#is not. great. emotionally. for the wol

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

having the blades of innocence or the royal menagerie phasmascape in your player housing is the ffxiv equivalent of "character wearing their most traumatic experience on a tshirt." why would you have that.

[official-nephew]

I haven't posted my main miqo Niya on my blog in a bit. Assorted glams from Shadowbringers to Endwalker.

Glams under read more.

White Mage 1 - Head: Purple Hyacinth Corsage - Body: Star Velvet Himation of Healing (Void Blue Dye) - Gloves: Koppranickel Armlets of Healing (Snow White Dye) - Legs: Cashmere Skirt of Healing (Snow White Dye) - Feet: Ravel Keeper's Sandals of Healing (Snow White Dye) - Neck (Optional): Crystarium Choker of Healing

White Mage and Sage Shared Glam - Head: Bogatyr's Circlet of Healing - Body: Exarchic Coat of Healing - Gloves: Heirloom Gloves of Healing (Snow White Dye) - Legs: Ruby Cotton Smalls (Snow White Dye) - Feet: Ishgardian Thighboots (Snow White Dye) - Ears: Crystarium Earrings of Healing

White Mage 3 - Literally the 89/90 Artifact Gear because I'm not done with EW when posting this. I just think it looks nice on her ;-;

Sage 2 - Head: Purple Hyacinth Corsage - Body: Neo-Ishgardian Top of Healing (Ink Blue Dye) - Gloves: Heirloom Gloves of Healing (Soot Black Dye) - Legs: Expeditioner's Pantalette's - Feet: Ishgardian Thighboots (Soot Black Dye)

Dark Knight - Head: Scion Traveler's Mask (Soot Black Dye - Hidden here) - Body: Chromite Armor of Fending - Gloves: Chromite Gauntlets of Fending - Legs: Augmented Scaeven Trousers - Feet: Chromite Sabatons of Fending

[starrysnowdrop]

Dawntrail Review and Thoughts

So, it’s taken me a while to not only finish the msq but also to gather my thoughts, but here’s my review of Dawntrail, as well as what my OCs and their ships will be doing during 7.0. I’m going to be doing bullet points and trying to be as concise as I can. I’ll try not to ramble!

As expected, MAJOR spoilers for the entire 7.0 msq ahead, so please don’t click below if you don’t want to be spoiled!

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

What I Enjoyed

The graphics update really shines in the Tural zones, because everything is so beautiful!! The weather effects, the textures, god it’s all stunning! I took my time just looking around at everything, and over and over I stopped and just stared at flowers, or water, or mountains in the distance.

Even the later zones were outstanding, but my favorite zone by far is Yak T’el, especially the lowlands where the Mamool Ja are from. It reminded me so much of Macalania Woods from FFX, and I already have some gposes planned in that area for a reason. It’s probably my favorite zone in game right now.

The world building in DT is excellent, and I also loved learning all about the different peoples and cultures found throughout Tural. I actually liked how the WoL is learning about Tural alongside Wuk Lamat participating in the Rite of Succession. Though the msq was slow at times in the first half, I didn’t mind it really because I was taking my time doing side quests and getting all the Aether currents along the way.

For the most part, I really enjoyed all the new characters that were introduced in DT, and I also loved that we learned about Krile and Erenville as well. I wish some characters had a bit more screen time and development, but overall the characters themselves were great, except for one that I’ll get to later.

The new lore that DT has established, especially with the key that allows travel between reflections, and now with a sort of merging/failed rejoining?? of a reflection with the Source via Alexandria, I am extremely excited to see where the overarching story is going from here. And you all saw that the key had the Azem symbol on it when it was activated, right? Yeah, that plus the fact that we got a LOT of new Lalafellin lore via Krile’s origins and such, I am eating all the lore up!! Azem AND lala lore??? I’m in heaven and I’m so excited to see how this will effect Hali’s story in particular moving forward (as she’s a lala and she is my Azem).

What I Didn’t Enjoy

I actually enjoyed the beginning of the MSQ with the rite of succession. The biggest complaint I had with it was that it was slow in some parts, but honestly that’s about it. The second half feels like it could be its own separate expansion really. But that’s also not really an issue.

After much thought, I realized that I was so disturbed by how the Alexandrian culture worked in the second half of the MSQ that the last zone didn’t hit me emotionally enough for me to care about the Endless.

I was vibing with the story up until Living Memory. I understand how Krile, Erenville, and even Wuk Lamat would be conflicted about shutting down the terminals and “erasing” all of the Endless as they say, but me as the player, it did not hit me emotionally like I suspect that it’s supposed to. I was like “okay, these people aren’t real, just shut it down. Why do I care?”

Another thing is Sphene as an antagonist. I just did not like her at all, and to me, she is one of the weakest antagonists we have had so far. I hated how the narrative was trying to convince us that Sphene was originally a good person who had good intentions, and that we should empathize with her, but it didn’t make me care at all for her in the end.

It goes back to my point before that the way the Alexandrians use souls as a commodity and don’t seem to care that they’re using other people’s souls to extend their own lives, and that they don’t even remember their loved ones because their memories get erased so they don’t experience the pain of death, it all disturbed me so much that I just did not have much sympathy for the Alexandrians or Sphene.

What This Means for Hali

For Hali, she has recently learned Pictomancy alongside Krile, and she will be the one who is helping Wuk Lamat with the Rite of Succession; Aymeric is going with her and remains with her all through 7.0 and potentially the patch content.

She will be with Wuk Lamat, Erenville, and the others throughout 7.0, and though she will have a really hard time dealing with the Alexandrians and how they treat souls, memories, and the like, as she will be highly disturbed by it all, but she follows Wuk Lamat’s lead nonetheless.

Hali is enjoying playing the Mentor figure and being the source of advice, comfort, and the muscle whenever she is needed, while Aymeric is a tremendous help for Wuk Lamat when it comes to learning about leadership and navigating through her first days as the new Vow of Resolve.

Overall, Hali’s story follows the MSQ nearly identically, except that Aymeric is with her and they both are advisors and mentors to Wuk Lamat. After the final battle, Hali and Aymeric stay in Tulliyollal for a bit longer to actually have their vacation time.

What This Means for Yume

(Yume’s side blog: @firelightmuse)

For Yume, her DT experience will be vastly different from Hali’s. As she will be in a committed relationship with Zenos by then after she saves his life following their duel in Ultima Thule, Yume will begin DT by wandering Tural with Zenos and hunting down Tural Vidraal as a newly trained Viper.

