#post mt gulg stuff.....

[alackofghosts]

x

[aotopmha]

I have finished Dawntrail!

I will have a spoiler-free post (this one) and a spoiler-y post (probably one of my following ones) of my very general thoughts.

If there's a wish to avoid even this kind of post, then the warning is here.

For spoiler-free impressions, I will say that I did notice a bigger inconsistency in terms of the voice work.

The final boss had straight-up flat delivery that didn't exist in most cutscenes for ALL voice actors.

Everyone is also mostly fine when talking normally, but when yelling or stronger feelings are needed, especially the newest actors feel strangely off.

Wuk sounded absolutely fine and consistent in 6.55, but there were points where she just sounded really flat in the actual expansion.

I'm also in the camp that the credits theme sounded off. The chorus was fine (and the same track was completely fine when used in a couple of other cutscenes), but the main vocalist sounded really off. It took me out of what was otherwise a very solid final stretch of story. And the singer has done some great stuff before!

It's all really odd and I didn't think I would have these complaints ever again after A Realm Reborn because the voice work since then has ranged from good to amazing.

I'm really curious about what's going on behind the scenes.

FF14's vocal tracks have been weak at points to me, but not once have I felt a vocalist sounded absolutely awful.

Otherwise this expansion is up there in terms of the soundtrack, might be my favourite so far. Incredibly strong all the way through aside from the vocalist in this single track.

The graphics update has done wonders to endear me to the world and this will be the first expansion I will absolutely max out the FATEs for perhaps even just this reason alone. It's a miracle how much more strongly you can sell a world with better lighting and just a little bit more object density.

The content itself is also absolutely fantastic - if the story really bores you, I at least recommend skipping through it to do the dungeons and trials and maybe go back for the story via New Game+. The encounter design is refreshing, from a whole bunch of new mechanics to more interesting fodder enemy usage.

The class changes, while feeling relatively minor have felt like really good smoothing out of awkward elements.

I especially feel this with Dragoon, and as much as I miss Plunge, Dark Knight's new ability animations alone go a long way to add to that smoother feel, as well.

i also adore Viper, which I think is my favourite melee out of the ones I've played. Simple, but speedy and satisfying to play.

I will absolutely still remain a DRK main in a general sense, though.

Will be running dungeons to get everyone along all of the game.

Finally, I think the story came together really nicely by the end, with some interesting threads left behind.

It is much more simple than Shadowbringers and Endwalker, but I think it was still effective. As I've said in previous posts, it's just really thematically strong and followed that strength right to the end, even if I have varied opinions on all of the characters.

In terms of immediate impressions, content-wise (dungeons and trials in particular), as far as base expansions go, I'd place it above ARR, Heavensward and probably Endwalker (Endwalker's solo duties rocked and narrative and gameplay integration is still unmatched, but the encounter design itself isn't as distinct).

Story-wise I'd probably place it above A Realm Reborn and Stormblood because it has a similar spirit of exploration with much better pacing within its individual areas. Every time I felt the story started dragging in its own ecosystem, it moved on and the answers by the end were satisfying and made sense while ARR and StB actually didn't have that many mysteries to even think about, so had much less impetus to at least seek those out.

It had no Labyrinthos, Ruby Sea, Moogle quest or Mt. Gulg setup. But it wasn't as complex in terms of character writing as Endwalker, Shadowbringers and to some extent even Heavensward and Stormblood.

Though, as said, this is only speaking in terms of the base expansions, the only comparison I can make. Because the patch content did amazing narrative things for both Heavensward and Stormblood in particular in my eyes.

(I actually have no idea what to expect from the Dawntrail patches. Which is, once more, both super exciting and scary because the threads left behind are pretty much a complete mystery.)

So in a general sense, I'm an early Dawntrail defender. I enjoyed it a lot. It truly felt special as my very first on-content expansion, too.

Now on to the optional dungeons!

(Have heard some great impressons on them!)

[autumnslance]

(@driftward) Oh, let's see, one per inbox item defeated per blog, correct? Of course I'm correct. Gimme dat Little Brother Thing; self-indulgent on my part going to ask after The Effects of Wine (Y'shtola); It Ends Where It Begins sounds ~interesting~; Hilda Ideas, for both me and a friend; X'rhun and F'lhamin (eyebrows eyebrows eyebrows); and a bonus just out of sheer curiosity, Biot's Antecedent Musings

Good job defeating the inbox boss. Why were you awake at hours only reasonable to me and our local Australian?? Anyway.

Little Brother Thing - Stormblood 4.3. As Alphinaud accompanies Maxima, Aeryn reflects back on key moments in their journey together, and how much he's grown and changed from the arrogant boy she shared a cart with but didn't properly meet until the Remembrance Ceremonies, to the confident young man he is at this point--and how she's still going to worry for him regardless of how capable he is, because that's how it goes.

I should revisit this actually, it's got some good bones. Hrm.

The Effects of Wine - ARR, Company of Heroes chain, Y'shtola POV. After the Feast, Y'shtola and Aeryn rest in a bungalow and have a late evening talk about Aeryn's growing reputation, why the Company did what they did, and how she just ever meant to be a common adventurer to help people--not a primal slaying hero. Aeryn says more here than usual at this point in the story; maybe the wine, maybe the growing trust in her comrade.

I should get around to cleaning it up and posting it somewhere, honestly. It was a noodle-thought from very early on as I was figuring out voices and relationships, but it's not too bad.

It Ends Where It Begins - is a post-5.0 Shadowbringers. Something that the Exarch said in the cliffside convo before Mt Gulg reminded Aeryn of Papalymo's words post-Ultima Weapon (it's a click text when everyone's gathered in the Waking Sands to congratulate you before you turn in the final 2.0 quest in to Minfilia). Given all that happens to WoL in 5.0, and the revelations in general, Aeryn ends up thinking of the words as she looks back on her journey, and ends up in Gridania. And it leads into what then became a seaswolchallenge prompt in 2020, Metamorphosis, where she tells Miounne and Bremondt stories of her adventures.

