#I also have a new found love for Zenos

[mijukaze]

Picked final fantasy up again back in June and I missed my silly lizard

[firelightmuse]

8. What do they think about romantic love? Do they have baggage surrounding it? Do they idealize it? Is it an object of longing and wanting, or were they really not thinking about it until they started falling for the other character? What are their expectations like?

I would be especially interested in your headcanons for Zenos on this subject!

Ohhhh very good question!!! I’ll try to tackle it from both of their perspectives.

Yume: For Yume, romantic love was something she always dreamed of since she was a little girl, but she thought it was unattainable for her, as she was always expected to marry for political purposes due to her father being a daimyo and she was destined to follow in his footsteps. After she was banished, she became lost and was in search for a new purpose in her life, and although romance was now more attainable than ever before, she still put it on the back burner. It also was complicated by the fact that she never had found anyone that she was sexually or romantically attracted to, well, until she found herself strangely attracted to Zenos, and more and more so every time she encountered him.

Even after she had recognized that she had a very strange attraction to him, she never thought a relationship would ever be possible, because, well, he was her enemy and he was hell bent on doing whatever it took to fight her again, and she would do her duty as a Scion and kill him if she had to.

But then came the moment when they were both dying at the edge of the universe, and she just couldn’t bring herself to let him die out there alone, not after all that he had done for her. She recognized that in his own way, he had been trying to reach out to her in the only way he knew how, and he had traveled all the way to Ultima Thule, just for her. She didn’t realize it in the moment, but she unconsciously thought that perhaps there was a chance to save his life, to save his broken soul, and that there might be a chance at something more. Perhaps romantic love was possible for her, for Zenos, for them.

Zenos: Keep in mind that I’m still doing my own “research” on Zenos’ characterization, and I’m still trying to evaluate him in order to properly write him as a character in Yume’s story, so this is definitely a work in progress and this characterization is subject to change. That being said…

I believe Zenos would absolutely be on the ace/aro spectrum, and I don’t think he ever put much thought, if any at all, in romantic love for most of his life. He likely read some romance novels in his youth, as I HC that he is extremely well read and he read those books along with everything else in the palace’s library, but he likely just thought that romantic love was either not real, or even if it was real, it didn’t affect him in anyway and paid it no mind whatsoever. He never felt much of anything else besides the pleasure of The Hunt*, and so he ignored the idea of romance altogether.

Whenever Zenos fought Yume, he started feeling pleasure from the thrill of battle with her, and he never gave a thought to what exactly he was feeling besides that it made him feel an overwhelming sense of joy, and he didn’t think he could ever feel that way in his life ever again, hence why he kills himself at the end of 4.0. When he finds himself alive once more, he is driven to fight Yume again, but because he is denied the chance for so long, he begins to feel a sense of longing, a pining for her that he had never experienced before. He recognizes that his feelings for her have become more complex, but because he had never experienced any kind of love before, let alone romantic love, he doesn’t know how to fully comprehend it, let alone express it in a healthy way.

It isn’t until Yume brings him back with her to the Ragnarok following their near death encounter in Ultima Thule and during his long recovery that he wants to figure out why Yume saved his life when it was completely unexpected and, in that moment, unwanted. In his therapy, he begins to realize that what he feels for Yume is romantic love, and that she might feel the same for him, and it takes him quite some time to figure out what that means and what he actually wants in this life that he somehow finds himself living once again.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Thank you so much for the great ask @otherworldseekers!! 🥰💖

[northwest-cryptid]

Idk if I fully understand ffxiv being native-phobic? I just played through stormblood & what I got from that was colonialism bad, to put it in super simple terms. Like idk the entire point of it was liberate an oppressed peoples and give them back their homes? And maybe I missed it but I didn't see the Ala mhigans as being native coded or inspired?

You didn't see the Ala Mhigans being "Native Coded" because they aren't and yet Ala Mhigan clothes use Native patterns. You didn't see FFXIV being "Native-Phobic" because it's generally not, it likes to hide it's racism away in little pockets.

It's hard to see it when you're not used to seeing it. This isn't your fault, it's that you're looking in the wrong places.

This is the "Ala Mhigan Gown" it's being largely attributed to being "Ala Mhigan" it is not. It is Native.

These patterns are Native, and while I cannot claim exactly and exclusively which tribes use them I can say for certain that I'm Deer Clan Lakota and these patterns are ALL OVER my traditional Native clothing. To attribute our clothing to Ala Mhigo is wrong.

This pattern is being reproduced and sold as Ala Mhigan, as "Kimonos" and lastly, as cosplay.

And these patterns can be found across plenty of First Nation/Indigenous clothing and beadwork.

Like, here if you're curious:

Let's also quickly talk about the New World set,

This is just ugh. Believe it or not I like the pants, and the actual torso and shoes aren't bad either. IF (and this isn't the case) this set were to exclude the headdress and were to actually pay proper respect to Native design and culture I'd love it. I actually used to use this set in game minus the headdress obviously, but wouldn't you know it I'm literally Native. This feels like those party city costumes people make, and the parts it gets right are almost more upsetting because it's not being properly attributed to the right people despite knowing very well the devs clearly referenced actual Natives. Those straps on the pants for example are a very real thing, the clothing my father passed down to me has those, tipped with metal because it makes enough noise to scare off rattlesnakes since those were a threat for kids on the res. The colors and bead patterns also do follow a lot of various Native designs, though I find it harder to pin down these exact patterns.

You're looking at the plot, but that's not entirely where the problem lies; also sorry sorry but I can't overlook this. None of the story or plot justifies Zenos calling me a Savage. I do not care if he's the antagonist, that's a fucking slur. It's been used against me and my people for decades. It's been used against me when I was in middle and high school. So yes, even in recent times this is acknowledged as a slur by racist individuals seeking to cause us harm.

If you've never gotten into a physical fight that you didn't instigate only to have someone ask you "what are you gonna do savage? You gonna scalp me?" And then do the worst imitation of a Native war cry; you likely have no idea how annoying it is to see/hear even a villain in a video game call you a fucking savage, have this be hand-waved as kinda being whatever by the general public who don't deal with this kind of racism, and then furthermore when you go into FFXIV community spaces you see this blonde ass white boy being plastered up everywhere like "oh I wanna fuck him so bad" why do you want to fuck a racist?! He's not even hot. Any potential sex appeal he had left his body the second he uttered the word "savage" and you know the worst part? He's not real. Which means he didn't say that shit, someone at Square WROTE that into the game and really thought "hey is it okay to use a slur like this? Yeah it'll be fine no one is gonna know or care."

Can you IMAGINE if they had a villain drop the N word mid fight? You'd never hear the end of it I assure you.

I think the biggest issue is that people don't even know what Native is, they don't know tribes, they don't know patterns, they don't know our actual history.

You say you don't know how it's "Native-phobic" when it's racism and mockery of Natives is very apparent to Natives, but I can't fault you for it because you literally don't know what to look for.

I want to make it super clear I'm not mad at you, I'm upset that this game can get away with this shit because no one is actually educated on Native matters, culture, etc.

I hope this helps clear that up a little.

[kimetsu-chan]

fic request for the aftermath of the war (Milo death au:3), like how is everyone adjusting to Milo being gone along with so many others? (you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to:3)

~Character’s Reactions to Milo’s Death~

A/N: yall, I think my wife wants to kill me ;-;

The only ocs that will be featured in this are Yuna, Zeno, Michio, and ofc, Milo, but she ded-

this was written as headcanons bc Larz said that was okay :3

TWs ⚠️: death(obvi), grief, loss of loved one, crying, it’s just sad bro ;-;

First and foremost, Michio would undoubtedly be the one hurting the most.

That was his sister, the person closest to him for his entire life, even if he hadn’t seen her for half of it.

The news of her death was hard on him, and not seeing her smile every day was even harder.

He missed his sister so badly, he had only just gotten her back and she had been ripped away from her all too soon.

It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair at all.

He didn’t want to give Milo that bow only for it to be handed back to him, years later.

Of course, Michio’s best friend was there for him during this time.

And although he was hurting too, Zeno would always put priority on Michio.

He was absolutely astonished he was offered to keep something of hers, he would have assumed others would get top priority.

