#can't have shit in eorzea......

[icehearts]

born to fish, forced to fight. [ audio ]

[shera-dnd]

I have decided against my better judgement to be weird about the Dawntrail MSQ

and we can't talk about an expansion set in the fantasy americas without talking about

COLONIALISM

oh yeah, we're going there baby

So disclaimer that I may be brazilian, but my ass is white as hell, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Also if any native americans have made posts on this please let me know so I can boost their analysis as well

Also also I'm more than happy to delete this post if I mess up. I'm genuinely trying to make a thoughtful analysis, so if I fuck up just say the word and this thing is gone from this website

Oh also also also, Dawntrail MSQ spoilers ahead!

So FFXIV has had a... messy relationship with colonialism over the years

The fact that the major antagonists for the first half of A Realm Reborn a literally called "beast man tribes" is absolutely not a good start to this story

Add to that the fact that The Twelve (Eorzea's gods) are shown to be kind all powerful deities, while the Primals (the tribal gods) are evil spirits summoned to bring destruction to the world

and yeah no ARR is not good with that shit. It's EXTREMELY not good. If I hadn't been told it got better later on I would have dropped this shit before I got to Titan

But they have been taking steps to unfuck things. First we're shown that even the "civilized societies" (in this case the catholic elves) can summon Primals, then that Primal summoning isn't an actual native custom but was introduced by foreigners with malicious intent, and that not all "beast man" practice that

Then they changed the names of the "Beast Man Tribe Quests" to "Tribal Quests" and then finally to "Allied Society Quest"

Which would have been an empty gesture had like half of the post-Shadowbringer patches, as well a lot of Endwalker, not been about forming alliances with those people and working together with them, recognizing that they have as much right to the land and to life as any Eorzean, this all culminating on the Primals being summoned with the express purpose of helping you protect the world you all share

I guess they realized that they couldn't have their big bad for most of the game be the evil expansionist empire, if they didn't like actually reflect in their own imperialist fantasies they were propagating

Then the teaser trailer for Dawntrail drops and everyone in the fandom is like "wait... are we gonna do a colonialism?"

And memes were abound of how all those lessons from before don't apply to the "New World" of Tural

THANKFULLY the actual questline leading to Dawntrail helped to settle some of those worries

We're not going to Tural to explore a new uncharted land, but are actually being invited over by the local royalty in order to aid them with their right of succession. We get introduced to the nation of Tuliyollal and how it's a thriving land with its own culture and not just a "terra nil" waiting to be colonized

Still there are some worries that this is gonna turn out poorly and that we're just gonna end up being white saviors

But I think they managed to avoid that pretty well

For starters neither the Scions nor the Warrior of Light are the protagonists of this story. You're all simply supporting character's in Wuk Lamat's story

A story that centers her people, her culture, and her family

And it's not even one culture. They don't portray Tuliyollal as this monolithic mish mash of every single native american culture

No, the lands of Tural are in fact comprised of multiple different people's and nations, each of them with their own customs and traditions which are informed by their history and the lands they live in

In fact learning about their cultures and partaking in their customs is the whole point of the Rite of Succession. It's all set up so that the next Dawnservant would be someone who understands and respects each of the peoples that comprise Tural

(I could, and probably will, write about what Dawntrail has to say about what makes a good ruler)

And our girl, Wuk Lamat, is shown to be the rightful heir because she really goes out of her way to understand each of the nations and show her appreciation for their customs

Putting her well above her Sharlyaboo brother Koana, The King of Unresolved Daddy Issues Zoral Ja, and whatever the fuck is going on with Bakool Ja Ja

(I joke, I love my two headed traumatized dumbass)

Tho I will admit that this does end up giving the tribes a somewhat "planet of the hats" vibe. Like their named NPCs are diverse and interesting, but you can just assume that most random NPCs of any given people are gonna act according to the stereotype

Which is unfortunate, but I have hopes that with the next few patches and the addition of Dawntrail's own Allied Society Quests, we'll get to see more to them

But that... is only up to lvl95 and the end of the Yok'Tural (southern Tural) segment

because then we get to Xak'Tural (northern Tural) and holy shit does it feel like they drop the ball there

Like they really COULDN'T keep themselves from making Shaaloani a fucking Wild West map

Instead of doing anything with the actual cultures and histories of Native North American people, they just do wild fucking west

Because there's ceruleum in them thar hills! And apparently Koana turned most of the region into Sharlyaboos too

So we get a bunch of Wild West frontier towns mixed with native american tribes and mud brick cities. We have trains and guns and a sheriff and a duel at high noon, but now everyone got native american names

At least there's one group off to the northern side of the map who seems to stick to tradition and live in harmony with nature, and that group is shown respect by the other people of the region

so we at the very least avoid the "cowboys vs indians" crap, but my god does that region just feel bad compared to everything else they had done so far

Then we get to the big twist: THE CYBERPUNK PORTION OF THE GAME

because yes, we go full fucking cyberpunk

so turns out that a whole segment of Xak'Tural got colonized by the kingdom of Alexandria, including the lands of the Shetona (Erenville's people)

And I feel like this is the most poignant section of the MSQ when it comes to colonialism

Because here we have Alexandria, an empire that has reached the limit of what it can do sustain itself on its own world, and so has decided to spread out and colonize others in order to gain resources

We see the Shetona and other natives of the region being separated from their families and kept in isolation from the rest of their people

And tho Queen Sphene is shown to be a kind and caring ruler who gives people a choice when it comes to joining the empire, WELL SHE'S STILL THE QUEEN OF A FUCKING EMPIRE

Like her form of kindness and just stagnant peace is put in stark contrast with Wuk Lamat's own love for her people and more proactive pursuit of happiness and harmony

(again with the "what makes a ruler theme")

Also the people that choose to be assimilated into the Alexandrian Empire? Yeah, they're doing so because Alexandria has advanced medical technology and you can only receive their aid if you're a citizen

Not only that, but you have to be a working citizen. We see later on a character being denied medical aid, because he lost his job, thanks to the King's decision and at no fault of his own

yeah this is cyberpunk, not just sci-fi

ALSO can we talk about how the technology used for that medical aid and the little gizmo they give you to signify you're now a citizen, will literally erase the memory of the people you lost

So the Turali who are assimilated into Alexandrian culture not only lose ties to their culture and their loved ones, but are not allowed to grieve their loss, because what they once had is slowly being erased

How their choices add up to survive on their own OR be assimilated

How this all takes place IN NORTH FUCKING AMERICA!

