living a life in nobility.

She and Nagate knew each other growing up and he was part of the group that fled Doma with her, his blade in service to the Toyotomi clan as much as the others.  His duties occasionally finding him as her guardian back then meant they were familiar with each other.

Sas’a Dekah - Miqo’te - Sagolii Desert - DRG

Sas is a unique case among Miqo’te.  Born to the Keepers of the Moon by seed of a disgraced Sun male; Sas retained his father’s hereditary feline irises and a strong sense of independence.  When he came of age and refused to mate on the matriarchs’ will he was summarily excommunicated from the Moon tribes.  He traveled and found a new place among the Seekers of the Sun Coeurl tribe for a short while.

Freedom gave way to wanderlust and Sas eventually left to travel as an adventurer using his talents with a spear from hunting to his advantage.  Eventually he found his way to Ishgard and expanded his skills to incorporate some techniques from the legendary Holy See’s defenders into his arsenal.

Samael Espry - Hyur (Midlander) - The First - SAM (prim) WAR (sec) BLM (ter)

Backstory omitted at this time

FFXIV is probably my most played game ever. So don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to criticize it because I hate the game. I just feel like expressing my opinion because I’m bummed out. 

Ok I’m almost to level 70. ‘Almost’ meaning I obviously haven’t experienced everything Stormblood has to offer, but even so: thus far I haven’t liked Stormblood. I think I liked HW more. Several times, since my first time getting into the game, I have taken hiatuses. Mostly small ones, but before Stormblood launched I quit for several months. I was just sick of the game, and the same old grind. Obviously MMO’s are like that, but when I bought Stormblood I was really hoping it would really grab me and put me in that same state of wonder, excitement and interest to progress through and experience the game. But it hasn’t. I haven’t had any desire to play it. If I did, I’d be level 70 on three different classes by now.

There’s not a single area I like. I’ve heard a lot of it is calling back to XI, but FFXIV is seriously my first FF game ever, so there’s no nostalgia for me there. Even if there were... all the areas seem so dull and drab. Yanxia is kind of cool, but it just looks like China. It doesn’t feel like it has any charm or uniqueness. The Azim Steppe is definitely unique, but remove the interesting culture, and it’s just a big open grass square with a structure in the middle. Other than that, it’s just drab sandy wastelands or grey rocks. These areas give me no motive to explore and progress in questing. What’s the point? Also, don’t get me started on aether currents. I feel the areas in HW were so dynamic, unique, and interesting. Floating islands, crazy trees, dragons, Azys Lla is so visually intriguing to me. I thought Ishgard was impressive. Kugane just kind of feels like a box with a bunch of Asian looking buildings in it. I can just Google “Asian city” and get the same feeling. Ishgard is unique and enchanting.

They added swimming, which I also found underwhelming. Outside a few instances, most of the underwater areas are barren. Guild Wars 2 did it better... The addition seems either unnecessary or lacking. My entire time in the Ruby Sea felt like a chore.

For the first time ever in the game, I actually watched cutscenes and tried to follow the story of MSQ. The beginning wasn’t half bad, I was actually actively engaged and wanted to know what would happen next. But then I felt like it became just another basic Empire vs. Rebellion story. On top of that it feels rushed. The transitions between Doma and Ala Mhigo are choppy. Now that I’ve lost interest it’s just... go to X location and X mobs. 

I also found the Red Mage and Samurai additions underwhelming.  I think it’s more of the fact they’re DPS, although we did a healer and a tank in HW. Then again we got three classes in HW, including one of each... I’ve only played SAM and RDM around level 60, but so far I find them both to be rather boring. RDM feels good but it’s pretty simple. And samurai just doesn’t really feel fresh to me at all. But I mean, how much can they really make an MMORPG class unique... (Well... MCH and AST were pretty unique COUGH) Also my main DPS, summoner, changed a lot. And while I think the changes make sense, I don’t think it’s as fun or engaging. I’m not saying the classes are bad, in fact I don’t have enough experience with them to say much, but they didn’t feel fun to me personally.

I also didn’t play at launch, I waited a few weeks. I heard it was a nightmare. So that’s a thing.

Outside Doma Castle I haven’t found the dungeons to be very fun. That could just be because of all the other stuff I already said though.

I’m just bored of this game, and SB hasn’t helped it. I don’t want to quit, because I’ve invested so much of myself into this game and I still love it for all of the memories, the strong PvE, and the cute glamours, but all of that isn’t enough for me anymore. I think I’ve just gotten all that I can out of this game. I don’t have any friends to play it with anymore, so I’m literally just going through content I’m not even enjoying by myself. It’s pretty depressing. And I don’t see the purpose in doing it anymore. I just wish I didn’t pay square 55 dollars just to be depressed. I see the game’s value, and it’s definitely one of the best MMORPG games on the market, but I see no point in continuing playing it. 

