#// by the crystals light i walk; (Zari WOL)

[soulshards-ooc]

papashan do you wanna talk about this or-

[soulshards-ooc]

For Victory belongs to the Bold

[soulshards-ooc]

same energy

[soulshards-ooc]

Oh right. I'm at this part. This part that is actually a bit gut wrenching when you walk through the doors and see bodies and I completely forgot about it until it started happening.

AND THEN BLESSED BY THE ECHO YOU GET TO SEE THEM ALL KILLED IN HD AND THEN THE LETTUCE DIES IN FRONT OF YOU.

This is the first instance in which Roz actually goes beyond seeing himself an adventurer. All these people who banded together and he considered his friends have been killed, just because he didn't get there on time. This is the first point in which you feel you have let people down. You feel honest to Gods regret. This is the first time it's no longer 'I am doing this because I want to help' this is 'I am doing this because I want to kill that bitch (derogatory)'.

[soulshards-ooc]

Minfilia: trying to protect you from the harshness of reality, or simply couldn't come to speak about the coming deaths of the tempered because she thinks she's failed as a leader?

Thancred: knowing keeping it from you is only going to make it worse in the long run, should you find out eventually. He's just more of a realist in this regard, maybe, though he certainly still feels very guilty about what happened. Especially about not being there for the WOL

Either way, how tragic is it to know what we know now come Endwalker and to play through this again is just Oh.

WOL!Zari is definitely not feeling very chipper at the moment. Ever since he started this whole adventuring business there's been a LOT of dying and honestly how one person can put up with this without becoming dejected and sad is impossible.

[soulshards-ooc]

R'ozari Cairo || Gladiator, Adventurer, One Good Boi

I've been meaning to go back and play through the story since they did all the patch changes, so I made myself a fresh level 1 character in order to do so. He's currently on Goblin but we'll see about getting him moved in the future to Mateus or Balmung so I can hang with my friends or have him in my own FC for buffs etc.

I've never really considered any of my RP chars from the perspective of them being an actual Warrior of Light throughout the whole story, that journey, and how it effects a person. I only really consider snippets and small moments, since I see the character as the concept I have created not the WOL.

So I'm planning on having that be what this guy is all about as I go through. But it's been a long time since I played through MSQ from start to finish without skipping all the content, so I want to do that in my down time, and I may talk about it here since I'm sure there's a bunch of shit I have forgotten.

I've also never played a Cat Boy before. He'll be a Gladiator to Paladin main. The armour suits him. I'm starting out in Ul'dah and already the Brass Blades have tried to plant drugs within the first 2 minutes of the game, keep it classy Ul'dah.

Meta Tag: // by the crystals light i walk; (zari wol) - As apart of my replay through FFXIV MSQ I am establishing this character as having a solid WOL AU, this is the tag for that.

[soulshards-ooc]

The part in which Y'shtola thanks you for your patience because she absolutely has none.

Ro'zari is a helpful guy, if this is what would make the others feel comfortable then so be it - he's just a little annoyed at the subterfuge involved. However all that annoyance is washed away when Y'sthola looks at you like this. I think his first crush is brewing.

Also we get our first nickname. Titan's Bane. How creative.

[soulshards-ooc]

I really like Roz's new glam, its pretty simple and clean. I'll probably keep it up until HW or something when I start to get better gear.

[soulshards-ooc]

I've passed the first real milestone of ARR (joining a GC, getting my chocobo, fighting Ifrit), and I have a lot of thoughts so it feels like a good time to come back and reflect on the story so far and how I feel Zari is coming along as a WOL to be.

Just to clarify, I have played through alll of MSQ up until the most recent path. The last time I actually did A Realm Reborn without skipping everything and ignoring all the next however, was a long time ago. Pretty much around the time I first started playing the game. I was a Pugilist in Ul’dah.

However, probably because it has been so long, but you - just an Adventurer at this point - deal with so much so early on. You deal with so much death and corruption already. I think this is partly to do with the fact I started in Ul’dah, for sure. But already you’ve had drugs planted on your intro carriage, you get laughed at for asking help as if help is at all free in Ul’dah. Add in the refugee crisis ongoing in which people are forced to starve and sell themselves for money - and finally, all the aforementioned death you deal with.

Pretty much 5 quests into the story you drop unconscious and the Mother Crystal speaks to you, you wake up and Thancred is like “okay sleepy head” and you’re like “I found this blue crystal and had a weird dream!” and he’s just “okay” and moves on. Anyone, no matter how skilled they may be, surely would think they’re losing their mind at this point. There’s so little build up to you being “a chosen one”, you just are now, even if you - the Adventurer - just run around saying that you’re only an adventurer and nothing special. Which happens routinely. You just want to help people because you can, not because you’re special. At this point I think you’re convinced it’s all a fever dream.

"What the fuck was that about?" - WOL, Probably

A little longer down the line after helping some people out, you literally stumble upon a plan by Lolorito and undo it, definitely putting you on a list but you’re either so unaware of social standing (despite everyone telling you how this is  bad) or just don’t care that you think nothing more of it. It is what it is. You were just helping someone, you’re not involved with trying to underhand the Syndicate at all. (But this moment here can so nicely wrap into the 2.x events that happen leading up until you flee to Ishgard - I can’t tell if it was intentional or just a happy accident, either way, I do enjoy the fact so early on you can see these little pieces starting to fall into place.)

