#I LOVE HOW MUCH HE IDOLIZES AND LOVES THE WOL

[sebille]

Nvm G'raha made me cry

[alizarddidit]

i realize why this is bothering me so much in the wolgraha case lmfao

"i can't think of a situation where my wolnpc ship would compete against each other" skill issue wol needs NPC to beat their ass and become incredibly turned on and they have the most mind-blowing adrenaline fueled sex in their lives

[maybevillage]

tell us your shippy wol thoughts! are there any other characters you like to see her with or just haurchefant? and which characters does your wol really hate?

://D i ship a lot of chars with my wol (meade) and i wanted to draw a silly chart for fun at some point so now is as good a time as any ?? although in retrospect this thing is kind of an eyesore omfg

ok im going to ramble now (spoilers for the chars on the chart)

wol x haurchefant to me is the plot relevant fates intertwine through-thick-and-thin partners in crime power of love and yet something beyond it relationship to me... i don't think about it a lot recently bc it makes me emo but they're like exceedingly similar in my mind (and both freaks) so they get along like two matching puzzle pieces. and they're like endgame to me. like i'm reincarnating and i hope to see you in our next life endgame to me. reading each other's minds and enjoying each other's company *cry*

wol x erenville is also endgame to me but a lot more casual i like that erenville is so normal lol in my mind he's the one who has to MATCH MEADE'S FREAK HAHAHAHaha haha hahahaha. in my slowly unraveling wolverse she spends a lot of time in sharlayan trying to ingratiate herself to him and he knows why but is just largely unconcerned about it for a long time bc idk my headcanon is that vieras culturally or w/e are not all that concerned with monogamous relationships and stuff. idk. i need a ffxiv blog

wol x fray is like...unlike haurchefant where i'm raising him from the dead i think learning fray was dead the whole time and you're kind of...idk dragging them along with you for your own purposes in some strange way (i need someone smarter than me to give me their thoughts on the drk quest one of these days bc how it plays out is actually pretty nebulous/confused in my mind) really solidified the relationship to me like its endlessly fascinating. i wont say a lot bc there's a comic i want to draw but meade is like obsessed with them, basically. like an idol-like fascination with a person you "meet" post-death but it's weird (like how idolising a person might be desecrating in a way) of her to feel this way so she would rather die than breathe a word of this to sid or rielle or anyone. would've been endgame bc fray's sort of demanding and goading personality is perfeeecttt but them being dead just adds something too interesting to pretend it didn't happen. whatever its my world i dont think too hard about the logic

wol x emet-selch is like ajajfjajugfgafjajdfjagjfjgjfgjfhjajgj. you understand. not-romance but also not-not-romance. they'll never really understand each other. also meade doesn't think too deeply?? there's a lot of mental jumps in this to me bc she's kind of a moron and he's like obviously really focused on things she will never really empathise with or think so much about. what is it called when A wants B as his monstrous avatar of destruction bc idk what else will sympathise with him and b could have a casual relationship w/ a rock bc she's sillayyyyy

meade used to have a crush on thancred around arr (the quest where you dress up in disguises in camp drybone really stuck out to me) but it cooled off bc it didn't seem necessary to pursue and also thancred is just so. idk he's just so funny to me. and he's married to urianger now i think. now him and wol are like jokingly rivals but not really. compete against each other for fun

with y'shtola it's like that one person you'll have a crush on for the rest of your pathetic life. like that "in your dreams" person. she remembers every moment y'shtola has thrown her a bone with utmost clarity and has only dreamed about being her lapdog like five times. she just doesn't think anything would work out bc y'shtola can be kind of stuffy. also unlike thancred y'shtola definitely knows. now the two of them are like the closest scions to her imo (aside from the twins ofc. and free graha)

and that's it......kind of............................................................there's actually a lot of chars i wish i could mold into wolship but i think they just don't fit what i have going on with meade so sometimes i entertain being crazy enough to make entirely new wols. i like aymeric, estinien, urianger, cirina and hermes too but they just don't really work with meade in a way i like and i cant bother force it when i have my hands seriously full alreayd

like i specifically enjoy aymeric being in unrequited love with wol forever. like he'll be in his grave before that ever gets realised and that's partially why he didn't want to govern a whole nation but maybe (a small part) of why he did is so that he could continue to meet up with wol. idk i also like them being bestieees. or mutually in love. i like a lot of things. i love aymeric

estinien and urianger are like too particular to me like in my mind they require something delicate romantically (in different ways) and i think meade is just too heavy-handed. also these two are gay asf to me like not even bi or whatevs just gay as hell. these two and cirina and hermes are like too specific to me or something idk i'm overthinking it for sure but it's like i'd have to make wols entirely dedicated to shipping with them bc of their highly specific environments/contexts to get the dynamic i want or something. i like estinien/aymeric, urianger/thancred and sadu/cirina though LOL maybe that's why????? like meade can't give any of them what they want and there's something else going on i find more interesting. and i barely know what hermes wants (half joking). i like him though. i will rotate him in my mind more once i finish ew. i think i just ship him w myself tbh

ok moving on.... if i really had to say i think the only chars she really hates are like the fucking ul'dahns who are soooooo obsessed with money and hurt people to get more of it and are just so stuck in keeping ul'dah the same oh my gawddddd. like lolorito, teledji adeledji and dewlala like THEY ALL PISS ME OFF SOOOO BAD WHAT IS WITH THE CONSERVATIVE LALAFELLS ITS SO RANDOM and i think i could see my wol just hating them. i think for similar reasons she dislikes a lot of the sharlayans. i like to make chars who aren't particularly cerebral probs bc i overthink so much grr so she isn't concerned at all with bureaucracy or not getting to the point, as in doesn't even understand why ppl speak around things. so i think snake-like nobility and non-intervention policy is smth that would just bother her. also that idk gold saucer guy nanamo talks to in post-stormblood about helping the refugees and he's like "there's no point trying to help them without thinking of how to turn a profit" or wahtever he said like i think meade would harm him.

oh and i think she just doesn't like hien like finds him disconcerting for unknown reasons. i hope its obvious that im just projecting my own feelings onto who she doesnt like bc i cant help but find that man weird. and the sharlayan forum i find annoying

maybe surprising but i don't think she'd hate zenos or anything but thats bc nothing he does to me registers as canon in the game............... he's just not in the game to me... i think i blank out when he shows up like i don't even hate him i just wish he was doing something else somewhere else like no more of him please. i think in canon he just confuses her like she's not sure how he's reached the point he has. but tbh all the imperialism stuff is just not really in the game to me

[memoriavivens]

G’raha

This post will be an expression of what seems like a very unpopular opinion, and it’s also long, so I’m putting it below this cut.

