#zeno backstory

[realclever]

Yona of the Dawn Ch 257 Manga page coloring

Spoilers!! And blood and violence trigger warning!

[starrysharks]

10 months after gym + mewing ‼️‼️💯💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[fatedroses]

So I’m a new follower and I’ve been going through your adventurer zenos tag because I’m loving the idea a lot! But I don’t really know the history behind it. I’d love to know how you started thinking about it and would love to know how Xenia’s relationships with the WOL and the scions developed if you don’t mind me asking? Again im loving your art a lot!!!

First of all thank you for the follow and the ask, anon, and I'm always so happy to hear people are enjoying my art, and my goofy bits of theorycrafting, headcanoning and/or story writing- how ever people want to see it as. BUT- this has also unironically been stuck in my brain since the end of EW:6.0 (I was stuck with the zenos brainrot the moment I saw him at the end of heavensward v-v), and also because among my friend group Zenos is adored, so we end up chatting about this kind of stuff a lot. So, it is time for me to now yap here, beware some spoilers for both Endwalker and DT, and a very long post:

To be honest, the reason I ever even started thinking about it was just seeing Zenos' capacity to change as a character and him unintentionally helping people by just existing in some cases (the scene with Alisaie in Garlemald and the fact that he went to Krile for help so he could help us- reason aside- comes to mind mainly in regards to him changing, even if there are tidbits a bit earlier as well). And, that him imposing his help upon the WoL and the Scions is what I personally consider the most likely course (and I simply sit here and cope lmao I also just really want a minion of him eventually) if he was to return from the Ultimatum. 6.2-6.5 also added to it with both the mentions of him from Zero, the flashback of him over the handshake, and that I personally also saw Durante and Golbez's relationship as an analogy to Zenos and WoL (not helped by the fact that in EN Durante/the knight in black speaks in Zenos' cadence and uses the same armored talking animations but that's more on the meta side of it). I spent a lot of the time I put aside for character research being fascinated by his psychology and how he could grow, even if I will admit by now that what I have as his baseline is a bit of a house of cards, especially in things like his interests, or later potential interests. I base a lot of them off of the concept that he takes after Solus/Emet-Selch far more than is actually narratively stated or even implied, or from filling in the gaps of information with the possibility that implied information was not intentional/meant to be used in the way I use it. For example Varis exiling the theater ship was to get rid of something Emet cherished and for the sake of his own narrative, but something Zenos may have showed interest in too, only based off of how similar the theatrics Emet and Zenos use.

-

Now, as for his relationships, especially with the WoL (Meteor, default man in my case, its mainly because I ADORE the challenge and the experience of what we have as WoL's baseline due to, you know, the constraint of this being a linear narrative mmo lmao, as well as trying my best to stay canon compliant as possible when it comes to the scions' interactions) I write as starting off being exceptionally one sided. It comes from the idea that Zenos either gets himself out of the bubble (because it seems to be implied that this man cant actually return to the lifestream, and therefore can't perma-die, ironic to his character motivations) or with DT, shit goes so far south that we have to use the interdimensional chalice for his help, and that either way they're just kind of stuck with him thereafter. But I'll break it down because it's something that I've worked on writing, but haven't had the chance to draw out quite yet for some of what I'll talk about.

Meteor: It is no surprise that after the Telopheroi towers and Garlemald, on top of what happens during In From the Cold and the moon- that WoL goes from their more neutral, rivalry-leaning stance on Zenos, to pure anger and/or hatred. And this lets me write the dynamic between the two that is Meteor trying to move forward, trying to accept this change seeing Zenos try to help, and Zenos trying to pull away knowing at his core that he boned himself over ruining whatever unspoken trust they had, and given his position, not knowing if something like that could ever be mended, (and not quite knowing how to cope with even the idea that the man he cares so deeply about and kinda looks up to, might detest him just like how Varis did.) Overall it also just comes from the idea that these two overcoming any of their hurdles with each other suddenly makes them into the most terrifying duo, especially since I write Adventurer Zenos as a tank that will just eat all the damage so Meteor can be a stupid little shit with all the sharp objects he has at his disposal.

