#ITS A PAINFUL QUEST

[kaeyachi]

I finished the 5.1 archon quest...

first off, its a long one, and you will be actively moving for over 2 hours (and I do mean active) so you might need to time yourselves before starting Natlan AQ4.

not gonna lie, i dont think i have the emotional capability to function much after finishing it. the fact that for 2 entire hours of the AQ 4, I was full on sobbing...

heavy spoilers for genshin 5.1 below:

himeko death flags are still here

seeing a monster and death counter was haunting. Both of those rising as i proceed was haunting

being given a choice where to go and knowing you not going to the other location could mean that group's death was also haunting

arriving too late to several locations and seeing all of those dead bodies scattered was haunting

chuychu's death was so damn painful, and chasca's reaction hurt too (im thinking of Kaeya and Diluc in that position so I hurt myself more

finding out vichama died was a slap to the face but hey, at least he and his friend are together again

the cutscenes were cool but my tears made them hard to see so i might need to watch them on youtube later

hearing a baby saurians cries as the lone survivor... hnghh...

but there are some good too

the will to fight, the kindness and compassion from everyone. it really motivated me to go crazy despite fighting the abyss for OVER AN HOUR

finally i have 1 more confirmation and that is the fact that Mavuika is a member of the Scions of the Canopy, but what surprised me is finding out Burkina is her childhood best friend (i guess that's where the Kinich favoritism came from)

Capitano is still open to being Anfortas Alberich, Perinheri, or any other member of the sinners list of Khaenri'ah

wait i got reminded, but yes mavuika punched the false sky so hard she opened us all up to HSR lmao

more edit coz some thoughts popped up

i genuinely figured that Chasca was our last chosen one coz she was our only option from the flower-feather clan, but the fact that it took the death of chuychu...AFTER THEY GAVE US A MINI PORTION WITH THEM WORKING TOGETHER?!?!?!?! foooooouuuulll

Paimon's reaction at seeing all the dead bodies... her being left to no other reaction but to gasp...she sounds like she wants to cry...and this is a repeated event of us seeing a group of dead bodies in several locations. Just arriving too late far too many times...yeah it left my heart heavy...

there was a long period of time where kinich is the only one left on the map, so honestly Ajaw asking how tf he survived is so effing real like BRO??? HUH??

for a moment, the death counter reached over 4k and i looked at it in horror until the number went back to 1k+ (which is still horrifying), and i never thanked the ode to resurrection as much as i did until that moment pls

I need a breather. the quest is lore and emotions heavy.

[sapphire-rb]

Unused DQB2 Hammers

And now some Malroth with old Hela's hammer content

[scattered-winter]

there's something sooooooo heartbreaking about quests as a narrative piece. you set out on this journey to rescue someone or defeat a great evil and along the way you face hardship and horror and you grieve and fight and love and lose and then when it's all over you come home. everything is the same as when you left, but you're so irrevocably different that you no longer fit in the one place you used to be truly at peace. you're tired from your journey but you find no rest or recovery, only ghosts. and you almost wish for another quest, another dangerous mission, because at least then you know your purpose.

[pilkypills]

The hobbit movieverse timeline makes absolutely no sense and it hurts me

[avirael]

FFxivWrite 2024

Day 22 - Return (Free Day)

A part of Rael thought that all of this was going to smoothly. Or maybe for once they were simply lucky. Not only had they been able to free Flame General Raubahn from Ilberd’s imprisonment, it also seemed as if Sultana Nanamo truly wasn’t dead. Not only were this very good news on its own but it would also absolve the Scions from all accusations that had been made against them - public or not.

Going back to Vesper Bay and the Waking Sands still felt peculiar and so did hiding Raubahn there, but Yugiri had assured them that she herself had checked if the place was safe and not watched by their enemies. The Au Ra had so far proven one of their most loyal and competent allies and so Rael didn’t doubt her words.