And that is why he declined anything of hers.

Yes, he wanted something to remember her by, but he didn’t want to rob those precious items from people who were closer to her.

So he settled on perfecting his painting skills and painting portrait after portrait of her to preserve her memory.

Milo was such an overwhelmingly loved person, and her death brought a noticeable drop in a lot of people’s moods.

Especially Yuna’s

She tried so hard to keep her usual smile on, since she knew it would have been what Milo wanted

But it was hard

She found herself talking less and keeping to herself more.

She saw Milo as a close friend, someone to look up to, a daughter.

She had the honors of keeping Milo’s sword, what was preserved of it anyways.

The odd, purple sword and sheathe was the heirloom of the Tomioka family for years and years to come.

Tanjiro would often stare at it, hung on the wall, whenever he and his sister would come to visit his late girlfriend’s found parents.

It made him sad, she was too young.

He also couldn’t help but feel self-pity

He had lost a lot of people, why did he have to loose her too?

They had just finally realized their feelings for each other, and it was all gone now, never to be seen again.

He was permitted to keep the haori Milo always wore

When it was presented to him, he couldn’t help but cry

He missed her

He missed her so bad, how was he supposed to live the rest of his life without her?

Milo’s death brought devastation and sadness

But thanks to many people, her memory was kept safely protected through stories, art, and fond memories.

A/N: my eyeballs started leaking when I wrote this ;-;

[ishgard]

iris & zinnia for the botanical prompts!

[from @/icehearts, and sorry for the angst lmao]

Oh that's fine I love angst thank you so much >3 Answering for Ahru and I'll put them under a cut because 1. length and 2. spoilers! All the way through EW.

iris :   if your muse could convey one last message to someone they have lost or left behind ,   what would it be ?  

~Snippets from Letters to the Lifestream~

To Venat: I feel like you know everything already, but if I don't say it I think it'll fester in my lungs. I hated you. Resented you, feared you. I didn't understand you at all. Not until it was too late. I'm so sorry. Thank you for never holding it against me. Thank you for loving me and believing in me. I love you too, so, so much.

To Wilred: I don't know if it means much, but I am so, so proud of you. You may not realize it but you gave me hope and inspiration - to be a better person, too. (there are smudges here, and the lines are scribbled in a more shaky hand) I wish you could see Ala Mhigo now, free and thriving. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you.

To Haurchefant: It's been so long, since I would walk into your quarters and unravel my trials and tales to you. My quill faltered over the paper for so long, remembering how easy it used to be. I never had to pretend, never had to be more than exactly who I was. Thank you. For that, and everything else you gave me. A home, a family, a life. You know, it's not an easy thing, to live after someone dies for you. It's actually really, really hard. But you always believed in me, didn't you? Thank you for that, too. Also, just one more thing. I wish I'd said it then, but I was too foolish to figure it out. I love you. I love you. I love you.

To Emet-Selch: I imagine writing you like this is just going to annoy you. But if anyone actually found these letters it'd be you, I'm sure. Are you having a good rest? The birds are singing, children play, and the star continues to thrive. But what I really want to say is that I miss you. In ways my 'feeble mind' can't fathom but my soul feels keenly. I look forward to meeting you again one day, and annoying you in the next life too.

To Zenos: You godsdamned fool. Why couldn't you listen for once? If you come back again I... Well, I won't kill you again, but I'll do you one worse. I'll make you live. Really live. Oh, you're going to hate it. You're going to love it. (at the bottom of the page, written small) You will come back, won't you?

(on the back of the page, scribbled at a slant in a faster, angry scrawl) You saved me. I hate that you did. But it makes sense that you did, in our special way. I know only you would truly understand it. But here's the thing you won't understand: I love you for it.

zinnia :   how has the loss of fallen comrades and/or loved ones affected your muse ?   has it taught them anything or given them any new perspectives ?

Ho boy. I'm gonna break this down per character (a few, not all). Gonna put the rest under a cut!

Haurchefant: Bad. To summarize, her mindset basically became "I have to keep going for him, I have to keep going for everyone who is still alive, I have to be everywhere, always, and not ever, ever let this happen again, I can't let anyone else die for me." This was a mindset already seeded by the attack on the Waking Sands and the Bloody Banquet, but really took vicious root with Haurchefant's death. She ran herself ragged until basically post-Stormblood.

I want to say she did gain good things from it too in the long run but that's more her own healing done over a long period of time. She did also realize after he died that she loved him (big oofies), which would be the seed that gradually opened her heart and steadied her spirit in the long run (though also reliant on A Lot of Other Stuff).

Zenos: As far as growth-through-others goes, I feel like Hau and Zenos are two sides of the same coin for Ahru. The two little consciences on her shoulders. Wounds Haurchefant left in her spirit Zenos carved on her flesh to bleed out. I wrote this thing post-SB that I think gives at least some impression:

A kindred beast wrapped in war and bitter despair. A cutting pain that leaves her gasping, bleeding - alive. Human. She remembers in the struggle what it feels like to drown, to barely stay afloat, and then, against all odds, to survive. It is the bricks and mortar of who she is, reconstructed in a terrible dance for the heavens to gaze upon. As her teeth bite down on supple flesh, and blood spills down her throat, she is once more the victor. Once more, alone. 

So yeah, Zenos was absolutely her mirror, and losing him (both times) hit terribly hard despite all the damage he did. But she also realized exactly what made them different; all of the love and companionship she had in her life, deep roots that made the whole world her beloved home.

She also greatly embraced the idea of 'being a monster', at first in a kind of rabid way, on the heels of that mindset mentioned in the Haurchefant section, though gradually more in the sense of 'being a monster isn't such a bad thing': She's powerful and strong and can protect her friends.

Venat: Ahru had so many suspicions about Hydaelyn for so long, and then to have them sorta-kinda 'confirmed' by Emet-Selch? Well, it was more complicated than just giving her the rights to be like "Aha! I knew it!" Because that truth of course came with a lot more information, that made everything a lot more complicated.

I think a lot about meeting her on the boat, how once upon a time Ahru would have chosen the option about 'no longer being able to trust Hydaelyn' - because she never really did. But instead, by this point, she felt so much more compelled and asked 'why show yourself now?' Ahru has always been deeply curious (almost not even a strong enough word) about the Ascians and what drives them, about Zodiark and Hydaelyn.

So then to meet her, to share her stories, to learn the truth behind her blessings, changed everything for her. To learn how similar they were, how deep their connections ran. To learn that this Goddess has been standing firm, waiting for her, just. How soul-shaking it was. She had such little faith in Hydaelyn, and Hydaelyn had so much in her.

There's a lot of other complicated feelings between Ahru and her mother, Ahnia, when compared to the sort of warmth and acceptance she realized Venat gave her. Basically, in the course of Endwalker, she gained a sort-of-mother figure who was then taken away from her and it's a really complicated sort of grief she's dealing with there. It isn't, however as debilitating or damaging a grief as some others, for the most part. Rather, she feels more strong and resolute, renewed of purpose.

There's a common theme in a lot of Ahru's loss, of realizing too late what should have been cherished. And that isn't always her fault, either! she's had to realize. But if there's one thing it's all taught her it's to really hold those she loves close, to keep an open heart, and cherish every encounter.

[berryzawati]

Variant Dungeon Wishlist

Ever since the introduction of Variant dungeons I’ve been thinking about which places we could visit in the future and which npcs could accompany the wol.

Personally there’s still a lot of places I wanna visit in the future and so many characters I wanna spend time with, so I made a little list of npcs with whom we could run future variant dungeons with:

Lyse (& alternatively Raubahn)

I wanna see more of Gyr Abania and Ala Mhigo. It is my favorite place in all of Eorzea and Ala Mhigo always gets shafted by the devs and fandom. Because of that I’m itching to learn more lore and this type of content would be the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Because of my wol’s lore I’ve taken a great interest in the monk job lore and the Fist of Rhalgr, so if there’s an aspect of Ala Mhigan culture I’d choose for a Variant Dungeon it’d be monk lore. Though because I feel Ala Mhigo got the shorter end of the stick I’d take anything. I’m also up for more Lyse lore and maybe M’naago makes an appearance in the notes?