Yume and Zenos will not be assisting in the Rite of Succession for any candidate, nor will they be involved with any of the politics. However, they will show up to help in the defense of Tuliyollal both times that the city is attacked, and they will be involved with the final battle alongside Hali and the other WoLs (shoutout to my friends’ OCs Meeps @meepsthemiqo and Astrid and Arslan @traveler-of-light).

Following the final battle, Yume and Zenos will also remain in Tural for a while (for the patch content I suspect) before they head back to their home in Shirogane.

That’s all I have for DT reactions for now. If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for taking your time reading all of this! I’m super curious as to what all of your thoughts are, so feel free to comment or send me an ask or whatever! Once again, thank you!! 💖

[elizabethrobertajones]

5 and 11 :)

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

Frog's ended up with a LOT of mentees over time, from one off moments being shadowed for an afternoon in one discipline or another, to realising she's sort of accidentally helped shaped the twins' entire personalities for better or worse (moooostly better).

Wuk Lamat showed up at a good time when there was room for her emotionally and also time to care about such things. I think Frog was already drilling her on axe technique while she was still loitering around Sharlayan.

She wasn't quite so certain about the political side of things because she knew so little about Tural and knows how wobbly politics can be even when you feel like you're on the right side, so she was holding off any judgement about how Wuk Lamat really fit into all that until they got out there and had a lay of the land, and also she was banning Alphy from pontificating too much on the situation before he knew more XD She seemed far more frightened than she was letting on, and Frog couldn't tell if that was just Being A Teenager And Untested, or if there was some great evil lurking at the heart of all this that Wuk Lamat couldn't face alone or mention and the situation was much more dire than anyone was saying (Erenville being unreadable was completely unhelpful).

Once she'd met Gulool Ja Ja, Frog understood things a lot better and knew she just needed to impart the WoL magic sauce to Wuk Lamat and was really impressed that in many early situations she already seemed to know the right answer even if she wasn't confident in it (since we started with the Laser Eye Bird Boat). That made it a lot easier to just relax into the contest and lead by example of having fun and being yourself, mostly to help Wuk Lamat get over the yips rather than teach her anything substantial, because it was clear to Frog she had the right path already and just needed to be pushed onto it when she was uncertain, and courage in her convictions.

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

.... does anyone have a WoL who didn't immediately distrust her? Listen to Alisaie :P

Once Frog got to understand the Endless concept she was immediately suspicious that it was what Sphene was since she was behaving so inhumanly (walking about in the pouring rain in a little shiny dress) and unaccompanied when there were beafts out there. And she had no retainers or obvious second in command, whereas every leader Frog's ever met who was worth anything had a squad of guys with personalities following behind them, guarding them and both advising them and letting them bounce ideas off them, as well as enacting their whims for them. Like. Normal human need for other people.

Sphene was obviously involved in her people's lives but she was doing it all by herself, like, individual house visits? The way she was a single shining saintly figure was so incredibly suspicious. Frog was worrying the regulators were doing some sort of mass mind control to keep everyone complacent and besotted with their ruler, at first, and then once she realised she was an Endless, she knew it was more that she was a mascot and the face of a much larger, worse thing: a terrible system that had all the living humans in its grasp. Oh well! there's always a trial named after the expansion! :)

I think part of her post-MSQ to do list is to read up on the historical Sphene and get a better idea of who she had been before, because she wants to know more about the actual person who she only saw little glimpses of, and historical Alexandria is really interesting, especially after seeing so many recreations of it and glimpses of what it had been, compared to the society in Solution 9. It's all SO weird even after the cyberpunk stuff and high technology she's already seen.

[unionizedwizard]

alone bound and hide for Le Irma :)

alone: How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

she's been alone (emotionally so, at least. she's never lived alone in the desert or anything like that) practically her whole life at this point, with a few notable exceptions, the main one being her time at the arcanists' guild where she felt like she truly belonged. this made her unexpected assignment as adventurer by merlwyb that much more painful, and she was by no means close to the scions for the better part of the story - she felt closest to minfilia ("and how's that worked out for you so far?"). her loneliest (and most difficult) time was when she was living with her adoptive family in ul'dah - not being part of the family or ul'dahn society as a whole, but also not fitting in with the servants or her fellow ala mhigan refugees. the twin sisters' governess/tutor was her only ally (she was the one who arranged for her to be sent at mealvaan's gate in the first place). and then of course g'raha disappearing right as she was starting to feel as if she had finally found a friend did not really help. shall we say. she tends to keep people at arms' length and tries to be as self-sufficient and independent as possible as a result

"how do they act when there's no one around to see them?" as a matter of fact, ever since her time in the first (but honestly, i think it started much earlier, and that it was always a lingering concern of hers) she's paranoid about being spied on, watched, and observed. between the exarch and his weird tricky mirror, feo ul and their dream access, emet-selch's (and arbert's) constant presence and observation.... privacy is not really something she can hope for anymore, and this is still something she struggles with to this day (is it really being paranoid if you end up being right most of the time?.......)

hide: What does your OC hide? Why do they hide it?

you know that tweet that's like "my whole life i've always been scared of being Found Out. i don't even know what i was hiding. my whole self, i guess"? that's pretty much it. that being said, she doesn't really lie actively, it's more that she doesn't volunteer information about herself and tends to conceal everything, automatically. like, for example, the fact that nobody even knew about her dramatic amnesia backstory until post SHB when g'raha asked about her childhood (concerning and surprising lack of information about it in the various wol-centered works he'd found over the years) or that she was actually from ala mhigo. ("wait, so you helped liberate your homeland?" "well i don't know about that. it's not like i remember it or anything"). it's been a really funny conversation though. "why didn't you say anything about it before??" "well i just didn't see how relevant or useful it would have been". i assume this is in great part why she was extremely irritated with gaia for the better part of the eden storyline ("well, some of us are black magic-inclined amnesiacs and aren't being unpleasant about it")

(i have to specify that i established this part of her backstory almost immediately after starting the game with her - it was how i (very consciously) created her last name too, although the details came much later, so the fact that they did it not once, but TWICE (and, arguably, three times if you count taynor) (wait. four times? on a technicality unukalhai could qualify, i guess) was UNEXPECTED. bunch of teenagers with amnesia and dark powers on account of The Inherited Soulcurse hanging about in eorzea and beyond. it's like a local species at this point)