THE CYBERPUNK CITY IS LITERALLY SET IN THIS WORLD'S EQUIVALENT TO THE UNITED STATES

So yeah, I don't think is is accidental. I genuinely thing that they're making a point about the realities of imperialism and colonialism, as well as taking some shots at the US while they're at it

Of course this part is still centered around Wuk Lamat, and instead of having a moment of "the only ones who can stop the evil white europeans are the GOOD white europeans", we have Wuk Lamat be the one to save the day, defeat Sphene, and save her people from the colonizing empire

So I would like to argue that everything that happens from lvl97 onwards is them picking up the ball again and making a real point

buuuut that comes at the cost of us being unable to engage with the native peoples of Xak'Tural outside of the context of colonialism

Which genuinely fucking sucks, and I hope it will be remedied with the post-Dawntrail patches

As well as handling the whole shared land situation they ended up with and how this might end up in a Land Back sort of movement, and oh boy can they mess shit up royally there

So in conclusion FFXIV has had a messy relationship with colonialism and imperialist fantasies and tropes, but the devs seem to be making a concerted effort to undo their mistakes and show respect in their depictions of american natives

They still fuck up

boy do they

but they're at least trying, and I'd say Dawntrail so far has been quite well executed

so yeah, look forward to more insane rambles like this one I guess

[dualcastimpact]

You know that scene in Endwalker where people from all across Eorzea helped find the adamantite needed for the Ragnarok, and if you'd done certain raids or story content the people involved in those raids and story content would show up or be mentioned in some capacity? As touching and cool as it was, I still think it was a missed opportunity to highlight just how beloved the Warrior of Light is.

"But wait," you say. "Didn't we have that in Shadowbringers, when all the factions in Norvrandt came together to help build the great Talos that would drag down Mt. Gulg? Didn't they all come to help the Warrior of Darkness put an end to the Light?"

Well, no. Not really. Sure it was the Warrior of Darkness and Thancred who'd made friends with the miners of Twine, but Alisaie had known the people of Mord Souq and the Inn at Journey's Head far longer than the Warrior of Darkness had. They were her people the way the Night's Blessed were Y'shtola— I mean, Master Matoya's. Urianger was going to ask the fae folk before deciding to ask the Crystarium's people instead, and those were the Exarch's people. The fae folk were Urianger's. Alphinaud went to Kholusia, and they were his people. In other words, other than being the mythical figure that the Scions and the Crystal Exarch believed whole-heartedly would save the world from succumbing to the Light, the Warrior of Darkness had very little to do with rallying the various factions of Norvrandt to their aid. The Scions and the Crystal Exarch had been in Norvrandt for centuries, years, months. At best, the Warrior of Darkness had been in Norvrandt for a few weeks. They did not come for the Warrior of Darkness. They came for the Scions and the Crystal Exarch, and to see the Light extinguished.

This is not the case in Endwalker, if you'd done the various raids and story content involved. Without them, it's an assortment of the people the Scions had been involved with: Ishgardians and pirates from Limsa Lominsa, the East Aldenard Trading Company and the Kojin, the Ironworks, the junior Scions, and the treasure hunters of Idyllshire. With them, you get direct assistance from the Redbills, the Bozjans, Ejika Tsunjika, the Four Lords, the Majestic Theater Company, Gaius Baelsar himself, and the Idyllshire goblins—people who had next to no contact with the Scions and only lent their aid because they were friends with the Warrior of Light (or at least owed them one, in the case of Gaius Baelsar). They didn't know shit about the Scions or saving the world, they just heard the Warrior of Light was involved and immediately offered their assistance.

And I wish the game would acknowledge that! The game makes a big fuss in Dawntrail about how the Warrior of Light has walked the world and has loved and been loved in return, but this scene would have been the perfect chance to showcase it! You have all these people very clearly and directly intending their aid for the Warrior of Light—Leofard and the Redbills personally flying to Old Sharlayan to deliver the supplies; Soroban and Hancock passing messages from the Four Lords and the Lexentales, the Bozjans and Ejika Tsunjika; Gaius going back to Valens' Weapons experiments—likely an endeavour that hurt���to find relics suitable for the Ragnarok's purposes; the Idyllshire goblins giving their all because how could they do any less for their dear friend in their hour of need?

All these people offered their aid not for the Scions, not to save the world, but because the Warrior of Light needed their aid, and while it was a great scene for the player, I can't help but wish it's acknowledged in-universe as well.

[mrlarkstin]

Welcome One and All

My name is Era and I am your local dragon enjoyer. Before you scroll through my blog there are a couple things you should know!

Here be Dragons (Important Info)

This blog abides by a 2 month expansion spoiler embargo and a 2 week patch spoiler embargo, after that its free reign in here. So if you are a sprout I would recommend scrolling with care!

You can find my gposes under #eras poses and lore, lore based gposes under #eras lore. My general screaming and thoughts are #eras thoughts. Paladin rework is #eras paladin lore.

This is a Warrior of Light blog and this follows his journey as WOL in Eorzea!

I ship him with Vrtra and Estinien. All three of them are dragons (Eramus, Estinien and Vrtra), stick around to find out how Eramus and Estinien became dragons! Tee hee

I scream a lot about dragons. Like. A lot. I love dragons. More people need to kiss dragons.

I do Role Play! However, he has RP lore where he isn't the wol, he's just a single dad vibing in Ishgard! And he's open for RP! So feel free to slide into my DMs or anything!