Neither did they doubt the information Yugiri and her shinobi had gathered this time. Given the possibility that the sultana had only been poisened and was just asleep, instead of dead, the most likely person to know how to wake her up would be the one who had administered the poison. Suspiciously one of the sultana’s personal chambermaids had vanished from the palace without a trace only a few days after the incident.

Now Yugiri had apparently found out that the woman was hiding at no other place than the Silver Bazaar. The mention of this name alone made A’viloh’s ears attentively shoot up. Rael could only imagine what the prospect of returning to the place, that now was the closest thing to a home for him, must feel like.

Raubahn suggested that, to stay unseen for as long as possible and also to fasten their journey, it would be best to take a boat from Vesper Bay, around Crescent Cove and past the Beaconhill Lighthouse to travel to the Bazaar. For understandable reasons A’viloh visibly didn’t like this idea. But of course none of the persons present - except Rael - knew that A’viloh had not only lived at the Silver Bazaar for about a year but also had been washed ashore there after a shipwreck and likely the most horrible time of his life.

“Wouldn’t it be smarter to split up?”, Rael suggested. “If A’viloh and I travel over land, just the two of us, we could certainly stay undected. This way we could approach the settlement from both ways at the same time and make sure our target doesn’t get away.”

Nothing would happen to the Miqo’te of course on a simple boat trip from here to the Bazaar and he probably could not hide from this phobia forever but in this case Rael didn’t see any reason to make him unnecessarily uncomfortable. Besides, the reason they had brought up was in fact a good one and so it was decided that just as Rael had suggested the two of them would travel over land while the rest of them would take a boat. They would keep in contact via linkpearl and make sure both groups were safe and would arrive at the same time.

As expected their journey went without issues. The area was sparsely populated apart from Vesper Bay and Horizon but even there weren’t too many guards present and they passed without being recognised.

“We should speak to Kikipu first.”, Rael suggested as the two of them walked towards the settlement. “I am sure she knows best about everything happening at the Bazaar.”

Vehemently A’viloh nodded and if his tail hadn’t been hidden by his coat, Rael was sure it would have excitedly wagged back and forth. As they walked into the settlement Pipin approached them from the harbor side and decided to keep an eye on the gate, while A’viloh had already spotted the small Lalafell woman with the lavender colored hair.

“Hello…”, he said shyly as they stepped toward her, almost as if he felt bad for having vanished for so long without a word.

Surprised she turned around and looked up to the familiar voice. Upon seeing the Miqo’te in his disguise, which obviously did nothing to hide his identity from her, the surprise on her face turned into a mix of disbelief and relieved happiness.

“A’vi? Is it really you?”, she asked quietly.

The Miqo’te knelt down, pulled back his hood and apologetically smiled at her. “Hello, Kikipu.”

Instantly the Lalafell raised her hands to her mouth and her eyes got glassy. “A’vi! My boy! I missed you so much! I was so horribly worried something could have happened to you.”

A’viloh leant forward, hugging her tightly and she returned the hug in equal manner. “I missed you too! And I am so sorry I left without saying goodbye or at least sending a letter. Believe me, I thought about it. But I feared it would only put you in danger…”

“In danger?”, Kikipu asked a little shocked. “So something happened after all? There were rumours about turmoil in the city that day you visited the festivities at the palace.”

“I can’t explain everything now, but I promise that I will soon. Just know that whatever you heard about us is nothing but lies.”, A’viloh pleaded, holding her tiny hands tightly in his own.

“I thought so...”, she said and nodded firmly. “A few days after the festivities strange, unfriendly men in blue uniforms appeared here and started asking questions about you.”

“The Crystal Braves?”, A’viloh asked alarmed. “Did they harm you?”

“Harm me? You think I let anybody bully me?”, the Lalafell laughed. “I said you weren’t here and told them to get lost!”

A’viloh chuckled. “Yes, I can imagine that.”

“But why are you here now?”, Kikipu wondered.

“We are looking for a midlander woman, who was one of the sultana’s chambermaids. It is possible she is to blame for what happened at the palace that day.”, A’viloh explained and added, “But I promise, we only want to talk to her.”