Hilda Notes - Literally just a list of notes about horny Hilda moments for some reason. There's a draft for a fic of her and a touch-starved Thancred I can check off. Ideas for a cop vs vigilante fic with Sidurgu (maybe something sexy there, maybe not). And an idea for a Hilda solo as she fantasizes about a hot Highland lass met while dealing with Ala Mhigo stuff. It's not even a real fic draft, it's just a list of random ideas written up while apparently hormonal.

X'rhun and F'lhaminn - Oh this is from back in I think Book Club days and a rarepair challenge month. Find a relationship that doesn't already exist on Ao3. Write something. Back then there were no tags joining these characters in any way. I was going to try to write the duelist and songstress in a light friendly adventure of their own, maybe get in some witty flirty banter for the fun of it, but the mystery never quite gelled and so I shelved it. Maybe someday. And add in Nashmeira.

Biot's Antecedent Musings - Discord convo on 12/28/22 where you were having thinky thoughts about Thancred and Minfilia and being the person she confided in about the Echo and I accused you of trying to bait me into writing something about that.

[soothingmind]

Cat Behavior - [post Mt. Gulg, Pre Tempest]

Self indulgent Miqo'te - cat stuff between my WoL and Y'shtola. No I won't elaborate.

“When was the last time you cleaned your ears?”

Nimda had just settled down at the edge of her bed after getting into her pajamas. And it was Y'shtola who walked up to her from the other side of her room, looking at her to await an answer.

Nimda blinked. Her thoughts are completely and utterly blocked by this question.

“I … uh.” Was this … why she wanted to look after me alone? “... This feels like a set up ploy.”

But Y'shtola only chuckled. “Nothing of that. I just know how much trouble it is and knowing you, I felt I may just ask this uncomfortable topic when we're alone.”

… She still wasn't quite convinced, but Nimda took the explanation anyway. She started to think when and most importantly where to remember, but -

Oh gods, that was so long ago.

“Um …” Nimda scratched the side of her face with a finger in a very big thinking way. “... Yeah.”

Still having that smile on her face, Nimda could see how Y'shtola's eyes somewhat grew sad as she started patting her head. “Thought so.”

She sat down beside her and took out several materials to do just that. “So then, may I?”

There was no way she got out of this situation anyways and it was for her own good as well, so -

With a deep breath and a chuckle herself Nimda nodded.

Memories of a hazy time flooded back to her, from the very first days (weeks? it was all such a blur now) she spent the nights at the Waking Sands. It was there where Y'shtola first actually told these things to her - how to sit with a tail, how to sleep with one, how to brush and wash her hair properly, to properly eat the right things. And, the very first time she showed her how to clean these new ears of hers.

(“Surely you must have done that … previously?” “I … I mean, yeah, but, not …-” “... I see, I see. Sit down there. I'll show you.”)

Nimda’s other ear twitched as Y'shtola started her work. And suddenly the memories of this very first time started pouring back - Wait.

She flinched at the uncomfortable feeling, ducking away from her touch.

“... Sorry-” Nimda apologized right away though, cupping her face with both her hands.

“I know, I know. But hold still for me, okay?”

Her touches were very gentle, much more gentle than Nimda remembered all these years ago. She wondered if it was just because her memories were playing tricks on her, or if it had something to do that Y'shtola felt her way through it rather than seeing. Still, Nimda trusted her.

It didn't stop her other ear twitching all the time, but focusing on breathing instead definitely helped. She was just fully glad Ryne had mended the light earlier, otherwise it would have been very inconvenient if it acted up right now.

And as sudden as this process started, Y'shtola was done with both ears. Nimda shook her head and scratched the backs of her ears, a good tingly feeling running down her spine that made her let out a deep breath.

“How is that?”

Nimda hummed. “Weirdly … refreshing. In a good way.”

“I'm glad.” Y'shtola chuckled and patted her head again. She got up and disposed of the stuff she used, turning to Nimda again. “Time to get some rest, then. We will have a long day tomorrow.”

Even though it wasn't night, it was pretty late and Nimda felt the sleepiness creeping up to her. Though she wasn't sure if it was just a result of the general mix of feeling exhausted from dealing with the light and sleepiness itself. It probably was, but Y'shtola was right.

“And you will stay the entire time?” Nimda asked as she patted over her pillow.

“This is what we agreed upon, yes.” Y'shtola said. She already settled down on a chair a bit further away from the bed, book in hand. “You rest up and I'll keep watch.”

Right.

At least … at least there was the reassurance that there was actually someone right by her side and not watch from afar. Someone who could take immediate action. She so desperately wished it hadn't come to this in the first place, but -

Everyone was concerned, rightfully so. She didn't want that though. They shouldn't have to be concerned, but that wasn't something she could change right now. She was stuck in this situation and had to deal with it, in one way or another.

But she wasn't alone in this, even if her head tried to tell her otherwise over and over.

Barely five minutes had passed since Nimda had laid down on her pillow to find some sleep that she opened her eyes again. “Y'shtola?”

“Yes?”

“Can you … sit beside me, here?”

Y'shtola wasn't sure what she meant until she saw her pointing at the other side of her bed. She let out a curious Huh before she actually indulged in Nimda's request, climbing over her to get to the spot. She leaned against the headboard, the book in her lap, and Nimda curled up beside her, her back huddling against her legs.

“Like this?”

“Mmhm.” Nimda hummed with a smile.

Content, Nimda managed to slowly drift to sleep.