Writing & Gpose

I write a lot and have been working on putting all my complete fics on a new AO3 account. Scroll with caution though as I write some pretty heavy topics (not all of them are like that, naturally, but mind the tags regardless). Everything is tagged and I am not responsible for your well being and safety. Please make sure you read before clicking on anything I post.

New AO3

I gpose a lot and have been asked multiple times if I take coms. The answer is- complicated. I don't take single shots as I prefer to work with couples. Coms are only SFW and are 1mil gil or 3$ CAD. You get as many shots as I can cram into your DMs. Though, I only take coms when I feel like I can. You can ask and I will put you on a list though! But I can't promise to take it, as my creativity goes from 0-100 SUPER fast.

On gpose. I gpose a ton. Mostly artsy lore heavy stuff for my wol. Some Examples!

Side Blog

I have one side blog for writing (original work mostly) @era-writes

Discords

I have two discords! A gpose heavy one and a friend/content heavy one!

Thank you for stopping by! If you have any questions or want to shoot the shit feel free!

You can find me on Aether!

(Also every April I host 30 Days of Nick Cage movies in my one server, tee hee)

[starres-stuff]

Day 2- Horizon FFXIV Write 2024

Horizon: The limit of a person's mental perception, experience, or interest.

“A gil for your thoughts” 

The voice had come out of nowhere shaking Dimitri from his trancelike state and turning his head where he found the emerald green eyes of his mentor, Xixa, staring back at him. 

“I didn't even notice your approach” The Duskwight offered a warm smile. Xixa was very skilled at this, even when the days were dark and dismal as they had been lately. 

“He thinks of you too, you know, Sonny.” Xixa patted his forearm and then let her hand rest on it while she kept talking. “I know why he is mad at you, a little bit torn on it since I don't think it is a reason to stay mad for a Moon, but at the same time if I had a life like he has I'd have been mad too.” 

Dimitri sighed softly, eyes lingering on the Viera's face, he always wondered how old she was, she certainly didn't look any older than her mid-twenties but the way she spoke made it sound like she had lived for centuries. “I don't think this place is for us anymore and I don't just mean the Shroud. I mean Eorzea in general.” 

Xixa fought to show no emotion regarding this. She enjoyed having both men around, they had been through a lot together, and the lump in her throat reminded her she cared a bit too much about both of them these days. “There is still tomorrow, Sonny. When all hope for today has run out, and we think there is nothing left. We just have to remind ourselves that tomorrow is a new day and we can try again. Just got to believe in what you want and who you love. They wouldn't be there if they didn't still feel the same for you.” 

Dimitri raked a nervous hand through his hair then gazed out towards the meadow full of flowers she had found him sitting near. His first intention was to come here to paint the beauty of a now encroaching Shroud fall but as soon as he had his easel set up and his paints mixed he found himself wishing Laurent was there to share it with him. 

“I keep having dreams of leaving this place Xixa. There is nothing left here, everyone I knew is gone. Vi has her life to live and I find myself lonely for company and friends. It is just not the same anymore, I hardly know anyone besides Qih’a but his head is in his own set of clouds.” biting his lower lip he looked towards the ground, he felt awful thinking the way he was now.

“There's always hope on the horizon. Sometimes we can't see it, sometimes we think it's over and it's not. The thing is we have to learn to love without expectations. We can put it out into the world, let it be there but people aren't content with that. They want someone to pick it up and then send it back. When all that matters is that we put ourselves out there, to begin with, we tried to connect and it's a start.” from the basket she had been carrying with her she pulled out a Pixie Apple, its bright red and waxy skin catching the light as she held it out to him; her features filled with understanding and compassion. It was his favorite fruit and she knew it too. 

“I tell him I love him but he doesn't say it back.” The forlorn notes in his voice were as strong as they were heartbreaking, but he reached for the offered apple, picking it gently from Xixa’s hand and holding it in his own. “I don't know if we will make it through this time, I fucked up.” 

A tsk noise came from the Viera then and her free hand flicked a finger or two at his long ear. “Oh hush with that. It is a matter of perception. He comes home to you every day, words are words, Dimitri. I can spin you a pile of Chocobo shit in a single breath and mean none of it. He still loves you but you need to listen with your damn heart and soul instead of your ears. He speaks to you all the time, even if it is just handing you an apple like I just did. It's your favorite, those are the things you want to hear, which means someone paid attention to the little things.”

It was these words Xixa would leave him with this day for soon after she spoke them, she squeezed his arm and kissed his cheek then departed the meadow to continue with her day, and as the Sharlayan found himself focusing on her unsolicited advice and suddenly finding an urge to fill the canvas in front of him with his art. 

[hackedmotionsensors]

I'M GOING TO JAPAN IN LIKE TWO DAYS SHIT

I HAVEN'T BEEN BACK IN LIKE 10 YEARS!!!!

I WISH I HAD MORE TIME!!!! lol My director was like "take more time if you want!" I was like...bro I don't got two week vacation money. BC literally before I started my current job I had FIFTEEN. AMERICAN. DOLLARS in my account and lots of debt so...yknow...

its nice to have money to pay bills and rent (well its not nice to pay bills) But I can't just spend everything in one go. Plus I wasn't sure if I was going to be coming back to a strike so I didn't even know if I'd have a paycheck bc NEWSOM decided that strikers can't get unemployment.

UH YEAH LOL

SO its basically a whirlwind tour. I'm going entirely on my own this time but I lived there briefly and I've been a bunch of times before so I'm not NEW but its been A HOT MINUTE since I went. Last time I went I didn't even have an e-sim and was just using whatever free wifi my stupid phone would let me access (so like..just hotel lobbies)

I will say travel plans are a fuck ton easier now with phones as they are.

I'LL BE GOING TO UNIVERSAL JAPAN!! The very nice Bacon on twitter saw me whining about not being able to go to SanRes and let me on their lottery ticket and SOMEHOW WE WON LOL

So basically two days in osaka will be at USJ LOL But thats literally the entire reason for the trip. Then I go to tokyo afterwards and I have the Eorzea cafe and Kamen Rider cafe booked bc of course I do LMAOOOOO.