“Meriel?”, the Lalafell asked surprised and A’viloh nodded. “Yes, that was her name!”

„I admit she seemed troubled when she returned from the city but I never would have suspected her to be involved in something bad…“, she seemed seriously unsettled by this news. „To think that maybe you got in trouble because of her… Oh, what a fool I was!“

„No, don’t blame yourself.“, the Miqo’te comforted her. „You did nothing wrong. I know you would never turn away someone needing help.“

So far Rael had only watched and it had been truly heartwarming to see the two of them reunited, but during the whole time Rael had also scanned the rest of the town, watching the others questioning some of the remaining villagers and keeping an eye out for their target. Rael preferred to find the woman in question before she noticed the unusual visitors and decided to flee.

„Can we speak to Meriel though?“, Rael asked impatiently and Kikipu hesitantly nodded and pointed towards one of the buildings. „She lives there.“

Once again A‘viloh hugged her.

„I promise we will speak later. But this matter cannot wait sadly…”

Kikipu smiled and patted his head.

“Just don’t vanish again without a word.”

[ship-garbage-pile]

Respect to all the healers out there. Where do you find THE STRENGTH to do this daily??

[theladyfae]

i think human nature/family of blood is a really good two parter in how it manages to show how full of shit ten is 🫶

[itsmespicaa]

"Seeds of Stories, Brought by the Wind..." (part 2/2)

(part 1 here!)   

⚠️ Contains Sumeru Archon Quest SPOILER !!!

Fun fact: Nahida’s voiceline ‘When it’s windy’ is: “The wind never blows in the Sanctuary of Surasthana...Oh, sorry. That's probably obvious to you.” I’m not crying what tHE FUC-

The fic continuation of the last page is below :D

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

Venti shouted, waving and practically flying to her, “Buer!”

It seemed that Nahida had just escaped from a room of her people asking for her guidance and advice on what to do next with the Akademiya, from the way she was stunned at the unexpected call of her true name. 

“Eh…?”

Without warning, he grasped her smaller hands in his as the wind sang and blew wildly around them, reflecting his unrepressed joy.

Venti laughed: “Ah…it’s been much too long!”

The Traveler ran to them before looking around, worried that others would be suspicious of the strange interaction of their archon and a strange bard from afar. But it seems most had to cover their eyes due to the strong wind just a while ago, and when they turned to Venti with a raised eyebrow, he just winked at them.

“This hardly seems like a proper place for a reunion between old friends–what say you, oh Dendro Archon?”

It seems Venti’s antics finally caught up with Nahida, who smiled back, albeit more subdued than the former. “Alright. Let’s go somewhere more private.”

~0~

In a flurry of white feathers and verdant leaves, they all reappeared inside the Sanctuary, the quiet ambience enveloping them gently like a cradle to a newborn babe.

“Mm, I haven’t been here in a very long time…” Venti sighed, eyes closed as though to listen even closer to the whispers behind the walls. When he opened them again, his eyes reflected the vibrant green like fireflies at night. “It feels familiar and yet…completely reborn.”

Unbeknownst to any of them, the Traveler’s eyes widened slightly at his remarks, lips shaking slightly with words they’ve agreed to never speak of.

“I guess…that’s what happens when you lose your memories,” Venti finally turned to Nahida with a forlorn smile, who had simply been observing him from beside the Traveler. The Dendro Archon clenched her hands together before walking up to him, meeting his gaze.

“...Barbatos,” Nahida started, “just as the wind blows the seeds of every story all across Teyvat, I’m sure the wind has told you of the story that was uncovered in Sumeru as well. I…I apologize for not greeting you in a manner befitting a fellow Archon, but I would like to extend my hand in friendship once more just as I did all those years ago.”

To her surprise, Barbatos simply giggled, his airy laughter jingling like bells. “I never knew how adorably anxious you felt when we first met~!”