Y'shtola had to admit that it had been ages, ages ago since the last time anything like this happened to her. Maybe even as far back when Y’mhitra still slept on her side - it made her realize that this was something Miqo'te related she did not teach her and Nimda did out of her own. A smile played on her lips and she dropped her hand to gently brush her fingers over Nimda's hair, hoping to sooth her even further.

Yet eventually no matter how much she tried to stay awake, sleep would take her as well, dwelling in this forgotten comfort she re-experienced.

Of course a cough would rip her out of her slumber. Nimda's head felt heavy as she tried to curl up even further to prevent another cough - seeing the remains of droplets of light on her hand though, a mild panic ran through her and all that want to sleep vanished instantly.

No, no, not again, not now.

She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths - as Ryne told her to do should any uncomfort arise regarding the light - focusing on just herself and her inner flow of aether. And … it did seem to work. The need to cough vanished and she relaxed a bit, releasing the tension that formed all over her body.

… All it did was to make her feel lightheaded and her world seemed to spin. That Ryne did not tell her -

Nimda shifted onto her back, which somehow made things even worse, so she turned to her other side, reaching out to wrap her arms around Y'shtola's legs. And it made the woman stir in her sleep, but not wake her.

“Y'shtola.” Nimda whispered, clinging onto her even more.

Now that finally had her react and Y'shtola reached out to Nimda, gently caressing her head.

“What's wrong? … Should I get Ryne?”

“... Dizzy.” was all Nimda managed to get out. The suggestion of Ryne didn't even cross her mind, but as of right now the light itself was not bothering her. Maybe she could help, maybe it was because she tried to mend it herself -

But her thoughts went into nothing as Y'shtola grabbed her and let her lay against her, tucking her chin on top of Nimda's head as she started … to purr.

Her world was still spinning, somewhat, but this entire situation just now must have distracted her so much that it just stopped. Her cold skin against her head, the comforting purr she never had heard from her before, the gentle stroking of her temples - it all just made her sleepy again, and Nimda accepted this all just now, not questioning anything.

Not that she thought she would get any answer anyways, considering she didn't even know what to ask first.

“Better?”

Nimda wanted to respond in any way, but the comfort took hold too quickly too much. Even Y'shtola noticed that, feeling Nimda drift to sleep against her.

It was all she could have wished for.

For the one person she wanted to call her daughter.

[brightblessed-aa]

Wishlist!

This will also have a page on my blog. But below the cut, you can see it. I will add stuff to this list (mainly the one of my page not this post) sometimes.

Main verses:

Roi having to deal with others in general because he is so withdrawn and reserved. Especially if people approach him about using forbidden magic and the like.

Roi after the Scions fall and he is in hiding at the church from the imperials and it being them taking everything from him AGAIN

Roi just dealing with the scions because he's a weird dude who doesn't want to be friends with them so much.

Someone discovering Roi talking to himself while he is working with Fray.

Someone finding out about Roi being a vigilante in the city

Someone that knows Roi OR doesn't interacting with him when he sneaks in Eorzea using a fake name while he's wanted.

Someone discovering the scars (or actual burns if early enough) on his hands. Though this plot point works for all verses from this point on.

Someone that knew Roi before confronting him about him giving up magic.

Roi confessing that he is from Ala Mhigo

Him after the initial fight with Zenos when he is seriously injured

Any interactions with Garlean-aligned muses.

Someone traveling with them during the far east part discovering his nightmares and stuff

Someone going with him back to his destroyed village (which would require them to be very close with him ngl).

Roi being captured by the Garleans

Literally anything where he is becoming a Lightwarden after the Mt. Gulg fight.

Roi actually trying to kill someone for aether after he is transforming and getting very very close

Vauhtry being able to potentially almost mind control Roi thanks to him basically being a Sin Eater

Someone discovering his post-5.0 issues with his health. Like his dissociation where he thinks he is hallucinating while a Light Warden and his life is all a dream now.

More stuff with Ryne, Gaia, Ardbert, The Exarch, and Emet-Selch tbh

Him teaching Ryne to cook or something cute like that

Him dealing with the trauma of his body being stolen.

More of him in Elpis and stuff

Him recovering after the final battle

Any of his black mage friends trying to help him re-learn magic

Him and someone being hurt and trapped in the snow in Garlemald and how fucking scary that would be for all of them lmao

Him traveling post-6.0 with his friends without it being a life-or-death thing

Alternate Verses:

Him meeting the Scions after it is Too Late :tm:

Roi being helped by someone after he's hurt or something without them knowing that he is a dangerous underworld figure

Literally any Garlean person meeting him because he would lose his composure

Any magically skilled characters meeting him and him trying to use them

The ascians coming after him to try to give him power or something. Even better if he was still destined to by Hydealyn's chosen and fell down a bad path

If he isn't supposed to be Her Champion, then him getting hired by someone to kill the Warrior of Light. Maybe the Crystal Braves do it during Heavensward.

Roi being found before he is totally broken and having an actual chance at life and potentially still joining the scions. Though this would be difficult unless they bring him to Eorzea.

Any interaction between him and the Warrior of Light. He will always be very distrustful and antagonistic toward them at first.

Him being captured by the Alliance and them quickly realizing that he is basically a slave and him slowly learning how to be a person again with them.

Any interaction with him and Garlean-aligned characters

Him in conflict with the protagonists in any way because he hates the Garleans but is broken and afraid enough to still help them.

Him being found and recovering and actually learning to control his magic and joining the Scions and being a trust party member basically lmao

Him thinking someone is going to kill him when they find him and basically fighting them as much as he can (which isn't much but he can throw fireballs and stuff sooo)

Azem / Amyntas Verses

Interacting with literally any convocation members.

