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Decembhyur Day 22 - Music
After being shown the wonders of another culture, it is hard to erase the beauty of it.
#ff14#ffxiv#yinne#gpose#decembhyur2023#ff14 highlander#ff14 hyur#ffxiv gpose#gposer#highlander hyur#ff14 au ra#au ra#xaela#au ra xaela#mol tribe#azim steppe
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Wish we knew what the other tribe banners looked like. I need to know what Kagon's banner would look like! Would there be stars?!
The Xaela tribal banners I’ve managed to find so far.
Oronir
Qestir
Buduga
Mol
Dotharl
Dataq
#ffxiv#final fantasy#xaela tribes#Oronir Tribe#Qestir Tribe#Budugu Tribe#Mol Tribe#Dotharl Tribe#Dataq Tribe#Kagon Tribe#what would other tribes be?
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Man, I'm replaying Stormblood on a casual alt and the Lyse-Wuk Lamat comparisons absolutely SHIT on Lyse???
Like Stormblood was absolutely Lyse's Story but even at it's most egregious it didn't come anywhere near as In Your Face as Wuk's Story in Dawntrail?? Which is frickin' wild???
Like for real my biggest Stormblood Main Character Complaint is Lyse's first outfit design. Legit all I think about when she's on-screen is how unsupportive her white-ass bra is, and how likely she's dealing with wedgies with her white-ass booty shorts. Fucking for realsies, the rest of her OG outfit is great! But her "I'm 12 and unsure how to deal with puberty" undies-vibes drive me fuckin' nuts.
At least the recent graphic update saved Hien and Gosetsu's outfits? To the point that I'm probably gonna buy Hien's samurai outfit for my Xaela dude who hasn't even unlocked samurai??
Anyway outfit aside, Stormblood MSQ Lyse isn't HALF as frustrating as Dawntrail MSQ Wuk Lamat is, good christ can we stop shitting on Lyse for 5 dang minutes
#ffxiv#also playing through the Azim Steppe on a Xaela is WILDLY WEIRD#there's a couple like. canon notes for Xaela WoLs#that treat us as like. idk. Eorzean immigrants? 2nd gen oddities?#but otherwise WHOLLY IGNORE our Xaela butts#my xaela dude is from the dalamad-worshipping tribe so as far as i know there's no in-game recognition of that#(what a fucking conversation to have with the Twins though lol)#but like. I just won the Naadam#for the Mol tribe#as like the only “canon” Dalamiq guy i know of#is my 2nd moon-worshiping tribe all dead? did they all commit suicide after dalamud exploded?????#i have questions about xaela culture!!!!#and THAT is is my priority over Lyse complaints#Lyse is such a fucking non-isssue oh my god how do people relentlessly compare her and Wuk Lamat#Wuk is SO AGGRESSIVELY A SHONEN PROTAG in a game that otherwise doesn't really? like. do? many anime stereotypes?#wuk my girly furry i want to love you but sweet and sour jesus you are SO BASIC#“peace” this and “peace” that i do NOT fucking care#i don't want to play my secondary alt solely for her peace rants#like fullstop no-joke i just double-checked how to spell “peace” because it stopped meaning anything to me#THAT is how much her poor English VA rants about peace#i follow her poor English VA on twitch!!!#and i still flinch from anything Wuk Lamat might voice because CHRIST ALIVE she never shuts up about peace!#Wuk Lamat I fucking beg and hope you get some earnest character development in the patch quests because you fucking suck in the MSQ
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should I get an xiv apartment. I have furniture now but I don’t really want to UHHHH like… what if I move out. Can you have an FC house and an apartment if u don’t own the fc house. can you Own both a house and an apartment
#i want to put my instrument i got from the mol tribe down… But also it’s like 300k right? That’s expensive…#play game#Not that I plan on trying to buy a house. No thanks that’s not for me
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Reading stuff about Dawntrail has reminded me half the fandom never paid any fucking attention during Stormblood.