Thoughts so far: MCH

Battle

I am, for the record, really liking the flow of the adjusted MCH rotation so far; I’m starting to get a handle on the heat gauge. It’s hard to get used to not having Lead Shot (and I put Hot Shot in its old place on my hotbar, and I keep accidentally using it like it’s a DoT, which in turn overheats my Gauss Barrel waaaay too quickly, but that’s muscle memory and I’ll hammer it out soon), but everything else, I’m really liking. I’m particularly pleased with the shorter timer on Wildfire, making it more practical for non-boss fights, which was always my primary complaint about Wildfire in the first place.  I am super looking forward to getting cooling abilities, though, because even my Hot Shot abuse aside, it is very easy to overheat the gauge quickly if you’re really powering through the rotation/Reload/Quick Reload cycles, and Quick Reload is sadly not really enough on its own to compensate - at least not how I’ve been playing, which admittedly likely does need some adjustment. That said, the c/d on the Gauss Barrel once it’s overheated is much shorter than I expected it to be! I expected it to be a super long punitive c/d, but instead it is absolutely short enough to be fully recharged between pulls or before the end of larger pulls, making that extra overheated punch something worth pushing for if, for example, you’ve got Wildfire off c/d and you’re pushing 100% heated. The new role abilities are great and I have no real complaints. I’m happier than I have words to express that MCH finally, finally has a self-heal ability in Second Wind. It’s long overdue. I love that I never have to grind for Invigorate ever, ever again, because (no disrespect to LNC/DRGs intended) I hate playing LNC. I like that I can restore TP/MP without sacrificing any DPS on my end - and speaking of support abilities, I really appreciate that Hypercharge’s debuff effect is now the same on both Rook and Bishop. For the moment the fifth role ability I took is the stun, but that could change; it was a toss-up, for me, between that and Palisade. Time will tell whether I decide the protection buff is worth more in a party than an extra stun.

Plot

Oh boy okay here goes my heart; spoilers for the new level 60 quest under the cut. Also please bear in mind that as I’ve only done this first quest, this is a lot of speculation and guesswork and rambly thought nonsense, but I gotta get it down somewhere, ye know?

So at first glance, it seems like my fears were true: Stephanivien is definitely taking a back seat in the MCH quests going forward, with the focus shifting to Hilda - which I didn’t expect at all. As everyone who’s followed this blog for a while knows, I’ve been craving some interaction between Hilda and Steph, and with any luck, I’ll get it from this questline! I also wonder what it means for Hilda in terms of the MSQ; while obviously being a job quest NPC doesn’t mean she can’t be involved in the MSQ from now on (lookin’ at you, Estinien), it does make me a little worried SE doesn’t plan to do much more with her. I do hope she at least remains a MCH NPC for many, many expansions to come... although not at the cost of my Skysteel babies, of course. Speaking of, none of them are around for this quest, and my heart hurts. They’ve all been sent to help with Ishgard’s contributions to the war effort in Ala Mhigo, including Joye (no, I’m still not over Stephanivien referring to her as “my indispensable right-hand woman,” and no, I never ever will be, thanks for asking). Joye is the one who seizes my interest in particular, because she’s our most likely tie to moving the 60-70 MCH quests from Ishgard to Gyr Abania, when otherwise it’s hard to guess at the present stage in the MCH quests just how we’d end up there - given that we’re supposedly training the Ishgardian City Watch. Listen, what I want more than anything is for Joye to turn up wearing the new MCH AF gear, being badass and kicking ass in the name of House Haillenarte and Ishgard in Ala Mhigo and/or Doma. I want that so badly, you guys have no idea; I will literally actually scream. I also just really want my platonic soulmate babies to reunite because you can’t tell me Steph doesn’t miss his girl, even as he’s absurdly proud of all of his machinists proving their worth alongside Ishgardian knights.  Also I feel the need to scream a little bit about Stephanivien being an absolutely beautiful nerd over the gobbie tech in Idyllshire, because oh my god you wonderful ray of sunshine please god never change - if I’m at all okay with Steph taking a back seat in the MCH quests, it’s because it means he’s safe and free to just keep being his happy, hard-working self, without any wild crises coming along to put him through hell again. I’m not sure I could endure another arc where he doubts his own motives and wonders if he’s a terrible person; it might very well break me. Biggest surprise, to me: Rostnsthal! I swear I was just telling my roommate the other day how I didn’t expect we’d ever see any more of him, barring a cameo in a future expac or something - and here he is, back again to teach a new batch of machinists! Bonus points for letting my usually well-behaved WoL be playfully crude; character development. I also just love how Stephanivien goddamn sprints away at the end of the cutscene with Rostnsthal, because as much as he loves the tech in Idyllshire, he’s got so much work to do and he’s so here for it he is one happy little sunbeam. So basically, it’s not what I’d hoped the MCH quest would be, but it’s also not what I was afraid of: Steph is still around and will very likely still turn up periodically; I have high hopes of seeing Joye, Celestaux, and the others at some point in the future; they didn’t shove me with some new NPC who could never hold up to the old cast, and Hilda has more than enough personality and style to keep me invested. Also not gonna lie, I hope this stirs up some more Hilda RPers, because feed me. Iiiiiii think that’s everything. Yes. Looking forward to level 63!