I'm really excited. I haven't had a vacation that wasn't part of convention travel in a really really long time and I love Japan so much. I'd move back in a heartbeat if I could.

[lesenbyan]

I keep thinking about Garlean technology versus Eorzean but this time I'm specifically on the medical sciences bc like.

We don't hear it often but Eorzea is still using the 4 humors. They have magical healing so it makes sense their understanding of biology and medicine is stunted (and then you add on the sheer destruction that comes from the calamities that often basically has everyone clawing their way back from literally nothing. I expect we only have so much of Allag left bc they had a tendency to launch shit into the sky.) Like i'm sure there are some scientifically minded people that want/do biology research in Eorzea, but I feel like there are societal rules against, like, autopsies and such much like irl societies have/had. And as far as I know, there is no evidence of surgery in eorzea in canon

On the other hand we see Garlemald and we know surgery exists bc of some of the modifications to bosses (looking at you SB.) We know they must have a comprehensive grasp of medicine to have been half as prosperous as an Empire. We see far too many old garlean men for me to believe it's all luck and genetics. I don't think they rival today's medicine, mind, but I think they know what an antibiotic is, you know?

What i'm saying is, these two practices have their benefits both but I imagine they can also treat completely different things. Like of course there's overlap but imagine Garlean medicine finding the cure to the Creeping Death? They give Eorzea the ability to triage so deep stabbings aren't necessarily fatal bc magic can't close the wound? What about magically assissted surgery? Makes it 100% survival rates bc the boost? What if we marry the two?

[catboxghost]

ok i saw someone talking about like. how the wol feels about everything going on, whether theyre having a good time or not being on this big adventure and i had some Thoughts, a lot of Thoughts, with regards to my wol and i need to write this down so it will stop bouncing around in my head (and i can finish endwalker)

spoilers for shadowbringers!!

at this point kitali is absolutely fucking miserable. just having a shit awful time. this is a psychological horror game to her. she had a pretty sweet life back in the steppe, doing fuckall, looking after her sheep. and then that was all ripped away from her by the empire, she lost her home and her family and was set adrift before coming to eorzea because it was the only place left to go. she ended up joining the scions because they had ostensibly similar goals to her, fighting back against the garleans and liberating the world, and possibly helping her find her mom and sister, which has been her goal for years by now. and so she gladly lets herself be turned into a weapon and be pointed at the nearest existential threat, and somehow finds herself able to overcome impossible odds again and again, much to her surprise. she even has a pretty good time for a little bit, and the scions really do become her friends. and then eventually she does find her mother and sister: her sister had been pressed into service as a maidservant at doma castle, and her mother married a wealthy imperial lord. she doesn't have to save either of them anymore. it's about at this point that she realizes just how badly she'd allowed herself to be manipulated and used. there's still two whole nations to liberate, but the resentment starts to simmer. post-stormblood she's kinda like "oh wow you guys aren't actually my friends, you're my employers" to the scions and the eorzean alliance. she can't really be mad at alphinaud because he's just a particularly idealistic kid whose desperation and naivete were also taken advantage of, but she's not a soldier, and she never wanted to be, and she's sick of being treated like one. and yet she will continue to be, because at this point fighting is all she knows. this becomes especially egregious in shadowbringers where the whole "living weapon" thing is placed front and center as every enemy she defeats literally starts to turn her into a monster; the more she fights, the worse she gets, and nobody can help her. this culminates in her having a big screaming sobbing breakdown in front of ghostbert and falling into a week-long depressive episode alone in her room. and this is before she starts throwing up blood from eating angels! (as an aside the whole g'raha/exarch "haha i was secretly manipulating you" thing hits so damn good in kitali's story, because he really did only ever know her as an unstoppable hero, and then she actually shows up as this shy, sad girl angry at the whole world, and now he's about to do the exact same thing to her that everyone else in her life did and make her go kill things he wants dead, and it makes him feel guilty!! and so at the end when he's about to make his big sacrifice, he's all like "aha yes, i used you the whole time, you were just another pawn to me" in hopes that she'll hate him, so that she won't try to stop him when he blows himself up. but it doesn't work because she wuvs him <3) post-shadowbringers she kind of starts to accept it, even internalize it, in a nihilistic sort of way. like "yknow what? fine. all i do is kill things. i am the hyper-lethal vector, the gun pointed at the head of the universe, hydaelyn's special little murder machine. my life doesn't belong to me anymore and apparently it never really did, so why fight it?" and so everything that happens in endwalker (so far) just kind of bounces right off of her. this does not improve her mood in any way.

[alamhiganelezen]

Shamagi's Wrestling Corner - Bash In Berlin

//Hi! This will be the first in a series where I review real world pro wrestling events in character as my Warrior of Light, as if the events also happened in Eorzea. I will be rating matches on a 5-star rating system, and I promise not to break it like Dave Meltzer did with silly 6 and 7 star ratings.

(Everything beyond this point is in character and in universe, with any out of character clarifications in square parentheses)

Today, WWE held their first ever Premium Live Event in The Black Shroud [read: Germany] with Bash In Gridania [read: Berlin]. This event promised to be a big one, with hometown boy Gunther slated to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against the legendary Randy Orton in the main event. Also on the card was a battle between friends as Cody Rhodes defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens, with the biggest narrative being whether they could keep their friendship intact or if the battle for the gold would tear them apart. We also had CM Punk continuing his blood feud with Drew McIntyre in a strap match, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill looking to regain their Women's Tag Team Championships from Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, and Rhea Ripley looking to get revenge of her own against Liv Morgan and "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio alongside her new tag partner Damian Priest.

Without further ado, here's my ratings:

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match: Cody Rhodes (c) defeats Kevin Owens by pinfall (***3/4)

This wasn't the best match these two were capable of putting on. It had good in ring psychology and the crowd was absolutely electric, but it had a somewhat slow pace and some rather baffling character moments. Come on, KO, I know he's your friend, but when your opponent shows a weakness, you pounce on it! It's a lesson I learned very early in my own fighting career (though I mainly do shootfighting anyway, but even in my worked matches I always go for the injured body part- and I'm a babyface!). Tainted or not, victory was right there, KO, and you blew it. Anyway, it was still a really good match and the perfect opener to a solid show. While they were able to show respect to each other afterwards I'm fully expecting a heel turn from KO soon.

