#WoL questions

[valena-nedela]

Is your WoL/OC of a species considered native to the area where they grew up? Are they an immigrant? A refugee? A member of an established diaspora? Did they grow up moving around? As a Werlytian Au Ra, Valena was already a part of the Raen diaspora, and eventually became a refugee, as well. She grew up under the rule of Gaius van Baelsar, and while Baelsar promoted meritocracy and permitted criticism of his governance, the Empire still treated the “provincials” as second-class citizens at best. This was perfectly demonstrated when Valena was twelve and an epidemic swept through the population of Werlyt. The Empire didn't sacrifice or outright abandon the non-citizens under their control, but their health and safety was clearly a lower priority than that of the imperial citizens. Existing restrictions on the movement of non-citizens were doubled down, and traveling outside the borders of Werlyt was strictly forbidden. Still, there were those willing to risk dealing with smugglers and worse to escape the growing epidemic, and Valena's parents made the decision to arrange their daughter's escape — though they wouldn't be able to do the same, themselves. Valena was on her own, and spent her teenage years getting by with odd jobs and pawning off the handful of family possessions her parents had been able to send with her. Despite her struggles, she discovered a knack for magic, and learned that many powerful forms of magic that had been thought lost to the ages could still be found within Eorzea. Hoping this would lead to an exploitable weakness in the magically impaired Garleans — who she then still blamed for the severity of the epidemic and abuses of the people they controlled — she set out to Gridania to begin her search.

Most of us are travelers, but does your WoL/OC currently have a particular place they consider 'home'? Is it the same as where they grew up? If not, what makes it home for them? In part, Gridania, as it was where her life as a proper adventurer really began and where she forged some of her most important connections; beyond that, she just resonates with the place, finding it pleasant and calming. She also feels a similarly strong connection to Ala Mhigo, though that’s mostly because her two primary partners, Lyse and Naago, live there. She no longer feels at home in Werlyt, a fact that shocked and shamed her when she first realized it - and that she’d faced Valens, the man who had destroyed any connections she might have had left, as just another imperial. The righteous fury, the drive to see her homeland free… it had faded through the course of her adventures, being lost among all her other experiences. In a way, she’d just grown beyond it. She has begun adopting some Eastern traditions for honoring the lost, and uses them in remembrance of her home and family, but otherwise Werlyt is a chapter of her life that’s closed at this point.

How does your WoL/OC relate to the culture of their species as established in lore? Do they consider themselves a typical example of their kind? Are they in touch with their heritage? How does this affect their interactions with others of their own kind? Being part of a diaspora, particularly one under an oppressive Imperial regime, cut Valena off from a great deal of her culture and history. Her family shared what they could, but they had lived in Werlyt for generations, and Corvos for generations prior to that, and their original Othardian culture was quite diluted by that point. In that sense, having lost connection to her culture by being cut off from her history, Valena is much like many au ra, and indeed, the members of many diaspora. On the other hand, Valena has used her adventures in Yanxia as an opportunity to reconnect with the greater au ra population. She still finds the Xaela to be a bit too brutish on the whole, and the Raen of Sui-no-Sato xenophobic and regressive, but she’s been content to pick and choose from aspects of both cultures.

Is the city associated with your WoL/OC's starting class the place where their journey actually began? Did they actually come to it from outside as shown in the game, or were they born there? Do they feel welcomed or alienated by the city and its culture? Valena’s first real lessons in magic were as a Conjuror under E-Sumi-Yan, and Gridania is the place she’d name as the beginning of her adventures, though it would also be fair to say her journey began with Werlyt. And while she was an outsider to Gridania, she actually found it rather welcoming, and felt little of the xenophobia other adventurers often ascribed to it, finding the duplicity of Ul’dah or the open hostility of Limsa’s privateers more off-putting. ...though perhaps that was simply due to Gridanians very much being in the habit of showing deference to young Conjurors with horns.

Which, if any, of the major cities or cultures does your WoL/OC consider to be their childhood point-of-origin? Why did they leave? Do they go back and visit? How do they feel about coming from this place? Werlyt, and she was sent away when the Empire showed limited interest in how non-citizens fared in an epidemic. She went back during the liberation of Werlyt, of course, but beyond that she hasn’t returned. Between growing up in the Garlean occupation, fleeing the epidemic, losing her family, and everything she’s gone through as the Warrior of Light, she no longer feels any real connection to Werlyt. On the other hand, she feels like she ought to value a connection to her homeland, and feels guilty about not having that. Thanks to that, she doesn’t really like dwelling on Werlyt or her history there, and instead has begun looking into the idea of a wider au ra culture.

Has your WoL/OC ever canonically fantasia'd to another species? Have they considered doing so? If so, what made them choose that species? How does that affect their relationships with those who were born as the species they changed into? I’ve never used a Fantasia on Val. The only changes to her appearance have come courtesy of the glamour dresser or Jandelaine.

