#From Garlemald With Love

[charm-in-spades]

◈ Sleep deprivation

Hurt Them With ___ Prompt || Long Post. 

𝙼𝙴𝙳𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻 𝙻𝙾𝙶 𝙳𝚁. 𝙰𝙼𝙰𝙳𝙴𝚄𝚂 𝙼𝙰𝙻 𝙲𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙰 𝚁𝙴𝙿𝙾𝚁𝚃 𝙾𝙵 𝙿𝚂𝚈𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙰𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙲 𝙾𝙱𝚂𝙴𝚁𝚅𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽

𝙿𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙴𝙽𝚃: 𝙲𝙰𝙴𝙻𝚁𝙸𝙲 𝙿𝚈𝚁 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝚃𝙷𝙰 𝚊.𝚔.𝚊 𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙴𝚃 #𝟽𝟷

𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚜:

Pre-Study | Watersday - Asset recovery was a success with several reports indicating that my patient sustained several life threatening injuries during the commission of his capture. However, the described wounds were well on their way to healing by the time the patient was inducted into my care. The rest of the refugees were sent to the stock rooms where they'll await assessment.

Patient was considered non-compliant during this time and administered 17 mg etorphine and 200 mg azaperone. A siphoning collar and magnetic cuffs were applied to the neck, as well as both wrists and ankles to hinder any future attempts of escape.

Asset #71′s belongings were confiscated, his body cleansed, and dressed in sanitized scrubs, after which he was rolled to his chambers and deposited. I shall conclude my documentation here, and reconvene once my patient is awake.

Study begins | Day 1 - Despite similar dosages used to incapacitate adult marids in the Gyr Abanian wilds, my patient remained unconscious for only ten bells before awaking with alarming clarity. While the purpose of my particular study is relegated to the patient’s ability to sustain prolonged psychological duress, these findings seem on par with previous studies conducted on hyper-tuned assets regarding their metabolic functions and physicality. Still, it is remarkable to see in action.

For the first five bells, patient maintained strict and quiet composure throughout, providing very little to document. Patient appeared to observe his chambers for possible weak points and upon finding none, pressed his back to the wall facing the single point of entry. I attempted to communicate with him, requesting name, rank and age to little avail. He did not respond. It is only after my third request that he regards my camera with little more than a look. Even as I write this, I am fascinated by the bearing displayed. Despite captivity, my patient seems calm. Collected. I await his first attempts at rest. 

Initial Tests: Actual tests began 17 hours after the patient's initial recovery from the sedatives provided. This phase of testing utilized sound sensory overload. The patient's chambers are capable of both amplifying and negating sound in its entirety. During this portion of the experiment we used an indoctrinating speech recorded during the emperor's crowning ceremony. It is reduced in speed and tone and then overlaid with a composition of Imperial Will, which had also been distorted and stretched.  It is utilized often to break prisoner's of war and is a collection of sounds straight from hell. In the moment that the subject attempted to sleep, the recording was played at a significant volume and was left playing for several hours after. During this time, Asset #71 made attempts to disassociate from the sounds via loud singing of his own song and the plugging of his ears to effectively blot out the sound. For now, we have allowed him some semblance of control to see how he acts and over time will slowly restrict his sense of it. It is rather intriguing to see his attempts at combating with mental torture. It is clear mental fortitude is strong, and provides some reasoning as to why the extreme conditions of the serum did not effect him psychologically in the same way it did other subjects. After several hours had passed with the speech, we would then activate the room's extreme sound canceling capabilities. To speak in this room would  be like speaking into a void. Sound is effectively swallowed as soon as it comes into existence. The longest anyone has been able to last in these conditions was just under one bell at fifty-seven minutes. Our subject lasted thirty two before beginning to show extreme agitation. Each cycle was repeated four times per series of tests lasting 3 days. By the third day, Asset #71 began suffering anxiety attacks from the prolonged silence and had lost his voice. By the fourth cycle, the subject appeared to curl into the fetal position with his hands over his ears.

I attempted to ask his name, rank, and designation. He told me to go fuck myself. For the duration of this study, we have decided against Passenger Protocols, as the ‘Lullaby’ state would act as a manner of rest for the repressed and dissociative state. 

Study Continues. Day 4: 76 hours out from capture we began the next segment of tests. The temperature of the room was dropped significantly and leveled at -6° C. For the safety of our orderlies, patients magnetic cuffs were activated and the asset was restrained to the floor. He reacted with extreme duress during this time though was unable to free himself. (Injuries sustained during this time healed over the course of the next few hours.) Ice cold water kept barely to the point before it freezes was then dumped over the patient’s body after which he was left to fend off the new conditions.

Once the magnetic cuffs were deactivated, Asset #71 immediately began by stripping from the wet clothes, demonstrating a knowledge of what to do with these extreme circumstances. He spent the next several hours pacing, exerting himself through various physical activities to generate and preserve warmth. It was noted that the cold seemed to be deteriorating his health more rapidly, never the less we were able to continue this phase of tests for an excess of 27 hours. Subject was forced to maintain activity for that duration or risk succumbing to hypothermia. Intent to survive was very obvious during these stages.  

Study Continues: Day 7: Asset 71 continues to function with obvious attempts of remaining composed, though his concept of ‘composed’ seems to be slipping. Pacing continues at a sluggish pace. Food has not been looked at in over thirty hours. He appears to be mumbling to himself repeatedly. Attempts at sleep have been repeatedly discouraged through various methods. Panic ensues whenever the magnetic cuffs are activated as the Asset has become aware that their activation means he is defenseless to an oncoming intrusion. 

On the most recent check-up, we extracted some blood and marrow to be tested in the lab. The bone marrow extraction was a great deal more painful than intended as anesthesia was decided against given it would interfere with the results of our study. The pain was much higher given the subject’s increased bone density, and we had to drill into the bone in order to extract. It was noted that the injury likely should have healed faster, but the Asset’s lack of sleep seems to have reduced the healing capabilities of his body. It would appear that even the Hypertuned have their limits.

I have attempted to speak with him through a layer in the wall, allowing him to see my face at last in the hopes this might inspire further discussion. I have never seen such hatred in a face. Admittedly, it disturbed me. These men are more beast than even the Empire realizes, but it is necessary for us to thrive. To advance ourselves so that we might be victorious. Surely, he understands his importance to the cause. This study shows us the levels of strength that can be achieved. 

