#this answer will change as msq progresses

[sie-sharp]

*cocks the gun* a #21 PLEASE. ( from @tsunael )

Ha, no fair, you have insider info! You just want me to mention him.

in any/all verses, with any/all ships, have your character/s speak about that ship's intimate & sexual dynamic, and how they feel about it.

Oyuun (current MSQ progress - end of 2.4): "What did you want to ask me about Urianger? ...shhhhh! Keep your voice down!" Her face flushes a bit red as her eyes dart nervously around the room, seeing if anyone heard the offending question. She pulls her hood up just slightly.

"I don't -- what I mean is, we're just friends. A-and you know, we're both Scions. Even if I were interested, it would be quite unbecoming of the 'champion of Eorzea' to pursue... another scion. And Alphinaud would certainly be displeased if I caused a scandal that sank the Crystal Braves..."

The red on her face deepened, her eyes looking slightly down. "Ahem, not to say Urianger would return my affections in that scenario. There's this rather lovely Sharlayan scholar come to assist us, and she is quite enamored with him. He'd be a fool to deny her." Her brow furrows for just a moment, before relaxing.

"So uh, of course, that means there's no intimacy. But... between me and you, there's been a few times at the Waking Sands that I've wanted to climb under those robes and show him that these lips are good for more than just incantations."

She sighs, then smiles. "Maybe one day. Heh."

[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.

[tsunael]

22 20 Dawntrail Inspired Questions

I decided to answer these on my own because I didn't want to rely on other people to send them lol. Thank you to those who did!

Obvious Dawntrail spoilers below:

1. Why did they agree to accompany Wuk Lamat to Tural?

I think she was kind of aimless. I'm unsure if she had any hand in the Myths of The Realm quests, or the patch quests canonically since she had just recovered from a long stint in the hospital, and a technical break-up. So, with the Scions disbanded, and the Rising Stones empty, I think she became disillusioned with her life. I think Shadowbringers and Endwalker back-to-back was also extremely difficult for her. Besides that, most-- if not all-- of the issues that come up during MSQ can be solved by Y'shtola and the others. I want to say they called on her for the Aetherfont and to go to The First (out of necessity), but that's about it. Obviously its inevitable that she get dragged into some plot against her will since that's kind of her theme. Anyway. Aimless, as I said. I think G'raha had a large part in her undertaking it, if only to see new sights and to find herself again in knowing she was lost. His words before her departure stuck with her.

2. What was the first thing they did when they arrived in Tuliyollal?

The beach! She's always loved the sea and how it reminds her of home. I think Alisaie would have urged her to go (teasingly) because she'd grown so pale. So, maybe a bit of sun bathing... she is a Raen, after all.

3. What was their initial impression of the four claimants? How did this change over the course of the story?

Unpleasant. Koana's reliance on technology immediately earned her mistrust, as well as his lack of heart. She'd known far too many men just like him. Zoraal Ja and Bakool Ja Ja were just simply terrifying at first. Mamool Ja are not native to the East and known for being sellswords in Eorzea, on top of being very imposing and unfriendly. Wuk Lamat... was Wuk Lamat. There was a good heart to make up for her lack of brains. I don't believe much changed over the course, though her stance on Koana and Wuk Lamat softens, she would have doubts about their leadership considering they're so young-- but it ultimately is not her concern. Triumphing over an adversary does not make a world leader, and they no longer have their father for guidance.

4. What is their impression of Gulool Ja Ja? Do they agree with his method of cultivating leadership?

Terrifying at first, until she spoke at length with him. Despite appearances, she couldn't deny that he was a good man who had genuine love for his people. His way of cultivating leadership had merit, though she wondered how his children were so far removed from their people to begin with that they had to learn it in such a difficult way. Oddly, it made her miss her own father-- they both showed their love in twisted ways.

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

Uncomfortable, and that did not change. It's undue pressure, and she doesn't feel worthy when the Scions have done just as much, if not more for the star. Besides that, Tsuna's never liked her title, nor the boon that it gives her when those around her find out who she is. People tend to look at her differently. The title, 'Warrior of Light' has always been disingenuous, she thinks, as she wasn't even present at Carteneau. She's only ever wanted to just be herself.

6. How did they feel about competing against Thancred and Urianger?

Haha. Well. It wouldn't be the first time Urianger had betrayed them, so for him to turn tail yet again wasn't news. However... Since before even their reunion at the Aetherfont, Thancred had started to become closed off to her. For the two of them to show their faces, and pledge their allegiance to another without so much as a word only added to the perceived offense. Thancred also dropped a ceiling on her head, so... A part of her was waiting for the moment where they might talk at length about their relationship, what went wrong, etc... but as the workaholic he is (or in purposefully avoiding her) he ensured she never got the chance. Her anger only plateaued, though it was never about them offering their services to another.

7. Were they happy with the outcome of the rite of succession?

She would have liked no better outcome. Wuk Lamat and Koana complete each other, that much was plain.

8. Why did they want to explore Xak Tural? Were they happy to have Erenville along as a guide or would they have preferred to explore on their own?

I think she left because she needed time for herself, as she was scarcely idle for the entire trip. There were many feelings she needed to sort out still, and after the succession ceremony she was left feeling strangely devoid. Erenville, however, was a welcome companion. He doesn't speak often, which afforded her some much-needed peace, and when he did it was always with purpose. Being a gleaner and native of the land both, she held his knowledge in the highest regard.

9. What was going through their mind when the dome dropped?

Thal's gilded... halls.

10. What were their first impressions of the Alexandrians?

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

Here.

12. What was their opinion of the culture of recycling souls and the use of regulators? Did this change as the story progressed?

Wrong on all accounts, and her feelings did not change. Solution 9 was a city of vice and excess to her, and to use people's souls as a handicap, currency, and a commodity went wholly against the natural world as she knew it. They were so far removed from the land and what made them human that they had forgotten the sanctity of life-- she would hesitate to consider that 'culture'. A part of her understood it, even if she was against it. Deep down, who doesn't want to live a carefree life, free of pain?

13. What was their initial impression of Cahciua?

Uncomfortable, considering she was a strange, floating... device. Moreso she found her annoyingly forward, yet managing to be cagey. Keeping key information locked away, yet asking the world of them only made things more difficult.

14. How did they feel about the Endless?

The dead should be allowed to rest, but she would not be the one to send them off. Her thoughts went to dear Haurchefant, and the endless purgatory she unwittingly sent him to.

15. What was their experience like in Living Memory?

Bad. A strange town full of contraptions made for the amusement of the living, yet she was surrounded by ghosts. It reminded her of Amarout-- positively soul-crushing. Then, she had to bear witness to her friends saying their goodbyes to their parents... it only made her miss her own that much more.

16. What are their thoughts about the Key?

A cursed object that should not exist, and one that she would rather not have in her possession. But, if it truly can open the door to other shards, then she would do anything in her power to reunite her friends with their loved ones on The First before it's too late. Alternatively, If its connection to Azem is real, and is something WoL can perceive, then she might feel more positively about it.

17. The theme of family and legacy is repeated throughout Dawntrail—did this theme resonate with your character? Were there specific moments relating to family that impacted them?

Here.

18. What important relationships changed or developed throughout Dawntrail?

Her anger and hurt towards Thancred has regressed to their Heavensward levels... Add in a healthy dose of longing and lovesickness for a recipe for disaster. Her relationship with G'raha has only strengthened. He had ever been kind to her, and it was by his words that she went on her journey to Tural in the first place. It only took her to be at her lowest for her to finally notice him. Erenville became an unexpected friend. He softened up by the end of their journey, though isn't someone she would seek out for companionship. Wuk Lamat sees her as a big sister, and in her, Tsuna has found someone she can rely on. Same with Alisaie, their bond stayed relatively the same, however, they spent much of their time together.

19. What was their favorite location in Tural?

Kozama'uka. The carved out caves with bioluminescent mosses and fireflies were breathtaking, and their many waterways and dense forests reminded her of home. Though in the lower areas, the air was extremely humid without much sun to dry her scales in.