[mages-ballad]

some stuff regarding dawntrail now that ive finished and had time to collect my thoughts, spoilers up to the very end inbound of course. sorry if its long i have many MANY a thought.

ok so i wanna preface by saying i DID like dawntrail. i love wuk lamat and i cried like 3 or 4 times, tural is a great location and it was very fun to meet all the different kinds of npcs there

HOWEVER theres some things that kinda feel awkwardly paced? if i can be completely honest, it feels like the first half and the second half of the msq are two entirely different plotlines that were smushed together. and this isnt even saying that everkeep/sphene/s9 are "too different" because its not even an aesthetic issue for me, its moreso the themes presented first half? a little slow but in a GOOD way, helps you get a feel for the land and the people and shows wuk lamat's growth. the succession plotline feels like a whole, coherent thing. i like it. as soon as thats over and you hit shaaloani though, its slow and quite literally filler aside from a few tidbits for erenville. it felt awkward how it was trying to show xak tural culture, but also heavilyyy favored screentime for the "cowboy" stuff over the hhetsarro (who also very much live in shaaloani and are part of tural), who we spent practically 1 quest with and it was to ask them for lumber. and THEN it goes right from that to a high-stakes plot with zoraal ja's attack and heritage found and everything progressing after that. on its own the plot has potential... but by living memory i got the impression that everything from the end of shaaloani and refitting the train to running through the memories of alexandria, it just felt like it was trying to be Shadowbringers 2/Endwalker 2. and it wasnt really working out the same. "a society faced a calamity and a leader figure cant let go of the past and will gladly sacrifice other worlds to keep the memory of their people alive/go back to how things used to be. theres also a city full of people that arent alive and are just memories. also you get to run through a dungeon that shows the destruction of the past world that said leader figure cant let go of." like thats just the ascians and emet and amaurot right there. we KNOW how this stuff goes. from endwalker and venat we learned that its impossible to strive for absolute peace and perfection and that suffering and death are unavoidable, and the importance of maintaining hope and being able to go keep going forward at those lowest points. the whole time between solution 9 and living memory i was just sitting there thinking to myself like??? have we not seen this same stuff before??? why isnt anyone saying anything??? i knowwww this is mainly wuk lamat's story and development but it felt almost wrong to have these plotlines and themes and neither the wol or any of the scions even point out how familiar it is. i was under the impression that dawntrail would be a point for the wol to take a backseat, but to ALSO use what weve learned from 1-90 to help others. i genuinely feel like they pushed the idea that this is a fresh start *too hard* and everything weve gone through as the wol emotionally feels pretty ignored. aside from the whole "oh yeah btw were super strong weve been to the edge of the universe lol dont worry lol" like i hope this doesnt come off as me hating dawntrail. because i dont, and im interested to see the extent of travel between reflections and how thats handled going forward. but i cant help but feel like something was missing in that 2nd half of the msq. i can only hope some of this stuff gets addressed in the patches, because as it stands rn, even with sphene gone solution 9 still feels weird. the theme of dawntrail wants us to respect their culture, but from past xpacs we already know that a society like that is factually not sustainable, especially when multiple npcs have already pointed out its flaws (declining birth rate, for example.) maybe thatll be resolved later, but as it stands rn, the contradictory of themes is confusing. this is getting reallllyyy long and rambling now but WHEW i just needed to get this all off my chest. on a positive note to end this, im very much enjoying the dungeons and combat so thats been good.

tl;dr, 1st half of msq good, 2nd half confusing, combat good.

[mariyekos]

Listening to the Endwalker OST again, specifically Flow and Close in the Distance, has kind of nailed down why I didn't really care for Dawntrail as much: I just wasn't emotionally invested.

There's only one scene in Dawntrail that I can think of that really impacted me, and it was the gondola scene in Living Memory, which came at the tail end of the story. Now, oftentimes emotionally impactful scenes occur during the climax of the story. But the thing about Living Memory was that honestly? Most of it felt okay. Certain scenes were strong, yes, but none of them were like that gondola scene, which spoke to some really deep emotions I've held onto for...almost three quarters of my life. The idea of what you would do if you could bring someone back from the dead. What you'd give. What it would be like. I'll summarize my feelings on the matter as this: I spent years sobbing over this. When G'raha brought it up, those memories flooded back in and I started crying there too.

The thing is: there's a difference between being invested in the story, and in finding a theme or scene emotionally impactful. There's a difference in feeling a connection to something and being reminded of something. There's a difference between following a character to the end and reaching some sort of grand conclusion or emotional catharsis that builds on everything you've been through with them, and having someone new (or old, in a way) pop in last minute to give you the grand conclusion the people the game has tried to get you invested in have failed to come to. That G'raha comes and says it almost makes it feel like the writers *knew* you wouldn't be very invested in Erenville, Krile, or Wuk Lamat, so they delivered an old friend they knew you *were* invested in to have him deliver it instead, relying upon your past investment to make the scene as poignant as they needed it to be.

EDIT: Okay I can't believe I forgot impactful scenes number two: the Skydeep Cenote. That scene hit really hard too, and I will maybe come back to this later to elaborate, but basically yes that hit me hard because the story led to it very well, the characters got emotional, and I got emotional. It was unfortunately lessened a bit by the 180 Bakool Ja Ja did, but overall it was good, even if a bit sudden on the characterization front. Still: 2 emotionally impactful scenes across 40 hours isn't great. You could maaaybe throw in Otis' sacrifice and Gulool Ja questioning his existence a bit, but those were relying more on character tropes than investment, and while I enjoyed them, they were a little less intense than other similar scenes in other expansions.

I liked Gulool Ja Ja, but I wasn't weeping at his death, because it was not only a long time coming, but because the WoL (and Wuk Lamat! Who is the MC of DT) just didn't even try to help, which is different from scenes in which you try to help but fail. It's not you watching from a distance while the baby's mother gets flung into the pool in early Endwalker; it's not you being in the middle of fighting and protecting yourself from the destruction when Conrad dies; it's you standing ten feet away and watching as someone's very preventable death is not prevented. There are things to be said about respecting one's values/wishes, yes, but that's another topic I'm not going to get into here. The point is that the scene left me more upset with the WoL and Wuk Lamat's inaction than sad about Gulool Ja Ja's death. More than other scenes, it felt artificial, in that Gulool Ja Ja died because the story needed it, not that the baby's mother or Conrad died because we could not save them. Learning about the Pelupelu and Hanu Hanu was interesting, but it wasn't the gut wrenching culture loss of the people of Coerthas or Ala Mhigo; it was more removed, which makes sense given part of the premise of the story was that Gulool Ja Ja fixed their problems long ago, but meant that I simply didn't get as invested.