Day 17: The asset has resorted to mumbling incoherently to himself. I believe he might be going catatonic as he no longer responds to the music, nor to the questions I provide in order to compare his baseline. The only real response shown is during extraction periods where we must restrain him. He cannot use aether, we made sure of that with the collars and cuffs, but his strength is still formidable. 

At one point, he managed to wrap several blankets around his cuffs, reducing their effectiveness to magnetize to the floors around him. Several orderlies were severely injured with one being killed during this time as he responded with increasing desperation and severity towards the threat of being restrained. We managed to subdue him, and extraction proceeded as normal. 

He was patched to the best of our ability and all blankets were removed to prevent further...ingenuity. As punishment, the temperature was reduced to freezing once more. He walked to the camera and screamed in primal fashion. I believe he means to kill me. This animosity is fascinating to me. It is the only time he seems completely cognizant by comparison of our other tests. 

Day 29: Alarms have sounded. I do not know how, but Asset #71 has escaped. I believe we are under attack. Not just by him, but by others. Those that found this must know the nature of what has been created: A monster of unrelenting drive, a soldier of unwavering dedication towards whatever mission he has fixated upon. He is not a man, but a creature that needs little sleep, food, or resources to survive. He will do so by sheer force of will and the desire to destroy anything in his path. I have read his files, and do not think I will survive. I hear pounding against the door. If it is him, I do not understand what strength he has left. I am not certain he is capable of differentiating friend from foe, but I know he remembers me. The door is crumpling and I have nowhere to run. I am not a religious man, but Twelve help us all. 

@sundered-souls - Thanks for the ask! It took forever to answer and I apologize. 

@glowinggunmetal - A file Lucien has perhaps found at some point. :)

@neheon-dotharl - I know you don’t play Seiwind anymore, but we had talked forever about her saving him on a raid. This is the one.  

#Stories #From Garlemald With Love #Hurt Them Prompt #Asset 71

[miqojak]

What do they notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at them?

It's hard to know, exactly, what other people notice first about her - I'd say her tattoos, but hilariously they're most often hidden, despite how large they seem to be, and how they're all over the place, ha! But if she's got all her body art covered, it's no doubt just her face! Her bright orange highlights, maybe all the piercings in her ears, or the artfully placed ones on her cheeks, or under her mouth... Jak is unique in presentation, and realized all too late how much more difficult that could make a life of crime - but she relishes few things as much as a challenge, and enjoys few things more than the thought of notoriety! So a part of her wants to stick in the viewer's mind - she's beautiful, and exotic, and intimidating; she's an experience, not a person - like a close encounter with a tiger that you speak of in breathless tones, afterwards. What she notices first tends to be the more dysphoric things, in her mind - how her body doesn't match her mind. How she should bear scars for her suffering, but even that was taken from her - and almost all the Garleans are gone, now. Where does the blame go? Will the hate and dysphoria abate when they're gone? Not in her experience. She tries not to let it eat at her too much, these days, but for all her ego and the massive god complex... well, "even gods are flawed," she might say. The scars she now bears are new, and a testament to something else important to her - but they don't erase the fact that Garlemald erased their wrong-doing from her skin, and it haunts her. tl;dr She sees someone else in the mirror; the past is hard to drown.

#ffxiv #ffxiv rp #thanks for asking! #ffxiv oc #miqo'te #garlemald #ala mhigan #I love the thought of a character incredibly defined by family - yet entirely cut off from their whole purpose #and now she's so closed off/acerbic that most people won't bother to stick around long enough to see that lil nugget of caring that's burie #bc after losing EVERYONE...why risk losing people like that again??? #sorry Jak :( #at least in her WoL!AU she and her twin brother are closer - we have been talking about that OOC lately

[astrxealis]

leveilleur twins favorite twins best twins no competition

#⋯ ꒰ა starry thoughts ໒꒱ *·˚ #i am also insanely biased but that is not the point here #as a twin myself you see i also have more uh say other what makes the best twins so LMFAOO ?? #i love them sooo much oh my god #i'm more. leaning towards alisaie personally but my twin likes alphinaud more! #it's really cute to me bcs i'm also more red she's more blue i'm younger she's older and personalities fit tbh #but aside from that. the leveilleur twins mean so much to me can you tell i obvs cried w that garlemald scene #that whole place scared me tbh i was really hoping nothing bad wld happen to them my god i was pissed af #i'm really proud of their development and love how they're both reaaally good characters #you have alphinaud struggling w ofc what happened w the crystal braves and alisaie she keeps dealing with people close to her dying #have not played 6.3 but i amfekhdiwnfis alisaie ...... my girl my love #look it's also fine for me to like alisaie that way as a fictional character bcs i am literally the same age LMFAO she is everything to me #often twins in media don't really appeal to me. like. i mean they do but personally i find the leveilleurs to be the best #i actually relate to them which is really nice? and they're actually realistic lmfao #it's funny though that they're opposite gender but identical. which should not be possible. so that implies yeah LOVE IT LMFAO #okay tht's all for now anyway i just love love love them two sooo much #⋯ ꒰ა ffxiv ໒꒱ *·˚ #alisaie leveilleur #alphinaud leveilleur

[terendelev]

Also EW is amazing but brutal, make sure to take the breaks you need. ❤️

Thanks! It looks like I will throw myself into Bozja and level my main jobs to 90 before finishing EW. It is a shame because I was about to meet with Loporrits 😔👌

That lvl83 quest really made me feel ten different emotions at once. I was SO anxious during the solo duty then failed it and finished on Very Easy. My friend said they nerfed the difficulty after the release and I am glad they did. I loved the concept but it was exhausting (I suck at sneak games)

And even after that! Everything happened so quickly like I am rotating between 'I hate this expansion' and 'It is the best ffxiv expansion' for EW. I am still doing lvl83 quests so my idea will probably change in the future.

#i genuinely loved garlemald and jullus' character development but can't say the same for other garleans esp quintus lmao #also the zones are amazing! i want to stay in sharlayan or mare lamentorum forever #thavnair is also good and i feel like they inspired from middle eastern cultures while creating there #anyway sorry for the essay but i really wanted to talk about ew

[impossible-rat-babies]

Thinking about fordola time I guess !