I’ve seen people comparing him to Sphene before, as one of an uncountably huge amount of pairs of characters that people like to draw parallels between. Sphene in particular gets compared to just about every single person (But rarely the WoL, who I thought was a more obvious comparison than most). But I’d like to present an argument that Sphene is actually G’raha’s good counterpart and not his evil one. Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but the fact is that Sphene’s actions are simply more justifiable than G’raha’s, it’s just that G’raha is more aligned with the interests of his game’s main character. (This is absolutely not a “WoL bad” thing, and I certainly don’t support any arguments that any of this game’s villains were actually right. Not even Sphene, her being G’raha’s good counterpart does not actually make her actions right.) Consider what it is that he’s done. He has, as far as anyone is aware, destroyed an entire world. He’s hardly alone in that, though, so why did he do it? For one person. He erased an entire world, a world with people living in it, just for one single person who he barely knew. That isn’t heroic. It’s not romantic, or anything like that. It’s abominable. It gets excused with “The world’s been through a calamity, there’s no hope”- but the world had been through seven calamities before, including a global flood, and survived just fine. No way black rose was worse than the entire world being underwater. I get sick every time I hear a character or IRL person talk about the Umbral Ironworks’ plan as some sort of great feat of the human spirit- it’s not that. It’s an utter perversion. For two centuries this… cult, is the only thing I can rightly call them by this point, devoted their lives to a project that would not benefit them and would in fact erase them and all other life in their world, at least according to their working theories. Compare that to Sphene- her actions, while involving similar loss of life, at least were intended to save an entire world’s worth of people and not just one single false idol. That’s still bad, but at least there’s some amount of justification behind it. There’s also the fact that Sphene actually solved her city’s problems, a lot of them anyway, herself while G’raha mostly waited around for the WoL to do everything. This is part of a general trend in First-related MSQ sections that I find deplorable, where the WoL, who isn’t even a person of the First, is treated as practically a god, even receiving a title we are told is seen as one. Every single little thing in Shadowbringers is about us somehow and I hate it. I love my WoL as much as all of you do, but this was really the absolute worst story for him to suddenly be the focus of everything. Shadowbringers would be so much better if the people of the first were allowed to actually play a leading roll in saving themselves. And if G’raha was actually held accountable for his actions.

In all honesty I probably wouldn’t feel this strongly if the story called out how messed up the whole eighth umbral timeline thing is even once. Instead they keep acting like it’s all fine and dandy, so I guess I’m just never getting closure on this.

[koukouture]

6, 9, 13 and 26 please!

6. How did they deal with the massacre on the Waking Sands?  

Not well at ALL. Elysia became an adventurer for the glory and to see the world! Now her friends and coworkers are either missing or dead what the fuck??? She didn't have much reason to fight Garlemald before other than orders, but now it's personal.

9. How do they feel about Zenos? 

Smash. Next question.

Jk it's really complicated. I've said it before, I'll say it again; Zenos is the only one who doesn't put WoL on a pedestal so in some fucked up way, Zenos is the most genuine love interest. Elysia is kind of the same way back to Zenos; she understands that he's been used and molded since he was young and they mirror each other in that regard. She sees him as more than her adversary and as a bloodthirsty monster. Zenos is also one of the few people who understands the burden of great strength, so she feels for him a bit.

In the main timeline is is obviously impossible for them to be together, but Elysia thinks they could have been friends at the very least if things were different. In other timelines/AUs, I think she learns to love Zenos because of his refreshing honesty and sincerity. They'd level out each other quite well. Zenos encourages her to find her voice and not follow orders so blindly, but at the same time, he's not afraid to criticize her or call her out. In turn, Elysia can 100% domesticate (lol) him by virtue of him being obsessed with her. She's also really into that.

13. Are they close with any of the other Scions? Who do they get along with the best? 

The twins!!!! Elysia is the youngest in her family, so she thoroughly enjoys playing older sister to them. She loves to tease them both and takes being their role model very seriously. In turn, the twins are weirdly protective of her in the same way Pomeranians are.

Estinien too, he reminds her of her older brother and she does love to annoy him because of it.

She gets along with the Scions in general pretty well, all except for Thancred for most of ARR-Shadowbringers lmao. She thinks he's a hypocrite and Thancred just sees the worst parts of himself in her. Yeah. Dw, during Shadowbringers that can have a nice life changing fieldtrip together.

26. Do they suffer any traumas from any of their adventures? How do you foresee this affecting them going forward? 

I mean there's the obvious losing people she cares about left and right, but the nail in the coffin is how everyone seems to idolize her. She is the strongest, she is Hydaelyn's champion, she is supposed to be Eorzea's guiding light. But she is human at the end of the day, and people can only take so much. I feel like it really isolates her from people who do genuinely care about her.

I think leading up to and Shadowbringers, she pulls away from her friends for a bit because she just feels so used.

Thank you for asking!

[pangolinheart]

Do you think that Rhiki and G'raha could mend their relationship one day?

You know, I don't think it's entirely impossible. It would probably take some concerted effort on of their parts.

Unfortunately, this is somewhat unlikely. Part of the problem is that G'raha doesn't seem like he really understands why Z'rhiki is uncomfortable around him (if he even notice that she is.)

G'raha has always loved tales of heroes, has always wanted to be a hero, so I don't think he necessarily recognizes how his elevation of the Warrior of Light to the apotheosis of epic heroes could feel dehumanizing to someone. He lavishes them with praise, attention, and accolades - how could that be a bad thing? He may not even realize that his image of the Warrior of Light, cultivated over 200 years of reading or listening to second-, third-, and fourth-hand sources, might not be completely consistent with who Z'rhiki is as a person.

He also appears all too happy to move past the things he, personally, put the WoL through on the first. Rhiki tries not to hold the fact that he kidnapped her and her friends and put them all in extreme danger both intentionally and unintentionally against him - he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to save the First. These may have been unpleasant, but they were necessary. What wasn't necessary to save the First, however, was him lying to her and manipulating her, and she'll happily hold those things against him. It definitely feels to Rhiki like he was positioning her as a prop for the heroic tale he wanted to be a character in. He didn't try to sacrifice himself because he cared about her. He did it because that was the role in the story he wanted to play, because it was the ending to a story he had scripted for himself.