Tangent: Lyse's ignorance of her people in Stormblood worked much better than Wuk Lamat's ignorance, because Lyse was taken from her country as a child whereas Wuk Lamat lived in the country, even visited some of the people with her father in childhood, and was in line for the throne, which makes her ignorance kind of egregious. How did she not know these things? Lyse at least had the excuse of not only not growing up in her motherland, but ended up in places like Kugane and the Azim Steppe which she had an even greater excuse not to know about. Furthermore, the setup of the story in which you could go to either Urqopacha or Kozama'uka meant that Wuk Lamat unfortunately had to backpedal some character development after whichever zone you went to first so that she could get that same development in the other zone, just in case you went to that one first. This is not to say that the general path of Wuk Lamat's character development, or her overall character, is bad. It's to say that the writers did her character a disservice by allowing you to go to either zone and having her come to the same conclusions. While I understand they have the two options to split players' paths and reduce congestion, it would've been nice if they added a handful of extra lines here and there, or had a handful of alternate lines, so she could acknowledge the fact that she'd already gotten some experience and come to some conclusions that the second are was reaffirming.

(Tangent of a tangent: while I know budget is a thing, if the game can afford to do a She and a He version of every line for the WoL, they can include an extra 10-20 lines for Wuk Lamat to go "Seeing the Hanu Hanu's use of reeds showed me how important the survival of local culture can be, but seeing how the Pelupelu rely on trade has really made me appreciate how *many* different cultures there are, and how what's important can vary place to place!" instead of "Wow, seeing the Hanu Hanu has made me realize supporting local culture is important. I have never thought about this in my life" into "Wow, seeing the Pelupelu has made me realize supporting local culture is important. I have never thought about this in my life (including 2 hours ago when I came to this exact same realization which I have conveniently forgotten)." It's not about the realization being bad- because it's a good one!- but that the lack of ability to acknowledge zone order means Wuk Lamat has an unfortunate character backpedal that makes her seem dumber/more ignorant than she actually is. She's quite a receptive person, so for her to backpedal like this doesn't align with much of the rest of her story and sticks out as particularly egregious character writing.)

Going back to Lyse versus Wuk Lamat: it's the contrast between a character who wants to get to know the people she never had a chance to know, and a character who wants to get to know the people she kind of very much had a chance to know and should logically know about. I got more invested in the character getting to do something she dreamed of than the character who didn't bother (or who didn't do it because of poor parenting that she does not treat as poor parenting, if you want to blame Gulool Ja Ja for not giving Wuk Lamat some more worldly knowledge, which tbh he should've, but the game doesn't want to treat him as a bad father so much as Zoraal Ja as a bad son with a father who maybe could've been a teesny weensy but better, but was overall great!). It was easier to get invested in the girl who got very angry because she saw her people being beaten and had to be reigned in by a comrade who told her that no, she shouldn't step in, because that will actually make things worse, than the girl who got very angry because the guy who made her drop her taco showed up and made fun of her.

Really this all boils down to *stakes*. Yes, the stakes of Wuk Lamat losing and Tural going to Bakool Ja Ja or Zoraal Ja *were* actuat high, because Bakool Ja Ja seems like an incompetent leader by virtue of being kind of dumb, and Zoraal Ja is ambiguously evil and expansionist (the latter of which should've been emphasized more, imo, but the game seemed to care more about Krile saying he just seemed super evil which was made so ominous but hardly followed up on to my disappointment). But those stakes felt much more removed than the stakes of you and Lyse *watch* a man be beaten into the dirt while being told that if you tried to do anything, that would happen to everyone, or the stakes of you going through Doma and looking at how poor and scared the people were and knowing this would continue if you did nothing, or the stakes of you going to the Ruby Sea and *watching* as a man was told to kill his parents in a way that would continue if you did nothing. Stakes which materialize are much stronger than vague stakes which are only referenced. The stakes of Bakool Ja Ja becoming leader actually grew higher when he released Valigarmanda! That was a great story moment! Or would have been, were he disqualified, which he *absolutely should have been*.

See, that's where Dawntrail shoots itself in the foot: there are all these talks of stakes which just never come to play. In a story, you should not bring attention to something if you are going to pointedly ignore it (with a few exceptions that do not fit into Dawntrail). Very early on, Dawntrail called attention to the fact that one of the main rules of the contest was that you Could Not Attack an Elector. Doing so would result in immediate disqualification. But then you get to the actual story, and this Does Not Happen. Bakool Ja Ja loosed a Tural Vidraal, injuring many (tens? dozens? hundreds? not a few) people, of which I thiiiink the elector may have been one, but my memory is shaky enough that I'll leave it as maybe. If you ask me, he should've been immediately disqualified for hurting an elector's people, and releasing a giant monster. He was not. This felt bad. Then he kidnaps another Elector in Yak'tel (Wuk Lamat's father, Hunmu Rruk), threatens to harm him, and is STILL not disqualified. I tried to explain it as Hunmu Rruk maybe not disqualifying him because it might bring attention to Wuk Lamat's parentage, but in the moment it still felt dumb. Why was it that Zoraal Ja would get disqualified when Bakool Ja Ja got so many chances? Plot convenience. The stakes only matter when you want them to. This is not the constant reminder of stakes that was Stormblood. Stormblood isn't the only example of this- my favorite expansions are Heavensward and Shadowbringers, which also have their moments I'm not going to inflate this essay with- but I bring it up because it and Dawntrail (and ARR, to an extent, though les so for the points I bring here) have the most similarities.

In a way this tangent has wrapped back around to the point of this post-turned-essay, which is that I struggled to get emotionally invested in Dawntrail, and that lack of emotional investment is what made it fall so flat. The story was okay. It had some interesting moments. But the highs of Dawntrail were by and large much lower than the highs of the expansion that came before, and while the lows weren't really *too* too low, the average was pretty meh. Overall, it was an okay expansion. Overall, it wasn't very memorable. Even four years after playing it, I can name far more memorable scenes from Stormblood than I can an expansion I played six months ago. I call out Stormblood because by the end of Endwalker, it sat with ARR as my firm least favorite expansions, so the point I'm trying to make here is that even my so called "low" expansion had greater highs than Dawntrail.