Kan-E-Senna

The sole reason why I want to run a Variant Dungeon with Kan-E-Senna is because this could be another opportunity to learn more about Gelmorra. Gelmorra was a focus in FFXIV 1.0 with its various locations (including unfinished dungeons!) but has been shafted in favor for Allag since 2.0.

The only times we get to see parts of Gelmorra are during Tam-Tara (which was about the Lambs of Dalamud), Toto-Rak and the Palace of the Dead. None of these instances focus on the culture of Gelmorra and the details as to how the Duskwight Elezen and Wildwood Elezen started to live apart.

And since Duskwight Elezen are extremely underrepresented, it is only fair to at least give their home another try. Kan-E-Senna is not an Elezen and theoretically be a neutral party in this conflict. That is if the dev team ever wants to write about Gridania’s political problems…

(Besides, I like Kan-E-Senna, she needs more screentime in this game…)

Aymeric

Honestly I just want more Aymeric screentime, no matter how. I don’t mind either staying in Coerthas or Dravania but if we do, I’d want to explore new aspects of these places. I’ve personally have my fill of the thousand year war against the dragons and I’d rather see something new. And a new private side of our lord commander! Possibly a look at his cat? Who knows!

Maxima

I wanna learn more about Garlemald, especially the Garlemald before Zenos and Fandaniel destroyed everything there. Alternatively I’d love to learn more about the Garleans before the founding of the Garlean Empire. The Garlean race has lived in Goug as well as Corvus, I’d love to learn more about their lifestyles from way back then.

But personally I’m also a huge sucker for Maxima and I wanna spend more time with him…

Yugiri

I wanna see more Far Eastern place and I love Yugiri! And I wanna visit a ninja village! Yugiri is a ninja, so she’d be the perfect candidate. I want to learn more about the ninja of Doma and frankly this is just me hoping to see Oboro, Tsubame and Karasu again.

Alternatively we could learn more about Sui-no-Sato again? The lives of the people there are extremely fascinating to me and Shisui was such a stunning dungeon. Wouldn’t mind seeing something like this again.

On a last note… It seems only people who only appeared in the msq are qualified for variant dungeons but I’d also would love to see other characters too like job quest characters or characters you meet during raid content like Mikoto from the Ivalice raids and Bozja but for that she has to appear in the main story first, it seems… that makes sense but my heart is still a little broken lol

[wildstar25]

Which jobs (incl DoH/DoL) are lore-canon for Arsay? Are there any you play a lot that aren't?

Arsay’s canon jobs are the following:

- Ninja (though she calls herself a rogue first and foremost! She is incredibly duty driven as a ninja is described to be within the quest line. Her duty is to her friends and family.)

- Summoner (she loves to baha blast! Her carbuncle is named Couscous)

- Dragoon ( in name only, in my canon she is not given the title of azure dragoon nor did she go through the lv1-60 lancer/dragoon story. She got Estinien to show her pole arm basics and developed her own style from there. Her draconian abilities stem more from her connection to Midgardsormr and her demi-bahamut. She only pulls this job out for hunting or other non wol stuff! Only exception was the steps of faith trail cause it’s more dramatic to be a drg on that fight)

- Astrologian (this was her post ARR patch and heavensward trauma response class. She heard that there were people in ishgard that knew how to predict the future and thought it would be a good skill to pick up for herself. She was really taken by surprised by everything that happened during the bloody banquet! And again with what happened after the vault. She wanted something, anything, in her pocket that could maybe prevent her from putting her friends in bad situations. After going through all the rigmarole of learning the stars and aligning her aether to them she soon found out that the cards aren’t nearly as forthcoming with information as she hoped them to be. She does keep up with the job in her spare time, just in case! Though urianger is much more suited to it than she is. )

- machinist ( Cid showed her this sick looking gun one time and she thought it was really cool so she got a job stone from the skysteel factory and signed herself up for eorzean e-sports (crystalline conflict and front lines) pvp is her main hobby and her primary way of de-stressing. )

- gunbreaker (soft canon atm. Essentially, it would make sense that she could pick this up as it’s quite functionally a combo of knife (ninja) and gun (machinists). It’s also a zippy enough class that it makes sense for need for speed. But I haven’t figured out a lore reason for why she would have picked it up aside from wanting to show thancred up in front of ryne for fun )

- fisher (she’s not patient enough to wait around for fish but she definitely knows how and its a vital survival skill for her to have)

—————-

All the other jobs that I have for her right now are more “jobs that would be canon if xyz were true”

Monk is the only other dps I have at 90, it’s the job she would have instead of ninja if she had decided to head for thanalan in search of her father’s family at the very beginning of her adventures.

I also technically have scholar at 90 but haven’t done a single job quest beyond getting the stone. Scholar would only be canon to arsay if Emrara had decided to pass on their scholar jobstone off to arsay before arsay left for limsa.

Other classes I have are:

Warrior (would be canon if she wanted to be like her mom and also had way more pent up rage about her parent related trauma )

Red mage, black mage ( au where arsay has a larger store of her own aether to pull from and also went to thanalan first)

Bard (au where Arsay could carry a tune and went to gridania in search of her mothers side of the family. Also wasn’t immediately put off by the many micro aggressions and full racism moments she had to deal with in the archers guild)

Samurai( au where she wanted to fight fire with fire against zenos in storm blood. That or during the ralgars reach he broke one of her knives and instead of just buying a new set she was like “I will shrimply adapt” )

[silmeria-lafleur]

Another Step

This story is the continuation of this one. It's from Reika's PoV, in first person. There are so many changes and my head almost exploded from trying to fit everything together. I hope you enjoy! (Long post ahead)

A few more days passed before Krille advised me to take some time, and calmly think about myself, away from all this. It was no use walking around with my grim face all the time. Heh... It was best to go somewhere else, clear my mind, at least until they call me back.

The thing was where I was going to go.

Gridania was not an option because it was too close to here. Uldah? Nah... I hated the weather and desperately needed a cooler place. Ishgard... Hmmm, it could be... but... that would mean I would have to see him. And while a significant part of me wanted to be there, I couldn't bear the thought of being a burden to them…to him.

Much less after that fight... *sigh*

Well, there is no other option than to go to Limsa. Maybe I could find something there.

I packed my things and said goodbye to my friends and the people of the Resistance, assuring that I would be there whenever they needed me.A part of me felt bad about leaving them, but on the other hand it was worse to be there doing nothing.

When I arrived it was almost after noon, a clear and refreshing day, in many ways. I immediately thought of the things I could do there. Maybe I could go to the Arcanist Guild and learn a new art. I should upgrade my equipment as well, since the current one was very worn and broken in several parts... and if for some reason I had to face and fight against that Zenos again, I should be better prepared.

Pero por ahora debería ir a The Mizzenmast Inn, my body and mind needed to... calm down. Mytesyn, the inkeeper, greeted me cheerfully. He's always been so nice to me, I smiled back and asked if there was a room available, to which he energetically nodded. Entering the room, I left my things next to the bed and lay down for a while, with hundreds of thoughts per second going through my mind.

Inevitably those thoughts led me to a particular moment... to Fortemps Manor, to that damned fight with Artoirel. I was so mad at him! How was it possible that he saw social duties as more important than the happiness of people!

And he…he called me a hypocrite, now that I think about it he looked so upset, a stark contrast to how he always used to be. He was definitely distressed... maybe... hurt? Yes, it must be. After how I treated him, so improper and rude of me. Still... Now I think he was right, I was a hypocrite, I still am. And that had to change.

If I ever see him again I would like to apologize to him. Being friends again... being able to talk like before until late at night. Those moments now only seemed like a sweet but distant dream.

At that a tear fell down my face, followed by a few others... and many more. I covered my face with my left arm and cried, I don't know for how long, but I was there until my eyes couldn't hold another tear. Taking a deep, shaky breath from that flow of pent-up emotions, I got out of bed. I took an old letter out of my bag, a letter that I always read at times when I felt lost adrift. I sat back on the edge of the bed and read it one more time.

his was one my mother had written to me, weeks before she died. She was so weak in those moments... and yet she found the strength to write this. In it she told me many things, like never giving up, finding my happiness, and above all being myself. She also apologized for things that I didn't give importance to at the time, but that now made much more sense. I knew that she was not my biological mother, who I never heard from, that she took care of me in her place because of the love she had for my father. It must have been difficult for her to take care of an elezen girl in a place where there were none. I remember the day she decided to dye my hair and change my name, to look a little more like her and avoid any more rumors that were already out there. And even against everything and everyone, she raised me with all the love of her heart, I always felt that way.