Unfortunately, Rhiki is probably not aiding in a reconciliation either. She understands that he went through more than his fair share of hardship in order to prevent the destruction of two worlds. He was in an impossible position and had to do the best with what he had. And she also knows that he idolizes her (or at least the pristine statue of her he's constructed in his mind), She doesn't want to be mean to him. She doesn't want to hurt him, despite everything. A part of her wants to scream at him until her voice is hoarse, or maybe to punch him as hard as she can at least once, but she knows that's not fair, and she doesn't want to pass her pain onto someone else. She also feels like trying to force him to recognize her as a person would rob him of his hero, his personal symbol of hope... which might break his heart. However, all this means she just avoids the issue. She doesn't try to talk to him about it, doesn't try to set him straight. She just tries to avoid having to be around him, or maybe makes some snide comments to lightly discourage him from wanting to hang around her.

Mending their relationship would probably require a lot of awkwardness for everyone involved. It would require Z'rhiki to actually talk to G'raha about her feelings and frustrations, which might involve hurting his feelings. And it would require some self-reflection on G'raha's part, and a willingness to see from her perspective. He would need to recognize his past shortcomings - and not just the self-deprecating ones he already sees in himself. He would need to give her space for a while. Deep down, she wants to forgive him, but she's just not there yet. It would also probably take some bonding experiences (and no, studying Ancient Allag does not count as bonding in Rhiki's eyes). He would have to get to know Z'rhiki as a person and let go of his conceptions about the Warrior of Light, and Z'rhiki would have to let him. It would be less "repairing their relationship" and more "rebuilding it from the ground up." It would be tenuous at first, but if they kept at it they might be able to forge a new friendship.

[coeureina]

WOL Inspo Chart

Was tagged by @oazuredragoon , who clearly can't get enough of this girl so!

Left side, top to bottom:

Lexa kom Trikru (The 100): Lexa's entire aesthetic and introduction was what made me get hyped about the show seeing as how she wasn't in the books. She was always interesting to me for how she commanded the respect of her people and was a visionary. She did what she needed to do even if people ended up hating her in the end. It was a trait I knew that Iza needed to have.

Eris, Goddess of Discord (Sinbad): Eris by far was one of my favorite villains and in the beginning even with Iza being hailed the Warrior of Light, she was indeed a villain. Eris is the true, pure representation of malevolence and deviance which after losing her entire family, that's who Iza became. In order to beat the Garleans she had to be just as ruthless, manipulative and intelligent as they were. They bought chaos into her life and she would return the favor BUT despite that she remained a woman of her word.

Evelyn O'Connell (formally Carnahan) (The Mummy): Evie's love of history, knowledge and adventure in general is another one of the bases of who Iza is at her core. She adapts that philosophy of "if she could touch something and see it, then it was real".

Right side, top to bottom:

Avatar Kyoshi (Avatar the Last Airbender): Everyone knows Kyoshi as the "take no shit" Avatar and this is extremely true but she is also a person who was empathic, considerate, trusting and level-headed. She also suffered from low self-esteem and doubted her abilities to be a good avatar. To loved ones, she showed those soft traits. To the world, she is the direct, fierce and assertive woman we know and has always been an idol of mine. It would have been easy to pack on only good traits to the making of Iza but I wanted her to have hidden gems as well that only the most determined of people would find.

Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto): The entire story of Naruto from beginning to end is emotional and so inspiring. To be doubted and feared to loved and respected is something he earned through years of having one goal and dream. In many ways, Naruto and Iza are truly one and the same in that respect except the talking. Iza would much rather just beat someone's ass.

Lynn Wiles (Pulse): Lynn's personality of seeing life for what it is and having the ability to connect with everyone she meets while while being incredibly cheesy is who Iza was and who I hope to make her once again. It's one of the many things that has to be drawn out by the right people.

Honorable mentions: Nesta from ACOTAR. IYKYK.

Template can be found here for anyone interested! Tagging @phoebe-of-ivalice @bunaribae and anyone who hasn't done one!

[ultimablades]

For the character ask game: Sanson, the one and only, obviously! Or if you've already answered for him, how about Alphinaud? :D

I’ll do both because I love both of these characters!!!

Sanson

[vibrates at a frequency b that could shatter glass] I love him a normal amount.

1: sexuality headcanon: gay gay homosexual gay

2: otp: Guydelot is the love of his life — i always imagine that he wasn’t trying to find a relationship or didn’t have a lot of interest in them because he was so focused on his duty and his goal of creating a bard unit that it was very “that’s something that will happen later in life,” so his feelings for Guydelot are unexpected and also hit him like a train

3: brotp: the WoL once again lol but I also love his relationship with moogles??? They are his little friends???

4: notp: the WoL lol. I make jokes about Nourval having a crush on Sanson post SB just cause Sanson was nice to him but he knows it won’t go anywhere and I think it’s funny to imagine him being frustrated by a silly lil crush. But I don’t actually ship them.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: I think Sanson is an okay singer. Not great like Guydelot, probably not good enough to be a bard. But he’s better than he gives himself credit for and will sing with Guydelot when they’re alone

6: favorite line from this character: it’s hard to choose one but the first ones that came to mind were him saying that he’s nervous but knows things will be okay with Guydelot by his side, him telling us to tell Nourval Guydelot is in a drunken stupor, and him saying he needs to write the view from the churning mists down so he can share it with Guydelot 🥲🥲🥲

7: one way in which I relate to this character: I related to him a lot tbh which is probably why I always headcanon him as a September virgo…sometimes I’m like there’s definitely a lil projection going on here but—

But I think a big one is getting so focused on small details, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, which I think he does a lot in the HW quests

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: him walking right into Nourval’s very obvious trap…baby girl please

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? He’s Mon petiti Chou, he has never done anything wrong in his life

Alphinaud:

My baby boy, my son who I birthed and raised myself

1: sexuality headcanon: gay but he hasn’t realized it yet

2: otp: he’s only 16/17 so I don’t ship him romantically with anyone, he’s too young…but I think his big ole puppy love/idol worship crush on estinien is cute, and I think he has a lil crush on Arenvald too (again, very much in a baby’s first crush on someone who’s older than them kinda way)

3: brotp: I do really love his friendship with Arenvald and I wish we got to see them hanging out more! And his friendship with Kai-shirr is sweet too

4: notp: basically anyone who is an adult LOL but especially an adult who is twice his age

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: I’ve always thought he was a trans boy

6: favorite line from this character: hmmmmm i really like when he tells Vauthry he needs a mirror cause it will capture the horror he sees before him better than a painting could. Imagine getting burned by ALPHINAUD

7: one way in which I relate to this character: when we first meet him, he was very much a know it all who thought he knew best lol. I was really bad about being a know it all when I was younger and I try to be mindful about those tendencies in myself now that I’m older

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: the entire buying a sword incident…baby boy please

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? If you look up a picture of a cinnamon roll, it would just be a picture of Alphinaud

[crystalmarred]

OTPs  +  nOTPs  +  G'raha duh

— FROM TO SHIP OR NOT TO SHIP ;; ( @vierandancer )

— OTPs

G'raha / WoL. G'raha views the Warrior of Light as a hero and worships them in some regard, at least at first. He idolizes them as the vision of all the things he would have loved to do, should he have not been born with the red eye of Allag—or the G tribe, for that matter. I'm just incredibly picky about who I ship him with. I would definitely say his type leans more towards men in general, but also taller women.