#dawntrail#if i have to read someone call hien an imperialist one more time im gonna bite someone#yes WoL won the naadam and was named khagan#but it was on behalf of the mol tribe#the xaela agreed to follow hien into battle if we won#this was not conscription#we played by their rules and they honored it#sometimes nations can stick their necks out for each other#and lo and behold the position of power was handed over ti cirina and the mol#even if hien and wol earned respect in their eyes#reading is fundamental
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god. finally reached the azim steppe and am getting enough of a handle on the peoples' lore to really hammer out my WoL's family's backstory.... rotating them in my mind at mach speed
#id already figured that his parents wouldve been from different tribes but now i think his mother was probably mol... temulun had a son#and daughter that she sent on a journey and only the son returned so unless something arrives to contradict me. momther#i want his dad to be magnais uncle because i think my wol being cousins to both him and cirina is really funny. of course nobody will ever#know that this is the case bc my wol never got to know his parents but the irony is tasty to me#woe fated bonds be upon ye. you can be lost from your people but you never really will be. etc etc etc
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messing around in character creator and the demons in my brain are suggesting making this girl into a star wars oc....
#the au ra biology and society would be fun to play with in the sw universe....#some xaela tribes could revere force users while others exile them#for 'stealing power belonging to the dusk mother' as she was creating their souls#while there could be an entirely other tribe full of force users/sorcerers#that use their power to listen to the old gods like the mol tribe#idk there's SO MUCH that could be fun to mess with worldbuilding wise#and i'm weak for that shit
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An interesting background detail implied but not exactly explicitly stated is that there is a tradition of open hand martial arts in Altazia. The way that Taiven has a sparring dummy even though she's a mage with a weapon, the poses that she has in the art, it points to some type of unarmed technique. "Well no shit sherlock, why bring it up?" I wanted to establish this because in most dialogue, her comments of knowing how to fight and physical fitness could be interpreted as her talking about using weapons in combat. And I wanted to establish that because I was trying to figure something out. Why is there an unarmed tradition in a world of mages? Martial arts are not born in a vacuum. Willingly deciding to train how to fight without a weapon instead of with one is usually done with other factors involved. Sure, most cultures in our world developed some type of unarmed combat, but most of the time it devolves into some type of sport overtime (like boxing and wrestling now) as weapons prove more and more effective (from what I understand). What usually kept unarmed martial arts alive for serious self defense is either a) a population that can't afford weapons or b) an oppressive government that bans weapons to disempower resistance (this is based on my limited understanding, I know there are gaps in it). I know that Okinawan Karate became as strong of a tradition as it did because Japan banned Okinawans from owning weapons and they had to find a way to defend themselves without them (some people argued this was with the goal of fighting in a secret resistance with guerrilla tactics but that's been heavily disputed). So, in the MoL world, why would weapons be banned? How useful would unarmed combat be in a world where organizations that can ban weapons can also have mages? Because unlike having a weapon, magic can be taught to any one, and probably be much more effective. I can personally only think of three reasons why. 1) Mages were much less common than they seem to be in modern day Altazia. Fighting other people with weapons when you didn't have any was still viable and learning magic from anyone at all (including non-giant power structures like witches and tribes) wasn't viable for most. 2) Weapons were important to mages, as it was hinted in the gods' boons to mortals magical artifacts and weapons were used to push back against the frontier. This suggests a significant portion of magic use was done through objects and weapons, and the banning of it meant that people had to learn how to cast without those objects and fight without them at the same time. (Of course overtime spellcasting without weapons/objects were adopted by everyone as all superior spellcasting does, and as the spellcasting tradition was separated from the martial art, all that was left was the physical techniques). 3) Martial arts aren't a method of self defense at all and are only regarded as a sport. Only useful for exercise, and most importantly, cements Taiven's character as a jock official as she is the coach's assistant to teach the sport and has dummies to practice at home.
#mother of learning#taiven#just had some thoughts on martial arts I wanted to share#because I find this kind of worldbuilding and history very interesting
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Temulun: He could be taller. Severia: I like him the way he is. Temulun: Then he is welcome among our tribe.