Now, Dawntrail was often a much happier, less serious story than previous expansions. Not always, but often. Different types of story come with different levels of emotional investment. Dawntrail was exceptionally silly in a fun way when it wanted to be silly, which is to say at times it did things very well, and I feel it succeeded at what it was going for. It's just that emotional investment wasn't one of them. If a story is trying to treat something as light (or "shallow") and it feels light, then great! It did a good job, and I think that's perfectly fine. But if it's tryign to treat something as heavy, but it doesn't *feel* heavy, that's where it fails. It's Zoraal Ja's death speech (I just wanted to be...da king of the playground, anyone?) which had me kind of going uhhh, okay? It's the game simultaneously having Erenville and Wuk Lamat be horrified at what happened to Yyasulani while all the people there are just like "eh, it's fine" which makes it harder to be emotionally invested when the game is trying to downplay something in the same moment it's introduced. It's about one of the main messages of the expansion being that you should respect and utilize local cultures to make for a richer, healthier society, while having a major quest line go "oh yeah, to make things good for everyone we tossed out their culture and adopted a foreign one" (so none would get special treatment by being *the* main language, which is a point I suppose, but abandoned the big idea of using something from everyone to make something good).

Dawntrail is the beginning of a new story, and I understand that means you have to slow down and lay things out. You're setting up the foundation for investment, and can't rely (much, see the point about G'raha's gondola speech) on past investment very much. Logically, there will be less investment.

But even ARR had points of emotional investment. The Massacre at the Waking Sands, in which the people that I spoke to over and over, that I personally went out of my way to talk to when I didn't have to and learned to care for, suddenly died. When your friend was taken by the enemy, and you had to rush to save him. When Cid reclaimed his identity and went up against the empire he'd abandoned (which admittedly isn't as strong as the first two, but is something). Importantly: ARR usually didn't feel as if it were trying to make a huge deal out of something it thought I should be emotionally invested in, when it wasn't something I was emotionally invested in. For most of the things I didn't care about, the writers seemed to know I didn't care about them and didn't make a huge fanfare out of it. Dawntrail did.

Anyway, to close up a long rant: I just...didn't really care about Dawntrail. It was okay. It happened. My list of expansions goes ShB=HW>EW>SB>DT=ARR. (Tbh ShB proooobably outranks HW, but I feel like it's a betrayal to bump HW down....). I don't think any of them were bad, I just think some were okay, some were good, and some were great. I do want to clarify: this is all my *personal opinion*. I know there are people put there who got much more emotionally invested than I did, and I'm happy you were happy! I just wasn't. Dawntrail wasn't for me and that's okay- not everything has to be, and I'm glad they went to new places, because I know there are people out there who had the most fun with Dawntrail of everything in FFXIV, and diversity in storytelling is healthy for a long running MMO. My old favorites are still out there for me to replay, and the story can always change again. We'll just have to wait and see where it goes.

[k-drama-thoughts]

The Story of the Park Marriage Contract

Synopsis:

As a newly married woman in 19th-century Korea, Park Yeon Woo’s (Lee Se Young) life should have been a happy one. But when her new husband dies shortly after their wedding, her life goes from bad to worse when she’s kidnapped and thrown down a well. What should have been the end of her story turns out to be just the beginning when her fall into the well lands her in a swimming pool in modern-day Korea. Fished out by Kang Tae Ha (Bae In Hyuk), Yeon Woo soon finds herself presented with a strange request: to join him in a contract marriage. Lost in a strange new world, will Yeon Woo agree to make a dying man’s wish come true?

The Best Things About This Drama:

Familiar formula done well

Likeable characters

Doesn't over do the angst

I'm giving this one 4/5. There is a lot to like about this drama, especially Joo Hyun Young as Sa Wol, Yeon Woo's maid and friend, and Jo Bok Rae as Hong Seong Pyo, Tae He's secretary and friend. The time-slip storyline is a popular one, and they did a brilliant job making this one interesting and unique in a familiar landscape.

There is, of course, a lot of machinations and plotting around the corporate structure to mirror the political struggles we see in Joseon, and the familiar domestic drama among chaebol families was ever present. What I thought was particularly well done is that the true motivations and plots unfolded slowly, and each time it felt more like a puzzle piece fitting into place and not like a shock out of the blue.

The definition of fate and destiny is a recurring theme, as is what sacrifice and selflessness means to each person. They're subtle, but ever present. I appreciated that there was no singular accepted answer to the questions of what determines fate and what is a selfless act of love.

Lee Se Young is a beautiful woman and actress, and I enjoyed her performance as much as I enjoyed her character. The fact that she was allowed to be the more carefree and informal one to Bae In Hyuk's more rigid and formal personality was a nice balance. You got to see him evolve without completely changing his personality.

All in all, it was what I would call a cozy drama. Something that you could watch and enjoy without being completely emotionally wrecked by the end of each episode. I definitely recommend it for a great love story.

[woltourney]

ROUND 4 / SIDE B / POLL 1

Huge Beef (@isayoldbean) v. Zuveh'a Khulaa (@zuveha-xiv)

Huge Beef:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Huge Beef, she/her

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Sea Wolf Roegadyn

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. WAR, MCH, NIN, RDM, AST, FSH (Note from submitter: CUL)

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

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Beef was a fearsome pirate captain who was mortally wounded in an ambush and presumed dead. Hydaelyn intervened to ensure her survival, but the tremendous burst of aether she expended in doing so accidentally wiped Beef's brain completely clean and left her with total amnesia. With nothing but her axe and a talent for busting heads, she decided to set forth and become an adventurer. It turns out that it's a great way to get into fights without getting in trouble with the law, earn fame and money, and get the ladies swooning, so she couldn't be happier with her chosen line of work. In her free time she works on fishing boats, seeks out gourmet recipes, and works her charms on as many beautiful maidens as she can.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "What kind of question is that? Why WOULDN'T I win? Have you seen me?"

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. hi this is my wol she's a terrible person but she's incredibly sexy so it's fine i guess. also her name is huge beef. because she's huge and beefy. ok thank you for perceiving her

Zuveh'a Khulaa:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Zuveh'a Khulaa - He/him (trans male)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Keeper Miqo'te/Hrothgar (half and half)

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Main: Warrior / Secondary: Scholar and Thaumaturge

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Crystal Mateus!