G'raha / Haurchefant. Look at how these two interact with the WoL; they're very similar. They're dedicated, caring and extremely loyalty and could make a very interesting couple, minus the obvious pitfalls of the relationship. Coughs at the Vault.

— nOTPs

G'raha / Krile. He spent much of his time growing up with Krile, raised in part by Galuf. They are the closest he has had to family since he departed Corvos.

G'raha / Estinien. Shaky because I could see it for similar reasons as the WoL with his admiration for Estinien's skill in battle, but I don't see them as particularly compatible.

[e-dragoons]

hope a reblog is okay but i have a lot to say! some ffxiv spoilers here, but i'll mark those separately.

it's just like you said: look at what you, as the writer, would do in a situation, and then consider different angles. this applies to both OCs and canon characters. especially because at the end of the day i think most characters we are interested in have something to do with things that are personal. whether that is what we desire, strive for, hate, love, the stories we want to get more exposure and tell... there are so many human emotions and exploring your own feelings through a character's development and actions is immensely satisfying.

shadowbringers spoilers: something i have done, for example, is: consider g'raha. i, the writer, love him and think he's wonderful. i understand why he did everything he did. however, lehna does not like him very much. the more i think about it, the more i realize she would be the type of person to not excuse what he did, and the way he idolizes wol so much would make her so immensely uncomfortable that she would keep her distance. she would appreciate his contributions and knowledge. but she would also be furious at the situation he put urianger in, and even more furious that he would risk the lives of all of her friends. she would be mad at him for not trusting her to make her own decisions.

END SPOILERS

on the flip side, though, self-indulgence is incredibly important, too. i ship lehna with estinien because he is my favorite character. i adapted her character arcs specifically to work with his story because he is very important to me. estinien's story very much helped shape who she is today because i simply wanted it to. i had to think about how estinien would react by considering his past actions and what kind of person he was to determine if things would even work out with them. (and i would like to point out that lehna/estinien was intended to be completely unrequited and i only decided otherwise several months after beating endwalker. i have lowkey shipped them since i started the game at ARR, so nearly 3 years).

oc asks and things like that do help a lot; and one thing i do want to point out, especially if you don't have a ton of followers or people asking questions is that you can absolutely do them on your own, whether you post the answers or not. just thinking about the answers to some of those questions--even, sometimes, the most mundane ones--can help a lot with developing a character and putting yourself in their shoes.

at the end of the day: cringe is dead. write what you want the way you want to do it. even for canon characters. i think estinien would wear crocs. does anyone agree with me? idk, but that's how i interpret his character and i think it's funny. putting yourself in the shoes (or crocs) of another character just kind of comes down to thinking about what you would do and why, then thinking about what might lead someone else to come to a different conclusion.

anyway. sorry about the novel and again i hope this was okay to reblog! but hopefully i could add some of my personal insight.

A question about process. Do you think that Eisha is a reflection of you, or maybe a reflection of the life you want and are living vicariously through, or is she a complete fiction that you have fun imagining? I'm having a hard time writing from the perspective of someone other than myself, so any tips would be appreciated! Thank you!

Oh boy 😅

Well, to be honest Eisha does have qualities of myself mixed in (my more negative qualities) but she is also a lot of the things I wish I could be. I do tend to write self indulgent things that help me (if you’ve ever noticed my tendency to write hurt/comfort it’s mainly cause I find it soothing for myself) & I do live vicariously through her, too, which is why a lot of my writing is romance-focused.

As for writing from someone else’s perspective, I try to look at what I would do in the situation, and what I wish I would do in a situation. Then I write the latter, and tweak it to add specific character quirks that I’ve established for Eisha. You could also try to have your character do the opposite of what your do, but this really comes down to what you want your character to be like. Are they hot-headed? Are they more likely to be consumed by their inner emotions? Are they aloof, cynical, or detached? Are they cool in times of stress? If it helps, write a list of character traits you want your character to have that you can refer back to.

I also find ask prompts that are character focused to be extremely helpful for developing your character. Ones that ask how your character would act in certain situations, how they tend to respond in tough times, even silly stuff can help solidify your character.

[lookbluesoup]

(Spoilers for EVERY expansion to follow)

I have been thinking about Alisaie again and I just. Have an ache over how terrified she is of losing people she loves.

I also really do love how insanely protective of the WoL she is, as much as hurts how desperate she is for you not to leave her.

That antagonism toward loss is such a recurring element throughout her story. Her fear of losing the WoL comes up frequently, and she's shown to be much more overtly afraid of harm coming to them than most of the other Scions (not that the others don't also worry, Alisaie's just so loud about it.) Which, personally, I really like about her. She may idolize the WoL, but she never forgets that they're human, too.

Anyway, this is a theme for her from the very beginning, and Alisaie is faced with a major loss in every. single. expansion. Her grandfather, Emery, the Call taking the Scions, Tesleen, and Ultima Thule. And throughout those she learns to keep her heart open nonetheless, to keep trying, to keep caring. That's what she tells the Endsinger. "We take each other's hand. Share in each other's courage. Follow in each other's footsteps. And turn sorrow into strength!"

I'm gonna shove some rambles and a BUNCH of quotes under the cut, here, because they make me emotional and I like having them in one place. This isn't all of them, but it's some of the one's that stuck out to me most in my 95987324876423 screenshots (since Tumblr only lets me put in 30 per post >_> )

The Coils of Bahamut, where she begins to hope her Grandad is still alive, only to find his body has been possessed and turned into a tool for his enemy, and the man she loved is beyond saving, and that his body is now a puppet being used to try to kill her...

The loss of Emery in "A Malm in Her Shoes" official short story, when Alisaie shuts down and stops looking for companionship:

In Stormblood, trying to dissuade the Qalyana from following Lakshmi after the death of the leader's daughter:

As the other Scions get Called to the First, their souls kidnapped and their bodies left behind:

When it's just the WoL and her, about to face Garlemald on the battlefield:

That her instinct is to reach for the WoL when you're both Called again...