(count)Down to Dawntrail: StB
Severia takes Nero to the Steppe and introduces him to the Mol, who adopted her into the tribe during StB.
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SPEED RUN TILL DAWN TRAIL POLL 55
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Inge Sjasaris
B A S I C S
Name: Inge Sjasaris (pre-EW), Inge Grymkoelwyn (post-EW)
Nicknames: none
Age: In her sixties
Nameday: 5th Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon
Race: Viera
Gender: Loaded question given that I've never bothered posting about her tribe, but long story short: she's fine with being called a woman. In our modern western ways, she'd be more akin to genderqueer. In her people's way, it's hard to translate so she never bothers. Honestly any pronoun is technically fine by her, it'll never be completely right anyway.
Orientation: Whatever, but more female leaning overall.
Profession: Mercenary, alchemist
P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S
Hair: I've yet to find a satisfying mod for what I have in mind but curly and mid-long, black, badly cut 'cause she tends to do it herself whenever the length annoys her too much. Rarely tied though, she doesn't like the feeling (hence the terrible haircuts)
Eyes: Grey
Skin: Dark brown, with some freckles
Tattoos/scars: A tattoo left by Louisoix's spell between her shoulder blades. Many scars scattered on her body, most faded though and none too remarkable.
F A M I L Y
Parents: Both alive, never named them x)
Siblings: Two unnamed sisters and one brother, which she doesn't know is a brother because she left before he hit puberty. He's called Solrunn and is played by @inah-ffxiv (who also plays her wife)
Grandparents: I didn't flesh out the family tree so far so.... no idea
In-laws and Other: She's married to Yersinia Bordetella (which isn't her real name if you wonder after reading Inge's family name above) Also in a relationship with Y'shtola.
Pets: None
S K I L L S
Abilities: The notable ones would be magic enhancing/debuffing (and healing but if you don't get hit, it's even better), war surgery, alchemy (mostly potions), botany and bow hunting. She can hear the Elementals too
Hobbies: Reading smut and romance. That's about it, she loves her job as an adventurer and doesn't take much time off.
T R A I T S
Most Positive Trait: Steadfast and kind
Most Negative Trait: emotionally constipated and prone to reproach people their recklessness before doing the exact same fucking thing five minutes later (But it's different because she knows what she's doing™)
L I K E S
Colors: she loves bright colors in general but mostly wears neutral/earthly colors herself (as to not make a target of herself). Doesn't have a clear favorite
Smells: damp soil, forests, quite a lot alchemical agents, tea, campfires
Textures: Leather, smooth polished wood, soft wool
Drinks: Tea, tea and more tea
O T H E R D E T A I L S
Smokes: Recreationally. Did you know the Twelve will approve of your union even if you're too high to remember the entire day? Should you get lucky enough to meet them, they'll even mention it /shudders
Drinks: Tea and water. Occasionally maybe some fruit juice. Never any alcohol, it makes her sick
Drugs: Nothing other than what I mentioned above
Mount Issuance: Inge's actually in the Twin Adder and got her chocobo through them. The bird doesn't have an actual name, she whistles to call it/give it orders and mostly uses it as a beast of burden rather than a mount. Her yol is in the care of the Mols. She didn't want to take it away from its natural environment, but she visits sometimes.
Been Arrested: Never. To say that she's always a law-abiding citizen might be pushing it though...
Tagged by: @lilbittymonster (ty!) Tagging @inah-ffxiv @adrayellinaeth @archaiclumina @hakai-zonapher @feathersage @wpip-raham @the-crimson-rose @sharlayanscion @ooc-miqojak (so you can pick which character you want to do it with) @punchelf @chadhunkler @clockworkdimensions @gatheredfates @corsair-kovacs @heavensw4rd
I went through my followers list and I have more characters so feel free to ignore if you're not interested and I'll tag more people when I do it with the rest of the cast!