20. Do they lean more Tuliyollal or more Solution Nine?

Tuliyollal. She would take a port-city that is full of flora and fauna over a place devoid entirely of heart. She's also still very upset about the soylent.

21. If they had to summarize their journey in Tural, what would they say?

A decent vacation-turned-terrible that left her more tired than when she first set off. The storm that nearly killed the lot of them should have been taken as a sign. If Nymeia wanted her dead, she ought to not miss next time.

22. What are they doing now?

SHE'S LEISURING, BITCH. leave her alone.

[escherstrange-ffxiv]

22 7 Dawntrail Inspired Questions

Based on this list of questions floating around I wanted to answer a few, and so I did.

Answers under the cut because MSQ SPOILERS!

3. What was their initial impression of the four claimants? How did this change over the course of the story?

Wuk Lamat: "Oh, so she's Erenville's childhood friend. I feel you man, my childhood friend is a terror that permeates every second of my day." *gently pats Erenville*

Escher goes through the rite of succession nodding politely and saying "...Okay." a lot when he sees her getting sea/air/alpaca-sick. She's not Lyse-levels of naive so she doesn't grate on his nerves but by the time he's fighting the Eternal Queen he's hollering back at her, "I DON'T THINK SHE WANTS TO LISTEN, LAMATY'I, CAN YOU JUST-"

He never got over her barging in before he even used the toilet.

Koana: He didn't even notice the guy until after he got passionately angry. Then Escher was "oh no he's hot when he's mad." (Escher you should know better)

Zoraal Ja: "He's gonna die by our hands. Bet you 5 gil I'm right."

Bakool Ja Ja: He found him very annoying and was very satisfied when Wuk Lamat kicked his ass. I think this dialogue choice sums it up.

9. What was going through their mind when the dome dropped?

"Oh, that can't be good."

12. What was their opinion of the culture of recycling souls and the use of regulators? Did this change as the story progressed?

He thought it was interesting how they had circumvented death. Resonates when he's died twice. He wondered if his own deaths would have been preventable with a regulator like that...until he learned about the memory wipe. For someone like Escher who wants to leave a legacy and be remembered, that part doesn't fly.

13. What was their initial impression of Cahciua?

Escher truly, honestly, thought she was the little hover robot and wondered if Erenville was half robot. That's obviously why we never hear about his father, right?

17. The theme of family and legacy is repeated throughout Dawntrail—did this theme resonate with your character? Were there specific moments relating to family that impacted them?

19. What was their favorite location in Tural?

Escher isn't a sentimental guy, but I think he probably filched an energy drink and sent it to his parents along with a letter informing them he's fineee.

20. Do they lean more Tuliyollal or more Solution Nine?

I'm sure he stood there wondering how the aether of everything works in Mamook while thinking of kissing Adrian under it.

Definitely Solution Nine. Tuliyollal's vibrant culture and food was one thing but the Sharlayan in Escher gravitated to learning more about how everything worked. Even the grape-flavoured drink.

[trickstarbrave]

Markarth - If you could rewrite one questline in Skyrim, which would it be? + Whiterun - Do you tend to do Bleak Falls Barrow before or after meeting with Farengar?

Whiterun: I usually do bleakfalls after meeting farengar. I know I don’t have to and it can be faster. But I just like doing it after meeting him idk why

Markarth: my genuine answer is the main story quest. That might be a cheat answer bc all the changes I’d make would involve at least slight changes to basically all other quest lines but genuinely I just. Dislike the MSQ the more I think abt it.

Why do we even go to the embassy? You can cut that out entirely. The thalmor do not factor in to the rest of the questline at all. I also wanna redo Delphine’s writing to have her be more secretive and subtly manipulative as I’ve outlined in other posts abt her, along with adding more blades contacts in the form of existing npcs. I also want the dragons to start taking settlements and add in more dragons you can actually talk to besides paarthurnax, alduin, and Odahviing. Also I think this should be 70 years after oblivion or smth not 200. Plus I think I’d make more sense if Ulfric wanted to bring back worship of the traditional nord pantheon rather than just Talos worship, which would help further tie in the civil war and main story in a satisfying way as you learn even the old “traditional” pantheon for Nords is new and they used to worship dragons and has you questioning what tradition even means, along with what “progress” means as a culture and how you as the last dragonborn fit into it. Not to mention I’d be elaborating on all the themes and moral questions the msq cheaply brings up and is never elaborated upon and let you get really philosophical in your answer to paarthurnaxm’s questions

[vermanaward]

dawntrail msq, 95-97

tuliyolal, evenutally

okay so that was the end of disc one i guess

i would ask 'why couldn't she have asked him earlier' but. the drama.

everyone seems remarkably unconcerned about first promise and/or the dickhead trailing around after him. counting down the minutes until one or both of them causes problems on purpose

why are the hyper capitalists in xiv always short. lalas, pelupelu, mord.

...oh okay here we go, disc two commences!

shaaloani

bison!!

swear words?!?!

how come npcs get to have guns without shitty lunchboxes. ANSWER ME YOSHI P

"saddle up!" [proceeds to make me ride bareback]

WHALAQEE MENTIONED

somewhere between "my poor boy erenville being deadnamed to heck and back" and "ah. yeah. immigrant adopts local name to not stick out, resulting in Complicated Feelings when they go back home and people use their native culture's name"

oh. a bent cop. whoever saw that one coming

i would ask 'why are there dinosaurs in north america' but. you know what. it makes a pleasant change from them being in africa

"hey, remember shadowbringers. you guys liked shadowbringers, right? everyone loved the bit with the trolley?? right????"

at least there isn't a dead wife this time ig

the design of this train is offensively bad. like it's a stream train, fine, except it has a ceruleum (ie. petrol/diesel) engine, fine. except it's a steam train but instead of steam coming out the top its?? burning ceruleum? what???

welp

tuliyolal

man i was just thinking to myself this morning. 'we haven't seen yshtola all expac. it's been so nice not having to constantly brace myself for her biannual death fakeout.'

oh and she brought the allagan fanboy too. yay.

>!?!?!?!?!??!?!!??!?!?!!?!??!?!?!?!!??!?!?!?!?!

at least it's not the fucking allagans ig

(obligatory: ok so shtola is here so she can reprogram the gate and go get some ronso booty)

rofl though. so okay if this is a 9 parallel, then who is garland here, and when will necron come haring out of the left field wait that was endsinger nm

unrelated but the more i think about it the more :\ i am that the girl is The Emotional One and the dude is The Logical One. like bruh

estinien is determined to be Sir Not Playable This Expac and honestly i can't blame him

"don't do anything reckless" what like pick up both eyes of nidhogg while soaked in his blood? that kind of reckless?

haha see the joke is that in the First his wife is dead aren't dead wives funny

heritage found

alexandria, huh [chinhands]

man. this is extremely the "hey, remember shb?!" expac. and not in a good way.

honestly this is a gripe for another day but i really hate the way this game just goes [handwave] ~time dilation~ any time they want something dramatic to happen with shit on reflections. time always passes at the speed of drama. it bugs me.

actually ykw. this expac is so actively pro monarchy it's kinda nauseating. there i said it

erenville's mom is dead isn't she. .-.

heavensward: let's kill the pope and install democracy! shadowbringers: let's kill a dictator and install a democracy! stormblood, dawntrail: let's, uh. install and uphold monarchies! yay royalty! yay bloodlines!

do i expect progressive politics from final fantasy? hell no, i'm not delusional. does this mean i'm going to let this slide? also no!

ooh namika's going to be euthanised isn't she

ha ha he's wearing armour from the alex raids ha ha

in a robot? no just piloting a robot.

okay i take it back this hellhole is worse than amaurot. good job a+

that said: it's absolutely a fragment of a world consumed in a rejoining that somehow managed to avoid being rejoined, yes yes? from the calamity of lightning, for obvious reasons.

which would make oblivion that shard's equivalent of the scions/ardbert and his gang

which unrelated but would mean there are people on the source at 6/14 aetheric density. (and would put krile at 1/14, for that matter)

...hm. are we supposed to take from this then that alexandria and 'the golden city' are two seperate places?

oh. yeah i found rowena's shard from the lightning reflection. lel.