In Shadowbringers, when Tesleen is corrupted by the Sin Eaters and transformed into an aether-hungry zombie:

Later, when you have to kill "Tesleen", if you run the dungeon with Alisaie in your party, at the end of it she will be facing back down the road, where her friend's body was, and wishing her a peaceful rest. (And if Alphinaud is also there, he will notice, too)

Then, when the Fuath kidnap and attempt to drown you, she searches for you frantically:

When the Light in you starts to break free and the WoL collapses, she's the first to speak, "Are you alright? Say something!" and is also the first of those gathered to take even a step toward you. She doesn't walk, she runs, and only stops when the Exarch interferes - but she's immediately ready to throw hands with him too when she starts to think he means harm:

She lashes out in frustration when trying to find a way to save the WoL from the Light doesn't turn up anything

By Endwalker, you can see how much she's opened up to the WoL and the rest of the Scions. How she invites you to join her around Sharlayan, surprises you with food, and is just generally so much more open and happy.

After you go missing in Garlemald, her and G'raha are the only two who run to meet the WoL on the road when they're spotted returning to camp.

And when you don't answer immediately, she asks if you're alright, with a much softer concern.

If you speak to her before chasing after Fandaniel and Zenos in the Tower, a battle you will have to undertake alone, she will give you some bonus dialogue and pray in front of the WoL:

If she's the one that visits you the night after returning from the Moon, she has a really touching bit of dialogue to offer the WoL (if you have not watched this cutscene please go to the Unending Journey book to replay it and pick the Alisaie route, there's so much inflection the text just can't capture):

And once she's out of the WoL's immediate view she SPRINTS away, she's the only potential visitor who will do that, as if opening up to you so much was still frightening and her courage only lasted so long.

Finally at Ultima Thule, as your friends are taken one by one, she gets progressively more distressed... (I am running out of image space so I'll type a couple of the shorter ones)

"No... Not Estinien too..."

"Y'shtola, no! You mustn't!"

I wish I could post the whole cutscene here but - in Endsinger, when you send your friends away, the amount of screen time dedicated to showing Alisaie realize what you are about to do, and begging you not to do it. The shock and desperation as she recognizes that you're taking away any chance she has at fighting by your side - at protecting you. That same outstretched hand:

And when she thinks you're going to die...

“[Sobbing] You can’t leave us... Not like this... If you do, I’ll never forgive you… So come on! Open your eyes and get up!”

Of all the companions fighting desperately to revive them and call the WoL back, her's is first the voice the WoL hears clearly through the fog, too. It's the first uninterrupted line and actually gets a text box, where the half-finished fuzzy sentences you hear companions shout before do not. If Dynamis played a part in bringing you back, her desperation may well have been a tipping point.

And then she sounds angry enough through the tears that she might just murder you again anyway

I could probably fit another 30 in here but those are some big ones.

I think it's a big part of what makes Alisaie such a favorite of mine, the struggle she goes through and the courage she has to keep caring anyway - something you can go back and see her learn throughout the series.

[emetkoto]

What was k'oto and g'raha's relationship like during the crystal tower questline? also how did he feel watching those doors close on g'raha knowing they were unlikely to meet again?

i did that thing where i accidentally write too much again. sorry </3

k'oto has chronic "must protect soft kind boys" syndrome so right off the bat he was more friendly and receptive to g'raha than normal..its hard to explain its just like. he sees a nice looking man. he is more willing to trust them right off the bat :) less 'guilty until proven innocent' like usual and more 'innocent until proven guilty' ! its kind of a problem of his, judging people like that as soon as he meets them but this isnt a character study of k'oto its about him and his bf so lets move on

ANYWAY so yeah k'oto thought g'raha was pretty chill and funny and kinda cool like the man was an archon and had allagan blood and was a badass archer and his enthusiasm was contagious <3 it really helped k'oto get through the crystal tower stuff which he originally saw as kind of an annoying drag of a task he didn't want to do, he wasnt particularly interested in allagan history and didnt think or care much about the tower....he was in the middle of a 'why do i have to be the one to do this' phase, back then he didnt fully grasp why or how he was so important so being made to do stuff like this annoyed the hell out of him but g'raha came along and was so excited about it he was like 'ok....maybe i can do this if it means this guy will smile more and his eyes will sparkle and he'll infodump on me a little more'....he was just glad to have another chill friend yknow thats why he liked cid so much bc he was just Chill <3 it was basically puppydog (kittycat?) love, k'oto never in his life could have guessed how little time theyd have together so he didnt think much of that lil crush and was like 'ill think about that later'.....oops! later is a lot later than he thought </3

g'raha was ofc very excited to meet k'oto, he'd heard all about the cool stuff he had been upto and was a bit jealous of how many grand adventures he'd been on and how much impact he'd had on the world in such a short amount of time, the normal g'raha idolizing wol thing yknow? he wanted to be a lot closer with him but found himself hesitating a lot because. inferiority complex and imposter syndrome is a bitch, trust me buddy i get it </3 even if he could see k'oto was kinda crushing he was just like 'nah...no way the warrior of light likes me' so they just kinda both. didnt do much about it at all! they had a little moment there on top of the tower before the end of the questline and both of them were like 'oh man maybe theres a chance for something here' and then...........................g'raha realized his destiny and sealed himself in the tower :,)

k'oto was like. devastated when he realized what was going on, it was the first time that someone other than him was the 'chosen one' and even though he always asked for it to be someone else he didnt mean it like this cmon hydealyn he likes this guy,,,,,but yknow g'raha was like 'this is my destiny ive got to do it' and it kinda helped k'oto realize his own importance bc sometimes...you really ARE just the only person who can take on a responsibility no matter how much it sucks and can hurt, so he and g'raha were able to part with a (pained) smile in the hopes they'd be able to meet again someday....but k'oto really didnt get his hopes up too much, everyone had made such a big deal about how hard it is to open the tower that he really just thought it was the end, even if it got opened it wouldn't be in his lifetime so he kinda. blew that real bad </3

needless to say they were both. SO happy to get a second chance

[elfyourmother]

20 for emet/gisele, 21 for gisele/haurche/aymeric/estinien for the otp questions!!