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FFXIV OC Masterpost
Corrain Gealai de Fortemps
(ffxiv screencap, art by @/aazulean, art by @/minpage)
Age: 16 (ARR start), 22 (EW end), 24 (DT start)
Race: Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te
Gender: trans man
Sexuality: gay, polyamorous
Primary role: (the) Warrior of Light/Azem shard, lead OC
Primary ships: emetwolraha, azemet-by-proxy
Unsundered name: Helios
Character intro link: PENDING, intro game link here, WoL Template link here
Various AUs
Soulshards - Solo Warrior of Light universe. Not cowritten
your boldness stands alone among the wreck - AU in which Corrain is co-WoLs with @azems-familiar's Lelesu Lesu, and is a shard of Helios, the man who was once Azem.
in the shadow of the sun - Ascian Azem AU. In which it is @azems-familiar's Seleukos who becomes Azem, and Helios perishes in the Final Days. Corrain is reborn thirteen thousand years later- and Azem cannot stay away from the fragments of their best friend.
Inara Oronir Dotharl
Age: 25 (ARR start), 31 (EW end), 33 (DT start)
Race: Xaela Au'ra
Gender: cisgender, butch
Sexuality: lesbian
Primary role: Scion of the Seventh Dawn, Mercenary
Primary ships: Sadu, Cirina, and @azems-familiar's Yesuntei
Unsundered name: pending
Character intro link: here
Inara is a mercenary from the Steppe who possesses the Echo, and plays a supporting role in all of Corrain's (and Lelesu's) various AUs, though her role rarely changes. Originally a member of the Oronir tribe, she runs away to prove herself, and ends up working with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn until she (and Yesuntei) win the Naadam for the Mol, and she marries Sadu (and Cirina and Yesuntei).
Fraegeim Hezzfyrwyn
Age: 29
Race: Galdjent
Gender: cisgender
Sexuality: lesbian
Primary role: Warrior of Light of the First/Thirteenth (AU dependent)
Primary ships: N/A. Renda Rae, but never acted upon
Unsundered name: Helios
Character intro link: PENDING
Fraegeim is one of the fourteen disparate shards that Helios became after the Sundering, but her world of origin varies by AU. While she is always a shard of Corrain, and thus shares many personality traits with him- such as a love of mischief and laughter, a too-quick temper, and a childlike awe for the world in which she lives - whether or not she hails from the First or Thirteenth varies based on whether or not the AU is shared with Lelesu or Seleukos, mentioned above. When it is shared- she is Corrain's matching shard from the First (as Ardbert is Lelesu's matching shard). When he is the only WoL, she hails from the Thirteenth, and was slain much like Golbez was, after succumbing to Darkness.
Syewell Denman
Age: 39 (ARR Start)
Race: Hyur, Highlander
Gender: bigender, uses all pronouns
Sexuality: queer (otherwise undefined)
Primary role: Ala Mhigan refugee, companion and check on the Warrior of Light (possesses the Echo)
Primary ships: Elidibus (and Elidibus/Asklepios)
Unsundered name: Asklepios
Character into link: PENDING
(More OCs to come. This is a Certainty. Help me)
(SWTOR OC masterpost here!)
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Xaela Lore Through the Fishing Log
One of the reasons Xaela is my favourite clan in XIV and Azim Steppe is my favourite zone forevermore is due to the lore presentend and how they are consistently shown and used. Not like how Seekers are given lore that is then contradicted in-game, or any other races/clans that are given lore but then it is all ignored because XIV prefers geographical culture and lore nowadays (which is fine, I just wish they would USE the lore they give rather than give arbitrary racial/clan lore that then never come up). Xaela's tribe facts are actually a thing that is used and referenced in the zone in many ways, MSQ, side-quests, FATEs and more. There are so many ways to learn more about the tribes and the zone's history, and it feels relevant. Azim Steppe was the first zone I ever completed all side-quests on, and I actually stopped the main-story-questing in order to do it because I was so curious about their place and culture.