Going down on his knees, he enveloped her gently like a mother bird brooding its younglings, catching the other archon off guard. “And our friendship never ended,” he said, his voice tapering off into a whisper, “no matter where you are in the endless river of time, you will always be a dear friend of mine, Buer.”

Nahida felt…comfort, familiar and oh so warm, an old memory that did not feel hers resurfacing from under the rubble, like a tiny sapling that willed itself to survive amidst the harsh and unforgiving nature imposed onto it.

After a second of hesitation, she returned the hug, burying her face in the awfully familiar scent of dandelions and wind, wanting to keep this feeling with her for eternity no matter what.

But alas, nothing lasts forever.

“I also heard from a certain Traveler,” Venti nodded at the quiet person watching them from a distance, “that the wind…never blows inside this tiny bird cage of yours. I see what you mean now.”

He stood up and summoned his lyre, walking to the middle of the platform, to the place she was trapped in for half a millennium. The place where the wind could not reach, where her tears and anxieties remained unseen and hidden from the world, her fate sealed by the people she was born to protect.

Strumming his lyre, he beamed at her: “Time to correct that!”

A gentle breeze flowed within her former cage, caressing her cheeks and the tips of her feet, bumping into her as though asking her to come play with them. Nahida’s eyes glimmered as silver white wings sprouted from Venti’s back, feathers floating in the air as he sang.

Ah…this voice…

Memories flooded her vision as snapshots of beautiful moments blurred past her eyes, untouched by the ravages of time. The tiny sapling grew larger and larger until it touched the sky above, to where they would return to. Singing together with the Aranara, the gathering of the first Seven, memories never lucid enough for her to see in detail but the emotions. Oh the emotions she experienced then…

(...She?)

Nahida did not realize the tears dripping onto the floor until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, startling her to reality as she watched Venti glide down and extend a hand towards her, a gentle smile on his lips as he beckoned for her:

“Come sing with me? For old times’ sake.”

Ah…How could she refuse?

With a wide grin, she took his hand and sang.

No one but the Traveler and their floating companion would be the witness to this beautiful moment shared between the two neighboring archons, the two old friends separated by time and the earth itself. 

One born of the thousands of branches of time, while the other sprouted from the purest branch of an ancient tree.

[improper-use-of-mystran-rituals]

I'm so normal about these two (I'm not)

The ref comes from here

(psst: you can find the nsfw version here 👀)

[b-blushes]

saturday quest! - family time in the pm (: - would like to make a playlist am - i think there's something else on my to-do list that is a 'leisure' task but my planner is in the other room. it's a tying up loose ends kind of thing and i think i'm feeling avoidant about it hence its presence on my list 😅 i gotta stop putting things off because i knoooooow it makes me feel worse! BASICALLY i would like to have a nice and semi-restful day <3

next week is going to be extremely intense and whilst i know i can handle it, it is going to take a lot of skills. i gotta remember that i can do it and also that i can do my best to make use of knowing what makes things feel worse and work to Not To That!!!!!!!

[paimonial-rage]

The biggest recommendation I can give on writing dialogue that sounds in character for the character to say is, not to read the quests they are in, but to listen to the English dub whenever you get the chance. This may seem difficult especially if you are used to playing it in another language, but listening is key to getting the vibe of a character down. What you pay attention to is, not what they say, but the cadence in which they say it. Pay attention to the emotion in their voice, the speed at which they say things, the volume, etc. Once you get this down, it becomes easier to get an idea of what “sounds” right and what doesn’t. Cadence is an especially powerful thing. By training your ears to a character’s cadence, you can get a better idea of which words they would prefer to use, the lengths of their sentences, and things of the sort.