The Scions: So, imagine this giant super soldier is suddenly alive and in front of you again, offering to help/to learn to adventure for the plan of trying to see joy in this world. And you, knowing that he is right now the world's enemy, the one pinned with everything that happened during the final days, understand that it is highly unlikely that you or the others could reasonably kill him or imprison him for any meaningful amount of time. BUT, you can try to guide him on a better path. Begrudgingly, so that all that shit never happens again. That is what I have the scions stuck with, starting with the twins, then estinien and the students, and finally the wine trio. He doesn't apologize for anything, but he does also do whatever you ask, and overtime he starts (oh no) taking the same liking to the others that started with Meteor. The Scions are who I primarily use to explore the facets we've seen of his character, his protectiveness and the "rivalry" I write between him and Thancred, his curiosity and working alongside the Students and Urianger and Y'shtola, exploration and trying to understand the world better with Estinien, and him learning to connect with others through the twins, especially Alisaie who I imagine him kind of latching on to after she "helped" him, in his eyes.

All and all, adventurer zenos at its core is just what I personally see as his natural character progression going forward, spawned purely from my own curiosity of seeing his archetype of character in the position of having one last chance, and based off very extensive character research that started, honest to god, from me trying to just figure out the scenarios I wanted to draw him in that spiraled very very out of control lmao.

[luckycheesefoodie321]

PUKYUU WATCH CH 42

The introduction of what I wager is one of the most complex written characters I have ever personally read about.

My guy, genuinely asking, how long has it been since you last ate?

BUT ALSO LOOK AT AO ALSO WITH HER LIL HANDS PRAYING FOR THE DEER

[myreia]

FEBHYURARY XI: RAID

Acrid smoke lingers heavily on her tongue. Ash chokes her lungs, searing the insides. Her blue and gold uniform is stained and torn. Aymeric’s scarf—a parting gift, was it that long ago now?—trails in the wind, its tattered hem fluttering pathetically behind her. The raid came quickly, overwhelming them in minutes. She is furious she didn’t see the signs beforehand. And so, battered and bruised, her eye stinging from blood that drips from a forehead wound, she stakes her broken lance into the ground and pushes herself up onto one knee.   The monster—impossible in his strength, his size, his speed, an enigma forged of blood and steel—approaches her from behind. Slow, methodical, each step foretelling her doom. But he is not a monster, not to her. For she knows exactly what man lies beneath that armour and she hoped she would never encounter him on the battlefield. Fool.   She knows exactly what face lurks beneath that helmet. She had the dubious honour of fighting the crown prince many years ago—a test of strength and a battle of wills to prove the worth of her fellow savages. When their contest ended in a draw, he told her the memory of their fight had seared itself on him like a brand. Permanent and eternal. Few managed to make such an impression. Her reward? Sanction for her unit to operate—a unit she would later massacre during her defection. Does he still remember? When he glimpses her unmasked face, what will he see? Eorzea’s champion or the Garlean defector? Both? Neither? She licks her dry lips, tasting salt and iron, and hefts her lance, the first embers of vengeance flickering in her heart. It will not end here. In crimson it began… and in black it will be complete.

[tenebriism]

// I am forever a sucker for writing "evil" characters, with traumatic backstories that made them into monsters, getting a fresh chance at a better life and experiencing good emotions. Getting to have that good, FAT cry that they've needed for so, so long, and finally being shown love.

It's such GOOD. MATERIAL.

[andrewhq]

(i wanted to write a conversation g'raha would have with my wol that i might turn into a comic someday)

- G'raha enters Ziero's cabin in Tuliyollal, after some idle chatter, he pauses before speaking again. -

G'raha: You know, I realized after our conversation on the gondola, that I do not know much about... you. The current you. Most of what I know about you, I gathered from various pieces of your legacy. I don't think I've ever sat down with you and gotten to know you.

Ziero: Hah! Aw, it's very sweet that you're asking, but truly there isn't really that much to me than my legacy. Most of my life was... this.

G'raha: What do you... mean?

Ziero: Well, before I became the Warrior of Light, I was just a simple tailor, like one of my fathers also is for my tribe. And on top of that... I was a child. Even when I began adventuring. I just so happened to be in Thanalan when I ended up helping Brendt fend off his camp, and he suggested I should talk to the Adventurer's Guild because he just had this strong feeling I'd be able to help.

G'raha: Wait, wait. You were a child?

Ziero: Yes, I only turned eighteen less than two months before my tribe arrived in Thanalan!

G'raha: Like... Viera years' eighteen?

