YoshiP “Torn" Over What to do with the Scions (Interview)

[Fiel_Tana]

Idk im cool with them putting scions on back burner. Let the twins help garlemald, urianger thancred yoshstola can chill in sharlya as well as krille and let tataru continue her buisness. I would say of this let gra ha come with us. Not as Sharlyian, nor scion, and as an archon but as a simple sellsword like us. Let him come with us on adventuer. We made a promise back on first let us honor that.

We've already taken him on multiple adventures. We even took him to the end of the universe! How many more do we have to do before one finally counts?

[Ayalu]

I do like the Scions, all of them really.
But i do agree that some should retire and we need some new Characters instead.

[AnimaAnimus]

We've already taken him on multiple adventures. We even took him to the end of the universe! How many more do we have to do before one finally counts?

idk, he is the only scions that I feel would lightly stroke your back and you are trying to relax by the fire at night. I don't think I would want the one scion I would cover my drink when he walks into the room to be our only companion. He's a bit too creepy in his obsession with us.

[Mirikh]

It's utterly bizarre to me why he says the team is "torn over what to do with the Scions." The answer is right in the game. Just look at how they were handled in the previous expansions?

ARR: Meeting and establishing the Scions, who they are and what they do.

HW: Scions scattered, forced to flee to a new city with only Alphinaud and Tataru with us giving those two time for development....

SB: Shift focus on formerly Yda now Lyse and Alisaie as two Scions we still don't know much about to journey with.........

ShB: We reunite with our lost companions one by one, giving them each a chance to shine and find out what their time on the First has been like.

EW: (should have been two expansions) Started to drop the ball a little here, but we still had some good stuff. First two zones, the Scions split up....

DT: "what do we do with the Scions??" answer: cardboard cutouts with no personalities that barely interact with the new cast. Huh???

What do you mean "what to do with the Scions"?? Do anything but the last one! Cycle them in and out of the spotlight! Have them living their own lives and doing their own thing when not in the party! This isn't difficult!

As you point out we already have a model for cycling the Scions in and out as needed. We've also been slowly introducing new cast memebers like Estinien Graha and Krile. The story FF14 has greatly benefitted from having an ensemble cast giving the WoL some talented people to interact with as allies. What happens when the WoL doesn't meet people like the Scions? Ardbert is what happens. As annoying and flawed as pre-reformed ARR Alphinaud was, his heart was in the right place and he wasn't secretly working with the Ascians. As for the conundrum of what more they can say about them - this problem still remains even with a new cast. What will they say about them either? Adventurous dedicated people don't normally die at 16 years of age, or stop having adventures even at 35. All they need is a plot to be involved in and some good writing. We just introduced 3 new people (and maybe Erenville as well) - is this really all they have to say about them? Seeing how people reacted to a completely new character like Wuk being center stage at the expense of everyone else I'd think they'd try to make more of what they already have. Personally I like the Scions, especially the older cast members - Yshtola, Urianger, Thancred. I'd miss them in the story.

[Villa101]

It would do everyone and I do mean everyone. The devs, the audience the world in universe and the characters that reside within if most of the scions did their own thing for a while. I just don't really *need* anything from most of the narrative. Outside of y'shtola and the twins everyone has completed an arc and should be going on their own adventures. And even then those 3 can have some of that arc off screen. I was excited to see krile get some expansion in this expansion for her to get very little and the scions just standing about.

Allowing us to move on and forge new friendships or giving more depth to previous ones I think would do everyone a lot of good. I personally starting to feel the loss of job stories and all the color and context they added to the world. I dunno. If someone on the dev team still really wants them around, why not pull the trigger on that npc romance thing. It doesn't have to be romance, but i dunno if you really want to update us with what y'shtola and thancred are doing. Having us hang out with them and build rapport would be a good way to do it?

[Zakuyia]

We've already taken him on multiple adventures. We even took him to the end of the universe! How many more do we have to do before one finally counts?