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Zuveh'a is…a very scarred man, emotionally and physically, but he is healing with his support system that he finally has thankfully. He's more on a gruff and stoic side, but it's not terribly hard to see him smile, especially when around his family or you can manage to get on his soft side. His story deviates little from MSQ, except he is from Ul'dah, unlike the Canon WoL who is from another land, but the Scions do see his turn-around from pre-ARR and eventually offer him a place, even tho he's hesitant at first. He honestly does not find satisfaction in being a Hero sometimes, as he does personally like reward for whatever stupid struggles the common folk put him through. He was a sex worker and assassin before the Scions, after all. His free time is often spent at brothels, admittedly, or doing odd jobs for money.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "Because I'm sexy, why else?"

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. He has piercings on his lips, ears, and nipples :)c

[that1nkyone]

WoL questions 9, 22, 24?

9. The Warrior of Light has been through quite a lot, but what is a moment, big or small, that bolstered and renewed their spirit? Was it a cup of hot cocoa or a lovingly crafted sandwich? Did someone give them a few words or a gesture at just the right time that meant the world to them? (Of course, this can be a canon event or headcanon!)

Ash'li's had quite a few moments like this!

However, a major one was actually when Alphinaud served hot chocolate post-Heavensward, and the subsequent conversation of saving Estinien from Nidhogg.

So, before Heavensward, Ash'li had been a fairly passive force, due to a major lack of self-confidence, and a very self-sacrificial stance on things. Though he knew he was granted with the Blessing of Light, he did not trust himself to use it well or correctly, and was happy to just take orders from Minfilia and Alphinaud, trusting that they would steer him right.

Losing the Blessing to Midgardsormr, and subsequently the Bloody Banquet made Ash'li realise that he needed to step up and take the wheel more often for the sake of his friends. Heavensward was his growth arc in terms of confidence, but he also started distancing himself emotionally a lot more - especially after the death of Haurchefant. He also became increasingly protective of Alphinaud and Tataru, refusing to let either of them in emotionally.

After the disaster of the (second attempt) of the Peace Conference in Falcon's Nest, Ash'li's at his lowest. He'd tried so hard to help mend the rift between the Dravanians and Ishgardians, and it seemed to go wrong at every step. And now they were going to have to pay more lives for a war that didn't seem to want to end, including that of a Nidhogg-possessed-Estinien.

Enter Alphinaud, with two hot chocolates reminiscent of how Haurchefant welcomed them to Camp Dragonhead after the Bloody Banquet. Something about that, and the subsequent conversation of not giving up on their comrade, chipped away at Ash'li's facade enough for him to start trusting Alphinaud and his friends as comrades again. He opens up emotionally again, after that, and that gives him the strength to continue on.

22. What are their feelings on the Scions? Who are some of their closest allies and dearest friends? Are they more of a loner, or closer to people outside the Scions? Have they kindled any romances or partnerships?

As mentioned earlier, Ash'li started off his career in the Scions preferring to be directed and told what to do - viewing them as his superiors, so to speak. At this point, they're all mostly a second family to him. He knows they'd die for him, and he would do the same for them - but he's also glad that everyone there understands that neither situation is acceptable.

He had a fallout with Thancred during the events of Shadowbringers (Not having a great father himself, Ash'li had an automatic and spiteful negative reaction to bad fathers, and he did not like the situation with Minfilia/Ryne. He reined it in once he realised that his anger was actually making her more uncomfortable, and that his anger wasn't coming from a place that would help the overall situation). Thancred's near-death experience scared him, however, and their friendship mended afterwards after both of them underwent a bit more self-awareness and character development.

Papalymo was a mentor figure for him of sorts - not in Thaumaturgy, but more for guidance in dealing with fighting environments he struggled with, like fire and overly loud battlefields. Papalymo would also tell him off for trying to burn the candle at both ends doing training, and despite his short temper, Ash'li looked up to Papalymo a lot (figuratively speaking) as a stable figurehead next to Minfilia. Ash'li didn't leave his side at the very end until he was made to.

Ash'li considers the Leveilleur twins family. He actually viewed ARR Alphinaud as someone who knew what he was doing (whoops), but they both underwent character development during Heavensward and became a lot more talkative to each other. He was a little more intimidated by Alisaie, up until the events of the Coils of Bahamut - and by Stormblood, would begin seeing her as a younger sister.

It wasn't until the events of Shadowbringers that Ash'li started the habit of hugging them both - I headcanon that's how he greeted them once he encountered them both in the First. Past that point, a barrier broke down - and they're now greeted with waves and hugs and headpats (to Alisaie's annoyance) and occasionally him doing their hair or Alisaie's makeup. Call it a Mi'qote social grooming thing. Though he knows they're talented and powerful, he worries for them - but he doesn't want his worries to get in the way of their abilities. He also wants them to know that they're family to him.

It took him every ounce of self-restraint (and his experience with Thancred in Shadowbringers) to not cause a diplomatic incident with Fourchenault That One Time at the Lotus Stand. Instead, he took them to his mother's place and made them soup while hissing to himself.

24. How do they feel about Hydaelyn? What was their perception of the Mothercrystal in the beginning, and how did that change by the end, if at all?

Ash'li was deeply afraid of the Mothercrystal, at first. This strange, all-knowing deity thrusting a destiny that he didn't know what to do with was not how he had planned his initial adventure to go. While he trusted her enough for Her Blessing to protect him, he grew increasingly wary after Minfilia was made Her Voice - and his feelings of trusting Her would flip-flop a lot.

It was not until he learned that She had originally been just a person that he started feeling as if she was less inscrutable. Even if there'd been a possibility that she was Evil, or Had Ulterior Motives, the fact that she'd once been 'mortal' brought her down from this unreachable pillar to a point where Ash'li felt more motivated to understand her and her intentions.

And when he at last met Venat, and Hydaelyn's intentions became clear, he couldn't help but want to at least walk with her to the very end of her path, after all she'd been through.

Suffering or not, he hopes her journey was good and worthwhile.

[eemamminy-art]

I saw your response about ships and decided to see what you thought about some of the rare ones I like! I thiiiink you encountered these at one point on the book club but perhaps not.

Nero/Solus(rehydrated)

Nero/Exarch

Nero/m!wol

Varis/wol

Emet/Exarch/Nero

The Chais/wol

The Chais/Innocence (these here and below literally just occurred to me, but...)

The Chais/Exarch

The Chais/Emet

Innocence/Exarch

I'm actually not in the bookclub! But I have heard mention of some of these pairs!!