I misread this and I’m not gonna delete it so you get more ot4 gushing, oh well

20. What made you decide to ship them?

Emet/Gisele:

I shipped them literally from the first scene when he shows up in the First “with a soul like that...” and then I mean enemies to lovers is my thing, then the fucking reincarnation angle...and the angst and the drama of it all I mean this was literally designed in a fucking lab to appeal to my very specific shipping interests ok

and like they are both intensely dramatic and devastatingly witty and expert schemers fond of 9 dimensional chess (though Gisele uses her powers for good!) and are absolutely a joy as clever rivals trying to outmaneuver each other and win the other over to their way of thinking. the fact that Emet is this chronically depressed immortal hiding his severe survivor’s guilt with this sad clown persona that’s not even his own, literally carrying the grief for his people on his back and subtly mind controlled for thousands of years by a deranged homicidal cosmic axolotl and yet still falls in love with this mortal and has his world totally shaken by her to the point he starts changing his plans??

Also I read ages ago (like towards the end of Stormblood) a dev interview where somebody said that the major players in Shadowbringers would be in love with WoL*, it’s just that it’s expressed in very different ways, and that quote fucking haunted me in every single Emet scene

not that I need my ships to be canon but it’s blindingly obvious to me how Emet feels even without that, and even though canonically it doesn’t “win” per se (yet! it could very well be wishful thinking but I still don’t believe we’ve seen the last of Emet. I didn’t believe it in 5.0 and I don’t believe it now), it’s ultimately a much deeper and more meaningful story to me than the one with his extremely popular counterpart/rival. there’s just so much meaty stuff to bite into with this ship, layers and layers and layers, even before I get into Gisele’s specific character and history. when I do? jfc it’s just really good shit

But that’s why my story goes the way it does. I’m a giant whiny baby and thought it was unfair and that he deserved to be happy after all that, despite all the horrible things he once did--and, again, I couldn’t stand the idea of Gisele losing someone like that.

And not to be petty on main but Emet/Gisele is everything I wanted S*lavellan to be but was let down with in canon da because Weekes just wasn’t up to the goddamn task of writing a trickster antagonist. Which is absolutely hysterical when you think of the fact that any hint of romance in this game is relegated to subtext for the player to interpret as they want. But I’ve said a lot that Emet is what Weekes thought he was doing when he wrote S*las in terms of the role in the story, but wildly missed the mark on and I stand by that.

[*ftr I think that also extends to Elidibus, in that he idolized Azem to the extent of assuming his role because he looked up to her so much, and he had a schoolboy crush on her, and he didn’t remember any of this until Gisele gave him the crystals.]

Gisele/Haurchefant/Aymeric/Estinien:

Everything, but what cemented it were the scenes leading up to the raid on the Vault because of the deep sense of trust they have in each other and how that puts a spotlight on it. If we are just going off solely what happens in the actual game:

- Haurchefant defends Ysayle during the riots entirely because Gisele and Estinien trust her. A shrug from Estinien and a reassuring head nod from Gisele are literally all the Commander of Camp Dragonhead needs to not only not take arms against the most notorious heretic in the history of the war who at this point is Public Enemy #1 in Ishgard, but defend her from the Temple Knights. Haurchefant didn’t even need explanations from the two of them. He trusts them both that much.

- paraphrasing because I forget the exact line but when they get back to Fortemps Manor and Edmont is fretting over Haurche and Haurche says “I’ve nothing to fear with the Azure Dragoon and the Warrior of Light at my side!” with fucking stars in his eyes

- the fierce loyalty they all show to Aymeric at Fortemps Manor when Lucia hatches the plot to go rescue him. Estinien is fiercely protective of Aymeric’s honor ( “Lies and slander!” re: the rumors that Aymeric is the Archbishop’s secret bastard son), and Haurchefant gushes about how much Aymeric means to Ishgard. Edmont calling them all romantic fools once it’s obvious that they are absolutely willing to throw everything away to save Aymeric

- it’s heavily implied in the game that Aymeric’s offscreen rescue came via Haurchefant and Estinien (and Lucia), given the start of the infamous cutscene at the sky dock when Gisele meets back up with them after she hunts the Heavens Ward. *pounds desk* rescue romance *pounds desk*

- the way Aymeric’s voice cracks in despair when he says Haurchefant’s name after Thing, the fact that Haurche is in Aymeric’s arms

...obviously things go very VERY differently in terms of the outcome, but even if I was the type of person to just accept what happened in the game, ships have sailed for far less than this

then during Dragonsong:

- Aymeric’s obvious closeness with House Fortemps--he’s literally walking with Artoirel and Edmont when he suffers the assassination attempt, and Artoirel was the one who tackled and disarmed the assailant. Yes, Aymeric is a reformer and the Fortemps are the most progressive of the High Houses and thus most likely to support him unequivocally, but this isn’t solely about politics imo, even if you set aside Aymeric’s canonical fondness for the most famous Fortemps ward (see below)

- After Vault raid part deux to rescue the hostages, Edmont point blank tells Aymeric that he considers him another son and that he sees a lot of Haurchefant in him and he frets greatly for him

That’s before all of the gap filling that I did in my head--that Gisele shakes up their whole world, and for the better, that she heals these old wounds in all of them just by being the loving, compassionate woman that she is, that she becomes the heart that beats for all of them by turns. I always say that I would ship Aymeric/Estinien/Haurchefant even without Gisele, but with her, they are absolutely perfected. the unshakeable nature of their bond because of what they went through together literally makes me cry if I think too much about it. they love and care for each other so much. they respect and admire each other so much. even when circumstances might keep them apart, they know where they belong, where their home is, and there’s nowhere else they’d rather be.

21. Favorite genre for them? (Angst, fluff, etc.)

Flangst. I just love emotional hurt/comfort too much. But I’m also a sucker for domestic fluff.

And smut, because I’m me.

[ffxiv-ariavitali]

Idol! Aymeric/Fan! Gender Neutral WOL AU HCs?

*rubs hands together* oh boy here we go! :3c

(after writing thought: huh. maybe i can actually turn this into a short story. if you guys would be interested in this, let me know in replies or ask box lol)

❅ ❅ ❅

Despite being a relatively new idol in the industry, the famous singer known as Aymeric de Borel has gained a lot of new traction in the recent month. On top of having a stunning singing voice, his choreography enters a brand new realm of dance that only emphasizes the stories that he projects in the lyrics of his song. He has synchronized himself well with not only the main dancers, but the backup dancers as well and it pays off in the performance that they give that could arguably rival the giants of the business.

Asides from the technical talents the man has, he has earned the hearts of many, many fans for his personality. Being described as a modern ‘Prince Charming,’ the new idol takes care to personally thank his fans before and after each show, to ensure that those that have signed up for an autograph session get what they came for and that no one is left behind.