#not talking again abojt how much the villains in stormblood slap compared to the lack luster heroes #but she’s just. i love her #she’s a symbol and an obstacle in the expansion at first #by her actions there is a justification for hating her. she is a terrible person no doubt about it #she is a easily reachable and easy to hate. she isn’t distant and detached like Zenos #her crimes are on the ground. the suffering she has given commands to commit is right there in your face #but then you learn more about her and her life unfolds into this complexity that mirrors stormblood so well #she is still very much a Bad Person but she is at the same time a person who is simply trying to survive #that has been her life. she joined w the garleans under an unfair system #but what is an unfair system next to the starvation and lesser life of this system #it’s as such that the villain is garlemald for creating such a system that leaves no options #and in many other ways she arrives at being a mirror for the WoL #both of them given Echo abilities and how it plagues each of them. taking in the suffering and pain of others without choice #is this ability a blessing or a curse? is it worth the pain? #i don’t think it’s talked about enough how the echo is not unlike the WoL living in those moments #the pain frustration and fears taken in as feelings all their own #i wonder if after especially intense echo visions if there’s lasting effects #this wondering and second guessing at what feelings belong To Them and what are just the ones from the #*vision? how do you cope with the pain of this vision when it isn’t your pain to experience? #and then! then after all of this she has her own echo vision of the WoL #and all that they have been through is hers to see and feel and share in #her wondering how they aren’t broken feels very adjacent to Thordan’s own asking the WoL What Are You? #stormblood spoilers #owen plays ffxiv #i think about fordola sm

[dadcred]

i hadnt rly given much thought to romantic relationships for rima post ysayle and aymeric fiascos aside from filing some potential ideas away for later but i just opened that file to think abt rima/granson during shb and then rima/lucia perhaps budding in the garlemald part and immmmmmmmm. emotions!!

#rima has a lot of pain after loving minfilia and ysayle and watching them die #and watching platonic soulmate haurchefant also die and all in sacrifice #and then fucking it up w aymeric bc of all that pain #so in my head she just hasnt been ready for anything else #but found a lot of comfort w granson after bonding over that pain and coping with him while grieving the dead #like finally properly grieving like thancred dows #and so going into edw she’s not at her best shes got Big Hero Depression but finally getting over that specific pain and has grown from it #and needs something safe and steady #and i think a lot of slow bonding happened w lucia on the way to garlemald #MUCH TO THINK ABT but nothing concrete only Thoughts #honk #ffxiv talk

[demilypyro]

Something I think is underrated about Final Fantasy 14 is that every class you can pick up is linked to a different culture. Dragoons from Ishgard, Dancers from Thavnair, Reapers from Garlemald, Monks and Red Mages from Ala Mhigo, Samurai from Hingashi, Ninja from Doma, Gunbreakers from Bozja, Sages from Sharlayan, and now Vipers from Tural. Everywhere you go, you meet teachers from different lands, learn their ways, enrich yourself with knowledge of the world. The Warrior of Light just loves immersing themselves in new fighting styles from new cultures. You get the sense that more than anything, to the Warrior of Light, it's all about self-improvement.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #final fantasy 14

[uldahstreetrat]

Im trying to take note of real world influences in XIV for some projects going forward, like languages used in areas (French names in Ishgard, Roman terms in Garlemald) or like in aesthetics I suppose (like Radz-at-han in particular reminds me of Istanbul), and I'd like to hear others' thoughts about those kinds of influences that they've noticed

(little more context on things im working on under the cut)

right now this has a lot to do with things like stamps lmao I have in fact gotten kinda into stamp collecting now and I'd like to design some for XIV areas based on similar irl counterpart countries? like regular stamps and stuff like a sort of Garlean version of US postal war savings stamps? so having irl countries to reference for stamp styles would be helpful to like figure that stuff out

and honestly all of this is just part of making a physical copy of Q'ihnn's journal more complicated than it needs to be but never let it be said that I dont have a love of unnecessarily dense world building

plus by having a list of reference countries I can also build out other kinds of like, souvenirs? in the journal from the places visited across msq - a lot of things I see people keep in journals, especially travel ones, are stuff like wrappers or other packaging, pieces of maps, receipts (that's its own rabbit hole ive gone down), ticket stubs, and other various little paper things along with photos and drawings (which are much easier to manage in comparison)

cause a lot of this shit doesnt extensively exist within the game often beyond a mention in a stray line of dialogue or two so there's advantages to having irl cultural and historical reference to make something that feels real - plus im often off in lala fantasy land in my head because im stuck at home a lot, im not exactly well traveled, so im sure its easy for me to miss especially like language use in certain areas (I didnt even notice how French Ishgardian names were until someone else made a joke about it, it just doesnt occur to me)

like some of these influences are fairly obvious, right, like Doma and Kugane being Japanese inspired and Greek influence around Sharlayan (which the Greek/Roman dichotomy that Sharlayan and Garlemald have going on is its own whole thing I could go into btw they're so similar yet different in such interesting ways) - but places like Ul'dah?? not a clue. Ala Mhigo? no idea. The Crystarium and Eulmore in the first??? oh I'd put my head through a wall trying to thing of a real world counterpart for reference

granted now having said that someone is going to point out something obvious that I just entirely missed some way or another lmao but like that's why im asking, right? anyway if you have nerd ass thoughts too just hit me up

#ffxiv #ff14 #most of this is rambling cause even i dont know where the fuck im going with this #not that I ever do but ya know #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14

[charm-in-spades]

Slate - If you could erase any memory from your life, would you do it? If so, which memory would you chose?

"Immediately, I would say no. My experiences are mine and so are the memories that come with them. At the end of the day, they make me...Me. For better or for worse. Most people would probably agree its the latter more than the former, but it is what it is."

"The thing is, that's all terribly cliché. I don't want my worst most days. There's...things, I'm sure. That haunt me but...I don't remember them. Not in full, and not when I want to....but when I sleep? When it's silent, oh they come back in droves, marching in step, assaulting me while I rest and retreating by the time I'm awake."

My nightmares.

I can't...remember them outright, but I know those memories exist. I can't help but wonder what the point in having memories like that at all if I can't remember them anyways. The repressed ones. I'd rather they be truly gone, than having them as obstacles to my peace. They serve no purpose, save to make me suffer. So yeah, sure. I'd get rid of them if I could, but it isn't really an option, is it?"