You’ve dealt with 2 voidsent so far, which for most common people, would be terrifying to see. A weird, dark robed and masked man comes and mocks you a couple of times and makes you fight him because you’re getting in the way - of what, you have NO IDEA - you just are. Again, this feels like something any normal person would be a little suspect about, even if you didn’t have any ‘close’ friends to confide in about it. But you, this quiet adventurer, just take it as it is and you see it as just another guy who you need to cut down because - well just look at him, he's a bad guy, right?

You are invited to a banquet at the behest of Nanamo because you’ve helped the city out by saving her crown (we’re getting towards the level 10-15 quests here) - in which Raubahn takes you aside to, politely inform you, that this banquette is nice and all but children are starving in the streets. Nanamo WANTS to do something about it, but the people of the Syndicate are so happy getting fat from their workers back they make it almost impossible. Nice! What a lovely city!

While he recants the plight of those who lived through the Calamity, your crystal begins to glow. A familiar light, he claims, to that of the Warriors of Light who are no more. Raubahn looks upon you and see’s something that perhaps you do not - what you will become. He see’s a future we dare yet imagine because thinking that your actions might at all come down to the success or fall of our realm is terrifying, and egotistical.

Raubahn believes in you. You take 10 damage.

Raubahn calls you the closest thing to a Warrior of Light when in reality, all you’ve done is a couple of fetch quests and helped out some people. But then again, that’s what a Warrior of Light is - right? You do what you can to help people, without expectations of rewards or anything like that. No, you… you just do what you think is right, or what other people think is right. What other people tell you to do.

(Thankfully he is the first person to provide some sort of insight into the blue crystal you've gained and what it may be - that you've been blessed by Hydaelyn herself, another being who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.)

Which brings me over to the third dungeon we come to. Copperbell Mines. We are told to go clear out the rampaging giants who have broken through the stone after being trapped in the Mines for 300 years! And you know what's super messed up! They used to be slaves! Papashan acknowledges that it's a little… out of taste, going to kill all the Giants but assures you that it’s the only way, and for the best. So - we do it. We go and kill them because someone told us to, when in fact they were a beastribe suffering, and something more should have been done. Papashan you're supposed to know better!

So, alright. You're an adventurer, but you're a little bit more special than your usual kind. People seem to be able to see something in you that you don't see yourself. They believe in you, and that you will go on to do good things, to become someone.

So do we keep moving to make these people proud - these people we have only just met, and spoken with very little. But they, they look at you like you're something more and you don't want to let them down?

Or do we keep moving because we think it's the right thing to do?

The answer is, it's probably both, right? So early on we start to effect peoples lives (usually for the better) and so early on we have this rippling effect on people and they're thankful for our help - as we're not like the rest. Other people wouldn't extend a hand as you do, and expect nothing in return.

We end up fighting a God, not because we want too, but because you're the only one left who can - and if you don't, so many people will die. And already, already we have dealt with so many bodies, so much death - by our own hand or just the fallout of others. We have carried them and buried them all the same. To me, at least with how Zari is developing, this is the first moment where he forgoes the self and fights for others - he fights because only HE can, and he fights so that others may yet survive.

How soul crushing would it be to find out that you essentially fought for nothing?

Anyways, honestly to just kind of conclude my thoughts a little bit. I am enjoying the story again so far, however I feel like those level 0-20 Quests the pacing was just... so quick when it comes to you being Outed as a WOL-to-be and your involvement with everything. I don't recall what the exact quest changes were with 2.0, but if they did change any of the early quests (or removed any) I think it's thrown the pacing off just a little bit too much. But that's just my personal preference. I enjoy a bit of slow burn and a bit of mystery, which I know comes far later in the game but early on it feels important too.

I dislike how almost instantly it's "You have a gift and you remind me of the Warrior's of Light!" and there's not a little more build up and trust gained there. That being said. It's not bad, and I don't dislike it. I just wish the pacing was a little better - regardless of whether this is because of the ARR Quest changes or this is how it always was!

Anyways, killed a God, got a chocobo 8.5/10 on the story so far (My issue is literally just pacing, not the context of the quests themselves. I like how "real" it feels so early on with the lasting, long term impact of the Calamity and Garlemald.

A star is also lost because fuck Alphinaud is so insufferable in ARR

[soulshards-ooc]

Tataru is a snitch, we love her

[soulshards-ooc]

I love when there's SO many players in the quicksand that I literallt can't load them all for about 5 minutes, including the NPCs

It's never been so peaceful (except for the very loud ambient chatter)

I need some more RAM

[soulshards-ooc]

Zari absolutely about to make a fool of himself at a banquette with not near enough social skills for such a high class event.

they're not staring at you because you look good

its because they don't trust you

no one here does

[soulshards-ooc]

she looks so pleased with herself for having sold this gross green tin can

[soulshards-ooc]

Even though the actual video quality might not be as good as it is now, FFXIV Cinematics really hold up well. I was pleasantly surprised given it's been about 9 years since I last really watched them outside of the old trailers! I'd also love to see them revamp old cinematics in the new engine just to see how they would look.

Also seeing the slither of old Mor Dhona makes me yearn for the day in which the story progresses enough and the devs decide it's time to come out of that weird time bubble that we may see the aetherical effects wear off the land and it reverts back to how it once was. One day.

[soulshards-ooc]

man i forgot how rude she is

your hats dumb, shut up

also i look great tyvm. the Brand New gear really is underrated, it looks great for something pretty easy to get and they can last a good few levels too