My name is Selwyn, aka Sel!
Pronouns are He/Him
This is my FFXIV sideblog. (main is @catboyselsel) (Also follow me on bsky with the same handle)
This is where I'll be posting the majority of FFXIV art, gposes, screenshots, fun character facts, and other things. Majority of FFXIV reblogs will probably go here too!
I may also consider posting fun roleplay responses to asks, so feel free to fire those my way! Plus, if you're into FFXIV roleplay, reach out, I'm happy to share my discord, esp with moots.
My Characters:
Wyzngeim Sthalmhaswyn
Sea Wolf Roegadyn
Female
31 y/o
MNK/SAM
My NA server main, on Aether/Faerie! Also my do-everything character, I've used her to do almost all side content and a smattering of EX trials and Savage raids, though nothing too serious.
One of the affectionately referred-to WOL Trio with @catlikesredffxiv and @wanderingtails's characters.
Lorelia Metzger
Highlander Hyur
Female
27 y/o
WAR
My EU server main, on Chaos/Moogle. Looking to do more with her now that I've nearly caught up on story.
Separate timeline from the WOL Trio, she's the reincarnation of Azem, but has other friends' characters joining her on her adventures. Arguably the character I've written the most for, including a slightly canon-divergent plot starting at the very end of Endwalker MSQ.
Ganbold Qalli
Xaela Au Ra
Male
26 y/o
BRD/DNC
Previously my EU server main before moving Lor over to play with the friends who have characters relevant to her story.
Side character to the WOL Trio timeline, he's mostly happy to be there when they need him and write the epic ballads that need writing whenever something legendary happens. The perks of being a world-saving hero aren't lost on him, though.
Leilelle Vainant
Ishgardian Elezen
Female
21 y/o
DRG
A side character for the WOL Trio timeline, and in general a side character I like to play around with on occasion. She generally turns up to tag along on whatever adventure sounds fun, but she'll disappear into the wind alongside another beloved and flighty dragoon.
J'nahka Tia
Sunseeker Miqo'te
Male
20 y/o
SCH/AST/RPR
Another WOL Trio side character, he left Gyr Abania at 18 and escaped to Eorzea, where he expanded his worldview and learned to read, then made adventuring friends and fell in with the Scions! He mostly spends his time keeping up with @wanderingtails's Arao, his best friend, the tank to his healer.
Nishant Saeed
Raen Au Ra
Male
24 y/o
WHM
Another unique Azem WOL, Nishant is a Hannish Alchemist who fell ass-backwards into this whole adventuring thing when he met his closest companion, an actual adventurer who needed a healer to help her on her journey. He originally had no intention of adventuring, but he DOES want to help people, and so things just went from there.
logging onto tumblr like heyyy i'm thinking about the same character i've spent the past few weeks thinking about. no change here. just wanted to let yall know
*thinks about OCs* *Thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS ABOUT OCS* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCS* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks ABOUT OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS ABOUT OCS* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCS* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks ABOUT OCs* *thinks about OCs*
Revisiting "Beneath a Star-Filled Sky," I'm reminded that Alisaie's distress over Urianger's actions with the Warriors of Darkness isn't just about their having hurt her personally. In fact I'd actually venture to say that's kind of the least of it, to her. What angers her the most is the people who are being hurt by the repeated primal summonings.
In this quest, Alisaie has just accompanied her brother and the Warrior of Light to Outer La Noscea, where they've not only failed to stop the summoning of Titan, but also witnessed the murder of dissenters among the kobolds. In the aftermath of that, Alisaie has been looking after Ga Bu, who has just lost his parents.
It's in this context that she has a heart-to-heart with the Warrior of Light, in which she stops just shy of confessing her concerns about Urianger but opens up about a lot of other sorrows and uncertainties.
Before leaving, Alisaie speaks with the Maelstrom commander personally, demanding kindness and compassion for Ga Bu. As she says her goodbyes to the kobold child, she says that she cannot possibly understand... but I think on some level she does. Her whole journey to Eorzea, after all, has been to understand her grandfather's death. And though the circumstances are hardly the same, I think she probably can't help but sympathize in a deeply personal way.
As Ga Bu departs, Alphinaud offers some words of comfort to his sister, and says those responsible will be made to answer. It is here we see Alisaie's anger surface, when she says:
"A thousand times over, aye. There will be a reckoning."