For example, reader asks Zhongli to dinner and he accepts. How would he respond? “Hmm, I’m not busy this evening, so I accept. Thank you for the invitation.” But that doesn’t sound right, does it? Is Zhongli the type of person that uses many contractions? I don’t think so, so let’s fix it. “Hmm, I am not busy this evening, so I accept. Thank you for the invitation.” But would he say “I accept?” Perhaps, but it still doesn’t sound right. How has he accepted proposals in the past? A bit of research shows he has said “sure.” How can I mix that in? “Hmm, I’m not busy this evening, so sure. Thank you for the invitation.” But hmm… the second sentence doesn’t sound right. What else could he say instead? “Hmm, I’m not busy this evening, so sure. It would be my pleasure.” That sounds a lot better.

Some people may ask why you can’t do these things while listening to another language. Personally, I don’t believe you can. If you are not fluent in those other languages, your ears are not properly trained enough to understand the nuance of the ways they speak. The correct emotion and tone will come through, yes, but you still won’t be able to intuitively know what sounds right and what does not. You only will get this sense by listening to it in the language you choose to write in.

The only downside to this is that your writing will become based upon the English translation of the game. As many people know, the portrayal of characters in English often does not completely match the portrayals in Chinese. This is especially so for characters like Zhongli, Xiao, and Kaeya. A lot is lost in the translation and dubbing process. Characters do not vibe the same. Thus, your portrayals will be more true to English, but not how it technically is “supposed” to be. Personally, I don’t necessarily believe this is a bad thing. However, it is something that can bother people. The only way I can imagine getting around it is by playing the game with the Chinese dub and by following accounts that speak Chinese and can give insight on the literal translations and what they mean and imply.

[silenab]

idk i still think luke's scar should've been worse

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

oughh......

[tomurakii]

Ough lord take all my pain and suffering (period cramps + exam season) and bestow it upon my enemies (sunday hsr)

[codajaiden]

OQD spoilers (me going crazy)

" I can't... He's my friend. "

And Diamond stops on his tracks as he heard that, he turned around and faced on the door where Lapis is, but he didn't disturb him.

Chat what if I cried

What if the world was ending because of how much I love their dynamic 😭

OQD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MEEEEEEE

[dawnslight-aegis]

5. stamp

The sun rested low on the horizon as Aymeric walked the streets of the Firmament, the streets quiet and calm in the impending gloom. He had intended to come pay a visit to a few of his former knights, who had been forced into early retirement by Nidhogg’s assault on the Steps of Faith, but the day’s work had run overlong and the hour grew too late for a social call. The men had taken up working at an orphanage, and he wanted to see for himself how they were handling the change in vocation. There had been too many injuries at the end of the war, too many good men and women forced to lay down the sword when it was all they’d ever known. Many chafed at the loss of purpose, especially if they had been discharged entirely, rather than moved to a support role within the knighthood.

Rasequin and his compatriots especially had protested, bitterly, being assigned to “play nursemaid” for orphans, but Aymeric intended for them to see what their blood had bought – not victory over the horde, but the protection of the future. And if the cheerful voices of both children and former knights was any indication, he had chosen well.

He rested his palms on the railing of an upper pathway, content to watch from a distance as the orphanage yard was filled with the bustle of children returning from whatever mischief they had accomplished that day, a large pot of stew simmering in the middle, with his former men handing out bowlfuls to any who reached for them. A tiny chocobo chick darted between small feet, and Aymeric wondered where in Halone’s name a bunch of cityborn children had gotten such a pet.

His answer came sooner than he expected, as three elezen youths rounded a corner and the chick ran straight to the tallest, a girl, who scooped it up in her arms and turned, presenting it to the figure, not much taller than herself, who slowly came into view behind her. A slow smile spread across Aymeric’s face as the figure pulled down the hood of her cloak and accepted the chocobo chick – he would know that particular shade of golden hair anywhere. Kaede lifted the chick to eye-level, giving it a visibly thorough looking-over (as well as a few scritches) before nodding and handing it back to the girl, who beamed at whatever she’d been told.

Aymeric watched, enraptured, as Kaede walked through the busy courtyard of the orphanage, stopping to speak with several children that waved at her or tugged on her cloak for her attention, seeming utterly unbothered by their chattering. Eventually she made her way to the center and exchanged a few words with Rasequin, words that Aymeric wished were not swallowed entirely by the winds.