One thing I love is how even the fish you can catch present humorous lore about the zone, and that the Azim Steppe fish lore stays consistent. Sure, it is never referenced anywhere else, but it is a charm to it. I just wanted to add in the ones I have found so far that I found related to lore and were not the general "the fish is named/looks like this because reasons" descriptions down below. A quick summary of Xaelan fish lore:
-The Xaela like fish. A lot. - Fishes are personifications and gifts from the gods, sometimes a representation of their love for the people they created. - Being reincarnated as a fish is seen as a high honour, only thing better would godhood. At least if you are a beloved animal.
Cavalry Catfish: The “cavalry” of its name arrives from the popular rumor that an esurient school of the catfish split a river-fording horse in two, devouring it from the stomach out. Horse-lovers and the weak of stomach might steer clear of this “meal that eats you back.” - Noted since there is a tribe that do love their horses, so I liked that addition.
Dotharli Gudgeon: This freshwater fish commonly found in the upper One River is also known as the Mol gudgeon, the Kahkoli gudgeon, the Dataqi gudgeon, the Horo gudgeon, and after whichever other Xaela tribe that insists their ancestors first caught the species. - Always love when the specific tribes are mentioned, if only because it is funny.
Dawn Herald: Denizen of the middle and lower rivers of Othard who loyally serves as the eyes of the Dawn Father, to hear the Xaela tell it. Dusk Herald: Looming larger than her dawn relative, the dusk herald benights the waters with silver-blue scales of twilight in devout service to Nhaama. - Just funny how the fish lore keeps reminding us how the Xaela view fishes as sacred and important to their gods.
Flamefish: The act of swallowing the sun burned a permanent orange hue in to the scales of this hungry fire-eater and brought about the first eclipse, in case there was any question concerning how that astronomical phenomenon occurred. - Again, fish are so important to the xaela. "Oh, the first eclipse in the world? No, no, that's not a bad omen, a fish did it."
Fickle Krait: Feared and reviled by the public for the role its deadly venom played in the infamous assassination of a feudal lord, the snake itself is blameless, exhibiting a passive temperament and not ordinarily given to biting. - I added this more because it is interesting that it mensions "feudal lord", something more suiting Yanxia than the steppes, yet the fish is only found in Azim Steppe's waters. Can help describe how some commoners in lower Othard would assosiate with the steppes.
Glaring Perch: Fiercely territorial from birth, the younglings seek to intimidate any and all who enter their perceived sphere of dominion, kin included; a posture that sits perfectly well with the Oronir. - Either the Oronir find the Glaring Perch's protectiveness well-working, or they identify with the fish' territorial attitude, and either way it is hillarious to think about.
Eternal Eye: Unblinking sentinel left in the wake of the Dawn Father and Dusk Mother's departure to watch over the Xaela in their absence. - Again, fish are mentioned to be the Xaelan creation gods' important servants.
Soul of the Stallion: "A rare white freshwater fish believed to harbor the soul of a once-proud steppe stallion" and "According to the existential hierarchy of Xaela reincarnation, fishliness is next to godliness. Horses who serve their masters well in life ascend to the waters afterward, with the most noble of destriers reborn in pristine scales of white." - This, I find, is the most important one. We know at least Dotharl and one other tribe believe in reincarnation fiercely, it would not be farfetched to assume it is what many or most Xaelan tribes believe. We do not know if this is a hierarchy for animals specifically, since they only mention horses, but still, it is written in canon that Xaela believe the only lifeform greater than fish is deity, and that is amazing.
Nhaama's Boon: A fish held in the highest esteem by desert denizens, who deem it a gift from the Dusk Mother herself. It's edible, but far from transcendent. Nhaama's Treasure: "A queen among Nhaama's boons, and lady of the waters of Dotharl Khaa." and "Believed by many of the Azim Steppe's Xaela tribes to be a gift from the Dusk Mother herself, this large wavekin is oft presented as a reward in contests of mettle held during sacred festivals." - If I ever make that fanfic where there is a big festival after the nadaam, I will absolutely include tribes gifting the Mol and my Warrior of Light this fish. My WoL is Miqo'te so she might wonder if it is an insult until it is clarified for her.