Then the twins accompany the WoL to speak with Urianger again, and he knows about the source of the crystals despite Thancred not having told him yet, which only affirms Alisaie's belief that he's directly involved. And it's right after that conversation that she says to the Warrior of Light:
"Listen--if anything should happen, it should be me who... Just know that I am prepared to do what must be done."
I don't think Alisaie's own injury is why she ultimately says that while she understands Urianger's actions, she can't condone them. I think she'd have come to the same conclusion even if they hadn't hurt her personally. It's not about her.
It's about Ga Bu. It's about every innocent person caught in the crossfire. Because as noble as Urianger's intentions, he helped the Warriors of Darkness do this. They brought unimaginable suffering to innocent people even if they did it for noble reasons, and Urianger was a part of it.
In Stormblood we see Alisaie's worldview solidify into a passionate dislike for noble sacrifices. The idea of sacrificing a small number of people for the good of the many is something she has a deep distaste for. She already had this, I think--she always really struggled with the idea that her grandfather's death was "worth it"--but her experiences in Heavensward have cemented it. Alisaie's morals center around the idea that each individual person matters. Ga Bu matters. His parents mattered. Whatever the ends, that shouldn't have happened, and the idea of summing that up as worth it, in the end, is repellent to her.
Her condemnation of Urianger's actions isn't for herself; it's for Ga Bu, and everyone like him.
Urianger has a relatively small role in Stormblood, and yet looking at his part in it and in particular his interactions with Alisaie, there is something really touching in how deliberately he is trying to make amends, and the marked shift in their relationship. I've seen it said that Alisaie will never look at him the same way after his involvement with the Warriors of Darkness, and strictly speaking I don't disagree; it does represent a seismic shift in their relationship, and it will never be the exactly the same as it was before.
That said, I do think there is a reconciliation happening there over time.
When you look at how Alisaie speaks to Urianger in early Stormblood, she is downright chilly. Her "I trust you have no objections?" confirming that Urianger will stay behind on the diplomatic mission to Ala Mhigo is clipped and short, and Urianger's response is acquiescent.
When Urianger meets the eastern-bound Scions on the docks at Limsa Lominsa, Alisaie responds brusquely to his offering of prophecy, with a touch of annoyance. However, there is a shift in her tone when he presents her with the aetherial blade designed to allow to practice red magic in her unique manner without taxing her aether. The gift represents not only Urianger's concern for he safety, but his recognition of how Alisaie has changed since coming to Eorzea. There's a fitting symmetry to the fact that Alisiae's previous weapon, her grimoire, was given her by her grandfather (with a matching one to her brother) when the two of them enrolled in the Studium, an event of which Urianger is surely aware. Then, like now, Alisaie was about to embark on a new chapter of her life.
And indeed, I think there is significance to the fact that it was Alisaie's actions in particular that Urianger's machinations failed to account for. He failed to notice her following him, and I certainly don't think he predicted how instrumental Alisaie's new magical skills would be in holding back the Warriors of Darkness long enough for him to bring his plan to fruition. He therefore recognizes, in the aftermath, that Alisaie has grown in ways he had not seen or acknowledged. Now this gift represents his recognition and support of Alisaie's growth, her own ambitions and accomplishments.
Of course, a gift alone, even a meaningful one, is not enough to repair what's been broken. But the softening in her tone when she says, "And… take care."
In "The Seeds of Despair," while scouting for imperial patrols with the Warrior of Light, Alisiae will confide in them. If the Warrior of Light tells her she's gotten stronger, Alisaie will confess, "Urianger's gift was a godssend, to be honest."
After Alisaie is wounded by Fordola, Urianger comes to visit her at Rhalgr's Reach. This visit happens offscreen, so we don't know exactly what kind of conversation they had, but we do know that Alisaie told him about what happened to her. Other dialogue from Alisiae indicates that she blames herself for her recklessness, and regrets not being able to be present for the next push. But from Urianger's actions, it is clear that he understands there is more at play than Alisiae simply making a mistake. "When Mistress Alisaie unfolded to me the tale of her defeat," he later says, "I was much intrigued by the apparent ease with which Fordola, a theretofore unexceptional warrior, defied my lady's every attempt to do her harm." That he gleaned this from Alisaie's account alone suggests that he maintains great faith in her abilities, and he not only grasps the significance of what happened but is moved to act. Not only to protect Alisiae, though that is certainly a factor, but to unravel the curiosity of Fordola's newfound speed and skill. From there, he crafts a device based on Moenbryda's aetheric siphon, to help the Warrior of Light counter Fordola's abilities.