She also told me that now I had to go my own way, that I didn't need to pretend anything anymore, that I shouldn't look for anything that my heart didn't really want. Now I really understood, the meaning of those words.

"My dear daughter, you will always be the most beautiful flower for me. Remember my precious Reika, that I will always be proud of you, no matter what steps you decide to take towards your own happiness. This from now on is your way, and only yours. With love, Sayaka."

I teared up once more, but this time with relief. As if the fact of understanding the true meaning of these words took a great weight off my shoulders. I always thought that I should carry on her legacy, in my own way. But it clearly wasn't like that, I- I really can be dense sometimes... I smiled warmly as I put the letter away once more.

I left the room for a moment to talk to Mytesyn, he seemed surprised to see me with my red face and disheveled hair, he immediately offered me something to drink, and I accepted. I was a bit embarrassed to be like this, but he seemed to understand that I needed space and didn't want to intrude. Before going back to the room once more, I asked him if I could contact someone, and he nodded with his usual smile.

A few bells later I went out, the sky was already getting dark. I wanted to do more than lock myself up somewhere, so I headed down to the plaza to go to the market and then stop by the Arcanists as previously planned. I already knew that Limsa was a... bustling place. But apparently there was something interesting that was about to happen. I was curious to know what it was about, my plans could wait a little longer. I followed the sound of some musical instruments being tuned a little further south of the plaza... and yes, there were a lot of people gathered there.

It was a group of artists, they called themselves "Trope Falsiam", from Thavnair. Now this was interesting, the group of musicians began to play their melody and a young miqo'te woman appeared in a somewhat... flashy outfit. She took some rather peculiar circular blades and began to dance. She looked happy… free. So focused was I on her performance that I barely noticed the hyuran woman standing next to me, she said a couple of things that I couldn't fully catch, but she seemed to know the dancer. Then she looked at me from head to toe and smiled. After the performance, the people began to dissolve in different directions, and this woman approached me, she had a proposal for me.

"There's definitely something about you... charming. I offer you to learn the art of dance. Not only will you help to brighten people's sorrowful hearts, it can also be very useful in combat, and from what I see, it seems that you have experience. What do you say?"

I think from the way my face lit up he assumed I liked the idea, so he took me with the rest of the group and we introduced ourselves.

The movements flowed naturally, at least the sense of rhythm was still intact, and luckily for me, holding the chakrams was not difficult for my previously injured hand. So I trained, for days... weeks. I traveled to different places improving the technique, not only the dance itself, but also in combat. I learned that dance itself could actually help people to heal from within.

Like myself.

This IS my path... and I will embrace it.

Fun Fact: When I first started playing the Stormblood expansion, Shadowbringer was released. And guess what was the first thing I did... YUP! Unlock the Dancer. So all the Stormblood MSQ I did as DNC ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

Meanwhile, at Fortemps Manor, someone was certainly not happy about Reika's disappearance...

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 095

Okay, I’m not big on Frieza in general, and I think it was a mistake to bring him back a second time, but I can’t deny that this bit where he tries to defect to Universe 9 is awesome.  Not as awesome as Cell, of course, but awesome nonetheless.

So this episode is mainly about Frieza and Goku fighting off a bunch of assassins sent by Universe 9, but let’s face it, the fight is a formality.  Two of the strongest guys in this show vs. a bunch of faceless goons.  Guess who wins.

So I want to take a moment instead to appreciate how much the Grand Zenos love the newly completed figthing stage for the Tournament of Power.  It’s a beaut, that’s for sure.

What I really love is how the Zenos lie down on the stage and just start rolling around on it.  It’s just such a pure, childlike thing to do.

Yayyy!

Wheee!

They’re so excited.

They give the Grand Minister a piece of candy for his efforts, and he seems genuinely grateful for it.  I mean, is it just a regular piece of candy, and he’s simply touched by the gesture, or is this like cosmic candy that gives him a sense of satisfaction that you or I could never comprehend?  It’s hard to read these guys. 

Well, let’s get back to the assassination.  The lead assassin seems to be in trouble, but he still has an ace up his sleeve.  Before he left to do this job, Sidra, the God of Destruction from Universe 9, gave him a ball of Hakai energy, capable of destroying Frieza once and for all.  So all the assassin has to do is throw it at Frieza and he’s gone forever.

But Frieza sees him getting ready to use it, and ruins his shot. Ah, but that was just a decoy!  The real Hakai ball was in this guy’s other hand!  No, Frieza blocked that one too.

Ah, but that was also a decoy, and the real Hakai ball was in the lake, and it comes up from beneath Frieza, sort of like that trick Goku pulled on Namek. 

So Frieza looks like he’s in real trouble, but then he reveals he was only pretending to be in danger, and he slowly escapes the Hakai ball’s power.

Pretty impressive, no?

Then he hits Goku with it, because it’s Frieza.  I mean, you’d think Goku would have learned by now. 

While Goku struggles, Frieza kills the rest of the assassins and helps himself to their communication device to call Roh and Sidra in Universe 9.  They’re horrified to learn that their plot has failed, but they insist that Frieza can’t prove anything to Grand Zeno.  Frieza tells them they’ve got it all wrong, and he’s calling them to offer a deal: If they resurrect him, Frieza will join the Universe 9 team and fight for them. 

Roh and Sidra are stunned, and question Frieza’s sincerity about this.  He would betray his whole universe for this?  Isn’t there anything he cares about that he’d want to protect?  Guys, it’s Frieza.  Come on.  

The first time I saw this episode, I found Frieza’s offer here to be unworkable.  Even if he could join the Universe 9 team and just live out his days there, he’d still have to win the Tournament of Power, and why would his odds be any better with U9 instead of U7? Frieza already had Goku’s promise to resurrect him, so this seems like a lateral move at best.

But this episode took that into account.  The whole point of this maneuver is that it lets Frieza have his cake and eat it too.  This way he can kill Goku with the Hakai ball and get resurrected without him.  But without Goku, Universe 7′s team will surely lose, so Frieza needs to find a new Universe to live in, and someone else to bring him back to life.  It’s actually pretty clever.

What really makes this work is how Roh and Sidra struggle to decide.  It’s a great opportunity, but can they trust a guy who would betray his own universe?  Even if they can trust him, would they even be allowed to take him? The U9 characters are defined by their ruthless depravity, but even they can’t believe what depths Frieza will stoop to.  And while they try to make up their minds...

... Beerus and Whis show up, and Frieza has to abandon the whole idea.  He crushes the communicator, leaving Roh and Sidra to wonder if they let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers.  Beerus suspects that Frieza was up to something, but there’s no way to be sure.  All he can do is rescue Goku from the Hakai ball and move on.

Ironically, Goku apologizes for the entire incident, because he failed to consider just how much Frieza hates his guts. 

So he sets up a quick match where the first guy to get punched is the loser, and this is meant to settle things between them, but they both punch each other at the same time, so it doesn’t settle much of anything.

Oh, I should point out that Frieza has used his time in hell to overcome the weakeness in his Golden Frieza form, which is why he’s been using it this whole episode without any problems. 

Anyway, we’ve finally got everyone together to head for the Tournament. 

And here’s a nice shot of Jiren on some planet.  You’d think he’d be with the rest of his team, but whatever.

[greekromann]

1, 6, 12, 15, and 16! for the WOL ask meme!

