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Description
One year after I drew my FFXIV squadron , I present to you... my alt character's squadron, proudly wearing the Maelstrom's colors

Unlike my Lalafell's Twin Adder squad, this roster features some of the most elusive recruits ever, those you actually have to grind every week to get: Khorchi (5 weeks), Seserikku (7 weeks), Kehda'to (15 weeks), and ultimately Raging B̶o̶n̶e̶r̶ Ox (24 weeks).

My alt character Lysandre - aka the dude with the gunblade in the center of the pic - was initially supposed to be of the troll-ish kind: no job stone through the entire A Realm Reborn game, but still gloriously riding the 1 million MGP mount . Don't worry, I actually wasn't ballsy enough to queue with real people without a job stone since that's griefing, I used Trusts instead.

But the truth is, he grew on me, and I realized I felt more invested in the main story with him than with my tiny druid lady. Once a street urchin and thief with a fondness for good ale and pretty girls, he learned to be a trustworthy, responsible man, as well as a fairly capable commander within the Maelstrom.

I started that drawing back in October, been working on it over the months. It took ages putting everything together and getting it to look right, but it was worth it

Artwork © Blunell. Characters, outfits, location & furniture design © Square Enix
Please don't use or repost my work.

***

(WARNING: Silly rambling below, basically my headcanon for each recruit)

  Rivienne (CNJ): The first to ever join the squad, she's a kind-hearted, but very shy dhalmel, and was initially lacking confidence in her abilities. As a result, she had severe healer anxiety in battle, and her panic almost got the squad killed once, but with the help of Liliba, she improved. Lysandre thus stopped being on her all the time and started to act much kinder towards her, their bond growing as strong as their start was rocky. She developed a crush on her Captain over time and now tends to overheal him in duties.

  Liliba (CNJ): A smartass potato with a bad temper and a kinda know-it-all attitude. Lecturing her squadmates about their godawful performance is her specialty, which is ironic since she herself often forgets to heal while on duty, being too busy howling at Seserikku about his Ice Mage DPS. When Lysandre is tanking, she purposely stays far behind to force him to use his mitigations properly (and can be heard cackling maniacally while doing so). Enjoys wine more than ale.

  J'ludaba (ROG): Youngest of all, with the biggest mouth of all. Too young to drink ale, but drinks (a lot) anyways. Overall small furball of energy who's the heart and spirit of the squad. Has kleptomania.

  Khorchi (LNC): Adventurous at heart, this lizzerlady of the Kha tribe was barely an adult when she left her kin to sail the seas of Hydaelyn. She made herself a name as one of the most ruthless pirate ladies of Othard - as even the loss of one of her eyes in combat didn't make her stray from her chosen path. But as she grew older, she started longing for a more settled life. After she discovered the Gold Saucer on Aldenard, she put piracy aside and established her own gambling house, that she would run for a few years. Yet, she was missing the thrill of battle, so she eventually moved to Limsa Lominsa, where she joined the Maelstrom and the squad. Since both she and Lysandre have a background in sailing and piracy, but with wildly different takes, they often argue about these topics.

  Fearless Fawn (GLD): An Ala Mhigan refugee who lost a brother and niece to the invasion, she swore to protect the oppressed. She used to be a guard at Camp Skull, but left Thanalan when she could no longer stand the authorities of Ul'dah turning a blind eye towards the poor (a grudge against Thanalan that she shares with the Captain). Is like an overprotective mama bear to the rest of the squad. As she loves cooking, she's in charge of the squad's meals, which are always too spicy to both Rivienne's and Seserikku's liking.

  Seserikku (THM): As chill and carefree as Liliba is stuck-up. He's fascinated with ice due to the hot weather of Thanalan he grew in, and his abilities as a thaumaturge made him known as "he who conjures fresh water amid the desert" in his village. Went to the interview dressed in full snowman costume; Lysandre said "Yo man, you're in if you drop whatever that effing attire is"; Seserikku said "Okay bro, but imma be an Ice Mage then "; Lysandre said "My dude, you got balls and I like that. You're in." Has boasted the lowest DPS of the squad ever since, but who cares, he's an Ice Mage, how cool is that? *ba-dum tsss*. Often seen bickering with Liliba like an old lalafellin couple.

  Kehda'to (ARC): Edgiest and gayest catboi ever, has the hots for his Captain since day one. He used to be a member of the Twin Adders, but the disdain of the Gridanian folks for moon kitties and especially his own aunt (an infamous Coeurlclaw poacher) led him to say "Aight, fuck that, I'm outta here". J'ludaba often pokes fun at him for that, calling him "the tree-huggers' spy". He's the most cynical of them all, with a dry and dark sense of humor; as such, he enjoys making inappropriate jokes just to make the others squirm in discomfort.

  Raging Ox (MRD): (I spent so much time at the Gold Saucer for him alone, that my headcanon is he used to work there ). Once an Ala Mhigan refugee who turned to petty theft and street brawl, he often got into trouble... until he had to pawn his beloved axe, so he could pay for his many fines and avoid going back to prison. Trying to get by in a lawful way, he ended up being hired as a trip-teaser at the Gold Saucer (underpaid, because Godbert is an asshole). Seeing Lysandre so often led him to befriend the guy; when he learned the squad was still lacking one tank and this higher paid job meant he would get his axe back sooner, he applied. Addicted to gambling and alcohol, he's grown to be Lysandre's best drinking buddy outside of duty... and sometimes, even while on duty. After all, what matters at work ain't the amount of empty bottles, but how fast you can get rid of them before your boss notices...

