Is Y'shtola finally giving actual red death flags or am I just seeing stuff?

Ok hear me out first. Yes, I know that she is the face of the franchise and that she is the queen of fake out deaths. But I feel more so with this patch than others that she could be throwing actual death flags this time.

My first point is she's finally getting character development. The 2nd one and probably the weakest is well she's female character that's finally getting character development.

One thing I noticed her do a lot in this patch is the hand to heart emote. Which sure the devs could just be showing it off cause we finally are able to use it once you get to level 5 in the current pvp season. You could also argue that she could just be doing that as a sign of excitement at the aspect of figuring out no death involved shard travel. Yet why does she look forlorn if not remorseful whenever she does it?

She also seems to become easily weakened. We see her slightly winded after completing the warding spell. Now we don't see if Urianger was winded or not. Yet since coming back from the first he also hasn't shown any signs of being in need of some recovery. This isn't the only time post 6.0 that we have seen Y'shtola needing some form of recovery. She was also a little winded after she gave Zero some of her aether. I don't remember if there was a person between Y'shtola and Varshahn's offer of aether that got interrupted or not. Yet during our 1st trip into the 13th and post aether giving she does make a comment about how low she is before we come to the decision of bringing an unconscious Zero with us.

Now I also know that part of the reason why she and Urianger didn't help with putting up the wards to the Crystal Tower was to show that they were given outfits and weapons that were exactly like the ones they wore while on the first. Yet we have Krile who wanders over looking and sounding she could fall asleep from exhaustion at any second from helping with said seals. Course we don't know how long that took or if she helped out with it after a round of healing magics before hand. But if what Alisaie says at the start of that cutscene is to be believed they all should have felt as fit as a fiddle. Or strong enough to participate in the lv 47 fate that had just spawned.

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Originally Posted by SannaR

Ok hear me out first. Yes, I know that she is the face of the franchise and that she is the queen of fake out deaths. But I feel more so with this patch than others that she could be throwing actual death flags this time.

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Is she the face of the franchise anymore? I don't remember her making it on to the favourite final fantasy characters lists (I might be misremembering), and if she was I am pretty sure Emet and Tia where much higher on the list so I think the idea of her being the face of the franchise is dated at this point

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Originally Posted by jameseoakes

Is she the face of the franchise anymore? I don't remember her making it on to the favourite final fantasy characters lists (I might be misremembering), and if she was I am pretty sure Emet and Tia where much higher on the list so I think the idea of her being the face of the franchise is dated at this point

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She's used in a lot of the official art. Coming into 6.0 she got a picture of her strumming a guitar with a blue bird. Any time a XIV character is put into something like Desidia or one of the mobile games she normally is the only one or part of the group that gets to represent the game. Heck she even has a posable doll made after her. She might have fallen as a fan favorite, but she is still in a lot of the official marketing for the game.

I don't think they'll kill her off to be honest.

What I suspect might happen is that she'll find a method of travelling to the First and will opt to stay there, and take up residence in her former home with the Night's Blessed.

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Originally Posted by SannaR

She's used in a lot of the official art. Coming into 6.0 she got a picture of her strumming a guitar with a blue bird. Any time a XIV character is put into something like Desidia or one of the mobile games she normally is the only one or part of the group that gets to represent the game. Heck she even has a posable doll made after her. She might have fallen as a fan favorite, but she is still in a lot of the official marketing for the game.

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Oh she's certainly not irrelevant but she not really the main character of the game anymore (not sure who is now though to be honest), and given we've moved on from the who was apparently the main villain going by Dissidea I don't think Y'sthola is in a place were she matters as the face of the game.

Y'shtola's someone who knows her limits, which also comes with knowing how to push them. She knows she can just get more aether, so she's happy to run herself a bit tired if it means a more immediate win, which is pretty much exactly why she offered Zero aether. The reason she's the one showing that she's tired after the warding scerne and not Urianger is because the rest of the scene is Y'shtola's scene; it's focused on her, so she gets to be the one that shows exertion, and she recovers pretty damn fast. She's also immediately accompanied by Nidhana, who's exactly the right person to raise that this was a red flag if it was.

And 'she uses a particular emote' means literally nothing. Like, I don't even know what you think you're raising an eyebrow at here.

I think what we're actually seeing is them setting up the pieces for a 6.0 that doesn't have her in it. We've seen Thancred, Urianger and Krile get some form of invites to future stuff that's almost definitely them being the core crew for 6.0; meanwhile, Y'shtola gets a scene that almost literally says 'the thing she wants to do is possible, but will take a while before it sees any fruit'. That reads to me like she's being given a plausible out for the immediate future, while also being reserved a spot to lead in future content, be that either a new expansion or side content. After all, one of the best things that not having a famous cast member for a bit brings is that them coming back is almost a hook in and of itself.