👀 this is long so. Its under a readmore. Also ffxiv spoilers through endwalker below

1. Why did he become an adventurer? Glory? Money? ...?

The way Khalja grew up, his adoptive father made sure to instill in him a deep respect for the sacrifice his birth parents made to keep him out of the crossfire during the empire's expansion into doma. This was intended to convince him to stay safe and look out for himself, but it backfired into "im going to set out and do something about the empire. Personally", so his initial reason was really. To get stronger and find a group that he could join to combat imperial expansion. He'd heard about how the eorzean city-states drove the empire out of the continent from traders in kugane, so he figured hed start there

6. What did they think of Hydaelyn in the beginning? Did they change their mind about her since then?

He was actually initially pretty mistrustful of "giant crystal that talks to you", and couldnt shake the feeling that he was being used and intentionally kept in the dark. The mistrust turned into annoyance when he found out that she was the reason he had the echo (has considered it a curse ever since he awoke to it as a teenager), but through arr he found no reason to directly oppose her because she granted him the strength he needed to meet his own goals. When midgardsormr more or less broke her blessing, he found himself 1. Very fucking scared and 2. Missing her presence, at which point he realized that he had come to lean on her much more than hed ever intended to. He was kind of pissed about what happened with minfilia also lol. He just very much doesnt like feeling like he and every other person with the echo is a pawn in some cosmic game of chess. By the time shadowbringers wrapped up he'd become more comfortable with (or more accurately, resigned to) the idea that he would probably always be her champion, and that was fine as long as their goals were still aligned. Brief moment of panic where he learned that shes a primal, in the "does that make me. Tempered. Am i tempered" before realizing that thats stupid and the fact that hes Able to question that means he probably isnt. And then of course the events of endwalker completely tossed his idea of her on its head. He only wished that he got to spend more time with venat in elpis, but what little time they did have together made him far more comfortable with championing her cause. Khalja voice "venat my best friend venat"

12. What do they think about redemption and forgiveness? Would they forgive an enemy? Would they forgive themselves?

I think, prior to shadowbringers, he wasnt. Super into forgiveness and redemption. Like as far as he was concerned any crime needed to be answered for, and post-shadowbringers he definitely doesnt believe in like. Letting go of past offenses, but he sees a lot more nuance in these kinds of situations. [Standing in a room together with gaius post-stormblood] [gritting his teeth] This Is. Fine.

Ultimately he just wants to understand people's reasons, i guess? And he'll judge for himself whether those reasons justify their actions. Additionally, if someone proves that they're interested in doing better, or somehow making up for their past transgressions, he's going to try and look at them in the here and now, rather than as who they were before (with varying degrees of success)

As for himself... he's become acutely aware of the ridiculous amount of power he weilds, which means he's also Acutely aware of how devastating the consequences could be if he made a misstep. In an unhealthy way hes fashioned himself as the sole protector of his friends and loved ones, and so if any harm comes to them, he'll probably. Never forgive himself lol [flashes back to the vault]. Additionally, the body-snatching incident with zenos put a new fear of "what could other people do if they got their hands on my strength" into him. He's started to feel guilty for simply Being, on account of the danger it potentially puts other people in. But Its Fine Hes Fine Guys Dont Worry About It

15. How do they feel about the Ascians?

He has a very hard time hating the ascians after seeing them for who they really are. I mean that didnt stop him from stomping them into the ground whenever they posed a large enough threat, and nothing justifies the havoc theyve wrought in the millennia since, but he cant help but feel sympathy for them. After all, if all of the people HE loved and looked out for were killed, shattered, and transformed beyond recognition, he cant guarantee that he wouldnt also make some. Extremely terrible selfish decisions. [Throwing pebbles at emet-selch] Youre still an asshole [feels bad anyway].

He feels the most sympathy for elidibus, on account of. Teenager Thrust Into Govt Position And Turned Into A Primal For The Survival Of The Star. He doesnt really see him as responsible for the events that have followed since, even though he definitely. Still is. He sees a lot of alphinaud in elidibus gwjegdjd

He Does Not like lahabrea, but as of meeting him in pandæmonium hes weighing the pros and cons of attempting to Get Some gwjsgdjgdjd. Cons: hes actually one of the worst people he knows, thancred would kill him, thancred would kill him, he'll probably be rejected out of hand, etc etc. Pros: god lahabrea can GET it

16. Tell us about two major events from MSQ that left the deepest emotional scars on your WOL.

I MEAN. several gwjwgjdgd but the deepest scars......

the first would probably be the vault. Khalja felt that he owed a lot to haurchefant and he was kind of charmed by his extremely earnest nature, so losing him would have hurt enough on its own. Worse than that though was that haurchefant died protecting khalja specifically, which is something that he'd never had to. Deal with before. Up until then hed thought that the only person he'd hurt with his reckless behavior would be himself, but [watches haurchefant bleed out from a wound meant to be inflicted upon him] [has to go home and tell his family that hes only alive because their son/brother died] Oh. Oh This Sucks So Much Worse. Hes partly healed from that experience, but the guilt he feels has never left him (and likely never will), and it influences the way he handles situations where his loved ones are involved. Hes not willing to let anyone else take a bullet for him lol

The next would actually be the body-snatching experience with zenos. He'd never felt more helpless and terrified; the image of his own body about to strike down alisae and raha haunts him constantly, and while he understands that it wasnt him who did that, it definitely made him start to view himself as. A monster of sorts. Lol. When he woke up back in his own body and saw that none of his friends had come to harm he broke down sobbing in relief [he has not cried in front of. Most of them]. Post-endwalker, hes still afraid of his strength someday being used to hurt the people he loves. He would genuinely sooner die than let something like that happen again

[redmoonwanderer]

FFXIV Write 2023, Day 30 Prompt: Amity Mild(ish?) spoilers all the way to EW.

It can be hard to trust again those who go to the shadows again and again and still beg for forgiveness, offering an explanation full well knowing it may not be accepted

(but Qhol’a listens, and forgives. It’s hard not to, when there are times Urianger risks himself to keep his friend standing a little longer; when he offers such insight in battle and outside, to help them towards victory)

and it’s hard to find a friend in someone who constantly places himself beneath and behind someone; hoping for friendship and trust both despite endangering everyone while keeping his reasons and face in the shadows

(but Qhol’a holds on to hope that one day G’raha will realise his place, as all Qhol’a’s friends’, is by his side as an equal. It will take time to forgive his deceit, but to see the once reserved man be again filled with energy and curiosity, genuine joy, Qhol’a knows he’ll find it in himself, one day.)

just as it is hard to find patience with someone who has yet not seen the life outside, the cruelty of it, but also the true joy that surviving hardships can bring. When one thinks ideals alone will be enough to shape the world, it’s almost frightening to wait for the moment that image shatters

(but shatter it does, and Alphinaud realises that good intentions aren’t always enough, and sometimes hard work doesn’t pay off the way he’d hoped. Qhol’a is incredibly proud of the growth he’s been given the chance to witness, and he knows only patience will allow this youngling to bloom.)

and see how the world you once thought you knew is reshaped: friends turned to enemies, enemies to friends, as the illusions lift and reveal truths long since buried. What can someone do when who they were was built on falsehoods, so as not to break, themselves

(but rebuild himself Estinien does. When the world no longer needs the man he was, he leaves not to disappear but to remake himself just enough to match the truth while keeping the rest of the pieces as they always have been. He may pretend to be the lone wolf still, but Qhol’a knows whom to expect the moment his own image threatens to shatter under new weights.)

and when they have to choose between experiencing the world around and a long life with loved ones? How can one value one more than the other when new things greet you with such a feeling of wonder, and most all you can learn is on the pages of tomes from long ago to this day; when those by your side are your life

(but it’s a choice Y’shtola makes. Sometimes Qhol’a wonders if it’s actually for her friends that she channels her own aether to see, in her own, unique way but see nonetheless. She could’ve chosen otherwise, not shortening her own life, but also not delve with them to the deepest dungeons and soar to worlds beyond without losing years to practice; chosen to miss on travelling side by side. Such dedication to what matters, he cannot but appreciate.)

and are all that matters. And how can one expect to be welcomed when they allow themselves to be turned against those loved ones? To be there to pave the road to their destruction? Is there a way to earn forgiveness after that? Is it found in going ahead no more in shadows but for all to see, so others will never be struck again

(but there is no need for such things. When Qhol’a approached Thancred after the fight against Ultima, against Lahabrea, with a warm drink and a heavy blanket, it’s not to say “I forgive you.” When he gives the man the tea, wraps the blanket around his shoulder and sits next to him, leaning on him so he can feel again, it is to say, “I still trust you.” After Zenos steals Qhol’a’s body, Thancred comes to him with tea and a blanket, before leaning against him. No words are needed.)

or is the answer in getting stronger? To grow with each step, run to catch up to the one you so look up to, despite knowing you might not catch up? But is there any point in reaching for something you cannot have? To look at the world and take the risk of being disappointed when you fall and lose; should one still hold on to hope

(but she does. Alisaie is nothing if not stubborn, and when that means that she finds a way to rescue not only a child she looked at the stars with, but countless others, its proof enough. When she hesitates, Qhol’a is always there to remind her that she has done incredible things: not just helped someone else achieve it, but been at the lead. And the rivalry? Qhol’a will never stop moving as long as she’s there to catch up.)

that in the end, all will be well?