I want him to meet Eric and Athena

Roi getting his memories and basically being overtaken by him after using the Azem crystal in a tense moment and him trying to pretend to be Roi until he figures out how to fix it.

After Roi becomes a Lightwarden, the worlds are eventually rejoined. Leading Amyntas to be not only seen as a terrible traitor, but to be totally fucked up from remembering everything including the memories of the people he devoured for aether as a warden. Him being locked up somewhere or on the run while barely being a person anymore in the re-created ancient world.

Him and Venat, Emet, Hermes, Hyth, Lahabrea, Elidibus, ect.

Him finally telling someone about the Final Days since he saw it and has been keeping it a secret.

Him almost being killed trying to prevent the final days in a far off place before it reaches amarout and teleporting to safety and someone he is close with having to see and deal with that sorry.

Interacting with the other unsundered.

Him meeting the Warrior of Light.

Offering shady deals to people and being dead inside.

Him meeting the scions while pretending to not be an ascian at first

Him dealing with almost lightwarden WoL for extra spice.

Him rescuing the WoL in a serious situation because he wants to see who Venat abandoned him for lmao.

[tallbluelady]

6. What was their "flirting stage" like?

Oh no. I went VERY in depth on this, woops.

Their "flirting" stage is like, Post-Stormblood all the way through base Shadowbringers. Anything before then is like, timidly approaching and then jumping back before the other responds. It's not until the first Heavensturn after Ala Mhigo is liberated that they finally feel comfortable with the concept of each other to even TRY anything. And even then, they're almost playing chicken with each other, trying to get the other to make the first move because they're too afraid to approach them themselves. Urianger had purchased a gift for Rowan - a gold and glass rowan branch from the Goldsmith's guild - and he was going to give it to her with a letter to open that conversation. Alas, G'raha called again and nabbed him and Y'shtola to the First.

AND THEN EVERYTHING GETS MORE COMPLICATED ON HIS END. G'raha gives this grand scheme to Urianger, trusting him to do whatever it takes to see the plan to fruition. And now Urianger has to lie to Rowan to keep the plan working, save the Star, and to get them all home. He knows that the whole thing is going to be mentally and physically hard on her, so... he figures that he could offer relief by flirting and being romantic. He then fully expects her to dump him once they all return to the Source for his deceit. So with that in mind, he spends three years with the fae and gets some gender stuff figured out, the plan eating at him as he creates White Auracite to mayhap render the whole thing obsolete. It doesn't but it does help in the end.

Rowan, back on the Source, is distraught at the loss of her comrades. She does stumble upon the branch and letter, and the whole thing swirls around her mind for the weeks they try to get her to the First. She is as shaky as a newborn deer at the idea of it. She couldn't quite get herself to open up to Aymeric and that has been haunting her for a while. She's afraid of losing Urianger entirely because he's been such a steady presence in her life and he's handsome and kind and... It's scary.

So when Urianger Careless Whispers his way down the stairs and asks what Rowan thinks of his appearance she's relieved. He hasn't had his feelings change in three years! He seems more confident in himself too, which just adds more to her attraction to him. He's steady and attentive and funny and it helps Rowan relax. She's still shaky as hell at the whole relationship, because she can feel some hesitation on his side for whatever reason. But she's going to let the flirtation happen for a while because it's genuinely nice to hear that you're pretty etc.

Then Mt. Gulg happens and... Urianger is more guilt than man at that point. He has his grovel point and he is ready to never have any romantic interaction with Rowan again. But then she forgives him! Because A) G'raha asked him to lie and B) she loves him! (Not that she's ready to say so!) So they have this weird give and take of they both know they like each other, but Urianger made it weird. He actually works with Moren and Grenolt to create weapons to help vent some of the Light within her. And it's VERY MUCH appreciated.

I haven't quite ironed out every detail when they're in Amaurot, but Rowan REALLY wants to kiss him right after they defeat Hades. The problem arises when G'raha has to be all sad boy about everything and then they have to make it to the surface and then go to the Crystarium and celebrate and then sleep. Only Rowan can't sleep, and Urianger is Urianger and usually doesn't sleep anyways. They talk and cry over tea and FINALLY KISS OMG. And also give each other an "I love you" and an "I love thee". Then they cuddle for the night and that is the end of their "flirting stage".

So uh... thanks for the excuse to ramble about this XD.

[elfyourmother]

Finishing Eden is making me think back to the E8 debacle and consider how I’m going to fix it because it occurs to me that due to my blinding rage over Ysayle I never actually worked that out

Cuz even setting aside my Ysayle grievances there’s just no way Gisele would have allowed Ryne to do that, even if Uri and Thancred still hit their heads and went along with it (and they wouldn’t lol. That’s my biggest bone to pick with the game canon events, after the Ysayle business. There’s a difference between letting your kid do something dangerous for Growth and picking up the idiot ball to force a boss fight).

And that’s even before taking into account that Ysayle is actually there for it in Gisele’s canon. Aka the person who originally channeled that power in the first place. So it makes even less sense for Ryne to do this clownery than it did in the actual game.

I’ve talked a little before about why Ysayle being a proper SMN is so important to me in the context of her post HW character arc but it will suffice to say that it’s an important part of coming to terms with her past, and specifically coming to terms with this egregoric “Shiva” that was constructed of ego and self-aggrandizement born of immense pain and loss and suffering—all of Ysayle’s training to summon Egis is building up to her working with this Shiva energy again, essentially in a parallel to the DRK stuff with Fray, but in a way that makes more sense to me

So in that respect, Ysayle embodying Shiva for real one last time—and not to destroy, but to restore—represents the capstone of her healing to me. It absolutely makes the most sense to me.

But I can also see Gisele doing it also, because Gisele could absolutely control it.