Description
One year after I drew my FFXIV squadron , I present to you... my alt character's squadron, proudly wearing the Maelstrom's colors

Unlike my Lalafell's Twin Adder squad, this roster features some of the most elusive recruits ever, those you actually have to grind every week to get: Khorchi (5 weeks), Seserikku (7 weeks), Kehda'to (15 weeks), and ultimately Raging B̶o̶n̶e̶r̶ Ox (24 weeks).

My alt character Lysandre - aka the dude with the gunblade in the center of the pic - was initially supposed to be of the troll-ish kind: no job stone through the entire A Realm Reborn game, but still gloriously riding the 1 million MGP mount . Don't worry, I actually wasn't ballsy enough to queue with real people without a job stone since that's griefing, I used Trusts instead.

But the truth is, he grew on me, and I realized I felt more invested in the main story with him than with my tiny druid lady. Once a street urchin and thief with a fondness for good ale and pretty girls, he learned to be a trustworthy, responsible man, as well as a fairly capable commander within the Maelstrom.

I started that drawing back in October, been working on it over the months. It took ages putting everything together and getting it to look right, but it was worth it

Artwork © Blunell. Characters, outfits, location & furniture design © Square Enix
Please don't use or repost my work.

***

(WARNING: Silly rambling below, basically my headcanon for each recruit)

  Rivienne (CNJ): The first to ever join the squad, she's a kind-hearted, but very shy dhalmel, and was initially lacking confidence in her abilities. As a result, she had severe healer anxiety in battle, and her panic almost got the squad killed once, but with the help of Liliba, she improved. Lysandre thus stopped being on her all the time and started to act much kinder towards her, their bond growing as strong as their start was rocky. She developed a crush on her Captain over time and now tends to overheal him in duties.

  Liliba (CNJ): A smartass potato with a bad temper and a kinda know-it-all attitude. Lecturing her squadmates about their godawful performance is her specialty, which is ironic since she herself often forgets to heal while on duty, being too busy howling at Seserikku about his Ice Mage DPS. When Lysandre is tanking, she purposely stays far behind to force him to use his mitigations properly (and can be heard cackling maniacally while doing so). Enjoys wine more than ale.

  J'ludaba (ROG): Youngest of all, with the biggest mouth of all. Too young to drink ale, but drinks (a lot) anyways. Overall small furball of energy who's the heart and spirit of the squad. Has kleptomania.

  Khorchi (LNC): Adventurous at heart, this lizzerlady of the Kha tribe was barely an adult when she left her kin to sail the seas of Hydaelyn. She made herself a name as one of the most ruthless pirate ladies of Othard - as even the loss of one of her eyes in combat didn't make her stray from her chosen path. But as she grew older, she started longing for a more settled life. After she discovered the Gold Saucer on Aldenard, she put piracy aside and established her own gambling house, that she would run for a few years. Yet, she was missing the thrill of battle, so she eventually moved to Limsa Lominsa, where she joined the Maelstrom and the squad. Since both she and Lysandre have a background in sailing and piracy, but with wildly different takes, they often argue about these topics.

  Fearless Fawn (GLD): An Ala Mhigan refugee who lost a brother and niece to the invasion, she swore to protect the oppressed. She used to be a guard at Camp Skull, but left Thanalan when she could no longer stand the authorities of Ul'dah turning a blind eye towards the poor (a grudge against Thanalan that she shares with the Captain). Is like an overprotective mama bear to the rest of the squad. As she loves cooking, she's in charge of the squad's meals, which are always too spicy to both Rivienne's and Seserikku's liking.

  Seserikku (THM): As chill and carefree as Liliba is stuck-up. He's fascinated with ice due to the hot weather of Thanalan he grew in, and his abilities as a thaumaturge made him known as "he who conjures fresh water amid the desert" in his village. Went to the interview dressed in full snowman costume; Lysandre said "Yo man, you're in if you drop whatever that effing attire is"; Seserikku said "Okay bro, but imma be an Ice Mage then "; Lysandre said "My dude, you got balls and I like that. You're in." Has boasted the lowest DPS of the squad ever since, but who cares, he's an Ice Mage, how cool is that? *ba-dum tsss*. Often seen bickering with Liliba like an old lalafellin couple.

  Kehda'to (ARC): Edgiest and gayest catboi ever, has the hots for his Captain since day one. He used to be a member of the Twin Adders, but the disdain of the Gridanian folks for moon kitties and especially his own aunt (an infamous Coeurlclaw poacher) led him to say "Aight, fuck that, I'm outta here". J'ludaba often pokes fun at him for that, calling him "the tree-huggers' spy". He's the most cynical of them all, with a dry and dark sense of humor; as such, he enjoys making inappropriate jokes just to make the others squirm in discomfort.

  Raging Ox (MRD): (I spent so much time at the Gold Saucer for him alone, that my headcanon is he used to work there ). Once an Ala Mhigan refugee who turned to petty theft and street brawl, he often got into trouble... until he had to pawn his beloved axe, so he could pay for his many fines and avoid going back to prison. Trying to get by in a lawful way, he ended up being hired as a trip-teaser at the Gold Saucer (underpaid, because Godbert is an asshole). Seeing Lysandre so often led him to befriend the guy; when he learned the squad was still lacking one tank and this higher paid job meant he would get his axe back sooner, he applied. Addicted to gambling and alcohol, he's grown to be Lysandre's best drinking buddy outside of duty... and sometimes, even while on duty. After all, what matters at work ain't the amount of empty bottles, but how fast you can get rid of them before your boss notices...