#New Day Same Shit #Nightmares #From Garlemald With Love #This is from years ago #my bad #Baselines

[motheatenscarf]

quick backstory: forever ago, when I did the Ala Mhigo dungeon with my friends, we all got to stop and take in the scenery since we weren't beholden to randos in queue, and we noticed that uh

One of the Garlean soldiers who was MEANT to be fighting the Ishgardian soldiers had bugged out apparently and was instead fighting against his own people while standing side by side with Aymeric

and we joked that not unlike Lucia, this random goon from Garlemald took one look at Aymeric and went, "Nevermind, actually, I immediately defect and am turning my life around for you."

given that my own WoL was also from Garlemald and also had a similar reaction to Aymeric, we joked that if we just sent him to Garlemald for a week, they'd reform into a republic again

i know Garlemald is... kinda fucked forever now, but i have an idea to raise morale and shift the national consciousness towards the appropriate tone of "Boy, our country fucked up but we gotta rebuild now."

just

just send Aymeric

Ishgardians hate him, but Garleans LOVE him, just send him to Garlemald for a vacation to escape the repeated assassination attempts and he'll turn them around overnight

#Caitlin Plays FF14 #FF14 spoilers #Aymeric de Borel #Aymeric

[voidsentprinces]

Emet-Selch loved his friends so much that when Azem didn't return and Hythlodaeus left him behind, this man went on a thousand, thousand lifetime crusade to get them back and the moment he even had a fraction of Azem in front of it, he threw the entirety of the Ascian's plan out of the window and put his backing behind the Warrior of Light. Despite his heeming and hawing on Mt. Gulg about how were such a disappointment and he would of just killed us anyway, dude straight up STILL tells us where to find him and offers an invitation that will DEFINITELY put us into contact with the Shade of Hythlodaeus. And the man had some of THE BEST Soulsight ever, if Hythlodaeus could make out Ardbert's shade so could Emet-Selch. Emet-Selch could of stopped us from fusing and curing us of the light poisoning but he didn't. In fact, he didn't know what would happen and his mask slips a bit when he sees the shade of Azem for the first time since Azem abandoned the Convocation over their plan to sacrifice to summon Zodiark. Its like if you caught a glimpse of a dead family member or a friend in a crowd of people while out and about. But when you turn them around they're just someone who looks and acts similarly. Its no wonder Emet shouted in disbelief of Azem's appearance before realizing that it wasn't their full return, they are still fragmented and beyond their reach. "Just, a trick of the light...you are nothing but a broken husk!" He convinces himself and does battle with us and when we are the victor after he throws his all at us, he gives us the memory of his people. OUR people. And fades away. All the destruction he caused through all the shards calamitied into the Source and the people of Eorzea as the founding emperor of Garlemald are inobtainable. At this point, there is no getting vengeance to our characters for the Ascian's machinations. Ishikawa closes off the path of razing Garlemald to the ground and opens up the path to save Emet's remaining people instead. It is not a perfect solution but it is the one she put forth. And so we're told to remember that the Amaurotines once lived and fades away leaving the task of Elidibus to the Shade of Hythlodaeus handing off our birthright and us to sort out once and for all. And as if, we could think he holds any negative emotions towards us personally and it wasn't just bluster? He WILLINGLY joins Hythlodaeus in being summoned to Ultima Thule. He makes it clear, he doesn't regret any of his actions. I mean...why would he? At long last, at journey's end. He is united with Azem and Hythlodaeus to bring forth hope and open a path for us to defeat Meteion's despair once and for all. And he could of just told us his ideals were invincible but he instead offers us paths to the future, places to visit, people to see. Let us travel as Azem once did. The last remaining seat of the Convocation to shepherd the star before he drifts back to the aetherial sea. One last time, he cranes his neck and offers us his sincerest smile to see us off on our next adventure.

#{ I have a fever and so enjoy my lore tangent good night } #{ also Hythlodaeus has the biggest imposter syndrome ever out of all the ancients but thats a rant for another time }

[haunted-xander]

The scene w the twins held hostage in Tertium is probably one of my favorite scenes in the entire game (which says a LOT). It's a very good portrayal of their characters and their dynamic to each other.

The scene starts with Alisaie trying to kick the door open, despite knowing she's better off staying put until we get them out. Point 1: Alisaie is reactive. Alphinaud then responds to this by explaining that, while he also hates this situation, they're better off staying put like we told them to. Point 2: Alphinaud internalizes.

Alisaie walks to sit by the wall like he is, and then kinda shyly scoots closer to him after realizing she's sitting too far away and he's not moving any closer, and puts her head on his shoulder. Point 3: Alisaie displays affection more freely (if a bit embarassed by it sometimes lol) while Alphinaud is a bit more reserved with it, typically waiting for others to initiate.

Alisaie starts to vent about her frustration regarding both the current situation in Garlemald and with Fourchenault(and the Forum as a whole), while also understanding where it all comes from. Alphinaud responds by looking at the people in questions views and feelings on the circumstances, while still agreeing that yeah, it sucks. Point 4: Alisaie is openly emotional (frustration being her typical form of expression) and tends to personally involve herself with most things, while Alphinaud takes things from a more distanced and factual point of view (while still expressing his own thoughts in a polite and professional manner).

After this they start to discuss the focal points of their respective characrer developments. Alisaie remarks that one's will and wants should be their own and not an extention of anothers, in the same way her character arc revolves around her finding her own reason for wanting to help the people of Eorzea, which she later admits that she has found. Alphinaud talks about how Varis' ideal of a single, united nation bereft of dividing factors was similar to his own ideals in the beginning, which he now admits is pure ignorance and will solve nothing but doom everyone to misery.

They make affirmations of their shared conviction and such, but the part that really hits this whole things home, is Alisaie asserting that she will stand by Alphinaud as he takes the lead. Because she has her role as an activist, she is the one who acts on what needs to be done and does it, whereas Alphinaud's role is as a leader and politician, to make it so that what needs to be done can be done. Alphinaud is a bit unsure if he can do it, because he's already failed so many times, but he won't give up and neither will Alisaie let him. She states as much with her typical dose of gently scolding love sprinkled in there.

The scene packs in so many details of them in such a nice way. Alisaie is outwardly emotional, typically unleashing her feelings in the moment and then calms down afterwards, while Alphinaud internalizes everything, holding on to his feelings for a long time and let them simmer down to a more managable level. When Alphinaud expresses his feelings more clearly, Alisaie is typically the more collected one(this is shown a lot in stb, like when we first meet Hacock and Alphinaud is instantly defensive, while Alisaie is the one to suggest at least hearing him out) and vice versa.