And there would be such a wonderful point of conflict here because before Gisele got to the First, Ysayle argued bitterly with the other Scions and especially Urianger when it became clear how they would have to stop the Lightwardens. Ysayle demanded it be her taking on the burden and the danger but Urianger insisted that Ysayle wasn’t as strong in the Blessing of Light as Gisele and wouldn’t be able to safely do it and the others agreed with him and overruled her. Which made it all the more devastating when the Light was beginning to consume Gisele. Ysayle blamed herself for Gisele’s incapacitation after Mt. Gulg even though no one else did, and never really forgave herself for it even though everything turned out alright in the end. In her mind, the woman she loved nearly turned into a monster because of her.

So I can very easily see a scenario where they’re in Eden and once they decide that the aether needs channeling, Gisele immediately volunteers and Ysayle objects and they argue a whole bunch before Ysayle pleads with her to let her do this one thing because it’s something she CAN do and gdi you’ve risked yourself enough. So Ysayle does it.

All of which is much more satisfying to me than what we got, and makes much more sense for Gisele’s story.

[thevoilinauttheory]

"My turn!" - for Mao-Shirr this time, in anticipation of SHENANIGANS ON THE FIRST

Duty Commenced: “Oh, wait, me? Really? Are y’sure? Oh, uh... okay then!” Assisting: “O-Oh, wait, I have just the thing!” [There is a 5% chance that instead of assisting, he will just hand Hadrian a lemonette.] Being Assisted:  “Ha- thank you, I needed that... guess it’s your turn to take care o’ me instead, huh?”

Idle Banter I: “I think this trip warrants a nice meal when we get back! I’m sure I can cook somethin’ up with... somethin’. Definitely not Meol, though, that stuff’s gross.”

Idle Banter II: [Mao-Shirr breaks into a Dwarven drinking song while idle - he belts it, unfortunately.]  “In heaven there is no beer, that's why we drink it here! And when we're gone from here, all my friends will be drinking all the beer～♪”

Idle Banter III: “Tell me another story from your world! The way you tell them’s so intriguin’! M’sure we got time or two for ‘em!”

KO: “H-Help... me... please.. not yet..” 

Revived: “Gah!” [He sputters] “My eyes! Ow, ow! M’up, m’up!”

Witnessing Hadrian KO: “W-Wait, no, please hold on- just a little longer! I can fix this, I can...” 

Reviving Hadrian: [N/A - Mao-Shirr is incapable of raising KO’d allies.]

Duty Completed Variant 1 - If Hadrian has not been KO’d / Has been revived by another player or party member: “...Maybe a meal *and* a drink, how’s that sound. That was some tough work- thank you for keeping me safe!”

Duty Completed Variant 2 - If Hadrian is KO’d: “I- I’m sorry.. I’ll - I’ll be quick, I’ll get someone to help, I promise! I promise.. okay? Just please hold on...” [He will drag Hadrian while leaving the instance.]

(( Thank you for the ask @hadriandemara-ffxiv!! And thank you for doing one without me having to send one in, cause it was very much needed for these two XD ))

--

BONUSES!

Ability bonuses are in this post here!

Upon entering Mt. Gulg: “A-Are you sure we have to do this? Can’t we go back? Let someone else handle somethin’ for once!”

He will perform a “Cheers” emote to Hadrian after boss battles.

Sometimes, he’ll throw lemonettes at enemies... they do nothing useful or helpful.

[fistsoflightning]

unending character meme // zaya qestir

RULES: repost, don’t reblog! tag, and good luck!

TAGGED BY: tagged in spirit by @to-the-voiceless

TAGGING: any and all who want to do it but haven’t actually been tagged by anyone!

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Zaya Qestir

NICKNAME: none, really.

AGE: 29 by the end of Stormblood. 30-ish by the end of SHB? Haven’t figured out the time distortion thing.

BIRTHDAY: 17th of the 4th Umbral Moon (8/17)

ETHNIC GROUP: Au’ra; Xaelan

NATIONALITY: Nomad? From the Azim Steppe’s Reunion, if that helps.

LANGUAGE / S: Eorzean Sign Language, Xaelan (crude/unpracticed); understands most languages through use of the Echo

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Demiromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: dating Thancred Waters??? unsure of status during post-SHB but getting there.

HOME  TOWN /AREA: Reunion, Azim Steppe

CURRENT HOME: A shared room in the Rising Stones or a shared house in the Mist; depends on where they are at the time of night.

PROFESSION: jeweler, weaver, gladiator of the coliseum, bard teacher (appointed reluctantly by Sanson after many a problem with Guydelot’s schedule), adventurer and warrior of light

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Straight and somewhat below shoulder length. Most of their hair is black, but slowly changes to blue and white at the tips.

EYES: Dark blue; navy color? Light blue limbal rings that glow in the dark, too.

FACE: Sharp jawline accented by their scales, often covered with some royal blue facepaint similar to Arenvald’s own.

LIPS: Often chapped, but otherwise normal.

COMPLEXION: Ashen brown? Hard to describe bc of weird lighting everywhere they go.

BLEMISHES: None

SCARS: There’s a lot, and I might make a scar map at some point??? Major ones happen to be their legs and their left arm; the legs from Ifrit and the arm from Elidibus in Zenos’s body in 4.5

TATTOOS: None, no matter how much people think the facepaint is one.

HEIGHT: Taller than the average Au’ra, about 5’4

WEIGHT: about 135 pounds

BUILD: Muscular, especially due to their main fighting style requiring muscle literally everywhere. Fistfighting for money is no small feat.

FEATURES: Their scales are an odd color (think black and blue borealis dice, but as scales), and their horns definitely look a bit… ragged. Watching them fight will give the odd realization that lightning sparks in cobalt blue come off of them sometimes.