Ziero: There's no such thing! We mature about the same Hyurs, so...

G'raha: So that means you're...

Ziero: Twenty-one, now? Yeah!

G'raha: I thought you were so much older...

Ziero: I suppose constantly being at war and saving people ages you. I suppose if we're being technical about it, I'm twenty-three, given that I was close to turning twenty-one when you called me to the first, and I spent about a year there.

G'raha: That's still so... young.

Ziero: I suppose it is!

G'raha: Does it bother you? That you never really got to live your childhood until the end?

Ziero: Not really, no. Maybe if I was forced to do it, I'd mourn what I never got the chance to live, but instead I see it as living as the folklore hero people tell to impress children!

G'raha: I cannot fathom how you can stay positive so easily... Did nothing ever break you?

Ziero: Ah...

- He instinctively reaches for the eye under his eyepatch. -

Ziero: I... ought to be thankful for my parents being positive beacons in my life as well. I know it hurt them to know I was risking my life out there, and my mother never did hide the fact that she was worried for me, and neither of my fathers would let me go back adventuring until they were as certain as possible I wasn't hurt. But the three of them loved me so much, and cared for me so deeply, so I could always go to them when things were too much. But there was, ah... two times when I was completely inconsolable, I suppose.

G'raha: I do not intend to pry, so you do not have to answer, but I must ask what got you to that point?

- Ziero pauses for a long time, clenching his fists. -

Ziero: It... it was Zenos.

- G'raha's ears perk up. -

G'raha: Zenos? Did he—

Ziero: I loved him in a way that words could not describe.

- G'raha goes quiet. -

Ziero: I cannot deny the fact that we were always meant to be mirrors of each other. I always wanted to understand him, and I struggled with it for a bit, when someone just so happened to tell me his age... And I quickly realized just how similar we are. We were both children when we got roped into the war. Our differences were also our similarities. I grew up in a peaceful, loving family that was always there for me when I needed them, he grew up in a family that was disgusted with his very existence and only saw him as a weapon of war. And yet... we were both outsiders, fighting for causes that weren't our own, but we had enough motives to push through them.

G'raha: I had heard he was a cruel man...

Ziero: Funny how people say that, yet I could count on my fingers how many people Zenos actually harmed, because he never fought or killed anyone that couldn't stand a chance against him. Meanwhile, the blood on my hands is endless, from people who were much weaker than I. Is that not ironic?

G'raha: I... I suppose, when you put it that way... And yet the calamity—

Ziero: Was Fandaniel's plan. And I do not blame Zenos for following him. After being only seen as a beast, a dog that should be beat and put in a cage, do you truly think he would not resent the world? He truly thought he was being merciful, just like Meteion.

G'raha: I never thought of Meteion and Zenos as similar, and yet, based on what you told me in the past, it all makes so much sense... It's like we were being foreshadowed of her existence.

Ziero: Hah, pretty much. Still, I've made my point, so to actually answer your question: When Zenos killed himself, it ruined me. Not only did I feel like I failed him, but I felt like I failed myself as well. We had secretly spent a lot together, because I so desperately wanted to get to know him, to understand him. And he'd always let me in, sometimes with the promise of a spar, sometimes... because we were both lonely. I was such a mess in love, and there was that air of forbidden romance like in stories I'd hear around Kugane. Since my tribe decided to follow me to Othard, I'd never miss a chance to go speak with my parents and tell them all about this wild romance I was having. Truly, I felt the most like a hero back then. And yet when I lost Zenos, it crushed me beyond words. I cried for days in my mother's lap and did not speak to anyone else. I had to keep strong and let the Ala Mihgans celebrate their victories. I almost began to resent Lyse for being so... content with his death, but it was just misplaced grief.

G'raha: I can certainly empathize with that... Then, was the second time still Zenos, I assume?

Ziero: Yup. Though the second time was... a little bit different. I realize now, in retrospect, that I could have just denied him that fight, and he'd have to keep living. Yet I was so... selfish. I held on to that last bit of grief for him and ended up taking it out on the exact person I was grieving. I was angry when I found out he was still alive, it felt like everything he did was to mock me, but... No, it never was.

G'raha: I'm sorry... You must miss him greatly, then.

Ziero: Well, about that— I didn't actually... let him go... I hold his soul, you see. And I can always channel him as my avatar.

G'raha: You what?!

Ziero: Hahah, oops!