#they are actually very similar at the core but the way they react to things and express themselves are pretty opposite #one thing ive also noticed throughout the game #is that alisaie talks to wol with strong familiarity whereas alphinaud tends to be more professional about it #which isnt to say he doesnt show his affection or anything he does! #but hes like. extremely polite about it. as he is all things #techniaclly theyre like that with basically everyone #but i find it particulatly notable with wol due to how close they both are with them #i love them a lot #alisaie leveilleur #alphinaud leveilleur #final fantasy #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv #xander rambles

[myreia]

FEBHYURARY XXI: SEASON

In winter, an encounter.

He finds her. Or she finds him. Stumbling her way through the back alleys of the Brume, lugging a greatsword twice her size—Fray’s greatsword—on her back. He is furious with her then, this stranger who burst into his and Rielle’s lives unwanted and unasked, dragging the asinine politics of Ishgard—and the weight of the world—with her. She claims to be a mage, yet cannot spark a whiff of magic. Until her rage takes her. Until she gives herself to the Abyss. Then it comes surging out of her, setting her blade—that blade, cursed blade, holding so many memories—aflame with violet violence. The all-consuming depths of fury and wrath burning, burning, burning, and yet at its core, a gentle warmth. A tender flame. She loves as deeply as she has been hurt, and she is the last to recognize it. This time with her is short. Brief. A moment crystalized in the Coerthan snows. When it is over and she is gone, ascending to the heights of the Pillars with her Scions and her High Houses and whatever other political machinations she has gotten herself involved in, he knows he may never see her again. He wishes he would. For Rielle’s sake, of course.

In spring, a reunion.

It has not been that long. Her hair is longer now, growing out from the shorn cut she told him she gave herself. He does not ask about Ishgard. He does not ask about the Lord Commander, her apparent paramour. Her life has moved on, higher and higher, and the stories he hears of her feel distant from the person he knows her as. They take Rielle to Gridania, soaking in the spring sun and the loamy scent of new growth. In her company, Rielle is happier than he has ever seen her. He is thankful.

In summer, a journey.

It has been two years since he saw her last. She is different now—the fury and the rage diminished to weary numbness. The red streaks have returned to her hair, she is no longer dyeing it. Perhaps she no longer feels the need to hide, to meet the expectations set on her. She is more honest, more raw… He fears something has happened. Something she will not speak of. She puts on a brave face, but inside she is as broken as her shattered soul crystal. As they traverse the scorching russet landscape of Gyr Abania, he wonders how much of this is an escape for her. An escape from her duties, an escape from her role. The further they go, the more she opens up, telling him things in confidence she has not shared with any other. It is on an achingly normal day when the realization hits. A stop by the river, where they set their blades aside and strip down to their underthings to enjoy the cool, refreshing water. As he sits on the bank, pale skin burning in the hot sun, and she looks back at him with that gentle smile… Ah, shit.

In autumn, love.

It starts in an inn on the road to Coerthas. Rielle tucked away for an early night, the pair of them retiring to his room after one too many dark looks from the other patrons. Two dark knights in the darkest corner of the tavern were bound to attract attention. Perhaps drink is to blame for their actions, perhaps not—that first night is a blur of many things unsaid coming to fruition—regardless, the end result is the same. Love that blazes darker than the abyss in their hearts. It’s a poor decision on both their parts. This thing between them—the seed for it sown years ago in bloodstained snows, only to bloom now at the worst possible time—is precious and fragile and must needs be sheltered from the tempest of her life. She is torn in so many directions—Alliance, Scions, Garlemald, friends, allies, enemies, all devouring pieces of her until there is nothing left. He swears he will not place those demands on her. He has become the eye of the hurricane, the calm before the storm. It’s the least he can give her. This happiness is not forever. They know they must relinquish it when they reach their destination. For everything there is a season. And for every season—as certain as the falling leaves—there comes an end.

#febhyurary #febhyurary 2024 #ffxiv #ff14 #final fantasy 14 #gpose #gposers #sidurgu orl #sidwol #ffxiv wol #half-elezen #hyur midlander #heavensward #stormblood #aureia malathar #myreia screenshots #oc tag

[cinnabun-faerie]

Thank you so much for answering my previous ask ☺️ if possible could I please have some cute headcanons for Alphinaud G'raha Tia Thancred Y'shtola Aymeric Emet-Selch Jullus Zenos Hermes and Urianger with a WoL that turns into a blanket burrito when it gets cold outside? (It's actually cold where i live 😅 so it made me think of this ask idea) thank you and please keep up the good work

A/N: It's quite cold where I am as well! I hope you keep warm!

Note: Established relationships, fluffy

Warning: Spoilers if you haven't made it to Endwalker!

Alphinaud

"Do you have room in there for me?"

"Maybe."

he thinks that you're so adorable when you're wrapped up like that

perhaps before joining you, he could go put a few more sticks on the fire

he'd rather not have you nor him freeze to death

actually he would ask if you want to go and sit together in front of the fire for a while

you'd grudgingly agree

it's much warmer with the fire and you're cuddled up with him in a chair, head resting on his shoulder

Aymeric

Seeing as Ishgard is always cold, he understands why you'd be so bundled up

honestly you look so cute like that

but how was he supposed to hold you and get warm?

you had all of the blankets

perhaps you'd rather some body heat to help

"Sweetheart, can I hold you in the blankets?"

"Please!"

He would chuckle at your eagerness to engulf him into the blankets

"We can stay like this til morning if you'd like."

"I'd hope so or you'll end up a Knight-cicle."

Emet-Selch

Rolls Eyes

It wasn't that cold

but if you were that cold, then he could just go get you another blanket

the things he does for the love of his existence

"If you keep rolling your eyes, Emet-Selch, you'll never be granted access to the blanket."

"You're not going to share with me? After I get you two more blankets? I can't believe you."

"Two? Maybe we can call a truce."

when he finally joins you under the blankets, you realize that he's just as cold as you are

you lay on top of him and tuck the blankets around both of you

"Don't worry, I'll get us nice and warm."

G'raha Tia

G'raha was your blanket burrito buddy

he got a bit cold as well and the best thing to do was to cuddle up together

at least then he could pull you close to him

he was so cute for this as you were so fond of the way he nuzzled against you

"Shall I get more blankets?"

"No. I'm warm just like this. And I don't want you to move."

"Thank goodness. I didn't want to stop holding you, even for a moment.

Hermes

When he'd see you in your little blanket burrito, he would chuckle to himself

he should have known that you would be in here if he couldn't find you elsewhere

he would not try to wake you, but he would go to his side of the bed and cover himself with an extra blanket that you had not stolen for your burrito

his back was to you when you woke up to see him laying beside

"Hermes?"

you had moved closer to wrap your arm around him, your hand finding his

"Hm?"