ALLERGIES: Some undetermined fish allergy. Higiri fed them some assorted sushi once and never did again, so the Scions (and themselves) have no clue what fish they need to avoid.

USUAL HAIRSTYLE: Tied into a loose ponytail at the back. Sanson often comments how they share a hairstyle, but it’s simply from need of clear vision when moving around for monk skills and attacks.

USUAL  FACE  LOOK: Stoic as all hell. Not used to making full-on facial expressions outside of conversation, so normally looks bored.

USUAL  CLOTHING: Tabards, cyclas, or generally something with flowy fabric that doesn’t restrain movement all that much. Metal boots and gauntlets/knuckles are also common, but not always.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR / S: being the last one standing, change, losing their younger siblings/younger friends, spiders, breaking a promise with their mother.

ASPIRATION / S:  To have a proper adventure, and to inspire others to live their fullest lives.

POSITIVE  TRAITS: Devoted, comforting, slightly protective, carefree

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Easily angered, impulsive, emotional, stubborn

MBTI: ISFP-T (Adventurer)

ZODIAC: Leo, apparently? Sort of fits, if you look at it closely.

TEMPERAMENT: Some crazy blend between phlegmatic and choleric? Generally carefree and easygoing with friends and willing to spend a lot of patience on them, but unrelenting and downright frightening in serious situations, especially when involving Garlemald.

SOUL  TYPE / S: Server/Caregiver

ANIMALS: Birds and dogs.

VICE HABIT / S: Drinking, although the Echo does prevent it from having any effect whatsoever, so its more of a taste thing? Tends to sleep a lot when stressed, and often spends their leftover money on gemstones for their shared collection.

FAITH: Polytheistic; the Twelve and Nhaama are gods they generally believe in.

GHOSTS?: Yes, mainly because they’ve seen one.

AFTERLIFE?: Yes.

REINCARNATION?: Probably, with how they’re sure they’ve seen someone who was supposed to be dead before

ALIENS?: before becoming Warrior of Light, it would be no, but with the revelation of Elidibus on the moon and Midgardsormr and OMEGA‌‌ (ALIEN‌ ROBOT????) they aren’t so sure anymore.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Does not care enough even though they are staunch friends with Nanamo. Didn’t care enough to try and challenge Oktai for the seat of Qestiri Khatun, certainly doesn’t care enough to take a political stance in Eorzea.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Barely any; just enough to read letters written in Eorzean and faintly Ishgardian (courtesy of Alphinaud and Haurchefant).

FAMILY.

FATHER: there was one, once, but he’d rather he be forgotten in pursuit of a happier future. Zaya remembers him as Baatar, but they don’t remember if that was actually his name.

MOTHERS: Erhi, Odgerel.

SIBLINGS: Oktai (older brother), Taban (older sister), Sarnai (sister), Delger and Tuya (fraternal twins)

EXTENDED FAMILY: any of the Scions (former or current) or their fellow Warriors of Light, if we’re talking found family. House Fortemps, Aymeric, Estinien, Sanson, Guydelot, Sidurgu, Rielle, and all of the Qestiri tribe are up there too, but you know, that’s kind of a lot of gifts to be sending around during Starlight. (zaya totally sends them all gifts anyways.)

NAME MEANING /S: Zaya means fate in Mongolian, which all of the other Xaelan names seem to be based on. Their previous name, Dzoldzaya, meant light of fate.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: Recorded history on the Azim Steppe is easily lost, but if asking around the different tribes, one could learn about a rather prominent Qestiri warrior whose image is painted in some of the caverns nearby where much of important, unforgettable Xaelan history is recorded by the Gharl, swathed in blue cloth. In the days of Amaurot, there was one standout Amaurotine who shared a love for lightning and birds…

FAVORITES.

BOOK: They don’t know enough Eorzean to read a full book, not even a children’s book. The Echo doesn’t help with reading. Urianger has read a book of myths and legends that turned out to be true to them, however, and that has been their favorite for a while. They’ve been considering asking him to read more for them, but that’s been placed on hold after the events of the First and following Mt. Gulg.

DEITY: Nhaama, or Rhalgr, if talking to someone who thinks ‘what’s a Nhaama’ when they mention her.

HOLIDAY: Starlight Celebration. Something about the festive mood always makes them happy.

MONTH: August (4th Umbral Moon)

SEASON: Summer

PLACE: On the Source, Reunion in the Azim Steppe just because interacting with other tribes is rather fun. On the First, Il Mheg all the way!

WEATHER: Clear nights where they can trace the constellations, but it isn’t too cold to need a blanket.

SOUND / S: Excited chatter, harp, singing, small hammers clinking against metal.

SCENT /S: Rain, fresh wood, the air in Gridania, light perfume, Syhrwyda’s food.

TASTE /S: Snurbleberry, honey, most Doman seafood, buuz.

FEEL /S: Soft and smooth fabrics, cold metal, the grip of someone’s hand around theirs, wind blowing through their hair on a warm day.

ANIMAL /S: Yol, chocobo (birds!).

NUMBER: 17, for their nameday and the first year they spent in Eorzea

COLORS: Cobalt blue and indigo, pale gold, soot black.

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Extremely good when working with cloth or metal; even more so when tinkering little trinkets. Interestingly enough, very good at playing flute and harp without much practice. Expert at pulling a person’s true emotions out with simply body language.

BAD AT: Sneaking around/stealth. Do not, under any circumstance, give them a job involving secrecy or stealth unless you want it to fail. Speaking/reading is also pretty horrible, due to how they were raised. Also bad at taking change or lies well.