There's a lot here so I'll do a cut :3

Nero/Solus

When you say rehydrated I'm assuming you mean like, the more youthful Solus? I think if anything Nero would be way too fascinated by the allagan cloning and it was just irritate Solus gjdsgjds I could see them as like fwb but without the friends part lol colleagues with benefits I guess?? I get the sense Nero has a really hard time being emotionally vulnerable but likes to have fun physically at least

Nero/Exarch

Okay omg... I have to tell you... I had this like cracked AU idea before that like, Nero ended up as the exarch instead?? Like since he was really trying to stay inside the tower at the end of the CT quests I was like hey what if he did... So I don't think it's a stretch to imagine they both ended up in there! Hundreds of years of isolation with just the two of them, I think they'd spend a lot of time deep in their research and work but would eventually develop some sort of codependency. I think that would be interesting to see! :D

Nero/m!wol

I think it would depend on the wol's backstory but I think it could be interesting! Wol/npc stuff is always tricky to navigate because I think where it's great with one wol it doesn't work with another, so I think it's a bit hard to answer since one half of the ship is always going to be up to interpretation since it's an OC. But I think just looking at it from Nero's perspective, I could see it starting as another competitive sort of thing with Cid-- feeling like he's stealing the wol away from him, whether or not Cid had romantic interest in the wol or not, but just wanting to claim something against him in their neverending rivalry. I do like that you specified m!wol too because I can't imagine Nero with a woman personally

Varis/wol

So I actually do ship Varis with an OC! Not the wol though, the OC is Zenos' mom although I know technically she does have a name in canon now but I pretend I do not see it lol. It's a really tragic ship the way I do it because it leans into azemet kind of, where she wasn't Azem but was an ancient who was with Emet and is now sundered and married to Varis. To kind of compound their already bad family dynamic and make Emet sadder lol (affectionate).

But speaking of Varis specifically with the wol, I think that could be really interesting too! I think back to that scene in the stormblood patches where he absolutely owns the whole alliance and they're all scrambling like oh shit we actually know next to nothing about this guy what the fuck dsgjsdj iconic scene and one of my favorite parts of the game, but I would want to think that's where there's a turning point for the wol. They're like fascinated with him and feel so conflicted about everything. I think it would be a really good launching point for an AU where the wol switches sides and I would love to see it :D

Emet/Exarch/Nero

Well I love Emet/Exarch already so I think adding Nero into the mix would be interesting as well! I feel like it would be a combination of my answers above for Nero/Solus and Nero/Exarch. Possibly brings out the vindictive shitty side of Nero if he was already getting codependent with the Exarch (I could see him acting that way toward the wol as well) and I think it would be a really destructive relationship for the three of them. But that's sort of the appeal of Emet/Exarch anyway imo, that they make each other worse and I think adding Nero to that would just compound it

The Chais/others

I will combine these all into one answer because it is going to be the same (possibly disappointing) one: I love the Chais but I really don't see them having an open relationship. I feel this way about the Leveilleurs too, and I know it's popular with both of them to have it be an open relationship. I am just really passionate about being a monogamous wifeguy and so I absolutely project that onto m/f ships gdsjgjds Extremely weak for the devoted husband who is kind of insufferable otherwise but he's just a gooey sweetheart with his wife 🥺 it's too relatable for me so I can't bring myself to ship it as poly due to it having that personal sort of connection for me. I'm sorry!! 😭

Innocence/Exarch

I hadn't thought of this before but it's an interesting thought 👀 Sort of like a bad end scenario, I feel like? The Exarch was ready to throw himself away in that moment so why not let himself be corrupted? Or consumed? My brain immediately goes to body horror type of stuff for them and it's a lovely thought, I will need to ponder this one more ☺

I hope you found my thoughts on these interesting! Thanks for the ask! I definitely hadn't considered a lot of these before!!

[bnuuywol]

5, 6, and 8 for the wol question thing HEHE

Hehehe. So. 5 was asked and answered here. But as for the rest...

6. Is that their natural hair color?

It is! You see, Phoenyx got his black hair from his mother. But he was also born with a birth defect that causes patches of his skin and hair to change their pigmentation to red (I talked about it a bit here and a clearer representation of how this makes his skin look is in these).

8. How do they feel about the fame/infamy that comes with being a Warrior of Light/Darkness?

This question has a rather complex answer. Because on the one hand, it means a lot to him to be the Warrior of Light. He's always wanted to be a protector, always wanted to help people, and having this job, this title, has allowed him to do just that on a huge scale.

But on the other hand, he doesn't believe he deserves the fame. And he's an introvert, so getting that much attention can make him uneasy. To him, he's just doing what's right. He doesn't think he's great or special because of it. In fact, he thinks he doesn't even do these great things well enough to deserve the revere he gets for them. He would argue that he doesn't deserve to get any credit for averting the Final Days because he believes that, in killing Zodiark, it was his fault they even happened to begin with. He shouldn't be admired for cleaning up his own mess.

Being the Warrior of Darkness however... this felt different. Phoenyx's experience in the First felt a lot more comfortable to him in general. As much as the WoD was a hero to a vast majority of the people there, he resonated more with infamy. He's emotionally intelligent enough to realize that he is not the kind of person that folks want to imagine their heroes to be, and being associated with Darkness rather than Light somehow made him feel more accepted as he is rather than painted as this virtuous hero who does no wrong. He's done a lot of fucked up things, and is more than willing to continue to do so if it means keeping his loved ones safe. He feels as though people are a lot more willing to accept a dark knight as the Warrior of Darkness than they are to accept one as the Warrior of Light.

So tldr; fame makes him feel unworthy, infamy makes him feel seen.

[outeremissary]

oh oh for the dashboard osmosis thing especially since u mentioned it i gotta ask about xiv. what do u reckon is the plot of heavensward

Oh wow this is like FFXIV challenge mode. I think it's the expansion I know the least about. It was right before Endwalker, right? So it's gotta be. State of the world for Endwalker. Can I reverse engineer Heavensward from that and random guesses.