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeat The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn) (c) - TITLE CHANGE! (***)

Jade didn't get too much in ring time. It feels like WWE are still trying to protect her because she's still kinda green. That said, she looked good in the little time she did get, and kayfabe wise it was tactically sound from The Unholy Union to try and stay away from that absolute unit of a woman who could bulldoze both of them at once without even trying by isolating Bianca as much as possible. Speaking of which, Bianca continues to impress and she absolutely carried this match. She'll always be one of my favourite wrestlers, not to mention she's part of long braid gang. I just wish she could use the hair whip again, especially after both Alba and Isla pulled her by the braid. I would have done that immediately.

Strap match: CM Punk defeats Drew McIntyre (***1/4)

The Four Corners strap match stipulation continues to be silly to me. It's not as bad as being able to win a steel cage match by leaving the cage, but it's still a pretty goofy way to win a wrestling match. That said, it was another solid- if not spectacular- match that should be the culmination of this long running feud. Also, CM Punk really needs a new friendship bracelet. Come on, Phil, that shit was in Drew's trunks. It's probably rancid now.

Mixed Tag Team match: The Terror Twins (Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest) defeat The Judgment Day ("Dirty" Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan) (***1/2)

Ugh, men. Can't live with them, can't live without 'em. My personal feelings aside, though, I was thoroughly entertained by this match and was relieved that the Terror Twins won. Rhea gets some much needed revenge of her own against Liv and Dom, not to mention Damian Priest getting payback against the Judgment Day. Also, please pin me, Mami... wait, Yugiri, why are you looking at me like that?

World Heavyweight Championship match: Gunther (c) defeats Randy Orton (****1/4)

I'll be honest: Gunther could wrestle a broomstick and it would be a 3 star match. He's that good of a worker on his own. So when you put him in a match with the legendary Randy Orton? That's a guaranteed banger right there. They did somewhat underdeliver, however, as the match was rather slow paced, but it still had plenty of excitement, especially when Randy hits the RKO only for Gunther to kick out at 2. I also like that Gunther doesn't have a dedicated finishing move. It keeps you on your toes as you watch his matches as they could end at any moment, and that feeling was absolutely there the whole match. The crowd was also still absolutely electric throughout this match and they really showed up to make their hometown boy proud.

Overall rating: ***3/4

Not an amazing PLE by any means but pretty solid and pretty entertaining overall. No matches were spectacular but no matches were complete duds, either. Plus the crowd was easily one of the best in recent memory. I can't wait to see more of these Eorzean PLEs from WWE.

[ishgard]

Tag ppl you want to get to know better

Tagged by @myreia - thank you!!!

LAST SONG: so I meant to go to my history to figure out what it was but forgot and by the time I did it changed so uh, haha 'Hozier - 'Francesca'

CURRENTLY WATCHING: Sousou no Frieren, Dungeon Meshi

THREE SHIPS: Ohboyokay let's see. Obviously I have a ton, but three.

Mana & Belial: These two are everything to me. This is me and the besties pandemic ship, we started text RPing with them while I was up north in 2019 and then everything spiraled. They were originally GBF characters but they've jumped to so many different universes and become full blown OCs by this point. They're enemies-to-lovers, they're 'I'll find you in every life time', they're unapologetically horny, they give me so much joy and happiness I could vomit rainbows.

Ahru & Deryk: This is probably pretty obvious if you've been following me at all. Ahru has a lot of ships I could ramble about for an age but this is the one I'm rotating in my brain 24/7 these days. I love how they fit together, I love how they get to experience the world all fresh and new, free of their burdens, together. aughghghg anyway. (Holds up boombox blasting 'Francesca' by Hozier)

Ahru & Arshadaya: This is like, my sleeper ship. Like Thanahru it's kinda present in every Ahru verse, but more. They're platonic, they're romantic, they're inextricably linked in ways that should be concerning and even questionable but it works for them. Arsh wanted to meld with Ahru's soul ('to save Nyx') before he inevitably accepted her as herself instead of 'Azem's Shard' and swore that same loyalty and devotion to her that he did Nyx. To the extent that when she got chopped up by the Servants of Light he sacrificed a good portion of himself to restore her, only adding to the 'inextricably linked in concerning questionable ways'. As a result he's in like a magical coma that could last gods knows how long but he maintains a link with Ahru continuing to protect and watch over her even now. They've basically fused into one being but he sleeps on the sidelines because her happiness and continued existence is the most important thing to him. :''')

FAVORITE COLOR: Light Pinks, Red

CURRENTLY CONSUMING: Just had a brownie 😌

FIRST SHIP: Geez... I mean probably Sailor Moon/Tuxedo Mask. Hilariously I feel like I've been a self-shipper + ocxfandom shipper from a young age because I remember my little saiyan oc I shipped with Trunks way back when. 🤣

PLACE OF BIRTH: USA

CURRENT LOCATION: Nope. 😘 (Seconded)

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single

LAST MOVIE: Geez I can't remember... I honestly have such a hard time watching movies. I watched a few parts of 'When Harry Met Sally' when mom had it on T.V. a few days ago???

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:

I Will Share Your Road - Ahru x Deryk screens set about their journey around Eorzea post-Myths of the Realm

The Road Ahead - tentative name for a fic of the same scenario above. Mostly a lot of all over the place drabbles at the moment.

Miqomarch X'D I'm trying to get ahead a bit for when I'm away on vacation.

[name pending] original work about faeries and shit, inspired by the Elfhame series by Holly Black. Has been put grievously on the back burner because of XIV brainworms.