The impulse to go down the stairs and join her warred with the wish to not run the risk of spoiling the warm, joyful mood that suffused the scene. He may have been well-respected in Ishgard, from highborn to low, but Kaede was loved. Indeed, the common people of the Holy See blatantly adored her, and why shouldn’t they? She helped end a brutal war, embodied knightly virtues his people had valued for generations, and personally helped rebuild a good portion of the city. Her appearance was greeted with smiles and requests for help, while his own often elicited wariness and concern.

After a few moments she waved goodbye to the children and stepped back out into the street, pulling her hood back up over her head. With horns and tail hidden beneath her cloak, at a distance she could have easily been mistaken for a hyur woman as she wove her way through twisting streets. She disappeared from his view, but it wasn’t long before he heard familiar footsteps on the cobblestones behind him. He turned and watched as she made her way towards him, stopping at each lamppost to brush fingertips over wrought iron, a small pulse of aether lighting the clear crystals that were set behind glass atop each one. Finally she reached his side, as the last sliver of the sun disappeared over the western horizon, and the only light was that which she had brought with her.

“I had thought to do my duty as Lord Commander and ensure that my men were settling in well here, but it seems that you had that particular responsibility well in hand, my lady,” Aymeric said with a smile, forgoing a greeting or foolish question about how she had known he was here. As she had informed him on more than one occasion, his armor made him quite easy to spot.

Kaede hummed in agreement as she looped one arm around one of his own, linking their fingers together. The casual, affectionate gesture made him smile wider – making their betrothal public meant that they no longer needed to be as discreet as they had been in the past, but he still wasn’t accustomed to it.

“I was taking a walk last week, and a woman approached me about some suspicious men lingering around the orphanage, so I looked into it, which introduced me to Rasequin. Then a few of the children wanted my advice on how to earn some extra coin for the orphanage, and somehow that led to them making a coat for a hunter from Tailfeather I know, and being paid in both coin and chocobo chick. I’ve been stopping by every few days to see how things are going.” She leaned into him and went quiet for a long moment, then looked up and tilted her head at him consideringly. “You should have come down. It would do you some good to spend some time with people, rather than politics or paperwork.”

Ears warming in faint embarrassment that she had so easily seen through him, he nodded. “Perhaps I will accompany you, when next you make your way here. I have not had many occasions to walk these streets after their restoration – this may be the only place in Ishgard that you know better than I do. I would not be surprised if half the masonry in the Firmament bore your mark stamped into the stone, with how much time you spent here during the rebuilding.”

Pleased at having obtained his agreement, Kaede tugged his hand, and they fell in step as they made their way back towards the gate to the Brume. “Not much masonry, actually. Stonework has never been my specialty, though I did make more than a few braziers, as well as most of the ovens in the homes, and what felt like damn near every lamppost in the district.” As they passed one of the latter, she reached up and tapped a spot at the center of the wrought iron ornamentation. The crystal flickered to life at her touch, and illuminated a simple mark where she had touched: a pair of matching Eorzean letters, two Ks overlapping one another. Though theoretically they could have belonged to anyone, he recognized them from countless missives he’d received from all corners of the star, and beyond.

“Braziers, ovens, and lampposts… Bringing literal light and warmth to my people, as well as the figurative kind.” Aymeric’s voice was lightly teasing, because he knew that were he to say such a thing sincerely, as he truly felt, Kaede would grumble and grow uncomfortable. Instead, all he recieved was an eyeroll and a reluctant smile.

“Yes, yes, very funny. If you hadn’t noticed, it’s rather cold and dark at the moment, so I could do with some light and warmth of the at home and curled up in front of the fireplace variety, if it’s all the same to you, good ser.”

“Of course, my lady. I am at your disposal.”

Soft laughter echoed off the stones, and Aymeric thought that this place, so indelibly marked by her own hand, was a greater tribute to her heroism than any song or statue.