G'raha: Why didn't you tell anyone!

Ziero: I didn't want to put anyone in a panic, given how many people despise him. Plus, it'd be insane to explain either way. Zero knows, though. It was because of her that I managed to figure out how to make him my avatar, and she certainly got some enjoyment knowing how he would feel being bound to someone like that. And now you know too.

G'raha: I'm starting to become less surprised that you are as young as you claim to be.

Ziero: I'm not lying! I never even learned how to read!

G'raha: YOU NEVER LEARNED WHAT?!?!

[sidsinning]

He made me cry

[urlocalbitchboy]

*impatiently waiting for demon slayer s3 ep6 english dub to drop*

[animebw]

So, uh, the Yona of the Dawn OVAs are a better To Your Eternity than To Your Eternity.

Goddamn.

[voidedleylines]

FFXIVWrite 2023 Day 5: Barbarous

Welllll this one got a way from me a little bit lol. Finally had the inspo to focus on my girl and i. Gave her a real bad dream lmao. Zenos & WoL focus. Allusions to Hien/WoL

Enjoy?

Rating: T+ CWs: violence, character death

She misses sleeping. It’s not something that comes easy to her as of late. Her head feels like it’s filled with lead and it hurts to move it around too much. It’s a humid day in her room at the pendants and the beads of sweat accumulating on her forehead and rolling down her neck don’t help her need for sleep.

She crawls out of bed and walks to where there’s a pitcher full of cool water at the table and splashes it on her face, soaking her clothes in the process. She’s too tired to care about the mess as she wanders back over to the mattress and lays down again. Her heart beats loudly in her ears and her jaw aches with how hard she’s biting it closed. “Please,” she whispers, “Not tonight.”

Whatever god she was praying to, it was obvious they weren’t listening as she sees herself in the same venue as before. He’s waiting with open arms, a smirk dripping from his face. “Ah! My friend you’ve finally come,” he says. As she always does, she stays silent.

Zenos’ face falters only just as he lets out a hum, “Very well. I see you still play the role of the stoic hero,” he walks towards her and his eyes linger on her up and down. A rage begins to bubble in her gut. “But as I say again and again you don’t have to take that facade with me. Lest you forget I am the only one who knows you. The real you.”

The venue changes and she’s back in her village, up in the mountains of Southern Thanalan. The smell of sulfur hits her in a wave that makes her cough. She sees herself, small and dirty, barely five summers old. She hears whispers from the room outside. Voices she barely recognizes. Her mother and father.

“We have to leave this place,” her mother begs, “It’s not safe here. No one cares or listens to me. We have to go.”

“It’s not that simple-” her father begins.

“The hells it isn’t. I don’t want to be around that thing. Don’t want to be killed in my sleep by it one day.”

The other voice is quiet. Freyalin stares at the small child as she sleeps. Her face twists in discomfort. Hands glow red for the briefest of seconds. She looks down and sees her own doing the same. She hides it behind her back. “Alright,” her father says, “We’ll leave tomorrow.”

The scene shifts again and Zenos laughs from behind her, her spine tingles with his breath.

“Get out of my head,” she growls. He responds with more laughter.

She’s still home in her village, only now a friend is dead in front of her. She chased after a voidsent too powerful and something happened. She stopped in the middle of a cast. Light blinded her, head pounded. She saw a vision of another voidgate close by, people slaughtered. There wasn’t anything she could do for them though so why watch in fear. When she came to, she was too late. Her squadron around her cried out in confusion, asking why she stopped, why she left him defenseless. She couldn’t answer. Her hand turned red than black until the light dripped from between her fingers.

“It was the Echo,” she whispers. Again Zenos laughs with such sincerity she turns and swings a punch at where she thinks he is, but he’s gone.

“Now now adventurer. That’s no way to treat a friend. An equal,” he says.

It feels like there should be blood pouring out of her mouth when she speaks, “we are not equal,” she says.

The scene splits into two now. A side by side. Zenos rips through soldiers on a battlefield. The smell of hot blood hits her nose. She winces. The other shows herself fighting through many different scenes so far. Preatorium. Doma castle. The Ghimlyt Dark. Her movements match his, they’re just holding different weapons.

The scenes merge into one. Her blood runs cold. It's one she's never seen before

Hien stands before her. Before him. That scene when Elidibus still took his body, though this time it's her inside. “Zenos,” she tries to scream but he's not listening.