Tagging: @icehearts, @eorzeanflowers, @uldahstreetrat, @twelveswood (i know you but i'm tagging you anyway teehee) - no pressure though and if you've already done it please ignore me 😂

[isayoldbean]

my other alt! when they announced the new data center i was debating whether or not i should be a character there, and then they announced one of the servers would be called maduin and my ff6 obsessed self couldn't just Not have a character there. and then one of my friends came to me and asked if i'd be interested in going in half with them on getting an fc house on the new server for workshop sub tax evasion purposes and i was like oh hell yeah. so for those two reasons i had to come up with another idea for an alt

remembering that i had originally planned on making an au ra before being foiled by only having access to base arr races, i decided to try my hand at making the au ra i most likely Would have made if i had been allowed to make one from the beginning. it turned out to be hard because i was trying to make a character for a game i know almost everything about with the idea that it was supposed to be a character made when i knew nothing about it. after a while, this is who i wound up with!

this is the first picture i ever took of her, in all her dripless sprout glory

anyway, this is hikari! she was originally supposed to have a different surname but i created her literally as soon as the new servers went live on reset day and i was too tired to remember what it was so now she's hikari mistdweller. it is what it is

i'm still working on her overall backstory because i learn more about her the longer i play but she's still in arr, but more or less her deal is that she was raised in a small village near the ruby sea. her parents were really shitty and emotionally abusive and she was basically their unfavorite child. then one day in her early teens, her sister died in an accident, and her family blamed her for it and got her kicked out of the village.

she kind of wandered for a while just doing her best to survive, clawing her own existence out of the dirt as best she could. eventually she heard tales of adventurers earning fortunes and glory in eorzea, and decided that she was going to go become really successful and cool and famous and make everyone in her town regret kicking her out.

as she got closer to eorzea she started hearing tales of raubahn aldynn's unlikely rise to syndicate member and flame general and decided to make for ul'dah to attempt to follow in his footsteps. and that is where the beginning of arr picks up, more or less

she's kind of uptight and serious and emotionally repressed but she is learning how to human better, slowly but surely. she is a perfectionist and a workaholic. she likes to bite people. she's a little feral. she can't cook and is perfectly happy eating tree bark if she can't scrounge up anything else. she was voted most likely to say 'what do you mean you're being murdered. they can't do that. that's illegal' in a crisis. she likes gemstones and mining and smithing her own weapons and armor. she thinks of herself as a weapon first and a person never. she's so determined to prove to everyone, herself most of all, that she's deserving of love and attention and respect, that she will give and give and give of herself until she is completely empty and then do it some more. she's a self loathing closeted gay but not in a homophobic way which shouldn't even be possible, and yet. she's a poor little meow meow. and she may or may not have autism.

even though she's still in arr i know two things without a doubt about what lies in store for her in future expacs:

in stormblood she returns to the ruby sea, eager to return to her hometown to show everybody that she's hot shit now and don't they feel bad for kicking her out... only to find that at some point between when she was exiled and when she returned, the garleans completely razed the town to the ground. there's nobody left. she will never have her catharsis

her skin/scale color combination kind of reminds me of wedgewood jasperware china, so in shb her sin eater form would be some sort of porcelain construct looking creature with kintsugi ribboned through damaged areas

anyway this is my sadgirl lesbian lizard that i like to put in the torture nexus i hope you enjoy her

[meowww-ffxiv]

I think I'll free Yukinko up from Gridania and pick up rogue/ninja for his leveling to 50, then pick up samurai [kind of an Again for him; he started as samurai] just to enjoy the stories.

But now I need to think about what he's been doing for like 10 years and why he's in Eorzea at all.

After getting freed from Garlemald, Yukinko was taken by his benefactor to Ala Mhigo where he saw how awfully shit life was. Unfortunately, he didn't do well there due to the heat and the terrain, so she arranged to have him "repatriated" to Yanxia within 2 years.

Never made it that far. Someone took a liking to Yukinko in a port town in Hingashi and set him up in Kugane, where he found himself right back in the profession he had while a conscript. Indentured hitman jobs.

But his "handler" this time was a smiling old woman who ran three teahouses she used to spy on the Garlean empire and intercept imperial missives coming in and out of the area, as well as arranging the deaths of any Garlean officials who got too big for their breeches re: ambitions to grow in Kugane.

She told Yukinko, bluntly, that his beauty was wasted on soon-to-be-dead men. So she had him trained to gather information with her girls, and only very rarely risked him as a hitman.

It was a comfortable existence, and a much needed reprieve from the horrible decade he'd spent before as a prisoner and a living tool for Garlemald. The Proprietess and her kindness were mostly to thank for Yukinko being well-adjusted by the time he received a summons from his original benefactor to go to Eorzea, where the next big push by Garlean forces was happening.

And then, Dalamud.

And now, everything else.

Yukinko was aware he could probably just...go home. Clearly nothing worked out. Dalamud fell, shit was bad. Baelsar's Wall stood impregnable, as before. He'd even lost contact with the person whose email sent him here.

But (a) dude broke as fuck, can't afford to sail back to Kugane and (b) it didn't feel right to just leave. So Yukinko is currently mucking around in the Black Shrouds watching Eorzeans tussle with their internal strife like. Yikes. 😬

[headcanons-n-shit]

good evening i have been allowed to Spin(tm) and that should never happen so here we go

Modern-ish au

Hancock is a weeb, yes, but he's a weeb with capital, business sense, and contacts, and thus he runs one of the most respectful little Doman goods shops you can find outside of Little Doma. Yes he's spent many a late night making sure his shit is authentic, yes he has to charge pretty big markups to barely make ends meet, yes his customers are mostly shitty students or the anime-obsessed, yes sometimes he wonders if this is even worth it or if he should just go back to trading stocks in Ul'dah.

But also the old Doman ladies who can't make the half-hour each way trip to Little Doma every week are absolutely charmed that he, an ijin, speaks perfect Doman, and he carries all the snacks they like, and he always wants to hear about their grandchildren or about the recent drama from mahjong night, and he always manages to get their festival foods and ingredients in on time (even if he has to pull extra hours and every time his suppliers cut it a little close). He's learning the Steppe tongue, slowly, from the Xaela pair that come in ever wednesday to make sure their children remember the taste of home, and he's finally figured out how to greet the odd veena in the language of the Skatay (although the finer sounds of Golmorian still escape him).