100 scrip vendor unlocked finally, time todo what i came here for: FISH

[papalo-palo]

WHM 53, MSQ 41 - "Into the Eye of the Storm", "Sealed with Science", "With the Utmost Care", "A Promising Prospect", "It's Probably Not Pirates", "Representing the Representative", "The Reluctant Researcher", "Sweet Somethings", & "History Repeating"

In the morning, I summoned Rosomoni to the inn room. He came and remarked that I looked much better than I did the night before. In the morning light, I realized that he did as well. There was something soft about him, but unavoidable. I asked if he had improved in his studies of conjury. Imagine my surprise when he quietly stated that E-Sumi-Yan had just congratulated him for reaching level fifty-two in conjury! Fifty-two! I thought there were no more than fifty ranks within the Conjurer's Guild.

The humble retainer explained that at one time, there were no more than fifty ranks of skill, but the world had changed and conjurers have had to increase their learning and awareness beyond what the Twelveswood can offer. As such, while he had reached the fifty-second rank by virtue of application, the Conjurer's Guild could only teach those up to rank fifty. What lies beyond touches power that the elementals does not want active within the Twelveswood.

"Ser, when is the last time you regarded yourself? The healing that conjury allows me to bring to others, has been reflected upon myself, and I now see things in ways that I never thought possible. Last night, when you returned from Coerthas, I saw your spirit was low and burdened. But now, that you have slept a solid night, I see that you are positively glowing. You are in communion with the land constantly, and I can see the aether rising and falling between you and the land around us. You are no mere child that plucked a weed and are calling it a wand. Though you are a white mage now, our skills are close enough that I see I have more work to do if I am going to progress further. You are certainly at least a rank beyond me in conjury, for sure."

I disagreed. The last time I reckoned my rank within the Conjurer's Guild was when I was called to receive the Soul of the White Mage. After that, I only reckoned my skill as a white mage and thought my rank among the conjurers would be symbolic only. But at Rosomoni's urging, I stood still, looked within myself, and communed with the land.

I felt all of Gridania around me, those areas open to outsiders and those areas reserved for the old clans. I felt the Shroud and the Guardian Tree nearby. I felt the Twelveswood and asked it what did it regard me. And the Twelveswood answered that I was a Conjurer and a White Mage of equal rank, and that they had nothing new to teach me the Black Shroud.

I returned to myself with silent composure. A Conjurer and a White Mage of equal rank. That would place me at rank fifty, yes? Wasn't that the requirement to help participate in the Quieting and to don the omnicrafter's gifts? Rosomoni chuckled as I spoke my thoughts aloud. "I, myself, am rank fifty-two, ser. You must be at least of rank fifty-three as a Conjurer and a White Mage."

Fifty-three. But when Alphinaud called for adventurers and scions to come to my aid to clear the Stone Vigil, those that answered his call were of rank forty-three and noticed no limitations when they entered the dungeon that the keep had become. Is this why I feel the environment's limitations so clearly? Have I become greater than what the land could bear?

Rosomoni did not need the Echo to read the thoughts written upon my face. His laughter chastised me and humbled me. "Ser, if you will permit an old man's story. Once I was monk. I trained in the pugilist's art until I was able to prove myself worthy of Rhalgr. I was so dedicated to the art that my rank was whispered only once my shadow had passed. The last time I cared to measure my rank, it was rank seventy. No one could shift me, until the very world shifted under me. I was so secure in the physical power I could summon for myself, that I was powerless when political power unmade everything around me. Do not worry about your achievements, real or imagined. Worry instead about how you can help yourself, how you can help your friends, and how you can help your friends help you. All else will come and go without your interference or even your awareness.

I thought of Mirabelle, Piwa, and Rhylkhana, the scions that have been my companions on many an assignment. How they talked to me as an equal even though it is clear from the moment you lay eyes on me that I am far above them in skill and rank. How they brought me to my senses, Piwa especially, and comforted me in ways that a number on personality test never could. No, Rosomoni is correct. In time, I will find someone to teach me beyond what the Seedseers can present. Until then, I will help my friends, help my friends help me, and most importantly, help myself.

Rosomoni asked if I had any special requests for him. We both agreed that I had collected nothing worthy of selling on the market board, so he offered to go a-wandering in exploration. He sought to put his conjuring skills to use as a wandering conjurer and I found no reason not to permit him this measure. I paid him two ventures and asked only that if he found something interesting, to bring it back to me as a souvenir.

He departed immediately after. I checked myself and my gear, and finding all to be sound, I left as well.

At the airship landing beneath the Carline Canopy, I found Cid tinkering with the Enterprise as usual, and Alphinaud impatiently waiting for me to arrive and for him to finish.

"Why do you tarry, Papalo? Our work is not yet finished! We must press onward, until the harpy queen lies broken at our feet!"

We? Rosomoni kept warm what Mirabelle, Piwa, and Rhylkhana had inspired, and this boy who hasn't even grown up yet is calling out "we"? Must be in the royal sense.

I left him to pontificate to himself about his importance to check on Cid. I found him near the bow of the ship, looking softly upon the Enterprise. He turned his head to watch me approach and answered my unspoken question. "It calms me to look at her." He turned back to the airship. "It's as though I've been reunited with a part of me I never knew was missing..."

"Hardly surprising." Alphinaud's voice boomed from the observation deck above us. "You did design and build her." He seemed offended that Cid continued to have difficulties remembering who he is, who he was. I wondered if Alphinaud knew what was the significance of Cid's goggles, of what Piwa knew but was keeping silent about, and if the boy was withholding that information lest his pet engineer decide to take his leave.

"I bear good news!" He continued on without any acknowledgement of the man's discomfort. "The Seedseers have granted our request to house the Enterprise. We may take as long as we require to repair her." Cid's barely audible sigh of relief was smothered by the boy's renewed insistence that everything happen now as if we are ignorant of the danger Garuda presents to Gridania and all.

"Though I am no expert on the workings of airships, it seems plain to me that the Enterprise suffered much from her time in the wilderness. Am I not correct, Cid?" Somehow, I kept my chuckles well bound by the belt of my robe. Alphinaud and Cid conversed over the state of the airship and what would be necessary to repair and bolster her. The boy's stately language hit Cid's ear just right and inspired the engineer to find a way to shield the airship from the tempest around Garuda's stronghold. To which Alphinaud demonstrated just how well-schooled he is while also demonstrating his age. Just as Alphinaud began to teach a class on aetheric aspects to me, Cid interjected the lecture to tell me plainly what his plan is.

I do not understand Piwa's reticence when time after time, Cid confirms his desire to help others for no reason than he can.

To find the corrupted crystal that Cid needs, Alphinaud bid me to go back to Camp Drybone and speak to a certain scholar by the name of Lamberteint there. When Cid still did not know himself, when he was the monk Marques, the scholar would take advantage of the stricken man's silence to pontificate for hours about aetheric studies and corrupted crystals. To be honest, I'd rather not, but staying here would mean being lectured by the child even further. At least I can let Sable have her fill of running to get me there.

I found the Elezen scholar in a room in the inn. He sat facing the door with his arms crossed as tightly as his face. The dour look continued until he realized that I did indeed come looking for him specifically, and that I did indeed wanted to hear about his research into corrupted crystals. So happy was he to speak to me, that I did not need to use any of the coin that Alphinaud had given me to "sweeten his ear". I pocketed the six Allagan silver pieces as further payment for all the work the child has me running around to complete.