As a fan, many of your colleagues have asked you what it is about the idol that first captured your attention. Indeed, he is definitely pleasing to the eye and his voice is enough to enrapture anyone that listens to it like a siren, but what caught you the most was his lyrics. There was a yearning for something behind the fast tempos and cheery persona he would emit during concerts, exacerbated whenever the rush of adrenaline would calm down when he would sing ballads.

Then, one day, you think you understand why when you see a photo of him smiling on the television screen. He looks so lonely.

While you were walking down the street and about to turn the corner in order to make for your favorite coffee shop, you were suddenly mowed down by something—rather, someone—that had been running away at full speed. The impact was enough to send you tumbling and you felt a body collapse atop of you all the while.

“M-My apologies,” you heard a voice say. “Are you alright?”

You blinked and peered up to find a familiar pair of aquamarines hidden behind a pair of see-through shades and raven locks covered by a hat so overly cliche that you wouldn’t have thought anyone would wear it outside of movies. At first, you thought you were dreaming, but the screams in the background confirmed the reality of the situation:

The modern day Prince Charming, Aymeric de Borel, was here in front of you and running away from overly excited fans.

“Are you al-”

Before he has the chance to ask you again, you take Aymeric by the wrist and pull the both of you to your feet. Soon enough, the both of you were running and running, and while you knew that he would be asking questions, it would also seem he remembered the curious fact that he was being chased. So you both ran and ran, turning corner after corner, until you felt their voices dissipating and out of immediate earshot.

“Thank you,” Aymeric says with a smile on his face.

You shake your head with a smile, point him in the direction of the closest main street so he could regain his bearings before turning to leave. When he calls out to you, asking if there was anything that he could do in return, you give him a small shrug.

“Meeting you face to face is more than enough. If you can smile from your heart when you sing your songs, consider the debt paid.”

As you begin to walk away, you do not see the way Aymeric’s eyes had widen with surprise. You do not see how astonished he is at having been seen through the mask that he has put on in front of the world that hides away his worries and his fears, his concern that he may never find love for himself despite how much he sings about it. You saw through him so easily.

No, that’s not it.

You saw him.

Before he could even think, Aymeric sprints after you and just as you had reached for his wrist to pull him to safety, he takes your hand in order to catch your attention. In your surprise, all you could do was peer over your shoulder and call to him in worry that he had been caught again. He laughed and waved away your concern before his lips stretched out further, giving you an expression that you had never seen on his face before: a genuine smile.

“Please, let us start from the beginning over a coffee. I am Aymeric. Aymeric de Borel. What is your name?”

You blinked, dumbfounded that he would suddenly want to befriend you when you two had just met, but the way his eyes sparkled was something that you couldn’t deny—that you shouldn’t deny.

So, you gave him a kind smile in return and told him your name.

[nadana-vhet]

Prompt 14: Part

Rating: General Audiences Relationship: Alisaie x WoL (FOR REAL THIS TIME)

A continuation of my day 12 prompt, Tooth and Nail. Contains Shadowbringers spoilers! Y’ALL GET A LITTLE GLIMPSE OF AFTER THEY FINALLY ADMIT THEIR STUPID FEELINGS. part: some but not all of something.

Alisaie approached the edge of the water where N’adana sat on the ground, writing her weekly letter back home with bandages bound tightly around her middle. She sat by a lantern that lit up the small area, Rhalgar’s Reach already dark and covered in a blanket of stars.

“Hey, N’adana.”

“Hey.” She didn’t look up from her writing.

Alisaie paused, wondering if this was a good idea. She sat down next to her anyways and crossed her legs in front of her as she tried to think of how to say what she had been trying to perfect for the better part of three days now. “I wanted to apologize for what I said the other day. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I did.”

N’adana stopped writing for a moment, putting her pen down and pausing. Listening.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like. It’s so easy for people to forget that you’re a person, and we – the Scions – should be the ones to always remember, but we don’t.” Alisaie hung her head, trying her hardest to remember what she had rehearsed but quickly forgetting everything she had wanted to say in the first place. There were so many parts to the story she didn’t want to admit yet. “I think I’m the one that does it the most, and I’m sorry for that.”

The miqo’te finally faced Alisaie, wincing slightly at the pain her injury still caused her. “It’s…” she sighed, “I can’t say it’s fine, because it’s not, but I guess I can’t blame any of you, either. As harsh as it is to admit, sometimes my feelings don’t matter – Hydaelyn didn’t choose me because she wanted me to have a good life. She chose me because she thought I could do it.”

It was Alisaie’s turn to wince – the image of Hydaelyn choosing N’adana to be her crusader – her warrior – knowing how much pain she would put a mere child through. It didn’t sit well with her at all.

“Sometimes I feel like I can’t – like she picked the wrong person.”

Alisaie reached out to put her hand on N’adana’s shoulder, “Are you crazy? There is no one I believe that could…” she stopped herself, taking her hand back again, “Sorry, I’m doing exactly what you don’t want right now.”

N’adana managed a slight smile, her lips parting in a way that made one of her sharpened canines peak out over her bottom lip. “I appreciate it regardless. Shtola has told me before that me being so ‘humble’ is what makes me the correct choice, but I can never be sure.”

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I remember you telling me about that.” Alisaie hummed, brushing N’adana’s hair out of the way as she laid against her chest. She parted her hair down the middle and continued to brush through her red curls absentmindedly. “She’s right, you know. If you were so sure of yourself, I don’t think you’d be nearly as worthy of all your fancy titles.”

N’adana smiled up at Alisaie, her chin resting against he elezen’s chest as her green eyes fluttered closed contently. “And so the Scions have said, repeatedly.” she chuckled, nestling closer into her chest.

Alisaie soaked in the quiet moment between them, the pair curled up under a blanket on the couch of N’adana’s apartment in the Pendants. The evening breeze snuck in periodically through the cracked window, the long-forgotten stars of Nordvant starting to appear in the sky in the past bell or so.

Night had been returned to all of Norvrandt, Emet-Selch had been defeated, and the girl she loved was safe, for the moment.

“You know, I never apologized fully for that fight we had at Rhalgar’s Reach.” Alisaie broke the silence, settling her arms around N’adana’s shoulders.

The miqo’te’s ears twitched as she tilted her head towards Alisaie, “What are you talking about? I distinctly remember-“

Alisaie chuckled at her, “I didn’t tell you the whole truth, and honestly, I’ve felt guilty about it for a long time.” Before N’adana could continue to protest, she began to explain quietly, “I feel like I never apologized properly for how awfully obsessed I was with you, but I didn’t want to admit it then. I worshiped you – seeing you like that broke my perception of you for… a while, truthfully.”

N’adana furrowed her brows, but she let her girlfriend continue hesitantly.