Even if it means he lives in a tiny little flat, even if it means near-sleepless nights spent looking for spare gil in the books to pay rent and pinching his pursestrings on his own groceries, this place gives him something Ul'dah never did:

a community.

A community that just so happens to include one Ash'a Amari.

Ash'a is a miqote, a Bozjan expat who spent his twenties and early thirties running refugees past Imperial lines to ships waiting to take them away to the relative safety of Eorzea, and Eorzean supplies to Bozjan resistance fighters on the front lines, until a single missed iud ended that career (and nearly ended his life).

Nowadays he's wheelchair-bound, working as a tattoo artist out of the tiny spot in the mall bc despite yugiri putting in a good word for him that's about the most the Thieves' Guild is willing to shell out for him. And that's alright. His legs might not work, but his hands are as steady as ever, and if the client is willing he hires some of the local kids to do art for him, and he does all of the thieves' ink for free, and if there's a little literal magic to his work, well. He's never had any complaints.

(and maybe, every now and then, once the lights are out and the shutters are closed, one of the thieves will slip in through the back door, and the bed where customers lay in the daytime will become an impromptu operating table, and Ash'a steady hands will save lives once again, and in the morning there will be oddly gruff faces cleaning The Waking Sands from top to bottom, but a bit of gil changes hands and no one questions a thing)

And the tension of the story doesn't come from the fact that the Thieves' Guild is currently having a problem with Imperial Assassins (not like Ash'a can do anything about it, really), or even that every time the store dips into the red Hancock nearly has a fucking heart attack trying to figure out how to make ends meet.

Nah, the plot comes from where it absolutely should in these kinds of stories:

nosey Doman grandmamas.

bc dearest Hinata, bless her heart, has been on Hancocks case for so. long. now. About how "having a lady around would make things so much easier on you, wouldn't it?" Extolling the virtues of her own (single) daughters, her friends' (single) daughters, the (single) daughters she knows adjacently from Little Doma. And Hancock, bless his heart, doesn't have it in him to tell this well-meaning woman that he is very, very gay.

And thankfully! He doesn't have to! bc Ash'a pops his head into the store one day around noon bc "the microwave in my back room broke and there's no way im eating these noodles cold, can I please use yours", and Hancock accepts eagerly bc he will take literally any out from yet another matchmaking session, and suddenly Hinata is connecting dots (she's not connecting shit).

The next time mahjong night comes around, she insists that Hancock should bring that "nice miqote lad from next door he's so fond of"

And it spins(tm) from there.

[woltourney]

ROUND 1 / SIDE A / POLL 1

Killhare of Caerbannog (@caerbannogs) v. Kasha Sho (@r04ch)

Killhare of Caerbannog:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. I’m Killhare of Caerbannog! But you can call me Kills. Pronouns? Uh, she / her, I guess? I’m not picky, though.

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Viera! Rava, specifically.

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Dark Knight! Recently I’ve been learning to punch things, though, which has been fun.

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. N/A

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. ...and it's on now? Yes? Okay, okay. Uh, I'm Killhare, which I already said. Becoming a hero? Well, I always knew I wanted to protect my people, and I left my home behind to do that. I kinda grew into my role as a hero over time. And I do like it, I guess. I can't think of any better way to spend my life than by helping others. And I am pretty good at it, so I kinda have to, you know? if not me, then who? Anyway. My free time these days is spent mostly with my family. Just to keep me busy, I've taken on a job as a gleaner, which has been fun. It's like seeing Etheirys again with fresh eyes!

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. I think that I should win because I am an exam- ex- exemplary? An exemplary hero of the realm, and I believe that as I've saved countless lives… Elinor, do you really expect me to read this with a straight face? …still recording? Shit. Uh, well, I'll be honest with you, one of my little sisters put me up to this competition. I think she wants to lift my spirits a little. Why I actually think I should win is because I want people to have someone to look up to. I had some amazing role models growing up, who inspired me to be a truer, better version of myself, and I want to do the same for others. Saving the world is great and all, but there's more than that to being a hero.

Kasha Sho:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Kasha Sho, They/She (trans queen)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Au’Ra Raen

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Gunbreaker + Monk

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Crystal Malboro <3

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. I want to preface this by saying I made Kasha’s lore before I knew about the Yda/Lyse thing. Im not retconning because Kasha is better than her anyways 🙄 /hj Kasha was raised in Doma on a small farm! She had a younger brother and an older sister, her older sisters name was Kasha and she was killed by an unknown group. My wol then took their sisters name and fled to Eorzea on a refugee boat. She landed in Ul’dah and started from there! Kasha is VERY aggressive, mean, and insulting. She does not know basic manners and will speak her mind freely. Eats with their hands and also eats ANYTHING… Kasha doesnt like being the WoL, but continues this role because if she wont then who will? They’re very loud and boisterous and confident. Will fight anyone and everyone. She has 97 mental illnesses and is banned from most countries. She doesnt know how to read and is an overall idiot but shes doing her best leave that little guy alone Shes also 6ft tall and buff as SHIT

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. I WILL WIN because Im the best fighter out here and I will CRUSH THE BONES OF MY- this isn’t an actual fight? … Um 😶 I would TOTALLY win a real fight. Just so you know.

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

For the prompts, I request spicy food, please. ♡

(I'm going to give you two fills for the price of one!)

Agnes Varlineau was a woman who liked spice.

But this is fucking something else!

Her chocolate brown eyes watered just from the smell of Zero's "special" curry. When she tasted it, she thought her mouth was going to burst into flames.

"Milk...please..." She croaked, taking her glasses off and rubbing her eyes.

"Is it not to your liking?" Zero asked.

NO. "Zero, there's a difference between spicy and being so hot you can't bloody taste anything else!" She groaned. Oh dear, I might be burping this up later.

Zero raised an eyebrow. "I see."