The Unconditional: "Not so much a lord as a god of Dotharl Khaa, this particular specimen is thought to be a blessing sent by the Dusk Mother and Dawn Father themselves. As such, this catch might be best left unboasted of." and "Possessed of both a dorsal fin not unlike a crescent moon, and a tail fin not unlike the rising sun, this distinctive wavekin is believed by nomads of the Azim Steppe to be the corporeal manifestation of the Dusk Mother and Dawn Father's love for their children on Hydaelyn." - I just. I just love how the fish are represented so often to be gifts from the gods to the xaela, and that they are considered reincarnations to strive for right next to godhood, and here it is explicitly said that it is quite rude, even insulting, to catch certain fish, this in particular.
Zagas Khaal: "A freshwater fish extremely common to many of the One River's northern tributaries. Its name literally translates to "river fish."" and "Ask a nomad of the Azim Steppe to blurt out the first fish that comes to mind, and without fail you will hear the name of this pervasive species, followed by an awkward silence." - I guess the joke is that they ask someone from a place with basically only a few rivers what the fish they think of is, and they just say "fish from the river".
Steppe Skipper: This fish's aerodynamic green fins allow it to jump to conclusions rather than go through the motions. The Auri Xaela, who know a thing or two about shortcuts, regard the steppe skipper as a portent of good things to come. Dry Steppe Skipper: Unlike its purportedly “lucky” brethren, encountering this withering-grass-colored variety of steppe skipper is regarded as an omen of ill fortune among nomads. Dry humor is often lost on the superstitious. Blade Skipper: Several of the Azim Steppe's nomadic tribes believe this blood skipper, native to the One River, leapt from the depths of its Yanxian home and rode the thick blades of lush Steppe grass all the way north and east to the Upper Yat Khaal where it now dwells. Garden Skipper: Some of the Othard's nomadic tribes view this large green skipper as an ill omen that their journey is about to end, and have been known to go as far as abandoning their fishing rods to the river rather than risk reeling one in. - Can we take a moment to appreciate how most of the skippers are used to determine someone's luck and fortune?
Dawn Crayfish: Devoted disciple of the Dawn Father who battles his sworn enemy for control of the Azim Steppe, and rises as his rival sets. Dusk Crayfish: Devoted disciple of the Dusk Mother who battles her sworn enemy for control of the Azim Steppe, and waxes as her nemesis wanes. - Who else are loving the amount of duelling sealife in Azim Steppe? I certainly am!
Bowfish: Xaela archers often present offerings of this high-strung arciform fish to their gods before venturing forth on the hunt.
Tao Bitterling: Though the breed is generally deemed unfit for consumption, the Mol nevertheless persist in fishing for them per the bidding of their holy men; a case of faith operating contrary to nature's plan. The Word of God: "A king among Tao bitterlings, and lord of the waters of Tao Khaal." and "The Mol believe they are made to endure divine trials that they must overcome to prove their worth. Catching a blessed Tao bitterling was one of these trials. Seeing as they did not catch it, their god will now punish them." - I always like whenever lorebits remind us that the Mol are considered weirdos by the other tribes for how much to the letter they follow their holy men and old gods.
Sun Bass: Azim in the sky is said to partake of this fish fit for a god, though you'll want to think twice before partaking yourself, as the parasites that riddle its body have proven potentially fatal to less-than-divine diners.
Sweatfish: The arduous sister of the Seraphim shines the glorious sunlit streaks of her Dawn Father against the ominous night sky of her Dusk Mother, and is said to be birthed from the very beads off their battle-wet brows.
Duskfish: "A khan among hardscales, and lord of the waters of Azim Khaat." and "Xaela legend has that this massive wavekin was born from a scale shed by the Dawn Father. Scholars insist it has simply had the good fortune not to be eaten."