Yes I'm responding to this again — I deleted the original because I dug up the entries from another Encyclopedia Eorzea volume and made a whole stupid timeline to make sure I didn't miss anything and when you account for the ages of Gaius's kids and everything... it becomes clear that the timeline for Werlyt only makes sense if Varro rose to power after A Realm Reborn. So yeah, she only ever knew life under the governance of Gaius and I needed a different reason for her to become a refugee. Fortunately, there was this whole epidemic that made all those orphans Gaius adopted. That does mean Val is only 22, though — but I can live with that. It's just all the more reason she's easily frustrated, impulsive, and an absolute mess when it comes to romance.

FFXIV culture and geography questions!

Trying my hand at one of these lists! Reblog if you want people to send you a number, or just answer them all for character development reasons. I'm not the boss of you.

Is your WoL/OC of a species considered native to the area where they grew up? Are they an immigrant? A refugee? A member of an established diaspora? Did they grow up moving around?

Most of us are travelers, but does your WoL/OC currently have a particular place they consider 'home'? Is it the same as where they grew up? If not, what makes it home for them?

How does your WoL/OC relate to the culture of their species as established in lore? Do they consider themselves a typical example of their kind? Are they in touch with their heritage? How does this affect their interactions with others of their own kind?

Is the city associated with your WoL/OC's starting class the place where their journey actually began? Did they actually come to it from outside as shown in the game, or were they born there? Do they feel welcomed or alienated by the city and its culture?

Which, if any, of the major cities or cultures does your WoL/OC consider to be their childhood point-of-origin? Why did they leave? Do they go back and visit? How do they feel about coming from this place?

Has your WoL/OC ever canonically fantasia'd to another species? Have they considered doing so? If so, what made them choose that species? How does that affect their relationships with those who were born as the species they changed into?

[wolquestion]

11/2/24

Does your wol(oc) think they are a good person? How would they define a good person?

[wolpromptaday]

#FFXIV #WOLpromptAday

November 3, 2024

Almost everyone has a WOL ship. But have you or someone you know ever shipped with Meteor Survivor himself, even as an AU? How do you feel this would be different from a relationship with another NPC? What would it be like being the Significant Other of Meteor instead of your WOL?

[koukouture]

Please feel free to elaborate in the tags!

[pensola]

No.

M'nemesyne grew up in a setting where she received few hugs growing up, most of them from her mother, and even that mostly stopped when she turned fifteen. She does not see hugs as a way to show affection, she prefers to bump foreheads or hold people's arms if so.

However, she receives hugs... well? She is bad at giving hugs, but if someone hugs her, she will let them, and if she knows them well, she will hug them back and give them the time they need until they let go. She is still getting used to hugs being a simple show of affection and not an emotionally charged separation or danger.

Does your WoL give good hugs?

[anneapocalypse]

Feel free to elaborate in notes, reblogs, etc!

For the purposes of this poll, "family of origin" means any family who raised them at any point in childhood, including adoptive family.

[lilas]

✨ 22 Dawntrail Inspired WoL/OC Questions ✨

A little list of WoL/OC questions based on the events of Dawntrail. Feel free to reblog so people can ask about your WoL’s experiences in Tural!

Though vague in places, this list contains many spoilers. Please be considerate of new players and tag with #dawntrail spoilers

—

Why did they agree to accompany Wuk Lamat to Tural?

What was the first thing they did when they arrived in Tuliyollal?

What was their initial impression of the four claimants? How did this change over the course of the story?

What is their impression of Gulool Ja Ja? Do they agree with his method of cultivating leadership?

How do they feel about Wuk Lamat looking up to them as a mentor figure? Did this attitude change as the story progressed?

How did they feel about competing against Thancred and Urianger?

Were they happy with the outcome of the rite of succession?

Why did they want to explore Xak Tural? Were they happy to have Erenville along as a guide or would they have preferred to explore on their own?

What was going through their mind when the dome dropped?

What were their first impressions of the Alexandrians?

What was their initial impression of Sphene? How did this change as the story progressed?

What was their opinion of the culture of recycling souls and the use of regulators? Did this change as the story progressed?

What was their initial impression of Cahciua?

How did they feel about the Endless?

What was their experience like in Living Memory?

What are their thoughts about the Key?

The theme of family and legacy is repeated throughout Dawntrail—did this theme resonate with your character? Were there specific moments relating to family that impacted them?

What important relationships changed or developed throughout Dawntrail?

What was their favorite location in Tural?

Do they lean more Tuliyollal or more Solution Nine?

If they had to summarize their journey in Tural, what would they say?

What are they doing now?

[zylphiacrowley]

Was just sitting here thinking about themes and characters and such and now I have a question:

Does your WoL/OC's story have a central theme(s)?

[ooeygooeyghoul]

Okay I'm really really curious. I need the numbers.