“I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself, either. It wasn’t until Tesleen had noticed how much I talked about you – she said it seemed like I idolized you,” Alisaie blushed at the admittance of it, even now. “I’m rambling, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that I appreciate you for all of your flaws and shortcomings.”

“Even when I forget to clean up the kitchen?” N’adana smiled.

“Well, I don’t know about that one,” the girls chuckled together, teasing each other for a few moments before Alisaie managed to get herself back on track. “I just want you to know that I’m… not in this because I’m in love with the idea of you. I love you for you, Adana. Every single part of you.”

N’adana squealed, burying her face in Alisaie’s chest as she let out her quiet excitement. When she raised her head again, she was tearing up. “You’re never this open! Is there something else you’re trying to apologize for?!”

Alisaie turned red to the tips of her ears, “What do you mean – am I not allowed to tell my girlfriend how much I appreciate her?”

There was the defensive Alisaie the Warrior of Light knew. N’adana leaned forward and pecked Alisaie’s nose, “Thank you, Alisaie,” she resigned.

[randomobsessionsofa30something]

My top 10 korean dramas of 2019

10. Extraordinary you. Based on a webtoon, I actually almost missed this one because it looked like the typical high school drama but I got curious and watched it. The story is about a girl that realizes she is actually a secondary role on a webtoon and that her life is being written by the author. Nevertheless she makes the decision to make her own story and falling for whoever she chooses. It definitely is a silly rom-com but with a spin. The chemistry between SF9′s RoWoon and Kim Hyeoyeon is what made binge watch the 32 episodes (around 35 minutes each) in just a couple of days. 

9. Her private life. Kim Jae Wook and Park Min Young star in this really fun rom-com based on a korean webtoon about a girl that lives a double life: being an art gallery curator and also a devoted super fan of a member of an idol group (played by One). However everything changes when the new gallery director, Ryan, arrives with an agenda that will make her worlds collide. I wasn’t a huge fan of how they portrayed super fans. I thought it was a missed opportunity of really getting into the mindset of a those kind of fans. 

8. Vagabond. The first episode of this drama really got me excited about it but somehow after a couple of episodes I started loosing interest. When I watched it after a while I somehow finished the whole thing. I think it had its ups and downs but all in all an interesting action romance drama. Lee Seung Gi plays a stunt man that somehow finds himself a father figure to the son of his deceased sister. Money troubles weights him down but he works hard to make a decent living for his nephew. However the kid passes away along with several others in a plane crash. He discovers it wasn’t an accident and he turns his life around to take justice at his own hands. Along the way she meets an agent of an intelligence agency (played by Suzy) and they both work to find the people behind the plane crash.

7. When the camellia blooms. The main characters of this one are not only endearing but really funny. Gong Hyo Jin has always been one of my favorite korean actresses and this is my favorite part Kang Ha Neul has done. This popular drama is about a single mother who owns a bar and a policeman who falls for her and will stop at nothing until he wins her heart but nothing will come easy for these two, they will have to face several challenges from a killer on the loose to a conservative mother.

6. Chief of Staff. This drama had two seasons last year something different from the usual modus operandi of korean dramas. Honestly I enjoyed the first season more but even if the story line was a bit messy sometimes, it really was an interesting political drama. Lee Jung Jae plays a character that definitely made me remember House of Cards and The West Wing but in a very korean setting. A former detective is now chief of staff to a congressman and has strong ambicions but he always seems to be stopping fires. It was a very well made drama. Shin Min Ah, Lee Eljah, Kim Dong Joon, Jung Woong In and Kim Kap Soo were all amazing on this one.

5. SKY CASTLE. This drama gave much to talk about in Korea because it revolves around the pressure parents put on their children to make it to the best universities in the country. The story is set in a rich neighbourhood in Seoul and it shows how some parents will stop at nothing to make their children excel and how it reflects on those children. That dynamic made for an intense 20 episodes. The cast did an amazing job.

4. Hotel Del Luna. This was a great fantasy drama and I was going to rank it higher but truth is in the second part I felt like they drag the conclussion a bit more than necessary. IU plays Jang Man-Wol the “owner” of Hotel del Luna a place where spirits stay before they pass on. Goo Chang-seong (Yeo Jin Goo) is an assitant manager of a hotel corporation who suddenly learns his father made a deal with a woman that he would have to work in her hotel except her hotel in unlike any other. He’s forced to work there but he refuses to do things like Manwol wants him to and tries to change her mind set. She lives with regrets which has made her have a bad attitude but her walls start to fall down with Chang Seong around. This drama was truely addictive.

3. One Spring Night. This drama by Ahn Pan Seok was beautifully shot and it deals with how single fathers are looked in a conservative society like Korea and how parents put pressure on their kids to marry well. The tone is definitely similar to Something in the Rain, his previous work also starred by Jung Hae In. Han Ji Min plays a girl in her 30s that has a boyfriend who she’s expected to settle down with but realizes she doesn’t want to marry him just because it’s about time. She meets a single father and she falls for him but society gets in the way and they both will need to decide whether they are strong enough to go against social standards to be together

2. Crash landing on you. I was waiting for a Hyun Bin drama and finally he did this one with Son Ye Jin and it really turned out great. It’s still airing so I might be making a mistake by ranking this one so high. I really love it though and it’s clearly popular since it’s making double digit ratings which for a cable drama is difficult. The story is about a girl that has an accident that lands her on North Korean soil and seeks help with a North Korean officer to help her return to South Korea. He agrees and they fall in love in the process. It makes for a sweet fun drama but the fact that they are from two countries in conflict will make it difficult to stay together.

1. WWW: Search. Sometimes you just connect with a drama and that’s what happened to me with this one. It might not have been the greatest love story on this list or the most innovative drama. However I was really drawn by the main character played by Im Soo Jung and also by the script .She really is a strong female character. I think the story really made some really good points regarding the power of social media in Korea as well as how corruption can disrupt the truth. Korea has a web portal in real life called Naver that basically works both as google and as twitter since it shows the top related searches constantly which makes all internet users aware of when something is popular whether is about politics or entertainment. In the drama there’s two portals that do just that: Unicon and Baro, Bae Ta-Mi is a director of Unicon but is betrayed and ends up switching companies to Baro and makes her goal to beat Unicon and make Baro the most used portal in Korea. At the same time, she meets a young CEO (Jang Ki Young)  of a small music company for games and he tries to date her after a one night stand. I also love the secondary couple played by Lee Dae Hae and Lee Jae Wook. The friendship between Lee Dae Hae’s character and Im Soo Jung is definitely one of the most fun parts of the drama.