Lamberteint was thrilled to have a second person to speak to (at length) about corrupted crystals. The first being "a hermit to whom the church had given sanctuary". It was everything I could do to hear Cid, as Marques, be described as "unsociable" and "rather daft at first impression". I had the feeling that regardless as Cid or as Marques, the man just didn't want to be bothered with unnecessary political cruft. Which makes me wonder how is he able to put up with Alphinaud. My reverie ended just in time to hear the scholar confirm that I wanted to harvest a corrupted crystal. When I did, he openly questioned by ability to understand the topic due to the dangerous nature of my request.

Luckily, the scholar just happens to have a warded pot that will make it safe for me to transport a collected crystal. Luckily? Or is it that the scholar has found a suitably ignorant pair of hands to do the dirty work for him. I am beginning to see a pattern here. Either way, he sent me to his student Hahasako at Highbridge, who is supposed to teach me the finer points of crystal harvesting and lent me a warded pot to contain a corrupted crystal.

I found Hahasako gazing over the rift at Highbridge. As I approached, they whirled on me to explain that they weren't contemplating jumping to their deaths, but were just taking measurements. I stopped their rant by presenting the warded pot, which changed their accusations to that of theft until they realized that the professor himself had lent me the pot. Hahasako quickly ran through a series of logical steps to conclude that my appearance meant that the professor was finally recognizing Hahasako's achievements. In his glee, he shoved six Allagan silver pieces in my hands to share his joy.

My arrival had perfect timing, as Hahasako was about to get some corrupted crystals from the Burning Wall for his own research. He lent me a highly advanced researcher's tool and marked on my map where I would find perfect specimens for both of our needs. He bid me to bring back a small fragment of corrupted crystal in the warded pot for his inspection. Following his instructions, the map, and Sable's sense of direction, Sable carried me through hillside tunnels filled with glowing orange crystals, past giant hairballs floating in the wind, past ghastly animated assemblages of jagged shards of steel and crystal, through fields of doblyns nibbling on crystals, to a pool of water at the base of a large waterfall.

I dismounted and listened to the conversation the rushing water and the gentle breeze were having with each other. I know the professor and his student spoke of great destruction here, and it is true that this area was greatly changed in the Calamity. Listening to the land, I heard how it was healing. How the quartz doblyns were keeping the growth of corrupted crystals in check. How the mirrorknights prevented worse predators from establishing themselves. How the golden fleeces fed on impurities in the air, keeping them from being blown across Thanalan. Yes, the area had been changed beyond recognition, but it was coming to terms with itself in a way that was restoring balance to the greater areas. It was quiet, and peaceful.

"Excuse me. Is it okay if I start fishing here? You're in my favorite spot." I didn't realize my eyes were closed until I opened them at the greeting. A Hyur waved sheepishly at me.

"Oh, no, by all means. I apologize for being in the way." Sable had already moved over so I caught up with her. The Hyur thanked me sat down where I was just standing, and began fishing. Instead of ruining the atmosphere, his presence only confirmed that the Burning Wall held some kind of healing here. There can be peace in the midst of destruction, but it requires standing still to perceive it.

However, Alphinaud will not take kindly to such contemplation, so I used the highly advanced researcher's tool and crudely broke off a fragment of corrupted crystal. Wait. If corrupted crystals were that dangerous, then how could the fisherman sit here for hours? I examined the borrowed tool and quickly identified it as nothing more than a quarrying maul, the same that a miner would be using anywhere. The maul did its work well and just as fast I had secured the fragment in the warded pot. As I left, I passed the fisherman and asked him if he had any problems with corruption here.

"Here? None at all. Lemme guess, some scholarly bloke warned you about the dangers of the corrupted crystals here at the Burning Wall, right? What he didn't tell you is that you have to activate the corrupted crystal for it to have any effect on you. And because they're corrupted, they take a lot of aether to waken the energies within it. I've been fishing here sometimes all day long and the only thing affected is my lunchbox. We may be in Thanalan, but we're far away from the streets of Ul'dah. You can't just find corruption anywhere here, you have to make it yourself."

He laughed at his joke and turned his attention back to the rod. I sighed and started to make my way back to Hahasako.

Only to run into a giant mirrorknight called the Big Bagoly. For all my recognition of a new balance being established, the land made it clear to me that Big Bagoly was not part of this new balance and had to be dealt with. The fisherman looked over his shoulder at the ruckus, cried out to see the giant, and scrambled to get clear of the unwelcome creature. As he fled, he yelled at me to stay away from Big Bagoly as the creature destroys farms, farmhouses, and farmlands for no reason other than to create destruction.

How much the thing reminded me of feral hogs grown too large for the Twelveswood to support. I gave thanks to Nophica for this fateful encounter and ran towards Big Bagoly with Sable right behind me. It was just the two of us, and Big Bagoly's aura was such that we were limited in our abilities again, but this time I was neither surprised nor unable to reckon with this fact. I kept the monster's attention while Sable pecked and kicked it from behind. The land gave us assistance with blessings of regen and cures as needed. All I had to do was remain aware of where I was and what I was doing. In the end, the Big Bagoly fell and the aether that made up its being was returned to the accepting land.

The fisherman returned. "Is it over? Usually the mirrorknights don't bother me, but something that big is going to leave a mark just by passing through. Thank you for clearing my favorite spot again!" He sat right back where he was before and resumed fishing. I healed myself and Sable back to our normal fullness, mounted the chocobo, and sped back to Hahasako as fast as Sable's legs could take me.

Hahasako inspected the crystal, proclaimed it good enough, and bid me to present it to the good professor and to make sure the good professor knew that Hahasako's good research is what enabled me to present the matter. I get it, everyone wants a good grade in class, but good grief, he sure is laying it on thick.

Back at Camp Drybone, Professor Lamberteint all but smelled the corrupted crystal in the warded pot. He gladly pronounced an excellent specimen of a corrupted crystal overflowing with wind-aspected aether. The triumph fell from his face when he realized that I needed a corrupted crystal to breach a barrier comprised of wind-aspected aether. "Oh dear... That may prove problematic, as this crystal would only serve to strengthen the barrier." He lamented sending me the wrong way, but then congratulated me for learning something in the process and assured me that the collected crystal would help progress aetherial studies being conducted by the Students of Baldesion. Where have I heard that group before?

Ah, the students that were killed at the Waking Sands were from this order.

The professor noticed that I had suddenly become quiet, but as I had not spoken anything, he continued on with his quickly forgotten explanations. When he stopped speaking, he gave me an Allagan gold piece as payment for the corrupted crystal I had collected. That should fetch me between two to three thousand gil. Not that it would bring those two students back to life. I accepted the payment and pocketed the piece and my guilt.

Professor Lamberteint told me of his student Ceana, who was sent to La Noscea in search of other corrupted crystals. Though she was apparently having a hard time dealing with pirates, Imperials, and a Dalamud death cult that was active in the area. But besides all that, perhaps it would be worth my while to go to her in Aleport (with the warded pot so she'll take me seriously) and look for a lightning-aspected crystal there.

Let's see, I'm in Eastern Thanalan right now, I would have to travel to Vesper Bay in Western Thanalan, take the ferry to Limsa Lominsa, and then take the ferry Aleport, or I could teleport by aetheryte for... how much gil?! How many Vesper Bay aetheryte tickets do I still have? Okay, so port to Vesper Bay and...

Vesper Bay. This is the first time I have set foot here since taking the bodies to the lichyard. I didn't have to check on the Waking Sands, or what's left of it, but I had to check for... personal reasons. In the outer room, Tataru's books are still on the table. The quill at the ready to make fresh marks as she checked the monies coming in and out of the organization. Inside was still dark. A stool still knocked over. Barrels still burst asunder and their contents spilled out. The stockroom still in disarray and now smelling like salt and regret. The Solar was just as I had left it, minus Noraxia's broken body in the corner. Tupsimati remained shattered in its frame on the wall, still in the same state as Louisoix left it behind on the flats of Carteneau. Inside was still dark.

Still silent.