[orionbun-wolqotd]

Can your WoL handle alcoholic drinks?

[wol-questions]

Is there a side to your WoL that they try very hard not to let others see?

[valena-nedela]

Varied.

The "colibri pink is her natural color it's just an au ra thing" thing remains character canon.

Also it's been changed three more times since that post, too.

10/19/24

How would you describe your wol(oc)'s hair?

[uldahstreetrat]

oh hey look a wol question!

is your wol/oc looking forward to Dawntrail?

will it be a nice vacation? a new fun adventure compared to the world ending chaos they've dealt with previously? or are they less than thrilled? does it feel like they've been given just another job to do? are they only going because they want new places to go fishing?

[swiftcast-selene]

✨ pre-dawntrail wol questions! ✨

over on our little server i've been asking a WoL development question a day until dawntrail and it's been well-recieved so far, so after a month of doing it i figured i may as well put them on here~

use them to draft your own posts! send each other asks about them! answer them in the tags! do whatever you want with them, as long as you're having fun!

how is your wol about personal hygiene? are they on top of it? always perfumed and spotless, a little messy sometimes, or do they have to be reminded to groom?

is there a texture your wol absolutely can't stand, either food or feeling-wise? or is it not something they tend to worry about? do they go to great lengths to avoid it or do they just power through it?

what is your wol's evening routine? do they prepare for the next day? do they just wing it? do any weapon or gear upkeep? just pass out because that's tomorrow them's problem?

how does your wol's echo manifest itself? do they see visions as they happen? all at once? delayed? do they get any physical symptoms from it?

does your wol have any siblings? how do they get along with them? is it a good relationship or is it tense?

how does your wol feel about romance? are they a hopeless romantic, waiting for The One, or are they more casual? do they believe in soulmates?

how does your wol feel about their hair? is it important to them? just kind of in the way? who cuts it? do they take good care of it or are they not particularly fussed about it?

how good is your wol at taking care of their armor/clothes? do they mend them themself? pay to gave it fixed? just change it when it gets old?

what's in your wol's travel bag? any trinkets? any vital items they cant go without? do they travel light and figure stuff out on the fly, or do they bring way too much with them? (bonus points if you have images!)

how does your wol sleep? very light? very heavy? do they need a specific item to fall asleep? is it easy for them to fall asleep, or does it take them forever? where do they prefer sleeping?

where was your wol during the last calamity? how did it make them feel? did it change their life, and if yes, for better or for worse?

shadowbringers spoilers: how did they feel being so... up and personal with another calamity? did they feel responsible? scared? did they feel like they owed the first to stop it, or were they more detached from the situation?

for the canon casters: what does casting magic feel like to your wol? how does being "out of mana" feel?

for the physical fighters: how does it feel when they do those impossible moves? the twirls, the jumps? do they supplement with aether? dynamis? is it purely physical or is something else involved?

what would your wol be if they weren't the wol? what would they do as a job or career? would they be happier?

is your wol good at cooking? what's their specialty? what can they never get right no matter how hard they try? what flavour profile are they good at cooking? what do they eat on the road?

out of all the scions, which one is the one your wol gets along with the best? what about the one they get along with the least? why?

how good is your wol with money? do they save up? scrounge around? spend it with wild abandon?

what would you say is your wol's greatest flaw? what part of their personality causes them the most problems?

what is your wol's best quality? what's the thing that they do that really gets stuff done of makes people like them? hard mode: their own perception vs. a friend or partner's perception.

what does your wol do to unwind? any hobbies? reading? sewing? croquet? sitting in a dark room in complete silence?

how good are your wol's table manners, based on their own culture? how does it compare to ishgardian table manners? eorzean? doman? steppe?

what is your wol's inner monologue like? do they refer to themself as "i"? "we"? "you"? is it organized or all over the place? are they kind to themself, or do they chide themself constantly?

what's your wol's relationship with food? do they skip meals or do they eat at specific times religiously? is food important to them, or is it just a means to an end to keep their body going? does food mean something cultural or personal to them?

what is your wol's relationship with their family? are they estranged? still very close? tense?

what does your wol think about lying? is it unacceptable to ever lie, are white lies okay, are they a pathological liar? how do they feel about people who lie to them?

how does your wol feel about allag in general? the tech, the experimenting, the crystal tower? any thoughts on allagan ruins? are they impressed, scared, resentful, neutral?

what sense does your wol most rely on? hearing, touch, sight, smell, taste? maybe even aethersense or dynamis?

how does your wol feel about mind-altering substances? do they partake? do they dislike them? are they neutral? do they take them socially, or anytime, or not at all?

how does your wol feel about children? do they want them? like them from a distance? hate them? no strong feelings?

how does your wol work out? lifting? sports? walking? how often do they do it? is it for fun or to keep up their physique? do they enjoy it?