TURN-ONS: Loyalty, bravery despite all odds, kindness and love even when it would be easier to be otherwise, being able to understand other beliefs, and a love of freedom or new experiences

TURN OFFS: Lying to their face knowingly, extreme greed, lack of self-worth, anger for no good reason

HOBBIES: making music with Guydelot and Sanson, attempting to keep a journal, idle tinkering, dancing, gardening

TROPES: Good is Not Soft, Hope Bringer, Magnetic Hero, Omniglot, The Power of Friendship, The Quiet One, Silent Snarker, Dark is Not Evil, Five Stages of Grief, Horrifying Hero, Magic Music, Warrior Poet, Dance Battler, Warrior Monk, Determinator, Pintsized Powerhouse, Pragmatic Hero (don’t let me stay on TV‌tropes pls)

QUOTES: have a snippet of some writing?

Scrawled onto a piece of paper underneath his arm in Thancred’s handwriting and marked with Zaya’s name reads, “Your words, no matter how I react, do not change how I love you all.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1: If you could write your character your way in their own movie,  what would it be called,  what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?          

A1: Honestly, I think there would be two movies that could include Zaya; some comedy musical revolving around Zaya’s bard lifestyle while placing their active lifestyle in the background (called “A Bard Knock Life” bc i think puns are cool) or an action drama framed around Zaya and the Scions living some sort of high fantasy/DND type adventure bc I love that stuff called “The Unbroken Thread”. (THAT‌ QUEST‌ NAME STILL GETS‌ ME)

Q2: What would their soundtrack/score sound like?          

A2: Something featuring a flute, probably. I got attached to Zaya playing the flute being a former flute player myself. (I only wish the oboe performance sound bank clicked with me a little more…)

Q3: Why did you start writing this character?          

A3: Originally, Zaya wasn’t meant to exist. I was literally planning on just creating A’dewah, Syhrwyda, and maybe Lumelle and Elwin in different roles. Then the Au’ra came out; I‌ used my free Fantasia from the sub rewards just to be an Au’ra (I was a miqo’te before; shh, i was still babu who liked cats) and suddenly Zaya started being formed as Menphina Jewel. Before I knew it, that Menphina Jewel grew a whole backstory and a new name and new friends (Azim Steppe arc of Stormblood MSQ? Final nail in the coffin.) that slowly took over the previous two Warriors as the focus of my attention. I wasn’t even supposed to keep playing FFXIV‌ past HW, dude. I had like a million other things to be doing at the time, but here I am, lying in my grave 3 years later still attached.

Q4: What first attracted you to this character?          

A4: They’re (mostly) mute. I really wanted to explore what it’s like to not be able to talk and only converse in body language, but then I discovered that might be a problem, so my interest in sign language collided with Zaya’s backstory. It also helps me work out a personality without them sounding/looking too much like what I think is Basic Story ProtagTM like I tend to do on accident (see A’dewah and Valdis’s dialogue sometimes.)

Q5: Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5: They can’t really speak. Funny how the thing I like most is also the thing I hate most. It’s very frustrating when I want them to convey something and then they can’t without using actual words and a voice because I haven’t got a clue on how to convey that through body language. How in the world do you convey ‘I feel like I’m doing arcanist calculations when you speak’ in nonverbal language??? I have no damn idea and every attempt looks like I meant something else.

Q6: What do you have in common with your muse?          

A6: The snark, man. I have friends constantly commenting on how I’ve made a burn without me realizing I’ve done so, and it’s hilarious. The love for music also carried over big time, especially after discovering how fun the bard NPCs were to write and how they’d fit into Zaya’s relationship web. (they’re totally the more comedic side, but I love Guydelot and Sanson anyways.)

Q7: How does your muse feel about you?          

A7: No clue, dude. Maybe thinks I’m boring? I don’t tend to want to drastically change things or look for new adventures; the biggest leap I’ve taken in two years is probably changing to a reed instrument from flute, and even then I don’t have to change key when‌ I read music, so it’s not that big a deal.

Q8: What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with?        

A8: Urianger and Lyse, maybe? I like the exploration of repairing relationships after something that might have ended another, weaker bond. It’s also kinda fun trying to see how Zaya would react; they’re a lot more rash than I am in real life, and that’s honestly saying something. Alisaie and Alphinaud, however, are the most fun just because I know what I’m doing when I write them, and it’s funny to see how Zaya reacts (or has a lack of reaction) to their dynamic. Guydelot and Sanson fall into another category of ‘dear god I simultaneously love and hate these two’, while Thancred, Y’shtola, Urianger, Syhrwyda, Duscha, and Ryne fall into some sort of strong found family vibes that just get me everytime I think about it

Q9: What gives you inspiration to write your muse?        

A9:…Doing job quests or side story quests or even MSQ I haven’t caught up on yet. Watch as I slowly rewrite as many MSQ‌ and job quest scenes as I can in any of my Warrior of Light’s viewpoints. (currently chiseling away at some backstory/before they were Warriors stories after reading too deep into the race/subrace text and lore keep an eye out LOL-)

Q10: How long did this take you to complete?          

A10: A day or two; don’t remember when I began. It was probably when I was procrastinating on homework, though. I didn’t post it until a week later whoops.

[greenmagic-oilspill]

Shb thoughts/review (major spoilers!) I wrote this as I was playing through weeks ago, left this in my drafts, and forgot all about it. Guess I’ll get to posting it now~~

I was totally making these notes as I went along so bear with the disjointedness of it.

-soooo much exposition in the beginning. It had this weird mix of feeling rushed but also really slow and clunky at first, as far as pacing goes.

-The reunion with Alphinaud was kind of underwhelming and felt rushed even though it’s been a year for him. Eulmore was appropriately creepy and I love the Red and Blue clown ladies. Definitely something Zorn and Thorn like up with them. Oddly enough, my Ronso is also a jester in Eulmore and that was decided way before this!