"Missed you."

"Missed you too, love."

Jullus

Whether you were used to the cold or not, you were constantly cold

and being with him in Garlemald didn't help

but he had a solution for that

he had the fluffiest blankets reserved just for you and him

and when he sees you all bundled up like a burrito, he would have the cutest smile on his face

he adored you so much no matter what you did

he would join you in bed and pull you close so he could kiss your forehead, nose, cheeks and finally your lips

his heart would melt when you snuggle up next to him

Thancred

He loved teasing you whenever you were wrapped up like a burrito

you just looked so cute

and you had the best reactions of course

"Cold are we?"

"Yes."

"And what if I am too?"

"Get your own blanket."

"I'm wounded, Y/N. My own partner doesn't want to share with me."

You would tug Thancred on the bed before wrapping him and you up in the blankets, earning a laugh from him

"Shut up."

"You know, if you want to get warm, I know a good way."

"Thancred!"

Urianger

Whenever you got cold, you had this habit of wrapping yourself up in a blanket burrito and waddling out to wherever Urianger

there you would simply throw yourself at him

and he'd always catch you and set you in his lap

he knew that you preferred the blanket and his body heat

at least then he could read to you and you could warm him up

Y'shtola

"Is it burrito season?"

"It is. Will you be joining?"

"When have I ever refused."

Whenever you got cold, she always joined you

sometimes you formed her own burrito or other times she would just join yours

and whenever either of you were cuddled together in one big burrito, it wouldn't be long before you both would be fast asleep

Zenos

How could you be cold when he always pulled you close, providing you lots of heat?

regardless, he found you wrapped up in the blankets to be rather endearing

his heart might even skip a beat when you start wrapping him up in the same big blanket with you

"Are you satisfied?"

"Yes."

#ffxiv #ffxiv headcanons #alphinaud x reader #aymeric x reader #emet selch x reader #g'raha tia x reader #hermes x reader #jullus x reader #thancred x reader #urianger x reader #y'shtola x reader #zenos x reader

[elliewiltarwyn]

A Specialized Problem (OC Swap Gift for @mythandral)

for the FFXIV OC Swap discord's current swap, my giftee is the incomparable @mythandral! Coming in a little under the wire here cause the deadline is on Sunday ghasldkfjkasd BUT I'm really glad I finally sat myself down and devoted the energy to exploring Myth's whole deal because it's all so cool and fascinating and he's a wonderful character, and I hope this gift lives up to those standards!!

I present a 2,321-word fluffy MythXStephanivien fic illustrated with gposes from Steph's POV centered around Myth. I offered either gposes or fic writing, and then hubristically decided I could do both. >.> also there was technically a theme for the swap but thankfully they were optional because I completely forgot sdghalshgf however I suppose you could say this is adjacent to the Valentione's/Love option?? it is goddamn cotton-candy levels of fluff at least lol

ANYWAY WITHOUT FURTHER ADO hope you all and Myth in particular enjoy!!

It was well after the end of the workday, with the gray Coerthan clouds beginning to tint orange and the sun beginning to aim its reach through the still-open doors of the manufactory, and Myth had yet to move an ilm from his spot.

This in and of itself wasn’t terribly surprising; Stephanivien was used to his husband’s tendency to focus on his projects to the exclusion of most else. It was a method of increasing his productivity and a process of healing both for him, allowing him to turn his anxieties into progress on any number of little projects that had fallen by the wayside in the manufactory’s assembly line, but ones that would be of immense benefit to unfortunate folk from the slowly-ascending peasants of the Brume to the steadily-recovering citizens of Garlemald. Even if it were for no benefit but his own, Stephanivien would never begrudge him these times to himself; Fury knows he could use some of those moments, butting heads with his lord father and Tedalgrinche and other such doubters all day as he does. Albeit less so these days.

No, Stephanivien’s concern was more prosaic: typically, Myth’s personal space in these times was active and bright, delighting in the sounds of his tools tinkering with his project, examining it from every angle and frequently ducking his head and craning his neck into unusual positions to do so, not to mention how he would gladly explicate upon his process to any who asked, especially if they were new hires of the manufactory who were like to stand there in awe of the Warrior of Light more than actually listen to a word he was saying. Quite frankly, Myth was a delight when he was in these moods.

Today, it had been anything but: Mythandral Raas, beloved senior engineer of Skysteel Manufactory, husband of its proprietor, and Warrior of Light, had spent near the full afternoon gazing blankly at the device in pieces before him on the table — his own aetherometer. His elbows had rested on the table for what seemed to be several bells, his hands clasped across the bridge of his nose as his burnished golden eyes, the color of the sun hiding behind the overcast sky, traced the span of gears, nuts, bolts and wires sprawled across his workspace. Most disturbingly, he had paid no heed to any who tried to draw his attention — not that anyone pressed particularly far, fearful as they were of disturbing such a notable figure of renown, no matter how open-minded and approachable Myth presented himself.

‘Twas quite strange for Myth, but Stephanivien had some ideas percolating in his overactive mind — both as to the cause and as to possible solutions.

And so as the day wound down and countless employees and guild trainees trickled out the door, each bidding both proprietor and Warrior of Light good night, Stephanivien pretended to busy himself with a pile of messy letters that a Haillenarte manservant had delivered earlier that day, flipping and reading through the same three or four until activity in the manufactory died down, until all that could be heard was the sound of steam rushing through pipes and small hisses of exhaust — the murmurs, chatter, and laughter of his employees finally absent. Even now, Myth continued to regard his aetherometer sternly, attempting to solve a puzzle that, Stephanivien admitted, could stump even himself.

Once he had judged it to be likely they truly were the last in the manufactory, Stephanivien raised his voice slightly to note, “Stare any harder, my dear, and you’re like to burn a hole straight through the thing.”

Finally, for the first time in several hours, Myth’s head rose from its downturned angle. Smirking to himself, Stephanivien balled up the letters in his hand, tossed them over his shoulder into the wastebasket, and slipped out from behind the desk to make for his partner’s side. As his boots clacked across the wooden floor, Myth’s head slowly craned around to gaze up at him over his shoulder, blinking fairly irregularly and furrowing his brow as if he had just awoken from deep slumber. “Of course, if doing so would solve your seemingly impenetrable dilemma, then I wholeheartedly encourage it by all means.” Stephanivien winked. “As I always encourage exploring such unorthodox methods.”