For some reason, the state of the Waking Sands reminded me not of the Garlean Empire, but of Lahabrea. There was something about that Ascian that was very familiar. But he was fully masked and hooded each time we met. Was it his body posture, then? His voice? The way he held himself? Something about him is very wrong but I did not have much time in the Stone Vigil to ask the land to help me perceive him. Regardless, the emptiness of the Waking Sands was reminding me of Lahabrea, that his was a state of being that just should not be.

Ah well, I had best continue my travel to Aleport before Alphinaud comes looking for me. I think if I were to be scolded by the youngest scholar ever, I would snap and become the villain I have been set against.

The travel to Limsa Lominsa was as expected. From the grand port, I raced across the city to the ferry and paid Rerenasu 40 gil to take me to Aleport. All in all, I spent only 120 gill to get from Camp Drybone to Aleport. A far better price than the 571 gil aetheryte fee that was requested. If I am ever to have a home of my own with a garden beside it, I need to save all the gil I can now.

Caena was right where the professor said she would be. Not gazing at the corrupted crystal embedded lighthouse that could be seen from Limsa Lominsa, to my surprise, but simply out to sea, where her thoughts were scattered on the glittering waves. That lack of thought translated into a biting retort when I asked her about corrupted crystals until I showed her the warded pot. She realized her error, apologized, and then after pronouncing herself the greatest of the professor's students, began an impromptu lecture her background. Fortunately, she only got half a sentence in when she realized what she was doing and brought herself to a halt.

She explained that she feels the corrupted crystals at the Isles of Umbra would be excellent specimens, but access to the isles is prohibited to everyone, including her. No amount of explanation or introduction has gotten her any closer to the isles and she is quite frustrated by the entire matter. So much so, that she has given up attempting to gain access and wished me luck in trying to do the same.

In speaking with the Yellowjackets stationed in the area, I heard stories of spirits and specters haunting the Isles of Umbra, of death thrice assured to anyone that travels there, and graveyards of ships and sailors alike. I almost regretted telling Caena what I had heard, as the idea of encountering the undead has taken the life from her face. She quickly concluded that all the stories I was told were just that, stories, and that the most rational reason for the travel restriction was because of whatever caused the abandonment of the Pharos Sirius lighthouse. She came to this conclusion because while I was talking to the Yellowjackets, she had heard of a sailor returning from the Isles of Umbra. The sailor is not available for her to interview because he did something and got himself arrested. Would I be so kind as to speak to him on her behalf?

I know I come from a homestead farm in the backwoods of the Shroud, but the number of people that really treat me like I just fell off the popoto cart is increasingly infuriating.

Skyfryn stood in the cell staring blankly at the far wall. When I called his name, he approached the gate, but the vacant stare never focused on me. Instead, he kept muttering that he had to go back. There was someone calling out to him, singing to him. Finally, he looked down at me. "Tell Mimidoa I'm sorry. Give him this. He was...he was right... Or...or you could release me? Yes...yes...release me. I will go and tell her... Let me...let me go to her..."

He stopped speaking to me, or at me, or in my general direction, and instead slowly turned his gaze towards the Isles of Umbra. His face never lost its slack appearance, and I realized where I had seen that expression before. In Haukke Manor when Lady Amandine had ensorceled us to draw us towards her. This was a man that had been seduced sometime on the island and was still under the seduction even now. He must not be released.

When I informed Ceana of my observations, she dismissed him as just another love-struck sailor pining for the bar wench that refused him. But she recognized Mimidoa as the person who grabbed her butt the other day at the pub. As speaking with him seems to be the only way to gain access to the Isles of Umbra, she requested that I be the one to speak to him lest more foul actions occur than just the grabbing of other people's body parts.

I found him, not at the pub but outside it. Though whether he was checking the goods or checking the body of the woman checking the goods, was not clear. When I tapped him on the shoulder, he whirled around to tell me to state my business. Instead, I handed him the yellow feather that Skyfryn gave me. He blanched to see it and questioned how I obtained it. When I told him who gave it to me, he was surprised at the state I found him in. He and Mimidoa had been sent to fix Pharos Sirius on the Isles of Umbra. Skyfryn sent to do the work. Mimidoa sent to supervise the work as a good number of the workers had either walked off, ran off, or flat out vanished.

When the Lalafell discovered that I had been seeking access to the island, he was happy to hear of it. He had been looking to send someone to the Isles of Umbra anyway, to discover and report on what has befallen the island, but no one has responded to his request until I showed up. It has been his intent to hire sellswords to clean out the island and be done with it, but beggars can't be choosers and so it will be me and him. He gave me a writ to give to the ferryman for access and sent me on my way.

I went to Ceana to show her the writ granting us access but her dour disposition had returned. She saw speaking with Mimidoa to be a complete waste of time, and to be fair, he did unkindly towards her after all. She examined the writ and questioned its authenticity when realizing that he was Skyfryn's supervisor, but ultimately accepted it as genuine. She bid me luck with all the discoveries I would be making on the Isles of Umbra, without her. Between unkind sailors and unwelcome spirits, she decided this was one story she would not be involved in.

I put my foot down. If I am going to be dragged into another set of complications, then the person stirring up that complication is coming with me. She threatened to haunt me if some ill action befell her and I accepted that as her terms and conditions. The ferry skipper tried to refuse me passage as he had been refusing everyone else passage to the Isles of Umbra, but when confronted with the writ, he acquiesced and took us over.

The island was cold, damp, and isolated. I wondered if the fisherman I met at the Burning Wall would also be satisfied here. Ceana made it obvious that she would be satisfied any place else but here. She tried to steel herself to come with me, but ultimately realized the limitations of her bravado. She handed the pot back to me and told me to go on without her. After explaining to whom I needed to speak to in order to gain access to Pharos Sirius, she turned back to the ferry skipper and left the island at once.

Davyd stood guard at the locked gates of Pharos Sirius. Even after I explained what I came for, he apologized and turned me away. Turned out that the writ only granted me access to the island, but nothing about access to the stricken lighthouse. Until the giant crystal that struck the lighthouse can be removed, and the aetheric contraptions that make up the lighthouse be repaired, access within is restricted to repair crews only. Repair crews that have either fled in fear, fled in madness, or straight up disappeared.

Davyd knew some of what drove the crews away and that they are still present on the south side of the island. He offered a trade. If I would help him find out what happened to the crew, he would fetch a corrupted crystal for my warded pot. Sounds like a fair trade, so I agreed to it. He was even so helpful as to point me to three adventurers that came to the island to scavenge from the wrecked ships. Speaking to them should be my first step.

I found them a little further inland, at the mouth of a wee bay that granted their vessel entrance from the sea. The lead marauder was frustrated that five year's worth of shipwrecks and abandoned cargo were laying out clear for the taking, but between the queer dead and a "quite nice" voice, the team were not able to pluck so much as a grain of sand, much less any treasure. The other marauder was shivering, but not from the chill. He spoke of a voice that sang out a single fleeting verse, but that voice carried such a strong power that it took every onze of his strength to resist it. He warned me against going to the southern shore where the shipwrecks were. The arcanist sat on a supply box, staring at the remains of their cooking fire. He looked at me and spoke about dead people just shambling about without aim or care, until something starts to draw them to the water. He shuddered, looked back at the dead coals, and said nothing else.

As I left them to return to Davyd, I found my way blocked by animated skeletons! These undead men wandered about as if seeking something. Somehow, a deep moaning could be heard from each and everyone of them. The land shuddered under me to bear them and I felt their yearning for rest. But something had bound them to their remains, so that there would be no rest for as long as their bodies were intact. I pulled my staff to the ready and Sable knew it was time to defend me. Together, we endured this fateful encounter and silenced at least twelve of these dead man's moans. As each one fell apart, the moan turned into a fading sigh of relief. I felt their aether slipping away to the lifestream and knew that for the ones we unmade, there was peace for them. To the south, I could feel something greedy for aether and hungering for more. But this was not the time to investigate.