Words will not mend what has been broken, but I think Alisaie recognizes in Urianger's actions an attempt to make amends where he can. Interestingly, here in particular we have another instance of Urianger purposefully witholding information—but also being upfront about the fact that he is doing so. "To say more would endanger the plan, for ignorance is your shield." Once the critical battle is over, he readily explains himself—he dared not explain the function of the device, lest Fordola's synthetic Echo allow her to anticipate it. Between his relative forthrightness, and the success of the stratagem itself, no one seems to take issue with this particular gambit, including Alisaie.
By patch 4.3, we have Alisaie herself calling Urianger by linkpearl to give him updates on the situation. A subtle change, but in context one that I think speaks to an improvement in their relations. By 4.4, Alisiae is not only calling to update him but in hopes that he can offer some insight. Gone is the chilly tone of early Stormblood, gone her annoyance with his prophetic utterances. Now, with seemingly renewed confidence, she turns to him hoping for answers.
And when she greets him in "Prelude in Violet," it is with the words, "Urianger! Gods it's good to see you!" Only to see him collapse before her, and there is no mistaking the terror and distress in her response. And in 4.5, she laments, "Why did it have to be Y'shtola and Urianger, and not me? Out of all of us, they are the ones who could feasibly have solved this puzzle." Again, I think this speaks to a renewed faith in Urianger, and that over the course of Stormblood, a good deal of trust has been rebuilt between them. (And of course, Shadowbringers will bring its own developments! but that's another post for another day.)
Just after Urianger and Y'shtola's collapse, Alisaie makes a visit to Limsa Lominsa to see Ga Bu, the kobold boy whose parents were sacrificed to Titan in the Heavensward patches. It's a brief visit, and Alisaie recalls her heart-to-heart with the Warrior of Light back when she first met him. It's a significant callback not just for Alisiae's relationship with the Warrior of Light, but with Urianger. I wrote previously about how Ga Bu represents for Alisiae the worst of what Urianger did. It's not really about the fact that he lied, or even that the Warriors of Darkness hurt her, but that they brought harm to a lot of others with their misguided actions, and Urianger had a part in that even as he was ultimately aiming to thwart them. It was that, I think, that she really couldn't condone. And this visit to Ga Bu reminds us—and no doubt Alisaie—of that fact. That the damage was done, and cannot be undone.
Even so, Urianger has labored to make amends, and even so, Alisaie seems to have found herself open to reconciliation.
the funny thing about roegadyn in this game is that after arr the msq does them so consistently dirty. they are either given a unique face model, reduced to a minor npc who doesnt really do much for the story or are killed off in 12 quests.
so im finding the sudden hype around the new guy really funny because it really is just ''wait. roegadyn are hot?'' ''always have been *pulls up gun*''
nero tol scaeva may not be my favorite ffxiv character but he's definitely one of the FUNNIEST ffxiv characters
highlights include:
killing the lights and fucking booking it when you defeat him, and then just straight up deserting the garlean army with absolutely no remorse or hesitation
leaving the praetorium and almost immediately posting up under a streetlight in a stupid outfit in revenant's toll like some kind of clown hooker, waiting to direct wol to the crystal tower questline JUST so he could involve himself, too
showing up in the middle of a major city not even slightly in disguise to walk up to a meeting of world leaders and say "now it's clear the problem you're having is that you haven't involved MEEEEEE"
accepting wearing an ironworks uniform but dying it red because #aesthetics
magical girl armor transformation
bonus: cid keeping his sunglasses and then just silently handing them back afterward as if they do this all the fucking time
getting attacked and injured but just refusing to tell anyone about it until he literally collapsed
sneaking out of the infirmary but not before forging cid's signature on his expense report
telling his fellow garleans that if all they were gonna do is whine and refuse any solutions to their problems they could just fucking die for all he cares
truly one of the characters of all time. he's like a horrible beetle man. i love him.
