#I also ugly cried when we parted ways with Aurene

[ooc-miqojak]

Having thought about this prior... and strangely, at length? GW2 (Guild Wars 2) commander - because all the main character protags can only be defined by the setting they're in/held up against. As far as capabilities and power and also the ability to bring disparate peoples together, only the FFXIV WoL comes close to GW2 Commander. And Commander isn't like the WoL - they're not 'the chosen one', they don't have a lightning bolt on their forehead, or special powers from a time before time. The Commander is... just a guy (or gal, or whatever you want) - they're just a person who helped to save the planet once, and just kept getting roped into it. In a world where the gods have long since left, Commander is tasked with killing the only god left: the now-insane god of war.

Ans you fail. You die. You go to the realm of death, that has no keeper... but lots of failsafes, and despite being 'just some guy'... you do what has never been done before: you crawl right back out of the underworld. Because your friends need you. Because the world is in peril, and only you can lead the charge. Because you have to be there to see Taimi grow up - and Aurene, too. You have to give them a fighting chance in a world where nothing is certain anymore.

And when brawn and magic isn't enough, Commander isn't afraid to listen to their friends and peers - one of whom is a disabled child genius with a terminal illness. And sometimes, even though Commander is doing the heavy lifting... your friends' intelligence and courage is what actually saves the day - you just had to make sure they could enact their plans. It's not always about you, even though you're one of a kind yourself... by sheer virtue of the spite you're running on, I think, lol.

Commander suffers, though - they lose many a friend in the innumerable battles along the way, and I like the snark and weariness that begins to weight their voicelines. But you never forget those who died to aid you in your quest to save the world (- but it's not shoved down your throat like the constant Haurchefant stuff in XIV /cough).

In XIV, the story is predictable and the WoL is special - a chosen one, more powerful than anyone else by virtue of a soul rejoined many times over... and I appreciate Commander a bit more for not being special. They're forced to break limits, and even die for what they fight for - and their companions aren't perfect either. They're all fallible and relatable... and sometimes they fall in combat. Other times, they're just a young man with mommy issues who needs to find himself, and make a name for himself outside of his mother's shadow; and yet other times, your friends are a pair of lesbians who have lost their fair share of loved ones along the way, and couldn't be more different from one another, yet found a safe place in one another... and when the world is finally safe, your band of misfits comes together to celebrate their love at a small, beautiful wedding. I'll forever be more attached to those companions than any others, I think.

At least until this most recent expansion...GW2 story was solid, and despite not playing in a long while, it holds a special place in my heart. (Special mention to DA:O protag though /cough)

theres very limited options for this so i tried to pick the most "popular" ones i personally see from my mutuals !! if your favourite you think is an Obvious Choice isn't included you may curse me for 1,000 years.

ofc feel free to tag which specifically is your favourite :D and pls reblog for reach!!