After doing lots of politics in Stormbringers (Stormlord???), tensions remain high in the reborn realm. Our hero, the Warrior of Light, continued their quest to restore peace to Eorzea and stop the muscular scythe bishie once and for all. But because this isn't Endwalker, they aren't going to make it very far! Instead, they meet a bunch of other guys instead, possibly including an absolutely fucking sick assassin lady who turns into a moon rabbit and tries to kill everyone (I have it on good authority that it was fine for her to do this so I say: good for her!) and the bishop of elves, who is bisexual and has an emotionally intense whirlwind relationship with the WoL for the two months they know each other. In the background, shenanigans continue with the monocle detective and his trusted magician's assistant looking sidekick as their rivalry with a guy from other Final Fantasy games reaches new heights. The red elf teen learns martial arts but continues to shafted by the plot in favor of fan favorite blue elf teen. Unfair! Let her bite and kill, I say. There's a guy named Curious George who for many, many months I thought was a super duper popular WoL but is actually just a real guy. As far as I can tell, Curious George is a romance option who is wooed via fishing trips. A humble man! I respect it. And of course, the redemption arc of the most dark knight looking ex-major villain of a past expansion continues as that guy finds himself in the desert and adds a major character to his roster of new adopted children. This protagonist (I forget which one) begins to reflect that maybe the dark knight really has changed, and they part ways on good terms. Hooray for friendship!

Oh! Also there are girls in love in that one, I think. I'm pretty sure that's the one with the girls in love! The girl who is an ancient being like the WoL and reawakens because of an abusive ex or something? But through the power of yuri he is made to fuck off and she continues to just be the person she is in the present. Yay!

Overall, Heavensward is an expansion worthy of its popularity, adding vibrant new characters, great beaches and rivers, and continuing to ramp up the plot of the critically acclaimed MMORPG with a free trial up to level 60. Emet Selch is presumably there, but I don't know where. Just imagine him in the distant background of every shot.

[toadeyes-miqote]

Unlimited Clutter Works!

(It split into three parts, got too wordy)

It took me this long to realise that Fangydengue is standing behind Zenos. The scene was totally asking for an Unlimited Blade Works.

Its just interesting that the weapons featured are for Gladiator /Paladin, Samurai, Lancer / Dragoon, Marauder / Warrior and the one suspicious looking Bluespirit Gunblade. Unless that is Bluespirit Blade.

(edit - The blue crystal weapons is Bluespirit series not Exarchic. My bad)

I mean sure you can beat someone to death with a scepter or a rod or globe, or a heavy enough Grimoire, but the magic based skills that come with. He can't access them. He can't tap the WoL's full skill range, only the physical side, unless maybe Samurai and Reaper but he's new to reaping at the moment. No rabid Carbuncle, no attack Fairy. Jobstones? Can he even use jobstones?

I see he can use his reaper skills but he has not touch on her Bard or Gunbreaker skills. Does he not have the ability/access to use them in such short time?

I'm reminded of the one comic(might be from Surfacage or Cor) where he poked his nose into WoL mental space only to have Ardbert or Fray slam shut the door on him. Oh wait its on Saku's twitter

My POV on that was he poked his head into a window into WoL's head space. Maybe touch enough of her aether. But Ardbert and Fray carrying Tiny Midgardsomr were inching away out of sight behind said window as Zenos looks around. They are the ones preventing easy access to her core skills. He only gets what comes with the body

*edit - More to do with his inability to effectively use aether?

Bonus points if he can't touch her Bard skills(the songs and anything needing the right emotions) for he does not understand emotions and Gunbreaker's theme to protect is a foreign heathen Hrothgar concept to him. That there be jobs that totally not suit him. Conjurer / White Mage, Dancer. Dark Knight(?).

Great Swords. Dark Knight too emotionally challenged for him? Is this why he prefer Samurai? Blade be the extension of oneself. Axes(hah ha admit it, you is a beast too) and probably lances(he's his own dragon).

No Affinity, no bows, chakrams, wands, rods, books, Globes and cards (never got into Ishgard), Nouliths(or Sharlayan) . Does it boils down to compatibly, even for him. What about Monk then? No challenging the Sabin, Prince of Punch. Afraid he'll suplex you?

On this point, he's strong and fast enough to cause a lot damage, some skills are magitek enhanced damage.

So... no dancing Zenos...

Dammed you Zenos. Don't you dare steal this song. This is not your song. This is not related to you both. Don't you dare touch my 80s music!

[alannah-corvaine]

😞 = Finding an orphaned child would your muse opt to take them in, find someone more qualified, or just leave them?

Family Headcanons

Alannah will do everything she can to find the kid(s) a good home with a loving, stable family (whatever that happens to look like), but it will never be her. There are a myriad of reasons for that, none of which include a dislike of children:

• she's constantly traveling, her role as WoL basically means she's rarely in one place for more than a few days at a time (heavy sideeye @ thancred for his long distance parenting) and even when she's not on the road she's still always busy. also her job seems to have an 83.3% chance of disappearing from existence and memory, which is not great.

• she struggles with her own self-identity, alannah vs warrior of light vs mage vs romantic partner vs sister vs daughter vs ???, girl is still trying to figure out who she is.

• bringing someone else into her screwed up family is extremely unappealing, it's hard enough to introduce the new boyfriend (ardbert), let alone a child who won't understand why they're so awful and hostile to each other.

• speaking of new boyfriend, this thing with ardbert is still pretty new, right now she's focused on figuring out how a long term stable relationship works and how to be a good partner, she has no experience with this so there's not really room in her head to figure out how to be yet another thing (parent) and she just wants to focus on them for the foreseeable future.

• she's just not in any kind of place emotionally to have someone dependent on her; she's got heavy ptsd and a lot of grief that she doesn't know how to let go of and self-image issues, she's codependent, impulsive and reckless, a little self-absorbed, and just overall a mess. she's not ready for parenthood (or a relationship either probably but yolo).

• she had a terrible relationship with her own mother and she has a lot of fear that she'll end up being just like her as a parent.

@allyennah thank you for the ask!

[enzelffxiv]

every now and then the whole "which expansion was better/the best" thing gets revived and I get it but like.

yeah I can easily say Shadowbringers was my favorite, and I will readily admit it's because it brought me an immense amount of delight and nostalgia by having a story like a Tales game from 2000-2010. And identity crisis plots are like catnip for me. (actually talking about Ryne but the Wol's thing was a bonus.) Also the timing with which it came out felt very...close to home. (intentional or not, it gave some catharsis for climate change anxieties and the political situation in the US...)

But that doesn't mean I hated any of the others? Every expansion had highs and lows. ENW was....extremely polarizing but I enjoyed a lot of it. Admittedly it left me emotionally exhausted. I'd say it was the most polarizing after Stormblood... (I loathe time loop plots & thats a personal thing) but it had a lot of great moments, too.

Idk I guess. just remember that "favorite" doesn't necessarily mean "everything else sucked".