Having cleared the way, I returned to Davyd and informed him of what the adventurers reported and my own fateful encounter. When he realized that an alluring voice was at the center of all the stories, he started to wonder aloud about some creature long presumed extinct. What broke him from his suddenly fevered state was him remembering that "Master" Mimidoa had also returned to the island. He had grown tired of waiting for me to return to Aleport and chose to come in person to see what was up. I found him waiting beside the Ferry Skipper. Ceana did not come with him.

He summarized my report as "Some honey-voiced harlot's been callin' out to folk what wander near the Ship Graveyard? An' it's stirred up the dead an' all?". While I question whether his summary would be suitable in a report to his superiors, I can't fault him for making the point excessively well. He laughed and spoke of the days he sailed as a pirate under Mistbeard (that Mistbeard?) but then brought himself swiftly to the present as he realized the creatures from his past have made their way to the present. "I knew deep down in me bones as this day would come. An' come it has. Aye...I'd bet me bum ear a siren's behind all this."

He spat on the sand. "Them what's got feathers, an' lure sailors to a watery grave with their sweet, sweet song." He went on to explain that once a man has been ensorceled by a siren, that he is bound to her even after his death. That his corpse will continue to serve her until it falls apart. That explains the dead man's moans that I encountered and put down. He handed me a pair of earplugs to wear and showed me a second pair kept in reserve for him. After helping to dismantle a siren nest once before, he was always prepared to defend himself from their kind. He explained that we didn't have time to call for help, as likely no help would come when it was clear what they would be facing. Instead, it fell to him and me to take on this siren. He didn't wait for me to argue, but donned the earplugs and immediately set for the south side of the island.

How very different from nearly everyone else that has asked for my aid since I set out from Gridania! I had to race behind him to keep up!

I apparently turned the wrong way as I found myself on a secluded area of the southern shore. I recognized the lammergeyer bird as quarry on my hunting log. In taking advantage of my misdirection, I put down two of the cloudkin as requested and found a Magic Pot! A voidsent was bodily in the pot such that only its head and hands were sticking out. It watched me as I approached with my staff at the ready.

"Gimme an elixir!" Its demand caught me off guard.

"What?"

"Gimme an elixir!" It said nothing else but made a grabbing motion with its hands. I realized then that the pot was the voidsent's body. Whatever had summoned it had done a poor job of the ritual and now the voidsent was trapped in the pot.

"What will you do if I give you an elixir?" Sable sniffed carefully at the pot as I felt the land for aether traps.

The voidsent said nothing, but willed information into my mind. It will give me the sun in exchange for an elixir, but will give me the moon in exchange for a hi-elixir. Empty voidsent promises, just like what happened at Haukke Manor. I turned to walk away. The voidsent hopped angrily in its jar and willed more information into my mind. It is not promising the sun, but a sun minion. It is not promising the moon, but a moon minion. A facsimile of the real thing that can fit in my pocket and is completely obedient to me.

I wanted to test the exchange, but had neither elixir nor hi-elixir with me. I mounted Sable. "If I get either one, I'll be back. Betray me, voidsent, and I will unmake you like I have done to your brethren."

The creature hopped in obvious anticipation. Sable regarded me oddly as I did not give the command to attack. "Not this time, my friend. While I am averse to bargains with voidsent, and have seen what happens when you consort with them for too long, I have also seen voidsent that worked to help, worked to heal. Perhaps I should speak with E-Sumi-Yan in Stillglade Fane first before I return here. There may be something I don't know to this Magic Pot."

Leaving that area, I quickly found Mimidoa. He was on the shore, facing the southern sea. His face did not have that slack affect, only the set jaw of someone who had to do something detestable once, and is about to do it again. He had set a blazing campfire on the shore and explained that if the siren passes nearby, she will see the fire, and come looking. We just have to hurry up and wait, now.

Wait we did. And wait. And wonder if we had been lied to after all, while waiting. And as we waited, I felt a familiar suffocating feel accumulate in the aether around us. Something great and monstrous was approaching. Something that fed off the aether of the land and those upon it. Something limiting what abilities I can pull and what reserves of aether I could draw on. We were not lied to. The siren comes.

Mimidoa heard her just as I confirmed the boundaries that had been set. He pointed off shore where something large and yellow and feathered floated effortlessly. He yelled at me to plug my ears and prepare for battle, as once the siren realizes that I am immune to her enchantments, she'll seek to defeat me the old-fashioned way, by brute force.

It started off with men still breathing. Enchanted completely and unable to form independent thought, much less cry out when struck, they came at me in increasing number. And then the men weren't breathing, but drowned completely. Clouded eyes unable to focus rolled aimlessly as their weapons sought to pierce me. And then the dead men weren't flesh, but only bones. Animated skeletons still serving their siren master. As their bones shattered, their released spirits returned to the lifestream. And then there was only their captain, or what was left of him. Of unnatural size and strength due to the magic of the siren, he was committed to adding me to his supernatural crew. All the while, I was dodging ensorceled balls of water that the siren sent to the shore. Each one contained poison, restraint, madness, or some combination of all three. It was everything I had to dodge everything while leading the undead captain around the shore so that the biting wind spell I had placed on him would do its work. Ultimately, it did. The siren's army now defeated, she remained off shore and out of reach of my spells. Instead, she withdrew, taking the limiting pall with her.

The work now done, I ran up the shore to Mimidoa who was standing far enough away to not attract the siren, but close enough to assist me if necessary. He congratulated me for defeating her and wished that I could have done more. But what I had done was enough for now. Only now does he ask me for my name, and only now does he realize that I was not sent by his company to come help him. Surprised, he started to ask why I had done anything, but realized it was far too late for those questions now. Triumphant, he returned to Aleport, and I returned to Davyd.

Davyd had been in denial that a siren was present on the south shore until presented with the proof of her defeat. He noted that he had heard stories of Master Mimidoa being involved in a siren purge, but never really gave it much thought. However, he had something better than a story. He had my warded pot with a corrupted crystal within it. Quickly, I went to the ferry skipper so I could also return to Aleport and show Ceana the hard won prize.

Ceana's first order of business was confirming that I was alive. Despite all the evidence to confirm my state as still amongst the living, she still looked at me suspiciously. Accepting me at my word, she then inspected the contents of the warded pot. "Congratulations, Papalo! Seldom if ever have I encountered a corrupted crystal composed of such a volatile overabundance of fire-aspected aether."

... What?

Not ice?

I came here for a corrupted crystal of ice-aspected aether to counteract the effects of a raging wind! To calm it down! To literally freeze it in place! I'm sure I said that at the start!

Ah. Well. Here I sit, in the inn in Aleport, having one of the local ales to calm myself. I'm too wound up to commune with the land, and the land is too wound up to commune with me. There's something in the water that has everyone and everything on edge, but it's too far out at sea for me to understand just what.

So, as I bring this diary entry to a close, I shall finish my ale and let Sable carry me to Limsa Lominsa so that I may have a rest in the inn there. Away from scholars, undead, and shattered lighthouses.

May you, dear reader, walk in the light of the crystal.

[stxrmnight]

One Gal's Descent into Insanity: A May Full of Housing

So, winning the housing lottery might've been the worst best thing to happen to my art career.

Not that I started drawing more, mind you, but think more of what it means to have a space where people live in it.

Sure, I might hear artists say wear and evidence of dirt and printmarks and scratches and time show life, and the choice of items and usage say a lot about a person's habits and ways of doing their needs. Even if you can't put that in cleanly built items in a 3D virtual space, you're left with the burdeen of thinking of what that looks like for your character (and gave such advice to a friend not knowing the answer myself)

So, how do you start addresing all this?

By fixating on the one sapphic pairing you have with friends, obviously, while deeply aware your long running joke is that your wol is a useless lesbian until Venat and Zero happened, but you don't know if the game will let the later live yet.

no, wrong answer, you make a fucking spreadsheet to make sure you don't hit the item maximum and scream at an impossible idea

I legit used the row numbers as an automatic counter. using another row for marking a house area with a number and changing cell color.