"What Agnes means is that a chef can balance a dish to bring out all sorts of flavors and spices." Varshahn said. He then smirked. "Ah, but we must remember that Agnes is from Eorzea." OH NO YOU DON'T!!!!

"With all due respect, Excellency," Vrtra, you fucking little shit. "I am from the part of Eorzea that embraces spice, unlike my husband's homeland." Fucking weirdo unhygienic salt rock nonsense. "I simply believe that flavors should be balanced." AND I AM RIGHT. "You should come to our home and have some of my own version of Butter Hamsa."

Varshahn nodded. "Of course. Zero, have you..." He shook his head and laughed. "She is too busy to answer."

Fine, have that fiery nasty curry all to yourself. I WILL EAT THINGS THAT ARE TASTY AND SPICY!!!

***

Kikimo watched with wide eyes as Aymeric began to sweat profusely. "Hey Aymeric, are you okay?" Nald'thal don't let him spontaneously combust.

He coughed a few times, his sapphire eyes sparkling with tears. "I, erm...I'm fine, darling. Tis a bit spicier than I'm used to."

Kikimo blinked. "That's literally the most mild chicken dish my Mum makes, Bubby."

Her beau removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. Even though he's suffering, he's just so damn handsome. "Ah yes...it's delicious, lest you wonder. I simply...ahem...could use some...refreshment..."

"HEY MA, CAN YOU GET AYMERIC SOME MILK PLEASE? I THINK HE'S BOILING!" Kikimo yelled towards the kitchen. She heard her mother shout, "'Course Kiki!" and grinned. "See, Bubby. All set."

Aymeric chuckled as he put down his handkerchief. "I swear the next time I come visit your parents' home that I'll have a much stronger tolerance, darling." He reached for one of her hands and gave it a squeeze. "I want to be able to enjoy meals dear to you without making a fool of myself." He offered her a lopsided smile that made her heart nearly burst.

As if on queue, three of Kikimo's younger siblings ran to the table and began heckling Aymeric.

"Oi blue man, can't tolerate Ma's food?!"

"You look red!"

"Kiki, why's he crying? Did you make him sad?"

"No, I did not make my Bubby sad!!!! Yes, he can tolerate Ma's food but it's new to him!!!! And yes he's red but he's very handsome regardless, now shoo!!!" She got up and physically dragged the three to the door. "Play outside, and if you're good, then Aymeric will let you climb on him again!" She slammed the door and turned to her see her mother bringing the milk to her clearly suffering boyfriend.

Little shits. They're lucky he's so nice and loves children. Now, back to lunch...and maybe if he's feeling alright we can head to the Sapphire Avenue Exchange for some shopping or ice cream.

[driftward]

Ask meme for Quinnelle, please!

What does their bedroom look like?

Sexual Orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?

How organized are they? How does this organization/disorganization manifest in their everyday life?

What is their biggest regret?

What makes them feel guilty?

Superstitions or views on the occult?

If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?

So, here's the deal.

Some stories end. Even in a perpetual MMO.

And I made contingency plans for the possibility that one day, Zoissette's story might end, for whatever reason. So while Quinnelle may not ever meaningfully exist, she's still there, in my head, causing trouble and making fun stories.

With that in mind, Quinnelle Vidalle, the fastest of the fast couriers in Eorzea, ready and standing by, one Fantasia away when Zoissette finally bows out of the spotlight. (Importantly, this lets me keep all the stuff on a new character, and Quinnelle is designed to be able to nick in as a replacement WoL easy as you please)

What does their bedroom look like?

Piles and piles in different places on the floor. Single small bed. A potted plant that died probably before the last calamity. Cobwebs everywhere, what do you have a problem with spiders she likes spiders spiders are friends. That one's named Jeorgeaux.

Sexual Orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?

Sexual orientation is yeah, sure, if she's bored. Finds discussions on such faintly boring and nonsensical though. Swive who you wanna if you wanna she don't give a shit. Also gender is bullshit.

How organized are they? How does this organization/disorganization manifest in their everyday life?

About the only thing they keep neat and clean is the uniforms in their closet, and they are -picky- about anything doing with mail, they take that shit stone cold seriously. Everything else is whatever. Knows she'll be perpetually late if she lets herself be so, so instead shows up early and just bitches.

What is their biggest regret?

Regrets are for people who aren't charging forward half enough. Any given day generates a few dozen small regrets that she usually forgets within the half hour. Can't have regret if you're always rushing to live in the now.

What makes them feel guilty?

Okay, fine, they'll feel guilty over not meeting obligations, like getting packages to the right person or mail to the right place on time or missing muster or that one time she plumb forgot she was supposed to meet a guy for a date but look it was a really good triple triad game okay she won a plushie she'd wanted for a long time out of it his name is G'george. The plushie, not the date. No, she doesn't know how Sun Seeker names work, the Moon Keepers are far more personable in her opinion.

Superstitions or views on the occult?

She believes in every single god and goddess and holds any of a number of tiny little rituals for each one every day. It doesn't matter that some of those belief systems contradict other ones; she's not telling the gods, and nobody else should be either, and what they don't know won't hurt them. Definitely believes in hedging her bets in this regard, so there's always a deity to call on in a moment of trouble.

Primals are just assholes trying to get in on the god action though so swive 'em. But not literally. Well maybe Ifrit. He's hot. That's a fire joke. Get it? Hahah but no seriously.

If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?

Someone who would put up with her shit. I mean, swive, that's the only way it'd possibly happen, right?

But if we're handing out prize Chocobos and making wishes on stars, a big strong man with muscles under just the right amount of flab, with big beautiful lips and a strong wedge of a chin and a nose chiseled out of rock and oh shit she's just describing her boss. That's literally just her boss Raubahn. Swive don't tell him don't tell him don't tell him she meant to say uh you know someone hot like uhm Merlwyb wait crap that someone else's boss uhm you know maybe someone adorable but in a lady way like Momodi wait that's kind of her other boss crap QUESTIONS OVER GOT MAIL TO DELIVER.