Y'shtola was never really 'the face of FFXIV' for internal reasons; like XI, XIV never really bothered with a 'face' character, and the notion of Y'shtola being one is exceptionally odd in retrospect given it took until Shadowbringers for her to even get a trailer appearance; clearly she's not highly prioritized by the devs. Instead, Y'shtola became the face because, out of all the options, she was the most interesting character in XIV for other games to put as the face; first Record Keeper, then followed by the likes of Dissidia, Brave Exvius, and Opera Omnia. It's not because of her story prominence (because... yeah, she didn't have any, especially when they were picking), but likely just because of roster diversity. She's visibly non-human, she's a woman, she's a healer; all of those are rare things for the 'face' of a Final Fantasy game, so she's a way better choice than the other likely frontrunner, Thancred. That's not really related, but yeah, it does explain the developers' relationship with her; despite being the face she's just 'one of the Scions' to the writers, so they don't give her anything overly exceptional.

The emote was happening a lot. It's on the same level of Alphinaud's fist clenching post 5.3. Where if he was in a scene you could probably count at least one fist clench from him. There's also not much of 6.0 left if she's going to just exit stage right.

XI also technically has a face that also belongs to an NPC. Though said NPC doesn't have as much of a personality as the one who tends to be the representative from that game. It's kind of in character for them really. As it'd be a bit odd if the guy who ended up being in charge of the rogue/thief information group had a personality to the point everyone knew he was in charge of said group. When the writers are not aiming for them being the worst kept secret.

That and Japan loves their small creatures bonus points if they're cute and more bonus points if they're a character that can pull off any sas that comes with the Ohohohoho laugh. If XIV is moving away from her being the representative of the game then I'd say Alisaie is taking that spot if the Puma advertisement campaign is anything to go by.

She has such a clearly defined goal that can also substitute as a death (as in making more room for new characters while she stays offscreen for several expansions) that I don't think it's going to happen, beyond just her popularity.

Y'shtola's not dying. Her lives are all but over nine thousand. Further, more elaborate and concrete reasoning isn't even truly necessary.

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Originally Posted by Carin-Eri

I don't think they'll kill her off to be honest.

What I suspect might happen is that she'll find a method of travelling to the First and will opt to stay there, and take up residence in her former home with the Night's Blessed.

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I agree that this is a more likely scenario. She made a promise to Runar, and it would be unfair to not let her keep it just to kill her off.

But having her live on the First and continue solving mysteries there? Especially since we're going to be trying to figure out a way to pump light from the First over to the Thirteenth to eventually fix it? Now that makes sense to me.

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Originally Posted by Catwho

I agree that this is a more likely scenario. She made a promise to Runar, and it would be unfair to not let her keep it just to kill her off

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Sometimes life isn't fair.
And sometimes a sad ending is a lot more impactful to a story than a happy one.

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Originally Posted by Canadane

Sometimes life isn't fair.
And sometimes a sad ending is a lot more impactful to a story than a happy one.

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I'd say we're better off with her on the First. Since this allows us REASONS to go back to the First in story from time to time, instead of us forgetting it exists outside of some side quest or side series requiring us to go there.

She will get her big character story arc with the shard travel and probably some hidden knowledge she finds. Most likely she will be out for a few expansions and comes in as the lead when we go to another shard.

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Originally Posted by Tehmon

beyond just her popularity.

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And funnily enough, popularity polls say this isn't actually a reason. She's not the most popular Scion, the most popular female character, or the most popular female Scion.

It's funny, because she looks like she would be. If you're coming from an assumption that FFXIV has a population breakdown similar to something like WoW that skews a little older and much more male-dominated, yeah, she seems like she'd be a shoe-in for being one of the most popular characters and you take that as a given; I'd have probably guessed her and maybe Raubahn would be the big players if you made me guess early on. But in truth, the audience actually skews much more female-dominated, younger, and has tastes that mostly skew towards more recent characters, and (to be a little bit comically reductive) Cute Boys. As a result, while Y'shtola competes fairly well as far as ARR-era characters go, character popularity polls put her pretty firmly below the likes of Emet, G'raha Tia, Zenos and Alisaie.

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Originally Posted by SilversLyu

She will get her big character story arc with the shard travel and probably some hidden knowledge she finds. Most likely she will be out for a few expansions and comes in as the lead when we go to another shard.

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Pretty much what I expect. She's already implied that the First is only her first stop (no pun intended) - she intends to explore other shards and find out the mysteries of the world. Will she reunite with Runar? Oh almost certainly. But I don't think she'll stop there, as she has pretty much said as much, and I can see her coming with us to a new shard, whenever that happens.

I don't think any of the Scions will die, not after all the death fakeouts and Ultima Thule in particular. It would lose all its impact at this point.

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Originally Posted by Carin-Eri

I don't think they'll kill her off to be honest.

What I suspect might happen is that she'll find a method of travelling to the First and will opt to stay there, and take up residence in her former home with the Night's Blessed.

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I agree. I think she'll be in retirement until we need to travel to another shard. And even then, she might just be regulated to cameo and not be on the main team anymore.

Yshtola has likely achieved imortality unless they do go with the "clean cut" and start a new cast of players.
Shes even in other FF games by now. I do believe at one point she was on the list of "going to die" we had Red flags from ARR throught every single expansion, but she always comes out fine and usually stronger.