Narrative Sense

Okay, this is eventually going to become a post about Dragonsong, and maybe Stormblood, but to start with, it's going to be a discussion of the peculiar form of non-logical sense that stories have. You could call this "emotional sense," or "vibes," maybe, but I'm going to call this "narrative sense," because it's not 100% emotion-driven, and it's not logical, but it's the way things make sense because they're in a story.

In its simplest form, narrative sense is the way things work in a fairy tale. Cinderella must leave the party by midnight because the enchantment will end then. Does that make logical sense? No. Do we need to get a full explanation of the rules of fairy magic to accept that limitation? No. We accept that magic will have abrupt, maybe harsh limitations, just like we accept that if you look the monster in the eyes it will get you, or if you hold your breath passing a graveyard, you'll be safe from ghosts. We believe, on some fundamental, instinctive level, that we are bargaining with the universe on terms that we don't fully grasp, and we're prepared to accept that you can pay for a miracle with seven years of silence (with occasional screaming into a hole in the ground not counted against you.)

We expect stories to obey the rules of this negotiation far more strictly than we do reality. Which is not to say that characters can't lose or fail, but rather, that we expect that if they are going to lose or fail it's because they broke the terms of the agreement. This is pretty much the entire way the horror genre is structured. Characters are tested on subjects they didn't know they ever needed to study, and when they get things wrong, they die. Is that fair? No. But it feels understandable. As opposed to reality, where terrible things happen to people for no reason.

Likewise, if they're going to win, they have to earn it. They must have paid the price for happiness before it could be delivered. Or someone must have paid it, at least.

And now we get to Dragonsong. Spoilers ahead.

Okay, so I mentioned before when talking about Ysayle, that Estinien is the most Obviously Doomed Character in the history of characters. And he might as well be wearing a Tragic Hero t-shirt over his drachen mail. For all of Heavensward, he is the voice of Ishgard's side in the Dragonsong War. He's the dragon-killer who wants revenge on Nidhogg, he's the embodiment of a thousand years of people who've suffered from Nidhogg's wrath. The people who don't know anything about Ratatoskr and never did. The other innocent victims of the war.

As a character, he is the outrage of a people who have been wronged. It aligns him perfectly with Nidhogg, and that's why they make such a nice, neat pair. The mortal expression of grief and rage, and the immortal one. Of course they're destined to destroy one another. In most stories, that's how they find redemption. Outrage doesn't get to be put away when it's finished. In Narrative Sense, the revenge-seeker gets what they want and dies because that's how they pay for their victory. And who would they be afterward, if they survived anyway? Vengeance was their character. And that character's purpose ended. They have nowhere to go and no one to be once their role in the story is done.

If you did the Dragoon job quests before starting Heavensward, then you know that the eye is eventually going to overwhelm him. He starts out the cutscene asking you to fight Vishap with, "Don't worry, I'm not here to fight you again." You knew it was coming sooner or later.

So it's entirely unsurprising that he's transformed at Azys Lla. Again, it makes perfect narrative sense. You've already destroyed Nidhogg, the draconian side of the anger fueling the war. You've destroyed Thordan, and through him the Ishgardian Orthodox Church, the force that pitted Nidhogg against the people in the first place, and profited off the suffering of both sides. Of course you still have to fight the anger of the common folk. Because it doesn't matter that Nidhogg's outrage was initially justified, so was theirs. Their desire for revenge has to find an end, too.

The expectation set up from the moment of the transformation, and reinforced constantly is that Estinien will die with Nidhogg. That's just how it makes sense. And it ties into the larger theme of the game's story: Where do we get salvation from? What are we prepared to sacrifice for it? For whom do you fight? And what do you believe in? Estinien is meant to be the sacrifice that ends the thousand-year-long war. He is the collective anger of the innocent people of Ishgard, and he's now fused with the immortal, undying anger of the dragons over Ratatoskr's murder. There is no other way to end the song than his death.

Isn't there?

It's the revelation that the Scions still want to save Estinien that convinces Hraesvelgr to finally act. Because he knows how these stories end. How they always end. Midgardsormr traded his life for his childrens' future. Shiva gave her life so their souls could be together. Ysayle gave her life to save her friends. Victory always comes with a cost. So why even pursue it? What makes the victory worth the price you have to pay for it? It's a taste of the nihilism we'll get with Fandaniel and Hermes later. If suffering is the inevitable outcome of everything you do, why try for anything better?

But in the narrative sense, the price for victory has already been paid.

Not by Estinien, but by The Warrior of Light. Our losses along the way have paid the narrative cost for his rescue. Haurchefant, and Ysayle, and Minfilia have all been taken from us, not through any fault of our own, not by choice, even though we have followed the rules of the narrative to the letter, and now the narrative owes us something. And if we didn't get that feeling already, the ghosts of Haurchefant and Ysayle, the characters representing love and redemption, appear and literally give us the strength to pry the eyes from Estinien's armor in the end, freeing him both literally and figuratively from being the avatar of vengeance.

This is why he finally takes his helmet off only after everything is done. When he's no longer the Azure Dragoon, or the representation of righteous anger. When his part in the story is over. He couldn't do it before, but now that his character, the character of vengeance has died, he can be reborn as just Estinien.