Nhaama's Claw: A bivalve mollusk thought to resemble a claw of the Mother of the Dusk.
River Clam: One man's dross is another man's dinner with these clams, and while the Xaela may turn their nose up in the steppes, the Yanxians are more than happy to chow down by the river. - They are not fish, so I guess the Xaela simply don't care about clams that much, haha.
#final fantasy XIV#au ra#xaela#xaela lore#au ra lore#azim steppe#why can't other races/clans get this amount of lore?#I tried to look for lore for the M-tribe and got nothing
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The Everyman Problem
So, I've had a kernel of a Bionicle post rattling around in my for a couple weeks that I haven't quite been able to articulate, but I think I might have the angle to explain it now.
I'm an "old Bionicle fan": by which I mean, I'm old enough to have got into Bionicle in the "Mata Nui" era (2001-2003). A glance at the notes on my big [unfinished, looking abandoned] alt-canon fanfic shows that I'm old enough to have disliked the change of the Toa from Mata to Nuva... in 2002.
So, which that as background, remember that I'm old enough to remember a time when it wasn't known at all that Matoran, Toa, and Turaga were all the same "species."
Thinking back on it, I don't think I initially "noticed" the revelation that no only were the Turaga were former Toa, but the Toa (Metru) were Matoran before that--Takanuva too, but he was something of a special case. In 2004, I was really just absorbing that Vakama, Onewa, etc. were former Toa--that "Toa" might mean something other than "single demi-urgic hero of each element." I got there eventually, as far as acceptance goes, but it part of my age-related fade out of the Bionicle fandom.
2006, on the other hand, emphasized the other part that I'd ignored more during the LoMN/WoS era: that Toa came from Matoran. I still don't love this, but until last night I couldn't really lay a finger on how to express why.
I thought it might just be my habitual stick-in-the-muditude: you changed Jaller from Captain of the Guard! You changed Matoro from Nuju's stoic interpreter to a worry-ridden saviour.
I also thought it might just be the genre shift: it's all fantasy, of course, but it's a different thing from the island mythology-vibe of Mata Nui to the Lost City of Atlantis vibe of Metru Nui (and then the vibes beyond). I like the Toa more as unique elemental avatars than evolved Matoran, but that's not really it either.
Last night, though, I watched later era Marvel movie--it doesn't matter which one, because they all have this problem--and as the credits were rolling, I realised that the reason I don't really like the MCU is much the same as this "problem" I had with Bionicle: if just about anyone can be a superhero, you lose the "ordinary" members of the story.
Putting it another way, I realised I prefer "chosen one" stories to "X-men" stories. This is probably the Tolkien fan to some extent: you can have a world full of magic and heroes and super-powers, but if it also has "ordinary" folk, their specific importance in the story is that they ARE ordinary: Gandalf and Aragorn are heroes and amazing, yes, but Frodo never "levels up"--he is a greater person at the end of the story than the beginning, but it is the growth of an ordinary person.
Because superheroes are so common in the MCU (or DCU, etc), it's hard to have ordinary people be front and center--and harder still for them to stay ordinary people. And something like that is my problem with where Bionicle went that I don't think ever fully resolved for me: part of the wonder of Mata Nui, the whole storytelling point of MNOG is that the Matoran contribute to the victory too: they have no mask powers, no elemental powers, but they are there to help the heroes and do their part and its essential.
This already starts changing with MoL, it changes more with LoMN, and by the time we get to the Voya Nui arc, we've gone "Full MCU": everyone in the story can be a Toa.
I think, if the Inika had been "four or five" new characters and only one "already-known" Matoran, I'd have been much happier. But when you take the most prominent Matoran from every tribe and make them all Toa... who's left? The headcanons that the Chronicler's company become Toa too both satisfy and don't work for me for this reason. They satisfy me if they leave the Inika as Matoran, because I think that was a better way to go; they annoy me if they're BOTH Toa now, because that exacerbates what I think is the "problem" here.