Journeys are long things, and poses many questions for one to ponder. Sometimes, Qhol’a finds the answers scattered on his path, and there are answers that he didn’t even know he was looking for.

Other times, however, what he finds are not for him, but for those around him: the ones he’s gathered to stand with him in sun and storm. Answers to their problems, new ways to see the world and themselves, picked up by one man.

Of course, the same can be said for his friends: without them, there are a great many things he would’ve never found. It’s a little miracle that works only when it works both ways, friendship.

The warm thing that you hope to never let go of.

[lavendertune]

Ouf okay, let's do this (Part 1)

I typically write in Times New Roman or Calibri, simply because I enjoy the style of the font. I tried using other fonts but my eyes rebel against anything else than the aforementioned two.

I started by writing everything by hand! Back in school when I was bored I got out my pad and started scribbling, or when I was travelling too. Back then I didn’t have a laptop yet which ended in massive folders filled with my stuff. Once I got a laptop and realized editing and writing in general is much much easier on it I switched immediately and never returned lmao.

It’s terrible, actually. I have that little oriel in my living room with old furniture and a lot of candles. I typically sit down in my comfy round rattan chair, light the candles, turn on my playlist and start writing. The curse, though, is that I need absolute solitude. It’s hard for me when someone else is in the room or when there is another source of light/noise. This is making it really hard for me to write because I’m living with my partner and he usually spends his time in the living room.

Unecessarily. Uneccesariy. Unnecessarily. Gods, I always forget how to write it.

Idk if it’s superstition but you write better the more you travel. Going out, meeting people, seeing other places; It all gives you motivation and inspiration. Which is why I always take my laptop with me, no matter where I go.

Never getting to finish my novels. My original motivation came with an original idea I started writing years back, but playing FFXIV, falling in love with Zenos and starting “Like Fire and Ice” cut inbetween my original novels. I’m currently trying my best to “finish” “Like Fire and Ice” (although I have a lot more planned still) so I can start writing what I had originally planned.

Realizing that I’ve done that. It was me who wrote all of these words. All of these pages. And there are actually people out there who read it. Honestly, every comment I get on my stories makes me giggle like a little kid.

I’d probably choose to leave out the dialogue. You don’t have to let your characters speak to tell an interesting story, but without at least a little bit of action it would get too boring for me and possibly the reader. It would probably be something dark and mysterious, perhaps something about a cryptid.

Yepp. A 100% . Had my own experiences and have been working with the paranormal/occult for some years now. Also, I love Ghost Adventures and Sam&Colby.

Haunt me? No. If I found something disturbing or just straight up “bad” I cross it from my mind.

Hmn, not really. I do “love” to kill of characters, but only for character or plot development. My deaths are usually calculated. I may miss the characters but I do not grieve them for I know they achieved what they needed to.

Easy! Better concentration, more time to write and a better memory. Those are the three things always ruining my flow.

Hmn, good question. I don’t have a problem with any kind of topic thinking about. I usually make sure to do my research before writing about more sensitive stuff but it never bothers me. I don’t enjoy writing slice of life type settings though.

I do! And honesty, I don’t actually care if I get them back or not. I do have a handful of books I cherish and I wouldn’t hand out because I use them for inspiration or research, the rest on the other hand mostly just exists? I’ve read them, of course. But I rarely read books multiple times. I rather give them away to people who’ll enjoy the story and know I made someone else happy in doing so.

Never in my life would I butcher a book like this, heavens. It hurts me to see mistreated books, be it dog-ears or similar. Even worse are books whose pages have started to curl from moisture, which is why I would never read in the bathtub. We can still be friends, though know you leave a cut in the deepest parts of my soul.

You ask the guy with a sifter for a brain. Uff good question, I think it was a keychain? I honestly can’t remember.

*nervous laughter* Honey, you don’t want to open this box. To make a long story short, it’s more or less an enemies to allies to lovers with three different timelines. In these timelines I explore the different routes the relationship between my hero and my antagonist can take and the various outside influences that drive them to make certain decisions. It’s a fun way to bring light to different aspects to their characters and to show how the way people treat you can change your point of view and, ultimately, your decisions.

“Like Fire and Ice” – Accursed Bonds – Part Ten “I'm so tired.” “Then rest.” A quick noise of complaint comes from somewhere next to me but I don't have the strength to see who made it. All that's left for me to do is take a breath in as Zenos' arm gently lays over my back once the healing touch has faded. I expect it to hurt, but it seems like I've gotten too numb to feel a thing. And still the Garlean makes sure to move as carefully as possible as he slips his other arm underneath my thighs and lifts me up. “You are safe now, hero.” His strong arms cradling me, holding me close to his chest, I feel my heart explode. It's a warmth I haven't felt in years, a light I thought had left my world. Sighing quietly I open my eyes, leaning my weak head against his chest as I look out to the vastness of the Steppe, my eyes threatening to fall shut. It's sunrise. This was one of the scenes I had been looking forward to for ages. In it our hero is rescued by his friends together with the help of their enemy after having been abducted by a mysterious group currently terrorizing their allies. I actually got the idea from one of these “prompt-videos” on tiktok in which the beaten up hero stands in front of their enemy who asks them “Who did this to you?”. I loved this idea so much I somehow had to implement it into my story, but I at that point I was already too far into my storyline to add it. So I sat down and thought how to turn and twist it to make it fit. My first idea was to separate the two in one way or another, forcing my hero to face a different enemy on their own. Unable to come up with a good idea I chose to just keep on writing and so I did until I was presented with the perfect moment to implement it. At this point of the story my hero and his enemy had already begun to (although out of necessity) work together and had to spend a good amount of time travelling alone. Finally being fully confronted with the other they managed to find some sort of way to get along and actually started to bond a little. Still, my hero clung to the trauma and the pain his enemy had inflicted on him and thousands of others and pushed him away, forcibly building a wall between the two. His abduction, though, made him realize just how comfortable he had grown with his enemy. Even though part of him still hated that madman he couldn’t deny that there was something pulling him towards his enemy. During the days spent with his captors he was subject to torture and wilful neglect which in the end almost cost him his life. When his enemy finally had found him he snapped and ruthlessly killed the man that had tortured my hero, the rest of his friends and the other captors staring in horror at the scene. I wanted to show my characters and my readers just to what lengths his enemy would go to save my hero and also to open my hero’s eyes and admit his true feelings.

Weird Questions for Writers (because writers are weird)

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

6. What is your darkest fear about writing?

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

8. If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

11. Do you believe in the old advice to “kill your darlings?” Are you a ruthless darling assassin? What happens to the darlings you murder? Do you have a darling graveyard? Do you grieve?

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

14. Do you lend your books to people? Are people scared to borrow books from you? Do you know exactly where all your “lost” books are and which specific friend from school you haven’t seen in twelve years still possesses them? Will you ever get them back?

15. Do you write in the margins of your books? Dog-ear your pages? Read in the bath? Why or why not? Do you judge people who do these things? Can we still be friends?

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

20. If a witch offered you the choice between eternal happiness with your one true love and the ability to finally finish, perfect, and publish your dearest, darlingest, most precious WIP in exactly the way you've always imagined it — which would you choose? You can’t have both sorry, life’s a bitch

21. Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

23. Describe the physical environment in which you write. Be as detailed as possible. Tell me what’s around you as you work. Paint me a picture.