“Unfortunately, this is a matter that requires a delicate approach,” Myth demurred as the corner of his lips tugged upwards slightly. “I won’t deny I’ve been quite tempted to incinerate the blasted thing a number of times, though.”

“’Twould certainly eradicate the problem in one sense.” Now by his side, Stephanivien reached over and laid a gentle hand on his partner’s shoulder while extending the other around in front; Myth took the hint and reached up to clasp it, each machinist curling their fingers around each other’s thick padded gloves. “Shall I take a look? Fresh perspectives oft bear unforeseen solutions, as you well know.”

Myth sighed. “You’re welcome to, I suppose, but I fear this is a particularly specialized problem. It involves…well.” He chuckled, sat up a little, and wryly rapped his knuckles against his own chest; Stephanivien knew very well the “problem” laying beneath Myth’s perfectly-tailored, shockingly-clean-for-a-Skysteel-engineer shirt. “My stint with the Light is largely resolved, but I am still particularly susceptible to fluctuations in my aether, particularly when I’m doing something aether-intensive; when I accrue a surfeit, the probability that the aetherometer will jam rises — the lightning-aspected aether it is supposed to draw becomes imbalanced toward the umbral.” With his free hand, he reached for a small wrench that laid on the table next to the meter, flipped it into his fingers with all the dexterity of a Lominsan rogue with their knives, and drummed it along the length of an internal piece of the meter’s machinery. “I am trying to figure out how to filter Light aether and restore the lightning’s astral balance, in essence.”

Stephanivien frowned. “That is quite the conundrum — after all, if it were possible before…”

“…I would likely have had a much easier time in the First, yes,” Myth mused with a grim chuckle.

“That aether fluctuations could cause errors with the extraction is a possibility I ought to have considered. It pains me to know my oversight has been causing you grief.”

“Come now, there’s no way you could have possibly known ‘twould be an issue when you invented this,” Myth immediately interjected, shaking his head up at his husband with a mischievous grin. “Frankly, had you, it would have raised serious questions about your choice of occupation. You could make a killing with that sort of precognition.”

Stephanivien submitted to a chuckle himself as he squeezed his husband’s hand and shoulder both. “You say that, and yet I am not unaware of the skeptical glares everyone still gives my prospectometer.” Myth stifled a laugh with his other hand, a sound Stephanivien had not heard all day and had sorely missed. “At any rate, mayhap we should step away from the problem for a time? Even your genius mind cannot carry on forever without rest and recuperation.” That being said, Stephanivien’s insides churned, as he knew quite well why Myth had been focusing so intently on solving this particular puzzle. From the tales he had heard, from what he had seen cross his husband’s torso, the Light had done quite a number on him, to put it far too lightly…

Thankfully, Myth’s response to the proposition was to sigh, lean his head against Stephanivien’s hand, and murmur, “Perhaps you have a point.” He groaned and stretched his other arm and both legs outward, rotating his wrist and feet as he stretched his neck to one side, then the other. There was a grimace on his face when he muttered, “I definitely should not have sat here all day. Have you aught in mind for an alternate activity?”

“‘Activity’ should not be a factor in the equation, my dear…” Stephanivien trailed off as his gaze tracked towards the chronometer sitting on the manufactory’s front desk. The specific time that it was currently displaying suddenly ignited the spark of an idea in his mind, and he grinned. “Though I do believe I’ve thought of something. Here — follow me.”

Myth’s brow furrowed in confusion, but he allowed Stephanivien to pull him to his feet and start to make for the stairs hand-in-hand. Stephanivien’s heart beat faster and faster in his breast as they climbed those stairs to the manufactory’s upper story, crossing the landing until they reached one of the doors on the far side with a ‘No Entry’ placard hanging off the handles; Stephanivien carelessly yanked it off and pulled Myth through, crossing into a poorly-lit corridor.

“Hm.” Even in the darkness, Stephanivien was well aware of the arched eyebrow upon his husband’s face. “I can’t say I’ve ever been down this way.”

“You did not think the ‘No Entry’ was a physical barrier, surely?”

“You never know.”

Stephanivien laughed gaily as they began to climb another set of stairs. After all his worrying, all Myth’s trials, he could not well describe the extent to which he was walking on clouds hearing his partner’s sense of humor return to prominence.

There wasn’t much further banter as the two ascended the stairs to an extent much further than Stephanivien was sure Myth expected, distracted as they were with the effort and the numbered floors counting off in Stephanivien’s mind. Once they reached the fifth landing, he diverted off the steps onto it and led Myth down another few dark corridors, eventually reaching one sitting unremarkedly at the far end.

“You may want to cover your eyes for a moment,” Stephanivien warned with a cheeky grin; Myth looked confused still, but obliged, lowering his goggles and shading them with his hand. Holding his breath in anticipation, Stephanivien yanked the door open and pulled Myth through.

The moment the sun fell across Myth’s face, it rose in shock, his lips slightly parted as it literally dawned on him what was happening. “Wait, but…”

Stephanivien couldn’t help a satisfied smirk as he gently coaxed his partner forward, stepping onto a surprisingly wide stone landing and making for its edge. “Ishgard has a reputation for dreariness that is not wholly unearned,” he said matter-of-factly, “but there are certain places that are adept at reminding me ‘twas not always a cold and biting clime.”

“Right here at the manufactory?” Myth replied in awe; having apparently gotten used to it now, he pushes his goggles back up onto his forehead and lowers his hand, his golden eyes sweeping back and forth, taking in the vista before them.

“‘Tis not particularly known, and I am ill-inclined to reveal it to most. But of course, I will make certain exceptions.” Stephanivien beams at Myth as they reach the edge and draw to a standstill, relishing the way the widening of his partner’s eyes gave him premium access to the view of their golden pupils, now soaking in not just the scenic view of the ridges of Abalathia’s Spine but the way the sun perfectly sat at the apex of one of the gaps between the Pillars for which the district was so named.

A hesitance struck Stephanivien at that moment, the potential pitfalls of his devious plan now catching up with his overactive mind. After all, if Light was the source of such woe for him… But he remained resolute as he gestured at the vista, lingering in particular on the rays of the sun, so strong with such defined shapes that he swore he could reach out and pluck them from the frigid air. “The sun travels over Coerthas as normal, of course — but it never nestles into what I would declare its proper spot aside from this particular time of day, in this particular season.”