It's not really a problem, objectively, but it is my subjective sticking point. And it's the reason that even though I might keep most of this lore, despite the grumbling, I'm willing to jettison completely and utterly the idea that "only some Matoran are destined to become Toa." Destiny is always a hard thing to make work in the story, but the Doylist result is that Matoran now come in two categories: Special Protagonist and Ordinary: and the Ordinary is now completely swept off the stage and I really don't want that: I want the story to include a real focus on some powerless, ordinary individuals.
So I'd rather it be that ANYONE can turn into a Toa: they don't, maybe, because the circumstances lead there, but every Matoran has that potential. Because if anyone COULD be a hero, then at least when they do become a hero, it's more ordinary.
But I'd still rather that none of them could--but I'm not sure that is a concept you could return to without retconning Gen-1 so far that you end up with Gen-2. And I don't think I want THAT either.
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Reintroducing…
Kore Gharl AKA: Persie! 🥀
So, for those that have been around forever, like 3-4 years ago, you might remember her! Though Yume was my first WoL OC, my second was a Xaela woman Kore, but I lovingly called her Persie. She was originally of the Mol tribe, and she had pink hair and pink eyes. But since @meepsthemiqo asked about her lore the other day, I got brainworms and decided to recreate her and change up her looks and her lore a bit. So, here we go!
First, I changed her tribe to the Gharl tribe, as I thought it was fitting for her symbolism of being connected with the earth. Here’s the wiki entry for the Gharl, with a screenshot of the Gharl tribe from the cutscene of the Naadam:
Before each migration, the Gharl will fill a sacred urn with the soil of the place they just camped. This soil is then dumped upon arriving at the next location. This tradition has been carried out for thousands of years, leading people to believe that most the steppe is now all of one soil.
When the Tsagaan Sar ends, the Steppe holds a Naadam to decide who will be the new Khagan. The location of the dispute is revealed only at sunrise when the Gharl has scattered the soil.
Anyways, the next thing I decided to change was her looks, which I ultimately didn’t change much, outside of her hair and eyes. This is because she originally had pink hair almost identical in shade to Hali, but since I love Hali too damn much, and she is my only OC that I want to have pink hair, Persie had to get a makeover. I do think the brown hair and grassy green eyes are very earthy and suit her well.
Oh, and in case you’re noticing her name and nickname, yes, her Unsundered self is Persephone, and I had shipped her with Emet. I know I know, not the most original idea ever, but I tried to be a bit unique with her backstory.
Here’s a bit of her backstory, though I’m now reworking it so this is just a very short snippet: Kore was born to Arik and Zaya of the Gharl Tribe, and was their only child. Her mother died in childbirth and was raised solely by her father until he tragically passed away during a battle with a neighboring tribe, trying to protect her and the other children of the tribe. Due to the tragic loss of both of her parents at such a young age, she wanted to become a healer, and to save as many lives as she could. Kore is not a Warrior of Light like Hali is, but she does join the Scions in the course of the events of Stormblood. Her canon job is a hybrid job that I’m calling Shaman, and it’s a mixture of White Mage and Geomancer, with perhaps some other magic thrown in. I haven’t thought that through yet.
Oh and though we may all be hyped for Fanfest right now, feel free to send me asks about her if you’d like! She is also a new alt in game, which you can find her as Persephone Kore on Seraph (Dynamis, NA)! Thank you all so much for your interest in her! I might work on her more if I get more inspiration to.
#ffxiv oc#ffxiv original character#female au ra#female xaela#kore ‘persie’ gharl#she needs an OC tag
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auraugust - fluffy
"...oh, and you'll see when we get there! our tribe has the softest, fluffiest of sheep, far softer than the Mol's!" "softer than Lydha Lran's?" "softer than any others! only you can compare." "oh, now this i have to see."
#ffxiv au ra#gpose#auraugust2024#auraugust 2024#m: tsetse#d: sueie#he misremembered. they're actually quite coarse i'd imagine#since the dotharl live in a desert#but sueie's not gonna shatter his little heart
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