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

29. Where do you draw your inspiration? What do you do when the inspiration well runs dry?

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from your dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

31. Write a short love letter to your readers.

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

33. Do you practice any other art besides writing? Does that art ever tie into your writing, or is it entirely separate?

34. Thoughts on the Oxford comma, Go:

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice...what do you Know?

37. If you were to be remembered only by the words you’ve put on the page, what would future historians think of you?

38. What is something about your writing process YOU think is Really Weird? If you are comfortable, please share. If you’re not comfortable, what do you think cats say about us?

39. What keeps you writing when you feel like giving up?

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

[chibikuroneko13]

👑 💎🧸💔⚙️🔪💢 🗑️©️

your choice as to who

Oh god this is so many questions, anyway, hi, this took forever and is about to get real long

👑 - Person who raised your OC and/or was important during their formative years Out of the 3 ocs that live in my head Zalkin is about the only one with parental figures (who are also her actual parents but yknow, some parents arent parental figures *points at Tetra*). Kaz grew up feral and alone in a forest, Tetra doesnt remember who raised him. Zalkin had a fairly normal childhood as far as wandering minstrels go, shes the eldest of 3 so she got all the attention for a while. Her parents instilled a fondness for music in her though she never thought it was her calling.

💎 - Chosen family For Kaz his family are the Scions though it took him 3 and a half expansions to learn their names. He never really had a family due to moon miqo'te customs being the way they are and he was ostracised pretty quickly. For Zalkin she probably views Soomin as her family more than her actual family at this point after all theyve been through. She's still not convinced people in the present cycle are her real family but their resemblance to the people she knew and loved makes it hard for her to put them in harms way at least For Tetra, hes got the curse of being an Elf so he doesnt really consider the party as family. More temporary allies he can tolerate for the cause. If he doesnt die horribly in a fight then hes gonna outlive you all by centuries so he doesnt get that attached.

🧸 - Childhood friends Hmmm, Zalkin ended up travelling from place to place a lot so she never stuck around long enough to have long term childhood friends. Tetra had childhood friends, would be great if he found out what happened to them or if he even remembered who they were! Kaz.... i guess he had his trusty hunting knife

💔 - Exes One night stands across the board. Zalkin never stayed in one place long enough for a long term relationship until she started dating Runeya. Tetra has slept around, nothing he would consider serious. Kaz.... probably didnt even consider having a partner until he started adventuring with the scions, definitely no serious relationships either. I dont think you can call whatever he has going on with Zenos a... traditional romantic relationship...

⚙️ - Coworkers/boss Are dnd adventuring parties considered co workers?? I suppose Tays and Rhug are more co workers than Soomin to Zalkin. Same for Yesod, Lerissa and Flynn (and Aster) for Tetra. Tetra technically has a boss in the Scalpel leader? but hes never met them (as far as hes aware) so its hard to say what their relationship might be. Typically neither of them are fond of being told what to do. Kaz has coworkers in the Scions and theyve saved the world together several times so theyre close, and like above, theyre like family pretty much.

🔪 - Enemy/nemesis *Zenos voice* My friend my enemy. Kaz's mirror and soulmate and lover also happens to be his enemy. I guess it changes slightly over the course of the MSQ. His actual mortal enemy however is Teledji Adeledji and he is eternally mad that he never got to kill him personally Zalkin doesnt have an enemy really. Shes chill. Nothing matters anyway <3 Tetra has an....... excellent relationship with his father and I'll leave it at that.

💢 - Person they can't stand Well again for Tetra its his father. Also his younger brother to an extent. Also *sticks middle finger up at Yesod* Zalkin... again kinda chill. Kaz isnt fond of the stuck up rich pricks of Ul'dah. or the haughty snooty assholes of Ishgard.

🗑️ - "It's complicated" Kaz Zenos...... yeahg Zalkin and.. life? Everyone in this new cycle? Shes definitely hit the nihilism route. Tetra and Akorya...

©️ - Canon NPC important to them Kaz Zenos as per usual. Other than that he has the best relationship with Estinien as both the broody silent prefer-to-just-stab-the-problem type. Zalkin and Runeya of course. Even if shes not the same Runeya she's so similar its difficult to not care about her. Tetra and Shame, daddy issues club.

[linelpisffxiv]

So yesterday in a chat, we were talking about some stuff and...

Well, Lin. I love her. I love this character I made. How she went from a doll that looks like a different character that I joked about plot through to being her own character with opinions that differ from mine.

And nothing is better than how I used the DRK quest to shape her.

Lin picks it up after the Vault. She's angry at everything because her husband just died but she's in denial about it. She had a nasty screaming match at her ex-FIL because he was accepting it.

But there is a line that stands out that shaped her. During the level 50 duty, we first hear the term Weapon of Light. Myste repeats that phrase in the 70 quest, but it first showed up in the 50. And that is what shaped her. It became her greatest fear. Nowadays, that fear has existed since the bloody banquet, and reshaped how she saw the Eorzean Alliance, only tentatively accepting their apology, especially since the Exile went very differently. She still doesn't fully trust Ul'dah because she found out just how they strongarmed Gridania and Limsa into falling under their rules. She actually was an exile and wanted criminal, so Ishgard was her only safe place. (And part of her wanted to just turn herself in between "Before the Dawn" and "Coming to Ishgard") Before the Bloody Banquet, she loved being a hero. She loved the attention she got. She loved being needed. She loved feeling powerful. She did what she thought was right, but kind of for the wrong reasons. She did know pain, more than the average WoL because she saw her uncle's corpse and knew he died because she wasn't there, but she was able to grieve him and considers him a reminder of the cost if she isn't persistent. The Bloody Banquet changed how she viewed heroism.

The 50 quest ends with her accepting that yes, she is scared she'll become what she considers the weapon of light, but now that she is fully cognizant of that fear and exactly what it means, she can be persistent with finding it.

Except she cares too much, so she falls into it, and meets Zenos who she's certain is what her future will be. She nearly kills herself, thinking it'd be better for everyone if someone else saved Ala Mhigo and she can die free, but gets talked back.

But with the fears of being the Weapon at an all-time high, she finished the job and disappears, handling the 70 quest. The conclusion she comes to is that she hasn't let herself grieve and looked for a righteous cause to forget herself in. And she needs to do the former, and helping out isn't bad, it's who she is, but there's limits to it being healthy.

At no point does Lin ever quit, though. Something still pushes her foward towards heroism. It feels good to her, even if it's not because of how she felt powerful or needed or popular. It just... felt right.

But all too soon, she keeps getting asked for too much, and because it gives her what she likes, she loses herself again. Gives too much despite knowing they will ask it, because if she's not doing it, who can?

ShB is the point that changes it. For once, people are starting to see those frayed edges of her seeking what she wants but for the wrong reasons, and finally understand she can't be alone, so they finally help her. Yes, the Exarch/G'raha is the biggest. He's read of what she's like when she's fully given in, and in this timeline she's only gotten close but always pulled back.

She still fears becoming a weapon, but she has allies now that are strong enough politically to help her pull back. She had friends that cared before, but they were just some free company. Good for fighting, but little else in the eyes of the City-states. The Scions though, they're respected, and if Y'shtola tells you to bugger off and let the WoL have a six month rest with her new partner, you shut up and let the WoL have a six month rest with her new partner.

She's a bit clingy to G'raha after ShB. She lost a lover before. She doesn't want to again, but also he's the main one on the First who can tell people to back off and not use her. The Scions are loved and are almost as heroic as her and have some political power, but the Exarch is another beast entirely.

And when she returns, he may have lost a bunch of it, but he's still a Scion and helps prove himself over and over again. He has others back him up like Cid and other Scions. He commands respect from others so should have some ability to speak.

The contingent did not set Lin off worse than the others, but the whole "In from the cold" incident did set her off because it was her body doing these things, so it still hurt.

But when Zenos finally gave her his thesis statement, she was able to finally shed herself of most of the fear. She has others who can support her, but she finally has the strength to tell someone to bugger themself. She does fight and kill him, but because of where they were. If this were anywhere in Eitherys's gravity well, she would have just walked away.

She's not a weapon. She's Lin, and she finally found the right surname to define herself after trying to sort out her weird soul shit. Elpis. She's Lin Elpis and she will be that for people, but the most important person... she's Lin Elpis for herself. She's her own hopebringer.