Thanks to this, I was able to look at the space available and open 1234322 tabs of the ff14 housing site and place and swap items as things clicked. I don't think Nemi would be so meticulous though. She did the same thing I did when I got the apartment first:

Throw all extra shit and rewards from MSQ and have an impromptu bed since you almost never use the space. She definitely bought it in 3.2 and didn't sleep in it

...It was not going well. As much as I wanted to show her love and respect for Ysayle, that rotating blue light was ruining the vibe. At least I was set on the walls and floor?? So I had to lay on the bed I made and changed the chandelier for an Odder Otter. Any progress on the apartment, which is her "bachelor" living space likely came after Tsukuyomi, and she truly finalized and rested in the place after Shadowbringers.

Though, this apartment was more of a "later" point, so I looked at was was quicker to complete: the outside of the small, with 20 item max. I already knew it was going to be the lovely marriage retirement home, so I set to make the most romantic space possible: all colors, water under the bridge and flowers, enough space to fight a dummy under a warm light (if I get it... Ala Mhigan striking dummy, you will be mine someday)

I did snip around the neighbors' yards and houses for inspiration, and found that people vied to glitch and section the space for more traditional modern looks. Dividing the space well by purpose felt like a good space, even if my aesthetic goals were much more different.

I appreciate that you can group now instead of having along column of images on tumblr.

I almost drew at first, but the sheet item listing ended up being more helpful. After picking main floor and basement colors, everything else seemed more akin to, what makes this place scream living room? What do I have to offer guests? Can some dyeable items and vases represent parts of Nemi's journey to preserve?

I'll make a post about those finer details another time, as I don't have screenshots of that... but these progress one of the apartment room and first floor give some ideas

that said, I can't believe this is who I got my floor from lol

But really, once you know what parts of a house you want and you want to make unique it all flows in such a fun way. The best part was setting the walls down and realizing I had more to say with what items were in Nemi's room! I feel like I advanced art wise even if I didn't draw anything, and the current light of the cottage base floor clips with one wall

Now rest well, you tired racoon

[otherworldseekers]

Live Letter Q&A notes part 2

Part 1. As before, major Endwalker spoilers ahead. 

10. What does it mean when Venat said not even her soul would remain?

Like any other Primal, Hydaeyn is made of aether, the aether of those who summoned her. And all the the aether that she was made of was completely used up, the soul aether of Venat in particular being used up when we fought her. The reason is that Hydaelyn was only summoned by a small number of ancients compared to Zodiark who was given the aether of half the population twice. Zodiark only ever used up the bodily aether of his sacrifices and the sould remained intact until we was defeated. I guess we can assume those souls returned to the lifestream. But the souls in Hydaelyn did not. 

This is a part of soul lore that I’m still a little confused about. Souls can get “used up”, but what does that really mean? It seems to be a completely different process from the normal life > death > return to the lifestream > become part of a new life cycle. Elidibus also talks about his soul being used up. And we know previously the aether of Lahabrea was trapped in the Eyes of Nidhogg and used up to summon Shinryu. Of the three unsundered plus Venat, only Emet-Selch returned to the lifestream. (Ok, now I’m going to cry.)

Does being “used up” mean it’s destroyed, obliterated, no longer part of the world? I kind of assumed aether is like energy in that it can neither be created nor destroyed. My husband suggests the theory that perhaps when soul aether is “used up” it becomes part of the aether of the inanimate, ambient world. And this would seem to be supported by this dialogue from the Watcher after MSQ:

11. Will the WoL retain the Blessing of Light without Hydaeyn?

This is something I have been wondering. It seemed to me like an opportunity to do something new and different with the whole “Warrior of Light” concept. But Yoshida wants the Blessing to remain and cites Venat’s words that her love will be with us always as well as suggesting maybe she reapplied it at the end. 

TBH, the more they have attempted to make sense of the Blessing of Light or the Echo the less satisfied I have been with the answer. I like grounded explanations that make logical sense within the world and everything about the Echo and the Blessing has felt more and more like hand waving to me as we’ve progressed. I might have to work out how it all works for Severia for myself in a way I feel better about. 

12. In concluding the story, were there any threads you found difficult to wrap up or bits of lore that were changed?

Yoshida didn’t give a precise answer to this but suggested that yes, it’s not unusual for the details to change or inconvenient bits to be ignored as they tell the story. 

What caught my attention is that I swear I heard him say the word “Sabik” at one point but the translator did not mention it. He was saying that sometimes they do ignore things but most of the time they try to wrap things up. But which one was Sabik and example of? Things they have to ignore or things they want to wrap up? This is killing me. 

Does anyone who knows Japanese know what Yoshida actually said here?

13. They know the identities of all the Convocation members, but whether or not that information is revealed depends on where the story goes. 

Can’t you just put all the information you have in a lore book? ALL OF IT GIVE ME THE ANCIENT LORE, YOSHIDA. 

14. Was Sundering the Star the only way to save it, considering all the suffering it caused?

Venat, at least, believed that the Ancients were not capable of addressing the source of the Final Days, both because they could not wield Dynamis and also because she beleived that as a people they would never change and grow to the point where they could effectively fight Meteion. The 3rd world in the Dead Ends is meant to illustrate how the Ancients would end up in the future if left to their own devices. 

Yoshida also talks about how Venat knew her choice was not a matter of good and evil. She didn’t believe she was good and Zodiark was evil. She agonized over her choice for 12,000 years. And they wanted us to understand that Hydaelyn is not a bad guy but at the same time Venat’s actions can be seen as being an example of the high-handed attitudes of the Ancients. She wasn’t really different from Emet-Selch or Hermes, who also felt they had the right to do things that put countless lives in the balance. 

I really love the way Venat/Hydaelyn was fleshed out. I love how everyone was doing what they chose to do out of love. Venat’s love for all humanity. Emet-Selch’s love for his friends and people. Hermes’ love of all living things. Love doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to do the right thing. And ultimately neither Meteion, Zodiark or Hydaelyn were the answer the world needed. 

15. Question about the Moon and whether the Sundering affected space around Etheirys. 

The questioner wants to know if the “first moon” was sundered, but there was no “first moon”. (Look around Elpis at night. There’s no moon.) Both the current “Moon” and Dalamud were constructed after the Sundering. The current Moon was constructed by Hydaelyn as a prison for Zodiark and according to Yoshida after it’s creation on the Source, other Moons with pieces of Zodiark in them “appeared” on all the reflections. 

Furthermore, there is “significance” to all the other moons on the reflections. And they will depict that in the future so he can’t explain it now. I hope this means we will get to go to the other reflections. 

[tamrinetamomille]

Character Summary: Tamrine Tamomille

Read her stories : Ffxivwrite2019

Spoilers ahead for the whole MSQ

Name

Born Tan’rhyne Taamomi, she changed the spelling of her name to an Elezen one when she made the decision to travel to Eorzea, inspired by her Gridanian friend and as a way to mark a new beginning to her life.

I initially came up with Tamrine’s name with the vague knowledge that female Keepers’ names don’t have apostrophes, but since she is trans, I later decided that she should have a “male” birth name instead, which meant manipulating the lore rules a bit:

The prefix “Tan” indicates that she is the tenth child from her mother’s generation. In canon lore, this is normally a suffix, and the numbering is tied only to the mother, but well, my excuse is that the Taamomis follow their own version of the tradition. This is combined with Rhyne, which is her mother’s name.

Close Family

Tamrine is the third and youngest child of Rhyne (Miqo’te word for “esteem”), and has two older siblings, with the middle one having a different biological co-parent. The other parent of Tamrine and her eldest sibling is Sae’huji Tano.

Rhyne is a very determined person and a powerful thaumaturge who is seen as one of the future leader of the clan. She contrasts with her lover since teenage years Sae’huji, who is a more cool-headed conjurer. While the children of the clan are raised by all the caretakers and parents, Rhyne is nonetheless a very loving and protective mother of her biological children.

