#i am so much farther in the msq now from when I started this draft hahah

[wildstar25]

still not over this scene aaaaaaaaaaaaaa o+< sorry sorry I am putting this giant "thoughts and sequences" post under a read more!! warning its very long, incredibly ramble-y, and full of sappy (not proof read) ship content haha

So because Arsay lives off the power of friendship it would feel weird if only one of the scions visited her that night imo... My headcanon is that each scion knocked at her door to chat as she was (very slowly) getting to bed herself (she kept getting distracted staring at the moon and contemplating) I'm just going to run through how I think she would handle each convo in the order they'd show up in:

Alphinaud

He's baby. my son. precious bean!!! Literally cannot express how much Arsay cares for him. Their conversation goes as seen in game -

As Alphinaud began to thank Arsay for the nth time, she placed her hand on top his head. "Of course I'd trust you Alphi, you're family! You needn't thank me for doing what any good big sister would do." She rustled his hair with a smile. "I know you'll always try to make the right choice. Whatever happens from that, we'll face it head on together as always." With one last pat, Arsay removed her hand. Alphinaud smiled in kind as he began to fix his out of place hair. "Try as you might to protest Arsay, it is of great import to me that I properly convey the depth of my gratitude. After all our journeys together, I dare say I've used every expression imaginable to so. Nevertheless, I hope these words of mine still carry some small weight."

The conversion would continue the same from there, Arsay of course wishing him a good night back! Once he's done writing his letter to Arenvald he goes off to bug Estinien.

Alisaie Alisaie, in typical fashion, does not let Arsay get a word in that whole conversation. As the young mage sprinted off, Arsay thought to herself that she ought to give Alisaie a great big hug the next morning. Alisaie would most likely object to that, but Arsay will do it anyways because she is so proud of her and was absolutely so heartened by her show of concern. Alisaie, with energy still to spare and naught to do finds herself hanging out with Alphinaud in Estinien's room.

Y'shtola Shtola sounded sooooooo upset when she talked about how fucked up Arsay's aether was at the end of shb. I had a feeling it was bad but she can't even look towards Arsay when she's talking about it now... oof...

I suppose then, that this has been a constant worry for her since that time.... that Arsay could come back from an adventure looking like a monster to her yet again :( Something I've enjoyed of her writing in this expac so far is how they've been highlighting what troubles her; that her ability to see/recognize the ones she cares for so dearly completely depended on a property that can fluctuate so easily. [It always felt a bit odd in hw when she came back and it was treated as "oh yeah I'm blind but im not really blind". Perhaps that was a product of the character writing - that Shtola at that point in time would have never dared mention if she couldn't see something perfectly - though it's probably more likely a "introduce a magic thing so we dont have to write about disability in our media property" situation. Let's say, on a good faith reading, it was the later, then that demonstrates some significant grown from her character. She trusts in her relationships enough to let them know when she needs confirmation or help. ]

It's good that she is finally bringing it up to Arsay though!! Perhaps this might be the catalyst for them finding other ways to quickly recognize each other; even when y'shtola's aether-sight is impaired or Arsay's aether gets weird! It's hard to say what that could be; I feel as though Arsay already greets her with so much warmth in her voice Shtola would be hard-pressed NOT to recognize that voice as her Arsay. Hmm, perhaps the forehead bonks or intertwining their tails could be a grounding method for the two of them? Similar to how Seto saw Ardbert through Arsay; if Y'shtola ever feels unsure, she can close her eyes, focus on the touch, and let her heart see Arsay the way she remembers her to be. Yes, lets go with that! Moving on - as to not obscure it in the tags -it is absolutely canon to me that when Y'shtola told Arsay to keep warm, the following took place

"If I feel so much as the slightest chill, know that I'll seek out your warmth first and foremost. ...Or perhaps we can skip all that; Stay, won't you? I'd sleep more peacefully by your side." Arsay took Y'shtola's hand in hers with a light squeeze, "Please, Shtola?" "I should have expected you'd say as much. What of G'raha?" "I haven't seen him since we returned; but should he make himself known, I was hoping perhaps we could keep him warm as well." "Arsay, exactly how large do you believe that bed to be?" "oh, we'll figure it out - I'll sleep on the floor if I must!" "Really?" "Mhm!" Y'shtola let out an accepting sigh. "Alright, I suppose like everything else you'll make the impossible happen. I still have matters to attend to before bed, but I shall return ere long." "Wonderful!" Arsay pulled Y'shtola in for an exuberant hug. "Thank you Shtola, for everything." She planted an equally enthusiastic kiss on the seeker's cheek with a loud "mwah" before relinquishing her grip. As Y'shtola made her way down the hall, Arsay turned towards the window of her room once more.