[ultraericthered]

Anime Update V3 13

From Me To You - Avoiding Kazehaya, Yano and Yoshida due to the rumors, Sawako attempted to return to her loner ways from before she gained friends only to find she's unable to go back after having experienced companionship and shared joy with others. Yano and Yoshida, meanwhile, found themselves still so worried about Sawako during all this, signifying the sincerity of their friendship. Since the fifth episode cut off at an abrupt place, I had to watch the beginning of the next episode to see how the bathroom confrontation ended. Suffice to say, Sawako and her two girl friends are cool once again.

Hunter x Hunter - Zeno played his part in using a golden flaming Nen dragon tecnique in order to lift Netero and Mereuem away to where they're to have their big fight, while Morel continues to fight Pouf, who's now made a cocoon for himself because he's going to power up and transform, and Knuckle and Shoot are both taking on Youpi. Ikalgo is set on rescuing Palm while still using the dead Flutter as his host and has raised suspicions of other Chimera Ant troops, especially the ever suspicious and paranoid Welfin. Making it worse, Melereon also splits off from the Hunters and has to hold his breath to stay invisible, nearly running afoul of Welfin too! At the end, Gon and Killua have finally located Pitou, so Gon's ready to fight and kill!

SHUFFLE! - Welp, that arc with Primula seems resolved and I'm sort of wondering what the point of it was. Did we really need to go through all that just to get the backstory of Nerine and Lycoris, and to expunge Lycoris from Nerine so that she could discover what her real feelings were and be more seriously in the running for Rin? Maybe we'll get a deeper meaning later, but right now I'm stumped. But I guess I can say it's made Nerine a stronger character, and I like Rimu better now that I know what her deal really was the whole time.

The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II - Waver and Gray investigated into the train murder and how it might connect with the planned auction of the Mystic Eyes. Waver confrontsed Adashino about her presence on the train, and she revealed she's looking into matters of her own, such as who the mysterious patron behind Gueldoa and Trevor's unsanctioned experiments was. Waver and Gray even end up fighting a new Servant by the name of Hephaestion, and she claims to have been a confidante of none other than the King of Conquerors himself! So what's she doing nearly killing Waver here?

KonoSuba - Got to see two episodes, the first being the proper debut of Megumin's hapless best friend and sworn rival Yunyun (who's always gonna be fun to have around 'cause in the dub it's like Nico and Kasumi being rivals) and the one after where Kazuma and Aqua go dungeon crawling in a catacombs swarming with undead fiends. Not really a fan of whatever recurring bit they're doing with Darkness at Lord Aldarp's place, it feels random, gross, and a bit predictable in how you know it's not going to be how it looks like.

K-On! - Watched the premiere episode and I can definitely see the influence it had on so many later Cute Girls Do Cute Things anime, especially music-based ones like Love Live!, Sound! Euphonium, Bocchi the Rock!. and even the currently going Girls Band Cry, but I've developed no attachment to anyone yet aside from being able to indentify each girl's VA. They're funny, but that's about it so far. My only real point of contention is that I think the ED song sucks. Isn't these girls whole thing that they're the Light Music Club? A song so loud and hard does not fit with that vibe, and it's especially lacking in comparison to the opening song, which is really, really good.

Eureka Seven - This episode was spent on both Holland opening up about his past with Renton's sister during some bathtime male bonding with Renton, and Eureka deciding she wanted to express herself and her feelings for Renton through a facial makeover, which goes about as well as you'd think it would given that it's Eureka. And bookending it was scenes back at military hedquarters with Dewey analyzing and re-adjusting for his big plan, including a call for visibly shaken and frightened Anemone to play some part in it that only she can play, and acting like a gross predator again. Fuck it, as awful as Holland could be (and he still has volatile, over-aggressive moments, though at this point it's played as a joke that's at his expense too), he's actually a saint compared to that vile piece of shit brother of his!

Air - Very comforting old school Jun Maeda vibes from the start of this series, which I think was Key's first venture into a one cours anime well before Angel Beats! I don't know how to feel about Vic Mignogna as the male lead, but I do like the female lead Misuzu Kamio well enough (though her being voiced by Monica Rial makes this extra awkward); I know how bizarre this sounds but she comes off to me as sort of a human female version of Winnie the Pooh with her childlike innocence along with how cheery and clumsy she is. However, it's Misuzu's mom and that Kano girl who are my favorites so far. Though really, who names their dog "Potato" and why does said dog go around making Pikachu noises? That's just so random!

AND

The Apothecary Diaries - It was a bit of a jarring start as Maomao got abducted and sold to the Imperial City very soon into the episode but after three months have passed, we're given the plot where there are two high class ladies in conflict with each other and rumors concerning both of their children falling ill and dying due to a curse. Maomao was able to figure out what was actually causing the illness, and that it was lead-based face-powder that both women used was a particular sort of fucked up, especially when one of them loses her child due to ignoring Maomao's message while the other saves her's due to heeding it. Then this prettyboy "eunuch" determines who wrote the note and ropes her into working not only with him but as the lady-in-waiting to the mother of the child she'd helped save! It wasn't a poor premiere by any means, but I don't think it would've hit too many people's radars were it not for Maomao's constant snarky commentary and unique way of percieving with what she deals with.

[sebastianorion]

HELLO OLD FRIEND 

How I’ve missed you but also been so glad we’ve been apart, I haven’t been getting my words out, maybe because I finally feel heard in places besides a digital page. Feeling more alive but knowing that means death will be harsher than before. Reminding myself of my own mortality and that of those around me. Times New Roman doesn’t look as good as it did earlier in the page. Time has passed and things have changed and other things have stayed the same, some things have left and others have come but I don’t know about all of it and I am glad I don’t. I remember what I want to know and I throw away what I don’t. I am about to move into my grandparents home, my safe haven and sanctuary. Nothing has ever harmed me there and I wait for the day something will and I know I will be fine with it. Chasing around my cat and a lengthy shadow that has been playing tricks on me. I have the weekend off and I stopped thinking of you at the perfect time. I have finally repieced myself and it took a while but I knew I could do it. I give these pieces away and I finally have enough pieces to keep for myself. Finally I feel better, I realized it in September, it is November now and there isn’t any snow around or in sight. I know it will sneak up on us towards the end of the month, the beginning of December is the deadline, it’s just procrastinating at this point and I don’t blame them. I feel fine now. I feel fine now. I have to keep telling myself this because I don’t know if I am able to really convince myself anymore, I need that constant reassurance because I was infected with it from someone else a long time ago. It's funny how those things transfer over and plague others with the same simple things you don’t even know you need. I know I need this and so I try to get it anyway I can, trying my hardest not to pass this on any further. All of my text is self indulgent I’ve realized, just because I needed it up until this point, maybe I will need it again but until then I think I will write with a different point in mind. I don’t know yet what that will be but I will find it soon. Or I won’t and will continue still. Really just like Zeno I have finished my study, no doctor will surmise this and give me my final prescription. I have finished ! Until I start again and I’ve already made that decision. I am in love with the life I live and I live everyday the same and it's the same perfect day. Groundhog day's curse but a blessing in disguise because on this day I was never hurt, I never remembered what happened prior, I’m just teleported to a warm autumn day with the leaves still on the trees just starting to change. I am driving down Saint Lawerence going through the tree canopy after just passing God and his friends. I am everything and nothing at this moment. Going the speed of light to a sanctuary just outside of the town I have always known. I have found peace in the eye of the storm and there is so much for me to do. I feel close to ending the story because I believe another one is about to begin. Leaving my fortress of solitude, an unheard story, so unheard that it was lived before it was written and will be lived again and again. Reminisce through trial and tribulation, sometimes the fear or hurt of sitting down with this page and continuing and knowing I will continue again but something tells me now that I don’t have to do that anymore. Old friend I think I’ve overstayed my welcome just a couple pages too heavy. Just a couple sentences overstuffed and crammed with a little too much punctuation. I think the weight is light enough today for me to take it off. Endings seem immature because nothing ever ends really, just stops and gets picked back up somewhere else. I think I’ve done it.