He exhaled a visible puff of air and put his hand on his hip, the other now tightly beginning to curl into Myth’s. “From this spot,” he began quietly, “I can remember easier that we are not so isolated here in Ishgard — that the warm touch of the sun can reach even us.” His gaze flicked up to Myth’s eyes again, meeting them as Myth turned to stare at him. “Both that we need not suffer our trials alone… and that ‘tis still possible to partake of that which is comforting about the light.”

Myth’s other hand, on apparent instinct, rose up and placed itself directly upon his chest, over the precise centerpoint where Stephanivien knew the scars laid. “Steph,” he breathed, “you…”

Stephanivien chewed his lip anxiously, the nerves beginning to rise to a fever pitch as he suddenly found himself unable to read his husband’s expression. “I apologize profusely if I’ve given any offense,” he murmurs, averting his gaze, “I merely thought—”

A leather glove wraps around his hip and pulls him in to share a deep kiss with Myth, one which he enthusiastically reciprocates, reaching up to cup his partner’s cheek and move in for a more comfortable position, a warm position, here in the arms of Mythandral Raas.

“You are,” Myth breathed between kisses, “as always, a genius, and have the answer to everything.” They pulled apart slightly, just enough to rest their foreheads against each other; Stephanivien stifled a chuckle as their goggles clacked awkwardly against each other. “Thank you, my love.”

Stephanivien grinned. “I’m overjoyed to have helped.” They kissed again, and Stephanivien began to tangle his fingers in the lengths of Myth’s luxurious hair. “If you like,” he whispered somewhat mischievously, “I can steal down briefly for some of the ale stores? I’ve found it goes quite well with the view.”

“Oh, on any other day, I would gladly,” Myth replied, pulling back and grinning at his husband. “But tonight, I think I would keep my mind clear. I’ve just had a flash of inspiration about my problem, after all.”

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv screenshots #ffxiv gpose #my fanfiction #ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv swap #elezen #stephanivien de haillenarte #stephanivien x wol #other's ocs: Mythandral Raas #thank you sm for trusting me with Myth he's fantastic!! #also this is actually the first time i've ever posed elezen!! #and for some reason i found their heights so much more difficult to wrangle than femroes?? i dont get it?? #also also i apologize if any or all of this doesn't line up with Official Myth Lore™️but i tried my best! 🙂

[nihilnovisubsole]

phew! finally a weekend where i can set aside enough time to type up The Promised Endwalker Stream-of-Consciousness Post. i finished the base story... a month ago? but work has been busy, and i think tumblr benefits from me being quiet sometimes. anyway, what a ride. when you've been building up to the end of your arc for a decade, you want to hit it like an earthquake, and that's exactly what they did.

i think people love endwalker because it fires on all cylinders. it returns - in both story and vision - to the eorzea we love, and the dev team gets to show off everything they've learned. the dungeons and boss fights are dynamic and imaginative and colorful and bring the game's epic sense of scope to bear. the story callbacks are juicy. the music is orchestral again. we're back home, and we're saving the galaxy. what's better than this?

i love that we go to garlemald. i don't - i mean, you know, i don't like garlemald. i shouldn't have to qualify that. but it's hugely narratively satisfying to see the face of the enemy we've been fighting since the first few hours of ARR. you don't think about them when you're beating them up in castrum centri or ala mhigo. they're star wars bad guys. then you meet them on their own turf. you observe firsthand how they starve and cannibalize their own people to feed their obsession with state power and military strength. the wintry environment makes it seem all the more barren and desperate. my favorite part by far. i wish we'd spent more time there.

actually, on that note:

there is an argument that endwalker should've been two expacs. i've heard similar about stormblood - ala mhigo should've been the whole thing, and doma should've been either patch content or an expac of its own. the prevailing theory is that, after ARR, the devs are afraid of letting arcs run long. i can't speak to that, but i wouldn't have minded, that's for sure!

i won't pretend not to be biased. i've noted in many xiv posts that it hurries through its political plots to get to the magic stuff. i felt more conscious of it in heavensward and especially in stormblood. i made peace with it in endwalker. with dessert this good, who am i to complain? i can do small character drama on my own time. for now, the game wants royce to be a big damn shonen hero, and that can be fun, too.

speaking of characters, urianger and estinien have grown on me. this is the arc where, for me at least, the scions have congealed. they're all good, but with any large cast and custom player character, you tend to form the meatiest bonds with a few specific ones. i think royce appreciates urianger's cooler, more mature head. they're both so formal. he realizes she's someone he can confide in. i think she sees estinien as a gifted, but hotheaded whelp, which i find very funny. patience, child. stop sulking. do your breathing drills.

i love thancred's MGS sequence and in from the cold too. they're stressful, but i love that the team tried, you know what i mean? the fact that you can fight enemies in a pinch makes those duties way more bearable than some other games that experiment with stealth.

in from the cold as a whole, honestly. If You Know, You Know

all right, i can't avoid referencing spoilers anymore, sorry. there's a sense of classical tragedy to the whole elpis sequence. it's like watching macbeth or hamlet. you know how it's going to end, and you know you're powerless to stop it, but if they'd just made that different choice! but we had to leave eden. the warrior of light had to end up where they are to finish what elpis started. i don't do fate/destiny plots, but this? i'll take it.

i also knew what would happen going into ultima thule and still came away from it moved. it's strong writing. that's all there is to it. sure, the visuals are haunting, but the dialogue has to sell a gauntlet of difficult character moments, and it pulls it off. on the design side, there's some interesting intentional friction that forces you to linger in the zone and sit with its sense of despair. that part where you have to search the empty park for signs of life? oof

with the majority of the MSQ under my belt, i started sniffing around for what else there is to do ingame. i tried ninja. did terribly. i tried sage. did terribly too, but at least that gave me access to the healer role quests, which, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). the nier raids are gorgeous. i even did the controversial werlyt quests, and terncliff is so cute. i kind of wish we could have another story there!

what's next? i dunno! right now i'm burning through the hildibrand quests before i continue on with endwalker's patch story. the field operation stuff seems interesting to do after the MSQ, in a "hey, you saved the world, but we have more missions for you" way. i've also contracted Triple Triad Collector Disease, so that'll keep me busy for a long time.

all right. one last thing. Real Gamer Moments: i was in a mount-farming party recently, and i said that i sort of collected mounts, but only used the ishgardian chocobo. it's a roleplay thing - it's the chocobo royce took when she ran away from ishgard. one of the party members said "haurchefant would be proud of you." AUGH

#ffxiv #long post