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Originally Posted by Voidedge_Ragna

Shes even in other FF games by now.

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Ah, yes, in a firm crowd of lively faces like Tidus, Aerith, Noctis, and Jack Garland.

I don't really think the logic of 'she's in crossovers so she's important' makes a lot of sense in the first place, but even if it is, let's not pretend that 'being in FF crossover games' means a character is a static, undying icon.

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Originally Posted by Cleretic

Ah, yes, in a firm crowd of lively faces like Tidus, Aerith, Noctis, and Jack Garland.

I don't really think the logic of 'she's in crossovers so she's important' makes a lot of sense in the first place, but even if it is, let's not pretend that 'being in FF crossover games' means a character is a static, undying icon.

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I can see what you mean, you are absolutely right they did this before. Only a small note, all of those are Main Characters in single player games, is the side cast in an MMO a main character hmm.

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Originally Posted by Voidedge_Ragna

I can see what you mean, you are absolutely right they did this before. Only a small note, all of those are Main Characters in single player games, is the side cast in an MMO a main character hmm.

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I suspect it'll keep being Y'shtola for the female representation (and lack of casters in Dissidia's main fighting games) until they finally give an anime with a "canon" WoL, at which point that one will be in all the crossovers.

I highly doubt they'll ever take out one of the main scions at this point. They have a well established pattern of having a token death in each expansion, being a character introduced in that expansion. The only exception was Papalymo.

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Originally Posted by Kesey

I agree. I think she'll be in retirement until we need to travel to another shard. And even then, she might just be regulated to cameo and not be on the main team anymore.

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This is what I do want to happen with her. It's just with her behavior this patch to me at least she started to behave like those characters that promise to go do all those fun things with their comrades after the current really bad situation is over with. Only that they know it's promises they can't keep as they know they're going to die or be dead by the end of it or they're end up disappearing at the end. Kind of like the end of FF X if Tidas actually ended up disappearing at the end or how at the end of Sailor Moon R everyone thought Chibi-Usa wasn't going to be seen again by the present day Sailor Senshi.

Nah, she's thrown up the beige flag of retirement. FFXIV isn't going to kill anyone important at this point. Not in this expansion, heaven forbid. That would involve there being tangible consequences for the protagonists. And that is verboten in our protagonist morality centered narrative.

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Originally Posted by Vyrerus

Nah, she's thrown up the beige flag of retirement. FFXIV isn't going to kill anyone important at this point. Not in this expansion, heaven forbid. That would involve there being tangible consequences for the protagonists. And that is verboten in our protagonist morality centered narrative.

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Major deaths are not really there anymore since Shadowbringers (with the weird exception of Minfilia but she was basically doomed since heavensward), I think it's not really Ishikawas way of storytelling. But looking at FFXIV as a whole, they are very careful about any harm or deaths in regards to their core cast. Endwalker especially takes that to the extreme. We may see a change in that direction seeing how the role of lead writer has passed on to someone else (her junior writers) and we might witness it the next expansion already, but chances are they continue with their formula. They love the theme around death and tease with that, but not much beyond that. That's why deaths of any essencial characters are probably not gonna happen, but we shall see. I personally dislike character deaths as well but I also hope Endwalker will be the exception and not the rule going forward with that, because it can get silly at times. Y'shtola is potentially finally heavily involved in a future character arc for her and the implications are so great not only for the planet but other shards, they do themselves a disservice at killing her off on top of that.

I mean, the stupid kitty is burning off her life force to forcibly let herself sea with aethersight... she's going to die young.

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Originally Posted by shadowclasper

I mean, the stupid kitty is burning off her life force to forcibly let herself sea with aethersight... she's going to die young.

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No she's not. That was a quirk of the English localization (I'm not even gonna call it 'mistranslation', because it makes total sense when you read it again, we just took it more literally than intended): she consumes aether to see, but 'aether' isn't unreplenishable life force. She has to be more careful, but she's not actively shortening her lifespan.

Basically Matoya's the kind of worried that a mom gets when she finds out her kid bought a motorcycle.

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Originally Posted by Cleretic

No she's not. That was a quirk of the English localization (I'm not even gonna call it 'mistranslation', because it makes total sense when you read it again, we just took it more literally than intended): she consumes aether to see, but 'aether' isn't unreplenishable life force. She has to be more careful, but she's not actively shortening her lifespan.

Basically Matoya's the kind of worried that a mom gets when she finds out her kid bought a motorcycle.

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Oooooh. Okay. That's much better

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Originally Posted by Carin-Eri

I don't think they'll kill her off to be honest.

What I suspect might happen is that she'll find a method of travelling to the First and will opt to stay there, and take up residence in her former home with the Night's Blessed.

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I would hope something like that happens rather then get killed off, though I cannot see her settling down permanently. Her curiosity on the world is a primary aspect of her, I could see her then trying to reach other Shards once travel to the First has been found though making the Nights Bless her home. In that way, I personally do not really want any of the Scions to die. You can do a character arc/have them serve their propose without killing them off. Just let them retire/go off and do their own thing. That way they can be brought back when the story needs someone with their skills/knolage.