His arm moves, readying his sword, she's helpless to try and fight him. She's trapped in the motions as they fight Hien blow for blow.

“Freyalin will be here soon my lord,” Yugiri calls out from somewhere beyond her current tunnel vision. Zenos’ laugh rings loud around her. She feels every vibration.

Steel meets steel and faulty ground twists Hien’s ankle and he screams out as he falls to the ground.

She looks down at him as his chest rises and falls. She watches in horror as her arm rises and places the sword on his chest.

Directly above his heart.

“Zenos,” Freyalin cries out again, “You can't win this. This will not break me.”

Again all he does is laugh, deep and long, “I’m not looking to break you, my friend, that was never my intention,” he says. Weight is put on the sword. Hien’s face is stoic and his jaw is set; but his eyes shine with tears. Show how he’s scared. “I’m looking to see how long I have until you realize how meant to be we are. As equals,” he presses down, breaking skin, “as partners.”

She's too slow to react as the blade cuts through Hien. She feels every thrust and twist of it. Her eyesight goes blurry, her head fuzzy. Hien chokes out his last breath before his green eyes go lifeless.

She feels numb.

The scenes shifts one last time and the two of them stand in a dark space, a void with no light. He is smiling at her. She is standing tall across from him. After a moment he turns away. “Until next time, adventurer,” he says. He walks on, the echoes of his footsteps the only sound.

She wakes in a pool of her own sweat and her throat sore from screaming. She quickly flicks her hand to light the candles near her bed. Her chest feels heavy and she takes deep breaths in and out. There's a knock on her door, now doubt the manager or a concerned neighbor coming to check on her. She doesn't answer. She stays up the rest of the night, a low fire burning in her chest.

In the corner of the room a sad soul watches over her, wishing there was something he could do to help.

[impossible-rat-babies]

i think deep down for eyrie they don’t desire Zenos in a traditional sense, but more what he represents: a person unbound by duty or expectation, living unto the winds of deciding what he wants—the kind of person he is going to be, free of expectation. denying expectation. eyrie’s life has been much the opposite and as given as they are to embracing that as their identity (“I do not deny my duty”) Zenos reaches in and pokes at that part of them that has always craved to be the opposite.

it’s kinda funny in a way they both crave the Idea of each other—something that is both a facade and a deeply hidden truth.

[forgivenfolly]

trying and failing to sketch out thing floating around in my brain and not sure if i want to take the time to make it into anything polished lmao

[contentiousprince]

two pictures i took of my WoL when i was in hw vs two i took yesterday (post endwalker)

[nezuchuuko]

reading yona is not enough i need it to get a full adaptation. the anime only covering the prologue is so fucked up actually

[tritoch]

because that's the thing that makes Zenos cool and interesting. the narrative's relative disinterest in his redemption (and also like. i think you could absolutely describe EW as in part his redemption arc, esp. for Dialogue Option 1 choosers) reflects his own explicit disinterest in his redemption, which is entwined with his own view that most people's sense of morality is weak, hypocritical, and mostly consists of after-the-fact reasoning to justify what they already wanted to do. that's the whole point of his speech in his final return to garlemald.

Yotsuyu and Emet and Hermes (debatably) and Meteion and Golbez all desperately wanted to be redeemed. Zenos alone recognizes that drive for redemption as a selfish desire easily repurposed to ill ends and he says fuck that, I'm going to do evil shit purely of my own volition and own it 100% of the way down. He does, and that's why he absolutely rocks.

(and he's not alone in this. Pandaemonium Part 3 Lahabrea is in some ways very similar to Zenos in his rejection of sentiment or the desire for redemption.)

Hey so someone explain to me why like 90% of all the antags in ffxiv get treated with kid gloves and get redeemed EXCEPT Zenos. Why is he an irredeemable evil despite being arguably the closest thing our WoL has to an equal on several levels.

Genocidal rulers get to be redeemed because they're waifublobs, Golbez gets redeemed because the waifublob of the patch demands it, the fucking bird who wants to wipe out all life in the universe gets redeemed because she's saaaaad (and a moe/waifublob), and lets not forget Emet Selch.

All of these characters have far worse writing, far less connection to the main cast and have committed far worse crimes than Zenos. There is an incredible disconnect in how the narrative treats Zenos vs them.