-Alisaie’s reunion was better as far as the emotional impact was concerned. And I really, really loved Ahm Araeng. Major Dalmasca desert vibes there. I think my Viera is gonna be someone who took up work here. That shit with Tesleen was crazy and I loved it. So dark and creepy - this really set the tone for the expansion. I did Alphinaud’s quest first, but I think Alisaie’s was meant to be done first instead.

-The first dungeon was neat, as was the trust system! I didn’t expect to bring Lyna and the Exarch along for the first dungeon as trusts, but I liked it. For some dumb reason I didn’t bring Alisaie the first time, and thus I missed the opportunity for her to react to the first two bosses in real time. The Lightwarden was awesome!

-Loved the scene when we brought night back for the first time.

-Also loved the scene with Gaius and Estinien! That was unexpected, and I’m glad we are still getting plot developments on the Source. But I really, really want the two of them to team up with Tataru and Krile. Pleaseeee. Edit: really disappointed that Tataru and Krile were left out. Sad we didn’t see Lyse or Hien this whole expansion either. Kinda bummed that Varis was killed, I was looking forward to Zenos being more interesting but he let me down hard.

-Il Mheg’s aesthetic is everything I’ve ever wanted! The scenery, the music, the characters and all the fae lore and the accents... I loved the Nu Mou village, giant mushrooms are my fave... and while the amaro were ... creative?... I wish we got something else, like salamanders or something, to keep with the theme. They were mentioned by some pixies in expressions or something though.

-Dohn Mheg was amazing and gorgeous. Prob one of my favorite dungeons in the whole game. And while I loved the Titania cutscene that happened during our Minfilia convo (she was so creepy!) the battle itself was kind of underwhelming? I was expecting it to be creepier. I was also expecting her to be a Primal. Are there any Primals on the First? (Edit: apparently not. And no dragons either. Guess it makes sense!)

-Oh, characters. Ranj’it was cool, I like how he’s some MNK/NIN hybrid. But I don’t get why he’s so powerful and terrifying when we’ve faced much worse than him (I had the same thoughts when we first met Zenos, so I guess I just need to separate game mechanics from story a bit). And we never really found out what Gukumatz is. I like Minifilia so far, but Thancred is being an asshole to her and I’m kind of over it. She’s a lil too passive about it but I guess she will develop, so we’ll see. As a side note, I love how she’s a Rogue who uses light magic like Banish III. Later edit: she developed, everything worked out, I love them both.

-I like everything with Ardbert so far (also he’s so dumb for using Arbert as an alias in the Source I love him). The role quest for tanks was neat and had some great lore! Though I won’t be able to do them all on one character, I know it... I’m so mad that’s a requirement, so unfriendly to altoholics like me. :/

-Rak’tika was a fun segment of the story! I loved all the Viis and their lore and the Ronkan Empire aesthetic. So good. Didn’t care much for the Night’s Blessed tbh, but Runar was sweet.

-Ahm Araeng was surprisingly one of my favorite areas. I LOVE the night theme, one of the best in the game. Kholusia, on the other hand, is just sad La Noscea and prob my least favorite zone of the expansion except for the dwarves. They redeemed it singlehandedly. Mt Gulg was a fun (if blinding) dungeon and Innocence was a fun fight and I love all the Christianity symbolism.

-At first, I thought the Tempest was really underwhelming for a final zone. Kinda had to suspend my disbelief about the whole Bismarck thing, that kinda came out of nowhere and was super convenient. But once they got to the Amaurot portion I changed my tune - everything about that was great. Loved the dungeon, loved the trial afterward. I’m reading about all these Emet-Selch interpretations and reactions and I’ve been getting some pretty good insights about him. He was a really well written villain, and I enjoyed the segments of the story where he was kinda just hanging around. Still got plenty of questions about the world before the Great Sundering, but I assume they’ll all get answers. Just loved all the complicated moral relativism stuff.

Story got wrapped up perfectly and I had no complaints whatsoever. Really excited to see where it’s gonna go from here.

-Misc: I did the trust system through every first run of all the dungeons. It worked out perfectly, I loved it. But... post game, they all get reset to level 71? And you have to grind in Holminster Switch until you can level them up to do other dungeons? What gives with that? I wonder what the reward of leveling them all up to 80 is... cause I don’t really see the point. EDIT: I found out what the reward is. Sounds kinda neat, but still not enough to warrant that intense grind for it.

[linelpisffxiv]

5.0 Spoilers Off

So, I’ve been a bit wishy-washy and still tagging and titling stuff pre-Malikah, even if I no longer put it behind readmore.

That treatment is going to now be extended up to The New Vault -- I mean -- The mass of cutscenes after Crown of the Immaculate.

This means that I will openly be referring to the Exarch by his name, making fun of his booty call after Malikah, and gushing about the hyper-shippy duty and scene right before Mt. Gulg. (Oh yes, and talking about Mt. Gulg and the Crown of Immaculate themselves. Such as how Vauthry is Innocence)

I will now be tagging Tomorrow and Tomorrow with more tags, including both the names Crystal Exarch and G’raha Tia (It’s an exception to readmores since I do always readmore my fic regardless of spoiler levels. I just know no one wants to have a three+ screen length post show up) Along with marking it as WoL/Exarch and WoL/G’raha (And I will be back-tagging them)

I’ll also no longer be shy about reblogging all the gorgeous pictures of that scene.

The descent into the Tempest, finding Amaurot, the Dying Gasp, Optional Dungeons, and the post-ending cuteness you can do with him remain spoilered, especially given how his survival is up in the air at the time I’m taking things off.

Unlike before, I don’t know when I’m going to finally talk about these things. Probably around the time Eden Savage drops. Which will also be when I start discussing Eden unspoilered. Maybe drop it next week, but I still have two friends who are very early in the game.