The man literally spent 100 years defending the first. You gonna say a few days worth is good enough. How about many more. I want the man to see sights he couldn't see since he spent 100 years in that dying world. You clearly skipped the msq if you dont remember that much

[Len_]

Did you really never question why Estinien jumped on the bandwagon at the literal last possible second?

Hey I just want to vent a little bit about this because I'm currently subbed and able to post on the forums so why not? But I just want to express how disgusted I was by Estinien's inclusion into "the Scions." He will never be a "Scion" to me. As a character, he is what he is. I personally never liked him. And it's not because of him, it's really because of how the other characters reacted to him. "Oh my god Estinien doesn't wanna join our group and he just wants to live his life doing whatever he chooses like a normal person....oh my god that's so mysterious and cool it's so based. Did I mention how cool Estinien is? He's not hanging around with us that means he's SO COOL because he just lives his life doing whatever he wants not at our beck and call like a normal freaking person. Omg kyaaaaaa sugoi he's so coooooool."

Maybe simpletons would buy this. It just made me hate Estinien through no fault of his own. Characters telling me how interesting he is instead of being actually interesting. Screw you.

So then in the very last moment possible he decides to actually join up to the cause. Oh wow. I wonder what possiblly brought this on after however long of not giving a flying frick and doing your own thing all thi stime. And it's basically like
>I realized being a cynical sardonic stick in the mud wasn't really doing anything for me. I admire you and Alphinaud. I'll try it you guys' way.

Ok fine, whatever. I buy it for now.

But then you get into EW and what does he do? Stand around brooding on the far end of the room leaning across the wall with his arms crossed while everyone else is huddled around a table trying to figure out how to solve the problem. All he does is act how you would expect a hired mercenary who is there to fill the 8th slot as a melee NPC would act. Because that's literally all he is. He doesn't follow up on his stated motivations for wanting to join the Scions and care about making a difference He stands around seeming bored acting like someone forced him to be there asking "Emet-Selch who?" if he even deigns to take interest at all. The literal only thing he ever contributed to any situation is "Oh are you guys talking about dragons?" I have previoulsy had association with dragons. The end."

I hate Estinien so much.

[Lydia77]

I want all scions front and center. I love each and every one of them. Thye are established character but that doesnt mean we cant tell great stories with them. The moment Estinien joined the roster made me scream like a little girl. I Really wished Zero could join because she had so much potential to grow and we kinda need melee DPS.
The ones we got in DT is a spit in the soul. No TRUST interaction, no character development / use of already existing ones. They appear in a dT trailer to hype me for a cool adventure only to scramble it all up in the credits scene with vomit infusing song.
DT story 3/10

[Ramiee]

Opposites attract....
All jokes aside, it's been pretty well established since Shadowbringers that the two of them had been around each other the most compared to other Scions... from their time raising Ryne together in Il Mheg to the Eden raids and beyond. I actually think they pair rather well, as they're both more settled down now in their older age and are complements for one another. It's pretty natural for people to get along and not be exactly like their friend/partner. I'm certainly not like my husband, lol.
Estinien has quite the history of working alone unless it's the WoL in an unusual circumstance or when he has a more personal investment (like Vrtra), so if anything him and Thancred pairing up would be the odd thing to see.

I don't see thancred and urianger going on an adventure as bodyguards, thancred maybe but urianger doesn't suit that at all. If they went together for a different reason such as researching for Sharlyans then yeah I could see it. Enstinen I could see taking up a bodyguard position to get a lay of the land and thancred would probably turn up coincidentally and become the other bodyguard. Wasn't suggesting thancred would seek him out if anything but I really don't see urianger doing this bodyguard stuff as in character, like I could see thancred and yshtola doing that together way more than urianger doing that.

[Ramiee]

idk, he is the only scions that I feel would lightly stroke your back and you are trying to relax by the fire at night. I don't think I would want the one scion I would cover my drink when he walks into the room to be our only companion. He's a bit too creepy in his obsession with us.

You could have a scene where wake up in your inn room and see him rushing out your window with your underwear, some of your hair and your drool, and people would say it's romantic because he's a handsome cat boy.
We lost Papalymo and Yda for this.