Tamrine has herself at least one biological child, To’ahana, who was conceived around a year before Tamrine left for Eorzea. The two have essentially never met.

Some time after the death of her fiancé and around the end of the Dragonsong war, Tamrine was officially adopted by Edmont Fortemps.

Romantic relationships

After her first adventures in Central Coerthas, Tamrine started dating Haurchefant, in who she found a kindred spirit she could relax with and be herself. Their bond only grew deeper over time and as turmoil threatened their loved ones. Haurchefant proposed to her before she left for Ishgard in search of a solution to the Dragonsong War and she accepted.

Following the death of her fiancé, she stayed sexually active but abstained from any similar romantic relationship for a few years, though she did begin to develop a crush on Urianger after the reveal of his handsome personality and face during the Warrior of Darkness incident.

It’s only years later, after the defeat of Hades, and while Tamrine was recovering at Urianger’s house, that the two of them finally opened their hearts to each other, ready to move on from their respective grief.

Personality

As the youngest of her siblings and cousins of her generation, and with shortcomings all the more notable for their contrast with her talented mother, Tamrine was quite shy as a child and teenager. As a young adult fulfilling her duty to the clan, she started to grow and come out of her shell progressively, but she particularly bloomed when she became an Eorzean adventurer, growing a lot more confident and brave to the point of recklessness.

Tamrine is rarely afraid to get hurt, both physical and mentally, which doesn’t reduce how much her wounds will still affect her. Even without her fearlessness, her love for adventuring, traveling around the world, and meeting and connecting with people, is just much greater than any downside or struggle that presents itself along the way. She loves the world and the people that inhabit it, and quite often, her singing and dancing is an expression of this love.

At some point, her repressed shyness and homesickness took on the form of Esteem’s Tenth, but after a fight, Tamrine accepted and compromised with this part of herself.

Pre-Adventurer Story and Background

Her family, the Taamomi, is a nomadic clan of Keepers of the Moon residing in Thavnair. They are secret guardians of ancient knowledge that has been passed from generation to generation. Besides the usual Miqo’te hunting tradition, they practice their own form of the Kriegstanz, Thavnair’s battle dancing tradition, but above all, are known by those they deal with as creators and sellers of monsters.

Unfortunately, despite being very skilled at manipulating aether for any sort of physical feats, Tamrine was inversely really bad at spellcasting. Her attempt at reshaping aether in new, complex form always led to chaotic results, making it impossible for her to directly help with the family business.

Based on her body type, her role as an adult was to travel mostly on her own as a satellite of the clan’s core unit (made of the children, caretakers/parents, and elders), which gave her space to reconsider her life and future. After a year, she met a Gridanian merchant who inspired her to travel to Eorzea with her.

Warrior of Light Saga

(From A Realm Reborn to post-Shadowbringers)

More precisely, Tamrine’s destination was Gridiana, where she was hoping to find someone who could teach her how to sing like the bards of old. Through many adventures, she ended up gaining a major reputation on the continent, not just as the Primal Slayer, but also as an outstanding and very sought-after bard. 

On top of her combat abilities and the Echo, her natural inclination and capacity at “purifying” aether made her a perfect weapon against Primals. And with time, she learned to manipulate the energies of nature with more and more precision and strength through her singing, allowing her to fight evil and appease hearts with the power of her voice. Her self-confidence grew as she felt she had found what she had been born to do: changing the word into a better place with her own talents.

Even through the tragedies and debacles of her adventures, she kept dashing forward, unafraid of getting hurt, be it by spilling her blood or getting her heart broken. That is, until the day she lost a fight for the first time in her entire life. After her defeat at the hands of Zenos, her momentum of a few years stopped and she reconsidered what to do next.

As she was recuperating in the back lines, she met Nashmeira, the leader of a troupe of Dancers from Thavnair, who convinced her to relearn the steps of the Kriegstanz, this time in its proper, traditional form. Unlike the Taamomis’ version aimed to reinforce and exploit people’s negative emotions, the traditional school and its opposite aim suited Tamrine far better and she made tremendous progress learning and incorporating this new fighting style into her own. She refined it throughout her adventures in the East and came back to lead the charge of the war in Gyr Abania.

While she defeated Zenos in the end, Tamrine felt at a certain weariness once Ala Mhigo was liberated and the fighting ended for a time. She considered retiring as an adventurer and dedicating the rest of her life to the arts; but the choice was taken from her when the armies of Garlemald threaten Gyr Abania once more and as the Scions were swept away by a mysterious call.

The struggles she went through on the First ended up being some of the hardest she had ever gone through, but by the end, through the reunions with an old friend and with a part of her soul, Tamrine found healing. While she was resting at Urianger’s place, having recently started dating him, she came to the realization that she had a much easier time spellcasting than before.

Tamrine had notions about magic from what her clan had taught her, but she went back to the Source to seriously study magic and test her new limits. Unfortunately, she did figure out the new frontiers of magic abilities fairly quickly. She was able to use complex spells, but only at the expanse of seriously putting a strain on her body and health, especially with black or white magic.

An answer finally came to Tamrine when she realized that a crystal stone given to her by her family as per tradition was reacting to her spells. Following instructions given by her mother for such a case, she accomplished a ritual of several days, that mostly involved pouring her aether into the stone, until it took on a new color and revealed its purpose.

By doing this, Tamrine gave birth to an “alter ego” of sorts. An artificial intelligence based on her own psyche and meant to help her, especially with all matters of spellcasting. “Fuss,” as they named themself, studied Tamrine’s issue with magic and came up with an actual solution in two parts. 

First, they encouraged her to turn her studies to Red Magic again, for its non-reliance of external aether (a strong source of strain for Tamrine) and its physical fighting style that would allow her to combine her strengths. Secondly, they guided her on the making of a sword capable of absorbing the strain caused by her magic and expelling it as an attack (though Fuss taught Tamrine to think of it as a bow when casting magic).

The results were extremely positive and Tamrine happily trained to combine all her fighting styles together while continuing her exploration of the arts of magic. Now a more versatile fighter than ever, and with the newfound motivation brought by her friends in the First and the conviction of still being able to grow and self-actualize further, she continues her adventures.

Miscellaneous Facts

- She is agender and went by “they” pronouns up until she left for Eorzea, where she switched to “she” pronouns.

- She is particularly tall for a Miqo’te, and is even taller than most Midlanders. 

- She looks very similar to her mother, but her green eye is a bit of a mystery, as it isn’t clear to anyone from which ancestor she inherited it from.

- As a trained Miqo’te tracker and hunter, she can track a scent across very large distances, and also has pretty sensitive hearing. On the other hand, she is near-sighted. A fact that took a while for her to discover because of how reliant she is on her other senses, as per her family’s teachings. She simply didn’t realize that not everybody see things this blurry at a distance.

- Being the youngest of her biological siblings and cousins, she thoroughly enjoys treating Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Emmanuellain as her younger siblings.

- Besides the arts of music, singing, and dancing, one of Tamrine’s favorite hobby is competitive karuta, a game she learned from Hien during her travels in Doma that rely on subtle hearing and quick reflexes. She regularly teleports to Hingashi or Doma to participate in tournaments. Her good memory, sensitive hearing, and peak physical capabilities make her a fierce competitor.

NSFW facts (further below)

- She is a complete sub and a masochist, though she enjoys taking the reins and guiding her partner if they are inexperienced. She likes topping and bottoming equally.

- She is a premature ejaculator and has never gotten someone off with her penis (without the help of a spell to prevent her from cumming), which is all the more reason why she is actually quite good at doing it other ways. On top of her good communication skills, this actually makes her a great bed partner.

- Speaking of her penis, it is slightly under average Miqo’te size (and I picture said average as being proportionally lower than Hyurs’ average).

- Her pubic hair has a red streak like her head hair.