Thancred Thancred and Arsay's friendship has always been slightly debatable tbh. They've never been outwrite unfriendly towards each other or anything like that, but they definitely had points of friction. On inspection, they actually have quite a lot in common: Both of them are orphans, haling from limsa lominsa/limsa marked territories, grew up well acquainted with the suffering an unruly crew of pirates can cause, trained with/are a member of the rogue's guild, far too familiar with feelings of loneliness, are the first to blame their own failings should aught go wrong and add that guilt to the ever growing pile, have an unshakeable sense of duty to those they care about, and, finally, both are incredibly apt to hiding much of their pain behind a smile. But unfortunately they just have very opposite coping mechanisms and a lot of how Thancred dealt with his grief in HW/StmB/ShB frustrated Arsay to no end. Doubly so when she was also going through her own shit at the same time. They only really began being on the same page during the events in Eden/The Empty. They had both gone through some considerable character growth and most importantly (to arsay) Thancred learned how to open up more. I think they were able to see/talk past their various hook ups and actually trust each other properly to stay above water emotionally. All that said, I think it was quite apt that Thancred would reach out to Arsay with that request of his. Basically him saying "Hey, you'll be the first one to spot me when I'm on my bullshit, so can you make sure I'm not doing that?" Of course Arsay agrees no questions asked. She'll gladly drag him by the shirt collar if she has to.

G'raha And of course, It doesn't take long for G'raha to come knocking at her door... Honestly I've not nearly as much to say about his scene other wow I will never recover from G'raha going from shy baby to stern/confident and saying "let me carry your burdens" 😳

the duality of this catboy... And then he goes off about adventuring when this is all over and ooooooooooooooooooooooh They really are two peas in a pod 🥹 I find it very hard to write about their relationship in contrast to Arsay's and y'shtola mostly cause they just vibe?? they are very much head over heals in love with each other and absolutely share braincells. That said Arsay is prone to not bringing up things... especially if its any thought or feeling that could be seen as negative. So this interaction between them is very much needed, really! Arsay does need to open up more and let herself not be silly 24/7!! Constantly bottling up her emotional turmoil is not good in the long run and pretending its simply not there hasn't worked for quite some time. She's been doing her best but she can always feel her worries snapping at her tail, chasing her wherever she goes... Similar to before: in my version of events before G'raha can make his leave, Y'shtola would come up behind him. She'd poke fun at the fact that he was still standing aimlessly in the hall while Arsay was actively holding the door open for him the whole time. Going as far to point out how obtuse they both can get when they need to get something off their chest as she walks past G'raha into Arsay's room. G'raha finally gets the clue and walks in after her. The three of them spent a short while chatting. Mostly sharing a laugh over the more comical aspects of their moon tour and Arsay explaining some of cool stuff she saw on the surface. (G'raha's ears poke up when Arsay mentioned the allagan ruins lol) As Y'shtola predicted, the bed was a bit cramped with the three of them in there but Arsay did not care about being squished ahaha. Just as they all finally settled into comfortable positions, there's one final knock on Arsay's door. Before G'raha or Y'shtola could object, Arsay had already leapt out of bed to answer. Estinien

It is incredibly funny to me that Estinien and Arsay get along as well as they do. They are the definition of a "tall grump and short ball 'o sunshine" duo lol. As he said in his version of these cutscenes, there is a whole lot of mutual respect in their friendship. They are also leading members of the "we are so proud of Alphinaud all the time" squad so that helps.

Anyways I wouldn't change a single thing about Estinien's cutscene; only when he barges into the room and says that "If anyone asks, I wasn't here" line: just before he jumps out the window, he turns to G'raha and Y'shtola who are plainly in the bed right beside the window and says something like "That goes for you two as well." and leaps. He is not even surprised that both of them were there to begin with. -- With that, Arsay made her way back to bed as Y'shtola lightly scolded her for prolonging their much needed sleep. "A hero should always answer the knocking of a door, no matter how late; for there might be someone in need on the other side!", Arsay retorted back in a playful tone. She ensured to close the window this time before nestling herself into the sliver of open space she had for herself on the bed. "She does make a fair point," G'raha agreed with a short laugh, "one cannot easily predict the adventures that await beyond closed doors." "Exactly! I knew you would understand Raha." Arsay, now fully settled in, gave him a quick peck. "But what Shtola said is fair, I'll not keep you two up any longer." She turned her neck to the other side to face the seeker in question and was met with a swift kiss. "Finally you say something of reason." Y'shtola responded, her smirk carried through in her tone of voice. "Now, sleep." Arsay let out a sweet sigh as she pointed her gaze towards the ceiling. "Good night you two." "Good night, my love. Sleep well, Y'shtola" "Good night, Arsay. You as well, G'raha"

At long last, Arsay closes her eyes and lets a blissful sleep between her two beloveds take her.

no words just them smiling at Arsay before bed

and Arsay smiling back :)